SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 05/11/19 1144283 Which major Valley team is closest to winning a 1144314 Jeff Blashill, Team USA drop opening game in world championship? hockey championships 1144315 'Hero to us all': Hockey luminaries celebrate life of Red Wings legend Red Kelly 1144284 Goalie play has paved the way to Western Conference 1144316 Rotten first day for Red Wings at Worlds as U.S., Canada final for Blues, Sharks fall 1144285 Bruins trying to shake second-period doldrums 1144286 Deadline pickups Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson are the real deal 1144317 Edmonton Oilers coaching candidate Dave Tippett 1144287 Bruins must clean up second-period struggles keeping intentions quiet 1144288 Happy 49th birthday, Bobby Orr flying-through-the-air- 1144318 JONES: Ken Holland hits ground running with Edmonton 1144289 Bruins are finally seeing the best that Marcus Johansson Oilers has to offer 1144290 Patrice Bergeron aids Bruins power play, nears historic playoff mark 1144319 Mikey Anderson could bring his winning pedigree, 1144291 Bruins are the better team, and should end Hurricanes competitiveness to the Kings in the future series quickly 1144292 Ex-Bruins, Hurricanes player rips Dougie Hamilton : 'What a joke' 1144320 Wild signs Iowa leading scorer Gerald Mayhew to two- 1144293 Brad Marchand turns over 'a new leaf' with key sequence year contract in Game 1 win 1144321 High school hockey: Greg Zanon takes over Stillwater’s 1144294 Defensemen, defer: The blue line is not Bruce Cassidy’s boys varsity preferred source for offense 1144322 Wild reward playoff star Gerald Mayhew with two-year, 1144295 Bourne: How Boston’s coaching, centres and confidence two-way deal propelled it to a Game 1 win over Carolina 1144323 Q-and-A with former Canadien Chris Nilan on his front 1144296 Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour lose on day porch one of World Championship 1144324 My Montreal: Chris Nilan carries love for city, Habs on his 1144297 Could different usage, support help Rasmus Ristolainen shoulder succeed with Sabres? 1144325 Which free agents should be on Marc Bergevin’s shopping list? Flames 1144299 Duhatschek Notebook: Why both players and reporters are to blame for the rise of cliches in interviews 1144326 Predators center Kyle Turris named Team Canada captain 1144327 Nashville makes sense for an outdoor game, NHL Commissioner says 1144300 Deadline pickups Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson 1144328 Trades and playoff pushes: How the Predators are have added life to Bruins working to restock the prospect cupboard 1144301 Rod Brind’Amour makes the call: it’s time for the Canes to focus on Game 2 1144302 There’s one way to forever remember this Hurricanes’ 1144329 2019: Ex-Devil Marcus Johansson playoff run. Get a tattoo. making a difference for Bruins 1144303 A familiar position for the Hurricanes, albeit with unfamiliar 1144330 NHL Draft 2019: What to watch from Jack Hughes, Kaapo stakes Kakko at World Championships 1144304 Often snubbed by NBC, Hurricanes have been a TV ratings bonanza 1144305 If Hurricanes-Bruins Game 1 is any indication, this will be 1144331 Andrew Ladd's recovery is 'on track,' but will he still be an one heck of a series Islander come September? 1144306 ow Boston’s coaching, centres and confidence propelled it 1144332 Islanders report cards: Handing out end-of-season grades to a Game 1 win over Carolina for the forwards 1144307 Inconsistent officiating isn’t why the Hurricanes dropped Game 1, but it’s getting tough to watch regardless 1144333 How Blue Jackets might respond to a John Davidson departure to Rangers 1144308 Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky selling Columbus condo for $2.95 million 1144309 How Blue Jackets might respond to a John Davidson 1144334 Ottawa Senators sign skilled blueliner departure to Rangers 1144335 Former Flyers Craig Berube and Patrick Maroon find 1144310 Part of the Stars or an asset to get something else? After redemption with St. Louis Blues | Sam Carchidi 4 months as healthy scratch, Julius Honka's future 1144311 John Klingberg, Radek Faksa to play in World Championship following Stars' second-round exit 1144336 Olli Maatta puzzle frames difficult summer decisions 1144312 Stars need to take lessons to heart, emphasize culture to Penguins must make make sure 2019 isn’t a repeat of 2016 1144337 Evgeni Malkin leads Russia past Norway in World 1144313 How Stars prospect Tye Felhaber went from out of shape Championships opener forward to ‘The Legend’ with the Ottawa 67’s Websites 1144338 The small change that helped Martin Jones get back his 1144370 The Athletic / Between chasing pucks and recording old playoff form albums, how the Krebs are making their mark in the WHL 1144339 Vegas fan gifts jersey to Pope Francis weeks after Game and 7 loss to Sharks 1144371 The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Terrible offside reviews, 1144340 Erik Karlsson ready to capitalize on Sharks' 'great chance' missed head shots, injured goalies and another round of vs. Blues 1144372 .ca / Bruins-Hurricanes coaching matchup 1144341 Sharks expecting to play more physical series in West showcases clear evolution of the job final vs. Blues 1144373 Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: Who has the edge in the 1144342 Sharks, Giants have perfected art of winning playoff Conference Finals? elimination games 1144374 Sportsnet.ca / Young defencemen presented fresh 1144343 How has Martin Jones turned his playoff performance opportunities with Oilers around? Former NHL goalies weigh in 1144375 Sportsnet.ca / How Jack Hughes built the skill-set that could make him 2019's No. 1 pick St Louis Blues 1144376 Sportsnet.ca / Ultimate fan follows Leafs for all 89 games: 1144344 Armstrong says his candidate list for Blues coach is down 'Not as crazy as you think' to one: Berube 1144377 Sportsnet.ca / Hurricanes lose grip on Game 1 as Bruins 1144345 Pavelski-led Sharks are an intimidating bunch. Will that be capitalize on power play motivation for Blues? 1144378 Sportsnet.ca / Seattle NHL team gives fans chance to vote 1144346 Shark bait no more? Blues changed after last playoff loss on name, jersey colour, more to San Jose. Time to see if it worked 1144379 Sportsnet.ca / Devils, Rangers react to Kaapo Kakko goal 1144347 After Blues 'bring a city together' with Game 7 thriller, here vs. Canada at IIHF worlds come the Sharks 1144380 TSN.CA / Panarin tops 2019 Free Agent Frenzy class 1144348 Gunnarsson's status uncertain for Blues opener in San 1144381 USA TODAY / Hot playoff performers among this Jose summer's top 20 potential unrestricted free agents 1144349 Beating Kroenke's team on ice would have been nice, but 1144382 USA TODAY / Russian President Vladimir Putin takes a best battle remains in court tumble after big performance at hockey exhibition 1144350 Media Views: NBC's McGuire brings his marathon to Blues-Sharks series 1144351 A peek into Blues' radio booth for classic call 1144366 Four decades later, Jets final Avco Cup season still vivid 1144352 Gunnarsson's status uncertain for opener against San for former star Lukowich Jose 1144367 Second contracts in the era and what they tell 1144353 Eye of the Tiger: Jordan Binnington’s cold blood has NHL us about Patrik Laine’s next deal goalie alums buzzing SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1144354 Nikita Kucherov achieved superstar status, but there’s still something missing 1144355 Cedric Paquette’s disruptive play connects for the Lightning 1144356 Eight-time Stanley Cup champion Red Kelly remembered at funeral in Toronto | The Star 1144357 Offence already an issue as Canada drops opener to Finland at world hockey championship | The Star 1144358 Maple Leafs legend Red Kelly celebrated as humble champion 1144359 Teemu Kivihalme’s possession-driving, shot-generating game should fit with Leafs 1144368 Canucks Under the Microscope: Jim Benning 1144369 A note of gratitude from Jason Botchford’s family 1144360 Notable hockey names attend Red Kelly’s funeral in Toronto 1144361 Pope Francis receives custom Golden Knights jersey 1144362 Jonathan Marchessault, Nikita Gusev score in Worlds 1144363 The Caps are out of the . Why you should root for the Sharks or the Blues. 1144364 Could Nathan Walker be a fourth-line option for the cash-strapped Capitals next season? 1144365 Goodbye stressful summer: Contract extension provides Capitals’ Nic Dowd and wife, Paige, welcomed security 1144283 Arizona Coyotes maybe the better descriptor for the Cardinals in all of this is their status as a .

If Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury are the new trendsetters in the NFL Which major Valley team is closest to winning a championship? for how to run an offense and everything goes well, the Cardinals could be a dominant force. If things don’t go according to plan and Murray doesn’t pan out, it’s back to the drawing board. BY ARIZONA SPORTS Phoenix Suns (6%) MAY 9, 2019 AT 11:24 AM Phoenix hopes the five-year signing of experienced head coach Monty Williams can signal a turnaround for a team looking for stability in a nine- year playoff drought. The Phoenix sports scene could use another championship ring. We’ll know Tuesday if their luck is turning when the NBA Draft Lottery The Diamondbacks are still the only of the four major professional teams determines who gets the No. 1 pick and likely Zion Williamson, the most in Arizona to win a title, beating the Yankees in the World Series in 2001. highly-touted prospect in years. Adding him to the core of guard Devin Other teams have come close, but still, Arizona’s youngest major Booker and center Deandre Ayton is a dream for Suns fans. professional sports franchise is the only to win a title. But with an 86% chance the Suns will not get that pick, odds are the We know — the Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Rattlers and Phoenix Rising team goes into the offseason following a 19-win season with questions FC have all either had great success or a bright future or both. But this about who to draft, how high they value young players like Josh Jackson question is intended to examine the “big four” teams, whose fan base, and Kelly Oubre Jr., and how to solve the persistent guard problem. economic impact and brand recognition are all the largest among the list of teams in the Valley. It’s felt like the Suns have been two years away from being two years away for a long time. This poll does not reveal optimism that Phoenix has On Wednesday, ArizonaSports.com and its corresponding Twitter moved much closer to its goal. account, @AZSports, did coinciding polls to ask users: Which of the four major professional teams in the Valley is closest to a title? Arizona Sports LOADED: 05.11.2019 Which of these Valley teams is closest to winning a championship?

— 98.7 Arizona Sports (@AZSports) May 8, 2019

The results were slightly different depending on which platform you were on. On the website, as of Thursday morning, more than 80% of users had said the Coyotes were closest. On Twitter, the ‘Yotes had the lead as well, but only 57% of the vote.

We wanted to dive into this question a little further. Here’s a synopsis for each team to add more context to the discussion, put in order by how each team did in the poll:

Arizona Coyotes (57%)

Twitter users were bullish about the Coyotes’ future, overwhelmingly voting them as the closest team.

There’s a good case to be made for this. Arizona’s NHL franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011-12 when it went to the Western Conference Finals, but this year came the closest it has in a long time to making the postseason.

The Coyotes finished just four points behind Colorado, which occupied the final Wild Card spot. They won 39 games and had 86 points, the most since 2013-14. It was a drastic improvement from the season before, in which the Coyotes finished last in the Pacific Division and were virtually out of the playoff race by November.

That said, progress is often non-linear. Do the Coyotes fix their scoring woes? Do young players take that next step forward? How long do the veterans have left with the young core?

Arizona Diamondbacks (24%)

The D-backs, should they be the next to win the ‘ship, would earn their second title while other teams are still waiting on their first. How unfair.

But the Diamondbacks winning a World Series in the near future isn’t out of the question, since they’re the most recent of the four teams to make the playoffs and are off to a decent start in 2019. The emergence of players like David Peralta, Nick Ahmed and Ketel Marte over the last few years has only bolstered their chance of success going forward.

But will losing big pieces like Paul Goldschmidt, Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock hurt their depth and experience in the long haul? And can the team maintain consistency in what has been a 21-16 start to the season?

Arizona Cardinals (13%)

The Cardinals are the most recent team to be in their league’s title game or series, even though they’ve yet to win a Super Bowl in their team’s long history.

Coming off of an NFL-worst 3-13 season, it’s understandable to think that Arizona’s NFL team is a long way away from a Super Bowl title. But 1144284 Boston Bruins

Goalie play has paved the way to Western Conference final for Blues, Sharks

Adrian Walker

SAN JOSE, Calif. — St. Louis’ season started to turn around as soon as goalie Jordan Binnington came up from the minors to help lead the Blues from the bottom of the standings.

‘‘When we put him in Philly as the starter, we haven’t looked back,’’ Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Friday on the eve of Game 1.

‘‘It would be disingenuous to say that this was anywhere part of the plan. This is the Jordan Binnington story in the sense that he’s made the best of the opportunity.’’

The key moment for their opponent in the Western Conference final came much later in the year when San Jose coach Peter DeBoer made the decision to stick with struggling Martin Jones in net midway through the first round.

Jones found his game and has helped carry the Sharks into the final four.

The decision to change goalies in St. Louis and stick with one in San Jose now has these two star-crossed franchises eight wins away from a first Stanley Cup title.

Binnington was called up from the minors in December and then had a shutout in his first start against the Flyers on Jan. 7, becoming a big reason why the team in last place in the NHL on Jan. 2 is still alive.

He helped anchor an 11-game winning streak and became a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie at age 25. He’s been steady in the playoffs with a .915 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average.

‘‘There were some years there where I wasn’t sure,’’ Binnington said when asked if he ever doubted he'd become an NHL goalie. ‘‘It took a lot of maturing and experience. I was in the right place.’’

Jones came into the season with much pedigree, having led the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final just three years ago. But he had an .896 save percentage this season and was pulled twice in the first four games of the first round against Vegas.

But he rebounded from there with a .928 save percentage in the last 10 games, including a franchise-record 58 saves in a double-overtime win at Vegas that helped spark a comeback from 3-1 down in the series.

‘‘There was never a doubt in anybody’s mind that he'd go out and play well,’’ teammate Logan Couture said.

DeBoer said all Jones needed was a few small adjustments as he had overcompensated from being too passive late in the season to being overly aggressive in the first four games against the Golden Knights.

Having found the happy medium and getting better support from his teammates, who have limited odd-man rushes, Jones is playing at a high level once again.

‘‘It’s tough as a goalie, you want to go out and make a difference and make a big save,’’ he said. ‘‘You just have to be a little bit more patient and wait for the game a little bit more.’’

Boston Globe LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144285 Boston Bruins think Jaro did a heck of a job in the regular season to give him those nights off. With that, he’s had so much confidence in his routine and how he prepares for games. He’s getting results because he’s dialed in and Bruins trying to shake second-period doldrums seeing pucks.”

Boston Globe LOADED: 05.11.2019

Adrian Walker

“You get excited about that as a teammate when you see a guy that maybe isn’t as comfortable in the locker room, just because he hasn’t been here for a while. He stepped up and came out in that third period and scored that early goal and set the tone for us.”

Johansson’s tying goal early in the third period helped the Bruins survive another shaky second period, in a 5-2 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. The Bruins, who lost four puck battles on Greg McKegg’s crease-crashing goal that gave the Canes a 2-1 lead in the second, have gone into the locker room after 40 minutes consistently outgunned.

Boston has the worst second-period shot differential (minus-30) in the playoffs. Its goal differential is best overall (plus-15), but the Bruins are minus-1 in middle periods, when teams switch ends of the ice and the home team has a longer distance to skate to the bench.

“The fixable parts are bad line changes,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We tend to change as a group of three, as forwards. Really we should space it out better. Some of that can be through the course of play, if you just get fatigued, or I should shorten our shifts,” he said, noting that doing that has a trickle-down effect that can mess with his ice time balance. “It’s puck management as well. If you don’t put it in a good spot, your D can never get off, so they’re playing fatigued.

“I think our starts have been very good, so the other team I think will generally pick up their game as well.”

The Bruins, thanks in large part to Tuukka Rask, survived the second despite allowing 11 scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. After Johansson and Patrice Bergeron scored 28 seconds apart, Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour called timeout.

“We don’t say much,” Cassidy said of his reaction. “We’re just recharging our batteries, want to get going again. We just had things go our way, so make sure that off that center-ice draw, you’re doing whatever — you know, some of those draws in the neutral zone aren’t that important. But those ones are. Let’s win the puck and get going right back in their end, don’t allow them to tilt the ice back in their favor.”

Working on draws

The Bruins lost that draw, Jordan Staal beating Sean Kuraly. They were hit hard at the dot in Game 1, winning 47 percent of drops. Situationally, they were poor, losing all six on the penalty kill, and 18 of 23 (28 percent success) in the defensive zone. Bergeron, cooking at a league-best clip (61.2 percent) through two rounds, won 40 percent.

Both captains, Boston’s Zdeno Chara and Carolina’s Justin Williams, were working the refs during Game 1 stoppages. Cassidy said he won’t be afraid to engage in similar gamesmanship.

“We’re a good faceoff team, so I suspect — and I know Toronto has in the past voiced their concern about a certain centerman who wears the number 37 — so we’ve had to counter that, Cassidy said. “It’s up to the linesman to keep it in check . . . They were good last night, so maybe we’re the ones who are going to have to bring it up.”

Decision on D

With suspended top blue liner Charlie McAvoy returning for Game 2, Cassidy’s choice is between goal-scorer Steven Kampfer and rookie Connor Clifton. Both showed well Thursday, but the coach said he suspects Clifton will stay in. Kampfer (14:56 time on ice) spent 1:15 as McAvoy’s substitute on the Bruins’ second power play unit. Clifton (18:02 in total) sees secondary penalty-kill duty — Kampfer does not — and was playing well as Matt Grzelcyk’s partner in his previous eight playoff games . . . Cassidy praised Grzelcyk, who played both sides of the rink and killed penalties for an injury-riddled club in the first half, for his versatility. “He’s a smart player,” Cassidy said. “He can adjust to anything we’re doing.” . . . Krug brought up forgotten backup Jaroslav Halak when asked about Rask’s success. “He’s well rested,” Krug said of Rask, whose 45-start workload was his lowest in six full seasons as a starter. “I 1144286 Boston Bruins check in the back, as anyone standing there does, and was in position to roof a loose puck over Petr Mrazek.

Wagner shares Milbury’s hometown (Walpole) and alma mater (Colgate), Deadline pickups Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson are the real deal but not his opinion on No. 90.

“I mean, the plays he’s making right now, I don’t know how that would be Adrian Walker considered soft,” Wagner said, referring to Johansson’s stop-and-wait pass on Kampfer’s goal. “Last night, to pull up like that when they have good back pressure, you could get hit. That’s a hit he’s willing to take. To have the poise like that to thread it through another guy’s skates, like he Coach Bruce Cassidy called them “very, very” important to the Bruins, did against Columbus, that’s certainly not soft. And that was a pretty who will try to extend their 1-0 Eastern Conference final lead in Game 2, crispy backhand pass, right on Kamp’s tape, so yeah, doesn’t look too Sunday at 3 p.m. soft to me.” “It’s been good timing all around. It’s why we’re still playing,” Cassidy Boston Globe LOADED: 05.11.2019 said. “Carolina, St. Louis, and San Jose would say the same, that certain people stepped up at certain times. If we don’t get secondary scoring, we’re probably not having this discussion right now, so it’s a credit to them.”

The Bruins weren’t looking for superstars on Feb. 25. They did need a third-line center and a second-line right wing, two revolving-door positions at which management’s bets on young players and internal solutions came up empty. The two prime-aged players they acquired — Coyle is 27, Johansson is 28, with a combined 1,088 regular-season and 142 playoff games between them — have been productive and versatile as they hunt for their first Cup.

Coyle, snatched from the Wild for Ryan Donato and a conditional fifth- rounder, is tied with teammates David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron for fourth in playoff goals (six, with three assists in 14 games). Five have come at even strength. He scored twice in Game 1 of the second round against Columbus, tying the game and winning it in overtime.

Johansson, dealt by the Devils for second- and fourth-round picks, missed two playoff games with the flu but has a 3-4—7 line in 12 games. His passing and vision have helped Boston’s third line, with center Coyle and right wing Danton Heinen, create big moments.

In the clinching Game 6 at Columbus, Johansson made it 2-0 in the third period on a criss-cross zone entry with Coyle, snapping a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky. The pair also connected for Coyle’s tying goal in Game 1 against the Blue Jackets, Johansson finding him on the rush with a stellar backhand feed through a maze of defenders.

Both factored into Thursday’s Game 1 against the Hurricanes. Johansson’s steal and patient setup of Steven Kampfer created the opening goal, and his net-front putback on the power play tied the score at 2. Coyle, trusted to help the Bruins stave off a 6-on-5 attack in a 3-2 game, scored an empty-netter. The Weymouth product also has spotted in as the No. 2 right wing, helping Cassidy keep David Backes’s 35-year- old pistons firing more effectively.

“Couldn’t care less about who scores and who does what, as long as we get it done together,” said Johansson, who spent seven seasons with Washington, only to see the Capitals win it all the season after he was traded to New Jersey. “I think that’s one of the strengths of this team — that we have 20 guys that can do it. I think we’ve showed that more than once.”

Johansson impressed many of his teammates by bouncing back from a hit by Carolina’s Micheal Ferland on March 5, which sent him to the hospital. Chris Wagner, one of the hardest-hitting Bruins, called it “one of the harder hits I’ve seen all year, just how square and solid it was.” Johansson missed three weeks with a lung contusion.

Since coming alive this postseason, he has even changed Mike Milbury’s mind.

Milbury, the hard-nosed ex-Bruins defenseman and coach-turned-NBC analyst, called Johansson “marshmallow soft” on air during the first-round Toronto series, and said his play was “disconnected” and “a disappointment.” Reached in San Jose, where he is working the first two games of the Sharks-Blues series before he heads to Carolina for Games 3 and 4, Milbury didn’t walk back those comments, but he did credit Johansson for making an impact.

“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Milbury said. “I didn’t know he had the compete level. He seems to have ratched it up at the right time.”

Milbury still didn’t think Johansson was a good fit for Boston as a net- front presence on the first power-play unit. But Cassidy trusts him in that role. To score his game-tying PPG in Game 1, Johansson took a cross- 1144287 Boston Bruins much to their own demise every game. If they want to hold serve here, the B’s best clean up the middle 20 minutes of games.

Boston Herald LOADED: 05.11.2019 Bruins must clean up second-period struggles

By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: May 10, 2019 at 7:45 pm | UPDATED: May 11, 2019 at 12:00 am

There are 27 teams in the who would love to trade places with the Bruins today, 28 if you count the Carolina Hurricanes. The B’s are in the Eastern Conference finals, part of the NHL’s final four, and on Thursday night they took a 1-0 lead on the ‘Canes, becoming the first team with nine playoffs wins in search of the magical 16.

And yet in the middle of many of these playoff games, the B’s insist on being that daredevil kid around a campfire who insists he can run his hand through the flame and not get singed.

The second period has not been the B’s friend in these playoffs. While they’ve been very good in the first and third periods (plus-8 goal differential in both), they are minus-1 in the second (10 goals for, 11 against).

If not for Tuukka Rask, the past two games would have looked different. In the Game 6 clincher in Columbus, the B’s were outshot 17-5 in the second period, but Rask somehow kept the Blue Jackets off the board and protected a 1-0 lead. In Game 1 against the Hurricanes, the B’s were outshot 15-10 in the second and were lucky Carolina did not run up a big lead.

“That second period, we were pretty bad,” Rask said after the game. “We were fortunate only to be down by one goal.”

Faced with a long change in the second period, coach Bruce Cassidy said his team needs to do a better job of switching personnel.

“We tend to change as groups of three as forwards, and we should really space it out better. Some of that can be through the course of play when you just get fatigued,” said Cassidy, who also talked about weighing shorter shifts in the seconds. “Puck management as well. If you don’t put it in a good spot, your (defense) can never get off. So they’re playing fatigued. I think our starts have been very good, so I think the other team will generally pick up their game as well. … And there’s always intangibles from game to game, whether we’re taking penalties, etc.”

Chris Wagner acknowledged there could be a momentary lack of focus in the second.

“That’s part of the whole thing, being lackadaisical,” said Wagner, who got on the playoff scoreboard with a late goal Thursday. “It’s between that and puck management. You don’t want to get stuck out on the ice because that’s a pretty long time. We’ll focus on that and try to get better.”

Cassidy also tipped his cap to the opposition in a way.

“It’s as much to do with their breakout. If you get it out and you’re changing, they’re stretching right back in your own end. I think that’s when your D gets taxed. Sometimes … that’s the pace of play by the other team. We try to ply that way,” Cassidy said. “Execution, too. But generally teams that forecheck well, by the time they get it out, you’ve spent time in there, creating turnovers.

“We feel we’re that way when we’re on our game. We get teams fatigued, they punt, they get fresh legs, but by the time they do that, we’re right back down their throats. So that’s what happens. You have to be able to deal with those surges. Some of that is your goaltender, some of it some guys having the ability to settle it down and make a good play when you are tired. Easier said than done.”

So despite the second-period woes, the B’s took the first game of this series, and it was an important one because now they get Charlie McAvoy back after his one-game suspension. But until they head to Carolina with a 2-0 series lead, they will not have done their job in this portion of the series. They were not able to get out of Boston with a 2-0 lead in either of the first two series against Toronto and Columbus.

And while the B’s deserve credit for taking advantage of the opportunities presented to them, they cannot rely on the Hurricanes contributing so 1144288 Boston Bruins

Happy 49th birthday, Bobby Orr flying-through-the-air-goal

By Patrick Dunne May 10, 2019 7:22 PM

Before there was the statue outside TD Garden, there was Ray Lussier of the Boston Record-American's photo of the iconic goal. And, before there was the photo, there was the goal itself.

Happy 49th birthday, Bobby Orr's flying-through-the-air-goal that gave the Bruins their first Stanley Cup in 41 years on Mother's Day, May 10, 1970.

Next year marks the golden anniversary of the goal and as part of the NHL's 100th-anniversary celebration, the league put together a video celebrating Orr's overtime winner that beat the St. Louis Blues and completed a four-game sweep for the B's in the Stanley Cup Final.

On this day in 1970, Bobby Orr scored one of the most iconic goals in hockey history. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/gJjPmD9DCg

— NHL (@NHL) May 10, 2019

And with the Blues about to begin the Western Conference final against the San Jose Sharks, the possibility of a Boston-St. Louis rematch is still in play. Orr, 71, was back at the Garden Thursday (see below) to watch the Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr watches Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final between the Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hall of Fame goalie Orr scored against, Glenn Hall, is 87 and has been living on his 115-acre farm in Stony Plain, Alberta for more than 50 years.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144289 Boston Bruins

Bruins are finally seeing the best that Marcus Johansson has to offer

By Joe Haggerty May 10, 2019 4:52 PM

BOSTON – Expectations were not incredibly high for Marcus Johansson entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Boston Bruins.

The 28-year-old finished with just a goal and three points in 10 games after arriving at the NHL trade deadline from the New Jersey Devils, and he had missed a ton of time after suffering a lung contusion when he endured a punishing hit from Micheal Ferland in an early March game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Then he missed a couple of games in the first-round series against Toronto with an illness that must have been epically bad to keep him out of playoff games. But now Johansson is healthy and in the flow of things for the Bruins like he really hasn’t been since arriving, and the Swedish playmaker is making a real impact for the Black and Gold.

And that's making all the difference for the Bruins just as it did in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

“[Charlie Coyle] and MoJo seem to have hit it off and we were hoping that would be the case,” said Bruce Cassidy. “We wanted to solidify that [third] line. As to how important it is? I think it’s very, very important to our success. We had some lines that were scoring as much early and they got it going for us [against the Maple Leafs]. It’s been good timing all around. That’s why we’re still playing. Carolina, St. Louis and San Jose would tell you the same thing. They’ve stepped up at certain times. In terms of secondary scoring, if we didn’t get any then we wouldn’t still be in the [Stanley Cup Playoff] discussion right now.”

It was Johansson who set up Boston’s first goal of the game and then tied things up in the third period with a clutch power-play strike in Boston’s 5-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1. Johansson now has three goals and seven points along with a plus-1 rating in 12 playoff games for the Bruins, and he’s become a legit offensive threat for both the third line and for whichever power-play unit he’s been on.

The game-tying score was really impressive given the important timing in the first few moments of the third period, and given that he outmuscled Carolina defenders at the net-front to pop back home the rebound of a Brad Marchand shot. That’s just getting to the greasy, dirty areas and finding a way to get it done.

“I’m pretty comfortable there and those greasy ones feel pretty good sometimes,” admitted Johansson.

Aaron Ward rips Hamilton penalty: 'What a joke'

Certainly that's not MoJo's bread and butter given that he's a skilled passer and scorer with the puck on his stick, and that creating plays in the O-zone is what he does best.

Those things have been a significant development for the B's deep into the playoffs where bottom-6 scoring becomes an incredibly important thing.

“I’ve felt good. I think this time of year, as long as the team is winning, I think anyone would feel good. I couldn’t care less about who scores and who does what, as long as we get it done together. That’s the main thing,” said Johansson. “I think that’s one of the strengths of this team that we have 20 guys that can do it and I think we’ve showed that more than once.”

The emergence of Johansson as a consistent secondary scorer is exactly what Don Sweeney had in mind when he brought the skilled winger in from Jersey, and it certainly didn’t work that way for the first few months of his Bruins career. But now the Bruins are seeing the best that a healthy Johansson has to offer and it’s definitely been a part of the B’s story getting this deep into a Stanley Cup playoff run that isn’t even close to over.

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Patrice Bergeron aids Bruins power play, nears historic playoff mark

By NBC Sports Boston Staff May 10, 2019 2:21 PM

The Boston Bruins' power-play unit found its stride against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Patrice Bergeron netted the game winner with a power-play goal 2:54 into the third period, just 28 seconds after Marcus Johansson tied the game with a power-play goal of his own.

Former Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton was called for two penalties during the third period, including the infraction that led to Bergeron's goal.

It was Bergeron's fifth power-play goal of the playoffs, which is the most by a Bruins player since Cam Neely established a franchise record and matched 's NHL record with nine power-play goals during the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Bergeron has tallied 37 goals and 58 assists for 95 points in 126 career playoff games. He sits five points shy of becoming the fifth player in Bruins franchise history to collect at least 100 playoff points.

The Bruins take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 on Sunday. Since the conference format was adopted during the 1981-82 season, teams that win Game 1 of the Conference Finals own an all-time series record of 46- 26 for a 63.9 winning percentage.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144291 Boston Bruins They will play hard, they will play to their strengths and they will use their depth, experience and goaltending advantages to good effect against a lesser Carolina team that’s certainly got to be happy just to get this far Bruins are the better team, and should end Hurricanes series quickly into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ray Bourque fires up TD Garden crowd

By Joe Haggerty May 10, 2019 11:26 AM On the other side, Cup winners like Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci and Brad Marchand know this might be their last, best chance to win a Stanley Cup with an open playoff field and only the San Jose Sharks approaching their roster in terms of depth and overall BOSTON – The Bruins were saying the right things after taking Game 1 quality. The Bruins are the better team and they have to be smelling by a 5-2 score, and truth be told they still have some things to work on. blood with the fresh-faced Hurricanes after denting them in Game 1 with There were times when the speed of the Hurricanes gave the Bruins no McAvoy in the lineup. problems, and the second period with the management of the long Now they’ve got their full lineup and a chance to take a stranglehold on change continues to be a period of struggle for the Black and Gold within this conference final. The Bruins are the better team and now they just these playoff games. need to go out and show it for the rest of the playoff series after taking But the Bruins also scored four goals in the third period to pull away from Game 1. the Hurricanes while killing them with their power play, and beating them Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 with veteran playoff experience and guile in spots where the Hurricanes looked like it was their first time in the conference finals. It all underscored the major mismatch that’s going down in the Eastern Conference Final, and it further hammered home that the Bruins should win this playoff series — and win it in pretty short order.

The fact that they dispatched Carolina rather efficiently without the services of their No. 1 defenseman, the suspended Charlie McAvoy, just adds another piece of evidence that this series should be over in four or five games.

Certainly that had to be the feeling when Marcus Johansson and Patrice Bergeron scored a pair of third-period power play goals in 28 seconds as the Hurricanes melted into an undisciplined third-period puddle.

“At the end of the day, they’re an experienced group. They know that we need them at that particular point. The power play was what was required because [Carolina] took a few penalties, so it might be the penalty kill on Sunday that needs the big kill,” said Bruce Cassidy. “I think our group’s been pretty good at identifying some key times in games throughout these playoffs [where] we’ve got to step up, and that was one of them. [The game-tying score] was a big goal for us. Both of them, really. It changed the complexion of the game, so good for them.”

Clearly there are still issues that can crop up for the Bruins.

Marchand turns over 'a new leaf' in key Game 1 sequence

There are always injuries that can alter even the biggest favorite’s run to the Stanley Cup, and it’s clear after watching Game 1 that the Bruins are going to need Tuukka Rask to continue playing at the very top of his game. Then there’s Sebastian Aho, who now has 10 goals and 13 points in nine career games against the Bruins after scoring a power-play goal in Game 1, and is a certified Bruins killer after only a couple of seasons in the league.

That will be something the Bruins have to focus on throughout this conference final, no matter how long it continues for.

“I thought the third [period] was the way we want to play and not going to lie, the second goal got us going and got the momentum on our side. Then we got rolling,” said Patrice Bergeron, who banged home the game-winner from the slot after a couple of slick passes from Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand to set things up. “But yeah, the third period is a little more of what the type of game that we want to bring, but again, we’ve got to be better. They’re a good team and it was a tough game.

“There’s also a side of it where you can’t panic and you need to stay with it and realize that we’ve been... even though it wasn’t our best, we were still a shot away from tying the game [to start the third]. So that’s kind of what’s being said, but we definitely needed to be a lot better. They’re a good team, they did a lot of good things and they’re tough to play.”

Aaron Ward on Dougie Hamilton penalty: 'What a joke'

Certainly, the Bruins aren’t going to underestimate the Hurricanes this close to a Stanley Cup Final berth after they admittedly did that at the beginning of the first-round series against the Maple Leafs.

But they also know that a short playoff series is needed somewhere along the way in a Stanley Cup-winning journey, and the B’s have yet to have that after two long, grueling series against Toronto and Columbus.

This is Boston’s chance to overwhelm a lesser team and end it quickly. 1144292 Boston Bruins

Ex-Bruins, Hurricanes player rips Dougie Hamilton penalty: 'What a joke'

By Darren Hartwell May 10, 2019 11:05 AM

Aaron Ward knows a thing or two about penalty-worthy hits in Boston Bruins-Carolina Hurricanes playoff series.

But Dougie Hamilton's elbow Thursday night wasn't one of them, he believes.

Hamilton was called for roughing early in the third period of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final after he elbowed Bruins forward Joakim Nordstrom instead of going for the puck. It was a crucial penalty, as Patrice Bergeron scored the eventual game-winning goal on the ensuing power play.

Apparently Ward was watching, because he lit into the officiating crew Thursday night on Twitter.

This? An NHL referee who I’m certain was assigned this game because he earned it, called this? That sets a ridiculous standard for this game and both teams, that he can’t maintain... and won’t. What a joke. Do better. https://t.co/Vo1dkZHu4l

— Aaron Ward (@NHL_AaronWard) May 10, 2019

Ward's history with both clubs runs deep: The retired defenseman spent part of five seasons with the Hurricanes and three seasons with the Bruins during a lengthy NHL career and was the victim of Scott Walker's controversial sucker punch while with Boston during the teams' 2009 second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series.

Johansson sparks Bruins on power play in Game 1 win

Judging by his Twitter activity, though, it appears Ward is riding the Hurricanes' wave a bit more than the Bruins these days.

Hamilton's infraction was one of two penalties the former Bruins draft pick took in Carolina's 5-2 loss. He said after the game he disagreed with both calls, and apparently he has an ally in Ward.

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Brad Marchand turns over 'a new leaf' with key sequence in Game 1 win

By Joe Haggerty May 10, 2019 8:30 AM

BOSTON – One of the turning points in an important Game 1 win for the Bruins arrived in a third period sequence that underscored Boston’s big- game experience advantage at this juncture of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With the Carolina Hurricanes holding a 2-1 lead, Jordan Staal came barreling into the corner in the opening moments of the third period and crunched Chris Wagner from behind to earn a boarding penalty that gave Boston a power play. Rookie defenseman Connor Clifton arrived and began jostling with Staal in the immediate aftermath, but Brad Marchand arrived quickly and dragged Clifton away from the scene before the B’s could get hit with a retaliation penalty.

 WATCH

After the hit from behind, Connor Clifton goes at Jordan Staal. Brad Marchand grabbed Clifton to prevent him from also getting a penalty.

Veteran move pic.twitter.com/w94NmJhAEr

— Evan Marinofsky (@emarinofsky) May 10, 2019

“I would expect that [from Marchand]. He’s a leader,” said Clifton. “Obviously we had a power play and it was a bad hit but he stopped me pretty fast.”

Marchand’s quick bit of coolheaded leadership worked. Carolina got the only penalty, and Marchand assisted on the game-tying power play goal when Marcus Johansson banged home the rebound of Marchand's shot less than two minutes later. It was an impressive show of discipline from a guy who's no stranger to the penalty box, and it also sparked Boston's four-goal uprising in the third period that led to a 5-2 win at TD Garden.

Talking Points: Johansson steps up in Game 1 win

“He’s turning over a new leaf, eh, Marchy?" head coach Bruce Cassidy said.

"Listen, he’s been in these big games. He’s a Stanley Cup champion, so he understands maybe a little more than meets the eye sometimes. There’s a time and a place where you really have to be disciplined. You have to be disciplined at all times, but there’s certainly other times where you really have to put yourself in check. So it was great for him to do that. It helped us, right?

Dougie Hamilton not happy with calls in Game 1

“We had the early penalties, so he was starting to get frustrated. We saw that with [Sean] Kuraly’s penalty, and then we kind of settled in and realized that tough is winning pucks battles, toughness is going to the front of the net, toughness is blocking shots. It’s not how you react in a scrum, so we figured out eventually, and they took some [penalties]. Good for Brad. We’ve put an 'A' on his shirt at times this year for a reason, and I’m glad to see that he made that decision tonight with a younger guy.”

Not too shabby a player who led the Bruins with 96 penalty minutes this season, and admittedly was “a little crispy” in the last round vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets before very clearly moving on to Carolina this week.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144294 Boston Bruins The Hurricanes, who play man-to-man, skate well in their own zone. But Cassidy believes his forwards, especially his first-liners, play with enough skill, pace and familiarity to break down their opponents.

Defensemen, defer: The blue line is not Bruce Cassidy’s preferred “We feel we have the personnel that, if we’ve got our legs, we can either source for offense support the puck early to create a two-on-one against their man-to-man. Or, like basketball, isolate,” Cassidy said. “Let the Marchands and the (Sean) Kuralys of the world separate, win their one-on-one battle, then By Fluto Shinzawa May 10, 2019 beat your guy in the slot area. It doesn’t take long for Bergy or Pastrnak to find a seam or pop toward the puck and get their shot off. That’s just

kind of been our way of thinking all year.” Bruce Cassidy the player would not have cared for Bruce Cassidy the This is the way Chicago liked to play during its three-ring run. In 2011-12, coach. Chicago’s defensemen combined for only 1,053 attempts. Duncan Keith The go-go defenseman liked to buzz the other way. At the peak of his was more dangerous rotating down low or feeding pucks to Patrick Kane, powers in junior hockey, Cassidy was not known for turning down an Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and . offensive opportunity. Krug is a premier offensive defenseman, like Keith was during his prime. Now, Cassidy is instructing like-minded defensemen to decline a shot if a But he acknowledges that Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak, his most higher-percentage chance can develop elsewhere. common even-strength teammates, are better equipped to put pucks in nets. “Not sure if our defensemen love me for that,” Cassidy said. “But that’s just the way it works out. I think they’re all under long-term contracts. At “I think we’re a very effective group when we forecheck, hem them in the end of the day, that’s our philosophy.” their zone and cycle the puck,” Krug said. “Particularly for myself, playing with Bergeron’s line, it’s trying to stay out of their way as much as It explains why, of the Bruins’ 28 shots in Game 1 against the Hurricanes, possible while still creating that fourth threat on the rush or something only one came off the stick of a defenseman. Steve Kampfer made the like that. But when they’re cycling in the zone, there’s not many teams most of his one shot when he snapped it past Petr Mrazek in the first that can defend them. Just try and stay out of their way and let them do period. Other than that, the defensemen fulfilled Cassidy’s wishes in their thing.” placing pucks on their attackers’ blades. The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 In the offensive zone, the defensemen usually serve as wall support and safeguards against letting the puck escape, not as low-to-high shooting options. Cassidy prefers his forwards to maintain puck control, cycle, interchange and initiate east-west maneuvers. This requires opposing defenses and goalies to shift, hand off coverage and possibly make themselves vulnerable to seams.

This is not the case everywhere. The Maple Leafs, for example, encourage their forwards to execute low-to-high plays to the defensemen. Shots from the point can relieve pressure, stretch out defenses and give forwards time to crash the net.

Low to high is not the first option for the Bruins. If Brad Marchand has the puck in the corner, he will look for Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, not the point men.

“We feel our best offensive players are our forwards,” Cassidy said. “So we encourage them to make plays to the net, attack off the half-wall, get to the slot first.”

A wider sample size amplifies Cassidy’s thinking. During the regular season, Bruins defensemen combined for 1,294 5-on-5 shot attempts, according to Natural Stat Trick. This placed them No. 19 overall. Carolina was No. 2 with 1,629 attempts, eight short of the league-leading Sharks (1,637) and Brent Burns, who led all players — forwards and defensemen — in 5-on-5 shot attempts, with 497.

Torey Krug, the Bruins’ leader, attempted 209 shots (No. 69 among NHL defensemen). Dougie Hamilton, No. 2 overall, recorded 422 attempts. Bruins defensemen combined for 19 5-on-5 goals. Carolina’s blueliners totaled 30.

Part of the disparity is because of personnel. Hamilton, Justin Faulk and Jaccob Slavin are Carolina’s primary offensive engines.

Krug, Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk have offensive qualities, too. In 2016-17, Krug recorded a career-high 314 rips. When he has time to wind up, Chara can drop buildings with his slap shot. McAvoy and Grzelcyk have no trouble joining the rush or sometimes leading it.

But Cassidy believes it is not very productive for his defensemen to take long-distance, low-percentage shots — looks that also are at risk of going sideways.

In the second round, the Blue Jackets made shooting lanes more crowded than the Red Line at rush hour. It was usually a waste of time for the Bruins to take a point shot that had a good chance of being smothered.

In Round 1, the Maple Leafs were instructed to blow the zone and clear pucks at first sight. If the Bruins went wide on a point shot, they were leaving themselves in danger of a rim around the wall, a Toronto retrieval, a rapid exit and a rush the other way. 1144295 Boston Bruins to preserve the lead), he managed to get a pretty excellent trio out on the ice. Chara and Carlo got out with Kuraly, Krejci and Coyle, three centermen who are all responsible low, can take draws and know how to Bourne: How Boston’s coaching, centres and confidence propelled it to a think defence first. Game 1 win over Carolina Veteran players, responsible centers and good coaching is a nice arsenal of close-out weapons to brandish in a game’s final minutes. As long as Rask can stay at the top of his game, I’d say Carolina is going to have to By Justin Bourne May 10, 2019 do their damage where they’ve done it best this postseason, and where the Bruins have struggled a bit: the second period. The Bs have had their

issues with puck management and the long change there, so if there’s a I watched the opening game between the Boston Bruins and Carolina chunk of time the Canes are going to feast, it may have to be there Hurricanes with my notebook in hand, ready to jot down what caught my before they find themselves wrapped up in the snake again. eye in real time with the hopes of identifying some themes. At the Offensive zone conclusion of Boston’s 5-2 come-from-behind win, it was clear that the Bruins were the team that got the job done more often in Game 1. In an One of my pet peeves as an offensive player was hearing any iteration of effort to illustrate why Boston was the better team, we’ll dig into one key “don’t force it” on the bench when you’d try to make a play that didn’t point from each major area of the hockey rink. Starting with the … work out. Certainly, there are times you ARE forcing it, which you generally recognize on your very own roughly 0.19 seconds after you’ve Defensive zone made the play, particularly if you’re a good offensive player. Thanks to a combination of excellent coaching and maturity from their But why I really hated it so much was because you never heard those core players, the Bruins once again excelled at playing with the lead in comments when it worked out, which happened regularly on very similar the third period. Their positional play was so good in the final frame that I looking plays. But it’s a game of inches. Sometimes your sauce pass had the really weird thought that you could easily diagram the Bruins’ D- gets up three inches and is picked off. Sometimes it’s four and it results zone coverages via claymation. Each player’s movements were so in a goal. Sometimes the pass is six inches up and doesn’t land in time. precise that capturing it via stop-motion would be a snap. Moving the But for the times you get it right, making the attempt is the smart play, in player’s limbs and position a tiny bit, frame-by-frame would result in terms of expected outcomes. perfect symmetry. There were some shifts where all five guys played perfectly. With your skill players, you have to trust that they have some sense of when it’s worth trying to make a play that may not work out, as they know This is just a random example, but after the Bruins took the lead it looked that the payoff of a potential goal is well worth trying a play that’ll get like they collectively exhaled and they were comfortable to just come intercepted more than it’ll connect. Great offensive players turn the puck back to the right areas of the ice and challenge the ‘Canes to go through over more not just because they have it more, but because they attempt them. Whether on the rush: harder, less likely to succeed plays that if they do work out, often end in Or moments later, in-zone: goals. Seeing those plays (as well as having the skill to convert them) is what makes them — and in turn your team — special. There always seemed to be Bruins on the defensive side of white sweaters. (Yes, those are pictures of my TV.) We saw this with the Bruins early in the third period of Game 1 on a powerplay, where they showed some nice puck movement and got the The Bruins names you already know you already know for a reason – puck to the left flank for a one-timer. Fans started to sit up in their seats they’ve been there/done that and continue to prove that not only can they for a big moment … then Pastrnak tried to go back across the grain, the rise up in the big moments, but just as importantly, they can recognize puck was picked off and nothing came of it. There was some mention of when it’s time to sit back. Furthermore, the guys who haven’t been there overpassing and surely a few fans remarked about getting “too cute,” before seem eager to follow, trusting they’ll be taken where they want to given the amount of them that we know are Team SHOOOOOOOOOOT go if they just play the same way. They look like a group that can pull and all. together and operate in a stingy five-man unit when the situation requires it. But again: you have to trust your best players to make those calls and not be upset and try to change their games (at least not those with Usually in any game, let along a conference final playoff game, the team proven successful games) when they don’t work out. I assume this is trailing by a single goal in the third period is going to be coming. A fast largely what Cassidy is doing – “too cute” certainly does exist at times – and tenacious group like Carolina always is, so it seemed certain we’d as we saw what happened on the game-winning goal by Bergeron. Much see a push at some point. This was a group who caused a lot of chaos has been justifiably said about the great play DeBrusk made on the play, around the Bruins crease in the second – though they did take their but imagine how insane it would be to be Brad Marchand there, to lumps just about every time they went there – but for whatever reason, receive a cross-ice cross-crease pass on the backdoor on the powerplay that expected push never materialized. in a tie game and NOT just immediately pull the one-time trigger.

Maybe they couldn’t get to the inside, maybe the physical play of the Particularly on a rolling puck, which may leave you thinking “anything on Bruins made them lose interest. Either way, they went quietly into the the net is good here,” and also “anything on the net is going to be a night in a way you wouldn’t expect from this Canes team. The Bruins grenade to handle and hard to stop.” Imagine thinking of one-touching a have the ability to look like a snake that can squeeze out your life once rolling puck out of that area to your linemate – with a defensive stick in they wrap you up in a third period lead. They’re 8-0 when leading after the immediate vicinity no less – adding another step to the process of two periods this postseason (really only blowing any lead the one time, your team getting a shot and thinking it’s the right play percentage-wise. which was Game 5 against Columbus, a game they ended up winning). Well, it was.

Charlie Coyle didn’t have the best shot attempt numbers (which doesn’t Maybe the one-touch pass attempt hops No. 63’s stick, or maybe it hops necessarily mean he didn’t play well) but has come to look like an No. 37’s, or maybe it hops neither and you score the game winner. That’s exceedingly valuable centerman for this team right now. He’s excellent a great offensive player playing the odds. Sometimes these guys aren’t on the forecheck, a big body, plays a positionally responsible game and getting “too cute,” they just know the reward that comes with the risk of he can chip in a little on the offensive side. When you’re rolling out some risky plays is so rewarding it’s worth it. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci as your No. 1 and 2 centers, Coyle emerging as much more than a stopgap player for the B’s has been a Neutral zone revelation. I don’t bring up the neutral zone to talk structure, whether regroup or Bruce Cassidy is excellent late in games at getting his best players on forecheck, entries or exits. There’s nothing mind-blowing happening on the ice in the situations they most excel. As noted by Bruins’ beat writer either side there that I could see. What is mind-blowing, to me anyway, is Fluto Shinzawa, Cassidy is really the first coach to verbalize to the media watching the work put in (mostly) between the bluelines by two super- that he works backward in terms of ensuring that in 5-on-6 scenarios he experienced veteran pros in Justin Williams and Zdeno Chara, in the way has his all-world defensive quintet of Chara-Carlo, Marchand-Bergeron- they’re working the referees. Krejci available to him. Even last night as the Canes got Petr Mrazek out One of Chara’s biggest strengths is knowing exactly what he is. He loves of their net fairly early (so Cassidy would need more than just five players intimidating other players or at least trying to as he did with Dougie Hamilton after one whistle. He’s also not oblivious to how important it is to have his –and thus his team’s –side heard when talking to the refs and to not let the ever-charming Williams weasel his way in with the refs and dictate the way they’re seeing the game. You can’t have the refs “what to watch for” list be solely provided by your opponent.

As for that weaseling, I think it’s fantastic. This is going to be an extremely close series and one that could swing on the frequency of special teams play. Didn’t it look like the two captains involved in that game had some idea that might be true?

I found myself thinking about other teams who name captains young, guys who’ve never won or really been deep in the NHL playoffs before. Guys like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Aleksander Barkov and maybe a guy like Auston Matthews next year. It’s not that having young captains would hurt their teams, per se. The best hockey teams still win more often than not. But in a series like this, where I think it’ll be oh-so-close and every breath of effort can matter, you wonder if a young inexperienced guy would be able to tip the scales the way a 40-year-old Cup winner could with their gravitas and quality center ice lawyering. There’s no way to tell for sure, but I’m guessing that’s an edge reserved for the Williams and the Charas. (Unfortunately for both sides, those powers negate one another here, but the efforts are still fun to watch.)

Game 1 is in the books. With great passing (O-zone!) on some debatably-earned powerplays (neutral zone work?) the Bruins found themselves on top, then leaned on their close-out abilities (D-zone) to take the first one. The onus is now on the Canes to make their adjustments and see if they can’t find a way to take over in any or all three zones in Game 2.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144296 Buffalo Sabres

Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour lose on day one of World Championship

By Lance Lysowski|Published Fri, May 10, 2019|Updated Fri, May 10, 2019

Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour were on the wrong side of the two biggest upsets on the first day of the IIHF World Championship.

Eichel, the Buffalo Sabres' 22-year-old captain, and the United States lost to Slovakia, 4-1, while Reinhart and Montour of Canada dropped their opening preliminary round game to Finland, 3-1, Friday at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia.

None of the three Sabres scored a goal in those losses, though Eichel recorded a secondary assist on Alex DeBrincat's first-period goal that tied the score, 1-1. Eichel and Montour each had a quality scoring chance in their respective games.

Though United States coach Jeff Blashill shuffled his forwards once his team was facing a two-goal deficit, Eichel nearly cut their deficit to one goal when his shot from the slot was stopped by Slovakia goalie Patrik Rybar.

Matus Sukel, Erik Cernak, Tomas Tatar and Michal Kristoff scored goals for Slovakia, which has not won a medal at the tournament since 2012. DeBrincat scored on the power play at 12:05 into the first period when Eichel made a cross-ice pass to South Buffalo native Patrick Kane, who drew two defenders and flipped the puck over to his teammate, DeBrincat.

This is the third time Eichel has competed in the World Championship and his first since 2017, when he had five assists in eight games and the United States did not win a medal.

Montour, a 25-year-old defenseman, is representing Canada on the international stage for the first time in his career, which is surprising considering he was a second-round draft pick in 2015.

Montour played alongside Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot on Canada's top pairing Friday and the two were on the ice when Finnish forward Kaapo Kakko opened the scoring at 6:47 into the first period.

Montour, who had a career-high 35 points this season, pinched deep into the offensive zone but fell in the left-wing corner. Finland quickly regained possession and Toni Rajala caught Canada's two defensemen out of position with an outlet pass up the middle of the ice to Kakko, who beat Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray on the breakaway for a 1-0 lead.

Montour did not record a point, but his wrist shot from near the slot was gloved by Finnish goalie Kevin Lankinen midway through the second period. Reinhart, who previously participated in the 2016 World Championship, also failed to contribute on Canada's one goal. The 23- year-old winger skated on the team's second line with Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier and center Adam Henrique.

Finland pushed its lead to two goals when Arttu Ilomaki scored at 2:36 into the third period, and Kakko, who is expected to be selected second overall by the New York Rangers at next month's NHL draft, added an empty-net goal with 34 seconds left in regulation.

Vegas center Jonathan Marchessault scored Canada's only goal, assisted by his Golden Knights teammates, winger Mark Stone and defenseman Shea Theodore.

Eichel and the United States will play France on Sunday at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Canada will face Great Britain at 2 p.m.

Buffalo News LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144297 Buffalo Sabres March, however, the latter's 24 minutes, 38 seconds per game ranked ninth among all NHL players. Ristolainen led the Sabres in 5-on-5 ice time and was often tasked with shutting down an opponent's top player, a Could different usage, support help Rasmus Ristolainen succeed with role in which he was ill-equipped. Sabres? In addition to leading the team in penalty-kill ice time, Ristolainen led all Sabres defensemen with 256 defensive-zone starts – 79 more than any other defenseman and 97 more than Rasmus Dahlin – during 5-on-5 By Lance Lysowski|Published Fri, May 10, 2019|Updated Fri, May 10, play. Rather than trying to mask Ristolainen's weaknesses, the Sabres 2019 have continued to force him into a role that does not suit him.

"When you look at some of these other defensemen, I don’t think we should ever expect Rasmus Ristolainen to be a shut-down defenseman," Rasmus Ristolainen's talent tantalizes when the puck is on his right- Rupp added. "That’s fine. He has the ability to do a lot of other things and handed stick blade and frustrates fans when he's attempting to protect he can certainly improve in those [defensive] areas. the Buffalo Sabres' net. "I think with the situation in Buffalo those things are kind of magnified Ristolainen, a 24-year-old defenseman, has been plagued by the same because they haven’t really been able to have a scheme that can mask mistakes over the six seasons since he was drafted 12th overall by his weaknesses. Everything he does is out there in the open. ... They former General Manager . However, Ristolainen's struggles need to turn the corner, find a winning tradition and get structure in their seemed to reach another level this past season when he posted a game that will also protect him and allow him to do his things." league-worst minus-41 rating. Housley's defensive structure was under scrutiny throughout the season, During locker cleanout last month in KeyBank Center, Ristolainen as veterans and young players struggled with coverage around the grimaced when questioning the accountability among his teammates and Sabres' net. Botterill cited that system as one of the reasons why declined to say whether he wished to remain in Buffalo next season. Housley was dismissed and could explain why the team is targeting an Now, General Manager Jason Botterill might be weighing whether experienced coach as a replacement. Ristolainen can reach his potential playing under a fifth different coach or if it is time to possibly parlay one of the Sabres' most valuable assets into However, the same problem existed under Ristolainen's previous a top-six forward. coaches.

A closer look at Ristolainen's play this past season suggests a change in Too often Ristolainen has been paired with a defenseman who also role, defensive partner and coach could help him finally blossom in the struggles with defensive-zone coverage and breakouts. The Sabres NHL. posted 5-on-5 shot differentials of 41.28 percent and 48.03 percent when Ristolainen was paired with Marco Scandella and Jake McCabe, "I’ll tell you what will happen the minute you trade Rasmus Ristolainen: respectively. Strangely enough, Ristolainen and Dahlin did not fare well, you’ll be looking for a player like Rasmus Ristolainen," TSN analyst Craig either. Button, a former NHL general manager, said during a phone interview. "You’re going to go try to replace a top-three defenseman that can do a However, the number was inflated to 55.8 percent when Ristolainen lot of different things with a winger? played with Lawrence Pilut, though the tandem appeared in only 29 games together because Pilut's puck management and defensive "That winger better be an elite winger then because that’s the only coverage deteriorated. justification I would have for making it." "I think Ristolainen is a good player. I think he needs support," Button Ristolainen's name surfaced in trade rumors leading up to February's added. "I think he would benefit from a real steady, solid type of deadline with one report connecting him to the Tampa Bay Lightning. defenseman playing with him on the other side. Not someone who is Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last month the Sabres and flashy or anything. I think with Rasmus he gets put in situations where Lightning could revisit such a deal, but Friedman wrote last week that he’s asked to do more than he might be capable of or that he’s Botterill was asking coaching candidates how each could help comfortable with. He needs a support player." Ristolainen succeed. Ristolainen's ice time and role would be unlikely to decrease significantly Ristolainen has posted 40-plus points in four consecutive seasons, if he stays in Buffalo. While Brandon Montour is a reliable, right-shot, including 43 in 2018-19. He has averaged at least 24 minutes per game puck-moving defenseman, he does not possess Ristolainen's physicality in each of those years and his 86 power-play points since the start of the and snarl – two attributes displayed when Ristolainen is at his best. 2015-16 season are tied for eighth among NHL defensemen. The Sabres likely won't have another option to turn to until Dahlin hones "I think he’s a special player that hasn’t really – well, I guess you could his defensive-zone awareness, particularly in high-danger scoring areas. say it for the team, too – found his way yet," NHL Network analyst Mike Still, the team would benefit from having someone who could step into Rupp, a retired 13-year NHL veteran, said. "He certainly has a lot of that role, particularly on nights Ristolainen struggles. attributes that are pretty special." The turnover both behind the bench and on the roster likely haven't The defensive struggles might outweigh the offensive production, though. helped. Ristolainen finished the season with an NHL-worst rating of minus-41, "I think sometimes you get put into a situation like these guys have at a which isn’t necessarily an accurate representation of his overall young age and they’re looking for guidance," former Sabres winger performance, but is the second-worst mark by any player since the 2004- Matthew Barnaby, now an analyst for SiriusXM NHL Network, said. "They 05 lockout and tied for the worst in franchise history. New York Islanders haven’t had a ton of that and it’s shown on the ice. ... These guys are defenseman Nick Leddy was minus-42 last season. Hall of Fame center going to have to learn on the fly. … They’re going to have to do it through Gilbert Perreault posted a minus-41 rating for the Sabres in 1971-72, his themselves because there isn’t the veteran leadership in that group that second season in the league. has had a ton of success they can lean on." Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Ristolainen ranks last in the NHL In a news conference to address Housley's firing, Botterill said he with a minus-143 rating – 46 worse than any other player – in 424 planned to try to add more skilled forwards and additional help on the games, despite recording 194 points during that span. blue line. The question is how does he plan to add such pieces, Though the statistic is troubling, plus-minus doesn't show how and why especially if most of the Sabres' $23 million in cap space is used to re- Ristolainen was on the ice this season for 77 goals against during 5-on-5 sign Jeff Skinner? play – 11 more than any of his teammates. Ristolainen could help the Sabres land a top-six forward or second-line Despite his offensive ability, Ristolainen has been ineffective when trying center, yet there is the risk he could blossom with another team. He is to break the puck out of his own zone and was responsible for a number under contract for three more years at an average annual value of $5.4 of blown defensive coverages. million, a remarkable discount considering he is a talented offensive defenseman with a right-handed shot. Usage and personnel have magnified those weaknesses the past six seasons. Coach Phil Housley slightly decreased Ristolainen's ice time in "I think nowadays when you’re looking at a defenseman of his caliber and his ability, I don’t know if you can trade him," Rupp said. "You’ll be able to get something for him, but I don’t think you’ll be able to get one player of equal value. … It’s a guy that if you take his attributes and you put them on the table, there will be 31 teams drooling over it. They’ll try to figure it out and find a way. I really do believe it’s structure there. Once the structure gets into place I think they’ll be OK and he’ll be OK."

Buffalo News LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144299 But it also drove home a point to me that I’ve tried to incorporate into my relationship with players ever since.

After all, here was someone I’d known for years, starting from when Duhatschek Notebook: Why both players and reporters are to blame for Carey and his twin brother Geoff played for the Alberta Junior Hockey the rise of cliches in interviews League’s Calgary Chinooks during the late 1970s and then again when he was a member of the 1983-84 Canadian men’s Olympic team. In between, Wilson also spent two years in pre-med studies at Dartmouth By Eric Duhatschek May 10, 2019 College.

He was a bright young man, with an inquisitive mind, who didn’t have a clue about why after games he was answering such hurried questions In 1984-85, during Carey Wilson’s rookie NHL season, I was part of the from reporters; only that he was obliged by team protocols to do so. Calgary Flames’ travelling road show. That meant we flew on the same commercial airlines as the team, stayed at the same hotels and But media training hadn’t become a thing in NHL circles yet, meaning interacted with the players — just as regular humans might. most of the education – if it happened at all – came during these sorts of informal exchanges. If Jim Peplinski ran a lottery to see whose bag would chug down first onto the luggage carousel – at $1 per entry, winner takes all – he collected $1 Anyway, that’s a long preamble to the storyline that made headlines from us too. That’s how relationships were forged between players and earlier as the second round wrapped up – Marchand’s deliberately the working press in less complicated times. You knew them. They knew provocative post-game interview with Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas and you. then a repeat of the same sullen performance afterward – of delivering mindless, meaningless one or two-word answers to a group of reporters There were as many conversations as formal interviews, which turned in the dressing room following a game against the Columbus Blue out to be a good thing. You could never do a proper job as a journalist if Jackets. you ever befriended the players, but you couldn’t do a proper job of telling their stories if you were writing about ghosts either. Oddly enough, in its immediate aftermath, a surprising number of people came down pro-media and anti-Marchand – noteworthy only because There was a fine line there and it never really seemed all that difficult to that never, or rarely, ever happens. straddle. As someone watching from a distance, it looked like a simple failure to I’m going to make a point eventually about the Boston Bruins’ Brad communicate that could have been averted had there been any kind of Marchand and his complicated and evolving relationship with the media, meaningful conversation beforehand between the player and the but I want to preface it with an anecdote about why it was – and still is – reporter. The brief history: A few days earlier, Bukauskas had asked so important for the people on both sides of the relationship to better Marchand what he thought was a light-hearted question about understand each other’s perspective. deliberately stepping on the stick of an opponent (Cam Atkinson) and if Now back to Wilson. Once, a long time ago, we were sitting beside each he’d needed to get his skate sharpened as a result. Marchand clearly other on a morning flight leaving Calgary at the start of a Flames’ road saw it differently – as an attempt by the interviewer to be a little too sassy trip. I had the aisle seat and Wilson, as a rookie, drew the middle seat in the moment. If they’d talked it out beforehand, they could have headed beside me. I’d brought my home delivery edition of the Calgary Herald to off potential conflict. But they didn’t – so the whole uncomfortable read on the plane, which included my account of the previous night’s exchange played out on national TV and turned into a minor cause game, where Wilson featured prominently. Those were the days when, celebre. prior to departure, the flight attendants circulated free newspapers to any Long term, my greatest fear is that the handful of remaining players such passengers that wanted them – and Wilson did. Soon, he was engrossed as Marchand, who don’t mind showing a little personality occasionally, in my account of his exploits the night before. When Wilson finished decide to dull it down even further, until they get to the same place where reading, he glanced over and saw that the newspaper I had in my hands most of their peers are – constantly repeating banal and meaningless had a completely different look from his, even though it was the same clichés about the need to get pucks deep. I’m at the point where I want to day’s publication. throw something at the television set whenever I hear that rote answer I explained why. delivered by a player.

Wilson had received a first edition of the newspaper from the flight Anyone in the story-telling business will tell you the same thing – we attendant. For the first edition, reporters were obliged to file a story at – need more unfiltered, genuine characters in the game, not fewer. The or even before – the final buzzer, so that it could be immediately way things are evolving, soon nothing of consequence is ever going to published, printed and shipped off by the trucks idling at the newspaper’s said again by a professional athlete – nothing remotely humorous, loading docks. From there, they would be delivered to the outlying nothing that gives you an insight into who they are or what motivates communities served by the Herald – Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat them to do the things they do. Instead, they will stay strictly on message. and a lot of smaller centers in between. Usually, those first editions also Remember that scene in Bull Durham, where the Kevin Costner ended up at the airport. character (Crash Davis) is giving the Tim Robbins character (Nuke By contrast, my copy of the paper was the home-delivery (or second) LaLoosh) a briefing on how to answer reporter’s questions – and Robbins edition of the paper, which involved a rewritten version of my original scoffs: “But that’s boring!!” By the end of the film though, he has the non- story – sometimes from top to bottom. The goal was to fold in the details answers down pat. of the dressing room interviews conducted post-game with players and I believe Bull Durham was really the beginning of the end for us all. the head coach – and theoretically give the reader access that they wouldn’t otherwise get. Depending upon the day and the time zone, you But I can also muster a certain amount of sympathy for the players in all usually had anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to turn your story around for this too – and again, I’ll use a personal illustration involving defenceman the second edition. Zarley Zalapski, who played in Calgary for a time. Zalapski was a pretty sharp guy, with a quirky, mischievous personality which sometimes Wilson was fascinated by this description because, naturally, he’d never rubbed people the wrong way. Once, in an otherwise forgettable mid- even considered the sequence of steps that went into producing a late- season game, Zalapski had taken a penalty that resulted in the night column for a newspaper that had to be on your doorstep by 6 opposition scoring a power-play goal. o’clock the next morning. I can’t remember who the opponent actually was; or how the game Why would he? finished; or even if Zalapski’s infraction had led to the winning goal. I remember teasing him at the time: Did he really think that I was quizzing But I do remember, when I asked Zalapski about the penalty in question, him and his teammates post-game just to satisfy my own idle curiosity he began by describing the play in a predictable generic way. But about what transpired in the game? Hardly. Right or wrong, it was part of halfway through, his eyes lit up, his cadence slowed and in a tone that I the job description. could only describe as theatrical, he concluded by saying: “So I went to Once I laid out the whole process, Wilson grasped it right away and even the penalty box (pause) … sat there (pause) … felt shame.” had the good grace to marvel at its complicated nature. I laughed out loud, which was obviously the response he was looking for players could just relax and play hockey and that the organization would – understanding that he was channeling his inner Denis Lemieux from protect them from all the white noise. Early on they did that. When the opening sequence in the movie Slap Shot. Auston Matthews and were rookies, they didn’t do walk-off interviews. They didn’t do any one-on-ones. They just did group But here’s the problem. There were two reporters on my left and two on interviews after games. To me, that needs to continue to grow – that the my right who didn’t blink or bat an eyelash. They just stood there, league is a safe place but within that, you can show your personality.” earnest, stone-faced, recording the exchange, but not reacting or responding at all. They simply didn’t get it. They took every word he said The problem, according to McLennan, is that the media contingent in literally – that Zalapski had actually felt shame for taking a minor penalty. markets the size of Toronto has grown so large that the personal relationships he could once forge with reporters in the past are practically Zalapski rolled his eyes. I shrugged but afterward, felt exasperated on his impossible to develop anymore. behalf. “In the past, you might see the same three, four, five people around all Here was a player delivering a rare nugget of post-game gold – a smart, the time and you’d develop a rapport with them; a relationship,” funny line that you needed just the tiniest bit of knowledge about hockey McLennan said. “Even if they said they didn’t, the guys would read your culture to understand; and it went completely over the heads of four-fifths articles in the dressing room. Now, there’s so much more overkill – and of his audience. the result is, those relationships are harder to come by. If I want to say My takeaway from that exchange – this would probably be the last time hello to a guy I know in the dressing room now, there’s 15 other people Zalapski would ever try to be funny in a post-game interview. From then around.” on, we would only get his B and his C material. The NHL has a number of specific policies relating to media access, one Too often, we in the industry are complicit in the deterioration of the of which is that dressing room doors must be open within 10 minutes of a dialogue between those who report and the ones who are the subjects of game ending. That gives the players enough time to collect their those reports – and need to acknowledge that as well. thoughts; to hear a message from the coach; and usually to get their skates and equipment off, so that they’re ready for the horde of media to McLennan weighs in descend.

Former goaltender Jamie McLennan now works for the TSN network as In theory, the policy was introduced so that players would still be in the both a color commentator and an in-studio analyst. But during the actual dressing room when reporters entered. But what that 10-minute summer, he also has a sideline business where he acts as a media “grace” period has morphed into is a countdown to the collective rush to consultant for a handful of NHL teams. the anterooms attached to every NHL dressing room that are off-limits to media. Most times, when the press corps enters, the dressing room is a Generally, teams will ask McLennan to make his power-point gaping empty space. presentation at their summer rookie camps, so players making the transition from college, junior or Europe can get an insider’s view of what Generally speaking, teams rotate the interview burden from night to night they can expect to face, media-wise, if they eventually graduate to the so that it isn’t the same players all the time required to do the heavy NHL. lifting. But McLennan played in Calgary with one of the league’s most notorious media recluses – his goaltending partner Miikka Kiprusoff, who McLennan had an outgoing, gregarious personality as a player, then rarely took a turn in front of the microphones. worked for a time as an assistant coach and now has made a seamless transition to a career in broadcasting. In short, he’s had a foot in all the In Kiprusoff’s case, his reluctance was usually framed two ways – one as necessary camps to get an insight into both sides of the player-reporter a language issue (and that he never quite felt comfortable answering relationship. questions in English as opposed to his native Finnish); and two, that he had a complex post-game stretching routine, designed to keep his hips According to McLennan, he plans to use the Marchand-Bukauskas youngish; and that he wasn’t about to alter that program to answer exchange as a learning tool for next year’s presentation to illustrate how- questions. If someone wanted to wait around 45 minutes or so, Kiprusoff not-to-handle a potentially volatile situation. Moreover, McLennan could then be interviewed. Post-game, nobody has that time. believes – as I do – that a little bit more dialogue between players and their interviewers could greatly enhance the quality of the finished According to McLennan, “it wasn’t that Kipper was a rude guy. He’s product. actually a very kind person and very thoughtful. He just wasn’t comfortable (in interview sessions) and didn’t like the attention. “When I do color and I’m between the benches, I’ve had to do bench interviews,” McLennan said. “If this was me personally, and I made a joke “In my seminars, I tell players to build media into their routine. If you’re that didn’t go over well, or was viewed to be ill-timed and I thought a not asked to do media on a given day, take that as a bonus. If you build player was pissed at me, I would have sought him out and had a 10 minutes into your post-practice or post-game routine, then you make conversation with him beforehand and quashed it right away.” yourself available and if no one needs you, then you can get on with your stretching or the rest of your post-game routine. To me, that’s something More and more, McLennan says his advice to players focuses on their that needs to be done. It comes from schooling within the organization. social media accounts – and how virtually every action they post on Twitter or Instagram can potentially become a story because they’ve “Once the dressing room is opened, everyone should be in their stall. allowed their thoughts to spill into the public domain. That’s the type of thing you can build into a program and for the young kids coming in today, it would just be accepted. Maybe five years from A recent example of that – Blues’ goalie Jordan Binnington was asked now, or 10 years from now, as the generations turn and it’s the next during the opening round of the playoffs about a series of tweets that wave, that would be the new normal. I think that’s important for the date back years which appeared to be insensitive. It was a mini- league, for their brand and for the players individually as well. And you do controversy for a few days, but theoretically, could have acted as a it, good, bad or indifferent, unless you’re facing a suspension or distraction for him at a critical time of the year. Binnington, interestingly, something along those lines and they don’t want you to talk that night. has been as vanilla as humanly possible during the Blues’ march to the Western Conference final. “But I wholeheartedly believe (media) should be built into a players’ routine every day.” “One of the things I point out to players is that TSN has people that now track social media,” McLennan said. “So, I tell them, if it’s a Sunday night McLennan also highlighted a possible benefit to players who are and you’ve had a few drinks and you think it’s a good idea to quote some genuinely cooperative with the media – that it might generate some lyrics from a song that might be a little sketchy, remember, somebody’s future goodwill if they ever sink into a slump. watching. With social media, you are under scrutiny 24 hours a day.” “We’re all human,” McLennan said. “You don’t have to be best friends On the other hand, McLennan players shouldn’t feel an obligation to be (with reporters), but you can develop a rapport and a level of respect on entirely bland in their media interactions just because they’re afraid to both sides. show an interesting side of their personalities. “I do talk about that in my presentation. When you go to be interviewed, “I go back to something (Leaf coach) Mike Babcock said when he first make eye contact with the interviewer, know the person’s name, show took the job – that the goal of the organization was to create a ‘safe’ them respect, listen to the question. That way you don’t come off as an environment in Toronto,” McLennan said. “I took that to mean that the idiot. I go through the various steps that can make you, as a player, look very good. I’ve actually had several guys come up to me and thank me for pointing that out – because I try to make it fun for them and a little self-deprecating too.”

Which is never a bad idea either.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144300 Carolina Hurricanes Since coming alive this postseason, he has even changed Mike Milbury’s mind.

Milbury, the hard-nosed ex-Bruins defenseman and coach-turned-NBC Deadline pickups Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson have added life analyst, called Johansson “marshmallow soft” on air during the first-round to Bruins Toronto series, and said his play was “disconnected” and “a disappointment.” Reached in San Jose, where he is working the first two games of the Sharks-Blues series before heading to Carolina for Games BY MATT PORTER 3 and 4, Milbury didn’t walk back those comments, but he did credit Johansson for making an impact. MAY 10, 2019 07:28 PM “He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Milbury said. “I didn’t know he had the

compete level. He seems to have ratched it up at the right time.” Previous trade deadlines haven’t been kind to the Bruins. Milbury still didn’t think Johansson was a good fit for Boston as a net- Adding Rick Nash was a strong move last year, in theory. Bruins general front presence on the first power play unit. But Cassidy trusts him in that manager Don Sweeney paid a significant ransom for a veteran star, but role. To score his game-tying PPG in Game 1, Johansson took a cross- his health hampered his production and eventually forced his retirement. check in the back, as anyone standing there does, and was in position to Previous deadlines brought Drew Stafford (2017), John-Michael Liles and roof a loose puck over Petr Mrazek. Lee Stempniak (2016), Brett Connolly (2015) and Andrej Meszaros Wagner shares Milbury’s hometown (Walpole) and alma mater (Colgate), (2014), none of whom moved the Black and Gold needle. but not his opinion on No. 90. It’s too early to say whether Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle can lift “I mean, the plays he’s making right now, I don’t know how that would be the Bruins like Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley did in the Stanley Cup considered soft,” Wagner said, referring to Johansson’s stop-and-wait season of 2011. These B’s, however, are more than halfway to hockey pass on Kampfer’s goal. “Last night, to pull up like that when they have heaven, and the two deadline pickups are a significant reason why. good back pressure, you could get hit. That’s a hit he’s willing to take. To Coach Bruce Cassidy called them “very, very” important to the Bruins, have the poise like that to thread it through another guy’s skates, like he who will try to extend their 1-0 Eastern Conference Final lead against the did against Columbus, that’s certainly not soft. And that was a pretty Hurricanes in Game 2, at 3 p.m. Sunday. crispy backhand pass, right on Kamp’s tape, so yeah, doesn’t look too soft to me.” “It’s been good timing all around. It’s why we’re still playing,” Cassidy said. “Carolina, St. Louis and San Jose would say the same, that certain News Observer LOADED: 05.11.2019 people stepped up at certain times. ... If we don’t get secondary scoring, we’re probably not having this discussion right now, so it’s a credit to them.”

The Bruins weren’t looking for superstars on Feb. 25. They did need a third-line center and a second-line right wing, two revolving-door positions at which management’s bets on young players and internal solutions came up empty. The two prime-aged players they acquired -- Coyle is 27, Johansson is 28, with a combined 1,088 regular-season and 142 playoff games between them -- have been productive and versatile as they hunt for their first Cups.

Coyle, snatched from the Wild in exchange for Ryan Donato and a conditional fifth-rounder, is tied with teammate Patrice Bergeron for fourth in the league in playoff goals (six; with three assists in 14 games). Five of them have come at even strength. He scored twice in Game 1 of the second round against Columbus, tying the game and winning it in overtime.

Johansson, dealt by the Devils for a second- and a fourth-round pick, missed two playoff games with the flu but has a 3-4--7 line in 12 games. His passing and vision have helped Boston’s third line, with center Coyle and right wing Danton Heinen, create big moments.

In the clinching Game 6 at Columbus, Johansson made it 2-0 in the third period on a criss-cross zone entry with Coyle, snapping a shot through Sergei Bobrovsky. The pair also connected for Coyle’s tying goal in Game 1 against the Blue Jackets, Johansson finding him on the rush with a stellar backhand feed through a maze of defenders.

Both factored into Thursday’s Game 1 against the Hurricanes. Johansson’s steal and patient setup of Steven Kampfer created the opening goal, and his net-front putback on the power play tied the score at 2. Coyle, trusted to help the Bruins stave off a 6-on-5 attack in a 3-2 game, scored an empty-netter. The Weymouth product has also spotted in as the No. 2 right wing, helping Cassidy keep David Backes’ 35-year- old pistons firing more effectively.

“Couldn’t care less about who scores and who does what, as long as we get it done together,” said Johansson, who spent seven seasons with Washington, only to see the Capitals win it all the season after he was traded to New Jersey. “I think that’s one of the strengths of this team – that we have 20 guys that can do it. I think we’ve showed that more than once.”

Johansson impressed many of his teammates by bouncing back from a hit by Carolina’s Micheal Ferland on March 5, which sent him to the hospital. Chris Wagner, one of the hardest-hitting Bruins, called it “one of the harder hits I’ve seen all year, just how square and solid it was.” Johansson missed three weeks with a lung contusion. 1144301 Carolina Hurricanes On the power play, the Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk knocked the puck away from defenseman Brett Pesce after the faceoff in the Canes zone. Getting the puck back along the boards, DeBrusk made a cross-ice pass Rod Brind’Amour makes the call: it’s time for the Canes to focus on off his knees to Marchand. Mrazek went to the post, anticipating a Game 2 Marchand shot, only to have Marchand slide a quick pass to Bergeron in the slot for the shot.

McGinn nearly got his stick on the DeBrusk pass to Marchand, and BY CHIP ALEXANDER defenseman Jaccob Slavin nearly got his stick on the Bergeron shot -- a matter of inches -- but the Bruins executed and converted. MAY 10, 2019 04:26 PM Greg McKegg addresses the media following the Hurricanes' 5-2 loss to

the Boston Bruins in game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoffs series Sometimes, it’s hard to read too much into body language, especially Thursday night, May 9, 2019. By with pro athletes. “We can’t take penalties. We know that,” Brind’Amour said Friday. “We But in watching the Carolina Hurricanes players Friday at their team don’t get into ‘are they penalties are not?’ They’re penalties. If they’re hotel, they came across as loose, focused and confident, certainly penalties, we have to kill ‘em. At the end of the day that’s not why we lost anything but a silent, sullen group a day after a tough playoff loss. the game. We have to execute in those situations.”

Rod Brind’Amour? The Canes coach had the look of a man in a hurry, To even the series Sunday before heading back to Raleigh for Games 3 ready to discuss Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals one last time and 4, the Canes will be after a stronger start than in Game 1. for the media, if a bit reluctantly, and move on. Brind’Amour again will wait to name a starting goalie but it figures to be Mrazek again, and he said there were no injuries in the game -- To be sure, losing Thursday to the Boston Bruins was a stinger. The Svechnikov, shaken up by the Kuraly hit, did return and play. Canes took a 2-1 lead into the third period only to have the Bruins score two power-play goals in 28 seconds to take the lead, then move on to a The Canes will hold a team practice Saturday at TD Garden. 5-2 victory at TD Garden. “I don’t like sitting in hotels for two days but again, that’s stuff you can’t The Canes did not practice Friday with Game 2 set for Sunday afternoon. control,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ve got to worry about what we can But video sessions could not have been a pleasurable viewing control. We can’t control calls or non-calls, can’t control the schedule. experience. In addition to plays not made in Game 1 -- Brock McGinn, on “Control what we can control. Bounces, we’ve got to create our own. a shorthanded rush, missing the net late in the second period -- there We’ve got to make our own noise and that’s what we’re going to try to were any number of borderline calls and no-calls by the referees. do.” Case in point: Dougie Hamilton’s roughing penalty in the third period. Brind’Amour said Game 1 would be forgotten as soon as he walked out Moments after it, the Canes’ Andrei Svechnikov took a blindside hit from of the room after the press conference. Moments later, he walked out. behind from Sean Kuraly, in the neutral zone and away from the puck, without a penalty being called. News Observer LOADED: 05.11.2019 “That’s the one I was frustrated with,” Brind’Amour said Friday. “I actually thought we were going on the power play. I didn’t see Dougie’s in the corner. That’s not why we lost the game but, yes, I thought that was a penalty.”

So did most Canes fans, who bombarded Twitter with their opinions -- about the hit on Svechnikov and other calls.

The Bruins had tied the score 2-2 early in the third with a power-play goal after the Canes’ Jordan Staal was called for boarding. After Hamilton’s penalty, Patrice Bergeron’s power-play score on an open shot from the slot gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead.

Brind’Amour used his timeout at that point, but the damage had been done and the Bruins were sensing victory.

“They score two goals, the crowd gets into it, they took a lead,” Canes captain Justin Williams said. “Rod took a timeout to calm us down but we weren’t able to equalize.”

The Bruins had been scoring on the power play at a 28.6-percent clip in the playoffs, the best among the 16 playoff teams. But the Canes took five penalties in the game -- three in a row in the third period -- and as Hamilton put it, “It bit us in the butt.”

The Bruins scored the two in the third with two of their best players doing best-player kind of things, making the right plays to break down the Carolina penalty kill.

After the Staal penalty, the Bruins’ Brad Marchand made a good play to keep the puck in the zone at the blue line. Marchand then got off a shot from the right circle that goalie Petr Mrazek couldn’t swallow up, the puck falling in front of him.

The Bruins’ Marcus Johansson, between defensemen Calvin de Haan and Justin Faulk in front of the crease, knocked the puck in.

Hamilton was called for roughing after spotting the Bruins’ Joakim Nordstrom, a former Canes forward, skating in for a check. Hamilton, at 6-6 and 229 pounds, turned and put a reverse hit on the 6-1, 194-pound Nordstrom, hitting Nordstrom high in the chest.

In the first-round series against the Washington Capitals, Hamilton was criticized for side-stepping a hit by the Caps’ Alex Ovechkin. This time, he took and delivered a hit, only to be penalized. 1144302 Carolina Hurricanes “It never really hurt,” he said about the experience. “I got it before Game 3 in Raleigh, and my concern was sitting in the arena. It was a little sore. If someone was going to smack me on it, it would sting a little bit.”

There’s one way to forever remember this Hurricanes’ playoff run. Get a HAMILTON THE PIG tattoo. Leah Adams made a similar pledge on Twitter during Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs. In her case, she said she’d get a tattoo of Hamilton, BY JESSICA BANOV the Raleigh pig that’s become a symbol of good luck for the team.

MAY 10, 2019 04:02 PM “As I call it, an offering to the hockey gods,” Adams told The News & Observer. “Lo and behold, we’ve made it this far.”

This isn’t the first tattoo for Adams, a 29-year-old who lives in There’s something about the Hurricanes that inspires a certain kind of Greensboro, so the shock value isn’t there. But if she’s getting a Canes loyalty in their quest for the Stanley Cup. tattoo, this is the year to get that permanent memento. She grew up in Raleigh and remembers when the Hurricanes won the Cup in 2006, a We’re not talking about getting a token souvenir T-shirt or puck, or even feat that inspired her to learn how to play hockey. the bigger investment of a jersey. Those are for the casual fans. If we win this game I will get a tattoo of a pig. It’s the kind of devotion that compels you to mark your love for the Canes in a more everlasting way, the kind you might not tell your mom about. — x - Little Bear Adams (@dumpling_prince) April 25, 2019 (But you most certainly will share with the world on social media.) And while it was mostly self-inflicted pressure to follow through with the We’re talking tattoos. tattoo, it was never anything she thought she’d regret. She now has a realistic portrayal of the pig on her right thigh — “a solid 4 inches tall,” Now that Carolina is in the Eastern Conference finals, the need for she said. Canes ink is at a high right now, and not just among the super fans. At some point during the Hurricanes postseason run, seemingly Twitter is “He’s a pretty cute pig,” Adams said. “He’s bringing us a lot of luck. It overflowing with tweets from someone vowing — vowing! — to get a would be a fun way to remember this playoff run.” Canes or Stanley Cup tattoo, perhaps in a delicate place hidden from the sun, if the team wins the whole shebang. One — well, two — things remain for Adams this season. Winning the Stanley Cup, of course. And, she said: “I have to meet that pig.” Or in some people’s case, that was the deal if the Canes won the first round. Because when your team hasn’t been in the playoffs in a decade, Hamilton has captured Kristopher Wishon’s heart, too. He and a few what are the chances, right? friends have toyed with the idea of getting Hamilton tattoos as well. It started as a bet — something they would dare each other to do if the “It happened,” said J.C. Bobbitt, with a big laugh. Hurricanes win the Cup. But now, it just seems like something they should do, no matter the outcome. Hi @hockeygods and #CanesTwitter. “We’re trying to get everyone’s schedules together and get this thing As it is game 6, and we are down 3-2…I re-open this plea for the series. done,” said Wishon, who lives outside Greensboro and regularly attends Let’s. Do. This. https://t.co/3Qr0Nv21EP games. “This is a memorable year.”

— x - ECF Bobbitt (@jcbobbitt) April 22, 2019 Their Hamilton might look a little different than Adams. It wouldn’t be a portrait, Wishon said. Bobbitt, a 31-year-old from Durham, told his social media followers he would get a tattoo if the Canes beat the Capitals to advance to the “In very layman’s term, it’s Porky Pig with Hamilton’s colors waving a second round. The Hurricanes ended up beating Washington in seven Hurricanes flag,” Wishon said. “Hamilton is a big deal.” games. And for Bobbitt’s very first tattoo, it would be a special one. Debt paid. pic.twitter.com/tpRNXkN4dx “If the hockey gods can get us a win, I’ll get a tattoo on my rear end of — x - Little Bear Adams (@dumpling_prince) May 7, 2019 whoever scores the game-winning goal,” he recalled saying. Watch a time-lapse as the Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov GET SPORTS PASS FOR THE HURRICANES IN THE PLAYOFFS scores and celebrates in the third period of the Carolina Hurricanes' 5-2 Follow beat writer Chip Alexander, columnist Luke DeCock and our victory over the New York Islanders at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. visual journalists wherever the Hurricanes go in the playoffs, at home and Friday, May 3, 2019. By on the road. FINALLY, A SHOT Like many who tempt fate with such grand gestures, the hockey gods And really, this whole season has been a big deal, especially for those answered his plea. Filled with giddy excitement the night the Hurricanes who have stuck by the team through its ups and downs, which have been eked out a Game 7, 4-3 win in double overtime, getting a tattoo wasn’t on more down than up in recent years. Just ask Amanda Willis, who has his priority list. The next day, though, he felt a nagging sense of been a fan since 2002, when the Hurricanes made it to the Stanley Cup obligation to keep his word, though really, who would know if he didn’t finals for the first time, and can easily rattle off a time line of the team’s get a tattoo on his derriere? history. She became a season ticket holder when the team was, as she “So when’s your tattoo happening?” texted his mother, who had seen his puts it, “really bad.” bet on Twitter. “But it was great,” she said. “I was still obsessed with them.” “In the moment it happens, people ask, when are you doing it?” Bobbitt She describes the “torture” of the NHL lockout of 2004-05, when “it was said. “It becomes a point of personal pride. I said, ‘I’m going to do this. like hockey was being ripped away from us.” I’m going to be held to my word.’” But then, it was 2006, and hockey was back and the Canes were good. In the process, Bobbitt decided to raise money for the Carolina Really good. She made one of those declarations about getting a tattoo. Hurricanes Foundation, which helps area children and promotes youth hockey. He raised about $135. “It was just a magic year,” she said, with the night of June 19, 2006, when the Hurricanes beat the Oilers 3-1 in Game 7 to win the Stanley He booked an appointment to get the number 23, for Hurricanes left wing Cup, etched in her memories. Brock McGinn, on his rear end, incorporating a Hurricanes flag in the design. Bobbitt, a graduate of Wake Forest, didn’t want people to mistake “The best night of my life was Game 7,” said Willis, who is 39 and lives in the number for another No. 23 well-known in North Carolina: Michael Raleigh. “Nothing compared to that.” Jordan. Amanda Willis got a tattoo in 2006 when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup playoffs. Amanda Willis She got a tattoo of the Stanley Cup with the Canes logo and 2006 on her ankle. It was her second tattoo.

Now, the craziness is back, and Willis is contemplating getting a second Canes tattoo if they win again.

“I just hope we keep going,” she said. “It’s almost too good to be true. I’m just so proud of the team. I really think they have a shot.”

HURRICANES AT BRUINS

Eastern Conference finals

When: 3 p.m., Sunday

Where: TD Garden, Boston

TV: NBC

News Observer LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144303 Carolina Hurricanes When: 3 p.m., Sunday

Where: TD Garden, Boston

A familiar position for the Hurricanes, albeit with unfamiliar stakes TV: NBC

News Observer LOADED: 05.11.2019

BY LUKE DECOCK

MAY 10, 2019 03:38 PM

Here they are again: frustrated, aggrieved and discounted. While losing for the first time in six playoff games may have been a shock to the Carolina Hurricanes’ system, the position they find themselves in now is not. If anything, it’s all too familiar.

The aftermath of Thursday’s Game 1 loss to the Boston Bruins has a lot in common with the aftermath of last month’s Game 1 loss to the Washington Capitals, with the exception of an extra day off, which gave Rod Brind’Amour something else to grump about.

In both games, the Hurricanes felt they were the better team five-on-five, only to be undone by the opposition’s power play. In both games, they felt like they got the short end of the officiating against a more respected opponent in a hostile environment. In both games, they thought they let a chance to steal a win on the road slip through their fingers.

Start breaking down the details, and the comparison starts to break down, not unexpectedly. From 10,000 feet, it looks pretty much the same.

“We’ve been in this situation before,” said Sebastian Aho, who extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with an early power-play goal. “It’s good we have that experience.”

Maybe it is. Maybe the Hurricanes have no margin for error in this series, just like the Washington series, which despite their victory still came down to double overtime in Game 7 and could easily have gone either way. People forget that now, because of everything that’s happened since. It wasn’t exactly the invasion of Grenada.

So this game may very well come back to haunt the Hurricanes, just as their overtime loss in Game 2 in Washington could have, their best chance to flip home-ice advantage in that series. Holding a lead, however tenuous, over the Bruins through two periods on the road is an opportunity carelessly squandered – and whatever complaints the Hurricanes still harbor over the officiating, they needlessly put themselves in a position for a few of those calls to be made.

Despite the late flurry of Boston goals that turned a one-goal game into a 5-2 win, the Bruins knew how close that was, how narrowly they escaped thanks to a potent power play that capitalized on the plethora of opportunities it was gifted. Take special teams out of the equation – a familiar refrain from the first round – and there wasn’t much wiggle room for either side.

“They are who we thought they were, as far as their compete level,” Bruins forward Chris Wagner said Friday.

The general theme for the Hurricanes on Friday was putting all of that behind them, easier said then done with two days off and nowhere to go. They’ll practice at the arena on Saturday, but needed the rest Friday, sticking to their established playoff routine at the risk of going stir crazy.

“The schedule is not good for me,” Hurricanes coach Brind’Amour said. “I don’t like sitting around hotels for two days. But again, that’s stuff you can’t control. We’ve got to control what we can control. We can’t control calls or non-calls, we can’t control the schedule. We’ll control what we can control. The bounces, we’ve got to create our own. We’ve got to make our own noise.”

The Hurricanes did that against the Capitals, fruitlessly forcing overtime in Game 2, turning their fans’ noise at home into an insurmountable advantage, suffering through a Game 5 debacle on the road before Brock McGinn sent them into the second round.

They have been here before, even if not with these stakes, if not with an opponent as battle-tested as they are, if not in May. That’s all new. They have work ahead. That part is not.

HURRICANES AT BRUINS

Game 2, Eastern Conference finals 1144304 Carolina Hurricanes since his return from a concussion in these playoffs. In his very limited playoff experience, Svechnikov has three goals and two assists in six games.

Often snubbed by NBC, Hurricanes have been a TV ratings bonanza “The biggest growth I think is his confidence to play at this level,” Brind’Amour said. “We all saw his ability on Day 1. He can skate as well as anybody. He can shoot as well as anybody. He sees the ice extremely BY LUKE DECOCK well. But when you’re a kid you don’t really know you can do these moves or play with the big boys, and over the course of the year we’ve MAY 10, 2019 02:32 PM given him a little more responsibility and you can see he doesn’t look out of place.”

For a team that gets about one national television appearance a decade, News Observer LOADED: 05.11.2019 the Carolina Hurricanes’ run through the playoffs has turned out to be a ratings bonanza for NBC and its cable networks.

NBC announced Friday that Thursday night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, a 5-2 Boston Bruins win, checked in with a 1.71 overnight rating on NBCSN, the highest for a conference-final Game 1 in NBCSN history and a 53 percent increase over last year’s Game 1 between the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The opponent had something to do with that: The game did a 14.8 overnight in Boston. But in the Raleigh-Durham market, the 8.1 overnight was the second-highest on record for NBCSN, trailing Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals (10.3).

Boston was the No. 2 market for NBC going into the conference finals, with Providence, R.I., No. 4, but Raleigh was No. 9, ahead of Las Vegas and seven other U.S. markets with teams in the playoffs. Of the eight ahead of Raleigh, only No. 5 Columbus has had an NHL team for fewer years than the Triangle.

Fox Sports Carolinas, which televised five games in the first round locally, did not immediately respond to a request for ratings information.

AHO UPGRADE While Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Friday that his team came out of Thursday’s game in good shape generally speaking, he did acknowledge that Sebastian Aho, who has scored in three straight games, was one of the players who benefited from the five days off.

Aho was back in the faceoff circle Thursday night on a limited basis, taking 11 faceoffs after taking a total of 15 in the four games of the second round and 30 in the final four games of the first round. He took 48 over the first three games of the playoffs before cutting back sharply.

Aho had five points in the first nine games of the playoffs. He has that many in the past three. But Aho’s line with Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov was largely stymied five-on-five by the Bruins defensive pairing of Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo, and Brind’Amour made it clear he still expected more from the team’s leading scorer in the regular season.

“I don’t know how good he was last night, but he was better,” Brind’Amour said. “The rest did him – he needed it. He needed a little break. He’s been pushed pretty hard all year and he had a few nicks that healed up. I would hope he would continue to get better as the series goes on.”

AS ADVERTISED If there were some questions about how the Hurricanes would match up with the Bruins nationally, Boston forward Chris Wagner said there weren’t any in the Bruins’ dressing room, and that the close margins Thursday — at least until Boston blew it open late — were what the hosts expected.

“They came as advertised,” Wagner said. “Watching some of their games before in other rounds, they work as hard as anybody we’ve played. That obviously stems from their coach’s style of play. They have a couple really skilled guys. That goal by Aho, that’s not an easy tip at all. They’re going to compete 200 feet of the ice.”

RUSSIAN MULE Svechnikov’s elevation not only to the Hurricanes’ top line but the (nominal) No. 1 power-play unit Thursday produced a goal, his pass from the left circle setting up Aho’s deflection in front for the Hurricanes’ first goal.

“It’s new to him, being with that group and in that spot,” Brind’Amour said. “There are a lot of new things we’re throwing at him, but we’re in the do- or-die mode now. We’ve got to put the best guys out there, and they’ve got to figure it out.”

The player Jordan Staal called “the Russian mule” on Wednesday has seen his role continue to increase throughout the season and even more 1144305 Carolina Hurricanes over the Blue Jackets, when he described his Bruins as a team that doesn’t look to “weather the storm,” but wants “to create the storm.”

“We want to go out and let them know we’re here to play, be aggressive If Hurricanes-Bruins Game 1 is any indication, this will be one heck of a and assertive.” series That’s how they started out Thursday, but after the toll of two long series — seven games against Toronto and six against Columbus — and BY TARA SULLIVAN THE BOSTON GLOBE against a team fresh as daisies after sweeping the Islanders in the second round, the Bruins ran out of gas. The second period turned into a MAY 10, 2019 11:28 AM game of chasing Carolina, of looking to fight an opposing player over fighting for the puck, of reaching and trailing and gasping and flailing.

Full credit to the quick-skating, well-rested Hurricanes, who made the The Bruins tore out of the TD Garden tunnel going 100 miles per hour Bruins fight for every inch of open space, who raced around the ice like Thursday night, lapping the Hurricanes across the first 10 minutes of the they owned it, heading into the third period confident in their 2-1 lead. first game of this Eastern Conference Final like a varsity squad playing the jayvee. “No one was really happy after the second, we talked about it internally, I’m not going to tell you what was said, but we’re not too happy about our Carolina stormed back like the hurricane they’re named for, swamping second periods, it’s been a bit of an issue for us,” Cassidy said. “Guys the Bruins with their relentless brand of fast-moving hockey, their fresh they know it, they got to dig in. It’s just the way it is. It’s not magical, you legs carrying them past, through and around the home team. got to out-will a guy on the puck. You take their second goal; we lost four Back and forth it went like that for a full 60 minutes, spurts of dominance puck battles continually on their way up the ice. They won four, put it that by one side countered by stretches of strength by the other, a 5-2 final way. victory by the Bruins barely able to convey the madness contained within. “We have to do more of that and we did. On those (power play) goals, we If this is what Game 1 had in store, then let’s go the distance. won some pucks.”

If Thursday night’s antics are any indication, then this series has the It was as if they’d filled those empty tanks. potential to be wildly entertaining. “Well I think you see every round starts with Game 1 and the teams are As statistically lopsided as the final score ended up, the game was making adjustments as the game goes on and as the series goes on,” anything but. said captain Zdeno Chara. “You could tell both teams were testing the waters and it was quickly full on.” Forget those laments about the first-round oustings of top-seed and President’s Trophy winner Tampa Bay and fun-loving defending Said Wagner: “I thought we were better in the first then we were in the champion Washington and replace them with the excitement over what second to be honest, we were getting chances really early and then we this evenly-matched, intensely played series can be. backed off. They woke up and started playing harder. We came in here and talked about how we didn’t want to waste one at home and we The NHL has to be salivating over the possibility it goes the full seven successfully didn’t do that in the third.” because given what we saw in Game 1, a Game 7 would be insane. A wild night for sure. A wild series? Let’s hope so. Start with an early Boston lead thanks to the torrid start and a goal from unlikely source Steven Kampfer, in the lineup in place of suspended News Observer LOADED: 05.11.2019 starter defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Go to the alarmingly short-lived existence of said early 1-0 lead, gone in 47 seconds thanks to an ill-timed penalty and a Carolina power-play score from Sebastian Aho at 3:42 of the first period.

Move to the one-goal second-period lead by Carolina, earned after goalie Tuukka Rask was tackled into his own net, knocking it off its moorings (but only after the puck had crossed the line, negating any potential interference). Mark the breadth of a second period that was completely owned by Carolina and could have resulted in a much bigger advantage if not for the ongoing stinginess of Rask, who made 29 saves and turned himself into a brick wall one more time this postseason. Appreciate how that ongoing brilliance in net was never more needed than across another listless second period for the Bruins, and how it kept them in the game long enough for a third-period, four-goal explosion they won’t soon forget.

Greg McKegg addresses the media following the Hurricanes' 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins in game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoffs series Thursday night, May 9, 2019. By

Take two early power plays that led to two crucial goals, a tying one from Marcus Johansson and a go-ahead one from Patrice Bergeron, and see a game-winning combination that set the stage for two more Bruins’ goals, an empty-netter from Charlie Coyle at 17:47 and an even-strength capper from Chris Wagner 11 seconds later.

“They had their period and we had ours, the first was pretty even,” Rask said afterwards, reflecting on the night’s roller coaster. “I’d like to take all three, but it was good the way we took the third. We realized after the second period we needed to play harder. I think it helped that we got the power plays, got the game tied and got the lead. After that momentum was on our side.”

From the moment the lights went down and the yellow towels went airborne, the Bruins were intent on riding the wave of victory that brought them home from a Game 6 second-round win in Columbus. Much the way they won that game, by firing on all cylinders from the opening puck drop, they came to play when this one started, backing up the same words their coach Bruce Cassidy had said after the series-clinching win 1144306 Carolina Hurricanes to preserve the lead), he managed to get a pretty excellent trio out on the ice. Chara and Carlo got out with Kuraly, Krejci and Coyle, three centermen who are all responsible low, can take draws and know how to ow Boston’s coaching, centres and confidence propelled it to a Game 1 think defence first. win over Carolina Veteran players, responsible centers and good coaching is a nice arsenal of close-out weapons to brandish in a game’s final minutes. As long as Rask can stay at the top of his game, I’d say Carolina is going to have to By Justin Bourne May 10, 2019 do their damage where they’ve done it best this postseason, and where the Bruins have struggled a bit: the second period. The Bs have had their

issues with puck management and the long change there, so if there’s a I watched the opening game between the Boston Bruins and Carolina chunk of time the Canes are going to feast, it may have to be there Hurricanes with my notebook in hand, ready to jot down what caught my before they find themselves wrapped up in the snake again. eye in real time with the hopes of identifying some themes. At the Offensive zone conclusion of Boston’s 5-2 come-from-behind win, it was clear that the Bruins were the team that got the job done more often in Game 1. In an One of my pet peeves as an offensive player was hearing any iteration of effort to illustrate why Boston was the better team, we’ll dig into one key “don’t force it” on the bench when you’d try to make a play that didn’t point from each major area of the hockey rink. Starting with the … work out. Certainly, there are times you ARE forcing it, which you generally recognize on your very own roughly 0.19 seconds after you’ve Defensive zone made the play, particularly if you’re a good offensive player. Thanks to a combination of excellent coaching and maturity from their But why I really hated it so much was because you never heard those core players, the Bruins once again excelled at playing with the lead in comments when it worked out, which happened regularly on very similar the third period. Their positional play was so good in the final frame that I looking plays. But it’s a game of inches. Sometimes your sauce pass had the really weird thought that you could easily diagram the Bruins’ D- gets up three inches and is picked off. Sometimes it’s four and it results zone coverages via claymation. Each player’s movements were so in a goal. Sometimes the pass is six inches up and doesn’t land in time. precise that capturing it via stop-motion would be a snap. Moving the But for the times you get it right, making the attempt is the smart play, in player’s limbs and position a tiny bit, frame-by-frame would result in terms of expected outcomes. perfect symmetry. There were some shifts where all five guys played perfectly. With your skill players, you have to trust that they have some sense of when it’s worth trying to make a play that may not work out, as they know This is just a random example, but after the Bruins took the lead it looked that the payoff of a potential goal is well worth trying a play that’ll get like they collectively exhaled and they were comfortable to just come intercepted more than it’ll connect. Great offensive players turn the puck back to the right areas of the ice and challenge the ‘Canes to go through over more not just because they have it more, but because they attempt them. Whether on the rush: harder, less likely to succeed plays that if they do work out, often end in Or moments later, in-zone: goals. Seeing those plays (as well as having the skill to convert them) is what makes them — and in turn your team — special. There always seemed to be Bruins on the defensive side of white sweaters. (Yes, those are pictures of my TV.) We saw this with the Bruins early in the third period of Game 1 on a powerplay, where they showed some nice puck movement and got the The Bruins names you already know you already know for a reason – puck to the left flank for a one-timer. Fans started to sit up in their seats they’ve been there/done that and continue to prove that not only can they for a big moment … then Pastrnak tried to go back across the grain, the rise up in the big moments, but just as importantly, they can recognize puck was picked off and nothing came of it. There was some mention of when it’s time to sit back. Furthermore, the guys who haven’t been there overpassing and surely a few fans remarked about getting “too cute,” before seem eager to follow, trusting they’ll be taken where they want to given the amount of them that we know are Team SHOOOOOOOOOOT go if they just play the same way. They look like a group that can pull and all. together and operate in a stingy five-man unit when the situation requires it. But again: you have to trust your best players to make those calls and not be upset and try to change their games (at least not those with Usually in any game, let along a conference final playoff game, the team proven successful games) when they don’t work out. I assume this is trailing by a single goal in the third period is going to be coming. A fast largely what Cassidy is doing – “too cute” certainly does exist at times – and tenacious group like Carolina always is, so it seemed certain we’d as we saw what happened on the game-winning goal by Bergeron. Much see a push at some point. This was a group who caused a lot of chaos has been justifiably said about the great play DeBrusk made on the play, around the Bruins crease in the second – though they did take their but imagine how insane it would be to be Brad Marchand there, to lumps just about every time they went there – but for whatever reason, receive a cross-ice cross-crease pass on the backdoor on the powerplay that expected push never materialized. in a tie game and NOT just immediately pull the one-time trigger.

Maybe they couldn’t get to the inside, maybe the physical play of the Particularly on a rolling puck, which may leave you thinking “anything on Bruins made them lose interest. Either way, they went quietly into the the net is good here,” and also “anything on the net is going to be a night in a way you wouldn’t expect from this Canes team. The Bruins grenade to handle and hard to stop.” Imagine thinking of one-touching a have the ability to look like a snake that can squeeze out your life once rolling puck out of that area to your linemate – with a defensive stick in they wrap you up in a third period lead. They’re 8-0 when leading after the immediate vicinity no less – adding another step to the process of two periods this postseason (really only blowing any lead the one time, your team getting a shot and thinking it’s the right play percentage-wise. which was Game 5 against Columbus, a game they ended up winning). Well, it was.

Charlie Coyle didn’t have the best shot attempt numbers (which doesn’t Maybe the one-touch pass attempt hops No. 63’s stick, or maybe it hops necessarily mean he didn’t play well) but has come to look like an No. 37’s, or maybe it hops neither and you score the game winner. That’s exceedingly valuable centerman for this team right now. He’s excellent a great offensive player playing the odds. Sometimes these guys aren’t on the forecheck, a big body, plays a positionally responsible game and getting “too cute,” they just know the reward that comes with the risk of he can chip in a little on the offensive side. When you’re rolling out some risky plays is so rewarding it’s worth it. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci as your No. 1 and 2 centers, Coyle emerging as much more than a stopgap player for the B’s has been a Neutral zone revelation. I don’t bring up the neutral zone to talk structure, whether regroup or Bruce Cassidy is excellent late in games at getting his best players on forecheck, entries or exits. There’s nothing mind-blowing happening on the ice in the situations they most excel. As noted by Bruins’ beat writer either side there that I could see. What is mind-blowing, to me anyway, is Fluto Shinzawa, Cassidy is really the first coach to verbalize to the media watching the work put in (mostly) between the bluelines by two super- that he works backward in terms of ensuring that in 5-on-6 scenarios he experienced veteran pros in Justin Williams and Zdeno Chara, in the way has his all-world defensive quintet of Chara-Carlo, Marchand-Bergeron- they’re working the referees. Krejci available to him. Even last night as the Canes got Petr Mrazek out One of Chara’s biggest strengths is knowing exactly what he is. He loves of their net fairly early (so Cassidy would need more than just five players intimidating other players or at least trying to as he did with Dougie Hamilton after one whistle. He’s also not oblivious to how important it is to have his –and thus his team’s –side heard when talking to the refs and to not let the ever-charming Williams weasel his way in with the refs and dictate the way they’re seeing the game. You can’t have the refs “what to watch for” list be solely provided by your opponent.

As for that weaseling, I think it’s fantastic. This is going to be an extremely close series and one that could swing on the frequency of special teams play. Didn’t it look like the two captains involved in that game had some idea that might be true?

I found myself thinking about other teams who name captains young, guys who’ve never won or really been deep in the NHL playoffs before. Guys like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Aleksander Barkov and maybe a guy like Auston Matthews next year. It’s not that having young captains would hurt their teams, per se. The best hockey teams still win more often than not. But in a series like this, where I think it’ll be oh-so-close and every breath of effort can matter, you wonder if a young inexperienced guy would be able to tip the scales the way a 40-year-old Cup winner could with their gravitas and quality center ice lawyering. There’s no way to tell for sure, but I’m guessing that’s an edge reserved for the Williams and the Charas. (Unfortunately for both sides, those powers negate one another here, but the efforts are still fun to watch.)

Game 1 is in the books. With great passing (O-zone!) on some debatably-earned powerplays (neutral zone work?) the Bruins found themselves on top, then leaned on their close-out abilities (D-zone) to take the first one. The onus is now on the Canes to make their adjustments and see if they can’t find a way to take over in any or all three zones in Game 2.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144307 Carolina Hurricanes “No.”

The Bruins capitalized on the more questionable one to steal the lead because that’s what they do. Marcus Johansson and Bergeron scored on Inconsistent officiating isn’t why the Hurricanes dropped Game 1, but it’s two third period power plays 28 seconds apart. getting tough to watch regardless As Williams often says, “that’s what good teams do.”

The Canes have been finding ways to win for months, and they got a few By Sara Civian May 10, 2019 good looks as the third waned, but they’re up against a lights-out Tuukka Rask.

BOSTON — While Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour fielded pre- “This playoff, we’ve been successful holding leads, and we got kicked in series questions about the challenges the Bruins’ menacing first line the pants a little bit today,” Williams said. “That hasn’t happened in a presents (valid) and if having a few days of rest when half of his team is while, and we’ve got to get the next one.” nursing a whatever-body injury is Actually Bad (*rolls eyes*), he was It was a jarringly empty comeback effort for a resilient team on a focused on special teams. postseason six-game winning streak. No one in the locker room is about “That’s obviously one of the areas they excel at, with some high, high to make excuses. talent,” he said ahead of Game 1. “It reminds me a lot of our first series “We took penalties. We needed to kill them,” Brind’Amour offered. with Washington, that battle. We know they have a good power play, and “Whether they’re good or not, whether there were some let go we thought the best way to combat a good power play is not to take penalties. It’s not should have been called, that’s going to happen every night. So we’ve how you’re gonna kill it, everyone tries to do the same thing. They have got to come up with a better way to kill them, and when we get our power elite players for a reason. Staying out of the box is going to be crucial.” plays, we’ve got to make them count.”

He was right about more than the obvious in that assessment. The No doubt, the Hurricanes made too many mistakes against a team that Hurricanes-Bruins Eastern Conference Final is shaping up reminiscent of will pounce on them most of the time. They didn’t muster up enough for a that exhausting first round against the Capitals, with the looming vibe that comeback. it’s about to get even worse. The physicality, the disdain, any “Kumbaya stuff” (as Justin Williams would put it) between former teammates hurled But is this kind of officiating really “going to happen every night“? Does out the window, less “shit bounces,” more decisive effort. this have to happen every night?

But the Hurricanes’ Game 1, 5-2 loss at TD Garden mostly exposed the It seems like we’re in purgatory between “letting the boys play” and a obvious: They need to stay out of the penalty box. tighter-officiated National Hockey League. Either would be fine if they could just pick one, already. They tempted the Hockey Gods early, cashing in on a soft roughing penalty 3:39 into the game and killing Nino Niederreiter’s slashing The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 penalty, but Brind’Amour knew better than anyone that the Hockey Gods don’t like being taken advantage of.

Just stay out of the box and don’t test anyone’s God.

There are compelling enough reasons the Canes were penalized as this game went on, to be certain. There was Micheal Ferland’s totally unnecessary interference penalty at the end of the second that they killed off, and Jordan Staal’s boarding 49 seconds into the third that they couldn’t.

Dougie Hamilton’s second penalty of the third period was by most accounts legit, but there’s a reason Brind’Amour retorted “which one” when I asked him for his thoughts on Hamilton’s penalty.

How does this sequence of events end with only Hamilton in the box?

I am looking through the lens of the Hurricanes, of course, because I cover the Hurricanes — not because I think the refs are out to get either team. They missed some pretty blatant high-sticking calls on the Canes, most notably one at the end in David Pastrnak’s face. It felt like a makeup non-call. This whole game sort of felt like a matchup of makeup calls when it should’ve felt like a matchup of Patrice Bergeron vs. Sebastian Aho.

The beautiful thing about playoff hockey used to be enjoying the best of the best dig deeper, knowing they’d get a little more freedom.

This whole playoff season has felt like too much freedom, then too much restriction, then panic, then equal opportunity makeup calls. Players don’t know what to think.

“There’s no point in commenting,” Brind’Amour said. “There were penalties both ways that were called and not called. There’s no point in getting into the officiating. … I haven’t really looked at them, I was as frustrated as everybody with some of the calls.”

ROD BRIND'AMOUR'S REACTION TO DOUGIE HAMILTON'S "INTERFERENCE" PENALTY. PIC.TWITTER.COM/JYL5TEEQXA

— BRETT FINGER (@BRETT_FINGER) MAY 10, 2019

You don’t say …

“I just watched both of them, and I didn’t agree with either,” Hamilton said postgame. “Not much else to say. Nothing I can do about it now.”

Did he get an explanation from the referees? 1144308 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky selling Columbus condo for $2.95 million

Randy Ludlow

May 10, 2019 at 2:01 PM May 10, 2019 at 3:44 PM

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has dropped another big hint he is out of here.

Bobrovsky's spectacular 19th-floor condo in the North Bank high-rise on Spring Street is on the market for $2.95 million.

Former Blue Jacket player Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre is listing the 5,474- square-foot condo, which includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a den, living room and family room, and five parking spaces.

"It has absolutely stunning views of anywhere - Downtown, the Arena District, the baseball stadium, the upcoming soccer stadium. It's quite expansive for a condo," Grand-Pierre said.

Grand-Pierre said the listing doesn't necessarily mean Bobrovsky plans to leave Columbus.

"I’ve seen guys re-sign, even though they’re putting their property on the market," he said. "It doesn’t mean they're leaving for sure, but they’d rather be ready if they do."

Bobrovsky bought the condo for $2.1 million in 2015, according to county auditor records.

Bobrovksy, an unrestricted free agent, has signaled he will test the free- agency market and is likely to depart the Blue Jackets for another team, with many reports linking him to Florida.

The native Russian, 30, is in the last year of a contract that paid him a base salary of $6.2 million as part of a four-year $29.7 million deal. He joined the Blue Jackets from the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012-13 season.

He is a two-time winner as the NHL's best goaltender.

The listing of the condo for sale was first reported by Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144309 Columbus Blue Jackets general managers and executives looking for a new challenge (Brendan Shanahan, who left the league offices to join Toronto).

The only time an organization would hire an “outside voice” to take over How Blue Jackets might respond to a John Davidson departure to their department is if ownership was unhappy with the direction of the Rangers club, as the Blue Jackets were in 2012. That’s not the case seven seasons later.

By Aaron Portzline May 10, 2019 Not every NHL club has that role in their front office, either. Calgary did not replace president of hockey operations Brian Burke when he stepped aside last April nor did Vancouver replace when he stepped down last July. COLUMBUS, Ohio — The biggest concern within the walls of Nationwide Arena these days has nothing to do with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, When Davidson left the St. Louis Blues for Columbus in 2012, the Blues forwards Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene, or the rest of the soon-to-be did not replace him. They simply spread his duties across the front office, unrestricted free agents who might leave the Blue Jackets this summer. mostly to GM Doug Armstrong.

First things first: What’s going on with president of hockey operations Promote from within John Davidson, and what will the Blue Jackets do if Davidson leaves Columbus to take the same job with the New York Rangers? If the Blue Jackets insisted on replacing Davidson, they could elevate Kekalainen from general manager, promote Bill Zito to general manager According to numerous reports in the New York Post, Davidson — a from assistant general manager and hire a replacement for Zito, perhaps legend in New York as a former Rangers player and broadcaster — is director of player personnel Basil McRae, director of hockey operations said to be the Rangers’ one and only candidate to replace Glen Sather, Josh Flynn or assistant GM of AHL Cleveland Blake Geoffrion. after Sather announced his retirement last month. Kekalainen, the NHL’s first European-born GM, has spent only seven As much as Davidson loves Columbus, it might be hard for him to say no seasons on the job, though. He’s the league’s eighth-longest tenured to the Rangers. There’s an emotional pull to the franchise for him, and GM, but is that enough to ascend to club presidency? the heaps of cash they could offer wouldn’t hurt. (No, these salaries do not count as part of the NHL’s salary cap.) If the Blue Jackets are worried about losing Zito to another club this summer — he reportedly interviewed with expansion Seattle on The Blue Jackets are expected to make every attempt to keep Davidson, Wednesday, and has been mentioned with other clubs — this would be a by adding years and dollars to the three-year extension (through 2021- way to keep him. 22) he signed last year. But the Rangers will not be outbid in these situations. And if Kekalainen threatens to go to the Rangers along with Davidson in some capacity, this could be a necessary move to keep him. Most In 2015, the NHL did away with draft pick compensation for coaches or around the NHL don’t see it coming to this, however. executives changing organizations, but it does require that clubs grant permission for other clubs to contact their employees. The Blue Jackets, Don’t replace Davidson out of respect for Davidson, would not stand in his way. Across the NHL, this is seen as the most likely choice should Davidson It would be the end of a very important era in the Blue Jackets’ franchise leave for New York. history, as Davidson arrived in 2012 when the organization was listing It might be a reach to say Davidson’s work in Columbus is done, but the badly — three years removed from a playoff berth, the Blue Jackets were job he was hired to do — bring stability and structure to the hockey by far the worst team in the league in 2011-12, captain Rick Nash had operations department — has been achieved. Hard to believe, but he’s requested a trade, fans were protesting and demanding front-office already been in Columbus one season longer than he spent with the changes, etc. Blues.

Perhaps even more important than his expertise earned in St. Louis, In that time, Kekalainen has established himself as one of the most Davidson brought a sense of calm, experience and direction to the Blue respected GMs in the NHL — willing to swing a big trade and sign a big Jackets. He’s blessed with a sterling reputation and the voice of Moses. contract, not afraid of a contract stalemate, and never too good to hit the When he speaks, people believe what he says. road and get back to his roots with a scouting trip.

With his hiring, the Blue Jackets, one of the first clubs to hire a president Kekalainen, along with Davidson, signed a three-year extension last fall, of hockey operations, finally had a “hockey lifer” to serve between the keeping him under contract through the 2021-22 season. general manager (then Scott Howson, now Jarmo Kekalainen) and majority owner John P. McConnell. If Davidson leaves and nothing else changes, Kekalainen could be in for an extension and perhaps a larger payday. Sources told The Athletic he’s It was an important buffer, as it allowed then-club president Mike Priest to in the bottom half of the league among GM compensation. find a title more specific to his legal and accounting expertise: president of business operations. The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019

With the Rangers, Davidson would have a more stressful existence than he has in Columbus. The Blue Jackets, in McConnell, are lucky to have a fairly hands-off owner, but Rangers owner James Dolan is regarded as one of the worst owners in pro sports — petulant, sensitive, irrational, etc.

Sather’s most important task — and it would become Davidson’s — is to keep Dolan away from general manager Jeff Gorton, who is expected to keep his job.

But if Davidson leaves the Blue Jackets … where will that leave the Blue Jackets?

There would appear to be three options.

Hire from the outside

This seems highly unlikely, as there would appear to be no obvious candidate who could seamlessly take Davidson’s place.

These jobs are typically filled by former players with long, legendary histories within the organization (Cam Neely in Boston) or pre-eminent 1144310 Dallas Stars "I've been here a couple years now and like it," Honka said. "It would be fun to keep going. The environment, you kind of know and you've been learning for a long time. It's kind of like the bottom is there. Just have to Part of the Stars or an asset to get something else? After 4 months as build on it." healthy scratch, Julius Honka's future is cloudy What kind of return the Stars could get for Honka is a bit unknown. Not many first-round defensemen are traded before they turn 24 years old. Of those traded, many are the centerpiece of the trade (Erik Brannstrom in Matthew DeFranks the Mark Stone deal, Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin, or Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen).

When the Stars traded away Oleksiak last year at 24 years old, they The 2018-19 season offered Julius Honka plenty of chances to be received a fourth-round pick. When Montreal traded away Nathan resentful or bitter, angry or annoyed. Beaulieu in 2017 at 24 years old, it received a third-round pick. When The former first-round pick and Stars defenseman could have been Florida traded away Erik Gudbranson in 2016 at 24 years old, it received turned off by being a healthy scratch in the final four months of the Jared McCann in return. season, having not played a game after Jan. 15. He could have sulked But Oleksiak, Beaulieu and Gudbranson all had more extensive NHL when the Stars acquired Jamie Oleksiak to man the blue line, or when resumes than Honka does with 87 career NHL games. Dallas traded for Ben Lovejoy. When Honka sank below Taylor Fedun and Joel Hanley and Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington on the "Like I've been talking with the team and all the coaches and other depth chart, he could have pouted. players and family, in life, there's sometimes things you can't really control," Honka said. "You just have to keep yourself positive in mindset, But Honka didn't turn negative. keep ready and you're going to get rewarded at some point. This was "I want to look at it in a positive way," Honka said during exit interviews one of those years, can't really do anything. Just work hard, and do your Thursday. "It's not the stuff anybody wants, but I think I survived pretty best and see how it is. good. The shape I'm at, all the work I've been doing the whole year, I feel "I still think I can be happy about myself. All the work and stuff I did this pretty good and pretty good about myself. Have the mindset to keep year, it's going to help me in the future for sure. One hundred percent improving, all those bag skates and everything." sure about that. Sometimes, you have to admit it and just keep working What now for Honka? hard. It's just what it is sometimes."

The 23-year-old is a restricted free agent this summer and is young and Dallas Morning News LOADED: 05.11.2019 talented enough to draw at least marginal interest from other teams.

"We're going to sit down over the summer now and we're going to decide is he part of this group or is he an asset to go get something else?" Stars general manager said. "That's what we've got to figure out."

Honka finished the season with 29 games played and four assists, and was solely a practice player as the Stars advanced to the second round before a loss in Game 7 to St. Louis. After each practice and morning skate, Honka would stay out afterwards for extra work and skating. But after he played 10:25 against the Lightning in the season's 47th game, Honka didn't get back in the lineup.

In October and November, Honka played in 18 straight games, including an abbreviated look in the top-four after John Klingberg broke his hand. Honka was coupled with Esa Lindell on the top defensive pairing during November, presented with a chance to impress Jim Montgomery and the coaching staff.

"He had that opportunity with Klingberg hurt, he was in the top-four for I don't know how many games," Montgomery said. "This is a tough league, and you earn what you get. Julius is a talented young player, good person. We expect him to be good for us, I'm talking next year."

"The tough situation with a young player, especially Julius Honka, is when I hire the coaches, they're hired to win games," Nill said. "You get to the NHL and it's not a developmental league. They go into games and they have to put the guys out there they think they can win with at that moment. Julius had his chances at times, didn't quite grab it."

Honka can be a polarizing figure among the fan base. Some factions support Honka's positive possession numbers (shot attempts, scoring chances, expected goals). Others trust that three different coaching staffs have struggled to find a place for the high-risk defenseman in the lineup.

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Honka is undersized for a traditional defenseman, a trait that is slightly offset by his agile skating but something that could have prevented him from seeing the ice after the losses of physical defensemen Marc Methot and Stephen Johns. (Although Fedun and Hanley are similar sizes to Honka.)

"All of a sudden, you lose Methot and you lose Johns, you don't have that size," Nill said. "How many smaller guys can you put out there? Julius, it's a tough situation. The coaches know that. But in the end, I give them the responsibility to win games and they've got to make decisions who's got to be out there."

Honka said he hadn't discussed his future with Nill yet, but he "would be happy to play here and whatever the situation is." 1144311 Dallas Stars

John Klingberg, Radek Faksa to play in World Championship following Stars' second-round exit

Matthew DeFranks

Stars defenseman John Klingberg (Sweden) and forward Radek Faksa (Czech Republic) will both play in the World Championship, just days after Dallas' season ended with a double-overtime loss in Game 7 to St. Louis on Tuesday.

It will be the fourth straight year Klingberg has played in the World Championship for Sweden, including the last two years when Sweden won the gold medal. Last year, Klingberg was named the tournament's best defenseman. He finished with 10 goals and 35 assists for the Stars this season.

This will be Faksa's third World Championship appearance for the Czech Republic. Faksa was the Stars' shutdown center this season and totaled 15 goals and 15 assists.

Record-setting Game 7: The Stars' 2-1 Game 7 loss to the Blues on Tuesday was the most streamed second-round game ever, according to NBC Sports public relations.

The game had an average minute audience of 103,900, unique viewership of 328,000 and 25.7 million live minutes, all record marks for streaming of a second-round playoff game. Overall, the second-round was the most streamed in history, with the 255.2 million live minutes up 29% compared to last year.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144312 Dallas Stars bidder for his services. The Stars also need to take a long look at the market for another true top-four defender.

The Stars’ three top defenders (Heiskanen, John Klingberg and Esa Stars need to take lessons to heart, emphasize culture to make sure Lindell) will be among the NHL’s best for a long time. They need a fourth 2019 isn’t a repeat of 2016 running mate who can play alongside Heiskanen or share the ice with Lindell, allowing the Heiskanen-Klingberg pairing to dominate possession. By Sean Shapiro May 10, 2019 In an ideal world, Stephen Johns would be that player. He was slated to be Heiskanen’s partner this season, but his future is murky due to post- traumatic headaches that have ailed him for more than a year now. Out The Stars went to Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs against the of necessity, Dallas has to plan for life without Johns. If he’s able to play St. Louis Blues. That alone does not build a winning culture. and is back to a level he reached two seasons ago it’s gravy at this point. If it did, the franchise would have been on the right path back in 2016 Top-four defensemen aren’t often available; they are a valuable when the season ended in Game 7 against the Blues. When that game commodity. But Tyler Myers and Anton Stralman both hit free agency this ended, the opposing coach dubbed the Stars the future of the NHL. summer and could help fill that void in Dallas. The answers on the third If simply reaching Game 7 of the second round cured all that ailed the pair are already abundantly available in-house; that was proven when 14 franchise the Stars wouldn’t have gone through two coaches and Jim different defensemen played for the Stars this season. Montgomery wouldn’t have been forced to cure a culture of mediocrity as It’s hard to even nitpick at the performance of the Stars goaltenders this an NHL rookie head coach. season, they were undeniably superb. But if there is one lesson to take The Stars have been in this spot before. The 2016 squad looked at from the 2018-19 season, it applies to the workload of Ben Bishop. themselves as a team that should have still been playing in the NHL’s Bishop played 46 regular-season games this season, a number reduced final four. Regardless of their elimination, they were on the right path and by injury. Forty-five games is the number the Stars should aim for next moving toward long-term NHL prominence. season when it comes to Bishop’s starts, if he’s going to be expected to We all know what happened next. play a significant number of playoff games.

In 2019, the Stars have a chance to learn from the mistakes of their past Among the teams in the NHL’s final four, three of the four Game 1 and actually take the next step toward building a sustainable winning Conference Final starters played fewer than 50 games. A rested tandem culture. This playoff run has bought them optimism, but it’s hard to dive goalie is a better goalie in May and June. straight into the deep end of future bliss since the Stars stumbled off a The Stars’ goal is to win the Stanley Cup next season because that’s strong starting block three years ago. everyone’s goal. But individual expectations also need to be redefined for Is it going to be different this time around? It at least feels that way the face of the Stars franchise for the betterment of everyone involved. heading into the offseason of 2019. Jamie Benn is paid like a top-five player in the NHL. He’s also not that Miro Heiskanen is a bona fide future Norris Trophy winner. The Stars same player he once was and the past three seasons have proven that. actually have a home-grown second-line center in Roope Hintz — the He can still take over in spurts — just look at the first round — but power Finnish mafia is strong in Dallas — and a coach at the helm who has forwards don’t age nearly as well as skilled centers and expecting Benn proven so far that he’s the right fit, willing to adjust to his players and not to compete for another scoring title is asinine. force things that won’t work. Management needs to keep that in mind when building the roster. Dallas However, lessons from the recent and distant past need to be applied if coaches need to keep that in mind when building a lineup. Benn needs to the Stars truly have a chance of constantly competing in a Central figure out how to ensure he plays at a high level for the remaining six Division which features an arms race of young talent. years of his contract.

If this season and the ensuing playoffs proved anything, it’s that the Stars Benn is the Stars’ leader; there’s no doubt about that. He’s also not going need to trust and rely on the talent they have in the system. anywhere, his contract is nearly impossible to move so any inkling or whisper of trading him is a fool’s errand. It’s a waste of time to play that Hintz’ emergence is proof that a younger forward can grow and establish game. Benn’s offensive numbers won’t live up to the contract number, themselves as a key cog if given the chance. Jason Dickinson did the and you can yell and curse about that if you want, but that doesn’t mean same, finally having a coach who actually trusted him, while the Stars the Stars can’t win with him as the captain. He needs to be better than he now have a handful of younger forwards in need of that vote of was against St. Louis in Game 6 and 7, but it’s also unrealistic to expect confidence. him to carry a team like he once did.

Denis Gurianov and Joel L’Esperance both played NHL games this Yes, the Stars are in a good spot, but they were also in a good spot in season, and they should play even more next season. The Stars’ 2016. The key from this point forward is figuring out the next step toward ultimate demise came when 19-year-old Robert Thomas burned them in truly build a winning culture for the first time in more than a decade. double overtime on a faceoff play. That play alone should be a reminder that 2018 first-round pick Ty Dellandrea should at least be given a full The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 nine-game experiment to win an NHL job next season.

It makes sense both physically and fiscally. Young legs are typically quicker legs, and they come at a cheaper rate than trying to fill the bottom-six through free agency. Every veteran free agent, no matter how good and no matter the team, is an overpayment as a byproduct of a system where players are paid for what they’ve done as opposed to what they’re going to do.

Of course, there are situations where free agency makes sense and you live with the consequences at the end of the deal.

Mats Zuccarello looks like the right fit for this team and he’ll be 32 on Sept. 1. A four or five-year deal might look bad at the end, but he appears likely to have at least three good years in him and his play proved infectious for the team this spring.

There are other forwards who would fit well this summer. Matt Duchene, for example, swung my opinion of his play in the postseason with Columbus Blue Jackets, and Dallas will have the cap space to be a 1144313 Dallas Stars In the short few months since, the trio have formed what Maksimovich calls a “lifelong friendship.”

“When I first got traded here I literally couldn’t stop laughing. (Felhaber’s) How Stars prospect Tye Felhaber went from out of shape forward to ‘The a pretty big jokester. He’s never in a bad mood. He’s always smiling or Legend’ with the Ottawa 67’s trying to make the whole room laugh. That’s his go-to. He’s a pretty funny guy,” said Maksimovich.

By Scott Wheeler May 10, 2019 “We’re definitely close. We shared the overage experience together and we’ve just been good friends ever since, hang out all the time. It’s kind of weird. For all of us to come together for our one last ride is pretty crazy. Our stories end up together on the same team and Tye’s just a GUELPH, Ont. — On the morning of Game 4, Ottawa 67’s head coach tremendous guy. It’s pretty special.” Andre Tourigny fields a call from a reporter. The topic of the conversation isn’t the Ontario Hockey League final, where his team is playing against The trio always sit together on the bus and eat together on the road. And the Guelph Storm. It’s not about his team’s back-to-back-to-back sweeps, everyone is pulling for Felhaber. At the 67’s year-end banquet this or the record-breaking 14-game playoff win streak, finally snapped two season, he was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player. nights earlier by the Storm. “He’s having an amazing season. He’s lighting the lamp, he really earned It’s about Tye Felhaber, the 20-year-old star whose season has been on his contract this year not just through his play on the ice but off the ice par with his team’s impressive exploits. So impressive that Felhaber, an he’s a great leader and he knows what he’s talking about when he overager, earned an entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars. speaks,” Maksimovich said.

According to Tourigny, the 73 goals and 133 points Felhaber scored Before every game, Felhaber will go over to Chiodo’s billet home for his through 83 combined regular season and playoff games this season pregame meal. aren’t something that happens often in the OHL. But the production, which included 50 goals in his first 47 games (and a stretch of no more “Tye kind of took us under his wing and we’ve been pretty close ever than two games without a goal), speaks for itself. His 59 regular season since. He’s a great guy, always has a smile on his face, fun to be around, goals finished as the fifth-most in the OHL in the last decade. For a while, and a great friend,” Chiodo said. it looked like Felhaber might challenge the best goal-scoring season in “You kind of sit on the bench and watch him and you’re just so happy for the league’s history, a 72-goal campaign by John Tavares. him and the season he has had.”

“I call him ‘The Legend’ because he brings so much energy around the Though Felhaber always had the potential for this kind of success — he room and there’s no bad day in his life. He’s always sunshine for was selected 10th overall in the 2014 OHL draft — there were times, too, everybody and he’s a guy who cares so much about his teammates. If when it looked distant. someone is sad or someone is not feeling good, that will affect (Felhaber),” Tourigny said. “He’s a super human being. (Felhaber) a The Felhabers own a farm in a rural town in eastern Ontario called unique person.” Eganville, home to a shade over 1,000 people, in the Ottawa Valley (teammates and team staff call Felhaber a “good valley boy” in jest). He’s the team’s focal point as much off the ice as he is on it. The people around him describe him as the team’s bright light and guiding force, There, he left his big, tight-knit family for Saginaw — the OHL team that among other things. He’s the outgoing life of the party, loves to talk, the drafted him— a 10-hour drive away. team organizer, mature, hilarious, front and centre in all things 67’s. “My dad (Joey) has lots of brothers, I don’t know how many, probably like Felhaber is the kid who grabbed the spotlight on stage with country eight or something, and then two sisters and they all had a lot of kids as singer Thomas Rhett at the Canadian Tire Centre at the end of April, well and they’re all around and nobody has really moved away too belting out his song “Friends in Low Places.” much,” Felhaber said.

“There’s no doubt that he would be the president of the social club. If you “It has been nice growing up in a situation like that, especially for me were to walk down our hallway where our locker room is it doesn’t matter because I was the second youngest of the grandkids so it was nice to who you are, Tye’s the first one to reach out his hand and introduce always have something to look up to or pushing you. I have a huge family himself and ask questions,” 67’s general manager said James Boyd said. and that’s what I’ve always known and been used to.”

“Everyone is welcome, that’s just the way he is. He loves being around He said the move was really tough on him. He was just 16 when he left people, people love being around him. He’s got tons of energy and he’s home and his fitness — he was out of shape early in his career — meant quick with a joke. People gravitate towards him.” he didn’t meet expectations.

(Val Wutti/Ottawa 67’s) “I’m used to my family there all the time. I just kind of grew up playing hockey on the pond and my dad and my brother did a really good job That’s true everywhere Felhaber goes. teaching me, they would stay out for hours with me and my dad built and After attending Leafs development camp in 2016, many players there outdoor rink at our house and was my coach growing up off the ice,” with him, including the stars who’ve gone on to the NHL, still keep in Felhaber said. touch with Felhaber. After a summer of training with Claude Giroux, the “He never pushed me or anything, we just kind of had fun and that’s Flyers captain made a point to come to Game 1 of the 67’s third-round what’s it been, especially from the valley, just having fun and enjoying it series with the Oshawa Generals to watch him play. and being very humble about playing hockey in the OHL.”

“He cares so much about people, he has no ego, he’s friends with Heading into this season, Felhaber wasn’t invited to any NHL camps (his everybody, he has an impact on the people he meets in life. People just lone previous was 2016 with the Leafs). But better things were on the love him as soon as they meet him,” Tourigny said. horizon. It started two years ago, when Tourigny and Boyd took over the This season, when the 67’s acquired two additional overagers —Kyle 67’s. They challenged him to become more of a two-way player and fix Maksimovich and Lucas Chiodo — at the trade deadline, Felhaber both his fitness and diet. organized a team dinner at Hooley’s, a local pub, before taking his new Boyd had done a lot of background work on his new roster and he teammates for a night out. couldn’t find anyone with anything negative to say about Felhaber’s “It was just a fun time where they were comfortable outside of the rink personality, but there were issues with his habits. and they got to meet everybody. I’m a pretty good chauffeur,” Felhaber “People would say ‘Well, he’s a talent but he’s not in very good shape.’ said. Fitness was the key issue and that’s tough to turn around. He didn’t work “It’s their last year of junior hockey so I just wanted them to have fun with at it,” Boyd said. it. Ever since we’ve just been really good buddies. We just click and have “But Tye changed the way he eats, he changed the way he works out, fun and we always hang out.” and he has really become a true professional and he has reaped the benefits. It’s a credit to Tye that he has done that because it has turned overtime or late in the third period. His line with Kody Clark and Marco his game around.” Rossi gets the toughest matchups on the team.

Felhaber’s fitness regime really took a big step last summer in the small “He played a tremendous role in our run. It has been that way all year. training group with Giroux, which also included Vancouver Canucks He’s on a roll. He has been on a roll really since September,” Boyd said. defenceman Ben Hutton and former NHLer Jason Akeson. “Tye has put his nose to the grindstone and he has done all of the work and really has turned his career around.” Together, the quartet trained with fitness guru Tony Greco and skills coach Pat Malloy. Giroux took Felhaber under his wing, telling him when Boyd remembers scouting Felhaber, then 15, back when was the GM of he was going to work out and when they were going to skate. the Mississauga Steelheads. When Boyd took over in Ottawa, he only knew Felhaber by his reputation. “I would just be on the ice with those three all the time and they always told me to make it happen and ‘this year’s your year’ and I just always “Tye was really at a crossroads in his career at the time. His confidence had that in the back of my head every time I laced up the skates this was low and we laid it out to him that ‘Hey, this is what needs to be done: year,” Felhaber said. There needs to be a priority on fitness and everyone knows that but you’ve got to change your habits,’” Boyd said. “With our whole team it has been a great mood all year and we haven’t really dealt with much adversity but there have been points and that’s “He’s now a reliable defensive player and that was a question before. when you see the best in everybody and we have such a close group so He’s just a tremendous player. He has turned himself into a legitimate it has definitely been my (most fun) year of hockey.” NHL prospect and it has been nice to watch the metamorphosis take place because he’s a tremendous personality and he’s infectious and a Greco didn’t know Felhaber before Boyd reached out looking to get him real leader on our team. To see him find this success and his dream be some off-ice help. Early on, Greco really had to sell Felhaber on the realized, has been a lot of fun.” value of working out. And fortunately, he had Giroux to lean on to provide an impactful example. Tourigny remembers a different Felhaber, too — the one who cheated for offence and focused on his best assets instead of his worst. “Giroux was a big inspiration for him because he was like ‘Holy shit, this guy is here early and he works like an animal.’ You could see that he’s “He accepted change in his life and his game and really turned things struggling. He didn’t know what hit him. But once he started to get it, he around. Not everybody is that open-minded to accept change and he did felt it. And that progress created interest,” Greco said. so I’m really happy for him to get rewarded. He’s huge for the team,” Tourigny said. “I said ‘You’re an overager, you’ve never been drafted, and if I’m a GM and I’m looking at you, why am I going to pick you up?’” “He’s a street-smart guy. He can figure it out and take it from there and he got way better. I’m really proud of him.” Today, Greco is confident Felhaber will leave the 67’s as one of the team’s best-conditioned athletes. Felhaber said he’ll never forget the year which saved his career. He’s proud of the way he pushed back against the pressure and attention, and “This story is impossible that it really happened but it happened and it’s the way the 67’s kept their playoff streak going. amazing. It’s just great for kids who are in the same situation. Nothing is impossible,” Greco said. He’ll miss it when it’s over, whether it ends in defeat, an OHL title, or even a Memorial Cup. “If you would have said a year ago ‘Hey look, I’ve got this guy Tye Felhaber and he’s going to sign in the NHL’ people are like ‘You guys are “This is the closest group of guys I’ve ever played with. All of the games, out to lunch.’” all of the early mornings, we practice and work out every single day together, and we grinded together,” Felhaber said. Boyd said he began to receive calls from NHL teams on Felhaber as early as October when the forward was leading the league in scoring (he “I know whenever I leave they’re still going to have a great room but it’s finished third in points). definitely going to be tough because I’ve had so much fun here and I’ve enjoyed every second and those nights out in Ottawa with the whole “It was obvious, I think, to the majority of the NHL personnel that team, it’s just something that you have to really experience to know what something had changed. Tye had taken a step forward last year, he saw it feels like.” the benefits of that, and I think he took an enormous step forward this past summer,” Boyd said. The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019

“Right away I was getting messages and calls saying ‘What’s the deal here, what has happened?'”

Then he just kept scoring, and scoring, and scoring. With it, though, came pressure — and national TV segments on Sportsnet.

“Honestly, it was pretty nerve-wracking because you always have people tell you you’re on pace for this, or that, or John Tavares, and it was kind of tough in a sense where I wasn’t scoring whenever I was thinking about it the most,” Felhaber said.

“I just tried to keep it light though and I have a really good family taking care of me and not letting my head get too big and then the whole coaching staff really changed my game into being a complete 200-foot player.”

By the time he signed with the Stars, Felhaber had interest from teams in the double digits. Dallas, he said, was the best fit though.

“The way they play is exactly what I want and what I want to join and I feel like I can add a lot to their already good team,” Felhaber said.

“And they just made me feel really welcome right away. It was just kind of that comforting interest in me and it was really nice to hear and I don’t think I could have picked a better place.”

(Val Wutti/Ottawa 67’s)

Early in the season, Boyd pointed to Felhaber as the player who always got the team going with the game’s opening goal. During the playoff run, he has scored timely goals in a different way, closing games out in 1144314 Detroit Red Wings

Jeff Blashill, Team USA drop opening game in world hockey championships

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 4:59 p.m. ET May 10, 2019 | Updated 6:30 p.m. ET May 10, 2019

This wasn’t the start Team USA wanted at the men’s world hockey championships Friday in Slovakia.

Facing the host country, Team USA — coached by the Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill — lost 4-1.

Farmington Hills native Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks) scored the lone USA goal on the power play.

Slovakia scored twice in a span of 3 minutes, 6 seconds early in the second period, snapping a 1-1 tie. Former Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar scored the second goal, making it a 3-1 game.

Slovakia goalie Patrik Rybar — the goalie — stopped 11 USA shots.

Wings forwards Dylan Larkin and Luke Glendening were kept off the scoresheet for the Americans, who will face France on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Finland defeated Canada, 3-1. Red Wings forwards Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi were held scoreless for Canada.

Detroit News LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144315 Detroit Red Wings

'Hero to us all': Hockey luminaries celebrate life of Red Wings legend Red Kelly

Associated Press Published 5:59 p.m. ET May 10, 2019 | Updated 6:38 p.m. ET May 10, 2019

Pallbearers carry the casket of Red Kelly after the funeral mass at the Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church in Toronto.

Toronto — Family, friends and many of hockey’s most luminous names bid farewell to Red Kelly at the NHL great’s funeral Friday.

The eight-time Stanley Cup champion played 20 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, winning four Stanley Cups with each team. He died at 91 on May 2, exactly 52 years after the Maple Leafs win their last Stanley Cup in 1967.

Honorary pallbearers at the funeral included Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Bob Baun, Dick Duff, Ron Ellis, Dave Keon, Eddie Shack and Jim Gregory.

“He was a hero to us all,” said McDonald, who played for Kelly when he coached Toronto in the 1970s. “We all looked up to him … how he lived his life. He showed us the way. … Red never swore. It was, ‘Wholly smollerinos … son of a sea cookin’ bottle washer.’ That’s the kind of gentleman he was, through in through.”

Also at the funeral were Maple Leafs President and former Red Wing Brendan Shanahan, general manager Kyle Dubas, ex-Red Wings star and Detroit GM , NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and former Toronto captain Wendel Clark.

“As much as he loved the game and he gave great service to the game and to this country … family was always first,” Bettman said. “That’s something I always respected about him. Great, great man.”

Leonard Patrick Kelly started his hockey career as a defenseman but switched to center after his trade to Toronto. He was inducted into the in 1969.

“It was the ability to be the person he was that was so important,” former Toronto teammate Baun said. “Red never did change, always such a great guy, very thoughtful and caring. He was as honest as the day is long.”

Kelly’s No. 4 is retired in Toronto and Detroit, and his statue is part of Legends Row outside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where memorabilia and a book of condolence were on display Friday.

Kelly is survived by Andra, his wife of 60 years, four children and eight grandchildren.

Detroit News LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144316 Detroit Red Wings

Rotten first day for Red Wings at Worlds as U.S., Canada fall

Updated May 10, 5:57 PM; Posted May 10, 5:16 PM

By Ansar Khan

It was a bad first day for most of the Detroit Red Wings participating in this year’s World Championship as the United States and Canada both lost.

Host Slovakia defeated the U.S. 4-1 as Patrik Rybar, who played for the Grand Rapids Griffins last season, made 25 saves and former Red Wing Tomas Tatar scored a goal.

Alex DeBrincat of the Chicago Blackhawks tied it at 1-1 at 12:05 of the first period but the Slovaks scored the final three goals against Cory Schneider (New Jersey).

Red Wings forwards Dylan Larkin (two shots, minus-1 in 17:42) and Luke Glendening (no shots, even rating in 9:18) didn’t figure in the scoring for the U.S.

The Americans, coached by the Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill, face France on Sunday (6:15 a.m. ET, NHL Network).

In other games:

Finland 3, Canada 1: Kaapo Kakko, expected to be the second selection in the June 21 draft, scored twice, including an empty-net goal with 34 seconds remaining. Red Wings Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi were kept off the score sheet for Canada. Mantha had two shots and a minus- 1 rating in 15:41. Bertuzzi had one shot and a minus-1 rating in 11:41. Canada faces Great Britain on Sunday (2:15 p.m. ET). Finnish defenseman Oliwer Kaski, expected to sign with the Red Wings after the tournament, had no points, no shots and an even rating in 13:15.

Czech Republic 5, Sweden 2: Jan Kovar scored two goal for the Czechs. Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek recorded one assist, two shots and a plus-2 rating in 18:17.

Russia 5, Norway 2: Yevgeni Dadonov scored twice for the Russians.

Michigan Live LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144317 Edmonton Oilers in the house, too, along with the local Babych boys — Wayne and Dave — amongst a host of others.

Wayne was the first St. Louis Blues player to ever score (50), getting 54 Edmonton Oilers coaching candidate Dave Tippett keeping intentions in ’80-81. quiet “Then I wrecked my rotator cuff,” Wayne told TSN’s Allen Mitchell. His shoulder was never the same after that.

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal This ’n that: One of the moves interim GM Keith Gretzky was reportedly Published:May 10, 2019 trying to make at the deadline was getting rid of Brandon Manning’s $2.25 million next year to Vancouver in concert with winger Jujhar Khaira Updated:May 10, 2019 6:12 PM MDT for a draft pick … Most likely trade partners for Ken Holland: Detroit (Steve Yzerman) and Dallas (Jim Nill) … Most likely all the Oiler

assistants hired by Todd McLellan last spring — Glen Gulutzan, Manny As Dave Tippett’s name swirls around Edmonton as a possible head Viveiros and Trent Yawney — had contracts that dove-tailed with the two coach after 1,114 games over 14 seasons in Dallas and Arizona, the years left on McLellan’s five-year deal … Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen is frontman for Seattle’s expansion entry is taking a vow of silence as not on the Finnish world championship squad, same for Tobias Rieder on brand-new Edmonton Oilers general manger Ken Holland gets his list the German side … Ex-Oiler assistant coach is head together. coach of the host Slovaks who upset USA in the first game.

While Tippett, 57, interviewed in Buffalo a month ago with Phil Housley Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.11.2019 fired after two seasons and Craig Morgan, The Athletic’s Coyotes commentator quoted Tippett as saying; “I don’t think the fire ever goes out,” on Friday he felt it a conflict of interest to be talking about coaching when he’s invested in the Seattle situation. The feeling is Tippett was part of the interview process for GM candidate Bill Zito (Columbus) Wednesday.

Holland, who may have five guys on his candidate list, hasn’t yet talked to Dallas assistant Todd Nelson, who coached Detroit’s AHL team to a Calder Cup, or other NHL assistants like Lane Lambert in Long Island and Todd Richards in Tampa, but Holland may feel a veteran NHL head man is necessary in the Pacific Division.

Richards, now ’s right-hand man in Tampa, has been an NHL head coach for six years in Minnesota and Columbus. Nelson coached the Oilers for 46 games in 2015. He’s in that nether region: he has been an NHL coach (also 11 years a head man in the minors) but not for very long in the bigs.

Even so, he deserves to be an NHL head coach because he’s good with young players, he’s been successful in the minors and he’s a smart guy. His problem: he may not interview like other more loquacious candidates.

“Where the Oilers are at now they would benefit from some experience and that not only would help the team but help Ken Holland,” said former NHL GM Craig Button. “Ken has to deal with an awful lot of things right now and the last thing you want is also trying to mentor a young coach.”

That is somebody like Sheldon Keefe. Not Nelson.

INTEREST FOR HITCHCOCK IN COLUMBUS?

They’re running Ken Hitchcock’s name up the flagpole in Columbus as a possible team president if John Davidson leaves for the Rangers, citing Hitchcock’s availability and ties to the Jackets as coach for four years.

But Hitchcock has no interest in running a team. That job would be right up Ralph Krueger’s alley.

“I’d like to dig in and help the coaches both NHL and AHL. I think Ken Holland and I would work well together. Just need to find a role for me that would have value,” said Hitchcock.

Best use of Hitchcock until next season: finding bottom six forwards. They don’t need stars; they need real NHL players.

Here’s a list of UFA’s: Marcus Johansson, Brett Connolly, Richard Panik, Patrick Maroon, Brandon Tanev, Garnet Hathaway, Noel Acciari, Daniel Carr, Tyler Ennis, Riley Sheahan, Gregg McKegg. Lots of fourth-liners with Tanev, Maroon and Panik as third-line wingers. Connolly and Johansson maybe second-liners. They’ll revisit a trade for Toronto’s Connor Brown, which stalled at the deadline.

HOCKEY HELPS HOMELESS A HIT

The sixth annual Hockey Helps the Homeless charity tournament at Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre on Friday was a fantastic success as always, raising over $250,000.

The fun team event drew an array of ex-Oilers and NHLers.

Jason Chimera went first in the team draft with another great skater Dean McAmmond second. Georges Laraque, Craig Muni, Ethan Moreau were 1144318 Edmonton Oilers “I’ve known Hitch a long, long time. Certainly as I’m going through the process of whittling a list of potential coaches down, he’ll be one of the people I’ll lean on. He’s coached against some of these people and if he JONES: Ken Holland hits ground running with Edmonton Oilers didn’t coach against them, he knows which coaches he can talk to gather information. He’s from the coaching world. He can gather information up quicker than I can gather it up.

Terry Jones “After that, then I probably want to sit down with Hitch sometime in June and find out what he’s thinking. Published:May 10, 2019 “At the end of the day, the hockey business is about gathering Updated:May 10, 2019 8:22 PM MDT information. When it comes to the information that’s in Edmonton, well, that’s where I will be. I’ll be with the Oilers. I’ll be gathering that information. Ken Holland has no time to tarry. “Then you’ve got people out on the beat, whether it’s the pro scouting Prognostication, dawdling and delay are not options. beat or the amateur scouting beat. You have to go to games. You have to pack your suitcase and you have to go. When you have as much on your plate as the new general manager of the Edmonton Oilers has on his, there are no holding patterns. “I want to know whether Hitch just wants to watch games on TV or does he want to pack his suitcase. How hard does he want to work? That’s why Holland is hustling back to Edmonton after making a trip to watch a pair of playoff games involving his Bakersfield Condors farm club “Ultimately success in life, at least one of the ingredients, is grinding and a priority. work ethic. In know Hitch has a great passion. I know he has a ton of knowledge. I know he has a ton of experience. And I respect all of that. “I have to get back to Edmonton on the weekend,” Holland told me before Certainly he can watch games. But the more games he goes to, the more watching Game 4 of the AHL series between his Bakersfield Condors games he attends, the more information he’s going to get. So I have to and the Gulls in San Diego Friday. have that conversation with Hitch.” “I have the amateur scouts for three or four days and the pro scouts for His success, he believes, has come from working hard. And in his first three days. I need to get to know them all and I need to sit in on those days on the job, he’s damn sure working hard. meetings. I’m eager to find out what they think of the players at the amateur level and then what the other group thinks of the players at the Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.11.2019 pro level.

“I have to make some decisions.”

But, Holland also has to find a new coach and he’s already started that process and he’s not going to call a one-week time out on that because he has a back-to-back set of scouting meetings.

“At the same time, I’m reaching out and trying to set up some meetings with some prospective coaches.”

Holland is using every hour he has right now.

“I’ve started to put a list together of coaches I think would be good possibilities. I don’t have time and don’t think that I want to interview 10 or 15 people.

“Certainly I’d like to pear that list down to four or six and then to interview those four or six and eventually work my way to the next head coach of the Oilers. Hopefully, I’ll start the interview process in the coming week.”

Not only has the hiring of Holland totally changed the hockey conversation in Edmonton, it’s given Oilers fans a real insight into the way he thinks and operates while, a the same time, finding time to keep the fans informed of what he’s doing.

“The priority for me is obviously the coach. As busy as I’m going to be with all the scouts in town, I can certainly deke out of meetings for a bit to interview a coach.

“At the pro level, I need to be in the meetings every day. You go over 31 teams. If you miss a day, you miss some teams. At the amateur level, I certainly want to be in the room on the first day and the last day.

“The first day everybody is in the room and everybody is talking and I can tell them what I’m thinking and they can tell me what they’re thinking. The last day is when you work your way to your overall list. So maybe the day in the middle I could deke out if I have to go interview a coach if I’m that far along.

“I’ve done this for a long, long time and I know how to maneuver and I have relationships in the industry.”

One of the most fascinating studies is how one day he informs Ken Hitchcock that he isn’t coaching his club and the next day he spends the better part of an hour with him on the phone picking his brain.

“Right now the most important thing for me isn’t necessarily the watching as it is the listening. I talked to Hitch for 45 minutes.”

The coach is still under contract with the Oilers and Holland is open to using him as much as he wants to be used. 1144319 Los Angeles Kings “He was on the fence for a while. But he knows what he needs to do and this is the time to start that path.”

The brothers were briefly teammates at Hill-Murray High School in St. Mikey Anderson could bring his winning pedigree, competitiveness to the Paul but didn’t win the state title the season they played together, when Kings in the future Joey was a ninth grader and Mikey was an eighth grader.

What if someone told Mikey then he would win two NCAA titles, including By Lisa Dillman May 10, 2019 one with his brother?

“I probably would have laughed and said, ‘No way,’” Mikey said. “We always joked about having a backyard rink growing up, being able to go One step closer to reality, New Jersey Devils forward Joey Anderson out there and pretending to play those championship games together.” allowed himself to consider what it might like be to go into the corners in Newark or Los Angeles against his former college and high school Bulldog coach Scott Sandelin has gotten used to the drill. There is teammate, friend and childhood Monopoly foe. precious little time for a coach to celebrate a national title – his third at UMD, in addition to the two he won as an assistant at North Dakota. In That person would be his 19-year-old brother, defenseman Mikey fact, 19 players have left UMD early for the pros going back to 2007, Anderson, signed by the Kings last month to a three-year entry-level according to the school. contract after winning consecutive national titles with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. It seems as though the championship celebration has barely stopped and the coaching staff has to worry about who may be going. Now Joey, who is 20, has given it careful consideration because he often has been asked about the possibilities. In nearly every story about the “He (Mikey) took his time with his decision,” Sandelin said. “We went brothers Anderson jumps off the page with rich details about their through it a little bit last year with Joey after we won. I think (Joey) had a legendary battles in Roseville, Minn., Duluth and many points in between. quicker decision.

Joey versus Mikey: Coming attractions in the NHL. “We’re excited for him. He had an unbelievable year in my opinion. I was fortunate enough to coach him at the World Juniors. It was nice for me “I would never try, on purpose, to take a penalty,” Joey said. “But he’s a having him and (Dylan) Samberg back there (on defense) because they guy I’d love to chop in the back of the leg or something like that. Or were two guys I trusted a lot. maybe just knock him off the play for a little bit. “I just thought, from start to finish, he was our best defenseman, “He knows exactly how I get fired up, and he knows exactly how to push consistency-wise, this year. I thought he took a big step this year in my buttons. I’d like to think he’d be smart enough not to do that in a elevating his game. He’s still got a lot more to go. He’s got a high ceiling. professional hockey game – but I can’t promise that.” It was good for us because he became more of a leader back there with the way he played.” But what happens on the ice, stays on the ice with the Andersons. They are extraordinarily close – heated battles put aside within minutes. Mikey Anderson had a career-high six goals, 27 points and plus-minus rating of plus 22 in 40 games. Starting from March 1, his 14 points led the “Growing up in the backyard rink, Joey always had the puck,” related NCAA. Mikey. “I was a little smaller than him, so I could never get it away from him. So, I just learned how to defend. My dad thinks that’s part of the “Mikey is a really competitive player,” TSN analyst Craig Button said. reason why I became a defenseman.” “He’s in it to win it. That is a significant thing for a player. He’s territorial. He’s not going to give you one second. He’s not going to give you an When Mikey had to make the most important decision of his young life – inch. He’s a hard, fierce defender. That’s a nice little element to have. to sign with the Kings or return to Duluth for a third year – he relied on the experience and guidance of his older brother. Joey left Duluth after “He’s also really smart with the puck. I watched Mikey expand his game two years and played 13 games with Binghamton of the AHL and 34 significantly over the years. He started to jump more into the attack and games with the Devils this past season and had seven points. do more things offensively. I always try to tell young players: ‘Expand . Don’t be afraid to try to do more. Don’t lose what you have “Ultimately, it took me a couple of days to decide what I wanted,” said but don’t stop what got you go this point.’ To me, that’s exactly what he Mikey, who was the Kings’ fourth-round pick (No. 103) in 2017. “I wanted did.” to make sure whatever choice I made I was all-in on. I was happy to come to that conclusion. In joining L.A., the timing is close to ideal for Anderson. The 30th-place Kings are in transition with its cupboard of prospects relatively bare. In “We were trying to figure out what was going to be best. My brother went restocking for the future, the Kings are looking for the character and through the whole process last year. He was a good guy to lean on, leadership qualities embodied in Anderson and fellow prospect Jaret trying to pick his brain about what he thinks and what his experience was Anderson-Dolan. like.” The Kings have room for a young defenseman poised to make an There is no shortage of athletic ability in the Anderson family. Older sister impression. They traded Jake Muzzin to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. Sami played hockey for Division III St. Scholastica in Duluth as did their 28 and could end up buying out veteran Dion Phaneuf. Three rookies father Gerry, and their grandfather Tom Anderson was a forward for the were used by the Kings on defense this past season: Sean Walker (39 Bulldogs in the ‘50s. Their mother, Dana (Sibell) Anderson, was a games), Matt Roy (25) and Daniel Brickley (four). professional racquetball player and won a national age-group title in 1990. “If you are interested in winning, you want guys like Mikey Anderson on your team,” Button said. “The beautiful thing about Mikey is I think he’s a The Anderson family was together in Roseville over Easter weekend clear-cut top-four defenseman. He might not start as a top-four. He might when Mikey made his decision, but the heavy lifting was done by the start as a fifth. He might start as a sixth. He might start as a guy who’s brothers together in Duluth. Joey posed a series of questions to his got to work his way into the lineup. younger brother, whom he described as a social person who had a tight bond with his Bulldog teammates. “When you watch him play, there are not going to be any points awarded for artistic merit. He not going to garner those types of points. But when “We looked at it all: ‘What do you like about staying? What are you going you’re in the heat of the battle and in the thick of things, you see some to get out of being in college for another year versus signing?’” Joey said. players that can’t raise their game and others that won’t. “Hockey-wise, the next step was for him to leave. I guess that was the thing I helped him realize. He knew it was the right decision. “Mikey raises his game — and he meets the challenge.”

“I spent the last two weeks up there (in Duluth) with him and the rest of Joey thinks Mikey’s game is well-suited for the next level. the guys. They’re excited he’s moving on, but they’re upset to lose him. They know what a big impact he had on their team and what a big role he “The way he plays he is built for professional hockey,” Joey said. “He got played. a lot of credit toward the end of the year this year the way he played. Up until that point, he hadn’t gotten a lot of acknowledgement for how good he is and how consistent he is. “His ability to come out of his own defensive zone and get forward with the puck and to put it on the tape is something the normal fan doesn’t usually notice. But he’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen doing that.”

Button suggested Mikey played a similar style to retired NHL defenseman Shawn Chambers, who played 625 career games, as well as former Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell and defenseman Ken Daneyko, who had a long career with the Devils.

“They’re not Norris Trophy winners but are they ever incredible,” Button said. “Those type of players are so important for the team and can do so much for the team. How little fun they are to play against – no fun at all.”

“That’s the type of player Mikey is, a Willie Mitchell, a Shawn Chambers, a Ken Daneyko.”

One way to sum up the competitiveness of the Anderson brothers has nothing to do with their battles at practice in Duluth or out on the rink in the backyard of their home in Roseville.

“The whole house is competitive,” Dana said. “It’s pretty rough over here.”

The parents chuckled over one memorable battle when the boys were around 10 and 11. They had been invited to visit the cabin of family friends, whose two boys, Noah and Jackson Cates, played youth hockey with the Andersons. In fact, the Cates brothers wound up joining Mikey at UMD.

Said Gerry: “We had been there about an hour. The kids had gone upstairs to play Monopoly. Something went haywire. I think Joey was winning. Mikey got mad. When he was eliminated, he flipped the table up that the board was on. The table hit Joey in the eye. He thought his sister did it so he went after her, jumping on her. They said, no it was Mikey.

“We hear this fight. They end up coming downstairs. Someone had a black eye after somebody got hit. It was like, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re going to get sent home.’”

Added Dana: “And I’m embarrassed. We just got there.”

“That was a good one,” Gerry continued. “The funniest part was their dad, Jeff. The kids went back upstairs. Dana and I just continued to apologize. He said, ‘No, that’s great. I wish my kids cared that much.’ He didn’t mind at all.”

Reminded of the long-ago Monopoly story, Joey had an immediate reaction: “Oh gosh.”

“That was right up there. I was fuming,” he said. “Mikey gets mad at me whenever I start telling the story because he thinks I tell it wrong. And I think he tells it wrong. Then we end up getting mad at each other when we’re telling the story, which is funny.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144320 Minnesota Wild

Wild signs Iowa leading scorer Gerald Mayhew to two-year contract

By Sarah McLellan MAY 10, 2019 — 1:40PM

The Wild is hanging on to its leading scorer in the minors, signing forward Gerald Mayhew to a two-year, two-way contract Friday.

Mayhew paced Iowa in goals in 2018-19, tallying a career-high 27. His 33 assists and 60 points, nine power-play goals, 205 shots and plus-15 rating in 71 games were also career bests.

A right shot, Mayhew also leads Iowa in points (10) through nine playoff games and his nine goals are tops in the during the Calder Cup Playoffs.

After making his pro debut March 10, 2017, the 5-10, 175-pound native of Wyandotte, Mich., has racked up 49 goals and 99 points in 160 games with Iowa.

Before then, Mayhew racked up 119 points (52 goals) in 150 games during four seasons with Ferris State University. He led the Bulldogs in goals and scoring his last three seasons and helped Ferris State secure its first Western Collegiate Hockey Association title in 2015-16.

The contract breakdown is $700,000/$150,000 in 2019-20 and $700,000/$200,000 in 2020-21.

Iowa's second-round playoff matchup against the Chicago Wolves continues with Game 5 Friday at 7 p.m. in Des Moines. The series is tied at 2.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144321 Minnesota Wild

High school hockey: Greg Zanon takes over Stillwater’s boys varsity

By Jace Frederick | PUBLISHED: May 10, 2019 at 4:34 pm | UPDATED: May 10, 2019 at 4:35 PM

St. Paul adds new sister city, Mogadishu. About a dozen others have that designation.

Ask anyone Greg Zanon played or worked with throughout his professional hockey career and they would have told you he was never going to be a coach.

“Coaching was never something I thought I would ever get into,” he said. “There’s a lot of hours and things that people don’t really know what we put in that I just wasn’t really a fan of.”

Yet the former Wild defenseman was recently named the head coach of Stillwater’s boys varsity program. How did that happen?

After his career ended, Zanon, who spent three of his eight NHL seasons with the Wild, spent a year away from hockey. He’d bring his kids to practice but stood to the side and watched. Watching the coaches run practice gave him a change of heart.

Maybe, he thought, this was something he would like to do. He started by volunteering at his middle daughter’s practices. “And I actually enjoyed going out there and being able to help them and push them to get better,” he said.

Roughly midway through the 2017-18 season, Zanon started to volunteer with Stillwater’s varsity boys team. He spent last season on the bench as an assistant, and when Matt Doman accepted a job promotion that moved him and his family to Central Minnesota, Zanon threw his hat into the ring to succeed him.

“The success they’ve had over the last six years, making two runs to the state tournament, being a big school and having all the athletes and students that we have, I think presents itself as a real good opportunity to be good and to be able to make state and be successful,” Zanon said.

“Matt did a great job getting the team to where they are today, and I’m hoping with my knowledge that we’re going to be able to get it to the next level and hopefully win a state tournament while I’m here.”

Zanon’s return to hockey had less to do with him missing the game — he had no itch to get on the ice and take more pucks to the chest — and more to with a desire to be part of a team again.

“Going to the coaching side, being able to give them my knowledge and see them get better and hopefully get to whatever their dreams are (is appealing),” he said.

Whenever he runs into former coaches, he takes a moment to thank them for the time and assistance they gave him during his career.

“They’ve taken the extra two minutes to push me this way or give me that information,” he said. “So, I think that’s the biggest highlight for me, hopefully moving forward, is getting that opportunity to give them something that helps them along their way.”

Zanon also is looking forward to becoming more active in Stillwater’s youth programs and contributing to the city’s hockey scene as a whole.

“Maybe it’s not the playing side anymore, but it’s the team and being able to push them and get them to do their best that they can do to win and to become better,” he said. “It was a weird path to get there, but I’m definitely enjoying the opportunity to help these kids achieve their goals.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144322 Minnesota Wild

Wild reward playoff star Gerald Mayhew with two-year, two-way deal

By Dane Mizutani | PUBLISHED: May 10, 2019 at 1:42 pm | UPDATED: May 10, 2019 at 2:26 PM

Iowa Wild winger Gerald Mayhew has officially been rewarded for his offensive outburst in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Mayhew signed a two-year, two-way contract on Friday afternoon and should have a legitimate chance to make the NHL roster next season. The deal is worth $700,000 annually in the NHL, and $150,000 next season and $200,000 in 2020-21 at the AHL level.

The 26-year-old late-bloomer currently leads all playoff performers with nine goals, and scored a pair of goals this week with Minnesota Wild general manager Paul Fenton in attendance. They proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Wolves that tied their best-of- seven series, 2-2.

This isn’t necessarily surprising considering Mayhew’s regular season. He registered career highs in goals (27), assists (33), and points (60) in 71 games in Des Moines.

Before going pro, Mayhew was standout at Ferris State, recording 52 goals and 67 assists in 150 games. He was was named to the All-WCHA First Team during his final season with the program.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144323 MontrealCanadiens you can basically go online and get anything. If there’s something you want, you just got to Google the recipe. I’m going to say this and I mean it: Any idiot can follow a recipe.”

Q-and-A with former Canadien Chris Nilan on his front porch What’s your go-to meal?

“Well, there’s a couple of different things. Veal chop … I do an awesome STU COWAN, Updated: May 11, 2019 veal chop. I like duck breast. I do an awesome chicken parm, veal parm, all the Italian stuff. Stuffed peppers. I can whip up anything.”

Where does your love for fishing come from? Jaime Holtz knew nothing about Chris Nilan the hockey player when they first met 10 years ago in Oregon. “I fished sometimes in the Charles River in Boston when I was a kid for carp. A can of corn and go down and try and catch some carp. And then “When I met Chris, I knew absolutely nothing about hockey,” Nilan’s when I retired, actually Jay Miller — one of the meatheads (with the girlfriend said Thursday in the living room of their home in Terrasse- Boston Bruins) I used to fight who I absolutely love — took me to a shark Vaudreuil. “I was born and raised in Kona, Hawaii, and hockey is not big tournament and got me involved. And then we went tuna fishing together, at all there. So I remember after I knew him a little while I asked him what bass, everything. And when I came up here, I wasn’t much of a fresh- he did for a living. He said: ‘I used to play hockey’ and the conversation water fisherman. I was always ocean, off-shore stuff. And then because I ended there. I didn’t think anything of it until about a year later we came wanted to fish I said I got to start to learn how to fish in fresh water and I up here to visit and we walked around Montreal and I learned pretty quick did. I love it. It doesn’t matter (where) as long as I have a fish on the end exactly what he did.” of my line.”

Nilan hung up his skates after finishing the 1991-92 season with the What’s your favourite memory from playing with the Habs? Canadiens, but is still recognized just about everywhere he goes in Montreal. The Boston native moved here full-time eight years ago with “Winning the Stanley Cup (in 1986). That’s why I wanted to play in the Holtz after completing a rehab program in Oregon for drug and alcohol NHL one day. To make an NHL team, to become a full-time player and to addiction and landing a job with TSN 690 Radio, where he hosts the win the Stanley Cup, and I got to achieve all those things. It was weekday Off the Cuff with Chris Nilan show from 1-3 p.m. awesome to be able to do. The Cup was certainly my favourite moment. My least favourite moment is when people ask me how many Cups I “Honestly, we can’t go anywhere without somebody recognizing him and have and I say one and they go: ‘Only one?’ Because everybody else saying hello,” Holtz said. “I even started getting stopped in the grocery (from the Canadiens’ dynasty days) got like five or 10. I’m like: ‘Only one, store a couple of times and people would say: ‘Are you Chris’s girlfriend?’ yeah. I’ll take it.’” ” Who were some of your favourite teammates? Nilan and Holtz are easy to spot when they walk around their neighbourhood with their two big, beautiful dogs — a 9-year-old Golden “My favourite teammates, obviously (Chris) Chelios. Rick Green was a lot Retriever named Bodhi and an 11-month-old St. Bernard named Adele of fun. Carbo (Guy Carbonneau), Bob Gainey — my linemates for years. that already weighs 125 pounds. Brian Skrudland, Mike McPhee, Mats Naslund. I loved all my teammates, I really did. We just had a great group of guys and we had a whole lot of Holtz was asked what people might be surprised to know about Nilan. fun.”

“Honestly, the thing about Chris I think that a lot of people might find What was your reaction to getting traded? The Canadiens dealt Nilan to surprising is that yes, on the exterior and to people who don’t know him, the New York Rangers on Jan. 27, 1988, along with a first-round pick at he comes across as pretty intimidating and a tough guy,” she said. “But the 1989 NHL Draft (Steven Rice) in exchange for a first-round pick that he is honestly the biggest softie of anyone I’ve ever met. To see him with year (Lindsay Vallis) the dogs, he’s just got the biggest soft spot for a lot of things. He’s a very sensitive person. I found that surprising when I first met him. “I was devastated. It almost broke me. I guess issues with the coach, Jean Perron, which I don’t want to get into a whole lot. It is what it is. I “To me, I think it’s a good balance of being a tough guy that you know is moved on and I had a tough time moving on. I’m just grateful and going to protect the people that he loves and cares about,” Holtz added. blessed that Serge (Savard) brought me back to be able to retire with the “He doesn’t take crap from anybody. So you know he’s going to be there team that I never wanted to leave in the first place.” for the people that he loves but, at the same time, he’s got that balance of that other side to him.” What was it like playing for the Bruins (the team he cheered for as a kid) after the Rangers? Here’s some of what Nilan — who earned the nickname “Knuckles” during his NHL career for his fighting ability — had to say during a 20- “When I left here, playing for the Rangers and playing for the Bruins after minute Q&A on his front porch Thursday afternoon for a My Montreal I got traded from Montreal … the Rangers I was hurt a lot. I was just feature story: snakebit down there. My first season with the Bruins was pretty good until I got hurt. Playing basketball, I broke my ankle. I got named to the Can you walk anywhere in Montreal now without being recognized? All-Star Game that year by (Mike) Milbury. I was near the end … I was fighting it. I was slowing up and that dreaded half-step that you can’t “People recognize me wherever I go. It’s funny that kids do now because come to grips with (losing), it was starting to creep in on me and things of their fathers and YouTube. YouTube, I guess, keeps your mug out were getting a whole lot more difficult. I was 34 years old and it was hard there at times. (Also) being on the radio here. I think for the most part it’s to keep up. Not just skating, but the fighting all the time at that age … it’s the fathers who grew up watching me often talk to their kids and tell them not an easy job?” about how hockey used to be played.” How do you feel about having replacement surgery on your right knee What are your three favourite restaurants in Montreal? later this month? “La Medusa, Moishes and Schwartz’s. I love Medusa, the food’s great “I’m really looking forward to it. Part of the reason I got addicted to pain and the owners are just awesome. (Brothers) Joe and Mass, they’re just medication is because of the injuries I had and one of them was my knee great guys. They make you feel so at home there and it’s a great and I just can’t take the pain anymore. My knee is so worn out after 11 atmosphere. Moishes, well they got great steaks … they’re just awesome surgeries, it’s time to get a new knee. I kept getting it fixed and cortisone steaks. And Schwartz’s, you can’t beat the smoked meat. I went there in to kind of get through every year. I’m finally real happy I’m going to get it 1979 for the first time with (former teammate) Rick Chartraw and it hasn’t done.” changed a bit.” Describe the role Mitch Melnick played in getting you the job to join him Where does your own love for cooking come from? at TSN 690 Radio? “It comes from my mom and dad because they love to cook. When I was “I had my issues, no question. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol and a kid I always saw them cooking. But, honestly, when I came here to when you go through those things in life sometimes people don’t want Montreal and I would go to restaurants here I’d always try and find out anything to do with you and I totally get that. I do not have a problem with what they did. We’d go to Da Vinci a lot back in the day and I’d always it, I understand it. But there are also people — not many — but people ask the cook: ‘What did you put in that?’ I’d try and get recipes. But now that will give you a chance and Mitch went out on a limb for me. He felt I would be good at doing the radio and he asked me if I’d be interested. I was. I told him I’d move back. His boss at the time, Wayne Bews, wasn’t really convinced I’d move back and then I moved back and he was like: Oh, I guess he’s serious about it. I was and I thank Wayne for giving me an opportunity, but certainly Mitch for being the catalyst behind it and I’ll be forever grateful to him because, again, when you go through what I went through — like I said — not many people are ready to give you a chance to do anything.”

You’ve been sober for eight years now. Do you look at yourself as a bit of a role model for other people struggling with substance abuse?

“People that know that I’m sober reach out to me through my website (knucklesnilan.com) and stuff at times and ask for help. I certainly don’t have a problem with that. I cannot keep what I have unless I’m willing to be able to give that away and help others, which I don’t have a problem with. I love to help other people, especially when it comes to changing their life around and trying to learn to live a life in sobriety. It’s not an easy thing to do. Role model? I guess if I am, I am. But I just like to just live my life and lead by example and be the sober guy that I am. If someone happens to see me and thinks: Well, I want what that guy has, I can certainly help him.”

What are you most proud about your hockey career?

“Winning the Stanley Cup and having played for the Montreal Canadiens as long as I did. Not only playing for them, but becoming I think an important part of that team at the time. I guess just becoming an everyday NHL player and not being just a fighter where you sit on the bench the whole game and you wait for the coach to tap you on the shoulder. That wouldn’t have worked with me. It never did work with me and never would work with me. So I’m glad I was here, where they wanted me to be a player, not just a fighter, and they helped me do that. So I guess becoming a full-time NHL player … it was awesome.”

What are you most proud about yourself today as Chris Nilan the man, not the hockey player?

“You know what, pride will kill you. I’m putting my pride on the shelf. I just like that I was able to change my life and get back on my feet. I owe all of that to someone showing me how to live a life of sobriety and then me at least understanding it enough to be able to do that. If I didn’t have my sobriety I wouldn’t have anything. I wouldn’t have family, I wouldn’t have friends, I wouldn’t have my dogs, I wouldn’t have this house, I wouldn’t have my job. I’d have nothing if I didn’t have my sobriety. So, honestly, I credit that to getting sober.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144324 MontrealCanadiens didn’t even know where Montreal was … I might as well be in Vancouver. I hated the Canadiens, like everybody in Boston.”

Forty years later, he has a bleu-blanc-rouge CH inked on his body. My Montreal: Chris Nilan carries love for city, Habs on his shoulder “It’s the first tattoo I got,” Nilan said. “I love the Montreal Canadiens. I always have (since joining the club), I always will. I know in the media STU COWAN, Updated: May 11, 2019 you’re not supposed to be partial, but I don’t look at it like that. I like to see the Canadiens win. I’ll always be a Canadiens fan.

“Right now, I’m a Bruins fan,” he added. “I played with the Bruins. I want Chris Nilan grew up in Boston as a big Bruins fan knowing only one thing to see the Bruins win the Cup because the Canadiens aren’t in it.” about Montreal: He hated the Canadiens. You can take the boy out of Boston, but you can’t take all the Boston out Now, the 61-year-old has a CH tattoo on his left shoulder with the words of the boy — even when he calls Montreal home. “La Coupe Stanley,” a Canadiens Stanley Cup ring as part of the 1986 team and he calls Montreal home year-round, living in Terrasse- Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.11.2019 Vaudreuil with his girlfriend, Jaime Holtz, and their two big, beautiful dogs.

“When I got sober back in 2011, I had the opportunity to come back here on radio (with TSN 690) and that’s why I chose to come back here,” said Nilan, who battled alcohol and drug addiction after retiring from the NHL in 1992.

“I always enjoyed it here, I love it here. It’s a great place. I enjoy living here. I don’t mind the winter at all. I get out in the winter, cross-country ski, walk the dogs in the winter. I don’t just stay in all winter, so the winter doesn’t bother me so much. It bothers my knee. But I love it here. Montreal is my home away from home as far as when you think about where I grew up in Boston. But I feel as at home here as I do in Boston.”

Nilan’s favourite leisure activity is to walk his dogs — a 9-year-old Golden Retriever named Bodhi and an 11-month-old St. Bernard named Adele who already weighs 125 pounds. Nilan’s dog-walking will have to take a break for a while after he has replacement surgery next Friday on his right knee, which has been operated on 11 times.

“It allows me to not sit around, being inactive, which is easy to do (when at home) when you’re going all the time,” Nilan said about walking his dogs. “I absolutely love it. They actually keep me healthy, my dogs. I love to fish, so where I live here in Terrasse-Vaudreuil there’s great little spots to fish around here. I can walk out the door with my fishing rod over my shoulder, kind of like (the late-1960s TV Show) Mayberry R.F.D., out here.”

Nilan also loves to cook. His three favourite Montreal restaurants are La Medusa, Moishes and Schwartz’s. One of Nilan’s favourite restaurants during his playing days was Da Vinci and he loved to go in the kitchen to get cooking tips and recipes from the chefs.

“Cooking is so much fun for me,” he said. “I enjoy cooking good food because I enjoy eating good food. The big thing with me cooking is I love other people to enjoy the food that I cook and for the most part they do, I think.”

Where does his love for dogs come from?

“I always kind of liked dogs, I just never had time for them,” Nilan said. “Jaime always had dogs (while growing up in Hawaii) and when we first met she had a rescue (dog) that absolutely was incredible for me, especially in my early sobriety. I just love dogs. It’s unconditional love, but they do so much for you. The way my body is now, I probably wouldn’t have the motivation just to get up and go for a walk. But because I have dogs, they get me out and they keep me healthy.”

Nilan got Adele last year a couple of months after he had to put down another dog he had named Kona.

“She’d just turned 7 years old,” Nilan said about Kona. “That was my first dog ever. She was also a St. Bernard … she had cancer. It was the worst day of my life. The worst.”

The Canadiens selected Nilan with the 231st pick at the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. There were 234 players drafted in total that year. Nilan went on to play 13 years in the NHL, posting 110-115-225 totals in 688 games with the Canadiens, New York Rangers and Bruins while racking up 3,043 penalty minutes, the ninth-most in league history. He still remembers his first flight from Boston to Montreal for Canadiens training camp in 1979.

“I thought I was going to be on the plane for like three or four hours or something,” he recalled. “I was here in like 40 minutes. I’m like: What? I 1144325 MontrealCanadiens There is a lot more information available on Gardiner (more than 4,000 minutes) than Kulak, but it should be obvious to everyone by now the latter is a net positive contributor in all phases of the game. Having a Which free agents should be on Marc Bergevin’s shopping list? defenceman like that on a third pair is a luxury the Canadiens will not be able to afford forever. If Montreal signs Gardiner, they’ll pay $7 million for the privilege of watching him decline from the day the ink dries. Gardiner is excellent as an attacker, he’s a true offensive creator. But in defensive By Olivier Bouchard May 10, 2019 terms he’s slightly on the happy side of average, no better.

Note that the numbers above represent an aggregate of even strength Marc Bergevin is faced with a gilt-edged opportunity this summer. He has play over the past three seasons. When it comes to the power play, all a chance to measurably and significantly improve his team – all it takes is the numbers suggest that Gardiner is a formidable presence. adding a good hockey player or two. It’s safe to assume Gardiner’s numbers bear at least a faint echo of the There’s no need to unearth a superstar, no requirement to somehow nab insanely high quality of the players who populate the Maple Leafs’ power a generational talent. By adding a top-9 forward, or a left-shooting play. Thus, a question arises: does the gamble of signing him align with defenceman for the top-four, or one of the two plus a solid backup the potential rewards? goaltender, the Canadiens GM can turbo boost the engine of his team. Last year, Bergevin kept his hands in his pockets on July 1 despite Next year’s roster is already close to complete: 10 forwards, five having a huge amount of loose cash at his disposal – cap space he held defencemen and two goalies have jobs next season. Among the pending onto right until the end of the season that followed. If that money isn’t free agents (whether restricted or unrestricted), three seem guaranteed spent on the likes of Gardiner (assuming he’s even interested in coming to return, at least to me: Artturi Lehkonen, Joel Armia and Brett Kulak. to Montreal), where else could it be directed? The defence corps, particularly as configured following the trade deadline, was not the club’s Bergevin has money to spend. According to CapFriendly.com, he has weak link – regardless of what anyone may think about playing Kulak in just over $11 million based on the current salary cap ceiling. But it’s not the top-four. terribly difficult to drive that number upwards. If he buries a few contracts in the American League and next year’s cap matches the $83 million All of which to say that of the potentially available free agent left-side forecast, the picture will look something like this: defencemen, only Gardiner can plausibly shove Kulak to the bottom pair. Given the broader context it’s probably a smarter idea to drag out the That leaves two main holes to fill: one at forward, the other on defence. chequebook for an upgraded version of impending free agent Jordie The three RFAs Bergevin must sign may not be stars, but they are in Benn, who wasn’t able to shine anywhere other than in the position their prime years and may have more leverage than it appears at first where some would send good old Brett. Someone like… glance. All three are eligible for salary arbitration, and Kulak and Armia could be unrestricted free agents as soon as two summers from now. In Patrik Nemeth short, that trio will make substantially more money this fall. I’d be very This past winter I identified Nemeth as a possible trade deadline target. surprised if Bergevin succeeds in signing them for a total cost of under He ended up putting together a strong contract year, but Cale Makar’s $6 million per year. By dipping slightly into the $2 million rainy day arrival appears to have relegated him to the seventh spot in Colorado. fund/strategic cash reserve, we can thus get back to giving Bergevin Nemeth is a purely defensive defenceman, a player who could fill the role around $11 million to play with. originally envisioned for Karl Alzner. While it’s easy to forget, the main But how to spend that money wisely? Here, in my view, are the options reason Alzner no longer has a roster spot is he was extraordinarily inept most worthy of consideration and debate. offensively. Nemeth, on the other hand, looks far better in comparison to Alzner and also to Benn. On the blue line I don’t know what sort of salary Nemeth will command on the open Jake Gardiner market, but he’s two years younger than Gardiner. If he could be persuaded to take a higher dollar but lower term deal, that’s two birds Clearly, it’s in Bergevin’s interest to try his luck with Gardiner. The lefty with one stone territory. Nemeth would have the chance to prove his puck-mover’s back problems this past season were the first serious worth, and the club would hold on to precious medium-term cap flexibility. physical ailment of his career, which offers at least some hope it’s not something chronic. But Gardiner will turn 29 in early July. The aging The mystery customer curves are well-established, and they remind us forwards and defencemen tend to grow older in two stages. After reaching their Bergevin has developed the habit of going on a European fishing physical peak in their mid-20s, they typically regress somewhat to a expedition each summer; in the recent past he’s hauled in a Jerabek, a plateau that’s maintained until the cusp of their 30s. Then begins a Moravcik, a Sklenicka. There could be a few surprises from European gradual slide, which can become brutally steep once age 33 is reached. free agents again this offseason. The contract awarded to a certain Otto Gardiner has just played the best two seasons of his career, so there has Leskinen, lately of the Finnish , is a good example. He’s 23, he to be some confidence he’ll age more gracefully than the average player. shoots left, and his point production just sprang from 10 to 13 to 31 But somebody, somewhere, is going to offer him a large pile of money. ponts. Who can tell what he’ll be after a season in the AHL?

Does Bergevin have a strong incentive to give him $7-8 million per A year ago, the wildest scenarios imaginable were thrown out there to fix season over seven years? I’m not convinced. the team’s historical weakness at centre. Twelve months later, that talk has evaporated more or less completely. I wouldn’t be surprised to see The data can’t tell the whole story, this much we know. Nevertheless, the the left side of the defence follow the same script. More than anything, modeling done by Evolving-hockey.com allows us to tease out the Bergevin needs to take out an insurance policy on the off chance Kulak’s offensive and defensive dimensions from an individual player’s progression wasn’t as real as it looked. performances. The models help us record an accurate reading of what Gardiner could bring relative to, say, Kulak, who would presumably be Up front pushed down to the third defence pairing. Artemi Panarin The five columns in the graphic below show the player’s estimated The opportunity doesn’t often arise to get your hands on a player of impact on his team’s play. The first three relate to offensive contributions Panarin’s quality. He’s primarily known as one of the league’s very best (goals scored, expected goals, shot attempts for), the other two involve offensive forwards, but Panarin is also a complete player. According to defence (expected goals and shot attempts against). Triangulating these Evolving-hockey his contribution is miles above average at both even indicators yields a ballpark measurement of the player’s contribution; the strength and 5-on-4, his only “flaw” (if one must call it that) is that he has effect he has on shots for and against is a proxy for puck possession, a neutral impact on the quality of shots against. whereas expected and actual goals tell us about the quality of the shots he is involved in. Micah Blake McCurdy, the brains behind Hockeyviz.com, has concocted a different model that nevertheless provides a similar portrait of Panarin. The darkness of the bars indicate the player’s results relative to the An offensive dynamo who supercharges his team’s offence to the tune of league average, the darker the better. 16 per cent at evens, 9 per cent on the power play, and an elite sniper whose shooting success is a full 8 per cent higher than league average. In other words, his efficiency is a little like Paul Byron’s – if Byron played more minutes.

Oh, and Panarin never gets hurt.

He might not be a centre, but because the salary cap is rising, it’s fair to assume the Bread Man will entertain contract offers similar to those presented to John Tavares last summer.

Is he worth massive dollars and term? Of course he is. A player like that becomes available, you take your best shot and figure out the details afterward. It’s highly unlikely he’d sign with the Canadiens, but hey, you never know.

A sharp-shooter: Ryan Dzingel or Brett Connolly ?

Ryan Dzingel might be more expensive, considering he’ll almost certainly be seeking term. That’s not a game Bergevin needs to play at this stage. Dzingel is also indifferent-to-crummy defensively. But he’s certainly a sniper. The Evolving-hockey models tell us he gooses his team’s offence marginally, but mostly that he has a hell of a shot. Brett Connolly fits the same profile; nothing to shout about defensively, okay offensively, truly excellent at converting shots into goals.

It’s worth noting Hockeyviz.com paints a similar picture: Dzingel’s positive attributes and warts are more pronounced than Connolly’s but both are terrific sharp-shooters.

I find Connolly is the more intriguing of the two. We’re talking here about a player who would be asked to line up to the right of Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Jordan Weal, two puck possession centres who excel at playmaking. And having a righty who can, you know, uncork the occasional good shot from the slot on the power play probably wouldn’t go amiss.

One last argument in favour of Connolly: he just turned 27 (on May 2nd). As long as you don’t offer him three or four years, the probabilities of him entering a sharp decline are low.

Two Swiss Army knife forwards: Brandon Pirri and Joonas Donskoi

Here are the two best options if Bergevin’s main goal is to not overspend. I highly doubt either player, should he make it to market, will break the bank.

Pirri racked up points at a frankly dizzying pace in the American League. The criticism, as I understand it, is he’s not very beefy and “lacks consistency.” Okay. On the other hand here’s what Pirri is: a very good playmaker and an above average shooter. I might also add he can play all three forward positions. This is a player Claude Julien could use pretty well anywhere, across four lines.

Donskoi presents a somewhat different case. He’s not a centre, his shot isn’t remarkable, but he is far more efficient on the defensive side of the puck. He’s a player who, stylistically, probably sits somewhere between Armia and Lehkonen (to use Finnish terms of reference). To my knowledge, neither Pirri nor Donskoi has much penalty kill time to speak of.

Short term deals?

Here’s where the Canadiens really have an advantage. They can afford to pay more, even overpay, for contracts with very short terms. The players above seem likely candidates to me for that kind of deal. If Panarin is fielding $9 million per season offers and wants a bigger payday, why not give it to him? Maybe he ends up in a similar situation as the Marian Hossa of a few years ago, who opted to sign a one-year pact. Perhaps Gardiner could be enticed by a short-term deal allowing him to prove the back issues are well and truly, er, behind him.

Bergevin is in a perfect position to outbid rival teams for players who don’t mind signing show-me contracts in a bid to jack up their future value.

He shouldn’t stand in his own way.

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Predators center Kyle Turris named Team Canada captain

Paul Skrbina, Nashville Tennessean Published 12:56 p.m. CT May 10, 2019 | Updated 1:47 p.m. CT May 10, 2019

Kyle Turris' season didn't go as he'd hoped for the Predators.

The center missed 25 games with rib and foot injuries, was a healthy scratch or two more, when he said he didn't feel there was "anything gained," and finished with just seven goals and 16 assists in 55 regular- season games.

He's hoping the offseason goes better, though. Turris was named captain of Team Canada at the men's world hockey championships in Slovakia, as reported by TSN early Friday morning.

Turris told TSN it was an "honor" to be captain of the team, which will face Finland in its first game Friday.

The 29-year-old, who has five years and $30 million remaining on his contract with the Predators, said he struggled with confidence at times. He also said he struggled to regain his form after his injuries.

“I’m just frustrated right now, but I’m ready to get back at it next year and excited to get started, get back to the way I know I can play," Turris said after the Predators were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Predators rookie defenseman Dante Fabbro also is playing for Team Canada.

Predators captain Roman Josi and defenseman Yannick Weber will play for Switzerland, while defensman Mattias Ekholm will play for Sweden in the 16-team tournament that runs through May 26.

Tennessean LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144327 Nashville Predators

Nashville makes sense for an outdoor game, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says

Paul Skrbina, Published 5:00 a.m. CT May 10, 2019

Nashville has proved it knows how to throw a party – sports or otherwise.

The NFL Draft is the most recent example.

Not to mention the NHL All-Star Game and the Stanley Cup Final before that.

Could an outdoor hockey game be next?

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said it's a possibility.

The Predators will face the Stars in the Winter Classic on New Year's Day 2020 at the Cotton Bowl, a rematch of their first-round playoff matchup won by the Stars.

A Winter Classic in Nashville probably would have to be played at Nissan Stadium, which would be "complicated," Bettman said last week during the annual gathering of sports editors at the Associated Press Sports Editors Commissioners' Meetings in New York.

"Particularly when you’re doing a Winter Classic in an NFL stadium, if that’s where we would play, because the NFL team has to play its last two regular-season games on the road, typically, as the schedule breaks," Bettman said.

Three Winter Classics have been played in NFL stadiums — in Buffalo, Foxborough, Mass., and Pittsburgh.

"It’s more complicated than just how we decide to align the matchups and where we’d like to be," Bettman said. "There are other factors in play, but an outdoor game for Nashville at some point would probably make a lot of sense."

An outdoor game as part of the league's "Stadium Series" is a possibility, if the Winter Classic is not.

Recently, those games have been played in February and/or March, meaning scheduling would not conflict with the Titans.

Next year's Winter Classic had the second-largest pre-sale of tickets in the game's history, Bettman said, estimated at 80,000.

"These were two markets, two franchises that we were excited about and thought it would be a good opportunity to change things up a little bit," Bettman said. "We lucked up with the first-round matchup a little bit in terms of the attention, but at the end of the day – all our outdoor games, all 27 of them, have been sold out – we wouldn’t have done this if we didn’t think we would continue that record."

Predators general manager David Poile told The Tennessean in December that the team has had talks with the league about the possibility of bringing a Winter Classic to Nashville. He cited the All-Star Game in 2016 as proof the city could put on a good show.

"I don’t know what the lineup is in terms of how far down the road they’ve gone with other teams," Poile said. "There’s also a lot of logistics, like where you play it. That would be the first one.

"Do I think we’ll get one eventually? Absolutely."

Tennessean LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144328 Nashville Predators news was that Poile didn’t surrender a first-round draft pick in any of those deals.

So as matters stand, the Preds will make a first-round selection — No. 24 Trades and playoff pushes: How the Predators are working to restock the overall — for the third time in the past five years. prospect cupboard “I think there’s a lot of skill in the draft and a lot of depth in the draft,” said Tom Nolan, the Predators chief amateur scout. “When you get down into By John Glennon May 10, 2019 the later (first-round) picks, there are some deficiencies. In the top one, two, three, four, they’re pretty high-end guys. But we feel that there are some really strong guys in (our) area and we’ll get a good player.”

One of just three NHL teams to make the playoffs in each of the past five The Predators don’t have a second-round pick in the June draft, but they seasons, the Predators knowingly sacrificed the future for the present at have a third-round selection, two fourth-round picks and one each in the various points during that stretch. fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

The hope, of course, was that veteran acquisitions would guide the “One of the things we’re looking for is speed, skill,” Nolan said. “That’s Predators deep into the playoffs, even if it meant surrendering some draft where the game is going right now. That’s our philosophy and kind of picks and prospects along the way. where we’re trying to go.”

The Preds did see some postseason success during the past half- Recent NHL appearances decade, winning five playoff series, including 2017’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. Fabbro, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, put together a strong performance in a small sample size, making a smooth transition from But how have all of Nashville’s moves impacted the franchise’s Boston University straight into meaningful NHL games. “cupboard,” the term that organizations use to describe their prospect hierarchies? The challenge for Fabbro, who immediately jumped ahead of vets Yannick Weber and Matt Irwin, as well as a number of prospects in It’s clear there is work to do in that area: Milwaukee, is to maintain that level of play — and better it — through the course of a full NHL season. The Preds, for instance, have only drafted twice in the first round over the past four years because of trades, and Nashville last season didn’t have Another recently signed prospect who made his NHL debut toward the a single pick until the fourth round. end of the season was forward Rem Pitlick, a third-round pick in 2016. Preds coach Peter Laviolette liked what he saw from Pitlick during The team’s highly touted first-round pick of 2017, Eeli Tolvanen, had a practices over the season’s final weeks, and after averaging better than a so-so 2018-19 in Milwaukee of the American Hockey League, his first full point per game last season at the University of Minnesota, Pitlick should pro season in North America. challenge for NHL time in 2019-20. Another note: To date, the Preds’ past five drafts have produced five Rem Pitlick (Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today) NHL regulars, but three of them — defenseman Samuel Girard, forward Kevin Fiala and forward Vladislav Kamenev — are playing for other Milwaukee’s best teams following trades. The two still in Nashville are first-line forward Viktor Arvidsson and promising defenseman Dante Fabbro. The name most Predators fans want to know about is Tolvanen, the 30th overall pick in 2017, after his tremendous international season in 2017- Corey Pronman, The Athletic’s Senior NHL Prospects Writer, listed the 18. Preds as having the league’s 26th-best farm system heading into the 2018-19 season, which was the last time he ranked the clubs. A year But he’s still a work in progress following his first full pro season playing earlier, he’d ranked the Predators third. on the smaller rinks in North America. Tolvanen posted 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 58 games for the Admirals, including a stretch of 12 But there are reasons for optimism as well: points in 10 games to finish the regular season. But Tolvanen was held without a point in Milwaukee’s five playoff games, managing just four A handful of Milwaukee players, for example, have matured to the point shots on goal. that they should be pressing for NHL roles next season. Worth remembering: Tolvanen only recently turned 20. In addition, some of the Preds’ draft picks over the past couple of seasons have been playing well, whether in college, Canadian juniors or “Eeli Tolvanen was right where he needed to be this year,” Kealty said. “I overseas. think the expectations based on what he’d done the year before in the KHL were huge and in some cases probably not that realistic. Sometimes The Preds recently signed three promising free agents out of college, a when a player comes over, you gotta’ remember that he (was) still 19 move to bolster organizational depth. years old and that the American Hockey League is still a really good “(The cupboard) is not as full as it’s been in different times, but I think league, and it can be really difficult for players to transition. that’s just kind of a product of the competitive state we’ve been in,” “He got better and better as the year went on. Just the little things, Predators assistant general manager and director of scouting Jeff Kealty learning to play with pace and consistency, learning to fight through the said. “Everybody knows we’ve traded away picks and prospects, those more traffic that the North American game presents.” kinds of things. Poile said Tolvanen may spend much of his summer in Nashville, “But like I said, organizationally we’re all on board with what we’re trying including a stint in the organization’s rookie development camp in late to do in terms of winning and winning a Stanley Cup, so everyone June. understands that. But that being said, you’ve always got to have young players coming up underneath and pushing to make your team, and we “He needs to work on getting bigger, stronger, which is — for most feel like we have good guys who made good progress in Milwaukee this players — more speed, so that he can be open for his scoring ability,” year, with a couple guys that should push next season.” Poile said. “So he’s got a huge summer in front of him and hopefully he’ll be equal to the task and give himself every chance to vie for a spot on Added Predators general manager David Poile: “The cupboard is not our team next year.” bare anymore. It’s not full either. We have work to do in that area. But I feel our depth is getting much better.” The next-most-intriguing name in Milwaukee is likely 5-10, 176-pound forward Anthony Richard, a 2015 fourth-round pick who’s improved in Here’s a more detailed look at what lies ahead for the Preds’ each of his three full seasons with the Admirals. The 22-year old Richard organization: led Milwaukee with 24 goals and added 23 assists during the regular 2019 NHL Draft season, and added four goals in five playoff games.

The Predators’ trade acquisitions of Brian Boyle, Mikael Granlund and “He has legitimate NHL speed, the way he skates, and in today’s game, Wayne Simmonds didn’t help Nashville win a playoff series, but the good that’s a real asset,” Kealty said. “His entire game has continued to mature … I think if you can have a guy like that infused into your lineup with that type speed, that’s what the game is all about today. So he’s a “I think his skating, his physical coordination and explosiveness is going guy we’re looking forward to making a big jump.” to get better every year, and when he does, you add that size and ability to make plays, I think he’s got a really good upside to him.” Another Milwaukee prospect to watch is 6-2, 211-pound Yakov Trenin, a 2015 second-round pick who posted 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) A fifth-round draft pick of the Preds in 2016, Harper (5-9, 160) earned during the regular season and added three playoff assists. The 22-year- plenty of national attention during his freshman season at Boston old has overcome a broken leg and broken collarbone in previous University when he posted 37 points in 38 games. But a respiratory seasons. illness cut his sophomore season in half, and he hasn’t returned to top form yet, collecting 20 points in 38 games as a junior last season. “This is kind of the first year he’s really been healthy,” Kealty said. “He got better and better as the year went on. The playoffs, he was really one “I think the good news is that towards the end (of the junior season) … he of our top players if not the top player, just with his big body and the way really was starting to get his game back,” Kealty said. “When you’re out he can drive pucks deep and be a handful for the opponent.” for a chunk of time, sometimes you want to just plug him right back in and assume he’s going to be the player he was the year before. But On the defensive side of things, Alexandre Carrier led Milwaukee’s sometimes that’s not the case and it can take a little time to get going. blueliners with 37 points (five goals, 32 assists) in 76 games. The 5-11, 174-pound Carrier, a fourth-round pick of the Preds in 2015, got a two- “I think the signs you saw at the end of the year put him in a good spot game glimpse of the NHL in 2016-17, but has yet to make a return mentally to prepare this summer. We’re expecting big things for him next appearance. That could change in the coming year. season.”

“He’s on the same track as Anthony Richard, a third-year pro and has Vomacka, a fifth-round Preds pick in 2017, began his freshman season gotten better each year,” Kealty said of the 22-year-old Carrier. “He logs as Connecticut’s backup netminder. But he eventually claimed the huge minutes down there. He has a really good ability to just manage the starter’s role, posting a 7-7 record, .922 save percentage and 2.32 goals game and play in all situations. against average.

“That’s another guy you want to have a good summer and train, become The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 stronger and more explosive … We think he’s right there ready to push and hopefully play some games for us next season.”

Kealty also highlighted the leadership of Milwaukee defenseman Jarred Tinordi, a pending unrestricted free agent the organization hopes to re- sign.

Yakov Trenin (Russell LaBounty / USA Today)

Recent signings

The Predators haven’t signed a lot of undrafted free agents out of college over the years. But they changed course over the past few months, adding defenseman Brandon Fortunato as well as forwards Josh Wilkins and Lukas Craggs.

The 5-9, 170-pound Fortunato, who once played for the U.S. National under-18 team, spent his past two years at Quinnipiac University. He had his best year last season, totaling 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) in 23 games.

The 6-0, 190-pound Craggs played three years at Bowling Green, collecting 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 35 games last season.

The 5-11, 181-pound Wilkins, a Raleigh, N.C., native, produced 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 40 games while guiding Providence College to the Frozen Four last season. Those 20 goals were the 10th-most in the NCAA in 2018-19.

Kealty said the more aggressive approach to undrafted players coming out of college represented another effort to replenish the organization’s prospect pool.

“It’s just the nature of the business when you trade away some future assets and things like that,” Kealty said. “You’ve got to get creative and find different ways to kind of re-stock and keep moving here.

“They’re all still young guys and they all present different elements. But they’re all guys we had really targeted … We feel comfortable all three can play for us in our system right away and provide us depth within the organization and … push for jobs hopefully.”

Amateur hour

Some of the more intriguing Predators’ amateur prospects include Boston University defenseman David Farrance, Boston University forward Patrick Harper, North Dakota forward Grant Mismash, Connecticut forward Jachym Kondelik, Connecticut goalie Tomas Vomacka and Finnish goalie Niclas Westerholm.

The 6-6, 226-pound Kondelik, Nashville’s fourth-round pick last year, got off to a good start with the Huskies, totaling 26 points (four goals, 22 assists) in 33 games as a freshman.

“He was their top-line center, played in every situation,” Kealty said. “He’s a huge guy and has really good skills and ability to make plays for that size. He’s just got to continue mature physically through his body. 1144329 New Jersey Devils

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Ex-Devil Marcus Johansson making a difference for Bruins

Updated May 10, 10:10 AM; Posted May 10, 9:59 AM

By Chris Ryan

When the Washington Capitals went on their Stanley Cup run through the 2018 NHL playoffs, Marcus Johansson didn’t watch.

After being eliminated from the postseason in the first round with the Devils, Johansson unplugged and didn’t see his former teammates — finally — go on a deep postseason run en route to the team’s first championship, less than one year after Johansson was traded to the Devils.

But now, Johansson is getting to play in his own playoff run and his first conference final.

Johansson, who was traded from the Devils to the Boston Bruins minutes ahead of the NHL trade deadline in February, finished with one goal and one assist in the Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.

Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the top two prospects in the 2019 NHL Draft, will play in the IIHF World Championships.

Johansson’s goal tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period, sparking a four-goal run over the final 20 minutes to give the game to Boston.

The Bruins got Johansson for a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick, aiming for some additional scoring depth with a postseason berth on the horizon.

Johansson struggled with injuries in March, which included a lung contusion in his fourth game in Boston. He was limited to 10 regular- season games with the Bruins, where he had one goal and two assists.

Buy Devils gear: Fanatics.com, NHL.com, Lids, Dick's Sporting Goods

The postseason, however, has been a different story. Johansson has three goals and four assists in 12 games, including the game-winning goal in the Bruins’ Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round and a goal in the team’s clinching Game 6 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round.

After dealing with two concussions in his first season with the Devils, plus more injuries in New Jersey and Boston in 2018-19, Johansson is finally getting his chance to make an impact, and he’s taking advantage.

Star Ledger LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144330 New Jersey Devils Denmark - 2:15 p.m. Thursday, May 16

Great Britain - 2:15 p.m. Friday, May 17

NHL Draft 2019: What to watch from Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko at France - 2:15 p.m. Sunday, May 19 World Championships Germany - 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 21

Medal Round Updated May 10, 6:51 AM; Posted May 10, 6:00 AM Quarterfinals - Thursday, May 23 By Chris Ryan Semifinals - Saturday, May 25

Final - Sunday, May 26 The 2019 IIHF World Championships start Friday, where the top two prospects in the 2019 NHL Draft will be on display. Star Ledger LOADED: 05.11.2019

Jack Hughes will suit up for the United States when it opens with its tournament against host Slovakia, while Kaapo Kakko and Finland will play against Canada.

While general managers and scouts will still be evaluating for the draft, Hughes said he isn’t concerned about affecting his stock. He’s more worried about learning how to play against NHL competition and winning a gold medal.

Jack Hughes: I didn’t come here for the draft - I think I solidified my draft status at the U18s - or to show that I could play against men. I came because I think I have more hockey in me this season, I wanted to play with my brother & I want to win a gold medal for USA Hockey.

— Julie Robenhymer (@JulieRobenhymer) May 7, 2019

Playing with the men’s team will be the third time Hughes represented the United States on a national level this season. He won a bronze medal with the U18 team at the World Championships last month, and he won silver with the U20 team at the World Junior Championships in January.

That gold-medal game loss in the WJCs came against Kakko and Finland, and the two prospects will get the chance to go head-to-head again on May 13, when the two countries play in the preliminary round.

Kakko didn’t play in the U18 tournament, electing to train with the men’s team in preparation for this tournament instead. Unlike Hughes, Kakko also won’t be going against men for the first time.

He spent his 2018-19 season playing in Finland’s pro league, where his 22 goals set a record for an 18-year-old player. He also added four goals in five playoff games before his season ended.

Teams — specifically the Devils and Rangers — have long books on both Hughes and Kakko. Teams have known they were the top two prospects for most of the season, so scouts have had plenty of time to watch them. The World Championships likely won’t make a major swing on how the Devils or Rangers feel about either player, but it could provide a tipping point if the Devils are very close on both.

Jack Hughes finished with an assist in his debut with the United States men's team in an exhibition game against Germany.

Here are the preliminary-round schedules for the United States and Finland. All times listed at Eastern. All of the United States’ games will be aired live on NHL Network.

United States Schedule

Slovakia - 2:15 p.m. Friday, May 10

France - 6:15 a.m. Sunday, May 12

Finland - 10:15 a.m. Monday, May 13

Great Britain - 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, May 15

Denmark - 6:15 a.m. Saturday, May 18

Germany - 10:15 a.m. Sunday, May 19

Canada - 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, May 21

Finland Schedule

Canada - 10:15 a.m. Friday, May 10

Slovakia - 2:15 p.m. Saturday, May 11

United States - 10:15 a.m. Monday, May 13 1144331 New York Islanders He added then, “You don’t do something for the sake of doing something,” indicating any trades he could have made would have come at too high a cost either for the roster or the team’s future assets.

Andrew Ladd's recovery is 'on track,' but will he still be an Islander come The Islanders were in first place in the at 36-18-7 at September? the trade deadline. But they lost three of their next four and went 12-9-0 overall the rest of the season.

May 10, 2019 9:08 PM “You’re never happy, you can always get better,” Lamoriello said on Monday. “But it comes down to what’s the price that you have to pay to By Andrew Gross get better. What are you subtracting. I’ve always said there’s a five-year plan that changes every day. It’s obvious that if we could have gotten

better without sacrificing the future, we would have done that. But, At least Andrew Ladd knows what to expect with his latest rehab efforts. obviously, we couldn’t.

And the left wing is still “optimistic” he will be ready for the start of the “It’s on me that we couldn’t get that done.” Islanders’ training camp in September after undergoing surgery to repair No comparison a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee suffered on March 24. The Islanders’ playoff run certainly didn’t end the way Jordan Eberle But there are no guarantees Ladd will be healthy for the start of 2019-20, wanted and it remains to be seen whether the Hurricanes’ four-game considering he also missed 44 games from Nov. 15-Feb. 23 with an sweep in the second round will stand as the right wing’s swan song with injured right knee. the team. “I guess you never know, especially with these,” Ladd told Newsday on Still, Eberle’s second playoff experience in his nine NHL seasons went Monday as the Islanders conducted their exit interviews at East Meadow. way better than his first. “It’s such a major surgery. You never really know how it’s going to react. I’ve never really been through one before but the process I went through “Coming in from two years ago in the playoffs when I didn’t play well, this with the right [knee], I think I have a good kind of route to go in, in terms year I really wanted to prove myself,” Eberle said. “I thought I did that.” of what I need to do and how to get there.” Eberle, an impending unrestricted free agent as he concludes a six-year, Still, Ladd’s long-term future with the Islanders must be questioned after $36-million deal, had a goal in each game of the Islanders’ first-round two knee injuries in one season despite the four seasons remaining on sweep of the Penguins and had an assist in each of the last three games his seven-year, $38.5-million deal. against the Hurricanes.

“Everything is good, on track,” said Ladd, expected to miss five months Overall, Eberle led the Islanders in playoff scoring with four goals and following his surgery. “It’s just a slow process. They had to do a little bit five assists. more than they originally thought. With the stuff I did for my right knee when I did that one, it gives me a lot in terms of rehab of what to expect. He had two assists in 13 postseason games for the Oilers in 2017 and And that one went really well. Hopefully, this one goes similar.” that lack of production was a big reason the Oilers shipped him to the Islanders for Ryan Strome on June 22, 2017. Ladd, 33, knows how much of a setback missing training camp can be since that’s how this season started for him. He was out for the “The playoffs, I haven’t gone to too often, but every year when you get to preseason plus the first three games of the season with what was them, that’s the time of the year you want to play,” Eberle said. “It’s fun believed to be a back injury that flared on the first day of practice. and I haven’t really experienced that. Even that one year, I was used as a bit of a scapegoat so it wasn’t as much fun as it should have been.” “I’ve been pretty fortunate in my career in terms of staying healthy,” said Ladd, who won Stanley Cups with the Hurricanes in 2006 and the Coming up Blackhawks in 2010. “It takes a little bit of luck in that regard. Two injuries Here are some key offseason dates: that just sort of happened in the game and it’s unfortunate they happened within a six-month timeframe of each other.” May 27-June 1: Scouting Combine, Buffalo

The unknown for the Islanders is whether they will see a decent return on June 19: NHL Awards Show, Las Vegas their investment in Ladd. He had three goals and eight assists in 26 games after combining for 35 goals and 25 assists in 151 games the first June 20: NHL General Managers Meeting, Vancouver two seasons of his mega-deal. June 21-22: NHL Draft, Vancouver

Ladd has a no-trade clause for the coming season and then a modified June 23-30: Unrestricted free agent interview window no-trade clause — he can submit a list of 15 teams to which he cannot be dealt — in the final three seasons of his contract. June 24-28: (Projected): Islanders prospect development camp

The Islanders would save only $666,667 against the salary cap through July 1: Free agent market opens at noon 2023 by buying him out and would save just more than $1 million against July 5: Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration the cap annually if he clears waivers and is sent to Bridgeport, per capfriendly.com. July 6: Deadline for team-elected salary arbitration

But Ladd bristled when asked if he was worried whether his career was July 20-Aug. 4: Salary arbitration hearings in jeopardy. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.11.2019 “No,” Ladd said. “I think at the end of the year, you regroup. You forge on. You try to get better in a bunch of different ways. That’s the mindset you have to have. Every day. You try to get better and, with this, try to show up and get this thing where it needs to be.”

‘It’s on me’

Barry Trotz didn’t hesitate to list goal production from the forwards as an area where the Islanders need to improve when asked on Monday.

“We need a little more pop up front,” the coach said. “We knew that, I think, all year.”

Yet president and general manager Lou Lamoriello stood pat at the Feb. 25 trade deadline. At the time, he said he felt confident in the group and they deserved a chance to stick together for the playoff run. 1144332 New York Islanders Playoffs: 8 GP, 4-0-4, 18:18 TOI, 32 attempts

Metrics: 48.3% shot share, 50.8% xGF

Islanders report cards: Handing out end-of-season grades for the Contract: Pending UFA forwards Isles fans may never fully embrace Nelson, but he was one of the linchpins to the Isles’ successful season. Trotz knew he needed a two- way No. 2 center to complement Barzal and do much of the heavy lifting. By Arthur Staple May 10, 2019 He turned to Nelson out of necessity, to be sure, but the big 27-year-old warmed to the task, leading all Isles forwards in ice time, taking the most faceoffs and producing a top-40 season in even-strength goals with 22. It’s time to take one final look back at the 2018-19 Islanders season in all its surprising glory. From the players to the coach to the general He too was instrumental in the opening-round sweep, though his line’s manager, everyone gets a grade for this past year. quick fade against Carolina hurt that much more. With a deeper top six, Nelson could continue his steady play or, depending whom the Isles add, Let’s start with the forwards. Defense and staff are still to come. could become a very well-paid 3C. If he goes to July 1, he’s surely gone — there are a lot of teams that would welcome a 6-foot-3 center with his Mathew Barzal resume and at such a young age. His work this season made him that The basics: 82 games, 18 goals, 44 assists, 62 points, 17:55 ice time per much more valuable. game, 293 shot attempts Grade: A- Playoffs: 8 games, 2 goals, 5 assists, 16:48 per game, 42 shot attempts Jordan Eberle Advanced metrics (via Natural Stat Trick, all percentages 5v5 score- and Basics: 78 GP, 19-18-37, 16:32 TOI, 255 attempts venue-adjusted): 52.2% on-ice shot share, 52.9% on-ice expected goals share Playoffs: 8 GP, 4-5-9, 16:34 TOI, 43 attempts

Contract: Entry-level runs through 2019-20 Metrics: 49.8% shot share, 50.2% xGF

The 21-year-old turned in a very solid second season, especially Contract: Pending UFA considering the departure of John Tavares and the arrival of Barry Trotz. The coach’s disciplined system meant there was no more freelancing for While most of the Islanders on this year’s team will be remembered for points, as Barzal readily admitted he and some of his teammates did what they did in the regular season, Eberle’s 2018-19 was defined by the during his Calder Trophy campaign of 2017-18. He grew into a true No. 1 eight playoff games. He scored timely goals in all four wins over the center and his rekindled chemistry with Jordan Eberle was a main driver Penguins and figured in three of the five goals against Carolina — all of the Isles’ first-round sweep of the Penguins. after a solidly disappointing regular season in which he, like Barzal, needed some time to adapt Trotz’s system to his own offense-skewed There’s lots of room for growth too, provided Lou Lamoriello finds Barzal game. The Isles’ dismal power play, of which Eberle was a regular on the an elite winger and/or another playmaker to improve the power play. top unit, also figured into his career-worst regular season totals. Barzal didn’t spend all season on the top PP unit, but his 244:07 of power play time was tops on the team and the Isles scored only 23 power-play It still doesn’t seem like Eberle is the answer to what ails the Isles at the goals with Barzal on the ice. In 2017-18, those numbers were 259:36 and top end of their forward group, but if their other targets go elsewhere, his 46. playoff burst could point a way forward for him here.

Grade: B+ Grade: B

Anders Lee Josh Bailey

Basics: 82 GP, 28-23-51, 17:05 TOI, 332 attempts Basics: 82 GP, 16-40-56, 16:50 TOI, 221 attempts

Playoffs: 8 GP, 1-3-4, 16:51 TOI, 35 attempts Playoffs: 8 GP, 4-2-6, 17:55 TOI, 30 attempts

Metrics: 49.9% shot share, 52.9% xGF Metrics: 48.5% shot share, 51.6% xGF

Contract: Unrestricted free agent for 2019-20 Contract: Runs through 2023-24

He led the Isles in goals for a third straight season, even with a dip from Bailey’s season might be considered a surprise, seeing how Tavares’ 40 to 28. Since Dec. 4, 2016, Lee’s 97 goals are seventh-most in the departure was supposed to cause his numbers to plummet. Turns out the league and even though he’s approaching the down slope for power 29-year-old is pretty good on his own — his 136 assists the last three forwards (he turns 29 this summer), he’s still a valuable scorer and years tie him for 25th in the league during that span. showed some real all-round skills this season. He bounced pretty evenly He still has his frustrating moments with the puck and a common sight in between Brock Nelson’s and Barzal’s lines, getting some heavy practice this season was Trotz working one-on-one with Bailey on matchups in the process. Of all the NHLers with at least 1,000 even- acceleration and quick stops along the wall. But in his 11th season, he’s strength minutes this season, only two were on for fewer goals against finally put the two-way, third-line mentality from his early years together than Lee, who was on for 30. The Isles’ goaltending had plenty to do with with the decent scorer he’s become the past few seasons. that, but he rewarded Trotz’s faith in playing all situations, something that hadn’t happened in years past. And unlike most of the other top six, he’s here to stay. He’s three games from 800 and a healthy season in 2019-20 will leave him as the fourth Lee did have a disappointing postseason, however, and that stings most senior Islander of all time, behind only Denis Potvin, doubly. After missing the 2016 run with a broken leg, he was itching to and Bob Nystrom. break out this spring. And with his pending free agency still hanging around, that’s not the last impression you want to leave. Grade: B+

But his first year as captain was just as important as what Lee did on the Casey Cizikas ice, helping the team move past Tavares and into a more group-oriented focus under new management. No one embodies the “we before me” Basics: 73 GP, 20-13-33, 14:01 TOI, 170 attempts ethos more than Lee and that was truly a factor in the team’s willingness Playoffs: 8 GP, 0-0-0, 14:37 TOI, 21 attempts to adapt. Metrics: 47.6% shot share, 51.6% xGF Grade: A- Contract: Runs through 2020-21 Brock Nelson Outside of goaltending numbers, Cizikas’ 20 goals — 11 more than he’s Basics: 82 GP, 25-28-53, 17:58 TOI, 294 attempts: had in any of his first seven seasons — were the biggest numerical shock on this team. Reunited with best buddy Matt Martin, Cizikas had His metrics were terrible, frankly — the worst in most categories for any his most effective season ever, benefiting from Trotz’s desire for defense Isles regular. His regular third-line wingers, Leo Komarov and Anthony first and the coach putting his fourth line out willingly against other teams’ Beauvillier, made for a nice energy group in the opening round but faded top lines, not just to crash and bang. a bit in the Carolina series, as most Isles forwards did.

Now, the 18% shooting percentage won’t be duplicated. And he’s not a Whether this was all enough for another one-year contract remains to be young 28, given the Labrador-off-the-leash style he plays. But his seen. The Islanders need centers, but if they upgrade significantly down contract, mocked roundly when Garth Snow signed him to it three years the middle, there might not be room for Filppula’s veteran savvy. ago, suddenly looks OK. Even a 15-goal season is worth $3.35 million per, especially at the center spot, where the Islanders crave more depth. Grade: B

His postseason was a disappointment, especially when the Hurricanes Anthony Beauvillier figured out that the Isles’ identity line lost a bit of it when matched against Basics: 81 GP, 18-10-28, 14:39 TOI, 247 attempts Carolina’s own fourth line. But still, a 20-goal season from a guy who played 12:01 per game at even strength? That’s something. Playoffs: 8 GP, 1-1-2, 11:24 TOI, 24 attempts

Grade: A Metrics: 50.1% shot share, 51.8% xGF

Cal Clutterbuck Contract: Pending RFA

Basics: 73 GP, 8-15-23, 13:58 TOI, 187 attempts The 21-year-old had an interesting but fairly productive third year, bouncing around a bit between linemates before ultimately settling on the Playoffs: 7 GP, 0-0-0, 14:59 TOI, 15 attempts third line down the stretch and into the postseason. Not ideal for him, but Metrics: 48.8% shot share, 55.8% xGF Beauvillier showed his new bosses that he’s versatile and still can score — though sticking with his BFF Barzal probably helps there. Contract: Signed through 2021-22 He had some nervous moments in the postseason, but it was another The basic numbers weren’t really there — and Clutterbuck’s badly injured learning step. So was hearing his name in trade rumors around the back certainly compromised him over the final six weeks of the season deadline. He’s unlikely to get anything but a bridge deal this summer, but and in the playoffs — but he was quietly one of the most effective if he can be a regular 20-25 goal scorer, he’s got a future with the Isles Islander forwards this season. That was reflected in his high xGF, which unless Lamoriello sees him as the only young trade chip he has to put him among the likes of Mitch Marner, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor improve the top six. McDavid in the top 15 forwards for xGF% this season. Grade: B Clutterbuck spoke often of feeling rejuvenated by having a role under Trotz, rather than the loosey-goosey attitude from last year. The 31-year- Leo Komarov old thrived in the disciplined system, but that took a toll. He’s facing Basics: 82 GP, 6-20-26, 13:53 TOI, 142 attempts serious back surgery or at least a compromised offseason, which could make for different needs in the bottom six next season. Playoffs: 8 GP, 1-1-2, 13:47 TOI, 15 attempts

Grade: B+ Metrics: 44.4% shot share, 44.7% xGF

Matt Martin Contract: Signed through 2021-22

Basics: 67 GP, 6-8-14, 11:26 TOI, 108 attempts Much like Filppula, Komarov was credited with bringing the culture up. He does it in a much different way than the quiet, unassuming Filppula, Playoffs: 8 GP, 0-0-0, 11:44 TOI, 19 attempts but Komarov puts in the work. His skill set is another story — the 32- Metrics: 46.7% shot share, 49.7% xGF year-old offers what he can, which is kind of a slower, heavier version of Filppula’s game, without the sharp shooting. Contract: Signed through 2019-20 The worst number attached to Komarov is, of course, the three years The Mayor’s return home to Long Island wasn’t just welcome from a fan- remaining on his deal. He can certainly be bought out, but if Lamoriello favorite standpoint. Martin held his own on the line with Cizikas and and Trotz still feel he belongs in the lineup on an improving team, that Clutterbuck to form an effective trio for the vast majority of the season. could be an issue, especially if Clutterbuck isn’t ready to start next Martin’s game tailed off as he dealt with a nagging arm injury and the season. The Islanders’ bottom six is old and slow; getting older and postseason was frustrating for all three of them, but Martin managed to slower probably isn’t a recipe for future success. reestablish himself as a regular NHLer after two unhappy seasons with the Leafs. Grade: C

Martin turned 30 this week, so the crashing and banging — he was fifth Tom Kuhnhackl in the league with 275 credited hits — may have to give way to a more Basics: 36 GP, 4-5-9, 12:41 TOI, 57 attempts nuanced game, if that’s possible. With another year on his deal and a wedding on the way this summer, this should be an interesting year for Playoffs: 8 GP, 0-3-3, 13:06 TOI, 19 attempts the most popular hockey player around here. Metrics: 44.4% shot share, 43.0% xGF Grade: B Contract: Pending UFA Valtteri Filppula Kuhnhackl’s July 2 signing seemed like overkill, with the earlier additions Basics: 72 GP, 17-14-31, 14:16 TOI, 121 attempts of Filppula and Komarov and the trade for Martin. It still looked that way through much of the season in which the two-time Cup winner was Playoffs: 8 GP, 0-4-4, 14:43 TOI, 9 attempts waived, spent one game in the AHL, came back and was a healthy Metrics: 44.7% shot share, 44.8% xGF scratch for over half the season. He showed some speed and flash of skill when he did play and his playoff experience got him the nod over Contract: Pending UFA Michael Dal Colle in the playoffs, a decision that looked great against Kuhnhackl’s former team and, well, not so great against Carolina. He was the first NHLer to go a full season with at least 17 goals and fewer than 80 shots on goal in almost 20 years, so that should tell you a) The 27-year-old is what he is. There’s probably a market for his skills how crucial Filppula’s first Islander season was to the team and b) how somewhere, but likely not here, despite the flashes. incredibly unlikely he is to do it again. Trotz and Lamoriello credited the 35-year-old with bringing a needed professionalism to the group and he Grade: C certainly did that, providing a heady presence inside the room and on the Michael Dal Colle ice, where his positional smarts helped make up for some diminished skills. Basics: 28 GP, 3-4-7, 12:07 TOI, 52 attempts Playoffs: 1 GP, 0-0-0, 9:07 TOI, 2 attempts

Metrics: 51.8% shot share, 56.1%xGF

Contract: Pending RFA

Welcome back to the prospect pool! Dal Colle’s reemergence after two fairly moribund years in the AHL was a very pleasant development, especially when he jumped into the Isles lineup and drove play well. Trotz opted for experience over Dal Colle’s skill set in the playoffs, but another strong summer might force the coach’s hand next time around. Dal Colle could easily start 2019-20 as a third-line wing and he would not look out of place.

Grade: B

Andrew Ladd

Basics: 28 GP, 3-8-11, 13:51 TOI, 55 attempts

Metrics: 45.9% shot share, 43.5% xGF

Contract: signed through 2022-23

Ladd is 33 but his three Islander seasons have read like a much older player’s resume. He went from 23 goals to 12 and battled some back woes his first two years before falling into the injury black hole this season, missing three months with a torn meniscus and then having his season end with a torn ACL at the end of March.

When he played, he seemed like he could help and do well under Trotz. But the ACL recovery will take him into next training camp at a minimum, which means there’s a chance he won’t play at all until 2020 and may have played his last game with the Isles, despite his un-tradable, buyout- proof contract.

Grade: C-

Ross Johnston

Basics: 17 GP, 1-3-4, 7:55 TOI, 17 attempts

Metrics: 49.2% shot share, 51.7% xGF

Contract: Signed through 2021-22

The curious case of Johnston got, well, curiouser with his very inactive season. After signing for four years at $1 million per, many wondered how much the big fella would play. If you had “not much,” you were correct. The funny thing is Johnston played perfectly well when he did get into games, showing he could keep up with the pace and not run around out of position.

If it weren’t for the contract, the 25-year-old would make a perfect 14th forward. He still does, just at a higher price than you’d think.

Grade: B-

Josh Ho-Sang

Basics: 10 GP, 1-1-2, 14:31 TOI, 15 attempts:

Metrics: 59.0% shot share, 60.3% xGF

Contract: Pending RFA

The small sample size metrics were terrific. Some of his games were effective. But the 10-game audition in December and January didn’t go well enough for management to keep the mercurial 22-year-old around. So Ho-Sang spent the bulk of the season in Bridgeport and he wasn’t thrilled about it, as expected.

You’d think, barring anything crazy behind the scenes, that the Isles would qualify Ho-Sang while hoping he puts it together for camp or the team finds better top-six/top-nine options on the right side. If the Isles don’t, they could really use Ho-Sang next season.

Grade: C

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144333 New York Rangers general managers and executives looking for a new challenge (Brendan Shanahan, who left the league offices to join Toronto).

The only time an organization would hire an “outside voice” to take over How Blue Jackets might respond to a John Davidson departure to their department is if ownership was unhappy with the direction of the Rangers club, as the Blue Jackets were in 2012. That’s not the case seven seasons later.

By Aaron Portzline May 10, 2019 Not every NHL club has that role in their front office, either. Calgary did not replace president of hockey operations Brian Burke when he stepped aside last April nor did Vancouver replace Trevor Linden when he stepped down last July. COLUMBUS, Ohio — The biggest concern within the walls of Nationwide Arena these days has nothing to do with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, When Davidson left the St. Louis Blues for Columbus in 2012, the Blues forwards Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene, or the rest of the soon-to-be did not replace him. They simply spread his duties across the front office, unrestricted free agents who might leave the Blue Jackets this summer. mostly to GM Doug Armstrong.

First things first: What’s going on with president of hockey operations Promote from within John Davidson, and what will the Blue Jackets do if Davidson leaves Columbus to take the same job with the New York Rangers? If the Blue Jackets insisted on replacing Davidson, they could elevate Kekalainen from general manager, promote Bill Zito to general manager According to numerous reports in the New York Post, Davidson — a from assistant general manager and hire a replacement for Zito, perhaps legend in New York as a former Rangers player and broadcaster — is director of player personnel Basil McRae, director of hockey operations said to be the Rangers’ one and only candidate to replace Glen Sather, Josh Flynn or assistant GM of AHL Cleveland Blake Geoffrion. after Sather announced his retirement last month. Kekalainen, the NHL’s first European-born GM, has spent only seven As much as Davidson loves Columbus, it might be hard for him to say no seasons on the job, though. He’s the league’s eighth-longest tenured to the Rangers. There’s an emotional pull to the franchise for him, and GM, but is that enough to ascend to club presidency? the heaps of cash they could offer wouldn’t hurt. (No, these salaries do not count as part of the NHL’s salary cap.) If the Blue Jackets are worried about losing Zito to another club this summer — he reportedly interviewed with expansion Seattle on The Blue Jackets are expected to make every attempt to keep Davidson, Wednesday, and has been mentioned with other clubs — this would be a by adding years and dollars to the three-year extension (through 2021- way to keep him. 22) he signed last year. But the Rangers will not be outbid in these situations. And if Kekalainen threatens to go to the Rangers along with Davidson in some capacity, this could be a necessary move to keep him. Most In 2015, the NHL did away with draft pick compensation for coaches or around the NHL don’t see it coming to this, however. executives changing organizations, but it does require that clubs grant permission for other clubs to contact their employees. The Blue Jackets, Don’t replace Davidson out of respect for Davidson, would not stand in his way. Across the NHL, this is seen as the most likely choice should Davidson It would be the end of a very important era in the Blue Jackets’ franchise leave for New York. history, as Davidson arrived in 2012 when the organization was listing It might be a reach to say Davidson’s work in Columbus is done, but the badly — three years removed from a playoff berth, the Blue Jackets were job he was hired to do — bring stability and structure to the hockey by far the worst team in the league in 2011-12, captain Rick Nash had operations department — has been achieved. Hard to believe, but he’s requested a trade, fans were protesting and demanding front-office already been in Columbus one season longer than he spent with the changes, etc. Blues.

Perhaps even more important than his expertise earned in St. Louis, In that time, Kekalainen has established himself as one of the most Davidson brought a sense of calm, experience and direction to the Blue respected GMs in the NHL — willing to swing a big trade and sign a big Jackets. He’s blessed with a sterling reputation and the voice of Moses. contract, not afraid of a contract stalemate, and never too good to hit the When he speaks, people believe what he says. road and get back to his roots with a scouting trip.

With his hiring, the Blue Jackets, one of the first clubs to hire a president Kekalainen, along with Davidson, signed a three-year extension last fall, of hockey operations, finally had a “hockey lifer” to serve between the keeping him under contract through the 2021-22 season. general manager (then Scott Howson, now Jarmo Kekalainen) and majority owner John P. McConnell. If Davidson leaves and nothing else changes, Kekalainen could be in for an extension and perhaps a larger payday. Sources told The Athletic he’s It was an important buffer, as it allowed then-club president Mike Priest to in the bottom half of the league among GM compensation. find a title more specific to his legal and accounting expertise: president of business operations. The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019

With the Rangers, Davidson would have a more stressful existence than he has in Columbus. The Blue Jackets, in McConnell, are lucky to have a fairly hands-off owner, but Rangers owner James Dolan is regarded as one of the worst owners in pro sports — petulant, sensitive, irrational, etc.

Sather’s most important task — and it would become Davidson’s — is to keep Dolan away from general manager Jeff Gorton, who is expected to keep his job.

But if Davidson leaves the Blue Jackets … where will that leave the Blue Jackets?

There would appear to be three options.

Hire from the outside

This seems highly unlikely, as there would appear to be no obvious candidate who could seamlessly take Davidson’s place.

These jobs are typically filled by former players with long, legendary histories within the organization (Cam Neely in Boston) or pre-eminent 1144334 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators sign skilled blueliner

Bruce Garrioch

The Ottawa Senators have gone overseas to sign another skilled blueliner.

The Senators confirmed Friday morning they’ve signed Swedish blueliner Olie Alsing to a two-year entry-level deal and he’ll be at the club’s development camp that gets under way June 25 in Ottawa.

“Olle is a puck-moving defenceman with excellent mobility,” said Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion in a statement. “He can really drive the pace of play and lead the breakout. His game really took off this year to the point where he was one of the better defenceman in the SHL.”

The 5-foot-11 Alsing, who was highly sought after by NHL teams, has good skills. He finished with four goals and 15 points in 49 games with Djurgardens IF in the Swedish league last season. He led all SHL skaters in plus/minus with a plus-26 rating.

The 23-year-old Alsing, who went undrafted, had four goals and eight points in 18 playoff games with Djurgardens IF will likely start with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville next season to get used to playing the North American game.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144335 Philadelphia Flyers As for Berube, then-general manager painfully fired his good friend after the Flyers’ maddeningly inconsistent 2014-15 season (33-31- 18). In his only other season as Flyers coach, Berube replaced the fired Former Flyers Craig Berube and Patrick Maroon find redemption with St. Peter Laviolette early in 2013-14 and led the team into the playoffs, Louis Blues | Sam Carchidi where it lost to the Rangers in a seven-game, opening-round series.

Now, Berube has a chance to accomplish something no other St. Louis coach has been able to do since the Blues entered the league as part of by Sam Carchidi, the NHL’s six-team expansion in 1967-68.

“I’m ecstatic for Chief. He’s put his time in and done a good job there,” Holmgren said. “Look at where they were in January and where they are Nine years ago, sturdy left winger Patrick Maroon was dismissed from now. Something happened, and they came together and figured it out.” the Flyers’ top minor-league team for an alleged physical confrontation with his head coach. The Blues, with their many newcomers gradually getting in sync under Berube, ran off 11 straight wins from Jan. 23 to Feb. 19. They went 38- Four years ago, Craig Berube was fired as the Flyers’ head coach and 19-6 after Berube replaced the fired Mike Yeo, who on Monday was replaced by Dave Hakstol. named a Flyers assistant. Fast-forward to this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. Maroon is a hero on his Seeing how Berube has turned around the Blues, it’s easy to play hometown team in St. Louis — he had two game-winning goals, including Monday Morning Quarterback. Does Holmgren ever have any second one in the second overtime of Game 7 against Dallas in the conference thoughts that maybe Berube could have done the same thing if given a semifinals — and Berube has coached the Blues to one of the most longer leash with the Flyers? remarkable in-season turnarounds in NHL history. “No real second thoughts. I mean, that’s the nature of the business Berube, a one-time Flyers enforcer (remember them?) who was named sometimes,” Holmgren said. “We made a decision, and at the time I St. Louis’ interim coach on Nov. 19, has guided the Blues from last thought it was the right decision. among the NHL’s 31 teams in January to the league’s final four. "But it’s great for Chief that he bounced back. He fought his way back Yeah, it’s been an amazing odyssey for two ex-Flyers who are trying to and started doing some scouting for the Blues and they put him with their help deliver St. Louis’ first Stanley Cup. minor-league team and he got a real familiarity with their general Dark days manager, Doug Armstrong. Then they brought him up as an associate coach, and when they had to make a change, Chief was probably a To appreciate the 31-year-old Maroon’s journey, you have to go back to pretty easy [choice] to fill the spot.” his dark days with the Adirondack Phantoms. And it should be pretty easy to make him the permanent coach soon and, Selected by the Flyers in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, the 6-foot-3, while they’re at it, give Maroon an extension. 225-pounder had surprisingly good hands for someone his size and continued to make strides in his third full season with the Phantoms. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 05.11.2019

Nine games into the 2010-11 season, Maroon, then 22, led the Phantoms with five goals, but he was sent home after an incident with head coach Greg Gilbert. At the time, Maroon was dealing with a personal problem and his training habits were, to put it mildly, questionable.

“They say 'keep your nose clean.’ I was keeping my nose dirty,” Maroon told ESPN early this season, referring to his partying AHL days.

“He was a young, immature kid when we had him,” Flyers president Paul Holmgren said the other day. “He’s grown up. ... He’s playing a physical role now, but as a kid, he was a top-line player in junior hockey for the London Knights. Now, he’s a [third-line] role player and it’s a credit to Pat. He’s accepted it, and he’s good at it.”

Holmgren was the Flyers’ GM when Maroon was removed from the Phantoms.

"We sent Pat home, and we were trying to figure out what we were going to do with him,” Holmgren said. “It was a probably a knee-jerk reaction on my part, thinking back. In hindsight, it worked out great for Pat; it didn’t work out that great for the Flyers. The Phantoms were playing in Glens Falls. We didn’t have a management presence there on a regular basis, and that probably didn’t help the situation.”

A revival

In a swap that involved four minor-leaguers, Maroon was quickly dealt to Anaheim, where he played for parts of five seasons and spent time on the top line alongside stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. He then played in Edmonton and was one of Connor McDavid’s wingers — Maroon had 27 goals in 2016-17 — and was dealt to New Jersey in a 2018 trade-deadline deal.

Maroon signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with St. Louis last summer, and had 10 goals and 28 points this season, saving his best moments for the playoffs.

Maroon could have signed as a free agent with another team and could have made more money, but he chose the Blues because St. Louis was home and he wanted to be close to his son, Anthony.

Clearly, he has matured from his days as a Flyers prospect. 1144336 Pittsburgh Penguins

Olli Maatta puzzle frames difficult summer decisions Penguins must make

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, May 10, 2019 3:54 p.m.

There are plenty of questions facing the Pittsburgh Penguins as they consider how to retool their roster after a disappointing 2018-19 season.

Here’s a big one: Did the Penguins struggle in transition because their defense corps lacked the speed and skill to get the puck to the forwards effectively or did they struggle because their forwards didn’t provide the support that the defensemen needed to succeed?

A quick survey of social media and the blogosphere shows that many Penguins fans are fully convinced the defensemen are the problem, which is a perfectly reasonable position to hold. Two of the newest additions to the team’s blue line, Jack Johnson and Erik Gudbranson, don’t exactly fit the puck-moving mold the Penguins used to rekindle their championship era in 2016.

Those dead set on fixing blame on the defense should probably take a look at the curious case of Olli Maatta first, though.

Maatta, by all accounts, had a mediocre season, but his numbers vary wildly based on which center he shared the ice with.

When he played with beleaguered Derick Brassard at five on five, the Penguins were outscored, 8-3.

When he was on the ice with Evgeni Malkin, goal-scoring was pretty much a 50-50 proposition. The Penguins were outscored, 11-10.

When he was on the ice with , however, the Penguins blitzed their opponents to the tune of 20-3.

The same defenseman. Three completely different sets of results.

Some of that discrepancy can be attributed to puck luck. The team’s shooting percentage (15.3) and save percentage (.964) were very high when Maatta and Crosby were on the ice together.

But not all of it.

The reality is that playing with a great center who is on top of his game can make an average defenseman look great in a small sample. On the flip side, playing with an unskilled defenseman who is not in good form can ground even the highest-flying forward.

It’s that interlocking maze of credit and blame that must be untangled as best as possible before the Penguins decide how to proceed. It’s why finding a fix to their problems is more complicated than just dumping a couple of unpopular defensemen.

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Evgeni Malkin leads Russia past Norway in World Championships opener

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, May 10, 2019 2:37 p.m.

Evgeni Malkin had a better time than Matt Murray as the IIHL World Championships began Friday in Slovakia.

Malkin had a pair of assists as his Russian team cruised to a 5-2 victory over Norway. Murray stopped 24 of 26 shots as Canada dropped a 3-1 decision to Finland.

Malkin made a pair of nearly identical plays to help Russia jump out to a 4-0 lead, taking the puck behind the net on the power play and centering to Florida’s Evgeni Dadonov between the hash marks for a goal.

Here are both Dadonov's goals together back-to-back. #IIHFWorlds #FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/c9XpFRPTZI

— Aivis Kalniņš (@A_Kalnins) May 10, 2019

A Finnish team with no NHL regulars on the roster beat Canada thanks to a breakaway goal from Kaapo Kakko and a rebound goal from Arrtu Ilomaki off a net-front scramble on the power play. Kakko, an 18-year-old who is expected to be selected second overall in June’s NHL draft, also scored an empty netter.

Four other Penguins players are also in the tournament – Canada’s Jared McCann, Sweden’s Patric Hornqvist and Marcus Pettersson and the Czech Republic’s Dominik Simon. Teddy Blueger was set to play for Latvia but has been sidelined by an undisclosed injury.

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1144338 San Jose Sharks Brian Elliott, replaced by forwards Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas, defenseman Vince Dunn and goalie Jordan Binnington. Dunn is 22 and Thomas is 19.

The small change that helped Martin Jones get back his old playoff form “The one thing I think when I look at St. Louis is they’ve done a real good job of integrating some of their young guys, impact young guys into their lineup,” DeBoer said. “I think you’ve got two totally different teams than By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: May 10, 2019 at 2:46 pm | you saw two or three years ago, other than a lot of the core players are UPDATED: May 10, 2019 at 4:28 PM the same.”

Practice notes

SAN JOSE — Sharks general manager Doug Wilson and coach Pete 49ers offensive linemen play Sharks superfans in Game 7 DeBoer reiterated Friday there was no discussion before the NHL’s trade deadline about acquiring another goalie as an insurance policy for Martin Sharks forward Gus Nyquist was with his family Friday and was excused Jones for the stretch drive and the start of the playoffs. from practice. His daughter, Charlotte, was born April 29 in Michigan. Nyquist will be back for Saturday’s Game 1. Karlsson also did not skate A small change in Jones’ approach, according to DeBoer, has helped Friday. Joe Pavelski was on a line with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane validate their belief. for Friday’s skate, his same linemates for Game 7 against the Avalanche on Wednesday. Joe Thornton’s line with Marcus Sorensen and Kevin “Late in the season, he and I and (goalie coach) Johan Hedberg had Labanc remained intact, as did the fourth line with Joonas Donskoi, discussions that he was maybe playing a little passively,” DeBoer said on Melker Karlsson and Barclay Goodrow. the eve of Game 1 of the Western Conference final between the Sharks and the St. Louis Blues. “I think he got a little over-aggressive maybe San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 05.11.2019 early in the Vegas series, then he found that happy medium, and it coincided with us giving him better protection around him.

“One small technical thing, but he’s been great the whole time I’ve been here. There was never one discussion about trading for a goalie, there was never any discussion about starting somebody else. He’s been our guy since day one.”

Jones, of course, had a below average regular season by his standards, posting a .896 save percentage and a 3.14 against average in 62 games. The Sharks bet that Jones would rediscover the playoff form that allowed him to post save percentages of .923, .935 and .928 each of the last three seasons.

But his play after the Feb. 25 trade deadline, and for the first four games of the first round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, didn’t do much to allay concerns. In 15 games from late February to early April, Jones went 7-7-0 with an .894 save percentage, and was pulled for two of the first four games against Vegas.

But Jones has been solid since Game 5 of the first round, going 7-4 with a .928 save percentage, basically giving the Sharks a chance to win every game.

“He’s our goalie. We believe in him,” Wilson said. “He took us to the final (in 2016). When a coach believes in a player like that, the players believe in him, it’s a tight dressing room. So there was never any doubt in Martin Jones.

“I don’t think there was any doubt in any of our minds that Jonesy was capable of doing it. The combination of him and (Aaron Dell), we were very comfortable with that.”

Wilson on Erik Karlsson

Wilson was asked about the play of Erik Karlsson and his possible long- term future with the Sharks. Karlsson is averaging 25 minutes and 23 seconds of ice time this postseason, which includes three overtime games, and leads the NHL with 12 assists. Karlsson is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Wilson abhors talking about any contract negotiations and wasn’t giving any hints about where things stood with Karlsson.

“Our focus is on tomorrow’s game, nothing beyond that,” Wilson said. “That’s how this group works. They look forward to the challenge and the opportunities ahead of them. Anything beyond that, it’s not even on our horizon right now to talk about.”

DeBoer on the Blues

About half of the rosters for the Sharks and the Blues are the same as they were three years ago when the two teams met in the Western Conference final, which San Jose won in six games. But there are significant differences. The Sharks feel they are a deeper and faster team with Evander Kane, Gus Nyquist, Timo Meier, Marcus Sorensen and Kevin Labanc now in top nine forward roles and Karlsson on the back end.

The Blues are also different. Long gone are forwards Paul Stastny, David Backes and Troy Brouwer, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, and goalie 1144339 San Jose Sharks

Vegas fan gifts jersey to Pope Francis weeks after Game 7 loss to Sharks

By Chelena Goldman May 10, 2019 7:15 PM

The Sharks eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights from the Stanley Cup playoffs just over two weeks ago, but that hasn't stopped the second-year franchise from snagging headlines -- or high-profile fans on the other side of the world.

The Golden Knights' Twitter account posted pictures Friday of Pope Francis receiving his very own custom Golden Knights sweater.

The threads were delivered to him by a fan visiting the Vatican, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

OMG! pic.twitter.com/DZKCECwUgx

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 10, 2019

There's no word as to why the fan chose to bring a custom jersey to the head of the Catholic Church, but from the looks of the pictures, Pope Francis seems to be a fan of the Knights. We'll leave the jokes about the Pope liking a team from Sin City to you, however.

Of course, the Sharks' prayers were answered April 23 in the first playoff round, when they ended Vegas' season in overtime of Game 7. San Jose scored four goals on a five-minute major power play to overcome a three- goal deficit in the third period, and Barclay Goodrow potted the winner in OT.

The Knights -- and their fans -- would argue the Sharks benefited from divine intervention, as Vegas forward Cody Eakin's cross-check was not the sole cause of Sharks captain Joe Pavelski's subsequent concussion and cut on his head. Pavelski himself told reporters that it shouldn't have been a major penalty.

But after the disputed end to the first round, the Vatican gift-giving appears too little, too late ... at least until next season.

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Erik Karlsson ready to capitalize on Sharks' 'great chance' vs. Blues

By Chelena Goldman May 10, 2019 5:51 PM

SAN JOSE -- Having an eye on the Stanley Cup Final isn’t something that's come about recently for the Sharks. San Jose has been focused on hockey’s biggest stage since before the 2018-19 campaign even started, when the team acquired Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators.

Now, after a rollercoaster regular season, the two-time Norris Trophy- winning defenseman and his teammates are gearing up for a Western Conference final run. In talking to the press ahead of Game 1, Karlsson reflected on joining the team at the start of the season and how the Stanley Cup Final has always been in the team’s sights.

“Once I got traded here, I knew we had a great chance,” Karlsson told the press. “(They were a) great team already, for me to come into and kind of find my way. And here we are. We put in the work throughout the whole year and in these playoffs to get to this position.”

This isn’t EK65’s first trip to a conference final, of course. He and the Sens made it through seven games in 2017 before Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins knocked them out of the running for the Lord Stanley’s Cup. Karlsson admitted he can’t compare both conference final trips since the current one hasn’t happened yet. But he did acknowledge his level of confidence in San Jose is very high.

“I feel more confident, comfortable now than maybe I did then,” he said. “I think with Ottawa, it was a little unexpected. We weren’t looking that far ahead. Here, I think, this year, we’ve taken an aim at the Cup Final since Game 1. That’s our expectation.”

Karlsson’s season with Team Teal hasn’t been without its ups and downs. It took him a bit of time to get acclimated to San Jose after having only played with Ottawa during his professional career. Then came the mid-season injury that left him sidelined until the last game of the regular season. As the Sharks’ playoff run has continued, Karlsson’s level of play has only improved.

“Erik’s one of the best players in the game, look at the journey this year,” Sharks’ general manager Doug Wilson said. “He’s an important part of our team. He’s a difference-maker.”

Wilson was quick to point out that the Sharks are a “sum of their parts,” as opposed to relying on one single player. Karlsson is part of that winning equation.

“We’re going to win in different ways on different nights with different guys stepping up,” he said, “and I think that’s the beauty of our group.”

There is still no indication as to how long Karlsson will play for San Jose. For the time being, the Sharks are focused on making their playoff run last even longer.

“For me, this is a privilege, and something when I got traded here that I wished for,” Karlsson said. “But there’s no guarantees. Everything that this team and this organization has shown me is that they’re willing to put in the work to get to where we want to go. And now we’re sitting here and have some work left to do.”

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Sharks expecting to play more physical series in West final vs. Blues

By Chelena Goldman May 10, 2019 2:11 PM

SAN JOSE – In the few days leading up to the Western Conference final between the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues, it may seem easy to compare this battle to the when the two teams faced off under similar circumstances in 2016.

But while there are some similar players in both lineups, we probably shouldn’t expect a repeat of that conference final battle from a few years ago.

“It’s tough to compare teams two years later, or three years later,” Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer told the media after Friday’s morning skate. “I know the core of both teams is probably the same. But you’ve got a different coach on the other side.”

Sure, personnel changes mean we won't see the war of words between coaches like in 2016 between DeBoer and Ken Hitchcock. Or get an encore of former Blues captain David Backes tugging on Joe Thornton’s beard – although another player could try.

But there is one thing the Sharks are definitely anticipating from their third-round opponent – a much more physical series than the one they just played against the speedy .

“I think with St. Louis, it’s going to be a little more like the Vegas series,” Sharks’ winger Kevin Labanc admitted. “More grit, fighting, kind of a harder, heavier game. But we know how to play them, we know how to handle them. We’ve just got to make sure we’re not giving them anything in our own end.”

San Jose is already familiar with the task of getting around St. Louis’ heavy offense and two-way defense. (Blueliner and captain Alex Pietrangelo is tied for first on the team with 11 points through the Blues’ first two playoff series.) The Sharks will have a new challenge, however, facing rookie netminder Jordan Binnington, who matches Sharks goalie Martin Jones with eight wins through these playoffs.

“I think ever since he was called up he’s been a real key factor for them,” Labanc said. “We just have to make sure we’re in his eyes and doing the little things right. The goals will come, we just have to be good defensively and make sure we’re not turning the puck over.”

DeBoer said it isn’t just Binnington making an impact for the Blues, but other young players such as forward Robert Thomas who have positively contributed to St. Louis arsenal.

“I think they’ve done a really good job integrating some of their young guys – impact young guys into their lineup,” DeBoer said.

Even with some new players in the fold, San Jose remains ready for a more physical matchup and takes pride in being able to pivot from playing a more speed-and-skill oriented Colorado team.

“Our team is built where we have many layers, where we can play a physical series or we can play a more skilled series as well,” Joe Pavelski said. “But there is a certain way we want to play the game and we want to dictate the game in certain areas. St. Louis is a good team and they are physical.”

There is one element San Jose feels will work in its favor in the upcoming best-of-seven series. Unlike the 2016 series which started in St. Louis, San Jose has home-ice advantage and didn’t have to do any traveling after finishing up its seven-game stint against Colorado on Wednesday.

“That’s huge,” Labanc said about starting the series in San Jose. “Home- ice advantage, it’s awesome here. We just worked so hard all season to obtain that. It just makes the biggest difference. The past two Game 7 games in each series were unbelievable for us, and just having your home crowd cheering for you gives us that little bit of extra energy and that extra momentum.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144342 San Jose Sharks “After we won, we’re all celebrating and Barry Zito saw me in the pile. He said, hey Flan, what’s that black stuff all over your face?”

Michael Morse played in only one elimination game as a Giant. But it was Sharks, Giants have perfected art of winning playoff elimination games the most memorable in team history – Game 7 of the 2014 World Series in Kanas City. It was immortalized by Madison Bumgarner’s epic relief appearance, but that would have meant little without Morse, who drove in By David Koppett May 10, 2019 12:12 PM the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly and then the eventual winning run with a 4th-inning single.

“You have to give everything in an elimination game, but you also can’t The San Jose Sharks have already staged one of the more dramatic overthink it,” says Morse. “You see guys thinking, ‘I have to swing at playoff runs in Bay Area sports history, and they’re only halfway to a strikes. I can’t make an error.’ You have to stay calm and just play championship. That’s why it feels impossible to win the Stanley Cup. baseball. The Sharks have come face-to-face with extinction four times in their first “The effort was so intense, I was absolutely exhausted at the end of that two series – three elimination games after falling behind the Vegas game.” Golden Knights three-games-to-one, and then Game 7 against Colorado after surrendering a three-games-to-two lead. While winning all four, the The Giants had been annihilated 10-0 in Game 6 the night before. Bochy Sharks have survived a 3-0 third-period deficit, two sudden-death then made another rousing speech before Game 7, singling out each overtimes and an ugly head injury to captain Joe Pavelski. They spent player for his contributions that had made the team’s journey possible. the last 19 minutes of Wednesday’s victory clinging for dear life to a one- But Morse remembers what Buster Posey told him immediately goal lead. afterward.

Cheating the reaper four times is quite an accomplishment, but it is not a “Buster pulled me aside and said, 'Relax, we’re going to win. We win Bay Area record. That belongs to the 2012 San Francisco Giants, who these games.'” fought off elimination six times – six! – on the way to their second World Series title. A few hours later, he was right.

“You have to give everything you’ve got. Play like it’s the last game of Elimination game victories can turn depth players into household names. your life,” says Tim Flannery, third base coach of those Giants teams. For the Sharks this year, they have included Kevin Labanc, who scored an NHL playoff record four points during the third-period rally in Game 7 Flan had the best seat in the house to watch the Giants erase a two- vs. Vegas, and fourth-liner Barclay Goodrow, who netted the overtime game deficit vs Cincinnati in the 2012 NLDS and then repeat the feat vs winner in that game. St. Louis in the NLCS. But it was not his first rodeo. Flan had seen firsthand the intense emotions that can accompany becoming the hero or They can also certify established stars as high-stakes heroes – like goat in a do-or-die game. Pavelski, who enjoyed a Willis Reed moment with a goal and assist in his storybook return to the ice in Game 7 vs Colorado. As a San Diego utility man in 1984, Flannery hit the ground ball that slipped between Cubs’ first baseman Leon Durham’s legs in Game 5 of The Sharks must still navigate two more tough series. Again, they may the NLCS. It was one of the most infamous errors in baseball history, have to summon their best while walking the cliff’s edge. It is not tying that game and sparking the Padres to a miraculous series inconceivable that they could break the Giants’ record of six wins in turnaround and their first pennant. elimination games.

“You hate to see the other side of it – Leon Durham, Bill Buckner. Those Doing so will require a total team effort and heroes yet to be named. guys were good players in this league for a long time and deserve to be Keep calm and carry on. remembered for more than one play.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 Flannery recalls the afternoon of Game 3 in Cincinnati on October 9, 2012. After two lopsided losses at home, the Giants seemed dead in the water.

“Should I say something to them?” manager Bruce Bochy asked him.

“It’s your team – do what you feel is right.”

So Bochy assembled the troops and launched into the biblical story of Gideon, his triumph against long odds and a superior force. But before he could get too far, he was interrupted by an intensely pacing Hunter Pence.

“That’s great, skip. But I want to play one more day with YOU! And one more day with YOU!”

He stalked around the room, pointing to each of his teammates. That’s how the legend of Reverend Pence was born, and throughout the remainder of that postseason, Pence’s impromptu sermons took place in the dugout before each game.

The Giants barely eked out a win in that Game 3, scoring the winning run on a 10th-inning Scott Rolen error. The next day, they were in attack mode – three home runs and a dominant Tim Lincecum relief appearance buoyed them to an 8-3 win.

In the decider, the Giants jumped out 6-0 on a Buster Posey grand slam and seemed ready to cruise home behind Matt Cain. But the game tightened up late, and in the bottom of the 9th, the Reds got the winning run to the plate. The Giants were one pitch from a sudden vacation. Sergio Romo and Jay Bruce then engaged in a 12-pitch battle that seemed to go on forever.

Flan remembers: “I have this old piece of coal that belonged to my dad – he grew up across the river in Kentucky, coal-mining country – and I had taped it to my wrist for good luck and to help me keep calm. As that at- bat went on, I got so nervous that I started chewing on it. 1144343 San Jose Sharks out and make a difference and make a big save. You just kind of have to be a little more patient and wait for the game to come to you a little bit more.”

How has Martin Jones turned his playoff performance around? Former No one would have been surprised had DeBoer started Aaron Dell in NHL goalies weigh in Game 5 against Vegas. But he didn’t, and that vote of confidence in Jones ended up being a turning point in the Sharks’ playoff run that’s still ongoing. By Kevin Kurz May 10, 2019 “If a coach at that point decides to go the other direction, it’s a pretty telling sign where he’s at with his goalie,” said former Sharks goalie and NBCSN analyst Brian Boucher. “So it’s a critical moment, I think, for a Imagine, for a second, that the Sharks had not completed their insane coach to just say, ‘you know what, no — this is our guy. We’ll figure it out comeback against Vegas in Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup together, we’ll stand by him.’ You see the results when it works out. You playoffs. gain confidence with each and every game and each and every save, One of the most pressing questions for general manager Doug Wilson in and I think it’s been a big difference from that moment to now in where the immediate aftermath would have been, what was he going to do Martin Jones is at.” about the Sharks’ goaltending for next season and beyond? DeBoer didn’t wait to make a decision, either. On April 17, the day Martin Jones, of course, struggled mightily in the first part of that series. between Games 4 and 5, he told the media that it would, in fact, be Through four games, the Sharks’ No. 1 netminder had just a 5.34 goals- Jones returning to the net with the Sharks needing to win three in a row against average and .838 save percentage. After winning Game 1, Jones to keep their season alive. There was no hesitation from the coach. was pulled in Game 2, struggled in Game 3 and was yanked again in “I think that Pete DeBoer giving him the vote of confidence in Game 5 of Game 4, allowing 11 goals on just 54 shots as the Sharks dropped three the Vegas series really gave him a chance to breathe a little bit easier to straight to the Golden Knights to put their season on the brink. go in to Game 5. They didn’t wait, they didn’t say it was a game-time This was all after a down regular season, too, in which Jones’ 2.94 goals- decision, so I think that helped,” Biron said. against average and .896 save percentage were among the worst marks The Sharks also got another player back for Game 5, when Marc- of any No. 1 goalie in the NHL despite his notching 36 wins. With a roster Edouard Vlasic returned after missing Games 3 and 4 with an full of former and current NHL All-Stars, the Sharks’ wonky goaltending unspecified injury. The Sharks prevailed in Game 5, 5-2, and Jones was the biggest concern most pundits had as the playoffs got underway, stopped 30 shots. and those concerns were being validated halfway through the Vegas series. Vlasic’s return improved the Sharks’ defensive play overall. The kinds of rush chances that had plagued the Sharks often throughout the course of But then something changed. Jones drastically improved, and although the season and early against Vegas were diminished, and that’s he wasn’t perfect — including when he let a stoppable Max Pacioretty something they were able to maintain late in the series against the shot get by him in the third period of Game 7 against Vegas, which at the Avalanche, too. Nathan MacKinnon went scoreless in Games 5 through 7 time looked like the final nail in the Sharks’ coffin — he did enough to of the second round, as Vlasic and others, including partner Brent Burns, help his team advance to the second round. That includes stealing Game helped to keep him frustrated. 6 in double overtime, 2-1, when he made a franchise-record 58 saves. While no goalie wants to face frequent breakaways and odd-man rushes, Since Game 5 of the first round, Jones is 7-3 with a 2.13 goals-against some of them are better at defending them than others. Limiting those average and .928 save percentage. Suddenly, no one is pointing to the kinds of chances is paramount with Jones in the net, according to Biron, Sharks’ crease as a weakness, as they’ve advanced to their second just because of the kind of goalie he is. Western Conference final in four years. “What I noticed out of his game in the last two games (against Colorado) Sharks coach Pete DeBoer has been hesitant to go into too much detail is he seems to be comfortable a little bit deeper in his crease. When he about Jones’ improving game but finally offered a bit more insight about doesn’t get lost outside of the blue paint, his lateral movements are a lot his goaltender’s improvements on Friday, as his team prepared to host more precise when he’s a little deeper,” Biron said. “But when you’re the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 on Saturday at SAP Center. facing rush chances, you have to start four or five feet outside of your “I think late in the season him and I and (Sharks goalie/assistant coach) crease. There’s a lot of backwards movement. The lateral movements Johan Hedberg had discussions. I thought he was maybe playing a little are a lot harder to be quick and to be precise. passively, and then I think he got a little over-aggressive maybe early in “Some goalies love that. Some goalies are all about the flow, like the Vegas series,” DeBoer said. “And then he found that happy medium.” Jonathan Quick. He’s outside of his crease, he retreats, he’s lateral. Martin Biron, a former NHL goalie with more than 500 games of Some goalies are all about the flow. Martin Jones is more of a static experience over a nine-year career, also saw that passivity in Jones’ goaltender, and when you can eliminate the rush chances and you game. eliminate the flow part of the game that is maybe not the strength of Martin Jones, it really helps.” “Two weeks ago, a month ago, two months ago, all Martin Jones would have done would be to just lay in his butterfly and hope the puck would There could be even more focus on the goalie matchup as the Sharks- have hit him,” Biron said. “That has gone, and is a complete change to Blues series gets underway, as rookie Jordan Binnington has solidified how he’s reacting to pucks. That gives him a chance, and it gives me a the St. Louis net since taking over midway through the season. belief a little bit that he’s playing the game and he’s engaged in the Binnington was 24-5-1 in the regular season with a 1.89 goals-against game. He’s not just being a robot out there.” average and .927 save percentage, and is playing well in the playoffs, too, with an 8-5 record, 2.39 GAA and .915 SP. The closing moments of Game 7 against Colorado were particularly emblematic of Jones being more active in the crease, Biron noted. Jones There’s no doubt in St. Louis that they have found their goalie of the made a nifty right pad stop on Alexander Kerfoot in the final minute, and future. Jones, in the first year of a six-year contract, still seems to be the knocked away a Gabriel Landeskog chance, too, to preserve the Sharks’ Sharks’ goalie of the future, too. We’ll never know, but that might not 3-2 win. have been the case just two-and-a-half short weeks ago.

“You look at the last few minutes of the last game, he’s reaching to the “When the season ends and you start the postseason, everything is puck with his glove, on rebounds he’s extending his leg, he’s extending wiped clean,” Boucher said. “You have a chance to kind of re-write the his blocker, and he’s reacting to where the rebound is and making those story. I think he’s doing it right now. If you’re not happy with the regular secondary and third saves. To me that is the biggest difference,” Biron season, it’s not a big deal if you can deliver in the postseason.” said. Biron said: “Are we going to see Martin Jones play seven fantastic On Friday, Jones seemed to confirm what Biron’s been seeing lately, too. games? No, I don’t think that’s going to happen. But I think we’re going to see the vast majority of the games being good games, because he’s “After Game 4 (of the Vegas series) I just kind of took a breath and just proving that he can do that now.” wanted to trust my game,” he said. “It’s tough as a goalie. You want to go The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144344 St Louis Blues Edmundson-Pietrangelo

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Armstrong says his candidate list for Blues coach is down to one: Berube Dunn-Bortuzzo

Blues vs. Sharks: Keys to the series

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 9 hrs ago 1. SAN JOSE'S HIGH-SCORING DEFENSE

Avalanche Sharks Hockey

SAN JOSE _ Not that there has been any suspense about this, what with GORDO'S TAKE: Mobile Dallas Stars defensemen John Klingberg and the Blues in hockey’s Final Four. But general manager Doug Armstrong Miro Heiskanen were focal points for the Blues during the last round. said Friday his head-coaching search is down to “a list of one” candidate. They tried to force them to play in their own zone as possible. The Blues have the same objective against the Sharks, since Brent Burns and Erik And that candidate is Craig Berube. Karlsson are the NHL's top two offensive defensemen. They combined to "When we asked Craig too take over the team, we were in flux at that produce 26 points in the first two rounds. point," Armstrong said. "I said to Craig: 'You take over on the interim 2. FRONT-LINE SCORING DEPTH basis and we'll go from there.' Maroon scores for OT win, Blues advance "We were gonna support Craig and we were looking outside at potential candidates, whether it be major junior, Europe, the NHL, the American GORDO'S TAKE: The Sharks forward lines are loaded. Logan Couture Hockey League. And as I started to work with Craig, whatever name was and Tomas Hertl have nine playoff goals each and six other forwards on the (candidate) list started to get crossed off and crossed off. scored more than once. Joe Pavelski is back from his head injury, so San Jose coach Peter DeBoer can roll four dangerous units. "Then I found the synergy that Craig and I have had. Now we're at a list of one." The No. 3 Blues line of Tyler Bozak centering Pat Maroon and Robert Thomas starred against Dallas and top-line winger Jaden Schwartz has Armstrong said he and Berube will sit down to discuss particulars of a eight goals through the two rounds. But to match San Jose's firepower, contract, etc., once the season ends. the Blues will need more from Vladimir Tarasenko (one goal in his last six The Blues open the Western Conference finals Saturday against the San games), Brayden Schenn (just four points in 13 games) and Ryan Jose Sharks, and Armstrong made his remarks at a press conference set O'Reilly (no goals in his last eight games). up ostensibly to preview the Blues-Sharks series. 3. RANGY BLUES DEFENSE

Berube was at his side, both seated at a table, as originally planned Blues shoot for the Stars in the second round of the playoffs when the media session was set up. Berube and Armstrong said later they were surprised by the questions about Berube's contract status. GORDO'S TAKE: Dallas had a tough time generating much offense against the Blues in Games 6 and 7, largely due to the solid play of Top 4 But given the team's dramatic charge up the NHL standings over the defensemen Colton Parayko, Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo and second half of the season and the team's playoff success so far, it Joel Edmundson. They used their long reach to close passing lanes and seemed just a matter of time before the "interim" tag was removed from shrink the ice. Blues coach Craig Berube will have to rely heavily on them Berube's job title. against San Jose's skill.

Since taking over for Mike Yeo on Nov. 19, Berube guided the Blues to a 4. POWER-PLAY EFFICIENCY 38-19-6 record and 82 points in the regular season. Both the victory and point totals were second-best in the NHL from Berube's first game in Blues see Stars as they start the second round of playoffs charge (Nov. 21 against Nashville) through the remainder of the regular season. GORDO'S TAKE: The Blues outscored the Stars by six goals at even strength, so they advanced despite a woeful power play. The Blues Under Berube's guidance, the Blues became the first team in the NHL converted just one of their 20 opportunities during the last six games of expansion era (1967-68) to be last in the league at any point after New that series. They failed to win faceoffs and gain early puck control. Zone Year's Day (minimum 20 games played) and go on to win a playoff entries were problematic, too, as was their puck retrieval. series. The Blues will be hard-pressed to beat the Sharks without power-play The Blues have reached the conference semifinals for only the fourth success. They need quicker puck movement, quicker player movement time since 1986, and Berube is a finalist for the which and quicker shots. The Sharks can do better than they were against goes to the league's coach of the year. Colorado; they scored just two power-play goals in seven games after scoring four times on one series-saving five-minute power play against GUNNARSSON UPDATE Vegas.

Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson (upper-body) is feeling better according to 5. GOALTENDING DIFFERENTIAL Berube and is considered day-to-day. But for the second day in a row, he did not take part in practice Friday so his status remains questionable for Blues and Stars go for broke in final playoff game 7 Saturday's Western Conference finals opener against San Jose. GORDO'S TAKE: On paper, the Blues have an edge here. Rookie Berube said Gunnarsson will try to skate Saturday morning. But it's Jordan Binnington put up crazy numbers for the Blues in the regular looking more and more like Robert Bortuzzo will be back in the lineup in season, going 24-5-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .927 save Gunnarsson's spot Saturday night against the Sharks. percentage. He has allowed two goals or fewer in eight playoff games while posting good ratios (2.39 GAA, .915 save percentage). BLUES LINEUP By contrast, Sharks goaltender Martin Jones struggled during the regular Other than Bortuzzo in for Gunnarsson, there were no lineup changes season (2.94 GAA, .896 save percentage) and got chased twice in the during the team's line rushes Friday in practice: first round. He settled in against Colorado and allowed just five goals in Forwards the final three games, so the Blues will try to knock him back out of his comfort zone. Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 Blais-O'Reilly-Perron

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Defensemen 1144345 St Louis Blues Sharks. And a task he’s never had before — playing in the conference finals.

“It’s a really tough challenge that I think we have the group that can do it,” Pavelski-led Sharks are an intimidating bunch. Will that be motivation for O’Reilly said. “And we have to prove it.” Blues? The fun aspect of this series is that one city without a Cup will get a chance to have its boys play for one.

4 hrs ago While the Sharks didn’t join the National Hockey League until the early Benjamin Hochman 1990s, it’s been enough decades for parents to pass down the passion. It’s a hungry fan base. And a Cup-deserving fan base. And, frankly, the Sharks are worthy of winning a Cup, on paper anyway. On-ice, they will first have to gobble up the Blues. And just like St. Louis, the Sharks have Fewer things in sports are less-intimidating than the teal-clad uniforms of four lines of depth, standout defensemen and a hot goaltender. The the San Jose Sharks, or the cheesy, in-arena prop shark with cartoonish series should go six or seven games. fangs, or the forced second syllable in the team name when the fans chant: “Let’s go Sha-arks.” The Blues and Sharks battle in Game 3 at San Jose

That being said . . . fewer things in sports are more intimidating than the But the thing St. Louis has going for it is this: the team hasn’t seen its actual San Jose Sharks. best from all its best players. Unsung heroes have helped get the Blues to where they are. To think, if that can be supplemented by expected Many folks would’ve been excited for St. Louis to surpass Colorado to brilliance from Tarasenko, Schenn or O’Reilly? reach the Blues’ first since 1970. They’d get to knock off a Stan Kroenke-owned team. But the accomplishment of possibly The Sharks are intimidating. defeating the Sharks would, or should, be more rewarding because the way San Jose plays is more apt of a comparison to an avalanche. But the Blues, after all they’ve been through, find intimidation as motivation. The Blues can do it, but the grind of this series that opens Saturday night will demand ascension on the power play, in neutral-zone play and, St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 simply, overall play from the Blues’ biggest names. It’s not enough for Ryan O’Reilly to only make contributions with defensive play and not score. Vladimir Tarasenko must become a factor when the Sharks have five skaters on the ice. Brayden Schenn? Even Oskar Sundqvist? You get the point.

We’ll need to see peak relentlessness.

“We’re halfway there,” O’Reilly said, “and it’s not going to get any easier. . . . They’re going to come out hard and physical, and we need to match that — and go above and beyond that to make a statement.”

The Sharks are a fascinating group of grinders and goal scorers. They have three defensemen who could be many teams’ best defenseman. But the factor that is most worrisome for foes — and will require the Blues to bruise and neutralize — is the existence of Joseph James Pavelski of Plover, Wisc.

“He’s a great leader, he’s an unbelievable goal scorer and he works hard every night — he scores goals in the dirty areas,” said the Blues’ Patrick Maroon, himself a proud occupant of on-ice dirty areas. “He’s probably one of the best players in the league with tips, high tips, second and third opportunities. It’s going to be hard — we have to limit his time and space.”

In the summer of 2003, the same year the Blues drafted longtime captain David Backes, 204 young men were drafted before Pavelski. A seventh- round pick by San Jose, Pavelski ultimately became the captain. This season, at 34, he scored 38 goals, most on his team and second-most in his career. We talk a lot about the Blues playing fearless hockey — that’s the modus operandi of Pavelski.

“A heart-and-soul guy,” O’Reilly said. “We know he’s going to be a challenge. We’re going to have to be hard on him. . . . He’s one of those guys who does everything well. From the faceoff to scoring goals to being hard to play against, he’s a guy who brings all those elements. He’s one of the core guys. And you see the way he plays and guys kind of follow.”

O’Reilly surely will have shifts against Pavelski. O’Reilly is one of those players who’s so good offensively, it’s conspicuous when he’s not scoring— but he’s also one of those players who’s so good defensively, sometimes his impact goes unappreciated . . . or at least under- appreciated, in the nonstop action of a playoff game.

At his locker on Thursday, before the team flew to California, O’Reilly opened up a bit. He admitted what many of us had seen — a lack of offensive oomph in the first part of the Dallas series. He finished the seven games with five assists but no goals.

He says he feels “great,” though in the postseason a guy could lose a tooth and finger and say he’s impervious to pain. And O’Reilly knows that he needs to make things as difficult for the Sharks on the offensive end as he does for opponents on the defensive end. It’s a tall task against the 1144346 St Louis Blues weathered another seven-game series to dispatch Colorado. Critics might say the Sharks would not be here without two close calls, but before you hold that against them, don’t forget they played six games in Shark bait no more? Blues changed after last playoff loss to San Jose. the conference semifinals without team captain Pavelski, who returned Time to see if it worked from a concussion to score a goal and assist on another in Game 7. Tough guy. Tough team.

“Physical,” Ryan O’Reilly said. “They play big. They’ve got guys who 12 hrs ago finish checks, who are hard to play against. They have good puck- movers. They have a lot of different tools that they use, and they work Ben Frederickson very well together.”

It’s that San Jose chemistry that kept coming up Thursday as the Blues You remember them. prepared to catch a plane.

They are a little longer in the tooth now. They sport a few more battle Play together long enough, and that connection builds. wounds. But the bite of San Jose’s hockey team is still as fierce as that A previous Blues regime lost that chance because of these Sharks. scar from 2016 is fresh, and the Sharks’ hunger is at an all-time high. You have to think Tarasenko, Pietrangelo and the other holdovers have If the Blues are going to reach a Stanley Cup finals for the first time since thought once or twice about wanting a do-over for what happened three 1970, they will need to beat the team that turned them into chum the last years ago. time they swam in waters this deep. This is as close as it gets. These Blues look quite different from the ones that lost to the Sharks in six games of the conference finals back in 2016. That was coach Ken St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 Hitchcock’s team. Interim Craig Berube is the second Blues coach since. That Blues team had David Backes at captain, not Alex Pietrangelo. Brian Elliott and Jake Allen were in goal, not Jordan Binnington. Old friends like Troy Brouwer, Kevin Shattenkirk and Paul Stastny played alongside current Blues like Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Colton Parayko and Jay Bouwmeester. Some have remained. Others departed for greener pastures or were shipped out against their will. Change came faster than a Parayko slapshot.

The Blues began to question their identity after coming up short against the Sharks. They wanted to get faster. They wanted to open things up. Easier said than done. They changed coaches, and lost in the second round. They missed the next postseason altogether. They pumped in new blood, preached promise, absolutely face-planted to start this season, changed coaches again, stood up, climbed like crazy and now wind up here — facing an opponent that looks similar to the one that pushed the Blues into a spin cycle three years ago.

Like, eerily similar.

Pete DeBoer remains the Sharks’ coach. Martin Jones remains the goalie. The four well-known forwards — Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Joe Pavelski — are still big names and big threats. High-scoring defenseman Brent Burns and his Game of Thrones grooming regimen remain.

The Sharks, for the most part, stuck together. They didn’t win the Stanley Cup after beating the Blues in 2016. They didn’t make it out of the first round the following season, and got clipped in the second round the next. This is their first trip back to this milestone since they beat the Blues, beginning the end of that Blues era. Now it’s the San Jose core that can feel its clock ticking. No player symbolizes it like the 39-year-old Thornton, who becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

What comes next for Thornton, who knows. But you better believe that uncertainty is a motivating factor for teammates who desperately want to send him out on top. The Blues once felt a similar way about Backes, until the Sharks cut the feel-good scene short. It will take more than those bad memories for the Blues to send San Jose home with some of their own.

“As a group of players that have been there for a long time, they really have a lot of chemistry together,” Berube said about the Sharks on Thursday. “They are a hounding team. They get after you on the forecheck. They are a deep team. They are balanced up and down their lineup, starting from the goaltender out.”

Couture and Hertl’s nine goals each are tied for the NHL lead this postseason. Burns (five goals, nine assists) joins his two teammates in a three-way tie for first place in postseason points. After Jones was pulled twice in the first four postseason games, the goalie locked in against the Avalanche, allowing more than three goals just twice in seven games. This postseason the Sharks have averaged more goals per game (3.07), more even-strength goals per game (2.3) and a higher power play percentage (18.5) than the Blues.

Still stalking their first Stanley Cup, San Jose overcame a 3-1 series deficit in the first round to outlast Las Vegas in seven games. Then they 1144347 St Louis Blues “But at the end of the day, you turn it off now. You worry about the next series. Today, coming to the rink we realize you just gotta put it behind you and get ready for the next one.”

After Blues 'bring a city together' with Game 7 thriller, here come the The San Jose Sharks are waiting, a formidable team with star power, lots Sharks of offensive firepower, and all kinds of experience.

They had four players with 30 or more goals in the regular season, more By Jim Thomas 12 hrs ago than any other team: Joe Pavelski (38), Thomas Hertl (35), Evander Kane (30) and Timo Meier (30). They have not one, but two past Norris Trophy winners as the NHL’s top defenseman in Brett Burns and Erik Karlsson. Nobody handed Craig Berube the keys to the city. There was no parade for Pat Maroon down Telegraph Road in Oakville. They can grind, they can beat you on the rush, they can muck it up in front of the net. But man, was Tuesday night exciting or what? “A deep team for sure,” Berube said. “Veteran team. You’ve got a lot of “Oh yeah,” Brayden Schenn said. “It was amazing the electricity in the guys that have been there for a long time in that organization. They’re building, the noise in the building. Especially when they announced ‘Goal very successful.” scored by Pat Maroon.’ The place just went wild. Pretty special time to be a Blue right now.” It’s a more balanced lineup than the Blues saw against Dallas, with scoring threats up and down the forward lines as well as on defense. Heck, Berube even smiled ear-to-ear. “They’ve got four strong lines,” Maroon said. “Their goalie’s good. Their “Well, I was pretty happy about that goal,” Berube said, laughing. “I can defense is good. So I think with us, we gotta limit time and space. We smile once in a while, right?” gotta find ways to limit their time off the rush. This town has gone hockey mad, to the point where Berube was asked if “But they’re a good team below the top of the circles, like us. They know he gets recognized at the grocery store these days. how to play offense. They know how to get the puck high-to-low. They “I don’t go out,” Berube said. “I sleep here at the rink.” have really good tips; they have guys that know how to redirect the puck. Their D gets the puck through, so we gotta find ways to limit that.” That was a joke (we think). By Craig Berube of all people. That’s a lot to digest. “They come up and say they’re happy,” Berube said. “And they’re glad to see the team doing well. It’s great. Like I said, it’s a great sports town and But then there’s goalie Martin Jones. Is he the weak link? He did not it’s a real good hockey town.” have a great regular season with a 2.94 goals-against average and a save percentage of .896 — both career-worst totals for the six-year NHL These Blues are in a place where only a handful of their players have vet. After some rocky moments in Round 1 against Vegas, he has settled ever been before — hockey’s Final Four. down in a big way, allowing no more than two goals in eight of his past 11 playoff starts. Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Bozak had never even made it to the second round before this season. Schenn had made it to Round 2, but never “He’s been around and he’s had very good success in the playoffs Round 3. Vince Dunn had never been in the NHL playoffs. before,” Berube said.

Last year at this time, Robert Thomas was leading the Hamilton Bulldogs So the Sharks don’t figure to be an easy out. Few teams are this deep to the Memorial Cup, the pinnacle of junior hockey. Jordan Binnington into the playoffs. The Blues have work to do. was wondering if he had a future in the Blues’ organization. And on and on. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019

But here they are, in the Western Conference finals, in a city where it’s nearly impossible to escape the “Gloria” song. A city where strangers talk hockey on the streets, at the gas station, in the bars. Where there’s a growing feeling that maybe, just maybe, this is the year.

“I try not to over-awe myself too much,” Dunn said. “I just gotta roll with my excitement. The confidence we’ve built in this room, I think everyone’s really feeling good about each other.

“We know that we’ve come a long way since the start of the season. But we just kinda need to embrace this right now.”

For the Blues it might seem like a couple of lifetimes ago, or maybe 10 minutes ago, that they were scuffling at the bottom of the NHL standings and hearing boos on a pretty regular basis at Enterprise Center.

“At the end of the day, this is what you play hockey for,” Schenn said. “This is fun. You bring a city together. They’re all cheering for us now.”

Only four of the 31 NHL teams are still playing hockey. But as O’Reilly put it Thursday, the Blues are only halfway home. Two series down, two to go in terms of the ultimate goal — the Stanley Cup.

Maroon spent a parade-free Wednesday. It was a quiet day hanging out with his son Anthony.

“I know it’s a big goal, but it’s time to move on and focus on Round 3,” Maroon said. “Our one goal in here is to try to go all the way and win this thing. So the focus now is San Jose, take one game at a time, one period at a time.”

Schenn said: “I think yesterday still, the emotions are running through you and stuff like that. Especially when you’re watching that game last night to find out who you play. 1144348 St Louis Blues “Patty’s just an exciting guy, and he’s a really emotional guy out there,” Dunn said. “He’s just as happy about it, knowing it’s a big game, knowing it was a good start for us to get that first one.”

Gunnarsson's status uncertain for Blues opener in San Jose As for the now-ended goal drought by the D-corps, Dunn said. “I think it’s hard for everyone to score goals right now the way teams know each other. It’s a really tight game. There’s not a whole lot of plays to be made. By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 13 hrs ago It’s just kind of taking advantage of the chances that you’re given.”

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 After playing in the last two games of the Winnipeg series, and then all seven contests in Round 2 against Dallas, there’s some uncertainty regarding Carl Gunnarsson’s status for the Western Conference finals against San Jose.

The last of Gunnarsson’s 26 shifts in Tuesday’s Game 7 victory over Dallas came with 3 minutes 2 seconds remaining in the first overtime. The veteran defenseman was on the bench but not on the ice at all in the second overtime, which ended when Pat Maroon’s goal gave St. Louis at 2-1 victory at the 5:50 mark.

Gunnarsson did not participate in an optional skate Thursday at the IceZone in Hazelwood.

“We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” interim coach Craig Berube said.

Berube said it was a lower-body issue for Gunnarsson, who played in only 25 regular-season games due to a variety of issues.

He did not play his first regular-season game until Nov. 1 as he completed rehab and recovery from hip and knee surgeries last spring. He then missed the final month and a half of the 2018 calendar year and then most of February and March with a nagging wrist injury.

When Gunnarsson has been on the ice, he’s been solid as usual, a calming influence on the defense who’s positionally sound, and good at maneuvering in tight areas.

In nine games this postseason, Gunnarsson doesn’t have a goal or assist. He’s plus-1 and has averaged 15:44 of ice time.

If he’s unable to play in Saturday’s Round 3 opener at San Jose, Robert Bortuzzo would replace him. Bortuzzo has played in six posteason games, but was a healthy scratch the last three games of the Dallas series.

BACK TO WORK

After a day off Wednesday, the Blues had a heavily-attended optional practice Thursday. All told, 23 players participated, including several Black Aces (playoff call-ups from San Antonio).

Besides Gunnarsson, the only players from the regular roster who did not participate Thursday were Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, Colton Parayko, Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas.

“I think they like to go out in those optionals,” Berube said. “It’s not structured so much. They can kind of do their own thing a little bit and just get moving around. We don’t want guys doing nothing today. It’s important to do something.

“So we make it optional and they decide if they want to go out or if they want to do something in the gym.”

The Blues flew out Thursday afternoon for San Jose, a day earlier than they would under normal circumstances.

“West Coast,” Berube said. “Just get out there a little early, get settled in. And I think it’s good we can have a practice there tomorrow.”

DUNN & CO.

After an 11-game goal drought that began over the final four games of the regular season, then continued into the first seven games of the postseason, the Blues’ defensive corps is back in business.

They contributed four goals over the final six games of Round 2 against the Stars, with three of the goals coming in Blues’ victories. One of those was Vince Dunn’s goal to open the scoring in Tuesday’s series-clinching victory.

At first it looked like Maroon might have tipped it in front of the net, based partly on his reaction. But Dunn knew it was his goal all along. 1144349 St Louis Blues And don’t forget what happened in December, when the Rams agreed to pay $24 million to the personal seat license holders who were swindled. Another win. That suit, filed shortly after the Rams relocated in January Beating Kroenke's team on ice would have been nice, but best battle 2016, took a chunk of time, but it resulted in taking a chunk out of remains in court Kroenke and Co. That’s why the Rams, after agreeing to settle the PSL matter, are now trying to claw back half of that money by dragging the matter to arbitration.

May 10, 2019 Kroenke’s playbook is effective but entirely predictable. The best plan for the Rams and the NFL is to delay, forcing opponents to question if it’s in Ben Frederickson their best interests to continue to pursue the painstaking process of holding Kroenke and Co. accountable.

It would have been fun. I say, keep pressing. This is a fight worth fighting.

That much, I’ll acknowledge. Lumping the money spent during the attempt to keep the Rams in with the money that is attempting to keep the NFL and the Rams from getting If this NHL Western Conference Final would have wound up pitting the away with misleading a city that attempted to keep its team does not Blues against Stan Kroenke’s Colorado Avalanche, we would have made make much sense to me. Sticking with the legal battle that demands the mustachioed Dementor who drove the Rams from St. Louis back to answers and becomes a reference point for other markets that will be Los Angeles a big part of the story. “Kroenke (stinks)” chants would have exploited does. Fighting the NFL is far better than fighting for it, and I echoed in the Enterprise Center. Maybe the folks at Hotshots Sports Bar love that St. Louis has become an annoying and hopefully increasingly and Grill would have broken out its Kroenke-themed dartboards and painful thorn in the side of The Shield. Keep pushing. See it through. urinal cakes. So, if you hoped the Blues would meet the Avalanche, consider turning Fun? Of course! your attention toward the courts. Beating Kroenke’s team on the ice would have been nice, but nothing matters more to him than his money, Forced? For sure. and his record in court. Before we turn our full focus to the Western Conference Final that is Fighting the relocation rip-job means a chance to truly cross-check him happening, the one between the Blues and the San Jose Sharks, let’s where it hurts. spend a moment discussing the one that won't. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 Making Kroenke a big part of a Blues-Avalanche postseason clash would have been a one-sided grudge match. Here’s why. Signs of Kroenke caring much about his hockey team are few and far between. Sound familiar, former Rams fans? In fact, a recent article from a scribe who covers the Avalanche specifically noted the rarity of seeing Kroenke at a road playoff game.

Give Kroenke credit. At least he stays on brand.

I wonder how many Avalanche games Kroenke watched this season, let alone watched in person. I wonder how many players on the team he can name. I remembered while watching Blues owner Tom Stillman hug sweat-soaked Blues players in the dressing room on Tuesday night that a former Ram who played for Kroenke’s football team for five seasons once told me he never once met Kroenke in person.

I bring all of this up not to pour cold water on a hockey series that became impossible when the Sharks beat the Avalanche on Wednesday night, but to point out that there is a much better way to take on Kroenke. This grudge match is already taking place. It makes a Game 7 look like a walk in Forest Park. It’s now playing out quietly in the terse back-and- forth between lawyers, popping up in the occasional headline, and prompting a fair discussion about both the cost and potential reward of redemption.

We're talking about the legal battle over the relocation rip-job. Don't forget about it.

After Kroenke won a recent round, in this case a ruling that confirmed the Rams’ ability to buy the football team’s old practice field for a buck, an article by Post-Dispatch colleague David Hunn expertly outlined the rising cost of our region’s ongoing legal battle against Kroenke on the relocation battlefront.

Some have asked if it’s worth the price to keep fighting. It’s a fair question.

Here's my answer: I vote yes.

It's important to note that there have already been wins in the battles that will make up this war.

Last month, the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District rejected the Rams’ attempt to move to arbitration the relocation-related lawsuit the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County are pursuing against the Rams and the NFL. This is the prize fight. The Rams wanted to shift it behind closed doors. The court said no. That’s a big win. It moves things one step closer to long-awaited transparency and accountability from the league, which only seems to find shreds of those traits when not doing so breaks the law. 1144350 St Louis Blues But the positioning also can be dangerous, as many viewers saw in now- famous clip from a game in February in which a puck whizzed by McGuire’s face — seemingly missing by less than an inch. But he said he Media Views: NBC's McGuire brings his marathon to Blues-Sharks series hasn’t considered wearing a helmet because of the close call.

“Part of what makes that position so special, which was the vision of (executive producer) Sam Flood, is the ability to hear as much as you By Dan Caesar St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12 hrs ago can on both benches, to hear as much as you can of what goes on on the ice and then try to relay the energy of what happens at ice level to

people watching back home,” McGuire said. “I think it has helped Hockey’s travelin’ man finally is staying put for a few days after an epic, stimulate the broadcast, and people I think have appreciated it as the grueling trek of NHL playoff broadcasting assignments. position has evolved.

Pierre McGuire, NBC Sports Group’s “Inside the Glass” commentator, “If you were to put a helmet on, especially with a mask, you wouldn’t be will be reporting from ice level for the Blues-Sharks Western Conference nearly as able to hear a lot of what you hear now and that would take finals series that starts Saturday in San Jose, Calif. (7 p.m., KSDK, away from the value of the position.” Channel 5). That comes after he just completed a stretch of broadcasting LOOKING AHEAD games on 26 of 30 days, a span that began April 10 and ended Wednesday. It included working on all seven telecasts of both the Blues’ McGuire has solid insight into the Blues-Sharks series, having seen in and Stars’ second-round series. person all of both team’s games in the previous round. He predicts the matchup is “probably going to be long, it’s going to be grinding. McGuire logged an estimated 25,471 air miles during the marathon in which he had one stretch of working 15 consecutive days, in which he “Both teams have things that can resist the other team. San Jose loves to never had consecutive games in the same city. manufacture a lot of their offense off the cycle and forecheck, and St. Louis’ defense is really adept at defending against the cycle. They’re His schedule eases a bit as the playoffs wind down, now focusing on the really good at keeping teams from getting in front of the net without Blues-Sharks series in which Kenny Albert has the play-by-play and Mike taking penalties, and they’re really good in terms of defending quickly. Milbury is the booth commentator. McGuire was in San Jose for Game 7 They don’t spend a lot of time in their own zone. That’s the strength of St. of the Sharks-Colorado series Wednesday and can stay there until Louis vs. the strength of San Jose. That’s going to be one of the things to Tuesday, a travel day after the first two games of the Western watch. Conference finals are played there. “St. Louis on the other hand can manufacture offense a lot of different He has a game plan to make it through the grinding stretch, an approach ways — off the rush, off the cycle, with their point shots. . . . When you he has honed after having similar schedules previously. have Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko and Vince Dunn, you’ve got “Its not easy but the most important thing is you’ve got to hydrate, drink a three offensive (defensemen) who can really manufacture. That’s going lot of water, you’ve got to eat properly — lots of green vegetables,” he to be a big test for San Jose, in terms of how they’re going to defend said Thursday. “For me, the last (few) weeks I’ve basically been working against St. Louis’ defense.” on 3½ or 4 hours of sleep a night. If you can’t sleep on a plane, it’s a McGuire forecasts a lot of gritty action. problem. I’m fortunate, I can sleep on a plane. But the biggest thing is trying to get to the gym as much as possible when you get to the next city “I think it’s going to be really hard hitting, extremely quick and there’s and sweat the plane ride out of you.” going to be a lot of board play,” he said. “If you don’t win battles along the boards, you don’t win battles in the slot, you’re probably not going to win He said he then usually goes to to arena 3½-4 hours before the game the series.” starts. He said the matchup should be good for TV because of not only what “You get a chance to get into the environment and get focused,” he said. happens on the ice but in the stands, where fans of both teams will be “That really helps a lot.” hoping for their first Stanley Cup winner. Fox’s Joe Buck can relate to McGuire’s ironman schedule. Buck had “The thing that’s really impressive is both fan bases,” McGuire said. “Both what is believed to be an unmatched stretch for a network play-by-play buildings are electrified because both fan bases see light at the end of announcer last October when he called 15 games in 18 days from six the tunnel. They think they have a legitimate chance to win. I think that’s cities across four time zones, bouncing between MLB postseason going to lead to some amazing moments. contests and NFL regular-season games five times. “We like good fan bases, lots of noise and really good hockey. I think “His schedule blows mine away,” said Buck, a huge Blues fan who said we’ll get that with both teams.” he was screaming wildly at Game 7 of the just-completed Dallas series. “There’s end-to-end action and he’s right there in the middle of it. He has St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 no space to work — I’m up in a booth and can spread out.

“I really enjoy listening to him. I’m just blown away, how he can keep all those players straight. Everything is so fast, and he’s down there at ice level.”

But McGuire, 57, wasn’t there Thursday, the first day he didn’t have a game or travel in 16 days.

“Today was a really good feeling in terms of not having to go to the airport,” he said.

But there was a caveat. He said he got up at 5 a.m. local time to do radio shows on East Coast, went back to bed for an hour before he took a walk and did another radio show before going to a gym. Later he was planning to watch the telecast of the opener of the Eastern Conference finals then hoped for a rare good night’s sleep.

“Tonight will be one of the better nights for sure,” he said. “If my pillow tries to fight me, I’m going to win.”

PUCK POSITION

Being stationed between the teams’ benches allows McGuire immediate access to what the reactions and transpirings are as they happen, as does Darren Pang for Blues telecasts on Fox Sports Midwest. 1144351 St Louis Blues

A peek into Blues' radio booth for classic call

By Dan Caesar St. Louis Post-Dispatch 20 hrs ago

First there is play-by-play broadcaster Chris Kerber’s scintillating call:

“Thomas off the wall, shoots and it’s in! They score! It’s the St. Louisan, Pat Maroon! Bring out the Zamboni! Pat Maroon just put the city on his shoulders and he sends them to the conference finals! A 2-1 win in double overtime over the Dallas Stars!”

The video next shows what happened in the booth, as Kerber high-fives analyst Joey Vitale and others there, then gives hand signs to Vitale to stay silent while the crowd’s loud cheers fill the airwaves. After about 15 seconds he points to Vitale with the “go” signal.

“Pat Maroon. On May 7, Game 7, he’s No. 7 and is the Towel Man,” Vitale says. “Pat Maroon, the hero. He grew up in Oakville and this is what he’s dreamt about ever since playing floor hockey in his garage.”

STL ROUTS DALLAS

It was a thrilling, nail-biting second-round Stanley Cup playoff series between the Blues and Stars, going down to the second overtime of the winner-take-all seventh game Tuesday night.

The Blues eked out the victory, 2-1, on a goal by Maroon.

But there was nothing close about the television ratings for the game, or the series. St. Louis trounced Dallas in terms of viewership for Game 7, and the series as a whole. According to Nielsen, which tracks viewership, 16 percent of homes with a TV in the Gateway City tuned into the final game, while the rating in “Big D” was 5.2.

For the series, St. Louis averaged a 12.0 rating. Dallas was at 3.8.

Viewership in St. Louis for the decisive contest peaked during the first overtime, when the rating was 21.3 from 10:15-10:30 p.m. There were an estimated 377,000 viewers then. Evidently a significant number of fans went to bed after that, because the rating was 18.7 from 10:45-11 p.m. — when the game ended. The estimated number of viewers in that span was 337,000.

Interestingly, the contest (on NBCSN) walloped the Cardinals-Phillies telecast (on Fox Sports Midwest) when they overlapped for much of the night. The baseball game drew a 4.2 rating, the Cards’ worst for a prime- time game so far this season. It was hurt by the fact the Cards fell behind 6-0 in the second inning en route to an 11-1 blowout loss.

The St. Louis rating for the Blues-Stars series, 12.0, was better than the number generated in the market the last time the Blues were in the second round. The figure for the matchup with Nashville in 2017 was 9.2.

BY THE NUMBERSTelevision ratings in Dallas and St. Louis for the Blues-Stars second-round NHL playoff series:

GAME DAL STL

1. 3.1 12.5

2. 3.4 10.3

3. 3.3 11.8

4. 3.3 11.5

5. 3.1 9.3

6. 5.2 12.4

7. 5.2 16.0

Avg. 3.8 12.0

Notes: Game 2 on NBC (KSDK, Channel 5 locally). All others on NBCSN.

The rating is the percent of homes with a TV tuning in.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144352 St Louis Blues up front, the lines, the people they have up front _ pretty good balance all-around."

DEFENSIVE GOALS RETURN Gunnarsson's status uncertain for opener against San Jose The Blues outlasted Dallas four games to three in their Western Conference semifinal series despite getting no goals from two of their top By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch May 9, 2019 four scorers during the regular season _ Ryan O'Reilly and Brayden Schenn. Their power play went only two for 22.

It helped to get to get four goals from the rejuvenated Jaden Schwartz in After playing in the last two games of the Winnipeg series, and all seven the series. And four goals from the Maroon-Tyler Bozak-Robert Thomas contests in Round 2 against Dallas, there's some uncertainty regarding line, including a pair of game-winners by Maroon. Carl Gunnarsson's status for the Western Conference finals against San Jose. But the Blues also got a pick-me-up from their defensemen. After an 11- game goal drought that began over the final four games of the regular The last of Gunnarsson's 26 shifts in Tuesday's Game 7 victory over season, extended through the entire six-game playoff series against Dallas came with 3 minutes 2 seconds remaining in the first overtime. Winnipeg and Game 1 of the Dallas series, the Blues' D-corps The veteran defenseman was not on the ice at all in the second overtime, contributed four goals over the final six games of Round 2. which ended when Pat Maroon's goal gave St. Louis at 2-1 victory at the 5:50 mark. Three of the goals came in Blues' victories, including Vince Dunn's goal to open the scoring in Tuesday's series-clinching victory at Enterprise Gunnarsson did not participate in an optional skate Thursday at the Center. IceZone in Hazelwood. The goals came from predictable sources. During the regular season, the "We'll see how he is tomorrow," interim coach Craig Berube said. Blues had three defensemen score 10 or more goals in the same season for the first time in franchise history in Alex Pietrangelo (13 goals), Dunn Berube said it was a lower-body issue for Gunnarsson, who played in (12) and Colton Parayko (10). That's where the Blues' defensemen goals only 25 regular-season games due to a variety of issues. He did not play came in the Dallas series with two by Pietrangelo and one apiece by the his first regular-season game until Nov. 1 as he completed rehab and Dunn and Paryako. recovery from hip and knee surgeries last spring. Even without many goals in the postseason, the Blues D-corps has been He then missed the final month and a half of the 2018 calendar year and contributing to the offense. After Round 2, the Blues had four goals and then most of February and March with a nagging wrist injury. 27 assists from their defensemen in the playoffs, second only to San When Gunnarsson has been on the ice, he's been solid as usual, a Jose. calming influence on the defense who's positionally sound and is good at With an assist on Dunn's goal Tuesday, Pietrangelo set a new career- maneuvering in tight areas. high in points for a single postseason with 11 points on two goals and If Gunnarsson is unable to play in Saturday's Round 3 opener at San nine assists. He has recorded at least one point in 10 of the Blues' 13 Jose, Robert Bortuzzo would be back in the lineup. Bortuzzo has played games this postseason. in six posteason games, but was a healthy scratch the last three games St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.11.2019 of the Dallas series.

BACK TO WORK

After a day off Wednesday, the Blues had a heavily-attended optional practice Thursday at the IceZone. All told, 23 players participated, including several Black Aces (playoff call-ups from San Antonio).

Besides Gunnarsson, the only players from the regular roster who did not participate Thursday were Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, Colton Parayko, Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas.

"I think they like to go out in those optionals," Berube said. "It's not structured so much. They can kind of do their own thing a little bit and just get moving around. We don't want guys doing nothing today. It's important to do something.

"So we make it optional and they decide if they want to go out or if they want to do something in the gym."

The Blues flew out Thursday afternoon for San Jose, a day earlier than they would under normal circumstances.

"West Coast," Berube said. "Just get out there a little early, get settled in. And I think it's good we can have a practice there tomorrow."

HERE COME THE SHARKS

The Blues went 1-1-1 against San Jose in the regular season, but two of those games were played before Berube replaced Mike Yeo as head coach on Nov. 19. So although the Blues will look at those games, Berube said what San Jose has done in the playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche is more relevant.

"A deep team for sure," Berube said of the Sharks. "Veteran team. You've got a lot of guys that have been there for a long time in that organization. They're very successful."

Berube said the Sharks have more balance than the Dallas Stars throughout their lineup.

"On the back end they have two high-end defensemen in (Erik) Karlsson and (Brent) Burns, a lot like (Miro) Heiskanen and (John) Klingberg (of Dallas)," Berube said. "Good skaters, get up the ice, create offense. But 1144353 St Louis Blues — CRISTIANO SIMONETTA (@CMS_74_) FEBRUARY 8, 2019

Schenn had seen video of Binnington’s mild-mannered response to Maroon’s goal Tuesday but hadn’t seen his casual skate out of the Eye of the Tiger: Jordan Binnington’s cold blood has NHL goalie alums crease after his game-winner against the Lightning. buzzing “That’s my goal in Tampa Bay?” Schenn asked as he watched the clip. “The guy is all business. He has one thing on his mind, and that’s By Jeremy Rutherford May 10, 2019 obviously the Stanley Cup.”

Told of Schenn’s comment about being focused on the Cup, Binnington replied: “Yeah, sure, you could go with that. … I don’t know, whatever.” SAN JOSE, Calif. — Pat Maroon looked at the video playing on the cellphone in front of him and smiled. He was watching the overhead view Binnington actually acknowledged Friday that he’s aware people are of Blues goalie Jordan Binnington at the exact moment when Maroon watching these overhead views and getting a kick out of it, and that’s part scored the game-winning goal in double overtime of Game 7 on of the reason he’s doing it. Tuesday. “I do it on purpose,” he said. “I just try to keep it interesting and give “That’s just how ‘Binner’ is,” Maroon said. “He doesn’t show a lot of people something to talk about. I like when people make their own stories emotion, he doesn’t get too excited … he’s always flat line. He’s just the out of it, so I’ll let you guys keep wondering what’s going on here.” same guy all the time — calm and cool, and there’s one thing on his Well, Binnington is succeeding in that area as well. mind, and that’s to win.” Weekes, an analyst for the NHL Network, was in the studio Tuesday and If you haven’t seen the clip yet, Cristiano Simonetta, my co-host on “The saw right away what everybody would be talking about over the next few Blue Line” podcast, tweeted it after the Blues’ defeat of Dallas. In it, days. Binnington might possibly be the only person inside Enterprise Center not wearing a Stars sweater who wasn’t delirious. “My natural thing would have been like, ‘This is unbelievable — what a goal, Patty! Oh, my God.’ You know, that type of thing,” Weekes said. ALRIGHT GUYS, IT'S THE GIF YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: “It’s not that he necessarily didn’t feel that. It’s just that perhaps he didn’t THE EXTREMELY PASSIONATE REACTION FROM JORDAN outwardly express that. I would say it’s crazy, yeah, it is crazy, but it’s the BINNINGTON AFTER PAT MAROON SCORES IN DOUBLE way in which he’s wired. So it’s actually in keeping with how he’s carrying OVERTIME TO SEND THE BLUES TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE himself.” FINAL … PIC.TWITTER.COM/VCXQPBNBOP Two of only a handful of Toronto-area-born NHL goalies, and both former — CRISTIANO SIMONETTA (@CMS_74_) MAY 8, 2019 netminders for the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League, Weekes has known Binnington for many years and says the demeanor of Those in St. Louis weren’t the only ones to take note of Binnington’s ho- the 25-year-old stems from the fact his NHL debut was delayed because hum reaction to the Blues clinching a spot in the Western Conference of the Blues’ lack of faith in him. final against San Jose, a best-of-seven series that begins with Game 1 on Saturday at the SAP Center. “Without giving away too much, he doesn’t want other people to dictate,” Weekes said. “Like, he’s a guy — if I can go a little deeper without When I reached out to three former NHL goalies to ask them about betraying anything — the organization saw him as a fourth goalie, man. I Binnington, these were the responses I received. kept hearing about (prospect Ville) Husso, and I like Husso, but I’d be like, ‘Well, yeah, but what about Binnington?’ “The non-reactions?” said Kevin Weekes, an 11-year veteran. “A lot of people had authoritative control over his opportunity, his destiny, “I saw his reactions or non-reactions,” said Brent Johnson, a 12-year vet or lack thereof at times, and to his credit, he’s been able to channel who spent five seasons with the Blues. perhaps some of his frustration by playing well and believing in himself. “That was crazy,” said Chris Mason, an 11-year vet who was a Blue for Again, they had him pegged as the fourth guy, and he comes in and does two of those years. “I was surprised that there wasn’t a little more something that is unheard of.” (emotion) because, first of all, that was an incredible game and that Still, even understanding Binnington’s motivation, Weekes has been overtime was absolutely sick in terms of the action and the drama of that wowed by his ability to stay even-keeled. series. But every second, the kid has got ice in his veins.” “It’s a great Zen quality, man,” he said. “It’s kind of like, you know, like Sitting at his locker stall after Friday’s practice, Binnington described his Bruce Lee. It’s so unique and it’s very evolved; it’s a very evolved way of emotions after Maroon’s goal, one of several in sudden-death this thinking. The key thing that it exudes to me is that you’re self-assured season in which the goaltender has skated away from the crease like it and that you’re in control. was the end of a morning skate. “Believe me, I’m not saying that you cut him with a knife and he’s not “Just relief,” Binnington said of the ending Tuesday. “You don’t really going to bleed. We’re all people, but it’s almost like … I don’t know if he think that much until it gets to that point. You’re just trying to focus on went to a monastery or what, but to have that type of discipline, your job and give your teammates a chance to win, and then that puck emotional discipline and psychological discipline, that is very, very, very goes in and it’s just a huge relief. I was just happy that it was over and evolved.” we were moving on to the next round.” Said Binnington: “I think there’s a time and a place. I am an emotional But even for a rookie who won nine consecutive games and 15 of his first guy, but I just try to control it and try to act like you’ve done the walk 18 decisions, isn’t it hard to contain himself? before.” “It doesn’t feel that hard,” Binnington replied. That’s exactly what Johnson, who set a Blues rookie record with seven Not even a fist pump when he gets home? consecutive wins in 2001 that was later matched and surpassed by Binnington, suspected of the situation. “That’s between me and myself,” he deadpanned. “To me, it’s one way or the other,” Johnson said. “It’s either ignorance is The scene Tuesday, even though the playoff stakes were much higher, bliss and he is not grasping the gravity of the situation, how heavy the was no different from the way Binnington has reacted after massive wins surroundings are. But I don’t think it’s that because he’s been a pro for a during the regular season. Here’s a look at him after Brayden Schenn few years. I just think, truthfully, there’s two different kind of goaltenders scored in overtime for a 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay, the top team in the — there’s goaltenders that have ice water in their veins, that are always league, Feb. 7. cool, calm and collected. Or there’s the goalies like a (Sergei) Bobrovsky, who’s got that nervous energy but he makes those big saves. I feel like THE PASSIONATE REACTION FROM JORDAN BINNINGTON AFTER Binnington is kind of that guy that’s got the ice water in his veins and he’s SCHENN SCORES IN OVERTIME … #STLBLUES got that quiet confidence. PIC.TWITTER.COM/R6ZH49VIXK “Just watching those clips, that’s kind of what it seems like to me. Maybe went out and won the Conn Smythe that year and they won the Cup. I it’s that cliche ‘act like you’ve been there’ attitude. But the thing is, I’m could just see it in him, and I can see a lot of that in Binner. I think people watching Game 7, and he makes an absolutely remarkable blocker save are getting a great glimpse of Jordan Binnington, the goalie and the on (Dallas’ John Klingberg) through traffic, and it was a save where a guy person.” who is passive wouldn’t be able to make. It’s like he has those two sets of characteristics, where he can be reserved at times and he can play a If not from Weekes, take it from Maroon, the guy whose goal Binnington little aggressive at times. To me, he’s got the best of both worlds, and I didn’t celebrate. mean, he’s playing like it. He plays an absolutely engaging game, very “This is the only goalie I’ve seen like this, so it’s pretty neat,” Maroon intriguing to watch.” said. “I mean, that’s his personality. That just sums up what kind of guy Mason, who had 57 wins for the Blues from 2008 to 2010, has also been he is. He’s a great kid in this locker room, a great kid on and off the ice, intrigued. and I’m really happy for him. People are really enjoying these kind of moments.” “I heard (Binnington’s) interview in the middle of the year when somebody asked him if he was nervous after one of the games,” Mason The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 said. “He said with a straight face — we all saw the video about 100 times — ‘Do I look nervous?’ He kind of had a smirk, and at first I didn’t know how to take it. I was just like, ‘What’s this kid’s deal? I need to know more. Like, what’s going on here?’ You never know if somebody is for real until they do it over and over again, but now that I’ve seen him play a lot more, I really feel that his focus and his preparation, he’s already starting to prepare for the next game.”

Mason, now an analyst in Nashville, Tennessee, was watching Game 5 of the St. Louis-Winnipeg first-round series April 18, when the Blues rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to win 3-2. In that game, Jaden Schwartz netted the go-ahead and eventually game-winning goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. Once again, Binnington had little to no reaction, and then when the horn sounded to end the game, he skated off before the club was able to congratulate him.

THE EXTREMELY PASSIONATE REACTION FROM JORDAN BINNINGTON AFTER JADEN SCHWARTZ SCORED WITH 15 SECONDS LEFT IN THE THIRD … PIC.TWITTER.COM/FLNIJ7Y8IS

— CRISTIANO SIMONETTA (@CMS_74_) APRIL 19, 2019

“I was a little surprised when he did that,” Mason said. “But I felt it was a message to the team. Like, ‘Hey, guys, that was great, we expected to win that one, but we’ve got to win the next one to win the series.’ It was a little different, but I love that kind of stuff. He’s getting the job done, and I think he’s just doing whatever he feels he has to, to stay in that zone.”

Binnington acknowledged that the preplanned move was intended to exude assurance.

“Yeah, I try to have a positive influence on teammates,” he said. “We’ve got some great leaders on this team, and I try to do my part, being a good role guy. Who knows? You’ll have to ask them.”

We did ask them.

“I think he has a lot of confidence in himself, jumping in this situation and playing as well as he is all year and in the playoffs, and he instills confidence in our group,” Blues goalie Jake Allen said.

“Exactly, he’s the man, and he shows it,” Blues forward David Perron said.

Even if he doesn’t show it with the same emotion as other goalies in the league. Below are two examples, featuring San Jose’s Martin Jones after a Sharks game-winning goal in Game 7 against Vegas and Carolina’s Petr Mrazek after a Game 7 win over Washington.

MRAZEK WITH THE SLIP-N-SLIDE CELLY! PIC.TWITTER.COM/EORRORSR1Y

— FLINTOR (@THEFLINTOR) APRIL 25, 2019

But take it from somebody who knows Binnington: Weekes says his nondescript behavior is not meant to draw attention to himself.

“I know this for a fact — a big part of it for him, as much as he’s getting a lot of the accolades himself, is earning his way, playing well for his teammates and helping make a difference,” Weekes said. “He’s a very team-oriented guy, and he puts a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to be able to deliver for his team. Obviously we’re talking about him individually, but for him, it’s about him individually doing his role to help them collectively. It’s not about him getting caught up or getting arrogant.

“I’m telling you now, I can see the tiger in his eyes. (Los Angeles’) Jonathan Quick had it the first time I met him. Pregame skate, I was doing a game for “,” and I’m like, ‘Yo, you’re a helluva goalie, man.’ This was in 2012, and the next thing you know, he 1144354 Tampa Bay Lightning Kucherov misplayed the puck and then, either from frustration or to keep Nutivaara from recovering it, tripped him.

Kucherov has the skill to avoid the tripping, slashing, holding penalties. Nikita Kucherov achieved superstar status, but there’s still something But he gets lazy at times and takes the easy way out. That (and missing disappearing in the playoffs) keeps him from reaching yet another level of superstardom.

By Diana C. Nearhos Kucherov’s season in review

Published Yesterday High: Kucherov had a 12-game point streak that ran from Dec. 4-Jan. 3, featuring eight goals and 21 assists.

Low: Kucherov’s one-game suspension in the playoffs put the Lightning, TAMPA — Superstar is a big word. It evokes athletes such as Connor down 2-0 in the series, in a worse position. McDavid, LeBron James, Aaron Judge and Tom Brady. By the numbers They can welcome the Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov to the club. 22 Kucherov shocked, awed and dazzled the NHL this season. He went from good — even great — to special as he left records and milestones Seasons since anyone scored at least 128 points, which Kucherov did to in his wake. He earned his favorite role for the league’s two MVP awards, lead the league (Mario Lemieux had 161 and Jaromir Jagr 149 in 1995- the Hart Trophy (voted by the media) and the Ted Lindsey Award (voted 96) by the players). 12

[ More Lightning: Cedric Paquette's disruptive play connects for the Points separating NHL leader Kucherov and runnerup Connor McDavid, Lightning ] who won the points title the previous year by six

He totaled 128 points; no one had scored more than 125 in 20 years. No 7 Russian NHL player had done so. Kucherov demolished Vinny Lecavalier’s Lightning record of 108 points in a season. He tallied 87 Games in which Kucherov tallied four or more points assists, the most in the NHL since Joe Thornton’s 92 in 2006-07. We could go on. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.11.2019

Before this season, Kucherov had a spot on some’s most-underrated list. No longer. The 25-year-old earned the $4.8 million raise coming as his new eight-year contract ($9.5 million a year) kicks in next season.

He’s that exciting player who lifts people out of their seats when he has the puck, as Lightning coach Jon Cooper says. Kucherov could be psychic the way he sees multiple steps ahead, sometimes putting himself in what looks like the wrong position until it turns out exactly right.

Something is missing, though. And it’s not just playoff goals. Kucherov is a brilliant player, but he hasn’t shown the leadership coaches hope for from superstars.

The most glaring example: his playoff suspension. Kucherov let his temper flare as the Lightning trailed the Blue Jackets in Game 2 of their first-round sweep loss. After misplaying the puck, he tripped Columbus defenseman Markus Nutivaara, then boarded him, making primary contact with Nutivaara’s head.

The Department of Player Safety called it an example of message sending, in addition to frustration, in its video explaining the one-game suspension it gave Kucherov for the play.

Kucherov didn’t have much to say about the play or the suspension.

“Yeah, it sucks,” was about as expansive as he got on the subject during a media session. He followed that with two “no comments” and “next question” twice.

Whether Kucherov wants to talk to the media (he doesn’t), he owes fans some accountability. He also owes his teammates the same, and he might have addressed them (when asked if he had during that media session, he gave one of the “next question” answers), but he’s not the type for a dressing room speech.

This wasn’t an isolated incident, either, in terms of league discipline. He also received his first fine this season, for a slew foot of Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield on Feb. 1.

Also, Kucherov took the second-most penalties on the Lightning this year. His 24 minors were the most among skill forwards. Next was at 16.

He isn’t the only star to take a lot of minor penalties. Mikko Rantanen led the Avalanche forwards. Alex Ovechkin was third on the Capitals. Sam Bennett was the Flames’ most-penalized forward. And Brad Marchand led the Bruins in the regular season.

The issue is the kind of penalties Kucherov takes. Too many of his minors come from frustration. The trip of Nutivaara doesn’t stick out from that play, but it’s more typical of Kucherov’s penalties. On that play, 1144355 Tampa Bay Lightning Hits, four short of the franchise season record set by Radko Gudas

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.11.2019

Cedric Paquette’s disruptive play connects for the Lightning

By Diana C. Nearhos

Published May 9

Updated Yesterday

TAMPA — Cedric Paquette knows his role.

He’s a pest, an agitator. He buzzes around on the Lightning’s fourth line disrupting opponents.

He might take it a little too far sometimes — the Capitals thought so after he injured Michal Kempny in a March 20 game — but for the most part, he hasn’t received supplemental discipline. Paquette, this year playing his most games for the Lightning in his sixth season at age 25, found a way to increase his productivity.

“The biggest thing is now when he has the puck, he’s looking up and trying to make that play,” Ryan Callahan said late in the regular season, “where maybe before, he was concentrating so much on hitting that you forget about the other side.”

Physicality can create opportunities. Coming in hard on the forecheck might force a defenseman to move the puck quicker and perhaps make a mistake.

That would give Paquette more opportunities to play with the puck. However, Callahan said, sometimes playing on the fourth line, a player can be hyper aware of his chances, not wanting to do something wrong and limit his already few shifts.

The fourth line isn’t far from the press box.

After a dip in play last year (career lows nearly across the board in 56 games), Paquette, who signed a one-year contract in the offseason and can be a restricted free agent July 1, wanted to be more effective this season. He made a point to improve his play with the puck. By doing so, he also improved his game physically and neared career highs in most categories playing in 80 games.

Paquette’s 269 hits were almost double his previous high of 144. His faceoff percentage of 52.8 was a career high and second among the Lightning’s four main centers.

His ice time reflected that. Paquette averaged two minutes more a game, including 1:28 more shorthanded, as he became one of the Lightning’s go-to penalty killers.

He might have had even more time on the penalty kill if he hadn’t been in the penalty box so often. He led the team with 80 penalty minutes, 14 more than anyone else and 44 more than the team average. His 30 minor penalties were tied for fifth in the league.

To some extent, that comes with a physical style of play, but it’s still too high a number. Particularly as someone who is effective on the kill, Paquette could stand to rein it in some.

Cedric Paquette’s season in review

High: Paquette scored twice in a March 11 win over the Maple Leafs, his first multigoal game since Dec. 1, 2016.

Low: Unnecessary penalties kept Paquette off the ice and put the Lightning at a man disadvantage too often.

By the numbers

10

Percentage, roughly, of the Lightning’s 763 penalty minutes this season that came from Paquette (team-high 80)

13

Goals for Paquette, a career high. His 87 shots were four off his career season high.

269 1144356 Toronto Maple Leafs Byng Trophy in 1951, 1953 and 1954 as the league’s most gentlemanly player.

In 1954, Kelly was named the first winner of the James Norris Trophy as Eight-time Stanley Cup champion Red Kelly remembered at funeral in the NHL’s top defenceman. Toronto | The Star Things would eventually sour in Detroit and he was traded to New York, but rather than accept the deal, the eight-time all-star retired.

By Joshua ClippertonThe Canadian Press The Leafs convinced him to change his mind, and he was instead shipped to Toronto, where Kelly would lift the Cup as a centre in 1962 — the franchise’s first title since 1951 — 1963, 1964 and 1967, the team’s Red Kelly only ever got two phone calls from the NHL. last championship.

The first came from league president in 1960 when As if he wasn’t doing enough on the ice, Kelly doubled as a Liberal he refused to report to New York after the Detroit Red Wings traded him member of Parliament from 1962 to 1965, commuting to Ottawa between to the Rangers. practices and games.

The second — more than half a century later — was from Gary Bettman “He won four Stanley Cups playing defence and four Stanley Cups as a to inform the eight-time Stanley Cup champion he’d been named one of centreman,” said Sittler, who also played for Kelly in the 1970s. “That’s the NHL’s top 100 players. amazing in of itself. But to leave hockey and give back to the community, make it a better place, that’s what we know Red to be.” “This call’s much better,” Kelly told the commissioner. Kelly retired following the 1966-1967 season, finishing with 281 goals Kelly, who died last week at age 91, was remembered at his funeral on and 542 assists in 1,316 regular-season games, to go along with 33 Friday as a gentleman, hockey icon and pillar in the community. goals and 59 assists in 164 playoff outings. He suited up for 20 NHL seasons from 1947 to 1967, won four Cups His eight Cup victories are the most by an individual that didn’t play for each with Detroit and the Toronto Maple Leafs, switched from defence to the Montreal Canadiens. centre mid-career, and was twice elected to Parliament while still playing. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969, Kelly went onto coach “It was the ability to be the person he was that was so important,” said three teams over 10 seasons — including the Leafs — finishing with a former Toronto teammate Bob Baun. “Red never did change, always combined record of 278-330-134. such a great guy, very thoughtful and caring. He made headlines in 1976 by unveiling “Pyramid Power” — placing Read more: Red Kelly, Maple Leafs and Red Wings hockey legend, dies pyramids under the team’s bench after wife Andra had read of their at 91 supposed power — during a playoff series with the Philadelphia Flyers, “He was as honest as the day is long.” which Toronto still lost in seven games.

The flying redhead — born Leonard Patrick Kelly — spent nearly 13 “If you ever wanted to have an idol to model yourself after, you couldn’t seasons with Detroit as a defenceman before a trade to the Leafs gave go wrong with Red,” said Gregory, GM of the Leafs when Kelly was birth to his second act as a centre. coach. “The only thing I can say that was bad was the way (former owner Harold) Ballard treated him. “One of the all-timers,” said Eddie Shack, another of Kelly’s Toronto teammates. “One of the greatest.” “Harold fired both of us, but hasn’t told us yet.”

Shack and Baun were joined by fellow Leafs alumni Frank Mahovlich, Kelly’s No. 4 is retired in Toronto and Detroit, and his statue is part of Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Dick Duff, Ron Ellis, Dave Keon and Jim Legends Row outside Scotiabank Arena, where memorabilia and a book Gregory as honorary pallbearers. of condolence were on display Friday.

“He was a hero to us all,” said McDonald, who played for Kelly when he Kelly — who died on the 52nd anniversary of the Leafs’ last Cup win — is coached Toronto in the 1970s. “We all looked up to him ... how he lived survived by Andra, his wife of 60 years, their four children and eight his life. grandchildren.

“He showed us the way.” “It’s incredible, the quality of life that he led,” Shanahan said. “Just a fantastic example for all of us.” A memorial for Kelly plays outside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Toronto Star LOADED: 05.11.2019 A memorial for Kelly plays outside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press)

As a youngster trying to cut his teeth in the league, McDonald recalled getting regular invites to the coach’s house for dinner, something that would raise eyebrows then and now.

“I didn’t know as a player you weren’t supposed to do that,” McDonald said with a chuckle. “I wasn’t trying to get on the power play. That’s just the way they were. They made me feel so comfortable.

“Red never swore. It was, ‘Holy smollerinos ... son of a sea cookin’ bottle washer.’ That’s the kind of gentleman he was, through and through.”

Bettman, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Kyle Dubas, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman, Red Wings president Christopher Ilitch and former Toronto captain Wendel Clark were also in attendance Friday at Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church to pay their respects.

“As much as he loved the game and he gave great service to the game and to this country ... family was always first,” Bettman said. “That’s something I always respected about him. Great, great man.”

“He was just a real soft-spoken gentleman,” Shanahan added. “Very intelligent, but a very sweet guy.”

The mobile defenceman from Simcoe, Ont., won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955, and took home the Lady 1144357 Toronto Maple Leafs round. Also of note, Adam Keefe, brother of Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe, is an assistant coach for Britain.

Rule changes: The IIHF changed its rules prior to puck drop, Offence already an issue as Canada drops opener to Finland at world announcing the gold-medal game would feature sudden-death three-on- hockey championship | The Star three play, tossing out the shootout in the title game. The shootout remains the tiebreaker in the playoffs if a 10-minute 3-on-3 period fails to produce a winner. Also, the IIHF will reseed teams after the quarterfinals, By Kevin McGran eliminating brackets. That way, the highest seed always gets the lowest seed.

Leafs at the tournament: William Nylander (Sweden), Nikita Zaitsev As the puck dropped on the IIHF world championship in Kosice, Slovakia, (Russia), Martin Marincin (Slovakia). the big question for Canada was where was it going to get offence from with John Tavares back in Toronto with an oblique injury. Toronto Star LOADED: 05.11.2019 And after Canada dropped a 3-1 decision to Finland in its opener, the question remained unanswered.

Kaapo Kakko scored twice, including this one in the first period on Team Canada goaltender Matt Murray, to give Finland a 3-1 victory in the world championship opener for both teams in Kosice, Slovakia.

The Canadians made plays and had opportunities, especially in the second period when they limited Finland to three shots. But Canada’s first and third periods were weak and the big ice seemed to be an issue as it failed to funnel pucks to the high-danger scoring areas.

“I thought we were on our heels in the first period. We got much better in the second, I really liked our second period, but then (Finland) got that bounce (that led to a goal) at the beginning of the third and it put us back a little bit,” Canada coach Alain Vigneault said.

“I think we could have responded a little better, but give (Finland) credit, they played a good game. There’s no doubt in my mind that this group can play better and that’s what we’re going to work on in the next day or two.”

Outside of a first-period power-play goal from Jonathan Marchessault, Canada shot blanks while starting the seven-game preliminary round on a losing note.

Finland, which also beat Canada in the preliminary round last year, has only two NHL players on its roster this year.

Kaapo Kakko: The young Finn, who should go second overall in the June draft behind American Jack Hughes, scored more than a Canadian team filled with NHLers. Kakko opened the scoring, splitting the Canadian defence and giving himself a breakaway in the first period, and closed the scoring into an empty net as time wound down.

Goaltending: It should have been a mismatch. Finland goalie Kevin Lankinen is a 24-year-old who was the backup goalie for Rockford of the AHL, getting into 19 games. Matt Murray, also 24, is the undisputed No. 1 goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins, with two Stanley Cup rings in his possession.

It wasn’t Murray’s fault. He made 24 saves. The game-winner took a very strange bounce — it seemed lost, high up in the Steel Arena — and then fell right to the side of the crease for Arttu Ilomaki to bang home on a power play. Lankinen, meanwhile, made a huge stop on Anthony Mantha when Canada was pressing to tie late in the game.

“We had a lot of chances and their goalie was very good,” said Canada forward Jonathan Marchessault. “For us, there is no excuse and we need to find the back of the net.”

Growth factor: Canada featured 16 players playing in their first world championship, perhaps not fully understanding that other countries — even those with few NHLers — can play the game and probably get up to play Canada more than other teams ... There’s also a matter of getting used to the large ice surface. The Canadian defencemen were often caught playing too far apart, certainly on Kakko’s first goal ... After losing Tavares, Canada had three roster spots available — two of which were filled by Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tyson Jost of the Colorado Avalanche following the game. Both were part of last year’s team that finished fourth.

Up next: Canada plays Great Britain on Sunday. Yes, Great Britain, making its first appearance in the IIHF’s top group since 1994, and second time ever. The Brits are built almost entirely through players in the top British league, many of them Canadian ex-pats. There’s one notable exception: Liam Kirk of the Peterborough Petes, born and raised in England and drafted last year by the Arizona Coyotes in the seventh 1144358 Toronto Maple Leafs “Eight Cups is a pretty good number,” Baun said. “As an athlete, no one ever challenged him. I heard he was a great fighter, too, but we never saw any of that.

Maple Leafs legend Red Kelly celebrated as humble champion “My memory of him was as a Silent Sam. We had a lot in common, both farmers, me from , him from the tobacco country in Simcoe and Dehli (Ont.),” Baun said. Lance Hornby “Red never changed, always thoughtful and caring. He’d never telegraph that, but one thing you knew, he was as honest as the day is long.”

As Red Kelly’s casket emerged from Holy Rosary Church with an honour “ and Ted Lindsay gave a couple of Siamese cats as a guard of Maple Leafs alumni, a small patch of blue and white broke wedding present. (Red and Andra) bred them and I wound up with two. through the overcast sky. He used to chase those cats around my house with an umbrella, a playful side of Red you never saw,” Baun said. A fitting end to Friday’s service that highlighted Kelly’s 91 years; the devout Catholic, family man and among the city’s most beloved hockey Bettman recalled Kelly was the first living member of the NHL’s top 100 players. he phoned to congratulate when the list was compiled for the league’s 2017 centennial. “He was just a great guy, one of the all-timers,” said Eddie Shack, his teammate through four Stanley Cups, including the Leafs’ last in 1967. “He said to me ‘this is only the second call I’ve ever gotten from the “He played defence, he came here (from winning four Cups in Detroit), league. The first was when I wouldn’t report to the Rangers (a 1960 trade played centre and won four more. One of the greatest hockey players, in with Detroit) and Clarence Campbell called. This is much better.’” coaching, too. And he never swore.” At Legends Row a book of condolences for the family was available Shack was joined by honourary pallbearers Frank Mahovlich, Bob Baun, throughout Friday for fans to sign. The trophys won by Kelly — the Norris Dave Keon, Dick Duff, Ron Ellis, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald and Jim and Lady Byng — his ‘67 Leafs jersey, portrait as a Wing and some of Gregory. Also in attendance in the packed church of alumni and friends his championship rings were on display. was Leafs’ President Brendan Shanahan, General Manager Kyle Dubas, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, new Detroit GM Steve Yzerman and Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.11.2019 Wings President Chris Ilitch.

This St. Clair Ave. W. church was Kelly’s home parish, next to his beloved alma mater, St. Michael’s College. The homily was delivered by good friend Monsignor Robert Nusca and final commendation from Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. Family members, led by daughter Casey, gave readings.

“We give thanks for the example of a very gifted man,” Nusca said, “an illustrious professional athlete, a coach, a Member of Parliament (Kelly served in Ottawa while sustaining his Leafs playing career). I will always remember a real gentleman with a wonderful sense of humour.”

Nusca joked how excited he was when Kelly’s statue was announced for Legends Row at Scotiabank Arena a few years ago.

Nusca playfully suggested it first be placed in the church and Kelly, unsure if he was serious, insisted such a display wasn’t allowed.

“We were really lucky, just having our (team) 100th birthday that stories of all of our alumni came to the surface,” said Shanahan. “A new generation of fans got to know Red.”

People as successful in sports as Kelly, who set such a humble example in everyday life, aren’t too common in the modern athletic landscape.

“Red was just one of the nicest people you’d ever meet,” said McDonald, who was a raw rookie from Western Canada when Kelly was coach in the mid 1970s. “Red and Andra (Kelly’s wife) would invite me over the first few years for dinner. I didn’t know as a player you weren’t supposed to do that.”

“I wasn’t trying to get on the power play, that’s just the way they were,” he said. “They made me feel so comfortable and really were responsible for helping me kind of get over the hump.”

McDonald, now the chairman of the Hall of Fame to which Kelly was elected in 1969, named his own baby daughter Andra.

“More than anything, he was a hero to us all — how he lived his life, how he opened his house to total strangers, made them feel comfortable,” he said. “That’s what family is all about.”

“The hockey world is famous for family, and he kind of showed us the way,” McDonald added.

Gregory was GM of the Leafs when Kelly coached and remarked Kelly came through the tumultuous Harold Ballard ownership years without losing his cool.

“If you ever wanted to have an idol to model yourself after, you couldn’t go wrong with Red,” said Gregory.

Baun marvelled at Kelly’s championship pedigree. 1144359 Toronto Maple Leafs defencemen (and something that will take another hit once Jake Gardiner departs in free agency).

This year, Kivihalme’s 259 shot attempts in 60 games ranked third Teemu Kivihalme’s possession-driving, shot-generating game should fit among all Liiga defencemen, while his 135 shots on goal ranked second. with Leafs My viewings illustrated exactly why he’s so successful at getting those opportunities and how he creates them.

By Scott Wheeler May 10, 2019 We’ll start with the mechanics of his shot.

Note: Kivihalme is No. 61 in all of the sequences below.

Whew, the Leafs have been busy. Kivihalme, a left-handed shot (the Marlies have seven righties right now They spent the first week of May adding three European imports, to three lefties, so this is actually an area of need even though it’s one of beginning with the Marlies arrival of 2016’s 31st-overall pick Egor strength in the NHL) uses a slight pre-release adjustment to draw Korshkov and ending with the signings of standout KHL winger Ilya defenders to the left before curling his shot through to the slot: Mikheyev and Liiga defender Teemu Kivihalme. There’s versatility to his wrist shot too because Kivihalme doesn’t just do In the days since, I have watched back a combined 26 games (eight per a good job curling the puck into the centre of his stance and snapping player) in order to bring you this mini-series, which will evaluate the three through it on the left-wing point, he also has the footwork needed to open players individually through video in an effort to give you as complete a up that stance and straddle the offensive zone blue line at the right-wing picture as possible as to what they offer and where they might fit within boards in order to carry the puck to the slot and release off one foot. This the organization. is the more complicated of the two movements but he still makes it look effortless: The series begins with Kivihalme, whose archetypal fit within the Leafs’ recent trend at defence couldn’t be more pronounced. There, the movement is directional in two ways. Kivihalme cradles the puck from his forehand to his backhand while cutting south before As with each player, the eight games I watched are his eight most recent attacking with a shuffle west. (which gives us the best available at the current state of the player’s game, against the toughest possible competition they’ve faced to date). He’s also not afraid to use his one-timer, which is something both the Marlies and the Leafs lacked this year, giving opposing forwards too For Kivihalme, that includes a seven-game series which ended in defeat much time to track out to the point before letting the shot go (or so much in the Liiga final against HPK, and his Karpat team’s deciding game a time that the available shot disappears). round earlier against HIFK. On both the power play and at even strength, Kivihalme is keen to give During that span, I tracked 16 shots on goal, 31 individual shot attempts, the puck to the high winger only to fade away and provide the one-timer two points and an average ice time per game of 21:58. as an option on the give-and-go. It looks like this:

Kivihalme, 23, in his sophomore Liiga season after three years at His one-timer is effective (which isn’t always the case with a shot that Colorado College and several seasons in the Minnesota hockey circuit tends to miss the net a lot) because he extends low through the puck, before that (first in the high school system and then with the USHL’s preventing the shot from sailing high and wide while also creating Fargo Force), became one of the Finnish pro league’s top defencemen. rebounds:

Across the regular season, Champions Hockey League season and There’s more to a shot (and getting them to the net with the volume playoffs, Kivihalme combined for 15 goals and 44 points in 86 games. By Kivihalme does) than the versatility of the release, its footwork or the the time the playoffs rolled around, he was averaging 22:07 a night, willingness and ability to use the one-timer, though. despite being fifth among the team’s six defencemen in power-play ice time (just 11:18 total in 16 games). Kivihalme’s real strength as a defenceman is his ability to finish defensive zone shifts quickly so that he can attack aggressively in His fit is a natural one for a lot of reasons. It should surprise no one that transition. in the Leafs’ apparent annual pursuit of a European defenceman, they settled on one of Liiga’s most dominant possession players, nor should it Watch here, as he attempts to force a tight gap (a trademark to his game surprise anyone that he’s just 6-foot and 181 pounds. and something we’ve seen from players like Travis Dermott and Gardiner at the NHL level), the way Kivihalme corrects against getting beat wide, Kivihalme’s game is built on driving results. He was a major factor in the uses his skating to stick with the forward, catches him, rubs him out Karpat team that won the championship a year ago and the one that below the goal line and makes a simple head-man pass for an assist: finished as silver medallists in defeat to HPK this time around. Kivihalme isn’t an aggressive player in the “I’m going to lay you out” kind In his Liiga career (playoffs included), Karpat outscored their opponents of way but rather an aggressive player in the “I’m going to rub you out 104-55 with Kivihalme on the ice at even strength (an astonishing 65.4 and play in your face all game with and without the puck” kind of way. goals-for percentage for a first- and second-year player in the league). That’s as true in the defensive zone as it is in the neutral zone. When the At 5-on-5 with Kivihalme on the ice, Karpat outshot their opponents 754- opportunity is there, Kivihalme always steps up to challenge opposing 586 this season for a plus-168 shot differential and a 56.3 Corsi For carriers or passers. percentage, which ranked first among Karpat defencemen and seventh among Liiga defencemen who played in more than half of their team’s Look for it here: games. (Coincidentally, the second-best Corsi For percentage player in That aggression is true of Kivihalme as a carrier, too. He prefers to hang the league was fellow Leafs prospect Jesper Lindgren at 58.3 percent). onto the puck than pass it and the end result is a lot of controlled entries. Kivihalme’s possession numbers remained strong in the playoffs too, with Here, notice the way Kivihalme looks off his winger at the bottom of the a 55.2 Corsi For percentage (shots were 235-191 at 5-on-5 in favour of frame, confident he can create the entry with his feet in a more Karpat). dangerous area:

His 104.9 regular season PDO certainly suggests some favourable on- Or the way he recognizes spacing and carries the puck from below the ice luck this season, but Kivihalme leaves Liiga behind as one of its best right-wing circle in his own zone to the top of the left-wing circle in HPK’s: defencemen. Defencemen who create entries with the puck are in a better position to And beyond the stats, what viewings of Kivihalme illuminate is twofold: shoot than those who pass, hence the high shot totals.

Despite already impressive offensive numbers, Kivihalme has room for It isn’t so much about how he enters the zone as much as it is where: the even more offence in his game. He wasn’t just a good player on a good middle of the ice. Kivihalme is so effective as a possession-driving player team. He was a driving force. in part because of the former but largely due to the latter.

Kivihalme loves to shoot the puck and can score in multiple ways, Watch, here, the way Kivihalme tracks across the offensive zone blue something that the Leafs lack at both the NHL and AHL level from their line to receive the pass and attack the middle: In today’s game, coaches preach driving the puck through the centre In a best-case scenario, he makes the team as a No. 6 or No. 7 lane – and Kivihalme is an excellent case study in how to do that defenceman, gives the Leafs more fluidity on the back end than successfully. On the smaller ice in North America (though Liiga plays on Ozhiganov offered and drives results from a possession standpoint in a a hybrid pad), that attitude will have even more value. limited but effective role (while biding time for Rasmus Sandin to go back to the Marlies and continue to develop). Watch below, as soon as Karpat gains possession, the way Kivihalme slides up the left wing, receives the pass, gives, and then drives the front Somewhere in between those two scenarios, Kivihalme is a smart, of the net to redirect the return pass on net: integral piece with a Marlies defence that lacks options on the left side and could lose both Rosen and Sandin (their two strongest lefties) to the Kivihalme routinely does an excellent job sliding into open space to NHL club. If this scenario is to come to fruition, Sheldon Keefe, if he’s still attack through the middle of the ice. On this sequence against HIFK, around as the Marlies’ coach, is definitely going to fall in love with Kivihalme slides off his man to the middle of the ice, delays to make Kivihalme’s game. himself a passing option without going offside and then splits the D for a scoring chance: The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019

Or the way he activates into open space in the neutral zone to push tempo and draw attention:

You’d probably prefer he shoot the puck earlier and follow it to the net rather than cutting laterally and waiting too long, but it’s the mentality to attempt to make this play that makes him who he is.

For Kivihalme, it’s about the approach more than the execution. Because even when those plays don’t result in goals or even high-quality scoring chances, the entries he creates have a positive impact on time spent in the offensive zone (and thus away from his own net).

Watch the way he pounces on a loose puck in the neutral zone and immediately decides his best play is to attack off the wall to the middle and carry with aggression rather than slow up and survey the ice:

If the passing play isn’t immediately there and his teammates don’t make themselves available in the split second after Kivihalme gains control of the puck, he’s going to make the most aggressive available play. Sometimes that’s a cut to centre ice to create an entry and draw attention.

Sometimes that’s carrying the puck even deeper than that, and attacking from below the offensive zone goal line:

Sometimes that’s curling off a cluster of players to throw a bad-angle shot on net because it’s the only available play:

Kivihalme has never been the most talented defenceman on the ice – at any level. I wouldn’t qualify his skill set as dynamic or game-breaking. He’s a fluid though not explosive skater. He’s a good shooter because of his movement more than his power. But his evolution from decent USHL and NCAA defender to dominant Liiga sophomore is a learned evolution.

He’s good because he picks his spot, he’s confident with the puck and he takes it to areas of the ice where he knows the danger of him going there is relatively low and the benefit of doing so is a pronounced impact on shot totals for his team – and thus outcomes.

It takes a certain calmness, calculation and aggression to go inside-out as a defenceman like he does here:

There, Kivihalme has the chance to throw his shot on net from long distance and tries nonetheless to make the tougher play.

Over the course of the games I watched, that approach nearly resulted in more goals than the lone goal he scored.

He slid to the slot to nearly score here:

I don’t know how he didn’t score on this play after sliding to the backdoor:

He was right to go to the slot when HPK collapsed here because there are no forwards in behind him when he makes the decision:

And you can’t help but love the way he makes himself available as the trailer for this chance, even if he misses the net:

In more ways than one, Kivihalme is made for today’s NHL. I suspect, especially with the pending departures of Gardiner and Hainsey, that Kivihalme will be given a shot to challenge for a spot in camp (just as Borgman did in 2017 and Ozhiganov did in 2018), alongside Calle Rosen.

And regardless of the decision Mike Babcock makes on him, there seems to be a match between the way he plays and the way the organization hopes to play.

In a worst-case scenario, he goes back to Europe and the Leafs’ decision is a failed but worthwhile attempt at insulating their defence. 1144360 Vegas Golden Knights

Notable hockey names attend Red Kelly’s funeral in Toronto

By Ben Gotz / RJ

TORONTO — Family, friends and many of hockey’s most luminous names bid farewell to Red Kelly at the NHL great’s funeral Friday.

The eight-time Stanley Cup champion played 20 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, winning four Stanley Cups with each team. He died at 91 on May 2, exactly 52 years after helping the Maple Leafs win their last Stanley Cup in 1967.

Honorary pallbearers at the funeral included Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Bob Baun, Dick Duff, Ron Ellis, Dave Keon, Eddie Shack and Jim Gregory.

“He was a hero to us all,” said McDonald, who played for Kelly when he coached Toronto in the 1970s. “We all looked up to him … how he lived his life. He showed us the way. … Red never swore. It was, ‘Wholly smollerinos … son of a sea cookin’ bottle washer.’ That’s the kind of gentleman he was, through in through.”

Also at the funeral were Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, general manager Kyle Dubas, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and former Toronto captain Wendel Clark.

“As much as he loved the game and he gave great service to the game and to this country … family was always first,” Bettman said. “That’s something I always respected about him. Great, great man.”

Leonard Patrick Kelly started his hockey career as a defenseman but switched to center after his trade to Toronto. He served in the Canadian Parliament and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969.

“It was the ability to be the person he was that was so important,” former Toronto teammate Baun said. “Red never did change, always such a great guy, very thoughtful and caring. He was as honest as the day is long.”

Kelly’s No. 4 is retired in Toronto and Detroit, and his statue is part of Legends Row outside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where memorabilia and a book of condolence were on display Friday.

Kelly is survived by Andra, his wife of 60 years, four children and eight grandchildren.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144361 Vegas Golden Knights

Pope Francis receives custom Golden Knights jersey

Ben Gotz

May 10, 2019 - 10:59 am

Updated May 10, 2019 - 12:27 PM

The Golden Knights’ quest to be a worldwide franchise has expanded to Vatican City.

The team’s Twitter account showed off a photo of Pope Francis receiving a custom Knights jersey Friday. The jersey was delivered by a fan who took the initiative to deliver the threads before a meeting with the head of the Catholic church.

The pope, though not known for his fashion, seemed pretty excited about the new gear.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144362 Vegas Golden Knights

Jonathan Marchessault, Nikita Gusev score in Worlds

Ben Gotz May 10, 2019 - 10:29 am

Golden Knights wingers Jonathan Marchessault and Nikita Gusev scored Friday in their respective teams’ opening games of the 2019 International Federation World Championship in Slovakia.

Marchessault, with assists from Knights teammates Mark Stone and Shea Theodore, scored Canada’s lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Finland. Marchessault was named Canada’s player of the game.

Gusev, who signed an entry-level deal with the Knights on April 14, scored Russia’s fifth goal in a 5-2 win over Norway. Gusev is a restricted free agent this offseason.

Canada and Russia next play Sunday.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144363 Washington Capitals in 2010 by also combining it with a 3-1 series lead in the first round against Montreal. San Jose did that the year before in 2009 by losing to Anaheim.

The Caps are out of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Why you should root for The Sharks rebounded from that ugly loss to make the Western the Sharks or the Blues. Conference Final in 2010 and 2011, but won just one game total in separate series against Chicago and Vancouver. The blown series to the Kings looked like the end for Joe Thornton’s team. By Brian McNally May 10, 2019 2:52 PM Thornton, chosen first overall in the 1997 NHL draft by the Bruins, has been with the Sharks since a 2005 trade. Much like Ovechkin, Thornton was a one-time Hart Trophy winner as league MVP who couldn’t get it The Capitals ended a 44-year Stanley Cup drought last spring picking up done in the playoffs. He remains on the short list of best active players fans from other cities along the way as Alex Ovechkin and company never to win a Cup now that Ovechkin is off it. finally broke through with a title after so many misses. There’s one other connection between the Ovechkin-era Capitals and With Washington out in the first round this time, there’s an easy choice San Jose: They both lost to Pittsburgh in the 2016 playoffs. Washington for this year’s version of a long-suffering team that could finally have its won the Presidents’ Trophy that year, too, but was beaten in six games moment of glory. In fact, there are two of them. by its rival in the second round. That was also the same year the Sharks The St. Louis Blues will play the San Jose Sharks in the Western reached the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in franchise history, but Conference Final beginning Saturday night at 8 p.m. on NBC. Those they lost in six games to the Penguins and were denied a title. teams, in their own way, check all of the Capitals’ boxes perfectly: An That year looked like the big breakthrough for San Jose when it finally agonizing history of near misses, heartbreaking playoff losses, massive won the West. It’s opponent in the conference final that spring? The choke jobs and a laundry list of seasons that could have been the one, Blues, whom they beat in six games. Now each team finds itself with yet but weren’t. another chance to join the Capitals in the Stanley Cup club and once and All due respect to the Eastern Conference teams, the Boston Bruins have for all make their tortured fanbases' dreams come true. Fans in won the Stanley Cup plenty of times, including as recently as 2011, and Washington can relate. the Carolina Hurricanes, for all their goofy, Cinderella charm and young Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 talent, won the Cup in 2006. Yes, Raleigh has had a championship parade.

That must be as infuriating to Blues fans as it was to Capitals fans before last year’s title run. Carolina only got its team in 1997, after all, when the relocated. The Hurricanes have played in the Cup Final twice (2002, 2006) and have now made the conference final two other times (2009, 2019).

St. Louis was an expansion team in 1967-68 when the NHL finally went beyond six teams. Yes, the Blues played in the Cup final each of their first three seasons (1968, 1969, 1970). The legendary photo of Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr scoring the winning goal in overtime to win the Cup came against St. Louis in Game 5 of the 1970 series.

But back then the NHL kept its established teams in one conference and its six expansion teams in the other. Someone had to be the sacrificial lamb in the championship round. The Blues were swept in all three Stanley Cup Final series they played and haven’t been back since.

That’s 47 seasons since St. Louis last played for a title and 50 seasons without one. That beats even the Capitals, who went 43 seasons and 44 years (there was one season canceled because of a lockout) before winning that elusive Stanley Cup for the first time.

And don’t take that to mean the Blues were bad. Much like Washington, St. Louis has made the playoffs year after year after year. In 51 seasons, the Blues have made it 42 times. They rank seventh in wins (1,860) and seventh in points (4,300) during that half-century. And yet they have reached even as far as the Western Conference Final just three times (1986, 2001, 2016).

That’s eerily similar to the Capitals’ sustained stretch of success with 28 playoff appearances in 35 seasons before they finally broke through with their first Cup last spring.

But if St. Louis is about even with the Capitals in longevity, it is the Sharks who have matched them in utter and complete heartbreak. Remember, Washington has blown a 3-1 playoff series lead five different times. That has only happened 28 times ever.

San Jose has that one topped. The Sharks blew a 3-0 series lead to the Los Angeles Kings in 2014. That is one of only four times that’s happened in NHL history. It didn’t help that the Kings were good enough to go on and win the Stanley Cup.

It was one of many missed opportunities for the Sharks, who have the most wins (638) and most points (1,400) in the NHL since the 2005-06 season. The Capitals are third (612 wins, 1,357 points) during that stretch, which encompasses Alex Ovechkin’s entire career.

Both teams have won the Presidents’ Trophy for the best record in the league and yet lost in the first round. Washington did it in glorious fashion 1144364 Washington Capitals bolster its lineup. Based on how he looked in the AHL this season, the Caps could do worse than a player like Walker.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.11.2019 Could Nathan Walker be a fourth-line option for the cash-strapped Capitals next season?

By J.J. Regan May 10, 2019 6:43 AM

HERSHEY, Pa. – Forward Nathan Walker came to the podium missing a tooth and with a busted lip, evidence of the high-stick he took in Tuesday’s playoff game between the Hershey Bears and . The penalty drew a double-minor and Walker, who plays on Hershey’s power play, was right back on the ice after the team trainer managed to stop the bleeding.

“It's the playoffs,” Walker said. “I would do anything for anyone in that room, I'd play for anyone. At the end of the day, we all want to win and I think in order for everyone to win on this team, we all have to buy in, which everyone is. It's just the way it is. You get high-sticked, who cares? You're going to go back out there and play.”

Walker plays the game with the same sort of persistence and tenaciousness as he showed by getting back onto the ice. He is relentless around the puck, battling with any player who stands between him and gaining possession. Though not the Bears’ best offensive player by any means, there never seemed to be a moment that Charlotte could let its guard down when Walker was on the ice because of his sheer determination to battle for and win the puck.

That determination was rewarded as he scored the Bears’ only goal of the game. He battled for position in the front of the net and got his stick down on the ice to redirect a pass.

“He's a gritty player, gets high-sticked, he's bleeding everywhere and he's right back out there, scores a big goal for us to get up in that period,” Hershey head coach Spencer Carbery said. “So yeah, those are the things that are his identity and what he does.”

Those type of qualities seem well-suited for a fourth-line role in the NHL and the Capitals may just be in the market for a fourth-line player this offseason given the team’s salary cap constraints.

With Carl Hagelin, Brett Connolly and Devante Smith-Pelly becoming unrestricted free agents and Andre Burakovsky, Jakub Vrana, Chandler Stephenson and Dmitrij Jaskin all restricted free agents, there is going to be roster turnover in the summer. Washington does not have the money to keep all of those players, but still must find a way to replace them all for next season. A player like Walker could be a cheap alternative to add to the fourth line.

There are some possible issues, however, the most obvious of which is the fact that Walker is set to become a UFA and may not even be with the Capitals organization next season. Riley Barber is also set to become a UFA and is not shy about the fact that he is ready to move on from an organization that he feels has given him little chance to prove himself at the NHL level. After six seasons in Hershey with only 11 total NHL games during that time, you could see Walker perhaps harboring the same feelings.

“I think if you're going to ask any hockey player in the world if they're not playing in the NHL, obviously you want to be,” Walker said. “That's where everyone wants to be. It is what it is.”

When asked, however, Walker indicated he was happy with the organization and would be open to re-signing with Washington.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “They've always been good to me and I've found a second home [in Hershey] pretty much. This is my sixth year with the organization now. They've treated me well.”

There are certainly some physical limitations Washington would have to consider before giving Walker an NHL role. At only 5 feet 8 inches and 179 pounds, Walker is very undersized. His style of play can also get him into trouble as he can get caught out of position chasing the puck leading to defensive breakdowns or forced penalties.

If the Caps re-sign Walker, with so many questions about his game he would certainly have to earn his spot on the NHL roster. But the salary cap being what it is, Washington is going to have to find cheap options to 1144365 Washington Capitals played with an average of 1 minute, 39 seconds on the penalty kill and he also ranked first in faceoff percentage at 51.9 percent.

That performance prompted Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan Goodbye stressful summer: Contract extension provides Capitals’ Nic to initiate talks on an extension and eventually lock up the center position Dowd and wife, Paige, welcomed security for next season with Dowd, Nicklas Backstrom, and Lars Eller all in the fold.

By Chris Kuc May 10, 2019 “Coming into camp obviously I had to make the team but my expectation at that time was to just have a good year and see what happens from there,” Dowd said. “Early in the season and the middle of the season I knew I wanted to stay here if I could. But I can only control how I play so When Nic and Paige Dowd made the drive from Arlington, Va., to their when they reached out to me and said that they were willing to start home in Minnesota last weekend, they brought along something very negotiations I was really excited. I feel like they’ve committed to me for meaningful to their lives — and we’re not just talking about their beloved those three years here and it’s a privilege for me to stay within the golden retriever, Arlo. organization.” The Dowds also carried with them something they hadn’t had much of While the $100,000 per season raise will come in handy, it was the during Nic’s professional hockey career: job security. length of the deal that most appealed to the Dowd. Thanks to a resurgent season with the Capitals, Nic Dowd earned a “Term is important,” said Dowd, who will turn 29 later this month. “One of three-year, $2.25 million contract extension with the team that was inked the biggest things I heard from one of the guys on the team — this is on the eve of the defending Stanley Cup champions’ ill-fated, first-round after I signed — is that you never pass on term; you never leave term on postseason series against the Hurricanes. the table. Everyone wants more money. I’m sure guys making $10 million Here’s what having a three-year deal means to a player who likely won’t want more money but what was important to me was that I love the see many minutes outside of the fourth line during his career: organization — they’ve treated me great and gave me an opportunity when no one else really did — and I want to be here and a part of what A summer during which Dowd won’t have to wait on phone calls from his they’re trying to do. agent telling him if/where he might play next season. “Overall, I felt like I have a responsibility here and I have a spot and The comfort of putting down roots and starting a family. every day I’m going to have to fight for that spot. I know the coaches trust me and I think that kind of shows in the ability to sign a three-year deal. l The ability for Paige Dowd to forge ahead with her own career choices. felt like this is the right thing for me and my family security-wise.” The opportunity for the couple to be more active in the community, The actual signing of the deal allowed Dowd to have a conversation with including increased involvement in working with autistic children and their his wife during which he was finally able to tell her that they were locked families. in — barring a trade — with one team for the foreseeable future. And, not to bury the lede, the acquisition of a buddy for Arlo. “I think it’s something that she’s kind of been waiting for,” Dowd said. “Professional sports is probably the most insecure job you can have,” Nic “People don’t understand it, they only see the aspect of the player said. “From a night-to-night basis and from a year-to-year basis, it’s moving around or the player moving teams but they don’t think much tough. Just having that security and feeling wanted and know that you about the family. I think with Paige it’s been challenging. She went to have a job and a responsibility is really all you can ask for as a player.” California and she didn’t breathe. She put down roots there, she found jobs and she, frankly, worked her ass off to stay busy. While there are no guarantees in the NHL, Dowd is now more secure than he’s been since being drafted in the seventh round (198th overall) “I’m not going to say it’s a tough, tough life but it is challenging on the by the Kings in the 2009 entry draft and then spending four years at St. women from the aspect that they don’t know where they’re going to be,” Cloud State University. After playing a season in New Hampshire with Dowd continued. “Much of their lives are based on how their husband the Kings’ AHL affiliate Manchester followed by one for Ontario (Calif.), performs and I would say it’s probably a little bit of a helpless feeling. Dowd was a regular with the Kings during the 2016-17 season and start Part of their job is to be our backbone when we need it and she’s done a of ’17-18 before being dealt to the Canucks. Dowd finished the ’17-18 great job of that for me. To tell her that we’re going to be here for three campaign with three goals and one assist in 56 games and the years she can kind of take a breath now and start looking at houses and Huntsville, Ala., native found himself at a crossroad of his career as an whatever she wants to that makes her comfortable. At least I’ve given her unrestricted free agent coming off a less-than-stellar season. that opportunity.”

“I was worried — I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t,” Dowd said. “I only had It was a huge sigh of relief for Paige, who has been able to work remotely four points (in ’17-18). I was given a little bit of opportunity in Vancouver in public relations and marketing while living the hockey lifestyle. but it was a challenging year with being traded and going to a different “When Nic signed last year with D.C. it was kind of funny because we team with new systems. It was only my second full year in the NHL so, always talked beforehand about what places you would want to live or yeah, I was definitely worried.” play and D.C. was one he had always talked about,” Paige said. “So So, too, was Paige, who met Nic while the two attended St. Cloud State. when he told me last summer we were coming here I think I cried I was so excited. So when we talked about this one and it was going to be “That was probably the most nerve-wracking summer we’ve had,” Paige three years obviously that was like a really appealing thing to us. Just to said. “Every summer before that he had been a restricted free agent with have a little bit of permanency. L.A. so we had a pretty good idea of where we would be going. Going into free agency last year we had no clue we were going to be coming “I told him we’re getting another dog because I know where we’re going here.” to be. It’s a big relief. We plan to start a family and knowing where they could potentially grow up and where we’ll be for the next three years In need of a replacement for the departed Jay Beagle, the Capitals took a makes us feel very fortunate.” chance on Nic Dowd and signed the center to a one-year, $650,000 free- agent contract. When the dust settled on a training camp battle for one of Among the most important aspects of the security that the three-year the few open roster spots, Dowd was still standing. contract affords is the couple’s plan to become even more active in the community. “I like to think that it was just a down year (in ’17-18) and I think Washington understood that and they knew that I could bring something “That was one of the first things I thought of,” Paige said. “I have bigger else to the table,” Dowd said. “They just gave me an opportunity and I ideas for the autism community and Dowd’s Crowd so knowing we’re was able to run with it.” going to be here for three years we can really involve ourselves.”

Dowd rewarded the Capitals by scoring a career-high eight goals — Nic Dowd and his wife, Paige, developed a players program focused on three of them game-winners — and matching his single-season high of allowing people with autism to enjoy a hockey game in person. (Courtesy 22 points. He was fourth among Capitals forwards with at least 60 games of Nic and Paige Dowd) Dowd’s Crowd was launched during the ’18-19 season and was part of the $2.5 million raised by the Capitals and the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation in support of charitable organizations across the Washington area this season.

Each month, the Dowds donated tickets to select games to families affiliated with Autism Speaks. The families were given sensory kits at the game and afterward met with the Dowds.

Paige Dowd knew from an early age that she wanted to work with children in the special needs community and graduated from St. Cloud State with a degree in speech pathology toward that goal. She began her work in the autism field early in Nic Dowd’s professional career and has continued during his time in the NHL.

“Some people take their kids to every Caps game, but for those families (with an autistic child) it can be a little bit more challenging so we wanted to make it a sensory friendly event for them and make them feel comfortable and confident when they’re there,” Paige said. “We invite the families and they get sensory kits so that the kids have anything that they may need during the game.”

Added Nic: “It’s important to both Paige and I because we’re in a position where we can shed awareness and shed some light on these children. We can bring a lot of joy to their lives even if we can’t do anything from a medical standpoint. Every kid that I’ve interacted with so far has really, really enjoyed the game. You can see on their parents’ faces that we did something good. The kids enjoyed it, their parents took a breath and they enjoyed it and it was something where it allowed their kids to escape a little bit and enjoy the game. A lot of those parents and kids had never been to an NHL game before so that alone was an experience.

“I’m obviously the face of it being I have the platform, but Paige is the brains behind everything,” Nic continued. “It’s really her spark that created that. We want to have kids — I think Paige wants to have three or four kids — and we see those children and we see the joy that brings to them and you can’t help but feel happy and excited for them.”

And let’s not forget about Arlo, who has become a bit of a celebrity in his own right with the Instagram account arlothegolden that has more than 2,000 followers.

Much of the Dowds’ downtime is spent taking the dog to the park — in fact, Paige was walking Arlo during a phone interview — and the plan now is to live in a home during the Capitals’ season that is big enough to have its own yard.

“We spend a lot of time with our dog,” Nic acknowledged. “We go to the park almost every day because he needs it. He starts giving us that look.”

The Instagram account started when Nic was in the AHL and then- teammate Paul Bissonnette posted a photo of Arlo.

Over the next three years, there figure to be plenty of photos of Arlo along with happy owners Nic and Paige Dowd — and maybe more members of the family.

“I want Arlo to have a buddy before we have kids so he doesn’t feel left out,” Paige said. “He’s a big part of the Dowd family.

“We can really start setting some roots as much as you can in the hockey world,” she added. “To know you’re going to be somewhere for three years is pretty cool.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144366 Winnipeg Jets Gone were the likes of Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, and in their place were a bunch of players who suited up for a hated rival the previous season.

Four decades later, Jets final Avco Cup season still vivid for former star “Cliques on hockey teams get in the way of chemistry and we did have a Lukowich Houston clique for a while and there was the Winnipeg clique,” Lukowich said. “Also, Bobby Hull started the season and left after four games. The team had lost Hedberg and Nilsson to the Rangers and all of a sudden Ted Wyman Bobby Hull was gone too.

“It wasn’t until Tom McVie came as a coach that everybody snapped together and realized it’s time for everything to be set aside and we Digging through some old files a few weeks ago, Morris Lukowich found needed to come together as a team. Larry Hillman was a good coach. He a sealed letter that might have changed his life had he cracked it open ran very good practices but somehow we just were not playing well for when he received it back in 1978. him.” It was from then Winnipeg Jets general manager Rudy Pilous, written From the time McVie arrived on, the Jets were a different team. before the 1978-79 season, and now that Lukowich has finally read the contents, he can’t help but wonder what he would have thought of it 40- Though they finished third in the regular season with 84 points, the Jets plus years ago when he was faced with a critical decision. dispatched the in four straight games and then took Edmonton down in six games. His team, the Houston Aeros, had folded and were absorbed by the Jets. Lukowich wasn’t at all sure about going to “We had a team that seemed to be coming together pretty good under Winnipeg and was interested in pursuing an opportunity with the Tom McVie’s coaching and Gary Smith’s goaltending,” Lukowich said. Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that held his NHL rights. “We had some very talented hockey players, with Lars-Erik Sjoberg leading us on defence and Terry Ruskowksi, with just incredible energy “The way my contract was, I was basically a free agent, so I could go as a forward, and Kent Nilsson. It was a good combination of players.” back to Pittsburgh,” Lukowich said. Winning the Avco Cup and parading with it down Portage Ave., were He wound up willingly joining the Jets, along with several of his former great memories for Lukowich, but that season stands out for another Houston teammates, but Lukowich said it’s a good thing he never saw reason. that letter from Pilous. “My fondest memory was I loved scoring goals,” Lukowich said. “I got on “I opened it up a couple of weeks ago and looked inside and it stated that a very good line with two incredible passers, Ruskowski and Kent with Houston folding and them purchasing our rights, that I was Winnipeg Nilsson. Sometimes we’d change up and Rich Preston would play on the Jets property and I was not free to go anywhere else,” Lukowich said. other wing. “And if I did, legal action would be taken. “It was a very exciting year because I loved scoring goals and the goals “I showed it to my wife, Eva, and I said “Wow, I’m lucky that this envelope were really going in.” never got opened’ because I think I had I opened it, I would have not taken it very well and it might actually have gotten in the way of me Another thing that stands out for him is how tough the hockey was. In coming to Winnipeg. It was written in a very demanding tone. This is today’s NHL, you can barely touch a player without getting a penalty, but what you’re gonna do. in 1979 cross-checking, hooking, holding and punching to the head were perfectly acceptable. “We had a bit of a chuckle over it.” “My gosh, there was so much cross-checking that went on so each game As it turned out, Lukowich made a good decision to come to Winnipeg. was a pretty good war out there,” Lukowich said. He scored 65 goals in 1978-79 and helped the Jets win the Avco Cup in the last season for the WHA. “It was just really, really tough hockey. We had tough players on our team like Kim Clackson and Scott Campbell and it was very exciting He was protected by the Jets in the NHL expansion draft after the season hockey, very tough hockey.” and spent six more seasons in Winnipeg, scoring 168 goals. After that season, the Jets entered the NHL and were only allowed to Now 62, Lukowich has fond memories of his time in Winnipeg and is protect four players, two skaters and two goaltenders. They kept looking forward to re-connecting with his teammates from that 1978-79 Lukowich, Campbell, Markus Mattson and Smith. Jets team at a reunion in Winnipeg on June 1 at the Radisson Hotel. Gone were the likes of Ruskowski, Preston and Nilsson. They filled out His former Aeros teammates Terry Ruskowski, Rich Preston, Scott the rest of their roster through an expansion draft and went through two Campbell and John Gray will also be there, along with 16-18 other former horrible seasons before starting to be competitive in the NHL. Jets, including star forward Kent Nilsson and coach Tom McVie. “It’s amazing how many players we lost, so many good players,” “It ended up I was really happy that I went to Winnipeg,” Lukowich said. Lukowich said. “I would have loved to have taken that team into the NHL. “I really liked the guys from Houston. I really liked Terry Ruskowski, Scott We would have had a chance right off the bat.” Campbell, Rich Preston, John Gray, Steve West. Had I gone to [email protected] Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t have known anybody. Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman “Terry Ruskowski is really just an amazing guy. So is Rich Preston. These are just first-class guys.” WHA Jets Reunion worked so well last year, why not do it again?

The reunion will commemorate the last Winnipeg pro hockey team to win A reunion of one Avco-Cup winning Winnipeg Jets team was so a championship. On May 20, 1979, the Jets beat and the successful, organizer Geoff Kirbyson decided to go for an encore. Edmonton Oilers 7-3 to claim the Cup one last time before the WHA and NHL merged. Last May it was the 1977-78 Jets team reconnecting at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg and on June 1, the 1978-79 team will convene at the As they dine at the Radisson on June 1, the players will be high above Radisson. the Portage Avenue parade route they took after that momentous Avco Cup win in ’79. “Last year it took guys about five seconds to get re-acquainted,” Kirbyson said. “Then there were tears of joy and laughter and bad jokes and “Any playoffs like that are very, very exciting,” Lukowich said. “That rink stories, some of which were true. It took a matter of moments until they was buzzing. I was pretty nervous before the games.” were all back as teammates.”

It didn’t start out well for that 1978-79 team. There was tension between The ’78-79 team won the Avco Cup on May 20 and no other Winnipeg the players that came from Houston and the ones who won the Cup in professional hockey team has won a championship since. Winnipeg the year before. A total of 16-18 players will be in attendance on June 1, along with head Roland Eriksson coach Tom McVie. The Jets beat Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in the World Hockey Association championship that year. Scott Campbell

Kirbyson has raised enough sponsorship to bring each of the players and Kim Clackson the coach to town for the dinner and a weekend that includes a VIP night, Glenn Hicks a trip to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and a trip to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, where they are all honoured members. John Gray

Three players — Kent Nilsson, Markus Mattsson and Roland Eriksson — Paul MacKinnon are coming from Europe, while the rest are coming from across North Joe Daley America. Two players — Lars-Erik Sjoberg and Paul Terbenche — have passed on. Bill Lesuk

“It’s kind of a time machine for me,” Kirbyson said. “It takes me back to Lyle Moffat being a 10-year-old kid. I still remember my mom going out one day during the playoffs in 1979 and standing in line at the Winnipeg Arena Peter Sullivan and getting tickets. Kent Nilsson scored a big goal and I thought my mom Markus Mattsson was the greatest for getting me into that game. It was awesome.” Tom McVie While last year’s reunion featured the likes of Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, only a handful of players were on the team for Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.11.2019 both the 1978 and 1979 Avco Cup wins.

Hedberg and Nilsson left for the NHL and Hull retired and the Jets merged with the Houston Aeros, bringing some talented players into the fold.

“Rich Preston will tell you that they spent all summer trying to get their agents to get them out of their contracts because no one wanted to come here,” Kirbyson said. “They hated the Jets and the Jets didn’t like them.

“You spent the last few years beating each other’s brains in and now you’re on the same team? It didn’t work. When the Jets would lose a game, the Jets guys would blame the Houston guys and the Houston guys would blame the Jets guys. They’d all go out for beers after the games but in separate directions.”

It all smoothed out eventually and the Jets won the Cup, with “Houston guys” like Preston, Terry Ruskowski and Morris Lukowich playing huge roles.

Many of the players from that team will be getting together for the first time since 1979. The team was broken up the next year whe the Jets entered the NHL.

That should make for some special interactions with the fans. About 280 people attended last year’s dinner and they weren’t disappointed.

“People were bringing in game-worn jerseys from 40 years ago, cards that they used to have in the spokes of their bikes, and these guys wore out their sharpies signing stuff,” Kirbyson said. “Everybody left there happy.

“You know sometimes, when you meet your heroes and you have a certain expectation of how it’s gonna be? It was exactly how people thought it would be.”

[email protected]

Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman

JETS REUNION

June 1, Radisson Hotel

Gala Dinner: 6 p.m.

Tickets: $175 Click here

Live and silent auction with proceeds to Ab McDonald Foundation

Q & A with players

Video tribute to 1978-79 Jets team

WHO’S ATTENDING?

Kent Nilsson

Morris Lukowich,

Rich Preston

Terry Ruskowski

Willy Lindstrom 1144367 Winnipeg Jets and the player finishes his regular season with just nine goals in his last 58 games, stress levels tend to escalate among fans and critics.

It should also be said that Laine’s real, observed progress on the Second contracts in the salary cap era and what they tell us about Patrik defensive side of the puck isn’t meaningless. His commitment to the Jets’ Laine’s next deal forecheck was particularly evident in Game 3 and 4 against St. Louis. The consistency with which Laine, who is often the Jets’ highest forward in the offensive zone, ended up as Winnipeg’s first forward back — By Murat Ates May 10, 2019 particularly when he played up with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler — shouldn’t be ignored.

It’s just that Laine is still very clearly a work in progress on these fronts — It is a Saturday in St. Louis. just like all of Winnipeg’s offensive forwards. And they are absolutely not Patrik Laine has just performed his 2018-19 piece de resistance — five the aspects of Laine’s game that will get him paid this summer. goals in one night — leapfrogging and taking sole Then what will get Laine paid? possession of the NHL goal-scoring lead. A Jets fan by the name of Christopher Haley won $1,000,000 as part of Safeway and Sobeys Score We took a preliminary look into this question in February. At that time, and Win contest. Laine knows this and he is beaming — when Jeremy Auston Matthews’ five-year, $58-milllion extension and William Rutherford of The Athletic asks the Finnish goal-scoring phenom for a Nylander’s six-year, $45-million extension offered clear, recent, quick photograph to mark the moment, Laine is quick to oblige. comparable targets. We used primary point production to estimate Laine’s value relative to each player and I suggested a five or six-year He holds a copy of the evening’s game sheet — denoting Winnipeg’s 8-4 extension for Laine in the neighbourhood of $8.35-million of an $83.5- win and marking all five of Laine’s goals — and cocks his face into a million salary cap. A similar projection over seven or eight years led to an smirk. It is the ubiquitous image of a young man who is feeling his estimate of approximately $9.2 million, acknowledging that the more UFA performance — yes there is humility but there is also supreme self- years Winnipeg purchase from Laine, the more expensive his pact will satisfaction at having accomplished something so few have done before likely be. him. If five years at over $8 million strikes you as particularly expensive, there When Laine and Rutherford part ways and Winnipeg’s head coach is is hope in the form of one recently launched model. asked about the accomplishment, he demurs. The only thing that truly surprises Paul Maurice about such a night, he tells reporters, is that it HERE ARE OUR INITIAL CONTRACT PROJECTIONS FOR THE 2019 didn’t happen sooner. NHL FREE AGENT CLASS! HTTPS://T.CO/GVZYSBFJHB

“Some of those goals you’ve just got to sit back and smile,” Maurice said — EVOLVINGWILD (@EVOLVINGWILD) APRIL 19, 2019 that night. “Nobody’s stopping the one-timer on the power play. It’s not getting stopped by anybody.” Josh and Luke Younggren of Evolving Wild’s contract estimation model projects Laine’s RFA contract at seven years with an AAV of $7.2 million. The Jets fly home later that night. Laine plays two more games before That’s nearly $2-million cheaper than what I proposed in February. the month is over, scoring twice, bringing his November total to 18 goals in just 12 games. The month began with a hat trick on home soil in If it’s a bridge deal you’re after for Laine — something artificially short to Helsinki. It ended with Laine leading the NHL with 21 goals in 24 games. keep Laine’s cap hit down and force him to prove he’s more than a 30 It was incredible, unbelievable, unforgettable — the kind of month that goal scorer — Evolving Wild prices Laine in the $5-million to $6-million superlatives like these were made for. range for a one or two year deal.

Then November ends and Laine’s magnificence ends with it. These prices are much cheaper than what I’ve proposed in the past. They’re also based on a new model by intelligent, math-savvy people. Laine’s goal-scoring magic evaporates — the man who scored 21 goals Can you take them to the bank? in his first 24 games manages just nine in his next 58. Questions emerge. Doubts creep in. Laine’s goals — particularly on the power play — were To test their thinking, let’s turn to a good old fashioned hockey truism. part of what kept the Jets inside the NHL’s top 10 through the first half of “Players get paid on two things,” Paul Maurice told reporters at the season despite modest results at 5-on-5. When Laine stops scoring Winnipeg’s exit interviews in April. “They get paid on points and they get and Winnipeg’s 5-on-5 play goes from slightly above average to abysmal, paid on ice time.” the Jets slump down the stretch and limp into the postseason. I think there’s a lot of truth to Maurice’s claim. On a Saturday in St. Louis — this time with the Jets facing a first-round playoff exit — Winnipeg offers only token resistance to the Blues’ As much as I tend to believe in math and the ability of models — onslaught and this time, nearly five months after Laine’s five-goal night, especially once tested and refined — to predict outcomes, I also think the his season is over. debate between Cheveldayoff and Laine’s agent Mike Liut this summer will come down to No. 29’s offensive production, his role on the team and “Right now I want to forget everything that is involved with hockey,” he the prices of comparable players across the NHL. tells reporters in Winnipeg two days later. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to look at the players It’s a simple, thoroughly quotable response from the 21-year-old Laine, who have been in Laine’s situation in the salary-cap era, those players’ as so many of his responses are. This is what we’ve all come to expect offensive production up until they signed their RFA deal and what from him through three full seasons in the NHL. Even though 2018-19 percentage of the cap they earned on that contract when it came into was split into one half where Laine was simply unstoppable and a second effect. wherein he couldn’t buy a goal, Laine hasn’t lost the personality that makes him unique. Why production? Because I believe goals and points are what get players paid. The interesting thing in this particular moment isn’t Laine’s colourful response. It’s in the question he was asked — what kind of contract will Why production up until the extension was signed? I wanted to work with he be looking for as a restricted free agent this summer? the information available to the player and the team at the time they signed their deal. From million dollar performances to multi-million dollar questions, the problem of how to price Laine’s second contract is a major item on Kevin And why cap percentage? The salary cap has gone up (a lot) since it was Cheveldayoff’s offseason to-do list. A certain amount of consternation first implemented. Using a player’s proportion of the overall cap creates a over a young scorer’s second contract is entirely normal but, in Laine’s much more accurate historical comparison than their salary or cap hit. case, his wild oscillation between unstoppable and invisible serves to amplify the debate. If these factors predict what other players in Laine’s situation have been paid, then we have a good frame of reference to use in predicting his It’s hard enough to decide what to pay a 21-year-old, 30-goal scorer at RFA value. the best of times. But when those 30 goals represent career-worst totals Let’s start by looking at every player since 2005-06 who: Some players signed their second contract after year two of their ELC; The young man from Tampere would immediately become Winnipeg’s others signed partway through year three or after year three was highest paid player. He’d earn $2.4-million more than the team’s starting complete. They’re all grouped together here. Also, it should be noted that goaltender, $1-million more than its top defenceman and $350,000 more 25 goals is an arbitrary indicator of “good at scoring” — I didn’t pick it for than its captain, Blake Wheeler — a man who outscored Laine by 41 scientific reasons but instead keep things manageable while aiming for points in 2018-19. my own sense of fairness. Finally, Hockey Reference and CapFriendly were the source of this data and deserve all of your love. Meanwhile, Mark Scheifele — likely Winnipeg’s best player and certainly better all-around than Laine — is cruising along at $6.125-million per The top end is a who’s who of franchise players — Crosby, Ovechkin, season through 2023-24. McDavid, Malkin and Matthews. It doesn’t take a tremendous amount of insight to scratch cap hits of 14 or 15 per cent off the list of possibilities Does that ruffle your feathers a little bit? for Laine. There’s also one more factor to consider. While a sample size of eight While it would be ideal to have a sample of hundreds of players to isn’t a ton to go on with respect to those bridge deals, Laine is coming off compare Laine to, it’s convenient for us that a list this short affords us the a career-worst offensive season while admitting to an ongoing back opportunity to consider the specific context for every player involved. problem. It wouldn’t take a whole lot of cynicism to question whether or not Laine is still the elite goal scorer the whole world believes him to be. Did you forget that Paul Stastny was Patrick Kane’s offensive equal A bridge deal — whether at $5.4 million or even a number above $6 through the beginning of each player’s career? Stastny did himself a million — would maintain the Jets’ existing salary pecking order while favour by signing his extension early in his third season, capitalizing on a giving Winnipeg the ability to wait, watch and see who Laine really is. sophomore effort of 71 points in 66 games and then never eclipsed a point per game again. Or how about John Tavares’ unfortunate timing, It is my opinion that a bridge deal for Laine today is cap space set on fire signing a six-year extension after two good seasons only to explode for tomorrow. 81 points in 82 games in the third year of his ELC? Timing cuts both It is my belief that Laine is still a world class shooter — it certainly gave ways — players like Stastny and Tavares serve as cautionary tales at Jordan Binnington fits during these most recent playoffs but more both ends of the spectrum. importantly, we have three years of evidence that says Laine is one of The astonishing thing is how neatly offensive production predicts their the best there is at the single most important facet of the game. His total cap hit percentage, just as Maurice said it would. The correlation number of shots has improved year over year and, if his shooting between cap hit percentage and points per game prior to signing for this percentage — a career-worst 12.2 percent in 2018-19 — rebounds even group is 0.91. halfway towards his career average next season, he’s a 35 goal scorer. If it rebounds all of the way to his average, he’s approaching 40. Those correlations stay high even when you consider the small group of players who signed bridge deals: To bet against Laine hitting 40 goals at least once during a bridge deal is either: For a second time, our small sample size lets us use history to explain why Eric Staal ended up with such a freakishly high cap hit percentage A bet against shooting percentage regression, or: compared to more brilliant offensive players like Nikita Kucherov. The A bet that his injuries are meaningful enough to derail the trajectory of his answer is in Staal’s timing — he signed his three-year RFA bridge deal career. on July 1, 2006 — the summer after he scored a still-career-high 100 points in 82 games and won the Stanley Cup. There are simply no better I’m not willing to do either of those things. circumstances for a player — Staal scored more points per game than There is one other consideration to make in projecting Laine’s impact anyone not named Crosby did before signing their second contract. going forward. Kucherov, meanwhile, had 65 and 66 point seasons and was certainly promising — just nothing near the 100 or 128 point seasons you know Unlike both Connor and Nik Ehlers, who have enjoyed more time with him for now. better linemates, you can actually imagine Laine’s quality of teammates getting better in the years to come. Laine has played 849:33 with The correlation between cap hit percentage and points per game prior to Scheifele at 5-on-5 since he came into the league and 1418:49 with Little signing is strong here once again — this time, 0.89. — as all three players get older, that kind of split will make less and less Where does Laine slot in? sense.

If you use goals per game, Laine is obviously a freak — sixth best in the To think that Laine’s offensive peers, despite playing second or third line salary cap era. quality minutes at 5-on-5, are in the Hall/Eberle/Pastrnak range to this same point in their careers is really quite special. He remains a rare If you use points per game, Laine is still an exceptional player for his age, offensive talent at 21 years old in a league where players tend to peak slotting behind Tavares and Jordan Eberle but ahead of Bobby Ryan and between 23 and 28. David Pastrnak and well clear of fellow Jets RFA Kyle Connor. A 23-year-old Laine, two years from UFA status, fresh from back-to-back It is my hope that putting Laine’s numbers in a three-seasons context 40 goal seasons would command north of $10-million a season. takes away some of the recency bias. Yes, 30 goals and 20 assists are underwhelming for him but, even with that season included, his overall Would the short term gain be worth that kind of pain? Would Laine’s price performance is well clear of several offensive stars through the same go up even higher because a long term extension two years from now point in their career. Certainly, there are other factors that affect a would buy more of his UFA years than it does today? player’s value — Laine’s two-way game is a work in progress and he’s The Jets would do well to avoid ever needing to answer those questions. only been a possession positive player with Paul Stastny as his centre — The player is too young and the risk is too big. but points are paramount when it comes to setting his price. This offseason, Laine will once again stand beaming over a sheet of What will Laine earn on his next contract? paper with his name on it. The longer the contract, the better for his club. If you’ll allow one more chart: we can use the data we have to plot a The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 trend line and use the formula for that trend line to estimate contracts:

Cap hit percentage vs. points per game for extensions ending in UFA and bridge deals to RFA status:

Laine’s long term extension: 10.3 percent (or $8.6 million of an $83.5 million cap)

Laine’s bridge deal: 6.5 percent (or $5.4 million of an $83.5 million cap)

Imagine a world in which Laine signed a five-year extension at $8.6 million per season. 1144368 Vancouver Canucks Pettersson and Horvat, an elite goal scorer in Boeser, depth scoring with Pearson, Leivo and Virtanen, solid goaltending with Markstrom and Thatcher Demko and an improving blue-line with Hughes as an emerging Canucks Under the Microscope: Jim Benning star.

The problem is the Canucks don’t exist in a vacuum, which comes as a news flash to some of their fans. The West is loaded with teams far Ed Willes ahead of the Canucks in their developmental process and there is much ground to cover. It’s unlikely they make up that ground in one year — not

impossible, but unlikely. Opinion: Is the Canucks GM's rebuild plan robust enough? Can he afford That leaves Benning in a precarious position. With one year left on his to miss the playoffs next season? contract, he won’t survive another season out of the playoffs. Name: Jim Benning Yes, the roster is changing and there’s another wave of prospects — Olli Age: 56 Juolevi, Jett Woo, Tyler Madden, whoever they draft this year — to come. But if the Canucks don’t take a big step forward next season, Position: General manager Benning won’t be around to oversee the next phase for this franchise.

Career stats: The Vancouver Canucks’ record in Jim Benning’s five years Greatest strength: Drafting, although there is a caveat. Right now on the job is 175-186-49 Virtanen and Juolevi register as misses and that’s set the rebuild back a couple of seasons. But Benning also took Boeser at 23, Pettersson at Contract status: One year left on an extension he signed last summer five and Hughes at seven and they should be core players for the next How 2018-19 went: Last season the Canucks finished 23rd overall, 12th eight seasons. in the West and were out of the playoff conversation by the beginning of The real measure of Benning’s drafting acumen won’t be known for a March. Still, their 81 points represented the Canucks’ most successful couple more years when we know what Woo, Madden, Kole Lind, Jonah campaign of the last four NHL seasons, which is all you need to know Gadjovich and Mikey DiPietro become. about the way things have gone under Benning’s watch. Greatest weakness: By now, you know that it’s a case of pick ’em. Free Taken in isolation, there were a number of positive developments for agency? Trading? Defence? All have surfaced as issues. There’s the Vancouver in 2018-19. In no particular order, Elias Pettersson emerged poor judgment in signing free agents like Loui Eriksson, trading away as an elite centre, Bo Horvat took another step in his development, Jacob forwards like Nick Bonino and McCann for disappointments like Brandon Markstrom had his best season as an NHL goalie, and Troy Stecher Sutter and Gudbranson, plus the difficulties he’s had in properly building established himself as a top-four defenceman. up the defence corps. Throw in the arrival of defenceman Quinn Hughes and it seems the cloud The big question: Will Benning be around to see what those players is finally lifting over the Canucks. That, at least, is the obvious stuff, but become? the key for this team will be the progression of a number of players who are Benning acquisitions. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 05.11.2019 Tanner Pearson scored nine goals in 19 games after he was acquired for Erik Gudbranson, which extrapolates to a 35-goal season. Josh Leivo had the look of a top-six forward at times but he’ll have to produce more than his 10-8-18 in 49 games. Jake Virtanen took a modest step forward with a career-high 15 goals. The next question is, can the Abbotsford forward establish himself as a 20-goal man?

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

It’s been a month since the Vancouver Canucks began their summer holidays, nine points shy of a wild-card berth into the NHL playoffs. Today we continue our microscopic examination of the team’s roster.

Next week: Quinn Hughes

Sunday: Jim Benning

Friday:Chris Tanev

Thursday:Alex Edler

Wednesday:Troy Stecher

Tuesday:Ben Hutton

Defenceman Erik Gudbranson of the Vancouver Canucks fires the puck up ice during a January 2018 NHL game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

The Canucks have four foundational pieces in place in Pettersson, Horvat, Brock Boeser and Hughes but, in five seasons, Benning has failed to develop depth in the organization largely because his record in free agency and the trade market has been substandard.

Take the trade that brought Gudbranson from Florida three years ago. Benning paid a hefty price — former first-rounder Jared McCann, a second- and a fourth-round pick — for a 24-year-old defenceman who was supposed to help the Canucks immediately. Gudbranson turned out to be a bust, the blue-line remained a disaster and last trade deadline Gudbranson was moved for Pearson.

How the future looks: Well, it looks better, but in relation to what?

If you were going to blue-sky the next couple of years for the Canucks you’d see a team with a playoff-worthy one-two punch at centre in 1144369 Vancouver Canucks

A note of gratitude from Jason Botchford’s family

By The Athletic Staff May 10, 2019

To Jason’s Army,

I am so overwhelmed and profoundly grateful to Jason’s fans, his colleagues and friends with the outpouring of love, generosity and support in the wake of my husband’s passing.

Jason and I spent 17 years together. We met shortly after my father passed away, and he felt like a godsend. For 17 years, he made me laugh. He challenged me every day to be better and taught me what love really is. He was my best friend. We shared a love of music. Jason had seen close to 80 Phish shows in his life, and I had just seen my 29th Phish show with him.

As I read about his mentorship to young writers, I remember how often he would talk about them – especially Boy Genius. He believed in paving the way for people, as life itself is already so hard. Jason also wanted to make sure Sienna, Keira and Hudson had the best childhood. He believed so deeply this would set them up for life. He came from humble beginnings and never asked for anything. He was a man of service, which gave him great joy.

We would often say we can’t do life without each other; I am in complete shock and uncertain how to live a life without him. He always said his whole purpose in life was to make me and the kids happy. He took care of us in ways I never fully appreciated.

What has given me some comfort is reading the outpouring of beautiful, heartfelt comments on several forums on what Jason meant to all of you. Some mentioned he had many more years to write before he retired, but the truth is he was never going to retire. He loved writing and covering hockey with every fibre in his being. It made him feel alive.

One comment that really touched me was from Jared S., who mentioned Jason’s writing reminded him of Hunter S. Thompson. That was Jason’s favourite writer. We named our dog Hunter after Hunter S. Thompson. Thank you for recognizing the connection.

This is going to be an extremely long road ahead and one that I have no clue how to navigate, but seeing the tremendous love and respect you have for Jason and the extreme generosity for what he has left behind makes me believe that his legacy will live on.

Jason was blessed to have such wonderful, loyal fans and colleagues who supported him during his life and brought his army to mourn his death.

Thank you for sharing your stories and being vulnerable about what Jason meant to you. I am eternally grateful and beyond moved. I will be putting every single comment in a memory book for my kids to read one day.

Bless you all,

Kathryn Botchford

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144370 Websites Top left: Dakota (8), Maddison (10), Peyton (6) and Dru (4). (Courtesy of Cindy Krebs)

Cindy, plunking down three glasses and returning to the conversation, The Athletic / Between chasing pucks and recording albums, how the fesses up. “This is where I always get emotional.” And, on cue, she gets Krebs are making their mark in the WHL and Nashville emotional.

Leaving Greg to continue. “One of my famous quotes that my friends By Scott Cruickshank May 10, 2019 always refer to is, ‘We have a no-drag policy.’ So if I’m dragging you to something, it’s not the right thing. People say, ‘You must have been working with your boys, teaching them stuff.’ No, actually. I said to them, ‘If you want to get better, go out there and shoot pucks. If you don’t, The girl grew up on an acreage 11 kilometres south of town. As a figure don’t.’ But they did, right? With the boys, specifically, they would push skater, she showed definite promise. each other. On a farm 60 kilometres north of town lived a boy who was a solid “Maddison, she didn’t have that sibling to push her, but she’s so self- centreman. He attracted the attention of junior hockey scouts. motivated at whatever she does. Her and Peyton, sometimes we had to In a perfect world, both teenagers would make their merry way out of say, ‘OK, we don’t need to do that much. You need to be a kid.'” Valleyview — an Alberta town three hours northwest of Edmonton — for It’s the bond between the children, according to Cindy, that has truly a shot at reaching their potential. spelled the difference. “A synergistic effect.” Chuckling through her tears, Neither, however, took the road to glory. Or even pre-glory. she finishes. “I always told them, ‘You need to be each other’s cheerleaders.'” “You had to make a decision whether you billet and go to Edmonton (or you stay put) — what do you do?” Cindy Krebs recalled, who, despite Seeing his wife in need of a Kleenex, Greg laughs. “Oh, you’re not going having overshot the reach of local coaches, did not head for the city. “It to do good at the draft.” was a financial thing. And I didn’t want to put that kind of burden … we That stands as the family’s next checkmark — the NHL’s annual had four kids in our family. ” crapshoot, June 21 at Vancouver. Greg Krebs, meanwhile, received an invitation to the main camp of either A dynamic centre, Peyton — freshly home from Sweden after producing the Lethbridge Hurricanes or the . That he cannot 10 points, including six goals, in seven appearances for Canada at the specify which WHL club is an indication of how distant the dream would U18 world championship — is rated No. 10 by Central Scouting (and remain. even higher by The Athletic‘s Scott Wheeler). “Dad’s like, ‘No. We’ve got harvest. You’re staying home,'” Greg said. Meaning primetime cameras will be trained on the clan as it squirms “Those were different times.” through the early selections. Dru, for one, is pumped for the moment. Which, around the kitchen table in their Okotoks, Alta., home, the couple “You grow up watching each and every draft,” Dru said, a blueliner for the is happy to discuss. Married now for 23 years, they reflected without Okotoks (Midget AAA) Oilers. “You see all those players get picked in the bitterness on the reality of those days. first round, how they stand up and hug their family, make their way down. “Both our paths came to a point where our parents had to send us away It’s pretty crazy that we’ll be the ones hugging my brother and seeing him and they both chose not to,” Greg said. “Couldn’t afford it.” go down on the stage to take the photo with the team and everything, putting on their colours. With their athletic aspirations tucked away forever, Greg enrolled in engineering at the University of Alberta, while Cindy, with her mother, “That’ll be a cool experience.” opened a gift shop in Valleyview. Until then, that scrapbook-worthy occasion at Rogers Arena, family Naively unaware of the options, their lives simply carried on. members are revelling in rare times — all being home at once. Between chasing pucks and recording albums, a full house is something to “You never got a real glimpse at what the possibilities were because you treasure. were just isolated anyway,” Cindy said. “To say no wasn’t that big of a deal because you didn’t know what you were missing, really, right? Clearly, they delight in each other’s company.

“I didn’t know what it could be like. Or where I could go. Or what you Dru details the time mom ventured into the then-unfinished basement — could do.” a hockey hot box — and badly wrenched her shoulder trying to uncork a slapper. In another room, the rest of the family, overhearing the account These stories of unfulfilled hopes must be startling to their kids, all four of of an in-house classic, howls in unison. whom have earned — then been allowed to attack — every opportunity. Because theirs is a tale that is already long on achievement, none of Then there was the night Maddison, after some coaxing, joined the boys which would have occurred had they stayed stapled to their home base, downstairs. half an hour south of Calgary. “That was the first and last time I’ll ever do that,” she said. “They’re like, Consider the Krebses in full pursuit: ‘Maddison, just get in the net and we’ll shoot some pucks.’ And they end up doing slapshots and I’m like, ‘OK, I’m out of here. Thanks very much.'” Maddison, 22, is making a living as a singer-songwriter. She settled in Nashville at the age of 19. Dru, with a smirk, added: “It seems that there’s a recurring theme — females in the Krebs family don’t correlate with hockey.” Dakota, 20, returns to the WHL for a fifth season in the fall. He left home at 16 when he cracked the lineup of the Tri-City Americans. He now Siblings being siblings, they relish the chance to carry good-natured skates for the Calgary Hitmen. ribbing as far as possible. They push buttons. They needle.

Peyton, 18, star of the WHL Kootenay Ice, is a sure-fire first-rounder in Peyton, after his Ice beat Dakota’s Hitmen this past winter, gave his big the NHL draft. By 15, he was billeting in Strathmore, Alta., and playing for brother the gears. Fair play. “We’re not very, uh, soft with each other,” the midgets there. Dakota said while grinning. “We’re good with constructive criticism to say the least.” Competitive spirit runs hot within the brood. Dru, 16, a second-round selection at the 2018 WHL bantam draft, is bound this winter for the Medicine Hat Tigers. “Whether it’s doing the dishes, there’s always got to be that extra word,” Peyton said. “We have that fire in our belly that keeps us going. In road Asked about their remarkably high-reaching offspring, Greg shrugs — hockey. Or working out — ‘How much can you lift? How many pull-ups?’ and Cindy leaves the table, ostensibly to fetch water. Those things. Sometimes we’ll play card games and there’ll be some chirping going on.” “I mean, we get lots of comments from friends and people we meet,” Greg said. “It’s pretty cool. I don’t know. We always say we found what When the kids aren’t busting a gut, they’re filling it. the kids are passionate about. That’s all we did. I guess they just found their thing. Lots of kids try lots of different things and don’t find that thing.” Grocery bills soar when the house is brimming. And things do get Without hesitation, she signed the papers and packed for Nashville. Her territorial. The other day a plate of salmon, ear-marked for Dru’s lunch, parents, at the time in Tri-City for exhibition games, were stunned. “We’re vanished. The look on Dakota’s face is a giveaway. And Maddison, like, ‘What does this even mean?'” Cindy wondered. according to scuttlebutt, feels compelled to squirrel away her munchies. Said Greg: “That leapfrogged her. That was like getting drafted.” “The food goes by pretty quick in the fridge,” Peyton said. “If you leave a snack from when you went out for dinner, you’re usually not going to get They were thrilled — but pragmatic — about their daughter’s it back.” undertaking, promising to help where they could.

Nevertheless, a byproduct of the kids being sprinkled around the “But I told her, ‘This is your career. You’ve got to make it work,'” Greg continent for months at a time is that when they do return to the nest, said. “And she’s done it, which is very impressive.” they genuinely appreciate the close quarters. Instead of having had their Added Cindy of Maddison, who’s written more than 200 songs since patience frazzled by surround-sound siblings, being apart seems to foster relocating: “She’s paid her own way. There’s a lot of kids down there a buddying-up of the bunch. whose parents are paying for everything, their whole lifestyle. I’m like, They’re actually devoted to one another. ‘No.'”

When Maddison performs at the Ironwood Stage & Grill in Calgary next If that seems like tough love, know that it’s no different for the sons. month, she can count on a full turnout. They’re supported, not babied.

“We are like best friends,” she said. “When we get together, we click. Dakota was snubbed in the WHL bantam draft and cut by the UFA We’re all good sports and good friends, so it’s like a good hang all the Bisons midgets. Then? His wrist got sliced by a skate. “Right down to the time. Since we’ve had our own things going on, we understand each bone,” Cindy said. “Severed tendons, nerves, everything. Three-and-a- other on a deeper level, especially when we’re chasing all of our dreams. half-hour surgery.” Nevertheless, he returned that season, got promoted We’ve had this common goal as a family, just to pursue everything that to the Bisons, before being listed by Tri-City. we’re striving for and to cheer each other on along the way.” The following fall, the 16-year-old defender was invited to camp by the When Maddison played the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Dakota Americans. Presumably just for a look-see. was there, even if he’d been unaware of the club’s status as a musical “I didn’t even renew his passport,” Greg said. “It was, ‘Well, he’s coming landmark. Plenty proud already, he arrived an hour before the show and back.’ Then they wanted to keep him.” was greeted by a lengthy lineup. “We were like, ‘What? He’s not coming home?'” Cindy said. “Not everybody can sing, right?” Dakota said. “When people find out I have a sister who sings country music, they’re like, ‘No way. That’s nuts. In Tri-City, while chumming around with Juuso Valimaki and being Is she on iTunes and stuff?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah.'” groomed by Brandon Carlo, the boy embraced a productive mindset — throwing himself into practices, throwing himself into slivers of ice time. You can bet on Maddison’s recent EP — a collection of original songs produced by Jeff Trott (who’s worked with Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks) “Dakota is such a good story,” his dad said. — getting some serious play-time at a certain two-storey house in Which also meant that he was first out the door. Followed shortly by southwest Okotoks. Peyton, the first overall pick of the 2016 WHL bantam draft, and then Sis, in turn, is there for them. Maddison.

Like singing the national anthems before a Jan. 20, 2017, game in Tri- Dru, aiming to catch on with the Tigers, is next. Three lads, three WHL City between Dakota’s Americans and Peyton’s Ice. Like sitting through outposts. endless weekends of hockey when the boys were younger. “Some families want their kids to play together on certain junior teams,” Not that it necessarily turned her into a sports whiz. Greg said. “We said, ‘No, you go on your own path. It’ll make you better.'”

“She came, she watched,” Cindy said while laughing. “It would be the Cindy agrees. Embrace adversity. third period and she’d be like, ‘What colour are we, again?'” “Rather than hiding them from it and protecting them,” she said. “That’s a Although attending Nashville Predators games has cranked up her common theme now, ‘Oh, I don’t want (my child) to get cut.’ No, no. It’s appreciation — “It was the first time I was watching hockey and I wasn’t OK to be cut. Then it’s how you respond. That’s what makes the watching someone I knew” — she doesn’t deny the disconnect. The difference.” game’s finer points do escape her. If the environment seems decidedly coddle-free, note that it also comes Every bit as foreign to her brothers — and her parents — is the concept without pressure. Even if outsiders conclude that Greg and Cindy are of show business, of reaching an audience, of touching listeners. whip-crackers.

“Singing, it’s just you, so if you mess up, all that’s on you,” Peyton said. Not true. “Definitely a lot more nerve-racking.” “It’s driven by you, personally,” Dakota said. “Our mom and dad aren’t Added Dru: “I wouldn’t have the courage to stand up there. What she going to make us stickhandle in the garage. Or make Maddison go sing. does is actually insane.” We have personal goals … our parents just support us and love us the way they do.” For mom and dad, the music industry, along with its fine print, proved to be a mystery. Hockey decisions are a comparative snap. If your kid Which is not to say there haven’t been sacrifices. makes this team — or doesn’t — here is your next move. One thing People might look at the Krebs boys — who each, in turn, had been follows the next. And if they ever have doubts, they can pick up the captain of the Okotoks peewee club — and figure that it’s been a bump- phone. less journey to major junior. “For music? Uh, no,” Greg said. Greg shakes his head. They have zero contacts for that world. “What you had to go through, as a family, to make that happen is pretty “The structure of it all is kind of bizarre,” Cindy said. “Everybody wants to crazy.” basically take everything. So it’s a battle. For Maddison, it’s figuring out For instance, the stretch when Maddison was a member of the Young who you can trust and learning as much as you can.” Canadians, an elite group of performers in Calgary, while the boys were Maddison herself took care of the first step. immersed in top-flight minor hockey.

For winning the On The Spot contest — sponsored by the label Ole and “We were going different directions — we weren’t ever together,” Cindy determined at the 2016 Canadian Country Music Awards in London, Ont. said. “There would have been weekends when we paid for three different — she was awarded a publishing and recording deal. hotels in three different cities — I slept in one, Greg slept in one, grandparents slept in the other one.” Just like that. Spring hockey meant as many as 18 games on a single weekend. So to ensure that their sons got to the rinks on time, they leaned on other parents.

“Everybody was great,” Greg said, “always willing to help out.”

However, Greg, an engineer in the energy sector, was laid off in October 2015. A stab at a start-up company fell through, meaning he needed to “re-jig” in a hurry. “I had hockey fees, so I had to get some cash coming in,” he said. “It’s not cheap.”

Reinventing himself, he does sales and business development work now.

“It was at a really expensive time in our life for the oil and gas industry to start doing a nosedive,” Cindy said, who tracked down a job at Foothills Composite High School as a facilitator in the Learning Commons.

But even if there have been income fluctuations, communication is unwavering. Mom and dad are in touch daily with their scattered youngsters.

The preferred mode of catch-up is FaceTime — for one very good reason.

“Because we want to see their eyes,” Greg said. “Over the phone, you can hide lots of stuff, but if I see my kids’ eyes, I can tell how they’re doing, actually.”

The siblings, too, stay looped in with each other. Conversations may be nothing too serious — “Just random crap,” Dakota says — but they are still important.

“I definitely need to keep in touch,” Dakota said. “It makes you feel like yourself again.”

From left to right: Greg, Dakota, Cindy, Maddison, Dru and Peyton. (Courtesy of Cindy Krebs.)

But don’t assume the Krebses are carbon copies.

There are two distinct groupings.

There is the Type A side — mom, Maddison, Peyton.

“If we go for a walk, I don’t know what it is, but I need to lead,” Cindy said. “I don’t even do it on purpose. If somebody’s trying to get in front of me, I walk faster.”

Later, unprompted, Peyton brings it up: “Mom, she’s always been a fast walker. It’s hard to keep up. You kind of have to jog beside her or a little in front of her just to keep up.”

Like dad, the other boys are more laid back.

“If you talk to Dakota’s teammates, it’s all about how he’s the glue in the room,” Greg said. “Dru’s that way. And I was that way. I get along with everybody.”

Added Cindy: “It works because there’s that balance.”

Whatever it is, it’s hard to knock.

This is a family that laughs together — and succeeds individually.

“It’s a dynamic that’s hard to find … but we’ve been able to create it for some reason,” Dakota said. “When you’re living in the moment, you kind of forget how cool some of the stuff is. I take it pretty humbly about my family. To some people, it might seem a little crazy, but we’re just random kids having fun.”

Dru, after giving heaps of credit to his folks, acknowledges the “surreal” rate of achievement in the house.

“It’s insane to see what we’ve done so far,” he said, “but it’ll be cool to see what we can accomplish in the future.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144371 Websites final, and only to reiterate that his opinion hadn’t changed. That doesn’t seem excessive. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are already selling their second T-shirt design based on Cherry not liking a celebration they don’t The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Terrible offside reviews, missed head even do anymore. They’ll be fine. shots, injured goalies and another round of playoff outrage The outrage: New York’s Brock Nelson patted Carolina goalie Curtis McElhinney on the head after a goal, a patronizing move that was disrespectful if not downright troll-ish and should surely result in some By Sean McIndoe May 10, 2019 sort of humiliating comeuppance.

Is it justified: Oh, let’s just hold that thought until we get to this week’s comedy stars. Outrage of the week The outrage: Brad Marchand gave an awkward postgame interview with The issue: A few weeks ago, we did our annual first round of the playoffs Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas. outrage lightning round. That’s usually all we need – as the postseason wears on and there are fewer games, some level of outrage fatigue Is it justified: It’s not the end of the world, but Marchand came across like typically sets in. But not this year. Nope, Round 2 had just as much a toddler. Sure, he might have been mad at Bukauskas over a question outrage, and maybe even more. So unlike our friends in Tampa Bay, this he’d been asked earlier in the series. But that question was completely lightning is back for Round 2. harmless, and referenced a joke that Marchand himself had recently made. The outrage: Charlie McAvoy delivered a check to the head of Josh Anderson, only got two minutes, and then was suspended for one game. If Marchand was somehow upset by that, he should have refused to do another interview with Bukauskas. Instead, he pulls that stunt on live TV. Is it justified: Let’s start with the suspension, which was probably about If the waiter messes up your order, you’re allowed to be annoyed, but if right. I thought he might get two, but he’s a first-time offender who didn’t you decide to stand up and loudly try to embarrass him in front of cause an injury and we’re talking about a conference final game, so sure, everyone over it, you’re being a huge jerk. one game shouldn’t surprise us. Again, not the end of the world, and I realize some fans won’t have any What did surprise many was the two-minute minor McAvoy received on sympathy for the media under pretty much any circumstances. But a jerk the play. Most fans seemed to think he’d get a major, right up until we is a jerk. Don’t be that guy. learned there’s no such thing – head shots are either minors or match penalties. In other words, if it’s not an intentional attempt to injure, it can The outrage: You forgot the thing I’m personally outraged about! only be two. That’s … odd. Apparently, the rule works that way at the request of the officials. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s changed at some Is it justified: No I didn’t, I just ignored it because I hate you. point soon. The week’s three stars of comedy

The outrage: Referees should be able to review those plays and upgrade The third star: Jordan Binnington – The Blues’ Game 7 win was pretty them to a major! great. I’m on record as being firmly on the bandwagon, and the whole Is it justified: And here we go. I wrote all about this just two weeks ago, week was basically filled with Blues fans being adorable. There was the and now I have to admit I was wrong. I thought we’d at least have 11-year-old who found out he was going to the game, Pat Maroon’s son reviews of majors for a while before everyone started calling for minors to reacting to the biggest goal of his dad’s career, and even Jon Hamm for be reviewed too, but it turns out we were just one call away. Guess that some reason. Everyone was just really, genuinely thrilled to see the slope was more slippery than we thought. (And needless to say, I stand Blues’ run continue. by my original point: Replay review on penalties will be a disaster and Then, there was Jordan Binnington, reacting to the biggest win of his life: you’ll hate it.) ALRIGHT GUYS, IT’S THE GIF YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: The outrage: The Avalanche lost Game 7 after losing a crucial goal to an offside review that seemed ridiculously nitpicky and maybe even flat out THE EXTREMELY PASSIONATE REACTION FROM JORDAN wrong. BINNINGTON AFTER PAT MAROON SCORES IN DOUBLE OVERTIME TO SEND THE BLUES TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE Is it justified: Sure. That was a terrible call. It may well have been FINAL … PIC.TWITTER.COM/VCXQPBNBOP technically correct, by the strict letter of the rule. But that’s not what any of us had in mind when offside review first came in, and no reasonable — CRISTIANO SIMONETTA (@CMS_74_) MAY 8, 2019 person thinks that the league is better when goals like that don’t count. Goaltenders are strange people. Look, I’m trying very hard not to beat a dead horse here, except that many of you still seem to think that the horse is alive and well and doing The second star: Dan Boyle – Oh look, he’s doing his impression of the great. So let’s just put it this way and then move on: If you can watch that NHL when it decided to implement offside review. offside review debacle help decide a Game 7 and still think it’s a good DAN BOYLE. LEGEND.  #PLAYOFFMODE idea to let the same people who came up with that system start reviewing PIC.TWITTER.COM/PQCDBMT0U2 subjective penalty calls too, I don’t know what to tell you. Replay review, when done well, makes sports better. The NHL has given us no — X – SAN JOSE SHARKS (@SANJOSESHARKS) MAY 9, indication that they know how to do it well. Stop asking for more. 2019

The outrage: The Blues were allowed to score a goal in Game 6 even The first star: Dougie Hamilton – Hey, remember that Brock Nelson head though Stars goalie Ben Bishop was injured. pat? How’d that work out in the end?

Is it justified: Nope. That one was the right call. You can understand DOUGIE HAMILTON PATS BROCK NELSON ON THE HEAD IN THE Stars fan being furious, but the referees called the rule exactly as it’s HANDSHAKE LINE AFTER SWEEPING THE ISLANDERS. THIS written: you don’t blow the play dead until the injured player’s team COMING AFTER GAME 3 WHERE NELSON PATTED MCELHINNEY touches the puck, unless the injury is obviously “serious.” Bishop wasn’t ON THE HEAD AFTERING SCORING. faking – those shots off the collarbone hurt – but he was able to stay in the game. The refs got it right. BEAUTIFUL. PIC.TWITTER.COM/P3HVOS1XHL

As for why we don’t just blow every play dead the moment someone — FLINTOR (@THEFLINTOR) MAY 4, 2019 seems hurt, serious or otherwise, well, meet me down in the YouTube I don’t even care if Carolina doesn’t make the final, we need to give section. Dougie Hamilton the Conn Smythe.

The outrage: Don Cherry criticized the Hurricanes again! Be It Resolved

Is it justified: I know some of us desperately want to turn this into a case Hello, beat reporters covering the playoffs from press boxes around the of Cherry continuing to pick on the poor Hurricanes, but come on. He league. talked about them for a whole minute after they made the conference You guys have a tough job. The travel is brutal, the deadlines are don’t think I’ve ever seen quite as much overlap between two players. ridiculous, and these days you can’t even write anything in advance Your move, Sebastian Aho(s). because no lead is safe, no game is ever over, and nothing that happens in the playoffs makes any damn sense. (Thanks to reader Peter for suggesting this week’s player.)

And yet there you are, leaving your family behind to travel from city to Classic YouTube clip breakdown city, just so you can report on what’s happening for those of us sitting at So yeah, back to that Ben Bishop injury play. Many Stars fans were home. And you do a great job. We all truly appreciate it. understandably furious about how it played out and wanted to know why There’s just one little thing. the NHL doesn’t just blow a play dead automatically when a player is down and looks injured. Many of you seem to like to live-tweet the games as they happen. You see something important, like a goal or a penalty or controversy, and you For today’s clip, we’re going to remember why that is, with some help tweet it out. Maybe your editor told you to do this, or maybe you just from Alexei Kovalev. figure you’re adding value. Either way, it’s cool – not everyone can be in OK, so here’s what’s going on. It’s May 12, 1995, and the Nordiques are front of a TV at all times, so getting updates on Twitter helps. in New York to face the Rangers in Game 4 of their opening-round But some of us are in front of TVs, and that’s where the problem comes matchup. The Nords are down 2-1 in the series, so they need this one. in. You see, some of you guys are really quick on the draw. Like, No really, they need this. After three straight years of finishing dead last extremely fast. I get it – the guy next to you is live-tweeting too, and only in the late-80s and early-90s followed by the Eric Lindros debacle, a the first tweet is going to get all that sweet, sweet engagement. When it crushing first-round loss to the Habs in 1993 and then another playoff comes to live-tweeting, nobody remembers number two. miss in 1994, they’ve just finished first in the Eastern Conference. But But there is such a thing as being too fast. Specifically, when you there are rumors swirling that the franchise is about to move to the somehow manage to get your tweet out and onto our feed before United States, so this postseason may well be their very last chance to whatever it is happens on our TV screen. I don’t even know how this is have the sort of long run that could save NHL hockey in Quebec, or at possible, but some of you are pulling it off. least buy it a little more time. Quite literally, the future of the entire franchise could be riding on this series. Stop doing that. You’re spoiling key moments for the rest of us. Here we are sitting at home, splitting our attention between the game on TV and Luckily, they’re already ahead 2-0 late in the first period and about to our Twitter feed and not our family, the way nature intended, and you score again, so I’m sure everything will turn out fine. have to go and tell us that a goal is going to be scored in three seconds. The Rangers have the puck in the Quebec zone, and Alexei Kovalev Is that cool? No. Do fans deserve it? They do not. Is it possible that this carries it up the boards when Craig Wolanin closes in and delivers a one- is actually my fault because I briefly paused the game an hour ago and handed slash that drops him to the ice. There’s no call on the play, and forgot that I did that? Maybe, sure, but look, this isn’t about assigning the puck comes loose in the neutral zone, where Joe Sakic collects it and blame. It’s about a problem. One that is completely your fault. breaks in on a solo rush. His shot is blocked, but he collects the rebound and backhands it past Glenn Healey. It’s 3-0 Nordiques and they’ve got So be it resolved: If you’re live-tweeting the NHL playoffs from a press the game pretty much locked up, as long as you weren’t listening too box, take a quick pause before you tweet. We’re talking just a few closely just now. seconds, tops, like a few blinks of an eye or a full shift for the Leafs’ top power-play unit. You won’t accidentally spoil anything, and your loyal Our first sign that something is wrong is that we can hear the whistle readers will thank you. blow right after the goal goes in, which wouldn’t typically happen. We quickly learn why: Alexei Kovalev is hurt. Obscure former player of the week Well, strike that: Alexei Kovalev is dead. Or at least, he sure looks like it. This week’s obscure player is Alexandre Picard, for reasons we’ll get to He’s down on the ice, with his body all contorted like the dummy after a in a minute. Super Dave stunt. He seems to be moving, but he’s writhing around so awkwardly that it may just be the final spasms as he expires before our Alexandre Picard was a big lefty who was born in Quebec in 1985 and eyes. RIP, Alexei, we’ll always have The Shift. played four years in the QMJHL. He made his NHL debut in 2005-06, seeing action a handful of times before setting a career high in games Kovalev’s apparent last moments on this earth taking place directly under played in 2006-07. He bounced up and down between the big leagues an image of a hot dog with mustard always struck me as a nice touch by and minor-league teams like the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals and had a few the hockey gods. Ironic foreshadowing is a lost art. stops with different NHL organizations, including Tampa Bay, although he never got to dress for a playoff game. You may remember him being “This. Is. The. Thing. Was. There. A whistle?” Show me a hockey clip traded in advance of the 2010 deadline. He headed to Europe to that isn’t made 10 times better by the presence of Bob Cole. You can’t do continue his career in 2012-13, including stops in the KHL and Swiss it. league, and was still playing pro as recently as this season. The answer: No, there was not a whistle, at least not one that came Here’s the weird thing: Every word I wrote in that last paragraph applies before the puck was already in the Rangers’ net. So even as we were to two different people. Alexandre Picard, but also Alexandre Picard. watching this in real time, we all figured the goal had to count. Tough There were two of them, and they had remarkably similar careers. break for New York, who now have to try to claw back from a 3-0 deficit and find someone to deliver an in-game eulogy for their star forward. It’s the first one that you’re probably thinking of if anyone comes to mind when you hear the name. That would be Alexandre Picard the We see a replay of Wolanin’s slash, casually delivered with one hand. defenseman, who was a third-round pick of the Flyers in 2003 and also The announcer describes it as “not a vicious chop by any stretch of the spent time with the Senators, Lightning, Hurricanes, Habs and Penguins. imagination.” I’m not so sure – it looks like a pretty decent hack that could He was involved in a few reasonably big trades that included names like do some damage if it landed in the right spot. Today, nobody would Vinny Prospal, Filip Kuba and Matt Cullen. He’d end up playing 253 NHL dispute that it should be a penalty. But back in 1995? That kind of thing games, racking up 19 goals and 69 points, and apparently just was pretty standard, honestly. announced his retirement from pro hockey this year. While we watch the replay of Kovalev dropping to the ice, we also see But there was also the other Alexandre Picard, the winger who was something else that’s important: Referee Andy Van Hellemond skating by drafted by the Blue Jackets with the eighth-overall pick in 2004. He never with his arm down. Remember, this is back in the one-ref days, so there’s lived up to that lofty selection, playing parts of five NHL seasons in no penalty being called. No penalty, no whistle before the puck goes, no Columbus without scoring a goal. The last of those years came in 2009- reason this can’t be a goal. Cool. The last 30 seconds of this clip is 10, and his final NHL totals include 67 games and two points, but he’s probably an ad or something. built a decent resume in Europe over the years. “I don’t think it’s a goal,” says one of our announcers.

I’m vaguely fascinating by NHL players who share names – longtime (Record scratch sound effect.) readers may remember our look at the Canucks’ Greg Adams quandary. But with all due respect to the Stephane Richers and the Petr Svobodi, I (Remembers none of you kids know what a record is.) (Feels old.)

It is indeed no goal, and we see Van Hellemond explaining the call to the Quebec bench, which allows us to play a rapid-fire round of “Oh right, he was part of the 1995 Nordiques” featuring head coach Marc Crawford, assistant coach Jacques Martin and a guy who looks a lot like Wendel Clark but can’t be because he spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs.

And with that, our clip ends. But the fun was just beginning. Kovalev made a miraculous recovery and had a goal and an assist as the Rangers came back to win the game in overtime. The Nordiques actually tried to protest the game, citing Van Hellemond’s apparent explanation that he had blown the play dead, which he hadn’t.

The league denied the protest, and initially backed up Van Hellemond, with then-director of hockey operations Brian Burke offering the hilarious explanation that “I am not a physicist. I don’t know how long sound takes to travel.” But days later, the NHL backtracked and took the almost- unheard-of step of acknowledging that a referee had made a mistake, publicly fining Van Hellemond and criticizing him for “a glaring error in judgment.”

By then, it was too late for the Nordiques. They’d lose the series in six, and within weeks had announced that they were moving to Denver. They’d win the Stanley Cup in their first season there, but the NHL hasn’t been back to Quebec City since. There’s a good chance it never will.

Years later, of course, Kovalev was part of a similar injury controversy. That came in 2004, when he was slashed in overtime and dramatically bailed on the play. That time, no whistle came, the other team scored the winner, and Kovalev’s own coach and teammates publicly ripped him for quitting on the play. But guys, it worked once before!

So there you have it – a play that both reinforced the importance of not whistling down plays in which someone is injured and served as a crucial chapter in the origin story for the dreaded “intent to blow” rule, all in one play. Worst playoff call ever? It just might be. At least until something worse happens next week.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144372 Websites “There’s times where he gets a little excited and emotional,” said defenceman Torey Krug. “Sometimes you just look over your shoulder and go ‘All right, let’s take a deep breath here and relax.”’

Sportsnet.ca / Bruins-Hurricanes coaching matchup showcases clear Livestream every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, blackout-free. Plus evolution of the job stream the Blue Jays & MLB, Raptors and NBA Playoffs matchups and more.

Chris Johnston | May 10, 2019, 7:22 PM It can be an emotional time of year and teams take their cues from the voice at the front of the room.

When the Bruins scouted Carolina in the lead-up to this series, they saw BOSTON — Butch and Rod. a team that plays 200 feet and competes all over the ice. In essence, they saw the style Brind’Amour was known for during his 20-year career. Two hockey guys to the core, with the names and bonafides to prove it. The head coaches in this Eastern Conference Final are also evidence of “I think they’re a reflection of their coach and how he approaches things how things have evolved in the sport, particularly when it comes to how in his own lifestyle, and they’ve got some juice,” said Bruins GM Don those running a bench handle players. Sweeney.

There’s a little more trust and a lot less yelling than there once was. There’s been a renaissance among his own team since Cassidy took over from Claude Julien in February 2017. The 53-year-old began his There’s a deeper understanding, too. coaching career with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings more than two Rod Brind’Amour’s Carolina Hurricanes are basically only on the ice decades ago and is well aware of the opportunity at hand now that when they’re playing games at this point. The head coach began opting Boston is among the Final Four still playing in mid May. for more restful off-days while his players chased down a playoff spot in He takes a moment each day to remind himself about that. the final month of the season and has only taken them out for a morning skate before a game once during the post-season. “Bobby Orr’s in the building [Thursday] night, walks in and I get an autographed book,” said Cassidy. “The guy’s my idol. How can you not Bruce Cassidy treads the line between forceful and passive. He can get enjoy that part of it? Ray [Bourque’s] doing the banner, another plenty fired up when energy sags on the Boston Bruins bench, but he defenceman I’ve looked up to for years. also sees value in stepping aside and letting veterans Zdeno Chara or Patrice Bergeron impart their own wisdom instead. “I mean you’ve got to be in the moment, but for me, I [reflect] a lot, right or wrong.” “He lets us as the leaders have control of the room,” Chara said Friday. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 The approach can best be described as a player’s touch from men who are probably still players at heart.

Brind’Amour, the 1,400-plus gamer, even had to catch himself after Thursday’s 5-2 loss in Game 1. He was talking about Dougie Hamilton playing on the edge throughout the night and added: “We all were. I mean not me, but the guys were.”

The first-year head coach also produced a highly gif-able moment when cameras caught him reviewing Hamilton’s questionable third-period roughing penalty. It came during a sequence where Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov was simultaneously belted in open ice with his back turned and that infraction wasn’t whistled.

Here’s how it looked to coach Rod:

“That’s the one I was frustrated with because I thought earlier in the game there was one where [Micheal] Ferland gave the guy less of a shot and there was a penalty,” Brind’Amour explained Friday. “I actually thought we were going on the power play. I didn’t see Dougie’s in the corner, so that was what kind of confused me on the whole thing.

“That’s not why we lost the game, but yes, I thought that [hit on Svechnikov] was the penalty.”

Knee injuries kept Cassidy from enjoying the kind of NHL playing career his counterpart had, but he is a former 18th-overall pick with 36 games on his resume, plus hundreds of others in leagues ranging from the IHL to Italy.

Today he is among the most articulate, detailed and open coaches in the NHL. Cassidy can take a question about why his defencemen aren’t generating many shots on goal — as he did Friday — and turn it into a 100-plus word answer that touches on the impacts of different coverage patterns by opponents, why he doesn’t like seeing the Bruins pass it out to the points, how his skilled forwards create opportunities for better shots … and then punctuate it with a zinger.

“I’m not sure if our defencemen love me for that, but that’s just the way it works out,” said Cassidy. “I think they’re all under long-term contracts so they have nothing to worry about.”

However, by his own admission, the thinker can also put his charges on blast. He believes there are times when buttons need to be pushed, and he doesn’t shy away from those moments.

“I think you are who you are. I don’t think it’ll ever change,” said Cassidy. “I don’t think I’ll ever be this stoic guy behind there that never says a word, it’s just not my personality.” 1144373 Websites controlled the overall shot volume and exerted unbelievably impressive control of the cycle game, getting over 62 per cent of the chances off the cycle in the series at 5-vs-5.

Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: Who has the edge in the Conference With both teams playing seven games in Round 2, there’s no talk of one Finals? team being more rested than the other, and there’s not a lot of time for either coaching staff to prepare for this one, so we should get some fun twists and turns as the series goes on and the teams adjust to each Andrew Berkshire May 10, 2019, 1:56 PM other.

While the Sharks haven’t dominated either of their opponents in the playoffs so far, both the Golden Knights and Avalanche were amazing The NHL’s Conference Finals have already begun, but let’s take a few teams at attacking off the rush, and the Sharks were pretty good at moments to recap how we got here and look forward to what’s to come, generating counterattacks the same way, especially at even strength. similar to what we did in the last edition of Truth by Numbers for the first round. The biggest weakness the Blues have defensively is defending off the rush, so while the Sharks may not have a reputation as a fast team, they Let’s start with the Eastern Conference. can create chances off the rush, which is an area to watch in this one. The Boston Bruins have already managed to take the advantage in their BUY OR SELL series with the Carolina Hurricanes with a comeback win in Game 1 thanks to capitalizing twice on a trio of penalties in the third period that • When Joe Pavelski was hurt in Game 7 against the Golden Knights, managed to erase a one-goal lead and create one of their own. you had to wonder how the Sharks would weather that loss. The answer has been a huge step up from Logan Couture. For a long time, Couture Looking at how each team played in the last round, the Hurricanes swept was one of the ‘young Sharks’ on an older team — now he’s a 30-year- the Islanders but the series was much closer in detail than it ended up old vet leading the way. Of forwards left in the playoffs, only Timo Meier being in results. The Islanders wildly outchanced the Hurricanes off the and Patrice Bergeron have created more scoring chances per 20 minutes rush, and controlled the passes to the slot, similar to what Washington at 5-vs-5 than he has. did to Carolina in the first round, while the Hurricanes were slightly better at getting high-danger chances, and pounded the Islanders off the cycle. • The enduring storyline for the Sharks in recent years has been to finally get Jumbo Joe Thornton a Cup, but at 39 years old, he’s not just a The Bruins, meanwhile, took six games to drop the Columbus Blue greybeard trying to hang onto a role, he’s still a key player. Only Meier Jackets, but heavily outplayed them everywhere. What makes the Bruins and Couture have created more scoring chances for the Sharks than such a dangerous team is that they aren’t stuck to one style of play — Thornton has. they aren’t just a rush team or just a cycle team, or just a forechecking team. They do everything well, eventually overwhelming opponents. • How big of a payoff has it been for Boston to bring in Charlie Coyle? It seems like every goal he scores is a key one, even the empty-net ones, One issue for the Hurricanes against the Bruins is going to be controlling and while he’s on the ice the Bruins have controlled 67 per cent of the passing plays, something that has been a weakness for them all playoffs high-danger scoring chances. The Bruins depth has been massive in the and has been a particular strength of the Bruins for the better part of a playoffs, because their top line has been uncharacteristically exploitable decade now. defensively. The Bruin who’s been on the ice for the most high-danger One thing that will be interesting to watch in this series will be special chances-against per minute in the playoffs? Brad Marchand. teams. Against the Maple Leafs, the Bruins’ were a gigantic advantage, • Jordan Staal took a bad penalty that turned the tide against the Canes whereas the Blue Jackets actually managed to cut into the Bruins on in Game 1, but he’s going to be a key in that series. Staal has always special teams a little bit, cutting their advantages in high-danger chances, been an analytics darling, but his performance in these playoffs might be shot attempts, and passes to the slot. his best ever. While he’s on the ice, the Hurricanes are controlling 72 per After Game 1, it didn’t look like the Hurricanes were fully prepared for the cent of the high-danger chances, 60 per cent of the passes to the slot, voracious power play the Bruins deploy, and Carolina has been primarily and 61 per cent of the shot attempts. That’s beastly. a strong even-strength team all playoffs long. So, can special teams be Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 the difference in the series?

What about the West?

For the second straight series, the San Jose Sharks have prevailed in seven games, despite being pretty heavily outplayed by most metrics against the Vegas Golden Knights and now the Colorado Avalanche.

It’s not like the Sharks are a bad team. They were absolutely dominant at even strength, but the Golden Knights were better, and the Avalanche in the playoffs are just… not of this earth. The Avs’ preparation heading into a series is out of this world good, as I’ve looked into earlier this post- season, but even outplaying the Sharks just wasn’t enough this time.

Surprisingly, after the worst regular season of his career, you could make a good argument that Martin Jones has been one of the most important players on the Sharks’ roster. They haven’t done a good job insulating him from quality shots at all, and while his overall save percentage isn’t great, he was excellent against the Avalanche.

In five of the seven games in round two, Jones posted a save percentage of .926 or better, and when your goaltender is able to do that despite your defence being relatively porous, you’ve got a pretty good chance at winning if you can get some opportunistic scoring. But it’s probably not a good idea for long-term success.

The Blues, on the other hand, went from playing an extremely tight series against the Winnipeg Jets, by every measure, to another tight series against the Dallas Stars that had some wider disparities in certain areas of gameplay.

The Stars were able to cut the Blues up off the rush, and their incredible defensive control of the inner slot area, especially on special teams, led to a large advantage in high-danger chances overall, while the Blues 1144374 Websites “Lagesson is hard, heavy. He goes against the top check every single night and is having a career year offensively (8-19-27). He is an excellent hockey player. Bouchard has a big shot, and he’s learning at this level. Sportsnet.ca / Young defencemen presented fresh opportunities with Here, he’s playing in the second round of the AHL playoffs. This is some Oilers intense hockey.”

Ideally, Bear can make play NHL games next season, a place-holder so Bouchard can play a full year in the AHL. After that, who knows? What if Mark Spector | May 10, 2019, 4:34 PM both were right-shot Oilers defencemen with bombs from the point?

After showing up last September in less than top shape, Bear talks like a guy who has learned a lesson. SAN DIEGO — What does Caleb Jones expect to come out of Edmonton Oilers training camp in September? “I will approach this summer a lot more seriously, that’s for sure,” said Bear, who grew up in the Ochapowace Nation near Whitewood, Sask. “I’ll be expecting to make the team,” said Seth’s little brother. “I’ve never really understood the meaning of (what it takes) to make the Meanwhile, Ethan Bear, the right shot defenceman with the offensive NHL. I’ve done things more through skill, but I never really understood instincts that the Edmonton Oilers have been missing for most of a the hard work it really takes. There is no off-season in the NHL. I never decade, has spent the season looking in the mirror. really understood that. I’d go home, take a week off… Just was never as smart and as serious as I needed to be. “I had my fun last summer, and the summers before. It’s time to grow,” Bear said. “To realize how much hard work it takes to make it in the “I’d still be in shape. But I could have been in better shape. That’s the NHL.” biggest growth for me this year. Just learning to be a better pro,” said Bear, who smells the opportunity in Edmonton. “I’m going to spend my This is the funnel-down effect, when an organization gets turned on its whole summer in Edmonton, and go 110 per cent every day. It’s hard to head like the Oilers have these last few months. Every guy down here in focus in the summer. You have your friends, you have your family, it’s the American Hockey League knows: There’s a new boss in town, and time off. It’s easy to lose focus and enjoy life a little bit too much.” he’s got some issues they can help him with. Finally, a pipeline in Edmonton where four or five defencemen can battle Ken Holland needs a couple of defencemen, especially ones that can for one or two spots. move the puck. And he could dearly use a couple of D-man on Entry Level contracts, leaving him more cap space to shore up his forward The way the good organizations work. ranks on the Unrestricted Free Agent market. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 “Everyone here pays attention. It’s our jobs,” Bear said of the events up in Edmonton this past week. “We want to get to the NHL, and everyone sees that there’s opportunity. Everybody wants to be at the top, right?”

Jones came up to Edmonton for a stint last season, only to become the poster boy for what this organization has done to its prospects for so long. He started out playing 16, 17, 18 minutes, and held his own. Then injuries struck, and here was a 21-year-old call-up playing 22 or 23 minutes a night.

Predictably, Jones crashed and burned, making the definitive giveaway in a loss to Calgary that left him facing the media post-game, where he admitted, “that’s the difference between an NHL player and an American League player. Those plays don’t happen, at that juncture in a hockey game. I’ll learn from it, though.”

Jones would play one more game, the next night in another lopsided loss against Carolina. Two days later, the general manager would be fired, and the prospect was back in Bakersfield, dented, but not broken.

He vows he’ll play a lot more than 17 NHL games in the 2019-20 season.

“You come into every camp wanting to stick,” Jones said. “But having a little taste, a little success up there? I’m going to have a real hunger to make sure I’m making that opening night roster next year.”

OK — let’s take stock. Edmonton has Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson, Darnell Nurse and Andrej Sekera, then Kris Russell and Matt Benning, that leaves a spot for one current Bakersfield defenceman. Swap one of those veterans for a winger — or buy out Sekera — and maybe you have room for two.

But along with Jones and Bear, Holland was watching a more defensive- minded William Lagesson while in San Diego this week. And he’s got Joel Persson coming over from the Swedish Elite League next season — on a one-way, $1-million deal.

Then you have Evan Bouchard and Dmitri Samorukov, the former finishing his season in the AHL while he latter carries his Guelph team through the OHL Final.

“The complexion of the D-corps here is made up of different ingredients,” begins Jay Woodcroft, who gets credit for fostering an excellent culture in Bakersfield, the likes of which the Oilers haven’t had in years. “Bear provides that big shot from the point, and I think his defending is under rated. Jones is a puck transporter. He finds the right time to jump in, and knows when not to jump in. His biggest improvement has been on the defensive side of things. He was a big minus player last year (minus-25). This year he was (plus-16). 1144375 Websites Stickhandling specialist Brandon ‘Pavel’ Barber, who’s worked with Ninkovich at the BTNL facility as well, went through the same gauntlet of on-ice drills and off-ice routines Hughes did — part of the ‘Overspeed’ Sportsnet.ca / How Jack Hughes built the skill-set that could make him program at BTNL that many a pro has dabbled in — to get a sense of 2019's No. 1 pick their impact.

“The advantages of the drills is that they’re mostly simple things done at very high speeds,” Barber says. “Learning to combine skating and Sonny Sachdeva May 10, 2019, 11:42 AM stickhandling without sacrificing the speed of one or the other, while making quick decisions, all while being aware of what is around you. It’s

high tempo. TORONTO — For those who bear the same Team USA crest on their “…When you have a player like Jack who’s already advanced, it’s so fun chest, he goes by ‘Jack.’ Maybe ‘Hughesy’ on occasion, or something to train them because there’s always ways to push further. I think these else in line with hockey’s usual, predictable nickname customs. drills help him by forcing him to think and do quicker, but at the same But to longtime trainer and mentor Dan Ninkovich, the blue-chip talent time, build a level of consistency in skills other players may call ‘low likely to hear his name called first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft is simply percentage’ skills.” known as ‘Allen.’ As in Iverson. The tremendous year-over-year growth, with the help of Ninkovich and “Between him and I, I call him Allen due to his ability to change direction Co., has taken Hughes to dominant heights as of late. with the puck,” Ninkovich says of Jack Hughes, referencing the NBA In 2018-19, the young pivot put up his 190th point with the National Team great whose deadly crossovers routinely wobbled the opposition with Development Program to become the organization’s all-time leading ease. “He knows how to find quiet ice, as well as demand the puck in the scorer, surpassing Clayton Keller’s 189. A month later, at the 2019 IIHF areas he feels most effective. He’s a real student of the game.” World U18 Championships, he broke Alex Ovechkin’s scoring record, Though now on the cusp of entering into the big-league picture via the posting a combined 32 points over his two appearances in the tourney. June 21 draft, some of Hughes’ earliest days in a pro environment came Now, with his pre-NHL days nearing their close, Hughes remains the at Ninkovich’s BTNL (Beyond The Next Level) facility in Oakville, Ont., projected first-overall pick at the upcoming draft, with a fall to No. 2 where Jack and his older brother Quinn — now a defender for the seeming the worst-case scenario. Vancouver Canucks — have trained for the past four years. For Ninkovich, these historic efforts likely come as little surprise, as the Ninkovich first met the younger Hughes when Jack was 12 years old, longtime performance coach sees in Hughes the same fire he once saw while the duo’s father was a player development coach for the Toronto in another premier talent that walked through his doors. Maple Leafs. “I’d say [it’s the] same development curve as Connor (McDavid),” he A glance at the carousel of elite names who have suited up at the BTNL says. “Jack found his identity as a player early and has a desire to be the facility sheds light on the reason parents Jim and Ellen trusted Ninkovich best. It’s an elite frame of mind. You can’t teach that. with their talented sons’ development: Leafs linemates John Tavares and Mitch Marner, two-time Art Ross Trophy-winner Connor McDavid, and “It’s a law of attraction, so to speak. Everyone focuses on physical two-time Stanley Cup champ have all broken a sweat at attributes, but it is the mental habits that separate the elite from the BTNL, among a number of others. average.”

In fact, when Hughes saw the New Jersey Devils gifted the No. 1 pick in Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 April’s draft lottery, he spoke of his work at BTNL with another of Ninkovich’s trainees — Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall.

Hughes’ own hours upon hours at the Oakville facility have helped polish his game into a dynamic, lethal combination of offensive prowess and two-way acumen. But much of what makes Hughes so lethal now was there from the start.

“His elusiveness, compete level and passion for the game,” Ninkovich says of the aspects of the young centreman’s skill-set that stood out to him back when they first met. “With the latter two being my main prerequisites when selecting players I want to invest my time with. He was one of those kids that always wanted to one-up you, no matter what activity we played, and I feel without that compete level you cannot become an elite athlete in any sport.”

And now?

“He’s almost unreadable one-on-one, effective on both sides. Just deadly in transition,” Ninkovich says, later adding: “I personally love to watch his defensive game. He can disrupt zone entry with his tenacity and skating. When he’s on his game, it’s hard to execute any plan on paper, on both ends of the ice.”

Ninkovich’s work with the Orlando, Fla., standout — who’s currently suiting up with Team USA at the IIHF World Championship in Slovakia, becoming the youngest American to ever do so — has focused primarily on reinforcing proper movement patterns, he says, in line with his philosophy of “efficient training-to-game transfer.”

It’s been a slow, steady grind, with Ninkovich electing to help Hughes continue building himself up consistently rather than in sporadic bursts.

“His training was systematic,” says Ninkovich, who’s quick to divert credit to the tireless work of Hughes’ parents. “I am a big believer in the accumulation of small efforts year-round rather than dividing the training plan into seasons. You see, being a hockey player is a lifestyle.

“That being said, I don’t even know what his ceiling is, because I feel we have only tapped into his potential.” 1144376 Websites “You hear that sound of pucks hitting boards and skates clamping ice and voices cheering, and you see them chirping and yelling, and you see their breath,” Wilson recalls.

Sportsnet.ca / Ultimate fan follows Leafs for all 89 games: 'Not as crazy “I had a tear in my eye looking at that. I thought, ‘This is what the game is as you think' all about. This is why I did this.’”

We sat down with Wilson to gather the highlights and lowlights from his Luke Fox | May 10, 2019, 9:30 AM unprecedented trek.

SPORTSNET: What’s the most common question you fielded when people found out you were following the Leafs to every game? A 40-year-old is attending his first live Toronto Maple Leafs game on Opening Night and has a story he’d like to share with Mike Wilson. MIKE WILSON: “How much is this costing you?” First thing. And the next thing: “Are you retired?” Yes. The man had spent a life watching every game with his father on TV. If, for some reason, they couldn’t watch together, his dad would ring the Best rink food? next morning and — before a hello — open with “What was the score?” I don’t eat usually at the rinks because I’m so busy talking to people, I The grown son was inside the arena, watching his dad’s favourite team can’t carry food around. Every arena has its own nuance. They have alone, and explaining what being inside the building means to him. pickerel on a stick in Winnipeg. Perogies on pizza in Winnipeg. Nashville, you get the pulled pork and barbecue. It’s basically the same type of fare “The father’s dying words to his son: ‘What was the score?’ ” Wilson everywhere. Macaroni and cheese is big — you get it on hot dogs now, says. “He’s telling me this and tears are streaming down his face. I’m you get it on burgers, or as a separate entity. trying not to cry myself. How do you top that story?” Most surprisingly quality road city? You don’t top it. You just add another chapter, 89 of them in all. The surprise city would be Columbus. Lots of history, arena downtown, Mike Wilson is the self-branded Ultimate Leafs Fan — with a custom very sophisticated crowd, and they know their stuff. Nashville was the jacket and cap to prove it — and after his latest accomplishment, it would best city on the tour, a nice surprise because I’m not a big country-and- be impossible to argue the contrary. western guy.

Exhausting his collecting of Leafs memorabilia, an obsession going back Best in-game arena experience? 50 years, Wilson set out to collect stories, interacting with fellow diehard fans as he devoted more than six months of his life to attend every single Vegas. All the hoopla and dancers and bands playing — it’s a Vegas Maple Leafs game, including playoffs, on the 2018-19 schedule. show. The best is, their 50/50 draw is 51/49 because the house never loses. I thought that was pretty good. Best rink, too. With children all grown up, an ultra-supportive wife, Debbie, who pitched in on the social-media front, and a swath of free time since he left Bay Best souvenir? Street, Wilson budgeted $35,000, began travel-planning as soon as the I wanted to collect something the same from all 31 rinks, but something Leafs schedule was released last summer and took planes, trains and you couldn’t find online. Used pucks from warm-ups were too expensive, automobiles to live out a dream. or sometimes the lines were too long, like in Detroit they start lining up for “Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh, jeez, wow.’ But think about it: Go to Hawaii or them before warm-ups start. What did I end up with? Newspaper. I got Europe for two weeks — what’s that gonna cost you? It’s really not as one from every road game, the game report the next day. I’m going to do crazy as you think,” Wilson says. “The worst part of it is every game I get a big scrapbook when I’m finished. offered probably 10 beers.” Most dominant performance by the opposition?

Um. The worst or the best? The Blues in St. Louis [where they beat the Leafs 3-2 in overtime on Feb. “It’s the worst because I don’t drink at the games, because I talk to a lot 19]. That first six minutes, I’ve never seen a team dominate these Leafs of people, a lot of kids, a lot of families. I don’t want to have booze on my like they did. Their heads were spinning. Goaltending, defence, forwards, breath. I don’t want any excuses. That part of the trip is businesslike.” skill, toughness — it was the dictionary version of what a Stanley Cup team should look like. And this team was in last place in January. My In 2015, Canadian superfan Rob Suggitt memorably visited all 30 NHL goodness was that a heck of a hockey team. And the thing about that arenas in a whirlwind 30 nights, but until 2018-19, no fan had followed an building, it’s a very sophisticated crowd. They know the game and NHL team for 82-plus. appreciate good plays. They weren’t sarcastic like the New York Islanders fans. They’re screaming and yelling, but it’s a very hockey- In Pittsburgh, Wilson watched the Leafs with a first responder who was educated crowd. wearing a cast having been shot by the Tree of Life Synagogue gunman. He was moved taking in a game with members of the Humboldt Broncos. Safe to say Long Island had the harshest crowd?

Wilson swapped hockey tales with Harry Sinden in Florida, Jimmy Totally obnoxious. Swearing. The rink holds 13,500 people. It’s a low Devellano in Detroit and Bruce Boudreau in Anaheim. He’d bump into roof, so it’s really loud. You gotta remember, New York City has the Auston Matthews in the hotel lobby, find common ground with Habs nut Yankees, the glamour, all the stars playing for them. Even New Jersey is Jay Baruchel, and teach kids in Colorado the trick to getting Mitch Marner home to the Giants, the Jets, the Devils have won some Stanley Cups. to toss them a warm-up puck. What do the Islanders got? They had John Tavares, their star player. Now he’s taken away from them and they have nothing else. The place is Leafs Nation, Wilson discovered up-close, knows no borders. He’ll write barren. You think Kanata is barren? Kanata looks like the middle of a book about his couch-surfing adventures one day, but he won’t quote Manhattan compared to this, with a hotel and a rink. So, they tailgate. I that one guy who drove from Thunder Bay to Minnesota. got out of the car. They tailgate in three places: Philadelphia, Carolina “His buddies were all going, but his wife didn’t want him to, so he and the Island. Barbeque smell, the music — it was just like a football sneaked out of the house with a Leafs sweater tucked under his coat, game. It was terrific, a great atmosphere, but all of a sudden people jumped in his buddy’s car and drove to the game. Six and a half hours,” would walk by in their [altered] Tavares sweaters and be swearing and Wilson laughs. “This is a 50-year-old man. He thought I was reporting, yelling. Is that necessary? I mean, really. I check the pre-game warm-ups and he didn’t want his name or picture in the paper because his wife and take a little video at every game. Without fail, from centre ice to would see it.” around the [Leafs] net, that whole horseshoe, is five, 10, as many as 15 rows deep with Leafs fans. Not just Buffalo, Montreal and Ottawa. It was Prior to the real game in St. Paul, Wilson stood outside to take in the like that in Columbus, Anaheim, San Jose. All the way around the arena. “Gardiner Classic,” a blue-and-white shinny game on a small pad outside Long Island? I think I saw maybe half a dozen Leafs sweaters, let alone Xcel Center. The Toronto Maple Leafs playing hockey for the sake of it, rows of people. All Islanders fans. And the jeering? I’ve never heard then untying their skates, grabbing hot dogs and hopping on a bus like anything so loud. Swearing at him, the chants, it went on for 15 minutes. 10-year-old kids. You could see it affected him. I mean, he’s human. He was fumbling the puck a bit, trying to settle down, but it gets to you. Most enjoyable game? being in an arena, feeding off the crowd, the energy, watching the players, hearing the sticks. Going into Chicago [on Oct. 7], Stan Mikita Night. Really loud building. Back and forth, goal after goal. Here they play this tight game against Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 Montreal to win on Opening Night, then they play firebrand in Chicago and outlast them. As a fan, you’re thinking, They can do it all!

Most complete Leafs victory?

In San Jose [a 5-3 win on Nov. 15]. That was their most complete game in all facets for 60 minutes, from goaltending to defence to forwards. They didn’t stop moving their feet the whole game.

Best effort that ended in a loss?

The best game they played was the one they lost 4-1 in Tampa [on Dec. 13]. That first period they hit the post three times. Tampa capitalized on their chances in the second period. Freddy [Andersen] maybe didn’t have his greatest game, but that was their best effort. Then they went back to Tampa and beat them [4-2 on Jan. 17] and played not as good. The best game after that was in Calgary [on March 4]. Won 6-2. I went to the morning skate that day, and they were buzzed. Fired up. Active. Excited. You could tell they had this feeling about them, first game of the [Western Canada] trip, and they took it right to the ice with them and played terrific.

Biggest dud?

The one rink I hated going to was Boston, because everything disastrous always seems to happen there. First eight minutes in that first trip [on Nov. 18], the Leafs were outshooting them 15-2. I thought maybe here’s the turnaround. Then all of a sudden that fluky goal goes in, and we were sunk. The two Ottawa games in March [6-2 and 4-2 losses] were probably as bad as it gets. And the first two Islanders games, on Long Island and here. Those were disappointing.

Who is your Leafs MVP?

John Tavares. Not because he got 47 goals. It’s the way this guy plays. I’d never watched him so close for 82 games; I’d just see his stats and scoring highlights. Watching him consistently for 82 games, this guy never takes a shift off. He doesn’t look like he ever smiles, unless he scores. Then he goes back to the bench and has a frown on his face again. He works as hard without the puck as he does without it. This guy gets hit as much as anybody, and he takes it. His tenacity on the puck has impressed me beyond. He is clearly the leader of this hockey club.

Greatest stumbling block with this team?

Using Tavares as the prototype of the perfect forward, these other kids have been star players all the way. The thing about these guys, they’ve had the puck their whole life, from six years old until they got to the pros. And if they didn’t have the puck, the guy playing with them would get it to them. Now they get to the NHL, well, you’ve got to get the puck. They have to grasp the idea that you have to go get the puck. Mike Babcock has preached it since the day he got here: Never let your talent override your work ethic. That means everything. John Tavares exemplifies that. The sooner these guys realize that – and some of them are starting to – they’ll go far.

How did it feel leaving Game 7, when the journey was finally over?

I left with two minutes remaining, and crowd was quietest leaving of the four games [in Boston]. I drove for a couple hours and pulled over for the night. Next morning, I was doing a national radio interview with CBC at 6:10 a.m. The producers asked me to pull over to cut sound, even though there weren’t any cars on road, so I did. I’m speaking live on the radio when a Massachusetts state trooper pulls in behind my car. I tried to keep my window up as long as possible and whispered, “I’m doing a live radio interview on the car speaker phone.” Well, Barney Fife would hear nothing of the sort and proceeded to scold me for sitting on the shoulder off the highway — heard across the country. Meanwhile, the broadcaster kept speaking. I wanted to say to Barney, “Was this really necessary? I mean, geez. After you guys won, for crying out loud? Let me suffer in peace.”

Would you do all 82 again?

No. I would, but I wouldn’t. Because there’s all the things I can’t talk about: people too big next to me, sitting in a middle seat, guys bumping you, can’t see, people smell, they’re drunk. I’ve had to watch some periods out in the hall on TV because of the guy beside me is crowding me or too drunk. All those nuisances, you can take it every few games. But I’ll always go to live games. I love them. There’s nothing better than 1144377 Websites Hurricanes control 60.7 per cent of even-strength shot attempts and 68.75 of scoring chances while he was on the ice.

But it’s the sight of him sitting helplessly in the penalty box while the Sportsnet.ca / Hurricanes lose grip on Game 1 as Bruins capitalize on entire building screamed his name that will endure. power play "I don’t really care," said Hamilton. "They’ve chanted my name before. For me, it is what it is. Obviously unfortunate that I was in the box and Chris Johnston May 10, 2019, 1:43 AM taking those penalties. I mean, it’s playoff hockey. That’s what you expect."

As for the heated moment with Chara, the 25-year-old defenceman was BOSTON — There was a moment early in Game 1 of the Eastern reluctant to delve into the details. Conference final on Thursday where a defiant Dougie Hamilton went face-to-face with Zdeno Chara during a scrum. He didn’t flinch or back "I don’t remember what he said," said Hamilton. "I don’t remember what I away. said."

"Just a hockey play, I think," said Hamilton. "An old friend." Brind’Amour thought his player was on the "edge" throughout the night. It was mostly positive, the kind of thing you want to see in the biggest It seemed to say a lot about where we’re at to begin this best-of-seven game for the Hurricanes franchise in a decade. series. You had Hamilton, the former Boston Bruins defenceman of the future, looking fear directly in the eye — a nice proxy for his Carolina "Usually, the first game of a series there’s a little tiny feeling out, just to Hurricanes coming into TD Garden and trying to hold their nerve while see what you’re up against," said Williams. "Unfortunately, it’s tough, keeping company among the NHL’s Final Four. because that game was there for us."

They were each left with some regrets after a disastrous six-minute Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 stretch in the third period derailed an otherwise encouraging night. It saw Carolina take three penalties — two by Hamilton — and the fans derisively chant "Dougie! Dougie!" while the Bruins instantly flipped a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead on their way to taking Game 1.

"Well, I just watched both of them and I didn’t agree with either," Hamilton said of his penalties. "Not much else to say. The game’s over now and there’s nothing you can do about it."

The calls were certainly debatable. There seemed to be a never-ending discussion involving referees Marc Joannette and Dan O’Rourke during stoppages in this uneven opener, with Patrice Bergeron and Chara often pleading a case for the Bruins, and Justin Williams cross-examining on behalf of Carolina.

So the standard was in question, but the Hurricanes were also in a position of control with a lead on the road and 20 minutes to play.

Then,they let it slip away. A boarding call on Jordan Staal allowed the Bruins to tie it before Hamilton was whistled for roughing Joakim Nordstrom and then given an interference penalty for hitting David Backes in the corner.

"Everyone knows that those penalties kind of cost us the game," said forward Sebastian Aho.

"It took all of the momentum out of us," added Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, never the excuse-making type.

"We took penalties, we need to kill ‘em. Whether they’re good or not, whether there was some let go that we thought should have been called, I mean that’s going to happen every night," he said. "We’ve got to come up with a better way to kill ‘em and when we get our power plays we’ve got to make them count."

The huge swing of special teams momentum was made even tougher by the fact the Hurricanes controlled a healthy swath of the second period at 5-on-5. They were skating and relentless, working the puck around the offensive zone and mostly keeping it away from potential danger.

They’d also spent a fair bit of their preparation in recent days emphasizing the importance of not letting Boston’s league-best power play go to work. Then they handed them five opportunities straight away, including the three at the start of the third period on freshly resurfaced ice.

"You look at their roster, obviously, they’re a pretty talented group," said Hurricanes forward Greg McKegg. "They’ve had that power play there for a while. There’s a lot of chemistry and they move it around."

For Hamilton, in particular, this loss stung. He was a former ninth overall pick by the Bruins who was part of the team that lost in the 2013 Stanley Cup final, and then saw his relationship with the organization sour.

He welcomed the change of scenery when the Bruins traded him to Calgary in June 2015 and appears to be on the upswing at the end of his first season in Carolina. Absent the penalties, he played a hell of a Game 1 — recording a team-best four shots on goal while helping the 1144378 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Seattle NHL team gives fans chance to vote on name, jersey colour, more

Mike Johnston | May 10, 2019, 2:54 PM

We’re still a couple years away from seeing the still-unnamed Seattle team make its official NHL debut, which means plenty of work is being done behind the scenes.

One initiative the franchise has been working on, a unique fan website, was unveiled Thursday.

A link was tweeted out by the verified NHL Seattle account, as well as board member and minority owner Mitch Garber.

Launched the website for fans of the soon to be named…2021 inaugural season- playing, @NHLSeattle_ @nhl hockey team. Fans contributing input on many things…, and lots of questions answered…So have a look! https://t.co/1V7EpBqWBT

— Mitch Garber (@mitchgarber) May 9, 2019

The site has an FAQ section, photo gallery, links to their social media channels, plus a timeline feature where you can scroll through an infographic of notable announcements while looking ahead to important upcoming dates for the franchise.

Several pages give users the chance to vote on what type of nickname, jersey colours, in-stadium music, goal horn sound and food options the team should adopt when everything is up and running.

For example, one question asks: “What type of team names do you like the most?” The four options to choose from are: “mythical creatures,” “animals,” “historical references” and “anything that eats Canucks.”

There is also a place at the top of the homepage where fans can submit questions or comments.

Earlier this month, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press that Seattle is among the contenders to host the 2021 NHL Draft ahead of the team’s inaugural season.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144379 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Devils, Rangers react to Kaapo Kakko goal vs. Canada at IIHF worlds

Mike Johnston | May 10, 2019, 12:11 PM

Conventional wisdom would see the New Jersey Devils select American Jack Hughes No. 1 at the 2019 NHL Draft followed by the New York Rangers taking consensus No. 2 prospect Kaapo Kakko of Finland with the next pick.

Not so fast.

Kakko scored a highlight-reel goal against Team Canada on Friday in the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship opener that appeared to have the Devils scratching their collective chins.

The 18-year-old winger corralled a beautiful touch pass from Toni Rajala then proceeded to beat Matt Murray with a nifty backhand deke along the ice.

Moments after Kakko opened the scoring, the Rangers sent out the following tweet.

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 10, 2019

Suffice it to say they liked what they saw.

Six minutes later, however, the Devils took a page out of the same playbook by adding a GIF of the goal and a second set of  to their tweet.

#IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/m5dqabJi1j

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) May 10, 2019

Perhaps it’s merely some light-hearted gamesmanship by the Devils, or maybe general manager Ray Shero and his staff simply haven’t made up their minds yet as to which player they’re going to take first overall.

While Hughes remains the likely top pick, Kakko’s stock continues to rise and a strong showing at the worlds – or a poor one from Hughes, who is representing the United States at the tournament – could end up impacting how draft night unfolds.

Back in March, Kakko leapfrogged Hughes for top spot on Sam Cosentino’s prospect rankings. Kakko fell back to No. 2 behind Hughes in the April and May rankings.

At the end of the day the Rangers are in a win-win situation, guaranteed that either Kakko or Hughes will be available when it’s their turn.

Goran Stubb, the NHL’s director of European scouting, recently compared Kakko to one of the NHL’s most dynamic young wingers.

“I would say the closest might be another Finn, Mikko Rantanen with Colorado,” Stubb told the NHL Draft Class podcast. “They both come from Turku, they’re both raised by the same club, TPS, and TPS has quite a good reputation of raising young players.”

Rantanen ranks 16th in NHL points over the past two regular seasons with 171 in 155 games. If Kakko turns out to be anywhere close to as productive as the Avalanche star then it’ll be a serious boon to either the Devils or Rangers…or whichever team ends up selecting Kakko.

Kakko added an empty-net goal against Canada as Finland went on to win Friday’s contest 3-1. He was named his team’s player of the game.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.11.2019 1144380 Websites There is also no shortage of Blue Jackets on the board – Panarin is among three in the top five alone with an expected exodus unlike any other. Two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky is No. 3 while centre TSN.CA / Panarin tops 2019 Free Agent Frenzy class Matt Duchene is just behind him at No. 4. Add Ryan Dzingel and Columbus is represented by four of the top 16 players.

Here is the first TSN Hockey Top 25 Free Agent Frenzy list of the spring: Frank Seravalli 1 Artemi Panarin CBJ LW 27 79 28 87 $6M

The Bread Man is going to make cake. 2 Erik Karlsson SJ RD 29 53 3 45 $6.5M Artemi Panarin delivered the goods despite a circus swirling around him in Columbus, leading the Blue Jackets to the best season in franchise 3 Sergei Bobrovsky CBJ G 30 62 history. 2.53 .913 $7.43M

Now, after fulfilling his contract, he’ll head to free agency as the No. 1 4 Matt Duchene CBJ C 28 73 player on the market this summer. Panarin is poised to become the rare 31 70 $6M winger with an eight-figure salary in the cap era. 5 Jeff Skinner Buf LW 27 82 Former linemate Patrick Kane ($10.5 million) is the only player at that 40 63 $5.75M threshold now, but more will hit that mark – most prominent among them restricted free agent Mitch Marner. 6 Anders Lee NYI LW 28 82 28 51 $3.75M Panarin edges out two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson for top spot on TSN’s Free Agent Frenzy board. 7 Joe Pavelski SJ C 34 75 28 64 $6M Imagine slotting Karlsson at No. 2 a calendar year ago. 8 Brock Nelson NYI C 27 82 In this case, it all comes down to health. What seemed like a slam dunk 25 53 $4.25M likelihood for Karlsson to re-sign with San Jose has become a wait-and- see scenario after Karlsson missed 29 games this season. 9 Tyler Myers Wpg RD 29 80 9 30 $5.5M There is no questioning Karlsson’s talent. There is also no question that Karlsson will be paid handsomely. Players of his all-world ilk rarely make 10 Mats Zuccarello Dal RW 31 48 it to market. 12 40 $4.5M

But there have been more than a few questions about his skating – 11 Alex Edler Van LD 33 55 hampered by groin injuries this season – which hasn’t been as effortless 10 32 $5M as usual in these Stanley Cup playoffs. 12 Gustav Nyquist SJ LW 29 81 Some moments, he looks like the Karlsson of old, flinging a 125-foot 22 60 $4.75M saucer stretch pass down the ice. Other times, he looks to be labouring, 13 Jordan Eberle NYI RW 29 77 like he’s not going to be able to finish the game. 19 37 $6M

Will teams be willing to pay mega dollars at a maximum seven-year term 14 Micheal Ferland Car LW 27 71 (or eight years for San Jose)? Or will he cash in with a higher AAV on a 17 40 $1.75M shorter-term, lower-risk deal? 15 Jake Gardiner Tor LD 28 62 When Karlsson did play, he produced points at his usual high rate (0.85 3 30 $4.05M per game), but three goals in 53 games represented the lowest goals- per-game rate (.06) of his career. 16 Ryan Dzingel CBJ LW 27 78 26 56 $1.8M When asked about his future, Karlsson seemed as confident as ever. 17 Kevin Hayes Wpg C 27 71 “I know what I am,” Karlsson said on April 30. “I know what type of player 19 55 $5.18M I am, what I can contribute, what I can get better at. I strive to do that every year. For the 10 years I’ve been in the league I think I’ve been 18 Brett Connolly Wsh RW 27 81 improving from Day 1 and I think I’m a better player now than I was at 22 46 $1.8M any point in my career previously. It’s just going to keep going that way. And I feel like I still have a lot left to give.” 19 Marcus Johansson Bos LW 28 58 13 30 $4.58M Meanwhile, Panarin’s output and effort never wavered during a tough season. He set a career-high with 87 points, collecting 28 goals and 59 20 Braydon Coburn TB LD 34 74 assists. He is one of a handful of forwards in today’s NHL who can drive 4 23 $3.7M play from the wing. 21 Wayne Simmonds Nsh RW 30 79 Panarin, 27, then contributed five goals and 11 points in 10 playoff 17 30 $3.98M contests for Columbus. He paced the Blue Jackets in scoring and gave 22 Brandon Tanev Wpg LW 27 80 the Nationwide Arena crowd a thumbs up on his way off the ice after the 14 29 $1.15M Game 6 loss to Boston. 23 Joonas Donskoi SJ RW 27 80 Speculation has connected Panarin to Florida much of this season – 14 37 $1.8M heightened by the hiring of his former Chicago coach Joel Quenneville – but it has also been thought he is in search of a big-market team with a 24 Colin Wilson Col LW 29 65 large Russian population. 12 27 $3.94M

A return to Chicago doesn’t seem to be in the cards cap-wise, but how 25 Ron Hainsey Tor RD 38 81 would the New York Rangers look? 5 23 $3M

The Big Apple could be an even juicier fit for Panarin if Columbus TSN.CA LOADED: 05.11.2019 president John Davidson returns home to New York to succeed Glen Sather as Rangers’ president of hockey operations. But there will be no shortage of interested parties. 1144381 Websites was tied for the team lead in playoff points with 11 in 13 games. He was one of the Stars' best postseason players.

8. Joe Pavelski, forward, San Jose Sharks: The marriage between the USA TODAY / Hot playoff performers among this summer's top 20 Sharks and Pavelski seems strong, but we thought that about Patrick potential unrestricted free agents Marleau, too.

9. Jeff Skinner, right wing, Buffalo Sabres: He’s the only 40-goal scorer Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Published 5:57 p.m. ET May 10, 2019 | available as a free agent. But also factor in this: He is a minus-98 over Updated 12:55 a.m. ET May 11, 2019 the past eight seasons and he never has been in the playoffs.

10. Sergei Bobrovsky, goalie, Columbus Blue Jackets: The Calgary Flames will not be Bobrovsky’s first choice, but he'd be a great fit for a BOSTON – Bruins forward Marcus Johansson is trying to win a Stanley contending team. Cup, not worrying about what’s going to happen to him July 1. 11. Jordan Eberle, right wing, New York Islanders: Increased his value by But his three goals and seven points in 12 games, including a goal and registering eight points in nine games in the playoffs. He’s only 28, but an assist in Game 1 of Eastern Conference final, has moved him into the has scored 20 or more goals six times, and 19 goals once. top 20 of USA TODAY Sports’ 2019 list of potential unrestricted free agents. 12. Robin Lehner, goalie, New York Islanders: Lehner found his game with the Islanders. He should be inclined to stay there. “Good stick, good acceleration and then has the composure to make a play,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said about Johansson’s work to set up 13. Tyler Myers, defensemen, Winnipeg Jets: If the Jets are going to the Bruins’ first goal in a 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. trade , it seems like they would make every effort to keep Myers. The speedy Johansson knocked the puck away from Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk and then delivered a nifty backhand pass to 14. Brock Nelson, center-wing, New York Islanders: Averaged 22 goals Steven Kampfer, who drove the puck into the net. In the third period, per season for five seasons and he has only missed two games in that Johansson knocked home a rebound on the power play to tie the game span. He also had four playoff goals in eight games. and start a momentum reversal. 15. Johansson: Two seasons ago, he had 24 goals and 58 points for And the first goal of the Eastern Conference Final has been scored by... Washington. He is only 28. Steven Kampfer, just as we all drew it up. #NHLBruins lead 1-0 16. Micheal Ferland, right wing, Carolina Hurricanes: He can score goals pic.twitter.com/NAkHjEL3vN and play with an edge, and that will earn him a nice raise from his $1.75 — Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 10, 2019 million contract.

CONTROVERSIES: Disputed playoff calls through the years 17. Justin Williams, right wing, Carolina Hurricanes: At 37, he isn’t going to be looking to move unless the Hurricanes lowball him. He is important PREDICTIONS: Which teams will reach the Stanley Cup Final? to the team in the dressing room and on the ice.

Those are plays general managers remember when they start handing 18. Gustav Nyquist, right wing, San Jose Sharks: With eight points in 14 out free agent deals. games, he is having the best playoff showing of his career. He has also scored 20 or more goals four times, including in each of the past two “Hundred percent they remember what happened in the playoffs,” seasons. Carolina general manager Don Waddell said. “Remember when Bryan Bickell had a great playoff?” 19. Brett Connolly, right wing, Washington Capitals: At 27, Connolly’s game is coming together. He scored a career-high 22 goals and added Bickell had nine goals and 17 points during the Blackhawks’ 2013 two more in seven playoff games. championship run, and the Blackhawks gave up a four-year, $16 million contract to prevent him from going to free agency that summer. He would 20. Petr Mrazek, goalie, Carolina Hurricanes: Even though he has been have been among the hottest free agents. important to Carolina's playoff success, he won’t have many options in the free agent marketplace. The best place for him is probably Carolina. “In the regular season, you see the stats, but you may not watch a guy a whole lot, but in the playoffs everyone is watching,” Waddell said. USA TODAY LOADED: 05.11.2019 Johansson has proved he is a 20-goal finesse scorer at the NHL, but in these playoffs you see that he can do the dirty work and perform in high traffic areas. We have him No. 15 on our list. Here’s the rest of the list.

1. Erik Karlsson, defenseman, San Jose Sharks: Posted 45 points in 53 games and still has a shot at earning a Stanley Cup. He has 12 assists in 14 playoff games with potentially two rounds to go. He’s still the game’s most dynamic offensive defensemen.

2. Artemi Panarin, right wing, Columbus Blue Jackets: He is the most dangerous offensive player among potential unrestricted free agents. He has 116 goals in his first four NHL seasons.

3. Matt Duchene, center, Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets will try to keep him, but he will have plenty of options if he wants to explore free agency.

4. Anders Lee, center-wing, New York Islanders: He has scored 25 or more goals four times in his first five full-time seasons. He might lead the league in teams interested in signing him.

5. Kevin Hayes, center, Winnipeg Jets: Centers are in high demand, and he’s a 6-5, 220-pound center who can do whatever you need him to do.

6. Jake Gardiner, defenseman, Toronto Maple Leafs: Given how few defensemen are available, Gardiner might have 10-12 suitors. He has defensive flaws, but he can move the puck effectively.

7. Mats Zuccarello, left wing, Dallas Stars: The Stars' offense became far more dangerous after he arrived in a trade and joined the second line. He 1144382 Websites

USA TODAY / Russian President Vladimir Putin takes a tumble after big performance at hockey exhibition

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Published 6:57 p.m. ET May 10, 2019 | Updated 8:20 p.m. ET May 10, 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a red-carpet moment during his country's annual hockey exhibition Friday.

Just not the kind you want.

Putin, 66, was skating around waving to fans in Sochi, Russia, after his goal explosion at the Night Ice Hockey League gala, an all-star game that features retired Russian NHL players and political and business leaders.

Unfortunately, someone had put a red carpet along the boards and Putin was heading straight toward it.

Hall of Fame defenseman Slava Fetisov sped up to try to warn his country's leader but was too late.

Putin took a tumble.

No problems. He got up as though nothing happened and continued to skate and wave.

USA TODAY LOADED: 05.11.2019