Today’s News Clips Feb. 6, 2018
Chicago Tribune
Corey Crawford’s return to Blackhawks ‘probably not that far away’
Paul Skrbina Feb. 5, 2018
The masked man was outfitted in all black and flanked by a few teammates Monday morning at MB Ice Arena.
For the third straight day, Corey Crawford was on the ice in full Blackhawks armor, this time taking shots — and instruction — from goalie coach Jimmy Waite as he took another step toward returning from injured reserve.
Coach Joel Quenneville called Crawford’s workout before practice “a good sign.” And it’s a sign Crawford, 33, could begin practicing with the team soon. He has been on IR with what the Hawks called an upper-body injury — reported to be either vertigo-like or concussion-related symptoms — since Dec. 27.
“It’s probably not that far away,” Quenneville said.
Once that happens, Quenneville said, Crawford’s first game action since Dec. 23 could soon follow.
“I don’t think he’ll be too far away, once he’s practicing with us, that he’d be able to play,” said Quenneville, who has been steadfast that Crawford would return this season.
Five television cameras and several sets of watchful eyes focused on Crawford, who soon was joined in his workout by fellow goalies Anton Forsberg and Jeff Glass and teammates Jordan Oesterle, Jan Rutta, David Kampf and Erik Gustafsson.
Crawford hasn’t played since he was pulled during the first period of a loss against the Devils after allowing three goals on seven shots. He is 16-9-2 with a .929 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average, the latter two among league leaders at the time of his injury.
He didn’t look to be at full speed while moving side to side as Waite fired pucks in his direction — all above the waist — during a drill.
While the Hawks are looking forward to Crawford getting back, Patrick Kane said the team “can’t be sitting around waiting for him.”
The Hawks entered Monday in last place in the Central Division and five points and four teams out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They likely will need more than a healthy Crawford to make a meaningful push for the playoffs.
Kane said the team’s in-game approach doesn’t change, though, regardless of its goalie.
“We try to play the same way no matter what,” Kane said. “Glasser was unbelievable last game, maybe one of the sole reasons we had a point (in a 4-3 overtime loss against the Flames). He … kept us in the game. But Crow’s a great goaltender. When he’s ready to come back, it’ll be great to have him in there.”
The Hawks are 7-7-3 since Crawford was put on the shelf and still fighting to continue a playoff streak that stretches back nine seasons.
They lost all three games Crawford missed in early December with an upper-body injury, part of a five-game skid. They won five in a row after he returned.
Since Crawford’s latest injury, backups Forsberg (4-4-0, .913 save percentage, 2.63 goals-against average) and Glass (3-3-3, .908, 3.24) have helped keep the team’s hopes afloat.
“Both goalies have been very good and both deserve the net,” Quenneville said. “You measure the performance, probably identical.”
Measuring Crawford’s progress has proved more difficult.
The timetable for his possible return to games has, for the most part, remained a mystery as the Hawks have waited for him to return to the ice for workouts. Now that he’s there, that timetable has become a bit clearer.
“With anyone’s recovery, there’s always a process that’s in place,” Quenneville said. “You always want to push it as much as you can. When it’s time, it’s time. You want to make sure you’re 100 percent ready to go.”
Which goalie will go to Rockford when Crawford is 100 percent also remains a mystery.
“We’ll worry about that (later),” Quenneville said. Chicago Tribune
Brandon Saad’s next stop: Blackhawks’ fourth line
Paul Skrbina Feb. 5, 2018
There’s no need for Brandon Saad to try to read between the lines.
All the Blackhawks forward has to do is look at them to know where he stands — and to know how far he has fallen.
Saad spent most of the season on the top line before recent, brief stops with the second and third lines.
He was dropped to the fourth line during practice Monday when he skated with Patrick Sharp and Ryan Hartman a day ahead of the Hawks’ meeting against the Flames at the United Center.
Saad’s assessment of his standing lines up with the team’s place in the standings — last in the Central, clinging to playoff hopes that can turn either way on a whim.
“It’s along with the team,” said Saad, who has one assist in his last 11 games and seven goals in his last 127 shots. “I could have 50 goals right now, but being in the situation we’re in, it (would be) tough to feel good about it.”
If Saad had that many goals — or even a few more than the 13 he has, six of which were in the first six games — the Hawks might not be in this situation.
"It's something you try not to pay attention to it and you're just hoping the next one goes in,” Saad said of his offensive output.
Simply put, the Hawks expect more than 24 points from a player who makes $6 million per season, who helped lead them to two Stanley Cups, who cost them Artemi Panarin in the trade that brought him back from the Blue Jackets.
“If you want to (go by) his production at the start of the year, I would expect a higher number than we’ve seen so far,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “At the same time, everybody has their stretches. We still think he’s capable of adding more offense to his game.”
One-timers: Artem Anisimov did not practice Monday but Quenneville said he was fine. … Goalie Jeff Glass will start his second game in a row Tuesday against the Flames. … Defenseman Connor Murphy, whose mistake led to the Flames’ tying goal Saturday, likely will be a healthy scratch for Tuesday’s game. Chicago Sun-Times
Still searching for goals, Brandon Saad dropped to Blackhawks’ fourth line
Mark Lazerus Feb. 5, 2018
Among them, they have scored 19 goals or more 13 times, with five 30-goal seasons. So as far as fourth lines go, it’s a dream.
But for Patrick Sharp, Ryan Hartman and Brandon Saad, this season has been closer to a nightmare.
Sharp has six goals and has been a healthy scratch for four consecutive games. Hartman has seven goals and none in his last 13 games. And Saad, who opened the season with a hat trick and had four game-winning goals in the first six games, has 13 goals but has only one assist to show for his last 11 games.
On Monday, coach Joel Quenneville threw them all together on the fourth line, his latest desperate toss at the dartboard.
Call it the Misery Loves Company line.
‘‘I think it’s a pretty good line,’’ Saad said. ‘‘Even though we’ve been a little snakebit, we’re all good players. It should be pretty exciting here to get going [Tuesday against the Flames].’’
Saad has managed to put a positive spin on a massively disappointing season. If his goal drought is hurting his confidence, he’s not letting it show. And it’s not because he’s an analytics guy, buoyed by his tremendous possession numbers (fifth in the league) or by the fact that he’s long overdue for a course correction in his shooting percentage (8.5 percent, well below his previous career average of 11.8 percent).
Instead, Saad is just holding tight to the notion that he’s a proven scorer in the NHL and that it’s only a matter of time before he regains that finishing touch.
‘‘Yeah, that’s not something I pay so much attention to,’’ he said of the advanced metrics. ‘‘It doesn’t really matter. It’s about living in the moment and following through. . . . It’s been tough, you know? But you just try to get stronger from it.’’
Saad’s bigger concern is the Hawks’ situation — five points out of a playoff spot with four teams to leapfrog. But when he said, ‘‘You could have 50 goals right now, but being in the situation we’re in, it’s tough to feel good about ourselves,’’ he might have been missing the larger point. Because if Saad, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Sharp or any of the other underperforming veterans were scoring at their customary rate, the Hawks wouldn’t be in the situation they’re in.
The Hawks’ last 13 goals have been scored by players 23 or younger. That’s simultaneously encouraging and alarming. So Quenneville said that while he expected more production from Saad this season, he hoped his latest lineup would both send a message and spark players such as Saad and Sharp.
‘‘There’s certainly ability there to be successful,’’ Quenneville said.
That has been the story of the season for the Hawks — lots of potential with very little to show for it. And for all the talk about goalie Corey Crawford’s possible return and all the progress made by the younger players, this team is going nowhere without production from its most proven performers.
‘‘It is frustrating,’’ Saad said. ‘‘I’m just trying to stay positive. . . . Sometimes you just relax, take a step back and some of that luck’s going to go your way.’’ Chicago Sun-Times
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford skates for third straight day
Mark Lazerus Feb. 5, 2018
Goalie Corey Crawford looked as though he wanted to stand between the pipes and take a few live shots from the few Blackhawks who had wandered over to the auxiliary rink at MB Ice Arena to get loose before practice Monday. But after a quick chat with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite in the crease, Crawford was off to the dressing room.
They’re baby steps so far, but they’re significant ones. It was Crawford’s third consecutive day on the ice after nearly six weeks off. He hasn’t played since Dec. 23.
Crawford is working his way back from a head injury. Once he’s in a full practice setting, it might be just a couple of days before he returns to game action. But coach Joel Quenneville made it sound like Crawford is still several days away — at best — from returning to practice.
Asked if he’s wary about rushing Crawford back despite the Hawks’ dire situation in the standings, Quenneville said there’s still no set timetable.
‘‘With anyone’s recovery, there’s always a process that’s in place,’’ he said. ‘‘You always want to push it as much as you can. When it’s time, it’s time. You want to make sure you’re 100 percent ready to go.’’
On Monday morning, Crawford worked at about half-speed with Waite, taking soft shots and working on handling the puck behind the net.
‘‘He’s working on it; he’s getting better,’’ Hawks goalie Anton Forsberg said. ‘‘He’s obviously on the ice right now, getting in shape, so that’s good.’’ Daily Herald
Quenneville hopes line change helps trio of Chicago Blackhawks
John Dietz Feb. 5, 2018
If misery loves company, Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville might be on to something by putting Patrick Sharp, Ryan Hartman and Brandon Saad on the same line.
Sharp, a healthy scratch in four straight games, didn't have a point in the previous six; Hartman has 1 assist in his last 10 games; and Saad has connected on just 7 of 127 shots … since the ninth game of the season.
Quenneville hopes they can turn each others' fortunes around when the Hawks host Calgary on Tuesday.
"Well, there's certainly ability there to be successful offensively," he said after practice Monday. "They all can make plays … around the net. They can score goals. … So there's enough offense there that can add to our team game."
Saad, who scored 6 goals in the first nine games but has just 7 since, certainly has been the biggest disappointment of the three. He spent most of the season playing with Jonathan Toews, but lately Quenneville has tried Saad with a variety of teammates in an effort to get the 25-year-old untracked and playing the way everyone knows he can.
"Everybody has their stretches," Quenneville said. "We think he's capable of adding more offense to his game."
Saad scored 55 goals the last two seasons with the Blue Jackets. Coming into this season, 11.8 percent of his shots found their mark, but after a 6-for-26 start, his shooting percentage has been a woeful 5.5.
"It's something you try not to pay attention to it and you're just hoping the next one goes in," said Saad, who played a season-low 12 minutes, nine seconds in the Hawks' loss Saturday at Calgary.
Asked how he feels about the rest of his game, Saad sighed and said: "You know, I think just taking it day by day. For me, it's just coming to work every day and trying to pull out hockey games; taking these games and looking at them as playoff games. …
"You could have 50 goals right now, but being in the situation we're in it's tough to feel good about ourselves. It's just staying positive and trying to string together some wins."
Wrong read: Connor Murphy was not in the top three defensive pairs at practice, which means he likely will be a healthy scratch when the Hawks host Calgary on Tuesday. It was Murphy's behind-the-net turnover that led to the Flames' game-tying goal in the third period Saturday. The Hawks went on to lose 4-3 in overtime.
"I just made the wrong read," Murphy said. "Thought I could reverse it, and I couldn't. You should just keep skating with it."
If Murphy sits, it will be his third healthy scratch in the last 12 games.
Slap shots: Artem Anisimov did not practice Monday, but coach Joel Quenneville said the center is fine. Anisimov has 1 assist and just 5 shots on goal in six games since coming off injured reserve. … Nick Schmaltz's shooting percentage is 28.2 (11-for-39) in the last 23 games. … By scoring at Calgary, Vinnie Hinostroza equaled his goal total (6) from last season. Hinostroza played in 49 games last season; he has played in 22 this season. Daily Herald
Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford hits the ice for third day of workouts
John Dietz Feb. 5, 2018
The fact that Corey Crawford was able to get on the ice for a third straight day Monday is great news for a Chicago Blackhawks team trying desperately to make a run for a 10th straight postseason berth.
But anyone who watched Crawford during drills at MB Ice Arena with coach Jimmy Waite can tell the goaltender is not close to returning to game action.
Crawford, who has been on injured reserve since Dec. 27, moved slowly and deliberately while taking shots from all over the ice for at least 30 minutes.
"With anybody's recovery, there's always a process," said coach Joel Quenneville, who hopes Crawford can begin practicing with the team in about a week. "You always want to push it as much as you can. When it's time, it's time. You want to make sure you're 100 percent ready to go."
Crawford is believed to be suffering from vertigo or post-concussion syndrome. All of the shots Waite fired at him were below the waist.
One drill featured Waite firing 15 pucks in succession at Crawford from the point. In another, Crawford began facing away from Waite, then turned to face an in-close attempt. Crawford also worked a bit on retrieving pucks from behind his net.
Quenneville said once Crawford returns to practice, "I don't think it'll be too far away" before he could return to game action.
Reading between the lines, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Crawford return Feb. 17 against Washington or Feb. 19 against Los Angeles.
"It's great news," Patrick Kane said. "Obviously he's a great goaltender, big piece of team, love to have him back. Can't be sitting around waiting for him, though."
That's for sure.
The Hawks, who host Calgary on Tuesday, remain 5 points out of the second wild-card spot and also have three teams to leap over. They are 7-7-3 with Jeff Glass and Anton Forsberg in net, 16-9-2 with Crawford.
Quenneville and Kane both said the team plays the same no matter who is in net, but Connor Murphy and Brandon Saad both admitted Crawford's presence makes a difference.
"I wouldn't say you approach games differently or you should play differently, but it does make an impact in the game when you have one of the best goalies in the league in net," Murphy said. "And that's nothing against anyone that we have.
"It's just the way it is. Crow's an all-star."
Said Saad: "He is who he is for a reason. He's one of the best goalies in the world and we're happy to have him. You could see early on in the year -- even when we're not at our best -- he kind of steals some games for us."
Glass, who made 35 saves Saturday in Calgary, will start in the rematch against the Flames. Calgary, which had lost six in a row before beating the Hawks in overtime, has 60 points and is one of the four teams the Hawks are chasing.
"The reality is we've almost got to think we've got to win every single night," Quenneville said. "We're behind it to a different level than we've been in the past. Everybody in our division in the last 10 games probably picked up 5 points on us, and that was ground that we can't give up. It's not going to be easy to get back.
"That's the reality of the situation. But we swing that the other way, you can make up a ton of ground by getting hot and putting a 7-2-1 (stretch together) in 10 games or 8-2.
"Something like that can change the whole picture."
As could the return of a certain goaltender, as long as the Hawks don't fade too far from the postseason picture. The Athletic
Corey Crawford taking steps in right direction, but one hurdle remains
Scott Powers Feb. 5, 2018
Corey Crawford is closer to playing for the Blackhawks.
How close? That answer is still unknown.
For now, the Blackhawks are just happy to have Crawford on the ice. He worked out for a third consecutive day on Monday. Crawford hasn't played in a game since Dec. 23 due to an undisclosed upper-body injury.
“That’s a good sign,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said of Crawford's training session. “We’ll get a better idea once he gets on the ice with us. Hopefully that’ll be the best sign and then we’ll know it’s probably not that far away.”
Quenneville wasn't definitive when Crawford would join the Blackhawks for practice. Asked if it'd be days or weeks, Quenneville gave a mixed answer.
“That’d be optimistic, days,” Quenneville said. “And when I say days, the fact he’s on the ice, I don’t think it’ll be too far away, once he’s practicing with us, that he’d be able to play.”
Crawford worked out alone with Blackhawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite on Monday morning. Anton Forsberg and Jeff Glass joined them on the ice after the session. Crawford appeared as if he was going to participate in a drill after Forsberg and Glass had done it and skated to the net, but Waite discussed something with him and Crawford departed the ice.
“I think with anyone’s recovery, there’s always a process that’s in place,” Quenneville said. “You always want to push it as much as you can. When it’s time, it’s time. You want to make sure you’re 100 percent ready to go.”
Quenneville will continue to go with the tandem of Glass and Forsberg until Crawford is 100 percent. Quenneville said Glass will start against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. It'll be Glass' second-consecutive start. Forsberg started the three previous games.
Crawford is 16-9-2 with a .929 save percentage this season, and in his absence, the Blackhawks have gone 7-7- 3. In that time, Glass has started nine games and has a 92.91 overall save percentage and a 92.91 5-on-5 save percentage. Forsberg has started eight games and has a 90.61 overall save percentage and a 91.29 5-on-5 save percentage.
“Every game, both goalies give us a chance, both goalies have been very good and both deserve the net,” Quenneville said. “Almost like guys, in consecutive games, guys are getting points and wins for us are keeping it. We’ve been going along at that pace. You measure the performance, probably identical.”
Either Glass or Forsberg will likely head back to AHL Rockford when Crawford returns. Regardless of how Glass is playing, he is the likely candidate to join the IceHogs for a number of reasons, including age and future prospects. Forsberg was acquired to be the Blackhawks' No. 2 goalie for at least a few seasons and has another year remaining on his contract.
Quenneville wasn't willing to go down that path.
“We'll worry about that [later],” he said.
Murphy likely out again
Connor Murphy appears to be the odd defenseman out for the Blackhawks again. He was paired with forward Tommy Wingels during practice.
Murphy hasn't been given much of a leash by Quenneville this season. The 24-year-old committed a turnover that led to the Flames' third goal on Saturday.
“He has some steady stretches and he has some decent stretches,” Quenneville said. “Our defense, we've been moving some guys in and out based on performance on a game-to-game basis. Sometimes that's the evaluation that we make. Some guys are in that situation, you could be a candidate to come out. Based on performance sometimes that's the differential.”
Murphy has been one of the Blackhawks' better defensemen statistically this season. While playing mostly a third-pairing role, he's had a 55.02 Corsi percentage and plus-5 goal differential. He's been on the ice for 27 goals for and 22 goals against.
Quenneville does appear to be sticking with the pairing of Erik Gustafsson and Brent Seabrook despite their recent struggles. In 95 minutes of 5-of-5 ice time together, the pairing has a 46.67 Corsi percentage, 45.45 shots percentage and minus-2 goal differential. The Blackhawks have been outscored 5-3 with them on the ice.
Quenneville acknowledged that the pair needs to be better.
“They had a good start together,” Quenneville said. “Get some motion and movement with the puck offensively. Defensively lately it's got to be better. But started very strongly. That consistency is what we look for, especially from the back end being more predictable is what we want.”
New lines These were the lines during practice on Monday:
Alex DeBrincat – Jonathan Toews – Anthony Duclair Lance Bouma -Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane Vinnie Hinostroza – David Kampf – Tomas Jurco Patrick Sharp – Ryan Hartman -Brandon Saad
A few notes on the lines:
• Artem Anisimov will likely replace Bouma on the second line on Tuesday. Anisimov missed practice Monday, but Quenneville said he was fine.
• On the Sharp-Hartman-Saad line, Quenneville said, “Well, there's certainly ability there to be successful offensively. I think you want to make sure there's consistency without the puck. But they're all capable of making plays. They all can make plays as far as themselves around the net. They can score goals. They can make plays as well. So there's enough offense there that can add to our team games.” Calgary Herald
Game Day: Flames at Blackhawks
Kristen Anderson Feb. 5, 2018
Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks
6:30 p.m. MT, United Center, TV: CBC, Sportsnet West, Radio: Sportsnet 960 The Fan
THE BIG MATCHUP
Flames C Sean Monahan vs. Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews
Captain Serious vs. A Future Captain Who Is Also Serious. The two share similar qualities, one of which is their focused and determined nature. Monahan’s game winner in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win at the Scotiabank Saddledome was his 10th career overtime clincher as he delivered a game-high eight shots on net. The 23- year-old who could, potentially, take over for Mark Giordano and wear the ‘C’ in the future, has 24 goals and 21 assists in 51 games this season. Toews, on the other hand, is due. He’s goal-less in 10 games and only has two assists during that span but, still, the 29-year-old is one of the best in the NHL in the face-off circle.
FIVE STORYLINES FOR THE GAME
1. ROAD TRIPPIN’
The Flames hit the road for a six-game roadie with stops in Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Brooklyn, Boston and Nashville. It’s one heckuva trip and difficult territory, to boot. But they can’t afford to slip now. After snapping a six-game losing skid, the Flames are 26-18-8 and sitting on the outside looking in (heading into Monday’s action, they were one point behind the Minnesota Wild for the final Wild Card spot). The positive angle? They’re 13-5-5 away from the Scotiabank Saddledome.
2. UNITED CENTER HYPE
Between Jim Cornelison, the anthem singer with the impressive pipes, the intense fanbase, and the Blackhawks’ infamous goal scoring anthem, “Chelsea Dagger,” you’d be hard pressed to find a better atmosphere than Chicago’s United Center. Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan would have to agree: “I think it’s the best road arena that we play in,” he said after Monday’s skate. “It’s exciting. There’s electricity in there. You get up to play there. They’re a great team, great history, and the anthem is second-to-none … You get all that energy. It’s the only building, honestly, over my years in the NHL, have watched the scratches sneak out into the (tunnel) close to the bench so that they can listen to the anthem. That’s pretty special.”
3. HRIVIK BACK, MANGIAPANE SENT DOWN
The Flames recalled LW Marek Hrivik from the Stockton Heat on Monday and sent forward Andrew Mangiapane back down to the minors. Hrivik, a native of Cadca, Slovakia, has appeared in three games for the Flames this season. The 26-year-old has 11 goals and 19 assists in 32 games for the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate. In the last five weeks, Hrivik has logged a few Air Miles having been called up on Jan. 4, sent back to the Heat before Calgary’s five-day break, recalled on Jan. 19 and sent back before the NHL All-Star break.
4. THIS N’ THAT
Flames G Mike Smith is among the best goalies in the NHL on the road. His sparkling stat line? 9-3-3, 1.83 GAA and .948 save percentage on road. He’s 21-15-6 this season … LW Johnny Gaudreau sits seventh in NHL scoring with 16 goals and 43 assists and is a plus-13 … C Sean Monahan has eight game-winners and leads the league in that category … Calgary’s 13-5-5 road record was the sixth-best in the NHL heading into Monday’s action … RW Michael Frolik needs two more games to hit 700 in his career … Blueliners Michael Stone (395 GP) and Dougie Hamilton (393 GP) are approaching the 400-club while Travis Hamonic needs eight more to hit 500.
5. ABOUT THE ‘HAWKS
Chicago RW Patrick Kane needs one more assist to hit 500 … G Corey Crawford (upper body) is close to returning to the Blackhawks lineup. The 33-year-old netminder was spotted on Monday, taking shots and skating for the third straight day. Crawford hasn’t seen game action since Dec. 23 … the Hawks are 7-7-3 since Crawford was injured … Chicago (24-20-8) entered Monday in last place in the Central Division … Tuesday is the final of three meetings between these teams this season. Calgary has beat Chicago twice, both times by a 4-3 score in overtime.
FLAMES GAMEDAY LINES
Johnny Gaudreau-Sean Monahan-Micheal Ferland Matthew Tkachuk-Mikael Backlund-Michael Frolik Sam Bennett-Mark Jankowski-Troy Brouwer Curtis Lazar-Matt Stajan-Garnet Hathaway
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Mark Giordano-Dougie Hamilton TJ Brodie-Travis Hamonic Brett Kulak-Michael Stone
GOALIES
Mike Smith David Rittich
BLACKHAWKS GAMEDAY LINES
Alex DeBrincat-Jonathan Toews-Anthony Duclair Artem Anisimov-Nick Schmaltz-Patrick Kane Vinnie Hinostroza-David Kampf-Tomas Jurco Patrick Sharp-Ryan Hartman-Brandon Saad
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Duncan Keith-Jordan Oesterle Erik Gustafsson-Brent Seabrook Michal Kempny-Jan Rutta
GOALIES
Jeff Glass Anton Forsberg
SPECIAL TEAMS (prior to Monday’s action)
POWER PLAY
FLAMES: 17.2% (23rd) BLACKHAWKS: 15.4% (T-29)
PENALTY KILL
FLAMES: 79.9% (17th) BLACKHAWKS: 82.3% (T-8)
SICK BAY
FLAMES
LW Kris Versteeg (hip)
BLACKHAWKS
G Corey Crawford (upper body) Calgary Herald
FRANCIS: Super-sized relief for Gaudreau, Flames
Eric Francis Feb. 5, 2018
Wearing a grin the size of a Philly Cheesesteak, Johnny Gaudreau admitted his Super Bowl experience was an intense one.
Surrounded by teammates at a house party hosted by goalie Mike Smith, the Flames star was, by all accounts, consumed by fear his beloved Eagles would eventually succumb to the pressure and greatness of Tom Brady’s Patriots.
Alas, after more than four hours of commercials, ribbing and some world-class football the team he’s cheered for since childhood staved off the defending champs to win the organization’s first NFL title.
“That’s probably the most nervous I’ve been in a sporting event in awhile – probably since playoffs,” said Gaudreau, who grew up 40 minutes southwest of Philadelphia, in tiny Carneys Point, N.J.
“I was really nervous when Tom got the ball back there with two minutes left. But, a big fumble there and they found a way to win. It was pretty cool to witness that and watch that game. It was awesome.”
When asked how intently Gaudreau watched the game, Mark Giordano chuckled.
“He was focused,” smiled the captain.
“He’s worse when he has no control over the situation.”
Now Gaudreau knows what Flames fans felt like throughout the club’s six game losing streak, which ended Saturday with a 4-3 overtime win over visiting Chicago.
Having lost four of the previous six in either overtime or a shootout, the ability to finally pull one out playing three-on-three gave the lads a chance to exhale just in time for their six-game roadie out east.
Indeed, the relief Gaudreau felt late Sunday was mirrored by the whole team one night earlier.
“I think relief in the sense, mentally for the team,” agreed coach Glen Gulutzan, who later shared a Super Bowl story of his own.
“We wouldn’t have been calling it a relief had we won any of those other games in extra time. That kind of gets you on a good roll, getting that extra point and you get that 0-for-4 thing out of your head with extra ends. To me, there are going to be a lot of extra ends in these next 30 games and we have to be good in that area.” Traditionally the Flames have been solid while working overtime, winning more games playing 3-on-3 and the shootout than any team outside Los Angeles the last three years.
However, the recent string of losing all six games despite holding leads at various points admittedly played in the players’ minds.
“For me, I was happy that finally it paid off that we played a good game,” said Michael Stone, whose club deserved a better fate in a fair chunk of those six losses.
“I don’t know if it’s a relief as much as, ‘okay, this is what is supposed to happen when we play well.”
As the players fervently swarmed Sean Monahan to celebrate his overtime winner against the Hawks you could tell the players needed to break the cycle of gut-punches that played with their psyche.
The inability to close out games was clearly starting to weigh on them.
“Yes, because we felt we were playing well and doing some good things,” said Giordano.
“At this time of year that’s not good enough to play well and not get points. We need to get these wins and points and find a way to get back to the (playoff) spot.”
Perhaps there’s no better place for the Flames to do that than on the road where they sport a 15-5-5 record as one of the league’s best.
“I said this before our last road trip (4-0), we’re comfortable going on the road,” said Gulutzan, whose club kicks the trip off with the back end of a rare home and home series in Chicago.
“I’m sure we’ll get a different animal there. But for us, nothing changes on the road.”
Following their return engagement in Chicago the Flames will head to Manhattan where they’ll play the three New York area teams in four nights, ending Sunday. Juggernauts in Boston and Nashville await the Flames after that. All told, they’ll play a daunting six games in ten nights.
Not everyone’s Super Bowl tale ended as well as Gaudreau’s, according to Gulutzan.
After a day with his family he sat down to watch the game, which he’d recorded on his PVR.
With two minutes to go, his recording ended.
As he fiddled with the remote control to try remedying the situation, his daughter looked up from her phone to inform him Philadelphia had won.
“So I didn’t get to watch the last 2:31 of the game,” chuckled Gulutzan, who admitted he fast-forwarded through commercials, while joking he kept an eye out for the possibility of “a retro commercial with Cindy Crawford.” Alas, not all endings can be perfect, as Gulutzan and his club well know. Calgary Herald
Flames' Mangiapane back to minors, Jankowski back in the lineup
Wes Gilbertson Feb. 5, 2018
The rookie forwards headed separate ways Monday.
One, Mark Jankowski, on the Calgary Flames’ afternoon charter to Chicago, where the lanky centre will return to the lineup after a one-game sit-out as a healthy scratch.
The other, speedy left-winger Andrew Mangiapane, flying commercial to re-join the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat for additional minor-league seasoning.
“I really think that young guy has NHL subtleties in his game,” praised Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan of the 21-year-old Mangiapane, who has a grand total of nine big-league appearances on his resume and logged only one shift in the third period of Saturday’s 4-3 overtime triumph against the Chicago Blackhawks, a spirited contest that Jankowski watched in civvies.
“(Mangiapane) needs more time and more games. And when we’re healthy here, we’re not in the business of taking a guy who is developing at a rapid rate and sitting him. We want to make sure that he gets his repetitions in, and that’s what we did with that move.
“For him, it’s a positive. I think it was only four years ago that he was playing midget hockey. He is absorbing right now and what we hope he leaves here with, in his own mind, because you don’t know, is ‘I can play there’ and ‘I know what I have to do to play there,’ and he goes out and does it, especially in the summer.
“There’s a difference between making it and staying. Making it is hard enough. Staying, I would almost say, is a little bit harder.”
Jankowski is staying, that was never in doubt.
When a tweener — at this point, that’s still a fair description of Mangiapane — isn’t quite up to snuff, they get a plane ticket.
When a regular isn’t quite up to stuff, sometimes they get a press-box stint.
“It’s a wakeup,” Gulutzan nodded. “But I’ll be honest with you — it was not easy with (Jankowski) not in the lineup. When he’s playing his game, we’re just a better team.”
The 23-year-old Jankowski said all the right things prior to Monday’s jet-away, acknowledging he needs to rise to the challenge.
You can’t measure performance by only goals and assists, but there’s no way to sugar-coat that he has been blanked in eight straight, his longest dry-spell of the season.
“I knew the last few games, it wasn’t up to my standard,” Jankowski said. “You want to be out there, you want to be helping the team, and I felt like I just wasn’t up to how I know I can play and how I know I can help this team.
“For me, it’s just taking this the right way. And then next time I get my opportunity, really prove that I can still be a huge asset to this team.”
That opportunity comes Tuesday.
Jankowski will be back in his usual spot — manning the middle on the third line — for a rematch against the Blackhawks at United Center (6:30 p.m, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
The Windy City is the first stop for the Flames on a six-game road-swing, a gruelling junket that would be more frightening if not for a bizarre habit of playing their best hockey in enemy rinks.
Their trip itinerary also included dates with the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators.
Mangiapane’s next action comes Saturday, when the Heat visit Grand Rapids, Mich. After averaging only 8:28 in nine skates so far at hockey’s highest level, he’ll once again be a go-to guy in the minors.
A sixth-rounder in the 2015 NHL Draft, Mangiapane has quickly proven he could be a big part of the future plans at the Saddledome.
The Flames need Jankowski, his former linemate in Stockton, to be a big part of the right-now.
“I think everyone, when you’re getting scratched, you should be pissed off. You shouldn’t be happy about it,” Jankowski said. “You want to be out there and be helping the team, because I think I can.
“I just took it as, ‘I have to be better.’”
Ice chips: With Mangiapane demoted, the Flames recalled C/LW Marek Hrivik from Stockton … Flames RW Kris Versteeg skated solo Monday, an encouraging sign on his road back from hip surgery. Gulutzan told reporters the 31-year-old is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery, although he’s still weeks away from returning to action. Versteeg has a follow-up appointment with his surgeon later this month. The Athletic
Road warrior Flames have no answers for surprising home-road splits
Eric Duhatschek Feb. 5, 2018
Wedged onto the top shelf of Johnny Gaudreau’s locker stall was a copy of Monday’s Calgary Sun, featuring a cover shot of Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles, holding aloft the Lombardi Trophy after winning the Super Bowl. All week long, Gaudreau’s focus had been divided – between trying to help the Calgary Flames snap out of what was ultimately a six-game winless streak, and answering questions about his beloved Eagles. If you watched the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast Saturday night, you saw Gaudreau walk into the Saddledome, wearing an Eagles jersey under his suit coat.
Gaudreau played his college hockey at Boston College, where he encountered many lifelong New England Patriots’ fans, some of whom became his closest friends. But he is really a Philly guy, from Salem, N.J., and so when the Flames gathered Sunday afternoon at goaltender Mike Smith’s home for a Super Bowl party, Gaudreau was under the spotlight in a different way than usual.
For one day, Johnny Hockey was Johnny Football – just a spectator and a sports fan, hoping that a long painful championship drought was about to end.
“I think it was worse for him, because he had no control over the situation,” Flames captain Mark Giordano said. “He was pretty nervous – but really happy when it was all over.”
“It’s probably the most nervous I’ve been in a sporting event in a while here, probably since playoffs last year,” acknowledged Gaudreau. “I was really nervous when Tom (Brady) got the ball back there, with two minutes left. But a big fumble there and they found a way to win on a big defensive play.”
But what especially stood out for Gaudreau was Foles scoring a receiving touchdown – on fourth and goal. “I just keep replaying it in my mind. We got to watch Tom miss one a couple of plays before that and then Foles gets to catch one for a touchdown. It was great. It was good to see him play really well, because he probably had a lot on his back.”
Gaudreau could sympathize with the pressure Foles faced, because his own squad has faced a lot of questions and scrutiny of late. In four games following their bye week, after they’d rattled off a seven-game win streak, the Flames managed to lose all four in overtime and/or the shootout. Then they proceeded to drop two more when they held leads after two periods. Those lost points left them hovering just under the playoff Mendoza line, though getting a win Saturday against the Blackhawks – on Sean Monahan’s overtime goal – helped correct the course, for the moment anyway.
The Flames face the Blackhawks Tuesday in Chicago, the start of a six-game, make-it-or-break it road trip. It is a rare home and home against a non-divisional opponent, and a chance to put their road warrior skills to the test. The win over the Blackhawks was just their 13th at home this season, against 13 regulation losses and three more defeats in overtime or the shootout. The only other teams struggling so much at home are well out of the playoff race. The reason the Flames are still alive is a sparkling 13-5-5 road mark, second best in the league, and just a tiny fraction behind the Boston Bruins, who are 13-5-4.
Last year, the Flames were marginally better at home (24-17-0 for 48 points) than they were on the road (20- 18-3 for 43 points), but it’s nothing like the gap there is today.
Theories, anyone?
“Really, it makes no sense,” said Craig Conroy, the Flames’ assistant general manager. “We’re just grasping at what possibly could be different. It does snowball a little as a player. Things are going great on the road, so you think ‘let’s get on the road.’ Home? You’re trying to maybe put on a show. You want to do a little more, and then it’s going the wrong way and you put more pressure on yourself. Maybe. I wish I could say what it was. Maybe we need to do like Darryl Sutter used to do in the playoffs and put everyone in the hotel and see if that works. I don’t know. It’s weird.
“We’ve had chances at home. We’re a little snake bit at times. If you started the season 5-0 at home, you’d feel great. Now we’re starting to think about it – and the questions start. Maybe we’re overthinking it. For us, we’re asking what are we doing differently on the road that we can duplicate at home? It’s frustrating because we used to be a good home team. When I was here playing, that’s one thing people would say: It was a tough building to play in. We might not have had the most skill, but we played hard. We competed. Somebody might come in and win as the visiting team, but when it was over, they just wanted to get out of there. Now, teams coming in are probably thinking, ‘hey, they’re struggling at home. Let’s get a jump on them early and get a lead and put that doubt in their minds’ – and teams have been doing that to us. We’ve given up leads lately, which is uncharacteristic of us. Lately, it’s like the perfect storm. Everything that could possibly go bad at home has. To say it’s one thing – I don’t know.”
For his part, Giordano doesn’t believe the team plays any differently on the road.
“Sometimes, these stats are funny,” he said. “Sometimes, if you win in overtime, the record can look different. We’d like to be better at home, that’s for sure. In saying that, we have been really simple and really consistent on the road. Hopefully, that carries over.”
According to Michael Frolik, who won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, “that year, we won 25 on the road — but we were pretty good at home, too. It’s a little bit weird that it’s like that, but I don’t know why it’s like that. Maybe it’s a little less pressure. At home maybe we try sometimes too much or the pressure is a little bit bigger. Everybody expects us to win at home. Obviously, you want to win on the road too. It’s a tough question.
“On the road, we play a simpler game and more direct. It’s been working for us lately. Hopefully we can do that again on this trip.”
Giordano didn’t think the Flames were a lost cause during their losing streak, but also understands that coming close doesn’t carry much weight in professional hockey.
“We felt we were playing well and doing some good things, but at this time of year, that’s not good enough – to play well and not get points,” said Giordano. “We need wins. We need points. We need to find a way to get back in a (playoff) spot. I mean, there’s 30 games left. It seems like a lot, but it really isn’t. It goes by really quick.”
Gaudreau was the last player left in the dressing room, just before the team’s airport departure, and offered a final thought on the road trip: “I think we do a good job of playing on the road. We try to get off to good starts. We had some good success before we had that little break. Hopefully, we can get back to playing that way again – and get some big wins.”
Then he looked over his shoulder, glimpsed the newspaper headline, and said: “I hope it’s still there when we get back.”