SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 04/06/19 Colorado Avalanche 1139049 Season finale of Kings-Ducks rivalry usually is must- 1139082 Avalanche reaches consecutive Playoffs for watch. Not this season. first time in more than a decade 1139050 Ducks take feel-good, season-ending victory from Kings 1139083 Avalanche clinch playoffs with 3-2 win over 1139051 Ducks rookie Max Jones works on his mental as well as Winnipeg physical game 1139084 The Avalanche rode their own roller coaster back to the playoffs Arizona Coyotes 1139052 Arizona Coyotes send Adin Hill to Tucson Columbus Blue Jackets 1139085 Blue Jackets clinch playoff spot in shootout nail-biter 1139086 Coach, GM explain why they played Alexandre Texier 1139053 Bruins’ Karson Kuhlman pushing hard at his game 1139087 Who can? Kukan. The Jackets defenseman’s game is 1139054 Meet Bergerine, the Iowa girl named after Patrice growing and earning him a spot in the lineup Bergeron 1139055 Catching up with Ryan Donato: ‘I loved being the local guy in Boston’ 1139088 'Not that checked in': Stars miss chance at extra playoff 1139056 The Bruins got a good look at rookie Zach Senyshyn in his momentum in blowout loss vs. Blackhawks first NHL game 1139089 With playoff spot clinched, here's why ice-time and more 1139057 Tampa Bay one last test for Bruins before postseason matters for Stars during trip to Chicago 1139058 Former Bruin Ryan Donato: 'I loved being in Boston' 1139090 Stars head to playoffs, and the opponent doesn't matter 1139059 Bruins analysis: What we learned in the Bruins' 3-0 win 1139091 Stars 20/20: ‘It just wasn’t there tonight’ in Stars’ over the Wild disappointing loss to Blackhawks 1139060 Zach Senyshyn on debut : 'It’s a dream come true' 1139092 Sports Sturm’s Weekend Riffing: Biggest DFW trade, 1139061 Broadcaster and dad: Why NBC’s Pierre McGuire would Stars’ playoff fate, DeMarcus Lawrence’s contract like a Boston postseason visit 1139093 Report linking Yzerman with Rangers job casts doubt 1139062 Sabres could have sights set on center after NHL Draft about him returning to Red Wings Lottery 1139094 Griffins take advantage of late-season promotions to Red 1139063 Sabres prospect Casey Fitzgerald says he feels Wings comfortable with team 1139095 Report: Steve Yzerman ‘amenable’ to wooing by Rangers 1139064 Chris Taylor's steady hand has Amerks in position for Cup 1139096 Red Wings, Sabres meet in season finale for draft lottery run position Oilers 1139065 Flames all want Gaudreau to get to 100 1139097 Johnny Hockey will be trying to get to 100 points Saturday 1139066 GameDay: Oilers at Flames — 5 storylines against Oilers 1139067 From No. 1 to No. 27, a ranking of the Flames in order of 1139098 forward Leon Draisaitl could join a small importance to Calgary’s playoff success list of 50-goal scorers 1139099 Middle men the centres of attention among NHL’s 50-goal shooters 1139068 Canes go back to work, prepare for the ‘next one’ 1139100 Edmonton Oilers pulling for both German-born players to 1139069 Hurricanes’ Not Making Tee Times This Spring score in Calgary 1139070 Hurricanes’ Mrázek and Hamilton Loving the Pressure 1139101 LeBrun Notebook: Dean Lombardi’s future, playoff format 1139071 Hurricanes Down Devils – Decade-Long Playoff Drought extension and award talk Is Over 1139072 Carolina has made the playoffs for the first time in a Florida Panthers decade – TheHockeyNews 1139102 Is Saturday the end for Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo? 1139073 Five reasons this is the year the Carolina Hurricanes are Maybe, but probably not returning to the playoffs 1139103 Ducks end dismal season on high note with win over 1139074 Patrick Kane's 43rd and 44th goals help the Blackhawks Kings rout the Stars 6-1 in home finale 1139104 Tough Kyle Clifford could be Kings’ MVP this season 1139075 Blackhawks hoping their 2nd-half success carries over to 1139105 Examining Jonathan Quick trade scenarios and why a avoid another slow start next season deal this summer makes sense 1139076 Blackhawks notes: Corey Crawford injured in 6-1 win over 1139106 APRIL 5 RAPID REACTION (FEAT. CURTIS ZUPKE): Stars DUCKS 5, KINGS 2 1139077 Dylan Strome, Drake Caggiula redirect promising careers 1139107 GAME 81: LOS ANGELES AT ANAHEIM with Blackhawks 1139108 APRIL 5: CAMPBELL’S GOOD PRACTICE HABITS; KRIS 1139078 Blackhawks end mediocre home season with win over KROSS; FIRST FREEWAY FACEOFF SWEEP? Dallas 1139079 No. 1 fan: Patrick Kane's dad makes it to every Blackhawks home game 1139080 Four takeaways: Sellout streak continues as Blackhawks rout Stars in home finale 1139081 Bastian Schweinsteiger, Dominik Kahun bonded by Germany, Chicago connection Minnesota Wild 1139109 Dallas plays conference foe Minnesota 1139141 The Flyers are ending another season with more 1139110 The season finale: Wild at Dallas questions than answers 1139111 Wild coach Bruce Boudreau: 'I don't want to go anywhere' 1139142 Observations from the Flyers’ loss to the blues, and some 1139112 What’s next for Wild rookie Nico Sturm? One more game, advice for Chuck Fletcher then final exams 1139143 Flyers’ offseason needs include vocal leaders, not just missing pieces | Sam Carchidi Canadiens 1139144 Donovan McNabb, Mark Recchi, Fran Dunphy among 1139113 After almost 50 years on the air, Hockey Night in 2019 Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame nominees godfather to hang up his headset 1139145 Voracek, Flyers will try to finish with some dignity 1139114 A heartbreaking end to Canadiens' playoff hopes 1139146 Blues use early 5-goal blitz to bury Flyers, 7-3 1139115 Hickey on hockey: Habs' Phillip Danault merits 1139147 Jakub Voracek can't wrap head around how bad Flyers consideration for Selke played 1139116 What the Puck: Dark day for Canadiens fans as playoff 1139148 Flyers call up Mark Friedman for 2018-19 regular-season hopes dwindle finale 1139117 Your official hindsight guide to the 2018-19 Canadiens 1139149 Blues 7, Flyers 3: 10 things we learned from another 1139118 Melnick’s GBU: Waiting on a miracle, the Canadiens have rough loss as the season winds down already managed to build hope 1139150 Expect stars to come out for Penguins in regular-season 1139119 Catfish Corner newsletter: When Preds fans become finale Blackhawks fans for a night 1139151 Sidney Crosby enters Penguins’ regular-season finale 2 1139120 Predators in first place in Central Division with one game points shy of 100 left: 'It's in our hands' 1139152 Casey DeSmith aims to keep sharp for Penguins despite limited workload 1139153 Penguins’ Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin ‘feel strong’ after 1139121 Why Devils’ play against Hurricanes was ‘indicative’ of returning from injury 2018-19 season | 4 takeaways 1139154 Penguins send Adam Johnson to Wilkes-Barre after 1139122 NHL draft lottery odds: Sabres end 8-game losing streak; successful first stint in NHL Devils lose; Coyotes officially out of playoffs (4/5/ 1139155 Playoff positioning still at stake, Penguins will give 1139123 NJ Devils' Cory Schneider ready to turn the page Rangers their best shot 1139156 Two Penguins fight after practice. But it’s not what you think 1139124 Islanders’ playoff path could be affected by Rangers finale 1139157 Matt Murray’s recent play is bolstering the Penguins’ 1139125 Ranking the Islanders' all-time playoff runs Stanley Cup push 1139126 Isles seeking home-ice advantage in playoffs 1139158 Will there be empty seats at Sharks’ home playoff games? 1139127 David Quinn’s Rangers Get Many Teachable Moments, 1139159 How Nikita Kucherov's season mirrors Joe Thornton's first but Few Wins with Sharks 1139128 Rangers edged by playoff-bound Blue Jackets in shootout 1139160 Many questions about health, lineup ahead of Sharks' 1139129 Islanders’ playoff path could be affected by Rangers finale regular season finale 1139130 Rangers get look at impending free agent Blue Jacket star 1139161 Sharks still have room for improvement after hanging on to in loss beat Oilers 1139131 Lightning architect Steve Yzerman interested in Rangers’ top job St Louis Blues 1139132 Rangers' Alexandar Georgiev stands out despite loss to 1139162 Vancouver doesn't figure to be pushover in must-win Columbus game for Blues 1139133 If they can get him, the Big Man, John Davidson, should 1139163 Preview: Blues vs. Vancouver be the Rangers’ president 1139164 Just in time for playoffs, a healthy Edmundson returns to lineup NHL 1139165 Look who's back: Blues recall Thorburn from San Antonio 1139134 Former Totems Charlie Holmes saved some of his 1139166 Everything Blues fans need to know on what should be an best hockey for late career epic final day of the regular season Tampa Bay Lightning 1139135 Blue Jackets eke out a win, leaving Senators without the 1139167 Why Nikita Kucherov’s empty-netter Thursday is just the chance to play spoiler latest Lightning milestone 1139136 Game Day: Senators versus Blue Jackets 1139168 Could Steve Yzerman be a candidate for the NHL’s GM of 1139137 The Senators send help to Belleville to assist in playoff the Year award? push 1139169 Bourne: How Tampa combines high hockey IQ with team 1139138 SNAPSHOTS: Joey Daccord still flying high after making buy-in to dominate the opposition his NHL debut 1139170 Duhatschek Notebook: How the second half of the season 1139139 WARREN: Senators give credit where credit is due — to has affected the NHL awards race their fans 1139140 Why the Senators would be wise to keep Craig Anderson beyond this season Maple Leafs 1139171 opt to purge Garret Sparks from 1139188 Something is rotten in Jetsville roster 1139189 Win, place or show for Jets? Chaotic Central Division 1139172 Saturday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal standings going down to wire Canadiens 1139190 Hayes gives Jets' scoring chances off the rush a big boost 1139173 Hutchinson to replace Sparks as Leafs’ backup goaltender 1139191 Behind the Jets’ secret summit in St. Paul 1139174 No stress for Babcock as Leafs' regular season comes to 1139192 JETS GAME DAY: Last chance before the big dance an end 1139175 Calm down Maple Leafs fans, Andersen is not injured 1139176 GAME DAY: Maple Leafs at Canadiens SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1139177 Maple Leafs want struggling Sparks to find his game, recall Hutchinson from Marlies 1139178 The Maple Leafs made the rational, but still surprising call on Garret Sparks 1139179 ‘The Chosen One’: In the midst of a career year, Morgan Rielly has become the Leafs’ reluctant star 1139193 Ed Willes: Canucks’ skeleton staff makeup saves bones for owners, but is it OK? 1139194 Patrick Johnston: Quinn Hughes is going to the world championship. Who else? Vegas Golden Knights 1139180 Golden Knights players audition for ice time in NHL playoffs 1139181 Golden Knights look for redemption in regular-season finale 1139182 Capitals’ possible playoff opponents down to Hurricanes, Blue Jackets ... and Penguins 1139183 NHL awards: Hart Trophy is clear-cut, but controversial picks could snag Vezina, Norris 1139184 Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Capitals playoff scenarios heading into season finale 1139185 A title defense, a major injury and the challenge of playing the off-side on defense 1139186 Capitals sign Notre Dame defenseman to 2-year deal 1139187 With postseason looming, Capitals are scrambling to solidify defensive pairings Websites 1139195 The Athletic / Jordin Tootoo returns home with a mission to save others from his brother’s fate 1139196 The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: How the second half of the season has affected the NHL awards race 1139197 The Athletic / Meghan Chayka’s work in analytics is breaking ground in hockey in more ways than one 1139198 The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: There’s still lots left to play for, a TV pet peeve and a brief history of crazy 1139199 .ca / Leafs left with no choice but to remove Sparks from lineup as playoffs loom 1139200 Sportsnet.ca / What makes Bob Cole tick is what has always made him so special 1139201 Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: Do the Tampa Bay Lightning have a weakness? 1139202 Sportsnet.ca / Canucks' Edler heads into season finale not focused on future 1139203 TSN.CA / Habs eliminated, but future is bright in Montreal 1139204 TSN.CA / Andersen survives practice scare, feels ‘in control’ ahead of playoffs 1139205 TSN.CA / Condon determined to return to the NHL with Sens 1139206 TSN.CA / Sparks' future TBD as Leafs call up Hutchinson 1139207 USA TODAY / Ex-NHL player Craig Cunningham makes stunning recovery from heart attack and amputation 1139049 Anaheim Ducks that in the next five years this is going to be a team that’s going to be a contender,” Silfverberg said.

Closing with an 11-5-1 surge was great for the Ducks’ morale though Season finale of Kings-Ducks rivalry usually is must-watch. Not this harmful to their draft lottery odds. “We’ve been able to establish a few season. things that we want to create around here and the way we want to play on the ice and hopefully that will continue on into training camp,” Ryan Getzlaf said. “You implement things, a certain direction you want the By HELENE ELLIOTT team to go, the positional play we want to be in. That way, in training camp it’s not a new concept for anybody. So it’s been a nice touch.”

Next up, after Murray conducts exit interviews with players the next few Season finale of Kings-Ducks rivalry usually is must-watch. Not this days, is a coach search. He normally consults Getzlaf and other leaders season. on major decisions, but Getzlaf said Murray got a strong sense of what Ducks' Carter Rowney, right, shoots and scores against the Kings during needs to be done after standing behind the bench. Getzlaf has some the first period. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) ideas about the qualities he’d like Murray to seek. “The game’s changed a lot. The next coach has got to be somebody that can communicate with The NHL’s schedulemakers must have congratulated themselves for the players and understand how to deal with the young kids,” Getzlaf setting the stage for potentially great drama when they arranged for the said. “It’s not really about me anymore. ... I don’t think they’re bringing in Kings and Ducks to meet at Honda Center on the final weekend of the a coach to coach me. It’s a matter of being able to go up and down our regular season. lineup and understand what each guy needs, and that’s what he’ll be going for.” The game was guaranteed to have an emotional edge because of the teams’ passionate rivalry. The possibility it might decide a playoff berth Fowler also sees communication as essential. “The new age of hockey — or postseason positioning, at the very least— made it a date worth players have a lot more input on how their bodies are feeling, and I think circling on the calendar. communication is a big thing,” Fowler said. “Just somebody that respects us as players, respects what we do on the ice and challenges us and Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. Not even close. Instead of someone that’s fair, that brings a lot of energy to the rink and a lot of battling for a playoff spot the Ducks and Kings were competing with their positive enthusiasm.” fellow bottom-feeders for better odds in the draft lottery and counting the minutes until the final buzzer would (mercifully and at long last) close out Just for old times’ sake, the Ducks and Kings got into a tussle in the final the season. “I think ‘disappointing’ is the word that comes to mind,” minute of Friday’s game. Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said, a sentiment the Kings know very well. It didn’t change anything but their minute totals, but it was a final show of feistiness the Ducks can carry into the summer while they dream The Ducks reached the end of their rutted road Friday with a 5-2 victory of playing games with playoff implications next season. over the Kings and finished at 35-37-10 for 80 points, down 21 points from last season. The Kings, eliminated long ago and standing 30th LA Times: LOADED: 04.06.2019 among the NHL’s original 31, are 30-42-9 and will reach the finish line

Saturday. It’s the first time both teams will miss the playoffs in the same season since 2003-04, making for a longer offseason than we’ve had around here for a while. “At this point you’ve always kind of been getting prepared for the playoffs and now it’s obviously the complete opposite. So it’s a weird feeling,” Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg said.

The Kings and Ducks have spoiled us, with the Ducks bringing the Stanley Cup here in 2007, the Kings winning it in 2012 and 2014, and each team reaching the West finals in other seasons. But as the pace of play in the NHL grew faster and they did not, their oddly synchronized declines became unmistakable.

Both were swept out of the first round of the playoffs last spring but neither did much to remedy their problems. Kings general manager Rob Blake and team president Luc Robitaille thought they could contend for another couple of seasons with an old and slow core, a miscalculation that led to the disintegration of the Kings’ identity as a strong defensive team and cost coach John Stevens his job. Signing 35-year-old winger Ilya Kovalchuk to a three-year, $18.75-million deal was a mistake. Allowing Kovalchuk to be misused by interim coach Willie Desjardins compounded the error and leaves the team with a salary-cap headache.

The Ducks, stuck with big contracts given to players long past their prime, should have replaced coach Randy Carlyle last summer, but general manager Bob Murray first blamed injuries and players’ work ethic. When they lost 19 of 21 games and made no pretense of competing, Murray had to fire Carlyle though by then it was February and too late to salvage this season. At least Murray, who took on the coaching job, got a close-up look at the mess he’s in charge of cleaning up.

The only good thing to come out of this for either team is they’ve started to rely more on their kids and should know who can step up into major roles next season. Both teams also have two first-round picks in the June draft, promising instant injections of youth and high-level skill.

The Ducks have an impressive amount of young talent on their roster as well as in in the pipeline, which allows them to reconfigure instead of rebuild. Center Sam Steel, 21, on Friday scored his sixth NHL goal in 22 games this season. Winger Max Jones, 21, had two assists. Max Comtois had two goals and seven points in 10 games before going back to his junior team. Troy Terry (broken leg) has shown he can play. “I think 1139050 Anaheim Ducks In time, the Ducks regained their competitive spirit and their pride, mixed with some energetic play from rookies such as Jones, Steel, Jacob Larsson and Troy Terry, lifted them in the standings. Their victory over Ducks take feel-good, season-ending victory from Kings the Kings, last in the Pacific, moved them into fifth in the division.

“We’ve gotten used to playing in the playoffs and having those stretch drives where we’re competing for spots,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf By Elliott Teaford |: April 5, 2019 at 11:05 PM said. “When you’re out that early and that far behind, it’s a tough way to play hockey. It’s a terrible feeling.”

The Ducks’ work is not done, though. The heavy lifting begins now. ANAHEIM — The Kings helped the Ducks hang the “Gone Fishing” sign on Honda Center on Friday. The Vegas Golden Knights will do the same "Looking at the big picture, we wanted to make sure we were playing the for the Kings on Saturday at Staples Center. An offseason of reckoning right way"@JohnGibson35 looks back on the season and to what's begins for each vacation-bound team this weekend. ahead next year@AnaheimDucks | @jillpainter pic.twitter.com/sgfmgr58hF Before they wrapped up their 2018-19 season, the Ducks took a 5-2 victory from the Kings and then called it a day. The Stanley Cup playoffs — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) April 6, 2019 once seemed like an annual rite of spring for the Ducks, but this will be the first time they’ve missed out on the postseason in seven seasons. Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.06.2019

The Kings have advanced to the playoffs only twice in five years since winning the second of their two Stanley Cup championships in a three- season span. Their rebuilding efforts, which will be just as intense as the Ducks’ and maybe more so, begin after their season finale against the Golden Knights.

Carter Rowney, Korbinian Holzer, Daniel Sprong, Sam Steel and Jakob Silfverberg scored for the Ducks, who completed their 25-year anniversary in the NHL with a three-game winning streak, a 14-11-1 mark since General Manager Bob Murray became the interim coach and an overall record of 35-37-10.

Silfverberg’s goal was his team-leading 24th, a career high.

John Gibson made 44 saves for the Ducks, who dropped the season series to the Kings 1-2-1.

“Mixed emotions, all over the place, not a whole lot of fun,” Silfverberg said. “These last few weeks have been feeling pretty good. Our whole team has been playing really well. Right now it doesn’t do too much. In a few weeks, looking back to it, it’s something to be proud of. At this time, it doesn’t do much.”

Michael Amadio and Carl Grundstrom scored for the Kings (30-42-9). Amadio has two goals and five points in six games since he was recalled from the Reign of the AHL on March 24. Grundstrom scored his fifth goal in his 14th game in the NHL, and his third in three games against the Ducks.

“He’s really played well for us whenever he’s been up this year,” Kings defenseman Alec Martinez said of Amadio. “He’s a good, young centerman. He’s a smart player. He can make good plays. It’s good to see him getting a couple of goals and he clearly can finish as well.”

The next order of business for the Ducks is bolstering the roster of their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, in time for the regular season’s final three games plus the playoffs to follow. Several of the Ducks’ rookies are likely to be re-assigned to the Gulls as early as Saturday.

One of those rookies, Max Jones, showed he was ready to take a significant stride in his budding career no matter whether it’s in Anaheim or San Diego. Jones set up Rowney’s tying first-period goal and then Holzer’s strike in the second that gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

On the first goal, Jones sent a no-look backhanded pass to a cutting Rowney, who slammed the puck into the back of Jack Campbell’s net at 14:02 of the opening period. On the second, Jones found Holzer cutting toward the net from the left point for Holzer’s first goal since April 2, 2017.

Sprong extended the Ducks’ lead to 3-1 with a laser past Campbell’s shoulder for his 14th goal since Murray acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Marcus Pettersson on Dec. 3, back when the Ducks were competitive and playing like a playoff team.

Steel made it 4-1 with a short-handed goal in the third period, a tap-in after Silfverberg skated skillfully around a pack of flatfooted Kings and delivered a flawless cross-ice pass to his teammate near the left goal post.

The Ducks’ downfall this season wasn’t swift, but it was certain. They lost 19 of 21 games, spiraling toward the bottom of the NHL’s overall standings, and Murray fired Randy Carlyle and stepped behind the bench Feb. 10 to learn more about his malfunctioning team. 1139051 Anaheim Ducks They could drop as far as the ninth-best odds or climb as high as sixth when the final games are played around the league Saturday.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.06.2019 Ducks rookie Max Jones works on his mental as well as physical game

By Elliott Teaford

ANAHEIM — Max Jones said he learned several valuable lessons during his rookie season with the Ducks, after a stellar career in the junior-level , where he averaged nearly a point a game with the London Knights and Kingston Frontenacs.

Maybe the biggest of them all was to avoid thinking too much, to turn off the whirring computer that is his brain and to play the game. He displayed the physical ability required to be a productive player in the NHL in the coming seasons, but he said his mental game needed some work.

“When I get in my best rhythms, it’s more about not even thinking, just go out and play,” said Jones, a 21-year-old left wing. “Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot. It’s my first time up here and I’ve been thinking a lot. You can’t really think like that because the smallest parts of your game suffer a lot.”

Jones scored 14 goals and 28 points in 40 games with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL before he was recalled to the Ducks for good Feb. 13. He had two goals and three points in 29 games with the Ducks going into their season finale Friday against the Kings, modest numbers to be sure.

His season is expected to continue Saturday, when he and several other young Ducks players are likely to be re-assigned to San Diego for the Gulls’ final three regular-season games plus the Calder Cup playoffs to follow, if the team qualifies for the postseason.

Additional games would serve to help Jones to grow his all-around game while also aiding the Gulls, who have seen many of their top players recalled to the Ducks in a series of late-season evaluations by Bob Murray, the team’s general manager and interim coach.

Jones’ tutorials have been nonstop since he arrived. In the final weeks of the season, the Ducks’ coaching staff has asked Jones to devote more attention to defense and to other less glamorous aspects of the game and to stop thinking about scoring on every shift.

“They were trying to get me to tune up the small parts of my game defensively and make sure I’m playing the right way,” he said. “I think that’s just what I’ve been working on the whole time. At the same time, I’ve been trying to score so much that it just wasn’t working out for me.”

Jones scored his first NHL goal in his 17th game with the Ducks, in the closing seconds of an 8-2 rout of the on March 8. His second goal came in the opening minutes of a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, in his 29th game.

He said his approach to Wednesday’s game was far different than to last month’s contest.

“They know the way I can play,” he said. “I can score goals and make things happen. I took (Wednesday) and said I was just going to focus defensively and focus on my small parts of the game. I got a lot of good chances. That (scoring) will come. It’s been a good run so far. One game left.

“I think I’ve had a good showing for myself. I think they know what I bring to the table. They were pretty happy with me. As long as I kept playing that way I knew they would be happy with me. Next year is a whole other year and I think I’ll be able to step into a nice role and get comfortable.”

ROSTER MOVE

In the first of what are likely to be several re-assignments, the Ducks sent defenseman Andy Welinski to San Diego. Jones, Brendan Guhle, Jacob Larsson, Jaycob Megna, Sam Steel and Troy Terry also are expected to be re-assigned. Terry is out for eight to 12 weeks with a broken leg, however.

NHL DRAFT LOTTERY

As of Friday, the Ducks had the eighth-best odds of getting the top pick in the NHL draft lottery, which will be shown Tuesday at 5 p.m. on NBCSN. 1139052 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes send goaltender Adin Hill to Tucson

BY DANNY SHAPIRO APRIL 5, 2019 AT 10:09 AM

The Arizona Coyotes on Friday announced they assigned goaltender Adin Hill to the Tucson Roadrunners.

Hill was called up to the Coyotes earlier in the week as a depth option in case starter Darcy Kuemper was unable to play because of an upper body injury suffered during Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Assuming Hill doesn’t play in the Coyotes’ season finale on Saturday, he will finish the 2018-19 season with a 7-5 record and 2.76 goals against average in 13 appearances with the Coyotes.

He was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week for the week of Nov. 26 to Dec. 2.

The Coyotes were eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday, marking the seventh consecutive season the team has missed the playoffs.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139053 Boston Bruins of skills that wowed scouts at draft time, but he did everything extra to succeed.

In the NCAA tournament, the all-situations winger scored a critical goal Bruins’ Karson Kuhlman pushing hard at his game against Minnesota State in the opening round. In the final against Notre Dame, he scored the first goal of a 2-1 championship win. When fourth- line winger Kobe Roth broke his ankle in the first period, Kuhlman was By Matt Porter double-shifted the rest of the way.

Sandelin, in his 19th year as Bulldogs boss, said Kuhlman might be the best leader he’s ever coached. Last year’s NCAA title cemented that. It is too early to say whether Karson Kuhlman will be in the lineup against the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, but he has a shot. “He was the guy who got us there,” Sandelin said. “When he got there, he wasn’t going to be denied.” “He’s pushing hard,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Thursday after the rookie winger had another solid game in a 3-0 road win over Minnesota. Boston Globe LOADED: 04.06.2019 “He’s certainly in the mix.”

Kuhlman, who has three goals and two assists in his first 10 NHL games, is a dogged forechecker, smart with the puck, and plays at a high pace. His defense is sound. The Bruins believe he has untapped offensive potential, but Kuhlman arrived here with the knowledge that playing the right way leads to goals, not the other way around.

“My confidence is growing every shift of every game,” Kuhlman said. “I give the environment and culture here a lot of credit, too. They’ve really been welcoming. It’s a great group of guys. It helps when you’re winning games as well.”

Kuhlman could wind up with an everyday role next season. Saturday’s regular-season finale against Tampa (1 p.m., NESN), will be his last chance to prove he should be in the lineup come Game 1 against Toronto (likely Thursday). Should he get a postseason shot, it’s easy to imagine the Minnesota-Duluth grad as found money, the kind of playoff surprise that has lifted the Bruins in the past.

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Another undrafted former college captain, defenseman Torey Krug, scored four goals in his first five playoff games in 2013. Call-up goalie Mike Moffat won the last two games of the 1982 season, then started all 11 in the postseason. Forwards Craig Janney and Bob Joyce, both fresh from the Olympics, were big contributors to the Bruins run in 1988. Likewise were Ted Donato and Joe Juneau in 1992.

Kuhlman, from Esko, Minn., attended two development camps with Boston (he previously camped with Winnipeg and Montreal) and signed a two-year, $1.525 million deal after his senior year ended last April. He spent most of this season in Providence, watching the Bruins audition wing prospects of greater perceived potential. Peter Cehlarik, who impressed in previous recalls, didn’t stick. Anders Bjork busted his shoulder for the second year in a row. Management used Ryan Donato as a trade chip.

Meanwhile, Kuhlman expanded his offensive game with the Providence Bruins, producing a 12-18—30 line in 58 games. His career highs against college competition, in no more than 44 games a season, were 13 goals and 22 points.

“His value was more than scoring for me,” said Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin, whose Bulldogs, the favorite to repeat as NCAA champion, face Providence in the Frozen Four on Thursday. “The way he played, his practice habits, the way he came to the rink every day. If I had 25 of him on my team, my job’s easy.”

As a junior in 2016-17, Kuhlman was an assistant captain on a team that lost to Denver in the national title game. His task as senior captain was a tough one.

Rocked by 10 departures, including their top defenseman (Neal Pionk), goalie (Hunter Miska), and forward (Adam Johnson), all of whom turned pro early, and a senior class led by Alex Iafallo, the Bulldogs were ripe for a fall. They were doubting themselves, too, having to replace their top six scorers.

Kuhlman, as usual, was pushing hard.

“With how competitive he is, he was a little frustrated early with how young we were,” said Parker Mackay, the Bulldogs’ current captain and leading scorer. “But he didn’t care what we had in that room. He was giving his all. And that showed us the way.”

Motivational texts to teammates. Showing up early and leaving late. Taking care of his body. The son of Air Force parents didn’t have the kind 1139054 Boston Bruins

Meet Bergerine, the Iowa girl named after Patrice Bergeron

By Matt Porter

You might know a Bruins superfan who named their dog Tuukka or Looch. Here’s a new one: a baby girl named after Patrice Bergeron.

Meet Bergerine, born eight months ago. Her parents, Rob Eilers and Meredith Dinsdale of Mason City, Iowa, had the thrill of meeting their beloved No. 37 after Thursday’s morning skate at the Xcel Energy Center.

Before posing for photos, Bergeron signed a jersey and inscribed a poster of baby photos, “From one Bergy to another.”

He said fans have told him about pets named Bergy, and little girls with “Patrice” as their middle names, but never a prenom (alternately, “first name”).

“It’s flattering,” Bergeron said. “She’s very cute. It’s great to meet them. They’re great fans, obviously.”

Boston Globe LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139055 Boston Bruins And rookie winger Karson Kuhlman, showing well in his late-season audition, was looking to make more of an impression. Cassidy didn’t think Kuhlman would be in the lineup to start the playoffs, but wondered if he Catching up with Ryan Donato: ‘I loved being the local guy in Boston’ “might have to eat my words.”

Oh, baby

By Matt Porter You might know a Bruins superfan who named their dog Tuukka or Looch. Here’s a new one: a baby girl named after Patrice Bergeron.

Meet Bergerine, born eight months ago. Her parents, Rob Eilers and ST. PAUL — No complaints from Ryan Donato, who was promoted to Meredith Dinsdale of Mason City, Iowa, had the thrill of meeting their Minnesota’s top line for Thursday’s game against his old club, the Bruins. beloved No. 37 after Thursday’s morning skate at the Xcel Energy The Scituate Sniper, though quiet of late, has earned the trust of new Center. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. Before posing for photos, Bergeron signed a jersey and inscribed a In 34 games with Boston this season, Donato logged more than 15 poster of baby photos, “From one Bergy to another.” minutes just six times under Bruce Cassidy. He has hit that mark in 10 of 20 contests since the Wild dealt Charlie Coyle for the Harvard product He said fans have told him about pets named Bergy, and little girls with and a conditional fifth-rounder. “Patrice” as their middle names, but never a prenom (alternately, “first name”). Donato — whose father, Harvard coach Ted Donato, planned to attend Thursday’s game — said his rookie season has been quite an education. “It’s flattering,” Bergeron said. “She’s very cute. It’s great to meet them. After making a splash last spring (9 points in 12 games), he didn’t win a They’re great fans, obviously.” second-line wing spot this fall, the Bruins demoting him to the AHL twice Maybe next time to round out his game, then dealing him with a register of 9 points in 34 games. Next up: The restricted free agent and agent Matt Keator plan to Cassidy suspected that Thursday’s star-studded cast of healthy negotiate a deal with Minnesota GM Paul Fenton. scratches (Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Charlie McAvoy) would return to the lineup Saturday against Tampa Bay. Cassidy might “I definitely learned the business side of it, for sure,” Donato said. “One look to give others a rest against the Lightning . . . Meanwhile, Chris thing I learned, in Boston and here, it’s a game of ups and downs. More Wagner, dealing with a nagging lower-body injury, may sit until Game 1 than college, more than any level, there’s a lot of ups and downs. of the playoffs against the Maple Leafs . . . Krejci, the only Bruin to “It’s been an emotional roller coaster the whole year, but definitely over appear in each of the first 80 games, had the longest ironman streak on the last couple months it’s settled down quite a bit.” the team: 125 regular-season games, dating to Dec. 28, 2017 . . . Senyshyn became the seventh Bruin to make his NHL debut this season The most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. (Frederic, Kuhlman, Clifton, Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril, and Jeremy Lauzon) . . . Danton Heinen (illness) returned to the lineup after In his first eight games with Minnesota, the club went 6-0-2 as the hard- sitting out Tuesday’s win in Columbus, skating with Frederic and shooting lefty produced two goals and seven assists. Entering Thursday, Kuhlman . . . With Marchand resting, Jake DeBrusk rode with Bergeron the Wild were 4-7-1 since then, out of the playoffs for the first time in and David Pastrnak. seven years. Though Donato (4-12—16 in 20 games here) had a lone assist (and was minus-5) in his previous five games, he entered Boston Globe LOADED: 04.06.2019 Thursday leading NHL rookies in scoring since Feb. 21.

He has done it without the added pressure of being a budding star in his home city, a feeling he acknowledges he misses.

“I can’t lie, I loved being the local guy in Boston,” Donato said. “Being close to home, I’m sure my mom did, too. It’s just different. There’s not a lot of distractions. I’m not saying there were bad distractions in Boston. I loved being in Boston, in that sense.”

Senyshyn debut

The knock on his Providence apartment door, at 11:30 p.m., startled his sleep. Zach Senyshyn was resting for a big three-in-three weekend, a regular part of AHL life. He wasn’t sure who was there, or why.

When the equipment manager in the hall told him was heading to the NHL, Senyshyn said, “I thought I was dreaming for a little bit.”

On Thursday night, the former first-round draft pick (15th overall in 2015) debuted on a line with Marcus Johansson and Coyle. A two-time 40-goal scorer in junior hockey (OHL, Sault Ste. Marie), Senyshyn has 26 in 128 AHL games.

Senyshyn, who has excellent wheels, is learning that he can burn some, but not all, opponents in front of him.

“Speed had a lot to do with the amount of goals I was able to score,” said Senyshyn, sporting a long vertical scar between his eyes, the product of a January puck dump that split his visor in half. “It’s been nice working on other aspects of my game, working on my shot, rounding out [the game] so I can score at this level.”

The Nepean, Ontario, native was one of several players with extra motivation for Game No. 81 of the regular season. Coyle faced his former team for the first time. David Backes (Blaine, Minn.) was playing in front of about 25 family members and friends. Rookie center Trent Frederic hadn’t played for the Bruins since March 14. Defensemen Steven Kampfer and Connor Clifton had the last three and two games off, respectively. 1139056 Boston Bruins was a loosely officiated game, with four penalties combined and several more uncalled.

It was 1-0 until the clock read 2:45 of the third. Pastrnak scored his 38th The Bruins got a good look at rookie Zach Senyshyn in his first NHL of the season, extending his personal-best total, after Jake DeBrusk took game forward Joel Eriksson Ek wide and fed the puck through two Wild defenders to his running mate.

By Matt Porter Senyshyn, recalled Wednesday from AHL Providence, tallied an empty- netter with 2:09 left. He got into the neutral zone, got wide, and finished from the blue line, flashing the considerable speed that made him a first- round pick (15th overall) in 2015. ST. PAUL — A star-studded cast of veterans watched from the press box, munching popcorn and hoping their teammates escaped without “That’s what separates him,” Cassidy said. “He pulled right away . . . His injury. A win would have been nice, too. first couple chances, he beat guys to pucks. I thought he was as advertised.” Immediately after the final buzzer of a 3-0 win over the Wild, it appeared the Bruins went 1 for 2. Like most rookies, he was nervous.

The playoff qualification status of both teams set, Boston emerged “To be honest, ever since I landed in Minnesota my hands have been victorious from a low-key affair thanks to goals by Joakim Nordstrom, sweating non-stop,” he said. David Pastrnak, and Zach Senyshyn (first NHL game, first NHL goal). Backup netminder Jaroslav Halak posted his fifth shutout of the season. In 30 years, how will he tell the story of his first goal?

The Bruins (49-23-9) also had a bit of a scare in the second period. “Oh, top shelf, dangled a couple guys before it,” he joked. “No, it’s a dream come true . . . you put the puck in the net in the National Hockey Defenseman Kevan Miller, who has had an exceedingly unfortunate League, you’re never going to forget it.” season, went knee-first into the boards after a hit by Jordan Greenway, the 6-foot-6-inch, 225-pound Boston University product. Miller, no small Halak, who improved to 22-11-4 in his first season in Boston, rebounded man himself at 6-2, 210, got tangled up and spread out, then crunched from a forgettable performance last Sunday in Detroit (five goals on 27 against the end boards. He grimaced and flexed his right leg as he went shots), when the Bruins began this three-game road trip. off the ice. Halak finished with 26 saves. If Tuukka Rask starts on Saturday, as The most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. expected, Halak will have bookended his regular season with clean sheets on the road (in his Bruins debut, Oct. 4, he blanked Buffalo). Miller — who has had stretches on the injury list of 13 games (broken hand), 13 games (fractured larynx), and 18 games (undisclosed upper “One season ends, and the second one starts next week,” Halak said. “I body injury) — returned about 17 minutes later to finish the period. just try to help the guys when I get a chance. It’s huge for me personally, finishing on a winning note.” He didn’t play in the third, but coach Bruce Cassidy planned on dressing Miller on Saturday, assuming his leg isn’t too stiff. Another Bruin who left with a smile: Charlie Coyle, who received a standing ovation from the home fans midway through the first period, “Which is great, because it’s not long term,” Cassidy noted. “You never when the Wild played a tribute video on the big screen. He spent the first know when you go into the boards like that, especially the luck he’s had seven years of his career here. this year.” And in less than a week, he’ll dive headlong into a playoff spring in Miller and regular partner Matt Grzelcyk, both trying to find their legs Boston. It is typically a wild ride. before the playoffs, following recent ailments, led the Bruins in ice time in the opening period (7:56 and 7:54, respectively). Grzelcyk skated a Boston Globe LOADED: 04.06.2019 game-high 23:02.

Boston, its first-round opponent (Toronto) and starting location (TD Garden) locked in (date TBD, but likely Thursday, April 11), beat Minnesota without a five-man unit it would have gladly played in any situation: Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Chris Wagner, Zdeno Chara, and Charlie McAvoy.

Cassidy is likely to sit another group of experienced veterans in Saturday’s season-ender against Tampa (1 p.m.). The Lightning, one win from tying the league record for wins in a season (62), are not guaranteed to do the same. In Saturday’s 3-1 win in Toronto, they played their best, including future Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov (40th goal, 126th point). He is one of three 40-goal scorers on the Bolts, the overwhelming favorite to face whoever emerges from the Boston-Toronto series.

Kevan Miller skates off the ice with a trainer after an injury during the second period.

“We definitely won’t take it easy,” Pastrnak said. “I think it’s all about us. We need to focus on our game and how we play.”

But back to Thursday, and the Xcel Energy Center, where the injury- riddled Wild (37-35-9) gave the undermanned Bruins a battle despite being playoff DNQs for the first time in seven seasons.

Minnesota goalie Alex Stalock, who had an adventurous approach to playing the puck, was battling from his crease as Nordstrom scored the opening goal. The Swedish winger potted his seventh of the year after Noel Acciari poked the puck to him in front.

“I had a whole net to shoot at,” Nordstrom said.

Nordstrom ripped it top-shelf moments after officials didn’t see Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn haul him down by the arm behind the play. It 1139057 Boston Bruins

Tampa Bay one last test for Bruins before postseason

By MARISA INGEMI

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Bruins get one last look at the Lightning — a potential second-round foe — before turning all attention to the postseason.

Neither team has anything to play for in a technical sense before starting their respective first round series. The Bruins know they have the Leafs to contend with, while the top-seeded Lightning still have a few possibilities.

If both the Bruins and Tampa Bay, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings, do square off in the second round, it might be without ever getting a real gauge of how they match up.

The first time the teams played in December was while the Bruins were at the peak of their injury issues, with several starters out of the lineup; it was a close defeat in the middle of a three-game losing streak.

The next time, the Bruins handled the Lightning easily while the Tampa club was in the midst of a three-games-in-four nights stretch. Hardly a baromter of how they match up.

Lastly, they faced off in Tampa Bay, where the Lightning gave the Bruins arguably their toughest loss of the season, scoring with 52 seconds remaining in regulation after the B’s held a two-goal advantage in the third period. The Bruins played the majority of that game with five defensemen, two of them being Steven Kampfer and Connor Clifton, neither of whom will see postseason ice if everything goes well.

In their fourth meeting, the Bruins are likely to rest veterans who played Thursday night in Minnesota, while those who sat out are set to return. Against the Maple Leafs on Thursday night, the Lightning played mostly their entire lineup, but even if they do the same Saturday, it won’t be the type of game where they go all-out like in a game that carried much weight.

Both have first-round series to deal with before even thinking of each other in any competitive form again. That mean’s Saturday’s contest won’t give any indication of how a possible second-round series would look.

As purely a final tuneup for the Bruins, there’s other things to worry about. Still, it’s always interesting to think ahead.

“We definitely won’t take it easy,” David Pastrnak said. “I think it’s all about us. We need to focus on our game and how we play.”

Miller avoids scare

Kevan Miller left in the second period Thursday against the Wild after he took an awkward slide into the boards, only to return for a short time later in the frame. He’s projected to play against Tampa.

“(It) is great, because it’s not long term,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy noted. “You never know when you go into the boards like that, especially the luck he’s had this year.”

Senyshyn pots empty netter

Zach Senyshyn will remember his first career NHL goal forever, even though it may not have gone as he expected.

“Oh, top shelf, dangled a couple guys before it,” he said after the game, in which he capped the 3-0 victory with an empty-net tally. “… You put the puck in the net in the , you’re never going to forget it.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139058 Boston Bruins

Former Bruin Ryan Donato: 'I loved being in Boston'

By NBC Sports Boston Staff April 05, 2019 3:04 PM

At one point, Ryan Donato looked like a potential future star for the Boston Bruins. In limited action last season, Donato logged 9 points in 12 games for the team. He was thought to be a potential scoring weapon that would bolster their offense. However, Donato didn't pan out for the team.

After posting just nine points in 34 games to start the 2018-19 season, the Bruins eventually moved Donato out of the lineup. And then, they traded him altogether. They flipped him along with a fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for center Charlie Coyle.

While Donato has found success in Minnesota, he took some time to open up about leaving Boston after the Bruins' 3-0 victory over the Wild. Here's what he said, per Matt Porter of The Boston Globe.

“I can’t lie, I loved being the local guy in Boston,” Donato said. “Being close to home, I’m sure my mom did, too. It’s just different. There’s not a lot of distractions. I’m not saying there were bad distractions in Boston. I loved being in Boston, in that sense.”

Though Donato, a Boston-born player, liked playing in his hometown, he has benefited a bit from a change of scenery.

HAGGERTY: How the Bruins, Leafs stack up in playoff rematch

Since going to Minnesota, Donato has logged more playing time with the Wild and has performed well, logging 16 points in 21 games. He has found more of a consistent role with the Wild, so that has been beneficial for the rookie.

Meanwhile, Coyle has helped take care of the issues the Bruins were having at the third-line center position. Coyle has just 6 points in 20 games with the Bruins, but his skating ability has done a lot to create opportunities for the team and should continue to solidify what had previously been a weak third line.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139059 Boston Bruins Minus

*Ryan Donato had a couple of scoring chances and he had four shots on net for the Wild, but he also was a minus-2 against his former Bruins Bruins analysis: What we learned in the Bruins' 3-0 win over the Wild teammates and once again looked like he’s got some things to learn in the defensive zone.

By Joe Haggerty April 05, 2019 1:47 PM *No shots on net, two giveaways and a minus-1 for Jason Zucker in a meaningless end-of-the-season game that the Wild forward was treating as such.

Here’s What We Learned in the Bruins 3-0 win over the Minnesota Wild *No shots on net for Danton Heinen in 14:04 of ice time in a quiet game on Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center. that needs to be a whole lot less quiet once the postseason gets going. There will be competition for his lineup spot if he can’t be a difference- 1) It was a pretty good debut for Zach Senyshyn. The 22-year-old maker. certainly hasn’t lit it up in the AHL the past two seasons and he was the last position player from the first round of the 2015 Draft to make his Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 debut at the NHL level, so there is some skepticism that goes along with his appearance for Boston. But Senyshyn showed good speed, a good feel for getting to spots where he could shoot the puck and he picked up an empty-net goal at the very end of the game to put the cherry on top of the NHL debut sundae. Senyshyn finished with four shots on net, seven shot attempts, a hit and the empty-net goal in 12:41 of ice time along with a plus-1 rating for the game, and has to feel motivated to really bring it next season and get a longer look at the NHL level. The Bruins could certainly use a 6-foot-3 winger with speed who can finish plays if Senyshyn can really amp up the consistency, the tenaciousness and the production from his first two AHL seasons. All that being said, he’s a long way from making anybody forget about Mat Barzal, Kyle Connor or Brock Boeser anytime soon.

Awesome video of Craig Cunningham skating again

2) The Bruins' worst nightmares were almost realized when Kevan Miller took a tumble knee-first into the boards after battling with Jordan Greenway for a puck as the two big bodies went into the corner. Miller was gimpy when he finally got up after crashing into the boards, and he missed most of the second period before returning for a shift prior to the second intermission. Miller wasn’t seen in the third period, but Bruce Cassidy said following the game that the rugged defenseman was held out for precautionary purposes and may play on Saturday. Since Miller has basically missed half the season with an assortment of injuries, though, it might just be better for both Miller and the Bruins if he sits out the Saturday afternoon regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then again, Connor Clifton has shown that he’s a pretty good backup plan should Miller get dinged up during the postseason, and he was throwing hard hits and being tough to play against vs. the Wild again on Thursday night.

Tale of the Tape: How Bruins stack up against Maple Leafs

3) Noel Acciari continues to live up to his words about his game being made for the playoffs. He’s played extremely well over the last few weeks, and once again tipped a puck away from the Minny defense to set up Joakim Nordstrom’s game-winning goal. It was a heads-up play after Matt Grzelcyk’s point shot had glanced off the post and then bounced off the end boards before popping to a 50/50 puck battle between Acciari and Anthony Bitetto. Acciari won that battle by poking the puck away to the wide open Nordstrom, and the rest was history with the B’s opening goal in a shutout win. Acciari finished with six shots on net, eight shot attempts and three hits in 14:59 of ice time, and was physical, productive and playing with the kind of energy that could be difference-making when it gets to the postseason. It will be a challenge regardless of who he’s playing with, and playing against, on the fourth line once the postseason begins, but Acciari is showing that he might just be up for the challenge. That’s very encouraging particularly with Sean Kuraly out to start the playoffs with his hand injury.

Plus

*Noel Acciari set up the game-winner with a heads-up play around the net, led the Bruins with six shots on net and played with equal parts energy and effectiveness in his 14:59 of ice time.

*Joakim Nordstrom doesn’t get a lot of credit for the season he’s had with the Bruins, but he seems to almost always score important goals for the B’s as he did with the game-winner against Minnesota.

*Zach Senyshyn scored an empty-net goal in his NHL debut and perhaps more importantly had an easy enough time getting his shot off and getting chances against the Wild. It’s an encouraging sign he may have something to give Boston next season. 1139060 Boston Bruins

Zach Senyshyn on debut goal: 'It’s a dream come true'

By NBC Sports Boston Staff April 05, 2019 1:09 PM

Four years after being selected 15th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Zach Senyshyn finally made his Boston Bruins debut. The winger had drawn attention for his inability to reach the NHL level as quickly as some had hoped. This was exacerbated by comparisons to his counterparts from that draft, like the 16th pick, Matt Barzal, who won the Calder trophy in his first season.

But on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, all of the negative energy melted away.

Senyshyn logged 12:41 of ice time in the Bruins' 3-0 win over the Wild and generally played well. Late in the game, Senyshyn notched the first goal of his NHL career, an empty netter. Despite looking cool, calm, and collected on the ice, Senyshyn admitted that he was dealing with some nerves ahead of the game in an interview captured by the Bruins' official Twitter.

To be honest, since I landed in Minnesota my hands have been sweating non-stop. But once the puck dropped, it’s just hockey, right? The nerves kind of fade away. I was lucky to have a great locker room in here, guys that were really supportive and guys that I’ve kind of grown up with and gone through the program with. It was a lot of fun once it got started.

It's good that Senyshyn felt comfortable with the Bruins right away. And it certainly showed in his performance.

When asked about how he would describe his first NHL goal 30 years from now, Senyshyn offered this humorous take.

Oh, top shelf, dangled a couple of guys before. No, again, it’s a dream come true any way you put it. You put the puck in the net in the National Hockey League and you’re never going to forget it.

Senyshyn's performance should leave Bruins fans encouraged. While he's unlikely to play a role for the team during the playoffs this year, it's always nice to see one of the team's top prospects look comfortable at the NHL level.

HAGGERTY: How Bruins, Leafs stack up in playoff rematch

Senyshyn should get a chance to log action on Saturday in the Bruins' regular-season finale on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins figure to, once again, rest some of their starters with their first- round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs already set.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139061 Boston Bruins Recent alums include Trevor Zegras and Spencer Knight, current members of the National Team Development Program. Zegras has committed to Boston University for 2019-20. Knight will replace Joseph Broadcaster and dad: Why NBC’s Pierre McGuire would like a Boston Woll at Boston College this fall. Both are likely first-round picks in June. postseason visit But McGuire wanted to go away for high school. He chose Belmont Hill. Naturally, his old man had connections: former coach Ken Martin and alums Scott and Mark Fusco. By Fluto Shinzawa Apr 5, 2019 “When we were living in Montreal and I was working for Canadian TV, I went to work at a camp at Bowdoin College,” Pierre McGuire recalled. “It was run by Kenny Martin, the longtime coach at Belmont Hill. The Fuscos In short order, Pierre McGuire will receive his first-round marching worked there. I asked, ‘Can I bring my 4-year-old son to watch and hang orders. Selfishly, he is hoping TD Garden will be one of his stops. around?’ He did more than watch. He was participating in the drills. He Boston has become a literal second home for the NBC Sports analyst — took to it pretty quickly. So here’s this 4-year-old with his meal card, Belmont, specifically, where he purchased a condo last year. While going in the cafeteria and getting his own food. Coach Martin played a McGuire and wife Melanie live full time in New Canaan, Conn., they significant role in Ryan going to Belmont Hill. My knowledge of the made their investment with daughter Justine and son Ryan in mind. Boston area and knowledge of the ISL played a role in it. The Fusco brothers clearly played a role. They’re dear, dear friends.” This fall, Justine will be a freshman at Dartmouth, where she will be a rower. Ryan is nearing the end of his sophomore year at Belmont Hill, Ryan McGuire entered Belmont Hill in eighth grade. The school offers where the 16-year-old forward played varsity hockey this year. boarding during the week. On weekends, he did not go home, McGuire stayed with Mark Fusco’s family. In early 2018, around the time McGuire was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he and Melanie decided a home in Massachusetts would make McGuire has since spread his wings. In 2018, Blainville-Boisbriand of the sense. Belmont would grant the McGuires easier access to their children QMJHL drafted McGuire in the 12th round. He was also drafted by than southwestern Connecticut. Madison of the USHL in the eighth round. In March, upon the conclusion of Belmont Hill’s season, McGuire appeared in four games for Madison. So even amid the postseason’s compressed schedule, a Bruins-Maple Leafs assignment may allow father and son to spend time together. He has since returned to Belmont Hill, where he is playing tennis this spring. This summer, McGuire plans to play, practice and train in “My late father always told me, ‘I can’t give you a lot, but the one thing I Foxboro. His father will be watching. can help with is to get an education,’ ” McGuire said. “I’ve always appreciated that motto. We’ve tried to live by it as a family. My wife and I “One thing that’s really apparent is maturity,” Pierre McGuire said. “When were thinking, ‘It’s only an hour and a half, two hours to Hanover (N.H., you go away, you have to grasp pretty quickly that nobody’s there doing home to Dartmouth College). Ryan’s got at least two more years at your laundry every day. You have to go to bed every day. You have to Belmont Hill, then he wants to try and go to school in the Boston area. So feed yourself. You have to take care of your personal hygiene. I’ve seen we’re really grateful for the educational opportunities we can give our such a mature young man. Educationally, we’ve seen significant children.” improvement. There’s study hall, intense teaching, small classes. He’s around his peer group, and there’s a lot of peer pressure to do well. As a national broadcaster, McGuire considers the entire league his We’ve seen significant things in a very, very positive manner. We’re home. He checked in by phone from Chicago, where he had landed after really grateful for Belmont Hill. It’s a good part of my son’s life.” spending the previous night in St. Louis covering Blues-Avalanche. The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 But McGuire, born in Englewood, N.J., and raised in Montreal, has long- standing ties to greater Boston.

In 1985, McGuire, then 24 years old, was hired to be the assistant hockey coach at Babson College, where he worked under . For three years, McGuire lived in Needham and Wellesley while coaching hockey and lacrosse at Babson.

Now 57, McGuire has circled back to Boston at a different point of his life. He has become one of hockey’s most integrated observers, as familiar with junior coaches as he is with the bosses he interviews during games.

But he has grown to study the game through the lens of a hockey dad as well. He does not mind the view.

“As a father, one thing when I was younger in my career broadcasting, I would get too aggressive in terms of analysis with certain things,” McGuire said. “Now as I watch young players grow up, these kids need time to season. You have to give them time and be more patient. That’s helped me, being a parent.”

McGuire was practically a child himself when he first settled in greater Boston. He was a coach, but he was also a student. McGuire learned from while watching the Bruins on Channel 38. He enjoyed visiting other college rinks, where he became friends with players such as John Cullen and David Quinn at BU and David Emma at BC.

“Nothing but amazing hockey memories in that time in Boston,” McGuire said. “It was all hockey, all the time. I loved it. I loved everything going on.”

McGuire’s priority was personal hockey development then. It doesn’t work that way anymore.

Minor hockey is strong in Connecticut. Ryan McGuire played for Mid Fairfield, the same program that was once home to Max Pacioretty, Jonathan Quick, Kevin Shattenkirk and Cam Atkinson. 1139062 Buffalo Sabres had him ranked the eighth-best North American skater on the midseason rankings.

Russian right wing Vasili Podkolzin could be the wild card of the draft. Sabres could have sights set on center after NHL Draft Lottery The 17-year-old was ranked the second-best European skater behind Kakko but there is some concern Podkolzin won't come to North America next season. Scouts must also balance potential with on-ice production. By Lance Lysowski| Published Fri, Apr 5, 2019|Updated Fri, Apr 5, 2019 He began the season in Russia's top junior league but appeared in only three games in the Kontinental Hockey League before spending most of the year in the country's second-tier professional league. In total, he had The Buffalo Sabres' historic collapse will mercifully end Saturday night in eight goals and five assists in 25 regular-season games. Detroit. However, Podkolzin's talent tantalized during seven games at the World Their playoff drought is now the longest in the NHL, a startling statistic Junior Championship and his past success on the international circuit considering they sat atop the standings after winning their 10th wowed scouts. consecutive game Nov. 27. Instead of a tuneup for meaningful hockey, the Sabres will either win back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. If the Sabres do choose a winger, Matthew Boldy is among the best 13, or they will improve their odds for the first overall draft pick. available. He had 30 goals and 39 assists with the U.S. National Development U18 Team and was ranked the sixth-best North American Though players will depart for the offseason after speaking to reporters at prospect in Central Scouting's midseason rankings. A Boston College locker cleanout, General Manager Jason Botterill's work is only commit, Boldy also benefited from playing alongside Hughes at times but beginning. First, he will travel to Toronto for the NHL Draft Lottery, which proved capable of carrying a line. will be held Tuesday night at the CBC building. The results will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. Botterill has not selected a Canadian junior player during his first two drafts with the Sabres. After selecting Rasmus Dahlin first overall last Once the order for June's draft is determined, Botterill's staff can narrow June, Botterill chose Samuelsson (U.S. National Development Program), its focus on which prospects will be available. A loss to the Red Wings center Matej Pekar (USHL), defenseman Linus Lindstrand Cronholm would give the Sabres (32-39-10) the fourth-best odds of landing the (Sweden), defenseman Miska Kukkonen (Finland) and defenseman number one overall pick at the draft, which will be held June 21-22 in William Worge Kreu (Sweden). Vancouver. In 2017, Botterill selected center Casey Mittelstadt (Eden Prairie High Center Jack Hughes and winger Kaapo Kakko are regarded as the draft's School), center Marcus Davidsson (Sweden), goalie Ukko-Pekka best prospects, however, there are a number of players outside the top Luukkonen (Finland), Laaksonen (Finland), Bryson (Providence College) two who could help the Sabres. and winger Linus Weissbach (USHL). The team with the fewest points will have the best odds of winning the In addition to the lottery draft pick, the Sabres own the San Jose Sharks' No. 1 pick at 18.5 percent. The odds then move to 13.5 percent for the first-rounder, which could be as high as 20th overall, depending on the 30th-place team, 11.5 percent for 29th, 9.5 percent for 28th and 8.5 outcome of the Stanley Cup playoffs. percent for 27th. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.06.2019 It is no secret the Sabres are in need of depth at center. Rasmus Asplund, a 21-year-old former second-round draft pick, is their only prospect at the position who could potentially reach the NHL next season. He entered Friday's games with nine goals and 27 assists in 70 games for Rochester.

The organization will also likely pass on defensemen high in the draft since it has a number of promising prospects, including Oskari Laaksonen, Jacob Bryson, Mattias Samuelsson and Will Borgen. Plus, Rasmus Dahlin, Lawrence Pilut and Brandon Montour are likely to be long-term fixtures on the blue line in Buffalo.

There are a number of centermen expected to be selected in the first round, including Lethbridge's Dylan Cozens, Trevor Zegras and Alex Turcotte of the U.S. National Development Team, Saskatoon's Kirby Dach, and Kootenay's Peyton Krebs.

Cozens, 18, had 34 goals and 50 assists in 68 regular-season games for Lethbridge, adding eight points in seven playoff games. At 6 feet, 3 inches, he has size the Sabres lack and was described by NHL Central Scouting as having "explosive speed with excellent acceleration and can make quick decisions on the fly."

Zegras' stock rose after playing alongside Hughes this season, finishing with 14 goals and 26 assists in 27 games. Turcotte, meanwhile, had 12 goals and 22 assists, and his upside as a power forward does fit a team need for the Sabres, who will look to get bigger and stronger up front this offseason.

Dach, much like Cozens, has the size and playmaking ability that would make him an intriguing addition for the Sabres. The 18-year-old had 25 goals and 48 assists in 62 games for Saskatoon. He was the second- best North American skater, behind Hughes, on NHL Central Scouting's midseason rankings, which were released following the World Junior Championship.

The service described Dach as a "legitimate threat when the puck is on his stick and capable of controlling pace and the outcome of games."

Krebs presents a particular challenge for scouts since he played on a struggling team this season, which resulted in a minus-50 rating over 64 games. Still, he scored 19 goals and showed why his offensive upside 1139063 Buffalo Sabres “We felt he needed another year physically,” Sexton said. “I think it was a good thing. He didn’t have the year statistically that he wanted, but in terms of his overall play, we felt it was improved.”

Sabres prospect Casey Fitzgerald says he feels comfortable with team After a Frozen Four appearance in Fitzgerald’s freshman season, the Eagles missed the NCAA Tournament his final three years. He compiled career lows – two goals, 14 points and a minus-6 rating – in 39 games By Bill Hoppe| Published Fri, Apr 5, 2019 this season.

“He’ll bring leadership, hard effort,” said Boston College coach Jerry York, who named Fitzgerald his captain as a junior and senior. “He’ll Longtime Sabres beat writer Bill Hoppe of BuffaloHockeyBeat.com, will work at his crafts religiously. be writing about Buffalo Sabres prospects, the and related topics this season. “He just has that quality that teammates look up to him.”

Sabres prospect Casey Fitzgerald said he never considered free agency. Fitzgerald said he’s “a 200-foot, two-way defenseman that is responsible in his own end.” After finishing his career at Boston College last month, Fitzgerald, 22, could have waited until August and hit the open market instead of signing “I can make a good first breakout pass and is just a solid, puck-moving with the Sabres. defenseman,” he said. “But then at the same time, I like to jump in the rush offensively and help out as much as I can.” But Fitzgerald, a third-round pick by Buffalo’s old regime in 2016 said he feels comfortable in the organization. York called Fitzgerald a “combination” defenseman.

The defenseman knows General Manager Jason Botterill and Assistant “He’ll defend, but he’ll also add to the offense,” he said. “He’s not like a GM Randy Sexton well. His father, former NHL forward Tom Fitzgerald, No. 1 defensive player or a No. 1 offensive player, but he’s got a nice mix worked closely with them for years in Pittsburgh’s front office. of those two traits.”

Sexton said he and Botterill would watch Casey Fitzgerald play at Big weekend Malden Catholic High School when the Penguins visited Boston. The second-place Amerks, who trail the Syracuse Crunch by three points “There was familiarity there,” Sexton said. for first in the North Division, start a home-and-home series with their rival Friday in Rochester. Right away, Fitzgerald said he felt their support. “It’s great,” Taylor said. “You always want to big games and leading up to “They liked my game and they trusted it,” he said. the playoffs and (see) how we respond and (see) where we’re at.” Fitzgerald said he always planned to spend four years in college and The Crunch have a game in hand on the Amerks. complete his degree. He said, however, he had an opportunity to leave after last season. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.06.2019 While in school, he established what he called a “great relationship” with the Sabres’ staff, including the development coaches who visited him in Boston.

“I wouldn’t have gotten that anywhere else,” Fitzgerald said. “I’d have to start fresh. It was something that I never really put thought into (going somewhere else). I knew it was a very welcoming environment to me and they had a lot of high hopes for me.”

So Fitzgerald signed a two-year, entry-level contract March 26. He reported to Rochester, where he will finish the season on an amateur tryout agreement.

Right now, he’s living in a hotel and working remotely to finish the four classes he needs to complete his degree in applied physiology.

“It’s been awesome,” Fitzgerald said of pro hockey. “It’s kind of a roller coaster of emotions.”

Fitzgerald experienced an emotional debut in Saturday’s 6-4, come-from-behind win in Binghamton.

With his father, the Binghamton Devils’ GM, watching, the Americans roared back, scoring four third-period goals. Fitzgerald assisted on two, including Eric Cornel’s winner.

“He had a big smile on his face even though they beat his team,” Fitzgerald said of his father. “It was pretty cool.”

Amerks coach Chris Taylor said: “He was very confident in what he was doing, his skating was very good.”

Sexton said Fitzgerald will play at least one game this weekend. The Amerks have six games left before the playoffs.

After the Sabres’ season ends this weekend, they will likely assign two defensemen – Lawrence Pilut and Matt Tennyson – to the Amerks, meaning Fitzgerald could be pushed down the depth chart.

“If a playoff game or more than one playoff game makes sense, we’ll do it,” Sexton said. “We’re not going going to force feed him.”

Of course, very few high picks – the Sabres grabbed Fitzgerald 86th overall – play four seasons in the NCAA. Still, Sexton said the Sabres wanted the 5-foot-11-inch, 185-pound Fitzgerald to return for his senior year. 1139064 Buffalo Sabres Lindy Ruff and Randy Cunneyworth, Taylor achieved a better understanding for the questions that lingered throughout his playing career.

Chris Taylor's steady hand has Amerks in position for Cup run "You see what works, what doesn’t work, how the guys feel," Taylor told The Buffalo News. "How I wanted to be coached. How I wanted the coach to react to different things. I took all that in. There are times you By Lance Lysowski| Published Fri, Apr 5, 2019 wonder why a coach does a thing and then you realize that’s why and you learn. I’ve taken a lot of different coaches and instances from when I

played and translated it into what it is today. ROCHESTER – With 40 minutes of grueling practice drills complete, the "There are times you can be hard on guys. There are times you can let Rochester Americans huffed and puffed between sips of water or guys have a break. It’s always interesting that when you go back to how Gatorade while listening to second-year head coach Chris Taylor deliver you were as a player, it helps you as a coach – the empathy of what instructions. they're feeling." Suddenly, most of the team broke out with a raucous cackle that echoed Taylor, a second-round draft pick of the New York Islanders in 1990, was throughout an empty Blue Cross Arena. When Taylor was done 39 years old and had played 617 AHL games when the 2010-11 season explaining the drill, the Amerks split into groups and furiously skated the ended, yet he believed he could continue playing. At the same time, he length of the ice to the soundtrack of the coach's whistle. began looking for assistant coaching jobs. His search ended when former The mood on Tuesday was light despite the rigorous workout prior to this Sabres General Manager offered him to work as a player weekend's games against Syracuse with first place in the North Division development coach in Rochester. at stake. Upon joining the staff, Taylor gave individual skill sessions to the Amerks, That is what Taylor's players have come to expect when they arrive at but there was a particular focus on prospects Marcus Foligno and Zack the rink each day. He encourages the typical joking and lighthearted Kassian. When the three weren't skating together after practice, they antics between drills or off the ice; however, each player, no matter their were usually talking about hockey or sharing ideas while watching game age or status, is expected to execute every drill to perfection. film.

The well-traveled 47-year-old's philosophies and hockey acumen are the Though Taylor was only a few months removed from playing, he wanted product of 28 years in professional hockey, and his willingness to adapt to understand how young players responded to certain situations on and has led the Amerks to consecutive playoff appearances while developing off the ice. He found the job addicting. Taylor craved more responsibility the next wave of Buffalo Sabres. and his role grew the following season when he was promoted to assistant coach with the Amerks. He would spend four seasons on "He’s a guy who garners respect because of the way he is," Amerks Rochester's staff before taking the same job with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goalie Adam Wilcox said. "How he coaches is effective. There are and returned as coach in June 2017. different ways you can get more out of players. You can do it by scaring them, but I think he gets the most out of players by being around them, "I love it," Taylor beamed. "Working with young guys is the most enjoying them. He lets them be creative and be themselves at the rink gratifying thing. There's nothing better than telling a young guy he's going and enjoy each other. That doesn’t take away from working hard or up to play his first NHL game." playing well. It has the opposite effect. It helps everyone. They want to Consistency come to the rink to play for a coach like him." Paetsch gritted his teeth, leaned over to a wooden table adjacent from "Player-style coaches" the team's dressing room and knocked twice with the knuckle of his right Taylor began planning his post-playing career almost six years before his index finger. The gesture was in response to a question about another final game. He was 32 years old and played 54 games with the Buffalo remarkable statistic: the Amerks had not lost more than three games in a Sabres in 2003-04, the season before the NHL's work stoppage. row all season.

Taylor thought a return to the sport's highest level was unlikely at his age. He then shared the unique perspective that comes with playing 807 While his passion for hockey still burned, he wondered when his body games between the NHL and AHL. would tell him to stop. He always was a leader on and off the ice. Even in "That’s coaching," Paetsch said of Rochester's consistency. "Coaching the American Hockey League, where he was the oldest Amerk and we have some really good leadership in that locker room. It’s competing against younger players to earn a call to the NHL, Taylor accountability. If you have someone who will get on you, freak out and enjoyed teaching his teammates the intricacies of the game and the panic – it starts with the coaching. It starts from the top and trickles down maturity needed to be a professional. to the players, and we don’t have that. We have accountability and we His teammates always knew what would come next. work hard every day, but we don’t allow it to slip because we have that leadership from up top." "It was pretty obvious that he'd be a coach," Nathan Paetsch, a 36-year- old do-it-all Rochester veteran who played four seasons as Taylor's Paetsch's teammates shared similar views. When the Amerks' teammate, said. "He was a captain and one of those player-style struggled in a 9-4 loss to Springfield in November, Taylor coaches already. He was intelligent. Played the game in a smart way that pulled aside Scott Wedgewood and Wilcox to give a quiet vote of can translate to being a coach." confidence. There were no threats to decreased playing time, Wilcox recalled. Instead, Taylor wanted them to remain calm. They responded Over time, Taylor's fear of not getting another call to the NHL became a by helping Rochester earn three of four points the following weekend. reality and he finished his career with 32 points in 149 games at the sport's highest level. Still, following the league's lockout, Taylor spent "Sometimes coaches may play mental games with goalies and it can three more years in Rochester and three in Germany. During that time, backfire, but brushing stuff off like that and remaining calm helped us he balanced trying to earn another opportunity in the NHL and preparing going into the next game," Wilcox said. "As long as we’re doing the right himself for a post-playing career. things and working hard, he’s not going to hammer them for losses."

He spent additional time with younger teammates after practice and When the Amerks were swept in the first round of the Calder Cup began watching game film through the lens of a coach. playoffs last April, Taylor wanted to make subtle adjustments for this season. Though he kept the team's offensive and defensive structure, he In Rochester, Taylor continued to mentor and teach younger players. In made tweaks after assessing what worked and what didn't. He also Germany, he learned that Europeans often struggled with homesickness began asking his players for feedback after practice and, during film while pursuing a professional career in North America. He experienced sessions, asked them which drills they liked. the same problem when he played in Europe. That perspective, Taylor said, helped him better understand the psyche of young European When Paetsch was a healthy scratch earlier this season, Taylor asked players he would eventually coach. the defenseman for additional perspective. Taylor never shies from spending time with players in the dressing room, but has delegated Paired with the lessons and observations while learning under a number responsibility to Paetsch and veterans. of former coaches, including , Gary Agnew, Pat Burns, There is also an emphasis on patience.

"As a player, it bugged me when, if the team had a bad game, all the lines changed and other things changed," Taylor said. "We have a good structure and I want to stick with it. If there is something we need to improve and I see it in a 10-game span or a five-game span then we’ll change that. I think patience is key. Be respecting of the players and what they want, how they want it, and what I think is best for them, is what you have to do. You can’t panic in those situations."

Positive atmosphere

Taylor often joins the Amerks for breakfast before practice. Conversations aren't dictated by the outcome of the previous game. Harsh critiques and teaching points are saved for practice or film sessions.

That strategy is part of Taylor's plan to maintain a positive atmosphere that has helped put Amerks back in the playoffs. He wants his players to enjoy coming to the arena every day. While on-ice sessions are rigorous and he doesn't mince words, he doesn't want to disrupt the chemistry his veterans have helped build.

"That makes me want to work harder because he lets you have fun but you can lose that," Wilcox, 26, said. "You want to keep that atmosphere and the coaches happy, so you work harder to keep the atmosphere. ... Guys want to play for him and win for him."

Taylor's impact can be best illustrated by the development of the Amerks' young players. Victor Olofsson, Rasmus Asplund and Lawrence Pilut, all of whom are in their first season in North America after playing professionally in Sweden, have flourished.

Prior to his recall, Olofsson led the Amerks with 27 goals among 60 points. Winger C.J. Smith entered Friday's games with 27 goals and winger Alexander Nylander proved ready for the NHL once he was called up last month. Taylor's work with assistants Toby Petersen and Gord Dineen has the Amerks playing with the consistent structure that can be difficult during a grueling schedule.

"'Tails' is great at teaching the little things, which way to turn your stick, how you want to make this pass or that pass, where to look if you want to look a defenseman off," said Amerks' 33-year-old captain Kevin Porter, who also played under Taylor in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2016-17. "Little things like that, he’s great at teaching forwards. I think it's definitely helpful with young players. When you come from juniors or college, it’s a different game."

Entering Friday's games, the Amerks were competing for a North Division title and the team's first Calder Cup since 1996.

No matter the stakes, the Amerks don't plan to change their culture. Neither does Taylor.

"We have a lot of work to do, but it’s been great," Taylor said. "Every year you wonder are we going to have the same type of guys? Are we going to have the same vibe in the dressing room? We have. We created that and I’m the type of guy that I want everyone coming in feeling good about themselves.

"Yeah, you’re going to have some bad games and we’re going to talk about it, but it’s not going to change our personalities of each other or what we are as a group. That’s something I will always do, I won’t change my personality, win or loss. I will make sure it’s well-known what we need to get better."

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139065 Calgary Flames “I want them to play the way they’d normally play,” Gaudreau explained. “When you do that kind of stuff, the game doesn’t work like that. You play the right way and make the right plays and good things will happen.”

Flames all want Gaudreau to get to 100 Gaudreau makes a good argument, but it might not matter. If he’s sitting on 99 points with the clock ticking down in the third period on Saturday, don’t be surprised to see his Flames teammates putting the puck on his Daniel Austin stick at every possible opportunity.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.06.2019 would prefer that his Calgary Flames teammates just play the way they always do and not put in an extra effort to help him pick up points.

They may not co-operate with their star winger’s request, though.

Gaudreau will enter Saturday night’s regular-season finale against the Edmonton Oilers with 98 points to his name this season, and every single person in the Flames dressing room wants to see him get to 100.

“For sure, you want guys to hit milestones,” said captain Mark Giordano. “Especially if he gets one early there, I think you’ll see guys trying to look for him, but I think he’s the guy who looks for other people and that’s how he gets a lot of his points, so we don’t have to worry about it too much.”

While there was some question as to whether Gaudreau would be in the lineup on Saturday or if head coach Bill Peters would opt to rest his superstar to help keep him fresh for the playoffs, Peters said after Friday’s practice at the Saddledome that he expects Gaudreau to play.

That will make a lot of people in Calgary very happy, including Gaudreau.

“I’d much rather be on the ice playing rather than sitting up in the pressbox,” Gaudreau said. “I don’t know what the lines are or everything that’s going on, but if it was my choice, I’d be playing.”

Whether Gaudreau reaches 100 points isn’t going to have an impact on the way his 2018-19 season is ultimately viewed. Even if he goes pointless on Saturday, his 98 points will still have him finish in the top 10 in league scoring, and there was a stretch in late December and early January where Gaudreau might have been the most dynamic offensive player in the NHL.

He has also added 14 points to his previous career high – 84 points in 2017-18 – and was an all-star.

But there’s something about getting to 100 points that would be special.

No Flames players has managed to compile that many in a single season since Theo Fleury back in 1992-93, and it’s only a handful of players who hit the number in a given season.

When he spoke about what the milestone would mean to him, Gaudreau acknowledged it would be “cool,” but quickly changed the topic to how Saturday was Fan Appreciation Night at the Saddledome.

His teammates, though, were a little more forthcoming about wanting the 25-year-old to hit the mark.

“Hopefully he gets it, it would be awesome,” said defenceman . “He’s had a heck of a year for us, he’s a great offensive player and it would be nice to see him get that 100 points … We’ll try to get him the puck the whole game.”

Seeing Gaudreau pick up a couple points Saturday would be good news for the Flames for bigger-picture reasons, too.

After an uncharacteristic dry offensive spell that dragged on through much of March, Gaudreau has begun producing again. He has collected six points in the Flames’ last six games, suggesting that he’s rounding into form right before the playoffs.

That’s an ideal situation for the Flames, who are going to need Gaudreau and linemates and Elias Lindholm to be consistently dangerous offensively if they have any hope of going on a long playoff run.

His teammates say they’re going to be doing everything they can to help get him across the 100-point line and with the Flames having already locked up first place in the Western Conference, they’ve got the luxury of being able to try.

That’s not what Gaudreau wants, though. 1139066 Calgary Flames James Neal – Mark Jankowski – Austin Czarnik

Andrew Mangiapane – Derek Ryan – Garnet Hathaway

GameDay: Oilers at Flames — 5 storylines Defence

Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie

Daniel Austin Noah Hanifin – Travis Hamonic

Oscar Fantenberg – Rasmus Andersson

SATURDAY Goaltenders

Edmonton Oilers (34-38-9) at Calgary Flames (50-24-7) Mike Smith

8 p.m., Scotiabank Saddledome, CBC/Sportsnet 960 The Fan David Rittich

THE BIG MATCHUP Oilers lineup

Oilers LW Leon Draisaitl vs. Flames LW Johnny Gaudreau Forwards

Given that this game has absolutely no significance for either team in the Leon Draisaitl – Connor McDavid – Zack Kassian standings, a lot of the focus may be on the offensive milestones that these two have within reach. Draisaitl scored his 49th goal of the season – Ryan Nugent Hopkins – Ty Rattie against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, and he’d definitely love Tobias Rieder – Colby Cave – Alex Chiasson to get 50. Gaudreau, meanwhile, has 98 points this season and his teammates admitted Friday that they’ll do whatever they can to help him Joseph Gambardella – Kyle Brodziak – Sam Gagner break the 100-point barrier. Defence FIVE STORYLINES Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson FIND MEANING Darnell Nurse – Kris Russell As far as Battles of Alberta go, this one is pretty meaningless. The Oilers Andrej Sekera – Matt Benning are limping to the finish line after another terrible season, while the Flames have clinched first in the Western Conference and have bigger Goaltenders things on their mind than beating their provincial rival. If either team was playing any other opponent, you’d expect a pretty lackadaisical effort, but Mikko Koskinen with provincial bragging rights on the line, who knows, maybe we’ll Anthony Stolarz actually get a decent game on Saturday night. INJURIES END OF AN ERA Flames – LW Sam Bennett (quad) Chances are, the Oilers team that takes the ice next fall is going to look a lot different than the group that skates around the Saddledome on Oilers – Jesse Puljujarvi (hip), Jujhar Khaira (undisclosed) Saturday night. So if – for some unknown reason – you’re hoping for one last look at the underperformers who struggled so mightily this season, SPECiAL TEAMS here’s your chance. Don’t be surprised if a Calgary crowd that’s delirious Power play with anticipation for the playoffs shows their appreciation for the efforts this year’s Oilers put in. Flames: 19.5% (53-for-272, 16th)

LINEUP QUESTIONS Oilers: 20.8% (46-for-221, 11th)

It’s tough to know what to expect from the Flames lineup on Saturday Penalty kill night. Head coach Bill Peters may choose to rest anyone he thinks could use some recovery time, and it’s entirely possible that AHL call-ups, such Flames: 80.0% (14th) as Alan Quine and Dillon Dube, will be in the lineup. First-line centre Oilers: 74.5% (2nd) Sean Monahan missed most of Friday’s practice because of an illness, while Sam Bennett won’t be available because he’s dealing with what the Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.06.2019 team is calling a quad injury. Beyond that, there really aren’t any guarantees – although Gaudreau will play.

SEASON SERIES

The Flames have a slight edge in the season series this year, winning two of three. The last time they met, Mark Giordano was the hero as the Flames captain – and Norris Trophy frontrunner – scored a goal and two assists as the Flames comfortably strolled to a 5-2 win in Edmonton on Jan. 19.

WHO’S STARTING

Regardless of who starts in net for the Flames against the Oilers, we probably won’t have any real idea of who is going to be between the pipes on Night 1 of the playoffs next week. The question got asked of Peters after Friday’s practice, but he declined to give a concrete answer. Both David Rittich and Mike Smith have been pretty hot recently and you could easily make an argument for either as the Flames’ go-to starter. Expect this to be talked about a lot in the coming week.

Flames lineup

Forwards

Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Elias Lindholm

Matthew Tkachuk – Mikael Backlund – Michael Frolik 1139067 Calgary Flames are tied for second behind Tkachuk, making that trio with Michael Frolik a true double-threat.

5. RW James Neal From No. 1 to No. 27, a ranking of the Flames in order of importance to Calgary’s playoff success It’s been a miserable season, but sports is very much “what have you done for me lately.” Neal has the ability to erase six months of mediocrity — seven goals is his lowest output since he notched 21 six years ago — By Darren Haynes Apr 5, 2019 with a strong postseason. No NHLer has played more playoff games the last two seasons than Neal’s 42. His 100 career playoff games blows away the rest of the team. This is the time of year he was brought in for. He has confessed in the past that he gets up more for big games. Well, The great part about the Stanley Cup playoffs is it’s a time of year where all that lies ahead are big games. A big, rugged dude on a team that the players that emerge and end up shining in the spotlight, aren’t lacks size, if he plays physical and can agitate — that prickly side of his necessarily star players. game has been absent — and mix in some timely offence, fans will Part cliche but also part true, there are playoff-type guys whose games embrace him and an already deep team becomes that much more just seem to cater better to those intense knock ’em down, drag ’em out dangerous. best-of-seven wars that will start in mid-April, and for two teams, won’t 6. C Sean Monahan end until early June. His physicality will leave you wanting more, way more, and you wish — Much of my fascination around the Flames and this postseason revolves and oh, do you ever wish — that he would play with more edge, but what around finding out who those players are on this club. Because for he does do exceptionally well is bury pucks into the back of the net. Calgary to be successful, a few of those players will have to emerge. That’s why he’s been put on earth. After ripping up the league in the first With the notable exception of James Neal, the postseason resumes for half, the offence has been streaky in the second half, but there have this group are short, if existent at all. been signs lately that he’s returning to form. That’s critical as Gaudreau Who are the players that are going to be most important to the Flames will have defenders on him like a straight jacket, which should create postseason fortunes? Which players are key for a successful run? Who more space for his linemates. It’s on Monahan, who’s an under- will wield the most influence? We will find out the answers soon enough, appreciated playmaker, to take advantage. North of 470 career games, but for now, here’s how I would rank the entire roster, in order of but with only 15 spins in the playoffs, Monahan’s in his prime, age-wise, postseason influence. and his game needs to be in its prime also.

1. D Mark Giordano 7. LW Sam Bennett

He has been Mr. Everything all season, putting the team on his back and He’s been compared to past Flames great Gary Roberts and while there willing them on. A non-stop energy source at both ends of the ice — are lots of similarities in terms of their position, size, role, pedigree and busting it up ice to turn an innocuous two-on-two into a dangerous odd- where they’re at at this point in their career, the onus now falls on man rush, or beelining after pucks in the D-zone, it’s been an age-defying Bennett to step up and have an impact in a long playoff run. There may season for the club’s 35-year-old captain. No worries about the wear and be no greater x-factor on this team than Bennett. While he’s re-invented tear of logging nearly 25 minutes per night during the regular season, himself to be a useful third-line player, he’s calling card is now his with a paltry eight playoff games under his belt, his motivation level is physicality. When there’s an indiscretion committed against a teammate, extremely high. After Giordano, the left side of the blueline features Noah count on Bennett to be the first on the scene to provide a little Hanifin, Oscar Fantenberg and a cast off 22-and-unders, making No. 5 accountability, vigilante style. At 18, he played some of his finest hockey an integral, needle-moving piece. fresh out of major junior in 2015. Expect much of the same this year and if some of that untapped offence comes out, even better. 2. LW Matthew Tkachuk 8. G Mike Smith With his standard-issue post-whistle, crease-crashing, opponent- tormenting ways, expect the 21-year-old antagonist with the gift of gab to For the club’s expected starter come Game 1, to not be ranked in the top be the centre of attention from the outset. An advantage for Calgary, as three, never mind top five on this list, speaks volumes about the state of long as he can walk that tightrope and not stray too far off course in goaltending on this team. Calgary isn’t reliant on its goaltending to steal embracing the role of the villain. Despised by many already, or so Drew games. Good thing, too, as the collective performance from Smith and Doughty would lead you to believe, the playoffs will only act as an David Rittich has been average at best. The ask of these two guys is accelerant. They’re all qualities in the makeup of an impactful fourth liner, simply to not lose them games. Don’t give up egregious goals, just make and this from a guy who leads the team in goals since the All-Star break the saves they should make and let the offence go to work. This team and plays on the top power-play unit. Tkachuk is a tantalizing blend, a has enough horsepower to go a couple of rounds with average player who can beat you in many ways. goaltending. At 37, this could be Smith’s last hurrah. His last postseason appearance was exceptional. He played out of his mind in single- 3. LW Johnny Gaudreau handedly leading the Coyotes to the conference final, but that was seven years ago. If he struggles, expect the team to quickly turn to Rittich. As competitive as they come, expect Gaudreau to be in top form this postseason as the maestro of the club’s high-octane offence. His trio will 9. RW Elias Lindholm be relied upon to maintain their above average scoring clip because the club can’t really be sure what they’re going to get in net. Coming off a While his linemates scuffled in the second half, any drought with career season in which he’s eclipsed career highs in goals and points, he Lindholm was far less pronounced because he was still contributing in so will be the opposition’s No. 1 target. Expect opponents to play him hard, many other ways. He’s the defensive conscience of the top line and that tough and be suffocatingly close. However, Gaudreau doesn’t need a lot ask of him is only going to get greater as the games get bigger and the of space to create. Where he will need to thrive is on the power play. The caliber of the trio they’re matched up against becomes higher. There will games are going to be close and Calgary’s power play needs to be better also be many important minutes forthcoming on that top power-play unit, than it’s been and the onus on that falls squarely on Gaudreau and that as well as on the penalty kill where he’s the first forward sent over the top unit. boards by coach Bill Peters. This first taste of the postseason is a huge opportunity for the 24-year-old to establish himself as a star in this 4. C Mikael Backlund league. He’s got the pedigree.

Despite turning 30 just a few weeks ago, Backlund remains one of the 10. C Derek Ryan NHL’s best-kept secrets, but that will change should Calgary go on a little run. Expect his line to be tasked with the heavy lifting of shutting down He will be the first to admit that things didn’t go smoothly to start the the opponent’s No. 1 trio, an especially critical assignment should the season. Transitioning to a new team and a new conference, that took Flames matchup against Colorado in Round 1. Always someone who has some time. At one point, he was a healthy scratch. But it’s easy to see enjoyed the big stage — e.g. Captaining Sweden to a World now why he’s always been a favourite of Peters. There are just so many Championship a year ago — this could be Backlund’s time to shine and layers to Ryan’s game: 1. He’s got the high-end skill that is a nice luxury not just in a checking role, either. His nine goals since the All-Star break to have in the bottom-six. 2. He plays both sides of special teams. 3. His prowess at the faceoff dot could be a huge factor with all the critical late- game draws that are forthcoming. 4. He’s a guy that is driven, which is 17. C Mark Jankowski obvious when you consider Ryan didn’t break into the NHL until he was nearly 30. His game-breaking ability this season has been on the PK. Take a player off the ice and Jankowski seems to get better. Guilty of not using his size, 11. G David Rittich if he ends up as the rose between thorns on a line with Neal and Bennett, you wonder if Jankowski will start using that large frame due to his Smith’s leash isn’t expected to be long. Nor should it be. There’s a association? Much in the same way that Backlund’s physical game has reason the playing time this season has been split right down the middle. grown, the result of playing alongside Tkachuk, those two wingers in their It could be argued, and quite successfully, that Rittich has had the better top, cantankerous form will inevitably drag Jankowski into some battles season. While Smith’s experience and ability to play the puck — a point and who knows, the results could be quite alluring. of obsession with this coaching staff, it seems — will likely earn him the starting nod next Thursday, Rittich’s comparative ability to stop the puck 18. D Noah Hanifin could enter play sooner than later. At age 26, and a young man very much on the rise. If anyone has the ability to catch lightning in a bottle, Hanifin is a curious blend of experience and youth with well over 300 it’s going to be the young Czech and it should come as a surprise to NHL games and having just turned 22 in January. What’s lacking is nobody if he ends up with that opportunity. participation in a playoff game. Hanifin is another one of these high- pedigree, high-draft pick players, who has the potential to make a name 12. D Rasmus Andersson for himself in the playoffs. His game is dynamic and while he’s been operating in the shadow of Giordano, the onus on the second pairing will It’s been quite the rise to prominence for Andersson. After being among be that much higher now that we’re down to the top eight teams in the the team’s final training-camp cuts, Andersson rejoined the club before West. suiting up for a single AHL game, after Travis Hamonic’s injury in the season-opener. He has established himself as a vital member of the 19. RW Michael Frolik defence, anchoring the team’s third pairing, which was an all-rookie duo until Fantenberg arrived. In the eyes of many, he’s already surpassed TJ With #WalshGate in the rearview mirror, Frolik is back home again on the Brodie on the depth chart and his increased deployment on the top 3M line. While Frolik has been the best fit of anybody tried in that role, it pairing, alongside Giordano, would suggest the coach views it in much feels like that one spot where a variety of other players will be tried if the same way. Big and important minutes could lie ahead for the Peters wants to shake up his top-six. Frolik is a useful piece who has confident Swede should he end up back on that top pairing, which is not established nice chemistry with Backlund and Tkachuk, but his sphere of out of the realm of possibility. influence on that line is far less than the other two. Consistent? Yes. Game-changer? No. 13. D Travis Hamonic 20. D Oscar Fantenberg While the top pairing will do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the playoffs, that next pair out of Hamonic and Noah Hanifin will also be When he was acquired, “awful” and “garbage” were just a couple of the taxed and more so than during the regular season when many opponents descriptors that popped up in my social media timeline by a disgruntled simply weren’t armed with the same depth up front that playoffs teams fan base, who had their hearts set on the big catch of Mark Stone and will sport. The 28-year-old is one of those guys who is at his best when were none too pleased with the consolation prize. But Fantenberg has you don’t notice him. Don’t expect a lot of end-to-end rushes or overtime been fine on the third pairing. He plays a simple game and he’s earned magic, just accept a steady, reliable, gritty game from the team’s second- the opportunity to open the postseason in that role. best defenceman. The way Hamonic would most influence a series is if 21. D Juuso Valimaki he gets injured because his absence would create a huge void. Now you’re not just picking one of Brodie or Andersson to round out the top Peters hasn’t been afraid to play his rookies and considering Valimaki four, but now you need both. opened the season on the left side of the third pairing, and only lost his job when he suffered that high ankle sprain in late-November. The 14. RW Garnet Hathaway possibility certainly exists for the 20-year-old to find his way back into the It’s been a breakout season for Hathaway, who entered the season with lineup. That’s one heck of an ace to have up your sleeve if you’re Peters five career goals and has more than doubled that number this season by and with the playoffs a war of attrition, an extended run will likely end up scoring 11. The 27-year-old has carved himself a nice niche by being one in Valimaki compiling some valuable postseason minutes. of the club’s go-to penalty killers and plays an important physical, puck- 22. RW Austin Czarnik retrieving role on the bottom-six trio with Ryan and Andrew Mangiapane. Their line has arguably been Calgary’s most consistent since the All-Star While he’s been a regular in the lineup lately and has looked good at break. Rounding out the package is Hathaway’s ability to rattle the other times, even really good at times, I don’t think there’s space for him if team and draw penalties. He may be Ivy League-educated, but that’s not everyone else is ready to go come Game 1. It’s hard to influence games winning him any favors with opponents, who are frequently chasing him if you can’t get in the lineup. But as injuries set in, Czarnik has an ability after whistles. His style of game should only increase in effectiveness in to play anywhere in the top 12 and if there’s a long playoff run in Calgary, the postseason. it seems inevitable that he will draw back in as the bumps and bruises add up. 15. LW Andrew Mangiapane 23. LW Dillon Dube Had this article been written at the All-Star break Mangiapane may not have been listed in the top 25. Definitely not in the top 20. At the time, he Another guy that started the season on the NHL roster and remained had played in 23 career games and had one assist. But as he’s gained there for a couple of months. That in itself shows that Peters would not confidence, his game has taken off and he’s turned himself into an hesitate to insert Dube if he needed a spark. The production for Dube impactful player, despite only playing at five on five. He skates well, is wasn’t there to start the season, but as a first-year pro, that doesn’t mean strong in puck battles along the boards and has sniped eight goals in the it wouldn’t be there if he got another chance. Dube caught fire in the AHL last 27 games. He’s not afraid to get his nose dirty, which will serve him and he returns to Calgary feeling good about his game. well during the playoffs. Plus, the chemistry between himself, Ryan and 24. C Alan Quine Hathaway has been impressive, earning the trio cult-like adoration from fans. Should they keep it up, rock star status looms. If Quine is going to be a factor, it’s going to be later in the playoffs as he will start the postseason in the press box. Pressure is at its highest later 16. D TJ Brodie in the playoffs and you never know who could be the hero any given For a while this season after being reunited with Giordano, it seemed like night. Quine’s double-OT goal in 2016 is proof of that. As the playoffs the Brodie of old had returned. But as quickly as that guy came through grind on and the upper and lower body injuries pile up, Quine, 26, the turnstile, he also vamoosed out the exit. He plays a lot, he carries the becomes a nice veteran option given the strong AHL season he’s had puck a lot, he’s constantly up in the rush. In theory, he should be higher (19-33-52 in 41 games at Stockton), his contributions in 13 games in on this list. But he has also made some glaring defensive miscues lately Calgary (3-2-5) and his position flexibility (C or RW). that have proven costly. While good Brodie would be a steady 25. D Michael Stone contributor, mitigating the negative impact of bad Brodie would be accomplished by Peters’ dropping him to the third pairing and promoting Andersson. There’s no question he’s been passed by Andersson on the depth chart so he’s going to need to wait. The veteran, who missed most of the season with a blood clot in his arm, would get the call before Kylington, and probably before Prout, but depending on the circumstances in opening up a spot on the blueline, Valimaki could be a preferred choice if the tie-breaker is keeping guys on their preferred sides.

26. D Dalton Prout

He’s No. 9 on the Flames depth chart so the odds of him making an impact are minimal. That said, Brennan Evans was well down the team’s depth chart going into the 2004 playoffs and he ended up suiting up for some pivotal games. The problem with Prout making a difference is if he’s drawing in, that means the club has lost at least three defenceman and if that’s the case, the postseason likely won’t last long anyway.

27. Oliver Kylington

Sitting 10th on the club’s lengthy blueline depth chart, just getting into regular season games has been a chore lately for the young Swede, so cracking the postseason lineup is very unlikely. Remember, this is also a sport where guys play through injuries all the time, making the task of finding playing time that much more difficult.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139068 Carolina Hurricanes championship. Now he’s going to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time.

“I’m sure it will have a lot of emotion and hard battles,” he said. Canes go back to work, prepare for the ‘next one’ “Obviously we’re happy to be going but we have one game left in the regular season and we want to win that one, too. We want to finish right.”

BY CHIP ALEXANDER News Observer LOADED: 04.06.2019

Raleigh

A day after the Carolina Hurricanes clinched their first playoff berth since 2009, they were back on the ice, back at work.

There is still one regular-season game to be played. With Rod Brind’Amour as coach, that meant a practice Friday at Raleigh Center Ice before the team flight to Philadelphia, where the Canes will face the Flyers on Saturday night.

“It’s kind of tough,” Brind’Amour said. “It was such an emotional night last night. You play a whole bunch of games and we keep talking about it’s always the ‘next one.’ Now we’ve got to regroup and try to find a way to win the next one.”

Beating the New Jersey Devils 3-1 Thursday at PNC Arena, the Canes were able to secure an Eastern Conference playoff spot when the Montreal Canadiens lost in Washington to the Capitals. But their opponent in the playoffs won’t be determined until all the games are played, and a win or a loss against the Flyers can make a difference.

“It’s going to be tough,” Brind’Amour said. “We put so much emotional and mental stress into this year. But I know the guys will play hard and the good news is no matter what happens we’re still playing.”

During the practice, Sebastian Aho centered a line with Nino Niederreiter on the left wing and Saku Maenalanen on the right side, subbing in for the absent Justin Williams. Williams, according to Brind’Amour, was taking a “maintenance day.”

Asked if 37-year-olds need maintenance days, Brind’Amour smiled and said, “Apparently. I don’t remember having those.”

Twenty-one year olds apparently don’t need them. Not Aho. While the Finn has not appeared completely healthy since a hard collision with Niederreiter on the ice in the March 21 game against Tampa Bay, Aho has not missed a game or practice. Nor will he discuss whether he’s injured or not.

“No comments, I guess,” he said. “I don’t want to say anything. I don’t have any big injuries or anything.”

What Aho will talk about has been another one of those slightly baffling stretches where he can’t seem to put the puck in the net. Aho, an NHL All-Star this season, has a career-high 30 goals but now has gone 13 straight games without one despite taking 32 shots on goal.

In Thursday’s game, Aho was looking at a lot of open net in the first period but had Devils goalie Cory Schneider stick out his left pad for the stop. Later, Aho had a breakaway, only to see the puck slide just wide of the post.

“As long as we win it does not matter,” Aho said. “I’m sure if we lose, it would get me frustrated but I think I’ve played pretty well. I’ve played the same way. I just haven’t been able to score. I’ve had scoring chances.

“It’s all about wins this time of year.”

Aho has been named the team’s most valuable player for the 2018-19 season by the Carolina chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. That’s two years in a row. With 30 goals and 53 assists, he has been the Canes’ leading scorer and has a plus-25 rating.

Aho earned the primary assist Thursday on Justin Faulk’s power-play goal that gave the Canes a 2-1 lead and ultimately was the goal that sent the Canes back to the playoffs.

“A lot’s being made about him not scoring but he’s still on the scoresheet,” Brind’Amour said, “If he’s not scoring and we’re still winning, that’s pretty good. He’s going to put the puck in the net. He gets too many chances. I’m not stressing about that one bit.”

Aho has played for Finland in major international competitions. He scored an overtime goal, at 17, that won his Finnish team the league 1139069 Carolina Hurricanes The exact moment Rod Brind'Amour found out the #Canes are headed to the postseason. pic.twitter.com/Uf8uQ7c8kG

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 5, 2019 Hurricanes’ Not Making Tee Times This Spring The Hurricanes don’t yet know who they will be facing in the first round. There is a chance they could move up to the third spot in the BY MARK SHIVER APRIL 5TH, 2019 if they beat the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins lose to the New York Rangers this Saturday.

Of course, the Hurricanes could drop to the second wild-card position The dream of the Carolina Hurricanes making it back to the NHL Stanley with a loss to the Flyers, and if the Columbus Blue Jackets win Friday Cup Playoffs is now a reality. And, while over the past 10 years the team against the Rangers and Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. But, the has had ample opportunity to play some wonderful spring golf, they will bottom line is that the Hurricanes are in the playoffs regardless of not be making tee times just yet; they have some playoff hockey to play. seeding and there is no telling what they have left or how far they will go. The golf can wait. Earned it. #TakeWarning pic.twitter.com/IeXuI99Lte The Hockey Writers LOADED: 04.06.2019 — x – Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 5, 2019

In the Hurricanes’ home venue, PNC Arena that was filled with 17,600 strong Thursday night, the team played like they had to in order to make the playoffs. Even down 0-1 to the New Jersey Devils in the first period did not cause the team to lose focus.

This is a different group of Hurricanes than we have known even in the past four seasons. They don’t easily give up. Warren Foegele hasn’t been a Hurricane long enough to know that they usually fold in tight season-end situations. He brazenly tied the score and the team’s fate was sealed. After the game Foegele said this about going to the playoffs:

It’s going to be exciting. I don’t really have words to think of what it’s going to be like…we believe in this group and we’re going to take it day by day.

With the game tied, the tenor in the building changed from nervousness to excitement. The “Caniacs” knew this was it, the season that was going to be different. Their team was going to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Justin Faulk has been a co-captain for the Hurricanes and knows something about leadership. It was fitting that he put the team ahead 2-1. After the game, Faulk said that reaching the playoffs is good, but it’s not the end:

We’re excited, obviously, we’re happy but we’re not done. That’s not enough just to get in the playoffs. We know that. That’s been our mindset the whole year. It’s not just to get in and call it good. We know we’ve got a lot more business to take care of.

After a couple of seasons of frustration and trade rumors, it was nice that Faulk got the game-winner against the Devils. He has been an NHL All- Star and not long ago was touted as one of the league’s best defensemen.

At age 27, Faulk is still relatively young but already has a resume others 10 years older would love to call their own. Finally, he will have the chance to add to that resume in postseason play.

There is much more to be written about this season: how it was over in December for the Hurricanes; how bringing in Nino Niederreiter was the defining transaction that rescued the second part of the season; and how a first-year head coach is getting his team to the playoffs.

Of course, there is the “storm surge,” a harmless celebration that excited the home fans and incited and Brian Burke to protest. The “Bunch of Jerks”, as Cherry glossed the Hurricanes, will be front and center for the playoffs. Maybe Cherry and Burke will watch a game together.

Team captain Justin Williams may be the biggest difference for the Hurricanes. More will be written about his impact later, but there is little question that sans Williams in the captain’s sweater, the team would be teeing it up next week instead of getting geared up for the playoffs.

For now, it is important to note that the drought is over. The Hurricanes have done what it takes to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The days of Kirk Muller and Bill Peters are gone. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has done in his rookie season what Muller and Peters failed to do.

Paul Maurice got the team to the playoffs in 2008-09, but that was it, the drought started then and only Brind’Amour has been able to get the team to dig deep enough to find the sparkling pools of water that represent making postseason, drought over. 1139070 Carolina Hurricanes Meanwhile, Mrázek can keep having fun and Hamilton can keep letting the pressure bring out his best and who knows how far this bunch of jerks will go?

Hurricanes’ Mrázek and Hamilton Loving the Pressure The Hockey Writers LOADED: 04.06.2019

BY MARK SHIVER APRIL 5TH, 2019

The Carolina Hurricanes made the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Their 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, coupled with the Montreal Canadiens loss to the Washington Capitals, sealed the deal. They have been in a pressure cooker, and the playoffs will make it even more intense. But some guys love the pressure and respond well when it is the hottest.

Mrázek, Fans Having Fun

I caught up with goaltender Petr Mrázek and defenseman after the Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers last week. They both had played extremely well and were meeting with the media after the game. I asked Mrázek if he was feeling more pressure during the Hurricanes’ effort to make the playoffs, or if he was just taking it one game at a time. He said:

I don’t think it’s more pressure. I would say it’s more fun. You know, when you go into those games, you know you play for something. It’s not like you’re going to say, ‘Well, next week it’s over.’ So, we play for something and that’s fun.

It sure is fun for the fans, and it looks like Mrázek is having fun too. The atmosphere in Raleigh’s PNC Arena is absolutely electric. Attendance is up and so is the volume at one of the NHL’s loudest arenas. Ten years of frustration are being transformed into moments of hopeful ecstasy and it’s loud. With a playoff spot clinched, it will get even louder.

Mrázek came to the Hurricanes from the Flyers after what seemed to be a promising career turned into disappointment with the Detroit Red Wings. I wrote at the beginning of the season that he can be magical or frustrating. For the most part, he has been magical.

Along with his co-goalie Curtis McElhinney, the Hurricanes’ net has been protected in fine fashion throughout the season, putting the team in the position they are in now, where they have an excellent chance of making the playoffs. While Mrázek tends to be more dramatic in goal, McElhinney is calmer. In either case, the defense seems to play hard for both goalies, something that did not happen at times in the past for previous netminders.

Carolina Hurricanes Petr Mrazek

Interestingly, when Mrázek came to the Hurricanes, he said that having a one-year deal would put a lot of pressure on him, and he liked to have that pressure. Sounds like not much has changed, except perhaps that his one-year deal might become multiple years if he keeps bringing the magic.

Dougie Hamilton Wants “That Stuff”

I also asked Hamilton about the pressure of trying to make the playoffs. He said:

I think no, there’s no pressure. I think you want that stuff. You want to be in meaningful games. You don’t really want to play just to play. I mean there’s obviously pressure but it brings out the best in people.

The pressure, or lack of it, has brought out the best in Hamilton. Or maybe it was the piece I penned in December asking if he had left his game in Calgary. Seriously, Hamilton has been on a scoring spree lately and the pressure to make the playoffs seems to have brought out his best. His two goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs gave him 18 on the season, a career high.

Always stick with the play. pic.twitter.com/41rquY72K6

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 3, 2019

The Hurricanes have made the playoffs. They have the team that has accomplished what has been a nearly decade-long goal. Their first-year head coach, Rod Brind’Amour has guided his team excellently and he epitomizes performing well under pressure. But, he’s not lacing them up. He’s got to keep his team focused. 1139071 Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes Down Devils – Decade-Long Playoff Drought Is Over

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS APRIL 5TH, 2019

RALEIGH, N.C. — Justin Faulk scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, and the Carolina Hurricanes clinched their first playoff berth in a decade by beating the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Thursday night.

Warren Foegele scored and Nino Neiderreiter added an insurance goal with 3:25 left to help the Hurricanes snap the NHL’s longest active playoff drought.

The victory — coupled with Montreal’s loss at Washington — wrapped up Carolina’s first post-season berth since 2009 and just its second since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.

Carolina Hurricanes Petr Mrazek Justin Williams

It came exactly 10 years after the Hurricanes clinched their most recent playoff berth on April 4, 2009, when they beat Pittsburgh. These Hurricanes will enter their regular-season finale with 97 points — matching that 2009 team for second-most in club history.

Andy Greene scored and Cory Schneider stopped 22 shots for the Devils, who have lost three of four and have clinched last place in the Metropolitan Division.

Petr Mrazek made 35 saves for the Hurricanes, who avoided joining the Florida Panthers from 2001-11 and the Edmonton Oilers from 2007-16 as the only clubs to miss the post-season for 10 consecutive seasons. During the second period, the fans chanted “We want playoffs!”

Just a few months ago, that would have been a ridiculous thought. On Dec. 30, Carolina was one point out of last place in the East with a 15- 17-5 record.

Since then, they’ve gone 31-12-2.

Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook Brock McGinn

Foegele livened up a tense PNC Arena crowd by scoring the tying goal with 9:57 left in the first. He slipped past behind the Devils’ defencemen and Dougie Hamilton hit him with a pretty pass that set up his breakaway chance.

Faulk then put the Hurricanes up with a power-play blast from the point 96 seconds into the second. This was his 558th career game — but all of those have come in the regular season, giving him the most among active Hurricanes without skating in a single post-season game.

Greene put the Devils up 1-0 by taking a feed from Michael McLeod and beating Mrazek with a wrist shot from behind the circle at 4:56.

NOTES: C Pavel Zacha had the second assist on Greene’s goal, giving him five points in four games this season against Carolina. … Williams was selected as winner of two team awards: the Steve Chiasson Award for determination as voted on by his teammates, and the Josef Vasicek Award for media co-operation as determined by the local chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The local PHWA group also voted Aho as the team’s MVP.

UP NEXT

Devils: Wrap up their season Saturday night at Florida.

Hurricanes: Finish the regular season Saturday night at Philadelphia.

The Hockey Writers LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139072 Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina has made the playoffs for the first time in a decade – TheHockeyNews

By Ryan Kennedy April 5, 2019

One of the best storylines of the 2018-19 season has a happy ending, though the Hurricanes won't be satisfied with just making the post- season.

Have a celebratory Bojangles biscuit today, Canes fans – you’ve earned it. Carolina officially clinched a spot in the playoffs Thursday night in a win over New Jersey, ending a streak of futility that was threatening to enter its second decade.

Simply put, the Hurricanes have been one of the best storylines of the season and their success was far from guaranteed. From the outset, new owner Tom Dundon put his faith in a GM whose last similar gig was with the lowly Atlanta Thrashers, but Don Waddell proved his worth by navigating a blockbuster trade with the Calgary Flames that brought Dougie Hamilton and to town (the deal worked out pretty well for Calgary, too), while later stealing Nino Niederreiter from Minnesota for the ineffective Victor Rask.

And to be fair, you can say the Canes didn’t get enough for scoring winger Jeff Skinner when they dealt him to Buffalo, but Carolina is going to the playoffs and the Sabres are not – so I can’t imagine Canes fans are that upset anymore.

Waddell wasn’t the only question mark heading into this season. Coach Rod Brind’Amour, though a legend with the franchise, was a rookie bench boss coming into a situation where he had to establish both himself and a culture right away. Usually, I give rookie coaches at least one season to find their footing – Colorado’s Jared Bednar being a perfect example – before commencing judgment, but Brind’Amour didn’t even need that runway; he took off right away.

Having the perfect captain in Justin Williams helped. Williams has brought something special to Carolina and in his second season with the franchise, he really earned that ‘C.’ The Storm Surge celebrations have made the Hurricanes viral sensations, but perhaps more importantly, it galvanized a fan base and a team against its detractors. Sorry if I’m getting a little too deep here, but Montreal fans know who they are. Philadelphia fans know who they are. Not every fan base has that, but I believe Hurricanes fans now do. ‘Bunch of Jerks’ may not last as a meme forever, but that sense of community in Raleigh and The Triangle has been established on another level now and Williams was on the frontlines of the revolution.

As for the on-ice product itself, the Canes played some pretty solid modern hockey. Carolina was one of the best possession teams in the NHL and would have been a lock for the post-season much earlier if they hadn’t struggled with inconsistent goaltending for stretches. Sebastian Aho took things to a whole new level with a career-high 83 points, notching 30 goals and averaging more than a point per game for the first time. Even more impressive is that he did so while playing against top competition, logging a load of minutes versus the likes of Sidney Crosby and Jack Eichel.

Heck, the Canes even had a great underdog story in goaltender Curtis McElhinney coming in and basically saving their season when Scott Darling and Petr Mrazek couldn’t get the job done (Mrazek was also hurt at one point). McElhinney, the 35-year-old journeyman, won his first three decisions of the campaign and 19 overall. Eventually, Mrazek found his feet, winning six decisions in a row in February/March and most crucially, his three most recent appearances (surrendering just four goals total in that span), but this team would have been dead in the water without McElhinney.

So there was no shortage of storylines in Carolina’s 2018-19 campaign. Now, they get to play important hockey for the first time since 2009 and it will be fun to see what the atmosphere down in Raleigh will be like. The fans – and the players themselves – have certainly earned the right to go all-out.

The Hockey News LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139073 Carolina Hurricanes It’s not something they talk about in the locker room at all, and I will never forget when Warren Foegele, who won the game Feb. 8, barely knew about the MSG curse.

Five reasons this is the year the Carolina Hurricanes are returning to the “What was it, 20 years ago or something? I don’t know …” playoffs Not quite …

“I think for us,” Foegele continued, “You just keep worrying about each Sara Civian Apr 5, 2019 game. You don’t worry about how we haven’t won here in a while. We need to get wins right now and we need to keep rolling.”

That’s the last time the Carolina Hurricanes played in an NHL playoff Isn’t it kinda sweet though, that you reversed the curse? game. After beating New Jersey, 3-1, on Thursday in PNC Arena, that “Yeah,” he laughed. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t really know the history that drought is ending. The Hurricanes are in. much.”

With one game remaining (Saturday at Philadelphia), Carolina is 45-29-7. He really didn’t. It wasn’t some Bill Belichick stick-it-to-the-media thing. The last time the Canes won that many regular-season games? You guessed it: 2008-09 when they went 45-30-7. The last time they won In that moment I realized how much Brind’Amour and Justin Williams had more than 45 games? That was 2005-06 when they won 52 and, you kept this team focused on the things they can control. know, won the Stanley Cup. Andrei Svechnikov (37) (James Guillory / USA Today) Here are the five reasons this team is in the playoffs: 3. Young stars buying in early 5. Defense performing as advertised When young stars headline an NHL team, it’s generally understood The Hurricanes were supposed to have the best blue line in the NHL this they’ll have a few years to mesh together, survive a coaching fallout or season. There have been some growing pains, but that promise two, then establish a culture of their own. delivered in the stretch that mattered. Offense-first Dougie Hamilton and defense-first head coach Rod Brind’Amour have collaborated for their The Hurricanes are managing their young talent for longevity and common goal of winning. Watching them work it out has meant a career- success now, and the young guys respect that so much that they feel an high for Hamilton (18 goals), less goals allowed for Brind’Amour and urgency to return the favor. more wins for the Hurricanes. Jaccob Slavin has, as he always does with “It’s so important to have someone who knows what’s going on,” his defensive partners, absorbed some of Hamilton’s liability and allowed Brind’Amour said of Williams leading them. “There’s no panic, it’s just him to flourish. every day: This is how we do it, win or lose we keep moving forward in Brett Pesce has been the unsung hero of this team since he switched the right way. You look at this game here, obviously, it wasn’t our best back to his natural side. He’s had a career high in everything with seven game by any means. But the grind that was in there, Willy (Williams) goals, 22 assists, 29 points and a plus-34 (it’d be hard to point out a guy blocking a shot with his head, making a great play on the game-winning in that room who doesn’t have a career high, as Brind’Amour pointed goal. That’s leadership.” out). Mostly, he’s great at keeping the puck in the right places and Sebastian Aho has no doubt learned from Williams and Brind’Amour, but generating chances for his teammates. all of that is more about gearing him up to be the next great Cane than it 4. Reversing the curses / No more pressure is drawing up plays. Aho is logging the kind of minutes Brind’Amour used to log because he sees that same unteachable fire in Aho. What The Hurricanes locker room has been a relentlessly optimistic place Brind’Amour, Williams and Aho have can’t be taught, but it forces them since the beginning of the season. That’s been the difference for Justin into the spotlight. Williams sits next to Aho in the locker room and is Faulk, who has been here with no postseason for eight seasons. always there to nudge him into the spotlight.

“It’s been kind of a fun atmosphere the whole year,” he said. “Everyone Canes rookies Andrei Svechnikov and Foegele are best friends. really enjoys coming to the rink every day, and when you have that it Svechnikov rode his first-ever horse and buggy with Foegele in Denver, makes it easy to work. That’s the biggest thing. There weren’t really any looking unimpressed at the time but happy to experience something new of those days this year where you’re rolling over in bed saying, ‘darn, I nonetheless. gotta go to the rink again.’ It’s been fun, and everyone’s enjoyed it. I know we get to do this for a living and we all understand that but it gets “It was good, actually,” he said. “It’s good for once, but not a second time, tough once in a while when things aren’t going well. We’re all enjoying it you know?” right now.” I definitely know.

Faulk has kind of had to carry the burden of the past transitioning to the Anyhow, this is Svechnikov’s first season in what will be a special NHL present here, and he’s done it quietly and gracefully, in a way you wish career. He’s got 20 even strength goals on the season, rotating between he’d divulge more. He’s seen some shit, as they say. the third and second lines. He totally could’ve mailed it in until he gets to Micheal Ferland has also taken some flack for saying there’s “no be the star, but he’s there every day asking Brind’Amour what else he pressure” here compared to Calgary, but he meant it in a good way. can do. There have been way too many cursed metrics and players here so you “He loves to learn,” Brind’Amour told me. “I love the kid.” might as well lean into it, enjoy yourself and clinch the playoffs in the process. It’s hard to find a better endorsement.

As silly as it sounds, the Canes have put some long-festering curses to 2. League Average goaltending bed this season and that actually matters. Someone once said that goaltending is 75 percent of everything when They got their first win after 16 consecutive losses at Madison Square you have it and 100 percent of everything when you don’t. That’d just Garden, for one. about sum up the Hurricanes franchise.

They won in Vancouver for the first time since Oct. 15, 1999. We could sit here rattling off every last stat, but honestly all I can think about is the way Petr Mrazek is, and how much it makes sense with They’re also winning games they absolutely should be losing, which is these Hurricanes. another brand of catharsis. Opponents outwork them at times, and that’s totally fine because they have competent goaltenders. THE LOGO FOR THE 2020 WJC WAS RELEASED TODAY. IT'LL BE IN OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC. THAT'S @PMRAZEK34'S A huge part of it, as Brind’Amour has told me, is how many new faces HOMETOWN, AND THE LOGO IS HIS CELEBRATION FROM HIS 2012 there are on the Hurricanes. Not many were obsessing over these curses PERFORMANCE IN THE TOURNAMENT. AWESOME. they’ve needed to reverse because most of them weren’t here for the PIC.TWITTER.COM/MHI3JA7NFX dark days. — SARA CIV (@SARACIVIAN) DECEMBER 19, 2018 There’s an international hockey logo in the works dedicated to the way The decision wasn’t exactly a walk in the park on Brind’Amour’s part, Mrazek celebrates. either. There were ample late night conversations about what it could do to his legacy. He’d already etched himself into Hurricanes lore, with While some have criticized him for “showboating” as the damn millennials murals of his Cup run all over PNC Arena to show for it. The memories do or whatever, this is exactly how old-school goaltending used to be. he helped create in his playing days are really all most Hurricanes fans This poke check, stray the net, do a backflip, punch whomever thing that have. He could take solace in what he did for this franchise or risk got goalies their weirdo stereotype to begin with. tainting it for a shot at something more.

MRAZEK STRAYS FROM THE NET LIKE OUR SOCIETY STRAYS Did we forget who we’re dealing with? FROM THE LIGHT OF THE LORD MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY This is the same Michigan State freshman banging on the doors of a — SARA CIV (@SARACIVIAN) OCTOBER 27, 2018 locked workout room while everyone else was partying on the Fourth of The funny thing is that Mrazek is one of the most humble players on the July. This is still the same player who led the Hurricanes with 22:22 TOI team when it comes to postgame interviews. After one of his most in their Game 7 Cup win. brilliant performances in Denver, I brought up how he called GM Don Call it a day when there’s still work to do? Waddell asking for a cheap, one-year contract to prove himself. When the Hurricanes first came to Brind’Amour with the head coach He might’ve pumped his chest and bow and arrowed on the ice, but he opportunity, he called Williams. Man-to-man, friend-to-friend, he needed only said he couldn’t have done what he’s doing without net partner to know what somebody like Williams thought he should do. Curtis McEhlinney. Brind’Amour’s friend just so happened to be playing on the team he After the Canes clinched the playoffs for the first time in exactly 10 years might end up coaching, the one they willed a Cup to in 2006. while he was in net and made much of the difference, he only had one “We’ve had this relationship forged already, I’m his friend,” Brind’Amour thing to say. said Thursday morning. “I remember calling him Day One when this “We’re in.” opportunity came up. I wanted his thoughts — if he thought I’d be good for the job. It’s a good friendship, he comes to me sometimes when I This year’s Canes have never been encapsulated in a quote. Thank God need to dial it down, then I come to him on other stuff. It’s been great to there are videos. have that relationship.”

"WE'RE IN! WE'RE IN! YES! YES! WHOOOO!" -MRAZEK There’s no bullshit between teammates that have won a Cup together. Brind’Amour jokes now that he can barely coach Williams because he 35 SAVES, THE FIRST STAR, A CHAT WITH @MIKEMANISCALCO, used to yell at him for turning the puck over on the ice. AND A PLAYOFF-CLINCHING WIN FOR THE X-@NHLCANES… So Williams could give it to Brind’Amour straight, and Williams saw this …NOT A BAD NIGHT FOR PETR MRAZEK! undesirable head coaching position as another challenge Brind’Amour WATCH | #TAKEWARNING PIC.TWITTER.COM/UEFOZSWZLN could solve.

— FOX SPORTS CAROLINAS (@CANESONFSCR) APRIL 5, 2019 “Life’s all about challenge,” Williams told The Athletic post-clinch. “This is a new challenge in Roddy’s career and I thought he’d be a great coach. 1. Brind’Amour and Williams Do you hundred percent know? No, you don’t know. He’s done a fabulous job. Absolutely fabulous. It’s because he’s played the game and It’s one thing to talk the talk. No matter how much you might believe (or learned. He’s got an unbelievable head on his shoulders. He knows how want to believe) the pretty words coming out of your mouth, they’re still we’re feeling. He’s a huge reason why we are where we are right now. ” just words until you go out and prove it. This team’s two new-but-familiar leaders, head coach Rod Brind’Amour and captain Justin Williams, had Brind’Amour has said the Hurricanes “feel like his kids sometimes,” but already proved their excellence. he shared one of the best moments of his adult life with Williams when they won the Cup in ’06. As important as it was to instill a winning culture in a team that hadn’t clinched the playoffs in exactly 10 years, it was just as important to build When Brind’Amour became head coach and immediately named something with centerpieces that won with this team. In this market. Side Williams captain of that once dejected locker room, he was trusting him by side. with his legacy. He’d done the same before and it paid off in that Cup- clinching empty netter. They’ve seen the Hurricanes’ lowest lows and highest highs, and they believed they could bring the success they cultivated back to Raleigh. Williams has 23 goals this season for the fourth time in his 18-year NHL Rather, they wanted to be the ones to do it. career. What’s more is they seem to pop up when the Canes are playing poorly or need them most, living up to his “Mr. Game 7” moniker. They’ve “Roddy knew exactly what he was getting into,” Hurricanes owner Tom bounced off his ankles, his “junk,” and his cheek — with the scar still Dundon told me months ago. fresh right under his eye. Rod Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes clinched Thursday. (James Guillory “The one off the cheek,” his dad fist bumped him after that game in / USA Today) Florida. “I loved that!” They chose this at its worst and you know people thought they were There’s been so much understandable doubt this season, and Williams completely insane for it. has answered it all. Brind’Amour never really left, but taking on the head coach is a different He called that the Canes would bounce back from their worst loss of the beast, especially when a few honest mistakes could’ve tainted his season with a win against a Cup contender. They did. deservedly spotless reputation around here. The Canes were playing poorly in Florida but managed to squeak into Dundon told me in early January that he tried to avoid an internal head overtime. Mrazek poke checked and it worked out. Williams screamed coach hire for obvious reasons. Promoting an assistant coach when “This game is ours now” on the bench. It was. you’re trying to clear house is terrible for optics, and even the decision to hire Brind’Amour has been criticized since it was announced. When there’s nothing else to say, Williams looks you in the eye and tells you “excuses are for losers.” “We have to be very careful not to undervalue or overvalue emotions,” Dundon said. “That’s my job.” Talking the talk has made a difference in body language and a loose locker room Brind’Amour says is only getting looser. That matters. So it wasn’t great for optics, and it’s been criticized since it was announced, but the more Dundon talked to Brind’Amour, the harder it When you ask me how the Hurricanes made the playoffs this season, I’ll was to ignore him. Dundon said it was impossible not to hire him. think of 37-year-old Justin Williams scoring two goals and one assist in Florida, walking into the locker room with blood pouring out of his nostrils He was the guy, not only because he could be, but because he wanted to and trickling down the gash on his cheek, fist-pumping his dad who loved be. it, then facing the music. That’s everything. “It’s not just the way he’s prepared in the locker room, but how he’s played,” Brind’Amour said. “I think it might be the best year of his career. Without him doing what he’s doing, we wouldn’t be sitting here. We’ve got a lot of young guys, so it’s great when they can come in every day and look at him and see how he’s doing things.”

Brind’Amour thinks this is the best year of Williams’ career because of everything on the line.

He has been playing for the Hurricanes’ first playoff birth in exactly a decade, obviously. But he’s also playing for both his and Brind’Amour’s legacies and the future of professional hockey in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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Patrick Kane's 43rd and 44th goals help the Blackhawks rout the Stars 6- 1 in home finale

Jimmy Greenfield

Even though the Blackhawks were eliminated from the playoffs this week, they aren’t playing meaningless games to finish the season.

They beat the Blues on Wednesday to keep them from moving into a tie for the Central Division lead, and on Saturday they'll travel to Nashville, Tenn., for the season finale in a game the Predators need to win the Central.

In the Hawks' home finale Friday, Corey Crawford and Cam Ward combined to make 34 saves, and Patrick Kane scored his 43rd and 44th goals to dominate the playoff-bound Stars 6-1 and prevent them from clinching the first Western Conference wild-card spot.

Crawford started and appeared to tweak his groin during the first period. He came out for the second, but Ward replaced him midway through the period. Ward had 25 saves in what was the 700th appearance of his career.

Kane's goals extended his career-best point total to 109. He’s two shy of tying his career high of 46 goals set in the 2015-16 season. His first goal put the Hawks up 1-0 in the first and his second came on a breakaway late in the third to make it 6-1.

A tight game turned into a rout in the second period on goals by Dominik Kahun, Chris Kunitz and Dylan Strome. Kunitz, possibly playing in the final home game of his career, bounced in a shot that barely went over the goal line — it was called a goal only after video review — with 6 minutes, 55 seconds left in the second for his fifth of the season and 268th of his career.

Strome’s goal was his 20th — the first time he’s reached that mark in his career — and 17th since coming to the Hawks in a November trade with the Coyotes.

Defenseman Slater Koekkoek scored from a tough angle in the third for his first goal as a Hawk to make it 5-0.

Joel L’Esperance scored on the power play with 12:42 left in the third for the Stars’ lone goal.

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Blackhawks hoping their 2nd-half success carries over to avoid another slow start next season

Jimmy Greenfield

A Blackhawks season marked by the jarring interruption of switching from Joel Quenneville to is nearly complete.

After Saturday’s season finale against the Predators, players will disperse throughout the world to heal their worn bodies, regroup mentally and ponder retirement.

As happens with every team during every offseason, some players won’t remain in the organization. Those who return are likely to enjoy a much more stable environment than the one that followed the coaching change.

Whether early November was the right time to make the move remains subject to debate. But the fact is the Hawks were terrible in the first 20 games after the change, going 4-13-3. It’s also true that entering Friday’s home finale against the Stars, they have played on a 102-point pace over their last 45 games.

There is far more hope than despair coming from the Hawks locker room despite missing the playoffs for a second straight season.

“We had a pretty good record in the second half of the season, so there’s something you can build on for next year,” Dylan Strome said. “But every year’s a new year, so you’ve got to take it in stride. A full offseason, full training camp and then preseason is just going to help our team start off really good and we’ll be a top team throughout the year. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

The Hawks were 6-6-3 when the change was made but had lost five straight, including one overtime loss. There was talk during camp of the need to get off to a fast start, which they did with a 3-0-2 record.

That disappeared in the blink of an eye, and by the time mid-January rolled around, the Hawks had the league’s worst record. Instead of settling for a top draft pick, they didn’t quit and became a surprise playoff contender. But treating every game like a playoff game for two months can have an impact — and not a good one.

“It does take a toll,” Colliton said. “We had to scratch and claw for everything we got. Sometimes you maybe don’t have as much juice. I’m not sure that that was the issue. We still have played really well over a long stretch. I think the issue was the hole we were in to begin with.

“We have been getting points lately, maybe not at the clip we were in January and February, (but) we still have been getting points. It’s just that the hole we were in was too big.”

Entering Friday’s game, the Hawks were 8-5-3 since the start of March. Not a bad record but not strong enough to overcome a miserable first half.

“Some of the games that we lost were tight games where it could have gone either way,” Drake Caggiula said. “That’s just the way it is, but those teams that solidified their playoff spots, they were able to get the wins when they needed them. We just weren’t able to do it as often as we’d like.”

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Blackhawks notes: Corey Crawford injured in 6-1 win over Stars

By Jason Lieseremail

The Blackhawks could have used some efforts like this when they were still in the playoff hunt.

Their week of too little, too late continued with a 6-1 throttling of the Stars on Friday, and they get a chance to hassle another one of their favorite opponents in the season finale on Saturday in Nashville.

“It would have been nice to have these games early on, but nothing we can do about it now,” Patrick Kane said. “We’re in this situation, so come along, give it the best we can, especially in front of our home fans here. We did a great job the last couple games and hopefully gave them something to think about and be proud of.”

The Hawks manhandled the Stars throughout one of the most complete performances they’ve had down the stretch. The Stars sat winger Jamie Benn and goalie Ben Bishop, but it was still an impressive win.

Kane put the Hawks up 1-0 late in the first period. He added another goal with four minutes remaining.

Kane’s goals moved him two away from his career-high 46 and bumped his already career-high point total to 109.

By the time Chris Kunitz scored to make it 3-0 midway through the second period, the Hawks had a 22-14 advantage in shots on goal.

Kunitz scored his fifth goal of the season, and defenseman Slater Koekkoek scored his first goal since being acquired in a trade in January.

“I wish it came in a more meaningful game, but it felt good,” Koekkoek said. “The fans are sick here.”

Dominik Kahun and Dylan Strome also scored for the Hawks. Strome’s goal gave the team five players with at least 20, though three of those came with the Coyotes before he was traded in November.

Crawford exits

Hawks goalie Corey Crawford suffered a groin injury in the second period and missed the rest of the game. He stopped all of his nine shots before being replaced by Cam Ward, who saved 25 of 26.

Coach Jeremy Colliton said the team does not believe Crawford’s injury is serious and added that he wanted to finish the game. He will not travel to Nashville, and he finished the season with a .908 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average.

Kevin Lankinen will be called up from Rockford to back up Ward on Saturday.

Crazy Caggiula

Fights happen in hockey, but taking on ex-Hawk Dustin Byfuglien can be hazardous to one’s health.

If Drake Caggiula didn’t know that before, he certainly did after Byfuglien, now with the Jets, whaled on his face this week.

“I wasn’t looking for a fight,” Caggiula said. “He’s a big boy, so that’s one of those guys that I’m kind of not trying to fight. It’s part of the game, and the way I play sometimes that happens.”

Byfuglien is 6-5, 260 pounds, and Caggiula checks in at a modest 5-10, 176 pounds.

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Dylan Strome, Drake Caggiula redirect promising careers with Blackhawks

By Jason Lieser

One of Jeremy Colliton’s best qualities as a coach is how he handles young players, and two who came to the Blackhawks this season might have turned their careers around under his watch.

Former No. 3 overall pick Dylan Strome and one-time coveted collegiate prospect Drake Caggiula were written off as busts by their former teams, but the Hawks saw two players in their early 20s who simply needed the right situation. Strome and Caggiula landed in perfect scenarios with elite linemates and a patient coach.

“My first game, we lost 8-3 to Vegas and . . . I’m not sure how well I really played,” Strome said. “Then the next game we go into Winnipeg and lose and I was minus-4 in the first period . . . We just kinda kept playing and rolling and tried to build from that.

“When he has that confidence in you, you just try to show it back to him. You know you’re going to get back out there and do the best you can, so it’s nice to have that behind the bench when Coach believes in you and believes in your abilities.”

In his three-plus years with the Coyotes, Strome scored seven goals in 48 games.

Colliton quickly made him a regular starter, often on a line with longtime friend and junior-league teammate Alex DeBrincat, and Strome has set career highs of 20 goals and 36 assists.

The Hawks scooped up Strome in a trade that also brought in 22-year- old Brendan Perlini, who has been hit-and-miss. Strome, however, looks like a significant pickup who will be part of the core going forward. He’s under contract next season and will be a restricted free agent in Summer 2020.

Caggiula doesn’t have nearly as impressive numbers, but that’s the beauty of playing for the Hawks: He doesn’t have to.

He always felt pressure to be a playmaker with the Oilers, who seemed to be trying to mold him into something he wasn’t. Caggiula sees himself as a scrappy player who fits well with highly skilled forwards like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and that’s just what Colliton wanted.

“The biggest thing for me is being able to find a home,” Caggiula said. “I’ve been able to play on a consistent line day in and day out here and I know exactly what my role is.

“They made that very clear, and they allow me to play the hockey the way I play — hard, fast, aggressive. I’m not sitting here worried about points or anything like that, whereas I felt like in Edmonton if I wasn’t scoring I was gonna be taken out of the lineup.”

When they arrived — Strome in November and Caggiula in January — Colliton told each of them “it’s a blank slate” as far as any issues that held them back with their prior teams. Having coached in Rockford, Colliton knows all the reasons why young, talented players don’t make it in a particular organization.

It has become clear over the last few months why he’s the right fit for where the team is headed. Joel Quenneville was never known for his patience with young players, but it’s an essential component of Colliton’s approach.

“You can’t be afraid of making a mistake and feel like the rug’s going to be pulled out from under you,” Colliton said. “There’s got to be a standard that’s expected . . . and when you get feedback, you’ve got to respond.

“If you respond and it looks like your heart’s in the right place and you have the right intention, then you get a lot of rope from me. If you get feedback and you don’t respond, then you have a problem. That’s the line for me.”

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Blackhawks end mediocre home season with win over Dallas

John Dietz

In their Blackhawks' heyday -- which was all of two years ago -- they almost always took care of business at home.

From 2008-09 to 2016-17, the Hawks averaged 56.6 standings points and always won at least 24 games at the United Center.

It's been a different story of late, however, as the Hawks went 18-18-5 last season and 19-14-8 this season after closing out their home slate with a 6-1 victory over Dallas on Friday. They closed strong -- going 3-0- 1 in their last four games at the UC -- but by then it was too late.

"We've got to be good at home," said Patrick Kane, who scored 2 goals against the Stars to up his season total to 44 and his point total to 109. "I think that's something that probably hasn't been as good as it should have been the past couple of seasons.

"It's still a treat to play here at the United Center. We always feel the fans have our back, so try to use that to our advantage next season even more."

Every team that qualified for the playoffs has at least 21 victories and 46 standings points at home. Most will finish with 50 points or more.

If the Hawks had turned just 3 of their losses into victories, they'd be tied with Colorado for the second wild-card spot heading into both teams' season finales Saturday.

"The top teams are pretty good at home," said coach Jeremy Colliton. "We want to reestablish that. I think everyone feels pretty comfortable here and excited to play, and we can use that -- especially when the crowd's into it. That goes hand in hand with how you play -- got to play better.

"(Then) home ice becomes a weapon."

Kane, Dominik Kahun, Chris Kunitz and Dylan Strome staked the Hawks to a 4-0 lead after two periods and sent Dallas to its first regulation loss in five games. Cam Ward replaced Corey Crawford in net, making 25 saves on 26 shots in 33:13.

Crawford, who injured his groin in the second period, will not travel to Nashville for the season finale. The Hawks called up Kevin Lankinen from Rockford.

Kunitz undecided:

Chris Kunitz, who scored his fifth goal of the season in the Hawks' win over Dallas, won't say for sure if Saturday's season finale at Nashville will also end his 15-year career.

"I don't want to make a rash decision," said Kunitz, who has won four Stanley Cup titles. "I want to sit back and reflect with my family and talk about where we're going to be.

"It's not all about myself anymore. (I've got) three kids who are getting up there in age that expect a lot from me to be around and sometimes it gets long for my wife being there by herself. So just trying not to be selfish about it."

Coach Jeremy Colliton started Kunitz against Dallas, along with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Erik Gustafsson and Corey Crawford.

Slap shots:

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat are the first three Blackhawks to score 35 or more goals in a season since 1987-88 when Denis Savard (44), Rick Vaive (43) and Steve Larmer (41) accomplished the feat. … The Hawks paid tribute to Stan Mikita during a first-period break by showing a highlight montage on the scoreboard. All Hawks players saluted the former Blackhawks great after it ended. The Hawks have worn "21" patches this season as a tribute to Mikita, who passed away at age 78 on Aug. 7, 2018.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139079 Chicago Blackhawks "He knows my game probably better than I do. It's always good to talk to him about different things -- what he sees in my game or what he thinks I can do.

No. 1 fan: Patrick Kane's dad makes it to every Blackhawks home game "More importantly, he's been a great friend for me forever. It's always fun having him around."

John Dietz Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.06.2019

Pat Kane Sr. has always been dedicated when it comes to attending as many games as possible since his son was taken No. 1 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007.

Thirty-five, thirty-seven, thirty-eight times a season the elder Kane was in his customary United Center seat, five rows behind the west goal.

But this season, the 59-year-old Kane didn't miss a single contest, going 41-for-41 and capping off his perfect campaign Friday night when the Hawks defeated the Dallas Stars.

"We didn't plan on it from Day 1," Kane Sr. said before the game. "Throughout the years I always thought it would be nice to make every game. Something always came up where I had to be back in Buffalo, so it didn't work out.

"But once I got into it this year, Patrick seemed to jump on board."

Kane's dad isn't just at the games, either.

He'll come to practices at MB Ice Arena and morning skates as well. He's even a regular at the Palace Bar and Grill, which is just blocks from the United Center and sports dozens of Blackhawks photos on the walls.

"A great man," Palace owner George Lemparis said. "He's become a legend in his own. He's very approachable. People come in here, they talk to him. He's just a great guy and they're a great family."

Pat Kane Sr. and wife Donna drive from Buffalo -- where they still live -- after the Hawks return from road trips. Kane's dad isn't a big fan of airplanes, so although it can take 8-9 hours, it's still much better than if Kane was playing for a team much further West.

And as one story goes, that nearly happened.

"I remember 10 or 15 minutes before the draft, someone came down and kind of whispered to me and my dad that Phoenix traded for the first pick," Kane said in 2017. "I was all worried because I thought Phoenix wanted Kyle Turris, and my dad was worried because he thought he was going to have to drive to Phoenix from Buffalo."

The most memorable moment for all of the Kanes this season came during the first period of a 4-3 loss to Calgary on Jan. 7. After skating down the right side of the ice, Kane flipped a backhanded shot that bounced off Flames goalie David Rittich's right shoulder and somehow ended up in the back of the net.

Kane looked right at his parents, who were celebrating yet another goal by their son.

"It was really, really special," Kane Sr. said. "It just made the goal even greater. Not only a great shot, but a great reaction after."

Kane always been close with his dad, even when things may have been a bit testy many years ago.

"He was pretty hard on me when I was a kid up until maybe 12 or 13 years old," Kane said. "After that, he's just been very supportive in everything I've done in my hockey career -- and even in life in general."

Said Kane Sr.: "What I expected I still expect today. I know what he's capable of doing out there and when he didn't do it as a kid, I was just disappointed because I knew what was inside of him. …

"We believe he is where he is today because of that. (He feels) no pressure in the big games and just goes out there and knows what he has to do. Being tough on him, we think later in life has paid off for him."

Kane calls his dad his best friend. They played tennis together until Kane made his dad run too much. They loved playing Ping-Pong, they still golf together and also enjoy cracking out a deck of cards to play their favorite game -- Skat.

"I always tell him he's my best friend and he's one of those guys that is really fun to see," Kane said. "Makes you laugh. 1139080 Chicago Blackhawks Finals and three Stanley Cups. But they want more, and they should want more because of where they were before the Kane and Toews era. Nobody wants to go back to those times.

Four takeaways: Sellout streak continues as Blackhawks rout Stars in And despite missing out on the postseason for the second consecutive home finale year, that hasn't stopped fans from packing the building on a nightly basis.

By Charlie Roumeliotis April 05, 2019 For the 11th straight season, the Blackhawks have led the NHL in attendance. Friday marked their 497th consecutive sellout, including playoffs. It's hard to see that ending any time soon.

Here are four takeaways from the Blackhawks' 6-1 win over the Dallas A cool gesture by the organization to give back to the fans, the Stars at the United Center on Friday: Blackhawks gave their season ticket holders an opportunity to upload a personal photo, which were then put together to create collages that filled 1. Finishing strong at home the numbers of the players' warmup jerseys for the final home game. The The Blackhawks may not be in playoff contention anymore, but they jerseys will be signed and then auctioned for charity, with all proceeds haven't exactly packed it in down the stretch. With a victory on Friday benefiting the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation. night, the Blackhawks extended their point streak to five games (3-0-2). "Tonight was great," Kane said. "Well all year round it's been great, but They also finished the season with a 19-14-8 record at home after going tonight was great too. Just kind of the wherewithal to have the presence 18-18-5 last season. They went 4-1-2 in the final seven games at the of mind to be whistling at the end and kind of showing thanks for the United Center. season even though we obviously didn't have the season we wanted. What was it close to 22,000 fans again tonight? Not really surprised "Full barn again," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "Lots of energy. Nice to anymore, but something we don't take for granted in here and love see us put some pucks in the net and everyone can feel good about playing in front of them." themselves. Obviously, we can carry a good feeling into tomorrow." Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 Said Kane: "We gotta be good at home and I think that's something that probably hasn't been as good as it should have been the past couple seasons. But still a treat to play here at the United Center and we always feel the fans at our backs, so try to use that to our advantage next season."

2. Corey Crawford injury scare

With two games left, the Blackhawks were expected to give Crawford the start on Friday in front of his hometown fans one last time this season and Cam Ward on Saturday in Nashville for his 700th career NHL game. But the circumstances changed.

While he did start, Crawford left the game in the second period because of a groin injury he appeared to suffer in the opening frame trying to make a save going post-to-post.

A look at Corey Crawford’s potential injury from the first period. He went post-to-post and was favoring his leg. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/UxJR2FcL20

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 6, 2019

Ward eventually replaced Crawford, who did not return and will not travel to Nashville for the regular season finale. But they don't anticipate his injury being serious. The Blackhawks will call up goaltender Kevin Lankinen from the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.

3. Personal achievements

It was a well-rounded victory for the Blackhawks, and one that featured several nice milestones.

Let's run them down:

— With an assist, Erik Gustafsson became the sixth defenseman this season to reach the 60-point mark, joining Brent Burns (81), Mark Giordano (74), Morgan Rielly (72), John Carlson (70) and Keith Yandle (61).

— Patrick Kane became the first winger in Blackhawks history to hit at least 108 points in a single season. Denis Savard did it four times as a center.

— Slater Koekkoek scored his first goal as a member of the Blackhawks.

— Chris Kunitz, who received a courtesy start in front of his family in Chicago, scored a goal in what could be one of his final games in the NHL. He's the only active player with four Stanley Cups.

— Ward became the fifth active goaltender to enter the 700-game club, joining Ryan Miller (757), Marc-Andre Fleury (797), Henrik Lundqvist (857) and Roberto Luongo (1,043).

4. The sellout streak continues

Blackhawks fans have been spoiled. In nine straight years from 2009-17, their team made the playoffs each time, appeared in five Conference 1139081 Chicago Blackhawks the No. 1 sport over there. Hockey is coming and growing. They had a great success in 2018 when they came second. They had a huge success. Dominik was one of the best players over there. I remember I Bastian Schweinsteiger, Dominik Kahun bonded by Germany, Chicago was in preseason and I was following the games of the national team. connection “To meet him as well, yeah, great. For me, a German is playing for the Hawks, you know, it’s great. I hope we can get (Leon) Draisaitl. So, you know, I will be waiting.” By Scott Powers Apr 5, 2019 Schweinsteiger said that last part with a big laugh. He’d love for Chicago sports to be filled with fellow Germans. Whenever Kahun does something for the Blackhawks, he lets everyone know. Like any almost German, Dominik Kahun jumped at the chance to see Bastian Schweinsteiger’s Bayern Munich testimonial match in person last “Whenever he has a great pass or score goals, I always text my fall. teammates who are following the Hawks,” Schweinsteiger said. “I always text them, ‘Look at the German. Of course, the German again.’ It’s his As Kahun put it, “Schweinsteiger is, if not, the one player in Germany first season and I have to say I think he really enjoy it. For the first who is the biggest legend, I guess.” season, he plays smart already in my eyes.” When Kahun was told the ticket was free, that was even better. When he Those type of compliments are special for Kahun, 23, who grew up arrived to Allianz Arena and discovered he’d be sitting with watching and idolizing the 34-year-old Schweinsteiger. To have met Schweinsteiger’s family in a suite for the game, he couldn’t believe it. Schweinsteiger a handful of times – they’ve talked about having dinner “It was pretty amazing,” Kahun recalled recently. together too – and even have Schweinsteiger post about him on social media, where he has over 14 million followers, is surreal for Kahun. Schweinsteiger had spent 17 years with Bayern Munich. He had come up through their youth system and evolved into one of the world’s premier “Of course that’s cool when a guy like that posts something about you,” midfielders. The testimonial match was Bayern Munich’s way of honoring Kahun said. “He’s a great guy. I’m just excited that I met him. Schweinsteiger. For one half he played with his current team, the “It’s something great. I know Chicago people don’t know him really well. Chicago Fire, and the other half he played with his former team, Bayern But that’s actually funny because like in Germany he can’t even go on Munich. the street because he’s like (Connor) McDavid and (Sidney) Crosby in It’s a day neither Schweinsteiger nor Kahun will soon forget. Canada. It’s funny that obviously soccer is not that big here in the U.S. It’s good for him. He can do whatever.” “It was sold out,” Kahun said. “It was just like one game, his last game, and the stadium was full. I think all of Germany even watch it on TV. It VIEW THIS POST ON INSTAGRAM was a real, real big day in Germany. THANKS @NHLBLACKHAWKS AND @DKAHUN21 FOR THE GREAT “The meaning was just for him. The crowd was just focused on him, and NIGHT AND A GREAT WIN! every time he touched the ball, it went crazy. It was real, real nice. At the A POST SHARED BY BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER end, it was emotional, the lights went out, he did one more lap around.” (@BASTIANSCHWEINSTEIGER) ON MAR 12, 2019 AT 3:05PM PDT And Kahun got to watch it from high above the field at one end of the Schweinsteiger has taken advantage of that, as evidenced by his many stadium, with the people closest to Schweinsteiger. After the game, photos around Chicago the last few years. Whenever he comes by the Kahun and Schweinsteiger shook hands, and Schweinsteiger moved on. United Center, he gets a shout-out on the video board. It was a busy day. The Blackhawks have also had him and Ivanovic take a crack at their It wouldn’t be their last encounter, though. shoot the puck contest. She has had more success than him. Earlier last year, Kahun got some notice after helping Germany to an “I have to say it’s always great,” Schweinsteiger said of attending unexpected run to the silver medal at the 2018 Olympics. He finished Blackhawks’ games. “Me and my wife, we went there a couple times, and second on the team in goals and points. Schweinsteiger didn’t know it’s incredible, the atmosphere, the crowd, the team. Like the passion Kahun personally then, but he had watched Germany in the Olympics how they play, it’s really, really nice. and was thrilled about its success. “My wife actually had a great day once at the shoot the puck, made it Kahun’s play there — coupled with being one of top young players in twice. I tried it two times already, but I never made it at least one. It’s kind , Germany’s top league, while playing for of embarrassing. From her sport, she has better arms than I do. She has Munich-based Red Bull Munchen — intrigued NHL teams and eventually more talent in her hands than I do.” brought on contract offers. Schweinsteiger hasn’t given up hope of someday making a shot, though. Kahun ended up signing with the Chicago Blackhawks in the spring of He certainly wouldn’t mind some help. 2018. There was no guarantee he’d make their NHL roster. He was prepared to return to Europe if things didn’t work out, but he was hopeful. “I already went twice on the ice and tried to shoot the puck; I missed,” Schweinsteiger said. “Maybe it’s a good idea to practice this once. If I Just a week after watching Schweinsteiger in Munich, Kahun traveled to could come over to the United Center, and, I don’t know, maybe Jonny Chicago, joined the Blackhawks on the ice for his first practice and then (Toews) or the other guy, (Patrick) Kaner, Dominik, if they want to explain played with them in a rookie tournament in Traverse City, Mich. From me how it works, it would be great to get a lesson.” there, he went to training camp, gained the coaching staff’s trust as a two-way forward and eventually earned a spot on the NHL roster. In the Schweinsteiger was a hockey fan before he arrived in Chicago. He season-opener, Kahun started the game alongside Jonathan Toews and appreciates the athleticism and stamina needed for the game, and is also Alex DeBrincat on the top line. intrigued by the strategy.

Six games into his NHL career, Kahun met Schweinsteiger again. “They have so many games and they travel much more than we do,” Schweinsteiger and his wife Ana Ivanovic, a retired tennis star, attended Schweinsteiger said. “They have to be really fit. It’s not an easy sport in the Blackhawks’ home game on Oct. 18. Afterward, Schweinsteiger met my eyes. Also, I like the game when they play five against five, with the with Kahun in the Blackhawks’ dressing room. goalkeeper six against six. I like how they find solutions, like it’s not 11 versus 11. Six against six or five against five, I really like to watch the Schweinsteiger and Kahun have some common ground. They both game to see how they, for example, expose the other team.” played in Munich. Kahun is good friends with Schweinsteiger’s brother, Tobi Schweinsteiger, who is a big hockey fan. Of course, they’re also two If Schweinsteiger wants to talk strategy, Blackhawks forward Brendan professional athletes from Germany who are now playing in Chicago. Perlini is all ears. Perlini, who is English, is one of the bigger soccer fans on the Blackhawks, and his favorite team is Manchester United, one of “For me, it was great to meet him long enough the first time after the Schweinsteiger’s former teams. game in the dressing room,” Schweinsteiger said recently by phone. “We had a great chat and he’s a nice guy. In Germany, of course, soccer is Perlini hasn’t met Schweinsteiger yet, just missing him during Schweinsteiger’s latest visit to the United Center last month.

“No, I didn’t,” Perlini said. “I wish I did. Dom Kahun knows him really quite well I guess because of the whole German thing. He was texting with him back and forth. I think he took off right after the game, so I didn’t get a chance to meet him. Hopefully if he comes through once more, I’d like to kind of talk to him after a game and just kind of pick his brain on a few things and see what’s going on. Yeah, it’d be pretty cool.

“I got the chance in the summertime to go, Manchester United was doing a thing out in Phoenix. I was there training. I got to go there, watch a game and kind of meet a few of the guys, the manager and stuff. It’s cool to talk to different athletes and see their perspective on things, especially as an outsider. My buddies are always asking what’s it like in the NHL, this and this. They really have no idea what it’s like. So, I’m like that with soccer. I’m such a big fan of it I’d like to know on the inside how’s this guy, what’s the manager like, this and this. Especially from over there to now MLS too. Yeah, it’d be good to meet him.”

When I mentioned Schweinsteiger was going to be interviewed for this story, Perlini asked to pass on a message.

“Tell him I’m English and a big United guy, and next time he comes by, I’d like to talk to him,” Perlini said.

Schweinsteiger responded with his own invitation.

“More than welcome to watch our games in the stadium,” Schweinsteiger said. “Whenever they want to come over, they’re more than invited. If they want to join just or play with us a little bit, we can make it five against five or six against six.”

Schweinsteiger laughed hard again.

Those may be the playing numbers the Blackhawks are accustomed to, but Schweinsteiger knows well enough that wouldn’t matter. It just might be his way of getting revenge for shoot the puck.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139082 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche reaches consecutive Stanley Cup Playoffs for first time in more than a decade

By KYLE FREDRICKSON |PUBLISHED: April 5, 2019

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar called this hockey season a “prove it” year.

His upstart Colorado team took the NHL by storm last season as unexpected playoff crashers behind an influx of young talent. The bigger question, though, would be whether the Avs could build on that success with — gasp — back-to-back postseason appearances.

The drought was real. It had been more than a decade, since the 2005- 06 season, when Colorado last reached the playoffs in consecutive years when it made an incredible 11-straight runs at the Stanley Cup with two championships.

For years, a return to similar prominence didn’t seem possible. But Thursday night’s heroics inside the Pepsi Center, a 3-2 overtime victory against Winnipeg, clinched a postseason bid. So go ahead and call this a “proved it” season.

“That’s what we want,” center Nathan MacKinnon said. “We’re a team that prides ourselves off being consistent, and if we’re going to eventually win a cup, we need to make the playoffs every year.”

Colorado Avalanche can clinch a playoff spot Thursday. Here is how — and other less desirable scenarios.

Much has changed in the 11 years between Colorado’s consecutive playoff bids. The Avs cycled through five coaches and dozens of players while eight different teams brought home the cup. Colorado often relied on its veterans who endured the dark days to deliver a playoff rebirth, such as ninth-year defenseman Erik Johnson, who scored the game- winner Thursday in overtime.

“As a competitive athlete and hockey player, the goal should be to win a Stanley Cup,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “Anything short of that is a failure. The first step of that is getting into the playoffs and it should never be, ‘If we get in.’ ”

The next milestone in play for the Avalanche? Winning a playoff series. It hasn’t happened since 2007-08 with a first-round defeat of Minnesota (4- 2).

“Our mindset is not just going to be: ‘Yeah, we got in, great, let’s go have some fun in the playoffs,’ ” Bednar said. “We’re going into it with a purpose and I think that’s the feeling our group will have. Because if we keep playing the way we’re playing right now, we can be a dangerous hockey team.”

Denver Post: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139083 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche clinch playoffs with 3-2 overtime win over Winnipeg

By DJ Stanec - April 5, 2019

The Colorado Avalanche needed one point. One point is all that separated them from back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Winnipeg Jets came to town hoping to squash those hopes. The Jets got off to a quick start, putting two goals in the back of the net in the first period.

Colorado, maintaining their streak of resiliency, clawed their way back into the game with goals from in the second period and Carl Soderberg in the third. With 1:26 left in the game, Colorado took a too- many-men on the ice penalty. With blocked shots from Matt Calvert and Erik Johnson, the Avalanche sent the game into overtime, guaranteeing one point and clinching their playoff birth.

Colorado wasn’t done.

“It feels weird celebrating because you haven’t even won the hockey game yet,” Head Coach Jared Bednar said. “I think it energized our team for overtime a little bit.”

After killing off the remaining 30 seconds on the penalty from regulation, Nathan MacKinnon picked up the puck at his own blueline and used his speed to turn the play into a 2-on-1 with Erik Johnson. MacKinnon found Johnson, who buried his seventh goal of the season to give Colorado the 3-2 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets.

What did we learn from tonight’s playoff-clinching game?

1. This team doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit. Colorado came back from a 2-0 deficit, just as they did the past two games against Edmonton and St. Louis. Playoffs, and beyond, were the goal for this team and anything short of that was unacceptable. It showed tonight, as this team crawled their way back against a very good Jets team.

2. Grubauer brought this team to the playoffs. Yet again, Philipp Grubauer stood on his head for his team. He made 34 saves on Thursday night, making the big saves when needed. It is very obvious that goaltending is one of the biggest factors in winning games and Gurbauer added that element to the Avalanche tonight.

3. Tyson Barrie is a freak of nature. I’m joking. However, he is REALLY good at hockey. His goal tonight was one of his prettiest goals of the year. If you haven’t seen it yet, look below.

THAT SHOT THOUGH  #GoAvsGo #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/GwcwxEiddX

— x- Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 5, 2019

With his goal, Barrie now has 14 goals and 59 points on the season. He is the third leading scorer for the Avalanche and the highest of any Colorado blueliner by over 25 points. Just like with Grubauer, Colorado would not be where they are after tonight without him.

4. Home ice is once again an advantage. Colorado is 21-14-6 at home this season. After having a miserable start on home ice, the Avalanche have figured out how to win at the Pepsi Center once again. They have won 9 of their last 10 games at home, dating back to February 27th.

5. Here it is again, THE COLORADO AVALANCHE CLINCHED A SPOT IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS. This is the first time in nearly a decade the Avalanche have been in the playoffs in back-to-back years. They are going into the playoffs hot.

The Colorado Avalanche return to action on Saturday for their final game of the season on the road against the San Jose Sharks. Puck drop is set for 8:30 PM MST from the SAP Center. milehighsports.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139084 Colorado Avalanche Such a cool experience to do that for our fans here. Two years in a row in the playoffs. Expectations are higher this year. Let’s keep playing! You never know what could happen. We’re peaking at the right time so that’s The Avalanche rode their own roller coaster back to the playoffs a lot of fun.”

In a league where half of the teams make the postseason, it’s not really much of an accomplishment to make the postseason in a single year. We BY AJ HAEFELE APRIL 4, 2019 saw the 2013-14 Avalanche best exemplify the kind of crazy season a team is capable of having when everything goes its way but they aren’t

built for long-term success. They weren’t and the ensuing decisions set I’ve been blessed to have a unique look at the Colorado Avalanche the the franchise back several more years. This team making the postseason last three years. It seemed like a curse at first because I was the only for the second straight year is an accomplishment in itself, even if it was media member to cover the 48-point Avalanche season from training significantly harder than it should have been. camp through 82 regular season games. “It feels good,” Johnson began. “I’ve been here almost 10 years. I love I remember those postgame locker rooms, especially in the second half playing for the Avalanche and have a ton of pride in the organization so of the season. This was an organization that was going through those to do this means a lot to me and means a lot to the fans and the staff and brutal teenage years with its constant soul-searching. There was talent management that believe in us. It’s a good feeling. A lot of work left to be there and the world could see it, they simply couldn’t get the best of it all done for sure. Man, we made it so tough on ourself. Too many men with the time. They didn’t know who they were quite yet and they stumbled a minute twenty left? I mean you should’ve heard the groan on the their way through. bench. We were like, “You have got to be kidding me.” We kill it off, they hit a pipe, guys are selling out left and right. I did a friggin backflip trying I was there for the team’s playoff-clinching victory against St. Louis last to block a Laine shot. It was loud in there. It sure was fun. I can’t wait to year. It was the most jubilant locker room I’ve ever been in. There were play in front of those fans in the playoffs.” hugs, high-fives, and even some tears along the way. For them to respond to such an embarrassing season that way was huge for the The injury that kept Johnson out of the postseason forced them to play organization. They suddenly felt they had a chance to make some noise. David Warsofsky and Duncan Siemens (combined NHL games this They put an unexpected scare into Nashville before eventually bowing season: 0) in the playoffs against Nashville. This year, the club is largely out in front of a thankful home crowd in the sixth game of the series. healthy (Rantanen is back skating and the playoffs don’t begin until next Wednesday at the earliest) and Johnson is one of the key players for Then came this season. Colorado if they’re going to surprise in the postseason and no player better symbolizes the organization’s struggle to find its footing as a And what a season it has been. The hot start, the middle stretch where contender. Avalanche goaltenders completely fell apart. The injuries to two-thirds of the league’s most dangerous top line. The late-season push (8-0-2!) that “It was tough for me last year,” Johnson said. “I was not able to be on the made no sense whatsoever backstopped by a guy who had an .890 save ice but I was going crazy in the locker room last year. I put a lot of hard percentage as recently as FEBRUARY! work, effort, and blood, sweat, and tears into this team and organization for a long time and kind of see what we’re building and see it come to And here we are. The Avalanche are in the playoffs for the second fruition and see the steps guys have taken. I’m getting a little bit older consecutive year for the first time in the post-lockout era. The rebuild that now so you never know how many kicks at the can you’ll get to bring a began in 2009 took a few twists and turns but it’s finally starting to pay off Cup into Denver. A lot of fun, a lot of good emotions running through me a little bit. right now.” Even tonight, it wasn’t easy. It was very on-brand of this Avs team to go Those emotions are running through all of Denver tonight. The Colorado through the in-game hell they had to in order to get there. The first period Avalanche are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. alone saw the Avs surrender two goals, one very questionable goal that went to review but did not go Colorado’s way, and the Avs miss an open BSN DENVER LOADED: 04.06.2019 net early on.

But Colorado just got back to work. Tyson Barrie’s insane run to end the season continued when he fired a bullet past Connor Hellebuyck, who tracked the puck so well he didn’t even move until well after the celebration had started. The Avalanche halved the lead but couldn’t quite finish other glorious opportunities to tie the game.

Entering the third period tied, Colorado simply needed to get the game to overtime to clinch the final spot in the playoffs. The Avs pressed hard but it started to feel like “one of those nights” where they would just come up short. Then Carl Soderberg tipped home the game-tying goal and the Pepsi Center went ballistic. Everyone knew.

Getting no help from Vegas against the Arizona Coyotes, the Avalanche decided to channel their inner Pedro Cerrano and do it themselves. Sorry, Jobu. Ever the dramatic ones, the Avs took a mind-boggling too many men on the ice penalty with 1:26 remaining and would have to make the playoffs on the penalty kill. The 25th-ranked unit got it done, setting off a bizarre celebration with a game headed into overtime.

Ian Cole skated back to Philipp Grubauer and hugged him after regulation ended. The job was done. Sort of.

They still had overtime to play but it didn’t really matter that much to the Avalanche in the big picture. They killed the penalty and Erik Johnson beat Hellebuyck 1:49 into overtime to steal the second point from the Jets, which they needed in their hunt to win the Central Division.

The locker room after the win was different than last year’s.

Erik Johnson, who was hurt during last year’s playoff run and missed the on-ice fun, couldn’t stop smiling that famous gap-toothed grin of his.

“To get the win in front of our home fans in Denver, who we love playing for, we clinched and then found a way to win in overtime,” Johnson said. “It was so much fun. Just the energy in the crowd…man that was fun. 1139085 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets clinch playoff spot in shootout nail-biter

Brian Hedger

NEW YORK — In the end, the Russians did it.

Needing a win against the New York Rangers to clinch their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, the Blue Jackets got their clincher in a 3-2 shootout win thanks to the efforts of their two Russian stars.

Sergei Bobrovsky made some dazzling stops among his 25 saves — including a left pad robbery of Brett Howden late in the third period and a 3-of-3 performance in the shootout — while Artemi Panarin scored with 5:33 left in the third period and scored the only goal of the shootout.

“I don’t think (Panarin) and all those (top line) guys were dead on tonight, but when it came time for a big play, we got it, and that’s what defines those type of players,” coach said. “We got a huge save from Bob. I’m happy. I’m happy for the team.”

Panarin, who like Bobrovsky could be headed to unrestricted free agency in July, made sure the Jackets didn’t need to win the final game of the regular season Saturday at the Ottawa Senators to clinch a playoff spot.

Despite the Rangers sending the game to overtime with seven seconds left on a sharp-angle goal by Pavel Buchnevich that made it 2-2, Panarin scored in the shootout that followed a thrilling OT that tested both goalies.

His wrist shot beat Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev into the top right corner and it was his second great shot of the game, after his goal in the third period.

On that one, he got the puck from David Savard, brought it up the left wing, cut hard to the middle and beat Georgiev (39 saves) after first flipping the disc over a defender’s stick.

>> Read more: Coach, GM explain why they played Alexandre Texier

It was a beautiful goal for the leading scorer on the Blue Jackets, who punched their playoff ticket and kept themselves in the hunt for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They will need to defeat the Senators on Saturday and hope the Carolina Hurricanes lose in any fashion to Philadelphia.

Otherwise, they will be the second wild card and play the Tampa Bay Lightning, which won the President’s Trophy for the most points in the NHL.

“When we get to the playoffs, we’re going to have some fun,” Tortorella said. “We’ve been through a lot together as a team here, the playoffs is the best time of year and you better enjoy it — and we’re going to try to.”

New York put up a game effort thanks to Georgiev and Chris Kreider, who scored the game’s first goal at 1:47 of the second period.

Ryan Dzingel also scored for the Blue Jackets, who gave French-born rookie forward Alexandre Texier his NHL debut and played him on the third line.

“I’d rather take a 2-1 win and save lots of medicine for the hearts, you know?” Bobrovsky said, joking about the late goal allowed off an odd bounce. “But it is what it is. We got it done in a shootout and we are happy about it.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139086 Columbus Blue Jackets

Coach, GM explain why they played Alexandre Texier

Brian Hedger

NEW YORK — Some might see it as a bit of desperation by a team still hunting for a playoff spot.

The Blue Jackets, however, don’t see Alexandre Texier’s rapid ascension to the NHL for a game Friday at the New York Rangers that way at all.

“He was one of our top (prospects), a point-per-game guy in Finland, he’s been in two men’s world championships ... it’s not like he’s a spring chicken, even though he’s only 19,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Friday. “He’s played at a high level, been very successful and the (American Hockey League) is a tough league, so you could say we were a little bit like, ‘Wow, he’s better than what we thought.’ It’s a small sample size, but it’s not just the points. He played great.”

After being recalled from the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday, Texier stepped right into the Blue Jackets lineup. First, though, he took a solo “rookie debut” lap around the Jackets’ end of the ice to start their pregame warmup.

Skating at left wing on the third line, Texier played with center Boone Jenner and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the right — bumping center Alexander Wennberg out of the playing mix.

“I’m excited for the kid,” coach John Tortorella said before the game. “It’s a young league. Why not put him in here? And I don’t want to run down Wenny, but we’re running out of time there as far as trying to get Wenny going.

“Now, would we be doing this if I felt everybody was firing on all cylinders? Probably not, but I think at this point in time, this is what we think is our best lineup playing right now.”

Texier took the AHL by storm after coming over to North America last month. He had five goals, two assists and seven points in seven games with Cleveland, after putting up 14 goals and 27 assists in 55 games with KalPa of the Finnish League.

Texier, who’s from Grenoble in the French Alps, has shown this season why the Blue Jackets traded up in the second round of the 2017 NHL draft to select him 45th overall.

“He’s got skill (and) he’s willing to be hard on the puck,” Tortorella said of Texier, whose parents flew to New York for the game. “He just doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything. We feel very comfortable putting him in the lineup.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139087 Columbus Blue Jackets “What allows the decision to be made (to keep Kukan in the lineup) is he’s improved on his positioning and his battle level defensively,” Tortorella said. “He’s really improved as far as his battles underneath the Who can? Kukan. The Jackets defenseman’s game is growing and hash marks.” earning him a spot in the lineup DEFENSE AWAY FROM PUCK – GREAT BOX OUT BY #14 KUKAN OF @BLUEJACKETSNHL THAT LEADS TO THE GOAL BY PANARIN. NOT ALLOWING THE @NYISLANDERS F TO SCREEN OR A CLEAN By Alison Lukan Apr 5, 2019 PUCK RECOVERY MAKES FOR LESS TIME SPENT IN DZC. #TPE PIC.TWITTER.COM/DNIZO3Q9CJ

— PYRAMID HOCKEY (@JOHNBECANIC) MARCH 27, 2019 As a hockey player, you know it’s a good sign when people start asking how to properly pronounce your name. Such has been the life of Blue And when Kukan puts it all together offensively and defensively, good Jackets defenseman Dean Kukan of late. things happen. In the highlight below, we see Kukan win a puck battle and then use his offensive abilities to assist on a Pierre-Luc Dubois “I get so many questions about my name the last couple weeks, I don’t score. care anymore,” Kukan said with a smile. “It’s whatever.” “Once I’m in the game, then I’m just trying to make plays,” Kukan said. “I While there’ve been quite a few variations on how to say the player’s last like to skate with the puck, I think I can do that more often and create name — for the record, the 25-year-old says it’s pronounced Coo-KAHN offense. There’s a lot of upside still in my game.” in his native Switzerland, but he prefers COO-kin in North America — the reason the defenseman is getting so many mentions in the first place is What’s next for this player? While these early results are certainly because of his recent play. exciting, they’ve come in limited minutes, which should bring an appropriate degree of caution in any evaluation. Kukan also can continue Kukan (0-5-5) signed with the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2015 and to grow in terms of his individual production. While he’s helping drive has shown flashes of the player he could be ever since. Part of the 2016 offense for his team as a whole, Kukan’s individual shots and scoring Calder Cup winning Monsters roster, Kukan played eight games in the chances are coming at a lower rate than last season. But what is NHL that season. Last year, when he was called up again to the big club encouraging is that as Kukan’s workload has increased — particularly at in January, through 11 games pairing primarily with David Savard, Kukan an important time of the season — his overall performance hasn’t waned. seemed to be matching ability with opportunity. Injury, and the deadline Tortorella has praised Kukan’s ability take the risk, make a play and roll acquisition of Ian Cole, kept the Swiss player from playing more games, with it if a mistake is made. but his production was such that he was our front-runner to pair with Savard again this year. Kukan is still in the process of telling us what kind of player he can be, but it’s not wrong to be optimistic. Is there more to come in terms of what But hockey had other plans. Scott Harrington emerged as the Jackets’ this defenseman can do? His head coach certainly thinks so. No. 6 defenseman, and Kukan was left to fight his way back into the lineup. “That’s why he’s with us,” Tortorella said. “Especially at that position. There’s so many things that come into that position. You never know While the team knew what Kukan could do, he wasn’t showing enough to when a defenseman is going to mature. I don’t think you should ever give be in the lineup on a consistent basis. “We didn’t see it often, at times we up on a player, I think sometimes we do pretty easily, but especially didn’t see it,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. defensemen, I think you have to be really patient to allow them to That was until a few weeks ago. Kukan drew in against the Flames in develop.” Calgary on March 16 and has played in seven of the eight games since, — Data via NaturalStatTrick.com and Evolving-Hockey.com. All numbers bringing his season total to 23 games played. represent five-on-five play unless otherwise stated. This post relies “(Kukan) came in and really upped his level,” Tortorella said. “The game heavily on shot-based metrics. Here is a good primer on these numbers. situations highlighted (his ability). I have to make (lineup) decisions The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 according to play, and I just thought ‘Kuks’ brought so much confidence and puck poise that it really helped us in our transition game.”

Tortorella isn’t wrong. Over his last two years in the league, using data tracked by The Athletic’s Corey Sznajder, we see that while Kukan isn’t a shooter, he rates well in both aspects of transitional play: exiting the defensive zone with possession and entering the offensive zone.

Comparing Kukan’s efforts this season with the rest of the Jackets’ defensive corps, he sits snuggly with Markus Nutivaara and Zach Werenski as blueliners who can get the puck moving in the right direction more of the time than not even with a high workload relative to their time on the ice, something that is definitely of value with Ryan Murray out of the lineup.

It helps that Kukan is a player who believes his game is a perfect fit for the north-south focus of the Blue Jackets’ style of play, or as Kukan calls it, “modern hockey.”

“I like that,” Kukan said. “Defensemen have to be part of the offense, too. Sometimes (you) take the risk, sometimes (you) stay back. Torts wants us to be up with tight gaps on (opponents’) forwards, so they don’t have space, so I really like that. I think that fits my game — having tight gaps, I think it fits my game with my skating ability to be up the ice.

“It’s (also) just trying to move the puck up and when we have a chance to join. (Tortorella) wants us in the rush every time we can — beat the forward and create an odd-man rush.”

The offensive ability is there. Per 60 minutes of play, Kukan leads the Jackets in expected goal differential (.600) and he leads all Columbus defensemen in goal differential (.657), but what else is helping Kukan is the growing evolution in the defensive side of his game. This season has brought him the most total minutes of any year in his NHL career. It’s also brought him some of his best defensive numbers. 1139088 Dallas Stars But before they can turn their attention to the playoffs against a yet-to-be- determined opponent, the Stars will look to flush Friday's effort and attempt to lock themselves into the top wild-card spot.

'Not that checked in': Stars miss chance at extra playoff momentum in "We'd like to stay in our own division because it's less travel," blowout loss vs. Blackhawks Montgomery said. "So it's important [Saturday] that we come out and play better than we did tonight.

By Jeff Arnold , Special Contributor "We just want to make sure we're playing the right way -- playing to our identity. If we do that, we give ourselves a real good chance at a positive outcome."

CHICAGO -- Given all that remains at stake for the Stars before they Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.06.2019 return to the playoffs for the first time in three years, Jim Montgomery was hoping that his team would show him something Friday night.

Needless to say, Montgomery wasn't pleased with what he saw. Not even close.

The Stars came out sloppy and then watched as the Chicago Blackhawks rattled off five straight goals to hand the Stars a 6-1 loss that kept them from securing the Western Conference's top wild card spot.

The loss snapped a five-game streak in which they had managed at least one point. Although the Stars had been playing well of late to become playoff eligible earlier this week, their lackluster performance against the Blackhawks was not a step in a positive direction.

Now, the Stars will need to rebound in Saturday's regular-season finale against Minnesota at American Airlines Center to accomplish what they had hoped to finish off Friday.

"We obviously don't like the effort tonight," center Jason Spezza said. "Just the way we executed -- we made some mistakes we haven't made in a long time. We've got a game [Saturday] and we can refocus, get back at it with a win and end [the regular season] on a good note."

Friday night, meanwhile, was a clunker.

"Tonight, mentally, we were not that checked in," Montgomery said.

The Stars took the ice without Jamie Benn, Mats Zuccarello, Roman Polak, and Ben Bishop -- all of whom remained in Dallas to gear up for the meaningful hockey that remains to be played. Zuccarello, who returned this week after he missed five weeks with a broken arm, was kept out of Friday's game for maintenance.

Even with the juggled lineup that was designed to give players such as Joel L'Esperance, Justin Dowling and Brett Ritchie extended ice time to prepare for the playoffs, the Stars' lack of mental toughness made life difficult for Anton Khudobin, who allowed six goals on 32 shots.

Montgomery said he expects Bishop to play Saturday after missing four games with a lower-body injury.

Patrick Kane scored twice -- his 43rd and 44th goals of the season -- to pace the Blackhawks, who already had been knocked from playoff contention for the second straight season.

L'Esperance scored for the Stars in the third period on a picture-perfect pass from Tyler Seguin, who said after Friday's morning skate that the Stars couldn't afford to take the game lightly.

"Obviously, I think we were all looking too far ahead going into tonight," Seguin said. "I think we'll get over tonight pretty quick. Obviously, there's a lot to learn from tonight realizing there's still no gimme game or take a night off. Every team plays with pride -- we should have known that."

Montgomery said that the final regular-season road test provided players who hadn't seen as much ice time the chance to show their mettle with the playoffs looming. And yet, after the disappointing showing that makes Saturday's finale even more important, Montgomery will be looking for even more.

"I didn't like the way we played, obviously," Montgomery said. "It was sloppy, and we tried to play a skilled game which is not our game. And we weren't tight defensively in our own end, and we weren't able to make enough plays."

Despite failing to extend their points streak, the Stars have still registered points in 13 of their past 18 games. But if they are to carry some momentum into the playoffs, making sure contributions come from as many sources as possible moving forward will be key given the postseason's physical nature. 1139089 Dallas Stars "Being in the playoffs, I don't care what you say about it, you're going to get your opportunity, he said Friday morning. "Injuries are going to happen. It's just kind of part of it. You have to be ready, you have to be With playoff spot clinched, here's why ice-time and more matters for sharp. Stars during trip to Chicago "Anything can happen and you have to be ready."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.06.2019 By Jeff Arnold , Special Contributor

CHICAGO -- Tyler Seguin had early playoff experiences in which he didn't see the ice during the opening rounds but was then called into action without notice, which made it necessary to remain at the ready.

As the Stars prepare for their first postseason berth since the 2015-16 season, they find that same need for players who haven't had major roles during the regular season to stay ready.

Friday's road test against the Chicago Blackhawks provided that opportunity for forwards such as Justin Dowling, Joel L'Esperance and Brett Ritchie to play extended minutes as coach Jim Montgomery juggled his lineup in order to rest many of his top performers ahead of Saturday's regular-season finale against Minnesota at American Airlines Center.

Although the Stars entered the game able to secure the Western Conference's first wild-card spot, Jamie Benn, Mats Zuccarello, Roman Polak and goalie Ben Bishop all remained in Dallas to gear up for the meaningful hockey that remains to be played. Zuccarello, who returned this week after he missed five weeks with a broken arm, was also kept out of Friday's game while Andrew Cogliano was also scratched.

Yet, as much as the trio, who -- along with Bishop, who also missed the previous three games because of a lower-body injury -- will be relied on heavily in the postseason, Montgomery is looking for others to make the most of the opportunity they are given.

That started against the Blackhawks, who, since winning three Stanley Cup championships from 2010-15, failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season.

Regardless of who the Stars are playing and who they will face in the first round, Montgomery wants his players to maintain a proper perspective.

"It's important that [reserves] play well to give themselves every opportunity, but it's also important for our team to continue with our details," Montgomery said after Friday's morning skate.

"Going into the playoffs, playing the right way is important."

Entering Friday's game, the Stars had picked up points in five straight games and in 13 of their past 17. But if they are to carry momentum into the playoffs, making sure contributions come from as many sources as possible moving forward will be key given the postseason's physical nature.

"Inevitably, someone's going to get banged up in the playoffs and will have to miss a game," Montgomery said.

In his first season, Montgomery has established a team-first mentality, which he brought to the NHL from his college coaching days at the University of Denver. Under Montgomery, players such as Seguin -- who along with a handful of teammates has played for three coaches over the past three seasons -- has watched as things have come together, resulting in the Stars clinching a playoff spot earlier this week.

Unlike in the past, when coaches placed a strong emphasis on one aspect of the game -- including Lindy Ruff's penchant for offensive- minded hockey and Ken Hitchcock placing the priority on defense -- Montgomery has tied everything together in his first season behind the bench. Seguin said Friday that where Montgomery has succeeded is in his ability to draw the best out of players, which, in turn, has translated in him getting the most out of his team.

At times during last season, Seguin said there was too much of an emphasis placed on getting the "big dogs" going. But in his effort to put a better product on the ice, Montgomery has created an environment where it's vital that everyone, from top to bottom, remains engaged.

Now, as the Stars prepare for what they hope is the first of many upcoming playoff berths, getting the most of those who will comprise the postseason roster becomes critical.

No one knows that more, perhaps, than Seguin. 1139090 Dallas Stars

Stars head to playoffs, and the opponent doesn't matter

By Josh Lile

If you're a 20 year old Dallas Stars fan the memories of Ed Belfour licking the Stanley Cup and "someone" allegedly throwing it off of a balcony into a pool don't exist. The stories and Images are easy to find, but they mean little to you personally. You were maybe eight when the Stars franchise ended a run of making the playoffs 16 times in 19 years. You have no real recollection of the Stars doing any damage in the playoffs.

So stop worrying who the Stars play in the first round. Does it really matter?

This will be the third time in the last eleven years that the Stars have made the playoffs. We know they will start on the road. Most likely they'll see the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets or Nashville Predators, with an outside shot of the St. Louis Blues. Match up stories are already being written. I know I'll do it. I like money. It simply doesn't matter though because the intensity and fun that comes with any playoff matchup, especially for a team so long removed from consistent competitive playoff hockey, makes any match up acceptable.

It gives many players on the roster a fresh start too. Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, John Klingberg, Radek Faksa, Jason Spezza, Val Nichushkin, and Mattias Janmark are virtually all that remain from the last playoff team. Jason Dickinson, Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak, and Brett Ritchie were there, but played in a combined 46 games. This was only three years ago.

All of the turnover goes to emphasize how important it is to capitalize on opportunities when they arise. The Stars will go into the tournament a seven or eight seed, which normally is a signal of impending doom. It's entirely possible the Stars get blasted in four games. I wouldn't bet on it though.

Sneaking into the playoffs hides the potential the Stars have. A hot goalie can take a team a long way. If Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin can just continue playing like they have behind the quality defense the Stars tend to play they have the best goaltending in the Western Conference.

Mats Zuccarello has has now played less than two games as a Star. Had he been healthy I would wager the Stars are competing for the Central Division title right now. His impact has been so profound whenever he's been on the ice that viewing the Stars like a normal eight seed is utterly foolish. They're dangerous if they're healthy.

If you're young enough that you fought through the #PeskyStars to become a hockey fan in your formative years you deserve to enjoy this. Suppose the Stars do get bounced in four games. Hey, that's still four more Stars games than you've gotten to see for most of your hockey loving life. Buy some antacids, if you're legal to partake enjoy (responsibly), and strap in for fun no matter where the Stars end up going.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139091 Dallas Stars 5. So, here is where we stand heading into the final game of the regular season.

The Stars will be either the first or second wild-card team in the Western Stars 20/20: ‘It just wasn’t there tonight’ in Stars’ disappointing loss to Conference; there are still four different opponents they could meet in the Blackhawks first round.

Dallas has control of its destiny in some regard; with a point tomorrow By Sean Shapiro Apr 5, 2019 they would clinch the first wild card and would guarantee a matchup with the winner of the Central Division.

There are multiple possibilities, but here is the simplest scenario for each CHICAGO — The penultimate game of the Dallas Stars’ regular season potential playoff series: started and ended with disappointment in a 6-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. Calgary Flames: Dallas needs to lose in regulation, while the Colorado Avalanche would need to win against the San Jose Sharks. 1. What just happened? Nashville Predators: If Dallas picks up a point or if Colorado loses in any The Dallas Stars came into Chicago with a chance to clinch the first wild- fashion, the Stars would play Nashville if the Predators win against the card spot; that’s something they talked about the past two days. Blackhawks. The Stars would also play the Predators if Nashville loses and Winnipeg and St. Louis also lose. They had a mantra that they wanted to win the Jennings Trophy. That’s something that was harped on quite a bit at practice — let’s win this Winnipeg Jets: If Dallas picks up a point or if Colorado loses in any defensive award to get recognition for our defense and goalies. fashion, the Stars would play Winnipeg if the Jets pick up more points than the Predators and at least equal the points that St. Louis secures. On top of all that the team was rolling into the playoffs. They were riding a five-game point streak, playing some of their best hockey of the St. Louis Blues: If Dallas picks up a point or if Colorado loses in any season, and heading to Chicago for a meeting with a team that should be fashion, the Stars would play St. Louis if the Blues win and the Jets and done and buried. Predators lose.

Then this happened. 6. The Stars aren’t picking their matchup, but they said they’d like to avoid Calgary and the travel incorporated with joining the Pacific Division Lifeless. Listless. Uninspired. Comatose. Unconscious. Inanimate. bracket. Lethargic. Passive. Careless. Uninterested. Bored. Inert. Limp. Sad. Atrocious. Awful. Lousy. Poor. Substandard. Pathetic. “We’d like to stay in our own division, it’s less travel,” Montgomery said. “It’s important tomorrow that we come out and play a lot better than we 2. “Tonight we were mentally not that checked in,” Stars coach Jim did tonight.” Montgomery said. “And to be honest I didn’t think the Hawks were either. That was a shinny hockey game the first 15 minutes and then (Patrick) It’s also important to get their game straight before the playoffs. Kane scored a beautiful goal on a screened shot, using our defenseman as a screen. And then after that they capitalized on some chances, that “We just want to make sure we are playing the right way, playing to our was the difference in the game. To be honest I didn’t think either team identity,” Montgomery said. “If we do that we give ourselves a real was very good.” chance at a positive impact.”

Maybe the Stars were looking past the Blackhawks. Maybe they focused 7. Oh, and about the Jennings Trophy, any realistic chance of winning on the promise of playoff hockey that they secured earlier this week with the award as the NHL’s top defensive team went up in smoke. a win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Dallas would need to let up six fewer goals than the Islanders tomorrow “I think we’ll get over tonight pretty quick, I think obviously we were all to even share the award. looking too far ahead,” Tyler Seguin said. “We’ll regroup pretty quick here 8. Where to start with the specifics on this one? and finish off strong.” The most jarring and concerning thing is how out of sorts the defense 3. Jamie Benn wasn’t in Chicago. looked.

The Stars captain was back in Dallas resting with back-to-back games, a Yes, Chicago plays a more run-and-gun style, but the Stars lost their decision the team made to keep him fresh for the playoffs. structure completely. They didn’t gap up, they didn’t defend well in the Benn is the Stars’ emotional leader, as he goes the team goes. He didn’t zone, and when there was a battle for space the Stars basically go to Chicago, his team apparently didn’t go either. conceded to the Blackhawks.

The Stars players were asked after the game whether Benn was missed. And then instead of playing their game, the one that got them to the playoffs, they tried to play like Chicago. “Yeah, for sure,” John Klingberg said. “He’s very vocal I think in the locker room and at the bench and the way he drives the plays, he’s “I didn’t like the way we played,” Montgomery said. “I thought we were probably our most important player when it comes to that. He’s missed sloppy and we tried to play a skilled game, which is not our game. We for sure, but we have to step up the other leaders and settle down the weren’t tight defensively in our own end and we weren’t able to make game and change a little bit of the pace of momentum to the game.” enough plays … that kind of game that was played, that’s not our style of hockey.” “Anytime Jamie is not playing you’re going to miss him, he’s our captain and obviously the No. 1 leader on the team,” Seguin said. “But we’ve got 9. Anton Khudobin’s teammates bailed on him, he easily could have lots of guys that can step up and some guys are saying the right things bailed on them in the third period. tonight. But from first shift, it just wasn’t there tonight.” During the second intermission, Montgomery asked the goalie whether 4. One thing the Stars wanted to clarify after the game, this wasn’t a lack he wanted to come out of the game. The goalie said no. of effort. 10. Kane put Chicago ahead in the first period when he picked this “It definitely wasn’t effort based,” Jason Spezza said. “They were playing corner on a screen through Justin Dowling. loose, the puck was falling to a couple of those guys tonight. And then KANE'S LETHAL WRIST SHOT FLIES BY KHUDOBIN FOR HIS 43RD yes the execution, I don’t think we executed as well, I don’t think we were OF THE YEAR. PIC.TWITTER.COM/V66LLPZDLF as tight defensively and we didn’t capitalize on our chances.” — X – DYLAN NADWODNY (@DNADDERS) APRIL 6, 2019 “It’s not a lack of effort, I’ve been dealing with that in my own game before, trying to do too much,” Klingberg said. “I think you see a lot of While they trailed after the first period, the Stars were still in a good spot. that today as well. Trying to do too much, feel good about your game and They’ve come back from 1-0 deficits before, but everything broke open in just looks like it’s more careless. And you maybe sometimes trying to get the second period when Chicago scored three times on nine shots. yourself going and it hurts the team.” The three goals came during a backbreaking 6 minute, 41 second stretch Corey Crawford started and stopped all nine shots he faced before by the Blackhawks. leaving the game with a groin injury. Ward came in cold and stopped 25 of 26 shots. Two things about the goals that really stood out — they came on the rush and they came at the expense of Miro Heiskanen. That’s a pretty telling 19. The numbers game is well-known; the Stars have too many forwards thing about the night when two of the Stars’ most reliable facets, the rush for everyone to play in Game 1 of the playoffs. defense and the rookie phenom, struggled. That puts a bit more pressure on players like Dowling, L’Esperance, 11. Dallas did score in the third period and Joel L’Esperance fired home Pitlick and Janmark to prove they either should hold their lineup spot or his second career goal on the power play, but it was easily forgotten after that they can beat out someone slated to play in Game 1. Chicago scored twice more in the final stanza. On Friday none of those players really played themselves into a spot, but 12. The Stars started with this lineup: maybe the coaches saw something from others that would play them out. Saturday’s finale against the Wild could be rather telling. Jason Dickinson – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov 20. Here is how the Stars did when it came to Montgomery’s Process: Roope Hintz – Justin Dowling – Tyler Pitlick Win 56 percent of faceoffs: Failed. The won 44 percent of the draws. Mattias Janmark – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau Zero undisciplined penalties: Failed. Joel L’Esperance – Jason Spezza – Brett Ritchie Three or fewer odd-man rushes: Failed. Esa Lindell – John Klingberg Win net-front battle: Failed. Miro Heiskanen – Ben Lovejoy Win special teams: Passed. Jamie Oleksiak – Taylor Fedun The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 Valeri Nichushkin was sick and didn’t play.

Andrew Cogliano was held out as a coaches decision, making this the first healthy scratch of his NHL career. Montgomery did note that Cogliano would be back in the lineup against Minnesota on Saturday.

13. Benn, Mats Zuccarello, Ben Bishop and Roman Polak didn’t make the trip to Chicago and were rested back in Texas.

Montgomery said Bishop, who is still recovering from a lower-body injury, is likely going to play Saturday in the season finale after getting clearance from doctors in the morning.

Benn is also expected to play.

Zuccarello could be a lineup option against the Wild, but Montgomery also said he didn’t feel the need to get the forward into another game and that Zuccarello was ready for the playoffs after his showing Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

14. Resting Polak created an opportunity to play Oleksiak, who had played just once in the past seven games and three times in the past 10.

Oleksiak is likely going to start the playoffs as a healthy scratch but represents the insurance policy if an injury occurs.

“It’s really important (to have him play),” Montgomery said. “You know inevitably someone is going to get banged up in the playoffs and have to miss a game, so he’s got to be in game shape.”

Oleksiak ended up having one of the better statistical nights of the Stars defensemen and had 27 shifts for 18 minutes, 37 seconds of ice time.

He and Fedun were the only defensemen not on the ice for a goal against. The Stars had better shot-share when they were on the ice, albeit not often against Chicago’s top offensive threats.

15. The AHL affiliates of these two teams met back in Texas on Friday, with the beating the Rockford IceHogs 2-1 on a penalty shot goal by Ty Dellandrea.

It was a big night for Texas in their playoff race and goalie prospect Jake Oettinger improved to 2-0 in his pro career with a 23-save night.

16. On a coaching note, Vernon Fiddler traveled with the team for just the second time this season and will join the traveling party for the playoffs.

Throughout the regular season Fiddler has been the eye-in-the-sky coach for home games, watching from the press box and communicating via headset with Stu Barnes on the bench and video coach Kelly Forbes.

For road games, goalie coach Jeff Reese has held that role, while Fiddler will take over that responsibility in the postseason.

17. With Benn not on the trip, Spezza wore an “A” as the alternate captain Friday for the first time since getting stripped of his letter earlier this season.

18. Cam Ward deserves credit for his work in relief for Chicago. 1139092 Dallas Stars will get you something meaty to examine. I do believe the Cowboys like him.

This will be the focus of next Monday’s piece. I am still reasonably Sports Sturm’s Weekend Riffing: Biggest DFW trade, Stars’ playoff fate, confident the Cowboys get a deal done, but they don’t want to simply DeMarcus Lawrence’s contract hand Lawrence a blank check. They aspire to make a smart deal, as they should. Lawrence is, in fact, the War Daddy they have dreamed of since their last DeMarcus. With Robert Quinn in play, they have a real chance By Bob Sturm Apr 5, 2019 to put together a very strong defensive line, freeing up their linebackers to absolutely punish opponents. This could be a really big defensive year,

but they have to take care of their best defensive player. 61 days since Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta, one day until the Stars find out Thanks, Jeremy. There really should be no learning curve whatsoever; if their playoff opponent, perhaps five days left in Dirk Nowitzki’s legendary you hire someone to do your job in January, we trust that you hired a career with the Mavericks, and just 20 days until the NFL Draft in qualified candidate who now has eight full months until the season Nashville… begins. I realize this will be Kellen Moore’s first rodeo, but this is the big I usually riff with you from my very glamorous kitchen table while sipping leagues and he should know no ramp-up time is allotted. This could be coffee and seeing my kids get ready for school. This time, I have quietly Garrett’s last season, and it could be Moore’s only season as snuck out to the balcony of our family’s weekend retreat in Mexico so that coordinator. The two of them must be clicking perfectly in September. I I may marvel at the Caribbean Sea and find out what sort of sports topics am sure adjustments will take place, but you should only be hiring people are on your mind. Sports waits for no man’s sunburn. who are capable of doing the job now; not in three years once they get used to it. As Tyrion Lannister told Danaerys Targaryen, “You’re in the Since I also believe in journalism, here is a live shot of my office this great game now.” Friday morning. We will only fully know Travis Frederick is back to his usual excellence By the way, nobody down here seems too worried about the NFL Draft, when we see it. Unfortunately, we cannot believe much of what we hear NHL playoff pairings or whether Dirk is really calling it quits. from the Cowboys brass this offseason, because they are always quick to put on the bravest possible face in these situations. Frederick is back Let’s do this! in many respects and his mental acuity never went anywhere, so I am Wow, we’re off with a bang. I think the Amari Cooper trade was pivotal, optimistic. This could absolutely be one of the best acquisitions of the essential and masterful. Cooper is everything the Cowboys hoped he offseason. Imagine having Frederick back and Joe Looney available if would be and more. We shall see if I am overselling that moving forward, Connor Williams needs help. We should also hope Williams takes a large but I loved the deal when it happened (although I preferred they give up a leap forward. The Dallas offensive line could jump right back into ‘elite’ second-round pick rather than a first) and still love it now. status this year with just those two things happening. That will go a long way toward making Kellen Moore look good. However, the Mavericks’ addition of Kristaps Porzingis could be franchise-altering. We don’t know that it will be, but combining him with This is a very hot take about a player who will be a coveted free agent Luka Doncic for the next several years as both players approach their this offseason. Given that we don’t know what sort of impact he will make primes is the basis for a Western Conference power. There’s a chance in these playoffs and what contract number we are talking about, I would Dallas acquired a young superstar in a league where superstars change certainly not join you in slamming the door. everything. There are two conditions on the trade Jim Nill swung to bring Zuccarello Zuccarello is a nice piece. Cooper was an essential addition to an here from the New York Rangers for a second-round pick in 2019 and a offense that was struggling badly. Porzingis could be a massive part of third-round selection in 2020. The first: if the Stars reach the Western the next Dallas championship team. That probably answers this question. Conference finals, the 2019 pick converts into a first-rounder. If the Stars can win their first two rounds this year, everyone will be happy to wave The possibility of the Stars winning a playoff round or two absolutely goodbye to that selection. The second condition is far more penal, it exists. That doesn’t make them a favorite against Winnipeg (assuming seems. If the Stars re-sign Zuccarello this summer, that third-round that is the opponent) because the teams they will play against are selection in 2020 becomes a first in 2020. Ouch. stacked. But the Stars are awfully confident and have played gritty, feisty playoff-style hockey for a long time now. They have no problem with a 2- If the Stars sign the forward, we will know they plan on “going for it” next 1 or 3-2 game. They believe they can match you goal for goal and save year; understandable, with several players in their early 30’s, what is left for save. They believe in their system and their goaltending, and now of Jamie Benn’s prime and Miro Heiskanen’s entry-level contract. In other their scoring is coming on; this might finally be a two-line team, and one words, that selection won’t be a massive asset, as they plan to pick in the which features two other lines that can pitch in at the right moment. I like 20s. That is still quite a price, but I am not joining you in declaring it a the Stars in their current form. I don’t know how long they can hang dead issue. I really like the player and think the Stars need to use Jason around, but there is no real reason they can’t be right in the mix. The Spezza’s money on another gifted offensive player. Zuccarello can be Stars have taken a sizable step forward in the last few months under new that guy. coach Jim Montgomery, and I like it. Aaron Rodgers isn’t very popular around here right now. Given the Lindell’s contract will be very interesting. Unlike Klingberg, the Stars results in the 2014 and 2016 playoffs, I would say he is probably the properly waited on Lindell to see where his career was headed and how player most local fans would probably like to see go away from any future much he would develop. He is easily the Stars’ biggest unsung hero; he playoff meetings. Jose Bautista was pretty far up the list two years ago, continues to get the worst zone starts and assignments and his statistics but like Wade, he is pretty much off the stage now. certainly pay for it. It is hard for me to quantify his value, but his age All time? Wow. That is quite a list and perhaps the seeds for a big (almost 25) and ice time (almost 25 minutes per game) paint the picture column some time. Let me get back to that one soon, but the present-day of a valuable player. He is likely due for an awfully big pay raise this villains probably require some big playoff battles. Once the Mavericks summer as he becomes restricted. I am not sure the Stars are willing to return to the postseason, maybe James Harden or Russell Westbrook pay $6 million per year, partly because Klingberg is playing at the best will work their way onto that list. Villains require postseason battles. contract in the league; $4.25 million until 2022. But the Dallas front office Hockey has a chance to reveal one in the next few weeks. should make sure they keep their three European defenders together for as long as possible. Lindell is a very important piece within their puzzle. I think we should start by expecting a defensive player. I am still working my way through all of the options, but I think there is reason to believe Thank you for your kind words, Russell. I want to spend some time this the Cowboys will get their hands on someone decent. I suspect the summer studying a few training camp sleepers and Boise State’s Cedrick answer is in the secondary, and they might even choose a safety and Wilson is at the top of my list. He has good size, decent tools and cornerback with both of their Day 2 selections. I know that might not jazz produced phenomenally in two college seasons. But he hardly made a everyone up, but it might be the intersection of supply and the Cowboys’ ripple in his first NFL season because he immediately hit the IR to get his demand. It’s tough to find a great deal of pass-rush ability outside the first shoulder taken care of. Wilson now enters camp as a part of the team’s round, but I would bet the Cowboys go all defense on Day 2. WR mix, but is certainly on the outside looking in with all of these veterans in front of him. I vow that between now and my trip to Oxnard, I That is a good question and one I am not sure I have a great answer for. I was disappointed the AAF did not last for a full season because I thought they did a nice job in Year 1. Any startup knows the first year is about establishing awareness. It seems to me the league had no real financial wherewithal to sustain any amount of time without some sort of agreement with the NFL. The NFL was not going to get an agreement in place without the players’ association, and they weren’t interested in playing ball unless they could get some concessions on their next collective bargaining agreement.

In other words, the AAF didn’t have much of a chance to get the players they wanted – NFL-attached prospects – and without them, it was tough to see their path to viability. I think it is a shame, because players at the end of an NFL roster could really benefit from a loan system where they can get 60 snaps as a top player in a lower league. Then, their organizations and the rest of the NFL has new tape on them and considers them more heavily for other openings.

What if they get injured? Well, what if? This is football. Playing football can break your body. I just don’t see how the risk doesn’t meet the reward for that group of players. Of course, you aren’t sending your top players to this lower tier. But players with no contractual certainty — and no real guarantee that football has a place for them — should be awfully excited about making their name in the spring and showing off for NFL teams.

Alas, it won’t happen because everyone up the ladder is looking for their own cut. I think the AAF should have hung in there for the extent of this offseason, but it isn’t my money.

I think we often underrate Deion’s accomplishments because they never pushed them through to the finished product. In baseball, he was so close to really finding that next level, but never quite got there. As a receiver, he was always a novelty except in 1996 when he actually did play enough to get 67 targets. Michael Gallup had 68 this year, so imagine Gallup also being a full-time defender. That is tough to do. Deion was a one-of-a-kind athlete; so gifted he could do pretty much anything he wanted to do. He is also properly in Canton, Ohio, as a true Hall of Famer. Never quite the Dallas hero he had hoped to be, but there is no doubt he was an incredible athlete and a historically great corner.

That is all for this week. Thanks for your many questions and I will do more next weekend as the sports season hits its April stride. Enjoy your weekend!

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019

1139093 Detroit Red Wings

Report linking Yzerman with Rangers job casts doubt about him returning to Red Wings

Ted Kulfan, April 5, 2019

Detroit — Steve Yzerman an automatic choice to return to the Red Wings?

Well, hold on for a bit.

The New York Post reported Friday Yzerman would be “amenable” to talking with the New York Rangers about their upcoming vacancy for the team president position.

Hall of Famer Glen Sather, the current Rangers’ president, is retiring.

Sather would like to have his successor in place by the start of free agency on July 1.

Yzerman left his role in Tampa Bay as general manager before this season began, and became a consultant for the Lightning.

The Lightning — whose roster Yzerman constructed — will head into the playoffs next week with the league’s best record (61-16-4). If the Lightning wins their season finale Saturday, Tampa would tie the NHL record for most victories in a season (62), held by the Red Wings in 1995-96.

Yzerman, who had a Hall of Fame playing career with the Wings and began his front office career in the organization, has long been considered the likely successor to general manager Ken Holland.

But Wings’ ownership gave Holland, 63, a two-year contract at the end of last season — and Holland has shown no inclination to retire or move into a advisory role, but rather continue rebuilding the Wings’ roster.

This week, Holland extended coach Jeff Blashill’s contract for two years, one year beyond Holland’s contract is to conclude.

Former Rangers goalie and broadcaster John Davidson is also considered a favorite to replace Sather.

Davidson is currently president of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and previously worked in the same capacity with the St. Louis Blues.

Davidson remains popular in New York and his strong ties to the Rangers organization would appear to make him a natural fit — much like Yzerman with the Wings.

Detroit News LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139094 Detroit Red Wings Outlook: The teams close out the regular season in a crucial game for draft lottery odds. … Both teams have 74 points, so the winner will leapfrog the loser, but loser’s odds of getting the No. 1 pick will be better.

Griffins take advantage of late-season promotions to Red Wings Detroit News LOADED: 04.06.2019

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News

Pittsburgh – The wait was long this season but turned out to be well worth it.

For players like Matt Puempel, Dylan McIlrath, Dominic Turgeon, and Joe Hicketts, it was difficult at times during a long regular season waiting for a call to the NHL.

Though the Griffins are a good organization and they again have had a fine season, every player would rather be in the NHL.

“I’m not going to lie, it can wear on you,” said McIlrath of waiting to be promoted by the Wings. “It’s a long season. Every hockey player is wanting to get to that next level and has that competitive edge in them. That’s probably one of the toughest parts of the game in the AHL – staying patient and biding your time and getting better every day.

“I know it’s cliche, but you have to have your mind on the end goal. I’m glad it’s finally happened.”

When the Wings were hit with many injuries after the trade deadline – half the regular lineup was out the last several games – it presented the Wings with a great opportunity to promote veteran Griffins who were having fine seasons.

“That’s one of the things we’ve tried to do with some of these guys is get them up here as a reward for their work in the organization,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s a big piece of our development model. So some of the veteran guys who wouldn’t normally get the love, you get a chance to reward them and have them play in the NHL, and we get a chance to see them play.

“The one thing they would say is, give me an opportunity, and I get it. (But) sometimes opportunities are hard to give. Injuries have presented a ton of opportunity for guys and it’s good for us, we can get a look and see and have a better feel at what level they’re at. It’s hard to project guys at this level until you see them play.”

The older Griffins have played a part in the Wings’ success – they’ve won eight of the last 10 games – and Puempel got on the scoresheet in Thursday’s 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

Puempel deflected a shot by Filip Hronek, scoring an early power-play goal, his first as a Wing after earlier stays in Ottawa and the New York Rangers in his career.

“Being in the NHL before, and going to the minors, you have to work hard every day mentally and physically,” Puempel said. “To be able to come back at the end of the year, it’s been a lot of fun and it’s been fun getting some wins.”

Matt Puempel

While with the Wings, the Griffins players are still keeping tabs with their former teammates in Grand Rapids.

The Griffins players will be returned to Grand Rapids after Saturday’s game against Buffalo, and they’ll be eligible for the AHL playoffs. The Griffins close out their regular season next week.

The Griffins appear to be locked into second place in the Central Division, earning first-round home-ice advantage and should have a deep and confident team heading into the playoffs.

“That’s my team, we’ve sacrificed all year together,” McIlrath said. “I feel like it’s a quarter of the room is guys from GR right now. It’s fun to go through this for sure.”

Sabres at Red Wings

Faceoff: 7 p.m. Saturday, Little Caesars Arena

TV/radio: FSD/97.1 FM 1139095 Detroit Red Wings

Report: Steve Yzerman ‘amenable’ to wooing by Rangers

By Ansar Khan

Steve Yzerman is sure to be linked to every open or potentially vacant general manager or team president’s job over the next couple of months, whether the former Detroit Red Wings captain truly is interested or not.

According to the New York Post, Yzerman has some level of interest in the New York Rangers’ job which opened after Glen Sather announced Thursday he is stepping down from the day-to-day operations of the club.

Larry Brooks reported Friday that Yzerman is “amenable to being wooed by the Rangers.”

Yzerman, 53, joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as GM in 2010 and built the team into a perennial Stanley Cup contender. He stepped down in September, citing the desire to return home to Detroit to spend time with family. He remains a consultant with the Lightning until his contract expires this summer.

It has been widely speculated that Yzerman eventually will return to the Red Wings as GM and/or president.

General manager Ken Holland has one year remaining on his contract. Holland’s decision this week to extend coach Jeff Blashill for two seasons appears to indicate he will remain the GM for at least one more season.

Brooks cautioned that this news “does not mean that a deal is done” and it is uncertain whether the Rangers have asked for and received permission from the Lightning to speak with Yzerman. He said if the request hasn’t already been made, it will be.

He also noted that even if Yzerman is interested in the Rangers that he would not automatically be offered the job.

In addition to the Red Wings and Rangers, Yzerman also been linked to the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers.

Yzerman retired as a player in 2006, after 22 seasons with the Red Wings, including 20 as captain. He served as a special assistant to Holland until taking the Lightning job.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139096 Detroit Red Wings The Sabres didn’t figure to be this low but lost nine in a row (0-8-1) and experienced a 1-13-2 stretch before beating Ottawa 5-2 on Thursday.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.06.2019 Red Wings, Sabres meet in season finale for draft lottery position

By Ansar Khan

DETROIT – Percentage points are at stake when the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres wrap up the season Saturday at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit).

The teams have identical records (32-39-10, 74 points). The game has implications for Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery.

The loser will secure 28th place and a 9.5 percent chance of winning the lottery for the top pick in the June 21 entry draft, according to tankathon.com. That team also would have a 23.3 percent chance of drawing into one of the top three drafting positions.

The winner is assured of finishing at least 27th overall and will finish 26th if the New York Rangers (76 points) lose in regulation at Pittsburgh Saturday.

The 27th place team has an 8.5 percent chance of winning the lottery and a 26.1 percent chance at a top-three selection. The 26th place club’s odds are 7.5 percent (top pick) and 23.3 percent (top three).

This is particularly important because center Jack Hughes of the U.S. National Team Development Program is considered by many analysts as a generational talent who is certain to be selected first. Wingers Kaapo Kakko of TPS (Finland) and Vasili Podkolzin of SKA St. Petersburg (Russia) are widely regarding as high-end talents who will be taken second and third.

The Red Wings appeared destined to finish lower, perhaps even last overall, a few weeks ago before winning six in a row and going 8-1. The top line of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi has been dominant while injuries have forced players to be shuffled in and out of the lineup and back and forth from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

Detroit’s streak was snapped Thursday in a 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard said the importance of winning outweighs the need to improve draft lottery odds.

“It’s important to win games, especially with this young lineup,” Howard said. “For us, personally, when you go out there and the puck’s dropped, competitiveness takes over and you want to win.”

He said the notion that teams should deliberately tank is a farce.

“I don’t think anyone should be trying to do that,” Howard said. “It’s a competitive game. We all understand the situation, but when the puck’s dropped, your competitiveness takes over. You go out there and you try to win hockey games.”

General manager Ken Holland said he’s happy the team is competing until the end.

“I think the most important thing is we play to the finish line … I think it’s been a good thing,” Holland said. “Let’s hope on Tuesday night we get lucky in the lottery. If not, we’re going to get a good player, no matter where we pick in the draft. Certainly, if you get up to one or two, you’re getting a really, really good player. Even if you have the worst record in the league you only have an 18.5 percent (chance) at the first pick.

“I like that we’re winning off the backs of the young players, which provides hope for the future. It’s not like the veteran players have caught a second wind and we’re winning games off them.”

Said Larkin: “Before every game, the message has been this past stretch to build for next year and that for us that’s the exciting part.”

This late run provides hope for next season.

“One of the things we need heading into next year is hope and part of that hope comes from the confidence you gain from having that success,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think we’re playing what I would call smart, fearless hockey and that’s a hard thing to do those two things because fearless doesn’t mean careless, there’s a fine distinction there. But I think it’s something we need to bottle up and make sure we carry forward.” 1139097 Edmonton Oilers first. Carolina (11th best odds) won the second lottery draw and took Andrei Svechnikov at No. 2. The Montreal Canadiens won the third lottery draw, moving up from No. 4 and took Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the Johnny Hockey will be trying to get to 100 points Saturday against Oilers June draft.

(MC)SORELY NEEDED

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal Former Oilers defenceman Marty McSorley, in town Thursday before heading to Lacombe, site of the Allan Cup, for a luncheon, figures position might dictate how many Draisaitl scores down the road.

All eyes will be on Leon Draisaitl here Saturday night to see if he gets 50 “Mess () got 50 playing with (Wayne) Gretzky (in 1981-82) goals on the season, but if you’re waving the Calgary Flames pom-poms, but when Mess was at centre later, he was a playmaker, taking face-offs the story is whether or not Johnny Gaudreau can hit 100 points. in his end,” said McSorley. “At some time, Leon may have to make a conscious decision that for the team to be better, he has to play centre.” Gaudreau has 98, tied with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. This ‘n’ that: Kailer Yamamoto’s wrist issue is a concern for Bakersfield Five players have already hit 100 or more: Nikita Kucherov (126), Connor with the season winding down and the playoffs about 10 days away, but McDavid (116), Patrick Kane (107), Draisaitl (104) and Brad Marchand sending Josh Currie back to the AHL farm club isn’t tied to Yamamoto’s 100. status. The Condors have a Saturday game in San Antonio and after two “I remember Connor’s second season, where he was close to 100 points losses on the road to the Manitoba Moose, have to win a few to keep the and we wanted to get him that very badly,” Draisaitl said. “I think this second-place San Jose Barricuda from catching them for the Pacific speaks to our group. No matter what happens, we help each other out. Division’s top seed. We get excited for people to get milestones.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.06.2019 Draisaitl knows McDavid and everybody else is trying to get him the puck. He admits it’s uncomfortable, especially with players passing up better opportunities.

“Yeah, it’s hard for me, I’ve never been in a situation like this. I like looking for the pass more than anything but playing with Connor, he’s so good at passing, so good at everything.”

Draisaitl’s dad, Peter, a former head coach in Cologne, Germany, has been in town for several weeks watching his boy. But he won’t be making the trip to Calgary in case he gets his 50th.

“No, he’ll be watching from home on TV,” said Draisaitl.

The Oilers had fun at Friday’s practice with players who normally shoot left, using right-shot sticks and vice-versa as they tried to score. Draisaitl fumbled around like everybody else.

“It’s impossible to use a stick like that. I can’t control it,” said Draisaitl.

Added Milan Lucic: “That was hard. I’m not ambidextrous, or however you say it.”

FAN OF THE GAME

Lucic almost always is playing in the post-season, so this is strange stuff for him to be spending two years in a row as a spectator.

“Last year, I watched as much as I could to relive the playoff feeling. I’ve been fortunate to be part of the playoffs nine times and been to the Cup finals twice,” said the former Boston Bruins member.

He doesn’t root for anybody when he’s on the outside looking in, but …

“I’d like to see it brought back to Canada. It’s been 25 going on 26 years now (since Montreal won in 1993). Especially out west, this is as good a chance as ever,” he said. ‘I think Toronto’s got their hands full with Boston in the first-round. We’ll see how that goes.”

TIE THAT BINDS

Oilers interim general manager Keith Gretzky will be sweating it out at the NHL draft lottery Tuesday night, representing the club at the SportsNet TV show in Toronto (6 p.m.).

“Yeah, I’ve got a lucky tie,” said Gretzky, having some fun with the memory of former GM Steve Tambellini’s neckwear from when he won the lottery’s top pick three times. No word if Gretzky has any of the socks that ‘Lucky’ Bill Scott wore in 2015, when they got McDavid.

Heading into Friday night’s games, the Oilers had the seventh-best draft odds at 6.5 per cent. The team with the fewest points in the regular- season has an 18.5 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick, and Ottawa has already traded their first-round selection to Colorado as part of last season’s Matt Duchene trade, so the Avalanche are in the driver’s seat.

There are three separate lottery draws for first, second and third picks for the 15 teams who don’t make the post-season with, U.S. under-18 program centre Jack Hughes and Finnish right-winger Kaapo Kakko the consensus top two players on the draft board. Last spring, Buffalo, won the lottery with worst regular-season record and took Rasmus Dahlin 1139098 Edmonton Oilers “There you go, good company, but I know I don’t fit,” said Brown, who had 33 the next season, when Lemieux played just 59 games. “Mario had back problems.”

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl could join a small list of 50-goal But Brown doesn’t think this is a once-in-a-blue-moon season for scorers Draisaitl, one of the game’s best passing centres, but this year, more often on Connor McDavid’s left side.

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal “If he plays with Connor perennially, I think he’ll be between 40 and 50 goals. If he centres his own line, I think he’ll be a 100-point guy and he’ll have more assists. Leon has the ability to be a goal-scorer but his linemates will dictate that,” said Brown. As Leon Draisaitl tries to join the ultra exclusive Fifty Goal Club, he should know that , Frank Mahovlich and Jean Beliveau, all More wingers than centres have scored 50 because they need Hall of Famers, all who scored at least 500 goals, aren’t in it. choreographers, but the Fifty Goal Club is hardly bereft of pivots who’ve done it: Gretzky, Lemieux and Steve Yzerman, multiple times. Since became the first to do it almost 75 years ago, getting 50 in 50 for the Canadiens in 1944-45 before he became The “I don’t know if it’s harder position-wise. You need good linemates, no Rocket, only 90 players have found the key to 50 or more. Fully half of matter what,” said Draisaitl. “Ones who set you up and the other way those (45) did it just once, outliers like Wayne Babych (192 career goals) around.” and Gary Leeman (199). Seventeen of those players who achieved it once, hit 50 on the nose. Mark Messier, , Paul Kariya. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.06.2019

So the Edmonton Oilers winger, who takes his 49 goals into enemy territory in Calgary Saturday, should know that when you get the chance at 50, it might be the only chance.

“Obviously it’s a special milestone,” said Draisaitl. “I don’t need to beat around the bush.

“It would be pretty special for me but I’m happy with how I’ve played this season. I’ve been productive for the most part and if it stays at 49, I’ll be more than happy with that. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I’ll enjoy the last game and try to get one more.”

Draisaitl, who had 11 shots at Aaron Dell in Thursday’s loss to San Jose, seven on net, four blocked. He was feeling it in the third period, with Dell making three saves and his teammaes blocking three.

“Yeah, I probably could have ended this last night but the goalie made some good stops.”

In NHL history, only four players who hit 49 didn’t score 50 in another year.

Howe, Mahovlich, Kent Nilsson and our , the CHED colour commentator.

Mr. Hockey did it in 1952-53 in Detroit in a 70-game season. The Big M, Mahovlich, had 49 in Detroit in 1968-69 in a 76-game season. Kent Nilsson, who played on Messier’s wing on the Oilers 1987 Cup-winning team, had 49 for Calgary in ’80-81 in an 80-game season. Brown, more a playmaking centre in junior than a scoring winger, found himself playing with 30 years ago in Pittsburgh and wound up with 49, as well, in only 68 games because he was hurt.

That was his one shot at glory, and he had it snatched away from him.

“My not getting 50 is a fun story: Last game of the season in Philadelphia, and we couldn’t move up or down in the standings but the Flyers could if they won,” said Brown. “I needed two goals, hit a crossbar in the first period, then scored late in the second to get to 49 and the game went to overtime. With a minute to go and needing a win, the Flyers pulled their goalie and I was on the ice, the net was empty and I knew Mario (Lemieux) would go through the whole team and set me up.”

“But just before they dropped the puck, our coach, Gene Ubriaco, called me off the ice and put out Dan Quinn, Mario came by the bench and said ‘Ubie, he’s got 49 goals.’ Ubriaco said, ‘It’s a team game, it’s not about individuals,” said Brown. “So Dan Quinn tells me, ‘I promise you I’ll get off as quickly as I can.’ But Mario went through the entire team and scored into the empty net. Gene Ubriaco wasn’t on my Christmas card list for a long time afterwards.

“Then, years later I went to the minors and Ubriaco was with our . He claims not to remember the story.”

An injury may have KO’d him before Ubriaco stepped in.

“I missed 12 games with a separated shoulder, throwing a body-check. I tried to hit Joe Nieuwendyk and threw my shoulder out, so I stopped doing that,” said Brown, laughing at the short list of players who’ve had 49 but never 50. 1139099 Edmonton Oilers

Middle men the centres of attention among NHL’s 50-goal shooters

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal

Lest you think 50-goal scorers are all wingers, guess again.

Mike Bossy had nine before his back gave out after his 10th NHL season with New York Islanders, and Alex Ovechkin has eight 50-goal seasons in Washington, but some centres are double-threats, too.

Wayne Gretzky scored 50 or more nine times, Mario Lemieux and Marcel Dionne six, Steve Yzerman and five. Mike Modano had 50 one year, so did Vincent Lecavalier. Some coaches have never been graced with such a milestone shooter.

“I don’t think I’ve ever coached a guy who had 50 in a season,” said the Oilers’ Ken Hitchcock, who has coached in Dallas twice, Philadelphia, Columbus, St. Louis and Edmonton and might see Leon Draisaitl do it in Calgary on Saturday.

“Modano had 50 in Dallas but that was before I started there (in 1993- 94),” Hitchcock said.

No defenceman has ever scored 50, but Paul Coffey came close with 48 in ’85-86, doing that in the second-last game of the Oilers season. He broke ’s record 46 on April 2 in Edmonton’s third last game, which was against the Vancouver Canucks.

Nine power-play goals and nine shorthanded goals for Coffey that season.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139100 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers pulling for both German-born players to score in Calgary

Derek Van Diest

With a game left in the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers would like nothing more than for their German contingent to end up with a combined 51 goals this season.

As much as the Oilers want Leon Draisaitl to score his 50th goal in the season finale Saturday against the Calgary Flames, they also want Tobias Rieder to score at least a goal before its all over.

Rieder has one game left to try and break the goose egg in what has been his most frustrating season of his NHL career.

“I think all the guys in here want Toby to score and obviously Leon to score his 50th,” said Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom following a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. “It’s good motivation for Leon and a good motivation for us too. And (Johnny) Gaudreau is going to be going for his 100th point, so it’s going to big night for both Calgary and us.

“I’m going to do my best to shut down Gaudreau and help Leon get his 50th and Toby get his first.”

Rieder came close to scoring against the Sharks, getting a point-blank chance in the second period, but was stopped by goaltender Aaron Dell. Rieder holds the distinction of taking the most shots in a season by a forward without a goal (90), surpassing Craig Adams who took 84 shots without a goal with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009-2010.

“You feel terrible for him, it’s tough to imagine how frustrating it is for him,” Klefbom said. “He’s working so hard in practice and he’s really going for it, so I really want him to get his bounce and score his goal. It’s been a very frustrating year for him and for us as a whole team.

“He’s a good player, I don’t know how many goals he had last year (12), but he is a good player and he has a lot of tools to score goals, but it’s really frustrating for him right now and it’s really tough to be out there when things aren’t going his way.”

Rieder signed a one-year deal with the Oilers this summer worth $2- million. He had 12 goals and 25 points between the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings last season.

Rieder, 26, was originally drafted by the Oilers in the fourth round — 114 overall — of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and traded to the Coyotes when he wasn’t able to break through in Edmonton. The product of Landshut, Germany had a career-high 16 goals in 2016-17 with the Coyotes.

“I think we feel for him because he’s had some good chances and he has been unable to snipe,” said Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock. “But it hasn’t prevented him from playing the game the right way. He’s a guy that’s continued to get ice time even though he hasn’t scored. We’d like him to score for him and we’d like him to score for us, but he’s played the game properly, but he has the respect from the coaching staff and respect from his teammates, which is ultimately what your looking for.”

Unfortunately for Rieder, he won’t be back with the Oilers next season as Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson told season-ticket holders at a recent event. So Saturday will likely be his final game with the Oilers.

“I don’t know if he’s going to score goals in the NHL at a regular rate in the NHL ever again,” Hitchcock said. “But there is always going to be a place for players like that, depth players that play the game the right way that you don’t really have to coach. I think the team is pulling for him so hard. They want him, as bad as they want Leon to get his 50th, they want Toby to get a goal too.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139101 Edmonton Oilers As I’ve said before, the entry of Seattle for the 2021-22 season, which coincides with the move of Arizona to the Central Division, seems like an opportune time to introduce a new playoff format. But for that to happen, LeBrun Notebook: Dean Lombardi’s future, playoff format extension and it’s going to come down to enough NHL owners suggesting it to Daly and award talk league commissioner , and for the NHLPA through a player push to desire change.

Hart and Award talk By Pierre LeBrun Apr 5, 2019 A year ago the players voted Connor McDavid as being the most outstanding player in winning the NHLPA’s prestigious Ted Lindsay Award. Taylor Hall was awarded the Hart Trophy as MVP from voting by It stands to reason that Dean Lombardi’s name has popped up again of the Professional Writers’ Hockey Association (I voted for Nathan late for potential job openings but the reality is that the longtime GM is MacKinnon as my top guy but didn’t mind Hall winning at all). happy with his current gig. I wonder if we won’t again get a split decision between the Ted Lindsay He is the senior advisor to the GM in Philadelphia and thoroughly enjoys and the Hart Trophy. the work he’s been doing there since he joined in 2017. He’s behind the scenes, away from the cameras, digging in on analytics and video work. The award often overlaps but some years there’s a clear distinction between MVP and most outstanding players; they’re not always one and So when the Ottawa Senators reached out to talk to him, he said no the same. thanks. It seems clear to me that Nikita Kucherov is the heavy frontrunner for the In fact, I’m told four NHL teams in total have reached out wanting to talk Hart but what about the Ted Lindsay? Will the players also consider the to Lombardi since he was fired by the Kings in April 2017 (there are NHL points leader in Kucherov as having a more outstanding season rumours Vancouver was one of them). But he said no thanks all four than McDavid? Again, McDavid will lose votes in the Hart because of the times. MVP-in-the-playoffs argument. He’s happy where he is at this point. So much so that sources indicate “It’s tough,’’ answered Maple Leafs star blueliner Morgan Rielly on Lombardi and Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher plan on sitting down before the Thursday when I asked to put himself in the writers’ shoes on the Hart. end of the month and negotiate a new contract to stay put. “It’s tough because it really depends how you value certain things, What’s interesting is that it’s former GM who brought because I hear some people talk about how the Hart Trophy winner has Lombardi into the fold so when the GM change occurred earlier this to be on a playoff team. I don’t really know if I think that’s true or not. season, it remained to be seen how Lombardi would fit into things under Obviously Kuch is an unbelievable player, you look at his numbers; Fletcher. But the two have hit it off, big time. Fletcher greatly appreciates Connor has had an unbelievable year, but if the playoffs are that the work Lombardi is doing. important to you then it makes it tougher for you to vote for him. In my mind, I don’t think that is that important.’’ So unless both sides aren’t able to agree on the extension, it sure sounds like Lombardi will be a Flyer a while longer. Then Rielly leaned back and started to think about other Hart candidates.

At some point in a few years I can see Lombardi resurface as a president “There’s a lot of good players out there,’’ he said. “In this room, you could of hockey ops somewhere. But for now he seems intent on seeing say guys like Mitch and J.T. On Tampa, you could say Kucherov, on through the work he’s begun for the Flyers. Boston you could say Brad Marchand. So I don’t envy you guys having to vote on that. It’s tough. It would really have to come down to what you Playoff format believe is important. … Tampa being that good, it’s probably hard not to vote for their best guy.’’ As I reported Wednesday via Twitter, the NHLPA and NHL have agreed to roll over the current playoff format for at least one more year next Before leaving, Rielly then brought up Sidney Crosby and the amazing season. season he’s once again having. Yet another good choice.

THE NHL AND THE NHLPA HAVE AGREED TO A ONE-YEAR It wasn’t a wasted exercise for Rielly. He’ll be required to vote on the Ted EXTENSION OF THE CURRENT DIVISIONAL ALIGNMENT AND Lindsay Award. Will he go Kucherov or McDavid? He wasn’t saying. PLAYOFF FORMAT. THE MATTER WILL CONTINUE TO BE DISCUSSED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES MOVING FORWARD. SO The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 EARLIEST CHANGE WOULD BE FOR 2020-21 IF/WHEN THERE IS CHANGE.

— PIERRE LEBRUN (@PIERREVLEBRUN) APRIL 3, 2019

The agreement on the current format between the NHL and NHLPA was expiring at the end of the season so the league needed the players’ union to sign off on an extension through next year.

The NHLPA took the matter to its executive board (31 player reps) and early this week got the sign-off.

Which doesn’t necessarily mean the players will want to stick with this format forever. I suspect you’ll see the players discuss it during their summer CBA meetings.

The league, though, appears content at this point with the format despite criticism from some circles.

“As we have said repeatedly before, the current playoff system has served us well and has accomplished its objectives — building and promoting rivalries, enhancing and maximizing fan interest and ratings, avoiding untenable travel scenarios in early round series, among other things,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told me via email Thursday. “There does not appear to be any consensus among our clubs either advocating for or proposing change. Having said all that, we obviously monitor all elements of our game on a constant basis. If there is ever a reason to consider a change, I’m sure we will consider a change. But I think it’s safe to say we are not at that point currently.’’ 1139102 Florida Panthers Luongo still has three years left on the 12-year deal he signed in Vancouver and there will be implications for both the Panthers and Canucks if he retires before the contract expires when he is 43.

Is Saturday the end for Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo? Maybe, but He has said that if he did not feel he could play at a high level, he would probably not hang them up. That has not been the case of late.

Doubting his ability

By George Richards Apr 5, 2019 Around the New Year, Luongo admittedly looked like a shell of himself.

From Dec. 20-Jan. 13, he lost six of eight starts (it was almost seven) SUNRISE, Fla. — The Panthers held an optional practice Friday and he was pulled in three of them. morning, but one of the first players on the ice was 40-year-old goalie Speculation surrounding his future intensified. Roberto Luongo. “I went through a stretch of like four or five weeks where I didn’t have For the second consecutive day, he was one of the last ones off it as much confidence and doubted my ability to play at a high level at my well. age,” Luongo said.

With much speculation surrounding Luongo’s future plans, he certainly “That hurt me for a while. I was disappointed in myself that I allowed does not appear to be a guy in the final days of his NHL career. myself to get there. Once I got over that mental hump, decided to play Will Luongo return to the Panthers next season? hockey and trust myself, the last two or three months of the season, I felt pretty good about my game.’’ No one has a definitive answer because it does not appear there is one. With those self-doubts behind him, Luongo has been sharp lately and is “I want to sit down and have a talk with (the Panthers) because, right ending this season on a strong note. now, everything else is hearsay,” Luongo said Friday, a day after his 40th birthday and the day before he appears in his 1,114th NHL game Luongo made 30 saves to win in Boston last Saturday and was named (including the playoffs) and 578th with the Panthers. the first star of the game in a building he does not have fond memories of dating back to the 2011 Stanley Cup final. “I want to make sure everyone is on the same page and we all want the same thing. We will see what the plans are for the team moving forward. Over his last five games, Luongo is 4-1-0 with a 2.60 goals-against For me, there are a lot of things involved in the decision, but sitting down average and has made 92 percent of his saves. with management and seeing their plan is the first step.” Luongo makes a save on Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk at the By his actions, though, it appears Luongo is leaning toward a return for at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. (Marc DesRosiers / USA Today) least one more season. When Saturday’s game against the Devils in the When asked if starting Luongo on Saturday had anything to do with the season finale is complete, his goodbyes may just be for a few months. possibility of it being his final game, Boughner said that was not the case. “He has to decide if he wants to come back and in what type of capacity,” Luongo is playing well, he said, and deserves to play. coach Bob Boughner said Friday. “We decided throughout the year to go with the guy with the hot hand, “It’s going to be Lu’s decision and he will make it after the season. For and Louie has played pretty good the past couple of weeks,” Boughner me to say I know either way or which way he is leaning, I really don’t. I do said. “It is sort of fitting for him to finish us off the way he has been not think anyone does. We’re waiting on Lu to make his decision.” playing. Who knows what will happen next year? … For me, for Lu, for our fans and for our players, it is important to see him out there.” Luongo told The Athletic last month he has not decided what he will do and that the Panthers will be involved in the decision. Luongo also says he feels great, the complications from major hip surgery in the summer of 2016 now in the rearview. “It is important for me to make that decision once this season is over — after we are removed from everything,” Luongo said last month. The time he missed this season was due to a freakish knee injury sustained in the second period of the season opener when Frank “We have to see where everyone is at. This is not just up to me. I think Vatrano and Mark Pysyk collided in front of the net. Vatrano fell on the team has something to say about it as well. We will come to that Luongo’s outstretched right leg and twisted his knee in the process. when the time comes.” Luongo did not need surgery to repair a partially torn MCL, but he did Numerous front office members have said they do not know what Luongo miss a month and then a few additional games when he aggravated the wants to do. They have said they have no plans to pressure Luongo into knee around Thanksgiving. anything, including retiring. “I didn’t miss any games to injury aside from that unfortunate incident in Playing meaningful hockey next season also seems to be a motivating the first game,” Luongo said. “It was a good year as far as that is factor. Luongo said it would be nice to go into the offseason with a “good concerned. The past couple of years, I had different injuries popping up taste” after a season that started with high expectations crumbled. here and there, and it was hard to stay positive at times. Once I came back from the knee injury, I was pretty much healthy the rest of the year.” “Listen, it’s a big disappointment, especially after the big second half we had last year where we were one of the best teams in the league,” Changes in net, responsibilities Luongo said. With the problems the Panthers have had in net this season — Luongo “We wanted to carry that momentum into this year but unfortunately had has been a part of that — there will be changes next season. another rough start and never got any traction going. We tried to make up some ground, but it is hard to go on a hot streak like we did last year.” Luongo came into this year as the starter with James Reimer as his backup. Florida will not go into next season with the same setup. Down in Miami, Heat star Dwyane Wade has been feted throughout the season after announcing in the summer that this would be his final Reimer — whose wife April gave birth to the couple’s second child on season, or, as he called it, one “last dance.” Wednesday — is not expected to return next season and, unless Luongo gets pulled on Saturday night, has probably played his last game with the Luongo has obviously made no such declarations and has shot down Panthers. reports that his health could force him into retirement following this, his 19th NHL season. Florida is expected to find a new starter this offseason and is targeting Columbus star Sergei Bobrovsky. If Luongo does return to the Panthers APRIL FOOLS??? HTTPS://T.CO/0NGZZJN8FO next season, it could well be in an unfamiliar role as the backup to Bobrovsky or whomever else Florida brings in. — STROMBONE (@STROMBONE1) APRIL 2, 2019 Being the backup means fewer games, but it does include spending more time on the practice ice, including staying late on game days to work with other players who are not playing that night. On Friday, Luongo said he would be fine with that situation.

If Luongo really is cool with being a backup, that only adds to the feeling that he would return next season even in a limited capacity. He joked about the time he was relegated to backup duty in Vancouver, which helped lead to his trade back to the Panthers in 2014.

“I have done it before. I know what it takes. I realize I am 40 years old, and taking on a heavy workload at this age is tough,” said Luongo, a two- time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada who is second all-time in NHL games played and third in victories.

“I am well aware if I come back, that is the likely scenario for me. And I am OK with that. I like to practice. The only time I don’t practice is if I am tired, but if I am not playing as many games, I would have more energy to practice and work on my game. When I have missed some time, I have had some of my best games when I have come back. So, that’s not an issue at all.”

Montembeault back to the minors

Rookie goalie Sam Montembeault played perhaps his best game since joining the Panthers last month on Thursday as he stopped 35 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Islanders.

“I was seeing the puck well and I got pulled in my last start, so it was important for me to come back strong with a good performance,” said Montembeault, who had not played since being replaced by Luongo after giving up two goals on four shots at Toronto on Mar. 25.

“It’s obviously good for my confidence, and it’s probably important for me to have a good summer on and off the ice and come back to training camp and be ready if there is a spot for me and if there’s an opportunity for me to take it.”

After the game, Montembeault was sent back to Florida’s AHL team in Springfield, Mass.

The move was made so that Montembeault could play a few more games — the Thunderbirds have five left — before the offseason. Jayce Hawryluk and Dryden Hunt will also rejoin Springfield. The team went into Friday seven points out of a playoff spot with five games left.

“It’s good for those guys to go down and play in some important games,” said Luongo, whose brother Leo is Montembeault’s goalie coach in Springfield. “Hopefully they can sneak in.”

Montembeault ends his first season with the Panthers 4-3-2 with a goals- against average of 3.04 and a save percentage of .894.

He could be back next season, probably not in a starting role at least initially, but perhaps as a backup depending on what happens with Luongo and Reimer.

“He played amazing. He gave us a chance,” Boughner said. “He has learned a lot in his eleven (appearances), I think, and he’s seen a lot of different games: us being really good in front of him, and us not doing good in front of him, and on the road in some tough buildings. He should be proud of his stint that he’s had here. He’s proven to a lot of people that he’s capable of being a solid goaltender in the NHL.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139103 Los Angeles Kings Sprong beat Campbell cleanly with a snap shot from the far edge of the right circle for a 3-1 lead at second intermission before Steel and Jakob Silfverberg scored on an empty net.

Ducks end dismal season on high note with win over Kings Amadio zipped the puck through from the left side after Matt Roy’s shot was redirected by Austin Wagner and kicked out by John Gibson.

By CURTIS ZUPKE APR 05, 2019 | 10:55 PM Rowney easily deposited a no-look pass from Jones from the slot following a scramble that left the Kings chasing the play.

Ducks defenseman Brendan Guhle suffered an upper-body injury in the All it took was a red-hot Korbinian Holzer for the Ducks to end their first period and did not return. Ducks defenseman Andy Welinski was season on a good note. reassigned.

Holzer was finally unleashed, so to speak, when he scored his first goal UP NEXT FOR KINGS in more than two years Friday, and it was entirely representative of the season-series ending game between the Ducks and Kings at Honda VS. VEGAS Center. When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Depth players and prospects took the spotlight, and it was a prettier On the air: TV: FSW; Radio: iHeartRadio (LA Kings Audio Network) showing for the Ducks, who got goals from Holzer, Sam Steel, Daniel Sprong and Carter Rowney in a 5-2 win. Update: Vegas has already clinched a first-round playoff matchup with the San Jose Sharks. Former St. Cloud State teammates Jimmy Schuldt Holzer slammed home Max Jones’ backhand feed through the slot for his of the Golden Knights and Blake Lizotte of the Kings could make their first goal since April 2, 2017, a span of 38 games for the veteran NHL debuts against each other defenseman. LA Times: LOADED: 04.06.2019 Holzer said he scored in minors in February so it wasn’t completely foreign.

“I kind of still knew how to do it,” Holzer said. “But Jonesy made a great play obviously. He gets most of the credit. I just had to put it in the open net and find a spot there.

“Obviously it feels good, the last game of the season, to get a goal. Get the donut out of the stat sheet there.”

Holzer missed 42 games with a wrist injury and climbed his way back into the back end of the Ducks’ defense.

It doesn’t make up for the lost time but it meant more.

Season finale of Kings-Ducks rivalry usually is must-watch. Not this season.

APR 05, 2019 | 10:30 PM

“I think this feels a little emotional, too,” Holzer said. “I had the injury. That kind of stuff, you never know how you come back from that. I knew I had a lot of doubters coming at me and talking to me.

“For me, it’s a little bit of satisfaction coming back and playing well and getting an opportunity and trying to make the most of it.”

Holzer’s glimmer of hope could be symbolic of the Ducks, who will start over after they finished with 80 points, their fewest since they also had 80 in 2012.

That feeling could not be said of the Kings.

They will mercifully end their season Saturday on the heels of a loss to their rival.

Michael Amadio scored on a solid night for his line, and rookie Carl Grundstrom added his fifth goal in 14 games on a bull-rush drive to the net in the third period. But the Kings’ performance seemed to run counter to their previous win and overall final approach of playing for each other.

“I thought we played hard,” Alec Martinez said. “We had breakdowns. They capitalized on our mistakes.”

It wasn’t the ideal follow-up for Kings goalie Jack Campbell.

In his first start since his career-best 49-save performance Tuesday, Campbell was charged with four goals allowed in his final start of the season.

Campbell made big stops on Jones and Derek Grant moments before Holzer’s goal but was outnumbered on the attack. He went into Friday second in the NHL with a .930 save percentage and fourth with a 2.23 goals-against average.

“He’s been awesome,” interim coach Willie Desjardins said. “Too bad, tonight, that he finished that way, but he made some big saves again.”

Steel scored shorthanded and finished with five goals in five games. Jones recorded his first multipoint game with two assists. 1139104 Los Angeles Kings For more perspective, three players lead the league with seven fights this season. In 2010-11, the Ducks’ George Parros led with 27. With 19, Clifford was fourth.

Tough Kyle Clifford could be Kings’ MVP this season KOPITAR TO BE HONORED

Team captain Anze Kopitar will be honored before Saturday’s game for By Robert Morales having played in his 1,000th career regular-season game – all with the Kings – in Monday’s loss to Calgary at Staples Center.

Kopitar, at 1,001 before Friday, is fourth on the franchise’s all-time list. ANAHEIM — Kyle Clifford is a fourth-line forward, but he might be the Kings’ Most Valuable Player in this disappointing season that will end — KINGS VS. VEGAS — Saturday when the Kings host playoff-bound Vegas at Staples Center. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

No, he doesn’t lead the team in scoring, but he did have a career-high in Where: Staples Center goals (11) and points (20) going into Friday’s game against the Ducks. He was also a team-best plus-4 on a team with mostly minus players. Records: Vegas 43-31-7 (93 points), Kings 30-41-9 (69 points, before Friday) Clifford works as hard, if not harder, than anyone on the team in practice. He and backup goalie Jack Campbell, anyway. Clifford never slacks off in TV: Fox Sports West a game, even when his team is losing handily. He’s also a solid fighter who leads the team in fighting majors this season. Radio: Kings Audio Network (iHeartRadio)

By most measures, he is having his best season under very trying Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.06.2019 circumstances, with the Kings missing the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.

Clifford was asked about his campaign. Not one to boast, he tried to put things into proper perspective.

“I think I’m just making more plays out there,” said Clifford, in his ninth season; his previous highs in goals and points were seven and 15, respectively. “With Darryl (Sutter), we had a structure and we played that way and it worked. It was successful. Last year, with Johnny (Stevens) coming in, there was a lot more freedom to make plays and I think I’ve taken advantage of that.

“With the (league-wide style of play) changing, too, you need four lines that can roll and play and your third and fourth lines have gotta give you good minutes. They’ve gotta contribute offensively, defensively; they’ve gotta be sound.”

Sutter was relieved of his coaching duties after the 2016-17 season, with Stevens being promoted to head man for ’17-’18. But Stevens was fired 13 games into this season and replaced by Willie Desjardins on an interim basis.

Desjardins sounds like he’s one of Clifford’s biggest supporters.

“I’ve always liked him,” Desjardins said of Clifford, who gets occasional duty on the third line. “He’s been maybe considered more of a just hard- energy guy. This year I think he’s shown he can score. And he’s made some good plays, too. It’s not just his goals.

“And you’ve gotta give him a lot of credit. It’s an easy situation to get discouraged. Hisminutes weren’t great minutes, but every day he came to play. It didn’t matter what he was getting, he showed up.”

Desjardins said the idea that he is getting inquiries about Clifford at this point in time sayssomething.

“It’s nice at this time of year that you guys are asking about him and saying things,” he said. “It just kind of shows what kind of year he’s had.”

Clifford, 28, will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season. Has his stock risen?

“I don’t know if I could really put an answer to that,” he said. “I just come in every day and try to be the best version I can of myself and push myself.”

CHANGING GAME

Much has been made in recent years about how the game has changed, especially in regard to how fast teams play these days. Part of that change has included fewer fights.

“I know when I first came into the league, I think I had like 15 to 20 fights,” Clifford said. “I mean, this year I think I’ve had five or six.”

Clifford’s first season was 2010-11, when he was involved in 19 fights. He has six this season. 1139105 Los Angeles Kings Kings players know that there’s a major discrepancy between Quick’s numbers and Campbell’s, but don’t see a potential Quick decline as the explanation.

Examining Jonathan Quick trade scenarios and why a deal this summer “I had the conversation with one of the players the other day (about this),” makes sense Kings forward Kyle Clifford said. “And it just seems like, for whatever reason, we’re really letting Quickie out to dry and the chances we’re giving up, it’s like five-to-10 Grade-A chances and he’s played great. He’s By Josh Cooper Apr 5, 2019 done his job and we just haven’t done a very good job in front of him. It’s tough when you’re getting that many chances every night against. We’ve

got to do a better job as a team in front of him.” EL SEGUNDO – The Los Angeles Kings are set in goal next season. As the Kings look to refresh their lineup and rid themselves of aging That has been the case for a number of years, with L.A. having the elite assets, Quick has emerged as one of their top trade chips. Los Angeles Jonathan Quick as its unquestioned starter for almost 10 years. not only has Campbell under contract for $675,000 for one more year, it also has Cal Petersen at $925,000 as a pending restricted free agent. But it’ll be a little different heading into 2019-20, with the 33-year-old This season, in 11 games with the Kings, the 24-year-old Petersen Quick near the end of the worst season of his career and two youngsters looked like a potential No. 1, with a 2.60 goals-against average and .924 beneath him showing their NHL chops. save percentage.

Take, for example, this exchange between The Athletic and backup Jack Jack Campbell is under contract for one more season and believes he Campbell on Thursday. can be a No. 1 goalie. (Sergei Belski / USA Today)

Reporter: Do you think you’ve sort of stated your claim this year as a guy Quick makes $5.8 million for the next four seasons and doesn’t have who could start in this league? trade protection in his contract. A contending team could use him, but his fit on the Kings may make less sense. In our player poll, seven percent of Campbell: I mean … yeah. respondents said they would want Quick starting for them in Game 7 of a Reporter: You think so? (for clarification) Stanley Cup final. This ranked fourth among NHL netminders. Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012 and also helped lead Los Angeles to Campbell: For sure. the 2014 Cup.

The interview ended right there, and Campbell didn’t really need to prove “He’s had a tough year numbers-wise, but nobody would ever second- that point in his words. His play has mostly done the talking. In 30 guess him when it comes time to win a game,” interim coach Willie games, he has a 2.23 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. Desjardins said. He made 49 saves in his last game – Tuesday at Arizona – to crush the Coyotes’ playoff hopes. Earlier in the season, it seemed Quick had the top trade value on the team – as a guy who could help a contender’s goaltending situation if it One game earlier, Quick gave up seven goals in a brutal loss to the didn’t have faith in its current No. 1. The Kings held onto him and now, Calgary Flames. Quick has played 45 games, with a 3.41 goals-against unfortunately for L.A., the view seems different. It may be harder to get a average and .887 save percentage. He has fought through two injuries first-round pick or high-end prospect unless general manager Rob Blake this season, so that should be taken into account. can pull off some magic.

The Kings rank 11th-worst in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 3.15, “Maybe some goalie guru can tell you his game is good and his numbers which makes Campbell’s numbers that much more eye-popping. are a product of the team. To my eye, his numbers are not good and he has not been good. … therefore trade value not good,” an NHL team Quick is coming off a 2017-18 season in which he had a .921 save scout said. percentage and 2.40 goals-against average in helping lead the Kings to the William M. Jennings Trophy. The former NHL goaltender said the Carolina Hurricanes – a team on the upswing that could add veteran leadership in goal – could be a fit. Overall, he still has the skill set to be a No. 1 – but the game has changed a bit on him and he needs to make adjustments, at least He also noted the Edmonton Oilers could use Quick, though they did sign according to a former NHL netminder. Mikko Koskinen to a three-year deal at $4.5 million per season. They also have just $7.75 million of projected salary cap space for next “Quick has a very unique style that he has played. He kind of season, according to Cap Friendly. revolutionized the position in the way that he plays, down in his edge- work and powerful pushes, but I find now in the way today’s game is If the Columbus Blue Jackets lose Sergei Bobrovsky this summer, they played that you need to be in position after that first shot because you would be a logical fit for Quick – as a contending team in its window of can’t defend like you used to be able to. There’s guys that are open opportunity. He would also be a bridge to the Elvis Merzlikins era. more. It’s harder to tie guys up in front,” the former goaltender said. “You’ve gotta be more conservative I think to have success and be The Calgary Flames have pending UFA Mike Smith in goal and, in the around the net and almost after that first save, be in good position to past, Calgary preferred to add veteran netminders – like Smith, Brian make that next save right away. You can’t be outside of your crease Elliott and Jonas Hiller – rather than develop its own. trying to scramble back. I don’t think he’s a diminished product but I do The Philadelphia Flyers could use a mentor for Carter Hart, and Quick think he needs to re-invent his style or maybe update his technical play.” has a relationship with former Kings GM Dean Lombardi, who works on The goaltender referenced 36-year-old Pekka Rinne as someone who Philly’s management team. also played a little out of control, but reined in his style and became more Also, the Kings can wait to see where Bobrovsky goes, then look to trade in tune with today’s game. Last season, Rinne won the Vezina Trophy. Quick to teams that were trying to add the Russian netminder. Or another “He made a lot of adjustments. He used to have similar problems where team could pop on L.A.’s radar. he would be overaggressive on the first shot and then he’d have to “I’m sure they could get something for him,” said former NHLer Shane scramble back and then they’re diving around and they make some O’Brien, who does analyst work for Sportsnet. “There’s teams heading incredible saves but it opens it up for a little bit more chaos and into the playoffs right now – if you asked the Calgary Flames or St. Louis unpredictability,” the goaltender said. “He still has a lot left in the tank but Blues, if they would take Quick in net right now heading into the playoffs. I think he really has to retrain his mindset and his muscle memory, the They would probably take him in a heartbeat. I’m an old-school guy. way he plays to be a little more conservative and just rely on positioning, When a guy wins you two Stanley Cups and plays the way he did, if he rely on his ability to see pucks off sticks and just so his recoveries aren’t wants to be a King for his whole career, I think he’s earned that but so big you don’t need to get into scramble mode right off the first shot. there’s definitely teams out there that would take Jonathan Quick, for You’re already in position for any rebound or anything that happens after sure.” the initial shot.” If the Kings do go the trade route, they would most certainly have to retain a lot of Quick’s salary, based on his performance this year, in order to get some viable return. “They probably have to share some risk in the money,” an NHL team executive said.

Starting in 2020-21, Quick’s real-numbers salary goes down to $3.5 million, then to $3 million the following year, then to $2.5 million in his last season of this contract. This could make a deal for him more attractive to a team that doesn’t want to shell out a ton of real dollars.

Said a former league executive, “He has huge declining cash, so retain 50 percent and he is in backup territory from a salary perspective.”

But there’s also the emotional cost of trading someone who has been so important to the franchise, and that doesn’t come with a price tag. Quick, a third-round draft pick in 2005, has been with the Kings his entire career and is emblematic of the team’s success. He’s seen as one of the go-to guys in that dressing room and a phenomenal teammate.

“He’s an awesome team guy. He’s never, ever once pointed a guy out,” Clifford said. “He’s one of the leaders on the team. He takes the load. He carries it on his shoulders. I think he’s 100 percent the reason why we’ve had so much success in the past is basically on Jonathan Quick.”

The past? Yes, but the Kings are trying to look to the future and that’s why dealing Quick could net them the assets they need to move forward. It’s a tough call, one of many that Blake will have to make this offseason.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139106 Los Angeles Kings Michael Amadio, on the Kings-Ducks rivalry:

It’s huge. Every time we play them it always seems to add in the way it did tonight, so we knew that coming in. We knew that both teams were APRIL 5 RAPID REACTION (FEAT. CURTIS ZUPKE): DUCKS 5, KINGS going to come in and battle hard. 2 Amadio, on earning six points in his last six games:

I think I’m just playing a little more loose, you know? Just trying to go out JON ROSENAPRIL 5, 2019 there and do what I can and make plays with the puck and it’s finally paying off I think.

Rapid Reaction feat. Curtis Zupke of the LA Times Amadio, on what allowed his line to make plays in the attacking end:

Post-game Quotes I think just getting pucks behind their D and getting on the forecheck and getting shots on their goalie. Willie Desjardins, on what the game meant to both teams: Amadio, on what Kovalchuk’s presence does for their line: It’s always nice to win. It doesn’t matter what game it is, it’s nice to win. I’m sure Anaheim wanted one in the series. So, I don’t know how much it He’s a great veteran presence to have. He tells us little things that we meant to both of ‘em, but I know it’s good to win. might not think of, so it’s nice for young guys like me and Wags to have him mentoring us out there. Desjardins, on his feelings with one game remaining in the season: Amadio, on the difference between tonight’s game and other games I don’t know, you want to play well at home. You always try to find a way against the Ducks this season: to get better. I think it’s a chance for the younger guys to show what they can do. I think it’s a tough situation for some of the veteran players, but I’m not really sure. We tried to come in and play a good game. I don’t it’s a home game, so I look forward to it. We’ve got to be ready to play really know what to pinpoint that on. well. Post-game Notes

Desjardins, on not playing as tight defensively in this game versus — With the loss, Los Angeles fell to 63-52-26 all-time against Anaheim, a Anaheim: record that incudes a road mark of 25-31-15. The Kings failed to become We had lots of shots tonight. I think the difference a little bit [was] in the the first team in the rivalry’s history to sweep the season series and specialty teams. If we would’ve capitalized there, it would’ve been a concluded the season with a 3-1-0 record against the Ducks, who different game. It happens some nights, but I thought the first period was finished with a 1-2-1 record head-to-head. good. I thought they got a little bit of momentum in the second, but it — With the loss, Los Angeles fell to 21-23-5 against the Western wasn’t that they outplayed us or whatever. The game was pretty even. Conference, 13-12-3 against the Pacific Division, 11-21 in three-goal Desjardins, on Michael Amadio’s performance and his line: games, 20-6-3 when scoring first, 15-17-4 when tied after one period, 2- 36-3 when trailing after two periods, 11-17-3 when outshooting their Yeah, Amadio’s been a good player. He’s good with the puck, he makes opponent, 5-6-1 on the first night of back-to-back sets and 18-9-3 against good plays. It’s tough – it would’ve been nice for Cliffy to get that other teams they faced in the playoffs this decade. one, but it didn’t happen. — With 69 points through 81 games, Los Angeles will accrue among the Desjardins, on whether Jonathan Quick will start Saturday’s season fewest point hauls in team history. Other seasons with similar or lower finale: point hauls:

Yeah. 1968-69: 58 points in 76 GP

Desjardins, on Jack Campbell’s play this season: 1969-70: 38 points in 76 GP

He’s been awesome. He’s ahad a great year. Too bad tonight that he 1970-71: 63 points in 78 GP finished that way, but he made some big saves again tonight. But overall, he’s had a great year. 1971-72: 49 points in 78 GP

Alec Martinez, on the vibe of tonight’s game: 1981-82: 63 points in 80 GP

Obviously these are not very fun games to play in, but everyone’s a 1982-83: 66 points in 80 GP professional. You’ve got to get through that. I thought guys played hard. 1983-84: 59 points in 80 GP Just didn’t get the result. 1985-86: 54 points in 80 GO Martinez, on the possibility that certain players may not be on the roster next year: 1986-87: 70 points in 80 GP

No, I don’t look at it that way. That’s the business side of it and that’s 1987-88: 68 points in 80 GP beyond my pay grade. My job is just to show up and play, so I don’t think about that. 1993-94: 66 points in 84 GP

Martinez, on the Ducks-Kings rivalry: 1994-95: 41 points in 48 GP (pro-rated to 70 points)

You know that regardless of wherever everyone is in the standings, it’s 1995-96: 66 points in 82 GP always going to be an emotional battle. It’s going to be a revved up 1996-97: 67 points in 82 GP environment and that’s what it was tonight. 1998-99: 69 points in 82 GP Martinez, on Amadio’s game in his last few appearances: 2006-07: 68 points in 82 GP He played really well for us. Whenever he’s been up this year, he’s a good young centerman. He’s a smart player. He can make good plays — The Kings finished with a 14-20-6 road record. Their 14 road wins are and it’s good to see him getting a couple of goals and he clearly can the fewest in a full, 82-game season since they recorded 11 road wins in finish as well. 2006-07. The worst road record in franchise history was 2-30-6, set in 1969-70. Martinez, on if tonight was a step back from the last game in terms of playing for each other: — Since Anaheim entered the league in 1993-94, there have been only five seasons in which neither the Kings nor Ducks qualified for the I thought we played hard. I think we had breakdowns. They capitalized playoffs: 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 2003-04 and 2018-19. on our mistakes. But no, I don’t agree. — Carl Grundstrom scored in each of his three games against Anaheim this season.

— Michael Amadio has recorded points in five of six games since his recall, totaling two goals and five points.

— Los Angeles attempted 74 shots (46 on goal, 11 blocked, 17 missed). Anaheim attempted 54 shots (33 on goal, 11 blocked, 10 missed). Carl Grundstrom finished with a game-high six shots on goal and tied Kyle Clifford with a game-high four hits. All L.A. skaters other than Alex Iafallo finished with a shot on goal.

— The Kings won 30-of-52 faceoffs (58%), including 14 of 19 in the third period, when Anze Kopitar won 7 of 8 and Jeff Carter won five-of-six. Overall, Adrian Kempe won 2-of-9, Michael Amadio won 4-of-9, Kopitar won 14-of-19 and Carter won 10-of-15.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139107 Los Angeles Kings

GAME 81: LOS ANGELES AT ANAHEIM

JESSI MCDONALD APRIL 5, 2019

GAME THREADS

Anaheim Ducks 5, Los Angeles Kings 2

Final Score

Preview

Box Score

Ice Tracker

Fox Sports Live Stream

SOG: LAK – 46; ANA – 33

PP: LAK – 0/5; ANA – 0/1

First Period

LAK – Michael Amadio (6) (Austin Wagner, Matt Roy); 11:51

ANA – Carter Rowney (7) (Max Jones, Derek Grant); 14:02

Second Period

ANA – Korbinian Holzer (1) (Max Jones); 10:38

ANA – Daniel Sprong (14) (Devin Shore, Cam Fowler); 16:42

Third Period

ANA SHG – Sam Steel (6) (Jakob Silfverberg, Cam Fowler); 8:34

LAK – Carl Grundstrom (5) (unassisted); 14:57

ANA ENG – Jakob Silfverberg (24) (Rickard Rakell); 18:48

Los Angeles Kings (30-41-9) at Anaheim Ducks (34-37-10)

Friday, April 5, 2019, 7:00 p.m. PT

Honda Center, Anaheim, CA

Referees: #22 Ghislain Hebert, #28 Chris Lee

Linesmen: #73 Vaughan Rody, #76 Michel Cormier

Fox Sports West, FOX Sports GO, LA Kings Audio Network

LAK starters: G Jack Campbell, D Derek Forbort, D Drew Doughty, LW Alex Iafallo, C Anze Kopitar, RW Dustin Brown

LAK scratches: D Kurtis MacDermid, D Sean Walker, F Brendan Leipsic, F Blake Lizotte, F Jonny Brodzinski

ANA starters: G John Gibson, D , D Jacob Larsson, LW Max Jones, C Derek Grant, RW Carter Rowney

ANA scratches: D Josh Manson, F Ryan Kesler, F Troy Terry

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139108 Los Angeles Kings Tyler Toffoli wouldn’t mind the consolation.

“I think it would be a good feeling,” he said. “We wish we were winning all four games and then going into the playoffs, but I’ve never won all four or APRIL 5: CAMPBELL’S GOOD PRACTICE HABITS; KRIS KROSS; five against them, so there’s also a sense of pride in the rivalry that we’ve FIRST FREEWAY FACEOFF SWEEP? had over the years since I’ve been in the league.”

Los Angeles is 63-51-26 all-time in head-to-head meetings and 6-2-2 in JON ROSEN APRIL 5, 2019 the last 10.

— Campbell, on any commonality between his performances last week in Calgary and Tuesday in Glendale, Arizona: “Just [teammates] being hard MORNING SKATE NOTESVIDEO in front of the net. I don’t think either game they had a lot of redirections, and if you look back at the other Arizona game, they scored a lot of goals A good afternoon to you all, Insiders. The LA Kings skated at 10:00 at just tipping pucks, and they’re really good at it. It’s not just something Toyota Sports Center this morning before busing south to Anaheim in they do. If guys are really hard in front of the net lifting sticks, getting advance of tonight’s game at Honda Center (FOX Sports + / FOX Sports physical, it makes my job a lot easier, and they did a heck of a job at app / LA Kings Audio Network). It was an optional skate, so there were that.” no line rushes. Wait for the song. Really, if searching for a commonality, the string of solid play stretches Notes! well beyond the Calgary game. — The vitals: Jack Campbell was the first goalie off the ice and therefore “I feel like he’s played like that ever since he’s been up, so I think he’s the projected starter. He’s 1-1-0 in his career against Anaheim with a just been consistent for us. He gives us a chance to win every night,” 3.00 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage over three Jonathan Quick said. games, though that includes his first career NHL appearance, a 41-save loss at Honda Center while with Dallas early in the 2013-14 season and “He was on it [against Arizona]. He was reading it well.” his second career appearance in November, 2016, when he entered the game to begin the third period in his second career appearance. Earlier — An added perk that 13 of Dustin Brown’s 22 goals have been scored this year he stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 4-1 win on November 6. “He’s at Staples Center? That’s 13 opportunities to hear Kris Kross’ Jump. “I probably our hardest worker in practice, and I think that translates for him liked Kris Kross growing up, for sure,” Brown said. “I don’t have a goal in the game,” Dustin Brown said of Campbell, who ranks second in the [song] – I was just ‘eh,’” he said of his motivation behind the 1992 hip hop league with a .930 save percentage. “He competes – I mean, that’s the classic. one thing that’s just through the roof for him is just how hard he Brown never got in the habit of wearing his clothes backwards in the style competes, and he’s been really good for us all year.” of both Kris and Kross, even though such things would have been It’s not uncommon to see Campbell return to the room after a practice so acceptable for a eight-year-old. “I think my brother had the cassette – we drained that he needs several minutes to catch his breath. just listened to it a lot.”

“I’ve told him before sometimes he might need to tail it back – that’s how — New Jersey lost in Carolina last night and sits one point in front of Los hard he goes sometimes,” Brown said. “When Quickie got hurt, he was Angeles with only one game remaining: Saturday night in Florida. Their still going really hard in practice and he was playing a big chunk of 10 road wins are the fewest in the NHL. games. It’s one thing to go really hard when you’re playing once every In the event that both the Kings and Devils finish tied in points and two weeks, but he’s managed it really well, and like I said, part of the regulation/overtime wins, the next tiebreaker to apply – because the two reason I think he’s so good in games is because of how hard he teams split the season-series – is overall goal differential, which New practices.” Jersey would need to make up some ground in to finish with the second- Kurtis MacDermid skated with the group but will run out of time in an best lottery odds. Entering play Friday, Los Angeles has a minus-61 attempt to return with the big club, and Desjardins essentially ruled him differential, New Jersey -54. out for the remaining two games. MacDermid confirmed that he had been Were the Kings to finish 30th, they’d have a 13.5% chance at the first injured in the hit he delivered on Sam Bennett (who is expected to return overall pick and a 38.8% chance for a top-three pick. Were they to finish for Calgary’s first round series, Bill Peters shared today). The Kings will 29th, they’d have an 11.5% chance for the first pick and a 33.9% chance run with 12 forwards and six defensemen; Click here for the alignment for a top-three pick. they showed at practice Thursday. The draft lottery will be televised live on NBCSN at 5:00 p.m. PT on — Their vitals: End of the road for the Ducks. They’re the lone NHL team Tuesday, April 9. whose season ends tonight, and with 78 points through their first 81 games, they’ll finish with their fewest (non-lockout season) points since — More to come later today, Insiders. Tonight’s officials are referees totaling 76 in 2003-04. (Anaheim’s weakest point haul was 37 in the 48- Chris Lee and Ghislain Hebert and linesmen Vaughan Rody and Michel game 1994-95 season, which pro-rates to 63 points in 82 games.) Cormier. Let’s talk soon, Insiders.

Jonathan Gibson, who is 9-4-0 in 14 career games against the Kings with LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.06.2019 a 1.88 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and two shutouts, is the projected starter. The Ducks will welcome Brendan Guhle (oblique) back to the lineup for the first time since March 5, while Josh Manson (upper-body) isn’t expected to play. Troy Terry (leg fracture), Ryan Kesler (hip) and Ondrej Kase (shoulder) are out.

— Anaheim’s broadcast will be carried on Prime Ticket, but FOX Sports West Plus will air the Los Angeles broadcast. You can find that on COX at 84/410; DISH at 451 and in HD at 9539, Hopper at 412-39, DirectTV at 692-1 (SD and HD) and U-verse 693 at HD 1693 in addition to FOX Sports GO.

— Since the Ducks entered the NHL in 1993-94, neither of Southern California’s teams has ever swept all games of the Freeway Faceoff. The Kings came close in 2001-02, winning four games and tying the fifth. But with wins in each of the three games to date – two in regulation and once in a shootout – Los Angeles will be able to go a perfect four-for-four tonight. Willie Desjardins smiled when asked about it, apparently not wanting to provide any unnecessary fodder within a rivalry in which neither team has much of a platform to roost. “I haven’t even thought about it,” he said. 1139109 Minnesota Wild

Dallas plays conference foe Minnesota

By The Associated Press

Minnesota Wild (37-35-9, seventh in the Central Division) vs. Dallas Stars (42-32-7, fourth in the Central Division)

Dallas; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Dallas hosts Minnesota in Western Conference play.

The Stars are 13-10-2 against the rest of their division. Dallas has converted on 20.9 percent of power-play opportunities, scoring 44 power- play goals.

The Wild are 23-21-5 in conference play. Minnesota has surrendered 43 power-play goals, stopping 81.9 percent of opponent opportunities. In their last matchup on March 14, Dallas won 4-1. Tyler Seguin recorded a team-high 2 points for the Stars.

TOP PERFORMERS: Seguin leads the Stars with 47 assists and has collected 78 points this season. Alexander Radulov has scored seven goals over the last 10 games for Dallas.

LAST 10 GAMES: Wild: 4-5-1, averaging 1.9 goals, 3.2 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game with a .926 save percentage.

Stars: 5-3-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 5.1 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .922 save percentage.

Stars Injuries: None listed.

Wild Injuries: Zach Parise: out for season (illness).

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139110 Minnesota Wild

The season finale: Wild at Dallas

Sarah McLellan

7 p.m. at Dallas • American Airlines Center • FSN, 100.3-FM

Wild will see Stars in final game of season

Preview: The Wild wraps up its season back on the road in Dallas against the Stars, who were in Chicago on Friday night to take on the Blackhawks. After a 3-1 win in October, the Wild has dropped three straight to the Stars. The team has registered just one goal in each of those losses.

Players to WATCH: Stars C Tyler Seguin has four points vs the Wild this season. D Miro Heiskanen’s average ice time before Friday’s game (23 minutes, 9 seconds) was tops among rookies. Wild C Nico Sturm had three shots in his NHL debut Thursday.

Numbers: The Wild is 10-5-2 in its past 17 road games. Two of the Wild’s past three games have been shutout losses. Dallas is 23-14-3 at home.

Injuries: Wild Fs Zach Parise (lower body) and Mikko Koivu (torn ACL and meniscus) and D Matt Dumba (torn pectoral) are out. Stars Fs Martin Hanzal (back), D Stephen Johns (post-traumatic headaches) and Marc Methot (knee) and G Ben Bishop (lower body) are out.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139111 Minnesota Wild “You coach until you’re told not to coach anymore,” he said.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.06.2019

Wild coach Bruce Boudreau: 'I don't want to go anywhere'

After missing playoffs, coach says he'd like to stay, "but that's not my call."

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune APRIL 6, 2019 — 1:04AM

As he milled around home Tuesday evening after the Wild was officially eliminated from playoff contention, coach Bruce Boudreau wondered, “What now?”

This was the first time in his 12-season NHL career behind the bench that he didn’t advance after leading a team from start to finish. His only other missed playoff came in 2012 after he took over the Ducks in November, with Anaheim’s bid falling short despite a second-half surge under Boudreau.

That year was also the last time the Wild didn’t move on to compete for the Stanley Cup.

“It’s weird,” Boudreau shared the next day, after the Wild’s final practice of the season Wednesday at Tria Rink. “It’s not a good feeling. If you take anything from it, [it’s] that you understand you never want it to happen again.”

Rehashing the past six months that led the Wild to Saturday’s finale in Dallas against the Stars will be Boudreau’s focus once his earlier-than- usual offseason begins, but whether he’ll get the chance to redeem the Wild in 2019-20 is unclear as the 64-year-old approaches the final season of his four-year contract.

“The competitiveness in me always wants to make amends for what went wrong,” Boudreau said. “So obviously, I want to come back. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to go anywhere. But that’s not my call, obviously.”

There is no indication the Wild is considering a coaching change. An NHL source said owner Craig Leipold and General Manager Paul Fenton had not discussed the matter.

While the Wild faded this season, sitting 37-35-9 with one game to go, its partnership with Boudreau has still been a fruitful one.

Since hiring him in 2016 after he had stops in Anaheim and Washington with the Capitals, the Wild is 131-86-28 — a .592 points percentage that ranks 11th in the NHL over that span.

Boudreau’s first campaign was the most successful one in franchise history, culminating in 49 wins and 106 points, and the Wild also topped 100 points a year ago.

But both seasons fizzled in the first round, in just five games.

“I just always never wanted to miss [the playoffs],” Boudreau said. “So it’ll be a tough pill to swallow, to watch it.”

A former Jack Adams Award winner as coach of the year, Boudreau is the second-fastest to reach 500 wins (which he accomplished March 2018) and is ninth among active coaches in wins (540) and third in points percentage (.641).

Boudreau remained at the helm of the coaching staff when Fenton took over for Chuck Fletcher. That was the first wave of a front-office shuffle, with Tom Kurvers and Jack Ferreira joining Wild brass and former senior vice president of hockey operations Brent Flahr departing midseason to join Fletcher in Philadelphia, where he was brought in to be the Flyers’ GM.

Turnover also hit the roster, with Fenton making the most significant revisions leading up to the trade deadline when he dissolved the core he inherited by shipping out forwards Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund.

Fenton is scheduled to address the media Tuesday. Boudreau’s four- year contract is worth $10.5 million before playoff bonuses.

“You always want [clarity] sooner than later,” Boudreau said.

Until then, he’ll keep operating as if nothing has changed. 1139112 Minnesota Wild

What’s next for Wild rookie Nico Sturm? One more game, then final exams

By Dane Mizutani

Wild rookie Nico Sturm knew something was up when all of a sudden he was at the front of the line before Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins.

He walked out of the locker room, strutted down the tunnel, and nobody followed his lead. His solo lap lasted for about 20 seconds before the rest of his teammates joined him on the ice.

Welcome to the @NHL, Nico Sturm!  pic.twitter.com/C2VMcGsJT1

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) April 5, 2019

“That’s one of the things I’ll remember,” Sturm said with a laugh. “It’s just a common practice now, I guess. The guys were super supportive throughout the game and everybody just pumping my tires.”

While the result wasn’t what Sturm wanted in his NHL debut, a 3-0 loss, he tried to look big picture: It signaled the start of his NHL career. He has one more game left, against the Stars in Dallas on Saturday night, before he returning to Clarkson University to finish out the semester.

“I’ve still got final exams and what not,” Sturm said. “I still have to wrap that up at some point.”

Why would a soon-to-be 24-year-old who just signed a professional contract care about returning to campus?

“I definitely plan on getting my degree (in financial info and analysis),” Sturm said. “It’s important to me. I’m going to wrap up this semester and then I have six classes left and then I’m just going to do one at a time over the next couple of years.”

Yet another example of how impressive Sturm is. He’s polished beyond his years, especially for a young man who first arrived in the U.S. just six years ago.

“After my hockey career is done I’d like to stay connected to the sport and do something in management or what not,” Sturm said. “I think (my degree) is something I can do a whole lot with, and a degree is useful regardless of what happens. It’s important to me. I want to finish it.”

In due time, Sturm will let himself reflect on the fact that he’s currently living out his childhood dream. In the meantime, though, he’s simply trying to make sure he’s doing the right things.

“Once I’m back on campus next week, then everything’s going to settle in and I think I’ll realize what happened,” Sturm said. “I’m probably going to be a little overwhelmed. For now, I can’t get starstruck against the best players in the world. I have to try to stick to my guns, and I thought I did a pretty good job of that (in my NHL debut).”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139113 Montreal Canadiens He soon began doing play-by-play during senior hockey games, imitating and, in 1956, dropped in on the original broadcaster in Toronto. Even though he had no appointment, After almost 50 years on the air, Hockey Night in Canada godfather Bob Hewitt welcomed the young greenhorn into his office, and listened to an Cole to hang up his headset audition tape Cole recorded while laying on his belly on a catwalk above the ice at Memorial Stadium in St. John’s.

Hewitt offered advice on how to use his voice to paint a picture, and how MARTY KLINKENBERG inflections could be employed to engage and excite the audience. The last thing Canada’s most famous announcer told him was, “I have no

doubt you will be up here one day.” The godfather of hockey broadcasting settles into a chair in the lobby The following year, Cole did his first full hockey broadcast during a lounge at the Westin in downtown Edmonton. commercial-league game between two local bakeries. VOCM was so The hotel is a few blocks from Rogers Place, the home rink of the Oilers. pleased that it added senior hockey to his responsibilities, paying him $5 A jersey autographed by members of their 1984 Stanley Cup-winning for each game he announced. One year he did 81. team hangs on the wall. In 1964, he left the local station for a job as a radio news anchor at CBC. Bob Cole remembers the night well. He announced the game. As viewers The network made its debut on television in Newfoundland and Labrador across Canada watched spellbound, he anointed Wayne Gretzky and in 1965, and for a few years he did both radio and TV. At one point, he Mark Messier and the rest of the team’s brilliant young players “the new served as the quizmaster of a regional game show for high-school bunch on the block.” students called Reach for the Top. Alex Trebek moderated the national version. He is 85 and a national treasure, the trusted orator of a wintry country’s most beloved sport. He orders a glass of cold milk, and quietly eases into Cole joined Hockey Night in Canada’s cast during the 1969 playoffs, conversation. He sees himself as secondary in importance to hockey, announcing a game on radio in Boston. That night, Jean Béliveau scored and begrudgingly agrees to an interview. in double overtime to clinch the semi-final series for the Canadiens.

He called his first game on Hockey Night in Canada on April 24, 1969. It wasn’t until years later that Cole learned it would be the only goal the Saturday night will be his final telecast. Fittingly, it is a match between Hockey Hall of Famer ever scored in overtime. the NHL’s oldest rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal “That is crazy,” Cole says drawing from his glass of milk. “My first game Canadiens. had a big history to it. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time. But here it is “I never did wake up one morning and say, ‘You know, I should think 50 years later, and it is still a big one.” about giving this up,’ because I have never thought about that,” Cole He started doing Hockey Night in Canada on television in 1973, and for says. His voice is familiar and comforting, like a cup of hot cocoa. “When nearly 30 years was its primary voice. For four decades, he announced you hit 50 years, it sounds like a lot, and it is. at least one game in every Stanley Cup finals. “Fifty years? Even I am surprised. I can’t believe it.” Generations have grown up listening to him. He doesn’t distract with He did not retire by choice, and has not even officially said he is retiring. statistics and stories, even though there are countless anecdotes he Rogers, which has produced Hockey Night in Canada on Sportsnet since could tell. Instead, he allows a game to unfold and uses his voice to 2014, declared in September that this season would be his last. generate excitement, as a musical conductor waves a baton.

“It is awkward, really,” Cole says. “I told them I didn’t want to think about “We are in the business of putting people on the edge of their seats,” retiring. I don’t even want to use the word. says John Shannon, who has produced Hockey Night in Canada or been on the air himself for 42 years. “When he is on his game, Bob is better “I feel comfortable working and I still enjoy it. But I know you can’t go on than anyone in the business. forever.” “There is a simplicity to his vocabulary. He uses words better than The telecast from Montreal will be his 16th of the 2018-19 season. anybody. There is a magic to that.” Everywhere he has gone on his farewell tour, fans have given him a standing ovation. The great broadcaster stands at his perch high above Host George Stroumboulopoulos tapes an interview with Cole, centre, the ice and acknowledges their love with a simple wave. and retired commentator Dick Irvin, Jr, right, for the airing of the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, on Dec. 6, 2014. He has no idea how many NHL games he has announced over the years. It is certainly in the high hundreds, if not thousands. MARK BLINCH/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“I never gave it much thought,” he says. “I only think about tonight’s ‘HE IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE GAME’ game, and when it’s over, I reflect on it. Bob Cole was a good hockey player in his teens, but it was clear his “I have come to realize I will never do a perfect game. I would love to be skills would never carry him to the big time. His delivery, tone and ability perfect, but you can’t. You just hope people tuning in enjoy it.” to turn a phrase got him there, and made him as famous as the superstars he chronicles. Cole was 16 before he saw his first NHL game live, when the New York Rangers visited the Rock during a postseason barnstorming tour. “He is synonymous with the game,” Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, says during a telephone interview from New York. “His voice is HE LANDED HIS FIRST JOB IN RADIO IN 1954 AT VOCM the background music around which our game is played.”

A proud Newfoundlander, Bob Cole grew up near the wharves in St. Bettman does not recall when they met, but assumes it was early in the John’s. As written in his book, Now I’m Catching On: My Life On And Off commissioner’s tenure during a Saturday night game at Maple Leaf The Air, his father was a penitentiary warden. In his youth, Bob milked Gardens. cows and looked after the piggery on the prison farm. “The reason I can’t recall it precisely is that he has always been a As a boy, he listened to NHL games on Saturday nights in his room on constant," Bettman says. “When you think of the game and Hockey Night Quidi Vidi Road with hockey photos arranged on the bed. He was 16 in Canada, you think of Bob. He is the modern-era Foster Hewitt. If you before he saw his first NHL game live, when the New York Rangers weren’t talking about Foster Hewitt, you would be talking about Bob.” visited the Rock during a postseason barnstorming tour. He worked for CBC radio in 1972 when he was assigned to do play-by- After taking a job as a bellboy one summer on a passenger ship and play during the Summit Series, the first true meeting between the world’s working in a margarine factory, he landed his first job in radio in 1954 at superpowers of hockey. Eight games were played between the Soviet VOCM as a part-time news reader and DJ spinning records by Frank national team and a squad made up of elite Canadian NHL players. Sinatra and Eddie Fisher. Canada managed only one win and a tie in four games on its home ice and then lost the first game in Moscow. The Canadians seemed headed for a humiliating defeat in the series before rallying to win Game 6 and Growing up in the suburbs of Edmonton, Messier watched Dick Irvin and Game 7. Dave Hodge on Hockey Night in Canada.

The Soviets held a 5-3 lead in the third period of the eighth and deciding “I’d see the guys in powder-blue jackets interview players with towels game when Phil Esposito and Yvan Cournoyer evened the score. Then around their neck,” Messier says. “Then one day I was there, getting that Paul Henderson, who had the winning goals in games 6 and 7, made the attention.” now-famous shot from heard ’round the world. It was during the 1984 Stanley Cup final, the first of five that the Oilers Here is how Cole described it: won over seven years, that Messier met Cole.

“This is the tiebreaking game. You couldn’t get it any closer. Esposito “I recall him coming down to the dressing room one day after the morning upended as he tries to shoot. Here’s another shot. Henderson has skate and calling me by my first name,” Messier says. “I didn’t know until scored for Canada! The team pours over the boards. Henderson has got then that he knew me. That’s when I knew I had truly made it.” to be the hero of an entire nation now. Thirty-four seconds left. They’ve got a 6-5 lead. Can they hang on? The series is over!” Glen Sather, the former Edmonton coach, invited Cole to fly on team charters and once asked him, without warning, to address the Oilers in The Cold War victory was so hugely celebrated that Prime Minister Pierre their dressing room. He recently sent Cole two photos of Sinatra seated Trudeau greeted the Canadian team when its plane landed in Montreal. ringside during a fight at Madison Square Garden as a retirement gift. A parade was held in downtown Toronto. Old Blue Eyes is his favourite singer.

Four years later, Cole did play-by-play during telecasts of two games “Bob phoned me twice to thank me,” says Sather, who said he was during an exhibition series between NHL teams and teams from the stepping down as president of the New York Rangers on Thursday. “He Soviet Championship League touring North America. is quite a guy. I am going to miss him.”

The final game in what was known as the Super Series was at the Ron MacLean has worked with Cole for more than three decades. in Philadelphia, and pitted the defending Stanley Cup champion Flyers against the Red Army team. “Bob is exacting,” MacLean says. “He is not one to embellish. His consistency and ability to read the ice from way upstairs is otherworldly. There was no score in the first period when Ed van Impe, a rugged It boggles the mind.” Flyers’ defenceman, delivered a crushing hit against Red Army star . No penalty was assessed and, as a protest, Red Army He says he will miss sharing drinks with him in his hotel room after a coach Konstantin Loktev ordered his team off the ice. broadcast. The two talk hockey until dawn as Cole nurses glasses of Coke and Captain Morgan Black rum. He downs them in two long gulps a The referee then issued a two-minute delay-of-game penalty against the long time apart. Soviets, who responded by heading to the dressing room. In 2006, -Pascall became the first woman to do colour That is when Cole made what is likely the defining call of his half-century- commentary during an NHL game when she joined Cole in the booth long career. during a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast at Air Canada Centre.

“The Soviets are leaving. They’re going home. They’re going home. Can The former Team Canada women’s captain had only worked for two days you imagine?” as a rinkside reporter when she was asked to fill in as an emergency replacement for , who was snowed in. The Red Army returned to the ice only after organizers threatened to withhold their pay. The Flyers went on to an easy 4-1 win, but the victory “When they told me, my first reaction was, ‘What does Bob think?’" was overshadowed by the Soviets’ retreat from the Broad Street Bullies’ Campbell-Pascall says. “I didn’t know Bob well enough to know if he rough play. would be that accepting.”

“When I said, ‘They are going home,’ I thought they were,” Cole says. “It When they met later in the day, Cole did his best to calm her nerves. wasn’t something you could script. How can you think of a thing like that? Nobody is ever going to walk off the ice and leave. “We are going to make history together,” Cole told her.

“It is a different kind of job where you are required to be totally involved As a thank you, she sent a picture to him of them working side by side in for every second of every minute you are on the air. You have to kind of the booth that night. go the way the game is going, and hopefully you say the right things.” “What he has taught me is that you want to make viewers feel at home,” In 2002, when Team Canada ended 50 years of futility in capturing an she says. “You want people sitting on the couch to feel that they are Olympic gold medal, it was Cole who captured the moment. really at the game.

“They are singing here in Salt Lake City! Now, after 50 years, it’s time for “It is not about you.” Canada to stand up and cheer. Stand up and cheer, everybody.” Cole works in the booth for his last Toronto game in February, 2019.

His eyes have seen it all, and his voice has described it all. MEGAN COLE/OTHER

Béliveau and Henri Richard were still hoisting Stanley Cups in Montreal ‘I HAVE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT’ when Cole joined Hockey Night in Canada. He watched Bobby Orr in his prime, and saw Gretzky and Messier turn Edmonton into the greatest Bob Cole is an avid salmon fisherman, a former pilot and twice was the team of their generation. He validated the rise of Mario Lemieux, Sidney skip of a curling team that competed in the Brier. He has four children Crosby and now, Connor McDavid. and two grandchildren and will undoubtedly have little trouble finding ways to fill his time once he is done with hockey broadcasting. The Oilers superstar asked to meet him the first time Edmonton played in Montreal during his rookie season. They visited outside the Oilers When he came to Edmonton and Toronto earlier this season, fans dressing room after the morning skate. acknowledged him with standing ovations. Hockey Night in Canada plans to celebrate his career with a tribute during Saturday night’s telecast from “What a beautiful meeting it was,” Cole says. “He was so well spoken Bell Centre. and so well mannered and so genuine, and we all know now that all of these factors are front and centre. “I know I am quite fortunate to have lasted so long and to do so many games,” he says. “Nobody wants that to be over. “He is a great talent. I have never seen anybody skate so quickly. He coasts along and, all of a sudden, he is gone. I don’t think anybody could “If you did, you couldn’t like what you have been doing all these years. catch him.” And I have loved every minute of it.”

Cole is loved and respected by long-time players, coaches and Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.06.2019 broadcasters alike.

“It is not only amazing that he has done the job for so long, but he has done it as the standard of excellence,” Messier says. 1139114 Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens’ power play is the biggest reason they won’t be in the playoffs, clicking at 12.9 per cent for the season to rank 30th in the NHL, ahead of only the Nashville Predators at 12.7 per cent. It didn’t help that A heartbreaking end to Canadiens' playoff hopes the Canadiens didn’t have a backup goalie they could count on after Antti Niemi looked terrible in his last two starts, allowing seven goals on 33 Blue Jackets beat Rangers 3-2 in shootout to make Canadiens' final shots for a .788 save percentage. Bergevin decided not to get another regular-season game against Maple Leafs Saturday night meaningless. backup at the NHL trade deadline and as a result Price started the last 13 games and played in 28 of the last 29.

Jonathan Drouin, the Canadiens highest-paid forward at US$5.5 million, STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE gave the team almost nothing offensively down the stretch, going pointless in the last seven games and posting 1-1-2 totals in the last 17. While Drouin is only one point away from matching his career high with The Canadiens were officially eliminated from playoff contention at 9:52 18-34-52 totals, he is pointless in 23 of the last 25 games and also p.m Friday in heartbreaking fashion. minus-10 over that span.

That’s when the Columbus Blue Jackets completed their 3-2 shootout Price proved he can still be an elite goalie at age 31, while captain Shea win over the Rangers in New York to clinch the final playoff spot in the Weber, 33, showed he can still be effective at times, but that age and Eastern Conference. That means the Canadiens’ final game of the injuries are catching up to him and he isn’t going to get any faster. regular season Saturday at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Bergevin has said he doesn’t believe in windows of opportunity, but the Leafs is meaningless (7 p.m., CBC, SN, SN1, TVA Sports, TSN 690 window on his two veteran stars is closing. Radio). It will be the last game for the Canadiens and the Leafs already know they will be playing the Boston Bruins in the first round of the With that in mind, Bergevin has to make some moves this summer to playoffs. make the Canadiens a better team.

This marks the second straight season and the third time in four years Missing the playoffs three years in a row won’t be acceptable. that the Canadiens will miss the playoffs and they have now gone 26 Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.06.2019 years since their last Stanley Cup championship in 1993.

The Canadiens weren’t expected to make the playoffs this season after finishing 28th in the overall NHL standings last year. If they win Saturday night against the Leafs, the Canadiens would finish with 96 points — an impressive 25-point improvement from last season. The 96 points would also tie an NHL record for most points by a team not to make the playoffs. The Florida Panthers finished with 96 points last season, missing out on the final playoff spot by a single point.

The Canadiens had the day off Friday and when Carey Price was asked Thursday night if he’d be watching the Blue Jackets-Rangers game on TV, he smiled and said: “Probably, yeah.”

Price didn’t like what he saw.

The Rangers were leading 1-0 after 40 minutes on a goal by Chris Kreider at 1:47 of the second period. The Rangers were 13-0-4 this season when leading after two periods, but blew the lead this time. Ryan Dzingel scored for Columbus at 2:25 of the third period to tie the score and then Artemi Panarin put the Blue Jackets ahead at the 14:27 mark. Just when all hope looked lost for the Canadiens, Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers with seven seconds left to tie the score 2-2 and send the game to overtime.

There were no goals in OT and Panarin scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Blue Jackets the win and eliminate the Canadiens.

Despite his team falling short of the playoffs for the third time in four years, Canadiens goaltender Carey Price proved he can still be an elite goalie at age 31 .

Some Canadiens fans will consider this season a success — I agree — and others who remember the days when the Stanley Cup parade used to take “the usual route” in Montreal will only be satisfied when the team wins that elusive 25th championship. Some will consider anything less than a playoff spot a failure.

I was among those who felt Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin should have been fired after last season’s disaster, but owner/president Geoff Molson decided to give the GM a chance to clean up his own mess and he did a very good job over the last 12 months.

Last summer’s trades that landed Max Domi and Tomas Tatar provided an offensive spark to a team that was both bad and boring last season and helped make the Canadiens fun to watch again. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, selected No. 3 overall at last June’s NHL Draft, became Montreal’s adopted hockey son and the 18-year-old has had an impressive rookie season.

Bergevin’s critics will wonder how good this team might have been if the GM had re-signed unrestricted free-agent Alexander Radulov two summers ago instead of sitting on more than $8 million in salary-cap money each of the last two seasons. The 32-year-old Radulov has 29- 41-70 totals in 68 games this season with the Dallas Stars, including 7- 14-21 totals on the power play. 1139115 Montreal Canadiens last year with Washington, and has been performing miracles this season with the New York Islanders.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.06.2019 Hickey on hockey: Habs' Phillip Danault merits consideration for Selke

There aren't any Canadiens in the running for any major NHL awards, but one of my five Selke votes will go to Phillip Danault.

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE

As the NHL regular season draws to a close, it’s time to look back at some of the great individual performances of 2018-19.

This is the time of year when the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association fill out ballots for most of the trophies that will be handed out at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas at the end of June. While it’s going to take a few days to sort out the five players worthy of consideration for each award, I have a good idea of the players who are going to top my list.

During the past eight seasons, eight players have won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player and there will be a ninth player this season as Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov takes home the hardware. He ran away with the NHL scoring race this season and — while there are those who will argue Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby is still the best player in the game and Edmonton’s 2017 Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid is in the mix — nobody can match Kucherov’s play this year. And, as a bonus, he’s helped the Lightning compile the best record in the NHL.

Another biggie is the Norris Trophy, which goes to the top defenceman. Many voters have always placed far too much emphasis on point totals to decide this award, which explains why San Jose’s Erik Karlsson won this award twice before he learned to play defence. The Sharks’ Brent Burns, the 2017 winner, leads all defencemen in points (81) and is a physical force, but my top vote this time goes to Mark Giordano, who is No. 2 among blue-liners in scoring (74) and is also the NHL plus/minus leader (plus-39). He also has helped Calgary post the best record in the Western Conference.

P.K. Subban, who has won the award, and Shea Weber, who has come close, don’t figure in the conversation this season because they have dealt with injuries. But it’s interesting to note we haven’t reached the point where the Canadiens are the clear losers in the trade with Nashville. Weber has played five fewer games, but has more goals and more points (14-19-33, plus-17) than Subban (9-21-30, plus-4) and has a much better plus/minus rating.

Vancouver centre Elias Pettersson is my choice for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the top rookie. He illustrates the difference between a 20- year-old and an 18-year-old like the Canadiens’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The two-year age difference is reflected in strength and overall maturity.

Boston’s Patrice Bergeron should win his fifth Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward. At 33, the Quebec City native is enjoying the most productive season of his career with 32 goals and a career-high 79 points. He has a plus-23 rating and he’s among the NHL leaders with a 56.6 per cent winning percentage in faceoffs. There aren’t any Canadiens in the running for any of the awards, but one of my five Selke votes will go to the Canadiens’ Phillip Danault, who says he has found his role model in Bergeron.

There are a couple of awards that are not decided by a vote of the writers, but I’ll share my choices in those categories.

The Vézina Trophy for best goaltender is voted on by the general managers and I suspect Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Lightning will get the nod over fellow Russian Sergei Bobrovsky of the Blue Jackets. Vasilevskiy has been the favourite for most of the season, but if Bobrovsky wins it will put Columbus in an interesting position. They had Bobrovsky on the block at the trade deadline because he’s coming up to unrestricted free agency. He’ll be looking for big money and a long term, but Columbus is looking to a future with Elvis Merzlikins, a Latvian playing with Lugano in the Swiss League. He is regarded as the best goaltender outside the NHL.

The broadcasters vote on the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year and it usually goes to the bench boss who has brought a team back from the dead, and not necessarily to the best coach. They broadcasters can check off both boxes by selecting , who won the Stanley Cup 1139116 Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens aren’t rebuilding, possibly because they don’t want to fall into the Edmonton Oilers rebuilding trap. But if that’s the case, they should be competing and spending the millions in salary cap space they What the Puck: Dark day for Canadiens fans as playoff hopes dwindle haven’t used for the past two seasons.

It doesn't feel good to be a Habs fan as we face the possibility they will Bob Dylan, as he so often did, put it best all those years ago: “Failure’s miss the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons. no success at all.” So the Habs should pray for a miracle, but be ready to miss the playoffs and be big enough to admit it’s a failure.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.06.2019 BRENDAN KELLY, MONTREAL GAZETTE

It doesn’t feel good to be a Montreal Canadiens fan today.

You can say whatever you want. You can talk about how exciting the games were this year, how the Habs have great prospects, how they were so much better than last season’s team.

You can say it, but I’m tired of hearing it. The players did show real character this season. I loved Carey Price’s heartfelt words after that soul-destroying loss to the Capitals on Thursday night in Washington.

“It’s a great show of character along this last stretch,” said a crestfallen Price. “We’ve really shown our true colours.”

They did. Those wins against Winnipeg and Tampa Bay were huge and that’s why, leading up to this latest must-win game Thursday, there was a sense of euphoria in the city, that anything was possible. This squad did show real character down the stretch and all season. Players such as Brendan Gallagher, Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar, Max Domi, Jeff Petry and so many others gave their heart and soul every game.

But it wasn’t enough. They were punching above their weight. And the loss to the Caps simply proved what some of us already knew: Character can only bring you so far, despite what GM Marc Bergevin said. When the going gets tough late in the season and during the playoffs, the bigger and better team wins.

One of the richer ironies of the Bergevin era is that this tough-guy grinder, journeyman defenceman-turned-GM has built a team that’s too small — just like almost every other Habs team since 1993. Did you see Brooks Orpik annihilate everything that moved on the ice Thursday? Did you see Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin slam Gally one after the other?

The Canadiens don’t need big fourth-liners who can’t play, they need big players who bring something to the ice. They need better players, as in Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, etc. I’ll come back to one of my obsessions: Why is it the Canadiens have not had a bona fide star forward in 26 years? Someone who ends up in the top 10 of the NHL scoring charts.

This team is not where it needs to be and there is no proof that it’s on its way there. Bergevin made some good moves last summer, bringing in Domi and Tatar. The Canadiens are 23 points ahead of their 2017-18 total and the team deserves praise for that.

But why are we drawing comparisons to one of the worst seasons in Canadiens history? What astonishes me is that the team’s management has succeeded in lulling us into believing not making the playoffs can be considered a successful season. That’s exactly what Bergevin said on Monday: “Overall, I think we had a good season.”

It’s delusional thinking. Sorry to say, but there’s zero proof next year will be better. It will take a miracle to make the playoffs. If the Columbus Blue Jackets win tonight in New York against the sad-sack Rangers, it’s all over for the Habs. And if that’s the case, they will have missed the playoffs three of the last four seasons.

And who knows if they’ll make the playoffs next year. Maybe the most distressing thing I see is how this team mismanages its talent. The Jonathan Drouin situation is a total spit-show. He is the team’s highest- paid forward and was billed as the first homegrown (non-goalie) star in decades. He has been in a mighty funk for months. He has points in only two of his last 25 games. So what does the old-school team of Bergevin and head coach Claude Julien do? They throw him on the third line, where he is guaranteed to remain in a scoring funk. Instead of dealing with the problem, they’re destroying his confidence.

And how do you like their development of Jesperi Kotkaniemi? They bench him a few games with the coach repeatedly saying the rookie is tired, which KotkaKid denies. Then, Julien moves him to the left wing on the fourth line, further confusing him. 1139117 Montreal Canadiens It’s also best not to turn in eight losses against the five worst teams in the league – a record distorted by their unusual dominance of the Detroit Red Wings. Thank goodness those guys are around.

Your official hindsight guide to the 2018-19 Canadiens Power Play

So much has been written and said about the Montreal power play it By Sean Gordon Apr 5, 2019 seems redundant to go back into it at this point.

My colleague Arpon Basu picked it apart so you don’t have to – somebody should nominate the man for a public service award of some And so, the race ends at the next-to-last hurdle. sort.

The fact this year’s Canadiens are one of the very best teams to fall short Anyway, it sucked, which factored into the missing-the-playoffs equation. of the NHL playoffs in the loser-point era should provide some degree of The middle-of-the-pack power play teams scored 43 to 49 goals this comfort, even though it probably won’t. year. Montreal had 30. It’s generally accepted six extra goals scored equals a point in the standings. Do the math. Missing out on the postseason in Montreal, despite a fine year and brighter days ahead, inevitably provokes a killer wave of revisionism, Worse, there were occasions where it actively sabotaged what was an rationalization and recrimination. Let’s dig in, shall we? otherwise decent effort. Any power play can come up short at a pivotal moment, it takes truly special, ninja-level incompetence to build one that First, a bone for the glass half-full crowd: it is exceedingly unusual for a drains momentum like a storm sewer. 5-on-5 juggernaut that’s consistently driving play at Cup contender levels (third overall in shot share) and dwells among the league’s elite in terms In the infamous 6-3 road loss to the Maple Leafs on Feb. 23, the of expected goal share (fifth overall per MoneyPuck.com, behind Canadiens had a man-advantage in the back half of the third period of a Carolina and just ahead of Boston) to not secure an invite to the playoff game that was tied 3-3. They were wobbling by then, having retched on a ball. The good news is 5-on-5 play is the hardest thing to master in the 3-0 lead, but hey, 5-on-4, plus they’d already scored one PPG in the NHL, and given the Canadiens’ large number of returnees next season it game. Instant good vibes! Here is a representative snippet of how it should be replicable. went:

This year’s Canadiens played like a playoff team for long swaths, and 94 It’s like a greatest hits compilation of Canadiens power play ineptitude. to 96 points (which Montreal would hit by winning its last game against Bungled zone entries, neutral zone turnovers, botched breakouts, a the Leafs) is usually enough to keep playing beyond the first week of chronic inability to deal with the forecheck, and a Grade A scoring April. chance the other way. Yuck.

MISSED PLAYOFFS MOST POINTS Predictably, the floodgates would open a short time later.

TEAM SEASON POINTS If only it were the only occasion an opposition penalty visibly sapped their energy (spoiler: it wasn’t). FLA 2017-18 96 The power play is not the only special teams problem the Canadiens had BOS 2014-15 96 this season – though the penalty kill was among the league’s very best in LAK 2014-15 95 the final three months of the season it wasn’t anything to write home about in the first half. That might have had something to do with the DAL 2010-11 95 goalies. Goaltending, on aggregate, didn’t cost the Canadiens the season on (far, far from it!), but nor did it bail them out in the month of COL 2006-07 95 November. — KEVIN GIBSON (@GIBSHOW) APRIL 4, 2019 Four on four But this is a roster that features a comparative lack of high-end talent, Did we mention that little, seemingly innocuous things can sometimes and thus the room for error is infinitesimal. matter over the course of a season? Let us mention it again. The There’s a rule of thumb in aviation known as the “one in 60 rule”. It holds Canadiens led the league in goals conceded at 4-on-4 (they tied with that if your heading is off by one degree, you’ll end up 60 nautical miles Tampa and Buffalo at six). They only scored two in that situation and that off course. The point is small errors and miscalculations can result in big minus-4 differential, second-worst behind the Sabres, likely accounts for problems. another half-point in the standings.

Cherry picking “turning points” from the season is intellectually dishonest That seems like a heavy price to pay for being somewhat deficient in a in the extreme – which doesn’t make it any less fun! Without going all the situation that represented only 1.7 percent of all the goals scored when way down that road, here follows a handful of instances that illustrate just the Canadiens were on the ice this season. how thin the margin is between winning and losing. It’s also a paradox, given the speed and skill level the Canadiens Leaving points on the table against bad teams possess. Anyway, they were bad at this area of the game. Here’s some evidence: The Canadiens lost eight games in overtime this year, half of them against bottom-feeding teams: two to Buffalo (who in fairness were flying The DeBrusk goal didn’t cost them that game against Boston – a foolish high in November) and one each against New Jersey and Ottawa. They Jonathan Drouin cross-check to David Backes’ neck with the game tied were ahead in all of those games. 2-2 late in the third did – but it was a self-inflicted and therefore, in theory at least, avoidable set-back. This is a grievous sin, and it cost them any hope of holding the ROW tie- breaker. Kind of like bench minors for having too many players on the ice, which happened 10 times this season. It also illustrates a broader problem. Montreal was a bottom third club when playing with a lead in the third period, only two teams (Florida and, The fourth line weirdly, Winnipeg) lost more games than the seven (three in regulation, Trading season in February saw the arrival of an entirely new fourth line four in OT) they dropped when leading after 40 minutes. That offset the in the form of Nate Thompson, Dale Weise and Jordan Weal. gains from being the league’s third-best team at overcoming scoreboard deficits after two. They also won only six times in extras, four in regular At that point, Claude Julien had tried any number of combinations overtime, two in the shootout. Convert two of their overtime losses into involving Matthew Peca, Nicolas Deslauriers, Kenny Agostino (since wins and the city is in full-on spring frenzy. waived), Michael Chaput (traded for Weal) and, lest we forget, Tomas Plekanec. If you want to make the playoffs, you also probably need to take more than 50 out of a possible 78 points (23-12-4) against non-playoff teams. Not only did it provide iffy results defensively (for example, Hudon’s 2.44 Carolina went 29-8-3 against lottery eligible clubs, Columbus was 25-11- giveaways per 60 minutes played are second-worst on the team) it 3. There’s your margin. offered little in the way of offence – the aforementioned Peca, Deslauriers, Agostino, Chaput and Plekanec accounting for a grand total Christian Folin at the deadline, Jordie Benn was moved to his natural (if of 12 goals and 25 points. evidently less comfortable) side. Mike Reilly was deemed unworthy of trust, Karl Alzner and David Schlemko weren’t deemed worthy of roster This matters when, say, a team is trying to roll four lines on the road and spots. their role players are presented with a 2-on-0 scoring chance late in a tie game: Mete, Kulak and Benn each delivered substantially more good than bad over the final half of the season, but there were some low-lights in there Peca, Deslauriers and Hudon each finished the season under water in as well. terms of possession statistics. It’s no wonder Julien and GM Marc Bergevin sought to bring in reinforcements at the deadline. Here’s one from a 6-5 loss to Tampa in December, another game Montreal led in the third period. The situation improved with Thompson piloting the fourth line and with Weal’s insertion into the lineup, but the inconsistency of the fourth line This isn’t to single out Mete, who is actually becoming quite good at his was a thorn in Julien’s side for most of the year and in the end it didn’t job, even if it’s not the one that conventional wisdom suggests he’s suited get the job done at crunch time. for.

In the penultimate game of the season against Washington, the Capitals You had Kulak’s ill-advised pinch on with three minutes to victimized the fourth line (featuring Jesperi Kotkaniemi on the left side for play in a tie game. You had Benn essentially putting a goal on Jared the second straight game) and third defensive pair for both their goals. McCann’s stick on the first shift of a game against Pittsburgh (the Notable fact: the defending Cup champion Caps’ fourth line did the Canadiens would have leap-frogged the Pens with a win). damage. Circle this as an area for improvement. Without getting caught up in the anecdotal evidence, the left side of the Faceoffs Canadiens’ defence needed help before the season started. It still does.

Again, good news first: since the trade deadline Phillip Danault, Rotten luck Thompson and Weal have won 60.15, 55.25 and 56.95 percent of their draws (per NaturalStatTrick.com). Those rates place them in the upper Hockey players hate to ascribe on-ice outcomes to luck, presumably echelon of the league. because it’s not something they can control. But the fact remains weird and unpredictable things tend to happen when lots of large men chase a Danault has been even better on the penalty kill, winning 61.4 percent, small object on a frozen surface. and Thompson has won 56 percent. It’s a difference-maker while short- handed. Julien alluded to “bounces” earlier this week, and it’s an incontrovertible fact Montreal has had its share of strange and demoralizing ones. Over the same period, Danault, Weal and Kotkaniemi have gone a combined 39-13 on draws on the power play. Again, that moves the Andrew Shaw can lose his footing near the Canadiens’ bench in needle. Columbus, leading to a blown line change and a 5-on-2 break in a must- win game. In essence, the Canadiens have gone from being a poor faceoff team to a very good one in the space of two months. Too bad they were at rock Max Domi can steam in on net on the first shift of overtime against New bottom for most of the early going; they will end the season at 49.3 Jersey, make a perfect shot, and then watch helplessly as the Devils go percent, 23rd in the NHL. up the ice from the ensuing faceoff and score.

Think faceoffs are an over-emphasized, over-rated part of the game? Tell I mean, you just can’t legislate for this: that to Julien, who clearly uses them as a measuring stick for Or this: trustworthiness. Situations like this might help explain why: Or, of course, the grand-daddy of them all stakes-wise: Back-up goaltending Hindsight is reassuring, it feeds the human impulse to categorize and to It’s an article of faith in today’s NHL that a playoff team needs 10, if not make sense of complex phenomena. But there is no single, unifying 12 wins from its backup goaltender. Starters on Cup-winning teams reason why the Canadiens missed the playoffs; the NHL is a dynamic typically play 60 or fewer games. Price has started 66, Antti Niemi has system with hundreds of variables. handled the net for 17, compiling an 8-6-2 record. That’s not to say there can’t be lots of little reasons. Niemi resurrected his career after Montreal claimed him off waivers in 2017 and he is, by all accounts, a beloved teammate. But absent a Such is life when the line between success and failure is so vanishingly decent run over the Christmas holidays and his career-best 52-save thin, and when you’re an improving, yet flawed, team. triumph over the Panthers in January, it’s been a rough season. The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 According to Evolving-Hockey.com’s modelling, Niemi has given up 17.7 more goals than he would be expected to yield given the shot quality he’s faced – last among regular NHL backups.

The game that may well have been his final start in a Canadiens jersey, March 7 against his former team in San Jose, will not be remembered fondly. The Canadiens needed a win and played like it, out-shooting the flu-ridden Sharks 16-5 in the first – oh, they went to the intermission down 2-1.

Here is the first goal:

There were voices agitating for Bergevin to pick up goaltending help at the deadline. In retrospect it might have been a good idea.

Left side of the defence

In late November, the Canadiens made a tactical adjustment to protect the slot area a little better. It coincided with the return of Shea Weber and Carey Price starting to do Carey Price things on a more regular basis.

But the left side of the Montreal blue line has been a perennial weak spot essentially since Andrei Markov and Marc Bergevin had a failure to communicate in the summer of 2017.

The Canadiens’ brass did some good business in prying Brett Kulak out of Calgary for a handful of magic beans, and Victor Mete made huge and important strides in his second full year as a pro. With the arrival of righty 1139118 Montreal Canadiens · Carey Price: Made a series of outstanding saves to keep it a one-goal game after the Capitals took the lead early in the second period and he kept it up in the third. But, just like in Carolina nearly two weeks ago, he Melnick’s GBU: Waiting on a miracle, the Canadiens have already couldn’t get enough offensive support. Price has almost completed (or managed to build hope maybe he has completed) one of the most impressive stretches of his career. He’s started 28 of 29 games with the season on the line. That brings his total number of starts to 64. Only one goaltender has more, Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk with 66. There are 21 goalies in the NHL that By Mitch Melnick Apr 5, 2019 have started more than 45 games this season. Three of them – Andrei Vasilevskiy, Darcy Kuemper and Matt Murray – own a higher save percentage than Price’s .918, which, by the way, equals his career Blame it on the Panthers. number. And Price has made significantly more starts than all three. He has alleviated any lingering concern over his ability to return to form The Capitals had just won their fourth straight, a 6-3 victory over the following the nightmare of a year ago. But he still can’t score. Lightning in Tampa Bay, to inch closer to capturing their fourth consecutive Metropolitan Division title. · Phillip Danault-Brendan Gallagher-Tomas Tatar: Another excellent effort, even without hitting the score sheet 5-on-5. Tatar had a bizarre But the next night, in Sunrise, the Caps – especially their top line of chance to tie the game shortly after Washington took a 2-1 lead when he Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson – looked like they was set up by Victor Mete to the immediate left of Holtby, who had no had made a pit stop at The Clevelander in South Beach, as the Panthers idea Tatar was standing there by himself with the tying goal on his stick. jumped to a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes. Three goals in a seven-minute Thinking the puck was still in front of him, Holtby was helpless but span in the last half of the third period made it close, but an empty netter fortunate that Tatar shot the puck over the net. For the third consecutive clinched a 5-3 Panthers victory, and the worst possible outcome for the game Gallagher was rocked physically, this time by the 1-2 punch of Tom Canadiens. Wilson and Alex Ovechkin in the neutral zone when they turned the Habs The defending Stanley Cup champs were not going to follow that up at winger into the inside of a pinball machine. home with another clunker, with their final game of the season coming up · Max Domi: Skated hard. It felt like he was poised to either score or set on Saturday against the second place Islanders. up a goal. Perhaps a more accomplished finisher on his line could have It’s more than likely that if Washington had clinched the division that night done it. in Florida, the Canadiens wouldn’t have faced a team Friday night that · Special Teams: There were only two penalties called in the well- was, if not as desperate to win as they were, at least ready to play with a officiated game by Kelly Sutherland and Brian Pochmara. Weber’s goal very strong sense of urgency. And it was Washington’s ‘A’ team. Nobody was another tic-tac-toe play that the Habs have gone to down low that was rested. also worked in their victory in Winnipeg. Once again it was Jordan Weal And the Habs hung in there, even as the Caps showed again that even setting up Danault on the goal line who quickly got the puck to Joel Armia with all their firepower, they can protect a lead as well as anybody. in the slot. Armia fanned on the shot but managed to get just enough of the puck to send it to Weber who beat Holtby 35 seconds after Nick Who rightfully expected this edition of the Canadiens to grab all eight Backstrom was sent off for high-sticking Artturi Lehkonen. More points they needed to finish off the season against Winnipeg, Tampa importantly it washed out the late first period lead the Caps had taken Bay, Washington and, still to come, Toronto? just 56 seconds earlier. Eight and a half minutes into the second period, Weber took a penalty when he tossed Evgeny Kuznetsov to the ice I get it. If you can’t dream, you’ve got nothing but nightmares. (Name that inside the Montreal zone. The PK unit showed no sign of rust as they movie) killed off the first penalty taken by the Habs since Weber’s holding call The 2018-19 Montreal Canadiens have accomplished something even late in the first period of the game they lost in Columbus on March 28. more important than being able to sneak into the playoffs to face the THE BAD strongest pre-playoff Stanley Cup favorite since the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings. They have restored a sense of pride to the city and to · Nate Thompson-Paul Byron-Jesperi Kotkaniemi: Considering the themselves. circumstances, it was a brutal night. They were victimized by Washington’s third and fourth lines. It was a very out-of-character A year ago, from top to bottom, they were an absolute mess. A bad joke turnover by Byron inside his blue line that led directly to the winning goal. of a team that couldn’t even get high profile UFA’s to answer their calls. This one has to really sting an especially proud player like Byron. On the Now, it’s a good-looking, dynamic young team with legit prospects on the Eller goal, Thompson had his back to the play and was starting to turn up way and playing with a renewed vigor and, dare I say, attitude. ice while Eller waited by himself in front of Price to open the scoring. Kotkaniemi, who lost body and stick position on Dowd just prior to the There is hope again. Even as there is very little of it left with one game to goal that snapped a 1-1 tie, had one decent scoring chance in the third play this season. period when he was set up by Byron, but couldn’t get his shot through to In the meantime, with all eyes on a Friday night on Broadway, the Habs the net, thus ending his rookie season on the road with no goals. find themselves hoping for their version of the most dramatic sports · Christian Folin-Jordie Benn: On the ice for both Washington goals. Folin comeback in New York since Bobby Thompson’s shot heard ‘round the and Benn couldn’t get the puck out prior to the opening goal by Eller. world at the Polo Grounds in 1951, followed 24 hours later by the biggest Folin went down early to block Nic Dowd’s shot but all he did was screen collapse in Ottawa since the Joe Clark government of 1979-80. Price while Benn lost Travis Boyd in front of the net, allowing him to also Or, as Ken Dryden’s broadcast booth partner put it on ABC-TV in 1980, skate in front of Price as the puck found the back of the Montreal net “Do you believe in miracles?” under the crossbar for the game-winning goal.

THE GOOD THE UGLY

· Jeff Petry: Seemed to be getting stronger as the games took on more · One goal in 25 games: It’s going to be an especially long summer for importance. An outstanding effort – again. Petry came very close to Jonathan Drouin if the Habs don’t manage to get the help they need from giving his team a chance to win the game, or at least forcing it to the Rangers and Senators. The effort level was there but he had only overtime, late in the third period when he broke in alone down the right one shot on goal. Even before the third period the Capitals had managed side and beat Holtby with a well placed shot over the goalies’ left to choke off the middle of the ice inside their own zone. Most of shoulder. But the puck hit the goalpost. (We’ve heard quite a bit of “Petry Montreal’s chances came from the outside or via a rare rebound or loose hits the goalpost!” haven’t we?) It was one of 10 shots that he directed at puck at the net. But with less than four minutes to play, Drouin had what the Washington net over his game-high 24:15 of ice time. looked like a good scoring chance from the left faceoff circle, but Holtby was there to make the save look easy. At one point, in mid-February, · Shea Weber: His best and most convincing effort during this late Drouin was on pace for close to a 70-point season. But unless something season stretch of games. Only seven defencemen have scored more special happens in the finale against Toronto, he’ll end up with just six goals this season than Weber’s total of 14. He’s done it in just 57 games. more points than he produced during his troubled first season in Montreal. Plus, he’s still three goals shy and a point away from career high marks he set during his last season in Tampa Bay. He was hardly a factor on the league’s worst power play. And he’s played out the season as a third line left winger, replaced on a higher trio by Lehkonen, an 11- goal scorer. The Habs did not trade Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa Bay to get a third line winger.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139119 Nashville Predators

Catfish Corner newsletter: When Preds fans become Blackhawks fans for a night

Paul Skrbina, April 5, 2019

A couple of days ago, Predators fans became Blackhawks fans for a night.

The Blackhawks obliged by beating the Blues in a shootout.

On Saturday, the Blackhawks become the enemy again when they finish the regular season at Bridgestone Arena. If the Predators win that game they will clinch their second consecutive Central Division title and home- ice advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Nashville Predators center Nick Bonino (13) scores past Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) with left wing Austin Watson (51) during the third period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, April 4, 2019.

Good to goal

The Predators made no secret that hanging another banner or two next season was a goal. Winning the Central Division would get them there.

Ryan's hope

Ryan Johansen scored the game-winner Tuesday against the Sabres. He did the same Thursday against the Canucks.

Be glad it's almost over

Tennessean columnist Joe Rexode says this is a fitting end to a strange regular season in Nashville.

Reunited. And it feels so good

Austin Watson rejoined forces with Colton Sissons and Nick Bonino upon his return. And it's been just like old times.

Fitting in

Mikael Granlund's family is moved but he's still trying to find his role with the Predators.

Nashville Predators center Mikael Granlund (64) battles Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) and goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) during the second period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, April 4, 2019.

Appetite for instruction

Rookie defenseman Dante Fabbro is hungry for more. Dan Hamhuis is happy to feed him -- before and after Fabbro's NHL debut.

Quote of the week

"That might be the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen (Filip Forsberg) do. That’s one of those plays where I can’t wait to look at it again. Just an absolute relentless, talented way to get the puck, strip the puck, get it back and make a play. That was world class." -- Ryan Johansen on Forsberg keeping the puck in the offensive zone before Johansen scored the winning goal Thursday.

Tennessean LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139120 Nashville Predators

Predators in first place in Central Division with one game left: 'It's in our hands'

Paul Skrbina, April 5, 2019

The goal helped the Predators take another step toward their goal of winning the Central Division for the second year in a row.

But it was the pass — or passes — that helped the Predators get past the Canucks on Thursday.

Ryan Johnasen's second game-winner in two games, this one with 19.5 seconds separating regulation from overtime, was brought to Predators fans by what Johansen described as the best play he's ever seen Filip Forsberg make.

"That might be the most impressive thing I've ever seen Fil do," Johansen said. "That's one of those plays I can't wait to look at again."

Forsberg had lost control of the puck, which looked destined for the other side of the ice. But with a single hand and his stick, Forsberg corralled the puck again and shipped it to Johansen, who eyed Viktor Arvidsson in front of the net.

The puck bounced off Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher’s stick and went in, withstood review and, after the Jets lost to the Avalanche in overtime soon after, the Predators stood in control of their own playoff destiny.

With one game left in the regular season, the Predators' 98 points lead the division by a point over the Jets and Blues, who also won Thursday.

Win Saturday — the Predators haven't won a Saturday home game since Dec. 15 — against the Blackhawks and another Central Division championship banner will be hung inside Bridgestone Arena and the Predators would have home ice for the first two rounds.

"It’s a Saturday night in our barn against Chicago," P.K. Subban said. "It doesn’t get much better than that.

"There's a lot of teams that will be watching games and have no control of where they’ll end up. We have that control."

That's the simplest of the many scenarios, though.

Who, when, where?

What they don't know is who they will play — the Stars, Blue and Jets are the likeliest opponents, in that order, as of Friday, and Avalanche are an outside possibility.

Should the Predators lose Saturday, they'd also need the Blues and Jets to lose, too, to gain the division title. If either of those teams win and the Predators lose, they would finish in either second or third place.

Should the Jets and Blues win and the Predators lose, Nashville would finish third.

The playoff schedules will be announced at 9 a.m. Central on Sunday. If the Predators have home ice, they likely would play their first two games Wednesday and Friday.

"Nothing’s really changed from (Thursday) night," Predators coach said. "Everything was still going to be up for grabs (Saturday). Our guys are ready to play for that.

"It comes down to playing a game and having the season end and hopefully being first in our division. It’s in our hands."

Tennessean LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139121 New Jersey Devils That record doesn’t truly reflect how Schneider played in the second half, where he was often the Devils’ best player on the ice during his starts, and he arguably gave the Devils a chance to win each time he stepped in Why Devils’ play against Hurricanes was ‘indicative’ of 2018-19 season | net in the second half. 4 takeaways “I felt pretty good here down the stretch, but again, it doesn’t make up for how the season started,” Schneider said. “The hole we got in early, which I was a part of. It’s nice to find your game and play better, but when you By Chris Ryan look back, you wish it could have happened sooner and the whole season could have gone differently or maybe we’re in a different spot

right now, so that’s more of what’s on my mind.” RALEIGH, N.C. -- Thursday was as close to a playoff game as the Devils All the incentive to get back to playoff chase were going to get in 2018-19. Thursday’s contest served as game No. 81 for the Devils. In a vast The Carolina Hurricanes ended a 10-year postseason drought with their number of ways, it mirrored game 81 of the Devils’ 2017-18 season, 3-1 victory over the Devils at PNC Arena, where New Jersey made the where they clinched their own playoff spot. home fans sweat it out for 60 minutes. The Hurricanes went down 1-0, just like the Devils did last year. The But that effort wasn’t enough for the Devils to sneak away with a win to home team rallied for a lead and the win after surrendering only one goal. spoil the party. Here are four takeaways from Thursday’s performance. The win for the home team ended a long playoff drought in each game. While the Devils had the effort to make the Hurricanes earn the victory, The Devils were on the other side of things Thursday, simply witnesses the game ultimately ended like a lot of contests over the course of the to a celebration after their fate was sealed weeks and months ago. 2018-19 season. Not that the Devils needed it, but the atmosphere at PNC Arena was Coach John Hynes thought his team was engaged. He didn’t question another big reminder on what the team missed out on in 2018-19. the effort or desire to win. But lapses in the Devils’ play took away that opportunity. “We had that energy last year and were on the other side of it,” Greene said. “Most of us in here know how that feels. We felt it last year. You “This game was a little indicative of our team. We had work ethic, I never want to see that going on when you’re playing a division rival. It’s thought we competed really well," Hynes said. "We didn’t find a way to tough. It should be motivating. We should have a lot of motivation for score enough, and then I think when you look at the two 5-on-5 goals next year, and not just one thing. Let’s get back, come back hungry and (allowed), they’re two mental mistakes that, we made those all year long. go from there.” It’s decisions at the right time, and that ultimately cost us the game.” Star Ledger LOADED: 04.06.2019 On the first goal allowed, Will Butcher had body position on Warren Foegele in the neutral zone, but the Hurricanes forward slipped free, allowing to take a pass for a breakaway, tying the game at 1-1.

After a second-period power-play goal gave the Hurricanes the lead, they got their insurance goal off another mistake. A bouncing pass from Kenny Agostino led to a turnover, sending the Hurricanes on a rush the other way, where Nino Niederreiter got free to beat Cory Schneider.

When the Devils did get scoring chances, too often, those shots went directly into the chest of Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek, killing the play and momentum.

The Devils didn’t fold

As the Hurricanes clung to 2-1 lead in the third period, fans around PNC Arena started pleading for the Devils to just go away.

The Hurricanes ended up getting Niederreiter’s insurance goal to take away some of the fans’ tension in the closing minutes before the celebration started, and while mistakes cost the Devils a chance to play spoiler, the team did enough to make Carolina earn it.

Thursday was the closest thing the Devils will have to a postseason game in 2018-19. A hostile, loud environment served as a good test, especially for some of the team’s younger players.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” Devils captain Andy Greene said. “I thought we showed pretty well. They’re a good team, and they play really well. They play a very structured game and are organized ... For us, we wanted to come in here and play spoiler."

NHL draft lottery 2019: The Devils now have 2 possible outcomes

The New Jersey Devils will finish in 29th or 30th place, narrowing what odds they'll hold at the NHL draft lottery.

How Cory Schneider enters offseason

Mackenzie Blackwood will get the team’s final start of the season on Saturday against the Florida Panthers, so barring an injury or a poor outing where Blackwood gets pulled, Cory Schneider’s season ended on Thursday.

Considering where Schneider’s season started, his ability to end the campaign with a save percentage over .900 for the season was remarkable. He posted a .903 save percentage overall, with a 3.06 GAA and 6-13-4 record. After starting 0-5-1, he went 6-8-3 since returning from IR in February. 1139122 New Jersey Devils Rangers - 75 points, 80 GP (7.5 percent, 23.3 percent)

Oilers - 77 points, 81 GP (6.5 percent, 20.4 percent)

NHL draft lottery odds: Sabres end 8-game losing streak; Devils lose; Ducks - 78 points, 81 GP (6 percent, 19 percent) Coyotes officially out of playoffs (4/5/19) Canucks - 80 points, 81 GP (5 percent, 16 percent)

Flyers - 82 points, 80 GP (3.5 percent, 11.4 percent) By Chris Ryan Blackhawks - 82 points, 80 GP (3 percent, 9.8 percent)

Wild - 83 points, 81 GP (2.5 percent, 8.2 percent) Just two days remain in the NHL regular season, where teams outside playoff contention are looking forward to the offseason and, specifically, Panthers - 85 points, 81 GP (2 percent, 6.6 percent) the 2019 NHL Draft. The final standings will have an impact on the draft Coyotes - 86 points, 81 GP (1.5 percent, 5 percent) lottery odds, and wins and losses around the league change those percentages each day before the first-round order is decided on April 9. Canadiens - 94 points, 81 GP (1 percent, 3.3 percent)

The Buffalo Sabres snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 5-2 win *The Avalanche own the rights to the Senators’ 2019 first-round pick. over the Ottawa Senators, ensuring they would finish outside of the Star Ledger LOADED: 04.06.2019 bottom three spots in the standings. The Senators already have 31st place secured, and the Devils and Los Angeles Kings will finish in 29th or 30th place, depending on their final games.

The Devils lost to the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday, officially pushing the Canes back to the postseason for the first time in 10 years.

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

The Colorado Avalanche ended the Western Conference playoff race by earning the final spot with a 3-2 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets. That pushed the Arizona Coyotes back into the lottery.

The Avalanche still have a big stake in the lottery, since they own the Ottawa Senators’ first overall pick.

Here are the relevant results from Thursday that impacted the draft lottery odds:

Sabres 5, Senators 2

Islanders 2, Panthers 1 (SO)

Penguins 4, Red Wings 1

Capitals 2, Canadiens 1

Hurricanes 3, Devils 1

Blues 7, Flyers 3

Predators 3, Canucks 2

Bruins 3, Wild 0

Sharks 3, Oilers 2

Coyotes 4, Golden Knights 1

And here are Friday’s games that could also impact those odds:

Blue Jackets at Rangers

Stars at Blackhawks

Kings at Ducks

Why Devils’ Jeremy Davies elected to turn pro | ‘An opportunity I couldn’t pass up’

Defenseman Jeremy Davies describes why he decided to leave Northeastern to turn pro with the New Jersey Devils.

Standings and Draft Lottery Odds

Here are where all non-playoff teams sit in the standings following Thursday’s games. The first percentage listed is a team’s odds at the No. 1 overall pick, and the second is the odds at a top-three pick, based on its current position.

Senators* - 64 points, 81 games played (18.5 percent at No. 1, 49.4 percent at top three)

Kings - 69 points, 80 GP (13.5 percent, 38.8 percent)

Devils - 70 points, 81 GP (11.5 percent, 33.9 percent)

Sabres - 74 points, 81 GP (9.5 percent, 28.8 percent)

Red Wings - 74 points, 81 GP (8.5 percent, 26.1 percent) 1139123 New Jersey Devils where I can pick it up again in October and feel the way I feel now or even better.”

Schneider is ready to put all of the struggles, all of the narratives and all NJ Devils' Cory Schneider ready to turn the page of the bad goals behind him and turn the page to the 2019-20 season.

“Hopefully I can erase the narrative and put it behind me and start fresh,” Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 6:44 a.m. ET April 5, 2019 Schneider said. “Just be the best I can be.”

Bergen Record LOADED: 04.06.2019

RALEIGH — One of the most turbulent seasons of Cory Schneider’s career came to a close Thursday night in North Carolina at PNC Arena. The numbers he put up were fine. They weren’t great but nothing about the Devils’ 2018-19 campaign will be remembered as great.

There are far worse adjectives you could use to describe this season.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) stops the second period breakaway shot by Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) at PNC Arena.

The veteran goalie battled back from hip surgery, an abdominal strain and the worst first-half of his career. He went more than an entire calendar year without recording a regular season win and more than once people used the word “done” when describing the 33-year-old.

But remarkably, Schneider proved them many of them wrong. Schneider salvaged the second half of the season to go 6-13-4 with a 3.06 GAA and .903 save percentage. His save percentage was .852 before he was placed on injured reserve in December.

“He came back in and played well and got his save percentage back up over .900.” Devils coach John Hynes said. “So there should be some good feelings, but certainly not satisfying.”

If his feelings after a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes are any indication, he’s not at all satisfied.

Mar 17, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.

“I felt pretty good here down the stretch but it doesn’t make up for how the season started and the hole we got into early, which I was a part of,” Schneider said. “It’s nice to find your game and play better, but when you look back you wish it could have happened sooner so the whole season could have gone differently. Maybe we’d be in a different spot right now.”

It’s clear that Schneider feels some burden for the way the season started. At one point, the Devils had the worst save percentage in the NHL and it hovered around that mark until December, when Mackenzie Blackwood was called up. Better goaltending could have changed the course of the Devils’ season but ultimately when Taylor Hall went down and others followed the lack of roster depth was exposed and they were forced to sell at the trade deadline.

More: Hurricanes drop Devils to clinch playoff berth

The New Jersey organization never failed to stand behind its embattled goaltender, using every opportunity it had to publicly express belief in him. But privately they’ve admitted there were tough conversations and Schneider’s optimistic spirit wavered at times.

Schneider refused to make the overall issue about himself and may have even gained more respect in the locker room because of his attitude. It’s a reason why the members of the New Jersey chapter of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association nominated him for the Masterton Trophy.

Mar 15, 2019; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) awaits the start of play against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at Rogers Arena.

“He looks confident and he looks good out there,” captain Andy Greene said. “I know he’s worked extremely hard to get to where he is right now.”

Getting Schneider back on track was one of few positives the Devils will take out of this season but it didn’t happen overnight. He had to answer questions one-by-one and the biggest question of all may come next season.

“It will be exciting to have a full offseason and a healthy offseason and really target areas I want to get better in on the ice and off the ice,” he said. “Mentally, conditioning -- all of that stuff. Hopefully, it’s something 1139124 New York Islanders “It prepares us,” Trotz said, “and I like that.”

New York Post LOADED: 04.06.2019

Islanders’ playoff path could be affected by Rangers finale

By Brett Cyrgalis

WASHINGTON — The Islanders need no help to secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. But going into the final day of the regular season, of all the teams that could help them, it ends up being the Rangers.

With the Islanders set for the regular-season finale against the Capitals on Saturday night — and with Washington having already locked up its fourth straight Metropolitan Division crown with a win Thursday night and having nothing else to play for — just one point for Barry Trotz’s team would wrap up second place and a series starting at the Coliseum either Wednesday or Thursday.

But the Islanders could also lock up that spot if the Rangers take a regulation win at Pittsburgh on Saturday night, the second leg of a back- to-back for the Blueshirts after hosting the Blue Jackets on Friday night.

Of course, the Rangers are in another post-deadline doldrums and are eyeing the draft-lottery odds more than anything else. But that proud group of professionals still wants to win, not focus on getting passed by the Red Wings or Sabres and increasing their odds of the first pick by one or two percent.

If the Rangers beat the Penguins in regulation, that could also open the possibility of the Hurricanes leapfrogging Pittsburgh for third in the division if they go into Philadelphia and beat the Flyers. The Hurricanes are playing well, riding the emotions from their gift-wrapped marketing slogan of “a bunch of jerks” and their whimsical (if immature) postgame celebrations. But they are still a more favorable postseason opponent than Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and the rest of the Pittsburgh crew that has won three Stanley Cups in the past decade.

So, yes, the Islanders hold the fate of home-ice in their hands, but some help for a more favorable postseason set-up could come their way, as well.

“I’ve been high on [the Coliseum] all year, but it’s not going to matter,” Trotz said after his team’s four-round shootout win over the Panthers in Sunrise, Fla., on Thursday night.

Trotz canceled Friday’s practice, another indication his team’s focus is solely on preparing for the postseason. When asked about the importance of home-ice advantage, he said it was more for the fans than for the team, before citing the “almost identical” records of 24-13-4 at home and 24-13-3 on the road.

The home records are almost split between the Islanders’ two venues, as well. They were 12-7-2 on Long Island, where there was 97.1-percent capacity and a terrific environment, and 12-6-2 at Brooklyn’s , where the home games would be played if the Islanders advance past the first round.

But again, that was looking a bit farther down the line than Trotz is willing. After Thursday’s game, he said he had not really thought about what he might do with his lineup in the finale, with the possibility of resting players still viable.

It’s likely the Capitals aren’t going to dress the same lineup they will for Game 1 of their first-round playoff matchup, as they still try to figure out how to deal with the loss of key defenseman Michal Kempny.

But this is how it goes in the final days of the regular season, when big- picture things like clinching the playoffs are set, but small things like health and seeding still can be ironed out. Trotz knows that from all of his 20 years behind an NHL bench, including last season, when he led the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup title.

So it’s one more game to go with a couple of questions and a couple of outside factors. The Islanders would like home-ice advantage, and they wouldn’t turn down some help from an unlikely partner like the Rangers. But in the end, they want to play well in the one regular-season game remaining to be ready for the postseason — no matter where or against whom it starts. 1139125 New York Islanders time defending Cup champion Penguins in seven games on David Volek’s overtime winner before bowing to the eventual Cup champion Canadiens in five games in the conference final. Who knows what would Ranking the Islanders' all-time playoff runs have happened had the Capitals’ not separated Pierre Turgeon’s shoulder as he celebrated a Game 6 goal in one of the dirtiest hits in playoff history.

By Andrew Gross 8. 1987: Lost in division final.

The , the longest Game 7 in NHL history, defined this playoff run. Faceoff was on Saturday, April 18. But it was 1:58 a.m. on Easter The Islanders embark this week upon their 25th playoff appearance since Sunday when Pat LaFontaine’s slap shot sailed over the glove of entering the NHL in 1972 and the organization does have a storied Capitals goalie at 8:47 of the fourth overtime, completing the postseason history. Islanders’ comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round. The Just not recently, of course, with one playoff series win since 1993. Islanders nearly did it again in the next round, rallying from a 3-1 series deficit against the Flyers before losing, 5-1, in Game 7 at Philadelphia. But beyond the four Stanley Cups from 1980-83 and 19 straight playoff series wins, there were nearly yearly battles with the rival Rangers, an 9. 1977: Lost in semifinals. epic run in 1975, a surprise run in 1993 and brutally physical series The young Islanders continued to build their championship foundation, against the Maple Leafs in 2002 and Capitals in 2015. finishing with 106 points and sweeping the Blackhawks in two games in How do the playoff runs rank? Here’s how Newsday sees it: the first round and then the Sabres in four games. But the Canadiens, who won four straight Cups from 1976-79, won three of the first four 1. 1980: Stanley Cup champions. games. The Islanders did stave off elimination with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 5 before bowing, 2-1, in Game 6. The first is always the best and Bobby Nystrom’s overtime goal off John Tonelli’s feed in the decisive Game 6 of the Cup Final against the Flyers 10. 1976: Lost in semifinals. at is as indelible a moment as the franchise has ever had. For Islanders’ fans, it’s their Bobby Orr flying across the goalmouth The Islanders surpassed 100 points in the regular season for the first after his overtime Cup winner for the Bruins in 1970. The Islanders won time, easily dispatched the Canucks in two games in the first round, then 15 of their 21 playoff games, never faced elimination or trailed in a series rallied to beat the Sabres in six games after losing the first two games. and won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP. Not to be The Islanders were eliminated by the eventual Cup champion Canadiens overlooked: Ken Morrow, fresh off the Olympic Miracle on Ice, scored the in five games, losing the first three games by a goal apiece. overtime winner in Game 3 of the best-of-five first-round against the 11. 2016: Lost in conference semifinals. Kings with that series tied at one game apiece. Now playing at Barclays Center, the Islanders positioned themselves to 2. 1983: Stanley Cup champions. play the Panthers in the first round and won their first series since 1993 The Islanders raised the Cup one last time at the Coliseum, sweeping the in six games as John Tavares tied Game 6 in Brooklyn with 54 seconds Oilers in the Cup Final to delay the onset of Edmonton’s dynasty by one left in regulation and scored the winner in the second overtime. The year. scored 17 playoff goals for the third straight postseason Lightning then eliminated the Islanders in five games. and goalie Billy Smith won the Conn Smythe. The Islanders lost just five 12. 2002: Lost in conference quarterfinals. of 20 playoff games and, again, never faced elimination. The Maple Leafs won the first-round series in seven games – the home 3. 1981: Stanley Cup champions. team won each game – in a nasty series. The Islanders lost captain The Islanders lifted the Cup at the Coliseum for the second straight year and defenseman Kenny Jonsson on questionable hits in with a Game 5 win over the . The Islanders were Game 5 but Shawn Bates’ penalty shot goal in Game 4 is one of the as dominant as ever, winning 15 of 18 playoff games, including a Coliseum’s iconic playoff moments. semifinal sweep of ’ Rangers as they scored at least five 13. 1979: Lost in semifinals. goals in each victory in that series. This was supposed to be the year after the Islanders led the league with 4. 1982: Stanley Cup champions. 116 points. They swept the Blackhawks in four games but the underdog The Islanders struck a blow for fashion by sweeping the Canucks and Rangers shocked them in six. their colorful “V” jerseys for the Cup with Bossy winning the Conn 14. 2015: Lost in conference first round. Smythe. To get there, the Islanders needed Tonelli’s overtime goal against the Penguins in the decisive Game 5 of the first round after losing This was supposed to be the Coliseum’s final NHL season and the two straight at Pittsburgh. Islanders used home ice to extend their series against Barry Trotz’s Capitals with an emotional 3-1 win in Game 6. But the Capitals closed 5. 1975: Lost in semifinals. out an overly physical series with a 2-1 win in Game 7. Other than a Cup, this playoff run had everything. The upstart Islanders 15. 1978: Lost in quarterfinals. eliminated the veteran Rangers, 4-3, in the decisive Game 3 of the first round on J.P. Parise’s goal 11 seconds into overtime. The Islanders then The Maple Leafs shocked the Islanders and goalie with a 2- rallied to oust the Penguins with a 1-0 win in Game 7 on ’s 1 overtime win in Game 7, the first road victory for either team. goal after dropping the first three games. The Islanders also lost the first three games of their semifinal with the eventual Cup champion Flyers 16. 2013: Lost in conference quarterfinals. before forcing a Game 7, which they lost 4-1. The Islanders battled the Penguins through an electric first-round 6. 1984: Stanley Cup finalist. atmosphere at the Coliseum but were ousted, 4-3, in overtime in Game 6 at home. The dynasty finally ended as the Oilers needed just five games in the Cup Final to snap the Islanders’ unapproachable record streak of 19 17. 1985: Lost in division final. straight playoff series wins. But the Islanders’ championship pedigree did The Islanders rallied for a five-game win over the Capitals in the first allow them to rally from two games down to beat the Rangers in the first round after two overtime losses, but the Flyers eliminated them in five. round on Morrow’s overtime winner in the decisive Game 5 and then beat the Canadiens in the conference final in six games after losing the first 18. 2007: Lost in conference quarterfinals. two. The top-seeded Sabres ousted the Islanders in five games in the first 7. 1993: Lost in conference finals. round, though three of the last four games were decided by one goal.

The Islanders finished third in the at a so-so 40-37-7. But 19. 2003: Lost in conference quarterfinals. they beat the Capitals in six games, including double-overtime wins in Games 2 and 4 and an overtime win in Game 3, then eliminated the two- The top-seeded Senators eliminated the Islanders in five games in the first round and then-GM hastily reacted by firing future Cup winner Peter Laviolette, who led the Islanders to the playoffs in each of his two seasons after they had gone seven seasons without qualifying.

20. 1988: Lost in division semifinals.

A huge disappointment. The Patrick Division-champion Islanders lost in six games to the Devils, making their first playoff appearance since relocating to New Jersey and with in his first season as the team’s boss. It was the last time the Islanders had home-ice advantage in a series.

21. 1986: Lost in division semifinals.

The Capitals swept the remnants of the Islanders’ dynasty in three games in the first round.

22. 1990: Lost in division semifinals.

The Islanders’ lone win in a five-game, first-round loss to the Rangers came in double overtime in Game 3.

23. 2004: Lost in conference quarterfinals.

Steve Stirling’s first season as coach ended with the Islanders shut out three times in a five-game, first-round loss to the eventual Cup champion Lightning.

24. 1994: Lost in conference quarterfinals.

The Islanders were outscored by an aggregate 22-3 in a four-game, first- round sweep by the eventual Cup champion Rangers.

The 1979-80 Islanders

Record: 39-28-13, 91 points

Finish: Second place, Patrick Division

Playoffs: Preliminary round – Defeated Kings three games to one; Quarterfinals – Defeated Bruins four games to one; Semifinals – Defeated Sabres four games to two; Stanley Cup Final – Defeated Flyers four games to two

Award winners: Bryan Trottier, Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP)

Statistical leaders: Mike Bossy (51 goals); Bryan Trottier (62 assists, 104 points)

Goalies: Chico Resch (23-14-6, 3.04 goals-against average, .901 save percentage); Billy Smith (15-14-7, 2.95, .899); Richard Brodeur (1-0-0, 4.50, .829)

Hall of Famers: Coach , right wing Mike Bossy, left wing Clark Gilles, defenseman , goalie Billy Smith, President/General Manager , center Bryan Trottier

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139126 New York Islanders

Isles seeking home-ice advantage in playoffs

Andrew Gross

WASHINGTON — Saturday night’s regular-season finale against the Capitals won’t be the hoped-for showdown for the Metropolitan Division title, but that does not lessen the game’s importance to the Islanders.

“It’s going to be a big test for us,” rookie Michael Dal Colle said. “We want to send a message going into the playoffs.”

There’s also the more tangible factor of finally learning the identity of their playoff opponent and whether they will have home-ice advantage at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum in the first round.

The Islanders’ 2-1 four-round shootout win at Florida on Thursday night guaranteed that they can finish no lower than third in the division and that they will play the Penguins or the Hurricanes in the first round. The Capitals clinched their fourth straight division title with a 2-1 win over the visiting Canadiens on Thursday night. The NHL playoffs open on Wednesday.

The Islanders, in the playoffs for the first time since 2016, will clinch second place and home-ice advantage in the first round if they earn at least one point against the Capitals or if the Rangers win at Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Islanders will slip to third if they lose in regulation and the Penguins win.

The Hurricanes can move into third place if they win at Philadelphia on Saturday and the Penguins lose in regulation. The second- and third- place finishers will meet in the first round and the fourth-place finisher will play the Capitals.

The Islanders’ last division title came in 1988. A win over Washington would give them 103 points, their most since 1984.

“We had a great season. We played really good hockey,” forward Leo Komarov said. “You want to be in first all the time, but in the playoffs, you still have to be the best team, so it really doesn’t matter who you play. We’ve just got to finish strong here and hope to get home-ice advantage.”

Coach Barry Trotz said he is not concerned if the Islanders open the playoffs on the road.

“We don’t change the way we play home or away,” he said. “Some teams do. Some teams need that matchup. Would we like home-ice advantage? Yes, we would for our fans.”

“It’d be nice to have home ice,” center Mathew Barzal said. “We’re trying to play the right way. You have to go through Washington at some point, so it’s a good game to end on just to prep ourselves for the playoffs. Whether they play all their guys or not, it will be an intense game.”

Both Trotz and Capitals counterpart Todd Reirden were noncommittal as to whether they will rest players. Trotz had defenseman Thomas Hickey in Thursday’s lineup for Johnny Boychuk. Thomas Greiss made 29 saves after Robin Lehner missed Wednesday’s practice because of soreness.

Trotz has not announced his goalie plans for the playoffs, but it will be somewhat surprising if Lehner isn’t the Game 1 starter. If so, Trotz probably will want to start Lehner against the Capitals.

The Islanders can clinch home-ice advantage in the first round — regardless of what the Penguins do Saturday against the Rangers — by earning one point. The Isles and Penguins are tied in ROW wins with 42 and are tied in the season series, but Pittsburgh would have the advantage if the tiebreaker went to goal differential. The Islanders- Capitals and Rangers-Penguins games both will start at 7 p.m. Saturday. If the Rangers beat the Penguins, even in overtime or a shootout, the Islanders could lose in regulation and still finish second. The Hurricanes are four points behind the Islanders but still can beat out the Penguins for third place. -- Andrew Gross

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139127 New York Rangers Quinn attributed that plain-spoken manner partly to his father — “an old- school Irish cop” — and to his sudden diagnosis as a college sophomore with hemophilia B, also known as Christmas disease.

David Quinn’s Rangers Get Many Teachable Moments, but Few Wins “Life experiences form all of us,” he said. “I think that is probably why I’m so direct with people because of what I’ve been through personally. I really believe those experiences — because I really struggled for two By Joe Lemire years after that. Then I got back on my feet and went, ‘All right, hey, look how lucky I am, really.’”

After Quinn dealt with persistent bruising throughout the 1985-86 season, On the day after February’s trade deadline stripped the Rangers of three B.U.’s team physician suggested he get blood work after the playoffs. key veterans, David Quinn’s whistle pierced the practice rink air. The The tests showed hemophilia. coach barked with the rasp of a well-worn instructor’s voice, “That can’t happen.” The Rangers reran the drill, which Quinn this time punctuated “I’m 20 years old and I think I’m going to play in the N.H.L. and I think I’m with “good job.” going to play for the ’88 Olympic team,” Quinn said. “You’re talking about a big kick in the teeth, you know? I’m trying to scramble. What am I going An hour into the session, Quinn skated in to speak quietly with Brendan to do with my life? I had my next 15 years mapped out. I was a first-round Lemieux during a defensive routine. Lemieux, the 23-year-old prospect pick, I’m going to play in the N.H.L. And I went through some tough acquired in a trade for Kevin Hayes, had met Quinn only that morning times, but I always thought to myself, ‘The people who really have after joining from the Winnipeg Jets. affected me in my life other than my parents are my coaches.’” “That’s what was really cool about my first practice,” Lemieux said Quinn continued playing for B.U., but, after an injury-plagued junior afterward. “I was already learning things, being taught. I guess that goes season, he badly sprained his right ankle playing pickup basketball. The to what kind of coach he is. He’s a teacher. There are a lot of N.H.L. bruising turned into compartment syndrome, which required surgery. In coaches that aren’t like that.” his Rangers office recently, he rolled down a red-and-blue striped sock to With the Rangers more than a year into a rebuild, teaching a young team expose a scar running down the outer half of his calf muscle to his ankle. has been Quinn’s primary objective. Ten players on the Rangers’ roster He was in the hospital for five weeks and said he almost bled to death. are 23 or younger. Entering the final game of the season, the Rangers His collegiate hockey career was over. Quinn remained at B.U. to finish have just four wins in 19 games since the trade deadline on Feb. 25, his sociology degree and helped coach the school’s junior varsity hockey though seven losses were by a single goal, including four in overtime. team. “We were close, but that doesn’t cut it in this league,” Quinn said. In 1991, the F.D.A. approved a drug trial to help hemophiliacs clot more He arrived in New York last May after five years as the head coach at quickly. By injecting himself before every practice and game, Quinn Boston University and more than two decades leading or assisting returned to the ice in what he refers to only as a “pseudo-comeback.” He predominantly A.H.L., college and national team development programs. had not skated in four years and had lost some mobility in his right foot. Quinn’s own promising playing career came to an abrupt end in college Quinn signed with the Rangers in 1992 and played a year and a half of with the diagnosis of hemophilia and a life-threatening injury. minor league hockey. He had been a lock for the 1988 Olympic team but “When you look at what he’s gone through as a coach in order to reach was a late cut from the ’92 squad. He tried out one final time for the 1994 the pinnacle of the game, not a lot of people would go through what roster, but was cut early. Quinny has gone through,” said Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan, a former The night he was cut, Quinn was in his family’s home in Cranston, R.I., teammate at B.U. “I think that’s a reflection of his love of the sport but when his former B.U. assistant coach Ben Smith called. Smith had taken also his competitive nature.” over as Northeastern head coach and offered Quinn an assistant job. He General Manager Jeff Gorton called Quinn’s track record with young drove to Boston the next day. players a huge part of his appeal. That recent history included work with Quinn spent two nomadic decades in the coaching ranks. He was four first-round picks while leading B.U., a group headlined by the Buffalo associate coach of B.U.’s 2009 N.C.A.A. championship team and was Sabres star Jack Eichel. Quinn, 52, had taken over for the longtime head coach of the 2015 squad that lost in the national title game. He was coach Jack Parker — for whom Quinn played in the 1980s — and he known for his recruiting panache. expected to spend his career there even as three N.H.L. teams called to gauge his interest. “I remember my mom couldn’t stop talking about him,” said Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who was recruited to B.U. by Quinn. “He But, Quinn said, “It’s the New York Rangers.” put the charm on my mom. I think, more than anything, he just had this “I really don’t think I ever would have left B.U. for any other situation, or presence to him.” people, or organization than this,” he added. “Everything aligned. Every Now, Quinn is charged with coaxing the most out of the Rangers’ young single thing.” talent. Quinn has so often preached his desire that the Rangers play “fast, “They’re a structured team,” said Florida Panthers associate coach Jack physical, and relentless” hockey that some players refer to the phrase as Capuano, a lifelong friend of Quinn’s. “They work hard. Obviously they’re “our team slogan.” His first season was notable for its hard practices, buying into what he’s selling.” blunt postgame assessments and healthy scratches. Quinn’s players, past and present, consistently mention his honest and direct style of Quinn said the Rangers had “some good pieces here to build around,” giving feedback. citing the advances the Islanders and the Canadiens have made since last season. “He’s very good at communicating, but he’s so smart about the way he does it, too,” Eichel said. A talented new piece of the puzzle is likely on its way. The Rangers will participate in the N.H.L. draft lottery on Tuesday. Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues, who played his junior and senior seasons at B.U. under Quinn, had a goal and an assist in his first game Quinn, who lamented the lack of practice time in the N.H.L., called the for Quinn in October 2013. Afterward, Quinn asked the player for a self- challenge of rebuilding through development “very appealing.” evaluation. Rodrigues said, “Probably like a B, B+.” Quinn replied, “Well, I give you a C-.” “You really get a chance as the coach to be very involved in the process of the next great team here, hopefully,” he said. In hindsight, Rodrigues realized his coach was right. New York Times LOADED: 04.06.2019 “I don’t doubt much that he says,” Rodrigues said, before adding: “I’m very, very thankful for him because I don’t think I’d be where I am today if it weren’t for him.” 1139128 New York Rangers [More Sports] Vesey scores go-ahead goal in 3rd, Rangers top Blues »

Bobrovsky had an acrobatic sprawled-out save to his left on Howden on a Rangers 3-on-1 rush with 8:20 left to keep the score tied. Rangers edged by playoff-bound Blue Jackets in shootout Kreider gave New York a 1-0 lead at 1:47 of the second with his career high-tying 28th of the season. Mika Zibanejad brought the puck up the By VIN A. CHERWOOD right side, held the puck as he skated into the right circle, and passed across the middle to Kreider, who beat Bobrovsky for his second goal in 16 games.

The Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t get discouraged after giving up the Rangers left wing Chris Kreider. tying goal in the closing seconds of regulation. The Rangers had several chances to add to their lead, but Bobrovsky They kept their focus and won in a shootout to clinch the last playoff spot stood tall. in the Eastern Conference. [More Sports] Henrik Lundqvist makes incredible stick save but Rangers Artemi Panarin scored in the shootout and the Blue Jackets earned their fall to Bruins » third straight trip to the postseason with a 3-2 victory over the Rangers on Friday night. Georgiev, stellar in keeping the Blue Jackets off the scoreboard in the first, stopped wrist shots by Josh Anderson and Pierre-Luc Dubois and a “We were one goal away still, so whether it comes in overtime or the tip try by Matt Duchene shortly before Kreider’s goal. He also denied a shootout, it doesn’t matter where you get it,” Ottawa’s Matt Duchene backhand by Riley Nash from the left side 4:05 into the middle period. said. “We believed that we had a chance to come out on top still. We wanted to finish it tonight. ... When you’re one goal away, you want to Columbus controlled play for most of the first period and had several make sure you get the job done.” great scoring chances while outshooting New York 15-6. However, they couldn’t get anything past Georgiev. Ryan Dzingel and Panarin scored in the third period for Columbus and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots through overtime and all three NOTES: Blue Jackets F Oliver Bjorkstrand snapped a six-game goal Rangers attempts in the tiebreaker. scoring streak, remaining tied with Rick Nash (2005-06 season) for the third-longest streak in franchise history, one behind Geoff Sanderson Kevin Shattenkirk's, l, shot is blocked by Blue Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky, (2002-03) and Cam Atkinson (earlier this season) for the franchise r, during the shootout. record. ... Columbus lost the first meeting 5-4 in a shootout at home on Nov. 10, before winning the last three. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in “Just stayed with it, found a way,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella overtime at MSG on Dec. 27 and 7-5 at home on Jan. 13. ... Rangers D said. “Bread (Panarin) scores a couple of big goals. ... I think it’s a good Neal Pionk played in his 100th game. ... Kreider has scored in five lesson for us as we push forward. Just stay with it, not get too antsy.” straight games against Columbus. The Blue Jackets, 8-2-2 in their past 12 games, hold the second wild [More Sports] Matt Murray’s dominance of playoff-less Rangers card in the Eastern Conference. continues » Columbus pulled within one point of Carolina for the first wild card UP NEXT heading into the final day of the regular season on Saturday. The Blue Jackets close the season at Ottawa, while the Hurricanes play at Blue Jackets: At Ottawa on Saturday night to close the regular season. Philadelphia. Rangers: At Pittsburgh in the season finale on Saturday night. Chris Kreider scored early in the second period and Pavel Buchnevich tied it in the closing seconds of regulation for the Rangers. Alexandar New York Daily News LOADED: 04.06.2019 Georgiev finished with 39 saves in New York’s third straight loss and 16th in the past 20 (4-10-6) heading into the finale at Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

“Everybody battled so hard,” Georgiev said. “It was this close of a game. ... Wish we would have won.”

After Panarin beat Georgiev in the second round of the shootout, Bobrovsky denied Tony DeAngelo on the Rangers’ last attempt to secure the win.

Bobrovsky is 18-8-0 since Feb. 1.

“He has found his game for quite a while, and it kind of goes unnoticed,” Tortorella said. “Goaltending is a very important part of winning in this league. Bob was a huge part of it tonight.”

Panarin gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead with some nifty puck-handling as he got a pass from David Savard on the left side, passed the puck to himself to get around a defender as he skated to the middle of the ice and beat Georgiev top shelf for his 28th with 5:33 left.

[More Sports] Alexandar Georgiev makes 29 saves as Rangers blank Flyers 3-0 »

With the goalie pulled for an extra skater, Buchnevich tied it for the Rangers with 7 seconds left as his centering pass for Brett Howden in front went in off Bobrovsky’s left leg for his 21st.

“I’d rather take a 2-1 win and save a lot of medicine for the hearts,” Bobrovsky joked. “But it is what it is, we got it done in the shootout. We’re happy.”

Dzingel tied the score 1-1 at 2:25 of the third on a 3-on-1 rush for his 26th of the season. It came on Columbus’ 28th shot of the game and ended Georgiev’s career-best scoreless streak at 149 minutes, 23 seconds. 1139129 New York Rangers “It prepares us,” Trotz said, “and I like that.”

New York Post LOADED: 04.06.2019

Islanders’ playoff path could be affected by Rangers finale

By Brett Cyrgalis

WASHINGTON — The Islanders need no help to secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. But going into the final day of the regular season, of all the teams that could help them, it ends up being the Rangers.

With the Islanders set for the regular-season finale against the Capitals on Saturday night — and with Washington having already locked up its fourth straight Metropolitan Division crown with a win Thursday night and having nothing else to play for — just one point for Barry Trotz’s team would wrap up second place and a series starting at the Coliseum either Wednesday or Thursday.

But the Islanders could also lock up that spot if the Rangers take a regulation win at Pittsburgh on Saturday night, the second leg of a back- to-back for the Blueshirts after hosting the Blue Jackets on Friday night.

Of course, the Rangers are in another post-deadline doldrums and are eyeing the draft-lottery odds more than anything else. But that proud group of professionals still wants to win, not focus on getting passed by the Red Wings or Sabres and increasing their odds of the first pick by one or two percent.

If the Rangers beat the Penguins in regulation, that could also open the possibility of the Hurricanes leapfrogging Pittsburgh for third in the division if they go into Philadelphia and beat the Flyers. The Hurricanes are playing well, riding the emotions from their gift-wrapped marketing slogan of “a bunch of jerks” and their whimsical (if immature) postgame celebrations. But they are still a more favorable postseason opponent than Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and the rest of the Pittsburgh crew that has won three Stanley Cups in the past decade.

So, yes, the Islanders hold the fate of home-ice in their hands, but some help for a more favorable postseason set-up could come their way, as well.

“I’ve been high on [the Coliseum] all year, but it’s not going to matter,” Trotz said after his team’s four-round shootout win over the Panthers in Sunrise, Fla., on Thursday night.

Trotz canceled Friday’s practice, another indication his team’s focus is solely on preparing for the postseason. When asked about the importance of home-ice advantage, he said it was more for the fans than for the team, before citing the “almost identical” records of 24-13-4 at home and 24-13-3 on the road.

The home records are almost split between the Islanders’ two venues, as well. They were 12-7-2 on Long Island, where there was 97.1-percent capacity and a terrific environment, and 12-6-2 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where the home games would be played if the Islanders advance past the first round.

But again, that was looking a bit farther down the line than Trotz is willing. After Thursday’s game, he said he had not really thought about what he might do with his lineup in the finale, with the possibility of resting players still viable.

It’s likely the Capitals aren’t going to dress the same lineup they will for Game 1 of their first-round playoff matchup, as they still try to figure out how to deal with the loss of key defenseman Michal Kempny.

But this is how it goes in the final days of the regular season, when big- picture things like clinching the playoffs are set, but small things like health and seeding still can be ironed out. Trotz knows that from all of his 20 years behind an NHL bench, including last season, when he led the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup title.

So it’s one more game to go with a couple of questions and a couple of outside factors. The Islanders would like home-ice advantage, and they wouldn’t turn down some help from an unlikely partner like the Rangers. But in the end, they want to play well in the one regular-season game remaining to be ready for the postseason — no matter where or against whom it starts. 1139130 New York Rangers

Rangers get look at impending free agent Blue Jacket star in loss

By Larry Brooks

The Rangers got an up-close-and-personal look at their potential future — and this does not refer to Pavel Buchnevich, Ryan Lindgren, Brett Howden, Tony DeAngelo or any of the Baby Blueshirts on the Garden ice for Friday’s home finale against the Blue Jackets.

Rather, this is a reference to impending free agent Artemi Panarin, the Columbus winger who seemingly had the puck on his stick for all of his 22:41, scoring once in regulation and getting the lone goal in the shootout that boosted his team to a playoff-clinching 3-2 victory.

It’s his team now, but “The Breadman’’ will be on someone else’s team on July 1. The Rangers will be in there pitching to sign the 27-year-old, who is expected to command a deal of at least $77 million over seven years. That, though is a few months away.

This one was decided in the skills competition after the Rangers tied it at 19:53 on Buchnevich’s goal from the left corner, when his fling banked in off Sergei Bobrovsky’s pads. It marked the first time this season the Rangers had tied a game at the Garden after pulling their netminder for an extra attacker.

“It’s nice to have that final moment before the season ends,” said coach David Quinn, whose team’s loser point eliminates the possibility of falling as low/high as fourth in the pre-lottery draft slot.

“It would have been nice to win in overtime or the shootout, but it’s nice for our guys at least to have that last feeling at the last home game and feel the emotion of our crowd and the way it could be if we have the success we certainly strive to have.”

The Rangers competed well against a Blue Jackets team that entered needing one victory over their final two games to clinch a third straight tournament berth. Alex Georgiev was stout in the Rangers net as Columbus dominated the first period before the Blueshirts were able to kick it into gear and create a 50-50 contest.

“Trying to ruin their season was obviously a big motivation,” said Mika Zibanejad, who was outstanding. “I have a couple of buddies on the other side and tried to ruin it. Just couldn’t get it done, so I wish them good luck in the playoffs.”

Georgiev, who faced 41 shots, extended his shutout streak to 147:23 and his consecutive saves streak to 120:00 before Ryan Dzingel scored off an odd-man rush at 2:55 of the third period to negate Chris Kreider’s goal at 1:47 of the second that had given the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Panarin then scored a dandy from the slot at 14:27 for the lead that held up until Buchnevich’s late goal.

“We’ve been on [Buchnevich] about shooting pucks,” said Quinn, who would never have to say the same of Panarin, if he should ever coach him. “He’s shot more and his overall game has improved. That comes from maturity, too.”

Columbus coach John Tortorella, who coached the Rangers for four-plus years under Glen Sather, sought out and hugged his former general manager a day after the announcement that Sather is stepping down from his role as club president.

Ryan Lindgren, who played three games in December and was recalled on Thursday, was in the lineup on the blue line while bumping John Gilmour into street clothes. … Filip Chytil was sidelined for the second consecutive game with an upper-body injury that is also expected to keep the 19-year-old out of Saturday’s season finale in Pittsburgh.

Kreider’s goal was his 28th, matching the career-high he established in 2016-17. … Zibanejad, Kevin Shattenkirk and Tony DeAngelo were stymied by Bobrovsky in the shootout. … Zibanejad was voted team MVP by the media while Jesper Fast won the Players’ Player Award as voted by his teammates for the fourth straight season.

New York Post LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139131 New York Rangers Ryan Lindgren, who played three games for the Rangers in December and was recalled from AHL Hartford on Thursday, was in the lineup on the blue line Friday, bumping John Gilmour into street clothes. … Filip Lightning architect Steve Yzerman interested in Rangers’ top job Chytil was sidelined for a second consecutive game with an upper-body injury that is also expected to keep the 19-year-old out of Saturday’s season finale in Pittsburgh.

By Larry Brooks New York Post LOADED: 04.06.2019

Steve Yzerman, likely the hottest pending free agent in hockey, is amenable to being wooed by the Rangers to succeed Glen Sather as team president, multiple sources with knowledge of his thinking have told The Post.

Now hold on: This does not mean that a deal is done. It is unknown whether the Blueshirts have yet asked for or received permission from Tampa Bay to speak to Yzerman, who is serving the final year of his contract as an adviser to the Lightning owner after having stepped down last September as general manager. Such a request, if not yet made, will be forthcoming.

It does not imply the job would automatically be offered following an interview with Jim Dolan, the Garden CEO who is running the search in coordination with Sather, who on Thursday announced his retirement from day-to-day life in the hockey department.

It also does not mean that Yzerman, who will be sought by a number of teams looking for either a GM or a president of hockey operations, would necessarily accept an offer if one were presented. He will have choices.

But it does mean that Yzerman, who for months has been believed headed back to the Red Wings organization with which he won three Stanley Cups as captain and with which he later spent time in the front office before taking over the Lightning in 2010, has not ruled out coming to New York.

So consider the first hurdle jumped.

Yzerman, who was the executive director of Team Canada for the country’s gold-medal victories at both the 2010 and , has demonstrated an expertise in player personnel evaluation, contract negotiation and in roster construction while using the advantage attendant to running a team in Florida, a no-tax state.

These qualities alone make Yzerman, who tends to be on the shy side rather than brash and has never throughout his career been an especially media-friendly fellow, a leading candidate for the job that will be far, far more expansive than the one he mastered with Tampa Bay.

Yzerman and John Davidson, expected to be at the Garden on Friday in his capacity as president of the Blue Jackets for the Rangers’ home finale against Columbus, are believed at the top of the list of candidates to replace Sather.

Davidson is in his sixth year as Blue Jackets president after seven years in that position with the Blues. His contractual obligations are unknown. Sather told The Post on Thursday that the objective is to have a president in place by July 1, if not by the June 21-22 draft, which will be held in Vancouver.

Sather will move into the role as senior adviser to Dolan. Rangers head coach David Quinn, one game shy of completing his first year on the job, said prior to Friday’s match he would continue to solicit Sather’s advice regardless of his job title.

“I’ve only known Glen for about nine months, but certainly he’s been someone I’ve been able to lean on,” Quinn said. “The good news for all of us is that he’s not going anywhere. Obviously his responsibilities will change within the organization, but they certainly won’t change from my end of it. I’ll still be able to lean on him.

“We’ve talked about how to handle different situations, him and Schoney [assistant GM ]. I talk to those guys daily. When you have guys with that kind of background, the success they’ve had, their knowledge and experience, it’s invaluable to someone like me.

“The success speaks for itself. I’m happy for him.”

Neither Mark Messier nor Wayne Gretzky is believed to be a candidate, but Brian Leetch, and Brad Richards are former players who could merit consideration for the post. 1139132 New York Rangers

Rangers' Alexandar Georgiev stands out despite loss to Columbus

By Colin Stephenson

That goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has played so well down the stretch this season has not come as a surprise to Rangers coach David Quinn.

“No. I thought, in development camp [last June], I could see why we felt about him the way we did as an organization,’’ Quinn said Friday before Georgiev started against Columbus in the Rangers’ final home game of the season. “You could see it right from the get-go. He passes the eye test. And then when you get to know him more, you’re even more optimistic about what his future holds.’’

Georgiev was great again Friday, making 38 saves in regulation and overtime as the Rangers lost to the Blue Jackets, 3-2, in a shootout. Columbus clinched a playoff spot with the victory.

Free agent-to-be Artemi Panarin, whom the Rangers are expected to pursue this summer, scored the only goal of the shootout on the Blue Jackets’ second shot. Tony DeAngelo needed to score to keep the game going and was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky.

Panarin put the Blue Jackets ahead with 5:33 left in regulation, lifting a wrister over Georgiev’s right shoulder, but Pavel Buchnevich’s sharp- angle shot caromed off a stick and in with 6.1 seconds left to force overtime.

Chris Kreider scored his 28th goal at 14:27 of the second period and Columbus’ Ryan Dzingel tied it at 1-1 at 2:25 of the third.

Georgiev (13-14-3) has flourished since early February, when the Rangers decided to play him more as the team fell out of the playoff race. While he has surged, however, Henrik Lundqvist has struggled with reduced ice time, going 2-11-3 in his last 16 starts.

That has been hard to watch for everybody, including Georgiev. After last week’s 6-3 loss in Boston, Lundqvist sat for a while with his head buried in his hands, and Georgiev went over to console him.

“It’s pretty tough,’’ Georgiev said when asked about that scene. “This past season, I’ve had some games where it didn’t go so well, but at the same time, you can’t say that you played bad. And I just tried to support him after the game, because those goals — there wasn’t much he could do.’’

Though he is Bulgarian by birth, Georgiev grew up in Russia, where his family moved when he was a toddler, and he considers himself Russian. He has played for Russia in the World Junior Championships and is in the mix for consideration to play for Russia in this year’s World Championships. He has talked to the goalie coach but hasn’t yet been invited.

If he goes, he could be teammates with a future Rangers teammate, goalie Igor Shestyorkin, whose contract expires at the end of this season. He is thought to be planning on signing with the Rangers and coming to North America in the fall, which would make the battle for time in the Rangers’ net even more interesting next season.

Notes & quotes: Mika Zibanejad, who leads the team in scoring and was the only Ranger to play in every game this season, was voted the team’s most valuable player by the media. Jesper Fast was voted the team’s player’s player by his teammates. It is the fourth straight year Fast has won that award, which honors the player who exemplifies all the things a player needs to be . . . Quinn said the decision by Glen Sather to leave his post as team president won’t affect his relationship with Sather. “I’ve only known Glen for about nine months, but he’s certainly someone I’ve been able to lean on,’’ Quinn said. “The good news for all of us is he’s not going anywhere. Obviously, his responsibilities will change within the organization, but they certainly won’t change from my end of it. He’s going to be around, I’ll be able to lean on him, as will Jeff [Gorton, the general manager].’’

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139133 New York Rangers assistant GM, to be the president above Gorton, that’s folly, in my opinion.

Thoughts If they can get him, the Big Man, John Davidson, should be the Rangers’ president 1) The Rangers, on the shoulders of Alexandar Georgiev’s goaltending and Pavel Buchnevich’s tying goal with 6.1 seconds left, had one of their more rousing performances of the season in their final home game, with By Rick Carpiniello Apr 5, 2019 a pumped-up crowd that really couldn’t have cared less about tanking for a better draft position. So …

2) Tank-O-Meter: With the point they got on Buchnevich’s goal, the sixth- NEW YORK — The Big Man was in the building Friday night, and by that, place Rangers have no chance of finishing higher than fifth place in the I mean John Davidson, who is the president of hockey operations for the Upside-Down Standings. If they lose Game 82 in regulation Saturday in playoff-bound Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh, they will finish fifth, because Buffalo and Detroit play each other in the season finale and one of them will get two points. But if the Davidson didn’t have much to say, for obvious reasons, about his name Rangers beat the Penguins and Edmonton loses to Calgary in regulation, being linked to the Rangers’ upcoming vacancy at president as Glen the Rangers will fall to seventh. If the Rangers get one point, they will Sather steps aside to become an adviser to owner James Dolan. Sather finish sixth. The draft lottery will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday in is aiding Dolan’s search for a successor, which actually means that Toronto (on NBCSN). The fifth-place team’s odds of winning are 8.5 Sather is pretty much going to choose his successor. percent, sixth-place 7.5 percent and seventh-place 6.5 percent. So yeah, To me, Davidson is the right guy, the perfect guy. If he wants it. But all the tanking doesn’t amount to much. there’s no knowing for sure, not yet, if he does. Davidson is focused on 3) By the way, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have Davidson in place the playoffs, for which his team qualified for the third year in a row with a while you try to woo Columbus free agent Artemi Panarin on July 1, 3-2 shootout win over the Rangers at the Garden. Columbus has never would it? Panarin scored an eye-popping go-ahead goal in the third won a playoff series, and if it doesn’t win one this year, there could be period, hit two crossbars and beat Georgiev for the only goal in the jobs lost (firings) and players lost (to free agency) and all sorts of shootout. upheaval for a team that went all-in at the trade deadline. 4) Rangers rookie head coach David Quinn said before the game that he So mission accomplished on the first part: getting in. leans on Sather and assistant GM Jim Schoenfeld almost daily, with Davidson was mum on the Rangers talk, even after a visit in his box up questions about scratching a player or putting together a lineup. And no on the bridge from Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and assistant GM Chris matter what you think of Sather — and I know, I know, what a lot of you Drury. think of him — it would be crazy not to pick his brain in certain situations.

But those two names are exactly why I think Davidson is the perfect 5) The Rangers were miles and miles better than they had been in their choice. noncompetitive loss to Ottawa two nights earlier. Georgiev, who made 39 saves, will start in Pittsburgh, meaning Henrik Lundqvist’s season ended Davidson has great ties to the Rangers — he, as co-emcee, received Wednesday, barring a bullpen appearance in the finale. arguably the loudest ovation the night all the Rangers from the ’94 championship team were celebrated in February. “We wanted to leave everything out there for this game, play the best game for our home fans, and everybody battled so hard,” Georgiev said. Davidson also is enough of a presence, as was Sather, to keep the “It was this close of a game, and I think everyone enjoyed it. We wish we peace with Dolan and make sure the hockey department stays in the would have won. hands of the hockey people. “It’s one of the best feelings when the fans at MSG are cheering for us Lastly, Davidson is a proven team president — he did it in St. Louis, too and it’s a tight game like that. That’s the kind of games we want to be in.” — who allows his GM (Jarmo Kekäläinen in Columbus) to be the GM, which is exactly what the next Rangers president needs to do, as Sather 6) It’s also the kind of game the Rangers want to remember over the did after he stepped aside and named Gorton as general manager. summer and into next season.

That, to me, is the most important piece of the current puzzle: to allow “Pretty cool when you tie the game up with six seconds to go,” Quinn Gorton to complete the job he just started, or at least to give him enough said. “Obviously, it would have been nice to win in overtime or the time to complete it. shootout, but it’s nice for our guys to have that feeling at least, that one feeling, the last home game, to feel that emotion of our crowd — what The New York Post reported Friday that Steve Yzerman has not ruled out could be if we have the success we certainly strive to have and what we the possibility of becoming the Rangers’ next president. Any such search think we’re capable of moving forward.” that wouldn’t include at least asking Yzerman, and kicking his tires, would be negligent given what he did in building the Tampa Bay powerhouse 7) Georgiev made a tough save on Seth Jones’ slapper through traffic, (with Gorton’s assistance via sell-off trades). kicking the puck up into his glove early in the first. A couple of minutes later, with Marc Staal watching the puck and two Blue Jackets in behind Very clearly, Yzerman left a great situation in Tampa — a tax-free state Tony DeAngelo, Zach Werenski made a pass to Alexandre Texier, and a team poised to run the table and win a Stanley Cup — to be with making his NHL debut, and Georgiev exploded across the crease to rob his family in Detroit and wait patiently to eventually run the club for which him. Then the Rangers had two similar chances, but Kevin Shattenkirk he won three Stanley Cups as a player and captain. got in too deep before getting a shot off, and Mika Zibanejad hit the post behind Sergei Bobrovsky. Why would he choose New York over that? I don’t know. But if Yzerman ended up the choice and took the job, you can be sure he’d be running 8) Jones, by the way, is the player K’Andre Miller says he wants to the entire hockey operation as the defacto GM, especially given his top- emulate. shelf building of the Lightning, wouldn’t he? 9) With Vinni Lettieri serving a questionable goalie interference penalty, Maybe not. His former Detroit teammate Brendan Shanahan became the Panarin hit a pipe behind Georgiev. When the penalty ended, Georgiev team president in Toronto, then hired Lou Lamoriello to run the team. went post-to-post again to stone Riley Nash from Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Shanahan then hired Kyle Dubas when Lamoriello left for the Islanders. desperate Blue Jackets had 15 of the game’s first 20 shots, one of which Maybe Yzerman would do it too. I tend to think he’d be more hands-on. knocked off Georgiev’s helmet.

There have been other names rumored to be candidates, but I’m not sure Georgiev opened the second with a save right off a defensive-zone draw. how or why it would make any sense to hire an assistant GM or even a Zibanejad stole the puck and broke 2-on-1 against Jones. Zibanejad GM to be the president. If you’re doing that, just make Gorton faked a shot, hesitated and found Chris Krieder in the slot for his 28th of president/GM, just as Slats was, and before him, especially the season. 1-0. with the staff Gorton has, with up-and-comer Drury as his assistant. If Gorton took on the presidency, too, Drury’s role could expand. But to hire  MIKA ➡️ KREIDS  PIC.TWITTER.COM/YHCGQXJOKP somebody on or below Gorton’s level, a current or former GM or — NEW YORK RANGERS (@NYRANGERS) APRIL 6, 2019 10) Gotta love Torts. While talking about putting a rookie — Texier, which and raise it to the roof. They can do it on the night of the ceremony next almost rhymes with Messier — who’s never played an NHL game into the season. There’s no reason not to do it. I mean, Phish has a banner up lineup for an enormously important game with a playoff spot on the line, there. John Tortorella spoke about Kreider’s pro debut against Ottawa in the 2012 playoffs. Tortorella had never seen Texier play live but put him in My Three Rangers Stars: the lineup without hesitation. “Kreids didn’t have a clue; he just played, 1. Alexandar Georgiev and he was really good,” Tortorella said. Then he added that Kreider sure had some struggles against Washington in the second round, and he did 2. Pavel Buchnevich indeed. Texier’s parents made the flight from France to NYC for his 3. Mika Zibanejad debut. The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 11) Kreider has scored 12 goals in 16 games against Torts-coached teams, including one of his two career hat tricks. And this about Kreider’s season, [email protected]: Before Jan 1., 21-17-38 in 38 games; after Jan. 1, 7-7-14 in 40 games.

12) Midsecond, Georgiev made a pad save on Ryan Dzingel from Matt Duchene — two of the Blue Jackets’ trade-deadline acquisitions — to keep it 1-0, and Lias Andersson hit the post and crossbar behind Bobrovsky with a chance to extend the Rangers’ lead. Bobrovsky had to make another stop on Kreider alone in front, from Buchnevich.

13) Georgiev ended the second on a streak of 93 consecutive saves, then stopped and smothered Panarin’s point-blank chance 13 seconds into the third, for No. 94. His shutout streak ended at 147:23 as Neal Pionk was trapped up ice and lost the puck for a 3-on-1 break against rookie Ryan Lindgren. David Savard dished to Nick Foligno, who found Dzingel for a wide-open slapper in the high slot past the glove of Georgiev, who had no chance. 1-1.

HERE COMES THE… BOOM! PIC.TWITTER.COM/TIXVTT40DB

— NHL (@NHL) APRIL 6, 2019

14) Immediately, the Rangers’ top line tried to answer. Zibanejad made two goal-mouth feeds just out of the reach of Kreider, and Buchnevich’s rocket glanced off Bobrovsky’s glove. Bobrovsky made a save on a Brett Howden one-timer that might have also saved the Jackets’ season and quite a few jobs.

CALLING THE POLICE AFTER THAT ROBBERY BY @SERGEIBOBROVSKY.  PIC.TWITTER.COM/IIBB8NXT1I

— NHL GIFS (@NHLGIFS) APRIL 6, 2019

15) And with 5:33 left, Panarin — the possible, if not likely, future Ranger — off a steal by Savard, broke in, cut between DeAngelo and Howden, and snapped a shot from the slot and under the crossbar behind Georgiev. 2-1.

WHEN @9ARTEMI GOES BAR DOWN, HE REALLY GOES BAR DOWN. PIC.TWITTER.COM/2GIJDIYB3E

— NHL (@NHL) APRIL 6, 2019

16) But the Rangers pulled Georgiev, and after a few icings and a Buchnevich shot that went wide and slid out of the zone, Buchnevich put an angled shot into the goalmouth, where Howden was causing problems, and Bobrovsky kicked it into his own net. 2-2 with 6.1 seconds left.

17) Tank? The Garden was probably as loud as it’s been all season after the goal and during the start of the OT. Georgiev stopped Seth Jones at the OT buzzer.

18) Buchnevich was involved all night, again, and had three shots during the 6-on-5. He called his tying goal (No. 21 on the season) “lucky,” and maybe it was, but he got it on goal and celebrated it pretty hard.

“Obviously, we’ve been on him about shooting puck, and he shot more, and his overall game has improved,” Quinn said. “That just comes from maturity, too; as you get older, hopefully you become wiser and more mature and make wiser decisions and understand the game a little bit better. I think that’s what happened to Pavel. I think he’s understanding the full scope of hockey, and he’s becoming a more well-rounded player and he’s getting rewarded statistically.”

MUCH DESERVED MVP FOR ZIBANEJAD. FOUR IN A ROW FOR FAST. HTTPS://T.CO/LMJVAQNJ2D

— RICK CARPINIELLO (@RICKCARPINIELLO) APRIL 5, 2019

19) A number of readers brought this up before and after the last home game and the annual Steven McDonald ceremony. It’s time for the Rangers to put No. 104, McDonald’s badge number, on a jersey banner 1139134 NHL “It wasn’t his fault, it was the players,’’ said onetime Totems forward Howie Hughes, 80, who played under Holmes that year. “We had 50-plus players come in to try to make the team and we didn’t play too well.’’

Former Totems captain Charlie Holmes saved some of his best hockey Hughes has fonder memories of playing alongside Holmes their only for late Seattle career season as teammates in 1966-67 during the first of the team’s back-to- back titles. A second team all-star that season with 71 points, Hughes, like Fielder, remembered Holmes as a solid teammate and two-way Geoff Baker player.

“We had a great defensive team, for sure,’’ Hughes said. “Some big guys you didn’t mess around with.’’ Onetime captain and eventual coach Charlie (Chuck) Holmes saved some of his best hockey for his twilight seasons, Holmes had thrown his weight around as a visiting player, earning the ire especially the one where the minor professional franchise won its final of Seattle fans. In the early 1960s, playing at what later became known championship. as Mercer Arena, a fan reached over the boards and struck Holmes — who responded by swinging his stick at the man. It was 51 years ago this month that feisty veteran winger Holmes, who died three weeks ago from congestive heart failure at age 84, helped the He missed and struck a female fan in the head, cutting her for stitches. Totems to a finals victory over the Portland Buckaroos. Holmes had been Holmes would need to sneak out of the arena with a police escort that named a first-team WHL All-Star for the only time in his career at age 33 night and was a marked man whenever he returned to Seattle as a that 1967-68 season, along with Totems goalie Don Head, on a squad visiting player. that went a somewhat pedestrian 35-30-7 in defending its title from the previous year. “He was just protecting himself,’’ Fielder said of the incident, for which the woman later sued the Edmonton team before settling out of court. But the Totems had one huge advantage: The ability to shut teams down “Fans have no business mixing it up with players.’’ defensively as well as score when they had to. And a big reason was Edmonton-born Holmes, who earned the all-star nod largely for his two- Holmes was stunned when Totems coach later pushed to way play despite his 47 points being only the fourth highest total on his trade for him, figuring he’d be hated in his own locker room. But Fielder own team. said that was never the case.

“He was a great guy to have on your team,’’ former Totems captain “The fans really hated him and whatnot, but when he came to Seattle, Guyle Fielder, 88, said of Holmes, whose father, Lou, had a brief stint they loved him. And that’s how I’ll remember him. He was a great team with the Chicago Black Hawks. “He was a goal scorer plus he was a very man.’’ good defensive type player, which you don’t always see. Players at that Holmes, a longtime resident of Magnolia and Bainbridge Island, had point in their career are good goal scorers and not as good a checker. moved to a Sacramento, Calif. care facility a few months before his But he was a little bit of both. And if you wanted to tangle with him a little death. He is survived by his daughter, Cathy, son, Brian, sister, Gail and bit, he’d give you a little go-around.’’ brother, Greg.

A Detroit Red Wings farmhand who played 23 career NHL games, Seattle Times LOADED: 04.06.2019 Holmes had been loathed by fans in Seattle for nearly a decade as a visiting WHL player with the Edmonton Flyers. But all that was forgotten by 1968 when the Totems met the Buckaroos — a team that finished nine points ahead of them in the standings — in a best-of-seven final.

The Totems had allowed only seven goals in a four-game opening round sweep of Phoenix, then blanked Portland 2-0 when the final series opened. But they’d need some offense as well in Game 2, trailing 6-2 after two periods at the Seattle Coliseum.

The Totems managed a goal just 18 seconds into the third period to cut the deficit to 6-3. Then, Holmes truly got the comeback started just minutes later by initiating a rush into Portland’s end and adding a fourth Seattle marker that had play-by-play man Bill Schonely exclaiming the Totems were “Storming back like the Chattanooga Choo Choo!’’

With the home crowd whipped into a frenzy, Bob Courcy cut Portland’s lead to 6-5 with 11 minutes remaining before Dineen tied it on a shot from the point with 21 seconds to play. Then, at 6:09 of overtime, Fielder potted the winner to cap one of the greatest comebacks in pro hockey history.

The Totems went on to claim their second straight WHL title in five games. Holmes would score again in the 4-0 clinching Game 5 victory, finishing the playoffs with four goals and four assists.

But things might have gone very differently if not for Holmes helping launch that Game 2 comeback, given how Portland won Game 3 and were leading Game 4 before Seattle rallied late to win in overtime again.

“He was a guy I was proud to call my teammate,’’ Fielder said. “I respected him as an opponent and I respected him even more when he was on my team.’’

Holmes would serve as Totems captain when Fielder was traded a year later. Then, in 1971-72, Holmes became the team’s coach in its first season as a Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings farm affiliate.

With prospects moving in and out of the lineup, the Totems won just 12 games — a league record for futility — with Holmes leaving at season’s end. 1139135 Ottawa Senators “The veteran players all recognize how exciting, how nervous and how anxious you are when you play in those games. We’ve had a remarkable year for firsts by all the rookies that have played their first game in the Blue Jackets eke out a win, leaving Senators without the chance to play NHL.” spoiler There’s no question, with the uncertainty surrounding the roster, this will be the last time some of these players suit up in a Senators uniform. Yes, there are changes every year, but make no mistake the young players Bruce Garrioch will be back and it’s the veterans who may get moved out.

Look, the Senators can’t do anything about the past.

Forgive the Ottawa Senators if they spent Friday night scoreboard This season is just about in books and it’s going to go down as one of the watching. worst in franchise history point-wise. It’s the second straight year the Senators have finished with fewer than 70 points in the standings and And only 48 hours after knocking off the New York Rangers on the road even with a win against Columbus the club will be worse than last year. with a 4-1 decision, they were cheering for their opponent to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at Madison Square. The best the Senators can do with a win Saturday is get 66 points. Last year, they finished with 67. This is the first time since 1995-96 that the With only 60 minutes left in the season for the Senators, a Rangers Senators have missed the post-season in two consecutive years, and victory was the only way to make Ottawa’s game against Columbus on with the rebuild underway there’s no guarantee they’ll get to the playoffs Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre in the season finale next year. meaningful. But the Senators have building blocks in place and the assets gathered Unfortunately, they won’t get their wish. at the deadline will be used to try to help get this team back to The Jackets clinched a playoff spot with a 3-2 victory — in a shootout — respectability as quickly as possible. General manager Pierre Dorion has over the Rangers, which means all the Senators can do is play for pride to determine which veterans will be kept and which they’ll move on from in this one. With 49 losses, including 39 in regulation, in 81 games, in the coming months. Ottawa players can only hope to go into the off-season on a positive The players believe this game is important. note. At this point, they aren’t left with a whole lot of choice. “We want to finish on a good note, not only for ourselves within this team “What we’ve always wanted is to make sure it was in our control, and we and for our fans overall,” said Tkachuk. “They’ve been supporting us have that,” Jackets captain Nick Foligno told reporters in New York through thick and thin, and you just want to leave it all out there for them. before facing the Rangers. “We’re just looking forward to the opportunity You want to show them how much their support means.” to win a hockey game to put us into the post-season, which is what we want, and then anything can happen from there. The players know that if they want to finish with a win over Columbus they’ll need a lot better effort than they gave in Buffalo. “If anything, this is a great test and trial run for what we’re going to face in the playoffs.” “We’ve got to turn the page; we have one game left and we want to finish the right way and finish strong,” said centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who Two players who were the topics of much discussion heading into the scored one of the club’s two goals against the Sabres. NHL trade deadline in February, Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, ended up being the shootout heroes for Columbus on Friday. The Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 Jackets decided to keep both players, who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the summer, and on Friday night Panarin got the only goal of the shootout while Bobrovsky stopped all three shots he faced.

Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, who was given Wednesday and Thursday off on the road, will make the start in the club’s final game of the season against Columbus. The 37-year-old has one year left on his contract and he’s expected to be the starter.

Instead of holding one final practice together Friday, the Senators opted for an off-day after playing three games in four nights. It’s Fan Appreciation Night and the least the Senators could do is send their faithful into the summer with a strong effort after they fell apart at the seams in 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

The Senators will have help for this one. Defenceman Mark Borowiecki, who didn’t make the two-game trip to New York and Buffalo because of an undisclosed injury, skated Friday in Ottawa and is expected to return against the Jackets. So is winger Bobby Ryan, who missed the loss in Buffalo after getting hit by a shot in New York.

The Senators should try to head into a long off-season feeling good about themselves because, let’s face it, there hasn’t been a lot to celebrate and the only hope is the youth on this team can carry the load down the road.

In what could be his final game after taking over when Guy Boucher was fired on March 1, coach said before facing the Sabres the likes of Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, Colin White and the rest of the young players that suited up this year have been a breath of fresh air.

Goaltender Joey Daccord, who made 35 stops in Buffalo, was the ninth rookie to suit up for the club this season. The newcomers who have played for the team this season have 90-60-150 points this season, tying a franchise-high that was set in the 1993-94 campaign.

“Guys have gotten a great opportunity and they’ve had a large amount of points scored,” said Crawford. “It’s been nice to watch these guys come in. Sitting on the sidelines and watching all these players, many of them playing their first game, that’s always an exciting time. 1139136 Ottawa Senators Ryan Dzingel-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Josh Anderson

Boone Jenner-Alexander Wennberg-Oliver Bjorkstrand

Game Day: Senators versus Blue Jackets Brandon Dubinsky-Riley Nash-Nick Foligno

DEFENCE

Ken Warren Zach Werenski-Seth Jones

Markus Nutivaara-David Savard

Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators, Saturday, 7 p.m., Canadian Dean Kukan-Scott Harrington Tire Centre. TV: SN 360, City, TVAS2 Radio: TSN 1200-AM, Unique 94,5. GOALIES

THE BIG MATCHUP Sergei Bobrovsky

Ryan Dzingel versus Anthony Duclair: Interesting statistics since the trade deadline deal that saw the two wingers swapped for each other. SICK BAY Before Friday’s pivotal game against the New York Rangers, Dzingel had scored three goals and eight assists in 19 games. Duclair, meanwhile, Ryan Murray has scored eight goals, including one in Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 Buffalo Sabres, and six assists in 20 games with the Senators. A long playoff run might mean the Blue Jackets cement Dzingel, who has a history in Columbus as an Ohio State University grad, to an extended contract. Duclair’s scoring run with the Senators could entice the organization to take a chance and sign him to an extension in the summer.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

Pushing to the end: Win or lose, the Senators will still finish 31st and last in the standings, but a victory would at least send the Senators into the summer with something positive.

Remembering when: Ryan Dzingel returns for the first time since being traded away and Matt Duchene plays his second game against Ottawa (his first with Columbus came immediately after the swap).

Issuing a message: It has been a bumpy year for 37-year-old Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, but he has a chance to go into the summer with four wins in his final five starts.

Delivering for the crowd: It’s Fan Appreciation Night and the Senators deserve to pay back their fans for their patience in waiting for a brighter future.

Evening to produce a winning record: It’s not much, really, but a victory would at least give the Senators more regulation wins than losses at Canadian Tire Centre. They head into the finale with an 18-18-4 home mark.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Senators PP: 20.3 (15th), PK 79.2 (23rd)

Blue Jackets PP: 15.5 (28th), PK 85.0 (2nd)

SENATORS’ LINES

Brady Tkachuk-Colin White-Brian Gibbons

Magnus Paajarvi-Oscar Lindberg-Anthony Duclair

Mikkel Boedker-Chris Tierney-Bobby Ryan

Zack Smith-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Max Veronneau

DEFENCE

Thomas Chabot-Dylan DeMelo

Cody Ceci-Ben Harpur

Mark Borowiecki-Christian Jaros

GOALIES

Craig Anderson

Anders Nilsson

SICK BAY

None.

BLUE JACKETS’ LINES

Artemi Panarin-Matt Duchene-Cam Atkinson 1139137 Ottawa Senators

The Senators send help to Belleville to assist in playoff push

Bruce Garrioch

The Belleville Senators received reinforcements for the weekend Friday.

With Belleville sitting one point out of a playoff spot with five games left as it prepared to face the on Friday and host the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday at the CAA Arena, the Senators sent forward Rudolfs Balcers and defenceman Christian Wolanin to their AHL affiliate to try to help the club get to the post-season.

While Ottawa doesn’t close out its season until Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at home, Balcers and Wolanin were both placed on the American Hockey League’s clear day list in February and are eligible to compete in the post-season. First, Belleville has to get there.

Heading into Friday’s action, Cleveland held down the final playoff spot in the AHL’s North Division. Cleveland has a game in hand, so no matter what the result was against the Bears, a victory over the Monsters on Saturday is pivotal. That will be the fourth game in four nights for Balcers and Wolanin.

Belleville doesn’t have top defenceman Erik Brannstrom, who is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, and blueliner Max Lajoie is finished for the year due to hip surgery. The Senators want their AHL team to make the post-season because it would help the development of the young players in the rebuild.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139138 Ottawa Senators While the Senators will finish last overall, they opted to give this year’s top selection to the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Matt Duchene deal, which means Colorado will have the best shot at getting Jack SNAPSHOTS: Joey Daccord still flying high after making his NHL debut Hughes at No. 1.

The Senators could have deferred their pick last year to the Avs, but opted to use it to select winger Brady Tkachuk, and they have no regrets Bruce Garrioch about making that decision.

Ottawa will have a first-round selection acquired from Columbus in the Duchene deal at the trade deadline as long as the Jackets don’t pick in The Ottawa Senators returned from Buffalo just after midnight Friday, but the top three. If that happened, the pick would defer to 2020. hours later Joey Daccord sounded like he was still on Cloud 9. THE LAST WORDS Less than 24 hours after making 35 stops in a 5-2 loss to the Sabres on Thursday night at the KeyBank Center, the only aspect the rookie Down the road in Montreal on Saturday night, the legendary Bob Cole goaltender didn’t enjoy about his NHL debut was the final score. will be closing out his broadcasting career when he calls the Toronto Maple Leafs-Canadiens finale at the Bell Centre on Hockey Night in Otherwise, everything was just fine. Canada. “It was a crazy night. It feels like a blur now, but I’m so incredibly grateful In his 50th year calling the league, to say Cole will be missed is an to the Senators organization for giving me the opportunity,” Daccord told understatement. You can feel the excitement from the game coming TSN 1200 Friday afternoon. “It was an awesome night, and to be able to through your television set, and as former CBC producer Ed Milliken share it with so many family and friends, I’m just so incredibly grateful.” once told us, “Nobody has better anticipation for the game” than Cole. He Yes, it’s been a whirlwind week for the 22-year-old Daccord. Last knows when to strike the right notes. Saturday night, the Arizona State Sun Devils were eliminated from the If you’ve had the chance to spend any time with Cole, he’s one of the NCAA tournament, Monday he signed a contract with Ottawa, Tuesday finest people in the game and it’s hard to imagine Saturday nights without he skated with the team before the club left for New York and then him. Congratulations to Cole on his career, and we’ll be setting our PVR Thursday he faced the Sabres. to watch this one Sunday morning. Selected No. 199 overall by the Senators in 2015, Daccord always hoped Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 the chance to play in the league would come, and with the club out of playoff contention this was a good opportunity to give him a glimpse of what it’s like to play at this level.

Coach Marc Crawford felt Daccord held his own in a difficult situation with the club playing its third game in four nights after a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday. It got tougher when the Senators lost defenceman Christian Jaros after the second period and were left with five blueliners to finish the game.

“I thought he played well,” Crawford said after the loss in Buffalo. “It’s a lot when you’re coming in and playing net, especially in the situation he was put in where we’re playing our third game in four nights.

“We were a little bit depleted and I thought the fatigue showed on our defensive core. Give them credit, they did a great job of forechecking and pushed the pace. They didn’t allow us to have an easy game of it at the end. Consequently, he got a lot of work in the last two periods and he held up pretty good.

“It’s a lot to expect from a young goaltender, at the best of times, to be able to come in and play at this level. At the same time, you have to recognize that (Thursday) we had a group that was depleted and because of that I thought we looked fatigued.”

Next week, Daccord will return to ASU to finish off his schooling, but with this game under his belt he’s confident that sometime down the road he’ll be able to be a full-time contributor at this level. General manager Pierre Dorion and goalie coach Pierre Groulx feel the same way, otherwise the organization wouldn’t have signed Daccord.

“The biggest thing is I know I can play,” said Daccord. “I didn’t feel I was a fish out of water (Thursday) night. I felt like I belonged there and, right now, my game’s not ready to be an everyday NHLer, but if I put the right work in, stick to the process and do the right things, then one day hopefully I’ll be a regular in this league.”

Daccord told the station he settled down once the puck dropped.

“You get a little nervous here and there, and there were a few spots during the day where it kind of hits you. It was like, ‘Holy smokes, I’m going to play in the show tonight,’ ” Daccord said. “For me, I think once the game started I like to handle the puck, and right off the opening draw it came right to me and I was able to get my feet wet right away.

“That was nice for me to get into the game, get a touch and feel good. Then we were able to score two minutes in and I think I was able to settle in pretty quick.”

LOTTERY TO BE HELD TUESDAY

The league confirmed Friday the NHL draft lottery will be held Tuesday at the Hockey Night in Canada headquarters in Toronto. 1139139 Ottawa Senators In the former case, Thomas Chabot needs to be given a long-term extension this summer, a first indication to the fans that management is indeed putting its money where its mouth is in talking about keeping top WARREN: Senators give credit where credit is due — to their fans talent.

In the latter case, the organization must be careful not to rush Erik Brannstrom too soon. Without question, the past season has been a Ken Warren roller-coaster ride for the young Christian blueliners (Jaros and Wolanin) and Max Lajoie.

Fans should welcome the hunt for a president of hockey operations to Good on the Ottawa Senators for saying thank you to their faithful for the take the load off general manager Pierre Dorion. The NHL’s involvement past support and in the hope that they’ll trust in the uncertain future. in the process is a sign that the league isn’t pleased with the dark cloud The major advertisements in newspapers, along with the radio and TV that has existed. spots paying credit where credit is due in advance of Saturday’s Fan There are countless questions for a management team to chew on. Appreciation Night in the regular season finale against Columbus do send the right message. First up is the coaching situation. Can interim coach Marc Crawford lead a youth movement? Or, perhaps, serve as a short-term bridge before If fans trust that the Senators will follow through on their pledge to allowing current assistant Chris Kelly to take over? eventually spend near the salary cap — that’s still on owner Eugene Melnyk to prove — there is still a long road ahead. If the fans can see the Does the experience Belleville coach Troy Mann has had with Batherson, light at the end of the long tunnel — we’ll get to Carolina Hurricanes Brown, Chlapik, Wolanin and potential goaltenders of the future Marcus comparisons in a moment — there is promise. Hogberg and Filip Gustavsson play into his chances of earning the head coaching job? Yet given all the negatives the organization has been through since last April (who wants to play word association with the topics Karlsson, A voice from outside could offer a different perspective on the coaching Hoffman, Stone, Duchene, Dzingel, Melnyk, Boucher, 2019 NHL entry front and/or have ideas on how best to manipulate the roster in the short- draft, et al?), it’s the fans who deserve a round of applause for continuing term to stay above the salary-cap floor. to show up at Canadian Tire Centre and/or continuing to pay attention and ask hard questions about what’s coming next in the rebuild. In terms of big-picture finances, Melnyk has said that he could be open to taking in a partner. Melnyk has no history of sharing, but an influx of cash The Senators don’t always like to hear it, but criticizing this move or that could improve the debt load on the franchise, potentially allowing the decision or the messaging behind it all — after hearing from different Senators to move closer toward the salary cap, where Melnyk has front office voices, fans are still unclear on whether the Senators did or promised fans he will go eventually. didn’t want to keep Mark Stone and Matt Duchene — does illustrate passion for the product. There are doubters out there, of course, but it’s the fans who will and should ultimately hold Melnyk to his words. They are always the MVPs: It sure as hell beats apathy. After all, without the fans there is nothing. the most valuable people. The Senators are doing themselves a disservice if they’re not listening to what is being said from season-ticket holders, former season-ticket Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 holders who have become casual fans and former casual fans who have now slipped into the wait-and-see camp.

In the short-term, the pain will get worse — we’ll learn Tuesday just how high the lost draft pick to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2017 Matt Duchene trade will be — but that also amounts to crying over spilt milk. The pick is long gone and the Avalanche are sitting pretty with both a playoff spot next week and the potential first overall selection in late June.

What Senators general manager Pierre Dorion did gain by pushing the pick to this summer, however, was the acquisition of Brady Tkachuk as the fourth overall selection last summer.

It will be fun to compare top three picks — Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi — to Tkachuk for the rest of their careers, but for now Tkachuk has all the makings of being the Senators’ future captain.

At 19, he has already earned the respect of veterans and kids — the fellow youngsters on his own team, along with the next generation of Senators fans — and is becoming a blessing for a franchise that needed as much positive news as it could get during the season.

He has survived, even thrived, heading into the season finale, with 22 goals and 45 points, second among rookies on both counts.

If and when Drake Batherson, Logan Brown, Filip Chlapik and Alex Formenton make the jump to the NHL, Tkachuk can help show the way given everything he has gone through in his rookie season.

For all that, it’s the defence that has the makings of being the Senators’ long-term strength.

If you buy the argument that having a ready supply of solid, mobile defencemen is a key to success in the modern-day NHL — hello, Hurricanes and the bunch of jerks who will be the Cinderella story of the first round of the playoffs — the Senators should be well-stocked in two or three years.

The key here is to pay players their market value when the time is right and to exercise as much patience as possible with prospects amid what could be a few more difficult seasons. 1139140 Ottawa Senators Nilsson didn’t know Anderson before arriving in Ottawa in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks.

“He’s been really good to me. We’ve had some good laughs, some good Why the Senators would be wise to keep Craig Anderson beyond this talks here sitting next to each other,” Nilsson said. season “We have a great partnership. We’re supporting each other. We’re also having some fun. We both know when we should leave each other alone. By Chris Stevenson Apr 5, 2019 Craig is a little bit more relaxed before games than I am. We know when to joke around and know when not to. It’s all about respecting each other and I have a huge respect for him. A really good person and a really good goalie so I’m glad I got to know him this year.” The worst season in Ottawa Senators history mercifully concludes on Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Canadian Tire Anderson said his occasional crustiness was just his way of dealing with Centre. being an introvert.

After a season like this, the first time the Senators have finished last in “That’s been my personality ever since I was a kid. I’ve always been the the NHL in 23 years, there are going to be a lot of changes, the scope of guy that’s standoffish. Not anti-social or whatever you want to call it, but if which is not fully clear at this point. you get me on an individual one-on-one basis, I’m a completely different person than when you put me in a group of five. In five, I’m the type that Let the speculation begin. Beyond the obvious building blocks like clams up and goes in my little hole and it appears that I don’t like youngsters Brady Tkachuk, Colin White and Thomas Chabot and a anybody or don’t want to talk to anybody. handful of others, how many of the players who will be on the ice on Saturday will be back in October? (We’ll get more fully into this issue in “Get me in a one-on-one where I talk about things I’m interested in the coming days and weeks to come. There will be a lot of time for that.) whether it’s racing or cars. Sometimes it is about hockey, but a lot of times as players you don’t want to sit there and talk hockey all the time.” It’s not out of the question that anyone beyond the rebuilding core of kids could potentially be moved this offseason. Even a player like veteran He’s embraced the crafty old veteran role with the Senators this season. goaltender Craig Anderson could be playing his last game as a Senator Rookie defenceman Max Lajoie moved in with the Andersons. Anderson, on Saturday as the club’s goaltending situation is, at best, cloudy. Anders a guy who used to go “into his hole” is now making an effort. Nilsson can be an unrestricted free agent. Mike Condon is vowing to return after being out for most of the season with a hip ailment and “Where do you find the common ground?” he asked. “Right now it’s being Marcus Hogberg, who looks ready to graduate from the AHL, along with 37 and playing with 22-year-olds. What is there to have in common? youngsters Filip Gustavsson and Joey Daccord are pushing for playing What can we talk about? You have to work at it. It takes effort. I’ve been time. going out of my way to show that I’m approachable. As a goalie, everybody is like, ‘oh leave the goalie alone.’ That probably doesn’t help There were at least a couple of teams, the Calgary Flames being one of either with my personality. That’s kind of been my whole life of being anti- them, that had discussions about acquiring Anderson at the trade social. deadline. Depending on how the Flames goaltending performs in the playoffs they might circle back and revisit the Anderson situation in the “My wife gets it all the time: ‘Does Craig not like me?’ She’s like, ‘no, he summer. just doesn’t talk.’”

The return for goaltenders hasn’t been particularly good on the NHL Anderson has been talking. In the second intermission of the Senators trade market and the Senators will have to consider if the potential return game against the New York Islanders on March 5, he stood up — a rare is worth losing Anderson’s veteran presence and his cap hit, a valuable occurrence for him — and gave a speech that raised the eyebrows of commodity for a rebuilding team. some of his teammates.

Anderson, who will be 38 in May, has a year left on his contract with a “It was three games into (Crawford being the head coach). It was almost cap hit of $4.75 million. For a team like the Flames, who have veteran like we just put our sticks on the ice and said, ‘whatever,’” Anderson said. Mike Smith on an expiring contract and with there win window wide open, The Senators, who were down 4-2 before the speech, scored twice in the Anderson could be an option. He is just two years removed from carrying third and earned a point in a shootout loss. the Senators to the Eastern Conference final. Playing behind the worst defensive club in the league, he still managed to show flashes of that The message stuck with Borowiecki. “It was just about how you want to level of play this season. show yourself in this league and how finite your career can be especially when you get sucked into the vortex of playing for bad teams,” he said. The Senators season went from the potential of being mildly respectable “You saw it happen in Edmonton. They were bad for so many years. It to full on disaster when Anderson and Chabot were injured in December. reflects poorly on guys whether it’s right or wrong or deserved or not. The Senators interim coach Marc Crawford said those injuries were the onus is on us to pull together because team success breeds individual turning points of the season. success. That was kind of the message there.”

In his ninth season with the Senators and his 16th in the NHL, Anderson said speaking like that is “rare to quite rare” and said he Anderson’s unique style is still evolving. He has added modern learned his lesson in the minors. One bag skate a year sent the techniques to his old-school game, and, particularly this season with the appropriate message. Any more than that and it lost its impact. changes in the Senators dressing room, has taking a step forward as a leader. “It’s the same thing with speeches. If a guy comes in and rants and hollers at the guys every third game, you’re going to lose the bite to it. It The Senators would have to decide if the potential return in a trade is becomes all bark and no bite. If you do it once a year, twice a year, you worth parting with Anderson’s veteran presence especially when he pick the right spots,” Anderson said. could be valuable mentoring the Senators goaltenders of the future. Said Borowiecki: “He’s really stepped up this year. He’s naturally just a Maybe it’s just maturing, maybe it’s what he and his wife Nicholle went quieter guy. For the most part, goalies are like that. They have so much through with her successful battle after her cancer diagnosis in 2016, but on their plate, so much to worry about. They are usually a little more this is a kinder, gentler Craig Anderson. dialed-in on what their responsibilities are. This year he has stepped up.”

Case in point, there was a time when defenceman Mark Borowiecki As mentioned, Anderson’s game is still evolving. When Senators steered clear of the salty veteran. goaltending coach Pierre Groulx started working with him (they’ve know “He’s kind of a sarcastic guy. I think when you are a young guy, he’s each other since 2006-07 when both were with the Florida Panthers) one of the older guys you’re kind of like, ‘I think he hates me,’” Groulx said Anderson’s game had an obvious area that could be Borowiecki said. “You learn as you get older you’ve got to give it back to exploited. him a little bit. You’ve got to jab each other a little bit. That’s just the way His play at the posts was weak to the point that the team’s penalty killing he is. I think he respects you for it after. As you get older, you get more strategy had to be tailored to prevent wraparound attempts and jam plays comfortable making reads on guys like that. Young guys start to realize at the posts. he doesn’t hate you, that’s just the way he is.” “Now you see him more comfortable sliding post-to-post,” Groulx said. grow as individuals, as humans. He wants to look back five years from “There’s no panic in his play. For an old guy, it’s pretty impressive. We all now when this team is back where it should be, he wants to look at it and know as you get older your bones and muscles don’t allow you to do say he had a helping hand in doing that.” certain things, but he’s adapted himself. He knew that he needed to do that. He’s allowed the new style of play to creep into his game.” What he went through with Nicholle has helped to take the edge off the hockey player. She was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Here’s a save he made against the Buffalo Sabres when he recorded his October, 2016. Anderson left the Senators, but returned three days later 42nd career shutout on March 26: after Andrew Hammond was injured and Nicholle told him his team needed him. Anderson’s game has been envolving but it always going to be based on the way he reads the play. His 2-0 shutout Oct. 30, 2016 against the Edmonton Oilers is one of the most memorable and emotional games in Senators history. “What you don’t want to take away from Craig is the way he reads the game, the way he is able to read the guy’s eyes, read the guy’s plays She was declared cancer-free in May 2017. and read where they are shooting. Sometimes he’ll make saves standing up where you will be like how did he do that?” Groulx said. Something like that helps put things in perspective, right?

“A few guys have a distinctive style. Jonathan Quick (of the Los Angeles “It made the game a game again. You get caught up in it being a job, Kings) has a style where he is all over the place. (Montreal Canadiens you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that. At the end of the day if I leave goaltender Carey) Price has a style where he is in control and calm. everything out on the ice, I need to leave it there, go home and enjoy the (Henrik) Lundqvist is always deep in his net. He reads off that. Lundqvist other parts of life,” Anderson said. is probably the closest guy to Andy as far as reading plays because he “At the end of the day there is life after hockey and you have to nurture plays so deep. Andy has a style where he is able to read shots, guys’ that whether it’s with kids, your wife, family and friends. There is life after eyes and hands. It’s impressive the way he can do that. When he is on, hockey. No matter how bad things are at the rink, you still have people like the Toronto game, the Buffalo game, he knows where guys are who love you. There are good things in life to go home to, no matter how shooting. He knows where guys are going. If he sees it, he makes that good or bad things are going at the rink. save.” “It’s a livelihood. It’s not life.” “He has a very, very unique style. For me, if I would try to play like him I wouldn’t be in the league for a very long time,” Nilsson said. The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019

Anderson, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for Brian Elliott in February, 2011 (one of the late Bryan Murray’s best deals), already owns all the Senators goaltending records worth having except for one: he has 28 shutouts and trails Patrick Lalime by two. Anderson is the first goaltender to play 400 games for the Senators (it’s expected he will play his 401st against Columbus). He has 191 wins and another 21 in the playoffs (tied with Lalime).

Anderson has been moving up the list of wins belonging to American- born goaltenders. He needs 24 to move past Mike Richter for fifth on the list:

Wins by American goaltenders

1. Ryan Miller: 378

2. : 374

3. Tom Barrasso: 369

4. Jonathan Quick: 308

5. Mike Richter: 301

6. Craig Anderson: 278

“I think he’s been probably the most underrated goalie in the NHL,” Borowiecki said. “When he’s locked in and tracking pucks and seeing pucks, he’s almost impossible to score on. It’s kind of strange. He’s got a bit of an unorthodox style, I think, compared to a lot of traditional goalies who are kind of butterfly blockers, big guys who get in front of pucks. He’s a little more athletic.

“He tries to stand up a little more. I think he kind of throws shooters off. He’s kind of a guy when he’s locked in you’re not beating him with that first shot.”

At this point, I think Anderson has more value to the Senators than what a trade would return unless an opposing general manager is caught at a weak moment.

This team is going to have its struggles again next season. Anderson isn’t showing signs of his play diminishing as he showed in recent performances against the Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs. On those nights when the Senators are competitive, he is usually the reason why.

“He’s been a fixture for us. He’s kept us in so many games. He’s one of those guys you’ve always got a chance to win,” Borowiecki said.

It sounds like he has taken a big step forward this season as a leader in a room that is only going to get younger.

“Craig loves the game. He loves our group. He loves the kids,” Groulx said. “Last year there were problems and he didn’t want to be in there. Now he’s just able to play. He wants to help the young D develop and 1139141 Philadelphia Flyers above-average years, then we can become a great team. We have to find that consistency from 17, 18, even 20 guys. I think that’s what we are missing. We have a few pieces going here, few pieces not. We have to The Flyers are ending another season with more questions than answers find that consistency level for 70 to 75 games. You’re going to have those 10-12 games a year where you just don’t have it. But we have to get that consistency level from more guys way more often.” by Sam Donnellon Breakaways: Defenseman Philippe Myers was loaned to the Phantoms, presumably to aid their playoff run. Mark Friedman was recalled to

replace him. … Nolan Patrick was not on the ice Friday and is not “It was the worst game that I was part of in 11 years,” Jake Voracek said expected to play Saturday. His upper-body injury suffered in the game after the Flyers’ Friday practice, referring to Thursday night’s loss in St. against Dallas makes it imprudent to risk any further injury in the season Louis. finale, said Gordon.

Given the disappointments and inconsistencies surrounding this team Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.06.2019 over his last seven seasons here, that’s saying something.

It wasn’t just the 7-3 score on which the Flyers were on the wrong end. It’s how they went about it, or didn’t go about it: allowing the Blues to work the puck around them as if they were pylons, avoiding contact, looking like a team that in every way has quit on the season -- and seemingly on each other as well.

“Players under NHL contracts shouldn’t be this level bad,” said Voracek, who was pointless and missed the net on four of the six shots he took Thursday. "Let’s be honest: That was an NHL team playing against a triple-A team. We were shooting pucks away from one other. Guys without the puck didn’t want the puck. And when we got that puck, we were scared to do something.

“We can’t play like that. It [stinks] to be out of the playoffs, but there’s still something to play for. You’re playing for the Philadelphia Flyers.”

Is that enough to hold off the playoff-bound Carolina Hurricanes in Saturday night’s season finale at the Wells Fargo Center? Recent history offers a resounding no. The Flyers have been outscored 16-5 in the three losses that have followed their official elimination. As telling, and perhaps damning, is the 3-9-0 record they have put together since rallying to the brink of playoff relevancy.

Did the pressure of the hunt get to them?

“I think when we got to within three points of a playoff spot there was certainly a feel-good [atmosphere] in the room,” said interim coach Scott Gordon. “Everybody was going in the right direction. That loss in Toronto [7-6, March 15] took a lot of wind out of our sails. The way it happened. The timing of when it happened. It was obviously frustrating.”

The Flyers frittered away a three-goal lead in the last half of that game, making the sort of defensive-zone gaffes that marked their descent to the NHL cellar, and that has marked their recession from relevancy over the 12 games since.

It has likely also damaged Gordon’s chance to get the interim tag removed and return as their coach -- something he said he is aware of, but not consumed by.

“We had an opportunity against the Islanders, [a] tie game with four minutes to go,” said Gordon. “We had a 2-1 game against Montreal that we didn’t have enough to get over the edge. … From any energy standpoint, I’m sure there was an energy drain after what we had gone through over the last two months. And now we’re in a situation where we haven’t had anything to play for the last three games.”

Except, of course, for the sweater. And for each other. The Flyers claim to be a tight team off the ice. Why that hasn’t manifested itself into on-ice results -- for much of the time the core group featuring Voracek, Sean Couturier, and Claude Giroux has been together -- is something new general manager Chuck Fletcher will have to decipher if pro hockey’s version of Groundhog Day is to be halted.

“I’ve been asked that question the last several years -- it’s frustrating.” said Voracek, who has seen his point total shrink from 85 last season to 65 while his plus-minus sank from plus-10 to minus-16. "It’s easy to think we’re not good enough, but obviously we don’t think that way. We’ve had a lot of young guys come in over the last couple of years. And so I thought this was the year. From that standpoint, it was my most disappointing season in the NHL. Because I had way higher expectations.

“Last year we made the playoffs, G had a hundred points, I had a career year, Coots had a career year. It’s not going to happen every single year that guys are going to have career years. But I think if 17 or 18 guys have 1139142 Philadelphia Flyers Oskar Lindblom’s 16th goal, which featured some much-needed soft hands around the net, continued his upward trending amid the chaos of the last few weeks.

Observations from the Flyers’ loss to the blues, and some advice for As impressive as his catch, deke and shoot goal was, his value is best Chuck Fletcher measured in how often he rescues pucks along the boards that appear headed from the zone. by Sam Donnellon, JVR too

Speaking of rescuing pucks, Claude Giroux’s goal to cut the Blues lead to 5-3 at the time was one of the few times Thursday that an effort play The Flyers surrendered five first period goals in a lifeless, embarrassing was made by the Flyers. In this case it was James van Riemsdyk’s big 7-3 loss to the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday. reach, interrupting Robert Bortuzzo’s clearing attempt, that set up Sean Couturier’s tee shot pass to Giroux. Here are some observations: JVR also showed some deft hands with his 27th goal of the season, Some advice for the new GM batting his own rebound from mid-air past Jordan Binnington for the Here’s an exercise Chuck Fletcher can do right now that might be Flyers second goal. informative: Google “Slow starts Flyers Craig Berube.” Then look for Elliott’s awful, but representative finish as a Flyer “Slow starts Flyers Dave Hakstol.” Finally, check out “Slow starts Flyers Scott Gordon.” The stat line will say that in Brian Elliott’s likely final game as a Flyers, he allowed four goals on five shots. There will be plenty of material there. As there will be if you substitute the coaches’ names with any of the players that have made up the Flyers’ But like so much of his stay here, his misfortune was not of his doing. so-called core group since 2014-2015, and before. Elliott’s two-year stay here is not likely to be remembered much, and The Flyers might have done Fletcher a favor with this epic fade down the that’s too bad. Few players who have worn their sweater have played stretch. The fools’ gold impression made with the arrival of Carter Hart hurt more often, played hard more often. Carter Hart may have been the and Gordon was washed away over these last few weeks to expose the biggest reason they had their little second half run, but Elliott’s heroics consistency of the core: they don’t come to play every night, they too last season, playing several back to backs even as his core was tearing often don’t play hard all night, and their collective confidence dissipates apart, put them into the playoffs. under pressure. Gordon’s way They start too many games as if collectively it is their first in the NHL. Halfway through second period, after his long clear was picked off at mid This was was Hakstol back in October, after the team finished yet ice, Gostisbehere was met as he came off the ice by Gordon. Hand on another October with a losing record: his shoulder, Gordon and Ghost engaged in a lengthy give and take that was animated, but collegial. “What I mean by structure is everybody is working for each other, close support, when we have guys coming back hard, back-checking, it helps During the previous game in Dallas, Gordon could be seen in an even the D out, prevents them from getting really good opportunities. That’s more animated discussion with second-year centerman Nolan Patrick. what I mean by structure: Basically not having guys, like, hang below and Some might even describe it as an argument. hoping for a breakaway pass or hoping things come back the other way." The bottom line is that Gordon has made his players comfortable arguing All the characteristics were there then, as they were the year before and their points, or making them. the year before that. Some final cheap advice for Fletcher: The best coaches out there don’t Simply put, they are an easy team to play against. Shayne Gostisbehere feel threatened when challenged. twirling in front of his net on the Blues first goal, Robert Hagg sticking out his butt as Alexander Steen whirls by him on the seventh, Ivan Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.06.2019 Provorov’s effort on the fifth St. Louis goal -- these can all be chalked up as learning, but there was a palpable tentativeness to each.

And when your captain comes off the ice glaring at an opponent after what he perceived to be a dirty mid-ice hit, as Claude Giroux did to Jaden Schwartz late in the third period, someone has to make a statement, even if it’s just a big hit on one of their stars. Instead it was the Flyers played as if they were headed to the playoffs and trying to preserve their health.

Again, from Hakstol back in October: "It’s really [about] working hard. We’ve had games, we’ve had stretches that we’ve played that way. But I think when we get away from it, it’s a little bit of a scramble and that’s what we don’t want to happen.''

You can find similar quotes from Berube before him, and certainly Gordon more recently. No, Giroux isn’t the problem, but he isn’t ever going to be any fiery, in-your-face type captain either. He is often the last one to speak after losses, not the first, of his own volition. Jake Voracek is probably the most honest assessor, but he can also be one of the most culpable transgressors. When a top guy has a minus-24 and a minus-16 in two of his last three seasons, it’s hard to take any plea to play more responsibly very seriously.

Fletcher’s got money to spend, prospects and picks to offer, and some big needs, starting with a veteran top D man and second-line center. It sure would help if the players he adds have a couple of long runs and Cup or two between them, and some attytood as well.

Oskar trends upwards 1139143 Philadelphia Flyers The game is different now, of course. Not as much hitting. Not as much intimidation. Hardly any fighting.

Still, the good teams bring juice to their home games. And some snarl. Flyers’ offseason needs include vocal leaders, not just missing pieces | That was missing this season. Sam Carchidi The Wells Fargo Center is no longer a place where opponents dread playing. Fans were relatively quiet for most of the season, except when by Sam Carchidi Carter Hart was making big saves. The players were relatively quiet, too, failing to bring the energy that is usually prevalent on home ice.

Bryce Harper has created energy at Citizens Bank Park because of his I’ve always defended Claude Giroux as the Flyers’ captain, always talent and swagger. Both characteristics have lifted a fan base that had thought of him as someone who quietly leads by example. gone silent for several years.

That’s still true. Now Fletcher should swing for the fences, too. Maybe he can sign soon- to-be-free agent Artemi Panarin, a dynamic left winger who plays with No one cares more than No. 28. No one takes losses harder. unbridled passion. Maybe he can work out a blockbuster trade with the But — and you knew a but was coming, didn’t you? — I now believe the sad-sack Kings, who are hungry for young players, for a great Flyers need more from their leadership group, Giroux included. defenseman and leader such as Drew Doughty, provided he tears up his no-movement clause. Now that Wayne Simmonds is no longer here, the Flyers need a veteran who will get in the faces of his teammates when needed. Or maybe he signs an offer sheet for restricted free agent Mitch Marner, the standout Toronto right winger who will turn 22 next month and is That’s not Giroux’s style. He played good cop, and Simmonds was the regarded as one of the game’s best young leaders. bad cop. Or maybe he can fill his needs through trades and add one of the From here, not only do the Flyers need to add three major pieces — a league’s best captains, former Flyer Justin Williams, a potential free No. 2 center, a top-nine winger who can score 25 goals, and a first-pair agent who is contemplating retirement but is still going strong at 37 and defenseman such as Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba, who is rumored to be has 23 goals and 53 points for Carolina. available — but they also need to find players who fit those roles and have strong personalities. Make no mistake: Upgrading the roster should be the Flyers’ first priority in the offseason. But this team also needs to add a leader or two who Guys who have a “follow me” attitude. Chris Pronger was like that. can show the young players the way.

Players who have talent and leadership qualities aren’t easy to find, but Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.06.2019 that should be general manager Chuck Fletcher’s mission this offseason.

“I don’t mind our leadership,” Fletcher said Thursday. “I certainly think there’s an opportunity for some of our younger players to take on a bigger role, too. Guys who aren’t rookies anymore and have spent some time in the league, and once you get a couple hundred games under your belt, expectations go up — not only in terms of performance, but the expectation to take on a bigger role in the dressing room as well.”

Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov fit that description.

“We have a good leadership group,” Giroux insisted when asked if he thought the team needed to add a respected voice or two in the offseason. “We have guys who have been here a while, but you can never have too many veterans in the room. I mean, it’s not really our decision. It’s up to Chuck. We’re a young team, and we know that. We need to mature fast.”

It was embarrassing how the Flyers, who admirably got back into the playoff race with an 18-4-2 run, looked as if they quit after they were officially eliminated, losing their next three games by a combined 16-5.

That’s on the team’s leaders.

Giroux said the slow starts to seasons have been an all-too-familiar reason that the team has missed the playoffs in four of the last seven years. That falls on the coaches and leaders for allowing Groundhog Day to be their identity during those seasons.

Ditto the slow starts to games. The Flyers have faced a 2-0 deficit in a startling 31 games this season, winning just four of them.

Pronger’s voice would have peeled the paint off the locker-room walls if the Flyers had continually fallen behind by two goals. This team just shrugs it off and says it has to be better.

Rinse. Repeat.

More swagger is needed in the locker room and on the ice. That swagger was missing this season, especially at home, where the Flyers, embarrassingly, had just their second losing record in 24 seasons.

Remember when visiting teams felt uncomfortable playing in Philadelphia? Remember when opposing players got what was called the “Philadelphia Flu” because they didn’t want to play in the City of Brotherly Shove?

Yeah, it’s been a while. 1139144 Philadelphia Flyers - Truxtun Hare (football/track and field)

- James Juvenal (rowing)

Donovan McNabb, Mark Recchi, Fran Dunphy among 2019 Philadelphia - Clara Schroth-Lomady (gymnastics) Sports Hall of Fame nominees - Vic Sears (football)

- Frank Spellman (Weightlifting) by Jonathan Tannenwald, - Tony Taylor (baseball)

- Bertha Townsend (tennis) This year’s ballot for the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame is out, and the list of nominees has many familiar names. - Midget Wolgast (boxing)

Former Eagles stars Donovan McNabb and Troy Vincent, and former - Cy Williams (baseball) Flyers stars Mark Recchi and Eric Desjardins are the biggest names from Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.06.2019 the local pro teams. Rasheed Wallace, who went from Simon Gratz to North Carolina to a great NBA career, is also on the ballot. Notable coaches up for induction include Fran Dunphy and Springfield High School grad Mike Scioscia.

As Wallace and Scioscia show, you don’t have to have played for a local pro team to get into the Hall. Philadelphia native Frank Wychek, who went to the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans in the 200-01 season, is eligible. So is Chester native Bo Ryan, the former longtime men’s basketball coach at Wisconsin.

There’s also a Heritage division of the ballot, with names that go back as far as 1880s tennis player Bertha Townsend-Toulmin. You’re more likely to have heard of 1960 Phillies All-Star Tony Taylor or Eagles Hall of Fame member Bill Bradley.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Modern era

- Sue Day Stahl (lacrosse)

- Eric Desjardins ()

- Fran Dunphy (basketball)

- Cherie Greer Brown (lacrosse)

- Herman Frazier (track and field)

- Donovan McNabb (football)

- Bill Melchionni (basketball)

- Charlene Morett (field hockey)

- Mark Recchi (ice hockey)

- Bo Ryan (basketball)

- Bob Rigby (soccer)

- Matthew Saad Muhammad (boxing)

- Mike Scioscia (baseball)

- Jerry Sisemore (football)

- Earl Strom (basketball official)

- Troy Vincent (football)

- Rasheed Wallace (basketball)

- Tim Witherspoon (boxing)

- Frank Wychek (football)

Heritage nominees

- Frank “Home Run” Baker (baseball)

- Adele Boyd (field hockey)

- Bill Bradley (football)

- Al Cantello (track and field)

- Charles Cooper (basketball)

- Harry Davis (baseball)

- Larry Foust (basketball) 1139145 Philadelphia Flyers He does know that it comes down to one game now, one that for Voracek will feel not only familiar, but uncomfortable. Sean Couturier has been around here long enough to have the same kind of feeling.

Voracek, Flyers will try to finish with some dignity "I think each guy has their own pride and you should always want to prove something," Couturier said. "Each guy needs to find the motivation to make this team better, help the team win. By Rob Parent "As a team, we owe a good effort to our fans. They've been through a lot this year, and we need to show them a good effort and try to get a win here." VOORHEES, N.J. — Jake Voracek has been here before during his Flyers career, about four times over the last seven seasons, give or take • • • a disappointment. NOTES >> The Flyers recalled Phantoms defenseman Mark Friedman "When you get eliminated, it sucks," Voracek, who also had a few of for the Saturday game and sent Phil Myers back so that he can practice these as a Columbus kid, said after a last Flyers practice Friday at the up for the Calder Cup playoffs (even though the Phantoms are almost Skate Zone. "But there is a lot more to play for after you get eliminated. certain to miss them). ... Jake Voracek, asked if a non-playoff season The pride, guys looking for new contracts ... there's still lots of things to causes him to lose his love of the game: "For me no. I come to work for play for." 30 minutes a day on the (practice) ice. Then I do something in the gym after. I make a good living ... what else are you going ask (for)? It's a That's why Voracek, for perhaps the first time out of all those seasons in dream job, obviously. But this situation for me isn't changed because we which he played games after his team had been eliminated from playoff are out of the playoffs." (Editor's note: Most practices are longer than 30 contention, seemed a bit puzzled and very pained over what had just minutes). ... Carter Hart will try to get some fans excited when he starts taken place on the road. against the Hurricanes. The Flyers lost 6-2 in Dallas Tuesday night. If that was bad, what took Delaware County Times LOADED: 04.06.2019 place Thursday night in St. Louis was abhorrent. The 7-3 losing score wasn't the half of it.

"That," Voracek said Friday of what took place the night before against the Blues, "was probably the worst game I was part of in 11 years. ... Even if you don't try, I don't think it could be that bad. We got absolutely outplayed. It felt like they were playing against a Triple-A team. We were losing every battle, scared to create anything instead of playing free ...

"I was trying to wrap my head around it and I couldn’t. Sometimes when you don’t play well, the effort is good enough to at least get a point. But there was nothing there yesterday. Nothing skill wise, playing wise, skating wise, battle wise. It was really disappointing.”

But certainly not unbelievable. The Flyers had a brutal stretch early in the season, and team president turned around and flipped the shock switch by firing friend and GM underling Ron Hextall.

In came Harvard man Chuck Fletcher, and out went public information dissemination as a form of management communication.

But Fletcher, after letting head coach Dave Hakstol hang for a while, did bring up Phantoms coach Scott Gordon to finish the season, and he was good at the public information side and even better at the motivation game. Or at least it seemed that way when the Flyers suddenly righted themselves in mid-January and went on an 18-4-2 tear, and at one point getting to within three points of a playoff spot.

"I think we got to three points out, and there's certainly a feel-good in the room," Gordon said, "everybody going in the right direction."

But Gordon said things went wrong when, "that loss in Toronto took the wind out of our sails."

That was a come-from-ahead loss in which the host Maple Leafs scored five unanswered goals March 15, ending the Flyers' two-month-old roll. Then came a tough loss to the Islanders, and another in Montreal, and...

"We didn't have enough to get us over the edge," Gordon said. "The circumstances of back to backs doesn't help. ... I'm sure there's a little bit of a drain there from what we had gone through the two prior months."

It culminated in their current free-fall fail, only three wins out of a dozen mostly dismal games as they approach the season finale with the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center.

None of those aformentioned losses, apparently, were as bad as the last game these eliminated Flyers played.

"Yesterday, we didn't do anything," Voracek said. "Anything having to do with the game, there was nothing positive. Unfortunately, even if it's going to be a little bit better, that won't be good enough tomorrow.

"We have to skate better, play better. I mean, you guys keep asking me what to do, I don't (bleepin') know. I don't know. We had a tough game. That's the worst game I'm part of ... I don't know what to say. You keep asking me that question, I don't know." 1139146 Philadelphia Flyers "You don't want to get embarrassed," Van Riemsdyk said. "But everybody looks bad on our team when we lose like that and give up seven goals."

Blues use early 5-goal blitz to bury Flyers, 7-3 Elliott was pulled after just 4:39.

"When you're not fighting for something like the playoffs, it's a lot tougher By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press Apr 5, 2019 to get up for it," Elliott said. "But it's still our job to win hockey games. That's why it's disappointing the way things unfolded tonight."

NOTES: St. Louis D Joel Edmundson returned to the lineup after missing ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alex Pietrangelo isn't quite sure how the St. Louis the previous 11 games with a lower-body injury. ... The Blues have won Blues turned their season around. six of their last eight at home against the Flyers. ... Philadelphia went 22- 10-2 from Jan. 10 to March 27 to climb out of last place. ... Giroux has 22 But the veteran defenseman couldn't help but grin Thursday night after goals and 61 assists through 81 games and will finish as a point-per- his team used five first-period goals on the way to a 7-3 rout of the game player for the second year in a row. Philadelphia Flyers. UP NEXT On Jan. 3, the Blues had an NHL-low 34 points. On Saturday, they will host Vancouver in the regular-season finale with a chance at winning the Flyers: Will finish the season by hosting Carolina on Saturday. Central Division title. Blues: Hosts Vancouver in season finale Saturday. A major about-face in just 89 days. Delaware County Times LOADED: 04.06.2019 "It's a testament to how hard we've worked to turn this thing around," said Pietrangelo, who fueled the early blitz with three assists.

Alexander Steen finished with two goals and 13 players recorded at least one point as the Blues improved to 8-1-2 since March 16.

"We've stuck to the process," Steen said. "Our mojo has been solid the last couple months. I'm a lot more happy with the feeling inside our locker room, the way we've handled everything. Our attitude is good."

The Blues scored five times in the first 9 minutes, 41 seconds to set a franchise record for the quickest five-goal start to a game, eclipsing the previous mark of five in the opening 13:45 set on Jan. 3, 1970, in a 6-0 win over Pittsburgh.

Ivan Barbashev, Ryan O'Reilly, Steen, Pat Maroon and all scored during the early outburst as the Blues scored five times on their initial 11 shots.

St. Louis is one point behind first-place Nashville, which has 98 points after beating Vancouver 3-2 on Thursday night. The Blues are tied with Winnipeg for second with 97 points. The Jets lost in overtime to Colorado on Thursday, The Central title will decided Saturday as all three teams close the regular season.

Claude Giroux, Oskar Lindblom and James Van Riemsdyk scored for the Flyers, who were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to Carolina on March 30. Philadelphia has lost four in a row and has surrendered 31 goals in its last seven games.

Jordan Binnington made 26 saves and set a team record for wins by a rookie with his 23rd, topping the mark of 22 set by current backup Jake Allen in 2014-15. Binnington, 23-5-1, has won his last six games at home. He shut out Philadelphia 3-0 on Jan. 7 in his first NHL start.

Barbashev got the blitz started at 2:49 by slapping a rebound out of the air and past Brian Elliott, who gave up four goals on five shots before being replaced by Carter Hart. O'Reilly scored a power-play goal 39 seconds later off a pass from Perron. O'Reilly's goal was his 28th, tying a career high.

Steen pushed the lead to 3-0 with a short-handed goal off a pass from Oskar Sundqvist.

Maroon and Perron ended the record-setting run by scoring 2:43 apart for a 5-2 lead.

Brayden Schenn scored in the second period, and Steen finished the scoring for the Blues in the third with his second goal of the night.

"We came out with some good jump and got on them right away," O'Reilly said. "We got some good bounces and it gave us some good spark."

The wild contest featured eight first-period goals.

"Like pond hockey," Pietrangelo said.

The Flyers fell behind 4-1 as the Blues scored on four of their first five shots. 1139147 Philadelphia Flyers

Jakub Voracek can't wrap head around how bad Flyers played

By John Boruk April 05, 2019 5:16 PM

VOORHEES, N.J. — After elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, pride is all the Flyers had left to play for.

Right now, pride hasn’t been much of a motivator.

“I think even if you don’t try, I don’t think it could be that bad,“ Jakub Voracek said Friday. “It was probably the worst period I was a part of in 11 years.”

That was Voracek’s assessment following Thursday’s game in St. Louis as the Flyers were in complete disarray, allowing five goals in the first 9:41 of the game (see observations). It was the quickest five goals in the 52-year history of the Blues’ franchise.

Which makes you wonder how much effort the Flyers exerted in the first period of another dreadful loss — their sixth in the last seven games. In that span, the Flyers have also been outscored 15-5 in the first period.

“I was trying to wrap my head around it, but I couldn’t,” Voracek said. “There was nothing there yesterday — skill wise, playing wise, skating wise, battle wise. It was really disappointing. You guys ask me what we need to do. I don’t f---ing know.”

For starters, the Flyers could finish out their season with some semblance of structure. Right now, they’re playing as if they’ve scrapped their game plan just minutes after warmups, where the intensity of performing at a playoff pitch for two-plus months has finally taken its toll.

“I think that loss in Toronto (7-6 on March 15) took the wind out of our sails,” interim head coach Scott Gordon said. “The way it happened, the timing of when it happened. From an energy standpoint, I think there’s a little bit of a drain from what we had gone through the two prior months. Now we’re in a situation where we haven’t had anything to play for a few games now.”

And it has clearly showed.

A regulation loss against an inspired Hurricanes team Saturday would put the Flyers at the .500 mark with a record of 37-37-8 while finishing with just 82 points. It would be their worst mark since 2006-07, when they finished with a dismal 56 points, and their second-worst single-season record in the past 25 years, excluding shortened 48-game seasons.

“It sucks. Obviously when you get eliminated, it sucks,” Voracek said. “There’s a lot more to play for after you’re eliminated — your pride, a lot of guys have contracts.”

The Flyers have one more opportunity Saturday to put their disappointment aside or risk being booed out of their own building when they face the resurgent Hurricanes, a team that secured its first postseason berth since 2009 with a 3-1 win over the Devils Thursday.

With a win over the Flyers, Carolina can also avoid a potential first-round playoff matchup with the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We just want to finish strong,” Sean Couturier said. “I think we owe it to the fans. It’s been tough [for them] this year. We need to show some pride and put on a good show for the fans.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139148 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers call up Mark Friedman for 2018-19 regular-season finale

By Jordan Hall April 05, 2019 3:55 PM

While the Flyers' 2018-19 season will come to an end Saturday, the NHL career of Mark Friedman will just begin.

The 2014 third-round draft pick is expected to make his NHL debut at the Wells Fargo Center against the Hurricanes (7 p.m./NBCSP) after being called up Friday from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. As a result, Philippe Myers was loaned to the Phantoms.

Friedman, a 23-year-old defenseman, plays a hard and physical game with the ability to draw penalties. He impressed in the preseason and was a plus-4 during the exhibition slate.

With Lehigh Valley this season, Friedman has five goals and 19 assists in 71 games.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder played three years of college hockey at Bowling Green, where he was a plus-21 in 121 games. Friedman brings some offensive potential but his primary focus is competing in his own end.

As for Myers, sending the 22-year-old down is not a big deal. The Phantoms have five games remaining. Myers was rewarded for his progress with a call-up in February. He now has 21 games of NHL exposure and will be ready to push for a full-time role in 2019-20.

Friedman gets his reward with a taste of the NHL before pushing alongside Myers in training camp.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139149 Philadelphia Flyers But I don’t see a team that has truly “stopped trying.” On Thursday night, I saw Ivan Provorov throw Vladimir Tarasenko — one of the game’s most dangerous scorers — to the ice on an early rush. I saw Scott Laughton Blues 7, Flyers 3: 10 things we learned from another rough loss as the backcheck furiously in an attempt to prevent St. Louis’ shorthanded goal. season winds down Of course, Provorov then chose to take away the shot rather than the pass, which led to a slam-dunk goal — but that’s not due to a lack of effort. That’s simply a poor decision, and while the Flyers have been plagued with those over the past week, I don’t see a team that is truly By Charlie O'Connor Apr 5, 2019 going through the motions.

On specific plays, effort has been lacking — likely due to exhaustion or As this long, arduous Flyers season nears its end, the team seems intent frustration. But I don’t see a team that is going into games planning to on making the final week as painful to watch as possible for their diehard give less than full effort, regardless of what the results might say. They’re fans. just playing terrible hockey.

The Flyers’ losing streak stretched to four games on Thursday night in 3: Defensive zone play has been the primary issue epic fashion, as Philadelphia allowed five goals before the midpoint of the That said, just because I don’t believe the Flyers have adopted a tanking first period, crashing and burning to the tune of a 7-3 defeat at the hands mentality as their default, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t getting of the St. Louis Blues. Since they were officially eliminated from outworked on a regular basis — particularly in the defensive zone. The postseason contention last Saturday, the Flyers haven’t merely failed to hard truth is that the team had been walking on a razor’s edge for months win a game — they haven’t even come close. with their territorial play, as opponents were regularly pinning the Flyers James van Riemsdyk, Oskar Lindblom and Claude Giroux scored for the in their own end for shifts at a time. Yes, they survived (and even thrived Flyers, who fell to 37-36-8 on the season. Brian Elliott started the game for quite a while) due to strong goaltending, but also because in goal, but was pulled after allowing four goals on five shots. Carter Hart Philadelphia held up in its own zone despite spending lots of time without relieved him, stopping 27 of 30 shots over the remainder of the contest. the puck. Through sheer effort and commitment to their assignments, At the other side of the rink, Jordan Binnington made 26 saves to earn they proved able to prevent slam-dunk goals and trusted their netminders the victory, which kept the Blues in the race for the Central Division title. to stop the rest. The Flyers, on the other hand, are simply trying to ride out the storm and Over the past week the Flyers’ territorial issues have remained, but with get to the offseason as soon as possible. the season out of hand, they haven’t been able to replicate the necessary Note: This article will reference advanced hockey stats. If you’re looking attention to detail and plain old relentlessness that previously allowed to better understand any of the referenced metrics, please read this them to survive long stretches on defense. It’s a combination that — primer, which explains the concepts behind them. when facing a team that is clicking offensively — can result in what happened on Thursday night. 1: Just an ugly all-around performance The breakdowns were numerous. Shayne Gostisbehere provided loose On Sunday, in the immediate wake of their official elimination from netfront coverage on St. Louis’ first goal. Both Travis Sanheim and Ivan playoff contention, the Flyers predictably came out flat against the New Provorov were late getting to their assignments on Goal No. 2. Corban York Rangers. Though far from ideal, it was an understandable reaction Knight proved completely ineffective in front of the cage on Goal No. 4. given the deflating outcome the day before. Two nights later, they lost Sanheim puck-watched on the sixth tally, and Robert Hagg was utterly convincingly to the Dallas Stars, but things looked a bit better — they torched on the Blues’ final goal of the night (and received no support hung with their opponent from a shot volume/quality standpoint, and from his teammates on the play, either). primarily lost the game because of a dramatic disparity in goaltending. It looked like the Flyers were at least trending upward in the final week of All five of those goals were examples of players not having that extra bit their season. of competitiveness that is needed to provide lockdown defensive zone coverage. It’s less that they “don’t care” and more that the focus and That theory can be thrown out the window now. intensity has been lacking just enough that NHL opponents are starting to regularly take advantage. On Thursday night against the Blues, the Flyers came out worse than lethargic in their own zone, and were gashed for five goals against before 4: Closing kick making it tougher to justify ‘running it back’ ten minutes had even passed. It truly was the Rangers game all over again, except even worse (at least Carter Hart had opportunities to save When the Flyers were in the midst of their two-month surge into most of the shots the Flyers allowed in that first period, a luxury not legitimate playoff contention, a possibility emerged: What if the front granted to Brian Elliott last night) and against a far better opponent. office — led by new general manager Chuck Fletcher — was watching Philadelphia eventually produced some offense to make the final score the games and thinking that all of the team’s issues were solved simply less embarrassing, but don’t be fooled — this one was ugly from the by switching coaches from Dave Hakstol to Scott Gordon and adding start, and it never got much better. Carter Hart in goal? What if the expected “big offseason” would be deemed unnecessary, because the successful second-half Flyers were Since being eliminated, the Flyers have been outscored 16-5 in three actually the “real version” of the team? consecutive losses, and a 6-2 defeat to a club likely to be first-round playoff fodder qualifies as the most impressive of the three. In the days These last three weeks have driven a stake through the heart of that leading up to the official end of their long-shot playoff hopes, multiple theory. Philadelphia is now 3-9-0 in its last 12 games, making it easier to players discussed the importance of finishing strong even if they fell short remember that prior to the club’s mid-January surge, they had lost eight of their goal. They’re pretty much doing the opposite right now, and only straight games under Gordon. The Flyers’ problems were not solved by have one game left to hit the offseason with a modicum of positivity. the “shake-up” in November/December.

2: The effort question Is it possible that if the organization gave the young players on the roster a summer to develop and Gordon a summer to tweak his systems in I’ve always felt that fans overuse the “our team quit” or “the players don’t preparation for training camp, that the roster essentially as is could take a care” explanation for particularly ugly losses. For the fans, it’s often a leap? Of course. After all, back in September, before this bizarre season way to release frustration more than anything else; for the players, it’s a got started, there was justifiable reason to believe that this roster (sans shot directly at the heart of their character. That’s why even after poor Hart and Philippe Myers) could finish with 100 standings points and win a performances, I lean heavily toward critiques of execution or pure talent playoff round. Give them better goaltending and a slightly more talented rather than effort or drive. blueline corps, and maybe they meet expectations naturally.

That won’t change here, though I’m sure many Flyers fans came away But I doubt Fletcher and the powers that be will take that risk. Had the from that game with the belief that the team has given up on the season. Flyers finished strong (even if they had still missed the playoffs), I After all, it fits a neat narrative: The idea that the team has one eye on suspect it would have gone a long way toward convincing the decision- the golf course now that they won’t reach the playoffs. That the Flyers’ makers in the organization — as well as the fans — that major worst games have occurred after official elimination does make for a roster/coaching surgery wasn’t necessary. Now, all bets are off. convenient explanation. 5: A historically awful start to the game for Flyers Bad starts have been a problem for the Flyers this season, so perhaps production that would justify the $7 million cap hit he had received from it’s appropriate that with time running down on 2018-19 they would the Flyers in the summer had gone up in smoke. After all, scoring 30 deliver a historically terrible one. Per Brian Smith — the team’s manager goals is hard enough to do in 82 games; after the injury news broke, it of broadcasting and media services — never once in the organization’s became clear he’d have to get it done in something like 65 or 66 games. history have the Flyers allowed five goals against faster to start a game than they did last night (in 9:41). And the Blues had never scored five Yet with one game left, van Riemsdyk’s goal totals don’t look remotely goals that quickly after puck drop. Both teams broke new ground in a out of line with his career season-over-season numbers. After his bizarre first period. highlight-reel tally on Thursday, JvR now has 27 goals this season — a decline from 36 in 2017-18, but still in the same ballpark with his past Only three times before had two teams combined for seven goals in the totals of 29, 27 and 30. Even Ron Hextall, in the wake of his firing, noted first 9:41 of a game, so now the Flyers and Blues join that illustriously that expecting van Riemsdyk to replicate his career-best goal totals random class. Amusingly enough, Philadelphia was involved in one of wasn’t a good idea; JvR was far more likely to settle in at around a 30- those other instances: a February 1997 game that produced a 4-3 score goal pace. Despite the six-week layoff, he ended up doing just that. after just 8:34 of hockey against the Ottawa Senators. Van Riemsdyk was not a perfect player for the Flyers in 2018-19. It It may not have been a fun game for Flyers fans to watch. But at least it understandably took him time to get back to maximum effectiveness after wasn’t commonplace. returning from his injury, due to conditioning and a lack of chemistry with his linemates. In addition, his underlying numbers have been poor all 6: Elliott finished his season — and possibly Flyers career — in worst year (though he’s trending up over the past few weeks). But 27 goals way possible meets reasonable expectations, and it seems even more impressive Let’s get this out of the way right now: This game was not Brian Elliott’s when accounting for the fact that when extrapolated out to an 82-game fault. He allowed three goals from within the crease area that were pace, van Riemsdyk would have scored 34 times — just two fewer than essentially one-timed past him, and a fourth on a 2-on-1 that saw Ivan the total that earned him that big contract in the first place. Provorov neglect to cover the shooter despite Scott Laughton putting 9: Giroux and Couturier continue to drive play sufficient back pressure on the puck carrier. Yes, Elliott gave up four goals on five shots, but the Blues racked up 2.21 Expected Goals on Say what you will about the Flyers’ two star forwards, Claude Giroux and those five quality opportunities — in other words, each shot had an Sean Couturier, and whether they could be doing more off the ice as average chance of 44.2 percent of turning into a goal based on the leaders to prevent these poor recent performances. But on the ice, they location and type of shot taken. That’s a ridiculous burden to be placed weren’t the problem — at least not on Thursday night. St. Louis got the on a netminder. better of the territorial battle at 5-on-5 on the whole, outshooting the Flyers 43-31 in terms of attempts. With Giroux and Couturier on the ice, However, a 0.200 save percentage is still a 0.200 save percentage. however? An 18-8 edge for Giroux and a 16-9 advantage for Couturier. Elliott surely didn’t want to see his last start of the season drop his 2018- 19 save percentage from a solid 0.912 to a far-less-shiny 0.907 rate — That, of course, means that Philadelphia got utterly throttled when one of even if the dip really wasn’t his fault. This also wasn’t merely the final the two wasn’t on the ice. Without Giroux, they controlled just 27.08 start of the season for the 33-year-old. Elliott’s contract with the Flyers is percent of the attempts; absent Couturier, 30.61 percent. Granted, the up this summer, and considering his injury issues over the past two pair did get gashed for St. Louis’ final goal, so they weren’t perfect. But seasons, it seems unlikely that the Flyers would choose to bring him on the whole, the Flyers weren’t having issues when their best forwards back in a backup role to Hart. Last night very well may have been Elliott’s jumped over the boards. It was when anyone else did that the problems last start wearing the Orange & Black, and through little fault of his own, started. he ended up only receiving about seven minutes of action. 10: Draft lottery update In time, Elliott’s tenure with the Flyers will fade from memory, as it overlapped with a mediocre period in the organization’s history. But Elliott With only one game remaining, the Flyers’ place in the draft lottery is performed admirably in net. Aside from the injuries — and one could becoming more clear. By losing last night, Vancouver now cannot finish make an argument they were initially sparked by overuse in the first year the season with a better record than Philadelphia; as a result, the Flyers of his deal more than anything else — and Elliott was a perfectly solid are unable to surpass them for the ninth-best odds. Right now, the Flyers tandem goalie for the Flyers, delivering above-average 5-on-5 results sit eleventh, tied with the Chicago Blackhawks at 82 standings points. and generally keeping the team in games. He wasn’t an elite goalie, but However, Chicago has two fewer regulation wins, so they hold the tenth Brian Elliott wasn’t signed to be fantastic. He was signed to an affordable spot for now. contract to be fine — and when he played, he was just that. The Flyers can now only finish in one of three spots — tenth, eleventh or 7: Hart impresses even in disastrous game twelfth. The Florida Panthers are too far ahead (at 85 points) for the Flyers to drop to 13th, leaving only the Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild When Brian Elliott was removed from last night’s game — more out of as plausible competition for placement. If the Flyers lose their final game mercy on Scott Gordon’s part than anything else — there was no other in regulation, and the Blackhawks earn even a single standings point in choice but to put Carter Hart into the line of fire. The Flyers’ defense was their final two contests (versus Dallas and Nashville), they would end up proving incapable of holding together in defensive zone coverage, to the with better odds than Chicago. As for Minnesota, as long as the Flyers point where a goalie just trying to finish a swan song game needed to be lose on Saturday, they’re guaranteed to finish with a worse record than yanked from the net. So, Hart was not placed into an ideal situation. the Wild. If the Flyers defeat the Hurricanes on Saturday, however, they could only fall as far as 12th in terms of lottery odds. And while he may have allowed three goals, Hart did about as well as could be expected given the circumstances. Philadelphia’s defense got a The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 little more sound, but not much; they still allowed 3.57 worth of xG over the remainder of the contest, via 30 total shots on goal. In other words, Hart found a way to produce a positive Goals Saved Above Average mark on a night where everything else was going wrong for the Flyers.

The hope is that next season, Hart won’t be the only positive on a nightly basis for a much-improved Flyers club. In fact, it’s probably prudent for Philadelphia to enter 2019-20 operating under the assumption that Hart — who will turn 21 in August — will deal with significant growing pains in his first full NHL season. But showings like the one last night — when he was placed in an impossible situation and was still able to keep his head above water — provide hope that he could hit the ground running next season, and never slow down.

8: JvR ends up delivering a normal JvR scoring year

When James van Riemsdyk went down with a lower-body injury after the second game of the season and was handed a six-week recovery timetable, it seemed like the hopes of JvR delivering the type of 1139150 Pittsburgh Penguins “We have one more game and opportunity to move up, so there’s a lot of motivation. But I think that mentality is still kind of engrained here because of all the games we’ve had to play in that situation.”

Expect stars to come out for Penguins in regular-season finale Tribune Review LOADED: 04.06.2019

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Friday, April 5, 2019 4:55 p.m.

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With some beat-up bodies, star players just ramping back after long injury absences and a frenzied six-week pressure-cooker just to make the playoffs behind them, the Pittsburgh Penguins could treat Saturday’s regular-season finale as a glorified preseason game to avoid injury and get some much-needed rest.

The individual who makes that decision has other ideas.

“I think we still have a lot to play for,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Saturday’s final game of the regular season.

The Penguins head into the 7 p.m. faceoff against the New York Rangers with 99 points and in third place in the Metropolitan Division. They are two points behind the New York Islanders and two points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes.

“We have been in a playoff mindset here for a while now, and there’s still a lot on the table to play for, in my opinion,” Sullivan said. “We have got a great opportunity, and I think we’ve got to try to maximize our chances to win.”

That in all likelihood means there won’t be any stars sitting out — not even Kris Letang or Evgeni Malkin, each of whom returned from injury for Thursday’s 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings that locked up a postseason berth.

Earlier this week, Sullivan stressed clinching was more important than seeding or positioning. He has changed his tune now that the former is secured.

A 13th 100-point season in franchise history (and fourth in a row) is there for the taking, but that is not the Penguins’ primary motivation. And while second place is more warm-and-fuzzy to look back on when reminiscing about a season than fourth place sounds, that’s not necessarily what will be motivating the Penguins against the Rangers, either.

“We can get home-ice advantage (Saturday),” defenseman Erik Gudbranson said.

The Penguins can claim the division’s No. 2 playoff seed with a win and a New York Islanders regulation loss at the Washington Capitals in a game that starts at the same time. The second-place team has Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 at home against the third-place team.

On the opposite side for the Penguins is a desire to avoid falling into fourth place, which would mean a first-round matchup against the division champion Capitals. A Penguins regulation loss coupled with a Carolina Hurricanes win at the Philadelphia Flyers would force that.

“There’s no reason to change a single thing,” Gudbranson said of approach, desperation level or lineup adjustments. “We need to come out (Saturday) and raise our level more than what we had (Thursday). At this time of year, it’s all another opportunity to prepare yourself for what’s to come.”

That’s the playoffs, which officially begin next Wednesday. Unofficially, the Penguins have had a playoffs-like push for six weeks. They got 27 of 38 available points over their past 19 games (12-4-3) — and they needed every one of them to assure a playoff berth.

As such, with the urgency required over the last quarter of the season, it might be foolish to turn off the proverbial switch for a night — even against the lowly Rangers — and expect it to return seamlessly four or five days later when the playoffs start.

“We’ve had to play that way for so long, I think at this point that’s the mentality we go with and that’s a good thing,” Crosby said. “I think that’s something that helps when you’re going into the playoffs. 1139151 Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby enters Penguins’ regular-season finale 2 points shy of 100

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Friday, April 5, 2019 3:00 p.m.

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What once was automatic when he made it through a full, healthy season has morphed into a rarity for Sidney Crosby: 100 points.

Crosby surpassed the triple-digit barrier for points during each of his first five NHL seasons in which he appeared in at least 54 games. This season will make it five in a row, though, that he’s played in at least 75 – but he hasn’t hit 100 points in any of them.

Yet. Crosby is sitting at 98 points heading into Saturday night’s home game against the New York Rangers, the Penguins’ 82nd and final game of the regular season (Crosby’s 79th).

“It’d be great; it’s a nice number,” Crosby said. “I’ve got a game here to try to get it, and we will see what happens. Buy the points take care of themselves if you play the right way.”

Crosby had 102 points as an 18-year-old rookie in 2005-06, a league- best 120 points the next season, 103 points while claiming the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2008-09, 109 points the next season and an NHL- high 104 points in 2013-14.

The four completed seasons since, though, Crosby has been consistently in the 84-89 point range.

“I haven’t been really around that (100) number for a while,” Crosby said. “If I was able to get it, great. But if not, we will get ready for the playoffs.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139152 Pittsburgh Penguins

Casey DeSmith aims to keep sharp for Penguins despite limited workload

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Friday, April 5, 2019 3:15 p.m.

Casey DeSmith is proud that he’s established himself as a dependable No. 2 goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It’s something I definitely do take pride in,” DeSmith said after practice Friday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “Not because I want to consider myself a ‘backup specialist’ — because I don’t.”

With two-time Stanley Cup-winner Matt Murray as a teammate, though, that’s certainly DeSmith’s role for the Penguins for the time being. It’s just that over the past six weeks, it’s been a role that’s defined itself much differently.

With Murray healthy over a lengthy stretch and the Penguins in a desperate push to make the playoffs, coach Mike Sullivan rode Murray to start 19 of the past 20 games until the Penguins clinched a playoff berth with a win Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Counting one game in which he played 37 minutes as a replacement, DeSmith has appeared in just two games since Feb. 21.

“I think it’s probably a lot harder than people think to go a long time and maintain confidence and not get overly frustrated or even mentally fatigued, all that stuff,” DeSmith said. “It’s tough sometimes, but at the same time (teammates) are battling day in and day out in games, so it’s not as hard as what they are doing today.

“It’s kind of a special position because you are taking weeks at a time off and you have got stay confident.”

DeSmith has reason to remain confident. His only start over the past six weeks was a shutout (March 14 at Buffalo).

Sullivan did not give an indication who would start Saturday’s regular- season finale against the New York Rangers.

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139153 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins’ Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin ‘feel strong’ after returning from injury

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, April 5, 2019 2:54 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Penguins held an optional practice Friday afternoon in Cranberry, giving key players some time off after the team clinched its 13th straight playoff berth the night before.

Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang were among the players who did not skate, but coach Mike Sullivan said both made it through their return from injury Thursday night against Detroit without incident.

“They responded fine,” Sullivan said. “They both had good games and they feel strong.”

Malkin was playing his first game since March 16 due to a rib injury. Letang played his fourth game since suffering an upper-body injury Feb. 23.

Defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who is day to day with a lower-body injury, has not resumed skating but is making progress, Sullivan said. Zach Aston-Reese (lower body) and Chad Ruhwedel (upper body) skated Friday but remain out.

The Penguins close out the regular season with a home game against the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139154 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins send Adam Johnson to Wilkes-Barre after successful first stint in NHL

Jonathan Bombulie

The return of Evgeni Malkin from a rib injury bumped rookie winger Adam Johnson to 13th on the forward depth chart for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Given his youth and relative inexperience, the Penguins didn’t want Johnson sitting around as a healthy scratch, so they assigned the 24- year-old Minnesota native to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL on Friday morning.

The speedy Johnson had two assists and a plus-2 rating in a six-game NHL call-up.

“It’s good for a guy like Adam,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We don’t want him sitting on the sidelines. We want him playing games and continuing to improve and develop his overall game, and the way to do that is to play. It’s important for him to play significant minutes, and that’s what the opportunity in Wilkes-Barre does for a player like Johnny.”

The move has one other purpose: Johnson is one of Wilkes- Barre/Scranton’s leading scorers with 40 points in 63 games this season, and that club could use a boost in its quest to make the AHL playoffs.

Wilkes-Barre has qualified for the playoffs for 17 straight seasons. This year, in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in that league’s Atlantic Division, they trail the Providence Bruins by three points with six games to play.

An 18th straight playoff run in Wilkes-Barre would be beneficial for the Penguins organization because it would give postseason experience to some of the top prospects who have gathered there now that their college and junior hockey seasons are complete.

Two of the top 10 prospects in the organization, defenseman Calen Addison and winger Jordy Bellerive, joined Wilkes-Barre on Friday.

Addison, a quick, undersized offensive defensemen, had 65 points in 67 games for Lethbridge of the WHL. At age 18, he has another year of junior hockey ahead of him.

Bellerive recovered from offseason injuries suffered in a campfire explosion to record 33 goals and 83 points in 68 games. He will likely turn pro in the fall.

A third Penguins draft pick, Slovenian winger Jan Drozg, has also reported to Wilkes-Barre. He was a point-per-game scorer for Shawinigan of the QMJHL this season and is on track to turn pro.

The organization has also brought in a large crop of undrafted college free agents.

Chase Berger, a left wing who is second on Penn State’s all-time scoring list, scored a goal in his second AHL game Wednesday morning.

Jake Lucchini, a center who led Northern Michigan in scoring this season, has already scored two goals in 10 AHL games.

Jon Lizotte is a steady defenseman who played with Vegas Golden Knights signing Jimmy Schuldt on the top defense pair for St. Cloud State this season.

Christopher Brown is a two-way center from Boston College whose father Doug and uncle Greg played for the Penguins in the 90s.

The Penguins also brought in defenseman Michael Kim from Boston College and forward Brandon Hawkins from Northeastern.

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139155 Pittsburgh Penguins are high and they’re high for a good reason. We believe we’ve got a competitive group here. … We’ve accomplished our first goal, but it’s not the ultimate goal.”

Playoff positioning still at stake, Penguins will give Rangers their best The Penguins, 12-4-4 in their last 20 games, look to be coming together shot at the right time. Malkin and Letang are back. Kessel and Hornqvist have remembered where the net is. Murray has been exceptional. And they still have that Crosby guy. Matt Vensel But forget the standings. Why would they take their foot off the gas now?

“It’s one more game and an opportunity to move up,” Sidney Crosby said. If there were any questions about how Mike Sullivan planned to approach “So, yeah, I think there’s a lot of motivation. But I think that mentality is Saturday’s finale, they were answered Friday when the Penguins hit the still kind of ingrained there because of all the games we’ve had to play ice. [with that desperation].”

All 12 of them. The Rangers, meanwhile, have seemingly been desperate to improve their lottery chances. They host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist passed on meaning Saturday’s game will be the second half of a back-to-back for the optional skate. Ditto for Matt Murray, who will start in goal Saturday them. And in the 20 games prior to Friday, the Rangers stumbled into just when the New York Rangers visit PPG Paints Arena. Heck, even Bryan five wins. Rust, who presumably lives at the practice rink, wasn’t out there gliding around. Still, regardless of the opponent, Saturday is “huge for us,” Bjugstad said.

That suggested the Penguins, who clinched a playoff spot Thursday but “Finish the season off right,” he said, “and see what happens from there.” still have positioning in the Metropolitan portion of the bracket at stake, were getting in their rest Friday, not Saturday. Sullivan confirmed as Post Gazette LOADED: 04.06.2019 much after the practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

“We still have a lot to play for,” the coach said. “We’ve been in a playoff mindset here for a month-plus and there’s still a lot on the table to play for, in my opinion. We’ve got a great opportunity. I think we’ve got to try to maximize it.”

Entering Friday, only five NHL teams had picked up more points in the standings than the Penguins, who were at 99 after beating the Detroit Red Wings, 4-1, on Thursday. The problem is that two of those teams are in their division.

“It’s crazy how tight the East has been here. Our division obviously had a good year and everyone is pretty tight,” Nick Bjugstad said. “It’s been tight the whole way. You look at the standings and you see how people are doing.”

The Washington Capitals claimed the division Thursday. The New York Islanders, who also won Thursday, remain two points ahead of the Penguins in the race for second place. The Carolina Hurricanes can still pass the Penguins for third.

So, depending on the outcomes of three games on the final night of the season, the Penguins could start the playoffs at home, on Long Island or down in D.C.

“We still kind of control our own destiny here a little bit,” said Bjugstad, who has grown tired of cross-referencing box scores and the standings every night.

If the Penguins beat the Rangers and the Islanders lose to the Capitals in regulation Saturday, they will be the No. 2 seed and host the Islanders in Round 1.

The Penguins picking up a point ensures they will at least be the No. 3 seed.

And if the Penguins lose in regulation and the Hurricanes win their game Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers, they will drop to the first wild- card spot and draw a first-round matchup against the rival Capitals, which is not ideal.

“There’s a lot of different scenarios that can happen, but at the end of the day we’ve got to come and control what we can control,” Erik Gudbranson said. “We get two points and we can potentially get home- ice advantage, which is huge.”

That’s why there was “no champagne or anything,” late Thursday, Bjugstad said, after the Penguins secured their NHL-best 13th straight playoff appearance.

And also why Sullivan made Friday’s practice in Cranberry optional.

There will be time to reflect and possibly celebrate after the season. What happens Saturday may be a factor in determining if it ends in two months or sooner.

“It’s a credit to our players the fact that we made the playoffs,” Sullivan said. “But by no means is anyone in this room satisfied. The expectations 1139156 Pittsburgh Penguins It’s the same sort of thing that happened to Gudbranson earlier in his career. While with the Florida Panthers in 2011-12, Gudbranson picked up tips from Krys Barch, who amassed 112 regular-season fights for the Two Penguins fight after practice. But it’s not what you think Stars, Panthers and Devils between 2006-14.

“He showed me some stuff that was really good,” Gudbranson said.

Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A lot of what Gudbranson has learned has been trial and error, too. The 6-foot-5, 217-pounder has 27 bouts on his fight card, and has won his past 12, not “losing” per the website’s voting process since a 2.3-percent “defeat” to Buffalo’s Marcus Foligno on Dec. 6, 2014. In the hours after the Penguins’ playoff-clinching victory over the Red Wings on Thursday, Erik Gudbranson, still buzzing with excitement, did In that time, Gudbranson has scored wins over some tough customers: what he often does to wind down late at night: He logged onto Steve Downie, Dalton Prout, Zack Kassian, Matt Martin, Tom Wilson and hockeyfights.com and started poking around. Michael Haley, among the most recognizable.

A few days ago, somebody told Gudbranson that his defense partner, “Been hit a few times really hard by making mistakes. You try not to do Marcus Pettersson, has fought a team-high four times this season. that again,” Gudbranson said. “I think it’s a good skill to know. You Gudbranson couldn’t believe it. So the Penguins’ resident tough guy should be ready for that moment if it does arise.” pulled up Pettersson’s fight card and began his assessment. Around the boards Gudbranson quickly grew uncomfortable with how out of sorts Pettersson looked. • Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Brian Dumoulin, who’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury, did not skate but that he’s making progress. “I watched his fights, and he definitely needed a few tips,” Gudbranson There’s no indication that Dumoulin is in danger of missing the start of said. “He’s a big strong guy, but there were a few situations where I think the postseason. he could have gotten hurt.” • Sullivan also said Zach Aston-Reese and Chad Ruhwedel skated on After practice on Friday, as other Penguins players poured into the Friday. Their next step will be joining the team for practice. dressing room at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, Gudbranson pulled Pettersson aside, and the two dropped the gloves. Instead of exchanging • The Penguins on Friday re-assigned Adam Johnson to Wilkes- punches, however, Gudbranson offered a few tips. Barre/Scranton after the forward played six games and totaled two assists with a plus-2 rating. Use your reach, Gudbranson told the 6-foot-3 Pettersson, who’s technically still a 22-year-old rookie. Remember to lock your elbow out. “It’s good for a guy like Adam,” Sullivan said. “We don’t want him sitting Don’t chase the other guy. Let him come to you. on the sidelines. We want him playing games and continuing to improve and develop his overall game.” The list of instructions doesn’t seem terribly complicated, but then again, Pettersson never did much fighting growing up in Sweden. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.06.2019

“If you fight back home, you’ll probably get suspended a couple games,” Pettersson said.

In their punch-free session, Gudbranson hammered home the importance of reach. Given Pettersson’s slight frame — he’s listed at 177 pounds — it’s the biggest advantage he’ll have in a fight, at least until he bulks up some.

“I figured I would show him how to grab,” Gudbranson said. “He has long arms like me. He can use that to his advantage.”

Pettersson said he appreciated the help and that already he feels more prepared for the next time he drops the gloves.

“You want to be able to protect yourself,” Pettersson said. “You don’t want to risk getting injured because you don’t know what you’re doing. He was giving me a couple pointers and showing me how to protect myself. I appreciated that.”

Pettersson’s fight card isn’t pretty.

His most recent bout came on Feb. 16 against Calgary’s Sam Bennett, who was voted the winner by 94.4 percent of responders on hockeyfights.com. Pettersson fought Los Angeles’ Matt Luff on Jan. 12, and Luff “won” with 66.7 percent of the votes.

The first time Pettersson fought with the Penguins was the worst — opposite Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar on Jan. 8. In that bout, which was a 100-percent win for Weegar, Weegar caught Pettersson with a couple of left hands before putting the Penguins defenseman into a headlock and using his right to finish the job.

When Pettersson was with Anaheim, Dallas center Radek Faksa beat Pettersson with 95.5 percent of the votes on hockeyfights.com.

With so many lopsided outcomes, Gudbranson knew he had his work cut out for him.

“I had heard that he has fought quite a bit,” Gudbranson said. “I probably should have done this much earlier. I don’t think he needs to fight, but at the same time, if you throw hits like [Pettersson does], there are guys in this league who are going to make you defend yourself.

“He’s a very honest kid. Plays the game the right way. He’s not scared of hitting people, which is a good thing. It’s a very good thing. He just needed to learn a few things.” 1139157 Pittsburgh Penguins Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. It will need to solve the goaltender as well.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 Matt Murray’s recent play is bolstering the Penguins’ Stanley Cup push

By Jesse Marshall Apr 5, 2019

Matt Murray’s 2018-19 campaign started the same way his 2017-18 campaign ended: inconsistent and off-the-mark from the playoff performances that resulted in him being the only rookie to win the Stanley Cup twice.

However, Murray regained his championship form since returning to the lineup from an undisclosed upper-body injury suffered on Feb. 11. Since returning, Murray has been the class of the league. His performance has been so strong that solving for him at even strength has become an inherent part of the opposing scouting report.

The Penguins’ 10-3-3 record in March is directly tied to these performances in net. Where Murray’s save percentage skyrocketed, the exact opposite is happening in relation to the team’s shooting percentage. Goals haven’t been easy to come by for the Penguins, and Murray hasn’t had a large margin of error most nights. Goaltending has been the buoy of the push for the playoffs.

For visualization of Murray’s inconsistent start versus his recent run, take a look at where his performance ranks over time compared to the rest of the Metropolitan division. This visualization was provided by Bill Comeau.

When it comes to save percentage, the Penguins sit atop the divisional mountain (ALSO: yikes, Islanders). Murray has completely taken control of the net and put up repeat performances that go well beyond team average, as seen in the chart above. In fact, since Murray’s return from injury, his rolling save percentage has not dropped below average at any point.

A closer look at Murray’s results reveal some areas of success and data worth highlighting.

(Data provided via Natural Stat Trick, current as of April 4)

A few things stand out here. To start, Murray is allowing fewer rebound opportunities per 60 minutes at even strength in situations where he’s facing more rush opportunities. This is a pretty impressive feat.

It’s also a big win for the Penguins. Mitigating rebound opportunities is crucial in an environment where you’re playing the kind of hockey that results in trading chances as often as the Penguins do. Murray’s success in this area ties into his on-ice results in high danger areas. As we dive into that information, keep in mind that Murray’s average goal distance is three feet further away from the net than his career average.

(Natural Stat Trick)

Murray’s performance in high-danger areas since his return from injury has been a critical part of his success. The Penguins are playing a bit tighter in the defensive zone compared to what Murray is used to over the course of his career, resulting in a lower goals saved above average total, but he’s made the most of the situation with his performance in high-danger areas of the ice.

Murray’s staunch performances in goal are even more important when you consider who the Penguins most likely opponent is for the first round. According to The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn, the Penguins are an 82 percent chance to play the Islanders in the first round. That’s important because the Islanders’ shooting percentage and goal totals have been on a sharp decline since Murray’s hot streak began.

When you combine Murray’s save percentage at even strength since Feb. 11 with the fact that the Islanders have been shooting at about 3 percent over their past 10 games, it certainly benefits the Penguins.

Murray’s calm and cool demeanor combined with the coaching staff investing all of their faith in him has been a beautiful combination to behold. As a result, Murray’s performances in net are reminiscent of his entrance to the league, and the Penguins’ subsequent title runs.

As Luszczyszyn pointed out last week, the Penguins’ Cup chances are getting a significant boost in goal. Any team that is hoping to solve the Penguins over a best-of-seven series not only has to deal with Sidney 1139158 San Jose Sharks

Will there be empty seats at Sharks’ home playoff games?

By Curtis Pashelka | PUBLISHED: April 5, 2019 at 3:34 pm | UPDATED: April 5, 2019 at 6:09 PM

SAN JOSE — Only one time in Sharks history has the team failed to officially sell out a home playoff game. Despite a slight dip in attendance this season, the Sharks do not feel that number will increase.

While sellouts for Sharks home games at SAP Center this season have hardly been routine, the team is anticipating that all tickets for at least the first two games of its opening round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights will be snapped up soon.

According to a team spokesman, fewer than 1,000 tickets remain available for each of the first two games of the series, which will begin in San Jose, likely either April 10 or 11.

The NHL will announce its full first round playoff schedule at 7 a.m. (PDT) Sunday, and the Sharks have heard that some of their fans are waiting for the dates to be set before they decide to purchase tickets.

Officially, the Sharks have sold out 17 straight home playoff games at their 17,562-seat downtown arena, one of the most raucous environments in the NHL.

The only official non-sellout for a Sharks playoff game came in the second round of the 2016 postseason, when an announced crowd of 17,026 watched Game 1 of the Sharks’ series against the Nashville Predators. Before that, the Sharks, starting in 1994, sold out 90 straight postseason games.

Postseason tickets went on sale to the general public March 27, eight days after the Sharks officially clinched a playoff spot. The Sharks have also struggled mightily in recent weeks, winning just two of their last 11 games going into Saturday’s regular season finale against Colorado at SAP Center.

As of Friday afternoon on Ticketmaster’s website, playoff prices for Game 1 ranged from $57 to $89 for a seat in the upper bowl to $103- $407 for a seat in the lower bowl, with the most expensive tickets for seats in the first three rows.

The Sharks’ ticket prices for the first round of the playoffs match those of ‘premier’ regular season games, which for instance, come on Saturdays against marquee teams or rivals such as the Golden Knights or the Pittsburgh Penguins. Prices will increase with each subsequent round should the Sharks advance.

So far this season, the Sharks have distributed 17,562 tickets in just 15 of their 40 home games.

Per figures available on ESPN.com., the Sharks’ average announced attendance so far this season is 17,258, or 98.3 percent of capacity, down slightly from last season when average attendance was 17,366 — 98.9 percent of capacity.

The Golden Knights put single game playoff tickets up for sale Friday at noon and already it appeared any remaining seats would be sold soon.

For their season ticket holders, the Golden Knights once again implemented what they called the “Knights Vow” program. Season ticket holders are automatically enrolled in the program, which prohibits re- selling playoff tickets on the secondary market. In return, those tickets can be bought at a cheaper price.

Season ticket holders can opt out of the program, but then have to buy the tickets they want at a much more expensive price. The intent is to limit how many playoff tickets go to fans of opposing teams.

The Sharks spokesman said the team has no plans — now or in the future — to adopt a similar approach to playoff ticket sales, saying the organization feels fans should be free to do what they want with their tickets.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139159 San Jose Sharks

How Nikita Kucherov's season mirrors Joe Thornton's first with Sharks

By Marcus White April 05, 2019 5:21 PM

On the same night Joe Thornton passed Steve Yzerman on the NHL's all-time assists list, one of the Sharks center's own records fell.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov tallied his 126th point (40 goals, 86 assists) of the season with an empty-net goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, and surpassed Thornton's mark from 2005-06 as the most in a season during the NHL's salary-cap era.

Nikita Kucherov styles on his empty-netter for his 40th goal of the season! #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/cdy6mjEtUJ

— FOX Sports Florida (@FOXSportsFL) April 5, 2019

Thornton scored 125 points in the first year after the NHL lockout that wiped away the entirety of the 2004-05 season. He scored 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) in 23 games with the Boston Bruins, then exploded for 92 (20 goals, 72 assists) in 58 games after a December trade to San Jose. The center found instant chemistry with right winger Jonathan Cheechoo, who scored 49 of his league-leading 56 goals after Thornton's arrival.

The elimination of the two-line pass and enforcement of penalties that went uncalled in the "clutch-and-grab" era led to an offensive explosion that season, as teams scored an average of 3.08 goals per game. That was the highest since 1995-96, and Thornton rode the wave to an Art Ross Trophy.

He also won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. The Sharks were just 8-12-4 before trading for Thornton and sat second-to- last in the Western Conference. After his arrival, San Jose rattled off a 36-15-7 run, and their 79 points over that span tied for second in the NHL.

Kucherov has benefitted from a similar scoring bump, as teams were averaging 3.01 goals per game entering Friday, the most since 2005-06. But, he has also led the Lightning to a dominant 61-16-4 (126 points) record. Tampa Bay is only the third team in NHL history to win 60-plus games and can tie the all-time record with a win in its last regular-season game Saturday.

In other words, Kucherov could continue to follow Thornton's footsteps on the path to an MVP award.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139160 San Jose Sharks

Many questions about health, lineup ahead of Sharks' regular season finale

By Chelena Goldman April 05, 2019 12:49 PM

SAN JOSE – When addressing the media during the Sharks’ recent string of losses, head coach Peter DeBoer made mention of the coaching staff evaluating certain players and determining who would get the bulk of the play time when the playoffs finally got underway.

“Some of these auditions, guys better take advantage of them,” DeBoer said at the time. “Because they don’t go on forever.”

With some health questions yet to be answered for the Sharks, and just one game left on the regular season docket, it still isn’t completely clear what lineup we will see when San Jose hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday – or exactly how their lineup will shake up once the Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs get underway.

On the transaction front, Team Teal reassigned forward Lukas Radil to the AHL Barracuda on Friday as the team returns home for their regular season finale against the Colorado Avalanche. Radil missed the Sharks last four games with what DeBoer categorized as a lower-body injury. Prior to that, he had been a healthy scratch for almost a month before returning to the lineup on March 21 when the Sharks visited the LA Kings. He scored a goal in San Jose’s 5-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on March 28. As of Friday afternoon, there was no definitive word if Radil was going to suit up for the Barracuda when they host the Grand Rapids Griffins over the weekend.

With Radil being reassigned, the focus narrows on San Jose’s fourth line and who DeBoer chooses to pencil into the combination.

Joonas Donskoi was a healthy scratch on Thursday evening in favor of Micheal Haley when the Sharks visited the Edmonton Oilers, despite having a strong game against the Vancouver Canucks in an effort to snap a goalless drought that has been going since January 10. DeBoer did tell the press, however, that despite slumping in the second half that it isn’t the last time we’ll see the Finnish forward this season. “I think he’s going to help us at some point, but he’s got to wait for his chance to get back in,” he said.

Donskoi may get that chance depending on the health of another Sharks' forward. Timo Meier exited Thursday’s game in Edmonton after taking an awkward fall and is thought to have injured his wrist. DeBoer told the media after the game he didn’t have an update on Meier’s status but hoped the ailment was “not too serious.” The Swiss forward is ranked third on the team with 30 goals and fourth among all Sharks skaters with 66 points on the campaign.

In addition to waiting on an injury update on Meier, Sharks fans continue their wait to see when Erik Karlsson will return to San Jose’s blue line. No. 65 recently took part in Sharks’ practice on Wednesday for the first time since being sidelined with a lower-body injury on February 26 against the Boston Bruins.

Karlsson even accompanied his teammates onto the ice for pregame warmups over the road trip. The plan still appears to be for Karlsson to be 100-percent ready to play when the Sharks kick off Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs on home ice next week. Whether he gets a tune-up game in on Saturday against the Avalanche is, like other aspects of the Sharks lineup, still a mystery.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139161 San Jose Sharks

Sharks still have room for improvement after hanging on to beat Oilers

By Chelena Goldman April 04, 2019 11:04 PM

Sharks captain Joe Pavelski couldn’t have summarized it better than he did after the Sharks' 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

“There’s always another level that this team can get to,” he told reporters in Edmonton.

Sure, the Sharks did some good things in Thursday's win. Heck, getting in the win column at all after the run they’ve been on is progress. But with just one more game left before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin, the team still has things to work on before they consider themselves playoff-ready.

“I still think there’s some room for improvement,” Pavelski said. “Moving forward, as the atmospheres ramp up in away buildings and teams are pushing, we’ve got to stay on the attack and stay aggressive.”

The Sharks trailed 1-0 just 2:03 into the game, but rebounded to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. When the Oilers tied the game early in the second period, San Jose found the response that proved elusive in Tuesday's loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

“Win or lose, I think we wanted to do the right things,” Logan Couture said after the game. “I think we did good things but there’s still stuff we need to work on.”

Couture even went so far as to suggest that getting in the win column was secondary to re-establishing good habits.

“At this time of year, in these games, you take the win-loss out of it and you want to play the game you want to play in a week or so,” he explained. “For a lot of that game, I thought we did a good job.”

San Jose certainly did a much better job with sticking to a defensive game, blocking 16 shots compared to Edmonton's seven. The Sharks also played a good physical game – something they’ll need against the Vegas Golden Knights once the playoffs start – out-hitting the Oilers 24- 15. Props also have to go to netminder Aaron Dell, who rebounded nicely from allowing a goal on the first shot he faced. Without some of Dell’s seven saves in the third period, the Sharks might not have won.

But Dell's big stops also revealed an area where the Sharks still need to improve, and that's expanding upon leads while shutting down opponents. When San Jose was at its best this season, relentless goal- scoring and stingy defense were the hallmarks.

In the last two road games of the regular season, the Sharks weren't able to expand upon their one-goal leads. That didn’t bite them against Edmonton like it did against Vancouver, but the takeaway is the same: The Sharks can't let opponents hang around. The Golden Knights can be a pain to beat if they’re given too much extra room to operate, especially in the playoffs.

“I still would like to see us put teams away and get a little bit of a cushion there,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer summarized.

With a one-goal lead in the third period, the Sharks didn't put the pedal to the metal offensively. The Oilers enjoyed a 7-5 edge in shots on goal in the final frame, and four of Edmonton's shots came from first-line threats Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

“I think we could’ve done a better job of attacking the third period. I thought we sat on our heels too much,” he said. “Would’ve liked to have seen us attack a little bit more instead of sit back and give them open ice. Which that top line loves to have. I would’ve changed that.”

But all in all, the good things the Sharks did Thursday will bring them one step closer to being ready for the playoffs next week. They still have some creases to iron out though, and one more regular season game to fix them.

“We’re working our way there,” DeBoer said. “It’s not there yet but I’m confident by next week it will be.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139162 St Louis Blues “It was tough,” Thorburn said. “It was tough on myself, my wife, my family. ... Obviously with ‘Army’ (general manager Doug Armstrong) doing what he did, it’s just an awesome thing.”

Vancouver doesn't figure to be pushover in must-win game for Blues St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.06.2019

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 hrs ago

A victory over Vancouver in Saturday’s regular-season finale could possibly get the Blues first place in the Central Division and home ice advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

But don’t expect the Canucks to play dead in the 3 p.m. contest at Enterprise Center. They have rolled over the Blues twice this season, winning those games by a combined score of 11-2.

On Dec. 9 at Enterprise it was 6-1 Canucks. Brock Boeser had a hat trick. Rookie Elias Pettersson promoted his Calder Trophy candidacy with one goal and four assists, and was plus-5. Jake Allen was pulled after allowing three goals in 14 minutes 6 seconds.

“The game here, it got away from us,” interim coach Craig Berube said. “It’s one of those games where we didn’t defend good enough, and they capitalized on some chances. Next thing you know you’re down quite a bit.”

The Blues were down 5-0 by the time they scored their only goal and it came from rookie Jordan Kyrou for his first and only NHL goal so far.

Eleven days later, the Blues played better than the score indicated in a 5- 1 loss in Vancouver. The Blues had one of their best first periods of the early season, outshooting the Canucks 15-5. But the Canucks took control by scoring twice in 18 seconds in the second period.

“I thought we had a good game up there,” Berube said. “Again, they just capitalized on some of the chances. They’ve got some pretty good high- end guys. Pettersson, (Bo) Horvat, Boeser. They’re good players, they can score.”

SCENARIOS ’R US

Following Friday’s optional skate at Enterprise, Berube was asked if he had memorized all the playoff scenarios in play Saturday for the Blues.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of them,” he said. “Still a lot up in the air.”

Here they are:

• The Blue finish first in the Central with a victory, coupled with losses in regulation or overtime by both Nashville and Winnipeg. They can also finish first with a loss in overtime, coupled with losses in regulation by both Nashville and Winnipeg.

• The Blues finish second with a win, a Nashville loss in regulation or overtime, and a Winnipeg win. They also finish second with a win or overtime loss, a Nashville win, and a Winnipeg regulation loss. If Nashville wins and Winnipeg losses in overtime, the Blues can only finish second with a win.

• The Blues finish third in the Central if both Nashville and Winnipeg win Saturday. Or if the Blues lose in regulation.

Even if the Blues win, they’ll have to wait a while to learn their fate because the Predators don’t play until 7 p.m. (against visiting Chicago) and the Jets don’t play until 9 p.m. (at Arizona).

Berube doesn’t mind having his team play first.

“I don’t really care to be honest with you,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me. Just go out and play. Worry about your job and go and do it.”

THORBURN BACK

The Blues have recalled veteran forward Chris Thorburn from San Antonio for the remainder of the season.

It’s not unusual for playoff teams to call up extra players from their minor league affiliate for the postseason. But Thorburn is a special case. Closing in on age 36, he’s no prospect — he’s close to retirement.

His family stayed in St. Louis after he cleared waivers at the start of this season and was sent to San Antonio. Getting called up now gives him extra time to be with his family since San Antonio, recently eliminated from playoff contention, has another week left in its regular season. 1139163 St Louis Blues

Preview: Blues vs. Vancouver

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 hrs ago

Blues vs. Canucks

When/Where • 3 p.m., Saturday, Enterprise Center

TV/Radio • FSM, Y98 (98.1 FM)

About the Canucks • They’ve missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, but with 80 points this season (35-36-10) they are creeping back to respectability. It’s their highest point total since their last playoff team in 2014-15. A trio of young forwards provides hope for the future. Bo Horvat, who turned 24 Friday, shares the team scoring lead with 20-year-old rookie Elias Pettersson with 27 goals. Brock Boeser, age 22, has 26 goals.

Goalie Jacob Markstrom has been a workhorse, with 60 appearances. Only five NHL goalies have played more games this season; his 3,599 minutes of ice time is fourth-highest in the league. He has beaten the Blues twice this season, and is 28-23-9 with a 2.77 GAA and .912 save percentage overall. (Jim Thomas)

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139164 St Louis Blues He was on the team’s first defensive pairing with Alex Pietrangelo for 18 consecutive games during that stretch as the team skyrocketed up the Central Division standings and into playoff contention. And then came his Just in time for playoffs, a healthy Edmundson returns to lineup most recent injury, and more down time.

“It was tough (being sidelined),” Edmundson said. “But hey, when we’re winning it’s easier to watch. By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 hrs ago “It’s fun watching when all 20 guys are going. The fourth line’s contributing. Third line’s doing their thing. So it could’ve been a lot worse but I’m just happy to be back.” There’s nothing like playoff hockey, particularly playoff hockey in St. Louis. Edmundson is a rugged, stay-at-home defenseman, who isn’t shy about throwing his body around or blocking a shot. Even so, he had some good “It’s incredible. I love it,” defenseman Joel Edmundson said. “There’s a scoring opportunities Thursday against the Flyers. whole new buzz in the city. Especially in St. Louis — the fans go crazy for playoffs. We couldn’t give it to them last year, but this year I’m looking “It would’ve been nice,” Edmundson said. “Yeah, I definitely had my forward to seeing how loud it is.” chances. Forwards were doing a good job finding us defensemen, so just trying my best to get it in on net.” Edmundson’s back from an injury just in time to be part of the postseason party. After missing 11 games with what the team described He was paired with Robert Bortuzzo on the Blues’ third pairing against as a lower-body injury, he returned to action Thursday night against Philadelphia, but it’s possible he could move up in the playoffs. (Saying Philadelphia. that, once Parayko returns, someone will have to drop out of the lineup.)

Edmundson, by the way, made one correction: It was an upper-body “I have no idea,” Edmundson said. “I’m just happy to be back playing. I injury, although he declined to elaborate any further. The 25-year-old don’t really don’t care who I play with, I’m just glad to back out there.” defenseman jumped right in, playing 18 minutes 1 second, with four shot attempts and one hit. He was plus-2 in the Blues’ 7-3 romp over the And happy to be playing in front of the crowd at Enterprise. Flyers at Enterprise Center. “Right out of the gates, the crowd was into it,” he said, speaking of His playing time wasn’t that far off his season average of 19:26, so it’s Thursday’s game. “And when the crowd’s into it, we definitely feel it on not like he tip-toed back onto the ice. He jumped right in. the bench and on the ice. We popped a couple quick (goals) and it really got the fans going. It seemed like they had a great time. We always feed “I thought he looked good,” interim coach Craig Berube said. “He moved off them. ... It sounded like a Saturday night.” the puck well. He was physical. He was normal Eddy. I didn’t see much rust.” Just wait till the playoffs, when it’s Saturday night-plus for the home crowd. Edmundson felt no after-effects on Friday morning, and looked fine in the Blues’ mid-day optional skate. Berube said he’ll be in the lineup for “I guess we’ve been playing pretty much playoff hockey the past couple Saturday’s regular-season finale against Vancouver. months,” Edmundson said. “Every game’s been do-or-die for us. Every point counts. So I think we just gotta be playing the same way. Taking a day-to-day approach in his rehab, Edmundson said he found out late Wednesday that he’d be in the lineup against Philadelphia. He “But everything gets ramped up (for the playoffs). Lots more hitting. It’s accompanied the team on the trip to Chicago for that night’s game the best time of the year.” against the Blackhawks and took part in the morning skate, but did not St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.06.2019 play.

That changed against Philadelphia.

“I kinda wanted to get one or two games in before playoffs just to get the pace back,” he said.

Berube’s decision to rest Colton Parayko for “maintenance” reasons provided the opening for Edmundson to return to the lineup.

“Everybody’s nicked up a lot this time of year,” Berube explained. “But I felt it was good for him to take the night (off).”

Parayko did not skate at all Friday, either on his own or as part of the team’s optional skate, and Berube said he wasn’t sure if he would play against Vancouver.

As for Edmundson, he suffered his injury in the Blues’ 3-1 loss to Arizona on March 12. His last shift in that game took place seven minutes into the second period. Following that game, he returned to skating in relatively short order, but then suffered a setback and quit skating and practicing for a while, delaying his return.

“I was feeling really good, and just a setback,” he said. “It happens with the injury I had. So I took the treatments again, and I feel good right now. After (Philadelphia), I still feel healthy, so it’s a huge bonus for me.”

Not unlike the team as a whole, Edmundson’s season has had some up and downs. For the first five weeks of the season, he arguably was the Blues’ most consistent defensemen. But then his play started to level off. He missed two games due to a hand and an undisclosed upper-body injury in mid-December, and then was a healthy scratch for three games in January.

That was a surprising development considering Edmundson had spent much of the season on either the first or second defensive pairing. He returned from healthy scratch status Jan. 23 against Anaheim, the start of the Blues’ franchise-record 11-game winning streak and has been plus-11 in 22 games since then. 1139165 St Louis Blues PARAYKO UPDATE

A total of 15 Blues took part in an optional practice Friday at Enterprise Center, the team's last practice of any kind in the regular season. But Look who's back: Blues recall Thorburn from San Antonio defenseman Colton Parayko was not among them, nor did he skate earlier in the day.

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 8 hrs ago Parayko sat out Thursday's 7-3 victory over Philadelphia for what interim coach Craig Berube called "maintenance" reasons.

"Everybody's nicked up a lot this time of year," Berube said. "But I felt it It's not unusual for playoff teams to call up extra players from their minor was good for him to take the night (off)." league affiliate for the postseason. In most instances, they're prospects who get a chance to work with the big-league team and serve as It snapped a streak of 177 games played by Parayko, the longest current insurance in case somebody gets hurt. The hockey term for such players streak among the Blues. As for Parayko's availability in Saturday's is Black Aces. regular season finale against Vancouver, Berube said: "I'm not sure yet. It's just a rest thing for him." But Chris Thorburn is a special case. Closing in on age 36, he's no prospect _ he's close to retirement. He has played 801 NHL regular- BLUENOTES season games. Fifty of those contests came last season for the Blues, Goalie Joel Hofer, a fourth-round draft pick by the Blues in 2018, has but after only one game with St. Louis this season, he was sent down to signed an amateur tryout agreement with the San Antonio Rampage. San Antonio after clearing waivers. Hofer, 18, split his junior hockey season between the Swift Current For the first time in 12 years, he was back in the minors. Broncos and Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League. He "It was tough," Thorburn said. "It was tough on myself, my wife, my posted a 6-21-1 record with a 4.02 goals-against average and a .904 family. I'm a guy with family; anyone that has family and kids would save percentage for Swift Current. With Portland, he went 9-8-0 with a understand that. They stayed here (in St. Louis) while I went to San 3.18 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Antonio. Hofer signed a three-year entry level contract with the Blues on March "It was tough at times, but we grinded and we made it through it. We're at 21. this point now, so it feels like it was worth it." • Entering the final two days of the regular season, the Blues have more Where he's at now is back in St. Louis. In a classy gesture by the front points since Jan. 1 than anyone in the NHL. The Blues (29-10-5) have 63 office, Thorburn has been recalled by the Blues from San Antonio. He points in the new year, followed by Tampa Bay (30-9-2) with 62 points found out Thursday night and was on the ice Friday for the Blues' and Boston (28-9-5) with 61. optional skate. • Forward Sammy Blais, who has missed 12 games with an ankle injury, "I think a big part of it for me was just the hope part and it worked out," took part in Friday's optional practice. He said he's healthy and ready to Thorburn said. "So I couldn't be more happy. . . .Obviously with 'Army' go if or when the team might need him. (general manager Doug Armstrong) doing what he did, it's just an • Brayden Schenn attended the Cardinals' home opener Friday with his awesome thing." brother Luke, a defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks.

The Rampage still have a week left in their season, but recently were St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.06.2019 eliminated from playoff consideration.

Thorburn said retirement crossed his mind when he originally was sent down to San Antonio, but he wasn't quite ready.

"I think this year, as tough as it was, it created more conversation between me and my wife as far as the end being closer than we kind of anticipated." Thorburn said. "So I think we're ahead on that curve as far as what we're gonna do post-hockey.

"Not to say that I'm done. I'm gonna play this out, ride this roll, have fun with it. Be who I've always been. A supportive guy, a good team guy, and just see what happens in the summer."

Missing some time with a broken finger, Thorburn played 40 games for the Rampage, with two goals and five assists. It was an up-and-down season for San Antonio.

"We started off bad and then we kind of gained some steam, and then we kinda fell off about a month ago," Thorburn said. "We were kind of in the same spot where the Blues were at the time, fighting for that playoff spot. The Blues went one way, and we went the other unfortunately.

"As hard as it was, it was still a good experience, getting to know parts of the organization. The kids that are in it, learning their game and just the people they are. It was fun. And they brought me in with open arms and they treated me really well and my family really well, so that's all I could ask."

As for the Blues' resurgence, Thorburn said he's really not surprised.

"I know at the start of the season, everyone knows how tough it was," he said. "And I've said this a few times, even throughout the year, you bring a lot of new faces in, it's gonna take time. I know you guys beat up the team _ the media beat up the team _ but at the same time, it was just a matter of time when everything was gonna come together and when it did, it was fun to watch.

"I was watching games all year from Day 1, all the way through. And the team that's on the ice now is a fun, exciting team to watch. And now to be a part of it, I'm super honored." 1139166 St Louis Blues A first- or second-place seeding would give the Blues home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but if they wind up in third, they would open up on the road.

Everything Blues fans need to know on what should be an epic final day “To clinch and get into the playoffs after the ups and downs we had of the regular season throughout the year, and now have a chance to get first …,” Blues forward Brayden Schenn said. “You play early (Saturday), and you hope to get two points and throw some pressure on them. We need a lot of By Jeremy Rutherford 2h ago help in order for us to win the division, but we’ll worry about ourselves, taking care of our business.”

Let’s look at the matchups … On April 7, 2018, the Blues traveled to Colorado for the final game of the regular season, not knowing if they would be advancing to the playoffs or The Blues will meet Vancouver for the third time this season. They are 0- watching their season come to an abrupt end. The Avalanche won 5-2, 2 against the Canucks and were outscored 11-2 in those games — a 6-1 and the team’s year was over. loss Dec. 9 in St. Louis and a 5-1 drubbing Dec. 20 in Vancouver.

This season, the Blues know they’re in the playoffs, but heading into “The game here just got away from us,” Berube said. “It’s one of those Game No. 82, they have no idea who they’re going to meet in next games where we just didn’t defend enough, they capitalized on some week’s first round or where they’ll be playing. chances, and the next thing you know, you’re down quite a bit. I thought we had a good game up there, but again, they just capitalized on their And Craig Berube’s club is not alone. chances. They’ve got some pretty good high-end guys … (Elias) Five teams from the Central Division have qualified for the Western Pettersson, (Bo) Horvat and (Brock) Boeser. They’re good players. They Conference playoffs, but none has solidified its seed and each is in can score.” action Saturday. Scenarios exist in which the Blues, Winnipeg and Vancouver has 80 points — 10 out of a playoff spot in the conference — Nashville could still finish first, second or third in the division, while Dallas but the Canucks have won three of their past four games and in that and Colorado will jockey for the top wild card. defeat were leading 2-0 in an eventual 3-2 loss to Nashville. “There’s still a lot up in the air,” Berube said. “I’ve been involved in some The Blues are 1-2-1 in their past four games against nonplayoff teams, games where you had a ‘must win,’ but this is a little bit better situation. but according to Moneypuck.com, they have quite an advantage in the The league has done a really good job of keeping everybody in it and projected outcome. making the games all meaningful right to the end. That’s a credit to the NHL, it really is.” “It’s nice to have a meaningful game,” O’Reilly said. “We want to win this game and put ourselves in the best spot. It’s not, ‘OK, sit back and just The Central Division has taken many twists and turns in the past couple see what happens.’ No, we want to play the game and give ourselves the of days, and it could be a more favorable picture for the Blues if they had best chance. It’s a good challenge, and hopefully, they both lose and we created a few more bounces for themselves. They blew a 2-0 lead in a 4- win. That’s the plan, but we’ll see.” 2 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday and then coughed up another point in a 4-3 shootout loss to Chicago on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Nashville will wrap up its regular season by facing Chicago for the fourth time this season. The Predators are 2-1 against the “There are so many stretches of games that you can look at where, if we Blackhawks, most recently picking up a 4-3 overtime win on Jan. 9. The hang on for a couple more seconds, it might be a different outcome,” Hawks are 3-0-2 in their last five games, but the Preds, once again Blues center Ryan O’Reilly said. “Every single play matters, and it’s crazy according to Moneypuck.com, are the favorite. where it comes down to this, where we could be in a little bit different position.” Winnipeg is the only one of the three teams battling for the division title to close out its schedule on the road. The Jets will play in Arizona, where With one more point, the Blues could be tied with Nashville for first place they lost 4-1 on Feb. 24, and including that game, they are just 5-5-1 in in the division with 98 points heading into Saturday’s games. They would their last 11 road games. This one is a toss-up, according to be knotted with the Predators in regulation/overtime wins (42), which is Moneypuck.com. the first tie-breaker, but the Blues have more cumulative points in the teams’ season series, which is the second tie-breaker. A few days ago, Arizona coach Rick Tocchet joked that if Berube’s Blues beat Colorado, helping the Coyotes’ playoff chances, he’d vote for his So instead, Nashville, after rallying for two goals in the final 4:20 of close friend for coach of the year. The Blues won 3-2 in a shootout over regulation for a 3-2 win over Vancouver on Thursday, leads the group the Avalanche but not until after coughing up a late lead and giving the with 98 points. Winnipeg and the Blues are both one point back at 97, but Avs a point. the Jets are in second place because they have more ROWs than the Blues (44-42). Asked if he’d be making the same request to Tocchet, Berube replied: “I wouldn’t reach out to him like that. They’re playing good hockey, Arizona, “I didn’t expect it to be this close, where it really does come down to the so I expect them to play well. I think they want to finish on a good note. last game, where your seeding is based on who’s going to win the He’s done a real good job there with that team, with all the injuries, and division,” Blues rookie Robert Thomas said. “It’s crazy just to see how to come down to the wire of almost making the playoffs, they’ve got a this whole season has gone, from where we were coming into the new good future.” year and now where we’re one point away from winning the division.” There’s no word yet on what type of lineups Vancouver, Chicago and Let’s take a look at Saturday’s schedule (all times CT) and then break it Arizona will suit up Saturday — their regulars or a diluted group. Berube down: isn’t expecting it to be an issue. Blues vs. Vancouver, 3 p.m. “I wouldn’t see why they wouldn’t (play their regulars),” he said. “I mean, Nashville vs. Chicago, 7 p.m. Chicago, I wouldn’t see why the big boys won’t play and it will be a regular game. But who knows?” Winnipeg at Arizona, 9 p.m. What our insiders are saying … Nashville controls its own destiny and would earn its second straight Central Division title with a victory over Chicago in any fashion. Winnipeg Adam Vingan, The Athletic Nashville: As the Winnipeg Jets were putting could lay claim to it with a win over Arizona coupled with a Nashville loss, the finishing touches on a 5-0 victory against the Predators on March 23, or by virtue of the ROW tie-breaker if the teams finish tied in points. I tweeted, “You can pretty much kiss the Central Division title goodbye.” (Dom Luszczyszyn had their chances of winning it at 7 percent the The Blues need at least a point against Vancouver to have a chance at following day.) But here we are, with the Predators in control of the winning the division, but that would require Nashville losing in any division on the final day of the regular season. It’s mind-boggling, really. fashion and Winnipeg falling in regulation. The Blues would finish second The Predators have been maddeningly inconsistent for most of the if Winnipeg wins the division and they tie Nashville in points, prevailing season, but so have the Jets, which brings us to Saturday. All the on the second tie-breaker. But if they don’t get a point in their game Predators need to do is beat the Chicago Blackhawks at home. If they against Vancouver, they will wind up in third place. can do that, then they’ll avoid the first-round slugfest with either the Jets or Blues. This is the Predators’ best chance to return to at least the conference final. Of course, that’s easier said than done. The Predators have lost six consecutive Saturday home games, with their last such victory coming Dec. 15. It’s a quirky statistic, but important nonetheless.

Murat Ates, The Athletic Winnipeg: That the Central Division standings — and the thought that St. Louis might steal home-ice advantage — should be the most disappointing to Winnipeg.

The Jets began 2019 with the NHL’s third-best record, two points up on Nashville and 18 points up on St. Louis. Winnipeg was a slightly above- average team at 5-on-5 — disappointing, given preseason predictions — but excellent at special teams. The Predators were close by, as we all expected, but St. Louis was so far back that my preseason prediction — that the Blues were the best “dark horse” candidate to steal the division — looked like a joke.

Then Jordan Binnington happened in St. Louis while Winnipeg fell off a 5-on-5 cliff.

With Dustin Byfuglien and Nik Ehlers injured at the same time and then Josh Morrissey hurt just before the trade deadline, Winnipeg cobbled together the league’s third-worst shot-attempt percentage and fourth- worst expected-goals percentage from Jan. 1 to now. Some of the special teams magic has disappeared, particularly on the Jets’ PK, and the team’s slide has become so concerning that Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler held a closed-doors meeting after Game 80 in Colorado. Whatever was discussed, one thing is certain — the Jets had the most to lose in terms of the Central Division standings when 2019 began, and they’re inches away from losing it.

Jeremy Rutherford, The Athletic St. Louis: Though the odds don’t appear to be with the Blues winning the Central Division, who are we to say after the team’s historic regular season that they can’t pull it off? After all, we, myself included, told them back in January that they wouldn’t even make the playoffs, and now here they are with a chance to end the evening on top. In a nutshell, the Blues were a good team that got off to a bad start, changed coaches and figured out who they were, and now they’re playing like the club that everyone expected.

Regardless of where they wind up in the standings, they’re going to face a difficult opponent in the first round of the playoffs, whether it’s Winnipeg, Nashville, Dallas or Colorado. They could certainly lose to one of those teams, but after racking up the highest point total in the NHL since Jan. 1 (63), they could also find themselves in the Stanley Cup final. They have legitimate question marks heading into the playoffs — Jordan Binnington’s ability to deal with the spotlight in net and roster depth at forward — but there are plenty more reasons to be optimistic.

Here’s the bottom line. It was looking pretty clear a few months ago that the Blues wouldn’t be playing in this year’s postseason, but make no mistake: They are not playing with house money. They are a talented team that finally has its act together, and no one should be settling for anything less because of the route it took to get here. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy it; we should because seasons like this don’t happen often, especially photo finishes like the one expected Saturday.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139167 Tampa Bay Lightning

Why Nikita Kucherov’s empty-netter Thursday is just the latest Lightning milestone

By Diana C. Nearhos

Published Yesterday

TORONTO — If 50 is the mark of an incredible goal scorer, then 40 is a great one.

Nikita Kucherov flipped the puck on net from the neutral zone for an empty-netter and his 40th goal in the Lightning’s 3-1 victory at Toronto Thursday. He became the third Lightning player to reach the 40-goal mark this season, joining Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point.

And in doing so, Kucherov added another milestone to this historic Lightning season.

Tampa Bay became the NHL’s first team with three 40-goal scorers since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins, and that trio was Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux, and Petr Nedved. Two of those are household names more than two decades later.

Saturday’s regular-season finale against Boston (1 p.m., Fox Sports Sun) doesn’t mean anything for the Lightning in terms of standings, playoff position or first-round opponent (all Tampa Bay can do is watch Montreal, Carolina and Columbus duke it out for that role), but there are still a few things on the line:

The big one is the chance at a 62nd win, which would tie the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wiings’ NHL record. But what about individually?

Three teams in NHL history have won 60 or more games. None has done it under more difficult conditions than the Lightning, one hockey columnist writes. #TBLightning #GoBolts @TBLightning @twolinepass @YahooSports @TB_Times @FrankPastor66 #NHL @NHL https://t.co/buP0WuUQaj

— TampaBayTimesSports (@TBTimes_Sports) April 4, 2019

Steven Stamkos set a career high of 97 points with a goal and an assist Thursday. Could he get three more on Saturday for his first 100-point season? A three-point night is not out of the realm of possibility for Stamkos. He’s done it 12 times this season, and three times in the last three weeks.

Andrei Vasilevskiy needs a win for his second 40-win season, and to do it in only 54 games ...

Kucherov needs one more point to tie the season record for most points by a Russian player. Alexander Mogilny racked up 127 points in 1992-93.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139168 Tampa Bay Lightning

Could Steve Yzerman be a candidate for the NHL’s GM of the Year award?

By Frank Pastor

Published Yesterday

Updated Yesterday

Steve Yzerman will not be on the ballot for the NHL’s General Manager of the Year award.

In fact, he’s not even a general manager, any more.

Yet, the former Lightning GM, who resigned in September, could find himself in the running, nonetheless.

According to a straw poll conducted by TSN, some general managers around the league would consider Yzerman as a write-in candidate for the award.

“This is a unique case,” one Eastern Conference GM said in the story. “I think Steve deserves serious consideration. I’m leaning toward putting him on my ballot.”

“That’s an interesting question, for sure,” a Western Conference GM said. “It’s hard to argue what he left in place when he stepped aside.”

Yzerman, the architect of a Lightning squad that has been to the playoffs five of the past six seasons — advancing to the Stanley Cup final in 2015 and the conference final two other times — stepped down two days before the opening of training camp to become a senior advisor to new general manager Julien BriseBois.

The team that Yzerman built ran away from the rest of the league this season, collecting the Presidents’ Trophy on its way to 61 wins with only Saturday’s game in Boston remaining.

Only two other teams in NHL history, the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (62) and 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (60), have won 60 or more games in a single season.

“It’s an outrageous accomplishment in the salary cap era, and Yzerman is deserving of recognition,” TSN’s Frank Seravalli writes, “even if his title is different.”

Calgary’s Brad Treliving, San Jose’s Doug Wilson, Montreal’s Marc Bergevin and the Islanders’ Lou Lamoriello appear to be the favorites for the award, Seravalli writes.

What of BriseBois?

“Yzerman’s candidacy is not a knock against BriseBois,” Seravalli writes. "He was unquestionably Yzerman’s right-hand man in Tampa Bay, a key part in the personnel decisions, contract prep and negotiations.

“It’s just that Yzerman did most of the heavy lifting.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139169 Tampa Bay Lightning But it really isn’t just that they’ve spied some weak spot in how other teams build their rosters and exploited it. What they’ve exploited is valuing smart players regardless of their physical make-up over selecting Bourne: How Tampa combines high hockey IQ with team buy-in to for more visible raw tools like size and speed. To even start to do this, dominate the opposition you need people in positions of power who recognize and revere the value of hockey sense. I’m not at all surprised that some combination of Steve Yzerman, Julien BriseBois, Jon Cooper and the rest of the Lightning’s front office sculptors seemingly prioritized acquiring the By Justin Bourne Apr 5, 2019 molding material of hockey IQ for its core.

On a few occasions during my years in the Leafs organization, I heard When you sit back to assess a team that’s about to finish the regular some variation of the following sentiment from people I respected: A season with one of the highest win totals in NHL history, you’d naturally team comprised of all “hockey-smart” players will consistently beat a expect arrive at some superlative-laced conclusions. Some combination team of all speed-first players, and will beat a team of all size and of the following would surely be among predicted end-points: “That team strength-first players. I believe that to be true. The AHL is littered with is astoundingly fast, and/or they’re menacingly big, and/or their defensive NHL talent that just can’t think the game well enough to use their abilities execution is the envy of Swiss watches, and/or they boast Globetrotter- in meaningful ways. esque skills, and/or their goaltender is a literal wall and/or my-oh-my is The success of a team that thrives on hockey smarts speaks to how the that team ever sublimely coached.” NHL has changed today, though not necessarily in a great way if you’re a You get the idea. ticket-buying fan. Since the NHL’s inception, a few things haven’t changed: it’s always been absurdly fun to watch the fastest players blow For the 61-16-4 Tampa Bay Lightning – who sit just a single win behind down the rink, their jerseys flapping in the breeze. It’s fun to watch the the all-time winningest regular season team ever, the 1995-96 Detroit guys with the hardest shots overpower goaltenders and rip holes in the Red Wings – many of those things ring true to varying degrees. They do mesh behind them. It’s fantastic to watch the most physical players just indeed have some unmanageably speedy players, they’ve got some big steamroll any opposition who dares stand in their way. But as I’ve been defenders, their defensive positioning is certainly sound and they’ve implying here, in today’s NHL, raw tools are rarely enough outside of a proven they can put together some highlight reel goals. Yes, they are skills competition. If an opponent knows what a talented one-trick pony is well coached and yes, their goaltending is good. going to do, they’ve largely become adept at taking said trick away. (Note: Alex Ovechkin is solely responsible for the existence of the word But really, a lot of the best regular season teams throughout hockey “largely” in the previous sentence.) history could also claim an ample mix of those attributes without reaching “among the few best ever” status. Check the rosters of most President’s This is why watching an NHL game today isn’t exactly like going to the Trophy winners and it becomes rather apparent. Speedy and well zoo where you expect to see animals perform seemingly impossible coached with size, with talent and with goaltending? Check, sure, check, physical displays simply by engaging with their habitat. You rarely go to check, check. A variation of those elements is regularly there. an NHL rink today and get to see the metaphorical lions roar, or the monkeys swing from the trees, or watch the peacocks strut. Just having The question becomes, what has allowed Tampa to make such a special multiple players that possess great raw attributes – like a good roar, say pot of chili despite using similar ingredients with a similar recipe as other – does not a good team make in today’s NHL. That’s why watching great teams? (Important note here: I use “chili” and not like, “a cake” or Tampa is more like going to a museum and dissecting a fine painting something because chili is the ultimate home for secret spices that make than visiting a zoo. all the difference. I feel like baked goods are home to far fewer secrets. “I dunno Martha, put more sugar in.”) The way each brushstroke works with one another, blends together and combines to paint something significant as a whole is artistry. It’s the For me Tampa’s elevating factor – the difference between them being subtlety, the small movements, the cleverness of it all that combines very good and historically great – is simply their collective brainpower. It what looks like moving parts under a microscope as something admirably seems to feed on itself to make them exponentially more efficient the unified when you take a step back. longer that group plays together. I don’t mean book smarts here, or just clever coaching strategies, but rather those attributes that are combined There is some risk here, in writing about them this way, in minimizing the with hockey IQs to a degree few teams have ever assembled in such raw abilities that are plainly there throughout their lineup. Those volume. Those with a high hockey IQ appear to have the ability to see attributes are undeniable. Those aforementioned smaller players that the next few plays coming. Instead of having options A and B with the make up the team’s artistic form are in fact speedy and skilled. In puck they see C, D and E, and can process them all simultaneously. mentioning how small they are up front, I failed to note that just one of their D – Anton Stralman – is smaller than 6’1”. He’s also the only It’s incredible how this group of Tampa players processes the ice and defender under 200 pounds. So there’s some traditional size structure to understands where the best spot on the rink is for the puck to go to give their roster, with a big defensive core and smaller, skilled forwards. themselves the best opportunity possible. This happens nearly every shift They’re also backstopped by one of the league’s best goaltenders, which and sees them increase their odds of creating offence (and thus not as you may recall, is sort of an advantage in hockey. playing defence) in increasing increments with each touch. But when building a roster, checking the boxes of “big D, fast forwards That can mean tiny, ticky-tack passes that span just a few feet, to rink- and good goaltending” is no longer enough. That’s for building a video wide lasers, to clever “punts,” which is just accepting a turnover so they game team. The intelligence that pervades Tampa allows them to take can get organized. Those punts maximize their chances of both giving up their raw abilities and become something of a self-aware monster. The nothing and getting the puck back the quickest. players seem to recognize that their talented teammates process the Were your average fan asked to extract one takeaway from how Tampa game as they do and it helps to form their team’s identity. The trust is has put together such a successful team, many would reach the same noticeable. And having a coach who’s managed to adeptly combine all conclusion: the franchise didn’t overlook small, skilled players and those these skill and hockey IQ elements has earned them an enviable amount guys can really contribute. You might think Tampa has exploited a of buy-in from everyone involved, top to bottom. market inefficiency of sorts – after all, we’re learning you’re almost “Buy-in” is one of those oft-referenced team intangibles that’s led to it always better off with a small guy who can score versus a big guy who becoming oft-maligned as a concept. In reality, it’s oft-really-damn- scores less. (That sounds simple, but it certainly hasn’t been a part of the important. Tampa’s offensive players still take care of the defensive end NHL’s fabric for long, if you even believe it is today.) when in the offensive zone because of buy-in. They employ an extremely You may think the proof is there in the pudding, right? Nikita Kucherov is high F3 during O-zone possessions that allow their D to be more active a little firecracker and he’s about to win the Hart Trophy. Brayden Point down the walls to extend the time they spend hemming opponents in (the isn’t a big guy. Either are Yanni Gourde or Tyler Johnson. In fact, the D don’t hesitate because they trust their forwards). As a result, opposing Lightning have just two forwards on their entire roster who weigh in at wingers get snuffed out on breakout attempts regularly. over 200 pounds (Adam Erne and JT Miller), with a total of seven That high F3 also draws opposing defenders away from the front of their forwards tipping the scales at 190 pounds or fewer. net, opening up precious inches for the Bolts most threatening players to work in and around the most dangerous area of the ice. That also allows them to have three players back in the event of turnovers, which limits rushes against and turns the play back towards offence all the more expediently. All of this comes simply because everyone knows they can trust that their F3 is going to be where they ask him to be.

Obviously, every team should play like this, but for frustrating reasons, they just don’t. There are times when cheating down as the F3 results in a great offensive chance for, which can be a temptation too strong for many players who just haven’t full bought-in to what the team’s doing. After all, a goal helps everyone, right? That undisciplined F3 may score and come to the conclusion that if the play does go the other way and they’re out of position, there’s no guarantee the opposition will get a chance anyway. So why not roll this dice … right?

Some just can’t be convinced that if they play the right way, they’ll eventually get their chances.

Teams that buy-in develop an exponential level of confidence, to the point where they start to play with opponents. Not intentionally, but that confidence in the support of their group frees them to pick their heads up, to slow their brains down, and to both see the ice better and to have the poise to make more difficult plays. That often comes off in the form of cheeky passes that make it appear they are toying with the opposition. To my eye, they just never seem to be worried about getting the puck back, because they seem to know in time that they will. They trust that the puck is going to get moved to the most advantageous part of the ice for the good of the team, which helps each individual succeed. (These principles apply to most workplaces and even families, if you’re looking to pull something Tony Robbins-ish from the Lightning.)

I think back to bad teams I’ve been on, and how the mindset of players changes with the growing acceptance that yes, we are in fact a bad team. Often a forward who’s been hemmed in their own zone for a big portion of the game will finally get the puck, and the last thing they want to do is just give that rare touch right back up – even to their own teammates. After all, they’ve just been staring at the damn puck all game. Instead, they rush it, or they shoot it themselves, or they do something to feel like they’re doing something – rather than just making that short three-foot pass to put the puck somewhere better for the team. The forced play they chose to make instead ends up being what amounts to a turnover, and that player will end up back in their own zone defending and looking for a change to pass the misery on to their next “lucky” teammate.

That just ain’t Tampa. They pass and they pass and they pass and damned if the puck doesn’t keep coming back to them too.

Earlier this week I wrote about this year’s Stanley Cup playoff field, making the point that it looks like we’re in for a “weird-ass” Cup winner and possibly a “weird-ass” Cup year. That theory, and the one that doubles down on that with two underdog teams meeting in the final, of course hinges on Tampa getting beat.

For a group like the Lightning, a number of things would have to go wrong for them to fall short of winning the Cup, let alone making the Final. I recognize that. One of those unfortunate things – unfortunate for Tampa, anyway – is that two of the few teams with a legitimate shot to beat them are in their division, while both wild card teams in the East are more formidable than they’d probably like. (In regard to those wild card teams, they both seem to be groups with tremendous amounts of buy-in as well.)

In the end, Tampa’s collective consciousness makes it so that for any team to upset them, they’re going to have to play near perfect hockey. No opponent is going to take them down with raw speed, or size, or structure – not while the Bolts continually move the puck little by little to maintain possession and in turn, create chance after chance. They offer death by 1000 cuts. To beat them, it will take a group willing to stay within in their structure, it will take the confidence to make some plays too and it’ll take a whole heaping portion of one of hockey’s great equalizers – luck.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139170 Tampa Bay Lightning Kucherov was leading the NHL in scoring at that point, and for a time, it looked as if his greatest competition might come from the Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen. But Rantanen started to fade in the second Duhatschek Notebook: How the second half of the season has affected half before getting hurt, dropping him back to into the pack. A year ago, the NHL awards race McDavid reeled in Kucherov in the final month in the scoring race, and even though Kucherov finished third overall in 2017-18, he didn’t even make it into the top five in Hart trophy voting.

By Eric Duhatschek Apr 5, 2019 That will change this year.

Kucherov has been the best player on the best team in the league this year and since his three closest competitors in the scoring race In 1980-81, my first year of voting for NHL awards, there were 21 teams (McDavid, Patrick Kane and Leon Draisaitl) are on teams that won’t in the league and three voters per team, for a total of 63 ballots cast. In qualify for the postseason this year, he should win the award in a those days, not every game was on television and NHL stats were runaway. The greater intrigue will be to see who joins him as a top-three published weekly; meaning if you wanted to do an informed job as a finalist. Voters traditionally penalize players if they aren’t in the playoffs voter, the best way to do so was by contacting your colleagues in other and they generally don’t like goalies or defencemen either. (Since 2000, NHL cities. You wanted either to gain greater insights into who might be only one defenceman, Chris Pronger; and two goalies, Jose Theodore having a quietly distinguished season on the teams they covered, or and Carey Price, have won the Hart). alternatively if there was someone posting gaudy stats that might have some underlying weaknesses in their games that weren’t readily Assuming that pattern repeats itself this year, and the top three finishers apparent to the casual eye. are all forwards again, the runners-up will likely come from a group that included Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, MacKinnon or Gaudreau, It was an imprecise process – just as it is today, where you can now though there is a part of me that wonders if Alex Ovechkin is going to get weigh a mountain of statistical evidence and underlying analytical any love here, after managing yet another 50-goal season on behalf of numbers and filter that information through common sense, plus the old- the Washington Capitals. fashioned eye test. Old guy alert: I may even reference plus-minus in this discussion. Predicted winner: Kucherov. Predicted runners-up: Crosby, Marchand.

One interesting byproduct of calling around and talking to other writers Norris Trophy about candidates in their markets was that the process could often act as a de facto straw poll, a means of discerning how voters were leaning. For At midseason, the PHWA selectors picked Mark Giordano of the Calgary about a decade, it wasn’t all that difficult to accurately forecast how the Flames first; the Leafs Morgan Rielly second; and Brent Burns of the San annual NHL awards would be distributed. Jose Sharks third. The Norris, awarded to the defenceman who demonstrates the greatest all-around ability in the position, is the one Now, it’s harder. trophy where the PHWA has recently spread the love around – there have been six different winners in each of the past six years, including There are 31 teams and the voter pool has been greatly expanded. Last last year, when Victor Hedman of the Lightning got the nod ahead of the year, a total of 164 ballots were cast and there was a great deal of Kings Drew Doughty. Doughty, and last year’s other finalist, PK Subban suspense surrounding most of the major awards, including the big one – of the Nashville Predators, are not factors in the race this year, but the Hart Trophy, which annually is awarded to the player adjudged to be Hedman’s strong second half has nudged him into contention and maybe most valuable to his own team. even into the lead. Ultimately, Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils edged Nathan But Giordano has maintained his almost point-per-game scoring MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche for the award. The common production; is a league-leading plus-39; and has probably been the single thread there: Each player – one in the Eastern Conference, one in the most important contributor to the Flames’ unexpected surge to the top of Western Conference – were the catalysts behind extraordinary year- the Western Conference. Plus, he’s 35 and having the finest year of his over-year gains by their respective teams. Colorado went from 48 to 95 career. Giordano was actually in the Norris conversation in 2015 before points and qualified for the playoffs as the second wild card in the West, an injury ended his season after 61 games and his hopes of winning the while New Jersey went from 70 to 97 points and qualified as the second award evaporated. Voters get to put five names on their ballots and while wild card in the East. both Burns and Rielly have likely done enough to stay in the top five, it Voters are annually tripped up over the precise definition of the Hart – not will be interesting to see if productive second halves from Hedman and necessarily the best player but the most valuable to his team – which Washington’s John Carlson knock either Burns or Reilly out of the top provides endless fodder for debate, because there will be years when a three. player may be a candidate for the Hart and yet, might not even be the Predicted winner: Giordano. Predicted runners-up: Hedman, Burns. most valuable to his own team. Calder Trophy Given how the voter pool has grown so large, the only straw poll with any genuine merit is a new-old thing that the Professional Hockey Writers’ Last year was a runaway win for the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal, Association instituted two years back – conducting a midseason poll of who was deemed to be the most proficient player in his first year of the membership to see how it was collectively leaning in the awards competition. Not only did Barzal produce an eye-popping 85 points in 82 chase. games, but injuries also took his two primary midseason competitors — Vancouver’s Brock Boeser and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy — out of the The PHWA votes for the Hart, the Calder, the Norris, the Selke and the race. Barzal ended up earned 160 out of a possible 164 first-place votes. Lady Byng. The NHL Broadcasters Association votes for the Jack Adams; the 31 NHL GMs vote for the Vezina; and the NHL Players The only real question this year is: Can the Canucks’ Elias Pettersson Association votes for the Ted Lindsay, which is awarded to the league’s win in the same landslide fashion? Pettersson was the midseason leader most outstanding player. in the PHWA poll ahead of two defencemen – Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars. Midseason voting patterns are always interesting to reassess because a lot can change in half a year – and usually does. Since midseason, however, one wild-card candidate has edged into the conversation: St. Louis Blues’ rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington, who But this year is a little unusual in that many of the midseason leaders was promoted to the NHL in January and has been the single greatest probably did enough in the second half to cement their early leads. Let’s contributor to the team’s historic second-half turnaround. In a year when look at where things stood halfway through the year and how – if at all – goal scoring is up, Binnington’s numbers are right out of the dead-puck they may have changed in the second half. era: 22-5-1 record, 1.85 GAA, .928 save percentage and five shutouts in Hart Trophy half-a-season of work.

At midseason, Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov was the choice, ahead of In theory, Binnington’s strong play and value to the Blues’ resurgence Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Edmonton’s Connor should push him into the top three, though voters have historically McDavid. penalized players for missing chunks of the season. Pettersson will be the runaway rookie scoring leader. Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk has edged into the second spot and has had a thoroughly respectable rookie season couldn’t keep the Ducks in the playoff chase, so he is unlikely to get the as well. They will likely be the five names on most ballots, order to be nod. determined. The Islanders are in contention for the Jennings, but because they divide Predicted winner: Pettersson. Predicted runners-up: Binnington, the workload between Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, neither is Heiskanen. considered a viable Vezina candidate. Among the top half-dozen GAA leaders, there is really one genuine starter, Dallas’s Ben Bishop, but Selke Trophy injuries have limited Bishop’s minutes played this year as well. Until a In the beginning, when Montreal’s Bob Gainey had sole custody of the recent injury, it looked as Fleury would lead the league in wins – that Selke for the first four years of its existence, the primary criteria was honor now will likely go to Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy – and they will defensive excellence, pure and simple. Over time, however, the Selke both get some votes. But Montreal’s Carey Price kept the Canadiens has come to represent something else – and has morphed into an award unexpectedly in the playoff race for most of the season; and is coming off for the NHL’s best all-around forward. Usually, your Selke winner is an a really difficult underachieving year. GMs tend to have a long memory exceptionally sound defensive forward, who also happens to be having a and may give some love to Price because of his contributions to really great offensive year. Last year, for example, that player was the Montreal’s solid year. Kings’ Anze Kopitar, who had 92 points to go along with all those faceoff Predicted winner: Vasilevskiy. Predicted runners-up: Fleury, Price. wins and responsible two-way play. Jack Adams Award The modern-day equivalent to Gainey is Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, who has won the award four times in the past seven years, and last year, Generally speaking, the Adams award goes to the coach that oversaw finished third – probably because he missed a quarter of the season and the most surprising turnaround in a team’s fortunes, despite the criteria voters couldn’t find his name among the scoring leaders (his 30 goals actually being to the coach adjusted to have contributed most to his and 63 points in 64 games kept him just outside the top 30). team’s success. Last year, it went quite sensibly to Gerard Gallant, who took an expansion team, Vegas, to the Pacific Division title (and This year, Bergeron was the PHWA’s midseason choice and even subsequently to the Stanley Cup final). At midseason, the writers gave though, once again, he will have missed significant time with injury (16 the award to the Islanders’ Barry Trotz ahead of the Calgary Flames’ Bill games, mostly in December), he is seventh in points-per-game; will finish Peters and the Lightning’s Jon Cooper. I would have no issue with those among the scoring leaders; and frankly, is just having a spectacular three finishing in that exact order. Trotz’s work, to get the John Tavares- season. It’s hard to imagine anyone dislodging him from the top of the less Islanders into the playoffs, and helping to turn the NHL’s worst podium this year. defensive team into its best, is an example of why coaching does matter. Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Mark Stone (then of Ottawa, now of Peters was a little bit of a controversial hire in Calgary, due to his four Vegas) rounded out the top three at midseason and they will likely be playoff-less years behind the bench in Carolina, and given that he was there, though you could also make compelling cases for the Blues’ Ryan hired to accomplish just that with the Flames. But Peters managed to O’Reilly, the Flames’ Elias Lindholm, the Flyers’ Sean Couturier, and one weave the old with the new in Calgary and helped them become way-under-the-radar player having a quietly effective year, the Coyotes’ conference champions. And while we all love Tampa’s talent, what Brad Richardson. Cooper has accomplished in turning the Lightning into a powerhouse, with a still relatively young nucleus, should not be overlooked. They are Predicted winner: Bergeron. Predicted runners-up: Barkov, Stone. among the league leaders in offence, defence, special teams and the one metric that sometimes tends to be overlooked when picking a winner Lady Byng Trophy in this category – points in the standings. There have been a few players in the past who’ve wanted no business Predicted winner: Trotz. Predicted runners-up: Peters, Cooper. with the Byng — awarded to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, combined with a The PWHA also predicted winners in two other award categories that do high standard of playing ability — because the notion of gentlemanly not exist in the NHL – one for the NHL’s best defensive defenceman and conduct and rough-and-tumble nature of NHL hockey seem curiously at another for its comeback player of the year. About a month ago, a regular odds with each other. reader wondered if it would be worth naming an all-discard team – that is, a team of players, coaches and managers who had fallen out of favor For years, voter fatigue also seems to play a role in the Byng selection with one organization who then resurrected their careers elsewhere. process, because it’s often the last ballot they get to and one they tend to sometimes rush past. Invariably, voters tend to skim the penalty minutes That’s brilliant, and it sort of ties into the comeback narrative (which, by column, compare them to the points total of a player and then use some the way, the PHWA defines as returning to a previous high level of weird formula between those two categories to make their selections. performance that was interrupted by subpar play, long-term injury or Which is too bad because the award has been around since 1925 and a major illness). If the NHL ever did come up with an all-discard award, generation of greats – from Red Kelly and to Jean Ratelle they could name it after Martin St. Louis, who went undrafted; and was and Mike Bossy – have won the Byng multiple times. At midseason, the bought out by his first NHL team (Calgary); only to resurrect his career in PHWA went with Barkov, Toronto’s Rielly and Sean Monahan of the Tampa, where he won a Stanley Cup and ultimately carved out a Hall of Flames 1-2-3. But Byng voting can be particularly scattershot, and you’d Fame career. have to consider both O’Reilly and Toronto’s Auston Matthews will get some consideration. But Barkov has had an exceptional second half for There are many ways you can assess an all-discard team. I’ll make my the Panthers, and since voters had him atop the list even before his selections without comment, but invite readers to debate, discuss and surge up the scoring ranks, you’d have to think he’s a pretty safe choice otherwise challenge in the section below. here. GM: Lou Lamoriello (Islanders). Coach: Trotz (Islanders). Goalies: Predicted winner: Barkov. Predicted runners-up: O’Reilly, Monahan. Lehner (Islanders), Jack Campbell (Kings). Defence: Noah Hanifin (Calgary), Jordan Oesterle (Arizona), Brett Kulak (Montreal), Luke Vezina Trophy Schenn (Vancouver). Forwards: Max Domi (Montreal), Dylan Strome (Chicago), Jeff Skinner (Buffalo), Nino Niederreiter (Carolina), Lindholm Up until 1981, the Vezina was a statistical award and went to the goalies (Calgary), O’Reilly (St. Louis). with the best collective goals-against average. In the final year the Vezina was awarded that way, it was shared by a trio of Montreal But there are probably lots of others to consider, and I’m willing to ponder netminders – Richard Sevigny, Denis Herron and Michel (Bunny) other nominations. Larocque. The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 Then, the NHL introduced the William Jennings Trophy for lowest GAAs and gave the GMs the mandate to choose the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position. Jim Carey, in 1996 for Washington, was my favorite selection because he interrupted a five-year run for Dominik Hasek. At midseason, the writers gave the Vezina to Anaheim’s John Gibson ahead of Vegas’s Marc-Andre Fleury and the Leafs’ Frederik Andersen, which were all reasonable choices at the time. But Gibson 1139171 Toronto Maple Leafs a five-game stint in January when both Sparks and Andersen were injured and he was acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers.

Babcock refused to say Sparks is finished as a Maple Leaf, but his Toronto Maple Leafs opt to purge Garret Sparks from roster opinion became clear as he talked about the situation. He said the team “gave him every opportunity. So we went back to the well a number of times. Then when we didn’t get it worked out or it didn’t get where it DAVID SHOALTS needed to [be], we made this decision.”

PUBLISHED APRIL 5, 2019 There is no chance Sparks is going to suddenly “find his game” over 10 days of solo workouts with goaltending coaches. Then to be trusted UPDATED APRIL 5, 2019 enough to be dressed for a playoff game is a different matter entirely.

The importance of a good backup was emphasized in Friday’s practice The Toronto Maple Leafs have banished their backup goaltender to when a deflected shot hit Andersen high on the arm. He went down hard hockey purgatory on the eve of their final regular-season game. and was in obvious pain, which threw a scare into the entire team. Fortunately for the Leafs, Andersen shook it off and stayed on the ice. Garret Sparks’s inability to provide No. 1 goaltender Frederik Andersen the rest he needed this season, and his inability to give the Leafs a Andersen said the injury was not serious, although the shot “hit a little bit sufficient number of wins from the backup slot, hastened his departure on of sore spot.” William Nylander was the culprit, firing a high shot in Friday. practice, even if he can claim it was deflected.

The Sparks situation was no mere demotion. He was figuratively “Yeah I saw,” Andersen said dryly when asked if he knew who took the vaporized, as his name plate was removed from his stall in the dressing shot. So the next question was if he expected some recompense from room at the Leafs’ practice arena and replaced with one for , such as dinner or perhaps a Rolex: “We’ll see.” Hutchinson, who was called up from the farm team to Elsewhere on the roster, Calle Rosen will play again on the third replace him. defensive pair as Jake Muzzin is still dealing with what is thought to be “Yeah, getting the call-up was definitely unexpected,” said Hutchinson, the flu. While Rosen now seems to be Babcock’s choice as the top fill-in, who got the call to report to the Leafs on Thursday as he was preparing Muzzin is expected to be ready for the first game of the playoffs on to play for the Marlies. "I’m a little excited to be a part of this, and want to Thursday. help the team out any way I can.” Nazem Kadri said he missed Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Officially, Sparks will spend the next 10 days working with Leafs Lightning because of a minor injury that has been lingering for some goaltender coach Steve Briere and Marlies goaltending consultant Jon time. He said it is not serious enough to threaten any playoff duty and the Elkin. Because he was not on the Marlies’ roster at any point late in the night off made him feel well enough to play in Montreal. Babcock, though, season, Sparks is not eligible to play in the AHL playoffs. shrugged off the thought.

“Sparks has 10 days basically to work with Jon Elkin and Steve Briere to Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.06.2019 get his game back,” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. “We need him to get it back, he needs to get it back. So it’s real important as an organization we help him out and he helps himself. So that’s where that’s at.”

Hutchinson said all he was told was that he will dress for the Leafs’ final regular-season game on Saturday in Montreal against the Canadiens. Andersen is scheduled to start.

Realistically, though, this is the end of the road for Sparks as a Maple Leaf. If he stays in the organization next season for the final year of his contract, it will most likely be with the Marlies.

Sparks sealed his fate, although most thought it would come after the NHL playoffs, with another poor outing on Tuesday. Sparks let in three bad goals in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving him with an 8- 9-1 record, .902 save percentage and 3.15 goals-against average for the season.

This was a tremendous disappointment for the organization, especially general manager Kyle Dubas, who is believed to have overruled Babcock on the matter of Sparks. Babcock wanted to stick with Curtis McElhinney as Andersen’s backup because he performed well in the role in the 2017- 18 season.

However, Sparks was 10 years younger than McElhinney at 25, and was the AHL’s goaltender-of-the-year last season. The thinking was that Sparks was the better asset and could give Andersen more rest and offer better-quality starts. McElhinney was lost on waivers to the Hurricanes, where he played an important role in helping them make the playoffs.

Andersen made 66 starts last season and 66 in 2016-17. He was not at his best in last year’s seven-game playoff series loss to the Boston Bruins and fatigue was at least part of the reason.

The hope was to get Andersen’s starts down into the 50s this season, but Sparks never played well enough for that to happen. Andersen will make his 60th start on Saturday. And the eight wins Sparks had were not enough. Even three more wins would have put the Leafs into position to grab second place in the Atlantic Division away from the Bruins.

Clearly, Babcock did not feel comfortable going into the playoffs against the Bruins again without a backup he could trust in case something happens to Andersen. Hutchinson played adequately for the Leafs during 1139172 Toronto Maple Leafs

Saturday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens

By Kevin McGran

Fri., April 5, 2019

BELL CENTRE

FACEOFF: 7 p.m.

Leaf Travis Dermott rides the Canadiens’ Max Domi into the boards when the teams met in October at Scotiabank Arena. The rivals close out the regular season on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

TV: CBC/Sportsnet

RADIO: TSN 1050

KEY PLAYERS

Rielly/Domi

Defenceman Morgan Rielly leads Toronto scorers against Montreal this season with five points (all assists) … Canadiens forward Max Domi had five assists in their three previous meetings this season, and at least one point in each game.

NEED TO KNOW

The Maple Leafs have won seven straight games against Montreal dating back to Oct. 15, 2017 … A win Saturday would give the Leafs 24 road victories, a franchise record ... Montreal forward Andrew Shaw has two goals and two assists against the Leafs ... The Canadiens are on the bubble to make the playoffs, after failing to qualify last season. They haven’t missed twice in a row since 2000-01 (three straight at the time).

UP NEXT

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Boston, likely Thursday at 7 p.m.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139173 Toronto Maple Leafs Andersen did his best to sidestep the drama.

“I was told (Friday) that Hutch was here. Beyond that I don’t really know. I try not to worry too much about things that I cannot control,” said Hutchinson to replace Sparks as Leafs’ backup goaltender Andersen. “(Hutchinson) is a great guy. Seen him earlier this year when I and Sparks weren’t able to go. He was able to come in and play for us. Great for him. He’s a very positive guy.” By Kevin McGran Nazem Kadri, out with a “boo-boo” as Babcock called it, said he hoped to Fri., April 5, 2019 play Saturday against Montreal. “I felt it was something I could play through, but the medical staff felt it was important to have a rest day,”

said Kadri. Babcock couldn’t help but smile when the media told him Michael Hutchinson is in and Garret Sparks is out after a bizarre day of Kadri said he wanted to play. “He bounced back? We’ll see.” goaltending drama for the Maple Leafs, on the eve of the last game of Toronto Star LOADED: 04.06.2019 the regular season.

Frederik Andersen, who will start the finale in Montreal on Saturday, flopped to the ice midway through practice in obvious pain after a shot from William Nylander was deflected and caught him in a sensitive area.

The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled goalie Michael Hutchinson from the Toronto Marlies on Friday.

“It hit a sore spot,” said Andersen. “I had to get the feeling back in my arm, had to shake it off.”

Andersen’s health and the quality of goaltending is of prime importance as the Leafs head into the playoffs for the third straight year. And the backup goalie’s job specifically has been a talking point from the moment the Leafs protected Sparks and waived Curtis McElhinney before the season began.

McElhinney had performed superbly last year as Andersen’s backup and has since gone on to help the Carolina Hurricanes earn their first playoff spot in a decade. Sparks, meanwhile, was the AHL goalie of the year and is 10 years younger than McElhinney, seemingly making him the logical choice to take over. But Sparks has struggled at the NHL level and with a playoff date against the Boston Bruins looming, the Leafs have gone as far as removing him from the locker room — giving his stall to Hutchinson and telling Sparks to work out with the goalie coaches on his own, or with the Marlies, for the next 10 days.

“What we tried to do, because we believe in Sparks, is give him every opportunity,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “We went back to the well a number of times. When we didn’t get it worked out and get him to where we needed him to, we had to make this decision.

“We did everything we could to get his game to where it needed to be. Now the team is way more important than any individual, and so you make those decisions.”

Sparks — 1-6-0 in his last eight appearances with one no-decision— was not available to the media on Friday. He had taken considerable heat after one of those losses, when he called on teammates to play with more emotion. His 3.65 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in that stretch did not instill confidence.

“I’ve been with a lot of real good goalies and there are times it doesn’t go as good. You offer them 10 days off to work with a goalie coach to get it back. This is at the end of the regular season, so it’s a bit different than a 10-day hiatus in the middle of the year,” said Babcock.

“He won a Calder Cup for the organization. I think it’s important we treat him right and help him get his game to the level it should be at.”

Hutchinson, meanwhile, went 2-3-0 with a 2.64 GAA and .914 save percentage in five appearances with the Maple Leafs earlier this season, after being acquired from Florida in December for a fifth-round draft pick in 2020. In 23 games with the Marlies, Hutchinson was 14-5-3 with a 2.70 GAA and .910 save mark. Hutchinson, who has also played for Winnipeg, has never made an NHL playoff appearance.

“I found out after the game Friday that they were calling me up to go to Montreal,” said Hutchinson. “It’s exciting to be back and see all the guys again. The call-up was definitely unexpected, but I’m excited to be a part of this and help the team out in whatever way I can.”

At 29, Hutchinson offers the Leafs a veteran in the backup role.

“He’s played 100-something games in the NHL and played well for us when he was up,” said Babcock. “He’s been playing well, with the exception of his last start for the Marlies (hooked after three goals on five shots Thursday). He’s been given an opportunity to support Fred.” 1139174 Toronto Maple Leafs staff has done a good job at pointing that out to me and I’m just following their lead.”

With that in mind, then maybe don’t play against the Canadiens. No stress for Babcock as Leafs' regular season comes to an end What of it, coach Babcock?

“Bounce back, eh?” Babcock said with a chuckle. “We will see (on Terry Koshan Saturday).”

Published:April 5, 2019 3. Can Marleau, at the age of 39, be relied upon to make an on-ice Updated:April 5, 2019 8:27 PM EDT impact in the first round?

Babcock thinks so. We’re not so sure.

Three thoughts on the Maple Leafs as they head into Saturday’s regular- “The big part of Patty’s job is providing leadership and doing the things season finale against the Montreal Canadiens: he does,” Babcock said. “I don’t think you ever expect a guy at 38 or 39 to score like he did at 25. I don’t think that’s reasonable or even (to How important is it that they head into the first round of the playoffs with expect him to) necessarily play like that. a victory, even if the result means nothing in the standings? “But he can still be a very important piece for your hockey club. I also It’s true that the Leafs will forget about the game not long after it’s done, think the fountain of youth is coming. The reason I think that is I have no matter the outcome, but of course a victory would leave a better taste. been through it with lots of players late in their career and they suddenly find more gas and are better. I would not worry too much about Patty.” The Leafs have won just three of their past 10 games, going 3-5-2, yet coach Mike Babcock isn’t wringing his hands in worry. Marleau hasn’t missed a game, and it’s not difficult to wonder whether he would have been better off having some rest, never mind his streak of “I guess if we had to win (Saturday) to make the playoffs, I think I would 787 consecutive games played. Perhaps Marleau would have had a be stressed,” Babcock said. “Not stressed at all. I think our team has better shot at discovering the fountain of youth had he been given some done a lot of good things down the stretch. down time at various points during the season. “We haven’t scored at a high level and we couldn’t keep it out there for a Marleau has two goals in his past 18 games and if he doesn’t put the while, but we have done a lot of really good things.” puck in the net on Saturday night, he will finish with 16 goals, which Fine, but not winning seven of the past 10 games shouldn’t have would be his fewest since 1997-98 when he had 13 as a rookie with San happened. Not for a club that could finish in the top six overall. Jose.

Getting Jake Gardiner back, after Travis Dermott returned, was crucial Marleau’s three-year contract has another season remaining at an for the defence corps. Ditto for the play of Calle Rosen, who has proven annual average value of $6.25-million US. That’s a hefty ticket for that he will be a sound option if required. someone who will turn 40 in September and is not close to the player he has been in the past. The Leafs would set a team record with a 24th road win if they beat Montreal. Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019

“I don’t know if anyone looks at the whole league. There are good teams on our side here that we’re playing,” Babcock said. “We’re one of those good teams. I think some of us forget that and we will be ready to play like a good team.”

Against the Boston Bruins, the Leafs will have no choice.

“Everyone says it’s a long playoff,” Babcock said. “It’s only a long playoff for two teams. If you want to keep playing, you have to play well. Your regular season does not much matter. In the end, it’s what you do in the post-season that is measured. We are all measured that way and we understand that.”

2. Will Babcock have a full lineup at his disposal for the last game?

No, he won’t. Defenceman Jake Muzzin, who is still sick, will not play at the Bell Centre.

Then there is the always talkative Nazem Kadri, who did not suit up against Tampa on Thursday as he nursed what Babcock called a “boo- boo.”

Babcock indicated after the game that neither player would be on the ice in Montreal, but Kadri centred Patrick Marleau and William Nylander at practice on Friday.

Naturally, Kadri wants to play.

“I’m hoping so,” Kadri said. “It’s not a definitive yes, but I would like to.”

Kadri wouldn’t confirm exactly what his minor injury is. He said there is no worry, “not one bit” that he will not be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs.

“It was more of a maintenance thing — just something I could play through, but the medical staff thought it was important to have a rest day,” Kadri said of his absence against the Lightning.

“It happened early on in the year and it was a tweak scenario, but it was something that one or two days could make a huge difference, so I feel pretty good.

“We’re solidified in the standings, we know who we are playing, so to force something at this point in time would be unwise and the medical 1139175 Toronto Maple Leafs

Calm down Maple Leafs fans, Andersen is not injured

Terry Koshan

Published:April 5, 2019

Updated:April 5, 2019 7:14 PM EDT

Stop scaring Leafs Nation, Frederik Andersen.

The Maple Leafs’ No. 1 goaltender fell to the ice in a crumpled heap after taking a shot off his left arm during practice on Friday, before slowly getting up and making his way to the bench.

After taking a break, Andersen resumed drills.

“I thought it was going to go somewhere else and it got tipped and hit a little bit of a sore spot,” Andersen said. “Just got the feeling back in my arm and shook it off.”

A shot by William Nylander was deflected and caught Andersen off- guard. Andersen said the plan remains in place to start against the Montreal Canadiens in the Leafs’ final regular-season game on Saturday.

Game 1 of the first round against the Boston Bruins is expected to be on Thursday.

“A good break until we start up,” Andersen said. “It will be nice to get another game in and not have to sit for a week.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139176 Toronto Maple Leafs

GAME DAY: Maple Leafs at Canadiens

Lance Hornby

Published:April 5, 2019

Updated:April 5, 2019 6:19 PM EDT

Toronto SUN Sports Hockey NHL

7 P.M., BELL CENTRE

TV: Sportsnet/HNIC RADIO: TSN 1050

THE BIG MATCHUP

G Carey Price v G Frederik Andersen

Strength at this vital position will determine how far the Leafs get in playoffs and perhaps if the Habs get in at all, pending what Columbus does Friday and Saturday in the wildcard race. Regardless, Price has re- established himself with 35 wins this season. Andersen will use this last start before Game 1 on Thursday in Boston to keep his conditioning. His new back-up is Michael Hutchinson.

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT?

Toronto coach Mike Babcock has already indicated defenceman Jake Muzzin a will be rested, and perhaps centre Nazem Kadri pending a minor injury. It’s also a second game for Jake Gardiner to get the rust out after a long layoff. Everyone on Claude Julien’s team will want to get in this game, regardless if a playoff spot is on the line or not.

2. CROWDSOURCING

The Leafs haven’t given their travelling show much to be cheer about since their Western Canadian trip, but this 815th meeting (regular season and playoffs) will carry some extra emotion. A Toronto win puts it in the rare position of having more road wins than home this season – and might give them some momentum for going into Boston.

3. STRONG FINISH

Give the Habs credit, they aren’t going down without a fight. To stay alive entering this weekend, they had to beat Winnipeg and Tampa Bay, before losing 2-1 to Washington on Thursday, their third straight against a division leader. But dropping their first three games of the season’s series to the Leafs, including 3-2 in overtime on opening night at SBA, did them no favours in the end.

4. RECORD WATCH

The 100-point season by Mitch Marner that looked quite possible as recently as late March won’t happen. But John Tavares still has a shot at 50 goals, needing his third hat trick of the year. Kasperi Kapanen is still looking for his 20th goal to give Toronto seven shooters with that milestone while the team seeks at least one point to reach 100.

5. NOT SO SPECIAL TEAMS

The Leafs’ power play, which must be a difference maker in close games against Boston, could use a good night against Montreal, though it’s missing a couple of pieces, while trying to work in new personnel.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139177 Toronto Maple Leafs A veteran of 111 NHL games, Hutchinson, even if he does not play, will provide the kind of experience that Sparks lacks.

“It helps a lot,” Hutchinson said of his previous stint with the Leafs. “Even Maple Leafs want struggling Sparks to find his game, recall Hutchinson coming in here and knowing all the equipment staff, training staff, and the from Marlies coaches, players, having that sense of familiarity.

“Last time, it was a little bit hectic coming in and figuring everything out Terry Koshan on the go. This time it’s definitely a little more familiar, a little more laid back and you feel comfortable right off the bat.” Published:April 5, 2019 The Leafs have made an investment in Sparks, signing him to a one-year Updated:April 5, 2019 7:12 PM EDT contract extension a month ago that will pay him $750,000 next season.

The team’s desire is that Sparks makes that money with the Leafs, not with the Marlies. Go away, Garret. “What we tried to do, because we believe in Sparky, is give him every Get your game in order. opportunity,” Babcock said. “We went back to the well a number of times The Maple Leafs will start the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs with Michael and then when we didn’t get it worked out. Hutchinson backing up No. 1 netminder Frederik Andersen, as Garret “The way we chose to do it is do everything we could to help him get his Sparks will be on hiatus for the immediate future to try to find solutions to game to where it needed to be. The team is way more important than any his overall performance in 2018-19, which has been wracked by individual and so you make those decisions.” struggles. Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.06.2019 “Sparks has 10 days, basically, to work with Jon Elkin and Steve Briere to get his game back,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after practice on Friday at the MasterCard Centre. “We need him to get it back, he needs to get it back. It’s important as an organization that we help him out and that he helps himself.”

Sparks won’t be around the Leafs until at least Game 3 against the Boston Bruins as he spends time with Elkin, the Toronto Marlies’ goaltending coach, and Briere, the Leafs’ goaltending coach.

Hutchinson was recalled from the Marlies and will back Andersen up starting on Saturday in Montreal, when the Leafs meet the Canadiens in the last game of the regular season.

The Leafs took a bit of a gamble in October when they chose to keep Sparks, who was named the best goaltender in the American Hockey League last season, over veteran Curtis McElhinney. The latter was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes off waivers and had a stellar season, helping the ‘Canes earn a playoff berth.

With Sparks in net, the Leafs arrived at a point where it was fingers- crossed that he would make enough saves to give the team a chance to win. That didn’t happen much, especially in recent months, as Sparks compiled a record of 8-9-1 in 20 games with a .902 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average.

There are several reasons why the Leafs won’t have home-ice advantage in the opening round – team defence, lack of bite among them – but Sparks’ play has to be considered. The Leafs apparently had seen enough when Sparks was weak against Carolina on Tuesday.

And while it might not be necessarily fair to compare Sparks to Andersen, the poise that Andersen has in his game is a significant asset that has eluded Sparks.

What hasn’t worked for the 25-year-old Sparks in his first full season in the NHL? The goalie himself, during the Leafs’ Western Canada trip in March, acknowledged it has been “emotionally taxing.”

“It’s two different leagues, for starters,” Babcock said. “I don’t think we want to get ahead of ourselves here.

“I have been with a lot of goalies over the years, a lot of really good goalies, there are times it doesn’t go as good and you often get 10 days off and you work with a goalie coach and you get it back.

“Let’s just go through the process. He won a Calder Cup last year. It’s important we treat him right and help him get his game to the level it should be at.”

Maple Leafs goaltender Garret Sparks has struggled throughout much of the season. (CP FILES)

Hutchinson, 29, played in five games for the Leafs in January after he was acquired from the Florida Panthers and had a .914 save percentage while going 2-3-0. With the Marlies, Hutchinson – who took over Sparks’ stall in the dressing room at the practice rink – had a .910 save percentage in 23 games. 1139178 Toronto Maple Leafs would probably end the Leafs’ chances anyway, but Hutchinson could conceivably stem the damage in the short-term.

Sending a fifth-round pick to Florida for him back on Dec. 29 looks even The Maple Leafs made the rational, but still surprising call on Garret more important now in hindsight. Sparks Hutchinson was sturdy in five starts for the Leafs after that trade when Andersen and Sparks were both out with injury. He posted a .914 save By Jonas Siegel Apr 5, 2019 percentage and won twice.

“He’s a real good person, played hard, has played 100-some games in the National Hockey League, and played well for us when he’s (been) The dressing room stall in the Maple Leafs practice facility that belonged up,” Babcock said of Hutchinson, who’s made 111 career NHL to Garret Sparks all year suddenly had a new nameplate above it on appearances with a career .908 save percentage. Friday afternoon: Michael Hutchinson. Hutchinson posted a .910 save percentage with the Marlies. He had Sparks’ goalie gear was all gone too. There was no sign of him at been at .914 before three goals on five shots beat him in his last start practice. against Hershey.

Less than a week before the start of the playoffs, the Leafs made the He found out he was coming up the Leafs on Thursday morning before surprising decision to bump Sparks from the backup position for a more that final start for the Marlies. In other words, the Leafs firmed up the tested, and at this point, comfortable option, in the 29-year-old decision before Sparks backed up Andersen against the Lightning, but Hutchinson. surely they were contemplating it longer than that given his persistent struggles. “The bottom line is what we tried to do, because we believe in Sparky, is give him every opportunity,” Mike Babcock said, explaining the decision. The Leafs are suggesting Sparks could be back with the club in 10 days “And so we went back to the well a number of times and then when we — or before Game 3 is expected against the Bruins — but that’s likely to didn’t get it worked out, or it didn’t get to where we needed it to, we made keep a door open in the case that he’s needed — in the event of an injury this decision. to either Andersen or Hutchinson.

“You can look at it any way you want,” the Leafs coach added. “The way Next in line otherwise is 25-year-old Kasimir Kaskisuo, who has an .891 we chose to do it is to do everything we could to help get his game to save percentage in the AHL this season. where it needed to be. Now the team’s way more important than any individual and so you make those decisions.” Sparks’ season is probably done. And the Leafs will have decide this summer if he’s the right choice to back up Andersen next season. He Babcock said Sparks would spend 10 days away from the team. He was re-signed for $750,000 in early March, a deal that’s easily buried in would get on the ice with extra players for the Marlies over the final the AHL if he’s not that guy. week-plus of their regular season, working with Jon Elkin, their goalie coach, as well as Steve Briere, who oversees the goalie lot with the “I guess what I’d say is let’s not get ahead of ourselves, let’s just go Leafs. through the process here,” Babcock said. “He won a Calder Cup last year for the organization. I think it’s important we treat him right and help him “We need him to get it back,” Babcock said. “He needs to get it back.” get his game to the level it should be at.”

This was the rational call, even if the timing and nature of it was a The Leafs need a backup who can give them 20-25 games during the surprise —and difficult surely, for Leafs GM Kyle Dubas given their regular season, and potentially shoulder the No. 1 load in the event that shared history with the Marlies. Andersen gets hurt, or stumbles himself. The decision to pick Sparks over Curtis McElhinney doesn’t look great right now, not with McElhinney Ultimately, the Leafs couldn’t afford to go into the playoffs with a backup helping the Carolina Hurricanes to their first playoff spot in 10 years, but who was struggling to stop the puck, and struggling to find the confidence the process behind that decision was right, and really, if Andersen goes to do it. Sparks looked and sounded dejected after three goals — out, the Leafs’ chances go too. including two that went right through him — beat him in Ottawa on a night when the Leafs carried play against the league’s worst team. The promising news there for the Leafs is Andersen looked more like himself in stopping 54-of-57 shots against the Islanders and Lightning, “I just have to make more saves,” he said after the game. “We come with his 60th start of the season looming in Saturday’s finale in Montreal. roaring back to tie the game. It would’ve been a huge save to make on the third one, and obviously the first two weren’t great either.” “Right now,” Babcock concluded, “what we’re doing is Hutch is here and Freddy’s here, and we’ll go from there.” Three nights later, he was beaten twice from below the goal line. The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 “I’ll be ready next year,” Sparks said after that loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Then, realizing his error, he corrected himself.

“I’ll be ready if anything happens,” he said, referring to the playoffs this season. “This year isn’t over for me. I’m still going to be a big part of this team going down the stretch, and will push guys every day to be better, and be a good teammate. That’s all I can do, support Fred.”

Sparks has had a sub-.900 save percentage since December.

The Leafs couldn’t take a chance on him in the playoffs, not with the team eyeing a deep run, and potentially, a Stanley Cup. They were one injury to Frederik Andersen away from needing Sparks step into the net. And as fate would have it, Andersen tumbled to the ice midway through Friday’s practice when a shot from William Nylander caught him in the wrong place on his arm.

A member of the Leafs medical staff rushed onto the ice to talk with Andersen, who made his way to the bench to work out the discomfort and regroup. He was fine and eventually returned to practice, but it was a stark reminder of how quick something can happen, and why it’s so important to have a trustworthy backup.

The last three Stanley Cup winners each needed their backup to play — and play well — at some point in the playoffs. An injury to Andersen 1139179 Toronto Maple Leafs said defenceman Dallas Ehrhardt, who now plays for the Manchester Storm.

“On the ice he was such a dynamic skater and player and off the ice he ‘The Chosen One’: In the midst of a career year, Morgan Rielly has was such a good teammate.” become the Leafs’ reluctant star On a team where the blueline was built around big defencemen like Edmundson, Dylan McIlrath and Kendall McFaull, Rielly played By Scott Wheeler Apr 5, 2019 differently.

“He’s a guy that really wanted to win,” Edmundson said. “He was just naturally so talented. You could see it. When he stepped on the ice, he His nickname in junior hockey was “The Chosen One” because everyone just took over games. You knew he was going to be an NHL player just knew just how good Morgan Rielly was — and they wanted him to know the way he could skate and rush the puck. He could go end-to-end like it, too. nothing.”

He doesn’t like to talk about it though. He didn’t then and he doesn’t now. Despite standing out on the ice, Rielly made a point to fit in with his teammate off it. “It rings a bell,” he said of the moniker. “He was just one of the guys,” Edmundson said. “Whenever I see Chose, “You get to your junior team and you make nicknames for each other and we definitely share some laughs.” that’s just your first experience of junior hockey. And really riding the bus with older guys and experiencing what it’s like to be a young rookie with “Whenever I think of him in junior, it’s just him picking the puck up behind older, 20-year-old men on the team when you’re 16.” the net and just going through the whole team. In the D zone, he battled hard, too. When guys went to the net, it wasn’t easy against him. Even Nine years after his Moose Jaw Warriors teammates coined the when he was 16, he was built like a man.” nickname, Rielly is in the midst of a career year that will conclude with a debate over his merits as a Norris Trophy candidate and the season’s Rielly left his mark on the Warriors’ staff too. best defenceman. Dave Hunchak, Moose Jaw’s head coach during Rielly’s rookie season, “Whenever I see him, I still call him ‘Chose,'” said Joel Edmundson, now remembers the moment he realized there was no holding the a Blues defenceman. “When I’m talking to my other former teammates, defenceman back. It was late in a game against Prince Albert when we still talk about him as being ‘The Chosen One.’ It’s weird how Hunchak, who’d relied on his veterans all season, turned to the rookie for nicknames like that stick with you forever.” the final shift of regulation. Rielly leaped over the boards, straddled the blueline and placed a shot top corner to tie the game. Last month, Rielly became the third Leafs defenceman to ever register 70 points in a season, joining Borje Salming and Ian Turnbull. He’s the Hunchak had always known Rielly was gifted. However, the Warriors first 20-goal-scoring Leafs defenceman since Al Iafrate in the late 1980s. were a veteran team and Rielly had only been getting regular minutes. That moment changed everything. But Rielly’s success didn’t come overnight. This is his sixth season with the Leafs, and even though he’s a star now, he has never thought of “He made a move that just dropped everyone’s jaw,” Hunchak said. “He himself as one. was very quiet, very unassuming, very shy person. But he had a tremendous work ethic, he knew what he wanted to do and he was Those who know Rielly chalk it up to his modesty. consistent in his work ethic every day.” That was true when he was with the Notre Dame Hounds, a team he From then on, Rielly never let up. captained to a national championship. After his time with the Hounds, he was selected second overall by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2009 “His skating ability was second-to-none at that point and it was a treat to WHL Draft. watch. He would make plays that would make you shake your head at times, but they would work out for whatever reason for him. And if he “The most important thing about him is he’s just a good person and a made a mistake he wasn’t shy to go and get the puck back,” Hunchak good friend,” said James Melindy, Rielly’s defence partner at Notre said. Dame. “His hockey obviously speaks for itself, but he’s a leader and he was a leader at a young age on our team and it’s so good to see a friend “He realized that he was a bit of a risk-reward guy at that time and we like him do well. had to work real hard at 16 to convince him to play in his own end first and it took him time but then he just figured it out.” “It was nice to be able to give him the puck and let him do the rest.” It wasn’t always a straight path. Steve Watterson, a billet with the Warriors, could see it in Rielly when he refereed the Hounds’ Triple-A games. That season, when the Warriors In his NHL draft year, Rielly blew out his knee. The Wattersons saw him recalled Rielly for a few days around Christmas, teammate Travis go through those ups and downs firsthand. They saw the tears and heard Hamonic invited him to stay at the Wattersons during his visit. By the the heartbreak in his voice. They sat in on conversations with his parents time Hamonic — a second-round pick of the Islanders — was traded to as they debated the risks of rushing back. the Brandon Wheat Kings, the Wattersons knew they wanted Rielly as their next billet the following season. After seeking opinions from multiple doctors, Rielly was reading off a list of pro athletes who had come back from the same injury in six months Early in Rielly’s rookie season, he had already endeared himself to the and promising Watterson that he’d best it. Wattersons’ children, 10-year-old Alexa, 7-year-old Brennan and 4-year- old Brooklyn. No matter what was happening, he always made time for “He just kept saying, ‘That’s going to be me, I’m going to find a way to be them whether it was playing cards, mini sticks or ping pong. For that, faster than those dudes and sure enough he made it back for playoffs Watterson, a lifelong Canadiens fan, was swayed into becoming a Leafs and he had the emotion and the heartbreak but it was short-lived with fan. Morgan and it switched right to ‘What do I have to do to get back there?’” Watterson said. “It was a lot of fun. Morgan was full of energy,” Watterson said. “I couldn’t believe how it played out. You just can’t write that stuff. It’s just “Nothing but good memories. You can’t help but want to see the Leafs do sheer determination and he outplayed all the odds in that situation.” well and exciting things for Morgan.” When the draft came around and the Leafs picked him fifth overall, the Despite the fact Rielly was the youngest player on the Warriors, his Wattersons were there to see his hard work come to fruition. teammates never thought of him as a rookie. As players graduated and moved on, that stuck with them. Longtime Warriors general manager Alan Millar will never forget Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs when Rielly, who was still doing “He was just one of those guys that you wanted to play with, you wanted strength and conditioning and hadn’t travelled with the team, was at their to be around off the ice. As soon as he came in, you could tell that the Medicine Hat hotel when they arrived back at 3 a.m. guy just had a characteristic that made people gravitate towards him,” “I’ve never seen anything like it. No down time, no pouting. After he got “Just the relationships that we were able to build, a lot of characters,” he the surgery done, I don’t know, you’re talking days not weeks and he was said, with a laugh. “We all had a lot in common. It’s strange. It really was back in the gym,” Millar said. a unique group. We all got along. We spent a lot of time with one another.” “I’ve never seen a young man work that hard on rehab. He wanted back in the lineup. He wanted to win a championship. That’s a credit to him There are a lot of Leafs games on TV in the Watterson home these days. and his character and leadership. It didn’t take me very long to realize At the end of February, Rielly welcomed the Wattersons to Toronto for a that he was pretty special, both on and off the ice.” pair of games against the Canadiens and the Capitals and took them out to dinner. Assistant coach Mark O’Leary remembers two things about Rielly. One was the regular phone calls he’d get on off-days when Rielly wanted to “Everyone else sees a star player, but I have to admit I still just see come in to skate or work out. When the team did skate, Rielly was Morgan,” Watterson said. “Even though I’m well aware of what he has always the first player at the rink and the last to leave. accomplished on the ice, it’s a far second to just missing him as a person.” Two was how popular he was with his teammates and members of the community. People at the high school, O’Leary said, still talk about Rielly In that moment, his journey came full circle. It was special. But he’s still and the way he would help kids he didn’t know. O’Leary said he still not quite ready to fully give himself full credit. hears people talking about the defenceman at the local Tim Hortons. “I was lucky enough to have one of the best billet families in junior “There was no doubt inside the walls of our rink in terms of what kind of hockey. They really had an impact on me, so I feel very lucky to have player he was going to be,” said O’Leary. “Not just the skill that he had, had that,” Rielly said. “That’s what makes the experience that much but probably what doesn’t get talked about enough, which is his work better.” ethic. There was nobody in better shape. He did things outside of what normal people would do in terms of getting better.” But as another season wraps up, Rielly has a coach who is happy to give him the credit. Mike Babcock, like everyone before him, says you must When he was replaced as the star rookie on the team by Brayden Point, understand where Rielly started — and who Rielly is — to understand the Rielly grew into a leadership role naturally. season he has had.

“He was a big part of our team, a high profile guy who I looked up to a “You’ve got to go back a number of years. He was a real high-end player lot,” Point said. drafted, you come to the National Hockey League, everyone expects you to be good right away. As a defenceman in the National Hockey League, “He would dominate games in our league and he was fun to play with. to be good defensively right away, you don’t see it very often,” Babcock You could see back then that he was going to be the player he is today. said. He was always so good. We’ve both come a long way since then. He was a great guy and still a friend today.” “And so it has taken him some time. He’s had a great year for us. He’s a big part of our team with his energy, his preparation, his professionalism, Ehrhardt has paid particular attention to Rielly’s career. Part of it, he said, but obviously with his play.” was a matter of the small-town nature of Moose Jaw (they all went to the same high school, Vanier Collegiate) and the way it forced them Soon, that play might result in a Norris Trophy nomination. together. But there was something else about Rielly, too. Just don’t expect Rielly to brag about it. On a recent trip to Texas, Ehrhardt caught one of the Leafs’ games against the Stars and noticed Rielly was doing all of the same things he The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 did in Moose Jaw.

“I think everybody who played with him at that time kind of knew. The way he was able to move the puck out there, at 16, he was already miles ahead of everyone around him,” Ehrhardt said.

“And it wasn’t just his skills, it was the way he was thinking through the game. He was already two steps ahead of everyone. It was one of those things where it was fun to watch. And nowadays he has just really taken off with it.”

There’s also a maturity about Rielly that was evident even when he was in high school but has since turned into a leadership role as the top defenceman with the Leafs.

In hindsight, Edmundson said he knew, too.

“Thinking back on it now, it does not surprise me one bit. Especially compared to any other D-men in our league at that time, he stood out. He’s always been that talented. He’s always been that guy that’s had high expectations and he’s meeting them right now,” Edmundson said.

After more than a half a decade in Toronto, Rielly is back to being the star he was in junior.

For that, his modesty ought to turn into pride.

“I never imagined this,” Rielly said. “I think I have been able to reflect on it now, but when you’re a young guy, you’re a prospect who is supposed to be good, and the older guys used to make jokes about me playing in the NHL one day and I kind of dismissed them because at the time you’re not there yet, you don’t think it’s realistic.

“The injury made it tough to think about where we’re at now, but man, those were fun times.”

He thinks about his time in Moose Jaw and credits his teammates for turning him into the player and person he has become.

He remembers that first Christmas break visit with Hamonic and the Wattersons. He still keeps in touch with Millar, O’Leary and all of the “really good friends” he made along the way. 1139180 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights players audition for ice time in NHL playoffs

By Ben Gotz

The postseason presents a math problem that several Golden Knights players are trying to solve.

Twenty-two healthy and eligible skaters on the roster minus 18 lineup spots means four scratches every night. Who those are is the variable, and players get one final chance to make their case when the Knights play at the Los Angeles Kings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the regular- season finale.

“It’s always in the back of our minds,” forward Ryan Carpenter said. “We have such a good team, such a deep team, that you just want to leave a good impression every time you’re in the lineup.”

Coach Gerard Gallant said he isn’t treating Saturday’s game as a final audition, but he will have several decisions to make before the Knights open the NHL playoffs next week against the San Jose Sharks.

There’s the matter of who joins center Cody Eakin and forward Alex Tuch on the third line, as Carpenter and forward Brandon Pirri skated there during Friday’s practice.

Carpenter would give the Knights another hard forechecker and penalty killer, while Pirri’s shot is the type of weapon that could prove decisive in a close game.

“You always see those guys that aren’t necessarily the primary scorers in the playoffs,” said Pirri, who has 11 goals and 17 points in 30 games. “It’s about secondary scoring. There’s no 7-1 games really in the playoffs; it’s all tight scoring. We’re fortunate to have four lines, and now we have three extra forwards and everyone contributes. Whoever’s in, you want to be a difference maker.”

The Knights also must decide if forwards Tomas Nosek and Valentin Zykov can contribute or if they will be among the team’s three forward scratches each game. Nosek played well Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes, as the fourth line of him, Carpenter and center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was on the ice for a team-high eight scoring chances for and a team-low one scoring chance against.

Regular fourth-line forwards William Carrier and Ryan Reaves flanked Bellemare at practice Friday, with Nosek sitting out for an undisclosed reason. Zykov skated as an extra on the fourth line, but he’s played in only nine games since being claimed off waivers Dec. 29.

“They’re going to decide (who plays),” Gallant said Monday. “I’ve said it from Day One: I play four lines because they decide. If somebody’s not playing well or the line isn’t playing well, you know what — I’ll play three lines. That’s the way it goes with our group. Play hard, everyone do their jobs and we’ll be fine.”

The Knights also will have to scratch one defenseman each game, which won’t be an easy choice. Third-pair blue liners Colin Miller, Jon Merrill and Nick Holden are the top options if everyone stays healthy, and each has been a healthy scratch in the second half of the season.

“The last few months, everyone has been trying to show that they deserve to be in at the start of the playoffs,” Holden said. “Obviously, it comes down to what the coaches want. You just try to make sure you’re playing your best every night.

“Chips will fall where they do. We’re a pretty tight group, so it’s not like anyone’s upset. Everyone wants to be playing, but nobody is going to be upset if they’re not in because they’ll just be excited for the other guy.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139181 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights look for redemption in regular-season finale

By Adam Hill / Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Golden Knights travel to Los Angeles to conclude the regular season Saturday with nothing on the line.

But that doesn’t mean the game is meaningless. Not after the way the Knights played in a 4-1 loss to Arizona in the home finale Thursday at T- Mobile Arena.

“Last night was probably the worst game that we’ve played in the history of our team,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said after Friday’s practice at City National Arena. “Collectively, we were just bad outside of (goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury).”

Fleury played for the first time since March 15 and looked sharp at times despite being under siege because of defensive lapses and inexplicable turnovers.

“Yesterday was embarrassing,” forward Paul Stastny said. “We were terrible. One line was good, and our goaltender was unbelievable, stood on his head. It was probably the worst game of my career, and it kind of trickled down to the rest of the team.

“Last game was so bad that it’s just got to be a complete 180 out there, from myself to everyone on down. I know it was a meaningless game, but you do that at home for your home finale in the regular season in front of your fans, we’ve got to be better.”

The game against the Kings gives the Knights a chance to rebuild some confidence before they open the NHL playoffs next week against San Jose.

“I think with the playoffs you don’t want to just be coasting in,” defenseman Nick Holden said. “You want to be playing your best hockey. I think that’s going to be a big focus for us tomorrow, to make sure we’re going to be playing our style for 60 minutes.”

As a former player, Vegas coach Gerard Gallant understands what his team is going through as it awaits the playoffs.

“We played awful last night, but our playoffs were from the day we got Mark Stone (at the trade deadline) for the next three weeks,” Gallant said. “We won 10 of 11. We played great hockey when we had to. We pretty much secured our position. We weren’t going to go up or down unless some teams fell on their face and we won every game. That to me is when our team played our best hockey.

“Have we played our best over the last seven or eight games? We’ve played OK. Do I know we’ll play well come Wednesday or Thursday? I’m not worried one bit.”

Remember your first time?

Defenseman Jimmy Schuldt, a Hobey Baker Award finalist as one of the nation’s best collegiate players, could make his NHL debut Saturday after signing with the Knights this week.

That possibility prompted Gallant to recall his NHL debut with Detroit in January 1985.

“I remember flying into New York to play the Islanders,” he said. “It was an unbelievable experience. Scored a goal first game. Never forget it, obviously.”

Gallant said he still has the puck mounted on a plaque.

Nosek absent

Forward Tomas Nosek did not practice Friday. He was one of the few Knights who played well Thursday, as he had a season-high six shots on goal in 12:45 of ice time.

His status for Saturday’s game is unclear.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139182 Washington Capitals ago. Priskie had 17 goals and 22 assists in 36 games with Quinnipiac this season.

But Washington was able to replenish its defense pipeline Friday by Capitals’ possible playoff opponents down to Hurricanes, Blue Jackets ... signing blue-liner Bobby Nardella, an undrafted free agent out of Notre and Penguins Dame. Nardella attended the Capitals’ win against the Canadiens on Thursday; the 5-foot-9, 174-pound 22-year-old had eight goals and 26 assists in 38 games this season, and his two-year, entry-level contract By Isabelle Khurshudyan April 5 at 4:07 PM will begin next season. Nardella is expected to sign an amateur tryout agreement with the Hershey Bears, Washington’s American Hockey

League affiliate, for the rest of this season. Washington Capitals Coach Todd Reirden started preparing for the Washington Post LOADED: 04.06.2019 possibilities a week ago, and as his team’s position in the standings grew increasingly secure, the potential outcomes thinned. Although the Capitals have locked up the top spot in the Metropolitan Division for the fourth straight season, Washington still could enter the final day of the regular season with as many as three potential first-round opponents.

“That is different,” Reirden said. “But that kind of sums up how the Metro has been this year. It’s been extremely competitive, and certainly we’re happy and proud to have come out on top."

Entering Friday’s games, the Carolina Hurricanes were in the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card position, which would slot them against the Capitals in the first round. But the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets still could finish in that spot. With their loss to the Capitals on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens can’t finish any higher than the second wild card, which will face the league-best Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Blue Jackets need just two points in their final two games to eliminate the Canadiens from contention.

Columbus has a relatively easy end to the regular season with two games against non-playoff opponents; the Blue Jackets visited the New York Rangers on Friday and visit the last-place Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Columbus can top out at 98 points, and Pittsburgh already has 99, so the Blue Jackets can’t finish higher than the first wild card. But if the Hurricanes win in Philadelphia and the Penguins lose to the Rangers in regulation Saturday, Carolina and Pittsburgh both would have 99 points, with the Hurricanes holding the tiebreaker (more regulation and overtime wins). That would mean Carolina finishes third in the Metro and Pittsburgh drops to the first wild card. The Penguins need one standings point to guarantee themselves at least a third-place finish and avoid a first-round matchup with Washington.

While the Capitals won’t state any preferences publicly, their most favorable opponent would seem to be the Hurricanes, against whom Washington swept the four-game regular season series. The Penguins, though battling injuries of late, have played the Capitals in three straight postseasons, winning the first two series. Those meetings had been reserved for the second round each time.

Columbus loaded up at the trade deadline by adding forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, and the Blue Jackets appear to be hitting their stride with a 6-3-1 record in their past 10 games entering Friday.

“You’re going to have to play everybody at some point,” Reirden said. “It’s going to be a challenge, whoever it is.”

Imagine the possibilities…

Still to be decided with 18 of 1,271 games remaining:

◾ 9 of 16 playoff seeds

◾ 6 of 8 First Round matchups

◾ 5 teams don’t know if they will be home/away in Game 1#NHLStats #StanleyCup

勞 勞 勞 pic.twitter.com/hIcmQlFLq5

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 5, 2019

Capitals sign college UFA defenseman

The Capitals were dealt a blow this week when Quinnipiac University defenseman Chase Priskie, a 2016 sixth-round draft pick, informed them he will not sign his entry-level contract before Aug. 15, when he can become an unrestricted free agent. Washington is carrying the maximum of 50 contracts, so the Capitals couldn’t entice Priskie by burning the first year of his entry-level contract at the conclusion of this season, as the organization did with forwards Brian Pinho and Shane Gersich a year 1139183 Washington Capitals defence...Burns get beat three times a game, literally, and everybody has him up for the Norris. I just don’t get it."

— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) March 25, 2019 NHL awards: Hart Trophy is clear-cut, but controversial picks could snag Vezina, Norris Spurgeon is having a fine year but not one that stands up to the résumés of Giordano, the second-leading scorer behind Burns, or Carlson’s career-high 70 points, the fourth-most among defensemen. Giordano, in By Neil Greenberg turn, isn’t as helpful as Carlson, the most valuable defenseman overall this season, according to goals above replacement. That in of itself might April 5 at 10:05 AM not be traditional enough to sway the voters, but the 29-year-old also has a plus-21 rating while skating almost a minute per shift, the third-highest

allotment behind Dustin Byfuglien and Ryan Suter. Let’s cut to the chase: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is Vezina Trophy — Best goalie the NHL MVP no matter whether you define “most valuable” as the best player on the best team or as the player who had the best season. The Candidates: Frederik Andersen (Toronto Maple Leafs), Ben Bishop question isn’t whether he has been the NHL’s top skater this season but (Dallas Stars), Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) rather how much better he has been than anyone else in an unusually high-performing field. Winner: Ben Bishop

The 25-year-old from Russia has a league-leading 126 points (40 goals Every Vezina winner since 1995-96, not including abbreviated seasons, and 86 assists), 10 points more than Connor McDavid, who is second, for has won at least 30 games, showing how important that criteria is to the the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Lightning, shattering the franchise 31 general managers who vote for the award. But that shouldn’t stop scoring record set by Vincent Lecavalier (108 points in 2006-07) and the Bishop, 26-15-2 in 45 games, from claiming his first Vezina. After all, assist record shared by Brad Richards (68 in 2005-06) and Martin St. Dallas hasn’t made it easy for Bishop to win, unlike some of the other Louis (2010-11). Kucherov also tallied 71 points (21 goals, 50 assists) contenders. For example, the Lightning provided Vasilevskiy 3.7 goals during the first 43 games of the season, becoming the first player since per game of support during his starts. Andersen received 3.6 goals per Jaromir Jagr in 1999-2000 to hit the 70-point plateau that quickly. And game in support from the Maple Leafs. The Stars averaged just 2.7 goals lastly, he passed Joe Thornton (2005-06) for the most points in the salary for Bishop, which is the league average. If Bishop had similar goal cap era. support to what Vasilevskiy and Andersen enjoyed, he’d probably have 30 or more wins. And while some pad their point totals with secondary assists, only McDavid (57) has more primary assists than Kucherov (53) and no player The Stars netminder also leads the NHL in save percentage (.933) and is has been credited with a higher percentage of points on his team’s goals a league-leading 30 goals better than an average netminder facing the scored (82 percent) while on the ice. No player has a higher rate of same number of shot attempts. Vasilevskiy is second in goals saved points scored per 60 minutes than Kucherov does this season, either. above average (26).

“It’s not at all surprising. He was unbelievable last year and seemed to Bishop’s high-danger save percentage at even strength (.877) is also the get no recognition for it,” McDavid told John Wawrow of the Associated highest among goaltenders facing at least 250 such shots. He also has Press. “They’re a team that scores a lot of goals. And he’s in on most of stopped 34 of 38 high-danger shots against on the penalty kill (.895 save them. It’s pretty impressive.” rate), the second-best performance after the Philadelphia Flyers’ Carter Hart. Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames) and Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) could (maybe ... possibly ...) siphon some votes away from — Rookie of the year Kucherov, but this should be a unanimous choice for the Hart. Candidates: Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Here are my picks for the other major end-of-season awards. Spoiler Sabres) and Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks) alert: Some are controversial. Winner: Elias Pettersson

Norris Trophy — Best defenseman Pettersson was a slam dunk for this award early in the season — the 20- Candidates: Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks), John Carlson (Washington year-old from Sweden tallied 23 goals and 45 points in his 40 games Capitals), Mark Giordano (Calgary Flames) before the all-star break — but then he mustered just four goals and 20 points in the 30 games since. That opened the door for Binnington, the Winner: John Carlson Blues’ young stud goaltender, to make it a race.

This is the closest race in years, but the award’s directive — “an annual Binnington, 23-5-1 with a .927 overall save percentage and NHL-leading award given to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the 1.89 goals against average, is a big reason St. Louis is in the playoffs, season the greatest all-around ability in the position” — helps determine but his NHL debut didn’t occur until December, swinging the pendulum a winner. back to Pettersson and his 70 games played.

To be included for discussion, a blue-liner must play in all phases of the Plus, Pettersson’s scoring rate cannot be overlooked: His 0.94 points per game: even strength, on the power play and on the penalty kill. And they game are the seventh-highest since 1998-99 among rookies skating at cannot be token minutes; he must be a fixture at all times on the ice. If least 1,000 minutes. Only Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, we set (arbitrary) minimums of 1,000 even-strength minutes with 150 Mathew Barzal, Artemi Panarin and Paul Stastny had more productive minutes on both the power play and penalty kill, we can whittle the pool debuts. of 230 active defenseman to 13. We can then remove anyone who negatively impacts his team’s play in any of the three phases using goals Most points per game as an NHL rookie (Hockey Reference) above replacement, a one-size-fits-all number that encapsulates how Jack Adams Award — Coach of the year valuable a player is in terms of on-ice play, relative to a replacement- level player. Candidates: Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning), Bill Peters (Calgary Flames), Barry Trotz (New York Islanders) Perhaps surprisingly to everyone other than former Norris winner Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Burns does negatively impact his Winner: Barry Trotz team on the penalty kill (minus-1.6 GAR in 2018-19), eliminating him from contention even though he leads the league’s defensemen in The Jack Adams Award is bestowed by the NHL Broadcasters’ scoring. Eliminating Burns and the other 10 blue-liners who are a drag on Association to “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to their team in at least one of the three phases of the game leaves us his team’s success.” That wording makes it easy to choose Trotz, last Carlson, Giordano and the Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon. year’s winner as well.

Doughty endorses Giordano as Norris frontrunner and takes swipe at In 2017-18, the Islanders were the worst defensive team in the NHL. Brent Burns: "Giordano has (72 points) and he plays good They allowed 293 goals, the most any squad gave up since the Philadelphia Flyers permitted 297 in 2006-07, with 174 of those originating from high-danger areas such as the slot and the crease. This year the Islanders have allowed a league-low 190 goals against, with just 110 coming from high-danger areas.

Plus, Trotz — without the services of John Tavres, who bolted for Toronto this summer — helped the Islanders exceed expectations by a wide margin.

Before the season, the Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn recorded 14 different point predictions from methods that included Vegas over/unders, NHL 19 video game simulations and analytical models as well as educated guesses at point totals for the 2018-19 campaign. The average point total for New York was 81, the sixth-lowest among all NHL teams. The Islanders have 101, 20 more than expected, with one game to play. The Flames, by comparison, are exceeding their projection (91.9) by 15.1 points.

The Lightning averaged a projection of 105.4 points with an actual total of 126, but they were supposed to be good. The Islanders weren’t and couldn’t have been without Trotz’s influence.

Consensus 2018-19 NHL point projections from 14 different sources pic.twitter.com/xuN3OAzJeR

— dom luszczyszyn (@domluszczyszyn) October 3, 2018

Note: Neil Greenberg is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association but does not participate in the voting for the year-end awards per the policy of The Washington Post.

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Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Capitals playoff scenarios heading into season finale

By Sammi Silber April 05, 2019 7:25 PM

The Washington Capitals (48-28-8) have already secured the Metropolitan Division title and home-ice advantage for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, but there's one thing that remains uncertain: who they'll face in the first round.

With the Metropolitan Division race still tight with one game remaining in the regular season, Washington could end up facing either the Carolina Hurricanes , Pittsburgh Penguins or Columbus Blue Jackets. With the loss to the Caps Thursday and the Blue Jackets' shootout victory over New York Friday, the Montreal Canadiens (43-30-8), who still had a chance to make the playoffs heading into the Blue Jackets' Friday game, have been officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Here's how each scenario could play out and what needs to happen for the Caps to face one of these three teams in the first round.

Playoff Scenario 1: Capitals vs. Hurricanes

The Hurricanes (45-29-7) currently hold that first wild-card spot, and if the season ended today, that would be the first-round matchup for the Caps. However, things need to happen for this first-round matchup to stick.

First, the Penguins would either have to win their season finale Saturday against the New York Rangers, or the Hurricanes would have to drop their final game against the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday. However, if Carolina loses, regardless of Pittsburgh's result, then Columbus would have to lose their final game in regulation for this scenario to play out.

1. Penguins win vs. NYR OR

2. Hurricanes lose vs. PHI AND Blue Jackets lose in regulation vs. OTT OR

3. Penguins win vs. NYR AND Blue Jackets lose in regulation

Playoff Scenario 2: Capitals vs. Penguins

This is where things get interesting. The Caps and Penguins (44-26-11) have an all-too familiar pattern of facing each other in the second round, but this season, they could meet one round earlier.

If Carolina wins their final game against Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh loses to New York in regulation, the Hurricanes would tie the Penguins with 99 points and win the tiebreaker, which is determined by ROW (regular and overtime wins). With that being said, Carolina would secure third-place in the Metropolitan Division, putting the Penguins in that first wild-card spot and having them face Washington in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

1. Hurricanes win vs. PHI AND Penguins lose in regulation vs. NYR

Playoff Scenario 3: Capitals vs. Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets (45-31-4) have clinched a playoff berth and currently hold that second wild-card spot. With one game left, they have the chance to climb one place up in the standings and guarantee a repeat of last year's first-round matchup with Washington.

For this to happen, the Hurricanes would have to lose its final game of the season against Philadelphia, either in regulation or overtime. And to get that first-place spot, Columbus has to get at least a point against the Senators Saturday. If they get the win or fall in overtime, they'll be either pass Carolina or win the tie-breaker with more ROW.

1. Hurricanes lose vs. PHI in any fashion AND Columbus wins vs. OTT OR

2. Hurricanes lose vs. PHI in any fashion AND Columbus loses in overtime vs. OTT

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139185 Washington Capitals What makes playing the off-side a disadvantage? It has to do with angles and speed.

“The only disadvantage is just the angle you get neutral zone if you go D A title defense, a major injury and the challenge of playing the off-side on to D and then try to pass to the right wing it's a little bit tougher,” Brooks defense Orpik said. “You've got to come across your body because if you're a righty you just get the puck on the outside so you're protected a little bit better.” By J.J. Regan April 05, 2019 1:38 PM “A lot of times when you're playing the off-side you end up next to the boards and you have a passing lane towards the boards so you can only use the middle of the ice which often times will cause turnovers,” Reirden ARLINGTON, Va. -- Through 81 games, it seems as if the Capitals’ said, who played as a defenseman during his playing career. defense of the Stanley Cup is on track. With their win Thursday, they clinched their fourth straight division title and have been one of the top For a defenseman playing on his shooting side, every pass in front of him teams in the NHL since the All-Star break, putting together a 21-8-2 goes to the forehand, allowing him to quickly move the puck again. He record in 31 games. does not have to shift his angle to get the puck back on his forehand and put himself in a position to pass. When you are playing the off-side, you But the loss of Michal Kempny to injury, who was playing on the top are limited in the initial angles you have available to you when you defensive pairing alongside John Carlson, is a tough blow. receive the puck thus limiting a player’s options if he needs to quickly You often hear the phrase “next man up” in and, on paper, the Caps move the puck. seem deep enough to handle a significant loss as any team in the “The biggest challenge on the right side was getting the puck and your league. back is kind of turned to the game, you get the puck and you've got to Losing Kempny, however, has presented a few complications for turn first and that takes more time so that means the forward's going to Washington and there is still no set solution even as the team sits on the come quicker,” Jonas Siegenthaler said. eve of the playoffs. Siegenthaler is a left-handed shot who has played on both the left and “It's after the deadline so you can't add another player, it's a day after you the right this season. can put a player on LTI,” head coach Todd Reirden said. “It's a lot of When it comes to defending, a player is most severely limited along the different things that have gone into the timing of this one that are boards as a player on his shooting side can defend on the forehand, interesting behind the scenes things of how you can add people to your whereas you are stuck on the backhand on the off-side. roster and see them and not see them. It's a challenge.” But as challenging as it may be, it is nothing a player cannot adjust to Making up for Kempny's absence over time. The good news is that the Caps acquired a top-four defenseman at the “I don't think it's like dozens of games, I think it's just you play, the more trade deadline in Nick Jensen. you play in one game what you kind of learn and you find out what works Jensen was playing top-four minutes with the Detroit Red Wings prior to and then you keep doing that the next game,” Jensen said. being picked up by Washington. On a deeper Caps team, he was playing There also can be advantages on the offensive end of the ice to playing on the third defensive pairing alongside Brooks Orpik. on the off-side. Defensively, you want your forehand to be on the outside, Last year, the acquisition of Kempny at the trade deadline did not receive but offensively, you can actually get shots off more quickly on your off- much national attention, but it proved to be the most important trade of side. the NHL season as he helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup. The “Offensively, I know guys really like it because you're on your one-timer hope is that Jensen could prove to be another low-key defensive side and when you get the puck at the point, you have the puck in the acquisition that pays big dividends and there are plenty of reasons why middle instead of kind of trapped on the wall,” Orpik said. Losing Kempny this could absolutely prove true. is not ideal and neither is having to play Carlson or Jensen on the left, if “[Jensen’s] ability to skate is noticeable every night,” Reirden said. that is indeed the plan for the playoffs, but Washington’s defense is not doomed simply by the fact that someone will be playing on their off-side. “That's something, we have a little bit of a blueprint with Kempny from last year in terms of how to use a player like that. The thing for me is he's Reirden pointed out that players frequently end up playing on their off- a little bit more experienced in terms of his NHL time, Jensen as side at times during games due to the team’s defensive system and that compared to Kempny, coming off a situation where he's playing a lot for the players take reps on both sides during practice. another team and has really high confidence level, whereas Kempny “It's something that, if I was to look at my most successful season it was came to us after 17 scratches by a non- playoff team.” with another left-handed defenseman and I'm a lefty so it was something With Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen being a well-established defensive where [I] ended up on both sides as a player and it didn't really affect the pair, the easy solution is to simply put Jensen alongside Carlson, right? situation very much,” Reirden said.

Not quite. How the Capitals will make it work

Acquiring Jensen was important because he is a right-shot defensemen Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens offered a glimpse of and top-four right-shot defensemen are hard to find. He provided balance what this could look like in the postseason as Carlson played on the left to the Caps’ lines by giving the team’s top six three lefties and three side with Jensen on his right. righties. While Washington was able to hold Montreal to just one goal, analysis of Kempny, however, is a left-handed shot and Carlson is a righty. That how the top pair looked after the game was mixed. Clearly, they still means if you want Carlson and Jensen to play together, one of them will needed time to adjust. have to play on their off-side on the left. Making that transition can be “Felt good,” Carlson said afterward. “Have to look at it. I’m sure I was out more difficult than you think. of position a little bit, but felt very comfortable.” “It's not equivalent to doing everything if you’re [a] right-hander and doing “I've just got to know that he's a righty and when I pass him the puck, I everything with your left hand, but there's just like that weirdness of don't want to be throwing on his backhand or his feet,” Jensen said. “I've switching sides of what you're used to doing on this side and trying to do got to make sure I'm hitting him on the tape too. It's just stuff like that to it on the other side,” Jensen said. get used to.” As there are far more left-handed shot defensemen than right-handed When asked, Reirden said he thought the pair looked “fine.” shots, typically when a defenseman plays his off-side it is a lefty playing on the right. As a result, having to play on the left is not something either Whether putting the team’s undisputed top defenseman on his off-side is Jensen or Carlson have much experience with. really the best solution for the team’s defense, in the long run, is a question Reirden will ultimately have to answer heading into the The struggle with playing the off-side postseason. The point is to maximize the potential of your lineup and it is fair to wonder if that is possible when you put your top defenseman at a disadvantage every single game.

But with one game remaining in the regular season, there is not much time left to experiment.

“That's what we're working towards, how to maximize everyone's ability and not wear down our top guys so that in the critical moments of the game when we need to have our top one or two defensemen, top three forwards out there that they're fresh and they're able to accomplish what needs to be done whether that's preventing a goal or scoring a goal at the end of a game,” Reirden said.

“We'll get a little closer to that answer after these next few games.”

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Capitals sign Notre Dame defenseman Bobby Nardella to 2-year deal

By Chris Kuc Apr 5, 2019

The Capitals added to their pool of defensive prospects by signing Notre Dame alternate captain Bobby Nardella to a two-year, entry-level contract Friday.

Nardella, an offensive defenseman who is a left-handed shot, had eight goals and 26 assists in 38 games for the Irish this season and was named as a Hobey Baker Award nominee as well as to the NCAA (B1G) First All-Star Team. According to a source, the 22-year-old Nardella will report to Hershey of the AHL and sign an ATO contract to finish out the season.

In 147 career games at Notre Dame, the 5-feet-10, 180-pound Nardella had 24 goals and 79 assists. The Rosemont, Ill., native also spent two seasons in the USHL where he had 11 goals and 44 assists in 108 games.

A source said there was a good amount of interest around the NHL for Nardella, with three teams in serious discussions before Nardella chose the Capitals. Nardella attended the Capitals’ 2-1 victory over the Canadiens on Thursday night and met with coach Todd Reirden after the game.

Nardella is the son of , who appeared in 100 games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and represented Italy at the Olympic Winter Games in 1998 and 2006. Bob Nardella is currently an assistant coach with the Wolves.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139187 Washington Capitals Wings). For the most part, we’d want to have John on the left side primarily in that situation.”

Carlson, who has set a career-high with 70 points off 13 goals and 57 With postseason looming, Capitals are scrambling to solidify defensive assists, said he is up for the challenge of switching sides if Reirden goes pairings in that direction.

“It affects me in a lot of ways,” Carlson said. “It’s a little easier in the By Chris Kuc Apr 5, 2019 offensive zone, I would say. Some of it is a little harder and some of it is just getting used to it a little bit more.

“Breaking out pucks is different. Our system is different from left ‘D’ to The season-ending injury to Michal Kempny has sent the Capitals’ right ‘D’ and you find yourself in different places on the ice based on that. defensive corps into a state of flux and coach Todd Reirden scrambling It’s just making sure I’m aware of what I’m doing out there on the right to find the right pairings for the looming postseason. side versus left.”

So it came as no surprise when Dmitrij Jaskin donned a blue sweater When asked specifics on how the Capitals’ system differs from side to and joined the defensemen during Wednesday’s practice. side, Carlson certainly seemed to have a grasp on the challenge ahead.

Check that, it came as a complete shock. “In the neutral zone, the left ‘D’ is up a little bit more and the right ‘D’ retrieves the puck more,” Carlson said. “Our right side is lock so the right Is Reirden that desperate that he would shift Jaskin from forward to ‘D’ is in the middle of the ice and the left ‘D’ is over toward the boards. A defense — a position he has never played during his NHL career — in an lot of plays that we have off the faceoff are different being on the left side effort to bolster the back end? Is Jaskin truly a viable option? versus the right side. “That is not a viable option,” Reirden said with a grin. “It’s a viable option “It’s mostly neutral zone and just breaking the puck out on that side is that, you know … it’s not a viable option.” different. In some ways, it’s easier. If you have someone in the middle of Then, in a full-out guffaw, Reirden added, “I guess you never know what the ice it’s a lot easier because you kind of start reading where your eyes situations you get yourself into but if that happens then …” are, and if I’m a righty on the right side my eyes are up-ice first when I receive the puck so I’m going to look to the post guy or the strong-side Let’s complete the sentence: If that happens then … the Capitals are guy first versus the middle of the ice. really screwed. “It’s knowing what teams are going to do. If we’re going back, my first It turns out Reirden merely had Jaskin, who has not appeared in a game play is to the middle of the ice,” Carlson continued. “If they come down since Feb. 17, working as a defenseman to add an eighth blue liner to the walls or if they come through the dots it will be an adjustment. There help get the forward lines better practice reps. are things always to think about.”

While Reirden won’t go to the extreme of moving a winger to defense, How confident does the 10-year NHL veteran believe he would be in the first-year coach is searching for a solution to replace Kempny, who identifying those things? after arriving via a trade with the Blackhawks in February 2018, found instant chemistry with John Carlson and helped lead the Capitals to the “That’s part of my game that I’m good at and it certainly will get tested,” Stanley Cup. Kempny followed that with his best season in the NHL the 29-year-old Carlson said. before sustaining a torn hamstring against the Lightning on March 20 that Nick Jensen earlier this season. (Geoff Burke / USA Today) required surgery. Against the Canadiens, Carlson and Jensen passed the test. The duo In the Bad Timing Department, that ranks right near the top. spent 13 minutes, 37 seconds on the ice together at even strength and “It’s a huge blow to us,” Carlson said. “I loved playing with (Kempny). helped limited the Canadiens to one power-play goal. He’s a big part of this team and will be going forward, but we all have to “I thought it was fine,” Jensen said. “Things worked pretty seamlessly. step up a little bit. We can all make up for the loss. John is a really skilled player so I don’t think he has any problem playing “We’ve always had to deal with stuff like this, especially toward the end of the left side. He looks natural over there just as much as he does on the the season and getting into the playoffs. You have to rally around some right side, so it was easy to play with him. things and sometimes it can even help raise everyone else’s game. It’s “I felt really comfortable out there with him (Thursday night). You’d have going to be hard, but we’re going to find a way to do it because that’s to ask him how he felt, but I feel like he was in the right spots when I what we have to do.” needed him and made it easy on me.” Carlson, in particular, could have some adjusting to do, including How did Carlson feel about it? welcoming a new partner and potentially a new side of the ice. “I think good,” Carlson said. “I think you know people have different kind In the six games following Kempny’s injury, Carlson was paired with of automatic reactions or skill sets, and he is one of the best on the team Christian Djoos, but during the Capitals’ 2-1 victory over the Canadiens on beating that first guy on a breakout. We communicated well and that clinched their fourth consecutive Metropolitan Division title Thursday (were) talking through it pretty good.” night at , it was Nick Jensen skating alongside Carlson. The most important judge of the performance was Reirden, who seemed to hedge his bets a bit on whether he will keep Carlson and Jensen Even though it would mean moving the right-handed-shooting Carlson to together. his off side on the left, that could be the pairing that Reirden will deploy during the playoffs — and rightfully so. It would put the Capitals’ four best “I thought it was fine,” Reirden said. “It was something I wanted to take a defensemen on the ice for the most time with the Matt Niskanen-Dmitry look at. I thought they pushed hard early in the game so there were some Orlov second pairing remaining intact and playing a big role. chances that went against them. I think as the game went on, we looked at some different things as well, the D-zone start (and) O-zone start Carlson playing on the left side is an anomaly in that, generally, a left- (amid) … particular forward matchups. There was a little bit of some handed-shooting defenseman would play the right side and a right- moving parts there, but that was something I wanted to take a look at to shooting defender would play on the left. start the game, and I thought they were fine. That’s just options that are “A lot of times when you’re playing the off side you end up next to the open to us.” boards and you have no passing lane toward the boards and you can It would be a stern test for Jensen, who has never played in a only use the middle of the ice, which oftentimes can cause turnovers,” postseason game after playing two-plus seasons in Detroit and just might said Reirden, a former defenseman who played 183 NHL games with the find himself debuting on the Capitals top pairing as they attempt to repeat Oilers, Blues, Thrashers and Coyotes. “The footwork of it is important. A as Cup champions. lot of times when we play our system, guys end up on different sides a lot and some are better at that than others. That’s been a little bit of a “It means a little bit more of an opportunity, more minutes, more different adjustment for Jensen with him coming over here (from the Red responsibility,” Jensen said. “Going against those top lines is obviously a lot tougher. I’m not saying the bottom third and fourth lines are not good — they’re definitely really good players — but those top lines are really dangerous, and they know how to put the puck in the net. Going against those top lines, you have to be aware of where they are at all times and (there is) a lot more responsibility with that.”

The Capitals may hope that Carlson and Jensen can find the type of chemistry the former had with Kempny and ride the pairing on a postseason run.

“(Carlson) plays really skilled, he’s really smart (and) works hard,” Jensen, 28, said. “He’s pretty easy to play with. Anytime you’re playing with someone new there are just things you just have to learn from each other as time goes on. The more you play with each other the more you’re used to it, the more you know where each other is.”

It is also possible that it will be Djoos paired with Carlson during the playoffs, but the 24-year-old was alongside Brooks Orpik against the Canadiens and was just happy just to be on the ice. Djoos sustained a serious leg injury in December and following surgery on Dec. 11 missed 24 games.

“The season has been a little bit up and down with the injury,” Djoos said. “I’m excited to play every night. I’m going to try to do my best out there every chance I get.

“I learned a lot from last year in the playoffs,” said Djoos, who had an assist and four penalty minutes in 22 postseason games last season. “Playing with a guy like Brooks Orpik, you learn every day. So I watch and learn from the guys who know what it takes and keep trying to do the same things.”

Lastly, let’s not forget Jaskin’s stint as a defenseman, which at the very least gave the 26-year-old some regular reps in practice. The winger was picked up off waivers from the Blues just prior to the start of the regular season and has been limited to 36 games after being a healthy scratch for the 22nd consecutive contest when the Capitals took the ice against the Canadiens.

“It is frustrating but there is nothing I can do about it other than getting ready,” Jaskin said. “I’m hoping to get a chance in the playoffs, which I think will come. I was hoping for a better year but the year is not over. The best part of the season is here, and I’ll stay ready and wait for a chance.”

It won’t come along the blue line, though Jaskin pointed out his father, Alexej, was a defenseman during a long career in Europe.

“I’ve never played (defense) in a game, but my dad used to so I should have some of those genes in me,” Jaskin said.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139188 Winnipeg Jets The smooth-skating, top-pairing shutdown defenceman with plenty of offensive punch is working his way back from a shoulder injury — suffered here in Arizona during a Feb. 24 game courtesy of a Vinnie Something is rotten in Jetsville Hinostroza hit — and is expected to be ready in time for the playoffs.

His presence on the ice is sorely missed. The Jets are 10-11-1 without him this season and 36-19-4 with him, but I believe his most valuable By: Mike McIntyre | Posted: 04/5/2019 7:00 PM contribution might come in ways that can't truly be measured.

Morrissey is a future captain and without a doubt one of the most intelligent, well-spoken players not just on the team, but in the NHL. It's GLENDALE — Maybe it was watching Connor Hellebuyck smash his no coincidence he won the Western Hockey League's scholastic player stick in half over the crossbar after getting scored on by a teammate of the year award in 2013 while playing for the Prince Albert Raiders. during Thursday's morning skate in Denver. I believe Morrissey should already be wearing an "A" on his sweater, but Perhaps it was Dustin Byfuglien breaking his lumber on the boards that those are currently occupied by Mark Scheifele and Dustin Byfuglien. I night after Jacob Trouba stayed on for an entire two-minute power play, would encourage Jets management to re-visit that issue as early as this leaving the veteran Winnipeg Jets defenceman glued to the bench and summer. It's clear all was not well on that front anyways when general likely seething over coach Paul Maurice's refusal to put him back on the manager Kevin Cheveldayoff felt the need to go out and re-acquire 37- top unit. year-old Matt Hendricks at the trade deadline, apparently at the urging of Later, Byfuglien was caught completely out of position on the overtime his existing leaders. winner by Colorado, and apparently carried his anger over into the room In hindsight, that alone should have been a red flag that something was following the game, a source told me Friday. amiss with this group. Speaking of which, maybe it's the obvious tension felt every time you At 24 and now in his fourth pro season, Morrissey has the respect of the enter the room these days, especially in the wake of a lengthy, players- whole room and represents a bridge between the older core on the team only meeting earlier this week in Minnesota which should be setting off such as captain Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little and Byfuglien — who almost alarm bells, and seemingly did little to calm the waters. never speaks publicly despite it normally being part of the job description Or the repeated cancelled skates and media availabilities, the latest — and the next generation of stars including Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, coming Friday here in Glendale. That's the third one this week alone, as Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic. ones on Wednesday and this past Sunday were also axed in favour of He's got one more year left on his contract before signing what will likely off-ice meetings; a strange tactic, indeed, for a team that sure looks like be a long-term extension with the club. they could use a practice or two We've already heard this week talk from Wheeler about a lack of maturity Whatever the case, I have no hesitation in saying that something is in the room and a need to get everyone on the same page and pulling wrong in the state of Denmark right now, to quote Shakespeare, and I the rope in the right direction, presumably rather than against each other. have no doubt the famous playwright would have loved what's going on Troubling signs, indeed. with the Jets, given his obvious fondness for all things dark and tragic. Maybe, just maybe, Morrissey's pending return might bring a calming Yes, things appear to be rotten to the core with this team in a way that influence to what appears to be a pretty combustible situation right now. goes beyond the often lethargic, uninspired play we’ve seen on the ice It may be a lot to ask of a young player coming off a major injury, but I far too many nights lately. have no doubt he's up to the task The exact details of what is going on within the dressing room remain a Morrissey is a natural born leader. The question is, are many of his mystery, just as what went down in that 23-minute closed-door meeting teammates prepared to follow him? Tuesday night will likely remain inside the room. And while I'm not about to start feeding the rumour mill, both myself and fellow Free Press We're about to find out. If they don't, things are about to get a lot more hockey writer Jason Bell have heard from multiple sources that things are heated around these parts. anything but rosy with this group, and it's obviously having an impact. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.06.2019 The Jets appear to be as fragile as it gets, the latest example being Thursday night's game in Colorado in which they almost predictably turned a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 overtime loss, leaving them with just one win in the last six games and a below .500 team over the past two months, truly limping to the finish line of the regular season with only Saturday night's final game against Arizona left before the spotlight really starts to shine.

The latest defeat likely prevented them the first-ever division title in franchise history, and might end up also costing them home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs, which begin next week.

There is no urgency being shown, and players almost seemed resigned to their fate right now. There's no joy to be found. Even the morning skates looks sloppy, such as the one at Pepsi Center Thursday where even the most basic, five-foot passes seemed to be a struggle. There was not a lot of pace, passion or chatter, just a going-through-the- motions type of feel to it all.

I suggest the Jets are at a fork in the road, where things can go one of two ways: either they author one heck of a redemption story, seemingly coming back from the dead and going on the lengthy playoff run that many, including myself, predicted when the season began, or else this really is the beginning of the end, and we’ll all be looking back at this past week as where it all came unravelled on their way to a quick and certainly painful post-season exit.

With that being said, I'm here to suggest there's at least one glimmer of hope on the horizon: enter Josh Morrissey, who just might be able to save this stumbling squad from itself. 1139189 Winnipeg Jets All told, the Jets have lost nine times this season — 25-5-4 — where they led after two periods. That’s tied for the NHL lead with Florida, and is three more losses than any other club in the league.

Win, place or show for Jets? Chaotic Central Division standings going Considering the Jets went 42-1-1 last year when ahead after 40 minutes, down to wire the ability to lock down a game in the final stages may ultimately come back to bite them.

Mike McIntyre Posted: 04/5/2019 7:00 PM Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.06.2019

GLENDALE — The Winnipeg Jets no longer control their own fate in the quest to bring home the first division title in franchise history. That went down the drain with Thursday night’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

But Winnipeg-born Jonathan Toews could do his hometown a real solid Saturday night if he and his Chicago Blackhawks teammates could find a way to beat the Nashville Predators, who are currently one point up on the Jets.

Hey, they’ve named a hockey rink and even a lake for him around these parts, it’s the least he could do, right?

A Chicago win is the only path to the top for the Jets, who would then need to come out here at the Gila River Arena and take care of the Arizona Coyotes shortly after the final buzzer sounds in Nashville; otherwise, Nashville clinches first place for a second straight year and the Jets can finish no higher than second.

And they’ll no doubt have their eyes on what the St. Louis Blues do in their Saturday afternoon game against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Jets and Blues are currently tied for second spot, with Winnipeg owning the tiebreaker by having two more combined regulation and overtime wins.

In a nutshell, that means Winnipeg will have to at least mirror what St. Louis does in order to avoid potentially falling to third place and starting the playoffs on the road next week instead of the cosy confines of Bell MTS Place.

So Saturday night’s game could mean a lot — or absolutely nothing.

A St. Louis loss in regulation and a Nashville victory earlier in the evening would have the Jets locked in second, regardless of what they do. That would mean playing the surging Blues in the first round with home-ice advantage.

But if the game does have meaning, you would expect the Jets to up the urgency that’s been missing from their game for quite some time, especially considering Arizona was eliminated Thursday when Colorado rallied to send the game against Winnipeg to overtime.

Come to think of it, you wonder if the Coyotes might just want to say "thanks for nothing" to the Jets and try to make their lives miserable, just for kicks.

The Jets could also still play Nashville, if both they and the Predators lose and the Blues win. Or they could play Dallas or even Colorado if they manage to finish first and take on the first wild-card team. The Stars would secure the first wild-card spot if they beat the Blackhawks Friday, relegating Colorado to the second wild-card spot — eighth overall in the Western Conference — and a date with the Calgary Flames.

It’s pretty incredible that on the final day of the regular season, the Jets could finish first, second or third, could start the playoffs at home or away, and still have as many as four different potential opponents.

Of course, all of this could have been avoided if they had found a way to squeeze just three extra points out of their season. Had that occurred, they would be able to put their feet up and prepare for the playoffs with the Central Division title already secured.

And there’s been no shortage of recent games where they allowed points to slip away, including Thursday’s in Denver, where a 2-0 lead turned into the 3-2 overtime loss.

There were also recent late-game collapses against the New York Islanders, the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild, which are now proving to be costly. 1139190 Winnipeg Jets Hayes hasn’t produced much off the forecheck, but his line doesn’t really thrive on a strong forechecking element like other Jets producers do, so that’s to be expected.

Hayes gives Jets' scoring chances off the rush a big boost What is a little surprising is that Hayes has been aggressive in crashing the net to get rebounds, something not many playmakers are willing to do. Hayes’ hulking six-foot-five frame gives him some leverage in that Andrew Berkshire area of the game, and he’s smart to put it to good use.

Posted: 04/5/2019 5:00 PM Hayes also adds another factor that contributes to offensive gains more indirectly, one that is related to his absurd numbers off the rush. Earlier in

the season I had mentioned several times that outside of Nikolaj Ehlers The Winnipeg Jets have gone into a downward spiral defensively to close and Scheifele, the Jets’ forwards had been struggling to transition the out the regular season and no longer control where they’ll end up in the puck up the ice this year. Since Hayes’ arrival, he’s completing the third- Central Division standings. most transition plays on the team, which allows for more chances off the rush for him and his linemates. After blowing multiple recent opportunities to lock down first place, they could finish third and lose home-ice advantage in the first round of the It’s not a revelation to say that the Jets’ offence should be great heading playoffs if the St. Louis Blues win their final game Saturday and the Jets into the playoffs, but the added element of having multiple lines that can find a way to lose to the Arizona Coyotes. attack off the rush makes the Jets far more difficult to defend against, and addresses some of the transition speed issues they struggled with However, the news isn’t all bad. Trade-deadline acquisition Kevin Hayes against Vegas last season in the Western conference final. If the has been producing relatively well with five goals and 12 points in 19 defensive coverage can wake up, the Jets can be a scary team. games, which is down from his pace with the Rangers. But it’s important to note that none of those points have come on the power play, so his Andrew Berkshire is a hockey writer specializing in data-driven analysis even strength-production is slightly ahead of his output in New York. of the game.

Unfortunately, so far the addition of Hayes hasn’t had the desired impact Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.06.2019 on centre Bryan Little, as the shift down in responsibility has left him ice- cold with just a single goal and an assist in 19 games since the trade deadline. The Jets have to hope he can find is game before the playoffs begin.

Hayes was brought in to create offence. Aside from the point production, how is he playing? Is he fitting into the lineup and producing as expected, or just having short-term success?

Let’s break down what he’s doing in five-on-five compared to the average marks of other Winnipeg forwards.

Not usually a high-volume shooter, Hayes is keeping pace with the Jets’ average in high-danger scoring chances and scoring chances on net, and significantly ahead in overall shot attempts from the slot area. In fact, only Kyle Connor is attempting more shots from the slot at five-on-five than Hayes since the deadline, so his goal production has been well- earned.

Playmaking is where Hayes really shines, and his 1.61 completed slot passes every 20 minutes leads the Jets by a wide margin since he joined the group in late February. He’s among their better players at making plays off the rush, as well.

It comes as no great surprise that Hayes leads all Jets players in scoring chances created for teammates since he was acquired, narrowly edging out Mark Scheifele at just slightly above seven chances per 20 minutes of ice time.

Arguably, the most important aspect of having Hayes on the roster is the way he produces offence. Let’s look at his scoring-chance types to illustrate.

When I wrote about the possibility of the Jets adding Hayes at the deadline in mid-February, I focused on his ability to add attacks off the rush, an area where the Jets were sorely lacking despite being a premier cycle and forechecking team.

In my wildest estimates, I didn’t expect him to feast this heavily on rush chances, but he has doubled down on what he’s been good at over his career.

While with the Rangers, Hayes was producing 0.7 scoring chances off the rush per 20 minutes of ice time at even-strength, which is a highly respectable number and would have been the second-best mark among the Jets’ forward group aside from Nikolaj Ehlers. Since the trade, he’s more than doubled that, constantly creating controlled entries into the offensive zone and sneaking into the slot for shots.

Once the zone is gained and a cycle is established, Hayes is far less likely to shoot and prefers to lean on his playmaking ability to get his teammates scoring chances. I still think he’s eventually going to click with Patrik Laine and should result in some goals — the two players are simply too good at this to not find something together. 1139191 Winnipeg Jets The smile leaves Wheeler’s face.

“Sorry,” he says. “Not an option.”

Behind the Jets’ secret summit in St. Paul Laine goes back to his magazine.

“How about playoff beards?” somebody says. “Maybe that’ll help get us going.” Paul Friesen “Good idea,” Wheeler says. “Starting today, no shaving. Frenchie, you can trim yours. Everybody else, don’t touch a razor or a pair of scissors. I It was the world’s most talked about closed-door meeting not involving want 23 guys looking like Jesus by the time we reach the Cup final.” Justin Trudeau and Jody Wilson-Raybould. “We’ll need a miracle to get there,” someone mumbles.

When the Winnipeg Jets locked coaches, trainers and media “I’ll need one to grow anything,” Jack Roslovic says. bloodhounds out of their dressing room to have a players-only powwow after an embarrassing loss in St. Paul the other night, it was as if the Everybody laughs. future of civilization itself hung in the balance. Wheeler checks his watch. The only thing at stake was the Jets season, of course. Close enough, given the angst this team generates with every breath in this town. “We were supposed to open the room to the media 15 minutes ago,” he says. “NHL rule. I’ll go take the bullet. But if we get fined for this, we’re all Did the Jets clear the air in that private tete-a-tete? Did they all get on the splittin’ it, OK?” same page, after spending much of the last three months reading from different scripts and fumbling their way toward the regular-season finish “Don’t worry about a fine,” Byfuglien says. “I break the rules all the time. line? Nothin’ happens.”

Thursday night’s overtime loss in Colorado didn’t provide a satisfactory Everybody cheers. answer. “One last thing,” Wheeler says. “Any issues I should take to Paul?”

But thanks to a private investigative firm and hidden cameras planted “Tell him if he doesn’t put me back on the power play, I’m goin’ fishing,” strategically in Mathieu Perreault’s beard and elsewhere around the Byfuglien says. dressing room in St. Paul that night, we might be able to. “Wait a minute – that’s my spot now.” It’s Jacob Trouba. With a full account of what happened in that room committed to videotape, albeit a little fuzzy in places, we hired a team of psychologists “Guys,” Wheeler says. “None of that matters now. Contracts, stats – it’s to analyze every conversation, every bit of body language, to determine all out the window. It’s all about what we do from here on out. We can still whether that quiet confab will turn this wayward ship around or whether salvage this thing. We might just have to do it the hard way.” the Jets are doomed to wander aimlessly into the playoff sea and slam “You mean, we have to start blocking more shots and stuff?” immediately into a first-round iceberg. Or the St. Louis Blues. It’s not clear from the video who says that. Before we provide the experts’ conclusion, judge for yourself. “That too,” Wheeler says. “But we may have to start on the road. Against We now take you behind the sweat-soaked curtain, to the Secret Summit the Blues.” in St. Paul. There are groans and mumbles throughout the room. The scene: some players are slumped in their dressing room stalls, heads down, others are milling about. “Nashville would be a helluva lot easier,” someone says. “They’re as messed up as we are.” Matt Hendricks, his arm around Eric Comrie, is in deep conversation with the young goaltender, who looks like he’s just seen a ghost. “We’ll be fine,” Wheeler says. “Remember last spring? Starting next week, the games start to really matter. No more messin’ around. It’s Cup Everybody else just looks p-d off. final or bust.” Until captain Blake Wheeler tells them there will be no media in the room More cheers. this night. “Remember,” Wheeler says, as he heads for the door to face the media. “Whoo-hoo!” they all seem to holler simultaneously. High-fives are “Everything said in this room stays in this room.” exchanged, and everybody seems to relax. So there you have it, exclusively here in the pages of the Winnipeg Sun, “But we’ve got some issues to deal with,” Wheeler says. “We haven’t brought to you by Bogus Productions, Inc. been having any fun around here for a while, and that’s gotta change. I wanna hear from you. Who wants to go first?” Whether or not you think that meeting will save the Jets’ season is up to you. It’s quiet. Players look around at each other, others at the floor. The take from our team of psychologists? Finally, Mark Scheifele stands up, digs a large plastic bottle of health food supplements out of his locker and starts passing it around. The Jets are in as much trouble as the Prime Minister.

“If we were all more conscious of what we put into our bodies I think we’d With a tougher opposition. be fine,” Scheifele says. “Nutritional science is huge for me.” Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.06.2019 Patrik Laine looks up, putting down the latest issue of Video Gamer magazine.

“Does that mean no more ice cream after I score a hat trick?” Laine says, looking concerned.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that, Patty.” It’s Dustin Byfuglien. “I’ll have a hattie before your next one.”

The room cracks up.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Wheeler says. “We’ve got to start having fun again.”

“I’d probably have more fun playing the right side with Scheifs,” Laine says. 1139192 Winnipeg Jets GAME DAY LINEUPS

Winnipeg Jets

JETS GAME DAY: Last chance before the big dance Forwards

Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler

Ken Wiebe Mathieu Perreault-Kevin Hayes-Nikolaj Ehlers

Andrew Copp-Bryan Little-Patrik Laine

Winnipeg Jets (46-30-5) at Arizona Coyotes (39-34-8) Par Lindholm-Adam Lowry-Jack Roslovic

Saturday, 9 pm CT. Gila River Arena. TV: Sportsnet, CITY. Radio: TSN Defence 1290 Nathan Beaulieu-Jacob Trouba THE BIG MATCHUP Ben Chiarot-Dustin Byfuglien Kyle Connor vs Clayton Keller Dmitry Kulikov-Tyler Myers Just one year ago, it was Keller who bumped Connor from the ranks of the finalists for the Calder Trophy, finishing third in the voting. Both Goalies players are on the top line of their respective clubs, but Connor is having Connor Hellebuyck the better season, contributing 33 goals and 64 points — even better numbers than the 31 goals he had last season to lead all rookies. Keller Eric Comrie leads his team in scoring with 14 goals and 47 points in 81 games. Arizona Coyotes 5 keys to the game Forwards Oops they did it again Richard Panik-Derek Stepan-Clayton Keller Despite what was a better overall effort, the Jets lost for the ninth time Lawson Crouse-Christian Dvorak-Josh Archibald this season when leading after two periods (25-5-4), a number that’s far too high. Only the Florida Panthers have blown as many leads, while the Michael Grabner-Brad Richardson-Vinnie Hinostroza third-worst team in the category have lost six games when leading after two periods. After going 42-1-1 last season in the same scenario, the Alex Galchenyuk-Nick Cousins-Conor Garland Jets haven’t made locking down games enough of a habit this season. Defence And it’s something that could haunt them when the post-season begins, if the Jets don’t get that figured out quickly. Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Jason Demers

Start fast Alex Goligoski-Niklas Hjalmarsson

The Jets played one of their best periods of hockey in the first against the Kevin Connauton-Jakob Chykrun Avalanche on Thursday, jumping out to a 2-0 lead while recording 19 shots on goal. The Jets managed eight high-danger scoring chances in Goalies that period, according to natural stat trick. The Jets used their speed Calvin Pickard effectively and created more in the offensive zone than they had in recent games, providing a template for how they’d like to play going into the Darcy Kuemper post-season. The Jets top line of Mark Scheifele (four shots on goal, six shot attempts), Blake Wheeler (five shots on goal, 10 shot attempts) and Injuries Kyle Connor (four shots on goal, five shot attempts) generated a Jets: G Laurent Brossoit (lower body, day-to-day), D Josh Morrissey significant chunk of the scoring chances on Thursday and combined for (upper body,day-to-day), RW Brandon Tanev (finger/hand, day-to-day) one goal, Scheifele’s team-leading 37th — which also helped him equal his career high for points in a season (82). Coyotes: G Antti Raanta (knee, indefinitely), C Nick Schmaltz (knee, indefinitely), D Kyle Capobianco (knee, indefinitely) Find the power POWER PLAY The Jets power play has been a weapon for much of the season and goes into the final game operating at 24.6%, which is fifth best in the Winnipeg: 24.6.% (5th) NHL. It’s an impressive number, but the Jets have gone four games without scoring a power play marker. Blake Wheeler and Laine rang Arizona: 16.2% (26th) shots off the iron with the man-advantage and the group created several PENALTY KILLING other quality chances, but in a tight game like Thursday’s was, converting on the power play could have made the difference. Winnipeg 79.3% (T21st)

The reunion Arizona: 85.2% (1st)

With Jets head coach Paul Maurice juggling his lines, Patrik Laine and Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.06.2019 Bryan Little are back together. Little has bounced between all forward positions recently and it’s taken a bit of a toll, as he’s gone 12 games without recording a point. As for Laine, he’s gone five games without a goal since his power-play marker against the Dallas Stars and has no points during that span.

The encore

After facing a handful of teams either fighting for their playoff lives or jockeying for position, the Jets will face a Coyotes team that made a valiant effort but was eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday – despite a decisive 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Had the Jets held the lead on Thursday, Saturday’s game would have had high stakes for both teams. Instead, it’s the Jets jockeying for position and the Coyotes looking to play the role of spoiler while ending the season on a positive note. 1139193 Vancouver Canucks Chicago, conversely, is a big operation. They have a director of player development, a director of player personnel, a directory of player recruitment, a director of player evaluation, a VP of pro scouting, a head Ed Willes: Canucks’ skeleton staff makeup saves bones for owners, but scout for the U.S., a head scout for Western Canada and a head scout is it OK? for Eastern Canada.

LISTEN: After Quinn Hughes’ debut for the Vancouver Canucks, Ed Willes and Paul Chapman are wondering if the elite prospect can survive Ed Willes under the microscope. Talk turns to the impending draft lottery, the Canucks’ offseason strategy, Jake Virtanen’s future in Vancouver, and

Jim Benning’s draft prowess. By contrast, the Leafs employ three community representatives: Darryl And this brings us back to the Canucks. Benning’s organization has two Sittler, Wendel Clark and George Armstrong. For special occasions, people in player development: Ryan Johnson, the senior director of Punch Imlach is available through a medium player development, and Scott Walker, the director of player Before we go any farther, let’s acknowledge not every NHL franchise has development. Johnson is also GM of the Utica Comets. to follow the Toronto Maple Leafs’ model, even if it would go a long way Former assistant coach Doug Jarvis now occupies an advisory role to toward curing what’s left of the unemployment problem. Benning. He spends some time in Utica, some in Vancouver. Canucks The Leafs, for example, have a six-person analytics department headed loyalist is listed as senior adviser to the GM and director of by Darryl Metcalf. They have seven people working in player collegiate scouting. development, including former figure skater Barb Underhill, the skating As for the rest of the scouting department, Judd Brackett is the director of development consultant. They have a director of pro scouting, amateur amateur scouting, Ron Delorme is the chief amateur scout and Thomas scouting and European scouting while employing 17 amateur scouts. Gradin is the associate chief amateur scout. The Canucks employ 14 Their pro scouts include Blair MacKasey, Mike Penny and , amateur scouts but six of them don’t rate mugshots on the team’s who’ve been in the game longer than the red line. website. There are four pro scouts, but Brackett is the only scout who carries the title of director. This, however, is my favourite. They employ three community representatives: Darryl Sittler, Wendel Clark and George Armstrong. For Now, as mentioned, more isn’t always better. Brackett occupies an special occasions, Punch Imlach is available through a medium. influential role in the organization and given the Canucks’ draft record over the last two years, his place has been earned. Johnson and Walker So there’s a reason the Leafs have to hold their organizational meetings are strong people in key positions. in the lower bowl of Scotiabank Arena and, for all the resources they’ve poured into their hockey department, you wonder where they’d be today But it’s the paucity in senior management that gives one pause. The if they didn’t win the Auston Matthews lottery. Trevor Linden-Benning-Weisbrod front office was in line with the rest of the NHL but the top spot is still vacant. The Canucks went down another But this is also true: If the Leafs represent one approach to franchise VP when T.C. Carling was fired earlier this season. building, the Vancouver Canucks occupy the other end of the spectrum. What that means is a matter of some debate, and there are some wildly The question now becomes, will anything change this off-season? But, successful teams run by a smaller staff. as you must know by now, predicting the next move from this ownership group is an inexact science. But, in analyzing the league’s other 30 franchises, it’s clear the Canucks’ operation is among the NHL’s leanest. That appears to be the way the Maybe Benning, Weisbrod and their skeleton staff can pull off this Aquilini ownership group and general manager Jim Benning want things. rebuild. Maybe lean and mean is the way to go. But when you’ve missed the playoffs four consecutive years, it also But the rest of the league seems to be going in another direction and, just raises a number of pointed questions. once, you’d like to see the Canucks fall in line with everyone else. The Canucks, for starters, are one of two teams that have two men — Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.06.2019 Benning and assistant GM John Weisbrod — in the most senior hockey positions. The other is the Ottawa Senators — GM Pierre Dorion and assistant GM Peter MacTavish — and, these days, you don’t want to be compared to the Sens on any level.

Admittedly, this point is open to interpretation. The standard model for most teams is to employ a GM and two assistant GMs, one of whom generally looks after the AHL team. But there are also any number of executive vice-presidents and special advisers sprinkled around the league who carry a loud voice within their organizations.

Florida, for example, is one of the smaller front offices, but they still have GM , assistant GM Eric Joyce and Chris Pronger, the, ahem, senior adviser to the president of hockey operations. Anaheim is another lean operation but employs Bob Murray as GM, Dave McNab as senior VP of hockey ops and old friend Dave Nonis as consultant to the GM.

New Jersey has Ray Shero as GM, Tom Fitzgerald as his assistant, Marty Brodeur in the front office and Jacques Laperriere as a consultant. We could go on but you get the picture.

The majority of these franchises also have a similar structure when it comes to player development and scouting. Painting with broad strokes, there is usually a director of player personnel, a director of player development and at least one other employee in that area.

There’s also, again usually, a head of amateur scouting, pro scouting and European scouting. The numbers in amateur and European scouting can be inflated by part-time positions but most pro departments run between three and five scouts.

There are different approaches within that model. San Jose isn’t a big operation but they have three key people, all former NHLers, in player development: Mike Ricci works with forwards, Bryan Marchment with defencemen and Evgeni Nabokov with goaltenders. 1139194 Vancouver Canucks improved play this season and certainly didn’t do anything to quash the idea he’d be interested in the giant goaltender.

Markstrom has played in three world championships for Sweden, most Patrick Johnston: Quinn Hughes is going to the world championship. recently in 2016. (He also appeared in a game for his country at the 2016 Who else? World Cup.)

Elias Pettersson has been approached by Sweden, but last time he was Patrick Johnston asked, earlier this week, he said he hadn’t yet made up his mind. Alex Edler last played for Sweden in 2017, but with his contract expiring will be he be more focused on locking down his future in Vancouver?

Quinn Hughes could see a few familiar faces at the World Bo Horvat, who played for Canada in 2018, said on Tuesday that he was Championships in May. 50/50 if he were asked by Canada, as he is getting married this summer.

Quinn Hughes is going back to the world championship. Chris Tanev, who fractured his foot last month blocking a shot and ending NHL season, is apparently nearing full recovery and has been The Canucks rookie confirmed after Thursday’s game against the asked by Alain Vigneault if he’d be interested in playing. Vigneault is Nashville Predators that he will again skate for Team USA. coaching Canada this year. It’s been a busy year for the 19-year-old, having played a full season for Other players who could be possibilities for Canada would be Ben Hutton the University of Michigan in addition to being an assistant captain for the and Troy Stecher. Hutton played for Canada in 2016 while Stecher, who Americans at the World Junior Championship in Vancouver, but there has never represented his country before, plays a game that one would seems to have been little hesitation about saying yes to this latest think suits international-sized ice well. opportunity. Team USA seems likely to call Brock Boeser, though he’s also said he’s “I think it was such a good experience for me last year; it would be really unsure if he’d say yes. His contract is up and you also have to think that good for me again this year,” he said. after the struggles he had at the start of the season following back He was still an undrafted collegian when he went along with Team USA surgery, he’d be interested in following a proper off-season plan this to Denmark, site of last year’s tournament. The 2019 IIHF World year. Championship, which runs from May 10 to 26, is in Slovakia. Thatcher Demko could be a possibility for the USA though. Would His performance impressed scouts and served as a final confirmation of Switzerland call on Sven Baertschi? He hasn’t suited up for his homeland his status as a blue-chip prospect. The Canucks, of course, were since 2014. Markus Granlund last played for Finland in 2016. delighted to find him still available as the seventh pick at last summer’s And on Friday, Travis Green confirmed to the media that he’d been NHL Entry Draft. contacted by Vigneault about possibly helping out. The current Canucks Hughes said the experience of playing with and against professionals for coach didn’t say what he thought of the offer by the ex-Canucks coach, the first time helped prepare him for the transition to the NHL this spring. but it seems he didn’t say “no” outright, anyway.

“This (the 2018 tournament) was the first time I played the pro game. It Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.06.2019 made this transition here (to the NHL), I’m not going to say easy, but definitely way easier than I think it would be,” he said. “Mentally, I felt better prepared.”

The quality of the opposition taught him lots, especially about how fast the top end of the game can be and the abilities that top-end players possess.

“It’s faster. Sweden had an all-star team last year. Russia, you’re playing Datsyuk and all these guys; it’s like geez,” he said.

Some have mooted the possibility his younger brother Jack, the likely first overall pick in this summer’s draft, could also be asked to play, getting another chance to play alongside his brother.

The elder Hughes said it’s possible, though with caution.

“I think he’s focused on U18 worlds right now and winning there,” he said. “I remember after my U18 worlds, you’re over there for a month, you’re so tired. Literally, I was so tired. We’ll see how he feels. If that’s something he can do, then yeah.”

Hughes has now played four NHL games and feels good about the progress he’s made.

Against Nashville, he seemed to take a new step in terms of having confidence in his ability to rush the puck up the ice.

“I think I did today,” he said, agreeing with the notion. “Like I’ve said, I’ll just keep building my game.”

LISTEN: After Quinn Hughes debut for the Vancouver Canucks, Ed Willes and Paul Chapman are wondering if the elite prospect can survive under the microscope. Talk turns to the impending draft lottery, the Canucks’ off-season strategy, Jake Virtanen’s future in Vancouver, and Jim Benning’s draft prowess.

Hughes could see some familiar faces on the ice in Slovakia as Jacob Markstrom told the Hockey News Sweden’s Tobias Dahlberg last weekend that if the Swedish coaching staff asks him to play, he’d say yes. Markstrom has not yet been asked.

Last month, on his tour of the NHL to scout out national team possibilities, Sweden coach Rickard Gronborg praised Markstrom’s 1139195 Websites Jordin across the lake on a sled. Sometimes, if it got bad enough, Terence walked backward. He knew the path by heart.

The rink— the Singiituq Complex —was a beige box with tin siding, The Athletic / Jordin Tootoo returns home with a mission to save others icicles hanging from its snow-covered roof. It was often as cold inside as from his brother’s fate out. Steep wooden stands lined one side, with players’ benches on the other. The space between the end board and the wall required a sideways shuffle to pass through. Frost covered the steel emergency exit By Dan Robson doors. The ice itself was hard in some spots, soft in others and dripping condensation made small pools in random areas.

The Tootoos played there for hours. Often with their father, Barney, RANKIN INLET, NUNAVUT — The glass shook, the bleachers coaching them through skating drills. But also in chippy scrimmages, thundered, the ceiling dripped and more than a thousand fans pushed to where they would battle with friends. the edges, doubling the capacity of an old rink in Rankin Inlet, on the northwest coast of Hudson Bay. The rink is at the heart of Rankin Inlet, the way it is in many small Northern communities. It was built in the mid 1980s to replace an old John Voisey sat in the penalty box, anxious but ready. He’d waited his dome on natural ice, which had been an upgrade in the ‘70s from the entire life for this chance. Since Voisey was a child, the legend of Jordin outdoor rinks shoveled on the lake. Those still appeared every winter, of Tootoo, the first Inuk NHL player, had coloured his dreams. course. But the rink was where friends and families gathered through Now they were skating in the same game. weekends and evenings to watch and play the game. They watched the Tootoo legend unfold before their eyes. Terence, the gifted older brother, And as the crowd hollered, Tootoo stepped into the opposing team’s box, amazed them with his swift, graceful skill. He could wrist a puck from one just a small gap between them. With his hero just a few feet away, of end the ice and make it sail through the air into the middle of the net at Voisey nervously considered his words and gathered the courage to the other end. Jordin, always playing with the older kids, was fast and speak: ferocious. When he was 12, he put a 6-foot-3 opponent from Yellowknife through the glass and into the stands with a check. “Fuck you, Jordin Tootoo!” he said. “You’re a piece of shit.” Even though the Tootoos’ talent quickly outgrew the tiny rink, the place A one-two punch. And it landed. would always represent the best escape from a home mired by Tootoo turned to Voisey and smiled. alcoholism.

“That was amazing. Dream come true,” Voisey said later. “I was super Their parents, Barney and Rose, were—and remain—well-respected in nervous. … That’s my role model.” Rankin Inlet. Rose was a tough-minded woman of Ukrainian heritage who grew up in rural Manitoba. Barney was a charming man and a The 18-year-old had driven his snowmobile three hours across the snowy talented hockey player from Churchill, in northern Manitoba. After they tundra from the remote hamlet of Whale Cove, with five of his friends met, they moved north to Nunavut for work, eventually settling in Rankin huddled in a wooden sled behind him. They made the journey to play in Inlet. Along with their older sister, Corinne — the Tootoos were popular one of the few hockey tournaments that teams from Nunavut are able to and talented. The family seemed to have everything together. But inside, compete in each year. behind the curtains, alcohol took a devastating toll.

But this one held special meaning because it was the first time Jordin Booze was a routine part of life in the Tootoo home, particularly on Tootoo was playing hockey in his hometown since moving south to play weekends, when illicit shipments arrived in the dry community. Jordin did when he was 14 years old. his best to avoid being home, especially when his strong-willed parents fought. Or when his father — so calm and free while out hunting — would Tootoo retired from the NHL last fall after a 13-year-career. He returned spiral into anger, and sometimes violence, when he was drinking. to Rankin Inlet to a hero’s welcome — no less than you’d expect for Wayne Gretzky in Brantford, Ontario, or Sidney Crosby in Cole Harbour, The binge drinking sometimes spilled out into local gatherings. When he Nova Scotia. But in many ways, Tootoo means even more to his was 10, Tootoo remembers his mother waking up the brothers and telling hometown and this territory. Because in communities across Nunavut, them to go get their father, who had been out drinking all night. So where hockey is a central part of many lives — only one man has ever Terence bundled up his little brother as he often did and set out into the made it to the place that young players dream of reaching. minus-50 night to collect the man who was unwilling, or unable, to end the party. As Tootoo stepped back onto the ice — to a mix of cheers and jeers—he skated beneath a sweater stitched with number 22, which hung from a Terence was the protector at home too, shielding his little brother as best steel rafter above center ice. It matched the number in the heart-shaped he could from the complicated tension at home. He was close to his patch on his sweater, and on sweaters and helmets on each of the parents and was able to play the peacemaker when rage took over. It players competing in the Terence Tootoo Memorial. happened regularly. Often little things — like the boys getting their boots soaked in a puddle — could set their parents off, especially when For Tootoo, this was about more than a hero’s return. It was about they were drinking. remembering the one who never made it home. When friends wanted to come over, the Tootoo brothers would invent a When they were children, Terence Tootoo always made sure his little reason to play at their house instead — or they’d push their road hockey brother was bundled and warm inside the narrow, cluttered mudroom in game over for another hour or two or hang out at the rink as long as the tiny green house where they grew up. Then he’d flip his equipment possible. Hockey was the best escape. They could stretch it out for bag over his shoulder in the garage and twist the strap around his stick, hours, getting lost in the game. holding it against his chest for support. The arena was a second and happier home. When he was young, Jordin “OK, Jordin,” Terence would say. “Let’s go.” watched the action as closely as he could, copying the way his father tied Jordin, three years younger, would pull his own bag over his shoulder, his skates and taped his shin pads when he got dressed for his nightly twisting the strap around his stick, mimicking his older brother the way old-timers’ scrimmage. He watched the force in Terence’s stride, the way younger brothers do. And together the Tootoo boys would push out into he moved with the puck like it was attached to his stick — and the way the cold. They’d trek across the street where they often played road he never backed down. Terence let Jordin play with him and the older hockey until well after midnight, and past a metal garbage bin dented by kids, and Jordin did his best to imitate his hero. Terence told Jordin he’d hundreds of practiced slap shots — crack, thud … crack, thud … crack, always let him play, but that he had to fight his own battles on the ice. thud. Then they’d cut between two schools, down a hill and across a Jordin was determined. Every time he got knocked down, he jumped small, frozen lake in the center of Rankin Inlet. right back up.

The Tootoo brothers made the trip every day. Terence always walked After rolling over his opponents in a tournament in Yellowknife when he first, shielding his little brother from the sharp winter wind. Often when it was 13, Jordin was invited to play with a team in Fort Providence, in the stormed and the gusts whipped in at more than 30 mph, Terence pulled Northwest Territories. He made the move and when hockey programs in the South began to take notice, he was soon asked to join a competitive It’s difficult to overstate the impact Tootoo’s NHL career had on Nunavut rep team in Spruce Grove, near Edmonton. and Inuit youth who grew up admiring him. While many kids in the territory grow up watching NHL stars on television, there is little chance Away from home, in a new world, Jordin constantly reached out to his they’ll reach that level. Tootoo remains the only player from Nunavut and brother, which at the time meant sending notes back and forth by fax of Inuit heritage to have played in the NHL. While many young fans from machine. Terence had also moved south to play hockey. He was a star the territory have idolized players like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, player for a tier-two junior team called the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Tootoo has always been the local icon — the living example that, yes, Blizzard in The Pas, Manitoba. The Blizzard won three provincial titles in their dreams are possible. a row with Terence on the roster. And in his final two seasons with the OCN Blizzard, Terence was the team captain and leading scorer. And even if those NHL dreams are unlikely, it doesn’t diminish the passion that so many have for hockey in communities like Rankin Inlet. In Jordin was drafted by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey fact, hockey plays a central role in the remote communities scattered League and when he failed to make the team as a 15-year-old, he moved across Nunavut. Young kids watch older kids representing their small to The Pas to play beside his brother — and against players who were as towns and dream about one day doing the same. old as 21. Jordin says that season was the most fun he ever had in hockey. The team was stacked with talent and won another In Whale Cove, with a population of fewer than 500 people, the local championship. And life away from the rink was a constant party. Drinking men’s team scrimmages against itself, breaking into two teams because was a big part of the junior hockey culture and Jordin partook as much as there are no other games to play. In the tiny Whale Cove rink, frost he could with his older teammates, until his big brother would send him climbs up the walls, the glass around the boards is perpetually foggy and home. Terence remained the protector. a misty cloud often hovers over one end of the ice. It’s like playing hockey in a meat freezer. But that does nothing to diminish the passion In The Pas, the brothers leaned on each other. They had found a way out that players like forward Simon Enuapik and goalie David Oklaga have of Rankin Inlet — and the anger and violence of home. But they played for the game. Aside from hunting caribou, hockey has been their biggest only one season together. Jordin made the Wheat Kings as a 16-year-old love. and quickly became one of the top prospects in the game, barreling toward an NHL career. After his second season in Brandon, he was “We play every day,” said Oklaga. “Monday to Friday, 9 to 11. Saturday drafted by the Nashville Predators. The following year, Jordin led the and Sunday, 8 till 10. … No refs, no ice cleaning — just keep playing.” Wheat Kings in scoring with 32 goals and 39 assists — and penalty minutes, with 272. It’s not something they are willing to go without. A couple of years ago, Simon crashed feet first into the boards after being hauled down on a That same year (2001-02), Terence found a spot with the Roanoke rush. He cracked open the ball joint and broke another bone in his ankle. Express in the East Coast Hockey League, a minor league pro team in He looked down and saw his foot hanging sideways. It took four days to Virginia. He became the first Inuk to play professional hockey and was a get a flight to the hospital in Winnipeg — and another four days to get fan favorite. He was a fast skater who played hard and pestered his surgery. Now his ankle is held together by two rods, and a metal plate opponents — who were often stunned by his quick left when they’d fight with seven screws. him. “Two weeks after my cast came off, I went back on the ice,” Enuapik After his first season in Roanoke, Terence joined Jordin at his billet’s said, with pride. house in Brandon. They spent the summer together, training for a chance to get one step closer to their dreams. Terence, with a chance to move Each year there are only a couple of tournaments that bring teams up to the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. Jordin, together from communities across Nunavut to play in heated battles among the best young players in the game and on his way to the NHL. against rivals. Teams travel from communities like Coral Harbour on Southampton Island at the entrance to Hudson Bay, and Baker Lake, They were almost there. more than 160 miles inland — and Naujaat, on Repulse Bay, at the edge of the Arctic Circle. Some will fly over the icy sea. Others will snowmobile A painting above the doors inside the Singiituq Complex tells the story on along trails marked occasionally by gas cans and sticks, moving into the the other side of those dreams. Next to the words “Rankin Inlet Home of white horizon, watching the grey clouds that hang over Hudson Bay Jordin Tootoo,” with his name written in Inuktitut, there is an image of a where the ice breaks into the open water. player skating in a Team Canada #22 sweater. Enuapik and Oklaga traveled to Rankin Inlet in the sled pulled by John The image reflects a time, in 2002, when Jordin Tootoo represented Voisey — the player who swore admiringly at Tootoo from the penalty Canada at the World Junior Hockey Tournament — and endeared box. Voisey decided his friends didn’t need the foam padding he usually himself to a hockey-mad nation with his fearless intensity. If Tootoo puts down, so they bopped and bobbled along the tundra on the sled’s hadn’t yet solidified his status as the pride of Nunavut, he did in Halifax hard, wooden bottom. Voisey pretended not to see them waving at him to that winter. He even wrote the name of the territory on his sticks during slow down. the tournament. The team from Arviat traveled six hours by snowmobile to get to Rankin Local fans, too young to remember, still talk about the time Tootoo Inlet, thankful the weather had reached a relatively balmy minus-35 represented Canada at the 2002 World Juniors. (Dan Robson) Celsius (minus-31 Fahrenheit) — much better than the minus-60 Celsius But before the most important games of his life, Tootoo had thought other teams traveled through to get to a tournament in Arviat in January. about quitting. It was a message from Terence that kept him going. “I do a lot of hunting,” said Andrew Kuksuk, who made the trip from “Jor, go all the way,” he’d written. Arviat. “So this was just a joy ride.”

And Jordin would, for him. Tracks from across Nunavut led to Rankin Inlet for one of the few tournaments held in the territory each year. (Dan Robson) Seventeen years later, he shuffled through a packed lobby beneath that painting and a framed Nashville Predators sweater with his name on it. Tootoo sat next to his life-long friend, Troy Aksalnik, as they laughed in He was greeted by familiar faces, people who knew him growing up, the locker room just like when they were boys. Warren Kusugak, a few eager to shake his hand. Young eyes followed him wherever he went. years older, sat on a chair nearby. He became the team’s coach when Players who were just toddlers back then still bring up the time that his playing days slipped away. He was Terence’s best friend. As he Tootoo played for Canada when reciting what they admire most about unpacked the gear from his Chicago Blackhawks bag in the dank him, even though they have little memory of the accomplishment. Several dressing room, Tootoo thought about how his brother would pull his remember players he fought in the NHL, like Jarome Iginla and Sean frozen gear out of his bag and try to thaw it out before they dressed. Avery. Sitting back there, while a full house roared for another tight game just beyond the hall, he felt like a child again. “Jordin!” a little boy in a black-and-yellow homemade Pittsburgh Penguins parka sheepishly called as Tootoo passed him. “Jordin?” His NHL career behind him, Tootoo stepped back on the ice where he first learned the game. Of course, he is much bigger and stronger now, “Is that Jordin,” the boy said, turning to his friend as Tootoo slipped but he didn’t let up when the puck dropped. His speed and hockey sense through a door toward the locker rooms. alone should have allowed him to dance around the players on the opposing teams. But they didn’t back away. And Tootoo played like a kid from Rankin Inlet, pushing aside the polish of his NHL experience. He jabbed and slashed and used his strength to fend off opponents eager to It wasn’t until the Predators forced Tootoo into rehab in 2011 that he get their shots in. There were few pleasantries, and several collisions on realized how far he’d fallen. With his career hanging in the balance, he the small surface. saw how close he was to throwing it all away. He received counseling during a month-long stay in a treatment facility. He returned to the The crowd that initially greeted Tootoo as a hero, jeered while he played Predators, fully committed to sobriety — and finally sought the help he against the men from their hometowns. They pushed in shoulder-to- needed to deal with the pain of Terence’s death and the trauma he’d shoulder in the steep wooden stands, and several rows deep in the endured as a child. corners. They hung over the glass along the far walls and beside the team benches. They hooted and hollered. They slammed and stomped. Today, Tootoo leans on others who understand his battle, regularly texting friends like former NHLer Brian McGrattan and Rich Clune of the Each game was followed by family and friends back home who were Toronto Marlies, who have both openly shared their struggles with unable to make the journey — with the games streamed live on alcoholism and a commitment to sobriety. And Tootoo continues therapy, Facebook and play-by-play broadcast over the radio in Inuktitut. Winning knowing that his life is a constant work in progress. felt as important as it would have in an NHL game or on the street near the green house where the Tootoo brothers and their friends battled for a Terence Tootoo’s memory is still cherished and mourned in his homemade Stanley Cup for hours through cool summer nights. hometown years after his death. (Dan Robson)

As the Rankin Inlet Miners played an All-Star team of young players Across Rankin Inlet, those who knew and loved Terence still grapple with chosen to represent Nunavut in an upcoming tournament out east, his death. It’s felt throughout the locker room of the Miners, a team of Tootoo took particular exception to a player he thought got too rough so players who grew up with the Tootoos — or grew up admiring them. he gave him a tap between the legs. After the young man hit the ice in agony (he was well known for refusing to wear a jock, according to Troy Aksalnik, Jordin’s best friend, looked up to Terence like a brother. several in the crowd), he jumped up and went after Tootoo. The brave He has a tattoo on his chest of the letters TER and the number 22 soul tried to clutch Tootoo’s sweater, but was quickly held back by his framed in a heart and crossed hockey sticks. outstretched arm. Tootoo sneered at the kid, shaking his head — offering David Clark, another Miners teammate, idolized Terence as a kid, fair warning that he should proceed with caution. The young man kept marveling at his skill and carefully watching the way he taped his stick jawing at Tootoo and was tossed from the game while Tootoo was and tied his skates. Several photos of Clark’s idol are framed in his office escorted to the penalty box. Next to the glass where the action unfolded, overlooking the ice, where he works as the town’s athletic programs a man in a camouflage hunting parka took exception to the referee’s director. verdict. And his loss is still felt by the Miners coach, 37-year-old Warren “You chicken shit!” he yelled at the official. “You old bastard! You prick.” Kusugak, who sat in the Miners locker room after a game, reminiscing The crowd stirred, thrilled by the outburst. about how he and Terence first started playing hockey on that ice when the rink opened when they were 5. “Why, because he’s an All-Star?” the man continued, critical of the disproportionate penalties. “Fuck that.” For years, they rushed there after school every day, scrimmaging for a couple of hours — then went home for dinner and made their way back Tootoo laughed at a video of the incident after the Miners won the heated to the rink for practice. contest. The tension was welcome. It wouldn’t be hockey in Rankin Inlet without a little heat. This was no charity scrimmage. “In the North, hockey is everything,” Kusugak said.

During another game, the team from Repulse accused Tootoo, who they Over Christmas holidays, they hosted road hockey tournaments under called “NHL guy,” of paying off the referees. the street lights, events that stretched until 2 and 3 in the morning. Dozens of friends battled through the freezing temperatures. “When we “Buddy,” Tootoo told one of their players. “I’ll rip your head off and eat started playing, you’d forget how cold it was,” Kusugak said. They gained you alive.” bruises, lost teeth and settled differences with fists — until a winner was finally declared, securing a coveted Cup made of a Lego base, with a There was no response. gardening pot and mixing bowl attached by crazy glue and random From the outside, at 22 years old, Terence Tootoo seemed to have a firm screws. grip on life. He’d pursued his dream in hockey and was carving out a Kusugak flipped through old photographs he keeps on his phone from career in the minor-pro ranks. He was the pillar of a respected family that those long-ago days. Images of his friends lined up in rows for a team was quietly mired in turmoil and pain. He was his brother’s best friend — picture, during the one tournament they would get to play each year — his role model, his hope and inspiration. the one time they weren’t practicing and playing against each other.

But one night in late August of 2002, Terence was stopped by police in He pointed to Terence, smiling in his yellow sweater. Brandon and received a DUI. His car was impounded and the officers dropped him off at Jordin’s billet’s house. Jordin had been out with him “Terence had a big heart,” he said. “He always went out of his way to that night, but had stayed at his girlfriend’s place. help everyone. He was a leader.”

When Terence was missing the next day, Jordin thought he’d gone out He paused for a moment, trying to find the words to describe what into the countryside to blow off some steam after getting hit with a DUI Terence left behind. right before training camp. “He left a —” Kusugak said. “How would you say that?” But that night, Terence had taken a shotgun and three shells from the billet’s garage. He walked to a wooded area near the house and fired one He settled on an “impossible void.” shot into the air. The next shell misfired. The third didn’t. Simone Clark, a teacher for four decades in Rankin Inlet, watched the After Terence’s body was discovered, Jordin read the short note that he’d tournament from the window in her son’s office above the ice. She knew left beside his bed before heading to the garage. the name of almost every player on each team. The Tootoo boys and their friends were constantly at her house while they were growing up, “Jor, go all the way,” it said. “Take care of the family. You are the man. filling the place with laughter. She remembers the brothers returning Terence.” home after they’d gone south to play hockey, always returning to the schools to speak with younger students. Clark remembers Terence Tootoo carried that message — along with the anguish and confusion of telling them that there is never a problem that’s too big that you can’t get his brother’s death — for the rest of his career. It was there a few months help for. He was an inspiration to them. later when he played for Team Canada at the World Juniors. And when he went on to play for the Nashville Predators, where he delighted fans When Terence died by suicide, his loss was enormous and the with his aggressive play. But while Tootoo inspired the dreams on young implications were terrifying. Terence was viewed as a role model, as an players in Nunavut and across Canada, he was haunted by past example of someone who had everything. If he could die by suicide, what nightmares and found refuge in his old family demons. He carried that did that mean for the many people who looked up to him. pain to every bar and late-night party. And to the bottom of every bottle he could find. “When you see someone like Terence, if you’re someone who’s struggling — and you look at this guy who has gone away, he’s playing hockey, his brother’s gone away, he’s kind of living the good life,” Clark While the Healing Centre tries to provide mental health resources said. “If he’s doing this, what about me?… What about my life?” through local counselors like Karatek and visits from community elders, she says other correctional facilities in Nunavut have very few. Clark said the cemetery in Rankin Inlet has so many headstones of people lost to suicide that she has stopped visiting. Later that day, Tootoo met with more than two dozen inmates at the Healing Centre — all dressed in matching grey sweatshirts and “I just couldn’t face it anymore,” she said. “I didn’t want to look at those sweatpants — who gathered around him in a recreation area outside of names anymore because it’s too hard to think, what else could we have their cells. done?” “All of you know I grew up in Rankin here,” Tootoo said. “I know a lot of Jordin, with Siena in tow, returned to Nashville on Feb. 2 to drop the puck you can relate to growing up in the North and what it was like, and all the for a game between Roman Josi’s Nashville Predators and Jamie Benn’s adversity and challenges we face.” Dallas Stars. (Steve Roberts / USA Today) He told them the story of his life; a story he tells often now — one that Behind a steel door at the Rankin Inlet Healing Centre, a young man sat he’s dedicated to sharing, specifically with Indigenous people who have on bed beneath a long narrow window, a well-worn book at his side. faced many of the same struggles.

He’d been sent to solitary after getting into a fight with another inmate at “Growing up in Nunavut in our isolated communities you learn to become the men’s correctional facility that sits on the edge of the town. strong,” Tootoo said, as several men nodded.

The man had recently returned after finishing a sentence of two-years- He spoke about alcoholism and the toll it took on his life, and about his less-a-day. He was a recurring character at the Healing Centre, like pursuit to make it in hockey, even though no Inuk player had reached many who find more support and shelter within the justice system than those heights before. they can on the outside. “My brother told me as a young teen, you’re going to be the first one. My As the door to the concrete cell opened, the man jumped up and rushed brother paved the way for me. He was my guidance,” Tootoo said. forward to greet a guest he’d hoped might stop by. “Unfortunately, in 2002, Terence took his own life by suicide. … It rocked “Hey, Jordin!” the man said, reaching out his hand to greet Tootoo. “They not only my life but a lot of people in our territory. With suicide, you never told me you were coming!” know all of the answers.

Tootoo clutched the man’s hand as they shared an extended greeting. “We all fight a fight that no one else knows about.” The man smiled wide. Tootoo told the men about his spiral into alcoholism while coping with his “I was just reading your book,” the man said, looking back at the brother’s death and at the same time achieving his NHL dream. He grew paperback on the bed. Tootoo signed the copy for him. up learning to suppress his feelings, he said — and the booze helped keep them down. “Take it one day at a time,” Tootoo wrote. “I grew up being a tough guy,” Tootoo said. “No tough guy shows Kusugak, the Miners coach and the facility’s program director, told the weakness.” man he could keep the book he’d borrowed from the centre’s library. The man smiled wider, and held it against his chest. He told them about how he’d managed to change the cycle of his life. How he quit alcohol, leaning on friends who could relate to his battle. “You take care of yourself,” Tootoo said. “I’m just a kid from Rankin Inlet,” Tootoo said. “Be proud of who you are “Eh,” the man agreed. and where you come from. … This is a chance for you to change your life.” “Get on the right path,” Tootoo said. “I know it’s hard.” Tootoo—pictured here with his wife, Jennifer, and daughters Avery and “Eh,” the man nodded. Siena—is a much softer dad than he was player. (Courtesy of Jennifer He looked back down at his book as Tootoo left and the steel door Tootoo) closed. In the crowded living room inside his childhood house, Tootoo cradled his “All the Way” was written while Tootoo was still playing in the NHL — a 1-year-old daughter, Avery, while 3-year-old Siena played nearby. rarity for tell-all memoirs. But it carries a message that Tootoo felt he His mother, Rose, fixed up her famous Ukrainian perogies on the stove needed to share, even though his career wasn’t over. The book sent a while his father, Barney, searched the couch cushions for the TV remote shockwave through Rankin Inlet, revealing a raw look at the turmoil the — before turning on a game between the Maple Leafs and the Oilers. region’s most famous athlete endured. Jennifer Tootoo, Jordin’s wife — a friend since they were teenagers; they On the day Tootoo visited the Rankin Inlet Healing Centre, Prime married in 2014 — joked with him about being an adoring, deeply Minister Justin Trudeau was in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. He offered concerned father, and for going through way too many baby wipes and an official apology for the “colonial” and “purposeful” mistreatment of Inuit diapers. Fatherhood has changed his life, Tootoo said. His family means people through a mid-century government policy that separated everything. tuberculosis patients from their families, moving many to sanatoriums in the South to receive treatment — most never to return. Families weren’t The old house is cluttered and busy, especially with Jordin’s young family told where their loved ones were, or even if they had died. It was one of moving in for a week, not to mention all the friends and family who several government policies that dehumanized Inuit people in Canada for continually drop in to see them. But it’s also very much the same as it decades — like the residential schools, the punishment of children for was when he was growing up. The same over-heating kitchen light hangs speaking Inuit languages, and the forced relocation of entire communities from the ceiling, cooking anyone who stands beneath it. The walls are to faraway regions to assert Canadian sovereignty in the North. lined with dozens of team photos and portraits that chronicle the story of one brother whose story ended in youth, and the other that stretched on But an apology for past misdeeds doesn’t fix the ones that continue. Uja to fulfill the dream they shared. Karetak, the program counselor at the Rankin Inlet Healing Centre, noted many of the challenges that persist, including water boil advisories, like Rose and Barney are still there too. She perfected her perogies and one in Whale Cove that’s reached beyond a year, overcrowded homes, playfully bantered with her son, who gave her a tough time about the light poverty, substance abuse — and suicide. that made everybody sweat. Barney mostly ignored everyone in the room, preferring the game on television — but he later perked up to tell While funding and support for suicide prevention initiatives have stories about wrestling beluga whales off the coast of Hudson Bay. increased in Nunavut over the last decade, the territory’s suicide rate remains nearly nine times the national average, according to some When Tootoo first went public about the difficulties he faced growing up, reports. he was met with a tense silence from home. Although many families face similar circumstances, Tootoo said, very few discuss their problems “It boggles my mind the issues we deal with in the North,” Karatek said. openly. “There are so many contributing factors.” “Everyone looked at our family as being [up] on a platform, on the outside, but on the dynamics, here we shut the curtains, close the doors and it’d be hell,” he said. “I don’t blame anyone. This is how it is.”

He continues to share his story in hopes of helping as many people as he can. Something he plans to do even more now that he’s retired.

“We all talk about the dynamics of growing up in the North, and suicide prevention and mental health. Those are huge epidemics in our remote communities,” Tootoo said. “No one ever talks about it. … For me it’s about stopping one cycle and starting a new cycle. I’m not the one who knows it all, but our people can relate.”

The response, Tootoo said, outweighed any negatives in sharing his story. Knowing what life had been like in their family helped others see that their situation was not that different. Discussing that reality is a step toward healing, he said.

“Everyone in the community was like, we need that,” Tootoo said. “We need our people to hear.”

In the years since Tootoo’s book was first published, the friction with his family has eased, although they avoid discussing the past. Rose no longer drinks. But the family is still healing and growing, Tootoo said. Terence’s ashes are still kept at the house.

The spotlight of the tournament sparked renewed memories of Terence, and that has been hard on the entire family. Rose and Barney have had a particularly difficult time. But Tootoo tried to reinforce to his parents the importance of honouring his brother’s life and telling a story that might help save others. And as difficult as it was for them, Rose and Barney stood at centre-ice and dropped the puck for the faceoff during the tournament’s opening ceremony.

Jordin Tootoo, left, and his opponent Stephane Nukapiak took the honorary puck drop from Jordin’s parents, Rose and Barney, at the opening of the Terence Tootoo Memorial tournament. (David Kakuktinniq)

“It’s a celebration of his life,” Tootoo said. “It’s his legacy.”

With another game for the Miners scheduled that night, Tootoo finished up some perogies, kissed his girls — then put on his jacket and boots. He walked through the same mudroom door he used to follow Terence through, tracing the same path across the garage and out into the cold night. Tootoo, boots crunching in the snow, made his way to Troy Aksalnik’s truck, idling to take him to the rink.

Soon, the tournament over, the Miners charged onto the ice after beating John Voisey and the Jr. Canucks All-Star team in a final that featured 8 goals and many more curse words. The players hoisted the trophy and paraded around like they’d won the Stanley Cup. It would be their last contest in the Singiituq Complex; the old arena will soon be replaced by a new facility just down the road. When things calmed down, Tootoo took the mic and thanked the fans for packing the rink and cheering and jeering. And beneath the #22 sweater that hung in the rafters above him, Tootoo remembered the one he’d followed.

“We all know that my brother Terence is looking down on us,” he said, his voice echoing through the arena. “We’re thankful for this chance to carry on his legacy.”

With a storm rolling in across the tundra, players and fans rushed to pack up their snowmobiles for the long journey back to places like Whale Cove and Arviat, hoping to beat the blizzard home.

And across the street from the tiny house where Tootoo grew up, a young boy fired pucks against a garbage bin beneath a street light. Crack, thud … crack, thud … crack, thud … into the night. Just another kid from Rankin Inlet, following the path of someone who went before.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139196 Websites Kucherov was leading the NHL in scoring at that point, and for a time, it looked as if his greatest competition might come from the Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen. But Rantanen started to fade in the second The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: How the second half of the season half before getting hurt, dropping him back to into the pack. A year ago, has affected the NHL awards race McDavid reeled in Kucherov in the final month in the scoring race, and even though Kucherov finished third overall in 2017-18, he didn’t even make it into the top five in Hart trophy voting.

By Eric Duhatschek Apr 5, 2019 That will change this year.

Kucherov has been the best player on the best team in the league this year and since his three closest competitors in the scoring race In 1980-81, my first year of voting for NHL awards, there were 21 teams (McDavid, Patrick Kane and Leon Draisaitl) are on teams that won’t in the league and three voters per team, for a total of 63 ballots cast. In qualify for the postseason this year, he should win the award in a those days, not every game was on television and NHL stats were runaway. The greater intrigue will be to see who joins him as a top-three published weekly; meaning if you wanted to do an informed job as a finalist. Voters traditionally penalize players if they aren’t in the playoffs voter, the best way to do so was by contacting your colleagues in other and they generally don’t like goalies or defencemen either. (Since 2000, NHL cities. You wanted either to gain greater insights into who might be only one defenceman, Chris Pronger; and two goalies, Jose Theodore having a quietly distinguished season on the teams they covered, or and Carey Price, have won the Hart). alternatively if there was someone posting gaudy stats that might have some underlying weaknesses in their games that weren’t readily Assuming that pattern repeats itself this year, and the top three finishers apparent to the casual eye. are all forwards again, the runners-up will likely come from a group that included Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, MacKinnon or Gaudreau, It was an imprecise process – just as it is today, where you can now though there is a part of me that wonders if Alex Ovechkin is going to get weigh a mountain of statistical evidence and underlying analytical any love here, after managing yet another 50-goal season on behalf of numbers and filter that information through common sense, plus the old- the Washington Capitals. fashioned eye test. Old guy alert: I may even reference plus-minus in this discussion. Predicted winner: Kucherov. Predicted runners-up: Crosby, Marchand.

One interesting byproduct of calling around and talking to other writers Norris Trophy about candidates in their markets was that the process could often act as a de facto straw poll, a means of discerning how voters were leaning. For At midseason, the PHWA selectors picked Mark Giordano of the Calgary about a decade, it wasn’t all that difficult to accurately forecast how the Flames first; the Leafs Morgan Rielly second; and Brent Burns of the San annual NHL awards would be distributed. Jose Sharks third. The Norris, awarded to the defenceman who demonstrates the greatest all-around ability in the position, is the one Now, it’s harder. trophy where the PHWA has recently spread the love around – there have been six different winners in each of the past six years, including There are 31 teams and the voter pool has been greatly expanded. Last last year, when Victor Hedman of the Lightning got the nod ahead of the year, a total of 164 ballots were cast and there was a great deal of Kings Drew Doughty. Doughty, and last year’s other finalist, PK Subban suspense surrounding most of the major awards, including the big one – of the Nashville Predators, are not factors in the race this year, but the Hart Trophy, which annually is awarded to the player adjudged to be Hedman’s strong second half has nudged him into contention and maybe most valuable to his own team. even into the lead. Ultimately, Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils edged Nathan But Giordano has maintained his almost point-per-game scoring MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche for the award. The common production; is a league-leading plus-39; and has probably been the single thread there: Each player – one in the Eastern Conference, one in the most important contributor to the Flames’ unexpected surge to the top of Western Conference – were the catalysts behind extraordinary year- the Western Conference. Plus, he’s 35 and having the finest year of his over-year gains by their respective teams. Colorado went from 48 to 95 career. Giordano was actually in the Norris conversation in 2015 before points and qualified for the playoffs as the second wild card in the West, an injury ended his season after 61 games and his hopes of winning the while New Jersey went from 70 to 97 points and qualified as the second award evaporated. Voters get to put five names on their ballots and while wild card in the East. both Burns and Rielly have likely done enough to stay in the top five, it Voters are annually tripped up over the precise definition of the Hart – not will be interesting to see if productive second halves from Hedman and necessarily the best player but the most valuable to his team – which Washington’s John Carlson knock either Burns or Reilly out of the top provides endless fodder for debate, because there will be years when a three. player may be a candidate for the Hart and yet, might not even be the Predicted winner: Giordano. Predicted runners-up: Hedman, Burns. most valuable to his own team. Calder Trophy Given how the voter pool has grown so large, the only straw poll with any genuine merit is a new-old thing that the Professional Hockey Writers’ Last year was a runaway win for the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal, Association instituted two years back – conducting a midseason poll of who was deemed to be the most proficient player in his first year of the membership to see how it was collectively leaning in the awards competition. Not only did Barzal produce an eye-popping 85 points in 82 chase. games, but injuries also took his two primary midseason competitors — Vancouver’s Brock Boeser and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy — out of the The PHWA votes for the Hart, the Calder, the Norris, the Selke and the race. Barzal ended up earned 160 out of a possible 164 first-place votes. Lady Byng. The NHL Broadcasters Association votes for the Jack Adams; the 31 NHL GMs vote for the Vezina; and the NHL Players The only real question this year is: Can the Canucks’ Elias Pettersson Association votes for the Ted Lindsay, which is awarded to the league’s win in the same landslide fashion? Pettersson was the midseason leader most outstanding player. in the PHWA poll ahead of two defencemen – Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars. Midseason voting patterns are always interesting to reassess because a lot can change in half a year – and usually does. Since midseason, however, one wild-card candidate has edged into the conversation: St. Louis Blues’ rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington, who But this year is a little unusual in that many of the midseason leaders was promoted to the NHL in January and has been the single greatest probably did enough in the second half to cement their early leads. Let’s contributor to the team’s historic second-half turnaround. In a year when look at where things stood halfway through the year and how – if at all – goal scoring is up, Binnington’s numbers are right out of the dead-puck they may have changed in the second half. era: 22-5-1 record, 1.85 GAA, .928 save percentage and five shutouts in Hart Trophy half-a-season of work.

At midseason, Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov was the choice, ahead of In theory, Binnington’s strong play and value to the Blues’ resurgence Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Edmonton’s Connor should push him into the top three, though voters have historically McDavid. penalized players for missing chunks of the season. Pettersson will be the runaway rookie scoring leader. Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk has edged into the second spot and has had a thoroughly respectable rookie season couldn’t keep the Ducks in the playoff chase, so he is unlikely to get the as well. They will likely be the five names on most ballots, order to be nod. determined. The Islanders are in contention for the Jennings, but because they divide Predicted winner: Pettersson. Predicted runners-up: Binnington, the workload between Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, neither is Heiskanen. considered a viable Vezina candidate. Among the top half-dozen GAA leaders, there is really one genuine starter, Dallas’s Ben Bishop, but Selke Trophy injuries have limited Bishop’s minutes played this year as well. Until a In the beginning, when Montreal’s Bob Gainey had sole custody of the recent injury, it looked as Fleury would lead the league in wins – that Selke for the first four years of its existence, the primary criteria was honor now will likely go to Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy – and they will defensive excellence, pure and simple. Over time, however, the Selke both get some votes. But Montreal’s Carey Price kept the Canadiens has come to represent something else – and has morphed into an award unexpectedly in the playoff race for most of the season; and is coming off for the NHL’s best all-around forward. Usually, your Selke winner is an a really difficult underachieving year. GMs tend to have a long memory exceptionally sound defensive forward, who also happens to be having a and may give some love to Price because of his contributions to really great offensive year. Last year, for example, that player was the Montreal’s solid year. Kings’ Anze Kopitar, who had 92 points to go along with all those faceoff Predicted winner: Vasilevskiy. Predicted runners-up: Fleury, Price. wins and responsible two-way play. Jack Adams Award The modern-day equivalent to Gainey is Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, who has won the award four times in the past seven years, and last year, Generally speaking, the Adams award goes to the coach that oversaw finished third – probably because he missed a quarter of the season and the most surprising turnaround in a team’s fortunes, despite the criteria voters couldn’t find his name among the scoring leaders (his 30 goals actually being to the coach adjusted to have contributed most to his and 63 points in 64 games kept him just outside the top 30). team’s success. Last year, it went quite sensibly to Gerard Gallant, who took an expansion team, Vegas, to the Pacific Division title (and This year, Bergeron was the PHWA’s midseason choice and even subsequently to the Stanley Cup final). At midseason, the writers gave though, once again, he will have missed significant time with injury (16 the award to the Islanders’ Barry Trotz ahead of the Calgary Flames’ Bill games, mostly in December), he is seventh in points-per-game; will finish Peters and the Lightning’s Jon Cooper. I would have no issue with those among the scoring leaders; and frankly, is just having a spectacular three finishing in that exact order. Trotz’s work, to get the John Tavares- season. It’s hard to imagine anyone dislodging him from the top of the less Islanders into the playoffs, and helping to turn the NHL’s worst podium this year. defensive team into its best, is an example of why coaching does matter. Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Mark Stone (then of Ottawa, now of Peters was a little bit of a controversial hire in Calgary, due to his four Vegas) rounded out the top three at midseason and they will likely be playoff-less years behind the bench in Carolina, and given that he was there, though you could also make compelling cases for the Blues’ Ryan hired to accomplish just that with the Flames. But Peters managed to O’Reilly, the Flames’ Elias Lindholm, the Flyers’ Sean Couturier, and one weave the old with the new in Calgary and helped them become way-under-the-radar player having a quietly effective year, the Coyotes’ conference champions. And while we all love Tampa’s talent, what Brad Richardson. Cooper has accomplished in turning the Lightning into a powerhouse, with a still relatively young nucleus, should not be overlooked. They are Predicted winner: Bergeron. Predicted runners-up: Barkov, Stone. among the league leaders in offence, defence, special teams and the one metric that sometimes tends to be overlooked when picking a winner Lady Byng Trophy in this category – points in the standings. There have been a few players in the past who’ve wanted no business Predicted winner: Trotz. Predicted runners-up: Peters, Cooper. with the Byng — awarded to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, combined with a The PWHA also predicted winners in two other award categories that do high standard of playing ability — because the notion of gentlemanly not exist in the NHL – one for the NHL’s best defensive defenceman and conduct and rough-and-tumble nature of NHL hockey seem curiously at another for its comeback player of the year. About a month ago, a regular odds with each other. reader wondered if it would be worth naming an all-discard team – that is, a team of players, coaches and managers who had fallen out of favor For years, voter fatigue also seems to play a role in the Byng selection with one organization who then resurrected their careers elsewhere. process, because it’s often the last ballot they get to and one they tend to sometimes rush past. Invariably, voters tend to skim the penalty minutes That’s brilliant, and it sort of ties into the comeback narrative (which, by column, compare them to the points total of a player and then use some the way, the PHWA defines as returning to a previous high level of weird formula between those two categories to make their selections. performance that was interrupted by subpar play, long-term injury or Which is too bad because the award has been around since 1925 and a major illness). If the NHL ever did come up with an all-discard award, generation of greats – from Red Kelly and Dave Keon to Jean Ratelle they could name it after Martin St. Louis, who went undrafted; and was and Mike Bossy – have won the Byng multiple times. At midseason, the bought out by his first NHL team (Calgary); only to resurrect his career in PHWA went with Barkov, Toronto’s Rielly and Sean Monahan of the Tampa, where he won a Stanley Cup and ultimately carved out a Hall of Flames 1-2-3. But Byng voting can be particularly scattershot, and you’d Fame career. have to consider both O’Reilly and Toronto’s Auston Matthews will get some consideration. But Barkov has had an exceptional second half for There are many ways you can assess an all-discard team. I’ll make my the Panthers, and since voters had him atop the list even before his selections without comment, but invite readers to debate, discuss and surge up the scoring ranks, you’d have to think he’s a pretty safe choice otherwise challenge in the section below. here. GM: Lou Lamoriello (Islanders). Coach: Trotz (Islanders). Goalies: Predicted winner: Barkov. Predicted runners-up: O’Reilly, Monahan. Lehner (Islanders), Jack Campbell (Kings). Defence: Noah Hanifin (Calgary), Jordan Oesterle (Arizona), Brett Kulak (Montreal), Luke Vezina Trophy Schenn (Vancouver). Forwards: Max Domi (Montreal), Dylan Strome (Chicago), Jeff Skinner (Buffalo), Nino Niederreiter (Carolina), Lindholm Up until 1981, the Vezina was a statistical award and went to the goalies (Calgary), O’Reilly (St. Louis). with the best collective goals-against average. In the final year the Vezina was awarded that way, it was shared by a trio of Montreal But there are probably lots of others to consider, and I’m willing to ponder netminders – Richard Sevigny, Denis Herron and Michel (Bunny) other nominations. Larocque. The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 Then, the NHL introduced the William Jennings Trophy for lowest GAAs and gave the GMs the mandate to choose the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position. Jim Carey, in 1996 for Washington, was my favorite selection because he interrupted a five-year run for Dominik Hasek. At midseason, the writers gave the Vezina to Anaheim’s John Gibson ahead of Vegas’s Marc-Andre Fleury and the Leafs’ Frederik Andersen, which were all reasonable choices at the time. But Gibson 1139197 Websites “You have to have a competitive mindset, that a lot of times is developed by playing sports where you want to be the best at what you’re doing,” Chayka said. “I think that regardless of what people perceive you as, it’s The Athletic / Meghan Chayka’s work in analytics is breaking ground in that excitement that keeps you motivated and working hard to do the hockey in more ways than one things that people don’t expect of you.”

In that regard, Meghan has found inspiration in sporting legends like Tom Brady and Stephen Curry. Brady’s uninspiring collegiate career at By Jordan Samuels-Thomas Apr 5, 2019 Michigan and Curry’s pre-draft scouting report are examples of champions who’ve persevered and transcended their field of play despite

a lack of outside belief during the early stages of their careers, Chayka If I told you one of the most influential people making an impact on the said. NHL is a 6-foot-1 Canadian who sees the game in a way not many do, (Courtesy Meghan Chayka) who comes to mind? Being one of the leaders in hockey analytics in a sport where many of the You might consider a hotshot goal scorer or playmaker. Or maybe a decision makers still take an old-school approach when it comes to coach or a front office executive who is evaluating the game differently. processing the game is hard enough. It can be made even more But there are few changing the game like Meghan Chayka and her sports challenging for Chayka as a woman. analytics company, Stathletes. Since onboarding their first NHL team in “Women face challenges all the time in any field for sure,” Chayka said. 2012, Stathletes has been one of the leading innovators in data tracking, “Some people have mistaken me as someone’s secretary or an analysis and the use of numbers in making qualified hockey decisions. assistant, I think there’s always a notion in the back of peoples head of Chayka, a co-founder, describes Stathletes as more than just a data what bringing a woman in, or that working with a different gender might company. The company has grown exponentially since opening its doors do in disturbing the culture. But I think that can be overcome as well, with in 2010 and now has a global footprint. Stathletes tracks data in over 22 being professional, doing your work and providing your value. So no leagues including all three CHL leagues and the NCAA. matter who you are or where you come from, there is a spot for you.”

One of the company’s specialties is collecting data on players who are Former New Jerseys Devils employee Rachel Doerrie, who was part of eligible for the NHL Draft. If a team is interested in getting additional the Devils information/video department as recently as December 2018, information when choosing between a prospect from the OHL or WHL, has faced similar challenges to Chayka in having her skill set viewed as Stathletes is there to assist when the eye-test isn’t enough. equal to her male counterparts.

Or if a team needs to dig deeper on a draft-eligible player who isn’t “Women’s voices are taken less seriously off the hop,” Doerrie said. “As receiving a lot of ice time while playing in one of the top leagues in a female, you have to prove that your opinion and work has merit. I have Europe, Stathletes can use its tracking data to help paint a more seen men get hired with zero experience because they know someone or complete picture of that prospect’s game and potential. simply because male opinions are more trusted because it is assumed that they know what they are talking about.” However, in a sport dominated by men who account for all player and coaching positions and the overwhelming majority of front office There hasn’t always been a place for analytics in the NHL just like there positions, it’s a woman, Chayka, who has been a driving force behind haven’t always been opportunities for women to work in the NHL. Stathletes and at the forefront of the new data-driven NHL. Chayka’s position as, arguably, the leading woman in her field and in hockey isn’t lost on her. But it’s an idea that she tries to keep in the back Chayka’s commitment to changing the way the game is evaluated is an of her mind in order to push forward and potentially pave the way for endeavor that carries as much significance on the statistical information other women in hockey. front as it does in increasing diversity and gender opportunities in hockey. As a young entrepreneur, Chayka faced some early challenges “I don’t think about it too much day to day,” Chayka said. “I receive a lot in finding opportunities to pitch analytics to NHL front offices. Yet, she of notes … or people who reach out to talk at tech events that I’ve was persistent in her quest because she understood the value of spoken at and that’s really humbling and nice that some think of me in advanced data and how it could aid organizations in making critical that way but at the same time if I’m the only women in the room during hockey decisions. these times that’s not a good thing either.”

“It’s been a lot of hard work. It’s been a lot of a building process to get “Meghan is absolutely a role model and a terrific one at that,” Doerrie here. A lot of that can be attributed to the moves that we (Stathletes) said of Chayka. “She is hard working, puts up with more as a female than made early in the process that wasn’t even recognized publicly at the a male counterpart would have to, consistently looking for ways to time,” Chayka said. “I’m still learning every day, a lot from other sports innovate and improve her company as well as herself. But with Meghan, like MLB, NBA and even soccer. There’s never an end on how much you she is out there as someone who interacts and wants to help people on a can learn and change.” professional and personal level. She’s been a great sounding board for me. I also like how she goes about it – she isn’t in your face or Despite that focus, there wasn’t one particular defining moment where confrontational about women in hockey. She just presents as someone Chayka knew analytics would become her life’s work. When Chayka first who knows what she’s talking about and if you earn that, regardless of began thinking about her future and which university to attend to reach gender, you deserve a seat at the table.” her goals, the first step in her decision-making process was deciphering what her goals actually were. Chayka recently delivered on a goal she set for herself in making the technology available for everyone and providing women’s hockey with Chayka enrolled at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., in 2003 with the same resources as men. The 2018 marked the first her sights set on eventually studying medicine. However, a passion for time Stathletes secured a contract to cover women’s hockey. It was the numbers and problem solving eventually prevailed, leading Chayka to the type of opportunity in women’s hockey that Chayka had been trying to economics department. secure since becoming an analytics entrepreneur and another step forward in having a gender balance in her work that mirrors the A series of statistically focused courses were required as part of the Stathletes office dynamic. curriculum. Though Chayka didn’t know it at the time, in a lot of ways those classes had a gravitational pull that would guide her future. While diversity can be seen at the Stathletes office in St. Catharines, Chayka’s continued education lead to the realization of the impact that Ont., Chayka looks forward to the day when it becomes commonplace in data and analytics could have in sports and the opportunity to apply her all of her professional circles. skill set in hockey. “I’m not surrounded by a lot of women and it’s something that’s hard to Chayka credits her hunger for knowledge, willingness to problem solve change overnight, but I definitely think that there’s room for a lot more and drive to overdeliver as keys to her company’s success. Her approach women and I think that there is the right balance of gender or diversity,” toward being the CEO of her own company and ensuring it’s continued Chayka said. growth and success isn’t much different from the players whose data Stathletes collects every night. A push, or rather an understanding, to the intrinsic value that comes with having a workplace made up of a diverse mixture of gender, race and other backgrounds is still being realized in the sporting world. Companies whose employees come from diverse backgrounds are less susceptible to exhibit groupthink-like symptoms that can deter innovation and growth while promoting conformity and the false illusion of invulnerability.

“Different backgrounds and thoughts not only prevent groupthink, but I believe it makes companies more competitive in such a global tech environment,” said Chayka, who continues to find ways to add to the field that she has had a hand in cultivating.

“I really like that Meghan knows she has something different, leverages that and consistently works to improve it,” Doerrie said. “Stathletes offers a different sort of analysis that other platforms don’t currently have to the extent of microstats. She also isn’t afraid to put her opinion and findings out there.”

Chayka is very active on social media. She tweets her opinions, custom shot maps and clips from the various tech conferences in which she is a keynote speaker. Chayka also teaches a sports analytics course at the University of Toronto where she aims to inspire the next generation of statistical thinkers.

Chayka’s future goals lie with Stathletes and overseeing its continued growth. Chayka and Stathletes find pleasure in reaching goals and benchmarks that were thought to be unattainable even three to five years ago. A success that she attributes to the team she’s built around her.

When asked if she had any advice for those looking to follow in her footsteps, Chayka replied: “Pick what you’re passionate about and combine it with skills, learning as deeply as you can in specific areas where you can contribute value.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019 1139198 Websites You folks have tough jobs. And for the most part, you do great work. Thanks for that. It can’t be an easy to keep track of one of the world’s fastest sports, one where the action can switch direction based on a The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: There’s still lots left to play for, a TV pet quick play here or a random bounce there, and still make all those split- peeve and a brief history of crazy goalie pulls second decisions in real time. I know I couldn’t do it. So, kudos.

But I’d like to ask you for one favor, especially as we get close to the playoffs and your natural sense of the dramatic starts to perk up. At some By Sean McIndoe Apr 5, 2019 point over the next few days and weeks, you’re going to be doing a game where a team is trailing and pulls its goalie for an extra attacker as the

seconds tick away. And chances are, the other team might get the puck From the headlines and fire a long distance shot at that vacated net. It’s a big moment.

Tomorrow is the last day of the regular season, and while a few weeks I need you to listen to me: Do not cut the live shot over to the camera ago it looked like it was shaping up to be a fantastic night of hockey, it’s inside of the net. suddenly looking like a bit of a letdown. The Western wild-card race Please. I know it seems like a cool thing to do. I know that it feels like a ended last night, the Caps clinching the Metro means three of the four chance to get the perfect shot of the puck sliding into the net to seal the divisions are locked up, the scoring race hasn’t been competitive for game at exactly the right moment from the closest possible vantage weeks and even home ice has been settled for several matchups. Apart point. from the Central title, the only important thing stills up for grabs is that final Eastern wild-card spot between Columbus and Montreal, and it’s But that almost never happens. Instead, you’re almost always a little too possible even that could be all wrapped up by the end of tonight. late to make the cut, and the whole thing is disorienting. And most of the time the puck goes wide anyway, and now we don’t know if icing is being But that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing left to play for. So today, let’s signaled or whether there’s a race for the puck because you’ve stuck us look on the bright side as we try to get hyped for the season finale by inside the net. highlighting some of the important storylines that still need to be wrapped up for various teams. Stop it. The viewers really don’t need you to get creative. There are two and only two angles we need to see while the play is going on: the Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov has a chance to set an all-time classic side view, and an occasional closer shot on a puck-carrier or record for assists in a season for a winger with 88, breaking the mark that corner battle. And honestly, if you accidentally forgot to use that second was previously set in the early 1980s when Wayne Gretzky played out of one, we’d be fine with it. Stick with the standard view until the whistle position for six games. blows, and we’re good. Carolina Hurricanes: Have vowed not to do the Storm Surge during the All those other angles are great for replays or when we’re between the playoffs, which means this is their last chance to pay tribute to owner action. But when the play is happening? We don’t need the behind-the- Tom Dundon by awkwardly tossing a football around a giant pile of net shot for power plays. Or the tracking shot of the goalie being pulled. money they’ve set on fire. Or the dramatic zooming skycam shot of the opening faceoff. And Edmonton Oilers: Could theoretically take advantage of an otherwise definitely not the inside-the-net shot of an empty net goal being scored, meaningless game to experiment with some weird lineup they’ve never or not scored, or who knows what because we can’t tell because you just used before, like maybe one with a fourth forward. switched away from the only angle that tells us what’s happening.

Toronto Maple Leafs: John Tavares can still catch Leon Draisaitl to win Get creative on the replays, if you must. But while things are actually the Rocket Richard Trophy that will be retroactively awarded in a few happening, just chill out and show us the game. The viewers will thank years after we realize that has secretly been a you. military-grade cyborg this whole time. Obscure former player of the week San Jose Sharks: I don’t know, might finally get around to making that This week’s obscure player is Dave Balon, mainly because I want to tell trade deadline deal for a decent goaltender. the story of the wildest season finale in NHL history. Ottawa Senators: Might have a shot at keeping Matt Duchene out of the Balon was a winger from Saskatchewan who wasn’t all that obscure in playoffs, as opposed to how they spent most of the last two seasons, his day. He established himself in the NHL with the Rangers in the early keeping Matt Duchene out of the playoffs. ’60s, and was sent to Montreal as part of the blockbuster 1963 trade Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson has made it clear all year long that involving Gump Worsley and Jacques Plante. He won two Cups in he desperately wants to get his hands on the Calder Trophy, so Montreal before being plucked by Minnesota in the 1967 expansion draft; Saturday’s game against the Blues presents him with a great chance to he only scored 15 goals that year, but that was enough for him to be the ask Jordan Binnington if he’ll let him borrow it some time. North Stars’ first-ever all-star, representing the team at the 1968 game. He was traded back to the Rangers that offseason and recorded a pair of Nashville Predators: Will no doubt want to earn a win in front of their 30-goal seasons. He also had a stint in Vancouver and with the WHA’s raucous home fans, although if they can’t do it tonight they’ll still have Nordiques, but had his career cut short by multiple sclerosis. He’d later two or three more chances. get into coaching, including several years behind the bench of the Humboldt Broncos. New York Islanders: Are in a tight two-team race for the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed, and reading that has made you realize you An interesting thing about Balon is that despite ultimately playing 14 NHL have no idea who the other team is, and now you’re opening a new tab to seasons, all four of his career hat tricks came within a single year, with go and look it up, and now you’re just kind of staring at the screen the first coming on Feb. 1, 1970, and the last on January 24, 1971. But muttering about how that can’t be right. it’s the second one we’re interested in. That one came 49 years ago today, on April 5, 1970, and it gives us an excuse to tell the story of what Anaheim Ducks: Are the only team that won’t be playing on Saturday the league’s own website refers to it as “the NHL’s wildest day.” I’m not because their season ends tonight, so congratulations in advance on the sure they’re wrong. only time in the next decade or so that they’ll be able to say they finished first. Here’s the setup. It’s the last day of the season, and the Canadiens are two points up on the Rangers for the final playoff spot in the East. They Boston Bruins: Will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that will also hold a four-goal edge in the tiebreaker, which at the time is goals mark their final opportunity of the year to test their skills against a team scored. (Not differential; just total goals for. Remember that.) So all they wearing blue and white that might actually beat them. have to do to make the playoffs is win or tie their final game, while the The week’s of comedy Rangers have to win, hope for a Habs loss, and also outscore Montreal by five goals or more. The third star: Chris Chelios – Honestly I’m old enough to remember when he debuted and it feels like longer than that. The Rangers were playing the Red Wings in an afternoon game, and coach Emile Francis had a simple game plan: Win, and score as often as Hey people who direct NHL telecasts, can we have a word? possible. They pummeled a Wings team with nothing to play for, taking a 4-1 lead in the first and increasing that to 7-2 after the second. They kept decided to have them change every five minutes. Why? Nobody seems pouring it on, increasing their lead to 9-2 on the strength of that Balon hat to know. But the plan was to do it between whistles. trick. Here’s my favorite part: late in the third, with his team up seven goals, Francis started pulling his goalie to try to get more. Instead, the Here’s where details get sketchy. The New York Times game story Wings scored a few into the empty net. That didn’t matter, because it’s somehow doesn’t mention this play at all, and our clip cuts off before we goals scored the Rangers are worried about, not differential, and they still can get any sort of replay or explanation of what we just saw. But earned a 9-5 win. according to this interview, it was Young himself who came up with the idea to change on the fly. He and Wregget basically did it on their own as So now it’s over to Montreal, who are in Chicago to face the Hawks. They an audible, and some of the Penguins on the ice didn’t even realize it had still control their own destiny, needing a win or a tie to clinch. But if they happened. Their teammates had thrown money into a collection to try to lose, they need to score five goals to catch up to the Rangers. It’s a close dare the goalies to pull the move off, and they decided to cash in. game through two, with the Hawks up 3-2, when disaster strikes – Chicago’s Pit Martin scores twice midway through the third. Now And best of all, Young claims that he and Wregget actually executed a Montreal knows they probably won’t win, and they turn their attention to high-five as they passed each other during the change. How was this not that goals scored tie-breaker. So they pull their goalie midway through captured on film? Pittsburgh fans have seen Mario Lemieux and Sidney the third in a desperate attempt to score their way into the playoffs. Crosby and Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin and five Stanley Cups, but Instead, they give up five empty-net goals, establishing a Chicago record two goaltenders high-fiving during an on-the-fly change would have for goals in a period with seven and leading to a lopsided 10-2 final. easily been the most impressive moment in Penguins history. Somebody needs to find this footage. Balon and the Rangers were in, the Canadiens were out for the only time between 1948 and 1995, and everyone realized that goals scored In totally unrelated news, the Penguins’ season finale is tomorrow, they probably wasn’t the smartest tiebreaker for playoff spots after all. And don’t have much to play for, and oh yeah, they’re playing the Rangers. anyone who tries to tell you that NHL coaches were stuffy and I’m not saying that Mike Sullivan should order his goalies to do this at conservative a generation ago needs to be reminded of the great goalie- some point during the game. I’m just saying that if he wants to be like pulling battle of the 1970 season finale. , he has no choice.

Classic YouTube clip breakdown The Athletic LOADED: 04.06.2019

Speaking of bizarre goalie pulls in games involving the Rangers on the season’s final day, let’s get really weird. Take it away, Scotty Bowman.

This one’s shorter than our usual clip, which is why I’ve never broken it out before. But it’s such a strange moment, and so few fans seem to know about it, that we had to do it someday. Today’s that day.

It’s April 16, 1992, and the Penguins are in New York for both teams’ season finale. It’s the third period and the Rangers are already well on their way to a 7-1 blowout win, Pittsburgh is locked into third in the Patrick and the Rangers having already clinched the Presidents’ Trophy. Also, the Penguins are the defending champs at this point. None of this matters. So let’s have some fun, right?

By the way, I highly recommend showing this clip to friends with the title and volume off and seeing if they can notice what happens.

We start off with Mark Messier, in his first season as a Ranger, feeding it up to rookie Tony Amonte. That play doesn’t go anywhere, and the Penguins force a turnover back behind their own net. Watching all this unfold is their goaltender, Ken Wregget. He’s the guy in the white helmet. This will turn out to be important.

The Penguins send the play up the other way, with Joey Mullen leading a 3-on-2. Mullen is wrapping up his first full season in Pittsburgh, finishing third in team scoring with 42 goals and 87 points. I’ve mentioned this before, but Mullen was one of an astounding five future Hall of Famers acquired by Penguins’ GM in one calendar year back in the early ’90s. The list includes Mullen (trade in June 1990), Jaromir Jagr (draft pick in June 1990), Bryan Trottier (free agent in July 1990), Larry Murphy (trade in December 1990) and Ron Francis (trade in March 1991). Craig Patrick was good at his job.

Anyway, Mullen’s rush is broken up and Messier collects the puck to head back the other way. At this point, the crowd makes a weird noise, almost as if something very strange is happening that we can’t see. Spoiler alert: It is.

Messier breaks in on a 3-on-1 and dishes the puck to the front of the net. Nothing all that unusual there, until you notice the small detail that that goalie is now wearing a black helmet. And, uh, is no longer Ken Wregget.

That would be Wendell Young, who has managed to replace Wregget in goal while the play was at the other end. As our play-by-play man alertly points out, the Penguins have changed goalies on the fly, which is apparently a legal thing you can do. And Young has to make a tough play right away, because the Rangers almost score.

I’d just like to point out that while this sort of chaos seems crazy now, it could become commonplace once we institute the Devan Dubnyk Rule. There’s still time to get that in place before the playoffs, NHL.

OK, so what’s going on here? Details are a little sketchy, but here’s what we know. Bowman wanted to use both goaltenders to keep them fresh for the playoffs, and rather than just switch halfway through the game he 1139199 Websites team save percentage fall from .917 last year to .909 through 81 games of this one.

Perhaps this chance to get private instruction from Marlies goalie coach Sportsnet.ca / Leafs left with no choice but to remove Sparks from lineup Jon Elkin, not to mention some 1-on-1 work with the Leafs’ Steve Briere, as playoffs loom will be a turning point. His .902 save percentage across 20 appearance this season was 48th league-wide — which suggests he was still a mid- to low-range NHL backup. Chris Johnston | April 5, 2019, 7:34 PM But his play sagged in the second half and Sparks seemed increasingly erratic while moving around his crease — especially when compared to his partner, Andersen. Those parallels weren’t lost on him, either. TORONTO — They saw enough in Garret Sparks to give him another year, but cracks had already started to surface around the Toronto Maple “I’m just fortunate to have [Andersen] out there and get to learn from him Leafs backup by the time his contract extension was announced last and watch him on a daily basis, but at the same time it makes the month. comparison that much more challenging, right?” he said last month. “You have to live up to the greatness that he brings every day. As I’ve said, Unvarnished like usual, the 25-year-old pointed to them himself. He was you can think about [goaltending] as there’s so many different positions a couple days removed from getting shelled for six goals on Long Island within the position, but at the end of the day if you’re stopping the puck, and not feeling particularly good about how things had gone during his you’re doing your job. first full NHL season. “That’s all anybody’s asking you to do.” “It’s been emotionally taxing, I won’t lie,” said Sparks. “It’s been a tough year.” He didn’t make enough saves to hang on to his job. Not with so much on the line in Toronto this spring. Where he found optimism that afternoon was in the notion he would eventually come out better for having survived the experience. Hard as it Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.06.2019 may be, it’s an approach he’ll need to double-down on after the Leafs made the unusual decision of removing him as their backup on the penultimate day of the regular season.

Sparks didn’t just lose his net at Friday’s practice, he lost his locker stall as well. Space is it a premium with expanded rosters. The Leafs elected to grant him some physical and mental space to rebuild his game while recalling veteran Michael Hutchinson to back up Frederik Andersen for Saturday’s regular-season finale in Montreal and Games 1 and 2 in Boston next week.

It’s both a bold move and a justified one.

Things had not improved since Sparks received a vote of confidence from management with the $750,000, one-year extension on March 5. He was in net for a pair of losses to the 31st-place Ottawa Senators down the stretch — taking full blame for the second one last Saturday — and posted an .895 save percentage over 11 appearances dating back to Dec. 29.

What it came down to, really, is the fact he couldn’t be trusted for mop-up duty in Round 1 should something happen to Andersen.

“What we tried to do because we believe in Sparky is give him every opportunity,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock told reporters Friday. “I mean you can look at it any way you want, the way we chose to do it is to do everything we could to help him get his game to where it needed to be. Now the team’s way more important than any individual and so you make those decisions.”

Make no mistake: It could be a significant one. You’ll hear some suggest that it won’t matter because the Leafs are doomed if they’re relying on anyone other than Andersen, but in the playoffs they might only need a solid 10-minute stretch from the backup to preserve a win or one quality start to provide the tipping point in a series.

Remember that third-stringer Jeff Zatkoff recorded one of the 16 wins the Pittsburgh Penguins needed to capture the Stanley Cup in 2016. They might not have advanced past the first round without it.

Hutchinson carries a little more NHL experience than Sparks — having appeared in 111 games, compared with 37 for him — and has a .910 save percentage with the AHL Marlies this season. He knows the drill here.

The Leafs acquired him from Florida for a fifth-round pick in late December as much-needed insurance after both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard were lost on waivers at the end of training camp.

Kyle Dubas placed the veterans on the waiver wire at the same time in hopes of sneaking one through to serve as the No. 3 behind Sparks, but it didn’t work. That would have given the general manager more flexibility to manage the goaltending situation throughout the season.

Sparks, a seventh-round pick by Toronto in 2011, had unquestionably earned his opportunity to get a run of NHL games after posting dominant AHL numbers and winning the Calder Cup. The organization just didn’t have much of an in-season solution when he faltered, seeing its overall 1139200 Websites Cole was, is and will always be revered in hockey circles as one of a kind, and treated accordingly. And what makes those moments even more wonderful is that Bob never takes them for granted. He remains in Sportsnet.ca / What makes Bob Cole tick is what has always made him awe of it all. He’s honoured to have called Jean Beliveau’s only overtime so special goal. He still chuckles like a child when told a great of the game wants to meet him, to shake his hand and say hello.

It’s really important to emphasize Bob’s passion. Because Bob does John Shannon April 5, 2019, 10:25 AM everything with passion. He’s passionate about his family…and curling… and Newfoundland… and golf… and hockey… and doing it right. Doing it

all right. I have known Bob for well over 40 years, longer than any of the cohorts Bob Cole loves Frank Sintra. he works alongside today on Hockey Night in Canada. Our time together includes Super Series and Stanley Cups, Olympics and Fish and Chips Bob Cole loves the New York Yankees. on the South Shore. To call this the end of an era, might be one of the great understatements of all time. Bob Cole loves being a part of Hockey Night In Canada. To this day, I don’t believe I’ve seen Bob not wearing his favourite piece of jewelry. He Bob Cole: His Voice. His Style. His Passion. He and all his traits wears a Hockey Night in Canada ring. He wears that ring with the same transcend generations of hockey fans who have heard him tell stories on pride a championship player wears his Stanley Cup ring. Saturday nights. That, in a nutshell, is what makes him tick. Classic people. Classic No one in our business, in front of the camera, in the booth or behind the teams. Bob, himself, is a classic. scenes, has had a better flair for the dramatic than Bob. His sense of moment is brilliant. The stories his broadcast partners tell of receiving The national reaction to Bob’s farewelll tour? The public outpouring of “The Heisman” from Bob as he orchestrates from the booth, putting a appreciation that Bob has and continues to receive? hand up dictating when the next words should be spoken. He treats Not even the Great Bob Cole himself could have anticipated all of this. events like a great conductor of a symphony orchestra would. You also get a tremendous understanding for his knowledge of the game of Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.06.2019 hockey with his sense of anticipation. With a simple change in tone or a quick phrase,”Watch out!”… “Here THEY come!” …”Oh Baby!”… These aren’t big words, but they’re emphatic words.

His tone and delivery made you to look up from the computer, and move to the edge of your seat. They told you that if you weren’t totally engaged in the game, you should pay attention now. His sense of anticipation is perhaps separates Cole from most others, and put him on a level with the greatest to sit behind a mic: , Foster Hewitt, .

He knows a big goal in the first minute of the first period is important, but not as important as one in the third. Like many of the Broadway plays Bob loves to attend, he knows the end of Scene One is not as important as the finale, so he will use his voice accordingly. His sense of moment is impeccable. Bob shouldn’t be in a text book. He is a text book.

But perhaps Bob’s greatest attribute is his ability to put a special signature on each of those memorable moments. No two great calls are alike, but most are unforgettable. Everyone has a favourite “Cole Call.” There’s the Oilers’ first Cup, Lemieux’s fantastic move on Jon Casey, Doug Gilmour behind the net, or any of his tremendous Olympic calls. My favourite? Not a Cup clincher, nor a Gold medal moment, but rather a flurry of overtime hockey in the 1984 series between the Rangers and the Islanders. It is Bob, and Stanley Cup Playoffs action, at its finest:

In this day and age of play-by-play announcers and coloured charts with every small detail on every player, Bob is a minimalist. A piece of cardboard, a flip chart if you will, with both teams and the lines for the night. That’s it. And it’s a lineup Bob has been able to procure on the morning of the game in a very private moment with each of the head coaches. A moment that almost every coach in the NHL will take to talk to the legend. Even if at a morning press conference, the coach tells the media horde that some players remain questionable, doubtful or a game- time decision, he will already have told Bob what his complete lineup, including starting goaltender, will be. Simply because they trust Bob Cole. Cole won’t be sharing it with the other team or tweeting it out, or blabbing it to writers. Cole takes the information back to his room to study the lines and ensure proper pronunciation of every player, from every country.

It is that loyalty, respect and attention to detail that makes Bob so special. He has built friendships over the years because managers, coaches and players appreciate his passion for the game and his direct, simple approach. We’ve all seen examples of that; at Wayne Gretzky’s farewell game at Madison Square Garden, when Bob and Wayne had a private moment, a handshake and a hug, prior to the game. There have also been pre and post-game moments with Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, two stars who know what Bob means to the game. Great hockey men like Glen Sather, who during one Rangers playoff series, allowed Bob to travel to and from the rink on the team bus, even if the team was staying at a different hotel and it meant the bus had to make a detour. 1139201 Websites something they’re not good at. This is a cap league after all, where everyone has some kind of issue.

Gotta be honest here, the weaknesses for the Lightning are a bit thin. Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: Do the Tampa Bay Lightning have a weakness? At 5-on-5, they give up slightly more high danger scoring chances than average and while they give up only an average number of scoring chances overall, they allow more of those to get on net than your Andrew Berkshire April 5, 2019, 11:34 AM average NHL team. When their goalies give up rebounds, the Lightning allow opponents to get secondary chances on those pucks more often than most. That’s not great, but none of this screams weakness and having a Vezina-worthy Andrei Vasilevskiy backstopping them covers In the final regular season edition of Truth By Numbers, Andrew some of these issues. Berkshire drills into how the St. Louis Blues turned their season around so suddenly, and tries to find out what Tampa Bay’s weakness is — or if There are a few other little things that wouldn’t fit on the same graphic. there is one at all. The Lightning have a high turnover rate in the neutral zone, likely because they try more skill plays than most teams. The crazy thing about SPOTLIGHT the way the Lightning play is that on top of having a high-skill game, When the St. Louis Blues fired Mike Yeo on Nov. 20 they were 30th in they’re great at all the details. the league’s standings with a 7-9-3 record after 19 games. Panic seemed Making more high-risk plays in the offensive zone usually leads to more to grip the organization and it was reported that every single player on turnovers, yet the Lightning have the lowest offensive zone turnover rate the Blues’ roster could be had via trade, including franchise cornerstones in the league. Pushing the play offensively from the defensive zone can such as Vladimir Tarasenko and Alex Pietrangelo. lead to more mistakes as well, yet the Lightning have the fifth-lowest It appeared the Blues’ cold start had them ready to blow things up defensive zone turnover rate in the NHL. completely and rebuild from scratch, but patience won the day and The Jeff Blair Show general manager Doug Armstrong let new head coach Craig Berube attempt to right the ship. Skilled teams can sometimes wilt under forecheck pressure, right? When they’re forced to go off the glass and out maybe they struggle to get the The thing is St. Louis’ start wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked on the zone cleared? Well the Lightning don’t like to dump the puck out — they surface. They were barely below .500 in points percentage and their have the fifth-lowest dump out rate in the NHL — but when they have to place in the standings looked bad because no team started off truly do that they’re the second-most successful team in the league at it after poorly this season. The optics were worse than the Blues actually were. Carolina. Fast forward to today and the Blues are within a point of the Central Oh and those extra scoring chances they give up? That’s compensated Division lead, partially due to the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators for by allowing the fifth-fewest passes to the slot in the NHL, and having underwhelming seasons, but St. Louis’ surge up the standings seventh-fewest chances off the cycle. has been extraordinary nonetheless. The only thing I can suggest for opponents facing the Lightning is to be Looking at three measures of shot quality using 10-game rolling hyper aggressive with your neutral zone defensive schemes. ALSO: averages, we can see that the Blues actually started the season good luck will be a key element. relatively dominant. They controlled nearly 60 per cent of both high danger chances and passes to the slot at 5-on-5, but they were hindered BUY OR SELL by terrible goaltending, with Jake Allen posting save percentages below .900 in seven of his first 11 games. • With one game left to play, Carey Price has faced 965 passes to the slot this season, far more than any other goalie in the league. One rough The Blues continued to exhibit strong control of dangerous passes into month has obfuscated just how dominant he’s been this season for the the slot, but their high danger scoring chance differential tanked sharply Canadiens. The trouble for Montreal is that it still doesn’t look like it was and their scoring chance control tapered off into the red. enough to make the playoffs. They need Columbus to be limited to one point in their remaining two games, and Montreal needs to beat Toronto The coaching change was made at the lowest point on this graphic, when as well. A tall order. the Blues controlled just 46.3 per cent of the high danger chances at 5- on-5 over Yeo’s last 10 games. After that they took off like a rocket for • Some (near)year-end numbers: While the numbers are close at evens, nearly a 40-game stretch where they were consistently controlling shot Tampa Bay’s power play runs on Nikita Kucherov and his lead on Connor quality at rates between 55 and 60 per cent. McDavid in completed slot passes is an absurd 295-235 in all situations. Leon Draisaitl and Johnny Gaudreau are right behind at 231. They’ve swooned and peaked again since the 60-game mark and appear to be in a bit of a lull lately, but there hasn’t been a 10-game stretch at • He had his own day in Toronto, but is that enough praise for John any point this season where the Blues have allowed more passes to the Tavares? In all situations he leads the league in high danger scoring slot than they’ve produced themselves. And ever since the coaching chances on net with 138, a huge gap over Bo Horvat’s 103. He leads the change the lowest point they’ve fallen to in scoring chance differential in league in scoring chances overall as well with 330 and scoring chances any 10-game period after digging out of that rut was 50.63 per cent. on net with 213. Seventy-five per cent of his shots this season have been scoring chances. Ridiculous. Whether the Blues win the Central is immaterial at this point. The important takeaway from their regular season should be their resilience • Another area where McDavid has been dethroned: Nathan MacKinnon under pressure, not to mention they are arguably the best team in their leads the NHL in scoring chances off the rush this season with 117. division at 5-on-5. Whoever faces them in Round 1 will not have an easy Facing the Avalanche is a poor reward for winning the West. Their record time. is only okay, but they’re sneaky good.

THE QUESTION • Another reason I’d be worried about facing Colorado is the underrated Sam Girard. Only Roman Josi has completed more defensive zone With the playoffs less than a week away, Steve Dangle is looking ahead carryouts than Girard’s 450 this season. He is a transition machine. and anyone who wants their team to get anywhere in the East is shaking in their boots at the sight of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.06.2019 Desperate for some ray of hope, Steve asks…

“Do the Lightning have any weaknesses at all? Is any part of their game exploitable in a seven game series?”

Assuming the injuries to Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy aren’t going to be a big deal once the first round starts, we can take a look at the whole season for the Lightning and pare it down until we can find 1139202 Websites The defenceman flexed his current no-trade clause at the deadline six weeks ago.

"At the end of the year, we’ll go over everything and hope to get Sportsnet.ca / Canucks' Edler heads into season finale not focused on something done," Benning said. "We agreed that we’d talk once the future season was over. We hope to have Eddie back. He’s an important player to us. He’s a leader on the ice and for our young players."

Iain MacIntyre April 5, 2019, 11:53 AM Edler missed 26 games this season with significant knee and head injuries and his attendance record – an average of 18 games absent over the last six seasons – is impossible to overlook.

ST. LOUIS – The Vancouver Canucks floated to the finish line last But so is Edler’s ability and status as Vancouver’s top defenceman. Not season on the emotional wave of the Sedins’ retirement. only does he continue to lead the Canucks in average ice time (24:31) and is coach Travis Green’s first choice in any situation, but Edler is The final week of another lost year for the National Hockey League team having his most productive season since 2012, with 10 goals and 32 became a farewell tour for twins Daniel and Henrik, franchise icons who points in 55 games. The Canucks are 28-22-5 this season when Edler spent their entire 17-season careers in Vancouver and retired as the plays, 7-14-5 when he doesn’t. greatest scorers and two of the most admired figures in Canucks history. No matter how many times commentators blithely suggest the Canucks Even the profound horror of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, which can "move on" from Edler, there is no replacement for him in preceded the Sedins’ last game in Edmonton against the Oilers, didn’t Vancouver’s system. And finding one in free agency – or trade — would extinguish the poignancy of the Swedes’ final performance. Instead, it cost far more than it what is required to keep Edler on a two- or three- seemed to sharpen it – the sense of gratitude the Sedins expressed for year deal. their careers, and the privilege many fans felt for having witnessed the simple pleasure of the brothers magnificently playing together a game The defence needs to improve for the Canucks to do more than just that they loved. compete for a playoff spot next season, and losing Edler after fast- tracking to the NHL outstanding prospect Quinn Hughes doesn’t make Canucks defenceman Alex Edler shared that emotional ride. He was the them better. Sedins’ friend and longest-serving teammate, which made him Vancouver’s senior skatesman after they left. "You always want to make the playoffs and we’re disappointed that we’re out of it," Edler said. "But this year I think we’ve shown more The 32-year-old defenceman, who last week broke Mattias Ohlund’s all- understanding about what we need to do to be successful. We’ve done time record among blue-liners with his 94th goal for the Canucks, began that more often. We obviously have a lot to work on, but I’ve seen a lot of his career when Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden were the team guys take a step from last year to this year, and that’s very encouraging. leaders. "Having been on a really good team, then going through a rebuilding Edler was there for the rise to stardom of the Sedins and the most phase, it’s interesting and exciting to see these young guys coming up successful six-year run in franchise history. And he is still there today, a with their talent and potential, and thinking about what we can become role model for Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser and the next wave of again." Canucks stars. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.06.2019 There is no farewell tour this week for Edler.

In potentially his final home game for the Canucks on Tuesday, Edler was named the team’s best defenceman this season in a vote by fans. He then logged 28:03 of ice time and had an assist in Vancouver’s 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks.

He played career game No. 813 in the Canucks’ 3-2 loss to the Predators Thursday in Nashville, then travelled to St. Louis for Vancouver’s final game Saturday afternoon against the Blues. It could also be Edler’s last game for the Canucks.

There has been no outpouring of emotions this week because Edler, ever the stoic, is allergic to nostalgia. He all but breaks out in a rash when cornered by a reporter and forced to talk about his time with the Canucks and the uncertainty caused by his eligibility for unrestricted free agency on July 1.

Contract talks before the Feb. 25 trade deadline didn’t get far, and general manager Jim Benning and player agent Mark Stowe agreed to adjourn negotiations until after the season. There is a strong likelihood that Edler will re-sign. But this is professional sports; there are no guarantees and if Edler actually makes it to July 1, he will be pursued by other teams.

"With my future and things like that, that’s something I’ll think about after the season," Edler said before the Nashville game. "At the trade deadline, we talked a little before that. But we haven’t talked much after that. It’s different (without a contract); I’ve been fortunate to sign before the last year of my deals before. That hasn’t happened this time, but it doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen."

As we’ve said before, term and money are not expected to be major impediments to a contract extension. Edler badly wants to finish his career with the Canucks, who still badly need him. The sides should be able to agree on salary and contract length.

The potential deal-breaker would be an insistence by Edler on a no- movement clause, which could seriously hinder the Canucks if the Swede’s contract carries through the Seattle expansion draft two years from now. 1139203 Websites Perhaps most importantly, Price silenced critics in the first year of his $84 million deal by hitting his career average .918 save percentage. After injury-riddled campaigns, he led the league’s netminders in minutes over TSN.CA / Habs eliminated, but future is bright in Montreal 66 appearances.

Now, Bergevin will have $18 to $20 million to spend this summer. He has no contract fires to put out and 10 picks in this June’s draft. Frank Seravalli He signed top prospects Ryan Poehling and Cayden Primeau out of school. Nick Suzuki and Josh Brook are coming. Alexander Romanov is in the pipeline in Russia. So it will be that the weight of a 26-year drought now rests on the shoulders of three clubs to bring the Stanley Cup home – not four. Are the Habs perfect? Of course not.

A drama-filled shootout win by the Columbus Blue Jackets officially The left side of their defence still needs to be rebuilt. Victor Mete, Mike rendered Saturday’s 744th meeting between the Montreal Canadiens Reilly, Jordie Benn and Brett Kulak do not make a contending left side. and Toronto Maple Leafs utterly meaningless, since it officially eliminated They need to retool the 30th ranked power play, which would have been the Habs from playoff contention. the difference between playoffs and not this year. The Habs are still in need of a real star up front; they haven’t had a point-per-game scorer The field of 16 is set for the two-month chase for Lord Stanley’s chalice. since Alex Kovalev in 2007-08. We’re looking at you now, Flames, Leafs and Jets, to end the dry spell for this Cup-starved country. But man, what a difference a year makes in Montreal.

All that’s left to play for is positional jockeying on the final day of the Now it’s time to trust the process. 2018-19 regular season – and one little detail that could only rub salt on a fresh wound in La Belle Province. TSN.CA LOADED: 04.06.2019

With a win on Saturday night, the Canadiens will become the second team in NHL history to rack up 96 points and be denied a postseason bid. That would make the Habs at least four points better than the eighth- place finisher in the West.

So, yes, the Canadiens have missed the playoffs a second straight spring for the first time in two decades. (Remember when Y2K fear mongering was a thing? It’s been a while.) Step back further and it’s three long summers in four years.

In a city where anything less than Cup contention is failure, that would make these dark times. But the pain is dulled today in Montreal – because it’s easy to overlook the ugly recent past with a future so bright.

Ugh.

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 6, 2019

To say that this year’s Habs exceeded expectations would be putting it lightly. They’ve already obliterated the over/under point total set in Vegas by 13.5 points.

Yet, what is so inspiring about the state of the Canadiens isn’t necessarily about the point total – or how close they came to the postseason – but rather a confluence of a relentless and quick brand of hockey, a promising future already on display and an all-world Carey Price reverting to his old self.

It feels like forever ago now that maligned forwards Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk hung over the Habs like a black cloud.

The 2018-19 Canadiens almost completely reinvented themselves from top (Marc Bergevin and Claude Julien) to bottom (Tomas Tatar, Max Domi, Shea Weber and Price).

Tatar should win the Comeback Player of the Year award, if one existed, hitting a new career-high of 58 points after being handed to the Habs as a salary dump in the Pacioretty deal.

Domi led the Canadiens with 71 points, the most in Montreal since Tomas Plekanec’s 70 in 2009-10. He scored 28 goals after netting a combined 18 over his last two seasons in Arizona, including an oft- mocked four empty-netters among nine goals last year.

(He also outscored trade counterpart Galchenyuk by 10 goals and 31 points.)

Jesperi Kotkaniemi, 18, was the youngest player in the NHL by three months but appeared to be unflappable. The poised Finn put up 34 points just months after being selected third overall.

There are no longer cries for help at centre. Kotkaniemi could well be the two-way, No. 1 pivot the Habs have been craving. Domi is an ideal No. 2 centre that attacks the zone with pace and tenacity. Meanwhile, Phillip Danault will receive votes for the Selke Trophy.

On the backend, Man Mountain Weber answered lingering questions about his health with a productive 33 points in 57 games and Jeff Petry piled up a career-best 45 points. 1139204 Websites it any way you want. The way we chose to do it is to do everything we could to help him get his game to where he needed to be and now the team's more important than any one individual so you made those TSN.CA / Andersen survives practice scare, feels ‘in control’ ahead of decisions." playoffs Sparks recorded just two wins in his last nine starts, posting an .888 save percentage in that stretch.

Mark Masters "Sparks has 10 days basically to work with (Marlies goalie coach) Jon Elkin and (Leafs goalie coach) Steve Briere to get his game back," said Babcock. "We need him to get it back, he needs to get it back and so it's real important as an organization that we help him out and that he helps TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes himself so that’s where that’s at." on the Maple Leafs, who practised at MasterCard Centre on Friday before travelling to Montreal. Hutchinson, acquired from the Florida Panthers in a late December trade, has a .910 save percentage in 23 games with the Marlies. A William Nylander shot deflected off a defenceman’s stick catching Frederik Andersen in an awkward spot on his left arm during practice on "The times he's been in (our) net, he's been good for us," said Marner. Friday. Toronto’s No. 1 goalie went down immediately and appeared to "So, he's just got to be ready in case anything happens to Fred and if be in a great deal of pain as his teammates stood silently around him. anything does happen we’ll need him to step up and take that role."

"Worried, for sure," Nazem Kadri said of his reaction. The 29-year-old Hutchinson has more NHL experience (111 games) than the 25-year-old Sparks (37). "There’s a little bit of fear going through you," admitted Mitch Marner. "He’s a real good person, played hard, has played 100-some games in After getting some attention from assistant athletic therapist Jon Geller, the National Hockey League and played well for us when he’s (been) up," Andersen stayed on the ice. Babcock said. "He was lights out the rest of practice," noted fellow goalie Michael Leafs give Sparks 10-day sabbatical; Hutchinson surprised by call-up Hutchinson, who was called up from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on Friday, "so it's good to see." After spending the entire season on the NHL roster, Garret Sparks no longer has a stall inside the Maple Leafs dressing room. He'll be Andersen insists he was never overly concerned. spending the coming days working with the organization's goalie coaches "Not really," he said. "Just get the feeling back in my arm and just shake to try and get his game back. Mark Masters has more. it off. I was originally thinking it was going to go somewhere else and it Kadri missed Thursday’s tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning for got tipped and hit a little bit of a sore spot." maintenance and in his post-game news conference Babcock said the Andersen still expects to start Saturday against the Canadiens in centre would not dress for Saturday’s game in Montreal. The coach Montreal. referred to Kadri’s issue as a "boo-boo."

"It'd be nice to get another game in and not sit for a week," he noted. Kadri was a full participant in Friday's practice and afterwards explained that he was following the lead of the team’s medical staff by resting an After stopping 54 of 57 shots in his last two games, the goalie appears to issue that popped up earlier in the season. be back in a groove after a rocky month of March. "A day or two come this time of year can make a big difference, "Felt good," he agreed. "Feel confident. Playing aggressive and in control especially if you want to make a long run into the spring so I’ve liked the at the same time so that’s right where you want to be." way we’ve approached it," he said.

"He's so calm in the net," observed Hutchinson, who played five games Kadri also made it clear he wants to play against the Canadiens with the Leafs earlier this season when Andersen was dealing with a Saturday. groin injury. “He has that kind of Carey Price calmness in the way he does drills and stuff. (Fellow goalie Joseph) Woll and myself were talking "I’m hoping to," he said. "We got to re-evaluate. It’s not a definitive yes, today, watching him and it’s just like, ‘Woah, he looks so calm in net,' and but I’m hoping to, I’d like to." when you get in there you try and mimic it as much as possible." Babcock was informed that Kadri is feeling better. Leafs Ice Chips: Bullet dodged as Andersen brushes off practice scare "Bounced back, eh?" the coach told reporters with a grin. "We'll see Frederik Andersen went down hard in practice after taking a shot to his tomorrow." right arm, but met with the media afterwards and ensured everyone he Kadri recovers from 'boo-boo', hopes to play against Habs was okay. With the playoffs less than a week away, the Leafs players express their relief that their top netminder feels fine and ready to go. After Thursday's game against the Lightning, head coach Mike Babcock Mark Masters has more. declared Nazem Kadri out of the Leafs' regular season finale against the Habs with a 'boo-boo'. Speaking Friday though, Kadri says he feels good Andersen’s value to the Leafs was reinforced on Friday with news that after a few days off and is hoping to play in Montreal as he gears up for struggling backup goalie Garret Sparks would be spending at least the Toronto's first round matchup with the Bruins. next 10 days away from the team working with the organization’s goalie coaches to try and get back on track. The move caught many off guard. Marner seems to be on his game with the playoffs looming. On Thursday, he outsmarted Vezina Trophy frontrunner Andrei Vasilevskiy to score his "Getting the call-up was definitely unexpected," Hutchinson said. "I had 26th goal of the season. my bags ready to go to Utica after the (Marlies) game so I'm real excited to be a part of this." "I never really shoot on two-on-one's so I thought I’d try it," Marner explained. "Usually, that’s a hard save for goalies, I wasn’t trying to look After being on the NHL roster all season, Sparks no longer had a stall at him so he couldn't really see where I was looking and luckily it got inside the team’s practice facility dressing room on Friday. through him." "I was told today that Hutch was going to be here for practice and beyond — Flintor (@TheFlintor) April 4, 2019 that I don’t really know," said Andersen. "I try not to worry too much about things I can't control." Marner surged down the stretch last season, leading the Leafs in playoff scoring with nine points in the seven-game loss to the Boston Bruins. Leafs coach Mike Babcock was asked if there was any hesitation to How much confidence will he draw from that effort? make this type of move so late in the season. "A little bit," he said, "but at the same time that was last year so it’s a "What we tried to do, because we believe in Sparky, is give him every whole other year ... The only thing that I took from last year is that we lost opportunity and so we went back to the well a number of times and then that series. It doesn’t matter how well you played, you didn't get it done. when we didn't get it worked out or when it didn't get where we needed it to we made this decision," the coach explained. "I mean, you can look at We can't take a period off, we can’t take a shift off, it’s going to be a Tavares battle." Gardiner Marner on his success vs Bruins: 'Only thing I took from last year is we lost that series' Kapanen-Johnsson-Nylander

Mitch Marner was sensational in the playoffs last year, racking up nine Marleau points in the Leafs' first round elimination at the hands of Boston. With TSN.CA LOADED: 04.06.2019 another matchup with the rival Bruins on deck, Toronto's leading scorer insists his only takeaway from last series was that they 'didn't get it done.' Marner also discusses the Leafs' recent struggles and how the team can play better.

Toronto has lost seven of 10 games (3-5-2) and Marner has a good read on the problem.

"We haven’t been playing a full 60," he said.

Why not?

"We get off our game plan," he said of the hiccups, "stuff goes wrong, get in penalty trouble, get out of rhythm, try to do too much fancy stuff sometimes and it comes back to bite us in the ass."

The Leafs have been zeroing in on the Bruins of late, which may explain why they're mostly unfazed by their lack of wins. Jake Gardiner mentioned after Thursday's game that Boston comes up pretty much in every meeting the team holds.

"If we had to win tomorrow to make the playoffs then I think I would be stressed," said Babcock, "but I’m not stressed today at all. Our team’s done a lot of good things down the stretch. We liked our game last night and since our Nashville game, with the exception of the one game, we feel we’ve played pretty good, to be honest with you."

The Leafs remain sixth overall in the NHL standings despite the recent string of losses.

"I don’t know if anyone looks at the whole league, there's good teams on our side here that we're playing," Babcock said. "We’re one of those good teams. I think some of us forget that and we'll be ready to play like a good team."

Picking Your Opponent: Eastern Conference

What would happen if teams were allowed to pick their playoff opponent based on where they finished in the standings instead of the current format? does just that for the Eastern Conference and explains why it'd be wise for the Lightning to take the Maple Leafs in the opening round.

Lines at Friday’s practice:

Forwards

Hyman-Tavares-Marner

Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen

Marleau-Kadri-Nylander

Moore-Gauthier-Brown

Petan, Ennis

Defencemen

Rielly-Hainsey

Gardiner-Zaitsev

Rosen-Dermott

Marincin-Ozhiganov

Holl

Goaltenders

Andersen

Hutchinson

Woll

Power-play units at Friday’s practice:

Rielly

Matthews-Kadri-Marner 1139205 Websites However, Condon says that in the first week of March, things started to click for him and he no longer felt any pain or had any restrictions with his mobility.

TSN.CA / Condon determined to return to the NHL with Sens “People tell you that patience is a virtue and it’s really true. Sometimes you have to take your foot off the gas and let your body take its natural course,” he added. “It’s been frustrating. This is the most hockey Ian Mendes adversity I’ve ever faced.”

But instead of the past five months taking its toll on Condon, it seems to have strengthened his resolve and commitment to returning to the Long after most of his Belleville Senators teammates left the ice on Ottawa Senators crease once again. Friday morning, Mike Condon was on his hands and knees picking up pucks and putting them back in a large bag inside the CAA Arena. “I had a lot of time for introspection. You miss it a lot more and realize what you had and you get a whole different perspective. I’m disappointed It was certainly not a job befitting of a goalie with a $2.5 million salary — it happened, but I’m grateful for the process,” Condon said. especially when he was surrounded by a number of AHL players who will be healthy scratches for a regular season game. The plan now is for Condon to stick around Belleville and get as much practice ice time as possible, while supporting goaltenders Hogberg and But the 28-year-old Condon was so ecstatic to simply be on the ice again Filip Gustavsson as they handle the game action. that he was taking pleasure in even the most menial tasks around the rink. Condon’s eyes are squarely focused on training camp in the fall, where he fully intends to push himself back into the Senators goaltending “I feel really good and had a smile on my face on the ice for the first time picture at the NHL level. There is a lot of uncertainty in the Ottawa crease in a long time,” Condon told TSN 1200 on Friday in his first public for next season, but a fully healthy and capable Condon — scheduled to comments in several months. “Just had my second skate with the guys make $3 million in 2019-20 — could solve a lot of problems for general and it was pain free. Trying to dust off the cobwebs.” manager Pierre Dorion. Condon has essentially been off the radar since his last NHL game on “I’m going to be a new goalie. I’m going to be a new person,” he says Oct. 30 in Arizona. After a disastrous performance - in which he was with a great degree of confidence. “I’m going to have a good seven pulled after allowing three goals in the first period of that game - he was months of hardcore preparation for September. I’m really excited to see placed on waivers by the Senators the following day. And from that point what I can be with this new version of myself. A fresh start with a new forward, his status was shrouded in mystery. And as the Senators frame, new body and new mind. The sky is the limit at that point.” season continued with a carousel of backup goalies including Mike McKenna, Marcus Hogberg and Anders Nilsson, Condon’s name and TSN.CA LOADED: 04.06.2019 face evaporated from the minds of Sens fans.

On Friday, Condon opened up about his mindset on the night of that game in Arizona - which ended when he allowed a long-distance Derek Stepan shot to beat him from about 150 feet. The netminder says it was clear to him that his body was sending him warning signs that he would not be able to handle the rigours of an NHL season.

“If you step out on the ice in an NHL game, it’s your responsibility to perform,” explained Condon. “And my body at that point was rough, but my mind was strong and I was trying to gut through it. But my body was failing me at that point.”

After being assigned to Belleville, Condon took a week to try and settle himself physically and mentally, but after he allowed six goals on 23 shots in his lone AHL appearance, he decided to take an extended leave of absence to get to the root of his physical ailments.

This gave him time to do undergo what he called a complete “systemic check” of his entire body.

Codon says that while he was once again experiencing discomfort in his hip, the problem was more complicated than what he has experienced in the past - which included a hip surgery to remove bone spurs after his sophomore season at Princeton in 2011.

At times, the pain was so uncomfortable for Condon, he couldn’t even get out of his car without being in excruciating pain.

“This time it wasn’t a labral issue and it wasn’t an impingement issue. It was a severe inflammation issue,” Condon explained. “I think the scientific word I heard a lot was ‘hypertonic’ - your body just shuts down a certain area.”

Condon sought medical advice and a second opinion before finally settling on an exploratory stem cell treatment in December. According to the netminder, doctors extracted stem cells from his pelvic area and reinserted them into his troubled hip in an effort to reinvigorate the muscle group that had essentially shut down.

“I got stem cells injected into my hip and that really calmed inflammation down,” he says — although doctors told him it would still take up to 10 weeks for him to feel the full effects from the procedure.

Just a few weeks after the stem cell treatment, Condon felt so optimistic about his physical state that he tried to return to the ice in January.

“I was trying to push it trying to get back. But I just wasn’t ready,” he admitted, as he suffered a setback that would keep him sidelined for several more weeks. 1139206 Websites we treat him right and help him get his game to the level he should be at.”

It’s that history with the organization that won Sparks his job in the first TSN.CA / Sparks' future TBD as Leafs call up Hutchinson place. Drafted 190th overall, by Toronto in 2011, he led the Marlies to a Calder Cup championship last spring and was named the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender in the regular season. Kristen Shilton Two years before that, Sparks became the first goalie in Leafs’ history to record a shutout in his NHL debut, turning aside all 24 shots faced against Edmonton and memorably becoming emotional on live television TORONTO – For at least the next 10 days, goaltender Garret Sparks is while being told of his historic feat. on hiatus from the Toronto Maple Leafs. What happens after that has yet to be determined. Dubas was the Leafs’ assistant general manager and GM of the Marlies at the time, before being promoted to his current post last May. And it It was early Friday morning that the Leafs recalled goaltender Michael was ultimately Dubas’ decision to keep him as the Leafs’ No. 2 out of Hutchinson from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies, a training camp, sacrificing veterans Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard signal that something was amiss with either Sparks or starter Frederik on waivers to secure Sparks’ immediate future with the club. Andersen. Sparks didn’t show for the Leafs’ practice later in the day, with his dressing room stall emptied and replaced with Hutchinson’s At the time, Babcock said it was the breadth of Sparks’ experiences with equipment. the Marlies and Leafs - not necessarily his showing in camp or the pre- season - that won him the job. It all led to the news of Sparks’ sabbatical, during which he’ll work one- on-one with goalie coaches Steve Briere and John Elkin, along with the And Sparks initially thrived in his new role, going 4-1-0 out of the gate Marlies’ extras. That ruling came down days after Sparks’ last start on while also tossing in a 34-save shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers. But as Tuesday, a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that marked the goalie’s play around the league ramped up, Sparks just couldn’t keep pace. seventh defeat in eight games. Now it falls on Hutchinson to fill in if needed, as Sparks tries to recapture “We believe in Sparky,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock told reporters on his own spark. Friday. “So we went back to the well a number of times, and when we didn’t get it worked out or where we needed it to, we made this decision. “We need him to get [his game] back, he needs to get it back,” said Babcock. “It’s real important as an organization we help him out and he “The way we chose to do it was to do everything we could to help get his helps himself." game where it needed to be, and now the team is way more important than any individual.” TSN.CA LOADED: 04.06.2019

That is TOR’s fourth call up from the AHL since the trade deadline (Moore, Rosen, Marincin, Hutchinson). Teams are only allowed four, until the AHL team is eliminated from the playoffs anyway.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) April 5, 2019

Sparks actually can’t be put on waivers.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) April 5, 2019

Hutchinson said he learned of the recall Thursday afternoon, so the organization knew what was in store for Sparks before he backed up Andersen against Tampa that night.

Even if the move surprised Sparks' teammates, they have little time to dwell on it. As a group, the Leafs are locked into preparations for their final regular season game Saturday in Montreal, followed by another first- round series with Boston that’s expected to start on Thursday. Should Andersen not be able to perform for any reason during that series, Toronto will need a reliable backup and Sparks has been the antithesis of that through the second half of his first full NHL campaign.

Since Dec. 28, the 25-year-old has appeared in 12 games, coupling a 3- 8-0 record with an .898 save percentage. After several of those losses, Sparks lamented about the saves he should have made and his positioning became more erratic as his struggles intensified.

First-year general manager Kyle Dubas still opted to offer Sparks a one- year, $750,000 extension on March 5, after he’d lost four of his previous five starts. That did little to boost Sparks’ confidence and two weeks later, during a particularly bad stretch for the Leafs where they allowed 23 goals in four games, Sparks publicly chastised his team for not showing enough “emotion” in a 6-2 loss to Ottawa.

“Over a period of time, things weren’t going the right way,” Babcock explained. “I’ve been with a lot of goalies over the years, and there are times where it doesn’t go as good and you offer them 10 days off and they work with the goalie coach and get it back.”

The question is whether it would even make sense to bring Sparks back into the fold this season - midway through a first-round playoff series or after advancing to the second round for the first time since 2004. Babcock wasn’t willing to delve that far into the future. Not yet, anyway.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, let’s go through the process here,” he explained. “Right now all we’re worried about is this year. Right now what we’re doing is, Hutch is here and Freddie is here and we’ll go from there. [Sparks] won a Calder Cup for the organization last year. It’s important 1139207 Websites “I’m sharpening my sword in all categories,” he said. “And we will have to wait to see where it flies.”

USA TODAY LOADED: 04.06.2019 USA TODAY / Ex-NHL player Craig Cunningham makes stunning recovery from heart attack and amputation

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Published 12:46 p.m. ET April 5, 2019

When Craig Cunningham finished a cell phone interview for this story, he apologized for the noise in his background.

“Sorry I’m on the run here and it’s a little loud,” he said.

Cunningham, 28, didn’t recognize that his ability to be perpetually on the go is the story.

The former NHL player collapsed on the ice before an American Hockey League game between the Tucson Roadrunners and Manitoba Moose on Nov. 19, 2016. He had suffered heart attack, requiring doctors to keep his heart beating with advanced CPR for more than 80 minutes, and the use of technology known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). It involves using a pump to take over heart and lung function.

He survived that only to receive more bad news: an infection, caused by circulation issues, forced amputation of his left leg below the knee on Dec. 24, 2016.

But Cunningham hasn’t allowed those events move him out of hockey. Far from it. He’s a now full-time professional scout for the Arizona Coyotes and this week published a video on social media showing him skating with the use a prosthetic skate attachment. The video has gone viral.

"Mentally, it's good to get out there to show people you aren’t down and out, there is a recovery process,” Cunningham told USA TODAY Sports. “You can overcome anything now with the technology and the right people.”

Cunningham has a practical reason for wanting to skate. “If I want to work in hockey I’ve got to be able to get on the ice. I’m not sure if coaching is an avenue I want to go down, or just to get on the ice to help our prospects or the (Coyotes’ farm) team in Tucson. Now instead of worrying about falling, I’m out there with a purpose and a plan — to help the guys get better.”

The one skating aspect he hasn’t yet figured out is how to skate backward. But, in due time.

"My stubbornness has helped me and it’s hurt me,” he said.

He travels 20 days a month, and everywhere he goes, he says he makes it a point to talk to people with the hope of learning the hockey business from them. “The one thing about the hockey community is that they want to help you,” he said.

One of missions is to live a normal life. He still golfs.

“I was never a good golfer,” he said. “I used to shoot in the mid-80s to mid-90s. Now I’m in the low 90s to 115,” he says, laughing. “Not great, but OK.”

He admits the journey hasn’t been easy. He said the day he learned he would lose his leg on top of everything else was his lowest point.

"For about a year and a half, it was a roller coaster of ups and downs, and goods and bads,” he said.

Today, he is thankful that his heart function is in the normal range. He’s made peace with his misfortune, including the amputation. “I was lucky,” he said. “Some people lose an arm and a leg.”

Cunningham played 63 games over three NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins and Coyotes. He was a 25-goal scorer in the AHL. He believes his history as a pro athlete has helped him persevere.

“I think the discipline and the team sport (concept), knowing how to work with others has really helped,” he said.

He said he’s not sure what the future will hold for him. He believes it will take him another couple of years to work through the process of understanding what he can and cannot do in his new normal.