SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 3/18/2017 Columbus Blue Jackets 1053454 Blue Jackets | There’s a healthy crowd at forward 1053455 Blue Jackets | Presidents’ Trophy interests players, but 1053413 Ducks fall to Sabres, 2-1, in 10-round shootout not Tortorella 1053414 Ducks salvage a as they fall to Sabres in a shootout 1053456 Puck-rakers: Blue Jackets ‘praying’ and paying price to 1053415 Ducks Notes: Awarding teams 3 points for a regulation win block shots as playoffs approach is again under discussion 1053457 Blue Jackets sign 6-5 center Vigneault Coyotes 1053458 Michael Arace: Werenski’s legend continues to grow, and he’s only 19 1053416 ' Jakob Chychrun playing beyond his years Dallas Stars 1053417 Tobias Rieder seizing opportunity to fill roster hole at right 1053459 Stars anticipate Jamie Benn to return on Monday after wing missing a game due to an eye injury Boston Bruins 1053460 Mistakes cost the Stars again as they continue to drift away from a playoff spot 1053418 Bruins hope the stinker in Edmonton is an aberration 1053461 Cold Facts: In a similar position just two months ago, the 1053419 Bruins hit the skids against high-flying Oilers Flames have flourished while Stars collapsed 1053420 Brad Marchand’s success doesn’t surprise Milan Lucic 1053462 Stars vs. Flames: Dallas hoping to finish strong in final 12 1053421 Bruins heading into important week for playoff hopes games 1053422 Panthers pick up big win in NY 1053463 Looking back at Glen Gulutzan's departure from Dallas 1053423 FRIDAY, MARCH 17: TALKING OILERS AND BRUINS 1053464 Flames resume winning ways against road-weary Stars 1053424 Ten rounds later, Sabres finally enjoy shootout win 1053465 How to watch today's Detroit Red Wings- 1053425 Quick Hits: Sabres 2, Ducks 1 (SO) Avalanche game 1053426 '07 Cup reunion with Ducks rekindles May's memories 1053466 Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin looking good, feeling 1053427 Live coverage: Buffalo Sabres at Anaheim Ducks good at center 1053428 Sabres vs. Ducks: Five Things to Know 1053467 Court rejects appeal of Howe legal fees 1053429 Evan Rodrigues led all Sabres with five shots on 1053468 Blashill thrilled Red Wings are still grinding Thursday in Los Angeles (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News 1053469 Seriously? Ex-Wing Tomas Jurco calls Detroit ‘boring’ fil 1053470 Young and fast Red Wings Dylan Larkin, Andreas 1053430 Inside the Sabres: Vegas will roll the expansion dice on ... Athanasiou look to create havoc together 1053431 Kings crown Sabres but Lehner gets his say 1053471 Young players, crafty veterans combine to help Red 1053432 Amerks struggle against St. John’s in road loss Wings rebound 1053472 Red Wings claim shootout win in Phoenix 1053433 Flames bounce back with victory over Dallas Stars 1053434 Hitmen clinch playoff spot with victory over Ice 1053473 Edmonton Oilers history: Doug Weight acquired from New 1053435 Michael Stone shrugs off shoulder injury, returns to York Rangers for Esa Tikkanen, March 17, 1993 Flames lineup 1053474 Pouliot, Desharnais resurrecting their seasons together 1053436 Game Day: Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars 1053475 Oilers: Don't get used to seven-goal games 1053437 Flames bounce back from loss with victory over Stars 1053476 Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames concerned 1053438 Flames prospect scores 50 goals in Western Hockey about Alberta Standard Time League 1053477 Scary moment when Edmonton Oilers took a 1053439 Flames hoping for the luck of the Irish in battle against puck to the throat Dallas Stars 1053478 Terry Jones: Potential first-round Battle of Alberta not the 1053440 Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames concerned best option for Oilers or Flames about Alberta Standard Time 1053441 Nenshi vs. Bettman: Face-off on a new arena Panthers Carolina Hurricanes 1053479 Barkov goal lifts past 4-3 in shootout 1053443 Canes’ week: After Eric Staal, it’s Peter 1053480 Jagr sets another milestone in Panthers' 4-3 shootout win Laviolette over Rangers 1053444 Canes assign Wallmark to Checkers Los Angeles Kings 1053481 Four takeaways from the Kings' 2-0 win over the Buffalo 1053445 Blackhawks' Richard Panik gets chance to show his old Sabres team what it's missing 1053484 The view from Buffalo 1053446 Saturday's matchup: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs 1053485 Campbell reinventing himself, his game in unpredictable 1053447 Blackhawks have the upper hand in Central division race comeback season as Wild slide 1053448 Patrick Kane’s scoring binge a product of perspective, Minnesota Wild patience 1053486 Bottom has fallen out for the Wild in March 1053449 Five Things to WATCH: Blackhawks collide with Maple 1053487 Wild-Rangers game preview Leafs tonight on CSN 1053488 Wild don’t have time to lick wounds from punishing road 1053450 Thoughts and musings on a Blackhawks off day trip 1053451 Blackhawks prove you don't need ice to play hockey in 'Our Rinks' campaign 1053452 Tyson Jost on Avalanche: “I’m still really proud and honored to be part of that organization” 1053453 Avalanche makes final appearance at Joe Louis Arena, faces Red Wings Saturday Canadiens Penguins 1053489 ‘Evolved’ Julien enjoying greater pool of talent in second 1053523 Patchwork Penguins defeat Devils behind Rowney, stint with Habs Crosby 1053490 Pat Hickey: Enticing first-round playoff matchups await 1053524 Penguins notebook: Even durable Hainsey a victim of Canadiens Penguins' injury bug 1053491 Cowan: Cancer changed outlook on life for Canadiens' 1053525 Penguin iron man Kessel nears 600 consecutive game Brandon Davidson milestone 1053492 Canadiens Notebook: Claude Julien won’t confirm his 1053526 Penguins set a high standard for in-season NHL coaching Saturday lineup vs. Senators changes 1053527 Rowney keys solid night for Penguins' depth forwards 1053528 Former Penguin Beau Bennett scores in return to 1053493 Predators' recent road victories bode well for playoffs Pittsburgh 1053529 Penguins beat New Jersey, 6-4 1053530 Penguins, Pirates get in St. Patrick's spirit with uniforms 1053494 Rookie roundup: Evaluating games of Devils' younger 1053531 Evgeni Malkin, Ron Hainsey add to Penguins' injury woes players vs. Flyers 1053532 Penguins call up Derrick Pouliot from Wilkes- 1053495 How Devils forward Kyle Palmieri became a scoring Barre/Scranton machine again 1053496 New Jersey Devils vs. : LIVE score updates and chat (3/17/17) 1053533 The stats: How Sharks, Oilers and Ducks have done since 1053497 Devils fall in offensive battle vs. Penguins, 6-4 | Rapid the break reaction 1053534 Pacific heights: How the Sharks broke away from Ducks, 1053498 Devils' John Hynes: Need to 'make some tough decisions Oilers in offseason' 1053535 Sharks’ uneven play raises questions about March grind 1053499 Devils look to carry over winning effort 1053536 THREE TAKEAWAYS: SHARKS NOT CONCERNED 1053500 Devils gauging how Kinkaid reacts to more work ABOUT POTENTIAL REMATCH 1053501 Fire and Ice Live Blog: Pens hold off Devils, 6-4 1053537 SHARKS CAN'T FIND THEIR LEGS IN ANOTHER LOSS 1053502 Penguins still too tough for scrappy Devils TO BLUES 1053503 Penguins 6, Devils 4: No immediate update on Wood 1053504 Devils have no answer for Sidney Crosby St Louis Blues 1053538 Preview: Blues at Coyotes 1053539 Soft schedule should help Blues in playoff push 1053505 Islanders expect energy boost by getting back Casey 1053540 Maryland Heights to negotiate millions for Blues practice Cizikas facility New York Rangers 1053506 Rangers just can’t win at the Garden anymore 1053541 Lightning's Steven Stamkos on injury progress: Some 1053507 Rick Nash can take a punch, but he’s sure not happy positives but nothing imminent on return about it 1053508 Rangers lose sixth straight at home to Panthers in Maple Leafs shootout 1053542 Leafs not least bit concerned about Matthews’ slump 1053509 Pavel Buchnevich sits, but gets Alain Vigneault’s 1053543 Maple Leafs-Chicago Blackhawks: Game preview endorsement 1053544 Getting to know the Stanley Cup better 1053545 Baruchel fights the good fight in Goon sequel: Arthur Senators 1053546 Game Day: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs 1053510 Melnyk weighs in on Olympics 1053547 Auston Matthews has a fan in Patrick Kane 1053511 How a slow lap made Bernie Parent all-time great 1053548 Maple Leafs have lost too many late points to NHL's elite 1053512 Senators and Canadiens about to get very well-acquainted 1053549 Maple Leafs control their own destiny down the stretch 1053513 to host outdoor game against Montreal 1053550 Maple Leafs sign forward Miro Aaltonen to entry-level deal Canadiens at TD Place in December 1053551 may rue all the lost leads and shootout woes when the season-ending points tally is taken 1053514 Flyers' season a roller-coaster ride that was far too bumpy 1053515 Shania Twain took in a Flyers game 1053516 Giroux insists Flyers haven't quit despite listless loss to 1053583 Desjardins removes filter on Tryamkin's potential, Devils Canucks 'kids' 1053517 Five things to know today about the Flyers after loss to 1053584 ‘This is a unique opportunity’: Vancouver Canucks Devils hopefuls get their chance — with no guarantees for next 1053518 BEST OF NHL: PANTHERS WIN IN SHOOTOUT AS seas JAGR REACHES ANOTHER MILESTONE 1053519 FLYERS-DEVILS 10 OBSERVATIONS: AN INEXCUSABLE LACK OF FIGHT 1053520 AS FLYERS STUMBLE TO FINISH LINE, WHERE DOES RESPONSIBILITY FALL? 1053521 Behind the rivalry: why Flyers just can’t beat Devils 1053522 Rookie roundup: Evaluating games of Devils' younger players vs. Flyers 1053571 After missing 15 games, Andre Burakovsky will play on Saturday 1053572 The best way to avoid injuries while blocking shots: Hope. 1053573 With Jakub Vrana reassigned to AHL, signs point to Andre Burakovsky’s return 1053574 GAME 71: CAPITALS AT LIGHTNING DATE, TIME, HOW TO WATCH, GAME THREAD 1053575 TOM WILSON GETS SORE HANDS, BUT AVOIDS INJURY AFTER FIGHT WITH NASHVILLE'S AUSTIN WATSON 1053576 ANDRE BURAKOVSKY IS OFFICIALLY BACK FOR THE CAPS 1053577 JUSTIN WILLIAMS GIVES BOBBLEHEAD CONCESSIONS SPEECH 1053578 CAPS DEMOTE VRANA ON FRIDAY AS BURAKOVSKY RETURNS TO PRACTICE 1053579 PREDICTION RECAP: CAPS LOSE FIVE OUT OF SIX Websites 1053585 ESPN / Chris Pronger aspires to become a GM, while Jaromir Jagr might play another season -- or more 1053586 FOXSports.com / Senators and Canadiens to close out NHL’s 100th year with outdoor game next season 1053587 FOXSports.com / Taylor Hall’s breakaway move was so nasty it left Flyers goalie injured 1053588 .ca / By the Numbers: A look at who Jagr has passed since turning 40 1053589 Sportsnet.ca / A look at Connor McDavid, whose breakout season is still to come 1053590 Sportsnet.ca / Sens owner says ‘a flat no’ to Karlsson playing in non-NHL Olympics 1053591 Sportsnet.ca / Arizona Coyotes to reduce arena seating capacity next season 1053592 Sportsnet.ca / Radulov denies asking for 8-year contract from Canadiens 1053593 Sportsnet.ca / Micheal Ferland opens up on drinking, sobriety and the path forward 1053594 TSN.CA / TSN Hockey's Top 10 Storylines of the Week 1053595 TSN.CA / Kapanen, Leipsic eager to salvage injury-hit seasons 1053596 TSN.CA / Pronger striving to become a general manager one day 1053597 TSN.CA / How Cujo helped Elliott through early struggles in Calgary 1053580 Finn-omenal! It seems everyone knows who Patrik Laine is in his Nordic homeland 1053581 Lowry takes another step forward 1053582 Jets have enough firepower

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1053413 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks fall to Sabres, 2-1, in 10-round shootout

Curtis Zupke

There was plenty of green in Honda Center, but for a 55-minute span the Ducks couldn’t buy a goal. After Rickard Rakell’s 31st goal midway through in the first period, the Ducks proceeded to fill a barn with near misses against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. They were also thwarted by 6-foot-6 goalie Anders Nilsson and hit a post and a crossbar in the third period and overtime, respectively. Two goals in a shootout weren’t enough, either, in a 2-1 loss. Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons scored in the 10th round to deny the Ducks the extra point as they head to San Jose for a big game against the Sharks on Saturday. Girgensons outwaited goalie Jonathan Bernier and lifted the puck past him to end a clean St. Patrick’s Day game with one minor , to the Ducks. Ryan Getzlaf and Brandon Montour had scored earlier in the shootout but Buffalo extended it both times. “We carried the play for most of the game,” Kevin Bieksa said. “Their goal was off one of our guys and in on a lucky bounce. We had plenty chances to score. Their goalie played well. You lose in a shootout. I don’t think you hold your head too far down for this one. We played well.” It figured as a classic trap game for the Ducks before their regular- season finale against first place San Jose. Buffalo was on its second game in as many nights and went down to five defensemen after Taylor Fedun left the game early after a hit from Jared Boll. The Ducks didn’t buy into the trap theory, though. They will go into Saturday still confident with points in five of their past six games. “We’re playing good hockey right now,” Bieksa said. “We’re rolling four lines. We’re rolling six D. We’re playing a team that does the same thing … It’s going to be a good game.” For the second straight game, Rakell began the scoring with a career- high establishing goal. He reached the 30-goal mark for the first time Wednesday, and No.31 came in similar fashion in front of the net with his precision hands. Rakell backhanded in a rebound created by Cam Fowler’s . Montour, back in the lineup after being scratched, made a backhand pass out to Fowler from down low. Rakell went into this season with 29 goals in the first 165 games of his career. His 31st goal was scored in his 60th game this season. The Ducks easily could have padded their 1-0 lead but they missed at least five quality scoring opportunities in the second period. Those included defenseman Josh Manson on a lost backhand and Rakell and Andrew Cogliano on shots wide.

LA Times: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053414 Anaheim Ducks And the puck subsequently ricocheted over the goal line, giving O’Reilly a fluky goal in a period the Ducks otherwise controlled.

“It’s a game where we obviously out-shoot them heavily,” Bieksa said. Ducks salvage a point as they fall to Sabres in a shootout “We carried the play for most of the game. Their goal was off one of our guys and in on a lucky bounce. We had plenty of chances to score. Their goalie played well. You lose in a shootout. March 17, 2017 Updated 10:51 p.m. “I don’t think you hold your head too far down for this one. We played By ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER well. Didn’t get the result.”

ANAHEIM – Two goaltenders matched each other blow by figurative Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.18.2017 blow well into the night until Zemgus Girgensons finally landed the knockout punch. Girgensons scored in the 10th round of the shootout and Buffalo’s Anders Nilsson won a duel with the Ducks’ Jonathan Bernier on Friday night as the Sabres pulled out a 2-1 victory in front of an announced 14,556 at Honda Center. Girgensons scored on Bernier after Nilsson stopped Ducks winger Nick Ritchie. The Ducks (37-23-11), who shot first, appeared to have the game won twice on scores by Ryan Getzlaf early and Brandon Montour in the ninth round, only to see Ryan O’Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen answer for the Sabres. Those were the only shootout goals as Nilsson, who made 39 saves in regulation and overtime, and Bernier (30 saves) also made numerous stops when it came to the one-on-one showdowns. Bernier’s personal four-game win streak came to an end. “We definitely had our chances and so did they,” Ducks forward Rickard Rakell said. “It’s 50-50. It’s you against the goalie. Yeah, they beat us today.” But the Ducks gained a point to stay in sole possession of second place, one above Calgary as the Flames defeated Dallas. With a game Saturday night at San Jose, the Ducks didn’t want to come away with no points against a lower-tier Eastern Conference team. “You want to come out of every game with one or two points,” defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. “People start talking about this being a trap game. I don’t think it was a trap game. It’s a trap game if you don’t respect the opposition. But we definitely respected their skill. “They’ve got some top-end guys over there and some really good forwards. We played them hard. We played well.” Rakell stayed too hot to the touch. The winger scored for the fourth straight game, going to his backhand to bat in a rebound past Nilsson after Cam Fowler’s point shot created the favorable bounce. Rakell now has 31 goals in his breakout season as the Ducks’ top sniper. But the Ducks would find Nilsson, a backup to regular starter Robin Lehner, difficult to beat as Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma turned to him after getting pulled in his previous outing. Nilsson was stout while the Ducks particularly pushed in the final two periods of regulation. Corey Perry made a hard push down the right wing on an offensive chance but the Swede got enough of his blistering slap shot to change the direction, with it striking the far post. Bernier was up to the task as Buffalo pushed back in the third. Evander Kane saw a chance to score a power-play goal and give the Sabres the lead disappear into Bernier’s glove after seeing an earlier golden opportunity go awry when O’Reilly’s pass bounced over his stick. The Ducks could have a forlorn look when it came to the second period. Numerous chances to pad their lead either escaped them or weren’t cashed in. Josh Manson was set up low in the right circle and had Nilsson beat with a move to his backhand but couldn’t get much on that shot and the Sabres swept the puck away. Andrew Cogliano shanked a redirect try from in front of the net and Patrick Eaves fanned on a one-time chance. “I didn’t think we were sharp with the puck,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. Rakell had another potential goal on his stick after being set up in the slot between the hashmarks but fired just wide of the net as he tried to pick a corner. And the Sabres hung around long enough to pull into a tie. Jake McCabe let loose a shot from inside the blue line that Bernier appeared to easily track but failed on his attempt to glove it. The puck kicked away and struck the skate of O’Reilly as he battled for position with Ducks center Ryan Kesler. 1053415 Anaheim Ducks The one thing that Cogliano can’t see is an old-school return to games ending in ties, which stayed in existence until the shootout eliminated that in 2005-06. Each team got a point in that scenario. Ducks Notes: Awarding teams 3 points for a regulation win is again under “It doesn’t feel right now to me just because it’s never happened (while discussion I’ve been playing),” Cogliano said. “It feels like you’re leaving a lot unwanted for the fans. Because either win or lose, I think the fans still like it coming down to an end and having an exciting finish. I don’t think fans March 17, 2017 Updated 10:48 p.m. would like it.” By ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.18.2017 ANAHEIM – The Ducks are locked in a battle with Calgary and Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division. Now what kind of position would they be if three points were awarded for a win within the 60 minutes of regulation? Radical idea? Not as much as you think. NHL general managers at their meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., earlier this month put that proposal up for discussion. And it’s not a new debate - it was also considered coming out of the 2004-05 lockout. No consensus was generated as the GM meetings, but a change to a 3- 2-1 system (three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one for a shootout win) appears to be gaining traction. What’s the reasoning? Add weight to teams that win games in regulation. Victories beyond it would still be rewarded, but those “Ws” gained by capturing the skills competition that is the shootout would further diminish in terms of overall importance. For some players, it could be an idea whose time has come. In Ducks winger Andrew Cogliano’s mind, it could make teams be much more aggressive late in the third period, particularly in a tie game. “You should maybe get an extra point for winning in regulation because I think there’s a sense that you force teams to push for goals,” Cogliano said. “You force teams to push for having that extra incentive. And I think that can make the game exciting. It can open up the game even more. “I think you can add a little bit more pace to it and you’ll have teams attacking. It can be a smart idea. You’ll get rewarded for playing maybe a little more offensive, a more high-tempo game the whole game instead of maybe waiting until near the end.” If a three-point system were in effect now, the only difference the Ducks would see would be greater separation. For example, San Jose would continue to lead the Pacific Division with 117 points based on its 35 regulations wins, five overtime victories and two shootout triumphs. The Ducks would still be second with 103, just above Calgary’s 101 and Edmonton’s 98. A team it would impact more would be the Kings, who would have 87 and trail Nashville’s 97 for the second wild-card spot with 12 games to go. But that would also put 36 points available to the Kings. Other teams with as many games left also have that at their disposal. And the potential for standings to change among two teams close together could vary greatly from night to night. Not everyone is on board. Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm believes the current system – two points for a win of any kind, one for an overtime or shootout loss – allows for enough separation because of the lengthy 82-game schedule. The three-point system is used in his native Sweden and many other overseas leagues, but Lindholm pointed to far shorter seasons (the Swedish Hockey League is 52 games) and that poor teams may be out of playoff contention far sooner if the NHL went that route. “It just looks worse,” Lindholm said. “I can feel that teams kind of give up earlier. ... You look at the playoffs now, it’s just a couple of wins (and you’re back in contention), right? Korbinian Holzer, the Ducks’ German-born defenseman, also grew up with a three-point win system and sees the benefits. “If you tie after 60 (minutes) and you go into overtime and a shootout, then you know there’s one point or two points extra to get,” Holzer said. “I think that definitely puts a lot more heat on the game. Down the road, everybody’s scratching and clawing to get into the playoffs and every point counts. “If you get two instead of one in extra time, it means a lot of games are tight and a lot of games go to overtime or the shootout and it just becomes more and more important if you can get two instead of one. That may be a difference.” 1053416 Arizona Coyotes Adapting to the league, however, has still been a process. At the beginning of the season, Chychrun was excited to be with the Coyotes but also nervous. He concentrated on his play and making sure Arizona Coyotes' Jakob Chychrun playing beyond his years he turned in solid performances. After being a healthy scratch five times in November (a timeout issued by the coaching staff to help Chychrun’s transition), he had to rebuild his confidence. Sarah McLellan , azcentral sports Published 5:48 p.m. MT March 17, 2017 | Updated 7 hours ago Now, though, he feels comfortable. Chychrun recognizes who he’s on the ice with and what type of plays he should be making – an awareness that’s upped his urgency and intensity to the point that he’s focused on having an impact on the game each and every shift. Defenseman Alex Goligoski was playing high-school hockey when he was 18 years old. “I feel good about my game right now,” he said. Winger Tobias Rieder was in junior. Same with goalie Louis Domingue, Gaining this experience at 18 is a testament to Chychrun’s talent and an who was in his third season. Defenseman Connor Murphy was encouraging sign of potentially what’s to come. embarking on Year 1 – just like center Jordan Martinook. But the expectation that he has to continue to evolve won’t disappear As for Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, he was also a junior-hockey player once he turns 19 March 31. who spent the summer fighting fires in the northern forest. “However I end this year, I have to be better than that next year,” “I wasn’t drafted,” Tippett recalled. “I was just playing for the sake of Chychrun said. “Same thing after that. So there’s always going to be playing. Didn’t really start thinking about it too much. Went to college, pressure here, and then there’s hopefully going to be pressure on us to and then when I tried out for the Olympic team and made the Olympic win every year soon. So the pressures will keep building, and that’s team, that’s when it kind of started to click that I might have a chance. something as as players we all love and we all embrace.” That was about three years later.” Saturday's game Clearly, skating in the NHL as a teenager is rare, but defenseman Jakob Chychrun hasn’t just filled a lineup spot. The 18-year-old has stoked Coyotes update: Shane Doan didn’t practice Friday and remains optimism for the team’s future by continuing to improve as his rookie day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered Thursday. He hasn’t been season progresses – an evolution that has him in the midst of playing ruled out for Saturday’s game but is doubtful to play, coach Dave Tippett arguably his best hockey to date. said. Defenseman Luke Schenn, who left Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury after going head-first into the boards, practiced Friday “His game, from where he started to where he is now, is trending very and is fine, Tippett said. nicely,” Tippett said. Blues update: This is the fourth stop on a five-game road trip for the Chychrun scored his seventh goal of the season in the 5-4 shootout loss Blues, who grabbed a 4-1 win in San Jose on Thursday against the to the Red Wings on Thursday, which is the second-highest output Sharks. Before that, St. Louis opened their trip with a victory over the among all first-year defensemen in the NHL. He also tied Joe Cirella and Kings before losing to the Ducks. Overall, the Blues have won six of their Jim Benning (1981-82) for the sixth-most goals in a season by an 18- last seven games. They also have a four-point lead over the Kings for the year-old defenseman, according to TSN. second wild-card berth in the Western Conference. Winger Vladimir Tarasenko leads the team in goals (34) and points (63). Between the Overall, Chychrun has five points in his past four games – an outburst pipes, goalie Jake Allen is 26-19-3 with a .910 save percentage and 2.53 that highlights the offensive instincts with which he arrived after getting goals-against average. drafted 16th overall last summer, and also the strides he’s made in his own zone, where the focus has been to make better reads and figure out how best to react to situations. Arizona Republic LOADED: 03.18.2017 “It’s something we worked on all year,” Chychrun said. “I think the main thought behind it is you’d rather be overaggressive than sit back and the let the play happen. They always tell me my skating is one of my best attributes. They want me to use it – not only jumping up in the play but in the D-zone, as well, closing in on pucks quick, closing on guys quick and just taking space away quick from skill players.” This defending base is key; it’s what’s earned him more ice time and – subsequently – more opportunity to flex his offensive skills. But it’s also an essential part of the identity the Coyotes have in mind for him. “We want him to be a real strong two-way defenseman, be able to put him out in critical situations,” Tippett said. “When you’re behind, he can play in those situations, too. That’s where I envision him, to be a very well-rounded player.” Chychrun shares that vision, and after working with the coaches to fine- tune his play in his own end, he already feels he can sense when he’s made a mistake. He said he made a "tough read" on Detroit's fourth goal Thursday and wanted to make up for it, which he did by sliding a shot through traffic later in the third to help the Coyotes snag a point. “I’m able to kind of self-evaluate myself now, and I know when I’m doing something wrong or I know when I’m doing something right,” he said. “I’m at a good point now.” Before the season started, management didn’t anticipate Chychrun being in the NHL. But he played his way onto the roster, and team brass came to the conclusion he’d be best-served developing with the Coyotes rather than back in junior. Still, the Coyotes have closely monitored his journey because of his age. They wanted to challenge Chychrun but not overwhelm him. But they also haven’t felt he’s carried himself as an 18-year-old – perhaps, in part, because of his upbringing, as Chychrun’s dad, Jeff, logged parts of eight seasons in the NHL. “He’s a mature young man,” Tippett said. “An 18-year-old that is concerned about getting enough rest, concerned about his nutrition, concerned about watching video of himself playing – not a lot of 18-year- old kids do that. He’s a very dedicated athlete that way.” 1053417 Arizona Coyotes Season series: First meeting Injury report: Coyotes — RW Shane Doan (lower body) is day-to-day and doubtful to play. D Kevin Connauton (upper body) and C Alexander Tobias Rieder seizing opportunity to fill roster hole at right wing Burmistrov (concussion) are day to day. C Brad Richardson (broken right tibia and fibula) is on injured reserve. Blues — LW Dmitrij Jaskin (upper body), C Jori Lehtera (upper body) and LW Robby Fabbri (ACL) are out. BY CRAIG MORGAN | March 17, 2017 @ 6:00 PM Scouting the Blues: St Louis has won two of the first three games (Los Angeles, San Jose) on its five-game road trip and is 6-2 in March. The Blues currently sit in the Western Conference’s second wild card spot, GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dave Tippett has never had cause for concern with four points ahead of Los Angeles and two points behind third-place what he calls “the guts” of Tobias Rieder’s game. The third-year forward Nashville in the Central Division. … RW Vladimir Tarasenko leads the is smart, he competes hard, he is responsible defensively, he is team with 34 goals (third in the NHL) and 63 points. … G Jake Allen has responsible with the puck, he can play in all situations and he finds ways a .952 save percentage in five March games; backup Carter Hutton has a to utilize his most noticeable asset: his speed. .939 save percentage in three March games. .. The Blues’ power play is ranked fourth in the NHL (22.4 percent); the penalty killing unit is sixth The one area in question has been Rieder’s production. A roster hole (84.3) may provide Rieder the opportunity to add that final, important element to his game. Since moving to the right wing on a line with center Jordan Martinook and Arizona Sports LOADED: 03.18.2017 left winger Brendan Perlini on March 2 in Buffalo, Rieder has two goals and eight points in eight games. His 15 goals this season are a career high, his 18 assists are five short of a career high and his 33 points are four short of a career high. “He’s been real steady, real solid all year and the last couple weeks since we put him over on the right wing, we’re really seeing some good stuff from him,” Tippett said. “We asked him to give it a try and he’s adapted. He’s added an extra element of creativity in his game that I’ve liked so far. It’s helped him get some points.” It’s no secret the Coyotes have an abundance of left wingers on the roster or in the system. Max Domi, Perlini, Jamie McGinn and Lawson Crouse are currently manning those duties, but Martinook can also play the left side, Rieder has played there his entire NHL career and elite prospect Clayton Keller probably fits best in that spot. On the other side, Shane Doan may be in the final year of his career, Anthony Duclair has struggled and Radim Vrbata is in the final year of his contract, although he could return. That dearth of depth has created both a need and an opportunity. Rieder has seized it. “I played the right side in junior [ of the Hockey League] for three years so you slowly get back into it but it’s a still little different after playing the left wing my whole NHL career,” said Rieder, for whom the greatest adjustment comes in the defensive zone. “On the right side of my body is a wall now so I’m pretty much always going to receive pucks with my backhand in the D-zone.” “There are pluses and minuses each way. It’s easier on the left side to receive pucks and make plays, but coming into the zone you’re kind of locked into shooting it or driving down low. On the right side, you have a couple different options. You can drive the net, you can pull up easier when you have it on your forehand and make plays easier with the puck closer to the net; find the late guys coming in. That’s obviously way more difficult to do on the left side when you pull up and try to make a hard pass on your backhand on the tape, right in the slot.” Rieder has always been a disciplined offseason worker. He works out with the German national team, he shoots hundreds of pucks to improve his finishing skills and he does a lot of off-ice work with Penguins forward and fellow Landshut, Germany native, Tom Kuhnhackl, because ice is scarce in Germany during the summer. If the Coyotes think this experiment is going to bleed into next season, Tippett has no doubt Rieder will tackle the challenge. “There are players that are like that; they know what they have to do to be good players,” Tippett said. “He continues to build his game: Career highs this year and hopefully he does it again next year.” If the Coyotes could come to training camp this fall with a right wing depth chart of Vrbata, Rieder, Duclair and Christian Fischer, they might feel good about those options. What’s never certain is whether Rieder’s current line will remain intact, but Martinook loves the combination. “Me and Tobi have that chemistry because we’ve been penalty killing the last couple years and then when you throw a guy in that can skate and shoot the way Pearls can, it adds an extra dynamic,” Martinook said. “We try to be strong on the walls in our zone and if we can get the puck out and get the other guy coming across we’re in good shape. “If we keep putting up points, it’s going to be hard for [Tip] to switch us up.” Blues at Coyotes Records: Blues — 37-28-5. Coyotes — 26-35-9. 1053418 Boston Bruins “You have to realize that every night, every team, every game, you have to show up and be good,” Patrice Bergeron said. “You can’t rely on the success we’ve had lately. Hopefully we realize that and go from there.” Bruins hope the stinker in Edmonton is an aberration Fluto Shinzawa By Fluto Shinzawa Boston Globe LOADED: 03.18.2017 GLOBE STAFF MARCH 17, 2017

EDMONTON, Alberta — From 30,000 feet, the Bruins’ tour of Western looked good. They banked 4 of 6 points. Fifteen pucks found their way through Ryan Miller, Chad Johnson, and Cam Talbot, a bounty for a club that could not shoot straight for more than half the year. They put an end to the 10- game win streak of the Flames, the hottest bunch in the league. And Brad Marchand’s hands and stick continued to be ablaze as the left wing kept pace with Connor McDavid atop the NHL’s scoring list. But from ground level, where every game could dictate the Bruins’ postseason fortunes, Bruce Cassidy was not thinking about the big picture after Thursday’s 7-4 thumping in Edmonton. “We’ll park this one,” said Cassidy. “We lost the game. That’s the way we look at it. I’m not going to sum up the road trip. We lost this game. We won yesterday. We won on Monday. Our goal is to go into Toronto [Monday] and play well.” Coaches face the challenge of balancing short- and long-term outlooks. The Bruins got some help Thursday when Ottawa also lost, which kept the Senators just 3 points ahead in the sprint for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins are 12-4-0 since Cassidy took the wheel, a good record for a team that had been skidding sideways. Against the Oilers, they shrugged off a 3-0 first-period deficit to close within one goal, indicating that they don’t tuck their tails at the first signal of misfortune. “We fell behind there by three goals and battled back,” said Tuukka Rask, who, like most of his teammates, did not have his good stuff against the Oilers. “Lot of bad things and some good things. We battled back but not enough there. Tough start to the second period. Still, we never quit, so that’s a great sign.” Exceptions happen, especially considering the Bruins’ situation Thursday. It was their third game in four nights. On Wednesday, they had submitted a professional effort in their 5-2 win over Calgary. In the third period, when the Flames tried to push, the Bruins never let them find their legs. They locked down everything: The slot, the neutral zone, and Calgary’s power play. The Bruins barred the door at their blue line to keep Calgary from gaining clean entries. When the Flames got some looks, the Bruins blocked shots — Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller being two of the defensemen who did not hesitate to step in front of speeding pucks. Those foundational elements of success went away against Edmonton. The Oilers present challenges for any opponent because of their mixture of skill and muscle. They overwhelmed the Bruins in center ice, picked apart their usual net-front stoutness, and made the league’s best penalty kill leak like a sieve. “It’s an outlier,” Torey Krug said. “It’s something that doesn’t happen very often with this team. It does serve as a wake-up call to fix some things defensively. Maybe we were a little too comfortable. “But we’ve played a couple games before this game where I thought we did a strong job in our slot. They took the game over in our slot. Hopefully we can just tighten up next time.” The weary Bruins staggered back to Boston early Friday morning. They will not apply skate blade to ice until Sunday morning at Warrior Ice Arena for a tuneup before departing for Toronto for Monday’s game. They not only deserve the rest, they need it for what they’ll be facing. The Maple Leafs, who laid a 5-0 beating on Tampa Bay on Thursday, are dangermen in the rearview mirror. On Tuesday, the Bruins will host the Senators, who would like to create some separation between second and third place. On Thursday, the Bruins will take on the surging Lightning, their third game in four nights. They complete the week with a Saturday visit to Brooklyn, where the Islanders are still scrapping for the second wild-card entry. It is a critical week against four teams residing in the Bruins’ cluster. As much as the Bruins have surged under Cassidy, they are still not comfortable in the standings. 1053419 Boston Bruins Fluto Shinzawa Bruins hit the skids against high-flying Oilers Boston Globe LOADED: 03.18.2017

By Fluto Shinzawa GLOBE STAFF MARCH 17, 2017

EDMONTON, Alberta — The mighty Bruins, who stormed through Vancouver and Calgary, felt flat in the finale of their Western Canada swing. The Oilers halted the Bruins’ four-game winning streak by laying a 7-4 smackdown on their Eastern visitors at Rogers Place. By 8:23 of the first period, the Bruins were already down 3-0. “Too many breakdowns defensively,” Patrice Bergeron said. “You get down by three goals early on before the 10-minute mark, definitely tough to catch up from there. Our D-zone coverage was nowhere to be found. They took advantage of that.” Coach Bruce Cassidy gave Tuukka Rask the hook at 2:06 of the second period after the starter allowed his fifth goal on 17 shots. The top-ranked penalty kill, which didn’t allow Calgary to land a single shot on Wednesday, saw the fast and powerful Oilers go 3 for 6 on the power play. The Bruins, usually airtight in front of their net, crumbled under Edmonton’s assault. “The things we broke down on, we’ve generally done a good job on this year,” Cassidy said. “If you watched us for the first time, you’d look at it and say, ‘Geez, their slot coverage must be awful and their penalty kill must be awful.’ But it’s two of the best things in the league. They just happened to let us down tonight. We’ve done a great job in those areas for the whole season. It’s going to happen. I put it on the group. I’m not going to nitpick on the goaltending. They finished well in front of our net.” Connor McDavid led the barrage with three helpers, including an assist on Edmonton’s backbreaking fourth goal. The Bruins, once down by three, closed to within 3-2 after David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand slipped pucks past Cam Talbot (32 saves). But McDavid made a creative play to help give the Oilers a 4-2 lead with 51 seconds remaining in the first. From behind the goal line, the No. 1 center snapped the puck on Rask. The netminder, not expecting a shot from the angle, could not control the rebound. Anton Slepyshev jumped on the loose puck and swatted it past Rask at 19:09. “Last minute of the period and kind of a nothing play there,” said Rask (12 saves on 17 shots). “The guy’s got the puck behind the net, then bats it in the net out of the air. When it’s not going your way, you have to be extra careful around the net. Today, it wasn’t the case.” Drake Caggiula scored a close-range power-play goal at 2:06 of the second, giving Edmonton a 5-2 lead and ending Rask’s night. Dominic Moore responded with a shorthanded strike at 4:17 of the second to make it a 4-2 score. But the Oilers continued their abuse on Anton Khudobin. Leon Draisaitl fired a short-side shot past Khudobin at 6:46. Milan Lucic tipped in a power-play goal at 14:49. A five-on-three goal by David Krejci at 19:28 of the second got the Bruins as close as they could get. “They’re a quick team,” Torey Krug said. “Lot of big bodies there up front. Their D transition the puck quickly. When you’re making turnovers, it’s going to come right back in your face. They had that power-play goal early, and that started it off for them. You keep falling behind 3-0, we’re going to continue to fight back and battle back, but you can only do it for so long. They kept regaining that lead. We weren’t able to overcome it.” But the Bruins got some help from Chicago. The third-place Bruins remain three points behind the second-place Senators, who also lost on Thursday, but by a more respectable 2-1 margin to Chicago. The Bruins are four points ahead of the fourth-place Maple Leafs, who laid a 5-0 goose egg on Tampa Bay. Marchand (1-2—3) kept pace with McDavid (0-3—3) atop the NHL’s leaderboard. So in the big picture, the Bruins slipped out of Edmonton with minimal damage, although Matt Beleskey probably wouldn’t agree. With 11.1 seconds remaining in garbage time, Bergeron hammered a one-timer off the right side of Beleskey’s head. The left wing crumbled to the ice, then retreated to the room with a towel to his head and blood streaming down the right side of his face. “He’s a hard-nosed kid. Hopefully he’s all right,” Cassidy said. “That’s very unfortunate for him. I don’t know what else to say. Hopefully he’ll be fine.” 1053420 Boston Bruins “For me, it’s just starting to have fun again,” Lucic said. “If you look at the middle of the season, things weren’t going too well with frustration and all that type of stuff. That last road trip, starting in Chicago, just starting to Brad Marchand’s success doesn’t surprise Milan Lucic have fun again, embracing this hockey club and this team and what we’ve become.”

Although David Backes felt well enough to score Wednesday’s game- By Fluto Shinzawa winning goal after slamming his left knee into the Scotiabank Saddledome end boards in the first period, the right wing wasn’t sure GLOBE STAFF MARCH 17, 2017 how he’d be the next morning. On Thursday, after reporting to Rogers Place, Backes said he was OK to play against the Oilers. EDMONTON, Alberta — Eleven years ago, Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic faced off as teenagers chasing the . Marchand was a “I know what I felt when I went in,” Backes said of his collision, which left 66-point player for Moncton of the QMJHL. Lucic, a first-year WHLer with him unable to retreat to the dressing room without assistance. “You get Vancouver, was better known for his fists (169 penalty minutes) than the trainers looking at you, they give you the OK, a little pain point-producing hands (nine goals). management, and back in the game. Yeah, I feel fortunate. I know that was not a light little collision with the wall. The wall wasn’t moving much.” Both left wings and former teammates have progressed since then. Lucic scored a seven-year, $42 million blockbuster with Edmonton because of Backes started the game on the first line. The right wing (two shots in his ability, when he’s on his game, to be a dangerous power forward. 15:00 of ice time) also took shifts on the second line. Marchand, meanwhile, has grown from a fourth-line agitator to a premier left wing and part of a ferocious tandem with Patrice Bergeron, according The Bruins assigned Peter Cehlarik and Austin Czarnik to Providence. to his former teammate. The forwards were healthy scratches against the Oilers . . . Drew Stafford alternated between second-line left wing and third-line right wing. The ex- “We played against them in the Memorial Cup in 2006,” Lucic recalled. Jet failed to land a shot on net in 15:25 of play . . . Fifty seconds after “It’s really funny, but I’ve always noticed his skill set. He doesn’t lack any McQuaid fought Maroon in the first period, Zdeno Chara engaged in a confidence. It’s just taken this long to what he’s become. Having a brief scrap with Zack Kassian. While McQuaid and Maroon finished their centerman like Bergy helps. But he’s evolved as, in my mind, a top-two fight on their skates, Chara tugged Kassian to the ice . . . While McDavid left winger in the league because he’s had that confidence and he’s had and Nugent-Hopkins are fast, quick, and explosive playmakers, the that skill set.” Oilers also flex up-front muscle. “They’ve got a mix of pace and they’ve got a mix of heaviness,” Cassidy said. “Draisaitl’s big. Looch is big. The Bruins drafted Lucic (No. 50 overall) and Marchand (No. 71) in 2006 Maroon’s having a heck of a year — a big man who played well against following their meeting in the CHL playoffs. The following summer, both us last time. Our D are going to have a mixed bag. They’re going to have left wings reported to Wilmington for their first development camp with to be ready for pace, and they’re going to have to be ready for heaviness the Bruins. They left Ristuccia Arena to play for their country in the and to box out.” . . . Lucic is now 4-0-0, between LA and Edmonton, Canada-Russia Super Series. While Lucic made the Bruins in 2007, it against his old team. took Marchand three more years to become a full-time member of the varsity. They were 1-2 left-side teammates for five seasons until the Bruins traded Lucic to Los Angeles on June 26, 2015. Fluto Shinzawa So Lucic knows Marchand as well as anyone. That his fellow Class of 2006 member has become an elite player and an MVP candidate is no Boston Globe LOADED: 03.18.2017 revelation for Lucic. “What can you say? The hottest player since January 1st,” Lucic said, referring to Marchand’s league-high 50 points since New Year’s Day. “I know a lot of people are somewhat surprised about how he’s played this season. Me, knowing him and getting to be his teammate for five years, I’m definitely not surprised with the success he’s having. Obviously he’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s been on a roll.” Marchand scored a goal and two assists in Thursday’s 7-4 loss to the Oilers, giving him a league-leading 79 points. Connor McDavid (24-55— 79) kept pace with Marchand with three assists. They are two points ahead of Patrick Kane (31-46—77), who had entered the night in a three- way tie with Marchand and McDavid. Marchand and McDavid are competing for the Hart Trophy not just because of their scoring, but because both the Bruins and Oilers might be out of the playoff hunt if not for their points and presence. Before Thursday’s game, an Edmonton reporter noted how McDavid, Kane, and Sidney Crosby (74 points), three of the top four scorers, were first overall picks, while Marchand was drafted in the third round. “You should bring that up to him,” Cassidy said. “Because I think that’ll will him even more. He’s that type of guy. That’s just Marshy. He wants to prove people wrong. He has proven people wrong. I think he’s only going to grow. He’s only going to get better.” There was a time when Lucic could change the game more dynamically than Marchand because of his straight-line speed, soft hands, locomotive-like brawn, and bone-breaking punching power. It is not so anymore. Of the two, Marchand is the more critical presence because of how he touches the game in every element. Marchand’s $6.125 million average annual value, which kicks in next year, looks far friendlier than Lucic’s $6 million annual payday. It has not been an easy season for Lucic (16-25—41, 41 penalty minutes). In the dressing room, Lucic occupies the stall on McDavid’s left. It was the position that general manager Peter Chiarelli projected Lucic would fill on the ice. But fellow widebody Patrick Maroon (two goals and a fight with Adam McQuaid) has been a better fit as McDavid’s linemate. Of late, Lucic has found more traction on the No. 2 line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. 1053421 Boston Bruins

Bruins heading into important week for playoff hopes

Steve Conroy Saturday, March 18, 2017

EDMONTON — Since Bruce Cassidy took over the Bruins’ bench a month and half ago, the team has exuded a confidence and all-around esprit de corps, winning games in just about every way imaginable. But as they learned on Thursday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton, good vibrations can take you only so far. You still have to put in the hard work, and work smartly, in this league to have the kind of run that the B’s have been on. Prior to the 7-4 thumping at the hands of the revved up Oilers, the truth is that in a few recent wins — against Philadelphia and Vancouver — the Bruins got away with taking a period off here and there. Connor McDavid and the Oilers gang didn’t let them off the hook. Now, the Bruins are facing what could be a decisive week with games against Toronto, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and the Islanders, all direct competitors for a playoff spot. If the B’s hope to play hockey beyond April 8, Thursday’s debacle will have to be a lesson learned. They especially have to clean up in front of their own net. “It’s an outlier,” said defenseman Torey Krug. “It’s something that doesn’t happen very often with this team. It does serve as a wakeup call to fix some things defensively. Maybe we were getting a little too comfortable, but we’ve played some games before this game where I thought we did a strong job in our slot. I thought they took the game over in our slot. Hopefully we can just tighten up next time.” There are plenty of reasons to believe the Oilers game was indeed an outlier. The B’s had played 15 games under Cassidy, won 12 and been in all of them. They were also playing their third game in four nights against a rested, homestanding opponent. But they still have to get back to work. “You have to. We’re in the race right now,” said center Patrice Bergeron. “We want to win. We obviously want to be in the playoffs. We’ve got 11 games left and we have to move on, but we do have to learn from it. You can’t just say that it’s going to be fine the next game. We have to go back to the way we’d been playing lately.” One major difference between Cassidy and predecessor Claude Julien is that he’ll break up his lines in a heartbeat. While Julien liked to wear down opponents by rolling the same four, Cassidy mixes it up. His regular change of pace move is to flip right wingers David Pastrnak and David Backes, putting Pastrnak with Bergeron and left winger Brad Marchand usually when the team needs a quick strike. In that sense, the forward lines will never be as settled as they once were. Still, the Bruins have not yet found a great fit at left wing for the David Krejci line. Drew Stafford has been there lately, but the right-shooting Stafford doesn’t look nearly as comfortable as on the right wing. His lone assist on the trip, which came on Matt Beleskey’s insurance goal in Calgary, and his last goal, the late game-winner against Philadelphia, both came when he moved to Ryan Spooner’s right. Arguably, the best second line has been Peter Cehlarik-Krejci-Pastrnak. It is also true that that trio had some brutal shifts in their own zone and Cehlarik’s confidence appears to have taken a hit from being on the ice for goals against, as well as his inability to put away good scoring opportunities. Cehlarik was assigned to Providence late Thursday, with the hope for him to regain his confidence and come back to rejoin Krejci. It’s a tough role for a rookie, but this is a rebuild-on-the-fly, after all. . . . The B’s did not release an official update on Beleskey, who took a Bergeron blast off the side of the head and was bleeding as he left the ice with 11 seconds left on Thursday. Beleskey, however, did take to Twitter. “Doing alright just a scary moment. Thanks for the kind words. Really could have used that assist (though).”

Boston Herald LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053422 Boston Bruins

Panthers pick up big win in NY

Herald Staff Saturday, March 18, 2017

Aleksander Barkov scored a third-period goal and added the winner in the shootout as the Florida Panthers beat the Rangers, 4-3, last night in New York. Jaromir Jagr had two assists and passed Hall of Famer for the most points after turning 40 with 269. Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and assist and Jussi Jokinen also scored for Florida. James Reimer made 29 saves for the Panthers, who are trying to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Reimer made his seventh straight start with Roberto Luongo out because of a lower- body injury. Mats Zuccarello scored two goals and J.T. Miller also tallied for the Rangers, who were unable to hold an early 2-0 lead. Brendan Smith added two assists. Antti Raanta made his fourth consecutive start in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist and finished with 34 saves. The Rangers have lost six straight home games (0-5-1) since beating Washington 2-1 on Feb. 19. Tied 2-2 after two periods, Barkov put the Panthers ahead at 7:23 of the third. Huberdeau entered the zone and sent a pass to Jagr, who passed to Barkov and scored his 19th of the season. Zuccarello tied it a little more than four minutes later with his 14th of the season at 11:45. Trailing 2-0 after the first period, the Panthers tied the game in the second. Alex Petrovic launched a shot from the point and Huberdeau swept in the rebound past Raanta at 1:25 for his sixth goal of the season. A little more than five minutes later, Jokinen started a play and then got a cross-ice pass from Thomas Vanek to score into a wide-open net to make it 2-2 at 6:41. The Rangers had grabbed an early lead with two goals in a 97-second span in the first period. On the power play, Chris Krieder skated up the left wing and centered a pass to Zuccarello, who one-timed it past Reimer for his 13th at 2:34. Then Smith forced a turnover and passed to Miller, who wristed a shot past Reimer from the faceoff circle at 4:11 for his 20th. Penguins 6, Devils 4 — Sidney Crosby scored twice to move into a tie for the NHL lead with 37, Carter Rowney added the first goal of his NHL career and short-handed Pittsburgh beat visiting New Jersey. Crosby added an assist to give him 640 in his career and move him into a tie with Jaromir Jagr for the second-most in franchise history. Nick Bonino, Jake Guentzel and Phil Kessel also scored as the Penguins leapfrogged Columbus to move into second-place behind Washington in the Metropolitan Division. Matt Murray stopped 32 shots as the Penguins relied on Crosby and some fresh faces to overcome the loss of Evgeni Malkin, who is out with an upper-body injury. Ron Hainsey, acquired from Carolina just before the trade deadline last month to provide needed depth and a healthy body along the blue line instead joined fellow defensemen Olli Maatta, Trevor Daley and Kris Letang in street clothes after suffering an upper body injury on Wednesday and is “week to week” according to coach Mike Sullivan. Kyle Palmieri matched Crosby with two goals for New Jersey, and Stefan Noesen and Beau Bennett also scored.

Boston Herald LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053423 Boston Bruins

FRIDAY, MARCH 17: TALKING OILERS AND BRUINS

By Joe Haggerty March 17, 2017 2:47 PM

Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown get into a heated exchange on the Celtics bench during the C's victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night. Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading, while wishing everybody a safe, happy and merriment-filled St. Patrick’s Day. *Here’s the Draft Diary with Boston University goalie Jake Oettinger, who is prepping for a big showdown Hockey East showdown against Boston College on Friday night. *The had a brush with Country music and American Idol greatness when Keith Urban visited Habs practice. *FOH (Friend of Haggs) and PHT writer Mike Halford has the details of Buffalo goalie Robin Lehner jacking up his Sabres after a disappointing loss to LA. *The US women’s hockey team is making a stand against USA Hockey for some pretty basic things, and it’s time for USA Hockey to make it happen if they continue to want the best of the best. *Surging Hart Trophy candidate Erik Karlsson certainly has Paul Coffey in his corner when it comes to commanding respect around the NHL. *Pierre Lebrun wants to tweak the playoff format, but I don’t think we’ll be saying that in a couple of weeks when we see the playoff matchups in the first couple of rounds. *For something completely different: The reviews are in for Iron Fist and they are not very good at all.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053424 Buffalo Sabres The biggest story of the game was 39 saves from Nilsson, in a bounceback effort after being pulled at the end of the first period last Saturday against Columbus with his team in a 3-0 hole. Ten rounds later, Sabres finally enjoy shootout win "He was real strong, real solid and tested with big saves," Bylsma said. "That's where he's been much of the year for us. After the last game he needed to get back to it and it was a big performance." By Mike Harrington "I felt good from puck drop, felt good the whole game," Nilsson said. "My Published Sat, Mar 18, 2017 job is to stop the puck no matter what else is happening in front of you. I was taking one shooter at a time and I was just happy we got the last goal." ANAHEIM -- The shootout was stretching into extra rounds and extra Still, you can't let the giddiness of the shootout overshadow some of the rounds above that. Deep into the California night and at nearly 1 a.m. truths about the 1-2 road trip. The Buffalo offense scored just two goals back home in Buffalo, there had been 19 shooters and four goals but still in the three games and O'Reilly's tying goal at 15:35 of the second period no decision. Zemgus Girgensons admitted he had one thought on the Friday was a fluke off his right skate after Bernier let a Jake McCabe shot Sabres' bench. through his glove. "I was just hoping we'd score and get to go home," joked Girgensons. But Eichel had five shots on goal and easily had his best game on the road trip. Same for Kane, who had four shots on goal and was robbed by The long red-eye flight couldn't happen until the Latvian got his first Bernier in the slot in the third period. Still, no goals. chance of the season by becoming shooter No. 20. In the 10th round. He skated in on Anaheim's Jonathan Bernier and froze the Ducks' goalie Bylsma took a blender to his forward lines, notably putting O'Reilly on the with a shot fake. It allowed him to pull the puck to his forehand and slam wing with Eichel and Tyler Ennis. He may take a similar look Monday in it past Berner to give Buffalo a 2-1 win Friday over the Ducks in Honda Detroit. Center. "I thought we probably still didn't get enough offensive output and The Sabres outscored the Ducks, 3-2, in what was the longest shootout chances from our group," Bylsma said. "But Evander was real win in their history. They lost an 11-rounder to Colorado in 2010. dangerous. We just slugged one out tonight. It was a hard-fought game." The Sabres were pretty deliberate through overtime against the vaunted Anaheim attack, drawing boos from the crowd at a couple points. The Ducks are super talented but were somehow only 2-8 in OT this season. Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 Still, the Sabres seemed content to be patient and then go for quick bursts from Jack Eichel an others. There were no goals scored and, in case you've been under a rock the last few months, that didn't bode well because the Sabres have been terrible at shootouts with a 1-6 record. The numbers within those seven games are even uglier and the output the Sabres got Friday was in stark contrast to previous forays. Buffalo shooters entered the game just 3 for 17 but the Sabres went 3 for 10 in this one. The goalies had made just four saves on 16 opponent shots but Anders Nilsson took care of 8 of 10 Anaheim attempts this time. Nilsson got the Sabres off on the right foot by stopping Jakob Silfverberg's shot in round one and that had to put a charge through the Buffalo bench. "The feeling of getting a save in a shootout was big," coach Dan Bylsma admitted. So was the feeling of getting a goal. After Ryan Getzlaf scored in the second round to put the Ducks up, Ryan O'Reilly got the Sabres even with a nifty wrist shot. He had missed his previous two attempts this season. "I just wanted to come in with speed, make a quick little shoulder fake and get it up," O'Reilly said. "It's about time I scored." Said Bylsma: "We really needed to see that puck go in the net." Nilsson stopped the next six shots, giving the Sabres a chance to win each time. But Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Brian Gionta and Evan Rodrigues all missed. When Anaheim defenseman Brandon Montour blasted a shot by Nilsson in round nine, the Sabres looked cooked. Enter Rasmus Ristolainen's first career shootout attempt in round nine. The Buffalo defenseman drew Bernier to the goalie's left, then deftly reached around with his left hand to tuck the puck past the goalie on the backhand as he was skating by the net. Nilsson said he knew Ristolainen might try the move after the big Finn scored on him with it a couple times in practice. "I defintely knew he could do that," Girgensons said. "Didn't see it coming in the game though. Pretty impressive." "To get the goalie to move like that and reach around him, I wasn't expecting it but it was an unreal move,' O'Reilly said. After Nick Ritchie shot high in round 10, Girgensons put away his fourth shootout-deciding goal. Girgensons, on a run of 18 scoreless games dating to Jan. 24 in Nashville, said he knew he could get Bernier down and out of the play with his move. "It took a little patience and I made sure," he said. 1053425 Buffalo Sabres

Quick Hits: Sabres 2, Ducks 1 (SO)

By Mike Harrington Published Sat, Mar 18, 2017

ANAHEIM -- Zemgus Girgensons scored the winning goal in the 10th round of a shootout as the Buffalo Sabres pulled out a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks Friday night in Honda Center. The Sabres won the lengthy shootout, 3-2, with Anders Nilsson making eight saves. Ryan O'Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen also scored, with Ristolainen's beautiful deke in round nine keeping things alive. The Sabres improved to 2-6 in shootouts this year and backup goalie Nilsson has won both of them. He beat Pittsburgh Nov. 17 in Buffalo. Road woes: The Sabres entered the game with six straight losses away from home and an unsightly 11-19-6 road record. That looks even worse when you consider they opened the season 4-1-2 on the road. Three chances, but how many successes?: Through 40 minutes, every game on the trip was winnable. The Sabres were trailing, 2-1, Tuesday in San Jose en route to a 4-1 loss. They were scoreless Thursday in Los Angeles and fell, 2-0. And the score was even at 1-1 here Friday. First-period recap: The Sabres went scoreless for the sixth straight period and the Ducks took a 1-0 lead on Richard Rakell's 31st goal of the season at 11:48. It came when Anders Nilsson failed to catch Cam Fowler's shot from the point, with the puck hitting Nilsson in the wrist and dropping just in front of the net. Rakell was able to quickly poke it home in front of Cody Franson. Pulling even: The Sabres were outshot, 17-7, in the second period but got the only goal on a fluke bounce. O'Reilly was credited with his 17th as Jake McCabe's shot skittered through the glove of Jonathan Bernier and hit O'Reilly in the right skate. Luck o' the Irish or not, the puck bounced into the net behind a startled Bernier for O'Reilly's 17th goal of the season. Snapping the drought: The O'Reilly goal ended Buffalo's scoreless streak at 154 minutes, 25 seconds. Jack Eichel scored 70 seconds into Tuesday's game and Buffalo had not scored since. New lines: With just one goal in the first two games of the trip, coach Dan Bylsma tried a major reshuffling of his forward lines. The biggest news was moving O'Reilly out of the middle on to Eichel's wing with Tyler Ennis. The other new lines had Girgensons between Evander Kane and Matt Moulson and Sam Reinhart back at center between Brian Gionta and Justin Bailey. The line of Evan Rodrigues between Marcus Foligno and Hudson Fasching stayed intact from Thursday's game in Los Angeles. Back-to-backs: The Sabres completed the 15th of their NHL-high 19 sets of games on consecutive games. They are 6-6-3 in the first half and 6-8- 1 in the second half. Sick bay: Defenseman Taylor Fedun, just up Thursday from Rochester, left after one period with a foot injury after being checked into the boards in front of the Buffalo bench by Anaheim's Jared Boll. In the house: The Ducks announced a crowd of 14,556 in the 17,174- seat arena. The in-house crowd wasn't remotely close to that. It was akin to a gathering in a place like Florida or Carolina. It's the fourth time in the last five home games the Ducks have failed to crack 15,000. Up Next: The Sabres headed to the airport immediately after the game to take a red-eye home and will be off Saturday. They will practice at home Sunday and then return to the skies to head to Detroit to make their final appearance in Joe Louis Arena Monday night. Then quickly back to Buffalo to host Pittsburgh Tuesday in KeyBank Center.

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053426 Buffalo Sabres "It was like Christmas morning as a kid but you couldn't get out of your bed until Mom came down. You couldn't go to the tree and shake the presents," May said. "You knew it was there but it was still elusive. It was '07 Cup reunion with Ducks rekindles May's memories so nerve-wracking but the great thing for us was that it was a 5 p.m. start. It helped not to wait around.

"Dave Farrish, the assistant coach, gave us bracelets with the slogan '1' By Mike Harrington on them. Didn't matter where you were, the grocery story or wherever. You looked down and saw it. I wore it all day every day. One opportunity, Published Fri, Mar 17, 2017 one chance. Anytime you felt yourself being distracted, you would look down at your wrist when you're starting to wander and get back on track.

That might sound corny but that bracelet was so important to us." ANAHEIM, Calif. – Longtime former Sabres winger was in his May was one of several Anaheim forwards to bounce around during the usual spot next to Brian Duff on the team's television broadcast Friday playoffs. During the final, Carlyle entrusted him to play with Selanne and night but it's never just another game for May when he visits Honda MacDonald. May had one assist in 14 regular season games for the Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks. Ducks and one assist in 18 playoff games but was serving as a physical May was here last weekend as well, missing the Sabres' home-and- presence and an energy player on a team that had plenty of other home series against Columbus so he could attend ceremonies honoring offense elsewhere. the 10th anniversary of the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup championship "Todd Marchant, Chris Kunitz, Dustin Penner and myself bounced team. May was in his 16th year in the NHL and had played more than around in tandems," May said. "You'd get spotted in. It was an incredible 800 career games when he was traded from Colorado to Anaheim at the group to be a part of." deadline in 2007. That spring, he finally won a Cup. The Ducks' Cup clincher was a 6-2 rout of the Senators that allowed the The players spent the weekend reminiscing about their triumph, which players to whoop it up on the bench for the final few minutes of Game culminated in a five-game pounding of Ottawa in the Stanley Cup final. Five. They did multiple appearances, including a fashion show, and were feted with their trophies during a pregame ceremony prior to the Ducks' win "The whole bench was giddy. It was a real celebration," May said. "You over Washington. were taking it in. I remember standing on the bench going, 'Take it in boys. Take it in." You knew it was happening. I can feel it again telling the "What was amazing was that I hadn't seen a lot of these guys and time story right now. You could survey everything. I remember during the last stood still," May said. "You walked in the building and it was like walking couple minutes being able to look around to see my wife smiling, to find in the locker room again even though it was just going inside. All the my kids." hugs and how-ya-doings. It was like we had still been together." May, then 35, got the Cup from veteran defenseman Sean O'Donnell and May said the players have kept in touch over the years through social passed it to Giguere. When he got it back for two days in August, he media, especially with updates from wives and such. But the weekend shared it with family and friends, was feted in a parade in Stouffville, crystallized his memory of a team that featured 21-year-olds like Ryan Ont., and even flew around with it in a specially designed helicopter with Getzlaf and Corey Perry as well as legends like Teemu Selanne, Scott "May Day" emblazoned on the side. He took it to a youth Christian camp and Rob Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and workhorse goalie J.S. Giguere. and a camp for children battling cancer. A few months later, May even Williamsville native Todd Marchant was also a key contributor and rode on a float with the Cup during the Tournament of Roses parade in brought the Cup back to the then-Pepsi Center in Amherst that summer. Pasadena. "Brian Burke traded for me four times and he's my biggest ally in hockey The oddest Cup day itinerary: A party with Muskoka neighbor Michael and he built that team," May said. "I can say this with the utmost Andlauer, then owner of the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and now part confidence that we were maybe the toughest team ever built that was owner of the Montreal Canadiens. With May injured and not playing for good too, if that makes sense. Colorado and Andlauer's Hamilton team struggling, the pair made a "We weren't going to be beat up or knocked around but then we had joking bet on a golf course in Naples, Fla., to stage a joint party the firepower. Young stars who weren't stars yet. Selanne. Andy McDonald following summer with both the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup. was our best forward if you looked at analytics. We had Scott "He goes, 'You're on,' May said. "We shook on the fifth hole right there. It Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, a young Francois Beauchemin who played was the most unreasonable bet ever and it happened. There we were on more minutes than anybody in the playoffs. It was an incredible group." Aug. 16 with so many friends from hockey with both cups." The Senators, of course, made the final by beating the Sabres in five games in the Eastern Conference final after Buffalo won the Presidents' Trophy during the regular season. May, Buffalo's first-round pick in 1990, Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 said he was openly rooting to play the team he spent the first seven years of his career with, for the right to win the Cup. "It was absolutely everything I was wishing for," said May, whose 1993 overtime goal against Boston remains one of the most iconic in franchise history. "It was kind of a crazy wish at the time because Buffalo had all the firepower they did at the time. I actually was thinking, 'Oh my God this could happen.' ... But their series was over quickly and that was a shame." The Ducks, coached by Randy Carlyle, finished with 110 points and won the Pacific Division in 2007. May said the genesis of their playoff run was started in a hotel ballroom the night before the first round started when Carlyle went around the room asked each player to say what they were playing for. "Randy started it and we went around and it was the coolest thing ever," he said. "Scott Niedermayer said he was playing to get a Cup for his brother. Travis Moen's father had died a couple years earlier and he said he wanted to make him proud because he knew he was watching. "You were getting goosebumps. I said that I had played 16 years in the NHL and this was my only crack. I got traded here. I was the only one and I don't want to mess it up. My wife and my kids and I moved like five times and it was all about their sacrifice. You really learned you were not just doing it for you. That exercise was really powerful." The Ducks went 16-5 in the playoffs, beating Minnesota and Vancouver in five games before dispatching Detroit in six in the Western Conference final. They built a 3-1 lead in the Cup final over Ottawa and Game Five at Honda Center proved to be the clincher they hoped for. 1053427 Buffalo Sabres

Live coverage: Buffalo Sabres at Anaheim Ducks The Sabres and Ducks, wearing St. Patrick’s Day green, warm up in Honda Center (Mike Harrington/Buffalo News). By Staff Published Fri, Mar 17, 2017

We are on hand as the Buffalo Sabres visit the Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m. Be sure to read John Vogl on the Sabres' expansion draft candidates here at [BN] Hockey. Live updates and observations from our team, along with selected other accounts, are below. Tweets from https://twitter.com/TBNSports/lists/sabres-coverage Keep checking back here for all the latest on the Sabres and the NHL.

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053428 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres vs. Ducks: Five Things to Know

By Mike Harrington Published Fri, Mar 17, 2017

ANAHEIM -- The Western portion of the Sabres road trip concludes tonight in Honda Center with a 10 p.m. game against the Anaheim Ducks on MSG. The Ducks have won two straight and are 4-1 in their last five. The Sabres, of course, have dropped both games so far on their California trip and are 2-8-2 in their last 12. The Sabres did not have a morning skate and coach Dan Bylsma met the media this evening at about 7:45 Eastern time. In the wake of that chat, here are Five Things to Know: Backups get the call: The Sabres will go with Anders Nilsson (9-9-4, 2.84/.917) in goal after Robin Lehner played the first two games on the trip. Jonathan Bernier (14-7-2, 2.62/.913) goes for Anaheim. Nilsson's last outing saw him get yanked after giving up three goals in the first period last Saturday against Columbus. He's 0-6-1 in his last seven games on the road. "It's a little bit of a bounceback game for Anders getting him into tonight," Bylsma said. "For the most part, he's been solid when he's gotten his opportunity. That wasn't the way it was the last time out. I'm looking for him to get in there, be solid for us by making the necessary save and give us a chance to win." Bylsma said the rest of the lineup would be a gametime call, meaning Justin Bailey could sneak back into the forward rotation after Bernier, playing for the injured John Gibson, is the NHL's reigning Second Star of the week. Road not taken: The Sabres have dropped six straight road games, scoring just 12 goals in them. It gets worse. After opening the season 4- 1-2 away from KeyBank Center, they're just 7-18-4 in their last 29 road games. The overall record of 11-19-6 is far below last year's 19-17-5. "We haven't been able to get run support for our goaltenders, get the necessary goals to win hockey games," Bylsma said. "We haven't done a good job of playing a simple road game, a hard road game where we've had the lead to close games out." The Sabres have not scored in the last 118 minutes, 50 seconds. Jack Eichel's goal 1:10 into Tuesday's game in San Jose is the only goal thus far on the trip. Tough defense to crack: The Ducks are 19-11-4 since Christmas and lead the NHL in fewest goals allowed (75). Their 90.1 percent rate on the penalty kill since that stretch leads the league. On the Duck Pond: The Sabres are just 1-6 in the seven games here since the 2005 NHL lockout and Anaheim has won the last three, including a 1-0 victory here last season. The Ducks posted a 5-2 win in Buffalo on Feb. 9. Going West/Going East: This is Buffalo's final game of the season against the Western Conference. The Sabres are 13-11-3 against the West, including 6-6-1 vs. the Pacific Division. The Ducks are 15-10-5 against the East and 9-4-2 against the Atlantic.

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053429 Buffalo Sabres

Evan Rodrigues led all Sabres with five shots on goal Thursday in Los Angeles (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News file photo).

By Mike Harrington Published Fri, Mar 17, 2017

ANAHEIM -- If you slept through Thursday's 2-0 loss by the Sabres in Los Angeles, you didn't miss much. The most exciting part of the night was goaltender Robin Lehner's measured but forceful words to reporters afterward. It was only because of Lehner that the Sabres were in the game at all. The shots on goal were 15-2 after the first period and 25-11 after 40 minutes but the game remained scoreless. Lehner has been red-hot his last three games while many of his teammates have struggled mightily. Kings crown Sabres but Lehner gets his say The Sabres have just one goal on the first two games of this trip, free- falling to 2-8-2 over their last 12 games. The slide has them in jeopardy of falling into last place in the Atlantic Division by the time they leave Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Monday night. What's left to play for other than pride? Watching some young players have success would be nice. The only forwards worth much in LA were the line of Evan Rodrigues between Hudson Fasching and Marcus Foligno. Rodrigues had a game- high five shots on goal in the game and had several good scoring chances while Fasching was a physical presence along the boards all night and Foligno was likewise, culminating in a third-period punchfest with Los Angeles' Kyle Clifford. "We created some chances definitely," Rodrigues said. "As a team we started off slower than we wanted to but we were effective when we got some pucks deep, worked their 'D' and tried to play down low." Rodrigues admitted the Sabres were frustrated by several close calls near Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. Incredibly, the Sabres have been shut out by 2-0 scores four straight times in Staples Center. "If we got one, it would have been a little lighter on our sticks and made more plays," Rodrigues said. "We had chances and pucks hit him and we had rebound chances we just couldn't find. One of those games you get the chances and you think if you bury one, it's a whole different game." Rodrigues, Jack Eichel's former Boston University linemate, has three goals and two assists in 19 games for the Sabres this season, taking a regular role and apprently joining them for keeps on Feb. 12. Fasching got physical with Kings star defenseman Drew Doughty, prompting the former Norris Trophy winner into a retaliatory cross- checking penalty at one stage. In his first game since Oct. 30, he certainly drew notice from coach Dan Bylsma. "It stood out right away in the game," Bylsma said of Fasching's physicality. "He knocked '8' on his butt and drew some attention from the opposition, got us on the power play." "That's what he brings," Rodrigues said. "He's a big physical body who's good in the corners and I think he did that tonight." With the back to back, the Sabres did not take a morning skate today prior to their game Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks. Bylsma is scheduled to update the media around 7:30 ET/4:30 PT.

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053430 Buffalo Sabres Carrier gets the last spot over Girgensons based on potential. He’s shown speed and physicality. The 22-year-old definitely needs to increase his production, but the tools seem there. Inside the Sabres: Vegas will roll the expansion dice on ... Girgensons is a former first-round pick who has scored 15 goals, and he’s only 23. His numbers have plummeted, however, and he’s behind Eichel, O’Reilly and Larsson on the list of centers. By John Vogl Moulson was a simple choice to expose. Signed when Buffalo needed to Published Fri, Mar 17, 2017 reach the salary cap floor, he got a five-year, $25 million deal. He’s under contract for two more seasons, and that $5 million cap hit will hurt when Eichel, Reinhart and others need new deals in 2018-19. Filling out the Sabres’ expansion list is harder than you’d think. Not The three we’ll protect are Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe and because of the players Buffalo should keep, but because of who they Bogosian. That leaves Vegas with the opportunity to select Gorges, should try to lose. Justin Falk and Brady Austin. Contracts, age, production and depth are major considerations when it I hear you. Trust me, I hear you. gets to the final protection choices. Keep Zach Bogosian or Josh Gorges? Let go of Tyler Ennis or Zemgus Girgensons? There are so many reasons to expose Bogosian to the Golden Knights. He’s injury prone and unproductive. He has three more seasons on a It’s not as simple as it sounds. contract that pays a whopping $5.14 million a year. He’s 41st on the salary chart for NHL blue-liners, and he’s 158th in goals, 161st in points Each NHL team will lose one player in June as the league stocks its and 271st (out of 283) in plus/minus. newest organization, the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas will select a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders. Money There’s only one reason to keep him, and it overrides the motivation to matters to the Golden Knights since they must draft players who account expose him: Buffalo has absolutely no defensive depth. for 60 percent to 100 percent of the salary cap. While Bogosian obviously hasn’t been what the Sabres expected, he’s That could be good for Buffalo, which has a few big contracts that aren’t only 26. He can still carve out a career on the fringes of the top four. commensurate with production. Simply put, he’s better than what else is out there. First, the rules: Guhle is the only prospect knocking on the Sabres’ door. This summer’s crop of free agents is underwhelming, to say the least. It’s scheduled to 1. Teams have two options regarding players they wish to protect. The get a little better in July 2018, but any signees won’t bust the budget. first option is seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender. The second option is eight skaters regardless of position and one goaltender. Despite evidence to the contrary, the Sabres can’t afford to give up Bogosian. (How's that for a bold statement?) Option Two might be viable for clubs like Chicago. The Blackhawks have to protect defensemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Gorges has one season left on a deal that pays $3.9 million. He’ll be 34 Hjalmarsson because they have no-movement clauses (more on that years old entering the 2018-19 season, an unlikely age for an extension. below). Trevor van Riemsdyk is developing well on the blue line, so For the long-term plans, Bogosian is a better protection option. maybe they want to protect him, too. The eight-skater option gives them a chance. This couldn’t get any simpler. The Sabres will protect Robin Lehner and expose Linus Ullmark. For the Sabres, we’re going with seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie. Buffalo is not going to lose Lehner for nothing after giving up a first-round pick to get him. The draft rules for goalies allow teams to expose a 2. First- and second-year professionals plus unsigned draft choices are restricted free agent provided he has been given a qualifying offer. That’s exempt from the expansion draft. what the Sabres will do with Ullmark, who is finishing his entry-level deal. This is a nice break for Buffalo, which is loaded with young players. They Based on our list, the Golden Knights’ pick in the expansion draft can be don’t have to expose or protect forwards Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Alex Girgensons, Moulson, Deslauriers, Kea, Gorges, Falk, Austin or Ullmark. Nylander, Justin Bailey, Evan Rodrigues, Hudson Fasching, Nick Baptiste, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek and Jean Dupuy; defensemen The best-case scenario for Buffalo is Vegas selects Moulson. There’s too Brendan Guhle, Casey Nelson and Brycen Martin; or goalie Jason much money and term tied up in a 33-year-old who skates less than 12 Kasdorf. minutes per game. Vegas General Manager George McPhee has said he plans to build around young players, but maybe he’ll need Moulson’s $5 3. Players with no-movement clauses must be protected. million cap hit to reach the required threshold. Kyle Okposo is the only Buffalo player in this category, so he just made More likely, the Golden Knights will choose between Girgensons and the list. The right winger was going to be protected anyway. Ullmark. Girgensons can be marketed as a former All-Star, and he has the versatility to play center or wing. He has experience killing penalties. The contract Bogosian signed with Winnipeg in 2013 featured a no-move clause from 2015-16 to 2019-20. A source says the Sabres chose not to The available goalie crop will include veteran NHLers Jaroslav Halak, accept it when they acquired the defenseman, so protection isn’t Jimmy Howard, Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi, James Reimer and maybe mandatory. Marc-Andre Fleury. Still, fledgling teams need to start building from the net out. Vegas will need two goalies for its team and two more for a 4. Teams must expose at least two forwards and one defenseman who minor-league club. are under contract for 2017-18 and have played in 40 games this season or 70 games during the past two years. In addition, teams must expose We’ll guess the Golden Knights pluck Ullmark from the Sabres and hope one goaltender under contract for 2017-18 or who will be a restricted free he blooms in the desert. agent this summer.

This could affect some teams, but it’s not big for the Sabres. Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 With the rules out of the way, here we go. The seven we’ll protect are Okposo, Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Marcus Foligno, Johan Larsson, Ennis and William Carrier. That leaves Vegas with the opportunity to select Girgensons, Matt Moulson, Nicholas Deslauriers and Justin Kea. The first five on the protection list were easy. The final two choices were not. Ennis is a spare part nowadays, and he has two more seasons on his contract with a cap hit of $4.6 million. That’s not a good combination. Still, he’s a three-time 20-goal scorer who is only 27. Buffalo should be able to trade him, so just giving him to the Knights is off the table. 1053431 Buffalo Sabres "That's our job as professionals to do that," said Bylsma. "The games we've got left, the opportunities we have, we have to play just like we were in a playoff race, just like we were in the hunt. That's the job of all of Kings crown Sabres but Lehner gets his say us going down the stretch."

By Mike Harrington Buffalo News LOADED: 03.18.2017 Published Fri, Mar 17, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- You want brutal honesty in the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room, you go right to goaltender Robin Lehner. No cliches, no coddling, no covering up. It's the unvarnished view, as unsightly as it might be. Lehner was strong on the ice Thursday and to the point again afterward following the Sabres' 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Staples Center. It was a game available for the taking, as the Kings scored both their goals in the third period to snap a scoreless tie, but one that featured an embarrassing start for the Sabres. The Kings crowned the Sabres on the shot counter, 15-2, in the first period and the Sabres still had just six shots on goal with the game 35 1/2 minutes old before finally creating some offensive push. Buffalo put together 20 shots on goal over the final 24 1/2 minutes, including 15 in the third period. The final count was 36-26 for the Kings as the Sabres dropped their second straight out West and were shut out here for the fourth straight time. Lehner's view in the crease was as good as any to see what was going on. The Sabres missed passes breaking out of their zone, as usual, and didn't develop any semblance of a forecheck in the Los Angeles zone until the third period. "You can't come into a building like this and expect to play 10 minutes of good hockey. Sorry to be honest, you're just not going to win games," Lehner said in calm, measured tones. "We can't wait for them to score the first goal and wake up. It's not how the game is played. They're a good, solid, big team and they're going to shut you down. We had a couple of shots, a couple of chances but they kept us to the outside." The Kings won the game on 39-year-old Jarome Iginla's goal 36 seconds into the third period and got insurance on 21-year-old Adrian Kempe's tally with 5:20 left. In between, the Sabres pressed for a tying goal but were stopped by goaltender Jonathan Quick. "It's frustrating to see," Lehner said. "When we turn it on in the third we play really good. We've got to play that way full games. You can't just put out the skates the first two periods and expect to come out with a win by making a late push." Lehner is certainly holding up his end. Since relieving Anders Nilsson in the second period of Saturday's win over Columbus, he's stopped 95 of 101 shots for a .941 save percentage. Evan Rodrigues led the Sabres with five shots on goal and centered the team's best line, between Marcus Foligno and Hudson Fasching. Of course, if a line two-thirds comprised of players who spent most of the year in Rochester is Buffalo's No. 1 trio, the Sabres have quite a problem on their hands. Jack Eichel had two shots on goal -- and both came in the final 1:37 of the game. Sam Reinhart also had two and one was a flip shot from outside the blueline in the first period. Ryan O'Reilly had no shots on goal and only one attempt while going 17-5 on faceoffs. But he was also on the ice for both goals. "I've got to generate more," said O'Reilly, now without a goal in five straight games. "I've got to compete better. Not good enough." The Sabres are 2-8-2 in their last 12 games and their playoffs hopes are essentially gone. You might say they're playing out the string for the final 11 games but Lehner doesn't buy that theory. "At the end of the day, it's up to each and every one of us," he said. "This is a business. You've got to come out and play. Otherwise, you get replaced. It's simple. It doesn't matter if we're in or out. Everyone needs to be playing for their jobs. It's a privilege to play in this league. You've got to earn it. We all have to decide if we're going to help each other make a good last impression these last 11 games left. "If you just pack it in, there's a lot of eyes, a lot of eyes looking and people see. And it's pretty obvious. If we want to stay in this league, you better get your head on straight." Embattled coach Dan Bylsma certainly agreed. 1053432 Buffalo Sabres

Amerks struggle against St. John’s in road loss

Staff report Published 9:22 p.m. ET March 17, 2017 | Updated 8 hours ago

The fell behind early and never recovered in a 3-1 loss to the St. John’s IceCaps at Mile One Centre on Friday. Mark MacMillan, Jeremy Gregoire and Ryan Johnston scored for St. John’s (30-25-7-1) spanning the first and second periods before a Rochester (24-33-0-2) finally responded. Jean Dupuy scored his third goal of the season at 14 minutes, 15 seconds in the second period for the Amerks, and that was it for Rochester’s offense. Linus Ullmark recorded 24 saves for Rochester. Charlie Lindgren had 31 saves for St. John’s. Rochester outshot the IceCaps, 32-27, and neither team capitalized on their power-play opportunities as the Amerks went 0-for-4 and IceCaps 0- for-2. The Amerks will remain on the road for another matchup against St. John’s at 6 p.m. Saturday. Rochester also announced Friday that its fourth annual “Pucks and Paws Night” is Sunday, March 26. Game time is 3:05 p.m. at the Blue Cross Arena as the Amerks host Springfield. Fans are invited to bring their dogs to the game, with a portion of the proceeds going to Lollypop Farm.

Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053433 Calgary Flames “It wasn’t easy, but the guys made it a lot easier on me,” Elliott said. “When you get up by three goals, it’s pretty nice as a goalie to sit back there and know you have a little bit of a cushion. Flames bounce back with victory over Dallas Stars “You just conserve energy and then, when it comes time, spill it all out there. That’s kind of what the mindset was a little bit.” Wes Gilbertson The Flames will wrap this four-game homestand with Sunday’s clash against the Los Angeles Kings (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 Published on: March 17, 2017 | Last Updated: March 17, 2017 11:07 PM The Fan). MDT It’s a crucial contest in the Western Conference playoff race — the Kings are trying to climb back into the wild-card mix but currently trail Calgary by nine points and are four back of the St. Louis Blues. Michael Stone glanced across the locker room at his goaltender, slowly peeling off his gear. With Friday’s victory, the Flames continued to strengthen their grip on that post-season berth, moving back into third in the Pacific Division “I don’t know how he’s feeling today,” Stone said. “But he looked good.” ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. Sure did. “I think it was important to get the two points tonight,” Giordano said. “I think after a long streak, every one that you give back it feels like takes The Calgary Flames’ win spree ended with watching from away from your streak. To get right back in the win column was huge.” home Wednesday after being floored by the flu, but another streak is still alive. THREE STARS Although he was still feeling a bit green on St. Patrick’s Day, Elliott 1. D Mark Giordano, Flames — Calgary’s captain scored once, added a returned to the crease and was his stingy self in Friday’s 3-1 victory over couple of assists and hit everything … including the opposing goalie. the Dallas Stars. 2. LW Matthew Tkachuk, Flames — This kid oozes hockey sense, and He delivered 24 saves, extending his personal run to 10 straight Ws. he showed it once again during two-point performance. “That was a pretty gutsy effort,” praised Flames captain Mark Giordano. 3. RW Michael Frolik, Flames — The 3M Line was also the Plus-3 Line “We had a little chat there in the intermission and you could tell he wasn’t on this night. Frolik buried one, deserved another. feeling 100 per cent, but it didn’t look like it on the ice. He was holding his own. There’s no Irish in his blood, but D Michael Stone seems to be a good- luck charm for the Flames. Stone returned to action against the Stars “Good on him for getting back in the net.” after missing three games with a shoulder injury, and the crew from Calgary now has a perfect 9-0 record when the 26-year-old is in their Good for his team, too. lineup. “Coming to a team that is winning hockey games elevates your Elliott was superb during the Flames’ record-setting 10-game win streak play, really even if you’re not just doing it yourself, right? Everybody is and he played a starring role again as the Saddledome-dwellers dragging you along,” said Stone, acquired in a Feb. 20 swap with the rebounded from their first loss in nearly a month with a solid showing Arizona Coyotes. “And now, I feel like I can be a good contributor to this against the underachieving Stars. team. That gives me confidence, and that’s why I’m having fun” … One of the NHL’s marquee talents, Stars C Jamie Benn was a no-go against On a night that Dallas was without captain Jamie Benn due to an upper- the Flames due to an upper-body ailment. That opened the door for RW body injury, Calgary’s ‘C’ was a machine, as Giordano notched a goal Jiri Hudler — a healthy spectator for the past five games — to face his and two helpers in a first-star performance. former employers … Wondering why Flames D Rasmus Andersson is still hanging around? The 20-year-old was originally summoned from the Michael Frolik and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for the Flames (40-27- ’s Stockton Heat on an emergency basis but 4), providing plenty of run support for the NHL’s hottest goalie. has since been flipped to one the four regular recalls that each team is Over those 10 consecutive triumphs, Elliott has a sparkling 1.67 goals- allowed after the trade deadline … Andersson, G Jon Gillies, C/RW against average and .944 save percentage. Freddie Hamilton, C/RW Curtis Lazar and D Dennis Wideman were Calgary’s scratches against the Stars. Gillies, who is up on emergency “Once the game got going and he had a few shots, I could tell that he recall, will be en route back to AHL Stockton soon … The Flames was himself,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan of the man they warmed up Friday in St. Patrick’s Day-themed green jerseys. The special call ‘Moose.’ silks have now been autographed and are up for auction, with all proceeds to the Flames Foundation. You can place your bids at “He stood on his head again and made those keys saves at key calgaryflames.com/stpattysjersey. moments,” Giordano added.

Elliott’s supporting cast ensured he wasn’t too busy early on. — Wes Gilbertson The locals limited the Stars to just one shot in the first 17 minutes and change, while the out-of-towners mustered a grand total of five in the Calgary Herald: LOADED: 03.18.2017 opening stanza. The Flames fired only six of their own, but one of those — Frolik’s wrister from the slot — tickled the twine behind Kari Lehtonen. Not long after his glove-side goal, Frolik rang another off the post. Giordano and Tkachuk combined for a pair of pops in a span of just over three minutes in the second frame. At the tail-end of a terrific shift, Calgary’s captain plattered a perfect pass for a re-direct goal by Tkachuk, who was hanging around the edge of the blue paint. The marksman and setup-man switched roles on the next tally. The Flames were waiting for one of the visitors to touch the puck to negate a high-sticking whistle and grinding forward Adam Cracknell barely had possession for a blink before being stripped by Tkachuk. Just moments later, Giordano launched a long shot that deflected off the glove of defenceman Dan Hamhuis. Elliott was sizing up his third shutout in his past four starts, but that was spoiled when defenceman T.J. Brodie whiffed on an outlet pass with less than seven minutes to go in the third and Brett Ritchie capitalized with a quick shot from the slot. 1053434 Calgary Flames

Hitmen clinch playoff spot with victory over Ice

Staff Report Postmedia News Network Published on: March 17, 2017 | Last Updated: March 17, 2017 10:15 PM MDT

The Calgary Hitmen have booked their spot into the playoffs. On Friday, the Hitmen defeated the Kootenay Ice 6-1, on the road, to clinch the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with one game left in their regular season. The Hitmen conclude their season Saturday (7 p.m.) at the Scotiabank Saddledome when they host the Ice in the second game of the home- and-home series. Beck Malenstyn had a hat trick while Jake Kryski, Tyler Mrkonjic and Matteo Gennaro scored the others for the Hitmen, while goaltender Cody Porter made 20 saves. Max Patterson scored the lone goal for the Ice and goaltender Payton Lee made 32 saves. The Hitmen went into the game three points ahead of the Blades for the final playoff spot in the conference. Three goals inside of two minutes in the second period put the Hitmen in control of the contest. Kryski scored at 4:16 of the second period to give the Hitmen a 1-0 lead. Mrkonjic scored 56 seconds later and Malenstyn scored 52 seconds after that to give the visitors a three-goal lead. Patterson scored with 4:57 left in the second period to pull one back for the Ice, but Malenstyn restored the three-goal lead at 3:59 of the third period. Gennaro scored at 5:15 to put the Hitmen up 5-1. Malenstyn scored his third goal of the game, short-handed, at 11:59 to round out the scoring. The lost 17-8, on the road, against the Georgia Storm in National League play on Friday. The Roughnecks conceded eight goals in the second quarter to go into the halftime break down 11-5. The loss dropped the Roughnecks to 4-8 on the season. Curtis Dickson had three goals and two assists for the Roughnecks, while Wesley Berg had two goals and three assists. Frank Scigliano made 53 saves in goal for the Roughnecks.

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053435 Calgary Flames

Michael Stone shrugs off shoulder injury, returns to Flames lineup

Wes Gilbertson

Published on: March 17, 2017 | Last Updated: March 17, 2017 12:35 PM MDT

He’s not Irish, but maybe Michael Stone is the Calgary Flames’ lucky charm. We’ll find out Friday. After missing three contests due to a shoulder injury, Stone returns to Calgary’s lineup for a St. Patrick’s Day matchup with the Dallas Stars at the Saddledome. Stone joined the Flames in a Feb. 20 swap from the Arizona Coyotes. With the 26-year-old defenceman on the ice, they’re a perfect 8-0. “When you’re having fun, you’re not thinking too much and you’re just playing with confidence, and that’s what has definitely helped me,” Stone said after Friday’s morning skate. “Coming to a team that is winning hockey games elevates your play, really even if you’re not just doing it yourself, right? Everybody is dragging you along. “And now I feel like I can be a good contributor to this team. That gives me confidence, and that’s why I’m having fun.” For the Flames, the fun ended — momentarily, anyway — with Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at the Saddledome. That spoiled Calgary’s 10-game win spree, tied for the longest run in franchise history. Now, they’re anxious to start another tear. “We just have to get back to playing how we did on the 10-game streak,” Stone said. “We weren’t awful the other night, but we weren’t good enough to win the hockey game. You just have to do the small things, work hard. Losses happen in this league. It’s how you respond, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” “We know the type of game we’re capable of playing and what makes us successful. And I think for us tonight, it’s really just to go back to that,” added Flames fourth-liner Alex Chiasson, who is riding a three-game point streak. “Try not to be fancy. Try not to play a different game from what makes us successful. It’s just to get back into the mojo of being a direct team, good on the forecheck, getting above in the neutral zone, playing sound defensively. “And the rest will take of itself.” With a 39-27-4 record, the Flames are currently sitting in the first wild- card slot in the Western Conference, with a seven-point buffer between themselves and the ninth-place Los Angeles Kings. Oilers celebrate after scoring on the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. The Stars were thumped 7-0. Jason Franson / The Canadian Press The underachieving Stars, meanwhile, are 13 points out of the playoff picture. They snapped out of a three-game skid with Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Canucks in Vancouver, but captain Jamie Benn exited early with an upper-body injury and his status for Friday’s faceoff at the Saddledome is unclear. “We certainly know their strengths,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan of the Stars, who arrive in Calgary with a 28-32-10 mark. “They can score. They can put numbers up. They have highly skilled players. “I know they haven’t had the year they wanted, but this is a good hockey team over there, all our guys in that locker-room know it. This is going to be a heck of a game. We have to do certain things to neutralize some of their talent. “We’re going to have to be fully prepared tonight, because this is a good hockey team.” After missing Wednesday’s contest due to the flu, netminder Brian Elliott will be back between the pipes for Calgary.

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053436 Calgary Flames The Stars, though, have been victorious on four of their past five trips to the Saddledome.

Injuries — Flames: D Michael Stone (shoulder) is nearing a return; Stars: Game Day: Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars C Mattias Janmark (knee) and LW Antoine Roussel (hand) are out.

Wes Gilbertson Calgary Herald: LOADED: 03.18.2017 Published on: March 17, 2017 | Last Updated: March 17, 2017 12:39 PM MDT

The Flames’ record-setting win streak, a 10-game tear that dated back to Feb. 21 in Nashville, ended with Wednesday’s 5-2 home loss to the Boston Bruins. So what was the message when they returned to the office the next morning? “We acknowledged it for what it was – that it was a great run. But streaks take energy, and unnecessary energy, and now it’s over and now we’re 0-1,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. Flames: Alex Chiasson This guy is on a roll, and just in time for a showdown with his old pals. Chiasson started his career in Dallas and seemed to have a bright future ahead when he was shipped to the Ottawa Senators as part of a swap for Jason Spezza. He didn’t have the desired impact in Canada’s capital city, but he’s been a worthwhile reclamation project for the Flames. Despite logging limited minutes as a fourth-liner, the 26-year-old is currently riding a three-game point streak. He scored in Winnipeg, collected an assist against the Penguins and tickled twine again in Wednesday’s loss to the Bruins. Now with 10 tallies, he’s one of a dozen Flames in double digits in goals scored this season. Stars: Jiri Hudler There’s no guarantee that Hudler will even be on the ice Friday for what would be his first spin at the Saddledome since being traded away last February, finishing the season in Florida before signing with Dallas as a free agent. It’s been a miserable campaign for the 33-year-old winger. He battled a virus in the fall and was limited to a grand total of just four appearances in October and November. More recently, he has been a spectator for a totally different reason. In fact, Hudler has been a healthy scratch for five straight dates, including Thursday’s meeting with the Canucks. He has just three goals and seven helpers in 29 outings so far this season. Who has the advantage Forwards: Stars — Benn and Seguin both have 60-plus points this season. Defence: Flames — Giordano might be playing the best hockey of his career. Goaltending: Flames — Elliott won nine straight before a bout with the flu. Power play: Flames — And they’ll be licking their chops when they see the next stat. Penalty kill: Flames — Stars have surrendered a league-worst 58 goals while shorthanded. Intangibles: Flames — Out-of-town guests are simply playing out the string. Overall: Flames — The streak is done, but they’re still 10-1-1 in past dozen dates. “With all the hoopla (during a streak), you come to the rink feeling, ‘I have to win tonight.’ And to be honest with you, that’s not the feeling. You have to come to the rink thinking, ‘If we do these things, we’re going to win. We’re going to outwork the team, we’re going to play our game and we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to win this game’ ” The Flames could welcome back a couple of key cogs against the Stars. G Brian Elliott watched from home Wednesday due to the flu but was back at work Thursday and, as long as he’s feeling up to it, should be between the pipes against Dallas. On the back-end, Michael Stone is hopeful for the green light after missing three games with a shoulder injury … The Flames won the first meeting of the season against the boys from the Big D, with LW Johnny Gaudreau and C Sean Monahan each notching a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory in early December at American Airlines Center. 1053437 Calgary Flames “It wasn’t easy, but the guys made it a lot easier on me,” Elliott said. “When you get up by three goals, it’s pretty nice as a goalie to sit back there and know you have a little bit of a cushion.” Flames bounce back from loss with victory over Stars The Flames will wrap this four-game homestand with Sunday’s clash against the Los Angeles Kings (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan). BY WES GILBERTSON, CALGARY SUN It’s a crucial contest in the Western Conference playoff race — the Kings FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 09:52 PM MDT | are trying to climb back into the wild-card mix but currently trail Calgary UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 10:39 PM MDT by nine points and are four back of the St. Louis Blues. With Friday’s victory, the Flames continued to strengthen their grip on that post-season berth, moving back into third in the Pacific Division Michael Stone glanced across the locker room at his goaltender, slowly ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. peeling off his gear. “I think it was important to get the two points tonight,” Giordano said. “I “I don’t know how he’s feeling today,” Stone said. “But he looked good.” think after a long streak, every one that you give back it feels like takes away from your streak. To get right back in the win column was huge.” Sure did. There’s no Irish in his blood, but D Michael Stone seems to be a good- The Calgary Flames’ win spree ended with Brian Elliott watching from luck charm for the Flames. Stone returned to action against the Stars home Wednesday after being floored by the flu, but another streak is still after missing three games with a shoulder injury, and the crew from alive. Calgary now has a perfect 9-0 record when the 26-year-old is in their Although he was still feeling a bit green on St. Patrick’s Day, Elliott lineup. “Coming to a team that is winning hockey games elevates your returned to the crease and was his stingy self in Friday’s 3-1 victory over play, really even if you’re not just doing it yourself, right? Everybody is the Dallas Stars. dragging you along,” said Stone, acquired in a Feb. 20 swap with the Arizona Coyotes. “And now, I feel like I can be a good contributor to this He delivered 24 saves, extending his personal run to 10 straight Ws. team. That gives me confidence, and that’s why I’m having fun” … One of the NHL’s marquee talents, Stars C Jamie Benn was a no-go against “That was a pretty gutsy effort,” praised Flames captain Mark Giordano. the Flames due to an upper-body ailment. That opened the door for RW “We had a little chat there in the intermission and you could tell he wasn’t Jiri Hudler — a healthy spectator for the past five games — to face his feeling 100 per cent, but it didn’t look like it on the ice. He was holding his former employers … Wondering why Flames D Rasmus Andersson is own. still hanging around? The 20-year-old was originally summoned from the “Good on him for getting back in the net.” American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat on an emergency basis but has since been flipped to one the four regular recalls that each team is Good for his team, too. allowed after the trade deadline … Andersson, G Jon Gillies, C/RW Freddie Hamilton, C/RW Curtis Lazar and D Dennis Wideman were Elliott was superb during the Flames’ record-setting 10-game win streak Calgary’s scratches against the Stars. Gillies, who is up on emergency and he played a starring role again as the Saddledome-dwellers recall, will be en route back to AHL Stockton soon … The Flames rebounded from their first loss in nearly a month with a solid showing warmed up Friday in St. Patrick’s Day-themed green jerseys. The special against the underachieving Stars. silks have now been autographed and are up for auction, with all On a night that Dallas was without captain Jamie Benn due to an upper- proceeds to the Flames Foundation. You can place your bids at body injury, Calgary’s ‘C’ was a machine, as Giordano notched a goal calgaryflames.com/stpattysjersey. and two helpers in a first-star performance. Michael Frolik and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for the Flames (40-27- — Wes Gilbertson 4), providing plenty of run support for the NHL’s hottest goalie. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.18.2017 Over those 10 consecutive triumphs, Elliott has a sparkling 1.67 goals- against average and .944 save percentage. “Once the game got going and he had a few shots, I could tell that he was himself,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan of the man they call ‘Moose.’ “He stood on his head again and made those keys saves at key moments,” Giordano added. Elliott’s supporting cast ensured he wasn’t too busy early on. The locals limited the Stars to just one shot in the first 17 minutes and change, while the out-of-towners mustered a grand total of five in the opening stanza. The Flames fired only six of their own, but one of those — Frolik’s wrister from the slot — tickled the twine behind Kari Lehtonen. Not long after his glove-side goal, Frolik rang another off the post. Giordano and Tkachuk combined for a pair of pops in a span of just over three minutes in the second frame. At the tail-end of a terrific shift, Calgary’s captain plattered a perfect pass for a re-direct goal by Tkachuk, who was hanging around the edge of the blue paint. The marksman and setup-man switched roles on the next tally. The Flames were waiting for one of the visitors to touch the puck to negate a high-sticking whistle and grinding forward Adam Cracknell barely had possession for a blink before being stripped by Tkachuk. Just moments later, Giordano launched a long shot that deflected off the glove of defenceman Dan Hamhuis. Elliott was sizing up his third shutout in his past four starts, but that was spoiled when defenceman T.J. Brodie whiffed on an outlet pass with less than seven minutes to go in the third and Brett Ritchie capitalized with a quick shot from the slot. 1053438 Calgary Flames whatever, but you’d say ‘Well, but they don’t have the same impact as this guy on a game.’

“That’s what made me drawn to him, right from the first time I saw him Flames prospect scores 50 goals in Western Hockey League and every time I’ve seen him since. You win with this guy.”

BY WES GILBERTSON, CALGARY SUN Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.18.2017 FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 06:47 PM MDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 07:45 PM MDT

This was a golden opportunity, and Matthew Phillips knew it. A sixth-round selection of the Calgary Flames, the 18-year-old Phillips needed to fool just one more netminder, needed to pick just one more corner, for a 50-goal campaign with the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals. And the wee winger had just been awarded a penalty shot. “When I got hauled down, I was kind of thinking, ‘Ok, what more chance do you want here? Put it in the net already,’ ” Phillips said. “So I was pretty nervous. But lucky enough, it worked out.” Lucky enough, two members of his personal fan club — his mother, Donna, and school chum Aaron Schmidtke — were in the house at Langley Events Centre to witness Tuesday’s milestone marker. In fact, they were perched right behind the Vancouver Giants’ net, a perfect vantage point to watch the Calgary-raised forward zip a shot over David Tendeck’s pad for his second snipe of the night and his 50th of the season. “They have some pretty good video of it, and they said they were screaming pretty loud and getting some funny looks,” Phillips said. “It’s pretty cool they were able to make it to that game. And just getting back to the bench and all my teammates and all the coaches were equally excited as I was, so it was pretty special.” This is worth getting excited about. Phillips was just the second shooter in the Dub to achieve that special feat this season. Heading into Friday’s slate of action, the Royals dynamo was one of only four major-junior marksmen across the Canadian Hockey League — that’s 60 teams in total, also including the OHL and QMJHL — with 50-plus twine-ticklings. “Fifty goals in the Western Hockey League, that’s impressive,” said Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy. “It’s amazing what he’s done. The one thing I know is he might be small, but he doesn’t think he’s small. Sometimes, I get a little nervous when I watch him, because he goes to spots and through spots that make you a little nervous. But he’s fearless. “He doesn’t play like he’s his size.” His size — 5-foot-7, not even 150 pounds — is the reason Phillips was still available in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. The Flames were on the clock at No. 166. Fresh off a 37-goal, 76-point intro and a nod as the Western Hockey League’s rookie of the year, Phillips was on their list. At Calgary’s draft table, director of amateur scouting Tod Button asked Conroy if he figured it was time to select the mighty mite. The answer was yes. “Every game that I walked out of, I’m thinking, ‘He was the best player on the ice,’” Conroy said of his handful of viewing of Phillips last season. “At first, I’m like, ‘Well, he just had a great game.’ And then it’s like, ‘Ok, he’s back home in Calgary.’ And he has another great game. And now he’s in Kelowna, and they have a good team. And he has another great game. “You walk out of there thinking, ‘I want to dismiss it because of the size, but I can’t.’ You look at so many players and think, ‘I like that guy, but what does he do special?’ This guy always did something special.” Phillips stat-line for this season is something special. Scoring 50 goals in the Western Hockey League doesn’t guarantee success at the next level — Ryan Howse did it, and he totalled 79 minor- league games as a pro — but it’s certainly a nice achievement along the way. “I would rather take a chance on a guy with all the skill, heart, the character that he has,” Conroy said of Phillips. “We have to work on his skating, but his will and his compete and just the way he plays … He wins games. There are other people that are bigger and maybe faster or 1053439 Calgary Flames

Flames hoping for the luck of the Irish in battle against Dallas Stars

BY WES GILBERTSON, CALGARY SUN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 12:17 PM MDT

He’s not Irish, but maybe Michael Stone is the Calgary Flames’ lucky charm. We’ll find out Friday. After missing three contests due to a shoulder injury, Stone returns to Calgary’s lineup for a St. Patrick’s Day matchup with the Dallas Stars at the Saddledome. Stone joined the Flames in a Feb. 20 swap from the Arizona Coyotes. With the 26-year-old defenceman on the ice, they’re a perfect 8-0. “When you’re having fun, you’re not thinking too much and you’re just playing with confidence, and that’s what has definitely helped me,” Stone said after Friday’s morning skate. “Coming to a team that is winning hockey games elevates your play, really even if you’re not just doing it yourself, right? Everybody is dragging you along. “And now I feel like I can be a good contributor to this team. That gives me confidence, and that’s why I’m having fun.” For the Flames, the fun ended — momentarily, anyway — with Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at the Saddledome. That spoiled Calgary’s 10-game win spree, tied for the longest run in franchise history. Now, they’re anxious to start another tear. “We just have to get back to playing how we did on the 10-game streak,” Stone said. “We weren’t awful the other night, but we weren’t good enough to win the hockey game. You just have to do the small things, work hard. Losses happen in this league. It’s how you respond, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” “We know the type of game we’re capable of playing and what makes us successful. And I think for us tonight, it’s really just to go back to that,” added Flames fourth-liner Alex Chiasson, who is riding a three-game point streak. “Try not to be fancy. Try not to play a different game from what makes us successful. It’s just to get back into the mojo of being a direct team, good on the forecheck, getting above in the neutral zone, playing sound defensively. “And the rest will take of itself.” With a 39-27-4 record, the Flames are currently sitting in the first wild- card slot in the Western Conference, with a seven-point buffer between themselves and the ninth-place Los Angeles Kings. The underachieving Stars, meanwhile, are 13 points out of the playoff picture. They snapped out of a three-game skid with Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Canucks in Vancouver, but captain Jamie Benn exited early with an upper-body injury and his status for Friday’s faceoff at the Saddledome is unclear. “We certainly know their strengths,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan of the Stars, who arrive in Calgary with a 28-32-10 mark. “They can score. They can put numbers up. They have highly skilled players. “I know they haven’t had the year they wanted, but this is a good hockey team over there, all our guys in that locker-room know it. This is going to be a heck of a game. We have to do certain things to neutralize some of their talent. “We’re going to have to be fully prepared tonight, because this is a good hockey team.” After missing Wednesday’s contest due to the flu, netminder Brian Elliott will be back between the pipes for Calgary.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053440 Calgary Flames “And doubleheaders are a big part of hockey now with the television contracts. They’re working well. The audience likes it. And for us they would be nine o’clock and 9:30 games. They’d get over after midnight. Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames concerned about Alberta We just can’t do that to our fans. And it’s not just the fans in the arena it’s Standard Time the television audience. Television is tough enough without adding that into it.

“There are a lot of things you’d have to look at when it comes to BY TERRY JONES, EDMONTON SUN switching schedules for everyone. We’re going to find out the proper way to have a discussion with the government to make sure we understand FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 10:12 AM MDT | their points of view and we want to discuss out point of view which is why UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 05:34 PM MDT it’s better to get up twice a year and change the clocks.” This is just hockey. There’s World Series games, CFL and NFL games from the coast, the whole gamut of sports events. The Oscars would be To the two NHL teams in the Province of Alberta and, they believe, the over an hour later. It goes on and on. majority of their fans, Thomas Dang’s private member bill to establish ‘Alberta Standard Time’ is going over like a lead balloon. Premier Notley should save everybody the trouble and sent Thomas Dang to go sit in a corner with a dunce hat on with Michael Oshry and the To the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, the Dang idea introduced Edmonton aldermen who took down the City of Champions signs. in the legislature is a dumb idea.

“I’ve had discussions with Calgary and they are in agreement with us. We are very concerned with this possible shift away from Daylight Saving Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.18.2017 Time,” said Bob Nicholson, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Oilers Entertainment Group when your correspondent asked both Oilers and Flames management for reaction. Nicholson was designated to speak on behalf of both. To some it may have seemed like a good idea to put the province on the same as Saskatchewan’s central time throughout the entire calendar year. “It’s time we had one time,” Dang announced. Dang said 82% of respondents to an NDP caucus survey on the subject said they were tired on changing their clocks twice a year. Obviously Dang doesn’t give a damn about the high percentage of hockey fans who wouldn’t likely be too amused by 9 p.m. starts to the second game of the Saturday Hockey Night In Canada telecasts from Rogers Place and the Saddledome. Either that or he hasn’t thought this through. “Games that end at midnight would be a huge concern,” said Nicholson, the former head of Hockey Canada based in Calgary. This year the Flames and Oilers played 12 games each in the Pacific Time zone with 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. starts in Edmonton. Next year Las Vegas comes into the league. It could be 15. Without Daylight Saving Time 8 p.m. becomes 9 and 8:30 p.m. becomes 9:30. Of course, not the entire NHL schedule would be affected. None of the playoff games nor the three weeks after the 'spring forward' time change and month or so the 'fall back' time change would come into play. Yes, this move would cost the two teams money — tickets the wouldn’t sell and lower rate cards for broadcast partners with game times so far out of prime time. But there’s also future fans, kids who would be sent to bed at the end of the first period or even before the game began. With the HNIC Saturday games and the Pacific time zone games, as many as 30 games in each market could be starting after nine and ending after midnight in Alberta. There would be many other moving parts involved with moving away from daylight saving when it comes to hockey alone. If Mountain Standard Time was only one hour from Eastern Daylight Time, Calgary and Edmonton could be scheduled with 6 p.m. games in the Saddledome and Rogers Place to be part of 7 p.m. Eastern prime time. With Connor McDavid involved that could seriously impact the options for the existing Eastern teams. They would not want to give up their own prime time spot. The Players Association would likely have a problem with a visiting team playing a Tuesday night game in Vancouver and starting one the next night in Calgary or Edmonton 22 hours later. Make no mistake. The Oilers and Flames, speaking for themselves and they believe their fans throughout the province, are dead set against this proposed legislation. “There are a few key things,” said Nicholson. “One is that our fans really enjoy 7 p.m. games. It’s great for our fans to allow families to get to the games. 1053441 Calgary Flames

Nenshi vs. Bettman: Face-off on a new arena

BY ANNALISE KLINGBEIL , POSTMEDIA FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 11:23 AM MDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 01:56 PM MDT

The topic of a new arena is one Calgary's mayor and the commissioner of the just can't seem to agree on. Gary Bettman, who slammed the Saddledome as an "old, antiquated, inefficient building," was in Calgary Wednesday to repeat his thoughts that the city desperately needs a new arena. His comments come as the mega arena--field house complex in the West Village, known as CalgaryNEXT, pitched by the Calgary Flames' ownership group in 2015, is "on pause." The city and Calgary Sport and Entertainment Corp. are exploring a so- called Plan B — a potential event centre in Victoria Park on the Stampede grounds. Following Bettman's visit, Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who initially dubbed the CalgaryNEXT proposal "half-baked," told reporters, again, that there's no appetite for public money to go toward a project without public benefit. Here is a selection of what Nenshi and Bettman told reporters about the controversial topic this week: Gary Bettman to reporters on March 15: "I actually spent an hour this afternoon with the mayor. We had a very cordial, open, candid conversation. I'm hopeful the city and the Flames can be on the same page so this can move forward as quickly as possible." Mayor Naheed Nenshi to reporters on March 16: "We had a cordial and candid discussion of different views." Gary Bettman to reporters on March 15: "Since I tend to be an optimist by nature, I'm hoping on both sides that the city and the Flames can figure this out. It's vitally important that it gets done." Mayor Naheed Nenshi to reporters on March 16: "You know, we have many things that are vitally important. We are in an economic downturn, a lot of people don't know where their next meal is coming from. I've got a lot of priorities to work on. Certainly, we'll be good partners on this, we'll have an open and honest discussion about what might be possible, where there might be a win-win. I continue to say, that as always, public money must be spent for public benefit and if we can figure out a way that there's public benefit in an interesting project in Victoria Park, we'll take that to the citizens and see what they think." Gary Bettman reporters on March 15: "My role is whatever helps facilitate the parties working together...If invited, I mean both sides have to want me to be involved, it's more a question of making sure they're talking the same language, that they're focused on it the same way and that there are no misunderstandings...This isn't our first rodeo in terms of dealing with these things." Mayor Naheed Nenshi to reporters on March 16: "I'm not 100 per cent sure that (having Bettman as a facilitator) would be all that helpful, but he certainly did make that offer and I told him if we'll need him, we'll call." Gary Bettman to reporters on March 15: "I don't think anybody would doubt that this team and this city need a new arena. The key is going to be what is the vision for the arena, where is it going to be and how do the economics of it work. And those are things I know are being worked on." Mayor Naheed Nenshi to reporters on March 16: "I will point out I made the mistake of reading the comments. It's interesting that the calls to our office, the emails, the comments have been, I would say 99.999997 per cent saying, 'Please Mr. Bettman, stay out of it and no there should be no public money for this.'"

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053442 Calgary Flames

Game Day: Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars

BY WES GILBERTSON, CALGARY SUN FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 07:07 PM MDT | UPDATED: THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 10:32 PM MDT

Flames – RW Alex Chiasson This guy is on a roll, and just in time for a showdown with his old pals. Chiasson started his career in Dallas and seemed to have a bright future ahead when he was shipped to the Ottawa Senators as part of a swap for Jason Spezza. He didn’t have the desired impact in Canada’s capital city, but he’s been a worthwhile reclamation project for the Flames. Despite logging limited minutes as a fourth-liner, the 26-year-old is currently riding a three-game point streak. He scored in Winnipeg, collected an assist against the Penguins and tickled twine again in Wednesday’s loss to the Bruins. Now with 10 tallies, he’s one of a dozen Flames in double digits in goals scored this season. Stars – RW Jiri Hudler There’s no guarantee that Hudler will even be on the ice Friday for what would be his first spin at the Saddledome since being traded away last February, finishing the season in Florida before signing in Dallas as a free agent. It’s been a miserable campaign for the 33-year-old winger. He battled a virus in the fall and was limited to a grand total of just four appearances in October and November. More recently, he has been a spectator for a totally different reason, a healthy scratch for four straight dates before returning to the lineup against the Canucks. He arrived in Vancouver with just three goals and seven helpers in 29 outings so far this season. The Flames’ record-setting win streak, a 10-game tear that dated back to Feb. 21 in Nashville, ended with Wednesday’s 5-2 home loss to the Boston Bruins. So what was the message when they returned to the office the next morning? “We acknowledged it for what it was – that it was a great run. But streaks take energy, and unnecessary energy, and now it’s over and now we’re 0-1,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. “With all the hoopla (during a streak), you come to the rink feeling, ‘I have to win tonight.’ And to be honest with you, that’s not the feeling. You have to come to the rink thinking, ‘If we do these things, we’re going to win. We’re going to outwork the team, we’re going to play our game and we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to win this game’ ” … The Flames could welcome back a couple of key cogs against the Stars. G Brian Elliott watched from home Wednesday due to the flu but was back at work Thursday and, as long as he’s feeling up to it, should be between the pipes against Dallas. On the back-end, Michael Stone is hopeful for the green light after missing three games with a shoulder injury … The Flames won the first meeting of the season against the boys from the Big D, with LW Johnny Gaudreau and C Sean Monahan each notching a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory in early December at American Airlines Center. The Stars, though, have been victorious on four of their past five trips to the Saddledome. Injuries Flames: D Michael Stone (shoulder) is nearing a return. Stars: C Mattias Janmark (knee) and LW Antoine Roussel (hand) are out.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053443 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes’ Stanley Cup week: After Eric Staal, it’s Peter Laviolette

By Chip Alexander [email protected]

They’ll always be welcome in Raleigh, always celebrated as a big part of the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run. On Thursday, Eric Staal was at PNC Arena. On Saturday, it will be Peter Laviolette. For Staal, it was a second return since the Canes traded the former team captain to the New York Rangers just before the 2016 NHL trade deadline. This time, Staal was with the Minnesota Wild, and the Canes again sent him away disappointed, winning 3-1. Staal was the leading scorer in the 2006 playoffs and Laviolette the Canes coach in Carolina’s relentless run to the Cup. Laviolette is in his third season as coach of the Nashville Predators, who are on track for a third straight playoff appearance and will be coming into PNC Arena off a 2-1 overtime road win Thursday over the Washington Capitals. Of the eight Western Conference teams in playoff position before Friday’s games, the Canes have victories over seven this season and a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Carolina edged the Preds 4-3 in a shootout in early November in Nashville. “There are not many games left, and it’s fun to battle against all the good teams,” Canes forward Elias Lindholm said. “Just try to enjoy every game now and try to get the win.” Staal, who played more than 900 games for the Canes, had six shots Thursday but couldn’t find a way to beat goalie Eddie Lack, who had 30 saves. “I didn’t try to think about it too much,” Lack said. “Just stay in my bubble and focus on what I have to do.” Lack, after serving as the backup for four straight games, played perhaps his best game of the season. His diving glove save against the Wild’s Charlie Coyle early in the third period was top-notch, and he faced constant pressure from the Wild throughout the final period with the score tied 1-1. “Eddie made some good saves, some desperate saves,” Staal said after the game. “He was a difference-maker.” Derek Ryan had a first-period power-play score for the Canes, but the Wild’s Mikael Granlund soon answered with a shorthanded goal after the Canes were sloppy with the puck in the offensive zone. Granlund pounced on the puck after Jeff Skinner’s pass to Noah Hanifin, then teamed up with Mikko Koivu on a well-executed rush. The Canes finally found another way to beat goalie Devan Dubnyk in the final four minutes of regulation. Victor Rask powered out of the corner and got a shot past Dubnyk, the puck slowly sliding behind Dubnyk and across the goal line with 3:24 left. The Wild pulled Dubnyk in the final two minutes of regulation for a sixth attacker, but Teuvo Teravainen’s empty-net goal sealed it for the Canes. The Predators, third in the Central Division, topped the Caps on Viktor Arvidsson’s score at 1:05 of overtime. James Neal also scored, and Pekka Rinne had 22 saves as Nashville (35-24-11) picked up a third straight win. “Good team, playing well,” Canes coach Bill Peters said. The Canes on Friday assigned center Lucas Wallmark to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL so that he could play against the Ontario Reign. Wallmark, who has been solid in his first three NHL games, could be recalled by the Canes after the game. Peters said Lack likely would start Saturday, smiling and saying, “He sure deserves it. I don’t know who could screw that decision up.”

News Observer LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053444 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes assign Wallmark to Checkers

From staff reports

The Carolina Hurricanes on Friday assigned forward Lucas Wallmark to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. The Checkers host the Ontario Reign on Friday at Bojangles Coliseum as they continue their push for the Calder Cup playoffs. Wallmark, 21, made his NHL debut in Carolina’s 8-4 victory against the Islanders on Monday and registered his first NHL point with an assist against the Islanders on Tuesday. Wallmark leads the Checkers with 21 goals this season, is second on the team with 39 points and leads all team forwards with a plus-7 plus/minus rating.

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Blackhawks' Richard Panik gets chance to show his old team what it's missing

Chris Hine Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune

Richard Panik didn't take the bait. When asked if he felt any extra motivation heading into Saturday's game against the Maple Leafs — the team that trapped him in the AHL before the Hawks rescued him in a trade last season — Panik gave the politically correct answer. "It's just another game, you know?" Panik said. "Just going from one game to another." . There isn't much Panik has to do now to make his former team regret the January 2016 trade that sent him to Chicago for Jeremy Morin, who has bounced around multiple AHL teams in the past year. Panik scored his 18th goal Thursday, the go-ahead score in a 2-1 victory over the Senators. He scored on a late power play from the lower left circle off a feed from Patrick Kane. When the season began, the Hawks felt confident in Panik, 26, but projecting him as a potential 20-goal scorer might have been asking a bit much. However, Panik has flourished, especially in the last two months while playing right wing regularly on a line with Jonathan Toews. Last season Panik bounced around lines and back and forth from right to left wing as coach Joel Quenneville tried to find the right spot for him. Having a consistent linemate in Toews has helped Panik's game grow. "It helps us when we play together for a longer time and not switching lines and switching wings too," said Panik, who prefers to play right wing. "Now we know what we should expect from our guys, and that's how we want to play." Panik and Toews played for a while with Nick Schmaltz, which became a combination as dangerous offensively as the prolific Artemi Panarin- Artem Anisimov-Patrick Kane line. With Anisimov out because of a left foot injury, the versatile Schmaltz is now centering that line, but Panik said that shouldn't inhibit the chemistry he and Toews have developed. Panik said now they know each other's tendencies without having to verbalize what they are going to do, a development that comes over time. "Now I know Johnny loves to be behind the net and around the net, so if I'm on a wall, I know if I don't have a play, just cycle it down and he's going to be there," Panik said. "Just small things like that are going to open up the big plays." There have been plenty of those since the beginning of February. When Panik entered the season, his goals didn't revolve around goals. The main one was just to make the team. A hot start in which Panik scored six goals in six games solidified his spot on the roster and made him relax. "It's way better when you have six go in over six games," Panik said. "I remember in Tampa I had one goal in about 20 games. You start thinking about it. As soon as you get the first one in the year, it's relief and you can go and play." Panik said he always knew he had scoring ability. He just needed the opportunity the Hawks gave him — and the Leafs didn't.

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Saturday's matchup: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs

Staff Report Chicago Tribune

Storylines: The Maple Leafs have three of the top four rookie points leaders. Behind the Jets' Patrik Laine (60) are Auston Matthews (55), Mitch Marner (55) and William Nylander (50). Trending: Patrick Kane has points in five of his last six games. … The power-play goal the Hawks allowed Thursday against the Senators was the first their penalty kill allowed in March.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053447 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks have the upper hand in Central division race as Wild slide

Chris Hine Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune

Now is the time of year when standings watching starts to become a more regular thing. Fans and players alike are checking their smart phones more often and more in tune with the happenings of other teams and how it may affect playoff positioning. For the Hawks, it mostly means checking up on the Wild, who they have been in a tug of war with at the top of the Central Division for most of the season. But with their 2-1 victory over the Senators on Thursday, the Hawks moved three points ahead of the Wild, who still have a game in hand. “It just shows the consistency and the way we’ve been playing,” goaltender Scott Darling said. “Everybody has been doing a great job. Obviously (Artem Anisimov) is out but other than that we’ve been pretty healthy. … Everybody is contributing and they’re doing it every night. That’s a big thing. It’s a good time of year to get everybody fired up.” It helps that the Wild have had a significant dip in play over the last few weeks. They have lost three straight and five of their last six, including a game against the Hawks. That has enabled the Hawks to make up ground. That’s significant because given the divisional playoff format, the Hawks and Wild are on track for a second-round matchup. The Hawks would love to have home-ice advantage in that series. As for whom the Hawks would face in the first round — that question is up in the air. If the Hawks clinch first place, they would face one of the two wild card teams, and that could be any of several teams, including some from the Pacific Division, like the Oilers, Flames or Ducks and even Central Division foes like the Blues or Predators. Anisimov going out for the rest of the regular season doesn’t help the Hawks’ cause for home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs, but it’s an injury they can overcome, just don’t expect them to go all out to try and get it. Coach Joel Quenneville said the Hawks’ main goal is to just make the playoffs and be secure in their place by the last few games of the regular season. That way he doesn’t have to play his core players an exorbitant amount of minutes and the Hawks can be healthy when round one begins.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053448 Chicago Blackhawks

Patrick Kane’s scoring binge a product of perspective, patience

Mark Lazerus @MarkLazerus | email

TORONTO — Patrick Kane can link his extraordinary scoring binge to a few tweaks he has made to his game. He’s trying to shoot more from the middle of the ice rather than spread opponents wide and come in from the perimeter. He has tinkered with his shot. And he has started keeping defenders honest by teeing up one-timers by Artemi Panarin from all over the ice, not just the left circle. But more than anything? Kane just got hot. “Hockey is kind of a funny sport like that,” the Blackhawks winger said. “You see a lot of guys go through stretches where they’re not scoring. Then they get really hot. And once you get hot, you just have that good feeling, and confidence is a huge part of this game.” The fickle nature of scoring has seemed more pronounced than ever this season. Kane has 16 goals in his last 18 games after potting just 15 in his first 52 games. The Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand has a staggering 27 goals in his last 31 games after scoring 10 in his first 40. Hawks center Jonathan Toews had seven goals in a nine-game stretch in February but weathered goal droughts of eight games and 13 games earlier in the season. Winger Richard Panik had six goals in his first six games, then none in his next 17, then had six in six games again in February. And defenseman Brent Seabrook, after scoring a career-high 14 goals last season, has just three this year. And, well, nobody can quite explain why it happens like that. “If I knew why, I think I would score more often,” Panik said. “But I don’t know. When you’re hot, everything goes in. You don’t even have to have ‘A’ chances, and you’re still going to score. Other times, nothing goes in, no matter how good a chance it is. You’re in the slot, wide open, and you don’t even hit the net.” Kane’s resurgence has put him right back in the mix for the scoring title and the Hart Trophy, both of which he won last year. Marchand and the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid have 79 points, two more than Kane. At the end of January, Kane was 66th in the NHL in goals. He’s now eighth, just six off Marchand’s lead. “After the summer, it can take a little bit for you to get into that groove again,” Kane said. “I kind of went through that, where I didn’t really score much at the World Cup, then, coming into the season you put some pressure on yourself to come out and have a good start. And I didn’t do that. But eventually, you just settle in and play hockey. Then good things start to happen.” When it comes to riding the highs and coping with the lows, experience is key. It offers perspective, and perspective offers patience. It’s why, even at the height of his early-season frustrations, Toews always believed the goals would come. And it’s why Panik, now in his fifth season, has been able to rein in his inconsistency better. “You don’t want to think too much about scoring, because as soon as you start thinking about it, it’s not going to happen,” Panik said. “It gets in your head, and then you’re down. When things are not going my way, I’m just trying to simplify. Make a great play on defense, or just get the puck out of the zone, play the body more, and start from there. The confidence is going to build, and then you can try something more.” Seabrook’s goal drought is statistically the unlikeliest, as his 2.7 shooting percentage is half his career average. He said he wasn’t shooting enough early in the season and has been trying to be more aggressive, particularly on the power play. But he’s not sweating the numbers. The way he sees it, there’s no point. “I’m not relied on to score a lot of goals, so I don’t really think about it much,” Seabrook said. “Goal scoring, it just sort of is what it is. Sometimes they go in. Sometimes they don’t.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053449 Chicago Blackhawks

Five Things to WATCH: Blackhawks collide with Maple Leafs tonight on CSN

By Charlie Roumeliotis March 18, 2017 12:00 AM

Five Things to WATCH: 1. Auston Matthews and Jonathan Toews. Even before he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2016, Matthews drew early comparisons to Toews, and it's easy to see the connection. They're both terrific two-way centermen, are difficult to knock off the puck, are just as effective in the defensive zone that they are in the offensize zone, own a lethal shot, and are leaders both on and off the ice. Matthews is having a sensational rookie campaign, with 31 goals and 24 assists for 55 points in 69 games. He's neck-and-neck with Patrik Laine in the Calder Trophy race as the league's top rookie, and is even challenging for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as leading goal scorer. 2. Patrick Kane and Mitch Marner. Like Matthews and Toews, there are many similarities between Kane and Marner. They're both undersized offensive wingers, possess great hands, are smooth skaters, and are dangerous on the power play. Kane joined Sportsnet's Hockey Central earlier in the year and acknowledged those comparisons, and even admitted that Marner is more of a two-way player than Kane was when he was 19 years old. Marner, the No. 4 overall pick in 2015, is tied with Matthews for first on the team with 55 points in 64 games this season, and is on pace to finish with more points than Kane did (72) during his rookie campaign. Marner is averaging .86 points per game while Kane's average was .88. 3. Mike Babcock and Joel Quenneville. When two of the best coaches in NHL history go up against each other, it's always fun to watch the chess match that occurs during the game. With the Blackhawks being the road team, Babcock will have the luxury of last line change. Both rosters are loaded with talent, so it will be interesting to see how Babcock plays his cards against Quenneville. Babcock and Quenneville have combined for 1,434 regular-season wins, 200 playoff wins and four Stanley Cups. They also helped Team Canada capture gold at the World Cup last fall. 4. James and Trevor van Riemsdyk. Because they're in different conferences, the van Riemsdyk brothers only see each other twice a year. But Trevor wasn't able to play in the first meeting all the way back on Oct. 22 due to an upper-body injury, and James missed both contests in 2015-16 with a fractured foot. So this will be their first game against each other since Nov. 1, 2014, which was the first time they faced off in the NHL. In that game, Trevor was on the ice against his older brother for 8:03 of his 19:21 minutes, the highest amount of time he spent on the ice against one Maple Leafs player. James scored a goal in that game, and he also lit the lamp in the first meeting this season. 5. Beware Toronto's power play. As mentioned above, the Maple Leafs have a handful of young, skilled forwards that can make you pay on the man advantage. They're No. 1 in the league in that department with a 23.7 percent success rate. And they're in a nice groove right now, too, having scored at least a power play goal in five of their past six games, going 6-for-19 (31.6 percent) during that stretch. The Blackhawks have been great on the penalty kill in eight games this month, allowing only one goal in their last 16 tries (93.8 percent). As Pat Foley would say, something's gotta give!

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053450 Chicago Blackhawks John Tortorella in Columbus). But there's something to be said for sustaining success through changes, and Quenneville has done that.

Thoughts and musings on a Blackhawks off day Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017

By Tracey Myers March 17, 2017 3:43 PM

The Blackhawks continue on their road trip but we are watching from afar. Up close or from here, it doesn't matter: The Blackhawks continue to surge at the right time and, going back to the start of February, have now won 14 of their last 17 games. Entering Saturday night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Blackhawks sit atop the Western Conference with a three-point lead over the Minnesota Wild. Since we're not traveling, we're thinking. And musing. So here are some thoughts and muses regarding the Blackhawks' last few games. The Blackhawks and Scott Darling said the backup goaltender was fine, despite coming back in 10 days off a hand injury that originally had a three-week timeline. Apparently so. Darling was stellar on Thursday night, stopping 33 of 34 shots in the Blackhawks' 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Missing a few games, Darling had no rust. Good thing, because the Senators gave him a steady dose of shots, including some great looks in the third period. So with 12 games remaining before the playoffs, it looks like the Blackhawks are ending the regular season the way they started it: winning with top-notch goaltending. And the Blackhawks' goaltenders have once again been busy. In his last two starts against Minnesota and Montreal, Corey Crawford saw 44 and 42 shots, respectively. Darling saw 34 on Thursday. Are the Blackhawks relying too much on goaltending again? Well, given those shot totals against the Wild and Montreal Canadiens, you could argue that. It helps that, offensively, the Blackhawks have done a lot with a little. They took a 2-0 lead over Minnesota on their first two shots and a 2-0 lead midway through their game in Montreal. The Blackhawks finished with 22 shots against Minnesota, 24 against the Canadiens. They had a few more shots and took a bit longer to break through vs. Ottawa (credit Senators goaltender Mike Condon for that). But even with leads, Darling and Crawford have been pulling their share of weight lately. Nick Schmaltz didn't have to get the reminder to shoot more — he knows that already. Still, be it the Blackhawks' prompting or his own, Schmaltz responded on Thursday with three shots against the Ottawa Senators. Now can he stay consistent with it? Shot totals have been feast or famine for Schmaltz lately. He had three against Ottawa, Detroit and Pittsburgh, zero vs. Montreal and Minnesota. The Blackhawks like Schmaltz's shot and encourage him to take it more often, but confidence in taking that shot is like everything else with a young player: it takes time. Schmaltz regained confidence in his overall game, and it shows. He had confidence to play second-line center in Artem Anisimov's injury absence because that's the position he's played most of his career. The confidence to take that shot more consistently will come, too. Richard Panik falls under the “he should shoot more” category, too, but maybe it's time to just let him be on that subject. Through 70 games Panik has 132 shots, an average of less than two per game. He also has 18 goals. Panik's strength, much like Anisimov's, has been being at or near the net. Both have had most of their production there, either planting and waiting for a pass or cleaning up on rebounds. (By the way, to further illustrate our point, Anisimov has 22 goals on just 105 shots this season.) I understand the shoot-more demand for some players but for others, it's more about being in the right place at the right time and knowing what to do when they're there. Panik has been great with that all season. This last thought is courtesy of a two-part tweet from Pierre LeBrun on Thursday night, in which he credits the Blackhawks for once again going through turnover yet thriving in the wake of it. Among the responses was this: why no talk for coach Joel Quenneville? When that topic arises, Quenneville gets the Crawford-esque argument: “of course he's good. Look at the team he's got.” It's easy to look at the Blackhawks' core, the one that's been in place for several seasons and three Stanley Cups, and put all the credit on them. They deserve a lot of it. But it's also about knowing who to put with who, and Quenneville, (sometimes maddening) line changes and all, usually gets it right. He knew how to use his rookies, who to trust and who to give more responsibility to when they showed they could handle it. So much for that fallacy of him disliking/distrusting young players, eh? Other coaches are probably going to get more Jack Adams notice this season, especially if their teams are finding new success (please see 1053451 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks prove you don't need ice to play hockey in 'Our Rinks' campaign

By CSN Staff March 17, 2017 10:49 AM

Playing hockey doesn't require a sheet of ice. Growing up in the Chicagoland area, Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling and forward Ryan Hartman spent time playing hockey anywhere they could — even if that meant ice wasn't involved. As part of the Blackhawks #OurRinks campaign, Darling and Hartman took a trip around Chicago to see where kids are honing their hockey skills when they aren't on the ice. The Blackhawks duo found hockey taking place in a basement, a driveway and an alley, and every stop they declared each place an official practice rink of the Chicago Blackhawks with an honorary flag.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053452 Colorado Avalanche

Tyson Jost on Avalanche: “I’m still really proud and honored to be part of that organization”

By Mike Chambers | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: March 17, 2017 at 10:10 pm | UPDATED: March 18, 2017 at 1:12 AM

MINNEAPOLIS — Tyson Jost had an assist and a team-high six shots in North Dakota’s 1-0 upset over the University of Denver in Friday’s semifinals of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament at the Target Center. Afterward, I asked Jost to comment on the downtrodden Avalanche, which selected him with the 10th pick of the 2016 NHL draft. “It’s surprising. I mean, I think they’re better than a lot of people look at them,” Jost told me. “They have a lot of skill up front. I don’t know if I can really comment because I’m not around the team or anything like that. I try to watch them whenever I get a chance, and obviously it’s unfortunate they’re not doing the best. But I have a lot of faith in the organization, just after meeting with the management at the beginning of the year. I’m still really proud and honored to be part of that organization, and whenever my time is to go with them I’ll be excited to go up with them for sure.” I didn’t want to ask Jost about when he thinks he’ll sign with Colorado — this spring or summer, or after his sophomore year at UND. He’s a student-athlete gunning for a national championship, after all, and he owes it to his team to focus on the ‘now.’ But I did point out he’s the No. 1 prospect for the NHL’s worst team. “I haven’t really thought about it much,” Jost said. “I’m just focused on this year. My goal was to come to North Dakota, develop as a player and win a national championship. I’ll focus on (signing) when the time comes.”

Denver Post: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053453 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche makes final appearance at Joe Louis Arena, faces Red Wings Saturday

By Terry Frei | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: March 17, 2017 at 11:44 am | UPDATED: March 17, 2017 at 8:21 PM

In better times for both franchises, Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena was the site of most of the notorious incidents in the Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry. Darren McCarthy going after Claude Lemieux. Patrick Roy fighting, first, Mike Vernon, and then in the rare goaltenders’ bouts at center ice. Lemieux seeking validation by dropping the gloves with McCarthy at an opening faceoff. And… And more. With Little Caesars Arena expected to be ready for next season, the Avalanche’s Saturday morning game against the Detroit Red Wings will be the final appearance for Colorado in the venerable “Joe,” scheduled to be demolished and replaced by a hotel and retail development along the Detroit River waterfront. Another Colorado team — the Don Cherry- coached Rockies — played in the third-ever NHL game in the building, on New Year’s Eve 1979, and the Wings will have seven more home games after the Avalanche’s Saturday appearance. The final Wings game in the arena will be April 9 against New Jersey, and that’s a bit unexpected, since Detroit’s playoff streak is coming to an end at 25 seasons. Avalanche backup goalie Jeremy Smith, scheduled to be on the bench as Calvin Pickard starts Saturday, was born and raised in Dearborn, in suburban Detroit. He was seven when the most notorious game in the rivalry took place on March 26, 1997. An AHL journeyman, Smith finally made it to the NHL this season in the wake of Semyon Varlamov’s injury problems and got his first career win against Buffalo on Feb. 25. “That arena has so much history, and growing up in Detroit, going to watch the Wings and seeing them win back-to-back championships, it’s pretty special to be going there,” Smith said after practice Friday. “Especially with the rivalry between these two teams and growing up, seeing Roy at center ice and the melee that happened. It’ll be pretty special to be a part of it.” Did he hate the Avalanche? “Hate is too strong a word,” Smith said, laughing. “I rooted for the Wings, no matter who they were playing because they’re your favorite team. But my brother’s favorite player was Joe Sakic, and I think you respect the good players and the whole game as a fan and even through there was a big rivalry, it fueled the fires for the cities, and especially for Detroit.” Smith played youth hockey games in Joe Louis Arena. “That was pretty special and I played two preseason games with Boston there,” he said. “Every time I go into that arena, it’s something. Just the history. How old it is. And there’s nothing else like it, really.” Pickard said playing in the final Colorado game in JLA is “cool.” He added, “It’s filled with a lot of history and I had a pretty memorable game there a couple of years ago (Dec. 21, 2014) when we went nine rounds in the shootout.” (The Avalanche won that nine-round shootout 3-2 and the game 2-1.) Avalanche rookie forward J.T. Compher, who was raised in the Chicago area, played several games in JLA in his three seasons at the University of Michigan. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “I got to play in that building in college a lot. We played Michigan State there every year, we had the Big Ten tournament there every other year, and we played the Great Lakes Invitational there after Christmas. I’m excited.”

Denver Post: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053454 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets | There’s a healthy crowd at forward

Posted Mar 17, 2017 at 9:40 PM Updated Mar 17, 2017 at 9:40 PM By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch @Aportzline

NEW YORK — The Blue Jackets activated center Lukas Sedlak from injured reserve on Thursday and made him a healthy scratch later that night against the Florida Panthers. Left wing Lauri Korpikoski also was a healthy scratch, the first time he has been out of the lineup since the Blue Jackets acquired him at the trade deadline March 1. As long as the Blue Jackets remain healthy at forward — they just emerged from a rash of minor injuries and illnesses — coach John Tortorella faces difficult decisions. "I'll continue to make my call during the game as far as who's going and who's not," Tortorella said. "That will determine ice time. And then from game to game we will make a determination as to who will play. I don't know what else to say about it, except it's a good problem to have when you starting getting your players back healthy." Earlier in the season, the Blue Jackets' lineup barely fluctuated from game to game. On many nights, they didn't carry an extra forward on the roster. But Oliver Bjorkstrand has played his way into a regular role, and Korpikoski came aboard from Dallas. That leaves two extra forwards as long as the Blue Jackets remain healthy. They play today at the New York Islanders. Tortorella said he hasn't even considered resting players down the stretch, with 13 games to go in the regular season, meaning the decisions, for now, will be performance-based. A similar situation on defense was cleared up last week when Ryan Murray suffered a broken hand while blocking a shot in a game against Buffalo. Now Kyle Quincey figures to be a permanent fixture on the third pairing along with rookie Markus Nutivaara. Yes, he CAM Right wing Cam Atkinson has scored 118 goals for the Blue Jackets, leaving him two short of tying R.J. Umberger (120) for second on the franchise's all-time list. The No. 1 spot is safe for now. Rick Nash scored 289 goals for the team. Right wing Josh Anderson has scored three of his 15 goals this season in three games against the Islanders. ... No word yet on a starting goaltender for the Blue Jackets, but Joonas Korpisalo had a 29-save shutout — the first of his NHL career — in a 7-0 win over the Islanders on Feb. 25.

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Blue Jackets | Presidents’ Trophy interests players, but not Tortorella

Posted Mar 17, 2017 at 9:39 PM Updated Mar 17, 2017 at 9:39 PM By Tom Reed The Columbus Dispatch

John Tortorella doesn't want to discuss the race for the Presidents' Trophy, or as he referred to it Friday, "the Presidents' whatever it's called." Proper nouns aside, the Blue Jackets coach is fine with his players using it as incentive for the last 13 games. Tortorella also knows what comes with having the best regular-season record in the NHL, especially for the top three teams in the outrageously competitive Metro Division. The winner would have home-ice advantage throughout the postseason while a team theoretically finishing just two or three points behind the champ could open the playoffs on the road. That's how tight the division standings are as the Blue Jackets head to New York to face the Islanders today and the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. Capturing the Presidents' Trophy would earn the franchise its first banner. Of more immediate relevance, however, is securing home-ice advantage. If the top three teams in the league wind up being from the Metro, the third-place club would start a best-of-seven series away from home. "That's what you are fighting for," captain Nick Foligno said of home-ice advantage. "It just gives us great motivation every game. I know we are playing some teams that are out of (the playoff race) or are fighting for (a playoff spot), and it allows us to have that emotion every time we step on the ice." Columbus began Friday in second place overall, two points behind division-rival Washington and one point ahead of Chicago and division- rival Pittsburgh. The Jackets' recent 8-2-1 run has put them in firm control of their playoff destiny. They have a game in hand on the Capitals and play them twice. They also have meetings with the Penguins and Blackhawks. "(The Presidents' Trophy) obviously gives you something to strive for rather than just (coasting) into the playoffs," alternate captain Brandon Dubinsky said. "And, when you are playing that way, you are staying on top of your game rather than, 'Let's just get through these games,' and you're not ready when it gets ramped up for the playoffs. It will allow us to peak at the right time." Winning the trophy, or at least finishing first in the Metro, wouldn't guarantee the Blue Jackets an easy first-round matchup. They could draw playoff-tested Tampa Bay, which appears close to getting star forward Steven Stamkos back from injury. But raising a regular-season banner (league or division) ensures the Jackets wouldn't have to beat both Pittsburgh and Washington to reach the conference final. In that scenario, the Capitals and Penguins most likely would face each other in the first round, barring a late charge from the New York Rangers. There's a lot to digest with less than a month remaining in the regular season. Just don't ask Tortorella to handicap the race. "I don't mind (the players) talking about it and looking up (in the standings) because I think that's very important to have the confidence to look up," he said. "Just as long as (they) are not skipping anything every day. "I'm not in the conversation about the Presidents' whatever it's called. I'm getting ready for the Islanders

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053456 Columbus Blue Jackets

Puck-rakers: Blue Jackets ‘praying’ and paying price to block shots as playoffs approach

Posted Mar 17, 2017 at 8:04 PM Updated Mar 17, 2017 at 8:04 PM By Tom Reed The Columbus Dispatch

As the Panthers' Vincent Trocheck fired one last shot in the dying seconds Thursday night, Brandon Dubinsky was positioned between the circles, almost down on his knees waiting to absorb vulcanized rubber traveling at violent speed. "The last shot to the net, guys were down there praying to make sure it doesn't get to the net," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. That's one way to describe one of hockey's most selfless acts. Blocked shots are big throughout the season, but take on added significance in the low-scoring, high-stakes games down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Blue Jackets impeded three pucks in the final 30 seconds of a taut 2-1 win over the Panthers inside Nationwide Arena. They stepped in front of 14 shots on the night and 20 more against the Flyers in a 5-3 win Monday. The black-and-blue efforts came on the heels of a team meeting prior to the Flyers' game in which Tortorella stressed the importance of defensive-zone coverage and blocked shots. The coach believes that beyond denying scoring chances, they build a mindset, culture and camaraderie. "I don't think we have been consistent enough in our shot blocking," Tortorella said. "We have brought it to their attention the past couple of games and, quite honestly, they have really concentrated." Tortorella and Dubinsky built a reputation on blocked shots during their time together with the Rangers. They were a staple of the club's 2012 run to the Eastern Conference final. It's not the identity of these Blue Jackets, however. They aren't even close to leading the league in blocked shots, hits and ice packs. Amazing what puck possession and an injection of skill does for a club. The Jackets rank 16th in the NHL in blocked shots with 988 – or nearly 200 behind the pace-setting Islanders. "We're playing a different game this year," Tortorella said. " . . . We're a pretty instinctive team, but don't forget about the grind of the game, too. That's the fine line . . . One of our biggest plusses is we can play a lot of different ways in games." Defenseman David Savard and Seth Jones are tied for 65th in blocked shots, averaging 1.7 per game. "I think it rallies the troops," Dubinsky said. "You see guys sacrifice their body. Everyone knows it doesn't feel good when you have to block someone's slap shot at 100 mph." Just ask Ryan Murray, who might miss the start of postseason after breaking his right hand last week blocking a shot in Buffalo. Despite the inherent danger, Tortorella and Dubinsky agree on the need to engage in the painful, welt-inducing art. "It's huge, it's just good for the group," Dubinsky said. "It gets guys fired up and gives us momentum and energy."

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Blue Jackets sign 6-5 center Vigneault

Posted Mar 17, 2017 at 12:01 AM Updated Mar 17, 2017 at 8:09 AM By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch

Two weeks ago, when the Blue Jackets landed in Ottawa on the night before they played the Senators, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, assistant general manager Bill Zito and coach John Tortorella took a side trip to Potsdam, New York, home of Clarkson University. The Jackets' brass had been tracking Clarkson's Sam Vigneault for more than a year, inviting the 6-foot-5 center to their development camp last summer. But this was a final look before the summer college signing season started, and the Blue Jackets liked what they saw. Vigneault signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets, ending his run at Clarkson after his junior season. He's expected to make his pro debut this weekend with the Blue Jackets' affiliate in Cleveland and will finish the season with the Monsters playing under an amateur-tryout agreement, much like Blue Jackets rookie defenseman Zach Werenski did last season. "(Vigneault's) is a big kid and he's a good player," Kekalainen said. "We think he has a chance to play (in the NHL)." Vigneault, 21, has played three seasons at Clarkson, totaling 30 goals, 45 assists and 79 penalty minutes in 106 games. Clarkson (18-16-5) ended its season Sunday when it was eliminated from the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament by Cornell. New Albany's Kiefer Sherwood, who just finished his sophomore season at Miami University, has informed NHL teams that he plans to return to college next season. At least four clubs had expressed interest in signing him to a free agent contract. Slap shots After missing Monday's win in Philadelphia, captain Nick Foligno was back in the lineup Thursday against the Florida Panthers, making Lauri Korpikoski a healthy scratch. ... The Blue Jackets activated Lukas Sedlak (oblique strain) from injured reserve, but he was not in uniform for the Panthers game.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053458 Columbus Blue Jackets

Michael Arace: Werenski’s legend continues to grow, and he’s only 19

Staff Report Posted Mar 17, 2017 at 12:12 AM

The kids, they don't know anything — which is beautiful. Case in point: Remember the Blue Jackets' incredible run of victories in March and April of 2015? Remember how they beat all those great teams and closed the season with a 15-1-1 streak? Remember how those games ultimately meant nothing because the Jackets had been eliminated from playoff contention and all those great teams were merely biding time? Zach Werenski doesn't know that. You have to squint a little, but you can see a similar scene playing out now. The difference is the Jackets are one of those great teams biding time and many of their opponents — such as Thursday night's opponent, the Florida Panthers — are running out the regular-season string. Zach Werenski doesn't know that. We've seen some of these at Nationwide Arena. New Jersey for one, Vancouver for another. On Thursday, it was the Panthers, who were coming off a 7-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers jumped the Jackets. The Panthers pushed their forecheck so hard and so deep, it was almost as if they were daring the home team to do something about it. They fairly dictated the first half of the game. They left the crowd of 14,191 wondering where their Blue Jackets had gone. Zach Werenski probably knew that much. He watched goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stand on his head. He figured it was about time somebody lent a hand. "You know, basically, that's it," said Matt Calvert, who went directly to the front of the net when he saw the puck reach Werenski, on the left wall late in the second period. Werenski had time and space, if not a great angle. Werenski looked up — when does he look down? — and sensed a coin slot just under the crossbar, near side, and deposited a wrist shot. He said he was half aiming and half not. I think he was 100 percent aiming. Oh, that shot. It's like an Iverson crossover. It was not the winner, but it was the fulcrum. Werenski's ridiculous shot tied the score at 1 with fewer than six minutes remaining in the second period. It woke up the Jackets, who went on to grind out a 2-1 victory over the Panthers. On this day a year ago, Werenski was on a bus pulling into St. Paul, Minnesota, to play in the Big Ten tournament. He was a couple of months away from declaring a major. He remembers St. Patrick's Day weekend 2016, with cheer. "It was some of the best hockey I've played individually," he said, "and it was some of the best hockey we (Michigan) played all season." The Wolverines beat Penn State and Minnesota to win the Big Ten title. Werenski had four points and the winning goal in the final round. A year later, he pulled 19 minutes playing alongside Seth Jones, and against Jaromir Jagr. And he swung the game. Werenski is 19 years old. He has 11 goals and 33 assists in 69 games. Not only is he breaking season rookie records, he is closing in on becoming the highest-scoring defenseman in club history. He is seven points shy of the 51 points posted by James Wisniewski in 2013-14. The beauty of it is he is doing it quietly, in the shadow of Toronto's Auston Matthews and Winnipeg's Patrik Laine. Oh, that shot. Do not blink. "I have learned that when (Werenski) has the puck, just go to the front of the net," Calvert said. "We knew about the offense, but what is really impressive is how he is playing top-line defense — which is difficult to do for a 22- or 23-year old — and he's only 19." There is beauty in that, and it smiled Thursday night.

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Stars anticipate Jamie Benn to return on Monday after missing a game due to an eye injury

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heika on Twitter: @MikeHeika

Captain Jamie Benn missed Friday's game with an upper-body injury. It was the third game he has missed this season. Benn was hit hard by Vancouver defenseman Nikita Tryamkin and then got in a fight with Tryamkin. Ruff said the injury came from Benn taking a glove to the eye. "He got scratched and he saw the eye doctor," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "He got a glove in the eye, that's all." Ruff said there is a good chance Benn will play Monday at home against San Jose. As for having his captain fight a player who is 6-7, 265, Ruff said he believes Benn knows how to respond on the ice. "There's lots of ways to get hurt. [Fighting] is still part of the game, it's still part of the way you can create emotion in the game," Ruff said. "I think after the game in Edmonton, he was out to create emotion for us." Teammates said Benn did help change momentum in a game the Stars won 4-2. "We're not going to quit. Jamie is an extreme competitor, and nobody is happy where we are," said Jason Spezza, who's an alternate captain. "It shows good emotion from him. We're the leaders of this team, and we need to show emotion and give us an opportunity to win games. You don't like to see him get hurt, but you like the emotion." Hudler steps in: Veteran winger Jiri Hudler stepped in for Benn and played just his 30th game. Hudler missed most of the first half of the season with a mysterious illness and has been a healthy scratch lately because his skating has not been up to par. "It has been tough, because he's been out so long," Ruff said. "I think he struggled with his speed, struggled with his conditioning. I know he can make some plays in tight areas. He's got that ability, so this is a good opportunity for him."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053460 Dallas Stars

Mistakes cost the Stars again as they continue to drift away from a playoff spot

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heika on Twitter: @MikeHeika

CALGARY, Alberta -- The Stars and Flames were two of the most disappointing teams in the NHL in January. Calgary was floundering under new coach Glen Gulutzan, and the Stars were still trying to crawl out of the quicksand created by injuries to six forwards. But with both teams having every opportunity to make a statement, the Flames went on a sizzling hot run and the Stars collapsed into a malaise that has the 2016-17 season possibly one of the worst since the team moved to Dallas in 1993. Calgary took a 3-1 win Friday and pushed its record since Jan. 24 to 16- 3-1. The Flames have a firm hold on a playoff spot. The Stars fell to 7-13- 0 in that same span and are pondering which players might be available in the top five at the NHL draft this year. Dallas broke a three-game losing streak Thursday with a win in Vancouver. Calgary saw its 10-game winning streak snapped Wednesday against Boston. But both were back on their respective trails Friday. Calgary played a smart, opportunistic game, while the Stars made silly mistakes that ended up in their own net. Jason Spezza had a turnover in the neutral zone, and that was converted into a counterattack and a Michael Frolik goal late in the first period for the all-important 1-0 lead. "We made a bonehead play and turned the puck over in the neutral zone," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "I have to give Calgary credit, they played smart. We caved in, made the big mistake, and gave them the early goal." That one-goal deficit seemed manageable at the time, but Calgary showed it was hungrier. The Flames had a nice, long cycle in the offensive zone and Mark Giordano snapped a quick pass into the slot that Matthew Tkachuk redirected in for his 13th goal of the season at 5:20 mark. That was disheartening, but Dallas actually started to control the puck and get some decent scoring chances. Brian Elliott turned Cody Eakin away once and the post turned Eakin away another time, and that was frustrating for the Stars. But what happened next sort of summed up the season. Calgary played a puck with a high stick, and it settled down inside the Stars' defensive zone. The Stars stood trying to decide if they should touch the puck, and when Adam Cracknell did, Tkachuk sent the puck back to Giordano. The defenseman quickly snapped a shot from distance, and it deflected off Dan Hamhuis and past Kari Lehtonen for a 3-0 lead. Spezza finished minus-3, Hamhuis minus-3 and Seguin minus-2. On the season, Spezza is minus-18 and Seguin minus-16. "It's not the young guys turning the puck over," Ruff said. "Play the game the right way. At the end of the night, those guys have to be your better players." Dallas fell to 28-33-10 overall and remains 13 points behind St. Louis for the final playoff spot with 11 games remaining.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053461 Dallas Stars

Cold Facts: In a similar position just two months ago, the Flames have flourished while Stars collapsed

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heika on Twitter: @MikeHeika

Three Stars 1. Mark Giordano, Flames: Goal and two assists, plus-3 2. Matthew Tkachuk, Flames: Goal and assist, plus-3 3. Brian Elliott, Flames: Twenty-four saves, including a couple of big ones With Dallas down 1-0 in the second period, Cody Eakin had a wide open one-timer and fired it off the post. Calgary then scored a minute later to make it 2-0. Eakin then skated in and was stopped by Brian Elliott from the doorstep and Calgary made it 3-0 minutes later. What do you do with the young defensemen? GM Jim Nill said he wants to bring up Julius Honka for the final 8-10 games. That means Dallas will have to start scratching two defensemen again. Jamie Oleksiak was scratched Friday. Could he be getting more? What does it mean? The Flames and Stars were in almost the same spot on Jan. 24, both sitting outside the playoffs. Calgary has gone 16-3-1 since and is now looking like a sure bet for the post-season. Dallas is 7-13-0 since and will miss the playoffs for the seventh time in nine years. Flames: After Jason Spezza had a turnover in the neutral zone, Calgary went on the counter-attack. Mikael Backlund found a wide open Michael Frolik in the slot and Frolik scored his 16th goal of the season at 16:07 of the first period. Flames 1, Stars 0. Flames: After Calgary had a very long cycle in the offensive zone, Mark Giordano made a perfect pass that Matthew Tkachuk redirected in for his 13th goal of the season at 5:20 of the second period. Flames 2, Stars 0. Flames: Calgary hit a puck with a high stick and it came to rest just inside the Stars' defensive blue line. Dallas waited to touch it, and when Adam Cracknell finally did, Tkachuk got it back to Giordano, and he whipped in a long-distance shot off of defenseman Dan Hamhuis at 8:32 of the second period. Flames 3, Stars 0. Stars: T.J. Brodie gave a puck away directly in front of the Calgary goal and Brett Ritchie scored his 13th goal of the season. Flames 3, Stars 1.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053462 Dallas Stars --Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan on goalie Brian Elliott, who missed Wednesday's loss with the flu. Elliott is 13-1-1 in his past 15 games with a 1.93 GAA and .934 save percentage. Stars vs. Flames: Dallas hoping to finish strong in final 12 games Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.18.2017 By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heika on Twitter: @MikeHeika

STARS at FLAMES Dallas is simply trying to finish the season strong, while Calgary is making a push to be a playoff Cinderella. The Flames just saw an end to their 10-game winning streak Wednesday in a 5-2 home loss to the Bruins. The run put Calgary seven points up on Los Angeles with 12 games remaining, so the Flames need to keep pushing for more. Key matchup Tyler Seguin vs. Johnny Gaudreau Seguin came up with a big power play goal Thursday to beat Vancouver and has 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in 13 career games against the Flames. Gaudreau has 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists) in 8 career games against the Stars. Key Number 241 That's the times shorthanded for the Flames, fourth most in the NHL. Dallas has drawn the third most power play opportunities at 234, so the Stars can change the game with the man advantage. Dallas ranks 19th in power play success at 18.9 percent and yields the most shorthanded goals at 11. Calgary ranks 14th in penalty kill success at 80.9 percent and ranks fourth with eight shorthanded goals scored. Dallas (28-32-10) is coming off a 4-2 win at Vancouver Thursday and is 10-20-4 on the road. Calgary (39-27-4) is coming off a 5-2 home loss to Boston Wednesday and is 15-3-1 in its last 19games. The Flames are 20-15-0 at home. Kari Lehtonen is expected in goal for Dallas. He is 17-21-6 on the season with a 2.95 GAA and .901 save percentage. In his career against the Flames, Lehtonen is 11-6-2 with a 2.70 GAA and .907 save percentage. Brian Elliott is expected to start in goal for Calgary. He is 21-13-3 on the season with a 2.51 GAA and .910 save percentage. In his career against the Stars, Elliott is 6-5-0 with a 2.78 GAA and .903 save percentage. Dallas is 10-5-2 vs. the Pacific. Calgary is 11-6-0 vs. the Central. Dallas ranks 13th in scoring at 2.77 goals per game and 30th in GAA at 3.27. Calgary ranks 16th in scoring at 2.70 goals per game and 13th in GAA at 2.69. Calgary ranks 19th in save percentage at .907. Dallas ranks 30th at .892. Dallas ranks 19th in PP success at 18.4 percent and 30th in penalty kill at 73.8 percent. Calgary ranks 14th in PP success at 19.9 percent and 14th in penalty kill at 80.9 percent. He said it "I liked it. It sends a message to the team that the fight is still on, you have to win games, you have to play hard. It starts with the leaders of the team, and he went out and that's a pretty big dude he fought. It was a heck of a battle." --Stars coach Lindy Ruff on captain Jamie Benn's fight with Vancouver's Nikita Tryamkin. Benn might have exacerbated an upper body injury in the fight and is questionable for Friday's game. "There's so many games left and the teams we're playing, most of them are playing their best hockey of the year, they're playing their hardest hockey of the year. So we have to get up to that level, we have to be able to play hard against those teams. They're fighting for a playoff spot or home ice and they really don't care about our problems." --Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen. "He's feeling a lot better from his flu. He had a practice yesterday, feels better today so he'll get the start tonight." 1053463 Dallas Stars When the Texas Stars were hiring a coach in 2009, many felt Dallas would elevate Derek Laxdal, who was leading Dallas's ECHL affiliate in Utah, and had actually won the league championship in 2007. On paper, Looking back at Glen Gulutzan's departure from Dallas his resume was as good as Gulutzan's, and the Stars knew him well. Yet, Les Jackson chose Gulutzan. Two years later, Gulutzan was coaching in the NHL and Laxdal was coaching the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League. Was that fair? By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heika on Twitter: @MikeHeika Laxdal took Idaho to the ECHL Finals in 2010 and won the WHL with Edmonton in 2012, and still might get a chance to be an NHL head coach. But wouldn't Gulutzan have rather tread his path? If given the Here's what I wrote back in 2013 when the Stars parted ways with Glen choice, wouldn't he rather take a run to the AHL finals and get fired after Gulutzan. It holds pretty true today as Dallas faces his new team, the two seasons in the NHL? Calgary Flames. So you really can't say he got a bad break. He actually got quite a good If you believe Glen Gulutzan had a significant challenge in his two years break. as Dallas Stars coach, you'd be right. Now, it's up to him what he does with that break. If you were drawing it If you think he somehow received a bad break, you'd be wrong. up on paper, you would recommend he get a job as an NHL assistant Inheriting a Stars team in transition, getting placed on a coaching staff coach for a couple of years and then try to get an interview as an NHL with very little experience, trying to navigate a tough league with fewer head coach again. At the very least, he should be considered for any weapons than his counterparts, having his second season messed up by AHL opening that comes up. the lockout...all contributing factors in Gulutzan getting let go on He is a better coach today, a smarter coach. He has faced challenges, Tuesday. Heck, the fact that he came in after Joe Nieuwendyk had he has shared meetings with Joe Nieuwendyk, coached Jaromir Jagr, already worked his way through one coaching staff also didn't give him become friends with Rick Carlisle. He has had a pretty good run for a 40- much of a leash. something who still has a long way to go to shape his coaching career. But Gulutzan became a head coach in the NHL at age 39, and that is a And he should be pretty happy about that good break no matter how you look at it.

Think about the path tread by the fair-haired boy from Saskatchewan. He had a couple of 70-point seasons in junior hockey before moving on to Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.18.2017 college, and he probably thought at one point that it would be better to pursue a career in teaching. But he decided to follow the dream of possibly playing in the NHL. He landed in the West Coast Hockey League to start, and put up the best season of his young life. Playing for Fresno in 1996-97, Gulutzan posted 110 points (30 goals, 80 assists) in 60 games. He had nine assists in five playoff games before the Falcons were eliminated in one series. He got a couple of call-ups to the IHL for a total of four games, and then decided to try Finland for a season. Still, he couldn't get the break he was looking for, so he headed back to Fresno. What followed was a five-year run with the Falcons where he was promoted to player/assistant coach for the final two seasons. It was a great lesson in perseverance and reality, and at age 32 Gulutzan turned his thoughts directly to coaching. He took over the Las Vegas Wranglers for six seasons, and led them to a 254-124-55 record, including an appearance in the ECHL Final. That led to a promotion to the AHL, and he took the Texas Stars to the Final in his first season. He and assistant coach Paul Jerrard bonded, formed a solid coaching staff, and churned out records of 46-27-7 and 41-29-10. And when the Marc Crawford era ended in Dallas, Gulutzan was in the right place at the right time. So, was it too early in his career? Did he need more seasoning? No, and Yes. What he had done as a head coach put him in a very good place for the step up. What he had not done in the NHL put him in a kind of bad place. He didn't know the players he was coaching against, he didn't know the coaches he was coaching against. Heck, he didn't know how to get to the locker room in most of the arenas. It was a huge life change. And two years later, he says he now knows _ and that's a good thing. That's part of getting the chance to be an NHL coach at such a young age. He does know the players now. He does know the other coaches. He can call veteran coach Mike Babcock on the phone and exchange ideas. He can call Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle and ask about motivation or coaching plans. He has opened a wealth of information in the last two years. He has a membership inside the club, he has the phone list, he has the blazer. He can call himself an NHL coach. Gulutzan and Joe Nieuwendyk are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. They are great family guys, they are great with fans. And because of that, there was some grumbling that the firings weren't fair, that these guys somehow didn't get what they deserved. But they both illustrate the ups and downs of pro sports. Mike Modano was given assurances by Tom Hicks that he would be able to retire with the Stars. However, Hicks lost the team, and Modano lost his sway. Nieuwendyk had to make a tough decision on the franchise icon, and decided not to sign him. Was that fair? 1053464 Dallas Stars

Flames resume winning ways against road-weary Stars

Staff Report The Associated Press

CALGARY, Alberta Mark Mark Giordano had a goal and two assists, Brian Elliott stopped 24 shots in his 10th straight win and the Calgary Flames beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 Friday night. Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik also scored to help Calgary bounce back from a loss to Boston two nights earlier – with Elliott home with the flu – that snapped the Flames’ 10-game winning streak. Calgary, 12-1-1 in its last 14, jumped past Edmonton into third place in the Pacific Division. Elliott’s busiest period was the second when Dallas outshot Calgary 13- 10 but fell behind 2-0. Bidding for his third shutout in four games, Elliott was finally beaten with 6:41 left in the third when TJ Brodie mishandled the puck in front of his net and Brett Ritchie whipped it past the surprised goaltender. Kari Lehtonen finished with 21 saves for Dallas, which finished a 1-3-0 road trip. Noticeably absent for the Stars was captain Jamie Benn (upper body), who was hurt in Thursday’s 4-2 win in Vancouver after dropping the gloves and fighting the Canucks hulking defenseman Nikita Tryamkin. Benn has totaled seven goals and seven assists in his last seven games in Calgary. The Flames opened the scoring with 3:53 left in the first as Frolik took a pass from Mikael Backlund and whipped a shot over Lehtonen’s glove. Tkachuk made it 2-0 at 5:20 of the second. After a stretch of prolonged pressure in the Stars’ end, Tkachuk neatly steered Giordano’s pass behind Lehtonen for his 13th goal. Three minutes later, Calgary scored again on a heads-up play by Tkachuk. Having knocked the puck out of the air with a high stick seconds earlier, the rookie followed the puck into the Stars zone but didn’t touch it as play would have been blown dead. As soon as Dallas’ Adam Cracknell tried to play the puck, Tkachuk promptly stripped it from him, knocking it back to Giordano, who flung a harmless-looking shot from just inside the blue line that deflected in off the glove of Dallas defenseman Dan Hamhuis. Tkachuk, 19, is tied for third on the team in scoring with 46 points. It’s been a phenomenal run for Elliott for the last eight weeks. In 16 starts going back to Jan. 26, the 31-year-old is 14-1-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. Notes: Flames D Michael Stone (shoulder) returned to the lineup after missing three games. Calgary has won all nine games he’s played in since being acquired from Arizona. That bumped veteran Dennis Wideman out of the lineup. … Backlund played his 451st game, passing Hakan Loob for the most by a European player in team history.

Star-Telegram LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053465 Detroit Red Wings

How to watch today's Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche game

Kirkland Crawford , Detroit Free Press 12:08 a.m. ET March 18, 2017

Watch as we get closer to the opening of Little Caesars Arena as seats get installed on March 15. Video courtesy of District Detroit. 1 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit, NHL Network, WXYT-FM (97.1): Avs make final visit to the Joe in Saturday matinee NHL: Detroit Red Wings at Arizona Coyotes Detroit Red Wings (27-31-11, 65 points) vs. Colorado Avalanche (20-46- 3, 43 points) When: 1 p.m. Where: Joe Louis Arena. TV: Fox Sports Detroit, NHL Network. Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; other radio affiliates). Game notes: Just a few nights ago, the Wings suffered perhaps their worst loss of the season, 3-1, in Colorado. Now, it's the return match, just a few days short of the 20th anniversary of that fateful game between these two teams where Darren McCarty pummeled Claude Lemieux. The Avs have officially been eliminated from the playoffs; the Wings are trying to delay the inevitable. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053466 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin looking good, feeling good at center

Helene St. James , Detroit Free Press 11:28 a.m. ET March 17, 2017

The Detroit Red Wings’ long-term plan to have Dylan Larkin at center is trending in a positive direction. The 20-year-old seems to be finding his groove, aided by having a fellow speedster on the wing. Larkin enters Saturday's matinee against the Colorado Avalanche (1 p.m., FSD) with good reviews after moving back to the center spot this month. He started the season there, but the experiment was scuttled as the Wings sought offense. Now that they are all but mathematically eliminated from the NHL playoffs, it makes sense to have Larkin resume the role he needs to take for the team’s future viability. As good as still is, he will be 37 when next season begins, and the Wings need someone to push to be the future No. 1 center. Larkin spent most of his rookie season last year on Zetterberg's wing, thriving with 23 goals among 45 points and a plus-11 rating. This season has seen Larkin go through growing pains -- when he scored in Thursday's 5-4 shoot-out victory at Arizona, it was his 14th goal of the season, and he is at minus-26. But he has been noticeably active with the puck this week, helping create good offensive-zone time for his line Wednesday at Colorado and against the Coyotes, earning praise, along with wingers Andreas Athanasiou and Justin Abdelkader. “Dylan Larkin was excellent, Andreas Athanasiou was excellent,” coach Jeff Blashill said after the Arizona game. (Today is a day off.) “Those two guys did a real good job on the second night of a back-to-back. They have the young legs and they did an excellent job. “Justin played excellent. He adds physicality, adds net presence, can make a play.” Where Abdelkader creates space with his physicality, Athanasiou serves as a good emergency option if needed. “Playing with a guy like Andreas is huge,” Larkin said. “It makes myself, as a centerman, worry less about how we are going to get up the ice. In the Colorado game, a few times, I just threw it to his wing, where he was flying. You know he is going to get the puck in the other zone and then we are going to have chances to play offense. “We have been focusing on holding on to pucks more and trying to create off the cycle. We got some puck luck tonight -- the puck kind of seemed to follow us around. But we did a good job of stopping on pucks and hanging on to it and trying to make some plays down low.” Of playing center again, Larkin said, “I do feel more comfortable at the position and I am having fun playing with AA and Abby.” The three may well finish the season together, allowing for Larkin to assert himself at center. “It looks like a line that can be real good line for us,” Blashill said. "It’s been a real good combination for us.” Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053467 Detroit Red Wings eight days of the trial, sitting in the courtroom flanked by his sons Mark and Marty.

Howe will forever be among the most beloved of Detroit's sports heroes. Court rejects appeal of Howe legal fees His NHL career spanned six decades in which he set numerous records as a Detroit Red Wing while helping the team to four Stanley Cup championships. Mike Martindale , The Detroit News Published Detroit News LOADED: 03.18.2017

Even in death, Mr. Hockey is still a winner. The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday issued a ruling from a March 8 application hearing that denied three of Howe’s former business managers any right to appeal legal fees awarded to the late Red Wings legend and his Power Play International company. The ruling stemmed from a civil case that Del Reddy, Aaron Howard and Del’s father, Michael Reddy, lost to Howe, who died last June at the age of 88. “... the Court heard oral arguments on the application for leave to appeal the July 26, 2016, judgment of the Court of Appeals,” the ruling, dated Friday, reads. “On order of the Court, the application is again considered and it is DENIED (emphasis added by court) because we are not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court.” The attorney fees came from a legal battle dating to 2007 over memorabilia from Howe’s career. The former business managers destroyed items rather than return them to Howe as ordered by Oakland Circuit Judge Leo Bowman. After that civil trial, a jury awarded Howe and his Power Play International company $3 million in damages from the trio. Additionally, after Power Play filed a post-judgment request, the plaintiffs were awarded $261,000 in attorney fees and interest. The Reddys and Howard disputed the fees payment and filed with the Michigan Court of Appeals, which declined to hear the matter just one day before Howe’s death The former managers turned to the Michigan Supreme Court, which denied the leave to appeal, in effect saying the judgment by the Court of Appeals and the Oakland Circuit trial court were both correct and there was no error when attorney fees were awarded. Drew W. Broaddus, attorney for the Reddys and Howard, said Friday, “We are weighing what options we may have” but declined to comment further. Attorneys for Howe could not be reached for comment. In earlier court filings, Broaddus had expressed hope for getting a new trial, arguing that the initial damages were unsubstantiated and came from someone who was never qualified as an expert and should have been stopped from testifying about potential damages. Howe’s chief trial witness in the Oakland Circuit Court case was film producer Howard Baldwin, who produced movies such as “Ray,” “Mystery, Alaska” and “Sahara,” and the TV production “Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story.” Baldwin said in his 30-year career he had paid between $500,000 and $1 million for the life story rights of some people. Baldwin paid the National Hockey League $75,000 for just 90 seconds of footage of Howe and said 1,389 tapes that were reportedly destroyed would have been “incredibly valuable” and worth millions of dollars. Several of the videos reportedly involved Howe discussing sports with other hockey stars and counterparts from golf, Major League and other sports. In 2007, Howe had sued the Reddys, Howard and their Immortal Investments company for unpaid royalties from sport memorabilia shows where Howe autographed photos and other materials for fees ranging from $100 to $1,000. That lawsuit ended in 2008 with a $60,000 settlement and an order that all property, including recordings and books, be returned to Howe. It also banned Immortal from profiting off Howe’s name or likeness. Howe, formerly of Bloomfield Hills, filed a second suit in 2011 for damages when he learned that truckloads of photos, CDS, books and tapes ordered returned to him in 2008 had instead been sent off to a Shred-It facility. It is believed the items included home movies of Howe and his late wife, Colleen. In June 2013, a six-person jury returned a verdict in favor of Howe. The hockey great, who was in declining health, did not testify but attended all 1053468 Detroit Red Wings … The Red Wings sent defenseman Brian Lashoff back to minor-league affiliate Grand Rapids.

Avalanche at Red Wings Blashill thrilled Red Wings are still grinding Faceoff: 1 Saturday, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit

TV/radio: FSD/97.1 Ted Kulfan , The Detroit News Outlook: The Avs (20-46-3, 43 points) has the NHL’s worst record, but Wednesday defeated the Red Wings, 3-1. … The Avalanche are 4-6-0 Detroit — A major theme surrounding the Red Wings for the past couple over their last 10 games. … G Calvin Pickard (2.82 GAA, .911 SVS) has weeks has been the need to maintain the winning culture around the arguably been Colorado’s best player. organization. This is an organization that’s made the playoffs 25 Detroit News LOADED: 03.18.2017 consecutive seasons — but chances of extending it to 26 are slim to none with three weeks left in the regular season. So, if nothing else, coach Jeff Blashill wants this particular roster to keep grinding, working hard and winning. One night after a disappointing loss to the league’s worst team, Colorado, Detroit showed some will in a 5-4 shootout victory over Arizona late Thursday. “It was nice, first of all, to get the two points,” said captain Henrik Zetterberg, who had a goal and assist in the back-and-forth third period. “But also the way we did it.” Much like against the Avalanche, the Red Wings had a fine start but only to see the Coyotes rally with two quick goals to take the lead. But Tomas Tatar’s power-play goal tied it at 2 in the second period. Then the Red Wings twice took one-goal third-period leads, only to see the Coyotes tie it each time. Still, the Red Wings felt the positives out-weighed the negatives. “We came out pretty solid again, had a good start,” Zetterberg said. “Then they come back and scored two, even when we got the fourth one there, they tied it. (But) in the end, it felt like we deserved the two points.” Tatar’s goal was a key part of the game. The Coyotes had appeared to grab the momentum. “It was huge, we had lost momentum,” Blashill said. “It’s something that we have talked about prior to games, where we would play good hockey and then all of a sudden give up two quick goals and the games went the wrong way. It was really important (Thursday) and obviously a good goal by Tats on the power play.” Said Zetterberg: “That’s something we talked about before the game, we just have to try and get the momentum back and we got that.” Young legs Moving Dylan Larkin back to his natural center position is proving to be a success, and especially helpful has been having Andreas Athanasiou on his wing. Both possess great speed and put relentless pressure on the Coyotes. Each scored a goal, and with physical Justin Abdelkader on the other wing, have the looks of a promising line. “(Abdelkader) adds physicality, adds net presence, can make a play,” Blashill said. “It looks like a line that can be a really good line. It has been a really good line for us.” Getting Larkin acclimated to the center position could prove to be one of the positives in a season that has seen few of them. “Centers are extremely valuable and if we can get him to become an elite center, that’s a huge thing for our organization,” Blashill said. “(Larkin’s) defensive instincts are better served at center. He’s a guy who anticipates where the puck is going, and that’s something that can hurt you at wing but can help at center.” Ice chips Zetterberg’s third-period goal — a rather soft goal allowed by Coyotes goalie Mike Smith, but Zetterberg gladly took it — was the 324th goal of his career, tying him with Norm Ullman for sixth on the Red Wings’ all- time list. “I got the puck and it was two-on-one, me and (Darren) Helm,” Zetterberg said of his goal, which came shortly after a Zetterberg penalty had expired. “(The Coyotes) defensemen gave me a shooting lane. It wasn’t the hardest shot in my career but it found a way to go in.” … With two power-play goals, the Red Wings now are ranked 29th (13.1 percent), moving past the Avs (13.0) and out of last place. To the Red Wings’ credit, the power play has been more effective and dangerous recently. 1053469 Detroit Red Wings

Seriously? Ex-Wing Tomas Jurco calls Detroit ‘boring’

The Detroit News Published

To some people, not scoring any goals might be considered “boring.” To Tomas Jurco, the goal-less wonder traded from the Red Wings to the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this year, Detroit is “boring.” “In Detroit, we were so bored, my girlfriend and I, we didn’t know what to do,” Jurco told the Chicago Tribune recently. “There wasn’t much to do. Here there’s so much stuff to do.” The Wings traded Jurco in late February to the Blackhawks for a third- round draft pick. He had no goals and no assists in 16 games this season with Detroit. He has no goals and no assists in six games with Chicago. Jurco, 24, didn’t just take a dig at Detroit, but he also took a dig at the Red Wings’ playing style. “The biggest difference is that here we’re told to make plays instead of just making safe plays and chipping it in and playing safely,” Jurco told Chris Hine of the Tribune. “Here you actually should create something if you want to stick in this lineup because there’s so many creative players. “I try to play it safe and it doesn’t work here. You obviously can’t be risking it at certain times of the game or situation, but most of the time you should try to create something, hold onto pucks and don’t just chip it in and go for it.” Jurco played parts of four seasons with the Red Wings. His best season was his rookie year, in 2013-14, when he had eight goals and seven assists in 36 games. Detroit News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053470 Detroit Red Wings

Young and fast Red Wings Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou look to create havoc together

Ansar Khan | March 17, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill likes the way two of the fastest skaters in the NHL have looked on the same line. Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou provided a spark with their speed in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory over the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. "Dylan Larkin was excellent, Andreas Athanasiou was excellent," Blashill said. "I thought those two guys did a good job on back-to-backs. They had the young legs and they did an excellent job." Lines change a lot on this team, but Blashill hopes to keep Larkin, Athanasiou and Justin Abdelkader together for the final 13 games of the season, including Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche at Joe Louis Arena (1 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). This was Larkin's fifth game at center, where the Red Wings hope he will remain permanently. "I think playing with a guy like Andreas is huge," Larkin said. "It makes myself as a centerman worry less about how we're going to get up the ice. In the Colorado game (3-1 loss Wednesday), a few times I just threw it to his wing where he was flying and you know he's going to get the puck in the other zone and we're going to have chances to play offense. "We've been focusing on holding onto pucks more and trying to create off the cycle. We got some puck luck (Thursday), but the puck kind of seemed to follow us around. We did a good job of stopping on pucks and hanging onto it and trying to make some plays down low." Blashill said Abdelkader complements the pair with his forechecking. "I thought he played excellent," Blashill said. "He adds physicality, he adds net presence, can make a play. It looks like that can be a real good line." Larkin has a power-play goal and three assists since moving back to center. But he's also posted a minus-6 rating during that stretch and is minus-26 for the season. He must improve defensively to remain in the middle. "It's still performance-based and it's still competitive with the centers on our team," Larkin said "You got a great two-way centerman like Darren Helm who's playing on the wing. If I'm not playing well, it's that competitive where he'll come in and do the solid job that he's done most of the year. I do feel more comfortable at the position and I'm having fun playing with AA and Abby." Power play emerges from basement The Red Wings went 2 for 7 on the power play Thursday to improve to 13.1 percent this season and slip ahead of Colorado, which is last at 13 percent. "Real positive is the two goals on the power play and then I thought there were other moments where our power play could have scored for sure," Blashill said. "Zetterberg's unit had real chances in the third period. You don't like the (shorthanded goal against), obviously." The Red Wings have only 10 power-play goals on the road and this was just the second time this season they have scored twice on the man- advantage away from home. Shootout kings The Red Wings were 49-65 in shootouts before 2016-17. They are 8-0 this season. Only three teams have gone an entire season undefeated in shootouts - Colorado was 4-0 in 2015-16; Pittsburgh and Washington were 3-0 in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. "Our goalies have done a real good job of stopping," Blashill said. "Thomas Vanek's not here anymore, but he added an element, (Frans) Nielsen's done a good job, (Gustav) Nyquist's done a good job. We got guys that can score in the shootout and out goalies have done a good job stopping them." Michigan Live LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053471 Detroit Red Wings Michigan Live LOADED: 03.18.2017

Young players, crafty veterans combine to help Red Wings rebound

Ansar Khan | March 17, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Detroit Red Wings don't have much to play for, but they needed to show resolve Thursday, one night after an ugly loss. They wanted to show they haven't given up on the season. They were playing the team with the second-worst record in the NHL, but a rested club that had won three in a row. Nothing has come easy this season for the Red Wings. This game was no exception. But they got a boost of energy from the young legs of Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou and some timely goals from veterans Mike Green and Henrik Zetterberg. It came down to a shootout, and Petr Mrazek denied all three shooters he faced while Gustav Nyquist scored the lone goal as the Red Wings defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-4 at Gila River Arena. "These are obviously not easy times, these are hard times and they test your character and I think the one thing we've been blessed with - I've said this lots - is great character," coach Jeff Blashill said. "We got to keep grinding and making sure we're playing the right way and I thought our guys did a real good job of that." Said Zetterberg: "It's nice to first of all get the two points, but also the way we did it. It felt like we deserved two points." It was a back-and-forth game with multiple momentum shifts. After Tomas Tatar scored his team's second power-play goal of the night at 4:45 of the second period to tie it 2-2, the Red Wings twice took the lead in the third period. Zetterberg passed to Green, who split the defense and roofed a shot past Mike Smith at 3:52. Zetterberg came out of the penalty box and scored a short-side goal at 13:55. But the Coyotes twice tied it, on Lawson Crouse's shorthanded goal at 7:36 and rookie defenseman Jacob Chychrun's tally at 17:30. Ultimately, the Red Wings improved to 8-0 in shootouts. Zetterberg was lauded, 24 hours after his team lost to the league-worst Colorado Avalanche. "It's a tough back-to-back, having to travel and the time change, but we did a good job," Larkin said. "Our power play did a great job. You look at Henrik, I thought won the game for us, was solid all night." Said Blashill: "Obviously, it's tougher on those backs-to-backs for guys that are a little bit older. But he still manages his game great, still managed to make two huge plays to put us in a position to win the game." Green said of his goal: "Really, it was Z's play. He faked the dump and passed it right on my tape with speed and I just tried to get around that first D-man and just tried to get a backhand on net." Zetterberg's goal was his 15th of the season and 324th of his career, tying him with Norm Ullman for sixth place on the franchise's all-time list. "I got the puck and it was two-on-one, me and (Darren) Helm and their D gave me a shooting lane," Zetterberg said. "It's not my hardest shot in my career but it found a way to go in." Green called it an emotional win. "I thought that we were resilient," Green said. "It's never easy to win in this league and tonight we kind of pushed through that. We got lucky in the way we won." Despite allowing four goals on 26 shots in regulation and overtime, Mrazek stepped up big in the shootout. "It's a big win for us after a disappointing loss in Colorado," Mrazek said. "We came today, back-to-back games is very tough for guys, but I think we did a great job." The crowd, as usual, included thousands of Red Wings fans. They went home happy. "It was nice to see that we found a way to feel pretty energized," Zetterberg said. "We've got a lot of fans in this building, so it's always fun to come in and play. They really helped us to get the two points." 1053472 Detroit Red Wings game. He and defenseman Luke Schenn, who crashed into the boards in the third period, are day to day, Tippett said.

NOTES: C Luke Glendening (healthy) and D Ryan Sproul (knee injury) Red Wings claim shootout win in Phoenix were scratched for Detroit. ... F Anthony Duclair, D Kevin Connauton and C Alexander Burmistrov were scratched for Arizona. Duclair was a healthy scratch. ... The game was cross-branded as Diamondbacks By JOSE M. ROMERO, Posted: 03/17/17 Night, with members of the baseball club in attendance. CF A.J. Pollock dropped the ceremonial first puck, and 2001 World Series hero Luis Gonzalez and current OF David Peralta were among those at the game. GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings’ streak of 25 straight Red Wings: Host Colorado on Saturday. Coyotes: Host St. Louis on postseason appearances is in serious jeopardy. If only the Atlantic Saturday, the first of three games against the Blues before the season Division’s last-place team could have more games like Thursday night ends. against Arizona. Macomb Daily LOADED: 03.18.2017 Gustav Nyquist’s shootout goal gave the struggling Red Wings a 5-4 victory over the Coyotes. Petr Mrazek stopped all three Arizona shots in the shootout and finished with 22 saves, and the Red Wings won for just the second time in seven games. Henrik Zetterberg, Mike Green and Tomas Tatar each had a goal and an assist for Detroit. Andreas Athansiou added two assists. “We’ve got guys that can score in the shootout and our goalies have done a really good job stopping them,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. Mrazek stopped Coyotes shootout ace Radim Vrbata, who has 45 career goals in the tiebreaker, the most in NHL history. The Red Wings improved to 8-0 in shootouts this season. Alex Goligoski had a goal and an assist, and Vrbata, Lawson Crouse and Jakob Chychrun also scored for the Coyotes, who snapped a three-game win streak. Josh Jooris had two assists and Mike Smith had 29 saves. The Coyotes have earned points in six of their last seven games. “We want our young guys to push right until the end,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. “We want our veteran guys to push right until the end. If we do that, it should lead to some points.” The teams scored twice each in a back-and-forth third period. Zetterberg broke a 3-3 tie with 6:05 left to play, putting a left-handed shot past Smith. But Chychrun tied it for the Coyotes with 2 1/2 minutes to go. Zetterberg tied Norm Ullman for sixth place all-time in goals in Red Wings history with 324. “It was nice, first of all, to get the two points but also the way we did it,” Zetterberg said. “We came out pretty solid again, had a good start, then they come back and scored two ... in the end it felt like we deserved two points.” Green took a feed from Zetterberg, split a pair of defenders and backhanded a shot past Smith at 3:52 of the third, giving Detroit a 3-2 lead. The Coyotes tied it at 7:37, with Crouse finishing a 2-on-1 short- handed breakaway. Detroit scored on two of its seven power plays, their best conversion rate in a game since going 2 for 4 at Vancouver on Feb. 28. The Red Wings were 0 for 8 on the power play over their previous five road games. “A real positive is the two goals on the power play,” Blashill said. “There were other moments where our power play could have scored for sure. Zetterberg’s unit I thought had some real good chances there in the third period.” The second period featured three goals, two for the Coyotes to take a brief 2-1 lead and one for the Red Wings that tied it at 4:45 of the period. Vrbata tied it 1-1 at the 1:53 mark when his wrist shot beat Mrazek for his 17th of the season. Arizona took its first lead on Goligoski’s shot that hit Green in the skate and caromed into the net just over two minutes later. The Red Wings drew even after the Coyotes’ Jordan Martinook was called for slashing, and the resulting power play helped Tatar pick up his team-high 18th of the season at 4:45 of the second. The Red Wings converted one of two first-period power plays. Dylan Larkin’s goal came at 8:11 when a shot by Athansiou was stopped by Smith. The rebound came to Riley Sheahan, who sent the puck to the other side of the net for Larkin for a shot Smith couldn’t gather. “We got some puck luck tonight,” Larkin said. Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who assisted on Goligoski’s goal, did not play in the third period due to a lower-body injury he suffered during the 1053473 Edmonton Oilers “We needed a dependable defensive player with some grittiness and feistiness about him, with some playoff experience,” said Ranger general manager Neil Smith. Edmonton Oilers history: Doug Weight acquired from New York Rangers It's hard. I have lots of good friends there. for Esa Tikkanen, March 17, 1993 Esa Tikkanen

Tikkanen joins ex-Oilers Messier, Kevin Lowe, Jeff Beukeboom and Edmonton Journal Published on: March 17, 2017 on the Rangers. The Finn won four Cups with Edmonton but has struggled the last two seasons after a serious shoulder injury 14 months ago. This day in Oilers history: March 17 “It’s hard. I have lots of good friends there,” he said of Edmonton. “I see 1982: Wayne Gretzky scores three goals on goalie Michel Dion as the Wayne Gretzky go — they said they’ll never trade Wayne Gretzky, and Oilers beat the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 10-4. Gretzky sets a new now he is in L.A., Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr … they were NHL record for most hat-tricks in a season with 10. great teams there. Now I’m gone, too.” 1984: Glenn Anderson scores six seconds into the third period Ñ the With three 30-goal seasons, Tikkanen was signed last season by Oiler fastest team goal from the start of a frame Ñ en route to a 9-1 Oilers win owner Peter Pocklington to a six-year deal worth more than $6 million. over the Los Angeles Kings. Anderson notched a hat-trick in the game. The shoulder injury slowed him last season but with 14 goals and 33 points this year, he left himself open to criticism. 1993: Oilers trade Esa Tikkanen to the New York Rangers for Doug Weight. “He’s been a good guy and a great competitor here, but the last couple of years have been a problem,” Sather said. 2000: scores three times on goalie Patrick Lalime in a 4-2 Oilers win over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Was Sather dumping a big contract? Originally published Thursday, March 18, 1993 “It had nothing to do with the contract at all. If Tikk had scored at the rate we thought he would when we signed him, there would have been no talk Oilers trade Tikk to gain some Weight of a trade,” said Sather. Struggling vet off to Rangers Edmonton Oilers centre Doug Weight in 1997. FIle / Edmonton Journal MARK SPECTOR, Journal Hockey Writer Originally published Thursday, March 18, 1993 NEW YORK — Doug Weight has been rumored to be coming to Oilers start youth movement Edmonton for about as long as Esa Tikkanen has been rumored on his way out of town. Oiler GM looking to the future, stocking up with prospects When they were finally swapped — for each other — Wednesday JIM MATHESON, Journal Hockey Writer afternoon, it was only fitting that the long-awaited deal was consummated at a time and place so that the pair could simply exchange sweaters and Dealing for next year isn’t what the Edmonton Oilers normally work on at play for their new teams on Madison Square Garden ice. the trade deadline. They’ve always dealt for the present, trying to get the piece of the puzzle needed to make the playoffs or win another Stanley “I’m numb with shock,” the 22-year-old Weight said, meeting with Cup. reporters in the bowels of the Garden two hours before game time. “(Ex- New York Rangers) Louie DeBrusk and Steven Rice are there, so I know Times change. As Wednesday’s Esa Tikkanen-for-Doug Weight deal a couple guys now, but that’s about it.” indicates, the Oilers are looking to the future. In the third trade made between the Edmonton Oilers and Rangers in the “Now we’re trying to put the whole puzzle together,” said Oiler general last two seasons, the promising Weight went for the 28-year-old manager Glen Sather, with a laugh. “It’s a lot different from what I’ve Tikkanen, a proven playoff veteran. Next Monday is the NHL trade done in the past. We’re building for the future. deadline. Now we're trying to put the whole puzzle together. In Weight, the Oilers get a second-line centre who has yet to reach the Glen Sather potential pinned on him by many, including Oiler general manager Glen Sather, who first tried to acquire Weight when he traded Mark Messier “That’s why, for instance, I traded for (Roman) Oksiuta in the Kevin Lowe last season. deal. The problem is teams don’t like giving up young guys. They’d rather send you players 26 years old.” Weight has not lived up to the great expectations of the New York media, despite 15 goals and 40 points in 65 games this season, and said that Sather knows the way the trade deadline works because he’s been the Rangers had perhaps given up on him too soon. looking for particular players to fill holes year after year. He knows most teams want defencemen at this time of year – aggressive types or power- “(The Rangers) play for the day. They’re trying to win each year,” said play specialists. the Mount Clemens, Mich., native who’s in the second year of a four-year contract that pays him $205,000 US this season. “That’s why I’ve tried to accumulate a lot of guys back there,” said Sather, who has nine defencemen on his current roster. “I told you I don’t agree with the trade. You’re told at four o’clock, then you go to a different dressing room with totally different guys. My family’s Still, it’s different from dealing from a position of strength, as the Oilers coming tonight — they’ll look down during the anthem and wonder what’s had been doing for many years. Now, Sather’s trying to restock a going on.” franchise that’s gone sour, a team that’s likely going to miss the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Weight averaged 1.67 points a game in two NCAA seasons at Lake Superior State. In his rookie NHL season last year he had eight goals, 22 Sather’s phone is ringing off the hook as Stanley Cup contenders try to assists in 53 games with the Rangers. find a piece to their puzzle. He wore No. 42 for Edmonton on Wednesday, leaving a tight Patrick Sather won’t trade goalie Bill Ranford, defenceman Igor Kravchuk or Division playoff race for the Oilers, whose season will likely end before forwards Zdeno Ciger, Shayne Corson or Kelly Buchberger, who may be the playoffs. his most coveted player because of his youth, toughness and competitive fire. “I don’t like to lose. I absolutely hate it,” Weight said. “And I think it’s a winning attitude in Edmonton. I know Messier is gone, and Gretzky is While he’ll listen to offers for everybody else, Sather’s doing it with an gone, but it’s in the city and they’ll get back up there. I wanted to win with eye to the future. the Rangers, but I’ll get good ice time in Edmonton and hopefully play a bigger role there.” In 1980, after losing all four games on a road trip while using four different goaltenders — Jim Corsi, Don Cutts, Bob Dupuis and Eddie Mio Tikkanen took the morning skate with the Oilers, then faced off against — Sather traded captain Ron Chipperfield for Ron Low, now an Oiler them seven hours later. Now he’s another piece of the Ranger puzzle as assistant coach. they chase their first Stanley Cup since 1940. Behind Low, they finished 8-2-1 in the last 11 games to grab the 16th and final playoff spot. It got them a first-round playoff date with the Philadelphia Flyers, who’d gone 35 straight games without a loss, but Getting Tikkanen was just the move Sather would have made in the they took them to two overtime games in a three-game Philadelphia 1980s when the Oilers were trying to put the right pieces of the puzzle sweep. together. Now that the Oilers are rebuilding, Tikkanen was expendable. Edmonton Oilers forward Kent Nilsson in 1987. With Messier, 32, and Lowe, 34, the Rangers’ future is now. They may have decided they needed somebody to check Mario Lemieux; plus the In 1987, needing somebody to play with Mark Messier and Glenn trade for Tikkanen doesn’t disrupt their chemistry much. Anderson, Sather traded a third-round draft to Minnesota for the inconsistent Kent Nilsson, who responded with a superb playoff, racking Chances are, Sather will now get on the blower to the Detroit Red Wings up 19 points in 21 games. and Toronto Maple Leafs about defenceman Dave Manson for a couple more young bodies like Doug Weight. Then there was Jeff Sharples for Rexi Ruotsalainen in 1990; Pat Price for Pat Hughes in 1981; Laurie Boschman for Willy Lindstrom in 1983. He’d tried twice earlier for Weight and lost both times. Now, Sather has a Hughes and Lindstrom both won two Cups in Edmonton. Sharples was centre with offensive potential, Weight’s only 22 and he’s making only the fourth wheel in the Jimmy Carson trade the previous November, $200,000 a year the next two seasons. That has a nice ring to it. Weight basically giving the Oilers Petr Klima, , Adam Graves and was stuck as a No. 3 guy in New York behind Messier and Sergei Ruotsalainen for Carson. Nemchinov. Last year, Sather wanted a No. 2 goalie for Ranford and traded Martin Tikkanen was the only shadow who really gave No. 99 fits. Tikkanen was Rucinsky to Quebec for Ron Tugnutt. always better in April and May than October and November – remember the overtime goal he scored on Mike Vernon in 1990 in the seventh game “We were constructing the team around a single need,” said Sather, who of the Smythe Division final with Calgary? has far more holes this year. Rangers can’t lose Their offence has been crippled, the main reason they’re likely going to miss the playoffs. New York can’t lose in this deal, given Tikkanen’s track record in the playoffs. “After what transpired last summer and what it cost (to keep) Dave Manson, it dictated what we could do with other guys. Joe Murphy and If Tikkanen had scored 35 or 40 goals this season, his big salary wouldn’t Vince Damphousse wanted a million bucks.” have become a sore point. But when he had only one goal in the first two months, Sather started working the phones to see if other teams were This week Sather isn’t looking to May — he’s looking to 1993-94 and interested. further down the road. Tikkanen was a big part of four Cup wins but Sather firmly believes he Edmonton Oilers forward Esa Tikkanen in the 1980s. wasn’t the same player after he got his $1-million contract in 1991. Originally published Thursday, March 18, 1993 “When you hit the lottery, your life changes,” said Sather. Rangers hope they now have key to puzzle Rangers take aim at Cup with 5 ex-Oilers on board Big contract is no problem MARK SPECTOR, Journal Hockey Writer JIM MATHESON, Hockey Commentary NEW YORK — The New York Rangers haven’t won a Stanley Cup since Stanley Jaffe, who calls the shots for Paramount Pictures, didn’t blink 1940, but they had five players with 17 Edmonton Oiler Stanley Cup rings when he looked at the size of Esa Tikkanen’s contract. Who cares if in their lineup Wednesday. Tikkanen’s making $1 million a year until 1997? Isn’t everyone on the At a pregame news conference after trading for Esa Tikkanen, Rangers New York Rangers, the hockey team that’s a small piece of the general manager Neil Smith didn’t rule out tapping some more Oil. If he entertainment empire? wants to do that he’d better look to Los Angeles or Chicago – Edmonton Paramount’s latest picture, Fire in the Sky, grossed $6.1 million in its first has about run out of ring bearers. week. That should pay for the $4 million left on Tikkanen’s six-year “I’m not trying to accumulate Oilers — just good hockey players. I don’t Edmonton Oiler contract. care if they come from Bangkok,” said Smith, who termed the trade “a Tikkanen’s wage is pocket change for a franchise with two players — typical deadline deal.” Brian Leetch, Mark Messier — making more than $2 million a year. He’s made three trades with Edmonton to acquire Mark Messier, Jeff Throw in millionaires Mike Gartner and Kevin Lowe and three others who Beukeboom, Kevin Lowe and now Tikkanen. He also signed Adam are very close — John VanBiesbrouck, Mike Richter and James Patrick Graves as a free agent. — and this is the richest team on ice. New York Rangers forward Esa Tikkanen in January 1994. Glen Cratty Buying a winner “The main reason we made the three trades is because I have an “Stan told me the hockey team’s gross revenue is one-half of one per admiration for the Oiler players. They have a rich tradition, and the cent of what they make total,” said Oiler general manager Glen Sather. Rangers are in the process of trying to grab hold of some tradition. I think If Paramount can buy a winner, it will do it, but it’s been tough. The ex- the Oilers uniform is certainly something that he is and should be proud Oilers – Messier, Lowe, Jeff Beukeboom and now Tikkanen — bring 17 of.” Stanley Cup rings to the Rangers, a team that hasn’t won the Tikkanen played left wing on a line with Sergei Nemchinov and Mike championship since 1940. Gartner Wednesday, though he told New York reporters he can play any Sather admittedly played on that fact when he traded Tikkanen. Lots of forward position. teams envied The Grate One’s ability to slime The Great One but his “(In Edmonton) it was rent-a-Tikk. Ten bucks, I play anywhere,” Tikkanen salary and age of 28 scared them off. said. I'm not trying to accumulate Oilers — just good hockey players There was no big star on the Oilers for him to shadow, but when the Neil Smith Rangers battle Pittsburgh Tikkanen will surely be assigned to Mario Lemieux. “A lot of people were aware of his contract and a lot of guys were reluctant to deal because of his shoulder problems,” said Sather. “I think Esa, when he’s healthy and playing, is probably one of the top Tikkanen suffered the serious injury 14 months ago. five two-way players in the league,” said Messier. “Obviously Edmonton is looking at five, six years down the road (in acquiring Doug Weight). Jaffe and his hockey boss, Neil Smith, checked Tikkanen’s medical We’re looking at right now.” reports, and hope Tikkanen is the missing link to their first win in 53 years. Smith’s payroll is going through the roof, a fact that obviously does not bother Ranger owner, Paramount Communications. “Neil and I have become close the last few years, we talk regularly … we’re certainly on a first-name basis,” said Sather, with a laugh. This is “It takes money to win, because all the best players make the most the third trade between the two teams the last two seasons. money,” said Smith. “Edmonton had it the perfect way – they won Stanley Cups and a low payroll.” “I told Neil he could start making a nice little cabinet for the Stanley Cup and he could get a car for the ticker-tape parade.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053474 Edmonton Oilers “I’ve always enjoyed playing with Bennie. He’s a good player, he’s a great guy and we get along on and off the ice really well. We’re having a lot of fun on the ice. That goes a long way.” Pouliot, Desharnais resurrecting their seasons together Friends off the ice turning their seasons around together on it feels very good. Keeping it going is up to them. More from Robert Tychkowski Published on: March 17, 2017 “The guys I’m playing with have been awesome, we’re finding each other, supporting each other,” said Pouliot, who is starting to feel like his old self again. Given their woeful starts (and middles) this season, adding Benoit Pouliot “In the past few years I’ve been here it’s been my go-to, creating and David Desharnais to the end of the Edmonton Oilers season almost turnovers on the forecheck. It’s been much better so far, so it’s felt like the strategy of a team preparing for the draft lottery, not the something that has to keep up.” playoffs. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.18.2017 Force of habit, maybe? Desharnais had nothing going in Montreal and Pouliot had even less in Edmonton before an injury in practice shut him down for 10 games. So fans weren’t expecting much when the Oilers traded for the Habs centre, re-inserted Pouliot, and put both on them on the same line. And by “weren’t expecting much” we mean “bracing for the worst.” This wasn’t tempting fate, this was giving it the middle finger. Desharnais, a former 60-point man turned press-box regular, had just 10 points in the 31 games with the Canadiens (slightly better than Eric Gryba’s offensive output, if you’re looking for perspective). But that actually looked McDavid-like compared with Pouliot’s 10 points in 51 games with the Oilers. Yeah, sounds like the makings of a great line. Well, four games into the experiment they’ve combined for four goals (two each), helping make the Oilers look as deep and as dangerous offensively as they have all year. And by “all year” we mean the last two decades. “Things have been going pretty well,” understated Pouliot. “The chemistry is good; we’re finding each other. “It’s only been a couple of games, we have to keep it going, there’s a lot of work left to do, but things right now are going well.” Pouliot doesn’t have to tell anyone to pump the brakes on any glowing declarations. Four games doesn’t fix five months. This a wait and see kind of thing, but seeing signs of life in both of them is already better than most of their critics expected. “Pou is getting his confidence back,” McLellan said of his unfortunately- nicknamed winger. “And Davey is comfortable here now. He’s understanding how we want to play and he fits our group well. And Kass (Zack Kassian) has speed and physicality, so the three ingredients make a pretty good line.” Supplemental scoring is an element the Oilers have lacked for some time, so if the Resurrection Line turns out to be for real, it could be a difference-making addition at just the right time. “It’s important to have a third line that can click,” said McLellan. “Often that’s where the mismatch comes.The top two lines play against each other and if you ever get ahead in that situation you likely win. But the game-breaker can often be that third line. “We’re fortunate to have one now that seems to be producing. They have some chemistry.” All Desharnais was ever looking for when things turned sour in Montreal was a fresh start and an honest chance. So when the Oilers offered him exactly that, he attacked the opportunity. “I know I can bring offence to this group and some third line depth,” he said. “I’ve done it in the past and I know I can do it. I just need a chance and that’s what I have right now.” He says a clean slate and a break from the whip are the only differences between the guy who has four points in six games as an Oiler and 10 in 31 as a Hab. “It’s just the opportunity. And the eyes that are looking at you – they don’t have a (preconceived) idea of what you can bring.” Pouliot was kind of in the same boat here, only instead of getting traded he had 10 games to kind of clear his head while he was injured. A timeout in the middle of the season, if you will. “I know Bennie,” said Desharnais, his linemate in Montreal six years ago. “He needs some confidence. It’s like any shooter in this league – you need some looks and you need some bounces to go your way. 1053475 Edmonton Oilers Two quick ones at the start of the Boston rout gave Patrick Maroon 24 goals this year, twice as many as he’s ever had in the NHL before.

He’s obviously eclipsed the totals he set for himself when the season Oilers: Don't get used to seven-goal games began, but then he probably would have set them a little higher had he known he was going to play on a line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Robert Tychkowski Published on: March 17, 2017 “I didn’t know where I was going to be slotted this season,” he said. “Obviously, playing with Connor and Leon the last 30-something games has been helping. Without those two I probably don’t end up with this No one will blame the Vancouver Canucks netminders if they wake up in many goals.” the middle of the night in a cold sweat screaming, “SEVEN!” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.18.2017 For a goalie, facing a team that put up 14 goals in two games is almost as terrifying as having to wear realistically-sized equipment. But the Edmonton Oilers will be the first to tell you that 7-1 and 7-4 triumphs over the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins aren’t something fans should get used to, or that they as a team should be necessarily shooting for. It happened. Twice. But that’s not how they plan on winning games down the stretch and into the playoffs. The NHL is still a 3-2 league, especially in the post-season, so focusing on the two against part remains a key to survival. “It’s good to know that we can score some goals, we’re doing it at the right time, but we have to find ways to prevent being scored on, too,” said winger Patrick Maroon. “We can’t be giving up three or four goals a night because (scoring seven) isn’t going to happen every night. “We have to focus on the defence part. We know we can score.” “Our group has so much skill up front and on the back end that we’re capable of (erupting),” added Leon Draisaitl. “But the league is too tough to do it multiple times.” Coaches always worry after their team goes on an offensive rampage that the players might neglect their own end of the ice for a while, thinking the offence will come free and easy all the time. So the Oilers Todd McLellan is glad to hear his guys are putting the back-to-back blowouts in perspective. “I’m glad that they’re talking that way,” he said. “The Dallas game, 7-1, it felt like we had control of that game. Thursday night, having a (3-0) lead, I don’t know if we were in total control all the time. Good teams are in control when they get that type of lead.” The Oilers let Boston back in the game a couple of times on Thursday thanks to a pair of defensive breakdowns and a short-handed goal. Those errors in any other game likely result in a loss. “We’re not going to out-score our mistakes,” said McLellan. “That’s a lesson we learned early in the year. In the first seven or eight games we talked about that a lot. We don’t want to be learning that lesson again now. “Down the stretch and in the playoffs you don’t often see teams putting up seven or eight goals. We’re going to be in a lot of tight ones.” What 14 goals in two games does, however, is provide a little confidence for everyone in the room. “It gets guys thinking that they haven’t lost their touch, it reassures them that they’re still doing the right things offensively,” said McLellan. “The confidence level from an offensive perspective should be a little higher now than it was maybe a week ago for a number of players.” When the puck drops against Vancouver, though, McLellan doesn’t want anyone thinking they should try and make it three sevens in a row. “There’s an awareness in our group to park that last game,” he said. “We talked about it after the Dallas game, park it and move on.” SLUMP OVER Leon Draisaitl responded to concerns that he looked sluggish and tired by notching five points in two games. Nice way to end a slump. But the winger admits he was bothered by his game recently and the internal pressure probably made things worse. “It’s something you have to learn as a young guy coming in,” he said. “I’m usually pretty hard on myself. It’s something I had to learn and something I probably still have to get better at. I know what I’m capable of and when I can’t deliver it brings me down.” MAROON Nothing like DOUBLING your personal best for goals in a season. 1053476 Edmonton Oilers With Connor McDavid involved that could seriously impact the options for the existing Eastern teams. They would not want to give up their own prime time spot. Terry Jones: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames concerned about Alberta The Players Association would likely have a problem with a visiting team Standard Time playing a Tuesday night game in Vancouver and starting one the next night in Calgary or Edmonton 22 hours later. Terry Jones Published on: March 17, 2017 Make no mistake. The Oilers and Flames, speaking for themselves and they believe their fans throughout the province, are dead set against this proposed legislation. Calgary's Bill Creighton, who championed the establishment of daylight “There are a few key things,” said Nicholson. savings time in Alberta in 1972, on why it's important to keep it. “One is that our fans really enjoy 7 p.m. games. It’s great for our fans to Share Adjust Comment allow families to get to the games. To the two NHL teams in the Province of Alberta and, they believe, the “And doubleheaders are a big part of hockey now with the television majority of their fans, Thomas Dang’s private member bill to establish contracts. ‘Alberta Standard Time’ is going over like a lead balloon. They’re working well. The audience likes it. And for us they would be nine To the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, the Dang idea introduced o’clock and 9:30 games. They’d get over after midnight. We just can’t do in the legislature is a dumb idea. that to our fans. And it’s not just the fans in the arena it’s the television audience. Television is tough enough without adding that into it. “I’ve had discussions with Calgary and they are in agreement with us. We are very concerned with this possible shift away from Daylight Saving “There are a lot of things you’d have to look at when it comes to Time,” said Bob Nicholson, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Oilers switching schedules for everyone. We’re going to find out the proper way Entertainment Group when your correspondent asked both Oilers and to have a discussion with the government to make sure we understand Flames management for reaction. Nicholson was designated to speak on their points of view and we want to discuss out point of view which is why behalf of both. it’s better to get up twice a year and change the clocks.” Oliers Entertainment Group CEO and vice-chairman Bob Nicholson. Ian This is just hockey. There areWorld Series games, CFL and NFL games Kucerak from the coast, the whole gamut of sports events. The Oscars would be over an hour later. To some it may have seemed like a good idea to put the province on the same as Saskatchewan’s central time throughout the entire calendar It goes on and on. year. Premier Notley should save everybody the trouble and sent Thomas “It’s time we had one time,” Dang announced. Dang to go sit in a corner with a dunce hat on with Michael Oshry and the Edmonton aldermen who took down the City of Champions signs. Dang said 82% of respondents to an NDP caucus survey on the subject said they were tired on changing their clocks twice a year. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.18.2017 Obviously, Dang doesn’t give a damn about the high percentage of hockey fans who wouldn’t likely be too amused by 9 p.m. starts to the second game of the Saturday Hockey Night In Canada telecasts from Rogers Place and the Saddledome. Either that or he hasn’t thought this through. NDP MLA Thomas Dang announces Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, that more consultation is needed for the repeal of the Daylight Saving Time in Alberta. Ed Kaiser / Postmedia “Games that end at midnight would be a huge concern,” said Nicholson, the former head of Hockey Canada based in Calgary. This year the Flames and Oilers played 12 games each in the Pacific Time zone with 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. starts in Edmonton. Next year Las Vegas comes into the league. It could be 15. Without Daylight Saving Time 8 p.m. becomes 9 and 8:30 p.m. becomes 9:30. Of course, not the entire NHL schedule would be affected. None of the playoff games nor the three weeks after the ‘spring forward’ time change and month or so the ‘fall back’ time change would come into play. Yes, this move would cost the two teams money — tickets the wouldn’t sell and lower rate cards for broadcast partners with game times so far out of prime time. But there’s also future fans, kids who would be sent to bed at the end of the first period or even before the game began. With the HNIC Saturday games and the Pacific time zone games, as many as 30 games in each market could be starting after nine and ending after midnight in Alberta. We are very concerned with this possible shift away from Daylight Saving Time,. Bob Nicholson There would be many other moving parts involved with moving away from daylight saving when it comes to hockey alone. If Mountain Standard Time was only one hour from Eastern Daylight Time, Calgary and Edmonton could be scheduled with 6 p.m. games in the Saddledome and Rogers Place to be part of 7 p.m. Eastern prime time. 1053477 Edmonton Oilers He really had to bide his time for a second shot. After the experience with the Capitals, he was an assistant with the Blackhawks for a year, then coached junior in Kingston for a year. He was an assistant coach with Scary moment when Edmonton Oilers defenceman took a puck to the Providence Bruins for three years, then head man of Boston’s farm team throat for five more before becoming Julien’s assistant this season. “I was hoping I’d get another chance but it took 14 years. That’s fine, there was no timetable for me. Everybody with any sense of pride wants More from Jim Matheson to get back at it and I’ve learned a lot over that time and I’m trying to apply it now,” said Cassidy, the former Chicago first-round pick of a defenceman in 1983, who turns 52 in May. Oscar Klefbom was back at his usual post on the Edmonton Oilers blue Julien is one of the game’s best coaches but maybe the Bruins are less line with partner Adam Larsson against the Boston Bruins Thursday, but conservative now. with one noticeable difference. “Defensively, the team was solid with a Stanley Cup pedigree but we’ve “I’m not going to be doing much talking,” said Klefbom, who took an worked a bit on the offensive side with the forwards trusting their skills. errant puck to the right of his Adam’s apple in Tuesday’s resounding win We changed with our D getting more involved in the rush, being more a over Dallas and has a nasty welt as a souvenir. four- and five-man attack on offence and we’ve been more aggressive trying to turn pucks over and reload our offence,” said Cassidy. “The “It’s tough to eat or drink anything. It’s so swollen inside,” he said. “I got pace is up too.” scared for awhile. I couldn’t breathe.” GENTLE GIANT Would it have helped if he had neck guard like some players wear? Zdeno Chara, who turns 40 in a month, is the most fearsome fighter in “I don’t know. I didn’t see the puck coming at all.” the league at six-foot-nine and 260 pounds, but he doesn’t drop the mitts Klefbom missed most of the second period against the Stars but came very often. back for the third even though it was a romp for the Oilers and he could He’s had three this year, two against the Oilers —in Boston against have taken the rest of the night off. Patrick Maroon, Jan. 5, the night the Oilers forward scored a hat-trick, “It was tough. Yeah, I had trouble breathing.” and against Zack Kassian Thursday. He tried to engage Maroon again Thursday but Maroon laughed him off when they bear-hugged. Chara, The Edmonton Oilers’ goalie Cam Talbot (33) and Connor McDavid (97) normally a stand-up guy, didn’t win many points in the Kassian scrap late stop the Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) during second period NHL in the first. action in Edmonton on March 16, 2017. David Bloom / Postmedia Chara look like he didn’t want anything to do with it. Then, when Kassian WRONG SONG skated away, Chara grabbed him and started swinging. Boston winger David Pastrnak has the second longest consecutive game Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.18.2017 point-streak this year at 11 games, one back of Minnesota’s Mikael Granlund, after scoring his 31st goal on a first-period power play. Pastrnak, drafted by current Oilers assistant general manager Keith Gretzky 25th overall in 2014 as chief scout for the Bruins, had 63 points after the Bruins’ first goal of the night. “He’s a 20-year-old who comes to the rink and never has a bad day, he’s smiling and singing, however poorly that may be,” said Boston forward David Backes. “I wish I could decipher the song. At times, the lyrics get a little muffled and we try to help him out. It’s a special rendition. If we could get it on film, it would be a highlight.” “And his (hockey) skills are phenomenal.” Edmonton Oilers defenceman Matthew Benning. David Bloom / Postmedia TEAMMATE BAIT Oilers’ defenceman Matt Benning was pressed into service as a salesman recently trying to convince his former Northeastern University teammate Zach Aston-Reese to sign a free-agent deal with Edmonton, before the senior from Staten Island, N.Y., opted for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Benning thought his buddy, who is one of 10 Hobey Baker finalists as NCAA player of the year, was leaning to an eastern locale even though the Oilers have Connor McDavid and have had good fortune signing Benning and Drake Caggiula as college free-agents last summer. “I talked to him a few times. He said it felt right (in Pittsburgh), just one of those things you know as a player,” said Benning. “His family loves the Penguins. I kind of knew it was coming.” Aston-Reese led the NCAA in goals this season. “He’s strong, hard-nosed with a touch around the net. Tough,” said Benning, who has no idea who long it’ll take the right-winger to make it to the big league. He’s starting this season in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. in the AHL, but he NHL may not be far away. Edmonton Oilers teammates Matthew Benning (83) and Patrick Maroon (19) celebrate Maroon’s goal against the Boston Bruins during first period NHL action, in Edmonton on March 16, 2017. TBA / Postmedia CASSIDY’S COMEBACK New Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy, who replaced Claude Julien a month ago, was in the NHL as a head man in Washington for 110 games from 2002-04 with a .500 record, but he was only 37 years old then. 1053478 Edmonton Oilers and his quest to win the Hart Trophy in as the youngest captain in the history of the NHL.

On the other hand, McDavid has proved to be a team-first kid who Terry Jones: Potential first-round Battle of Alberta not the best option for probably would appreciate being mentioned in the final paragraph of a Oilers or Flames column on a game in which he produced three points in a game for the ninth time this season and registered his 23rd multi-point game. Terry Jones Published on: March 17, 2017 Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.18.2017

The awkward stage is almost over. The awkward time has been during this forgotten glorious yet excruciating experience of going down the stretch to the playoffs for Edmonton fans who haven’t taken the roller coaster ride in 11 seasons. In the case of many fans, that represents their entire lifetime as a hockey fan During this time, it has been a bit premature to produce a magic number countdown. During this stretch, it has also been too early to write: “Stick a fork in ’em, they’re done,” when it comes to the ninth-place team. It’s also been too soon to start debating what playoff matchup would be in the best interest of the hometown hockey club even though the dream series seems to be the first Battle of Alberta in the Stanley Cup playoffs since the Calgary-Edmonton classic in 1991. That debate now may begin in earnest. Do Edmonton fans really want to meet a Calgary team that just ran off a 10-game winning streak? Do Flames fans really want to go up against an Oilers team that just beat Dallas and Boston by the combined count of 14-5 over the last 120 minutes — the first time Edmonton has scored at least seven goals in a back-to-back home games since Wayne Gretzky’s last season in 1988? Or might they be better off against Anaheim? With Thursday’s 7-4 over a Boston team that thumped Calgary 5-2 the night before, the Oilers have 83 points. Edmonton has frog-jumped back in front of Calgary by a point. With the highly impressive win over the Bruins — scoring three goals on the first six shots on Tuukka Rask, the goaltender they gave a rare game off against the Calgary Flames the night before — the last Oilers’ fan should have crawled back from the ledge. If you view the Oilers remaining dozen games with an eye to how well the team might play when they get to the playoffs, you may still end up out on the ledge, but last night’s game against the Bruins was as good a matchup with that in mind as you are going to find. Peter Chiarelli, the general manager who won a Stanley Cup in Boston, is building Edmonton to be a hard, heavy hockey team like the one he constructed in Boston to succeed at this time of year and in the playoffs. Edmonton and Boston came into the game in near-identical positions in their respective conferences, well positioned to make the playoffs with some separation above a dogfight for the final wild card spot. The Bruins needed to not fall back into the brawl for the last spot with Toronto, Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders. The Oilers needed to stay clear of the fight between St. Louis and Los Angeles. The computerized formula Sports Club Stats site had the Oilers chances of making the playoffs at 98.6 per cent going into the game and Boston at 89.7 per cent. The Oilers percentage is not only based on the 83 points Edmonton now has banked in the standings but on the remaining dozen games on the schedule which involves three games (including the next one up Saturday night on Hockey Night In Canada) against out-of-the-playoffs Vancouver Canucks and two against out-of-the-playoffs Colorado Avalanche. It was tough physical hockey with no lack of fights and battles. Indeed, there was more hockey played by both teams in the first period than some home stands during the previous decade. As was the case against the Pittsburgh Penguins in that classic early in the home stand, the Oilers gave themselves hope for doing more than finally making a token appearance in post-season play. The Oilers still have three games against Los Angeles and two against Anaheim and San Jose to judge that. The awkward time is almost over and you can maybe get back to cheering Connor McDavid in the scoring race for the Art Ross Trophy 1053479 Florida Panthers “I wasn’t yelling at all,” Rowe said. “I told the guys we’ll be fine, we’ve got so much game left, just calm down and relax and get back to playing our game. And we did.” Barkov goal lifts Florida Panthers past New York Rangers 4-3 in shootout Florida is back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. at Pittsburgh. Notes: Before the game Rowe said defenseman Aaron Ekblad, out with a By Michael J. Lewis concussion, would be sidelined “probably another week,” and offered a similar prognosis on forward Denis Malgin.

Jagr’s two assists gave him a new NHL record for most points for a NEW YORK-The Florida Panthers desperately needed a win. player after the age of 40 (269), breaking Gordie Howe’s record. Sasha Barkov’s shootout magic got it for them. “I’m going to pass him for most points after 50,” the 45-year-old said with a laugh. Barkov’s goal in a shootout Friday night lifted the Panthers to a thrilling 4- 3 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Miami Herald LOADED: 03.18.2017 Barkov’s seventh shootout tally in 10 tries was the only score in the skills competition, and it moved the Panthers within five points of a playoff spot with 12 games to play. There’s still an enormous hill to climb, but Florida’s hanging on. “I didn’t know what to do at first, but when I got closer to the net I saw some space on the glove side, and I tried to put it in there,” Barkov said. “We need every point right now.” “I probably trust Barky more than I trust myself, and I trust myself a lot,” Jaromir Jagr said. “We were making too many mistakes at bad times, but we got a little lucky today and we have to keep playing better.” After a horrific start that saw them down by two goals before the St. Patrick’s Day beer had even settled, the Panthers had worked hard to gain a third-period lead on a goal by Jonathan Huberdeau, who took a beautiful feed from Jagr and tapped the puck past Rangers goalie Antti Raanta. But the Rangers buzzed around Florida goalie James Reimer (29 saves) before Mats Zuccarello’s goal with 8:15 left tied it. After a shaky beginning to the game, Reimer came up big in overtime, stoning Rick Nash halfway through OT, and in the waning moment of OT and making a huge save on Kevin Hayes with two minutes left in the third. “Reimer was unbelievable,” Florida interim coach Tom Rowe said. “A couple of those goals he probably wants back, but he kept grinding and grinding and got us into a rhythm and got us a point.” A win looked hardly likely early Friday as Florida was down 2-0 after five minutes but rallied to take a third-period lead, but again couldn’t hold it. The Panthers dominated long stretches of the game, and with 12:37 left the Panthers took their first lead as Huberdeau, entering the zone on a 3- on-2, sent a feed to a streaking Jagr down the slot, who passed the puck across the crease to Barkov, who smacked it past Raanta. But with 8:15 left the Rangers tied it as Zuccarello (two goals Friday) sent a wrist shot from the left circle, on a pass off the boards from Brendan Smith, underneath Reimer’s arm to tie the game at 3. Down 2-0 after the first period, Florida dominated from the start of the second and got back within one just 85 seconds into the period. Alex Petrovic’s blast from the right point clanged off the post, but the rebound came out to Huberdeau in the slot, who quickly jammed it past Raanta to cut the deficit to 2-1. At 6:41 the Panthers tied it on the power play on a gorgeous tic-tac-toe passing play. Jason Demers entered the zone and hit Thomas Vanek on right wing, who held the puck and drew two Rangers defenders to him, before feathering a cross-ice pass to Jussi Jokinen, who smacked the puck into the open net. Florida continued to dominate the period, and at one point in the middle frame the Panthers had had 17 of the last 20 shots on goal. The way the game started certainly seemed ominous for Florida. The Rangers, who hadn’t won at home since Feb. 19, jumped out to a lead 2:34 into the game on the power play. The Rangers’ Zuccarello ripped a low wrist shot through Reimer’s legs for a 1-0 lead. Just 1:37 later the Rangers struck again; a turnover in the middle of the ice in the Panthers’ zone by Jonathan Marchessault (forced by oncoming Ranger Brendan Smith) resulted in New York pressure. Seconds later the puck landed on the stick of a wide-open J.T. Miller just above on the left circle, who ripped it five-hole on Reimer. Rowe called a timeout and said he wasn’t angry with his team, but reassured them. 1053480 Florida Panthers power play, the Rangers made the Panthers’ top-ranked PK look like a fraud on a tic-tac-toe pass that ended up with Zuccarello whipping a slot- shot through Reimer for a 1-0 lead at 2:34. Jagr sets another milestone in Panthers' 4-3 shootout win over Rangers Just 1:37 later, Panthers third-line wing Jonathan Marchessault, who has been on a goal-scoring tear since Thomas Vanek joined his line, made an uncharacteristic turnover in the defensive zone that resulted in J.T. Harvey Fialkov Miller’s wide-open wrister for a 2-0 lead. Marchessault, who came in with four goals in four games, nearly atoned but was stoned twice by Raanta in the closing minute of the first period. The Panthers had every reason to hoist the white flag on a season gone wrong early in the first period against the playoff-bound Rangers in the Raanta, in for a sidelined Henrik Lundqvist, a Panthers’ killer and always raucous Madison Square Garden Friday night. perennial 30-game winner, was under siege in the second as Florida went on a 16-2 shot run. After yet another gut-wrenching one-goal loss to the host Columbus Blue Jackets less than 24 hours earlier that saw them drop seven points out of Finally, Alex Petrovic’s slapper rang off the post, the puck popped to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 13 games Jagr, but it was Huberdeau with a spinning rebound for his sixth goal at remaining, defenseman Keith Yandle said all the right things about 1:25. This time the Situation Room wouldn’t take it away as they did the fighting until the end. night before. However his face, Jonathan Huberdeau’s hanging head and distant At 6:41, Panthers defenseman Jason Demers whipped a cross-ice pass curses from the shower stalls told another story. to Vanek, who froze the Rangers defenseman before zipping it to Jussi Jokinen for a layup, and Vanek’s sixth helper in the last three games. So they came out flat and gave up two goals on the Rangers’ first three shots just 4:11 after the opening faceoff. But coach Tom Rowe, sensing a Following a Panthers’ penalty kill, Colton Sceviour went on his possible pre-St. Patrick’s Day hangover from Columbus, called a timeout. breakaway de jour but Raanta made a sensational skate save to keep it 2-2 after two. His words ignited the Panthers, who led by 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr and his linemates, especially Aleksander Barkov, stormed back to stun the “I just told the guys settle down, play our system and let’s chip our way Rangers 4-3 in a shootout to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. back into it,’’ Rowe said of his timely timeout. “It was unbelievable the way our guys stuck with it. We got a lot of shots on net, we got bodies “We had no legs from last night. They jumped on us. We weren’t ready there and we got a lot of good momentum. for it,’’ Jagr said. “That’s what our line has to do. Barky, I probably trust him more than I trust myself. And I trust myself a lot.’’ “Real proud of them. There’s a lot of guys in that room that knows what’s at stake. They’re not going to go down easy, I could tell you that right Jagr notched two primary assists to Huberdeau and Barkov to pass the now, and we proved it tonight. We could’ve won last night’s game. It legendary Gordie Howe with the most points (269) by any player past 40. could’ve gone either way. These two points are huge. We get a day off and get ready for Pittsburgh.’’ “I’m going to pass him for most points after 50,’’ Jagr joked. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 03.18.2017 Perhaps the Panthers should ask the NHL schedule-makers to give them 41 back-to-backs as they are now 6-3-4 in second games with such scenarios. The Panthers crept to within five of idle Toronto for the wild card, but the Leafs have two games in hand and Florida still has to outlast the Flyers, Islanders and Lightning. As a reward for their gritty effort, the Panthers get a day off in Pittsburgh before they have to take on the reigning Stanley Cup champion Penguins. After Huberdeau was stymied on a breakaway in overtime, Barkov slipped a backhander past Antti Raanta to win the shootout as he’s now 7-for-10 in the exciting showdown. Panthers goalie James Reimer stopped all three Rangers’ shooters and made 29 saves for the win. “We need to not look at the standings, just play the hockey and try to win every game we can,’’ Barkov said. “Next game is going to be [big] for us again. There’s only 12 left; we need to play smart and play good hockey.’’ Tied at 2-2 after two, the Rangers found their legs in the third period but Reimer rose to the occasion, first stopping Kevin Hayes on a doorstop stuffer before Jesper Fast’s rebound attempt clanged off the post at 14:27. Then it was time for the Panthers’ top-line trio to play keepaway from the Rangers as Huberdeau fed Jagr who set up Barkov for a bunny at 7:23 of the third for his 19th goal and a 3-2 lead. “We hit the holes. That’s like hockey 1990,’’ Jagr said. “That’s a huge game. So was yesterday. We made two mistakes and we lost the game. We’re making too many mistakes in bad times. We have to learn to play to win, just go and play hockey. “Today we got lucky for whatever reason. We go 12 to go, we probably have to win 11 of them.’’ It was short-lived as Mats Zuccarello zipped his second goal of the game through Reimer’s armpit with 8:15 left in regulation to knot it at 3-3. Brendan Smith, brother of Panthers forward Reilly, recorded his second assist. The well-rested Rangers, who hadn’t played since losing their fifth (now 6) in a row at home Monday to the Lightning, had a vice-like grip on the first wild-card spot and would use their last 12 games to battle the Capitals, Blue Jackets and Penguins for Metropolitan Division supremacy. Panthers defenseman Jakub Kindl, in for a concussed Aaron Ekblad, had to hook Michael Grabner to prevent a breakaway goal. On the ensuing 1053481 Los Angeles Kings

Four takeaways from the Kings' 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres

Kevin Baxter

The Kings finished their seven-game homestand on a high Thursday, getting third-period goals from Jarome Iginla and Adrian Kempe and a 26-save shutout from Jonathan Quick in a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Now they head out on a two-game, 24-hour road trip to Alberta, where playoff contenders Calgary and Edmonton will be trying to block their narrow path to the postseason. Here are some of the takeaways from Thursday’s win: 1. Quick owns the Sabres Thursday’s shutout was the first of an injury-interrupted season for the Kings’ goalie. But the fact it came against Buffalo should be no surprise. The shutout was Quick’s third in eight games against the Sabres, whose last four games at the Staples Center have all ended in 2-0 losses. Buffalo hasn’t scored a road goal against the Kings in more than 263 minutes, dating to January 2010. “I thought Quickie was great tonight,” said Iginla, who scored the first goal. Thursday wasn’t the first time he’s been great. Since returning from a groin injury last month, Quick is 5-1-1 with a .927 save percentage and a 1.97 goals-against average. 2. Kings are a team for (all) the ages Iginla opened the scoring 36 seconds in the third period and Kempe ended it 14 minutes later. Iginla, 39, is playing in his 20th NHL season. Kempe, 20, was playing in his 14th NHL game. “The oldest player on our team scored a goal and the youngest player scored a goal. Hopefully, in between, we can flip a little bit around and somebody else will score next game,” Kings Coach Darryl Sutter observed. “We’re a team that was trying to get more speed in our lineup,” he continued, referencing Kempe’s call-up from the minors last month. “He’s 20 years old. I’m not going to get too philosophical but he’s got a lot to learn about the game.” 3. The Kings won with smarts As good as Quick was, Sutter said the game was won by staying out of the penalty box. Buffalo has the league’s best power play, one that has scored 28% of the team’s goals this season. So the Kings were disciplined, taking just two minor penalties and allowing the Sabres just two power-play chances. And the Kings killed both, giving them 58 penalties killed in 62 chances over the last 24 games, best in the league. “The difference in the game was … we did a good job against the top power play in the league,” Sutter said. 4. There’s still a (narrow) path to the postseason for the Kings The Kings remain in the playoff chase with 12 games remaining, trailing St. Louis by four points and Calgary by seven in the race for the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots. The Kings play six of their final 12 games on the road but they face Calgary three times, beginning Sunday in Alberta. That gives them a chance to make up six of those seven points head-to-head. But they’ll have to get on a roll, something they haven’t been able to do lately. In fact, the Kings have won two consecutive games just once since Feb. 4, going 7-8-3 since then. “It’s that time of year. You’ve just got to find ways to grind points away,” said forward Dustin Brown, who broke a monthlong string without an assist by helping on both goals Thursday, giving him 501 points in his career. LA Times: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053482 Los Angeles Kings

Four takeaways from the Kings' 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres

Kevin Baxter

The Kings finished their seven-game homestand on a high Thursday, getting third-period goals from Jarome Iginla and Adrian Kempe and a 26-save shutout from Jonathan Quick in a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Now they head out on a two-game, 24-hour road trip to Alberta, where playoff contenders Calgary and Edmonton will be trying to block their narrow path to the postseason. Here are some of the takeaways from Thursday’s win: 1. Quick owns the Sabres Thursday’s shutout was the first of an injury-interrupted season for the Kings’ goalie. But the fact it came against Buffalo should be no surprise. The shutout was Quick’s third in eight games against the Sabres, whose last four games at the Staples Center have all ended in 2-0 losses. Buffalo hasn’t scored a road goal against the Kings in more than 263 minutes, dating to January 2010. “I thought Quickie was great tonight,” said Iginla, who scored the first goal. Thursday wasn’t the first time he’s been great. Since returning from a groin injury last month, Quick is 5-1-1 with a .927 save percentage and a 1.97 goals-against average. 2. Kings are a team for (all) the ages Iginla opened the scoring 36 seconds in the third period and Kempe ended it 14 minutes later. Iginla, 39, is playing in his 20th NHL season. Kempe, 20, was playing in his 14th NHL game. “The oldest player on our team scored a goal and the youngest player scored a goal. Hopefully, in between, we can flip a little bit around and somebody else will score next game,” Kings Coach Darryl Sutter observed. “We’re a team that was trying to get more speed in our lineup,” he continued, referencing Kempe’s call-up from the minors last month. “He’s 20 years old. I’m not going to get too philosophical but he’s got a lot to learn about the game.” 3. The Kings won with smarts As good as Quick was, Sutter said the game was won by staying out of the penalty box. Buffalo has the league’s best power play, one that has scored 28% of the team’s goals this season. So the Kings were disciplined, taking just two minor penalties and allowing the Sabres just two power-play chances. And the Kings killed both, giving them 58 penalties killed in 62 chances over the last 24 games, best in the league. “The difference in the game was … we did a good job against the top power play in the league,” Sutter said. 4. There’s still a (narrow) path to the postseason for the Kings The Kings remain in the playoff chase with 12 games remaining, trailing St. Louis by four points and Calgary by seven in the race for the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots. The Kings play six of their final 12 games on the road but they face Calgary three times, beginning Sunday in Alberta. That gives them a chance to make up six of those seven points head-to-head. But they’ll have to get on a roll, something they haven’t been able to do lately. In fact, the Kings have won two consecutive games just once since Feb. 4, going 7-8-3 since then. “It’s that time of year. You’ve just got to find ways to grind points away,” said forward Dustin Brown, who broke a monthlong string without an assist by helping on both goals Thursday, giving him 501 points in his career. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053483 Los Angeles Kings

Four takeaways from the Kings' 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres

Kevin Baxter

The Kings finished their seven-game homestand on a high Thursday, getting third-period goals from Jarome Iginla and Adrian Kempe and a 26-save shutout from Jonathan Quick in a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Now they head out on a two-game, 24-hour road trip to Alberta, where playoff contenders Calgary and Edmonton will be trying to block their narrow path to the postseason. Here are some of the takeaways from Thursday’s win: 1. Quick owns the Sabres Thursday’s shutout was the first of an injury-interrupted season for the Kings’ goalie. But the fact it came against Buffalo should be no surprise. The shutout was Quick’s third in eight games against the Sabres, whose last four games at the Staples Center have all ended in 2-0 losses. Buffalo hasn’t scored a road goal against the Kings in more than 263 minutes, dating to January 2010. “I thought Quickie was great tonight,” said Iginla, who scored the first goal. Thursday wasn’t the first time he’s been great. Since returning from a groin injury last month, Quick is 5-1-1 with a .927 save percentage and a 1.97 goals-against average. 2. Kings are a team for (all) the ages Iginla opened the scoring 36 seconds in the third period and Kempe ended it 14 minutes later. Iginla, 39, is playing in his 20th NHL season. Kempe, 20, was playing in his 14th NHL game. “The oldest player on our team scored a goal and the youngest player scored a goal. Hopefully, in between, we can flip a little bit around and somebody else will score next game,” Kings Coach Darryl Sutter observed. “We’re a team that was trying to get more speed in our lineup,” he continued, referencing Kempe’s call-up from the minors last month. “He’s 20 years old. I’m not going to get too philosophical but he’s got a lot to learn about the game.” 3. The Kings won with smarts As good as Quick was, Sutter said the game was won by staying out of the penalty box. Buffalo has the league’s best power play, one that has scored 28% of the team’s goals this season. So the Kings were disciplined, taking just two minor penalties and allowing the Sabres just two power-play chances. And the Kings killed both, giving them 58 penalties killed in 62 chances over the last 24 games, best in the league. “The difference in the game was … we did a good job against the top power play in the league,” Sutter said. 4. There’s still a (narrow) path to the postseason for the Kings The Kings remain in the playoff chase with 12 games remaining, trailing St. Louis by four points and Calgary by seven in the race for the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots. The Kings play six of their final 12 games on the road but they face Calgary three times, beginning Sunday in Alberta. That gives them a chance to make up six of those seven points head-to-head. But they’ll have to get on a roll, something they haven’t been able to do lately. In fact, the Kings have won two consecutive games just once since Feb. 4, going 7-8-3 since then. “It’s that time of year. You’ve just got to find ways to grind points away,” said forward Dustin Brown, who broke a monthlong string without an assist by helping on both goals Thursday, giving him 501 points in his career. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053484 Los Angeles Kings

The view from Buffalo

Bo Hamby March 17, 2017

Quick Hits: Kings 2, Sabres 0 “The Sabres were shut out for the fourth straight time here Thursday night, suffering a 2-0 loss that was their second straight on their Western road trip. Oddly enough, all four of the losses have been by that 2-0 score. Buffalo’s last goal here was scored by former captain Craig Rivet during the third period of a shootout loss in 2010. Total time without a Sabres goal in the building: 263 minutes, 53 seconds.” Kings crown Sabres but Lehner gets his say “The Kings won the game on 39-year-old Jarome Iginla’s goal 36 seconds into the third period and got insurance on 21-year-old Adrian Kempe’s tally with 5:20 left. In between, the Sabres pressed for a tying goal but were stopped by goaltender Jonathan Quick.” Newsday Quick blanks Sabres again, leads LA Kings to 2-0 victory “In his 43rd career shutout, Quick made 26 saves while shutting out the Sabres for the third time in eight career appearances against Buffalo. The former Trophy winner has allowed more than two goals just once in seven starts since returning from a 4 1/2-month injury absence.” WKBW Buffalo 5 Observations: Kings take down Sabres 2-0 “Lehner did everything he could and then some against the Kings on Thursday, stopping 34 of Los Angeles’ 36 shots. Lehner was the Sabres best player for the second game in a row, keeping the Sabres alive until the very end, despite being dominated in both shots and shots attempted.” SB Nation – Die by the Blade Recap: Sabres shut out for fourth consecutive game in LA, lose 2-0 “It took until the third period and the Kings opening the scoring 36 seconds in for the Sabres to gain any kind of momentum, but as has often been the case this season, that was too little too late. They did manage to outshoot the Kings 15-11 in the final frame, but couldn’t capitalize on either an early power play chance or a late push.” LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053485 Los Angeles Kings like, whatever, he just deals with it. So, he’s a good kid. He’s just a good person.”

It’s funny though (or foul, just wait) because Campbell wasn’t always so Campbell reinventing himself, his game in unpredictable comeback easy-going. There were awkward, youthful moments worth sharing. He season admits his social skills weren’t great. He was shy. His game was loaded with by-the-book superstitions. Lindsay Czarnecki March 17, 2017 “Honestly I used to be really weird but now I just learned to have fun with the game,” Campbell said. “When I played with the U.S. program, like my draft year, I think I didn’t wash my laundry if I won so I went months without washing my laundry, which is just weird and gross. And I’d Ontario Reign always wear my Team USA-issued jump suit thing to school and that’s not very cool. I just didn’t care. Just me back then. It was the ugliest thing Jack Campbell has come a long way since his days of ordering Cherry ever.” Coke Icees after practice as a kid. Somewhere, something changed: “I used to not talk at all and now I don’t Now his pregame habit includes a pit stop at Panera Bread for a coffee shut up,” he laughed. and a … Cinnamon Crunch bagel. “I used to have this set routine, don’t get me wrong I still have a routine, “With butter and peanut butter,” he said. “Some days cream cheese. It which is great, but I used to be like if you looked at the clock everybody just hits the spot. I usually eat half of it and then that’s good, it just tastes would know exactly what I was doing,” he said. “Now it’s just too many really good. hockey games in a year to be that crazy. That’s strenuous. Now I’ll “I don’t know if he’ll be mad at me for that, but who cares?” always take a nap usually before the game but say I can’t sleep, I used to freak out, now I’m just like, hey, I didn’t need to sleep.” “He” likely refers to coach Mike Stothers but why should Campbell mind? The 25-year old is having fun and doing this season his way while in the There’s a different measure too of taking the good with the bad, though midst of a run no one imagined. there hasn’t been much “bad” to report — 12 regulation losses to his name. “[His] position’s very tough mentally but he does a good job of Ontario entered the year with Peter Budaj, the reigning AHL Goalie of the keeping hockey at the rink,” said his roommate, Andrew Crescenzi. “In Year, slotted in for No. 1 work after taking an offseason chance on his down time he doesn’t really worry about it, let it bother him.” In fact, in Campbell. The former first round pick, No. 11 in 2010 by Dallas, was to his downtime he’s usually playing video games headset style with a be simply slated for a fresh start to play behind a defense-first team when group of teammates or listening to country music videos — “I just crush he was acquired last June. that in my room,” he said — and inevitably ratting out Crescenzi for trying to rope him into watch “Gossip Girl”. Whether that’s true or not is up for Instead, an injury to Kings goalie Jonathan Quick turned this year’s debate, but what’s evident is Campbell is enjoying the moment and he’s storyline in Ontario into an unexpected one. This has not just been a new flying under the protection of his teammates, who respectfully declined to beginning for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Port Huron, Mich., native but a reveal any of his quirks. complete transformation and a display of dominance. “Jack’s a great guy like everyone says but he has his quirks too,” captain A whole new Jack Campbell. and defenseman Vincent LoVerde said. “He’s an awesome guy and he “The day I was drafted to the Dallas Stars I always told myself I’m going really wants to help everyone out. He’s one of those guys in the locker to play 20 years with the Dallas Stars as the franchise goalie. That’s just room where he would do anything for anyone. I think everyone what I had in my head,” Campbell recalled. “It started in Windsor. I recognizes that. He’s been great ever since he’s gotten here. I know his struggled in Windsor, then I had a pretty solid rookie year in Texas past couple years, Dallas organization, if you ask him it probably wouldn’t playing 40 games, my second year I was lights out I was just hurt, my have been the most ideal situation but I’m happy for him on a personal third and fourth year it was really a mental grind and that’s when it all level. He was able to come here and have success and the credit’s all to went down. him. He’s done a great job this year, he works every day, he competes and he wants to win.” “Then the day I got traded here [goalie coach] Dusty [Imoo] and I talked and just let it all go. It didn’t happen overnight but we were able to just And so it’s been easy for Ontario to play in front of him. “When it comes put it behind me and right now I really don’t feel like I was really a part of down to it, he’s always focused and ready to play,” Crescenzi said. Just anything other than L.A. It’s a really cool feeling. I could lie about it and as the team faced its first losing streak since early November last week, it say I’ve moved on and if I hadn’t it wouldn’t benefit but it’s cool to be able answered with a 5-0 drubbing of Tucson, Campbell’s third shutout. The to look myself in the mirror and be OK with my past and just be like, well, next venture will be the Calder Cup playoffs and the opportunity for I just love where I’m at now and I love where things are going and I can another tale in this unpredictable, but oh so memorable campaign. keep getting better here and that’s what I love about it is I have a lot of “I definitely needed a fresh start,” he said. “Being that highly touted and people here to help me get better and it’s just a really great spot.” then really just dropping the ball, you’re going to go through some stuff There’s a lot for his team to love. Campbell’s 26-12-6 and his wins lead off the ice too, and I did, just as a person,” he said. “It was nice to be able the AHL. At one point he IronManned 36 straight starts, winning 22. He to come here where guys just welcomed me as a teammate and has more victories this season than he did starts in his final season with everything else that happened on the ice because of the situation all the the Texas Stars. The Reign would be in a tough spot without him and his goalies were put in, that was great for my season to be able to play to gel .912 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average. with the guys being the guy who’s been playing a lot. He’s endearingly called “Soupy” but another term often used by Stothers “But just as far as who I want to be as a person, it’s been great because I to describe Campbell is “good person.” And that’s one of the main just think everybody on this team’s an awesome person and you can’t reasons why the coach and every player in the locker room is rooting for say that every team you play on so I think we’re fortunate to be part of an him in this comeback story. awesome group that’s truly close and that’s really special.” “He’s got a great personality. He always seems to be having a good day,” They’re saying the same about him, too. Stothers said. “I know he takes it hard if a game didn’t go the way he “He wants to compete and he wants to win,” LoVerde said. “You can tell wanted or he didn’t feel he played as good as he has. … It’s a team from that and you can tell by the way he plays which is always good to game and there’s things that happen during the course of a game that we see. It allows us to rally around him as teammates. You see him out needed to be better in front of him. You know what, the big thing with there competing, wanting to win and it influences the rest of us.” Jack is he would never, ever throw anybody else under the bus. If a defenseman gave a puck away right in front of him he would say ‘I should LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.18.2017 have come up with that save.’ So his teammates love him because he’s just a good person. “He’s polite. He’s friendly. He’s engaging. He likes to talk. He’s well brought up. He’s just a good person. It’s hard not to like him. It’s hard not to root for him. And maybe that makes him different than some of the other goalies that you can’t talk to them the day of the game or you can’t touch their equipment, it’s like holy smokes, they got a million things, right? Soupy doesn’t seem, or at least he doesn’t let on, like if somebody was to brush against his pads laying on the floor before a game he doesn’t think, ‘oh no, now I’m going to have a bad night.’ He’s just kind of 1053486 Minnesota Wild comes," Dubnyk said earlier in the week. "We know how good we are in here and we don't have to think about changing anything."

The Wild, struggling to rediscover the game that made it so dominant for Bottom has fallen out for the Wild in March nearly three months, hopes playing eight of its final 13 games in St. Paul Trademark consistency has slipped in many areas. will help. "It's nice to be in front of the home crowd, but we've got to bring it ourselves," Coyle said. "It starts with us inside here. We've got to bring By Michael Russo March 17, 2017 our compete level, stick to our structure and turn this thing around." Asked if he thinks this started because the Wild was getting bored of the regular season, Boudreau said sarcastically that shouldn't be the case It has been nothing but March Sadness for the Wild. since this franchise doesn't have the championship pedigree to get relaxed. Once a fast, structured team that was at the top of the West in goals, goals against, victories and points, the Wild's game has deteriorated Boudreau felt there were good signs Thursday. The Wild limited Carolina since a torrid stretch from early December to late February. to 24 shots and fewer than 10 scoring chances. In the first eight games of March, the Wild has lost six times in regulation "I've seen them play great, so why wouldn't I think that they're going to — the same number it had the previous 38 games. fight their way out of it?" Boudreau said. "It doesn't make any sense to think … from the body of work … that they're not going to fight their way Coach Bruce Boudreau is at a loss. He wondered if the team is fatigued out of this." "or whatever" with the playoffs less than a month away. Even before the Wild ended an alarming 1-4 road trip, Boudreau said this should be a Star Tribune LOADED: 03.18.2017 time "everything's running smoothly because we've been doing the same things for six months." Now he sees players freelancing and "going on their own course." "Some nights one thing is going well and we're missing a part somewhere else, so it's costing us games," said veteran Zach Parise. "But luckily we've got some points early in the season where we've got room to turn it around and figure it out before we get to the playoffs. "But we have to start playing better right now." Victor Rask, left, scored a go-ahead goal for Carolina on Thursday night on a shot that Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, with his team badly needing a lift, regretted not turning aside. Gerry Broome • Associated Press Victor Rask, left, scored a go-ahead goal for Carolina on Thursday night on a shot that Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, with his team badly needing a lift, regretted not turning aside. In March, the Wild has scored 2.13 goals per game and allowed 2.88. The power play is 2-for-25 and on the road trip the Wild allowed a power- play goal in all four losses. The Wild's .750 points percentage (30-6-4) when scoring the first goal is fifth-best in the NHL, but in the past 360 minutes of hockey, it has led for only 12 minutes, 40 seconds and has given up the first goal in nine of the past 11 games. In Thursday's 3-1 loss at Carolina, the Wild couldn't rally against a team that had the NHL's worst points percentage and was using a goalie, Eddie Lack, with three wins all season. Lots of players, entering Saturday's game against the Rangers, are struggling. The entire blue line has been erratic. In 31 games since Jan. 7, winger Charlie Coyle has one goal with an opposing goalie in net. He didn't finish a number of golden chances Thursday. "We know what we're capable of in here. We've seen it," Coyle said. "It's just about hard work … sticking to our structure, not cheating ourselves, not cheating the structure and finishing those chances." Parise and Jason Pominville, who missed three games because of the mumps, haven't been the same since the bye, nor has Nino Niederreiter, who has one goal in the past 14 games. Boudreau met with Niederreiter before Thursday's game and offered him the chance to move back to left wing. Niederreiter likes right wing better, yet he finished with one shot against the Hurricanes. "Since he got his 20th goal, he's been pressing a little bit," Boudreau said. "I just know when he's a little more aggressive and getting involved, he's really effective." Goalie Devan Dubnyk is 2-6 with a no-decision in his past nine starts, with a 2.90 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. He couldn't come up with a big stop on Victor Rask on Thursday 90 seconds after Lack made three huge stops in a 1-1 game. "It's just small things that can kind of bite you when things aren't going well, whether it's changes or if I need to come up with a save or whatever it is, those are just things you sharpen up and the rest of the game 1053487 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Rangers game preview

Michael Russo

6 p.m. vs. Rangers • Xcel Energy Center • FSN, 100.3-FM Rangers also are off their game Preview: The Wild plays four of its next five at home starting with the front end of a back-to-back (Sunday’s game is at Winnipeg). The Wild is 0-5 in its past five games against the Metro Division. Players to WATCH: Wild RW Mikael Granlund’s 65 points are tied for eighth-most in a Wild season. The Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh is one of five NHL defensemen who have registered at least 20 primary assists and is one of four NHL defensemen who have recorded at least 38 points and at least a plus-19 rating. Numbers: The Wild has allowed the first goal in nine of the past 11 games; the Rangers are 29-11-1 when scoring first. Injuries: Wild C Martin Hanzal (strep throat) is questionable; D Christian Folin (upper body) and D Gustav Olofsson (upper body) are out. Rangers D Kevin Klein (back) is questionable. D Dan Girardi (ankle), RW Jesper Fast (shoulder) and G Henrik Lundqvist (hip) are out. Star Tribune LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053488 Minnesota Wild Those teams found a way to bounce back; now the Wild must prove that they’re capable.

“We have to start playing better right now,” Parise said. Wild don’t have time to lick wounds from punishing road trip WILD, HOT AND COLD >

BEFORE THE BYE WEEK By Dane Mizutani | PUBLISHED: March 17, 2017 Goals per game: 3.36

Goals against: 2.34 It’s officially gut check time for the Minnesota Wild. Record: 39-14-6 In the midst of their worst stretch of the season, the Wild (43-20-6, 92 points) have ceded pole position in the Western Conference playoff race, AFTER THE BYE WEEK now trailing the rival Chicago Blackhawks by three points. Goals per game: 2.80 That should be the least of their concerns, though, because the Wild must find a way to right the ship after losing five of their past six games. Goals against: 3.20 “These guys are feeling it,” coach Bruce Boudreau said after the Wild Record: 4-6-0 finished a season-long road trip 1-4-0 with Thursday’s 3-1 loss to a not- NHL AVERAGE great Carolina Hurricanes squad. Goals per game: 2.77 “It was a disappointing road trip for us,” veteran winger Zach Parise added. “We at least had a chance to finish with a win coming home and Goals against: 2.60 we couldn’t do it.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.18.2017 Boudreau explained that the recent slump might stem from a lack of urgency, because the Wild, among other top-tier teams across the NHL, aren’t frantically fighting for a playoff spot. “When we have to win the games, I think we’ll see our team step up and play really good,” Boudreau said last week. That time has come for the Wild. After a tough matchup against the New York Rangers on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild will have 12 games to rediscover themselves. They only play five playoff teams in that span, and meet the lowly Colorado Avalanche twice. “We need to have a game where we’re … tough to play against, because that’s kind of been our staple and that’s what’s made us successful for most of this season,” veteran center Eric Staal noted. “We have to get back to that.” Aside from being loose defensively, allowing 3.20 goals a game over the past 10 games, the Wild also have been allergic to burying Grade A chances. In 10 games since the league-mandated five-day break, the Wild have scored more than two goals only four times — all wins. They lost the games in which they scored two or fewer goals. “We have to start putting pucks in the net,” Boudreau said. “If we score the first goal of the game, then we’re usually at least feeling good about ourselves.” They haven’t had much success with that either, surrendering the initial goal in eight of 10 games since the bye week. In that span, the Wild are an alarming 4-6-0, including three straight regulation losses — a first this season. To make matters worse, the power play has been abysmal: 1 for 16 on the five-game road trip. “It seems like there’s been a couple spots missing every game, whether it’s our penalty kill giving up a couple of goals, or our power play not scoring, or not scoring five on five,” Parise said. “It seems like something is missing every game, and it’s costing us. You have to be good in every area at this point in the season.” Parise, however, insists the Wild are capable of busting out of this slump, and why wouldn’t he? They are still the same team that spent two months atop the Western Conference. “I’ve seen them play great,” Boudreau said. “Why wouldn’t I think they’re going to fight their way out of it?” It’s also not out of the ordinary for top-tier teams to struggle. The league-leading Washington Capitals (45-17-8, 98 points) have lost five of their past six games — their one victory coming against Minnesota. The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins (43-17-9, 95 points) lost three games in a row in mid-January only to rebound by winning four straight. Heck, even the Blackhawks (45-20-5, 95 points) hit an uninspired stretch in late January, losing three games in a row, before rattling off wins in 15 of their past 18 games. 1053489 Montreal Canadiens After that came a call from the Hull Olympiques, the major-junior team, who he took to a Memorial Cup championship, and a stint with Hockey Canada’s under-20 program. ‘Evolved’ Julien enjoying greater pool of talent in second stint with Habs That’s when the Julien blip first showed up on the Team Canada radar. It has never left. Sean Gordon In those years, André Savard worked in the Sens’ front office, which matters because he both played with and coached Julien in the Nordique’s organization. MONTREAL — The Czech kid reported to the AHL in the fall of 2002, yet Savard was appointed the Habs’ player-personnel director in 2000 and another teenager who needed directions and a map to find his own later replaced Réjean Houle as GM. defensive zone. By then Julien was in the AHL with Hamilton, where he coached a losing So his coach, barely a decade removed from his playing days as a team for the first time. It was an eye-opening, formative experience. canny, if comparatively leaden defenceman, got the sketch pad out. When the 2002-03 season started the situation was less than ideal. The Eventually, Tomas Plekanec would grow into perhaps the most unsung team’s affiliation was split between the Habs and the Edmonton Oilers, two-way centre in the NHL. who had hired Julien two seasons previously. “I was a rookie, I didn’t speak any English … everything was a new world He built it into a powerhouse and when Savard was trying to reverse the for me. He pretty much taught me everything,” the Montreal Canadiens Habs’ fortunes he turned to his old teammate, at the cost of a fifth-round forward said. draft pick (Oilers brass initially asked for a third-rounder). The ‘he’ in question is Claude Julien. “I thought he had that presence and the patience that you need to coach at this level,” said Savard, who now scouts for the New Jersey Devils. When Plekanec’s former Hamilton Bulldogs mentor returned to the fold “When you replace a coach in midseason, you have to make sure you on Feb. 14 – to replace Michel Therrien, the man he also stepped in for get someone you know and trust.” at midseason in 2002-03 – the 34-year-old had a stronger basis for comparison than just about anyone else in the room (Russian Running down the names, the 2002-03 Habs roster doesn’t look half-bad: defenceman Andrei Markov is the only other holdover from the first Julien Doug Gilmour, Joé Juneau, faceoff wizard Yanic Perreault, defensive era). stalwart Stéphane Quintal, in-their-prime Saku Koivu and Andrei Markov, a young Mike Ribeiro. “Hockey-wise there are several things that are different. He’s evolved like every coach, but I do get flashbacks,” Plekanec laughed. “He Then you look at the age column, and – well, sensitive eyes might want communicated really well with the players, and he’s a teacher, so that to avert their gaze. part is very similar.” The 39-year-old Gilmour was one of 13 players on the wrong side of 30. In other words: comparable, but not quite the same. Within a year, 10 of them would either be retired or playing in Europe. Hockey players are hesitant to discuss the nitty-gritty of game plans and This is the hockey flotsam that greeted Julien when he walked into an overall system strategy, so there were no grand revelations from NHL dressing room as a coach for the first time. Plekanec. Suffice it to say, Julien has a broadly similar but updated and improved philosophy relative to the Bulldogs of yore (in Plekanec’s first Not long after came a season-killing nine-game losing streak during season they finished first overall and reached the championship final). which Gilmour would be flipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs. There is ample evidence of his influence after 12 games in charge, eight The next year, the Habs squeaked into the playoffs and upset the heavily of them victories. favoured Boston Bruins before bowing out against the eventual Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The penalty killing is vastly improved, zone exits are far crisper and defensive-zone coverage is beginning to round into shape. A year after that the NHL season was scrapped amid the acrimony of a labour dispute. By January of 2006, Julien was out of a job. “I feel like we’re trending in the right direction,” captain Max Pacioretty said this week after a hard-fought loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. “But it Ottawa connections have been a unifying thread in Julien’s career. After doesn’t mean much if you don’t win.” his singularly weird ouster after 79 games behind the New Jersey Devils bench – three games before the playoffs – he got a call from then-Boston Oh, about that. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, another National Capital-area guy. This time around Julien has tangible, metallic evidence that his plan When he was let go by Boston earlier this year, the prospect of moving works: a Stanley Cup ring (presumably kept in the same drawer as the his family back to his old stomping ground – Montreal is an easy drive to two Olympic and one World Cup gold medals). his parents’ and siblings’ houses – the allure was immense. If there is a signal difference between then and now, that’s it. He returns for a second stint a wizened, more experienced version of the coach – mostly positive, occasionally shouty, perenially demanding – Julien is the same height and within shouting distance of his weight in he’s always been. 2002 – he joked that his old coaching tracksuit still fits, if a little more snugly – and if it seems as though his stature has grown, it’s a function of “I don’t know if there’s a lesson” from his initial tenure, Julien said after his considerable reputation. being hired. “It’s more about experience.” Success confers authority. By which he means his decade in Boston and the years comparing notes and ideas with pillars of the coaching world – Mike Babcock, Joel Although he has done a lot of winning since his first NHL coaching shot, Quenneville, Ken Hitchcock, Barry Trotz – at international tournaments. which was marred by a lockout season and ended after a front-office shuffle, it’s not exactly a foreign concept to him. Julien has always been an inquisitive and analytical thinker, his Xs and Os stack up to anyone’s and he devours stats and scouting reports. Julien, a roofer’s son who grew up just east of Ottawa, has enjoyed success since he first picked up a whistle. After a recent game he alluded to the opponent being tops in the league in scoring chances off the rush (fact-check: true). Maybe it’s a family thing. His older brother Rick would later become a celebrated minor-hockey coach. Earlier this month, he talked unabashedly about his penalty-killing strategy: this is a confident coach who understands knowing what’s After a peripatetic junior and minor-league playing career – he played 14 coming isn’t the same as stopping it. NHL games (point total: one assist) with the – Julien returned home for good in 1992. While Julien can be fiery when the occasion demands, he keeps the negativity for the officials. Within 18 months he would join the staff of the Ottawa Jr. Senators, of the Central Junior Hockey League Junior A circuit. The fellow in charge After praising his team following the Chicago game this week, a 4-2 loss, of personnel decisions was Pierre Dorion, now general-manager of the he was asked about the performance of defenceman Alexei Emelin, honest-to-God NHL Senators. The two remain close. whose wretched play over the past two weeks has weighed down the Montreal blueline like a 230-pound anchor. “It doesn’t matter what I say here, what matters is what I do inside that dressing room … every mistake, if you want to put it that way, is unacceptable in this game,” he said. “But they happen.” Armed with a five-year contract beyond this season that pays him a rumoured $5-million a year, Julien can afford to be patient. But he’s also got more to work with than he did 14 years ago. Instead of Richard Zednik and Jan Bulis, Julien now has Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov and . Instead of Craig Rivet on the top defensive pair, he has Shea Weber. Jose Theodore had an MVP season in 2001-02 and it would require a lengthy and exhausting search to find a corner of the hockey world where he is rated more highly than Carey Price. Julien says he doesn’t remember much of his first NHL game as a head coach other than it was a loss. There is a symmetry to the fact he made his Montreal return just in time to coach his 1,000th. As it happens the parallel extends completely – it was also a loss. Few sports clubs do tributes like the Habs, but instead of a live pre-game ceremony to mark the occasion, Julien asked that it be taped earlier. “I didn’t want to be the centre of attention,” he said. An admirable sentiment, but given the man’s track record it’s a bit late for that. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053490 Montreal Canadiens $3,5 million to fund the U.S. National Development Team for boys, which plays a 70-game schedule.

USA Hockey countered that the women’s team members can potentially Pat Hickey: Enticing first-round playoff matchups await Canadiens earn $85,000 in an Olympic year but that’s dependent on winning the gold medal, something the U.S. hasn’t done since the first Olympic women’s hockey tournament in 1998. Pat Hickey, Montreal Gazette USA Hockey set a 5 p.m. Thursday deadline for the women to abandon their boycott plans, but nobody blinked. USA Hockey says it has a contingency plan, but Duggan says there is a strong sense of solidarity This is the time of year when scoreboard watching is in vogue as fans through the ranks. ponder their team’s chances of making the playoffs and try to envision which matchup would best suit their team in the post-season. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 The Canadiens’ chances of making the playoffs are very good — the computers at www.sportsclubstats.com rate their playoffs chances at 99.7 per cent — and we can start putting together a wish list for a first- round opponent. If the season ended today, the Canadiens would face the Rangers in the first round. On paper, this is an advantageous matchup for Montreal. The Rangers have 90 points — six more than the Canadiens — but Montreal swept the three-game season series with two wins at Madison Square Garden. If the Canadiens falter against Ottawa — they play three times in eight nights beginning Saturday in Ottawa (7 p.m., Sportsnet, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio) — the most likely matchup would against the Boston Bruins. The playoff history between these teams is long and fierce and there would be added spice with Claude Julien behind the Montreal bench, Julien has the Canadiens on a roll since replacing Michel Therrien, but it’s interesting to note that the Bruins are 12-4 since dumping Julien. Montreal has a 2-1-1 record against Boston this season, but the wins came early and Montreal lost 4-0 in Boston on Feb. 12, which was Therrien’s farewell performance. There’s also a chance the Canadiens would face the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is a matchup that could have TV executives salivating and I suspect the Canadiens would be very happy to play a team that hasn’t beaten them since 2014. Lastly, there’s an outside possibility Montreal could face off against Tampa Bay. The playoff history between these teams is more recent, but the rivalry is intense. These teams meet twice in the final week of the season and that could provide a playoff preview. Looking ahead, it’s important to heed the caveat of stock brokers who warn that past success is no guarantee of future performance. Veteran Steve Ott noted that things have changed since he broke in with Dallas in the early 2000s. “We played Edmonton and we knew we had to beat them,” said Ott. “We had an $80 million payroll and they were around $20 million. Today, there’s so much parity. You saw that starting (in 2012) when Los Angeles finished eighth and we were ninth and the Kings won the Cup.” Canadiens, Senators head outdoors: Ahead of this weekend’s back-to- back series between Montreal and Ottawa, the NHL announced that the teams will play an outdoor game on Dec. 16 at TD Place Stadium, The event will help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NHL as well as Canada’s 150th birthday. The Canadiens beat the original Ottawa Senators 7-4 in the first NHL game, which was played at Day’s Arena in Ottawa on Dec. 19, 1917 Outdoor games have proliferated in recent years, but they are little more than cash grabs where fans pay outrageous prices to say they froze in seats that may have allowed them a view of the ice. As for the players, they are subjected to less than ideal conditions in terms of the cold and lousy ice conditions. There should be a moratorium on outdoor games with two exceptions. There should be a game at Cowboy Stadium, which would produce an all-time attendance record and what would be a better test of the NHL’s icemakers than an exhibition game in Las Vegas in August? U.S. women take a stand: The United States women’s hockey team is planning to boycott the upcoming world women’s championships in Plymouth, Mich. The women have a long-standing dispute with USA Hockey over financial support. The players say they are required to train full-time, but are only compensated for the six-month residency leading up to the Olympic Games. “We received $1,000 a month, but for the other 42 months, we get nothing,” said captain Meaghan Duggan. The women are upset that they play only nine games in non-Olympic years, while USA hockey spends 1053491 Montreal Canadiens “I felt some sensitivity and some irritation,” Davidson said about his symptoms. “I just advise to get checked if you do feel something like that. Testicular cancer is a very curable disease. The quicker you notice Cowan: Cancer changed outlook on life for Canadiens' Brandon something and get checked, the better. That quicker the better … Davidson especially for young men, that would be my motto.” Davidson added that his cancer battle changed his outlook on life both on and off the ice. Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette “You can’t live forever and I think that was the main thing I took walking away from cancer,” he said. “I live every day like it’s my last and make sure that I experience more things … experience the world. I wake up "I feel like I’m family here. I feel very welcomed here, Brandon Davidson every day with a big smile on my face and make sure that I tell myself it’s said about playing in Montreal. "It’s been an easy transition. Moving not so bad. It kind of put things in perspective.” forward I think this is a place I’d love to call home." Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 Canadiens defenceman Brandon Davidson is fighting for a regular spot on the Canadiens’ blue line, but he has already won a much more important battle in his life. After being selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, Davidson was getting ready to start his pro hockey career when he went for his physical before the start of the 2012-13 season with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. “I was kind of feeling a little off myself,” Davidson recalled after practice this week in Brossard. “I knew something was kind of wrong.” But he never expected to hear the dreaded word that came from a doctor following the examination: cancer. At age 20, Davidson was diagnosed with testicular cancer. “I just couldn’t believe it,” said Davidson, who is now a muscular 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. “I felt like I was Superman for so many years. It was a change for sure, but also scary. I wanted to make sure that I was going to be healthy first, but I was also worried about my career. I had finally gotten to be in a pro locker room and I didn’t want it to be over already. That kind of stuff worried me and crossed my mind, for sure. But the big thing was the doctors approached me in such a way that made me feel that it was a good, curable chance and I was going to be all right.” Davidson was treated at the Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma. He underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tumour, followed by two rounds of chemotherapy. “It was pretty early in my career to think about all that stuff going on,” the affable Davidson said. “I didn’t know if I was going to play again … I just didn’t know the facts going into it. “When I was going through the chemotherapy, it was tough,” he added. “I lost about 20 pounds. I was in a vulnerable state mentally, and physically I was just weak. There was a little bit of doubt that I was going to be able to get back to where I was. But clearly, I have exceeded that. I think that was kind of my motivation moving forward … I kind of had a new outlook on life. I wanted to make sure that if I was going to fight it, I was going to give it my 100 per cent, so it was easy to get up every morning and work my way toward that goal.” The Canadiens practised Friday in Brossard as they prepare for back-to- back weekend games against the Senators Saturday in Ottawa (7 p.m., SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690) and Sunday at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN Radio 690). Coach Claude Julien wouldn’t confirm after practice what his lineup will be, but there is a good chance Davidson will play. During Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, Davidson was promoted to the second defence pairing beside Jeff Petry as Alexei Emelin struggled, going minus-3. Davidson, who was acquired from the Oilers on Feb. 28 in exchange for David Desharnais, logged 14:42 of ice time, picked up an assist and was plus-1. “I thought he handled himself well,” coach Claude Julien said after the game. “I thought he skated well, made good first passes. Under pressure he did the right things, so I liked his game again. That’s two games that I’ve seen him in the lineup that he’s done very well.” When asked how he has enjoyed his time in Montreal so far, Davidson flashed a big smile that comes easily when you speak with him. “It’s been tremendous,” the Lethbridge, Alta., native said. “I’ve just begun and I feel like I’m family here. I feel very welcomed here. It’s been an easy transition. Moving forward I think this is a place I’d love to call home.” Testicular cancer is considered a young man’s disease and is very curable when caught early. Davidson said early detection allowed him to make a full recovery and live his dream of playing in the NHL. 1053492 Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens spent much of Friday’s practice working on the power play, which is 0-for-13 in the last six games and now ranks 12th in the NHL with a 20.1 per cent success rate. Canadiens Notebook: Claude Julien won’t confirm his Saturday lineup vs. The two power-play units looked like this: Senators Radulov – Byron – Galchenyuk Posted by Stu Cowan Pacioretty – Weber

Lehkonen – Plekanec – Shaw The Canadiens practised Friday morning in Brossard before heading to Ottawa for the start of back-to-back weekend games against the Markov – Petry Senators. “I think the power play is an important part of the game nowadays The Canadiens play the Senators Saturday night in the nation’s capital (7 because as you can see there’s a lot of tight games, there’s a lot of low- p.m., SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690) and then the teams will meet scoring games five-on-five,” Julien said. “I think it’s important that your again Sunday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN Radio power play helps you produce. We’ve changed some of the people 690). around a little bit, so just trying to get them to be a little bit more familiar with each other and maintaining the goals and the plays that we’re Coach Claude Julien wouldn’t confirm his lineup for Saturday and looking for.” whether defenceman Nathan Beaulieu will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game after sitting out Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Coach Claude Julien gives instructions at start of #Habs practice in Chicago Blackhawks at the Bell Centre. Brossard #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/hFWt3tT8fN “I haven’t talked to the guys yet,” Julien said. “I’m going to make a — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 17, 2017 decision today. I haven’t made my final decision as we speak, but definitely by the end of the day we’ll have had our lineup made up.” Blackhawks do Canadiens a favour Julien did confirm that Carey Price will start in goal for the Canadiens After beating the Canadiens Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, the Saturday, but the coach wouldn’t say who his goalie will be Sunday. Blackhawks did Montreal a favour by beating the Senators 2-1 Thursday night in Ottawa. You can watch Julien’s entire Friday news conference from Brossard on the HI/O Facebook page. The Senators (39-23-7) could have moved ahead of the Canadiens (39- 23-8) and into first place in the Atlantic Division with a victory. Instead, The lines and defence pairings the Senators head into the weekend series one point behind the Canadiens with one game in hand. Here’s how the lines and defence pairings looked during Friday’s practice, but there was a lot of rotation on the fourth line and with the The third-place Boston Bruins (38-27-6) also lost Thursday night, defence pairings. Injured forward Brian Flynn and defenceman Nikita pounded 7-4 by the Oilers in Edmonton. Boston is four points behind the Nesterov were the only two players to miss practice Canadiens. Pacioretty – Galchenyuk – Radulov Julien wouldn’t compare this weekend’s back-to-back series with the Senators to a playoff scenario, but realizes the importance of the two Byron – Plekanec – Gallagher games. Lehkonen – Danault – Shaw “I’m not going to stand here and say this isn’t an important weekend for King – Ott – Mitchell (Martinsen-McCarron) both teams, I think it is,” the coach said. “There’s first place that’s in play. You want to establish some sort of not dominance, but hopefully some Markov – Weber success against the team. So it’s important for both teams. I think it’s a big weekend for both organizations and that’s the way you have to look Davidson – Petry at it. Beaulieu – Benn (Emelin) “Your goal is always to finish as high as you can,” Julien added. “First place is certainly a goal of ours right now, but it’s not the end of the world #Habs practice about to start in Brossard #HabsIO if something happens and we’re not there. The main thing in this new pic.twitter.com/WWPBlGnAbT NHL is you better be in the playoffs. You got to make the playoffs. We’ve — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 17, 2017 seen teams that have finished seventh or eighth and go all the way. The main goal is to get yourself in the playoffs. If we can get higher (in the Beaulieu not happy standings) that means we get home-ice advantage. So no doubt that would please us as well.” Beaulieu wasn’t happy about being a healthy scratch for the first time this season against the Blackhawks and was still upset after practice Friday. The Canadiens and Senators have met twice before this season with Ottawa winning both games, 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 15 in the nation’s When asked what he learned from watching the game instead of playing, capital and 4-3 again (in regulation time) at the Bell Centre on Nov. 22. Beaulieu said: “Nothing.” #Habs Alexander Radulov on ice in Brossard this morning after Said Julien: “For him to be disappointed, it’s normal … I think everybody missing practice yesterday with the flu #HabsIO wants to play. We have a rotation of seven Ds right now and guys are pic.twitter.com/ZxDm59RHT6 healthy so we’ve had to put players in and out, like many teams. I think Washington is going through the same situation right now. You get — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 17, 2017 players who come in at the end of the year so you can have depth. But if you’re leaving depth on the shelf it’s no good to you. So you got to make Senators and Habs will meet outdoors next season sure everybody’s ready and we’re making a rotation here of players, so NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Friday that the Senators that’s all it was. At the end of the day, you want your players to be ready and Canadiens will meetin in a Heritage Classic outdoor game next Dec. to play. If Nathan’s in the lineup tomorrow, he’s got to be ready to go.” 16 at TD Place — home of the CFL’s — to mark the Beaulieu has 2-21-23 totals in in 63 games and is plus-7. Alexei Emelin league’s 100th anniversary. Ottawa and Montreal played against each was minus-3 against the Blackhawks and is minus-6 in the last three other on the NHL’s opening night on Dec. 19, 1917 with the Canadiens games after being made a healthy scratch last week in Vancouver. winning 7-4. Beaulieu, who is earning US$1 million this season, can become a My story on #Habs captain Max Pacioretty and the stranger whose restricted free agent in the summer, while Emelin has one more season car he helped shovel out of a snowbank #HabsIO: on his four-year, US$16.4-million contract. In 67 games this season, https://t.co/nKhrH7GAUN pic.twitter.com/N0bIT9F4Z3 Emelin has 2-7-9 totals and is minus-2. — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 17, 2017 Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk work on faceoffs at #Habs Lack of offence practice in Brossard pic.twitter.com/09mBBjMQ3C Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin acquired three forwards before the NHL — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 17, 2017 trade deadline on March 1: Steve Ott, Andreas Martinsen and Dwight Power-play work King, adding size to his lineup. But on a team that struggles to score goals, none of three have scored a single goal since coming to Montreal and combined they have only one assist by Ott. King is minus-3 in six games. The two forwards Bergevin traded away have had more success offensively. David Desharnais has 2-2-4 totals in six games with the Edmonton Oilers, while Sven Andrighetto has 1-2-3 totals in six games with the Colorado Avalanche. Paul Byron leads team stretch near end of #Habs practice in Brossard #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/3bK790v4H8 — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 17, 2017 Karlsson leading Senators Defenceman Erik Karlsson is leading the Senators in scoring with 13-50- 63 totals while averaging 26:42 of ice time per game and is plus-8. The San Jose Sharks’ Brent Burns (27-43-70) is the only defenceman in the NHL with more points. The big three up front for the Senators when it comes to points are Mark Stone (22-28-50), Mike Hoffman (21-28-49) and Kyle Turris (23-22-45). Former Canadiens backup goalie Mike Condon has done well with the Senators this season, posting an 18-12-6 record, five shutouts, a 2.52 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Current Canadiens backup goalie Al Montoya has an 8-6-3 record with two shutouts, a 2.71 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Carey Price in action at #Habs practice in Brossard pic.twitter.com/G9cMhvZNaX — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 17, 2017 What’s next? After Saturday’s game in Ottawa, the Canadiens will play their next six games at home, starting with Sunday’s rematch with the Senators (7:30 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN Radio 690). The Detroit Red Wings will visit the Bell Centre next Tuesday night, followed by the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and the Senators again next Saturday. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053493 Nashville Predators

Predators' recent road victories bode well for playoffs

Adam Vingan , USA TODAY NETWORK

WASHINGTON — When the Stanley Cup playoffs begin next month, the Predators, who are in position to qualify for the third consecutive season, will start their first-round series on the road. Where is undetermined. It may be in Chicago, where the streaking, Western Conference-leading Blackhawks have one of the NHL's most daunting home-ice advantages. It could be in Minnesota, home to the dangerous Wild. San Jose, where the Predators are 0-8 all-time in playoff games, is another potential option in a rematch with the Sharks. An impressive 2-1 victory against the NHL-leading Capitals on Thursday holds more significance because of what possibly awaits. The Predators will have to replicate aspects of Thursday's performance if they are to succeed in the postseason against the West's top teams. "In the playoffs, you play great teams," said Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson, whose 25th goal this season clinched Nashville's third consecutive victory. "It's going to be tough. We prepared (Thursday) for a really tough game. We played the best team in the league. We're a team that can battle against those teams." The Predators have been average overall outside of Nashville this season, with their 15-16-4 record the worst among the eight Western Conference teams in playoff position entering Friday. Their past two road wins, last Saturday against the Sharks and Thursday against the Capitals, presented elements of an effective blueprint. In each game, the Predators limited their opponents to one goal, clamping down enough defensively and grinding out low-scoring victories. On Thursday, Nashville recovered from a skittish start and stifled Washington, one of the NHL's highest-scoring teams that earlier this season tied a league record by scoring at least five goals in 11 consecutive home games. The loss was the Capitals' eighth in 36 home games after winning 16 of their previous 17 at Verizon Center. Neither of the Predators' recent road victories were particularly memorable in their finer details or wildly entertaining, but that's how playoff games are won, especially on the road. "We've played well at Bridgestone (Arena) all year and had lots of fun, but it's about what we're doing as a group, the details of our game and executing our game plan as best we can," Predators center Ryan Johansen said. "Hopefully, no matter where we are, we're successful." Participating in an offensive track meet works to the Predators' advantage, but that style of play traditionally disappears in the postseason. The playoffs are made for tight-checking games devoid of offense, something that the Predators recently have shown themselves capable of doing. “As of late, we’ve been playing a lot of high-scoring games, scoring a lot of goals and giving up a lot of goals," Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne said. "Going into the playoffs, everybody knows you’ve got to be (play extremely well defensively). "We showed that we can play against one of the top teams in the league and be really solid defensively and (not) give them a lot. I’m sure that gives us confidence moving forward." NEXT GAME PREDATORS at HURRICANES When: 6 p.m. Saturday TV/radio: Fox TN/102.5-FM Tennessean LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053494 New Jersey Devils

Rookie roundup: Evaluating games of Devils' younger players vs. Flyers

By Chris Ryan

NEWARK -- Here is a breakdown of the performance of each Devils rookie (plus some other younger players not considered rookies) in the team's 6-2 win over the Flyers on Thursday. Joseph Blandisi, F Stats: 1 goal; +1 plus/minus; 15:42 ice time; 1 shot; 2 hits; 4-for-11 on faceoffs Of note: Blandisi scored his second goal of the season in his 17th game, and he extended his point streak to three straight games. His goal came on the power play and right in front of the net, getting a tip in off a rebound. Coach John Hynes on Blandisi: "Even last year when he was up, he did a nice job in the net front on the power play. Lots of his points last year when he was scoring were on the power play, and they were at the net front on the power play. So he's done a good job of that. He was in the right position at the right time. When the puck goes to the point, you need your net-front player to be in that front screen and be able to get tips." NHL.com Blake Coleman, F Coleman did not play in Thursday's game due to an upper body injury. Hynes said Coleman was a little banged up, and he is day-to-day. Chris Humphreys | USA TODAY Sports Nick Lappin, F Stats: -2 plus/minus; 13:30 ice time; 2 shots; 1 hit Of note: Lappin was on the ice for both Flyers goals, and the winger is still looking for his first point since being recalled by the Devils on March 4. He had seven points in 34 games before being optioned to Albany in January. Star Ledger LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053495 New Jersey Devils

How Devils forward Kyle Palmieri became a scoring machine again

Chris Ryan

NEWARK -- Since Dec. 22, Kyle Palmieri has looked like the player who broke out for a career season with the Devils in 2015-16. After scoring just four goals in his first 30 games in 2016-17, Palmieri poured in 19 goals over his next 37 outings, including 12 goals since Jan. 31. Palmieri is firmly in control of the team lead in goals with 23 this season, and he credits his aggression while not hesitating on open looks. "Getting some better shots off and making sure they're hitting the net is key," Palmieri said on Thursday after scoring his third goal in two games. "You've got to make it hard on the goalie and he's got to make the save. Just getting shots on net and through. Our line especially has done a pretty good job of keeping goaltenders honest in this stretch." What Devils vets are playing for Since Jan. 31, Palmieri has recorded at least two shots in every game except two, and he has four or more shots nine times during that stretch. After scoring a career-high 30 goals last season, Palmieri's 82-game goal rate for this season is now 28.1, just a tick under that production. Palmieri's outburst coincided with the formation of the Devils' top line, featuring Palmieri, center Travis Zajac and left wing Taylor Hall. The three have stayed as a consistent group while other lines continue to jump around, and Palmieri credited those two as reasons for his surge. "As a line, we enjoy playing together, we feed off each other pretty well," Palmieri said. "Those are two pretty incredible players i get the opportunity to play with. I'm fortunate and hopefully we can keep that success going through the end of the year." Rookie roundup Over the second half of Palmieri's second season as a Devil, coach John Hynes has seen much more of the player the team traded a second and third round pick for during to the 2015 NHL Draft. "What he's doing now, he's very involved every game physically, he's very competitive, he has a shot-first mentality now," Hynes said. "There's less hesitation in when he's going to shoot. He feels much more comfortable and confident in his shot. When he plays that way, he's a goal scorer." Star Ledger LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053496 New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: LIVE score updates and chat (3/17/17)

Chris Ryan

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac and Keith Kinkaid will lead the New Jersey Devils into their third road meeting against Sidney Crosby, Matt Murray and the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m. on Friday at the PPG Paints Arena. The Devils snapped a 10-game losing streak on Thursday with a 6-2 win over the Flyers, but the enter the game 0-3-1 against the Penguins this season. Join NJ.com's live chat during the game in the comments section below. You can also follow along with live score and stat updates above. How Palmieri became a scoring machine again Here's what you need to know about the game: What: New Jersey Devils (26-31-12) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (43-17-9) What Kyle Quincey, P.A. Parenteau trades mean for Devils When: 7 p.m. Eastern, Friday, March 17, 2017 Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey TV: MSG+ Live stream: MSG GO Radio: WFAN/TOJN Devils injuries: F Jacob Josefson (upper body; skating on his own); F Michael Cammalleri (upper body; skating on his own); F Devante Smith- Pelly (lower body, week-to-week); F Blake Coleman (upper body, day-to- day). More to know: Goalie Keith Kinkaid will make his second straight start after anchoring the Devils' win on Thursday. He played in Pittsburgh on Nov. 26, making 46 saves in a 4-3 shootout loss. Coach John Hynes said Kinkaid would get chances to play and prove himself down the stretch, and he's getting that opportunity in both starts of a back-to-back. "That's his challenge. The nice thing about Keith, he's a good goalie, he's played well this year, he's a young guy," Hynes said. "He has some aspirations to play more, and to do that, you've got to show you can come off a win like last night, come back into tonight and be able to replicate that." Here are the Devils projected lines, which will be the same as Thursday. FORWARDS Taylor Hall-Travis Zajac-Kyle Palmieri Joseph Blandisi-Adam Henrique-Beau Bennett John Qunneville-Pavel Zacha-Stefan Noesen Miles Wood-Blake Pietila-Nick Lappin DEFENSEMEN Andy Greene-Ben Lovejoy Jon Merrill-Dalton Prout John Moore-Damon Severson GOALIES Starter: Keith Kinkaid Backup: Cory Schneider OUT Steven Santini (healthy scratch) Star Ledger LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053497 New Jersey Devils

Devils fall in offensive battle vs. Penguins, 6-4 | Rapid reaction

Chris Ryan

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Offenses took over on Friday night, and the Devils couldn't keep up with the Penguins. The Devils couldn't make a pair of first-period goals count as the Penguins pulled away for a 6-4 win at PPG Paints Arena. Things opened up offensively in the first period as the teams racked up five combined goals. yle Palmieri opened the scoring on a breakaway for the Devils, and after Penguins goals by Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel, Stefan Noesen tied the game at 2-2. How Palmieri regained scoring edge Sidney Crosby gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead just before the end of the first period with a 5-on-3 power-play goal. Nick Bonino put the Penguins up 4-2 in the second period, but Beau Bennett answered with a goal off a rebound with 51 seconds left in the frame to pull the Devils within 4-3. The Penguins padded their lead when Carter Rowney scored his first NHL goal 5:17 into the third period. Palmieri continues his scoring surge with a power play goal with 3:31 left in the third period. It marked his fifth goal in three games and 14th in his past 19. The Penguins sealed the game with an empty netter by Crosby. Penalty shot controversy: Keith Kinkaid stopped Kessel on a penalty shot with 22 seconds left in the second after Ben Love joy hooked Kessel on a breakaway. Hall broke free seconds later, drawing a slash on a clean break, but no penalty shot was called. The Devils were lined up for a power play, but coach John Hynes was called for an unsportsmanlike bench minor while arguing the lack of a penalty shot. Center rotation: The Devils started rotating centers during Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, with Joseph Blandisi jumping in the middle on the second line while Adam Henrique lined up at left wing. That continued on Friday, and coach John Hynes said it's simply to give guys other chances. Center's hard to come by. We think we have some good, young players coming that can possibly play center. We know what Adam can do in the middle, but I think when you look at Blandisi, Zacha. If we can get a little bit more depth in out lineup with some speed and skill at the center position, it makes us a better offensive team." Blandisi finished with 8-for-18 on faceoffs on Thursday. Pavel Zacha took center on the third line, while Blake Pietila manned the middle for the fourth line. Those three, plus Blake Coleman, Kevin Rooney and John Quenneville are all other options for the Devils to throw at center. Injuries: Jacob Josefson (upper body) and Michael Cammalleri (shoulder) continue to skate on their own, but Hynes did not foresee either rejoining a full practice in the near future. Hynes called Devante Smith-Pelly (lower body) week-to-week. Next up: The Devils return to New Jersey for a two-game home stand against Metropolitan Division opponents. They host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 1 p.m. on Sunday before playing the Rangers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Star Ledger LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053498 New Jersey Devils

Devils' John Hynes: Need to 'make some tough decisions in offseason'

Chris Ryan

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- John Hynes knows the Devils need more consistency and competitiveness to be contenders. Responding specifically to a question about making a decision on forward Beau Bennett in the offseason, the Devils coach opened up about the general tough calls the Devils will need to make during the offseason in order to become a more competitive team. "That's part of the evaluation process we're going through. We're going to have to make some tough decisions in the offseason, but I can tell you one thing, we have to get better," Hynes said. "We have to make sure we have some players in here that give us the opportunity to make us competitive night in and night out. We weren't like that enough this year." What Devils vets are playing for The answer wasn't an indictment on Bennett, who scored in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Penguins to record a point in his third straight game. Rather, it was a general comment about what the Devils need going beyond this season. Bennett is one of a handful of arbitration-eligible restricted free agents the Devils will have entering the offseason. The group also includes Jacob Josefson, Blake Coleman and Blake Pietila. The Devils have had pockets of competitive play throughout the season, but inconsistency in maintaining that level will keep them out of the playoffs for the fifth straight season. To avoid making it a sixth straight next year, Hynes said the team needs to keep finding the players that will drive that competitive level. "We feel that's what's going to give us an opportunity to sustain the competitiveness," Hynes said. "Over the past couple years, we haven't been able to sustain it. A lot of times, it comes with guys that have that mentality and that competitive nature." Star Ledger LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053499 New Jersey Devils

Devils look to carry over winning effort

Andrew Gross , Staff Writer

Nothing has come, or been, easy for the Devils of late. New Jersey Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri (21) checks Now, after snapping a season-long, 10-game winless streak with a 6-2 win over the Flyers on Thursday night at Prudential Center, the Devils face the Stanley Cup-champion Penguins on a back-to-back tonight at Pittsburgh. It marks the third time this season the Devils’ game at rechristened PPG Paints Arena has come on the back end of a back-to- back set. The Devils lost a 4-3 shootout at Pittsburgh on Nov. 26 when Sidney Crosby sent the game into overtime with his equalizer with 14.0 seconds remaining in the third period. The Devils also lost at Pittsburgh, 4-1, on Dec. 23. Like tonight’s game, the Devils were coming off an inspired home win over the Flyers the night before, beating Philly by a 4-0 count as they responded to general manager Ray Shero’s cutting marks the previous day regarding their effort and work ethic. That win over the Devils started a current 20-2-2 home stretch for the Penguins, who are 27-4-3 at home overall. Which is to say tonight’s game is certainly no easy task for the Devils. The trick will be replicating the complete performance in both ends of the rink they gave forth against the Flyers on Thursday night. “One thing I would say, I think our efforts have been pretty consistent,” said Devils coach John Hynes over the now-ended 0-8-2 slump, in which the Devils lost seven times by one goal. “Other than the first period in Colorado, other than that we’ve been pretty consistent in our work ethic and our compete and giving ourselves a chance to be in the game. That’s going to be our objective. We certainly needed a win. The fact that we get a reward for our hard work, [tonight] is going to be a good challenge for us.” Hynes, immediately after Thursday’s win, was not ready to name a starter. He’ll meet the press at 4:50 p.m. and announce whether he’ll go back to Kinkaid, who was sharp when he needed to be in stopping 17 shots on Thursday night and who made a career-high 46 saves in the 4-3 shootout loss at Pittsburgh on Nov. 26, or put Cory Schneider back in net. Schneider was pulled from his last start, a 5-4 loss at Arizona on Saturday that was the Devils’ previous game prior to Thursday, after giving up four goals on 10 shots, though his defense abandoned him for the most part in that outing. The Devils, if you’re doing the math, have scored 10 goals in their last two games, including Thursday’s season-high six. “We definitely needed that outburst,” Kinkaid said. “Hopefully we can keep that up for the rest of the season.” The bright spots were the Devils (Kyle Palmieri) scoring an all-important equalizer to make it 11 at 18:11 of the first period and Taylor Hall and Adam Henrique (both who scored twice) scoring with the first 4:08 of the third period to extend the Devils lead to 5-2. “We need that killer mentality,” Kinkaid said. “It’s good to see. And not just one.” Bergen Record LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053500 New Jersey Devils

Devils gauging how Kinkaid reacts to more work

Andrew Gross March 17, 2017

PITTSBURGH – Performing well on back-to-back nights is often part of the job description for a starting goalie in the NHL. And Devils backup goalie Keith Kinkaid, 27, certainly aspires to be a No. 1. So despite Friday night’s 6-4 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, both he and coach John Hynes were happy with his 37-save performance. Penguins still too tough for scrappy Devils “I felt a lot better than yesterday,” said Kinkaid, who made 17 saves as the Devils snapped a season-long, 10-game winless streak with a 6-2 win over the Flyers on Thursday night at Prudential Center. “I felt real good, real engaged. You saw their goals. They’re going to make plays. They’re highly skilled.” Kinkaid was sent diving side to side as the Penguins got numerous open looks with the Devils having trouble with their breakout execution. Part of Hynes’ rationale for starting Kinkaid again was to evaluate whether he could replicate his performance from the night before. “There’s a whole different mentality of being a backup to being a starter, the stress of playing back to back games, the ability to put a win or a loss right away and come back and play really well,” Hynes said. “That’s the challenge for Keith. We’re going to see if he’s grown in that area.” Kinkaid, an impending unrestricted free agent as he completes a two- year, $1.45 million deal, is 7-10-2 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Friday marked the third time this season he’s started consecutive games and the second time on back-to-back nights. Briefs Hynes drew a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct arguing that LW Taylor Hall should have been given a penalty shot when slashed by Justin Schultz on a breakaway with 1.8 seconds left in the second period. …Rookie defenseman Steven Santini was a healthy scratch for the second straight game as bruising Dalton Prout remained in the lineup. …Hynes, assistant coach Alain Nasreddine, defenseman Ben Lovejoy and right wing Beau Bennett were all presented plaques commemorating their time in the Penguins’ organization as part of the franchise’s 50th anniversary celebration. Fellow Penguins alumni, general manager Ray Shero and assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, not on the trip, will also receive plaques. Bergen Record LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053501 New Jersey Devils Taylor Hall-Travis Zajac-Kyle Palmieri Joseph Blandisi-Adam Henrique-Beau Bennett Fire and Ice Live Blog: Pens hold off Devils, 6-4 Pavel Zacha-John Quenneville-Stefan Noesen Miles Wood-Blake Pietila-Nick Lappin Andrew Gross , Staff Writer Andy Greene-Ben Lovejoy Jon Merrill-Dalton Prout And now for the encore. John Moore-Damon Severson Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray plays during Keith Kinkaid (7-9-2, 2.63 goals-against average, .916 save percentage) Well, that’s what the Devils would like, anyway. Penguins (43-17-9) The Devils face the Penguins tonight at PPG Paints Arena after snapping Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Conor Sheary a season-long, 10-game winless streak with Thursday night’s 6-2 win over the Flyers at Prudential Center in which they set a season high for Phil Kessel-Matt Cullen-Patric Hornqvist goals. Chris Kunitz-Nick Bonino-Scott Wilson So it’ll be the same lineup for the Devils, meaning Keith Kinkaid is back in Tom Sestito-Carter Rowney-Tom Kuhnhackl net after making 17 saves against the Flyers and he'll oppose Matt Murray. Dalton Prout remains in the lineup at the expense of rookie Brian Dumoulin-Justin Schultz defenseman Steven Santini, a healthy scratch for the second straight game – and for the second time in his NHL career. Derrick Pouliot-Ian Cole Devils gauging how Kinkaid reacts to more work Mark Streit-Chad Ruhwedel So despite playing the defending Stanley Cup champions, albeit the Matt Murray (26-9-3, 2.37, .924) beat-up Stanley Cup champions, who have been money on home ice, Devils starters: Kinkaid, Moore-Severson, Hall-Zajac-Palmieri Devils coach John Hynes is hopeful Thursday night’s strong performance carries over to tonight. Devils scratches: Steven Santini, Michael Cammalleri (shoulder), Jacob Josefson (upper body), Devante Smith-Pelly (lower body), Blake “It was a situation where there were some games prior to last night we Coleman (upper body) had some opportunities where we could’ve scored and won some games but we didn’t,” Hynes said. “I think last night was one of our better efforts, Penguins starters: Murray, Dumoulin-Schultz, Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary one of our more intense efforts. It was really dual. We scored some goals and it was a bit of a relief for guys to get rewarded for their hard work. Penguins scratches: Cameron Gaunce, Carl Hagelin, Ron Hainsey, And there was a thoroughness of play. That always breeds confidence Evgeni Malkin and conviction in how you want to play.” First period: First shift, Moore coughs up the puck in his right corner and The evaluation process, which is really what these last games of the Sheary just misses the slipping the puck inside the right post. Ruhwedel regular season are all about for the Devils, continues, meaning you’ll gets tangled with Blandisi coming deep into the Pens’ zone and the likely again see Adam Henrique on left wing instead of center, allowing defenseman is called for interference at 1:24. The Pens’ have the game’s Hynes and the brass to see how Joseph Blandisi and/or Pavel Zacha only two shots so far. Kinkaid forced to glove and hold Kunitz’s handle time in the middle. shorthanded shot from the left circle. One shot on the power play and a lot of time spent chasing the puck back down the ice. Quenneville takes a “If we can get a little bit more depth in our lineup, with some speed and smart, quick wrister that goes into Murray’s stomach at 4:32 and the skill at the center position, it makes you a better offensive team,” Hynes Devils have a 4-2 shot advantage. And now they have a 1-0 lead at 5:35 said. “We know Adam can play the left side. It’s a good opportunity to as Hall springs Palmieri in alone on Murray and Palmieri pulls it to his play some of those kids in the defensive zone, take faceoffs against forehand and around the goalie for his 24th goal, his fourth in a three- some real good players.” game goal streak and his ninth goal in 12 games. But the Penguins get it right back as Kessel, completing an odd-man rush, gets around Prout in The Penguins tonight will be without forwards Carl Hagelin (lower body), the left circle and beats Kinkaid with a shot under his right arm that the Evgeni Malkin (upper body) and Bryan Rust (upper body) and goalie appeared to partially block. Hornqvist and Cullen get the assists. defensemen Olli Maatta (hand), Trevor Daley (knee), Kris Letang (upper The Devils get their second power play at 7:44 as the Penguins are body) and Rain Hainsey (upper body). caught with too many men. The Devils are now 0 for 2 on the power play So not exactly the Penguins’ A-Team tonight. They are coming off and the best chance on this opportunity comes as Severson falls along Wednesday’s 4-0 loss at Philadelphia. the wall and the Penguins break out on a three-on-one rush. But Zacha hustles back and gets his stick out to break up a shot attempt. Good Tonight’s game will be televised by MSG Plus and the radio broadcast hustle. Blandisi and Quenneville again seeing plenty of power play time. will be streamed digitally on The One Jersey Network. Now it’s the Devils who are caught with too many men at 10:00 and Quenneville will serve the penalty. Noesen with a potential shorthanded After snapping a season-long, 10-game winless streak with a 6-2 win rush but Streit cuts him off in the Pens’ zone. Devils up on shots, 10-8, at over the Flyers on Thursday night at Prudential Center, the Devils face 12:31. At 13:00, Hall splits the defense and gets to the crease but Murray the Stanley Cup-champion Penguins on a back-to-back tonight at makes the save. That’s crucial because the Penguins come up ice and Pittsburgh. It marks the third time this season the Devils’ game at create a scramble at the Devils’ crease, with Guentzel poking it past rechristened PPG Paints Arena has come on the back end of a back-to- Kinkaid at the right post for a 2-1 Penguins lead at 13:30. The Devils back set. quickly answer as Zacha, at the left boards, backhands a centering feed The Devils lost a 4-3 shootout at Pittsburgh on Nov. 26 when Sidney to Noesen and he beats Murray from the left post at 14:02. Quenneville, Crosby sent the game into overtime with his equalizer with 14.0 seconds with the secondary assist, gets his first NHL point. Blandisi gets tangled remaining in the third period. The Devils also lost at Pittsburgh, 4-1, on with Cole in the Pens’ zone and his called for holding. On the long Dec. 23. Like tonight’s game, the Devils were coming off an inspired delayed call, Crosby misses an open net (hits the side, crowd goes home win over the Flyers the night before, beating Philly by a 4-0 count crazy) and Prout cross checks Guentzel to make a two-minute, five-on- as they responded to general manager Ray Shero’s cutting marks the three for the Penguins. Devils hold their own for as long as they can but, previous day regarding their effort and work ethic. with 14.5 seconds to go, Crosby, wide open on the right, hits the open net as the Penguins get the Devils going side to side. Shots are 17-13 for That win over the Devils started a current 20-2-2 home stretch for the the Pens through 20 minutes and there are 12 seconds left on the Penguins, who are 27-4-3 at home overall. Penguins now five on four power play. The Devils, starting with the second period of their 5-4 loss at Arizona on Saturday, have scored 12 The Devils, though, have scored 10 goals in their last two games, goals in their last six periods. including Thursday’s season-high six. Second period: The Devils kill off the remaining 12 seconds of Blandisi’s For the Devils, Beau Bennett and Taylor Hall both have three-game point penalty and Kinkaid stops Sheary at the right post 42 seconds in. Murray streaks. then stops Wood on a backhander at the right post at 2:41. Devils get Devils (26-31-12) their third power play as Greene gets deep into the left corner and, while trying to spin away, is tripped by Cullen at 4:52. Penguins penalty kill does a good job of clogging shooting lanes as the Devils maintained possession. Shots are 20-16 for the Pens’ at 7:13 and Sheary was just helped down the tunnel to the Penguins’ room during a stoppage. Guess he took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench. That’s about how the Penguins’ luck is going lately. Coming out of stoppage, Kinkaid has to be sharp to stop Kunitz’s one-timer right at the right post. With Sheary down the tunnel for repairs (to his face), Kunitz now on Crosby’s line with Guentzel. Kinkaid stops Kuhnhackl on a two-on-one and then covers at the crease at 9:22 as the Penguins buzz him. At 10:33, Penguins again buzz the crease and this time Kinkaid is knocked into the net and is flat on his back in apparent pain. As a result, a scrum ensues with Merrill and Kunitz going off for roughing. Kinkaid is attended to on the ice, finally regains his skates and will stay in the game. Looks like he took a stick to the groin region, which, historically, has been known to be painful. Kinkaid with back to stops on Kessel, then Cullen, at 11:38 as the Devils lose a defensive zone faceoff. Penguins now up on shots 29-18 at 14:59. Rowney, on the left, with a soft, tape to tape pass to Bonino cutting below the left circle and it’s 4-2 Penguins at 15:47. Flurry of activity in the final minute. Kessel gets in on a breakaway. Kinkaid makes the stop with 21.5 seconds left but ex-teammate Lovejoy hooks him so Kessel is awarded a penalty shot. Kinkaid stops that as well. Then, with 1.8 seconds to go, in a similar scenario, Hall comes in on Murray and is slashed from behind by Schultz. But only a two-minute minor is called there, not a penalty shot. Not sure why the inconsistency. Hynes is obviously confused (read: angry) as well and the Devils bench is assessed a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, with Lappin serving. So no Devils power play. Shots are 32-26 for the Penguins through two. Third period: The Penguins are 30-1-0 when leading through two periods, not to mention their home record, so this is going to be tough task. Rowney, with his first NHL goal, makes it even tough by giving the Penguins a 5-3 lead at 5:17 as he’s left wide open near the right post. Recently suspended Sestito goes down hard after being hooked in the Pens’ zone by Severson as the Penguins go back on the power play. Shot are 40-33 for the Penguins with 5:40 remaining. The Devils will get a power play chance at 16:21 as Bonino is called for hooking Noesen near the Pens’ crease. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan very unhappy with the call. At 16:29, Palmieri gets to the crease and puts the puck in but Sullivan challenges that Blandisi, with his stick on Murray’s right pad, interfered with the goalie. Very long review here. The goal stands and Palmieri has five goals in three games, two tonight and 11 goals in his last 12 games. That’s 25 on the season for Palmieri. Wood left the game with 5:47 remaining. The Devils are outshot 43-36 as they lose for the fourth time this season to the Penguins. Bergen Record LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053502 New Jersey Devils

Penguins still too tough for scrappy Devils

Andrew Gross , Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH – Ray Shero was hired as Devils general manager on May 4, 2015 to try to build in New Jersey what he had constructed in Pittsburgh, namely a Stanley Cup winner. John Hynes was brought in as coach a month later after five seasons leading the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to further that rebuild. Devils gauging how Kinkaid reacts to more work “I think Pittsburgh is probably one of the model organizations right now,” Hynes said. “You look at the depth they have throughout the organization.” The Devils, continuing to blend young talent into their lineup but giving the Penguins too many chances in close off turnovers on breakout chances, are optimistic about their organization’s progress. But they still have a long way to go to match the defending Cup champions, who won their fourth straight in the season series, this time 6-4, at PPG Paints Arena on Friday night. “Our culture, how we work, how we practice, it’s very similar,” said ex- Penguin Beau Bennett, who extended his point streak to four by cutting the Penguins lead to 4-3 at 19:09 of the second period. “We have a very workmanlike attitude. They’ve got 87 [Sidney Crosby] and 71 [Evgeni Malkin] and that helps. But it’s great to be part of a team where you’re trying to build it up instead of jumping on a team that’s been there for a while.” Kyle Palmieri scored twice more for the Devils (26-32-12), giving him five in a three-game goal streak and 11 in his last 12 games, and Keith Kinkaid, making his second straight start, stopped 37 shots for the Devils (26-32-12), plus Phil Kessel’s second-period penalty shot. Matt Murray made 32 saves for the Penguins (44-17-9), who are 28-4-3 at home. “They’re obviously deep and they’ve got good players,” said rookie left wing John Quenneville, who notched his first NHL point in his fourth career game with a secondary assist on Stefan Noesen’s goal at 14:02 of the first period that tied the game at 1. “They get chances and they make plays and they finish them. That’s what good hockey teams do.” Like the Devils, still missing veterans Michael Cammalleri, Jacob Josefson, Devante Smith-Pelly and rookie Blake Coleman to injuries, the Penguins have been forced to dip into their organizational depth. Evgeni Malkin left the morning skate and missed the game with an upper-body injury, joining forwards Carl Hagelin and Bryan Rust and defensemen Olli Maatta, Trevor Daley, Kris Letang and Ron Hainsey as lineup absences. Plus, Conor Sheary, a great example of the Penguins finding talent as he first joined the organization on an amateur tryout, took a puck to the face in the second period while sitting on the bench. “When you have a team that’s expected to compete for the Stanley Cup, you have to be 12-13 defensemen deep in your organization,” Hynes said. “They have star players that are here but they find ways to complement them well.” The Devils’ lineup on Thursday included six players – rookies Nick Lappin, John Quenneville, Miles Wood, Blake Pietila and Pavel Zacha and Joseph Blandisi – who have either been regulars at Albany (AHL), or are expected to be available for the AHL playoffs. Hynes again used Blandisi and Zacha as centers while veteran center Adam Henrique played left wing “When you put your prospects in a winning environment, particularly in the American Hockey League, that’s important because they feel good about their game,” Hynes said. “They’re growing their game. They’re playing in competitive games. They get the playoff atmosphere. That’s a huge component of getting players into your NHL team.” Crosby’s five-on-three power play goal with 14.5 seconds left in the first period and Nick Bonino’s goal from close range at 15:47 of the second period extended the Penguins’ lead to two goals. Rookie Carter Rowney, 27, gave the Penguins a 5-3 lead with his first NHL goal at 5:17 of the third period. Bergen Record LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053503 New Jersey Devils Both had an assist as Zacha was plus-1 in 14:47 with one shot and five faceoff wins in 11 draws while Blandisi was minus-1 in 14:58 with one shot and he was 8 of 18 in the faceoff circle. Penguins 6, Devils 4: No immediate update on Wood “I thought they did a good job on back to back nights,” Hynes said. “There were some situations tonight, breakout wise and detail wise against a quick team with lots of pressure. I think there’s a lot of good Andrew Gross , Staff Writer teaching points with both those guys. In general they did a good job. Faceoff wise it was OK. That’s part of what we’re doing. We have to grow some centermen in our organization. They are hard to find.” The first concern for the Devils/Devils’ fans after Friday night’s 6-4 loss to Taylor Hall had a team-high five shots and his assist extended his point the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena is the fact that rookie left wing Miles streak to four games. Beau Bennett’s goal at 19:09 of the second period Wood exited at 14:13 of the third period and headed to the Devils’ room. extended his point streak to four games as well. Blandisi, with an assist, has a career high four-game point streak and defenseman John Moore, He was not around in the common dressing room area when the media with an assist, now has a three-game point streak. was allowed in and whatever update will come on Wood will have to wait. Rookie center Blake Pietila was a minus-2 for the second straight night. Devils coach John Hynes said he did not have an immediate update after the game. The Devils are scheduled to practice at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Normally, a team does not practice off back-to-back games but with a 1 p.m. faceoff Wood logged 13:37 with four shots. against the Blue Jackets on Sunday, there won't be a morning skate that One of the potential turning points in the game came late in the second day. period. Bergen Record LOADED: 03.18.2017 New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes yells at a First, Phil Kessel was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked on a breakaway by ex-teammate Ben Lovejoy at 19:38. Keith Kinkaid turned aside Kessel’s penalty shot – the first penalty shot he’s faced in his NHL career – just as he turned aside Kessel’s breakaway attempt, albeit as he was being hooked. Penguins still too tough for scrappy Devils Devils gauging how Kinkaid reacts to more work “I just wanted to stay with Kessel there,” Kinkaid said. “He’s a shooter. He went to his backhand. I forced him to stay low and on his backhand, where he can’t use his wrist shot. And (then) I was fortunate to get a piece of his penalty shot.” But on a similar setup with 1.8 seconds left, Taylor Hall was not awarded a penalty shot as he was slashed by Justin Schultz. The Devils also missed out on the power play when they were assessed a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Hynes obviously did not like the explanation or the call of no penalty shot. “As far as the referees go, we obviously didn’t agree with the calls that were made and I’ll just leave it at that,” Hynes said. The Devils did have a review go their way when Kyle Palmieri’s power- play goal at 16:29 of the third period, bringing the Devils within 5-4, was upheld after Penguins coach Mike Sullivan challenged that Joseph Blandisi, by jamming his stick into Matt Murray’s right pad, was guilty of goalie interference. Blandisi was trying to shove in a loose puck himself. “It’s tough,” Palmieri said. “I’ve seen less called back and I’ve seen worse allowed. You never really know. Blender did a great job taking the puck to the net. It’s one of those goals as they league wants more scoring, it’s something I don’t think it was avoidable. He was trying to shove it in there and score the goal himself. You’ve got to be able to crash the crease and not to bee worried about what happened or getting a goal called back. We were fortunate to get the call.” That power-play goal gave Palmieri 25 on the season as he scored his fifth in a three-game goal streak and his 11th in the last 12 games. Suddenly, with 12 regular season games remaining, Palmieri may be able to match his career high of 30 goals, set last season, his first with the Devils. “It’s a lot closer than if you look at maybe Christmas,” Palmieri said. “It would be awesome to get back there. I owe a lot to Hallsie (Taylor Hall) and Trav (Travis Zajac, his linemates) and other teammates for setting me up with some easy ones that help you rack them up. There wasn’t a number I was looking for. I want to try to get better every year. As far as goals for me this season, I didn’t set one individually for goal totals. I wanted to try and help my team make the playoffs and we fell short. Offensively, we’ve done some great things and that’s stuff we wish was there all year.” The Devils have now scored 14 goals over their last three games. One of the things Hynes wanted to evaluate in tonight’s game, and over the course, possibly, of the rest of the season, is how Joseph Blandisi and rookie Pavel Zacha react to steady time as centers. 1053504 New Jersey Devils Kessel’s goal was his first since Feb. 16. He missed a chance at adding to that total when Kinkaid stopped him on a penalty shot in the second period. … Devils forward Devante Smith-Pelly missed his third straight Devils have no answer for Sidney Crosby game with an upper-body injury. … Both teams were 1 for 4 on the power play.

New York Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 By Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Their MVP candidate center, the one that’s not Sidney Crosby, is hurting. Four of their top seven defensemen are in street clothes dealing with a variety of injuries. And yet the Penguins keep rolling anyway, and it helped that they were playing the Devils. Their 6-4 victory over the Devils on Friday night included the usual dash of brilliance from Crosby but also plenty of help from those who normally find themselves watching Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — out with an upper body injury — do their thing. All four lines contributed at least one goal as the Penguins moved within a point of first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division. Crosby picked up two to move into a tie with Brad Marchand for the NHL lead with 37. Phil Kessel picked up his first in a month, Nick Bonino collected his fifth in his last six games and 27-year-old rookie Carter Rowney added the first of his career. “There’s a time for all four lines to start scoring, it’s March and April and then into the playoffs,” Bonino said. “Obviously we’re happy with that.” Crosby added an assist to give him 640 in his career and move him into a tie with Jaromir Jagr for the second-most in franchise history. Matt Murray stopped 32 shots for Pittsburgh as the Penguins improved to 4-0 this season against the Devils, outscoring New Jersey 19-10 in the process, though this one was a little more wide-open than most. Kyle Palmieri matched Crosby with two goals for New Jersey. Stefan Noesen and Beau Bennett also scored for the Devils. Keith Kinkaid finished with 37 saves but New Jersey couldn’t keep up with the defending Stanley Cup champions. “They’re play makers over there,” Kinkaid said. “A few of the goals just ended up in the open nets. I felt great out there. I thought the guys battled all the way until the end. It’s good to score goals, but maybe stay out of the box a little bit too and minimize their chances.” Coach John Hynes yells at a referee during the Devils’ loss.AP The Penguins have hung around in the heated race for the top spot in the NHL’s toughest division despite a series of injuries that only seems to be picking up speed as the end of the regular season draws near. Ron Hainsey, acquired from Carolina just before the trade deadline last month to provide needed depth and a healthy body along the blue line instead joined sidelined defensemen Olli Maatta, Trevor Daley and Kris Letang after suffering an upper body injury in a loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday and is “week to week” according to coach Mike Sullivan. While all four are expected back by the time the playoffs begin, for now the Penguins are being forced to get by with a makeshift bunch that includes talented but flawed youngster Derrick Pouliot and Chad Ruhwedel. Of course, having Crosby helps. The captain always tends to raise his level of play when Malkin is sidelined and when Crosby slammed home a one-timer off a pretty pass from Mark Streit that gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead late in the first period, it gave him 43 goals in 101 career games with Malkin’s familiar No. 71 out of the lineup. Bonino pushed Pittsburgh’s advantage to 4-2 late in the second period before Bennett, a longtime Penguin who joined New Jersey after a handful of star-crossed years in Pittsburgh, put home a rebound with 51 seconds left in the second and the Devils were again within one. Enter Rowney, who has slowly worked his way from undrafted free agent in 2013 all the way to the NHL. He took a feed from Tom Kuhnhackl and skated in front for the crease, patiently waiting for Kinkaid to commit before flipping it into the open net 5:27 into the third. “I was just trying to wait him out kind of,” Rowney said. “I saw he went down early, I just tried to wait him out and was lucky enough to finish.” Palmieri’s 10th goal in his last 12 games trimmed the deficit to 5-4 with less than 4 minutes left but Crosby’s empty netter sealed it. 1053505 New York Islanders

Islanders expect energy boost by getting back Casey Cizikas

By Arthur Staple

In their desire to bring a more consistent performance in these crucial last 12 games, the Islanders might benefit from the return of one of their most consistent performers. Casey Cizikas, out the past 11 games with a suspected broken hand, pronounced himself ready to go for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Blue Jackets at Barclays Center. Cizikas may have only seven goals and 23 points this season, but his reliability as one of Doug Weight’s most trusted centers has been missing. After an 11-4-2 stretch before Cizikas’ injury in Detroit on Feb. 21, the Isles went 5-5-1 without him. “I’d expect him to be in,” Weight said of Cizikas, who has been skating regularly on his own with the team on the road and was a full participant in Friday’s practice. “I think we’re getting healthier.” Cizikas could give the Islanders a much-needed jolt after too many low- energy stretches killed the team in a 4-2 loss to the Jets at Barclays Center on Thursday. In their ninth game in 15 days, the Isles looked worn down and surrendered too many golden scoring chances while chasing Jets players through much of the first two periods. Islanders lose crucial game to Winnipeg Weight was relieved to have a practice day Friday, only the team’s fourth in the past month. “The fact is that it doesn’t take a long time to reboot,” he said. “We’ve been in our houses now for three days. I expect a really energetic effort, a red-eye effort. I think we’ll be crazed dogs out there . . . We had to go on the ice today and wrap our heads around a couple things in our structure.” But even with losses in three of the last four games and the Isles entering Saturday’s matinee a point behind the Maple Leafs (who have a game in hand) and tied with the Lightning, Weight is optimistic. “It’s like a bike race. There were seven teams a week ago, now there’s three. We’re in the separation group,” he said. “Just [try to stay] even keel. I know the world is ending here when you lose, but you go home, you wake up and we’re one point out, same place we’ve been for the last two weeks . . . We’re in a really good spot and we just have to get some consistency back.” Notes & quotes: Johnny Boychuk (ankle) remained off the ice and will miss his seventh straight game . . . Thomas Greiss will get the call in goal, his 12th start in the last 13 games and his 13th consecutive appearance. The Islanders will not play again until they face the Rangers at the Garden on Wednesday, so any decision on recalling Jaroslav Halak likely will be made during that break. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053506 New York Rangers

Rangers just can’t win at the Garden anymore

By Brett Cyrgalis

There is not enough time for this to disappear, nothing that can happen over the final four games remaining in the regular season for the Rangers at the Garden that can eliminate the creeping suspicion they are one team on Broadway and another off it. Because it’s more than just the 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers on Friday at the Garden, and more than the 0-4-2 record at home over the previous six games. What will remain a constant when the playoffs start and they eventually play a postseason game in front of these fans is that the Rangers (44-24- 3) have had a debilitating tendency — no matter how conscious or unconscious it may be — to make things more complicated than necessary in front of the celebrities sitting in the rows immediately behind their bench, plus those sitting way above it. What that has led to is an inability to close games out, and a penchant for putting together incomplete performances that aren’t good enough for March, let alone May or June. “It seems like we play straight lines on the road,” said Rick Nash, who did all he could to get to the front of the net and dirty his jersey — including taking an unpenalized punch to the face from Alex Petrovic late in the third period. “At home, we try to make the cute plays and not get as many shots on net. We’re trying to bring that road game home.” And try as they may, the Rangers are now 19-15-3 at the Garden, while carrying a league-best 25-9-0 ledger on the road. “We’re the best road team in the league and have been for a while,” said J.T. Miller, who got his 20th goal of the year 4:11 into the first period when he beat goalie James Reimer between the legs, giving his team an early 2-0 lead after Mats Zuccarello scored the first of his two goals on a power play 2:34 in. “We have to make it harder of teams coming into this building,” Miller said. So after Aleksander Barkov was the only player on either team to successfully convert a shot in the shootout, and after Rangers coach Alain Vigneault somehow sent out Michael Grabner for his team’s final feeble attempt, it was the Panthers (31-28-11) walking away victors. And it left Vigneault with what is now a common refrain when dealing with questions about his team’s home woes. “I said it this morning and I’m going to say it again: 200-by-85, whether you’re here or in Philly or anywhere else, it’s the same ice surface,” Vigneault said, trying to verbally minimize the problem, but hardly fixing it. “For 30 minutes we were able to play a real strong game. You have to put 60 minutes together. There’s no overthinking about it. It’s just as simple as that.” Yet that 2-0 lead quickly turned into a 2-2 tie just 6:41 into the second period, with Florida getting goals from Jonathan Huberdeau and a power- play goal from Jussi Jokinen. Barkov then got his 19th of the season at 7:32 of the third when he finished a great saucer pass from The Ageless Wonder, 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr. Though Zuccarello tied it, 3-3, with his 14th of the year at 11:45 of the third, it was that dip in the middle of the game that ended up costing the Rangers. “I think we didn’t put the pucks deep anymore,” said goalie Antti Raanta, who made 34 saves in his fourth straight start in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist. “We started to lose the puck in the neutral zone. They got speed, they got skill, so they were spending a lot more time in our end.” Now the Blueshirts play at Minnesota on Saturday night for the second game of a back-to-back. Considering it’s away from New York, they surely are looking forward to it. “It’s good we don’t have time to sit around and think about this one,” Miller said. “You want to win every game, but we’re not making it hard on our opponents for a full 60 minutes at home right now.” New York Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053507 New York Rangers

Rick Nash can take a punch, but he’s sure not happy about it

By Brett Cyrgalis

This was an unscripted moment of frustration for a player who almost never complains. “What am I supposed to do?” Rick Nash asked after he took an unpenalized punch to the face from Alex Petrovic at 16:30 of the third period in the Rangers’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers on Friday night at the Garden. “Sell it?” In a league that has become defined by inconsistent officiating, the punch that Nash took was an extreme example of a missed call. It was left for his teammate, J.T. Miller, to get into Petrovic’s face and draw coinciding roughing minors for what likely should have been a Rangers power play in a game that was tied, 3-3. “There’s no doubt that in my mind that a player like Rick Nash, with his presence and what he’s done, should be — I don’t want to say getting the benefit of the doubt — but he took a punch right to the face,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “You’d expect a player with that stature to get the benefit of the doubt.” Of course, that was prefaced by Vigneault saying: “You have to fight through that and play through that. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going on on the ice.” Pavel Buchnevich was a healthy scratch, but Vigneault stressed the rookie winger was not going back to the minors and was going to play for the Rangers down the stretch. “He’s not playing [Friday] night, but he is going to play,” Vigneault said of the 21-year-old Russian. “He’s had some good games lately, just that little inconsistency with a few plays that he needs to be a little bit better. But he is going to play, there’s a lot of hockey left and we have a lot of faith in his skill level and the way he can play.” Buchnevich had two goals and one assist in the seven previous games since returning from a short stint with AHL Hartford. Vigneault was noncommittal, but did leave open a chance that goalie Magnus Hellberg could get his first NHL start before franchise bedrock Henrik Lundqvist returns from his hip injury. “At some point, logic would say [Hellberg] should get a game,” Vigneault said, “depending on how quick Hank comes back.” Lundqvist is seemingly ahead of schedule and might be ready before his original hopeful return, the three-game California trip starting March 25 in Los Angeles. When Vigneault was asked if Hellberg, the 6-foot-6, 25- year-old Swede, was ready to make his big-league first start, he punted. “Tough to say, I’ve just seen him in practice,” Vigneault said. Jesper Fast returned to the lineup after missing the previous seven games with a shoulder injury. He played on a line with Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes. Tanner Glass stayed in the lineup on the fourth line with Oscar Lindberg and Jimmy Vesey. Joining Buchnevich as the scratches up front were Brandon Pirri and Matt Puempel. Defenseman Adam Clendening also was scratched. New York Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053508 New York Rangers

Rangers lose sixth straight at home to Panthers in shootout

By Steve Zipay

The Rangers lost their sixth straight home game Friday night as Alexander Barkov scored the only goal of the shootout, beating Antti Raanta in the third round to lift the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 win at Madison Square Garden. Mats Zuccarello, who had scored twice in the game, and Mika Zibanejad were stopped by Panthers goalie James Reimer and Michael Grabner missed the net as the Rangers (44-24-3, 91 points) managed only a point for the night. They left immediately after the game for Minnesota, where they will face the Wild on Saturday night. Raanta, making his career-high 26th appearance, made 34 saves through regulation. Reimer stopped 29 shots. It was Raanta’s first shootout of the season, and he called it “a disappointment . . . We couldn’t score, then they score one and that was it.” Coach Alain Vigneault had said several times that he needed his top players to play to their capabilities. Two responded early, with Zuccarello firing a low wrister past Reimer on a power play to end a 12-game goal- less spell and J.T. Miller scoring his 20th just 1:37 later in the first period. But the Panthers, five points out of the second wild-card spot and desperate, responded with three unanswered goals. It took Zuccarello’s second goal with 8:15 left in regulation to pull the Rangers into a tie. “There’s no doubt our group came ready to play,” Vigneault said. “We had a real good start, we just didn’t sustain it. We stopped moving our feet the way we can, we stopped moving the puck the way we can [in the last 10 minutes of the first and in the second].” In the second period, the Rangers looked as if they — rather than the Panthers — had played Thursday night. Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau put back a rebound of a shot that hit the post to cut the Blueshirts lead to 2-1 at 1:25. Brady Skjei’s interference sent him to the box at 5:56, and Jussi Jokinen tied the score at 6:41. Barkov gave the Panthers the lead on a pretty cross-crease setup from Jaromir Jagr at 7:23 of the third. With less than three minutes to play, Alex Petrovic cheap-shotted Rick Nash, who was being held, with a punch in the face, and when Miller jumped in, both he and Petrovic were sent off for roughing minors, prompting howls from the crowd and postgame comments from player and coach. “I don’t know what’s going on,” Nash said. “The puck was sitting on his [Reimer’s] pad, there’s no whistle, I took a swing at it, he gives me a shot in the head. There’s a hold in the first period, there’s a hold on both two- on-ones. I asked these guys [the refs]: ‘Do I have to fall? Do I have to sell it?’ ’’ Vigneault wasn’t pleased either. “There’s no doubt in my mind that a player like Nasher, with his presence and what he’s done, should be — I don’t want to say getting the benefit of the doubt — but he took a punch right to the face,’’ he said. “You’d expect a player of that stature to get the benefit of the doubt.” The bigger issue is the inability to find victories at home, where the Rangers are 19-16-2. “It seems like we play straight lines on the road, get pucks deep, and at home we try to make the cute plays and not get as many shots on net,” Nash said. “We are trying to bring that road game home.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053509 New York Rangers

Pavel Buchnevich sits, but gets Alain Vigneault’s endorsement

By Steve Zipay

Rookie winger Pavel Buchnevich was a healthy scratch against the Panthers on Friday night, but coach Alain Vigneault issued an endorsement before the game. Asked if the 21-year-old Russian could be sent to AHL Hartford to play, as he was for a game last month, Vigneault insisted that he will be back in the lineup. “At this point, I would say no [to Hartford]. We’ve used up a recall [teams are allowed only four],” Vigneault said. ”He’s not playing tonight, but he is going to play. He’s had some good games lately. It’s just that inconsistency with a few plays that we need him to be a little bit better, but he is going to play. There’s a lot of hockey left. We’ve got a lot of faith in his skill level and the way he can play.” Buchnevich, who missed 25 games with back issues starting in late November, has two goals and an assist in his last seven games. Looking for chemistry Buchnevich could be odd-man out for Rangers Vigneault wouldn’t commit to line combinations in the final 11 games and will see how things unfold. “I’d like us to be able to put 60 minutes together . . . It’s also on a performance basis,’’ he said. “There’s got to be some chemistry and you’ve got to play well. Kreids and Step [Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan], I know that those two have played with one another. Mika [Zibanejad] was out for a while. I’m hoping with Nasher [Rick Nash] and J.T. [Miller], there might be something there. Jesper [Fast] coming back, him and Grabs [Michael Grabner] have had some good chemistry. We’ll see.” Raanta stays in goal Antti Raanta made his fourth straight start subbing for injured Henrik Lundqvist. Magnus Hellberg was the backup. The Blueshirts play in Minnesota on Saturday, the first of four consecutive back-to-back sets. This is the first such game sequence for the Rangers since March 24, 2001, through April 5, 2001, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “At some point, logic would say he’ll [Hellberg] get a game, depending on how quick Hank comes back,” Vigneault said. Lundqvist, whose hip strain is improving, could play on the three-game California trip starting March 24. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.18.2017

1053510 Ottawa Senators This time, the Senators won’t open the season in Sweden, but rather will head over in early November for the two games, and there will be a short break when they return. Melnyk weighs in on Olympics The Senators last went overseas in 2008, when they faced off against Karlsson’s former Frolunda team in a preseason contest in Alfredsson’s hometown, then faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in two games to open the BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN regular season. FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 10:31 PM EDT Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 Eugene Melnyk didn’t even have to think twice about the question. If National Hockey League players aren’t given permission by the league to attend next year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, there’s no need for Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson to ask his team’s owner for permission to suit up for Sweden. It won’t happen. Asked by Postmedia if he would allow Karlsson to go to the Olympics — and the Senators’ star defenceman has never indicated publicly he would request permission to go — Melnyk put the hammer down right away. “No, no, it would be no, a flat no,” Melnyk said. “I talked to (former Senators captain Daniel) Alfredsson about it and he understands the player would want to (attend), but I’m not going to risk that.” Melnyk pointed to the 2005-06 season, when the Senators lost goaltender Dominik Hasek to a mysterious adductor injury after he was hurt while playing for the Czech Republic in the Turin Winter Olympics. Hasek never returned to the net and the Senators lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Buffalo Sabres with Ray Emery in net. “I had a Cup in 2006 parked for me and waiting for me,” Melnyk said. “We were arguing about whose name was going to go on the (Cup). We were there and what happens? Hasek. I’m not going to do that. “Can you imagine if (Karlsson) goes and he gets a permanent injury? You know what I’m saying? That’s my view,” Melnyk said. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has indicated he wouldn’t stand in the way of captain Alex Ovechkin if he wanted to try to win gold with Russia even if the league doesn’t agree to send players. “Good, go ahead, wait until you’re going into the Stanley Cup final or you’ve got a hot team or you’re favoured for the Stanley Cup and Ovechkin is gone,” Melnyk said. “Go to (Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey) Price. He gets hurt, what happens to the Canadiens?” Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly indicated such decisions might be up to individual owners once the league has ruled on whether it will participate in the 2018 Olympics or not. “We’ve started giving some to thought to that. It’s certainly not an issue that we have to resolve today,” Daly said. “I would be surprised if we allowed it to be club-by-club issue at this point. I think there will be a league response.” At this point, it doesn’t sound as if NHL players will participate in the 2018. The idea hasn’t been ruled out, but the clock is ticking and nobody is optimistic it will happen. The Senators and Montreal Canadiens have faced each other in the playoffs twice and that’s why this is a good rivalry. Now the Senators and Habs will face each other in back-to-back weekend games that will go a long way in determining first place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. “It’s a great rivalry and it keeps getting better,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. “Usually it’s a playoff series or two that can make it more intense. We’ve won one and we’ve lost one, so the rivalry is pretty solid. We like that because it makes for a better hockey game.” Molson noted that his club’s long playoff history with the Boston Bruins was a big reason why that rivalry was so strong. “We have a massive rivalry with the Boston Bruins and it just so happens I think we’ve played them 30 times in the 100-year history of the NHL,” Molson said. “That rivalry is intense and I think we’re building one with the Senators.” Karlsson, who was born in Gothenburg, should get a chance to play in Sweden next season even if he doesn’t get the chance to play for his country in the Olympics. League sources say paperwork is being finalized and the Senators will likely face the Colorado Avalanche in two regular-season games at Globen Arena in Stockholm. 1053511 Ottawa Senators 1993 when he was goaltending Montreal to the Stanley Cup finals. But generally speaking, Burrows loved his bleu-blanc-rouge. “My friends would record the game on their VHS and the next morning before going How a slow lap made Bernie Parent all-time great to school I’d be able to catch the second and third period before hopping on the bus,” he said. “I knew the score, I knew who had scored. I was obviously following the Habs a lot.” ... Just saw a story (with pics) on Yahoo that had the headline: Jennifer Lopez Rocks Sexy White Mini- BY DON BRENNAN, OTTAWA SUN Dress on Dinner Date With Alex Rodriguez. Naturally, I had to check it out. I was a big A-Rod fan. FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 09:26 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 09:35 PM EDT Keon was telling me about his Pontiac roots on Friday. “My mother was from Vinton and my father from Wyman,” said the former Maple Leafs

superstar. He’s also cousins with Dr. Wilbert Keon, the founder of Ottawa Bernie Parent remembers the most heart-breaking, life-defining loss he Heart Institute. “I met him on Wednesday for the first time,” Dave said. suffered on an outdoor rink. “He has done some great things. A lot greater things than I ever did.” So which is the most famous Keon? “He is,” Dave said. “I was an “I was 12 years old and I wanted to be a defenceman,” he said on Friday. entertainer. He saved people.” ... Keons weren’t always known as Keons. “But you had to go around the rink once and, depending on your speed, “If you go in the Valley, everybody at the table was talking about the Key- the coach would find a position for you. Guys would do it in 12, 13, 14 oh-ns.” he said. “When I went to school in at St. Mike’s in Toronto, they seconds. I did mine in 21 seconds. Coach looked at me and said asked me what my name was and I said David Key-oh-n. They said, ‘goaltender.’ ‘what?’ And I repeated it three times. And then I said David Keon. And they said, ‘why didn’t you say that in the first place.” ... Growing up in “That’s how I became a goalie.” Thurso, Lafleur never dreamed of a day there would be another Habs- Years later, one of the best ever. Parent was among 15 goalies on the Senators rivalry. “It’s good for hockey,” The Flower said Friday. “It’s good 100 greatest NHL players list. Ten of his 14 seasons were spent with the for Montreal. Before they had the Nordiques, and now the Nordiques are Philadelphia Flyers, where he won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974 gone. Until they come back, but nobody knows when. You need rivalries and 1975. like that to motivate the players and motivate the fans. It’s part of the game. Unfortunately, you don’t have a lot of rivalries between a lot of He also won both the Vezina Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy in teams in the NHL.” each year. His 47 wins in 1973-74 is one shy of the single-season league record, shared by Martin Brodeur and Braden Holtby. It has been perhaps the most spectacular seven months ever for Ottawa sports, when you consider Erica Wiebe’s Olympic wrestling gold medal, Now 71 years old, Parent was in town to take part in the ceremony the Redblacks win, Rachel Homan’s win at the Scotties, the announcing next season’s open-air game at TD Place, along with fellow Champions’ championship and the ’ seventh hoops title hockey legends , Guy Lafleur, Paul Coffey, Mike Bossy, in a row. All good karma for the Senators, maybe? … And what about Dave Keon and Bryan Trottier. that rebound by Ottawa’s Marial Shayok, who lost his starting job with Virginia down the stretch but then erupted in the opening round of the Parent would have loved playing an outdoor game during his career. NCAA tournament, scoring a career-high 23 points to lead the Cavaliers “It’s something that you came from, when we played outdoors,” he said. to a 76-71 victory over UNC Wilmington? ... If you’re going to Bell Centre “There’s magic. When you get outdoors, you have a big crowd, but you’re for the Senators-Habs game on Sunday, you might want to leave early to outdoors. It’s like the old days, when you were a kid. That magic comes catch Montreal’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, the biggest of its kind in the back, just like that.” country and one of the biggest in the world. Of course, if you’re going to the parade, you might not make it to the game ... One of Burrow’s The minus-20 Eugene Melnyk is hoping for on Dec. 16, 2017, would favourite pranks to pull when he was with the Canucks involved messing have be tough on a goalie though, right? Standing in one spot, for long with the team’s pre-game meal. “Instead of chocolate sauce, guys throw stretches of time, just freezing? the barbecue sauce on their ice cream,” he said. “Next thing they know the taste was not as sweet as they were hoping for.” “No, no, no,” Parent said. “You would have the excitement of the game. You would have the excitement of the crowd. And your mind is made up. One of the greatest and fastest right wingers of all time, 65-year-old Guy Your mind is not concentrated on yourself, it’s concentrated on the game. Lafleur now does his flying in his helicopter. So you don’t feel cold. Now if you stand there by yourself, if you’re not playing, you’re going to get cold. He uses it when he visits his mom in Thurso. He brought it to Ottawa, landing at Rockliffe Airport, when he showed up for Friday’s “But if your mind is onto something else you don’t feel it.” announcement of next season’s outdoor game. Immediately afterwards, Lafleur flew to Carp. At the same time, Parent is glad he played when he did. When goalie pads were small. That’s right, when the puck stoppers had less Just before he left, he shared the story of the night he stole the Stanley protection. Cup. “In the old days, the equipment would allow you to make saves, to make It was a Saturday afternoon in 1978 and the Habs had just won their third movements, to direct the rebounds to your defencemen,” Parent said. in a string of four championships. As per tradition, they took the Cup to “Today, they’re well-protected, but they don’t have that flexibility to make Toe Blake’s Tavern and Henri Richard’s brasserie, the establishments those saves, the equipment is so bulky. owned by the legendary coach and captain, to mingle with fans and pose for pictures on an official team outing supervised by P.R. man Claude “If you watch a goalie closely, what they do is they block the shots. They Mouton. drop to their knees. They’re great goalies, don’t misunderstand me, they’re great athletes. But if you pay attention, they’re always blocking it, Now this was back when there was only one Cup, no replica, and before taking space, in front of the net. That’s the only way you can play with players were allowed to have the coveted mug for a day. that equipment. I put equipment on last year, just to see what it would be like. I couldn’t move.” Mouton was the keeper of the Cup, and after the mingling and photos were done, he would put it in his trunk. All that gear is apparently needed, he is reminded, because of how hard players fire the puck now. Parent, who was never injured stopping a shot “I said to Claude, give me your keys, I need to put something in your car,” but did have his career end by a stick in the eye, sighs in response. recalled Lafleur, a mischievous grin breaking out on his face. “He did, and I sent my friend across the street to make a copy. I told my friend, “They have more players now shooting the puck at 100 mph than they after the mingle, and after Claude brings the Cup back to his trunk, you did in those days, but is still the king,” he said. “His shot was steal the car.” clocked at 120 mph. When he came down and he scored a goal, you were very grateful. Lafleur’s pal was on board with the plan, and carried it as discussed. He brought the car, and the Cup, to a designated meeting place across from “It meant that he missed you.” the Forum. In his first 822 NHL games, Alex Burrows earned 1,066 penalty minutes, “We toured around all the bars and discotheque in Montreal at night,” or one-point-whatever per outing. In eight games as a Senator, he hasn’t Lafleur said. “We ended the party at my place in the West Island, by the visited the box yet. Why does it feel that’s about to change in a weekend pool. series against a team that has not one, but three shift disturbers in Andrew Shaw, Brendan Gallagher and Steve Ott? ... Burrows’ favourite player growing up in Quebec was Patrick Roy, especially in 1989 and “The next day I phoned my dad and I said, I have the Stanley Cup with me and I’m going to Thurso. He never believed me. I said I’ll be there in two hours. He said, ‘there’s no way you have the Cup.’ “So I showed up with the Cup. Everybody came out, all the neighbours ... it was just a big party. A lot of the older guys were crying, kissing the Cup, they couldn’t believe it. “It was unreal.” At that point Lafleur reaches for his phone to show me “pictures of the pictures” he took from that day. There’s one of his cleaning it, on his mom’s front lawn, before the party. There’s more of family members posing with it, including his son Martin, who in the photo is not quite as tall as the Cup. “He’s 42 today,” Lafleur said. He flipped through more pictures, of his sister, her baby in the Cup, his grandfather, aunt, uncle ... “Looks like it’s in the 50’s,” he says, laughing. “Claude phoned me on the Sunday, he was so pissed off at me,” said Lafleur. “He said, ‘you have the Cup.’ I said, ‘I don’t have the Cup.’ He said, ‘I know you have the Cup.’ “He said, ‘you’re going to have to bring it to me right now,’ I said, ‘no, Monday morning.’ “He said you better be careful with it, I said don’t worry about it. “And then I let the people enjoy the Stanley Cup, appreciate the Cup,” Lafleur said, adding proudly: “They still talk about that day in Thurso.” With that, one of the greatest players ever, a superstar on a Habs team that used to affectionately be known as the “Flying Frenchmen” headed for his helicopter and flew off. NAME THAT STREET: NHL commish Gary Bettman recited the origin of the Stanley Cup and how it was donated by Lord Stanley of Preston on March 18, 1892 at the Russell Hotel, which was on the corner of Sparks and Elgin. Somebody should have told Gary the proper pronunciation of Elgin is not “gin”, as in the booze. Maybe he missed rehearsal? WAS HE KIDDING?: Senators owner Eugene Melnyk (or “Mel-nack”, as he was called by The Honourable Catherine McKenna) began his speech by calling the announcement of the outdoor game “the best kept secret in Ottawa.” Some of us were sure he meant the worst-kept secret. Somebody else thought he was trying to be cute. Mel-nack doesn’t pull off cute very well. AS WEATHERMEN GO, HE’S NO J.J. CLARKE: Melnyk offered a “long- range forecast” for the outdoor game. “I hope it’s going to be at least minus-20, at least, and a clear blue sky,” he said, then later added: “It’s going to be a perfect weekend, I guarantee you.” He probably should have went with clear black sky, considering it will be a night game. SWEET MEMORIES: Former NHL great Paul Coffey recalled his very first championships. “From the time you were a kid and making that little Stanley Cup out of a Kit Kat wrapper, playing road hockey then running around the house with that little thing ... that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “I’m real proud to be a part of it and I’ve won four Cups.” Very nice, but shouldn’t they have used a Coffee Crisp wrapper in his house? I’LL DRINK TO THAT: It took Habs owner Geoff Molson to reel everybody back to the present. “We also all know we have three important games coming up this week as well,” he said, referring to Senators-Habs meetings Saturday, Sunday and again next Saturday. “We’re going to hope those three games are great as well.” Amen.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053512 Ottawa Senators “They’re a top team in the league, a team we want to be better than,” said Karlsson. “We will be focused on the game (on Saturday) at first. However that goes, that’s all we’re going to care about that. Then we’re Senators and Canadiens about to get very well-acquainted going to move on to the next one, which just happens to be them on Sunday. They’re a good team. They’re going to make it hard on us.”

There was good news for the Senators on the injury front on Friday. BY KEN WARREN Goaltender Chris Driedger was returned to Binghamton of the AHL, meaning that Craig Anderson — sidelined for games against Tampa and FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 07:14 PM EDT | Chicago due to an undisclosed lower-body injury — is, at the very least, UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 09:41 PM EDT in position to back up Mike Condon. Perhaps Anderson could see action in one of the two games on the weekend.

Adding to the slew of story angles, Condon took over the Canadiens net For the Senators on Friday, it was all about the Montreal Canadiens. from the injured Price last season. He took on a starring role in a Winter On Saturday, it will be all about the Montreal Canadiens. Classic game against Boston. And on Sunday, well, you can guess where this is going. Now the Senators are talking about their own game in the elements. Friday’s official announcement of an outdoor game between the Senators “One of the things that people are going to be talking about 50 years and Canadiens on Dec. 16 has added yet another element to the already down the road is, ‘I was at the Senators-Montreal Canadiens game that compelling weekend home-and-away series between the clubs. was outdoors,’ ” Dorion said. In the short term, first place in the Atlantic Division is on the line, with the That might be a tad over the top, but you get the point. Additional playoffs fast approaching. The Senators trail the Canadiens by a single chapters keep getting added to the heated rivalry. point, but have played one fewer game. For the next two weekends, people are also going to be talking about the In the big picture, the outdoor game should be full of postcard-type Senators-Canadiens games. Canadiana moments in an anniversary season for the NHL and the The history should add some cold comfort for Ottawa Senators and country. Montreal Canadiens fans. Add it all together and you’ve got the potential for a healthy mix of It turns out that the coldest Dec. 16 in Ottawa’s recorded history came in hockey, history and hate. 1917 — exactly 100 years before the puck will drop between the “It’s the cherry on top of the sundae to have these two teams play in a Senators and Canadiens at TD Place in the NHL 100 Classic. game of this significance,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said According to Environment Canada, the temperature dipped to a bone- at Friday’s festivities announcing the long-awaited outdoor game at TD chilling minus-29.4 degrees Celsius at Ottawa’s Experimental Farm on Place. “To be able to honour the league (2017 marks the 100th that day. anniversary of the NHL), it will just make it a better event.” Dress in layers — many layers — hockey fans. Stock up on the coffee Dorion, who grew up as a Canadiens fan, went on to say that the and hot chocolate. importance of the weekend games makes it even more enjoyable. Even a repeat of last year’s Dec. 16 temperatures (a high of minus-16 C “Both teams are trending upward. It’s our most senior rivalry. The last two and a low of minus-27 C) would fulfil the wishes of Senators owner times we’ve been in the playoffs, we’ve played (Montreal). It’s a big Eugene Melnyk, who says he’s hoping for “at least” minus-20 degrees for event.” the big game. While most of the Senators had Friday off to prepare for the weekend Of course, this being Ottawa, there’s no guarantee of anything. In both series, captain Erik Karlsson was making the media rounds, doing his 2014 and 2015, the temperature topped the freezing mark on Dec. 16. In part to sell the outdoor showcase game. 2013, it dipped to a frigid minus-27.8. The high-water mark was a balmy He joked about the “not-so-outdoor game” in Vancouver, referring to the plus-9.4 in 1984. Senators-Canucks game in March 2014 — played under a closed roof at “There’s utterly no way of forecasting what it might be like,” said BC Place due to the threat of rain — and promised the Ottawa game Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell. “But it should be would bring out the best in players and the fans. freezing. The normal range on that day is between minus-three and “This time, it’s going to be a little different, especially being on home soil minus-11.” and playing against the Montreal Canadiens,” he said. And there’s a good chance for a snowglobe-type setting, with flakes “Their fan base around this area is huge and it’s going to bring the whole dropping down on the players. According to weatherspark.com, there’s a community together. It’s great for our fans and for the city. They’ve done 62% chance of snow on Dec. 16. The all-time record came when a a great job of reviving the city and that whole part of the city (around TD blizzard hit in 1974, dumping 29 centimetres on Canada’s capital. Place) is so beautiful right now. It’s the perfect location to have this game Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has a message for Mother right now.” Nature: Bring on the cold. While Karlsson says the Senators aren’t focused today on a game next “I’m hoping it’s minus-20, with no wind and clear blue skies,” Dorion said. December, he recognizes that the excitement will grow as the date “We can’t control the weather, but to have this type of event on a colder approaches. day than a warmer day would probably make it an even better “This will be my first real outdoor experience and I’m looking forward to experience for the fans.” it,” said Karlsson, whose last experience playing hockey came as a seven-year-old in Sweden. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 “When you’re in the mid-season, sometimes it’s easy to forget how much fun you’re having. An event like this is really going to break it up and make you realize how fortunate you are to do the things you love and play hockey every day. Hopefully, we can win the game, but it’s so much more than that.” Switching gears to the present, Karlsson recognizes the Senators are in position to take control atop the Atlantic Division if they can sweep the Canadiens this weekend. They meet yet again on March 25 in Montreal, a wild stretch of three emotionally charged games in eight days. The Canadiens have been re-energized, with an 8-4 record since Claude Julien replaced Michel Therrien as head coach, while goaltender Carey Price has regained his form. Price is expected to start at on Saturday. 1053513 Ottawa Senators Melnyk suggested the possibility of the Senators’ AHL affiliate — which will move to Belleville next season — hosting a game outdoors is on the table. The NHL and the Senators will spend the next few months trying to Ottawa Senators to host outdoor game against Montreal Canadiens at make sure the first game held here is special for everyone involved. TD Place in December “We know the Senators are showing up, we know Montreal is showing up, and now they’re going to work around it to make it a very festive weekend, so we’re considering everything,” said Melnyk. BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN This will be the second outdoor game in which the Senators have FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 11:43 AM EDT | participated. The club scored a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 05:36 PM EDT at BC Place in the Tim Hortons Heritage Classic in 2010, but it was raining that day and the roof had to be closed at the last minute.

“I know we’re extremely excited as a team,” said captain Erik Karlsson. OTTAWA — The timing is perfect for the Senators and Montreal “We played in Vancouver in not so much of an outdoor game, but it was Canadiens to face off outdoors, but this one will be under the stars. a great experience. In the middle of the season, you forget how much fun it is to play hockey and this type of event pulls it all together.” As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday in 2017, the NHL enjoys its 100th anniversary season and the Senators mark their 25th in the league No decision has been made on how far Ottawa hockey fans are going to this year, the party will end in style with an outdoor game against the have to dig into their pockets if they want to see the outdoor game next Canadiens at TD Place on Sat., Dec. 16. season. Hockey Night in Canada wasn’t going to pass on this great matchup The ticket prices haven’t been announced publicly for the 34,000-seat between the Senators and Habs, which will mark the 100th anniversary stadium, but they won’t all be cheap, especially when you consider the of the first game in NHL history played between Ottawa and Montreal at fact that, by league standards, will be one of the the Dey’s Arena in Ottawa on Dec. 19, 1917. smallest venues to ever host an NHL outdoor game. “It was a night that launched 100 years of NHL hockey,” said Bettman at Senators owner Eugene Melnyk told reporters he doesn’t know what the a splashy news conference at Fairmont Chateau Laurier Friday. “We cost of the seats will be because they haven’t been finalized yet, but believe that (at)100 years old, our game has never been faster, stronger, pointed at the prices of the NHL all-star game held here in 2012 as one more skilled or better. We also believe the first 100 years are only the way to judge. beginning. “They haven’t set them yet,” said Melnyk on Friday at a news conference. “So to launch our next 100 years, we believe it’s only right to bring the “I remember for the all-star game (at Canadian Tire Centre), they were in Senators and the Canadiens back together.” the $300 range. They were below and above (that price), but if you use that as a benchmark ... and it was a big deal and it was sold out well in While the Senators wanted this game on , those plans had advance. to be scrapped when the federal government refused to allow the NHL to bring the game there because of the logistics involved, security, the costs “In this case, Montreal is going to grab up a lot of tickets. It will be a sell- and the time commitment of putting up 35,000 to 40,000 temporary out and we have an obligation to make sure it is — not (just) a sell-out, seats. but successful. The Senators stepped up and committed to make sure X- number of tickets are sold, so we’re actually on a financial hook as well.” Once those plans fell through, Melnyk — who has been working on this game with his staff for more than a year — gave his blessing to the The Senators will likely include this game as part of their season-ticket league to negotiate with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group so renewals that went out recently. the game can be held three weeks after the Grey Cup takes place at TD Place. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said seats will go on sale in the summer, but indicated no firm prices have been set, adding that a lot of Melnyk couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he noted that, with a trio of thought goes into the decision on what fans should pay. birthday parties taking place, the stars aligned for this event. “It’s always a tough question,” Daly told the Sun. “You have to gauge the “This has got to be the best-kept secret in Ottawa,” said Melnyk with a market, gauge the demand, gauge the supply of seats (and) this is a smile. “Only the hockey gods could have figured this one out. I can think smaller facility, so you never want to price it out of the marketplace, but of no better place than to cap off our centennial celebrations in Ottawa.” you also have cost considerations in terms of putting the game on.” Melnyk noted he had to make a decision on whether the Senators should go ahead with the game after government officials slammed the door of playing with the Peace Tower as the backdrop. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 “I had to decide whether we were still interested in doing it at an outdoor stadium,” Melnyk said. “The idea grew and we ended up making the decision that we were all-in and we were going to end up making this great. We’re going to do a great job.” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said he had several discussions with the NHL and the Senators about this game because he wanted to make sure it happened. “Today is an amazing day for our fans, our city and the wonderful game of hockey,” said Watson. “It took a lot of effort to get this announcement and a lot of long hours. “At some point, I think I could be accused of harassment — borderline harassment — for the calls that went back and forth between my office, the NHL and the Senators, but it all came together, and we’re going to host an amazing event.” It will be a weekend-long celebration, but the Senators and the NHL aren’t sure what’s going to surround this game just yet. Most cities have held an alumni game the day before the actual event, but deputy commissioner Bill Daly indicated the Senators aren’t sure they want to go that route. “We always like to build some ancillary events around the game that the community can become involved with,” said Daly. “I heard last night the alumni game may be a challenge and I think the alumni game is a challenge each time we do it for different reasons. “It’s not just about the game itself, it’s going to be a celebration weekend.” 1053514 Philadelphia Flyers There were too many times this season when the Flyers lost simply because their goalie was outplayed by the guy down the other end - and in many cases, the opposing goaltender was a backup. Flyers' season a roller-coaster ride that was far too bumpy Yes, the defense has contributed, but too often, the Flyers goalie has failed to make a momentum-turning key save. Updated: MARCH 17, 2017 — 4:39 PM EDT The roller-coaster season is almost over. by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | It has not been a fun ride, but it would at least be more entertaining - and, [email protected] you can argue, beneficial - if Hextall brought up some players from the AHL's Phantoms to give them some experience for next season in the final 12 games. Isn't it time to start the future today? The Flyers' 2016-17 campaign should be called The Roller-Coaster "We'll see where we're at," Hextall said before Thursday's embarrassing Season. loss to the Devils. "We'll see where our younger guys are at. We'll see the situation in terms of injuries and everything else." It has been a bumpy ride, filled with too many ups and downs instead of a steady, productive journey through the grueling 82-game season. Hextall said he doesn't want to take a player away from the Phantoms "if they're not going to help us here. We know how good those players are. Up: The Flyers won 10 straight earlier this season, their longest winning Our job is to watch those players and figure out next year where we think streak since 1985. On Dec. 15, they had the fourth-most points in the they'll be in terms of this level. NHL and were ahead of teams such as Washington and Columbus. They were nine points ahead of the ninth-seeded team in the East. "Is it nice to get a peek every once in a while? I guess it is, but if a player comes up for one game it's not like if he plays a great game or a bad Down: Since the winning streak ended, the Flyers have won only 13 of game you know what you've got there. You don't. . . . You've got to be their last 38 games (13-20-5) - the second-fewest wins in the NHL during really careful with that. Our job is to evaluate that level and figure out that span. Barring a miracle finish, they will become the first team in NHL next year whether they have a chance to be here or not, and then they history to miss the playoffs during a season in which it won 10 straight. come to camp and they've got to prove it." Up: The Flyers scored 102 goals in their first 32 games (3.2 goals per game). Only Pittsburgh and the Rangers scored more. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.18.2017 Down: In their last 38 games, the Flyers have scored just 74 goals (1.9 per game). Only Colorado has scored fewer. So the Flyers went from the league's No. 3 offense to No. 29. Up: The Flyers blanked the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, 4-0. Down: On Thursday, the Flyers dropped a 6-2 decision to New Jersey, which had lost 10 straight and was the Eastern Conference's worst team. "We've been inconsistent all year, and that's on the players," said winger Brayden Schenn, whose team began the weekend six points out of a playoff spot with 12 games remaining. The up-and-down season has baffled general manager Ron Hextall. "You're sitting there going, 'It's the same team every night, right?' " he said. "You're going to have peaks and valleys, that's reality. You're dealing with human beings, not robots. We understand that. But our valleys have been a little too low for me." Everyone needs to be held accountable. Yes, the players deserve the brunt of the blame, but management hasn't helped much: Hextall's free-agent signings (Dale Weise and Boyd Gordon) have struck out; coach Dave Hakstol's constant (and sometimes curious) lineup juggling has prevented the team from having much continuity; and the special teams, coached by Joe Mullen and Ian Laperriere, have struggled mightily in the season's latter stages. Under Hakstol, most of the players have regressed this season, and it was inexcusable for them to play such a listless game Thursday in New Jersey with so much on the line. No one expected the Flyers to be legitimate Stanley Cup contenders this season. There are too many shortcomings in the lineup, and Hextall is shrewdly building through the draft. Most fans have bought into that. They understand this is a process, that Hextall had to dig out from a bad cap situation he was dealt, and that the farm system has some talented players waiting in the wings. That said, Hextall needs to supplement things by making a shrewd off- season trade - the team's core has grown stale - and adding a key player in free agency, though he won't have as much to spend because of the Valtteri Filppula trade and his $5 million cap hit next season. Hextall's most important challenge: stabilizing the goalie situation. Assuming unrestricted free agent Steve Mason isn't re-signed - Hextall hasn't decided whether he will make an offer - the third-year general manager must decide whether to protect Michal Neuvirth or Anthony Stolarz in the expansion draft. The free-agent goalie market includes Ben Bishop and Scott Darling, and the Flyers also have several gifted goaltender prospects getting closer to being NHL-ready. 1053515 Philadelphia Flyers

Shania Twain took in a Flyers game

Updated: MARCH 17, 2017 — 3:41 PM EDT by Molly Eichel , Staff Writer @mollyeichel | [email protected]

Shania Twain chose a bad week to be in Philadelphia, although considering she's from Ontario, the country queen is probably used to the snow. While Twain was in Philly, she did what any good Canadian would do: She went to a hockey game. Twain watched as the Flyers beat the Penguins 4-0. That giant pizza? Our sources tell us it comes from Lorenzo's on South Street, known for their gargantuan slices. Twain, of course, has been to the Wells Fargo Center before, except usually she's onstage. The last time she was here was 2015, which was a part of her farewell to live performance tour. "Twain's voice isn't what it used to be. She struggled to hit the right notes, missing many throughout the night. But she owned the stage and the songs in a way no one else could. It's tough to believe she's done performing, because she's just so darn good at it, and she does it with such singular grace," we wrote back then.

Published: March 17, 2017 — 3:41 PM EDT Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053516 Philadelphia Flyers

Giroux insists Flyers haven't quit despite listless loss to Devils

Updated: MARCH 17, 2017 — 11:15 PM EDT by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | [email protected]

Flyers captain Claude Giroux seemed annoyed by the question. The Flyers, trailing by a goal entering the third period Thursday in New Jersey, played a lifeless final 20 minutes. Even though their playoff hopes were hanging by a thread, they had no pushback and didn't get a third-period shot until 8 minutes, 11 seconds remained in the game. Had the Flyers quit, as it appeared to those who watched their eventual 6-2 loss to the Eastern Conference's worst team? "I don't think we're giving up," Giroux said. Told the Flyers had no shots for nearly the first 12 minutes of the third period, Giroux said, "It doesn't mean we're giving up. No one's going to give up here till the end of the season. I mean, we're going to keep working, keep working on our game. "We know we're a better team; we know we can be in a better position." Their position: They are six points out of a wild-card spot with 12 games remaining. They needed to climb past four teams to get into the playoffs. The night before Thursday's loss at the sparsely filled Prudential Center, the Flyers defeated the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-0. "We played the way we wanted to as a team," Giroux said of the victory over the road-weary Penguins, "and [Thursday] wasn't the case." The Flyers, who will host Carolina on Sunday night, had done well in the back end of games played on consecutive nights. Prior to Thursday, they were an admirable 8-4-2 in such games. But against a Devils team that had lost 10 straight and had a half dozen AHL call-ups in its lineup, they were thoroughly outplayed and missed a chance to inch to within four points of a wild-card spot. "We didn't win enough of the battles, enough of the races," coach Dave Hakstol said. ". . . We're on the second night of back-to-backs, but at this time of the year, none of us are going to make excuses for that." "We were flat, and I have no idea why," winger Jake Voracek said. "We were slow. . . . Things like that happen during the season, but it was a bad time for us." The Flyers are 0-3 this season against the Devils and have been outscored, 14-3. If the Flyers had won those three games, they would be tied for the final playoff spot. Hakstol was asked why the Devils were such a bad matchup for his team. "I haven't given much thought to that," he said after the game. "I'll get into that another time after the season when I have some time to think about it. Right now, I'm worried about this one tonight and the next one coming up." The Flyers will play the Devils twice in their final 12 games. Hakstol, who has three years remaining on a five-year contract, recently said he had to do a better job. He was asked if he thought his seat was getting warm because of the team's inconsistent play. "No. I'm going to work to prepare and fight and battle every single night," he said. "That part of it doesn't even enter my mind. I'm worried about wins and losses and the performance of our team." Breakaways. Steve Mason, who left Thursday's game with leg cramps, has recovered and will be available to play Sunday if Hakstol decides to use him, general manager Ron Hextall said. . . . The Flyers have a combined 35 shots in two one-sided losses at the Prudential Center this season.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053517 Philadelphia Flyers

Five things to know today about the Flyers after loss to Devils

Updated: MARCH 17, 2017 — 12:49 PM EDT by Sam Carchidi , STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | [email protected]

Five things to know today about the Flyers (32-30-8), who will host Carolina (29-27-12) on Sunday night: Facing a 3-2 deficit in New Jersey, the Flyers looked like they quit on Dave Hakstol in the third period of a must-win game. They had no pushback, and it took nearly 12 minutes before they managed a third- period shot in a 6-2 loss. The Flyers, who are six points out of a playoff spot with 12 games left, are 8-5-2 in the second half of back-to-back games this season. The Flyers’ power play against the Devils in three games (all losses) this season: 0 for 11. The Devils’ power play against the Flyers this season: 5 for 16. Winger Jordan Weal did not appear to be 100 percent healthy and played just 9:49 Thursday. The Flyers have 72 points in 70 games. At a corresponding point last season, they had 80 points.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053518 Philadelphia Flyers

BEST OF NHL: PANTHERS WIN IN SHOOTOUT AS JAGR REACHES ANOTHER MILESTONE

By The Associated Press March 18, 2017 12:19 AM

NEW YORK -- Aleksander Barkov scored a third-period goal and added the winner in the shootout as the Florida Panthers beat the New York Rangers 4-3 on Friday night. Jaromir Jagr had two assists and passed Hall of Famer Gordie Howe for the most points after turning 40 with 269. Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and assist and Jussi Jokinen also scored for Florida. James Reimer made 29 saves for the Panthers, who are trying to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Reimer made his seventh straight start with Roberto Luongo out because of a lower- body injury. Mats Zuccarello scored two goals and J.T. Miller also tallied for the Rangers, who were unable to hold an early 2-0 lead. Brendan Smith added two assists. Antti Raanta made his fourth consecutive start in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist and finished with 34 saves. The Rangers have lost six straight home games (0-5-1) (see full recap). PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby scored twice to move into a tie for the NHL lead with 37, Carter Rowney added the first goal of his NHL career and the short-handed Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils 6- 4 on Friday night. Crosby added an assist to give him 640 in his career and move him into a tie with Jaromir Jagr for the second-most in franchise history. Nick Bonino, Jake Guentzel and Phil Kessel also scored for Pittsburgh as the Penguins leapfrogged Columbus to move into second-place behind Washington in the Metropolitan Division. Matt Murray stopped 32 shots for Pittsburgh as the Penguins relied on Crosby and some fresh faces to overcome the loss of Evgeni Malkin, who is out with an upper-body injury. Kyle Palmieri matched Crosby with two goals for New Jersey. Stefan Noesen and Beau Bennett also scored for the Devils. Keith Kinkaid finished with 37 saves (see full recap). CALGARY, Alberta -- Mark Giordano had a goal and two assists, Brian Elliott stopped 24 shots in his 10th straight win and the Calgary Flames beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 Friday night. Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik also scored to help Calgary bounce back from a loss to Boston two nights earlier -- with Elliott home with the flu -- that snapped the Flames' 10-game winning streak. Calgary, 12-1-1 in its last 14, jumped past Edmonton into third place in the Pacific Division. Elliott's busiest period was the second when Dallas outshot Calgary 13- 10 but fell behind 2-0. Bidding for his third shutout in four games, Elliott was finally beaten with 6:41 left in the third when TJ Brodie mishandled the puck in front of his net and Brett Ritchie whipped it past the surprised goaltender. Kari Lehtonen finished with 21 saves for Dalls, which finished a 1-3-0 road trip (see full recap).

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053519 Philadelphia Flyers

FLYERS-DEVILS 10 OBSERVATIONS: AN INEXCUSABLE LACK OF FIGHT

By Tim Panaccio | CSNPhilly.com March 17, 2017 9:00 AM

Ten things I think, I think after the Flyers' complete meltdown at Prudential Center at the hands of the New Jersey Devils, 6-2 (see game recap). Obviously, the Flyers' wild-card hopes took a major hit when goalie Steve Mason exited with cramps after trying to make a save on Taylor Hall's breakaway goal in the third period. Yet the effort in front of him even before the injury was appalling for a team that claims it wants to win the wild card. Dave Hakstol's club showed more fight after the game than during regulation. That's inexcusable, even considering it was on the second night of back-to-back games. 1. This was a classic case of the Flyers' playing down to the competition a night after they kicked the Pittsburgh Penguins around the rink. The Devils, who aren't playoff-bound, were the hungrier team while the Flyers were too docile. New Jersey played with the kind of desperation that the Flyers should have shown given their place in the wild-card standings. Simply put, it's inexcusable and it's a reason why they won't make the playoff cut with 12 games left. 2. What is it about the Devils' penalty kill that simply frustrates the hell out of the Flyers? Hakstol's bunch is now 0 for 12 against New Jersey this season. After all, the Devils' PK units are just barely better than the Flyers' – 19th in the NHL. There's no rationale for the Flyers not scoring against them. 3. Hard to believe Harry, but John Hynes' Devils came into play having lost 10 consecutive games (0-8-2) and yet they came out challenging the Flyers. Truth is, this is a rivalry going back to the Meadowlands where New Jersey always showed up against the Flyers on home ice, regardless of where either team was in the standings. 4. The Flyers have had some issues this season with teams scoring off the faceoff against them. It happened recently at home against Columbus and it reoccurred against the Devils late in the first period when Travis Zajac won a faceoff from Valtteri Filppula. Kyle Palmieri came out of a pile in the high slot for a screen shot that Mason had trouble finding. That tied the game 1-1 when the Flyers should have gone into the intermission with a lead. Between the time the Flyers scored first and got their next shot, 11 minutes had elapsed. 5. Rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov has been the club's best defenseman this season. Like all young D-men, he makes mistakes. Most of them are turnovers. He had a bad one in the opening minutes against Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Mason had to make a save on Conor Sheary. Provorov made an uncharacteristic lazy-stick play in the second period behind his own net in New Jersey and the Devils' Adam Henrique jumped all over it for a go-ahead goal, 2-1. 6. The Devils' Joseph Blandisi scored a power-play goal for a 3-1 lead. New Jersey has 10 power-play goals against the Flyers' sagging penalty- kill units this season. Ten! 7. Zajac's line with Hall and Palmieri had a dominant game against the Flyers with two goals and two assists. The six goals by Jersey were a season-high. 8. The Flyers came back in the second half of the middle stanza to play better. Yet the fact that the Devils were outplaying them from the get-go is disconcerting given New Jersey is going nowhere and the Flyers are still mathematically alive in the wild-card chase. The Flyers had no shots through the first eight minutes of the third period. Where's the urgency? 9. Michal Neuvirth came off the bench when Mason got hurt and immediately was tested. This is where you need a save badly. Instead, Henrique put the game away at 5-2. 10. The total inconsistency of the Flyers with a brilliant effort against their most hated rival, followed by a tepid one against a team that is far below them, says volumes about their playoff aspirations or lack thereof.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053520 Philadelphia Flyers That goes for the coach and his staff, too. Going the college route? AS FLYERS STUMBLE TO FINISH LINE, WHERE DOES NCAA free-agent players often sign with NHL teams around this time of RESPONSIBILITY FALL? year as their collegiate seasons come to a close. Last season, the Flyers signed Yale goalie Alex Lyon in early April. Lyon is currently playing for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. By Jordan Hall | CSNPhilly.com March 17, 2017 4:11 PM Will the Flyers make a signing this season?

"Yeah, it would be nice," Hextall said. "We'll see." NEWARK, N.J. -- Dave Hakstol has never hidden from responsibility. The decision is heavily dictated by the college player finding his best fit. He didn't on Monday after his team's third straight loss. "You can never have enough depth," Hextall said. "Offensively, I think we "Starting with me, we've got to do better," he said. do have some good players coming and I don't think they're that far On Thursday, the Flyers were arguably their worst -- an unjustifiable 6-2 away, but you can never have enough. You can never have enough loss to the lowly Devils, who had dropped 10 consecutive games before young players. You can never have enough guys that can score or make having their way with Hakstol's bunch. plays. If we can add to our pool, that would be great. Unfortunately, when you have a lot in your pool, sometimes they're looking and going, 'Hmm, Such a performance begs for responsibility, right? It's getting to that point is this the right spot?' and time in the Flyers' season, as the playoffs look farther out of sight. "In the end, college free agents, they typically get the best fit for Ultimately, the players have to perform, but can the coach do more? themselves and typically it's with an organization that's a little bit thin. Not always." Can he push a few different buttons?

Can he send a message through the locker room? Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 Can he still motivate his players? Hakstol, in just his second NHL season, is already facing trying times and questions. "I'm going to work -- work to prepare and fight and battle every single night," Hakstol said Thursday when asked if he feels his seat getting warmer. "That part of it doesn't even enter my mind. I'm worried about wins and losses and the performance of our team." After his team's third loss in as many games against New Jersey, which has outscored the orange and black, 14-3, Hakstol wouldn't address the Flyers' bewildering problems with the Devils, who they play twice more this season. "I haven't given much thought to that," Hakstol said. "Tonight, we lost a hockey game. I'll get into that at another time after the season when I have some time to think about it. Right now, I'm worried about this one tonight and the next one coming up." The Flyers still have fire in their bellies, according to captain Claude Giroux. "Yeah, we're angry," he said (see story). "We know we're a better team, we know we can be in a better position. That's not the case and we need to keep working, keep working to be a better team." Brayden Schenn, on the other hand, wasn't having it when asked about his coach's job security. "It's not my job to start worrying about the coaches and stuff like that," Schenn said. "It's on us players to go out and play better. I'm not even going to start commenting on that. Us players have got to be better and we know it. We've been inconsistent all year and that's on the players." The Flyers are 7-10-2 since the start of February and have scored the NHL's second-fewest goals since the start of December (102 in 46 games). Inconsistency has been general manager Ron Hextall's biggest gripe, oftentimes having him feel at a loss. "It does sometimes because you're sitting there going, 'It's the same team every night, right?'" Hextall said pregame Thursday. "You're going to have peaks and valleys, that's reality. You're dealing with human beings, not robots. We understand that. But our valleys have been a little too low for me." Hextall said he wants to see growth every season. In the points column, that will not be the case with 2015-16 to 2016-17. The Flyers would have to win their final 12 games to match last season's point total of 96. "We want to get better every year, get younger every year," Hextall said. "That's the goal. If we can get better this year … we've got a few games to let that play out. "You learn lessons as players and I think the lessons for us is, if you're not going to be consistent, it's hard to stay in a playoff spot. We're good enough. You look at a lot of nights, we're good enough." Can the leadership group be better? "I think there's responsibility for [the whole team]," Hextall said. 1053521 Philadelphia Flyers Dave Isaac; Courier-Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 Behind the rivalry: why Flyers just can’t beat Devils

Dave Isaac , @davegisaac Published 2:49 p.m. ET March 17, 2017 | Updated 15 hours ago

Coming off one of their biggest offensive outputs of the season, the Flyers face Toronto on Thursday. Dave Isaac/Courier-Post NEWARK — It wasn’t a one-game letdown. There’s a history behind Thursday night’s blowout loss for the Flyers against the New Jersey Devils that reaches before this season. It goes back to the left-wing lock days of Lou Lamoriello’s teams, but he’s the general manager in Toronto now and the Flyers continue to struggle against a squad that can stifle defensively. At least against the Flyers. And Thursday night their best player, goalie Cory Schneider, wasn’t even between the pipes. It didn’t matter who the netminder was or the fact that the Devils had lost 10 straight entering Thursday night. The result was the same and it was ugly for the Flyers, who allowed a half dozen goals and played the slumpbuster role for New Jersey. “Not only this season, but in years past,” Brayden Schenn said. “I don’t know what it is. We’re just not good enough when we play the Devils.” The Devils averaged 1.9 goals per game during their 10-game losing streak, which included a pair of shutouts. Thursday night they exploded. “Sometimes there's just those matchups and this has been one of them for us,” said Adam Henrique, who has 20 points in 24 career games against the Flyers. “Maybe we could have played them a few times in this stretch and it would have been nice, but I don't know if it's anything specific or not but every time we play them, we play a solid game start to finish and obviously find a way to get those extra goals.” Three games against New Jersey, three losses for the Flyers this season. In the last five campaigns they’ve gone 6-13-1. So what’s the common denominator? There isn’t just one. The Flyers just never seem to bring it against the Devils. That was certainly the case against a squad with six AHL call-ups Thursday. New Jersey also forechecks hard against a Flyers defense that isn’t comfortable making quick decisions in the bottom half of its own zone. That’s where Ivan Provorov’s turnover took place that led to Henrique’s first of two goals Thursday. Another mistake came in the neutral zone when Shayne Gostisbehere couldn’t corral a puck. Taylor Hall blew by him and scored on a breakaway. And on the other side of the ice the Flyers generally don’t get to set up in the Devils’ zone and get quality shot attempts. Both of their goals Thursday night came off pretty passing plays, being advantageous with the Devils out of position. Coach Dave Hakstol said after the game he was “not going to get into it,” whether that specific game was a matter of effort or fatigue level with the team on the second half of a back-to-back. Clearly it’s not just one thing that has haunted the Flyers against the Devils and it’s a bad matchup for Philly…but he can’t put a finger on why. “I haven’t given much thought to that,” Hakstol said after Thursday’s loss. “Tonight we lost the hockey game. I’ll get into that after the season when I have some time to think about it. Right now I’m worried about this one tonight and the next one coming up.” He might want to consider why the matchup is so poor, because two of the final dozen games are against the Devils. Thursday’s loss basically cemented the Flyers’ playoff chances being lost so it’s not a matter of winning those two games and getting back to postseason relevancy. It’s more a case of the Flyers needing to figure out the solution for years to come because their struggles against the Devils are predictable. “For sure, a team we've had success against in the last couple of years and we knew what kind of game it would be,” said Kyle Palmieri, one of the Devils’ goal scorers Thursday. “We were confident we've had success in those type games so we went out and went and didn't stray from our game plan and took it to them all night so it was good.”

1053522 Philadelphia Flyers

Rookie roundup: Evaluating games of Devils' younger players vs. Flyers

By Chris Ryan

NEWARK -- Here is a breakdown of the performance of each Devils rookie (plus some other younger players not considered rookies) in the team's 6-2 win over the Flyers on Thursday. Joseph Blandisi, F Stats: 1 goal; +1 plus/minus; 15:42 ice time; 1 shot; 2 hits; 4-for-11 on faceoffs Of note: Blandisi scored his second goal of the season in his 17th game, and he extended his point streak to three straight games. His goal came on the power play and right in front of the net, getting a tip in off a rebound. Coach John Hynes on Blandisi: "Even last year when he was up, he did a nice job in the net front on the power play. Lots of his points last year when he was scoring were on the power play, and they were at the net front on the power play. So he's done a good job of that. He was in the right position at the right time. When the puck goes to the point, you need your net-front player to be in that front screen and be able to get tips." NHL.com Blake Coleman, F Coleman did not play in Thursday's game due to an upper body injury. Hynes said Coleman was a little banged up, and he is day-to-day. Chris Humphreys | USA TODAY Sports Nick Lappin, F Stats: -2 plus/minus; 13:30 ice time; 2 shots; 1 hit Of note: Lappin was on the ice for both Flyers goals, and the winger is still looking for his first point since being recalled by the Devils on March 4. He had seven points in 34 games before being optioned to Albany in January.

Star Ledger LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053523 Pittsburgh Penguins

Patchwork Penguins defeat Devils behind Rowney, Crosby

BILL WEST | Friday, March 17, 2017, 10:00 p.m.

Part of coach Mike Sullivan's reputation as a deft communicator comes from his ability to recognize when to offer a simple message and when to let his words soar until they lift the Penguins' spirits. Even while down seven lineup regulars, including star center Evgeni Malkin, in Friday's 6-4 win over New Jersey, Sullivan settled for something succinct and stoic. “When you play 100 games a year, it's not like you can go in with a Knute Rockne speech every night,” Sullivan said. Pace favored the hosts throughout their win, which put the Penguins one point behind league-leading Washington in the standings. A lineup lacking Malkin, Carl Hagelin, Bryan Rust, Kris Letang, Trevor Daley, Olli Maatta and Ron Hainsey still possessed the skating talent and offensive skills to pull New Jersey out of its stubborn, structured game plan. “That's the discussion we had (Friday) at 5:30 p.m. before the game: This is a great opportunity here for our team to grab two points (in the standings) and put ourselves in a better position moving forward,” Sullivan said. “What I love about our players is we have a driven group. We've got a motivated group. These guys, they're internally driven. They inspire their coaching staff.” Five players scored for the Penguins, including 27-year-old rookie Carter Rowney, who buried the winner 5 minutes, 17 seconds into the final period to get his first NHL goal. Sidney Crosby had two goals, including an empty-netter with 34 seconds left. Rowney, regarded as a long shot to even reach the highest level of hockey slightly more than two years ago, also earned the primary assist on the Penguins' fourth goal, which Nick Bonino delivered to cap a perfect three-on-two rush. “Every injury (on the team) creates an opportunity and opens a door, so I think you've just got to make the most of it,” said Rowney, who secured his two points in just 5:10 of ice time. Bonino, stuck in a scoring slump until early March, swooped into the offensive zone flanked by Tom Kuhnhackl on his right and Rowney on his left. Kuhnhackl moved the puck to Rowney, who fed Bonino in the middle. “It's very streaky — I think I've always been like that,” said Bonino, who upped his total to five goals in his last six games. “(Scoring balance) is one of the reasons we had success last year. It's been streaky, like I said, this year. But if there's a time for all four lines to start scoring, it's March and April and into the playoffs.” Likely to New Jersey's chagrin, end-to-end action and scoring chances abounded for both sides in the first period. The Devils scored a season- high six goals one night earlier against Philadelphia, but as the team with the worst scoring production in the Eastern Conference, they recognized the futility of trading chances with the NHL's goals leader. Neutralizing the Penguins' ability to push the pace sat at the top of New Jersey's agenda. Unfortunately for the visitors, many forms of the Penguins' speed became apparent in their three first-period goals. Beau Bennett, traded from the Penguins to New Jersey at the draft last June, finally found the back of the net against his former team as he rifled a juicy rebound past Murray with 51 seconds left in the middle period to cut the Devils' deficit to 4-3. “I think they're probably playing a little bit looser now that they have nothing to play for, so that probably had something to do with it,” Murray, who finished with 32 saves, said of the Devils' offensive urgency. “They had a lot of young guys who are trying to prove themselves, and those young guys played really hard. … It was a little bit different than what we're used to against Jersey, but I'm just glad we got the two points tonight.”

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Penguins notebook: Even durable Hainsey a victim of Penguins' injury bug

BILL WEST | Friday, March 17, 2017, 10:51 a.m.

Even Ron Hainsey, arguably sturdier through the years than any other player on the Penguins roster, has contracted the team's injury curse. Hainsey is “week-to-week” with an upper-body injury suffered Wednesday during the Penguins' loss in Philadelphia, coach Mike Sullivan said Friday. The defenseman, who turns 36 on March 24, will miss a chunk of the regular season for the first time since 2011-12 with Winnipeg and just the second time since becoming an NHL regular in '06. In nine of his last 10 seasons, Hainsey appeared in at least 78 games. That durability made him particularly attractive to the Penguins, who acquired him Feb. 23 in a trade with Carolina to address the absences of Olli Maatta (hand), Trevor Daley (knee) and Kris Letang (upper-body injury). During his 10 games with the Penguins, Hainsey averaged 20 minutes, 45 seconds of ice time, including a team-high 3:32 while short-handed. Among the Penguins blue liners, only Letang and Brian Dumoulin have averaged more than 20 minutes per game this season. “We acquired him because we knew he was going to help us in a lot of areas, most specifically the penalty kill,” Sullivan said. “But even in five- on-five, he's a good, solid, steady defenseman that defends well. He's got a long reach. He's a mobile guy. He's hard to play against. So for all of those reasons, he makes us a better team. He's not an easy guy to replace.” Evgeni Malkin missed Friday's home game against New Jersey with an upper-body injury that Sullivan said the star center “has been dealing with ... for a little while.” Malkin participated in a portion of Friday's morning skate but left early. “We decided to hold him out,” Sullivan said. “We'll know more information (about the injury) in the next 24 hours.” The center's injury comes late in one of the best seasons of his career. Malkin's 1.16 points per game rank as his highest rate since 2013-14, and his 0.53 goals rank as his best since 2011-12. With Malkin out, the Penguins put Matt Cullen between Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist to open their game against the Devils. Winger Conor Sheary and defensemen Justin Schultz and Mark Streit received increased roles on the power play. “It's been there for all three years that I've been here,” said Hornqvist, who returned to the lineup after missing five games with a concussion. “I think the only time we've been fully healthy were those first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoff last year. But it's the same with every team. It's hard to stay a healthy core over 82 games plus playoffs.” Defenseman Derrick Pouliot, recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday morning to offset the loss of Hainsey, landed in the Penguins lineup for just the ninth time this season. General manager Jim Rutherford said before the trade deadline the Penguins wanted to let Pouliot concentrate on development in the American Hockey League for the rest of the season. Injuries complicated that approach but apparently not the team's overall plan. “What was important for us is we got Derrick playing hockey,” Sullivan said. “When we looked at it as a staff, we didn't want him to get to April this year and have 20 pro games under his belt. It's important for a young player to play. I think to have an opportunity to play in a number of games like he did in Wilkes-Barre to get some traction behind his game, to not have to worry about if he's in or out of the lineup and to just focus on the game itself was important for his overall development. “Obviously the circumstances surrounding our team forces us to have to make decisions to try to help this team stay competitive and win games, and Derrick is a part of that.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053525 Pittsburgh Penguins Kessel responded by coming down left wing early in the game, firing a shot that was blocked and then jumping on the rebound to wrist the puck by Kincaid. Penguin iron man Kessel nears 600 consecutive game milestone “He was willing to do it,” Sullivan said. “Fortunately for us, he scored. We’re happy for that. Hopefully, that will get him going a little bit more consistently going down the stretch.” March 18, 2017 12:38 AM Kessel was happy to get the goal and even happier the team got the win, By Ron Cook / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette but he didn’t seem thrilled about playing left wing for what he said “might be the first time …

“It’s a lot different. I’m so used to playing right wing for, geez, I don’t Let’s try something different this morning. Instead of focusing on how know how long. You kind of like drift to the right, to your spot all the time. Evgeni Malkin and Ron Hainsey missed the Penguins’ 6-4 win against I think if I stay there, it’ll take some time to get used to.” the New Jersey Devils Friday night, joining five other regulars on the team’s injury list, let’s write about the Penguins winger who is on the With that, Kessel was off to the trainers’ room. He said he got a knee verge of becoming the 11th player in NHL history to play in 600 tangled in a pile early in the game and appeared to be in discomfort consecutive regular-season games. when he got back to the bench. But he didn’t miss a shift. Iron man Phil Kessel. You can’t possibly be surprised, right? “I just keep playing,” Kessel said after an eventful night when he played “I’ll ice it a little bit and get ready for Sunday,” Kessel said, shrugging. left wing for what he believes was the first time in his career, scored a goal for the first time in 14 games and was denied by goaltender Keith It’s what iron men do. Kincaid on a penalty shot. “You get some bumps and bruises. You try to keep going no matter what. Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 I like to play the game.” The match against the Devils was Kessel’s 598th consecutive game. He hasn’t missed one since he sat out the first 12 games of the 2009-10 season with Toronto after offseason shoulder surgery. No. 599 should come at home Sunday against Florida and No. 600 Tuesday night at Buffalo. Kessel’s durability seems especially amazing this season because of the Penguins’ absurd run of injuries with a different player going out just about every game. The team has lost a total of 94 man-games in the past 21 games. Malkin and Hainsey joined Kris Letang, Carl Hagelin, Trevor Dailey, Olli Maatta and Bryan Rust on the injured list Friday night. Kessel and Ian Cole are the only two Penguins to play in all 70 games this season. “Yeah, it’s been tough,” Kessel said. “It’s kind of one of those years. We’re playing a lot of games in what feels like a short time. Guys get nicked up. Hopefully, we’ll get ‘em back soon and be good going into the playoffs.” That’s also Kessel’s personal goal, to be rolling by the time mid-April gets here. His season has been much like last season — his first with the Penguins — when he struggled at times to score goals. He was so bad into January — 12 goals in the first 45 games — that SI.com did a story suggesting Jim Rutherford trade him to get out from under his big contract, which runs through 2021-22 with an annual salary-cap hit of $6.8 million. The guess here is Rutherford is thrilled he didn’t listen to the unsolicited advice. Kessel could have won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP instead of Sidney Crosby after his performance in the Penguins’ run to the Stanley Cup. He had 10 goals and 12 assists in 24 games as a part of the super-productive HBK line with Hagelin and Nick Bonino. His five power-play goals tied for the NHL lead. Two came in pivotal Game 6s against Washington and Tampa Bay. That’s why Kessel wasn’t worried about the 13-game goal-less streak he lugged into the Devils game. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t contributing to the Penguins’ success. He’s a superb passer, much better than he’s credited. “I just try to make the right play.” He led the team with 40 assists going into the game, a number that Crosby matched as a part of his two-goal, one-assist night. “I never worry about scoring goals,” Kessel said. “You just stick with it and things change.” All of us know what to expect, right? Come playoff time, Kessel will be ready. Then again, it appeared as if Mike Sullivan wasn’t taking any chances. He made the curious decision to move Kessel to left wing when he had to shuffle his lines because of Malkin’s injury. He talked to Kessel about it Friday morning at the team skate and told him the intent was to “get him going offensively … “We thought it might be, just tweak his mindset a little bit. Sometimes, a little bit of a change isn’t a bad thing. He told me he’s comfortable doing it. He feels like he can make the adjustment.” 1053526 Pittsburgh Penguins Since the Blues fired Hitchcock on Feb. 1 and accelerated the process of Mike Yeo replacing him, St. Louis has gone 13-7-0. A five-game winning streak — broken Wednesday — had Yeo’s group in firm control of the Penguins set a high standard for in-season NHL coaching changes second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. “The thing I’ve noticed this year is the teams that have made coaching changes, it appears that a lot of them have worked, maybe more so than March 18, 2017 12:15 AM in the past,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Obviously, ours did last year. But there seems to be two or three teams that have had coaching changes where the team has responded very well in the early going.” In-season coach firings are as much a part of the NHL as morning skates Some of the six cases in which a team has fired its coach and went on to and inconsistent disciplinary action. win the Stanley Cup deserve special attention. There have been 39 since 2006-07, most among the four major North Sure, Dan Bylsma (18-3-4, 2009) and Darryl Sutter with Los Angeles (25- American pro sports. That’s nine more than the second-place NBA and 13-11, 2011-12) enjoyed drastic turnarounds, but Larry Robinson also more than half of the other three leagues combined (74). took over the New Jersey Devils after Lou Lamoriello fired Robbie Ftorek in 2000 despite a 41-20-8-5 record. Although several Penguins think the five in-season coach swaps that have occurred in 2016-17 may be a reaction to Mike Sullivan replacing The 1970-71 Canadiens provide an interesting case because of Mike Johnston on Dec. 12, 2015, the truth is that it’s bigger than a one- goaltender Ken Dryden’s emergence, something Murray’s meteoric rise season thing. conjured up memories of, and the 1931-32 Maple Leafs canned poor Art Duncan after just five games (0-3-2). “A lot of times it can have a positive effect on a team and give you a fresh start,” Penguins forward Matt Cullen said. “When you’re going through a In terms of midseason turnarounds, learning on the fly and a move made tough stretch, it wears you down physically and mentally. Everybody’s out of desperation, winning the Cup hasn’t happened a ton. hurting when you’re struggling as a team. But that hasn’t stopped teams from trying. Perhaps now more than ever. “I think when you get a fresh start, you’re allowed to take a step back, take a deep breath and start over. A lot of times that can have a real “This league is so trendy,” Conor Sheary said. “Last year, firing the coach positive effect on a team. You see it around the league.” kind of rejuvenated this team. Obviously, we went on that run. I think teams see that. If things get old in the locker room, guys might get bored PG graphic: Does firing provide a spark? with it. Sometimes change is good. Maybe teams are going for that approach. It is weird to see so many firings midseason. I think that’s (Click image for larger version) pretty rare. Seems to be a trend this year.” Four of the five teams that have changed coaches were either in the playoffs (Blues, Bruins and ) or within a point of qualifying (Islanders) entering Friday’s games. Only the Panthers, who as of Friday Jason Mackey: had lost six of seven and nine of 11 to seriously dent their playoff chances, did not achieve the desired result. Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 The Bruins have enjoyed the biggest boost, although their sample size is also the second-smallest. Boston had gone 12-4 (entering Friday’s games) since replacing Claude Julien with Bruce Cassidy on Feb. 7. Cassidy took the Bruins from 26-23-8 before his hiring to a group that’s now 38-27-6 and had a four-point lead over the Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division. Coincidentally, Julien has led the Canadiens to wins in eight of 12 games to stabilize a team that had endured a 2-6-1 stretch before Michel Therrien’s dismissal Feb. 14. The Islanders were picking up points at a .500 clip (17-17-8) when general manager Garth Snow replaced Jack Capuano on Jan. 17 with Doug Weight. They’ve gone 16-9-3 (.625) since the move and have become challengers in a tight race for the final wild-card spot. “I’m sure some teams look at [past firings] and say, ‘Maybe that could happen to us,’ ” Penguins goaltender Matt Murray said. “I just think it’s such a competitive league now. From first to last, there’s not a huge difference in talent or skill. It’s all who comes ready to compete that night. Teams are looking for that edge. Maybe they think a coaching change is the way to do it.” It certainly has been for the Penguins. They’re the only team to win multiple Cups by changing coaches in the middle of the season, which has happened six times throughout NHL history: the 2015-16 Penguins, 2011-12 Kings, 2008-09 Penguins, 1999- 2000 Devils, 1970-71 Canadiens and 1931-32 Maple Leafs. When you notice the fact that three of the past eight champions have pulled it off, it’s no wonder these current teams have had itchy trigger fingers. “Us having success last year and the run we went on … look at basketball [the Cavaliers firing David Blatt and replacing him with Tyronn Lue in January 2016], I think they did the same thing there,” Chris Kunitz said. “They went on to win a championship. Who knows with sports if it’s a trend or sometimes it’s just a change. “Sometimes coaches are long-tenured. Some organizations are just trying to change the way they play. Maybe they think the game’s turning a different way — not necessarily a spark; they just need a new voice.” That was likely the case in St. Louis, where Ken Hitchcock had never been known for his warm and fuzzy relationships with players. 1053527 Pittsburgh Penguins

Rowney keys solid night for Penguins' depth forwards

March 17, 2017 11:23 PM By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Carter Rowney waited and waited and waited some more before scoring his first NHL goal. He flashed some serious patience while doing it, too. Rowney’s first goal in 15 NHL games was special for a variety of reasons, but the most obvious was that it served as the game-winning marker in a 6-4 Penguins victory over the Devils on Friday at PPG Paints Arena. It also capped a productive night for the Penguins’ third and fourth lines, important contributions given the team’s recent, inexplicable run of injuries. “Good play by my teammates,” Rowney said. “Get that monkey off my back. It was a great feeling.” None of those statements are false, but Rowney’s not giving himself enough credit. He was also due, and it would have been even more special for him to get one during the Penguins’ recent run through Rowney’s home province of Alberta. No worries, though. Especially not when Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid dropped to the ice. Rowney simply waited, drifted back a hair, found an open lane and beat Kinkaid. It was a fantastic all-around play. Rowney prevented Kinkaid from rimming the puck. Tom Kuhnhackl picked it up and passed to Tom Sestito, who went back to Kuhnhackl — both used their skates — for the setup to Rowney. Then … “I was just trying to wait him out,” Rowney said. “I saw he went down early. I just tried to wait him out. I was lucky enough to finish.” And Rowney's wife, Danielle, was lucky enough to witness it firsthand. The wider-lease view of this one comes into play when you consider Nick Bonino’s goal at 15:47 of the second period. Kuhnhackl passed right to left to Rowney, who zipped a bullet ahead to Bonino for his fifth in six games after scoring nine times in his first 63 this season. “I thought initially that Kuhnhackl’s pass was to me,” Bonino explained. “I didn’t know ‘Rowns’ was back there. I missed it. I was angry. ‘Rowns’ got it and gave me a bullet. It’s one of those where I caught it and I thought maybe I’d have to make another move. Pass was hard enough that Kinkaid bit the wrong way, and I had a pretty easy goal there.” And the Penguins had, again, what made them so dominant last spring: scoring up and down the lineup. Each of their four lines got a goal. How long since that’s happened? “If there’s a time for all four lines to start scoring, it’s March and April and into the playoffs,” Bonino said. “We’re obviously happy with that.” Rowney played just 5:10 on Friday, the least among anyone other than Sestito. But as Sullivan said — when also describing Kuhnhackl — they turned out to be important minutes. “Obviously when you chip in offensively like that, it’s a big bonus for our team,” Sullivan said. “When you get production out of your bottom six, it certainly increases our chances of winning games. It’s hard to rely on the same guys every night.”

Jason Mackey: Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053528 Pittsburgh Penguins Sam Werner: Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 Former Penguin Beau Bennett scores in return to Pittsburgh

March 17, 2017 11:18 PM By Sam Werner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This wasn’t Beau Bennett’s first trip to PPG Paints Arena this season, but it was still a bit of a strange experience for him. Using the visitor’s dressing room, seeing the Penguins’ uniforms on the opposing bench and, in the second period of the Penguins’ 6-4 win against the Devils’ Friday, hearing the crowd react with silence when he scored a goal. “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s weird,” said Bennett, who was traded from the Penguins to New Jersey this summer after spending his first four NHL seasons in Pittsburgh. “I had some good memories here, and some bad memories here, but it is weird. I think it’s gotten better each time. My first time, I felt like I was in a daze out there. Tonight, I felt a little bit better. I felt my legs and hands were a little bit better, but it still has an odd feeling when I’m out there.” Bennett scored 16 goals in four years with the Penguins, but never played more than 49 games in a season, thanks in large part to a number of various injuries he picked up over that span. Now, the weirdest part for him is going toe-to-toe with his friends and former teammates. He and Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin spent last season as roommates, but Friday night they were battling for pucks against the boards. “When you’re on the ice, guys you played with, you battled with over the years, it’s weird going up against,” Bennett said. “They’re trying to hit you, you’re trying to hit them. At no point are you trying to take it easy on them, but those are my friends. When you’re on the ice you’re not friends, so it’s just a weird dynamic, I guess.” Even though Bennett only appeared in one playoff game last season, he was in the foxhole, so to speak, with the rest of the team as it battled through 24 postseason games en route to the Stanley Cup. “You share that experience with people and you’ll never forget it,” Bennett said. “I’m still friends with all of those guys, for sure.” And even though Bennett and the Devils are languishing in the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, he has no regrets about his exit from Pittsburgh. “For me personally, I needed a new place to be a part of,” he said. “I want to be a part of a place that gets to where they [the Penguins] are. Not maintains that level, but works their way up.” At least personally, Bennett seems to be making strides in that direction. He has played in 52 games this season, already a career high, and his goal Friday — which cut the Penguins’ lead to 4-3 at 19:09 of the second period — was his fifth of the year. His best season total with the Penguins was six, set last season. “It felt good,” Bennett said. “I had some bad plays in my own zone, so it felt good to help the team in that regard. But it means nothing if you don’t win. That’s pretty bittersweet. It’s nice to score, but if you don’t win, you still don’t feel great.” Even the fact that the goal came in his old stomping grounds didn’t do much for Bennett, except perhaps in one small way. “Maybe just to get people off my back on Twitter,” he joked. Even though he extended his point streak to four games — and set a new career-high with 15 points on the season — Bennett said this game was his weakest of that stretch. Playing in Pittsburgh, in his old home rink, against his former teammates may not have been the sole reason for that, but it was awfully hard to completely ignore. “I try to put the fact that I’m playing the Penguins in the back of my mind, but when you get out there, it’s still a weird feeling,” Bennett said. “I’ve just got to get over that fact and try to play them how I play every other team each time out.”

1053529 Pittsburgh Penguins “We have some difference-makers,” Sullivan said. “And it starts with Sid.”

Penguins beat New Jersey, 6-4 Dave Molinari: Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 March 18, 2017 12:29 AM By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sidney Crosby has played 56 regular-season games against New Jersey since he broke into the NHL. He has been fairly productive against them, too, piling up 30 goals and 33 assists. But there probably haven’t been many three-point nights along the way against the Devils, like the one he had in the Penguins’ 6-4 victory Friday night at PPG Paints Arena. Mostly because there have been plenty of times when the teams were lucky to combine for three goals, let alone have one guy on either club be involved in that many. “They don’t typically work out that way,” said Crosby, who scored two goals and assisted on another. “I remember playing early on, it was 1-0, 2-1. … Tonight was one of those games where you just have to find a way to outscore whoever you’re playing.” Crosby’s output allowed him to tie Boston’s Brad Marchand for the league lead in goals (37) and lifted him to within two points of Marchand and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who top the NHL with 79. The Penguins pulled out of a 0-1-1 stretch, improved to 44-17-9 and reclaimed second place in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind Washington and one ahead of Columbus. Right winger Patric Hornqvist rejoined their lineup after missing five games because of a concussion and earned an assist. But the Penguins played without center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Ron Hainsey, both of whom joined the team’s lengthy list of injured players. With seven guys — all of whom play significant minutes — unavailable because of injuries, the Penguins are resigned to grinding out victories, rather than overwhelming an opponent with superior talent every now and then. “That has to be our mindset,” Crosby said. “That’s not a bad thing, necessarily, at this time of year. “If we can get desperate because of that, hopefully, it helps us down the stretch. Hopefully, we can get some healthy bodies back here shortly.” Until that happens, they will need to get contributions from guys such as Carter Rowney, who had a goal — his first in the NHL — and an assist in five minutes and 10 seconds of playing time. “He was another one of those guys who didn’t get a ton of minutes tonight,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “But the ones he played were important ones. “When you get production out of your bottom-six [forwards], it certainly increases our chances of winning games.” And Rowney’s first wasn’t just any goal. He got it at 5:17 of the third period to give the Penguins a 5-3 lead, and it became the game-winner when New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri scored his second of the game at 16:29. “Whenever you can contribute to the team, to a win, that’s something you always want,” Rowney said. One guy compelled to be more involved than might have been expected was goalie Matt Murray, who faced 36 shots. That’s a heavy workload for a game with the Devils. “They’re usually pretty tight,” Murray said. “A structured team. They’re probably playing a little bit looser now, with nothing really to play for. That probably had something to do with it. “And they have a lot of young guys who are trying to prove themselves, and those young guys played really hard and got a couple of goals for them.” Of course, the Penguins have a guy who chipped in with a couple of goals, too. Even when they’re forced to dress a diluted lineup, they still can send one of the game’s dominant forces over the boards. 1053530 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins, Pirates get in St. Patrick's spirit with uniforms

March 17, 2017 5:26 PM Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

The Pirates sport green hats on St. Patrick's Day as they take on the Orioles Friday, March 17, 2017, at LECOM Park in Bradenton, FL. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette) Pirates Tyler Webb gets the ball as he pitches against the Orioles in the seventh inning Friday at LECOM Park. Pirates John Jaso pulls in a fly ball hit by Orioles Logan Schafer in the fifth inning Friday at LECOM Park. Pirates Austin Meadows hits a single against the Orioles in the first inning Friday at LECOM Park. A Pirates fan enjoys St. Patrick's Day as his team takes on the Orioles Friday at LECOM Park. The Pirates and Penguins made green the theme with festive uniform accessories Friday in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The Penguins prepared green warmup jerseys for their home game against the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena. Equipment manager Dana Heinze gave a sneak peek at the uniforms via Twitter. It remains to be seen whether this wink to the Irish will bring with it better injury luck. Meanwhile, down in Florida, the Pirates sported green caps, pictured above, for their for their 8-6 exhibition loss against the Orioles in Bradenton.

Adam Bittner: Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053531 Pittsburgh Penguins

Evgeni Malkin, Ron Hainsey add to Penguins' injury woes

March 17, 2017 12:25 PM Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Lightning goalie Peter Budaj makes a save on Evgeni Malkin March 3 at PPG Paint Arena. By Sam Werner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Penguins’ rapidly growing list of injuries added its most notable name Friday morning, as center Evgeni Malkin left the team’s morning skate early and will not play against the Devils. Coach Mike Sullivan said Malkin has been dealing with an upper-body injury for “a little while now,” and the staff decided to hold him out of Friday’s game. Sullivan did not, however, offer a timetable for Malkin’s return and declined to say whether or not it could be a longer-term injury. “We’ll know more information probably in the next 24 hours,” Sullivan said. The Penguins have lost 194 total man games this season due to injury and had at least one player injured in every game of their recent five- game road trip. Malkin joins the almost comically long list of Penguins players sidelined, which also includes Trevor Daley, Olli Maatta, Bryan Rust, Carl Hagelin, Kris Letang and, now, defenseman Ron Hainsey as well. Hainsey was injured in the Penguins’ 4-0 loss to Philadelphia Wednesday and is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, according to Sullivan. “He’s not an easy guy to replace,” Sullivan said. “It’s one more challenge that this team it’s going to face to try to find ways to win.” On the brighter side for the Penguins, Rust, Letang and Maatta all skated before the team’s practice Friday morning, though there was no indication as to how close they may be to returning. “We just have to find ways to play well and to get points,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “Teams we’re playing against aren’t going to feel sorry for us. We just have to find ways to hold on until we get guys back.” Winger Patric Hornqvist said he will be a game-time decision for Friday’s game against New Jersey after missing the last five with a concussion. Hornqvist originally traveled with the team to Winnipeg for the Penguins’ Western Canada road trip last week but was sent back to Pittsburgh for treatment before the first game. “The symptoms came a little later than they usually do,” Hornqvist said. “That’s why I went on the road, hoped they went away. They kept staying with me and I went to see the doctors, get some treatment. Now I’m here and I’m glad about it.” Hornqvist said he is “for sure” symptom-free now after 10 days of rest and treatment. He took part in the Penguins’ morning skate Friday. “It feels good,” he said. “It’s nice to be around the boys here and skating with the team. I feel way better, so it’s a good morning for me.”

Sam Werner Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053532 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins call up Derrick Pouliot from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

March 17, 2017 9:21 AM By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Penguins on Friday morning announced the recall of defenseman Derrick Pouliot from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, a precursor to impending bad news for fellow blue liner Ron Hainsey. Hainsey was injured during the second period of Wednesday’s 4-0 loss at Philadelphia. Coach Mike Sullivan said Friday that Hainsey is week-to- week with an upper-body injury. Pouliot, 23, enjoyed a monster game last Saturday, producing a goal and three assists in an 8-1 win over Hartford. In his last 26 AHL games, Pouliot, has six goals and 18 points. If Pouliot plays Friday night against the Devils at PPG Paints Arena, it will mark his ninth NHL game this season. He has two goals and 14 points in 64 career NHL contests. Penguins’ general manager Jim Rutherford said last month that the team’s plan was to keep Pouliot in Wilkes-Barre for as long as possible to allow him to develop. The Penguins’ recent run of injuries, though, has thrown a bit of a wrench in that objective. “He’s played in a fair amount of games down there,” Sullivan said. “Lots of minutes, lots of key situations. Obviously the circumstances surrounding our team forces us to have to make decisions to try to help this team stay competitive and win games, and Derrick’s part of that. I just think that’s an inevitably based on the circumstances surrounding our team.”

Sam Werner contributed. Jason Mackey Post Gazette LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053533 San Jose Sharks Penalty kill Anaheim (60-for-67) 89.5 percent, 3rd in NHL The stats: How Sharks, Oilers and Ducks have done since the break San Jose (40-for-50) 80 percent, 18th in NHL Edmonton (28-for-41) 68.3 percent, 30th in NHL By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | PUBLISHED: March 17, 2017 at 4:50 pm | UPDATED: March 17, 2017 at San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.18.2017 5:13 PM

How the Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks have done, individually and as a team, since the all-star break (entering Friday). The Sharks host the Ducks on Saturday, play at Edmonton on March 30 and host Edmonton on April 6. THE RECORDS Team Overall Away San Jose 11-4-5 5-2-2 Anaheim 10-8-1 3-6-1 Edmonton 9-9-1 4-5-0 THE LEADERS The Pacific Division’s leading point producers since the all-star break (Sharks, Oilers and Ducks players only entering Friday) Player Games Goals Assists Pts. 1) Joe Pavelski (SJ) 20 12 9 21 2) Ryan Getzlaf (Ana) 19 7 14 21 3) Connor McDavid (Edm) 19 7 13 20 4) Brent Burns (SJ) 20 6 13 19 t5) Logan Couture (SJ) 19 7 11 18 t9) Joe Thornton (SJ) 20 3 13 16 t12) Leon Draisaitl (Edm) 19 5 10 15 t16) Patrick Marleau (SJ) 20 6 8 14 t22) Rickard Rakell (Ana) 19 10 2 12 t22) Jakob Silfverberg (Ana) 19 6 6 12 t22) Milan Lucic (Edm) 19 5 7 12 THE GOALIES How the goalies for the Sharks, Ducks and Oilers have fared since the all-star break. San Jose Player GP Record GAA Save% Martin Jones 14 7-2-0 2.23 .918 Aaron Dell 7 4-2-0 1.81 .942 Anaheim Player GP Record GAA Save % Jonathan Bernier 11 6-3-1 2.20 .929 John Gibson 10 4-5-0 2.12 .930 Edmonton Player GP Record GAA Save% Cam Talbot 18 9-8-1 2.56 .913 Laurent Brossoit 3 0-1-0 .284 .896 SPECIAL TEAMS Power play Edmonton (12-for-46) 26.1 percent, 4th in NHL San Jose (10-for-60) 16.7 percent, 21st in NHL Anaheim (5-for-54) 9.3 percent, 30th in NHL 1053534 San Jose Sharks The Sharks have averaged three goals a game from the end of the All- Star break until after Thursday, scoring 60 goals in 20 games. Aided by 14 goals in their last two games, the Oilers have averaged 2.74 goals in Pacific heights: How the Sharks broke away from Ducks, Oilers 19 games. The Ducks have averaged 2.59 goals, also playing 19 games. Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Couture, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have combined for 34 of those 60 goals and 88 points since the break. By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Pavelski and Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf have led the division since the PUBLISHED: March 17, 2017 at 2:45 pm | UPDATED: March 17, 2017 at break with 21 points each. Oilers captain Connor McDavid is third with 5:17 PM 20. Where the Ducks and Oilers have fallen behind a bit is the lack of consistent production from their respective supporting casts. SAN JOSE — The Sharks are only halfway through a grueling March in which they will play 16 games in 31 days. After blasting Dallas 7-1 and Boston 7-4 this week, the Oilers’ other leading point producers in a 19-game span are Leon Draisaitl and Milan Fatigue might have been an issue against the St. Louis Blues on Lucic with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Oscar Klefbom, Jordan Eberle Thursday when they managed only 20 shots on net and found quality and Patrick Maroon have a combined 31 points. scoring chances to be at a premium. For the Ducks, outside of Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg, Corey Perry, “From looking at the game from the bench, I thought we looked tired. I Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano have combined for 27 thought we looked slow, sluggish,” Sharks center Logan Couture said goals and 29 assists. The goal production drops off sharply after that. after the game. “We just didn’t have any jump.” A win Saturday over the Ducks won’t clinch anything for the Sharks. A If the schedule is taking a toll, it’s a good thing the Sharks have been loss won’t be cause for panic, either. able to build up a bit of a cushion in the Pacific Division as they head into Saturday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. Mainly because the Sharks have been able to outplay Anaheim over the last six-plus weeks and leave themselves a little wiggle room. At the end of the NHL’s All-Star break, the Sharks, Ducks and Edmonton Oilers were all within one point of each other. Since then, the Sharks have been able to break away from the pack, and San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.18.2017 are in an ideal spot to win their first Pacific title since 2011 and have home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. Here are a few reasons the Sharks were able to take control of first place. Including the Sharks’ 3-1 win over Chicago on Jan. 31, goalies Martin Jones and Aaron Dell have combined to stop 530 of 572 shots for a .927 save percentage. In 20 post All-Star break games, Jones or Dell allowed two goals or fewer 15 times, with Nashville and Minnesota scoring their respective third goals in empty nets. In those 15 games, the Sharks went 11-2-2. The Oilers’ goaltending wasn’t quite as steady. While the Sharks have sought to give Jones some games off over the last two-plus weeks and the Ducks splitting game duties almost equally between two goalies, the Oilers are riding their horse, Cam Talbot, to the finish line. Talbot has played in 18 of 19 games since the break and is 9-8-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average. A lot of nights, Talbot has been a big reason the Oilers have been competitive, but there is consternation among the fan base in the Alberta capital that his workload has been too great, starting 63 of Edmonton’s 70 games. Talbot’s save percentage has gone from .924 in December to .916 so far in March. Anaheim’s goaltending has been just as good as San Jose’s, though, with Jonathan Bernier and John Gibson sharing the workload almost equally and combining for a .930 save percentage. The Ducks have allowed 45 goals in the last 19 games. The Sharks have allowed 46 goals in 20 games. Where the Sharks have had an advantage over the Ducks and Oilers in the last six weeks was their ability to consistently collect points on the road. While Anaheim has been stellar at home going 7-2-0 since the break, they were 3-6-1 on the road. The Ducks started February by going 2-3-1 on a six-game trip, then followed that with costly regulation losses to Arizona and Los Angeles later in the month. Edmonton also spent the majority of February away from Rogers Place, going 4-5. The Sharks, meanwhile, have picked up points in seven of nine road games since the break, going 5-2-2. They left a point on the table Feb. 7 at Buffalo, losing 5-4 in overtime, and were simply outplayed in regulation losses in Boston and Minnesota. But they mostly took care of business against non-playoff teams to help open a gap in the division. 1053535 San Jose Sharks

Sharks’ uneven play raises questions about March grind

By Ross McKeon Updated 6:22 pm, Friday, March 17, 2017

San Jose’s Brent Burns has cooled off considerably the last couple weeks. He’s gone 11 games without a goal — his longest such stretch this season. As the Sharks sleepwalked Thursday through their second clunker of the week, one had to wonder whether this deep and experienced team has banked enough energy for the postseason. Sure, San Jose has posted convincing wins over Buffalo and Dallas since laying an egg last Saturday against Nashville. But against the Predators and Blues — two teams with a more urgent need for points than the Sharks — the hosts were clearly outworked. The March schedule — 16 games in 30 nights — is proving to be a grind. This is on top of 34 road games to date, a short offseason, and the team’s biggest minute-munchers involved in the preseason World Cup of Hockey tourney. Is it all too much? Or can the Sharks flip a switch at will? The team will find out when Anaheim visits Saturday whether the recent trend will continue or if a date with a strong rival triggers San Jose’s work ethic. “I thought we looked tired out there, sluggish. We just didn’t have any jump up front,” said Logan Couture, who produced one of only seven shots from a Sharks forward against St. Louis. “A lot of it was on us. This stretch for us is a difficult one — eight games in 12 days. This month has been pretty nuts, but every team goes through it.” The Sharks appear destined to win the Pacific Division and have gone 11-4-5 since the All-Star break, so it’s not time to panic. On the other hand, the 25th-ranked power play has converted only two in the past eight games and defenseman Brent Burns is without a goal for a season- worst 11 games. After Saturday’s showdown with the Ducks, San Jose plays six of seven on the road — three sets of back-to-backs, all at least one time zone away. It’s not the easiest time to conserve energy for mid-April, especially if they run into a first-round opponent feeling no pressure, such as Calgary or Edmonton. “Saturday’s game, there will be a lot at stake,” defenseman Paul Martin said after Thursday’s game. “I’m sure we’ll want to tighten things up, have a better effort, and fix the things we should be able to correct.” Talkin’ 8 OTs: Had to love the recent eight overtime playoff game in Norway that ended after 2 a.m. Not only for the two teams battling for 217 minutes and 14 seconds, but for the fans who stuck with it — and for several who were reported missing by loved ones. Make your plans: Ottawa will host Montreal at TD Place on Dec. 16 in the first announced outdoor game next season. More are coming, but don’t figure to involve the Sharks. The league showed interest in trying to pull something off in the Tampa area. And it’s rumored the Sabres and Rangers will meet at Citi Field, home of baseball’s New York Mets. Briefly: Steven Stamkos went through a full practice Friday. He may still return this season to a Lightning team that passed eight teams in six weeks to get back into the playoff race. … Boston’s Todd Marchant is suddenly tied with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the scoring lead, with Chicago’s Patrick Kane only two points back. … Toronto’s Auston Matthews (55), Mitch Marner (55) and William Nylander (50) are the first trio of rookies with 50 or more points since Winnipeg boasted Teemu Selanne (132), Alexei Zhamnov (72) and Keith Tkachuk (51) in 1992-93.

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053536 San Jose Sharks Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017

THREE TAKEAWAYS: SHARKS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL REMATCH

By Kevin Kurz March 17, 2017 11:07 AM

SAN JOSE – There wasn’t a whole lot of action in the Sharks-Blues game at SAP Center on Thursday. That’s usually a good sign for the road team, and it was in this case, too, as St. Louis claimed a convincing 4-1 win. Still, we can find a few topics to discuss in our three takeaways… 1 – Worried about a potential rematch? There’s a decent chance the Sharks and Blues will get to rematch their Western Conference Final series from a year ago in the first round. If San Jose surpasses the Wild and Blackhawks and gets the top seed, or the Blues move up to the first wild card position, it would make it much more likely. Should the Sharks be worried about that, considering they were handled fairly easily by the Blues in the three-game season series? “I’m not concerned about it,” Pete DeBoer said. “We’ll deal with that if we get them in the playoffs. I think if you go two games back we’re not very good, if you go the last 10 games against them we’re pretty good against them. I’m not worried about it.” The Blues are surely doing something right against the Sharks. Since Jan. 1, two of San Jose's three lowest shot totals have been against St. Louis, including 23 shots on Jan. 14 (a 4-0 loss) and just 20 on Thursday, tied for a season-low. Paul Martin said: “The last time we played them (on Jan. 14) was awhile ago, and two different teams I think from last time, but definitely we were not happy with our performance or the way we’ve been playing against them. We were off tonight, we didn’t have one of or better games, obviously. They did the job of bottling us up and not giving up a whole lot.” 2 – Burns going cold It’s now been 11 games since Brent Burns has scored a goal, despite his registering 43 shots since Feb. 19. He still leads the Sharks with 70 points, but that’s now tied for seventh in the league, nine behind leaders Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand. He’s also just seven points ahead of Erik Karlsson for the NHL lead in scoring among defensemen, too. Is the Norris Trophy still a lock? More concerning, though, is that Burns hasn’t been all that effective in his own end lately and is making some curious decisions with the puck and with his positioning. While Thursday’s game was a team loss – as we mention below, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun weren’t any better in terms of defensemen – it was Burns’ unforced turnover to Scottie Upshall in the neutral zone led to the Blues’ first score. "When you pick off a pass from the best defenseman in the league," Upshall told the St. Louis Post Dispatch, "and make them pay for it, it's a big added bonus for your team, so it was a big goal for us to get us going." As the team’s most important player now, Burns’ game will be something to monitor over the next little while. 3 – Tarasenko takes over One of the biggest reasons that the Sharks got past the Blues in six games last season was keeping Vladimir Tarasenko under wraps. That didn’t happen on Thursday, as the Blues’ forward registered a game-high eight shots and 12 shot attempts while recording a power play goal and an empty netter. His line, with Jaden Schwartz and Paul Stastny, was dominant while skating mostly against the Sharks’ top shutdown pair of Vlasic and Braun, as Stastny had five shots and Schwartz another two. Blues coach Mike Yeo like his team’s game overall, as it responded from Wednesday’s loss in Anaheim. "I thought we competed at a real high level tonight,” coach Mike Yeo told reporters. “Right from the drop of the puck, guys were paying a price for each other.”

1053537 San Jose Sharks

SHARKS CAN'T FIND THEIR LEGS IN ANOTHER LOSS TO BLUES

By Kevin Kurz March 16, 2017 11:30 PM

SAN JOSE – Playing their seventh game in 12 days against a team fighting for its playoff life was too much for the Sharks to handle on Thursday at SAP Center in a 4-1 Blues win. Throughout the game, evidence piled up that the home team didn’t have its legs. Forwards weren’t supporting the defensemen on breakouts or through the neutral zone, the forecheck was ineffective, shots were getting blocked, and the rare ones that got through were easily cleared away from dangerous scoring areas. Both Logan Couture and coach Pete DeBoer both indicated that the team might have hit a wall, for at least one night. “They played well defensively, but for us, from looking at the game from the bench, I thought we looked tired,” Couture said. “I thought we looked slow, sluggish. We just didn’t have any jump up front. So, I think a lot of it was on us.” DeBoer said: “They came in here desperate and they were really solid, and we weren’t. We’ve got to do more to help ourselves. I don’t know the reason. Is it fatigue? I don’t know. We’ll look at the tape and come up with some answers.” These kinds of nights are bound to happen at points throughout the season as every team deals with the condensed schedule, right? “Unfortunately, yeah, I think so,” Couture said. “This month is pretty nuts. But, every team is going through it this year. We need to find a way to be better. Tonight, we weren’t.” It’s not like the Blues should have been any more energized, however. They were playing the second of a back-to-back, and third in California in four nights as they continue a five-game road trip. But they’re at a different stage in their season. The Blues are trying to hold on to the final wild card spot, and may feel like they have something to prove after changing coaches six weeks ago and trading away key defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk to Washington. Sharks forwards combined for just seven of the team’s 20 shots on goal, a good example of how hard the Blues were working to prevent San Jose from getting any good looks. “If we did get a shot [through], they got to it probably a little quicker,” Joe Pavelski said. “It was kind of one and done. We weren’t probably on the inside enough. It’s hard to say. ... Obviously, that’s not us, we’ve got a lot better than that.” Couture said: “The biggest thing tonight was we didn’t forecheck well, we didn’t sustain any pressure in their zone.” The Sharks’ only goal was a lucky one, as Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s attempted pass deflected in off of Carl Gunnarsson’s skate in the first period to tie the game at 1-1. St. Louis got a goal from Scottie Upshall just prior to that to open the scoring, thanks to a sloppy pass from Brent Burns that went right to the Blues’ forward, another from Zach Sanford on a rebound off the end wall that held up as the game-winner, and two from Vladimir Tarasenko, on the power play and into an empty net. Despite the loss, the Sharks will have a chance to finish off their season- long six-game homestand with eight of a possible 12 points if they can beat the Ducks on Saturday. Friday will be a complete day off, and by the look of Thursday’s game, they could use it. Paul Martin said: “Saturday will be a big game, obviously. Anaheim, and a lot at stake. I think after tonight’s performance we’re going to want to make sure that we tighten things up and have a better effort, and fix some things we should be able to correct.” “Get rested tomorrow, and get our legs back and have some jump and force [the Ducks] to play in their end,” Couture said.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053538 St Louis Blues

Preview: Blues at Coyotes

By Jeremy Rutherford St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 hrs ago (…)

BLUES AT COYOTES Blues • The Blues are 2-1 on their five-game road trip, which continues in Arizona. This will be the club’s sixth game in the last nine days. ... The Blues have yet to face Arizona but will get familiar quickly, seeing them three times in their next six games. ... Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in Thursday’s 4-1 win over San Jose, climbing to No. 3 in the NHL with 34 goals. He has six goals in his last six games. ... The Blues have yet to name a starting goalie, but after Carter Hutton got the nod Thursday, it will presumably be Jake Allen. In Hutton’s last 10 road games, he has a 1.56 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. Coyotes • Arizona is second-to-last in the NHL standings with just 61 points, but the Coyotes have a point in their last five games (3-0-2). That run includes a 3-2 shootout win over Los Angeles last Tuesday. ... The Coyotes’ last two games have ended in shootouts, and after splitting those decisions, they are 6-2 in the overtime format this season. ... Radim Vrbata is Arizona’s leading scorer with 17 goals and 51 points. He has two goals in his last nine games. Injuries • Blues — LW Dmitrij Jaskin (upper body), C Jori Lehtera (upper body) and LW Robby Fabbri (knee), out. Coyotes — RW Brad Richardson (leg), out.

Jeremy Rutherford St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053539 St Louis Blues game with the Coyotes, the Blues will have two consecutive days off — they’ll spend them in Arizona rather than heading directly to Denver — the last time this season they’ll have that long a break. From there, it will Soft schedule should help Blues in playoff push be a game every other day, with a set of back-to-backs to close the season.

There’s a decent chance that going forward, the Blues will use Zach By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 hrs ago (…) Sanford, part of the return on the Kevin Shattenkirk trade, more often. He got his first goal with the Blues, which turned out to be the game-winner, in the second period and Yeo liked his game, with the exception of being on the ice for San Jose’s only goal. The Blues had been hesitant, The past five weeks of the Blues’ season has been marked by one kind preferring to go with either the more experienced Dmitrij Jaskin or Nail of streak or another. A six-game winning streak led to a five-game losing Yakupov in a playoff race. But with Jaskin injured and Yakupov streak, which then became a five-game winning streak. In the Blues’ ineffective, Sanford got his chance and seized it. case, one thing has, indeed, led to another. “He was making plays and looked confident,” Yeo said. “The most After the Blues lost in Anaheim on Wednesday night, the chance was impressive part for me was, obviously he was on the ice for the first goal there for another streak to start, especially with a game against Pacific against. We brought them in, showed then what it was, and said go Division-leading San Jose coming up, but the Blues rewrote the script respond. Mistakes happen. I thought the aggressiveness he came out with a 4-1 win Thursday that, while never dominant, was certainly with in the second period shows a lot for a young player. Sometimes effective for a team playing its fifth game in seven nights. In doing so, guys make a mistake and go into a shell. He went out and made up for they stopped a losing streak before it could get started. it.” “We’re about wins right now,” forward Scottie Upshall said.

The Blues rounded one corner with the San Jose win, entering a point in St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 the season where their schedule goes from easy to incredibly easy. The Blues have 12 games remaining, and only two of them – games with Nashville and Calgary, both at Scottrade Center — are against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended right now. Three of them are against a woeful Colorado team and three more are against Arizona, the second-worst team in the Western Conference. Add in games with Vancouver and Carolina and the Blues have a lot of games that they will be expected to win. The Blues’ remaining opponents have won just 39 percent of their games this season. That, of course, is the risk. This Blues have seemed to play better when the desperation factor is high and, with a four-point margin on the Kings with 12 games to play and a game Saturday night against Arizona, followed by one Tuesday against the Avalanche, the dial has been set to easy. Which, for the Blues, should be scary. “We knew it would be a hard game (against San Jose), and that brings out the best in us,” coach Mike Yeo said. “Our challenge is to make sure we understand the next game will be difficult as well. It’s a different opponent, but I don’t care where they’re at in the standings, I look at them playing right now, look at the players they have on the ice, I know we’re going to have to be ready to be sharp, and that’s a good test for us.” “Definitely, you can’t let up,” goalie Carter Hutton said. “It’s still the NHL. Every team can win. There’s still a lot of good players on those teams that aren’t playoff contenders. We know (Arizona) is a team that can beat anybody; they just beat L.A. in a shootout. They’ve got good players, good goalies, and we’re going to have to bring our game to beat them.” Upshall, who scored the goal that put the Blues up 1-0 against San Jose, is more familiar with the other side of these games in his career. In his 11 seasons in the league, he’s gone to the playoffs just four times. “Speaking from experience, I know what it’s like to be in an organization and team down the stretch that’s not really fighting for its playoff life,” Upshall said, “but they’re fighting for jobs and you expect them to play hard and give you their best. In our position, you can’t take anything lightly. You’re fighting for two points every night. The competition only gets harder as the year goes on.” The Blues are in as comfortable playoff position as they’ve been in a while, though one losing streak coupled with a Kings win streak could flip the picture in a few games. With their edge on the Kings and 12 games to go, the Blues are in full control of their destiny. If they don’t make the playoffs with the schedule they have left, it’s going to be all on them. “We’ve definitely been in some tough spots,” Upshall said. “We’ve put ourselves in places this year we never should be. We’ve had a couple skids where we lose five, six in a row. But we’ve always found ways to keep our head above water and keep our positive vibe going and help each other out.” The Blues reached one milestone Thursday that they haven’t seen in a long time. Vladimir Tarasenko’s two third-period goals — one on a power play to give the Blues breathing room, one an empty-net goal to clinch the win — gave him 34 on the season, and put the Blues in positive numbers in goal difference for the season for the first time since Dec. 9. They had been the only team in the playoff range that had allowed more goals than they had scored. The Blues will turn another corner after the Arizona game. It marks their sixth in nine nights, the most hectic stretch of their season. After the 1053540 St Louis Blues

Maryland Heights to negotiate millions for Blues practice facility

By Mike Faulk St. Louis Post-Dispatch 4 hrs ago (…)

MARYLAND HEIGHTS • The city will provide up to $6 million in public money for site preparation, road improvements and other construction for the St. Louis Blues practice facility to be built here. In exchange, Maryland Heights City Administrator Jim Krischke said the city would look for commitments such as public programming and special community events at the facility. Krischke said those details would be part of the agreement, estimates for which range from $3 million to $6 million. The City Council on Thursday authorized negotiations with the Blues. “There’s going to be a lot of work in how we structure that and make sure we get the proper value for our investment,” Krischke said. The total project cost is estimated at $40 million. The 250,000-square- foot facility would hold four ice rinks, including one outdoors, and would be on land owned by St. Louis County on the north side of Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park. Maryland Heights’ contribution would help pay for preparing the site for development with utility and road improvements, the installation of parking lots, and trail and walkway extensions connecting the facility to the park, according to a city news release. The project, announced in 2015 and to be open by mid- to late 2018, is being led by the St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with the Blues hockey team. Foundation chairman Patrick Quinn said the Blues would use “less than 5 percent of the total available space and a smaller percentage of available ice time.” Quinn said the Blues would be an important tenant but emphasized the other potential public uses for the building. Representatives of the foundation and the county previously said such a facility might host local and regional hockey tournaments for men and women, as well as serve local figure skaters, speed skaters and curling enthusiasts. “The Ice Center will serve our full regional community of youth and adults who participate in ice sports,” Quinn said in an email. County officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In December, the St. Louis County Council gave County Executive Steve Stenger authority to negotiate the proposed facility with the Legacy Ice Foundation. The Blues currently practice at a facility in the St. Louis Outlet Mall in Hazelwood. The practice facility project comes at the same time that the Blues are soliciting St. Louis and the state for millions in renovations to Scottrade Center. In February, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen approved $64.5 million for improvements to the building, opened in 1994.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053541 Tampa Bay Lightning was the curve that goes with coming back, the inflammation, the little bit of pain after. There shouldn't be any uncomfortable moments on the ice. Obviously some of that is mental, too. Lightning's Steven Stamkos on injury progress: Some positives but "I've been through this before. I have a good understanding of what my nothing imminent on return body needs to feel like in order to be back on the ice."

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.18.2017 Friday, March 17, 2017 7:58PM

There were times Stamkos wondered if he ever would get better. "This has been the toughest by far," he said. That's saying something for Stamkos, 26, a superstar who has come back from a broken leg and blood clot in the past three years. But on Friday, there was a glimmer of hope, Stamkos participating in his first full team practice since a mid-November injury cut short what was the best hockey of his life. Stamkos' return isn't imminent. And he can't say for sure whether he will play by the end of the regular season; there are 12 games to go, including tonight against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals. What's clear is Stamkos won't come back until he's ready, no matter the Lightning's perilous playoff position, one point out of a wild-card spot. "When it's 100 percent, I'll be back," Stamkos said Friday, his first comments since surgery. "It's a question I can't answer. I've had a lot of ups and downs in this rehab process, where it feels like it's never going to get better. Then you have a week where it goes through the roof in regards to how you're feeling. "I'll be playing when it feels ready. And I can't say it feels ready right now. But it was a start." Stamkos just being back on the ice, playing on a line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, was uplifting for him and his teammates. He had been skating with the team on a limited basis the past three weeks, traveling on the past three road trips. But Friday he did every drill, including experiencing light contact for the first time. Coach Jon Cooper warned that Stamkos' participation was out of necessity to field a full team, with three injured centers (Tyler Johnson, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette) ruled out tonight, and Ondrej Palat and Jake Dotchin questionable after missing practice. But Stamkos said it has been the remarkable 12-3-3 run by the injury- depleted Lightning lineup that has given him a boost in recovery, hoping he might be part of another playoff run. Stamkos didn't know if he would get the chance when he was hurt Nov. 15 in Detroit. He got tangled awkwardly around the boards and hobbled off with a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. Surgery in Colorado came two days later. "You just feel something, and are like, 'Okay, it's going to release, or unclick or whatever,' " Stamkos said. "It wasn't until I got the MRI and you hear that you're going to be done for a while, and then you have surgery to fix it. It was frustrating. Obviously there are a lot of emotions that went through your head, kind of a downward spiral for a couple days." Stamkos was playing the best hockey of his life, with 20 points in his first 17 games (nine goals). He was finally free of contract questions, in the first year of an eight-year, $68 million extension signed in late June. The Lightning, preseason Stanley Cup favorites, was 10-6-1 and in the middle of a four-game winning streak. Then Tampa Bay struggled, falling dangerously out of playoff position and into last place in the East on Feb. 2. "There's a lot of what could have been,' Stamkos said. "But that's life. Things like that happen. You get tested in a lot of different ways. It's tough to watch the guys struggle. I see the season unfold the way it has. … Hopefully that's it, the string of bad luck is over." Teammates could see the difference in Stamkos during this roller coaster of emotions. "Everyone felt for him for everything he's gone through," wing Alex Killorn said. "We were hoping he'd come in and have a huge year. You could tell at the beginning he was frustrated, he was down on himself. Now he's happy, back to his old self." But Stamkos has to feel like his old self on the ice before he comes back. How will he know? "When there's no restrictions, where you feel like you did before surgery," he said. "Obviously, even when I came back from the broken leg, there 1053542 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs not least bit concerned about Matthews’ slump

By KEVIN MCGRAN Sports Reporter Fri., March 17, 2017

Yes, Auston Matthews is in a slump, the likes of which haven’t been since, well, John Tavares and Steve Stamkos. The Maple Leafs’ rookie centre and leading goal-scorer has gone seven games without registering as much as an assist, heading into Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Leafs have done just fine in those seven games, going 4-2-1, and the depth of scoring on all their lines means the Leafs can endure such slumps. “Auston has been — I don’t want to say carrying us all year — but he’s scored a lot of goals for this team,” said forward Matt Martin, who scored on Thursday night, one of 13 Leafs to register at least one point. “He’s got 30-plus on the season, he’s been a catalyst offensively all year. “We’re getting offensive production from other guys when he’s not scoring. He’s still playing well. The puck’s not going for him. We have to find ways to win. I’m confident he’ll get back on track.” But so desperate was coach Mike Babcock to get Matthews going — an assist even — that he put him out on a 4-on-3 power play with a minute to go in a game the Leafs were leading 5-0. That’s a real no-no, since usually fourth-liners take those in laughers. It’s something the Tampa Bay Lightning, already humiliated in their own building, likely won’t soon forget. You have to go back to the 2009-10 season and Tavares to find a forward chosen No. 1 overall who went this long without registering a point in his rookie year. Tavares’ pointless drought lasted exactly seven games, from Jan. 1 to Feb. 13 of that season. None of the No. 1 overalls since (with the exception of Aaron Ekblad, a defenceman not counted on to score) have endured seven-game pointless droughts. Taylor Hall’s longest drought was five games, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also went five, Nail Yakupov went four, Nathan MacKinnon went five, while Connor McDavid never went more than two games without a point in his rookie season last year. Matthews could equal Stamkos’ longest rookie-season drought — eight games, Nov. 1-18, 2008 — Saturday when the Blackhawks come to town. But no one on the Leafs is pointing fingers or worrying about who does or doesn’t score; all they care about right now are the Blackhawks. “It’s a big challenge,” said Martin. “They are one of the top teams in the league and Patrick Kane is playing as good as he can play right now. He’s on fire. “We have to have fun Saturday night and be ready for them.” The Leafs say they can measure themselves against the Blackhawks. “They are a high-powered team with some of the best players in the game,” said Toronto centre Tyler Bozak. “We have to be ready. You can’t give them any room or space, or they’re going to make plays. “It’s a big game for us.” The Leafs moved back into a playoff spot with the win over Tampa, while the team’s nearest them lost. But the idea isn’t to count on others. “You have to control your own fate and win your own games,” said Bozak.

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053543 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs-Chicago Blackhawks: Game preview

By MARK ZWOLINSKI Sports reporter Fri., March 17, 2017

Key players: Patrick Kane vs. Morgan Rielly. The Hawks’ Kane remains one of the most dangerous forwards in the NHL, as his 17 goals and 28 points since Feb. 2, which leads the NHL over that time span. He also has 21 multi-point games this season, second-most in the NHL. Rielly draws the top forwards for the Leafs. He’ll have a huge assignment — his biggest since the all-star break — in trying to shut down Kane and the Blackhawks’ superb offence. Need to know: Former Leaf Richard Panik is thriving in Chicago; he scored the game-winner vs. Ottawa Thursday, and now has 18 goals on the season . . . Chicago won for the third game in a row, and is now 15-3- 0 in its last 18 games … The Blackhawks have won nine of their last 10 on the road, and their 21 road victories are second in the NHL … Artem Anisimov has a lower body injury and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks … Marian Hossa skated in his 1,300th NHL game Thursday, while captain Jonathan Toews has 269 career goals and sits in seventh overall on the team’s all-time list … All-star defencemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrooke continue to show why the Blackhawks are so strong at this time of year: Keith has 42 assists, fourth among NHL defenceman, while Seabrooke has 122 blocked shots, second on the team.

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053544 Toronto Maple Leafs

Getting to know the Stanley Cup better

By MARK ZWOLINSKISports reporter Fri., March 17, 2017

The Stanley Cup sits in Ottawa this weekend as the NHL celebrates the 125th anniversary of the trophy that not only represents the league’s pinnacle achievement, but is considered to be the most beautiful trophy in all of pro sports. The Cup was brought to , home of the Governor General, on Thursday, and will remain there through the weekend for its 125th birthday. The Leafs host the Blackhawks Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre on this special weekend for hockey, so here’s a look at some facts and hijinx that have become part of the Cup’s legend: The Cup was purchased by Lord Stanley of Preston, who acquired it in its original, bowl shaped form, in 1892, for 10 guineas, which was about $50 at the time. It originally measured 18.5 cm in height and 29 cm in diameter; in its current form, it’s 89.5 cm tall and weighs 15.5 kilograms. The Cup was first awarded to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, which finished first in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in 1893. The original Cup was known as the “Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup,” and was awarded until 1970. The “Presentation Cup” — which is the Cup presented to NHL champions today — was created in 1962 after then NHL president Clarence Campbell sought to change the Cup because he believed it was too brittle. The third and final rendition is a replica of the Presentation Cup, and was created in 1993 by Montreal silversmith Louise St. Jacques. It is used as a stand-in at the when the Presentation Cup is on the road. The Cup was streamlined into a cigar shaped trophy from 1927-47; a wider, lower tier was added in 1948 and remains in use to this day. The bottom five rings of the lower bowl hold the names of the oldest teams to have won the Cup. However, when the lowest ring becomes too full, it is replaced — as a result, no championship teams from 1928-29 to 1953-54 are currently on the Cup. There are spelling mistakes and ineligible names on the Cup, which has resulted in 13 “X” marks on the Cup to cross out the errors. Montreal Canadiens forward Henri Richard holds the distinction of having his name appear on the Cup more than any other player in history — with 11 engravings. Legendary coach leads all coaches, with nine engravings, covering coaching stints with Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. Montreal has won the most Cups, with 24, and they also have more consecutive victories than any other team, with five between 1956- 60. There are 12 women on the Cup, the first being Marguerite Norris, who was president of the Detroit Red Wings when they won the Cup in 1954- 55. The first, and only, Canadian woman on the Cup is Sonia Scurfield, who was co-owner of the Calgary Flames during their Cup-winning 1988- 89 season. The Cup must be accompanied by at least one member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. That member is referred to as “The Keeper of the Cup.” Philip Pritchard has held that job since 1991, and has a Twitter account, @keeperofthecup, to update where the Cup is and what’s going on with it. Each championship team is awarded 100 days to spend with the Cup in the off-season. Each player gets to spend one personal day with it, a reward formalized by the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils. The Cup has wound up at a strip club twice, been dunked in a pool three times, and used during a christening twice — by Colorado’s Sylvain Lefebvre in 1996, and Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom in 2008. The most expensive party it’s ever seen was in 2011, when the Boston Bruins reportedly spent over $156,000 at a Las Vegas bar during their championship celebration, a tab which included a $100,000 bottle of champagne.

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053545 Toronto Maple Leafs Rhea, the self-assured veteran, finds himself in a fights-only exhibition that features real-world NHL fighters George Parros, Colton Orr and Brandon Prust. It’s based off the Battle of the Enforcers exhibition that Baruchel fights the good fight in Goon sequel: Arthur took place in Prince George, B.C., in 2005. It’s sad. The movies are comedies, but they also chart the voyage of the , and a voyage of the hockey fan. The longer they fight, the more you By BRUCE ARTHURSports Columnist know, the harder it is to cheer with your whole heart. The love of fighting endures, though. The myth endures. Fri., March 17, 2017 At the end of the credits of the first movie were the words, “For Serge Baruchel.” Baruchel’s dad was notorious in criminal circles, and while there was a chance at a more respectable life when his son arrived, When Jay Baruchel was a kid — a skinny little half-Jewish half-Irish Baruchel started supporting his family in his early teens, after his dad left. Catholic kid in a rough part of Montreal, where he had a knife pulled on They didn’t speak after a blowup at 16 when Serge called, drunk or high him on the first day of seventh grade and carried a Swiss Army knife the or both. Serge overdosed on heroin when Baruchel was 21. rest of the year, always worried he’d pull out a fork if he had to use it — his dad wanted him to play hockey. His dad wasn’t a big guy either, but When Baruchel says this movie is like sending his kids off to school — Serge Baruchel was a fighter, boy. Serge Baruchel was a skinny Paris- well, sort of. born son of Italian-speaking Egyptian Jews who moved to a non-Jewish part of Montreal, and he was fighting his whole life. “When I was 12, my dad saw a thing for a weekly acting thing in a church basement,” says Baruchel. “He said, ‘You talk a lot, this might be the “If he got in a fistfight, that would be the best thing that happened to him thing for you.’ Here’s the weird thing about my dad: He wanted nothing that week,” says Baruchel, sitting in a Toronto diner with his hood up, more for me than for me to play hockey and for me to play catch with him trying for comfort rather than anonymity. “When I was a kid, we’d be out in the backyard, and I would purposely (throw) dead-arm, and when he and about, and for me, because I was a kid, I thought it was cool. For my hit me in the mitt I would fall over as if he hit me too hard, because I mom, who was married to him, she was scared s---less. It was like being wanted to watch cartoons, and I would go up to my bedroom with my G.I. in a minefield everywhere we went.” Joes and I would make my movies and stories. The kids outside throwing a ball, it paled in comparison to the universes I was creating in my Baruchel, 34, is one of Canada’s most recognizable actors. Among other bedroom. things, he was the lead in Judd Apatow’s late, great Undeclared when he was 18, four years into his career; he was in Million Dollar Baby and “So I’ll say this: he was bummed, but the minute he knew that I had Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder, and he is the lead voice in the How To something, he leaned into it.” Train Your Dragon franchise, and the lead in the FXX series Man Seeking Woman. His father bought him Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the first of thousands of movies Baruchel would eventually own; Serge would rent movies and if And, of course, there is Goon. The broad, profane 2011 comedy about a they were left in the VCR in the morning, Baruchel could watch them, too. hockey fighter was co-written by Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, and it was His parents bought him film books. They backed up their boy. a love letter to the enforcer. It opened with blood splattering in slow motion onto clean white ice in big fat crimson drops, followed by a tusk of “The lump in my throat is him not being able to see Goon, because that a tooth, flipping and falling. There was some subtlety, but not too much. was me meeting him halfway,” says Baruchel. “I never played hockey, but I could do my version of that, which is this. My dad was a pretty old- Then, in the summer of 2011, fighters and school guy. A lot of people wouldn’t find him pleasant or palatable. He committed suicide, and died from an oxycontin was incredibly ignorant and racist about a lot of stuff, a f---up who was overdose. In 2010, even with elegies for fighters in full swing, there were always in and out of jail, and that guy had a p----y artist for a son and he 714 fights in the NHL, per hockeyfights.com, and 171 games with more f---ing told me to be that, and would kill anyone who stepped in my way. than one fight. Last season, those numbers were 344 and 50. Now, Like, that’s my boy.” Goon: Last of the Enforcers — Baruchel’s directorial debut — hits theatres Friday. Baruchel could have made a movie about Ross Rhea, the career hockey player who had to fight to stay in the game, and suffered for it. But he “The other times I’ve been (this) nervous is just my anxiety disorder, made it about a Jewish guy who was bouncing around, aimless, who was which is going on a talk show or a red carpet,” says Baruchel. “This is my secretly a superhuman fighter, and who once he had a family had to kids going off to school.” decide whether to settle down before he broke. Fighting in hockey is a mirror of ourselves in this country, sometimes crooked and distorted, and His father played hockey, too, on a local Jewish team with a big menorah this is a proudly Canadian movie. It is one story about fighters, as they on its jersey. They had pennies thrown at them one time. Baruchel asked vanish. a friend who had played with his dad what kind of player he was: He was told, your dad liked to finish his checks. Yeah. Maybe like a lot of hockey stories, it’s a story about something else, too. Baruchel is a huge Montreal Canadiens fan, and he loves fights, which puts him in line with a lot of hockey fans in this country. His mother and father loved the fighters best, and Baruchel was raised in that faith. He Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017 loved the chaos, the honour and the mythology, sanitized as it might often be. “I can’t argue against people who say it has no place, because it doesn’t: You’re playing hockey, you’re not fighting,” he says. “But I also grew up in this country . . . I can’t argue with someone who thinks it has no place and belongs in the past. But I adore it.” His favourite hockey movie is Les Chiefs, a documentary about a Slap Shot-like team in a Quebec minor league. His view has changed; he knows there’s a toll, the way we all know. In the first movie, titular goon Doug Glatt is a deeply dumb guy who discovers he can fight, and starts playing hockey. The truest line in the movie comes from veteran enforcer Ross Rhea, played by Liev Schreiber: “You know they just want you to bleed, right?” But Doug suffers no real anxiety, and never loses a fight, not really. In the sequel the goalposts shift. If the first movie was boy meets hockey, this is hockey meets boy. “He is fighting dizzy throughout the movie,” says Baruchel. “We didn’t want to beat people over the head with it, but he’s not in the throes of a depression, absolutely not, but he’s dealing with concussion symptoms throughout the movie.” But Doug’s career is mostly threatened by a shoulder injury, and he has to decide whether to risk ruination or provide for his nascent family. 1053546 Toronto Maple Leafs

Game Day: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs

BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2017 12:05 AM EDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2017 12:11 AM EDT

Patrick Kane vs. Mitch Marner Similarities between the two former have not escaped Kane, who is fighting for the league lead in scoring and meets the potential points leader on the Leafs. “(Marner) has got that all-around complete game where he’s blocking shots, playing defence,” Kane recently told Sportsnet, “which I never really did that much at that age. And he has what seems like great chemistry with (James) van Riemsdyk and (Tyler) Bozak.” Kane hopes to be the first Hawk since to repeat as Art Ross winner. FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME The Leafs have a record of 3-2 when coming back to the ACC after road trips of three games or more, a sign of maturity that must be maintained as they head into their final 13 games. Toronto has won four of the seven games in which Auston Matthews has gone pointless, but it’s time he broke through. Mike Babcock seemed to have an inkling former Leaf Richard Panik would play a big role back in the first meeting of the teams in October, and it was Panik’s late third-period goal that forced overtime. Panik returns to the ACC after getting a big goal in Chicago’s win in Ottawa on Thursday. One Hawks stat that stands out for a team that could be first overall is lack of success in face-offs. Hawks are third worst in the league at even strength draws. Defenceman Duncan Keith has seven points in his past nine games as Chicago attempts to fend off the Minnesota Wild for first in the Central. SPECIAL TEAMS Power Play Toronto - 23.7% (1st) Chicago - 18.8% (16th) Penalty killing Toronto - 83.3% (9th) Chicago - 77.9% (25th)

SICK BAY Toronto - D Connor Carrick (upper body) Chicago - C Artem Anisimov (ankle)

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053547 Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews has a fan in Patrick Kane

BY MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 11:34 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 11:38 PM EDT

Auston Matthews is mired in a seven-game pointless streak right now, but those are the types of growing pains young players go through. Just ask Patrick Kane. Prior to the selection of Matthews by the Leafs last summer, the previous American-born player to be picked first overall was Kane in 2007. And with Kane’s Chicago Blackhawks coming to the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night, the comparisons once again will start between the current edition of the young Leafs of Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander; and the Blackhawks of 10 years ago that featured the likes of Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. This will be the second time Matthews plays an NHL game against Kane, his boyhood idol. The Leafs hope it will be the incentive that allows Matthews to regain his scoring touch. Interestingly, Matthews broke Kane’s records with the US Under-18 National Team Development Program for a single season, collecting 55 goals and 117 points in 2014-15. Kane had accrued 52 goals and 102 points in 2005-06. “He’s a nice kid, a great kid,” Kane said. “Obviously he has all the talent in the world to be a special player but I think every young guy goes through their up and downs. I think he’s a special player and his ceiling is probably as high as it gets when you look at the young guys coming into to league,” Kane said of Matthews. “I like the way he plays. He’s obviously very skilled. He’s got a great shot and a great release. He’s very tricky with the puck when he has it and when he’s trying to fish for it too and get it back. I think he’s only going to get better as he gets more experience as time goes on.” If there is any fretting about the scoring dry spell Matthews is going through right now, you won’t find it inside the Maple Leafs dressing room. To a man, his Leafs teammates claim he is more than making up for his lack of appearances on the scoresheet with a solid game at both ends of the ice. Moreover, the Leafs have netted nine of a possible 14 points during his sIump, with secondary scoring being a key. During Toronto’s 5-0 victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday, for example, Matt Martin (fifth) and Morgan Rielly (fourth) contributed to help lead the Leafs to victory. “I don’t think he’s getting too nervous, I think he’s playing great,” Rielly said. “He’s a big part of this team even when he’s not scoring goals. He’s working hard, he’s trying to help his teammates and that’s the most important thing. “With a guy that talented and that skilled we all know the goals are going to come.” Forward Tyler Bozak agreed with Rielly’s scouting report. “It’s so hard,” Bozak said. “It’s the best league in the world and he’s still playing great. He’s still creating opportunities when he gets in there. “He doesn’t care as long as we’re winning games.” LAST MINUTE OF PLAY With an assist Thursday night, Nazem Kadri set a career high for points with 51, surpassing his previous high of 50 set in the 2013-14 season.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053548 Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Arenas changed to the St. Pats for the 1919-20 season and stayed green and white for the balance of the ‘26-27 after Conn Smythe bought the team and introduced a Leaf logo in February of ‘27. The St. Maple Leafs have lost too many late points to NHL's elite Pats won the 1922 Stanley Cup. Frederik Andersen has a green mask for the occasion, adorned with sketches of Clancy, Babe Dye and Pat Quinn, which was given a matte BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN finish to make it look much older. FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 08:52 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 09:06 PM EDT Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017

The Maple Leafs can run with most big dogs in the NHL, it’s just that they’ve lost so many by a nose at the finish line. Should Toronto come a couple of points shy of a playoff spot after tabulations on April 9, it can look back to as many missed opportunities early in the year as much as lack of finishing kick. Take the game against Chicago. Back on Oct. 22, the Leafs were up 4-2 late at the Madhouse On Madison, the Hawks and their fans distracted by events across town at where the Cubs were clinching the pennant. A big chance for a statement game for a team with one win at that stage But the Leafs coughed up their advantage and lost in a shootout. That marked four out of five third-period leads they let get away for points at that early stage of the schedule. Looking at their record against the four teams now leading their divisions in the NHL — Chicago, Montreal, San Jose and Washington — the Leafs have lost six games by a goal, four of those in overtime. Salvage even five of those points from their league-high 14 overtime defeats and Toronto would be third place in the Atlantic, not clinging to a wild-card spot by a point. Nine extra-time losses came after the Leafs were ahead after two periods. With the Hawks back here Saturday night, it underlines that this term is very much still a teaching exercise for Mike Babcock after last year’s 30th-place finish and anything close to 90 points has to be considered improvement. If they can expand their hold on the second and final wild-card seed in the East after Saturday’s busy slate of games, it will likely have been quite a performance against a foe no one expects they’ll beat. The Hawks have a record of 15-3 since Feb. 1. “Lots of challenges,” said Babcock of the Hawks. “We’ve got to stay out of the box (Toronto used up lots of energy killing all six minors in the previous meeting). I haven’t seen them as much as I used to in Detroit, but I’m looking forward to it.” The Hawks still have something vital to play for on Saturday, first place in the Central with the Minnesota Wild right behind. “They’re obviously a high-powered team,” Leaf centre Tyler Bozak warned of Chicago. “They’ve got some of the best players in the game. We’ve got to be ready. You can’t give those guys any room or space or they’re going to make plays. It’s a big game for us and we’ll be ready to go.” After Thursday’s 5-0 win in Tampa Bay yielded four out of six points in a southeast swing, the Leafs had Friday off. Chicago’s visit signals the start of five games in eight days for the Leafs. After beating several teams behind them in the standings, the next three — Chicago, Boston and Columbus — are all ahead of them. There will be some interesting matchups on Saturday, with last year’s rookie of the year, Artemi Panarin (who had the October game’s shootout winner) up against three Calder candidates: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. The three Leafs just became the first trio since Teemu Selanne, Alexei Zhamnov and Keith Tkachuk of the 1992- 93 Winnipeg Jets to each record 50-plus points in a season. For eight of their 100 years in the NHL, the Toronto franchise was known as the green-clad St. Patricks. That heritage and the connection to thousands of citizens with Irish background will be recognized in Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Toronto will wear St. Patricks’ sweaters, with green gloves and pants they worked into game shape earlier this month. Late defenceman King Clancy, who had a St. Patrick’s Day tribute at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1934, will have his former Gardens banner and ACC banners raised before the game. Each fan will get a green rally towel and one will get a chance to win a trip to Ireland. The original 1053549 Toronto Maple Leafs March 23 vs. Devils Leafs lead season series 1-0-1 Maple Leafs control their own destiny down the stretch Both previous meetings were played in Newark … On Nov. 23 Devils defeat Leafs 5-4 in shootout at Prudential Center … Auston Matthews scored twice to snap 13-game goalless drought … Leafs rebounded to BY MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN defeat host Devils 4-2 on Jan. 6. with Matthews collecting the winning goal. FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 08:04 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 08:15 PM EDT March 25 at Buffalo Leafs lead season series 2-1 Will ACC stand for the ‘Always Comfortable Confines’ for these young Leafs registered a rare victory in Buffalo on Nov. 3, edging Sabres 2-1 Maple Leafs? with Mitch Marner scoring both Toronto goals … On Jan 17 James van Riemsdyk scored the winning goal as Leafs chased Sabres goalie Robin We’re about to find out. Lehner en route to 4-3 victory on home ice … Less than a month later, Marner scored the only Leafs goal in a 3-1 loss at ACC on Feb. 11 … Through the grind of the first five months of the regular season, Mike This will be the first of two remaining games in the Queen City. Babcock’s Leafs have sweated and swaggered their way to get to put their playoff fate in their own hands. March 28 vs. Panthers And, thanks to a 5-0 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Leafs lead season series 3-1 that’s exactly the position they are in. Leafs will be seeking retribution after allowing season high seven goals in The analytics of the situation are simple: The Leafs, by virtue of their dropping 7-1 stinker Tuesday in Sunrise … Prior to that humiliation, Leafs victory over the Lightning, hold the second wild-card slot in the Eastern had won all three previous meetings: 3-2 in Toronto Oct. 27, 6-1 at ACC Conference standings, leading Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders Nov. 17, and a 3-2 shootout decision in Florida Dec. 28 … Panthers by a point, and have a game in hand on both those teams. But, perhaps, goalie James Reimer is 1-1 against his former team. most importantly, eight of their final 13 contests — including the last four — will be held at the Air Canada Centre, where they have a respectable March 30 at Nashville 17-10-6 record. Leafs lead season series 1-0 In other words, they control their own destiny, a position every team in Leafs exploded for six goals against one of the NHL’s better defensive the league strives for. teams en route to a 6-2 thrashing of the visiting Preds on Nov. 15 … With just one playoff appearance in the past 13 years, very few James van Riemsdyk scored the winning goal as part of a hat trick, the meaningful March games have been played at the ACC. second of his career … He also chipped in with an assist. The Leafs understand the opportunity that lies in front of them, thanks in April 1 at Detroit part to so much imminent home cooking. Question is, can they take Leafs lead season series 3-0 advantage of it? This will be Leafs final visit to The Joe … Wings will be moving into the “You have an advantage playing at home. It’s huge,” Tyler Bozak said. new Little Caesar’s Arena in the fall … Leafs can sweep Mike Babcock’s “You get the favourable matchups you want, you get the last change, and former team with a win … Auston Matthews scored the overtime winner obviously you are more comfortable there.” in front of 40,148 at BMO Field in the Centennial Classic on Jan. 1 … Added defenceman Morgan Rielly: “I think if you asked any sports team, Later that month, Freddie Andersen stopped 22 shots to blank the Red they’d tell you they’d rather play at home. That’s where you’re Wings 4-0 in Detroit Jan. 25 … Earlier this month the Leafs built up a 3-0 comfortable, that’s where you spend the majority of the time. lead then held on for a 3-2 win March 7. “We’re comfortable at the Air Canada Centre.” April 3 at Buffalo Beginning Saturday with a visit from the high-powered Chicago Leafs lead season series 2-1 Blackhawks, the Leafs will have the chance to prove it. The Maple Leafs own a woeful all-time record of 28-70-6 in Buffalo. Here is a game-by-game breakdown of how the Leafs will close out the April 4 vs. Capitals regular schedule: Leafs lead season series 1-0-1 March 18 vs. Blackhawks Potential first-round playoff matchup … Leafs defeated Capitals 4-2 at Hawks lead season series 1-0 the ACC on Nov. 26 with Nazem Kadri scoring the winning goal … Caps Hawks defeated Leafs 5-4 in shootout at United Center back on Oct. 22 rebounded with a 6-5 victory on Jan. 1 with Alexander Ovechkin — who … Leafs coughed up 4-2 lead in final 2:28 of regulation, then lost in else? — blasting home the overtime winner. overtime when Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin scored shootout April 6 vs. Lightning goals … Hawks come into Air Canada Centre on a three-game winning streak including a 2-1 win in Ottawa Thursday. Leafs lead season series 2-1 March 20 vs. Bruins The big question here: Will Steven Stamkos be healthy enough to play in his hometown (OK, technically he’s from Markham) after undergoing Leafs lead season series 3-0 knee surgery in November? … Leafs turned in one of best efforts of Leafs have chance to sweep season series with a victory … Defeated season in blanking Bolts 5-0 Thursday as Frederik Andersen collected Bruins 4-1 at ACC Oct. 15; Beat Bruins 4-1 in Boston Dec. 10; Edged his fourth shutout of season and 10th of career … It was a different story Bruins 6-5 in Boston Feb. 4 … Have outscored Bruins 14-7 in three back on Oct. 27 when Lightning drubbed Leafs 7-3 at ACC … Leafs games … This will be the first time they’ll face Boston with Bruce Cassidy rebounded with a 3-2 win on Dec. 29 thanks to a Name Kadri OT winner behind the Bruins bench … Boston will come into this one on three days … Home team has won every game this season. rest after having been drubbed 7-4 in Edmonton Thursday night … Leafs April 8 vs. Penguins are just four points behind Boston for third place in Atlantic Division. Toronto has two games in hand. Season series tied 1-1 March 22 at Columbus Penguins peppered Andersen with 49 shots in a 4-1 win over Leafs in Pittsburgh on Nov. 12 … One month later Jake Gardiner scored the OT Blue Jackets lead season series 1-0 winner for a 2-1 Toronto triumph at the ACC on Dec. 17… Sidney Crosby Blue Jackets defeat Leafs 5-2 at Nationwide Arena on Feb. 15 … Defeat has been in on three of the five Penguins goals, collecting a goal and two spoiled the return to Columbus of former Jackets goalie Curtis assists. McElhinney, who faced 35 shots … Nazem Kadri scored both Leafs April 9 vs. Blue Jackets goals … As of now, Leafs are 5-4-4 since that loss … Two teams will play season finale at Air Canada Centre on April 9. Jackets lead season series 1-0 Rare back-to-back home games on consecutive days … Likely will be crucial to playoff seedings.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053550 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs sign forward Miro Aaltonen to entry-level deal

BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 03:32 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 08:56 PM EDT

The Maple Leafs made it to the front of the line — and the front of the NHL guide and record book’s alphabetical player registry — on Friday with the signing of forward Miro Aaltonen to an entry-level contract. The 23-year-old Finn was in 59 regular season games for Vityaz Podolsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, piling up 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists), to rank first among skaters age 24 and under in that league during 2016-17. He will not be coming to North America right away. Listed anywhere between 5-feet-10 and six feet, the 185-pound Aaltonen also played 233 games in the Finnish League, with 119 points, including 56 goals. He can play centre or wing. One of those Finnish seasons was last year at Karpat as a teammate of Sebastian Aho and Jesse Puljujarvi, rookies of note in the NHL this term. He represented Finland at two world junior championships in 2012 and ’13 with seven points. Aaltonen was originally selected in the sixth round (177th overall) by Anaheim in 2013, a few picks after Toronto selected goalie Antoine Bibeau.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053551 Toronto Maple Leafs With the Blackhawks at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night, it underlines that this team is very much still a teaching exercise for Mike Babcock and anything close to 90 points has to be considered an Toronto Maple Leafs may rue all the lost leads and shootout woes when improvement over last season’s 30th-place finish. If they can expand the season-ending points tally is taken their hold on the second and final wild-card seed after Saturday’s busy slate of games, it will likely have been quite a performance against a foe no one expects they will beat. The Hawks have a record of 15-3 since Feb. 1. Lance Hornby, Postmedia Network | March 17, 2017 6:03 PM ET “We’ve got to stay out of the box,” Babcock said Friday. Toronto used up lots of energy killing six minors in their last meeting. TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs can run with most big dogs in “I haven’t seen them as much as I used to in Detroit, but I’m looking the NHL, it’s just that they’ve lost so often by a nose at the finish line. forward to it.” Should Toronto come a couple of points shy of a playoff spot when the Chicago still has something vital to play for Saturday: first place in the season ends on April 9, the club can look back to many missed Central ahead of the Minnesota Wild, who are three points behind opportunities early in the year. Take the game against in Chicago on Oct. Chicago with a game in hand heading into the weekend. 22. The Leafs were up 4-2 late, and the Blackhawks and their fans were distracted by events at Wrigley Field where the Cubs were clinching the “They’re obviously a high-powered team,” Leafs centre Tyler Bozak said National League pennant. It was a big chance for a statement game for of Chicago. “They’ve got some of the best players in the game. We’ve the young Maple Leafs. got to be ready, you can’t give those guys any room or space or they’re going to make plays. It’s a big game for us and we’ll be ready to go.” Losing it late After Thursday’s 5-0 win in Tampa Bay yielded four out of six points in a A selection of losses by the Maple Leafs in which they lost control of a southeast swing, the Leafs had Friday off. Chicago’s visit signals the start third-period lead. of five games in eight days. After beating a number of teams behind them in the standings, the next three opponents – Chicago, Boston and Oct. 12 Columbus – are all ahead of them. Boston is four points up on Toronto 5-4 overtime loss at Ottawa after holding a 4-3 lead entering the third for third place in the Atlantic, although the Leafs have two games in period. hand. Oct. 19 There will be some interesting matchups on Saturday, with last year’s rookie of the year, Artemi Panarin (who had the October game’s shootout 5-4 overtime loss at Winnipeg after taking a 4-0 lead at 6:55 of the winner) up against three Calder candidates, Auston Matthews, Mitch second period. Marner and William Nylander. The three Leafs just became the first rookie trio since Teemu Selanne, Alexei Zhamnov and Keith Tkachuk of Oct. 20 the 1992-93 Winnipeg Jets to record 50 or more points in a season. 3-2 loss at Minnesota after taking 2-1 lead into third period.

Oct. 22 National Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 5-4 shootout loss at Chicago; had 4-2 lead and allowed two goals in final 2:28. Nov. 23 5-4 shootout loss at New Jersey after taking a 4-3 lead into the third period. Dec. 13 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose after taking a 2-0 lead into the third period. Jan. 3 6-5 overtime loss at Washington; had a 4-2 lead after two period and re- took a 5-4 lead at 11:08 of the third period. Jan. 21 3-2 shootout loss to Ottawa; took a 2-1 lead at 7:00 of third period, allowed tying goal with 1:11 left. Feb. 6 6-5 overtime loss at NY Islanders; had a 4-2 lead midway through second period; allowed tying goal with 1:29 left. Feb. 23 2-1 shootout loss vs. NY Rangers; nursed 1-0 lead for almost 40 minutes before allowing tying goal midway through third period. March 2 3-2 shootout loss at Los Angeles; had 2-0 lead after two periods, allowing tying goals in span of 1:30 early in the third. But the Leafs coughed up their advantage and lost in a shootout. That marked four out of five third-period leads they let get away for points at that early stage of the schedule. Looking at their record against the four teams who lead the divisions prior to Friday’s games — Chicago, Montreal, San Jose and Washington — the Leafs have lost six games by one goal, four in overtime or shootout. Salvage even five extra points from their league-high 14 overtime defeats and Toronto would be in third place in the Atlantic Division, not clinging to a wild-card spot by a point. Nine extra time losses came after the Leafs were ahead after two periods. 1053552 San Jose Sharks San Jose (40-for-50) 80 percent, 18th in NHL Edmonton (28-for-41) 68.3 percent, 30th in NHL The stats: How Sharks, Oilers and Ducks have done since the break San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.18.2017

By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: March 17, 2017

How the Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks have done, individually and as a team, since the all-star break (entering Friday). The Sharks host the Ducks on Saturday, play at Edmonton on March 30 and host Edmonton on April 6. THE RECORDS Team Overall Away San Jose 11-4-5 5-2-2 Anaheim 10-8-1 3-6-1 Edmonton 9-9-1 4-5-0 THE LEADERS The Pacific Division’s leading point producers since the all-star break (Sharks, Oilers and Ducks players only entering Friday) Player Games Goals Assists Pts. 1) Joe Pavelski (SJ) 20 12 9 21 2) Ryan Getzlaf (Ana) 19 7 14 21 3) Connor McDavid (Edm) 19 7 13 20 4) Brent Burns (SJ) 20 6 13 19 t5) Logan Couture (SJ) 19 7 11 18 t9) Joe Thornton (SJ) 20 3 13 16 t12) Leon Draisaitl (Edm) 19 5 10 15 t16) Patrick Marleau (SJ) 20 6 8 14 t22) Rickard Rakell (Ana) 19 10 2 12 t22) Jakob Silfverberg (Ana) 19 6 6 12 t22) Milan Lucic (Edm) 19 5 7 12 THE GOALIES How the goalies for the Sharks, Ducks and Oilers have fared since the all-star break. San Jose Player GP Record GAA Save% Martin Jones 14 7-2-0 2.23 .918 Aaron Dell 7 4-2-0 1.81 .942 Anaheim Player GP Record GAA Save % Jonathan Bernier 11 6-3-1 2.20 .929 John Gibson 10 4-5-0 2.12 .930 Edmonton Player GP Record GAA Save% Cam Talbot 18 9-8-1 2.56 .913 Laurent Brossoit 3 0-1-0 .284 .896 SPECIAL TEAMS Power play Edmonton (12-for-46) 26.1 percent, 4th in NHL San Jose (10-for-60) 16.7 percent, 21st in NHL Anaheim (5-for-54) 9.3 percent, 30th in NHL Penalty kill Anaheim (60-for-67) 89.5 percent, 3rd in NHL 1053553 San Jose Sharks The Sharks have averaged three goals a game from the end of the All- Star break until after Thursday, scoring 60 goals in 20 games. Aided by 14 goals in their last two games, the Oilers have averaged 2.74 goals in Pacific heights: How the Sharks broke away from Ducks, Oilers 19 games. The Ducks have averaged 2.59 goals, also playing 19 games. Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Couture, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have combined for 34 of those 60 goals and 88 points since the break. By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: March 17, 2017 Pavelski and Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf have led the division since the SAN JOSE — The Sharks are only halfway through a grueling March in break with 21 points each. Oilers captain Connor McDavid is third with which they will play 16 games in 31 days. 20. Fatigue might have been an issue against the St. Louis Blues on Where the Ducks and Oilers have fallen behind a bit is the lack of Thursday when they managed only 20 shots on net and found quality consistent production from their respective supporting casts. scoring chances to be at a premium. After blasting Dallas 7-1 and Boston 7-4 this week, the Oilers’ other “From looking at the game from the bench, I thought we looked tired. I leading point producers in a 19-game span are Leon Draisaitl and Milan thought we looked slow, sluggish,” Sharks center Logan Couture said Lucic with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Oscar Klefbom, Jordan Eberle after the game. “We just didn’t have any jump.” and Patrick Maroon have a combined 31 points. If the schedule is taking a toll, it’s a good thing the Sharks have been For the Ducks, outside of Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg, Corey Perry, able to build up a bit of a cushion in the Pacific Division as they head into Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano have combined for 27 Saturday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. goals and 29 assists. The goal production drops off sharply after that. At the end of the NHL’s All-Star break, the Sharks, Ducks and Edmonton A win Saturday over the Ducks won’t clinch anything for the Sharks. A Oilers were all within one point of each other. loss won’t be cause for panic, either. Since then, the Sharks have been able to break away from the pack, and Mainly because the Sharks have been able to outplay Anaheim over the are in an ideal spot to win their first Pacific title since 2011 and have last six-plus weeks and leave themselves a little wiggle room. home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.18.2017 Here are a few reasons the Sharks were able to take control of first place. GOALTENDING Including the Sharks’ 3-1 win over Chicago on Jan. 31, goalies Martin Jones and Aaron Dell have combined to stop 530 of 572 shots for a .927 save percentage. In 20 post All-Star break games, Jones or Dell allowed two goals or fewer 15 times, with Nashville and Minnesota scoring their respective third goals in empty nets. In those 15 games, the Sharks went 11-2-2. The Oilers’ goaltending wasn’t quite as steady. While the Sharks have sought to give Jones some games off over the last two-plus weeks and the Ducks splitting game duties almost equally between two goalies, the Oilers are riding their horse, Cam Talbot, to the finish line. Talbot has played in 18 of 19 games since the break and is 9-8-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average. A lot of nights, Talbot has been a big reason the Oilers have been competitive, but there is consternation among the fan base in the Alberta capital that his workload has been too great, starting 63 of Edmonton’s 70 games. Talbot’s save percentage has gone from .924 in December to .916 so far in March. Anaheim’s goaltending has been just as good as San Jose’s, though, with Jonathan Bernier and John Gibson sharing the workload almost equally and combining for a .930 save percentage. The Ducks have allowed 45 goals in the last 19 games. The Sharks have allowed 46 goals in 20 games. ROAD RECORDS Where the Sharks have had an advantage over the Ducks and Oilers in the last six weeks was their ability to consistently collect points on the road. While Anaheim has been stellar at home going 7-2-0 since the break, they were 3-6-1 on the road. The Ducks started February by going 2-3-1 on a six-game trip, then followed that with costly regulation losses to Arizona and Los Angeles later in the month. Edmonton also spent the majority of February away from Rogers Place, going 4-5. The Sharks, meanwhile, have picked up points in seven of nine road games since the break, going 5-2-2. They left a point on the table Feb. 7 at Buffalo, losing 5-4 in overtime, and were simply outplayed in regulation losses in Boston and Minnesota. But they mostly took care of business against non-playoff teams to help open a gap in the division. THE BIG BOYS 1053554 San Jose Sharks

Sharks’ uneven play raises questions about March grind

By Ross McKeon Updated 6:22 pm, Friday, March 17, 2017

San Jose’s Brent Burns has cooled off considerably the last couple weeks. He’s gone 11 games without a goal — his longest such stretch this season. As the Sharks sleepwalked Thursday through their second clunker of the week, one had to wonder whether this deep and experienced team has banked enough energy for the postseason. Sure, San Jose has posted convincing wins over Buffalo and Dallas since laying an egg last Saturday against Nashville. But against the Predators and Blues — two teams with a more urgent need for points than the Sharks — the hosts were clearly outworked. The March schedule — 16 games in 30 nights — is proving to be a grind. This is on top of 34 road games to date, a short offseason, and the team’s biggest minute-munchers involved in the preseason World Cup of Hockey tourney. Is it all too much? Or can the Sharks flip a switch at will? The team will find out when Anaheim visits Saturday whether the recent trend will continue or if a date with a strong rival triggers San Jose’s work ethic. “I thought we looked tired out there, sluggish. We just didn’t have any jump up front,” said Logan Couture, who produced one of only seven shots from a Sharks forward against St. Louis. “A lot of it was on us. This stretch for us is a difficult one — eight games in 12 days. This month has been pretty nuts, but every team goes through it.” The Sharks appear destined to win the Pacific Division and have gone 11-4-5 since the All-Star break, so it’s not time to panic. On the other hand, the 25th-ranked power play has converted only two in the past eight games and defenseman Brent Burns is without a goal for a season- worst 11 games. After Saturday’s showdown with the Ducks, San Jose plays six of seven on the road — three sets of back-to-backs, all at least one time zone away. It’s not the easiest time to conserve energy for mid-April, especially if they run into a first-round opponent feeling no pressure, such as Calgary or Edmonton. “Saturday’s game, there will be a lot at stake,” defenseman Paul Martin said after Thursday’s game. “I’m sure we’ll want to tighten things up, have a better effort, and fix the things we should be able to correct.” Talkin’ 8 OTs: Had to love the recent eight overtime playoff game in Norway that ended after 2 a.m. Not only for the two teams battling for 217 minutes and 14 seconds, but for the fans who stuck with it — and for several who were reported missing by loved ones. Make your plans: Ottawa will host Montreal at TD Place on Dec. 16 in the first announced outdoor game next season. More are coming, but don’t figure to involve the Sharks. The league showed interest in trying to pull something off in the Tampa area. And it’s rumored the Sabres and Rangers will meet at Citi Field, home of baseball’s New York Mets. Briefly: Steven Stamkos went through a full practice Friday. He may still return this season to a Lightning team that passed eight teams in six weeks to get back into the playoff race. … Boston’s Todd Marchant is suddenly tied with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the scoring lead, with Chicago’s Patrick Kane only two points back. … Toronto’s Auston Matthews (55), Mitch Marner (55) and William Nylander (50) are the first trio of rookies with 50 or more points since Winnipeg boasted Teemu Selanne (132), Alexei Zhamnov (72) and Keith Tkachuk (51) in 1992-93. San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053555 San Jose Sharks

THREE TAKEAWAYS: SHARKS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL REMATCH

By Kevin Kurz March 17, 2017 11:07 AM

SAN JOSE – There wasn’t a whole lot of action in the Sharks-Blues game at SAP Center on Thursday. That’s usually a good sign for the road team, and it was in this case, too, as St. Louis claimed a convincing 4-1 win. Still, we can find a few topics to discuss in our three takeaways… 1 – Worried about a potential rematch? There’s a decent chance the Sharks and Blues will get to rematch their Western Conference Final series from a year ago in the first round. If San Jose surpasses the Wild and Blackhawks and gets the top seed, or the Blues move up to the first wild card position, it would make it much more likely. Should the Sharks be worried about that, considering they were handled fairly easily by the Blues in the three-game season series? “I’m not concerned about it,” Pete DeBoer said. “We’ll deal with that if we get them in the playoffs. I think if you go two games back we’re not very good, if you go the last 10 games against them we’re pretty good against them. I’m not worried about it.” The Blues are surely doing something right against the Sharks. Since Jan. 1, two of San Jose's three lowest shot totals have been against St. Louis, including 23 shots on Jan. 14 (a 4-0 loss) and just 20 on Thursday, tied for a season-low. Paul Martin said: “The last time we played them (on Jan. 14) was awhile ago, and two different teams I think from last time, but definitely we were not happy with our performance or the way we’ve been playing against them. We were off tonight, we didn’t have one of or better games, obviously. They did the job of bottling us up and not giving up a whole lot.” 2 – Burns going cold It’s now been 11 games since Brent Burns has scored a goal, despite his registering 43 shots since Feb. 19. He still leads the Sharks with 70 points, but that’s now tied for seventh in the league, nine behind leaders Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand. He’s also just seven points ahead of Erik Karlsson for the NHL lead in scoring among defensemen, too. Is the Norris Trophy still a lock? More concerning, though, is that Burns hasn’t been all that effective in his own end lately and is making some curious decisions with the puck and with his positioning. While Thursday’s game was a team loss – as we mention below, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun weren’t any better in terms of defensemen – it was Burns’ unforced turnover to Scottie Upshall in the neutral zone led to the Blues’ first score. "When you pick off a pass from the best defenseman in the league," Upshall told the St. Louis Post Dispatch, "and make them pay for it, it's a big added bonus for your team, so it was a big goal for us to get us going." As the team’s most important player now, Burns’ game will be something to monitor over the next little while. 3 – Tarasenko takes over One of the biggest reasons that the Sharks got past the Blues in six games last season was keeping Vladimir Tarasenko under wraps. That didn’t happen on Thursday, as the Blues’ forward registered a game-high eight shots and 12 shot attempts while recording a power play goal and an empty netter. His line, with Jaden Schwartz and Paul Stastny, was dominant while skating mostly against the Sharks’ top shutdown pair of Vlasic and Braun, as Stastny had five shots and Schwartz another two. Blues coach Mike Yeo like his team’s game overall, as it responded from Wednesday’s loss in Anaheim. "I thought we competed at a real high level tonight,” coach Mike Yeo told reporters. “Right from the drop of the puck, guys were paying a price for each other.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053556 San Jose Sharks

SHARKS CAN'T FIND THEIR LEGS IN ANOTHER LOSS TO BLUES

By Kevin Kurz March 16, 2017 11:30 PM

SAN JOSE – Playing their seventh game in 12 days against a team fighting for its playoff life was too much for the Sharks to handle on Thursday at SAP Center in a 4-1 Blues win. Throughout the game, evidence piled up that the home team didn’t have its legs. Forwards weren’t supporting the defensemen on breakouts or through the neutral zone, the forecheck was ineffective, shots were getting blocked, and the rare ones that got through were easily cleared away from dangerous scoring areas. Both Logan Couture and coach Pete DeBoer both indicated that the team might have hit a wall, for at least one night. “They played well defensively, but for us, from looking at the game from the bench, I thought we looked tired,” Couture said. “I thought we looked slow, sluggish. We just didn’t have any jump up front. So, I think a lot of it was on us.” DeBoer said: “They came in here desperate and they were really solid, and we weren’t. We’ve got to do more to help ourselves. I don’t know the reason. Is it fatigue? I don’t know. We’ll look at the tape and come up with some answers.” These kinds of nights are bound to happen at points throughout the season as every team deals with the condensed schedule, right? “Unfortunately, yeah, I think so,” Couture said. “This month is pretty nuts. But, every team is going through it this year. We need to find a way to be better. Tonight, we weren’t.” It’s not like the Blues should have been any more energized, however. They were playing the second of a back-to-back, and third in California in four nights as they continue a five-game road trip. But they’re at a different stage in their season. The Blues are trying to hold on to the final wild card spot, and may feel like they have something to prove after changing coaches six weeks ago and trading away key defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk to Washington. Sharks forwards combined for just seven of the team’s 20 shots on goal, a good example of how hard the Blues were working to prevent San Jose from getting any good looks. “If we did get a shot [through], they got to it probably a little quicker,” Joe Pavelski said. “It was kind of one and done. We weren’t probably on the inside enough. It’s hard to say. ... Obviously, that’s not us, we’ve got a lot better than that.” Couture said: “The biggest thing tonight was we didn’t forecheck well, we didn’t sustain any pressure in their zone.” The Sharks’ only goal was a lucky one, as Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s attempted pass deflected in off of Carl Gunnarsson’s skate in the first period to tie the game at 1-1. St. Louis got a goal from Scottie Upshall just prior to that to open the scoring, thanks to a sloppy pass from Brent Burns that went right to the Blues’ forward, another from Zach Sanford on a rebound off the end wall that held up as the game-winner, and two from Vladimir Tarasenko, on the power play and into an empty net. Despite the loss, the Sharks will have a chance to finish off their season- long six-game homestand with eight of a possible 12 points if they can beat the Ducks on Saturday. Friday will be a complete day off, and by the look of Thursday’s game, they could use it. Paul Martin said: “Saturday will be a big game, obviously. Anaheim, and a lot at stake. I think after tonight’s performance we’re going to want to make sure that we tighten things up and have a better effort, and fix some things we should be able to correct.” “Get rested tomorrow, and get our legs back and have some jump and force [the Ducks] to play in their end,” Couture said. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053557 St Louis Blues

Preview: Blues at Coyotes

By Jeremy Rutherford St. Louis Post-Dispatch

BLUES AT COYOTES When • 8 p.m. Saturday Where • Gila River Arena TV, radio • Fox Sports Midwest, KMOX (1120 AM) Blues • The Blues are 2-1 on their five-game road trip, which continues in Arizona. This will be the club’s sixth game in the last nine days. ... The Blues have yet to face Arizona but will get familiar quickly, seeing them three times in their next six games. ... Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in Thursday’s 4-1 win over San Jose, climbing to No. 3 in the NHL with 34 goals. He has six goals in his last six games. ... The Blues have yet to name a starting goalie, but after Carter Hutton got the nod Thursday, it will presumably be Jake Allen. In Hutton’s last 10 road games, he has a 1.56 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. Coyotes • Arizona is second-to-last in the NHL standings with just 61 points, but the Coyotes have a point in their last five games (3-0-2). That run includes a 3-2 shootout win over Los Angeles last Tuesday. ... The Coyotes’ last two games have ended in shootouts, and after splitting those decisions, they are 6-2 in the overtime format this season. ... Radim Vrbata is Arizona’s leading scorer with 17 goals and 51 points. He has two goals in his last nine games. Injuries • Blues — LW Dmitrij Jaskin (upper body), C Jori Lehtera (upper body) and LW Robby Fabbri (knee), out. Coyotes — RW Brad Richardson (leg), out. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053558 St Louis Blues game with the Coyotes, the Blues will have two consecutive days off — they’ll spend them in Arizona rather than heading directly to Denver — the last time this season they’ll have that long a break. From there, it will Soft schedule should help Blues in playoff push be a game every other day, with a set of back-to-backs to close the season.

There’s a decent chance that going forward, the Blues will use Zach By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sanford, part of the return on the Kevin Shattenkirk trade, more often. He got his first goal with the Blues, which turned out to be the game-winner, in the second period and Yeo liked his game, with the exception of being on the ice for San Jose’s only goal. The Blues had been hesitant, The past five weeks of the Blues’ season has been marked by one kind preferring to go with either the more experienced Dmitrij Jaskin or Nail of streak or another. A six-game winning streak led to a five-game losing Yakupov in a playoff race. But with Jaskin injured and Yakupov streak, which then became a five-game winning streak. In the Blues’ ineffective, Sanford got his chance and seized it. case, one thing has, indeed, led to another. “He was making plays and looked confident,” Yeo said. “The most After the Blues lost in Anaheim on Wednesday night, the chance was impressive part for me was, obviously he was on the ice for the first goal there for another streak to start, especially with a game against Pacific against. We brought them in, showed then what it was, and said go Division-leading San Jose coming up, but the Blues rewrote the script respond. Mistakes happen. I thought the aggressiveness he came out with a 4-1 win Thursday that, while never dominant, was certainly with in the second period shows a lot for a young player. Sometimes effective for a team playing its fifth game in seven nights. In doing so, guys make a mistake and go into a shell. He went out and made up for they stopped a losing streak before it could get started. it.” “We’re about wins right now,” forward Scottie Upshall said. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 The Blues rounded one corner with the San Jose win, entering a point in the season where their schedule goes from easy to incredibly easy. The Blues have 12 games remaining, and only two of them – games with Nashville and Calgary, both at Scottrade Center — are against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended right now. Three of them are against a woeful Colorado team and three more are against Arizona, the second-worst team in the Western Conference. Add in games with Vancouver and Carolina and the Blues have a lot of games that they will be expected to win. The Blues’ remaining opponents have won just 39 percent of their games this season. That, of course, is the risk. This Blues have seemed to play better when the desperation factor is high and, with a four-point margin on the Kings with 12 games to play and a game Saturday night against Arizona, followed by one Tuesday against the Avalanche, the dial has been set to easy. Which, for the Blues, should be scary. “We knew it would be a hard game (against San Jose), and that brings out the best in us,” coach Mike Yeo said. “Our challenge is to make sure we understand the next game will be difficult as well. It’s a different opponent, but I don’t care where they’re at in the standings, I look at them playing right now, look at the players they have on the ice, I know we’re going to have to be ready to be sharp, and that’s a good test for us.” “Definitely, you can’t let up,” goalie Carter Hutton said. “It’s still the NHL. Every team can win. There’s still a lot of good players on those teams that aren’t playoff contenders. We know (Arizona) is a team that can beat anybody; they just beat L.A. in a shootout. They’ve got good players, good goalies, and we’re going to have to bring our game to beat them.” Upshall, who scored the goal that put the Blues up 1-0 against San Jose, is more familiar with the other side of these games in his career. In his 11 seasons in the league, he’s gone to the playoffs just four times. “Speaking from experience, I know what it’s like to be in an organization and team down the stretch that’s not really fighting for its playoff life,” Upshall said, “but they’re fighting for jobs and you expect them to play hard and give you their best. In our position, you can’t take anything lightly. You’re fighting for two points every night. The competition only gets harder as the year goes on.” The Blues are in as comfortable playoff position as they’ve been in a while, though one losing streak coupled with a Kings win streak could flip the picture in a few games. With their edge on the Kings and 12 games to go, the Blues are in full control of their destiny. If they don’t make the playoffs with the schedule they have left, it’s going to be all on them. “We’ve definitely been in some tough spots,” Upshall said. “We’ve put ourselves in places this year we never should be. We’ve had a couple skids where we lose five, six in a row. But we’ve always found ways to keep our head above water and keep our positive vibe going and help each other out.” The Blues reached one milestone Thursday that they haven’t seen in a long time. Vladimir Tarasenko’s two third-period goals — one on a power play to give the Blues breathing room, one an empty-net goal to clinch the win — gave him 34 on the season, and put the Blues in positive numbers in goal difference for the season for the first time since Dec. 9. They had been the only team in the playoff range that had allowed more goals than they had scored. The Blues will turn another corner after the Arizona game. It marks their sixth in nine nights, the most hectic stretch of their season. After the 1053559 St Louis Blues

Maryland Heights to negotiate millions for Blues practice facility

By Mike Faulk St. Louis Post-Dispatch

MARYLAND HEIGHTS • The city will provide up to $6 million in public money for site preparation, road improvements and other construction for the St. Louis Blues practice facility to be built here. In exchange, Maryland Heights City Administrator Jim Krischke said the city would look for commitments such as public programming and special community events at the facility. Krischke said those details would be part of the agreement, estimates for which range from $3 million to $6 million. The City Council on Thursday authorized negotiations with the Blues. “There’s going to be a lot of work in how we structure that and make sure we get the proper value for our investment,” Krischke said. The total project cost is estimated at $40 million. The 250,000-square- foot facility would hold four ice rinks, including one outdoors, and would be on land owned by St. Louis County on the north side of Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park. Maryland Heights’ contribution would help pay for preparing the site for development with utility and road improvements, the installation of parking lots, and trail and walkway extensions connecting the facility to the park, according to a city news release. The project, announced in 2015 and to be open by mid- to late 2018, is being led by the St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with the Blues hockey team. Foundation chairman Patrick Quinn said the Blues would use “less than 5 percent of the total available space and a smaller percentage of available ice time.” Quinn said the Blues would be an important tenant but emphasized the other potential public uses for the building. Representatives of the foundation and the county previously said such a facility might host local and regional hockey tournaments for men and women, as well as serve local figure skaters, speed skaters and curling enthusiasts. “The Ice Center will serve our full regional community of youth and adults who participate in ice sports,” Quinn said in an email. County officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In December, the St. Louis County Council gave County Executive Steve Stenger authority to negotiate the proposed facility with the Legacy Ice Foundation. The Blues currently practice at a facility in the St. Louis Outlet Mall in Hazelwood. The practice facility project comes at the same time that the Blues are soliciting St. Louis and the state for millions in renovations to Scottrade Center. In February, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen approved $64.5 million for improvements to the building, opened in 1994. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053560 Tampa Bay Lightning was the curve that goes with coming back, the inflammation, the little bit of pain after. There shouldn't be any uncomfortable moments on the ice. Obviously some of that is mental, too. Lightning's Steven Stamkos on injury progress: Some positives but "I've been through this before. I have a good understanding of what my nothing imminent on return body needs to feel like in order to be back on the ice." Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.18.2017 Joe Smith, Friday, March 17, 2017 7:58PM

TAMPA — There have been some dark days for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos during his four-month recovery from right knee surgery. "This has been the toughest by far," he said. That's saying something for Stamkos, 26, a superstar who has come back from a broken leg and blood clot in the past three years. But on Friday, there was a glimmer of hope, Stamkos participating in his first full team practice since a mid-November injury cut short what was the best hockey of his life. Stamkos' return isn't imminent. And he can't say for sure whether he will play by the end of the regular season; there are 12 games to go, including tonight against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals. What's clear is Stamkos won't come back until he's ready, no matter the Lightning's perilous playoff position, one point out of a wild-card spot. "When it's 100 percent, I'll be back," Stamkos said Friday, his first comments since surgery. "It's a question I can't answer. I've had a lot of ups and downs in this rehab process, where it feels like it's never going to get better. Then you have a week where it goes through the roof in regards to how you're feeling. "I'll be playing when it feels ready. And I can't say it feels ready right now. But it was a start." Stamkos just being back on the ice, playing on a line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, was uplifting for him and his teammates. He had been skating with the team on a limited basis the past three weeks, traveling on the past three road trips. But Friday he did every drill, including experiencing light contact for the first time. Coach Jon Cooper warned that Stamkos' participation was out of necessity to field a full team, with three injured centers (Tyler Johnson, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette) ruled out tonight, and Ondrej Palat and Jake Dotchin questionable after missing practice. But Stamkos said it has been the remarkable 12-3-3 run by the injury- depleted Lightning lineup that has given him a boost in recovery, hoping he might be part of another playoff run. Stamkos didn't know if he would get the chance when he was hurt Nov. 15 in Detroit. He got tangled awkwardly around the boards and hobbled off with a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. Surgery in Colorado came two days later. "You just feel something, and are like, 'Okay, it's going to release, or unclick or whatever,' " Stamkos said. "It wasn't until I got the MRI and you hear that you're going to be done for a while, and then you have surgery to fix it. It was frustrating. Obviously there are a lot of emotions that went through your head, kind of a downward spiral for a couple days." Stamkos was playing the best hockey of his life, with 20 points in his first 17 games (nine goals). He was finally free of contract questions, in the first year of an eight-year, $68 million extension signed in late June. The Lightning, preseason Stanley Cup favorites, was 10-6-1 and in the middle of a four-game winning streak. Then Tampa Bay struggled, falling dangerously out of playoff position and into last place in the East on Feb. 2. "There's a lot of what could have been,' Stamkos said. "But that's life. Things like that happen. You get tested in a lot of different ways. It's tough to watch the guys struggle. I see the season unfold the way it has. … Hopefully that's it, the string of bad luck is over." Teammates could see the difference in Stamkos during this roller coaster of emotions. "Everyone felt for him for everything he's gone through," wing Alex Killorn said. "We were hoping he'd come in and have a huge year. You could tell at the beginning he was frustrated, he was down on himself. Now he's happy, back to his old self." But Stamkos has to feel like his old self on the ice before he comes back. How will he know? "When there's no restrictions, where you feel like you did before surgery," he said. "Obviously, even when I came back from the broken leg, there 1053561 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs not least bit concerned about Matthews’ slump

By KEVIN MCGRAN

Yes, Auston Matthews is in a slump, the likes of which haven’t been since, well, John Tavares and Steve Stamkos. The Maple Leafs’ rookie centre and leading goal-scorer has gone seven games without registering as much as an assist, heading into Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Leafs have done just fine in those seven games, going 4-2-1, and the depth of scoring on all their lines means the Leafs can endure such slumps. “Auston has been — I don’t want to say carrying us all year — but he’s scored a lot of goals for this team,” said forward Matt Martin, who scored on Thursday night, one of 13 Leafs to register at least one point. “He’s got 30-plus on the season, he’s been a catalyst offensively all year. “We’re getting offensive production from other guys when he’s not scoring. He’s still playing well. The puck’s not going for him. We have to find ways to win. I’m confident he’ll get back on track.” But so desperate was coach Mike Babcock to get Matthews going — an assist even — that he put him out on a 4-on-3 power play with a minute to go in a game the Leafs were leading 5-0. That’s a real no-no, since usually fourth-liners take those in laughers. It’s something the Tampa Bay Lightning, already humiliated in their own building, likely won’t soon forget. You have to go back to the 2009-10 season and Tavares to find a forward chosen No. 1 overall who went this long without registering a point in his rookie year. Tavares’ pointless drought lasted exactly seven games, from Jan. 1 to Feb. 13 of that season. None of the No. 1 overalls since (with the exception of Aaron Ekblad, a defenceman not counted on to score) have endured seven-game pointless droughts. Taylor Hall’s longest drought was five games, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also went five, Nail Yakupov went four, Nathan MacKinnon went five, while Connor McDavid never went more than two games without a point in his rookie season last year. Matthews could equal Stamkos’ longest rookie-season drought — eight games, Nov. 1-18, 2008 — Saturday when the Blackhawks come to town. But no one on the Leafs is pointing fingers or worrying about who does or doesn’t score; all they care about right now are the Blackhawks. “It’s a big challenge,” said Martin. “They are one of the top teams in the league and Patrick Kane is playing as good as he can play right now. He’s on fire. “We have to have fun Saturday night and be ready for them.” The Leafs say they can measure themselves against the Blackhawks. “They are a high-powered team with some of the best players in the game,” said Toronto centre Tyler Bozak. “We have to be ready. You can’t give them any room or space, or they’re going to make plays. “It’s a big game for us.” The Leafs moved back into a playoff spot with the win over Tampa, while the team’s nearest them lost. But the idea isn’t to count on others. “You have to control your own fate and win your own games,” said Bozak. Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053562 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs-Chicago Blackhawks: Game preview

By MARK ZWOLINSKI

AIR CANADA CENTRE Puck drop: 7 p.m. TV: CBC Radio: Sportsnet 590 The Fan Key players: Patrick Kane vs. Morgan Rielly. The Hawks’ Kane remains one of the most dangerous forwards in the NHL, as his 17 goals and 28 points since Feb. 2, which leads the NHL over that time span. He also has 21 multi-point games this season, second-most in the NHL. Rielly draws the top forwards for the Leafs. He’ll have a huge assignment — his biggest since the all-star break — in trying to shut down Kane and the Blackhawks’ superb offence. Need to know: Former Leaf Richard Panik is thriving in Chicago; he scored the game-winner vs. Ottawa Thursday, and now has 18 goals on the season . . . Chicago won for the third game in a row, and is now 15-3- 0 in its last 18 games … The Blackhawks have won nine of their last 10 on the road, and their 21 road victories are second in the NHL … Artem Anisimov has a lower body injury and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks … Marian Hossa skated in his 1,300th NHL game Thursday, while captain Jonathan Toews has 269 career goals and sits in seventh overall on the team’s all-time list … All-star defencemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrooke continue to show why the Blackhawks are so strong at this time of year: Keith has 42 assists, fourth among NHL defenceman, while Seabrooke has 122 blocked shots, second on the team. Up next: Monday, vs. Boston Bruins, 7:30 p.m., TSN4 Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053563 Toronto Maple Leafs it’s ever seen was in 2011, when the Boston Bruins reportedly spent over $156,000 at a Las Vegas bar during their championship celebration, a tab which included a $100,000 bottle of champagne. Getting to know the Stanley Cup better Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017

By MARK ZWOLINSKI Fri., March 17, 2017

The Stanley Cup sits in Ottawa this weekend as the NHL celebrates the 125th anniversary of the trophy that not only represents the league’s pinnacle achievement, but is considered to be the most beautiful trophy in all of pro sports. The Cup was brought to Rideau Hall, home of the Governor General, on Thursday, and will remain there through the weekend for its 125th birthday. The Leafs host the Blackhawks Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre on this special weekend for hockey, so here’s a look at some facts and hijinx that have become part of the Cup’s legend: In the Beginning The Cup was purchased by Lord Stanley of Preston, who acquired it in its original, bowl shaped form, in 1892, for 10 guineas, which was about $50 at the time. It originally measured 18.5 cm in height and 29 cm in diameter; in its current form, it’s 89.5 cm tall and weighs 15.5 kilograms. The Cup was first awarded to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, which finished first in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in 1893. There are three Cups The original Cup was known as the “Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup,” and was awarded until 1970. The “Presentation Cup” — which is the Cup presented to NHL champions today — was created in 1962 after then NHL president Clarence Campbell sought to change the Cup because he believed it was too brittle. The third and final rendition is a replica of the Presentation Cup, and was created in 1993 by Montreal silversmith Louise St. Jacques. It is used as a stand-in at the Hockey Hall of Fame when the Presentation Cup is on the road. Changing with the Times The Cup was streamlined into a cigar shaped trophy from 1927-47; a wider, lower tier was added in 1948 and remains in use to this day. The bottom five rings of the lower bowl hold the names of the oldest teams to have won the Cup. However, when the lowest ring becomes too full, it is replaced — as a result, no championship teams from 1928-29 to 1953-54 are currently on the Cup. There are spelling mistakes and ineligible names on the Cup, which has resulted in 13 “X” marks on the Cup to cross out the errors. Frequent Mentions Montreal Canadiens forward Henri Richard holds the distinction of having his name appear on the Cup more than any other player in history — with 11 engravings. Legendary coach Scotty Bowman leads all coaches, with nine engravings, covering coaching stints with Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. Montreal has won the most Cups, with 24, and they also have more consecutive victories than any other team, with five between 1956- 60. Women who’ve made Cup history There are 12 women on the Cup, the first being Marguerite Norris, who was president of the Detroit Red Wings when they won the Cup in 1954- 55. The first, and only, Canadian woman on the Cup is Sonia Scurfield, who was co-owner of the Calgary Flames during their Cup-winning 1988- 89 season. In good Hands The Cup must be accompanied by at least one member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. That member is referred to as “The Keeper of the Cup.” Philip Pritchard has held that job since 1991, and has a Twitter account, @keeperofthecup, to update where the Cup is and what’s going on with it. Party On Each championship team is awarded 100 days to spend with the Cup in the off-season. Each player gets to spend one personal day with it, a reward formalized by the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils. The Cup has wound up at a strip club twice, been dunked in a pool three times, and used during a christening twice — by Colorado’s Sylvain Lefebvre in 1996, and Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom in 2008. The most expensive party 1053564 Toronto Maple Leafs Brandon Prust. It’s based off the Battle of the Enforcers exhibition that took place in Prince George, B.C., in 2005. It’s sad.

0:00 Baruchel fights the good fight in Goon sequel: Arthur Co-writer and director Jay Baruchel says he wanted to give fans “something awesome” with the sequel to his comedic hockey film “Goon.” By BRUCE ARTHUR Baruchel also appears in “Goon: Last of the Enforcers” with star Seann William Scott.(THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The movies are comedies, but they also chart the voyage of the enforcer, When Jay Baruchel was a kid — a skinny little half-Jewish half-Irish and a voyage of the hockey fan. The longer they fight, the more you Catholic kid in a rough part of Montreal, where he had a knife pulled on know, the harder it is to cheer with your whole heart. The love of fighting him on the first day of seventh grade and carried a Swiss Army knife the endures, though. The myth endures. rest of the year, always worried he’d pull out a fork if he had to use it — his dad wanted him to play hockey. His dad wasn’t a big guy either, but At the end of the credits of the first movie were the words, “For Serge Serge Baruchel was a fighter, boy. Serge Baruchel was a skinny Paris- Baruchel.” Baruchel’s dad was notorious in criminal circles, and while born son of Italian-speaking Egyptian Jews who moved to a non-Jewish there was a chance at a more respectable life when his son arrived, part of Montreal, and he was fighting his whole life. Baruchel started supporting his family in his early teens, after his dad left. They didn’t speak after a blowup at 16 when Serge called, drunk or high “If he got in a fistfight, that would be the best thing that happened to him or both. Serge overdosed on heroin when Baruchel was 21. that week,” says Baruchel, sitting in a Toronto diner with his hood up, trying for comfort rather than anonymity. “When I was a kid, we’d be out When Baruchel says this movie is like sending his kids off to school — and about, and for me, because I was a kid, I thought it was cool. For my well, sort of. mom, who was married to him, she was scared s---less. It was like being “When I was 12, my dad saw a thing for a weekly acting thing in a church in a minefield everywhere we went.” basement,” says Baruchel. “He said, ‘You talk a lot, this might be the Baruchel, 34, is one of Canada’s most recognizable actors. Among other thing for you.’ Here’s the weird thing about my dad: He wanted nothing things, he was the lead in Judd Apatow’s late, great Undeclared when he more for me than for me to play hockey and for me to play catch with him was 18, four years into his career; he was in Million Dollar Baby and in the backyard, and I would purposely (throw) dead-arm, and when he Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder, and he is the lead voice in the How To hit me in the mitt I would fall over as if he hit me too hard, because I Train Your Dragon franchise, and the lead in the FXX series Man wanted to watch cartoons, and I would go up to my bedroom with my G.I. Seeking Woman. Joes and I would make my movies and stories. The kids outside throwing a ball, it paled in comparison to the universes I was creating in my And, of course, there is Goon. The broad, profane 2011 comedy about a bedroom. hockey fighter was co-written by Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, and it was a love letter to the enforcer. It opened with blood splattering in slow “So I’ll say this: he was bummed, but the minute he knew that I had motion onto clean white ice in big fat crimson drops, followed by a tusk of something, he leaned into it.” a tooth, flipping and falling. There was some subtlety, but not too much. His father bought him Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the first of thousands of Then, in the summer of 2011, fighters Wade Belak and Rick Rypien movies Baruchel would eventually own; Serge would rent movies and if committed suicide, and Derek Boogaard died from an oxycontin they were left in the VCR in the morning, Baruchel could watch them, too. overdose. In 2010, even with elegies for fighters in full swing, there were His parents bought him film books. They backed up their boy. 714 fights in the NHL, per hockeyfights.com, and 171 games with more “The lump in my throat is him not being able to see Goon, because that than one fight. Last season, those numbers were 344 and 50. Now, was me meeting him halfway,” says Baruchel. “I never played hockey, Goon: Last of the Enforcers — Baruchel’s directorial debut — hits but I could do my version of that, which is this. My dad was a pretty old- theatres Friday. school guy. A lot of people wouldn’t find him pleasant or palatable. He “The other times I’ve been (this) nervous is just my anxiety disorder, was incredibly ignorant and racist about a lot of stuff, a f---up who was which is going on a talk show or a red carpet,” says Baruchel. “This is my always in and out of jail, and that guy had a p----y artist for a son and he kids going off to school.” f---ing told me to be that, and would kill anyone who stepped in my way. Like, that’s my boy.” His father played hockey, too, on a local Jewish team with a big menorah on its jersey. They had pennies thrown at them one time. Baruchel asked Baruchel could have made a movie about Ross Rhea, the career hockey a friend who had played with his dad what kind of player he was: He was player who had to fight to stay in the game, and suffered for it. But he told, your dad liked to finish his checks. Yeah. made it about a Jewish guy who was bouncing around, aimless, who was secretly a superhuman fighter, and who once he had a family had to Baruchel is a huge Montreal Canadiens fan, and he loves fights, which decide whether to settle down before he broke. Fighting in hockey is a puts him in line with a lot of hockey fans in this country. His mother and mirror of ourselves in this country, sometimes crooked and distorted, and father loved the fighters best, and Baruchel was raised in that faith. He this is a proudly Canadian movie. It is one story about fighters, as they loved the chaos, the honour and the mythology, sanitized as it might vanish. often be. Maybe like a lot of hockey stories, it’s a story about something else, too. “I can’t argue against people who say it has no place, because it doesn’t: You’re playing hockey, you’re not fighting,” he says. “But I also grew up Toronto Star LOADED: 03.18.2017 in this country . . . I can’t argue with someone who thinks it has no place and belongs in the past. But I adore it.” His favourite hockey movie is Les Chiefs, a documentary about a Slap Shot-like team in a Quebec minor league. His view has changed; he knows there’s a toll, the way we all know. In the first movie, titular goon Doug Glatt is a deeply dumb guy who discovers he can fight, and starts playing hockey. The truest line in the movie comes from veteran enforcer Ross Rhea, played by Liev Schreiber: “You know they just want you to bleed, right?” But Doug suffers no real anxiety, and never loses a fight, not really. In the sequel the goalposts shift. If the first movie was boy meets hockey, this is hockey meets boy. “He is fighting dizzy throughout the movie,” says Baruchel. “We didn’t want to beat people over the head with it, but he’s not in the throes of a depression, absolutely not, but he’s dealing with concussion symptoms throughout the movie.” But Doug’s career is mostly threatened by a shoulder injury, and he has to decide whether to risk ruination or provide for his nascent family. Rhea, the self-assured veteran, finds himself in a fights-only exhibition that features real-world NHL fighters George Parros, Colton Orr and 1053565 Toronto Maple Leafs

Game Day: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs

BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Saturday, 7 p.m., Air Canada Centre TV: CBC; Radio: 590 AM THE BIG MATCHUP Patrick Kane vs. Mitch Marner Similarities between the two former London Knights have not escaped Kane, who is fighting for the league lead in scoring and meets the potential points leader on the Leafs. “(Marner) has got that all-around complete game where he’s blocking shots, playing defence,” Kane recently told Sportsnet, “which I never really did that much at that age. And he has what seems like great chemistry with (James) van Riemsdyk and (Tyler) Bozak.” Kane hopes to be the first Hawk since Stan Mikita to repeat as Art Ross winner. FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Home comfort The Leafs have a record of 3-2 when coming back to the ACC after road trips of three games or more, a sign of maturity that must be maintained as they head into their final 13 games. Restore Auston’s powers Toronto has won four of the seven games in which Auston Matthews has gone pointless, but it’s time he broke through. Panik attack Mike Babcock seemed to have an inkling former Leaf Richard Panik would play a big role back in the first meeting of the teams in October, and it was Panik’s late third-period goal that forced overtime. Panik returns to the ACC after getting a big goal in Chicago’s win in Ottawa on Thursday. Quick draws One Hawks stat that stands out for a team that could be first overall is lack of success in face-offs. Hawks are third worst in the league at even strength draws. Slam Duncan Defenceman Duncan Keith has seven points in his past nine games as Chicago attempts to fend off the Minnesota Wild for first in the Central. SPECIAL TEAMS Power Play Toronto - 23.7% (1st) Chicago - 18.8% (16th) Penalty killing Toronto - 83.3% (9th) Chicago - 77.9% (25th) SICK BAY Toronto - D Connor Carrick (upper body) Chicago - C Artem Anisimov (ankle) Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053566 Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews has a fan in Patrick Kane

BY MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN

Auston Matthews is mired in a seven-game pointless streak right now, but those are the types of growing pains young players go through. Just ask Patrick Kane. Prior to the selection of Matthews by the Leafs last summer, the previous American-born player to be picked first overall was Kane in 2007. And with Kane’s Chicago Blackhawks coming to the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night, the comparisons once again will start between the current edition of the young Leafs of Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander; and the Blackhawks of 10 years ago that featured the likes of Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. This will be the second time Matthews plays an NHL game against Kane, his boyhood idol. The Leafs hope it will be the incentive that allows Matthews to regain his scoring touch. Interestingly, Matthews broke Kane’s records with the US Under-18 National Team Development Program for a single season, collecting 55 goals and 117 points in 2014-15. Kane had accrued 52 goals and 102 points in 2005-06. “He’s a nice kid, a great kid,” Kane said. “Obviously he has all the talent in the world to be a special player but I think every young guy goes through their up and downs. I think he’s a special player and his ceiling is probably as high as it gets when you look at the young guys coming into to league,” Kane said of Matthews. “I like the way he plays. He’s obviously very skilled. He’s got a great shot and a great release. He’s very tricky with the puck when he has it and when he’s trying to fish for it too and get it back. I think he’s only going to get better as he gets more experience as time goes on.” NO PANIC ABOUT MATTHEWS If there is any fretting about the scoring dry spell Matthews is going through right now, you won’t find it inside the Maple Leafs dressing room. To a man, his Leafs teammates claim he is more than making up for his lack of appearances on the scoresheet with a solid game at both ends of the ice. Moreover, the Leafs have netted nine of a possible 14 points during his sIump, with secondary scoring being a key. During Toronto’s 5-0 victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday, for example, Matt Martin (fifth) and Morgan Rielly (fourth) contributed to help lead the Leafs to victory. “I don’t think he’s getting too nervous, I think he’s playing great,” Rielly said. “He’s a big part of this team even when he’s not scoring goals. He’s working hard, he’s trying to help his teammates and that’s the most important thing. “With a guy that talented and that skilled we all know the goals are going to come.” Forward Tyler Bozak agreed with Rielly’s scouting report. “It’s so hard,” Bozak said. “It’s the best league in the world and he’s still playing great. He’s still creating opportunities when he gets in there. “He doesn’t care as long as we’re winning games.” LAST MINUTE OF PLAY With an assist Thursday night, Nazem Kadri set a career high for points with 51, surpassing his previous high of 50 set in the 2013-14 season. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053567 Toronto Maple Leafs stayed green and white for the balance of the ‘26-27 after Conn Smythe bought the team and introduced a Leaf logo in February of ‘27. The St. Pats won the 1922 Stanley Cup. Maple Leafs have lost too many late points to NHL's elite Frederik Andersen has a green mask for the occasion, adorned with sketches of Clancy, Babe Dye and Pat Quinn, which was given a matte finish to make it look much older. BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017

The Maple Leafs can run with most big dogs in the NHL, it’s just that they’ve lost so many by a nose at the finish line. Should Toronto come a couple of points shy of a playoff spot after tabulations on April 9, it can look back to as many missed opportunities early in the year as much as lack of finishing kick. Take the game against Chicago. Back on Oct. 22, the Leafs were up 4-2 late at the Madhouse On Madison, the Hawks and their fans distracted by events across town at Wrigley Field where the Cubs were clinching the National League pennant. A big chance for a statement game for a team with one win at that stage But the Leafs coughed up their advantage and lost in a shootout. That marked four out of five third-period leads they let get away for points at that early stage of the schedule. Looking at their record against the four teams now leading their divisions in the NHL — Chicago, Montreal, San Jose and Washington — the Leafs have lost six games by a goal, four of those in overtime. Salvage even five of those points from their league-high 14 overtime defeats and Toronto would be third place in the Atlantic, not clinging to a wild-card spot by a point. Nine extra-time losses came after the Leafs were ahead after two periods. With the Hawks back here Saturday night, it underlines that this term is very much still a teaching exercise for Mike Babcock after last year’s 30th-place finish and anything close to 90 points has to be considered improvement. If they can expand their hold on the second and final wild-card seed in the East after Saturday’s busy slate of games, it will likely have been quite a performance against a foe no one expects they’ll beat. The Hawks have a record of 15-3 since Feb. 1. “Lots of challenges,” said Babcock of the Hawks. “We’ve got to stay out of the box (Toronto used up lots of energy killing all six minors in the previous meeting). I haven’t seen them as much as I used to in Detroit, but I’m looking forward to it.” The Hawks still have something vital to play for on Saturday, first place in the Central with the Minnesota Wild right behind. “They’re obviously a high-powered team,” Leaf centre Tyler Bozak warned of Chicago. “They’ve got some of the best players in the game. We’ve got to be ready. You can’t give those guys any room or space or they’re going to make plays. It’s a big game for us and we’ll be ready to go.” After Thursday’s 5-0 win in Tampa Bay yielded four out of six points in a southeast swing, the Leafs had Friday off. Chicago’s visit signals the start of five games in eight days for the Leafs. After beating several teams behind them in the standings, the next three — Chicago, Boston and Columbus — are all ahead of them. There will be some interesting matchups on Saturday, with last year’s rookie of the year, Artemi Panarin (who had the October game’s shootout winner) up against three Calder candidates: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. The three Leafs just became the first trio since Teemu Selanne, Alexei Zhamnov and Keith Tkachuk of the 1992- 93 Winnipeg Jets to each record 50-plus points in a season. GOING FOR THE GREEN For eight of their 100 years in the NHL, the Toronto franchise was known as the green-clad St. Patricks. That heritage and the connection to thousands of citizens with Irish background will be recognized in Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Toronto will wear St. Patricks’ sweaters, with green gloves and pants they worked into game shape earlier this month. Late defenceman King Clancy, who had a St. Patrick’s Day tribute at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1934, will have his former Gardens banner and ACC banners raised before the game. Each fan will get a green rally towel and one will get a chance to win a trip to Ireland. The original Toronto Arenas changed to the St. Pats for the 1919-20 season and 1053568 Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs lead season series 1-0-1 Both previous meetings were played in Newark … On Nov. 23 Devils defeat Leafs 5-4 in shootout at Prudential Center … Auston Matthews Maple Leafs control their own destiny down the stretch scored twice to snap 13-game goalless drought … Leafs rebounded to defeat host Devils 4-2 on Jan. 6. with Matthews collecting the winning goal. BY MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN March 25 at Buffalo

Leafs lead season series 2-1 Will ACC stand for the ‘Always Comfortable Confines’ for these young Maple Leafs? Leafs registered a rare victory in Buffalo on Nov. 3, edging Sabres 2-1 with Mitch Marner scoring both Toronto goals … On Jan 17 James van We’re about to find out. Riemsdyk scored the winning goal as Leafs chased Sabres goalie Robin Lehner en route to 4-3 victory on home ice … Less than a month later, Through the grind of the first five months of the regular season, Mike Marner scored the only Leafs goal in a 3-1 loss at ACC on Feb. 11 … Babcock’s Leafs have sweated and swaggered their way to get to put This will be the first of two remaining games in the Queen City. their playoff fate in their own hands. March 28 vs. Panthers And, thanks to a 5-0 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, that’s exactly the position they are in. Leafs lead season series 3-1 The analytics of the situation are simple: The Leafs, by virtue of their Leafs will be seeking retribution after allowing season high seven goals in victory over the Lightning, hold the second wild-card slot in the Eastern dropping 7-1 stinker Tuesday in Sunrise … Prior to that humiliation, Leafs Conference standings, leading Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders had won all three previous meetings: 3-2 in Toronto Oct. 27, 6-1 at ACC by a point, and have a game in hand on both those teams. But, perhaps, Nov. 17, and a 3-2 shootout decision in Florida Dec. 28 … Panthers most importantly, eight of their final 13 contests — including the last four goalie James Reimer is 1-1 against his former team. — will be held at the Air Canada Centre, where they have a respectable 17-10-6 record. March 30 at Nashville In other words, they control their own destiny, a position every team in Leafs lead season series 1-0 the league strives for. Leafs exploded for six goals against one of the NHL’s better defensive With just one playoff appearance in the past 13 years, very few teams en route to a 6-2 thrashing of the visiting Preds on Nov. 15 … meaningful March games have been played at the ACC. James van Riemsdyk scored the winning goal as part of a hat trick, the second of his career … He also chipped in with an assist. The Leafs understand the opportunity that lies in front of them, thanks in part to so much imminent home cooking. Question is, can they take April 1 at Detroit advantage of it? Leafs lead season series 3-0 “You have an advantage playing at home. It’s huge,” Tyler Bozak said. This will be Leafs final visit to The Joe … Wings will be moving into the “You get the favourable matchups you want, you get the last change, and new Little Caesar’s Arena in the fall … Leafs can sweep Mike Babcock’s obviously you are more comfortable there.” former team with a win … Auston Matthews scored the overtime winner Added defenceman Morgan Rielly: “I think if you asked any sports team, in front of 40,148 at BMO Field in the Centennial Classic on Jan. 1 … they’d tell you they’d rather play at home. That’s where you’re Later that month, Freddie Andersen stopped 22 shots to blank the Red comfortable, that’s where you spend the majority of the time. Wings 4-0 in Detroit Jan. 25 … Earlier this month the Leafs built up a 3-0 lead then held on for a 3-2 win March 7. “We’re comfortable at the Air Canada Centre.” April 3 at Buffalo Beginning Saturday with a visit from the high-powered Chicago Blackhawks, the Leafs will have the chance to prove it. Leafs lead season series 2-1 Here is a game-by-game breakdown of how the Leafs will close out the The Maple Leafs own a woeful all-time record of 28-70-6 in Buffalo. regular schedule: April 4 vs. Capitals March 18 vs. Blackhawks Leafs lead season series 1-0-1 Hawks lead season series 1-0 Potential first-round playoff matchup … Leafs defeated Capitals 4-2 at Hawks defeated Leafs 5-4 in shootout at United Center back on Oct. 22 the ACC on Nov. 26 with Nazem Kadri scoring the winning goal … Caps … Leafs coughed up 4-2 lead in final 2:28 of regulation, then lost in rebounded with a 6-5 victory on Jan. 1 with Alexander Ovechkin — who overtime when Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin scored shootout else? — blasting home the overtime winner. goals … Hawks come into Air Canada Centre on a three-game winning April 6 vs. Lightning streak including a 2-1 win in Ottawa Thursday. Leafs lead season series 2-1 March 20 vs. Bruins The big question here: Will Steven Stamkos be healthy enough to play in Leafs lead season series 3-0 his hometown (OK, technically he’s from Markham) after undergoing Leafs have chance to sweep season series with a victory … Defeated knee surgery in November? … Leafs turned in one of best efforts of Bruins 4-1 at ACC Oct. 15; Beat Bruins 4-1 in Boston Dec. 10; Edged season in blanking Bolts 5-0 Thursday as Frederik Andersen collected Bruins 6-5 in Boston Feb. 4 … Have outscored Bruins 14-7 in three his fourth shutout of season and 10th of career … It was a different story games … This will be the first time they’ll face Boston with Bruce Cassidy back on Oct. 27 when Lightning drubbed Leafs 7-3 at ACC … Leafs behind the Bruins bench … Boston will come into this one on three days rebounded with a 3-2 win on Dec. 29 thanks to a Name Kadri OT winner rest after having been drubbed 7-4 in Edmonton Thursday night … Leafs … Home team has won every game this season. are just four points behind Boston for third place in Atlantic Division. April 8 vs. Penguins Toronto has two games in hand. Season series tied 1-1 March 22 at Columbus Penguins peppered Andersen with 49 shots in a 4-1 win over Leafs in Blue Jackets lead season series 1-0 Pittsburgh on Nov. 12 … One month later Jake Gardiner scored the OT Blue Jackets defeat Leafs 5-2 at Nationwide Arena on Feb. 15 … Defeat winner for a 2-1 Toronto triumph at the ACC on Dec. 17… Sidney Crosby spoiled the return to Columbus of former Jackets goalie Curtis has been in on three of the five Penguins goals, collecting a goal and two McElhinney, who faced 35 shots … Nazem Kadri scored both Leafs assists. goals … As of now, Leafs are 5-4-4 since that loss … Two teams will April 9 vs. Blue Jackets play season finale at Air Canada Centre on April 9. Jackets lead season series 1-0 March 23 vs. Devils Rare back-to-back home games on consecutive days … Likely will be crucial to playoff seedings. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053569 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs sign forward Miro Aaltonen to entry-level deal

BY LANCE HORNBY, FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017

The Maple Leafs made it to the front of the line — and the front of the NHL guide and record book’s alphabetical player registry — on Friday with the signing of forward Miro Aaltonen to an entry-level contract. The 23-year-old Finn was in 59 regular season games for Vityaz Podolsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, piling up 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists), to rank first among skaters age 24 and under in that league during 2016-17. He will not be coming to North America right away. Listed anywhere between 5-feet-10 and six feet, the 185-pound Aaltonen also played 233 games in the Finnish League, with 119 points, including 56 goals. He can play centre or wing. One of those Finnish seasons was last year at Karpat as a teammate of Sebastian Aho and Jesse Puljujarvi, rookies of note in the NHL this term. He represented Finland at two world junior championships in 2012 and ’13 with seven points. Aaltonen was originally selected in the sixth round (177th overall) by Anaheim in 2013, a few picks after Toronto selected goalie Antoine Bibeau. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053570 Toronto Maple Leafs With the Blackhawks at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night, it underlines that this team is very much still a teaching exercise for Mike Babcock and anything close to 90 points has to be considered an Toronto Maple Leafs may rue all the lost leads and shootout woes when improvement over last season’s 30th-place finish. If they can expand the season-ending points tally is taken their hold on the second and final wild-card seed after Saturday’s busy slate of games, it will likely have been quite a performance against a foe no one expects they will beat. The Hawks have a record of 15-3 since Feb. 1. Lance Hornby, Postmedia Network | March 17, 2017 6:03 PM ET “We’ve got to stay out of the box,” Babcock said Friday. Toronto used up lots of energy killing six minors in their last meeting. TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs can run with most big dogs in “I haven’t seen them as much as I used to in Detroit, but I’m looking the NHL, it’s just that they’ve lost so often by a nose at the finish line. forward to it.” Should Toronto come a couple of points shy of a playoff spot when the Chicago still has something vital to play for Saturday: first place in the season ends on April 9, the club can look back to many missed Central ahead of the Minnesota Wild, who are three points behind opportunities early in the year. Take the game against in Chicago on Oct. Chicago with a game in hand heading into the weekend. 22. The Leafs were up 4-2 late, and the Blackhawks and their fans were distracted by events at Wrigley Field where the Cubs were clinching the “They’re obviously a high-powered team,” Leafs centre Tyler Bozak said National League pennant. It was a big chance for a statement game for of Chicago. “They’ve got some of the best players in the game. We’ve the young Maple Leafs. got to be ready, you can’t give those guys any room or space or they’re going to make plays. It’s a big game for us and we’ll be ready to go.” Losing it late After Thursday’s 5-0 win in Tampa Bay yielded four out of six points in a A selection of losses by the Maple Leafs in which they lost control of a southeast swing, the Leafs had Friday off. Chicago’s visit signals the start third-period lead. of five games in eight days. After beating a number of teams behind them in the standings, the next three opponents – Chicago, Boston and Oct. 12 Columbus – are all ahead of them. Boston is four points up on Toronto 5-4 overtime loss at Ottawa after holding a 4-3 lead entering the third for third place in the Atlantic, although the Leafs have two games in period. hand. Oct. 19 There will be some interesting matchups on Saturday, with last year’s rookie of the year, Artemi Panarin (who had the October game’s shootout 5-4 overtime loss at Winnipeg after taking a 4-0 lead at 6:55 of the winner) up against three Calder candidates, Auston Matthews, Mitch second period. Marner and William Nylander. The three Leafs just became the first rookie trio since Teemu Selanne, Alexei Zhamnov and Keith Tkachuk of Oct. 20 the 1992-93 Winnipeg Jets to record 50 or more points in a season. 3-2 loss at Minnesota after taking 2-1 lead into third period. National Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 Oct. 22

5-4 shootout loss at Chicago; had 4-2 lead and allowed two goals in final 2:28. Nov. 23 5-4 shootout loss at New Jersey after taking a 4-3 lead into the third period. Dec. 13 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose after taking a 2-0 lead into the third period. Jan. 3 6-5 overtime loss at Washington; had a 4-2 lead after two period and re- took a 5-4 lead at 11:08 of the third period. Jan. 21 3-2 shootout loss to Ottawa; took a 2-1 lead at 7:00 of third period, allowed tying goal with 1:11 left. Feb. 6 6-5 overtime loss at NY Islanders; had a 4-2 lead midway through second period; allowed tying goal with 1:29 left. Feb. 23 2-1 shootout loss vs. NY Rangers; nursed 1-0 lead for almost 40 minutes before allowing tying goal midway through third period. March 2 3-2 shootout loss at Los Angeles; had 2-0 lead after two periods, allowing tying goals in span of 1:30 early in the third. But the Leafs coughed up their advantage and lost in a shootout. That marked four out of five third-period leads they let get away for points at that early stage of the schedule. Looking at their record against the four teams who lead the divisions prior to Friday’s games — Chicago, Montreal, San Jose and Washington — the Leafs have lost six games by one goal, four in overtime or shootout. Salvage even five extra points from their league-high 14 overtime defeats and Toronto would be in third place in the Atlantic Division, not clinging to a wild-card spot by a point. Nine extra time losses came after the Leafs were ahead after two periods. 1053571 Washington Capitals

After missing 15 games, Andre Burakovsky will play on Saturday

By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 17 at 1:41 PM

Out of the lineup for 15 games because of a right hand injury, forward Andre Burakovsky will play on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning as the Capitals debut a full healthy lineup for a first time with trade- deadline acquisition Kevin Shattenkirk. Burakovsky had his first full- contact practice with the Capitals on Friday. “I’ve been feeling pretty good lately,” Burakovsky said. “I talked to the doctor and, obviously, it’s not 100 percent, but it feels good. My shot is getting better and the doctor said can’t get worse. If it hurts sometimes when I shoot or whatever, it can’t get any worse. So I want to get back in. I’m hungry, I’ve been out for a while now and I can’t wait to get back in. I’m excited.” Said Coach Barry Trotz: “He had pretty good strength. He was shooting. He didn’t seem to have any problems. He’s just smiling a lot right now.” [The best way to avoid injuries while blocking shots? Hope.] With Burakovsky healthy, the Capitals reassigned forward Jakub Vrana to their American Hockey League affiliate on Friday morning, leaving them without an extra forward. Trotz said the team might recall someone again next week before the team’s long road trip at the end of the month. Before Burakovsky injured his hand blocking a shot against the Detroit Red Wings last month, he was a key piece to a productive third line that has cooled since he was injured. In 52 games, Burakovsky has 11 goals and 18 assists, and the Capitals are 7-6-2 without him in the lineup. His usual linemates in and Brett Connolly have combined for seven points in the 15 games Burakovsky has been out. Washington has averaged 2.46 goals per game in that span, ranked 20th in the league. “Obviously, he brings another level of skill,” Trotz said on Thursday night. “He’s chomping at the bit to get back in. He can make some pretty good plays. I think he’ll be fresh, he’ll be ready to go. They were pretty productive before he got hurt. When he gets back into the lineup, then hopefully that line will get going a little bit more.” Burakovsky said he doesn’t feel pain in his hand when he’s shooting. He will probably wear a thin wrap to stabilize the hand. Though his shooting and stick-handling was limited while he was injured, he’s gone through plenty of lower-body conditioning. “That’s kind of the only thing I’ve been doing,” Burakovsky said. “I’ve been skating really, really hard every single day for the last a couple weeks here and to be honest it’s been hell, it’s been really tough and after that it paid off. I feel great. The whole practice, conditioning-wise, I felt really good.” Washington Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053572 Washington Capitals Then Alzner smiled and shook his head. “After that,” he said, “you just close your eyes and hope it doesn’t hit you in the wrong spot.” The best way to avoid injuries while blocking shots: Hope. Washington Post LOADED: 03.18.2017

By Jesse Dougherty March 17 at 12:57 PM

There are many intricacies to blocking shots in hockey. How to consistently avoid injuries is not among them. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) It is not so much a skill as it is a state of mind for Karl Alzner, who counts stepping in front of whizzing, frozen-solid hockey pucks as a routine part of his job. He has the injuries to show for it: two or three broken hands, four or five broken fingers — it’s gotten hard to keep track. He is reminded of them when he has trouble opening a jar at home, gripping weights during a workout or plucking his stick off the rack. But Alzner, a 28-year-old defenseman for the Washington Capitals, has played in 528 consecutive games despite his penchant for danger. Only two players have more than his 678 blocked shots since the start of the 2013-14 season, and all Alzner can point to is luck. [Signs indicate an Andre Burakovsky return] Andre Burakovsky “messes up his knuckle and it’s just bad so he can’t even play,” Alzner said after the Capitals practiced Tuesday. “Where I just seem to get it in spots where it’s still playable.” That makes the line between health and inactivity no wider than an inch? “Even less,” Alzner said. “Way less.” Shot blocking includes technique, strategy and, above all else, will. It does not include a proven way to avoid injury, so shot blockers put trust in their pads (that don’t cover everything), bodies (that, while conditioned to physical pain, are still human) and a precarious element of chance. Burakovsky, a 22-year-old forward for the Capitals, injured his right hand while blocking a shot on Feb. 9 and has not played since. Burakovsky said he will be back in the lineup for Saturday’s game in Tampa Bay. But Burakovsky missed 15 games and said it was “just a little bit of bad luck” that the puck struck his right hand instead of a less vulnerable part of his body. Alzner, on the other hand, has avoided surgery despite all his hand- related injuries. The margin is both minuscule and inexplicable, much like the curious practice of tossing your body in front of a flying block of vulcanized rubber. “Everyone’s got their own way of blocking shots, everyone does. Some guys go knee down. I usually try to get out of the way and let the goalie make the save,” Capitals forward Justin Williams said through a laugh. “No … blocking shots is not really an ability, it’s a willingness and we have a bunch of guys on our team who are willing to do it every night.” Count forward Tom Wilson among them. In the Capitals’ win over Philadelphia on March 4, Wilson found himself alone with Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto on the left side of the ice. As Del Zotto wound up for a slap shot, Wilson fully turned around and Del Zotto fired the puck into his backside. It missed all of Wilson’s padding, caromed into the crowd and left a big bruise on his tailbone. “It was kind of a desperation play and I kind of went down on one knee and my momentum carried me,” Wilson said. “ … that’s the kind of spot where you just hope it hits you and hope it doesn’t go in the net.” Shot blockers don’t normally use their tailbones to keep the puck out. Alzner, who ranks ninth in the NHL this season with 148 blocked shots, goes down to one knee when the game is at even strength but avoids leaving his feet on the power play. Wilson usually stays standing at even strength because, with more players on the ice, he doesn’t “need to get as big.” The overarching strategy is to cut off half the net and give the goaltender a smaller window to cover. Alzner likes to take away the far side to limit dangerous rebounds, but that can change based on the shooter, angle and situation. Then the last step is staring down the shot as long as possible before whipping your face out of harm’s way. “With guys who turn their heads right away, good, patient forwards take a second and then step around you,” Alzner said. “It’s hard to stare at a puck that’s coming at you that fast, but it’s kind of the main thing.” 1053573 Washington Capitals

With Jakub Vrana reassigned to AHL, signs point to Andre Burakovsky’s return

By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 17 at 10:34 AM

Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky, who suffered a hand injury on Feb. 9, could be back in the lineup for Washington’s game in Tampa Bay on Saturday. Rookie forward Jakub Vrana was reassigned to the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey, meaning the team has no extra forwards. Left with just two recalls for the rest of this season, the Capitals seem unlikely to swap minor-league forwards before their road trip. Sending Vrana down frees up the salary cap space to activate Burakovsky off long-term injured reserve. Burakovsky is expected to have his first full-contact practice on Friday, and Coach Barry Trotz said “if he survives that,” then he would likely travel with the team to Tampa Bay. Before he injured his hand blocking a shot against the Detroit Red Wings last month, Burakovsky was a key piece to a productive third line that has cooled since he was injured. In 52 games, Burakovsky has 11 goals and 18 assists, and the Capitals are 7- 6-2 without him in the lineup. “Obviously, he brings another level of skill,” Trotz said. “He’s chomping at the bit to get back in. He can make some pretty good plays. I think he’ll be fresh, he’ll be ready to go. They were pretty productive before he got hurt. When he gets back into the lineup, then hopefully that line will get going a little bit more.” Vrana, 21, has six points (three goals and three assists) in 21 games, and this latest stint saw him score two power-play goals and an assist on Thursday night. He made his NHL debut earlier this season after he was drafted by the Capitals in the first round, 13th overall, in the 2014 NHL draft. Vrana is likely to be back later this season, considered part of Washington’s forward depth for what the team hopes is a long postseason run. Washington Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053574 Washington Capitals Keep up with all the action here with Capitals GameZone and join in on the conversation here with Capitals Pulse.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 GAME 71: CAPITALS AT LIGHTNING DATE, TIME, HOW TO WATCH, GAME THREAD

By J.J. Regan March 18, 2017 12:48 AM

The Caps hit the road for a trip to Florida to face the desperate Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning have been hot in recent weeks and could be a potential first-round opponent for the Caps, but after a 5-0 blowout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, Tampa is in serious need of two points. Washington, meanwhile, is trying to break out of a slump that has seen them lose five of their last six games. Luckily for them, they will get a boost with Andre Burakovsky returning to the lineup. What: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Where: Amalie Arena When: 7:00 p.m. ET. (Capitals GameTime gets things started at 6:30 p.m. ET) How to WATCH: Capitals at Lightning will be broadcast on CSN. (Channel Finder) Live Stream: You can watch the Capitals at Lightning game on CSN's live stream page. WHEN IS THE CAPITALS-LIGHTNING GAME? The Capitals (45-17-8) take on the Lightning (34-27-9) Saturday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena. WHAT CHANNEL IS THE CAPITALS-LIGHTNING GAME ON? The Capitals-Lightning game will be broadcast on CSN. Capitals GameTime gets things started at 6:30 p.m. ET with Capitals Extra recapping the all the action following the game and Caps in 30 at 11 p.m. (CSN channel Finder) WHERE CAN I STREAM THE CAPITALS-LIGHTNING GAME? The Capitals-Lightning game, as well as the pre and postgame shows, is available to stream live here through CSN's live stream page and is available to authenticated CSN Mid-Atlantic subscribers on desktops, tablets, mobile devices and connected TVs anywhere in the United States. WHAT ARE THE LINES FOR THE CAPITALS-LIGHTNING GAME? Here are the projected lines based on Friday's practice: Forwards Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie Marcus Johansson - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Justin Williams Brett Connolly - Lars Eller - Andre Burakovsky Daniel Winnik - Jay Beagle - Tom Wilson Defense Karl Alzner - John Carlson Dmitry Orlov - Matt Niskanen Brooks Orpik - Kevin Shattenkirk Goalies Braden Holtby starts with Philipp Grubauer as backup Scratches Nate Schmidt, Taylor Chorney CAPITALS-PREDATORS OPEN THREAD Use the comment section below to discuss the game action with other Capitals fans. For all the latest Caps coverage, follow Capitals Insider Tarik El-Bashir, Capitals Digital Producer JJ Regan and the CSN Capitals account on Twitter. Be sure check out our Capitals page and CSN's Facebook page. 1053575 Washington Capitals

TOM WILSON GETS SORE HANDS, BUT AVOIDS INJURY AFTER FIGHT WITH NASHVILLE'S AUSTIN WATSON

By J.J. Regan March 17, 2017 2:39 PM

Thursday’s game didn’t feature much offense, but Tom Wilson gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about in the third period with his fight against Nashville forward Austin Watson. Watson seemed to take exception to a hit Wilson delivered to Mattias Ekholm. Watson immediately made a beeline for Wilson and both players dropped the gloves. You can watch the fight in the video above. As you would expect, Wilson was feeling the effects the next day. “The right [hand’s] a little sore for sure,” Wilson said. “A little bit achy, but that's the way it goes. I get a day here and hopefully they feel a little better tomorrow morning.” Wilson’s left thumb was taped for practice, but his right hand, the hand he used to inflict punishment on Watson, was not. It’s no surprise to hear that his hands were hurting a little bit. You can see from the fight that Wilson landed a few punches square to the helmet of Watson, but it seems Wilson avoided serious injury. If you’re curious how someone continues throwing haymakers after delivering a shot to the helmet, Wilson explained, “When you're in a fight, helmet, face, it all kind of feels the same when you're hitting it.” “I hit him a couple right on the chin and then after the fight your hand's sore a little bit,” Wilson added. “You don't think back and think, oh it must have been helmet. In that type of fight, you're just kind of throwing and he's in trouble and you're just kind of throwing everything you've got into it. It's just part of it.” There’s no doubt that fighting is not nearly as prevalent in today’s NHL than in years past, but there certainly have been more fisticuffs of late. Wilson has been in eight fights this season, three of which have come in the Caps’ last 10 games. “The west seems to have a few more guys in their lineup that are willing to go,” Wilson said. “The east, in our division you don't see a ton of that. That being said, fighting's definitely kind of declined a little bit this year so when a guy's willing and it's the right moment, you've got to keep some of it around for sure.” While Wilson is never shy about answewring the bell, he does perhaps need to be careful. With all the hits to the helmet, Wilson could easily have broken a hand Thursday. The last thing the Caps need right now before the playoffs is another injury. Sure, Wilson’s a fourth-line player, but Andre Burakovsky is a third-line player and his absence has clearly disrupted the team. Luckily for Wilson and the team, he walked away from Thursday’s game without serious injury. Just some sore hands and clearly, he’s not too worried about sore hands. Said Wilson, “You don't hear guys complaining about the hands. It's better your hand's sore than your face.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053576 Washington Capitals

ANDRE BURAKOVSKY IS OFFICIALLY BACK FOR THE CAPS

By Tarik El-Bashir March 17, 2017 2:00 PM

Andre Burakovsky is indeed back. The Capitals winger participated in his first full-contact practice Friday and afterward confirmed that he’ll suit up against the Lightning at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Saturday night. “I’m playing tomorrow,” said Burakovsky, who has been sidelined since Feb. 9 with a broken right hand. “I’ve been feeling pretty good lately. I talked to the doctor and obviously it’s not 100-percent. But it feels good and my shot is getting better. The doctor said it can’t get worse, even if it hurts sometimes when I shoot.” He added: “I can’t really feel [pain] when I’m shooting. It’s more coming a little bit after because I’m not really thinking about it when I’m shooting [since] I’m so focused on my shot and what I’m supposed to do. Right after [the shot] I feel a little, bit but it’s not bad. It’s something I can live with.” Earlier in the day, prospect Jakub Vrana was demoted to Hershey to make room for Burakovsky, who had been on long-term injured reserve. “I’m happy to see him back,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “Nothing against Jake, but you want to see Andre back.” Burakovsky’s return couldn’t come at a better time for the Capitals, who are in need of a boost. They’ve lost five of their past six games while averaging less than 2.2 goals per game during that span. During Friday’s practice, Burakovsky returned to his usual spot on the Caps’ third line with Brett Connolly and Lars Eller. Connolly and Eller have combined for just three goals and four assists without Burakovsky the past 15 games, a precipitous drop in production from the trio’s pre- injury level. Eller said it’s too early to know if they’ll pick up where they left off but he said he’s optimistic. “He makes the team better so we’re glad to have him back,” Eller said. “Andre looked good [and] he’s glad to be back.” Connolly conceded it might take a couple of games to gel. “If we can get anywhere close to what we were doing before the break, I think that would be good going into the playoffs,” Connolly said. “He’s obviously a big part of the team and we’re happy to have him back and hopefully we can pick up where we left off.” Although Burakovsky’s shot may not be 100-percent yet, the 22-year-old winger said he’s in top physical condition after spending the past five weeks working almost exclusively on his skating and stamina. “I’m hungry,” said Burakovsky, who will wear a wrap on his wrist and hand for stabilization purposes. “I’ve been out for a while now and I can’t wait to get back in. I’m excited.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053577 Washington Capitals

JUSTIN WILLIAMS GIVES BOBBLEHEAD CONCESSIONS SPEECH

By J.J. Regan March 17, 2017 12:40 PM

Professional atheltes are some of the biggest competitiors around so you know it must hurt when one of them has to accept defeat. Yet, Justin Willimas was forced to do just that. In November, the Caps held a fan vote to determine the bobblehead for the team giveaway this year. The choices were incredible. http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washington-capitals/caps-fans-vote-3- phenomenal-bobbleheads-election-night Braden Holtby won the vote and his bobblehead will go to fans on Tuesday in the team's home game against the Calgary Flames. With the giveaway date nearing, Justin Williams gave a concession speech in which he congratulated Holtby, or at least, he congratulated the bobblehead. That must have been a tough day for Williams. On a personal level, it was also a tough day for me. His was clearly, clearly the best bobblehead and I was stunned he lost. I mean, come on, look at that hair! Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053578 Washington Capitals

CAPS DEMOTE VRANA ON FRIDAY AS BURAKOVSKY RETURNS TO PRACTICE

By Tarik El-Bashir March 17, 2017 10:24 AM

The Capitals reassigned winger Jakub Vrana on Friday morning, the team announced. The move could mean that Andre Burakovsky, who has been sidelined since Feb. 9 with a broken right hand, is ready to return to game action. Burakovsky is slated to take part in his first full contact practice later Friday. Afterward, the Caps are scheduled to depart for Tampa, where they’ll face the Lightning on Saturday night at Amalie Arena. As the roster stands now, Burakovsky, who has been on long-term injured reserve, would be the 12th forward. If Burakovsky does indeed return, he could give the Caps a much needed boost offensively. As we detailed here following Thursday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Predators, the Caps have averaged just 2.0 goals per game over the last eight contests. And although Brett Connolly scored Washington’s only goal against Nashville, the third line has slumped production-wise since Burakovsky exited the lineup 15 games ago. Prior to getting hurt, Burakovsky was enjoying the best stretch of his career, having produced six goals and seven assists in the 12 prior games. Vrana, meantime, had the primary assist on Connolly’s goal on Thursday as the Caps fell for the fifth time in six games (1-4-1). On this latest NHL stint, Vrana produced two goals and an assist in nine games. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053579 Washington Capitals

PREDICTION RECAP: CAPS LOSE FIVE OUT OF SIX

By J.J. Regan March 17, 2017 9:02 AM

Things started out well for the Caps Thursday against the Nashville Predators, but they didn’t end that way. Nashville earned the 2-1 overtime win to hand Washington its fifth loss in six games. Here’s a recap of the three bold predictions. 1. Jay Beagle will score - Wrong Beagle has been on a tear against Western Conference teams this season, but he was held in check on Thursday. To be fair though, everyone was held in check on Thursday. This game became a defensive slobber-knocker that neither team could win until overtime. 2. The Capitals will give up at least four power plays - Wrong How about just one? Thursday’s game was the polar opposite of Tuesday’s. On Tuesday against the Wild, just about everything went right for the Caps except they took too many penalties. On Thursday, the Caps took only one penalty, but could not get much else right. 3. Alex Ovechkin will get at least two points – Wrong Ovechkin saw my two and raised me…zero. He had opportunities. If anyone is under the illusion that the offense doesn’t run through Ovechkin, you need only to watch this game to know that’s not the case. The first line seemed desperate to get him the puck, even to their detriment at times. It did not translate into any points on the night, however. 2017 Results: Look away, it’s hideous. Correct: 33 Wrong: 58.5 Push: 3 Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053580 Winnipeg Jets Kaipainen says there appears to be little, if any, resentment about Finns having to play in the NHL to pursue their dreams.

Laine’s rise to stardom began when he helped Finland win gold in the Finn-omenal! It seems everyone knows who Patrik Laine is in his Nordic 2016 World Junior Hockey Championship. He followed that by leading homeland Tappara to the Finnish championship title, scoring 10 goals and adding five assists in 18 playoff games, breaking the previous record of seven post-season goals by a rookie, winning the Jari Kurri By: Kelly Taylor Trophy. He turned pro immediately after, and had no trouble cracking the Jets’ lineup straight out of training camp. LAPLAND, Finland — Urho Ahomaa has just wrestled the last husky of three dogsled teams into his truck when he starts to dish about Winnipeg Laine, interviewed after a game-day skate prior to the March 6 game Jets rookie sensation Patrik Laine. against the San Jose Sharks, appreciates the attention. "He’s a big, big thing here. I know of one song about him already," "It’s nice because so many people are watching what you are doing here Ahomaa says, referencing a Finnish rap song he has heard on the radio. and how things are going," he said. "All of Finland is following him." He said as far as he knows, only close friends and relatives have made Urho Ahomaa, when he’s not mushing sled dogs for tourists in Lapland, the journey to North America to see him play, but he’s aware how much some 300 kilometres north of the arctic circle in Finland, is among many publicity he gets back home. Finns closely following the career of Winnipeg Jets right-winger Patrik Laine. What would he like Finnish fans to know? Patrik Laine story in Helsinki newspaper. Roughly translated — he spoke in Finnish — "It’s nice that you’re watching and I try to score every game, so it will be interesting to see I’m here, about 50 kilometres north of the town of Ivalo — so far north the me." Arctic Circle is a distant memory —talking to a guy who just might have watched as many Jets games on television as I have. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.18.2017 "He’s scoring all the time, so he’s in the news all the time," says Ahomaa, a supervisor for Lapland Safaris. National hero? Not quite yet, but Finns are just as excited about Laine as they were about another Finn — some guy named Teemu — who set the hockey world on fire wearing a Jets jersey in his 1992-93 rookie year. "I would say 75 to 80 per cent of Finns know his name and where he’s playing," says Mikko Hiltanen, who pours drinks at O’Leary’s Bar in downtown Helsinki. "And even if you don’t follow hockey, 90 per cent of the people know his name. "He’s all over the TV and the newspapers." On my first morning in Finland, I pick up the first newspaper I see on a table in the lobby: flipping through, I find a two-page spread with a huge photo of Laine fist-bumping players on the Jets bench after scoring a goal and a headline that reads, translated: "He’s our Paté!" — the Finnish nickname for the guy Winnipeg teammates call Patty. On the next page, another story on the Finnish phenom: "What is Maurice thinking?" is the headline. According to the translation provided by a hotel clerk, the writer is asking whether Jets head coach Paul Maurice is off his rocker in leaving Laine off the first power-play unit. This is a country that follows its hockey-playing sons. Teemu Selanne, Jari Kurri, Tuukka Rask and Valtteri Filppula, just to name a few. Heroes all. And Laine? Let’s just say when you hand a just-barely 18-year-old rookie the Jari Kurri Trophy as the playoff MVP in the Finnish Liiga, this nation is going to hang on every shot, every assist, every goal. Even if he hasn’t yet approached the Selanne level of idolatry. "Teemu Selanne is a living legend in Finland," Hiltonen says. Still, if you’re in O’Leary’s around 2 a.m. on a Saturday or Sunday morning (bars close at 4 a.m. on the weekend), and the Jets are playing, that what is on the screens. A 7 p.m. puck drop in Winnipeg is 2 a.m. here. The story is the same at many of the other sports bars in Finland, which buy NHL TV packages primarily to show games involving Finns. It doesn’t matter which teams they play for; the fact their boys are in the NHL is what matters here. "Even I don’t know where Winnipeg is," Hiltanen says. But walk into his bar wearing a Jets jersey and everyone will take notice, he says. Ville Kaipainen played soccer with the Winnipeg Jets 1.0 when the team visited Finland in his childhood. Kaipainen says following Finnish players in the NHL is part of a good-natured rivalry with nearby Nordic neighbour Sweden, the source of a few — he’ll grudgingly admit — decent players over the years. "So, who has the better players, Finland or Sweden?" Kaipanen is asked. "Of course, Finland!" 1053581 Winnipeg Jets

Lowry takes another step forward Jets centre sets career-high for goals

KEN WIEBE, IRST POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017

Adam Lowry was looking for more and that's exactly what he delivered. After seeing his role reduced and taking a brief pit stop in the American Hockey League last season, the Winnipeg Jets centre rebounded well after his demotion and has built on that in his third NHL campaign. By providing an insurance marker in Thursday's 4-2 win over the New York Islanders, Lowry is up to 12 goals, which eclipses the 11 he had as a rookie. “You come into the season and you want to continue to get better,” said Lowry, who has 23 points in 71 games this season. “To not only solidify your spot on this team, but you want to continue to push and try and become a more important player on this team. As we all develop as players, this team is going to grow and we have a lot of room to grow, with the young guys that are continuing to get better. We have some great leaders in this room. “It's always nice to set personal highs and milestones, but we are more worried about the team success.” LEMIEUX SIDELINED Jets prospect Brendan Lemieux is on the shelf with a lower-body injury and it might keep him out for the rest of the Manitoba Moose season. “Lower body. Going for investigation. I think it’s going to be more on the longer term than the shorter term myself but I’m not a doctor,” Moose head coach Pascal Vincent told reporters on Friday morning. “We still don’t know yet.” Lemieux suffered the injury in the second period of Wednesday's game against the when he got tied up with Colin Greening. The feisty left-winger has 12 goals, 19 points and 130 penalty minutes in 61 games with the Moose and was a possible candidate for a late- season recall. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.18.2017 1053582 Winnipeg Jets “It's a six-man effort, from the goaltender out and everyone has got to be better in that department,” said Wheeler. “We can score enough goals on this team. We have enough guys who can put the puck in the net. Jets have enough firepower “We need to get better at some other areas of our game to have a Scoring more hasn't resulted in more wins fighting chance of being the team we want to be. The pieces are in place offensively. Now it's figuring out the rest of the game. If we're a little bit better defensively, it's going to give us more opportunities to win.” BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN Finding some balance Jets 20-goal scorers in 2016-17 Five will be a number of significance for the Winnipeg Jets this season. Patrik Laine (33), Mark Scheifele (28), Nikolaj Ehlers (22), Blake Wheeler (21), Bryan Little (20) First and foremost, in the coming weeks, the Jets are going to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth time in six Double-digit scorers in 2016-17 seasons since relocating from Atlanta. Adam Lowry (12), Dustin Byfuglien (11) That reality seemed to hit the Jets after closing out a 2-4 home stand. Jets 20-goal scorers during the playoff season in 2014-15 Even managing to take three of four points this week on a road trip that was reduced to two games because of the weather, the Jets trail the St. Blake Wheeler (26), Bryan Little (24), Andrew Ladd (24) Louis Blues by 10 points with 11 games left in the regular season. Double-digit scorers in 2014-15 The autopsy has already started and the dissection of where things fell Michael Frolik (19), Mathieu Perreault (18), Dustin Byfuglien (18), Drew short will be ongoing. Stafford (18*), Mark Scheifele (15), Adam Lowry (11) The number five is also the number of 20-goal scorers the Jets have on * Stafford scored nine goals with Jets and nine with Sabres, while the roster. Evander Kane scored 10 goals before he was traded to Buffalo Sabres That’s a significant number for another reason, especially when you Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.18.2017 consider this franchise has been looking for both balance and game- breaking snipers since the fall of 2011. By scoring twice in Thursday's 4-2 win over the New York Islanders, Bryan Little became the latest member of the group that already included rookie phenom Patrik Laine, centre Mark Scheifele, captain Blake Wheeler and second-year winger Nikolaj Ehlers. “Just as important, three of them are very young,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said following Thursday's game. “We have gone from a place where a couple of years ago, we had some good heart, some good character but we had a hell of a time scoring goals.” Maurice wasn't exaggerating. There was a time, not long ago, when the Jets routinely struggled to hit three goals per game and the quest to find secondary scoring beyond the top line was very much a work in progress. The Jets still need to find a fourth line that can do more than just hold water and play close to 10 minutes per game, but the top six is basically set and there are enough pieces in the system to enhance the competition on the third line – though adding an experienced penalty killer that can chip in will be on general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff's off-season wish list. Since the Jets 2.0 came to town, the only player to hit 30 goals prior to this season was Evander Kane in 2011-12. This season, Laine has already surpassed that number (with 33 goals) and figures to have company in the 30-plus club from Scheifele (28) before long. When you dig a bit deeper, Adam Lowry (12) and defenceman Dustin Byfuglien (11) are also into double digits. Mathieu Perreault (8), Joel Armia (8), Andrew Copp (8) and Shawn Matthias (8) might hit that number as well. What does that mean? As has been said repeatedly times this season, the Jets have taken strides when it comes to putting the puck in the net. Being a top-10 team in that category is a step for the Jets. The only time the Jets qualified for the playoffs – back in 2014-15 – the Jets had nine players in double digits, with Wheeler leading the group with 26 goals. There is more skill coming in the form of Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic and there's going to be another high first-round pick joining the organization in June. For as many strides the Jets have taken when it comes to putting the puck in the net, this group isn't going anywhere until they cut down on both the goals against per game (3.17, which is tied for 27th in the NHL) and goal-differential (minus-14, which is 20th in the NHL). 1053583 Vancouver Canucks Think of the spot that puts the coach in. He believes in his coaching soul that just handing ice time to young players actually hurts their development, and here he is in a world where everyone seems to want Desjardins removes filter on Tryamkin's potential, Canucks 'kids' him to just give the ice time away. I’m unsure he meant his post-game comments about Reid Boucher Thursday to be taken as rebuttal to those who want the so-called kids to JASON BOTCHFORD play big minutes, so I’ll just leave it here. Desjardins said: “It’s a lot easier when you play 12 minutes a night in lots of ways. When you start getting up in minutes, you’re not near as fresh when you go on In the final days of John Tortorella in Vancouver there were moments of the ice. It’s tougher to play bigger minutes.” clarity that came off more like a brick to the back of the head than a veil slowly lifting. Say this for him: he’s not wrong. It culminated with his now infamous “the core is stale” scorcher, which Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 03.18.2017 was about as tough as tough love gets in the National Hockey League. No one yet can be sure what’s going to happen to Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins, though countless people have the same educated guess. But what is obvious is this head coach is increasingly honest, raw and unquestionably unburdened. You know, like Tortorella. That’s who he sounded like Friday when he apparently went full 1970s, answering a question about Nikita Tryamkin. “If he would have stepped up like he did against (Jamie) Benn (Thursday), if he would have stepped up like that against (Brad) Marchand, I think we win that Boston game,” Desjardins said. Tryamkin did have a chance to inflict some post-whistle damage on Marchand during one Monday night scrum at Rogers Arena, when the smaller Boston forward was cradled to safety by a linesman. But knowing Desjardins for three seasons, he’s talking about Tryamkin being physical on Marchand, hitting him, and not injuring him in a fight. And to be fair, this market has been waiting for someone to man up on Marchand for six years. We’re all still waiting, by the way. It was not the best phrasing by the coach — or, in my opinion, accurate. The Canucks were outshot 43-29 and were let down by three of their top veterans, the Sedins and Alex Edler, who were roasted in the third. A big hit on Marchand wasn’t beating Boston. Even if you captured Marchand before puck drop and chained him to a Mustang in the parking garage, the Canucks weren’t winning. There’s also this point: Tryamkin did step up on Benn, and the Dallas Stars beat the Canucks easily anyway. It made zero difference in the outcome. What Desjardins is really trying to do is extract what many here want, more edge and meanness out of Tryamkin, the 6-7 Friendly Giant oozing with potential. Coach Willie Desjardins wasn’t willing to hand “kids” like Reid Boucher (right) excessive praise for performing well amid limited minutes. Desjardins has been trying to get more of that from him behind the scenes for most of the season. With the media this week, he isn’t sending a message, he’s just being honest, and seemingly unburdened. Desjardins was asked if Tryamkin could be a No. 4 defenceman in the future. “He’s got work to do to get to that spot,” Desjardins said. “But I think he has lots of upside in lots of different ways. “But upside doesn’t matter if you don’t get to it and to get to it, you have to work hard. I think he developed a lot and then I think he plateaued a little.” He said similar things following the 4-2 loss to Dallas Thursday, pointing out Tryamkin had hit a wall recently and was lacking energy. I’m not sure if that’s quantifiable. I’m sure if Tryamkin hit a wall, he’s not alone. In fact, if you’re making a list you could put every veteran on it, even Ryan Miller. But the focus is on the so-called “kids” these days, even if Vancouver is the only city in the NHL where players drafted in 2010 and 2011 are still labelled “kids.” Remember, it was Desjardins who recently made a passionate statement that this organization has had its biggest success developing young players by making them earn ice time, only to read GM Jim Benning’s comment this week which essentially came off as “just play the kids anyway.” 1053584 Vancouver Canucks my best and do my all. I’m just trying to make whatever I can with the chance I get.

The Sedins were a net negative for the Canucks this season and it's time ‘This is a unique opportunity’: Vancouver Canucks hopefuls get their to make other plans chance — with no guarantees for next season Gary Bettman renews his pitch for a new arena in Calgary: ‘This is an old, antiquated building’ Iain MacIntyre | March 17, 2017 10:26 AM ET “Being in this league is a privilege. It’s the best league in the world. And anytime you get a chance to play in it, you have to do everything you can with the chance.” “You see a lot of guys in the past where they’re in the NHL one year and the next year they don’t have a job,” waiver pickup Joseph Cramarossa, It would be wise for all Canucks to adopt that attitude. 24, said 56 games into his first NHL season. “I don’t know the depth (charts) and the thoughts in every organization, During the disastrous John Tortorella season for the Vancouver but obviously with all the young guys here and the opportunity to join the Canucks, which will be about 10 points better than this one, several so-called rebuild, this is a unique opportunity and it’s exciting,” veterans were injured and the team became a land of opportunity for Cramarossa said. young, untried players as it plummeted from the playoff race. “A fourth-liner is not going to take a first-liner’s spot and a first-liner is not Jordan Schroeder, 23, and Zac Dalpe, 24, combined for 70 games for the going to take a fourth-liner’s spot. It’s all relevant to where you play. But Canucks in the 2013-14 season and both were gone before the next one at the same time, there are people in every position. There is began. Tortorella gave Nicklas Jensen, then 21, second-line minutes competition.” down the stretch and the first-round draft pick finished the season with 17 We may not learn until next fall who has really won. games played. He has 12 in the National Hockey League since then. “There are guys who will never get a better opportunity to prove that College free agent Mike Zalewski, 21, auditioned in the final two games they’re NHL players than now,” Desjardins said. “Never. And they have to of the season and did not play again in the NHL for nearly two years. And be ready, and they have to take advantage of it.” a 24-year-old named Kellan Lain played the only nine games of his NHL career during an injury call-up. Because there will be a line of guys waiting for the next opportunity. So, which young players seized their opportunity under Tortorella? National Post LOADED: 03.18.2017 Goalie Eddie Lack. And he was traded a year later by general manager Jim Benning, who had replaced Mike Gillis, who had hired Torts.

Granted, none of the skaters was an A-level prospect to begin with. But nearly all of them failed to seize the opportunities they were given. They can gripe, as Schroeder was entitled to, that the opportunity was limited or otherwise far from ideal. Still, the chance was theirs. And a few months later, the chance was someone else’s. So when current Canuck coach Willie Desjardins declared to reporters in the press room before Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars that these remaining games for Vancouver represent the best chance some players will ever have to solidify NHL employment, it was a powerful enough message to be heard down the hallway in the dressing room. “You see a lot of guys in the past where they’re in the NHL one year and the next year they don’t have a job,” waiver pickup Joseph Cramarossa, 24, said 56 games into his first NHL season. “So to be on a team that’s playing its young guys on this last stretch to see who’s got it, it is a rare opportunity. I think the young guys are in a good spot. “Obviously, there’s pressure to perform for a job for next year, but that’s a good pressure. Not too many people get this chance.” And not all of them will get another. Just because the Canucks are staging what amount to auditions over their final dozen games, doesn’t mean the winners will be guaranteed anything for next fall. It’s difficult for an unproven prospect to make next year’s team now, but he can largely play himself out of the picture if things go badly in the next three weeks. Winger Reid Boucher, who is 23 and another waiver claim, logged his 100th NHL game on Thursday. If he stays healthy, he’ll be at 112 when the season ends. There’s no guarantee of No. 113. “I think everybody is kind of battling for a spot for next year, and you have to go out and compete every night and show them that you’ve earned a spot,” Boucher said. After being banished to the fourth line for much of Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, Boucher started Thursday alongside Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi on a scoring line. “Yeah, it’s a good opportunity for me,” he said. “It puts me in position to go out and play the style of game I’m comfortable with. So it’s a good opportunity and I’d like to take advantage of it.” Winger Joe LaBate, 23, is also desperate to get noticed and move up the depth chart but had averaged only 5:18 of ice time his previous two games. “That’s not frustrating at all,” LaBate said. “Some guys would kill for those five minutes in the NHL. Whatever amount of time it is, I’m going to give it 1053585 Websites ESPN LOADED: 03.18.2017

ESPN / Chris Pronger aspires to become a GM, while Jaromir Jagr might play another season -- or more

Pierre LeBrun

Chris Pronger's final days on a player's contract are upon us. His last paycheck from the seven-year, $34.55 million deal he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009 goes through next month, after which he's free to begin the next chapter in his hockey life. When exactly the Arizona Coyotes -- who acquired Pronger's contract via trade in 2015 -- will retire his number, we don't know yet. In all seriousness, though, the Hockey Hall of Famer -- who has not played an NHL game since 2011 -- enjoys working with the NHL's Department of Player Safety, but his true desire at some point would be to run an NHL team. "I'm very interested one day in becoming a GM," Pronger told ESPN.com. "I have a lot to learn and need to put some work in. But down the road at some point, under the right circumstances, it's definitely something I'm interested in pursuing." Big Question: Who was your idol? Sure, Wayne Gretzky, Patrick Roy and Mario Lemieux were popular role models for today's players. But some of the other answers weren't as obvious. Q&A: Chris Pronger Chris Pronger opens up about dealing with postconcussion depression, his career highlights, finding his role after hockey and whether he has any regrets about the way he played. Sheary leads latest under-24 rankings Penguins winger Conor Sheary has soared since his return from injury and David Pastrnak has been a point-producing machine for the Bruins, while Auston Matthews is slumping at the worst time. The 42-year-old has sought out advice from the likes of Kings vice president Rob Blake, Ducks general manager Bob Murray and Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, among others. But perhaps most notably, Pronger also asked Steve Yzerman about his journey to becoming a general manager, which included four years of tutelage under general manager Ken Holland in Detroit before Yzerman got his own gig in Tampa Bay. Pronger would also consider, under the right fit, learning under a veteran general manager for a while before he feels he's ready to be one himself. There's unquestionably a comparison to be made between Pronger and Yzerman, in terms of hockey IQ but also a desire to put in the hours. Some former star players like the idea of running a team but then find out how much true work is involved. That reality hasn't fazed Yzerman, and I get the feeling that Pronger is made of that same fabric. "He's one of the smartest hockey minds I've ever come across in the game," said former NHL teammate Jamie McLennan, now a TSN game analyst, of Pronger. "His ability to adapt and learn to any situation is what makes them special. When I think of him, I think of Matt Damon's character in 'Good Will Hunting' and the scene where he burns the math equations in front of the professor. It seems that when it came to hockey, things came real easy to [Pronger] as far as understanding." Other notes: Right wing Jaromir Jagr, I'm told, is "leaning" toward playing another season, although he won't make a final decision until he's finished his season and sits down to fully make a call. The Florida Panthers are also interested in having him back at the right price. He's been a great influence on their younger players. He's only 45, right? Jagr has joked that he wants to play until he's 50. Or maybe he wasn't joking? Goaltender Mike Condon saved the Ottawa Senators' season this season when he took over the No. 1 job in net while starter Craig Anderson spent important time at home with his wife, Nicholle, who is battling cancer. Condon will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He's certainly earned a nice raise over the $575,000 he's earning now and he'd like to stay in Ottawa, where he really likes the fit and the organization. Both sides have talked, but negotiations are still in the early stages. And it's going to have to be a number that fits into Ottawa's payroll plans. 1053586 Websites

FOXSports.com / Senators and Canadiens to close out NHL’s 100th year with outdoor game next season

Pete Blackburn

If we’re to believe recent reports, we already know that next year’s Winter Classic will be heading to the city of New York for the first time. But we learned this week that it won’t be the only outdoor game next winter. On Friday, it was confirmed that the Ottawa Senators will be hosting the Montreal Canadiens in an outdoor contest at TD Place Stadium this December. Outdoor hockey is headed to Canada’s capital. The 2017 @scotiabank #NHL100 Classic will take place in Ottawa on December 16. A post shared by NHL (@nhl) on Mar 17, 2017 at 8:29am PDT That matchup north of the border will be dubbed “The NHL 100 Classic,” held in celebration of the NHL’s 100th birthday (the first NHL game ever was played on December 19, 1917). While the Maple Leafs-Red Wings game on New Year’s Day ushered in the league’s centennial year, the Sens-Habs game will close it out. TD Place Stadium is located at Landsdowne Park in Ottawa and is typically home to the Ottawa Redblacks of the and the Ottawa Fury FC of the United Soccer League. The 24,000-seat venue has been around since the early 1900s, though it has been revitalized and reconstructed over the past decade. This is the second outdoor appearance for the Senators, who also played in the 2014 Heritage Classic against the Canucks, and the fourth for the Canadiens, who have played in two Heritage Classics and a Winter Classic. FOXSports.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053587 Websites

FOXSports.com / Taylor Hall’s breakaway move was so nasty it left Flyers goalie injured

Pete Blackburn Mar 17, 2017

The only thing more gorgeous than the Devils’ throwback jerseys on Thursday night was Taylor Hall’s breakaway dangle against Flyers goalie Steve Mason. There are moves good enough to beat a goaltender, and then there are moves good enough to injure a goaltender. Hall had the latter. After being undressed by Hall’s one-handed move early in the third period, Mason had trouble getting back on his skates. It wasn’t because of shame or disappointment from getting deked out, but rather because he suffered a lower body injury on the play. Mason was forced to leave the game but, thankfully, reports following the game indicated it may have just been a case of the cramps after Hall stole his lunch money one-on-one. FOXSports.com LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053588 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / By the Numbers: A look at who Jagr has passed since turning 40

David Singh

Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr reached yet another milestone on Friday night, further advancing his legacy as one of the best elder statesman the NHL’s ever seen. With his two assists in a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Rangers, the 45-year-old Jagr tied, then passed Gordie Howe for most points by a player after turing 40. “I’m going to pass him for most points after 50,” Jagr joked to media following the game. Jagr now has the record all to himself at 269 points He now also has 537 multi-point games in his career https://t.co/wBY4H5Vr9k — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) March 18, 2017 Here’s a look at some of the players he passed on the exclusive over-40 list. Gordie Howe, 268 points after age 40 This NHL legend played 25 years for the Detroit Red Wings, from his age-18 to 42 seasons, before joining the for six more seasons. He returned to the NHL at 51-years-old(!) for one more campaign, 1979- 80, and added to his career tally with 41 points in 80 contests. Teemu Selanne, 197 points after age 40 The Finnish Flash scored an impressive 80 points in 73 games in his age-40 season. That was during the 2010-11 campaign. He went on to play three more seasons, tallying 117 points, before finally hanging up the skates at 43-years-old. Mark Recchi, 171 points after age 40 An aging Recchi accomplished something no member of this list could: winning a Stanley Cup after turning 40. At 42, the winger contributed 14 points in 25 playoff games to help the Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks and capture the 2011 Cup. He didn’t play another game after hoisting Lord Stanley’s mug for the third time in his career. It was quite the way to sail off into the sunset and end his 22-year career. Johnny Bucyk, 144 points after age 40 The Hall of Famer turned 40 in 1975-76 and showed little signs of age, scoring 83 points that season for the Bruins. It was more points than he’d amassed in each of the prior two seasons. Bucyk began to regress after 40, though, playing two more campaigns before retiring in 1978. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053589 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / A look at Connor McDavid, whose breakout season is still to come

Andrew Berkshire

In his second NHL season Connor McDavid is battling for the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading point getter, which has ignited the “Who’s the best player in the world?” conversation again. Whether or not McDavid is the best player in the NHL today, he’s already the most dynamic, and arguably the most fun to watch. What’s interesting, though, is that while he’s tied for the NHL scoring lead, McDavid has actually been a little unlucky. That sounds a little crazy to say, but while McDavid has been good enough to be a Hart Trophy contender he perhaps should be scoring more goals than he has so far. At this stage in McDavid’s career, we don’t truly know what his shooting talent is, but after scoring on 15.2 per cent of his shots last season, he’s down to 11.5 per cent this season with 24 goals in 70 games. That’s solid, but it doesn’t represent the shooting dominance McDavid has displayed this season. While he’s known more as an elite playmaker, over the past two seasons McDavid has been one of the NHL’s most elite high-danger scoring chance producers. This season he has the second-most high-danger scoring chances in the NHL at 82, and the most at even strength with 75. For a league average shooter, those kind of shots have a 22.8 per cent chance of becoming goals, which means that based on his high danger chances alone McDavid should have about 19 goals if he has a league average shot. So how many of those shots has McDavid converted? (Graphic captures percentage of overall shots taken from each zone, not percentage of shots converted.) Looking at McDavid’s shots on net (goals in red) we can see that he’s scored 14 goals from the inner slot, five below expectations for an average shooter. Now if you believe McDavid is a below average shooter in the NHL that’s your prerogative, but watching him play I’m going to go out on a limb and say he is a better shooter than an average NHLer. What this means is that although this has been a great season for McDavid, it can’t really be considered a breakout year. He’s so excellent at creating high danger opportunities for himself that he is going to score goals at a much higher rate in the future. Based on his shot locations alone, McDavid should be around 30-32 goals right now as an average shooter. This means if he’s an above average shooter he should be hitting 40 regularly throughout his prime, provided save percentages around the league stay steady. The weirdest part about McDavid’s game, though, is that his tendency to get high danger chances hasn’t translated to the power play, where he’s almost exclusively used as a playmaker. If he ever decides to diversify his power play strategy in a similar way to Sidney Crosby he’ll be nearly unstoppable. As exciting as it is to watch McDavid today, the best version of McDavid has yet to come. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053590 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Sens owner says ‘a flat no’ to Karlsson playing in non-NHL Olympics

Sportsnet Staff

With NHL participation in the 2018 Olympics still up in the air, if the league does decide to stay out, there is plenty of speculation on how many players would leave mid-season to be part of the tournament anyway. On a few occasions, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has said he would go play for Russia whether the NHL shuts down the league or not. Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has continually supported his franchise player, saying he wouldn’t prevent him from representing his country even if it meant the Capitals had to play on for two weeks without him. But if the Ottawa Senators‘ best player asked to participate, owner Eugene Melnyk wouldn’t be so supportive. Asked in an interview with Postmedia if he would permit Erik Karlsson to play for Sweden if the NHL stays out of the Games, Melnyk shot down the idea. “No, no, it would be no, a flat no,” Melnyk said. “I talked to (Daniel) Alfredsson about it and he understands the player would want to (attend), but I’m not going to risk that.” In reference to Leonsis' position to let Ovechkin participate either way, Melnyk said: “Good, go ahead, wait until you’re going into the Stanley Cup final or you’ve got a hot team or you’re favoured for the Stanley Cup and Ovechkin is gone. Go to (Carey) Price. He gets hurt: what happens to the Canadiens?” A reason why Melnyk is so against letting his best player go can be traced back to the 2006 Olympics. Dominik Hasek was Ottawa's starting goaltender that season and went into the tournament with a .925 save percentage and 2.09 GAA, which not only had the Sens looking like Stanley Cup contenders, but had Hasek in position to chase down his seventh Vezina Trophy. However, Hasek was injured during those Olympics and never played for the Senators again. That Ottawa team had to rely on Ray Emery the rest of the way, and were eliminated in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. “I had a Cup in 2006 parked for me and waiting for me,” Melnyk told Postmedia. “We were arguing about whose name was going to go on the (Cup). We were there and what happens? Hasek. I’m not going to do that. “Can you imagine if (Karlsson) goes and he gets a permanent injury? You know what I’m saying? That’s my view." Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053591 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Arizona Coyotes to reduce arena seating capacity next season

Sportsnet Staff

The Arizona Coyotes have been a bottom-three team in NHL attendance every year since the 2007-08 season and this year sit second-last (ahead of only Carolina) with an average of 12,961 per game, according to ESPN. As a result, Coyotes spokesman Rich Nairn told local reporter Brahm Resnik that the team will close off a few sections and cover them with tarp next season. @ArizonaCoyotes shut 4 sections next yr. Removes 1,256 seats in 17,125-seat arena. Attendance 2nd-to-last in @NHL https://t.co/9XRMaJXW10 pic.twitter.com/OVUI0oIy8n — BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) March 16, 2017 “We will be tarping off four upper level sections in Gila River Arena for the majority of our home games. These sections (205, 211, 220, and 226) have not sold well in the past… we will be working with current Season Ticket Members to select seats in comparable locations at the same price point… Removing some of this excess inventory and concentrating our great fans closer together represents an opportunity to improve the fan experience at Gila River Arena.” The Coyotes have been working to secure a new arena ever since their arena management deal with Glendale was terminated by the city in 2015. A potential site for a new arena in Tempe, Arizona fell through last month when Arizona State University backed out. The team's current lease at Gila River Arena, their home since 2003, runs through the 2017-18 season. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053592 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Radulov denies asking for 8-year contract from Canadiens

Eric Engels

MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens forward Alexander Radulov, who’s a pending unrestricted free agent at age 30, is denying a report that came out on Thursday regarding his next contract. The report suggested Radulov and agent Maxime Moliver had started negotiations with Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin by requesting an eight-year contract to remain with the team. “It’s not even close what they’re saying,” said Radulov after practice on Friday. “I don’t even know how this … I don’t even want to discuss that because I don’t really control that.” More from Sportsnet NHL Playoff Push: Maple Leafs leap back into the picture EMILY SADLER Senators, Canadiens to mark NHL centennial with outdoor game in December CANADIAN PRESS Radulov, who missed Canadiens practice on Thursday, wasn’t available for comment until Friday morning. “I was sick yesterday and I got that phone call from my agent and he was like, ‘There’s something going on, some people talking,’” he said. “So I was like, ‘Who’s talking?’ “No one knows nothing about it,” added Radulov. “I even talked to Marc [Bergevin] today and it’s like someone threw it on the internet or whatever. It just doesn’t make sense.” Radulov, who has 15 goals and 32 assists for 47 points in 65 games with Montreal this season, came over from the KHL last summer to sign a one-year, $5.75 million contract with the Canadiens. There have been no details forthcoming from Radulov or Bergevin on the status of negotiations. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053593 Websites and I was so sick. I woke up one morning and I was so sick of myself. That’s when I went to talk to Bob and [Flames president of hockey operations] Brian Burke.” Sportsnet.ca / Micheal Ferland opens up on drinking, sobriety and the Within days he was in a California rehab centre where he was able to path forward work on the root of his drinking problem as well as anger-and-relationship issues. Eric Francis He’s since more dedicated to his fitness and his general well-being, which is paying off in every way possible.

“When I went to rehab I figured out a lot of stuff deep down - my On a rare day when Micheal Ferland isn’t surrounded by a horde of relationship with my father,” said Ferland, who was raised by his mother media-types asking about his latest heroics as an unlikely addition to the and sister, and visited his dad sporadically until they stopped talking once Calgary Flames top line, he sits in a quiet corner of the dressing room, hockey got serious. “They taught me a lot of things. It helped me, it really reflecting. did. I’m fortunate because obviously I have changed.” Happy, healthy and engaged to the mother of his 10-month-old daughter, March 27 will mark the third anniversary of his sobriety and he’ll his life and his career are moving in a far better direction than they were celebrate it as a flourishing member of the Flames. three years ago. A mucker most of the season, expected to simply crash and bang, he Back then his life was dominated by a rage he fueled with alcohol, made good on a late-February promotion to the top line alongside jeopardizing everything he has today. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Opening up space for the two stars who have since broken out as part of the team’s recent 10-game “I just couldn’t have two beers — I’d want to keep going,” said a candid winning streak, Ferland is a trigger man whose deadly shot has found the Ferland, 24, of a drinking problem he developed shortly after he started net six times in 11 outings. drinking at 15. “I was a pretty aggressive person. I was always trying to pick fights. It was pretty dumb. Thinking about the stories now, there The apparent chemistry has bolstered his stock as a fan favourite and were just a lot of embarrassing moments. All the dumb stuff I ever did I allowed the Flames to hold off on a top-line trade-deadline rental that was always drunk. When I went out I would just do dumb s–t.” would have cost a high draft pick. Caught up in a hockey culture in which regular nights out on the town as “It has all kind of happened so quickly,” said the Flames’ fifth-round pick a Brandon Wheat King turned into sloppy incidents, the hulking winger from tiny Swan River, Man., who didn’t play high-level hockey until age was regularly lectured by team owner/coach/GM Kelly McCrimmon, 15 and counted on KidSport and the Manitoba Metis Foundation to help who’d heard plenty of reports about Ferland’s antics. pay for his equipment as a kid. “I had meetings about all the s--t I was getting into. It was always when I “Thinking back, I really stop and think now where I’m at and where I was. was drunk,” said Ferland, who had 47 goals and 96 points in 68 games It’s pretty unbelievable," said Ferland. “Obviously I knew coming into this his final year of junior despite his demons. “He would always tell me, year it was a big year and I wanted to play up in the top six, but I didn’t ‘Every time you are in my office it’s because you were partying.’” expect things to take off like they are. His career was further jeopardized in the summer of 2012 when Ferland "The biggest thing for me is confidence. Playing with confidence I’m a was involved in an incident outside a Cochrane, Alta., bar where he way better player – just trusting my shot. They want me to be selfish and dropped a patron with one punch, breaking a bone in his face that shoot more.” required surgery. Nothing did more for his mindset than his playoff showing two years back Two years later a jury acquitted him of all charges as Ferland was able to when he exploded onto the scene as a one-man wrecking crew explain he was defending himself from an unprovoked attack while out instrumental in the Flames' first-round win over Vancouver. with his now-fiancee, Kayleigh Chapman, and his aunt. Scoring three times and adding a few helpers in nine memorable outings “That wasn’t a low,” he said, despite the negative publicity that stemmed that spring, Calgary fell in love with the rugged youngster who averaged from the incident and trial. “That was just me going out to have fun with eight hits a game, fought several times and did well to infuriate Kevin Kayleigh and my aunt, and a group of guys wanting to pick a fight. I just Bieksa and the Canucks nightly. ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time, defending myself. It was unfortunate the way things played out." He calls it the most exciting time of his life — an experience he hopes to recreate this spring. The drinking didn’t stop in the minors or in Calgary, where Ferland now admits he regularly showed up for practices and workouts hung over, “That was just a totally different style. I just put everything on the line,” unable to give his career the full focus it deserved. smiled the pending restricted free agent who will certainly be one of the Flames’ seven forwards protected in the Vegas expansion draft. With a six-foot-two, 225-lb. frame, all-world hands and a cannon of a shot, Ferland had all the tools to be a regular NHLer. But the toolbox was “Obviously it's tough to go out and get seven or eight hits a game, but I’m corroded by the booze he overindulged in far too often. for sure going to be more physical when the time comes. We’ve put ourselves in a good spot here, winning those 10 in a row. I just want to And everyone, including then-Flames coach Bob Hartley, knew it. get back to playing playoff hockey because that’s fun hockey.” “Some mornings I’d show up at the rink and be throwing up after Saving his aggression for the ice, Ferland obviously avoids the bar workouts and Bob would challenge me and ask what I was doing the scene, spending precious time with his new family where he’s at peace. night before,” said Ferland. “He’d say, ‘If you need anything we’re here and we can help you.’ “I’m definitely a different person than I was,” he said. “It’s hard to explain but I definitely don’t have as much anger inside me. I think it’s changed "I thought about it in my head but I just wasn’t ready at the time. If me and my daughter has changed me. anyone ever asks me for advice I tell them, ‘It comes from within. You’ve got to want to change. No one is going to make you change.’” “My mindset now is that this is a job and I’ve got to take care of my daughter — my girls. When I have a hard day at the rink I go home and I With several people in his ear about getting help, at one point he tried spend the day with her and I don’t think about the game — I can just be a quitting by himself. father.” That didn’t work. All that wouldn’t have been possible had he not taken the most courageous step of his life three years back. The low point came in December 2013 when a promising start to the season in Abbotsford was punctuated by an unfortunate turn of events. “I don’t even know where I’d be,” he said, staring blankly ahead. “I definitely wouldn’t have my daughter. I don’t think I’d be dead, but I’d be “I had a meeting with [Abbotsford coach] Troy [Ward] and he told me I out of hockey.” was going to get called up, so to be ready,” said Ferland. “And then that day I hurt my knee in practice." Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.18.2017 Instead of a call-up, he ended up having season-ending knee surgery. "That month was a hard month. I was depressed and angry," said Ferland. “I went on one last little binge and I came in [to the Saddledome] 1053594 Websites Classic, an outdoor game to be played at TD Place, the home of the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks, on December 16, 2017.

Oh, and they'll meet in a home-and-home series this weekend with first TSN.CA / TSN Hockey's Top 10 Storylines of the Week place in the Atlantic Division on the line. The Habs are ahead by one point in the standings, but have played one more game. By Scott Cullen LUNDQVIST INJURY Late-season injuries can be devastating to a team's playoff hopes, and teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins are USA WOMEN PROTESTING working on quantity in the infirmary, but the news that New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will be out 2-3 weeks with a hip injury is The Team USA Women's Hockey Team announced its intent to boycott troubling. the upcoming World Championships, set to be held in Plymouth, MI starting on March 31. This hasn't been the 35-year-old netminder's best season - his .913 save percentage is his lowest since 2007-2008 - and his injury is not going to They issued a statement. prevent the Blueshirts from reaching the postseason, but if Lundqvist isn't right by the time the playoffs start, it's going to be asking a lot of the US WNT will not play in 2017 World Championship due to stalled Rangers, a 48% possession team, to do something once they get there. negotiations over fair wages and support from USA Hockey #BeBoldForChange pic.twitter.com/qEXVyoKE6y WILD SLIDING — Hilary Knight (@Hilary_Knight) March 15, 2017 The Minnesota Wild had been steam-rolling the league for a good portion of the season, but they've suddenly lost six of eight games in March, USA Hockey responded. surrendering the Central Division lead to the Chicago Blackhawks. USA Hockey supports the equitable treatment of our female athletes, a Now, the Wild haven't been a great possession team all year long commitment going back decades: https://t.co/fTfFM8g24A anyway, but is this a case of the shot counts catching up with them? Not pic.twitter.com/s6w4kLDFiu really. They have 53.0 CF% (score-venue-adjusted) with league-leading — USA Hockey (@usahockey) March 15, 2017 61.1 xGF% this month. It was not well received. But, they've scored 10 goals on 236 shots (4.2%) at 5-on-5 this month and that will correct the market in a hurry. Team USA captain @mduggan10 response to @usahockey release: "Incredibly dishonest and misleading." Looks like both sides set to dig in. SO ARE THE CAPITALS — Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 15, 2017 Embedded Image Listening to Cammi Granato on TSN Radio Thursday, their requests - Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals have had a hard time which go beyond improved financial compensation for national teamers - scoring goals lately. do not sound unreasonable. The other team that had been crushing the league for most of the year, MARCHAND FOR MVP? the Washington Capitals have one regulation win in the past seven games, and it was against Minnesota following Washington's painful Embedded Image California road trip. Boston's Brad Marchand is a surprise MVP candidate. It's not as though the Capitals fell off dramatically in their play, either, controlling 52.5% of shot attempts at even strength, but the 4-2 win Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid is tied for the league scoring against Minnesota was the only game this month in which the Capitals lead, which isn't a great surprise; he's been there all season and is scored more than two goals. considered the next great superstar in the game. The player he's tied with, however, has a different pedigree. Alexander Ovechkin going through a career-long 10-game goalless drought (snapped against Minnesota) can catch up to a team. Boston Bruins left winger Brad Marchand was a third-round pick in 2006, and while he was a productive junior, he spent a year-and-a-half in the BLUE JACKETS HANGING AROUND AHL before reaching the NHL and scored one point in 20 games in his first campaign. With the Capitals slumping, they have come back to the pack in the Metropolitan Division, one point up on Pittsburgh and two points up on Progress started soon thereafter, however, as Marchand put up 41 points the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Blue Jackets have a game at hand. in 77 games as a rookie, and added 11 goals and 19 points in 25 playoff games on Boston's run to the 2011 Stanley Cup. He busted out last While Columbus slumped after their 16-game winning streak, they have season, scoring a career-high 37 goals and 60 points and landed a rebounded to go 10-3-1 in the past 14 games, and starting goaltender lucrative long-term contract extension. Sergei Bobrovsky is 7-0-1, with a .959 save percentage, in his past eight starts. He's been on a tear this season, scoring 27 goals and 21 assists in the past 31 games to tie McDavid for the scoring lead. Among the league's KARLSSON vs. BURNS top 10 scorers, Marchand (71st overall) is the lowest draft pick, 13 spots For most of this season, there has been a clear favourite for the Norris behind Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, who was picked 58th in 2011. Trophy, San Jose Sharks defenceman Brent Burns, who is on pace to KANE score more than 30 goals, is averaging a point-per-game and leads the league in shots on goal. Embedded Image Burns is still the favourite, but Ottawa Senators defenceman Erik The points keep piling up for Patrick Kane. Karlsson has been closing the gap. Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, has 46 points in his past 47 games and is up to 63 points on the Another player making a push for the scoring crown is last year's Art season. He's also the league leader in blocked shots, which has earned Ross winner. The Blackhawks right winger has 20 goals and 20 assists in him acclaim in some circles, but Karlsson was much more effective at the past 30 games, and sits two points behind Marchand and McDavid. driving play last season, when he was robbed of the Norris. Unlike Marchand, however, this is pretty standard fare for Kane. Since MATTHEWS SLUMP the start of the 2012-2013 season, he is averaging 1.13 points per game, second only to Sidney Crosby in that time. This might be higher on the list if not for the Maple Leafs posting a 4-2-1 record in the past seven games, but star rookie Auston Matthews has If Kane could lead the league in scoring this season, he would be the first gone seven games without a point, the longest slump of his young back-to-back Art Ross Trophy winner since Jaromir Jagr, who won four in career. a row, from 1997-1998 through 2000-2001. He only has 15 shots on goal, which is 2.1 per game, notably lower than HABS-SENS OUTDOOR GAME his standard rate (3.4 per game) this season. If the team is interested in Getting the jump on next season, the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa shuffling lines to change Matthews' situation, they might consider going Senators were announced as participants in the Scotiabank NHL 100 with someone new on his left wing. Hyman has played every game with Matthews. He has 2 even strength goals in the last 40 gms. Last goal Matthews assisted on was 3 months ago. — Patrick O'Sullivan (@realPOSULLIVAN) March 14, 2017 TSN.CA LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053595 Websites “It brings a ton of confidence [having them back], but it’s important to not just go ‘Oh well, now Kappy’s back and everything is going to be great,’” cautioned Keefe. “[Before getting hurt] some of their defensive habits TSN.CA / Kapanen, Leipsic eager to salvage injury-hit seasons slipped a little bit, but that needs to be the foundation in their game. They want to be great offensive players, but they really have to work at the defensive stuff if they’re going to progress as players.” By Kristen Shilton The Marlies have 14 regular-season contests left, and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference, teetering in playoff position. For Kapanen and Leipsic, the focus now is on salvaging every opportunity available to get better. Back in October, Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Kasperi Kapanen and Brendan Leipsic were among the team’s final cuts from training camp, “I just want to take over,” Kapanen said. “I thought I was playing really assigned to the AHL’s Marlies to continue to work on their games. well before the injury and I want to come back and be that guy the team expects to make plays and do big things for them. I’m ready for that and I Both players arrived in the organization within months of each other via want to help however I can.” trade — Leipsic in February 2015 from Nashville when Cody Franson was dealt, Kapanen in July 2015 from Pittsburgh in the Phil Kessel deal TSN.CA LOADED: 03.18.2017 — and each had strong offensive starts to the season. But that early dominance — 33 points in 33 games for Kapanen, 38 points in 34 games for Leipsic and AHL All-Star spots for each — gave way to injuries in mid-January that derailed their momentum. For Kapanen, the blow came on Jan. 13, when Syracuse Crunch defenceman Jake Dotchin flattened him into the boards and Kapanen’s left leg crumpled beneath him. “I felt like my foot was going to fall off. It was the worst pain of my life,” Kapanen recalled after practice on Thursday. “I got back to the bench and I didn’t know what was going on.” It would be seven long weeks before the 20-year-old would be able to play another game, a recovery time he “obviously wasn’t excited about.” “I was in the [walking] boot for three weeks, doing a lot of stuff in the gym and weightlifting,” Kapanen said. “It was a slow, slow process, but I’d rather it be slow and get me back to 100 per cent than go fast and have it not feel that great.” Other than missing a few weeks with a torn AC joint three years ago, Kapanen has escaped lengthy injury absences over his young career. When a bad skate cut in December forced him to sit out three games, it was manageable. Kapanen, who played in nine games with the Leafs last season, avoided hockey all together during this hiatus. Instead he focused on following the Toronto Raptors and spending time with friends who visited from his native Finland. Feeling closer to normal each game since returning on March 2, Kapanen has resumed his point-per-game pace, tallying one goal and four assists in his last five games. But while his strength and skating have come along nicely, Kapanen is still trying to get his feel for the game back. “Seeing plays, making plays and being in the right place at the right time, I still have to work on that,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll see a play develop and it’s too late whereas before I feel like I would have seen it. It’s been weird.” Leipsic was on an even more torrid scoring pace than Kapanen when he was felled by a concussion on Jan. 22 against the Springfield Thunderbirds. It was also something of a fluke play that did him in — Leipsic took a pass that ended up in his skates and he didn’t see the hit from Springfield forward Kyle Rau coming. Cleared to return to action before he finally suited up on March 12, Leipsic wanted his transition back to be as smooth as possible. “February was just a crazy month with [a lot of] games and there wasn’t a whole lot of practice time, so I didn’t want to just jump in when I hadn’t really been bumped or hit or anything,” he said. “It was a matter of getting my legs under me again, coming to practice and feeling confident.” Throughout his three years as a pro, Leipsic has rarely missed time with injury. After getting a taste of the NHL in six games last season, and coming out of the gate with some of his best offensive numbers this year, it was an especially frustrating time for injuries to pile up. Before the concussion, Leipsic had already missed six games with a skate cut. “You could call it [snake bit]. But hopefully that’s behind me now,” he said. “Now I need to keep establishing myself as a player who can play at both ends of the ice. Over my years, I’ve proven I can be an offensive player but I want to show I can play both ways.” Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe sees improvement on the defensive side as the ticket for both players to take the next step. The other challenge they face is returning to a different team than the one they left. The Marlies were 7-14 in the six weeks leading up to those injuries; the additions of Cal O’Reilly, Sergey Kalinin and Mike Sislo have helped them go 15-7 since. 1053596 Websites

TSN.CA / Pronger striving to become a general manager one day

By Pierre LeBrun

Chris Pronger's final days on a player's contract are upon us. His last paycheck from the seven-year, $34.55 million deal he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009 goes through next month, after which he's free to begin the next chapter in his hockey life. When exactly the Arizona Coyotes -- who acquired Pronger's contract via trade in 2015 -- will retire his number we don't know yet. In all seriousness, though, the Hockey Hall of Famer -- who has not played an NHL game since 2011 -- enjoys working with the NHL's Department of Player Safety but his true desire at some point would be to run an NHL team. "I'm very interested one day in becoming a GM," Pronger told ESPN.com. "I have a lot to learn, and need to put some work in. But down the road at some point, under the right circumstances, it's definitely something I'm interested in pursuing.'' The 42-year-old has sought out advice from the likes of Rob Blake, Bob Murray and Doug Armstrong, among others. But, perhaps most notably, Pronger also asked Steve Yzerman about his journey to becoming a GM, which included four years of tutelage under Ken Holland in Detroit before Yzerman got his GM gig in Tampa Bay. "I think this is an obvious path for Chris," Flyers president Paul Holmgren said. "Very smart. Sees the game better than anyone I have known. Seems willing to take his time and work his way up. Building a solid foundation for himself, working with the league. In my opinion, he will be an outstanding GM." Pronger would also consider, under the right fit, learning under a veteran GM for a while before he feels he's ready to be one himself. There's unquestionably a comparison to be made between Pronger and Yzerman, in terms of hockey IQ but also a desire to put in the hours. Some former star players like the idea of running a team but then find out how much true work is involved. That reality hasn't fazed Yzerman, and I get the feeling that Pronger is made of that same fabric. "He's one of the smartest hockey minds I've ever come across in the game,'' said former NHL teammate Jamie McLennan, now a TSN game analyst, of Pronger. "His ability to adapt and learn to any situation is what makes them special. When I think of him, I think of Matt Damon's character in 'Good Will Hunting,' and the scene where he burns the math equations in front of the professor. It seems that when it came to hockey, things came real easy to [Pronger] as far as understanding.'' Other notes: - Jaromir Jagr, I'm told, is "leaning'' toward playing another season, although no final decision will be taken until he's finished his season and sits down to fully make a call. The Florida Panthers are also interested in having him back at the right price. He's been a great influence on their younger players. He's only 45, right? Jagr has joked that he wants to play until he's 50. Or maybe he wasn't joking? - Mike Condon saved the Ottawa Senators' season this year when he took over the No. 1 job in net while Craig Anderson spent important time at home with his wife, Nicholle, who is battling cancer. Condon will be a UFA on July 1. He's certainly earned a nice raise over the $575,000 he's earning now and he'd like to stay in Ottawa, where he really likes the fit and the organization. Both sides have talked, but negotiations are still in the early stages. And it's going to have to be a number that fits into Ottawa's payroll plans. TSN.CA LOADED: 03.18.2017 1053597 Websites Elliott said that, particularly as a goaltender, there’s a trust factor that needs to be built in order to win. That took time.

“I was in one place for five years. We had a tight group, you become TSN.CA / How Cujo helped Elliott through early struggles in Calgary great friends with everyone,” Elliott said. “It’s a unique position. You have to put yourself out there a little bit. Guys have to know that you’re going to lay it all on the line for them and then they will do the same. You have By Frank Seravalli to build familiarity and make new relationships.” Behind Elliott, the Flames have rallied from outside the playoff picture to fighting for second place in the Pacific Division and home ice in the first What began as a simple tribute by Brian Elliott last January eventually round. He is 13-1-1 with a staggering .934 save percentage since Jan. evolved into a friendship that helped carry him through his early season 26. struggles with the Calgary Flames. This week, he led the Flames to their first 10-game winning streak in Like many goaltenders of a certain age, Elliott grew up idolizing Curtis franchise history. He is finally feeling comfortable in Calgary, but knows Joseph. As teenager in Newmarket, Ont., he watched “Cujo” lead the there is still work to be done. Maple Leafs to the playoffs as a back-to-back Vezina Trophy finalist. “It’s a process,” Elliott said. “I think being in the league so long, you start He went on to play for the University of Wisconsin Badgers, just like to appreciate the journey, knowing how long the season is. You know it Joseph, but never really crossed paths with Cujo until last year. can change in an instant. It’s definitely rewarding. We’re really coming around.” When Joseph arrived in St. Louis on Jan. 16, 2016 for the Blues’ Goalie Heritage Night with Mike Liut and Grant Fuhr, Elliott was well prepared. TSN.CA LOADED: 03.18.2017 He donned all-blue pads in honour of Joseph’s early-90s style and had a custom mask painted with the same Blues’ trumpets that Cujo made famous. He even had a “Cujo” wordmark stitched into his pads. Mimicking Cujo’s look against the Canadiens that night, Elliott went out and made the most saves (46) on home ice for the Blues since Joseph also stopped 46 against Minnesota nearly 23 years earlier on April 11, 1993. “He came up to me after the game and said ‘You know you need to keep wearing that gear, right? You’ve got to keep it going,’” Elliott recalled. “It was special for me to play in front of those guys. To meet those guys was awesome. But to hear that from him was really cool.” To say life with the Flames got off to a rocky start might be an understatement. After leading the NHL in save percentage last year in St. Louis, Elliott lost 10 of his first 13 starts in a contract year, including allowing 10 goals to the hated Oilers in back-to-back games to introduce himself to the Flames’ faithful in a Battle of Alberta pressure cooker. Off the ice, Elliott and his wife Amanda were trying to adjust to a new city while becoming parents for the first time. They welcomed their son, Owen, on Oct. 2, 10 days before Elliott’s first start as a Flame. Everything was coming at him quickly. “I’m not going to lie, it took me a while to feel confidence again,” Elliott said Thursday in a phone interview. “It wasn’t the easiest time. You have a new team. They play a new way. There’s a learning curve, a new coaching style. Then there were days I was feeling good and wouldn’t get the results. It would have been easy to say ‘Woe is me.’” He didn’t. Elliott said he relied on Calgary goalie coach Jordan Sigalet, friend and former NHL netminder Mike Valley, and text messages with Joseph to stay the course. The messages with Cujo were never technical, Elliott said. Joseph works as a goaltending consultant to the Carolina Hurricanes; this week he is participating in the Wayne Gretzky Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas. But it was reassuring to know his hero lived some of the same lows. “It would just be a little thing here or there,” Elliott said. “I’ve played in high-pressure playoff series, like last year. But he would share a story about his career, tell me when he was nervous, and you get these little bits and pieces. I don’t know if there was one big helpful moment, but it helped me more than he probably knows.” Elliott, 31, can’t pinpoint exactly when his season turned the corner - saying he hadn’t looked at it that way - but sifting through his games played, it isn’t difficult to discern a shift. Strangely, Elliott seemed to settle down just as soon as it appeared the Flames turned the crease over to Chad Johnson. Elliott started just twice in a span of 17 games, encompassing more than a month from Nov. 15 to Dec. 19. He played well going into Christmas and has been one of the hottest goaltenders in the NHL since then. His rebound has been profound. Since Dec. 19, Elliott ranks third in the NHL in wins (18), fifth in save percentage (.924) and the Flames have the league’s best points percentage (.826, 18-4-2) with him in net.