news clippings • jan. 4, 2018downloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/clips/clips010418.pdf · news clippings...
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CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Gameday: Hurricanes at Penguins by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com
PITTSBURGH - Winter is here.
This is the gameday hub, where you can find all the latest
news and information you need to know for tonight's
Metropolitan Division match-up between the Carolina
Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins. Make Hurricanes.com
a regular stop throughout the day, as we update this hub with
notes, photos and more as puck drop draws near.
The Hurricanes will be on the ice at PPG Paints Arena for an
11:30 a.m. morning skate, and we'll be rinkside, as always,
to bring you the latest.
Last updated: 12:00 a.m.
CANES WANT TO KEEP BUILDING AS THEY HEAD TO
PITTSBURGH
12:00 a.m.
Two nights after moving into the second wild card spot in the
Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes will look to
sustain their momentum when they make their first of two
stops this month in Pittsburgh.
Thursday's match-up with the Penguins, the second meeting
between the two teams in a span of six days, is the first of
four straight on the road for the Canes, who then travel to
Boston, Tampa Bay and Washington before returning home
for a pair of games prior to the bye week.
"We're in a real pivotal part of the season playing good
teams. We're excited about it," head coach Bill Peters said
after his team practiced in Raleigh on Wednesday. "We're
playing well. I like our team right now. Good energy and
confidence in the room."
On Tuesday night in their first game of the season against
the Washington Capitals, the Hurricanes scored three
straight goals to erase a two-goal deficit and take a lead in
the third period. But Alex Ovechkin and the Caps stormed
back to tie the game before taking the extra point in a 5-4
overtime win.
"A lot of good things in [Tuesday's] game, a lot of good
things in the Pittsburgh game," Peters said. "We'll build on
that."
The Hurricanes edged the Pens 2-1 at home just before the
new year, a high-end game that perhaps offered a preview of
the season series to come. Since, Pittsburgh dropped a 4-1
decision to Detroit on New Year's Eve before rebounding to
best Philadelphia 5-1 on Tuesday. The Canes lead the Pens
by just a point in the standings heading into another pivotal
Metropolitan Division tilt.
Carolina's lineup could look a bit different. Marcus Kruger
has missed the team's last three games with a lower-body
injury and was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday.
"Krugs is feeling better, but I don't think he's ready to go yet,"
Peters said.
That cleared a roster space for the recall of Aleksi Saarela
from Charlotte. Saarela, who has notched 13 goals and 19
points for the Checkers this season, could make his NHL
debut on Thursday. Lucas Wallmark left Tuesday's game in
the third period after taking a skate to the groin. He did not
practice on Wednesday and is doubtful to face Pittsburgh.
"He's sore," Peters said. "A lot of pain. Not a lot of sleep.
Painful injury. Hope for the best."
Jordan Staal also did not practice with the team on
Wednesday, but Peters said it was simply a maintenance
day for the Canes' co-captain.
Tweetmail No. 171: MVP, Outdoors &
Peaky by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com
Happy New Year and welcome to Tweetmail, presented by
our friends at Tijuana Flats! Wear your Canes gear to
participating Raleigh locations on Wednesdays throughout
the season and receive 50% off any entrée.
Tweetmail is a weekly feature on CarolinaHurricanes.com in
which I take your Twitter questions about the Carolina
Hurricanes or other assorted topics and answer them in
mailbag form. Hopefully the final product is insightful to some
degree, and maybe we have some fun along the way.
Let's get to it.
Jonathan Wagner @nhlcanesfans
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
#Tweetmail who would you say is the Canes’ MVP to this
point?
We're two games away from the midway point of this
season, so it seems like a reasonable time to step back and
assess who has had the greatest impact on the team's
success thus far.
A couple names jump out right away because they're at the
top of the Canes' scoring list: Sebastian Aho and Teuvo
Teravainen. The two Finns, who have played on opposite
wings on the same line for much of the season, have been
dynamic offensively - and that goes beyond just scoring
goals, too, because both had kind of slow starts in that
regard.
Teravainen, who sees himself as more of a playmaker than a
scorer anyhow, had three goals in his first 15 games before
netting his first career hat trick and two more goals in the
same week en route to an NHL First Star of the Week
performance in mid-November. Aho, who didn't score his first
goal in his rookie season until November, did the same this
year, going without a goal in his first 15 games.
But even still, the two were contributing on the scoresheet.
Aho had eight assists and Teravainen had six in the first 15
games of the season. They've since led the way offensively
and each have 30 points in the first 39 games of the season:
Aho has 11 goals and 19 assists, and Teravainen has 10
goals and a team-high 20 assists.
With Jordan Staal centering the two, affectionately known as
the "TSA Line," the trio is a tough to contain in the offensive
zone. Staal's a big man who can bang bodies and roll around
with the puck. Aho is on the smaller side but "hockey strong,"
as head coach Bill Peters notes, and competitive. And
Teravainen can make a play out of seemingly nothing, and
he's got a sneaky good shot.
Those are the two names that jump off the page for me, but
you could also make the case for Justin Williams. He doesn't
wear a letter, but he is, without a doubt, one of the team
leaders on and off the ice. He's been there. "Mr. Game 7"
has won the Stanley Cup three times, including once with the
Hurricanes. He knows what it takes to not only get there, but
then to win it. That addition, I think, has been huge for this
locker room. He holds himself and the team to a high
standard, never settling for just good enough. His impact
thus far is arguably team MVP worthy.
Omar Abdelgawad @Tiberious_Nero
How huge is simply occupying a playoff spot for the team?
How will they take that momentum into Pittsburgh?
#Redvolution
It's huge, if for no other reason than seeing that cut line,
looking above it and seeing the Hurricanes' logo.
It's refreshing and exhilarating to have cleared that mental
hurdle, one that the team has been chasing for some time.
"Once you get in that, you need to keep climbing and keep
getting points," Justin Williams said after Tuesday's overtime
loss to Washington.
Now, we have to realize we're just 39 games into an 82-
game marathon. There's plenty of hockey left to be played,
and a lot can happen in those 43 games (23 of which are at
home). The Hurricanes have jumped into a playoff spot. Now
they need to keep building and keep climbing.
I think Jeff Skinner put it best on Wednesday night: "It's nice
when you look at the standings, but there's still a lot of
hockey left. We've gotten some pretty good results in the last
couple of weeks, and we want to try to keep that going. It's
not something that we're going to look at and try to savor; we
want to try to keep climbing. That's the mentality now."
Isaac McClelland @imbackinpogform
Could you ever see the Canes getting an outdoor game?
#Tweetmail
I'm holding out hope that an outdoor game featuring the
Hurricanes will happen one day. There are only a handful of
teams in the league who have yet to play in an outdoor
game, and I see no good reason why the league wouldn't
eventually want each team to experience the spectacle.
I proposed what I believe to be a pretty sound, intriguing
scenario for an outdoor game with the Canes in Tweetmail
No. 145: Hurricanes vs. Predators (another team that has yet
to play a game outdoors). Maybe this becomes even more of
a possibility in a couple of seasons if the Canes achieve
some sustained success. I think it would be great. It doesn't
have to be the Winter Classic; it can be a Stadium Series
match-up. Or call it something new! Why not? Let's make it
happen.
Chris Cote (not a doctor) @RealChrisCote
#Tweetmail seriously, how great is Cillian Murphy, though?
Cillian Murphy is nothing short of brilliant as Thomas Shelby
in "Peaky Blinders." Really, all the performances in season
four are top-notch. Adrien Brody is phenomenal as Luca
Changretta, and Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons is always a
delight. If you haven't watched season four or any seasons
of this British drama, head to Netflix now. You won't regret it.
Andrew Clarke @AwaitingAndrew
Which Hurricane do you think would make the best
addition to the cast of Peaky Blinders? #Tweetmail
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Ohh, this is a good one. Two seasons ago, I would have said
James Wisniewski because his haircut was reminiscent of
the look of the Blinders. Scott Darling might be a pretty
intimidating presence, either as a Peaky Blinder or the
muscle of a rival gang. I could see assistant coach Steve
Smith being a good cast addition, too. I think he'd look and
play the part pretty well.
What do you all think?
Hurricanes recall Aleksi Saarela from
Charlotte
January 3, 2018 Peter Koutroumpis
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes announced on
Wednesday that the team had recalled forward Aleksi
Saarela from its American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Charlotte Checkers.
In addition, the Hurricanes placed forward Marcus Kruger on
injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The 20-year-old Saarela currently ranks third among
Checkers skaters with 13 goals this season, and has totaled
19 points in 31 games played.
Originally selected by the New York Rangers in the third
round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Saarela was acquired by the
Hurricanes on Feb. 27, 2016, along with second-round picks
in the 2016 and 2017 drafts in exchange for former captain
Eric Staal.
Prior to beginning his North American professional career
last season, Saarela played parts of four seasons in the top
Finnish league, Liiga, totaling 77 points (42g, 35a) in 166
games with Assat Pori and Lukko Rauma.
The Helsinki native has represented Finland in a number of
international tournaments, winning gold along with
Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho at the 2016 World Junior
Championship.
5 things to watch at World Juniors
semifinals U.S. led by Mittelstadt; Sweden seeks first medal since 2014;
Canada scoring in bunches; Czech linemates clicking
by Mike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL / NHL.com Staff
Writer
January 3rd, 2018
The 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship resumes with
semifinal-round games at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on
Thursday.
The gold medal and bronze medal games will be held at
KeyBank Center on Friday.
Semifinal round
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Sweden vs. United States (4 p.m. ET; KeyBank Center,
NHLN, TSN, RDS)
Canada vs. Czech Republic (8 p.m. ET; KeyBank Center,
NHLN, TSN, RDS2)
5 Things to watch
American made
The United States, which defeated Sweden 5-2 in in the
semifinals of the 2010 WJC, has 19 players with at least one
point in the '18 tournament.
"This team has to play a little old-fashioned; we have to be a
fundamentally sound team," U.S. coach Bob Motzko said.
"We have to be good on face-offs, on retrieving pucks and
not turning the puck over. When we've been doing that and
playing those stretches of minutes, holding teams to low
shots, that's when we're at our best and when our top guys
can get us going."
The United States and Sweden have each won 15 of the 32
games played against each other at the tournament, and
have tied twice. The U.S. won 8-3 during the bronze medal
game of the 2016 WJC on Jan. 5, 2016. Sweden's last win
was also at the 2016 WJC, a 1-0 preliminary round victory on
Dec. 28, 2015.
Center Casey Mittelstadt (Buffalo Sabres) leads the U.S. with
10 points (four goals, six assists). Brady Tkachuk, a potential
top-5 selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, has seven points (two
goals, five assists) and Kieffer Bellows (New York Islanders)
has scored six goals, including the shootout winner in a 4-3
victory against Canada on Friday. Bellows also leads the
U.S. with three power-play goals and 28 shots on goal.
Adam Fox (Calgary Flames) has five points (goal, four
assists) to lead all U.S. defensemen in scoring. The United
States defeated Sweden 3-1 in a pretournament exhibition
game on Dec. 22.
NHL Tonight: USA-Sweden Preview
03:34 • January 3rd, 2018
Stellar Sweden
Sweden, the only unbeaten of the four remaining countries,
has outscored the opposition 23-9 in five straight victories. It
defeated Slovakia 3-2 in the quarterfinal round and is in the
hunt for its third gold medal (1981, 2012) and first of any kind
since winning silver in 2014.
Sweden has been sparked by the play of its top line featuring
Lias Andersson (New York Rangers), Elias Pettersson
(Vancouver Canucks) and Alexander Nylander (Sabres),
who have combined for 18 points (10 goals, eight assists).
Andersson leads Sweden with five goals, including two
power-play goals, Pettersson has four goals (two power-play
goals) and Nylander has five assists.
Defensively, Rasmus Dahlin, the projected No. 1 pick in the
2018 NHL Draft, hasn't disappointed. Dahlin has six points
(all assists) 21 shots on goal and a plus-7 rating while
averaging more than 23 minutes each game.
Dahlin played a personal-high 28:07 in a 4-3 shootout win
against Russia in the final preliminary-round game on New
Year's Eve. He's been partnered with offensive-defenseman
Erik Brannstrom (Vegas Golden Knights) for every game of
the tournament.
"They are both skilled, good skaters, and they play a good
defensive game," Sweden coach Tomas Monten. "Both get a
lot of attention so our thought is if teams want to pressure
and forecheck one of them, it'll open up for the other."
Scoring in bunches
Canada has received goals from 14 different players through
five games.
Forward Drake Batherson (Ottawa Senators) leads Canada
with four goals and forward Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues)
leads it with seven points (two goals, five assists).
"We're happy with (balanced scoring)," Canada coach
Dominique Ducharme said. "That's what we thought we had
at first and that's the way it goes right now, and we're happy
with that because we need everyone to be chipping in and
coming from every line."
Canada continues to lead the tournament with a 56.63
power-play efficiency (10-for-19). The Czech Republic, its
semifinal-round opponent, is second with a 50 percent
efficiency (7-for-14) on the man-advantage. Canada
defeated the Czech Republic 9-0 in a pretournament game
on Dec. 20.
"They've added their best players into the lineup since our
exhibition game so it's going to be a really good game,"
Canada captain Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames) said. "I think
with the team they have, it'll push us to be at our best."
Czech-ing in
The Czech Republic, which advanced to the semifinal round
for the first time since 2005, is led by forwards Martin Necas
(Carolina Hurricanes) with nine points (three goals, six
assists) and Filip Zadina (2018 eligible) with six points (five
goals, one assist). Zadina also leads it with 31 shots on goal.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
The chemistry between WJC linemates Necas and Zadina
has been evident. Along with Filip Chytil (Rangers) and
Ostap Safin (Edmonton Oilers), that foursome played a big
part in helping the Czech Republic to the championship of
the 2016 Ivan Hlinka tournament for the first time. They are
obviously playing at another level when with each other on
the ice.
Necas, the captain of the Ivan Hlinka team, had six points
(two goals, four assists), Zadina had seven points (five goals,
two assists), Chytil had four points (three goals, one assist)
and Safin had four points (three goals, one assist) on the
way to the Hlinka title.
Libor Hajek (Tampa Bay Lightning) has been the defensive
lynchpin for the Czech Republic. He leads all defensemen in
the tournament with seven points (goal, six assists).
"I'm glad all these guys are working hard and having
success," Czech Republic coach Filip Pesan said. "I'm glad
we moved on and made the semifinals (after a 4-3 shootout
win against Finland on Tuesday). We were definitely not the
better team (against Finland) but we had a bigger heart."
The walking wounded
Andersson, United States forward Logan Brown (Ottawa
Senators) and Canada defenseman Victor Mete (Montreal
Canadiens) are each dealing with injuries entering the
semifinal round.
Brown has missed the past three games after sustaining a
lower-body injury in a 3-2 loss against Slovakia on Thursday.
He was the only player wearing a yellow jersey at practice
Wednesday but coach Bob Motzko seemed optimistic.
"He's close; he's knocking on the door," Motzko said. "It's not
up to me though, it's the medical staff. If it were up to me he
would have been playing Tuesday (in a 4-2 win against
Russia in the quarterfinal round)."
Mete has a lower-body injury and did not play in an 8-2 win
against Switzerland in the quarterfinal round Tuesday.
"We know he's going to be 100 percent for the semifinal
round so we didn't want to take a chance and him having a
setback and not being 100 percent for that," Ducharme said.
Andersson (upper body) played against Slovakia but was
limited to 53 seconds during the third period (12:01 total).
He's expected to play against the United States.
"I'm not 100 percent but feeling OK and excited for
[Thursday]," Andersson said. "You're not going to feel fresh
every night and that's how it is right now. You just have to
battle through it and keep grinding."
Potential breakout players for 2018 Skinner, Klefbom among those who appear primed to take
next big step
by Rob Vollman / NHL.com Correspondent
Predicting breakout players is an inexact science at best, but
there are telltale signs that suggest potential candidates for
bigger and better things.
During 2017, Josh Bailey and Anders Lee of the New York
Islanders were among those who had breakout calendar
years. Bailey was tied for ninth in the NHL with 82 points (20
goals, 62 assists) in 85 games, and Lee was tied for 21st
with 73 points (44 goals, 29 assists) in 84 games as they
parlayed strong finishes to the 2016-17 season into dominant
starts to 2017-18.
Based on age and underlying numbers, here are five players
who could break out in 2018:
Jeff Skinner, left wing, Carolina Hurricanes
In 2016-17, Skinner led the Hurricanes in scoring for the
second consecutive season, finishing with 63 points (37
goals, 26 assists) in 79 games. That ranked No. 32 in the
NHL, the highest position he has finished in his seven
seasons. On a higher-scoring team, with a stronger power
play, Skinner would likely already be getting enough assists
to finish among the top 10 scorers.
Since he made his NHL debut in 2010-11, Skinner, 25, ranks
No. 8 with 1,771 shots, No. 19 with 192 goals, and is tied for
No. 125 with 165 assists. It has been more difficult for
Skinner to generate assists because of Carolina's inability to
score during his career. Carolina has scored on 8.0 percent
its shots when Skinner is on the ice. The NHL scoring
leaders consistently have on-ice team shooting percentages
close to 10.0 percent.
The inability to score regularly on the power play has also
hampered Skinner's production. Carolina's 101 power-play
goals since the start of the 2015-16 season are two more
than the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets,
who are tied for last.
With the development of Carolina's abundance of young
players, 2018 could be a turning point for the Hurricanes. If
so, Skinner, who has 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in
39 games in 2017-18, could score more than 80 points and
finish among the top 10 scorers for 2018.
J.T. Miller, center, New York Rangers
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Players poised for a breakout can sometimes be identified by
looking for those whose ice-time figures are lower than their
5-on-5 scoring rates would normally justify, especially with
the man-advantage.
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, four players have a
higher 5-on-5 scoring rate than Miller's 1.87 points per 60
minutes (minimum 1,000 minutes) while also assigned a
smaller share of all power-play minutes than Miller's 32.6
percent: Conor Sheary of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Andre
Burakovsky of the Washington Capitals, Andreas Athanasiou
of the Detroit Red Wings, and Ryan Hartman of the Chicago
Blackhawks.
In each case, these are players who needed more time to
establish their scoring credentials, but Miller's 159 points (67
goals, 92 assists) in 317 games have proven that he can
handle a greater assignment, not to mention the fact he has
27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 2017-18, the second-
highest total on the Rangers. If the 24-year-old forward gets
more time than the 16:44 per game he receives now, which
is No. 11 on the team, then 2018 could be a big year.
Nino Niederreiter, right wing, Minnesota Wild
Minnesota has turned to its younger players for scoring.
Mikael Granlund, 25, led the Wild in scoring in 2016-17 with
an NHL career-high 69 points (26 goals, 43 assists) in 81
games. Based on his underlying scoring rates and shot-
based metrics, Niederreiter, 25, could be next, and match
that total in 2018.
Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Niederreiter is one of
60 players to average at least 2.0 points per 60 minutes at 5-
on-5 (minimum 1,000 minutes played). In that time, he has
boosted his team's share of all on-ice shot attempts from
47.45 to 54.05, for a SAT Relative of plus-6.6 percent, fourth-
best among active players (minimum 50 games).
Niederreiter has missed 11 games with injury but could
return this week. He has 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in
29 games in 2017-18.
Dmitry Orlov, defenseman, Washington Capitals
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, the Capitals have
scored 136 power-play goals, tied with the Nashville
Predators for third in the NHL. Playing on this elite power
play is a great opportunity for any defenseman deployed with
a four-forward alignment used in most power-play structures.
John Carlson has been that Capitals defenseman for an
average of 3:08 minutes per game, and Orlov has averaged
0:53 on the power play.
What if Orlov, 26, was used on Washington's top unit,
because of injury, a coaching decision or for some other
reason? At 5-on-5, Orlov has averaged 1.04 points per
game, which is almost identical to Carlson (1.03), and ranks
No. 10 among the 214 defensemen to play at least 1,000
minutes. With more power-play opportunities, Orlov, who has
five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 41 games, could
score 50 points in 2018, as Carlson did in 2017.
Oscar Klefbom, defenseman, Edmonton Oilers
Among defensemen, a high volume of shots can be a
leading indicator of offensive upside. Since the start of the
2016-17 season, Klefbom, 24, has taken 309 shots in 118
games, which ranks No. 8 among defensemen.
What could that mean for 2018? The seven players ahead of
him on the list averaged 46.6 points in 2017, which could be
within reach for Klefbom, given how great forwards, including
teammate Connor McDavid, can help unleash a
defenseman's full scoring potential.
Klefbom has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 36
games this season.
Charlotte Checkers Corner: Home Sweet
Home
After stumbling through the holiday period, the Checkers will
play a majority of their games in January at home where they
have thrived.
By Justin Lape
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
The Charlotte Checkers stumbled to the finish line in 2017,
finishing their most recent stretch of games 1-2 after the
holidays. With the new year (and more games) here, the
Checkers sit firmly at 21-12-0-1 and 2nd in the league in goal
scoring.
Prior to Christmas, the Checkers split a pair of games with
the Hershey Bears despite outscoring the Bears 10-6 over
the two games. In the first, the Checkers went down 5-0 just
14 minutes into the game before a furious comeback fell just
one goal short. But the momentum carried into the next day,
where Aleksi Saarela’s first AHL hat trick powered the
Checkers to a 6-0 walk on Carolina Football Night, featuring
jerseys designed by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Charlotte began the week after Christmas suffering a big 6-2
loss at the hands of the Binghamton Devils. Valentin Zykov
responded with a goal after the Devils took a 2-0 lead in the
first period. The Devils then responded with four straight
goals to thwart any chance of a Charlotte comeback. Andrew
Miller assisted on both Checkers goals. Starter Alex
Nedeljkovic couldn’t find his footing, only making 13 saves
on 19 shots.
The Checkers followed the 6-2 loss with a 3-1 loss against
the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Jeremy Smith played a solid
game for Charlotte, stopping 25 of 28 shots. The high-
powered Charlotte offense could not mount a comeback after
the Phantoms scored three straight goals. Warren Foegele
scored the lone goal for Charlotte.
Finally, Charlotte finished 2017 on a positive note with a 5-2
win over Lehigh Valley. The well balanced Checkers offense
had five different scorers help out in the win. Nedeljkovic
stopped 26 of 28 shots and Foegele scored in his second
straight game and also added an assist.
Thought of the Week
It’s nice to see Lucas Wallmark finally get called up this
season. He’s been an exceptional playmaker at the AHL
level and I think he’s ready to be a full time NHLer on the
third or fourth line. If he’s OK after taking a skate to the groin
last night, I’d roll with Wallmark even after Marcus Kruger
comes back.
I think it’s time to send Phil Di Giuseppe back to Charlotte.
The experiment was fun but nothing #34 brings to the table is
enticing enough to keep him in the NHL. Wallmark brings
more upside with his play and deserves a longer sample size
to prove he belongs.
Player of the Week
This week’s player of the week is a familiar one: Warren
Foegele. The young forward is having an outstanding rookie
year and it didn’t stop this past week. He has registered 17
goals and 10 assists in 32 games and has an impressive
24.3 shooting percentage. He’s 6th among rookies in scoring
but sits 20th overall in the league.
Looking Ahead
The Checkers are 6-4 in their last ten, which has seen them
fall a bit to third in the division, three points out of the top
spot. They will head up to Hershey, PA to take on the Bears
for a back to back series on Saturday and Sunday. Next
week, they’ll begin a six-game homestand that will last until
January 21st.
Hurricanes Recall Aleksi Saarela from
Charlotte
Written by Paul Branecky
Published: January 03, 2018
The Carolina Hurricanes handed Checkers forward Aleksi
Saarela his first-ever NHL recall on Wednesday.
Presented by Hometrust Bank
Saarela’s recall will help the Hurricanes cope with the loss of
Marcus Kruger, who the team placed on injured reserve in a
corresponding move on Wednesday. Checkers center Lucas
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Wallmark, initially recalled to replace Kruger, suffered an
injury late in Tuesday’s game against the Washington
Capitals and did not practice Wednesday. If needed, Saarela
would make his NHL debut Thursday in Pittsburgh.
In his first full season in North America, Saarela ranks third
on the team with 13 goals – five of which have come in his
last five games, including a hat trick on Dec. 21. Six of his
goals came on the power play, helping the Checkers rank
third in the league at 22.2 percent for the season.
The Checkers return to action for a back-to-back set in
Hershey starting this Saturday. With Valentin Zykov returning
from illness, the team had an extra forward at Wednesday’s
practice and could soon welcome back Janne Kuokkanen,
whose Finnish team recently concluded play at the World
Junior Championship.
TODAY’S LINKS
http://trianglesportsnet.com/carolina-hockey-network/hurricanes-recall-aleksi-saarela-charlotte/
https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/gameday-preview-carolina-hurricanes-vs-pittsburgh-penguins/c-294628014
https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/tweetmail-number-171-mvp-outdoors-peaky/c-294615200
https://www.nhl.com/news/5-things-to-watch-at-world-juniors-semifinals/c-294621176
https://www.nhl.com/news/potential-breakout-nhl-players-for-2018/c-294617208
https://www.canescountry.com/2018/1/3/16844492/charlotte-checkers-corner-home-sweet-home-bojangles-coliseum-aleksi-saarela-warren-foegele
http://gocheckers.com/game-recaps/hurricanes-recall-aleksi-saarela-from-charlotte
1091389 Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins notebook: Goaltending is risky business against Flyers
JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, 8:36 p.m.
When the Penguins play the Philadelphia Flyers, the goalie who starts
the game doesn't always finish it.
In fact, over the past seven meetings between the intrastate rivals, the
Penguins starter has left with an injury three times.
On Tuesday night, Tristan Jarry left in the second period with an
apparent wrist injury after taking a slash from Michael Raffl in a net-front
scramble.
Earlier this season, Matt Murray suffered a lower-body injury when Jakub
Voracek slid feet-first into the crease Nov. 27. In 2016, Murray suffered a
concussion when Brayden Schenn kneed him in the head in the regular-
season finale April 9.
None of the three plays in question was a classic case of a player
running the goalie. All three could be explained away as accidental
contact while trying to score a goal.
Still, it prompts a question: Does something more need to be done to
protect goalies from physical punishment, especially when the Flyers are
involved?
It's a dilemma for defensemen. In the past, they could hook, hold, cross-
check or otherwise impede a forward rushing toward the net. Now, such
an action will be met immediately with a referee's whistle.
“Your position has to be really spot on,” defenseman Ian Cole said.
“Otherwise, if you're not in perfect position, you can't limit that lane to the
net without hooking or holding or doing whatever, which have been
limited. It's more about positioning and skating yourself into the correct
position to prevent those guys from getting there, and this team in Philly
has a lot of guys that are really good around the net front.”
It's also worth asking whether referees can do more to protect
goaltenders.
“That's a tough question,” Cole said. “I think everyone's intending to
protect goalies. I don't think it's an oversight by any means. But I do think
we, as defensemen and our teams, always need to do a good job
protecting our goalies and limiting guys' ice and their ability to get to the
net. If we do that, it shouldn't put refs in the position to have to make that
choice.”
INJURY REPORT
The Penguins canceled Wednesday's practice, thus pushing back a day
public updates on the condition of three players injured in Tuesday
night's game in Philadelphia.
In addition to Jarry's injury, defenseman Brian Dumoulin left after taking a
puck to the head and Carter Rowney did not play beyond the first period.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
In Wilkes-Barre, goalie Michael Leighton, a 36-year-old veteran of 111
career NHL games who was acquired last month in a trade with Arizona,
is out on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury.
With Leighton out and Jarry's status in doubt, the Baby Pens did not want
to risk an injury to top call-up option Casey DeSmith by playing him
Friday night against Bridgeport. So they started ECHL call-up Anthony
Peters and looked to the past for an emergency back-up.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
They signed and dressed former Penguins goalie Sebastien Caron, who
lives in the Wilkes-Barre area. Now 37, Caron retired from pro hockey in
2016. He last played for the Penguins in 2006.
Tribune Review LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091390 Pittsburgh Penguins
Rivalry games bringing out best in Penguins
JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, 7:14 p.m.
Mike Sullivan has been working his way through a trying season for the
Penguins, pushing every button he can to help the team get back on
track.
If he were a college football coach, though, fans might be throwing
parades in his honor.
In that sport, perhaps nothing is valued more than victories over hated
rivals, and frankly, despite their persistent struggles, the Penguins have
plenty of those this season.
The Penguins broke out of an offensive funk with a decisive 5-1 victory
over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. That gives them a 2-0
record against their cross-state foes this season.
Add in a 2-0 record against the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 1-1 mark
against the Washington Capitals, and they're 5-1-0 in rivalry games this
season.
In a 5-4 shootout win over Columbus on Dec. 27, the Penguins erased
three two-goal deficits. A 3-2 victory at Washington in the fourth game of
the season was perhaps the team's best October performance.
The Penguins seem to be at their finest when facing opponents they
don't like.
“When you play divisional opponents, when you play against teams you
have history against, those are the most exciting games to be a part of,”
Sullivan said. “Those are the most emotional games, and I think our team
is at its best when we're invested emotionally.”
There's an obvious flip side to the rivalry success the Penguins are
having, of course. It means they're 15-17-3 in games that don't promise
to be particularly intense or emotional.
That bugs winger Conor Sheary.
“Obviously when you play a team you're rivals with, you bring a little more
energy,” Sheary said. “It's kind of built into the game. You sometimes
have to manufacture it when you play other teams. It's disappointing that
it's that way because you want to be able to bring your best every night.
Sometimes that's hard to do in this league.”
If the definition of the term “rivalry” is broadened, the numbers still look
good for the Penguins.
Teams that meet in the playoffs often have more intense matchups the
following season. The Penguins are 5-1-1 against teams they beat en
route to the franchise's fifth Stanley Cup championship last season.
Based on the way the schedule is weighted, any team in the Metropolitan
Division easily could be considered a rival of the Penguins as well. By
that measurement, the Penguins are rolling and have been for quite
some time.
They're 7-3-0 against Metropolitan Division teams this season. Last year,
they were 20-8-2. The year before that, 19-9-2.
Those numbers are perhaps the most meaningful for the Penguins
moving forward.
Of the team's remaining 41 games, 18 are against Metropolitan teams.
When crunch time really hits in late March, the Penguins will play five of
their last eight games against teams within the division.
A couple of meaningful division games are on tap the next two days as
well. The Penguins host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night
before visiting the New York Islanders on Friday.
Right now, those three teams are locked in a battle for the eighth and
final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes and
Islanders have 44 points. The Penguins have 43.
That means, despite the fact the Penguins have lost eight of their last 12
games, they could improbably be back in a playoff spot by the time they
go to bed Thursday night.
“We've played pretty well against our division rivals,” winger Carl Hagelin
said. “Our league and our division, especially, is really tight this year.
You've got to make sure you're making the most out of these
opportunities. We're behind the 8-ball right now. You've got to win those
games.”
Tribune Review LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091391 Pittsburgh Penguins
Riley Sheahan dives for loose puck against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 27.
1 Grading the first half of the 2017-18 Penguins season Peter
Diana/Post-Gazette
SAM WERNER
The first half of this season certainly didn’t unfold exactly the way the
Penguins (and their fans) expected. With 41 games down, the Penguins
sit outside the NHL’s playoff picture, a point behind the Hurricanes for the
last wild-card spot.
We’ll find out in the next three months (and then some) whether this
season ends in a third Stanley Cup title or a spring with no playoffs (or
somewhere in between). Before that gets started, let’s take a look back
and assess the first half of this season:
Top six forwards: B-
Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are behind their scoring paces
from last season. At the midway point a year ago, they had 45 points
apiece, and Crosby led the NHL with 26 goals despite missing the first
six games of the season.
This year, Malkin sits at 38 points while Crosby has 36. They each have
14 goals, which puts them in a tie for 46th in the NHL. Crosby, especially,
is going through probably the worst offensive season of his career. He’s
averaging just 0.88 points per game, by far the lowest mark of his career.
Even if he plays all 82 games for the first time, he’s on pace for some
career-worst offensive numbers. Never doubt Crosby’s ability to catch fire
and get these numbers up where they should be, but so far it has been a
disappointing offensive season for him.
The wingers, too, have mostly underwhelmed. Jake Guentzel has just
one goal in his last 14 games, and Conor Sheary only recently seems to
have found his scoring touch.
There are two positives from this group, though. Patric Hornqvist is still
doing Patric Hornqvist things, scoring dirty goals and acting as a net-front
menace on the power play.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Phil Kessel is also having an excellent year on Malkin’s right wing and
salvaging this group from being a bigger disappointment. He’s on pace
for 88 points, which would be a career-high.
Bottom six forwards: C
This area has gotten slightly better since the acquisition of Riley Sheahan
but has still mostly underwhelmed this season. Plus, you have to take
into account that the first nine games before the Sheahan trade were
pretty bleak in this regard.
Even now, this is the clearest area for improvement in the second half,
probably via trade. Sheahan is on pace for 30 points (Nick Bonino had 37
last year) but also just seven goals, which is well behind Bonino’s 18.
Bryan Rust is also the only “bottom-six” winger (and, really, Rust plays in
the top six just as much, if not more) with double-digit points. Carl
Hagelin is having an even more disappointing season than last year, with
just two goals and six points (for reference, Tom Kuhnhackl is on pace
for better offensive numbers). Carter Rowney is virtually a non-factor
offensively, a big step back from what Matt Cullen provided as the fourth-
line center the past two years.
Maybe the win in Philadelphia on Tuesday night could signal the start of
a productive second half for the bottom six, but this has clearly been the
most glaring weakness so far.
Defense: B
Let’s start with the good. Olli Maatta is having a career year and could be
the Penguins’ best defenseman right now. Justin Schultz, when healthy,
has mostly justified the contract he signed in the offseason. Brian
Dumoulin has been his usual steady self.
Even the new additions have mostly fit in. Matt Hunwick has been a fine
third-pairing guy (though his troubles playing the right side have caused
the Penguins some issues), and Jamie Oleksiak has been pretty good
since coming over from Dallas, highlighted by an outstanding game
Tuesday night against the Flyers.
Ian Cole has been a bit up and down, and obviously the subject of near-
constant trade rumors since late November. But when he was playing
consistently, Cole was mostly fine, if maybe a bit too penalty-prone.
The real issue on the blue line has been the play of Kris Letang. Letang
has put up fine offensive numbers (he’s actually on pace for a career-
high in assists) but has struggled with his decision-making and puck
movement a lot this season, sometimes disastrously so. His minus-15 is
among the worst plus-minus in the NHL, though it has leveled off a bit
after a terrible start. Letang’s play has been a weak spot, but it also
seems reasonable to think it’s an easy improvement in the second half if
Letang gets back to his old self.
Kris Letang
Can Kris Letang turn things around in the second half?
(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
Goaltending: C+
Matt Murray has been OK-not-great in his first year as the unquestioned
full-time starter in the Penguins’ net. His .903 save percentage is fourth-
worst among NHL goalies with at least 20 games played, and his .906
even-strength save percentage is well below his career average of .932.
He has just one shutout on the year and has held opponents to zero or
one goal in just six of his 29 appearances (20.7 percent). For
comparison’s sake, last year Murray posted four shutouts and held
opponents to zero or one goal in 19 of his 49 appearances (38.8
percent).
Murray hasn’t been bad, per se, especially when you consider the
seemingly routine poor all-around play in front of him, but he also hasn’t
been able to bail the Penguins out and steal games for them over this
first half, which is something they desperately needed at times.
Behind Murray, it's really been a mixed bag. Antti Niemi was absolutely
dreadful in his three starts and was unceremoniously put on waivers.
Since then, Tristan Jarry has been really solid as Murray’s backup. His
numbers (2.36 GAA, .922 save percentage, .923 even-strength save
percentage) are better than Murray’s. He’s not going to unseat Murray
from the starting job any time soon, but Jarry’s play so far should have
the Penguins feeling good about their backup goaltending the rest of the
way, and maybe allow Murray to rest some more down the stretch.
Management/Coaching: B
We can start with general manager Jim Rutherford’s moves, starting in
the offseason. He probably didn’t have much choice in letting Bonino,
Cullen and Trevor Daley walk, for various reasons. It might be worth
wondering, though, if the Penguins should’ve pursued a short-term deal
for Chris Kunitz, who probably could’ve added some punch to the bottom
six.
As far as additions, they’ve ranged from disastrous (Niemi) to mostly
solid (Sheahan and Hunwick). None of the newcomers have been an
absolute home run, and the most high-profile (Ryan Reaves) still seems
like a work in progress as far as how he fits into the team. That’s not
ideal halfway through a season.
On the bench, Mike Sullivan still seems to be finding the right buttons to
push. He’s constantly tinkering with lineup combinations, to the point
where it might be beneficial just to let things ride for a little bit to let some
consistency develop. But Sullivan also certainly deserves some credit for
navigating the team through an absolutely brutal schedule over the first
two months. The Penguins have dealt with their share of injuries, too. For
as much as this season has felt like a disaster, they’re still very much
within striking distance of the playoffs, and Sullivan probably has a pretty
big role in that.
MVP: Phil Kessel
The team’s most consistent offensive threat through the first 41 games,
Kessel leads the Penguins in goals (17), assists (27) and points (44). It’s
probably not a coincidence that he’s on pace for his most shots as a
Penguin.
Phil Kessel
Phil Kessel has been a major bright spot through 41 games.
(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
Most improved player: Olli Maatta
Maatta’s first couple of years in the league signaled that he was capable
of some high-level play, but for various reasons — injury and otherwise
— he’s struggled to stay consistent the last few seasons. This year, he’s
shown some good offensive instincts and has become a weapon on the
Penguins’ blue lline.
Best game: Dec. 27, 2017; 5-4 win (SO) vs. Columbus
This might not have been the inflection point the Penguins hoped for in
the immediate aftermath — they lost their next two games — but it was
arguably the highest-level hockey they’ve played this year and ended
with two points against a division rival (and possible repeat playoff
opponent).
Worst game: Oct. 5, 2017; 10-1 loss at Chicago
There were a lot of candidates for this one, but let’s go with the game
that was the first sign something might be seriously wrong this season.
Niemi was a disaster in net, and the Penguins came out with a lethargic
start that would eventually become a trademark for this first half.
Best acquisition: Riley Sheahan
Sheahan hasn’t been the panacea some might have expected as the
third-line center, but he’s been quietly pretty solid in his 32 games with
the Penguins. They’d probably like to see him score a bit more, but he
seems to be fitting into the system better and better as the weeks go by.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Worst acquisition: Antti Niemi
The Antti Niemi reclamation project never got off the ground, and he was
placed on waivers three weeks into the season. He posted a .797 save
percentage and 7.49 goals against average in his three games with the
Penguins, three losses by a combined score of 22-6.
Post Gazette LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091288 Boston Bruins
Bruins assign Anders Bjork to Providence
By Kevin Paul Dupont
Struggling to regain a foothold in the lineup, Bruins rookie right winger
Anders Bjork was assigned Wednesday to AHL Providence, where he
can work at regaining the speed and confidence that earned him a roster
spot with the varsity in September.
Bjork, 21, did not play in Boston’s two most recent games, vs. Ottawa
and the Islanders, held out (coach’s decision) after contributing only two
assists in the previous six games.
The former Notre Dame standout, who turned pro after his junior season
with the Irish last spring, was set back on Nov. 11 when he was leveled
by a stiff check from Toronto winger Matt Martin. Believed to have
suffered a concussion, and possibly a neck injury, he did not show his
familiar jump and confidence in the weeks following the hit.
Bjork returned to the lineup three weeks later, a Dec. 2 win at
Philadelphia, but picked up only one goal over six games prior to being
assigned to the press box Dec. 16 vs. the Rangers for the first time in his
career.
In 28 games, Bjork, perhaps the fastest skater on the roster, contributed
a line of 4-8—12.
Currently enjoying their best streak in years — 16-3-2 — the Bruins
recently moved veteran center Ryan Spooner into Bjork’s right wing spot
on a line with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci. With coach Bruce Cassidy
showing increased confidence in his lines of late, including the
contributions of rookies Danton Heinen and DeBrusk, it looked as though
it would become more difficult for Bjork to find the kind of playing time
required to grow his game.
Meanwhile, the Bruins have another spare forward in Frank Vatrano, but
the former UMass winger cannot be assigned to the AHL without being
placed on waivers. He has played in only one of the club’s last 11 games,
but management is clearly convinced they would lose the 23-year-old to
another club if they attempted to assign him to Providence.
Bjork will be expected to suit up for Providence’s three games this
weekend: home vs. Hartford Friday, at Springfield Saturday, and back in
Providence vs. Syracuse Sunday.
Demoted to Providence three weeks ago, veteran winger Matt Beleskey
has scored two goals in six games.
McQuaid is still on hold
Much like his highly successful fourth line, Cassidy is keeping it simple:
Tuukka Rask will be back in net Thursday night when the Panthers visit
the Garden, and the coach plans to use the same 18 skaters who helped
the Black and Gold roll up their 5-1 win over the Islanders Tuesday.
“I don’t think there will be any surprises, hopefully, but that’s the plan,”
said Cassidy.
Veteran defenseman Adam McQuaid remains eager to get back in the
lineup now that his mid-October leg fracture has healed. But with the
lineup so hot, Cassidy has been unwilling to make any roster changes.
A right shot, McQuaid logically would sub in for either Brandon Carlo or
Kevan Miller. When Carlo misplayed a puck and then fell, leading to New
York’s only goal Tuesday night, it looked as though McQuaid might get a
chance to suit up now, but Cassidy was impressed with how Carlo
recovered.
“The only thing I said to Brandon was, ‘You are better when you’re
skating,’ ” said Cassidy. “Some nights, if you are standing still making
plays, there are guys in this league that will do that.
“I think he’s a better player when he’s moving. He’s a big body. He can
cover ice, so when he’s moving, plays can open up for him better.”
Recovering quickly from errors is a key to success for younger players,
noted Cassidy, who used rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy as an
example.
“One of Charlie’s biggest strengths is that he can park things in a hurry,”
said Cassidy. “He’ll just get out there and play and off he goes.
“Brandon went through a little bit of that. We’d like him to recover quicker,
and last night I thought he did a good job with it. The team around him
helped with that, so good for him.
“We’ve got a strong D corps, so he probably knows in the back of his
head, ‘Hey, I can’t let this one get to me, I’ve got to keep going.’
“That’s the competition we’ve created, and I think he did a real good job.”
Making it happen
The fourth line, with Sean Kuraly centering Tim Schaller and Noel
Acciari, has rolled up a 4-4—8 line over the last three games, with Acciari
picking up one goal in each of those games. No mystery as to what
makes the line click: high energy, forcing the opposition deep in its own
zone, creating offensive chances with size and pressure. “They’re all OK
with it,” said Cassidy, noting how some players struggle when cast in
simple, aggressive roles. “They’re just OK with it. They get it. And they’ve
been rewarded.” . . . The win in Brooklyn improved the Bruins to 16-3-2
(.810) in their last 21 games and left them in second place in the Atlantic
Division, 2 points ahead of the Maple Leafs. Rask improved to 11-0-1
(.958) in his last 12 starts. Anton Khudobin probably will start Saturday
vs. the Hurricanes, his former club, leaving Rask with the start Sunday
night in Pittsburgh . . . The Bruins again didn’t trail Tuesday night, the
eighth game in a row they haven’t had to chase a lead. Their time
working with the advantage over the last eight games: 266:32.
Boston Globe LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091289 Boston Bruins
With the Bruins continuing to win, Bruce Cassidy will keep it simple
By Kevin Paul Dupont
Much like his highly successful fourth line, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy is
keeping it simple: Tuukka Rask will be back in net Thursday night when
the Panthers visit the Garden, and he plans to use the same 18 skaters
who Tuesday night helped the Black and Gold roll up their 5-1 win over
the Islanders.
“We’re looking at the same group,” Cassidy said following a brief workout
late Wednesday morning in Brighton. “I don’t think there will be any
surprises, hopefully, but that’s the plan.”
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Meanwhile, veteran defenseman Adam McQuaid remains eager to get
back in the lineup now that his mid-October leg fracture has healed. But
with the lineup so hot, Cassidy has been unwilling to make any roster
changes.
A right-shooting backliner, McQuaid logically would sub in for either
Brandon Carlo or Kevan Miller. When Carlo misplayed a puck and then
fell, leading to the Islanders’ only goal Tuesday night, it looked as though
McQuaid might get a chance to suit up now, but Cassidy was impressed
with how Carlo recovered.
“The only thing I said to Brandon was, ‘You are better when you’re
skating,’ ” said Cassidy. “Some nights, if you are standing still making
plays, there are guys in this league that will do that.
“I think he’s a better player when he’s moving. He’s a big body. He can
cover ice, so when he’s moving, plays can open up for him better.”
Recovering quickly from errors — shaking off the boo-boos — is a key to
success for younger players, noted Cassidy.
“One of Charlie’s biggest strengths is that he can park things in a hurry,”
said Cassidy, referring to standout rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
“He’ll just get out there and play and off he goes.
“Brandon went through a little bit of that. We’d like him to recover quicker,
and last night I thought he did a good job with it. Team around him
helped with that, so good for him.
“We’ve got a strong D corps, so he probably knows in the back of his
head, ‘Hey, I can’t let this one get to me, I’ve got to keep going.” That’s
the competition we’ve created and I think he did a real good job.”
■ The fourth line, with Sean Kuraly centering Tim Schaller and Noel
Acciari, has rolled up a 4-4—8 line over the last three games, with Acciari
picking up one goal in each of those games.
No mystery to what makes the line click: high energy, forcing the
opposition deep in its own zone, creating offensive chances with size and
pressure.
“They’re all OK with it,” said Cassidy, noting how some players struggle
when cast in simple, aggressive roles. “They’re just OK with it. They get
it. And they’ve been rewarded.”
■ The win in Brooklyn improved the Bruins’ record to 16-3-2 (.810) in
their last 21 games and left them in second place in the Atlantic Division,
2 points ahead of the Maple Leafs.
■ Rask improved to 11-0-1 (.958) in his last 12 starts. Anton Khudobin
probably will start Saturday vs. the Hurricanes, leaving Rask with the
start Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
■ The Bruins again didn’t trail Tuesday night, the eighth game in a row
they haven’t had to chase a lead. Their time working with the advantage
over the last eight games: 266:32.
Boston Globe LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091290 Boston Bruins
NHL roundup: Ovechkin's 2nd goal lifts Capitals over Hurricanes 5-4 in
OT
Associated Press Wednesday, January 03, 2018
RALEIGH, N.C. — Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 26th goal 1:57
into overtime and the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes
5-4 on Tuesday night for their third straight win.
Ovechkin also tied it with 7:15 left in regulation, with Nicklas Backstrom
assisting on both goals. Alex Chiasson, Devante Smith-Pelly and Dmitry
Orlov each scored for the Capitals, who went to overtime for the sixth
time in eight games.
Teuvo Teravainen and Elias Lindholm scored in the third period, and
Victor Rask had two goals for the Hurricanes, who trailed by two midway
through the second. They rallied to take a short-lived lead midway
through the third before Ovechkin struck twice to end their six-game
home winning streak.
After Sebastian Aho hit the post in OT for Carolina, Ovechkin headed the
other way and fired a shot from the right circle that beat Cam Ward to
end it.
Braden Holtby stopped 34 shots for the Capitals.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, PREDATORS 0
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots in his second
shutout of the season, leading Vegas past Nashville for its eighth straight
victory.
Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the
Western Conference leaders. Fleury improved to 8-1-1 with his 46th
career shutout.
Vegas has won eight in a row and earned at least one point in 13
consecutive games, both NHL records for a first-year team. The
expansion Golden Knights are 17-2-1 at home and 27-9-2 overall.
Pekka Rinne made 28 saves for the Predators, last year's Western
Conference champions.
PENGUINS 5, FLYERS 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phil Kessel and Conor Sheary scored in a four-
goal second period to lead Pittsburgh past scuffling Philadelphia.
Ryan Reaves and Tom Kuhnhackl also scored in the second to help the
Penguins beat their in-state rivals again. Both teams started the night
outside the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, making his 14th straight start, allowed the four
goals on just eight shots in the second period and was yanked for Michal
Neuvirth in the third.
Pittsburgh lost goalie Tristan Jarry to an injury in the second. Jarry
appeared to take a stiff shot off his blocker hand and was checked by the
team trainer. Matt Murray kept the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way.
The Penguins' scoring burst came in just four minutes and they needed
only 40 seconds during that span to score twice and take a 3-1 lead.
Jamie Oleksiak added a power-play goal in the third to seal Pittsburgh's
fourth win in 11 games.
Jordan Weal scored for the Flyers.
BRUINS 5, ISLANDERS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Patrice Bergeron had the go-ahead goal in the
second period and the surging Boston Bruins scored three times in the
third to pull away from New York.
Danton Heinen, Brad Marchand, Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari also
scored for the Bruins, who are 7-0-2 in their last nine games. Tuukka
Rask stopped 25 shots.
Jordan Eberle had New York's goal and Jaroslav Halak finished with 33
saves as the Islanders lost their third straight. Josh Bailey was held
without a point, ending his career-high streak at 11 games.
The Bruins improved to 12-1-2 in their last 15 games against Eastern
Conference opponents.
LIGHTNING 2, MAPLE LEAFS 0
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
TORONTO (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots for his NHL-best
sixth shutout of the season to lead Tampa Bay over Toronto.
Vasilevskiy got his league-leading 26th win, and Cedrick Paquette and
Alex Killorn scored for the Lightning, who won for the 12th time in 14
games.
Frederik Andersen had 34 saves for the Maple Leafs, who lost their third
straight and are 3-6-1 in the last 10 games.
BLUES 3, DEVILS 2, SO
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Carter Hutton stopped 24 shots through overtime and
both New Jersey attempts in the shootout to lift St. Louis.
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the tiebreaker for the
Blues. Tarasenko and Vladimir Sobotka scored in regulation as St. Louis
earned its ninth straight win against New Jersey, dating back to a 7-1
loss to the Devils on Jan. 21, 2014. The Blues have a 30-11 scoring edge
during the streak.
Hutton improved to 7-3-0 on the season. He made an eye-popping pad
save on Marcus Johansson with 2:09 left in overtime, then stopped
Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri in the shootout.
Nico Hischier and Hall scored for New Jersey. Keith Kinkaid made 27
stops through overtime, but failed on both shots in the shootout. The
Devils have lost three straight.
BLUE JACKETS 2, STARS 1
DALLAS (AP) — Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice 78 seconds apart early
in the third period and Columbus stopped a three-game losing streak with
a win over Dallas.
Bjorkstrand's seventh and eighth goals of the season came after Devin
Shore tipped in a shot from John Klingberg to break a scoreless tie for
Dallas in the first minute of the third.
The Stars' four-game home winning streak ended in a matchup of teams
with identical records going into the halfway point of the season, the 41st
game.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots for his 200th career victory.
On the tying goal, Bjorkstrand won a puck battle and skated in on Ben
Bishop, beating the Dallas goalie and ending his five-period scoreless
streak. Bishop had 24 saves.
SHARKS 4, CANADIENS 1
MONTREAL (AP) — Timo Meier scored twice and San Jose rebounded
from its worst loss of the season with a victory over slumping Montreal.
Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the Sharks (21-
12-4), who were coming off a 6-0 setback Sunday in Dallas. San Jose
has won four of five.
Andrew Shaw scored for Montreal (16-20-4), which has lost five straight
games and scored just four goals during that span.
Aaron Dell made 30 saves and has won six consecutive starts.
WILD 5, PANTHERS 1
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Cullen and Eric Staal each scored twice as
Minnesota stopped Florida's five-game winning streak.
Devan Dubnyk made 25 saves for Minnesota, which has won three of
four. Charlie Coyle added an empty-net goal and Jared Spurgeon had
three assists. Zach Parise made his season debut for the Wild after
missing the first 39 games while recovering from back surgery.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 14th goal for Florida. James Reimer
stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced before leaving in the second period
with an injury.
AVALANCHE 3, JETS 2, OT
DENVER (AP) — Erik Johnson scored on a breakaway with 9.9 seconds
remaining on the clock in overtime to lift Colorado over Winnipeg.
Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 shots after taking over for an injured
Semyon Varlamov in the second period. Mikko Rantanen and Nathan
MacKinnon also scored to help the Avalanche win their third straight.
Johnson scored the winner when Rantanen poked the puck ahead to him
and he put it past Connor Hellebuyck.
Blake Wheeler scored twice for the Jets, including the tying goal with
32.2 seconds remaining in regulation and Hellebuyck on the bench for an
extra skater.
KINGS 5, OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Jonathan Quick made 32 saves for his
third shutout of the season, Dustin Brown scored twice and Los Angeles
blanked Edmonton.
Andy Andreoff, Marian Gaborik and Adrian Kempe also scored for the
Kings, who are 4-1-2 in their last seven games.
Cam Talbot stopped 28 shots as the Oilers lost their fourth straight.
They've been outscored 18-6 during that stretch.
Los Angeles scored three goals on a five-minute power play after Patrick
Maroon was given a major penalty for a hit to the head on Kings
defenseman Drew Doughty.
DUCKS 5, CANUCKS 0
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Ryan Miller made 31 saves in
his return to Vancouver, earning his second shutout this season with
Anaheim and the 41st of his career.
Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists, Rickard Rakell added a goal
and an assist, and Antoine Vermette, Adam Henrique and Derek Grant
also scored for Anaheim. Josh Manson had three assists and Hampus
Lindholm added two to help the Ducks win for the fifth time in six games.
Anders Nilsson allowed four goals on 19 shots for the slumping Canucks,
who have lost 10 of 12. He was pulled early in the third period.
Boston Herald LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091291 Boston Bruins
NHL WATCH: Penguins looking for a big second-half breakout
Associated Press Wednesday, January 03, 2018
There's no need to push the panic button in Pittsburgh yet.
Soon, maybe.
There are plenty of examples of a reigning Stanley Cup champion not
making the following season's playoffs, most recently the Los Angeles
Kings in 2015. But one would need to go all the way back to 1970 to find
when a back-to-back champion didn't even qualify for the postseason —
when Montreal achieved that dubious feat.
That's what Pittsburgh is trying to avoid.
The Penguins aren't in trouble yet, though aren't exactly on the thickest
of ice either. They haven't as much as won back-to-back games in a
month, and are basically in the middle of the pack in goal-scoring — after
leading the league last season.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
If the season was over now, they wouldn't be in the playoffs. But there's a
ton of hockey left, and the Penguins know there's lots of time to make a
run.
"We need to find that second gear," Penguins left wing Conor Sheary
said recently. "It's coming into the second half of the season here. We
have to make sure we're stringing some wins together and maybe get on
a win streak here."
Sheary did his part Tuesday night, scoring in Pittsburgh's 5-1 win over
Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh has the longest active streak of playoff appearances, having
been to the postseason 11 consecutive times.
KID GOALS
Winnipeg's Patrick Laine is still only 19, and has a chance to join a
seriously elite club.
He has 54 career goals, which means he's on the cusp of joining the 10
highest-scoring teens in NHL history. Steven Stamkos had 55 goals
before he turned 20.
The other teens with that many goals: Jimmy Carson, Dale Hawerchuk,
Wayne Gretzky, Brian Bellows, Sidney Crosby, Steve Yzerman, Ilya
Kovalchuk, Bob Carpenter and Rick Nash.
For comparison's sake, Jaromir Jagr had 50 NHL goals on his resume
when he turned 20.
Speaking of the Jets, they piled up 102 standings points in the 2017
calendar year — by far their best "year" since relocating to Winnipeg in
2011. Only seven NHL teams had more points from Jan. 1 through Dec.
31.
HAT WATCH
Washington's Alex Ovechkin has a league-best three hat tricks already
this season — and there's still a full half of the schedule yet to be played.
It doesn't sound like much, but Ovechkin is on quite a pace.
No NHL player has had four in a season since 2010-11 — done then by
Alexander Semin and Drew Stafford.
The record for hat tricks in a season is 10, by Wayne Gretzky (who did it
twice).
STRUGGLING PANTHERS
Florida saved its playoff hopes with a five-game winning streak to end
December.
January is rarely kind to the Panthers, however.
Since 2011, the Panthers have won only 35 of their last 81 January
games — including a 5-1 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday to start a five-
game trip. Florida didn't exactly look desperate in that game either, with
forward Vincent Trocheck saying afterward the Panthers got outworked
by the Wild.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Los Angeles' Drew Doughty averaged 32 shifts per game last season,
and 27 minutes on the ice.
This season: 32 shifts per game, 27 minutes on the ice.
While those numbers have stayed the same, his scoring numbers are
way better. He's averaging about three-quarters of a point per game, as
opposed to a half-point per game last season. He's had four
gamewinning goals already, compared to just one last season. And he is
a plus-20 this season (entering Tuesday), after posting a plus-8 for the
entirety of last season.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Vegas at Chicago, Friday: The second night of a back-to-back on the
road for the Golden Knights, and the second game in a stretch where
Vegas plays 12 of 16 on the road. If Gerard Gallant's club — the NHL's
best story this season — survives the next month relatively unscathed,
there should be playoff games around J-Lo shows in Vegas this April.
LEADERS
Goals: Alex Ovechkin (Washington), 26. Assists: Jakub Voracek
(Philadelphia), 38; Josh Bailey (N.Y. Islanders), 38. Points: Nikita
Kucherov (Tampa Bay), 56. Wins: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay), 26.
Goals-against average: Vasilevskiy, 1.95. Save percentage: Vasilevskiy,
.937.
Boston Herald LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091292 Boston Bruins
Bruins winger Danton Heinen blossoms after adding grit to his game
Steve Conroy Thursday, January 04, 2018
The Bruins did not sign Danton Heinen after just two years at the
University of Denver because they thought he was going to be a good
grinder. He notched 93 points in 81 games with the Pioneers, and it was
reasonable to believe he was going to continue that production at the pro
level.
But there’s a certain amount of grit an NHL player needs to have. It took
Heinen a year and change to realize that. But now that he has, his
offense is starting to come to the forefront.
With another two-point night in the B’s 5-1 win in Brooklyn against the
Islanders on Tuesday — his third in four games — Heinen has 10 goals
and 18 assists in 34 games. That puts him fourth on the rookie scoring
list behind Brock Boeser, Mathew Barzal and Clayton Keller — all of
whom have garnered Calder Trophy talk.
B’s coach Bruce Cassidy is seeing a player who is starting to feel
comfortable.
“He’s done a good job,” Cassidy said. “The biggest thing to me is that he
wins a lot more pucks than he did last year. It’s a year later so there’s
more strength, but I just think it’s comfort level at the NHL.”
The left winger has really found his groove since being put on a line with
center Riley Nash and right winger David Backes when the latter
returned from colon surgery. And as the veteran Backes is finding his
own scoring touch lately, he also sees Heinen coming into his own.
“He’s got all the tools. He’s shown he can make the plays,” Backes said.
“It’s just that internal belief system that he belongs here and that he’s a
capable player and he’s going to make those plays when they’re
available.”
Heinen was a highly touted first-year pro last year when he made the B’s
roster out of camp, but he soon showed he needed some seasoning in
Providence when, among other things, his board work wasn’t up to snuff.
But while he had a very good season and playoff run with the AHL club,
there was nothing guaranteed him this year. In fact, there was a whole
new crop of kids and two rookies — Jake DeBrusk and Anders Bjork —
were given the chance to play on the top two lines. Heinen seemed to get
lost in the shuffle and was sent back down to start the season.
“I was disappointed, for sure, but those guys deserved it at the start,”
Heinen said. “For me, I obviously would have wanted to be here. But I
went down there and I was a little upset. I just tried to work harder and
show them that I belong here. My goal was to be back up here.”
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Injuries forced his recall and, though a numbers game sent him back to
Providence briefly, he’s been with the big club since his second recall. In
his first game back on Oct. 26 against the Sharks, he scored both goals
in a 2-1 win and hasn’t looked back.
Bruins notes
Though Noel Acciari left practice early for some maintenance, Cassidy
said he expects to go with the same lineup tonight against Florida,
including Tuukka Rask in net. The B’s have a chance to create a 13-point
bulge between themselves and the Panthers, currently the closest non-
playoff Atlantic Division team. . . .
The Bruins sent Bjork to Providence, the first AHL assignment for the
first-year pro out of Notre Dame.
Bjork has 4-8-12 totals in 28 games, but his progress has stalled since he
suffered a suspected concussion on a big hit from Toronto’s Matt Martin
Nov. 11. He missed the next seven games and has since had difficulty
securing a spot in the lineup. He’s been a healthy scratch the last two
games and been limited to under 10 minutes in five other games since
coming off injured reserve.
The roster move will allow the Bruins, who had been at the 23-man roster
limit, to activate Adam McQuaid off IR.
Boston Herald LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091293 Boston Bruins
Anders Bjork assigned to Providence
Steve Conroy Wednesday, January 03, 2018
The Bruins sent rookie forward Anders Bjork to Providence on
Wednesday, the first assignment to the American Hockey League for the
first year pro out of Notre Dame.
Bjork made the Boston roster out of training camp and has shown a lot of
promise. He has 4-8-12 totals in 28 games. But his progress has stalled
since he suffered a suspected concussion on a big hit from Toronto's
Matt Martin on November 11. He missed the next seven games and has
since had difficulty securing a spot in the lineup. He's been a healthy
scratch the last two games – three times in all – and been limited to
under 10 minutes in five other games since coming off injured reserve.
The roster move would also allow the Bruins, who were at the 23-man
limit, to activate Adam McQuaid fro injured reserve.
Boston Herald LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091294 Boston Bruins
Morning Skate: Blackhawks following in Bruins' footsteps
By Joe Haggerty January 03, 2018 2:37 PM
Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading
while people are freaking out about a snowstorm that hasn’t even hit us.
What ever happened to hearty New Englanders prepared for whatever
Ma Nature throws at us?
-- Mike Hoffman recognizes that trade speculation is just part of the
business when a team is struggling like the Ottawa Senators. If Kyle
Turris can be traded, and Erik Karlsson can be mentioned in rumors as
well, then pretty much nobody is safe in Ottawa.
-- If Joel Quenneville is worried about his job with the Chicago
Blackhawks struggling in the Central Division, then he’s doing a good job
of not showing it. It’s stunning to watch the fall from grace of the
Blackhawks, if not also a little familiar given we also saw this with the
Bruins on a smaller scale over the previous few seasons. What was up
must eventually come down in the NHL salary-cap world, particularly if a
team isn’t drafting particularly well.
-- ESPN.com has the story of why the Los Angeles Kings are legitimate
Stanley Cup contenders this season as they’d been in the past. Part of it
is certainly about the West being wide open right now.
-- The NHL top hits and bloopers for the month of December have a little
bit of something for everybody.
-- The Arizona Coyotes are taking a positive approach to 2018. Yeah,
good luck with that.
-- For something completely different: Mike Gorman is tired of the whole
Isaiah Thomas drama as the Cavs come to town tonight, and, frankly, so
am I.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091295 Boston Bruins
Five takeaways from Bruins-Islanders: Give a shout to B's fourth line
By Joe Haggerty January 03, 2018 2:26 PM
Here’s what we learned in the Bruins' 5-1 win over the New York
Islanders at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night:
1) The Bruins have a fourth line that’s playing as well as any combo
they’ve had since the Merlot Line. They dominated for portions of the
second and third periods with long, cycling puck-possession shifts that
ended with shots on net and chances, and were finally rewarded with
goals for both Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari in the third period. You
thought the hockey gods might reward them for really wearing down the
Islanders over the course of the game, and that’s exactly what happened.
Even better, the dominant play by the fourth line allowed Bruce Cassidy
to roll his lines and keep the minutes down for Patrice Bergeron, Brad
Marchand, David Pastrnak and company. Clearly it will depend on Acciari
being able to say healthy and the Bruins remaining generally healthy up
front so they can leave the fourth line intact, but it will be interesting to
see how good this trio can become if they’re left together. Clearly some
nights and some matchups will be better than others, but it would seem
the B’s have truly found their energy line with just enough offensive
upside to make it interesting.
2) It might not be the worst thing in the world for Brandon Carlo to sit for
a game or two at this point with Adam McQuaid waiting in the wings for a
return. The Bruins had a lot of bright spots in their 5-1 win, but the play of
Carlo wasn’t one of them. He had three giveaways, including a bad, bad
turnover in front of his own net after a Patrice Bergeron face-off win.
Carlo fumbled with the puck and then fell down, leaving the puck all
alone in front for Jordan Eberle to push it past Tuukka Rask for a gift
goal. Carlo didn’t do anything quite as bad in the rest of his 19:20 of ice
time, but he's had some pretty costly mistakes for the Bruins at points
this season. He's the most logical player to sit and at least get McQuaid
in the mix with a game or two to get him back into the swing of things.
Let’s also not forget that Torey Krug and McQuaid have been longtime
partners at the NHL level, and that might be exactly the kind of stabilizing
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
force that Krug could use on his right side. It’s at least worth thinking
about, though it doesn’t make too much sense to do it after a winning
team-wide effort like the one against the Isles.
3) The streak is over for Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David
Pastrnak. The Carlo turnovercame with that line on the ice, and so
they’ve now given up their first even-strength goal of the season. That’s
the bad news, but it’s still miraculous that it took somewhere around 24
or 25 games for that line combination to finally get scored on during 5-on-
5 play The good news is that after a few quiet games that line got back
on the score sheet on Tuesday night with Bergeron notching the game-
winning goal in the second period, and Marchand adding his own score
in the third period after a nifty defense-to-offense play for Pastrnak. The
even better news: Because Cassidy was able to roll lines vs. the Isles,
Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak all played under 16 minutes of ice
time. That’s exactly the kind of in-game usage that will preserve those
players for when it really matters later in the season.
PLUS
-- Tim Schaller led his fourth-line cohorts with four shots on net, and was
finally rewarded for his blue-collar efforts with a third-period goal along .
Schaller finished with a goal and two points along with a plus-2 in 11:54
of ice time, and had several high quality chances before finally scoring.
-- It wasn’t a dominant night for Bergeron, but he made the plays the
Bruins needed at the crunch-time moments of the game. It was Bergeron
with the heads-up play to bat a puck out of mid-air at the net, and direct it
toward his stick where he was able to throw a shot at the skate of
Jaroslav Halak. That was the go-ahead goal in the second period and the
ultimate game-winner before Boston’s three goals in the third period.
-- Tuukka Rask stopped 25 of 26 shots and made some very good
positional saves, increasing his unbeaten streak to 11-0-1 since his mid-
November benching. Once again the Bruins were also mostly brilliant in
front of him, and have been a big part of Rask’s up-turn in play.
MINUS
-- Brandon Carlo had three giveaways including a ghastly turnover right
in front of the net after a clean Bergeron face-off win in the defensive
zone. That led to the Isles only goal and was the only blemish in an
otherwise strong night for the Bruins.
-- John Tavares was really not good. He finished a minus-3, lost the face-
off to Riley Nash cleanly that led to Danton Heinen’s goal off a draw play
in the first period and managed just a single shot on net for the entire
game. It’s tough for the Isles to win when that happens.
-- New York is missing a number of players on the back end, and that
was obvious while watching Scott Mayfield struggle to a minus-3 in 21:15
of ice time while getting over-exposed a bit. It will be a struggle for the
Islanders until they get healthier on the back end.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091399 Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning’s Steve Stamkos named Atlantic Division captain for All-Star
Game
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Published: January 3, 2018Updated:
January 3, 2018 at 11:41 PM
MONTREAL — The All-Star Game in Tampa on Jan. 28 now has its
unofficial host:
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos.
Stamkos, 27, was named captain of the Atlantic Division’s team
Wednesday as voted by fans. The face of the Lightning franchise will
likely be a face of the star-studded event, which includes a skills
competition Jan. 27 and the four division teams playing a 3-on-3
tournament Jan. 28 at Amalie Arena.
And this is no ceremonial title. Stamkos has earned it, delivering an
impressive bounce-back season after missing most of last year with a
torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. Stamkos entered Wednesday tied
for third in the NHL in points with 49, including 17 goals.
"I didn’t really know what to expect at the beginning of the year, to be
honest," he said. "That injury last year, and the accumulation of all the
tough-luck injuries I’ve had to deal with, it puts a toll on your body, for
sure, on your mind. But you can fall back on the preparation you put into
it.
"I’ve been able to be put in position where I play with some really good
teammates. The power play has been really good; that helps as well. It’s
just been all-around the best-case scenario so far (this season)."
The other captains: the Oilers’ Connor McDavid (Pacific), the Predators’
P.K. Subban (Central) and the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin (Metropolitan).
Stamkos should be joined by other Lightning representatives at the
game. Jon Cooper should be the Atlantic’s coach. Each team’s coach will
be the coach of the team with the highest points percentage (points
earned divided by total possible points) in each division at the season’s
halfway point. Nikita Kucherov, the league’s leading scorer, is a lock, as
should be goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the league wins leader (26).
Defenseman Victor Hedman also has a shot.
Hitting the Vegas jackpot
Former Lightning wing Jonathan Marchessault is finally cashing in,
signing a six-year, $30 million deal with Vegas. He earned it.
Marchessault, an undrafted and undersized forward, spent parts of the
2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with the Lightning and was well-loved.
Tampa Bay wanted to re-sign him in July 2016, offering him a similar
two-year, one-way deal as to what the Panthers were offering him, but
Marchessault saw a better chance to play a top-six role in Florida. "It
wasn’t about money," he told the Tampa Bay Times then.
Marchessault went on to score 30 goals last season before stunningly
being left unprotected by the Panthers in June’s expansion draft. The
Lightning, like Columbus and Florida, are among the many teams that
lament letting Marchessault get away. But betting a lot of Tampa Bay
players are happy for "Marchy," too.
Slap shots
• It’s fitting that D Mikhail Sergachev’s 40th game this season come
Thursday against his former team, the Canadiens. Once Sergachev
plays in No. 40, Montreal retains the conditional second-round draft pick
it got along with Jonathan Drouin in the June trade (Tampa Bay keeps its
sixth-rounder). Keeping Sergachev in the NHL is a no-brainer now, but
who knew it’d be that easy of a call last summer.
• Five Lightning prospects will be part of Thursday’s World Junior
Championship semifinal between Canada and the Czech Republic (8
p.m., NHL Network).
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091439 Websites
The Athletic / LeBrun: Vladislav Namestnikov's offensive potential on full
display with NHL's most dangerous line
By Pierre LeBrun 13 hours ago
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Vladislav Namestnikov is two points away from tying his NHL-career high
of 35 and there’s still a half season to go.
So yeah, the 25-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning forward has arrived.
The way linemate Nikita Kucherov sees it, however, the offensive
potential for Namestnikov was always there from the get-go, but was
delayed solely based on usage.
“He’s a skilled guy and I wish the coaches would have let him do this a
couple of years before,’’ Kucherov told The Athletic on Tuesday. “He’s
that kind of player that can bring a lot of offense into the team, but
instead he was playing on the fourth line.
“Now you talk about his progression, but I think he could have done this a
couple of years ago for sure, be on the top couple of lines. But it didn’t
work out that way. This year he’s finally getting the chance and he’s
doing a great job. It’s a lot of fun to play with him. You can see how much
he’s enjoying the game right now.’’
To be clear, Kucherov, the NHL’s leading scorer, wasn't trying to throw
his coaching staff under the bus but simply illustrate the fondness he has
for his Russian compatriot. He’s pumping his tires. As he should.
Namestnikov is the third wheel of the NHL’s most dangerous line but
both Kucherov and Steven Stamkos go out of their way to remind people
how important Namestnikov’s contributions are, as the Lightning captain
did in a Q&A with The Athletic a couple of weeks ago.
We got a glimpse of this magic show a year ago. The Bolts first put these
three together early last season and they clicked right away. But
Stamkos’ season-ending knee injury delayed the reunion until this
season.
“It’s been awesome,” Namestnikov said. “They’re two elite players in the
league. It’s just been a fun season so far. The main thing is that we talk
off the ice about what we can do better. That’s what helps us have
chemistry on ice.’’
Many NHL coaches form forward pairings and then plug holes in the rest
of the lineup.
In this case, it’s about all three players not one particular pairing.
“As much as Stammer and Kuch have that chemistry, you can also sit
there and say that Kuch and Namestnikov have a lot of chemistry as well.
They all play off each other,’’ said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.
“You also have the right-handed centerman and the left-handed
centerman playing together. They work together.’’
Namestnikov, a natural center, plays wing on this line but is fourth on the
team in faceoffs taken, naturally taking the strong-side faceoffs on the left
side while Stamkos takes care of the right. Perfect.
And Namestnikov is the line’s defensive soul, no question about it.
“He kind of reminds me a bit of (Jonathan) Toews,” Kucherov said. “I see
some similarities there.’’
To that end, while Kucherov may lament his pal’s usage early in his
career, you can certainly argue that Namestnikov was able to polish off
the defensive side of his game while playing in various roles all over the
lineup in his first few NHL seasons. He was really the team’s Swiss-army
knife that way.
It’s easy to forget, of course, that Namestnikov went ahead of Kucherov
in the 2011 draft, the former going 27th overall and the latter going 58th.
Part of the reason for Kucherov’s stock dropping despite the obvious
talent was some teams were worried he’d play in the KHL.
The new NHL teammates had never played together before, but certainly
against each other.
“I remember we’d play each other when we were kids and he was always
the best player on his team,” Kucherov said. “He’d just take the puck and
carry it and dangle it through everybody.’’
Namestnikov said the two never really spoke until they met at the draft
combine.
Of course, their backgrounds were a bit different. Namestnikov grew up
in Detroit before going back to Russia when he was nine. His dad,
Evgeny Namestnikov, is a former Canucks draft pick who played 43
games in the NHL with Vancouver, the Islanders and Nashville.
Namestnikov’s uncle, meanwhile, is none other than Slava Kozlov, the
former Red Wings great.
“It’s huge,” Namestnikov said of having that kind of family hockey
network. “My dad watches every game pretty much. If he sees something
where I can better, he always lets me know. And growing up in Detroit,
my uncle would take me in the Red Wings locker-room, I got to
experience what it was like to be a hockey player. They’ve both had a
huge impact on my career.’’
Namestnikov is an RFA this summer and obviously in line for a raise from
the $1.93 million he’s earning this year. His agent, Dan Milstein, via text
message said there haven’t been any talks and he didn’t expect anything
until the spring.
The business side can wait, Namestnikov said, he’s not thinking about
the contract. He’s focused on the task at hand.
And why not, when you’re having this much fun.
The Athletic LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091440 Websites
The Athletic / Dellow: Shortening the bench when chasing the game and
Glen Gulutzan
By Tyler Dellow 15 hours ago
I've been a coaching apologist for about as long as I've been thinking
about hockey. This isn't to say that I think they're infallible. As a group, I
think they've historically been too conservative and I think that they
occasionally get blinded to the good things a player does because of
some obvious warts that actually don't matter too much. I don't think they
tend to do stuff like play first line talent on the fourth line though and the
managerial equivalent of that happens more often than you'd hope.
I was reminded of this watching Calgary play out the third period in their
traditional loss in Anaheim on the final Friday of 2017. Glen Gulutzan has
a bit of a reputation for being generous with ice time for his fourth line,
regardless of the situation. Like many people who keep an eye on the
Flames, I'm aware of this and it caught my eye when they were out for a
shift about twenty seconds before a TV timeout in the third period, with
the Flames down a goal.
Of course, nobody's going to never play their fourth line when they're
chasing the game. So before condemning Gulutzan for running his bench
like one of those house league coaches who doesn't believe in keeping
score, we should probably ask two questions. First, does he play his
fourth line markedly more than most coaches when he's chasing the
game? Second, if he does, how much does his socialism cost the
Flames?
In order to look at the first question, I looked at how teams distributed the
ice time for forwards at 5-on-5 when they were down a goal in the third
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period since 2010-11. I went through every game since that year and
identified how much ice time a coach gave his nine most commonly used
forwards in the third period at 5-on-5 while down a goal. I then calculated
the difference between the share of ice time that each team gave its nine
most commonly used forwards in the third period down a goal and league
average.
Using percentages is helpful here because the league average has
shifted as power plays have gradually disappeared from the game.
Coaches tend to use their bottom three forwards more now down a goal
at 5-on-5 in the third period than they did in 2010-11 but there are fewer
special teams minutes now than there were in 2010-11. If we look at how
teams do relative to league average, we can allow for that change.
We'll start with a quick look at the extremes, which people always seem
to love. Here are the teams that shortened their benches most
aggressively between 2010-11 and 2017-18. From here on in, I'm using
“chasing the game” to mean “down a goal in the third period.”
When I do something like this, I always look for coaches who show up
repeatedly. There are a bunch of them here:
Peter Laviollette (2)
Randy Carlyle (2)
Bob Hartley (2)
John Tortorella (2)
Paul Maurice (2)
Todd McLellan (2)
Well, hello Darryl Sutter. His Kings show up here five times, which is
funny because I don't particularly recall him having the reputation that
Willie Desjardins (twice) has. Vancouver's a different NHL media animal
than Los Angeles. Others appearing more than once include Claude
Julien (twice), Jack Capuano (twice) and, yes, Gulutzan (twice).
Darryl Sutter's domination of this list is kind of interesting in that it
illustrates some of the difficulty with evaluating a tactic. Two of Sutter's
teams on this list won the Stanley Cup (2011-12 and 2013-14). Two had
ugly playoff misses despite high hopes (2014-15 and 2016-17). Every
tactic is employed within the context of a unique team and a bunch of
other tactical decisions by the coach. Untangling a single tactic from that
is awfully difficult.
Let's look at Gulutzan's time in Calgary. All data is through games played
December 29, when Calgary lost in Anaheim.
So yeah, Gulutzan's reputation is absolutely deserved. Outside of Sutter,
nobody shortened his bench less in the third period than Gulutzan.
That's held up this year, although not to quite the same extent. There's
some other stuff that jumps out at me in here. Tortorella and Mike
Sullivan have both gotten extremely aggressive at shortening their bench
compared to last year. When two coaches with a long-standing
relationship (as detailed in Craig Custance's Behind the Bench, available
from fine booksellers everywhere) both do something, you wonder if it's
the product of some discussion between them.
There's a theory that Jeff Blashill is coaching for his job this year. He's
certainly gotten more serious about shortening his bench when he's
chasing the game than he was in his first two years. Washington lost a lot
of depth from last season and Barry Trotz' contract expires after this
year. He's not wasting shifts in the third period either.
Pete DeBoer, Joel Quenneville and Dave Hakstol have gone the other
way. San Jose's interesting to me because they've got an older team and
brutal travel. You can see that a coach would want to manage his way
through that, particularly as the Sharks are in a playoff spot by a
reasonably comfortable margin at the moment. You only have so many
matches to burn and probably fewer when you're an old team that
spends a lot of time in the air.
So we can say that Gulutzan does, in fact, use his fourth line more often
than most coaches do when they're chasing the game. Looking at the
issue from a few different angles, the difference between Gulutzan and
the typical NHL coach has been his willingness to use his fourth line in
the first ten minutes of the third period when he's down a goal. Inside of
ten minutes, his top nine forwards have played a league average share
of the minutes this year. To frame the issue more precisely: he shortens
his bench later than most other coaches.
What does it cost Calgary? This is a much more difficult question to
answer. Up until now, I've been looking at this problem from a
perspective of a percentage of a team's third period 5-on-5 ice time when
trailing by one. This makes it easier to do multi-year comparisons where
trends in terms of top nine usage have changed. It's less helpful for
understanding how the large the impact is.
For the sake of discussion, assume that a coach typically pulls his goalie
with 90 seconds left when down one. Assume as well that there's an
average of 210 seconds worth of special teams time in the third period of
tied games. These are ballpark figures but good enough for some back of
the envelope calculations. It leaves us with 900 seconds worth of 5-on-5
time with the goalies in for every third period spent chasing the game.
In Gulutzan's case, the difference between his usage and league
average this year would work out to about 25 extra seconds per third
period. Last year, when he was even more democratic, it comes out to
about 38 extra seconds between Gulutzan's usage and league average.
If you compare Gulutzan to the most aggressive bench shortening
coaches in 2016-17 and 2017-18, you get differences of 63.9 seconds
and 64.8 seconds, respectively.
There's a temptation to look at this and say: “See? Gulutzan could be
squeezing an extra 65 seconds from his best guys in moments where a
goal adds massive value to the Flames if he had some jam!” I've got no
doubt that he could – the data speaks for itself – but I'm less certain that
it would have the value that Flames fans would hope for.
Let's put a price on Gulutzan's equanimity. A simple way to look at this is
to just do a weighted calculation of goals for per 60 based on the ice time
that Gulutzan actually hands out versus the ice time that John Tortorella
is handing out. Calgary's top nine forwards have produced 2.47 GF/60
this year. The fourth line is at an embarrassing (and almost certainly
unfortunate) 0.87 GF/60. If you contrast the way Gulutzan hands out ice
time with the way Tortorella hands out ice time, you'd find Gultuzan
costing his team .03 GF in our hypothetical 900 seconds of ice time
chasing the game.
That's not very much. Now, sure, it adds up over the course of the
season. Calgary spent 523.3 minutes at 5-on-5 down a goal in the third
last year. On this year's numbers, Gulutzan's usage would cost the
Flames about a 5-on-5 goal over that amount of time. That's not really
the end of the analysis though – it's just one angle.
To me, the answer to the question “How aggressively should you shorten
your bench trailing by one in the third?” requires reconciling two separate
streams of information. The first stream is a sports science one. It's
basically a series of physiological questions: how often can a guy can
you put a forward on the ice in a period before his performance begins to
suffer in that period? Are there cumulative effects that you can't deal with
by way of rest between games? Does it matter if you played the night
before? Does your team's travel schedule impact this analysis?
You might that think that these guys are coaches at the very apex of their
profession so they must have done this but as you can see from the data
above, guys like Stanley Cup champions John Tortorella, Bob Hartley,
Randy Carlyle and Peter Laviolette have different answers than guys like
Stanley Cup champions Darryl Sutter and Claude Julien. With Stanley
Cup winning coaches on both sides of the equation, you can't even
engage in the usual sportswriter dodge of “Well, this guy's an NHL coach
and you aren't.”
Once you're armed with the physiological information, you'll know the
limits of what you can do. You can then turn to maximizing the hockey
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NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
side of things in light of that knowledge. This is where things get strange.
If you're unfortunate enough to be managing an NHL bench down a goal
in the third, you should want as many touches as possible for your guys
who can make plays, in positions where they can make plays. I don't
know that that necessarily involves playing your best players as much as
humanly possible.
The way in which their shift starts – whether with a faceoff in the
defensive, neutral or offensive zones – has a massive impact on that. For
forwards this year, shifts starting in the defensive zone have resulted in
41.6 shot attempts for per 60 minutes. Shifts starting in the neutral zone
have resulted in 44.7 shot attempts for per 60 minutes. Shifts starting on
the fly have resulted in 59.6 shot attempts for per 60 minutes. Shifts
starting in the offensive zone have resulted in 77.7 shot attempts per 60.
So if the coach is trying to maximize touches for his best players, well,
starting them in the defensive or neutral zones might not accomplish that.
If, for example, Gulutzan puts Johnny Gaudreau's line on the ice for a
neutral zone faceoff, it means he loses them for at least the following
shift. I can see a very reasonable argument that Gaudreau is more likely
to get a touch in a position to create a scoring chance on an OTF shift
than he is on one starting in the neutral zone. It may well be a thorough
analysis would lead to the conclusion that it's worth paying the price of a
lesser line taking a shift starting in the neutral zone in order to have the
Gaudreau line ready to follow them.
Then you layer the matchup issue on top of that. Again, there aren't
necessarily clear answers here but I would think that a team chasing a
game would love to have their best line playing against the opposition's
third pair all night long. The more aggressively a coach shortens his
bench, the less flexibility he has to accomplish that.
So to me, this is a pretty complicated question, albeit one for which a
smart team could come up with a reasonably good answer. The ice time
is just the tip of the iceberg: easily visible when you're watching a game
on TV but the bulk of the issue is hidden from sight.
All said, you can't reasonably condemn Gulutzan's management of his
bench based on the fact that he gives his fourth line a little more time
than most when he's trailing in the third period. His willingness to use
them makes it more likely that he has the players he wants ready to go if
the Flames get a power play or have to kill a penalty, may keep the top
nine a little fresher and could plausibly enable him to put them into more
favourable positions that would overcome using the fourth line a little bit
more.
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The Athletic / How much has video evolved in hockey? Four Blues
coaches spanning three decades discuss the advancements
By Jeremy Rutherford 14 hours ago
From VCRs flashing 12:00 and tapes filling rooms to laptops logging
every move and hard drives housing multiple seasons, the evolution of
video in the NHL is as eye-popping as any recent growth in the game.
What once required endless hours and lugging recording machines from
city to city can now be performed in minutes with a simple click.
It used to take days for a player to see his individual shifts, and now they
are loaded onto his iPad by the time he pulls in the driveway after a
home game or steps onto the team’s plane following a road game.
Sean Ferrell, who is in his fifth season as the Blues’ video coach, is
aware of the relative ease of some of his tasks compared what his
predecessors went through, but certainly not to the point where it makes
him feel guilty.
“No, because the one thing technology has done, it means we’re going
through 10 times more data, whittling it down to what we think is really
important,” Ferrell said. “It has provided us with an opportunity to look at
things so much quicker that you look at so much more.”
In order to get a better feel for how far NHL game footage and its usage
has come, The Athletic tracked down three of the Blues’ previous video
coaches — Arne Pappin, Jamie Kompon and Scott Masters — to take us
inside the Blues’ video room from 1994-2017.
Pappin, who was hired by New York Rangers coach Mike Keenan in
1993, estimates that there were only about five video coaches in the NHL
back then. The Rangers were using VCRs at the time, but invested
$30,000-$40,000 in a new program that had advanced editing
capabilities.
“We got with a company and they sold us on this system that you could
do multiple tapings of the same thing,” Pappin said. “It was all in unison,
and you could edit and splice off that. It was pretty fancy.”
But back then, being a video coach was equal parts MTV and NHL, as
Keenan would often ask Pappin to choreograph musical clips.
“If (Mark) Messier was in a 10-game slump or didn’t have a goal in five
games, Mike would say, ‘Hey, put something together,’” Pappin said. “I
can’t remember what the song was, ‘Messiah,’ or something like that for
Messier, and I can’t remember who sang it, ‘Goo Goo Daddies’ or
whoever they are. But in the old days, I would hook a CD player into the
VCR and match the video highlights with the music in the background.
They were like motivational videos.”
Pappin’s credits also included a montage of Mariah Carey’s hit song
“Hero,” inserting clips of a New York Yankees World Series parade.
“That was Mike’s song, that whole year, that song, so we did a video to
that, giving them a visual of what a parade might look like if we won the
Stanley Cup,” he said. “He wanted us to visualize what it would mean to
win in New York.”
Pappin was also in charge of pre-scouting, so he had to record the
upcoming opponents’ previous three games — historically called the A, B
and C games, with “A” being the most recent, “B” two games ago and “C”
three games ago. So if a three-game road trip was coming up, that meant
manually taping – and often times watching in their entirety – nine
games.
Pappin did not travel with the Rangers regularly, so while the games
were being recorded both home and away, there was no real use of the
film during trips.
“We were pretty good, we won all the time, so there wasn’t much video
going on,” he said. “On the road games, if there was a couple of games
back-to-back, they really didn’t go over the video until they came home.”
The Rangers went 52-24-8 in the regular season in 1993-94, and
evidently that Mariah Carey tribute worked, as they beat Vancouver in
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals to end a 54-year championship
drought.
After the season, Keenan and Pappin came to St. Louis, and although
they never brought the Blues a Cup, they bought the identical video
recording system they had in New York. A room was built off the
coaches’ office that had four TVs and seven VCRs.
The number of NHL clubs employing video coaches “exploded to 15 or
16” that summer, Pappin recalls, and the data they were collecting and
video they were recording was starting to have an in-game impact.
At the time, the league was not officially charting statistics, so Pappin
tracked categories such as shots and scoring chances from the video
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NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
room, while Mike Caruso, who was then the Blues’ director of team
services and seated in the pressbox, monitored faceoff wins and losses,
and ice time.
“It was a lot of the stuff that the NHL does now for the teams, but back
then, we didn’t have anything like that,” Pappin said.
During the games, Pappin received requests from assistant coaches Bob
Berry and Roger Neilson to have specific clips ready for Keenan to watch
during the intermissions.
“They called me in the office on the headphones and say, ‘Hey, Mike
wants to see this when he walks in’ and so I’d have to rewind the tape,”
Pappin said. “I’d have to look up and say ‘Oh, that’s 1:15:43 on the tape
timer.’ The period could be over and it could be 2:30:04, so I’d have to
rewind as fast as I could and get it to that spot before Mike walked in.
You talk about stressful moments, those were because you couldn’t just
dial up 1:15:43 – boom! You had to rewind it.”
One game, Keenan wanted to see a sequence from the previous period,
and Pappin didn’t have the clip cued up in time.
“We were searching for it, and he slapped me in the back of the head
and walked out,” Pappin recalled. “It was just Mike being Mike.”
In those days, the home team supplied both the visitors and the referees
with a VHS tape of the game, so after the final horn, Pappin would take a
copy down to each of their rooms before they left the rink. Well, one
night, he nervously passed along tapes that he knew didn’t have all the
action.
“Back then, you had 120-minute tapes and 180-minute tapes, and the
speed you were using on the recordings determined how much tape you
were going to use,” Pappin said. “One of the games, for some reason,
went long. There might have been a few fights, so ‘Twister’ was probably
playing. Well, you can’t change the speed while it’s recording, so I ran
out of tape and missed like the last two-and-a-half minutes of the game. I
gave Mike one, but luckily I never heard anything about it.”
As much as film was being integrated into the game in the mid-1990s,
though, it was still viewed as a coaching tool, and the players’ interest
was limited.
“Roger Neilson did a lot of video when he was with us, and the guys
didn’t really want to do any more because Roger would do two hours of
it,” Pappin said. “You’re sitting there for two hours, and you might only be
two minutes of the conversation because you’re a fourth-line guy, so I
think they were done after they left the meeting.”
After Keenan was fired in 1996, the Blues hired Joel Quenneville and,
based on a recommendation from the video coach in Colorado, the Blues
offered the vacant position to Jamie Kompon.
“I said, ‘Listen, I don’t know anything about video,’” Kompon said. “I told
Joel, ‘If I plug in a VCR and it flashed 12 o’clock, it was going to flash 12
o’clock until I unplugged it, because I had no idea how to set it.’ He said,
‘But if you know the game, the technology will be easy.’
“I’ll never forget, they took me down to the video room and it looked like
the cockpit of an airplane. He said, ‘Welcome to the St. Louis Blues.’ I
was like, ‘Oh my God!’ He laughed and he goes, ‘No, don’t worry about it,
you’ll iron out the kinks.’”
Kompon went to work, but because Keenan never allowed electricians
inside the building then known as Kiel Center, no one knew how to work
the equipment.
“I ended up finding a name of someone on a bill (receipt) in the bottom of
a filing cabinet,” Kompon said. “The gentleman was so nice and gracious
with his time, walking me through everything. It was a process, but he
showed me how to work the decks and everything.”
The stress of the job revolved around the reliance of the equipment, and
the time it took to make sure everything recorded. If one of the Blues'
upcoming opponents was a West Coast club that was playing at home,
Kompon had to be certain that nothing was preventing the pre-scout tape
from rolling properly.
“We had one of those big satellite dishes, and you were worried if it was
going to tape because the coordinates may not be right,” he said. “Is
satellite moving, is it not moving? So you’d stay there until 10 o’clock at
night to make sure that the game starts the way you need it to start.”
On the road, the Blues were carrying TVs with built-in VCRs, which
weren't easy to replace when they malfunctioned.
“I remember one time our VCR blew up and I was in a panic trying to find
one,” Kompon said. “So, I’m taking a cab from store to store, and back
then it wasn’t like there was a Best Buy on every corner. You had to go
find a specialty store. You’re running around and your heart is racing.”
Around the same time, Masters was beginning an internship with the
Florida Panthers.
“I carried around a 16-inch TV with a built-in VCR in a hockey bag, and
we would wrap it in towels and tape it in hockey tape so that it wouldn’t
break,” Masters remembers. “We went through three or four of those
TV/VCRs per season because they were thrown on planes and thrown
off planes. I remember we had one in the locker room and the coach
(Duane Sutter) turned around and kicked it during the intermission,
breaking the screen. We had to go the whole rest of the trip without video
because the coach broke our machine. I would always call this company
and say, ‘Yeah, I need another one,’ and they were like, ‘What are you
doing with them? You’re going through five, six of these per year.’”
At that point, video coaches had started to splice together VHS tapes of
different units – power play, penalty kill, etc. – but in the early 2000s, re-
watching the game still meant singling out mistakes in players' minds.
“I remember they would pause it and you would have that grainy thing
going across the TV screen,” said Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester,
who was an 18-year-old rookie with the Panthers in 2002-03. “Some
guys, if you knew you screwed up, you were hoping that that (grainy line)
would come up and you could hide on the video a little bit.”
In fact, Kompon learned a valuable lesson: Don't wheel the VCR into the
locker room too soon before a meeting.
“The players would take the tape out and put a movie in, or they’d fast-
forward it until the end so the coach goes in and hits ‘play’ and it’s over,”
he said. “It was a daily prank. I would always roll the tape machine in 30
seconds before the meeting so that they couldn’t mess with me.”
That’s not to say Kompon didn’t turn the tables on the players a few
times to keep their eyes on the TV.
“We were going to L.A. one time and the girls in L.A. dress to the nines,”
Kompon said. “We were showing them the pre-scout tape and I spliced in
a couple of ladies in the stands just to kind of get their attention. It was
actually footage of a Lakers’ game, but they didn’t know that. It would just
be a four-second blip halfway through the video, but they had to keep
watching because they didn’t know if it would happen again.”
Back in the day, players were just less apt to want to analyze
themselves, according to Kompon.
“A lot of the guys trusted their instincts,” he said. “There were fighters,
and they wanted to see lefties and righties and what they were about. So
you had to make sure that some of the fights were ready for them to
watch when they came in in the morning. Some of the goaltenders, they
wanted to see certain shooters, or if there was a new guy up from the
minors, what he does. But that was about it.”
If a player did ask for his specific shifts, “it would ruin my day,” Masters
said. “It was just awful because one player, one game, would take two or
three hours. You would have two VCRs, one playing and one recording,
and then you would have a print out of the NHL stat sheets showing
when a player entered the game. So you would fast forward through the
game, press ‘record’ when that player hit the ice, and then hit ‘pause’
when he came off. It would be an all-day thing.”
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
That all changed while Kompon was still with the Blues, who were one of
the first NHL franchises to use the XOS system. It was a computer that
stood about two feet tall and three feet wide, but it was revolutionary at
the time.
“It was the best thing since sliced bread,” Kompon said. “All the video
was right there for you. Everything was accessible, you know what I
mean. You had all of your power plays together, you could break it down,
you could back things up. It was so much easier. It was like heaven.”
A company called Sydex Pucks came out with a similar system, which
“married” the video with NHL stats, and now coaches no longer had to
start and stop the tape to cut up clips of specific units or individual shifts.
Masters used Sydex Pucks in Florida and after replacing Kompon in
2006, he recommended it to Blues coach Mike Kitchen.
“Sydex sports had a system where they already broke it down and that
was key for all aspects,” Masters said. “I worked with Roberto Luongo
and he always wanted to watch every ‘touch’ – every time he touched the
puck. I wouldn’t be able to do that with the old technology, but with
Sydex, all I did was hit the letter ‘G’ when Roberto touched the puck and
it would automatically cut the video five seconds before and five seconds
after. So when he would come in, I would have those all ready to go, and
he’d be on his way in five minutes.”
The other advantage at this time was the transition to DVDs.
“When I took over for Jamie, he was a pack rat and saved every tape that
he ever made,” Masters said. “It was crazy. There were thousands of
tapes in that room and he just kept them for reference.”
Instead, they made that area of the Blues’ practice facility a space for
three cubicles, where players could come in and watch their shifts on
computers.
“If it was a young player, they would never want to ask for shifts, but this
way they could easily just come in, sit down, press play and be done in
10-15 minutes,” Masters said. “It was easy access. We didn’t make it a
requirement, we just made it so that they felt comfortable being able to
do it on their own.”
But as Masters' time in St. Louis went on, technology progressed at even
more rapid rate. He had four TVs and four DVD recorders installed in his
basement and began recording pre-scout tapes at home, and eventually,
the team eliminated the cubicles in his office, too. Players could
download their shifts onto computers from the club's hard drive and later,
using the signal from a Wifi hotspot in Masters’ backpack, load them onto
their iPads.
“It just made it more efficient,” he said. “I would never actually have to
talk to a player or see them and he would have all of his shifts without me
knowing anything.”
In 2012, Masters left for Colorado and was replaced by Danny Brooks,
who lasted one season before Ferrell took over in 2013 under Ken
Hitchcock. Ferrell had some editing experience, but not at the NHL level,
which was a bit overwhelming at first.
“Hitch wanted things quickly, and rightfully so,” Ferrell said. “I remember
my first couple of games where he was saying, ‘C’mon, c’mon, c’mon’
and you just feel the heat. You’re like ‘Oh my goodness,’ but you figure it
out. I think everybody goes through a little bit of that.”
The Blues use both XOS and Sydex Pucks, but the tools are even more
sophisticated. At home games, Ferrell sits in an office that is 15-feet by
15-feet with two 65-inch TVs and four laptops. He can look like Elton
John on a piano, keeping his fingers on 25 “hot buttons” to mark specific
sequences during the game.
“We call it the ‘logging’ laptop,” Ferrell said. “Each of those keys are
representative of a particular play: D-zone exits, O-zone entries, D-zone
coverage, neutral-zone transition, forecheck, power play breakout, on
and on. That’s been around for a long time, but now through multiple
drop-down menus on the laptop, I can recall all of our zone exits in
between periods, and we can see what the opponent is trying to do to
shut us down. … The fact that it’s so fast now, the decisions to change or
stay the course have almost become immediate.”
How immediate?
Well, beginning with last year’s postseason, the NHL approved the use of
iPads on the bench, and the information Ferrell is marking is what the
coaches have at their fingertips.
“They can use it like a DVR and scrub back in time and just watch
whatever they want or with those same drop-down menus and show
players something that might have happened 10 seconds ago and talk to
them with visuals and instruction,” Ferrell said.
Blues assistant coach Darryl Sydor can be seen during games using the
iPads with his defensemen.
“He’ll pull up your shift and show you maybe a better gap or what you
could have done,” Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson said. “It’s nice to
see mid-game because you can correct your mistake and be ready for
the next shift. It’s an instant change and I think it’s a big part of the game
now.”
Another change that has an immediate impact is instant replay, which
Ferrell is in charge of. He watches the “Hawkeye” system from the video
room and suggests to Blues coach Mike Yeo whether to use the coach's
challenge. His keen eye caught an offside play Tuesday night against
New Jersey that overturned a Devils' goal and enabled the Blues to win
3-2 in a shootout.
“You're making sure that you’re marking all these different plays and
you’re watching Hawkeye,” Ferrell said. “It’s really good for people with
ADD because there’s really no down time.”
While all that’s going on, Ferrell is also fielding requests for specific shifts
to be clipped for the coaches to watch at the intermission. And while
Ferrell doesn't expect a whack on the back of the head if he doesn't have
it ready, like Keenan did to Pappin, there is pressure.
“The job today still has lots of similarities, it’s just the expectation of
what’s available now compared to what the expectation was then is
different,” Ferrell said. “Arne used to write down the VCR time and then
rewind and rewind. I’m not doing that, but what’s funny is with the crunch
time on these laptops to compress the video, I’m sitting here tapping my
fingers going ‘C’mon.’ I know the guys are going to be in the locker room
in one-and-a-half minutes because that’s how long it takes to walk from
the bench to here, and if it’s not compressed in time, then they can’t
access it.”
Players still access their shifts on their iPads, but now they're
automatically uploaded after each period. But what's different today is
that coaches can draw sketches on video clips – ala NFL analyst John
Madden — and leave voice messages.
“The video sharing capability now between players and coaches is off the
charts,” Ferrell said. “You can drop telestrations on a video clip and talk
over the recording, so that while they’re watching they’re hearing what
you’re saying, ‘Hey I think maybe if you would’ve looked at this … or
great job!’ It’s almost like having a team app where you can have a chat
room with your defensive core and they can respond. We’re not
necessarily using it that way yet, but it’s happening. We have the
capability of doing things that three years ago we couldn’t do, and it
changes every year.”
Everything, including pre-scout videos, are now recorded in an iCloud,
saving video coaches the time of manually taping games.
“It’s almost embarrassing to admit how easy it is now compared to what
they had to go through,” Ferrell said. “I go into this website and pull up
the NHL, the current season, and there’s a list of every game through last
night for the whole entire season. All I do is click it and say ‘add it’ and
download. And you can program it too, so you can set it up seven days in
advance.”
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All games are kept on a microserver, which can hold up to three seasons
of every NHL game, eliminating the need for storing physical recordings.
“I learned that the hard way, I guess, three seasons ago,” Ferrell said.
“We burned up to six DVDs a night, and when I got here, I had a stash of
maybe 100 left. I called the guy that we had ordered them from before,
and he was like, ‘Do you want me to just duplicate the last order?’ I’m
like, ‘Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.’ Well at the same time that I
placed an order for 700 DVDs with the St. Louis Blues logo on them, we
get this email that comes out and says, ‘Due to the fact that technology
has come so far, we’re going to quit using the DVDs.’ So I’m sitting on
700 of these darn things.”
Ferrell’s predecessors can hardly comprehend what’s taken place since
they left the job.
“The guys can see what they’re doing now, they’re more dialed in, which
makes it more efficient for everybody,” said Pappin, now a scout with
Anaheim.
“If I went back to being a video coach, I’m sure I could learn it,” said
Kompon, now an assistant coach with Winnipeg. “But boy, oh boy,
there’s so much to learn.”
Masters, now a scout with Montreal, can’t help but reflect on the lost
time.
“I think my wife would probably want some of those hours back,” Masters
said. “Video coaching jobs are just so time-consuming. Technology has
saved I don’t know how many hours and just made the job so much
easier. You can get a lot more stuff done that you just couldn’t in the old
days.”
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The Athletic / Duhatschek: How Sean Burke is building the Canadian
Olympic team
By Eric Duhatschek 15 hours ago
Sean Burke is in Buffalo, where the rest of the hockey world has
congregated for the world junior tournament, with a different sort of team-
building exercise in mind. A few days after winning the Spengler Cup in
Davos, Switzerland, Burke and the rest of the management and coaching
staff has reconvened in western New York to put the finishing touches on
the roster for Canada’s 2018 Olympic hockey team.
These are the final days of an evaluation process that started in the
summer, with a pair of tournaments in Russia – the Sochi Hockey Open
and the Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov. In all, Burke has been able to
evaluate Canada’s player pool over five international events – and is now
closing in on its final roster. The team will mostly be made up of former
NHL players plying their trade in Europe, though the Spengler Cup gave
Burke and Co. a chance to evaluate a handful of Canadians playing U.S.
college hockey as well.
Burke, Canada’s general manager, is a veteran of international
competition and understands that building a team to win a short
tournament is different than putting together an NHL team designed to
win the Stanley Cup. Ultimately, the goal is to put together a team of
players with defined roles and responsibilities that will play the system
the coaching staff, led by Willie Desjardins, wants to play.
“If you were just looking for the 23 or 24 best players by stats, then you
probably wouldn’t spend the amount of time we have scouting these
players, or playing in these events,” Burke said in an interview with The
Athletic. “What I’ve tried to look at is, when you get to the Olympics, what
kind of team do you want to have? How do you want to play?
“Part of that is dictated by your coaches – what they think they need to
get the best out of a team – and then you’ve got to find them the players.
From Day 1, our coaching staff has wanted to play Canadian hockey,
meaning we want to be fast; we want to have skill; but we also want to
play aggressively and still be disciplined. So really, I’ve set about looking
to put that kind of team together. It’s not perfect. If the NHL players were
going, you’ve got a wide range of guys to choose from, with a lot of skill.
“With this group, we’ve definitely got skill and skating, so we’ve been able
to put together a fast team, but you also need to fill that in with guys who
are role players or pieces that bring it all together. I’ve seen that myself
on the teams I’ve been on, and I know in the Olympics, you need guys to
play well for three weeks. It’s a little different than trying to pick a team
you’re going to play together for 82 games and over the course of a
whole year.”
Burke spent the past month overseeing Canada’s entry in two
tournaments – the Channel One Cup in Moscow before Christmas, and
then the Spengler Cup afterward. Canada had a 1-2 record at the
Channel One Cup, but Burke was relatively pleased with the
performance of his team, especially in a game against the heavily
favored Russians, which they lost in close fashion, 2-0. That essentially
was Russia’s Olympic team, led by Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava
Voynov, and younger talents such as Valeri Nichushkin, Mikhail
Grigorenko and Kirill Kaprizov. Pretty much every Russian player that’s
a candidate for the Olympic team plays for either SKA St. Petersburg or
CSKA Moscow, which will theoretically allow them to develop chemistry
far more quickly than other teams recruiting from across a broader range
of teams and leagues. But Burke is unfazed.
“The game we played against the Russians was a heck of a hockey
game,” Burke said. “The game itself – the tempo, the intensity, how
physical it was, especially from our side – I thought was a great hockey
game. I know our team will be better than that team.
“You’ve been around long enough to know the format of these
international events does not always lend itself to the best team winning,
but you’ve got to put yourself in a position to win. I don’t know if we’ll
surprise anybody because I don’t know what people are expecting. I
don’t know if anybody knows what to expect. But I’ve seen all the teams
now. We’ve played against all the teams we’re going to see there, and I
would be very surprised if we weren’t extremely competitive at the event.”
In goal, barring injury, Canada will go with Ben Scrivens and Kevin Poulin
as two of their three goaltenders. Scrivens played all the games in the
Karjala Cup in Finland in November and two out of the three in Russia in
December. Poulin, the former New York Islanders’ draft choice who was
last seen in the NHL in the Calgary Flames’ organization, had a summer
deal with a KHL team fall through, but eventually landed with Zagreb, a
Croatian team playing in the Austrian league. He was Canada’s best
player at the Spengler Cup, which finished with a 3-0 shutout victory over
the Swiss national team. The Spengler Cup also gave the Olympic team
a last chance to look at a handful of veteran former NHLers, such as
Chris Kelly and Jay McClement, both of whom had strong tournaments.
Just nine days away from naming his team, Burke did not want to get into
a discussion of specific names or candidates, but acknowledged: “There
were a couple of guys in the last event that we brought to the tournament
because we felt they had a chance and they played really well and are
now definitely a consideration.
“The Channel One was more of a situation where because of the
Russian team and because of the competition, there were some guys
where it was going to be too much for them. So between those two
events, we learned a lot. That’s really the purpose of those tournaments
– to give us the information to make those decisions.”
In early December, when the International Olympic Committee
sanctioned Russia for systemic doping violations carried out during the
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NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
2014 Sochi Olympics, it was determined that a Russian team entered in
the 2018 Olympics would have to compete as the Olympic Athletes of
Russia. At the time, there was talk of a KHL Olympic boycott, something
that potentially might have prevented Canadian players competing in
Russia’s domestic league from participating as well.
But Burke says there has been no indication that a boycott will happen
now — and Canada is moving forward with the plan to use KHL players
on its Olympic team. Among the more familiar Canadian players currently
in the KHL are the likes of Linden Vey, Wojtek Wolski, Matt Frattin, PA
Parenteau and Simon Depres.
“We’ve never been told anything other than all our players are available
to us,” Burke said. “Anybody in the KHL and anybody in Europe, we’ve
just continued to move ahead with them.”
With his roster reveal a little more than a week away, Burke said he was
pleased with how the selection process has unfolded. In all, Canada had
five test events, including two back in August, all of which will factor into
the decision.
“At this stage, we’re at the point where we’re done with events, and done
playing games until our team is picked,” Burke said. “I’ll be honest with
you. We’ve got a few tough decisions to make. We’ve got a really good
handle on most of our team, but we’re still tinkering. One guy in the
lineup changes maybe the look of another guy. So we’re spending the
next couple of days, watching a lot of video and re-watching certain
players.
“But I feel really good about two things. First, the schedule this year was
extremely valuable. We had a lot of games in which to evaluate players –
and we evaluated a lot of players. And the second thing I feel good about
is that we’re going into this process of picking our team with a lot of
information. I was really worried that we were going to have to make a lot
of decisions without that good information. Now, when we pick our team,
we’ll do so knowing we know our players very well. It doesn’t mean we’ll
make all the right choices – because you just don’t know. But I think
we’ve got enough information where we’re pretty comfortable, when we
pick this team, we definitely feel it’s a team that can compete and a team
that gives us a chance. That’s for sure.”
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Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: NHL’s trade market cracking open
Elliotte Friedman
January 3, 2018, 5:33 PM
One of my first jobs after leaving university was with a start-up, so to
speak. An ad agency in Toronto wanted to create a monthly sports
newspaper in Toronto. Called The Sports Pages, it lasted two issues in
1993. (I was the editor. Let’s just say it was an outstanding learning
experience.)
For the first issue, the bosses wanted a cover story on Dave Keon. They
loved Dave Keon. They wanted to hear about Dave Keon.
So I wrote a decent story about Keon. Of course, he didn’t talk to me, as
he wasn’t talking to anyone then. His silence lasted four decades after
his parting, engineered by former owner Harold Ballard.
Eventually, there was a thaw. Keon began to show up for team
ceremonies and/or celebrations, although he wouldn’t do interviews. He
made one exception for Scott Morrison on Hockey Night in Canada, but
such opportunities were rare.
Now, that thaw is into full-blown global warming. Keon was all over the
place in the NHL’s 100th season. Named to the all-time team, he’s done
interviews, had his number officially retired (a major bone of contention in
years past), had a statue unveiled on Toronto’s Legends Row.
And he delivered one of several beautiful eulogies at Johnny Bower’s
memorial service.
As Keon spoke, quietly but firmly, I wondered if, finally, we are seeing his
true step into the spotlight. I was born in 1970, too late to see him at his
best, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
But I was born in Toronto and have lived 43 of my 47 years here. His
shunning of the spotlight only added to his reputation. Bower was
beloved because he allowed himself to be. Gregarious and friendly,
outgoing and available, Bower became Toronto’s Grandfather.
Those same fans loved Keon. They voted him the greatest player in
franchise history, and no one complained. But their admiration was kept
at arm’s length. Everyone understood, Keon wasn’t the only one to be
banished by Ballard, but they hoped for a day it would be different.
You can’t force someone to be who they are not. Keon is not Bower. He’s
quieter and more resvered. No one will be like Bower and no one should
try.
But, Keon is revered by those same fans. They embrace those who
worked hard for the blue and white, whether they won a Stanley Cup or
not. But, we all know there’s a little bit extra for the pre-expansion stars.
You go around the league, and you see the love every market has for
their retired cornerstones. Not all of the marriages end well in the
moment. But, time doesn’t ruin the memories.
You just have to allow yourself to be embraced. Keon has opened the
door. His legion of fans want him to step inside and stay there.
31 THOUGHTS
1. With Seattle now very much in the picture, I’m curious to see how
negotiations go between teams and players on no-move clauses. Some
of Vegas’s strength came from other clubs who had too many and
needed to escape. Will GMs resist them, or simply ask that protection not
include a future expansion draft? Will players with leverage be willing to
agree? Something to watch.
2. As we try to piece together next year’s European schedule, add the
possibility of Carolina versus Winnipeg in Finland. Sebastian Aho, Patrik
Laine, Teuvo Teravainen. Makes sense. But no guarantees at this time.
3. The Pacioretty family bought a house in Montreal last year, with the
goal of staying a Canadien for the remainder of his contract. That’s in
doubt now, and I think he understands that his tenure is coming to end.
The big question is if it happens at the trade deadline or the draft. GM
Marc Bergevin is well aware he’d be selling low at this time, and getting
Pacioretty with better centres and/or right-hand shots is going to benefit
him big time. One thing that does happen when a name like his goes
public? You get calls, then find out who’s nibbling and who’s serious.
We’ll see if anyone causes Bergevin to jump, because I think he’s
comfortable waiting.
4. Ron MacLean wondered if Pacioretty’s comments about a struggling
offence were a shot at coach Claude Julien. I’d actually asked a couple
of other GMs if they were worried about that. They weren’t.
“I simply see it as a captain with no answers for what’s happening trying
to provide them,” one said. “You can’t hide.”
5. The market’s cracking open, though. There was a shortage of scoring
touch with Vegas’s success, but now there’s Pacioretty, there’s Evander
Kane, there’s Mike Hoffman. What’s most interesting is that all three
have different term remaining on their contracts. Kane’s unrestricted,
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Pacioretty’s got one year and Hoffman two. Curious to see how that
affects each player’s value.
6. Mentioned St. Louis as one potential team for Hoffman. There is some
interest and the Blues are loaded with prospects, especially at forward —
Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou, Rob Thomas, Tage Thompson. I wouldn’t be
surprised if there was some interest in Robby Fabbri, too, even though
he’s out for the year. The one thing to watch with St. Louis is Jay
Bouwmeester’s health. If he can’t stay in the lineup, I’m not as sure of the
Blues’ plans.
7. Ottawa’s situation is made even more complex by the conditions on
the first-rounder sent to Colorado in the Duchene deal. The Senators can
protect it if it’s in the top 10, but then must give up their first in 2019 no
matter what. No chance the organization ever thought this would be an
issue.
8. Quote of the Week, from an anonymous GM: “God, I hope no one
helps Pittsburgh get better.” I think he’s tired of seeing them win.
9. While many executives are in Buffalo at the world juniors, Minnesota
GM Chuck Fletcher has apparently gone to Russia. One of their top
prospects, Kirill Kaprizov, made some comments that he didn’t know the
organization too well, and Fletcher’s made a point to go see him. The
thing I’d say in Fletcher’s defence is that when the KHL wants to keep a
player — and Kaprizov just signed a three-year contract — it can make
life very difficult on NHL clubs who simply want to make contact. But he’s
a really talented guy, and, some day, the Wild would love to have him in
uniform. Never hurts to say hello.
10. As of Jan. 1, teams can sign players on one-year deals to new
contracts. The guy who jumped out at me was Winnipeg’s Connor
Hellebuyck, but doesn’t sound like there’s been much conversation yet.
He’s been terrific.
11. Loved watching Minnesota and Nashville play a home-and-home
back-to-back last Friday and Saturday. More please.
12. The Team Canada Olympic brass is in Buffalo, watching the medal
round at the world juniors. GM Sean Burke said Tuesday that they’ve
settled on about 20 of the 25 players that will go to South Korea. The full
roster will be named Jan. 11 in Calgary.
Victory at the Spengler Cup has Burke excited about the Olympics. “We
will be competitive,” he said. “They played very hard.”
The clincher was a 3-0 win over Switzerland, Canada’s opening
opponent in Pyeongchang. Kevin Poulin, who played 50 NHL games for
the Islanders, got the shutout and appears to be the starting goaltender.
There was an influx of veteran help in Davos from Jay McClement (906
NHL games), Chris Kelly (833), Maxim Lapierre (614) and Zach Boychuk
(127). Boychuk played well with Andrew Ebbett (224 games), who locked
down a spot before the Spengler. Those are some of the names you will
know best. Burke said no other veterans are going to be parachuted in at
the last minute.
13. That brings us to the juniors. Team USA has four NCAA players on
the roster: Will Borgen (St. Cloud State), Ryan Donato (Harvard), Jordan
Greenway (Boston University) and Troy Terry (Denver). It’s not going to
be a good look if Canada doesn’t get similar help. To be fair, one junior
executive said they want to make sure any player who goes has a role,
and it’s not time wasted. That’s not unreasonable, especially since they
will be competing against men on an international ice surface.
So, the question becomes: who can do it? I put the question to three NHL
amateur scouts/executives who are at the event. One picked Cale Makar
as a power-play specialist, although he added that Makar is still very
young and hasn’t faced a ton of elite competition. The second took
Jordan Kyrou, with the possibility of Dillon Dube in a smaller, energy role.
The third chose Victor Mete, although you wonder if Mete’s injury clouds
all this.
14. Another source suggested Sam Steel as a compromise candidate.
He pointed out that Steel’s WHL team, Regina, will host the Mastercard
Memorial Cup, so its spot is guaranteed. That might help, and he’s a
scorer, which is what Canada is looking for.
15. I didn’t hate the Canada-USA outdoor game as much as everyone
else seemed to. Sometimes you’ve got to take chances and outdoor
games are for the people in attendance, not so much the people
watching on television. What I can’t understand is why host Team USA
allowed their schedule to be manipulated in that way. An 8 p.m. ET game
followed by an outdoor game 19 hours later? Yikes. You’re going for a
double gold medal on home soil, give yourself a better draw than that.
16. Ask some of the Lightning who is a better MVP pick, Nikita Kucherov
or Steven Stamkos, and you know what answer you get? Andrei
Vasilevskiy. And that was before his league-leading sixth shoutout, 2-0
over Toronto.
There’s a lot of, “I didn’t realize how good he was,” even among
teammates. Tampa knew it had to make a change from Ben Bishop for
cap reasons, but now the organization believes Vasilevskiy may actually
be a better goalie.
17. Drew Doughty scored the winning goal last Saturday in Vancouver
after being undressed by Nikolay Goldobin earlier in the game.
“We had a meal in the hotel after the game,” Kings head coach John
Stevens said Sunday. “I was talking to Drew. He wasn’t thinking about
the goal he scored, or anything else…he just couldn’t believe he got beat
one-on-one. It reminded me of Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
Benoit Pouliot picked his pocket to score, and later Drew scored a
fantastic goal to tie the game. The biggest improvement he’s made to his
leadership is he understands the effect he has on this group. A bad play
does not mean you have to have a bad period or bad game. The refs
don’t make a call you want, it’s okay. When you’re frustrated, you take
away the energy. When determined, you raise the energy. I love his
passion. On game day morning skates, the two-on-one drill? He does
everything not to allow a goal. Guys want to go against him on that. They
want the challenge. If he’s not the best player in the world at his position,
I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
18. Stevens and the Kings are three points behind Vegas for first in the
Pacific, re-energized after three difficult post-Stanley Cup seasons.
“We were tired of not performing well.” Do you buy the theory the team
was exhausted? “I do think that in 2014, those players pushed
themselves incredibly hard. Drew could barely lift the Cup. They reached
levels…that I don’t think humans realized they could get to.”
It is clear, when Stevens talks about it, he has great admiration for what
they accomplished. But he has another theory, which is epitomized by a
new slogan in the dressing room: Enjoy the Grind.
“We used to do that,” Stevens said. “Now we have to enjoy it again. We
had it translated into Chinese when we went there before the season.”
Stevens added that during exhibition games, he saw goals followed by
no celebration. So he showed it to the team. “What is this?” he told them.
“The last time I checked, when someone scores you put your arms in the
air. There are people who believe if you have fun, you’re not working. Or,
if you’re working, you can’t have fun. I believe you can do both. You are
humans, not machines.”
That leads to questions about Darryl Sutter, but Stevens deflects them.
“Darryl (and Dean Lombardi) are two terrific people. Everything (Darryl)
did in his power was to make the team better. I’m not different, I’m just
me. With three new assistants, there are fresh ideas and new
personalities. That changes the mood.”
19. Final question for Stevens: How good is his team? Are we talking
Stanley Cup level, for the third time in a decade?
“Nobody in the west is running away from everybody like Tampa Bay. We
can play with anybody, but you always think you can get better. We need
Jeff Carter to continue to improve and get healthy.”
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20. Speaking of Vegas, one executive compared them to Leicester City
— which stunningly won the English Premier League out of nowhere in
2016. Thought that was pretty good.
21. All good things have to come to an end, and it did for Patrice
Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak against the Islanders.
New York’s lone goal in a 5-1 loss to the Bruins was with them on the ice,
the first time all season someone scored five-on-five against that trio.
Boston outscores opponents 12-1 with them in that situation. Some
comparables: Viktor Arvidsson/Filip Forsberg/Ryan Johansen are 14-6;
Josh Bailey/Anders Lee/John Tavares are 22-19; Sean Couturier/Claude
Giroux/Jakub Voracek are 23-11; Brayden Schenn/Jaden
Schwartz/Vladimir Tarasenko are 17-4; Kyle Connor/Mark
Scheifele/Blake Wheeler are 16-15; Nikita Kucherov/Vladislav
Namestnikov/Steven Stamkos are 25-14. (I verified the numbers at
naturalstattrick.com.)
Ryan Spooner had a great quote last Friday about his teammates: “I’m
not surprised by that stat because that’s who I practise against, and I
can’t get a shot.”
22. Boston beat Tampa 3-2 on Nov. 29. The two big lines went head-to-
head that night. We went back to that game and timed how long each trio
had the puck in the other team’s zone, and Bergeron/Marchand/Pastrnak
led by almost two minutes. That’s a really big difference. You don’t see it
too often.
Spooner said he sat on the bench that night, blown away by what his
teammates were doing. “Watch Marchand,” he said. “He never loses the
puck in the offensive zone, unless he wants to. Then, he’ll go and get it
again.”
23. Spoke to Spooner last Friday, the day before he scored twice in his
hometown of Ottawa. Since returning to the lineup on Nov. 22, he has 10
points in 13 games. He played centre when David Krejci was out, before
moving back to the wing. He’s a talented guy, searching for a permanent
place in the lineup.
What does he remember about last year’s exit meeting with Bruce
Cassidy? “He told me he was happy with my first month-and-a-half, that I
was using my speed. But in the last 10 games of the regular season and
playoffs, I lost that. It was true, I was not using my speed as much as I
could. He told me to make sure he can trust me.”
He credited his parents (Brad and Sue) and skills coach (Pat Malloy) for
helping put him back on the right path, “But you have to look in the
mirror. It’s on me. I have to show them they can trust me. If you don’t
play well, it’s hard to believe in yourself.”
Bruins fans are well aware of Spooner’s faceoff issues and so was he. “I
was sick and tired of hearing I can’t win faceoffs.” He finished at 39 per
cent last season, but is up to 50 in 2017-18.
And if I learned one thing about him in our conversation, it’s that he’s well
aware of that number every single day. “There was one game last year
where I was, like, two-for-18 against Nazem Kadri. You need six or seven
games to make up for that. The rule change has helped. Relying more on
hand-eye to win them is good for me. I usually keep track of the results in
my mind during a game.” What if the score sheet is different than what
you remembered? He laughed and paused. “It equals out over the year.”
24. Other reason Spooner had a big game in Canada’s capital? He got to
see his Chocolate Lab (Carl) and his Newfoundland Lab (Kenzie). “My
building (in Boston) has a 50-pound limit. They are 130 and 85, so
they’ve got to stay with my parents.”
25. One more for the Charlie McAvoy Calder hype train: He leads Boston
in five-on-five ice time, at exactly 20 minutes per game. Last rookie
defenceman to be close? Duncan Keith, 17:09 in 2005-06.
26. Florida’s Bob Boughner didn’t like Tuesday’s blowout in Minnesota,
but, generally, the Panthers are improving, with a five-game win streak
beforehand. There was a mini-breakthrough last Thursday as Aleksander
Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau combined for 12 shots in a 3-2 win over
Philadelphia. Boughner’s been on them to fire it.
“Oh my God, every day. They are both high-end players, but their identity
is pass-first, shoot second. We want to change their mentality.” Which
one is worse? “Barkov,” Boughner laughed. “He does everything so well,
but we need him to be more selfish. There was a recent game where he
had an empty net and was looking around. Drives me crazy.”
27. Boughner had an interesting answer when I asked him about the
biggest adjustments a first-time head coach deals with.
“You don’t want to micromanage,” he said. “You need to have your finger
on everything and meet with everyone. But you also want to give your
coaches their responsibilities and let them do their jobs. There’s more
media requirements. You’ve got to have the pulse in room from your
leadership group. Then there’s the stuff you forget about like beating
rush-hour traffic on the road, finding ice in different cities, scheduling.
From my days as a player, it’s real important to take the excuse out of
players. You’re thinking about all that, so you need people around you
who can do what else is needed.”
Obviously, having a former head coach like Jack Capuano aids with that.
I’ve heard from players that Boughner is mostly positive. “I do believe in
positive reinforcement. But we’ve had two meetings early on that were
harder.” One came the day after their most recent loss prior to
Minnesota. That was in Vegas. “We weren’t prepared for that game. But
it’s not me kicking things over and screaming. It’s just honest. And they
responded.”
One area where Boughner thinks the Panthers are improving is
defending the blue line. “We are standing up harder. We want to squeeze
opponents, make it hard to enter our zone. We’re getting there.”
28. Finally for Boughner: Is Nick Bjugstad a centre or a winger? “I think
he’s a winger. We’ve had discussions about it since I’ve been here, but
being on the outside going north and south frees his mind.”
29. One of the Maple Leaf games I remember going to as a kid had
defenceman Dave Farrish destroying a couple of opponents with big
checks. Farrish was acquired in one of Punch Imlach’s best trades during
a less-than-triumphant return to Toronto from 1979-81, and I always kept
an eye out for him simply because of that memory.
After playing 430 NHL games with the Rangers, Quebec Nordiques and
Leafs, Farrish began a 27-year coaching career that took him through
Moncton, New Jersey, Salt Lake City, Fort Wayne, Springfield, Louisiana,
Pensacola (owned by ex-NHLer Tim Kerr), Anaheim, Toronto and
Colorado. Chris Johnston saw him last week in Arizona, where Farrish
was a guest of Cliff Fletcher. His coaching days are over, but he hopes
his hockey days are not.
“The highlight of my career was winning the Stanley Cup in Anaheim,” he
said Tuesday. “I still want to be part of a team, but my wife (Roxanne)
and I are tired of moving. We’d like to put down roots and get settled. I’d
like to do some scouting. Being part of a team, winning together…that’s
what I’d love to do.”
Farrish had a hip replacement last summer and lives in Scottsdale. He’d
actually finished golfing for the first time since the surgery when I called.
“I loved coaching. So many great players and good kids. The best was
getting them to the next level. But it is a strange life. There’s almost no
control…so many intangibles that affect your future.” Farrish switched
jobs twice because of franchise moves and a couple of times because
new bosses wanted their own people. Favourite spot? Probably the
ECHL’s Louisiana IceGators. “My wife would go back there in a second.
But it was a great time, everywhere I’ve been. Winning as a coach or a
player or hopefully a scout? It’s a great thing to be part of.”
30. From 1989-2017, how much has coaching changed?
“When I started (at AHL Moncton) in 1989, a head coach might have one
player-assistant. You did everything yourself, putting together VHS tapes,
everything. Now it’s crazy. AHL teams have goalie coaches, two
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
assistants, statistics and Corsi, it’s incredible how much its changed.”
How about the players? “It’s no different than families going from
generation to generation in life. They’ve got agents at a younger age, the
parents push hard, everyone wants their kid in the NHL. It’s not easy to
get there, and it’s even harder to stay. Expectations are high, they are
pushed into situations they are not ready for, we’d be better off to let kids
develop at a better pace before burnout, better prepared for what it takes
makes. And it’s not always the kids’ fault. We rush them.”
31. Several Tampa Bay staffers were wearing this pin.
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Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: Mid-Term Grades Edition
Luke Fox
@lukefoxjukebox
January 3, 2018, 11:30 AM
I believe it was the great Jon Bon Jovi — or maybe it was Mitchell Marner
— who once looked up and excitedly realized, “Whoa, we’re halfway
there.”
As the NHL’s clubs play Game 41 of the 2017-18 schedule, it’s time for
mid-term assessment.
Our NHL Power Rankings: Mid-Term Grades Edition delivers marks on a
curve relative to each team’s expectations entering the semester.
As always, teams are ranked in order of their current 2017-18
awesomeness. The write-ups explain why we gave your favourite club a
passing or failing letter.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning
A+. The Lightning’s goal differential (+53) is 24 goals better than their
closest rival (Vegas). Dominance plus determination elevates Tampa to
the top of the class.
2. Vegas Golden Knights
A+. Oh, so you can just waltz into the National Hockey League, win eight
of your first nine games, storm into 2018 whilst in the throes of an eight-
game win streak, and vault to the top of the Western Conference? Maybe
$500 million is a reasonable expansion fee, after all.
3. Boston Bruins
B+. A rocky, injury-riddled October put the Bruins behind the 8-ball, but
this group has rallied around one of the game’s best trios (Marchand-
Bergeron-Pastrnak) and is now a smart bet to seize home ice in a first-
round playoff series versus Toronto. Dressing the game’s best super-
young D-man (Charlie McAvoy) and best super-old D-man (Zdeno
Chara) certainly helps.
4. Washington Capitals
A-. A trendy pick as a group in sharp decline, Barry Trotz’s Capitals are
back where they were a year ago at this time — atop the Metropolitan
Division — despite having their depth gutted by salary cap restraints.
Alex Ovechkin, your Rocket Richard pacesetter, won’t stop bringing the
goods.
5. Nashville Predators
A. The Predators have weathered the retirement of Mike Fisher (hey
there, Kyle Turris!) and the injury to Ryan Ellis (he returned Tuesday!).
Enviable for its balance, Nashville ranks among the league’s top eight in
offence, defence and both special teams. The Preds will need Filip
Forsberg (upper body) healthy if they hope to repeat last year’s run.
6. Los Angeles Kings
A. A coaching change appears to be just what L.A.’s veteran core
needed. High-scoring Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown are reinvigorated,
and Drew Doughty says the Kings are playing freer than they have in the
recent past. They’re less afraid to make mistakes and, consequently,
aren’t making as many.
7. New Jersey Devils
A. Fast, fun and brimming with young talent, the Devils are the Eastern
Conference’s feel-good story of the half season.
8. St. Louis Blues
B. St. Louis’s D core rates among hockey’s best, Brayden Schenn looks
like the steal of the summer, and the goaltending tandem of Jake Allen
and Carter Hutton has been fantastic. Still, the scoring depth and power-
play woes here are of concern. GM Doug Armstrong says he’s not
looking for a rental fix at the deadline, but we have to believe he’ll go
hunting for more goals.
9. Winnipeg Jets
B+. The Jets are operating with the best goal differential in their division,
a testament to some scary-good scorers but mostly to Connor
Hellebuyck’s breakout contract year. Winnipeg is Exhibit A in the case for
why goaltending is paramount. Now, let’s get Mark Scheifele back ASAP.
10. San Jose Sharks
B-. If Alberta gets shut out of the post-season, it’ll be because we were
too foolish to write off the Sharks. So what if they have the 25th-best
offence in the NHL and Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns have seen their
production fall off a cliff? San Jose is getting by on excellent defence,
solid goaltending and the stingiest penalty-killing unit outside of L.A.
11. Anaheim Ducks
B. The team most affected by first-half injuries suddenly looks scary-good
at full health. We love the addition of Ryan Miller as a No. 2 goalie, and
the bold trade for Adam Henrique is having an immediate payoff.
12. Carolina Hurricanes
B-. What to make of Carolina, which can topple a giant one night and
play a stinker the next? Scott Darling has been just OK as a starter, and
we still believe this team needs to add a scorer. But, hey, it’s Jan. 3 and
they’re in a playoff spot. They have a shot at ending the league’s longest
active post-season drought.
13. Columbus Blue Jackets
C+. With Washington and New York hitting refresh and Pittsburgh
floundering early, Columbus missed an opportunity to take a first-half
stranglehold of the Metropolitan. Seth Jones and Pierre-Luc Dubois are
emerging as stars. We need to see more production from Cam Atkinson
and Nick Foligno.
14. Colorado Avalanche
B. Consider where the Avalanche finished 2016-17. Consider that Joe
Sakic traded away one of his top scorers in Matt Duchene. Consider the
injury to Tyson Barrie. So, it’s quite remarkable that the Avalanche have
scored more goals than they’ve given up and won more games than
they’ve lost. They have more victories than 2017 playoff teams Chicago,
Edmonton and Calgary — which is saying something.
15. Toronto Maple Leafs
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
B. The depth and breadth of Toronto’s scoring is remarkable, and the
decline of Marner and William Nylander has been greatly exaggerated.
But for long, disturbing stretches, the club’s thin blue line and sporadic
commitment to getting the puck out of its own zone has been disturbing.
Two months of Frederik Andersen’s excellence has masked more
problems than you think.
16. Dallas Stars
B-. Call it the Ken Hitchcock Effect (and credit a primary assist to Ben
Bishop). Those seemingly run-and-gun Stars actually rank higher in
goals allowed (10th) than goals scored (12th). One of the many clubs
entrenched in the mushy middle that is looking to break away in the
second half.
17. Chicago Blackhawks
C-. We expected a decline with the off-season departures of Artemi
Panarin, Scott Darling and Niklas Hjalmarsson, but could we actually see
both Pittsburgh and Chicago miss the playoffs? The good news for
Blackhawks fans: No western club will have more home games coming
their way in the second half.
18. New York Rangers
C+. Maybe free agent prize Kevin Shattenkirk is more of a three-four than
a one-two. Maybe dependable second-line centre Derek Stepan is more
difficult to replace than the Rangers hoped. And maybe getting outshot
by an average of two shots a night will catch up to New York?
19. Minnesota Wild
C. The Wild have dealt with injuries aplenty and still suffer from a dearth
in offence. So when their team defence and goaltending aren’t
spectacular, this group struggles. And yet, they’re good enough to remain
wild-card relevant.
20. Philadelphia Flyers
C. There are points of optimism in Philly: Claude Giroux’s bounce back,
Robert Hagg’s emergence, Sean Couturier’s two-way play. But, like last
season in Calgary, Brian Elliott has toggled between hot and cold, and
we may look back at the Flyers’ 10-game losing skid as the run that cost
them a wild-card spot.
21. Pittsburgh Penguins
C-. Halfway through the season, and the two-time defending champs are
outside the playoff picture. Kris Letang is in the rumour mill. Matt
Murray’s shaky health has underscored Marc-Andre Fleury’s value. A
team led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel is looking to
add offence before the trade deadline?! Not where we thought they’d be.
22. New York Islanders
C. Mathew Barzal has become one of the season’s best first-half stories.
Ditto Josh Bailey. The solidification of the Belmont Park site for a new
arena is wonderful news. Still, the goaltending has been atrocious, and
we wonder what type of effect another post-season miss might have on
the John Tavares negotiations. Losers of seven of their past 10, the Isles
are on track to be on the outside looking in.
23. Calgary Flames
C-. We applauded GM Brad Treliving’s off-season, how he added Travis
Hamonic to an already-solid D core and found himself a true No. 1 goalie
in Mike Smith. But the Flames’ top-heavy offence and shaky special
teams aren’t doing the trick, and with Anaheim surging, Calgary needs to
get in gear fast if it’s to avoid the lottery.
24. Florida Panthers
D+. No team gives up more shots per night than the Panthers (35-plus),
who only seem to win when either Roberto Luongo or James Reimer
does a headstand. The cost-cutting measures that saw Reilly Smith,
Jonathan Marchessault, Jaromir Jagr, Thomas Vanek and Jason Demers
leave town have taken their toll.
25. Edmonton Oilers
D. Just when you think Edmonton is getting some Christmas mojo and
preparing to take a run up the standings, the team loses consecutive
games at home by a combined score of 10-0. Reality bites.
26. Detroit Red Wings
D-. The biggest problem for the Atlantic’s Red Wings may be that
Ottawa, Montreal, Buffalo and Florida could all out-awful them and get
better draft lottery odds.
27. Montreal Canadiens
D-. Marc Bergevin’s heavily criticized summer moves have yet to bear
fruit in a half season marred with scoring droughts, uninspired efforts,
injuries, nasty gossip, Bronx cheers for franchise stars, and a hot new
Trade Rumour of the Week.
28. Vancouver Canucks
D+. Heck of an autumn for Vancouver, which came out of the gate ultra-
competitive under new boss Travis Green. There’s so much to get
excited about over Calder candidate Brock Boeser. Chris Tanev, Bo
Horvat and Derek Dorsett were all off to nice starts until injuries struck.
Alas, the depth just isn’t there, and a true No. 1 goalie remains a mystery
in a city that used to have too many of that thing.
29. Ottawa Senators
F. Everyone who screamed about how the Sens overachieved last
season has a right to say, “I told you so.” But when you look at the
names on the roster, there’s no way Ottawa should be this bad. The
Sens won 11 playoff games last spring. It’s taken them three months to
win 12 in the regular season.
30. Buffalo Sabres
F. The Buffalo Bills qualified for the post-season for the first time in 18
years. So, there’s that.
31. Arizona Coyotes
F. The Vegas odds-makers had the Coyotes slotted as 1,000/1 long
shots to win the Stanley Cup on Dec. 1. Now, they won’t even take your
money. Arizona is off the board and lottery-bound, again.
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Sportsnet.ca / Another dreadful performance sees Oilers’ season swirling
the bowl
Mark Spector
@sportsnetspec
January 3, 2018, 1:45 AM
EDMONTON – Slaughtered 5-0 by the Winnipeg Jets, then bludgeoned
to the same 5-0 tune by the Los Angeles Kings – in consecutive home
games – the Edmonton Oilers season is swirling the bowl this morning.
We’ve found the chart that says they have a prayer, and you’ll see it
below. But the way the Oilers are playing?
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
If you can see a team able to play .667 hockey for the second half of the
season, you’ve got better eyes than I, my friend.
Tuesday night a familiar flaw was first star at Rogers Place, as the Oilers’
historically horrid penalty killing unit allowed three goals in a five-minute
major penalty, ensuring Edmonton’s fourth straight loss since the
Christmas break.
With the score 1-0 for L.A. and just five seconds to play in the second
period, Edmonton’s Pat Maroon was given a match penalty and ejected
for a head shot on Kings defenceman Drew Doughty.
By the time Maroon left the box at 4:55 of the third period, the score was
4-0. Game over.
How about that penalty-killing unit head coach Todd McLellan?
“It just sucks the life out of us. It sucks the life out of us,” he repeated.
“We were OK for two periods. We made a mistake and they scored. The
major penalty, it sucked the life out of us.”
This morning, the Oilers’ penalty killing unit has a 55.6 per cent efficiency
rate on home ice. The 2008-09 Toronto Maple Leafs posted the worst
ever home-ice PK number with a mark of 69.4 per cent at home.
That’s almost 15 points south of the worst number ever turned in by an
NHL club. That’s not just bad. It’s slapstick bad.
Overall, the Oilers kill penalties at a 70.8 per cent clip, dead last in the
NHL. It’s reason to question pretty much everything about this team:
Commitment, personnel, smarts, coaching, the GM who neglected this
area.
You name it and it doesn’t work where the penalty kill is concerned.
“We’re in it, all game long, get a five-minute penalty against, and they get
three out of it,” said Milan Lucic, who doesn’t kill penalties. “Too many
games this year we’ve talked about or PK not getting it done. I’m not here
callin’ out the PK, but that’s the reality of what happened tonight.”
The hit on Doughty was deserving of a match penalty, even if both
players deemed it an accident post-game.
“I’ve known Maroon for a long time,” Doughty said. “He’s just trying to
finish a hit. I don’t know that he meant to try and hurt me. I forgive him.
“When stuff like that happens, your team just comes together,” he added.
“Scoring three goals on the power play to really shove it up their butts
was awesome.”
Connor McDavid was held pointless again Tuesday, the first time in his
NHL career he’s gone three straight games without a point. He was by
far the best Oiler Tuesday, but these days that’s like being the least
scandalous Kardashian. It’s not worth much.
Meanwhile, Leon Draisaitl had another stinker of a game. He’s not been
good of late, at a time when his offence and leadership is required.
“Like a lot of our players,” McLellan said, “we expect more from him.”
“It’s been the story too often,” Mark Letestu said of the woeful penalty-
killing unit. “That being said, we didn’t score any goals tonight. I’m sick of
tipping my hat to good goalies. We’ve got to find a way to score goals.”
Jonathan Quick was fantastic in the shutout, stopping 32 shots, plenty of
a high quality.
In other news, Pacific Division foes Anaheim, Las Vegas, San Jose and,
of course, Los Angles all won games Tuesday night.
And the golf courses will, hopefully, open early in Northern Alberta come
spring.
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Sportsnet.ca / Speeches about late Johnny Bower paint portrait of life
well lived
Chris Johnston
@reporterchris
January 3, 2018, 6:29 PM
TORONTO – It all comes back to those hands. That’s how Johnny Bower
showed the way to his immense heart.
They seemed to play a part in every story on Wednesday afternoon as
roughly 60 Toronto Maple Leafs alumni joined family, friends, fans and
dignitaries to celebrate the Hall of Fame goaltender’s life.
Longtime Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen, the master of ceremonies at Air
Canada Centre, spoke of meeting Bower inside the team’s dressing room
as a teenager. He was a goaltender in Sudbury at the time and Bower
was his hero.
“I shook hands with him and my hand was immediately buried in this
enormous paw,” said Bowen.
“You’ve probably all shook his hand,” said former Leafs captain Darryl
Sittler, speaking to a couple of reporters. “I mean his hands were huge
and thick because of the shots that he would take.”
The speeches painted a portrait of a life well lived.
Each of Bower’s three kids, eight grandchildren and six great-
grandchildren were in attendance, just as they had been for a ceremony
in the goal crease before the Leafs hosted Tampa on Tuesday night.
John Bower III spoke of the great lengths his grandfather would go to for
a laugh – taking out his dentures and donning a one-piece women’s
bathing suit at the cottage, or getting a stuck in an intertube during a
family trip to Florida.
He had a propensity for falling off ladders even into his 80’s. As it turns
out, a man who once stopped pucks in the NHL without wearing a
facemask wasn’t much of a handyman.
“There was a time he asked me to help him hook up his new ceiling fan
in his bedroom and he turned the power on as I was connecting the
wires,” said John Bower, his grandson. “I fell off the ladder. He laughed.
And after a moment of disbelief so did I.”
Those personal anecdotes aligned perfectly with the way so many
members of the Leafs sprawling fanbase felt they knew Bower. The
organization has just finished celebrating its centennial season and may
never have had a better ambassador.
“What do we have here in the GTA, seven-million people?” said former
captain Doug Gilmour. “Johnny probably knows about five-[million].”
The one thing Brendan Shanahan couldn’t reconcile after taking over as
team president is how the kind soul he came to know Bower as managed
to endure 13 years in the minors before getting his first shot in the Leafs
crease at age 34.
Of course, Bower then went on to win four Stanley Cups, two Vezina
Trophies and gain induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame while playing
another decade. He also has the most wins in AHL history.
“It’s an incredible story,” said Shanahan. “There had to be an internal
furnace or fire burning inside him.”
Ron Ellis, part of Toronto’s 1967 Cup team with Bower, produced an
answer for what pushed the beloved goalie.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
“Johnny considered it a privilege, not a right, to be a Maple Leaf,” said
Ellis. “Gratitude is what drove him to become the best he could be.”
Dave Keon, another former teammate, spoke of how valued Bower was
among his peers. While most remember Toronto’s 1964 Stanley Cup
victory for Bobby Baun’s overtime goal on a broken ankle, teammates
remember a huge Bower save on Detroit’s Larry Jeffrey that allowed
Game 6 to get that far.
“Winning the Cup takes heart, but John was our soul,” said Keon.
His competitive streak extended beyond his playing career.
Bower stayed on as Leafs goalie coach in retirement and Keon recalls
bringing his 10-year-old son, Dave Jr., down to Maple Leaf Gardens for a
skate one day. Bower let the first shot from the kid in. Nothing else got by
him.
“He said I let him have one Davey because he’s your son, but one was
all he was going to get,” Keon recalled.
The current Leafs were among those in attendance for Wednesday’s
ceremony. The family even asked goaltenders Frederik Andersen and
Curtis McElhinney to serve as pallbearers, helping wheel the casket
away afterwards.
Virtually every player on the team had crossed paths with Bower at some
point.
Tyler Bozak would ask him how he stood in for shots without a mask –
“He’d act like it was nothing,” said Bozak. “That’s the crazy part about it”
– while Morgan Rielly recalled a fan event where Bower put everyone
else to shame.
“There were kids bringing jerseys around with a bunch of autographs on
them, and you always knew which one was his because he would
handwrite his name perfectly,” said Rielly.
Head coach Mike Babcock was touched by seeing the size of the Bower
clan before Tuesday’s game.
“When you’re in hockey, you’re in something with notoriety, people think
about your career and the Hall of Fame and all of that,” said Babcock.
“The measure of a man is the family he raises. Did you see all those
people coming out? It was unbelievable to me. That’s what stood out in
my mind is if he touched the Leafs and Leaf fans the way he has, can
you imagine what he did for that family and that foundation he probably
built with his wife for those people?”
That was evident in John Bower’s words about his namesake and
grandfather. However, he noted that they always felt part of two families
– those with the Bower bloodline and those associated with Leafs.
Standing before a crowd of a couple thousand people that included
everyone from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to former Montreal
Canadiens star Yvan Cournoyer, he thanked Babcock and the current
players for their support.
“We wish you much success this season,” he said. “As grandpa would
say: ‘We know this is the year.’ You have an angel watching down from
the rafters at the Air Canada Centre who will be enjoying every minute of
your chase for the Stanley Cup.”
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Sportsnet.ca / Canucks’ performance will dictate future of GM Jim
Benning
Iain MacIntyre
@imacSportsnet
January 3, 2018, 8:09 PM
VANCOUVER – A decade ago, when a handful of emerging young stars
had the Vancouver Canucks on an upward trajectory that would
eventually take the National Hockey League franchise to a pair of
Presidents’ Trophies and the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, the team was 22-
13-4 on the final day of 2007 and general manager Dave Nonis had
started negotiations with ownership on a contract extension.
Then the Canucks collapsed in the second half of the season when an
avalanche of injuries included top-three defencemen Mattias Ohlund,
Kevin Bieksa and Willie Mitchell. Owner Francesco Aquillini fired Nonis
on April 14, 2008.
A month ago, the rebuilding Canucks were a surprising 14-10-4 and a
contract extension for general manager Jim Benning had been broached
with hockey-operations president Trevor Linden and the Aquillini family.
But since first-line forwards Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi joined second-
line centre Brandon Sutter on the injured list in the first week of
December, the Canucks have gone 2-9-1 and appear to be collapsing
again.
And when Linden was asked Wednesday during a mid-season state-of-
the-union press scrum about that extension for Benning, his answer was
suspiciously non-committal.
“I’m not really going to get too into that at this point,” Linden said. “I think
it doesn’t serve anyone, any purpose. I think we’re focussed on having a
good second half here. I know that Jim’s focussed on that. He came into
a challenging situation and I think we’re trending in the right direction. I
like the job Jim’s done. But beyond that, I think we’re focussed on the
next couple of months and the deadline, and then finishing and having a
good season.”
It’s not surprising that ownership, who deal with Linden on a weekly
basis, would wish to see how this unpredictable season plays out before
deciding whether to retain Benning. The NHL is, after all, a bottom line
business and Benning is in his fourth year as the Canucks’ general
manager.
The team finished in the bottom three the last two seasons but there is
little doubt that Benning, with rookie-of-the-year candidate Brock Boeser
as a centrepiece, has built the deepest prospect pool in franchise history.
But while everyone waits for more of the future Canucks to join Boeser in
the NHL, the wait on Benning could be problematic because the
organization has weighty decisions to make before the Feb. 26 trade
deadline, especially regarding potential unrestricted free agents Erik
Gudbranson and Thomas Vanek.
Benning gave up a lot – the equivalent of first- and second-round draft
picks – to acquire Gudbranson from the Florida Panthers two years ago.
And if the Canucks aren’t going to re-sign the 25-year-old (as of Sunday)
defenceman, they absolutely must trade him rather than get nothing on
July 1.
And if they re-sign Gudbranson, they’ll probably need to trade another
player from a blue line that is crowded enough that third-year pro Ben
Hutton is being healthy-scratched.
“When you talk deadline plans moving forward, a lot can happen,” Linden
said. “We constantly talk as a group about where we’re at and where we
need to be.
“We’re going to do what’s right for the organization. I think that we’ve
done that in the past; we’ll continue to do that as we march through the
next seven or eight weeks. We’ve got some good future pieces in our
organization and we’re going to continue to keep our eye on that.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
“Jim. . . has a team-building mindset, and he’s going to continue to have
his eye on the future.”
Benning did some of his best non-draft work as GM at last year’s
deadline, leveraging looming UFAs Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen for
good prospects Jonathan Dahlen (from Ottawa) and Nikolay Goldobin
(from San Jose).
Gudbranson should get the Canucks a prospect and a pick if Benning is
allowed to move him. The trade value for Vanek is less certain, but the
33-year-old, who signed a one-year contract last summer, has 12 goals
and 28 points as Vancouver reaches the halfway mark of its season
Saturday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.
Vancouver’s five-game road trip is a chance to show off Boeser, the 20-
year-old who leads all rookies with 21 goals and is the best Canuck
freshman since Pavel Bure.
Decimated up front by key injuries and the retirement of Derek Dorsett,
the Canucks could have Baertschi (broken jaw) back in the lineup this
weekend for the first time since Dec. 9.
But Linden revealed that Horvat (broken foot), Baertschi’s linemate, may
not return until after the All-Star Break at the end of January. He was
projected to miss four-to-six weeks after he was hurt on Dec. 5.
Among the many issues also addressed Wednesday by Linden, whose
summit took attention away from Canucks players after they were
hammered 5-0 Tuesday by the Anaheim Ducks:
Goaltender-of-the-future Thatcher Demko won’t be rushed up from the
American League to try rescuing the team.
There have been no negotiations on an extension for Gudbranson.
Boeser is an exceptional player and the Canucks will look this summer at
potentially re-signing him a year before his entry-level contract expires.
He likes the impact new coach Travis Green has had on young players
and the Canucks’ more attractive style of play.
“There are some positives based on what’s happening here and around
our organization,” Linden said. “We just have to stick to it. It’s been a
challenging time, but I think we’re capable of getting some guys healthy
and getting our game back on track.”
Whether they do could determine who is general manager next season.
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Sportsnet.ca / Notebook: Flames not playing in lead enough to be playoff
contender
Pat Steinberg
January 3, 2018, 7:28 PM
The Calgary Flames haven’t played much with the lead this season.
Through 39 games, the Flames have only carried a lead into the first
intermission on eight occasions. However, this trend becomes a little
more concerning when only the Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, and
Edmonton Oilers have led fewer minutes ahead than Calgary as of
Wednesday.
For a team that fancied itself as a true contender coming into this year,
being grouped in with three of the NHL’s bottom teams in this regard isn’t
promising.
Calgary just hasn’t been in control enough of the time in more than 2,300
minutes this season.
For sake of clarity, the teams that have led the most this year include
Tampa Bay, Winnipeg, and Nashville — all top end teams.
There is a bright side for the Flames, though. While they’ve held a lead
for less than a quarter of this season, they’ve been playing from behind
for 730 minutes 13 seconds.
Calgary leads the league with almost 1,100 minutes of even hockey
which eases the sting of how little they’ve played in front thus far. I make
two conclusions when taking all of this data into account.
First, the Flames need to spend more time in control on the scoreboard.
Being grouped with teams like Arizona and Buffalo in that category just
isn’t going to cut it.
More encouraging, though, is correcting this trend doesn’t seem like a
herculean task. Because Calgary has been tied as much as they have
this season, a timely goal here and there could really start to turn the
tide.
The Flames are shooting at just 7.53 per cent in all situations and 5.74
per cent at five-on five, which puts them 28th in the league in both
categories. Numbers like that are typically unsustainably low, which
suggests some improvement as we move into the second half of the
season.
If that were to happen, and if Calgary keeps playing in as many close
games, the correlation should be more time spent with the lead.
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Sportsnet.ca / Six potential trade destinations for the Canadiens’ Max
Pacioretty
Ryan Dixon
@dixononsports
January 3, 2018, 5:34 PM
With losses mounting in Montreal, Max Pacioretty’s future has fast
become something many, many people are monitoring. We’re nearing
the point where the question isn’t whether the Habs will move him so
much as whether they’ll move him for immediate or more long-term help.
Given all he’s been through with Montreal and done for the club since
becoming an NHL regular in 2009-10, you wonder if Pacioretty isn’t ready
for a more plum assignment than facing probes after every defeat about
the shortcomings of a team that just doesn’t have much talent.
As for an asking price, assume the Habs are seeking something that
aligns with the fact only three players — Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos
and Joe Pavelski — have netted more goals from the start of 2011-12
through last season than the 29-year-old Pacioretty. Yeah, he hasn’t
scored in a month, but that doesn’t mean there will be any discount
shopping here — especially with a team-friendly $4.5-million cap hit
through next season before free agency beckons.
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Montreal would likely prefer to send Pacioretty out of its conference,
which is why we have a West-heavy list. With that in mind, here are six
clubs that would make sensible landing spots for the super-skilled left
winger.
CALGARY FLAMES
Spoiler alert: The squads on this list could use some help in the goal
department.
Calgary has a wonderful top line anchored by Sean Monahan and
Johnny Gaudreau, but secondary scoring is lacking. Pacioretty might pair
well with two-way centre Mikael Backlund and would certainly love not
seeing the other team’s top defenders every night. The power play —
currently ranked 20th in the league — could also use a boost and the
vision of ‘Johhny Hockey’ sliding sweet passes to triggerman Pacioretty
should stimulate saliva glands all over Southern Alberta.
As for what could go the other way, the captain of Canada’s World Junior
Championship entry, Dillon Dube, was a Flames second-rounder in 2016.
And, with Sam Bennett coming to life in the past six weeks, maybe the
Habs have interest in the 2014 fourth overall selection.
EDMONTON OILERS
Talk of an Oilers-Habs transaction actually traces back to the start of the
year, when both teams were scuffling.
Oh, how times haven’t changed.
The difference between these two clubs is Edmonton will try and save
this season until the last possible second. A Pacioretty-for-Ryan Nugent-
Hopkins deal seems less likely now than it did two months ago because
RNH has been one of the few bright spots in Edmonton and Montreal
might actually want younger pieces than the 24-year-old pivot.
Still, there was smoke here once, so maybe the fire’s still burn. Team
USA world juniors forward Kailer Yamamoto could hold appeal if the
Habs are after youthful skill.
ANAHEIM DUCKS
From the Montreal frying pan to the beaches of California!
The Ryan Getzlaf-Rickard Rakell duo is killing it right now; could you
imagine throwing big No. 67 on the left side? Whatever line he played on,
it’s so easy to envision Pacioretty thriving in a situation where all he has
to worry about is going out and shooting the puck. That, along with the
return of Corey Perry from a leg injury, would help the Ducks rise up from
their rank of 23rd in terms of average goals-per-game.
The Canadiens blue line has arguably been the weakest part of the club
this year, so a return package could focus on a young NHL defenceman
like Brandon Montour.
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Another literal, as opposed to figurative, hot spot for Pacioretty to thrive.
The Kings — playing a more offensive style this season — are just
outside the top 10 in terms of goals-per-game, but another weapon may
be required for them to regain their spot as one of the league’s elite
teams. If the Canadiens are really ready for a re-tool, perhaps there’s a
blockbuster to be done here where the Kings send the always-hurt
Marian Gaborik — who’s still valuable when healthy, but, you know… —
the other way. Taking on that salary through 2020-21 is doable for
Montreal if it means getting its mitts on another couple prospects or
picks.
Canadian WJC defenceman Kale Clague is part of the Kings system. Los
Angeles also drafted big scoring forward Gabe Vilardi 11th overall last
June, and though he’s been sidelined by a back injury all year, he was
recently traded from the defending-Memorial Cup champion Windsor
Spitfires to the Kingston Frontenacs.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
OK, we have to get at least one East team in the mix.
The Canes are firmly in the playoff chase and, given the team hasn’t
made the post-season since 2009, Carolina really needs to make this
happen. Jeff Skinner paces the Hurricanes with 12 goals, the lowest total
to lead any team in the NHL.
Habs fans, don’t you dare start dreaming about Noah Hanifin or Jaccob
Slavin. However, with the Canes’ bevy of young blue-liners, maybe
they’d be willing to talk about a package headlined by 21-year-old Haydn
Fleury?
MINNESOTA WILD
Might as well make it a six pack. The Wild rank 17th in average goals-
per-game and while the team right in front of them in that category — the
St. Louis Blues — could surely use a boost, too, Minny gets the nod.
With Zach Parise having just returned, the Wild would look like a new
outfit in 2018 if they could get Pacioretty in their lineup. Matt Dumba, a
23-year-old, right-shot defenceman, might hold some appeal along with
centre Luke Kunin, the 15th overall pick in 2016.
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Sportsnet.ca / Newfoundland’s Luke Adam relishing long-awaited trip to
Germany
Ryan Dixon
@dixononsports
January 3, 2018, 1:09 PM
Ask Luke Adam about the decision to move his hockey career to
Germany and there’s a tendency to wonder if it had anything to do with is
dad, Russ, having spent a few seasons in that country at the end of his
playing days. The answer is a resounding “No,” but for different reasons
than you might expect.
“That’s a funny story,” says Adam, who’s no stranger to those having
grown up in St. John’s, N.L., ahead of Scotiabank Hockey Day In Canada
in Corner Brook, N.L., on Jan. 20.
Adam is from St. John’s because that was the final stop on Russ’s
hockey-playing adventure. But if you jumped on the website
eliteprospects.com, you’d be led to believe Russ toiled for another
handful of years in Germany during the early 1990s. Not so, says Luke.
The best explanation he and his dad can come up with is that — long
before the Internet made due diligence a piece of cake — an imposter
claiming to be the Russ Adam who played eight games for the Toronto
Maple Leafs in 1982-83 took his hockey bag to Germany and hoped for
the best. They have no proof and no burning desire to find the truth; it’s
just the best theory they’ve got.
“How else would that have happened?” Adam says with a laugh.
While the tale of Russ Adam’s German excursion that didn’t actually
happen is a bit of a head-scratcher, his son’s presence there makes a lot
of sense given the current pro hockey landscape.
Adam was drafted 44th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2008 after a
strong season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with his
hometown St. John’s Fog Devils. In 2010, he was one of the top goal-
scorers on a Canadian world junior team that featured players like Taylor
Hall and Alex Pietrangelo. Later that same year, he played his first NHL
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
game at age 20. The next step, though — establishing himself as a full-
time cast member in The Show — proved difficult. Adam played 283 AHL
games from 2010 to 2016, but never quite stuck in the NHL. He never
seriously considered the offers he got from Europe along the way
because he was fixated on the best league in the world. But when a
professional tryout offer with the Calgary Flames in 2016 didn’t result in
an NHL ride, Adam decided it was time to try a different route.
At 26, the prospect of riding more AHL busses with no promise of
something bigger ahead held little appeal. Instead, Adam packed up and
headed east, inking a one-year deal to join the Mannheim Eagles.
“Once I got here I was pissed off at myself for not coming over earlier
and grinding out the American League for those last few years,” he says.
A number of things have made the transition a smooth one for Adam.
First off, the trickle-down effect of the NHL and AHL valuing younger
players has led to a huge spike in the quality of competition in Europe.
The Eagles roster features well over 2,000 games worth of NHL
experience, with names like Devin Setoguchi, Carlo Colaiacovo, Mark
Stuart and Marcel Goc dotting the lineup. Teams in the German league
play just 52 contests, which is a little easier on the body than those three-
in-threes that are a big part of the 82-game AHL schedule. Mannheim
has two practice rinks at its main arena, so players are always heading to
the same venue. When the work day is done, Adam returns to wife
Hannah and the three-story townhouse that was provided for them as
soon as he signed with the club.
“We weren’t really sure what to expect and we walked into this beautiful
situation, this beautiful house,” says Adam, who lives right beside about
nine of his teammates and their families. “Lifestyle-wise, we really have
no complaints. [If I want to be picky], I wish it didn’t rain so much.”
A little bad weather, of course, isn’t enough to dampen Adam’s
enthusiasm for his adopted home. A few months after he landed last
season, he signed a contract extension that will keep him in Mannheim
through 2018-19. And while he can most definitely see himself staying in
his current situation for years beyond that, Adam doesn’t want to get
ahead of himself.
“I’m just trying to focus on playing well because there are guys knocking
on the door here just as much as back home,” he says.
Thus far, Adam has done a nice job of proving his worth. He netted 35
points in 38 games last season and, while his production has slowed a bit
this year, he’s still second in team scoring. He’s also the first to tell you
that the unexpected turn in his hockey journey has worked out
wonderfully.
“Yeah, I wish I was still playing in the NHL,” Adam acknowledges. “But I
was able [accept that I’m not] and move on.”
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TSN.CA / Czech coach: ‘Miracles can happen'
By Mark Masters
Team Canada held its final practice of the World Juniors on Wednesday
at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
First there was Swiss coach Christian Wohlwend saying he expected
Canada to dominate his team in the World Juniors quarter-finals.
Now, it’s Czech coach Filip Pesan’s turn to play the underdog card.
“It’s the semifinals and miracles can happen,” he said when asked about
his team’s mindset.
That led to an eye roll from Dominique Ducharme.
“Another one?” the Canadian coach said to laughs from the assembled
media. “That’s not really original.”
Ducharme insists he's not worried about overconfidence even though
Canada has won its last two games by a combined score of 16-2 and
hasn’t trailed for a second at the tournament.
“We take care of our business,” he said. “We have a mature group. We
know exactly where we’re at. We know what we need to do. We know the
mindset we need to have to have success and we’ll bring that tomorrow
(Thursday).”
In fairness, Pesan did not throw up the white flag like Wohlwend. The
Czech coach put forth a strategy for pulling off an upset.
“We can’t take stupid penalties,” he said. “We have to play an active way
and not just be waiting to see what they’re going to do to us. We can’t
just play defence, because we’d be under pressure the whole game. It’s
not the way to win the game. We have to have confidence with the puck
and move it fast. And be strong on the puck. We'll be ready and we want
to beat them tomorrow."
The Czechs, who haven’t advanced this far since winning a bronze
medal in 2005, were humbled by Canada 9-0 in a pre-tournament game
on Dec. 20. After that game, forward Kristian Reichel said it was
“unacceptable” and “embarrassing” that his team quit in the third period.
But that night in London, Ont., the Czechs were playing their first game
since arriving in North America and didn’t have many of their top players
in the lineup. They’re a much better team now.
Ducharme is quick to point out that his team has also vastly improved.
And how are they better?
“Everywhere,” he said. “Little details. Little things we do much better.
We’re managing the game better. Chemistry is better. We’re better
everywhere.”
Czech coach on mindset vs. Canada: 'Miracles can happen'
Another knockout-stage game and more mind games for the head
coaches. Asked about his team's mindset ahead of the semifinal
showdown against Canada, coach Filip Pesan said the Czechs know
"miracles can happen". Head coach Dominique Ducharme brushed that
off noting it's not an original suggestion. He says Canada is a mature,
confident group that won't be lulled into a false sense of security.
Will Hart’s superstition be an issue again?
The Czechs are well aware of Carter Hart and his last-off superstition.
“We heard about it,” said Reichel. “We watched the game last night and
we were talking about that at breakfast. Maybe it’s a good thing, maybe
it’s not (smile).”
So, will the Czechs follow the lead of the Finns and Swiss by leaving their
backup goalie on the ice during the intermission?
“We’ll see,” said Pesan coyly. “I’m not telling you my plans for tomorrow.
We’ll see what happens tomorrow and maybe we’ll find a way to beat this
guy.”
Trying to keep up his superstition of leaving the ice last, Canadian goalie
Carter Hart fools Swiss goaltender Matteo Ritz by ducking into the tunnel
before coming back out to touch the ice once Ritz left the ice.
Ducharme was asked if the superstition questions are a distraction for
Hart, who, for the record, was the last player to leave the ice at today’s
practice.
“That’s over with,” Ducharme said. “He’s going to have a strong game
tomorrow. Those things are fun to talk about, but it’s behind him and he’s
ready to play tomorrow.”
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
Pesan suggested his team would be well briefed on Hart’s tendencies
beyond just the superstition.
“I know a lot about him,” Pesan said cryptically. “I know his weak sides
and I hope we’re going to find his weak sides. I’ll tell the players and we’ll
see what happens.”
However, there is a healthy respect for Hart among the Czech players.
“He’s very good,” said defenceman Libor Hájek, who plays for the
Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. “I played against him like three weeks ago
in Everett. He’s amazing. It will be very hard. Hopefully he will have a bad
day or something like that.”
Hart shut out the Blades, turning aside 30 shots, on Dec. 2. Hájek had
five shots on net that night. What stood out from that game?
“We didn’t score,” Hájek said with a grin. “He’s amazing.”
Hart, who is coming off his worst statistical game of the season (.867
save percentage against the Swiss), wasn’t made available to the media
on Wednesday.
Canada's best player is goalie Carter Hart , he has an amazing .961 save
percentage with Everett in the WHL this season and has been solid so
far in his second World Juniors. There were no question marks around
him when he arrived in Buffalo, he was finally the answer to this country's
crease concerns. But now, all of a sudden, the opposition may have a
way to get under Hart's skin. Mark Masters has more.
Mete full practice participant, likely to play
Victor Mete was a full participant in practice. It was the first time he
skated with teammates since the second period of Saturday’s game
against Denmark.
“He looked good,” said Ducharme. “I talked to him after and he felt good,
so (that’s) positive.”
The workout lasted just 30 minutes, but Mete didn't seem to be in any
discomfort.
With Canada expected to play on consecutive nights, the decision to
have any kind of a skate at all raised a few eyebrows. Ducharme himself
suggested on Monday that the team was unlikely to skate again outside
of game action.
"We had two days off before yesterday’s game and last night’s game
wasn’t physically very demanding," the coach explained. "We just wanted
to touch the ice, we didn’t stay long. Tomorrow we’re playing at 8 p.m. so
it will be a long day, too, and we won’t be on the ice before, so we
wanted to be on the ice today a little bit."
Canada Ice Chips: Ducharme optimistic about Mete after full practice
Victor Mete returned to the ice for the first time since being injured in the
outdoor game against Team USA. Head coach Dominique Ducharme
was optimistic about his status for the semi-final after Mete took part in
practice. Mark Masters has the latest.
Drake Batherson isn’t about to mess with a good thing.
He scored against Denmark on Saturday and twice against Switzerland
on Tuesday while using the same stick. He also let Jordan Kyrou borrow
that stick against the Swiss after the St. Louis Blues prospect had his
own stick break mid-shift. Kyrou scored moments later despite the fact
the blade featured a much bigger curve than his own.
“They say my stick’s going crazy on the internet,” Batherson said with a
laugh. “There’s been a lot of talk about it on social media, so me and
Kyrou may switch back and forth tomorrow. We’ll see.”
If Batherson stuck to his usual routine, the stick wouldn’t be used in
Thursday’s semifinal against the Czechs.
“Usually every week and a half I grab a new one,” he said. “At
tournaments it wears out a little bit more in the games so usually I grab a
new one every two games, but I think I’ll be sticking with this one for the
rest of the tournament.”
Batherson leads Canada with four goals at the World Juniors.
'Maybe I'll get the third assist": Batherson, Kyrou combine on natural
stick-trick
After Jordan Kyrou broke his stick in the second period of Tuesday's win
over Switzerland, the winger raced over to the bench to get a new one,
but ended up grabbing Drake Batherson's instead. The Senators
prospect had scored two straight and apparently the blade's magic was
transferable even though the curve was quite different.
And while Batherson’s stick became an online sensation, the Ottawa
Senators prospect only heard about that from his buddies. He’s staying
away from social media during the World Juniors, which is probably a
good thing since he was just traded to Blainville-Boisbriand from Cape
Breton in the QMJHL.
“I was informed about the news and looking forward to the opportunity,”
he said. “It’s a little weird (hearing that here), but my main focus is on this
tournament.”
Is it difficult for the Nova Scotia native to tune that out?
“Not too difficult, honestly. It’s just hockey, you know, a new team and
new teammates. It’s like coming here and playing with a new team and
with new players. I’m not worried. I'm just playing hockey, the game I
love, so I’m not too worried about it.”
Batherson will use lucky stick for rest of World Juniors
Drake Batherson is the hottest Canadian scorer right now. He's potted
three goals in the last two games using the same stick and Jordan Kyrou
actually scored using that stick in Tuesday's quarterfinal win over
Switzerland. The Senators prospect usually switches his sticks every two
games, but will keep the current one for the rest of the tournament.
Canada has book on Zadina
Containing Halifax Mooseheads forward Filip Zadina, who leads the
Czechs with five goals, is a priority for Canada.
“I know a lot about him and I’ll definitely share a few secrets with the
guys about shutting him down, because he’s a great player,” said
Batherson, one of just two QMJHL players on Team Canada.
Ducharme coaches Drummondville and got an up close look at the draft-
eligible Zadina on Nov. 4.
“Good thing we’re not playing Halifax too often,” the coach quipped. “We
played them once and it was a tight game, 2-1 game, and he’s the one
who scored for them. He can shoot, he’s on the puck, he’s good at
protecting the puck, making plays.”
Canada may have a secret weapon when it comes to slowing down the
Czech sniper. That would be goalie consultant Eric Raymond, who
serves in that role in Halifax as well.
Will Ducharme lean on Raymond for some inside information?
“It’s already done,” he said. “It’s in the book.”
Which Czech players should Canada pay the most attention to?
James Duthie, Jeff O'Neill and Bob McKenzie preview Canada's semi-
final match up against the Czech Republic and discuss which Czech
players Canada needs to pay the most attention to.
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TSN.CA / Leafs managing increased second-half expectations
By Kristen Shilton
The Maple Leafs held a noon practice at MasterCard Centre on
Wednesday.
It’s not enough for the Toronto Maple Leafs to just surprise the NHL’s top
teams anymore. Now, they have their sights set on contending with the
league’s best.
After playing 41 games in 2017-18, the Leafs are on track to make the
playoffs – but the learning process is far from over at the halfway mark of
the regular season. From the outset of training camp, players talked
about the common theme of expectations. They knew there would be
pressure from the outside to improve after their six-game postseason run
against the Washington Capitals last spring, but as a whole the Leafs
maintain that no one and nothing is setting goals on their behalf.
“[Our mindset] changed right away [to start the season],” said Auston
Matthews. “Not [because of] the expectation around us, but I think the
expectation within the team. We went on our little merry-go-round in first
year – everyone is all happy, we’re doing well. But now we expect to win
every night.”
It’s that singular idea that Toronto (23-16-2) is a team capable of earning
a victory every night that has helped shape this current roster. For some
of the team’s younger players, expectation is an entirely foreign concept
at this NHL level, while veterans like James van Riemsdyk have learned
to keep them in perspective.
“It’s nice to be in a position at the start of the year where you know what
to expect,” he said. “Obviously last year there were a lot of unknowns, a
lot of new guys. This year, guys have had a chance to get a few games
under their belts, so in that sense the expectations shift a little, but you
still have to go out there and perform on the ice and just worry about that
and we’re going from there.”
At this time last season, the Leafs were getting schooled left and right on
what life at hockey’s highest level is like, with varying degrees of
success. Win or lose, they were eager students. But these days, gaining
ground on the red-hot Boston Bruins in the standings gets more
consideration than learning new lessons.
“We want to be winning every time we play so that’s what we’re going out
there to do. We’re not going out there just for feel-good stories and stuff,”
said van Riemsdyk. “At the end of the day, there are some things you try
to gauge by the points in the standings and other things where it’s just
the detail in your game, so [you want to be] balancing out those and by
the end of the year you’re pretty sharp and you’re not giving away
anything for free.”
As coach Mike Babcock’s team continues to mature and develop the
“winning habits” he covets, he anticipates they’ll begin letting go of any
singular definitions of success and fully embrace that concept as a 23-
man group.
“We really believe we have enough talent in the room; we have to find a
way to be better on a consistent basis and that’s all part of that process,”
Babcock said. “I think learning to win every day and doing things right
and sacrificing individual things for the team, I think, is so important. I’m
not evaluating when my next shift is, I’m not evaluating whether I played
on the power play or didn’t, I’m just working hard to help the guys win
and I think that’s the biggest priority for us.”
There’s no doubt the Leafs aren’t exactly where they want to be just yet.
With 48 points in 41 games – earning just seven points in their last 10
outings – they’re barely keeping pace with Babcock’s stated goal of six
points per five-game segment. But the drive to exceed expectations has
hardly diminished over the season.
“I think we’re in a good position; we’re in a playoff spot right now,” said
Matthews. “We want to be at the top and these last two teams [Vegas
and Tampa Bay] we’ve just played are at the top, and we’re not quite at
that level yet but we feel as a team that we have all the tools to be there.
It’s just a matter of putting in the time and the will to be there.”
Perhaps in a perfect world, the Leafs would have come out against the
NHL’s best team on Tuesday night and earned a statement-making
victory that highlighted their ample offensive abilities.
Instead, the Tampa Bay Lightning shut the door on Toronto, holding them
off the scoresheet for just the second time this season.
They may no longer be searching solely for lessons to build off of, but the
Leafs still appreciated a window into the kind of club they’re trying to
evolve into when they faced the Lightning.
“I think it was a good measuring stick for us to see how much work we
still have to put in on where we want to be,” said Matthews. “We made
some mistakes and some things cost us and there’s some things we
need to work on, but I think these last two games have been good for us
to see where we want to be and where we are now.”
The Leafs were able to go toe-to-toe against the Lightning’s blistering
speed and challenge vaunted netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, but a
miscommunication behind their net and an ill-timed line change ultimately
put the Bolts’ up by a 2-0 lead they’d never relinquish. The Lightning’s
depth makes them relentless all over the ice, putting opponents on their
heels.
In the end, the Leafs’ third straight loss was frustrating for the team, but it
wasn’t exactly demoralizing, either.
“[On Tuesday] I think we played a lot better than we showed in Vegas,”
said Matthews. “Still, we were undisciplined; we took a lot of penalties
and that kind of killed momentum sometimes. A lot of the times it seems
like they had the puck all game and they were rolling around in our zone
and that definitely wears on your D, it wears on your forwards, and that
ends up swinging momentum onto your side.”
Like every team that eventually rises to the top of the NHL heap, the
Lightning took their lumps along the way over the years. That experience
is invaluable, and it’s what Toronto is continuing to gather.
“I thought it was a pretty well-played game,” Babcock said. “In the end,
you have to find a way to win those games; you have to find a way to
block one more shot, make one more good play, score on the power
play, score on one of those rebounds. Just a find a way – that’s what the
good teams do. The other question you ask yourself is, were we as
detailed as the other team and do we work as hard or harder than the
other team? I think there’s lots of room for growth on our group and that’s
what we have to do.”
Goaltender Frederik Andersen, one of the Leafs’ most consistent players
this season, knows playing better each and every game is essential for
success.
“We obviously want to take a step forward; we still haven’t really
accomplished anything we want to do,” he said. “We believe in the
process we’re going on and the direction we’re going on. With that comes
a lot of things throughout the year you want to get better at and you take
it as you go. The same thing happened last year where we had some
growing pains but we worked our way through it.”
When one scorer struggles, another scorer steps up.
Just ask Nazem Kadri, one of the Leafs’ most consistent forwards all
season. He fell into a scoring drought in early December that’s now gone
on longer than a month. But at the same time, Mitch Marner has finally
gotten his groove back.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
The second-year winger found his game in December, staring with a
three-assist performance in Pittsburgh on Dec. 8. From there, Marner
has added three goals and seven assists in his last 11 games, matching
his point total for the entire month of November.
Even as the Leafs have struggled through this recent stretch of four
losses in their last six games, Marner has been one of the team’s few
consistent bright spots.
“He knows he’s a driver on this team,” said Babcock. “He’s got to come in
with swagger each and every day, and lead by example and work ethic
and be improving his game and getting stronger and living right and
doing all those things, and things will work out for him. He’s just got to
keep grinding. We count on a number of young people here as you know,
and we need them to be good.”
Babcock has encouraged Marner to hold onto the puck more, not
hesitate to shoot and be more tenacious all around when he’s on the ice.
When he does that, Marner is as dangerous as any in the Leafs’ stable of
talented forwards, and the belief he’s able to generate for himself has
become contagious.
“I think he’s just really confident out there; he’s skating again and
creating a lot of chances, and you love to see that,” said Matthews.
“Because when he’s flying around like that it definitely kind of gets
everyone else going and everyone else skating, so it’s always good to
see one of your top players doing that.”
Remembering Johnny Bower
Before puck drop in Tuesday’s game, the Leafs honoured legendary
goaltender Johnny Bower with a heartfelt pre-game ceremony involving
his entire extended family.
The scene moved fans in the Air Canada Centre audience to tears, and
players were similarly touched by the video tribute.
“I thought it was really nicely done,” van Riemsdyk said. “Having his
whole family there in front of that net he tended for many years was a
pretty nice touch.”
“It was good,” Matthews added. “I’m sure it was very emotional for a lot of
people. Johnny is one of the guys you saw around so I think everybody
(was) looking forward to this ceremony.”
The Ceremony of Life hosted by the Leafs on Wednesday afternoon was
attended by the entire Leafs’ roster and coaching staff, as well as NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman, special guests and droves of fans.
Andersen and Curtis McElhinney were asked by the family to contribute
to the ceremony as pallbearers, helping to carry Bower’s casket from the
arena floor at the ceremony’s conclusion. Andersen said the Bower
family had reached out to them earlier this month, and he accepted the
invitation right away.
Also attending the ceremony were several former Leafs and some of
Bower’s teammates, including Frank Mahovlich, Ron Ellis and Dave
Keon, who all spoke at the memorial.
While much has been said and shared about Bower since his passing on
Dec. 26, Babcock said repeatedly he hoped his players would glean
something not just from who Bower was as a player, but from all that he
represented as a person.
“I really believe in the end the measure of a man is the family he raises,
and the impact they have on society,” Babcock said. “So it’s your
obligation to do good things for those people and set them up with a
foundation so they can go out and earn their own confidence and make a
difference in the world. When you see that [Bower family] group out
there, obviously it was pretty special. There must have been some
serious parties at their place. Obviously a fantastic life [lived], he touched
a lot of people, but no more than his family.”
TSN.CA LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091453 Websites
TSN.CA / Carter Hart: Canada's creature of habit
By Frank Seravalli
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Three eggs, two pieces of toast and a glass of
chocolate milk.
That’s what Carter Hart says he has eaten for breakfast “every single day
for the past four years,” whether he’s at home, on the road or here for
Team Canada at the World Junior Championship.
“Yeah, I get sick of it,” Hart said, smiling.
It may drive Hart’s billet, Parker Fowlds, a little crazy, but at least he isn’t
guessing what to buy at the supermarket in Everett, Wash.
“He always says, ‘Do you want anything else? Pancakes? French toast?’
Nope,” Hart said. “It’s just what I do now. It’s my routine.”
The breakfast drill is just one small peek into Hart’s routine, which has
taken centre stage in Team Canada’s quest for gold. His battle of wills to
be last player off the ice with Team Switzerland backup Matteo Ritz in
Tuesday’s quarterfinal was more dramatic than the game.
“It’s just kind of what I do,” Hart said, shrugging.
Hart, 19, knows he is different. Some things just seemed fated, so it
makes sense that he is a Philadelphia Flyers draft pick. Philadelphia has
been home to some of hockey’s most eccentric netminders over the
years, from Ilya Bryzgalov to Roman Cechmanek to Robert Esche.
Even Flyers GM Ron Hextall, who drafted Hart 48th overall in 2016,
clanged his stick off his posts in a specific order during his playing
career.
Goaltenders have been different since the beginning of time, it’s just that
most don't offer a glimpse into their world.
But Hart is an open book. He called his breakfast habit “weird.” The truth
is he has been so routine-focused, working with a sports psychologist
since he was 10, that it doesn’t seem strange to him anymore.
Andersen on Hart's superstition: 'I don't know if that's a smart thing'
Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen discusses Team Canada
netminder Carter Hart's superstition of being the last one off the ice and
says he will need to change his routine in the NHL.
“I’ve had those things for a long time,” Hart said. “It’s just part of who I
am.”
It’s a routine that Team Canada coach Dominique Ducharme doesn’t
pretend to understand. He doesn’t wear a “lucky tie” on the bench.
“They’re all red, so I’m okay,” Ducharme said, laughing.
Ducharme has given his most important player license to do whatever is
necessary so long as “he’s ready to play and stops the puck.” Ducharme
knows how important Hart’s routine is to Team Canada’s overall success.
Because it isn’t a stretch to say Canada’s gold-medal hopes rest on
Hart’s shoulders.
The construction of this Canada team is different than most – ones
usually built on star power up front.
Instead, with a balanced attack and deep defence, the star of Team
Canada is in net. Hart is perhaps Team Canada’s best goaltender in two
decades. Vezina winner Carey Price and Calder winner Steve Mason
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
didn’t have near the .961 save percentage Hart posted in 1,000 minutes
with WHL Everett this season.
So far, Hart has delivered. Team Canada has the best save percentage
(.933) in this year’s tournament. Backup Colton Point blanked Slovakia in
his only start.
Like his breakfast, Hart won’t be changing his routine as the stakes get
higher. He said he is ready for whatever the Czech Republic throws at
him – even if they try to keep their backup goaltender on the ice for as
long as possible to try to throw him off.
“Sure,” Hart said. “If they want to, then I’ll just do what I did [against
Switzerland].”
Hart said no one had ever gone to that length to frustrate him until
Finland started the trend on Boxing Day.
“I’ve had one standoff in my life before this tournament,” Hart said. “Now
I’ve had two in this tournament.”
Hart’s teammates didn’t even notice his quirks until they saw it against
Finland. To them, whatever Hart does is only weird if it doesn’t work.
Must See: Hart plays 'last one off the ice' with Lehtinen
Canadian goaltender Carter Hart plays the waiting game with Finland's
backup Lassi Lehtinen, as both goalies attempt to be last to leave the ice
after the period.
“I think it’s funny,” captain Dillon Dube said. “When he came in the
dressing room [against Switzerland], we were laughing. Obviously they
were trying to do that. He’s not too worried about it. I think it’s just a
routine, it’s not a superstition. It’s not going to get him off his game.”
Hart didn’t go into the exact specifics of his daily routine – it may take too
long – but just about every moment leading up to a game is regimented.
His ritual is all based on time.
It reaches a crescendo when Hart raises his arms above his head just
before stepping on the ice.
“I just take a deep breath,” Hart explained.
For Hart, the purpose of the routine is to keep his mind busy so that he
isn’t focusing on the pressure, the stage or the stakes. When he was
barely facing any rubber against Switzerland, for example, Hart said he
tried to focus on something else. So he said he scanned the ice to find
which hand Switzerland’s shooters were.
“It’s to help with my focus and block out other distractions, really,” Hart
said.
He is far from the first athlete to be so routine oriented. Sidney Crosby
puts his equipment on in the same order every time. Baseball Hall of
Famer Wade Boggs would go for a run at exactly 7:17 before a 7:35
game. He said his 80 to 100-step routine “makes the day go by.”
A scoreboard operator in Toronto once flipped the clock from 7:16 to 7:18
in an attempt to knock Boggs through a loop. It didn’t work.
“If you try to upset my routine, then sorry,” Boggs told reporters. “If you
can’t respect that, then I feel sorry for the person trying to upset the
routine.”
Hart knows Switzerland won’t be the last team to try. Hart promised he
won’t be off-kilter if the Czech Republic – or anyone else – gets in the
way of his routine.
After all, Hart ate chicken and rice every day for lunch for three years. He
eventually changed it up, swapping rice for potatoes, and survived.
Just don’t ask him about dinner.
TSN.CA LOADED: 01.04.2018
1091454 Websites
USA TODAY / NHL's second-half story lines to WATCH: Disappointing
Penguins won't sit still
Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports Published 3:54 p.m. ET Jan. 3, 2018 |
Updated 5:01 p.m. ET Jan. 3, 2018
The surprising Vegas Golden Knights and the dominant Tampa Bay
Lightning were the top newsmakers in the first three months of the NHL
season.
Here are story lines we expect to be important in the second half of the
NHL season:
1. All eyes on the Penguins: Whether the two-time defending Stanley
Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins miss the playoffs or rediscover their
swagger, they will be a major story in the second half. With a 20-18-3
record, they are one point out of the playoff picture.
All we know for sure is that general manager Jim Rutherford, known for
aggressiveness, will not sit idly and watch the Penguins fall short of the
playoffs. Rutherford has already acquired defenseman Jamie Oleksiak
and he’s expected to make another move for a forward with some
scoring potential.
Phil Kessel is the only Penguin playing at the same level they were at
during the Penguins’ back-to-back title runs. The highly-skilled Penguins
rank second-to-last in five-on-five scoring. Their defensive play has been
inconsistent. Rutherford will likely try to bolster the bottom six forward
group to provide a spark.
2. McAvoy will climb in the polls: Most of the rookie of the year talk has
centered on forwards Clayton Keller, Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser.
Keller plays the game like Patrick Kane. Barzal is a dazzling skater with
magic in his hands. Boeser is a big shooter, currently on a pace to net 40
goals.
But count on Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy receiving more
Calder Trophy attention in the second half. McAvoy is playing 22:58
minutes per game for the Bruins and he’s been a primary factor in their
strong season.
He’s a two-way defenseman with 21 points in 38 games. He’s plus-10.
Points draw the most attention early in the Calder race, but McAvoy’s
value will begin to draw notice when members of the Professional
Hockey Writers Association start heavily researching who deserves the
award.
3. Ducks will take flight: The Anaheim Ducks' defensemen are all healthy.
Ryan Getzlaf is back and has eight points in his past five games. Ryan
Kesler is healthy. Corey Perry will be back soon.
After managing to stay afloat amid numerous injuries, the Ducks seem
ready to be the team they were last season when they were eliminated in
Game 6 of the Western Conference final by the Nashville Predators.
Beware of the Ducks in the second half of the season. They are starting
to look like a prime contender again. The Ducks have won five of their
last six games.
4. Wooing Tavares: Considering that Tavares remains unsigned, the
New York Islanders cannot afford to miss the playoffs this season.
What kind of message would that send to their captain?
The Islanders looked sharp early, but they are 5-9-2 since the start of
December.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 4, 2018
With two (Johnny Boychuk and Calvin de Haan) of their top four
defensemen injured and their goaltending posting a .893 save
percentage, fans will be waiting for GM Garth Snow to act.
With Tavares mulling his future, it seems likely Snow will make a splash.
5. Green’s popularity to grow: Several teams are looking an offensively-
gifted defenseman and the Detroit Red Wings' Mike Green, 32, is the
most intriguing puck mover in the marketplace.
He's on pace for a 45-50 point season, and he’s playing 22:39 per game.
He’s not a strong defender, but he can bolster a power play with his shot
and puck movement. He can also transition the puck out of his zone.
The Red Wings will trade Green because he will be an unrestricted free
agent on July 1. Early this season it seemed as if the Red Wings might
be able to land a second-round pick and a prospect for Green. Now, with
so many teams looking for a defenseman, it is not unthinkable the Red
Wings might be able to land a late first-round pick or a desirable
prospect.
Green seems like a good fit for the Edmonton Oilers if they believe they
can climb back in the playoff race.
USA TODAY LOADED: 01.04.2018