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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEFNHL 4/8/2013

Anaheim Ducks668695 A Kings-Ducks hockey game at Dodger Stadium edges

toward reality668696 Ducks' Corey Perry steps up with Ryan Getzlaf out668697 Ducks endure Kings' pressure, edge closer to playoff spot668698 DUCKS 4, KINGS 3 (SO): Ducks pluck out victory against

Kings in playoff-type matchup668699 Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf using walking boot668700 Kings, Ducks to play outdoor game at Dodger Stadium in

2014?

Boston Bruins668701 Bruins coach Claude Julien demotes Tyler Seguin to third

line668702 Tyler Seguin demoted to third line in Bruins' practice Sunday668703 Jaromir Jagr zigzags through lines668704 Bruins take aim at offense668705 Julien: Not yet on Krejci-Jagr pairing

Buffalo Sabres668706 Sabres notebook: Young players must fill leadership void668707 Gerbe, Miller lead Sabres to shootout victory668708 Postgame audio: Shootout survival668709 This time, it's for real: Leafs-Wings set for Jan. 1 at The Big

House668710 Sabres try to write 'same story' by runnin' past struggling

Devils668711 Buffalo Sabres win in a shootout668712 Rochester Amerks top Albany in shootout

Calgary Flames668713 Hall: Candid Baertschi pours out his feelings, demonstrates

he’s growing up fast668714 Reinharts revel in fairy-tale script for son Max’s first NHL

game668715 Game Day: Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche668716 Five questions for the Flames668717 Prospects should get look in coming weeks668718 Project: Draft 2013 for Flames668719 Baertschi recalled to Flames

Chicago Blackhawks668720 Blackhawks Game Day: Tied with Predators 1-1668721 Hawks' Quenneville riding hot hand in goal668722 Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery earned a Nashville rerun668723 ‘Good chance’ Patrick Sharp will be back in Blackhawks’

lineup Tuesday668724 Blackhawks first team in NHL to clinch playoff spot with 5-3

win668725 Saad’s maturity growing fast with Hawks teammates668726 Blackhawks first in West to win playoff berth668727 Blackhawks’ Shaw even provides some comic relief668728 Blackhawks host 'Hockey Fights Cancer Night'668729 Sharp, Bolland out for Hawks; Emery starts in net668730 Toews leads Blackhawks over Predators

Colorado Avalanche668733 Gabe Landeskog has support of teammates, Avalanche

organization668734 Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche preview

Columbus Blue Jackets668735 Wild 3, Blue Jackets 0: Killer instinct lacking668736 Bob Hunter commentary: No matter how you add it up,

Jackets all but eliminated668737 Blue Jackets notebook: Wild’s Backstrom rebounds with

shutout668738 NHL: Blue Jackets blanked by Wild

Dallas Stars668739 Jamie Benn's shootout goal completes Stars' comeback win

over red-hot Sharks668740 With Jagr out the door, Jamie Benn looking like his old self

again668741 As the world counts them out, Dallas Stars stepping up668742 With future in limbo, Dallas Stars' Glen Gulutzan trying to

focus on the present668743 He said it: Stars coach Glen Gulutzan after a 5-4 (SO) win in

San Jose668744 After impressive start, Lane MacDermid sits for Dallas Stars

with upper body injury668745 Stars scoring summary: Pair of helpers, shootout winner

caps big night for Jamie Benn668746 Benn, Lehtonen save Stars in shootout win

Detroit Red Wings668747 St. Louis 1, Detroit 0: Red Wings drop one point behind

Blues in standings668748 Red Wings getting a look at Riley Sheahan against Blues668749 Red Wings' downtime tight after late return from Colorado to

face Blues668750 It's a challenge keeping Red Wings' Johan Franzen pumped

up668751 Blues 1, Red Wings 0: Notes, quotes from Sunday's loss668752 Mike Babcock: Red Wings rookie Riley Sheahan needs

seasoning668753 Blues blank Wings, jump ahead in Western playoff chase668754 Winter Classic to start at 1 p.m.; Hockeytown Festival

schedule also announced668755 Red Wings changing composition of team on the fly668756 Blues, Brian Elliott edge Red Wings, 1-0, as Detroit is shut

out at home for first time in two years668757 Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs to meet in 2014

NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium668758 Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Did the NHL Winter Classic

lose some luster because it was postponed?668759 NHL Winter Classic to take on 'a lot more meaning' with Red

Wings, Maple Leafs in same division668760 Red Wings struggle to generate attack, lose again at home,

but Mike Babcock liked the effort668762 Loss to St. Louis drops Red Wings behind Blues in

standings

Edmonton Oilers668763 Edmonton Oilers ‘have to be more intense’ against talented

Ducks — captain Shawn Horcoff668764 Ducks’ pond may not be a safe place for Schultz668765 Are the Edmonton Oilers improving as the season

continues?668766 Oilers' Justin Schultz all business

Florida Panthers668767 Florida Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen stymies Ottawa

Senators668768 DINEEN OFFICIALLY UPSET: Panthers Coach Upset with

'Lack of Respect'668769 CLEMMENSEN STRONG ON SUNDAY: Panthers Beat

Anderson and Sens 2-1 Thanks to Great Start by Clemmensen

668770 Clemmensen stars in net and Kulikov scores to lift Panthers to 2-1 win over Sens

Los Angeles Kings668771 A Kings-Ducks hockey game at Dodger Stadium edges

toward reality668772 Kings see value even in 4-3 shootout loss to Ducks668773 DUCKS 4, KINGS 3 (SO): Ducks pluck out victory against

Kings in playoff-type matchup668774 Kings look fresh against Ducks despite playing day before668775 Kings, Ducks to play outdoor game at Dodger Stadium in

2014?668776 April 7 postgame notes668777 April 7 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter668778 April 7 postgame quotes: Bruce Boudreau668779 April 7 postgame quotes: Anze Kopitar668780 April 7 postgame quotes: Drew Doughty

Minnesota Wild668781 Wild signs Gophers leading scorer Erik Haula; Lineup

update vs. Blue Jackets668782 Wild gets big win in Columbus; Dany Heatley to undergo

shoulder surgery668783 Wild-Columbus game recap668784 Haula leaves U, signs two-year deal with Wild668785 Shoulder surgery could speed Heatley's return668786 Backstrom carries Wild past Blue Jackets668787 Wild beats Columbus, gets back on track668788 Minnesota Wild shuffle defensemen for Columbus, Marian

Gaborik668789 Minnesota Wild sign Gophers' Erik Haula668790 Minnesota Wild winger Dany Heatley to undergo shoulder

surgery668791 Wild 3, Blue Jackets 0: Minnesota ends three-game skid

Montreal Canadiens668792 Dave Stubbs: Habs' Eller tugs on Chara’s cape668793 Jack Todd: Bergevin’s best move? Therrien668794 In the Habs' Room: “We played a full 60 minutes” against

Bruins: Josh Gorges668795 Sunday a day of rest for Habs; Beaulieu recalled from

Bulldogs668796 Cory Conacher pots first goal as a Sen

Nashville Predators668797 Predators notebook: 'Excited' Austin Watson makes NHL

debut668798 Nashville Predators lose again to Chicago Blackhawks668799 Predators playoff hopes continue to fade with another defeat

New Jersey Devils668800 Devils’ Losing Streak Hits 7; Ovechkin Keeps Up His Pace668802 Devils' Lou Lamoriello: Ilya Kovalchuk will begin skating

soon668803 Devils shake up lineup: Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson to

face Sabres668804 Dainius Zubrus key to Devils' league-leading 10th

shorthanded goal668805 Devils' losing streak continues in 3-2 shootout loss to Sabres668806 As they play: Devils vs. Sabres at Buffalo668809 Devils notes: No timetable on Kovalchuk668810 Devils fall to Sabres, 3-2, in shootout668811 NJ Devils fall to Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, in shootout as Ryan

Miller stops 37 shots668812 Devs’ hopes dim as winless streak hits 7668813 Devils' woes continue as team fall to Sabres

New York Islanders668814 Islanders' confidence builds during strong playoff run

New York Rangers668815 Kadri at Center of Maple Leafs’ Turnaround668816 Maple Leafs and Red Wings Will Meet in Winter Classic

After All668817 NY Rangers, with red-hot power play, can make up ground

in playoff race against Maple Leafs668818 Rangers NHLPA player rep Martin Biron believes visors

eventually will become mandatory even if it doesn't happ668819 Richards now goal-oriented668820 New linemates help Rangers' Brad Richards snap funk668821 Rangers up next: at Maple Leafs668822 Improved special-teams play gives Rangers boost during

playoff push

NHL668823 Russia revelling as team on the rise

Ottawa Senators668824 Ottawa Senators drop fourth in a row to lowly Florida

Panthers668825 Coach Paul MacLean tells Ottawa Senators players no more

kid stuff

Philadelphia Flyers668826 Bad timing for Flyers668827 Flyers sign second round pick668828 Barely in playoff hunt, Flyers face crucial game vs. Islanders668829 Flyers might be doomed by 6:28 glitch668830 Eric Wellwood leaves Phantoms game with injured lower leg668831 With 10 games to go, a daunting task668832 With just 10 games to go, task daunting668833 Jets end Flyers' four-game win streak668834 Flyers Storylines: With 10 games left, no margin for error668835 Flyers sign Mark Alt to entry-level contract668836 Flyers Notes: Steve Mason makes his debut668837 Flyers got what they needed with minor moves668838 Flyers still have a path to the playoffs

Phoenix Coyotes668839 Phoenix Coyotes go on road in chase of Stanley Cup playoff

spot668840 NHL hoping to keep Coyotes in Phoenix668841 Bettman: More interest in Coyotes than ever

Pittsburgh Penguins668842 Morrow’s value to Pens should come in playoffs668843 Penguins clinch playoff berth668844 Penguins recall rookie winger Beau Bennett668845 Connecticut invades Frozen Four with Quinnipiac and Yale668846 Adams a cool cat killing penalties for Penguins668847 Penguins secure playoff spot as New Jersey loses to Buffalo

San Jose Sharks668848 San Jose Sharks lose in shootout 5-4 to Dallas Stars668849 Sharks lose to Stars 5-4 in shootout668850 McLellan: 'I didn’t like our game, basically, the whole night'668851 Torres: 'They made it easy for me'

St Louis Blues668852 Blues, Elliott blank Detroit 1-0668853 Hockey Guy: Elliott stands tall in Motown668854 Blues could soon be adding Jaskin668855 Blues grind out shutout win behind Elliott

Tampa Bay Lightning668856 Lightning defenseman Ohlund mulls retirement668857 Lightning lose crucial ground in loss to Capitals668858 Lightning loses to Capitals668859 Lightning's Ohlund ponders how to retire

Toronto Maple Leafs668860 Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul returns to the ice668861 Winter Classic do-over: Maple Leafs to battle Red Wings in

2014 game668862 Maple Leafs: Inexperienced James Reimer faces battled-hardened Henrik Lundqvist in game against Rangers668863 Leafs can impact New York teams' hopes668864 Maple Leafs accustomed to pressure668865 Lupul back on the ice668866 Leafs to play in Winter Classic668867 Injured Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul skates with team, but no

timetable for return

Vancouver Canucks668868 Canucks Notebook: Kesler 'itching' for a return to game

action668869 Vigneault, Henrik are milestone men in win over Flames668870 Canucks Hat Trick: More Cory glory, Zack back on attack,

the Kesler countdown 2.0668871 Canucks’ Schneider in a happy place

Washington Capitals668872 Alex Ovechkin’s offensive tear continues with hat trick

against Panthers668873 Capitals want to learn from lackluster finish against Panthers668874 Brooks Laich, Martin Erat to miss Capitals’ game vs.

Lightning668875 Alex Ovechkin scores empty-net goal668876 Capitals vs. Lightning: Alex Ovechkin scores two more goals

as Washington tops Tampa Bay, 4-2668877 Capitals’ defenseman Mike Green looks to be back in an

offensive groove668878 Capitals notes: Brooks Laich to see specialist about latest

injury668879 Alex Ovechkin leads way as Caps win fourth straight668880 Alex Ovechkin stays hot as Capitals take sole possession of

first place

Websites668888 USA TODAY / Winter Classic details announced

Winnipeg Jets668881 Jets sign netminder Olkinuora668882 Keeping tabs on Byfuglien's minutes668883 Jets notes668884 Buff just 'sitting around a lot' now668885 It's all about intensity now668886 College stopper on Chevy's list signs up668887 Weird week for Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129

668695 Anaheim Ducks

A Kings-Ducks hockey game at Dodger Stadium edges toward reality

Details are still being worked out, but plans call for a regular-season game on Jan. 25, 2014, using the NHL's portable rink and refrigeration equipment. Community events would be part of the project.

Helene Elliott

5:02 PM PDT, April 7, 2013

An outdoor game between the Kings and the Ducks, to be played amid the palm trees and history of Dodger Stadium, is moving closer to reality.

Details are still being negotiated but plans call for the teams to face off in a regular-season game on Jan. 25, 2014, using the portable rink and refrigeration equipment the NHL owns and has deployed at sites such as Chicago's Wrigley Field and Boston's Fenway Park.

A formal announcement is tentatively set for April 17 or 18. The NHL Players' Assn. must approve components of the plan and the NHL and the Dodgers must agree on financial aspects, including the division of revenue, but no snags have cropped up that appear big enough to derail a project the Kings have energetically promoted.

The game would be played at night to avoid sun on the ice. The rink could be in place a week before and a week afterward to stage community events, minor-league games or alumni games with Dodger Stadium as a stunning backdrop. The Kings are considering designing a special commemorative uniform that would be worn only for that game.

The Kings and New York Rangers played an exhibition game in the parking lot outside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1991, memorable for the ice being overrun by grasshoppers. The NHL has since favored cold-weather cities for outdoor games, but advances in technology and the novelty of a game in Southern California won over skeptics who opposed a warm-weather site.

The game between the Kings and Ducks would be the first of two outdoor games that weekend. The second would be played Jan. 26 in New York, with Yankee Stadium the preferred venue.

John Collins, the NHL's chief operating officer, and Don Renzulli, the NHL's senior vice president of events, visited Los Angeles in early March to discuss logistics for an outdoor game, and talks continued from there. A league executive declined to comment Sunday.

As expected, the NHL on Sunday announced the Detroit Red Wings will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2014, at Michigan Stadium. That matchup was scheduled to take place this year but was a casualty of the lockout.

Trade winds

Rick Nash couldn't wait to get out of Columbus and join the New York Rangers. But Marian Gaborik waived his no-trade clause to leave New York and join the Blue Jackets, an odd turn of events before last Wednesday's trade deadline.

Who won and who lost in all those trades?

The Penguins made the biggest splash by acquiring Jarome Iginla from Calgary for a first-round draft pick and two mid-level prospects, as well as adding winger Brenden Morrow from Dallas and defenseman Douglas Murray from San Jose. Acquiring center Jussi Jokinen from Carolina for a conditional draft pick also might prove important while Sidney Crosby recovers from a broken jaw. Not only did the Penguins get a player who could play on their top line and is one of the NHL's top shootout snipers, they got Carolina to pay part of Jokinen's salary through next season.

The Blue Jackets enhanced their speed and credibility by giving up Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and defenseman John Moore for Gaborik, who is signed through next season. They probably won't make the playoffs this season but they have given fans hope, and there's no price tag on that.

"It's going to be fine. I feel good about this," Gaborik told reporters in Columbus following his debut.

The Rangers wanted some aggressiveness and got it in Ryane Clowe at the price of three draft picks in 2013 and 2014. The Kings did well to obtain defenseman Robyn Regehr from Buffalo for second-round draft picks in 2014 and 2015 and hope to re-sign him after this season. With new doubt hanging over Willie Mitchell's ability to return from knee problems, Regehr could stabilize the Kings' defense and penalty killing for a while.

Vancouver added depth up the middle by acquiring free-agent-to-be Derek Roy from Dallas, but he's small — 5-foot-9 — and that won't help in the physical West. The Minnesota Wild got a two-way talent in Jason Pominville, acquiring the former Buffalo captain and a fourth-round draft pick in 2014 for goalie Matt Hackett, forward Johan Larsson, a first-round pick in 2013 and a second-round pick in 2014.

Among the biggest losers is Calgary, which waited too long to begin an overhaul. The Flames got little for Iginla, couldn't persuade goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to accept a trade to Toronto, and got only a conditional first-round pick and two so-so prospects for defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. "I should have had the intellectual honesty even earlier and said, 'This isn't working,' " General Manager Jay Feaster told reporters in Calgary. "So shame on me, but I'm making sure we're going to correct that going forward."

Buffalo is retooling and might be forced to trade forward Thomas Vanek and goalie Ryan Miller before they become free agents. And Nashville, once considered a good place to play, has become a place to leave. Martin Erat wanted out and was dealt to Washington for promising forward Filip Forsberg, defenseman Ryan Suter left as an unrestricted free agent last summer, and defenseman Shea Weber signed a 14-year, $110-million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers before the Predators matched it. They've always been competitive, but small markets have limitations and the Predators might have reached theirs, sad to say.

LA Times: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Ducks' Corey Perry steps up with Ryan Getzlaf out

Perry scores in regulation and makes the winning shootout shot as captain Getzlaf sits out the Ducks' 4-3 victory over the Kings.

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

11:15 PM PDT, April 7, 2013

Corey Perry is linked with Ryan Getzlaf by more than just their membership on the Ducks' first line.

So when Perry's close friend remained sidelined Sunday against the Kings by a leg injury, it was clear who was carrying the heaviest burden in the captain's absence.

Consider a regulation goal and the winning shootout shot proper compensation.

"When you don't have your top guy out there, everyone knows there's going to be holes and roles to fill," Perry said after the 4-3 victory at Honda Center moved the Ducks (26-8-5) nine points ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champions in the Pacific Division standings.

Perry gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead late in the second period, taking an Andrew Cogliano pass and beating Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier to his right in a one-on-one battle.

With the Ducks up, 2-1, in the shootout, Perry again went to Bernier's right for the winner, soiling the goalie's 9-0 record as a starter.

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick also let all three shots past him in the team's most recent shootout, a March 30 loss at Minnesota.

"Just tried to mix it up," Perry said of his fifth shootout goal this season. "I've done a bunch of stuff throughout the year … just trying to find holes."

The dagger?

No Duck was willing to call the Kings dead in the Pacific Division standings, but they certainly are feeling strongly about their nine-point lead with nine games remaining.

"They've been playing well; everyone knew they were hitting their stride," Perry said. "It's huge. If we continue to put teams behind us, we're going to be in good position going forward and building confidence going into the playoffs."

Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau called it "a big win," considering only two of their remaining games are against teams in playoff position.

In the Kings' dressing room, defenseman Drew Doughty said his team's 38-22 disparity in shots on goal proved "we outplayed them.

"I don't think there's any doubt about that. … We came back three times down a goal. That shows a lot of character and how bad we want to win. It's just too bad we didn't get both" points.

A game after allowing an embarrassing short-handed goal by his net, Ducks goaltender Viktor Fasth stopped 35 shots.

Getzlaf status

Getzlaf sat out his second consecutive game because "we want him to heal as much as possible," Boudreau said before the game.

Afterward, Boudreau said Getzlaf's eligibility for Monday's home game against Edmonton would hinge on a morning skate conversation.

"Ryan, can you play?" Boudreau said he'd ask. "And we'll go from there."

Slap shots

Kings center Jeff Carter scored his fifth regulation goal in six games and added a shootout goal. … Ducks defenseman Sheldon Souray had two assists and was positioned to pass Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz for the NHL lead in plus/minus goals differential while on the ice until Dustin Brown scored with 3:45 left to force overtime.

MONDAY VS. EDMONTON

When: 7.

Where: Honda Center.

On the Air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830.

Record vs. Oilers: 0-0.

Etc.: Left wing Taylor Hall has 28 assists for the Oilers.



Ducks endure Kings' pressure, edge closer to playoff spot

By ERIC STEPHENS

ANAHEIM – Three months of impressive work by the Ducks in this blur of a compacted and shortened season was narrowed down to one defining game against the Kings on Sunday night.

Like their current battle to claim their second Pacific Division title, the Ducks were forced to hold off the hard-charging Stanley Cup champions and 65 minutes weren't enough to get the job done.

Three shootout goals were.

Bobby Ryan, Saku Koivu and Corey Perry all scored against Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier and the Ducks walked away with two critical points and an important 4-3 victory in front of an overflow crowd of 17,494 at Honda Center.

Bernier made 19 stops but was powerless against Ryan, Koivu and Perry and the Ducks (26-8-5) got the extra point to build their division lead to nine points over the Kings (22-13-4) with nine games left in the regular season.

It also got the Ducks closer to clinching a playoff spot, perhaps on Wednesday night against Colorado.

"They've been playing well," said Perry, who had a second-period goal. "Everybody knows they're hitting their stride at the right time. We knew it was going to be an emotional big man's game out here.

"When you can come away with a big win like that, it's huge."

Matt Beleskey gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead with his first career power-play goal early in the third period after Bernier couldn't cleanly glove Sheldon Souray's slap shot from the point.

But even though they played Saturday and beat Edmonton in an afternoon affair, the Kings looked like the fresher team in the third and it paid off.

Consistent pressure ultimately led to the Kings forging a third tie with 3:45 left as Dustin Brown batted in a loose puck for his 15th goal of the season after he and linemates Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams hemmed the Ducks in their end.

"We did it three times," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said of erasing one-goal deficits. "Can't complain about that. Heck of a game."

Jeff Carter got the only shootout goal for the Kings (22-13-4). Viktor Fasth made 35 saves through regulation and overtime for the Ducks.

Playing without injured captain Ryan Getzlaf for the second straight game, the Ducks grabbed a rare first-period lead on a goal by Kyle Palmieri and never trailed in compensating for their center's absence. Getzlaf has a leg injury.

"I think everybody quite frankly stepped up a little bit today and knew that we didn't play a very good game against Dallas the other night," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We wanted to prove that we were capable of playing without Ryan Getzlaf."

Said Souray: "We needed that just for the team, just for the psyche. He's a world-class player and he means so much to us."

The Kings maintained their current No. 4 spot in the West, one point ahead of division mate San Jose and four more than Minnesota and St. Louis. They outshot the Ducks, 16-5, in the third period and, 38-22, for the game.

"I think we dominated the whole game," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. "The only thing that is frustrating is we only get one point rather than two. We definitely deserved the two points.

"We outplayed them. I think there's no doubt in anybody's mind about that."

The tense, physical affair only created more visions of the first playoff series between the Southern California rivals located just 40 miles apart.

"That's long-term thinking," Souray said. "We've got more short-term goals. We still have a long way to go to fine-tune our game before the playoffs start, no matter who it is.

"There's reasons to play before that. We'll take care of those things before we get ahead of ourselves."

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.08.2013


DUCKS 4, KINGS 3 (SO): Ducks pluck out victory against Kings in playoff-type matchup

By Elliott Teaford, Staff Writer

Posted: 04/07/2013 11:30:34 PM PDT

It sure looked and sounded like a Stanley Cup playoff game when the Ducks and the Kings tangled Sunday night at the Honda Center, with the teams trading highlight-reel caliber scoring chances and molar-rattling checks on almost every rush down the ice.

The Kings rallied not once, not twice, but three times to force the Ducks into overtime and then a shootout. Corey Perry won it for the Ducks in the shootout, whistling a quick shot past Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier in the third round for a 4-3 victory.

Matt Beleskey's power-play goal gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead early in the third period, but Kings team captain Dustin Brown swatted a loose puck out of midair and into the back of the net to tie it 3-3 in the closing minutes of regulation time.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter conceded the Pacific Division race to the Ducks after his team's 4-1 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at Staples Center.

Sutter apparently forgot to tell his players, because they refused to surrender anything to the Ducks on Sunday.

Give the Ducks an inch and they might take a mile.

Playing without leading scorer and team captain Ryan Getzlaf for the second consecutive game because of a right leg injury suffered Wednesday, the Ducks jumped ahead of the Kings on Kyle Palmieri's goal only 2:54 into the game.

The Kings countered with Drew Doughty's power-play goal on a blast from near the left point 5:59 into the second period. Perry put the Ducks ahead 2-1

with a goal off a breakaway, but Jeff Carter tied it for the Kings with his team-leading 23 rd goal of the season.

Each of the previous games was decided in the third period, with the Ducks winning 7-4 in Anaheim on Feb. 2 and the Kings taking a 5-2 victory Feb. 25 in Los Angeles. So, it figured the teams would have to settle matters in the final period again.

LA Daily News: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf using walking boot


Posted: 04/07/2013 10:09:49 PM PDT

Team captain Ryan Getzlaf has been using a walking boot since suffering a right leg injury during the Ducks' victory Wednesday over the Dallas Stars, coach Bruce Boudreau said before his team's 4-3 shootout victory over the Kings on Sunday at the Honda Center.

Getzlaf's status for tonight's game against the Edmonton Oilers won't be known he until he and Boudreau have the same morning conversation they've had since Thursday. Getzlaf didn't play in Friday's loss to the Stars or Sunday's win over the Kings.

"I'm not giving him any days off," Boudreau said. "If he can play, he's playing. That's it. We need him. So, when he's ready to play, he'll play.

It's not Bruce giving him a day off because he's hurting. It's Bruce, saying, `Ryan, can you play? Yep, OK, then you're playing."'



Kings, Ducks to play outdoor game at Dodger Stadium in 2014?


Posted: 04/07/2013 06:29:04 PM PDT

Hockey pucks and Dodger Dogs, anyone?

The NHL is working to stage an outdoor game between the Kings and the Ducks next season at Dodger Stadium, a Kings spokesman confirmed Sunday. The game would be played on a January night in order to ensure the best possible ice conditions on the NHL's portable rink.

"It's still in the planning stages and nothing is certain, but there is an aggressive plan to make it happen," said Mike Altieri, Kings vice president of communications and broadcasting, in an email. Altieri declined further comment.

Said Tim Ryan, Ducks executive vice president and chief operating officer: "There is nothing confirmed, but we would certainly have interest in being in the game." The NHL has held outdoor games for many years, but all but one of them have been contested in cold-weather cities like Boston, Chicago and Edmonton.

Playing a game in downtown Los Angeles, even in winter, would present unique challenges, however.

In fact, the Kings played outdoors one other time, facing the New York Rangers on a make-shift rink set up in the parking lot of a Las Vegas hotel in 1991. The ice conditions were poor because of high temperatures and there was a mid-game bug infestation, as well.

The league announced Sunday an outdoor game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs would be played next season at Michigan Stadium on the University of Michigan campus. Other outdoor games, including one at Dodger Stadium,

reportedly are in the works, too.


668701 Boston Bruins

Bruins coach Claude Julien demotes Tyler Seguin to third line

By Michael Vega

Globe Staff / April 7, 2013

WILMINGTON — After being demoted midway through the first period of Saturday night’s 2-1 loss at Montreal, moving from second-line center to third-line wing, Tyler Seguin found himself wearing a gray sweater and skating on the third line along with Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly, and Jay Pandolfo during Sunday’s practice at Ristuccia Arena.

With Patrice Bergeron out indefinitely with a concussion, Seguin had been forced to make an adjustment and center Brad Marchand and Jaromir Jagr on the second line. But when he struggled with that assignment, Seguin was dropped to the third line with Paille and Gregory Campbell, who earned a promotion and skated with Marchand and Jagr on the second line in practice in preparation for Monday night’s game against the Hurricanes at TD Garden.

“Right now, I don’t think we’ve got a [No.] 1, 2, 3 or 4 [line],’’ coach Claude Julien said. “As you can see, there are good players on every line. We move players around a little bit, maybe to balance things for the time being. But right now it’s about playing your game as an individual; you shouldn’t care where you are, you should care what you bring.’’

Seguin declined to speak with reporters following practice, saying he had been told not to talk.

“He’s been fine like that,’’ Julien said when asked how Seguin handled his demotion. “There are no issues. I don’t feel like I have to explain myself to every player for every move that I make.

“They understand that we’re trying to win here and that’s all that should matter.”

Asked about Seguin’s play the last two games — no goals, no assists, three shots, including none in 16:15 minutes of ice time against the Canadiens — Julien replied, “I’m not into making assessments. I’m not into throwing players under the bus. I’m into making them better players, so if there are some issues, I’ll talk to them individually.’’

Julien said his reasoning behind his shuffling of the lines was “to get some flow going consistently to keep the momentum of the game going in our favor.”

Asked if was difficult to break up his top line of Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton, Julien said, “They were our best line [Saturday], so it’s hard to break up that line. Right now I’m trying to fix the other lines that aren’t bringing much for the time being, so that’s where I stand with that.’’

Getting it to net

Given how Saturday night’s game ended, with the Bruins attempting nary a shot during a six-on-four advantage over the last 57 seconds, Julien made getting the puck on net a point of heavy emphasis during practice.

“We didn’t shoot pucks [Saturday night],’’ Julien said. “We shot pucks today. It’s as simple as that. I’ll say it again, it was disappointing as a coach to watch that, to have the puck in their own end the whole time and not having a shot.”

“Sometimes we tend to look for the perfect plays, but there was no excuse. There is no excuse for us not creating a shot. We looked at it over again, and we could’ve easily had five great opportunities to put pucks on the net and we didn’t.

“The power-play work [Sunday] was about making sure we got pucks to the net and that’s what we did.’’

Finding his way

After the Bruins acquired Jagr last Wednesday, it seems Julien has had some difficulty finding a spot for the future Hall of Famer, who has yet to be paired with his fellow Czech teammate, Krejci. “We’re short on centermen, so it’s not about finding a place for Jags,’’ Julien said. “Because, again, it’s really not about Jags. We didn’t get him to build the team around him. We

got him to fill in a spot we think will help us. When guys are back and we have a healthy team, he’ll be in a spot where I think he’ll be good.’’ . . . Defenseman Adam McQuaid, who was expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a shoulder strain, was back on the ice, skating with the team for the first time since suffering his injury. “He started skating and didn’t take much contact today,’’ Julien said. “He’s not in [Monday], if that’s what you want to know, but he’s progressing and going in the right direction.’’ . . . Chris Kelly, who missed his 14th straight game Saturday night after breaking his left tibia March 11, was also back on the ice, skating with the team in a full practice for the second time since injuring his leg. “Same thing, he’s doing well,’’ said Julien, who indicated Kelly’s status remained day-to-day. “We’ll see how things go with the medical staff, because I still need the clearance from them, but he practiced a little harder [Sunday] and so he’s inching closer and closer every day.’’

Michael Vega

Boston Globe LOADED: 04.08.2013


Tyler Seguin demoted to third line in Bruins' practice Sunday

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

WILMINGTON – Tyler Seguin, who was moved back to wing from center midway through the first period of Saturday night's 2-1 loss at Montreal, found himself wearing a grey sweater and skating on the third line along with Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Jay Pandolfo.

With Patrice Bergeron out indefinitely with a concussion, Bruins coach Claude Julien has had to shuffle his lines to stoke production out of his players, including Seguin, who declined to discuss his demotion following Sunday's practice at Ristuccia Arena.

"We move players around a little bit, maybe to balance things for the time being,'' Julien said. "But right now it’s about playing your game as an individual; you shouldn’t care where you are, you should care what you bring.

"He’s been fine like that. There’s no issues. I don’t feel like I have to explain myself to every player for every move that I make. They understand that we’re trying to win here and that’s all that should matter.''

Asked how he viewed Seguin's play the last two games, Julien replied, "I'm not into making assessments. I’m not into throwing players under the bus. I’m into making them better players, so if there’s some issues, I’ll talk to them individually.''

Seguin, who had been switched from wing to center Brad Marchand and Jaromir Jagr when Patrice Bergeron was injured, was dropped down to the third line with Paille, and Gregory Campbell was promoted to center Marchand and Jagr on the second line in Sunday's practice at Ristuccia Arena in preparation for Monday night's home game against the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden.

In other news:

• Adam McQuaid, who was expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a shoulder strain, was back on the ice and skated with the team for the first time since suffering his injury.

• Chris Kelly (broken left tibia), who traveled with the team to Montreal and sat out for the 14th straight game Saturday, was also back on the ice, skating with the team. On Friday, when Kelly skated for the first time with the team, coach Claude Julien indicated his status was "day to day."

Boston Globe LOADED: 04.08.2013


Jaromir Jagr zigzags through lines

Monday, April 8, 2013

Matt Kalman, Bruins Notebook

WILMINGTON — Jaromir Jagr’s first stop upon joining the Bruins via trade last week was on the right wing, with Tyler Seguin as his center.

After his team’s slow start to Saturday’s loss to the Canadiens in Montreal, coach Claude Julien shifted Jagr to a line with Gregory Campbell at center. During practice yesterday at Ristuccia Arena, Jagr was still skating with Campbell, but with Brad Marchand on the left wing instead of Daniel Paille.

So at least for the near future, it appears Julien is going to stay away from connecting Czech Republic natives Jagr and center David Krejci.

“I know a lot of people would like to see that because they played together (on the Czech Olympic team). I never say no, I don’t think. . . . We’ll see,” Julien said yesterday. “I think I’m waiting to get that puzzle to be put together as far as getting our guys healthy and then at that point I think we’ll have a better idea of that.”

Julien hasn’t had his full arsenal of forwards lately with Patrice Bergeron (concussion) joining Chris Kelly (broken leg) on the shelf. Kelly is nearing a return.

Despite little to show for their efforts on the scoresheet of late, Julien has also given the line of Krejci centering Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton passing grades.

“We want to keep the momentum going,” Julien said. “You’ve got Krejci’s line coming out there and brining some good flow and then we’ve got some lines that there just was no flow to it. So we’re trying to get some flow going on a consistent basis here to keep the momentum of the game going in our favor.”

Kelly’s close

Kelly was pretty close to playing Saturday in Montreal, but Julien is still waiting on medical clearance to use the center.

“He practiced a little harder (yesterday) so he’s inching closer and closer every day,” Julien said.

Kelly has been out since March 11, but he has been skating for about a week. . . .Defenseman Adam McQuaid joined the full squad for practice for the first time since he strained his shoulder March 19 in Winnipeg. McQuaid was ruled out for tonight’s game at the Garden against the Carolina Hurricanes but is progressing, according to Julien.

No news on Bergy

Tomorrow will mark a full week since Bergeron suffered the fourth concussion of his NHL career.

“No updates on him,” Julien said. “(General manager) Peter (Chiarelli) said we’ll give you guys some updates on him when it’s warranted. We certainly don’t want to be answering the same question every day with a situation that’s very unknown and could be good one day, bad the next.

“So we’ll certainly update you guys when the news starts getting positive, and he’s heading in the right direction.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 04.08.2013


Bruins take aim at offense

Team goal: Createbetter scoring bids


Matt Kalman

WILMINGTON — There’s offense to be had from the Bruins’ 23 skaters that practiced yesterday at Ristuccia Arena.

Coach Claude Julien is convinced of it.

One of the few ways he has at his disposal to try to squeeze more goals out of his club is again juggling the lines. However, an offense that has scored two or fewer goals in eight of the last 11 games probably won’t score more without a change in mindset.

“We need to find ways to score more goals,” Julien said after a practice focused on scoring chances and shots on net. “Our group here is capable of scoring more goals. And we know there’s some guys that aren’t scoring that normally score. And it’s been a bit of a story for us this year. So we’ve got to find ways to get them to produce and a lot of it is support and a lot of it is wanting to take pucks to the net, whether it’s carrying it, via shots or being passing it with net-front presence. So I think we can do a lot of those things that will help us get more offense.”

The Bruins woke up yesterday after their 2-1 loss Saturday night in Montreal to the first-place Canadiens with the league’s 14th-ranked offense at 2.65 goals per game.

Milan Lucic heads into tonight’s game at the Garden against the Carolina Hurricanes having scored once in his last 22 games. Brad Marchand has scored twice in his last 17 and Tyler Seguin has two goals in his last 10. The latest incarnation of the forward lines featured Marchand skating with Gregory Campbell and newcomer Jaromir Jagr. Seguin skated on right wing with combinations featuring Jay Pandolfo, Daniel Paille and Chris Kelly, who is hoping to return in short order from a broken leg. Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton stayed together.

Kelly and Patrice Bergeron’s injuries, in addition to the trade for Jagr, have discombobulated things a bit.

“That shouldn’t be an excuse,” Lucic said. “But it’s just bearing down when we get those chances. I think we’ve done an all right job of creating. But it’s just bearing down. . . . It’s a mindset and all that, so hopefully we can get a couple here that can get something going in the right direction.”

The B’s lack of determination to create offense is evident beyond the scoring numbers. The league’s 24th-ranked power play takes a lot of heat. Maybe it would be better if the Bruins weren’t last in the league with just 97 power-play opportunities this season. Teams that pay the price and bear down tend to draw more penalties. Teams that score more can also avoid losing four one-goal decisions like the Bruins did in last spring’s first round of the playoffs.

Julien has made his moves. Now it’s the players’ turn, whether they like the maneuvers or not.

“It’s out of our control,” Marchand said. “Sometimes the coach feels like it’s going to spark the guys to switch things up — and hopefully that’s the case. But again, it’s out of our control, we don’t have any say, so whatever the lines are we just go out and work the same way and try to contribute.”



Julien: Not yet on Krejci-Jagr pairing

Matt Kalman

WILMINGTON — Bruins coach Claude Julien is well aware that many are clamoring for Czech Republic natives David Krejci and Jaromir Jagr to skate on the same line in an effort to spark an offense that’s scored two or fewer goals in eight of the Bruins’ last 11 games.

But with Patrice Bergeron and Chris Kelly out with injuries, and Krejci’s line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton playing well (albeit with little production), Julien’s staying away from a Krejci-Jagr marriage.

Jagr skated most of the loss in Montreal Saturday night with Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell. Even at Sunday’s practice, the latest line changes had Jagr skating with Brad Marchand and Gregory Campbell while Krejci’s line stayed intact.

“I know a lot of people would like to see that because they played together (on the Czech Olympic team),” Julien said. “I never say no, I don’t think. ... We’ll see. I think I’m waiting to get that puzzle to be put together as far as getting our guys healthy and then at that point I think we’ll have a better idea of that.”

Horton has gone two games without a goal after scoring four straight. Krejci is point-less in his last two and Lucic has scored just one goal in his last 22 games. Still, Julien is leery of breaking up that trio.

“We want to keep the momentum going," he said. "You’ve got Krejci’s line coming out there and bringing some good flow and then we’ve got some lines that there just was no flow to it. So we’re trying to get some flow going on a consistent basis here to keep the momentum of the game going in our favor.”


668706 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres notebook: Young players must fill leadership void

By Mike Harrington | News Sports Reporter | @BNHarrington

on April 7, 2013 - 11:47 PM

, updated April 7, 2013 at 11:47 PM

There are still points to try to earn, a long shot playoff berth for the Buffalo Sabres to push for. But the last 10 games are about much more than that. It can be the first look at a new core.

A player like Christian Ehrhoff is on a long-term contract. So is Tyler Myers. And others like Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson and Andrej Sekera can all start to take much more of the reins than they have in the past.

“I was just thinking about this the other day,” Ennis said prior to Sunday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.. “The first team I was on here when we went to the playoffs (2009-10), there’s just a handful of guys left. It’s kind of strange.

“It’s definitely got to be a group of us now stepping up to make a difference. It’s there for us. I know we’re a committed, focused group and that’s not going to be an issue. We just have to take advantage of it and get this team where it needs to be.”

“The next wave of players is coming,” said Steve Ott, often mentioned as a captain possibility next season. “That’s kind of going to be their team going forward here. Even when I’m gone, you’d hope these guys will be here for a long time and continue to be solid hockey players. It’s their turn to take the next step to become leaders on and off the ice.”

Myers is in the first year of his seven-year extension and has struggled for large stretches of the season. But he knows the trades of Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr off the blue line and captain Jason Pominville sends a message that the younger players need to seize control.

“It’s certainly leaning towards that direction it seems,” Myers said. “It’s a much younger team already with the three guys that we lost. There’s always talk and rumors about Thomas Vanek and [Ryan Miller] and their situations too. We’ll cross that bridge when that time comes.

“There’s guys in the room that are going to have to step up, not only on the ice but to take a leadership position in the room.”

Interim coach Ron Rolston said watching the dressing room dynamic will be one of the unique elements of the final 10 games.

“They’re in a situation now where for them it’s to be the next core of leaders coming up for us,” Rolston said. “And before you can be a leader in any capacity, you’ve got to be consistent. You’ve got to take care of your own game because if you’re not, there’s not a lot of people who are going to follow you if you can’t be consistent.”

While the Leopold and Regehr trades were pretty much expected, Myers admitted he was shaken by the loss of Pominville, a player he’s seen every day since his NHL career began in 2009.

“It was definitely pretty strange not seeing him come into the rink the next morning,” Myers said. “I know what he meant to this organization being here so long, being the person he was and the player he was.”

After a brutal start to the season, Myers entered Sunday plus-3 in the last four games and averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time in them. Ennis, meanwhile, was trying to shake a seven-game goal drought.

“You have to worry about getting better,” Ennis said. “You look at the standings and you know where you are. There’s been a lot of changes all year but you have to get better in areas every day. You improve in those areas and as a whole everything starts to get better. I think we’re seeing a little bit of that right now.”

...

Thomas Vanek missed his sixth straight game with an upper body muscle strain and did not even take the morning skate but Rolston said the Sabres’ leading scorer has not suffered a setback.

“We wanted to give him today off completely because he’s been out there a lot,” Rolston said. “Just wanted to give him the complete rest day off so he’ll be back out there [today].”

Rolston said he’s still holding out hope Vanek can play Tuesday in Winnipeg. The Sabres have no extra players on hand so the only ones not in the lineup Sunday were Vanek and fellow injured forward Ville Leino.

Former Sabres defenseman Henrik Tallinder was a scratch for the Devils after playing the last four games. Tallinder, in the third season of a four-year, $13.5 million contract, has one goal and three assists in 18 games with a plus-3 rating.

...

Goaltender Matt Hackett, acquired from Minnesota in the Pominville trade, had a huge debut Sunday for the Rochester Amerks in a 3-2 shootout win over Albany. Hackett made 39 saves in the game and stopped all three Albany attempts in the shootout.

Zemgus Girgensons, Buffalo’s second No. 1 pick last June, scored a short-handed goal with 4:25 left to force overtime. Girgensons has five goals for the Amerks.

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.08.2013


Gerbe, Miller lead Sabres to shootout victory

Buffalo hears the boos as Devils control play

By Mike Harrington | News Sports Reporter | @BNHarrington

on April 7, 2013 - 10:41 PM

, updated April 7, 2013 at 11:45 PM

If the First Niagara Center ice was a pinball machine, the New Jersey Devils would have been guilty of a tilt most of Sunday night.

There were multiple stretches where the Devils hemmed the Buffalo Sabres in their own zone, and a couple that lasted more than two minutes. The play was so interminable and the crowd was so restless the Sabres were getting Bronx cheers just for getting the puck out over their own blue line.

The Sabres were outshot, 39-26, in the game and even gave up yet another short-handed goal. But they didn’t fall apart mentally in the kind of spots they crumbled in earlier in the season. They were physical at plenty of key times and got great goaltending from Ryan Miller.

When Nathan Gerbe beat Martin Brodeur for the only goal of the shootout, they somehow pulled out a 3-2 win over the Devils in one of the stranger games the crowd of 18,703 has seen in a long time.

“Resilient is what it was,” said interim coach Ron Rolston. “We got through it and didn’t break. It worked out all right.”

The Sabres have won three straight for the third time this year and pulled within four points of the idle New York Islanders for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

The defending East champion Devils, meanwhile, are in complete panic mode. They are ninth, and winless in seven games (0-3-4) for the first time since November 2001.

Buffalo got a first-period goal from Patrick Kaleta – his first in 53 games dating to last February – and a second-period tally from Steve Ott. Jochen Hecht and Cody Hodgson got full marks for great passes.

The Sabres took that 2-1 lead into the third but the Devils got even at 5:46 on a short-handed goal by defenseman Mark Fayne, his first goal of the season. As Dainius Zubrus skated unimpeded through the Buffalo zone and behind the net, he found Fayne for a quick snapshot from the right circle that beat Miller.

“That’s a tough one,” Ott admitted. “All five of us are accountable. ... We definitely need to fish [Zubrus] out hard, if not lay a body on him so he doesn’t have an opportunity to make a play out there.”

The fans didn’t like the short-handed goal, in part because it was Buffalo’s NHL-high seventh of the year against its power-play unit.

And the crowd wasn’t happy with the extended stretches of play in the Sabres’ zone either. Whether trying a clear or a pass, the Sabres simply couldn’t clear the zone for about a 15-minute stretch spanning the first and second periods.

“They were hemming us in the zone but we did a great job on those two-minute shifts keeping them to the outside, blocking shots,” said Ott, reaching hard to find positives. “They weren’t getting great scoring opportunities yet our fans were booing us every opportunity they had.”

“They want to see better but sometimes it’s going to be a battle,” Miller said of the fans. “Sometimes it’s going to be hard. We need their help. We need them to be behind us. We hear them.

“We know they’re not happy but the encouragement we can get when we’re in a tight game, that can help for some of these young guys. So we’d appreciate it. They hang around, stay for the whole game, be excited, have fun. We’re trying our hardest out there. You saw some sacrifice out there.”

Analyzing the fan base is obviously a slippery slope. Especially given the way this season – and much of the last six years – have gone for a group of ticketholders that has had its patience pushed to the max.

“That’s the way it’s been since I’ve been here,” Rolston said. “We understand what it is. Our job is to continue to do what we can do to change that. That’s all we can do. Keep working at it ... win games at home and hopefully get them back.”

And the crowd did respond when it was warranted like on Ott’s goal, a spectacular three-way passing play with Hodgson and Gerbe. And the entire 100 level was on its feet for the shootout and roared when Miller made the final save on Travis Zajac.

“I would be proud if I was from Buffalo to say, ‘My Sabres won that game.’ ’’ Miller said. “It’s the kind of game you’re going to have sometimes. We’re going to try to clean it up so it’s a little prettier but if it’s like that and we get two points I don’t really mind.”



Postgame audio: Shootout survival

April 7, 2013 - 11:53 PM

By Mike Harrington

Here's how I sum up Sunday's odd shootout win over the Devils: Some stretches of brutal play, some nifty passing on both goals, some terrific physical play at times, great goaltending and a survival test.

I didn't like all the postgame chatter about the fans. Steve Ott has talked about it a couple times this year. Same for Ron Rolston. They haven't been here nearly long enough to have a valid opinion on the subject in my mind.

What I liked was this team's physical play. Ott had 10 hits -- 10! -- and Mike Weber had eight to go along with seven blocks. Patrick Kaleta had seven hits. John Scott had three in a seaosn-high 9:11 of play and his mid-ice hit on David Clarkson in the second period helped stem the Devils' momentum.

Really like Ryan Miller lately too. He's 3-1 in his last four games with a 1.73 GAA and save percentage of .945.

A trip around the locker room before I head to the Toronto airport for the trip to Winnipeg.

Ron Rolston

Ryan Miller

Steve Ott

Patrick Kaleta



This time, it's for real: Leafs-Wings set for Jan. 1 at The Big House

April 7, 2013 - 12:26 PM

By Mike Harrington

The NHL might be the only entity in the world that likes making announcements on Sunday mornings (see end of lockout) but they made a nice one today with the confirmation that the lockout-canceled Winter Classic of Jan. 1 has been rescheduled for Jan. 1, 2014.

Same setup: Maple Leafs-Red Wings at The Big House on the University of Michigan campus with a concurrent schedule of NHL Alumni, college and high school games on a rink at Comerica Park in Detroit, home of the Tigers. The league said today it expects to have enough alumni available that it will play two alumni games on New Year's Eve.

A world record crowd for an ice hockey game could attend the main event, potentially surpassing the 104,173 that saw the Michigan-Michigan State game at Michigan Stadium in 2010. The league also announced that HBO will again do the award-winning "24/7" series on the Leafs and Wings. And remember, BOTH teams will be in the Sabres' division next season.

And the game will be a marketing dream as well. Check out the jerseys at the top of this post. Plain awesome. Think a few of them might sell?



Sabres try to write 'same story' by runnin' past struggling Devils

April 7, 2013 - 12:14 PM

By Mike Harrington

A mostly quiet morning in First Niagara Center in advance of tonight's Sabres-Devils game (Reminder: It's been moved to 7:30 and will be televised on NBC Sports Network). The Sabres skated for about 30 minutes while only a few Devils stopped by since they played last night against Toronto in the Prudential Center.

Ryan Miller will be in goal tonight against Martin Brodeur. Thomas Vanek is out again and did not take the morning skate but interim coach Ron Rolston said that was a scheduled day off and Vanek will return to practice Monday.

This will be the sixth straight game Vanek has missed with what the team is calling an upper-body muscle strain. Rolston said he continues to target Tuesday's game in Winnipeg as Vanek's return date. We'll see.

The Sabres have won two straight and are 5-2-2 in their last nine games but start the day 12th in the Eastern Conference with 36 points, sixth back of the eighth-place Islanders but with a game in hand. According to Sportsclubstats.com's calculations, they need to earn 16 of the 20 points they have left on the table to just have a roughly 50-50 shot at the postseason.

"Same story. Focused on the game in front of us, like a lot of teams are doing that in our situation where they've got to get points out of every game to make the playoffs,' said Sabres interim coach Ron Rolston. "New Jersey is one of those teams and we're one of those teams right now. We're focused on that and we're focused on having to play a certain way to be successful."

Miller is making his fourth straight start. He's 2-1 in his last three with a 1.69 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in those three.

The Devils, meanwhile, are really struggling. The defending Eastern Conference champions slipped to 10th in the East with Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Leafs. They've gone 0-3-3 since Ilya Kovalchuk went down with a shoulder injury and have lost their last three in regulation, scoring just two goals in them.

Brodeur has played all six games in the current slump and posted a 2.45 GAA but only a save percentage of .888

"Now I think it’s desperation," Brodeur said after Saturday's loss. "Every team around us (the Islanders, Rangers and Jets) won. We can’t afford to lose too many more games."

To hear Rolston talk about the Sabres' desperation, the chance for young players to get greater roles and for a veteran like Jochen Hecht to grab a consistent role, click the audio file below.



Buffalo Sabres win in a shootout

Written by

Associated Press

BUFFALO — Nathan Gerbe scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 victory Sunday night over New Jersey that extended the Devils’ losing streak to seven games.

Ryan Miller stopped 37 shots through overtime, and all three shootout attempts — included a victory-clinching glove save on Travis Zajac.

Steve Ott extended his goal streak to three games, and Patrick Kaleta also scored for Buffalo, which won its third straight.

Steve Sullivan and Mark Fayne, who forced overtime with a short-handed goal, scored for the Devils, who are 0-3-4 in their past seven.

Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 04.08.2013


Rochester Amerks top Albany in shootout

Written by

| Staff reports

If every game for the Rochester Amerks was decided by a shootout, a berth in the playoffs would be a lock by now.

The Amerks converted on all three of their shootout chances and newly acquired goalie Matt Hackett stopped all three he faced as Rochester defeated the Albany Devils, 3-2, on Sunday at the Times Union Center.

The Amerks improved to 9-1 in shootouts this season, following up Saturday’s 5-4 shootout win over Adirondack.

Hackett also made 41 saves in regulation and overtime while making his Rochester debut.

He came over from Houston in the deal that sent Jason Pominville from the Sabres to the Minnesota Wild.

“(Hackett) was really good,” coach Chadd Cassidy said. “He made a couple of huge glove saves. There were a couple parts of the game he kept us in it and he was rock solid in the shootout.”

The Amerks (82 points) remained tied for fifth place in the Western Conference with six games remaining. They trail fourth-place Charlotte by two points but are still just three points from being outside the playoff picture.

Nick Crawford scored a power-play goal midway through the third period and Zemgus Girgensons netted the equalizer while short-handed with 4:25 left in regulation.

The third period was a large turnaround from the first two, in which Rochester was outshot 23-10.

“I think we kind of upped the ante a little bit,” Cassidy said. “We played a lot more desperate and won more puck battles. In the first two periods we were doing a lot of standing and watching.”

Albany took a 2-0 lead after Jean-Sebastien Berube scored 2:54 into the third period.

Crawford tallied his fifth goal of the season just over five minutes later with assists from Girgensons and Evan Rankin.

The Amerks killed off a brief 5-on-3 and with about a minute left on the Devils’ power play, Girgensons collected the puck on a 2-on-1 dash down the right side and snuck it in the lower right corner to tie the score.

“He really used his speed a lot tonight. We used him a little more at center ice to open up things up for him,” Cassidy said. “He really stepped it up for us in a huge spot.”

Johan Larsson, Corey Tropp and Colin Jacobs each scored in the shootout.

The Amerks return home to face Oklahoma City on Friday at the Blue Cross Arena.

They then will travel to Albany for Saturday’s game and will take on division-leading Toronto the following day.

Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 04.08.2013

668713 Calgary Flames

Hall: Candid Baertschi pours out his feelings, demonstrates he’s growing up fast

Top Flames prospect, recalled by NHL club on Sunday, talks about his demotion, his parents’ divorce and the steep learning curve all prospects face

By Vicki Hall, Calgary HeraldApril 8, 2013 12:05 AM135x42RIVlogo

DENVER — Sven Baertschi’s demotion lasted all of 28 days.

Even so, the top Calgary Flames prospect wandered into the team’s five-star hotel Sunday afternoon sounding much older and much wiser than the lost soul dispatched to the minors less than a month ago.

Seeing the other side of crushing disappointment has a way of taking youthful swagger — tenuous by nature — and turning it into the bedrock of quiet confidence.

“I just wish I could have hammered myself in the head for being mad,” Baertschi was saying Sunday afternoon, upon arrival in the Mile High City. “You realize after that, you shouldn’t even be mad for certain things.

“Like I’m a healthy guy. I’ve got everything I need. I’m really close to being in the best league in the world. Other people have bigger problems.”

Sounds like Baertschi is growing up before our very eyes.

“The best decision they made was to send me down,” he said. “You get rattled, you get caught up in things. You’re mad at people. You’re mad at yourself. You don’t even think about why it actually happened.

“After a little while, I understood.”

In a moment he later called the lowest point of his life, Baertschi walked out of the Staples Center into the California sunshine on March 9 down and distraught. With only one point in 10 games, the former first-rounder showed up at work, only to learn he had a free one-way ticket to Abbotsford to play for the farm team.

This is not the way it was supposed to play out. After all, didn’t he score three goals last season in just five games as an emergency recall from the Portland Winterhawks? What about all those No. 47 jerseys scooped up by fans dying for the kid to blossom into the next face of the franchise.

“I think there were a bunch of people worried about me, especially family,” he said. “I felt I let a lot of people down, because there were high expectations.”

Like a grounded teenager banned from attending the high school dance, Baertschi raged. At the organization. At the coaching staff.

At himself, for being foolish enough to tell the world he expected to play the entire season in Calgary.

Rejection is one thing when a handful of people know, but it can turn into quite another when the whole saga plays out for everyone to see.

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget Baertschi is just 20 — not even old enough to legally drink in the state of Colorado.

Down and dejected, the slick left winger phone his mom Daniela at home in Switzerland hoping to find an understanding ear.

“So what?” Daniela said, when her son broke the news.

“What do you mean?’” Baertschi snapped back. “Aren’t you mad or something?

“No,” she replied. “You’re 20 years old. What do you expect? You can’t just walk through everything.”

Even with that motherly advice echoing in his brain, Baertschi went through the motions for the first week or so with the Heat.

He admits it.

Through many talks with Heat head coach Troy Ward, the reality of the situation started to sink in. He began to realize that success as a hockey player — and becoming an adult — are not mutually exclusive.

“I learned that there are so many things other than hockey that you’ve got to take care of,” he said. “If I don’t call my mom for a whole week or somebody from my family for a whole week, I feel terrible. I’ve got to be straight. I understand they’re 5,000 miles away, but these days we’ve got Skype, and we’ve got phones and everything.”

The whole demotion made Baertschi reflect on the time his parents divorced and went their separate ways. He was 13 at the time.

“It hit me hard,” he said. “I sucked at hockey. I sucked at school. I sucked at everything I did. I was really bad. I was so talented at hockey, that I just thought I didn’t have to work at anything. I was always the best, and then at one point I realized that everybody was getting better except for me.”

History has a way of repeating itself.

“In the first couple of games in Abby I wasn’t comfortable,” he said. “I didn’t want to be there. And then at the same time, I realized again if I want to go back up there, I’ve got to perform here.

“I’ve got to show them what I can do here.”

We all, in one way or another, have to succeed in the minor leagues before getting the chance to shine at the next level.

So Baertschi did just that, collecting four goals and seven points in 10 AHL appearances.

He watched in agony last week when his good buddy Roman Horak received the call-up from the Flames. Ditto for Saturday when Max Reinhart was promoted to the big club.

“I wanted to be the first guy,” Baertschi said. “As soon as I heard Roman got called up, I was really excited for him. He’s been really good, and he’s been my linemate in Abbotsford. So I was really excited for him.

”But on the other side, I wanted to be that guy. Same with Max. It wasn’t that I was mad or anything. I knew at one point I would be up here. It’s just the wait that makes you kind of crazy.”

The crazy wait ended late Saturday night when Brian McGrattan suffered a shoulder injury in a 5-2 Calgary loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Baertschi hit the road and hooked up with the Flames for their flight to Denver.

“This is a big opportunity for me,” he said, that familiar twinkle back in his eyes. “It’s an opportunity to come here and show them that I don’t belong down there, and that they should never send me back again.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Reinharts revel in fairy-tale script for son Max’s first NHL game

By Vicki Hall, Calgary HeraldApril 8, 2013 12:04 AM135x42RIVlogo

DENVER — The magnitude of the moment hit Theresa Reinhart when her son Max led the Calgary Flames out onto the ice Saturday night at Rogers Arena.

Her boy’s first NHL game. On Hockey Night in Canada. In his hometown, against the mighty Vancouver Canucks.

Talk about real life following a fairy-tale script.

“I just don’t want to see him get hurt,” Theresa was saying in the second intermission of a 5-2 Calgary loss to the Canucks. “It’s hard for me. I see him as a two-year-old as opposed to a grown man. I just think these guys look mean hitting my baby.

“But he’s a smart kid.”

Smart much like his father Paul, who patrolled the blueline for 11 years as a Flame and Canuck before going on to a successful career as a stock market promoter and financier based in West Vancouver.

“I like watching this more than I liked watching his dad,” Theresa admitted, with her husband in earshot. “It’s more exciting. It’s great.”

All grown up, Max Reinhart, 21, received word of his promotion to the big club Friday night after the Abbotsford Heat fell 4-1 to the Grand Rapids Rampage in American Hockey League action.

From there, he drove about an hour west to hook up with the Flames at their posh hotel in downtown Vancouver.

“I’ve dreamed about playing in this building pretty much my whole life,” he said before puck drop Saturday. “Two teams my father played for.

“I got the call, I couldn’t have been more excited. It hasn’t really hit me yet. I’m still just really excited to be in this situation.”

Reinhart is blessed with quite the poker face, so his inner excitement failed to crack the surface when Mark Donnelly belted out O Canada before a television audience from coast to coast.

Most players chop from side to side, some ever so slightly, during the national anthems. Visualizing the task at hand, Reinhart looked like a statue frozen to his spot on the blueline.

“I kind of wish I had another chance to take it all in,” he said after the fact with a wide grin. “But I was trying to focus on the game and not get too distracted.”

A third-round pick (64th overall) in 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Reinhart impressed his superiors in his NHL debut — although his first shift will go down as memorable for the wrong reasons.

Thirty-four seconds after the opening faceoff, Calgary defenceman Mark Giordano got caught on a bad pinch, and Dan Hamhuis converted on a two-on-one to give the Canucks a lead they would never relinquish.

“Definitely a high to a low,” Max said. “Obviously, not the way you want to start, but that kind of stuff happens in hockey. You just have to shake it off and go out and forget that it happened.”

One thing he’ll never forget that happened: a marathon shift as the second period wound down where Reinhart received a free education from two Vancouver icons: Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

“When they throw it through your legs out there, it’s not a lot of fun,” Max said. “But that’s part of what I expected coming up here. I’m definitely learning as I go along.

“I’m hoping to get another shot.”

By the end of the night, Reinhart registered thee shots, one hit and one take-away in 16:08 of ice-time on the win to earn himself another shot Monday in Colorado.

“We want grit in this organization, and he went to the dirty areas,” head coach Bob Hartley said. “He fought in the corners. He was great behind the net.

“For his first game, I was really happy.”

So too was dad Paul, who can look forward to similar debuts for middle son Griffin (a fourth overall pick of the New York Islanders in 2012) and baby Sam (a Kootenay Ice forward projected to go as high as first overall in 2014).

“You know the boys have played a lot of hockey,” he said. “But at the end of the day, this is where they want to be in the National Hockey League. So all their experiences lead to the National Hockey League.

“To have the first of hopefully many come to fruition, It’s a big day.”

The major objective for Max, on his big day? To prove, at spindly six-foot-one 180 pounds, he has the bulk necessary to stick in the NHL.

So far, so good.

“I definitely tried to show them I’m big enough to play here,” he said. “And that was obviously one of the things I was trying to work on today.

“And hopefully it showed.”



Game Day: Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche

By VICKI HALL, Calgary HeraldApril 8, 2013 12:04 AM135x42RIVlogo

Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche

(13-20-4) (12-21-5)

7 p.m., Monday, Pepsi Center

TV: Sportsnet Radio: SN 960

THE FLAMES

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

LW SVEN BAERTSCHI

The No. 1 prospect in the organization is back after a soul-searching mission in Abbotsford to find his missing swagger. The Flames would dearly love his reinvigorated confidence to translate to the NHL level.

DEPTH CHART

J. Hudler R. Horak M. Cammalleri

S. Baertschi M. Backlund R. Cervenka A. Tanguay M. Stajan L. Stempniak

T. Jackman M. Reinhart S. Begin

M. Giordano D. Wideman

T.J. Brodie C. Sarich

C. Butler B. Carson M. Kiprusoff

J. MacDonald

THE INJURIES

D Derek Smith (upper body), LW Curtis Glencross (leg), RW Brian McGrattan (shoulder) C Paul Byron (hand)

THE AVALANCHE

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

C RYAN O’REILLY

Somehow managed to get lost in the hoopla surrounding the Jarome Iginla trade on his first visit to Calgary since signing an ill-fated offer-sheet (at least from Jay Feaster’s point of view) with the Flames.

DEPTH CHART

G. Landeskog J. Mitchell C. McLeod

J. McGinn M. Duchene P.A. Parenteau

P. Bordeleau R. O’Reilly B. Malone

M. Olver D. Van Der Gulik A. Palushaj

E. Johnson M. Hunwick

G. Zanon T. Barrie

J. Hejda S. Elliott

S. Varlamov

J.S. Giguere

THE INJURIES

RW Steve Downie (knee), C Paul Stastny (foot), RW Milan Hejduk (shoulder), D Ryan Wilson (ankle), RW Chuck Kobasew (back), RW David Jones (knee)

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Kids on the Scene: Let the rebuild begin. Injuries have paved the way for youngsters Roman Horak, Max Reinhart and Sven Baertschi to work their

way into the lineup. And 22-year-old T.J. Brodie is logging the ice-time of a veteran as the coaching staff tries to mould him into top-pairing defenceman. At this point, wins and losses don’t matter nearly as much as the chance to teach — and evaluate — the youngsters in game situations.

2. Only the fourth line by name: Mark Giordano bristled ever so slightly the other night when asked about the performance of the blue-collar trio of Tim Jackman, Steve Begin, and Brian McGrattan. “You can’t call them a fourth line right now with the way they’re playing,” he said. “They’re matching up sometimes against the other team’s top line, and they’re doing a great job. It’s all based on hard work. They’re getting pucks deep. They’re hitting. They’re finishing. They’re getting pucks to the net. It’s pretty to watch.”

3. Don’t go calling him a one-dimensional enforcer: Question is whether the so-called fourth line will keep it going with Brian McGrattan expected to sit out with a shoulder injury suffered Saturday night on a hit by Vancouver forward Dale Weise. He’ll be missed in more ways than one.“I don’t even know if people realize that with how big and tough and scary he is, that Brian is a funny, funny man,” Jackman said. “He says a lot of funny things, and he had the whole penalty box laughing (on Saturday night.).

4. Battle of the Titans (or not): Make no mistake: the major plot line around this game centres on which team will have a better chance at drafting first overall come June. The Flames are riding a five-game losing streak and have somehow dropped 13(!) in a row on the road. The Avs, on the other hand, are coming off a 4-0 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. During the game, Denver Post scribe Adrian Dater (@adater) wrote via Twitter “Avs disgracing the game of hockey again tonight. Just awful performance.”

5. Staying the course: Funny thing is, the Flames likely deserved a better fate Saturday in Vancouver (they ran into a hot goaltender in Cory Schneider) and Friday in San Jose (they ran into a better team.) But the flat-out malaise of last Wednesday’s 8-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers appears to have dissipated. “We just have to keep working,” Begin said. “We’re going to end up winning a game. We’re going to have a break, and it’s all going to go the right direction from there.”



Five questions for the Flames

Staff Report

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:25 PM MDT | Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:33 PM MDT

So how’s that rebuild thing going for you Calgary Flames fans?

Let’s see. No wins since Jarome Iginla has been traded. Most of the games haven’t even been close.

There was that disastrous blowout at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers in the middle of the current five-game losing skid, but at least the last couple of outings weren’t so brutal to watch.

Then again, with the way things are going this season for the Flames, they may as well go big in defeat or don’t bother, eh?

With 11 games remaining in the NHL season, the Flames find themselves in prime position to earn the highest draft pick in the club’s history.

And along the way, fans will get a chance to see more and more young top prospects, with a trio of forwards in Roman Horak, Max Reinhart and 2011 first-round draft choice Sven Baertschi already in the fold.

Will the future draft choices and experience gained by the kids make all this worthwhile?

Only time will tell the answer to that particular question.

But here are five other questions we may find an answer to this week:

1) WHAT CONSTITUTES A 'WINNER' BETWEEN FLAMES AND AVS?

Right now, the Flames are one point ahead of the Avalanche, with the Colorado club holding down last spot in the Western Conference and overall standings.

With a higher draft choice being the only true prize for these teams when the season ends, a victory on the scoreboard really isn’t best for the long-term benefit of either team.

The Avs won two of the three games so far this season, including the last meeting in Denver — the night the Avs erased a three-goal deficit to claim victory.

The Avs weren’t expected to be such a disaster this season, especially with all the young talent they possess, and the temperature is rising around the team. Could you imagine what it would be like in Calgary if the Flames were at the bottom with the likes of Gabe Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly on the roster?

2) WHO'S PLAYING FOR A CONTRACT?

The focus of the Flames is on the youngsters, but there are a bunch of players, mainly veterans, with contracts expiring after this season.

Goalie Joey MacDonald is due to be an unrestricted free agent, defencemen T.J. Brodie and Chris Butler are due to be restricted free agents, while Brett Carson and Anton Babchuk are pending UFAs.

At forward, Mikael Backlund is due to be an RFA, while pending UFAs are Brian McGrattan, Steve Begin and Roman Cervenka.

All the RFAs have shown to be solid pieces this team will need going forward. MacDonald may be brought back depending on what goes down with all the other goalies in the system, while Carson and Babchuk won’t likely return to the fold. McGrattan and Begin may return but can’t be the club’s biggest focuses this off-season.

Cervenka is an interesting study. The team thought it was a coup to bring him from Europe, but he’s had more downs than ups in his first NHL season. If he wants to remain in the NHL, it will require a big commitment on his part and the Flames being willing to give him another shot.

3) WILL THE FLAMES WIN ANOTHER ROAD GAME THIS YEAR?

It’s 13 games and counting since the Flames last tasted victory on the road. What’s scary is only one of those came in extra time and 11 straight defeats have come in regulation time.

The Flames end the season with a difficult four-game road swing and have a Battle of Alberta clash Saturday in Edmonton — and it’s starting to feel like that’s going to be a one-sided series for the next few years.

Probably their best chance for a road win will come in the Monday clash in Denver, against an Avalanche team that’s been awful and not even competitive in many games of late.

It’s hard to imagine a 19-game losing slide to end the season, but it’s a very real possibility.

4) WHY IS THE OFFENCE STRUGGLING SO BADLY?

In the season’s early-going, there was a saving grace in that the Flames were losing games by scores such as 5-4. Hey, at least the games were more entertaining than all those 2-1 defeats in the past couple of years.

The goals haven’t come as easy of late. The Flames have managed just seven lamp-lightings in their last four games.

With the departure of Jarome Iginla, a decrease should have been expected. Plus, with Curtis Glencross on the shelf due to a leg injury, that’s another hit to the offence.

But veterans Michael Cammalleri, Jiri Hudler and Alex Tanguay have gone ice-cold over the past month, nearly to the point of being invisible, while Lee Stempniak — always known as a streaky scorer — has struggled.

A few more goals would be appreciated by the fans, who deserve to see some fun.

5) WILL THIS TEAM PLAY THE ROLE OF SPOILERS?

Three of the games this week are against teams not likely to make the playoffs in the Avs, the Phoenix Coyotes and the Oilers, although the latter two are holding hope a late run will get them in the post-season.

For the Flames, their motivation can be to ruin those teams’ chances, or, in the case of the Vancouver Canucks, make it that much harder for them to claim the Northwest Division title again.

If there was one game the Flames would love most to win, it would likely be against the Oilers. They may as well make their biggest rivals have a miserable finish to the season. The Oilers had that goal against the Flames the past few seasons.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Prospects should get look in coming weeks

By WES GILBERTSON ,Calgary Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:15 PM MDT | Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:24 PM MDT

The Calgary Flames have insisted they would give youngsters a look at the tail-end of their lost NHL season.

On Saturday, they showed it, summoning 21-year-old centre Max Reinhart — a team-worst minus-25 with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat — for his first nibble of big-league action.

On Sunday, they showed it again, bringing 20-year-old Sven Baertschi — an offensive whiz who struggled with the Flames earlier this season — back to the big leagues.

Baertschi and Reinhart will both be in the Flames’ lineup for Monday’s road meeting with the Colorado Avalanche (7 p.m., Sportsnet West, Sportsnet 960) and will undoubtedly benefit from the opportunity to test themselves against proven pros.

Here are four more up-and-comers we would like to see at the Saddledome before the season is over:

C Ben Street

Age: 26

Measurements: 5-foot-11, 185 lb.

AHL stats: 173 GP, 54 G, 62 A, 116 P, 54 PIM

NHL stats: 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P,

0 PIM

Acquired: Signed as an unrestricted free agent last summer

Contract Status: First season of a two-year, two-way deal

Why me?: The third-year pro had a two-game audition with the Flames earlier this season, and — especially in an organization that’s starving for centres — it makes sense to see more of him. Street has shown he can score in the AHL but deserves an extended opportunity to prove it can translate to the top level. If he gets a call from the Flames and has a strong finish, pencil him in to the lineup for next season.

D Mark Cundari

Age: 22



NHL stats: N/A

Acquired: Traded to Flames from St. Louis Blues as part of Jay Bouwmeester deal

Contract Status: Restricted free agent after this season

Why me?: If not for a wrist injury, Cundari might have already made his Flames debut. He won’t have to wait much longer. Cundari won’t scare anybody with his size, but he’s a fearless competitor and has a reputation as one of the AHL’s hardest hitters. He has impressive offensive numbers in the minors, but the Flames need to see that he can be reliable in his own zone.

C/W Greg Nemisz

Age: 22



NHL stats: 15 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, 0 PIM

Acquired: Selected by the Flames in the first round, 25th overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft

Contract Status: Restricted free agent after this season

Why me?: It would be easy to label Nemisz a draft bust — he was, after all, selected only three picks after the Edmonton Oilers nabbed Jordan Eberle in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft — but he could have a future as a fourth-liner.

Nemisz is capable of holding his own at all three forward positions and has solid leadership abilities.

He’s not going to be an NHL sniper, but a rebuilding team still needs a checking line.

LW Johnny Gaudreau

Age: 19


NCAA stats: 79 GP, 42 G, 54 A, 95 P, 39 PIM

AHL stats: N/A

NHL stats: N/A

Acquired: Selected by the Flames in the fourth round, 104th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Contract Status: Unsigned, must ink an entry-level deal before turning professional

Why me?: Maybe this is crazy talk, but if the Boston College Eagles sniper is ready to go pro (he hasn’t revealed his decision yet), then why not bring him straight to The Show? His size is a concern, but there are big boys in the AHL, too, and his former linemate Chris Kreider stepped right in for the New York Rangers last spring. If the Hobey Baker Award finalist gets a shot with the Flames, he’ll need a bodyguard.



Project: Draft 2013 for Flames

By Scott Mitchell ,Calgary Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:22 AM MDT | Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:39 AM MDT

At this point, it's something you're as likely to see on HGTV as you are on TSN.

The Calgary Flames have torn down the drywall, moved around some framing, and now they're working on a new blueprint.

The project might seem like a little much for even the most experienced do-it-yourselfers.

Flames GM Jay Feaster knows this renovation can't go awry and it begins in earnest June 30 at the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“This (draft) will be the one that, 10 years from now, people will talk about and say either we got this right or 'holy cow,' ” Feaster said Wednesday during a radio interview with the Fan960 about an hour after the trade deadline came and went.

There's no doubt, it's a crucial draft.

With three first round picks to play with — and nine picks overall — Feaster will be a popular man in the Garden State.

He'll have the ability to move up and move down, but the one way he can't go is sideways.

With less than a month to go in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, exactly what chips Feaster, assistant GM of player personnel John Weisbrod and director of amateur scouting Tod Button have to play in Newark are yet to be determined.

Their own pick could be in the top five, putting them in position to possibly add one of Seth Jones, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin or Aleksander Barkov, the consensus top four available.

“I was in Boston for the Taylor Hall-Tyler Seguin draft, where it feels like a two-horse race and it's just a matter of what the order is and now you define those two players,” Weisbrod said. “And then there are other drafts, where you can throw a blanket over six or seven names. I think this draft is closer to the latter. There are five or six names, in my mind, that could still conceivably be worthy of first-pick consideration. The comfort of that is, even picking at No. 5 or No. 6, a team can feel comfortable that they'll get a very, very high calibre player, and that's not always the case.”

The St. Louis Blues first-round pick, acquired for Jay Bouwmeester, is conditional based on the Blues making the playoffs this season. If they don't, it turns into a 2014 first rounder and the Blues will also ship a 2013 fourth rounder to Calgary.

If the Blues make the playoff dance, the Flames could end up exercising that pick as high as No. 15 or as low as No. 30.

The Penguins pick, which isn't conditional, is in the same boat.

Weisbrod says the depth of this year's draft played a role in the organization's recent moves.

“There's no getting around the fact you can't sustain excellence in the NHL without drafting well,” Weisbrod said. “The draft is of the utmost importance every year, but obviously this is a year that was chosen to move some players to acquire picks, and to some degree, that was based on the strength of this year's draft.

“I consider this draft to be a really deep one,” added Weisbrod, who spent close to five years in the Bruins' scouting department before joining the Flames in 2011. “And usually what that depth means, is that depth shows up starting in the latter part of round one and carries as far as the middle of round three. Sometimes it's very clear that there's a cliff in the middle of round two, where at that point, you're looking at a completely different calibre of player.

“I think you'll have players go in the early part of round three this year, that in in a different year, might have gone in the early second or late first.”

Feaster shipped his 2013 second-rounder to the Montreal Canadiens in the Michael Cammalleri trade, but there are ways to recoup that pick, and Weisbrod talked about the potential to move up and down the draft board, similar to last year's moves that netted the Flames Mark Jankowski at No. 21 and Patrick Sieloff at No. 42, after finding a willing trade partner in the Buffalo Sabres and moving down from No. 14.

“I think so,” Weisbrod said when asked if they'll potentially be looking to move back. “Those moves will depend on where we finally stand when we evaluate the late first and early second and even into the third.

“We, obviously, did that last year and regained our second-round pick.”

Wednesday's deal that shipped Blake Comeau to the Columbus Blue Jackets gives the Flames a fifth-round pick, as they dealt their own to the Washington Capitals last summer for the rights to Dennis Wideman.

They also have two seventh-rounders thanks to the Henrik Karlsson trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Weisbrod doesn't discount late selections, even though they're obviously tougher to hit on.

“If you look, statistically and historically, at the teams that have been really successful drafting teams — the New Jerseys and Detroits and Dallas — the separating factor is that they nail a pick in round four or five or six or seven, and teams that are less successful don't do that,” Weisbrod said. “I consider late picks to be a really good indicator as to how thorough and complete a job you're doing as a staff and we put a lot of value on those picks.”

With only two regulars on the current Flames roster — Mikael Backlund and T.J. Brodie — produced via the draft, there's nowhere to go but up.

[email protected]

www.twitter.com/SUNMitchell

Sure, the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is still 84 days away, but it's never too early to take a look at how the first round might shake down. The standings and draft order will change over the next two and a half months, but many of the names will remain the same.

Here's an April look at this year's draft using the standings as of Friday, April 5.

1.Colorado Avalanche — D Seth Jones, Portland Winterhawks (WHL), 6-foot-4, 205 lb.

The stars align for the Avs. He's the top player on the board and the need matches up, as well.

2.Florida Panthers — C Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 6-foot, 180 lb.

He'll team with fellow QMJHLer Jonathan Huberdeau for the next decade in the Sunshine State.

3.Calgary Flames — C Aleksander Barkov, Tappara (Finland), 6-foot-2, 205 lb.

Passing on a dynamic winger for a potential franchise centre in the Evgeni Malkin mould.

4.Tampa Bay Lightning — LW Jonathan Drouin, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 5-foot-11, 175 lb.

Vinny and Marty aren't getting any younger. Here's Steven Stamkos' new running-mate.

5.Carolina Hurricanes — LW Valeri Nichushkin, Chelyabinsk Traktor (KHL), 6-foot-3, 175 lb.

'Canes have talent up front, but they would have trouble passing on a guy who could be in mix at No. 2.

6.Dallas Stars — C Sean Monahan, Ottawa 67s (OHL), 6-foot-2, 186 lb.

Big pivot could play second fiddle to Jamie Benn for years to come. Offensive game developing.

7.Buffalo Sabres — D Darnell Nurse, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL), 6-foot-4, 185 lb.

Lanky rearguard has some offensive upside and a mean streak. Plus, he's from up the road in Hamilton.

8.Philadelphia Flyers — D Josh Morrissey, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL), 6-foot, 175 lb.

Calgary kid has an edge and oodles of offensive skill. Gives Philly a future powerplay quarterback.

9.Winnipeg Jets — C Elias Lindholm, Brynas (Sweden), 6-foot, 185 lb.

Well-rounded centre uses smarts and hockey sense to read play. Vision is elite.

10.Nashville Predators — LW Hunter Shinkaruk, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), 6-foot, 175 lb.

Natural goal scorer would add offensive element that's been lacking in the Music City.

11.Phoenix Coyotes — C Max Domi, London Knights (OHL), 5-foot-10, 190 lb.

Much different than daddy, this Domi prefers to play with the puck, rather than with fists like Tie.

12.Columbus Blue Jackets — Rasmus Ristolainen, TPS (Finland), 6-foot-4, 205 lb.

They have a new Finnish GM. Now, they'll have a Finnish partner for Ryan Murray.

13.New Jersey Devils — D Ryan Pulock, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), 6-foot-1, 210 lb.

Could forfeit this pick for Ilya Kovalchuk contract mess, but if not, they grab best d-man available.

14.Edmonton Oilers — D Nikita Zadorov, London Knights (OHL), 6-foot-5, 225 lb.

Zadorov is a physical, stay-at-home presence. Does that sound like something the Oilers could use?

15.New York Islanders — D Robert Hagg, Modo (Sweden), 6-foot-2, 200 lb.

Run on defenceman continues, as Islanders are likely going best-player-available route.

16.Calgary Flames (from St. Louis) — C Curtis Lazar, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), 6-foot, 190 lb.

They've likely seen a lot of him up the road, and they could use his package of skill, creativity.

17.Columbus Blue Jackets (from New York Rangers) — LW Valentin Zykov, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, 6-foot, 210 lb.

Different regime, so they won't be scared away from a Russian after Nikita Filatov fiasco.

18.Detroit Red Wings — C Alexander Wennberg, Djurgardens (Sweden), 6-foot-1, 190 lb.

As always, they can afford to be patient and take the slow cooker approach with this Swede.

19.Ottawa Senators — LW Anthony Mantha, Val-D'or Foreurs (QMJHL), 6-foot-3, 200 lb.

Big, strong winger has a nose for the net, but he needs to bring it each and every night.

20.Toronto Maple Leafs — C Bo Horvat, London Knights (OHL), 6-foot, 200 lb.

Maybe they want Domi, just for nostalgia sake, but they'll settle for his teammate.

21.Buffalo Sabres (from Minnesota) — C Frederik Gauthier, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL), 6-foot-5, 210 lb.

Sabres are starting the rebuild in Western New York. This two-way centre has size and skating ability.

22.San Jose Sharks — RW Adam Erne, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL), 6-foot-1, 205 lb.

Plays a pro-style game and will eventually add some sandpaper to Sharks' top-six.

23.Columbus Blue Jackets (from Los Angeles) — LW Kerby Rychel, Windsor Spitfires (OHL), 6-foot-1, 200 lb.

Picture Kerby Rychel and current Jackets prospect Boone Jenner wreaking havoc on forecheck.

24.Boston Bruins — C Jason Dickinson, Guelph Storm (OHL), 6-foot-2, 170 lb.

Lanky pivot is a good skater for his size and could go higher than this by the time June rolls around.

25.*Washington Capitals — LW Peter Cehlarik, Lulea HF (Sweden), 6-foot-2, 192 lb.

Slovak created buzz when he put up six points in an eight-game cameo in top Swedish men's circuit.

26.*Vancouver Canucks — RW Michael McCarron, U.S. NTDP U18, 6-foot-5, 225 lb.

He's a project and a Western Michigan commit who will take time, but could pay off big.

27.*Montreal Canadiens — D Mirco Mueller, Everett Silvertips (WHL), 6-foot-3, 185 lb.

Rangy puck-mover had up-and-down year, but he's well-rounded with big upside from back end.

28.*Anaheim Ducks — RW Ryan Hartman, Plymouth Whalers (OHL), 5-foot-11, 185 lb.

Aggressive winger would only add to the Ducks impressive group of young forwards.

29.Calgary Flames (from *Pittsburgh) — D Shea Theodore, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), 6-foot-2, 175 lb.

Fluid skater is well-rounded and has big offensive upside once he fills out and matures.

30.*Chicago Blackhawks — C Morgan Klimchuk, Regina Pats (WHL), 5-foot-11, 180 lb.

Another Calgary kid, Klimchuk would fit right in with savvy forward group in the Windy City.

* - division leaders



Baertschi recalled to Flames

By RANDY SPORTAK ,Calgary Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:14 AM MDT | Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 05:01 PM MDT

When Sven Baertschi joined the Calgary Flames at the start of the NHL season, he was told by coach Bob Hartley it was up to him to write the book.

Baertschi now understands what makes a true classic.

“I always think the best books out there, they have a little drama,” said the players regarded as the franchise’s top prospect. “Usually, there’s there’s a happy ending.

“It wouldn’t be a great book if there was just happy stuff in there.”

Baertschi, 20, understands some of the disappointment and turmoil that comes with a hockey season.

Admittedly, Baertschi took it hard when the Flames sent him to the minors a month ago. At the time, he said he had “hit rock-bottom, confidence-wise”. Nobody should have expected the rookie to produce offence at a rate similar to his five-game stint last season during which he scored three goals, but he expected more than just one assist in 10 NHL games before the demotion.

Every Flames fan must appreciate the honesty and emotions the club’s 2011 first-round draft choice expressed. Now, he realizes a career in the game requires a better ability to handle the downs that can come with the ups.

Baertschi has the chance to write some happy chapters now, having been recalled Sunday from the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. He joined the Flames in Vancouver in time to make the trip to Denver for Monday’s clash with the Colorado Avalanche (7 p.m., Sportsnet West, Sportsnet 960).

“I didn’t reach my goal by staying here all the way, the whole season, so I was disappointed in myself,” Baertschi said Sunday when reached in Vancouver.

“That was the first time a setback really happened in my hockey career. It wasn’t easy for me because the last two years have been so good.

“First-year pro, everybody says it’s not going to be so easy, but maybe I thought it would be a little easier and that I would come in and have a good season. That’s not the way it works.

“To deal with that was the biggest part.”

After being held off the scoresheet in his first two AHL games following the demotion, Baertschi regained his form, netting four goals and four assists in the last eight outings for the Heat.

He’s returned to the Flames with more spring in his step.

“Right now, I’m much more confident than before,” Baertschi said. “Now, I’m really excited. It’s another opportunity to show what I can do out there.”

Moreover, he has a better understanding of himself.

“I’m more mature,” Baertschi said. “It takes a lot to be on that team and get a lot of icetime and play a big role in this league.”

With the Flames’ situation — on the verge of being officially eliminated from playoff contention and having traded away a couple of trio of key pieces in Jarome Iginla, Jay Bouwmeester and Blake Comeau before the deadline — the airlift of players from the minors has begun.

Combined with injuries to forwards Curtis Glencross and Brian McGrattan and defenceman Derek Smith, the team has summoned forwards Baertschi, Max Reinhart and Roman Horak, along with blueliner Brett Carson.

Baertschi learned a little more patience waiting for his call.

“For sure, I wanted to be the first guy up, but those three guys — Carse, he was playing a big role in Abbotsford, and Max and Roman played very well in Abbotsford, and I was excited for them,” Baertschi said. “On the other side, I wanted to be up as soon as I can, but getting the call a day later than Max was a big relief.

“It’s all something you’ve got to deal with. There are different players, and Calgary was looking for certain player.

“I heard Max did a great job last game, and I’m excited for him.”

Flames fans will be excited to see Baertschi back, too.


668720 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Game Day: Tied with Predators 1-1

By Chris Kuc

Tribune reporter

6:51 PM CDT, April 7, 2013

The Chicago Blackhawks can become the first team in the NHL to clinch a postseason berth if they can manage a point against the Nashville Predators on Sunday night at the United Center.

If they were to get that point, the Hawks would have to do it without the services of Dave Bolland and Patrick Sharp. Bolland missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. He was hit in the foot by a Shea Weber slap shot last Monday night. Sharp, meanwhile, sat out his 14th game in a row with a left shoulder injury.

After one period Sunday, the game was tied at 1-1. Andrew Shaw put the Hawks in front when he redirected a Michael Frolik shot past Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne. Late in the opening period, Nick Spaling tied it for Nashville when he poked in a loose puck in the crease during a goal-mouth scramble.

Coach Joel Quenneville said prior to Sunday's contest that Sharp "is really close. I expect him here this week." Quenneville added that there is a good chance Sharp will make the trip to Minnesota where the Hawks will face the Wild on Tuesday night. Bolland is questionable to make the trip but Quenneville said, "we don't think (the injury) is serious."

Ray Emery got the start in goal for the second consecutive game after recording a 1-0 shutout over the Predators on Saturday afternoon in Nashville.

"He's coming off a rock-solid win and deserves to get consideration to get right back in there," Quenneville said.

Nashville was without third-leading scored Mike Fisher, who has an injured hand.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.08.2013


Hawks' Quenneville riding hot hand in goal

Emery starts back-to-back games, goes 2-0 against Predators

By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter

10:09 PM CDT, April 7, 2013

When it comes to the Blackhawks' goaltending situation, it's a case of what have you done for the team lately.

Coming off his second shutout of the season, Ray Emery was back in goal against the Predators on Sunday night at the United Center. It marked the first time this season Emery started both ends of a back-to-back while Corey Crawford served as the backup.

With 10 games remaining in the regular season, it appears there is no clear-cut No. 1 goalie for the Hawks as coach Joel Quenneville is riding the hot hand. When asked his timetable for establishing either Crawford or Emery as his main goalie for the playoffs, Quenneville was noncommittal, saying, "Those decisions will be made by what's going on."

There has been no drop-off when Emery has gotten the call over Crawford as he improved to 14-1-0 this season after backstopping the Hawks' 5-3 victory over the Predators on Sunday. Crawford is 15-4-4.

"Every game is a different night," Emery said. "I just have to prepare for what's at hand. I like to play whenever I get the chance."

Wild night: Patrick Sharp missed his 14th consecutive game with a left shoulder injury but likely will return when the Hawks face the Wild on Tuesday night in Minnesota.

Quenneville said Sharp "is really close. I expect him here this week." The coach added that there is a good chance Sharp will make the trip to Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Dave Bolland missed his second game in a row with a lower-body injury. The center was hit in the foot by a slap shot from the Predators' Shea Weber last Monday night. Quenneville did not sound as optimistic about Bolland traveling to Minnesota, merely saying, "we'll see."

He said it: The Hawks gave away oven mitts to fans as a promotional item. After the game, Andrew Shaw said of teammate Brandon Saad, who scored his fifth goal in his last five games: "The kid is hot. He better get those oven mitts on those hands."

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.08.2013


Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery earned a Nashville rerun

BY MARK LAZERUS [email protected] April 7, 2013 9:35PM

Ray Emery said last week that there was no goaltender controversy, that Corey Crawford was the No. 1 guy and that he was there in a supporting role. But after earning his second shutout in his last three outings Saturday afternoon, Emery again got the start Sunday against the same Nashville Predators.

“He’s coming off a rock-solid win and deserves to get consideration right back in there,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said before the game.

Of course, it’s standard operating procedure in the NHL that if a goalie comes off a shutout and has adequate rest, he gets the call the next game. Just last week, Crawford had a tremendous outing in a 7-1 win at Detroit, then started the following night at home against the Predators. The front end of both of those back-to-backs were day games, giving each goalie more recovery time.

Quenneville hinted last week that Crawford was his No. 1 guy, citing the fact that he’s played more games (23 to Emery’s 17). But he’s been reluctant to flat-out anoint anyone.

“All that stuff will get resolved with how we’re going,” Quenne-ville said before the game. “Decisions will be made by what’s going on.”

And asked for the umpteenth time this season if he’d be open to playing both goalies in the playoffs, Quenneville again demurred.

“You never know,” he said. “I don’t want to say no. We’ll see. I’m not worried about it right now.”

Carcillo climbing

Hawks winger Daniel Carcillo has struggled since his return from a leg injury that cost him 15 of the first 16 games. But after being a healthy scratch for four of five games in mid-March, Carcillo skated for the sixth time in the last seven on Sunday. He was particularly effective in Saturday’s win at Nashville, with four shots and a couple of good scoring chances.

“It looks like he’s moving better,” Quenneville said. “He’s skating and he’s more effective off the rush, he’s got some back-side pressure, and his attention to detail in our team game’s been in place. We like the energy and the physicality he can add to our lineup. Offensively, [he had] a lot of puck time and some opportunities around the net.’’

Carcillo, who opened the year on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa but has since been on the fourth line, was happy for the opportunity.

“Two great players,” he said. “It’s nice to get time to play there, and it’s even better that we got the win.”

Roster report

Nashville was without third-leading scorer Mike Fisher, who didn’t make the trip because of a nagging hand injury suffered March 29 on a blocked shot. He did play in the previous two games, including Saturday’s game at Nashville, but the center played on the wing because he was unable to take faceoffs.

◆ Sheldon Brookbank, Jamal Mayers and Dave Bolland were scratched.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 04.08.2013


‘Good chance’ Patrick Sharp will be back in Blackhawks’ lineup Tuesday


If the Blackhawks were fighting for a playoff spot, instead of fighting for the Presidents’ Trophy, Patrick Sharp surely would have been back by now. He’s been out for more than four weeks, has been skating for three weeks, has been back at practice for 10 days and has been taking contact for a week.

“It’s just like any other injury that you guys have covered,” Sharp said on Wednesday. “There’s discussion with the player, doctor, trainers, coaches — everybody is involved. Trust me, it sucks sitting there watching games. I want to be out there and as soon as I’m allowed to, I’ll be playing.”

The key word there is “allowed.” Given the luxury of their lofty status in the standings, Hawks coach Joel Quenneville has been hyper-cautious in allowing Sharp to return from the shoulder injury he suffered on March 6. Sunday night’s game against Nashville was the 14th straight Sharp has missed.

But it also might be his last.

Quenneville said Sunday that there’s a “good chance” Sharp will be on the trip to Minnesota for Tuesday’s game against the Wild.

“It’ll be nice to get him going here,” Quenneville said. “I think we probably added a couple extra days to his time away, but he’s been skating well and he wants to play, and we look forward to getting him in the lineup, because it give us a lot more options with the lines.”

Quenneville said Sharp has been itching to play for a while now, but that he wanted to play it extra safe.

The Hawks also were without second-line center Dave Bolland for the second straight game on Sunday. Bolland took a Shea Weber slap shot off the foot last Monday and left the game. He played Thursday against St. Louis, but has been unable to go this weekend. It appears unlikely Bolland will be able to play Tuesday, either.

Without both of his usual second-line linemates, right wing Patrick Kane again skated with center Marcus Kruger and left wing Daniel Carcillo on Sunday.



Blackhawks first team in NHL to clinch playoff spot with 5-3 win


In describing what it’s like to play the Nashville Predators, various Blackhawks recently have used the words ‘‘frustrating,’’ ‘‘difficult,’’ ‘‘ugly’’ and even ‘‘boring.’’

Here’s another one: fruitful.

The Hawks beat the Predators for the third time in seven days Sunday, as rookie Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews scored 55 seconds apart midway through the third period to spark a 5-3 victory. The result made the Hawks the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot. After a spotty stretch in late March, the Hawks are 4-0-1 in their last five games, with three of those victories coming at the Predators’ expense.

‘‘We’re very pleased,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said. ‘‘Any point you earn against them, you know you have to work hard. They’re relentless. Sometimes it can be frustrating playing those games when you’re a puck-possession team. You want the puck, but there are not a lot of direct plays out there. You’ve got to make indirect plays.’’

Toews’ tiebreaking goal was a perfect example of that. And it was Patrick Kane, of all people, doing the Toews-like dirty work to make it happen.

Moments after Saad tied the score 3-3 at 9:37 of the third, Andrew Shaw dumped the puck in. That’s not the usual style for the Hawks, who prefer to carry the puck into the offensive zone with speed.

While three Predators converged on the puck behind goalie Pekka Rinne, it was Kane who outhustled everyone to the boards, lifted a defender’s stick, turned and fired a pass to a streaking Toews, who just had come off the bench. Toews considered a backdoor pass to Saad before keeping the puck himself and firing it past Rinne for a 4-3 lead.

‘‘That should be the headline right there,’’ Toews said with a smirk. ‘‘You’re not going to see that too often.’’

It was Toews’ goal 19th of the season, finally catching him up to his buddy Kane after a seasonlong chase. But Kane scored an empty-netter with 31.1 seconds left when Saad turned down his own chance and passed to him.

‘‘Always finds a way,’’ Toews said, laughing.

Saad finished with a goal and an assist, tying the score in the third by stuffing a rebound past Rinne from the doorstep. He has 20 points in his last 19 games.

That gave Shaw an idea about how to use the promotional oven mitts the team handed out to fans attending the game.

‘‘Kid’s hot,’’ Shaw said. ‘‘Better get those oven mitts on those hands.’’

Before the mini-flurry in the third, the headline was the Hawks’ newly reconfigured third and fourth lines, which spent most of their time buzzing around Rinne and creating scoring chances. Shaw tipped in a shot by Michael Frolik at 6:34 of the first to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. After Nick Spaling tied the score, Bryan Bickell snapped a wrister past Rinne 2:09 into the second for a 2-1 lead.

Shaw had a goal and an assist, tried to pick a fight with Hal Gill — eight inches taller and nearly 70 pounds heavier — and picked up an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty after being thrown out of a faceoff that led to Shea Weber’s tying goal four minutes after Bickell’s tally.

‘‘It’s perfect,’’ Shaw said of his line. ‘‘That’s what we need to do — bring energy and get every other line to feed off it. It worked out in the end.’’

Indeed, after David Legwand gave the Predators a 3-2 lead seven minutes into the third, the Hawks stiffened and took over the game from there.

No third-period woes, no last-second chances for the Predators, no problems at all. With 10 games left, a playoff spot locked up and a cushion on the second-place Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference, the Hawks can turn their attention to May.

‘‘These wins are very important,’’ Toews said. ‘‘We want to keep our confidence and keep our momentum as a team and keep reinforcing the fact that we have high expectations for ourselves come playoff time. We’ve got to work for that, though.’’



Saad’s maturity growing fast with Hawks teammates

By Bob Verdi

Chatter is building about chances of a Calder Trophy for Brandon Saad, the Blackhawks' prodigy at left wing. He skates on the top line for an elite National Hockey League team, so he deserves consideration as this year's outstanding rookie despite that nickname of "Man-Child." Only the birth certificate is visual proof that he's 20.

Saad's maturity on ice is backed by evidence, but it's his deliberate maneuvers elsewhere that fascinate his lodge brothers. Andrew Shaw, his road roommate, regales anyone who will listen about how it takes Saad two hours to watch "60 Minutes" — that is, when "Man-Child" isn't bivouacked in the bathroom, shaving and fixing his hair.

"Not true, none of it," insists Saad.

Shaw is relentless, volunteering that Saad might even don a robe on occasion, like Hugh Hefner. But he was born four score and seven years ago. Then there's the airplane, where Saad will drape a napkin from his collar across his chest so as to protect his shirt.

"Now, how many rookies would think of that?" Shaw chirps. "How many kids are that far advanced? That's why he's Man-Child."

Saad could note the absence of soup stains on his ties, but what's the point? He just rolls his eyes and listens. Shaw, who is nicknamed "Mutt," has a huge advantage in seniority, being a fossil at 21. Besides, the "Man-Child" and the "Mutt" exemplify the chemistry that pervades this Blackhawks roster. They might be opposites, but more important, they are teammates.

"Fearless," praises captain Jonathan Toews, who centers for Saad and Marian Hossa. "Man-Child looks and plays a lot older than he is."

There have been a few Blackhawks of Saad's ilk. Grant Mulvey was a big, raw-boned kid who got tagged with "Granny" almost instantly. Mulvey rarely hurried, except to reach the NHL. He spent nary a day in the minors, scored his first goal when he was 18 and remains the only man in franchise history to collect five in a game.

Then there was Steve Larmer, alias "Grandpa." Laconic, with a voice that was guttural going on grumpy, Larmer enjoyed a cigarette with his coffee while shunning the limelight whenever possible. Drafted 120th, Larmer became one of the best two-way wingers ever, an iron man who played the same on the road as he did at home while building a consecutive-game streak of 884. He belongs in the Hall of Fame. Ask Denis Savard about "Grandpa."

Saad opened last season with the Blackhawks, was returned to his junior squad — the Saginaw Spirit, coached by former Hawk Greg Gilbert — and might have followed Mulvey's path of avoiding the bushes. But during the NHL lockout last fall, Saad played for the Blackhawks' farm club in Rockford, where he excelled. When the Blackhawks finally reported to camp in January, he was ready. Strong, smart and steady, Saad entered Sunday's game with eight goals and a +13 rating.

"This is awesome, playing with this team in front of these fans, skating with two of the best players in the world — Toews and Hossa," says Saad, who was born in Pittsburgh just as the Penguins were winning consecutive Stanley Cups. That first time on skates, at about 2 ½, was emblazoned in his mind. Then he started watching Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.

"Hockey was it for me," says Saad, who admits to being big when he was little, even as he deflects accusations about being old when he's young. "I played all sports, and was pretty athletic, but I fell in love with hockey."

Saad's father, George, left Syria when he was 18, earned a degree at Columbia University, then furthered his education at the University of Pittsburgh. There, he met his future wife, Sandra, who is Polish. Saad's brother, also George, plays hockey at Penn State and is a teammate of Eddie Olczyk's son, Tommy.

"Dad is my idol," says Saad. "He came to the United States with no money, alone, didn't speak English. He worked hard to build a career and is very

good at his profession: industrial engineering, buying and selling commercial real estate. He pursued his dream — to come to America and start a new life. My thought was that if the hockey thing doesn't work out, I can always get an education. He was behind me all the way, and still is."

Saad, who lives alone downtown, professes to be invisible out of uniform — a theory he can't quite slip by Shaw.

"He's famous and he's single," corrects the "Mutt."

"This guy here, he likes to stir it," counters the "Man-Child." "I'm private and I stay off the map."

Steve Larmer tried that too. Then he won the Calder Trophy as best rookie in 1983. His acceptance speech set an indoor record for brevity.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.08.2013


Blackhawks first in West to win playoff berth

By Tim Sassone

It was a foregone conclusion that the Blackhawks were going to make the playoffs thanks to their record start, but they made it official Sunday night.

The Hawks became the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a spot in the playoffs when they rallied in the third period with 3 late goals to beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 at the United Center.

It's going to be the Hawks' fifth consecutive playoff appearance, but it's only the first step toward the team's ultimate goal.

"We have one goal, and everyone knows what that goal is," Andrew Shaw said, referring to the Stanley Cup.

"First and foremost our No. 1 goal coming into every season, we want to make the playoffs," captain Jonathan Toews said. "I think that's a huge thing for us."

Goals by Brandon Saad and Toews 55 seconds apart in the third period wiped out a 3-2 Nashville lead.

Saad scored on his own rebound at 9:37 to tie it, and Toews put everything he had into a wrist shot that beat goalie Pekka Rinne off the crossbar at 10:32 on a feed from Patrick Kane behind the net.

Kane beat three Nashville defenders to a loose puck behind the net on the forecheck and spotted Toews coming off the bench at full speed.

"That should be the headline right there because you're not going to see that too often," teased Toews. "I was just kidding. It was a great play by Kaner. I came flying off the bench and he saw me in the slot.

"My first thought was to try and find Saad backdoor because I could hit him kind of going to the net there, but I went against that instinct and shot the puck and it happened to go in."

It was Toews' 19th goal of the season, tying Kane temporarily for the team lead. But Kane added an empty netter with 32 seconds to play.

"He always finds a way," Toews said. "But it doesn't matter. We'll take that extra one for a little insurance. It was pretty close (Saturday) trying to protect that 1-goal lead for a long time."

It was a crushing loss for the Predators in their quest to make the playoffs in the West. It was their third loss in a row and sixth in seven games.

"We've just got to play hard and see what happens," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "Chances are very remote, but you've got to play hard. You're not going to do anybody any favors if you don't. You just embarrass yourself."

David Legwand said it's no time to give up.

"We're in a do-or-die situation," Legwand said. "But we've got to obviously move on and get a win Tuesday."

It was 2-2 heading to the third period when Legwand scored at 6:54 to put the Predators ahead. The Hawks took over from there.

"We're certainly pleased that it's occurred," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said of clinching a playoff berth. "We've had a good year up to date. We're very happy with what we accomplished, but we still want to keep trying to get better in games.

"How we play and playing the right way is going to be what we're stressing the last 10 games."



Blackhawks’ Shaw even provides some comic relief

By Tim Sassone

Centering the fourth line Sunday night, Andrew Shaw had a special game with a goal, an assist and 2 hits.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Shaw also supplied some comic relief in the first period by mixing it up with 6-7, 243-pound Nashville defenseman Hal Gill.

"Actually, (Brandon) Bollig was saying if you guys are going to go I'll go get Shaw a stepladder," Shaw said jokingly. "I'll always stick up for myself, no matter who it is."

The incident came when Shaw was battling for position in front of the net.

"I was just kind of battling for space in front of the net and I tried to get low on him," Shaw said. "He's a big boy and he didn't like it. I didn't like it either, so I thought I'd swing back."

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville praised Shaw for his play but wondered what he was thinking by messing with Gill.

"I think he's definitely not in the right weight class there," Quenneville said.

What goalie controversy?

There's no goalie controversy … not yet, anyway.

The Hawks' No. 1 job still belongs to Corey Crawford despite coach Joel Quenneville's decision to come back with Ray Emery on Sunday against Nashville, partly as a reward for his 1-0 shutout of the Predators on Saturday.

"He's coming off a rock-solid win and deserves to get some consideration to get right back in there," Quenneville said.

Both goalies have nearly identical numbers: Emery is now 14-1-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .923 save percentage (before Sunday), while Crawford is 15-4-4 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

Quenneville still maintains he does not need to have a No. 1 goaltender going into the playoffs.

"I would think all that stuff will get resolved on how we're going," he said. "The decisions will be made by what's going on."

Quenneville was asked if he would consider playing both his goalies in the postseason. "You never know," he said. "I don't want to say no. We'll see. I'm not worried about it right now."

Sharp on Tuesday?

Patrick Sharp will be accompanying the team to Minnesota for Tuesday's game, Joel Quenneville said, but he hasn't been ruled in or out.

Sharp missed his 14th straight game Sunday with his injured left shoulder.

Meanwhile, Dave Bolland sat for the second game in a row with a foot injury Quenneville doesn't consider serious.

"Sharpie is really close," Quenneville said. "We expect him (back) here this week. We'll see with Bolly. We don't think it's serious.

"It will be nice to get (Sharp) going here. We probably added a few days here to his time away. He's been skating well and he wants to play. We look forward to getting him in the lineup because it gives us a lot more options."

Killing them off:

The Hawks are 17-for-17 in penalty kills in the last nine games.

"I think the guys have been working well together," Quenneville said. "Krugs and Fro (Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik) have been a good pair all year long and they've been getting the bulk of the duty.

"It goes from that. I think whether it's up front or the back end, the goalie at the end of the day has to help out as well."



Blackhawks host 'Hockey Fights Cancer Night'

Nina Falcone

After shutting out the Predators on Saturday, the Blackhawks will return home and face Nashville again for the third time in seven days. Catch all the action on Comcast SportsNet, beginning with Blackhawks Pregame Live at 5:30.

The Blackhawks will look to go undefeated against the Predators as these two teams face each other for the fourth and final time this season. But before they do that, the Blackhawks will do a little something special for some of their most heroic fans.

Prior to the start of tonight's matchup, the Blackhawks will host "Hockey Fights Cancer Night". The team has partnered with the Make-a-Wish and Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer foundations to recognize seven local children whose wish is to meet their Blackhawks heroes. The team will wear special pregame jerseys while broadcasters and coaches wear lavender ties, all to be autographed and auctioned off to raise funds for Chicago Blackhawks Charities and various cancer research organizations.

For those of you attending tonight's game, autographed pucks will be available for sale throughout the United Center concourse. The proceeds, as well as the funds raised during tonight's silent auction, will all go toward the organizations as well.

Join the conversation during tonight's matchup by using #HawksTalk on Twitter, and don't forget to keep up with the latest team-related social media trends on Blackhawks Pulse. If you would like to bid on tonight's pregame gear and support cancer research, visit the Blackhawks' website.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.08.2013


Sharp, Bolland out for Hawks; Emery starts in net

April 7, 2013, 4:30 pm

Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland are out tonight and Ray Emery gets the second consecutive start when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Nashville Predators tonight at the United Center.

Sharp is close to returning from a left-shoulder injury, and coach Joel Quenneville said Sharp could travel to Minnesota with the team tomorrow. Bolland, who’s out with a lower-body injury, is more questionable for taking that trip. Quenneville said he doesn’t believe Bolland’s injury is serious.

Meanwhile, Emery will get his second consecutive start today, somewhat of a reward for his 20-stop, 1-0 shutout of the Predators on Saturday afternoon.

“He’s coming off a rock-solid win and deserves consideration to get right back in there,” Quenneville said.

The Blackhawks and Predators are meeting for the third time in just under a week. The Blackhawks have won the first three matchups this season, including two shutouts in Nashville (Corey Crawford notched a 3-0 victory in February, and Emery yesterday).

The Predators have gone 1-3-2 in their last six games. Mike Fisher (hand) did not make the trip to Chicago, according to the Tennessean. Austin Watson was an emergency call-up from Milwaukee today.

Pekka Rinne is expected to start tonight against the Blackhawks.



Toews leads Blackhawks over Predators

April 7, 2013, 8:30 pm

The ultimate goal for the Chicago Blackhawks this regular season is gaining home-ice advantage through the postseason. They at least secured that postseason spot on Sunday.

Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews scored within 55 seconds of each other, as the Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 at the United Center. The Blackhawks, who now have 62 points atop the Western Conference, clinched a fifth-consecutive postseason berth with the victory.

“Obviously, at the start of the year the goal is to make the playoffs, and then we know anything can happen,” said Duncan Keith, who finished plus-3 tonight. “We’ve given ourselves a chance now.”

Patrick Kane scored an empty-netter to seal the game. Bryan Bickell scored his second goal in as many games and Andrew Shaw scored his eighth of the season. Ray Emery stopped 19-of-22 his second victory in as many games. Pekka Rinne was once again busy in the loss, stopping 35-of-39.

But the Blackhawks weren’t busting out the champagne for just making the playoffs. It’s a start, it’s a spot, but right now, that’s it.

“It’s a good feeling, being the first team (this season) to clinch a playoff spot. But we’ve done a good job of never thinking too far ahead this year and taking it one game at a time,” said Toews, whose 19th goal of the season proved to be the game-winner. “We’ll keep going forward with that mindset that we’re not going to focus on something that doesn’t really matter right now.”

What matters, ultimately, is the Blackhawks continuing to play the way they have to get to this point. After a few so-so third periods, the Blackhawks returned to four lines rolling/playing-to-the-end in their weekend games vs. Nashville. The Predators’ style, and their stellar goaltender Rinne, force teams to be patient. In both games, the Blackhawks were. All four lines had their moments tonight, from the fourth line opening the scoring to the top line finishing.

“We create energy that way,” Shaw said of the four lines going tonight. “Every line’s rested by the time they’re up again. If we keep doing that, we’ll be fine.”

David Legwand put the Predators up 3-2 about seven minutes into the third period. But the Blackhawks’ top line had the final say. Saad tied it on his second-chance shot near the midway point of the third, and Toews had a perfectly placed shot, just under the crossbar, less than a minute later for a 4-3 lead.

[WATCH -- Highlights: Blackhawks down Predators for second straight night]

“We’ve had a good year to date and we’re happy with what we’ve accomplished,” coach Joel Queneville said. “But we still want to get better in games, and that’s the important thing. Finishing as high as we can is a priority as well. That’s where the motivation is.”

The Blackhawks have unfinished business in the playoffs, which has ended very quickly these past two seasons. They secured their spot in them tonight. But improving, honing and perfecting are on the docket now. They want to go into the postseason strong – and make a strong showing once they get there.

“I think the motivation stays the same as it has been the last little while: We want to keep building as a team, improving on something every single game,” Toews said. “It’s a little ways to go before playoff time and if we keep working on our game the way we have, I think we’re going to be a confident team going into the playoffs regardless of who we get in the first round.”

Tracey Myers



Sharp, Bolland out for Hawks; Emery starts in net

April 7, 2013, 4:30 pm

Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland are out tonight and Ray Emery gets the second consecutive start when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Nashville Predators tonight at the United Center.

Sharp is close to returning from a left-shoulder injury, and coach Joel Quenneville said Sharp could travel to Minnesota with the team tomorrow. Bolland, who’s out with a lower-body injury, is more questionable for taking that trip. Quenneville said he doesn’t believe Bolland’s injury is serious.

Meanwhile, Emery will get his second consecutive start today, somewhat of a reward for his 20-stop, 1-0 shutout of the Predators on Saturday afternoon.

“He’s coming off a rock-solid win and deserves consideration to get right back in there,” Quenneville said.

The Blackhawks and Predators are meeting for the third time in just under a week. The Blackhawks have won the first three matchups this season, including two shutouts in Nashville (Corey Crawford notched a 3-0 victory in February, and Emery yesterday).

The Predators have gone 1-3-2 in their last six games. Mike Fisher (hand) did not make the trip to Chicago, according to the Tennessean. Austin Watson was an emergency call-up from Milwaukee today.

Pekka Rinne is expected to start tonight against the Blackhawks.

Tracey Myers



Blackhawks host 'Hockey Fights Cancer Night'

April 7, 2013, 11:45 am

After shutting out the Predators on Saturday, the Blackhawks will return home and face Nashville again for the third time in seven days. Catch all the action on Comcast SportsNet, beginning with Blackhawks Pregame Live at 5:30.

The Blackhawks will look to go undefeated against the Predators as these two teams face each other for the fourth and penultimate time this season. But before they do that, the Blackhawks will do a little something special for some of their most heroic fans.

Prior to the start of tonight's matchup, the Blackhawks will host "Hockey Fights Cancer Night". The team has partnered with the Make-a-Wish and Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer foundations to recognize seven local children whose wish is to meet their Blackhawks heroes. The team will wear special pregame jerseys while broadcasters and coaches wear lavender ties, all to be autographed and auctioned off to raise funds for Chicago Blackhawks Charities and various cancer research organizations.

For those of you attending tonight's game, autographed pucks will be available for sale throughout the United Center concourse. The proceeds, as well as the funds raised during tonight's silent auction, will all go toward the organizations as well.

Join the conversation during tonight's matchup by using #HawksTalk on Twitter, and don't forget to keep up with the latest team-related social media trends on Blackhawks Pulse. If you would like to bid on tonight's pregame gear and support cancer research, visit the Blackhawks' website.

Nina Falcone


668733 Colorado Avalanche

Gabe Landeskog has support of teammates, Avalanche organization

By Mike Chambers

The Denver Post

Posted: 04/08/2013 12:01:00 AM MDT

In more games than not, and far more than he would like, Gabe Landeskog said being the youngest captain in NHL history has felt like being "snowed in." The rookie Avalanche captain and second-year left wing, 20, repeatedly used those words in discussing how he has suffered in a season that has gone all wrong for himself and his teammates.

"I have been taking every loss more personally," Landeskog said. "In that way, it's easy to get too snowed in on a loss ... and it prevents you from moving on."

Landeskog, who suffered a concussion four games into the season, has just seven goals and 12 points in 26 games, and the Avs have a league-low 29 points. Landeskog is pointless in his last six games, with a minus-4 rating, and Colorado has lost 12 of its last 14.

"I'm not one to use the captaincy as an excuse for how I've been playing," said Landeskog, who won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year after producing a team-high 22 goals last season. "There have been more things to divide my focus upon, off the ice, more responsibility, a little more pressure of being a go-to guy, but for me, it hasn't been an excuse — at all.

"But it's easier to take (losing) personally than if I didn't have the C," he said, referring to the captain's insignia. "Again, I don't want to blame anything on the C. I've enjoyed having it, and I have learned a lot. If anything, I have realized you can get too snowed in on the captaincy, instead of being yourself. It's hard when the team isn't doing well. It's been hard to know what to do, and when to do it. I knew from Day One I wasn't going to be a perfect captain, but I believe I can still be a good one."

Avs coach Joe Sacco and legendary Colorado center and current executive advisor Joe Sakic — who withstood a 16-50-14 season in his first season as co-captain of the Quebec Nordiques in 1990-01 — both said Landeskog has done nothing wrong and will continue to serve as captain next season and beyond. In fact, they both say they admire how Landeskog has handled so much adversity.

"We don't want him to change at all, because he's captain because he's captain material," Sakic said Sunday. "He's just a tremendous leader. We know he's got the utmost respect from everybody in that dressing room, the coaching staff and everybody in the organization. He's just a kid who possesses all the qualities of leadership."

Sakic said Landeskog's on-ice production can't be fairly judged because of the concussion that forced him to miss 11 games and not participate in any physical activity for two weeks. Overall, this season reminds Sakic of his third NHL season in 1990-91, when he served as co-captain with defenseman Steven Finn.

Sakic became the lone captain in 1992-93, leading the Nordiques to a 42-17-10 record at age 23 with like-aged teammates Mats Sundin, Owen Nolan, Adam Foote, Mike Ricci and Scott Young. Three years later, the franchise won the Stanley Cup in the first season after moving to Colorado.

"The way that the year's gone, and with me being in that position in a long time ago, going through it and end up winning a Cup, it's obviously a new learning experience," Sakic said of Landeskog. "It's easy to be a front-runner and everything, but it's how you come through the tough times that really builds character. ... He'll come through it and he'll be fine.

Landeskog's teammates also have his back.

"It's tough coming in as a captain at 20 years old, and for a losing team it's that much tougher. You tend to want to do too much, or take too much (responsibility) on your shoulders," said backup goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in separate seasons with the Anaheim Ducks. "It's a difficult situation for him, but I think, just like the rest of his team, it's a learning experience.

He's learning the ropes, and we all know he's going to be a great captain in the future."

Defenseman Shane O'Brien said: "I think Landy has done a great job. The guys respect him. It's not easy being 20 years old and the captain of an NHL team, especially one that's losing. I tease him, but he's mature beyond his years. Landy is still learning what it takes to be a captain, but he's going to be a captain for a long time."

Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357, [email protected] or twitter.com/mchambersdp

Denver Post: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668734 Colorado Avalanche

Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche preview

Posted: 04/08/2013 12:01:00 AM MDT

Spotlight on Mike Cammalleri: The 5-foot-9 Flames center scored twice in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Avalanche on March 13. But he hasn't scored in the Flames' ensuing five games, all losses. They have fallen to 29th place in the NHL, only one point ahead of the last-place Avalanche. Cammalleri, 30, played three years at the University of Michigan and is in his second NHL stint with Calgary. He also has played for the Los Angeles Kings, the team that drafted him, and for the Montreal Canadiens. He scored a career-high 39 goals for the Flames in 2008-09 and has 208 for his NHL career, plus a whopping 17

playoff goals in 32 games.

NOTEBOOK

Flames: They are concluding a three-game road trip that began with consecutive-night losses against San Jose (2-1) and Vancouver (5-2), the latter played Saturday, and are on a franchise-record 13-game losing streak on the road. Calgary previously lost a home-and-home set with Edmonton by 4-1 and 8-2 scores and absorbed a 6-4 loss to visiting Columbus. The Flames have the worst goals-against average (3.51) in the NHL but rank 13th in scoring (2.68).

Avalanche: The team returned from Saturday's 4-0 loss at Phoenix early Sunday morning and didn't practice, but participated in the annual charity brunch and fashion show. ... The Avs have lost four consecutive games and 12 of their past 14. ... Forwards Paul Stastny (foot) and David Jones (knee) have been skating with the team and might return to the lineup Monday night, but winger Milan Hejduk (shoulder) and defenseman Ryan Wilson (ankle) are doubtful. ... The Avs are 2-1 against Calgary this season.

Mike Chambers, The Denver Post

Denver Post: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668735 Columbus Blue Jackets

Wild 3, Blue Jackets 0: Killer instinct lacking

Jackets give up two power-play goals, don’t challenge Wild’s Backstrom

By Aaron Portzline

The Columbus Dispatch Monday April 8, 2013 5:31 AM

On many nights this season, the Blue Jackets’ penalty kill has been the sharpest aspect of their game, the backbone of a defensive effort that has allowed them to survive on a narrow margin.

Last night, the Jackets leaned on the penalty kill, but it wasn’t there for support. The fall was ugly.

The Minnesota Wild — by far the more engaged and energetic team — scored two power-play goals in the second period and cruised to a 3-0 win before 15,909 in Nationwide Arena.

“That was tough ... tough to watch,” Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. “The second period was a real flat period for us, just really disappointing from the sense of the importance of the game. We had no energy.”

The loss halted the Blue Jackets’ 12-game home points streak (9-0-3), a franchise record.

It also severely dampened their Stanley Cup playoff chances, as they remained four points behind eighth-place Detroit with four teams to leapfrog and only nine games remaining.

It marked only the third time all season the Blue Jackets have allowed more than one power-play goal in a game.

The Blue Jackets’ power play didn’t help, either, going 0 for 4 with only three shots on goal, and letting pass two third-period chances to pull within a goal.

But the power play has been in a flaccid state all season.

“We finally get a game where got more than one or two power plays,” winger R.J. Umberger said. “We didn’t generate anything, get any shots through.

“This time of season, it’s critical that your power play steps up. And our penalty kill, for the first time in a long time, gave up a couple of goals. That’s the difference.”

The Wild went ahead 1-0 at 3:13 of the second on Ryan Suter’s wrister through traffic, then pushed the lead to 2-0 when Charlie Coyle finished a terrific set-up by Mikael Granlund at 15:03.

The Blue Jackets went long stretches where they barely tested Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom. He made 14 of his 24 saves in the third period, but he needed to make only four stops in the second.

Much credit goes to the Wild, which had lost three straight before last night.

They played extremely tight in the neutral zone, and their line of Cal Clutterbuck, Kyle Brodziak and Charlie Coyle were the most noticeable trio on the ice.

“Five-on-five, they were plugging it up so well,” Blue Jackets center Mark Letestu said. “When they play like that, they’re not giving up a lot of chances.”

The Wild capped the scoring with 1:25 remaining when Jason Pominville finished a rush off a pass from Zach Parise.

With nine games left, the Blue Jackets can’t afford any more nights like last night. They have only three home games left, including on Tuesday against San Jose.

“It’s not any secret,” defenseman Jack Johnson said. “We have to win our home games out, I think, and we have to be exceptional on the road.

“It’s not anything anybody in here should shy away from; we have to rise to the challenge.

“These are the kind of games you want to play in. They’re meaningful.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.08.2013


Bob Hunter commentary: No matter how you add it up, Jackets all but eliminated

By Bob Hunter


When the NHL season reaches the stretch run, there are two kinds of “eliminated” that teams on the wrong side of the playoff line face: mathematically eliminated and realistically eliminated.

Even after last night’s devastating 3-0 loss to Minnesota, the Blue Jackets obviously aren’t mathematically eliminated. With 39 points, they are only four points behind eighth-place Detroit in the Western Conference standings.

But with nine games left in the season, numbers have started taunting the Blue Jackets like an obnoxious teenager, and that other unspeakable kind of “eliminated” is now in play.

Sportsclubstats.com, which compiles math on the playoff chances of all professional teams, listed the Jackets’ chances of making the playoffs at only 3.3 percent after last night’s loss, a drop of 5.4 percent based on that loss to the Wild. Given the web site’s percentage breakdown of the team’s playoff chances given every conceivable record the Jackets could compile in those last nine games, it strikes me that this isn’t based on a bad experience one of the web designers had at Columbus pizza shop.

Phoenix, Dallas and Edmonton are between the Jackets and eighth place. The Stars and the Oilers have the same number of points as Columbus, but they have the edge in tiebreakers. And just about everybody has a schedule advantage: Of the nine games the Jackets have remaining, six are on the road.

So it didn’t take a math major to figure out that the Blue Jackets were climbing a steep mountain even before the loss to the Wild. But no one in the team’s locker room denied that this one was a crusher.

“It’s a blow,” coach Todd Richards said, “not taking advantage of playing at home. Ten (now nine) games to go and we know what’s ahead of us. The players have talked, we’ve talked about the importance of these home games.”

But talk is cheap when the math is so brutal. Our friends at sportsclubstats.com say that if the Jackets go 8-1, they still have an 87.1 percent chance of making the playoffs. But get this: Even if they go 7-2 — that means winning all three remaining home games and going 4-2 on the road — their chances of making the playoffs are only 36.4 percent.

Even if those guys fudged their numbers a little over some deep-seated hatred of the Blue Jackets — and seriously, who can work up a good hate for a team that has made the playoffs only once in its 12-season existence? — it probably isn’t going to make anybody around here feel better to know that a 7-2 record really gives Columbus a 40- or 45-percent chance of making it.

Marian Gaborik came to the Jackets from the Rangers three games ago and he tried hard to put a spin on this. But frankly, he is better at scoring goals.

“We have to stay positive,” Gaborik said. “It really was a game that we should have had, but we just have to regroup and move forward.”

No one would deny that, but defenseman Jack Johnson admitted the team “felt like tonight was a must-win game,” which takes us back to that other unspeakable kind of “eliminated.” He wasn’t giving up, obviously, but he left little doubt that the situation is pretty grim.

“We’ve only got three home games left for the rest of the year, and we know we have to win those three and we have to be exceptional on the road,” he said. “It’s a tough spot to be in. We’re trying to climb over teams and it’s tough at the end of the year because you get a lot of three-point games going.”

He was even more direct when he was asked about the situation that the Jackets face in a different way.

“We have to win the rest of our games,” he said.

He might be right. If the Jackets go 9-0, sportsclubstats.com says that they have a 99.7 percent chance of making the playoffs.

But any Jackets fan up to his eyeballs in past misery would immediately recognize that for what it is: less than 100 percent.

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch



Blue Jackets notebook: Wild’s Backstrom rebounds with shutout

By Shawn Mitchell


Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom, invigorated by the metaphorical cold shower that he said goalies take when pulled from a start, had a clean sheet yesterday in Nationwide Arena.

The 34-year-old Finn made 24 saves against the Blue Jackets and pitched his 28th career shutout in a crucial win for Minnesota, three days after being yanked from a 3-0 loss at Los Angeles in which he allowed two goals on two shots.

“I don’t want to say that you get (ticked) off, but it is a wakeup call for you,” said Backstrom, who became the NHL’s first 20-game winner and shut out the Jackets for the first time in his career.

“You feel like you let the team down and you want to be sure you are ready the next time.”

Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards wasn’t happy with the lack of offensive pressure against Backstrom.

“We didn’t test him nearly enough,” Richards said. “It got a little bit better in the third period, but it’s still not what I expect out of our players based on the standards they have set.”

Backstrom improved to 11-5-1 against the Jackets, who took only four shots in the second period and totaled three shots during four power-play opportunities.

“He made the first save on a lot of occasions,” Blue Jackets center Mark Letestu said.

“There wasn’t a lot of second chances. They were doing a good job of keeping us out of certain areas.”

Reshuffle

The Jackets scratched four players, none of them healthy, and could be without the quartet again on Tuesday against San Jose.

Richards said he hoped center Brandon Dubinsky (illness) could return by then, but he was less optimistic about defensemen Nikita Nikitin and Tim Erixon (both upper body).

Erixon is slated to practice today but Richards did not know if he would be ready to play on Tuesday. Richards said he was “unsure” of Nikitin’s timeline.

Right winger Jared Boll (lower body) “is still going to be a little bit,” Richards said.

Division champs

Minor-league Springfield beat Portland 4-2 yesterday to clinch the American Hockey League Northeast Division.

The Falcons (41-20-9) clinched a playoff spot on Friday and secured their first division championship and 40-win season since 1997-98.

Falcons forward Jonathan Audy-Marchessault had a goal and an assist and is tied for second in the AHL with 63 points (20 goals, 43 assists).

Slap shots

The Jackets fell to 0-4 when allowing two power-play goals. They have not allowed three power-play goals since a 5-3 loss at Anaheim on Feb. 12, 2012, a span of 65 games. Columbus had killed 22 of its previous 23 penalties in Nationwide Arena. … The Jackets suffered back-to-back regulation losses for the first time since Feb. 23-24 (2-1 at St. Louis and 1-0 at Chicago), a span of 19 games. … Center Ryan Johansen won all nine of his faceoffs.



NHL: Blue Jackets blanked by Wild

Staff Report

Sunday April 7, 2013 10:30 PM

Niklas Backstrom made 24 saves, and newcomer Jason Pominville had a goal and an assist to help the Minnesota Wild snap a three-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory over the Blue Jackets tonight in Nationwide Arena.

Pominville, acquired last week from Buffalo, earned his first points with Minnesota.

The Wild, coming off its first shutout loss of the season -- 3-0 at Los Angeles on Thursday -- got better as the game progressed on both ends of the ice.

Ryan Suter's wrist shot in traffic started the scoring, and Charlie Coyle benefited from a perfect pass from Mikael Granlund as the Wild netted two power-play goals in the second period.

Backstrom and his staunch defense did the rest until Pominville scored late off a tape-to-tape pass from Zach Parise. Backstrom earned his second shutout of the season and 28th of his NHL career.


668739 Dallas Stars

Jamie Benn's shootout goal completes Stars' comeback win over red-hot Sharks

Associated Press

Published: 07 April 2013 06:19 PM

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jamie Benn scored the lone goal in the shootout and Kari Lehtonen stopped all three attempts as the Dallas Stars snapped the San Jose Sharks' seven-game winning streak with a 5-4, come-from-behind victory on Sunday.

Alex Chiasson started the rally from a two-goal deficit in the third period when he scored his second goal of the game, and Loui Erickson tied it for the Stars, who have won two straight following a three-game losing streak. Eric Nystrom also scored, and Lehtonen made 32 saves through overtime for Dallas.

The Stars also erased a 2-0 deficit before falling behind 4-2.

Tommy Wingels, Brent Burns, TJ Galiardi and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for the Sharks, who had won the first six games of their seven-game homestand. San Jose failed in its attempt to become the first NHL team to win every game on a homestand of at least seven games, according to STATS LLC. Antti Niemi made 30 saves.

Benn beat Niemi in the second round of the shootout when he skated out wide and then came back to the middle for a forehand shot. Lehtonen sealed the win when he stopped Burns on the final attempt.

This was the first of three meetings between the teams in a span of 17 days, and the clubs look far different than they did for the first meeting of the season in February in Dallas.

The Stars have traded key players Brenden Morrow, Jaromir Jagr, Derek Roy and Michael Ryder since winning 3-1 then. That loss was the ninth in 10 games for the Sharks, who have turned things around dramatically of late.

San Jose won in Anaheim on March 25 and then took the first six games of this homestand to vault from outside the playoff picture to the middle of the fight for home-ice advantage in the first round.

The Stars twice erased two-goal deficits with Nystrom and Chiasson scoring 26 seconds apart in the second period to tie the game at 2. Chiasson and Erickson scored in the opening half of the third period to tie it at 4. The tying goal game when Erickson beat Brad Stuart to the rebound of a shot by Matt Fraser midway through the third.

Galiardi, whose improved play has helped spark this recent run, had helped San Jose take the lead with a beautiful spin-o-rama goal in the second off a good play from newly acquired Raffi Torres.

Torres has long been reviled in San Jose for playoff hits that hurt Milan Michalek and Joe Thornton over the years. He was even greeted by a mix of boos and cheers in his first game with the Sharks. But Torres quickly won over his new fans by dishing out some hard hits, drawing a penalty and earning two assists, including one on Galiardi's goal.

Torres hit Nystrom to jar the puck loose in the offensive end and then stole it from Trevor Daley before feeding Galiardi in the circle. Galiardi then spun and fired a backhand with his back to the net, and the puck sailed just under the crossbar to beat Lehtonen. Galiardi even seemed surprised by the highlight-reel goal, holding his arms out in celebration.

There was little celebrating after San Jose's next goal as it came after a lengthy video review determined that Vlasic's wraparound trickled off Lehtonen and just over the goal line to make it 4-2.

The rare afternoon game in San Jose got off to a chippy start with Joe Pavelski hitting Fiddler with a high stick early, and a scrum near Lehtonen midway through the period.

The Sharks struck first when Logan Couture beat Aaron Rome in a battle for the puck behind the Dallas net. Couture centered the puck, and Patrick Marleau whiffed on the shot attempt. But Wingels was right behind Marleau in the slot and knocked a shot in for his fourth goal.

NOTES: Stars F Lane MacDermid, who scored in his first two games since being acquired in the Jagr trade, sat out with an upper body injury. ... D Jason Demers returned for the Sharks in place of Matt Tennyson after missing four games with a head injury.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668740 Dallas Stars

With Jagr out the door, Jamie Benn looking like his old self again

Kevin Sherrington

[email protected]

Published: 08 April 2013 12:52 AM

There was some amount of confusion when I answered one of the chat questions last week and said that Jamie Benn might actually see his game improve now that Jaromir Jagr is gone.

"But didn't you tell us how much Jagr was helping everyone for the past two months?'' many of you asked.

Well, yeah, sure, but that was while he was still here.

OK, I'm only halfway joking with that response. Yes, Jagr did help everyone while he was here. He was a terrific role model who showed how to work hard and didn't just tell you about it. He was also a fantastic example of how to enjoy the game into your 40s, and how to continue to impact the game at that age level.

But he also was a huge planet that required a certain amount of reshaping of the Stars universe. Just as I wasn't going to talk about how his presence could be negatively affecting Benn when he was here, the Stars weren't going to use Jagr in a way that didn't fit his style. If Jagr wanted to dangle instead of dump the puck, then his linemates had to adjust. If he wanted to slow things down, then his linemates had to do the same.

He's Jaromir Jagr, for heaven's sake, and he was leading the Stars in scoring. What more did you want? Jagr is he is a lead dog…even if he doesn't ask to be. He is the eighth-leading scorer in NHL history, the guy who just hit 1,000 assists, the man who made mullets popular. He is Jagr! And if you have one lead dog, then there's really not room at the front of the sled for anyone else. So Jamie Benn had to slow things down, he had to defer, he had to change his game.

There's really no argument about that.

If you watched Benn play with Jagr, he rarely was on the gallop, he rarely was leading the rush, he rarely had blinders on. He wasn't out there walking around five defenders, passing the puck to himself, or going Mach 2 with his hair on fire like Lt. Pete Mitchell.

He was not buzzing the tower like Maverick would. He was playing by the rules like Iceman.

(Self Editing note: OK, these movie references are getting downright ridiculous. Seriously, "A Knight's Tale,'' "Office Space,'' "Trading Places.'' Just stop it…stop it. OK, back to your regularly schedule blog entry).

The point is, Benn couldn't be Benn, because he was being Jagr's sidekick. There's nothing wrong with that. After all, it helped Jagr score a ton of goals, and helped the Stars create some great scoring chances. And really, if you spent any time around Jagr, there was no other way to do it. Jagr was going to get top ice, Benn was going to help him out, and that was that.

But now by removing his aura from the formula, things change. Benn now plays Benn's game.

Ray Whitney is a great play-making winger, and he's going to defer to Benn. The two are moving things forward quickly and bringing a speedy element back to the Stars' game. They aren't perfect, and they make mistakes just as Benn and Jagr made mistakes en route to some serious minuses. But the Whitney-Benn duo makes mistakes at high speed and on the attack. Because of that, they don't get trapped as much. Because of that, they can circle back quickly and clean up the messes. Because of that, a player like Alex Chiasson can jump in and find a place.

In fact, the whole team can change their attitude. With the energy of the kids and an us-against-the-world attitude, the Stars are noticeably different.

"When you get rid of one of the best to ever play the game in Jagr, people are naturally going to assume that,'' Whitney said when asked about the outside perception that the team was waving the white flag after the trades. "But what you are doing is giving some young guys an opportunity, you're

giving your team a different look. It's not so much a puck possession group as it was when Jags was here, it's more of a north-south mentality. When you have a younger team, it's easier for them to understand that. It's a simpler game when it's up and down, get the puck in and bang away. It's work your way into the playoffs. The difference was we had a couple skill guys that would vary from a control game to an up-and-down game, and the inconsistencies were there with that. Now, it's pretty black and white."

Because of that, the Stars are a different team. A better team? Well, we're not sure about that yet. Benn has two points in the last three games without Jagr. He had two goals and seven assists in the nine games previous to that playing beside Jagr. So, yeah, you have every reason to question my judgment on the statement that Benn is playing better or that he is in a better place.

But know this, he Stars were 4-5-0 when Benn and Jagr were scoring those points. They are 2-1-0 since. That's a small sample size, but if you watch the game, if you watch Benn get his stride back and get his bark back, you might come to the same conclusion.

Chiasson continues hot start: We've thrown enough roses at the feet of Alex Chiasson to make him blush, but he keeps giving you reasons to cheer. His two goals on Sunday were two more signs that the kid has something. He goes to the net hard, he finds open ice, and he finishes his chances. There's a lot to be said for that at any level.

A product of the USHL (DesMoines) and Boston University, Chiasson has been adapting to the AHL the past two seasons. He is now a 22-year-old with plenty of confidence and good size. He plays a simple game, and that has served him well in his three-game NHL career.

"He does the little things right,'' Stars coach Glen Gultzan said with a smile. "If he keeps doing that, I think I'll play him.''

Chiasson credited Whitney and Benn for their work.

"These guys are top guys, they're all-stars,'' he said. "They find me, and all I have to do is put them in. I'm grateful.''

Benn said he sees plenty of help from Chiasson.

"He's a goal scorer,'' Benn said. "he's a big power forward who uses his body down low and puts the puck in the net.''

Dillon continues to learn and grow: When the Stars coaches decided to move Brenden Dillon and Alex Goligoski onto a pair, the thought was that the two could try to find chemistry while not seeing as much pressure. With Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas manning the top pair, you just figured they would get the most minutes and the toughest miniutes.

But there were Dillon and Goligoski notching 24:36 and 26:54 on Sunday. There was Dillon forced to deal with a lot of physical play, and forced to answer with physical play. The 22-year-old defenseman was whistled twice for penalties, and you could argue that San Jose agitator Raffi Torres baited him into a crosscheck, but you could also say that Dillon sent a message to Torres.

After Torres had an especially agitating shift, Dillon pounded him into the boards. And he didn't stop with just onoe cross-check. He got his full two minutes worth as he told the Sharks that he would be there if they wanted to play that kind of game.

Smart? Maybe not. Necessary? Kind of.

The Sharks have become a bit of bullying team, and they were playing at home in front of a jacked up crowd. They wanted to win all seven games of their seven-game homestand and they wanted to keep pushing forward on the positivity cloud they were riding.

And they looked like they were going to do that.

But Dillon and Goligoski kept showing up. They each finished plus-3, and the Sharks did not score on either of Dillon's penalties. That's a pretty good night in anyone's book. Dillon finished with three shots on goal, two hits and four blocked shots. Goligoski had four hits, second most on the team.

So, can the "second pair'' work? Well, that's what the final 10 games are for, right?


668741 Dallas Stars

As the world counts them out, Dallas Stars stepping up

MIKE HEIKA

Staff writer

[email protected]

Published: 08 April 2013 12:25 AM

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Riding a wave of “what the heck,” the Stars stormed back from two two-goal deficits and took a 5-4 shootout win at HP Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

The victory stopped a seven-game winning streak for the Sharks and gave the Stars a 2-1-0 record since dealing away Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy on Tuesday.

Alex Chiasson scored twice and has three goals in three NHL games. Meanwhile, linemates Jamie Benn and Ray Whitney chipped in two assists each, and Benn won the game with the only goal in the shootout.

“We’re just on the same page right now. We’re a team,” said winger Eric Nystrom, who scored his sixth goal of the season. “Everyone is counting us out, so we’re just showing up and trying to play the right way every day. And we’re doing that. Simple, direct hockey.”

Dallas improved to 18-17-3 (39 points) and to 10th place in the West. The Stars are four points behind eighth-place Detroit with 10 games remaining.

“With the situation we’re in, every game is important,” Whitney said. “If we are going to have any chance at all, it is going to have to be a pretty impressive run here at the end. If you look at these guys [San Jose], they hit a hot streak at the right time and it catapulted them up in the standings. For us to have any chance at the playoffs, we’re going to have to go on a similar run. You’re going to have to win on the road. That’s just a fact of life.”

The Stars improved their road record to 10-8-1, among the best in the West. San Jose grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second period, but Dallas bounced back with goals from Chiasson and Nystrom 26 seconds apart.

The Sharks then pushed their lead to 4-2 after two periods, but the Stars came back again. Chiasson scored on a smooth pass from Whitney, and that line continued to create scoring chances.

“It’s the Wizard — anything can happen with him,” Chiasson said. “He put it right on my tape, I put it between the goalie’s legs, and there it was. That was incredible. Down by two goals twice and we came back twice in the game. We just kept believing.

The teams continued to battle through overtime, and then Kari Lehtonen stopped Logan Couture, Dan Boyle and Brent Burns in the shootout, while Benn slipped a nice wrister past the stick of Antti Niemi.

It was a joyful moment for a team that has had to reassess a lot in one three-game trip to California.

“They can keep thinking that,” Benn said when told many people are counting the Stars out. “The only thing that matters is what we believe in this dressing room. It’s not going to be pretty some nights, but the effort is going to be there and the heart and the character. I think you saw part of that tonight.”


668742 Dallas Stars

With future in limbo, Dallas Stars' Glen Gulutzan trying to focus on the present

MIKE HEIKA

Staff Writer


SAN JOSE, Calif. - Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said he's not looking at the future right now, only each game and each practice.

While the 41-year-old coach knows that his job could be in jeopardy, he doesn't really want to talk about that. He wants to talk about making the Stars better and winning as many games as possible down the stretch.

"I learned when I first started coaching, from Darryl Sutter, that your job as a coach is to come to the rink and every day try to make everyone better," said Gulutzan, who started as a minor league coach in the Calgary Flames system. "We've got young guys here, and the coaching staff is trying to make those players better, and really the whole team better. We're still battling."

Gulutzan comes from a family of teachers and earned his teaching degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He said he is trying to use that background while coaching young players like Alex Chiasson and Matt Fraser, recently called up after the Stars traded away veteran players Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy.

"I try to use my background there," Gulutzan said. "We have young guys here, and you try to teach them little things, both on the ice and off. Plus, we have veteran guys doing the same thing, so I think we're doing that. We're keeping our energy up, and we're trying to keep the energy up for the team, too."

Gulutzan coached for two years in the AHL with the Texas Stars and has been with the NHL team for two seasons, so he has a pretty good handle on the transition from players who are being called up.

"I certainly do now, having been there two years ago and been here the past two years," he said. "It's the heaviest hockey in the world. You have the biggest, best athletes playing every second day, and finding real estate is really tough. So that's the biggest thing. You have to fight for your space, and you have to fight for everything you get here every shift. I think that's the biggest difference."


668743 Dallas Stars

He said it: Stars coach Glen Gulutzan after a 5-4 (SO) win in San Jose

Kevin Sherrington

[email protected]


Courtesy of Stars and Sharks' PR stafs:

On the comeback:"There's people counting us out on two fronts, but we're going to battle and you could see that tonight in the resiliency of the group. It's just one day at a time." Whether playing the Sharks brings out the best in the team:"Not last year. It's our first trip here this year, there's a little extra edge here - I guess. If you want to talk about it, I don't think the teams are in love with each other, but It's an exciting building to play in; it's always full and I think that brings out the best in us." On answering San Jose's heavy attack early:"I thought we fumbled around in the first until we relaxed a little bit and started to play. I thought the way we came out in the second, we dictated the play. Then we went back-and-forth because they are such good team. I thought all-in-all though it was a good, resilient effort by our entire group." On Alex Chiasson:"He does the little things right. He goes to the net and if he keeps doing that, I'm going to play him." On what was said between the second and third intermission"All I said is that we're preparing for a push here in the first period. I said if that's their biggest push, that's not anything we can't handle. Let's stop watching the play and let's start relaxing and go out and play. Our guys came out hard in the second, and I think we were a little nervous, they are such a good team that they were pushing us, but we just had to relax and get on our game." On whether San Jose's six-game home win streak was any extra motivation:No, not at all. I didn't know that and we didn't discuss it at all.

SAN JOSE

Head Coach Todd McLellan: "I didn't like our game, basically the whole night. It was great that we were able to score four, but we had a lot of key, key people- high-minute, high-end players- that really didn't perform very well. Some of the workers worked, but we need more from those guys heading out on the road."

(on Torres' play today): "I thought Raffi was fine. I thought Raffi, Pavelski, and Galiardi were our best line tonight. They spent a lot of time forechecking in other teams zone. He was involved on the scoresheet positively. [He was] physical on the ice. People knew when he was out there, so a real good start [as a Shark] for him."

Captain and Center Joe Thornton: "We let it slip a little bit. We've been a pretty good third period team all year, especially on this streak. For them to get two in the third is very rare. We just have to get better every game now."

Center Tommy Wingels: "We're happy with the homestand as a whole, but you're only as good as your latest performance. There are things we need to clean up."


668744 Dallas Stars

After impressive start, Lane MacDermid sits for Dallas Stars with upper body injury

Kevin Sherrington

[email protected]


After scoring two goals in his first two games in a Stars uniform, Lane MacDermid sat out Sunday's game against the Sharks. He has an upper body injury, but it is not related to his head, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. It is more of a torso injury.

"He could be a few days," Gulutzan said.


668745 Dallas Stars

Stars scoring summary: Pair of helpers, shootout winner caps big night for Jamie Benn

Kevin Sherrington

[email protected]


First Period: Both teams brought the physicality early, as Burns and Torres combined for five hits and created plenty of energy. Eric Nystrom answered for the Stars, and the game was well-balanced. However, the Sharks were opportunistic, and created a nice scoring chance by getting bodies to the net. Tommy Wingels was alone in the slot when he got a puck and lifted in his fourth goal of the season at the 8:39 mark.

San Jose 1, Stars 0

Second Period: The two teams combined for five goals in a crazy period. Dallas could have had two goals in the first two minutes, but went down 2-0 when Brent Burns scored for the Sharks. Dallas then answered with goals by Nystrom and Alex Chiasson 26 seconds apart. San Jose took the lead on a wild backhand shot from T.J. Galiardi, and added to it when Marc-Edouard Vlasic whipped in a shot that snuck into the net. The goal had to be approved on review from Toronto.

San Jose 4, Stars 2

Third period: Dallas turned up the energy and tied the game in the first 10 minutes. Chiasson went to the net again, and was rewarded again, directing in a nice pass from Ray Whitney to make it 4-3 at the 6:07 mark. Dallas then tied it at the 9:14 mark when Loui Eriksson scored his 10th goal of the season off a juicy rebound created by a Matt Fraser shot.

Stars 4, San Jose 4

OT/SO: Both teams had great scoring chances in OT, but Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi stood tall. Lehtonen then stopped Logan Couture, Dan Boyle and Brent Burns in the shootout, while Jamie Benn scored for the Stars.

Stars 5, San Jose 4 (SO)


668746 Dallas Stars

Benn, Lehtonen save Stars in shootout win

Posted Sunday, Apr. 07, 2013

From wire reports

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jamie Benn scored the lone goal in the shootout and Kari Lehtonen stopped all three attempts as the Dallas Stars snapped the San Jose Sharks’ seven-game winning streak with a 5-4, come-from-behind victory on Sunday.

Alex Chiasson started the rally from a two-goal deficit in the third period when he scored his second goal of the game, and Loui Erickson tied it for the Stars, who have won two straight following a three-game losing streak. Eric Nystrom also scored, and Lehtonen made 32 saves (36 overall) through overtime for Dallas.

Dallas sits 10th in the Western Conference, a point back of ninth-place Phoenix. Eighth-place Detroit lost Sunday to St. Louis but is four points ahead of Dallas and in position for the eighth and final playoff spot with nine games remaining. Detroit plays at Dallas on April 27.

On Sunday, the Stars also erased a 2-0 deficit before falling behind 4-2.

Tommy Wingels, Brent Burns, TJ Galiardi and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for the Sharks, who had won the first six games of their seven-game homestand. San Jose failed in its attempt to become the first NHL team to win every game on a homestand of at least seven games, according to STATS LLC. Antti Niemi made 30 saves.

Benn beat Niemi in the second round of the shootout when he skated out wide and then came back to the middle for a forehand shot. Lehtonen sealed the win when he stopped Burns on the final attempt.

This was the first of three meetings between the teams in a span of 17 days, and the clubs look far different than they did for the first meeting of the season in February in Dallas.

The Stars have traded key players Brenden Morrow, Jaromir Jagr, Derek Roy and Michael Ryder since winning 3-1 then. That loss was the ninth in 10 games for the Sharks, who have turned things around dramatically of late.

San Jose won in Anaheim on March 25 and then took the first six games of this homestand to vault from outside the playoff picture to the middle of the fight for home-ice advantage in the first round.

The Stars twice erased two-goal deficits with Nystrom and Chiasson scoring 26 seconds apart in the second period to tie the game at 2. Chiasson and Erickson scored in the opening half of the third period to tie it at 4. The tying goal game when Erickson beat Brad Stuart to the rebound of a shot by Matt Fraser midway through the third.

Galiardi, whose improved play has helped spark this recent run, had helped San Jose take the lead with a beautiful spin-o-rama goal in the second off a good play from newly acquired Raffi Torres.

Torres has long been reviled in San Jose for playoff hits that hurt Milan Michalek and Joe Thornton over the years. He was even greeted by a mix of boos and cheers in his first game with the Sharks. But Torres quickly won over his new fans by dishing out some hard hits, drawing a penalty and earning two assists, including one on Galiardi’s goal.

Torres hit Nystrom to jar the puck loose in the offensive end and then stole it from Trevor Daley before feeding Galiardi in the circle. Galiardi then spun and fired a backhand with his back to the net, and the puck sailed just under the crossbar to beat Lehtonen. Galiardi even seemed surprised by the highlight-reel goal, holding his arms out in celebration.

There was little celebrating after San Jose’s next goal as it came after a lengthy video review determined that Vlasic’s wraparound trickled off Lehtonen and just over the goal line to make it 4-2.

The rare afternoon game in San Jose got off to a chippy start with Joe Pavelski hitting Fiddler with a high stick early, and a scrum near Lehtonen midway through the period.

The Sharks struck first when Logan Couture beat Aaron Rome in a battle for the puck behind the Dallas net. Couture centered the puck, and Patrick Marleau whiffed on the shot attempt. But Wingels was right behind Marleau in the slot and knocked a shot in for his fourth goal.

Notes

• Stars F Lane MacDermid, who scored in his first two games since being acquired in the Jagr trade, sat out with an upper body injury.

• D Jason Demers returned for the Sharks in place of Matt Tennyson after missing four games with a head injury.

Star-Telegram LOADED: 04.08.2013

668747 Detroit Red Wings

St. Louis 1, Detroit 0: Red Wings drop one point behind Blues in standings

3:06 PM, April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

The Red Wings held on, stuck together, and got good goaltending.

The one thing they didn't get was a goal, even through three power play opportunities, and that left them shortchanged, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena.

The loss to Central Division rival St. Louis dropped the Wings a point behind the Blues, who play seven of their last eight games at home.

With just nine games remaining in the regular season, the Wings are anxious to secure a spot, and to enter the playoffs on a good roll. At least one among their personnel got a playoff-like workout: When a sizable octopus plopped onto the ice during a second intermission break, and Al Sobotka showed playoff form with a spirited overhead swing.

It was the second straight time the Wings were coming home from a road trip and faced with a matinee a day later. A week after a disastrous start against Chicago left the Wings embarrassed by a 7-1 loss, they held up much better against the Blues. Jimmy Howard was especially strong, making several good saves among 11 total in the first period to keep his teammates in the game. Jakub Kindl had the best chances of the stretch for the Wings.

Few Wings besides Kindl, in fact, were able to get many pucks at Brian Elliott, even during a power play late in the second period. The Wings skated better as the game wore on, but the Blues kept attacking and grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the second period after the puck slid into Howard's crease during a rush. Before any Wing could clear the puck, Chris Porter had poked it into Detroit's net.

The Wings had a power play bridge 1:16 into the third period, but the closest they came to a scoring chance was Henrik Zetterberg sending the puck wide from the right side of the crease. The Blues were so aggressive on a third Detroit power play, swarming lanes and swinging sticks to prevent passes, that the Wings didn't get any good chances.

A furious flurry with four minutes to go resulted in Nyquist just sending the puck wide and Pavel Datsyuk foiled on a shot from the lot slot. David Perron and Zetterberg, meanwhile, go so tangled up with one another that both ended up in the penalty box. Niklas Kronwall went off with 2:08 remaining for concealing the puck with his hand, nullifying any chance of getting an extra attacker.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.08.2013


Red Wings getting a look at Riley Sheahan against Blues

1:11 PM, April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James


Riley Sheahan will be in the lineup today, and Danny DeKeyser will make his home debut.

The Detroit Red Wings host the Blues this afternoon at Joe Louis Arena (12:30 p.m., NBC).

The Wings called up Sheahan Saturday to have on hand because a few forwards were a little banged up. The opportunity afforded the Wings a chance to get a look at Sheahan, their first-round pick from 2010.

That's the only change Mike Babcock made. He's sticking with the same defense that won Friday at Colorado, meaning rookie DeKeyser will make his first apperance at the Joe.

Brendan Smith, Brian Lashoff, and Carlo Colaiacovo are out on defense.



Red Wings' downtime tight after late return from Colorado to face Blues

Team faces Blues today following Denver OT game

April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James


Pavel Datsyuk scored two goals, earned his Red Wings two needed points, but wasn't quite satisfied.

"I hope they have some mile cards, at least we have something," Datsyuk said with a smile after the Wings wrapped up a 3-2 overtime victory Friday at Colorado.

Wishes for frequent-flyer programs aside, the Wings opted to stay overnight in Denver and fly home Saturday morning.

Some wished they'd gone straight home, since it's only about a two-and-a-half hour flight. Others, like Jimmy Howard, noted that with the two-hour time-zone hop, the Red Wings would have been getting through their front doors around 4 a.m., and in Howard's case, that would mean that "within a few hours," a certain little boy would have been waking up and wanting to see his daddy.

The Wings are old hands at red-eyes, of course, but always are warier when they have to come home and play again a day later. The Blues await today at 12:30 p.m., so coach Mike Babcock wanted players to get their beauty sleep.

"Hopefully guys will get to bed early," he said after the Avs game. "It's a big game for us. St. Louis has got two games in hand and are a point behind us. Plus, we always have fun playing against St. Louis."

Last weekend, the Red Wings overnighted in San Jose, flew home, but still got shellacked by Chicago in a Sunday matinee. This time, they were furthered short-changed Friday by having gotten to bed late the previous night after flying in from Phoenix.

The lesson, according to Datsyuk, is "do not cheat on your physical. It's tough sometimes. We need stay together and fight through."

Friday was a perfect example of that: The Red Wings were gassed by the third period, and saw a 2-1 lead erased. But they hung on to get the one point out of regulation, and then Datsyuk poked in Henrik Zetterberg's rebound in OT.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg played together for the first time since the third game of the season, and Johan Franzen did a great job centering the second line between Valtteri Filppula and Gustav Nyquist.

Datsyuk provided a 1-0 lead when he converted on a power play in the first period, and Nyquist showed off his smarts when he intercepted a pass and waited for Jean-Sebastien Giguere to commit before tucking the puck in behind him, 13 seconds after the Avs had tied the game the first time.

Howard came through with a 15-save third period, and the defense looked far better than in Thursday's 4-2 loss at Phoenix.



It's a challenge keeping Red Wings' Johan Franzen pumped up

April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James


Johan Franzen has the size and strength to dominate, to skate straight through traffic. He's got the skill to stand out regularly.

What's frustrating for the Red Wings is how to get and keep him fired up, so that he comes into a big matinee today against the St. Louis Blues with as much moxie as he had in the previous game.

As a byproduct of reuniting Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk Friday at Colorado, Franzen was moved to the middle, between two savvy wingers in Valtteri Filppula and Gustav Nyquist. Franzen emerged from the 3-2 overtime victory having gone 8-for-13 on face-offs and having made it clear, again, just how good he can be.

"I thought Mule was fantastic in the middle," coach Mike Babcock said.

Franzen is 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. Typical of being trained in his native Sweden, he was good defensively before he added offense to his game. He has topped 30 goals once and come close three other times, including last season. He owned the playoffs in 2008-10. But he hasn't been a factor the past two playoff runs. His numbers were more indicative of a bottom-six forward than a top-six one that he is, and that's what the Wings find aggravating.

"I just want Mule to be dominant," Babcock said. "I've said to it to Mule: I think Mule is the X-factor on this team. He's big. He's a good player. If we can really get him playing at the highest possible level. ..."

Babcock related that before Friday's game, the coaching staff told Franzen, "grab a line and take it." Franzen did, and together with his wingers offered a terrific second punch behind the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Justin Abdelkader group.

Franzen, who played center in Sweden, said it was fun to be back in the middle. "You're a little bit more involved in the game," he said. "Usually when you're a wing, you have a designated spot. As a center, you have more freedom. You try to find openings. It's more skating and less stopping."

When this season began, the plan was to play Datsyuk and Zetterberg together. Filppula was supposed to center the second line, but he's had more success as a winger.

Franzen is a great option to have at center, especially when the Red Wings play opponents who have their own big centers, like Anaheim's Ryan Getzaf and San Jose's Joe Thornton. The Wings just hope to see Franzen be an X-factor more consistently.

NOTEBOOK: General manager Ken Holland said forward Riley Sheahan was called up from Grand Rapids because a couple of regulars "are banged up" and questionable for today.



Blues 1, Red Wings 0: Notes, quotes from Sunday's loss

April 8, 2013 |

By Helene St. James


In the first period: The Wings, with last Sunday's shellacking at the hands of Chicago still fresh, had a decent start against the Blues. The Wings didn't get much going offensively -- Jakub Kindl tried with a slap shot off a face-off about 5 minutes in, and it was Jimmy Howard who had the hardest workload, making an especially swift save on Jay Bouwmeester past the halfway point, one of eight Blues shots at that point. Howard denied Jordan Leopold on a late power play, catching a slap shot from the right point. The Wings were outshot, 11-7.

In the second period: The Blues continued to have the better early chances, but as the Wings got skating, they swarmed Brian Elliott more regularly. Some good footwork by Johan Franzen resulted in a stretch pass that got Gustav Nyquist off on a breakaway, but his shot hit Elliott and bounced high. A power play, Detroit's first of the game, at 12:22, saw the Wings cycle in St. Louis' zone but not get a single shot on goal. The Blues took a 1-0 lead at 16:28, when a rush on net resulted in a loose puck in the crease that Chris Porter got to first and was able to poke past Howard. The Wings outshot the Blues, 13-8 for a total advantage of 20-19.

In the third period: The Wings began the third period with 1:16 on a power play, but they struggled to get set up and failed to convert. Howard kept the score close with a windmilling glove save on Patrik Berglund. The Wings got a third power play, at 3:48, but the Blues' penalty killers go in lanes and swung sticks so the Wings couldn't get a good chance. Henrik Zetterberg sent a shot into Elliott's glove with 8 minutes to go as the Wings pressed. Niklas Kronwall went off for delay of game with 2:08 remaining, after getting called for concealing the puck with his hand.

Reactions: "I think we can do a better job of getting more pucks in there," Kronwall said. "But I didn't think there were a lot of clear chances either way. It felt like both teams were doing a pretty good job in our own zones, boxing out. It was tight out there." ...

"I thought both goaltenders were good," coach Mike Babcock said. "But I didn't think either had to be great." ...

"They played really tight, five-on-five and on the PK," Henrik Zetterberg said. "They were really tight in front of their goalie."

Up next: Thursday against San Jose.



Mike Babcock: Red Wings rookie Riley Sheahan needs seasoning

April 8, 2013 |

By Helene St. James


The Red Wings see Riley Sheahan as a future building block, not so much a present one.

They used Sunday's game at Joe Louis Arena against the Blues, which ended with a 1-0 loss, as a chance to get a look at Sheahan, their first-round pick from three years ago. Coach Mike Babcock judged Sheahan overmatched, and general manager Ken Holland said Sheahan would be going back to Grand Rapids.

"He's going to be a player for us, but he's got to get quicker and play with more pace," Babcock said. "When you're ready, you come here and you show you're ready. And when you're not quite, you come here and you're cautious."

The Wings called up Sheahan, the 21st overall pick from 2010, on Saturday because a couple of banged-up forwards were questionable for the Blues game. Jordin Tootoo ended up sitting out, and Sheahan took over Cory Emmerton's spot on the fourth line.

Sheahan, 21, made his first appearance for the Red Wings exactly one year earlier, against Chicago. Sunday's game was another lesson.

"I just focused on using my body and being a physical presence out there," Sheahan said after playing 6 minutes and change. "I think the biggest thing is just to not think too much.

"You just have to be so much more sound with the puck. So just battling every time you have the puck, every point of possession, is important. It was awesome to play."

DeKeyser debuts at Joe: Babcock went with the same six defensemen who played in Friday's victory, which meant the home debut of Danny DeKeyser. He played just over 11 minutes, again helping out on the penalty kill. "I like him," Babcock said. "To me, when you can skate like that -- he made a few errant passes, but I think they're more nerves than anything else. I know our good players like D, who can go get the puck and get it going, versus D-zone coverage."

DeKeyser, 22, played in his first NHL game in Colorado, after a career at Western Michigan. "I'm just trying to do the best I can to adjust to the pros," he said. "It's harder, that's for sure. The more I get out there, the more comfortable I get. I'm just going to take it one game at a time."



Blues blank Wings, jump ahead in Western playoff chase

By Ted Kulfan

The Detroit News

Detroit — That sure felt and looked like a playoff game Sunday. The Red Wings only hope right now they get an opportunity to see the real thing later this month.

It's getting dicey, no question, as the Red Wings lost 1-0 to the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues (21-14-2, 44 points) moved past the Red Wings (19-15-5, 43 points) into the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

The Red Wings own the eighth and final playoff seed in the West — with several teams close behind, looking to deprive the Red Wings of a 22nd consecutive postseason appearance.

"We all know what is at stake here," said defenseman Niklas Kronwall, after Sunday's narrow loss. "We have to do a better job. We didn't do enough."

The only offense from either team was a playoff-like goal. Blues forward Chris Porter scored at 16 minutes, 28 seconds of the second period during a goal-mouth scramble.

Porter jammed a loose puck laying near the crease through the legs of goalie Jimmy Howard for his second goal of the season.

"Just a scrum in front of our net — that's playoff hockey, that's what it's all about," coach Mike Babcock said.

Blues goalie Brian Elliott, who has been struggling all season, stopped 28 shots for his first shutout of the season.

Howard was only asked to stop 25 shots, as neither team could generate much offense in the defensive struggle.

"Both goaltenders were good but I didn't think both goalies had to be great," Babcock said. "There wasn't hardly any (scoring) chances.

"It was a real good game, I enjoyed it. Our guys competed hard. They're (the Blues) a good team, well organized. Our guys played hard."

One of the best chances the Red Wings had came in the final minute, when Pavel Datsyuk's shot off a rush, from between the circles, wound up in Elliott's glove.

"(Elliott) was big and square and made the save," Babcock said.

Another key for the Red Wings in the loss was the ineffectiveness of the power play. After going 25 percent (4-for-12) in the last three games, the Red Wings failed to score on three power-play chances Sunday.

"Our power play, I felt, could be more dangerous," Babcock said.

If the Red Wings do miss out on the playoffs, they could point to this recent stretch of games at Joe Louis Arena — few as they've been in between long road trips. The Red Wings have won only once in their last five games (1-3-1) at Joe Louis Arena. This late in the season, with the games as important as they are, it's simply not enough points earned.

"We were so good last year at home," said Howard, noting the Red Wings' record 23-game home win streak. "It's just frustrating we haven't been able to get the job done.

"It's frustrating. We know we need the points right now and we're not getting them."

The Red Wings are off until Thursday, when they host San Jose, before going on another two-game road trip to Chicago and Nashville.

More than ever, it seems the like this playoff chase will go right down to the end of the season.

"No surprise," forward Henrik Zetterberg said. "We all knew it would be like this. It's going to be tight all the way which makes the games so much fun to play. We look forward to the next one."

Detroit News LOADED: 04.08.2013


Winter Classic to start at 1 p.m.; Hockeytown Festival schedule also announced

By Ted Kulfan

The Detroit News

Detroit — The Winter Classic is on again.

The Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will face each other Jan. 1, 2014 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The puck will drop at 1 p.m.

The two teams were scheduled to play this past January but the NHL lockout wiped out any possibility of that happening.

A record crowd of over 110,000 is expected to attend the game.

"I suppose this event is so big, we need to make the announcement twice," said commissioner Gary Bettman, announcing the game Sunday morning at Joe Louis Arena.

Bettman also announced the Hockeytown Winter Festival — a weeklong series of events and games including two alumni games between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs, minor and junior league games, as well as high school and youth league games — will take place at Comerica Park.

Bettman expects over 250,000 fans to attend the events at Comerica Park and credited Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch for the downtown events.

"Mike and Marian Ilitch are totally committed to and love the fans and city of Detroit, and it was extremely important to them we conduct the Winter Festival to bring people downtown," Bettman said.

Alumni from both the Red Wings and Maple Leafs attended the announcement.

Former Red Wings forward Kris Draper grew up in Toronto, which makes this alumni game a special opportunity.

"I can tell you that everybody wants to be part of this event," Draper said. "It's going to be a first class event."

Draper played in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field between the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks and called it one of his career highlights.

"We had so much fun, it was amazing to play at Wrigley Field," Draper said. "It was special."

Draper hopes to get Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom to participate in the alumni game.

"We'll do a full-court press on them," Draper sai



Red Wings changing composition of team on the fly

Gregg Krupa

Detroit -- The Red Wings lost, 1-0, Sunday to the Blues, the team that started the day a point behind them and ended it one point ahead, as the Wings slipped to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

So, do the Wings make the playoffs?

Chances are slimmer than they were Sunday morning, certainly. Some anxious denizens of Hockeytown are likely to lean further toward desperation, with nine games left.

So, why was Mike Babcock enthusiastic, telling a group of youth soccer players, parents and coaches at a community event afterward, "I'm proud of my team."

"We lost, 1-0," Babcock said. "Why am I proud of them? Because they battled for every inch of ice."

Why were he and general manager Ken Holland also satisfied enough with a team struggling to make the playoffs they did not augment the roster at the trade deadline five days ago? So satisfied, in fact, Babcock said he expected no moves all along?

Because they are rebuilding.

Rebuilding on-the-run, mind you. Rebuilding with the intent of keeping and nurturing prospects and getting larger players at most positions.

Rebuilding even at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

Rebuilding without mentioning the word until right after the trade deadline, when Holland finally said it before perhaps engaging in a bit of immediate self-editing and describing it as "retooling."

Looking at the kids

No one ever announced the Red Wings' intentions this season. But their purpose has been patently evident. Having lost important players over several seasons, it was time to foster youth, kick a lot of tires and to make plans — not for the playoffs, necessarily, but for 2014, 2015 and beyond.

As that reality continues to sink in, Wings fans are confronted by an elderly bogeyman not seen in these parts for decades, the ghost of Mays and Junes without NHL playoffs in Detroit.

But they are taking good looks at "the kids," regardless.

Riley Sheahan was in the lineup Sunday after considerable improvement, offensively, in Grand Rapids this season.

Henrik Zetterberg's sore groin resulted in calling up Sheahan. But even when the captain played, the Red Wings sat Jordin Tootoo and watched the big kid.

"It was good to be back up here," Sheahan said. "My biggest concern is just putting up points offensively."

He will go right back to Grand Rapids. But Babcock frequently makes it plain that he needs to see who is part of the future being created here in Detroit.

"He was good, and he's going to be a good player for us," Babcock said of Sheahan. "But he's got to get quicker and play with more patience."

The Wings also played Danny DeKeyser, in his second NHL game, even with the playoffs at risk and more veteran defensemen in need of playing time.

And DeKeyser impressed again. After two NHL games, it looks like the 23-year-old maintains his position like the British Beefeaters on duty at Buckingham Palace.

He needs to eat more, though. Listed at 200 or 190, I give maybe 185, and more likely 180.

Playoffs still a goal

And those are the sorts of things that currently concern the Red Wings: They want to make the playoffs, but it is also important a tall, skinny kid from Macomb County gains weight.

Babcock was upbeat about a one-goal loss to a major playoff contender because his is a work in progress.

"I thought it was a real good game," Babcock said in the dressing room. "I enjoyed it a lot, to tell you the truth.

"I thought our guys competed hard."

Babcock called it playoff hockey that turned on some bounces — one good for the Blues, some bad for his team. Keep playing hard, and it will turn.

The playoffs, this year? They might well make it.

I will stick to my prediction they finish sixth and win in the first round.

But, what is more certain is that they are far more prepared for the roster moves they will make this summer and the next one, aimed at revitalizing the franchise and completing what amounts to a two-year rebuild, than they were in January after the lockout.

It is April. There is a lot going on with the Wings — some of it despite their playoff chances.



Blues, Brian Elliott edge Red Wings, 1-0, as Detroit is shut out at home for first time in two years

Ansar Khan | [email protected] By Ansar Khan | [email protected]

on April 07, 2013 at 2:55 PM, updated April 07, 2013 at 3:56 PM

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings could not take advantage of struggling goaltender Brian Elliott on Sunday, making him look like the Jennings Trophy winner of last season.

Elliott made 28 saves to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 1-0 victory at Joe Louis Arena.

Chris Porter's second-period goal was all the offense the Blues needed.

The Red Wings have been shut out four times this season. This was the first time they were shut out at home since Feb. 4, 2011 by Steve Mason of Columbus (3-0).

Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock liked everything about game vs. St. Louis except final score Red Wings lost 1-0 to Blues despite outshooting St. Louis 28-25 and getting several great opportunities in the third period.

Elliott came into the game with a 3.43 goals-against average and .866 save percentage. He made a few key stops, but benefited from a strong team defense and penalty killing (Detroit went 0 for 3 on the power play, registering only two shots).

The Red Wings (19-15-5) are 1-3-1 in their past five home games, scoring only eight goals.

The Blues (21-14-2) have won four in a row. The moved one point ahead of Detroit, into seven place in the Western Conference, and they have two games in hand on the Red Wings.

St. Louis won the season series 3-1-1.

The Blues broke the ice with a second-period goal from Porter.

It came during a scramble around the net. Porter whacked in a loose puck at 16:28 past Jimmy Howard.

The Red Wings were better in the second period, outshooting the Blues 13-8. Their best chance came on Gustav Nyquist's breakaway with eight minutes remaining. He fired a shot off Elliott's right shoulder.

Elliott and Jaroslav Halak shared the Jennings Trophy in 2011-12, when the Blues had the lowest goals-against average in the NHL.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.08.2013


Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs to meet in 2014 NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium

Brendan Savage | [email protected] By Brendan Savage | [email protected]

on April 07, 2013 at 11:26 AM, updated April 07, 2013 at 12:17 PM

DETROIT – After a one-year delay because of the NHL lockout, the Winter Classic will be played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

The NHL confirmed this morning what everybody already knew – the 2014 Winter Classic will be played on New Year's Day at The Big House in front of an anticipated crowd of at least 105,000.

The game is expected to break the world record for attendance at a hockey game.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was at Joe Louis Arena this morning to make the announcement.

Bettman was joined at a news conference by Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, Maple Leafs president Tom Anselmi, former Red Wings Kris Draper and Mickey Redmond, and Maple Leafs alumni Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald and Wendel Clark.

The Winter Classic's festivities will include an alumni game on New Year's Eve at Comerica Park in Detroit.

Although no Red Wings have formally committed, Holland said the club is hoping their alumni team will include the Russia Five – Sergei Fedorov, Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Slava Kozlov and Vladimir Konstantinov – as well as Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Anselmi said the Maple Leafs alumni team will include Sittler, Clark and McDonald, who was also on hand for the press conference.

The NHL also unveiled the jerseys that would be worn by the Red Wings and Maple Leafs as well as the sweaters for the alumni game.

Next year's game will mark the sixth time the Winter Classic has been played.

The Red Wings have played in one previous Winter Classic, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in 2009 at Wrigley Field before a crowd of 40,818.

The Maple Leafs will be making their first appearance in the game.

Bettman said the game will also be the subject of HBO's popular "24/7" series and the Red Wings-Maple Leafs episode will air in December.



Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Did the NHL Winter Classic lose some luster because it was postponed?


on April 07, 2013 at 6:30 AM

GAME INFORMATION

• Who: Detroit Red Wings (19-14-5) vs. St. Louis Blues (20-14-2)

• Faceoff: 12:30 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena

• Live coverage: Join the MLive conversation at 11:30 a.m. ET and follow Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) and Brendan Savage (@BrendanSavage) on Twitter.

• TV: NBC

• Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1), WXYT-AM (1270) and the Red Wings Radio Network

• Latest spread: Red Wings -1.5 (5.5)

THE ISSUE

Hockey fans all over Michigan were understandably excited when it was announced the 2013 NHL Winter Classic would be played in Ann Arbor. The same goes for many Canadian fans when they heard that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be playing the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium.

Then, the lockout took place.

Not only was the start of the NHL season delayed for three months, the Winter Classic was postsponed for a year when the lockout lingered and it became obvious there wouldn't be enough time to pull it off – providing a labor agreement was even in place by New Year's Day, which it wasn't.

Now, the NHL has called a press conference for this morning (you can watch it live) to begin hyping the 2014 Winter Classic, which will be played between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs on New Year's Day at Michigan Stadium. But has the game lost some of its luster because it was postponed for a year?

ANSAR KHAN

No, the game hasn't lost its luster. In fact, now that the Red Wings and Maple Leafs will be division rivals next season, the game will be more than just a spectacle between opponents who meet just once a year and aren't competing for anything other than those two points.

These Original Six clubs will meet four or five times next season. Perhaps they will have played a couple of times before the Winter Classic, rekindling their old rivalry, perhaps building some bad blood. By the time they hit the ice in Ann Arbor, they won't be strangers to one another.

BRENDAN SAVAGE

Some fans are going to say yes, the Winter Classic isn't as exciting because of the lockout and the selfishness of the owners and players and blah, blah, blah.

But mark my words, when the Winter Classic and all the events surrounding it – the Alumni Showdown as well as games involving college, junior and high school teams – starts drawing near, hockey fever is going to reach epidemic proportions in Michigan.

As far as hockey in Michigan goes, the Winter Classic is going to be the biggest thing since the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2008.



NHL Winter Classic to take on 'a lot more meaning' with Red Wings, Maple Leafs in same division



DETROIT – It goes without saying the 2014 NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium will be a career highlight for players from the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

There will be more than 100,000 people on hand, the game will played outdoors on New Year's Day between two Original Six teams, and it might be the only chance many players get to take part in a Winter Classic.

But the fact that it will also be a division game is going to make the event all the more meaningful. The Red Wings are moving to the Eastern Conference next season under NHL realignment and will play in a division that includes their longtime rival from Toronto.

Had the Red Wings-Maple Leafs Winter Classic not been postponed this year by the NHL lockout, the game itself wouldn't have held nearly as much importance in the standings with the teams located in division conferences.

"It going to be different because (this year's postponed Winter Classic) was probably the only time we would have faced each other," said Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard. "Moving to the East next year, we're going to see them a lot.

"I'm sure there's going to be a lot more meaning to that game."

It might even be like the old days, when animosity would build up as the teams would often play each other in a home-and-home series on back-to-back nights in Detroit and Toronto.

"It was always heated," said former Red Wings tough guy Joe Kocur, who attended the announcement and will play in the Alumni Showdown scheduled for New Year's Eve at Comerica Park. "It seems like we always played Friday-Saturday nights and Saturday night was in Toronto.

"There was a lot of hate built up on Friday heading into Toronto on Saturday."

Kocur took part in the announcement by wearing one of the Red Wings' alumni jerseys while former Toronto captain Darryl Sittler – who played one season in Detroit at the end of his career – modeled a Maple Leafs alumni jersey.

Sittler agreed that having the teams in the same division will make the Winter Classic even bigger.

"For sure," he said. "I mean, you know what Detroit is like for their hockey fans. They've had great success over a number of years, but right across the border there's a lot of Leafs' fans and a lot of Red Wings' fans that are going to be here to support it and there's going to be a lot from Toronto will come down to support.

"The fact that they're in the same division, I mean, it made sense that they should have been way back – for whatever reasons they weren't – but now they are and I think it's even better."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the game would be played at 1 p.m. He expects the Winter Classic to set a world hockey attendance record with at least 105,000 fans inside The Big House.

Bettman also said the Winter Classic will be part of a two-week series of events that will include the Alumni Showdown – two games, in fact, because so many players want to take part – as well as AHL, OHL and high school games in addition to the Great Lakes Invitational for college teams.

All of those games will take place at Comerica Park, where there will also be public skating sessions for fans.

"This attraction, this event, is so big that not even The Big House can contain the excitement and entertainment we have planned for our fans," Bettman said during the news conference on the Joe Louis Arena ice before the Red Wings' 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

"So as promised, we will conduct a winter festival, which will provide several additional activities for fans and families who want to connect with the Winter Classic experience and excitement.

"We expect nearly 250,000 fans will attend the events at Comerica Park and downtown Detroit."

Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment, thanked Bettman for giving Detroit a "mulligan" after the 2013 event was canceled by the lockout.

Wilson said in addition to the various hockey games, there will also be entertainment that will include concerts at Joe Louis Arena and the Fox Theatre.

"This is going to be a celebration of hockey," Wilson said. "If you're a hockey fan of any age, it's going to be a memorable experience. It's truly going to be an amazing couple of weeks.

"It may be cold outside but it's going to be a hot time in Hockeytown for two weeks."

Next year will mark the Red Wings second appearance in the six-game history of the Winter Classic. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in 2009 before 40,818 at Wrigley Field.



Red Wings struggle to generate attack, lose again at home, but Mike Babcock liked the effort

Ansar Khan | [email protected] By Ansar Khan | [email protected]


DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock could have been upset about his team's inability to generate much attack Sunday while getting shut out for the fourth time this season.

He could have lamented his club losing too many valuable points at home (1-3-1 in its last five games). He could have been fretting over falling into eighth place in the Western Conference standings in a highly competitive multi-team playoff chase.

Instead, Babcock lauded his players' effort in a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena.

“I thought our guys played hard enough,'' Babcock said.

“I enjoyed coaching today. I enjoyed watching our players compete. I liked our game.''

It was a hard-fought game, but no less frustrating for the Red Wings, who threw 28 shots at Brian Elliott but didn't sustain much pressure or force him to make many spectacular stops. Chris Porter's goal at 16:28 of the second period was the difference.

“It was really tight, felt a little bit like a playoff game almost,'' Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “Not a lot of room out there, didn't feel like there were a lot of chances either way. I thought we had some good opportunities in the third, but their goalie came up with some good saves.''

Elliott has been struggling this season, coming into the game with a 3.43 goals-against average and .866 save percentage. But he played more like the goaltender who shared the Jennings Trophy last season with Jaroslav Halak for best team goals-against average.

This was the first time the Red Wings were shut out at home since Feb. 4, 2011, by Steve Mason of Columbus (3-0).

The Blues (21-14-2) have won four in a row. They moved one point ahead of Detroit (19-15-5), into seven place in the West, and have two games in hand on the Red Wings. St. Louis won the season series 3-1-1.

Babcock called it a good hockey game. It was, if you don't mind tight-checking affairs with little room to skate and not many chances.

“Both teams played a real tight game, so there wasn’t a lot of ice, and not a lot of stuff happened on the rush,'' Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “You had to fight to get on the inside and I think we created enough chances to win the game, but when we got a chance we couldn’t put it away.”

Porter's goal came during a scramble around the net. He whacked the puck past Jimmy Howard while it sat in the crease.

“The message in their goal was simply we had the puck, we went to shoot it in, it hit their guy in the leg and ended up changing direction and in a scrum in front of our net,'' Babcock said. “That’s playoff hockey.''

Detroit's power play, which had converted 13 times in its past 13 games, went 0-for-3. It registered only two shots but the Blues did a good job of cutting off shooting lanes, blocking shots and keeping the Red Wings to the outside.

“They tried to be in lanes and it’s tough for the D to get any shots through,'' Zetterberg said. “Basically had to go through three of their guys, and we tried to get more shots from the flanks, but we couldn’t make it happen.”

It was the kind of game that makes Blues coach Ken Hitchcock smile.

“They didn’t get any second or third shots, but it’s not fun watching 40 (Zetterberg) and 13 (Pavel Datsyuk) come at you in the third period,'' Hitchcock said. “We were gassed. The Chicago game was really emotional and the Columbus game was just physical beyond belief.

“And then to come back and play like we did today is really impressive. These were hard, physical hockey games. Not just skating, but skating with all the body contact.''

The moral victory Babcock described wasn't good enough for Howard.

“We know what’s going on, we see the (standings) board every single day,'' Howard said. “We know we need the points right now, and when we’re not getting them, it’s just frustrating.''

Sheahan back to Grand Rapids: Babcock said after the game that center Riley Sheahan would be reassigned Monday to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Sheahan, recalled on Saturday, had no points and one shot on goal in 6:47. He played on a line with Cory Emmerton and Patrick Eaves.



NHL Winter Classic to take on 'a lot more meaning' with Red Wings, Maple Leafs in same division (video)



DETROIT – It goes without saying the 2014 NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium will be a career highlight for players from the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

There will be more than 100,000 people on hand, the game will played outdoors on New Year's Day between two Original Six teams, and it might be the only chance many players get to take part in a Winter Classic.

But the fact that it will also be a division game is going to make the event all the more meaningful. The Red Wings are moving to the Eastern Conference next season under NHL realignment and will play in a division that includes their longtime rival from Toronto.

Had the Red Wings-Maple Leafs Winter Classic not been postponed this year by the NHL lockout, the game itself wouldn't have held nearly as much importance in the standings with the teams located in division conferences.

"It going to be different because (this year's postponed Winter Classic) was probably the only time we would have faced each other," said Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard. "Moving to the East next year, we're going to see them a lot.

"I'm sure there's going to be a lot more meaning to that game."

It might even be like the old days, when animosity would build up as the teams would often play each other in a home-and-home series on back-to-back nights in Detroit and Toronto.

"It was always heated," said former Red Wings tough guy Joe Kocur, who attended the announcement and will play in the Alumni Showdown scheduled for New Year's Eve at Comerica Park. "It seems like we always played Friday-Saturday nights and Saturday night was in Toronto.

"There was a lot of hate built up on Friday heading into Toronto on Saturday."

NHL Winter Classic highlights video shown at news conference announcing 2014 game NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was at Joe Louis Arena Sunday to announce the Red Wings and Maple Leafs would play in the sixth Winter Classic on New Year's Day at Michigan Stadium

Kocur took part in the announcement by wearing one of the Red Wings' alumni jerseys while former Toronto captain Darryl Sittler – who played one season in Detroit at the end of his career – modeled a Maple Leafs alumni jersey.

Sittler agreed that having the teams in the same division will make the Winter Classic even bigger.

"For sure," he said. "I mean, you know what Detroit is like for their hockey fans. They've had great success over a number of years, but right across the border there's a lot of Leafs' fans and a lot of Red Wings' fans that are going to be here to support it and there's going to be a lot from Toronto will come down to support.

"The fact that they're in the same division, I mean, it made sense that they should have been way back – for whatever reasons they weren't – but now they are and I think it's even better."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the game would be played at 1 p.m. He expects the Winter Classic to set a world hockey attendance record with at least 105,000 fans inside The Big House.

Bettman also said the Winter Classic will be part of a two-week series of events that will include the Alumni Showdown – two games, in fact, because so many players want to take part – as well as AHL, OHL and high school games in addition to the Great Lakes Invitational for college teams.

All of those games will take place at Comerica Park, where there will also be public skating sessions for fans.

"This attraction, this event, is so big that not even The Big House can contain the excitement and entertainment we have planned for our fans," Bettman said during the news conference on the Joe Louis Arena ice before the Red Wings' 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

"So as promised, we will conduct a winter festival, which will provide several additional activities for fans and families who want to connect with the Winter Classic experience and excitement.

"We expect nearly 250,000 fans will attend the events at Comerica Park and downtown Detroit."

Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment, thanked Bettman for giving Detroit a "mulligan" after the 2013 event was canceled by the lockout.

Wilson said in addition to the various hockey games, there will also be entertainment that will include concerts at Joe Louis Arena and the Fox Theatre.

"This is going to be a celebration of hockey," Wilson said. "If you're a hockey fan of any age, it's going to be a memorable experience. It's truly going to be an amazing couple of weeks.

"It may be cold outside but it's going to be a hot time in Hockeytown for two weeks."

Next year will mark the Red Wings second appearance in the six-game history of the Winter Classic. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in 2009 before 40,818 at Wrigley Field.



Loss to St. Louis drops Red Wings behind Blues in standings

By Chuck Pleiness

DETROIT – With nine games left in the regular season for the Detroit Red Wings, they suddenly find themselves clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

That’s because they failed once again to take advantage of playing on home ice as they fell to the St. Louis Blues, 1-0, at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The win moved the Blues ahead of Detroit in the standings and they’ve played two fewer games than the Wings.

“We all know what’s at stake here and we have to do a better job,” Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “Tonight we didn’t do enough. The power play has to be better and be a factor each night and tonight it wasn’t.”

The Wings were 0-for-3 on the power play and now drop to 1-3-1 in their last five at home.

“Anytime you’re at home you want to try to take advantage of them,” Kronwall said. “Tonight we did a lot of good things but couldn’t find a way to beat (Brian) Elliott. It’s very disappointing.”

Elliott, who came in just 2-6-1 lifetime against the Wings, stopped all 28 shots he faced to record just his first shutout of the season. The Blues netminder had nine shutouts last season.

“It’s a no brainer, we know what’s going on, we see the (standings) board every single day,” said Wings goalie Jimmy Howard, who made 24 saves. “It’s imperative we get points and that means we have to dig a little deeper.

“It’s frustrating,” Howard continued. “We know we need the points right now and when we’re not getting them it’s just frustrating.”

The Wings are now just 10-7-3 at home this season. Last year they won a record 23 consecutive games on home ice.

“That part is frustrating as well,” said Howard of the team’s lack of success at home. “We were so good at home last year. It’s just frustrating we’re not able to get the job done at home.”

Chris Porter scored the lone goal of the game late in the second period.

“We’ve got to get to the point where we stop looking behind us and the rungs below us,” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. “We’ve got to start looking above us. We’ve got to start thinking about getting a higher seed. We spent two months looking over our shoulder. Ten days ago, we were in 11th and we were not looking good. Then we won four in a row against real good teams and now we’re looking at, ‘Can we get to sixth place?’ We’ve got to start looking up.

“I think the teams that narrow their focus at this time of year are going to be successful,” Hitchcock continued. “Everybody’s talking about best of threes or whatever. For me it’s one day at a time, find a way to compete and get points any way you can.”

Gustav Nyquist had the Wings’ best scoring chance in the second period with eight minutes left to play.

Taking advantage of Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk lost his edge at the Wings blue line, Johan Franzen fed Nyquist just over St. Louis’ blue line, but Elliott got a piece of his shot with his blocker.

A few minutes later, the Blues got the only goal of the game thanks to the efforts of Porter going hard to the goal crease. After Howard made a save on Patrik Berglund, the puck laid in the blue paint where Porter pounced on it and jammed it over the goal line.

Elliott did the rest, winning for a third straight time.

One of his biggest saves came on Pavel Datsyuk with 20 seconds left to play in regulation. Datsyuk skated left, dangling the puck on his stick and shot back right. Elliott was up to the task snaring the shot out of midair.

“Brian is on top of his game right now,” Hitchcock said. “They didn’t get any second or third shots, but it’s not fun watching (Henrik Zetterberg) and (Datsyuk) come at you in the third period. We were gassed.”

Now the Wings wait until Thursday to play again, as teams behind them in the standings – Phoenix, Edmonton and Columbus – have two games each to play and look to leapfrog Detroit into a playoff spot.

“I thought our guys played hard enough,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “We had a few chances, but they got one goal in. The message in their goal was simply we had the puck. We went to shoot it in, it hit their guy in the leg and ended up changing direction and in a scrum in front of our net. That’s playoff hockey.”

The Coyotes are three points behind Detroit, followed by the Oilers and Blue Jackets, who played Sunday night, both four points behind.

“I enjoyed coaching today,” Babcock said. “I enjoyed watching our players compete. I liked our game. Our power play I thought could have been more dangerous. Our penalty kill was good. I just thought it was a good hockey game.”

Macomb Daily LOADED: 04.08.2013

668763 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers ‘have to be more intense’ against talented Ducks — captain Shawn Horcoff

By Joanne Ireland

Edmonton Journal

April 8, 2013 12:04 AM

ANAHEIM, CALIF. — Pragmatic Edmonton Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff figured the team just had it too easy in the two games against the Calgary Flames, which is why they were snapped back to reality in the two losses that followed.

After they rolled up a cumulative score of 12-3 against their struggling provincial foes, the Oilers were exposed by the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday and on Saturday by the Los Angeles Kings, the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Now after two straight losses and just 10 games left to play in the NHL season, the Oilers sit on the outside of the Western Conference playoff cut-off line with a 16-15-7 record.

“We played a couple of pretty good teams and they kind of taught us the level we’re going to need to get to, to be successful,” Horcoff said after an off-ice day in California. ‘We have to be more intense. We have to increase the level of our game.”

The Oilers close out their four-game road trip Monday against the Anaheim Ducks. It’s the first meeting of the season between the clubs and the first of three they will play between now and the end of the campaign.

“We got pushed back a little bit, but we need to take that as a lesson. We still have a chance and we need to realize that,” said Horcoff, referencing two teams that took advantage of the Oilers’ undisciplined play. In both losses, the Oilers got into penalty trouble with some lazy stick infractions and paid the price.

“We know it’s going to take another little run like the one we just went on, but we just did it. Why can’t we do it again?”

The Ducks played the Kings Sunday night, so the Oilers have no excuse not to get off to a more energetic start in the Honda Center — especially if they are convinced they have a shot at making the playoffs.

To do so, they may need to win eight of their 10 games.

At the very least, they need to get back on track before the curtain closes on this lockout-shortened season.

“We need to get points now. Too late is going to be quick if we don’t,” said goaltender Devan Dubnyk. “We have to find a way to pick up our game individually and as a team.

“We need to look at how (the Canucks and Kings) played — and played hard. That’s how it’s going to be from here on in. We’re playing a lot of good teams to finish the year and we’re going to have to find a way.”

The Oilers had strung together five consecutive wins on the heels of their 8-2 victory over the Flames to start their road trip. The next night, the Canucks beat them 4-0, then the Kings scored a 4-1 win on Saturday.

“These last 10 games, we have to raise our level every night because the games are just going to keep getting harder,” said centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “We need to find a way to get better here.”

Defenceman Ladislav Smid said the Oilers need to “get some desperation into our game. We have to realize that all we have left are these 10 games and we have to pretty much win all of them.

“We have to wake up.”

The Ducks faced L.A. without Ryan Getzlaf (leg injury). He is listed as day to day and while he leaves a 43-point hole in the lineup, the formidable Ducks are going to present a challenge for the Oilers.

Jonas Hiller (14-4-4 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage) is expected to get the start in net.

“The way the year has gone, it seems like every time we’ve had a setback, we’ve responded fairly well,” said Oilers winger Jordan Eberle. “We realize we have a bit of a mountain to climb here, but at the same time I think this is a situation that will make us a better team in the end.

“This is a team we haven’t seen yet and we’re going to push back. What better way than to do it against these guys. This is an opportunity for us to prove to the league that we’re for real and that we can move up the standings.”

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Ducks’ pond may not be a safe place for Schultz

By Joanne Ireland

Edmonton Journal

April 7, 2013

ANAHEIM, Calif. — For the past 38 games, Justin Schultz has just gone about his business without much in the way of fanfare.

But the Edmonton Oilers rookie defenceman could be stepping into foreign territory when he skates onto the ice at the Honda Center.

The Oilers play Anaheim on Monday, which is not only the first meeting between the teams this season, but the first chance for Ducks fans to let Schultz know what they think about his decision to spurn their team so he could become a free agent.

Drafted by the Ducks in 2008, Schultz took part in two development camps while he was still with the University of Wisconsin. He spent time with Scott Niedermeyer, who once anchored Anaheim’s defence, and according to some in the Ducks’ camp, he even told management he wanted to play for the California club.

But last summer, Schultz elected not to sign his entry level contract by June 25, which activated a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that allowed him to became unrestricted free agent. After sifting through his many options, he chose the Oilers.

It was not a decision that sat well with Ducks fans or Anaheim general manager Bob Murray.

Schultz, 22, said again on Sunday that it wasn’t anything that the Ducks did or didn’t do. He just wanted a chance to be a free agent.

“I saw an opportunity in Edmonton and I don’t regret that decision,” said Schutz, who said he has thought about playing at Anaheim in an Oilers jersey, but really doesn’t know what kind of reception he’ll receive.

When he was with the Oklahoma City Barons during the NHL lockout, he played an American Hockey League game in Abbotsford, B.C., and heard from fans in Vancouver’s bedroom community. The Vancouver Canucks were one of the teams Schultz turned down last summer.

“We’ll see when game time comes,” he said. “If we had come here first, it would have been tougher, but we’ve played a lot of games, so I think it will be a little easier.

“It was a really tough decision to make. I was drafted here, but again, it was having an opportunity, which you don’t have many times in your career, to choose where you want to play.”

Defenceman Fistric draws into lineup

The Oilers didn’t run a full practice on Sunday, so there was no indication which way head coach Ralph Krueger was leaning with respect to his lineup, but he said defenceman Mark Fistric will play.

The hard-hitting veteran has been a healthy scratch for the last seven games.

Krueger was reluctant to make changes when the team was on a winning streak, but after two straight losses, it’s time to mix things up.

“We’re definitely considering changing our look,” Krueger said.



Are the Edmonton Oilers improving as the season continues?

Jonathan Willis

April 7, 2013. 12:04 pm

How have the Oilers fared in the latter portion of the season? Have they improved, stayed the same, or regressed as the 2013 campaign has played out?

Judging by the team’s record, the first and last half of their 38 games played so far have been pretty close to identical:

19GP - Record

The lone difference in the club’s record is one additional loss in regulation and one fewer loss in overtime/shootout. The goal differential for both segments is slightly in the red, at minus-3, but superficially there’s very little here to indicate the Oilers have done anything other than stay the course.

Interestingly, the shots and scoring chances data paints a very different picture.

19GP - Shots

By both shots and scoring chances, the Oilers have improved defensively, allowing fewer opportunities for the opposition. That improved defensive play has coincided, however, with a massive drop in offensive opportunities. The net result has been that the Oilers have been outplayed by a greater margin over the last 19 games. The “% of” boxes on the right of the table above shot the percentage of all shots and scoring chances that were in the Oilers’ favour through those 19-game segments; 50% represents the break-even mark, a mark the Oilers have fallen further away from.

(Note: the scoring chances above are my own numbers. Others also track the metric; using David Staples slightly different counting method the Oilers dropped from 48.3% of scoring chances over the first 19 games to 43.7% of chances over the last 19 games).

But if there’s been a dramatic decrease in shots and scoring chances, why hasn’t the Oilers’ record reflected that? The answer lies in the percentages.

19GP - PDO

“PDO” is the combination of shooting percentage and save percentage; the league-average number is 100 and most teams regress to that number over time. There are a bunch of reasons for that – one good explanation of the statistic, why it matters, and proof that most teams fall back to that magic 100 number is here – but for our purposes it’s enough to know that in the short-term a high PDO number (good shooting percentage, good save percentage) can help a team look good even if they’re getting outshot and that in the long-term it’s very difficult to maintain a high PDO (Note: in the chart above, I’ve used PDO to represent SH% and SV% in all situations, not solely at even-strength).

In this particular case, the Oilers’ shooting percentage spiked to well above league-average over the last stretch. Most fans will recall games where the Oilers scored on an exceedingly high portion of their early shots; no team can do it in the long-term but in the short-term it makes the club look awfully good. In this particular case, for an 11.3 SH% to be sustainable, the save percentage of the goalies the Oilers encounter would need to consistently stay around the 0.887 mark – something that most anyone will admit is unlikely.

The goaltending drop-off in the last 19 games should be unsurprising, and is entirely the fault of Nikolai Khabibulin. Devan Dubnyk’s numbers are virtually identical over the two stretches – he posted a 0.921 save percentage over the first 19 game segment, and a 0.923 save percentage over the latest stretch. Khabibulin, however, saw his save percentage fall from 0.935 over the first 19 games to 0.906 over the last; his injury also meant that Yann Danis played more (he managed a 0.844 save percentage over portions of two games).

The one bit of positive news comes from the Oilers’ schedule; it was significantly more difficult over the last 19 games than it was over the first 19:

19GP - Sked

“B2B” indicates the number of times the Oilers played their second game on consecutive days against a rested opponent; “Playoffs” indicate the number of games against current playoff teams while “Lottery” indicates the number of games against teams currently out of the post-season (as all non-playoff teams are eligible for the draft lottery).

But even with a tougher schedule of late, it’s difficult to say that the Oilers are improving under rookie head coach Ralph Krueger.



Oilers' Justin Schultz all business

By Derek Van Diest

Edmonton Sun

First posted: Monday, April 08, 2013 01:32 AM MDT

Updated: Monday, April 08, 2013 01:52 AM MDT

ANAHEIM - Justin Schultz is not sure what to expect when he steps on the ice at the Honda Center Monday to face the Anaheim Ducks.

Perhaps the biggest boos will rain down from the seats of the Ducks executive, having failed to come to terms with the talented defenceman, allowing him to pick his destination.

Schultz will face the Ducks for the first time when the Oilers round out their four-game road trip against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

"We'll see when game time comes, whatever happens, it is what it is," said Schultz. "I've thought about what it would be like. But I've played a lot of games before this, so we'll see what happens.

"But I think being able to get into the league and play a lot of games before coming here might make it a little easier."

The manner in which Schultz ended up with the Oilers is well documented. Having been selected by the Ducks in the second round — 43rd overall — of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the Kelowna product failed to ink an entry-level contract with the team.

Once he decided to leave the University of Wisconsin, Schultz became an unrestricted free agent, able to entertain offers from any NHL club.

The Oilers went on to win the sweepstakes, as the two sides agreed on a two-year contract.

For Schultz, 22, it was nothing personal with the Ducks. It was only business.

"It was just me having the option to be a free agent and choose where I wanted to play," Schultz said. "I saw an opportunity in Edmonton and I don't regret making that decision."

In 38 games this season, Schultz, has six goals and 14 assists. He's the Oilers leading-scoring defenceman and should get some consideration for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league's top rookie.

During the lockout, Schultz tore up the American Hockey League with the Oklahoma City Barons, scoring 18 goals and adding 30 assists in 34 games. By the time the lockout came to an end, Schultz was the league's second-leading scorer behind Jordan Eberle.

"It's been a very challenging rookie season for Justin," said head coach Ralph Krueger. "Never in the history of the NHL has a rookie at that level, begun with over half a season in the American League, averaging ice-time of over 30 minutes a night, then being called upon to follow it up with the most compressed 48-game schedule in NHL history.

"I think he's doing an excellent job with it. We all know that Justin, in a normal 82-game schedule with the proper preparation, is going to be able to bring, here and there, some extra elements that other players won't be able to. He's a genius at the game, does and sees special things, and at the moment, we're please with what he's doing."

Schultz has proven in his short time with the Oilers that he was worth the effort the club put into sign him.

Once it became clear the NCAA star was not going to sign with Anaheim, the Oilers put on the full-court press trying to land Schultz, which included putting out a call to their famous alumni to help recruit.

In the end, however, it was a connection with Krueger, which seemed to sway his decision.

"When Justin and I connected at that meeting, there were 15 people in the room, but somehow we were alone in our conversation," said Krueger. "The

questions I asked him, the questions he asked me, the conversation we had, it was just really natural, right from the start, as has our relationship here been on a practical sense.

"That's what I remember that we felt really comfortable with each other right away as player and coach and that's continued. I didn't do a hard sell on him at all on that day, it was an honest message of what was going to happen here."

Schultz has proven to be a good fit with the Oilers young core. The club hopes his game will continue to develop along with Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle and Nail Yakupov to create the nucleus for a Stanley Cup contending team.

"Our team is now and will always be built on players who are here for the right reasons," said Krueger. "When you come to Edmonton, you come because you really love the game. It's a great city and if you love the game of hockey, you can't play in a better city than Edmonton.

"So when Justin made that decision, that was one of the reasons and that's what we love about our core and about our future players, they all love the game every single day and they're feeding on each other and building a fire that the NHL is going to see burning very quickly here."

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668767 Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen stymies Ottawa Senators

By George Richards

It has been a while since Scott Clemmensen started a game for the Panthers and stole a victory.

Clemmensen got a chance to shine Sunday and did just that, turning back 40 shots to earn top player honors in Florida’s 2-1 victory over Ottawa at BB&T Center.

The Panthers have won four of the past five games with Jacob Markstrom and Clemmensen giving up a total of nine goals in the wins.

“Clemmensen stood on his head for us,” said defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, whose wrister on a power play served as the game-winning goal. “We needed that.”

It has been no secret Clemmensen has struggled this season as Sunday’s win — one in which Florida was outshot 41-17 — was just his third of the season and first since Feb. 26.

“It has been a long time since my last win, unfortunately,” Clemmensen said.

The Senators, who might be slipping out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, enjoyed a nice South Florida Saturday off and came out flying.

Ottawa, which had won 11 of the past 12 against the Panthers, made it a 1-0 game when former Tampa Bay forward Cory Conacher — traded to Ottawa a day after playing the Panthers last Tuesday — tapped in a shot after being allowed to camp out in front of Clemmensen’s cage with 7:34 left in the first.

Few would have figured that would be it for the Sens. In the final 40 minutes, Ottawa peppered Clemmensen with 30 shots — including a few in a hectic final minute with two extra attackers. Clemmensen seemed unfazed.

“It’s nice to win no matter who you are playing or the situation,” said Clemmensen, now 3-6-2 this season. “This team has been working hard. They get paid too, and sometimes they get the best of you. Regardless, we got the win. That’s the name of the game no matter the fashion in which it comes.”

Said coach Kevin Dineen: “We were all happy with Clem’s performance tonight, including his teammates. It was one of those where he was the difference maker. They put a lot of pressure on us, and we were able to withstand it.”

Clemmensen’s biggest save came with 4:11 left in the second when Kyle Turris ripped a shot that Clemmensen leapt at and got a piece of with his leg pad. The puck was close to going across the line, so much so, it was officially looked at via video in Toronto. Replays showed the puck didn’t fully cross the line.

“I shouldn’t have had to make that save in that fashion,’’ Clemmensen said. “Sometimes you have to be lucky to be good.’’

Florida — 0-5 in the second game of a back-to-back set coming in — tied the score early in the second when Marcel Goc knocked in a nice shot from Tomas Fleischmann 1:08 into the second. Florida had seven shots at that point and would take just one more over the next 15 minutes.

Kulikov got his second game-winner in a week by rifling a shot past Craig Anderson — whom Clemmensen replaced as Tomas Vokoun’s backup here in 2009 — midway through the third. Florida was being outshot 34-14 at that point and ended up taking just three more shots at Anderson.

Anderson, who played three seasons with the Panthers, lives in South Florida during the offseason and trained with Roberto Luongo at the Panthers’ facility in Coral Springs during the lockout.

On Sunday, he lost to the Panthers in regulation for the first time in 11 decisions. Anderson had won eight in a row against his former team since leaving for Colorado as a free agent on July 1, 2009.

“Don’t discount that he has a home here, works out here,” Dineen said. “He has a quality fanbase and friendbase here. So good for him, but good for us in finally busting that bubble.”

DINEEN UPSET

Dineen has been more than a little unhappy with his team’s perceived treatment from officials this season — and it does seem the Panthers, as general manager Dale Tallon said Sunday, get “no respect.”

On Sunday, Dineen was livid after officials missed, or just didn’t call, a obvious trip from Ottawa’s Erik Condra on T.J. Brennan during a third-period power play.

Florida would have had an extended 5-on-3 chance had the trip been called. Kulikov scored during that power play anyway. Florida was 1-for-1 on the power play Sunday; the Sens were 0-5.

“We worked so hard to get some respectability last year,” Dineen said. “These guys are human; they look at the standings before the game and go, ‘This thing should play out a certain way.’ We get no respect, and it’s our fault. Our situation is what it is.”

Miami Herald LOADED: 04.08.2013


DINEEN OFFICIALLY UPSET: Panthers Coach Upset with 'Lack of Respect'

GeorgeRichards

Panthers coach Kevin Dineen has been more than a little unhappy with his team's perceived treatment from officials this season - and it does seem the Panthers have, as general manager Dale Tallon said Sunday, get "no respect."

On Sunday, Dineen was livid after officials missed, or just didn't call, a obvious trip from Ottawa's Erik Condra on T.J. Brennan during a third period power play.

Florida would have had an extended 5-on-3 chance had the trip been called. Kulikov scored during that power play anyway. Florida was 1-for-1 on the power play Sunday; the Sens were 0-5.

"We worked so hard to get some respectability last year,'' Dineen said. "These guys are human; they look at the standings before the game and go 'this thing should play out a certain way.' We get no respect and it's our fault. Our situation is what it is.''

Goc, who scored Florida's first goal, was bloodied after a stick to the mouth that not only didn't draw a four-minute penalty but wasn't called a penalty at all.

Last month, officials didn't penalize New York's Rick Nash after he left his feet to deliver an elbow to Tomas Kopecky's head - yet ejected Colby Robak for a soft tap the next game.

Florida has been on the penalty kill 125 times this season and has had the advantage 120 times.

Posted by George Richards at 09:45 PM | Permalink



CLEMMENSEN STRONG ON SUNDAY: Panthers Beat Anderson and Sens 2-1 Thanks to Great Start by Clemmensen

GeorgeRichards

It has been a while since Scott Clemmensen started a game for the Panthers and stole a victory.

Clemmensen got a chance to shine Sunday and did just that, turning back 40 shots to earn top player honors in Florida's 2-1 victory over Ottawa at BB&T Center.

The Panthers have won four of the past five games with Jacob Markstrom and Clemmensen giving up a total of nine goals in the wins.

"Clemmensen stood on his head for us,'' said defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, whose wrister on a power play served as the game-winning goal. "We needed that.''

It has been no secret Clemmensen has struggled this season as Sunday's win -- one in which Florida was outshot 41-17 -- was just his third of the season and first since Feb. 26.

"It has been a long time since my last win, unfortunately,'' Clemmensen said.

The Senators, who may be slipping out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, enjoyed a nice South Florida Saturday off and came out flying.

Ottawa, which had won 11 of the past 12 against the Panthers, made it a 1-0 game when former Tampa Bay forward Cory Conacher -- traded to Ottawa a day after playing the Panthers last Tuesday -- tapped in a shot after being allowed to camp out in front of Clemmensen's cage with 7:34 left in the first.

Few would have figured that would be it for the Sens. In the final 40 minutes, Ottawa peppered Clemmensen with 30 shots -- including a few in a hectic final minute with two extra attackers. Clemmensen seemed unfazed.

"It's nice to win no matter who you are playing or the situation,'' said Clemmensen, now 3-6-2 this season. "This team has been working hard. They get paid too, and sometimes they get the best of you. Regardless, we got the win. That's the name of the game no matter the fashion in which it comes.''

Said coach Kevin Dineen: "We were all happy with Clem's performance tonight including his teammates. It was one of those where he was the difference maker. They put a lot of pressure on us and we were able to withstand it.''

Clemmensen's biggest save came with 4:11 left in the second when Kyle Turris ripped a shot that Clemmensen leapt at and got a piece of with his leg pad. The puck was close to going across the line, so much so, it was officially looked at via video in Toronto. Replays showed the puck didn't fully cross the line.

"I shouldn't have had to make that save in that fashion,'' he said. "Sometimes you have to be lucky to be good.''

Florida - 0-5 in the second game of a back-to-back set coming in - tied the score early in the second when Marcel Goc knocked in a nice shot from Tomas Fleischmann 1:08 into the second. Florida had seven shots at that point and would take just one more over the next 15 minutes.

Kulikov potted his second game-winner in a week by rifling a shot past Craig Anderson -- whom Clemmensen replaced as Tomas Vokoun's backup here in 2009 -- midway through the third. Florida was being outshot 34-14 at that point and ended up taking just three more shots at Anderson.

Anderson, who played three seasons with the Panthers, lives in South Florida during the offseason and trained with Roberto Luongo at the Panthers' facility in Coral Springs during the lockout.

Sunday, he lost to the Panthers in regulation for the first time in 11 decisions. Anderson had won eight straight against his former team since leaving for Colorado as a free agent on July 1, 2009.

"Don't discount that he has a home here, works out here,'' Dineen said. "He has a quality fanbase and friendbase here. So good for him, but good for us in finally busting that bubble.''

Posted by George Richards at 09:43 PM | Permalink



Clemmensen stars in net and Kulikov scores to lift Panthers to 2-1 win over Sens

Despite being outshot 41-17, Panthers win fourth in past five games

By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel

10:28 PM EDT, April 7, 2013

SUNRISE

In the better-late-than-never category, the Panthers have discovered their special teams and re-discovered their backup goalie with nine games remaining.

Despite being tripled in shots on goal for most of the night, the Panthers made their only power play of the game count when Dmitry Kulikov scored at 10:47 of the third period for an ugly 2-1 victory over the reeling Ottawa Senators on Sunday.

And backup goalie Scott Clemmensen, who has taken on a Maytag repairman-like role since rookie Jacob Markstrom has taken over the net, received his first start in the past seven games and responded with his first win since Feb. 26 (0-5 in his previous eight appearances).

"It's been a long time since my last win, unfortunately,'' said Clemmensen, who had a season-high 40 saves. "It's a good feeling, but at the same time you look at your game honestly and I thought my last outing was pretty good but didn't get the win. You learn to control what you can control.''

The Panthers dominated special teams, especially their 30th-ranked PK unit, which stopped the Senators on all five of their power-play opportunities, including a two-man advantage in the final 9.3 seconds.

The Panthers, who have won four of their last five games, were outshot 41-17, their largest negative shot disparity of the season. They had lost 11 of their last 12 to Ottawa.

They finally managed to solve arch-nemesis and former Panthers goalie Craig Anderson, who was making his first appearance since Feb. 21 because of an ankle injury.

"I thought overall as a team we played a pretty good game," said Anderson, who spent Saturday at his home in nearby Coral Springs. "We had momentum for most of the game and we put a lot of pucks at the net. It was one of those nights we ran into a hot goaltender.

"Give Scott credit where credit is due. He made some big saves and stole them the game."

Anderson, who leads the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage, had won eight straight against Florida and was 9-0-1 lifetime.

"That's one of those stats that you flip through the game notes before and that sticks out,'' Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. "Don't discount that he's got a home here, works out here and has got a quality fan and friend base, so good for him, but even better for us to pop that bubble.''

Tied at 1-1 after two periods, rookie Quinton Howden's mad dash to the net forced Sergei Gonchar to hold, to set up the Panthers' suddenly formidable power play (7 of 14 in the past five games) against Ottawa's second-ranked PK unit.

After Kulikov's blast was saved by Anderson, he took a pass from rookie forward Jonathan Huberdeau and flicked in a wrist shot for his second goal of the season (and second game-winner in the past four games).

"Getting the special teams going gives us a better chance to win games,'' Kulikov said. "Clem made some huge saves for us.''

The Senators took a 1-0 lead at 12:26 on a slick interior pass from Jakob Silfverberg to newly acquired rookie Cory Conacher, who simply tapped it in for his 10th goal.

The Panthers are now 2-16-3 when trailing after one as they handed the sixth-place Senators their fourth straight loss.

The Panthers woke up at the start of the second period when Marcel Goc re-directed Tomas Fleischmann's shot past Anderson at 1:08 for a 1-1 tie.

Clemmensen preserved the tie with 4:12 left in the second when, while on his knees, he made a sensational, sprawling kick save on a point-blank blast by Kyle Turris that even the judges in Toronto didn't believe. The video review upheld the no-goal call.

"For some reason my weight wasn't on the correct side, so I ended up falling over on my side,'' Clemmensen said. "It's probably a save I shouldn't have made in that fashion. You got to be lucky to be good sometimes.''

Clemmensen has just three wins this season.

"I think we're all really happy with Clem's game tonight, including his teammates," Dineen said. "It's one of those ones where he was a difference-maker. They put a lot of pressure on us and we were able to withstand it and find a way to win."

Senators coach Paul MacLean summed up the loss.

"I thought we played great really the whole night," MacLean said. "I thought we dominated the game for the most part, but we got goalied.''

Dineen takes blame

Dineen doesn't accept excuses from his players or himself as he took the blame for Saturday's loss to the Capitals because he forgot to put a player in the penalty box to serve Erik Gudbranson's five-minute major and game misconduct late in the first period.

The Panthers continued to skate shorthanded for 18 seconds after Gudbranson's penalty elapsed and Howden was forced to take a hook that turned into the second of three power-play goals by the Capitals 43 seconds into the second period.

"I made a huge mistake," Dineen said. "Really, the game gets hung on me. ... Bad coaching error by me."

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 04.08.2013

668771 Los Angeles Kings

A Kings-Ducks hockey game at Dodger Stadium edges toward reality

Details are still being worked out, but plans call for a regular-season game on Jan. 25, 2014, using the NHL's portable rink and refrigeration equipment. Community events would be part of the project.

Helene Elliott

5:02 PM PDT, April 7, 2013

An outdoor game between the Kings and the Ducks, to be played amid the palm trees and history of Dodger Stadium, is moving closer to reality.

Details are still being negotiated but plans call for the teams to face off in a regular-season game on Jan. 25, 2014, using the portable rink and refrigeration equipment the NHL owns and has deployed at sites such as Chicago's Wrigley Field and Boston's Fenway Park.

A formal announcement is tentatively set for April 17 or 18. The NHL Players' Assn. must approve components of the plan and the NHL and the Dodgers must agree on financial aspects, including the division of revenue, but no snags have cropped up that appear big enough to derail a project the Kings have energetically promoted.

The game would be played at night to avoid sun on the ice. The rink could be in place a week before and a week afterward to stage community events, minor-league games or alumni games with Dodger Stadium as a stunning backdrop. The Kings are considering designing a special commemorative uniform that would be worn only for that game.

The Kings and New York Rangers played an exhibition game in the parking lot outside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1991, memorable for the ice being overrun by grasshoppers. The NHL has since favored cold-weather cities for outdoor games, but advances in technology and the novelty of a game in Southern California won over skeptics who opposed a warm-weather site.

The game between the Kings and Ducks would be the first of two outdoor games that weekend. The second would be played Jan. 26 in New York, with Yankee Stadium the preferred venue.

John Collins, the NHL's chief operating officer, and Don Renzulli, the NHL's senior vice president of events, visited Los Angeles in early March to discuss logistics for an outdoor game, and talks continued from there. A league executive declined to comment Sunday.

As expected, the NHL on Sunday announced the Detroit Red Wings will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2014, at Michigan Stadium. That matchup was scheduled to take place this year but was a casualty of the lockout.

Trade winds

Rick Nash couldn't wait to get out of Columbus and join the New York Rangers. But Marian Gaborik waived his no-trade clause to leave New York and join the Blue Jackets, an odd turn of events before last Wednesday's trade deadline.

Who won and who lost in all those trades?

The Penguins made the biggest splash by acquiring Jarome Iginla from Calgary for a first-round draft pick and two mid-level prospects, as well as adding winger Brenden Morrow from Dallas and defenseman Douglas Murray from San Jose. Acquiring center Jussi Jokinen from Carolina for a conditional draft pick also might prove important while Sidney Crosby recovers from a broken jaw. Not only did the Penguins get a player who could play on their top line and is one of the NHL's top shootout snipers, they got Carolina to pay part of Jokinen's salary through next season.

The Blue Jackets enhanced their speed and credibility by giving up Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and defenseman John Moore for Gaborik, who is signed through next season. They probably won't make the playoffs this season but they have given fans hope, and there's no price tag on that.

"It's going to be fine. I feel good about this," Gaborik told reporters in Columbus following his debut.

The Rangers wanted some aggressiveness and got it in Ryane Clowe at the price of three draft picks in 2013 and 2014. The Kings did well to obtain defenseman Robyn Regehr from Buffalo for second-round draft picks in 2014 and 2015 and hope to re-sign him after this season. With new doubt hanging over Willie Mitchell's ability to return from knee problems, Regehr could stabilize the Kings' defense and penalty killing for a while.

Vancouver added depth up the middle by acquiring free-agent-to-be Derek Roy from Dallas, but he's small — 5-foot-9 — and that won't help in the physical West. The Minnesota Wild got a two-way talent in Jason Pominville, acquiring the former Buffalo captain and a fourth-round draft pick in 2014 for goalie Matt Hackett, forward Johan Larsson, a first-round pick in 2013 and a second-round pick in 2014.

Among the biggest losers is Calgary, which waited too long to begin an overhaul. The Flames got little for Iginla, couldn't persuade goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to accept a trade to Toronto, and got only a conditional first-round pick and two so-so prospects for defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. "I should have had the intellectual honesty even earlier and said, 'This isn't working,' " General Manager Jay Feaster told reporters in Calgary. "So shame on me, but I'm making sure we're going to correct that going forward."

Buffalo is retooling and might be forced to trade forward Thomas Vanek and goalie Ryan Miller before they become free agents. And Nashville, once considered a good place to play, has become a place to leave. Martin Erat wanted out and was dealt to Washington for promising forward Filip Forsberg, defenseman Ryan Suter left as an unrestricted free agent last summer, and defenseman Shea Weber signed a 14-year, $110-million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers before the Predators matched it. They've always been competitive, but small markets have limitations and the Predators might have reached theirs, sad to say.



Kings see value even in 4-3 shootout loss to Ducks

Though the Kings are forced to concede Pacific Division supremacy to their rivals, they keep their eyes on the prize of making playoffs and feel good about playing a hard, battle-oriented game.

Helene Elliott

11:01 PM PDT, April 7, 2013

Grace and Louis Sutter didn't raise any dummies among their seven sons on their ranch in Viking, Canada. Darryl, the Kings' coach and perhaps the smartest of the brothers, knows when things add up and when they don't, and he knew his team's admittedly slim chances of winning the Pacific division title had evaporated Sunday after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Ducks at the Honda Center.

Sutter had pretty much conceded division supremacy to the Ducks on Saturday while previewing the game. Dropping nine points behind the Ducks on Sunday with each team having nine games left merely reinforced his theory.

"I went to school and I graduated and I can do the math," he said, "and with that few games left, it's pretty much impossible. I've been in the game long enough to know that.

"We're trying to get our own points. We couldn't care less who wins the division."

It all but certainly won't be the Kings, but that might not mean much. Last season, the Kings finished third in the Pacific and eighth in the Western conference and still dominated during the playoffs, losing only four games before claiming the Stanley Cup.

They're a solid fourth now, eight points clear of ninth-place Phoenix. They should make it without too much difficulty and, maybe, get home-ice advantage in the first round.

"The hardest part is just getting in," right wing Justin Williams said. "And once you're in — and we obviously proved it last year — anything can happen. A 48-game season, the hardest part is just getting in and staying with it."

If their pride was wounded by realizing a division banner isn't in their immediate future, it healed quickly.

They played a hard, battle-oriented game and answered the better-rested Ducks goal for goal until the shootout, when Jonathan Bernier was beaten by Bobby Ryan, Saku Koivu and Corey Perry. The Kings could get only Jeff Carter's backhander past Viktor Fasth.

Bernier blamed himself for the loss.

"I've got to be better. It wasn't my best game, that's for sure," he said. "I've got to come up with those big saves to come up with that extra point."

But overall there wasn't much to pick apart on the Kings' side.

"I thought our game overall was pretty good. We battled back in a tough building, against a great team, three times, and we did it late," Williams said. "Unfortunately we couldn't get it in regulation or overtime and then it comes down to a skills competition, and we were on the losing end."

Not by much. They outshot the Ducks, 38-22, including a 16-5 edge in the third period.

Drew Doughty was a force at both ends of the ice, contributing a goal and four hits while playing a game-high 28 minutes and 40 seconds.

Dustin Brown was everywhere, assisting on the goal by Doughty that made it 1-1 and tying the game at 3-3 by batting the puck out of mid-air and past Fasth with 3:45 left in the third period.

"I think if we had another couple of minutes in overtime, we were going to get one," Doughty said.

Even though they didn't, their comebacks outweighed the loss of a point in Sutter's eyes.

"Did it three times. Can't complain about that," he said.

And there was little complaining from the Kings about the division title being beyond their grasp.

"It doesn't matter. Ultimately we've got to get ready for the playoffs and we feel like our game is coming along," center Anze Kopitar said.

"Even tonight, we battled hard. We played pretty good against a good team and we came back three times from a goal down, and in the shootout, it is what it is. They were better at it tonight."



DUCKS 4, KINGS 3 (SO): Ducks pluck out victory against Kings in playoff-type matchup


Posted: 04/07/2013 11:30:34 PM PDT

It sure looked and sounded like a Stanley Cup playoff game when the Ducks and the Kings tangled Sunday night at the Honda Center, with the teams trading highlight-reel caliber scoring chances and molar-rattling checks on almost every rush down the ice.

The Kings rallied not once, not twice, but three times to force the Ducks into overtime and then a shootout. Corey Perry won it for the Ducks in the shootout, whistling a quick shot past Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier in the third round for a 4-3 victory.

Matt Beleskey's power-play goal gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead early in the third period, but Kings team captain Dustin Brown swatted a loose puck out of midair and into the back of the net to tie it 3-3 in the closing minutes of regulation time.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter conceded the Pacific Division race to the Ducks after his team's 4-1 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at Staples Center.

Sutter apparently forgot to tell his players, because they refused to surrender anything to the Ducks on Sunday.

Give the Ducks an inch and they might take a mile.

Playing without leading scorer and team captain Ryan Getzlaf for the second consecutive game because of a right leg injury suffered Wednesday, the Ducks jumped ahead of the Kings on Kyle Palmieri's goal only 2:54 into the game.

The Kings countered with Drew Doughty's power-play goal on a blast from near the left point 5:59 into the second period. Perry put the Ducks ahead 2-1

with a goal off a breakaway, but Jeff Carter tied it for the Kings with his team-leading 23 rd goal of the season.

Each of the previous games was decided in the third period, with the Ducks winning 7-4 in Anaheim on Feb. 2 and the Kings taking a 5-2 victory Feb. 25 in Los Angeles. So, it figured the teams would have to settle matters in the final period again.



Kings look fresh against Ducks despite playing day before


Posted: 04/07/2013 11:28:45 PM PDT

The Kings didn't look like a team that played Saturday afternoon, when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-1, finding reserves of energy late in the game Sunday night that enabled them to rally from a 3-2 deficit in the closing minutes of regulation.

Dustin Brown swatted home a free puck to tie the score at 3-all, one of 16 shots the Kings fired at goaltender Viktor Fasth in the third period. The Ducks went ahead on Matt Beleskey's power-play goal early in the third, but had only five shots in the period.

"Played good, came in here and played hard, scored three goals and gave yourself a chance to win," coach Darryl Sutter said after the Kings (22-13-4, fourth place in the Western Conference) rallied three times to force the game to overtime and a shootout.

"I think we dominated the whole game," defenseman Drew Doughty said. "The only thing that is frustrating is we only got one point rather than two. We definitely deserved two points. We outplayed them. I think that there's no doubt in anybody's mind about that."

Quote, unquote

Kings forward Jeff Carter had this to say about newly acquired defenseman Robyn Regehr: "I think I only played against him a few times. When I came to the West, he went to the East. I mean, he's just a hard-nosed, big, strong guy. He's almost like a bully out there. He's always in your face. Every time you turn around, he's there. It's great for us back there."



Kings, Ducks to play outdoor game at Dodger Stadium in 2014?


Posted: 04/07/2013 06:29:04 PM PDT

Hockey pucks and Dodger Dogs, anyone?

The NHL is working to stage an outdoor game between the Kings and the Ducks next season at Dodger Stadium, a Kings spokesman confirmed Sunday. The game would be played on a January night in order to ensure the best possible ice conditions on the NHL's portable rink.

"It's still in the planning stages and nothing is certain, but there is an aggressive plan to make it happen," said Mike Altieri, Kings vice president of communications and broadcasting, in an email. Altieri declined further comment.

Said Tim Ryan, Ducks executive vice president and chief operating officer: "There is nothing confirmed, but we would certainly have interest in being in the game." The NHL has held outdoor games for many years, but all but one of them have been contested in cold-weather cities like Boston, Chicago and Edmonton.

Playing a game in downtown Los Angeles, even in winter, would present unique challenges, however.

In fact, the Kings played outdoors one other time, facing the New York Rangers on a make-shift rink set up in the parking lot of a Las Vegas hotel in 1991. The ice conditions were poor because of high temperatures and there was a mid-game bug infestation, as well.

The league announced Sunday an outdoor game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs would be played next season at Michigan Stadium on the University of Michigan campus. Other outdoor games, including one at Dodger Stadium,

reportedly are in the works, too.



April 7 postgame notes

Posted by JonRosen on 7 April 2013, 10:37 pm

-The Kings (0-1-1) finished a season winless at the Honda Center for the first time 2007-08 (0-2-2).

-The Kings have scored at least three goals in seven of eight games since being shut out in back to back games by Dallas and Vancouver on March 21 and 23. They are 19-2-2 when scoring three-plus goals in a game.

-The Kings have recorded points in five of six road games (3-1-2).

-The teams combined for 71 hits, 36 of which were credited to Los Angeles. Toni Lydman was credited with a game-high six hits. Kyle Clifford and Dustin Brown led the Kings with five.

-With his third period assist, Justin Williams extended his point streak to seven games (6-2=8).

-Jeff Carter now has goals in five of the last six games. Carter has seven points in the last seven games (5-2=7).

-Colin Fraser played his 100th game as a King.

-Dustin Brown leads all skaters with six points (4-2=6) in three games against Anaheim this season.

-Jonathan Bernier lost for the first time as a starter this season. Overall, his record is 9-2-1.

-Matt Beleskey scored his first career power play goal in his 201st career game.

The Kings are scheduled to skate at 10:00 am at Toyota Sports Center.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.08.2013


April 7 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter


On the team coming from behind to earn a point:

“Yeah, we did it three times. Heck, we can’t complain about that. We played a heck of a game.”

On whether he has revisited conceding the division:

“I went to school, and I graduated, and I can do the math. We’ve got a few games left. That’s pretty much impossible…We’re trying to get our own points. Couldn’t care less who wins the division. You keep asking that, and I keep telling you that, right? We keep getting points cause we’re trying to make the playoffs, and I’m sure that’s what they’re saying, too.”

On the team being proud of its performance:

“We played good. I mean, heck. You know what? They came in here and we played hard. Score three goals, you should give yourself a chance to win and we did.”

On what led to Corey Perry’s breakaway goal:

“Muzz came down on the strong side. The puck changed corners. Corey Perry scores goals, right? If you check, he’s won the scoring title. If he can get breakaways – and he actually had two tonight, didn’t he? He scored on both.”



April 7 postgame quotes: Bruce Boudreau


On Sunday’s win:

“It was just a fast-paced game. People wouldn’t call it playoff hockey because there were too many goals, but I’d tell you, there were two teams that were giving it everything they had and they didn’t leave anything on the ice.”

On the importance of Sunday’s win:

“It puts us two points closer. Every time we play and we can gain points that means it’s harder for both San Jose and L.A. to catch us. It’s an important issue to try to get as high as you can and set the bar high for future years, and to have home ice advantage for the playoffs.”

On whether there’s an extra burden on Corey Perry with Ryan Getzlaf out of the lineup:

“I mean, he’s counted on to lead us when Getzy’s here or Getzy’s not here. We had a lot of guys that stepped up. But I think everybody, quite frankly, stepped up a little bit today and knew that we didn’t play a very good game against Dallas the other night and wanted to prove that we were capable of playing without Ryan Getzlaf, I mean, for tonight, anyway. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.”

On the importance of Viktor Fasth:

“He stopped 40 shots, so I’d say pretty important.”

On the challenges presented by Los Angeles, and how Anaheim responded:

“Well, they’re big. They can skate. They’re skilled. They’re strong. What else can you say? And they’re Stanley Cup champions. When they get down, they know how to push harder. I mean, every time we scored a goal, they came back harder. I mean, they have no quit in them, which is what happens when you become a Stanley Cup champion. That’s one of the reasons that everybody loves those guys when they’re free agents, because when they’ve won, they know how to win. That’s a big test for our group, because I knew they wanted to come in here and win today. Whether they p;layed yesterday or not, they showed no ill effects of fatigue, that’s for sure.”

On whether it felt like a playoff game with both teams “throwing their weight around”:

“Very much so. I mean, it wasn’t one-nothing or two to one, but it was a playoff game in every sense of the word. If we can play like that or can play against teams like that…at least we know we can compete against teams like that.”

-First two quotes courtesy of Anaheim Ducks PR.



April 7 postgame quotes: Anze Kopitar


On the importance of winning the division:

“It doesn’t matter. I mean, ultimately we’ve got to get ready for the playoffs. We feel like our game is coming along. Even tonight, I mean we battled hard. We played pretty good against a good team. We came back three times from a goal down. In the shootout, it is what it is. We were bad at it tonight.”

On preparing for Dallas and the challenge of four games in six days:

“You just get the day tomorrow. Try and start to get ready for it, and it’s a matter I think of preparation this time of the year now. It’s getting close to the last spring, or I guess the last stretch of the season, and the best-prepared team usually wins. We’re going to do everything to get ready, and we should be good to go on Tuesday.”

On if he can sense the improvement in the quality of play as the season has progressed:

“Yeah, it’s different. It’s one of those things where you improve each and every game, and we feel like our game is coming around. We feel confident and comfortable on the ice. That’s the way to go at this time of the year.”

On the feeling on the bench when the team trailed by one goal late:

“All positive thoughts. We threw everything at him, and it took us 17 moinutes to get the tying goal. We’re a resilient team, and we’re definitely not going to quit.”



April 7 postgame quotes: Drew Doughty


On whether the team is happy with a point:

“Yeah, happy with a point, but I think we deserved better. We out-shot them by however many, and we came back three times to get back in the game. They had a lucky bounce on the first goal. As I said, I think we deserved better. I thought we deserved the two points, but if we have another chance with them this year, we’ve got to make sure we win it.”

On whether he believes L.A. would have won had the game been extended by one minute:

“Yeah, I did, for sure. Even four-on-four, we were getting some good chances. I don’t even know if they got a shot in that overtime period at all. If we had just a little more time, we were rolling there. We had all the confidence in the world in that third period, and it’s too bad we didn’t.”

On where he sees the most improvement from the start of the season:

“I think everyone, from our top players. First of all, the top players have been working hard. They’re showing up at these big times [and] a big time during the season. The other guys are following their leadership, and they’re playing well at the same time. So that’s what we need from everyone, every night – we need their hardest working effort and play the right system game, and we should win a lot more games.”

Courtesy Anaheim Ducks PR:

“I think we dominated the whole game. The only thing that is frustrating is we only get one point rather than two. We definitely deserved the two points. We outplayed them. I think there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind about that. It sucks that we kind of had them if we won that game. We would have been only six points behind them and we had a chance to catch them, but we gave up the two to them and now it’s a little bit more difficult.”


668781 Minnesota Wild

Wild signs Gophers leading scorer Erik Haula; Lineup update vs. Blue Jackets

Michael Russo

Updated: April 7, 2013 - 1:02 PM

As expected, the Wild has signed Gophers center Erik Haula, who led the U in scoring the past two seasons, to a two-year entry-level deal. He signed an amateur tryout and will immediately report to Houston, where he is eligible to play in the Calder Cup playoffs.

He is expected to make his debut Wednesday against Oklahoma City.

Haula's contract is the max for a 2009 pick, I understand, with max A bonuses. Not bad for a 2009 seventh-rounder.

"My dream has always been to have a chance to play in the big leagues and this is the start," Haula said by phone after flying to Houston. "I’ve worked hard for it and I’m really excited to get started with a great organization."

Here is a feature I wrote on Haula, the Finnesotan, in November.

The product of Shattuck-St. Mary's recorded Minnesota's first 50-point season since 2005-06. He hit the 100-point plateau this past season and ranks 49th on the Gophers' all-time list.

He was the first Gopher since Ryan Potulny (2003-06) to finish his collegiate career with an average of more than a point a game.

"It was tough to leave," Haula said. "Being with the same guys for three years, it’s not easy to leave. We’ve had pretty good success lately and to not get to that last game of the year this year was really disappointing, so that made the leaving part harder. But it’s time to take the next step and I was happy to get the support from my coaches and teammates."

Haula said he knows he has to learn to play against men and he hopes to take everything in to set himself up for training camp next year. He said he talked to buddy and fellow Finn Mikael Granlund about coming to Houston the other day and the next day he was called up by the Wild.

Haula, 22, ranked second in the NCAA in assists (35) and tied for fourth in scoring (51 points) and was named to the 2012-13 All-WCHA Second Team and the All-WCHA Academic Team. Haula led Minnesota and ranked ninth in the nation in scoring with 49 points (20-29=49) in 43 games in 2011-12 to help the Gophers advance to the NCAA Frozen Four. He tallied 24 points (6-18=24) in 34 games during his freshman season and ranked tied for first on the team in assists and third in scoring.

The Wild, now four points up on surging and ninth-place Phoenix, has a huge game tonight against Columbus. Marian Gaborik will make his home debut. Brandon Dubinsky and Nikita Nikitin are game-time decisions for the Blue Jackets.

Gaborik said in New York, "One team wants you, one team maybe tries to go in a different direction. I told myself this was a new, fresh start, new challenge. Young team, a lot of potential for the future, so I'm glad I made the decision."

The Blue Jackets, 11-3-5 in their past 19 and 9-0-3 in their past 12 at home, have been running hot. The Wild has not and badly needs a victory to stop the bleeding, or things will get real tense.

"They're a desperate team right now, too, based on where they sit in the standings and just kind of the way it's gone for them lately," former Wild coach Todd Richards said. "They were a hot team and have lost some games here in a row, so you know they're going to be ready to go."

Richard said the special feelings of playing the Wild have "worn off."

Niklas Backstrom vs. redhot Sergei Bobrovsky and his gigantic pads tonight.

For the Wild, veteran defenseman Tom Gilbert, whose play has dipped like a few defensemen, will be scratched for what he says is the first time in his career. He says he has to get back to simplicity.

Coach Mike Yeo said, "Hopefully this is something that spurs him to get it back. A lot of it is mental. I don't think we have to get too much into it. I'm not saying that he's been awful or he's the reason that we lost three games, but I think it was time to make a change. Hopefully this helps him get back on track."

Gilbert is a minus-13, tied for 269th out of 275 NHL defensemen, and plainly has been playing badly.

I know fans are clamoring for Clayton Stoner to be scratched, but my sense is Yeo does not feel comfortable giving Justin Falk, Nate Prosser or Brett Clark top-4 minutes. And that is simply the decidling factor. If Stoner sits, somebody has to go into that slot.

Plain, simple. I don't know a better way to explain it. I get your frustration. Stoner has struggled bigtime lately. But this is one of those occasions where the Wild needs to work with him and badly needs for him to improve his play. Taking him out is not simple if you don't have somebody to take that top-4 spot.

Clark sits tonight, too. Falk and Prosser are in.

Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Jason Pominville

P-M Bouchard-Mikael Granlund-Devin Setoguchi

Cal Clutterbuck-Kyle Brodziak-Charlie Coyle

Mike Rupp-Zenon Konopka-Torrey Mitchell

The Wild hopes to get veteran Matt Cullen back soon. He is expected to see the doctor tomorrow, but since he hasn't practiced in awhile, we'll see how soon he can get back in the lineup even if he's cleared.

I am not as confident that we'll be seeing Dany Heatley any time soon.

By the way, I will be hosting a live chat on startribune.com on Monday at 2 p.m. CT

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.08.2013


Wild gets big win in Columbus; Dany Heatley to undergo shoulder surgery

Michael Russo


There’s really no way to portray how big this one 3-0 victory in Columbus was tonight.

The Wild had lost three in a row and four of five. It had sunk to 7th in the West with red-hot Phoenix surging from outside the top-8 and Detroit right on its tail. It’s about to head home for a three-game homestand in front of what’s bound to be a restless, nervous home crowd anyway, a crowd that felt compelled to boo this team profusely last Monday despite having won eight of its previous nine. Can you imagine what it would have been like if it had lost tonight?

So the Wild needed to stop the bleeding in Columbus and lower the temperature a bit before Tuesday’s game against Chicago.

Mission accomplished as it played a strong all-around game, got great special teams (two power-play goals, four spotless penalty kills), got a goal and assist from Jason Pominville in his second game, a winning goal from Ryan Suter, a first career power-play goal by Charlie Coyle, solid effort from scores of players and a 24-save shutout response from Niklas Backstrom.

It’s now got a 6-point cushion on Phoenix and moved back to 6th in the West.

Evening from Nationwide Arena, where the Wild snapped the Blue Jackets’ 12-game home point streak tonight.

The Wild will not practice Monday as one of its four mandatory days off per month in the new CBA. I will host a live chat on startribune.com at 2 p.m.

As I began to indicate the past few days, I finally got it confirmed tonight that Heatley will undergo shoulder surgery Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday. That’s why the itinerary changed and he flew here to Ohio.

It’s a scope to repair a dislocated left shoulder suffered in San Jose during that altercation with former teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic on Wednesday. Mike Yeo says this doesn’t necessarily mean Heatley will miss the remainder of the regular season, but you know it’ll be pretty darn close. The reason he and the team has elected for surgery is because this should quicken his return rather than just letting it heal naturally.

The good news is now the trade for Pominville is even bigger. Pominville took Coyle spot as the first-line right wing and tonight, Yeo might have discovered Heatley’s replacement with Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak.

Not only did Coyle score and play outstandingly in all three zones, Clutterbuck and Brodziak were as good as they’ve been in a long time. They were hard to play against for Marian Gaborik’s line, they were pains in the rear with good sticks in the neutral zone and they got the puck in often on the forecheck. All three were also strong on the penalty kill. Clutterbuck caused turnovers and foiled chances all night with back pressure and a good stick.

“We’re losing a huge piece there [with Heatley], so you need guys to step up,” Yeo said. “What Heater brings is a guy who is puck strong and a guy who can score goals. And I think we saw a lot of those qualities in Charlie Coyle tonight.”

The hope is Matt Cullen is close. He missed the road trip with a lower body injury.

As a team, Clutterbuck, who had a money quote in the gamer you should check out, said, “We just needed to get back to the certain way we were playing, and the good thing is we know exactly what that is and we know that it works.”

Yeo was delighted with Backstrom’s response after being yanked in L.A. He recorded his 28th career shutout and now leads the league with 20 wins in 31 starts. He had 19 in 45 starts last year.

As a team, Yeo said, “What you saw tonight is what our game is supposed to look like.”

He did say, “We’re not going to sit here and say this road trip was a huge success, but we found a way to in a very important game for us.”

On the back end, he scratched Brett Clark and veteran Tom Gilbert: “I thought the entire defensive group was really strong. One of our better ones execution wise. Taking hits to make plays.”

Clayton Stoner, so maligned lately, had a real solid game. Yeo: “He’s had a couple tough plays with pucks for sure. The base of his game, he’s going to be a physical guy, he’s going to be hard to play against down low, he’s not a fun guy to play against, I guarantee you that because positionally he does a good job. He did a very good job with the puck tonight, which is important.”

Tonight, Yeo said, “Scorers were scoring, checkers were checking.”

Mikael Granlund had one of his best games of his season. First period, Yeo said he was somewhat average, but he was great in all three zones in the second and third, set up a tremendous Coyle goal and was physical and strong on the wall.

Said Yeo: “I thought he elevated his game in the second and third. That’s really important for us. It’s a matter of confidence for the kid. Once he really starts to figure out what he can do and what he’s capable of, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Pominville had a solid game. Thirty minutes before warmups, his wife and two kids surprised him by driving in from Buffalo. The Wild surprised the family by outfitting them fully with Wild gear.

Coyle was real good. Suter real good. Torrey Mitchell had a great game. The fourth line really set a strong tone in the first, but Backstrom made a series of clutch saves that calmed the tide too.

That’s it for me. Early flight. Ten games left, amazingly enough. Again, no practice Monday but I will be hosting the live chat on startribune.com at 2 p.m. Please join in.



Wild-Columbus game recap

MICHAEL RUSSO


GAME RECAP

Star Tribune’s

Three Stars

1. Ryan Suter, Wild: Logged 31:07, scored the winning goal.

2. Niklas Backstrom, Wild: After giving up two goals on two shots Thursday, he made 24 saves for a shutout.

3. Charlie Coyle, Wild: Scored his third goal in five games.

By the numbers

20 Wins in 31 starts for Backstrom, best in the NHL; had 19 wins in 45 starts last year.

29 Points for Suter, second among NHL defensemen.



Haula leaves U, signs two-year deal with Wild

MICHAEL RUSSO

Star Tribune

Updated: April 8, 2013 - 12:04 AM

COLUMBUS, OHIO – After leading the nation’s highest-scoring team in scoring the past two seasons, Erik Haula knew it was time for the next challenge.

Still, leaving the University of Minnesota for a pro contract with the Wild wasn’t easy, especially since Haula felt like he left his collegiate career incomplete after the Gophers were beaten in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“Being with the same guys for three years, it’s not easy to leave,” Haula said after arriving in Houston on Sunday. “We’ve had pretty good success lately, and to not get to that last game of the year this year was really disappointing, so that made the leaving part harder.

“But it’s time to take the next step.”

Haula, 22, signed a two-year, entry-level deal that starts next season. In order to get his pro career going, the Pori, Finland, native signed an amateur tryout with the Aeros, the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate. He is playoff-eligible and can play in the regular-season’s final six games beginning Wednesday against Oklahoma City.

“My dream has always been to have a chance to play in the big leagues and this is the start,” the 2009 seventh-round draft pick said. “I’ve worked hard for it and I’m really excited to get started with a great organization.”

Haula can’t wait to soak everything in and adjust to the pro game in time for the Wild’s training camp next fall.

“I know I have to learn how to play against men, and I’d love to have success right away, but it doesn’t always happen that easily,” Haula said. “It takes time, and I’m willing to put that time in.”

Haula, the second European to play for the Gophers, is 49th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 124 points in 114 games. He scored 42 goals and was the first Gopher since Ryan Potulny (2003-06) to average more than a point a game in his collegiate career.

This past season, Haula ranked second in the NCAA with 35 assists and was the first Gopher to top 50 points (51) since 2005-06. He was plus-20 and an All-WCHA second-team selection.

Haula’s the fifth Gopher to leave since the overtime loss to Yale ended Minnesota’s season. Nate Schmidt signed a free-agent contract with Washington, while Nick Bjugstad (Florida), Zach Budish (Nashville) and Mark Alt (Philadelphia) signed with the teams that drafted them.

“I’m happy with the choice I made three years ago to go with the Gophers,” said Haula, who played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. “Individually, I think I had three pretty good years and tried to be consistent. That was the big key to my decision to leave.”

Gilbert scratched

With veteran defenseman Tom Gilbert struggling, coach Mike Yeo pulled him from the Wild’s lineup Sunday against Columbus. Gilbert said it was the first time in his career he was a healthy scratch.

“Hopefully this is something that spurs him to get it back,” Yeo said. “I’m not saying that he’s been awful … but I think it was time to make a change. Hopefully this helps him get back on track.”

Gilbert is minus-13, which is tied for 269th out of 275 defensemen.

“I just need to find my game,” Gilbert said. “It hasn’t been my best, let’s put it that way. [I have to get back to] simplicity, good first pass.”

Brett Clark was also scratched; defensemen Justin Falk and Nate Prosser played.

Etc.

• Center Matt Cullen, who has missed three games with a lower body injury, is expected to be evaluated by Wild doctors Monday. The hope is he’s closing in on a return.



Shoulder surgery could speed Heatley's return

MICHAEL RUSSO


COLUMBUS, OHIO – Veteran goal scorer Dany Heatley stayed behind in Columbus on Sunday night because he will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder Tuesday in Cleveland.

Heatley, who dislocated his shoulder when he was driven to the ice at the end of an altercation with San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic on Wednesday, won’t necessarily miss the rest of the regular season, coach Mike Yeo said.

The hope is that by having surgery, Heatley’s return timetable would be quicker than without it.

While losing the team’s third-leading goal scorer is a big blow, the Wild added now critical depth earlier Wednesday when it acquired Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville.

Pominville, who scored a goal and assist in Sunday’s 3-0 win at Columbus, took Charlie Coyle’s spot on the first line and Coyle took Heatley’s position on the third line with Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak.

Coyle had a stellar all-around game and scored his sixth goal of the season, and first on the power play.

“We’re losing a huge piece there, so you need guys to step up,” Yeo said. “What Heater brings is a guy who is puck strong and a guy who can score goals. And I think we saw a lot of those qualities in Charlie Coyle tonight.”



Backstrom carries Wild past Blue Jackets

RUSTY MILLER

Associated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jason Pominville got a surprise shortly before taking the ice for his new team, the Minnesota Wild, on Sunday night.

His wife, kids and father-in-law drove down from Buffalo, N.Y., to see Pominville in action against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It was a good night for the former Buffalo Sabres captain — he scored a goal and had an assist for his first points for the Wild since his trade last week — in supporting Niklas Backstrom's 24 saves in a 3-0 Minnesota victory.

"I didn't really expect them to come down," said Pominville, acquired with a fourth-round selection in 2014 from Buffalo for goalie Matt Hackett, forward Johan Larsson, a first-rounder in 2013 and a second-rounder in 2014. "I talked to my wife on the phone and everything seemed normal. It was a nice surprise to see her and the kids before the game."

The win was a big one for the Wild, who snapped a three-game losing streak that included their first shutout loss of the season in their last game.

"You can't avoid it: Everyone is talking about (the playoffs)," Backstrom said after his second shutout of the season and 28th of his career. "But for us it's still one day at a time, one game at a time."

Ryan Suter's wrist shot in traffic started the scoring, and Charlie Coyle benefited from a perfect pass from Mikael Granlund as the Wild netted two power-play goals in the second period.

Backstrom and his staunch defense did the rest until Pominville scored late off a tape-to-tape pass from Zach Parise.

"What you saw tonight is what our game is supposed to look like," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "I really liked a lot of players tonight. I thought everybody was on top of their game."

It was a turnaround win for Minnesota, which had also lost four of five since a seven-game winning streak. The Wild scored only three goals in the three-game skid.

"Our last couple of games weren't what we wanted and it's nice to kind of get back on track, regroup and get things going again," Coyle said.

The Wild came in ranked eighth in the NHL in road power plays. After a scoreless first period, the Wild made the most of a hooking penalty on Blake Comeau, who was playing his first home game for the Blue Jackets after being acquired from Calgary for a fifth-round pick.

Suter took a drop pass from Pominville, and Suter tucked a hard wrister from the high slot inside the far post through heavy congestion. It was the fourth goal of the season for Suter, a big-ticket free agent last summer.

Columbus' Vinny Prospal was called for hooking later in the period, and the Wild cycled the puck while the Blue Jackets tried in vain to clear it.

Granlund slid a backdoor pass from the right wing to Coyle, who had slipped to the left doorstep for a jam shot that made it 2-0 at 15:03.

This defeat was extremely costly to Columbus, which is four points behind eighth-place Detroit in the West.

Now the Blue Jackets have little wiggle room with just nine games remaining in the regular season — including six on the road.

"This one definitely hurts," said defenseman Jack Johnson, who said Columbus might have to win out to make the postseason.

The Blue Jackets came in having earned points in 16 of 19 games (11-3-5) and riding a four-game winning streak at home. Since their previous regulation home loss on March 7, they had gone 9-0-3 at Nationwide Arena.

"It's a blow," coach Todd Richards said of the loss that opened a three-game homestand. "We know what's ahead of us. The players have talked, we have talked, about the importance of these home games. We lacked energy in the second period. We picked it up in the third, but we still didn't do enough."

Marian Gaborik, acquired by the Blue Jackets in a multiplayer deal with the New York Rangers at Wednesday's trade deadline, was greeted by several signs in the crowd as he made his debut at home.

"We have to stay positive," Gaborik said. "We have nine games left. We'll do everything we can to be in the hunt."

Backstrom was solid when needed. The Wild killed off four penalties, although Backstrom was at his best on even-strength threats. He gloved a hard one-timer by Jack Johnson midway through the first, stymied R.J. Umberger on a rush in the third, and turned aside Cam Atkinson's blast in transition in the final minutes.

"What can you say about Backie?" Yeo said. "That was a good response by him. That's what he does."

NOTES: Columbus D James Wisniewski caught a skate to the leg in the second period and made it to the bench with some difficulty. He returned in the third. ... Minnesota, which solidified its playoff spot heading into the final three weeks, ended a streak of five games in which it had allowed the first goal. ... Sergei Bobrovsky had 21 saves for the Blue Jackets. ... The Wild have 10 games remaining, including six at home.



Wild beats Columbus, gets back on track

MICHAEL RUSSO


COLUMBUS, OHIO – Everybody can breathe easier.

With the Wild trending the wrong direction the past two weeks and gradually sliding into a playoff bubble spot, the bleeding was stopped Sunday night against one of the NHL’s toughest home-ice teams.

The Wild ended the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 12-game home point streak by handing them their first regulation loss at Nationwide Arena since Feb. 10 with a well-earned 3-0 victory.

“It was one of those games where everybody’s mentally right in there,” said Cal Clutterbuck, who had a strong game with linemates Kyle Brodziak and Charlie Coyle. “You could just feel the intensity, almost like a telepathic focus going through the bench. You can just tell everybody was zeroed in.”

Ryan Suter and Coyle scored second-period power-play goals, recently acquired Jason Pominville had a goal and assist, and Niklas Backstrom responded from being pulled Thursday in Los Angeles with a 24-save shutout, the 28th shutout of his career.

Backstrom set the tone early with a clutch save on Cam Atkinson’s attempted stuff and cruised from there. The NHL’s leader with 20 victories improved to 21-2-4 all-time in his first start after being pulled and 17-0-2 since March 26, 2008.

“What a great response by [Backstrom]. That’s what he does,” coach Mike Yeo said. “Just a solid game all around. We had everyone going. … What you saw tonight is what our game is supposed to look like.”

The Wild ended a three-game losing streak and avoided being shut out on its three-game road trip. It now returns home for an important three-game homestand with 10 games left in the regular season. The Wild moved back into sixth place in the Western Conference but more importantly moved six points ahead of the surging ninth-place Phoenix Coyotes.

The loss was a big blow to Todd Richards’ Blue Jackets, who got no spark in Marian Gaborik’s home debut. They’re now five points behind eighth-place Detroit.

The Wild got pucks deep, forechecked hard, exuded effort all over the ice, especially on four spotless penalty kills, and executed impressively from the back end.

“Nice to get back on the winning side of things,” said Pominville, who was surprised 45 minutes before warmups by his wife and two children, who drove in from Buffalo, N.Y. “Big surprise,” he said.

After a scoreless first period, the Wild dominated the second, outshooting Columbus 11-4 and drawing three power plays by using pure hustle. First, Torrey Mitchell stole a puck from Blake Comeau, who reacted by hooking Mitchell. Then Zach Parise beat out an icing en route to Mikko Koivu being tripped. Finally, Coyle skated through Vaclav Prospal’s check until the referee’s arm went up.

Suter, who topped 30 minutes of ice time for the fifth time this season, got things started by whistling a shot through traffic that beat red-hot goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Later in the period, Coyle had a masterpiece shift. The 21-year-old rookie, who plays a mature game and is so good along the wall, kept possession in the offensive zone with a single-man forecheck to allow a wholesale line change after Koivu dumped the puck.

Moments later, Jared Spurgeon saved the zone after a Suter shot. Devin Setoguchi found the puck and fed it across for rookie Mikael Granlund, who set up a seeing-eye, one-time tap-in by Coyle. It was Coyle’s third goal in five games and first career power-play goal.

“Granny has eyes in the back of his head,” Coyle said.

For Backstrom, the veteran was just happy the Wild got back to playing the right way and didn’t get overwhelmed by the pressure suddenly surrounding the team.

“We have to realize, we haven’t been a playoff team for [four years],” he said. “We want to be in. There’s going to be some growing pains. We have to learn from the good teams, but it’s still a process. It’s something we work on every day.”



Minnesota Wild shuffle defensemen for Columbus, Marian Gaborik

By Chad Graff

Posted: 04/07/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated: 04/07/2013 12:03:13 PM CDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Seeking to shore up his blue line, which has struggled during the team's three-game losing streak, Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo has mixed up the lineup.

Contrary to the lineup the Wild used in Thursday's 3-0 loss in Los Angeles, defensemen Justin Falk and Nate Prosser will play Sunday, April 7, while Brett Clark and Tom Gilbert will watch from the press box.

Gilbert has played in all but three Wild games this season.

"Hopefully, this is something that spurs him to get it back," Yeo said earlier Sunday. "A lot of it is mental. I'm not saying he's been awful or he's the reason we lost three games, but I think it was time to make a change. Hopefully, this helps him get back on track."

The Wild need to get back on track Sunday evening. They've lost four of their last five games and are quickly losing ground in the Western Conference standings.

Minnesota takes on a re-energized Columbus team fresh off acquiring former Wild star Marian Gaborik at the trade deadline. He'll make his home debut Sunday against Minnesota.

The Wild remain without second-line energizer Matt Cullen and winger Dany Heatley.

"It can be tough," Cal Clutterbuck said of mixing lines due to injuries. "Before Cullen got hurt, we had the same lines for a while and had a little mojo going. We've got to get that back now."

Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.08.2013


Minnesota Wild sign Gophers' Erik Haula

By Chad Graff

Posted: 04/07/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated: 04/07/2013 11:55:13 AM CDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Minnesota Wild have signed Gophers junior forward Erik Haula to an entry-level contract, the team announced Sunday, April 7. He will report to the American Hockey League Houston Aeros.

Haula is the fifth player to leave the University of Minnesota hockey program early since the team lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament a week ago.

Haula served as an alternate captain for the Gophers. He led Minnesota with 51 points on 16 goals and 35 assists and recorded a plus-20 rating.

The 22-year-old was drafted by the Wild in the seventh round in 2009.

Haula stood our during the 2011 World Junior Championship while playing for Finland. He recorded seven points, including four goals, in six games.

The Aeros have seven games remaining this season, including one Sunday.



Minnesota Wild winger Dany Heatley to undergo shoulder surgery

By Chad Graff

Posted: 04/07/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated: 04/07/2013 10:59:13 PM CDT

Winger Dany Heatley will undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday, April 9, to repair his dislocated left shoulder, Wild coach Mike Yeo said in a text message.

"(We're) hoping it won't be too long," Yeo said regarding the time Heatley will miss.

Heatley suffered the injury Wednesday in San Jose in an altercation with Marc-Edouard Vlasic just after the game ended.

Vlasic was fined but not suspended for the incident.



Wild 3, Blue Jackets 0: Minnesota ends three-game skid

By Chad Graff

Posted: 04/07/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated: 04/07/2013 08:27:14 PM CDT

RECAP: The Wild scored two power-play goals and Niklas Backstrom stopped all 24 shots he faced as Minnesota cruised to its first victory in four games.

Mikael Granlund fed a beautiful cross-ice pass from the point to Charlie Coyle at the far post for the Wild's second goal after Ryan Suter fired home a wrister from the point to get the scoring started.

Jason Pominville netted his first goal as a member of the Wild, tapping in a pass from Zach Parise.

MEANING: The losing streak is over. After dropping three straight games and four of five, the Wild head back for a three-game homestand in St. Paul with a much-needed two points.

ETC: Suter has 20 points in 21 games. ... Coyle's power-play goal was his first of the season and third goal in five games. ... The Wild are now 14-4-0 when scoring the game's first goal.

UP NEXT: vs. Chicago, 7 p.m. Tuesday, NBCSN


668792 Montreal Canadiens

Dave Stubbs: Habs' Eller tugs on Chara’s cape

By Dave Stubbs

The Gazette

April 7, 2013

MONTREAL — Canadiens centreman Lars Eller did 28 National Hockey League teams a great service on Saturday night: he demonstrated how to get supersized Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara off his skates.

Eller showed it isn’t by taking broadside runs at Chara from 20 feet away. It’s not done by chopping at Big Zee’s ankles with your stick or by cross-checking him from behind or double-teaming him in the corner or hooking him or slipping your blade between his blade and boot and giving him the heave-ho — or even by hitting him in the sternum with a rocket-launched missile.

No, Eller showed that to topple Chara, you take his jersey, just below his No. 33, between your gloved thumb and forefinger, give it a gentle tug and boom! He’s down.

As easy as that.

“I must be really strong,” Eller joked after the Canadiens’ 2-1 Bell Centre victory over the Bruins.

And then, with mischief: “Or are we going to use the ‘e’ word?”

Canadiens-Bruins games of recent vintage have been all about charges of embellishment, mostly by Bruins players and their head coach, Claude Julien, their broadcast crew, and their fans who claim the Habs dive faster than a nuclear-powered submarine.

(If, say, Habs defenceman P.K. Subban had hit the deck à la Chara on a similar jersey-tug Saturday, Bruins fans would have spontaneously combusted.)

But the “e” word for the Canadiens on this night, the victory giving them a three-point lead on the Bruins in the Northeast Division, was “excellence.”

Eller’s penalty for holding, a weak call at best, gave the visitors a 6-on-4 power-play for the game’s final 56.4 seconds, goaltender Tuukka Rask pulled for an extra skater.

Boston made 21 passes with the two-man advantage yet didn’t get a single shot on goal, Bruins’ David Krejci blaming that on the Bell Centre’s “(expletive) ice.”

Presumably, the Canadiens’ ferocious, smothering penalty-kill unit of Tomas Plekanec, Travis Moen, Josh Gorges and Andrei Markov had nothing to do with it.

And the ice, apparently, was crappy only in the Habs’ end.

Krejci’s veteran teammate, Jaromir Jagr, had another idea about the Bruins’ final-minute failure: he said he himself lost track of the ticks remaining on the clock, making his team’s final pass instead of shooting as time expired.

Joking aside, Eller took responsibility for his penalty.

“It was probably fair enough,” he said of the call, made when Chara went down a split second after Eller had let go of the Size Gigantic jersey. “I shouldn’t have put myself in that position.

“I’ve never seen the clock go so slow,” Eller added of his time in the sin bin, the Bruins doing more cycling than the Tour de France before the siren sounded.

“The guys played unbelievable (on the penalty kill) so I’m really grateful for that. I was pretty relieved when it was over.”

Centring Alex Galchenyuk and Brandon Prust on an unlikely line that was quite terrific, Eller was a time bomb all night, his two shots taken over 16:10 hardly indicative of his contribution.

Eller played a role setting up the industrious goal of Galchenyuk to open the scoring, though he didn’t earn an assist, and used his lockout-developed power to win many battles for the puck.

“We were creating a lot of chances tonight,” Eller said of his line. “We were in their end, cycling well, using each other. That’s how we need to play and we’ll score goals like we did tonight. And we could have scored a couple more. …

“Sometimes, it’s not the line combinations that you think of that are going to work. Sometimes, you just get that instant chemistry. When we’re put together, you don’t know if it’s going to be for one or two games or 20 or 30.

“You try to make the best of it. We’ve found some good connection in understanding each other and using each other to our strengths. We’ll keep doing that.”

The game marked the welcome return of Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec, back from one game nursing a groin injury. He played a forwards-high 20:29 and reported feeling 100 per cent.

Asked whether Eller had discovered an almost superhuman strength to flatten Chara, Plekanec paused, then said with a tight grin: “Maybe … uh … you know what? I don’t know. I won’t go there.”

Goaltender Carey Price turned in a strong 26-save performance and probably was as surprised as anyone that he didn’t touch a puck on the Bruins’ last-minute power-play.

This wasn’t the typical Canadiens-Bruins alley fight. Canadiens research manager Carl Lavigne dug back to Dec. 20, 2001, to find the last time these two clubs earned only eight combined penalty minutes, a 5-0 Bruins rout in Boston with the winners scoring three first-period goals in a 52-second span.

“It seems that it’s either/or when we play Boston — not too many penalties or line brawl after line brawl,” Eller said. “Today was one of the quiet ones. We’ll play either way, but we prefer to have our guys on the ice.”

One year ago Sunday, the Canadiens played their final game of 2011-12, long before eliminated from playoff contention. New management, headed by GM Marc Bergevin, the import of head coach Michel Therrien and new assistants, and a different attitude in the dressing room have produced a decidedly different scene this April 8.

“Michel definitely brought some accountability into the room, but I think it’s the players in this room. It’s their pride,” Eller said. “That’s the most important thing. You can change coaches and different things, but it has to come from within the room.

“Coaches hold (players) accountable, but it’s the pride of every player in here. … I don’t think we were as bad last year as the record showed, but I think we’re as good as we’re showing right now.

“It’s not a coincidence when you do it over 35 games, or a long stint,” Eller added. “We’ve had the foot on the gas from Game 1 or 2 and we’re as good as our record shows. We wanted to show that last season was not who we are, and I think we’re really showing that this year. There’s a lot to like about this team.”

Was it sweeter that Saturday’s victory was over the Bruins?

“It always is,” Eller said, smiling. “No doubt about it.”

Another gentle tug, as it were, on Boston’s cape.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.08.2013


Jack Todd: Bergevin’s best move? Therrien

By Jack Todd

Special to The Gazette

April 7, 2013

MONTREAL — Marc Bergevin is a genius. In case you had any doubts on that point, sportswriters working in both French and English hit upon the same lead after Michael Ryder’s star turn against Winnipeg last week.

All Bergevin needs to put himself in the same category as Albert Einstein is a head of bushy hair and a drooping moustache.

Who are we to argue? Bergevin seems to do no wrong. He has done three years work in the span of a few months, handled the tricky P.K. Subban situation with aplomb, drafted the most talented player in the 2012 draft in young Alex Galchenyuk and pulled off the trade of the year by prying Michael Ryder out of Dallas in exchange for the moribund Erik Cole.

But Bergevin’s most brilliant stroke may have been the one that drew the most fire at the time: the decision to recycle Michel Therrien as his coach. Today, with 10 games to play, the Canadiens still atop the division and threatening to win the Eastern Conference as legitimate contenders for Lord Stanley’s Cup, Therrien is one of the leading candidates for the Jack Adams trophy as the NHL’s best coach.

It’s a tough year in that category: there will be a sentimental outpouring for Paul MacLean, who kept the Senators afloat despite losing three all-star players in Jason Spezza, Craig Anderson and Erik Karlsson. Bruce Boudreau has pulled off a remarkable turnaround in Anaheim and had the Ducks tied with the Canadiens at 55 points going into Sunday night’s tilt against the rival Kings, Dan Bylsma has corrected the Penguins defensive deficiencies while dealing with a rash of injuries to his superstars, and Joel Quenneville has another powerhouse rolling in Chicago.

But what Therrien has accomplished is theoretically impossible: He transformed a 28th-place team into one of the league’s best with only a week of training camp to make it happen. All the other Jack Adams candidates were in place through at least part of last season, while Therrien was working part-time in the broadcast world, waiting for another chance.

That broadcast career might have derailed his second stint with the Canadiens. One of the questions in the wake of Therrien’s hiring was how he would fare with Subban. As a regular guest on the Fired Coaches Carousel on RDS, Therrien had been one of Subban’s more vocal critics — and the talented young defenceman was coming off a season during which he had frequently clashed with his coaches, especially Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur.

The situation became even trickier when Subban was unsigned as the short season began. He and Therrien wouldn’t have even the short training camp to get to know each other and for Subban to learn Therrien’s system. To top it all off, there were rumours that Subban did not get along with his teammates.

But after Subban signed, Therrien had a chat with him and made it clear what was expected. Therrien’s message was probably not all that different from what Cunneyworth had been telling Subban — and Jacques Martin before that. He wanted P.K. to keep his game simple and to be responsible with his puck management.

Therrien got through. Subban responded brilliantly, to the point where he is now arguably the leading candidate for the Norris Trophy. He picked up two more assists against the Bruins on Saturday night, increasing his scoring lead among all defencemen. He also leads in power-play points with 21 (one ahead of teammate Andrei Markov.)

But the stat that is most certain to gladden Therrien’s heart is the one that says Subban is a plus-13 on the season. There are a number of defencemen having good campaigns, including Kris Letang, Ryan Suter, Nik Kronwall, Slava Voynov, François Beauchemin and Sergei Gonchar (who has done a terrific job filling in for the injured Erik Karlsson in Ottawa), but no one on the list is doing quite so many things as well as Subban.

Therrien’s stellar work with Subban aside, he has also done a masterful job throughout the lineup in giving his players, as he put it after that narrow 2-1 win over the Bruins on Saturday night, the best possible chance to succeed. He has given Brendan Gallagher more and more ice time as one of the strongest Calder Trophy candidates has dazzled with his speed, determination and drive to the net.

He has held Alex Galchenyuk around 10 minutes a game, easing him into the rigours of a National Hockey League schedule. (There was a great moment in the room Saturday when Bob Cole walked up to tell Galchenyuk how much he enjoyed watching the kid play. It wasn’t clear whether Galchenyuk even knew who Cole was — but it was evident that the youngster has impressed the entire hockey world.)

Therrien has handled veteran additions like Ryder and Jeff Halpern in the same way, putting them in situations where they can thrive. In a tough spot after losing hard-hitting Alex Emelin on Saturday, Therrien went to Davis Drewiske, playing the trade-deadline pickup a total of 23:50 (seven seconds more than Markov) as the Canadiens held the explosive Bruins to a single goal.

In a sense, it’s unfair to say that Bergevin recycled Therrien. Therrien recycled himself. He’s a different man and a different coach today, a far cry from the rough-hewed specimen once noted for the mustard on his tie and manners that were more suited to the “Q” than the NHL. Therrien today is a dapper, urbane, experienced head coach, as adept at handling the media as he is behind the bench.

The team Therrien has put on the ice isn’t simply a contender. These Canadiens are fun, more than any edition of the Habs I can recall since the dynasty of the 1970s. They may have precious few Flying Frenchmen on the roster, but they play the swift-skating, roadrunner style of the glory days and they play it well — so well that the Bruins through the first two periods Saturday night looked like a bunch of lumbering dinosaurs trying to catch the shifty, speedy, now-you-see-’em, now-you-don’t Canadiens.

No one knows how this magical ride will end. Therrien himself said Saturday night that this team is less “timid” and more confident than it was two months ago, but that you never want to be satisfied and that you can always get better.

He might not have the all-star roster of the Penguins, Bruins, Blackhawks or Ducks at his command, but Michel Therrien has taken a nondescript organization in a state of chaos and transformed it into an all-star team. For that feat, in my humble opinion, he deserves the Jack Adams.

And if he picks up a Stanley Cup ring to go with it, who are we to complain?

Heroes: Michael Ryder, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Gorges, P.K. Subban, Carey Price, Davis Drewiske, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kabongo, Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw, Mariano Rivera, Wichita State, Daniel Nestor, Marc Bergevin, Michel Therrien &&&& last but not least, my alma mater for helping 7-year-old cancer patient Jack Hoffman score a 69-yard touchdown during the Huskers spring training game.

Zeros: Lance Armstrong, Ryan Braun, Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, Don Cherry, P.J. Stock, Mike Rice, Tim Pernetti, Rutgers, Andy Enfield, Rick Pitino, the NCAA, Tiger Woods, John Farrell, Pierre Gauthier, Jeremy Jacobs, Craig Leipold, Eugene Melnyk, Gary Bettman, Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.



In the Habs' Room: “We played a full 60 minutes” against Bruins: Josh Gorges

By Pat Hickey

THE GAZETTE

April 7, 2013

MONTREAL — Josh Gorges says a team’s penalty-killing shouldn’t be measured by its percentage at the end of the season.

“It’s about when the opportunity comes with the game on the line, does your penalty-killing unit get the job done,” Gorges said. “And we had to do that tonight. We stepped up and killed it for the last 56 seconds or whatever it was.”

The Canadiens preserved a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins Saturday night at the Bell Centre as Gorges, Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec and Travis Moen combined to negate a 6-on-4 advantage.

Lars Eller became entangled with Zdeno Chara and was called for holding with 56.4 seconds showing on the clock. It was a penalty, but after the hulking Chara fell to the ice, Eller couldn’t resist bringing up Boston coach Claude Julien’s comments earlier this season about the Canadiens’ embellishing penalty calls.

“I must be really strong,” said Eller, who gives away seven inches and 46 pounds to Chara. “Can we say the E-word? But I shouldn’t have put myself in that position.”

The Canadiens received some help in killing the penalty because the Bruins were reluctant to shoot the puck and let time run out without taking a shot.

Some of that was due to the Canadiens’ pressure on the puck. A renewed aggressiveness has transformed the Montreal penalty-killing unit from one of the worst in the league to one of the best. The Canadiens haven’t allowed a power-play goal in their last five games and have killed 18 of 19 penalties over the last eight games.

“It’s something we had to address,” said Gorges. “I think the addition of Jeff (Halpern) has helped out and we’ve tried to simplify our approach. We stress the importance of individual details, being hard on pucks and battling. We’ve done that as of late.”

The win gave the Canadiens a 3-1 edge in the season series against the Bruins and Gorges said this was the Canadiens’ best game against the Bruins.

“It’s a good hockey team and they’re not going to do down lightly,” he said. “But we held our ground and we stayed strong. We played a full 60 minutes tonight and we haven’t done that before.”

The victory was even more impressive because Alexei Emelin left the game with a knee injury midway through the first period and the Canadiens played with five defencemen.

“It’s almost easier,” said Gorges. “You just go out and play. You don’t have time to think about how tired you are. It’s get a quick breather, grab some water and get get back out there. We did a good job of keeping it simple. We didn’t overextend ourselves and take that extra 10 or 15 seconds. We had short shifts and kept ourselves fresh.”

Emelin was injured when he lined up a hard-charging Milan Lucic for a check along the boards. This was a question of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object and the irresistible force winning. Emelin needed help to leave the ice and the Canadiens called up Nathan Beaulieu from the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs on Sunday to replace him in the lineup.

“We all know he’s a big hitter and he’s really strong on his skates,” Lucic said. “When you’ve got two guys like that going at each other with a lot of speed, sometimes things like that are going to happen.

Carey Price picked up his first win of the season against Boston as he stopped 26 pucks. The one that got away was Daniel Paille’s deflection of

Johnny Boychuk’s point shot at 7:10 of the second after the Canadiens had taken a 2-0 lead.

“It hit something, and I lost sight of it, and it found a corner,” said Price. “It was that kind of night. The goals were playoff goals, lucky goals. We got two lucky ones and they got one.”

Alex Galchenyuk, who ended a 13-game drought Thursday against Winnipeg, got the first of the lucky goals at 6:49 of the first period.

“I tried to put it in off the defenceman (Matt Bartkowski) but I missed and he put it in himself,” said Galchenyuk. “It was a lucky goal, but I’ll take it.”

There was an element of luck in Michael Ryder’s game-winner as he deflected P.K. Subban’s shot from the point for a power-play goal at the 57-second mark of the second period. The Bruins have the best penalty-killing record in the league with a success rate of 90.2 per cent, but that brings us back to killing penalties at the right time.

Boston has allowed only 12 power-play goals, but the Canadiens have scored four of those, including Ryder’s winning goal Saturday and Markov’s game-tying goal in Montreal’s 6-5 shootout win on March 27.



Sunday a day of rest for Habs; Beaulieu recalled from Bulldogs

Stu Cowan

Canadiens coach Michel Therrien rewarded his team for Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins with a day off on Sunday as they get ready to face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals Tuesday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN-HABS, RDS, TSN Radio 690).

Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin was working on Sunday, calling up defenceman Nathan Beaulieu from the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs after Alexei Emelin suffered what appeared to be a knee injury in a collision with the Bruins’ Milan Lucic. In two games with the Canadiens this season, Beaulieu posted one assist and two penalty minutes. In 64 games with the Bulldogs, he has 7-21-28 totals to go along with 56 penalty minutes. Beaulieu was selected by the Canadiens in the first round (17th overall) of the 2011 NHL entry draft.

Saturday’s win improved the Canadiens record to 25-8-5 and gave them a three-point lead over the Bruins (24-9-4) atop the Northeast Division. The Canadiens rank second in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (29-10-0). If the NHL playoffs had started based on the standings after Saturday’s games, the Canadiens would have faced the New York Rangers in the first round with the Bruins taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs.



Cory Conacher pots first goal as a Sen

Don Brennan

Ottawa Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 09:24 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 09:30 PM EDT

SUNRISE, Fla. -- A day after the Senators went golfing, Cory Conacher tapped in a "gimme."

The winger's first goal with his new team was a two-footer (give or take) into a wide open net, presented to him by Jakob Silfverberg. Also collecting an assist was the third member of the all-rookie (or The Swirlington Connection) line, Mika Zibanejad.

The goal was Conacher's team-leading 10th of the season and 70th since turning pro in 2010.

It also had to be the easiest of his life.

ROAD WARRIORS

Attending the game was Jim Beam (the Senators season ticket holder, not the bourbon guy) and his daughter Janice. He lives in Ompah (outside of Perth), she's now in Toronto (the centre of the universe). Both wearing Senators white jerseys, the Beams held their homemade sign high for the players to see as they left the morning skate on the team bus. "We came 1,500 miles to see the Sens win." Chatting with members of the Ottawa media, Jim expressed a concern many fans probably had/have regarding Craig Anderson. "I'm still worried about his ankle," said Jim. "It broke my heart they were trading (Ben) Bishop. I was hoping they would hang on to him. What happens if (Anderson) goes down again?" On a lighter note, Jim's sweater had No. 19 and "Spezza" on the back, and black tape covering the letter on the front. "It used to say 'Yashin,' " he explained. "And I didn't want to show the 'C' in case Alfie came out."

STARTS AND STOPS

Some had to wonder about Paul MacLean's decision to give the Senators Saturday off. After losing three straight, shouldn't they be practising? "We always have to look at the big picture," rationalized MacLean after the morning skate. "We're playing 48 games in 90-some days. The games are more important than the practices. We're more concerned with how we play the games. Right now, we're in a place where we have time to get some rest and we're trying to take advantage of that. At the same time, it is a results oriented business. We need some results tonight." Results, he saw ... Earlier in the day, MacLean also expressed concern the Senators weren't reaching playoff mode at the same time as the league's good teams. "The game has moved and we haven't gone with it," he said. "We haven't played near hard enough to win our last three games. The league just gets faster, more intense, it gets more physical, it gets harder. If you don't go with it, you get left behind." Stiffer tests await this week.

BETWEEN PERIODS

Alfredsson golfed for the first time as a 40-year-old Saturday. He can still play that game, too. "I was pretty solid," Alfredsson said. "But I didn't shoot my age." No, he posted a 74 ... Erik Condra shot an 89. "Not bad for the first round of the year," said the winger, whose best-ever score is 77. "A lot of duffs, but my putting is what helps me. Duff three to the green then I putt it in." ... Zack Smith turned 25 Friday. He was presented a cupcake and candle on the flight to Florida from Buffalo. "It hasn't sunk in yet," said Smith. "If somebody were to ask me, I'd probably still tell them I was 24. Quarter century. It's a big one. I'm a half of a half century."

KASSIAN'S KORNER

Matt Kassian wasn't one of the golfers. Instead, he spent the day doing a whole bunch of nothing. "Don't tell my fiancee, but I didn't really get any of the wedding planning help done at all or any of that stuff," he said. "Taxes are due and I just kind of said, well I'll do that next week, right before they're due." ... He did get his see a frog. "It was massive," he said. -I tried to convince (Marc Methot) to kiss it, but he wouldn't." .. Kassian Tweeted a picture of a signed Chris Phillips rookie card. He later confessed it belonged

to a fan. "I have a Chris Phillips card or two back home, in my big box of cards. I don't know if it's a rookie one or not. He's obviously been around for awhile. I was a kid and I collected them. Got a couple of Alfie cards too."

THINGS I THINK I THUNK

Because he calls games in a two-language market, Dean Brown wanted to get it right. So he asked Sylvain St-Laurent from Le Droit for "the proper pronunciation of No. 11's name." Said the ever-clever Sly: "AL-FRED-SSON." Dean, of course, was referring to Jonathan Huberdeau ... Remember when Dean used to call Gord Wilson "the young blond one?" He doesn't anymore. Not sure why. Gord is still blond ... Two seasons ago, then-Senators defenceman Filip Kuba was a minus-26, the sixth worst mark in the league. Last season, playing with Erik Karlsson, he was plus-26, which was the ninth best rating in the NHL. Now an overpaid Panther, Kuba entered the game with a minus-15, the 800th best (or fifth worst) plus-minus. So you see, it's true, even a dog could play with Karlsson ... Old-time Bruins fans would have appreciated hanging out in the BB&T pressbox over the weekend. At Saturday's game was Derek Sanderson. On Sunday, it was Bobby Orr. To some of us, 1970 and the greatest Cup winning goal of all-time seems like yesterday ... There's only one NHL rink that still "wands" reporters going to the morning skate. Yup, this one.

Montreal Sun LOADED: 04.08.2013

668797 Nashville Predators

Predators notebook: 'Excited' Austin Watson makes NHL debut

Josh Cooper

The Tennessean

Apr 7, 2013

CHICAGO — The Predators used forward Austin Watson a decent amount in his NHL debut Sunday night.

Watson, the Predators’ 2010 first-round pick, sometimes found himself on the power play, the penalty kill and against some of Chicago’s top players. Ultimately Watson played 13:47 and fired one shot on goal in a 5-3 loss to the Blackhawks.

“It was a good experience, wish we would have come out with the win. But for a first game, it’s good to get under my belt,” Watson said. “Just a little bit of nerves and trying to get on the same page as everybody who has been here throughout the year. Overall just a really good experience. Wish we would have come out with the win.”

Watson was called up under “emergency conditions” in order to replace forward Mike Fisher, who did not make the trip with a hand injury. Fisher injured his hand March 28 against Phoenix and missed three games. His status going forward is uncertain.

Meanwhile, coach Barry Trotz thought Watson played a solid game.

“I thought he was OK,” Trotz said. “I thought the pace was the biggest thing, but he did OK. Positionally, he was fine. Very committed. He has to get up with the pace.”

Alternate captain Hornqvist: With Fisher out and Martin Erat traded last week to Washington, the Predators gave forward Patric Hornqvist the alternate captaincy for Sunday’s game. Hornqvist, who had maybe Nashville’s top hustle play of the year in the Predators’ loss Saturday to Chicago by saving an empty-net goal with a block, played 19:17 and fired six shots on goal. He was a minus-2.

“He gives you everything you have, and that’s why you love Patric,” Trotz said.

Chicago clinches: The Blackhawks became the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff berth. Chicago leads the NHL with 62 points and a 29-5-4 record.

“We obviously want to stay in the spot we’re in, in the standings,” Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. “First and foremost, our No. 1 goal coming in every season is we want to make the playoffs. I think that’s a huge thing for us. To beat a team like Nashville twice in row on the road and at home is a great thing.”

Yip out: Trotz said forward Brandon Yip is “doubtful” for Tuesday’s game against St. Louis with a lower-body injury. Yip exited the game 4:56 into the second period. He only played 4:41.

Sharp out: Chicago forward Patrick Sharp missed all three games with the Predators this week with a shoulder injury, though the all-star has been skating. Sharp hasn’t played since March 6 against Colorado.

Tennessean LOADED: 04.08.2013


Nashville Predators lose again to Chicago Blackhawks

Josh Cooper

The Tennessean

Apr 7, 2013

CHICAGO — When the Predators go ahead in the third period, it usually seems like they’ll get a positive outcome.

A win is a high possibility.

A point, at the least.

But in this struggle of a 2013 season, no Predators lead is safe, not in the final period and especially not against the high-flying Chicago Blackhawks.

The Predators gave up a third-period lead to lose 5-3 to the NHL-leading Blackhawks on Sunday at United Center, Nashville’s third loss in a row and fifth in six games, including two overtime losses.

It was the third time in seven days the Predators (15-17-8) lost to the Blackhawks, finishing the week 0-2-1.

Nashville remained stuck on 38 points, and coach Barry Trotz called the team’s playoff chances “remote.” The Predators are five points from eighth-place Detroit with eight games left.

“We had other chances at the end we have to capitalize on, but we can’t give up two goals that quick,” Predators forward David Legwand said. “We’re in a do-or-die situation. Every time we lose a lead in the third is tough to swallow.”

All it took was 55 seconds for Chicago to turn a 3-2 Predators advantage into a 4-3 lead and eventual win.

First, with 10:23 left in the third, Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad pounced on a loose puck in front of Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne and jammed it in to tie the score 3-3.

Then with 9:28 left in the third, Chicago forward Patrick Kane beat Nashville defenseman Jonathon Blum to a loose puck behind Rinne’s net. Kane fed Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews in the high slot, and Toews buried a wrist shot under the crossbar to put Chicago up 4-3.

“(Chicago) just got desperate,” Trotz said. “They were like, ‘Let’s get going,’ and they did.”

Trotz was critical of Blum on the game-winner.

“They dump the puck in two on three and beat us to the end boards and made a play,” Trotz said. “That’s right on our ‘D.’ Our ‘D’ has to have that puck.”

Tennessean LOADED: 04.08.2013


Predators playoff hopes continue to fade with another defeat

Associated Press

Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 10:50pm

CHICAGO — It is no surprise the Chicago Blackhawks are in the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

After all, the NHL leaders started the lockout-shortened season with points in their first 24 games — a league record.

But the Blackhawks made a strong statement Sunday in becoming the first team this season to clinch postseason berth, as they used a third-period rally to beat the Nashville Predators 5-3.

Rookie Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews scored 55 seconds apart midway through the third. Chicago (29-5-4) had fallen behind 3-2 early in the period on a goal by Nashville's David Legwand, but Saad and Toews connected against Pekka Rinne to put the Blackhawks back ahead.

The Blackhawks defeated the Predators for the second time in two days and improved to 13-0-1 against Central Division teams.

"We obviously wanted to stay in the spot we're in in the standings," Toews said, "but first and foremost, our No. 1 goal coming in every season is we want to make the playoffs.

"To beat a team like Nashville twice in a row, first on the road and then at home, is a great thing. We did a lot of good things in that game, but most of all, we didn't stop working. We found a way to win in the third."

Patrick Kane, who set up Toews' eventual game winner, added an empty-net goal with 32 seconds left to complete the scoring. Andrew Shaw and Bryan Bickell also scored for Chicago.

Kane's hustling assist on Toews goal at 10:32 of the third might have been the pivotal mark on the score sheet.

Kane outraced two Predators to a loose puck on the back boards, then centered to Toews, who connected on a low shot from the right circle.

"That should be the headline, because you don't see that too often. I'm just kidding," Toews said. "It was a great play by him.

"I came flying off the bench and he saw me in the slot. My first thought was to try and find Saad backdoor because I could see him kind of going to the net there, but I went against that instinct and shot the puck."

Shea Weber and Nick Spaling each had a goal and an assist for the Predators (15-17-8), who are 13th in the Western Conference with 38 points, five behind eighth-place Detroit at the postseason cutoff.

"It was competitive," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "They (Nashville) played both these games as they had to win. Yesterday we were maybe a little bit more efficient than we were today, but we were sticking with it."

Nashville played with desperation after a sluggish first period, but the Predators were done in by mistakes — and a talented Chicago team.

"We got beat to the puck on the one (Toews) goal," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "It was just individual stuff.

"That's on our D. Our D' has got to have that puck."

Chicago's Ray Emery stopped 19 shots, following a 20-save, 1-0 win at Nashville on Saturday. The Blackhawks improved to 4-0 against the Predators this season.

Rinne, who leads the NHL in games and minutes played, made 35 saves as he appeared in his 29th straight contest.

The Predators have made the playoffs the past three seasons and in seven of eight, but that run is in jeopardy

"We've just got to play hard and see what happens," Trotz said. "The chances are remote, but you've got to play hard. You're not going to do anybody any favors if you don't."

Both teams skated without key forwards.

Nashville left wing Gabriel Bourque, who is tied with Legwand for the team lead with 11 goals, missed his fourth game because of an upper body injury. Mike Fisher, third on the Predators with 19 points, sat out after aggravating a hand injury that caused him to miss three games last week.

Patrick Sharp, who led the Blackhawks with 33 goals last season, missed his 14th game with a shoulder injury. Dave Bolland sat out his second because of a lower body injury, believed to have been caused when a shot by Weber struck him last Monday.

The Blackhawks killed the only penalty against them on Sunday and have snuffed 17 straight chances. Chicago hasn't allowed a power-play goal in 10 games, dating to March 18.

The Blackhawks entered the game as the third-least penalized team in the NHL, training the New York Islanders and Rangers.

Shaw opened the scoring 6:34 in on a tip-in.

Michael Frolik jumped on a rebound that Rinne had deflected to the left boards, then turned and fired on goal in one motion. Shaw deflected the puck over Rinne's shoulder.

The Blackhawks dominated the first period, outshooting the Predators 17-7. But a turnover by defenseman Johnny Oduya in the slot set off a scramble that led to Spaling's goal that made it 1-1 with 2:44 left.

Sergei Kostitsyn grabbed the loose puck and shot from a sharp angle to the right of the net. Emery stopped that attempt, but Spaling fired in the rebound before Emery could recover.

Bickell, who scored Chicago's only goal on Saturday, put the Blackhawks back in front 2-1 at 2:09 of the second.

Weber tied it at 2 just over three minutes later, when he fired from the top of the right circle directly from a faceoff win by Spaling.

Legwand scored on a rebound to put Nashville ahead 3-2 at 6:54 of the third to cap a scrum around the Chicago net.

Saad tied it at 3 at 9:37 from 10 feet. After fanning on a first shot attempt, defenseman Duncan Keith swept in and fired a shot that Rinne blocked. Saad converted the rebound.

Toews put Chicago ahead 4-3 at 10:32. Kane's goal with 32 seconds left completed the scoring.

Nashville City Paper LOADED: 04.08.2013

668800 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ Losing Streak Hits 7; Ovechkin Keeps Up His Pace

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: April 7, 2013

Nathan Gerbe scored the only goal in the shootout to give the host Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 victory Sunday night over the Devils, extending their losing streak to seven games.

Ryan Miller stopped 37 shots through overtime and all three shootout attempts, including a victory-clinching glove save on Travis Zajac.

The Devils’ loss clinched a playoff spot for the Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins.

CAPITALS 4, LIGHTNING 2 Alex Ovechkin scored twice, giving him five goals in two games, as host Washington beat Tampa Bay.

Ovechkin has 16 goals in his last 14 games and 25 goals over all. He is tied with the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos for the N.H.L. lead.

PANTHERS 2, SENATORS 1 Dmitry Kulikov scored a power-play goal 10 minutes 46 seconds into the third period to lift Florida over visiting Ottawa.

Scott Clemmensen had 40 saves for the Panthers, who have won four of five.

DUCKS 4, KINGS 3 Corey Perry scored late in the second period and added the winning goal in the shootout, leading host Anaheim closer to the Pacific Division title with a victory over Los Angeles.

The Ducks were outshot, 38-22, by the Kings, who had won five of seven.

BLUES 1, RED WINGS 0 Brian Elliott made 28 saves for his 19th career shutout, and Chris Porter scored the only goal in St. Louis’s victory at Detroit.

STARS 5, SHARKS 4 Jamie Benn scored the lone goal in a shootout as Dallas came from behind to end host San Jose’s seven-game winning streak.

Alex Chiasson started the rally from a two-goal deficit in the third period when he scored his second goal of the game, and Loui Erickson tied it for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen made 32 saves for Dallas and stopped all three attempts in the shootout.

BLACKHAWKS 5, PREDATORS 3 Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews scored 55 seconds apart midway through the third period, and host Chicago rallied to beat Nashville. The Blackhawks clinched a playoff spot.

WILD 3, BLUE JACKETS 0 Niklas Backstrom made 24 saves and the newcomer Jason Pominville had a goal and an assist to help visiting Minnesota end a three-game losing streak.

Pominville, acquired this week from Buffalo, earned his first points with Minnesota.

WINTER CLASSIC TO RETURN The Red Wings-Maple Leafs Winter Classic at the Big House is back on.

After being canceled by this season’s lockout, the N.H.L.’s showcase regular-season event will be played Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium before an expected crowd of more than 100,000, Commissioner Gary Bettman announced. JEFF Z. KLEIN

New York Times LOADED: 04.08.2013


Maple Leafs and Red Wings Will Meet in Winter Classic After All

By JEFF Z. KLEIN

The Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs Winter Classic at the Big House is back on.

After being canceled because of this season’s lockout, the N.H.L.’s showcase regular-season event will be played Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium before an expected crowd of more than 100,000, the league announced Sunday.

Along with the originally scheduled teams and venue, the rest of the original outdoor program will return, which features hockey from the N.C.A.A., junior, high school, sled and A.H.L. levels as well as a Detroit-Toronto alumni game at Comerica Park in Detroit starting in mid-December.

At the Winter Classic game, the Red Wings will wear red sweaters featuring their traditional winged wheel. The Maple Leafs will wear blue sweaters featuring the large maple leaf crest of the 1920s.

In addition to the game, HBO’s Emmy-winning 24/7 reality program will return. “24/7 Red Wings/Maple Leafs: Road to the Winter Classic” will premiere on HBO in December.

The Rangers and the Flyers were showcased in the last installment of the series, leading to their outdoor matchup on Jan. 2, 2012.



Devils' Lou Lamoriello: Ilya Kovalchuk will begin skating soon

Rich Chere

The Star-Ledger

April 07, 2013 at 6:18 PM, updated April 07, 2013 at 7:02 PM

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said today "it won't be very long" before Ilya Kovalchuk starts skating.

Kovalchuk has been sidelined since injuring his right shoulder Mar. 23 when he crashed into the end boards in a home game against the Florida Panthers. He could begin skating some time this week.

The Devils are 0-3-3 without Kovalchuk.

"The silver lining is it's not like we're not creating chances," coach Pete DeBoer said of the team's trouble scoring goals. "We're outshooting teams most night. Outchancing teams. We're getting a handful of gade A chances.

"If we were going 60 minutes and not creating anything I would be very very concerned. I'm still concerned, obviously, because we're not putting the puck in the net. We just have to stick with it."

DeBoer added: "The guys are doing what we ask them to do. They're executing the game plan. For the most part we've been solid defensively and we've been creating chances offensively. You want to reward the guys with a win for that. The guys need a win, two points, because it reinforces what they're doing.

"They haven't strayed but there is a natural reaction when you do all those things well and you don't win, to step out of the box a little bit. That never works."

Center Travis Zajac, who missed so much time last season with Achilles tendon problems even after surgery, said he has been pain-free this season.

"I truly haven't felt anything," Zajac said. "I wasn't sure if with this many games in a short period of time would affect it, but it hasn't. I didn't really know what to expect, but I knew I had a good offseason where I got a lot of time to strengthen it. Coming in it felt great and it still feels good now. So I think that is behind me."

Zajac knew he could have recovered from the Achilles tendon tear and surgery sufficiently to play on it, but he might feel it at various points for the remainder of his career.

"I definitely thought about that. Coming into this year knowing I felt good from the start and the fact I still feel good, it's now out of my head," Zajac said.

Zajac wore an 'A' along with Patrik Elias tonight.

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.08.2013


Devils shake up lineup: Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson to face Sabres

Rich Chere

The Star-Ledger


BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Devils coach Pete DeBoer shook up his lineup for tonight's meeting with the Sabres in an attempt to end a six-game losing streak.

Center Jacob Josefson and right winger Tom Kostopoulos will be in the lineup at First Niagara Center while Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt D'Agostini will come out.

On defense, Adam Larsson will play his first game since Mar. 30 and Anton Volcehnkov will also be in the lineup. Henrik Tallinder and Peter Harrold will be scratches.

"Mostly for fresh legs. This is our third game in four nights," DeBoer said. "But we need to change some things up. We need a spark. We're in a little bit of a rut here."

The Devils are 0-3-3 in their last six games and out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

The Devils' lines will be: Elias-Zajac-Sullivan; Henrique-Loktionov-Clarkson; Zubrus-Josefson-Bernier; Carter-Gionta-Kostopoulos.

Josefson doesn’t have a locker stall in the Devils’ dressing room back in New Jersey, but he has a spot in the lineup.

“It is what it is. Too many guys. I guess I’m the youngest one so I’m in the other locker room,” Josefson said with a smile.

Josefson was recalled from Albany (AHL) for the second time this season on Friday.

“Last time I was here I don’t think I played the way I wanted to play,” Josefson said. “My confidence wasn’t at the top. I went down and worked on that part. It’s a lot better now. I’m excited to be back.”

Why would he lack confidence?

“Maybe because I didn’t play too good. It was nagging on me a little bit,” he said. “I was down there for a little while and I feel more comfortable. My confidence is back.”

So is his health. Josefson was hit in the head by a shot while playing for Albany and suffered a concussion. It was a longer road back than he expected, but he is fully recovered.

“I’m not worried about that,” Josefson said. “I actually thought it would be way shorter. I got a little dizzy and my balance wasn’t that good right after. I had a few days off and then I started working out. I got dizzy and started (vomiting) again so I needed a few extra days. Now I feel 100 percent.”

He also lost a tooth, which he swallowed when he was high-sticked in the mouth. Josefson joked that he’s competing with teammate Mattias Tedenby, who suffered a skate cut to the right side of his face and needed more than 100 stitches.

“He’s an inspiration for me,” Josefson said with a grin.

He doesn’t feel any added pressure in having to give the Devils a spark.

“It’s a team game. Everybody has to fill in,” he said. “When you haven’t won in a few games you try some different stuff. I’m excited to be back in the lineup.”



Dainius Zubrus key to Devils' league-leading 10th shorthanded goal

Rich Chere

The Star-Ledger

April 08, 2013 at 12:04 AM, updated April 08, 2013 at 12:25 AM

BUFFALO, N.Y. — It seemed a shame to waste such an impressive individual effort, but at least the play Dainius Zubrus made to set up the Devils’ shorthanded goal on Sunday night got them one point in the playoff race.

With Tom Kostopoulos in the penalty box early in the third period and the Devils down by a goal, 2-1, Zubrus skated through the neutral zone with some strong skating and stickhandling.

He took the puck behind the net before feeding defenseman Mark Fayne for a wrist shot that produced the tying goal. It was the Devils’ league-leading 10th shorthanded goal this season.

“I had good legs. I knew we were a goal behind,” Zubrus said. “I just tried to make a play and it turned out all right. That was a big goal for us.”

Fayne was amazed.

“It’s pretty amazing when a guy can draw four or five guys when he’s killing a penalty. It’s good to have him back,” Fayne said of Zubrus. “He’s a horse out there. When you saw him flying around you knew nobody was going to be able to step up and stop him. Once I saw the third and fourth guys go over to him I knew there was a little open area. He made a great play finding me and I just tried to get it to the net.”



Devils' losing streak continues in 3-2 shootout loss to Sabres

Rich Chere

The Star-Ledger

April 07, 2013 at 10:24 PM, updated April 08, 2013 at 12:32 AM

BUFFALO, N.Y. — TThe last time the Devils lost seven games in a row — 27 years ago — Martin Brodeur was a 13-year-old kid in Montreal who had not yet even begun his junior hockey career.

He is now one month shy of his 41st birthday and can only hope that a chance at playing in his 18th Stanley Cup playoffs isn’t fading away.

The Devils, who fell to the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, in a shootout Sunday night at First Niagara Center, picked up a point and are now technically in ninth place while tied with the Winnipeg Jets at 40 points.

But with a 0-3-4 record on their current skid, the club’s first seven-game losing streak since Jan. 24-Feb. 5, 1986, the level of concern is rising.

"It’s high. It’s really concerning that we can’t win," Brodeur said. "We played one of the teams that we should beat. I thought we deserved to beat them the way we played. But you don’t get goals for hanging onto the puck for 25 minutes a game. We drained them but we couldn't take advantage of it."

The Devils are 2-7 in shootouts, a possible extra seven points left unclaimed.

"Last year (12-4), we lived on it and this year it’s really hurting us," coach Pete DeBoer said. "It’s frustrating. I was proud of our effort and how hard we worked. But again, we leave points on the table."

If there were bonuses for time of possession and scoring chances, the Devils would have routed the Sabres and several other opponents in recent games.

"We were in their zone and just grinded them down," Steve Sullivan said. "We played in their end doing the right thing getting shots on net. You get 39 shots on net, you have to be able to finish off the game."

Sullivan, acquired at Wednesday’s trade deadline, tied the game, 1-1, when he converted a Steve Bernier centering pass into a power-play goal late in the opening period.

It was Sullivan’s first for the Devils since Feb. 15, 1997, during a 4-1 victory in Montreal. He went 16 years and 51 days between goals for the Devils.

The Devils came from behind again in the third period when defenseman Mark Fayne scored their league-leading 10th shorthanded goal after an impressive display of stick-handling and skating by Dainius Zubrus made it possible.

But when neither team scored in overtime and it came down to another shootout, the Devils were in trouble.

"We try to take the negative things out of our heads," Brodeur said. "Especially when you’re in the heat of it. If you start thinking like that, it’s not the right way of thinking."

Brodeur stopped Tyler Ennis at the start. Sullivan stepped up first for the Devils but was stopped by Ryan Miller.

"I still get nervous every time I go," Sullivan said. "It’s a new goalie and your team is counting on you. Marty only lets in one goal. We should be able to score one and at least extend it, if not get a couple. It’s disappointing not getting that extra point.

"I tried to freeze him, but he was so aggressive coming out of the net he kind of froze me a little bit with a fake poke check and it threw me off a little bit. I took it to the backhand, thought I could get there quicker than he could and he made a good blocker save."

Nathan Gerbe scored for the Sabres, but it was enough as Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac made it 0-for-3 for the visitors.

"(Gerbe) kind of pulled it and went on my glove side," Brodeur said. "One goal was the difference. You need to be perfect, I guess."

All three games between the Devils and Sabres this season have gone to shootouts, with Buffalo winning twice.

With nine games remaining, was one point enough?

"No, it’s not," Zubrus said. "We need two points."

Brodeur was surely unaware of the Devils’ last seven-game losing streak, when even goalie coach Chris Terreri was not yet out of college.

"Same result," Brodeur said. "We played a good hockey game again. It came to a shootout and we couldn’t score. They scored one and that’s it. It’s tough to take. Every game seems to be the same story. We’re getting a point but at this stage a point is not enough. We need to get two."



As they play: Devils vs. Sabres at Buffalo

Rich Chere

The Star-Ledger


BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Devils coach Pete DeBoer shook up his team for tonight's meeting with the Sabres at First Niagara Center.

Martin Brodeur made his ninth straight start in goal. Ryan Miller was in goal for the Sabres.

Alexei Ponikarovsky, Matt D'Agostini, Peter Harrold and Henrik Tallinder were Devils scratches.

Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias each wore an 'A.'

Devils' lines:

Patrik Elias- Travis Zajac- Steve Sullivan

Adam Henrique- Andrei Loktionov- David Clarkson

Dainius Zubrus- Jacob Josefson- Steve Bernier

Ryan Carter- Stephen Gionta- Tom Kostopoulos

Devils' defense pairings:

Bryce Salvador-Mark Fayne

Andy Greene-Adam Larsson

Anton Volchenkov-Marek Zidlicky

SHOOTOUT

Tyler Ennis misses

Sullivan backhander is stopped

Gerbe scores for a 1-0 Buffalo lead

Elias held the puck and Miller made a pad save

Steve Ott is robbed by Brodeur as he came sliding out

Zajac stopped.

OVERTIME

Zajac can't get the puck on his backhand for a shot at 1:25.

Devils outshot the Sabres, 39-26.

THIRD PERIOD

Devils started the period with 22 seconds remaining on their power play.

Ott was sent off for high-sticking Josefson at 1:42. That's how Josefson lost (and swallowed) a front tooth at Albany.

Larsson was on the point with Greene during the power play. The Sabres killed off the penalty and went on a power play when Kostopoulos was called for hooking at 4:33.

The Devils tied it with a shorthanded goal at 5:46, their league-leading 10th of the season. Zubrus weaved through the neutral zone and then the offensive zone, going behind the net before sending it out to Fayne. The defenseman beat Miller with a long wrist shot for his first goal of the season.

Marcus Foligno was called for tripping Salvador in the corner at 10:33.

Sabres defenseman Mike Weber fell along the end boards at 15:14 and his stick clipped Clarkson in the face for a high-sticking penalty. But Zajac was called for roughing Myers at 16:06 to shorten the power play.

Ott knocked Zubrus down with a hit near the Buffalo bench at 18:15.

Henrique exchanged shoves with Christian Ehrhoff with 30 seconds left.

The Devils were outshooting the Sabres, 37-22.

End of period: Devils 2, Sabres 2

SECOND PERIOD

Mocks cheers as the Sabres once again have trouble getting the puck out of their own end.

Zajac took an interference penalty at 4:31.

Miller made a save on an Elias shot at 8:46. Clarkson's backhander on the rebound missed the net.

Clarkson was knocked down on a hit by John Scott as the Devils' winger carried the puck in the offensive zone.

Bernier, alone in front, was stopped by Miller.

The Sabres did not waste their chance at 13:44 when Steve Ott took a pass from Cody Hodgson and roofed a shot from between the hash marks in the slot.

Scott (6-8, 270 pounds) was sent off for roughing Gionta (5-7, 185) along the boards at 18:22.

Kaleta knocked Zajac down with a hit at 19:30.\

The Devils were outshooting the Sabres, 24-15.

End of period: Sabres 2, Devils 1

FIRST PERIOD

The Sabres struck first at 4:22 when Greene's pass up the middle was intercepted by Jochen Hecht. Patrick Kaleta cut across the deep slot and took Hecht's pass, redirecting the puck inside the right post for his first goal of the season.

Greene's partner, Larsson, turned the puck over at 6:52 with a pass in his own end. Mark Pysyk kept it in the zone and it took a save from Brodeur to stop Adam Pardy.

Miller made a glove save on Clarkson's shot from the right circle at 9:22.

Brodeur stopped Nathan Gerbe's one-timer from the right circle at 12:21.

A Sabres turnover at 12:57 was grabbed by Clarkson in the offensive zone. He set up Loktionov, whose shot was stopped by Miller.

After keeping the puck in the offensive zone for two full minutes, the Devils nearly scored. However, Sullivan couldn't get a clean shot on a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle with 2:06 left and his shot hit the side of the net.

Kevin Porter was called for cross-checking at 18:15 to give the Devils a power play.

It took the Devils 15 seconds to tie the game with a power play goal. Bernier stole the puck from Tyler Myers behind the net and centered a pass for Sullivan in front. The newly-acquired veteran scored his first goal for the Devils this season at 18:20.

Sullivan's goal, his sixth of the season, was his first for the Devils since Feb. 15, 1997, during a 4-1 victory in Montreal. Brodeur was the Devils' goalie in that game, too. Sullivan went 16 years and 51 days between goals for the Devils.

The Devils outshot the Sabres, 10-4.

End of period: Devils 1, Sabres 1



Devils' Lou Lamoriello: Ilya Kovalchuk will begin skating soon

Rich Chere

The Star-Ledger


BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said today "it won't be very long" before Ilya Kovalchuk starts skating.

Kovalchuk has been sidelined since injuring his right shoulder Mar. 23 when he crashed into the end boards in a home game against the Florida Panthers. He could begin skating some time this week.

The Devils are 0-3-3 without Kovalchuk.

"The silver lining is it's not like we're not creating chances," coach Pete DeBoer said of the team's trouble scoring goals. "We're outshooting teams most night. Outchancing teams. We're getting a handful of gade A chances.

"If we were going 60 minutes and not creating anything I would be very very concerned. I'm still concerned, obviously, because we're not putting the puck in the net. We just have to stick with it."

DeBoer added: "The guys are doing what we ask them to do. They're executing the game plan. For the most part we've been solid defensively and we've been creating chances offensively. You want to reward the guys with a win for that. The guys need a win, two points, because it reinforces what they're doing.

"They haven't strayed but there is a natural reaction when you do all those things well and you don't win, to step out of the box a little bit. That never works."

Center Travis Zajac, who missed so much time last season with Achilles tendon problems even after surgery, said he has been pain-free this season.

"I truly haven't felt anything," Zajac said. "I wasn't sure if with this many games in a short period of time would affect it, but it hasn't. I didn't really know what to expect, but I knew I had a good offseason where I got a lot of time to strengthen it. Coming in it felt great and it still feels good now. So I think that is behind me."

Zajac knew he could have recovered from the Achilles tendon tear and surgery sufficiently to play on it, but he might feel it at various points for the remainder of his career.

"I definitely thought about that. Coming into this year knowing I felt good from the start and the fact I still feel good, it's now out of my head," Zajac said.

Zajac wore an 'A' along with Patrik Elias tonight.



Devils shake up lineup: Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson to face Sabres

Rich Chere

The Star-Ledger


BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Devils coach Pete DeBoer shook up his lineup for tonight's meeting with the Sabres in an attempt to end a six-game losing streak.

Center Jacob Josefson and right winger Tom Kostopoulos will be in the lineup at First Niagara Center while Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt D'Agostini will come out.

On defense, Adam Larsson will play his first game since Mar. 30 and Anton Volcehnkov will also be in the lineup. Henrik Tallinder and Peter Harrold will be scratches.

"Mostly for fresh legs. This is our third game in four nights," DeBoer said. "But we need to change some things up. We need a spark. We're in a little bit of a rut here."

The Devils are 0-3-3 in their last six games and out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

The Devils' lines will be: Elias-Zajac-Sullivan; Henrique-Loktionov-Clarkson; Zubrus-Josefson-Bernier; Carter-Gionta-Kostopoulos.

Josefson doesn’t have a locker stall in the Devils’ dressing room back in New Jersey, but he has a spot in the lineup.

“It is what it is. Too many guys. I guess I’m the youngest one so I’m in the other locker room,” Josefson said with a smile.

Josefson was recalled from Albany (AHL) for the second time this season on Friday.

“Last time I was here I don’t think I played the way I wanted to play,” Josefson said. “My confidence wasn’t at the top. I went down and worked on that part. It’s a lot better now. I’m excited to be back.”

Why would he lack confidence?

“Maybe because I didn’t play too good. It was nagging on me a little bit,” he said. “I was down there for a little while and I feel more comfortable. My confidence is back.”

So is his health. Josefson was hit in the head by a shot while playing for Albany and suffered a concussion. It was a longer road back than he expected, but he is fully recovered.

“I’m not worried about that,” Josefson said. “I actually thought it would be way shorter. I got a little dizzy and my balance wasn’t that good right after. I had a few days off and then I started working out. I got dizzy and started (vomiting) again so I needed a few extra days. Now I feel 100 percent.”

He also lost a tooth, which he swallowed when he was high-sticked in the mouth. Josefson joked that he’s competing with teammate Mattias Tedenby, who suffered a skate cut to the right side of his face and needed more than 100 stitches.

“He’s an inspiration for me,” Josefson said with a grin.

He doesn’t feel any added pressure in having to give the Devils a spark.

“It’s a team game. Everybody has to fill in,” he said. “When you haven’t won in a few games you try some different stuff. I’m excited to be back in the lineup.”



Devils notes: No timetable on Kovalchuk

Tom Gulitti


The Record

Still rehabbing

Right wing Ilya Kovalchuk continues to rehab his right shoulder injury, but general manager Lou Lamoriello said there is no schedule yet for him to begin skating.

"It's whenever," Lamoriello said. "No timetable."

Kovalchuk has missed seven games since being injured March 23 against Florida.

Welcome back

Steve Sullivan's first-period power-play goal, which tied the game at 1, was his first since he was reacquired in Wednesday's trade with Phoenix.

Sullivan was more concerned about the four other power plays the Devils failed to convert on later in the game, though.

"We got a couple of shots through, but we've got to be able to finish hockey games," he said. "We had a lot more power-play opportunities that I think we should have been able to connect.

"The power play should have been the difference-maker in the hockey game tonight."

Changing times

Trying anything to change his team's luck, Devils coach Pete DeBoer shook up his lineup, inserting four players who didn't play in Saturday's 2-1 home loss to Toronto.

On defense, he put in Adam Larsson and Anton Volchenkov in place of Henrik Tallinder and Peter Harrold. Up front, Jacob Josefson and Tom Kostopoulos replaced Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt D'Agostini.

"We need to change some things up," DeBoer explained. "We need a spark. That's the bottom line. It's one of the first times this year we've been healthy enough that we've got people we can shuffle in and out of the lineup. It's our third game in four nights and we're in a little bit of a rut here and, hopefully, this jump-starts us."

Bergen Record LOADED: 04.08.2013


Devils fall to Sabres, 3-2, in shootout

Tom Gulitti

Sunday, April 7, 2013 Last updated: Monday April 8, 2013, 12:16 AM

The Record

BUFFALO, N.Y. – One point wasn’t enough.

Not for the Devils in the situation they are in right now with nine games left in a season that is snowballing over them while Ilya Kovalchuk remains out with right shoulder injury.

Their losing streak is now seven games after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night at First Niagara Center. Buffalo’s Nathan Gerbe beat goaltender Martin Brodeur to the glove side for the only goal of the tiebreaker as the Devils fell to 2-7 in the shootout this season – 0-6 on the road.

It is the Devils’ first seven-game losing streak (0-3-4) since Jan. 24-Feb. 8, 1986.

“Frustrating,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “I was proud of how hard we worked, but again we leave points on the table. There’s been too many of those.”

The point pulled the Devils into a tiewith Winnipeg for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two behind the eighth-place Islanders and the seventh-place Rangers with only nine regular-season games remaining.

But, facing the prospect of missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, the Devils needed to get two points against a Sabres team that traded away captain Jason Pominville and defensemen Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr before Wednesday’s NHL trade deadline and were missing leading scorer Thomas Vanek due to injury.

The Devils have lost all seven games they’ve played since Kovalchuk was injured March 23 against Florida — three of them in shootouts.

“It’s really concerning that we can’t just win and that’s the bottom line,” Brodeur said. “We played one of the teams that we should beat. I thought we deserved to beat them the way we played. But, you know what? At the end of the day, you don’t get goals for hanging on to the puck for 25 minutes a game. We drained them, but we just couldn’t take advantage of it.”

With their relentless forecheck, the Devils spent much of the night in the Buffalo end to the point the home fans began to cheer when the Sabres were finally able to get out of their own end. They outshot the Sabres, 39-26 — just like Boston in their 1-0 loss Thursday and Toronto in their 2-1 home loss Saturday – but couldn’t score an even-strength goal.

“We’ve got to score 5-on-5,” DeBoer said. “You’ve still got to score more than two goals. Our 5-on-5 goal production all year has been an issue. We’re generating chances and shots and opportunities, but we’re just not finishing like we need to.”

The Sabres took the lead only 4:22 into the game by capitalizing on a turnover by Devils defenseman Andy Greene with Patrick Kaleta’s redirection goal.

The Devils tied it with Steve Sullivan’s power-play goal with 1:40 left in the opening period. Patrik Elias lost the right-circle faceoff to Steve Ott to begin the power play, but Steve Bernier intercepted defenseman Tyler Myers’ pass behind the net and threw it in front to Sullivan, who redirected it past goaltender Ryan Miller for his first goal since being reacquired in Wednesday’s trade with Phoenix.

It was also his first goal as a Devil since Feb. 15, 1997 at Montreal. He was traded to Toronto 10 days later.

Although the Devils dominated play territorially after that, the Sabres retook the lead on Ott’s goal 13:44 into the second. Ott cut between the circles to take a pass from Cody Hodgson in the left circle and ripped a shot over Brodeur, who tried to kick up his stacked pads.

Defenseman Mark Fayne’s short-handed goal pulled the Devils even again 5:46 into the third. Dainius Zubrus set it up with a great effort on the rush, circling behind the net with the puck and feeding a trailing Fayne, who let go a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Miller over the right shoulder.

“I had good legs and I knew that we were a goal behind, so I just tried to make a play and it turned out pretty good,” Zubrus said.



NJ Devils fall to Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, in shootout as Ryan Miller stops 37 shots

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sunday, April 7, 2013, 10:37 PM

BUFFALO — With each win, there is a growing sense in Buffalo that the Sabres just might be capable of mounting a late-season playoff push. It is a much different mood for Martin Brodeur and the slumping New Jersey Devils.

Their worry grew deeper Sunday night after their skid reached seven games with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sabres.

“It’s really concerning that we can’t just win. That’s the bottom line,” the Devils goalie said. “We played one of the teams that we should beat, and I thought we deserved to beat them the way we played.”

The Devils lost to Buffalo despite outshooting the Sabres 37-22 and outplaying them for numerous long stretches. New Jersey (15-14-10) dropped to 0-3-4 in its past seven. It is the Devils’ longest winless streak since going 0-4-2-1 from Nov. 10-23, 2001.

This skid has coincided with the absence of top forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who missed his seventh game because of a shoulder injury. New Jersey earned one point Sunday to move into ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but the loss clinched a playoff spot for the conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres (16-17-6), meanwhile, are showing signs of resilience.

With 38 points they have jumped into 11th place after winning their third in a row during a week in which the team began rebuilding by trading away three veterans, including captain Jason Pominville. Nathan Gerbe scored the lone shootout goal, and Buffalo’s Ryan Miller stopped 37 shots through overtime, and three more in the shootout — including a victory-clinching glove save on Travis Zajac. “We survived and got two points. Not pretty, but it’s two,” Miller said. “When you win hockey games, there’s a certain belief.

And we’re just trying to do it one game at a time.” Steve Ott extended his goal streak to three games, and Patrick Kaleta also scored for Buffalo. Kaleta opened the scoring with his first goal in 53 games, and first point in 40, dating to March 7, 2012.

“We’re a resilient group,” said Kaleta, who also provided several big hits, including one that leveled Zajac in the final seconds of the second period. “We’re taking it game by game right now. It’s a whole new season.”

Gerbe scored on the Sabres’ second shootout attempt by snapping a shot that beat Brodeur low on the glove side. Miller made his best stop on the Devils’ next attempt when he kicked out his right pad at the last moment to stop Patrik Elias.

Miller opened the shootout by stopping Steve Sullivan’s back-hander. Sullivan and Mark Fayne, who forced overtime with a short-handed goal 5:46 into the third period, scored for the offensively challenged Devils. They have combined for just six goals in five games, and have produced three or more just twice in their past 12.

“I can see how it can be frustrating when you’re getting that many scoring chances and not being able to grab a lead and play with some comfort,” said Sullivan, who was reacquired by the Devils last week in a trade with Phoenix.

“It’s got to turn soon. We’re running out of time here, so we’ve got to start burying pucks.”

Help might be on the way.

Before the game, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said “it won’t be long” before Kovalchuk resumes skating.

The Sabres overcame their own issues on Sunday, and a booing home crowd. Buffalo was having such a tough time controlling the puck in the second period that fans began cheering whenever the Sabres got the puck past their blue line. Held to four shots in the first period, the Sabres were

outshot 18-8 through 32 minutes. The momentum shifted after Buffalo’s John Scott leveled David Clarkson with a hit at the right circle.

Buffalo managed six shots over the next two minutes, including Ott’s goal that put Buffalo ahead 2-1.

Fayne tied it with the Devils’ NHL-leading 10th short-handed goal. He was set up in the high slot by Dainius Zubrus, who was allowed to roam free in the Sabres end.

“Frustrating, you know,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. “We generated chances and shots and opportunities, but we just aren’t finishing like we need to.”

NOTES: The Sabres have allowed a league-high seven short-handed goals. ... Sabres RW Thomas Vanek missed his sixth straight game with an upper body injury. ... Fayne’s goal was the ninth of his career and first in 49 games. ... Of Kaleta’s 27 career goals, four have come against New Jersey, his most against any team.

New York Daily News LOADED: 04.08.2013


Devs’ hopes dim as winless streak hits 7

By JOHN WAWROW

Associated Press

Last Updated: 4:36 AM, April 8, 2013

Posted: 1:40 AM, April 8, 2013

BUFFALO — With each win, there is a growing sense in this town that the Sabres just might be capable of mounting a late-season playoff push.

It is a much different mood for Martin Brodeur and the slumping Devils. Their worry grew deeper last night after their skid reached seven games with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sabres.

“It’s really concerning that we can’t just win. That’s the bottom line,” the Devils goalie said. “We played one of the teams that we should beat, and I thought we deserved to beat them the way we played.”

The Devils lost to Buffalo despite outshooting the Sabres 37-22 and outplaying them for numerous long stretches.

The Devils (15-14-10) dropped to 0-3-4 in their past seven, their longest winless streak since going 0-4-2-1 from Nov. 10-23, 2001. This skid has coincided with the absence of top forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who missed his seventh game because of a shoulder injury.

The Devils earned one point to move into ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but the loss clinched a playoff spot for the conference-leading Penguins.

The Sabres (16-17-6), meanwhile, are showing signs of resilience.

With 38 points they have jumped into 11th place after winning their third in a row during a week in which the team began rebuilding by trading away three veterans, including captain Jason Pominville.

Nathan Gerbe scored the lone shootout goal, and Buffalo’s Ryan Miller stopped 37 shots through overtime, and three more in the shootout — including a victory-clinching glove save on Travis Zajac.

New York Post LOADED: 04.08.2013


Devils' woes continue as team fall to Sabres

Associated Press

Last Updated: 10:50 PM, April 7, 2013

Posted: 10:45 PM, April 7, 2013

BUFFALO — Nathan Gerbe scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 victory Sunday night over New Jersey that extended the Devils' losing streak to seven games.

Ryan Miller stopped 37 shots through overtime, and all three shootout attempts — included a victory-clinching glove save on Travis Zajac.

Steve Ott extended his goal streak to three games, and Patrick Kaleta also scored for Buffalo, which won its third straight.

Steve Sullivan and Mark Fayne, who forced overtime with a short-handed goal, scored for the Devils, who are 0-3-4 in their past seven. That is their longest winless streak since going 0-4-2-1 from Nov. 10-23, 2001.

The Devils' loss clinched a playoff spot for the Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins and the West-leading Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday became the first teams to secure berths.

New Jersey (15-14-10), 1-5-6 in its past 12 road games, is 6-12-7 following a 9-2-3 start. The Devils haven't won since star forward Ilya Kovalchuk injured a shoulder.

The Sabres (16-17-6) jumped ahead of idle Philadelphia and into 11th place in the East, two points behind the ninth-place Devils.

Gerbe scored on the Sabres' second shootout attempt by snapping a shot that beat Martin Brodeur low on the glove side. Miller made his best stop on the Devils' next attempt when he kicked out his right pad at the last moment to stop Patrik Elias.

Brodeur finished with 24 saves, including stopping all four shots he faced in overtime. His best stop came with 70 seconds left in the extra frame, when he held his ground and protected the right side to foil Drew Stafford, who was driving in on a 2-on-1 break.

New Jersey's skid has coincided with the absence of forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who missed his seventh game with a shoulder injury. Before the game, general manager Lou Lamoriello said "it won't be long" before Kovalchuk resumes skating.

Fayne tied it at 2 at 5:46 of the third period while the Devils were killing a penalty. Dainius Zubrus did much of the work by being allowed to lug the puck untouched into the Sabres end. He circled behind the Buffalo net and fed a pass into a the high slot to Fayne, who snapped in his first goal in 49 games.

The Sabres experienced considerable difficulty getting the puck out of their zone. The Devils were beating the Sabres to loose pucks, and were pinching in their defensemen to deny the Sabres from clearing passes.

Buffalo was having such a tough time controlling the puck in the second period that fans began cheering whenever the Sabres got the puck past their blue line.

Held to four shots in the first period, the Sabres were outshot 18-8 through 32 minutes. The momentum shifted after Buffalo's John Scott leveled David Clarkson with a hit at the right circle.

Buffalo managed six shots over the next two minutes, including Ott's go-ahead goal to cap a tic-tac-toe play.

The goal came on the ensuing rush after Miller got his paddle down to stop Steve Bernier, who was set up alone in front after defenseman Tyler Myers turned the puck over in his own corner.

Kaleta opened the scoring 4:22 in off of defenseman Andy Greene's turnover in his zone. It was Kaleta's first goal in 54 games and first point in 40, dating to March 7, 2012.

The Devils capitalized on their first power play with 1:40 left in the first period. Myers' weak clearing attempt behind his net was picked off by Bernier, who set up Sullivan in front.

The goal came a half-minute after Sullivan was set up for a one-timer in the left circle, but his shot went just wide. His goal was his first in two games since returning to New Jersey, after being acquired in a trade with Phoenix on Wednesday.

NOTES: The Sabres have allowed a league-high seven short-handed goals. The Devils have scored a league-best 10. ... Devils D Henrik Tallinder and LW Alexei Ponikarovsky were healthy scratches. ... Sabres RW Thomas Vanek missed his sixth straight game with an upper body injury. ... The Devils entered the game having scored three or more goals only twice in 11. ... Of Kaleta's 27 career goals, four have come against New Jersey, his most against any team.


668814 New York Islanders

Islanders' confidence builds during strong playoff run

By ARTHUR STAPLE

Originally published: April 7, 2013 8:50 PM

Updated: April 8, 2013 12:10 AM

Kyle Okposo admitted that it's hard not to watch the scoreboard, even after another strong performance by the Islanders on Saturday night.

"You're going to look," Okposo said after the Islanders' 4-2 win over the Lightning propelled his team to a 6-1-1 record in its last eight games and maintained the Isles' place among the playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. "When you're in the race, you definitely look. But we have a different feeling this year; we know if we play the way we need to play and win our games, we won't have to worry about what the other teams do."

That is a very different development for the Islanders, who have needed wins and an immense amount of help in the final months of recent seasons, only to fall short.

They also are playing differently. There is the appropriate level of desperation, accompanied by a confidence that has carried from period to period, through some strong shifts and shaky ones. It has allowed the Islanders to bounce back the way they did Saturday, when they lost a one-goal lead early in the third but pushed back for the win.

But even with this run that has put the Islanders in good position for their first playoff berth in six seasons, they still are in eighth, left to watch that scoreboard on nights like Sunday night. The Senators, two points ahead of the Islanders, lost to Florida. The Capitals beat Tampa Bay to draw even with the Islanders and lead the Southeast Division.

The Rangers, tied with the Islanders at 42 points but with one fewer game played, will play Monday in Toronto. The Islanders are idle until Tuesday, when the Flyers come to the Coliseum.

It may be hard for the players to avoid watching the scoreboard and checking the standings, but not their coach.

"Not too much," Jack Capuano said of his scoreboard-watching tendencies. "We can only control what we can control. I've preached it all along; I say it to my children, to the players. There's controllable and uncontrollable circumstances, and we need to focus on what we control, and that's how we play."

Notes & quotes: Andrew MacDonald and Travis Hamonic, who were minus-14 and 15 at one point, are a plus-10 and plus-8 during the Islanders' 6-1-1 streak. The Isles have allowed only 13 goals in those eight games.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668815 New York Rangers

Kadri at Center of Maple Leafs’ Turnaround

By DHIREN MAHIBAN


TORONTO — It has been a season of redemption for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri.

Nazem Kadri was drafted seventh over all by the Leafs in 2009.

Once frozen out of the Leafs’ lineup, Kadri, a 6-foot, 188-pound center, now ranks among the league leaders in goals (17), points (39) and plus/minus rating (plus 18). Entering Monday’s game against the Rangers, he leads the Maple Leafs in every offensive category but assists through 38 games.

In September, however, the 22-year-old Kadri was criticized by the organization when his body fat level ranked in the bottom five among skaters participating in the camp of the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.

At the time, Marlies Coach Dallas Eakins said Kadri needed to improve his eating habits.

“He came in to this season, I don’t think, as prepared as he would’ve liked,” Maple Leafs General Manager Dave Nonis said. “But to his credit, he put a lot of work in with the Marlies early on and he got himself ready to play. His consistency level has been much, much better.”

The criticism is nothing new for Kadri, who was once shown in an illustration on the sports page of a Toronto newspaper with a pacifier in his mouth.

“It’s always nice to kind of put some feet in some people’s mouths,” he said. “I always had a lot to prove, not only to myself but to everyone else in this city and this league. I think I’ve come a long way, and I don’t plan on looking back any time soon.”

Kadri was drafted seventh over all by the Leafs in 2009. Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn, who was a first-round pick of the Leafs in 2008, knows the pressures of being in that position in Toronto.

“I just think he needed the opportunity,” Schenn said, adding, “Sometimes patience is a big thing, too, but he’s always been one of the most skilled guys I’ve ever played with.”

That opportunity did not come until a coaching change in March 2012, when Randy Carlyle replaced Ron Wilson. In 51 N.H.L. games before this season, Kadri had only 8 goals and 19 points. Kadri acknowledged that Carlyle allowed him a little more freedom on the ice.

“I didn’t really get much of an opportunity before, so I really wouldn’t know what that felt like,” he said.

Cody Franson, 25, spent time in Wilson’s doghouse last season as well, and he said a player’s age and inexperience were often immaterial to Toronto’s demanding fans. That has changed as the Maple Leafs have risen to fifth place in the East this season, poised to earn their first playoff berth since 2004.

“That’s part of the tough part about Toronto: everything’s under a microscope here, and when you’re young like that, sometimes you forget that a little bit, I guess,” he said. “But Naz has done a very good job. He’s learned from what he’s done along the way.”

Despite Kadri’s success, Carlyle and Nonis have been quick to temper expectations for Kadri, a player his teammates call the Dream.

“I love the way Naz’s played,” Nonis said. “Everybody does. I’d love to put the brakes on the ‘Here comes the 100 points.’ ”

Carlyle, responding to leading questions about Kadri from local reporters, said, “You guys just want to anoint him, don’t you?” But he added, “He’s a great young player, and he’s got a skill set that separates him from people.”

Kadri said: “They just want to make sure I’m not getting too high when things are good and not get too low when things are bad. That’s part of their job as a coaching staff, especially with a young guy like myself.”

With Kadri heading into this summer a pending restricted free agent, Toronto has only to make him a qualifying offer of $850,500. But under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can sign their own free agents for a maximum of eight years.

That means Kadri could be calling Air Canada Centre home for a long time.



Maple Leafs and Red Wings Will Meet in Winter Classic After All

By JEFF Z. KLEIN

The Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs Winter Classic at the Big House is back on.

After being canceled because of this season’s lockout, the N.H.L.’s showcase regular-season event will be played Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium before an expected crowd of more than 100,000, the league announced Sunday.

Along with the originally scheduled teams and venue, the rest of the original outdoor program will return, which features hockey from the N.C.A.A., junior, high school, sled and A.H.L. levels as well as a Detroit-Toronto alumni game at Comerica Park in Detroit starting in mid-December.

At the Winter Classic game, the Red Wings will wear red sweaters featuring their traditional winged wheel. The Maple Leafs will wear blue sweaters featuring the large maple leaf crest of the 1920s.

In addition to the game, HBO’s Emmy-winning 24/7 reality program will return. “24/7 Red Wings/Maple Leafs: Road to the Winter Classic” will premiere on HBO in December.

The Rangers and the Flyers were showcased in the last installment of the series, leading to their outdoor matchup on Jan. 2, 2012.



NY Rangers, with red-hot power play, can make up ground in playoff race against Maple Leafs

By Pat Leonard

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, April 7, 2013, 1:16 PM

TORONTO — They may start calling themselves the st-Rangers, since this hockey team's power play is as unrecognizable as some of the new faces that have transformed it from a chronic weakness into a sizzling strength.

The Rangers are five-of-11 on the man advantage and 2-0-1 in three games since trading Marian Gaborik at Wednesday's deadline, entering a pivotal home-and-home against the fifth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs beginning Monday night at the Air Canada Centre.

Toronto (21-13-4, 46 points) stands just four points ahead of the Rangers (19-15-4, 42 points), who also are breathing down the necks of the sixth-seeded Ottawa Senators (19-12-6, 44 points), who visit the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.

"I just think some of the personnel is playing better," coach John Tortorella said after Saturday's 4-1 road win over Carolina, when the Blueshirts scored on two of their first three power plays to take a 3-0 lead midway through the second period. "I think Zuke (Mats Zuccarello) has added something to it, and we're finding a way to score goals. There's been much more puck possession within it."

The Rangers' playmaking ability has increased exponentially with three new players in Zuccarello, center Derick Brassard and winger Ryane Clowe split among the two, new five-man units. They have combined for two goals and six points on the power play in three games.

Brassard, who came over from Columbus in the Gaborik trade, mans the middle with big-bodied net presences Clowe and Brian Boyle to his wings and playmaker Brad Richards and patient passer Dan Girardi at the points. On the other unit, Zuccarello and Michael Del Zotto hold up top while Derek Stepan's line with Ryan Callahan and Rick Nash does the work down low.

Zuccarello, who re-signed on March 28 after playing a full season in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, is playing at another level with the puck on his stick. His pass sending Nash to space in the slot on Saturday night for a goal was a thing of beauty.

"It's a heads up play," Nash said, "because he doesn't really have a great lane to the net to shoot."

Richards, who has had a season to forget, is finding his touch playing with Zuccarello and Clowe on even strength, and it's helping him on the power play. Saturday night, his swift entry and give-and-go to Clowe along the right wall set up Richards' smart pass to Stepan in the slot for the game-opening power-play goal.

"Zuke and I have been making a lot of those little plays," Richards said Saturday night. "We're making them in five-on-five too. When you make those and get those working and are feeding off them, things just seem to open up."

The Rangers weren't thrilled with their lackluster first and third periods on the second end of a back-to-back in North Carolina on Saturday night, but with Henrik Lundqvist coming off a 48-save performance and the Rangers' penalty kill 14-of-14 in the last four games, a successful power play makes all the difference.

ROUND TWO

The NHL announced on Sunday that the 2014 Winter Classic will take place on Jan. 1 between the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium, as it was scheduled to this past January before the lockout postponed the event for a full calendar. Sources could not confirm whether the NHL's official slogan for the game will be: "Because this time, we won't cancel it."



Rangers NHLPA player rep Martin Biron believes visors eventually will become mandatory even if it doesn't happen next season

BY Pat Leonard

RALEIGH, N.C. – Rangers player representative Martin Biron, whose teammate Marc Staal remains sidelined due to an eye injury from a deflected puck, anticipates the NHL players’ association will revisit the issue of whether visors should be mandatory pieces of equipment during the offseason.

“We’ll probably get a general sense to where players are over the summer,” Biron told the Daily News on Friday in Pittsburgh, where the Rangers opened a three-game road trip with a 2-1 shootout loss. “Certain years the issue comes up more than others, but a lot of times we break into smaller groups where people can share their ideas on different issues. It sometimes makes for better discussions and then we can bring it back to the whole group.”

The NHL’s position is that visors should be mandatory as a safety precaution for its players, but the NHLPA fights a policy on the premise of protecting each player’s right to choose.

Biron is a goaltender, so the rule would not affect him directly, but the 35-year-old veteran believes the natural evolution of the game will lead to the rule being passed eventually – even if it doesn’t happen this summer.

“I’m a goalie, but you hear about how visors can affect your sight or your breathing,” Biron said. “I don’t know, but it’s common sense to me for it to become a more concrete issue than it is now. I bet back in the day players disagreed on wearing helmets, but the game grew and as we went on helmets became mandatory. But there are players who wear visors who still think players should have the choice. So that’s why these discussions are important.”

Staal suffered a gruesome injury on March 5 against the Philadelphia Flyers when a puck deflected into his right eye. The Rangers defenseman is working out off-ice and has not added skating to his rehabilitation yet, but when he does, he will be wearing a full visor curving low across his face.

Staal’s brothers, Hurricanes centers Eric and Jordan, also adopted visors after Marc’s frightening injury, and the brothers reunited on Saturday with Marc travelling for the first time with the Rangers since the injury for the first two legs of a three-game road trip.

Rangers teammates are encouraged that Staal is now able to attend team dinners and be around the group, returning to a more normal routine rather than rehabbing alone at home while the season passes by.

Visors cannot protect NHL players from everything, of course. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby wears a visor and recently had his jaw broken by an errant slap shot from teammate Brooks Orpik.

Still,the NHLPA estimates 73% of players now wear visors, as some players change their minds and younger talents filter in from the AHL, where visors already are mandatory.

Rangers winger Taylor Pyatt, a friend and teammate of Staal’s who told the Daily News in early March he’d consider adopting a visor, confirmed on Thursday that he plans to make the switch this summer and that he, like Biron, sees a mandatory visor rule eventually being passed.

“I think it’s inevitable,” he said.



Richards now goal-oriented

By BRETT CYRGALIS

Last Updated: 4:18 AM, April 8, 2013

Posted: 12:09 AM, April 8, 2013

There was 14:41 remaining in the third period Saturday night in Raleigh, N.C., with the Rangers holding a 3-0 lead over the Hurricanes, when Brad Richards found himself standing alone at the right post and the puck sliding toward him. Richards wound up, one-timed it, and backup goalie Justin Peters — who had 14 career wins and came in cold to the start the third — robbed Richards with a fantastic glove save.

It was a play that belied Richards’ struggles this year, but it was another chance in what has been an increased stream of them over the past two weeks or so.

“Richie has worked hard at the other parts of his game,” said coach John Tortorella, whose team will play the fifth-place Maple Leafs tonight in Toronto at the beginning of a home-and-home that concludes Wednesday in the Garden. “The offense is coming.”

Earlier in the game, Richards had done what he does best — facilitate a scoring opportunity. After a chippy and scoreless first period, Richards chased down a puck on the power play and drew three Hurricanes’ defenders toward him, below the goal line. Quickly, with little hesitation, he backhanded a pass to a wide-open Derek Stepan, who netted it and got that all-important first goal.

“We don’t bury that, it stays 0-0 and who knows where it goes?” Richards said. “Opportunistic, I guess, is the word, right? We’ll take it.”

What has been opportunistic is Richards taking advantage of his new linemates, Mats Zuccarello and Ryane Clowe. Having never really found a rhythm with Marian Gaborik over a year-and-a-half stretch, Richards now gets to skate with two players who are a little more low-maintenance and open up the ice to take advantage of his world-class vision.

“I think Zuke and Ryane helped me too,” Richards said. “It’s a lot simpler. I think Zuke is seeing the ice and I think Clowey opens up some ice for me, and I can play off him, too.”

Tortorella agrees with the assessment, going with that group often for the three games they’ve been together, although no one has scored except Clowe netting two in his first game as a Ranger, a 6-1 win over the Penguins at the Garden on Wednesday.

“I thought that line was better,” Tortorella said. “They developed some scoring chances.”

That’s not exactly the highest praise in the game, as the coach is well aware. For a guy like Richards, a former Conn Smythe winner for Tortorella when they won the Stanley Cup together with the Lightning in 2004, the puck needs to go in. Moral victories and chances can abound, but confidence is rebuilt only by goals and wins.

“Every offensive player, they need the results,” Tortorella said. “He’s beginning to get some and I think he feels better about it.”

So although Richards has just six goals and 23 points this season — and has scored just two goals since March 12, a span of 14 games — the offense is starting to be produced again, and a snowballing of confidence would be the desired effect.

“I felt some things coming here lately, and getting rewarded is obviously key to it,” Richards said. “Getting on the board, helping the team get on the board instead of just getting chances, eventually it just gets old.”



New linemates help Rangers' Brad Richards snap funk

ANDREW GROSS

STAFF WRITER

The Record


TORONTO – Brad Richards has dealt with what he considers a frustratingly subpar performance so far this season with, at varying times, anger, self-deprecating humor and just outright bewilderment.

The veteran center, in the second season of a nine-year, $60 million deal, knows the only way to shake his roller coast of emotions is increased and consistent offensive production.

And as the Rangers have pointed themselves in the right direction with a 3-0-1 spurt heading into tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre, so has Richards with a goal and four assists in that span, mainly on a line with newly acquired rugged wing Ryane Clowe and newly re-signed playmaker Mats Zuccarello.

"I felt some things coming lately and getting rewarded, obviously, is a key to it," said Richards, who is once again starting to make pinpoint passes. "Helping the team getting on the board instead of just getting chances or being involved in chances. Eventually, that just gets old."

Richards, 32, had three goals and two assists in the 12 games preceding last week’s spurt – with wins over the Jets, Penguins and Hurricanes and a 2-1 shootout loss at Pittsburgh that felt like a victory.

This week is equally crucial to the seventh-place Rangers’ playoff chances as they’ll face the fifth-place Maple Leafs twice – including Wednesday at Madison Square Garden – and also the Islanders, who are tied with them in points with 42, but have played one extra game.

The Rangers did not practice Sunday after playing back-to-back games.

"You have a bad night or two and all of a sudden, five other teams crawl right back in it," said Richards, who is on pace for career lows with six goals and 17 assists, though the lockout-shortened season makes that dubious statistic somewhat moot.

"We’d rather look up and try to chase teams down," Richards added. "That’s our mentality right now. We think we can continue to do that and these two games coming up are an opportunity to do that."

Just as playing with the 6-foot-2 Clowe, who creates space on the ice for Richards because of his big body, and Zuccarello, whose passing has set up Richards in advantageous spots, has given Richards the opportunity to salvage something from this season.

An extreme creature of habit, Richards’ preparation for the season was deeply impacted by the uncertainty of the four-month lockout.

"I think Richie has worked hard at the other part of the game [defense] and I think his offensive part is coming," coach John Tortorella said. "Every offensive player needs some results. He’s beginning to get some."



Rangers up next: at Maple Leafs

The Record


Rangers at Leafs

Today, 7 p.m.

TV: MSG

Radio: ESPN-FM 98.7

Story line: The Rangers (19-15-4) beat the Maple Leafs, 5-2, at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 26, but this marks their last chance to get a victory in Canada this season as they’ve gone 0-4-1. C Derek Stepan (13 goals, 18 assists) has a four-game point streak. The Maple Leafs (21-13-4) have won four of five and are poised to reach the postseason for the first time since 2004.



Improved special-teams play gives Rangers boost during playoff push

By STEVE ZIPAY

Originally published: April 7, 2013 9:31 PM

Updated: April 8, 2013 12:19 AM

A revival in special-teams play in the past four games clearly has boosted the Rangers' late playoff push.

The power play, which had dragged down the entire offense and had been 2-for-23, is 5-for-11, with five different scorers in the last four games. The Rangers have climbed to 19th in the NHL rankings at 17.2 percent, up from 25th at 14.4 percent.

The penalty kill, which had allowed seven goals in 22 chances, is 14-for-14 in the last four games during the Rangers' 3-0-1 stretch, including 5-for-5 on Saturday against Carolina. That streak lifted the Rangers from 21st in the PK standings at 80.2 percent to 11th at 84.5 percent. Ryan Callahan also had a shorthanded goal April 1 against Winnipeg.

Gaining seven of a possible eight points, according to two websites that calculate playoff odds daily, raised the Rangers' chances. Sportsclubstats.com figures that the Blueshirts have an 89.6-percent chance to be in the playoffs. Hockey-reference.com puts it at 79.3 percent.

"I just think some of the personnel is playing better," coach John Tortorella said of the power play. "Zook [Mats Zuccarello] has added something to it and we're finding a way to score goals. There's been much more puck possession; some of the times when we were struggling with it, we were getting chances but we weren't scoring. We're scoring on it now at key times in games. Brass [Derick Brassard] comes in here and he's added something to it. [Ryane] Clowe and Brian Boyle are doing some good work in front of the net."

Brad Richards, in a serious funk most of the season, also has added a goal and two assists. "I think his offense is coming," Tortorella said. "He makes a great play to [Derek] Stepan on a pretty important [power-play] goal to start us off [Saturday]. He's making more plays."

Newcomers Brassard, from Columbus, and Clowe, from San Jose, have a goal and two assists each on the power play, and Zuccarello has an assist. Rick Nash scored Saturday on the PP and has three goals (two at even strength) in the last four games.

Special teams could very well be a factor in the upcoming home-and-home series against the Maple Leafs, beginning Monday night in Toronto. The Rangers won, 5-2, at home in their only other matchup Jan. 26. The Rangers did not score and were 0-for-4 on the power play. Two players who scored three of the goals won't be playing: Marian Gaborik (two) is with Columbus and Marc Staal (one) is injured. Toronto is ranked third on the penalty kill.

With Henrik Lundqvist playing both ends of the back-to-back Friday and Saturday, it is possible that Martin Biron (2-2-1, 2.32 GAA) will start in goal Monday night or Wednesday. He beat the Maple Leafs, 3-0, in his last start in Toronto on Jan. 14, 2012.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668823 NHL

Russia revelling as team on the rise

RACHEL BRADY

The Globe and Mail

Published Sunday, Apr. 07 2013, 8:58 PM EDT

The Russians didn’t win a single game at last year’s women’s world hockey championships, causing many to worry that the team could be a total embarrassment at home during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

At this year’s world championships, Russia is a podium contender and has earned a semi-final matchup with top-ranked Canada on Monday night. Russia was undefeated in round-robin play and upset Switzerland in the quarter-final, last year’s bronze medalist. Russia wants to win a medal in Ottawa to fuel itself for Sochi. It has shown big improvement here, but some other nations haven’t.

“It’s awesome to see the country hosting the next Olympics doing so well here at the tournament,” said Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados. “We were all talking, we’re excited to play them and see what they’re like.”

Russia has added more resources since last year, hired a new coaching staff and a new general manager in former Ottawa Senator Alexei Yashin. They began a mentorship with former Canadian Olympic coach Shannon Miller, who has gone on to coach at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where she has won five National Collegiate Athletic Association titles.

“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” said Russian forward Aleksandra Vafina, who played for Miller at UMD this season. “Many of us are scoring our first international goal. This is a big, big event for us, and we are so excited to be on a roll.”

No everyone has shown such improvement. After winning bronze last year, the Swiss brought eight new players to this tournament. Many wondered how Finland and its world-class goalie Noora Raty might have closed the gap with the North Americans. The Finns kept it respectable with a 5-2 loss to the U.S., yet got throttled 8-0 by Canada, despite some Finnish players’ confident pre-game Tweets.

Standing on the podium with silver medals around their necks at the 2006 Turin Olympics, Swedish female hockey players once represented a sign of hope for a sport that is thoroughly dominated by Canada and the U.S. Today, Sweden is battling in a best-of-three relegation series with Czech Republic, fighting just to keep a spot among the top eight women’s hockey nations who compete in the world championships each year.

Over the past few years, Sweden has lost many of the players who upset the mighty U.S in the semi-final in Turin to advance to the Olympic gold-medal game against Canada. Young players have replaced them. Then, the backbone of the Swedish team, star goalie Kim Martin, an NCAA player who also led Sweden to Olympic bronze in 2002, got injured preparing for this tournament and has not played in Ottawa.

“This feels awful,” said Swedish forward Pernilla Winberg. “We were supposed to be one of the top teams here.”

There is a bitter irony in Sweden’s story. The International Ice Hockey Federation began a mentorship program in July of 2011, taking former coaches and players from the top-ranked four women’s hockey nations at the time and assigning them as mentors to the teams rated five through 14. It’s just one part of a $2.1-million women’s hockey improvement project started after lopsided scores stole headlines at the Vancouver Olympics and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge warned the women to improve parity or be removed from the Olympic program.

Sweden was one of those top-rated countries back then, so it was slated as nation to provide mentors rather than receive them.

“I talked with the IIHF last year and asked why we send out 10 Swedish players and leaders to help others when we need all the support we can get,” said Swedish coach Niclas Hogberg. “It’s a strange feeling for me as a Swedish head coach when there are Swedish people I would like to work with who are going to work with other countries.”

Sweden earned bronze medals at the 2005 and 2007 world championships but hasn’t made the podium since. For a while, Finland was beating Sweden yearly in the bronze-medal game, except last year when it settled for the fifth/sixth-place game. This year, Sweden tumbled all the way to the relegation game. Now, up 1-0 on the Czechs in the series, Sweden must hold on or be demoted down to the second division.

The second relegation game is Monday afternoon as well as Finland’s semi-final against the U.S, before Canada and Russia face off. The final relegation game, if needed, will be Tuesday, as well as the bronze- and gold-medal games.

Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.08.2013

668824 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators drop fourth in a row to lowly Florida Panthers

Don Brennan

Ottawa Sun



SUNRISE, Fla. — Forty-five days after Craig Anderson was listed as “day-to-day” with a sprained ankle, the Senators goalie had to feel like he was still a spectator.

For most of his first game since Feb. 21, he was barely tested. But as dominant as they were, his teammates couldn’t pull away from the Florida Panthers.

And finally, they paid for it.

With Sergei Gonchar in the box serving the Senators first penalty of the game, Dmitry Kulikov beat Anderson with a wrist shot and just 9:14 remaining in the third period for a goal that stood as the winner in a 2-1 final at BB&T Center on Sunday.

The loss was the Senators fourth in a row, extending their longest slump of the season.

It also ended Anderson’s personal string of success against the Panthers at eight consecutive wins. He’s now 9-1-1 all time against his old team.

Panthers goalie Scott Clemmenssen was the first star of this game, as the Senators outshot the home team 41-17.

The only thing they had to show for it was Cory Conacher’s first goal with his new team.

At game’s end, the Senators were just four points up on ninth place New Jersey Devils. But their hold on a playoff spot could become even looser later in the night, depending on the result of New Jersey’s game with Buffalo.

Andersson’s ankle, which kept him out 19 games, survived this one just fine. In fact, he made a right skate save on the rush by Quinton Howden that forced Gonchar to take his penalty.

On the winning goal, Anderson couldn’t see Kulikov. It appeared as though he moved to his left to find him, and when he did, the shot went in on the side he left open.

“It’s one of those things, it’s a 1-1 game and it’s my job to make sure it stays that way,” Anderson said.

“Sometimes those are the hardest games, to stay mentally in the game. “(But) it’s my job to stay focused and be ready for the next shot.”

Anderson had to wait a while for his first shot of the game. His first official save wasn’t until the 4:45 mark, and it was an easy one off a Peter Mueller flip in from the blue line.

The Panthers tied the game at the 1:08 mark of the middle frame, when Marcel Goc held his position in front of the net to deflect home a Tomas Fleischmann shot from the top of the left-wing faceoff circle. But after that, it was all Senators.

They outshot Florida 15-4 in the second period, seemingly boosted by Matt Kassian’s victory in a fight with George Parros before the six-minute mark.

“I thought we played great, really, the whole night,” coach Paul MacLean said. “We dominated the game

for the most part, but we got goalied. We’ve done that to other teams in the past.

“But for us the good sign was we played hard for the 60 minutes. It was probably one of

the best games we’ve played in a long time, if not for the whole season, from start to finish.”

Daniel Alfredsson put on a show for the “seven or eight” Swedes he played junior hockey with in attendance. His friends were in town for a hockey tournament that starts Monday.

“They said I wouldn’t crack the lineup,” Alfredsson cracked before he game.

The Senators next game is Tuesday, when they’re in Tampa Bay to face Ben Bishop and the Lightning.

Suddenly, they’re in a real battle to gain a berth in the post-season tournament.

Twitter: @sundonib

Turning point

A screened Anderson went to his left but the shot went to his right on Kulikov's winner with Gonchar in the box

Thumbs up

Cory Conacher scored his first goal as a Senator, on a setup by Jakob Silfverberg

Thumbs down

Kyle Turris has to bury the shot he had in front on a set up by Guillaume Latendresse

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.08.2013

668825 Ottawa Senators

Coach Paul MacLean tells Ottawa Senators players no more kid stuff

Don Brennan

Ottawa Sun



SUNRISE, FLA. -- Paul MacLean ordered his team off the ice Sunday morning.

The players weren't permitted to play the traditional keepaway game orchestrated by Daniel Alfredsson. They weren't allowed to stay out for extra shooting or breakaway practice. Stuff they enjoy doing, they couldn't do.

When the coach blew his whistle to officially end the 20-minute skate, they were sent straight to the dressing room.

From there, they followed the usual pre-game routine.

When the Senators are winning and playing the way MacLean wants, he leaves them to their own devices after practice. But on the heels of suffering three-regulation time losses for the first time this season, MacLean put his foot down.

"The last couple of games we haven't come out and started very good," said MacLean. "And we tend to stay on the ice for pre-game skates and play stupid pet tricks maybe a little bit longer than we should. We just wanted to make sure, with a 6 p.m. game, that we managed our time a little bit better.

"I decided to take charge of managing the time as opposed to letting them do it."

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.08.2013

668826 Philadelphia Flyers

Bad timing for Flyers

POSTED: Sunday, April 7, 2013, 9:50 AM

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

WINNIPEG, Manitoba _ The Flyers had their worst period of the season at the wrong time on Saturday.

They allowed four second-period goals _ the most they have surrendered in any period this season _as they lost to struggling Winnipeg, 4-1, and fell five points out of a playoff spot with 10 games left.

Ruslan Fedotenko scored the Flyer’ lone goal.

"I felt they came out stronger, said Fedotenko, referring to the second period. "It's not necessarily we didn't show up, but they were stronger. They were faster. I felt like we were a little bit too much waiting and reacting instead of initiating. Give them the credit. They turned it around and unfortunately for us, we couldn't recover from that."

The Flyers took the second period off and it ended their four-game winning streak. They need to play with 60 minutes of desperation in each of their last 10 games or they will be watching the playoffs.

*******************************************

The Flyers haven’t announced it yet, but they have reportedly signed University of Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt _ a prospect they acquired from Carolina with goalie Brian Boucher in January _ to an entry-level deal.

Alt, a 6-3, 205-pounder whose father, Jon, played in the NFL, is expected to join the Phantoms.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.08.2013


Flyers sign second round pick

POSTED: Sunday, April 7, 2013, 7:11 PM

With the top talent on his Golden Gophers team bailing on their senior seasons, Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt felt little need to stay in school.

The Flyers officially signed Alt to an entry-level deal over the weekend. He will report to the Phantoms.

Alt, 21, is a former second round pick (2010) by Carolina and was acquired from the Hurricanes in January along with Brian Boucher.

Alt had a disappointing junior season, with a 15 point drop-off in offensive production, and saw a decrease in playing time under coach Don Lucia. The No. 1 ranked Gophers were knocked off in the NCAA tournament in an upset by Yale. Nick Bjugstad, Nate Schmidt, Zach Budish and Erik Haula have all signed in the NHL.

The Flyers are high on Alt's athleticism. He's a former star high school quarterback before shipping off to play for one of college hockey's marquee programs. His father, John Alt, was a two-time Pro Bowl left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Alt is 6-3, he can skate, he's playing in a good program on a good team," Paul Holmgren said back on Jan. 13 after the trade. "We've liked him. He's a good, young prospect."



Barely in playoff hunt, Flyers face crucial game vs. Islanders

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: Monday, April 8, 2013, 1:48 AM

The Flyers are five points out of a playoff spot and running out of time.

They have 10 games remaining, including Tuesday's matchup with the host New York Islanders, who hold the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot and have played one more game than the Flyers.

The Flyers aren't calling it a must-win situation, but they know a loss would place their playoff hopes on life support.

"We've had some success against the Islanders in the past, especially on Long Island, so we've got to stay positive and not get too down," winger Scott Hartnell said Saturday after an awful second period sent the Flyers to a 4-1 loss in Winnipeg. "Play 60 minutes. That's what we did in the last four games" before the Winnipeg disaster.

It appears the Flyers will not get any of their injured defensemen back to face the Islanders. Nick Grossmann has been listed as day-to-day for about two weeks, but it is "unlikely" he will play Tuesday, general manager Paul Holmgren said.

The Flyers are 1-1 against the Isles, scoring a 7-0 road win on Feb. 18 and blowing a 2-0 lead and dropping a 4-3 shootout at the Wells Fargo Center on March 28.

Since then, the Flyers have won four of five games.

Hartnell said the Flyers may have been too confident against a Jets team that had lost five straight.

"We might have thought maybe it was too easy [and] we'll just win out" the rest of the season, "and things will be all great here," he said. "We've got to take it as a wake-up call to get back at practice and get focused again and get up for the Islanders."

A regulation loss Tuesday would put the Flyers seven points out of a playoff berth.

"We can't think one game is more important than another one," said Ruslan Fedotenko, whose five-game points streak is his longest since 2009. "It's every game; we need every point."

The Flyers fell apart Saturday after defenseman Luke Schenn was hit in the head with the puck and went to the locker room for stitches. The Jets scored two goals while Schenn was out, and the Flyers' already-depleted defense left goalie Ilya Bryzgalov scrambling.

"We shut it down for the second period," winger Wayne Simmonds said. "It wasn't the defense or the goaltending. It was everybody."

The Flyers probably need to win seven of their final 10 games (five home, five away) to have a realistic shot at a playoff berth. Their schedule includes two games with the Islanders and one with the Rangers, teams that are five points ahead of them.

Breakaways

The Flyers were off Sunday and will practice in Voorhees at 11 a.m. Monday. . . . Bryzgalov is expected to make his 23d straight start Tuesday. He is the only NHL goalie to have all of his team's wins this year. . . . The Flyers announced they had signed University of Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt, 21, to an entry-level contract. Before the season, the 6-foot-4, 201-pound Alt and Brian Boucher were acquired from Carolina for minor-league center Luke Pither. Alt, a former second-round draft pick, will report to the Phantoms in the AHL.



Flyers might be doomed by 6:28 glitch

Frank Seravalli , Daily News Sports Columnist

Posted: Monday, April 8, 2013, 1:14 AM

IT WAS THE BEST of times, and one bungling span of 6 minutes and 28 seconds in Winnipeg on Saturday afternoon made it the worst of times.

That hideous stretch of hockey, in which the Jets scored four times, wiped out a week's worth of penance when the Flyers had begun to capture the imagination of a city starving for a playoff berth.

A four-game winning streak and five-game points streak evaporated quicker than the thick haze in the mezzanine at Saturday's Fleetwood Mac show. The 4-1 loss killed any momentum the Flyers had gathered over their near-miraculous march through the schedule with a roster full of names we barely recognize.

With it went the Flyers' best shot at making the Stanley Cup playoffs since the first day of this whacked-out, shortened season. Before Saturday's game, the Flyers were a 22.3 percent shot to make it - with a chance to push it toward 30 with a win. Their probability heading into Monday? Just 12.1 percent.

"We sucked," Wayne Simmonds told reporters. "What do you want me to say? We reverted back to our old ways."

You could almost hear the Flyers' playoff hopes being flushed down a Manitoban toilet with that second-period dump . . . and chase. It wasn't just that the Flyers lost, but the Islanders and Rangers both won. Suddenly, the Flyers are five points back of a playoff spot with 10 games to play, a banged-up roster and three teams to jump over.

They still have a heartbeat. It's just faint.

There are two small benefits: One is that neither the Rangers nor the Islanders has distanced themselves from each other. The Flyers are five points back from one of two playoff spots.

The other benefit is that they play the eighth-place Islanders twice in these final 3 weeks of the season. That is a potential eight-point swing, which could ultimately be the difference between a long summer and an intriguing spring. Tuesday night will mark the Flyers' most important game at Nassau Mausoleum since the 1980s. Who'd have thunk it? Given their awful positioning in the standings 10 days ago, I'm sure not even the Flyers did.

Livin' on the edge

Watching the puck flutter across the blue line before Tobias Enstrom's blast hit Luke Schenn in the face on Saturday afternoon made me think of something Phantoms coach Terry Murray said recently.

"You have composite sticks, you've got rolling pucks, you've got bad ice, you've got players shooting one-timers who shouldn't be shooting one-timers," Murray told the Glens Falls Post-Star in New York. "One of the rules of all time is that you never shoot a rolling puck; you have to get a flat puck as a defenseman, because that's what happens.

"Those things are not even talked about anymore. Just shoot the puck."

The puck was clearly on its edge when it arrived on Enstrom's stick.

Luckily, Schenn - the Flyers' most important defenseman these days - was stitched up and returned to the game quickly. He was wearing a visor, which might have prevented a career-threatening injury. Rangers defenseman Marc Staal wasn't as lucky March 5 against the Flyers - and he still hasn't returned.

Honestly, I've never heard anyone even mention Murray's golden rule. While it is idealistic, it's just out of touch with reality. Players are diving - sometimes facefirst - at a ridiculous rate to keep the puck out of the net, even when shots are getting harder and faster. That didn't happen as often in the 1970s, when Murray played for the Flyers.

The art of shot-blocking is evolving, not devolving. And with the money on the line each game, asking players to show respect by settling a puck down - at the risk of not getting it on net - is out of the realm of possibility.

Alt signs

With the top talent on his Golden Gophers team bailing on their senior seasons, Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt felt little need to stay in school. The Flyers officially signed Alt to an entry-level deal over the weekend. He will report to the Phantoms.

Alt, 21, is a former second-round pick (2010) of Carolina and was acquired from the Hurricanes in January along with Brian Boucher.

Alt had a disappointing junior season, with a 15-point dropoff in offensive production, and he saw a decrease in playing time under coach Don Lucia. The top-ranked Gophers were upset by Yale in the NCAA Tournament. Nick Bjugstad, Nate Schmidt, Zach Budish and Erik Haula have all signed in the NHL.

The Flyers love Alt's athleticism. He is mobile, even at 6-3, and he was a star high school quarterback. Alt has the pedigree, too: His father, John Alt, was a two-time Pro Bowl tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs.



Eric Wellwood leaves Phantoms game with injured lower leg

Deanna Vasso, Philly.com

Posted: Sunday, April 7, 2013, 10:08 PM

Eric Wellwood left the game between the Flyers affiliate Adirondack Phantoms and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday during the second period after a skate sliced through the back of his lower right leg.

He left the ice bleeding while the puck was still in play. He never returned to the game after being rushed off the ice. He was then rushed to a nearby hospital in Bridgeport, Conn.

According to the Phantoms,

“Head coach Terry Murray reported that Wellwood was then transported to an area hospital where he had surgery to repair the initial damage. Wellwood will stay overnight in Bridgeport and is possible to have another surgery Monday.”

Wellwood was sent down to the AHL on Jan. 26, after Danny Briere returned to the Flyers from a wrist injury. Wellwood only played four games with the Flyers this season.

With only a month left in the season and the possibility of a second surgery on his injured leg, it is likely that Wellwood's season is over.



With 10 games to go, a daunting task

By Wayne Fish Staff writer

Posted on April 7, 2013

Just 10 games to go for the Flyers and now the margin for error is ... well, there really is none.

When the Flyers resume play on Tuesday night on Long Island to complete a three-game road trip, they will be no less than four points out of a playoff spot.

Based on their poor road record — 5-13-1 — the schedule doesn’t really work in their favor either. Five of the remaining games are away from home, including stops at Buffalo, Montreal, Carolina and a season-ender at Ottawa.

Realistically, the Flyers are going to have to go well over.500 to have a shot at the postseason, maybe something like 7-3 or 8-2. That means they’re going to have to play more like they did in Thursday night’s win at Toronto than Saturday afternoon’s loss at Winnipeg.

Would coach Peter Laviolette consider shaking things up by giving new goaltender Steve Mason a start this week, maybe even the Islanders? After all, he did put together a scoreless third period in Winnipeg after Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov has started all but two of the Flyers’ 38 games and probably could use a breather. But the Flyers are getting a two-day break in their slate, so maybe the Russian continues on this streak of starts.

Perhaps one aspect of the schedule working in the Flyers’ favor is that they will play a lot of those 10 games against teams they are chasing. They have home games against Ottawa, the New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils and the Islanders.

Alt signs

Mark Alt, a defenseman who came over from Carolina in the Brian Boucher trade on Jan. 12, has signed an entry-level contract.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound University of Minnesota product was a plus-19 for the Golden Gophers this past season.

Alt helped Minnesota get to the Frozen Four in 2012. He was a second-round draft pick (53rd overall) of the ‘Canes in 2010. The Flyers dealt Luke Pither to Carolina for Alt and Boucher.

Notes

Mason became the 49th goaltender to appear in a regular season game in Flyers history. He is just the fourth former Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) winner to play for the Flyers at any point in his career, joining Peter Forsberg, Dale Hawerchuk and Brit Selby ... Mason is also just the second right-handed-catching goaltender to play a regular-season game in Flyers history, joining Stephane Beauregard.

Wayne Fish: 215-345-3070; e-mail: [email protected]; twitter: @waynefish1

Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.08.2013


With just 10 games to go, task daunting

Wayne Fish Staff writer

Posted on April 7, 2013

Just 10 games to go for the Flyers and now the margin for error is . . . well, there really is none.

When the Flyers resume play on Tuesday night on Long Island to complete a three-game road trip, they will be no less than five points out of a playoff spot.

Based on their poor road record – 5-13-1 – the schedule doesn’t really work in their favor. Five of the remaining games are away from home, including stops at Buffalo, Montreal, Carolina and a season-ender at Ottawa.

Realistically, the Flyers are going to have to go over .500 to have a shot at the postseason, maybe something like 7-3 or 8-2. That means they’re going to have to play on the road more like they did in Thursday night’s win at Toronto than Saturday afternoon’s loss at Winnipeg.

Would coach Peter Laviolette consider shaking things up by giving new goaltender Steve Mason a start this week, maybe even the Isles? After all, he did put together a scoreless third period in Winnipeg after Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov has started all but two of the Flyers’ 38 games and probably could use a breather. But the Flyers are getting a two-day break in their slate, so maybe the Russian continues on this streak of starts.

Perhaps one aspect of the schedule working in the Flyers’ favor is that they will play a lot of those 10 games against teams they are chasing. They have home games against Ottawa, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and the Islanders.

/n

Alt signs: Mark Alt, a defenseman who came over from Carolina in the Brian Boucher trade on Jan. 12, has signed an entry-level contract.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound University of Minnesota product was a plus-19 for the Golden Gophers this past season.

Alt helped Minnesota get to the Frozen Four in 2012. He was a second-round draft pick (53rd overall) of the ‘Canes in 2010. The Flyers dealt Luke Pither to Carolina for Alt and Boucher.

/n

In case you were wondering. . .: Mason became the 49th goaltender to appear in a regular season game in Flyers history. He is just the fourth former Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) winner to play for the Flyers at any point in his career, joining Peter Forsberg, Dale Hawerchuk and Brit Selby. . .Mason is also just the second right-handed-catching goaltender to play a regular-season game in Flyers history, joining Stephane Beauregard.

Wayne Fish: 215-345-3070; e-mail: [email protected]; twitter: @waynefish1



Jets end Flyers' four-game win streak

Posted: Sunday, April 7, 2013 8:29 am | Updated: 9:25 am, Sun Apr 7, 2013.

Associated Press |

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — A big second period gave the Winnipeg Jets’ playoff hopes a sudden jolt that was desperately needed.

The Jets scored four times in less than seven minutes during the decisive second period and held off the Philadelphia Flyers for a 4-1 victory on Saturday that snapped Winnipeg’s five-game losing streak.

Evander Kane, Grant Clitsome, Kyle Wellwood and Bryan Little scored for the Jets, who dropped from first place in the Southeast Division to 10th in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Ondrej Pavelec made 30 saves.

“We are woefully inconsistent,” Jets coach Claude Noel said.

Ruslan Fedotenko scored for the Flyers, whose four-game winning streak ended. Philadelphia is also on the outside of the postseason chase with only a few weeks left in the regular season.

“They played like they wanted it the last 40 minutes,” Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. “The last four games, we played 60 minutes, and tonight we didn’t.”

Before they started their slide in late March, the Jets (19-19-2) were in control in the Southeast. Now they hope to just get into the tournament.

“Our top players have to be hot and get our team going, and I thought we did a good job of that,” said Kane, who had a goal and an assist. “We had to win this game to give ourselves a shot to even make the playoffs. Our season is on the line right now.”

Winnipeg struggled in the first period when it was outshot 13-4.

Grant Clitsome and Kyle Wellwood scored Winnipeg’s other goals. Blake Wheeler had two assists.

“I just think we shut it down for the second period,” Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds said. “It wasn’t the defense, it wasn’t the goaltending, it was everybody.”

Fedotenko’s long wrist shot from near the blue line beat Pavelec’s glove just past the 11-minute mark of the first. The Jets didn’t get off a shot in the final 15 minutes of the period.

But Winnipeg rallied in the second as it pounded the Philadelphia net, tying the game when Little passed to Clitsome in close and he snapped the puck past Ilya Bryzgalov at 12:38.

Bryzgalov had no time to recover when Kane passed to Wellwood from behind the Philadelphia net, and he made it 2-1 with a quick wrister 27 seconds later.

It was Kane’s turn less than two minutes later when he buried a loose puck after Mike Santorelli was stopped on a wraparound. He earned his first point with the Jets on an assist. He was picked up on waivers on Wednesday.

Little capped things off when he took off on a breakaway and found the corner with less than a minute left in the period.

“That first one kind of gave us momentum and we were flying from there,” he said. “To get that fourth one, it was a bit of a cushion for us and I thought we did a good job protecting it.”

After Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 16 shots, the Flyers pulled him to start the third and put in backup Steve Mason. Mason made his debut since coming to Philadelphia on Wednesday at the trade deadline. He stopped all nine shots he faced.

“It’s funny, but when you focus on the team game and you focus on the accomplishment of winning, how the scoring looks after itself, and the individual scoring takes care of itself,” Noel said.



Flyers Storylines: With 10 games left, no margin for error

April 7, 2013, 3:45 pm

Ten games.

That's all the Flyers have left as they make their final push for a playoff spot. They will play five of their remaining 10 games on the road and five in the comforts of the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers entered Sunday's action sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the seventh-seeded New York Rangers and eighth-seeded New York Islanders.

At this juncture, the Flyers have left themselves with virtually no margin for error and can't afford to throw away anymore valuable points that are up for grabs. They need every possible point they can get.

With that in mind, here are a few storylines we're going to be keeping an eye on this week.

More of Mason?

Newly-acquired netminder Steve Mason made his Flyers debut on Saturday after Ilya Bryzgalov was pulled in a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Mason played the final 20 minutes -- stopping all nine shots fired his way -- but how much more of the 24-year-old will we actually see over the last 10 games of the season?

Bryzgalov has been a workhorse for the orange and black this season, starting 36 of the team's 38 games, but has allowed 14 goals in his last four contests combined.

Should Bryzgalov's shaky play continue or the Flyers fall out of playoff contention, the team will most likely want to get a good look at what Mason can bring to the table moving forward.

Mason is still getting accustomed to the Flyers' defensive schemes and seems eager to start fresh in Philadelphia.

It's unclear how much ice time the 2008-09 Calder Trophy winner will get, but it is certainly something worth keeping an eye on.

Key contributions

Before their crushing loss to the Jets, the Flyers won a season-best four games in a row.

A major reason why the Flyers were able to put that streak together was because of contributions from several players who had been struggling offensively this season.

Take Ruslan Fedotenko for example. The veteran forward had two goals and two assists during the Flyers' win streak after tallying just nine points in his previous 33 games. The 34-year-old even extended his points streak to five games with the Flyers' lone tally in Saturday's loss.

What about second-year center Sean Couturier? The 20-year-old went 15 consecutive games without a point before registering an assist in the Flyers' 3-1 win over Boston last week. He tallied a goal and four helpers during the four-game winning streak and has looked much more confident since busting out of his slump.

It's not all about offense, either. Veteran defenseman Kent Huskins has looked solid on the blue line since joining the Flyers. The 33-year-old has 13 blocked shots and two hits in his four games with the orange and black and has proved to be a dependable option at the fifth or sixth defenseman position.

With all of the injuries the Flyers have sustained this season, they will need to have continued production from their role players if they want to squeeze into the postseason.

4-1

That's the Flyers' record with rookie defenseman Oliver Lauridsen in the lineup.

The 24-year-old has played well since being called up from the Adirondack Phantoms. He even collected his first NHL point with an assist on Simon Gagne's goal against Montreal on Wednesday.

Lauridsen has shown a good physical edge to his game, registering 12 hits in his five contests with the Flyers, and has used his 6-6, 220-pound frame to his advantage in front of his own net.

Sure, Lauridsen has made a few mistakes, overcommitting at times, but the blue liner has been a pleasant surprise for the injury-depleted defensive corps.

Lauridsen was a minus-3 against the Jets, so it should be interesting to see how he responds to his worst game as an NHLer when the Flyers take on the Islanders on Tuesday.



Flyers sign Mark Alt to entry-level contract

April 7, 2013, 12:00 pm

The Flyers on Sunday signed defenseman Mark Alt to an entry-level contract, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.

Alt (6-3, 205) was acquired by the Flyers on Jan. 13 as part of the trade with the Carolina Hurricanes that brought Brian Boucher back to the organization.

"Alt is 6-3, he can skate, he's playing in a good program on a good team," Holmgren said at the time of the trade. "We've liked him. He's a good young prospect."

The 21-year-old recorded seven assists and a plus-19 rating in 39 games with the University of Minnesota this past season.

Carolina selected Alt with the 53rd overall pick in the 2010 draft.



Flyers Notes: Steve Mason makes his debut

April 7, 2013, 10:00 am

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Given how tight the Eastern Conference playoff picture has been, you had to figure that the only way backup goalie Steve Mason would see action is if the Flyers were officially eliminated.

Or if Ilya Bryzgalov got pulled.

The latter occurred Saturday afternoon during an ugly 4-1 loss to the Jets in which Bryzgalov was pulled for the fourth time this season, allowing four goals on just 16 shots (see story).

Mason started the third period and finished the game with no goals allowed on nine shots.

He became the 49th goaltender to appear in a regular season game in Flyers’ history and the fourth this year.

“You have to be ready for anything,” Mason said. “When you look at getting your first taste of playing for the Flyers, this definitely wasn't the most pressure-filled situation.

“My job was to just go in and close the door for the remaining 20 minutes. Obviously, this wasn't the result we were looking for coming here [to Winnipeg]. We were looking to finish off a pretty good stretch and hopefully we'll bounce back against the Islanders.”

Acquired at the trade deadline for Michael Leighton and a third-round pick in 2015, Mason hasn’t had much time to study the Flyers’ defensive schemes or even get used to handoffs with the defense.

He catches right, too, which means those handoffs are different.

“These are entirely new players for me, a new system, "Mason said. "The Eastern Conference is a little bit different. The Western Conference is a lot more rush plays so for a goaltender it's really managing rush speed.

“I tried to make things simple out there and overall it was pretty good. It's something to build off of. Since the trade's been down, I haven't had a practice yet, so I'm looking forward to getting out there with the team and really starting to figure things out here.

“It's a new process, new things to understand and get accustomed to, and over the next couple weeks, I'm looking forward to it.”

He is just the second, right-handed-catching goaltender in Flyers history, joining Stephane Beauregard.

Fedotenko’s streak

Ruslan Fedotenko has a five-game point streak in which he has three goals, including the Flyers lone marker in the 4-1 loss to the Jets.

This matches his longest point streak since May 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

“I feel a little bit more of an opportunity to play, a little bit more ice time, and we're close [to] the playoff games,” Fedotenko said.

“I feel it's more my type of game. It's physical, more aggressive. I've felt pretty good, but I was just kind of waiting a little bit [for] my turn.”

Fedotenko began the season for the Flyers with just five points over his first 15 games. He now centers the “Alumni Line” with Mike Knuble and Simon Gagne and his chances to get points have increased.

“Even in the beginning you're trying to do as much offensively as you can,” he said. “And I feel since we got Knuble and Simon, I feel we have a little connection there to create some more chances, and even lucky ones are going in.”

Loose pucks

Kimmo Timonen, who incurred a leg/foot injury against Toronto, played 23:23. Though he looked to be skating awkwardly in warmups, he seemed fine during the game. … Kent Huskins led the Flyers with five blocked shots. … Rookie defenseman Oliver Lauridsen was minus-3 and veteran

Bruno Gervais was minus-2. … Mason is just the fourth former Calder Trophy winner to play for the Flyers at any point in his career, joining Peter Forsberg, Dale Hawerchuk and Brit Selby. … Winnipeg scored four goals in the second period. That’s the first time this season the Flyers have allowed four goals in a period. The last time? April 3, 2012 against the Rangers.



Flyers got what they needed with minor moves

April 7, 2013, 9:00 am

The theme on e-mails and Twitter this past week regarding the Flyers' moves at the trade deadline had a familiar ring to them: They got a goon, a goalie, and another old winger.

On the surface, one can understand the fans' frustration, especially those from the age group that was around 38 years ago when the Flyers last won a Stanley Cup.

Then there are the season ticket holders, many of whom weren’t even born back then, who have no first-person Cup memories and have been waiting impatiently since the Lindros Era to see a parade on Broad Street.

As for the acquisitions, let’s start with Jay Rosehill, the “goon,” as so many people have labeled him.

Forget the Flyers’ bully image of the past. Has anyone noticed how their skill guys -- Claude Giroux, et al. -- have been getting hit lately?

There has been no active Flyer heavyweight enforcer for a while now. Jody Shelley is done for the season with hip surgery and hadn’t played much to begin with.

Tommy Sestito was picked off waivers by Vancouver as the club attempted to return him to the Phantoms.

Zac Rinaldo, currently injured, is not a heavyweight. Jakub Voracek, currently playing, is not a fighter.

The Flyers needed to get someone with NHL experience who could fight. Rosehill fit the bill. No problem with that.

Let’s skip to the older vet -- 32-year-old Adam Hall.

Once Max Talbot went down, the Flyers needed a depth forward with the ability to take faceoffs -- Hall's 54 percent execution is very good, and he can play on the penalty kill.

Hall didn’t cost them anything. The Flyers simply claimed him off waivers. It was a cost-efficient move for the final 13 games -- that’s a win. And Hall looked good against Toronto on Thursday.

Kent Huskins was not a move inspired by the trade deadline. Once Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros joined Nick Grossmann on the injured front, the Flyers had to get a veteran defenseman with NHL experience.

Huskins looks very comfortable on the ice and seems to settle things down. All he cost the Flyers was a 2014 conditional draft pick. That’s a win, too.

Which brings us to the goalie -- Steve Mason.

Sure, the Flyers could have had Mason a number of times in the past several years, yet something kept them from pursuing a deal.

Once upon a time, he played like a rising star for Ken Hitchcock. Then his star flamed out.

A number of people were stunned to hear goalie coach Jeff Reese actually say Mason could refurbish his game in pressure-packed Philadelphia.

Frankly, this is the last place you want to bring a player -- especially a goaltender -- who is trying to find his game.

But was there a need for a backup goalie? Yes.

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette had zero confidence in Michael Leighton’s ability to spell Ilya Bryzgalov.

The Leighton who shocked the hockey world for three playoff rounds in 2010 hasn’t been seen since the Montreal series to decide the Eastern Conference title.

Starting with the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals on through this season, the “real” Leighton reappeared.

He simply wasn’t good enough in practice, let alone real games, to help the Flyers.

General manager Paul Holmgren made some very bad decisions last summer and Leighton was the worst. Holmgren signed him on the cheap at $900,000, and cheap is what the Flyers got as a backup.

Which brings us back to the question of whether it was a good move to trade for Mason, who has had four years of misery since winning the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year in 2008-09.

The team in front of Mason in Columbus was poor. The team in front of him right now in Philadelphia is slightly better even though its defense is a mess, albeit not as much lately.

Unless Holmgren fixes the defense, neither Bryzgalov nor Mason will find any relief next season.

Goals against is not always a reflection of the goaltender. It’s a reflection of the team in front of him as well, and the Flyers have been a very poor defensive team 5-on-5 much of this season.

What fans wanted to see at the deadline was the Flyers making a bold move to get a scoring winger, like Minnesota did with Jason Pominville, or get a reasonably young impact defenseman who can manage the game, like Shea Weber or Ryan Suter would have represented last summer.

Holmgren’s job this offseason is to find two defensemen, including an impact guy, because there are serious doubts about whether Meszaros will ever be the player he once was.

Not only has Meszaros become injury-prone, he seems afraid of being re-injured when he plays. That’s a lethal combination on the ice.

And how about Coburn ... what has happened to him? He's lost his shot from the point, which was spectacular when he first got here. Now, he’s lost his ability to defend and seems to get stripped of pucks easily.

Coburn is not the player he was a few years ago, but he’s still young enough at 28 that he can recover.

Still, he's had a couple downer seasons wrapped around just one good one lately, and his offensive numbers have been in decline since 2007-08 -- from 0.46 points per game then to 0.15 this year.

The Flyers need to consider whether Coburn is going to recover as player with the Flyers or if he should be moved this summer instead.

League-wide, the one team that boosted its chances the best and outdid everyone else leading up to and through the trade deadline was the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Because the Penguins had no player on long-term injury (LTIR), every contract they got was pro-rated. That saved them millions on the salary cap to add Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray, Jarome Iginla and Jussi Jokinen.

That aside, however, GM Ray Shero’s club also suffered the worst blow of any Cup contender -- the loss of Sidney Crosby to a broken jaw, amid rumors the best player in the game might also be concussed.

So far, the team says Crosby is not experiencing concussion symptoms.

You’ve already seen how the Pens have looked this week without Crosby in the lineup -- their 15-game winning streak came to an end with two defeats in a row. Right there, that could be the difference between a Cup or no Cup.

Similarly, the Boston Bruins, who lost out on both Morrow and Ryane Clowe, did well in picking up Jaromir Jagr. But the loss of Patrice Bergeron to yet another concussion dims their chances for the Cup.

It would have been interesting if Danny Briere (concussion) had been healthy this past week. There's no doubt he would have waived his no-movement clause to head to Boston, where he could work his usual playoff magic.

All of which brings us back around to the Flyers.

Give Holmgren credit for this: He did nothing this week that cost the Flyers a valuable prospect, high draft pick, or a top six player off his roster.

It tells us the Flyers are going to save their valuable chips this summer to restock the blue line, which remains their most pressing need.

Meanwhile, the debate will rage as to whether Bryzgalov would have been better down the stretch if the defense were better and he had more rest. Or

maybe Bryz’s flashes of brilliance in late January into February and early March were just a mirage.

Mason is not here to take his job. He’s the backup.

And twice Holmgren has dodged questions about Bryz’s future in goal.

Ahh, that’s another column for another day.



Flyers still have a path to the playoffs

Apr 8, 2013 |

Randy Miller

Courier-Post Staff

WINNIPEG — Even before this so-called 48-game sprint began, Flyers players and coaches were going on and on about how every single game really would matter in this lockout-shortened NHL season.

There was a lot of talk about how it was more important than ever to get off to a good start, then when that didn't happen, an 0-3 record snowballed into more struggles from a team with high expectations, which led to a most everyone outside their dressing room proclaiming they were done.

They weren't. Winning four in a row last week proved it. They were back in the playoff hunt just two points out of a spot.

And then came last Saturday, a 4-1 afternoon loss in Winnipeg that became extra painful when the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Washington won night games. That left the Flyers five points behind the New York teams for the last playoff spot.

Now they're really, really done, right?

Ah, no.

Not with three weeks of season remaining.

The margin for error is shrinking, though, and it's safe to say Tuesday night's game in Long Island is pretty darned close to a must win.

If the Flyers win, they're right back in it three points behind the Isles with nine to play.

If they lose, they're in deep trouble, especially because there's more teams ahead of them and on the playoff bubble than just the New York teams — Winnipeg, New Jersey and Buffalo.

"We need to win the next game, and when that game's over we need to win the next one after that," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said.

What would really be in the best interest of the 17-18-3 Flyers is winning their two remaining games against the Islanders, beating the Rangers when they meet for the final time and then going 4-3 in their other seven games. A 7-3 finish would bump their point total from 37 to 51, and that probably would give them a fighting chance to making the playoffs. That kind of finish would be enough if a few things that could happen to happen, such as:

The Rangers, who hold the tie-breaker over the Flyers, win just four of their final 10 or the Islanders go 4-5-1 from here on out, plus Devils finish no better than 5-4 and Winnipeg doesn't rack up 12 or more points. The schedule could favor the Flyers. Besides playing three of their final 10 against the Rangers and Islanders, they're home for half of their remaining games. The Rangers end with six of 10 on the road, while the Islanders are home for just three of their final nine and end the season with a five-game road trip to Toronto, Winnipeg, Carolina, Philadelphia and Buffalo.

"Every game is very important," Ruslan Fedotenko said. "We can't think one is more important than another one. It's every game we need every point. It's unfortunate."

Unfortunate yet reality, and the Flyers can only blame themselves for their predicament. They'd be in a lot better situation had they just finished off the Jets after badly outplaying them in a first period that ended with a 1-0 lead. The game changed suddenly in the second when the Jets scored four unanswered goals in 6:28. Just like that, what could have been a five-game winning streak turned into a very costly loss.

"I think this is a little bit of a wakeup call," Scott Hartnell said. "We might have thought maybe it was too easy, we'll just win out and things will be all great here. We gotta take it as a wakeup call to get back at practice and get focused again and get up for the Islanders."

Sunday was a day off, but the Flyers will practice today in Voorhees before heading to Long Island to play a team they are an amazing 29-3-2 against since 2007-08.

"If we're not ready, it doesn't matter what our history is," Fedotenko said. "We have focus on our readiness so we're ready to battle for two points."

The Flyers whipped the Isles 7-0 on Long Island earlier this season, but blew a 2-0 lead in losing a shootout to them at Wells Fargo Center on March 28.

"We've had some success against the Islanders in the past, especially on Long Island, so we've got to stay positive and not get too down," Hartnell said. "Play 60 minutes. That's what we did the last four games and (against Winnipeg) we didn't."

Courier-Post LOADED: 04.08.2013

668839 Phoenix Coyotes

Phoenix Coyotes go on road in chase of Stanley Cup playoff spot

By Sarah McLellan azcentral sports Sun Apr 7, 2013 5:18 PM

In propelling themselves back into the Western Conference playoff conversation, the Coyotes have had to confront the demons that shoved them out of contention in the first place.

They’ve seemed to finally resolve their inconsistency issues, corralling three consecutive wins and a six-game points streak — both season highs.

The impact of a nagging injury bug that’s only left the Coyotes at full strength for the first two games of the season has diminished.

That was clear when the team used three different goalies to win all three games during its latest homestand, including Chad Johnson, who was assigned back to the American Hockey League on Sunday with No. 1 Mike Smith back healthy.

Last week’s stay at home helped the Coyotes jump four spots in the standings, from 13th to ninth after Saturday’s 4-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche.

“It doesn’t really do us much good if we don’t climb a couple more,” captain Shane Doan said. “We’re feeling better, but ninth doesn’t get you anything.”

So if the Coyotes want to keep rising, they’ll have to tackle what’s been the peskiest obstacle this season — a disappointing performance on the road. That challenge starts Monday night in Vancouver before stops in Edmonton and Calgary.

“It’s been one of our team’s strengths in the past, and it’s going to have to be again if we’re going to have any real success,” Doan said.

After posting the third-best road record in the West last season, the Coyotes currently own the third-worst in the league, with only four wins away from Jobing.com Arena.

What didn’t help was how isolated their early road games were. Their first three trips were only a game long and were part of a back-to-back set.

On their next two trips — which were both three games — the Coyotes took points in two of those games each time.

Rather than a fundamental problem, their struggles on the road seem indicative of their play at that juncture of the season.

Their franchise-worst scoring drought led to a 0-3-1 trip in mid-March. They snapped a seven-game losing streak on their next road swing but were still a fragile group, blowing late leads in two games to only earn a point.

That would suggest that this visit to western Canada should be a victorious one based on the team’s recent revival.

“Going on this road trip, you know it’s a legitimate chance,” Doan said. “We take of our own business, we keep on winning, we’re going to have a chance to maybe get into the playoffs. The last six points were huge, and we got them, but they don’t mean much if you go on this road trip and kind of lay an egg, so you have to be good.”

If their play the past week is the template for success, the Coyotes will be encouraged by how similar the structure of this three-game trek is to the homestand.

The Coyotes were motivated to beat the Los Angeles Kings, a squad in a comfortable playoff position (like the Canucks). They recognized the opportunity in keeping two points away from the Detroit Red Wings, Flames).

“As long as we win games, we give ourselves a chance to sneak in,” Smith said. “That’s all we can control.”

Canucks update

The Canucks have won eight of their past 10 games and have scored nine goals over the course of their past two wins. They’ve knocked the Minnesota Wild out of the top spot in the Northwest Division to sit third in the West with 48 points. C Henrik Sedin, who has two goals and three

assists in his past two games, leads the Canucks with 36 points. G Cory Schneider has regained control of the starting job even though the Canucks held onto Roberto Luongo at the NHL trade deadline. Schneider’s save percentage (.926) and goals-against average (2.16) rank among the top 10 in the league. C Derek Roy, who the Canucks added at the deadline, has an assist in two games so far with the team.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.08.2013


NHL hoping to keep Coyotes in Phoenix

Associated Press Sun Apr 7, 2013 9:06 PM

DETROIT — The NHL’s goal is the keep the Coyotes in Phoenix.

Whether it will happen is still in doubt.

Speaking at the league’s announcement of the 2014 Winter Classic on Sunday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s focus is to leave the Coyotes in the desert.

“We’re not planning on moving Phoenix as we stand here today,” he said.

The Coyotes have been run by the NHL since 2009, when former owner Jerry Moyes took the team into bankruptcy in a bid to sell to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who would move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. The NHL vehemently opposed that plan, and a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge later refused to allow the sale to go through.

The Coyotes have had several suitors since then, but haven’t been able to complete a deal.

The latest, with former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison, fell through when his group couldn’t come through with its finances in time to meet a deadline on a 20-year, $308 million lease agreement with the City Glendale for Jobing.com Arena.

Despite reports that the league has looked at relocating the franchise, Bettman said it hasn’t looked at that option yet.

“We haven’t been exploring the alternatives,” Bettman said. “We are exploring everything we can do to work this out, and there seems to be considerable interest. If you go through the history of this, there have been lots of reasons — not excuses, but lots of reasons — this has taken a lot of time. There seems to be now, in the calm of the moment, a lot more interest than we’ve ever seen.”

Canadian businessmen George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc submitted a purchase bid last week, and a group led by Buffalo, N.Y. businessman Darin Pastor also put in a proposal.

Jamison is still working on a deal, and former suitor Matthew Hulsizer is reportedly interested.

Bettman said the league would select an ownership bid before talking with Glendale about a lease agreement for Jobing.com Arena. The city recently hired a company to find a manager to run the arena and handle negotiations with prospective owners.

“I’ve been in regular touch with the mayor and we agreed that when we get a framework lined up, then we would come see the city,” Bettman told reporters. “We don’t want the city to have to expend resources and time getting involved until there’s something concrete to present to them.”

Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.08.2013


Bettman: More interest in Coyotes than ever

April 7, 2013, 6:28pm

Staff Report

HOME STRETCH: NHL on fast track to selecting potential Coyotes buyer; then comes tricky part.

Just two days after FOXSportsArizona.com's Craig Morgan reported that at least three ownership groups are pursuing a potential purchase of the Coyotes, possibly under pressure from the NHL due to a desire to move forward after four years without an owner, Commissioner Gary Bettman said Sunday that the league is not yet exploring relocation and has recently received more interest in the team than ever before.

Bettman, speaking at the league's announcement of the 2014 Winter Classic, spoke at length about the Coyotes' situation, as reported by Yahoo Sports' Nik Cotsonika. With investment professionals George Gosbee and Darin Pastor both submitting ownership paperwork this week, long-involved suitor Greg Jamison still in the mix and one-time frontrunner Matthew Hulsizer possiby still involved, Bettman said interest in the franchise isn't an issue.

“There seems to be more interest at this particular point in time than we’ve seen throughout the process,” Bettman told reporters.

And he made it clear that, at least at this point in time, the NHL still has every intention of finalizing a deal to keep the team in Glendale.

“We’re not planning on moving Phoenix as we stand here today,” Bettman said, according to Cotsonika. Asked if a decision on relocation was imminent, he responded, “No. When it becomes imminent, we’ll tell you. We apparently aren’t operating on the same time frame that a lot of (reporters) are."

This despite widely circulated reports that the league intends to either complete a deal to keep the team in the desert or begin exploring relocation options by the start of the NHL playoffs on April 30, now less than four weeks away.

“We haven’t been exploring the alternatives,” Bettman said. “We are exploring everything we can do to work this out, and there seems to be considerable interest. If you go through the history of this, there have been lots of reasons -- not excuses, but lots of reasons -- this has taken a lot of time. There seems to be now, in the calm of the moment, a lot more interest than we’ve ever seen.”

Bettman also confirmed, as was stated in the FOXSportsArizona.com report, that the league will be selecting an ownership bid to pursue before approaching Glendale to work out a lease agreement, which has long been a stumbling block to completing a sale. Jamison worked out a deal with the city last year but, following the NHL lockout, was unable to complete the purchase of the franchise from the league.

"I’ve been in regular touch with the mayor, and we agreed that when we get a framework lined up, then we would come see the city," Bettman told reporters. "We don’t want the city to have to expend resources and time getting involved until there’s something concrete to present to them.”

Much of the questioning beyond the details of the current state of the ownership search focused on Seattle, often cited as the likely landing spot if the Coyotes were to relocate. A Seattle-based group has been attempting to purchase and move the NBA's Sacramento Kings and is developing an arena that could support both professional basketball and hockey.

And while Bettman's initial comments downplayed the possibility of relocating the Coyotes, his comments on Seattle left room for speculation.

“The research I’ve seen tells me that it would be a very strong hockey market,” Bettman said, according to the Yahoo report. “I haven’t looked at it in detail, but it’s all anecdotal and third hand. Obviously, if there were a team in Seattle, it might foster a pretty decent rivalry with the northern neighbor, namely Vancouver.

“But that doesn’t mean that anybody should take from that comment that we’re necessarily focused on Seattle or we’re planning on expanding there.

You asked the question about Seattle. I wouldn’t have raised it. But it’s obviously an interesting market."

foxsportsarizona.com LOADED: 04.08.2013

668842 Pittsburgh Penguins

Morrow’s value to Pens should come in playoffs

By Josh Yohe

Penguins winger Brenden Morrow hasn't scored yet for his new team, hasn't done anything especially flashy and hasn't received as much attention as some other new acquisitions.

Morrow isn't concerned, nor is anyone else in the organization. General manager Ray Shero brought Morrow to Pittsburgh because of what he will contribute in the playoffs.

“If we could add grit and leadership to our top nine, we wanted that element,” Shero told the Tribune-Review about the trade to acquire Morrow in exchange for former Penguins prospect Joe Morrow.

“That led us to the Morrow deal. His game is not so much about stats and goals, even though I believe he will chip in. He could be that battle-tested guy who comes up big for us in many ways.”

Shero and coach Dan Bylsma are hardly concerned by Morrow's lack of production since joining the Penguins. Rather, they see him punishing defensemen in corners and making his patented beeline toward the net and imagine the damage he will do in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The reality that Morrow possesses leadership skills that remind the front office of former right wing Bill Guerin doesn't hurt.

Morrow has delivered a team-high 15 hits during the past three games, including a number of punishing blows against the Rangers in Friday's 2-1 victory. He has been a steady, respected locker room presence from Day 1.

“He has been as advertised,” Bylsma said. “He's added some punch to our physicality. He's been a real factor.”

In the postseason, power-play opportunities and pretty goals typically decline. Dirty goals are often the difference, and Morrow figures to score his share.

“Of course, I wish I had already scored,” Morrow explained.

But he isn't the least bit concerned.

“Throughout my career,” Morrow explained, “I just do the simple things and I keep going to the net. Eventually, the hockey gods start sending the bounces my way.”

Bylsma has been quite pleased with Morrow.

“He's a straightforward player,” Bylsma said. “He gets to the forecheck, gets in front of the net, and he doesn't get far away from the net. He's been excellent there. I'm disappointed that we haven't cashed in on him being in front of the net.”

Morrow doesn't stray far from the net and doesn't figure to stray far from center Brandon Sutter and left wing Matt Cooke. If the Penguins' lineup is healthy in the playoffs — or even if it isn't — those three players figure to comprise the third line.

Bylsma wants a third line that will be physically disruptive and defensively responsible. In Sutter, Morrow and Cooke, he sees such a line.

“That's fine with me,” Morrow said. “With the depth that we have on this team, I don't really think anybody will be unhappy with who they play with. But if it's the three of us, that's fine. I think that can be a really good line.”

Scoring might not always be the priority for that line, but that doesn't mean Morrow doesn't intend on chipping in. The 34-year-old veteran has been around long enough to know that his style better translates to the postseason — and the postseason is why the Penguins acquired him.

“I feel like I'm getting to the right places to score goals and doing the right things,” Morrow said. “I haven't scored yet, but that's OK. Eventually, it's going to happen.”

Note: The Penguins have recalled winger Beau Bennett from Wilkes-Barre.

Josh Yohe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at [email protected] or via Twitter @JoshYohe_Trib.

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.08.2013


Penguins clinch playoff berth

By Josh Yohe

The Penguins clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Sunday night when the New Jersey Devils fell in a shootout against the Buffalo Sabres.

A victory in Carolina on Tuesday might be enough to clinch the Penguins their first divisional title since 2008.

The Penguins are the first team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot. A 15-game winning streak in March propelled the Penguins to the top of the conference.

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Penguins clinched a playoff berth Sunday.

The Penguins have qualified for the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons.

— Josh Yohe

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.08.2013


Penguins recall rookie winger Beau Bennett

April 7, 2013 2:50 pm

By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Penguins today recalled rookie winger Beau Bennett from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Bennett has three assists in four games since he was assigned to the Penguins' farm club for roster size purposes. In 19 NHL games with the Penguins this season, he has two goals, nine points.

Post Gazette LOADED: 04.08.2013


Connecticut invades Frozen Four with Quinnipiac and Yale

April 8, 2013 12:06 am

By Sam Werner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Yale and Quinnipiac's home rinks are separated by about eight miles down Whitney Avenue in New Haven, Conn. There's a chance Saturday night the two teams could be divided only by the red line at Consol Energy Center.

The two teams head into this weekend's Frozen Four with hopes of bringing the NCAA championship trophy back to Connecticut.

Both teams would have to win their respective semifinals -- Yale against Massachusetts Lowell and Quinnipiac against St. Cloud State -- to set up an all-Nutmeg State final, but their presence in Pittsburgh is a significant milestone for college hockey in Connecticut.

Before this season, neither seemed like a favorite to reach the Frozen Four. Quinnipiac went from unranked in the preseason polls to the No. 1 team for most of the season. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, barely snuck into the 16-team NCAA tournament field but knocked off giants Minnesota and North Dakota en route to their first Frozen Four appearance since 1952.

An in-state Frozen Four showdown, usually reserved for schools from Massachusetts, Minnesota or Michigan, is now within reach. On both sides, though, players and coaches weren't concerned with meeting a local rival in the title game.

"It's funny how many times I've been asked that question already, and like I said, it doesn't matter who I play or who we play," Quinnipiac senior defenseman Zack Currie said. "We want to win that national championship. That's a huge goal we have here. And whoever gets put in front of us, that's who we're going to focus on and that's who we're going to have to deal with."

Quinnipiac holds a 10-5-2 edge in the budding rivalry that dates to the Bobcats joining the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in 2005.

Three of those wins for the Bobcats came this season. Quinnipiac swept the home-and-home regular-season series, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win, 6-2, in February at Yale.

When Yale senior forward Andrew Miller was asked if he wanted another shot at Quinnipiac, he didn't take the bait.

"We want a shot to play for a national championship," Miller said. "So we've put ourselves in a position to do that. If we get the opportunity to play in a national championship game, that would be great."

While neither camp would comment on playing a local rival, both agreed it was a positive for the ECAC to have two teams in the Frozen Four. The ECAC, widely considered to be inferior to other power conferences such as the WCHA and Hockey East, hasn't had two teams on college hockey's biggest stage since 1983.

"It may be good for ECAC, definitely good for ECAC to have the two teams there," Currie said. "But we're focused on our first game here against St. Cloud and whoever is in that second game, hopefully we can meet [Yale] there."



Adams a cool cat killing penalties for Penguins


Craig Adams knows what it must look like with four guys trying to shut down this shooting lane, then that passing lane, maybe knock the puck away from an opponent and, if all goes well, heave it down the ice.

"When I'm out there, I don't feel as frantic as [it looks]," the Penguins forward said of working on the penalty-kill. "I'm pretty relaxed, pretty focused.

"Even if it looks really close or they get a good chance, I'm not getting all excited about it -- whereas if I was on the power play, I'd probably be nervous."

Adams smiled at that last thought.

He leads the forwards with an average of 2 minutes, 51 seconds a game while short-handed, but never gets a sniff of the power play. At his age -- he turns 36 a day before the regular season ends -- Adams is not likely to grow into a power-play position.

His role on the team is set. Adams is a fourth-liner and penalty-killer who plays with tenacity, grit, a pinch of offense -- he has three goals, six points in 39 games going into a game Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C. -- and the smarts that go with having a Harvard degree.

It has been that way since the Penguins shrewdly picked him up off of waivers from Chicago a few months before the team won the 2009 Stanley Cup title.

Whether it remains that way into next season is a question that will need to be addressed. Adams is eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season, and the Penguins will be loaded with too many forwards on the 23-man roster when it kicks in again next season if they bring everyone back. There currently is no roster limit.

"Of course you think about it. I think about it all the time," Adams said. "Not to the point where it gets in the way of work, but whenever it's your career and you have a family to take care of, you're always conscious of what's coming next, where you're going to be working."

He would like it to be with the Penguins moving ahead.

"This organization is first class from top to bottom," he said. "That makes it a fun place to play and a pleasure to be a part of."

Working in Adams' favor is that he is comfortable playing any of the three forward positions. He has been primarily a right winger this season.

"Anything's good for me," Adams said. "As long as I'm out there."

Center, by definition, comes with some extra defensive responsibilities and faceoff duties, but there are some issues playing on the wing, too.

"Probably the biggest challenges on wing are the wall plays in our end," Adams said. "It seems like most teams we play against nowadays, they send their [defensemen] hard down the wall. One of the toughest plays in hockey, I think, is trying to get a puck coming off the wall with a big defenseman coming down on you, and you know your job is to get the puck out [of your end] or make a play with it."

It was a play along the wall nearly two weeks ago that led to Adams' latest black eye. He got bloodied when he took a puck to the face in a game against Montreal.

Adams doesn't wear a protective visor, and he has only given a cursory thought to adding one to his helmet.

"I've had some discussions with my wife about it," Adams said. "I can't say I've seriously considered it yet. Maybe I'll think about it more."

Defenseman Brooks Orpik began wearing a visor earlier this season. That's what sparked Adams' conversation with his wife. Then, nine days ago, team captain Sidney Crosby got hit in the mouth with a puck, fracturing his jaw and knocking out some teeth.

"Obviously, Sid's got a visor on and it didn't help," Adams said. "It is definitely dangerous with pucks flying around, but when you're out there in the game, you really don't think about it. You're focused.

"It's a different thing in practice. If you're standing in front of the net and pucks are coming high, all you want to do is get out of the way, but in a game you're really focused. Unfortunately, bad bounces happen, but for the most part you have a pretty good idea where the puck is."

That kind of puck-tracking focus is essential when you are short-handed, an area that has slipped some this season, which befuddles Adams.

The Penguins are killing penalties at an 80.3 percent clip, which ranked 20th in the NHL. They finished third a year ago at 87.8 percent and in 2010-11 led the league at 86.1 percent.

"Our penalty-kill hasn't been as good as we've hoped this year," Adams said. "It's been hard to figure out why."

The Penguins recently had a stretch of 10 games where they killed 28 of 30 penalties, or 93.3 percent, including a couple of important three-on-five kills. Then things crashed Wednesday in a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers, who scored on 3 of 4 power plays.

In a rematch Friday, the Penguins killed the two power plays the Rangers had in a 2-1 shootout win.

"We slipped with our execution and maybe some aggressiveness along the way," Adams said. "I feel like we're getting back to that now

"We know that down the stretch and into the playoffs, those kills are going to become more and more important."

•

NOTES -- The Penguins recalled rookie winger Beau Bennett from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He had three assists in four games since he was sent to the AHL for roster room purposes. ... The Penguins on Sunday had a second day in a row off from practice. ... There were no updates on Crosby or winger James Neal, who seemed disoriented when he left a game Friday against the New York Rangers after being hit in the head by an elbow.



Penguins secure playoff spot as New Jersey loses to Buffalo


The Penguins secured a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs Sunday night by virtue of New Jersey's 3-2 shootout loss to Buffalo. The Penguins became the second National Hockey League team to secure a playoff spot. Minutes before New Jersey's loss, Chicago nailed down a berth in the West with a win over Nashville.

The Penguins lead the Eastern Conference with 58 points in 39 games. This season was shortened to 48 games because of a lockout that pushed the start back to Jan. 19.

This will be the Penguins' seventh consecutive postseason appearance. They won the Stanley Cup in 2009 but have won just one playoff series since then. They lost in the first round each of the last two years.

With several Eastern teams jockeying for a spot in the playoffs or for a higher seed, the Penguins' first-round opponent might not be determined until close to the end of the season.

The Penguins' last regular-season game is April 27 at home against Carolina. The playoffs begin April 30.


668848 San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks lose in shootout 5-4 to Dallas Stars

By David Pollak

Posted: 04/07/2013 04:22:05 PM PDT

Updated: 04/07/2013 04:45:54 PM PDT

SAN JOSE — The Sharks couldn't make it a clean sweep of their seven-game homestand Sunday afternoon, dropping a 5-4 shootout decision to the Dallas Stars after twice failing to hold a two-goal lead.

Dallas forward Jamie Benn scored the only shootout goal, beating goaltender Antti Niemi on the stick side while Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen stopped shots by Logan Couture, Dan Boyle and Brent Burns.

The loss ended San Jose's winning streak at seven games, but the one point at least temporarily moved San Jose into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference.

The San Jose goals in regulation came from Tommy Wingels, Brent Burns, TJ Galiardi and Marc-Edouard Vlasic while the Stars got two goals from Alex Chiasson and one each from Eric Nystrom and Loui Eriksson.

The game also marked agitator Raffi Torres's first as a Shark and he earned two assists in addition to drawing one penalty and being a disruptive force for San Jose.

The Sharks scored the only goal of the first period when Logan Couture stripped a Dallas defender of the puck behind his own net, then threw it into the slot. Patrick Marleau whiffed, but Wingels connected with a 20-foot wrist shot at 8:39.

Burns made it a 2-0 game at 3:06 of the second period when his shot from the right faceoff circle found a short-side spot between Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, but the lead didn't last long.

Shortly after Burns scored, however, Dallas found the back

of the San Jose net twice in a span of 26 seconds to make it a 2-2 game. A Vlasic turnover along the board led to Nystrom's goal at 3:41 and after San Jose had trouble clearing the puck in front of its net on the next shift, Chiasson tied it by converting a rebound of a host by Jamie Benn.

The Sharks showed their resiliency, however, on a beautiful goal by Galiardi on a play that started with Torres pressuring Nystrom into coughing up the puck. It found its way to Galiardi, whose spin-o-rama backhand move from 22-feet out seemed to catch Lehtonen off guard.

It took a video review by NHL officials in Toronto for the Sharks to make it 4-2 as Vlasic's wraparound attempt wasn't called a goal on the ice, though replays showed it did cross the line.

Dallas got the next two goals, however — Chiasson's second of the game at 6:07 of the third period on a nice pass from Ray Whitney, and Erikkson knocking a rebound past Niemi at 9:14.

Torres's presence in the lineup meant somebody had to sit and that turned out to be James Sheppard.

"Shep is coming out and by no means is it a reflection on his performance. He's played well," McLellan said. "But we have to get some people into the lineup and get them playing so they get accustomed to what we're trying to do. And we're running out of games to do that."

Defenseman Jason Demers also played after missing the past four games with a head injury suffered when he was hit March 28 by Detroit Red Wings center Cory Emmerton. Rookie Matt Tennyson, who was called up from Worcester when Demers was hurt, was a healthy scratch.

"Again, it's not a reflection on poor play. It's getting Demers back in," McLellan said.

Niemi earned his first point of the season with an assist on Burns's second-periood goal.

The Sharks were trying to become the first NHL team with a perfect record on a homestand of seven games or more, according to STATS.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Sharks lose to Stars 5-4 in shootout

Ross McKeon

Updated 10:58 pm, Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Sharks squandered a pair of two-goal leads during a game Sunday that could have resulted in an NHL record.

Instead of becoming the first team in league history to win all seven games of a homestand, San Jose has to hope its 5-4 shootout loss to Dallas isn't a prelude of things to come.

Sunday's meltdown was the first of six games in 10 days for the Sharks, who frittered away a lot of the feel-good created by their recent success.

It's off on the road for four straight starting Tuesday in Columbus, knowing it will take better focus and a test of the team's depth to maintain its playoff standing in the tightly packed Western Conference race.

The Sharks, whose seven-game winning streak was snapped, held steady in fifth place with 47 points, but Minnesota (46) and St. Louis (44) each got a point closer.

"There's a way we play at home ... we have to try to bring that on the road," Sharks forward Joe Pavelski said.

Well, the way the Sharks played at home for the previous six before letting a 2-0 second-period lead slip away in a matter of 26 seconds, and a 4-2 lead disappear in the first half of the third period.

"A lot of mistakes, we were not very quick," Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said. "It was just a function of not focusing and not getting the job done."

Jamie Benn scored the lone goal in the shootout and Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen denied Logan Couture, Dan Boyle and Brent Burns, all after the Sharks had two of the three shots taken in overtime to outshoot the Stars 36-33 after 65 minutes.

"I didn't like our game the whole" day, McLellan said. "It was nice we scored four goals, but we had a lot of key high-end, high-minute people who didn't perform very well."

The loss put a damper on the debut of Raffi Torres, a deadline-day acquisition from Phoenix who contributed two assists and was a disciplined, physical force on a newly formed third line with Pavelski and T.J. Galiardi.

"I thought they were our best line," McLellan said. "They spend a lot of time forechecking in the other team's zone. Raffi was on the score sheet positively and people knew when he was on the ice. A real good start for him."

Tommy Wingels scored the lone goal in the opening period when he one-timed a centering feed from Couture that was intended for Patrick Marleau. Burns made it 2-0 early in the second with a screamer just inside the near post from the right side.

The Stars tied it when Eric Nystrom and Alex Chiasson scored within 26 seconds early in the middle period.

Torres jarred Nystrom into an offensive-zone turnover and fed Galiardi, who scored on a perfect no-look backhand shot at 7:48 of the second. Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored following a lengthy review at 15:31 for a two-goal edge.

Chiasson scored his second of the game at 6:07 and Loui Eriksson banged home a short rebound at 9:14 of the third to tie it.

"We score four goals, good, but we gave up way too many," Pavelski said. "Guys aren't happy with that."

The other side of the coin is the Sharks were in desperate need of wins at the outset of the homestand and they got them.

"The fact is we're 7-0-1 in our last eight, so we shouldn't be too down," Wingels said.

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 04.08.2013


McLellan: 'I didn’t like our game, basically, the whole night'

Kevin Kurz

April 7, 2013, 6:00 pm

SAN JOSE – The satisfaction of recording 13 out of a possible 14 points on their longest homestand of the season wasn’t enough to outweigh the Sharks’ disgust with blowing a pair of two-goal leads to the rebuilding Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon at HP Pavilion.

[INSTANT REPLAY: Stars top Sharks in shootout]

San Jose saw leads of 2-0 and 4-2 disappear in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Stars, who are a long shot to make it to the postseason after dealing Jaromir Jagr, Derek Roy and captain Brenden Morrow before the trade deadline. It was just the third loss for the Sharks when they led after two periods (13-1-2), and Dallas’ second win when trailing after 40 minutes (2-12-0).

The Sharks’ seven-game winning streak is over, too, and now they’ll embark on a four-game road trip, where they have struggled mightily.

“Pretty disappointed,” Tommy Wingels said of the game. “We’re happy with the homestand as a whole, but you’re only as good as your latest performance. There are things we need to clean up, and move on.”

The defensive zone play was particularly troubling, after it had been so good in recent weeks. San Jose allowed 34 shots on goal, the most it had given up since March 14 against the Kings. The Stars had the territorial advantage in the final two periods, and were rewarded when goals by Alex Chiasson and Loui Erriksson tied the game at 4-4. After a scoreless overtime, Jamie Benn was the only player to convert in the shootout.

“I didn’t like our game, basically, the whole night,” Todd McLellan said. “A lot of mistakes, and we didn’t really look very quick.”

Joe Pavelski said: “We definitely let a point slip away. We score four goals, that’s good, but we give up way too many with too many chances. ... We give up two quick ones to let it get to even, take the lead again, and then it’s the same sort of thing. Guys aren’t happy with that.”

The Sharks remain in fifth place in the Western Conference with 47 points (20-11-7). The Los Angeles Kings own the tiebreaker by virtue of 21 regulation/overtime wins, while the Sharks have just 14.

In their last 10 games, the Sharks will face the Stars twice more, including again in Dallas in less than a week. The win puts the Stars in 10th place in the West, four points out of a playoff spot.

“They’re going to play hard and have got a lot of young kids up, and they’re going to work,” Pavelski said. “That’s the biggest thing. We’ve got to work. We knew that coming in and did that at times, but consistently we didn’t do that enough.”

Bad feelings aside, the Sharks can only view the homestand as a resounding success. When it began, they sat in eighth place in the conference, and the team’s record over the previous seven weeks was an appalling 7-11-6. Now, it’s hard to imagine the Sharks missing the postseason, as they are seven points ahead of ninth-place Phoenix.

The challenge now will be taking it on the road. San Jose is a league-best 14-1-5 on its home ice, but just 6-10-2 in the road whites. Six of the Sharks’ final 10 games are away.

“It was a good homestand, I like to look at the positives,” Joe Thornton said. “Now, we’ve got to go win some games on the road. All-in-all, we needed to win some games at home, and we did.”

Pavelski said: “There’s been a certain way we’ve played since we’ve been home, and it’s been a fairly simple game. On the road, that’s one of the things you focus on, is keeping it simple and keeping the crowd out of it and don’t kill yourself with turnovers. We did that pretty well while we were at home, so let’s try and take that formula on the road.”

There’s a chance Pavelski could be hearing from the NHL league office in regards to a play in the first period.

Vern Fiddler cross-checked the Sharks’ center in the lower back in the first minute of the game, flattening Pavelski. It took Pavelski a moment to get back to his skates, at which time he swung his stick and made solid contact with Fiddler’s face. He received just a minor penalty, even though it might be viewed as a retaliatory strike.

“Obviously, I’m not trying to do that,” Pavelski said. “It’s unfortunate it gets up there, and you’ve got to move on. I was more trying to be engaged in battle after the cross-check. Obviously, it’s an errant stick, and I’ve got to watch that a little better.”

Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was recently fined, but not suspended, for his slash of Minnesota’s Dany Heatley in the closing seconds of a 4-2 Sharks win on April 3.



Torres: 'They made it easy for me'

Kevin Kurz

April 7, 2013, 5:30 pm

SAN JOSE – There was a fair smattering of boos when Raffi Torres was introduced as one of the starters in the Sharks’ afternoon tilt with Dallas on Sunday at HP Pavilion.

They were all cheers, though, when his name was called twice more over the public address system when the newcomer recorded the primary assist on both of the Sharks’ second period goals.

The Sharks went on to lose in a shootout to Dallas, 5-4, but Torres, TJ Galiardi and Joe Pavelski were the most effective line of the afternoon, according to head coach Todd McLellan. Despite the loss, it was a successful debut for the man that many Sharks fans had grown to hate over recent years.

“I felt good,” said Torres, who was scratched on Friday after he was not feeling well the night before. “I had a good night last night and slept well, and I was excited. I didn’t have to think about it too much today with the early game.”

McLellan said: “He was involved on the score sheet positively. Physical on the ice, people knew when he was out there. A real good start for him.”

Torres' aggressive forecheck of Eric Nystrom led to Galiardi’s fancy spinning backhander in the second period, giving the Sharks a 3-2 lead. San Jose increased it to 4-2 when Torres got his point shot on net, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic tucked the rebound inside the post for a wraparound goal. The lead wouldn't last.

[KURZ: Successful homestand ends in bad defeat]

In 13 minutes and 29 seconds of ice time, all at even strength, Torres had one shot, was a +2 and had a game-high seven hits to go along with his pair of assists. It was his fifth multiple-point game of the season, and second straight two-assist performance, with the previous coming on April 2 in his last game with Phoenix.

“It’s just getting pucks to the net and creating turnovers,” he said. “That’s where I can be effective.”

Joe Pavelski said: “He had a lot of energy out there. He was throwing his weight around, got a few pucks to the net. He was simple to play with, [skated in] straight lines, and it’s big for our team. He brings some speed, and he can play.”

Galiardi’s goal will probably be featured on some NHL highlight reels in the coming days, but it wouldn’t have happened without Torres’ help. Like Pavelski, Galiardi gave the impression that he enjoyed being Torres' linemate.

“He’s great, he just moves the puck quick, and he’s a give-and-go player,” Galiardi said. “I think we could have connected a couple more times. It was a pleasure, and he’s pretty tough, so you don’t really worry about other guys on the other team too much.”

And the goal?

“Raffi did most of the work and the puck was sitting there for me, and I just figured I’d spin and fire and put it on net,” Galiardi said. “Luckily, it went in.”

Even before he got on the scoresheet, though, the crowd started to warm to Torres during a shift midway though the first period. He blitzed into the Stars’ zone and hit Erik Cole, and then got under the skin of defenseman Brenden Dillon. Dillon’s cross-check of Torres into the boards gave the Sharks a power play they were unable to capitalize on.

“I’m not much of a talker, it’s just finishing my hits and some guys don’t like it too well out there,” Torres said. “I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”

“I thought he played an excellent game for us tonight,” Joe Thornton said.


668852 St Louis Blues

Blues, Elliott blank Detroit 1-0

Jeremy Rutherford

DETROIT • The Blues matched their season-high winning streak with their fourth straight victory Sunday, blanking the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in a matinee at Joe Louis Arena.

Brian Elliott recorded his 19th career shutout and Chris Porter gave the offense the only scoring it needed with his second goal of the season.

Elliott’s shutout was his first since last March and the win marked the Blues’ first shutout in Detroit since Dec. 9, 2009.

The Blues had to sweat out the last period, when Detroit had nine of its 28 shots in the game. But the new-and-improved Elliott made each of the stops, including a game-save on the Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk with 20 seconds remaining.

After back-to-back solid starts by Elliott in Chicago and Jake Allen against Columbus, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock had a decision to make in net Sunday against Detroit. But it didn’t appear the coach could go wrong either way.

In his search for traction, however, Elliott played like he out to prove Hitchcock made the right call. The netminder demonstrated before the team even took the ice that his reflexes were at peak-performance level.

Elliott was jumping rope near where the rest of the Blues were kicking a soccer ball. A ball got loose and rolled to Elliott, who without missing a beat kicked the ball back to the group and kept the rope humming.

After a scoreless first period, Elliott stayed humming in the second stanza. A turnover by defenseman Jordan Leopold led to a breakaway by Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist. Elliott got a piece of the attempt with his right arm.

The Blues then gave Elliott offensive support and it came from a player who has increased his contributions in that end recently.

The club played Sunday without Andy McDonald (flu), and when Hitchcock went to reconfigure his forward combinations, he placed Porter on a line with Patrik Berglund and Chris Stewart.

Like Elliott, Porter repaid Hitchcock for the promotion, scoring the Blues’ goal in the second period.

Defenseman Barret Jackman moved the puck out of the team’s zone, giving control to Porter. On a rush with Patrik Berglund, a loose puck ping-ponged in front of the net and lay near Howard. Porter put on the brakes in front of the crease and when got a glimpse of the rubber, he poked it in to break the stalement.

Porter has three points in his last three games and 13 shots in his last six games, mostly on the fourth line.

The Blues’ iron-clad penalty-killing unit made the lead hold up, holding off the Detroit power play on three chances Sunday. The Blues’ PK has now erased 18 consecutive opponent power plays over the last seven games and 28 of 29 over the last 12 games.

Bluenotes

With only 11 healthy forwards, the club dressed Russell, the odd-man out defensively the previous two games, at left wing on a line with Adam Cracknell and Ryan Reaves.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.08.2013


Hockey Guy: Elliott stands tall in Motown

Jeff Gordon

Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk stick-handled toward the slot from the left wing as regulation time wound down.

He had plenty of room to work. Skating left, Datsyuk snapped a shot toward the inside of the right post with 20.9 seconds left to play. Blues goaltender Brian Elliott snagged it with his trapper, making the final big save in a remarkable performance.

Elliott shut out the Red Wings 1-0, stopping 28 shots. He won his third consecutive game after rising, Phoenix-like, from the ashes of an awful season.

When the Blues needed great goaltending the most, Elliott delivered. He won in relief of the injured Jaroslav Halak in Minnesota. He prevailed in a wild shootout at Chicago.

And then he saved his best for national television, holding off the Red Wings in Motown Sunday afternoon.

Who saw this coming? From this corner of cyberspace it looked like the Blues should have exposed Elliott to waivers earlier this season and move on without him.

For weeks he had nothing to do. Then he went to Peoria for two games of rust removal . . . and he came back a new man, but he made some brilliant stops as well.

Not only did he make all the routine stops in the game, controlling most rebounds in the process,

Elliott held the fort after defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk lost an edge in the middle of the ice and allowed Gustav Nyquist to attack on a clean break-in. Nyquist tried to go high on the short side and Elliott got his arm up to rob him.

This was the sort of save the Blues did not get earlier this season from Elliott or Halak. Whenever they made big mistake, the puck seemed to end up in the net.

Midway through the third period, Elliott made an excellent pad save on a Datsyuk blast. Later in the period he gloved a backhand shot by Henrik Zetterberg breaking down the middle.

The Red Wings tilted the ice against the Blues during the game's final minutes, but Elliott never buckled under pressure.

This victory was the fourth in a row for the Blues, who appear to be gathering steam for their last 11 games. With rookie Jake Allen also playing well in goal, coach Ken Hitchcock finally has the sort of comforting goaltending scenario he enjoyed last season.

Here are some more thoughts on the game:

With Andy McDonald (flu) joining T.J. Oshie on the injured list for the game, the Blues had to play more of a grinding game. Their absence subtracted a lot of speed and skill from the lineup.

Chris Porter played a heavy game, as today's coaches like to say, up on the Patrik Berglund-Chris Stewart line. That trio scored a dirty goal -- by Porter in goal-mouth scramble -- by outmuscling the Red Wings defense. Porter made a deft pass, Berglund used his strength to attack the net and Porter jammed home the loose puck.

Defenseman Barret Jackman triggered that scoring opportunity with a timely shot block to send the play back up the ice. By adding Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold, the Blues can use Jackman solely in his familiar shut-down role. Barret was very, very good in Detroit.

Earlier, Porter's sturdy fore-checking along the right dasher boards earned the Blues a power play. He won a battle and drew an interference call. This is the sort of small play that earned him a contract extension.

It was interesting to see spare defenseman Kris Russell play up on the wing for the Note. Russell can skate and play the body, so why not keep

him busy? Deploying him at forward also positions him to help on defense should a major injury or penalty deplete the ranks.

Bouwmeester demonstrated his ability to jump up to fill the left wing on the rush and shoot the puck with purpose.

The Red Wings were able to give collegiate free agent Danny DeKeyser a big defensive role right away -- something the Blues could not offer to the Michigan native as he came out of Western Michigan University. It looks like the Red Wings found a very good defensive defenseman.

AROUND THE RINKS: Looking to lose some weight? Follow the dietary example of Chris Stewart, who has looked like a new man this season for the Kings . . . The Los Angeles Kings are following the lead of the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks. They are using a two-goalie system, with Jonathan Bernier sharing time with Jonathan Quick down the stretch . . . Do the Washington Capitals have time to salvage their season? GM George McPhee hopes they do. He is sitting on one of the NHL's hottest seats right now. A dreadful start under rookie coach Adam Oates left will a giant deficit to overcome . . . Another GM feeling major heat is Greg Sherman of the Colorado Avalanche, who is best known for loading up the Blues with Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk . . . The NHL is exploring new ideas about how to grown its brand internationally. There will be no European games to start next season . . . . With the New York Islanders pushing for a playoff spot, John Tavares is getting recognized as one of the league's MVPs . . . Injuries have claimed one key Pittsburgh Penguin after another. That Stanley Cup favorite will play shorthanded during the final three weeks of the season . . . So far Marian Gaborik is making the Columbus Blue Jackets look wise for rescuing him from the Rangers. He is making his case for big contract extension this summer . . . The Carolina Hurricanes have also been hit hard by injuries. And since they lack Pittsburgh's depth, they have whirled into a season-threatening tailspin . . . Has Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith settled down yet? . . . How will Roberto Luongo orchestrate his exit from Vancouver? The time to swap Luongo came and went and GM Mike Gillis missed his opportunity. Of course, it would have been easier if Gillis got along with Toronto Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis.



Blues could soon be adding Jaskin

Jeremy Rutherford

DETROIT • Prospect Dmitrij Jaskin could soon be joining the Blues.

Jaskin inked his three-year NHL entry-level contract last Wednesday, after which the Blues immediately assigned the forward to the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League. But apparently the Blues never intended him to play at Peoria.

Immigration issues have slowed the arrival of the Russian-born Jaskin, who played this season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. But now it appears that once his issues are resolved, Jaskin will be headed to meet the Blues on their current four-game trip.

“We might bring him right in,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Sunday in Detroit. “We’re hoping in a day or two.”

Jaskin, 20, was the Blues’ second-round pick (41st overall) in 2011. He spent the following season with Slavia Praha HC in the Czech Republic, and after he posted one goal and one assist in 30 games, the Blues had some questions about their own pick. But after he was released from his contract and joined the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the team’s questions went away.

In 51 games this season, Jaskin led Moncton and ranked fifth in the league with 99 points (46 goals, 53 assists). At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he was named the league’s No. 1 star in November and January.

“Everyone matures at a different time, not only skill-wise but also development-wise,” Armstrong said. “He’s got the size to play in the NHL right now, and our guys said he had a very good year, so we thought we’d bring him in now and take a look at him. We’ve felt that instead of adding a player that we weren’t really sure where he’d fit in at the trade deadline and giving up an asset, we would sign him and bring him in.”

Russell on wing

With Andy McDonald missing Sunday’s game because of the flu, the Blues were down to 11 healthy forwards. That pressed defenseman Kris Russell into the game on left wing, playing alongside Ryan Reaves and Adam Cracknell on the fourth line.

Russell, who had averaged 16 minutes of ice time in 30 games this season, logged 5:11 against Detroit and had one shot on goal.

“A little overwhelming, but it was all right,” Russell said. “I was just trying to keep it simple, more worried about the defensive side of the puck. ‘Revo’ and ‘Cracks’ talked to me a lot, so that helped.”

Russell, who played for Blues coach Ken Hitchcock in Columbus, said that Sunday was his first NHL game at forward, but he practiced in that spot with the Blue Jackets.

“Russ has played with us in Columbus as a forward, so that’s a no-brainer,” Hitchcock said. “I really liked Russ today. I know he only got six or seven minutes. It was that type of game, but I really liked the energy that he brought to the team.”

Bluenotes

Right winger T.J. Oshie (bruised foot) is on the trip, but he did not play Sunday and won’t play Tuesday at Nashville. … Center Scott Nichol (lower-body injury) missed his third straight game Sunday and is not on the trip.



Blues grind out shutout win behind Elliott

Associated Press


DETROIT (AP) — The St. Louis Blues are getting back to their effective, grind-it-out ways of last season.

Brian Elliott made 28 saves for his 19th career shutout and Chris Porter scored the game's only goal in St. Louis' 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.

"The way we're back winning these close games, we're back to playing the way we were last year," said Patrik Berglund, who had an assist on Porter's goal.

It was the Blues' fourth straight win as they moved into a tie with Minnesota for sixth place in the Western Conference.

"We've just got to keep building on things," Elliott said. "We don't have much time left so we just want to keep building."

Porter scored off a goalmouth scramble with 3:32 remaining in the second period with this second goal of the season.

"It was just two guys, Bergy (Berglund) and I, going to the net," Porter said. "The rebound popped out and I'm just trying to get it back into the crease and it went in."

The goal came as a surprise to Berglund.

"I thought I threw away something," he said. "And then I turned my back to everything and looked back and saw Ports putting it in."

Elliott got his first shutout of the season for St. Louis.

"We're going to need that (great goaltending)," Blues' coach ken Hitchcock said. "I think every game the rest of the year is going to be like this.

Jimmy Howard stopped 24 shots for Detroit, which dropped from seventh to eighth in the West.

"It was really tight, felt a little bit like a playoff game almost, not a lot of room out there, didn't feel like there were a lot of chances either way," Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "I thought we had some good opportunities there in the third, but their goalie came up with some good saves."

Elliott stopped Gustav Nyquist's breakaway attempt by using a shoulder save with 8 minutes left in the second period.

The Blues' Alexander Steen hit the goal post behind Howard from the left circle 4:24 into the game. St. Louis outshot Detroit 11-7 in the first period.

NOTES: The NHL held a news conference on the ice before the game to officially announce the Winter Classic outdoor game between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium will be held on Jan. 1 next season. The game was originally scheduled for this past New Year's day, but was canceled due to the lockout. It was also made official that -- as originally planned -- a second sheet of ice will also be constructed in downtown Detroit at Comerica Park, where two alumni games, American Hockey League, college, high school and youth games will be held in the two weeks leading up to the Winter Classic. ... It was the 1,000th game for referee Dan O'Halloran, who lives in Brighton, Mich., which is about 60 miles west of Detroit. He was recognized before the game.

Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 04.08.2013

668856 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning defenseman Ohlund mulls retirement

Erik Erlendsson

Tribune Staff


WASHINGTON The official end of Mattias Ohlund’s career is near.

After two knee operations in the past 18 months and hundreds of hours spent doing rehab and workouts, the 36-year-old said he is no closer to being able to get back on skates to resume his career.

The most logical step would be to hang up the skates and announce his retirement. Though he did say that was his next step, it is a subject that has come up many times in different conversations, including with himself.

“I’ve thought about (the next step) quite a bit, but it clearly involves more people than me,’’ Ohlund said today. “I’ve spoke to Steve (Yzerman) quite a bit about what the end result will be. For a long period of time I’ve been trying to get better and better, but clearly the longer you don’t play, the likelihood of playing again gets smaller and smaller each day, especially at my age. I don’t know long term what my situation will be, but I’m sure it will be figured out shortly.’’

In the meantime, Ohlund has been on the road with the team for the past three games to serve as an additional set of eyes to help out the coaching staff – which he did at one point last season – something new head coach Jon Cooper asked about shortly after taking over last week.

“I’m a big believer in you surround yourself with as many good people as possible and good things will happen,’’ Cooper said. “The respect he garners and the knowledge he has, even though he’s not going to play for the rest of the year, he’s too much of a wealth of knowledge and been in the trenches for too long, and I would be remiss if I didn’t try to tap into that.’’

Back to Bishop Cooper will go back to G Ben Bishop for today’s key matchup against Southeast Division leading Washington, handing the 6-foot-7 netminder starts on back-to-back nights. It will also be Bishop’s third start in four days since being acquired from Ottawa on Wednesday, staring with a 45-save shutout on Thursday before allowing three goals on 27 shots in Saturday’s loss at the New York Islanders.

“I think sometimes we sit there and say back to back games and coming off a loss, but he didn’t play poorly at all. He actually played pretty well,” Cooper said. “Bish has played in the American League, he’s played in the NHL. In the American League you play three games in three nights and a goalie may start all three of them. It’s not something out of the norm, especially what he’s played growing up. I don’t think he had a huge workload last night, so he’s ready to go.’’

With Ottawa coming up on the schedule on Tuesday, Cooper said it doesn’t enter his thought process much if he wanted to give Bishop the night off Sunday and let him go against his former team.

“You’re only human,” Cooper said. “You see there and think about, ‘Well, you’re going to play against your old team.’ But I think if it came down to playing a game to try and get us back into the divisional race or play your old team, I’m pretty sure he’d take the divisional race game.’’

Nuts and Bolts Cooper said he was unsure of what the lineup would be for today’s game, but said there will be 21 players on the ice for warm-ups, including RW Dana Tyrell, who was a healthy scratch Saturday. … Tampa Bay is on a 2-for-35 stretch on the power play and is 0-for-10 since Cooper was named head coach.

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 04.08.2013


Lightning lose crucial ground in loss to Capitals

By Erik Erlendsson


WASHINGTON - Sunday served as a Game 7 for the Lightning's season.

Win and stay in the race.

Lose, well, then it's time to start making those summer vacation plans.

The Lightning can start putting in the calls to the travel agent.

Tampa Bay blew a pair of one-goal leads before falling to the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Sunday night at Verizon Center.

Alex Ovechkin scored twice to give him 25 on the season, tying him with Steven Stamkos for the league lead, while John Carlson and Joel Ward scored less than four minutes apart in the second period to help the Caps take the lead for good. Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal with 4.4 seconds left.

The loss knocked the Lightning eight points behind division-leading Washington as well as eight points behind the eighth spot in the conference with 10 games remaining. Tampa Bay, which lost 4-2 to the Islanders on Saturday, is in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, just two points ahead of Florida.

Overall it was a familiar tale that sealed Tampa Bay's fate — play well enough to win, do just enough to lose.

“I think we played a really good game. We had our opportunities, we came out of our zone good and we make a couple of mistakes in the second,'' Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier said. “Otherwise, I think we played a really good game.''

Ben Bishop, making his third start in four days, saw two deflected shots get past him — one off a teammate's stick — plus another bad bounce off a teammate's stick while stopping 34 shots.

Lecavalier had a goal and an assist, while Alex Killorn registered his seventh of the season for Tampa Bay.

There were plenty of chances for the Lightning, but they failed to take advantage of a rusty Michal Neuvirth, making his first start since March 16.

“They got three bounces off sticks, that was the difference,'' Bishop said. “It's very disappointing. We can't lose by a goal and say we played good enough because it's a loss.''

It didn't take long for Tampa Bay to get on the board as seven seconds into a power play, Lecavalier camped out at the top of the crease to tap in a pass from Marty St. Louis at 1:52 of the opening period. It marked the first power-play goal for Tampa Bay since Jon Cooper was named head coach.

Lecavalier nearly scored his second power-play goal of the period when he was alone in front of the net, and tried to deke Neuvirth but was unable to lift the puck over his right pad in the final minute. It was one of five shots for Lecavalier in the first period.

The lead didn't last long into the second period as Washington pulled even at 3:14 when Ovechkin got to the top of the crease area to get his stick on a point shot from Jack Hillen and redirect the puck over Bishop and into the net.

Killorn regained the lead for Tampa Bay three minutes later, hauling in a pass from Lecavalier and moving up ice with a head of steam to get around Hillen, cutting to the front of the net and slipping a backhand through the pads of Neuvirth at 6:37 for his third goal in four games.

Washington jumped in front, however, with two goals 3:27 apart in the second. First, Carlson came down the middle, called for the puck from Ward and stepped into a slap shot 5 feet inside the Lightning zone. His shot deflected off the blade of Eric Brewer and over Bishop at 12:54.

Ward then took advantage of Nate Thompson covering the right point, driving the puck wide, flipping it over to his forehand and seeing his pass

attempt hit Thompson's stick, only to have the puck come right back to him before beating Bishop, who was playing the pass, to the short side at 16:21.

“That's a tough one,'' Cooper said of the game. “We've put ourselves in this situation, so that makes it tough to begin with. But I thought our guys battled hard and we had every chance to win that game. The boys are battling hard, then you look at the first (Washington goal), that's a shot wide, our (defenseman) doesn't pick up the stick. The second one, Bishop saves it 100 out of 100 times, but it happens to hit Brewer's stick and go top corner. What do we do there?

“Then third one, a harmless play, nothing coming out of it and it hits (Thompson's) stick, goes right back to him and it's another seeing-eye single. Those are tough. But there was a lot good to take out of this, but ultimately it's a loss.''

And likely the loss that all but officially ends their season.

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 04.08.2013


Lightning loses to Capitals

Damian Cristodero

Times Staff Writer

Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:30am

WASHINGTON — The Lightning was not eliminated from the playoff race after Sunday's hard-fought 4-2 loss to the Capitals at the Verizon Center.

But any dim hopes it had of mounting a push — and those hopes were remote, at best — are just about extinguished.

"But we're not giving up," captain Vinny Lecavalier said. "We're going to finish hard. You never know what is going to happen."

True, but consider that Tampa Bay (16-20-2) is eight points behind first-place Washington in the Southeast Division, with the Jets and Hurricanes ahead of them as well with 10 games left.

The Lightning is eight points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But sitting in 14th, it would have to jump six teams to get there. And Tampa Bay is just two points ahead of the Panthers, last in the East.

"We're getting better as a team," coach Jon Cooper said. "The problem is we're just running out of time.

"I guess ultimately you see what these guys have character-wise, because they have every right to throw in the towel and say we're too far out. Or they can rally the troops and get ready for Ottawa (on Tuesday). Until we get that little mark that says we're out (of the playoffs), we keep going."

The Lightning's puck possession was much improved over Saturday's loss to the Islanders, as was the time Tampa Bay spent in the offensive zone despite the Capitals' 38-30 shot advantage.

But Tampa Bay couldn't hold a 2-1 second-period lead built on goals by Lecavalier and Alex Killorn. It also could not finish prime scoring chances. Lecavalier had three in the first period on which he couldn't beat goalie Michal Neuvirth.

"Any time you miss, you wish you could do something differently, but the opportunities were there," Lecavalier said. "I wish I had them back."

The Capitals got second-period goals from Alex Ovechkin, on a deflection; John Carlson, whose shot ricocheted off the stick of Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer; and Joel Ward, who beat goalie Ben Bishop short side after a pass attempt deflected back to him off the stick of Tampa Bay's Nate Thompson.

Cooper called them "seeing-eye singles."

"He tries to pass to the middle. It goes off his stick, so right back to him," Bishop, otherwise solid with 34 saves, said of Ward's winner. "I'm reading the first play."

Ovechkin finished with an empty-net goal scored despite Killorn, from the bench, reaching over the boards with his stick to disrupt the play.

"Losses like these are tough to swallow," Killorn said, "but until we're mathematically out of it, we're going to play as hard as we can."

Capitals 0 3 1 4

Lightning 1 1 0 2

Capitals 0 3 1 4

Lightning 1 1 0 2

First Period—1, Tampa Bay, Lecavalier 8 (St. Louis, Salo), 1:52 (pp). Penalties—Oleksy, Was (interference), 1:45; Aulie, TB (cross-checking), 6:55; Backstrom, Was (tripping), 18:40.

Second Period—2, Washington, Ovechkin 24 (Hillen, Backstrom), 3:14. 3, Tampa Bay, Killorn 7 (Lecavalier, Carle), 6:37. 4, Washington, Carlson 6 (Ward, Hillen), 12:54. 5, Washington, Ward 8 (Perreault, Chimera), 16:21.

Penalties—Stamkos, TB (holding), 17:32; St. Louis, TB (roughing), 19:50; Fehr, Was (roughing), 19:50.

Third Period—6, Washington, Ovechkin 25 (Ribeiro), 19:55 (en). Penalties—None. Shots on Goal—Tampa Bay 10-9-11—30. Washington 13-13-12—38. Power-play opportunities—Tampa Bay 1 of 2; Washington 0 of 2. Goalies—Tampa Bay, Bishop 9-7-0 (37 shots-34 saves). Washington, Neuvirth 3-5-1 (30-28). A—18,506 (18,506). T—2:34. Referees—Chris Rooney, Ian Walsh. Linesmen—Thor Nelson, Brian Mach.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.08.2013


Lightning's Ohlund ponders how to retire

Damian Cristodero

Times Staff Writer

Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:30am

WASHINGTON — Lightning D Mattias Ohlund knows his playing career is over. He said as much in January, 11 months after partial replacement surgery on his left knee did not achieve the desired results. The question now is how he chooses to retire.

"I think about it a lot," Ohlund, 36, said Sunday. "I don't know if I have a solution, but I'm sure at some point in the future I'll talk to (GM Steve Yzerman) or the coaching staff and we'll find a direction."

Ohlund, who has not played since the 2011 playoffs, has three years and $6.75 million left on his contract, which carries a $3.607 million salary cap hit. It was unclear how the Lightning would be affected financially by retirement because Ohlund's seven-year contract might be subject to a cap benefit recapture formula.

In the meantime, Ohlund has reconnected with teammates because of an initiative by coach Jon Cooper. Ohlund acknowledged his injury has separated him from the team's day-to-day activities as he spends his time at the Tampa Bay Times Forum rehabilitating.

But Cooper, since taking over March 25, pushed for Ohlund to get more involved, and Ohlund traveled with the Lightning on its three-game road trip that ended Sunday against the Capitals.

"I'm a big believer in, you surround yourself with as many good people as possible and good things will happen," Cooper said. "He's just too much of a wealth of knowledge. I would be remiss if I didn't try to tap into that."

"It gives me a little bit of a purpose," Ohlund said. "I don't know what will come out of it in the end, but everybody needs a goal or focus, and clearly, I haven't done that the last little while."

As for the frustration he initially felt after his February 2012 surgery, Ohlund said he is over it. "Clearly, I'm going to need a miracle to skate again and practice," he said. "Anybody would like things to be different, but it is what it is."

MILESTONE: W Marty St. Louis played his 900th Lightning game.

STICK CHECK: F Alex Killorn scored a highlight-reel goal in Sunday's 4-2 loss and also interfered — from the bench — with Alex Ovechkin's empty-net goal.

Ovechkin scored with 4.4 seconds left, but he didn't even have to shoot after Killorn leaned over the boards and, with his stick, tried to knock the puck away from the Capitals star as he skated past. NHL Rule 56.7 states that at that point, "the referee shall immediately award a goal."

More impressive was Killorn's seventh goal of the season. He blew past Washington D Jack Hillen in the Capitals zone, then backhanded the puck through the legs of G Michal Neuvirth.

"He got caught flat-footed," Killorn said of Hillen. "That's why I was able to take him wide. Once I got around him, I had an idea of what I wanted to do."

ODDS and ENDS: Ovechkin's two goals gave him 25 to tie C Steve Stamkos for the league lead. … Vinny Lecavalier's power-play goal was the team's first in 11 tries under Cooper. ... D Matt Carle has a career-best five-game points streak. … D Victor Hedman (lower body) and RW Dana Tyrell were scratched.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.08.2013

668860 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul returns to the ice

Mark Zwolinski

Published on Sun Apr 07 2013

Everything seemed to go well for Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul, who returned to the ice Sunday for the first time since suffering a head injury in Toronto’s loss to Philadelphia Thursday.

The club said Lupul had a “good day” as he skated with teammates in an optional practice at the Master Card Center.

Lupul skated or about 20 minutes before exiting the practice. He had taken a turn on the Rapid Shot shooting machine prior to practice. Overall, Lupul appeared to handle the work and the brief skate very well.

The team said Lupul, if he feels good after Sunday’s practice, will skate again with the team at Monday’s morning skate. Toronto plays the resurgent New York Rangers Monday night on home ice in the first of a home series with the Rangers.

Lupul will not play Monday; while there is no timetable for his return, he is likely to remain sidelined until the weekend at the earliest.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.08.2013


Winter Classic do-over: Maple Leafs to battle Red Wings in 2014 game

Mark Zwolinski


Several Maple Leafs have experience with outdoor games, but only one — James van Riemsdyk — has played in a Winter Classic.

That will change come New Year’s Day: the NHL officially announced Sunday that the 2014 Winter Classic will be played between the Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.

That’s a restoration of the 2013 game, which was axed because of the NHL lockout, disappointing the 110,000 or more fans who were expected to jam the “Big House,” the football stadium at the University of Michigan, for a contest that might well have set an all-time hockey attendance record.

The league will get another shot at that number, since everything about the 2014 game is the same as the 2013 game except the date.

“My first major outdoor game was pretty special, it’s something I’ll remember,” said Leafs defenceman John-Michael Liles, who played in the “Cold War,” the Michigan University-Michigan State rivalry game at Spartan Stadium in 2001.

Newly acquired Leafs defenceman Ryan O’Byrne came within a few months of being the second Leaf to participate in an NHL outdoor game. O’Byrne would have participated with his former Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic against Calgary in 2011, but he was traded to Colorado three months before the event.

“It goes back to the roots of hockey. There’s something special about that, playing outdoors,” O’Byrne said.

What would make it even more special for O’Byrne is the fact he’s never played an outdoor hockey game in his life.

“I’ve skated outdoors, I’ve skated in Montreal on public rinks, but never with a puck,” O’Byrne said.

“I never had a rink in my backyard when I was a kid. I’m from Victoria (where the weather is never consistently cold enough for a backyard rink). As a player, whenever you get a chance to skate outdoors, you’d look forward to it for sure.”

Leafs centre Joe Colborne played with the Marlies last winter when they faced the rival Hamilton Bulldogs in an outdoor game at the former Ivor Wynne Stadium.

“That was such a special experience, but I think you’d have to multiply that by a hundred times for (the Leafs-Red Wings Classic),” Colborne said.

“You look at it and it’s taken off since the first one. It’s one of the biggest marketing tools the NHL has now, and now with the Leafs in it, and two Original Six teams, it’s going to be extra special.”

Winter Classics obviously depend on the weather, and cooler conditions — around minus 3 to 5 C — are considered ideal.

Colborne said there are other considerations, even if the weather appears perfect.

“I remember last year in Hamilton skating against the wind and it was pretty difficult,” he said.

“You’d get up to the red line and dump it in and that seemed harder than normal. Just some things you wouldn’t realize in a normal game.”

In the meantime, the NHL has been in board-level discussions regarding expansion of the Classic to include several outdoor games on New Year’s Day. It’s expected the league will add at least one other game to coincide with the Leafs-Red Wings event.



Maple Leafs: Inexperienced James Reimer faces battled-hardened Henrik Lundqvist in game against Rangers

Mark Zwolinski


James Reimer is gearing up for what could be one of those shining moments Monday when the Maple Leafs entertain the New York Rangers on home ice.

The big story around the team lately concerns the injury to forward Joffrey Lupul — and there was good news on that front Sunday — but Reimer has become pivotal to the club’s success this season. Monday’s game puts him in a special matchup with Rangers superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist, a taste of the nightly battles against experienced, top-notch goalies that will come in rapid succession for Reimer if the Leafs, as expected, advance to the playoffs.

First, Lupul: the Leafs said their injured star had a “good day” Sunday in an optional practice, his first skate with the team since suffering a head injury in Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia.

Lupul looked fine in 20 minutes of skating and light drills. He’d taken a turn on the Rapid Shot machine prior to practice, and will give it another go at the morning skate Monday if there are no complications from Sunday’s workout.

Lupul took a nasty hit to the head and shoulder area and missed Saturday’s win in New Jersey. There is no timetable for his return, but given the pace of his workout Sunday, he could be back by the weekend at the earliest.

That would mean the Leafs would be without their star winger for a home-and-home series with the resurgent Rangers, which, like all games at this point in the season, take on huge implications in the standings.

Reimer was brilliant in the Leafs’ 2-1 win over the Devils, turning in the kind of solid performance playoff teams expect of their goalies when they’re on the road and get outshot by desperate teams needing points to stay alive in the playoff race.

That’s the kind of performance the Rangers have come to expect with Lundqvist between the pipes.

Lundqvist, one of the classiest players in the game, turned in a 48-save effort in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over Carolina on Saturday.

That effort had “clutch” written all over it: Lundqvist made 14 saves in the first period and 21 in the third as the Hurricanes dominated the Rangers and did everything possible to restore their fading playoff hopes — except beat Lundqvist.

“That’s the best I’ve seen him play since I’ve been here,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said in a telling statement.

Reimer’s tape from Saturday night was similar, if not as numerically dramatic: Toronto was outshot 28-18 — 14-8 in the first period, 10-5 in the third. Without Reimer’s performance, the Leafs might well have lost the game.

Reimer, of course, is hardly in the same league as Lundqvist in terms of experience, but he has shown his counterpart’s ability to either steal a game or keep his team in it until they find a way to win.

Lundqvist has been delivering those performances his entire career; Reimer’s acquaintance with that level of play is in its infancy.

“Experience is experience, you can’t argue with that,” Reimer said. “But at the same time the youthful exuberance we bring to our games every night, you can’t disregard that either.

“The biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs is pressure and how to handle it . . . but all of us have played in the playoffs somewhere, in the AHL or in junior. We’ve all faced that pressure and we’ve all handled it. And though it’s not been in Toronto, we’ve all done it so we’ll need to draw on that experience now.”



Leafs can impact New York teams' hopes

By Lance Hornby

Toronto Sun



TORONTO - When the NHL’s 48-game schedule began, most pundits felt safe picking the Stanley Cup-finalist New Jersey Devils and the glossy New York Rangers to either make the playoffs or finish ahead of the Maple Leafs.

Jan. 19 now seems a million years ago, in an Eastern Conference race turned upside down a few times. Today, the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, who were 13th and 15th, respectively last April, are top five. And, for the Leafs, Saturday’s 2-1 triumph in New Jersey, coupled with a regulation home win Monday against the Rangers, would be near unscalable between those teams and the Leafs as the schedule dwindles.

There might even be a post-season NHL first, with the Leafs in and all three New York teams out. But Toronto players are looking at the scoreboard first and the opposing crest second.

“A shortened season is always kind of goofy with a lot of predictions,” defenceman John-Michael Liles said Sunday. “You look at Montreal (worst to first in the Northeast) and where we were predicted to finish (anywhere below eighth by most). Predictions can be a bit of guesswork, but ultimately it’s about a team coming together, believing in what you’re doing and gelling.

“It’s not a focus as much on who you are playing. It’s almost like the whole season has been a playoff push and we’re coming to crunch time, now. We just want to make sure we’re continuing to play to our idenity, stay with what we’re preaching and that everyone buys in.”

The Leafs draw the Rangers twice this week, with the return engagement Wednesday in Manhattan. Toronto lost the first meeting there 5-2 on Jan. 26, one of the rare times they have fallen below .500 this season. Marian Gaborik had the game-winner for the Rangers that night, but he’s since been traded and there is a much different Broadway cast than the one projected to defend the Atlantic Division’s first seed.

“People can debate all they want about where teams are going to finish, but you don’t know until the games really start going,” goalie James Reimer said. “People thought New York and New Jersey would be better seeds than they are right now, but that’s just the way the season goes. Things happen.

“We go into these games with a chance to get a little separation in the standings. That would be big for us, but we know (the Rangers) want to improve with all the people on their tails.”

One game remains for Toronto against both the Devils and New York Islanders, as the Leafs count down their final 10 games. With too many moving targets to calculate a magic number for Toronto’s first playoff appearance since 2004, the Leafs can basically shoot for a rough combination of nine points to reach the 55 plateau, which most consider a safe haven.

But coach Randy Carlyle is not likely to accept the Leafs crossing the wire in cruise mode.

“Ultimately, you are trying to position yourself as best you can,” said Liles, who knew exactly that his 36th and most recent playoff game came almost three years ago in Colorado. “We’re not just thinking: ‘Oh. we’re in a playoff position, we’re fine and it’s okay to be sixth, or seventh’. You’re trying to get up to those top three spots.”

Toronto won’t catch Montreal for the division lead, unless Boston and Ottawa decide to go away before the Leafs meet the Habs for the final game on April 27. But there is plenty of keep them busy in the meantime.

“We want to be chasing teams, getting that home-ice advantage,” Reimer said. “It’s nice to be in a playoff spot right now, but if you let your foot off the

gas pedal, that can change pretty quickly, We have to play with confidence and desparation, even if we’re in fifth or sixth, because that’s what other teams are doing.

”These are high-pressure games and there’s a buzz in the arena and we have a little more ‘oomph’ for lack of a better word. That’s what makes these games so exciting.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.08.2013


Maple Leafs accustomed to pressure

Lance Hornby

Toronto Sun



Goalie James Reimer has been through almost three years in the most scrutinized position of a Toronto pro sports team, not to mention weathering two trade deadlines and the endless Roberto Luongo rumours.

So he allowed himself a chuckle when asked if he and the Leafs were sensing playoff pressure around the corner.

“I don’t think about it too much,” Reimer said. “When you think about it, what’s the difference between the playoffs and the regular season? There’s the (same) pressure, the expectations. When you’re playing in a market such as this, there is always that pressure.

“We’ve all played in high-pressure games, a lot of must-win games. That experience does play a big role and we’ve all had that at some level (of hockey).”

Jake and Jim share mark

After a 2-1 win against Hall of Fame-bound Martin Brodeur and the Devils on Saturday, Reimer was flattered to have his name mentioned with Jacques Plante. Saturday’s win was Reimer’s 48th as a Leaf, tying him with Plante on the franchise list at 15th overall. Like many younger Leafs, Reimer did not know the Habs’ legend and father of the modern goal mask had played for Toronto, between 1970-73.

“That’s cool,” Reimer said of the milestone. “Obviously he’s a pretty big name and he did a lot for our position.”

Next on the list is Ken Wregget at 55 victories. The idle Ben Scrivens, meanwhile, is sitting on 11 Leaf wins. That’s 50th on the franchise list, tied with current goalie coach Rick St. Croix.

Still with Scrivens, he loaned his blocker and catcher to Nazem Kadri at the end of Sunday’s practice, with Kadri showing some flair between the pipes. albeit on soft shots. Using Kadri’s stick, Scrivens skated in and tied one of Kadri’s fancy dekes.

Numbers game

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and COO Tom Anselmi tried to needle the Red Wings during his Sunday remarks at the Winter Classic press conference in Detroit. Anselmi pointed out the Leafs have a 276-275 advantage in wins for the regular season series since the 1920s. Detroit general manager Ken Holland, once a Leaf draft pick, responded that when ties and overtime are factored in, Detroit is actually ahead on points, 646 to 645.

“This is a perfect rubber match,” Anselmi said.

Defenceman John-Michael Liles was in the lineup for Michigan State when it played the first major outdoor game at the rival Big House in Ann Arbor, the 2001 ‘Cold War’.

“That was a special experience,” Liles recalled of the nearly 75,000 in attendance from the two Michigan schools. “It was pretty cold, not as bad as you saw at some NHL outdoor games in Calgary and Edmonton, but we were under the lights and it was an interesting experience for sure.”

One more time

The Winter Classic will also have alumni, junior and college games as part the festivities. More than 100 ex-Leafs and Wings will be involved in two games.

“I really look forward to getting back on the ice with Lanny (McDonald) and Tiger (Williams),” Leafs captain Darryl Sittler told nhl.com. “(Detroit) are going to have a little bit younger of an alumni team than us. But they’re

having two games and every player who is an alumni of these two teams gets a chance to be a part of it.”

Loose Leafs

Phil Kessel is scoreless in his past five games against tonight’s opponents, the Rangers, going back to the start of last season ... The Marlies are poised to clinch an AHL playoff berth in the next few days. They have not been in the playoffs the same year with the parent Leafs since transferring to Toronto from St. John’s in 2006, with the last joint post-season trip in 2002 ... Junior call-up David (The Brolldozer) Broll was in a late-game fight Saturday as the Marlies beat the St. John’s Ice Caps 4-2. The big news of course was draft pick Garret Sparks stopping 23 of 25 shots for his first pro win, also surviving two St. John’s power plays.



Lupul back on the ice

Lance Hornby

Toronto Sun



A “good day” for Joffrey Lupul immediately became a great one for the rest of the Maple Leafs.

The sighting of their top winger back on the ice Sunday at the MasterCard Centre, 48 hours after what was feared a serious head injury against the Flyers, was a relief, even if his skate lasted just 20 minutes.

Lupul won’t likely return from the unspecified injury for Monday’s home game against the Rangers. But having him for some or all of the nine remaining games afterwards would give the Leafs a better chance to make the first round of the playoffs and perhaps go beyond.

Lupul was rocked early in Thursday’s game, sandwiched by Jay Rosehill and Adam Hall, and staggered to the Toronto bench. He has been undergoing tests and was fine to take a solo skate at the start of Sunday’s optional practice. He shot some pucks around, then went to the dressing room once 12 Leafs skaters and two goalies started ramping up the pace.

The Leafs have been careful not to publically call Lupul’s injury a concussion. On Saturday, coach Randy Carlyle said Lupul had undergone several tests that afternoon, as well as trying to overcome a stiff neck.

Neither he nor Carlyle were made available for comment, but the general impression was that Lupul “had a good day” relayed a club official. Lupul looked fine and was in good spirits during an off-ice workout and plans to skate again Monday morning at the Air Canada Centre before the Rangers game.

Lupul has 14 points in 10 games of this injury-marred season, yet the Leafs have been able to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt without him. On Saturday, they hung on to nip the New Jersey Devils 2-1, improving their record to 15-13 without Lupul in the lineup. But they don’t want to make a habit of it.

Clarke MacArthur took Lupul’s left wing spot in New Jersey on the line with Nazem Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin. Carlyle also used defeceman Jake Gardiner after a couple of games in the press box, sitting Mike Kostka and holding newcomer Ryan O’Byrne back.



Leafs to play in Winter Classic

Lance Hornby

Toronto Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:44 AM EDT


The only thing that can stop the Winter Classic now is a New Year’s Day heat wave in Michigan.

After the looming lockout put a damper on preparations for a 2013 outdoor

game between the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, eventually canceling it, the NHL announced Sunday that the entire event is back on, same time, same channel, including a week of related outdoor festivities.

The big match will be on Jan. 1 at the Big House at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. A record crowd in excess of 100,000 is expected with alumni, college and AHL games also being outside at Comerica Park in Detroit in the days leading up to the event.

Losing the 2013 game cost the NHL and by extension the players, millions of dollars in revenue. Five of the past six most watched NHL games on U.S . television were outdoor games.

The inclusion of the Leafs, who have no feasible facility to host an outdoor game, will guarantee the league a great pay day, from the sale of items such as the commemorative vintage game sweaters.

Leafs fans brought the information website crashing down when the 2013 game was first announced.

Details on 2014 prices will be announced shortly.



Injured Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul skates with team, but no timetable for return

Sean Fitz-Gerald

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul practised briefly with teammates during their optional skate on Sunday, and a team official said the injured 29-year-old plans to skate again on Monday, before the Leafs host the New York Rangers.

There is still no timetable for his return, and Lupul declined to speak with reporters after his workout. He was injured early in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, when he was sandwiched between forwards Jay Rosehill and Adam Hall.

The team has obliquely described Lupul’s condition as an “upper body injury,” though he did skate gingerly to the bench in an apparent daze after the collision. A replay suggested he also missed the door to the bench on his first attempt. And still, the Leafs have been at pains to avoid describing the injury as a concussion.

“He’s a dynamic player and he brings a lot to this team,” Leafs goaltender James Reimer said. “It’s unfortunate that he’s out. And as a teammate, you feel bad for him because you know he works hard and has had some unfortunate bounces this year.”

Lupul has missed most of the season due to injury. He was sidelined for 25 games after a Dion Phaneuf point shot broke his arm. Lupul also has a documented history of dealing with concussion, having missed more than a dozen games as a member of the Flyers in 2008.

Leafs coach Randy Carlyle was not on the ice for the optional practice on Sunday. He did raise eyebrows in an interview with Rogers Sportsnet, in which he offered a theory he has developed about why incident rates of concussion seem to be on the rise in hockey.

“Everyone sweats a lot more, the brain swells. The brain is closer to the skull. Think about it. Does it make sense? Common sense?” Carlyle told Rogers Sportsnet reporter Michael Grange last week. “I don’t know if it’s true, but that would be my theory. Heat expands and cold contracts. The brain is like a muscle, it’s pumping, it swells, it’s a lot closer to the outside of the skull.”

Carlyle did not address reporters after the practice on Sunday.

Lupul worked out on his own before joining his teammates on the ice, where he skated for perhaps 20 minutes. He has 14 points in 10 games this year — recording 10 of those points in the last five games.

“With him out of the lineup, we have guys who can step in and kind of fill the role and play well,” Reimer said. “We’re going to need more of the same going forward.”

Lupul had a good day according to the team. Still considered day-to-day, but hopes to skate again tomorrow.—

For the second time, the Leafs have been announced as participants in the NHL Winter Classic. And, maybe, this time, they will actually get to play in it.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed the news on Sunday: Toronto will play Detroit at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, 2014, after their first attempt to play the game scrubbed by the NHL lockout.

“It would have been nice to have played in one this year,” Leafs defenceman John-Michael Liles said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out like that. It’s nice to be able to get the opportunity play in one next year.”

National Post LOADED: 04.08.2013

668868 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks Notebook: Kesler 'itching' for a return to game action

By Elliott Pap

Vancouver Sun

April 7, 2013

Even better news is that Kesler is speaking to the media again. The Canucks have in recent seasons enacted a policy in which injured players are shielded from reporters, presumably so they don't torpedo the team's interests by saying something wrong.

However, once a player resumes practising, all is good again. Kesler participated in an optional practice Saturday and then talked, the best indicator he is nearing a return to game action. He last suited up Feb. 26, almost six weeks ago, when his broken right foot was discovered by a CT scan that X-rays had missed.

“I'm itching to play, I'm itching big time,” Kesler said. “It's been a tough year for me but everything happens for a reason. Skating with the team is obviously the next step. It felt good to be out there again. Now it's just a matter of getting my wind back and for me to feel comfortable.”

Kesler, who famously uttered “no timeline” throughout his rehab from off-season shoulder and wrist surgeries, was it again even though the evidence suggests he'll be back within a week or so.

“No timeline but even if I did have one, I wouldn't be able to tell you guys,” he said, smiling. “Obviously my goal is to get some games in before the playoffs and feel good about my game.”

Kesler was injured killing a penalty in the second period of his first game back after missing 12 due to the shoulder and wrist. He finished that game and played another six before the CT scan revealed the fracture.

“It was a tough bone to X-ray, I guess,” said Kesler, who was scheduled to skate again Sunday and Monday.

MAX FACTOR: Saturday's 5-2 Canuck victory over the Calgary Flames provided an interesting local angle as West Vancouver's Max Reinhart, son of former stalwart defenceman Paul, made his NHL debut.

Max, 21, was summoned Saturday morning from the Abbotsford Heat and played left wing on a line with Mikael Backlund and Roman Cervenka. He finished with three shots, one hit, one takeaway and one faceoff win in 16:08 of ice time. He was also a minus-2, the first minus coming on the game's opening shift when Dan Hamhuis scored at 0:34.

“Definitely a high to a low,” Max told reporters after the game. “Obviously it's not the way you want to start, but that kind of stuff happens in hockey. You just have to shake it off and go out and forget that it happened.”

Max is the oldest of three hockey-playing Reinhart brothers. Griffin, 19, was a first-round pick of the New York Islanders last June and is captain of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Sam, 17, is a highly-touted prospect for the 2014 NHL entry draft and is heading to Sochi, Russia this week with Canada’s U-18 national team.

Paul Reinhart and wife Theresa attended Saturday's game.

“I think all three boys have had some great experiences in the game of hockey and I think they would all say the pinnacles of their careers will be playing in the National Hockey League,” Paul commented. “For Max to have reached it at this particular point is a wonderful experience. I think he had a very good game against the Canucks and he was able to compete. He can gain a lot of positives as well as the recognition of where he needs to go to be a consistent professional.”

QUOTABLE: “They had some great shifts that were long and dominating and they were really good at some moments. And, at some other moments, they gave me a little bit of stress.” – Canuck coach Alain Vigneault on the line of Sedin-Sedin-Burrows, which collected eight points in Saturday's win but also turned over the puck too much for the coach's liking.

Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Vigneault, Henrik are milestone men in win over Flames

By Elliott Pap

Vancouver Sun

April 7, 2013

Vigneault, Henrik are milestone men in win over Flames

Seemed like a Grade A quality idea, though. The coach and the captain both achieved personal milestones Saturday night as the Canucks knocked off the Calgary Flames 5-2 before another soldout house at Rogers Arena.

Vigneault coached his 530th regular-season game, surpassing Marc Crawford for the all-time franchise lead, while Henrik collected his 600th assist – and later 601st – in the victory.

Vigneault already held team records for most regular-season wins, most playoff wins, most playoff games coached and best winning percentage. During his tenure, which began with the 2006-07 season, he has helmed the Canucks two Presidents Trophies, five Northwest Division titles and six playoff-round victories. He won the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year in 2007 and was a finalist again in 2011.

His teams have, at various times, led the league in goals for, goals against, power play, penalty kill and faceoff percentage – although not this year, of course.

Henrik Sedin has played in every single Canuck game coached by Vigneault and offered his theory on AV's success and longevity. Vigneault is currently the league's third longest serving coach behind Nashville's Barry Trotz and Detroit's Mike Babcock.

“When he came in, we were still young guys and he put a lot of trust in us,” said Henrik. “Not only in me and Danny but in Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, Mason Raymond and other guys, too. There have been some ups and downs but he has kept believing in us even though we has been through some tough times. It says a lot about him and it makes it fun to play for him.”

According to Daniel Sedin, who has played in 501 of AV's 530 games coached, Vigneault's success is a by-product of his dogged preparation. The players had Sunday off but Vigneault was planning to spend his 'down time' dissecting the Phoenix Coyotes and developing a game plan for Monday night's date at The Rog.

“Coaches right now they need to be prepared and they need to study film because players in this era are smarter, too,” said Daniel. “They can watch a lot of games, learn how other teams play and, I mean, if they're not prepared, the players are going to read through them right away. Our coaching staff is always prepared and that makes them successful and us successful, too.”

Vigneault has had to do some of his finest coaching this season, playing most of it without a proven centre for both his second and third lines. The formidable Ryan Kesler has appeared in just seven games, six and a half of those on a broken foot. Faceoff ace Manny Malhotra was shut down after nine games due to vision issues. Special teams and faceoff percentages have suffered accordingly yet Vigneault still has the Canucks atop the Northwest Division and on an 8-2-0 run.

Missing five forwards at times due to injury, he had the the Canucks dumb it down and they were able to grind out ugly wins. Now Derek Roy has arrived to fill one centre spot, others have returned from the infirmary and the Canucks have netted nine goals in their last two games. Even the power play has scored twice, for crying out loud.

"Fans always want to see goals and we understand that,” Daniel said. “But it was during a time when we had a lot of injuries and we had to get as many points as we could. It wasn't pretty but we got a few points there.”

Vigneault, for his part, seemed surprised that he had passed Crawford in games coached. Apparently it wasn't something that had been on his mind. Victories, of course, are another matter. He has 308 of those, 62 more than Crawford.

“The wins are definitely the most important thing,” he noted. “I want wins.”

A number of them, including Saturday's victory, were due to Henrik's passing wizardry. In seven seasons under Vigneault, Henrik has set up 442 goals.

“Henrik is a great passer,” praised the coach. “Without a doubt, he and his brother have something really good going and Burr (Alex Burrows) complements them really well. Henrik is our captain, a great player and I'm really happy for him.”

Not surprisingly, Henrik took his latest achievement in stride. Earlier this season, he passed Markus Naslund to become the Canucks' all-time leading pointgetter.

“Six hundread assists, it's a good number,” he said. “I've played with a lot of good players. I told Burr at the bench I think half of the helpers have been to him. I've had some great linemates.”

Daniel, by the way, has moved past Naslund into second place in career Canuck points. He has 751 and trails only Henrik, who has 783. Daniel collected three assists in Saturday's win.

ICE CHIPS: Goalie Cory Schneider stopped 36 of 38 shots in Saturday's win to boost his save percentage to .926 and lower his GAA to 2.16. Both were top 10 in the league before Sunday's slate of games... Dan Hamhuis, Dale Weise, Alex Burrows, Alex Edler and Henrik, into the empty net, scored for the Canucks on Saturday. Henrik's came shorthanded, the team's first 'shorty' of the season.

Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Canucks Hat Trick: More Cory glory, Zack back on attack, the Kesler countdown 2.0

Ben Kuzma

Three things to ponder after the Canucks’ sloppy 5-2 win over the Flames on Saturday at Rogers Arena:

1. CORY IS THE STORY: You have to go back five games to find the last time Cory Schneider allowed two goals in an outing at Rogers Arena. That home-ice run of resiliency includes two shutouts, but what the starter accomplished when plopped into a shooting gallery against the Calgary Flames on Saturday was just as impressive. On a night where the Northwest Division leaders sacrificed any semblance of defence because the visitors looked more like the Abbotsford Heat and should have gone quietly into the night, they learned a wounded animal packs a pretty good bite. And it wasn’t so much that the Flames managed 38 shots, it was where they came from and how much they tested Schneider that was both alarming and amazing.

If facing his second-most amount of vulcanized rubber this shortened season — he saw 43 on Feb.19 at Chicago in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blackhawks — Schneider will be the first to tell you that he plays better when he sees more pucks. But this was a little ridiculous. On Saturday, it took a weird double-clutch slapper by Dennis Wideman that got Schneider moving too much to his left and allowed the shot to creep between his arm and body. The Alex Tanguay undressing of Jason Garrison followed by a backhand deke and slipping the puck through the pads of Schneider was pure artistry. You tip your hat to Tanguay who’s motivation must be at an all-time low with linemate Jarome Iginla long gone and perhaps being a buyout candidate in Calgary. But I also counted at least six sensational saves in eye-to-eye confrontations and it started early because the sloppy Canucks had a half dozen give-aways in the first period. The Flames easily roamed the slot, drove the net and camped in the crease. It was either somebody all alone or a mosh pit in front of Schneider.

What does this all mean? Toss away that freak show in Edmonton on April 30 — two goals on the first two shots and the hook — and Schneider’s calm and neutral game has never been better. And on a night when his teammates were so bad defensively, Schneider was so good. He should have been the first star, not the third.

2. BACK TO THE FUTURE: Zack Kassian bounded out of the gym following the post-game workout like a big dog anxious to go for a long run. There was a spring in his step and a big smile plastered on his mug because — as we’ve documented several times — the winger is full of life and mischief. He’s also willing to do anything to get back into the good graces of the club and earned some more Brownie points against the Flames. Despite a bad back that had him recently miss eight of nine games, he fought enforcer Tim Jackman when the game was just two minutes old and more than held his own against the big bruiser. He plastered three Flames against the sideboards like they were advertising logos and had that jump in his step that should have the Canucks salivating.

At his worst, Kassian stands at the sideboards and awaits a pass and then tries to do too much while doing too little with his feet. At his best, there’s a giddy-up in his stride, an underrated ability to move the puck smartly through the neutral zone and create some terror in the offensive zone. He can get to the net. He can screen, agitate and finish. And it’s why Kassian must play in the top-six mix in the postseason. Put him on the top line or put him with Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler. Give him reason to believe and the results may be unbelievable.

3. SCRATCHING THAT ITCH: Ryan Kesler speaks a different language when it comes to health issues. Here’s an attempt to analyze his offerings knowing that he could even return this week from a fractured right foot:

“There’s no timeline”: That means the only thing Kesler hasn’t decided on is what suit to wear to the game because in his mind, week-to-week doesn’t even mean day-to-day. It’s I’m going to play sooner than anyone thought. Now, simple suit or perhaps a vest?

“Baby steps”: No such thing. It’s more like giant leaps and bounds because he always returns early.

“I am itching big time:” Common sense would suggest Kesler needs a number of practices before returning. The Canucks were off Sunday and have practises scheduled Tuesday at Rogers Arena and Friday in Denver. For most, that wouldn’t be enough to get back into the lineup. For Kesler, it might just be just enough. He could play Saturday, even though there’s no timeline.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.08.2013


Canucks’ Schneider in a happy place

By Ben Kuzma

The Province

April 7, 2013

In a seamless transition, the engaging Cory Schneider went from detailed analysis of a double-clutch slapshot by Dennis Wideman on Saturday to an amateur doctor assessment of the bicep strain suffered by pitcher John Lackey earlier in the day.

Welcome to Schneider’s world. All knowing and glowing after recently getting engaged, he has maintained a high level of professionalism through the awkward Roberto Luongo trade watch and brought his game back to re-enter the NHL top 10 in goals-against average and saves percentage. Yes, it’s good to be Cory.

Not only is the Boston native an ardent backer of the Red Sox — judging by his knowledge and quick diagnosis of the Lackey ailment — the balance of a strong professional and personal life has provided another avenue to deal with his demanding position.

In the court of public opinion, where you’re as good as your last game, there has to be a significant support system. As much as he values the competition and camaraderie provided in a tandem with the driven Luongo — and maintenance of his game with goalie coach Roland Melanson — there’s something to be said for having a great relationship with his teammates and a better one with his fiancée, Jill, whom he met by chance one summer in Boston.

“I won’t get into the details,” said Schneider. “It was no setup. Kind of a long story, but I’m glad it worked out.”

When Chris Higgins signed a four-year, $10-million extension Tuesday, the winger was expected to buy dinner that night for his teammate. He didn’t have to. Schneider had some big news, too, and gladly reached for his wallet.

“I took care of that,” chuckled Schneider. “It was my turn to buy, he gets the next one. The years come by pretty quickly and you’re 27 and your priorities change. You’re at a place where you’re just really content with your life both on and off the ice. Sometimes the balance is great to have and puts things in perspective.”

It’s the opposite of Luongo. After not moving at the Wednesday trade deadline and then allowing raw emotion to bubble to the surface, it spoke of his uncertainty and unrest. He just wants to play, but is saddled by nine years left on a contract that’s harder to move with the salary cap ceiling lowering to $64.3 million US next season. The contract is cap friendly at $5.3 million annually, but there’s a $6.7 million hit in real dollars the next five seasons. If that isn’t enough.

“He hasn’t changed one bit,” said Schneider. “Throughout this whole process, he’s almost been looking out for my interests more than his own. He’s still working hard and is a big part of this team. Guys have a lot of respect for him and you never know what can happen. You can have a guy like that step in at any time and be lights out. And that’s a big advantage. As we get closer to the playoffs, you can pick up on that wisdom and experience.”

Then again, it’s hard to imagine Schneider surrendering the crease unless it’s for rest.

A 36-save performance Saturday in a 5-2 shooting-gallery victory over the Calgary Flames put the calmness and economy of motion that Schneider has displayed in 10 straight starts on full display.

With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the biggest team focus is getting Ryan Kesler back playing. With games spaced out this week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, Luongo may not play again until there’s a back-to-back on the schedule in Nashville on April 15 and the next night in St. Louis.

Schneider was so good Saturday that he was only beaten by that weird Wideman effort and Alex Tanguay’s dance around Jason Garrison to tuck

home a backhand deke. A puck going through a stopper suggests a technical breakdown or lack of concentration. It was more of the former on the Wideman goal.

“You’re kind of frozen on that slapshot because he can really hammer it,” recalled Schneider. “You want to hold your ground and all of a sudden he moves. You’re thinking short side first, to seal the five-hole and the glove side and your blocker is the last thing to come through. He got it off quick and it was a clever play by him. You kind of wish to stop those ones because it looks pretty bad.”

The only thing that really looked bad was the loose play by the Canucks. Wide gaps and soft coverage left Schneider in countless eye-to-eye confrontations. The 38 shots were the most he faced since Feb. 19 at Chicago when he saw 43 in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blackhawks. On Saturday, with the Canucks nursing a 2-1 lead in the first period, he thwarted Roman Horak and Steve Begin off back-to-back giveaways. He then stopped Mark Giordano on a redirect and Mike Cammalleri when the Flames could have narrowed a 4-2 deficit.

Schneider has learned not to assume anything and that any team can surprise you. And maybe that’s what the Canucks will do in the postseason. All the playoff talk in the Western Conference is about Chicago, Anaheim, Los Angeles and surging San Jose.

“In general, we’re a slow-starting team and in a short season, it’s magnified more,” said Schneider, who has four shutouts. “We’re getting guys rounding into midseason form and we’ve learned it’s not the highest-seeded team that has success, it’s the team that’s playing well.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668872 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin’s offensive tear continues with hat trick against Panthers

Katie Carrera

April 7, 2013 at 1:22 pm

Early into the second period Saturday night, Alex Ovechkin watched the play develop in the neutral zone and as Nicklas Backstrom gained control the puck the star winger began to cut through the middle of the ice so he would be in better position to receive a pass.

Ovechkin caught the puck as he turned up ice but as he crossed the offensive blue line he faced two Florida defensemen. Veteran blueliner Filip Kuba stepped up on Ovechkin and poked the puck away but lost control of it in the same motion. The Capitals’ captain powered behind Kuba, gained positioning near the loose puck and fired a tight angle shot over the shoulder of Jacob Markstrom for his second goal of the game.

“I try to beat [Kuba] and I thought he miss the puck,” Ovechkin said. “So I had time to see where goalie is. It was lucky goal but ill take it. It was good shot.”

It was the type of play that has seemed to come so easily for Ovechkin over the past 10 games as he’s come alive offensively, recording 13 goals and six assists in the past 11 games.

It was also the type of play that exemplifies everything Coach Adam Oates has been working on with Ovechkin this season. Ovechkin started the play on the right side, let his linemates gain control and feed him the puck with time and space to work with, followed up when his initial attempt to drive the net was derailed and then took the opportunity to put the puck on net.

“I love it,” Oates said of the second goal. “He was on right wing, involved in a play that wouldn’t have happened before. I love it. When things go your way you score those.”

Ovechkin recorded his second hat trick of the season and an assist Saturday night in Washington’s 4-3 win at the Florida Panthers. It was his fourth multi-goal game of the year, three of which have come during this 11-game streak that dates back to March 17 vs. Buffalo.

After his offensive outburst on Saturday, Ovechkin is second in the NHL in goals scored with 23, behind only Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos (25), who visits Verizon Center on Sunday evening. With 41 points, Ovechkin ranks seventh among all NHL scorers.

“We get used to our system, we play our way and when everybody get into the play and everybody play hard and play simple it’s going to work,” Ovechkin said when asked if anything changed to help spark this stretch. As a group, Washington has been finding its footing in Oates’s system over the past two to three weeks. The execution has been cleaner, the plays more precise and scoring chances a little more numerous.

“All of us, the whole team’s playing better,” Oates said. “That line’s playing better, Marcus is playing solid, Backie’s flying. They’re scoring goals, the power play I think has really helped him because the power play has been clicking. You know that you’re going to get one there and 5-on-5 is starting to click. Everything’s evolving and that’s the goal.”

In Ovechkin, though, it’s not hard to see his confidence rising. He’s grown into his place on the right side and doesn’t drift aimlessly over to the left wing. The chances that he couldn’t finish at the beginning of the season are going in. It makes it easier for any player to embrace a system when they can see the results.

When Ovechkin’s rolling, it serves as a renewable energy source for the rest of the Capitals. This is the dynamic, commanding on-ice presence they’ve come to expect of Ovechkin and when he meets those expectations, its hard not to follow suit – or simply enjoy the performance.

“You can tell he’s doing what we expect him to do, that’s the player we expect out of him and he’s doing a great job,” said goaltender Braden Holtby. “Maybe it’s a confidence thing. Who knows? But you can tell he’s back to peak form. This is the way he plays when he got himself his name. It’s fun to watch. He’s so powerful when he wants to be, and lately he’s really wanted to. No one can knock him off the puck.”

Washington Post LOADED: 04.08.2013


Capitals want to learn from lackluster finish against Panthers

Katie Carrera

April 7, 2013 at 12:24 pm

The Capitals had just captured their seventh win in the past nine games and secured two points that ensured their place atop the Southeast Division, but Saturday night the visitors’ dressing room at BB&T Center was subdued.

While they were glad to capture a win, the Capitals weren’t happy with the way they finished the contest. Giving up three goals in the third period and allowing the Panthers to make it much closer than it needed to be left a sour aftertaste and offered a lesson moving forward.

“We can’t play like that. It starts in locker room, just go there, finish it up and play hard. We came out [poorly in the third] and that can’t happen if we gonna play longer,” Alex Ovechkin said. “We just have to be focus. When we not focusing, when we loosey goosey, that’s not going to work.”

To a certain extent, any team will let up once it’s established a four-goal lead. The key for the Capitals is finding a way to overcome those lulls by sticking with the system and preventing opponents from threatening a commanding lead as much as possible.

“It’s good that people realize that now, that no matter what the score is we’ve got to play our game a whole 60,” Braden Holtby said. “Even if it’s cliché, you’ve got to stick with it because guys in this league are so skilled, any team can come back.”

Washington is looking to let this serve as something of a wakeup call before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday night at Verizon Center and as it goes forward in the final 10 games of the regular season.

While the players focused on learning from allowing the Panthers to mount a late-game comeback, Coach Adam Oates wasn’t as concerned. It might not have been an ideal finish to a game but even as Florida roared back, he didn’t sense worry on the bench.

“It’s one of those things where you get a four-goal lead, it’s really hard to play. Obviously everything was going our way and clicking,” Oates said. “I really thought that even though they scored, I didn’t detect any panic on the bench. We were fine. You don’t want to see that happen because you don’t want to plant any seeds, but the guys were good.”

It was interesting to contrast Oates’s perspective with that of the players. Often this season Oates has preached method above result, zeroing in on small detail,s win or lose. Saturday night, that perspective appeared to have rubbed off on the players.



Brooks Laich, Martin Erat to miss Capitals’ game vs. Lightning

Katie Carrera

April 7, 2013 at 5:52 pm

The Capitals will be without both Brooks Laich and Martin Erat, who are both out with lower-body injuries, Sunday night when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Verizon Center.

Laich suffered an injury in Washington’s 2-1 shootout win over the Islanders on Thursday. Coach Adam Oates has said repeatedly that the forward did not aggravate the groin injury that caused him to miss the first 28 games of the season but this problem is affecting it.

Laich, 29, is scheduled to see groin specialist Michael Brunt on Tuesday in Washington. Brunt, who is listed as a general surgeon for the St. Louis Blues, performed sports hernia surgeries on both Mike Green and Joel Ward last year and is the doctor the Capitals regularly consult when dealing with groin injuries.

“They can’t quite get a handle on what it is. He just doesn’t feel good,” Oates said. “He’s a little sore everywhere but not necessarily where he was in the groin, so that’s why he’s seeing the specialist that he’s been seeing on Tuesday.”

While it’s uncertain how much time Laich will miss, this is certainly not an encouraging sign that the utility forward will make a speedy return to the lineup.

Erat suffered an apparent left leg injury after being smashed into the boards by Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson in the first period of Saturday’s game at Florida. Oates said Erat, whose head collided with the boards as a result of the hit as well, did not suffer a concussion in addition to the apparent left leg injury.

“Marty felt way better than he anticipated,” Oates said. “So I don’t think it’s going to be too long.”

With both Laich and Erat out for Sunday’s game, Eric Fehr will skate as the second-line left wing alongside Mike Ribeiro and Troy Brouwer. In other lineup notes, Michal Neuvirth gets the nod against the Lightning and will make his first start since March 16 at Boston.



Alex Ovechkin scores empty-net goal

Katie Carrera

Updated: April 8, 2013

Alex Ovechkin missing chances to score an empty-net goal this season had become something of a running joke among the Washington Capitals. Coach Adam Oates would tease Ovechkin about it, his teammates would deadpan and drop the fact into their responses when asked about their captain.

In the 39th game of the season Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, though, Ovechkin made sure to skate all the way to the hash marks before firing into the wide open cage to seal a 4-2 Capitals’ win. The tally marked Ovechkin’s 25th of the season, tying him with Steven Stamkos for the league lead.

“I think he’s been missing five of them, at least, before,” Nicklas Backstrom said. “So it was good for him to find that empty-netter.”

On the CSN Washington broadcast, color analyst Craig Laughlin said Ovechkin had missed six chances to score an empty-net goal this season and the star winger knew he missed a few as well.

“Too many wasted opportunities from our team,” Ovechkin said. “I think this is our first goal in empty net don’t want to risk it.”

Regardless if Ovechkin had put the puck in the net, though, the goal would have counted. As Ovechkin made his way up ice and skated past the benches, Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn reached his stick over the boards to try to impede the Ovechkin’s progress.

According to the NHL rule 56.7, Killorn’s obstruction attempt made the play result in an automatic goal for the Capitals.

Here’s the applicable text from the NHL rulebook:

If, when the goalkeeper has been removed from the ice, any member of his team (including the goalkeeper) not legally on the ice, including the Coach or non-playing Club personnel, interferes by means of his body, stick or any other object or piece of equipment with the movements of the puck or an opposing player in the neutral or attacking zone, the Referee shall immediately award a goal to the non-offending team.

“They actually made it a goal,” Oates said. “The ref had already called it, but he skated all the way in. The whole crowd knew, too.”



Capitals vs. Lightning: Alex Ovechkin scores two more goals as Washington tops Tampa Bay, 4-2

By Katie Carrera

With his team up by a goal late in regulation Sunday night and having a chance to obtain sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division with a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Coach Adam Oates didn’t hesitate to put the Washington Capitals’ star winger on the ice.

It’s an opportunity in a critical situation that Alex Ovechkin didn’t always receive last season but one that the 27-year-old captain values and appreciates.

On this particular occasion, Ovechkin rewarded Oates’s confidence with an empty-net goal with 4.4 seconds left in the third period to seal a 4-2 Washington win over the Lightning.

The tally clinched the Capitals’ fourth consecutive victory, their eighth win in the past 10 games, and it pushed them to 42 points — two ahead of the Winnipeg Jets, who are their nearest competitor in the Southeast Division. It also marked Ovechkin’s 25th goal of the season, tying him with Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos as the league’s leading goal scorer and perhaps reminding the entire NHL that the dynamic winger is just as powerful an offensive force as he ever was.

“Right now I feel pretty good and again we win the games it’s most important thing,” Ovechkin said. “Of course I’m happy I score the goals, the beginning of the year was pretty hard time for all organization. Now we’re back on track and it’s good.”

In back-to-back contests this weekend against the Florida Panthers and Lightning, Ovechkin recorded six points (five goals, one assist) but this weekend is only the latest chapter of Ovechkin’s offensive explosiveness this season.

“He’s scoring on his chances; obviously he’s got a lot of shots during the game,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “It makes it easier. And when he has confidence, it’s fun to see and helps the team a lot.”

For the better part of the past three weeks, Ovechkin has been the commanding and unstoppable on-ice presence that made him one of the league’s most ebullient players early in his career. It’s no coincidence that the Capitals’ rise up the Eastern Conference standings occurred at the same time. Over the past 12 games, Ovechkin has recorded 15 goals and 21 points and Washington is 9-2-1.

“I think that’s why we’ve been playing so good as a team,” rookie defenseman Steve Oleksy said. “I think everybody feeds off that and when we see him finding that next level I think everybody in the room finds that next level.”

Ovechkin’s 25th goal might not have been his most highlight-reel worthy of the season, considering it was already ruled an automatic goal before he put the puck in the empty net. Tampa Bay center Alex Killorn reached his stick over the bench to try to impede the winger as he made his way up the ice, making the tally a foregone conclusion before Ovechkin skated it the whole way up to the cage.

But Ovechkin’s first goal of the night against Tampa Bay was an example of the captain taking advantage of an opportunity he might not have previously in his career, which is among the things Oates has worked to help Ovechkin learn how to identify a variety of scoring chances and take advantage of all types rather than relying on a few set plays.

Tampa Bay carried a 1-0 lead into the second period thanks to a power-play goal by Vincent Lecavalier, but 3 minutes 14 seconds into the middle period Ovechkin put Washington on the board.

As the play worked up the left-side boards, Ovechkin realized a shot might be coming from his teammates up near the blue line and made a strong move to step in front of defensemen Keith Aulie to gain positioning in front of the Tampa Bay net. When Jack Hillen fired a shot from the point, Ovechkin was in position to redirect the puck past Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop to even it at 1.

“He’s got two tips in five games. When did he ever do that before?” Oates said. “He’s around the puck more.”

Oates reiterated how important it has been for him to build trust with Ovechkin and teach the face of the Capitals’ franchise to embrace the various adjustments like the switch to right wing, being involved in the play in all three zones and learning how to take advantage of the opportunities his linemates can create for him.

“It’s respect,” Oates said. “He never met me before, and I totally respect who he is, and what he’s accomplished, and when you suggest something like that, it has to be a meeting of the minds and a private conversations and he had to trust me.”

John Carlson and Joel Ward, who left the game after blocking a shot with his left leg but is expected to travel to Montreal with the team, added goals for Washington, but once again it was Ovechkin finishing things off for the Capitals.

For Ovechkin there may be no greater feeling than knowing his coach is willing to play him late in close, important games.

“It’s trust. That’s what I don’t have last year,” Ovechkin said. “When you have that kind of feelings you just want to go out there, play for your team for your coach and do your best out there.

Capitals notes: Neither Brooks Laich (lower body) nor Martin Erat (left leg) played because of injury. Oates said Laich did not aggravate the groin injury that kept him out of the lineup for the first 28 games of the season but said this new injury is affecting the groin.

Laich, 29, is scheduled to meet with groin specialist Michael Brunt, who is based out of St. Louis and performed sports hernia surgeries on Mike Green and Ward last season, on Tuesday in Washington.



Capitals’ defenseman Mike Green looks to be back in an offensive groove

By Stephen Whyno

The Washington Times

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Eleven months after sports hernia surgery, Mike Green was finally pain free. He began the 2013 NHL season feeling the best he had since injuring his groin in November 2011.

Back to his silky smooth skating, the Washington Capitals defenseman piled up 30 minutes a night and looked like the old Mike Green, or, rather, the young Mike Green who was a Norris Trophy finalist. All that was missing was his previous offensive production.

Back from another groin injury, Green isn’t worried about limitations, and the firepower that made him a star has seemingly returned.

“I think that’s just because I feel good,” he said. “I had a rough go the last few years and finally healthy. So [I] feel great.”

In four games from March 30 through April 4, Green scored five goals and added an assist. He was halfway to his own league record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman.

“Always has been, Mike’s been a game-breaker for us,” forward Brooks Laich said. “He can change the game from the back end. He’s got tremendous ability, the skating ability to get up and back on the ice. And then he’s got a tremendous shot.”

Green looked like his old self earlier this season, but having his laser shot back is a big difference. When he’s scoring like he has been lately, Marcus Johansson said Green is “almost like the fourth forward out there.”

That’s what coach Adam Oates wants from him.

“I love the way he’s moving up on the play,” Oates said Thursday night. “He’s not trying to do too much with it. I would say the last two games, he’s moved up at the correct times and been involved in the play at the correct time. Not trying to gamble. Obviously, the poise on the blue line’s huge. The puck possession’s huge, and [he is] playing very well.”

Going into Sunday’s games, Green trailed only 2012 Norris Trophy-winner Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators in goals a game. Green had eight in 25 games while Karlsson, who’s out for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon, scored six in his only 14 games.

No NHL defenseman has more even-strength goals (seven), but captain Alex Ovechkin doesn’t think Green is necessarily back on his game.

“I don’t think, to be honest with you, he was not on his game,” Ovechkin said. “He’s offensive D and he can play well defensively when he feels healthy and when everything on his side. You can see when he make a move in our zone it give him confidence and give us confidence as well when we have our best D play like that.”

In each of the previous seven games before Sunday night at the Tampa Bay Lightning, Green played at least 22 minutes, averaging 24:50 of ice time. That’s a heavy load for the 27-year-old, who had missed 13 of 15 games with a groin injury from Feb. 17 to March 19.

Green was quickly able to move past that.

“I think he’s feeling pretty comfortable back there right now,” right wing Troy Brouwer sad. “I know with all the injuries he’s had over the past couple years he’s felt like he hasn’t got into a good rhythm. I think right now he’s scoring goals and helping us win.”

When Green is making opponents respect offense coming from the blue line, life is easier on the likes of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Ribeiro. He’s a calming influence on the point on the power play and dangerous at five-on-five.

But Green’s contributions as an all-around defenseman might be just as important.

“He’s also playing good defensively,” Brouwer said. “He’s out there on the penalty kill, which I don’t know if he used to do a lot before. He’s playing good, solid hockey and he’s doing things we need to do to win. Like jumping up in the rush, making it more difficult for their backcheckers to handle us and we’re creating more offense as a result.”

Green is creating more offense individually too. His game is clicking well enough that he’s dictating the pace of play.

“As far as seeing the ice and getting opportunities, everything kind of slows down again where you can see the holes,” he said.

Vision is one element of Green’s game that made him a transcendent offensive defenseman a few years ago, when he was putting up 60-plus points. He got Lasix surgery before the season but only lately has he had such a keen eye for the net.

“I see some of that, for sure,” Oates said. “When you miss a lot of games, it affects your timing. Even when you come back, he’s been hurt a few years consecutively, so that affects your timing, your conditioning, your reads. Tat’s one of the tough parts of the job.”

At least lately it’s a part of the job Green has started to recapture.

Washington Times LOADED: 04.08.2013


Capitals notes: Brooks Laich to see specialist about latest injury

By Stephen Whyno



Brooks Laich will see a groin specialist Tuesday as the Washington Capitals hope to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with the injured forward.

Laich, who missed the first 28 games of the season with a groin injury, missed two contests over the weekend after leaving Thursday’s win over the New York Islanders with what the team called a lower-body injury. He is set to see St. Louis-based Dr. L. Michael Brunt, a renowned specialist who did sports hernia surgeries on defenseman Mike Green and right wing Joel Ward.

That does not appear to be good news for Laich.

“They can’t quite get a handle on what it is,” coach Adam Oates said. “He just doesn’t feel good. It’s a little sore everywhere, but not necessarily where he was in the groin, and that’s why he’s seeing the specialist.”

Laich took a hit Thursday and left the game. Asked if he avoided any serious damage, the 29-year-old forward responded: “I don’t have a lot to say.”

Oates said Laich did not quite aggravate the same groin injury he suffered while playing in Switzerland during the NHL lockout but acknowledged this problem is affecting the groin.

“Brooksie, you know what, he’s still hurting,” Oates said. “[We’re trying] to get an evaluation of where he is, but I think he’s going to be out for a few days.”

Erat sidelined

Left wing Martin Erat missed Washington’s game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an apparent left leg injury after taking a hit Saturday from Florida Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson.

“Marty felt way better than he anticipated, so I don’t think it’s going to be too long,” Oates said.

Erat was playing just his second game for the Caps since being traded from the Nashville Predators at the deadline. The 31-year-old could not put pressure on his left leg while being helped off the ice in the first period.

Oates said Erat, whose head slammed into the boards, did not suffer a concussion. But missing Erat at all is a bad break for the Caps.

“That’s tough,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “It’s very frustrating to see that happen to him. I’m sure he feels the same way. Hopefully it’s not something that’s going to keep him out too long.”

Neuvirth starts

Michal Neuvirth started in goal Sunday against the Lightning, his first appearance since a March 16 loss at the Boston Bruins. That broke Braden Holtby’s streak of 11 straight starts.

“You’re going to need both your goalies,” Oates said. “It’s just a fact. We need him to play.”

Neuvirth made just his third start in the Caps’ past 26 games.



Alex Ovechkin leads way as Caps win fourth straight

By Stephen Whyno



Sometimes it's difficult to quantify what happens to the Washington Capitals when Alex Ovechkin is producing like one of the best players in the world.

Sometimes it's very easy.

“Obviously we win more,” center Nicklas Backstrom said.

Four in a row, eight of the past 10 and nine of the past 12, most recently Sunday night's 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, as Ovechkin has been nothing short of spectacular. The captain scored twice and tied for the NHL lead in goals as the Caps built a two-point lead in the Southeast Division with nine games to play.

“Right now I feel pretty good, and again we win the games it’s most important thing,” Ovechkin said. “Of course I’m happy I score the goals, the beginning of the year was pretty hard time for all organization. Now we’re back on track and it’s good.”

Ovechkin has 15 goals and six assists in the past 12 games. His 25th of the season came on an empty-netter Sunday that ensured the Caps were the hottest team in the league.

It's far from a coincidence that the star winger's production coincided with his team's movement from bottom of the Eastern Conference to division leader.

“He's a leader and I think that's why we've been so successful,” defenseman Steve Oleksy said. “I think everybody feeds off that, and when we see him finding that next level I think everybody in the room finds that next level.”

Defenseman John Carlson and right wing Joel Ward found another level by beating Ben Bishop to turn a deficit into a lead, and Ovechkin finished things off with his and the team's first empty-net goal of the season.

It was automatically a goal when Tampa Bay's Alex Killorn reached his stick out from the bench to obstruct Ovechkin, but he wasn't taking any chances after a couple of misses earlier in the season.

“Too many wasted opportunities from our team,” Ovechkin said. “I think this is our first goal in empty net. Don’t want to risk it.”

Playing the second half of a Southeast Division back-to-back, the Caps didn't risk giving up crucial points in one of their games in hand on the second-place Winnipeg Jets. Up two points on Winnipeg and eight on the Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, it's starting to feel like the division and corresponding No. 3 seed in the East is there for the Caps.

“It’s too early to say,” Ovechkin said. “We still have big games coming up. We have to try to win as many as we can.”

Now 12-3 against division opponents, the Caps understand the importance of taking care of business in the Southeast.

“It's real important. We're going to be in the first spot there in our division,” Backstrom said. “You've just got to keep working. It's a lot of games left, and you've got to make sure you're focused every game.”

Maintaining focus amid a sprint to the finish is one thing the Caps have gotten very good at this season. Part of that is coach Adam Oates not addressing the division race with his players.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Oates said. “The schedule’s been just crazy. Right now I think the staff and the players, we’re just treating it a game at a time, and it’s been working for us and we’re not talking about anything else, just focusing on tonight.”

Sunday night, like so many before, Ovechkin was locked in. Not surprisingly, the Caps followed.

“He's scoring on his chances; obviously he's got a lot of shots during the game,” Backstrom said. “It makes it easier. And when he has confidence, it's fun to see and helps the team a lot.”



Alex Ovechkin stays hot as Capitals take sole possession of first place

Brian McNally

The Washington Examiner

April 7, 2013 | 9:00 pm | Modified: April 7, 2013 at 11:30 pm

Capitals star winger Alex Ovechkin made no mistake this time. With an empty net yawning ahead of him and the game essentially over, he skated the puck all the way to the goal and slipped it home.

For Ovechkin and his team, which hadn't scored an empty-netter all year, there had been too many missed opportunities this season. Now they are seizing them one after another on a steady march back to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Ovechkin scored two more goals as he continued a torrid stretch of hockey and goalie Michal Neuvirth, starting for just the third time in 28 games, finished with 28 saves as the Caps took a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night at Verizon Center.

The victory lifted Washington (20-17-2, 42 points) into sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division for the first time all season, and it still has a game in hand on the second-place Winnipeg Jets (19-19-2, 40 points) with just nine games remaining.

"This is good. We fight through it, and finally we can feel confidence," Ovechkin said. "But again, we can't stop playing. We have to continue play how we play."

Tampa Bay (16-20-2, 34 points) took an early lead in the first period when Martin St. Louis took a faceoff win and immediately found teammate Vinny Lecavalier, who tapped in the pass just 1:52 into the contest.

Ovechkin tied things early in the second period. He tipped home a shot from defenseman Jack Hillen for his 24th goal of the season. That goal 3:14 into the period tied the game at 1-1. Ovechkin later tied Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead in goals (25) with his empty-net shot.

But the Lightning answered that even-strength tally quickly. Alex Killorn skated onto a long pass from Lecavalier, deked Hillen, the last man back, and skated in alone on Neuvirth for an easy goal to make it 2-1.

Then Washington fought back again. Defenseman John Carlson took a drop pass from Joel Ward and skated unopposed into the offensive zone. He had plenty of time to wind up and whistle a shot past Lightning goalie Ben Bishop -- all 6-foot-7 of him. The shot tipped off a defenseman's stick and carried right over Bishop's glove hand and into the roof of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

Just 3:27 later it was Ward's turn. He took a pass from Mathieu Perreault at center ice and drove hard down the left wing. Just as he neared the net, Ward moved the puck to his forehand and beat Bishop for the 3-2 advantage. That lead would hold the rest of the night.

"The schedule has been just crazy. Right now the staff and the players, we're treating it just a game at a time," said Caps coach Adam Oates, whose team is 5-0-1 in its last six games. "It's been working for us. We've not been talking about anything else. Just focus on tonight and let's play. We'll deal with [winning the division] later."

Washington Examiner LOADED: 04.08.2013

668881 Winnipeg Jets

Jets sign netminder Olkinuora

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 1:16 PM

Last Modified: 3:47 PM

WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets confirmed today they have signed free-agent goalie Juho Olkinuora, a 22-year-old who's leaving the University of Denver after two seasons.

Olkinuora will join the AHL's St. John's IceCaps shortly to finish out the season.

The native of Helsinki had a 13-6-5 record with the Pioneers this season in the WCHA.

"He was going to leave school and we expressed interest and I think this will work out well that he can get right into the system and start developing," Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said today. "A lot of people in our organization have seen him play and he is a competitor. He has shown some good attributes that a pro goaltender should."

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.08.2013


Keeping tabs on Byfuglien's minutes

By: Tim Campbell

Posted: 12:45 PM

WINNIPEG — The rationing of Dustin Byfuglien’s minutes this week is not being passed off as some co-incidence.

The big Winnipeg Jets’ defenceman played a season-low 15 minutes, 55 seconds Thursday in a 4-1 loss in Montreal when coach Claude Noel moved him from forward back to defence during the game, then sat him on the bench for a long stretch to end the night.

Saturday, when the Jets rebounded to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 at the MTS Centre, Byfuglien’s minutes went up, but not by much.

He played regularly, but only 17:48, again well below his season average 24:22.

"It felt like I was sitting around a lot," Byfuglien said this morning after an optional skate at the MTS Centre. "It wasn’t my decision. It was theirs."

This morning, Noel didn’t plead ignorance on the matter, like he sometimes does on issues or injuries.

"Well, whatever," was his response to Byfuglien’s minutes. "It’s what we deemed he needed or we needed. We won the game.

"He didn’t need to play 30 to win or to lose. Charlie (Huddy, Jets assistant coach) is the one who managed the minutes with the defence.

"A lot of it’s dictated by a lot of different things. You’re trying to win the game, first of all. You do what you have to do. His play’s been so-so, so that’s how it goes."

Four times this season the Jets have used Byfuglien more than 28 minutes in a game. He still remains their highest-scoring defenceman, with 21 points.

The Jets will practise again Monday before meeting the Bufflo Sabres here Tuesday.



Jets notes

Tim Campbell

Posted: 3:19 AM

No stall for Trouba

IT'S a starting point.

Due to injuries and different additions, plus the return to the ice this week of defenceman Zach Redmond, all the stalls are occupied in the Jets' locker-room at the MTS Centre.

So rookie Jacob Trouba, who signed an entry-level contract this week, began his stint with the team in a temporary setup -- on a fold-up chair near the remote-control and bubble-gum shelf, in front of the tape drawers with his nameplate affixed just under the cable box.

Trouba, 19, was Winnipeg's first-round pick, ninth overall, in last June's draft and decided to turn pro after one season at the University of Michigan.

Wheeler deemed OK

HE didn't skate at Sunday's optional practice, but the Jets said right-winger Blake Wheeler, briefly felled by a high late check from Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell in Saturday's third period, is fine.

"I don't think there's anything there," Jets head coach Claude Noel said, asked about a possible injury.

The team also said Sunday the return of forwards Jim Slater and Anthony Peluso, both out with suspected broken hands, is not imminent.

Noel listed each as still week-to-week.



Buff just 'sitting around a lot' now

Tim Campbell

Posted: 1:00 AM

THERE'S some tension in the matter of Dustin Byfuglien's ice time in the Winnipeg Jets' last two games.

"It felt like I was sitting around a lot," was Byfuglien's fairly short response Sunday morning after an optional skate at the MTS Centre. "It wasn't my decision. It was theirs."

The decision amounted to 17 minutes 48 seconds in the 4-1 win Saturday over the Philadelphia Flyers. That came on the heels of a season-low 15 minutes 55 seconds for the big Jets defenceman Thursday in Montreal, when head coach Claude Noel moved him from forward back to defence during the game, then sat him for a long stretch to end the night.

Noel sometimes washes over issues, including injuries, claiming he doesn't know much or have anything to add.

But regarding Byfuglien's ice time, he didn't dodge much other than to suggest assistant coach Charlie Huddy was doling out the minutes.

"Well, whatever," was the start to Noel's response. "It's what we deemed he needed or we needed. We won the game.

"He didn't need to play 30 to win or to lose. Charlie is the one who managed the minutes with the defence. A lot of it's dictated by a lot of different things. You're trying to win the game, first of all. You do what you have to do. His play's been so-so, so that's how it goes."

Four times this season, the Jets have used Byfuglien more than 28 minutes in a game and his ice-time average is 24:22. He remains their highest-scoring defenceman, with 21 points.

Byfuglien suggested there hasn't been a lot of conversation recently about his minutes or his play.

"Everyone chats a little bit, but for the most part, no," Byfuglien said.

The matter was raised of his being moved to right wing during the game Tuesday on Long Island, then moved back to defence for the third period Thursday in Montreal.

Could it be causing some confusion, some inconsistency?

"Yeah, it's something that's not easy -- to focus on D, and then next game you have to try to focus on forward and not have any practice to get comfortable at forward or anything," Byfuglien said.

"It's just a matter of going out and trying to do it, trying to read the game from that point of view, and it's not the easiest thing to do.

"It's part of the game. Sometimes you're going, sometimes you're not. Sometimes other guys have to step up and do their part, too, and I thought we've been getting that lately."

Just to be clear, Byfuglien said defence is where he prefers to play.

"I've always preferred to be a defenceman," he said. "Forward was just something I just did."

He discounted the possibility of any mixed messages within the team.

"I think everyone knows what they need to do," he said. "It's just a matter of getting things back on track."

A more palatable schedule -- the team's next five games are at home -- should help the team and himself, Byfuglien hinted.

"It's going to be nice to be able to settle down and get settled in at home again instead of coming home for a day or two, then having to pack and go back on the road," he said. "We can't get too comfortable. We've still got a job to do and games to win."

He cited Saturday's rally to beat the Flyers as a key moment for the team.

"It's big," he said. "It's something that no team wants to get in that many of a loss streak, and it's something that I thought we found a way to battle out of it and do a good job."



It's all about intensity now

Tim Campbell

Posted: 1:00 AM

Having played the most games in the NHL through Sunday -- and most of the last two weeks -- the Winnipeg Jets now get a manner of payback.

And it's a double-edged sword.

With 40 games done and 40 points in the bank, the Jets have a rather reasonable, home-heavy schedule the rest of the way. Just eight games remain. The next in the six-game homestand is Tuesday night at the MTS Centre against the Buffalo Sabres.

But while the Jets find a few extra days off in the next nine days -- they play on Tuesday, Thursday against Florida and not again until Tuesday next week against Tampa Bay -- their rivals will be catching up in games played and in opportunities to gain points.

And in this season's Eastern Conference-plays-Eastern Conference-only schedule, somebody's getting points every night.

Scoreboard-watching will be in play many nights, but the Jets continued to say Sunday they're focused on their own task.

It will include a full team practice today at the MTS Centre, taking advantage of the first time in almost eight weeks the team has two non-game days in a row without travel.

"And even then, I'm not sure who all we'll have out there," Jets coach Claude Noel said after an optional skate Sunday that followed Saturday's relief-filled 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. "We have a fair amount of bodies around. The wildest thing is that it's odd that we have two days between games.

"I can't remember the last time we had time between games. It's almost a shock. I almost don't know what to do."

There will be better clarity in preparing for the Sabres after snapping their five-game losing streak Saturday.

"When you have a losing streak at this critical point of the season, our focus was basically just get a win," Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey said. "If it had to be 1-0, then it would be 1-0. Or 9-8, though I would not prefer that, that would be fine. That was the objective. We accomplished it. It's nice to have a couple of days here to mentally regroup before games. It's been a while since that's been the case."

Nobody needs to tell the team about the importance or urgency required for the final eight games, Hainsey said.

"The games are all going to be for us, not do-or-die because that's not the right word, but games if you potentially lose and someone else wins, you could possibly put yourself behind the eight-ball," he said.

"This late, by the time we play, we'll have two weeks left essentially, and they're all going to be important games. If you have a night where everybody wins and you lose, you'll be putting yourself in a spot where you might have to win a lot of games."

Just how many wins remains to be seen, but Saturday's was a good start.

"We've got a ways to go, even when you look at it," Noel said. "It was good in a lot of ways, good for everything -- our self-esteem, getting rewarded for working and working the right way.

"It puts us back nearby. It doesn't really solve anything completely. We've got a ways to go yet. We know that."

That's the big step this team is trying to make.

"This group has been in this position, hovering in this area for five years," Hainsey said. "I think my first year we were in Atlanta, we were out probably two or three weeks before (the finish)."

He cited the many close calls to the playoffs since. "These are exciting games to play, games you want to play in for as long as you can," he said. "Intense, fun games to play."

The intensity will be what Noel is looking for, and completely forgetting where Buffalo or Florida may be in the standings this week.

"We're beyond guarding," Noel said. "Trust me on that one. We have to win games -- that's it. You can spell it how you want. I would have not liked to have guarded five, six games ago.

"At this juncture, come on, you have to... we have to be good, have to expect to be good. That's it. Anything less than that is failure.

"Some practice days do not hurt. That has been out there, that we haven't had a chance to practise. No one has. I haven't heard of a team having a long stretch of practice to get prepared to play us. Every team that comes in is very similar, not skating in the morning, it's just the way this season is.

"It'll be nice to have a practice to get prepared but as far as using that as any sort of reason for anything, nobody's practising a lot, or maybe just a day here or there and it's no vaild explanation for anything in my opinion."

Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey on the team's priority, practice or rest?



College stopper on Chevy's list signs up

Tim Campbell

Posted: 1:00 AM

AN emergency-plan college addition and an undrafted late bloomer is the latest addition to the Winnipeg Jets.

The NHL team signed 22-year-old Juho Olkinuora to a contract Sunday after the Helsinki native decided to leave the University of Denver after two years.

And with that, the Jets rather suddenly seem to be in very good shape with goaltending prospects.

"For us, it's part of the bigger picture trying to stockpile assets and stockpile prospects at all positions," GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said Sunday.

"We're certainly not just focusing on the goaltending side of it. We're doing our best to try through whatever means, the draft or free-agent signings, trying to add some depth to that pool."

Along with Olkinuora, they have three other prospects still playing NCAA hockey.

One of them, 2012 fifth-round pick Connor Hellebuyck, will take the University of Massachusetts-Lowell into this Thursday's Frozen Four semifinal against Yale in Pittsburgh. Hellebuyck was named Hockey East's goalie of the year.

The other two are Winnipeg native Jason Kasdorf of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, named Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference rookie of the year and made the league's second all-star team, and Caledonia, Ont.'s, Jamie Phillips at Michigan Tech.

"We're certainly sitting anxiously watching Hellebuyck's team as they compete at the Frozen Four this week," Cheveldayoff said. "It's a great time for him and we're watching with great anticipation, as that team has gone a long way in a short period of time.

"And Kasdorf as well. Both came in as freshmen this year and earned their opportunities to gain more starts and continued to earn opportunities to be go-to guys on their teams."

Hellebuyck, 19, has played 23 games this season, with a record of 20-2, six shutouts, a goals-against average of 1.31 and a save percentage of .953.

Kasdorf, the former Portage Terriers goalie picked in the sixth round of 2011, played 23 games for RPI this season (14-5-2), with a 1.62 GA average and a .935 save percentage.

Olkinuora's record with the Pioneers this season was 13-6-5 and his save percentage .927 as he supplanted recruited scholarship goalies on the Pioneers' roster.

As the story goes, Olkinuora was a late addition at Denver in 2011 when No. 1 goalie Sam Brittain, drafted by Florida, required pre-season surgery. He had to pay his own way because the team's scholarships were used up.

The team had decided to add a third or "practice" goalie just in case and found him in the USHL.

When the Pioneers' other goalie, Adam Murray, got hurt early in the year, the they had no choice but to play Olkinuora, and by the time the other two netminders were healthy, they had a hard time pushing him out of the net.

This past season, Olkinuora was named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's second all-star team.

"A lot of people in our organization have seen him play, and he is a competitor," Cheveldayoff said. "He has shown some good attributes that a pro goaltender should.

"I've got to admit I defer more to people who know something about goaltending. I'm more of a guy (who says): 'Does he stop the puck, or doesn't he stop the puck?' Brian Renfrew, our college free-agent scout... he's seen him and Flats (goaltending coach Wade Flaherty) has seen him

on tape, and it's an opportunity where he was going to leave school and we expressed the interest and I think it's going to work out well that he can get right into the system and start developing."

Olkinuora has agreed to a two-year entry-level deal and will join the AHL's St. John's IceCaps on an amateur-tryout contract for the remainder of this season.

Assembling a list of developing young goalies might take a little heat off the Jets for that position at the upcoming draft, but you never know how these things play out, Cheveldayoff said.

"A lot of it depends on how the draft unfolds in front of you as to whether there's a match. Fortunately for us, we had guys we had interest in being available late in the draft in each of the years."



Weird week for Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien

By Kirk Penton

Winnipeg Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 12:49 PM CDT

Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 02:08 PM CDT

Jets snap losing streak against Flyers, April 6, 2013

Just a week ago, head coach Claude Noel said the Winnipeg Jets go as defenceman Dustin Byfuglien goes.

He wasn’t singing the same tune on Sunday.

Byfuglien, the enigmatic blue-liner from Roseau, Minn., played just 17:48 in Saturday’s critical 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. It was the least ice time Byfuglien had received while playing a whole game on defence since joining the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010, and it didn’t seem to affect the game’s outcome much.

Noel downplayed Byfuglien’s lack of playing time and, at the same time, distanced himself from the decision to have No. 33 on the bench more than usual, saying it was assistant head coach Charlie Huddy’s decision to use the other defencemen more.

“Well, whatever,” a defiant Noel said. “It’s what we deemed that he needed or we needed. We won the game. He didn’t need to play 30 (minutes) to win or to lose, so that’s the way it worked out. Charlie’s the one that manages the minutes for the defence.

“A lot of it’s dictated by a lot of different things. You’re trying to win the game first of all, so you do what you have to do. His play’s been so-so, so that’s how it goes.”

It was a wild week for Byfuglien, who was the victim of the coaching staff’s panicky decision to have him play forward for a few periods over the course of two games before moving him back to the blue-line.

Byfuglien reiterated on Sunday that his preference is to play defence. He also noted the transition of going from the blue-line to forward is never a smooth one.

“It’s not easy to sit and focus on D, then next game you have to try to focus on forward and not have any practice or get comfortable at forward or anything,” he said. “It was just a matter of going out and trying to do it and trying to read the game from that point of view. It’s not the easiest thing to do.”

When he went back to the blue-line, however, his poor play continued. He failed to pick up the man on a Montreal goal on Thursday night, just as he did on a Carolina tally on March 30, and was subsequently benched for the rest of the match.

Byfuglien said he hasn’t had a conversation with Noel about what exactly in his game needs to improve. “Everyone chats a little bit, but for the most part, no,” Byfuglien said. He does, however, have an idea. “Everyone knows what they need to do. It’s just a matter of getting things back on track.”

If the Jets are going to somehow pull a playoff spot out of their hats, they’re going to need Byfuglien at some point. They can win the odd game without him logging big minutes, but it’s not something they’ll be able to do on a regular basis. And win on a regular basis is the only way they’re going to have a hope of seeing the post-season.

It’s clear Byfuglien isn’t happy with the situation, but the fact he was on the ice Sunday morning for the optional practice when all the other big-name players were taking the day off shows he’s ready to work his way out of it.

SPECTATOR SPORT

When asked Sunday what he felt about playing only 17:48 of Saturday’s win over Philadelphia, Dustin Byfuglien cracked: “I felt like I was sitting around a lot.” It would have been a weird feeling for the big man, who has never played fewer minutes while playing a whole game on defence since

joining the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010. A look at the games in which he’s had less ice time than he had on Saturday.

March 12, 2011

Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 4 (OT)

Ice time: 16:40

Why: Byfuglien had been dealing with a lower-body injury around that time, although there is no record of him leaving the game because of injury or being benched. He left the ice with 13:35 remaining in the third and didn’t return.

Oct. 23, 2010

Washington 4, Atlanta 3 (OT)

Ice time: 14:31

Why: Byfuglien received a charging major and a game misconduct with 2:28 left in the second period.

Nov. 17, 2010

Florida 2, Altanta 1

Ice time: 4:26

Why: Byfuglien suffered a lower-body injury with 5:41 remaining in the first period and didn’t return.

Only once last season did Byfuglien play less than 20 minutes, and that was 19:42

Twice this season he’s played less than 20 minutes, but one was 19:59 and the other was 19:18

He played 15:55 on Thursday in Montreal, but he spent most of the game at forward

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USA TODAY / Winter Classic details announced

Kevin Allen

USA TODAY Sports

3:06p.m. EDT April 7, 2013

DETROIT – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman joked that the Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, scheduled to be played at the Big House in Ann Arbor next New Year's Day, "is so big we need to make the announcement twice."

The announcement simply confirmed the not-very-secret plan to reschedule the game that was lost because of the lockout.

"Everything had been locked down and loaded, and the big issue was whether it could be put back together," said NHL chief financial officer John Collins.

The Michigan Stadium has a listed capacity of 109,901 for football, and it's expected the game will set an outdoor attendance record.

"I've said for years if you could ever get a hockey game at the Big House it would be magical," University of Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson said. "And we had that experience playing Michigan State in 2010 and it was a truly magical."

This Winter Classic is scheduled to have two alumni games at a second rink at Comerica Park in Detroit, and American Hockey League game between the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids (Mich.) Griffins, plus the Great Lakes Invitational college tournament, and Ontario Hockey League, high school and youth games.

"Once a Leaf, always a Leaf. Once a Wing, always a Wing," said former Detroit player Joe Kocur. "You could probably do three or four (alumni) games and not have a problem filling the lineups."

The hope is that 110,000 people would come to the sixth Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, and another 250,000 would attend the other events scheduled to be played in Detroit. The Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch insisted that downtown Detroit be included in the planning.

"It may be cold outside, but it is going to be a hot time in Hockeytown for two weeks," said Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment

By moving it until next season, the game has been changed to a division rivalry game. The NHL is realigning next season and Toronto and Detroit will be in the same division for the first time since they were in the Central Division in 1997-98.

The two teams have played 644 times in NHL history, and Toronto has won 276 times and Detroit has won 275. Detroit has 646 points and Toronto has 645.

HBO once again will host a 24/7 leadup to the game.

"I don't think there is a player you could talk who didn't have an amazing experience when he played in it," said NHL Players' Association executive Mathieu Schneider.

The Winter Classic has become the biggest regular-season event of the NHL calendar because it has given the league a strong presence on a traditional football day There is something about outdoor hockey that fascinates viewers. The game provides good ratings for NBC as folks tune in to see if it will snow.

"Why do we love outdoor hockey?" said former Red Wings star Mickey Redmond. "For people in my era, for every one time I played under a roof, I played 50 times underneath the sky and it doesn't get better than that."

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