CAROLINA HURRICANESdownloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/clips/clips011817.pdf · swept the puck in from 8...

CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • January 18, 2017

Canes’ Jeff Skinner can relate to Duke’s Grayson Allen

By Chip Alexander

[email protected]

Duke’s Grayson Allen was booed every time he touched the ball Saturday at Louisville, which is life on the road for Allen this season.

The junior guard is constantly reminded of his antics – tripping opposing players – caused by his fiery competitiveness and quick-twitch reactions that come off churlish and have made him the “bad boy” of college basketball. It resulted in a reprimand from the ACC last year and suspension by Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski this season.

Among those watching from afar has been Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, who can relate in a way to Allen. He, too, is fiery, competitive. He, too, has let his temper get the best of him at times.

In March 2012, Skinner was suspended for two games by the NHL. Battling for the puck along the boards with Scott Nichol of the St. Louis Blues, Skinner was knocked to the ice, then angrily used his right skate to push Nichol away from him.

It was a “heat of the moment” play but also a dangerous one, and Nichol was fortunate he was not injured. In issuing the suspension, the NHL noted Skinner had recently received a warning from the league for slewfooting a player, the hockey equivalent of an intentional trip.

On a personal and professional level, it was embarrassing for Skinner, then 19. It’s also something that has not been repeated, which Skinner said comes with maturity and the determination to better control his emotions.

“It’s one of those things where you always want to walk the line of recognizing that you want to keep emotion in your game and keep that passion alive where it helps your game,” Skinner said. “But sometimes for me as a young player you walk that line and it can get the better of you. I think as you grow and experience things, you’re able to have a little bit

more perspective on things because you’ve seen them before.”

As Skinner put it, so much in hockey happens quickly. You make plays instinctively.

On the play with Nichol, Skinner was knocked off the puck and wasn’t happy about it. In a flash, he kicked Nichol away, making contact with Nichol’s leg.

“It was a reactionary play,” he said. “It’s an emotional game, it’s fast-paced, and you don’t have time to think.”

Allen, after twice tripping players in ACC games last season and receiving a reprimand from the league, said before this season that he had learned a hard lesson. He said the incidents were embarrassing for him, his family and the school.

Then, it happened again. In a Dec. 22 game in Greensboro, Allen tripped Elon’s Steven Santa Ana as Santa Ana attempted to drive the baseline, kicking out his right leg. Krzyzewski suspended Allen for one game.

Skinner’s suspension in 2012 is his only one. He’s now 24, a veteran player.

“Experience helps because you’ve seen situations and you put yourself in better spots and you’re able to react to situations better,” Skinner said.

Skinner realizes the scrutiny is intense, especially for star players. There’s always that spotlight, especially in the ACC.

“I know one thing, UNC, Duke and N.C. State basketball gets a lot of media attention,” Skinner said. “There’s a lot of pressure on those guys at a young age.”

Allen just turned 21. He’ll be playing in the NBA soon and the scrutiny will continue.

“It’s just one of those things that as you grow and have more experience you’re able to react differently,” Skinner said. “For me, you try to take opportunities, good or bad, to learn from as you grow older. That benefits you in the long run.”

For Canes, not much to like in loss to Columbus

By Chip Alexander

[email protected]

A rookie forward scored his 11th goal, a rookie goalie made his NHL debut and the penalty killing held strong.

Other than that, there wasn't much to like about the Carolina Hurricanes’ game Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets as the Canes' four-game winning streak came to an end.

The Blue Jackets boomed the cannon four times in the first 30 minutes at Nationwide Arena, ending the night early for

Canes goalie Cam Ward as Columbus took a 4-1 home-ice victory.

Sebastian Aho did get his 11th goal of the season. And goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, recalled Monday from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, made an unexpected appearance in his first NHL game, stopping all 17 shots he faced.

But the Canes (21-16-7) were generally outworked in every area but penalty killing by the Blue Jackets (30-9-4), who were bent on ending a mini-skid that had caused them to slip behind the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division.


“They won most of the individual battles,” Canes coach Bill Peters said. “A lot of the puck battles, their support was there quicker than we were. I just thought we lost a lot of battles in all three zones.”

The Blue Jackets played with even more intensity after Aho's goal, off a Teuvo Teravainen pass, gave the Canes a 1-0 lead at 18:06 of the first. They responded so quickly, with two goals, that the second cannon blast almost seemed an echo of the first.

Boone Jenner scored 11 seconds after Aho. Brandon Dubinsky scored 35 seconds after Jenner. It was 2-1, Columbus.

“Actually we played OK in the first period,” Aho said. “But a couple of tough goals …”

Another goal by Dubinsky, who gave the puck a fling at the net from the deep right wing, and then Lukas Sedlak’s score at 9:16 of the second led to the goalie change. In came Nedeljkovic, a Parma, Ohio, native who likely expected to watch his first NHL game.

“To be honest, I was a little anxious,” Nedeljkovic said. “But when you’re backing up, you’re always ready to go, no matter if you’re here, American League, East Coast.”

Nedeljkovic, 21, a second-round draft pick by Carolina in 2014, now has been in all three leagues this season, spending time with the Florida Everblades of the East Coast Hockey League, a step down from the AHL. In his short stint,

Nedeljkovic became the 12th goaltender in ECHL history to score a goal in a Dec. 30 game.

On Tuesday, he was in an NHL net.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was pretty surreal. Unfortunately we couldn’t find our way back in the game.”

The Canes rallied to beat the Blue Jackets 5-3 at PNC Arena last week. For all the talk about the Canes’ home success (15-4-1), Columbus is even better at Nationwide Arena (17-4-1) and had goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Matt Calvert — both missed the game in Raleigh with illnesses — in the lineup.

The Jordan Staal line, so dominant for the Canes in the past few games, struggled Tuesday. Staal was minus-2 and lost eight of 10 facesoffs, and wingers Brock McGinn and Elias Lindholm both had minus-3 nights.

The Canes, now 6-12-6 on the road, did kill off all four penalties against the NHL’s best power-play team, just as Carolina did in Raleigh.

“That’s twice we’ve played these guys and given up four opportunities, and eventually that’s going to catch up with you,” Peters said. “Too many needless penalties. When you’re trying to come back, it just kills the clock and shortens the race track.”

After a home game Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Canes will back on the Columbus “race track” Saturday to try again.

Dubinsky scores twice and Blue Jackets beat Canes 4-1

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio

Brandon Dubinsky hadn't scored a goal since Dec. 9 at Detroit, a 17-game stretch during which he had chances but couldn't find the back of the net. The drought ended Tuesday night, maybe helping Columbus end a team-wide lull in the process.

Dubinsky scored in the second and third periods, Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist and the Blue Jackets beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.

The Blue Jackets got their third win in seven games since ending a 16-game winning streak and pulled even with Washington atop the unforgiving Metropolitan Division.

"We wanted to reset for sure," Dubinsky said. "We haven't played that well, obviously, in the last six or so games. We wanted to get back to the way we play."

Lukas Sedlak also scored for Columbus, and Ryan Murray and Cam Atkinson had a pair of assists each. All-Star Sergei Bobrovsky returned after missing the past three games because of illness and made 24 saves for Columbus.

Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, who ended a four-game winning streak. Cam Ward was pulled after allowing four goals on 19 shots, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped all 17 shots in his first NHL appearance.

"They won most of the individual battles, a lot of the puck battles," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "Their puck support was there quicker than we were, so I just thought we lost a lot of battles in all three zones."

Carolina got on the board first with less than two minutes left in the first period when Aho took a pinpoint pass from Teuvo Teravainen just to the right of the net and knocked it past Bobrovsky.

That seemed to uncork the Blue Jackets, who answered with two goals in 35 seconds to close out the period. First Jenner swept the puck in from 8 feet while skating across the front of the net and sprawling on the ice. Then Dubinsky snapped one past Ward from the right circle to make it 2-1 at the break. Columbus outshot Carolina 15-9 in the period.

"We've had struggles getting the momentum back on our side when we lose it," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "They score a goal, we score two. I think it was really good just to get the momentum swung back on our side."


Dubinsky struck again less than four minutes into the second period, lifting a 53-foot wrist shot from the right board over Ward's shoulder, with Jenner picking up his second assist.

At 9:16 into the second, Sedlak was in position in front of the cage to put back Sam Gagner's shot that bounced off Ward's glove. Ward was promptly pulled.

"We could have been a little bit better in the start, but I think we got our legs and we played the right way for about the last 50 minutes or so of the game," Dubinsky said. "(In) the third period, as we have most of the year, we locked it down and I thought we controlled the play and really limited them on anything they were going to get."

NOTES: Dubinsky's goals were his fourth and fifth of the season. ... Carolina is 1-1 against the Blue Jackets this

season. The teams play again Saturday in Columbus. ... Nedeljkovic, who was recalled from Charlotte of the AHL on Monday, grew up the Cleveland suburb of Parma, about two hours from Columbus. ... The Blue Jackets say D Markus Nutivaara is out indefinitely with an unspecified injury. He has two goals, five assists and a plus-4 rating in 42 games. Scott Harrington took his place. ... Columbus is 17-2-1 in their last 20 games at Nationwide Arena. ... Cam Atkinson got his 100th career assist on Jenner's goal.

UP NEXT:

Carolina: Returns home to play Pittsburgh on Friday night.

Columbus: Hosts Ottawa on Thursday night.

Recap: Canes Have Winning Streak Snapped in Columbus

by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com

January 17th, 2017

Analysis from Columbus

→ The Carolina Hurricanes saw their four-game winning streak end in a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the second meeting between the two teams in a span of a week. Sebastian Aho had the Canes' lone tally, while Alex Nedeljkovic made his NHL debut in net halfway through the contest.

"They won most of the individual battles, a lot of the puck battles," head coach Bill Peters said. "Their puck support was there quicker than we were. I just thought we lost a lot of battles in all three zones."

"I thought we played OK in the first period, but a couple tough goals," Aho said. "We need to bring more speed and play faster."

→ On Monday evening, the Hurricanes sent goaltender Michael Leighton to Charlotte and recalled Alex Nedeljkovic, his first call-up to the big show. Nedeljkovic hails from Parma, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, so his family made the trip to Columbus to see him dress in his first NHL game.

What was unexpected: Nedeljkovic making his NHL debut. Halfway through the second period, Nedeljkovic was summoned into the crease with the Hurricanes down 4-1.

"To be honest, I was a little anxious," Nedeljkovic said. "Whatever level you're playing at, if you're backing up, you're always ready to go just in case something happens. It was a lot of fun and pretty surreal. Unfortunately we couldn't find our way back in the game."

The 21-year-old rookie looked anything but, as he made 17 saves on 17 shots and staved off a seemingly relentless Columbus attack in the third period.

"I felt pretty good. It's a lot easier when you get into a game and you get a lot of shots," Nedeljkovic said. "They were putting pucks on net, and they had a lot of sustained pressure in our end. It made it easier to stay focused, stay in the game and find a rhythm."

"He was good," Peters said. "He came in, shut the door and gave us a chance to come back."

Nedeljkovic even tallied two penalty minutes, as he was whistled for holding shortly after taking to the crease.

"It's funny. Everyone was kind of joking around that I had to get on the scoresheet somehow. Getting a penalty, I guess, was the way to do it," Nedeljkovic said. "Thankfully the guys were able to kill it off and save my butt there."

Per Hurricanes Vice President of Communications and Team Services Mike Sundheim, this marks the first time the Hurricanes have used five goaltenders in a season (Cam Ward, Eddie Lack, Michael Leighton, Jorge Alves and Nedeljkovic) since 1997-98.

"I'm going to relish it and enjoy it," Nedeljkovic said with a smile. "It was a lot of fun."

→ Of course, Nedeljkovic's debut meant Ward's early exit in his 20th consecutive start.

Tonight shouldn't discount what No. 30 has done in the crease over the last six weeks. He's been a consistent and reliable mainstay in the net, back-stopping the team to 11 victories and helping them earn a point twice across a stretch of 19 games. Coming in to tonight's game, Ward had faced


the third-most shots in the league (1,006) and made the fourth-most saves (920); he's seen a lot of rubber, and he saw 19 shots in just under 30 minutes tonight.

The Canes have a two-day gap before their next contest, including an off day on Wednesday - a well-earned rest for Ward.

"It won't hurt him at all," Peters said.

→ For 11 short seconds, the Hurricanes held a 1-0 lead in this game. Teuvo Teravainen fed Sebastian Aho with a beautiful cross-ice pass, and Aho made no mistake for his 11th of the season at the 18:06 mark of the first period.

"I just tried to be in front of the net, and it was a great pass from Turbo," Aho said. "A pretty easy goal for me."

From there, it was all Blue Jackets. Columbus tied the game on the very next shift, as Boone Jenner powered his way into the zone, around the Canes defense and around Ward for his ninth goal of the season. 35 seconds later, Brandon Dubinsky walked in and scored on a wrist shot. All of a sudden, a Hurricanes lead was flipped to an advantage for the home team heading in to the first intermission.

"I just thought they did a good job of getting pucks to the net. There was some traffic. We made it hard to pick up pucks," Peters said. "Give them credit for throwing pucks at the net, pucks and bodies."

Of course, this wasn't foreign territory for the Canes, who trailed after one period in each of their four home games last week. They had big second periods in all four, scoring a combined 11 goals, and won all four games.

Tonight was different. Columbus added two goals in the first half of the second period - Dubinsky's second of the game and then a rebound tally for Lukas Sedlak - and that was that.

"You've got to win the battles in all three zones," Peters said. "Got to play differently. Got to play faster, move the puck more efficiently, engage in the battles and win the battles."

→ It's now back home for the Hurricanes, briefly, as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday before returning to Columbus for a re-match with these same Blue Jackets.

"That's game three," Peters said of Saturday's tilt. "Each team's got one, so we'll see who gets the next one."

Prospect Progress Report: Metro Division

Craig CustanceESPN Senior Writer

The second annual Prospect Week begins with the best division in hockey. The Metropolitan Division has teams in various stages of their development, from those at the top who have used their own high-draft picks to build Stanley Cup contenders, to those at the bottom trying to do the same.

We’re taking our annual lap around the league at the midpoint, with insight from scouting directors and team executives, on the prospects making the most progress this season as well as those knocking on the door to make an NHL impact.

Here's how things stand for the eight teams in the Metro:

Carolina Hurricanes

Preseason ranking: The Hurricanes were ranked No. 5 in Corey Pronman’s preseason organizational prospect rankings, even with the graduation of high-end defensemen Noah Hanifin and Jaccob Slavin.

Prospect making the most progress: Nicolas Roy, C, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)

For the second straight year, Roy is in this spot.

He’s coming off a 48-goal season in the QMJHL, and the Hurricanes have been pleased with the continued development this season from the 6-foot-4 center taken in the fourth round of the 2015 draft.

“He’s picked up a step,” said Hurricanes assistant GM Mike Vellucci. “Being 6-4, he’s always been a great faceoff guy and responsible defensively. He’s a good net-front presence on the power play, good vision and hands. In the world junior, they used him for all key faceoffs, in the offensive zone and defensive zone.”

In his first 27 games this season, he had 16 goals and 23 assists.

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: Roland McKeown, D, Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

The Hurricanes have a talented young defense and more good defensemen coming. McKeown was a second-round pick in 2014, and is playing in his first full season in the AHL after four seasons playing for the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs.

He’s not going to put up noticeable numbers -- he has seven points in 36 games in the AHL this season -- but the Hurricanes are happy with how he’s played during his first professional season. If Carolina ends up moving one of its higher-end defensemen to trade for a forward, McKeown should get a good look in the NHL.


“He’s a good skater, he has very good hockey sense,” Vellucci said. “He’s got a great stick and just does everything really, really well. He’s not a big offensive guy but he can play on your power play. He’s just a good, solid, responsible defenseman who can join the rush when he has to and make a good first pass.”

Columbus Blue Jackets

Preseason ranking: Columbus was No. 4 overall before the season, with GM Jarmo Kekalainen building a nice mix of depth and high-end prospects like Zach Werenski and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Prospect making the most progress: Calvin Thurkauf, LW, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Connecting on a prospect late in the draft can go a long way in building organizational depth, and the early returns for Thurkauf are strong. He was the No. 185 overall pick in the 2016 draft, and the Blue Jackets think they’ve got a good one.

After scoring 18 goals last season in 61 games for Kelowna, he reached that total in just 32 games this season. He also captained the Swiss team at the World Junior Championship.

“I knew nothing about him until we drafted him, I hadn’t had a chance to see him. Our scouts did a great job getting him in the later rounds,” said Blue Jackets development coach Chris Clark. “He plays a North American style game. He gets into the corners. The first game I saw him this year, on one of the first shifts I saw him play live, he got into the corner, dug the puck out, made a power move to the net, shot the puck off the pads and then got his own rebound. He’s got good hands and also has the wherewithal to know where the goals are going to be scored.”

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: Oliver Bjorkstrand, W, Cleveland Monsters (AHL)

Bjorkstrand was a big part of Cleveland’s Calder Cup-winning run last spring, where he scored 10 goals in 17 playoff games. He was a third-round pick in 2013, and is close to earning a spot in the NHL if there’s ever the opportunity.

“He was a guy that we all thought would be in the NHL this year. It was his job to lose, but things happen and the team has been playing well,” Clark said. “A lot of young guys I’d like to see playing in Columbus haven’t got a chance because the team is playing so well.”

He’s not the biggest guy, but when he’s at his best, he’s effective going into corners and returning with the puck. The Blue Jackets haven’t seen it as consistently as they did last season when he was putting up big numbers in the playoffs.

“If he can get back to that, that’s his ticket,” Clark said. “You get him the puck anywhere in the slot, it’s a goal. You also need to go get the puck and not just be that one-dimensional scorer. He has that ability, he’s very good at it. It’s a process.”

New Jersey Devils

Preseason ranking: Pronman slotted the Devils in at No. 19, noting the improved organizational depth from the past couple of years.

Prospect making the most progress: Joey Anderson, RW, University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

The Devils have been pleased with the play of Anderson after picking him in the third round of the 2016 draft. He won a gold medal with the Americans at the world juniors, which is always a great experience for a young player. In 19 games as a freshman, he has six goals and 12 assists.

He had two points in seven games in helping Team USA win gold.

“He’s such a hard worker,” said Devils director of amateur scouting Paul Castron. “Him and [Devils prospect] Blake Speers, they’re kind of similar. They’re high-energy kids who really compete, but also have the skills to play with good players and contribute at the same time. As much as they seem to be used almost in a defensive role, they also have a way of contributing offensively to help the team.”

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: Blake Speers, RW, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

Speers got a taste of the NHL earlier this season, with three games out of camp. The Devils were impressed with the training camp he turned in and rewarded him with a taste of the NHL. Coach John Hynes liked his ability to play up and down the lineup, along with his speed and instincts.

His playing time has been limited by a broken wrist since going back to junior, but he played for Team Canada at the world juniors, where he had three points in seven games. He has five points in five OHL games this season.

“He has a game that coaches trust. When you do that in the NHL, your chances of sticking around are pretty good,” Castron said. “He showed he can be responsible and be an energy player, but he is also an offensive player.”

New York Islanders

Preseason ranking: Mathew Barzal headlined a group of prospects that kept the Islanders in the top 10, sitting at No. 7.

Prospect making the most progress: Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

Islanders fans who watched the world juniors got a bit of a reprieve from a frustrating NHL season when viewing Barzal, who was great for Team Canada. He finished the tournament with eight points in seven games, and definitely caught the eye of the Islanders' front office with his play.

“His overall game has improved a lot,” said Islanders director of player development Eric Cairns. “He has that offensive gift to create offense out of nothing, and the sense and the instincts and mobility to do that.”

After giving him a taste of the NHL, the Islanders challenged Barzal to work on and improve his play away from the puck, in an effort to help him get the puck more than he does now. So far, the progress has been promising.


“His overall intensity -- being in the right spots, winning one-on-one battles -- we’re seeing it,” Cairns said. “We’re very happy with that progress.”

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: Devon Toews, D, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)

If Islanders GM Garth Snow decides to move one of his NHL defensemen at the trade deadline, he’s got a good one just about ready to go in the AHL in Toews. Toews was a fourth-round pick in 2014 out of Qunnipiac University, and the Islanders have been patient in the development of the 22-year-old defenseman, but his chance at contributing in the NHL is getting closer.

“You can’t deny the steps he’s made this year,” Cairns said. “He’s able to create offense as well as play a reliable, responsible game defensively in his own end with good compete. He’s a very mobile player, with the way the game is now, you’ve got to be able to skate and he can do that.”

New York Rangers

Preseason ranking: A lack of first-round picks recently has helped contribute to a system that was thin enough to finish No. 28 overall before this season.

Prospect making the most progress: Sean Day, D, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

The Rangers didn’t have a first- or second-round pick in the 2016 draft, and took a shot on the talented but previously disappointing Sean Day in the third round. The 6-foot-2, 19-year-old defenseman has made real strides since joining the Spitfires, and has already exceeded last season’s point total.

The Rangers did a ton of reconnaissance on Day before picking him, talking to anyone and everyone they could to get information on him. So far, they’re pleased with the progress he’s making.

“He has matured a lot, both as a person and as a player,” said Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury. “When he got traded out of Mississauga to Windsor, he took another step. [Spitfires co-owner and GM] Warren Rychel, who I played with in Colorado, he and their staff have done a great job with him.”

The biggest strides have come in his consistency, which is always a challenge for young players.

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: Boo Nieves, C/W, Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

The Rangers have been patient with Nieves, 22, since drafting him in the second round of the 2012 draft and see a player who has transformed physically after four years at the University of Michigan.

He got a taste of the AHL last season, where he produced five points in eight games. He also had a noticeable performance for the Rangers during the annual prospect tournament in Traverse City, Mich., in September. In 34 games this season with Hartford, he has three goals and 10 assists.

“He’s very fast, he’s a really, really good skater. He’s a big kid. It’s not like he’s a darter, he has some size to him,” Drury said. “He’s put on so much muscle and weight and he’s

always been fast, now he’s even stronger. That’s really good. He’s been killing it on faceoffs, which is something everyone is looking for on the big club. He’s just a good all-around player down there and he’s playing in all situations.”

Philadelphia Flyers

Preseason ranking: The Flyers continued their climb up the prospect rankings under GM Ron Hextall, with their depth and versatility as an organization earning them the No. 6 spot.

Prospect making the most progress: Oskar Lindblom, C/W, Brynas IF Gavle (SHL)

Lindblom is playing in a league in Sweden that isn’t easy on young players, and is putting up good numbers offensively, which is really impressive. Through 34 games, the 2014 fifth-rounder has 30 points, after putting up 25 all of last season in the same league. He has shown growth each season in that league, and the Flyers have noticed.

“He just does a lot of little things well,” said Flyers assistant GM Chris Pryor. “He’s good on the wall, he protects the puck, he plays the game the right way, he’s responsible. There’s no cheat in his game. He can play with good players, he has a net-front element and can go in the corners.”

He’s a tall, lean player who continues to get stronger and the reward is coming in more offensive production.

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: Robert Hagg, D, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL)

Hagg is one of those prospects whose name has been in the mix for years after the Flyers made him the No. 41 overall pick in 2013, and he’s now knocking on the door. He’s playing in his third AHL season and after two years as a minus player, is currently a plus-2.

The Flyers like the strides he’s made as a pro, and it won’t be long until he’s in the NHL.

“People don’t realize, Robert is still a young kid. He’s 22,” Pryor said. “I think he feels comfortable with playing the game here now and it shows. He’s made a big stride going forward. He’s playing with confidence. We’re very happy with the strides he’s taken so far.”

Hagg is not a flashy player and isn’t going to put up a ton of points, but defends well and can move pucks out of his own zone.

“He takes care of his own end,” Pryor said. “It’s taken Robert a little bit to find who he is. It does take time and he’s worked at it. Everything is coming together.”

Pittsburgh Penguins

Preseason ranking: Years of challenging for a Stanley Cup and moving picks to help make it happen led to a No. 27 ranking, which was actually an improvement over the last-place finish two years ago.

Prospect making the most progress: Kasper Bjorkqvist, RW, Providence College (NCAA)


The young Team Finland group had a disappointing finish at the world juniors, but the solid two-way play of Bjorkqvist caught the eye of the Penguins. He’s not a guy who is putting up crazy numbers in college, with three points in 15 games this season, but assistant GM Bill Guerin sees a young player who plays an NHL game.

“He’s not ultra talented but he has enough talent to make plays and score when he gets the opportunity. His hockey sense is really good,” Guerin said. “He’s a 200-foot player, he plays on the power play and kills penalties. Maybe he’s not lighting the world on fire but he has the attributes ... to be a solid NHLer for a long time.”

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: Jake Guentzel, F, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

Guentzel was just promoted to the NHL again, so his chance to become an impact player is right now. It’s his second NHL stint this season, and the Penguins were really impressed in how he produced when given the opportunity and then returned to the AHL and kept on producing. Sometimes players go into a funk after getting sent back down to the AHL, and Pittsburgh management saw none of that from Guentzel.

He’s second in the AHL in scoring this season, with 42 points in 33 games, and has three goals and two assists in six NHL games.

He was a third-round pick in 2013 and has overcome concerns about his size (5-foot-10) to produce as a pro.

“He’s what a lot of people would consider an undersized player but he has elite hockey sense,” Guerin said. “His compete level is very good. ... If you can play, you can play. If you have hockey sense and you compete, there’s a place for you in the league.”

Washington Capitals

Preseason ranking: Pronman wasn’t crazy about the pick of Lucas Johansen by the Capitals, contributing to the No. 26 overall ranking for an organization that has prided itself with drafting and development.

Prospect making the most progress: Jonas Siegenthaler, D, Zurich SC (NLA)

Siegenthaler had a rough go during training camp this year for the Capitals, in large part because of family concerns back home, where his dad was dealing with a health issue.

“He wanted to be there instead of here,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said.

Since then, the Capitals have been encouraged by his development. He had a big performance in the world juniors, where he scored six points in five games for Switzerland, showing that he could contribute on the power play.

“He has size, strength and the ability to defend,” MacLellan said. “He’s a good net-front presence, stops the cycle and makes a good first pass. He can play against good players and also move the puck. He has enough size (6-foot-3) and strength to do all that.”

Prospect closest to making an NHL impact: F Jakub Vrana, Hershey Bears (AHL)

This is the second consecutive year Vrana has been in this spot. Since last year, he’s played 12 NHL games to go with his experience in the AHL, and scored his first NHL goal. His production in the AHL continues to be at a nearly point-per-game pace, and the 20-year-old Czech Republic native is close to taking the next step in his development.

He’s producing offensively, once he finds consistency in his play away from the puck, he’ll have a regular place in Barry Trotz’s lineup.

“It’s about making the right reads defensively when you don’t have [the puck],” MacLellan said. “It’s playing good along the wall in your own end. He has the speed, he has the shot, he has everything else on that side of it. It’s getting more responsible and not giving it back the other way.”

Hurricanes' McGinn named NHL’s Third Star of the Week

Rookie winger had four goals, three assists in three home wins

By Cory Lavalette

January 16th, 2017 3:29 pm

RALEIGH — Hurricanes rookie left wing Brock McGinn went on a tear last week, scoring four goals and adding three assists in three Carolina wins. People — including the NHL — are beginning to take notice.

McGinn was the named the league’s third star for last week on Monday. Washington center Nicklas Backstrom (three

goals, seven assists in four wins) was the NHL’s No. 1 star, and Boston left wing Brad Marchand (four goals and four assists in two wins and one loss) was the second star.

McGinn’s four goals in three victories over Eastern Conference foes matched his total output in 45 previous NHL games. He had the first multi-goal game of his career Friday against Buffalo, then had four points (one goal, three assists) the next night against the Islanders.

“It's a good feeling. I think it's just a compliment to our team on how we're playing right now,” McGinn said following Monday’s practice. “I think it goes through our whole lineup.


It's contagious and I think we know how big these next couple games are, we've just got to continue that.”

The Hurricanes — winners of four straight, all at PNC Arena — have a rematch at Columbus Tuesday before returning home Friday to host Pittsburgh. They then head back to Columbus for a 5 p.m. game Saturday, then play at Washington Monday. The four-game stretch is against three of the top teams in the conference, right at a time when Carolina is on the cusp of moving into playoff position — they trail Philadelphia by just one point for the second wild card spot, but have three games in hand on the Flyers.

“I think that's why we play this game — we all love that emotional part of the game,” McGinn said of the familiarity and animosity that playing Columbus three times in 12 days could breed. “I think that really brings out everybody's best, and it's a lot of fun to be in those games in those situations.”

McGinn’s big week came playing alongside center Jordan Staal and forward Elias Lindholm, who had six and five points, respectively, in the past three games.

“Ginner's playing the same game, just getting a little more results in the offensive zone,” coach Bill Peters said. “He's a real responsible player and has been good for us for quite a while. But now everyone's starting to notice.”

Sergei Bobrovsky gets win in Blue Jackets return

Makes 24 saves against Hurricanes after missing three games with illness

by Craig Merz / NHL.com Correspondent

January 17th, 2017

COLUMBUS -- Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves after missing the previous three games because of illness, and the Columbus Blue Jackets ended the Carolina Hurricanes' four-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.

Brandon Dubinsky scored twice for the Blue Jackets (30-9-4), who had lost four of six since a 16-game winning streak and two of three in Bobrovsky's absence.

Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes (21-16-7) at 18:06 of the first period for a 1-0 lead but Bobrovsky stopped the final 16 Carolina shots.

Columbus coach John Tortorella said he noticed the difference in the Blue Jackets with Bobrovsky, who leads the NHL with 27 wins.

"They know [Bobrovsky]," Tortorella said. "It relaxes the players, because if a mistake is made and they get a scoring chance, [Bobrovsky] has been that good. All teams play off their goalie that way, and this team certainly does. They feel very confident with him."

Dubinsky had gone 17 games without a goal before getting his fourth and fifth of the season to put Columbus ahead 3-1 early in the second period. Dubinsky had 17 goals last season.

Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist, Lukas Sedlak scored, and Cam Atkinson and Ryan Murray each had two assists.

Cam Ward made 15 saves for the Hurricanes but was replaced by Alex Nedeljkovic after allowing four goals midway through the game. Nedeljkovic made 17 saves in his NHL debut.

"I was a little anxious," Nedeljkovic said. "Whenever you're backing up, starting, whatever it is, you're always ready to go no matter here, the American League or the [ECHL]."

After Aho's goal, Jenner got his ninth 11 seconds later and Dubinsky scored 35 seconds after that for a 2-1 lead.

Dubinsky made it 3-1 at 3:53 of the second. Ward was pulled after allowing Sedlak to score at 9:16.

Goal of the game

Teuvo Teravainen threaded a pass to Aho at the right circle to set up the rookie's 11th goal of the season.

Save of the game

Bobrovsky made a full extension to his left to get a glove on a shot by Lee Stempniak that was targeted for the upper corner five minutes into the second period to keep the Blue Jackets ahead 3-1.

Unsung performance of the game

Jenner made a power forward move across the crease to slip the puck past Ward soon after Aho's goal to tie the score and rejuvenate the Blue Jackets.

Highlight of the game


Sedlak gave Columbus a 4-1 lead on a determined rebound goal when he went down to his left knee to put a backhand past Ward before sliding into the end boards.

They said it

"He was good. He came in, shut the door and gave us a chance to come back." -- Hurricanes coach Bill Peters on goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic

"We wanted to reset for sure. We've had a lull the last six games or so. We want to get back to the way we play. We could have been better at the start, but we got our legs and played the right way the last 50 minutes of the game. That's the way we need to play to win games." -- Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky

"The biggest thing is we've had trouble getting momentum back on our side when we lose it. They score a goal. We score two. It was really good to get the momentum swung back on our side." -- Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella

Need to know

Nedeljkovic is from Parma, Ohio, near Cleveland. He had family members travel about two hours south to Columbus for the game. He picked up his first NHL penalty, for holding, five minutes after entering the game. Nedeljkovic scored an empty-net goal for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL on Dec. 30 against the Atlanta Gladiators. … Hurricanes defenseman Ron Hainsey played after not participating in the morning skate for an undisclosed reason. …. Atkinson's assist on Jenner's goal was his first in 12 games and the 100th in his NHL career. … The Blue Jackets and Hurricanes will play for the third time since Jan. 10 on Saturday in Columbus.

What's next

Hurricanes: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, ROOT, NHL.TV)

Blue Jackets: Host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, TSN5, RDS, NHL.TV)

Hurricanes’ Bickell back practicing after multiple sclerosis diagnosis

By: Jared Clinton Jan 17, 2017

Bryan Bickell has been sidelined for much of the season as he gets treatment for multiple sclerosis, but the 30-year-old took part in practice for the second time in less than a week.

The hockey world was shocked in mid-November when news came that Carolina Hurricanes winger Bryan Bickell had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

At the time of the diagnosis, Bickell, 30, said he had been struggling to understand what had been going on with his body for more than a full season, dealing with health issues that were at the time diagnosed as the symptoms of vertigo. The issues dated back to the 2015 Stanley Cup final, during which Bickell captured his third Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Upon learning of the MS diagnosis, though, Bickell said he was hopeful that he would eventually find his way back into action and continue his NHL career, and in December, Bickell told reporters that it could be a month or more before he was able to return.

“It’s not a sprint, it’s going to be a marathon, and it’s going to take some time to get things right, ideally, to get me back on the ice,” Bickell said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’

Mark Lazerus. “That’s what I’m hoping for…It could be a month, it could be a couple months to get back on the ice.”

Well, two months after the diagnosis, Bickell appears to be on his way back, even if that just means getting onto the ice with teammates. Bickell returned to the ice in a non-contact jersey late last week and was again out for practice with teammates on Monday. It could signal the start of what would be an inspiring return to the lineup.

Bickell was last able to suit up on Oct. 30, but it was almost clear then that something was ailing him. He skated only 5:45 in the outing, was out the next four games, listed as out with an illness five games later and the announcement of his diagnosis came on Nov. 11. In seven games with the Hurricanes before he hit the injured list, Bickell scored one goal and was averaging less than 10 minutes per game.

There may be some hope that knowing what is ailing him could even help Bickell get his career back on track. According to Lazerus, Bickell said he had grown frustrated with his play and not knowing what was wrong didn’t help matters. Now, with Bickell knowing what he’s dealing with and getting proper care, there’s the potential for him to find his game. But, if nothing else, everyone around the league will be thrilled just to see him get back on the ice.


Admirals Defeat Checkers in Front of Record Crowd

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

Published: January 17, 2017

In front of a sell-out crowd of over 8,420 on “1950s Night,” the Checkers went toe-to-toe with the Milwaukee Admirals but couldn’t find a spark, falling 3-0 to snap their three-game winning streak. It didn’t take long for the visitors to find themselves on the board, as Derek Army put one behind Michael Leighton in the first three minutes of play. That early offense wouldn’t be indicative of the rest of the contest, however. The two sides were nearly even in shots throughout the game, but the Admirals controlled the majority of the play and pumped in one more goal in both the second and third periods. With no luck of the offensive side of the puck, the Checkers’ rally attempt couldn’t gain any traction, and they fell victim to their third shutout of the season. “It was not the sharpest effort,” said head coach Ulf Samuelsson. “A little surprising with this kind of fan support that we couldn’t get more generated today. It was disappointing.” Coming off of a three-game stretch that saw them pot 13 total goals, the well ran dry for the Checkers tonight against the Admirals as they struggled to find any sort of groove in the offensive zone.

“The Admirals played well defensively,” said Samuelsson. “They were hard on pucks and they didn’t give us any room to work with. A lot of credit to them, but you’ve still got to find a way to compete a little harder in the offensive zone for puck possession. They were in and out really quick and we had no sustained time at all.” “I don’t think we played with any urgency offensively,” said alternate captain Patrick Dwyer. “Guys were in there but weren’t in there fast enough. Our second guy was in there but he wasn’t in there fast enough. We were trying to make plays but weren’t making them fast enough. There was a matter of urgency that was missing from our game.” The Checkers had a wrench thrown into their game plan when their lineup had to undergo some last-minute changes. Keegan Lowe took warmups but ultimately couldn’t go for the game, while Dwyer and Roland McKeown each left the game due to injury, though the former returned shortly after. “We lose McKeown with an upper-body injury and he probably won’t be available for some period of time now. He’s been a very solid player for us,” said Samuelsson. “We

lost Keegan Lowe because of the flu before the game, so maybe we’ve got something going on throughout the team because some guys looked a little fatigued.” That shorthandedness caused the hole Charlotte fell into to be even more difficult to climb out of. “It makes it tough, but as a player you have to be ready to go at any minute,” said Dwyer. “It could be an injury or a guy getting sick or whatever, but you have to be able to move up or down that depth chart and take it in stride and contribute to our team. Unfortunately Lowe wasn’t able to go tonight with the flu and I thought Rainer [defenseman Kevin Raine, who replaced Lowe] played pretty well, but I think from top to bottom we weren’t desperate enough and we didn’t have enough compete in our game.” Despite handing the Admirals team a lopsided 5-1 defeat just a week ago in Milwaukee, the Checkers couldn’t pull off the feat again. “They’ve added three good players that made a difference, so now they’re a more balanced team,” said Samuelsson. “It was definitely a better roster than last time we played them.” “I’m pretty sure they’re still leading our division so you know they’re a good hockey club over there,” said Dwyer of the Admirals, who snapped a four-game losing streak tonight. “They had a big morale boost from getting three or four guys back from the big club and injury, so we knew they were going to come out hard and be a completely different team from a week ago. I don’t think we really responded the way we needed to.” While there weren’t many positives in their play tonight, the team is prepared to build off this loss and come back ready for tomorrow’s rematch. “I think you’ve got to take something from the game and there’s got to be some sort of lesson,” said Dwyer. “We’ve talked about it and it’s over with and done with. Now we move on to getting ready to play tomorrow and what we have to do to have a better all-around game.”

NOTES

The Checkers’ crowd of 8,420, which took advantage of tickets priced in throwback categories of 90 cents and $1.25 was the largest since the team moved back to Bojangles’ Coliseum last season … The team also sold 4,196 $1 hot dogs … The Checkers’ winning streak ended at three games. It was their second-longest of the season … This


marked the third time Charlotte has been shut out this season and first at home … The Checkers are now 1-1-1 against Milwaukee this season … Forwards Andrew Miller and Brendan Woods missed the game to due injury, while

defenseman Keegan Lowe did not play due to illness … Forwards Kyle Hagel and Mitchell Heard were healthy extras.

Southern Hockey Legend Pat Kelly Remembers The Good Old Days

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

Published: January 17, 2017

Hockey in the 1950s was a whole different animal, and perhaps no one in Charlotte knows that better than Pat Kelly. Kelly, a legend in the hockey community who helped co-found the ECHL and was awarded the prestigious Lester Patrick Award in 2016, spent most of his career grinding it out in the Eastern Hockey League, a minor professional league with teams that spanned the East Coast from Cape Cod to Jacksonville. “You didn’t have much chance of making it to the next level since there was only six American League teams and six National League teams,” said Kelly. “They just loved to play hockey. They were great guys to be around. They came to play every night. You made $175 a week and back in those days that was a lot of money. Most of the kids were Canadian. There weren’t many American guys and there were no Europeans. So you had 14 guys on a team and chances are you probably played minor hockey in your hometown with some of them.” The EHL was a rough and tumble league, so while some of the high-end skill may have been missing, every player on the ice had to be tough to survive its grueling nature. “Back in my day, you only had 14 guys on the team,” said Kelly. “There were lots of shenanigans going on, guys sticking people, lots of fighting. It wasn’t as fast as this hockey today, but we played 72 games in 20 weeks so you didn’t miss much ice time. If you got hurt or something, they never brought anyone extra along, so you’d just play shorthanded.” Given how far the protective equipment has come over the decades since, it was pretty tough to avoid getting hurt during that era. “We didn’t wear face shields, we didn’t even wear helmets,” said Kelly. “The equipment wasn’t good. I remember as a defenseman if I blocked a shot I’d take my pads off and there would be a knot in my leg. These kids aren’t afraid to block shots. Our forwards never blocked shots. That wasn’t their job, that was the defense’s job. But you watch these kids today, they’ll sprawl out in front of those 100-mile an hour shots.” Kelly starred as a blue liner for the Greensboro Generals, Charlotte’s bitter rivals at the time. While hockey didn’t have much of a natural following when it first made its way to

North Carolina, those two squads put on a big enough show to draw the locals’ curiosity, and soon it was one of the biggest games in town. “When Greensboro and Charlotte played, we’d fill buildings,” said Kelly. “These are probably the biggest crowds that most of those kids ever played in front of. “As a young guy, you couldn’t beat it. You’d look out there and say ‘Wow, this is as good as the National Hockey League.’ They’d cram 10,000 people in here and Maple Leaf Gardens only held 11,000 back then. So we’d say ‘Hey, we must be as good as the Maple Leafs.’” Kelly has a long list of memorable games at what is now known as Bojangles’ Coliseum. “We beat the Checkers 4-0 for the championship one year,” said Kelly, recounting a series from when he played for Greensboro. “They had a big tough guy, Foley, who was 6-foot-something. He speared me in the back, so I whacked him across the hip with my stick. I had a guy named Ian Anderson come off the bench to fight him because I couldn’t, I’m 5-foot-9. So Ian and I got kicked out of the game and we stood over in the corner and watched us win the fourth game.” While Carolina embraced their teams, in other places it could be a tough sell. “I remember we used to play up in New Haven and that was a pretty big betting town,” said Kelly. “So if the money was on the Clinton Comets that night and New Haven was winning, they’d be booing their own players.” The 81-year-old Kelly, who serves as the ECHL’s Commissioner Emeritus, can often be found these days in the stands at Bojangles’ Coliseum watching this iteration of the Checkers, with a game that has come a long way. “They didn’t grow up with that kind of tough hockey,” said Kelly of today’s players. “When we were playing Bantam and Midget hockey if we had to drop the gloves we did it. But these kids are better skaters than us, bigger than us.” Kelly, often credited as a pioneer of southern hockey, credits those days as keys to hockey getting a foothold in the region. “Charlotte paved the way for hockey in the South,” said Kelly. “A lot of great kids came through the Charlotte Checkers and the Greensboro Generals and the whole Eastern League back in my day. I’ll always remember my time there.”


TODAY’S LINKS http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article126998754.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article127172759.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article127134454.html

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/recap-hurricanes-winning-streak-snapped-in-columbus/c-285799496 http://www.espn.com/blog/craig-custance/insider/post?id=8628

http://www.nsjonline.com/article/2017/01/hurricanes-mcginn-named-nhls-third-star-of-the-week http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/hurricanes-bickell-back-practicing-after-multiple-sclerosis-diagnosis

https://www.nhl.com/news/carolina-hurricanes-columbus-blue-jackets-game-recap/c-285801814 http://gocheckers.com/game-recaps/admirals-defeat-checkers-in-front-of-record-crowd

http://gocheckers.com/articles/features/southern-hockey-legend-pat-kelly-remembers-the-good-old-days

1043617 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes’ Jeff Skinner can relate to Duke’s Grayson Allen

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

Duke’s Grayson Allen was booed every time he touched the ball Saturday at Louisville, which is life on the road for Allen this season.

The junior guard is constantly reminded of his antics – tripping opposing players – caused by his fiery competitiveness and quick-twitch reactions that come off churlish and have made him the “bad boy” of college basketball. It resulted in a reprimand from the ACC last year and suspension by Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski this season.

Among those watching from afar has been Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, who can relate in a way to Allen. He, too, is fiery, competitive. He, too, has let his temper get the best of him at times.

In March 2012, Skinner was suspended for two games by the NHL. Battling for the puck along the boards with Scott Nichol of the St. Louis Blues, Skinner was knocked to the ice, then angrily used his right skate to push Nichol away from him.

It was a “heat of the moment” play but also a dangerous one, and Nichol was fortunate he was not injured. In issuing the suspension, the NHL noted Skinner had recently received a warning from the league for slewfooting a player, the hockey equivalent of an intentional trip.

On a personal and professional level, it was embarrassing for Skinner, then 19. It’s also something that has not been repeated, which Skinner said comes with maturity and the determination to better control his emotions.

“It’s one of those things where you always want to walk the line of recognizing that you want to keep emotion in your game and keep that passion alive where it helps your game,” Skinner said. “But sometimes for me as a young player you walk that line and it can get the better of you. I think as you grow and experience things, you’re able to have a little bit more perspective on things because you’ve seen them before.”

As Skinner put it, so much in hockey happens quickly. You make plays instinctively.

On the play with Nichol, Skinner was knocked off the puck and wasn’t happy about it. In a flash, he kicked Nichol away, making contact with Nichol’s leg.

“It was a reactionary play,” he said. “It’s an emotional game, it’s fast-paced, and you don’t have time to think.”

Allen, after twice tripping players in ACC games last season and receiving a reprimand from the league, said before this season that he had learned a hard lesson. He said the incidents were embarrassing for him, his family and the school.

Then, it happened again. In a Dec. 22 game in Greensboro, Allen tripped Elon’s Steven Santa Ana as Santa Ana attempted to drive the baseline, kicking out his right leg. Krzyzewski suspended Allen for one game.

Skinner’s suspension in 2012 is his only one. He’s now 24, a veteran player.

“Experience helps because you’ve seen situations and you put yourself in better spots and you’re able to react to situations better,” Skinner said.

Skinner realizes the scrutiny is intense, especially for star players. There’s always that spotlight, especially in the ACC.

“I know one thing, UNC, Duke and N.C. State basketball gets a lot of media attention,” Skinner said. “There’s a lot of pressure on those guys at a young age.”

Allen just turned 21. He’ll be playing in the NBA soon and the scrutiny will continue.

“It’s just one of those things that as you grow and have more experience you’re able to react differently,” Skinner said. “For me, you try to take opportunities, good or bad, to learn from as you grow older. That benefits you in the long run.”

News Observer LOADED: 01.18.2017

1043618 Carolina Hurricanes

Dubinsky scores twice and Blue Jackets beat Canes 4-1

BY MITCH STACY

COLUMBUS, OHIO-Brandon Dubinsky hadn't scored a goal since Dec. 9 at Detroit, a 17-game stretch during which he had chances but couldn't find the back of the net. The drought ended Tuesday night, maybe helping Columbus end a team-wide lull in the process.




"We wanted to reset for sure," Dubinsky said. "We haven't played that well, obviously, in the last six or so games. We wanted to get back to the way we play."



"They won most of the individual battles, a lot of the puck battles," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "Their puck support was there quicker than we were, so I just thought we lost a lot of battles in all three zones."



"We've had struggles getting the momentum back on our side when we lose it," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "They score a goal, we score two. I think it was really good just to get the momentum swung back on our side."

Dubinsky struck again less than four minutes into the second period, lifting a 53-foot wrist shot from the right board over Ward's shoulder, with Jenner picking up his second assist.

At 9:16 into the second, Sedlak was in position in front of the cage to put back Sam Gagner's shot that bounced off Ward's glove. Ward was promptly pulled.

"We could have been a little bit better in the start, but I think we got our legs and we played the right way for about the last 50 minutes or so of the game," Dubinsky said. "(In) the third period, as we have most of the year, we locked it down and I thought we controlled the play and really limited them on anything they were going to get."

NOTES: Dubinsky's goals were his fourth and fifth of the season. ... Carolina is 1-1 against the Blue Jackets this season. The teams play again Saturday in Columbus. ... Nedeljkovic, who was recalled from Charlotte of the AHL on Monday, grew up the Cleveland suburb of Parma, about two hours from Columbus. ... The Blue Jackets say D Markus Nutivaara is out indefinitely with an unspecified injury. He has two goals, five assists and a plus-4 rating in 42 games. Scott Harrington took his place. ... Columbus is 17-2-1 in their last 20 games at Nationwide Arena. ... Cam Atkinson got his 100th career assist on Jenner's goal.

UP NEXT:

Carolina: Returns home to play Pittsburgh on Friday night.

Columbus: Hosts Ottawa on Thursday night.

News Observer LOADED: 01.18.2017

1043721 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins notebook: Cullen to miss three-plus weeks with foot injury

BILL WEST | Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, 2:36 p.m.

As a penalty killer and checking-line center, Matt Cullen endured all sorts of aches and pains a season ago, yet he managed to play in every one of the Penguins' games, from the Oct. 8 opener to the Stanley Cup Final clincher, a span of 106 appearances.

For the veteran's body to hold up so well just a few months before he turned 40 left teammates and coaches in awe.

Alas, streaks of sturdiness must eventually end.

Cullen will miss approximately three to four weeks with a foot injury, coach Mike Sullivan said Tuesday after practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Eric Fehr likely will fill in as the fourth-line center.

Cullen suffered the injury when he blocked a shot during the 8-7 overtime win against Washington on Monday and roamed the Cranberry facility in a walking boot during practice.

Rare is the ailment that keeps Cullen off the ice for long. He ended up on the injured reserve list twice because of upper-body injuries while with Nashville in 2014-15, but before that, his most recent stint on the list came in spring 2008, according to prosportstransactions.com.

He has appeared in at least 73 regular-season games in four of the last five full seasons; he also played in 42 of Minnesota's 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

Cullen's eight goals this season ranked seventh on the team. He also led all of the forwards in average short-handed ice time (2 minutes, 30 seconds per game).

JOLLY GREEN GIANT

A lone green jersey broke up the swirl of black, white and gold uniforms at Tuesday's practice. It made Brian Dumoulin, already a noticeable figure at 6-foot-4, that much more distinguishable.

Dumoulin considered himself just one of the guys for the first time in weeks, though.

The defenseman, still recovering from a broken jaw suffered Dec. 27, joined the Penguins for practice for the first time. He skated on his own during the past week but longed for the banter of teammates.

“The team was on the road, so I was missing the guys and being around them,” Dumoulin said.

Sullivan classified the development as an encouraging sign for Dumoulin, who had not been cleared for contact but joined the team for its road trip to Montreal and Carolina.

“It feels fine,” Dumoulin said. “I don't think it's anything I can reinjure just skating out there right now. It's just a matter of waiting for clearance from a doctor to be able to play and make sure that it's fully healed so if it gets hit again in a game, it'll be safe.”

RIGHT READS, WRONG SPOTS

Matt Murray's save percentage for the season took a dive from .925 to .916 following his 21-save, seven goals-allowed performance against Washington. But the goalie conveyed a sense of calm and found little reason to criticize his play.

“At the end of the day, if you make the right read, and you're in the right spot, and something like (an odd deflection) happens, then you can kind of brush it off,” he said. “I think that happened quite a few times last night, where I did everything right, I was in the right spot, I played it exactly how I would want to, and then it hit something.

“That power-play goal that they had, (Ian Cole) goes down in front of Ovechkin's shot and takes one. It lands right in front of (Trevor Daley), and Dales kicks it just a little bit too hard, and it goes right to Oshie on the backdoor. At the end of the day, there's really nothing you can do on stuff like that, so those ones, you definitely brush off.”

SWAP MEET

The Penguins sent defenseman David Warsofsky back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and called up left-handed defenseman Cameron Gaunce.

Gaunce, 26, signed with the Penguins as a free agent July 1 but did not make the NHL roster out of training camp. He has two goals and six


assists in 39 games with the Baby Pens. His career includes 20 NHL games — nine with Dallas in 2013-14 and 11 with Colorado in 2010-11.

Warsofsky returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after dressing in two Penguins games since his Jan. 11 call-up.

Bill West is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at [email protected] or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.18.2017


Defensive troubles result of Penguins straying from their system

BILL WEST | Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, 7:51 p.m.

The way Penguins coach Mike Sullivan gushed about winger Conor Sheary after Tuesday's practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex provided a telling insight as to what Sullivan wants most from his skaters at this point.

“He's relentless with his quickness, his speed, his pursuit of the puck, his second effort,” Sullivan said. “I think he plays with a lot of courage. He goes to the battle areas. He's not afraid to get his nose over the puck. And he's a good playmaker.”

Note the order of the adjectives. Before any mention of Sheary's playmaking, which has produced 13 goals and 28 points, came a spree of words about the undersized winger's tendencies as a puck hunter.

Sullivan structured his praise of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton call-up Jake Guentzel similarly a day earlier, when he referred to the rookie as a “solid two-way player” before mentioning Guentzel's place among the American Hockey League scoring leaders.

How frequently the Penguins struggled to limit opponents' shots in five-on-five action became a footnote during their December scoring spree. Particularly poor performances against Boston (32 five-on-five shots allowed Dec. 14), Carolina (45 shots Dec. 28), Montreal (35 shots Dec. 31) made the topic harder to ignore, but the Penguins still pulled off wins in each case.

Three consecutive regulation losses finally led Sullivan and his players to discuss their defensive lapses at length last week. Their chances to show what they learned after some self-assessment come in the next eight days as they get rematches against Montreal, Carolina and Boston.

“I think not committing to the (defensive) system is probably the thing that hurts us most,” Sheary said. “We have the offensive ability in this room to sometimes win games when we're not playing well away from the puck, and I think that fools us a little bit coming into different games. I think on the three-game skid, we weren't playing the right way for most of it.

“After last night (against Washington), we want to change a few things, but I think for the most part, we played pretty well.”

Yes, despite seven goals allowed, the Penguins considered their defensive effort against the Capitals encouraging. And the five-on-five shot totals supported them: Washington had 22 to the Penguins' 29.

Sheary, Scott Wilson, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl each contributed to the Penguins' shift toward stronger two-way play a season ago. The trade that brought Carl Hagelin to town and sent David Perron to Anaheim also served as a message to the Penguins about the importance of forechecking and backchecking.

Almost a year later, those players count themselves among the ones guilty of occasional deviations from Sullivan's game plan.

“For me, it's about not trying to do that extra chip to maybe get a two-on-one,” Wilson said. “I'm just getting in the lane and making the ‘D' throw it back down the wall instead of getting the puck to the net. It's really the little things that a lot of people don't notice or would even think to try to understand. That's something our team has to get a little bit better at. Try to win some 2-1, 2-0 games down the stretch here.”

Structure is what Sullivan wants. The speed that's so central to the Penguins' identity cannot come at the cost of defensive cooperation. Not every skater must pressure the puck the same way, but all must commit to the puck-pursuing cause.

“Some guys are really good at closing in and hitting guys, and maybe some other guys use their smarts and their sticks to win battles,” Hagelin said. “It's a mix, but it all comes down to doing the right things.

“If you start freelancing, you do someone else's job, maybe. And that's when it gets real messed up and looks real messy.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.18.2017


Dumoulin back at Penguins practice but not cleared for game action

By Sam Werner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin returned to practice with the team Tuesday for the first time since surgery to repair a broken jaw last month.

Dumoulin, in a green practice jersey and plastic shield covering most of his face was “limited,” according to coach Mike Sullivan.

“I was missing the guys and stuff and being around them,” Dumoulin said. “It’s fun. I’ve been skating on my own for a little bit now, but it’s good to finally get back with the guys and be able to skate with them.”

Dumoulin was injured when he took a slap shot to the face from New Jersey defenseman Andy Greene in the Penguins’ 5-2 win Dec. 27. He was ruled out for four to six weeks at the time, and is now three weeks into his recovery.

“Obviously that’s a big step that he’s joining the team in practice today,” Sullivan said. “It was in a limited capacity, but he’s certainly getting a lot closer. We’ll see how he goes. We’ll get him involved in a few more practices and the final step obviously is the full contact, and we’ll take it from there.”

Dumoulin said his jaw feels fine, but he is not yet medically cleared by the Penguins’ doctors to return to play. He will, though, travel with the team for upcoming road trips to Montreal and Carolina.

“It’s good to be able to practice today with the guys, but I don’t know if it’s a matter of getting enough practices in or just being cleared by the doctors,” he said. “I think it’s got to be a little bit of both. Obviously I’m hoping the sooner the better, but I want to make sure that it’s fully healed.”

‘Weird game’ with Washington

Even after a night to sleep on it, the Penguins’ wild 8-7 win against Washington Monday night doesn’t seem any less strange to those who took part in it.

“It was a weird game, for sure,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “Entertaining game for the fans, I’m sure. But not very entertaining for us or coaches.”

Goalie Matt Murray echoed that thought. While those in the stands and watching on TV (and probably even the forwards) enjoyed the back-and-forth contest, he did not.

“It’s not a fun game to be a part of as a goalie,” Murray said. “Everything is around the net. I’ll bet you almost every shot they had was a scoring chance.”

Penguins’ center Nick Bonino, who scored the sixth of 15 combined goals, struggled to recall any game he had been a part of with so much scoring.

“We scored nine one game [when I was] in Anaheim,” he said. “That was fun. The other team certainly didn’t score seven. It was definitely new.”

Fast and furious


The Penguins’ last game against Montreal, a back-and-forth 4-3 overtime victory on New Year’s Eve, was one of the most up-tempo games the team has played this year.

The teams combined for 81 shots, the third-highest total of any game the Penguins have played this season.

That won’t deter Sullivan from playing another uptempo game tonight.

“I think it’s about just playing a responsible game,” Sullivan said. “We’ve tried to distinguish between playing fast and getting in a track meet. We don’t want to be a team that trades chance for chance. We want to make sure that we’re playing fast, but we’re also playing a responsible game where we limit teams opportunities to counterattack on us, or we limit teams’ opportunities to generate speed against us.”

Post Gazette LOADED: 01.18.2017


Penguins prepare to address next 3-4 weeks without Matt Cullen

By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Eric Fehr has never had a problem playing center as opposed to either wing.

Said he actually prefers it, too.

But definitely not under these circumstances.

Matt Cullen will miss 3-4 weeks after injuring his right foot while blocking a shot Monday against the Capitals. The injury robs the Penguins of their fourth line center, top penalty killing forward and a universally respected player in their dressing room.

Fehr figures to replace Cullen in the lineup. And while the position switch could be a good thing for Fehr, a healthy scratch for the past three games and eight times this season, it’s not an easy pill to swallow for the rest of the Penguins.

“I would say I probably prefer center,” Fehr said. “I haven’t played it for awhile, but it’s still probably the position that I feel like I get skating the best at and I get the most involved at.”

A victory lap for Fehr this was certainly not. His stall is next to Cullen’s, and the two remain close. The last thing Fehr would ever do is root for an injury to get his lineup spot back.

But he will try and maximize the opportunity and skated on a practice line Tuesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex with Chris Kunitz and the rotation of Scott Wilson and Tom Kuhnhackl.

Whether that holds Wednesday in Montreal remains to be seen, but the Penguins definitely will feel a void with Cullen unable to play.

“His leadership around the locker room, his all-around game, obviously he’ll be missed,” Kuhnhackl said. “He’s been in the league for, what, 20 years? There’s a lot to learn from him. He’s a guy that we obviously look up to. His penalty killing, he’s really good on faceoffs — he’s the go-to guy when we have a defensive zone faceoff — that will be a big loss.”

The shot Cullen blocked came off the stick of former Penguin Matt Niskanen. It occurred at 9:21 of the third period, and it walloped Cullen in the right skate. Tuesday, Cullen was spotted around the Penguins practice in a walking boot.

“That’s the sacrifice that our team asks its players to make, blocking shots, especially our forwards,” said Ian Cole, the Penguins’ leader in blocked shots with 97. “It was a fantastic block. Unfortunately a goal still was scored shortly thereafter. It doesn’t change how much his teammates appreciate those blocks, for sure.”

Cullen had not missed a game since signing with the Penguins as a free agent during the summer of 2015 — all 82 last regular season, 24 in the Stanley Cup playoffs and 43 so far in 2016-17.

With eight goals and 17 points in those 43 games, Cullen was having essentially the same season as he did in 2015-16, when he produced 16 goals and 32 points. Crazy good for a 40-year-old.

No forward averages more than Cullen’s 2:30 when the Penguins are shorthanded. Only Cole (2:32) skates more overall.

They’re not small shoes to fill, and Fehr will certainly do his part to contribute. The Penguins could also recall Oskar Sundqvist from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

He projects as a bottom-six center at the NHL level and added some offensive punch to his game this season, with 14 goals and 32 points in 37 games.

There’s likely nobody on the Penguins roster that can replicate Cullen’s faceoff success, though. Cullen scored his first power play goal since 2013-14 last Saturday in Detroit, and he did it after Sullivan deployed Cullen to win an offensive zone draw.

Cullen is winning 52.3 percent of his faceoffs. The only other Penguin above 50 percent is Fehr at 51.6.

“He’s a versatile player,” Sullivan said of Fehr. “He can play the wing. He can play center. I think that’s one of the strengths of his game. That’s one of the things that he brings to the table to help this team. We can use him in those different types of roles. He’s a versatile guy. He’s a penalty killer. We can use him in a checking capacity.”

Although he has kids of his own, about the only thing Fehr can’t do is function 100 percent as "Dad," the Penguins' beloved elder statesmen.

“Great player, great leader,” Nick Bonino said of Cullen. “But when guys go down, you need guys to step up and fill in. That’s what we’ll try to do.”

Post Gazette LOADED: 01.18.2017

1043750 Washington Capitals

Capitals prepare to move past the end of a winning streak and hit the reset button

Isabelle Khurshudyan

January 17 at 1:11 PM

PITTSBURGH — The game had just ended, but Capitals forward Justin Williams had seen enough, wanting no part of dwelling on it any more than he needed to.

“I think I want to park it right now,” he said. “I don’t want to watch it. I don’t want to see it. Obviously, if I have to, I will, but just go back to working hard and go back to the drawing board. Just hit the reset.”

Washington’s nine-game winning streak ended in dramatic fashion Monday night with a wild 8-7 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. The Capitals had been up by three, then they were down by two after five unanswered goals by the Penguins. Washington then stormed back from two-goal deficits twice to tie the score, eventually forcing overtime, which gave the team at least one point for the exhausting effort.

The Capitals now have to move past one of the wackiest games players have ever been a part of. Washington still has a league-leading 64 points, and it has gotten a point in 11 straight games. But while this NHL season has seen several long winning streaks, there’s also been a trend of teams falling into losing streaks after the winning run is snapped, something the Capitals will try to avoid.

After the Columbus Blue Jackets won 16 in a row, they lost to the Capitals and then lost three of their next five games. Pittsburgh had won five in a row before a loss to Washington last week triggered a three-game losing streak. In the competitive Metropolitan Division, a bad week could cause a significant tumble down the standings.

“It was just a good reality check, just to say, you know, you’re not that good,” Williams said. “You’ve still got to work for things, and it’s not going to come easy for you. It was a good challenge for us.”


On Monday night, the Capitals’ league-leading defense — which had four shutouts in its six previous games — showed cracks, allowing the Penguins 37 shots on goal, the most a team has had against the Capitals since the Flyers had 38 in a game that went to a shootout Dec. 21. Washington was playing without top defenseman John Carlson, considered day-to-day with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

“There’s probably some lessons in there about just taking care of the puck at the right times of the game against a dangerous team,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said.

For the first time this calendar year, bounces went against the Capitals. Pucks went off chests and skates before finding their way past Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer. Some officiating didn’t go their way either, and after the Capitals had some good fortune during their recent winning streak, the luck evened out Monday night. Coach Barry Trotz could also sense fatigue catching up to his team after it played a grueling schedule through the start of January with a game every other day against quality competition.

But some of the qualities that propelled Washington to nine straight wins were still evident Monday night, providing something for the Capitals to build on before a two-game road trip against Western Conference competition. Washington’s offense, which didn’t show much sign of life at the start of the season, scored more than four goals for a fifth straight game.

Trotz has appreciated how his players have played for each other recently, even as he has reduced minutes for some to make the lineup more balanced. Against the Flyers on Sunday afternoon, Trotz noticed how Lars Eller hustled back to break up an odd-man rush and preserve a shutout. When Niskanen and Williams each had two goals in the third period against Philadelphia, teammates were looking for them on the ice to set up a hat trick.

The Capitals were also resilient Monday night, battling back from two-goal deficits twice in a game during which their vaunted defense was absent. Resiliency has been a trait all season, as top players have endured slumps at various points throughout the season and Washington has still found ways to win the vast majority of its games.

Evgeny Kuznetsov had just nine points through the first 23 games, and in the 21 games since, he has 21 points. Williams had two goals through his first 24 games, and he has scored 13 in the next 20 games, including one goal Monday night. Andre Burakovsky was a healthy scratch for three straight games earlier this season, and he has five goals since returning to the lineup. They weren’t the only ones enduring dry spells, and Trotz was mostly patient, trusting his team would steadily get it together.

He has the same confidence that one overtime loss on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions in the second game of a back-to-back won’t unravel all of the good things the Capitals have done to this point.

“You just rely on the group,” Trotz said. “We’re going to talk about, let’s bounce back in our game, you know? I have a lot of trust in this group. We’re a veteran group. Even when momentum was going the other way, it could have been easy to call time out, slow things down, but I have a lot of faith in the group, that they are good enough to respond after a little bit of adversity.”

Washington Post LOADED: 01.18.2017


Capitals reassign forward Chandler Stephenson


January 17 at 11:20 AM

The Washington Capitals have reassigned forward Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears, Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate. Stephenson’s recall on Saturday night was to give the Capitals an extra

forward for their back-to-back set of games that included a road game in Pittsburgh, but Stephenson didn’t play in either game.

With Stephenson going back to Hershey, Washington is again carrying 12 forwards, the minimum. The team is likely to recall a forward before a two-game road trip to St. Louis (Thursday) and Dallas (Saturday).

Stephenson, a 22-year-old center, played in nine games with the Capitals last year, making his debut against Chicago in the third game of the season. He didn’t score a point in those nine games; this was his first stint with Washington since. He said on Monday that Capitals Coach Barry Trotz connected him with mental toughness coach Eric Hoffberg after training camp.

“That was something I’ve always wanted to work on, just the consistency in my game and not have so many ups and downs,” Stephenson said. “It’s something I’ve worked on from camp.”

Stephenson has six goals and 17 assists in 36 games with the Bears this season. Last season, Stephenson set AHL career highs in assists (21) and points (28).

“More than anything, I just want to get the consistency down and then hopefully the points will come,” Stephenson said. “The biggest thing for myself is just being the best that I can be every night and just try to be a consistent player on a game-to-game and day-to-day basis.”



Braden Holtby’s hot streak ends with goalie pulled from another game


January 17 at 6:36 AM

PITTSBURGH — Braden Holtby’s run ended Monday the same way it began, with him on the bench with a baseball cap on instead of his goalie mask.

On Jan. 3, he was pulled after a first period against Toronto that saw him surrender three goals on eight shots. He answered that with a 5-0-0 stretch that featured a .60 goals-against average with a .978 save percentage and included three shutouts.

He looked poised to continue that on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena, with the Capitals up 3-0 on the Penguins. But things unraveled quickly, and Holtby allowed five goals in 8:09 in the second period as Pittsburgh suddenly jumped out to a two-goal lead. Holtby was then pulled from the game, replaced by backup Philipp Grubauer who had a shutout Sunday afternoon. Coach Barry Trotz had considered making the switch even earlier than he did.

“I thought he could be better, and to get a little change in momentum as well,” Trotz said after Washington’s 8-7 overtime loss. “I thought about it after the fourth goal just because I didn’t think he was looking as sharp, and maybe I was trying to get some attention. But I thought, ‘Let’s see if he can battle through it.’ They scored again and then we made the change there.”

Under Trotz, Holtby is undefeated in the nine games he’s started immediately after getting pulled, and he and Grubauer are expected to split the team’s upcoming dads’ trip to St. Louis and then Dallas. It’s likely Holtby will play against the Blues and Grubauer the Stars.

Holtby made 11 saves in the first period, before allowing five goals on 10 shots in the second period. He was most frustrated with Evgeni Malkin’s first goal of the game, a one-timer. The goal by Bryan Rust that gave the Penguins a 4-3 lead at the time went off Alex Ovechkin’s skate en route to slipping past Holtby. In relief, Grubauer allowed three goals on 11 shots.

Malkin goal pic.twitter.com/7OoDmsyvNW

— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 17, 2017


“The first goal, I feel I should have all the time,” Holtby said. “The second goal is a great play by them, then three weird goals after that — while I was in there. I’ve been saying that the past little run we’ve been on, we’ve had luck go our way for the most part. Tonight, it kind of all came at once. We just couldn’t stop it after that.

“We battled back and got a point, which is great, but it shouldn’t have gotten to that and Grubi shouldn’t have had to go in. It was my fault.”

Holtby’s off night coincides with an uncharacteristic one by his teammates in front of him. Washington entered the game with the league’s stingiest defense, shutting out four of its past six opponents and not allowing an even-strength goal in nearly 299 minutes of even-strength ice time. But the Capitals were without top defenseman John Carlson, scratched for the game because of an undisclosed “lower-body injury.”

The Penguins had 37 shots on goal; that’s the most Washington has allowed since a Dec. 21 shootout loss in Philadelphia.

“When it went bad, it went really bad,” Lars Eller said.

“They seemed to score on every shot,” Grubauer said. “You’ve got to eliminate their chances. You’ve got to go back to your system. You’ve got to calm down a little bit and go back to the first period — we were up a couple goals, played a really good game, did the right things and then we started to slip a little bit.”



CAPS LOOK TO AVOID SLUMP AFTER TOUGH LOSS TO PENGUINS

J.J. Regan

January 17, 2017 2:22 PM

Lars Eller: Caps' second period was 'uncharacteristic'

Regardless of what you thought of the officiating on Monday, the Caps’ nine-game win streak is over and now the team needs to move on. But for a team coming off a lengthy win streak, however, that can be easier said than done.

Teams that put together long streaks as the Caps have tend to struggle after the streak is finally broken. Take for example the Columbus Blue Jackets who came just one win shy of tying the NHL record for the longest streak with 16-straight wins. Since then, however, the Blue Jackets have lost four of their last six.

The fall has been even harder for Philadelphia who have managed a record of only 3-8-3 since winning 10 straight over the course of November and December.

That is a trend Washington will now look to avoid, though Barry Trotz doesn’t sound too concerned.

“There’s bounce back in our game,” Trotz said on Monday after the loss. “I have a lot of trust in this group. We’re a veteran group.”

That was evident on Monday. Washington had to battle back from a two-goal deficit twice just to force overtime and salvage a point against Pittsburgh and that was seeing a 3-0 lead evaporate in the wake of five-straight Penguins goals.

Now Trotz hopes the same resiliency and leadership he saw late against Pittsburgh will help the team avoid a letdown.

“I have a lot of faith in the group that they are good enough to respond after a little bit of adversity,” he said. “We’ve got lots of good leaders on the team.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.18.2017


CAPITALS SEND CHANDLER STEPHENSON BACK TO HERSHEY AFTER BRIEF CALL-UP

J.J. Regan

January 17, 2017 10:30 AM

The Capitals have re-assigned forward Chandler Stephenson to AHL Hershey after a brief call-up to the NHL, the team announced Tuesday.

Stephenson, 22, was recalled on Saturday as a precaution and was a healthy scratch for the team's games on Sunday and Monday.

Washington has been playing with the minimum of 12 forwards at home. With the Caps facing a quick turnaround with a game in Washington on Sunday and in Pittsburgh on Monday, the team needed a spare forward in case of an emergency to ensure the team had someone to plug into the lineup if there was an injury.

The Caps returned home after Monday's game in Pittsburgh and have Tuesday off making carrying Stephenson unnecessary. He may be back very soon, however, as the team will almost certainly call up another player prior to leaving for Thursday's game in St. Louis.

In Hershey, Stephenson has scored 23 points this season in 36 games. He played in nine games with the Caps in 2015-16.



PREDICTION RECAP: DEFENSE WAS OPTIONAL IN PITTSBURGH ON MONDAY

J.J. Regan

January 17, 2017 9:42 AM

It was crazy, it was controversial and unfortunately for the Caps, it was a loss. Washington saw its nine-game win streak come to an end on Monday in a crazy 8-7 overtime loss to the Penguins.

Here’s a recap of the three bold predictions.

1. Washington will not score on the power play - Wrong

Defense was optional on Monday so it is perhaps not surprising that one of the Caps’ seven goals came on the power play. T.J. Oshie struck in the third period to make the score 7-6. More on that later.

2. Pittsburgh will score three goals or more - More right than I expected

I thought four, maybe five goals on Monday. I didn’t expect eight. You see one of these games every once in awhile where everything just seems to find the back of the net and this was definitely one of them. Things in professional sports always tend to even out. The Caps had four shutouts in six games and were due to allow some goals, I just didn’t expect it to catch up with them all of them in one game.

3. T.J. Oshie will have a multi-point night - Correct

With seven goals, it would have been hard for me to miss on this one. Oshie had three points including his power play goal in the third period for a three-point night.

2017 Results: I finally had a good night with predictions and it was Washington’s first loss in ten games. I’m guessing most readers are going to be rooting against me the next few weeks.

Correct: 7

Wrong: 20


Push: 0


1043632 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets 4, Hurricanes 1 | Dubinsky ends slump with big game

By Aaron Portzline

For Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky, the only thing worse than donning a Pittsburgh Steelers hat would be wearing one that represents a certain hockey team from the Steel City.

But Dubinsky, true to his word after an NFL playoffs bet with teammate Josh Anderson, pulled on the cap Tuesday night and wore it with a smile after a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes before 14,724 at Nationwide Arena.

Dubinsky broke out of a slump with his first two-goal game since late season, leading a long-awaited offensive awakening by the Blue Jackets’ No. 2 line.

If Anderson had lost the bet, he would have been forced to do his next interview wearing the garb of Dubinsky’s favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers beat the Chiefs 18-16 on Sunday in an AFC playoff game.

“I’ll wear it every game if it’s going to keep pucks going into the net,” Dubinsky said. “Josh kind of called it. He said, ‘I think you’re going to score, because I really want to see you in an interview with that hat on.’ ”

Anderson raced to the dressing room to retrieve the hat as soon as the final horn sounded so Dubinsky could wear it on the bench while he was interviewed on the giant scoreboard, with most of the crowd there to witness.

“He was movin’,” Dubinsky said. “He’s a big rig, but he can move fast.”

Dubinsky’s line — with Boone Jenner (goal, assist) to his left and Cam Atkinson (two assists) on his right — combined for three goals, three assists and a plus-9 rating. It’s the kind of production the Blue Jackets have been waiting for, especially from Jenner, who had 30 goals last season, and Dubinsky, who had 17.

“They have worked hard through it and have still been struggling as far as putting the goals in,” coach John Tortorella said. “But it was a good night for them.”

The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead at 18:06 of the first period, but the Jackets trailed for only 11 seconds.

Off the ensuing faceoff, Jenner skated wide and earned a clean look on Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward, going past him and tucking the puck just behind his outstretched right pad for a 1-1 tie. It was Jenner’s ninth goal of the season, and his third in three games.

Only 35 seconds later, Dubinsky put the Blue Jackets ahead 2-1 with a wrist shot from atop the right faceoff dot, ending a 17-game goalless drought.

“It’s obviously something we want to do and something we have to do to make sure we’re successful,” Jenner said. “Tonight it was fun and good to get a couple goals, and timely goals at that.”

Dubinsky’s next goal was a well-timed, what-the-heck flip from beyond the right circle, his back almost against the wall. It sailed through a screen and over Ward’s shoulder before he even saw it, putting the Jackets up 3-1.

“Maybe that’s a sign of goals to come,” Dubinsky joked.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.18.2017


Michael Arace commentary | Who are these Jackets? Check back in late February

MONDAY JANUARY 16, 2017 10:49 PM Staff

There are a number of memorable interludes in “Barfly,” a 1987 film based on the life of poet Charles Bukowski starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway.

A personal favorite is the scene in which the Bukowski-based character is asked, “Who are you?”

And his response is: “Ah, the eternal question … The eternal answer: I don’t know.”

There, in spirit, lives Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella. Among his favorite lines is, “I don’t know who we are.” He uttered versions of it before, during and after the Jackets’ recent 16-game winning streak. He was back at it Monday.

“At the end of February, you find out exactly what you are as a team,” Tortorella said.

The Jackets have a five-day bye week at the end of February. What if the all-important existential question is not answered before then? What if the Blue Jackets go on mini-vacation without knowing who they are?

Tortorella played along with a cheeky reporter.

“When is the bye week? I don’t even know,” Tortorella said.

He went on: “I have a pretty good idea of what I think we’re going to be. I’m not telling you guys. I just don’t think it’s time to talk about that. … I just want to see us consistently be what I think we are. I’ll put it to you that way.”

The Jackets lost their first two games of the season and then went 27-3-4, a wicked run that ended with a 16-game winning streak. Since, the Jackets have lost four of their past six games.

Tortorella says this is all part of the identity project.

“Now you’re going handle some of these situations,” he said. “We’ve lost a few games and you try to battle back and get going. Maybe you win a few — maybe you lose more. Who knows what happens? But you don’t end up getting settled in until the end of February. So, we’re still trying to figure out who we are, and all these situations come into play in defining us.”

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is coming off an illness that cost him a couple of starts. A different goaltender has been in net for each of the past four losses. Defenseman Markus Nutivaara is injured and Dalton Prout and/or Scott Harrington will be drawing into the lineup.

For a month, the Jackets did not have to touch their lineup, which is unusual. Things are normalizing. Now, they can address their existential question, and have it figured out by the end of February.

“The end of February?” said captain Nick Foligno. “Well, there you go …

“I think we’re a hybrid team (in terms of playing style). We can play the speed game. We can handle the really physical and tough. A team with big bodies and a high pace is really dangerous. Look at Washington right now. I don’t think we’re far off from them in terms of style of play and personnel. Obviously, there are some elite players on that team, but I think we can play the same style of hockey.”

The Capitals, who ended the Blue Jackets’ streak, had won nine in a row heading into Monday’s game in Pittsburgh.

Foligno said the core of the Jackets’ identity is in their “businesslike” approach. Show up every day, work hard, get better. Move on to the next day.

“(In the Metro Division) you’re playing against all the league’s best teams, it seems like,” Foligno said. “It’s going to be a hell of a run here, and we’re looking forward to it.”

On Tuesday night, the Carolina Hurricanes — who jack-rabbited to a 5-3 victory over the Blue Jackets last week in Raleigh — visit Nationwide Arena.




Blue Jackets notebook | Injury keeps Nutivaara out of lineup

By Tom Reed

Rookie defenseman Markus Nutivaara surprised some by making the Blue Jackets’ opening-night roster and many others by sticking with the parent club despite having no previous experience in North America.

But Nutivaara will miss his first game of the season tonight with an undisclosed injury, coach John Tortorella said. Scott Harrington will replace the Finnish blue-liner and likely play on a third pair with Ryan Murray.

Tortorella was vague when asked about the injury, which kept Nutivaara out of practice Monday, other than to term him “day to day.” When asked whether it was an upper- or lower-body issue, the coach replied: “Body.”

Nutivaara played a season-low 7 minutes, 2 seconds in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. The 22-year-old had a rough night, which included a second-period turnover that led to Jonathan Marchessault’s go-ahead goal, and he also was on the ice for Jaromir Jagr’s third-period tally that made it 4-2.

Tortorella said he briefly benched the defenseman in the second period for the gaffe, but said the decision to shut him down after the Jagr goal was for medical reasons.

“The second period it was due to the mistakes,” Tortorella said. “Third period, as he talked to us, he was nicked up so we left him alone.”

Nutivaara has been a pleasant surprise in the season’s first half. He has two goals, five assists and a plus-4 rating in 42 games. Coaches like his ability to move and carry the puck out of the defensive zone with speed. He has had a few miscues recently, however, as have others during the team’s 2-4 funk.

Harrington, 23, has played in three games this season, all victories, in mid-November, recording no points and an even plus-minus rating.

Tortorella said that if Nutivaara remains out it might also give the Blue Jackets a chance to play Dalton Prout at his natural position. Prout was used as a forward for less than four minutes in a loss in Carolina last week.

Slap shots

The Blue Jackets are 13-0-1 when they have two-plus days between games this season. They last played Saturday. The lone blemish was an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 25. … The Hurricanes are riding a four-game winning streak and are 10-4-1 in their last 15 games. … Carolina forward Brock McGinn was named the NHL’s third star of the week last week. He registered four goals and three assists in three games.



Blue Jackets notebook | Sergei Bobrovsky's return steadies the team

By Tom Reed

Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is over his weeklong sickness.

His return to the lineup Tuesday night certainly helped cure what’s been ailing his teammates.

Bobrovsky, who missed the previous three games, made 24 saves in the Blue Jackets’ 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Nationwide Arena. The All-Star goalie didn’t need to be spectacular on a night his team controlled much of the play, but his presence and economy of motion brought a calming influence.

“I think it relaxes the players,” coach John Tortorella said. “Because if a mistake is made and they get a scoring chance, Bob has been that good. I think all teams play off their goalie that way. And this team certainly does with Bob. I thought he was really sharp.”

The Blue Jackets went 1-2-0 while Bobrovsky was out.

Anton Forsberg started in his place in a 5-3 loss at Carolina on Jan. 10 as Bobrovsky woke up sick that morning. Joonas Korpisalo played the next two games, going 1-1-0, as Bobrovsky recovered from the illness that caused him to lose at least five pounds.

He said he felt good all day Tuesday and was ready to go in improving to a league-best 27-6-2.

Top-line struggles

The Alexander Wennberg line has been excellent for long stretches this season. But the center, along with wings Brandon Saad and Nick Foligno, cooled during the recent 2-4-0 funk.

Wennberg contributed two assists during that stretch. Saad had a goal and Foligno added two others.

Tortorella, who wants Saad leading by example given his Stanley Cup pedigree, is looking for more consistency from him.

“There was a time when he was carrying people on his shoulders going to the net and winning battles — hasn’t been there,” Tortorella said of Saad who had 10 goals and nine assists in his previous 18 games.

Breaking bad habits

Tortorella offered no update on the health of defenseman Markus Nutivaara, who missed his first game of the season Tuesday because of an undisclosed injury. But he did shed light on what got the rookie benched Saturday in the second period of a loss at the Florida Panthers.

Nutivaara flubbed a cross-ice pass to defensive partner Ryan Murray that led to a Panthers goal. Tortorella has said he’s been willing to “look away” when his young players commit mistakes as long as they don’t become habitual.

“It’s just a habit that he has that he always looks east-west,” Tortorella said. “I don’t want him to be afraid to make a mistake, but sooner or later we’ve got to make sure you’ve got to work at that, and that’s why we sat him.”

@treed1919



Blue Jackets return home to take on Hurricanes

Staff

A surge during some stellar play at home has the Carolina Hurricanes thinking about the playoffs. The next four games could strengthen or perhaps dash their hopes of reaching the postseason for the first time in eight years.

That stretch kicks off Tuesday night with the Hurricanes looking for their sixth straight win at Nationwide Arena over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Carolina, which defeated Columbus 5-3 on Jan. 10 in Raleigh, wrapped up an unbeaten four-game homestand with a 7-4 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Brock McGinn posted career highs of three assists and four points, giving him four goals and three helpers in three games and third star of the week honors by the NHL on Monday.


Carolina is 14-1-1 in its last 16 home games. On the road, though, the Hurricanes are just 6-11-6 and have been held to two goals or less 14 times. Following this contest, the ‘Canes have a home matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday before traveling to games Saturday in Columbus and Monday against the Washington Capitals.

“It’s weird with our home and road situation, where we play really well at home but can’t seem to find that on the road” Stempniak told the Raleigh News & Observer. “I think at home, the way we’re playing, maybe it’s some of the matchups we’re able to have. It seems like we’re playing a pretty complete game. We don’t give much up.

“Our strength lies in our skating, and it seems at home we really find our legs and skate offensively.”

One player who has fared well at home yet struggled on the road is Jordan Staal. In 19 home games, Staal has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) and is tied with Victor Rask for second in scoring. Staal’s third-period goal last week against Columbus snapped a 3-all tie.

On the road, though, Staal totals four goals and only two assists in 17 games. He enters this contest having scored two goals with five assists in a four-game points streak — his longest of the season.

Another player who struggles in Columbus is Jeff Skinner. The Hurricanes’ scoring leader with 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) has just one assist in seven career games in Ohio’s capital.

Cam Ward, who turned away 24 shots in last week’s win over the Blue Jackets, is 5-0-1 with a 2.26 goals-against average in his last six games against the Blue Jackets.

Columbus (29-9-4) is 2-4-0 since its franchise-record 16-game winning streak was snapped with a shutout loss to Washington on Jan. 5.

“This is good for us to go through this, I think,” defenseman Seth Jones told the Columbus Dispatch. “… For us to deal with some adversity right now, at this point of the season, and get over that hump, it’s going to be big for us in the second half.”

Coach John Tortorella also told the Dispatch the team must rediscover its winning touch.

“We haven’t played poorly, but we haven’t found a way to win games like we were during that streak,” he said. “We need to get back to our foundation of how we play. We’re not that far off, but you can’t leave it too far. You can’t get away from it.”

That thinking also could extend to individual players. Sam Gagner, who’s enjoyed a career resurgence in his first season with Columbus with 30 points, has one goal in his last 14 games and only two assists in his past eight.

Another part of the reason for the Blue Jackets’ recent downturn is in goal. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 43 of 49 shots while going 1-1-0, but has also been day-to-day with an illness. With backup Curtis McElhinney picked up on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 10, unheralded Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg are seeing time in net.

Bobrovsky, who practiced Monday, is 26-6-2 with a 2.00 GAA and .931 save percentage, but he’s lost four of his last five meetings with the Hurricanes with the only victory coming in a shootout.

foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 01.18.2017


Dubinsky, Blue Jackets quiet Hurricanes with 4-1 win

AP FOX Sports Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Brandon Dubinsky hadn’t scored a goal since Dec. 9 at Detroit, a 17-game stretch during which he had chances but couldn’t find the back of the net. The drought ended Tuesday night, maybe helping Columbus end a team-wide lull in the process.



“We wanted to reset for sure,” Dubinsky said. “We haven’t played that well, obviously, in the last six or so games. We wanted to get back to the way we play.”



“They won most of the individual battles, a lot of the puck battles,” Carolina coach Bill Peters said. “Their puck support was there quicker than we were, so I just thought we lost a lot of battles in all three zones.”



“We’ve had struggles getting the momentum back on our side when we lose it,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. “They score a goal, we score two. I think it was really good just to get the momentum swung back on our side.”

Dubinsky struck again less than four minutes into the second period, lifting a 53-foot wrist shot from the right board over Ward’s shoulder, with Jenner picking up his second assist.

At 9:16 into the second, Sedlak was in position in front of the cage to put back Sam Gagner’s shot that bounced off Ward’s glove. Ward was promptly pulled.

“We could have been a little bit better in the start, but I think we got our legs and we played the right way for about the last 50 minutes or so of the game,” Dubinsky said. “(In) the third period, as we have most of the year, we locked it down and I thought we controlled the play and really limited them on anything they were going to get.”

NOTES: Dubinsky’s goals were his fourth and fifth of the season. … Carolina is 1-1 against the Blue Jackets this season. The teams play again Saturday in Columbus. … Nedeljkovic, who was recalled from Charlotte of the AHL on Monday, grew up the Cleveland suburb of Parma, about two hours from Columbus. … The Blue Jackets say D Markus Nutivaara is out indefinitely with an unspecified injury. He has two goals, five assists and a plus-4 rating in 42 games. Scott Harrington took his place. … Columbus is 17-2-1 in their last 20 games at Nationwide Arena. … Cam Atkinson got his 100th career assist on Jenner’s goal.

foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 01.18.2017

1043776 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / What a possible Morgan Rielly injury could mean for Maple Leafs

James van Riemsdyk scored his 16th goal of the season and it held up as the winner as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Buffalo Sabres.

CHRIS JOHNSTON


JANUARY 18, 2017, 12:38 AM

TORONTO – Mike Babcock had warned about something like this.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs coach was dropping pieces of advice like “just chill” and “let’s not get carried away” this week, he did so knowing that something as simple as one unexpected injury might interrupt the positive momentum his team has carried into the second half.

The Leafs may have weathered Morgan Rielly’s absence for 50-plus minutes on Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres, but they’ll be facing a monumental task if his lower-body injury requires them to do it over the long term.

That won’t be known until Wednesday at the earliest, when trainers have an opportunity to get a better look at his right leg.

“I don’t know if he’s out a week or 10 days or a month,” Babcock said after a 4-3 win over Buffalo. “I have no clue.”

It didn’t look too good when Rielly’s right leg got caught under his body after a collision with Sabres forward William Carrier. The 22-year-old went to the dressing room, returned for a 41-second shift and then called it a night.

The outlook seemed a little more positive when he came out to chat with former teammate Cody Franson in the hallway after the game. Rielly was wearing his suit and showed no obvious signs of a limp as he walked.

Jake Gardiner, who swallowed up serious minutes in Rielly’s absence, also indicated that his close friend was in good spirits when he checked up on him during the intermission.

“I don’t know – he was the same old Morgan, I guess,” said Gardiner.

We’ll see.

The mere glimpse of life without him on the ice for a night was a reminder of just how thin the margin can be. Rielly missed only 10 games over his first three NHL seasons and each was when he was made a healthy scratch.

He has since emerged as the Leafs' No. 1 defenceman, averaging a team-high 22:50 of ice time while playing against top competition.

Given the circumstances, the Leafs managed to piece things together nicely against Buffalo by leaning heavily on the two other left-handed defencemen remaining in the lineup: Gardiner and Matt Hunwick.

“IT’S A HUGE LOSS, OBVIOUSLY. HE PLAYED 27 MINUTES FOR US LAST GAME…. HOPEFULLY WE’LL SEE HIM BACK." —MATT HUNWICK ON MORGAN RIELLY

— LUKE FOX (@LUKEFOXJUKEBOX) JANUARY 18, 2017

The breakdown of Gardiner’s career-high 29:24 underlines the ripple effect playing with only five healthy options had. The Leafs have enjoyed stability with their pairings during the current 9-1-1 run, but Babcock needed to get out the blender on Tuesday night:

Fortunately, Gardiner's work load was made a little easier by the fact the Leafs controlled possession while rallying from a 2-0 first-period deficit.

“I think our forwards did a good job of playing in their end,” said Gardiner. “Once [Morgan] went out, that was part of our game plan. We just wanted to make simple plays and get it in their zone.”

“I thought Gardiner and Zaitsev really were great tonight, stepped up,” added Babcock. “I thought (Hunwick) had a solid game; actually all of them were pretty good. We didn’t spend a ton of time in our zone, which was positive, but Mo’s a huge factor.”

The Leafs aren’t exactly flush with plug-and-play options if Rielly is out for an extended period.

Lefty Martin Marincin has been working his way back from a lower-body injury suffered on Dec. 10, but there’s no firm timetable on his return. Beyond that, they have right-handed Frankie Corrado, who is fresh off a seven-game conditioning stint in the American Hockey League.

Ultimately, they may be forced to pick up the slack by committee – something this young group hasn’t had to contend with previously while sitting in the bottom-third of the NHL in man games lost this season.

“We’ve had lots of success this year with no injuries – our medical staff’s done a real nice job – and injuries wear you down,” said Babcock. “And then what happens when you get injuries you play fewer guys more and then it usually leads to more. So we’ve got to manage this well.”

Fortunately, they’ve managed to put a fair number of points in the bank already. Toronto is now one point behind Boston for second in the Atlantic Division with five games in hand.

Determining the extent of Rielly’s injury will be of utmost importance in the short term while Babcock cobbles together a triage game plan for Thursday’s visit from the Rangers if he’s unavailable to play.

That obviously isn’t a scenario anyone in the Leafs dressing room wants to face right now, but the veteran coach won’t blink if that’s his fate.

After all, he warned us there were bumps to come in the road.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.18.2017

1043777 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Lehner’s outburst sums up Sabres’ inability to string together wins


LUKE FOX

JANUARY 18, 2017, 12:18 AM

TORONTO – Frederik Andersen made at least one glaring error that resulted in a goal and stayed in to win the game.

Robin Lehner made just one gaffe — in his mind, at least — got yanked, glared at his coach on the way off, slammed his helmet to the ground in a fit of rage, and lost a shot to record three consecutive wins, something he’s never done as a Buffalo Sabre.

“I’m frustrated with myself,” Lehner said in the visitors’ room after a 4-3 loss to the soaring Toronto Maple Leafs. Lehner was shaking and selecting his words carefully.

“Sometimes you make mistakes. I think I’ve been pretty good this year about letting it go and keep going. There hasn’t been many games I’ve let in more than three. I think one or two.”

In truth, there have been five, but none since Nov. 17, and Lehner has only once surrendered more than four in one outing since being traded from Ottawa to Buffalo.

Carey Price allowed seven five days ago. Matt Murray gave up seven Monday; Braden Holtby missed five in the same game. Legend has it, Al Montoya once hung around to allow 10. And poor Henrik Lundqvist gave way to seven Tuesday night and 20 in his last four starts, but that’s another story.

You could make a case — and, oh, Lehner did — that the first Leafs’ goal, a Leo Komarov tip which arrived on the first shift of the second period, was a fluke. An anything-toward-the-net shot by Nazem Kadri bounced off a net-crashing Komarov, off defender Jake McCabe’s skate, and past Lehner.

But the second goal induced cringes. Leafs fourth-liner Matt Martin wristed a muffin from the boards, and it weasel under Lehner’s armpit to tie the game.

“I feel like I have my post pretty good. It hits a pretty good spot where it just sneaks through,” Lehner explained.

“I want that back. I’m a goaltender. It’s part of my life. Mistakes happen. I want to save everything.”

You may recall the Sabres’ No. 1 goalie from such YouTube clips as “Robin Lehner’s Meltdown” or “Lehner drops gloves after bad hit.”

The man knows he has a temper. He says he’s getting better at taming it.


The third goal certainly wasn’t Lehner’s fault. Three Sabres, including an outplayed Jack Eichel, went behind their own net in attempt to retrieve a puck that, like so many, was passed by Zach Hyman to Auston Matthews in the slot. Insta-release, bar down, Leafs lead 3-2, and the rookie hops over injured Patrik Laine for the lead in rookie goals with his 22nd.

“Pretty good shot, far cheese,” Lehner says.

AUSTON MATTHEWS' SHOT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD. PIC.TWITTER.COM/7TEMFCWJYH

— NHL (@NHL) JANUARY 18, 2017

It’s after that Matthews snipe — a difficult one to pin on the netminder — that Bylsma replaced him with Anders Nilsson. Oh, and it was also after Lehner smiled and waved to a fan during a television timeout.

BOY, DID @NAOMIPARNESS GET #LEHNER IN BIG TROUBLE. HTTPS://T.CO/XUVSBGIVHT

— NICK KYPREOS (@REALKYPER) JANUARY 18, 2017

SO IT SEEMS I CAUSED COMMOTION. @ROBINLEHNER WAS DOING NICE THING -WAVING TO MY HOCKEY PLAYER SON WHO'S HOME SICK ON FACETIME. @MAPLELEAFS

— NAOMI PARNESS (@NAOMIPARNESS) JANUARY 18, 2017

“In 10 minutes we go from up 2-nothing to down 3-2 in the game. An unfortunate turn of events, how that second period played out,” says Bylsma, attributing the pull to the timeliness of the three goals. “At that point in time, you want to stop the momentum that the Leafs have.”

With points in 10 of their past 11, the Leafs’ momentum is at a rollicking high, while the rival Sabres — a club supposed to be a year ahead on its own rebuild — can’t seem to string three wins together.

“One of our team mottos is: Never two in a row,” says Eichel, referring to losses. “We’ve got to start making that more of a reality.

“All these teams that are high in the standings, they go on long win streaks—more than five games. It’d be important for us to do that.”

Instead, the Sabres have one lonely three-game winning streak, and that was way back in October. They now sit seven points and seven teams away from a playoff spot. The only Eastern Conference club worse off than them just fired its coach.

There is a reason Lehner, whose contract expires this summer, was yelling and screaming upon his exit, veins bulging through his neck tattoos.

Though both he and Byslma maintain he was not hollering at his bench boss but rather just in general, the two men did not speak to each other in the dressing room. Bylsma avoided eye contact during the game.

“He should be upset with getting pulled,” Bylsma says. “That’s part of Robin’s game, that emotion. I have no problem with that.”

Says Lenher: “He’s the coach. It’s his decision. I don’t like to give up. I don’t like to get out of the game. I’m a competitive guy. I want to end something I started.”

@MYREGULARFACE @DAVEDAVISHOCKEY UPDATE: PIC.TWITTER.COM/JXCALM7PPI

— GLEN MATTHEWS (@GLENJM) JANUARY 18, 2017


1043778 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Lehner’s outburst sums up Sabres’ inability to string together wins


LUKE FOX

JANUARY 18, 2017, 12:18 AM

TORONTO – Frederik Andersen made at least one glaring error that resulted in a goal and stayed in to win the game.

Robin Lehner made just one gaffe — in his mind, at least — got yanked, glared at his coach on the way off, slammed his helmet to the ground in a fit of rage, and lost a shot to record three consecutive wins, something he’s never done as a Buffalo Sabre.

“I’m frustrated with myself,” Lehner said in the visitors’ room after a 4-3 loss to the soaring Toronto Maple Leafs. Lehner was shaking and selecting his words carefully.

“Sometimes you make mistakes. I think I’ve been pretty good this year about letting it go and keep going. There hasn’t been many games I’ve let in more than three. I think one or two.”

In truth, there have been five, but none since Nov. 17, and Lehner has only once surrendered more than four in one outing since being traded from Ottawa to Buffalo.

Carey Price allowed seven five days ago. Matt Murray gave up seven Monday; Braden Holtby missed five in the same game. Legend has it, Al Montoya once hung around to allow 10. And poor Henrik Lundqvist gave way to seven Tuesday night and 20 in his last four starts, but that’s another story.

You could make a case — and, oh, Lehner did — that the first Leafs’ goal, a Leo Komarov tip which arrived on the first shift of the second period, was a fluke. An anything-toward-the-net shot by Nazem Kadri bounced off a net-crashing Komarov, off defender Jake McCabe’s skate, and past Lehner.

But the second goal induced cringes. Leafs fourth-liner Matt Martin wristed a muffin from the boards, and it weasel under Lehner’s armpit to tie the game.

“I feel like I have my post pretty good. It hits a pretty good spot where it just sneaks through,” Lehner explained.

“I want that back. I’m a goaltender. It’s part of my life. Mistakes happen. I want to save everything.”

You may recall the Sabres’ No. 1 goalie from such YouTube clips as “Robin Lehner’s Meltdown” or “Lehner drops gloves after bad hit.”

The man knows he has a temper. He says he’s getting better at taming it.

The third goal certainly wasn’t Lehner’s fault. Three Sabres, including an outplayed Jack Eichel, went behind their own net in attempt to retrieve a puck that, like so many, was passed by Zach Hyman to Auston Matthews in the slot. Insta-release, bar down, Leafs lead 3-2, and the rookie hops over injured Patrik Laine for the lead in rookie goals with his 22nd.

“Pretty good shot, far cheese,” Lehner says.

AUSTON MATTHEWS' SHOT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD. PIC.TWITTER.COM/7TEMFCWJYH

— NHL (@NHL) JANUARY 18, 2017

It’s after that Matthews snipe — a difficult one to pin on the netminder — that Bylsma replaced him with Anders Nilsson. Oh, and it was also after Lehner smiled and waved to a fan during a television timeout.

BOY, DID @NAOMIPARNESS GET #LEHNER IN BIG TROUBLE. HTTPS://T.CO/XUVSBGIVHT

— NICK KYPREOS (@REALKYPER) JANUARY 18, 2017

SO IT SEEMS I CAUSED COMMOTION. @ROBINLEHNER WAS DOING NICE THING -WAVING TO MY HOCKEY PLAYER SON WHO'S HOME SICK ON FACETIME. @MAPLELEAFS

— NAOMI PARNESS (@NAOMIPARNESS) JANUARY 18, 2017

“In 10 minutes we go from up 2-nothing to down 3-2 in the game. An unfortunate turn of events, how that second period played out,” says Bylsma, attributing the pull to the timeliness of the three goals. “At that point in time, you want to stop the momentum that the Leafs have.”

With points in 10 of their past 11, the Leafs’ momentum is at a rollicking high, while the rival Sabres — a club supposed to be a year ahead on its own rebuild — can’t seem to string three wins together.


“One of our team mottos is: Never two in a row,” says Eichel, referring to losses. “We’ve got to start making that more of a reality.

“All these teams that are high in the standings, they go on long win streaks—more than five games. It’d be important for us to do that.”

Instead, the Sabres have one lonely three-game winning streak, and that was way back in October. They now sit seven points and seven teams away from a playoff spot. The only Eastern Conference club worse off than them just fired its coach.

There is a reason Lehner, whose contract expires this summer, was yelling and screaming upon his exit, veins bulging through his neck tattoos.

Though both he and Byslma maintain he was not hollering at his bench boss but rather just in general, the two men did not speak to each other in the dressing room. Bylsma avoided eye contact during the game.

“He should be upset with getting pulled,” Bylsma says. “That’s part of Robin’s game, that emotion. I have no problem with that.”

Says Lenher: “He’s the coach. It’s his decision. I don’t like to give up. I don’t like to get out of the game. I’m a competitive guy. I want to end something I started.”

@MYREGULARFACE @DAVEDAVISHOCKEY UPDATE: PIC.TWITTER.COM/JXCALM7PPI

— GLEN MATTHEWS (@GLENJM) JANUARY 18, 2017


1043779 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Six potential replacements for Capuano as head coach of the Islanders

RORY BOYLEN

JANUARY 17, 2017, 6:54 PM

Just as the New York Islanders were looking like a team that was rising towards contender status, winning their first playoff round since 1993 and having a deep roster led by John Tavares, the outlook is beginning to teeter again.

With a 17-17-8 record and last in the Eastern Conference, the Islanders decided to fire their head coach Jack Capuano on Tuesday. The 50-year-old Rhode Island native was in his seventh season with the team and leaves ranking second in franchise wins and games coached, behind only the legendary Al Arbour.

While assistant Doug Weight is taking over interim head coaching duties, the team said it will begin looking for Capuano’s full-time replacement immediately. Who could that be? Here are some contenders who could be available right away:

#ISLES ARE NOT BRINGING IN ANYONE FROM OUTSIDE TO ADD TO COACHING STAFF FOR NOW.

— ARTHUR STAPLE (@STAPENEWSDAY) JANUARY 17, 2017

Doug Weight

Why not start with the interim boss? After all, that's what Capuano was when Snow hired him for the full-time job in 2010. Weight spent time as an assistant coach on the Islanders bench and is, of course, a respected former player with more than 1,000 points and spent his last three seasons with the Islanders. Weight has also served as an assistant GM to Snow.

"Obviously with the career he's had in the game of hockey at all different levels, the success he's had behind the bench as an assistant coach, the work he's done with me in the front office, he's well-respected by everyone in that room," Snow said of Weight on a Tuesday conference call.

Since he's there already Weight, 45, would be the easiest choice to take on the full-time gig, but without any head coaching experience at all it would be a questionable decision to say the least. And with the new Islanders owners looking to hire a "big name" to take over operations, Snow is in no position to make a questionable coach hire.

Gerard Gallant

The first coach dismissed this season was Gallant in Florida, a firing Don Cherry said was the worst in history. If this were to happen, it would be interesting in that Capuano would be replaced by the coach he beat out of the playoffs last spring.

HEARING NYI HAVE PERMISSION TO TALK TO FORMER FLORIDA COACH GERARD GALLANT. HE WAS AN ISLANDERS' ASSISTANT FROM 2007-09.

— ELLIOTTE FRIEDMAN (@FRIEDGEHNIC) JANUARY 18, 2017

Like Capuano, Gallant took a young team and a franchise with a long recent history of misery and spun it into gold. The Panthers had their best ever regular season in 2015-16 before just falling short of their first playoff series win since 1996. He was let go due to a disagreement between himself and the Panthers' new front office on how the roster should be built and organized. With the Panthers front office pushing speed and puck control, Gallant didn't feel as if there was enough strength in the lineup, especially on the blue line after the Erik Gudbranson trade.

Gallant served as an Islanders assistant coach in the second and third seasons of Snow's tenure as GM and has also served as a head coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets. In junior, Gallant coached the Saint John Sea Dogs to a Memorial Cup.

Brent Thompson

This name won't be known as well as others on this list, except perhaps to Islanders fans. Thompson is the current head coach of the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, a position Capuano held for parts of four seasons before he was promoted to the NHL club. Thompson, 45, is a retired NHLer who played 121 games in the league and has been a coach at some level since retiring in 2005.

He was an assistant in the AHL with the Peoria Rivermen for four seasons before getting his first head coaching gig with the ECHL's Alaska Aces, who he led to a championship in 2011. The next season, he was hired as Bridgeport's head coach for a season, then served on Capuano's Islanders bench as an assistant for two seasons, before being returned to the AHL team's lead job again. Thompson has led Bridgeport to the playoffs in two of his three full seasons there, but has never got out of the first round. This season, they're fifth in the seven-team Atlantic Division with a 19-15-1-1 record.

Bob Hartley

Hartley is currently the head coach of the Latvian men's national team, a position former Islanders coach Ted Nolan used as a stepping stone back into the NHL after the team fired him. Hartley certainly has a long history in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001, but his more recent track record is less desirable. Between four full seasons with both the Atlanta Thrashers and Calgary Flames, Hartley has made just two playoff appearances and won one series.

Hartley is regarded as a tough coach who can maybe rub some of his players the wrong way. Sean Monahan was asked about that after Hartley was fired from the Flames in 2016 and said:

“Bob’s a passionate guy. He wants the best out of everybody. If he’s hard on you it’s for a good reason. Different people can take things like that different ways.”

Adam Oates

What's interesting about Oates is that although he doesn't have much success or history as a coach in the NHL, he's something of a new NHL thinker, focusing on how skill players can train and practice to get more of an edge on offence. He's even gone so far as to serve as a private skills coach for some NHLers.

However, that move has ruffled some feathers in the NHL and in March of 2016 Oates told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that he presumed his NHL coaching days were over.

Luke Richardson


For three seasons between 2009 and 2012, Richardson served as an assistant with the Ottawa Senators and was then given the head coaching job of their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators. Richardson coached there for four seasons, making the playoffs in his first two seasons but not getting past Round 1. He mutually parted ways with the team after last season, days after Dave Cameron was fired by the NHL team.

This season, Richardson has coached for Hockey Canada, first at the Deutschland Cup as an assistant to Dave King and then as the head coach for the Spengler Cup-winning entry at the annual tournament in Davos at the end of December.


1043780 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Mid-season report card: Vancouver Canucks

This week we take a look at the city of Vancouver, British Columbia.

DIMITRI FILIPOVIC

JANUARY 17, 2017, 6:32 PM

The Vancouver Canucks recently eclipsed the midway mark of their regular season schedule. For a team that technically sits only two points out of a playoff spot, it’s rather difficult to figure out how exactly they’ve managed to do it.

That’s precisely what we’ll try to make sense of with the following progress report. Let’s hand out some letter grades for their individual performances thus far this season.

Forwards

Sven Baertschi, A-PLUS: Baertschi’s offensive production has been a godsend this season for a team that’s needed every little bit of it. Not only does he lead the team in goals and points during the course of five-on-five play, he actually finds himself in pretty good company in both categories league-wide.

He’s tied for 24th in goals (10) with Vladimir Tarasenko and Joe Pavelski, and 40th in points (20) with John Tavares and Ryan Kesler. Not bad for a guy whose minutes and opportunities pale in comparison to those bigger names.

Alexandre Burrows, B: It’s been a pleasant surprise to see that Burrows still has something left in the tank.

He’s the clear third wheel of the group, but it says something about him and his game that he’s been able to fit in seamlessly next to Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi on a line that’s performed like it’s the team’s best.

His contract is set to expire, and it’ll be interesting to see whether this mini-revival will be enough to entice a contender to take a chance on him at the trade deadline should the Canucks fall out of the race by then.

Michael Chaput, C-PLUS: Chaput has settled into a nice depth role on the team. While the fourth line that features him, Jack Skille and Brendan Gaunce has produced essentially no offence, they’ve done the next best thing by keeping the puck in the other team’s end of the ice.

Since being put together, they’ve controlled north of 54 per cent of the shot attempts and 59 per cent of the chances taken. There’s value in a fourth line that’s not a liability—let alone one that actually makes a habit of keeping the wheels spinning in the right direction until the top guys are ready to go back out.

Derek Dorsett, NR: At his best, Dorsett can be sneakily effective by getting under opponents' skin and luring them into drawing penalties. But that’s a moot point, considering that Dorsett has been out of the lineup since mid-November, and it sounds like the neck surgery he had will keep him out for the remainder of the year.

The decision to commit for four years to a replaceable depth piece was already a curious move from the moment the deal was signed. The fact

that he’s reportedly been struggling with that same known, degenerating injury for years only adds to the questionable nature of the contract.

Loui Eriksson, C: Eriksson’s year-long goal and assist totals are on pace to be lower than they’ve ever been since his rookie season, but to be fair to him he’s been much better since a disastrous first few weeks as a member of the Canucks.

Most encouraging is that his shot totals have rebounded since being at an all-time low as recently as a month ago. That’s something he’ll need to do a lot more of if he’s going to make it work playing next to the Sedins.

Brendan Gaunce, C-PLUS: A fourth liner with four points in 40 games isn’t exactly what you hope to get from someone when you invest a first round pick in them, but that’s a sunk cost by now. If you wash that from your memory and evaluate Gaunce with a blank slate, he’s been a perfectly serviceable fourth liner. It’s not great, but it’s also not nothing.

Markus Granlund, B-minus: It’s funny how much just a couple of games can change the perception of things. Granlund has rewarded the Canucks’ continued belief in his abilities with a couple of big individual performances in January, sneakily jumping up to a 20-goal pace for the season.

He’s perfectly suited for the complementary role he’s currently in, but it’s still fair to wonder what his offensive ceiling as a player is moving forward.

Jannik Hansen, C: You’d love to see Hansen get back on the ice as soon as possible and stay there. It’s a shame he’s missed 42 total games since the start of last season, because he’s been producing at career-high rates in the moments he’s been healthy. His speed and ability to create something out of nothing are traits this team is sorely lacking whenever he’s out of the lineup.

Bo Horvat, A-PLUS: Horvat’s minutes have been steadily on the rise with each passing month since the start of the season. After averaging just 16:36 per game in October, he’s all the way up to 19:05 for the month of January. It’s certainly been well-deserved, as he’s looked like the best, most dynamic skater on the team for large stretches of 2016-17.

His ascension hasn’t gone unnoticed — he’ll be representing the Canucks at this year’s All-Star Game.

Jayson Megna, C-minus: There’s no better example of how starved and desperate the Canucks have been for anyone to do anything offensively this season than Megna bursting onto the scene and immediately being handed a spot next to the Sedins at five-on-five, plus a gig on the second power-play unit.

Considering the fact he’s an undrafted 26-year-old who has bounced around the league with just six goals and 12 points in 54 career NHL games, things have gone exactly as you would’ve expected them to.

Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, B-minus: The twins have had a rough go of it this season. Their efficiency continues to fall on a per-minute basis, which is to be expected considering their advancing age.

Maybe the most alarming trend of all is how much their 5-on-5 shot generation game has cratered with essentially everyone other than Loui Eriksson as their running mate. There was a long period of time there where they could play with anyone and make it work. Father time is undefeated, and they’re now 36 years old with roughly 1,300 NHL games each on their tires.

And yet still, with all of that in mind, if you catch them on the right evening or the right sequence, you see them do stuff no one else in the world can.

Jack Skille, C-PLUS: See ‘Chaput, Michael’. It’s fair to quibble with the fact that the team picked him over some other (potentially more enticing) options that were looking for jobs in training camp, but he’s been perfectly adequate in his role.

It’s another reminder that the best fourth liners are typically former failed top prospects, which is why you shouldn’t be spending draft capital on players that profile as fourth liners in the NHL right from the start.

Brandon Sutter, B-minus: Sutter’s value to the team was on display last season, when his lengthy absence put too much, too soon on the shoulders of Bo Horvat as the team’s second pivot.


Of course, that was a year ago, before Horvat had time to mature into the player he’s now become. While the experiment of having Sutter ride shotgun with the Sedins was an abject failure, he’s been reasonably effective on the de facto third line with Markus Granlund and a revolving door of other wingers.

Jake Virtanen, D: It feels unfair to be too critical of a player who is still only 20 years old, but fans of the team will always compare him to his draft mates in ‘what if’ scenarios. It’s difficult not to, when you see Virtanen struggling to be a difference-maker down in the AHL while players like William Nylander and Nikolaj Ehlers are blossoming into legitimate stars right before our very eyes.

—

Defencemen

Alex Biega, C: We don’t want to get carried away with Biega’s performance this season, considering we only have 14 games' worth of data. He’s been excellent next to Nikita Tryamkin, but there's a reason he’s a 29-year old journeyman that’s never really locked down a regular NHL gig. It’s nice to have serviceable depth when injuries inevitably occur, though.

Alexander Edler, C-PLUS: It’s been an uneven season for the blue liner. The usually reliable top pair of Edler and Chris Tanev got off to a poor start this year, and he didn’t fair much better during his brief run with Philip Larsen, either.

He’s fared much better since being paired with Troy Stecher, with the team coming out ahead in the shot and scoring chance metrics with the two of them out on the ice together.

It’ll be fascinating to see how the team handles Edler moving forward. He has two years left on his deal after this one at an extremely reasonable price if he’s playing up to his potential. But he’s also 30 years old, and the blue line is the only area of the depth chart where the Canucks have a healthy amount of talent and intriguing options.

Erik Gudbranson, D: Gudbranson’s introduction to Vancouver has been an outright disaster. He’s missed a significant chunk of time with injuries, which has become an alarmingly recurring theme for him — he had already missed 67 of a possible 376 games in his first five years in the league prior to this season.

The other career trend with him was that his teams gave up a higher percentage of shots, scoring chances, and goals whenever he’d been on the ice compared to off of it, and that has unfortunately held true to form as well.

Ben Hutton, C: Heading into the year, the stylistic combination of Hutton and Gudbranson as a pairing made sense on paper. Gudbranson would stay back, allowing Hutton to use his immense skating ability to roam around and wreak havoc offensively. It didn’t work out that way, to say the least. To be fair to the duo, they received wretched sub-.900 save percentages from the goalies behind them, which certainly didn’t help matters. There’s still plenty to love about Hutton’s game and talent, and he should improve. But he needs to get healthy first.

Philip Larsen C-minus: The Philip Larsen experiment took less than 20 games to go completely off the rails. In the Canucks' defence, they gave him plenty of chances to succeed in his return to the NHL. But the results simply weren’t there, particularly on the power play where the club scored just two goals in 50 minutes with the extra man with Larsen out there.

It’s great that he put up big numbers in the KHL, but it’s worth remembering that it's a completely different league. Cam Barker has also been doing big things over there for years. There’s a reason neither of them could crack the Edmonton's lineup when the Oilers were desperate for bodies on the blue line.

Luca Sbisa, C: The most interesting subplot of Sbisa’s 2016-17 season is whether he’s looked passable enough to convince Vegas to take him in the expansion draft. That’s of course assuming that the Canucks' brain trust will allow him to get away in the first place.

Considering they handpicked him as a key piece of the Ryan Kesler package back in 2014 and then gave him a sizable contract extension despite all sorts of red flags, that remains unclear.

Troy Stecher, A: One of the notable bright spots in the first half of the season, Stecher has taken the opportunity various injuries on the blue line have provided and run with it.

The most impressive thing about him is his ability to generate a high volume of shots from the back-end. When you’re sandwiched between Phil Housley and Ray Bourque in anything, you’re probably doing something right.

Chris Tanev, C: It’s been an off-year for Tanev, as a myriad of injuries and ailments have resulted in uncharacteristically poor underlying shot metrics for him. Even so, he remains a remarkably calming and steady presence on the blue line. Hockey is a team game, but it’s not a total coincidence that the Canucks are 12-4-5 in games he’s played and 8-15-1 in games he hasn't.

Nikita Tryamkin, A-minus: It hasn’t taken him long to win over the hearts of Canucks fans with how effortlessly he uses his gargantuan frame to manhandle opponents, but even beyond that the guy can flat-out play. He’s had the most positive impact on the team’s shot metrics out of any regular skater this season. If there were concerns about his conditioning and ability to keep up with the speed of the NHL game at the start of the year, they’ve been erased as quickly as he erases opposing attackers.

—

Goalies

Jacob Markstrom, C-PLUS: Once the team invested $11 million spread over three seasons in him this past summer, it made it pretty clear that they believed in the encouraging signs he showed in 2015-16.

Unfortunately he hasn’t really been able to take that next step and build off of it, appearing in slightly fewer games and performing slightly worse in the ones he has compared to the veteran goalie he’s sharing the crease with.

Considering the sporadic usage he’s received throughout his NHL career to date, the Canucks would do well to give him as many starts as possible in the second half of the season if only to see what they’ve really got in him moving forward. Maybe he’ll even end his streak and finally get a shutout in the process.

QUINCEY GOAL ALSO = NHL GAME 105 WITHOUT SHUTOUT FOR MARKSTROM, WHO HAS PLAYED WELL; ONLY POKEY RODDICK HAS MORE CAREER GAMES (132) + NO SO

— KEVIN WOODLEY (@KEVINISINGOAL) JANUARY 16, 2017

Ryan Miller, C-PLUS: Miller’s .914 save percentage puts him right around the league average for the season, which has him right in line with his career average. The perception of him as a player has wildly wavered back-and-forth over the years, which is ironic considering how remarkably consistent he’s been in hovering around that middle class range.

—

Head coach

Willie Desjardins, C: This is a difficult one to evaluate, simply because it’s not exactly like he’s been given a ton of talent to work with in the first place. It’s a player’s league, and it’s awfully difficult to fake it if you don’t have the horses.

With that said, it’s up to the coach to try and push the right buttons to squeeze as much as he can out of what he’s given, and it’s tough to argue that Desjardins has done himself any favours in that regard.

He’s been slow to adapt, often sticking with sub-optimal combinations way past their expiry date. The best example of this is the team’s floundering power play, a 27th-ranked unit in efficiency, which he’s seemingly had no answers or solutions for.


1043781 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Landeskog wants to remain an Avalanche for a ‘long, long time’


The Hockey Night in Canada panel go over all the news around the NHL, including the latest injury updates, the Blue Jackets’ winning streak and the situation in Colorado.

CALLUM FERGUSON

JANUARY 17, 2017, 7:44 PM

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog reiterated Monday that he does not want to be traded, and hopes to remain a big piece of the team’s pending rebuild.

“I want to be an Avalanche, to stay an Avalanche and be in Denver for a long, long time,” the 24-year-old told the Denver Post.

The Avalanche are the worst team in the NHL and entered Tuesday having lost 10 of their last 12 games and with a 13-27-1 record, making a rebuild in the Mile-High City seem imminent.

Team general manger Joe Sakic acknowledged last week that he had been in trade talks with other teams, and was willing part ways with any player on the Avalanche roster other than first-round picks Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Tyson Jost.

Despite the comments, Landeskog remains positive, and will not be changing his approach on the ice with the Feb. 28th NHL trade deadline looming large.

"Whether my name is floating around or not, I'm still approaching the game the same way," said the Swede. "And that is to spread energy, be a good teammate, work hard and try to get better every day. Me being in trade rumours, that's nothing I can control."

Landeskog, who became the youngest captain in NHL history in 2012 at 19 years old (a record now held by Edmonton's Connor McDavid), has struggled this season, registering just 14 points (eight goals. six assists) in 31 games.

He is now in the third year of a seven-year, $39-million deal, giving him an annual cap hit of just over $5.57 million.


1043782 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Analyzing the outlooks of five rebuilding NHL teams

Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock and top scorer Auston Matthews discuss the newfound excitement surrounding Leafs Nation due to the club’s recent run.

RORY BOYLEN

JANUARY 17, 2017, 2:24 PM

Not everyone can be a Stanley Cup contender…even if 22 of the NHL’s 30 teams are “above .500.”

That’s right — 22 NHL teams have accumulated more than half of the available points to them on the season so far, with the surprising Vancouver Canucks coming in at No. 22 with a 20-19-6 record. But no one is confusing them as a Cup contender.

Most of the teams you would consider contenders, though, were at or near the very bottom of the league not all that long ago. Pittsburgh, Washington, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Chicago and Columbus (if you want to go that far) have all had top five picks in the draft in the past 13 years, which were building blocks of the rosters they’re putting forth today.

Obviously, it takes more than losing for a few years to build a contending team; you still need to make smart acquisitions to fill out the roster and surround your star players with capable talent. If rebuilding was as easy as making a top five pick, this generation’s Oilers would have a Stanley Cup by now.

Like it or not "tanking" is a reality in today's NHL, but that doesn't mean every rebuilding team is undertaking that unsavoury process. There are stages to a rebuild and they don't always stay on track. In fact, it can be more of a bumpy road than a track.

Here are some teams currently in a rebuild and a look at what kind of shape they're in.

BUFFALO SABRES

When Mike Babcock chose to become head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of the Buffalo Sabres before the 2015-16 season, the common line of thinking was that the Sabres were a year ahead of the Leafs in their rebuild. Less than two seasons later, Toronto looks like the team that's ahead.

The Sabres, with a 17-17-9 record sit ahead of only the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference standings and are the fifth-lowest scoring team in the NHL with a 2.33 goals per game average.

How they got here: The Sabres were last in the playoffs in 2010-11 with a core that included Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, Tim Connolly, Jordan Leopold, a second-year Tyler Myers and Ryan Miller in net. All of them have since been moved, most by trade. They've finished in one of the bottom two spots of their division four years in a row and have had a top-10 draft pick in each of those years.

"Frankly they tore down too much to get here," Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News said on the Jeff Blair Show. "And that's really what their undoing is, their bottom six is terrible. The Leafs did not tear down as much and ended up with Auston Matthews."

Where they are now: It was assumed that a healthy Robin Lehner could keep the Sabres in the playoff hunt, but as Harrington alluded to, they are actually in a position most rebuilding teams find themselves in at one point or another -- they have the top-end talent to get excited for, but the rest of the roster isn't good enough to compete for a playoff spot. The Sabres now look like they're behind the Leafs even if they have a comparable amount of high-end talent up front, a healthy Lehner, and a budding Rasmus Ristolainen on the blue line who is eating tons of minutes and is top 10 in defencemen scoring. In a situation like that, the coach's tactics are going to be under the microscope and it'll be a question of whether or not Dan Bylsma can get them to the next level.

"The system really is what's holding this team back in my eyes," Harrington said. "There is enough talent. I don’t want to hear about structure defensively and we have to be responsible and yada yada yada, I’m tired of that. You’re talking about a team that does have quality top six forwards. You’ve got Jack Eichel, you've got Sam Reinhart, you've got an Evander Kane, you just got Tyler Ennis back, you’ve got Ryan O'Reilly. I want to see this team go more.

"They are in too much of a defensive posture too often and that comes back to coaching and that's how Bylsma wants to play. And you know what guys, if Bylsma was popular among the great players of the Pittsburgh Penguins he’d probably still be there. The system bothered the Penguins and that eventually got him out the door. If he wants to stay here, he’s going to have to push this team more in terms of pushing the pace, pushing the attack, they are a boring team too often."

Where they go from here: If the Sabres are indeed now a season behind the Leafs as it appears, they have to stay the course. Remember, for the Leafs, this season was all about the beginning of good things to come, but that the end result was likely another low finish in the standings and a high draft pick, which would be perfectly fine.

For the Sabres, that will be a massive disappointment after they spent the summer throwing money at Kyle Okposo and acquiring pending UFA Dmitry Kulikov for a younger Mark Pysyk. But this roster is not worth giving up on again. The goalie seems to be in place, the defence is coming along and the top six forwards are there. If they end up finishing near the bottom, get a little lottery luck and pick in the top three this season, it could be enough to push the Sabres forward in a big way next season, when they may also add Alexander Nylander to the group. Don't panic. Stay the course -- but get what assets you can for the expiring contracts of Cody Franson and Kulikov at the trade deadline.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

On the other side of the coin are the Leafs, who are light years ahead of where most expected them to be. Matthews and Mitch Marner are having all-time rookie seasons, Nikita Zaitsev has come better prepared for NHL


hockey than advertised and Frederik Andersen has settled down from a bad start to the season to give the Leafs a sturdy last line of defence.

Of course, the only time Toronto made the playoffs since the 2004-05 lost season was in the lockout-shortened 2012-13, where they blew a Game 7 lead to Boston. That season perhaps gave Leafs management some misplaced optimism and led to the trade for Jonathan Bernier, and the re-signing of Dion Phaneuf to a seven-year deal before 2013 was out.

How they got here: Under GM Brian Burke the team refused to burn it down for a full-on rebuild, which many would agree the franchise is just recovering from. They could have had Dougie Hamilton and Tyler Seguin, remember.

Instead, the Leafs have had a top-eight draft pick in four of the past five seasons, all of which have been huge building blocks to this roster. No longer was the team prioritizing "truculence" and "grit," but speed and skill. Where they once drafted Luke Schenn and Tyler Biggs in the first round, now they were getting Morgan Rielly and William Nylander, among others.

Where they are now: Unlike Bylsma and the Sabres, Mike Babcock is playing a high-tempo style with the Leafs where, basically, he's asking the defencemen to just not make a bad mistake in the defensive end and get it up to the skilled forwards ASAP.

As Chris Johnston wrote in an excellent breakdown of how the Leafs are trying to tilt the ice in favour of their forwards:

In some circumstances, that means executing a breakout by flipping the puck high into the neutral zone.

While that might seem like a desperate move where a team is surrendering possession, the Leafs think it actually produces decent odds of success because of skilled forwards like Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner who have a knack for winning puck battles.

The Leafs may still fall back and miss the playoffs, but their underlying numbers suggest they really are a pretty good team. Surely playoffs would be the No. 1 target, but missing and getting another high draft pick to add to the stable would be perfectly fine. They're probably at a point where if they miss next year then it'll be a disappointment.

Where do they go from here: Have to stick to the Shanaplan. Roman Polak is playing a role on the third pair and a more important one on the penalty kill, but if you can get any kind of draft pick for him at the deadline you do it. Same goes for Matt Hunwick. But there are fewer and fewer of those kinds of guys on this roster, and more young players the team will be moving forward with. That also means they aren't ready for a big splash move where they give up a couple future assets for a "help now" player to get them across the finish line in at least a wild-card position -- they're still seeing just what they have here.

If James van Riemsdyk goes, it should be for a homerun return because he's the kind of steady, 25-to-30-goal man who's a perfect complement to the younger inexperienced players. And given all he's been through on this team, he's also the type who may take some sort of a discount to stay when his contract runs out after next season.

The Leafs aren't far off, but they aren't yet in a position to really get aggressive.

ARIZONA COYOTES

If there is a tanking team in the NHL this season it'd be Arizona, but that's probably an unfair label for a squad that has all-star Mike Smith in net, signed their leading scorer, Radim Vrbata, off the free-agent market plus defenceman Alex Goligoski, and doesn't appear to be in any rush to move their biggest trade chip, Martin Hanzal. The Coyotes are just in the early stages of their rebuild right now.

How they got here: The Coyotes got to the Western Conference final in 2012 on the back of an amazing performance by Smith but played above their heads and weren't really in a position to sustain that success or push it forward. Always a budget team, the Coyotes lost leading scorer Ray Whitney to free agency that summer and have since had to move on from other key contributors such as Keith Yandle, while Shane Doan has slowed down. Even Smith has been inconsistent and unable to recapture his 2011-12 magic.

Where they are now: The Coyotes know they're in tough in a loaded Western Conference and specifically a Pacific Division that includes rising Edmonton and Calgary teams and the mainstay contenders in

California. So, the Coyotes are in a spot where they're picking up the contracts of Chris Pronger, Pavel Datsyuk and Dave Bolland to help get them to the cap floor and acquire some draft picks at the same time. Young GM John Chayka is preaching patience.

Dave Tippett just signed a five-year extension with the Coyotes in May of 2016 and they are highly likely to stick by him since he stayed with the team through heavy relocation rumours. Still, you have to wonder if his defensive style is a good fit for a young team. Smith's comments following a Monday loss sound awfully similar to Harrington's critiques of the Sabres.

“We were just playing, and it was blah. It was blah. And you can’t expect to play like that and compete against a really good hockey team," Smith said. "That’s what we did tonight. We have to learn from it. Sooner or later, this organization’s got to move forward and not continue to have games like this.”

Where do they go from here: The road appears long for the Coyotes to get back to playoff relevance, but they may surprise with how quickly they get back on track. For this year at least we should expect them to trade pending UFA Hanzal at some point and the prospect of trading Doan is on the table. If the Sabres and Leafs are within a year of each other in their rebuilds, the Coyotes might be another year or two behind them.

Remember, while they have Max Domi who was building on a nice rookie season before he got injured, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who is developing as a true No. 1 defender and Jakob Chychrun, who surprisingly made the team out of camp right after being drafted last summer, there is still plenty more to come. Arizona has three first-round picks from the past two drafts still to make their NHL debuts in Dylan Strome, Clayton Keller and Nick Merkley -- the former two especially are anticipated to be huge contributors when the Coyotes finally do blossom.

And while Smith is 34 years old and unlikely to be around when the Coyotes take a step, 24-year-old Louis Domingue is working his way towards the starter's job some day and is coming off a season in which he posted a .912 save percentage in 39 games. He's only at .899 so far this season, but the team does rank last in shots against per game and average 2.6 more shots allowed than they did last season.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Ah, the rebuild on the fly: the honourable way to try and reconstruct a declining roster into a contender again.

The Canucks came into the season a popular pick to finish at or near the bottom of the NHL standings and while they still could end up in that position, they're currently in the playoff hunt past the halfway mark of the season. So how can a team in the race with a lineup that includes Ryan Miller, Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Loui Eriksson be in a rebuild? Here's how...

How they got here: After getting to the Stanley Cup final and losing to Boston in 2011, the Canucks' window of opportunity stayed open for a couple seasons after, which is something a team should never give up on. With luck such a huge factor in winning once you're good enough to contend, you should take a hard run at any chance you get. Looking back, that window closed when the Canucks were swept by the Sharks in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Could things have been better? Perhaps. You have to wonder what the team would look like now had they kept Cory Schneider instead of Roberto Luongo for one more year. They would have been sturdier in net for the past couple seasons and in the years to come, but they also wouldn't have their current leading scorer, who we'll get to in a second.

There are a couple things to point at to answer how the Canucks got here. One, is that the core that made them a contender got old. Another is that years of failed drafts caught up to them. In seven drafts from 2006 to 2012, covering a time the Canucks' window was open or opening, they picked just one player who is making a difference on this team: Ben Hutton.

Where they are now: To be honest, the Canucks are in denial. Whether they'll admit it or not, Vancouver is in a rebuild, but the difference is that instead of tearing the whole thing down as Buffalo and Toronto have done, the Canucks are trying to stay competitive.

As Trevor Linden said in a far-ranging interview with Sportsnet's Luke Fox earlier this season:


"What people fail to realize is the older group of players we had here—the Garrisons and Keslers and Bieksas and Higgins and Hamhuises—which are no longer with us, these are good people. These are leaders. Perhaps in Toronto that wasn’t the case.

We have Daniel and Henrik Sedin here, who are very important to this organization and icons in the city. They’re not going anywhere. I don’t know how I walk into the room and tell these guys, 'Strip it down.' I’m not sure it’s fair to these guys. There’s different circumstances, be it in Toronto or Carolina or Vancouver, that require different routes. It’s not perfect, but I’m encouraged by the young players we’ve introduced, and we’ve got some young prospects."

Where do they go from here: If the Canucks aren't going to tear it down, they better make sure their drafts are strong -- and that doesn't mean just picking a useful player in Round 1. Hitting on more players the way it appears they did with Nikita Tryamkin in the third round of the 2013 draft is a must or else Vancouver will slide into the same spot Toronto has occupied for the past 10 or so years -- too bad to contend, too good to bottom out and pick a top talent in the draft. Barring a lottery win of course.

As bleak as the outlook was for this team coming into the season (and it is still pretty bleak), promise is on the horizon and they could switch gears back into contender mode in the next few years without going full Oilers. Bo Horvat, who they got with the pick acquired in the Schneider trade, leads the team in scoring and could approach 25 goals and 60 points in his second season. We mentioned Tryamkin. Troy Stecher has been a great find as an undrafted signing and 23-year-old Hutton is earning a lot of playing time in his second season. And Olli Juolevi could be the best of all the young defenders. With 27-year-old Chris Tanev in the fold on a cap friendly deal for a while, the Canucks may actually be in a position most of these other rebuilding teams were never in: their blue line could be a surprising strength. That could give them a leg up as they make a push now and in the long run.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

When was the last time you had a conversation with your buddies about the Carolina Hurricanes? Have you ever had a chat with your buddies about this team? If you're looking for a new favourite team, it may be a good idea to hop on this bandwagon while there's still plenty of room, because Carolina -- like the Leafs -- could jump into the playoff scene at any moment and may even be ahead of schedule.

How they got here: The Hurricanes last made it to the playoffs in 2009, where they lost in the Eastern Conference final to the Penguins. Since then, they have had five picks in the top 12 of the NHL draft. Now, Carolina hasn't been in full rebuild mode since 2009. The acquired Jordan Staal in 2012 and immediately signed him to a 10-year contract to play alongside his brother and face of the Hurricanes franchise, Eric Staal. But rather than spur success with a deadly 1-2 centre combo, Eric began a sharp decline and Jordan has proven a better fit of a No. 3 (as he was with the Penguins) than a top-two line player with offensive upside.

Where are they now: While their attempt to push forward ultimately failed, it led to some nice draft picks which has put them in the promising position they find themselves. They've hit on some top picks, such as Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm and, we assume, Noah Hanifin. But what's pushing the Hurricanes into a spot where they are one point out of the playoffs with three games in hand of the team ahead of them, is the performance and development of some later-round picks.

Victor Rask, a second-rounder, is second on the team with 32 points. Jaccob Slavin, a fourth-rounder, leads the team in ice time and plays all situations. Justin Faulk, a second-rounder, is second in ice time, an all-star and a Team USA staple now. Brett Pesce is a third-rounder with the best possession numbers among all blue liners on this team and is trusted with heavy PK minutes.

The common thread here of course is that most of those names are defencemen, giving the Hurricanes the most exciting blue line in the NHL to watch develop in the next few years. As fifth-overall pick Hanifin settles in, the D-corps will really take off.

Where do they go from here: The Hurricanes were similar to the Leafs in that they also probably expected a reasonably high draft pick again this season, but find themselves in the playoff hunt now. An indicator of how good a team actually is, Carolina was 11th in the league in CF% last season and are sixth this season, ahead of Pittsburgh. They are 11th in GF/G and 15th in GA/G. They've made some sneaky good acquisitions

recently, such as Teuvo Teravainen from Chicago, but should still be taking more of a long-term view when it comes to big splashes. Making a costly trade for a veteran to push them forward, at the expense of a valuable future asset, should be off the table. But don't sleep on the Hurricanes. If they fall short of the playoffs this season, they could be just a goalie (or a hot Cam Ward season) away from breaking out in a big way.


1043783 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / ‘Chewbacca’s got nothing on you’: Burns, Thornton featured in hilarious ad

SPORTSNET STAFF

JANUARY 17, 2017, 10:08 AM

“Sweet chin curtain.”

Brent Burns is on track for a Norris Trophy caliber season and Joe Thornton is a future Hall of Famer just 12 assists shy of 1,000 for his career. But at this point, they’re probably more famous for their beards. The two grew out some “spicy salad” for last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, in which the Sharks made it to the final for the first time ever.

Instead of shaving after losing to the Pens, as most players would, Burns and Thornton kept the outrageous beards, which they say is now a “lifestyle.” In a way the face hair has taken on a life of its own.

So if these two guys have positive things to say about your beard, you’re on the right track.

The two showcased their beards in a great "Sharks for Life" ad promoting a Thornton Chia Beard night on Saturday.

Come for the thick Canadian accents, stay for the tremendous Chewbacca impression by Burns at the end.

WE CHEER FOR IMPRESSIVE BEARDS.#SHARKSFORLIFE PIC.TWITTER.COM/C7PR9HLTBR

— SAN JOSE SHARKS (@SANJOSESHARKS) JANUARY 16, 2017

What a couple of beauties.


1043784 Websites

TSN.CA / Leafs play through loss of Rielly to beat Sabres

Kristen Shilton

TORONTO – Among players the Toronto Maple Leafs could least afford to lose, Morgan Rielly sits near the top of the list.

Early in the first period of Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres, Rielly got tangled up with Sabres' winger William Carrier and went awkwardly into the half boards. He departed for the Maple Leafs’ dressing room wincing, but returned, only to take a shift and leave again with a noticeable limp. Rielly would not return with what Toronto deemed a lower-body injury.

In his absence the Maple Leafs’ other five defenders played long minutes. Jake Gardiner clocked in at 29:24, the most by any Toronto player this season. His previous career high was 28:34, back in his rookie season of 2011-12. Four of Toronto’s remaining blue liners


surpassed 20 minutes, and they looked to the guys in front of them to step up too.

“Once Mo went out our game plan was to make simple plays and get it in [the Sabres] zone,” Gardiner said. “I think our forwards did a good job of playing in their end. We wanted to just make simple plays, make good passes, and let the forwards handle the work load.”

Toronto’s offence answered the call in the game’s second and third periods. An early gaffe by goaltender Frederik Andersen handed the Sabres a 1-0 lead and the Sabres added another score in the waning seconds of the first. Toronto was 3-10-1 on the season when trailing after one period, but that deficit was gone before the halfway mark of the second. The Maple Leafs chased Robin Lehner with three goals on eight shots in 9:45.

“I think we have a lot of depth up front and a lot of balance throughout the lineup,” said James van Riemsdyk, who added a fourth goal on the power play in the third to extend his point streak to a career-long eight games. “When we get in those situations, we just have to stick with our game plan and stick with what works and we’ll get some chances and hopefully we can bury them.”

As important as the offensive outburst was, Toronto’s ability to stay the course defensively ultimately secured the win. Rielly averages a team-high 22:51 a game, and is an integral part of their sixth-ranked penalty kill, making him difficult to replace. Gardiner stepped in for Rielly on special teams too.

“I thought Gardiner and [Nikita] Zaitsev were great tonight, really stepped up,” said Mike Babcock. “I thought [Matt Hunwick] had a solid game - actually all of them did pretty good. We didn’t spend a ton of time in our zone which was positive.”

What happens next is anyone’s guess. Toronto has gone 9-1-1 over their last 11 games, and Tuesday was their first win at home since Dec. 17. Babcock has been happy with his lineup and their progress in that stretch. But the coach had no update on Rielly’s status after the game, saying that the team would know more on Wednesday. Rielly has never missed a game in his NHL career with an injury. Despite skating with the team again, there is no timetable for Martin Marincin’s return. Babcock prefers guys playing on their natural side – the only extra defender Toronto currently has is Frank Corrado, who is a right shot. Who will ultimately step in to replace Rielly – a left shot – or for how long is anyone’s guess for now.

“We’ve had lots of success with no injuries,” Babcock said. “But injuries wear you down. When you get injured, you play fewer guys more and it usually leads to more. I don’t know if [Morgan]’s out a week or 10 days or a month, I don’t have a clue.”

Takeaways

Matthews makes his mark: Picking up the puck behind the Sabres’ net in the second period, Zach Hyman intended to throw it on net. But screaming for the disc from the slot was Matthews, so Hyman delivered a superb backhanded pass to set up Matthews’ 22nd goal of the season. The only Maple Leafs rookies in history with more scores are Wendel Clark (34), Daniel Marois (31) and Sergei Berezin (25). The game was Matthews’ first as a pro against his former U.S. National Team Development Program teammate Jack Eichel, and Toronto’s star got the better of Buffalo’s in every way. Matthews had more shots on goal (five), more points (one), a better plus-minus rating (zero) and perhaps most critically, he notched a career-best 13 faceoff wins to Eichel’s five. Babcock hand-picked that matchup for Matthews from the start and he rose to the occasion against a player he will be competing against most of his career.

Power players: Before Tuesday’s game, Babcock answered “no” to an inquiry about whether anything was different about the power play this season than the infusion of talent. A season ago that unit ranked 29th in the league. With van Riemsdyk’s goal on the man advantage, Toronto has gone 15-for-35 in its last 11 games on the power play and sits second in league (24.4 per cent). van Riemsdyk attributed the success of that group to increased confidence among the team at even strength as well, with early chances building momentum throughout games. On the other side, Toronto is heeding Babcock’s advice about not testing their penalty kill too much. After taking six minor penalties on Friday against the Rangers, Babcock was clear with his group their stick infractions had to be reduced. Since then, Toronto has taken just two penalties over their last two games, the lowest total over a two-game span since Dec. 7-10.

Freddie keeps growing: When Andersen sent a poor clearing attempt right into the path of Kyle Okposo, resulting in Buffalo’s opening goal, it was shades of the shaky, unsure goaltender he was to start the season. Allowing another to Evander Kane in the dying seconds of the first period was deflating too. Back in the fall those scores would have derailed Andersen’s confidence and forced him to overcompensate. Not so Tuesday. Andersen said he was hard on himself, took a breath, and got back to work. He shut the door on Buffalo until the game’s final minutes, when a sloppy defensive corps left him out to dry, stopping 27 shots. Just like their first matchup against Buffalo this season, it was a one-goal game that came down to the last second, and Andersen secured the victory again. He moves to 6-0-0 against the Sabres all-time, with only eight goals allowed.

Fourth line’s a charm: Each of Toronto’s lines contributed a score on Tuesday, the type of balanced scoring that will make the second half easier to manage. Matt Martin scored his third goal of the season from a sharp angle that hit Lehner at the right angle to trickle past him. It was a positive sign for a fourth line group that’s been getting steadily better as rookie center Frederik Gauthier has been adjusting to the NHL. Martin and Gauthier led the club’s forwards in puck possession, with Martin clocking it at 83.33 per cent Corsi-for and Gauthier at 70.00 per cent.

Next game: The Maple Leafs continue their homestand Thursday against the New York Rangers. They beat the Rangers 4-2 in New York last Friday.

TSN.CA LOADED: 01.18.2017

1043785 Websites

TSN.CA / 5 Minute Abbs: Canucks vs Predators

Jon Abbott

Five points of interest ahead of puck-drop

1. A rematch from one week ago, when the Nashville Predators took advantage of a Canucks power play in overtime. Roman Josi stormed down the ice and flipped the puck over to Calle Jarnkrok, who scored the overtime winner. If that wasn’t bad enough, the shorthanded 2-on-0 developed from centre ice. Vancouver will try to gain the edge in the season series and with it erase any memory of that awful ending in the Music City.

2. As far as an edge in the standings goes, this season series could play an important role in the Canucks' potential playoff berth. Vancouver enters tonight’s game one point behind Nashville and two points out of a Wild Card spot. The swing game in the series could decide who takes the most points out of the three games these teams will play and which club ends up with a Wild Card spot. Nashville is a single point out of contention and sit four back of a divisional playoff spot.

3. The Canucks have been able to hang around in the standings in part because of a run of consecutive wins (6) and a grouping of single point outcomes joined to that. Vancouver have collected points in nine of their last 10 games, while nabbing 15 of a possible 20 over their last 10 affairs and enter having collected a single point in each of their last three games.

4. While the Predators are getting healthy, they have also added a few players along the way to fill the gaps. The club now boasts seven players with British Columbia connections, including five born in the province (Johansen, Sissons, Grant, Irwin, Hunt) and a pair that used to play in B.C. (Zolnierczyk, Weber). Yannick Weber plays his first game back in Vancouver since parting ways with the club after last season. Weber dressed in 159 games for the Canucks over his three seasons and finished with 38 points in a Vancouver uniform.

5. The attention will rest with Henrik Sedin on a shift-by-shift basis tonight, as the Canucks' captain draws closer to hitting the 1,000-point threshold. The 36-year-old has played all of his 1,211 career NHL games with the Canucks and is resting at 998 points ahead of the game vs. Nashville. Henrik will follow in the footsteps of Alex Ovechkin, who also celebrated his 1,000th point this season. Others close behind the


Swedish phenom are Sidney Crosby (988), Shane Doan (957) and of course, his brother, Daniel Sedin (967).

Game info: 7pmPT with @HockeyAbbs/@DTSN1040

TSN1040 + Canucks Radio Network

TSN1040.ca + TSN GO + iHeart Radio App


1043786 Websites

TSN.CA / Matthews, Eichel set for first NHL meeting

Mark Masters

TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs held a morning skate and the Sabres held an optional skate at the Air Canada Centre ahead of their game Tuesday night.

- A new chapter in the Leafs-Sabres rivalry will open Tuesday night as Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel faceoff in the NHL for the first time. "He's been someone I've been able to lean on especially during my draft year," Matthews said. "He's definitely been a nice sounding board for myself as I go through different situations." The pair became buddies through USA Hockey and most recently shared a dressing room with Team North America at the World Cup. "I know him pretty well," said Eichel. "Ann Arbor, World Cup, world juniors, so I've spent a lot of time with him and he's a good dude." After missing the start of the season with a high-ankle sprain, Eichel has posted 17 points in 22 games. "His stride, his skating ability and his strength," Matthews said when asked what stands out about the 20-year-old. "He's so hard to knock off the puck and he's got that deceptive streak. It's incredible, he takes one stride and he's already past you so that's something you have to watch out for, because you can think you're with him and then he takes one step and he's already three steps by you." Does Matthews expect to be compared with Eichel for many years to come? "I don't know," he said. "I don't really focus on that kind of stuff. I just play hockey."

- Despite being early in their NHL careers, both Matthews and Eichel have already had a taste of what the cross-border rivalry is all about. Last year, Nazem Kadri observed that Eichel was struggling a bit in his own end and that unsolicited advice didn't go over well. "Usually the atmosphere is [good] and obviously the fans get really into it and the teams don't really like each other," Eichel said. Despite being an American rising star, Matthews was booed on draft day in Buffalo. "It first jumped out at me at the draft, obviously a lot of boos," Matthews said when asked about the rivalry. "Usually these types of games are fast, physical, exciting games to watch."

- The real rivalry between the teams lately has played out on the management level with both franchises looking to rebuild. A Buffalo-based reporter asked Mike Babcock if he was surprised that Toronto is now ahead in the process even though the Sabres started earlier. "Well, I never said that. You just said that, right? So, sometimes when you ask those questions the next thing that comes out in the media, it's like I said that. So, just so you know, I did not say that," Babcock said to laughs from the media. But the hype around the team is so loud right now that it apparently traveled down the highway. "You can hear the excitement across the border with where they're at," Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma said with a smile. Although Bylsma insists he isn't surprised by where things stand. "I think if you look at where our division is at with a group of [teams] muddled between 48 points and where we're at [43], that's what I expected pretty much from every one of us."

- The Sabres lost their only previous meeting with the Leafs this season, but Buffalo outshot Toronto 43-29. "In exhibition [games] they gave us a ton to handle with how aggressive they were and in the game we played them [in the regular season] we saw that we were able to break some of that aggressiveness with how they play defensively and had some opportunities in the offensive zone by having our D available and having our D move to the middle of the ice," Bylsma explained.

- Frederik Andersen was the first star in Toronto's 2-1 win on Nov. 3. "We know they like to throw everything at the net and we're preparing for

that," said Andersen, who is 5-0-0 with a .962 save percentage in his career against the Sabres. "We'll look to minimize their second-chance opportunities and that's the key for us defensively." But not all Sabres shots may be coming from in front of the net. Tyler Ennis returned to the Buffalo lineup yesterday after a 30-game absence (groin) and nearly scored on a lacrosse move from behind the net. "I don't know if he can do that every night, but I guess you have to be aware of that too now," Andersen noted. Robin Lehner, who stopped 31 of 32 shots yesterday afternoon against Dallas, will start for the Sabres.

- The Leafs’ power play has converted on 14 of 34 chances over the last 10 games to rise to second overall in the NHL (23.8 per cent). Other than adding some highly skilled young talent this season, is there any other reason why the units have experienced more success? "No," Babcock stated flatly. Last season, the Leafs power play ranked 29th in the NHL (15.4 per cent). The secret to the success is pretty simple, according to Matthews. "We're just shooting the puck and creating odd-man situations down low," the 19-year-old explained. Buffalo's penalty kill is ranked 29th in the NHL this season (74.4 per cent).

Lines at Leafs morning skate:

Forwards

Hyman-Matthews-Brown

Komarov-Kadri-Nylander

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner

Martin-Gauthier-Soshnikov

Leivo

Defence

Rielly-Zaitsev

Gardiner-Carrick

Hunwick-Polak

Marincin-Corrado

Goalies

Andersen

McElhinney


1043787 Websites

TSN.CA / CHL, junior teams seek sealing order after turning over financial records

Rick Westhead

The Canadian Hockey League and 42 major junior teams have handed over their tax returns and financial statements dating back to 2011 to a lawyer for current and former CHL players who argue the teams should be paying their players at least minimum wage.

The CHL has asked a judge to seal those records, which will be used to establish the profitability of teams and major junior leagues.

“The defendants’ financial information was collected and prepared on a confidential basis with the intent of maintaining it as such,” the WHL and its team owners wrote in a Dec. 23, 2016, court filing. “The financial information is commercially sensitive, and disclosure will contravene the by-laws of the WHL and the OHL, which require that financial information be kept confidential. The defendants will be harmed if the financial information is disclosed and there is no benefit to permitting broad access to it.

“Disclosure of this confidential financial information will undermine future negotiations between teams and local vendors, operators, and suppliers.”


The sealing order request is opposed by Ted Charney, a lawyer for at least 351 current and former players who have joined the litigation. A Calgary court is scheduled to hear arguments on the matter on Jan. 24.

In October, an Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench judge ordered the CHL to produce all of its contracts that funnel revenue to teams in the Western Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League.

All of the teams in the WHL and OHL have also been ordered to produce their tax returns and financial statements for the past five years, according to the ruling. Because the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has not been named as a defendant, its teams are not subject to the judgment.

The ruling on the financial statements came two years after a group of former major junior players sued the leagues in courts in Toronto and Calgary, arguing CHL franchises are making millions of dollars from ticket revenue, corporate sponsorships and TV rights fees, and are worth tens of millions of dollars.

The former players’ lawsuit alleges that major junior teams should be sharing more of their profits with players. Besides a payout for themselves, the former players want the leagues to be forced to pay current players at least minimum wage.

Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison, OHL commissioner and CHL president David Branch, and several WHL and OHL owners have argued that paying players minimum wage would bankrupt some franchises. Players, the leagues contend, are student athletes who get monthly stipends and qualify for scholarships following their tenure in the CHL.

Robison and Branch have testified that one third of the teams in the WHL and one third of the teams in the OHL lose money each season. Their argument has convinced provincial governments in B.C., Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia to affirm that major junior hockey teams do not need to pay players minimum wage.


1043788 Websites

TSN.CA / Leafs, Sabres clash amid talk of reignited rivalry

Kristen Shilton

TORONTO – The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs took a morning skate at the Air Canada Centre, they were a .500 team, losers in six of their last eight games, and saddled with difficulties winning in a building that was once a safe haven.

Toronto lost to the Anaheim Ducks that night. Their next opportunity at home – against Montreal on Jan. 7 – was also a loss. Yet in the intervening weeks, the Maple Leafs have been road warriors, climbing the Atlantic Division standings into a playoff spot with an 8-0-1 record away from Toronto.

With a four-game homestand starting Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres, the Maple Leafs don’t want old habits derailing their momentum.

“You have to stay dialled in, you have to stay focused,” said Connor Carrick. “Sometimes you come home and you worry about other things - taking your dry cleaning in, picking your dog up. It’s nice on the road because it’s hockey and hockey only, but you’ve got to bring that focus and jump back here.”

The Maple Leafs started the season 8-3-0 at home, while going 0-3-3 away from it. Their first road win came in Buffalo, a hard-fought 2-1 decision. Toronto was outplayed that night, giving up 43 shots on Frederik Andersen in his finest performance as a Maple Leaf.

For a moment, a dormant rivalry felt rejuvenated by two young teams on the rise. While Toronto has excelled in fits and spurts since, the Sabres’ poor record in their own division (4-8-3) has contributed to their place in the basement of the Atlantic. A matinee win over the Dallas Stars on Monday was a confidence boost they desperately needed before facing Toronto.

“It’s something we have to take pride in and do the same thing against this offensive team,” said Sabres winger Marcus Foligno of frustrating the Stars up front. “The young kids, [Auston] Matthews, [Mitch] Marner, they have a great offensive ability. They’re a scary team that can score some goals.”

Jack Eichel is Buffalo’s most explosive young player, but he missed the first game against Toronto with an ankle injury. Having him back changes the complexion of the Sabres’ lineup, and Mike Babcock isn’t selling them short.

“I think they’re playing well. I thought yesterday they started on time and played well against a tough opponent,’ Babcock said. “[Eichel]’s a real good talent, can really skate, shoot the puck, and pass the puck like [Ryan] Getzlaf on his backhand. They have a lot of good players up front.”

If the much-discussed rivalry is to reignite, stringing together a few good games in a row would be an excellent start.

“They’re a young team as well, [so we’re] two teams that are rebuilding from the floor up,” Matt Martin said. “I would imagine both teams are going to be good for a long time. Generally rivalries are better when both teams are good, so over the years as this picks up here there’s going to be some good games.”

And so the two teams meet again Tuesday night, with a little extra juice on both sides.

“Any time you’re playing a team that’s in the same conference and they’re close to you, it adds to the story,” Carrick said. “We want to win every game, and when it’s close to home like that, maybe even more so."

Morning skate notes

- Defenceman Martin Marincin has been skating with the Maple Leafs since they returned from the bye week last Thursday. Babcock said that he isn’t close to a return, despite sporting a black jersey for Tuesday’s skate instead of the usual no-contact red sweater for injured players.

- At the halfway point of his first season, Marner says he’s not feeling any ill-effects of the schedule so far. He credits the London Knights’ long playoff run a season ago with getting him prepared for what was coming. “I feel fine,” he said. “Last year I played a lot of hockey but it’s different here, it’s a much higher pace and a lot harder games. At the same time, last year our line had a lot of minutes every game. I feel mentally healthy and physically good.”

- Playing with a lead hasn’t been Toronto’s strong suit all season, but Babcock doesn’t want his team to play hesitant or dwell on past failures. “I want them to get the next one,” he said of having a lead. “I don’t want us to be careful at all. But just because I don’t want it to be doesn’t mean that happens. I don’t want us to turn the puck over either but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Catch-up hockey is losing hockey, it’s hard to chase the game all the time. But we want to keep our foot on the gas. It’s more fun that way.”


1043789 Websites

TSN.CA / All eyes on the Avs as trade deadline approaches

Frank Seravalli

All eyes are on Joe Sakic, with his Colorado Avalanche on track to barely crack 50 points and trending toward the worst season in franchise history.

For that, forwards Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog both land in the top five of TSN’s first Trade Bait list of the 2016-17 season. Sakic’s price for both players remains high. It may be more prudent for Colorado to wait until the off-season to reshape the franchise, when more teams will be willing to part with prized pieces, but the clock is ticking.

The NHL’s 2017 trade deadline is March 1, six weeks from Wednesday.


Arizona forwards Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata, as well as Detroit winger Thomas Vanek, head the list of potential rental players on the move between now and then.

Many teams will inquire about the available of non-rental core players, namely St. Louis Blues defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk and Oilers winger Jordan Eberle, but they are trending toward staying put.

Shattenkirk, who turns 28 before the end of January, was featured on last season’s Trade Bait list because the Blues acknowledged then they can’t afford to keep him beyond this season. He is in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $4.25 million.

Last summer, Shattenkirk’s camp was given permission by the Blues to speak with two or three potential suitors - including Edmonton - about parameters of a long-term contract extension, but he was unable to find a fit. He will be in range for a payday nearing $50 million over seven years.

The door is now wide open. Shattenkirk is now believed to be interested in testing a short-term fit with a playoff contender. The Blues, who were once more comfortable keeping Shattenkirk even if it meant letting him walk for nothing on July 1, seem to realize their current team isn’t quite as strong as those in recent years.

The Oilers, who crave a right-shot defenceman like Shattenkirk to step onto their power play and consistently put up 45 or 50 points, are in buy mode for the first time in a long time. The Oilers are on track to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2006. They are one of the teams that could consider moving a conditional first-round pick to make a splash for a player like Shattenkirk.

Moving Eberle now would create a bigger hole at right wing. Eberle, 26, has underwhelmed this season. He has just eight goals in 46 games and one tally in his last 18 games. He has also shouldered a lot of Edmonton’s toughest matchups and his stock seems bound to rebound.

TSN’s Trade Bait list is goaltender heavy. But with only Dallas, St. Louis and maybe Calgary would be looking for an upgrade, it is surely a buyer’s market, making Marc-Andre Fleury likely to stick in Pittsburgh for a run at a third Stanley Cup.

Philadelphia’s Steve Mason might be the best value buy for Dallas. He is a pending unrestricted free agent who played his best hockey under current Stars goaltending coach Jeff Reese. With nearly the same number of shots faced (3,000) in both stints, Mason sported a .925 save percentage while Reese was in Philadelphia, but has just a .913 save percentage since Reese’s abrupt departure from the team on March 7, 2015.

McKenzie: Still in the early stages of trade talks

TSN Hockey insider Bob McKenzie says right now there is a lot of talk and not a lot of action on the trade front as a lot of teams are still trying to take stock of what they have in their own organizations.

Ondrej Pavelec will be given the opportunity to run with the job in Winnipeg, but he would be owed just $1.6 million over the final third of the season if a contender is interested. Jaroslav Halak has an extra year remaining on his deal, making him the tougher sell. He recently passed through waivers without a claim.

The Jets may also choose to get ahead of Mathieu Perreault’s potential availability in the expansion draft, though the fact he has yet to begin a new four-year deal complicates that scenario. Drew Stafford is also a potential rental.

As the Senators look for scoring help on the wing, first-round pick Curtis Lazar could use a fresh start elsewhere. Career-long Canuck Alex Burrows will determine his fate as a potential rental by holding his no-trade clause.

Toronto’s James van Riemsdyk, who rounds out the list, will definitely receive interest from around the NHL, but he remains unlikely to be traded this season – especially while the Leafs look more like a playoff team each day.


1043790 Websites

TSN.CA / Landeskog hopes to stay with struggling Avs

Staff Writer

The Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is hoping to stay in Denver, on March 1 and beyond.

The 24-year-old left winger has seen his name floated in rumours around the NHL’s last place club and appears to be on trade block. Still, Landeskog says his mindset has not changed and his desire is to remain with the Avalanche.

“Whether my name is floating around or not, I’m still approaching the game the same way,” Landeskog told the Denver Post on Monday. “And that is to spread energy, be a good teammate, work hard and try to get better every day. Me being in trade rumors, that’s nothing I can control.

“I want to be an Avalanche, to stay an Avalanche and be in Denver for a long, long time.”

Landeskog has scored eight goals and added six assists in 31 games this season. He has topped the 20-goal mark in each of the past three seasons.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported on last week’s edition of Insider Trading that the Avalanche are looking for a top-level defenceman and a first-round pick in exchange for their captain. Dreger added that the price is viewed by some teams as “outrageous.

Landeskog, the 2012 Calder Trophy winner, owns 108 goals and 260 points in 387 games since debuting with the team in 2011.

The Avalanche selected Landeskog second overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. He was named captain of the team one year later.


1043791 Websites

TSN.CA / Landeskog, Duchene could be on the table as Avs rebuild

Pierre LeBrun

The last-place Colorado Avalanche have made the organizational decision to re-boot their franchise, which is obviously why trade whispers involving the Avs making the rounds through the league.

Colorado has begun the process of gauging the trade market to see what other teams are willing to offer. It's part of an overall approach to reconfiguring its roster. The Avs are well on their way to missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year, and it's clear that changes are needed.

Some of those changes will come from within, such as the promotion of prospects next season. But trades are obviously looming too.

"We've got all of our guys signed. We start getting flexibility next year to bring in more of our younger players who we're happy with playing in (AHL) San Antonio and give them an opportunity," Avs GM Joe Sakic told ESPN.com over the phone on Thursday.

The sell-off began on Friday, with the Avalanche shipping forward Cody McLeod to the Nashville Predators McLeod, 32, has another year left on his deal next season, at a $1.33 million cap hit.

"We do know going forward that we've got to get younger and faster," he added. "We've had conversations (with other teams) about our players. I want to do what's best for the organization long term. And that's going to be my focus moving forward."

While Sakic wouldn't elaborate further on what that meant, in terms of trades, I think it's an absolute fact that he would listen to offers on almost any player on his roster not named Nathan MacKinnon or rookie Mikko Rantanen.


Which means that when other teams call, and they have already, the names that garner the most interest are captain Gabriel Landeskog and star centre Matt Duchene.

That doesn't mean they'll be traded. But the Avalanche are listening to offers on them both. They have to. If a team wants either of those guys, the asking price from Colorado begins with a top-end defenseman prospect as part of any package. Fixing the blue line is absolutely a priority for the Avs.

"Their D group is not good enough at all," a Western Conference coach said via text message on Thursday.

The Avs know that. So Sakic hopes to fix it.

As we approach the halfway mark of the NHL season, TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli joins TH to examine what each of the seven Canadian NHL teams needs to do before the trade deadline.

"I just think they will wait until the summer to figure all this out," said one Eastern Conference team executive.

That's very possible. There's no urgency for the Avs to make all these deals before the March 1 trade deadline. It may be that their better offers come during the offseason, when the salary cap is less of a constraint for other teams and it's easier to make bigger moves. That's why June has become the month for blockbuster deals around the NHL the last few years.

So the issue for Sakic and the Avs will be how to balance the best offers they get before March 1 with what they believe they might get come June.

The bottom line is that Sakic doesn't have to deal Landeskog, nor Duchene, if teams don't step up and meet his demands.

Having said that, other people around the league feel that Sakic has to move one of those two players at some point if for no other reason than the culture needs to change in Colorado. Sound familiar?

"Did they give those kids too much, too early with those long-term deals? That reminds me a bit of what the Oilers did in their earlier rebuilds that didn't pan out," said one Western Conference team executive.

Added another Western Conference exec when told of the Oilers/Avs comparison: "Yeah there's something to that. It is similar in some regard."

Those are reasonable contracts for very good players. It's why I think the Avalanche hope that perhaps one of the two will net Colorado the top young D prospect it covets -- and then some.

Teams around the league are holding their scouting meetings over the next few weeks to prepare for the March 1 trade deadline. The Avs will have theirs next week. The meetings will allow teams to get back to Colorado with their trade scenarios more fleshed out, but the Avs will also use next week's meeting to further hash out what players they should look at on the 29 other teams.

The next few months will be massively important ones for this franchise. The only thing certain at this point is that the decision has been made to start the repair job.


1043792 Websites

TSN.CA / Four NHL stories to watch in the second half

Travis Yost

A couple of weeks ago, a reader asked me what I thought was the most interesting storyline of the 2016-17 NHL season. It’s a question I’ve received many times in the past and there are usually a couple of obvious answers.

This season, though? It has been a strange one, and there’s a lot to disassemble. A lot of the really great stories have been masked by the

explosion of two teams –- the Columbus Blue Jackets out east, and the Minnesota Wild out west – to the top of their respective divisions.

I figure at least four other developments are worth discussing at the halfway point of the regular season, especially as the playoff picture starts to take shape. So, in no particular order, four stories I think should be on everyone’s radar as we push towards April.

1. The Toronto Maple Leafs are a legitimate playoff contender

There has been growing sentiment that this team has accelerated upward on the rebuilding curve, thanks in large part to the force first-overall pick Auston Matthews has been down the middle of the lineup. A lot of fans seem guarded about how seriously to take this team, especially since they’ve been fighting through the middle of the Atlantic Division since October.

Remember, the Leafs have the lowest number of games played this season, which means that all of the points teams around them have banked are inflated. The Leafs’ point pace after beating the Senators on Saturday night is 96, which is likely to be good enough to finish as one of the top-three teams in the division.

The year-over-year development of the team is a build on the structural strengths the Leafs instilled one year ago. Remember, the 2015-16 Leafs – a roster and team that had zero business contending – actually out-shot their opposition over 82 games, controlling about 51 per cent of the play. Mike Babcock’s system was in place. What was sorely missing was two-fold: individual shooting talent, and someone who could stop pucks in the net.

I think a lot of fans expected their shooting percentages as a team to normalize (moving from 6.4 per cent at 5-on-5 to 8.5 per cent this season) with the increment of Matthews, Mitch Marner, et al. But there was a lot of hoping and praying that the newly acquired Frederik Andersen would fix the other problem for Toronto.

The goaltending hasn’t been great all year, but it’s been good enough. Save percentage has increased by more than a full point, which means the 25th best puck-stopping team from a year ago has evolved into the 10th best.

Combine their usual shot or scoring chance advantage with guys who can find the back of the net (or keep pucks from the back of their own) and you have a team that’s gone from lottery-bound just a couple of years ago to legitimate threat to secure one of the eight spots out East. It’s a great turnaround.

2. The Carolina Hurricanes are also a legitimate playoff contender

This one might seem a bit stranger, especially if you live in the Toronto area and are subject to the adulation over the performance from the young Maple Leafs this year.

But, it’s true! Despite playing in easily the toughest division in the league, the Hurricanes have played to a 93-point pace over the first half of the season. What’s amazing is the fact that the goaltending, which has been a problem area for years in the later stages of the Cam Ward era, has remained just as problematic during this stretch (their 90.9 per cent save percentage at 5-on-5 is 28th best in the league).

One of the points I’ve made during the last couple of seasons while watching Hurricanes games is that, if you simply watched the skaters and pretended there were no nets on the ice, they would look fantastic. This seems silly considering the entire premise of hockey is about putting pucks into mesh, but the point I was trying to get across is that, territorially, the Hurricanes can skate with just about any other team in the league. This wasn’t your standard lottery-talent team that sat five across in the defensive zone and was bombed on for 60 minutes. No, this team was scrappy.

Much like the Leafs, the Hurricanes have been able to manage out some of their weaknesses and turn them into strengths. There’s no better example of that than the penalty kill, which for my money has been just as good as the much-heralded Blue Jackets power play. Do you know what the Hurricanes have netted on goals when shorthanded?

That’s four goals for and 11 goals against. It’s a ridiculous number when benchmarked against the rest of their competitors, and it’s mostly predicated on their ability to slow volume – the 44 shots against per 60 minutes short-handed is third best in the league.


I think the best way to articulate how dominant of a season they are having short-handed is to compare it against what we have seen from some of the other elite penalty kills in years past. Here’s how they fare historically:

Embedded Image

In short: if they keep pace, they could realistically finish with the best penalty kill we have seen since at least 2007-08. That, and remaining competent at 5-on-5, has put the Hurricanes in striking distance in a brutal Metropolitan Division.

3. The Dallas Stars have had a bizarre season

It seems like almost no one is talking about Dallas at the national level this year, and that’s what happens when your team goes belly-up after last year’s fantastic run. The consensus seems to be that the Stars haven’t been able to figure out the defence/goaltending issues that plagued them even when they were great, especially against elite Western Conference competition.

But that’s actually a misnomer. The Stars have outscored their opposition at even strength this year (50.7 per cent of the goals), and they’re doing it thanks in large part to not conceding much defensively. Dallas’ 2.02 goals-against per 60 minutes is seventh best in the league, ahead of teams we think of as stronger defensively, like Anaheim (2.10), Boston (2.12), Ottawa (2.23), and St. Louis (2.36). Not surprisingly, save percentage is also in the top-10 at evens – the Kari Lehtonen/Antti Niemi duo and the defence in front has been more than adequate.

Now look back up at the penalty kill graph in the Carolina section and find Dallas. Where the penalty kill has lifted the Hurricanes, it has absolutely crushed the Stars. It’s one of the big reasons why their actual goal differential (a ghastly -16) doesn’t look anything like their more-than-acceptable +2 goal differential at evens. Here, Niemi/Lehtonen are barely stopping 80 per cent of the shots they face, which, excluding the lockout year, would be the worst short-handed save percentage we have seen in the modern era.

The penalty kill isn’t the only thing hurting the team’s output. The Stars’ offence – once unequivocally the deadliest attack in the league – has sputtered. Look at how their rate-scoring has trended in the Lindy Ruff era, and note how disparate the results are this season.

This is more theory than anything, but I do think this is where the questions about the defence are legitimate. So much attention has been spent on bunkering down and trying to unburden Niemi/Lehtonen that the forward and defence groups have sort of operated in a segmented, silo-like manner. There’s no fluidity on the breakout and none of the electric counterattacking we had grown accustomed to. It’s a problem, and one that might keep the Stars from the playoffs this year.

4. Let’s learn to love the [5-on-5] goal-scoring race

Some guys just don’t get a ton of power-play time. Those guys don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell at winning the Rocket Richard Trophy.

That’s why I want all of you to learn to love the 5-on-5 goal-scoring race. There are some incredible names at the top of this list. Many of you know that Sidney Crosby (16) and Matthews (16) are at the top of the hierarchy. But do you know that two other guys – a pseudo castaway in Patrick Maroon and the always-struggling-to-finish Michael Grabner – have the same number of even-strength goals?

Just look at some of these names! Matthews, a 19-year-old rookie, is the projected favorite on a pro-rated basis (teammate and possible trade candidate James van Riemsdyk is also right there). Grabner and Maroon, if they can sustain this run, can reasonably finish in the top five – two players, keep in mind, on $1.6 million and $1.5 million cap hits respectively. A bunch of other kids – Rickard Rakell, David Pastrnak and Patrik Laine in particular – are well within striking distance.

That’s the other fascinating thing to note about this race – how many of these players have a large portion of their careers still ahead of them. Even with elite goal-scoring veterans in Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin here, two guys who will always find a spot regardless of their age and what season they’re playing in, the average age is about 25.5 years. Six of the players are 25 or younger, including teenagers Matthews and Laine.

Who’s the favourite? I don’t bet against Crosby, but the field is an enticing second pick. In that group you’ll find some really fun stories that deserve your attention.


1043793 Websites

TSN.CA / Sens believe big second half will land them in playoffs

Erik Karlsson

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators aren't in a playoff spot at the halfway mark of the season, but considering the challenges they've faced through the first 41 games of the year they feel pretty good that won't be the case by the end of the season.

After starting the season with a new head coach, new system and dealing with unforeseen circumstances the Senators have managed to remain a competitive force in the Eastern Conference.

After 41 games Ottawa has a 22-15-4 record and its 48 points have them tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division, but the Leafs hold the tiebreaker.

The Senators have been without its number one goaltender for much of the season, as Craig Anderson supports his wife Nicole through cancer treatment, and without forward Clarke MacArthur, who is still recovering from post-concussion syndrome. But Ottawa has largely been able been able to withstand the challenges, thanks in part to the play of goaltender Mike Condon.

"To be fair to Condon he's done everything he could, with the situation that we've got," said Senators coach Guy Boucher. "He hasn't had the number-one job in the NHL. He's one of those guys that right now had to battle above expectations and above what he's had to do in the past and he has done really, really well. It's all positives…He's playing great, he's given us everything he's got and I think the players recognize that.

I think he represents our season: adversity, fight through and make it happen and that's why we're in the fight."

Boucher admitted losing MacArthur and being without Anderson were significant blows.

"To be where we are right now with what's happened I have to congratulate the players because they've shown a terrific attitude and work ethic and a buy in," said Boucher. "From now on, from the 41st game to the next we know it's going to be about consistency and battle and we need to be pushing hard with those teams that are going to be pushing hard and Condon's going to have to be a big part of that in the next weeks until our number-one goalie comes back."

Players won't say they're satisfied with where they sit, but feel they've put themselves in a decent position as they prepare for the second half.

"I think this is an exciting time with the fact that we are in a playoff race and there is 41 games remaining," said veteran Chris Kelly. "To me it's an exciting time as a player because you're up for every game, there's no down games, no lull games because there are so many teams contending for those playoff spots."

The Senators head into the second half with a tough week ahead as they prepare to face the St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs.

The Senators gave up a 4-2 loss to the Leafs this past Saturday and in many ways felt they deserved a better fate, but know they can't look too far ahead as the week will be a difficult one.

Players admit there's a noticeable change to the game come the halfway mark of the season and every game seems to take on greater significance.

"There's urgency," admitted Zack Smith. "Second half of the year it's just crazy how much the pace kind of picks up, the same way the pace picks up in the playoffs. It's a different kind of feel to the year definitely when you get to the half."

Notes: The waiting game continues for the Senators in regards to MacArthur. The forward wasn't on the ice for practice Monday and it was


unclear whether or not he would join the team for the three-game road trip. MacArthur is waiting for full medical clearance to resume playing after suffering a concussion during training camp.


1043794 Websites

TSN.CA / Babcock calls for calm as excitement grows

Mark Masters

TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Leafs practised in Toronto on Monday.

--

- The streaking Maple Leafs practised in Toronto for the first time since the bye week, leading to a larger than usual media turnout. There were a lot of positive questions about the 8-1-1 run, but not a lot of positive answers from head coach Mike Babcock. "Well, you know, let's not get carried away here," the veteran bench boss said. "I mean, Ottawa out-chanced us. We got a lot of work to do here." Babcock noted that the Philadelphia Flyers won 10 in a row earlier in the season, but have now fallen back in the pack. "My mom used to put a note on the fridge that said, 'Let your ups be longer than your downs,' and there's nothing more true in the National Hockey League than that." Babcock is warning his young team to not get caught up in the hype. "When things are going good, you better work even harder, because in life [things] have a tendency to turn so you want to just keep grinding." Whatever he was asked about on Monday, Babcock's cautionary tone remained the same. On Nikita Zaitsev meshing well with Morgan Rielly, the coach noted that the top pairing hasn't been as good of late. Regarding the team's style of play at the Air Canada Centre, Babcock said the Leafs need to simplify their game at home. As for the feeling of excitement in the city? "Now, you want to be excited. I'm pumped about that, you want to expect to have success, but you're also steady on the rudder here. Let's keep working. It's Game 41." Even after the media session had wrapped up, Babcock continued to lecture the assembled reporters. "I don't know if anyone got this, but the message is let's all [calm down]." As he walked out of the dressing room Babcock turned around, smiled and said, "Just chill."

- The fans are getting excited. Can the players sense it? "Yeah, it's fun to be a Leafs player again too," said Nazem Kadri, who along with Tyler Bozak is the longest-tenured player in Toronto. "The dog days of Leafs Nation were definitely tough with losses and not knowing how to handle certain situations and everything around the team, a lot of distractions. This year, we've taken a different approach. We've just believed in ourselves and have fun as a group. We take things seriously, but we like to have fun as well and that chemistry has taken us over the top."

- What has been the biggest improvement in the team from opening night to the midpoint of the season? A sample of some of the answers given Monday:

Babcock: "I guess our biggest improvement is understanding and expectation. We know where we're supposed to stand and we expect to have success."

James van Riemsdyk: "Just playing consistently through the ebbs and flows of the games. Our highs were pretty high, but our lows were also pretty low earlier in the year, but now we're starting to maintain that high level of play and not have those situations where you shoot yourselves in the foot, especially when we have a lead."

Auston Matthews: "I think just defensively. For the most part, we're a young group and the toughest part when you come into the league is playing away from the puck so I think that's the biggest thing. And just competing for a full 60 minutes. We were definitely not playing for a full 60 earlier in the year and it definitely cost us points with blown leads and stuff like that."

Bozak: "It's hard to say. I think we're not turning the puck over as much. I think we're playing a better team game. Obviously, special teams have

been huge for us. You see how our road record has improved and how we've done on special teams in that span. That speaks for itself."

Kadri: "I think just maturity, really, in games with leads. A lot of times we had leads early on and we blew them and that came back to haunt us in the standings. We've done a good job reclaiming those points and just being patient. We get leads and we're not uptight, we're not nervous."

- Kadri is on pace for a career high in goals and points. "One of the things that's really helped him is being the man in the middle on the power play so he gets a lot of action in tight," Babcock explained. "He's got courage in those spaces and he's finding ways to score so that gives you his numbers." Twelve of Kadri's 28 points have come on the power play. He had 14 points on the man advantage all of last season. Babcock believes the addition of William Nylander to Kadri's line "gives them an extra offensive bump" at even strength. "I still think Naz is early in his journey as a player. He did a lot of work this summer. He's got to do a ton again next summer and he's got to keep getting more fit. The more work you do, the more you prepare professionally, the more benefits you have and all you have to do is look at football and look at Tom Brady and see that."

- Ben Smith, out since Dec. 17 with an upper-body injury, skated before practice on Monday. When will he be back in the lineup? "I asked the same thing to Smitty today, I asked him if he's ever coming back," Babcock said. "Obviously, we could really use him. He's a diligent pro and does things right. He's skating and I think he gets his pins out on the 19th and we go from there."

--

* Lines at Leafs practice:

Hyman-Matthews-Brown

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner

Komarov-Kadri-Nylander

Martin-Gauthier-Soshnikov

Leivo

Rielly-Zaitsev

Gardiner-Carrick

Hunwick-Polak

Marincin-Corrado

Andersen

McElhinney


1043795 Websites

USA TODAY / Islanders move closer to cleaning house

Kevin Allen

5:43 p.m. ET Jan. 17, 2017

When New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow fired his coach Jack Capuano on Tuesday, he had to be thinking that he may be next.

“I don’t even worry about that,” Snow said. “I just worry about what I have to do on a day-to-day basis, whether it is preparing for a draft, being a support system for players, coaches or trainers.”

Whether Snow worries or not, the Islanders’ deep drop in the standings this season seems like a bigger problem than can be remedied by a coaching switch.

The Islanders have hired associate coach Doug Weight to be interim head coach with the hope that he can inspire the team to play at a higher level.

Can Henrik Lundqvist emerge from another slump?


Alex Ovechkin on being a Russian living in Washington area: 'I'm neutral'

“Sometimes just a new voice in the room can be a little bit of a difference, a little bit of a spark or edge for the team,” Snow said. “We are trying to create that.”

The Islanders finished 45-27-10 last season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. This season, even after beating the Boston Bruins 4-0 Monday, they are in last place (17-17-8) in the Eastern Conference.

It’s not as if the players quit on Capuano or that he forgot how to be an effective coach. He has guided the team into the playoffs three out of the past four seasons.

“Jack is an excellent coach,” Snow said. “Unfortunately when you get in the situation we are in as a team sometimes the easiest decision is to make a change.”

Snow said sometimes coaches are “victims of circumstances.” In this case, the circumstance is that the roster Capuano had to work with wasn’t as strong as the one he had last season.

The loss of Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Matt Martin to free agency has played a role in the Islanders’ predicament. It’s not that those players were irreplaceable, but the moves that Snow made to replace them haven’t made up for their absence. The Islanders have sorely missed Nielsen's versatility in particular.

The signing of Andrew Ladd was the Islanders’ most significant offseason move and he has 12 points in 41 games.

Asked how much responsibility he accepts about the Islanders’ collapse this season, Snow said: “One hundred percent. I don’t think there is a player on our roster that I haven’t had a hand in drafting, picking up on off waivers, or (acquired through a) trade or free agent signing. Same with the staff. Obviously I’m not hiding from the fact that it starts from me.”

Snow said Islanders ownership was consulted in the decision to fire Capuano. “This is an organizational decision,” Snow said. “It’s not a dictatorship.”

Snow said he still had confidence in the players and coaching staff, and that the move was made now because there is still time to "right the ship."

What he didn’t say, is that his future may be tied to Weight’s ability to make the Islanders competitive again.

More is at stake than just the playoffs. Captain John Tavares will be an unrestricted free agent in 2018. To get him to re-up with the Islanders, Tavares will need to believe the team is headed in the right direction.

Before this season, it seemed as if Snow had done an impressive job in building the Islanders into a contender. But that may not save him at the end of season. Just like Capuano’s previous good work didn’t save him.

USA TODAY LOADED: 01.18.2017

1043796 Websites

USA TODAY / Red Wings' promising signs sparked by youth

Kevin Allen

3:22 p.m. ET Jan. 17, 2017

Detroit Red Wings veteran forward Thomas Vanek is an athlete who can find a comfortable place between optimism and reality.

He sees the Red Wings’ back-to-back wins against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens as a hopeful sign, but not a reason to uncork a celebration about Detroit’s playoff chances.

“As a team, I don’t think we are quite over the hump yet,” Vanek said. “We are a fragile team, a team trying to learn to win. We have some great leadership, but we also have some guys who haven’t been there, done that. When you are losing, it’s tough.”

Can Henrik Lundqvist emerge from another slump?

The Red Wings took important steps by scoring six goals against the Penguins on Saturday and then winning a 1-0 tug-a-war against Montreal on Monday, but they are still four points out of a playoff spot, needing to climb past Florida, Ottawa and Tampa Bay before getting to third-place Toronto in the Atlantic.

To qualify for the playoffs for a 26th consecutive season, the Red Wings need an extended winning streak, a lofty goal considering the current two-game streak is the longest they’ve had since early December.

“It’s a game of confidence,” Vanek said. “And we got a little bit against Pittsburgh.”

And they added more confidence by limiting Montreal to 18 shots on goal. The Red Wings looked like a premier defensive team, even though they rank 21st with a 2.89 goals-against average.

One reason for optimism has been an improved offense, which ranks 24th with 2.43 goals per game, but has scored 40 goals over their past 13 contests. It has been helped by younger players such as Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou. Mantha has 22 points in 29 games, while Athanasiou has four goals in his past six games. Xavier Ouellet, 23, has established himself as a dependable defenseman. Injured veteran players Justin Abdelkader and Mike Green have returned to the lineup.

Goalie Jared Coreau, 25, has given the Red Wings a lift, going 5-1-1 in eight appearances with a 2.70 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. His play has been crucial because Jimmy Howard has been sidelined with an injury and Petr Mrazek has had a subpar season.

Coreau’s strength, in addition to his 6-6 size, is a calm approach. He says his key is “not getting too scrambly and keeping the puck in front of me.”

The Red Wings also have help coming in the minors. Prospect defenseman Robbie Russo has been impressive for Grand Rapids, the Red Wings' American Hockey League team. He’s an offensive-minded defenseman who soon might be able to spark their power play, which ranks last in the NHL. Russo also has a plus-minus of plus-49 during the past one-and-a-half seasons.

In the meantime, the Red Wings will try to build on their recent play.

Vanek said the last two wins have showed “what we talk about is true."

“When we play the right way and get to the net and get out of the zone quicker we can beat anybody,” he said.

USA TODAY LOADED: 01.18.2017

Anaheim Ducks

Defenseman Shea Theodore and forward Stefan Noesen were recalled a day after they were reassigned, although it was not believed to be a salary-cap-saving measure. The Ducks’ lineup was otherwise the same, with defenseman Korbinian Holzer in again after he came out fine from a tumble into the boards Sunday.

Arizona Coyotes

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and center Martin Hanzal didn't practice Tuesday, taking maintenance days. Coach Dave Tippett hopes both will be able to play Wednesday.

Winger Ryan White, who's missed the last 10 games with a lower-body injury, is doubtful to play. Tippett said he'd decide who would start the game in net in the morning.

C Alexander Burmistrov played his first game with Arizona since being claimed off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 1.

Boston Bruins

Boston D Colin Miller missed his third straight with a lower-body injury and D Kevan Miller was out with a concussion sustained on a hit that was called a major penalty for boarding on the Flyers' Jakub Voracek on Saturday.

Calgary Flames

Flames left-winger Micheal Ferland says he’s feeling good after missing two contests with a knee injury but he’s officially a game-time decision.


If Ferland needs one more night off, Freddie Hamilton would draw into the lineup against the Panthers. Garnet Hathaway is unavailable due to an upper-body injury.

The Flames also scratched RW Garnet Hathaway (upper body, day-to-day) and D Brett Kulak.

Chicago Blackhawks

Veteran Michal Rozsival was a healthy scratch.

Marcus Kruger missed his eighth consecutive game with a hand injury. Quenneville said the center was scheduled to skate in Chicago on Tuesday and the team would assess his status at the end of the week.

Forward Jordin Tootoo and defenseman Michal Rozsival were Chicago’s healthy scratches.

Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche Erik Johnson (broken leg)

Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch, a pending restricted free agent, was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game and sixth time this season.

Avs forward John Mitchellreturned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the last two. He replaced Andreas Martinsen

Columbus Blue Jackets

All-Star Sergei Bobrovsky returned after missing the past three games because of illness and made 24 saves for Columbus.The Blue Jackets say D Markus Nutivaara is out indefinitely with an unspecified injury.

Dallas Stars

Johnny Oduya suffered an injury during the game and did not finish. His status will be updated on Wednesday.

Adam Cracknell and Patrik Nemeth jumped into the game after several healthy scratches.

Detroit Red Wings

Darren Helm is expected to return this weekend, general manager Ken Holland said. So he might be back Friday at Buffalo or Sunday at home against the New York Rangers. Helm has been out since Nov. 15 with a dislocated shoulder.

The Red Wings need to clear a roster spot. That could require putting someone on waivers, perhaps Tomas Jurco.

Defenseman Niklas Kronwall (groin) has been practicing but Holland said he's not sure when he'll be cleared to play.

Edmonton Oilers

D Adam Larsson returned to the Edmonton lineup after missing a game with a lower body injury.

RW Iiro Pakarinen (knee), Darnell Nurse (foot), RW Tyler Pitlick (leg).

Oilers defenceman Andrej Sekera left the game in some discomfort after being hit on the arm with a slap shot late in the Arizona game, but he’s expected to be good to go on Wednesday.

Florida Panthers

LW Jonathan Huberdeau (achilles), D Alex Petrovic (ankle), C Aleksander Barkov (undisclosed), C Nick Bjugstad (undisclosed).

Panthers D Dylan McIlrath is expect to play his first game since Dec. 15, and his sixth game of the season.

Los Angeles Kings

Anze Kopitar was stricken Sunday by what he said was a virus or stomach flu, leading him to sit out Monday’s game. He returned to practice Tuesday alongside Marian Gaborik and Trevor Lewis and said he expects to play against San Jose on Wednesday.

Defenseman Brayden McNabb was a healthy scratch Monday for the first time this season. He had missed two months after breaking his collarbone and didn’t impress Coach Darryl Sutter in eight games after he recovered.

Minnesota Wild

One major reason the game likely derailed is because defenseman Jonas Brodin broke a finger early in the second period. Bruce Boudreau didn't know yet the extent of the injury, which can be wide-ranging.

If Brodin's out long-term, the Wild's likely options are to play right-shot defenseman Nate Prosser on his off side or recall left-shot Mike Reilly or Gustav Olofsson.

Nashville Predators

The Predators tinkered with their roster Tuesday, assigning forward Kevin Fiala to the American Hockey League, placing defenseman Petter Granberg on injured reserve and claiming defenseman Brad Hunt off waivers from the Blues.

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey was still without D Andy Greene and F Vernon Fiddler. Fiddler missed his 11th game with a lower-body injury, while Greene missed his seventh game with an upper-body injury.

John Moore (concussions), who remains in New Jersey and missed his ninth straight game. Moore has yet to resume skating.

Fs Sergey Kalinin and Luke Gazdic and D Seth Helgeson remained the healthy scratches.

New York Islanders

Defenseman Johnny Boychuk missed the previous game with an injury, but was back in action for the Islanders.

New York forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Andrew Ladd were both out with undisclosed injuries.

New York Rangers

Now that Alain Vigneault has all of his top forwards at his disposal with the return of Mika Zibanejad Tuesday night against the Stars, four days after Rick Nash and Pavel Buchnevich came back from injuries, Vigneault feels it's as if the Rangers are beginning anew, the coach able to experiment again with all of his tools.

Oscar Lindberg came out of the lineup for Zibanejad, who said he had "a lot of scenarios going through my head” as far as how his first game back would go, but he does have full trust in his left leg.

Marc Staal (concussion protocol) received a scheduled day off Tuesday after skating for four straight days and is set to skate on his own again on Wednesday. Matt Puempel is nearing a return from protocol, skating with teammates Tuesday morning ahead of a scheduled practice on Wednesday.

Ottawa Senators Clarke MacArthur.was scheduled to make this three-game road trip but was left behind in Ottawa to undergo further testing to determine what’s next in his recovery from post-concussion syndrome.

MacArthur hasn’t played all season and underwent a three-hour baseline test Friday to see if he’ll be able to get clearance to return.

Coach Guy Boucher told reporters Tuesday morning during the club’s optional skate at the Scottrade Center that MacArthur requires more tests before a determination is made on whether he can continue his career.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Matt Cullen will miss approximately three to four weeks with a foot injury, coach Mike Sullivan said Tuesday after practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Eric Fehr likely will fill in as the fourth-line center.

Brian Dumoulin who is still recovering from a broken jaw suffered Dec. 27, joined the Penguins for practice for the first time. He skated on his own during the past week but longed for the banter of teammates.

The Penguins sent defenseman David Warsofsky back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and called up left-handed defenseman Cameron Gaunce.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks placed forward Joonas Donskoi on injured reserve Tuesday and recalled forwards Ryan Carpenter and Barclay Goodrow and defenseman Tim Heed from the Barracuda.


Donskoi has missed the last two Sharks games with an upper body injury he suffered last Wednesday against the Flames

Tim Heed, also recalled, will likely serve as the seventh defenseman filling the void left by an injured Dylan DeMelo (broken wrist).

St Louis Blues

The Blues’ healthy scratches continue to be popular with the rest of the league as the team lost its second player on a waiver claim in two weeks.

Scottie Upshall and Gunnarsson were healthy scratches as Ken Hitchcock stuck with the lineup that had produced back-to-back wins.

Tampa Bay Lightning

With D Victor Hedman (illness) missing his second straight game Tuesday against the Ducks, Tampa Bay recalled D Jake Dotchin to provide depth.

Coach Jon Cooper said the Lightning hoped Hedman could return by Thursday's game in San Jose.

RW J.T. Brown (upper body) and Joel Vermin (healthy) were scratched.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs Top defenseman Morgan Rielly left after the first period with a lower-body injury.

Leafs centre Ben Smith, out since Dec. 17 with a hand injury, is scheduled to have the pins inserted during hand surgery removed Thursday. Meanwhile defenceman Martin Marincin participated in Tuesday’s morning skate but is not ready to return.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals have reassigned forward Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears, Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate. Stephenson’s recall on Saturday night was to give the Capitals an extra forward for their back-to-back set of games that included a road game in Pittsburgh, but Stephenson didn’t play in either game.

With Stephenson going back to Hershey, Washington is again carrying 12 forwards, the minimum. The team is likely to recall a forward before a two-game road trip to St. Louis (Thursday) and Dallas (Saturday).

Winnipeg Jets

Rookie Patrik Laine is sidelined with a concussion.

Jets blue-liner Tyler Myers is back with the team, but is still dealing with a personal family matter and a lower-body injury. He’s been sidelined for 31 games and missed five games earlier this season.

Vancouver Canucks

Reid Boucher made his presence felt on his first Canucks shift with a thunderous sideboards collision with defenceman Anthony Bitetto.

The Canucks claimed the winger off waivers Jan. 4 from the New Jersey Devils to cap a roller-coaster week in which the 23-year-old Lansing, Mich. native was the property of three National Hockey League clubs.

Ben Hutton suffered a fracture in his hand vs. Calgary on Jan. 6, the Canucks have confirmed. He has a small fracture in his hand and his timeline is three-to-six weeks.

NHL Daily Transactions

Anaheim Ducks Shea Theodore Called up from minors, from San Diego-AHL

Anaheim Ducks Stefan Noesen Called up from minors, from San Diego-AHL

Edmonton Oilers Jordan Oesterle Sent to minors, Bakersfield-AHL

Montreal Canadiens Michael McCarron Sent to minors, St. John's-AHL

Nashville Predators Kevin Fiala Sent to minors, Milwaukee-AHL

Nashville Predators Brad Hunt Claimed off waivers

Nashville Predators Petter Granberg Placed on IR, Undisclosed injury

Pittsburgh Penguins David Warsofsky Sent to minors, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL

Pittsburgh Penguins Cameron Gaunce Called up from minors, from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL

San Jose Sharks Barclay Goodrow Called up from minors, from San Jose-AHL

San Jose Sharks Tim Heed Called up from minors, from San Jose-AHL

San Jose Sharks Ryan Carpenter Called up from minors, from San Jose-AHL

Tampa Bay Lightning Jake Dotchin Called up from minors, from Syracuse-AHL

Washington Capitals Chandler Stephenson Sent to minors, Hershey-AHL

Winnipeg Jets Ondrej Pavelec Called up from minors, from Manitoba-AHL

END

CAROLINA HURRICANESdownloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/clips/clips011817.pdf · swept the puck in from 8...

Documents

Transcript of CAROLINA HURRICANESdownloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/clips/clips011817.pdf · swept the puck in from 8...