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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEFNHL 10/19/2013

Anaheim Ducks722178 Ducks extend winning streak to six with 3-2 shootout victory722179 Fasth injured; Andersen recalled to Ducks722180 Ducks continue fast start, top Coyotes in shootout

Boston Bruins722181 Dougie Hamilton makes most of return to lineup722182 A finishing touch up722183 Marchand: Back to basics722184 Maintenance day for Caron

Buffalo Sabres722185 Sabres rookies try dancing to lighten the mood722186 Sabres notebook: Sacco looks forward to facing Avs722187 Sabres Notebook: Tortorella bring passion to Canucks but

tones down public persona722188 Reunion week continues in Sabreland722189 Miller: You don't always need an immediate reaction from

me

Calgary Flames722190 Ramo finally gets second start722191 Johnson: These Sharks keep moving ... fast722192 Head injuries making players ease up722193 Calgary Flames centre Mikael Backlund centring top line

against Sharks722194 Calgary Flames Notes: Tim Jackman says penalty no

butt-end722195 Karri Ramo gets call as Calgary Flames face San Jose

Sharks

Carolina Hurricanes722196 Faulk, Sekera become Canes’ stoppers722197 'Crazy ending' overshadows Murphy's first722198 Canes @ Leafs

Chicago Blackhawks722199 Bolland expects joyous return no matter the outcome722200 Saturday's matchup: Maple Leafs at Blackhawks722201 Hawks shuffle lines, split up Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane722202 Blackhawks geared up for Dave Bolland’s return to United

Center722203 Quenneville shakes up Hawks' lines722204 Bolland, Hawks ready for a memorable return722205 Rockford IceHogs hold off Chicago Wolves722206 Hawks won't fall for Bolland's tricks at the UC722207 Hawks make line changes to shake out of funk722208 Kostka could be in lineup against former teammates

Colorado Avalanche722209 Avs' Cody McLeod suspended, to meet with NHL about hit

vs. Red Wings722210 Ruslan Provodnikov has fightin' words for Alvarado: "What I

say, I do"

Columbus Blue Jackets722211 Blue Jackets notebook: Flu idles Marian Gaborik722212 Bob Hunter commentary | Rumblings: Ex-Jacket Dorsett

might be on way out with Rangers

Dallas Stars722213 Heika: Faceoff skills learned playing center paying dividends

for Stars' Jamie Benn in new position722214 Increased role? Dan Ellis appears to be Dallas Stars' goalie

choice against Kings722215 Observations on a 4-3 shootout win: Maybe they don't need

a bigger boat after all

Detroit Red Wings722216 Alfredsson, power play clicking during Red Wings' win streak722217 Red Wings relieved as Niklas Kronwall termed day-to-day

with concussion722218 Darren Helm glad to be playing again, but was 'sucking wind'

in first game with Griffins722219 Daniel Alfredsson starting to settle in nicely with new Red

Wings teammates, racking up points722220 Colorado announcer says Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall got a

little of 'own medicine' when hit722221 Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall is 'day-to-day' with mild concussion722222 Colorado's Cody McLeod facing hearing with NHL over hit

on Detroit Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall

Edmonton Oilers722223 Oilers’ power-play, penalty-killing units not so special right

now722224 Fourth-liners pay the price in ice time for Oilers never having

the lead722225 Oilers’ great skill set not enough to win on its own722226 Edmonton Oilers are moving Nail Yakupov — from right to

left722227 Browbeaten Oilers try to bring optimism to the ice after

losing streak

Florida Panthers722228 Florida Panthers game vs. Wild features odd off-ice pairing722229 Florida Panthers’ Sean Bergenheim still recovering722230 CLEMMENSEN RETURNS TO MINORS: Panthers Send

Goalie Back to San Antonio ... Wild Comes to Town722231 BERGENHEIM STILL OUT: Dineen Says He's 'Worried'

About Panthers Winger722232 Dineen questions Bergenheim's toughness, worried about

career722233 Preview: Wild vs. Panthers, Saturday, 7 p.m.722234 Dineen losing patience with Sean Bergenheim's continued

absence722235 Bruins slip past Panthers for 3-2 victory

Los Angeles Kings722236 Kings' Matt Frattin pays for his mistakes722237 October 18 practice quotes: Kopitar, Stoll722238 Darryl Sutter on Frattin, new Dallas uniforms722239 Kings looking to reinforce home credentials722240 Sutter wants “big goals” from power play722241 Waking up with the Kings: October 18

Minnesota Wild722242 Panthers' Bjugstad eager to face Wild722243 Gameday preview: Wild at Florida722244 Minnesota Wild: Dany Heatley at heart of second line's

struggles722245 Minnesota Wild send goalie Darcy Kuemper back to Iowa

Montreal Canadiens722246 Stubbs: Eller, Gallagher, Galchenyuk line sparkles722247 Hickey: Orr’s autobiography hits the store shelves722248 There could be as many as nine Canadiens going to Sochi722249 Resized Parros pic722250 NHL notebook: Habs' Pacioretty out three weeks722251 P.K. Subban playing himself into spot on Olympic team

Nashville Predators722252 Nashville Predators' road trip will reveal much about season722253 Preview: Predators at Canadiens

New Jersey Devils722254 Do you blame Lou Lamoriello, Pete DeBoer, Martin Brodeur

or others for the Devils' 0-4-3 start?722255 Politi: The Devils are a winless mess of a team that does

nothing well722256 Devils in new partnership with ECHL Elmira Jackals722257 Devils: Was it worth the risk to sign Ryane Clowe with his

injury history?722258 Devils' Lou Lamoriello still has faith in Pete DeBoer and

coaching staff722259 Tom Gulitti: What happens if Devils' slide continues?722260 Devils, in need of a breakthrough, host Rangers tonight

New York Islanders722261 Rookie defenseman Donovan steps up for Islanders722262 Oilers’ Hall scores 2 goals in 8 seconds vs. Islanders722263 Isles look to defense for more offense722264 Kevin Connolly docu on former Islanders owner John Spano

comes to ESPN

New York Rangers722265 Taylor Pyatt to wing it as fill-in on NY Rangers top line722266 NY Rangers coach Alain Vigneault moves Taylor Pyatt, J.T.

Miller onto top two lines for Saturday game against722267 With Callahan out, Pyatt, Powe get more ice time for

Rangers722268 With Ryan Callahan out, Taylor Pyatt moves to the Rangers'

top line722269 Rangers target Taylor Pyatt to replace Ryan Callahan722270 Rangers at Devils tonight … pre-game notes

Ottawa Senators722271 Dearth of discipline wearing Senators out722272 Ken Warren’s 10 Takes: One Senators trade you won’t see

any time soon722273 Scanlan: How the Sens might exact western revenge722274 Two Senators among NHL’s best dressed: Vanity Fair722275 Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur off to slow start

with new team722276 Ottawa Senators realize they have to cut down on penalties722277 Ottawa Senators call up Derek Grant from Binghamton and

demote Stephane Da Costa722278 Ottawa Senators Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza among

top 10 best-dressed players in NHL in magazine rankings722279 Ottawa Senators will start Robin Lehner in net against

Edmonton Oilers

Philadelphia Flyers722280 Flyers' look to work out of scoring slump722281 Flyers trying to clear negative air722282 Inside the Flyers: Slumping Flyers put Holmgren on the hot

seat722283 Matt Read: Flyers need to 'keep it simple'722284 Timonen injury is minor722285 Penguins aren't about to take 1-6 Flyers lightly722286 McGinn decides to make his call-up count722287 On paper, Flyers are better than record shows722288 Ex-Flyer Zolnierczyk finds his way to Pittsburgh722289 Flyers fail again to put together complete game722290 Flyers Notes: No turning point against Penguins

Phoenix Coyotes722291 Phoenix Coyotes' Antoine Vermette a force in the faceoff

circle722292 Phoenix Coyotes lose late lead, fall to Anaheim Ducks in

shootout722293 Game Day: Coyotes at Ducks722294 FOXSports.com NHL power rankings

Pittsburgh Penguins722295 Penguins notebook: Luongo appreciates what Fleury has

been through722296 Niskanen says he'd like to stay in Pittsburgh for long haul722297 Letang understands Maatta's situation with Penguins722298 Penguins notebook: Bylsma 'scouts' Tortorella722299 Penguins recall winger from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

San Jose Sharks722300 Lapierre gets five-game suspension for hit on Boyle722301 NHL: San Jose Sharks off to familiar start722302 Dangerous hits still part of game722303 Lapierre suspended five games for hit on Boyle722304 Sharks rookie Nieto impresses in loss to Dallas

St Louis Blues722305 Lapierre heads to New York to plead case to Shanahan722306 NHL suspends Blues' Lapierre five games722307 Blues lose 4-3 to Jets in shootout722308 Live: Jets 4, Blues 3 (Final-shootout)722309 NHL suspends Lapierre five games for illegal hit722310 Jackman, Morrow will sit against Jets tonight722311 Blues' Lapierre draws 5-game suspension from NHL722312 Blues knock off defending Stanley Cup champs for second

time in a row this season

Tampa Bay Lightning722313 Bolts’ Bishop calm, cool and collected in goal722314 Lightning-Bruins preview722315 Lightning goalie Bishop 'feeling the vibe'722316 Playing stars on penalty kill requires extra thought722317 Lightning plan to ride hot hand of Bishop

Toronto Maple Leafs722318 Duhatschek: A freaky kind of night in the NHL722319 Toronto Marlies suffer first loss in Rochester722320 Leafs’ goaltending soap opera dominates the season722321 Maple Leafs: Reimer okay, van Riemsdyk returns to practice722322 Maple Leafs face Chicago Saturday: Five things to know

about the Blackhawks722323 Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer back practising for

Toronto722324 Maple Leafs let University of Toronto goalie Brett Willows’

dream come true722325 Maple Leafs rookie Josh Leivo left his mark in loss to

Carolina Hurricanes722326 Maple Leafs: Three reasons why Toronto lost to the Carolina

Hurricanes722327 Maple Leafs: Penthouse: Josh Leivo scores first NHL goal;

Doghouse: Jonathan Bernier lets in own goal722328 Maple Leafs: Damien Cox’s nine thoughts on Thursday’s

loss to Carolina Hurricanes722329 Toronto Maple Leafs: Chicago Blackhawks looking for

offence as Leafs come to visit: Cox722330 Leafs-Blackhawks Gameday722331 Tighten up, Leafs ... or else!722332 Anyone seen Leafs' Kessel recently?722333 Maple Leafs' Dave Bolland set to make return to Chicago on

Saturday722334 James Reimer at Leafs practice, should be good for

Saturday722335 Toronto Maple Leafs call on University of Toronto goalies for

backup after James Reimer injury: ‘A great exper722336 Toronto Maple Leafs’ James Reimer practises the day after

taking hit to the head in collision with teammate

Vancouver Canucks722347 Tough test for Edler in first game back from suspension722348 Canucks breaking out the big guns by lining Kesler up with

the Sedins722349 Edler won’t change game after suspension, Tortorella

doesn’t want him to722350 Tortorella loves him some Sedins722351 Kesler will wing it with Sedins: ‘It’s a good fit. I’m going to

enjoy this ride’722352 The Hat Trick: Willes on Henrik Sedin — “the best player in

the Western Conference” — patience with Kassian an

Washington Capitals722337 Capitals elect to keep Tom Wilson in the NHL722338 Capitals switch up line combinations722339 What to do with Martin Erat

Websites722353 ESPN / Devils not panicking; Sens double attack722354 ESPN / Justin Faulk thinking (and hoping for) Sochi722355 USA TODAY / Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba taken off ice

on a stretcher722356 USA TODAY / Maxim Lapierre suspended for five games722357 USA TODAY / Cody McLeod offered in-person hearing to

explain boarding incident

Winnipeg Jets722340 Jets' game shows bright spots — and room for improvement722341 Jets down Blues 4-3 in a shootout; Trouba injured722342 Jets Snapshots: Kane provides spark for Jets722343 Scary moment for Jets, Trouba722344 Jets rally for comeback win against stingy St. Louis Blues722345 Kane says Jets need 'F-U attitude'722346 Jets beat Blues in shootout

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129

722178 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks extend winning streak to six with 3-2 shootout victory

By Lance Pugmire

11:47 PM PDT, October 18, 2013

Jakob Silfverberg knows who knows things.

The first-year Duck watched his more experienced teammates, former NHL MVP Corey Perry and distinguished veteran Teemu Selanne, score shootout goals by hammering shots to Phoenix goalie Mike Smith's left side.

And on the Ducks' sixth shot of the extra session, Silfverberg followed with another — the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes at Honda Center that extended the Ducks' winning streak to six games.

"I watched their shots … wherever is open, I try to go there and that turned out great," said Silfverberg, who is now 5-for-8 in his career in shootouts.

Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller then ended the game by denying Phoenix captain Shane Doan's attempt to beat Hiller to his left side.

"I was trying not to move too early so we he wouldn't have too much," space, "but he tried to deke and my leg was quick enough to get a piece of it," Hiller said. "Little nerve-racking."

Just getting to overtime was significant for the Ducks (6-1), whose fate seemed sealed to be a 2-1 loss thanks to Smith's 37 saves and another round of power play woes.

Then Ducks center Nick Bonino flung a desperate shot toward the net after retreating to catch the puck near the blue line.

And with 6-foot-4 Dustin Penner standing in front of Smith to obscure his view, the puck flew to hit the net for a tying goal with 2:02 remaining in the game.

"Luck," Bonino said. "I had an extra second, knew Penner was stationed in front there, just tried to put it on net and about halfway there I saw the line the puck was on was pretty good and Smith had no idea where the puck was."

Bonino also scored the opening goal of the shootout, which the Ducks won, 4-3.

"Coming back and fighting hard — we have good character," Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It was a seesaw game."

The coach said Selanne played his best game of the season after opening scoring with career goal No. 677.

A steal by Ducks center Mathieu Perreault set up the Selanne shot, which slid under the left pad of Smith 6:38 into the game.

Hiller, now 4-0 this season, stopped 12 shots to keep Phoenix (4-2-2) scoreless in the first, helping to kill a penalty with a right-handed stop and later denying good looks that Coyotes Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Radim Vrbata (twice) had.

The Ducks were set up to start the second period with a power play for 3:31 after center Daniel Winnik was decked late in the first by a high stick from Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle.

Winnik was struck near the left eye and rushed off the ice , only to return to play in the second period.

But the Ducks remained in their power play slump, extending their ineffectiveness to one for 26 with a man-advantage after Silfverberg, Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf were denied good scoring chances by Smith early in the second.

Phoenix tied the score with 8:49 remaining in the second when Coyotes center Antoine Vermette redirected a Yandle shot just six seconds after the Ducks killed off a tripping penalty by defenseman Sami Vatanen.

A Phoenix charging penalty late in the second went for naught because Selanne chunked a rebound shot, and because Perry was called for cross-checking 39 seconds after the Coyotes' violation.

LA Times: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Fasth injured; Andersen recalled to Ducks

October 18th, 2013, 11:54 am ·

· posted by ERIC STEPHENS

ANAHEIM -- Viktor Fasth has a lower-body injury and will be unavailable to the Ducks for their home game against the Phoenix Coyotes, the team said Friday.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said Fasth's injury is minor but it was enough to recall Frederik Andersen from Norfolk of the American Hockey League so he can back up Jonas Hiller.

"It's a day to day thing right now," Boudreau said. "He just tweaked something lower body yesterday at the end of practice. It's precautionary.

"We've got so many games coming up, the last thing we need is somebody to get hurt bad and miss ... if you miss a month, you're missing 19 games from here on."

Fasth turned in a strong performance Wednesday against Calgary as he made 33 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Flames.

Andersen won his first two starts with Norfolk and has one shutout, a 0.96 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage early on.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Ducks continue fast start, top Coyotes in shootout

By ERIC STEPHENS

2013-10-18 22:59:16

ANAHEIM – There is a new storyline developing for the Ducks when it comes to the beginning of a season.

Once a team that never got out of the gate cleanly, the Ducks have now started fast for the second season in a row. Jakob Silfverberg’s goal in the sixth round of the shootout helped forge their sixth straight win, a 3-2 decision over the Phoenix Coyotes on Friday night.

Jonas Hiller stopped Phoenix captain Shane Doan at the other end and the Ducks are now 6-1. They started 7-1-1 last seson.

Hiller and Phoenix's Mike Smith had a goaltending duel through the first 65 minutes but it was the shooters who ruled afterward.

The Ducks scored four times in all against Smith while Phoenix (4-2-2) beat Hiller three times, but Silfverberg provided the difference with a clean wrist shot that beat Smith. Hiller made 30 saves while Smith stopped 37 shots.

“I thought it was a good hockey game,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It’s just two teams that have played against each other for a while in the Pacific Division. We know how tough they are. They know how tough we were. It was a seesaw game.”

The Ducks had scored 20 goals in the first five games of their streak, but were continually foiled by Smith until Nick Bonino found a way to tie it with 2:02 remaining in regulation.

Bonino intercepted a clearing attempt at the blue line and threw a floating shot toward the net. The puck sailed over the head of Dustin Penner, whose big body provided enough of a screen that Smith never saw the puck until it was behind him.

“I just tried to put it on net and about halfway there, I saw the line the puck was on was looking pretty good and Smith had no idea where it was,” Bonino said. “Went in. I’m happy.”

Rostislav Klesla snapped a 1-1 tie at 7:54 of the third when he put a shot on goal from the point that skipped off Ducks defenseman Bryan Allen past Hiller.

Teemu Selanne opened the scoring for the Ducks with a first-period wrist shot that slipped by Smith for his 677th career goal and second in two games. Phoenix’s Antoine Vermette tied it midway through the second.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.19.2013

722181 Boston Bruins

Dougie Hamilton makes most of return to lineup

By Amalie Benjamin

| Globe Staff

October 19, 2013

TAMPA — Up until Thursday night, the kids had been the ones to sit out. First it was Matt Bartkowski, then Dougie Hamilton. But against the Panthers, Bruins coach Claude Julien decided that it would be Adam McQuaid’s turn, a demonstration that the defensive rotation is likely to be based on the team’s needs — offense or defense — at that particular moment.

Over the last few games, the Bruins have been struggling with their offensive finish and on the power play. Enter Hamilton, who helped fix both, netting a power-play goal through traffic in the 3-2 win over Florida.

“It’s a good point, because the fact is with those guys in the lineup we wanted to see how well our transition game was going to go,” Julien said. “You saw that against the Rangers [in the playoffs]. Those young guys came in and skated well, but yet where we suffered a little bit was defensively.

“When you’ve got a guy like Adam McQuaid who’s pretty solid defensively, those guys aren’t as good as he is on the defensive side of it. It’s a situation where you kind of weigh the pros and cons and make those decisions as you go game to game.”

It also helps with motivation.

Hamilton acknowledged having “a lot of excitement and adrenaline in the first period just being back” after sitting out the two previous games. He channeled that into his first goal of the season, ending the Bruins’ 0-for-12 drought on the power play.

“It was nice to get a power-play goal,” said Hamilton. “I don’t think it’s something that’s going to keep me in the lineup. I think just my whole play and just trying to play a two-way game [will].”

He knows, in the end, whether he plays or sits out might not have much to do with how he’s going at a particular time. That, at least, takes away a bit of the pressure to be perfect every moment that he is on the ice.

“I don’t think you really have to worry about ‘playing bad and you’re going to be out’ kind of thing,” Hamilton said. “I thought I played well in the first three games. They were telling me I was playing well. You obviously want to play, but you understand the situation and you just have to be ready for when you’re called.”

Step back for Marchand

After seeing an uptick in his game against Detroit once he was shifted to the third line, Brad Marchand struggled again Thursday. There were the same miscues, bad losses of the puck at bad moments, and it’s clear that something needs to change for the winger.

“For the most part, it goes back to the player,” Julien said. “I think right now it’s not lack of ice time. It’s not lack of anything. A player has to find his game and sometimes you’ve just got to work through it. Some guys take longer than others. Some guys find it quickly.”

Julien said he thought Marchand, who has one goal in six games, played “a really good game” against the Red Wings Monday, but then “he went back to some of his old habits that have gotten him in trouble and taken him away from his game.”

Julien added, “I don’t want excuses, I don’t want reasons. As a coach, you want results, and I think it’s up to a player, too. We’re coaches, we can’t do everything. A player has to take charge of his situation as well, and that’s what Brad’s got to do right now.”

That may have to come through Marchand returning to his irritating, pesky ways. Though he tempered that in light of his five-game suspension for a hit on Sami Salo in January 2012, that might not have been the best thing for his game.

“Maybe I have to get back to doing that a little bit more,” he said. “Taking that out of my game might be the wrong approach.

“That’s what kind of lights a fire under my butt and maybe I have to get back to that.”

Complacency issues

Julien said part of the team’s issues at the moment might have come from not being focused enough and possibly from becoming complacent.

“Every year we should be starting from scratch and proving that we belong in the playoffs and working ourselves in the playoffs before you can even say we’ve been to the Finals two of the last three years,” he said.

“That’s history. You’ve got to live in the present. You can’t live in the past. You can’t live in the future, either. You’ve got to build on what you have in front of you at this time. I think that’s where we’ve got to refocus again.”

The coach saw a little of the complacency in Thursday’s game against Florida, when the Bruins let up a bit after going up by two goals on Tim Thomas.

“That’s getting comfortable,” Julien said. “We’ve got to kind of try to hold our game and keep our game going for 60 minutes no matter what the score is, and there’s times where our team struggled, did the same thing last year. We struggled with keeping the lead and so it’s something that we’ve got to work on. That’s more mental than it is physical.”

Day off for Caron

Jordan Caron was the only Bruin not present for practice at the Tampa Bay Times Forum Friday. Julien said it was a maintenance day for the winger, who is expected back on the ice Saturday . . . Carl Soderberg has been cleared medically and could play as soon as Saturday against the Lightning. “There’s a good chance that he will be [in],” Julien said. “He’s been cleared, so now it’s up to me to make a decision.” . . . The Bruins, because of their schedule, are looking up at most of the Atlantic Division. They’re tied for fifth, but have played the fewest games.

Boston Globe LOADED: 10.19.2013


A finishing touch up

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Author(s):

Steve Conroy

TAMPA — It is still October and nobody is pushing any panic buttons yet with the Bruins, especially when they’re still winning more than losing.

However, while they were bailed out by a gift goal in the final minute of regulation to beat the Panthers on Thursday, the nagging fact is they let a two-goal lead over a team that was ready to roll over slip away.

It didn’t sit well with coach Claude Julien after the game, nor with general manager Peter Chiarelli yesterday. It was another in a growing line of uneven performances this season.

“It’s the little things that it takes to close out games that we pride ourselves,” said Chiarelli. “(Julien) felt, and so did I, that that was a game that we could have closed out and we didn’t. There were a lot of positives you could take from that game, but the macro thing is ‘Let’s close it out.’ It’s attitude. We’ve got to be better at that.

“I thought we played really well against Detroit the other day. We had some defensive miscues, and then against Columbus I thought we were OK, but we played hard. We’re seeing pieces of a lot of different things that we’re trying to sync up here. But it’s early.”

Most of the B’s have been to the Stanley Cup finals two out of the last three years, but that doesn’t mean anything, said Julien.

Does he feel his team is fighting complacency?

“At times,” said Julien. “Our work ethic is good. I don’t think we’re a lazy team. We’re competing hard, but we took a 2-0 lead and I think everybody saw that, instead of keeping our foot on the gas pedal we started coasting again. That’s complacency a little bit and getting comfortable. We have to keep our game going for 60 minutes no matter what the score is. We did the same thing last year. We struggled keeping the lead, so it’s something we’ve got to work on and that’s more mental than it is physical.”

The assumption is that this team can and will get a lot better. Jarome Iginla, who leads the team in shots (21), will find the back of the net. Brad Marchand will work his way out of the funk he’s in. The young defensemen will get better in their own end with time and experience.

And all the new pieces will fall into place. But it won’t magically happen.

“I think we all see that we have the potential to be really good. We’re not there yet,” said captain Zdeno Chara. “We have to keep working on things on a daily basis, defensively, offensively, and try to push the level of accountability and responsibilities higher and higher and push ourselves to be the best we can be. We’re a good team, but there’s a potential to be a really good team. We have the potential to do it, but it’s not going to just happen by just sitting and talking about it. We have to go out there every night and every day and work at it.”

The B’s will be challenged tonight in an expected fast-paced game against the surprising Tampa Bay Lightning, who have lost just once since dropping the season opener at the Garden. Ben Bishop has seized the goaltender’s job, and the B’s will be tasked to make life difficult on him.

“We have to make sure we do a better job around the net, not just taking his eyes away but jumping on loose pucks and being a little more hungry,” said Julien. “It’s a part of our game that we’re working hard to improve on.”

Chiarelli is a realist, but he eventually wants to see improvement.

“We’re not going to be painting a perfect portrait every night. It’s a long year. It’s not a sprint like last year,” said the GM. “But we have to take the necessary steps. We have to make sure the players are taking the necessary steps.”

Tonight is a good opportunity to take a step or two.

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.19.2013


Marchand: Back to basics


Author(s):

Steve Conroy

TAMPA — Brad Marchand clearly has not been himself this year.

The grinding, darting, agitating winger who is often the catalyst for the Bruins’ offensive attack has not been there yet. He has just one goal and is a minus-2 in six games going into tonight’s contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Against Columbus a week ago, he was dropped in the third period from his usual line with Patrice Bergeron — with whom he’d been paired since midway through his rookie season in 2010-11 — and Loui Eriksson, and moved to a unit with Chris Kelly and Jordan Caron.

He responded with a better game against Detroit in the Columbus Day matinee at the Garden, but then followed it up with another subpar performance Thursday against the Florida Panthers.

Marchand believes he has to get back to the basics of his own game, which means stirring things up.

“It gets me more into the game and it gets me more excited out there,” Marchand said. “Maybe I have to get back to that a little more and taking that out of my game may be the wrong approach. That’s what lights a fire under my butt and we have to get back to that.”

While his skill level can be underrated, Marchand needs to bring more to the table, he said.

“It would be nice to not have to do that and just be a great skilled player, but I’m not kidding myself by saying I’m a skill guy,” he said. “I’ve got to stick to my roots and do what got me here. Doing that, working hard and playing gritty, that’s my style of game.”

Coach Claude Julien said it’s within Marchand’s power to get his game back.

“For the most part, it comes back to the player,” Julien said. “Right now, it’s not lack of ice time, it’s not lack of anything. Sometimes a player just has to work through it. Some guys take longer than others. I thought he played a really good game in Detroit. He played more of his game.

“But then (Thursday) he went back to some of his old habits that have gotten him in trouble and taken him away from his game. I don’t want excuses. I don’t want reasons. As a coach, you want results. We’re coaches; we can’t do everything. A player has to take charge of his situation and that’s what Brad’s got to do right now. He’s got to take control of his situation and find his game.”

Caron sits it out

Jordan Caron was the only player who didn’t skate yesterday. Julien said it was a “maintenance day” and he expects Caron to be able to play tonight.

Julien also said Carl Soderberg has been cleared to play and that there’s a “good chance” we’d see him in the lineup tonight. He had won the job as the third-line left winger in training camp until he injured his ankle in the third period of the final preseason game.

The question is, if Caron is back in the lineup, who would be scratched to make room for Soderberg? It would seem pretty early to give the hook to a player who has been as productive in the past as Marchand, but there aren’t a lot of clear-cut candidates.



Maintenance day for Caron

Friday, October 18, 2013 -- Steve Conroy

TAMPA, Fla.--The only player not participating in the Bruins' practice today at the Tampa Times Forum was Jordan Caron, but coach Claude Julien said that it was a maintenance day for the forward and that he should be ready to go for tomorrow night's tilt against the rather surprising Tampa Bay Lightning.

Carl Soderberg took his spot on the line with Chris Kelly and Brad Marchand and Julien said he's cleared to play, adding there's a "a good chance" that he'll be in the lineup tomorrow night. With Julien saying Caron would be ready for the game, the question is just who would be the scratch. Brad Marchand followed up a decent game against the Red Wings with a poor outing against the Panthers, giving away the puck a couple of times and not creating much. He has just one goal and is minus-2 through six gammes.

It would seem like a quick hook to scratch a player who has been productive as Marchand has been in his career and Caron ailing a bit today, it would be easy to give him another day of rest of Julien really wanted to get Soderberg.

But whatever decision is made, it's clear to Julien that Marchand needs to pick up his game.

"For the most part, it comes back to the player," said Julien. "Right now, it's not a lack of ice time, it's not a lack of anything. Sometimes a player just has to work through it. Some guys take longer than others. I thought he played a really good game against Detroit. He played more of his game. But then (in Sunrise) he went back to some of his old habits that have gotten him in trouble and taken his away from his game. I don't want excuses. I don't want reasons. As a coach, you want results. We're coaches we can't do everything. A player has to take charge of his situation and that's what Brad's got to do right now. He's got to take control of his situation and find his game."

Marchand ackowledged that he has to get back to his agitating self.

"It gets me more into the game and it gets me more excited out there," said Marchand. "Maybe I have to get back to that a little more and taking that out of my game may be the wrong approach. That's what's lights a fire under my burtt and we have to get back to that."


722185 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres rookies try dancing to lighten the mood

By Miguel Rodriguez

on October 19, 2013 - 12:32 AM

The only thing missing was some background music as Mikhail Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson and Rasmus Ristolainen were among the seven rookies who at the end of Friday’s Sabres practice simply got jiggy with it at center ice.

The centipede. The Watusi (or Batusi as forward Tyler Ennis referred to Grigorenko’s moves at center ice). Moonwalk. Breakdancing.

The rookies’ post-practice stars-on-ice moves at First Niagara Center proved to be quite the comedic sight and served as a reminder that hockey is supposed to be fun even though “suffering” has been Sabreland’s season-long theme.

“You’re talking about having a little more emotion on and off the ice. ... It’s a good way to loosen everyone up,” Ennis said of the light-hearted rookie hazing for the amusement of the team’s veterans.

“Sometimes you just have to add something that loosens everything up,” Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller added. “I think everybody can recognize it’s a little tense here. It was a fun chance to embarrass the rookies. ... You only get one crack at them when they’re rookies.”

Dance fever did lighten the mood somewhat as Buffalo continued preparations for tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche at FNC, but frustration continues to be the more prevalent emotion at the foot of Jim Kelley Way and Perry Street and with good reason.

The Sabres (1-7-1) have matched the franchise record for worst nine-game start to a season, a situation that has fans disgruntled, coach Ron Rolston admittedly frustrated and players desperately searching for ways to turn things around. They also rank last in goals per game (1.11) despite ranking in the middle of the pack with a more than respectable 2.62 goals-against average.

Even Miller didn’t stick around to discuss Thursday night’s 3-0 loss to Vancouver, although he offered his reason Friday afternoon after having a chance to sleep on another loss in which a Sabres goaltender failed to be rewarded with a “W” for good play.

“Everybody’s heard me talk quite enough,” said Miller, who added he felt fine following his 31-save effort. “We don’t always need an immediate reaction from me is my stand. You guys know where to find me eventually. If I need a moment, I’m just going to take it and we’ll have a conversation about it later on. ... It wasn’t anything other than let someone else talk a little bit.”

What everyone else has been talking about lately – besides suffering – is the team’s inability to get off to a fast start. The Sabres seem to be stricken with stage fright, with Thursday’s first period just the latest example of their early-game woes.

Buffalo yielded 11 shots on goal in the opening three minutes. The Sabres were outshot, 19-7, in the frame, but only trailed, 1-0, because of Miller’s efforts.

Buffalo has been outscored, 11-1, in the first period and has been outshot, 127-74, during the opening 20 minutes. The Sabres have yielded the game’s first goal eight times.

Still, everyone thought the Sabres would start better against the Canucks considering they had rallied for their first win of the season at Long Island two nights earlier.

“It’s not what we want,” co-captain Steve Ott said. “After a day off, fresh legs and coming off our first win, you’d definitely want a different response and our response was we were complete outmatched from the get-go.

“It’s execution first of all. Executing throughout our lineup. It’s one guy or everybody, it’s everybody continuing to push the game plan. Right from the get-go, we haven’t created the momentum we need to create and by the third period it’s too late.”

“You can’t get behind in this league,” Rolston said.

Do the Sabres need to start their fourth line just to provide instant energy?

“I think it’s just up to everybody to play hard,” Ennis said. “Whoever’s out there first, it’s important to get good energy for the boys.”

Rolston believes the solution is hard work coupled with execution, but the formula may be a little more complex than that.

The proof is in Buffalo’s record. There’s no dancing around that.

“You just have to find small things to build on, encourage each other and build each other up and not help tear each other down, which plenty of outside factors are trying to do at this time,” Miller said. “We know where we stand. ... At some point you have to start digging your way out.

“I don’t think we’ve been so far off that we haven’t been able to get some points out of games. We come down to the wire where we just kind of let things slide. We just have to put together some smaller pieces, stay in games longer. We’re not going to win every one we stay in but we’re going to get points out of them. Start finding a way to play with the lead more, we’ll start getting our fair share of points.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.19.2013


Sabres notebook: Sacco looks forward to facing Avs

By Miguel Rodriguez

on October 19, 2013 - 12:31 AM

It’s still early, but the addition of Joe Sacco looks like it could be a winner in a season filled with so few W’s for the Buffalo Sabres.

Under the direction of the former head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo’s penalty-killing unit has left its foes feeling blue 25 times during 29 man-advantage chances. The Sabres rank fifth in the league at 86.2 percent heading into tonight’s clash against Sacco’s former team.

The Sabres’ secret thus far after finishing last season ranked 26th on the penalty kill: They’re receiving great goaltending from both Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth. The Sabres also are being more aggressive without players taking themselves out of the play – protecting better against backdoor plays and defending better down low.

“The guys have bought in to what we’re trying to accomplish from a structural standpoint and then all the little details that go into penalty killing,” said Sacco, who guided Colorado to the playoffs once in his four seasons as head coach. “It’s stopping and starting. It’s working in straight lines. It’s having a good stick, the willingness to sacrifice your body and put it in the shot lanes at the right times.”

The Sabres will be tested on the PK tonight as the Avalanche bring in the league’s ninth-ranked power-play unit (23.1 percent success rate) to First Niagara Center.

The Avs also rank ninth in goals-for (3.33), while one of the big keys to their start has been a defense that’s allowing a league low 1.43 goals per game.

Sacco admits it might feel weird seeing Avalanche players he used to coach – including young talents Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O’Reilly and Matt Duchene – on the opposite bench tonight.

Sacco played a role in their development as players, and that past experience with youths was among the reasons he opted to join Ron Rolston’s coaching staff and become part of the Sabres’ rebuild after the Avs dismissed him April 28.

While Colorado systematically does things differently under new head coach Patrick Roy, players do have their tendencies nonetheless. With that in mind, Sacco could provide a winning scouting report that results in the struggling Sabres surprising an Avalanche (6-1-0) team that flirted with the franchise record for best start to a season until losing Thursday night at home to old Western Conference nemesis Detroit.

“They still play a fast game,” Sacco said. “They still try to play an up-tempo game. ... They still have some speed. They like to push the pace of the game. Hopefully the scouting report will be good from my end and it’ll help us grab two points.

“It’ll be a fun night. They’re playing very well right now. They’re getting good goaltending, much like we are. Obviously the records are flip-flopped, but it’s an opportunity for us to play another young team that’s sort of up and coming, heading in the right direction.”

Sacco compiled a 130-134-30 mark with Colorado, guiding the club to the playoffs in his first season and finishing as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the league’s top coach.

“ I enjoyed my tenure when I was there,” Sacco said. “I was with the organization for eight years, coaching in the minors and then with the Avalanche. That’s a long time with one organization. I have a lot of friends who are still there. ... But tonight that all goes by the side.”

...

Suspended winger Patrick Kaleta spoke after practice Friday, but couldn’t offer too much of an update regarding the status of his appeal of the 10-game ban he received Tuesday for his illegal check to the head of Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson on Oct. 10.

“That’s between us” and the Players Association, “and all that kind of stuff,” said Kaleta, who has sat out four games. “There’s not much more info I can give right now.”

Johnson wasn’t hurt on the play nor was Kaleta penalized for the hit, but the Angola native’s past offender status played a role in the league dealing out the lengthy suspension.

Commissioner Gary Bettman will hear the first appeal. According to Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman, the hearing date was still being finalized Friday.

If Bettman upholds the suspension, the new CBA allows for a second appeal to a neutral arbitrator. If the suspension is upheld, Kaleta will lose $152,439 in salary.

...

Rookie Zemgus Girgensons practiced fully with a full face shield on Friday and should be ready to play tonight, according to Rolston. Girgensons got hit near his left eye with a shot during Tuesday’s win against the Islanders. ... Center Cody McCormick is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He blocked a shot off his leg/foot during while killing a penalty during Thursday’s game. ... Rookie defenseman Nikita Zadorov is close to returning from a finger injury, and Rolston said he would suit up for at least one game. When will that happen? “Anytime is possible,” he said.



Sabres Notebook: Tortorella bring passion to Canucks but tones down public persona

By Mike Harrington

on October 18, 2013 - 12:04 AM

After flaming out last year in New York when the Rangers fired him, John Tortorella’s 14th season as an NHL coach has opened with him taking a gentler approach, at least publicly, and he’s directed the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-3 record.

That same fire is there in the locker room and on the ice but his dealings with the media, a huge issue in New York, have been much calmer. Tortorella, the master of the one-word answer, met reporters for several minutes Thursday morning in First Niagara Center prior to his team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres and talked on a variety of topics. He did so again after his team’s 3-0 victory.

His players say Tortorella has been everything they expected from the all-time leader in coaching wins among U.S.-born coaches (415).

“You might have 45 minutes of video and he’s going to tell you what you’ve done wrong in a brutally honest way,” Henrik Sedin said here Thursday. “But two minutes afterward, you might have done something well in a clip and he’ll tell you the same thing. That’s all you can ask for as a player.”

“It’s been good so far. He’s a very passionate intense coach and I think we needed that in this locker room,” said goaltender Roberto Luongo. “He’s bringing a lot to the table and the guys are buying in.”

For his part, Tortorella has marveled at the skill and leadership of the Sedin twins.

“I have never been more impressed with two athletes,” he said. “Watching them from afar, watching them play I was impressed with them. But I’m even more impressed with them as people as I get to be with them every day. And we’re not even talking about what they’ve done for us on the ice.

“It’s just how they carry themselves. I hear so many great things about what they’ve done for the community there in Vancouver and I just from day one have been blown away on how impressive they handle themselves. Forget about hockey. Just the way they go about their business. It’s very fortunate for a new coaching staff to have people like that be leaders of their team.”

Tortorella had a big smile when a Vancouver reporter asked him about his time in Western New York, as he was once the head coach of the Rochester Amerks and was an assistant for the Sabres from 1989-1995.

“I lived here for eight years and it’s probably one of the most underrated places in the world,” Tortorella said. “Everybody says ‘Buffalo?’ I have a tremendous amount of friends here. It was a great place to coach.”

Tortorella was pleased with his team’s second straight win; the Canucks opened a seven-game road trip with Tuesday’s 3-2 victory in Philadelphia.

“We’re getting there,” Tortorella said. “Everybody looks at records of teams and this and that. It’s a dogfight every night. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing. I thought we played quick and simple tonight and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

...

Luongo made 25 saves for the shutout, his first of the season and 63rd of his career. That’s second among active goaltenders to Martin Brodeur of New Jersey.

Luongo admitted he was lucky he wasn’t beaten by Thomas Vanek’s shot in the opening minute of the third period. It was overturned on replay after hitting the crossbar and goalpost.

“I thought it was in,” said Luongo. “I was kind of cheating a little bit there. I thought he was going to bring it to his backhand. On that one, I probably deserved to get scored on but it all evens out by the end of the year.”

...

Sabres co-captain and fellow agitator Steve Ott said he was disappointed with the 10-game suspension Patrick Kaleta earned for his hit last week on Columbus’ Jack Johnson.

Kaleta is appealing the ban, likely on the theory that Johnson was not injured and played more than 23 minutes in the game. Thursday was the fourth game he has missed. Kaleta has not spoken to the media about the situation while details of his appeal are being finalized.

“It’s hard because there’s no injury on the play,” Ott said. “I have a hard time with it for that simple fact. Is it suspendable? Absolutely, as in the guy could have really been hurt. But could have is not good enough for me. No one wants to see anybody injured by any means but that has to play in the equation if you’re going to throw a book at somebody.”

...

Mikhail Grigorenko played just eight shifts totaling 6:43 while centering the Sabres’ fourth line and continues to be pointless on the season. He did not have a shot on goal and was minus-1. Johan Larsson centered the third line, playing 13:22, but was minus-2.

Coach Ron Rolston said there was no disconnect between he and general manager Darcy Regier about Grigorenko, whom the GM said over the summer would be on the roster.

“He is on the roster and he’s playing,” Rolston said. “That’s where he falls into the lineup right now. Larsson is playing good hockey for us. He competes and is playing hard.

Would Grigorenko be better served going back to junior hockey? Rolston’s answer was a simple “no.”

...

The Canucks snapped a three-game losing streak in Buffalo and won here for the first time since Feb. 7, 2003. The teams meet again March 18 in Vancouver; it’s the first time since the 2002-03 season the 1970 expansion cousins will meet twice. Thursday’s result left the all-time series tied at 46-46-19. ... Jamie McBain and Zemgus Girgensons were the Sabres’ scratches. Girgensons, who took a puck near the eye Tuesday on Long Island, should play Saturday against Colorado.



Reunion week continues in Sabreland

October 18, 2013 - 5:44 PM

By Miguel Rodriguez

Reunion week continues in Sabreland on Saturday night when former Colorado head coach and current Sabres assistant Joe Sacco gets to face his old club at First Niagara Center.

Sacco admits it might feel weird seeing Avalanche players he used to coach, including Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O'Reilly and Matt Duchene, on the opposite bench. Sacco also said he's not surprised the Avs have gotten off to a sizzling 6-1-0 start under new coach Patrick Roy.

"No. They're a good team. Their young players have some experience now. They're heading in the right direction. They play a fast game. They play with a lot of pace in their game, so no I'm not surprised."

"I think when I look back over there and see some of the young players who are starting to mature come into their own, you feel good about some of the things that you see as far as that goes," Sacco said. But on Saturday, "that all goes by the side."

While the Sabres have matched their worst nine-game start in franchise history, the penalty-killing unit has been one of a few bright spots. Sacco runs the PK and his unit enters Saturday night's game against the Avs ranked fifth in the NHL, having killed off 25-of-29 chances.

Full interview below. Quality eight minutes of chatting (sorry about floor machine that made a noisy appearance around six-minute mark).



Miller: You don't always need an immediate reaction from me

October 18, 2013 - 2:11 PM

By Miguel Rodriguez

Ryan Miller left without talking to reporters following Thursday’s 3-0 loss to Vancouver.

When asked Friday if he was OK (physically and mentally) after the game, he said he was fine.

Here is what he had to say about not being available to the media after the contest.

“Everybody’s heard me talk quite enough. … I don’t think I have to be the person talking after every single game. I just took a moment, take a step back and talk about the game today. We don’t always need an immediate reaction from me is my stand. You guys know where to find me eventually.”

The reason the media tend to flock around the longtime Sabres goaltender, who made eight of his 31 saves during the opening two minutes of the contest (he explained what the Canucks did to cause early disfunction in the Sabres’ defensive zone), is because he usually provides insightful answers.

In other matters, captain Steve Ott and coach Ron Rolston basically uttered the same cure for the Sabres’ slow starts. It all comes down to being ready to work, or in this case outwork your opponent.

Other highlights from Rolston’s post practice press conference:

-- Zemgus Girgensons, who practiced fully while wearing a full face shield, should return to the lineup Saturday against the visiting Colorado Avalanche at First Niagara Center.

-- Cody McCormick sat out practice after taking a shot off the foot during Thursday’s loss to Vancouver. His status is day-to-day.

-- While Rolston wouldn’t say when specifically, he did say the Sabres want to get Nikita Zadorov into a game once fully healthy and not just ship him back to juniors right away. Now when will that be?

"Anytime is possible," he said.

(Zadorov looked pretty close to healthy to me on the ice so it wouldn’t be surprising if the rookie defenseman drafted in the first round last June becomes the latest teenager to suit up for a regular season Sabres game soon.)

-- Rolston also said Joel Armia, Ville Leino and Corey Tropp are still a ways away from returning.

Here are Rolston and Miller interviews from this afternoon. Keep in mind, the Sabres’ rookies did some dance moves on the ice after practice as a way of keeping the mood light at a time when frustration seems to be the main theme in Sabreland.


722190 Calgary Flames

Ramo finally gets second start

Flames looking to bounce back against Sharks

By Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald October 18, 2013 10:01 PM

San Jose — After spending nearly four weeks landing the No. 1 job, after seeing it tugged away in a matter of three hours, Karri Ramo is back in net.

The Calgary Flames goalie gets the nod Saturday in San Jose, taking over for Joey MacDonald, who had started every game following Ramo’s season-opening setback against the home-ice Washington Capitals.

“I have the same routine whether I play or I don’t,” says Ramo. “You just have to focus on the simple things. Always when you play, it’s exciting. I just have to make sure that I keep doing my own thing. It’s only to me that I need to prove things. I need to work hard to satisfy myself in the nets.

“I’m sure (the Sharks) are going to put a lot of pressure on the goalie and a lot of pressure on the team defence. So we have to be ready.”

MacDonald put together a 3-1-1 record, with a 2.99 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.

“Nothing against what Mac gave us,” says coach Bob Hartley, “but we feel we have two goalies capable of winning us some games. It’s Karri’s turn. Whenever you get the call, you need to be ready.”

Ramo’s start, however, turns out to be the lone lineup change in the aftermath of Wednesday’s 3-2 setback in Anaheim — the Flames’ first regulation loss of the season.

Defenceman Derek Smith and centre Blair Jones are still stuck on the outside.

Within the group, however, the skipper did rejig his lines.

“It’s just a matter of shuffling the deck,” says Hartley. “It’s my job to get (high-calibre performances) out of them. Even if you reach the NHL, there’s always ways to get better. Sometimes a little challenge here and there, it can kind of light up a switch and they say suddenly, ‘I can do this. I’m a better player.’ We’re trying to get every player to have a role, to have responsibilities, but also to be comfortable in any situation.”

Hartley already admires Mikael Backlund’s game.

Heading into his 177th contest, the Swedish pivot is the grand old man of the middle. And Wednesday, with Ben Street spending significant time getting his eyebrow stitched together, Backlund shouldered even more work — and looked good doing it.

“Backs is the guy who is giving us the most poise at centre,” says Hartley, who moved No. 11 between senior wingers Curtis Glencross and Lee Stempniak. “He improved his game tremendously last year. On both sides of the puck, he is very good.”

Additionally, Joe Colborne, in his limited time with the Flames, registered his finest effort in Anaheim.

On one of his first shifts, the lanky centreman had chipped the puck past defender Bryan Allen to earn himself a breakaway. Then, with the Flames seeking the equalizer later in the game, he wasn’t nailed to the bench.

“I felt that he had a great third period, so I felt that it was time to increase his role,” Hartley says of putting Colborne with third-line flankers Lance Bouma and T.J. Galiardi. “He was on the puck, his intensity. There is no doubt in my mind that (with) his skills, his size, this kid can play in the NHL. He just has to get another gear to his intensity. That’s part of my job.”

Friday, the two men, coach and player, sat down to discuss that very subject.

“Just about making sure I take advantage of being on the puck,” says Colborne. “It comes from the coaches starting to trust me a little more. There’s a level of comfort that you develop over time. I came in a month behind and I had to jump-start myself. In past games, there were opportunities where the coaches were willing to throw me out there.”

The latest re-arrangements leave Street on the fourth line.

But the 26-year-old, with his sound checking game, is versatile enough to accommodate any assignment.

“We have so many players (whose) roles can interchange,” Hartley says. “Streeter, just like Mac, gave us quite a roll. We’ll pull him back a bit. There’s nothing wrong. It’s just a matter of trying to create new chemistry, new sparks, and get us going again.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Johnson: These Sharks keep moving ... fast

Flames will have to work to keep pace in San Jose

By George Johnson, Calgary Herald October 18, 2013

They’ve got a lot of sailfish in them, these new, sleeker, more aerodynamic Sharks. The sailfish — ahoy, all you landlubbers — happens to be the fastest fish found in water, generating speeds of up to 112 km/h.

“That is the biggest difference,” reckons San Jose coach Todd McLellan. “I think the pace we’ve been able to play at is what’s pleased us the most so far.

“(Thursday) night (in Dallas) it wasn’t as evident, wasn’t there when we needed it. But up until then we’d played a fast game. That’s the type of team we wanted to transform ourselves into beginning with the deadline last year.

“We just looked at our group and felt we were stuck in third gear, rather than getting up to fourth or fifth. And the game moves at such speed now that if you’re not careful you’ll be left behind.”

The Calgary Flames, interlopers to the SAP Center on Saturday, can relate. Their mandate, too, is to push the tempo,

No team at the moment is ramping up the RPM better then the San Jose Sharks.

“We know that it can go the other way, quickly,” cautioned McLellan. “That’s why we had a good gathering (at practice) today. Because I didn’t think we were as sharp in Dallas” — a 4-3 shootout loss — “as we needed to be.

“Hopefully we’ve addressed that and we play the way we can.”

Perched atop the over-ll standings at 13 points out of a possible 14, they are NHL.com’s No.1-ranked for the week. The only entry left without a regulation blemish (6-0-1). Most goals scored (33). Tied for second fewest allowed (13). Nudging the 40-shots-per-game mark. Absolutely dynamite on home ice.

From Brad Stuart’s suspendable headshot on Rick Nash to the frightening sight of Dan Boyle crumpled on the ice after being run from behind into the woodwork by the St. Louis Blues’ Ian Lapierre. From Czech rookie Tomas Hertl’s four-goal binge to Jumbo Joe Thornton’s off-color, off-the-cuff, so-obviously-off-the-record comment in Vancouver. From the six-game winning streak off the hop to Brent Burns’ Chewbacca-inspired visage, the Sharks have been at the heart of headline-making in the early going.

“How would I describe the Brent Burns look?” laughs McLellan. “Scary. He played in the league, at 18 as an underage, I believe. Then at 19 he played for me in Houston during the lockout in ’05. Back then he couldn’t even grow hair on his face. He was 35 pounds lighter. Now he’s packed on some beef and he’s loaded with air.

“He’s a free spirit. His look matches his personality.”

Personality, from a collective perspective, is something San Jose management obviously felt needed tinkering with.

When GM Doug Wilson off-loaded 225-pound Ryane Clowe to the Rangers and 245-pound Douglas Murray to the Penguins around the deadline last year, worrywarts wondered if the Sharks mightn’t have gotten too small, too soft. In fact, they’d only begun modernizing, sweeping Vancouver and then taking the reigning Stanley Cup champion L.A. Kings to seven torture-test wars in Round Two of the post-season.

The re-shaping has continued into this season. Inserting freshman Hertl and bushy-bearded defenceman-turned-winger Burns onto Thornton’s line and adding another winger with some licketysplit, Tyler Kennedy, late of the Penguins, to a Logan Couture-Patrick Marleau partnership has provided depth on the top six up front, and allowed ‘Little Joe’ Pavelski to return to his natural position, centre, on the third line.

McLellan’s top guys are performing on demand — Thornton, Marleau, Couture and the Hertl each have nine points, Pavelski’s at eight. Antti Niemi’s goals-against-average (1.70) and save percentage (.930) are both

exemplary. They’re getting rock-solid mileage out of the Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Justin Braun defence tandem, each at plus-9, helping ease the loss of Stuart to injury and then suspension, and now the irreplaceable Boyle.

The Sharks, remember, reeled off seven wins in a row to open last season. And wound up having to wait until the final regular-season home game to clinch a playoff spot. So no one’s getting out the helium to fill any Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade floats just yet.

“The differences in us, from the beginning of last season to now are enormous,” judges McLellan “A lot due to circumstances. Last year with the lockout and the very short training camp — basically four days — we were a veteran group, maybe especially in the specialty-team department. So our powerplay got off to a quicker start than other teams and we relied on it. A lot.

“Last year, we also had a small group — maybe three or four guys — contributing up front. They did all the scoring. This year we had a full training camp. We’ve tried to turn over the way we play, transition to being a quicker team. The special teams have been … OK, but we haven’t had to rely so much on them. Our offence now comes from a lot of areas.

“So there’s a totally different feel to last year.”

The rise of Hertl, exploding into the hockey conciousness with his four-goal night in a 9-2 rout of the New York Rangers, has been one of the great stories of the early-going.

“He’s very … I use the word ‘innocent’ with him because he’s such a new player, not only to San Jose and the NHL but to North America and the language,” McLellan said. “He’s been blessed with a couple really good linemates who’ve helped him along, shown him the ropes. There hasn’t been a fear in his game of the NHL … and by that I don’t mean afraid to go in corners or anything like that. But intimidated by the league. That hasn’t existed. He knows where he is but he’s not over-awed by his surroundings, maybe because he doesn’t know any better.

“He’s really just playing hockey right now. And it’s great to see.”

Saturday, the Flames get their first chance to see what all the early-season fuss has been about. The Sharks, in a sense, too.

“From what we’ve seen on tape, and in pre-scouting, they have real good qualities,” McLellan said. “They’re hounding pucks, they’re relentless and you can tell they’re a unified group. They know they’re going into a game together and they know they’re coming out of a game together. They usual the tools they have and everybody gives whatever they’ve got.

“We’re under no illusions that it’s going to be easy.”



Head injuries making players ease up

Sharks on both sides of ugly hits

By Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald October 18, 2013 10:01 PM

San Jose — Coaches, in their own way, can defuse this situation. They can influence, they can persuade.

Todd McLellan, with dirty hits becoming a near-nightly occurrence in the National Hockey League, insists that he and his bench-pacing brothers can do their share.

For instance?

When a player passes up a check — in a potentially dangerous situation — don’t scold him. Or bench him. Or worse.

Instead, commend him for his discretion.

“You know what? Everybody wants a physical team, everybody wants to win the battles, everybody wants to finish their checks — yet I don’t think anybody wants the players to take it over the line,” McLellan is saying Friday afternoon at the San Jose Sharks practice facility. “We have to talk to our players — as I’m sure the other coaches have — (and say), ‘When you’re in that situation, let up. We’ll understand. We might lose our marbles a little bit right off the bat. But when we sit back and look at it and think about it, you did the right thing.’ We have to accept that as a coaching staff. I think our coaches in our league are willing to accept that.”

But what about the players?

From a tender age, they are programmed to take every opportunity to lay on the body.

“I’ve heard in the past, ‘Well, if I come back to the bench and I didn’t finish my check, I’m not going to get back on the ice,’ ” says McLellan. “Well, yes, that’s usually the case. But if you didn’t finish the check when the guy’s numbers are facing you and (he) was going to go headfirst into the boards, we’ll put you back on.

“That excuse isn’t as valid as it was three or four years ago.”

The Sharks, already this season, have lived both sides of the equation.

Brad Stuart was suspended for three games for rattling the jug of Rick Nash, winger of the New York Rangers.

Another San Jose defender, Dan Boyle, spent a night in hospital after a reckless hit from Blues centre Maxim Lapierre (who, Friday, was handed a five-game suspension).

“Some guys aren’t smart enough to realize that you just have to slow up a little bit,” says defenceman Jason Demers. “You’re not going to get a five-year deal just because you ran someone from behind. It’s not hard to (instead) rub him out on the boards — you still get the puck, you still get a hit (from the statistician). But obviously some guys in the league don’t think before going in there. The onus is on the players to have an ounce of respect for a guy when you see his numbers.

“Coming in 100 miles an hour and annihilating you from behind? That falls on the players.”

According to Brent Burns, though, the game’s speed and power make some collisions unavoidable.

Which has nothing to do with malicious intent.

“It’s a fast game — you get milliseconds to react,” says Burns. “You hear guys in the media saying, ‘This guy should get 30 games,’ but they don’t know what it’s like to be flying in at a guy (who’s) going the other (direction) at the same speed. I’ve been on both ends … then you see the video and it’s, ‘Oh (darn), that looks pretty bad.’ But it’s pretty easy (to criticize) when you’re watching it on slow-motion from eight different angles.

“Everybody loves a huge hit. Then as soon as a huge hit happens, they say, ‘Let’s crucify this guy.’ ”

Burns, however, is unable to provide solutions for a safer sport.

“You don’t want to live with it, but what are you going to do?” he says. “It’s a hard thing. That’s why it’s not fixed. How do you fix it?”



Calgary Flames centre Mikael Backlund centring top line against Sharks

By RANDY SPORTAK ,Calgary Sun

First posted: Friday, October 18, 2013 08:07 PM MDT | Updated: Friday, October 18, 2013 09:26 PM MDT

SAN JOSE — There aren’t many instances in which Mikael Backlund would be deemed as the grizzled veteran.

Yet, Backlund — at age 24 — is a greybeard compared to all the other Calgary Flames centres.

As the Flames ready to face the San Jose Sharks Saturday night (8 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet FAN960), Backlund has suited up in 176 NHL games. Joe Colborne is next on the list with 21 games, followed by Ben Street with 12 and Sean Monahan’s six.

“Gee, I hadn’t thought of that. I guess that’s true,” Backlund said.

By comparison, the Sharks four centres (Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Andrew Desjardins) have a combined for nearly 2,000 games, plus natural centre Patrick Marleau and his nearly 1,200 games is playing on the wing.

That calibre of opposition means Backlund will be heavily relied upon against the Sharks, even moreso now that he’s been put on a line with Curtis Glencross and Lee Stempniak, based on Friday’s practice.

“It’s just a matter of shuffling the deck a little bit,” head coach Bob Hartley said.

“Sometimes a little challenge here and there can light up a switch. They can suddenly say, “I can do this and I can be a better player.’ ”

Backlund, who has collected one goal and three points in a half-dozen outings this season, is coming off probably his best game of the season. Even though he was held off the scoresheet, Backlund was as visible as he’s ever been during Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

“I’m trying to step it up. I felt I took a step last game, played a little better and created some more chances and I’ll keep working on it, find the way I played last year. I’m trying to get a bigger role,” he said. “The ice-time won’t change — it’s been lots, and that’s been fun. The guys I’ve been playing with are good, but those are two top wingers. It’ll be fun to play with those guys, Glennie is a pure goal-scorer with a good shot, and Lee has such good wheels.”

That’s not the lone change in the club’s lines. Street, who had been on the top trio, was skating on the fourth line between Tim Jackman and Brian McGrattan, while Colborne moved up to a line with Lance Bouma and TJ Galiardi.

“I felt it was time to increase his role,” Hartley said of Colborne. “There’s no doubt in my mind with his skills, size, this kid can play in the NHL. He just has to get another gear to his intensity, and that’s part of my job.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Calgary Flames Notes: Tim Jackman says penalty no butt-end



SAN JOSE — Tim Jackman is adamant he didn’t butt-end Anaheim Ducks defenceman Sami Vatanen last game.

The Calgary Flames forward was given a major penalty and game misconduct in the first period of Wednesday’s 3-2 loss in Anaheim, but won’t receive any supplemental discipline and is expecting to suit up Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

“I just gave him a shot. I wish I wouldn’t have, but it wasn’t a butt-end,” Jackman said after Friday’s practice. “I got to the locker room and ... all I was thinking was, ‘Please don’t score. Please kill this off.’ We got a shorthanded goal, which was huge, and we killed it off, but you don’t want to do those things that put your team down.

“My emotions got the best of me. We were down 2-0 and I was trying to spark something, get out there and do something, but sometimes less is more and that was the case in that instance.”

Head coach Bob Hartley accepted Jackman’s side of the story and will keep him in the lineup.

“He wants to contribute to this team, and in Anaheim he caught himself trying to do too much. I told him to bring his energy and show poise,” Hartley said.

In fact, other than turning to Karri Ramo in net, Hartley has no plans to make any roster changes, and that includes again dressing defenceman Chris Butler, who had a couple of glaring giveaways in the first period against the Ducks, one which resulted in a goal.

“It’s already three goals we’ve given since the start of the year on backhand giveaways,” Hartley said. “There’s a reason why Tiger Woods drives off his forehand. That’s why he’s rich. Have you ever seen Tiger Woods drive with his backhand?”

Ice chips

D Shane O’Brien left Friday’s practice after being hit in the ear by a deflected puck during a drill but after being stitched up, is expected to be fine for the Sharks game … Speaking of stitches, C Ben Street is sporting a whack of them after being cut above the eye in Anaheim — a cut he can’t tell whether it came from his visor or pressure upon impact when he was tripped up and crashed into the boards. “(Athletic therapist Schad Richea) was standing there and he thought they put 17 in. I don’t know. That’s just a rumour and it sounds cool,” Street said. “It didn’t feel like anything more than usual, but my visor filled up with blood pretty quickly and I couldn’t see.”



Karri Ramo gets call as Calgary Flames face San Jose Sharks



SAN JOSE — Throughout training camp, Karri Ramo earned the right to be the Calgary Flames starting goalie in the season-opener.

It’s a title he held for about three hours.

After more than two weeks serving as the caddy while Joey MacDonald played the last five games, Ramo will finally get another crack when the Flames face the San Jose Sharks Saturday night (8 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet FAN960).

“Mac gave us a good run,” head coach Bob Hartley said after Friday’s practice at the Sharks practice facility. “Karri’s always working hard and he deserves a start. It’s nothing against what Mac gave us, but we feel we have two goalies capable of winning us some games, so it’s Karri’s turn.”

Talk about being thrown into a tough spot.

The Sharks have been piling up the goals, having netted 33 in seven games while compiling a 6-0-1 record that has them atop the Pacific Division.

“Last time I played, it was the same thing,” Ramo said, noting the Washington Capitals team he faced is known for scoring in bunches. “I think we’re confident. We just have to keep on playing our game, do the things we need to do. We can play against them, no question about it.”

The question is what do the Flames have in Ramo?

The 27-year-old netminder from Finland who spent parts of three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the last four years with Omsk Avangard of the KHL, is likely the best bet to be the club’s No.-1 goalie for the next couple of years, but he must prove he can take that torch.

His lone game this season was a 5-4 shootout loss to the Capitals, a game in which the Flames had a 4-1 lead at the midway point.

Not that Ramo could be totally faulted for the lead slipping away — Alex Ovechkin put on a dominating show for the Caps — but No.-1 goalies find a way to come up with the big save when it’s needed most.

Then, MacDonald made the most of his chance and the team went on a bit of a roll.

“I don’t like to have goalies not playing for a long time,” Hartley said. “The good thing about Karri is the way that he works. He’s always one of the first guys at the rink in the morning, in the gym, on the ice. He always works with Clint (Malarchuk, the goalie coach) before practice, does practice, stays on the ice after. He’s ready. There’s two goalies, and whenever you get the call, be ready.”

The only other time Ramo faced the Sharks was in the same building and the result wasn’t pretty — a 7-1 loss for the Lightning in the middle of the 2008-09 season. Therefore, Saturday’s game is a chance to not only erase that game but also start becoming the No.-1 goalie the Flames believed they had acquired when they got him in the trade with the Montreal Canadiens that sent Rene Bourque to the Habs and also brought Michael Cammalleri to Calgary.

“Every time you step on the ice, it’s a chance to prove yourself,” Ramo said. “I’m sure they’re going to put a lot of pressure on the goalie and a lot of pressure on our defence.”


722196 Carolina Hurricanes

Faulk, Sekera become Canes’ stoppers

Published: October 18, 2013 Updated 10 hours ago

By Chip Alexander — [email protected]

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — It’s turning into quite a work week for Carolina Hurricanes defensemen Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera.

Or in their case, just another week.

On Tuesday, Faulk and Sekera often were on the ice with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks at PNC Arena. On Thursday, it often was Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.

The Canes continue their road trip Saturday against the New York Islanders. For Faulk and Sekera, that could mean a big dose of John Tavares and Kyle Okposo at Nassau Coliseum.

“If you had asked me my rookie year if I thought I’d be playing against the top lines in the NHL, I’d probably have told you there’s not a chance,” said Faulk, in his third NHL season. “But I like it. Why not?”

Faulk and Sekera have become the Canes’ top defensive pairing. They’re logging major minutes, on the ice at key moments of games and also contributing on the power play and penalty kill.

“They’re in sync,” Canes coach Kirk Muller said. “As a pair they’ve been very effective.”

In a way, it’s an odd coupling. Faulk is a Minnesota kid, just 21 and a former Canes draft pick. Sekera is 27, from Slovakia, a newcomer to the Canes who was obtained this year in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres.

But the two apparently hit it off from the start.

“We went out to lunch that first day he got in to Raleigh, just sat and talked for a little bit,” Faulk said.

The talking has continued on the ice, where communication between defensemen is critical in proper positioning, in being able to pass the puck and clearing it out of the defensive zone.

“I think we read off each other well,” Faulk said. “From day one we were kind of able to pick up on how each other likes to play. There’s a lot of talk and help out there for each other, just making the short passes to each other in the D zone and getting it out.

“It’s sometimes tough to explain. You put two people together and sometimes it just works.”

Sekera said a big reason it has worked so well is that Faulk is a “smart hockey player” with few weaknesses.

“He skates well, passes the puck well, shoots well,” he said. “I think he does everything pretty well.”

Sekera smiled, adding, “I’m just trying to not be in his way when he has the puck and try to support him.”

That’s being modest. And Faulk is quick to return the praise for his defensive partner, a former Slovakian Olympian who is among the league leaders in blocked shots with 18.

“He’s a very smart player who can see the game and read the game well in all situations,” Faulk said. “He’s one of the best players I’ve seen in keeping pucks in along the boards in the offensive zone, pinching down that left side and beating his winger to keep it in. I don’t think there’s anything he does poorly.”

In the Canes’ 3-2 comeback win Thursday over the Leafs in Toronto, both Faulk and Sekera played about 25 minutes. Both spent more than four minutes killing penalties, thwarting a team that was second in the NHL on the power play.

“They want it, so we’re giving it to them,” Muller said.

Faulk and Sekera were on the ice Thursday when the Leafs’ Joffrey Lupul and Josh Leivo scored – Lupul on a scramble in front of Canes goalie Cam Ward and Leivo off the rush.

But in the final minutes of regulation, with the Leafs employing a sixth attacker and looking to tie the score, Muller turned to Faulk and Sekera.

“It’s nice being able to play in all situations,” Faulk said. “When I’m out there in the last minutes of the game, it’s something I take pride in. It’s a role I like being in.”

While the Blackhawks won Tuesday’s game 3-2 in a shootout, neither Kane nor Toews factored in the scoring. Neither did Kessel, Bozak nor Mason Raymond on Thursday.

Not all of that was Faulk’s and Sekera’s doing, but their work has been a big part of the Canes (3-2-3) – second in the Metropolitan Division – picking up three of four points in the past two games.

Tavares and Okposo each had a goal and assist Thursday as the Islanders (3-2-2) topped the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. They can be tough to handle. For Faulk and Sekera, they’re next.

News Observer LOADED: 10.19.2013


'Crazy ending' overshadows Murphy's first

Posted by Chip Alexander on October 18, 2013

Generally overlooked in all the commotion Thursday night over the Canes’ winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs was the Canes’ first goal against the Leafs.

Had the game not been decided on the goaltending gaffe by the Leafs’ Jonathan Bernier, the biggest storyline likely would have been the Canes’ Ryan Murphy coming back to Toronto, filling the stands with family and friends, then thrilling them with his first NHL goal.

With the Canes trailing 2-0 in the third, the defenseman took a pass from Jeff Skinner at the left point on the power play and winged a shot toward the net. The puck caught the stick of the Leafs’ Dave Bolland in the slot and got past Bernier. Just like that, Murphy had his first.

“It was pretty cool,” Murphy said. “I would have liked to do it on the rush a couple of moments earlier but nonetheless it’s a moment I’ll remember forever. It was a great pass by Skinner. I’ll take it.”

Murphy, Skinner and rookie Elias Lindholm often hang out together. They’re all former first-round draft pick who can relate to what’s expected of them, and Skinner and Murphy were former Kitchener Rangers teammates.

It’s perhaps fitting that Skinner, the 2011 Calder Trophy winner, now has the primary assist on both Lindholm’s and Murphy’s first NHL goals this season. Lindholm scored his against the Washington Capitals last week as Murphy had the second helper on the goal.

But Lindholm was thousands of miles away from his Swedish home. Murphy is an Aurora, Ont., native who attended many Leafs games with his father and brother. On Thursday, he had a big group on hand to see him play his first NHL game at Air Canada Centre.

“I think a quarter of the stadium was friends and family,” Murphy joked. “There are a lot of people who came out and are happy I got that first one out of the way in Toronto.”

And happy the Canes won. Eric Staal followed up Murphy’s goal by tying the score and the Canes won it on the bizarre Bernier blunder, the puck bouncing off the boards and off his skate and into the net.

“We’re a resilient group with good leadership and everybody was staying positive on the bench,” Murphy said. “It was a crazy ending but we’ll take it.”



Canes @ Leafs

Posted by Chip Alexander on October 18, 2013 Updated 23 hours ago

The Leafs have gotten second-period goals from Joffrey Lupul and rookie forward Josh Leivo and have a 2-0 lead in a game that had a startling start.

Leafs goalie James Reimer was injured 32 seconds into the first. Reimer was reaching with his stick for a rebound after a Jordan Staal shot when he was hit by Leivo, who accidently tumbled over the fallen goaltender.

Reimer, coming off a 36-save game in a 4-1 win over Minnesota, was down on his knees for several moments as he was being treated. Jonathan Bernier had to quickly come on in relief as Reimer was helped off the ice, and made a stop on an Eric Staal shot soon after taking over in net.

Cam Ward was in goal for the Canes and made perhaps his most spectacular save of the season, thwarting Mason Raymond on a shorthanded one-timer. Ward stuck out his right pad for the stop with 7:21 left in the first -- one of 12 saves in the first period.

In the second, Lupul was able to score after a scrum in front of the net. With Ward sprawled, Lupul chipped the puck into the net for his sixth of the season and a 1-0 lead.

Leivo, likely fueled with added motivation after hurting Reimer, then scored the first goal of his NHL career. On a two-on-one rush, Leivo beat Ward to the short side with a rising shot for a 2-0 lead sith 13:13 left in the period.

The Canes had a chance to take the lead early in the second when Eric Staal and Tuomo Ruutu had a two-on-one rush. But Ruutu couldn’t control Staal’s pass and get enough stick on the puck.

A minute later, Jordan Staal had a breakaway but couldn’t convert -- another opportunity squandered by the Canes.

The Leafs came into the game second in the NHL on the power play, having scored on 9 of 27 this season. The Leafs had three in the opening period but some aggressive penalty killing by the Canes limited Toronto to two shots on goal, and Carolina killed off another penalty in the second.

The Canes had two first-period power plays and managed four of their 10 shots in the period. The Canes had a 24-18 shooting edge after two periods.


722199 Chicago Blackhawks

Bolland expects joyous return no matter the outcome

Center will face Hawks for 1st time Saturday since scoring winning goal for them in Stanley Cup Final

By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter

October 19, 2013

A lot has changed for Dave Bolland since he capped the most famous 17 seconds in Blackhawks history.

The veteran center is playing in his hometown of Toronto with the No. 63 on the back of his sweater, he's thinking more offensively and he has an additional role: father.

On Saturday night, Bolland will return to the United Center for the first time since being dealt to the Maple Leafs less than a week after scoring the winning goal for the Hawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Bruins.

"The emotions will be pretty high when I walk into that building like I did for the last seven or eight years," Bolland told the Tribune. "Coming in as a visitor will be a little different and hearing the national anthem will be a different as well from the visitors' side. It will be great coming back to see the fans and to have some fun."

It will be a happy and content Bolland who will take the ice in the arena with Leafs teammates. While the trade was a bit shocking, there is no lingering bitterness as the Mimico, Ontario, native was grateful to be dealt to his hometown team.

"It's always difficult but we all know it's a business," said Bolland, who was traded for three draft picks. "Things like this happen and they make decisions due to cap space and everything that goes on. It was a little hard leaving but coming back home and joining the Leafs is fun.

"It was great to hear when (Hawks general manager Stan Bowman) called me and said I was going to Toronto," Bolland added. "When you're growing up watching a team and you don't live too far from the rink it's always nice."

The fit with the Leafs has been seamless and Bolland's game — and the team's — is flourishing. Known mostly as a defensive center with the ability to score in key situations, Bolland is finding another level offensively. Through eight games with the Leafs, he has three goals and three assists while leading his team to a sparkling 6-2-0 record.

"I'm adding a little offense to my game," said Bolland, who credits Leafs coach Randy Carlyle with helping in the transition. "We have a lot of great players and it all goes well with guys like (Nazem) Kadri and (Tyler) Bozak and (Phil) Kessel and others who have been around. It has been great."

While scoring goals has been nice, Bolland remains committed to being the shutdown defender he was for the Hawks after being selected in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2004 NHL draft. His pesky defensive play was instrumental during Hawks runs to the Stanley Cup in 2010 and '13.

That is why Bolland, who was well-liked by his former teammates with whom he still keeps in touch regularly, is relishing an opportunity to skate against them Saturday night — in particular, captain Jonathan Toews.

"For sure," Bolland said with a chuckle. "It will be fun if I'm lined up against 'Tazer' to shut him down. I know a little about his game."

Hearing Bolland's words brought a smile to Toews, the player they call Captain Serious.

"We'll see about that," Toews said. "They don't call him 'The Rat' for nothing. I know all his tricks, too, so it goes both ways."

Toews then got, well, serious about Bolland.

"He's a great guy," Toews said. "One of those guys I sat next to in the locker room and it definitely feels like you're missing something as he had been around for (seven) years. All of a sudden, he's on a different team.

"To win two Stanley Cups with him and be a close friend and teammate for a long time, you want to see him do well. He's one of those guys you always keep in touch with and you look forward to playing against too."

His former teammates also will see a more grounded Bolland, who became a first-time father Aug. 19 with the birth of his daughter, Lincoln Julia Bolland.

"I'm the same Dave Bolland, but when you have a baby girl you look at the bigger things in life now and you change things up," Bolland said. "It has been great taking care of her. Instead of maybe going out for a beer with some of the guys you're in at night and you're taking care of the baby and changing diapers."

There will be no diapers changed Saturday for Bolland when he plays for the Leafs in front of the fans who used to roar during a pregame video when he proclaimed "I stand for the die-hards in the 300 level."

"Playing (in Chicago) with the national anthem through all the playoff games and all the big games we played in that rink against Vancouver and all, the fans were always great," Bolland said. "It was always awesome coming to the rink every game and playing for them."

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2013


Saturday's matchup: Maple Leafs at Blackhawks

TV/radio: 6 p.m. Saturday; WGN-Ch. 9, WGN-AM 720.

Series: First meeting.

Last meeting: Hawks won 5-4 on Feb. 29, 2012 at the United Center.

Probable goaltenders: Maple Leafs, Jonathan Bernier, 4-2-0, 1.98 goals-against average; Hawks, Corey Crawford, 3-1-2, 2.25.

Team comparison

Averages per game (NHL rank)

LEAFS(6-2-0) CATEGORY HAWKS (4-1-2)

3.50 (6) Goals for 2.71 (16)

2.38 (10) Goals against 2.29 (7)

29.0 (3) Power-play pct. 18.5 (16)

87.1 (4) Penalty-kill pct. 71.4 (28)

Statistics through Tuesday.

Storyline: The Hawks will look to rebound after having their three-game winning streak snapped during a 3-2 shootout loss to the Blues on Thursday night. After a slow start, veteran winger Marian Hossa is heating up with goals in the last two games. Joffrey Lupul leads the Leafs, who have won three of their last four, in scoring with six goals and three assists.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2013


Hawks shuffle lines, split up Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane

BY MARK LAZERUS Staff Reporter October 18, 2013 8:42PM

Updated: October 19, 2013 2:13AM

After watching the Blackhawks score three goals or fewer in six consecutive games and fail to score in the third period in any of them, coach Joel Quenneville shook up his lines Friday.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who have been playing

together on the top line since the Stanley Cup Final, will be spread over the top two lines — Toews with Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa, Kane with Patrick Sharp and Michal Handzus.

‘‘It gives the other team a lot to be concerned with,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘Who do you want to check?’’

The third line was Marcus Kruger centering Bryan Bickell and Andrew Shaw, and the fourth line was Brandon Pirri centering Brandon Bollig and Joakim Nordstrom.

‘‘Last game, we were a little

flat, it seemed,’’ Saad said. ‘‘Shaking things up might help.’’

After a shootout loss Thursday to the St. Louis Blues, in which the Hawks generated very little offense (and no goals) in the second and third periods, Quenne-

ville said, ‘‘I don’t like coaching offense.’’ He clarified that Friday, saying he doesn’t want to limit his players’ creative freedom with the talent they have.

‘‘Let them go play,’’ he said. ‘‘That freedom offensively is tough to defend, knowing the opposition doesn’t really know what you’re doing if [they’re] just going on instincts.’’

As for the Hawks themselves, they think it’s only a matter of time before the goals come.

‘‘We don’t see it as a problem,’’ Toews said. ‘‘We’ve got a lot of talent in this locker room, so nothing’s going to change.’’

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.19.2013


Blackhawks geared up for Dave Bolland’s return to United Center

BY MARK LAZERUS Staff Reporter October 18, 2013 8:42PM

Updated: October 19, 2013 2:13AM

The rib-cage nudges, the sneaky stick swats, the hard work and harsh words in the corners — there’s nothing Dave Bolland can throw at the Blackhawks that they haven’t seen, either as teammates during games or as competitors during practices.

‘‘His tricks are not going to work against us,’’ winger Patrick Sharp said. ‘‘We’ve seen them far too many times.’’

Heck, winger Bryan Bickell, who was drafted by the Hawks with Bolland in the second round in 2004, went so far as to suggest Bolland might tone down his act against his old buddies when he makes his return Saturday to the United Center with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Don’t count on it.

‘‘I’m not going to run them from behind, but we’re going to play a hard game,’’ Bolland said Friday in Toronto. ‘‘You leave it on the ice. You’re enemies on the ice. But when you’re off the ice, you’re best friends.’’

The Hawks have played former teammates before. It happened all the time in 2010-11, after half the roster was jettisoned. But after six years and two Stanley Cups, it’ll be different to see Bolland in blue. Bolland was the first member of the vaunted Hawks ‘‘core’’ to leave, traded during the NHL draft, just six days after he scored the Cup-winning goal against the Boston Bruins to cap the most dizzying 17 seconds in hockey history.

As a native of the Toronto area, Bolland said the home opener Oct. 5 was the game he had circled on his calendar. But his return to his second home of Chicago was next on the list.

‘‘It’ll be a little bit of a novelty to go against Toews and Kane and Duncs and Sharpie and Seabs — some of the guys I’ve gotten pretty close with when I was there,’’ Bolland said. ‘‘It’ll be pretty funny lining up against them and going in the corners.’’

Up until his playoff heroics, Bolland had a disappointing final season with the Hawks. He battled injuries and had only seven goals and seven assists in 35 games, struggling with the transition from checking-line center to second-line center and eventually losing that job to Michal Handzus. But Bolland has picked up with the Maple Leafs where he left off against the Bruins, scoring three goals — two of them game-winners — and notching three assists in eight games as the Leafs have gotten off to a 6-2-0 start.

Coach Joel Quenneville said Bolland’s offensive ability was always underrated, but Bolland made his living as a shutdown center, stifling, suffocating and often enraging opposing teams’ top lines. Through his perennially strong playoff performances, particularly his heated (and often insult-laden) battles with the Vancouver Canucks’ Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Bolland very much earned his nickname: the Rat.

‘‘He was always a guy that got underneath the other team’s best player’s skin, and he was pretty effective at it,’’ winger Patrick Kane said. ‘‘That’s always what you remember about him, him doing that on the ice — and kind of getting away with it, too.’’

The question remains: Will he be able to do it Saturday against those who know him best? It should be fun to find out.

‘‘They don’t call him the Rat for nothing, but I know all his tricks,’’ center Jonathan Toews said with a smile. ‘‘It goes both ways.’’

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.19.2013


Quenneville shakes up Hawks' lines

By Tim Sassone

As he hinted he might do following Thursday's loss to St. Louis in a shootout, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville shook up his lines Friday at practice as a way to help jump-start a stagnant offense.

The Hawks haven't scored a goal in six straight third periods.

Quenneville split up Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The captain will center for Marian Hossa and Brandon Saad on Saturday against Toronto at the United Center.

Kane will skate on the second line with Michal Handzus and Patrick Sharp, while Bryan Bickell was dropped to the third line with center Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw.

Brandon Pirri centers the fourth line for Brandon Bollig and Joakim Nordstrom.

"I'm a little bit more comfortable with the lines today," Quenneville said Friday. "We had a lot of success with that top line coming out of the playoffs and we started like that. We feel we have more balance with the way we looked today."

Quenneville has never been afraid to split up Toews and Kane.

"It gives the other team a lot to be concerned with as far as who you want to check, who you want to play who against," Quenneville said. "We've still got some threats on other lines when they're together, but at the same time I feel like productivity should be shared across the board."

Toews has started slowly with 2 goals and 2 assists in seven games. Bickell is still looking for his first goal.

"We don't see (offense) as a problem," Toews said. "We've got a lot of talent in this locker room. Scoring just comes from confidence. Changing things up a little bit, we've always done that in the past. That's nothing new."

Hossa missed practice Friday with a maintenance day, but Quenneville expects him to face the Maple Leafs.

Another missing puck?

Dave Bolland claims not to have the puck from Boston in Game 6 when he scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in the final minute for the Hawks.

"I don't know if I do — come to think of it, I don't think I do," Bolland said. "(At the time), it didn't seem important. Being in the (celebration) scrum was the most important thing."

The Hawks still don't have the puck from Patrick Kane's overtime goal in 2010 that clinched the Cup in Game 6 against the Flyers.

Bolland allows himself to drift back to that moment every now and then.

"For sure, you do go back, drift back, whatever you want to call it," he said. "You can't get away from it. You see video clips and highlights on TV, which is cool. You see that and you almost put yourself back to that time, back to that moment. It's a great memory."

Rat moment:

Patrick Kane was asked to recall his favorite memory of Dave Bolland other than the goal in Boston.

"Probably the thing with the Sedins as far as what he called them on the radio," Kane said. "He was always effective getting under their skin. That's what I remember him doing on the ice."

Bolland called them the Sedin "sisters" during a radio interview and later apologized.

A reminder:

Saturday's game against Toronto starts an hour earlier at 6 p.m. for Hockey Night in Canada.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 10.19.2013


Bolland, Hawks ready for a memorable return

By Tim Sassone

The Rat is back.

Dave Bolland, who had a significant hand in the Blackhawks' two Stanley Cup titles, returns to the United Center on Saturday for the first time since he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Blackhawks game day

Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs at the United Center, 6 p.m. Saturday

TV: Channel 9

Radio: WGN-AM 720

The skinny: The Maple Leafs are 6-2 and tied for first place with Detroit in the Atlantic Division despite losing 3-2 to Carolina on Thursday. Goalie James Reimer (neck) and winger James van Riemsdyk (back spasms) are questionable. Jonathan Bernier is expected to start in goal against Corey Crawford. The Maple Leafs are still without suspended forward David Clarkson for two more games.

Next: Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

— Tim Sassone

When Hawks fans last saw Bolland on the ice, he was capping the most memorable 17 seconds in franchise history with the goal that gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Boston's TD Garden.

The Hawks, who entered the final 1:16 trailing 2-1, killed off the game's final 59 seconds to claim their second Stanley Cup in four years.

That was June 24.

Six days later, Bolland was traded for two draft picks.

"I had some kind of idea (that a trade was coming)," Bolland said. "I knew the cap was going down. You know you're not going to likely stick around (one team) for your whole career. That really doesn't happen anymore. That's why I figured that sometime in my career, that was going to happen."

Bolland admits he has been thinking about this game since the schedule came out.

"I played there for eight years," he said. "You've spent your career with that organization. You've spent so much time at that rink. You know all the ins and outs, all the kinks. Yeah, it's been something I've thought about."

While he hasn't thought about the reception he'll get, Bolland was popular here.

"I knew they were on my side when I was there," he said. "But now I'm on the other side. It's a little different. The fans were always good to me and I very much appreciate that.

"I don't know if I'll be nervous. Whatever happens, I'll go with it and have fun with it."

When he was with the Hawks, Bolland always drew the toughest defensive assignment. If that's the case Saturday, he can expect to see a lot of Jonathan Toews.

"Hey, me and him always went at it in practice, too," Bolland said. "Tazer knows the style I play and what I like to do so we'll have some fun on the ice and it'll be competitive. You'll always be good friends no matter what happens."

Toews said he is ready for the challenge of facing Bolland, who will try to shut down the Hawks' captain.

"We'll see about that," Toews said. "They don't call him the Rat for nothing. I know all his tricks, too, so it goes both ways."

Toews said Bolland is missed in the dressing room.

"He's a great guy, one of those guys you sat next to in the locker room; it definitely feels like you're missing something there when he's been around for six years and all of a sudden he's on a different team," Toews said. "To win two Stanley Cups with him and be a close friend and teammate for a long time, he's one of those guys you want to keep in touch with."

With the Hawks' third and fourth lines in flux, replacing Bolland hasn't been easy.

"He was a big part of our team," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Bolly was one of those players who brought something to the table and come playoff time his game rose to the challenge. You knew he would do well no matter where he ended up. I'm sure he's excited about being home in Toronto and he's done well to start the season."

The Hawks will honor Bolland with a video tribute during the first period. He received his Stanley Cup ring two weeks ago from vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac when the Maple Leafs played in Philadelphia.

"He meant a lot to this team," said Bryan Bickell, who was drafted with Bolland in 2004. "He was a clutch player. Last year he had a slow start, but come playoffs he definitely picked it up. Through all the injuries he's been through, he's battled through and always found a way to bring out his best."

Bolland has flipped the 3 and 6 to form No. 63 with the Maple Leafs.

"I'm not really sure what to expect," Patrick Kane said. "You know what kind of player he is; he's going to try to get underneath your skin and do that to you. I think we've known him well enough here that you can't let that happen."

Bickell isn't sure how Bolland will react going against guys he went to war with so many times over six seasons.

"He might be himself, but he's got a lot of friends in here," Bickell said. "I don't want to say he's going to go easy, but he's going to play a good game. He's not going to stir it up or anything. He's going to play his shifts.

"It's kind of funny to see him in a Leafs uniform. Coming from that area you always wanted to play hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a lifelong dream to play for that team. I'm sure it's going to be emotional for him."

In his six years with the Hawks, Bolland had 17 goals and 26 assists in the playoffs, but no goal was bigger than the last one.

"That goal he scored in Boston has got to be right up there (in importance in franchise history)," Kane said. "That's a great moment, from Bickell's goal to his goal, where you think you're going to go back for Game 7, and then you tie it up and think you're going to overtime and he scores and wins you the Stanley Cup."

The way Bolland played for the Hawks even impressed the opposition.

"He's a dangerous guy because he's patient," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. "If you fall asleep with the puck he just burns you every time.

"He's a guy for me — he's a player. He's got hockey intelligence and he has this awareness that when you make careless mistakes he's got enough ability to make you pay for it. That's what he did in the playoffs both years that they won. He's a tough guy to play against because he doesn't overwhelm you with anything other than his hockey sense and smarts."

Bolland still stays connected with some Hawks.

"I still text with some of the guys and stay in touch: Toews and Kane and (Duncan) Keith, guys like that," Bolland said. "When you are on a winning team and you are together for that long, going through two Stanley Cups, I don't think any of us will ever break apart from one another. You win as a team and you are always along on that same path."

There's no animosity between Bolland and the organization that traded him.

"Oh, no," he said. "They've proven they're the top organization in the league. They're up there with the Leafs. With guys like Stan Bowman and Rocky (Wirtz) and John (McDonough) and Al and the rest of them, they're all class acts.

"They took care of me when I was there. Everyone was great to me. It was fun. I had some great times."

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 10.19.2013


Rockford IceHogs hold off Chicago Wolves

October 18, 2013, 11:30 pm

CSN Staff

By Evan F. Moore

ROSEMONT, IL -- After splitting the last two games with the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, the Rockford IceHogs got back on track with 5-3 victory over the Chicago Wolves at All State Arena Friday night.

55 seconds in, left winger Terry Broadhurst got the IceHogs on the board first with a top-shelf blast. He was assisted by Jimmy Hayes and Adam Clendening.

Broadhurst said he made eye contact with right winger Jimmy Hayes when he went behind the net.

“Jimmy Hayes was wheeling down the right side with a lot of speed,” Broadhurst said. “I saw him go behind the net. I kind of made eye contact. He made a hell of a pass and it went in.”

Left winger Jeremy Morin scored the second goal of the first period. 2013 Hobey Baker winner Drew LeBlanc and Viktor Svedberg assisted. It was Morin’s second goal of the season.

The IceHogs outshot the Wolves 14-3 in the first period.

As much as the IceHogs had control of the first period, the Wolves got back into the game with a strong second period.

Right winger Tyler Shattock helped the Wolves get on the board with his first goal of the season. He was assisted by Evan Oberg, who stole the puck in the neutral zone.

The Wolves cut the lead down to one with a shorthanded goal by Alexander Bolduc. Oberg assisted.

Even though the Wolves were outshot by a 2-1 margin halfway through the third period, they found a way to get back into the game. Blue liner Oberg tied it up with a power play goal with 2:36 left. He was assisted by Chris Porter.

IceHogs defenseman Klas Dahlbeck put the IceHogs up for good with a slap shot from left of the point. He says he has been working on his shot this season.

“I got some good chances. I’m trying to shoot a little bit more,” Dahlbeck said. “I don’t know who made the pass. I think he tried to hit somebody in the middle. It went by their guy and our guy. I can just slide into it.”

Dahlbeck was assisted by Brad Winchester and Jeremy Morin.

The IceHogs and Wolves combined for 10 penalties. The IceHogs went 0 for 6 on the power play.

Goaltender Kent Simpson made 19 saves for the IceHogs.

IceHogs coach Ted Dent told the team to keep their energy up even though they were up three goals after the first period.

“We talked about a few things we can get better at. We talked about our energy,” Dent said. “We like that we got a lot of pucks at the net and we like the fact we didn’t take a penalty in the first period.”

Dent also discussed what he told the team when Chicago tied up the game late in the third period.

“We knew that they were going to come out much harder in the second. It was a little disappointing after having a 3-0 lead,” Dent said. “There’s nothing we could do about it just keep plugging away and stick with the program.”

Mark McNeill, a former first-round draft pick of the Blackhawks added an empty goal late in the third period. He was assisted by Terry Broadhurst.

The season opener for the Ice Hogs (3-2) is Saturday night against the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2013


Hawks won't fall for Bolland's tricks at the UC

October 18, 2013, 3:00 pm

Tracey Myers

Soon, he shall return. Dave Bolland, "The Rat," the former Chicago Blackhawks center who made his name with checking top scorers as well as irritating them to no end. As part of two Stanley Cup teams, Bolland was part of the Blackhawks’ core, that sandpapery, pain-in-the-butt that the team embraced.

So, figure he’ll be turning the tables on his old teammates and trying to get under the Blackhawks’ skin?

“Nope, not at all,” Patrick Sharp said. “His tricks aren’t going to work against us. We’ve seen them far too many times.”

Jonathan Toews agreed.

“They don’t call him 'The Rat' for nothing,” he said. “But I know all his tricks, too.”

All kidding aside, but there’s probably a bit of Bolland that will try to antagonize the Blackhawks when his current team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, come to the United Center tomorrow night. It’s what he does: aggravate, instigate, irritate. So while the Blackhawks doubt Bolland will do anything to unnerve them, they’ll be sure to stay out of the, um, Rat trap.

“He’s going to do what he has to do. That’s his job. That’s what makes him such a great player in this league,” said Andrew Shaw, who was a linemate of Bolland’s many times. “He’s great offensively and defensively, and we have to counter that and be physical on him.”

Bolland is off to a very nice start with the Leafs, as he’s posted three goals and three assists in his first eight games. He couldn’t have ended his final game with the Blackhawks any better, scoring that game-winning goal to secure the team’s second Stanley Cup in four seasons. Like several players after the 2010 Cup final, Bolland was a casualty of the salary cap, traded to the Leafs on June 30 for draft picks. Bolland was a fan favorite here, and the Blackhawks anticipate he’ll get a warm reception tomorrow night. The Blackhawks will do the same – off the ice.

“He’s one of those guys you sat next to in the room and it definitely feels like you’re missing something there when he was around for five or six years and all of a sudden he’s on a different team,” Toews said. “To win two Cups with him, I want to see him do well. We’ll always keep in touch with him, and you look forward to playing against him, too.”

It’s going to be strange seeing Bolland in a different uniform, for fans and the Blackhawks alike. The pleasantries will end as soon as the game begins. Still, the Blackhawks doubt Bolland will extol his rat-like behavior on his old teammates.

“I don’t think he’ll be like he’s playing Vancouver. He’s just going to play hockey. I don’t think he has any bones to pick against any of the team,” Bryan Bickell said. “It’s going to be a special game for him, being (against) the team that drafted him, that he won two Cups with. There are a lot of friendships between he and the team.”

Tracey Myers



Hawks make line changes to shake out of funk

October 18, 2013, 2:30 pm

Tracey Myers

The Chicago Blackhawks trotted out their shuffled lines at Friday’s practice, with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane split, Brandon Saad on the top line and Bryan Bickell on the third.

Hey, not like they’re getting massive scoring with their current combos.

The Blackhawks are looking for a way to shake out of their barely scoring slumber as they prepare to host the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night at the United Center. For all the firepower the Blackhawks possess, they have been shooting blanks more often than not. Two goals per game seems to be their current trend, and they want to shake out of it, fast. So line changes, there will be.

“We’re more comfortable with the lines today than we have been to start the season,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’ve had success with the top line coming out of the playoffs. But we feel we have more balance in the look today.”

Quenneville said Marian Hossa, who was just taking Friday off, will be on the top line with Toews and Saad tomorrow night. Patrick Kane was with Michal Handzus and Patrick Sharp on the second line while Bickell joined Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw on the third. Brandon Pirri anchored the fourth line with Brandon Bollig and Joakim Nordstrom.

It’s worth a look if it breaks the Blackhawks out of their offensive doldrums.

“We’re just trying to find the chemistry, the finish we need on each line,” Shaw said. “Everyone can play with everyone on this team, that’s what’s so great about it. But we just have to see what fits best right now.”

Captain Jonathan Toews isn’t overly concerned about the current scoring issues.

“My answer’s not different than the last time we talked about it. We have a lot of talent in this room, so nothing’s going to change here,” he said. “Scoring comes from confidence, when you’re getting the results you want and seeing the puck go in. When you score a goal, you definitely feel the energy, play loose. When that happens more naturally, the rest of the game will come along, too.”

The Blackhawks haven’t been in this situation for a while. Outside of the power play, the Blackhawks pretty much had everything working at top speed last season, including capitalizing on their prime goal opportunities. But it’s a different year, a few different working parts and so adjustments have to be made.

“We’re generating a few chances some games and we’re not able to capitalize. Maybe we just need a couple to get rolling,” Patrick Sharp said. “I don’t doubt our ability to score goals. I think the most important thing is how we pay 5 on 5 and keep them out of our net. For the most part we’ve done well in those areas. The goals will come.”

The Blackhawks will tinker, shuffle, switch and alter as need be. The talent is there and, for the most part, the shots have been, too. The Blackhawks will keep looking for solutions until their offense is running at top speed again.

“I think we’re happy with our end result with the record right now. But offensively, we’re not nearly where we need to be,” Bryan Bickell said. “We need to put 60 minutes together to have that. We stirred up the lines today to try and get some sparks with different players. Hopefully that works.”



Kostka could be in lineup against former teammates

October 18, 2013, 2:15 pm

Tracey Myers

Mike Kostka will probably be in the Chicago Blackhawks’ lineup tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, going against some old teammates once again.

“When you’ve played with as many teams as I have, you have a lot of friends in a lot of places,” Kostka said about the Leafs, with whom he played last season. “It’s nice to go out against two or three friends or maybe a whole team of friends.”

Kostka “could” be in the lineup tomorrow, coach Joel Quenneville said. In the coach’s lingo, that usually means a guy’s starting, so Kostka is likely getting into his second game of the season.

So another reunion, it will be. Kostka’s first came against the Tampa Bay Lighting, which included many of his former Norfolk Admirals teammates from that 2011-12 Calder Trophy-winning team.

“You always enjoy going against old friends and teammates and try to stick it to them,” he said.

With eight defensemen on the roster, Kostka has had to play the waiting game in his short time with the Blackhawks. He, Sheldon Brookbank and Michal Rozsival, who was back at Friday’s practice after missing the last two days with an illness, have rotated in and out of that sixth defenseman’s spot. But for Kostka, it’s just about being patient and staying sharp.

“Q runs a really quick, sharp practice. When we’re not playing we’re staying on top of our fitness,” he said. “You know what you need to do to be a professional about it and be ready when your name is called.”

PRACTICE UPDATES

Marian Hossa did not practice on Friday but Quenneville said it was just a day off for the Blackhawks right wing. Hossa is expected to play tomorrow night against the Maple Leafs, and Quenneville said he’ll probably be on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad.

Corey Crawford will start tomorrow night against Toronto.


722209 Colorado Avalanche

Avs' Cody McLeod suspended, to meet with NHL about hit vs. Red Wings

By Adrian Dater

The Denver Post

Posted: 10/18/2013 05:51:22 PM MDT

Updated: 10/18/2013 05:52:57 PM MDT

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Avalanche winger Cody McLeod will have an in-person meeting Monday with the NHL in New York regarding his hit against the Detroit Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall on Thursday night, according to a source.

In the meantime, McLeod is suspended pending that hearing and won't play Saturday against Buffalo or Monday against Pittsburgh.

McLeod will meet with NHL director of player safety Brendan Shananan and perhaps other officials before any possible additional discipline is applied.

McLeod, who has never been suspended before, injured Kronwall with a hit from behind into the boards at the Pepsi Center in the first period of Detroit's 4-2 win. Kronwell ended up with a concussion and cuts to his ear.

The Avs are expected to use Marc-Andre Cliche in the lineup in McLeod's absence.

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.19.2013

722210 Colorado Avalanche

Ruslan Provodnikov has fightin' words for Alvarado: "What I say, I do"

By Nick Groke

The Denver Post

Posted: 10/18/2013 12:01:00 AM MDT

Updated: 10/18/2013 10:19:26 AM MDT

ARVADA — For the past two weeks, heavy-hitting Russian boxer Ruslan Provodnikov has set up camp at the Grudge Training Center, a reknowned gym that is home to a cluster of crack MMA fighters.

As part of his routine, Provodnikov trains to a mix tape. The playlist, in order:

1. "Eye of the Tiger" — because he's nicknamed "The Siberian Rocky." Why isn't he named for fellow Russian Ivan Drago from "Rocky IV"? Because, Provodnikov explains, Drago lost.

2. "Call Me Maybe," the sugar-pop mall hit of 2012 by teeny-bopper Carly Rae Jepsen.

3. The theme to the Hitchcock movie "Vertigo."

All of this is somehow terrifying. Provodnikov is no joke. This is the fighter who, in explaining how to beat a technical boxer, wrote on Twitter, "You have to break him morally and physically to win."

Provodnikov (22-2, 15 knockouts) will try to break down Denver's Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KO's) in a WBO junior welterweight championship bout Saturday night at the FirstBank Center in Broomfield. It's Provodnikov's second consecutive chance at a title. And he's not messing around.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't back up my words," Provodnikov told The Denver Post this week. "What I say, I do. It's about breaking him down, breaking his will."

Provodnikov is coming off a thrilling, bloody bout against Tim Bradley in March, when he stunned the welterweight champ in the first round then nearly knocked him out in the 12th.

Provodnikov lost a unanimous decision for the 147-pound belt. Now he gets a crack at the 140-pound title.

"I don't come into the ring for the money or the title," Provodnikov said. "I'm going to come in and die if I have to. But I'm going to give it my all. He has nothing to stop me.

"I'm not going to let my second chance get away."

Provodnikov, 29, is familiar with the road roll. He's fought only once in his hometown of Beryozovo, Russia — a town of fewer than 8,000 residents in the former Siberia.

Provodnikov, who usually trains with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, prepped for the Denver area's mile-high altitude by spending time in a hyperbaric chamber.

Roach, who is with Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines, likely won't be in Provodnikov's corner Saturday. Instead, Roach's right-hand man, Marvin Somodio, will give instruction.

But Provodnikov said he won't miss Roach — his fight plan is already in place and rehearsed.

"Even if I'm taking punches," he said, "I have to keep hitting and hitting until (Alvarado) goes down."

Fight night

Saturday at FirstBank Center, Broomfield

HBO broadcast, 7:45 p.m.

Undercards, 5:45 p.m.

Main event: 9 p.m., WBO Junior Welterweight Championship

Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) vs. Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs)

Top undercard: Juan Diaz (37-4), vs. Juan Santiago (14-10-1), lightweights

Tickets: Price: $25 to $200; tickethorse.com, 303-53HORSE

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.19.2013

722211 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets notebook: Flu idles Marian Gaborik

By Aaron Portzline

The Columbus Dispatch Friday October 18, 2013 5:19 AM

MONTREAL — After playing through the flu on Tuesday night at Detroit, Blue Jackets right wing Marian Gaborik was a late scratch from last night’s 5-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Gaborik took part in the morning skate but remained at the team hotel later in the day. Rookie left wing Boone Jenner was elevated to the No. 1 line in Gaborik’s absence, with Cam Atkinson moving from left to right wing.

Sean Collins, called up from minor-league Springfield earlier in the week, took Jenner’s spot on the third line with center Mark Letestu and right wing Blake Comeau. Gaborik is the Blue Jackets’ leading scorer, with two goals and four assists in the first five games.

Get greasy

The Blue Jackets have been reminded early this season that nothing on offense comes easily. Entering last night’s game, they had seven even-strength goals in five games, including four against the Buffalo Sabres. They had gone seven periods without a 5-on-5 goal.

“We need more guys in front, screening the goalie, looking for rebounds,” R.J. Umberger said. “… It’s the greasy type of goals we need. And we need the secondary lines to start chipping in, too.”

Coach Todd Richards shuffled his lines, even before Gaborik’s absence was known. Forward Artem Anisimov, who had only one goal and no assists in the first five games, was moved from center to wing.

Others have struggled mightily, too. Before last night, Umberger, Jenner, Ryan Johansen, Blake Comeau, Derek MacKenzie and Jared Boll were looking for their first goals. Jenner scored twice and Johansen also scored in the loss to Montreal.

“We have to start making it more difficult on goalies, create those scrums where so many goals are scored now in today’s game,” Richards said.

The Blue Jackets were 25th in the NHL last season, averaging 2.4 goals a game. They entered play last night averaging 2.2 a game, tied for 23rd.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2013

722212 Columbus Blue Jackets

Bob Hunter commentary | Rumblings: Ex-Jacket Dorsett might be on way out with Rangers

By Bob Hunter

The Columbus Dispatch Friday October 18, 2013 5:06 AM

Derek Dorsett, a former Blue Jacket, may be on thin ice in New York, where the Rangers apparently have tired of the ill-advised penalties he has taken.

Dorsett might have a little time, however, because New York has several forwards injured and the team waived forward Aaron Asham on Monday. Dorsett had a “bounce-back” game Wednesday in a win over Washington after a forgettable performance Saturday at St. Louis, where he took three penalties without registering a hit.

Dorsett, 26, who came to the Rangers in a seven-player deal in April, has one goal and a team-high 32 penalty minutes this season. If New York moves him, his sandpaper style would doubtless be welcome on several teams, possibly even the Blue Jackets.

Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer seems to have as much distaste for the term redshirt as he does for Michigan.

Meyer and his coaches don’t recruit with the thought that a player will sit out his first season. Six games into this season, he has refused to declare that the freshmen from the 2013 class who have yet to play will redshirt, though he did say he won’t waste a year by throwing in a player for mop-up duty.

So far, the 11 freshmen who have played are running backs Dontre Wilson and Ezekiel Elliott; defensive linemen Joey Bosa and Michael Hill; defensive backs Vonn Bell, Gareon Conley, Darren Lee and Cam Burrows; linebacker Trey Johnson; punter Cameron Johnston; and receiver James Clark, who likely will gain a medical redshirt year after suffering a broken leg in his third game.

Several other big names in the ’13 class — linebacker Mike Mitchell, cornerback Eli Apple, quarterback J.T. Barrett, tight end Marcus Baugh and defensive end Tyquan Lewis — may be headed for redshirt seasons.

Former Ohio State receiver Doug Donley suffered “a mild heart attack” last weekend and is recovering in a Dallas hospital. Donley, 54, is owner and president of Advantage Golf Tournament Services in Addison, Texas. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1981 to ’84.

Donley’s mother, Grace, told The Daily Jeffersonian of Cambridge, Ohio, that her son “was very fortunate he didn’t suffer any damage to his heart.”

U.S. soccer forward Jozy Altidore planned to wear cleats honoring late Crew player Kirk Urso during the USA-Mexico game at Crew Stadium in September, but the striker didn’t play because of injury. He wore the cleats Friday, though, and scored a goal in the U.S.’s 2-0 win against Panama.

He wrote about wearing the cleats on ESPN.com: “I was able to wear my custom adidas boots that paid tribute to Kirk Urso, my old friend and former youth teammate,” Altidore wrote. “And the fact I was able to score our second goal of the match in a pair of boots I will never wear again made it even more memorable.”

Urso suffered cardiac arrest in 2012 and died at age 22.

After a 43-40 overtime loss to Penn State, Michigan coach Brady Hoke was peppered with questions about the poor performance of the offensive line and the conservative play-calling by coordinator Al Borges.

Michigan’s running backs carried 30 times for 28 yards. Of those 30 carries, 17 went for zero or negative yardage as Penn State totaled 11 tackles for loss for minus-44 yards. Hoke insisted he would not be spending more time with the offensive line in practice this week.

“I don’t need to do that,” he said. “I don’t need to do that. That’s some coach trying to think he’s a hero. That ain’t it.”

He also denied that Borges’ play-calling was conservative or that moving to a spread-option offense highlighting quarterback Devin Gardner’s running ability might solve the problem. Hoke didn’t think it would be a good idea to expose Gardner to more hits.

“Who’s going to play quarterback if he takes all these hits?” Hoke asked.

Like most of the Cleveland Indians’ potential free agents, pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez appears to be pointing toward voiding the club option of $8 million and testing the market. Given a relatively weak market for free-agent starters, it makes sense.

Hiroki Kuroda, Matt Garza and Jimenez would be among the best available, although Ervin Santana, A.J. Burnett, Tim Lincecum and Bronson Arroyo also could be available.

With Jimenez and Scott Kazmir both expected to walk — general manager Chris Antonetti told The Plain Dealer “we’d like to bring all our free agents back, but it sounds like they’re going to see what’s available out there” — the Indians will likely be in the market for at least one starter.

Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister and Danny Salazar are expected to fill four of the five spots in the rotation. If Cleveland loses Jimenez and Kazmir and doesn’t sign anybody, Josh Tomlin, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer are the top candidates for the fifth spot.

Former St. Louis manager Tony La Russa told the New York Post last week that he isn’t coming out of retirement to manage the Cincinnati Reds or any other team. “The managing thing is over,” said La Russa, 69.

Yahoo Sports columnist Pat Forde created a stir this week by noting that “Louisville tried to get Ohio State on the 2013 schedule and OSU’s choice to add San Diego State may haunt both of them,” a comment he eventually retracted.

Officials from both schools denied talking about a game this season, but Louisville apparently would like to talk.

“I talked to (Louisville athletic director) Tom Jurich,” school spokesman Rocco Gasparro told The Dispatch. “He said he hadn’t had any discussions with OSU, but he did say he would like to play Ohio State in the future.”

There are open dates on the 2017, 2018 and 2019 schedules released this week by Ohio State.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2013

722213 Dallas Stars

Heika: Faceoff skills learned playing center paying dividends for Stars' Jamie Benn in new position

Mike Heika

Staff Writer

[email protected]

Published: 18 October 2013 11:25 PM

Updated: 19 October 2013 01:24 AM

LOS ANGELES — Jamie Benn always knew his three-year center internship was going to pay off someday.

While the Stars captain has been moved back to his natural position of left wing this season, his lengthy experiment in the pivot has provided some life skills that could make the 2013-14 Stars a more complete team.

Like faceoffs, for example.

Benn currently is tearing up the faceoff dot, going 12-of-18 in the last two games and helping the Stars play their best hockey so far this year. It’s a giant leap to say six faceoff wins a game can change how the Stars play, but the details of the game are at the heart of Lindy Ruff’s puck possession style.

“It’s pretty simple, if you start with the puck, you’re going to be better off,” Ruff said. “We struggled on faceoffs earlier, but if Jamie can come in and win some, it really makes a big difference. It just sets everything up better.”

One of the Stars’ problems over the past four years is they have relied almost exclusively on left-handed centers. That means they have been pretty good in faceoffs on the left side of the ice, and not so good in faceoffs on the right side. Players typically are more successful on their strong hand, and while the difference might only be five percentage points from weak to strong, that’s the difference between a great faceoff team and one that’s mediocre.

That’s one of the reasons Stars general manager Jim Nill went out in the summer and acquired two right-handed centers in Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley, who just happen to be Benn’s linemates. Seguin has played right wing in his three-year NHL career, but has been moved back to center since the Stars acquired him in a trade with Boston. Peverley is a veteran who won 58.6 percent of his draws last season and is probably the best faceoff option on that line.

But the trio struggled early on as Benn didn’t take faceoffs, and Seguin and Peverley were forced into their weak side for half of the draws. Seguin has won just 32 percent (25-of-78) while taking the most faceoffs on the team. Peverley has been good at 52.4 percent, but has taken just 42 draws.

So enter the left-handed Benn. The 24-year-old has learned quite a bit through trial and error, and has the ability to step in on his strong side. That leaves Peverley and Seguin to also stay on their strong side.

“It’s still a little strange to do it, but once I get out there, I feel more comfortable,” Benn said.

Benn took just one faceoff in the first four games of the season, but decided to draw more in the circle in recent games. The Stars definitely are better when he does.

“I’m kind of letting them figure it out themselves, so they’ve been experimenting,” Ruff said. “But I definitely will get on them and go with the hot hand late in the game. It’s important, we need the puck.”

Seguin is in his third year, but he’s still just 21 and he hasn’t had much experience taking faceoffs at the NHL level. He was strong in junior hockey, but it’s a new game here, with veterans who know how to get every advantage.

“They get no breaks inside the circle,” Ruff said of younger players. “The veterans get the benefit of the doubt all of the time, and that’s just part of growing up in the faceoff circle.”

Seguin said he’s well aware of the challenge.

“I knew it would be tough, and it’s going to take time,” Seguin said. “You really do have to work at it … and I’m working at it.”

But he won’t have to do it alone. Benn can jump in on the left side when needed, and Cody Eakin, Shawn Horcoff and Vernon Fiddler are all at 50 percent or above. That means the Stars have the potential to be a team that’s consistently above 50 percent.

“We’re getting better,” Ruff said. “We have options, and that’s a good thing.”

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.19.2013

722214 Dallas Stars

Increased role? Dan Ellis appears to be Dallas Stars' goalie choice against Kings

MIKE HEIKA

Staff Writer

Published: 18 October 2013 12:51 PM

Updated: 18 October 2013 11:30 PM

Lindy Ruff does not announce his goalie before games, but it seems clear that Dan Ellis will get his fourth consecutive start when the Stars play Saturday at Los Angeles.

Lehtonen worked out Friday in Frisco, but Ruff hinted that he probably wouldn't play either Saturday against the Kings or Sunday in Anaheim.

Lehtonen suffered a lower body injury in the third game against Winnipeg and hasn't played since. He's been working out, but is on IR and is listed as day-to-day. Under NHL rules, Lehtonen is eligible to play whenever he deems he is healthy and can be activated from IR.

"Any time he's out there practicing, that's a good sign," Ruff said. "I didn't expect him practicing today, but he's feeling pretty good. So, in my eyes, if we can get by the weekend, he should be ready to play."

The Stars next game after the weekend is a Thursday home game against Calgary.

Ellis has played back-to-backs before, but because Sunday's game is a 5 p.m. local start in California, there is a chance Jack Campbell could make his NHL debut against the Ducks.

"He'd be a possibility," Ruff said. "With the quick turnaround, we may look to Jack."

The Stars continue to run the same defense pairs, but Ruff did adjust ice time Thursday. Sergei Gonchar was cut to 16:21 in ice time, while Stephane Robidas was pushed up to 24:11.

"Everyone knows (Gonchar) has struggled a little bit," Ruff said. "I think last night was a step in the right direction. If you lessen the ice time and try to quicken a player's pace _ ask him for more in less time _ sometimes that's the start of turning things around."


722215 Dallas Stars

Observations on a 4-3 shootout win: Maybe they don't need a bigger boat after all

MIKE HEIKA

Staff Writer

Published: 18 October 2013 06:09 AM

Updated: 18 October 2013 03:44 PM

Dan Ellis must have felt like that girl at the beginning of Jaws on Thursday night.

I mean, he's dipping his toe in the water, and the next thing you know a Shark has his leg and the crease is filling up with blood. Nine seconds? Really? I mean, you're facing the best team in hockey, a team that gobbles its competition in bites of 20 and 30 shots at a time, and you decide to get behind nine seconds into the game?

Well, good luck with that.

When San Jose's Tyler Kennedy came barreling down the right wing and whipped a shot through Ellis on the first shift of Thursday's game, you just got the feeling the Stars might should close the beaches and call off the season. It was the fastest a goal that had ever been scored against the Stars…ever,

Not the expansion Minnesota team back in 1967. Not the 1977-78 team that won 18 of 80. Not the most recent units that have missed the playoffs for a franchise record five seasons in a row.

Oh sure, there were some close calls in recent years, including the 12 seconds that Ellis allowed a goal in Minnesota on Saturday. There was some who thought that might be the record, but the Stars proved they could outdo even that sort of foolishness. With the Sharks looking like they were circling, you halfway expected a filming of Jaws 2013 to break out at American Airlines Center, or at least a Location Scouting party for Sharknado 2.

You could hear the autopsy already being performed.

"It indicates the non-frenzied feeding of a large squalus - possibly Longimanus or Isurus glauca. Now… the enormous amount of tissue loss prevents any detailed analysis; however the attacking squalus must be considerably larger than any normal squalus found in these waters. "

But something funny happened on the way to certain tragedy. The Stars bucked up, put together a search party, and went out and killed the Sharks (only in the most figurative sense of the word, of course). In bouncing back from attack after attack, the Stars posted a 4-3 shootout win, evened their own record at 3-3-0 and put the first hook in San Jose's fin this season.

It's not officially a loss for the 6-0-1 Sharks, and they do get a point in the standings, but the message still is pretty clear from the Stars' standpoint. They won, they beat the best team in the league and earned two points. They stacked that on top of a really good performance in Colorado.

And they did that under extreme duress.

"We've had some tough starts to games, a couple of games now where the first shot has gone in. It gets you on your heels," said head coach Lindy Ruff. "But I like the fact that we dug in and were able to keep coming at them. It's the sign of a team that's got a lot of will to win." Credit Ellis for a lot of the comeback. He strengthened in net and didn't let the first record-setting shot get into his head. But also credit the line of Ray Whitney-Cody Eaikin-Alex Chiasson. Sort of like that little shark-hunting trio in Jaws, they simply stared the biggest monster right in the face, and hunted it down. Ruff played that line against San Jose's No. 1 line of Tomas Hertl-Joe Thornton-Brent Burns, and Dallas took a clear victory.Hertl-Thornton-Burns entered the night as the best line in hockey, with Hertl leading all goal-scorers at seven, and Thornton leading all assist men at eight. Thornton and Burns each were plus-9 to lead the NHL. They exited the game with no points and each of Thornton and Burns were minus-2. In the end, Sharks coach Todd McLellan split them up and moved Hertl to a new line.Whitney was the "Quint" of the line, the old curmudgeon who knew a few tricks and ran the boat. Chiasson was Chief Brody, the new sheriff in town, who ended up

being the hero. And Eakin was Matt Hooper, the bespectacled college boy who thrilled at the challenge."You look at Eakin, playing against Thornton most of the night, he gave us a hell of a game," Ruff said. "He battled. He battled in the faceoff circle. I think at one point he was 7-1. He gave us the late kill. I can't say enough about him. Even Whit. I think Whit last couple of games skated well and made some plays. They had a couple good looks and probably could've had a couple more."In the end, Eakin had a goal and an assist, Whitney had two assists, and Chiasson had six shots on goal and an assist. And still, the Stars couldn't shake the Sharks. They held on through a third period where San Jose had an 11-9 advantage in shots on goal, and watched as their ship almost sunk in overtime when the Sharks had a 6-0 advantage in shots on goal to finish with a 35-31 advantage for the game.Even that's an impressive number at the end of the night. San Jose averaged 41.8 shots on goal for and 23.5 against in the first six games of the season.So, Dallas truly accomplished something here.But it wouldn't have meant as much had the night ended in defeat. So after Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin missed on their shots at taking down the Great White in the shootout, Chiasson stared carefully into its mouth, and shot right into the scuba tank.Boom.American Airlines Center exploded with cheers like a 1970s movie theater where people had waited hours in line just to get into the building.It has been a rough start to the season for the fans, too, and they needed a little relief…and a little belief. If the Stars can play this way against the two undefeated teams in the West (they out-shot Colorado 41-26 Tuesday in a 3-2 loss), then maybe this system of Ruff's really can work. If the veteran coach decided to stick with the same defense pairs that have struggled this season, maybe he does know what he's talking about. If Ellis (the back-up goalie) can handle this kind of pressure when tossed into the fray, what kind of team might the Stars be when starter Kari Lehtonen returns from his lower body injury?Maybe one that can survive the biggest challenges of all.It takes a village, and the Stars were a lot like the people of Amity Island Thursday. There were times of panic, and bad decisions, but in the end they did the right things.Now, they have to go back on the road and do it again. Will the next challenge be worse. Can they somehow manage a profitable sequel.Let's remember the words of Chief Brody when his wife asks what she should tell the kids about his shark-hunting venture."Tell them I've gone fishing."Because even though they've taken down the biggest fish in the league right now, there are still plenty of other sharks out there.


722216 Detroit Red Wings

Alfredsson, power play clicking during Red Wings' win streak

October 19, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

TEMPE, ARIZ. — The power play is working, Daniel Alfredsson is producing about a point per shift, and the Red Wings keep finding ways to win.

Much is coming together nicely as the Wings finish a two-game trip tonight at Jobing.com Arena against the Phoenix Coyotes, who played Friday night in Anaheim. It was a game against the Coyotes 10 days ago that jolted the Wings out of a little early-season malaise.

The Wings are without top defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press is day to day after suffering a mild concussion from a hit from behind in Thursday’s 4-2 victory at Colorado. Brendan Smith will get an opportunity to show he has learned something from being a healthy scratch since last playing — in that 4-2 loss Oct. 10 at Joe Louis Arena.

The Red Wings have won four straight since, as many players described it, being “embarrassed” by a poor effort that night. They beat Philadelphia — which, fair enough, many teams have — but then the Wings went into Boston, and the next night played at home against a fresh Columbus team, and then took down the 6-0 Avalanche.

“We think we’ve got a good team, and we’ve got good people, and we’ve got great leadership, as good as leadership as you can have,” coach Mike Babcock said. “They’re proud guys. We’re off to a good start. It’s positive.”

Alfredsson has eight points during the streak. Stephen Weiss has looked more at home every game. Johan Franzen got into the goal column in Colorado, scoring his first two.

Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg — who spent Thursday’s third period with Alfredsson on their line — have been in fine form from the start of the season, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by those new to the team.

While discussing the turnaround from the last Phoenix game, Alfredsson noted what has stood out.

“I find they’re a very composed group,” he said. “You can see some guys have been together for a long time. Now there is a transition, quite a few young guys coming up, me and Weisser coming in. It seems like in the beginning, we didn’t really find our game, and lately special teams has been really good for us, and that takes pressure off five-on-five. It’s been nice to see the development. We’re going in the right direction, and we’ve just got to keep pushing. But there’s a lot of poise with the leadership here, and that rubs off on everybody.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.19.2013


Red Wings relieved as Niklas Kronwall termed day-to-day with concussion

Ted Kulfan

October 18, 2013 at 9:52 pm

Glendale, Ariz. — As bad it looked, it didn’t turn out worse.

Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall suffered a mild concussion after being slammed into the end boards by Colorado Avalanche forward Cody McLeod on Thursday.

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said Friday that Kronwall is day-to-day.

“He’s not ruled out yet,” Holland said of tonight’s game in Phoenix.

Kronwall was hurt at 2 minutes, 13 seconds of the second period of Thursday’s victory. He was skating back to retrieve a puck when McLeod checked Kronwall into the boards. Kronwall’s head hit the area between the glass and dasherboards.

Replays showed Kronwall did put himself slightly into a vulnerable position by turning. But, McLeod also had a responsibility on the play.

“When you carry a lot of speed in on the forecheck, you have to be responsible for what you’re doing,” Red Wings forward Daniel Alfredsson said. “Especially when you carry a lot of speed.”

Kronwall was on the ice for a short time, and eventually carried off on a stretcher.

“Just awful,” Alfredsson said. “You’re always worried about the neck and back and but we saw him move and tried to get himself up. That’s a good sign.”

Kronwall was answering the doctor’s questions, alert and responsive, shortly afterward in the Red Wings locker room.

“He seemed fine,” Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson said. “It was scary. He was out. He didn’t know what happened. But we found out pretty early he was fine and was going to recover.”

McLeod received a game misconduct and boarding major. A disciplinary hearing with the NHL is expected.

Beginning to jell

The Red Wings have won four straight after an emotionless loss to the Coyotes.

“I find they’re a very composed group,” Alfredsson said of his new teammates. “Some have been together for a long time. Now there is a transition. Quite a few young guys coming up, me and (Stephen) Weiss are coming in, so there are some changes.

“In the beginning we didn’t really find our game. Lately, special teams have been real good for us. It’s been nice to see the development.”

Mule starting to kick

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has noticed a difference lately in Johan Franzen, who scored his first two goals of the season Thursday.

“The Mule was great the last three games in a row,” Babcock said. “His size down low, his skating ... he’s been fantastic.”

Detroit News LOADED: 10.19.2013


Darren Helm glad to be playing again, but was 'sucking wind' in first game with Griffins

By Peter J. Wallner | [email protected]

on October 18, 2013 at 10:45 PM, updated October 18, 2013 at 11:08 PM

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - First off, Darren Helm just happy to be back on the ice. Then came the analysis.

"Not the best," he said after playing about 15 minutes Friday with the Grand Rapids Griffins in just his second pro game in 18 months following a series of injuries.

"I think I kind of lost my edge out there. The speed of the game is a lot faster than I remember and I have a lot of room for improvement.

"That said, I thought I did some good things and things to build off."

The Detroit Red Wings center, who is expected to be with Grand Rapids for two games on a conditioning stint, was turned away on two shorthanded breakaways among his three shots on the night. On his first attempt he was dealing with a cracked stick.

His endurance, he said, "was not the best. I was sucking wind a few times there. But that's what I need to do to get back at it."

It was Helms' first game since Jan. 25, after he hurt his back before training camp. This year in camp, he was slowed by a pulled groin.

Griffins coach Jeff Blashill, who had Helm paired with Riley Sheehan and Landon Ferraro, saw some glimpses and some room for improvement.

"I thought Helm did a good job..." he said. "You can't replicate that kind of bumping and grinding and so you get tired fast. I think he would say he had a lot more energy at the beginning parts of his shift than the end. But that's expected in his case. And hopefully tomorrow's even better."

On Saturday, the Griffins are at Rockford. Helms' top priority is to improve defensively.

"I struggled in that," he said. "Just getting pucks in the wall, getting my feet moving when I get the puck and keeping my head up. I thought I was a little soft in that area."

Helm was making his first appearance back in Grand Rapids since 2009 when he played in 55 games for the Griffins. He had 13 goals and 24 assists for the Griffins.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.19.2013


Daniel Alfredsson starting to settle in nicely with new Red Wings teammates, racking up points

By Ansar Khan | [email protected]

on October 18, 2013 at 8:03 PM

DENVER – Daniel Alfredsson admits he was a little too anxious to make an impression his first few games as a Detroit Red Wing.

Now he’s playing a more simple game, and he seems to be settling in well.

Alfredsson has been using his playmaking ability to set up teammates. He has eight points (goal, seven assists) during the Red Wings’ current four-game winning streak, after picking up only one point in the first four games.

“I think I have been getting a little bit better as we go on here,’’ Alfredsson said following a 4-2 win at Colorado Thursday. “It’s always a lot easier when good things happen and you’re on the ice.

“It felt like I had the puck quite a bit in the offensive zone. We were able to make things happen. Once we did get in their end our whole team was pretty good at moving and creating havoc.’’

The Red Wings will try for their fifth win in a row Saturday at Phoenix (9 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit), the last club that defeated them (4-2 in Detroit on Oct. 10).

Alfredsson’s eight assists were tied for second in the NHL heading into Friday’s games. He made a nice play to get Pavel Datsyuk the puck for an insurance goal with 6:25 to play on Thursday.

“He actually have good patience,’’ Datsyuk said. “He holds the puck, makes good plays, opens space for players. He’s also good shooter. He plays well on defense, also.’’

After a bad second period, in which the Avalanche scored twice to tie it at 2-2, coach Mike Babcock put Alfredsson on the top line with Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

“Just looking to change things up in the third, looking for a little bounce back because we chased the puck in the second,’’ Babcock said. “I don’t know if that gave us a spark or Pav and Z just decided we weren’t going to lose.’’

Alfredsson, 40, began the season on the second line, with Stephen Weiss and Johan Franzen. After four unproductive games for the unit, Babcock moved Alfredsson to the third line, with Joakim Andersson and Daniel Cleary.

Some of Alfredsson’s offense also is coming on the power play with Datsyuk and Zetterberg. The third period on Thursday was the first time Alfredsson played with the pair at even strength for any length of time.

“They’re two of the best players in the world; you just got to try to find when to help them and when to get out of the way and get open,’’ Alfredsson said. “Both are extremely strong on the puck, they read the game really well.

“When I play with them, it’s more getting open and using my shot. Pavel scored (on Thursday), but I think we all can shoot and find openings.’’

Alfredsson has been impressed by this team’s demeanor, its poise and its professionalism.

“I find they’re a very composed group,’’ Alfredsson said. “Some guys have been together for a long time. Now there’s a transition, quite a few young guys coming up, me and Weisser coming in, so there’s some changes.

“It seemed in the beginning we didn’t really find our game. Lately, special teams have been really good for us and that takes pressure off five-on-five. We’re kind of going in the right direction and just got to keep pushing. There’s a lot of poise with the leadership group, and that rubs off on everybody.’’



Colorado announcer says Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall got a little of 'own medicine' when hit

By Brendan Savage | [email protected]


Claude Lemieux and Patrick Roy have company when it comes to things Detroit Red Wings fans don't like about the Colorado Avalanche.

Welcome to the club, Cody McLeod and Mike Haynes.

McLeod is the Avalanche forward who hit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall from behind Thursday night, knocking Kronwall from the game and leaving him with a mild concussion as well as cuts to the right side of his face.

Kronwall had to be taken from the ice on a stretcher and McLeod was given a boarding major as well as a game misconduct. He'll also be subject to a disciplinary hearing with the NHL to determine if he should be suspended.

As for Haynes, he's Colorado's play-by-play announcer and he didn't make any friends with Red Wings fans after his comments on the play.

This is what Haynes had to say when McLeod's hit left Kronwall lying motionless on the ice:

"Well, I'll tell you what, you talk about getting a little of your own medicine," Haynes said. "Kronwall made a living in this league with big hits and he just got crushed there by Cody McLeod."

Yikes.

Normally, that kind of comment might be no big deal. But when a player is on the ice, not moving and has to be removed via stretcher? Well, some might say Haynes crossed the line from being a hometown announcer to having bad taste regardless of Kronwall's history of delivering big hits.

Players who have been on the receiving end of some of Kronwall's biggest hits have been referred to as getting "Kronwalled" -- you can watch some of them here -- and a recent ESPN.com poll of 30 "star players" resulted in Kronwall being voted one of the dirtiest players in the NHL.

But does that excuse Hayne's comments or was he out of line?

You tell us.



Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall is 'day-to-day' with mild concussion



Defenseman Niklas Kronwall's status is "day-to-day" after he suffered a mild concussion Thursday night, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said this afternoon.

Kronwall had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher in the first period after he was hit from behind by Colorado Avalanche forward Cody McLeod in Detroit's 4-2 victory at the Pepsi Center.

McLeod received a five-minor boarding penalty, game misconduct and will have a disciplinary hearing with the NHL to determine if a fine or suspension is warranted.

Kronwall also suffered cuts on the right side of his face when his head slammed into the glass 2:13 into the first period.

The Red Wings' next game is Saturday in Phoenix. Kronwall accompanied the Red Wings to Phoenix.



Colorado's Cody McLeod facing hearing with NHL over hit on Detroit Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall


on October 18, 2013 at 10:23 AM, updated October 18, 2013 at 12:13 PM

The NHL will hold a disciplinary hearing with Colorado Avalanche right wing Cody McLeod for the boarding major he received when he hit the Detroit Red Wings Niklas Kronwall Thursday at the Pepsi Center.

McLeod hit Kronwall from behind, leaving the Red Wings defenseman with a concussion and cuts on his right ear 2:13 into Detroit's 4-2 victory.

McLeod was ejected and Kronwall was taken from the ice on a stretcher and did not return. Kronwall was examined, was alert and accompanied the Red Wings to Phoenix, where they play Saturday. He was not taken the hospital, according to general manager Ken Holland.

The in-person hearing enables the league to issue a suspension of more than five games, per the collective bargaining agreement.

The Red Wings (6-2) won their fourth straight game by beating the Avalanche, who fell to 6-1.


722223 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers’ power-play, penalty-killing units not so special right now

By Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal

October 18, 2013

Ottawa — There are problems pervading the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup, as evidenced by their 1-6-1 record.

But one of the egregious trouble spots is the Oilers’ penalty killing, which has allowed nine power-play goals, the most in the NHL.

That’s a noticeable drop from ninth place, where Edmonton finished last season.

As head coach Dallas Eakins said: “Every night there’s a goal in our net and it’s hard to recover from that.”

The power play has also come up short in the last three losses, failing to score in nine straight man-advantage opportunities, three each game.

“We need to be more of a factor on the power play ... and we’ve definitely spent a lot of time on it over these last couple of days,” said Jordan Eberle.

“Over the last two years, it’s been a strong point of our game. We’ve been able to score and create opportunities on the power play. For this team to be successful, we have to be productive.”

Eakins wasn’t as discouraged about the work the unit did against the New York Islanders on Thursday, save for the lack of finish. But the Oilers should be more productive given all the skill they have.

For all that was wrong with the club the last two seasons, the power play was eighth overall in 2012-13 and third in 2011-12.

This group is currently ranked 19th with an efficiency rating of 17.2 per cent. The Oilers have just one power-play goal in five road games despite 16 opportunities (6.2 per cent).

“We had lots of looks, some great chances on the net. You can’t ask for much more than the finish on it,” said Eakins. “It would be one thing if we had players who couldn’t finish. We do. And if we keep executing that way, they’ll eventually go in the net for you.”

The penalty killing is another matter. Eakins said the first step is to limit the number of penalties. Then it’s a matter of indoctrinating the forwards who are new to the role of killing penalties. The Oilers have incorporated some of their skill players on the units because they don’t have the typical checkers available for that task.

Shawn Horcoff and Eric Belanger were regular penalty killers last season, as was Ryan Jones, who spent the first six games in the American Hockey League. This season, Ales Hemsky, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle and Taylor Hall have been killing penalties.

“It’s just another skill they’re going to have to learn,” Eakins said. “It’s not rocket science. It’s a read and a pressure thing and it should be something that, very soon, our guys are more comfortable with.”

Defenceman Ladislav Smid agreed that the penalty killing struggles can’t be laid at the feet of the goaltenders, that it was a team issue and a humiliating one at that.

“That’s unacceptable,” Smid said about giving up a power-play goal each game. “Guys are blocking shots, but we just have to be a bit smarter and play with more structure.

“We’re trying to be more aggressive, but that hasn’t been the problem. It’s just little mistakes that are causing us goals. The system is not the problem. If everybody is going to be on the same page, it’s going to work. We just have to get on the same page.

“We have to get way better on our special teams. We need to turn it around.”

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Fourth-liners pay the price in ice time for Oilers never having the lead

By Joanne Ireland, Edmonton JournalOctober 18, 2013

Ottawa — Sightings of Mike Brown, Luke Gazdic and, more recently, Ryan Jones have been few and far between during recent games, something head coach Dallas Eakins would like to change.

But until the Edmonton Oilers are in a position where they’re not consistently chasing the lead, the fourth-liners will see limited duty.

“They deserve more ice,” said Eakins, “except we’re always playing from behind. When we’re playing from behind, those guys aren’t going to get us a whole lot of goals.”

Gazdic played five shifts against the New York Islanders in Thursday’s 3-2 loss; Jones was on the ice for six.

Centre Will Acton has at least been logging time on the penalty killing units, so his minutes aren’t quite as paltry.

“They’re so good on our forecheck and so dedicated, but when we get behind in games, we’re looking to the other guys to get us back in,” said Eakins. “Playing from behind so much is killing their ice time.”

Brown was scratched in favour of Gazdic in Thursday’s game.

“I told Brownie I was hoping it was the right decision, that it might not be,” Eakins said. “He has done everything right, but we were just looking for a different look on the fourth line.”

Grebeshkov back with Oilers

Defenceman Denis Grebeshkov was recalled from his conditioning stint with the Oklahoma City Barons and was on the ice at Friday’s practice.

He didn’t start the season with the Oilers because of a groin injury, but got into three American Hockey League games with the Barons.

Corey Potter, who missed all of the pre-season with a back injury, has been cleared to resume skating. He was on the ice in Ottawa, as well.

“I joked with him this morning. I went over and introduced myself to him and asked him his name,” said Eakins.



Oilers’ great skill set not enough to win on its own

Eakins reshuffles Edmonton’s forward lines for Ottawa game

By Joanne Ireland, Edmonton JournalOctober 18, 2013

Ottawa — The season may not be a month old, but the free fall of the Edmonton Oilers is already taking its toll.

As if one win in eight games wasn’t troubling enough, the Oilers play the Ottawa Senators at noon MDT Saturday. The Senators are 3-2-2 after banking two straight wins.

“We just have to find a way to get points pretty soon,” said winger David Perron. “I know it’s early in the year, but you can’t go 10-15 games without getting too many points because it’s too good a league to try and come back.”

The Oilers are in last place in the NHL’s Western Conference and still winless on the road. Following their matinee in Ottawa, they play the Canadiens at Montreal on Tuesday before heading home to host the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

“We only have three points and that’s really frustrating,” said defenceman Ladislav Smid. “We thought we’d be much, much better.

“We have to do whatever it takes to stay positive and find a way to win some games.”

The Oilers left Pittsburgh after a 3-2 loss to the Penguins convinced that they were finally ready to turn the corner, but instead stumbled against the New York Islanders on Thursday. They got a 37-save performance from goaltender Devan Dubnyk and had a 2-1 first-period lead, but fell short in the second and third periods.

The Islanders were on a three-game losing streak before the 3-2 win.

“We have a great skill set, but skills don’t always win you games,” said coach Dallas Eakins. “It’s the will to play the game the right way, and that’s when you have the puck and when you don’t.

“We will play portions of a game where we are excellent and I’m so optimistic on the way we’re going, then we will turn back to our own habits and play by ourselves. And playing alone and just playing with our skill is going to kill you every time.”

Perron said it is a challenge for players with skill to avoid the lure of the highlight reel play.

“It’s frustrating personally, coming from a team where we won a lot, but Dallas is doing a good job of making sure he tells us about some of the positive things that we do,” said Perron, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in an off-season trade.

“For this team, it’s trying to find the right balance between taking chances to make plays, because we can’t deny our ability to do that, but at the same time, being smart and playing with the type of structure that’s in place.

“We can’t be too eager to score. We have to wait for the right chances.”

Eakins adjusted his forward lines again at Friday’s practice in search of the right combination. Taylor Hall will play with Mark Arcobello and Perron while Nail Yakupov moves to the left wing alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle.

Ryan Smyth, Boyd Gordon and Ales Hemsky round out the top nine.



Edmonton Oilers are moving Nail Yakupov — from right to left

By Robert Tychkowski ,Edmonton Sun


OTTAWA - The rumours are true, the Oilers are moving Nail Yakupov.

From right wing to left wing, that is, as head coach Dallas Eakins tries to jump start the slumping Russian sniper.

“I’m finding that whoever plays with Ebs plays well,” said Eakins, who has him with on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle for Saturday afternoon’s game in Ottawa. “ And I’m not sold on guys playing their off wing. I know he’s had success on the right side, but I’m finding he’s having trouble getting the puck to the net (on his backhand).

“We’re going to go back to the basics with him and put him on the left side.”

Right handed shot David Perron is also moving over to the right side.

“We need more pucks to the net,” said Eakins. “When he’s able to protect the puck better he’s going to help our team.”

SPECIAL KO

Edmonton’s special teams were a strength last year, but they’ve been a big reason why this season is heading downhill fast.

Edmonton’s penalty killing is ranked 30th in the NHL, having allowed a goal in every game, while the power play is zero for its last 11 chances. For a team that’s lost three of its last four games by one goal, that’s a big deal.

“We’ve got, especially in our group of forwards, guys who really don’t have a background in killing penalties,” said Eakins. “We basically have one or two forwards who it comes naturally to, and then a whole bunch that it doesn’t. That’s part of the learning process.”

Last season Hall, Ales Hemsky, Jordan Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins averaged 3, 4, 11 and 13 seconds per game on the penalty kill. This year they’re regulars. But with the likes of Shawn Horcoff, Eric Belanger (warts and all) out of the picture, Eakins doesn’t see a lot of options other than waiting for the guys to figure it out.

“We have no other choice. It’s the way our team is made up right now. It’s just another skill they’re going to have to learn. It’s not rocket science, it’s a read and a pressure thing. It should be something very soon that our guys get more comfortable with.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Browbeaten Oilers try to bring optimism to the ice after losing streak

By Robert Tychkowski ,Edmonton Sun


It’s amazing, and a little unsettling, just how quickly the climate can change in a dressing room.

In just 60 mediocre minutes (OK, 59 minutes and 52 mediocre seconds if you don’t count Taylor Hall’s two-goal combination), the forecast in the Edmonton Oilers room changed from sunny skies ahead to dark clouds on the horizon.

As we’ve said earlier, a string of well-played losses usually goes one of two ways – it turns into well-played wins, or the losses get worse.

After three engaging defeats in Toronto, Washington and Pittsburgh, when Edmonton played hard and fast and it seemed like it was just a case of the breaks beating the boys, it got worse Thursday on Long Island.

There were long lapses offensively (like being outshot 21-1 through the first 15 minutes of the third period, when the Oilers were supposed to be trying to come back from 3-2 down), there were fundamental breakdowns on defence and their special teams let them down on both fronts.

Games like that one, on the heels of four previous losses and a 1-6-1 start, make it a little harder to relax and know that everything is going to be OK.

“We can’t get too discouraged, we know there’s a lot of season left,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as dejection chips away at the optimism following the 3-2 loss on Long Island.

“We don’t want to keep surrendering points, but we just have to make sure we keep positive or it’s not going to go well for us.”

It’s not exactly going great right now, but if their spirit is broken this early, then “it’s a long season,” will take on an entirely different meaning.

“It’s certainly not fun,” head coach Dallas Eakins said of the losing.

“But I see brighter days ahead ... and when we get on our long winning streaks we’ll look back on this and say that was a good thing for our group. But that doesn’t discount how much it hurts, how much it keeps our players up at night. It’s hard going through these things.

“But if this game was easy everybody would be doing it. It’s not for the feint of heart, it’s a tough business.”

It’s rarely felt tougher than it does right now.

“It’s very important to keep a positive atmosphere here,” said defenceman Ladislav Smid.

“We’re in this together as a team and we just have to battle through it. It’s sometimes hard but we’re a bunch of professionals and that’s our job - to keep it positive and find a way to win some games. We have to stop talking about it and show it on the ice.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2013

722228 Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers game vs. Wild features odd off-ice pairing

By George Richards

Posted on Sat, Oct. 19, 2013

The Panthers being hockey’s first team to host a night for the LGBT community on Saturday has been well publicized.

A secondary promotion held by the team has not been.

At best it seems like an odd pairing.

Aside from the “You Can Play Equality Night,” fans can pay $25 for a ticket to Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild at BB&T Center in Sunrise as well as a pregame “meet-and-greet event” with Amanda Zuckerman and McCrae Olson from the CBS/Viacom reality show Big Brother 15.

Zuckerman, who resides in South Florida, was one of the Big Brother houseguests who made headlines during last summer’s show for making off-putting racial and homophobic comments.

Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell taped a public service announcement in support of the “You Can Play” initiative and its goal to let people of all sexual orientation feel welcome within the game of hockey.

Campbell adds that everyone from all walks of life should feel they can be part of his game.

“It’s nice to be able to go about and publicize that everyone is welcome here,” Campbell said. “I support that. But it’s not just about gays and lesbians; everyone is welcome.”

Matt Sacco, the Panthers’ executive vice president in charge of communications, said the team condemns the things Zuckerman said on the show — which were derogatory toward African-Americans, Puerto Ricans and Asians — and that Zuckerman is a supporter of LGBT rights and wanted to be part of the team’s equality night.

Zuckerman attended Florida’s game Thursday and told the Miami Herald she was trying to be funny and now regrets the way things came out. Zuckerman has made similar comments to news outlets since leaving the show.

“Unfortunately, I have a crass sense of humor, and that doesn’t excuse some of the things I’ve said because they’ve hurt people,” Zuckerman said. “I’m ashamed they came out of my mouth, to be honest. I’m a huge advocate for the gays, parades, purple, black, green, yellow; it doesn’t matter to me. I love people for who they are.

“People in the house knew that but I was portrayed differently, which is unfortunate. All I can do now is apologize and move on from there. We’re excited to be part of equality night.”

Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said Friday that he commends the NHL and the Panthers for taking steps to push the “You Can Play” idea by hosting a special night Saturday.

“I’m a huge believer in diversity in this world,” Dineen said. “We are a family that has strong faith and beliefs, but we’re very understanding of every situation, and that’s our world now. … Our world has changed. We are very respectful of that and extremely proud to be part of an organization, the NHL, that is on board with diversity and ‘You Can Play.’ ”

Miami Herald LOADED: 10.19.2013


Florida Panthers’ Sean Bergenheim still recovering

By George Richards

Posted on Sat, Oct. 19, 2013

By late last week, it appeared Sean Bergenheim’s road back from injury was close to being over. Bergenheim’s work load in practice had increased, and he was working with Florida’s top forwards for the first time this season.

Bergenheim’s return date is now anyone’s guess.

On Friday, Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said he “worried” about Bergenheim’s career as the 29-year-old remains working with a physical therapist in Toronto who was recommended by Bergenheim’s agent.

“I’m worried about the guy first as his coach, and I worry about him as a player,” Dineen said. “It’s been an extremely long time off. I understand this is a tough game we play. He needs to be physically involved, be active. I’m worried he’s going to come back and he can’t feel his way back into the NHL.

“I have guys here with bumps and bruises and are playing hurt every night. You’re not going to feel 100 percent. He needs to get the medical situation straightened out. Once he does, he can be a valuable member of our team.”

Bergenheim had two surgeries in the past year to repair his hip and a sports hernia, which are said to be related. Although he reported to camp on time, Bergenheim has been brought back slowly and started full practice sessions the past two weeks.

Dineen said last week that Bergenheim was going to see his surgeon when the team traveled to Nashville and perhaps receive medical clearance to play. Instead, Bergenheim left the team to work with a specialist in Ontario for what was supposed to be five days.

Dineen said Bergenheim would remain away from the team for at least a few more days.

“He’ll be back toward the end of the week,” Dineen said. “This is something he believed could help him out. It’s been an extremely long rehabilitation process.”

Bergenheim was part of a contentious medical grievance with the Panthers last year, and when he won, he was granted his entire 2012-13 salary of $2.75 million.

The Panthers contended that Bergenheim was injured in Finland as he played in two games during the NHL lockout; Bergenheim’s doctors said he had a preexisting condition dating to his 2011-12 season with the Panthers.

Although both sides have said there is no ill will from the hearings and that it was simply the cost of doing business, it appears Dineen is losing his patience with Bergenheim.

“He’s an extremely long time removed from the surgeries,” Dineen said. “He needs to come back in a healthy frame of mind ready to help the hockey team.

“We’ve waited an extremely long time, and we’ve been patient and very understanding. We continue to be that way. We just need him to come back and give us some of the energy we know he can and stop worrying about anything about playing hockey.”

If Bergenheim returns in good health, the Panthers would love to have him back in the lineup. In his one full season with Florida in 2011-12, he scored a career-high 17 goals in 62 games.

Bergenheim, who scored nine playoff goals for the Lightning in 2011, had three goals and three assists in Florida’s seven-game series against the Devils in 2012. Bergenheim is scheduled to make $2.75 million both this season and next after signing a four-year deal with the Panthers on July 1, 2011.

“He’s been gone so long I haven’t given it much thought,” Dineen said. “We had a snapshot in training camp that he was getting close. Now it’s a

prolonged thing. He’s totally off the radar right now until he becomes what I consider a viable option.”

Goalie sent down

Florida’s three-goalie experiment didn’t last long at all as Scott Clemmensen was sent back to the Panthers’ AHL affiliate in San Antonio.

Clemmensen, 33, missed all of training camp after having minor knee surgery in September. He has started one game in the AHL this season and relieved Jacob Markstrom in a loss at Tampa Bay last week. Markstrom is now backing up Tim Thomas.

“This is a flexible situation,” Dineen said. “It’s important for Clemmensen to get some games. We need depth at every single position, and a goalie is no good if he’s sitting every day.”



CLEMMENSEN RETURNS TO MINORS: Panthers Send Goalie Back to San Antonio ... Wild Comes to Town

Posted by George Richards at 06:42 PM

Florida's three-goalie experiment didn't last long at all as Scott Clemmensen was sent back to the Panthers' AHL affiliate in San Antonio.

Clemmensen, 33, missed all of training camp after having minor knee surgery in September. He has started one game in the AHL this season and relieved Jacob Markstrom in a loss at Tampa Bay last week. Markstrom is now backing up Tim Thomas.

"This is a flexible situation,'' coach Kevin Dineen said. "It's important for Clemmensen to get some games. We need depth at every single position and a goalie is no good if he's sitting every day.''

SATURDAY: WILD AT PANTHERS

When, Where: 7 p.m.; BB&T Center, Sunrise

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Florida; WQAM-560

The series: Minnesota leads 9-3-1

The game: The Wild has lost two straight and has been outscored 7-2 in the process. Florida has only beaten the Wild twice in Sunrise (2001 and 2010). Center Nick Bjugstad is a former prep Mr. Minnesota hockey winner and faces his hometown team for the first time.



BERGENHEIM STILL OUT: Dineen Says He's 'Worried' About Panthers Winger

Posted by George Richards at 06:41 PM

By late last week it appeared Sean Bergenheim's road back from injury was close to being over. Bergenheim's work load in practice had increased and he was working with Florida's top forwards for the first time this season.

Bergenheim's return date is now anyone's guess.

On Friday, Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said he "worried" about Bergenheim's career as the 29-year-old remains working with a physical therapist in Toronto whom Bergenheim's agent recommended.

"I'm worried about the guy first as his coach and I worry about him as a player,'' Dineen said. "It's been an extremely long time off. I understand this is a tough game we play. He needs to be physically involved, be active. I'm worried he's going to come back and he can't feel his way back into the NHL.

"I have guys here with bumps and bruises and are playing hurt every night. You're not going to feel 100 percent. He needs to get the medical situation straightened out. Once he does, he can be a valuable member of our team.''

Bergenheim had two surgeries in the past year to repair his hip and a sports hernia which are said to be related. Although he reported to camp on time, Bergenheim has been brought back slowly and started full practice sessions in the past two weeks.

Dineen said last week that Bergenheim was to see his surgeon when the team traveled to Nashville and perhaps receive medical clearance to play. Instead, Bergenheim left the team to work with a specialist in Ontario for what was supposed to be five days.

On Friday, Dineen said Bergenheim would remain away from the team for at least a few more days.

"He'll be back toward the end of the week,'' Dineen said. "This is something he believed could help him out. It's been an extremely long rehabilitation process.''

Bergenheim was part of a contentious medical grievance with the Panthers last year and when he won, he was granted his entire 2012-13 salary of $2.75 million.

The Panthers contended that Bergenheim was injured in Finland as he played in two games during the NHL lockout; Bergenheim's doctors said he had a pre-existing condition dating to his 2011-12 season with the Panthers.

Although both sides have said there is no ill will from the hearings and that it was simply the cost of doing business, it appears Dineen is losing his patience with Bergenheim.

"He's an extremely long time removed from the surgeries,'' Dineen said. "He needs to come back in a healthy frame of mind ready to help the hockey team.

"We've waited an extremely long time and we've been patient and very understanding. We continue to be that way. We just need him to come back and give us some of the energy we know he can and stop worrying about anything about playing hockey.''

Of course, if Bergenheim returns in good health, the Panthers would love to have him back in the lineup. In his one full season with Florida in 2011-12, he scored a career-high 17 goals in 62 games.

Bergenheim, who scored nine playoff goals for the Lightning in 2011, had three goals and three assists in Florida's seven-game series against the Devils in 2012. Bergenheim is scheduled to make $2.75 million both this season and next after signing a four-year deal with the Panthers on July 1, 2011.

"He's been gone so long I haven't given it much thought,'' Dineen said. "We had a snapshot in training camp that he was getting close. Now it's a

prolonged thing. He's totally off the radar right now until he becomes what I consider a viable option.''



Dineen questions Bergenheim's toughness, worried about career

Panthers coach implies that the Finnish forward's absence is more mental than physical

By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel

5:36 PM EDT, October 18, 2013

SUNRISE

Panthers coach Kevin Dineen tried so hard not to reveal his disgust with the prolonged injury-related absence of Sean Bergenheim.

But the more Dineen, an NHL-lifer known for his hard-nosed style, talked about the finicky Finn, the more he seemed to be questioning the player's toughness and mental state as to the reasons why one of his top six forwards wasn't yet ready to help his 2-6 team.

"I'm worried about his career,'' Dineen said after practice at the BB&T Center where the players signed equipment and memorabilia for the Panthers charity foundation.

"I worry about him as a player. It's been an extremely long time off. I understand it's an extremely hard game we play. He's not a good player unless he's physically involved in the game and he's active.

"He can't feel his way into the NHL. That just can't happen. He's got to come back, feeling good about himself, understanding, you know what, there are guys in here that have bumps and bruises, and are playing hurt every night. You're not going to feel 100 percent playing.''

Bergenheim, who signed a four-year, $11 million contract with the Panthers in the summer of 2011, and was a huge part of the franchise's turnaround and first playoff berth in 10 seasons, has played just two games in nearly 18 months. Both were with his hometown team HIFK in Helsinki's SM-liiga during the lockout.

The Panthers believed that Bergenheim re-aggravated a core injury that he had dealt with during the previous season's stretch run, so they suspended him without pay in January after the lockout ended. However, Bergenheim won two injury grievances against the Panthers, and eventually received his full $2.75 million salary without playing a game.

The grievance cases caused him to put off two surgeries on his hip/groin and abdomen until early March, more than seven months ago. Bergenheim has been practicing with the Panthers for several weeks, and was supposed to consult with his surgeon in Nashville last Monday for a possible green light to play against the Predators on Tuesday.

Instead, Bergenheim, 29, the Panthers leading scorer in their seven-game playoff series loss to the Devils, opted to go to Toronto for five daily sessions with his physical therapist.

"He'll be back in the next 3-4 days,'' Dineen said. "It was something he believed could help him out. … He needs to come back in a healthy frame of mind and be ready to help the hockey team.''

Dineen said that Bergenheim will still need clearance from his personal doctors in Nashville before he could play.

Clemmensen sent down

With starting goalie Tim Thomas not sustaining a reoccurrence of a groin injury in Thursday night's tough 3-2 loss to the Bruins, his first start since Oct. 8, the Panthers sent 36-year-old goalie Scott Clemmensen back to San Antonio, their AHL affiliate, to get more games in.

Dineen made it clear that Thomas is his No. 1 and for now Jacob Markstrom is his backup.

Bjugstad pumped for Wild

Panthers rookie center Nick Bjugstad, who notched his first NHL assist in his second game of the season Thursday, was Mr. Hockey in 2010, a prestigious award given to the best high school player in Minnesota.

So Bjugstad, a three-year standout at the University of Minnesota who missed all of training camp with a concussion, is excited about playing the Minnesota Wild Saturday.

"He played a solid game last night, good on faceoffs,'' Dineen said. "He's creating some chances but hasn't had much chemistry on his wings. We're still starting to find a little bit of stability within some of our groups.''

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 10.19.2013


Preview: Wild vs. Panthers, Saturday, 7 p.m.

By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel


When/Where: 7 p.m., BB&T Center, Sunrise.

TV: FSF; Radio: 560-WQAM

Scouting report: The Panthers dropped their third in a row Thursday, 3-2 to the Bruins, on a last-minute goal by Reilly Smith. G Tim Thomas made his return from a groin injury and had 37 saves. Thomas is 0-2 with a 2.06 GAA vs. Minnesota. Florida is 3-7-1-2 vs. Minnesota, including two 3-2 post-regulation defeats in the 2011-12 season. The Panthers are 30th in 5-on-5 goals against. The Wild has just four goals on a 1-2 road trip that concludes in Sunrise. Minnesota leads the NHL with nine PPGs, but has the 27th-ranked PK. Wild G Niklas Backstrom (knee) may return, however, backup G Josh Harding is 3-2 with a league-leading 1.15 GAA in his absence. Panthers F Sean Bergenheim (core) and D Ed Jovanovski (hip) remain out.



Dineen losing patience with Sean Bergenheim's continued absence

By Harvey Fialkov

Sun Sentinel


Panthers coach Kevin Dineen tried so hard not to reveal his disgust with the prolonged injury-related absence of Sean Bergenheim.

But the more Dineen, an NHL-lifer known for his hard-nosed style, talked about the finicky Finn, the more he seemed to be questioning the player’s toughness and mental state as to the reasons why one of his top-six forwards wasn’t yet ready to help his 2-6 team.

“I’m worried about his career,’’ Dineen said after practice at the BB&T Center where the players signed equipment and memorabilia for the Panthers charity foundation. “I worry about him as a player. It’s been an extremly long time off. I understand it’s an extremely hard game we play. He’s not a good player unless he’s physically involved in the game and he’s active.

“He can’t feel his way into the NHL. That just can’t happen. He’s got to come back, feeling good about himself, understanding, you know what, there are guys in here that have bumps and bruises, and are playing hurt every night. You’re not going to feel 100 percent playing.’’

It couldn’t have been lost on Dineen that of the five media members present, two were TV and magazine journalists from Finland who are in Sunrise to do stories on Finnish rookie Aleksander Barkov. So Dineen’s comments will certainly garner headlines in Finland, who Bergenheim dearly wants to represent in the Olympics in December.

Bergenheim, who signed a four-year, $11 million contract with the Panthers in the summer of 2011, and was a huge part of the franchise’s turnaround and first playoff berth in 10 seasons, has played just two games in nearly 18 months. Both were with his hometown team HIFK in Helsinki’s SM-liiga during the lockout.

The Panthers believed that Bergenheim re-aggravated a core injury that he had dealt with during the previous season’s playoff run, so they suspended him without pay in January after the lockout ended. However, Bergenheim won two injury grievances against the Panthers, and eventually earned his full $2.75 million salary.

The grievance cases caused him to put off two surgeries on his hip, abdomen and groin until early March, more than seven months ago. Bergenheim has been practicing with the Panthers for several weeks, and was supposed to consult with his surgeon in Nashville last Monday for a possible green light to play against the Predators on Tuesday.

Instead, Bergenheim, 29, the Panthers leading scorer in their seven-game playoff series loss to the Devils, opted to go to Toronto for five daily sessions with his physical therapist.

“He’ll be back in the next 3-4 days,’’ Dineen said. “It was something he believed could help him out. … He needs to come back in a healthy frame of mind and be ready to help the hockey team.’’

Panthers demote Clemmensen

The Panthers sent down goalie Scott Clemmensen to San Antonio, their AHL affiliate, to get more games in. Dineen made it clear that Tim Thomas is healthy again and his No. 1 option with Jacob Markstrom the backup.



Bruins slip past Panthers for 3-2 victory

By PAUL GEREFFI

The Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. —

The Boston Bruins weren't going to let playing against their former goalie Tim Thomas affect their game.

Thomas wasn't so sure he could feel the same way.

Reilly Smith scored the game-winning goal with 59 seconds left in the third period and the Bruins beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night.

Smith backhanded the puck into the net between the legs of Thomas after a faceoff in the Panthers' zone.

The goal spoiled Thomas' first game against his former team since joining the Panthers as a free agent.

"I, of course, tried to approach it just like any other game," Thomas said. "Having said that, it was a big game for me coming back after a while and then, obviously, facing your former team and a lot to-do around it. I was a little bit nervous today, but not too bad."

Thomas fell to the ice in disappointment when Smith's goal went in while the Bruins celebrated.

"Got close at the end there. We didn't want that to happen," Smith said. "It's a great feeling to score and help the team get a win."

Dougie Hamilton and Daniel Paille also scored goals for the Bruins, while Tuukka Rask made 27 saves.

Jesse Winchester and Kris Versteeg scored for the Panthers and Thomas stopped 37 shots.

Thomas overcame a shaky first period to turn in a solid game until giving up the goal in the final minute.

"It hurts the way it ended up," Thomas said. "I really wanted to guys in front of me to be rewarded after coming back in the third period after the way we started out."

The 39-year-old Thomas, who spent his first eight NHL seasons with Boston, returned to the lineup after suffering a groin injury on Oct. 8 that forced him to an early exit after giving up two goals on five shots in a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia.

Thomas helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner also won the Conn Smythe Trophy that season as playoff MVP.

Thomas followed that by going 35-19-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and five shutouts in 2011-12, then sat out the 2013 lockout-shortened season.

"It was an awesome time there (in Boston)," Thomas said. "I don't know what else to say. This is a new chapter in my life; it's a new chapter in the Bruins' thing for them."

Trailing 2-1, the Panthers tied it at 2 with six minutes left in the third on Winchester's goal.

After the Panthers won a faceoff in the Bruins zone, Nick Bjugstad took a shot on goal. Rask blocked the shot, but lost control of the puck. It drifted in front of the crease and Winchester took a couple whacks at it before poking it in.

"I didn't want to cost us the game," Rask said. "I made a mistake there and they tied it up ... the guys came up big after that."

Florida closed to 2-1 in the second period after Versteeg took a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau in the right circle and wristed it past Rask at 12:32.

Boston went ahead 1-0 on Paille's goal in the first. Paille skated in from the left circle and his wrist shot went high into the net at 3:45.

It was a quick goal, but it turned out it wasn't going to be that easy against Thomas.

"He's a tremendous goalie. We had 40 shots and it still took us until that last minute," Paille said. "It was nice to get a couple early on him and have that lead but he bounced back and made it that much harder to get that third one."

The Bruins took a 2-0 lead later in the period on Hamilton's power-play goal. Hamilton took a pass from David Krejci just inside the blue line at the point and fired the puck past Thomas at 12:47.

Hamilton, a healthy scratch the past two games, notched his first goal of the season, aided by Zdeno Chara playing in front of the crease to screen Thomas.

"It's good to get the win but I had a lot of excitement and adrenaline in the first period being back in," Hamilton said. "We've been talking to try to get it up and make them save it with their hands and if they can't see it that's pretty tough. Z creates that goal."

NOTE: The Bruins broke an 0-for-12 power-play drought with Hamilton's first-period goal. ... The Bruins and Panthers will meet five times as Atlantic Division rivals this season. Boston won all three matchups against the Panthers last season, outscoring Florida 11-2. ... Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen was scratched on Thomas's return. Jacob Markstrom remains the backup goalie.

Palm Beach Post LOADED: 10.19.2013

722236 Los Angeles Kings

Kings' Matt Frattin pays for his mistakes

By Lance Pugmire

7:25 PM PDT, October 18, 2013

Matt Frattin is now intimately familiar with the repercussions of a couple of miscues while playing for Kings Coach Darryl Sutter.

Frattin, a right wing acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the off-season, was among the group of Kings who lapsed in allowing Nashville's Matt Cullen to score a first-period goal Thursday.

And when a similar Predators pass got by Frattin and pressured Kings' defenders about midway through the third period, he found his minutes in the Kings' 2-1 shootout victory to be 2 minutes 22 seconds after the second intermission.

"That's a play I have to make and I can't let it get through," Frattin said Friday, when the Kings conditioned off the ice in El Segundo in preparation for Saturday night's game at Staples Center against the Dallas Stars.

"You have to be accountable and if there's something that happens on the ice and you don't know what to do, you've got to ask. Communication is the key. That's something I'm learning as a young professional and something I have to keep learning about their system if I want to play."

Frattin, 25, is goal-less with three assists through eight games for the Kings (5-3), and his goal differential of minus-five is the worst among Kings forwards. He said he has tried just one shot in the past three games.

Although Sutter said Friday he didn't bench Frattin for any specific reason, Frattin said it was made clear to him afterward, with an assistant coach telling him, "I can't play you if this is going to happen this late in the game and the score's 1-1."

Frattin said he doesn't believe the game locks him into a team doghouse.

"I've got to shoot more and get more offensive opportunities," Frattin said. "I've got to keep playing fast and physical and be more consistent. I feel like I can put the puck in the back of the net if I start shooting.

"You can't be a liability in the defensive zone if you want to try and play in the offensive zone. You're held accountable for mistakes, plays you've got to be making. If you're not making them, he's not going to play you."

Back home

The Kings start a stretch of eight of their next nine games at Staples Center on Saturday, which center Jarret Stoll said is "a huge part of the season," given that four of the games are against Pacific Division rivals.

"We came out of that [trip] pretty good," Stoll said. "Big stretch for us to get some wins, get some points, playing the Western Conference." Those are "big points in the standings," he added.

Goalie Jonathan Quick said being in L.A. has "gotta be better" than the trip East.

"We've got areas to clean up," Quick said. "If we can continue to do that, we'll be better."

TONIGHT

VS. DALLAS

When: 7:30.

Where: Staples Center.

On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150.

Record vs. Stars (2013): 2-3.

Etc.: Dallas forward Tyler Seguin aims to extend his points streak to a career-best six consecutive games. Forward Cody Eakin, 22, has two goals for a team that is 12-4-7 in Los Angeles in its last 23 games.

LA Times: LOADED: 10.19.2013


October 18 practice quotes: Kopitar, Stoll

Posted by JonRosen on October 18, 2013

Anze Kopitar, on the team’s comfort in tight games:

Over the course of three, four years now, we’ve played a lot of them, so we feel pretty comfortable going tied into the third, maybe being down, being up one or two. They’re usually tight games going in, especially out here in the west it feels like it’s a little tighter than in the east. I guess it’s just that we’ve had some experience in that department.

Kopitar, on whether opponents are “anxious” when facing the Kings in tight games:

Yeah, there are times they get a little itchy and maybe not as comfortable, but that certain time, I’m really focusing on myself and our line, and potentially the whole group, and we’re not worrying about the other team too much.

Kopitar, on how he’d grade the team’s 5-3 record after having played six road games:

I think it’s pretty good. I mean, we’ve had I guess a couple bad games, or three bad games if you really look at all the losses. But we’ve got three shootout wins, which is good. I think it shows the stability and the character that we feel comfortable going the distance, too. I guess if you do look at it a six of eight on the road, and having five wins and three losses, I think it’s a fairly good start. We certainly know we can be better, and we’re going to work towards that.

Kopitar, on the start given the cross-country travel:

Maybe the sleep part is not as great as you want it to be. Because if you’re coming here from the west, you’re not really that tired, and the next thing you know it’s one o’clock in the morning and there’s a game the next day. So it’s not the best, but I think…we did a good job of just getting our rest, getting our sleep, and the coaches threw a day off for us on the road, which doesn’t happen too often. But it turned out to be a good thing.

Kopitar, on any power play concerns:

I mean, if I said we didn’t have any concerns, I’d be probably too nonchalant, I guess. We’re getting chances. We’re getting some good looks. It’s on us to bear down and bury a few looks.

Jarret Stoll, on whether he talks to Jonathan Quick when he’s in a rhythm:

No, that’s just Quickie keeping us in games and doing his thing and finding pucks. I think one of his biggest strengths is finding the puck in a scramble. Obviously the goal against last night, we didn’t do a very good job of finding it. But he just battles. He battles in there for everything. He sees the puck through screens. He sees the tips. He makes those tough saves look pretty easy for the most part. He’s a big reason why we win some games. He’s Quickie for a reason. We all know that. We’re glad to have him. [Reporter: The communication – does he ever say much coming back the bench in those types of games? Do you guys ever say anything to him?] No, not really. He’s the type of guy he is. He’s just focused on his job and stopping the puck, and that’s I think the way we’d want it. Some goalies love the chatter a little bit more, but Quickie, no, he just does his job.

Stoll, on the team feeding of Quick, and whether they want to win games for him:

Yeah, definitely. We know he’s going to shut the door in the third and give us a chance to win and try to get that second goal and win the game. We feel that from him in the dressing room. We feel that on the ice. It’s just the way the game was going. I know it’s a grind, and there are not many goals. It’s not the most exciting game at times, but he just does the job for us, and we know that. It’s just hasn’t been happening for 15 or 20 or 30 games. It’s been happening now for years. Like I said, I’m just happy he’s on our side.

Stoll, on the team’s comfort in tight games:

It seems like it’s been a lot of our wins, a lot of our games, and Quickie’s a major reason in that in keeping us in games sometimes, and our goals against down. We’ve just got to do a better job sometimes of goals for and

putting the puck in the net and bearing down. In Tampa there we had a lot of good scoring chances that we didn’t bear down, and we didn’t put ‘em through the back of the net. Again, last night, too. It’s tough. We’re getting away with some of these games where we’re scoring one or two goals, the second goal being in overtime or the shootout, and you’re not going to get away with that throughout the course of the season over the long run. We know that, and we’ve got to pick up our offensive game.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Darryl Sutter on Frattin, new Dallas uniforms

Posted by JonRosen

October 18, 2013 4:50 pm

On whether Saturday’s game has a different mindset and is almost like a road game:

We haven’t played Dallas yet, so you know what? They played last night at home, so they’re coming in here. Not really. It’s kind of different playing Dallas when they’re not in your division now, quite honest.

On Matt Frattin’s decreased third period minutes on Thursday:

It’s no different than anybody else. If you probably did it on a per-player basis, you’d see some players that you guys think are elite players – their minutes dropped over the course of this trip, too, and we still went 3-1. It’s not about one guy or how many minutes he played. There’s a lot more that goes into that in terms of special teams, if the other team’s allowing you into a matchup that you want. So that affects players a lot. [Reporter: It wasn’t a result of any miscues that he made back there?] No.

On the new Dallas uniforms:

I like ‘em. They look like actually when you watch them on TV, they’re just about identical to the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. I thought at the start that it was closer to the old North Stars, but it’s not quite the same green. It’s almost like the Sioux. It looks good. I like ‘em. I like the greens more than the whites. But I like it. It’s good. Even Carolina was a little different red. [Reporter: I like their whites with a red patch on the shoulders.] It’s good to see change. I’ve said here, I wish we’d wear [Forum Blue and gold] more. [Reporter: The purple ones are great.] I like ‘em both. I wish we’d do it more than we do. And I haven’t seen the…heritage yet. What are we wearing there? I know it’s a little different, too. So I haven’t seen it, but I know they want us to start [Reporter: Getting the equipment ready.] Yeah. I’m looking forward to seeing that.



Kings looking to reinforce home credentials

The Los Angeles Kings returned to the Toyota Sports Center for workouts on Friday on the eve of a four-game homestand.

“Don’t have much time to think about it,” Darryl Sutter said. “Get home in the middle of the night, reset for tomorrow, and play tomorrow.”

Saturday’s game against the Dallas Stars – and more on Sutter’s impressions of the Stars’ new uniforms later – kicks off a stretch in which the team will play eight of its next nine games at Staples Center, where they were a league-best 19-4-1 a season ago. The Kings won 15 consecutive regular season and playoff games on home ice between March 23 and June 6.

“Big part of the season. Huge part of the season,” Jarret Stoll said. “We just went through a big stretch, six-of-eight on the road, obviously, and came out of that pretty good. I think we can be happy a little bit about going 4-and-2 on the road. You want to be perfect, obviously, but I think we can hold our heads a little high about that road trip. These home games are huge. Big stretch for us to get some wins, get some points. We play the Western Conference here a lot coming up, so big points in the standings.”

Including last night’s late arrival, the Kings recently opened up a stretch in which they’ll sleep in their own beds 24 times over a 25-night span. Reading too much into the upcoming home-friendly schedule doesn’t particularly concern Darryl Sutter, however.

“We’re here for four. And then we go to Phoenix, and then play the next night back at home. I don’t really look at it too much ahead,” he said.

Reinforcing the characteristic last year in which Staples Center developed into a difficult environment for road teams is among the objectives during the upcoming homestand, which begins Saturday against a team that won twice in Los Angeles a season ago. Dallas won 5-2 and 2-0 over the Kings over a two week span in March and was one of only three teams to post regulation road wins in Downtown L.A. in 2012-13.

“We’ve only had two at home, so we definitely want to establish the home standard, or just the presence at home that we’re going to be a hard team to play against, and it’s no better time than to do it at early in the year,” Anze Kopitar said.

“With the stretch of four games at home now, it’s definitely a good time.”

The Next Nine

Saturday, October 19 – DALLAS

Monday, October 21 – CALGARY

Thursday, October 24 – PHOENIX

Sunday, October 27 – EDMONTON

Tuesday, October 29 – at Phoenix

Wednesday, October 30 – SAN JOSE

Saturday, November 2 – NASHVILLE

Thursday, November 7 – BUFFALO

Saturday, November 9 – VANCOUVER

-all games broadcast on FOX Sports West



Sutter wants “big goals” from power play


After scoring twice on the man advantage against Ottawa, the Kings went 0-for-13 on the power play in their four game trip through Carolina, Florida Tampa Bay and Nashville. The statistic looks worse than the reality in this case, as the power play showed good movement and generated quality opportunities throughout most of the trip, and Darryl Sutter appeared pleased with the looks the Kings were generating.

On Friday, Sutter discussed what he is looking for on the power play, and it’s similar to what he wants in key penalty killing situations: overall special teams success isn’t as important as special teams timeliness.

Darryl Sutter, on the power play getting good looks, if not consistent goals:

Just got to score big goals, that’s all. I think the top power play has got about seven or eight goals, and we have, what, five or six? We had a chance – even in the game in Tampa, the game we lost – the power play scores a goal…we thought we got the short end of it. We had a goal that shouldn’t have been disallowed that would’ve made it 2-1. There’s times where our power play could’ve tied it up, and then we gave up a bad goal. So your power play’s got to score big goals. You guys know how I feel about the percentages and all that, and that’s, quite honest, for some guys who don’t watch the game. [Reporter: It’s more ‘when.’] Yeah. It’s big goals. Very simple. If your power play scores you a big goal that [gives] momentum…quite honest, it’s very similar to penalty killing. If your penalty kill gets you a big kill at some point in the game, then it’s more important than the stat.

Sutter, on any power play red flags, and continuing to work on the power play:

Well, we do work on it a lot…I think that Carter leads our team in shots. We’re trying to get the puck on his stick as much as [we can]. We’re doing that. I think that Kopi and Drew press once in a while a little bit too much on it. But we like Doughty and Voynov and Kopitar and Richards and Carter.



Waking up with the Kings: October 18


-I’ve spoken previously about the right “recipe” to win a road game, and in all honesty, there is no real recipe – like any other game, you have to score more goals than the opposition – but if there was a blueprint to beat the Nashville Predators in their home arena, last night’s Kings 2-1 shootout win could have served as a case study. Los Angeles was excellent on the penalty kill, denying Nashville late in regulation and during a four-on-three situation in overtime, and continued to sharpen their well-established reputation as one of the league’s stingiest teams while shorthanded. In 14 shorthanded situations on the road trip, the only goal conceded by the Kings was Jeff Skinner’s game-tying goal in Carolina, which came off a fluky bounce during tight coverage as part of an otherwise airtight penalty killing performance. In net, Jonathan Quick etched out his signature 2013-14 performance to date and denied several Grade-A Predators opportunities before keeping his perfect shootout streak intact. Penalty killing, goaltending, scoring a goal in the final minute of a period and weathering the continuous Nashville pressure and lack of open space helped the Kings to two points for the third time on the four-game trip.

John Russell / National Hockey League

-Slava Voynov, who “probably could’ve done more work this summer,” according to Darryl Sutter earlier on the road trip, contributed perhaps his most useful performance of the season to date and was effective for the Kings in all three zones. He scored a goal by benefiting from the largess and patience of Mike Richards and by positioning himself well in an open spot of ice late to tie the game late in the first period. Defensively, he effectively used his stick to break up several Nashville scoring opportunities and had an important stick check late in overtime during a final Predators rush into the Kings’ zone that preserved the tie and allowed the team to escape with a shootout win. It wasn’t as much of a “standout” performance as it was a “fine, regular performance” that has come to be expected from the talented 23 year old.

-Hello Staples Center, hello Western Conference. The Kings opened up the season by playing six of eight games on the road, and five of eight games against unfamiliar Eastern Conference foes – as well as Winnipeg, which moved west in 2013. The team is a respectable 5-3-0 after the early road-heavy schedule, and apart from a quick one-off in Phoenix later this month won’t see the inside of an airplane for nearly four weeks. As the team is looking to increase its even strength scoring and keep pace with the quick starts of several divisional opponents, they’ll look to make the most of the upcoming schedule, which keeps them at home for eight of the next nine games and places them against Pacific Division competition for six of the next nine. There is an added emphasis in winning divisional games under the realigned playoff format, and following Saturday’s game against Dallas, Los Angeles will battle for important early season points against Calgary, Phoenix and Edmonton next week.

John Russell / National Hockey League


722242 Minnesota Wild

Panthers' Bjugstad eager to face Wild

Article by: Michael Russo

Star Tribune

October 19, 2013 - 12:37 AM

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – The way Nick Bjugstad figures, Fox Sports North ratings are bound to get a bump Saturday night.

“A lot of my buddies and family members are Wild fans. I’m sure they’ll all be tuning in,” Bjugstad said, adding with a laugh, “I’m not sure who they’ll all be cheering for.”

The Wild badly needs to salvage some semblance of this 1-2 road trip against the Florida Panthers, but Bjugstad’s clan of Minnesota fans may switch allegiances for this one evening.

Bjugstad, the former Gophers forward and 2010 Minnesota Mr. Hockey from Blaine High School, is expected to face his hometown, home state Wild for the first time in his relatively new NHL career.

“That’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Bjugstad, 21, the 19th overall pick by the Panthers in 2010. “If I wasn’t playing for the Wild, I’ve always wanted to play against them. I was a fan since they started the organization and it’ll be really exciting for me.”

Bjugstad has played in only two games this season, recording an assist in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins. That’s because Bjugstad suffered a concussion on a fluky hit in the third game of the Panthers’ prospect tournament in September.

Bjugstad missed all of training camp before finally making his season debut Tuesday in Nashville. After signing his first pro contract with the Panthers days after the Gophers were stunned 9 seconds into overtime by Yale in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in March, Bjugstad played 11 games, scoring his first NHL goal in a victory over Tampa Bay in the season finale.

He was minus-8, calling the taste test of the NHL a great learning experience heading into this season.

“Guys are just smarter, guys are in the right spots all the time,” Bjugstad said. “I compare it to a chess game. If you’re in the wrong spot, the other team’s going to capitalize. You just have to use your skill, smarts and play hard. Everyone’s the best in the world. It’s a whole different speed and whole different intelligence level for everyone.”

Bjugstad prepared hard for this season, which made the concussion all the more disappointing. He couldn’t do anything, couldn’t work out and had to watch others excel throughout an important training camp, one in which he wanted to partake in so he could prove his worth even further.

For now, the Panthers have opted not to send him to San Antonio for seasoning.

“He’s a 6-foot-4½, righthanded centerman. Those are the type of players you need to have in the game today,” Panthers assistant GM Mike Santos said. “You look at some of the guys we have to play against — the Staal brothers in Carolina, Joe Thornton in San Jose, Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, the center position is a big man’s position now.

“Nick’s a big, young kid who’s going to be a really good player. He’s got all the skill in the world and most importantly, he’s a great kid.”

The Panthers are a young team trying to grow together. Up the middle, the future is likely Aleksander Barkov, Bjugstad, Drew Shore and Vincent Trocheck. The very talented Jonathan Huberdeau can play center, but his future is likely on the wing. The Panthers also have a number of young defensemen.

“I’ve got to find a role,” Bjugstad said. “It’s still early for me. I’ve just got to be a big, two-way forward. My size is going to be a big factor for me. I’ve got to be strong in the corners. That’s another part of the game that’s a whole different deal than college. Guys are all stronger and I need to be strong out there.

“But there’s definitely a bright future here. We have a lot of good draft picks coming up, so it should be interesting to see how it plays out.”

After a career-high 25 goals and 42 points as a sophomore, Bjugstad returned to the Gophers last season because he had a bitter taste in his mouth after advancing to the Frozen Four as a sophomore. He led the Gophers with 21 goals, but losing to Yale in the NCAA tournament again left him unsatisfied.

“I think about it quite a bit,” Bjugstad said. “You want to win it all. It’s tough to win it all, though, when you play elimination games. I loved my time at the University of Minnesota. I wouldn’t take it back for anything. There’s still an empty feeling, but I still enjoyed my time and am really thankful I got to go there.”

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2013


Gameday preview: Wild at Florida

MICHAEL RUSSO

October 18, 2013 - 10:17 PM

wild gameday

6 P.M. at FLORIDA BB&T CENTER • FSN, 100.3-FM

Preview: The Wild is 1-2 on its four-game road trip, having scored four goals in three games and losing consecutive games at Toronto and Tampa Bay. The Wild is 1-3 on the road this season. The Panthers have lost six of eight. The Wild is 5-2 all-time in Sunrise, Fla., and 9-4-2 vs. Florida overall.

Players to watch: LW Dany Heatley is off to the worst start of his career — no goals, one assist in eight games. His longest goal drought is nine games, which happened twice last season. C Mikael Granlund is also still searching for his first goal. LW Zach Parise has no goals and is minus-3 in his past three games. Goaltender Josh Harding leads the NHL with a 1.15 goals against average. Former Bruins goalie Tim Thomas is expected to start for Florida. D Tom Gilbert will play his first game against Minnesota since being bought out last summer. He has two assists and is averaging almost 21½ minutes a game.

Numbers: The Wild has given up at least one power-play goal in seven of eight games and has surrendered nine goals on 32 chances (71.9 percent, 27th in the NHL). … D Ryan Suter leads the NHL in average ice time per game (29:01). … The Wild leads the NHL in faceoff win percentage (.571).

Injuries: Wild D Keith Ballard (head) is questionable. C Charlie Coyle (knee) and LW Mike Rupp (knee) are out. Panthers D Ed Jovanovski (hip) is out.

Note: The Wild reassigned to G Darcy Kuemper to AHL Iowa.

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2013


Minnesota Wild: Dany Heatley at heart of second line's struggles

By Chad Graff

[email protected]

Posted: 10/19/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT | Updated: about 4 hours ago

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Wild coach Mike Yeo is a creature of habit. Much of his routine, especially the day after a game, centers on video analysis.

The youngest coach in the NHL spends hours studying what the Wild are doing, watching successful teams and monitoring trends in the league.

During the video analysis of Wild games, Yeo said, he looks at line groupings. He said he asks himself after each game, "What do we need to do going forward?"

Answering that question about the team's futile second line is growing increasingly difficult. Eight games into the season, the second line hasn't produced a goal. There have been chances, but not enough from a group Yeo said entering the season he was going to rely on to take pressure off the top line.

"They need to score," Yeo said. "We need them to score. We have to figure that out. Is it a matter of personnel? Is it a matter of changing things around a little bit? That's what we have to decide."

These are not new questions, and there aren't easy answers.

Charlie Coyle started the season centering the second line between Dany Heatley and Nino Niederreiter. But Coyle, who seemed primed for a breakout season, has been out with an injury since the second game.

Mikael Granlund filled in for Coyle -- and the scoring woes continued. So Yeo moved Pominville to the second group, swapping places with Niederreiter. Still no scoring.

The one constant on the line has been Heatley. The former 50-goal scorer has just 14 shots and only one assist in eight games.

"I'm not going to say that he's at his best right now," Yeo said. "I'm not. But I also know that he's capable of more. And I also know that we need him right now. It's easy to say, 'Well, let's just take him out.' But (replace him) with who? Who do you put in instead?"

The problem is less about who would take Heatley's spot than where to play Heatley.

The 32-year-old winger is in the final year of his contract, and his $7.5 million cap hit makes trading him almost impossible. His lack of speed keeps him from being a viable option on the third line. And a player with such a hefty contract doesn't often play on the fourth line. The only viable option seems to be finding a way to jump-start Heatley's game.

"The easy thing to do is just for us to give up, but that's not what we're going to do," Yeo said. "We're going to keep trying to push him, keep trying to get him better and keep trying to work with him because we know what he's capable of. ... He's not at his best, but it's also not as bad as we've talked about."

Yeo praised the way Granlund and Pominville have complemented each other since Pominville moved to the second line. He said Pominville has made Granlund a better player. But the combo still hasn't produced a goal.

Pominville has scored twice in the first three games of this four-game road trip, but both came with him playing with former linemates Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise on the power play.

As the scoreless streak grows, the second line is feeling the pressure.

"I think we need one goal, just to relax a little bit and get the feeling back," Granlund said. "We have those chances; I've had a couple of wide-open nets. I'm just squeezing my stick or something. We've just got to score."

Their next chance will come Saturday night against a Florida Panthers team that is 2-6-0.

"We have to look at the games and figure out how much they're generating," Yeo said. "If they're getting chances, that's one thing. If they're not getting the chances then we'll probably have to make a switch."

Kuemper sent down

The Wild sent goalie Darcy Kuemper back to their American Hockey League team in Iowa, leaving their roster one shy of the 23-player maximum.

Kuemper, 23, had been recalled to back up Josh Harding after Niklas Backstrom suffered a right knee strain Oct. 8. Kuemper started Tuesday's game in Toronto but was pulled for Harding in the second period after allowing three goals on seven shots.

"That was a tough game when you face few shots," Harding said. "That wasn't the ideal situation. Just trust me, he's going to be a good goalie. He has all the tools. He's a great kid, he's a hard worker, and he's got a good head on his shoulders. I will not say enough good things about Darcy Kuemper and what he's going to become in this league."

Thursday night, Backstrom was in uniform for the first time since injuring his knee, so Kuemper was a healthy scratch. Kuemper likely will start Saturday for Iowa against Charlotte.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 10.19.2013


Minnesota Wild send goalie Darcy Kuemper back to Iowa

By Chad Graff

[email protected]

Posted: 10/18/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT | Updated: about 18 hours ago

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Minnesota Wild have sent goalie Darcy Kuemper back to Iowa of the American Hockey League, leaving their roster one shy of the 23-player maximum.

Kuemper, 23, had been recalled to back up Josh Harding after Niklas Backstrom suffered a right knee strain Oct. 8. Kuemper started Tuesday in Toronto, but was pulled for Harding in the second period after surrendering three goals on seven shots.

"That was a tough game when you face few shots," Harding said. "That wasn't the ideal situation. Just trust me, he's going to be a good goalie. He has all the tools. He's a great kid, he's a hard worker and he's got a good head on his shoulders. I will not say enough good things about Darcy Kuemper and what he's going to become in this league."

Thursday night, Backstrom was in uniform for the first time since injuring his knee, so Kuemper was a healthy scratch. Kuemper will likely start Saturday for Iowa against Charlotte.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 10.19.2013

722246 Montreal Canadiens

Stubbs: Eller, Gallagher, Galchenyuk line sparkles

By DAVE STUBBS, THE GAZETTE October 18, 2013

MONTREAL — Brendan Gallagher’s post-game interview in Vancouver was just underway last Saturday night, the Canadiens having handily disposed of the Canucks 4-1.

And then, from his right, over a camera and through the lights, came an airborne towel, wrapping itself halfway around his neck.

Gallagher grinned, of course, and looked in the direction from where the towel’s flight had begun.

Alex Galchenyuk, naturally.

“You’re an idiot,” he said brightly to his dressing-room neighbour, tossing the towel back. “Grow up, Chuckie!”

In time, Chuckie will mature. But for now, you hope that linemates Galchenyuk, 19, fellow winger Gallagher, 21, and centreman Lars Eller, a fossil of 24, continue to act their age.

That is, like exuberant, wet-behind-the-ears kids who are creating a bit of magic in having the time of their lives playing terrific hockey for the Canadiens.

Heading into Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators, the Habs’ second in a five-game homestand, the trio have accounted for nine of the team’s 25 goals, adding another 10 assists and are a combined plus-10.

They were briefly shuffled by head coach Michel Therrien during the Canadiens’ 3-1 western trip, when the coach wanted to send a message to his team following its stumbling start in Calgary. But clearly, Eller, Gallagher and Galchenyuk have sparkled as a unit.

“I think everyone enjoys playing,” Galchenyuk said following the Habs’ Bell Centre practice Friday, the team riding a four-game winning streak. “We’re very young and we’re playing in the best league in the world.

“We have pretty good chemistry (as a line), we work hard and we’ve been clicking pretty good lately.”

Galchenyuk and Gallagher were training-camp revelations last season, sticking with the Canadiens coming out of the lockout. Their energy alone was enough to light up the Bell Centre, and their goals were marked by the joyous celebrations of giddy kids.

Which, of course, they still are.

Galchenyuk has 10 goals and 24 assists in his 55 NHL games, and if his raw talent, explosive skill and the adoration of this city would be enough to inflate his head, that hasn’t happened.

This almost isn’t his sophomore season; it’s more like the second half of his rookie year, given the 48-game schedule of the lockout-abbreviated campaign.

“I had a little bit different mentality this year,” Galchenyuk said. “It is weird a little bit, playing in cities where you think you’ve played but never have.

“I definitely feel different on the ice this season. I feel more comfortable than last year, but I’ve got to keep pushing myself because there are a lot of areas I want to improve.”

Such as? he’s asked.

“Everything,” he quickly replied. “I think I’m my hardest critic. I think I have a lot of good stuff in my game but I still have a lot of weaknesses and I’m trying to work on those.

“The organization is really helpful to me, believing in me, supporting me. I can’t be more thankful.”

Galchenyuk can’t put his finger on any one thing that he feels has carried the Canadiens to their 5-2-0 record, their victories including Thursday’s 5-3 win over Columbus that was far more difficult than it should have been.

“If every team could find one reason, I think it would be easier to win, right?” he suggested. “There are a lot of reasons. There’s good depth on our team. Our line is going great, we just have to keep going.”

Goaltender Carey Price, he said of Saturday’s starter vs. Nashville, “has been unbelievable. He definitely has stolen some games for us. We’re always confident when Pricer is in net.”

It must be a remarkable thing to be not yet 60 games into your NHL career, not yet out of your teens, and have a city at your feet.

How inspired now does the Canadiens decision look to have made Galchenyuk their first pick in the 2012 entry draft, third overall?

“It’s impossible to walk around the city and not be noticed,” he said, not exactly shrinking from the fame that comes with being the youngest and among the most popular players wearing the Habs crest.

“You can see how the city is passionate about hockey and how they love the game. It’s fun to be part of it. It’s an exciting city to play hockey, that’s for sure.”

Galchenyuk and Gallagher were a highlight of last season’s 24 CH series, a behind-the-scenes look at the team that revealed the road-trip roommates’ needling, goofy senses of humour.

Galchenyuk marvels — even if he won’t tell his fellow winger — at the pounding Gallagher takes when he crashes the net and generally makes a nuisance of himself on the porch of the opposing goalie.

“I don’t know if he enjoys it,” Galchenyuk said of the nightly beatdowns Gallagher absorbs. “But it’s definitely part of his game, going to the net. He’s that kind of player. He’s fearless going there. It’s nice to see him keep bouncing back up.”

While Gallagher is as blue-collar as they come, Galchenyuk is the more artistic wingman on Eller’s line. There’s a creativity in his game, a flair for the dramatic that comes with his dramatic speed, tremendous shot release and his ability to find the open ice that suits his game.

“I’m pretty sure every coach wants players to use their strengths,” he said. “I think I can create some offensive chances, but most important for me as a young player is to not get too much caught up trying to do too much.

“That doesn’t mean just dumping the puck in all the time. It’s making the right plays and not doing something crazy or fancy or spectacular. If you have time to make a play, make it. But if you don’t, keep it simple.”

For Galchenyuk, even simplicity has been compelling. Watching him develop with the Canadiens should be a treat, both for his rabid fans and for the organization that will nurture him and give him the best opportunity to succeed.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2013


Hickey: Orr’s autobiography hits the store shelves

By Pat Hickey, THE GAZETTE October 18, 2013

MONTREAL — With Christmas around the corner — I know that because I saw Christmas lights for sale on my last trip to Costco — may I recommend a book for the sports fans in your life?

The book is Orr: My Story, the long awaited autobiography of NHL legend Bobby Orr.

Over the years, Orr has guarded his privacy and refused to co-operate with would-be biographers. That didn’t prevent Stephen Brunt from producing Searching for Bobby Orr, which offered an insight into a man whose unique talents made him the best defenceman of all time.

Orr’s book fills in some of the blanks in Brunt’s work but its value doesn’t lie in the story of Orr’s life but in his observations about the game of hockey and the people and forces that shaped him.

The biggest surprise in the book is the chapter devoted to Alan Eagleson. Orr doesn’t shed any light on his role in bringing the former head of the NHL Players Association to justice and, while he notes that Eagleson lied to him and mishandled his finances in his role as Orr’s agent, he also chronicles the good things Eagleson did in bringing labour negotiations in the NHL out of the Dark Ages. Orr is mostly sad because he thought of Eagleson as a friend and Eagleson betrayed him.

If you ever wondered what Orr would have looked like in a Canadiens’ uniform, the defenceman notes that Scotty Bowman spotted him as a 12-year-old playing in Parry Sound. But the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs, who were riding high at the time, both passed on a chance to woo Orr because they felt he was too young and too small. It was Wren Blair, who fostered a relationship with Orr and his family on behalf of the Boston Bruins.

In those days, teams routinely signed 14-year-olds to C forms which bound the player to an NHL team. The players developed through a system of junior teams, which were owned by the NHL clubs. To give you an idea of how times have changed, when the 125-pound Orr moved to Oshawa to play junior hockey at age 14, he received a bonus of $1,000 and his first suit. The Bruins also threw in new stucco for the family home in Parry Sound and a used car for his father.

The must-read part of the book is a chapter titled State of the Game.

Orr and I had a disagreement a few years back when I questioned the practice of some agents representing 16-year-olds and jeopardizing their eligibility for NCAA scholarships. I was pleasantly surprised that the book contains a balanced look at the pros and cons of junior hockey and the NCAA as paths to the NHL.

Orr is involved with a General Motors program which promotes fun and safety for youngsters and he questions the value of year-round hockey programs. He also talks about the role of parents, coaches and agents in the development of young players and offers a checklist of questions for would-be NHL players.

The introduction of hybrid icing is something Orr would applaud but he shows concern over the increase in head injuries in the NHL and suggests that the game may be getting too fast. He feels the elimination of the red line and a crackdown on impeding forwards going into the corners has led to more high-speed collisions.

Orr would like to see the elimination of staged fights but he goes old school when he defends fights as a necessary deterrent to other rough stuff. That puts him in line with his former coach and longtime friend, Don Cherry.

There’s a chapter devoted to Grapes and Orr makes the argument that Cherry belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder. It’s not the most compelling argument but I’d be willing to take up the cause after the HHOF gets around to giving the late Pat Burns his due.



There could be as many as nine Canadiens going to Sochi

By pat hickey, THE GAZETTE October 18, 2013

MONTREAL — Enough already with the talk about teams dealing with a compressed schedule in this Olympic season.

Over the first two weeks of the season, I’ve heard coaches, players and media types talk about the compressed schedule and it’s obvious they haven’t done the math.

If they did, they would discover that each team will play 82 games over 179 available playing dates, an average of one game every 2.17 days. That average has been more or less consistent for each of the past 10 seasons.

That’s not to say this isn’t a long season. Because of the Olympics in Sochi, the schedule began earlier than usual and ends a bit later.

That’s not to say that some teams won’t go through tough stretches with extended road trips, back-to-back games, three games in four nights or four games in six nights.

The Canadiens play back-to-back games on 16 occasions and only one of those scenarios features both games at home. That’s on Super Bowl weekend when the Canadiens play afternoon games against Tampa Bay and Winnipeg at the Bell Centre. On three occasions both games are away and, on nine occasions, the Canadiens play on the road and are at home the next night.

That’s not to say that there aren’t times when the computer which spits out the schedule displays an ignorance of geography. On the Canadiens’ U.S. West Coast trip in March, the team plays in Los Angeles and Anaheim, skips over to Phoenix and then returns to California for a game in San Jose.

But the Olympics also make this one of the easiest schedules for most of the players in the NHL. The league will shut down from Feb. 9 through Feb. 26 and that will give players a chance to relax and recover from any bumps and bruises.

The exception, of course, will be the players who compete in Sochi. They will have to deal with the intense competition and some major jet lag.

There could be as many as nine Canadiens in Sochi.

Despite some naysayers in Toronto, defenceman P.K. Subban is a lock for Team Canada and other sure bets are Raphael Diaz (Switzerland), Tomas Plekanec (Czech Republic) and Andrei Markov (Russia).

Carey Price’s early-season performance has him in the mix as Canada’s starting goaltender

Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk are on the Team USA short list. Galchenyuk impressed the U.S. brass at the world championships earlier this year and is off to a quick start in Montreal. Pacioretty should have a spot but his hamstring injury may be a setback.

Health will also be a concern for Alexei Emelin, who is recovering from major knee surgery. He’s on the Russian short list but first he has to make a return to the Canadiens’ lineup.

Finally, there’s goaltender Peter Budaj. He has been the quintessential NHL backup to Carey Price and may find himself in a similar role with Slovakia which has former Canadien Jaroslav Halak in the top spot.



Resized Parros pic

Parros and defencemen Douglas Murray and Alexei Emelin, who are also recovering from injuries, skated after the Canadiens’ practice at the Bell Centre, where the team photo was taken Friday morning.

“It’s going a lot better,” Coach Michel Therrien said of Parros.

“I can’t say exactly if he’s symptom-free…but he’s reached another step in his recovery,” Therrien said.

The Canadiens face off against the Nashville Predators Saturday at the Bell Centre. (7 p.m. CBC, RDS, TSN Radio 690) riding a four-game winning streak. Carey Price will get the start in net.

The last time the Habs played the Predators was nearly two years ago in November 2011 because teams only played within their conference last season, which was shortened to 48 games following the lockout.

The Predators are a team that exploit their speed a lot, Therrien said.

The lines at practice were:

Galchenyuk-Eller-Gallagher

Bourque-Desharnais-Brière

Prust-Plekanec-Gionta

Moen-Bournival-White

And these were the defensive pairings:

Subban-Markov

Gorges-Diaz

Bouillon-Tinordi-Beaulieu



NHL notebook: Habs' Pacioretty out three weeks

Losing your front-line left winger for three weeks wouldn't normally sound like good news.

But that's the case for the Montreal Canadiens, who announced after Thursday's 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets they will be without winger Max Pacioretty for that amount of time with a strained left hamstring.

"We're going to take the time to make sure (Pacioretty) gets better. In the meantime, it's not such bad news. It could have been worse," said Habs coach Michel Therrien.

Pacioretty went down when he got tangled up early in the game Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets in front of the net. He couldn't put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the ice and there was plenty of speculation Pacioretty, who has had his share of injuries, might have sustained an injury that would keep him out for the long term.

LAPIERRE GETS HEARING

St. Louis Blues forward Maxim Lapierre is scheduled for an in-person sit-down at the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday.

He accepted the invitation under a collective bargaining agreement provision that affords players the opportunity for a face-to-face hearing for suspensions that might exceed five games.

Lapierre must sit out pending the hearing.

Under review is a major penalty Lapierre received for checking San Jose Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle behind the play in Tuesday's game at Scottrade Center. The hit, which saw Boyle leave the ice on a stretcher and into a St. Louis hospital, occurred at 5:22 of the first period, wasn't his only infraction.

He was given a game misconduct and a fighting major for a separate altercation.

CALLAHAN BREAKS THUMB

New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan is expected to be sidelined 3-4 weeks after breaking a thumb in Wednesday night's 2-0 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Callahan had recently returned to the lineup after offseason shoulder surgery and was off to a good start before the injury. He scored three goals in his past two games, including two on power plays Saturday against the St. Louis Blues. In Wednesday's game, he scored once and had six shots on goal.

Callahan joins a growing Rangers injury list that includes forward Rick Nash, who has missed three games after sustaining a suspected concussion last Tuesday in San Jose, and winger Carl Hagelin, who is on injured reserve after offseason shoulder surgery.

To replace Callahan on the roster, the Rangers recalled forward Darroll Powe from the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Powe, acquired from Minnesota last year, has played in the Wolf Pack's four games this season and scored one goal. The 28-year-old also has NHL experience with the Philadelphia Flyers.

OILERS MAKING INQUIRIES

One look at Devan Dubnyk's line and it's clear why rumours are rampant that the Edmonton Oilers are on the prowl for a new netminder.

The 27-year-old Dubnyk was 0-3-1 heading into Thursday night's game. His save percentage (.829) is only slightly less embarrassing than Martin Biron's league-worst .763.

But are his numbers bad enough to lend credence to the chatter surrounding a trade involving Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller?

"There was talk Wednesday afternoon that the Sabres were working on a deal with Edmonton that would send Ryan Miller or Thomas Vanek and possibly both to the Oilers in a package that would bring Nail Yakupov and more to Buffalo," Buffalo News columnist Bucky Gleason wrote late Wednesday. "Whether it actually happens is another story. But as it stood

Wednesday, the two sides had considered, or were considering, a major swap."

One problem: Miller's current contract contains a limited no-trade clause which includes Edmonton, according to multiple reports.

And then there's the fact Miller is set to become an unrestricted free agent when his contract ends in 2014.

TSN's Bob McKenzie later confirmed that the Oilers have at least inquired about Miller, but there's nothing else to report.

Montreal Sun LOADED: 10.19.2013


P.K. Subban playing himself into spot on Olympic team

By Chris Stevenson ,QMI Agency

First posted: Thursday, October 17, 2013 11:31 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, October 17, 2013 11:37 PM EDT

MONTREAL - Ask most elite NHL players who are in contention for their Olympic teams about their candidacy and they’ll likely say they will just play their game and let things take care of themselves.

Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban is doing that pretty well.

It would seem a bit of a stretch that the reigning Norris Trophy winner would be anything less than one of the top eight defencemen for his country, but that is apparently the situation confronting Subban.

Recent chatter about Team Canada’s potential depth chart has Subban fighting for his life, if you listen to some.

No question there is a logjam on the right side for Canada, with the likes of returnees Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators and Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings. Doughty had emerged as Team Canada’s best defender by the end of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

After that, it looks like Subban and Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues fighting for the last “righty” spot.

Team Canada general manager Steve Yzerman is apparently committed to having lefties and righties playing on their usual sides and that’s not a bad thought, given the big ice at the Olympics and the change in angles that come with it. Not to mention the fact that for kids growing up in Canada, right-handed defencemen probably never played the left side in their lives due to the usual paucity of righties.

Lefties were regularly shifted over to the right side given the shortage of bodies on that side.

Ray Bourque had a Hall of Fame career as a portsider playing the right side and could fish the puck off the boards and onto his forehand in the offensive zone almost as quickly as a right-shooter.

I get all that.

But watching Subban Thursday night n the Habs’ 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets — not to mention so far this season — it’s pretty difficult to imagine leaving him off Team Canada, no?

This isn’t Mike Green, who was ripping it up offensively for the Washington Capitals on his way to a 76 points in 75 games in 2010, but couldn’t find his own way around his own zone with a GPS and two-hour head start.

Subban is a more than competent defender and a physical force, though that will be less of a factor on the big ice, where open-ice hitting is tough to do.

Subban had two assists in the first period Thursday night as the Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead. On the first one, Subban lasered a pass from inside the right pocket of Canadiens goaltender Carey Price all the way to the Blue Jackets’ blueline and right on the tape of Canadiens forward Rene Bourque, who skated in and scored.

On the second one, Subban dangled two Blue Jackets and passed to new partner Andrei Markov, who went cross-ice to Michael Bournival, who scored his first NHL goal on the one-timer.

Nice stuff.

Subban now has 10 points in seven games.

With Montreal up 3-1, there was a Subban pinch late in the second that led to Columbus’ second goal to make it a one-goal game and Subban’s detractors will no doubt point to that as the kind of risky play Team Canada can do without. But Subban had forward Lars Eller covering for him and Eller did a poor job of defending against Columbus’ Ryan Johansen, who scored with a hell of a shot.

More fuel for the debate.

But think about this: can you imagine Subban, an immensely-gifted skater, with the room afforded on the big ice at the Olympics? He could be his own one-man breakout.

He’s toned down the act which was getting him a lot of grief from opponents, as well as the rambling, gambling decisions. He’s using his teammates better.

Less has been more for Subban.

Is it enough for Team Canada?

Montreal Sun LOADED: 10.19.2013

722252 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators' road trip will reveal much about season

Oct. 19, 2013 |

Written by

Josh Cooper

The Predators are 0-2-0 on the road. Is it a sign of what’s to come on this three-game trip through Montreal, Winnipeg and Minnesota?

Or just an anomaly of a back-to-back against two tough teams — St. Louis and Colorado — to start the season?

This voyage can give some insight into the type of team Nashville (3-3-1) might be away from home. Currently the sample size is simply too small. Here are some facts, figures and insight about the Predators on the road:

5 Since the 2004-05 lockout, the Predators have been a .500-plus road team five times. The two sub-.500 road seasons were 2008-09 (16-21-4) and 2012-13 (5-14-5) — also the only two seasons since that work stoppage that Nashville didn’t make the playoffs. Coincidence? Probably not. It’s harder to win on the road with the home team getting the last change, which is why playoff teams generally tend to have a positive road record.

1 Sunday’s game will be the first for the Predators in Winnipeg and their first against the Jets as a divisional foe. The Jets have one of the best home-ice advantages in the NHL in cozy (15,004 seats) but loud MTS Center. In the last full season (2011-12), the Jets were 23-13-5 at home — despite finishing eight points out of the playoffs.

2 The Predators play two games against Central Division opponents, the Jets and the Wild, on this trip. Nashville is already 1-2-0 against the new Central. The postseason now emphasizes divisional play more than past seasons did, with the top three seeds from each division making the playoffs, so the Predators need at least three points in these games.

Tennessean LOADED: 10.19.2013

722253 Nashville Predators

Preview: Predators at Canadiens

Oct. 19, 2013 |

Written by

Josh Cooper

PREDATORS AT CANADIENS

PREDATORS AT CANADIENS

• When: 6 p.m. today

• Where: Bell Centre (Montreal)

• TV/Radio: Fox-TN/102.5-FM

• Predators keys: 1) Keep up the shots: The Predators are firing 30.6 shots per game and allowing 27.8. The shoot-first mentality has made them the aggressor. 2) Score early: Bell Centre is one of the most hostile atmospheres in the NHL, so a fast start would help quiet the loud crowd. 3) Slow Subban: Montreal’s P.K. Subban is one of the top offensive defensemen in the NHL. He’s also the team’s leading scorer. The Predators need to prevent him from jumping into the play.

• Injuries: Predators D Roman Josi (concussion) is out. Canadiens F Max Pacioretty (lower body), F George Parros (concussion), D Douglas Murray (lower body), D Davis Drewiske (shoulder) and D Alexei Emelin (knee) are out.

• Next for Predators: 7 p.m. Sunday at Winnipeg.

Tennessean LOADED: 10.19.2013

722254 New Jersey Devils

Do you blame Lou Lamoriello, Pete DeBoer, Martin Brodeur or others for the Devils' 0-4-3 start?

A night after the Devils lost to the Senators, there's already talk of a must-win game on Saturday against the rival Rangers. New Jersey is the only NHL team without a victory this season. In the comments sections all over NJ.com, fans have started doling out blame for the Devils' poor start.

Here's your opportunity to give a definitive answer: who deserves the most blame for what's happened this season?

You could say it's on Lou Lamoriello, who put together this squad. Or it's time for a coaching change to start things over despite the fact Lou Lamoriello told The Star-Ledger's Rich Chere, "I believe in these players and I believe in this coaching staff." But since Jaques Lemaire finished his Devils career (the first time, after 1998), there have been nearly a dozen coaching changes for the franchise.

Some die-hards even think it's time for Martin Brodeur to take a backseat to Cory Schneider after he gave up two goals on the first two shots he saw in the game against Ottawa -- that should tell you how desperate it is for fans right now. But there's also been some criticism of the team's defense.

Take the poll above, then head down to the comments section below to vent. If you were Lamoriello, what adjustments would you make? Is it time for a coaching change?

Star Ledger LOADED: 10.19.2013


Politi: The Devils are a winless mess of a team that does nothing well

The Devils are asking their fans to help them choose a new goal song at the Prudential Center, but they are opening the suggestion box at a poor time, to say the least.

Because, given that they are the lone winless team in the NHL after the seven games, may we offer “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel?

Or “Crying” by Roy Orbison?

Or “The End” by the Doors?

Or, given the general lack of talent on what is the oldest team in the league, how about just going with "Taps"?

About the only solace the Devils can take from the way this season has started is that the Rangers, whom they host tonight at the Rock, look just as bad. It is almost hard to believe that, less than two years ago, these rivals met in the Eastern Conference Finals. What happened to the rebirth of this rivalry? Better question: What happened to the Devils dynasty? “We’ve played seven games,” general manager Lou Lamoriello said over the phone yesterday. “We certainly do not like the position we’re in, but we do like certain things we’ve seen. We felt very good going into the season with the changes we made, and we still do.” Lamoriello has a point, of course. Seven games isn’t a very big sample size, especially when six of those games are part of a difficult road trip to open the season and the team is adapting to several new faces. Still: What, exactly, do the Devils do well? They are 27th in goals per game, at 1.86, which is no surprise given the firepower they have lost (and not replaced) since that run to the Stanley Cup finals. But they are also 26th in goals allowed, at 3.43 a game. The Devils have allowed at least three goals in all their games, and for a franchise built on stellar goaltending and defense, that’s troubling. Remember, this team lost 12 of 16 games to end last season, when sniper Ilya Kovalchuk struggled with a shoulder injury, and they have lost seven straight to start this season after his shocking defection to Russia in the summer. That is a significant sample size, and not a good one. Lamoriello insists the offense will be there. “We have goal scorers — in fact, we have goal scorers we haven’t had in the past,” he said, referring to the players he acquired in the busy offseason after Kovalchuk bolted. Damien Brunner (a team-high three goals) and the ageless Jaromir Jagr were good additions, but the Devils have a glaring lack of speed. Lamoriello gave concussion-prone Ryane Clowe (one assist in six games) a five-year, $24.25 million contract, and he is already on the injured list as a precaution after taking an elbow to the head. The bigger concern is the stunted growth of the team’s young players. The franchise desperately needs Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique to emerge as stars, but with a goal each this season, neither has taken that next step. It is getting hard not to wonder: Will they? “Let me put it this way: They have to be two of our better people,” Lamoriello said. “They have to.” The Devils have managed to go two decades without rebuilding, thanks to the continued excellence of goalie Martin Brodeur and the savvy moves of the GM. But this team sure looks headed toward the top of the draft, which could result in the most embarrassing moment of Lamoriello’s Hall of Fame career. He knew he had to forfeit a first-round pick in one of the next four drafts as part of the NHL punishment for the cap-circumventing Kovalchuk contract in 2010. He opted not to do so last year, even though the Devils had the 29th overall pick after losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the Cup finals. If the Devils bottom out this winter — and they sure look headed in that direction — losing that pick in what everyone believes will be a deep draft this summer will be devastating. Lamoriello has to hope his team can regroup and avoid that. The competition is hardly pulling away — six of the eight teams in the new Metropolitan Division have negative goal differentials — so a victory over the Rangers tonight could have an immediate impact on morale.

And if not? We humbly suggest “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty as the new goal song.



Devils in new partnership with ECHL Elmira Jackals

The Devils announced Friday that they will partner with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, sharing the minor league club with the Ottawa Senators for this season.

"We are extremely happy to partner with the New Jersey Devils and Albany Devils as affiliates. The entire Devils organization has a first-class reputation for success on and off the ice, and we will work extremely hard to give their prospects the proper environment to develop and advance their careers," Jackals owner and president Nate Cook said in a statement.

In 2012-13, goaltender Maxime Clermont was assigned to Elmira.

The Albany Devils were founded in 2010 after the Albany River Rats relocated to Charlotte, N.C.

"The Devils organization is excited to enter into a formal affiliation with the Elmira Jackals and congratulate their new ownership group led by Tom Freeman and Nate Cook," Devils senior vice-president of hockey operations and Albany GM Chris Lamoriello said. "I look forward to again working with head coach and director of hockey operations Dwight Mullins. I know under his leadership, the Jackals not only will be competing for a championship, but also developing players for future success in the game."

The Jackals have four players from the Devils organization on their roster. They are Clermont, defenseman Harry Young, defenseman Raman Hrabarenka and forward Riley Boychuk.



Devils: Was it worth the risk to sign Ryane Clowe with his injury history?

Considering his history of concussions, was the Devils’ decision to sign Ryane Clowe to a five-year, $24.25 million contract a risk not worth taking?

General manager Lou Lamoriello doesn’t feel that way, even though Clowe remains on injured reserve with a head injury suffered Sunday in Winnipeg when he was elbowed during the third period by Jacob Trouba.

“He’s still not feeling the way he should be,” Lamoriello said. “We’ve had every test done. He’s not the only player. (Sidney) Crosby has it. I’m not uncomfortable with where he’s (Clowe) at. He will be okay.”

Clowe is eligible to come off IR for Tuesday night’s game in Columbus, but if he doesn’t begin skating soon he will not play. Lamoriello would not talk about what the best-case scenario might be.

“Whenever he is ready. I wish I could be more specific,” the GM said. “It’s not going to take much to get back. He’s only been off the ice for two days. When you’re in shape. He’s not recovering from an ankle injury or a leg.”

Yet questions can be asked about how much of a risk the Devils took with signing Clowe. Players are quicker to be tested for concussions are taking hits to the head.

“No question,” Lamoriello said. “Show me one day that you don’t pick up the paper and are reading about it. I was just reading about it this morning. Not here. In some other sport. It’s not on the player either. It’s a protocol. And I understand.”

Like all teams, the Devils will be more careful with rushing Clowe back.

“Absolutely,” Lamoriello said. “There is so much publicity and so much on doctors and precautionary measures. When are you not reading about it every day in all sports? It’s almost out of your hands. It’s almost out of the player’s hands. There are so many different tests and so many different days (required to be symptom-free).”

The Devils signed Clowe, 31, on July 5 after David Clarkson rejected their contract offer.

* * *

Most of the team got the day off today. Only six skaters and goalie Cory Schneider practiced.

The others were Jacob Josefson, Rostislav Olesz, Mattias Tedenby, Andrei Loktionov, Mark Fayne and Adam Larsson.



Devils' Lou Lamoriello still has faith in Pete DeBoer and coaching staff

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello repeated today that he is not pushing the panic button and he is not on the verge of making a coaching change as the team struggles to win its first game of the season.

Speaking outside AmeriHealth Pavilion, where six skaters and goalie Cory Schneider were the only players to practice, Lamoriello said acknowledged he is disappointed with the 0-4-3 start but wouldn’t call it alarm.

“I don’t think any of us predicted or felt that we’d have three points in seven games,” Lamoriello said. “But we have played seven games. There are still 75 games left. There is nothing we can do about those seven games, other than look at the things we did well and go over the things that we didn’t.”

The Devils host the Rangers Saturday night at Prudential Center.

“I feel comfortable saying this: This team deserves a little more faith for being on the road six out of seven games and not coming out with more points,” Lamoriello said. “But we haven’t. We’re not going to dwell on it.”

Once again Lamoriello backed coach Pete DeBoer.

“The coaching staff is doing everything they can,” Lamoriello said. “So are the players. They’re working at it. We have to be more consistent in certain areas.

“Last night we had 19 chances. It all levels out, but you can’t ask for more than that. But we didn’t win and the bottom line is winning. There’s no question.”

DeBoer confirmed that the GM has been supportive.

“Lou’s been very positive with what we’re doing,” DeBoer said. “No one is happy we’re losing.”

Nevertheless, there is some measure of stress.

"It's stressful but I think when you take jobs in this league you go in with the mindset that you're going to wake up every morning and look for solutions," DeBoer noted. "That's what we do. I can't control a lot of other things around what we do, but I can control that. As a staff we show up every day and we're looking for the next solution that will help us get this on the right track and I can tell you it is very close."

DeBoer said he feels the players are very much behind him.

"I do. By their effort, by their commitment. When you're around these guys on a daily basis, they care," he said. "I truly believe that."

Are they listening to him?

"I think so," DeBoer said. "That's always the elephant in the room. You know it's there. At the same time you don't worry about that. It sounds ridiculous but you don't think about, 'If we don't win, what could happen?' You're so involved in finding a solution and you know you're close that that's where 100 percent of your energy goes."

The coach would not call it a must-win game.

“I’m not big on must-wins,” DeBoer said. “There’s no doubt we need a win. I think we need a win for our confidence. I’m really not looking at the standings right now. For me it’s an evaluation of how we’re playing, where our team game is and our identity is.

“I thought we took a real good step last night in Ottawa and we need to keep building on that. If we do, we’ll win games. That’s my view of it.”

Does facing the Rangers ramp it up?

“It doesn’t get any more urgent than where we’re sitting right now. I don’t think you can ramp up the urgency any more,” DeBoer said. “Complacency isn’t an issue right now.”

DeBoer said Cory Schneider will be in goal against the Rangers.

* * *

Ryane Clowe remains on IR with a head injury.

“He’s still not feeling the way he should be,” Lamoriello said. “We’ve had every test done. He’s not the only player. Crosby has it. I’m not uncomfortable with where he’s at. He will be okay.”

Clowe is eligible to come off IR for Tuesday night’s game in Columbus, but if he doesn’t begin skating soon he will not play.

“Whenever he is ready. I wish I could be more specific,” the GM said. “It’s not going to take much to get back. He’s only been off the ice for two days. When you’re in shape. He’s not recovering from an ankle injury or a leg.”

Lamoriello said of the Devils’ goalies: “Goaltending has been fine.”



Tom Gulitti: What happens if Devils' slide continues?


Tom Gulitti

Over an 82-game season, seven games is a small sample, so it's understandable that Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello is being careful not to do anything drastic after watching his team lose its first seven games.

Although Lamoriello is clearly not happy with the Devils being 0-4-3 and the only winless team in the NHL heading into tonight's game against the Rangers, he wants to see a little more before making what will be a pivotal evaluation for this organization.

The Devils aren't going to go the entire season without winning a game, but they've done nothing so far to disprove those who predicted they'd miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. What if they really aren't that much better than they've shown through seven games?

So far, the players and Lamoriello have given every indication that they still believe in head coach Pete DeBoer. But, if a team keeps losing like this one has been dating back to last season – 4-12-7 in its last 23 games overall – eventually the head coach pays for it no matter how much the players want to play for him or how much of the fault is his.

After that, the focus could fall on Lamoriello. One of the first decisions new owners Joshua Harris and David Blitzer made after taking over the team in August was to keep Lamoriello, who will turn 71 on Monday, in charge of hockey operations.

Still, if this season goes this bad, Harris and Blitzer could be the owners of a hockey team playing in a half-empty building by spring. And there will be no lottery draft pick reward for missing the playoffs with the team having to surrender its first-rounder as punishment for being found guilty of salary cap circumvention with Ilya Kovalchuk's rejected 17-year, $102 million contract in 2010.

That Lamoriello passed on a chance to give up the penalty pick in 2012 when the team picked 29th overall (Stefan Matteau) after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals is also a mark against him. (That Kovalchuk headed back to Russia this summer doesn't help, either.)

Lamoriello never has believed in the term "rebuilding," but that's what he's going to have to do with a team that has the league's oldest roster at 30.4 years of age and few promising forward prospects in the system.

Bergen Record LOADED: 10.19.2013


Devils, in need of a breakthrough, host Rangers tonight

Saturday October 19, 2013, 12:27 AM

BY TOM GULITTI

STAFF WRITER

NEWARK — Even with general manager Lou Lamoriello pledging to keep the faith a while longer, the Devils know the situation they face tonight with the Rangers visiting Prudential Center.

After losing their first seven games, the 0-4-3 Devils would be desperate for a win regardless of the opponent. That it’s their biggest rivals, who’ve had their own problems in starting the season 2-4-0, only adds to that feeling of urgency.

“I’m not big on must-wins,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said Friday. “There’s no doubt we need a win. I think we need a win for our confidence. I’m really not looking at the standings right now. For me, it’s an evaluation of how our team is playing and where our team game is and where our identity is. I thought we took a real good step [Thursday] night in Ottawa and you keep building on that, and if we do, we’ll win games.”

Rangers at Devils

Today, 7 p.m.

TV: MSG Plus, MSG. Radio: WFAN-AM 660/FM 101.9, ESPN-FM 98.7

Story line: The first meeting in 2013-14 of the Hudson River rivals. Neither has started well. The Devils (0-4-3) remain the NHL’s only winless team and return home from a 0-3-2 Canadian road trip. The Rangers (2-4-0) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 win in Washington on Wednesday.

The Devils trailed 3-0 after two periods Thursday, but pulled within 3-2 before a back-breaking goal by Milan Michalek with 4:48 left and Jason Spezza made it a 5-2 final. Still, the Devils outshot the Senators, 42-23, and controlled play for long stretches, but were repeatedly frustrated by goaltender Craig Anderson.

“It’s not just the effort [Thursday] night,” DeBoer said. “I think the guys see that when we play a certain way, when we play a certain style and with a certain amount of grit and edge to our game, we get rewarded. … It hasn’t resulted in a win yet, but if you keep going to that formula, it will.”

Talking about the players believing and having that translate into wins are two different things, and no one has to tell DeBoer what might happen if that doesn’t happen soon. Although Lamoriello said Friday that the coaches are “doing everything they possibly can right now,’’ the longer the Devils go without a win – they are the NHL’s only winless team – the more questions there will be about DeBoer’s future just two seasons after he guided them within two wins of the Stanley Cup.

“It’s stressful,” DeBoer said of being winless, “but when you take jobs in this league, you go in with the mind-set of you’re going to wake up every morning and look for solutions. That’s what we do. I can’t control a lot of other things around what we do, but I can control that. As a staff, we show up every day, and we’re looking for the next solution that will help us get this on the right track. I can tell you that it is very close.”

Lamoriello also believes the Devils are close to turning the corner and that seven games is too small a sample size to make any rash decisions.

“I don’t think any of us predicted or felt that we would have three points in seven games,” he said. “But we have played seven games. There’s still 75 left. There’s nothing we can do about those seven games other than look at the things we did well and go over the things that we didn’t. And I feel comfortable saying this: This team deserves a little more faith. Being on the road, playing six of seven games on the road, [they could have] come off with a few more points. But we haven’t, so we’re not going to dwell on it.”

BRIEFS: Cory Schneider will get the start in net for the Devils. … Lamoriello said LW Ryane Clowe is “still not feeling the way I would like him to feel, 100 percent” after being elbowed in the head in the third period of Sunday’s 3-0 loss in Winnipeg and hasn’t resumed skating.


722261 New York Islanders

Rookie defenseman Donovan steps up for Islanders

By Brett Cyrgalis

October 18, 2013 | 7:58pm

Two games was just enough for Matt Donovan to gain some perspective.

The Islanders rookie defenseman returned from his short stint as a healthy scratch to play well in Thursday’s 3-2 home win over the Oilers. After the team’s mandatory off day Friday, Donovan was expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday night when the Hurricanes come to the Coliseum.

The 23-year-old made the team out of training camp, and played assertively in the first three games of the season, showing coach Jack Capuano that his offensive instincts are not completely detached from his defensive responsibility. Then came Oct. 11 in Chicago, when Donovan had his first bad NHL game, a match in which the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks made him look overmatched and overwhelmed.

“He struggled,” Capuano said after that game. “There’s no question.”

So what the coach did was sit Donovan for two straight games, as the team went 0-1-1 and missed his ability to push the play and join the rush. Donovan got back in on Thursday and looked right at home, logging three shots on goal while playing 13:32, including 2:07 on the power play.

“I just got to watch these last few games and think,” Donovan said. “I got to learn by myself the mistakes I made the first couple games and what I need to correct to stay in the lineup.”

With a handful of young defensemen in the system, Donovan has been able to single himself out and stick with the team. Playing for AHL Bridgeport are Calvin de Haan and Aaron Ness, both highly touted prospects who could come up this year and contribute. Further down the line is Griffin Reinhart, the 19-year-old who stayed with the Islanders out of camp but was sent back to his junior club before being able to get into a game.

Donovan is a very different player than the man who replaced him, hulking veteran Matt Carkner, so Capuano has the flexibility to change the makeup of his lineup depending on matchups. There is also little doubt Donovan will encounter more speed bumps, and might necessitate another period of time sitting and watching.

Yet, when asked if the game looks easier from the press box, Donovan didn’t hesitate.

“No,” he said. “It’s never easy.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.19.2013


Oilers’ Hall scores 2 goals in 8 seconds vs. Islanders

By Justin Terranova

October 18, 2013 | 10:08am

The Islanders were the better team for 59 minutes and 52 seconds on Thursday night.

But the other eight seconds made the game interesting with Taylor Hall netting two goals in that span late in the first period to give the Oilers a 2-1 lead over the Islanders. Hall set an Oilers record for two goals in the shortest period of time, beating Wayne Gretzky’s existing mark of nine seconds.

The Islanders rallied for goals in the second and third period to win, 3-2.



Isles look to defense for more offense

Published: October 18, 2013 8:46 PM

By ARTHUR STAPLE [email protected]

Scoring has not been an issue for the Islanders through seven games this season -- at least, not from the forwards, four of whom are already averaging better than a point per game.

But for Jack Capuano, the Isles' system begins with speed out of the defensive zone, buttressed by a defenseman jumping into the rush or generating offense from the point once inside the opposing zone.

There have been a few good forays by the Isles defense, most recently by Travis Hamonic on Thursday -- he sped down the right wing, carried the puck deep into the Oilers zone, lost it, regained it and fed Josh Bailey for the game's opening score.

That is what Capuano wants to see from his defensemen. With only two goals from his defense, both on the power play, it's safe to say Capuano wants to see more.

"You have to pick your spots," said Andrew MacDonald, who has yet to record a point despite being the runaway leader in ice time for the Isles at 25:19 per game. "When you're out against the other team's big lines, it's even more important to pick the right time to jump in the rush. It has to be a good read or you put your team at a disadvantage."

General manager Garth Snow counted on the entire defense being able to make up for Mark Streit's absence this season. Streit led the Isles defensemen in goals each of his four seasons in uniform; Matt Donovan stepped into that void and does have one of the two goals from the blue line corps, but his confidence to step up into the play while keeping a strong defensive position hasn't quite matured.

So it's on the rest of the group, all returnees from last season, to be more offense-minded.

"It's definitely been a focus, that when we get the puck in our zone and you're the net-front 'D', you've got to go," said Thomas Hickey, like MacDonald still without a point through seven games. Hickey does have 10 shots on goal, second to Lubomir Visnovsky among the team's defensemen.

"It can take a bit to find your timing with joining the rush," said Hickey, in his second season under Capuano's go-go style. "You want to be strong in your own zone before you think about getting up ice."

That is perhaps the saving grace for the Isles' defensemen so far: They have been good at limiting quality chances, especially the last two games as they head into Saturday's visit by the Hurricanes. If the Isles' forwards can continue the pace they're on, the best offense from the defensemen may be simply more good defense.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Kevin Connolly docu on former Islanders owner John Spano comes to ESPN

Friday October 18, 2013 11:41 AM By Neil Best

It has been six months since “Big Shot,’’ about former Islanders owner John Spano, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, complete with appearances by both Spano and actor/Islanders fan Kevin Connolly, who directed the film.

Now, at last, you can see it, too, at 8 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN. It is a must-watch for Islanders fans, and for anyone with an interest in the power of delusion – both of the self and of others.

Connolly, best known as Eric Murphy on the HBO series “Entourage,’’ said in April of the chance to make a film about his beloved Isles, “’It’s a dream come true’ would be sort of putting it mildly.’’

But things got more interesting, and complicated, than the Patchogue-Medford alum anticipated when he landed a rare sitdown with Spano – who in the mid-1990s was able to buy an NHL franchise despite being a rather brazen fraud.

(Newsday’s John Valenti played a key role in revealing the deceit to the public. "Newsday is like the hero of the movie," Connolly said.)

Spano said at the premiere he found the film mostly “fair’’ but complained that some accounts of long-ago events were inaccurate. He said he reluctantly agreed to the interview because of Connolly’s persistence.

“Truthfully, I think it's insane, to be honest with you, that somebody even wants to talk to me or do a movie about me," he said in April. "It's comical."

Still, he acknowledged, "It's a crazy story.’’


722265 New York Rangers

Taylor Pyatt to wing it as fill-in on NY Rangers top line

By Pat Leonard / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Friday, October 18, 2013, 11:02 PM

Taylor Pyatt once thrived on a line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin in Vancouver.

Yes, that Taylor Pyatt, the grinding left wing the Rangers (2-4-0) are counting on for top-line production Saturday night against the winless Devils (0-4-3) in Newark, in the absence of injured forwards Ryan Callahan (broken thumb), Rick Nash (concussion symptoms) and Carl Hagelin (shoulder).

As the Canucks’ coach in 2006-07 and 2007-08, Alain Vigneault once paired Pyatt with Vancouver’s two star Swedes. Now, the coach is drawing on his and Pyatt’s shared past to try to maintain the dynamic Callahan had created with skill forwards Derick Brassard and Brad Richards before the captain’s injury Wednesday night in Washington.

“It was something that was in the back of my mind,” Vigneault said of Pyatt’s time in Vancouver following Friday’s practice in Greenburgh. “When he did play with the (Sedin) twins, he was a good net presence, he was good on the cycle, he knew when to get in there and use his big body. . . . We felt in looking at how (Brassard’s) line had some success and generated chances, a lot came on cycling down low in the other team’s end, and Taylor can do that.”

Pyatt, 32, who has played on five teams since the Islanders drafted him eighth overall in 1999, has no points through six games this season. He understands the urgency to get going Saturday, and perhaps his familiarity with Vigneault will help him. “I was happy to hear that we signed (Vigneault),” Pyatt said. “That was probably my best years in the NHL, playing under him (in Vancouver). But at the same time, it was a lot different time in my career. I’m just trying to find my game here, and I’m going to get a good opportunity to play with some good players (Saturday) night, so I’ve got to start to produce offensively.”

Someone has to. The Rangers are starved for goals, with just eight accounted for in Saturday’s projected starting lineup.

Thursday had seemed an ideal time to recall wing Chris Kreider from the AHL, but the organization appears concerned about Kreider’s level of confidence following last year’s Ping-Ponging back and forth between Hartford and New York. It does not want to make the same mistake twice.

Vigneault said he, GM Glen Sather and assistant GM Jim Schoenfeld decided to call up Darroll Powe because they needed a penalty-killer and fourth-line forward for Saturday night. J.T. Miller, 20, will get a bigger opportunity moving up to the second line.

But the Rangers coach also planned to drive to Hartford Friday night to see Kreider play. Perhaps a call-up isn’t so far away. “Chris, from what I heard (Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander) say . . . is playing well,” Vigneault said.

TWO CLOSE TO CALL: Michael Del Zotto (flu) returned to practice after missing Wednesday’s game, but Vigneault said he still has not decided whether Justin Falk will remain as the sixth defenseman or whether Del Zotto will take his place.

New York Daily News LOADED: 10.19.2013


NY Rangers coach Alain Vigneault moves Taylor Pyatt, J.T. Miller onto top two lines for Saturday game against New Jersey Devils

BY Pat Leonard

Alain Vigneault has reshuffled all four of his forward lines in the absence of Ryan Callahan for Saturday night’s showdown against the New Jersey Devils (0-4-3) in Newark, the seventh of nine straight road games to open the Rangers’ season.

The Blueshirts (2-4-0) practiced on Friday in Greenburgh in preparation for their second straight Metropolitan Division opponent, looking to build off Wednesday night’s 2-0 win over the Capitals in Washington, D.C.

CALLAHAN OUT THREE-TO-FOUR WEEKS WITH BROKEN LEFT THUMB

Vigneault said he did not know if Michael Del Zotto (flu), back on the ice Friday, would replace Justin Falk as the sixth defenseman. Otherwise, their lineup will look as it did during practice. Players who have moved in the lineup are highlighted in bold and italicized, to show you Vigneault’s specific changes:

Forwards: Taylor Pyatt-Derick Brassard-Brad Richards, J.T. Miller-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello, Benoit Pouliot-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett, Darroll Powe-Dominic Moore-Jesper Fast.

Defensemen: Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi, Marc Staal-Anton Stralman, Justin Falk OR Michael Del Zotto-John Moore

Goalies: Henrik Lundqvist (starter), Jason Missiaen (backup)

Power play unit, No. 1: Richards-J. Moore, Stepan-Pyatt-Brassard

Power play unit, No. 2: Girardi-Stralman, Pouliot-Miller-Zuccarello

Pyatt moved from third-line left wing to first-line left wing. Richards slid from the left to the ring. Miller vaulted from the fourth line to the second, while Pouliot slid down to the third line. Powe joins the lineup as a call-up from the AHL, primarily to help as a penalty-killer, while Dorsett and Fast have switched spots in an effort to create more balance in the bottom six.

“It’s definitely an opportunity for some other guys to have a bigger role and more ice time, and I’m hoping somebody’s gonna grab the opportunity,” Vigneault said of the new lineup, with injured forwards Callahan, Rick Nash and Carl Hagelin out. “We need somebody to do that. Cally, you can’t replace what he brings to the table, but you’re hoping some other guys will be able to take the opportunity, that little extra ice time that they might be able to get on the power play and penalty killing, and I’m confident that’s what’s gonna happen.’

Pyatt not only will replace Callahan on the top line but also will start on the first power play unit.

“Taylor is a big body that can protect the puck, take the puck to the net, and we felt with the guys we had available, he was probably the best-suited guy to come in and do the cycling and net-presence that Cally was bringing to that line,” Vigneault said.

The Devils will start Cory Schneider, one of Vigneault’s former Vancouver Canucks goaltenders, in net. New Jersey (0-3-4) still is looking for its first win. But their coach Peter DeBoer and veteran forward Patrik Elias both said after Thursday’s 5-2 loss in Ottawa that the Devils are playing better now than their record indicates.

Vigneault didn’t disagree, having watched the Senators game himself.

“It’s going to be my first time with this New York tradition here, so I’m looking forward to it,” Vigneault said. “I watched New Jersey’s game last night against Ottawa. They played real well. They dominated most parts of the game. They met a hot goaltender (Craig Anderson) who just shut ‘em down. It’s gonna be a good game.”

NOTES AND NOTES AND NOTES AND ...

Vigneault said his understanding in talking with Glen Sather and others in the Rangers front office is that Derek Stepan’s game is about 75% of where it could be … Stepan said Wednesday night he’s starting to feel better

about his game … The Rangers organization clearly is being careful about managing the confidence of Chris Kreider, who remains in the AHL. No doubt, Kreider played less instinctively last season and during this year's training camp than he had during his NHL debut in the 2012 playoffs. But he also scored the game-winning goal in New York's only win of last spring’s five-game second-round playoff series against Boston, then showed signs of life in this fall’s preseason finale once taken off Richards’ and Nash’s line. Vigneault planned to attend the Hartford Wolf Pack’s game Friday night against the Manchester Monarchs to watch Kreider play himself … Hagelin participated in his first contact practice since offseason shoulder surgery and said, barring a setback, he intends to return for the first game he is eligible, Oct. 29 on Long Island … Nash did not practice and remains on injured reserve. He has not practiced since his Oct. 8 concussion … Callahan is out three-to-four weeks with a broken left thumb suffered late in Wednesday’s third period.

New York Daily News LOADED: 10.19.2013


With Callahan out, Pyatt, Powe get more ice time for Rangers

By Brett Cyrgalis

October 18, 2013 | 9:16pm

How often is it that an NHL coach, in the middle of an early-season swoon, finds it necessary to leave his club on the eve of a game and head to their minor league affiliate to scout in person?

Well, that was what Rangers coach Alain Vigneault decided to do on Friday night, when he left after practice at the MSG Training Center in Westchester and headed to Hartford to watch the Wolf Pack play host to the Manchester Monarchs.

Vigneault and his club go into Saturday night’s game against the winless Devils (0-4-3) at the Prudential Center in Newark dealing with the aftereffects of the injury to their captain, Ryan Callahan, whose broken left thumb is expected to keep him out for up to a month. By calling up penalty-killing forward Darroll Powe, and by moving the grinding Taylor Pyatt up to their top line, it is clear Vigneault knows his roster is currently one not made to win a track meet.

But it’s also clear Vigneault is looking ahead to the future, which means going to Hartford to see what he has there with his own eyes. At the top of the list of things to see is Chris Kreider, who still sits on the outside of this team looking in, but for what may not be very much longer.

“From what [Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander] said, he’s playing well,” Vigneault said of Kreider, who went into Friday night with two goals and an assist in four games. “He’s using his tools and he’s been playing well since he’s been there. He’s going to continue to improve, and at some point, we’re going to need him and he’s going to be ready for us.”

That point apparently wasn’t now, as the immediate need was to try and replace Callahan’s physical presence, as well as his role on the penalty kill — henceforth the promotion of Powe.

The Rangers (2-4-0) are also dealing with the loss of superstar Rick Nash — the team said “nothing’s new” concerning his presumed concussion — as well as speedster Carl Hagelin, finally cleared for contact on Friday after offseason shoulder surgery, but unable to come off injured reserve until Oct. 29.

“It’s definitely an opportunity for some other guys to have a bigger role and more ice time,” Vigneault said. “We’re hoping that someone is going to grab the opportunity.”

Vigneault is in part giving that opportunity to Pyatt, whom he coached for three seasons in Vancouver. There, Vigneault often placed Pyatt on a line with the very talented Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, and that experience played a part in moving Pyatt up to a line with Derick Brassard and Brad Richards.

“When he did play with the twins, he was a good net presence, he was good with the cycle, he knew when to get in there and use that big body of his,” Vigneault said. “That’s what I’m hoping he’ll be able to do with Brass and Richie.”

Pyatt doesn’t have a point this season and had six goals and 11 points in 48 games last year. Yet, he knows this is a chance for him to show he can play with the skill guys and handle the big minutes.

“I know I’ve got to find a way to produce,” Pyatt said. “It’s a great opportunity and I have to take advantage of it.”

Vigneault said goalie Cam Talbot was sent down to Hartford so he could play three games: Friday, Saturday and most likely Wednesday, before returning to the Rangers. That means 6-foot-8 netminder Jason Missiaen will back up Henrik Lundqvist on Saturday, and likely be returned before the next game, Thursday night in Philadelphia against the Flyers.



With Ryan Callahan out, Taylor Pyatt moves to the Rangers' top line


BY ANDREW GROSS

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Whenever one player is injured, his teammates and coach quickly point out it’s just an opportunity for another to play a larger role.

For the Rangers, who have lost captain Ryan Callahan for three to four weeks because of a broken thumb, Taylor Pyatt will get the first chance for increased ice time tonight against the Devils at Prudential Center.

Pyatt will take Callahan’s spot on the top line with center Derick Brassard and leading scorer Brad Richards, as well on the first power play unit. Coach Alain Vigneault said Pyatt’s ability to forecheck — Callahan’s forte — was a key factor in his decision.

"I’m not really going to change any part of my game, I’ve just got to do what I do out there and find a way to contribute offensively," said Pyatt, scoreless in six games in his second season with the Rangers. "I’ll do some of the grunt work on the line and get the puck to them as much as possible."

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Pyatt, 32, was used on the Canucks’ top line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin when Vigneault coached in Vancouver. But Richards and Brassard are both much fleeter skaters than Pyatt.

Callahan broke his thumb blocking John Carlson’s shot late in the third period of Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Washington, which snapped a three-game losing streak for the Rangers (2-4-0). The top line was already missing right wing Rick Nash, who will miss his fourth game with a concussion and is out indefinitely.

"It’s hockey," right wing Mats Zuccarello said. "[The injuries] might as well come now instead of at the end of the season. We’ve just got to battle through stuff like this. It’s going to make us stronger."

As much as Pyatt will be scrutinized playing in Callahan’s spot, the Rangers also need Zuccarello and J.T. Miller to produce points. Zuccarello is scoreless in six games and Miller, who returned to the Rangers’ lineup on Wednesday after being recalled from Hartford (AHL), is scoreless in two.

But those two will start tonight on the second line with Derek Stepan, second on the Rangers in scoring with five assists.

"You have to have a group of guys step up and everybody has to grab a little bit more of the puzzle," said Stepan, estimated by Vigneault to be playing at about "75 percent" of what he can be after a lengthy contract dispute kept him out of training camp and all six preseason games.

BRIEFS: D Michael Del Zotto returned to practice after missing Wednesday’s game with the flu. However, Vigneault said he wasn’t sure if Del Zotto would be in tonight’s lineup. … LW Carl Hagelin (left shoulder) went through his first battle drills since being cleared for contact on Wednesday. He said his goal is to return to the Rangers’ lineup on Oct. 29, the first game he is eligible to come off long-term injured reserve.



Rangers target Taylor Pyatt to replace Ryan Callahan

Originally published: October 18, 2013 8:05 PM

Updated: October 18, 2013 8:52 PM

By STEVE ZIPAY [email protected]

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - The first shot at replacing Rangers right wing Ryan Callahan, who will miss three to four weeks with a broken thumb, goes to Taylor Pyatt. How long that will last is up to Pyatt, who has no points in the first six games.

Pyatt skated on the top line with Derick Brassard and Brad Richards and also will slide into Callahan's slot on the first power-play unit against the Devils in Newark Saturday night.

"Looking at how Brass' line had some success, a lot of it came from cycling and down low in the other team's end . . . Taylor can do that," said coach Alain Vigneault, who coached the 6-4, 227-pound forward when he contributed 23 and 16 goals in 2006-07 and 2007-08 for the Vancouver Canucks. "He's a big body who can protect the puck and take the puck to the net. And with the guys we had available, he was probably our best-suited guy to come in there with the cycle and net presence that Cally was bringing to that line."

Callahan has provided offense, with three goals in the past two games, and Pyatt, who scored only six goals last season, understands that someone must fill the gap. "I know I've got to find a way to produce," said Pyatt, who has played about 15 minutes a game on the lower lines and on the penalty kill. "Do the grunt work. Try to get around the net, win battles, be around the puck . . . I'm getting an opportunity with two good players."

With Vancouver, Pyatt skated at times with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and Vigneault said he "talked to Taylor about that today . . . When he did play with the twins, he was a good net presence, he was good on the cycle. That's what I'm hoping for."

Veteran Darroll Powe, who was recalled from Hartford, is the other piece being tested to replace Callahan, who was not available to speak with the media Friday. "We're already short on penalty-killers, and we thought Powe had a really strong training camp," Vigneault said. Callahan was averaging 2:24 on the power play and 1:36 shorthanded.

Notes & quotes: Derek Stepan, who missed camp in a contract stalemate, is improving daily, Vigneault said, and estimates that "he's at about 75 percent from where his game can be." Stepan was centering a second line with J.T. Miller and Mats Zuccarello . . . Vigneault was to visit Hartford to watch the Wolf Pack Friday night. He said coach Ken Gernander told him Chris Kreider was "using his tools and playing well. He's going to continue to improve and at some point we're going to need him and he's going to be ready for us." . . . G Cam Talbot was scheduled to play Friday night and Saturday night and probably Wednesday for the Wolf Pack, Vigneault said, while 6-8 Jason Missiaen serves as Henrik Lundqvist's backup. A decision by goalie Martin Biron, 36, who was waived and unclaimed, on whether to retire is expected "soon," a team spokesman said.



Rangers at Devils tonight … pre-game notes

19 October 2013, 4:47 am by Carp in Hockey New York Rangers NHL Rangers Report - No Comments

But first, this important note: Time permitting, we will have our first ticket contest of the season today. You can enter when the contest rules are posted at noon, and entries will close at 6:30 p.m. when “It’s Go Time!” is posted. So don’t be a knucklehead and make your predictions until noon. There will be some new guidelines, and maybe a new judge.

******************************************

Pre-game notes courtesy of the NYR:

NEW YORK RANGERS at NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:00 p.m. ET

Prudential Center – Newark, NJ

Rangers: 2-4-0 (4 pts)

Devils: 0-4-3 (3 pts)

TONIGHT’S GAME

The Rangers will face-off against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (7:00 p.m. — TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7), in their second of three straight divisional matchups. The Blueshirts currently rank fourth in the Metropolitan Division standings, and 10th in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 2-4-0 (4 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the Capitals, 2-0, on Wednesday at Washington, in their first meeting since the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Devils enter the contest with a 0-4-3 (3 pts) record to rank 14th in the Eastern Conference, and have lost their last three games in regulation. Following the contest, the Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, Oct. 24, at Wells Fargo Center (7:00 p.m.), as they continue their season-opening nine game road trip.

RANGERS vs. DEVILS:

All-Time: 104-85-27-6 overall (58-30-20-2 at home; 46-55-7-4 on the road)

2013-14: This is the first of five meetings this season, and the first of two meetings at Prudential Center.

Last Season: New York was 3-1-0 overall (2-0-0 at home; 1-1-0 on the road). The Rangers out-scored the Devils, 12-6, including an 8-1 advantage at MSG and a 6-2 advantage after the first period. Ryan Callahan (three goals, two assists), Derek Stepan (two goals, three assists), and Brad Richards (five assists) tied for the series scoring lead with five points apiece, while Rick Nash tied Callahan with a series-high, three goals. Henrik Lundqvist was 3-1-0 with a 1.51 GAA, .940 Sv%, and one shutout.

The Rangers and Devils have been separated by two goals or less in 15 of their last 21 meetings

The Blueshirts have registered a point in 16 of their last 23 games against the Devils (14-7-2 over the span), dating back to a 3-0 win at Madison Square Garden on Mar. 30, 2009

New York is 2-4-0 on the road; New Jersey is 0-0-1 at home

New York is 1-0-0 vs. divisional opponents; New Jersey is 0-1-1 vs. divisional opponents

New York lists no former Devils on its roster

New Jersey lists two former Rangers on its roster: Ryane Clowe (2013); Jaromir Jagr (2003-04 – 2007-08

INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS vs. DEVILS: Henrik Lundqvist – 45 GP, 28-12-5, 1.77 GAA, 7 SO; Brad Richards – 42 GP, 5-33-38; Ryan Callahan – 28 GP, 10-11-21; Derek Stepan – 16 GP, 4-9-13; Dan Girardi – 38 GP, 1-14-15

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Power Play: The Rangers were 0-3 (3:32) on Wednesday at Washington. New York is tied for 14th in the NHL overall (4-20, 20.0%), and 12th on the road (4-20, 20.0%). The Rangers are 2-2 (0:48) in five-on-three situations (last – 10/12 at STL), and 0-1 (0:30) when four-on-three (last – 10/12 at STL). Shorthanded goals allowed (1): 10/8 at SJS (Vlasic).

Penalty Killing: The Blueshirts were 4-4 (4:37) on Wednesday at Washington, and are now 14-16 (87.5%) in the last three games. New York ranks 20th in the NHL overall (19-24, 79.2%), and 18th on the road (19-24, 79.2%). The Rangers are 2-2 (1:59) in three-on-five situations (last – 10/16 at WSH), and 0-0 (0:00) when three-on-four. Shorthanded goals for (1): 10/7 at LAK (McDonagh).

Four-on-Four: New York notched one goal in three four-on-four situations (4:28) on Wednesday at Washington, and are now -2 in seven four-on-four situations (11:33) this season. Four-on-four goals for (1): 10/16 at WSH (J. Moore). Four-on-four goals allowed (3): 10/3 at PHX (Vrbata); 10/7 at LAK (Muzzin); 10/12 at STL (Backes).

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: The Rangers defeated the Capitals, 2-0, on Wednesday at Washington, in their first meeting since the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Including Games 6 and 7 of that series, New York has out-scored Washington, 8-0, in their last three contests. Henrik Lundqvist’s shutout streak against the Capitals is currently at 180:00 mins.

SHOOTING GALLERY: The Rangers out-shot the Capitals, 36-22, on Wednesday at Washington, including a 21-6 advantage in the second period. The 36 shots were a season-high for the Rangers, while their 21 shots in the second were the most for the Blueshirts in a single period since Mar. 15, 2011* (21 shots in the first period vs. NYI). *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

SINCE 2007-08: The Rangers are 23-9-3 overall (13-4-1 at home; 10-5-2 on the road) against the Devils since 2007-08, dating back to a 2-0 win on Oct. 25, 2007. Henrik Lundqvist is 23-9-2 with a 1.91 GAA, .930 Sv% and seven shutouts in 34 games over the span.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Henrik Lundqvist has faced-off against Martin Brodeur in 36 career regular season games, posting a record of 24-7-5 with a 1.75 GAA, .934 Sv% and five shutouts over the span.

GETTING STARTED: The Rangers have posted a record of 287-277-94 all-time in the month of October, including a 177-118-49 mark at home and a 110-159-45 record on the road. New York (2-4-0) is scheduled to play 12 games during the season’s opening month in 2013-14. Legendary Rangers’ defenseman Brian Leetch holds the franchise record for most points in the month of October, having registered 43 goals and 130 assists for 173 career points in the season’s opening month.

The Blueshirts’ all-time leader for most career wins in the month of October is Mike Richter, who registered 40 career wins during the season’s opening month. Henrik Lundqvist has recorded 37 career wins during the month of October. New York has posted two, seven-game winning streaks in the month of October, winning seven consecutive games during the season’s opening month in 2009-10 (Oct. 3 vs. Ottawa to Oct. 17 at Toronto) and 1988-89 (Oct. 16 vs. Vancouver to Oct. 30 vs. Pittsburgh).

ROAD WARRIORS: The Rangers are in the midst of a nine-game road trip to begin their 2013-14 regular season campaign. The trip will establish a franchise record for longest road trip to start the season, breaking the old record of seven games set in 2011-12. It will also tie the franchise mark for longest road trip overall, established during the 1955-56 season. The Blueshirts are slated to open their home schedule on Oct. 28 against Montreal, their latest home opener in a non-lockout shortened season since the 1947-48 season (Oct. 29).

FINISHING THE JOB: The Blueshirts have registered a point in 94 consecutive regular season games when leading after the second period, dating back to the 2009-10 season, posting a record of 88-0-6 over the span. The Rangers’ last regulation loss in a game when entering the third with the lead was Feb. 4, 2010 (6-5 loss vs. WSH). New York is 2-0-0 when leading after the second period this season.

THE HOT LIST: Brad Richards – seven points (four goals, three assists) in the last five games, including four points (one goal, three assists) in the last two games; Derick Brassard – four assists in the last four games, including three assists in the last two contests; Derek Stepan – five assists in the last six games.

THE KING’S REIGN: Henrik Lundqvist is one of four active NHL goalies to reach the 20-win mark in eight consecutive seasons (Brodeur, 12; Luongo,

9; Vokoun, 9), and is the only goaltender with an active streak of eight straight 20-win seasons.

Was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, the fifth time in his eight-year career he has been voted a finalist for the award which he won in 2012.

Finished last season tied for the league lead with 24 wins, becoming the first Rangers goaltender to lead the league in wins since Mike Richter in 1993-94 (42).

Passed Ed Giacomin as the franchise leader in career total shutouts (regular season + playoffs) with a 20-save shutout in last season’s finale against New Jersey, the 51st total shutout of his career.

The Blueshirts’ netminder has captured Rangers’ MVP honors for a franchise record, seven consecutive years. His seven Rangers’ MVP awards are also a franchise record, passing Brian Leetch (six) for the most in franchise history.

MILESTONES IN SIGHT: Marc Staal – 2 points from 100th NHL career.

INJURIES:

Carl Hagelin (IR – 9/30; shoulder, out indefinitely) – 6

Rick Nash (IR – 10/14; head injury – 10/8, out indefinitely) – 3

Michael Del Zotto (flu, day-to-day) – 1

Ryan Callahan (broken thumb – 10/16, 3-4 weeks)

Total Man-Games Lost: 11

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

Oct. 17 – Recalled forward Darroll Powe and goaltender Jason Missiaen from Hartford (AHL); Assigned goaltender Cam Talbot to Hartford (AHL)

Oct. 15 – Recalled forward J.T. Miller and goaltender Cam Talbot from Hartford (AHL); Assigned forward Arron Asham and goaltender Martin Biron to Hartford (AHL)

Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 10.19.2013

722271 Ottawa Senators

Dearth of discipline wearing Senators out

by Allen Panzeri

on October 18, 2013

The statistics are staggering, and they’re starting to worry Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean.

In seven games, his team has allowed 35, 42, 32, 50, 56, 37, and 42 shots, for an average of 42, highest in the league.

Just as bad, it has also taken 40 minor penalties, fewer only than the Philadelphia Flyers, who have taken 44.

These two trends are creating all sorts of problems, not the least of which is that the goalies are getting worn out.

That’s why Robin Lehner will start Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. He’s fresher than Craig Anderson, who has won his last two games but has faced 135 shots in his last three.

“If they’re going to be facing 45 and 50, there’s no sense in going back-to-back,” said MacLean. “You might as well give them a chance to be fresh and ready to go. Right now that’s our track record, and that’s all we have to go on.”

MacLean addressed the issue on Friday before practice. The way he sees it, the two stats are intertwined.

In Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Devils, in which the Senators took seven minor penalties, the Devils had 12 shots on their power plays.

So if those penalties are avoided, the Senators end up allowing 30 shots, which is about the league average, instead of 42.

“This is something that should be handled through the coaching staff and the players,” said MacLean. “But ultimately the players end up dealing with it and get it sorted out, so that’s the expectation.

“This is the first time that we’ve made it a real focus of the day, that this is what we have to do. So if it continues from this point forward, then it becomes a concern, not a frustration.

“The number of penalties we take certainly leads to us playing in our end too much and them getting shots at our net, and that’s never a good recipe, and there’s no chance of success if that continues to happen.”

The players get it. Or at least say they do.

It stung that after Thursday’s win, MacLean called most of the penalties “lazy” — penalties where the player reaches out with his stick, a leg, or a hand to impede an opponent.

The players don’t see themselves as lazy, but they understand the penalties don’t look good on them.

“Watching some of those penalties (from Thursday night), I think guys recognize that they do it right away,” said Bobby Ryan. “It’s early in the season and it’s a small sample size, but I think we can do a lot better and make sure we’re staying away from them.

“I’ve never thought of the Senators as a lazy team and I don’t anyone in this room would call us that as a team. They’re just mental lapses in judgment. When you make them, you know. You just kind of shake your head.

“We’ve got to stay a little more focused for 60 minutes instead of reaching the way we are.”

Defenceman Marc Methot said another byproduct of the parade to the penalty box is that the team’s penalty killers get worn out along with the goalies. That’s in addition to sidelining players who don’t kill penalties

“You notice it,” said Methot. “It’s all stops and starts, back and forth, and your legs are burning.

“So the second and third periods roll around, and you’ve already killed six penalties, it certainly takes a toll of your body.

“It’s something we have to cut out because we’re going to burn out pretty fast if we keep going at this rate.

“Some of the penalties are lazy, and we know that. We’re professionals. And the coaches of already addressed that. It’s just a matter of using our legs.”

The Senators figure to be better rested for Saturday’s game against the Oilers. Playing the Devils after a long flight back from Phoenix was difficult. Their body clocks should be getting readjusted to Eastern time.

They won’t be taking the Oilers lightly, either, even if they have only one win in eight games and look just as bad as they have for the last several years.

The talent the Oilers have assembled is still respected, even if it looks like the lost generation.

“Their talent is second to none in the league,” said Jason Spezza.

“We have to guard against not playing their style of game, and try to dictate the pace, make it hard for them.

“We don’t want to get into a run-and-gun game with them. This is a team we don’t know very well, and they’re dangerous.”

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.19.2013


Ken Warren’s 10 Takes: One Senators trade you won’t see any time soon

by Ken Warren

on October 18, 2013

Ken Warren’s 10 Takes: One Senators trade you won’t see any time soon

Apologies for the somewhat Western-centric theme for this week’s edition of 10 Takes, but spend 10 days on Pacific Time and you can’t help but get a slightly different take on the NHL. Just ask Ottawa Senators winger Bobby Ryan, the ex-Anaheim Duck who suggests Eastern-based NHL players have it easy. Besides, the Edmonton Oilers are in town Saturday. Kick back and enjoy this week’s sampling, which includes ugly shot counts, a trade that won’t happen, a new-old suggestion to exterminate NHL rats and a where-are-they-now update.

SKY HIGH SHOT COUNTS

The Senators have been outshot in six of seven games so far, allowing an astounding average of 42 shots per game. It’s alarming. Or is it? The Senators were also a leaky boat in their own end last year, allowing 31.3 shots against, sixth-worst in the NHL. As has been the case so far this year, their salvation in 2012-13 was also their goaltending — an NHL-leading save percentage of .931. That group included the current tandem of Craig Anderson, Robin Lehner, along with Ben Bishop, who just happens to be 5-0 with Tampa Bay and ranks ninth in the NHL with a .943 save percentage.

GROWING PAINS ON DEFENCE

The Senators’ top four on defence includes Marc Methot (28), Erik Karlsson (23), Jared Cowen (22) and Patrick Wiercioch (23) and the group has experienced some rough patches early. The team couldn’t afford to keep 39-year-old Sergei Gonchar, but they miss his ability to quickly get the puck out of his own end. Gonchar was also a mainstay on the point beside Karlsson on the power play, but with Wiercioch experiencing early struggles, Chris Phillips is being given a chance in that spot.

NO-GO TRADE TALK

Lehner was outstanding in back-to-back losses to San Jose and Anaheim last weekend. The Oilers are aiming to improve their current tandem of Devan Dubynk and Jason Labarbera. Cue the mild speculation we heard about a Lehner-to-Edmonton trade. Forget about it. Lehner isn’t going anywhere. The Senators are patiently grooming him for the future. He’s also a bargain, still on his entry level contract.

TEAM WITH BITE

Tiger sharks have three layers of teeth, and the San Jose Sharks have three layers of first-class centres. Is there another team in the NHL that can match the 1-2-3 punch of Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski? Is this the best trio of pivots since the days of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal? And just think, if there are injuries, wingers Patrick Marleau and rookie Tomas Hertl could also step back into the middle.

IF FIGHTING DIES, WILL STICKWORK RISE?

That’s the concern of Senators general manager Bryan Murray, who says the no fighting mandate in NCAA hockey has created a situation where players regularly engage in ugly stick-swinging incidents, while protected by full face shields. Interestingly, though, the Senators have had only fight in seven games (Chris Neil against San Jose’s Matt Pelech). Vancouver’s Zack Kassian has one. The Senators’ Matt Kassian has none.

IS INTERNAL DISCIPLINE THE BEST?

The dirty hits are coming almost nightly now: Patrick Kaleta on Jack Johnson, Maxim Lapierre on Dan Boyle, Cody McLeod on Niklas Kronwall. Clearly, the NHL has a pest control problem they need to clean up. According to one former NHL star, a 15-year veteran who is now in the Hall of Fame, there was once an old-school solution to get rid of the rats: if a player crossed the line from clean to dirty, teammates would stop protecting him when the inevitable retaliation came. The bad habits quickly changed when forced to fight his own battles.

REUNION TIME

After a slow start to the season, former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson has one goal and seven assists in his past four games, including a pair of three assist games. Alfredsson has eight assists, only one off the league lead before Friday’s games. And who do the Senators face after Edmonton? Oh, yeah. Detroit … ex-Senator Andre Benoit has been a big part of the surprising Colorado Avalanche defence, logging 21:54 per game, registering three assists and an impressive plus four rating.

KEEPING TRACK OF TRADES

Defenceman David Rundblad, acquired by Phoenix for Kyle Turris in December, 2011, is now a regular healthy scratch, with no points in three games before Friday … Nick Foligno, who went to Columbus in the trade for Marc Methot in July, 2012, has two points in four games and also been a healthy scratch for the past two games. Methot, meanwhile, has been Ottawa’s best defenceman through seven games … Bobby Ryan (4 goals, 3 assists) has passed Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg (4 goals, 2 assists) in the scoring race. Stefan Noesen, the other player in last summer’s blockbuster, is out for the season with MCL and ACL injuries.

ROAD WOES

The Senators opened the season with six road games? Cry me a river, say the New York Rangers, who began the season in Phoenix. By the time the Rangers open at home against Montreal on Oct. 28, nine road games will be in the books. By then, who knows what healthy players new coach Alain Vigneault will have left? The Rangers are already down captain Ryan Callahan, Rick Nash and Carl Hagelin. They’ve scored only 11 goals in their first six games.

AND MEGA MILES

Senators centre Stephane DaCosta opened the season in Los Angeles. After clearing waivers and being assigned to Binghamton of the AHL on Friday, his new weekend schedule looks like this: A three-hour drive to Syracuse for Friday night’s game, a bus ride to Binghamton to play Syracuse Saturday night, immediately followed by 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Bridgeport, Maine, for a 3 p.m. game Sunday, with a return trip back to Binghamton late Sunday. And one other small thing: His salary goes to $90,000 from $825,000.



Scanlan: How the Sens might exact western revenge

by Wayne Scanlan

on October 18, 2013

Conventional wisdom – and the National Hockey League schedule – would suggest the Senators returned home from a rugged western swing to face a couple of make-able putts.

That is, home games against two of the NHL’s lowest ranked teams: The New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers.

Careful, now.

Assuming Ottawa players can see past the folly of taking New Jersey lightly — despite winning 5-2 on an empty-net goal, the Senators were outshot 42-23 — there is little chance of looking past the offensively-gifted Oilers, despite Edmonton’s recurring issue with keeping pucks out of its net.

The Senators have their own issues with potential burnout of goalies, defencemen, perhaps even the shot clock, by giving up so many chances.

Senators head coach Paul MacLean certainly wasn’t overwhelmed by his team’s performance against the Devils, even taking into account Ottawa’s jet-lag off a long flight from Phoenix the day before the game.

Post-game, when he was asked which of his players impressed him, aside from goaltender Craig Anderson and his 40-save acrobatics, MacLean paused, then said: “Craig Anderson.” The coach couldn’t bring himself to single out others on a team that continues to lead the NHL in shots allowed (42 per game).

The Senators blow away the opposition in this category. Next worst are the Buffalo Sabres, allowing 35.6 shots per game.

Last season, the Senators gave up 31.3 shots on average, 23rd of 30 teams.

It’s a testament to the goaltending of Anderson and Robin Lehner (and for part of last season, Ben Bishop) that Ottawa is able to win games and post strong goalie stats, despite the bombardment.

Most teams choose their starting goaltender based on the nature of the schedule and the opponent, but the Senators also consider the Shell Shock Factor. After Robin Lehner faced 97 shots in parts of two games against San Jose (his start), and in Anaheim (he came on in relief), the Senators turned to Anderson against Phoenix.

Anderson recorded the 4-3 overtime win against the Coyotes and was brilliant against the Devils, but because standing on one’s head can be tiring, MacLean is opting to rest Anderson in favour of Lehner on Saturday against the Oilers.

“Right now, with our goaltenders, it’s based on the number of shots they have to face,” MacLean said, dryly. “If they’re going to be facing 45 and 50 there’s, no sense in going back-to-back. We may as well give them a chance to be fresh and ready to go.”

On Friday at the Bell Sensplex, MacLean had his players work on tightening up some obvious loose play, and especially on special teams.

With the man advantage, New Jersey was 1-for-7 against Ottawa and the Senators were 0-for-4 on the PP. The sermon from the mount delivered by the coaching staff was the need to cut down on what centre Jason Spezza called “careless” penalties of the hooking and holding variety.

“The biggest thing is, we’ve got to stay out of the box,” Spezza said. “We’re giving up 40 shots because 15-20 of them are on the power play.”

According to MacLean, 12 of the Devils shots came with the extra man.

“If we’re giving up five or six shots on the power play it’s a 30-shot game,” Spezza said.

In other nitpicking categories, the Senators were charged with nine giveaways to New Jersey’s three. Defenceman Erik Karlsson had four of them.

Here’s the thing. As ominous as the remaining October schedule looks after Saturday’s date with Edmonton, with games against Detroit, Anaheim, San Jose and Chicago, there is huge opportunity if Ottawa can get its act together, reduce mistakes and improve on puck possession.

The nasty early schedule that worked against the Senators shifts in their favour, as three of the best teams in the west will face the Senators under difficult circumstances.

AT DETROIT, OCT. 23

This one has been circled on a lot of calendars. Ottawa’s first meeting against Daniel Alfredsson. The Red Wings, a tough Eastern newcomer, have a day off prior to facing the Senators, but could be in for a letdown off a big game against the San Jose Sharks Oct. 21. So much for the early chortling about old man Alfie, Alfredsson scored three points Thursday while shifting onto a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Alfie will be fired up, but his former Senators team will also be highly motivated.

VERSUS ANAHEIM, OCT. 25

The Senators will get a chance to avenge a 4-1 loss in Anaheim last week in which the visitors were badly outplayed. This time, it’s the Ducks who play the night before, in Montreal. The Ottawa game will be the Ducks’ third in four nights.

VERSUS SAN JOSE, OCT. 27

The NHL’s hottest team out of the starting gate will be in Ottawa for Game 4 of a five-game road trip and, like Anaheim, plays in Montreal the night before. Not only is the Senators game the third in four nights for San Jose, the start time in Ottawa is 5 p.m., meaning the Sharks have about 19 hours between games.

AT CHICAGO, OCT. 29

If there is a good time to play the defending Stanley Cup champions, it might be when the Senators check into Chi-town and wait while the Blackhawks play in Minnesota the night before.

It all looks good, on paper, including the Senators’ pocket schedule, showing nine home dates in November and 11 in December.



Two Senators among NHL’s best dressed: Vanity Fair

by James Gordon

on October 18, 2013

Jason Spezza is captain of the Ottawa Senators, but he’s also Captain Couture!*

*Note to self: Never become a fashion writer

Spezza and Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson have been named among the NHL’s 10 best-dressed players by big-time glossy mag Vanity Fair.

Or, at least they were included in a click-bait photo gallery by that name. Sure some of the photos are five years old (nice V-neck Vinny), and at least one player was kind of stunned to find out he was good at fashion…

This is news to me but thanks anyway @VanityFair, I owe you one! – "The Top 10 Best-Dressed @NHL Players: http://t.co/RalfZobMTb"

— Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) October 18, 2013

…but I guess that’s a nice little feather in their caps…er, square in their pockets.



Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur off to slow start with new team

By Don Brennan ,Ottawa Sun

First posted: Friday, October 18, 2013 09:21 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 18, 2013 10:08 PM EDT

Nobody in the Senators room believes in ghosts, Halloween month or any other time.

But nobody wanted that damned dressing room stall Daniel Alfredsson sat in at the Kanata castle now known as Canadian Tire Centre, either.

"When they asked me, I said absolutely not," Bobby Ryan recalled Friday afternoon. "A guy that was here for however many seasons, and captain for however many seasons, I don't think anyone wants to go and fill that void in any kind of way. So when that came up, I said I'll go down to the other end (of the room's back bench).

"And Clarkie said he would rather be in Storage Room B."

"Clarkie" is Clarke MacArthur, the ex-Toronto Maple Leaf who, rightly or not, was held up in comparison to Alfredsson after the greatest player in Ottawa's history felt it necessary to end his reign here last summer.

Alfredsson didn't really want to leave. He felt mistreated. He felt he had to move on.

Just like MacArthur, who has had similar scoring totals to Alfredson over the last three seasons, really didn't want to be looked at his replacement after signing here the same day No. 11 bolted to Detroit.

And he certainly didn't want to take over the stall reporters have automatically gravitated to like a holy temple after games and practices since the 1990s.

But Storage Room B was apparently full of junk.

"I'm looking to move," MacArthur joked, standing in front of The Stall. "I'm not feeling ghosts, but it's a tough spot to sit in, that's for sure."

Ryan used the word "superstitious", but MacArthur says he's not.

"I mean, everyone has their little things, but I'm not crazy," he explained.

MacArthur might start feeling differently if his slump keeps up, however.

In his eighth NHL season, he has never before waited so long to score his first goal.

In 2011-12, he went six games from the start of the schedule before getting No. 1 - and then he followed up with five goals in his next four outings.

On Thursday, in another evening of hard work that went unrewarded, he established a new personal worst of seven games.

Meanwhile, Alfredsson has a goal and seven assists in his last four games for Detroit - not that MacArthur has noticed, or cares.

"I'm not really feeling like it's killing me yet," MacArthur said of his drought. "It's not to that point. We're winning.

"But it's frustrating when you're getting three or four shots a game, and you want to try and find the back of the net. You've just got to go to the net harder, and be more aggressive around the net."

The only Senators Top 6 forward yet to locate mesh is still contributing. MacArthur has three assists and a plus-4 rating that is second best on the team. He's also killing penalties.

"He's been very impressive, as advertised," said coach Paul MacLean. "He's a veteran player in the league, he can play in all situations. He's a player who the coach can put anywhere and really trust him."

And for the most part, MacArthur isn't dissatisfied with his game.

But at the same time, he would like to put a mark on the board. He would like to show Ottawa that he in fact can score.

"I've had fast starts in the past and then you have a 20-game skid in the middle of the year where you don't score," said MacArthur, who has lit the lamp 93 times in 410 NHL games. "Obviously you want to be consistent and get rid of those (stretches). I'd love to know how to not go 15 or 20 games without a goal, but yeah, I'm obviously pressing here.

"I hit the crossbar again (Thursday) night .. had a couple (of chances) right in front"¦.it would be nice to get one, and kind of get going."

It's not for lack of trying. MacArthur's 21 shots leave him tied with Jason Spezza for second most on the team, just two behind Ryan.

But yes, he has hit iron. He has hit goalies. He has, it seems, hit everything but paydirt.

"Normally I'm more opportunistic," said MacArthur, who has a 13.5 career shooting percentage. "Less shots, and more (go in). But it's different from year to year. If I get four or five shots a game, snakebitten or not, something's got to go."

"I heard (Teemu) Selanne say when he got his first one, 'just get the first one out of the way. It doesn't matter how it goes in.'

"I'm going to keep pressing here and try to get that out of the way, and then keep going."

His next chance comes Saturday afternoon, when the Edmonton Oilers visit Canadian Tire Centre. Maybe then MacArthur will get his first goal as a Senator. Maybe then he can lay to rest the Curse of The Stall.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.19.2013


Ottawa Senators realize they have to cut down on penalties



The Senators know their problem. The coaching staff addressed it fully, firmly and finally on Friday.

Too many penalties have equalled too many shots against.

If it keeps up, the players were told at a Sensplex practice in preparation for

Saturday's visit by the Edmonton Oilers, it won't just be this game that is lost.

It will also be the season.

Too soon for such talk?

Not in Paul MacLean's mind.

"They had 12 shots on the power play (Thursday) night," MacLean said of a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils despite his team being outshot 42-23 taking the over the league lead in a category they can't win -- most average shots allowed per game. "Take those away and it's only 30 shots on goals, which is the average in the league.

"The amount of penalties we take certainly leads to us playing in our end too much and them getting shots on our net. And that's never a good recipe.

"There's no chance of success if that continues to happen."

Only the Philadelphia Flyers have spent more time than the Senators killing penalties this season. Ottawa has been shorthanded for a grand total of 59 minutes and 18 seconds - or almost one full game.

The Senators have only played seven. Considering the disadvantages they've been at, it's surprising they've won three and grabbed a point from two others.

"It's all back and forth, stops and starts and your legs are burning," defenceman Marc Methot said of all the extra burden being placed on the shorthanded units. "So second, third period rolls around, and you've already killed six penalties "¦ it certainly takes a toll on your body. It's something that we've got to cut out, because I know that we're going to burn out pretty fast if we keep going at this rate."

And with all the shots being surrendered, goalies Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner are going to be reduced to babbling fools by the end of the season at this rate.

"We've got to help them out, because ultimately Andy and Lenny are the backbone of our hockey club," said Methot. "We can't give them the brunt end of the work for 82 games. We have to start giving them a little more support. I think if we can shave those shots numbers down to just over 30, then that starts to get a little more reasonable."

Methot said too many of the penalties are a result of players being "lazy" and not using their legs.

MacLean passed that message along during his sermon.

"I think an interesting thing that came from it was that (Senators took) 38 penalties or something, and 19 or 20 were hooking or tripping or whatever they were, and a lot of them were 200 feet away from the net," said Bobby Ryan. "Myself included. I think we've got to be a little more accountable. Sometimes I think it might be overworking, but at the same time, whether you commit yourself to the extra side or whatever it is, you've got to find ways to get around that.

"I don't think anyone's out there trying to get them, but it's just the way they fall in. So hopefully we can clean it up."

MacLean seems confident his troops will wise up.

"It should be something that can be handled between the coaching staff and the players," he said. "Ultimately the players end up getting with it and getting it sorted out. That's the expectation.

"I think we've addressed it, but this is the first time we've really made it a focus of the day, that this is what we have to do.

"So if it continues from this point forward, then it becomes a concern."

THIS AND THAT

As he sat in at his stall after practice, Methot had to pee. No, like he really (ital) had to pee (end ital). A member of the IOC was nearby waiting to grab a urine sample. All players that are candidates for the Olympics are being tested. "I'm trying to take a leak," he said. "I'm really dehydrated, because we played (Thursday) night. I drank a lot at (practice). And I've had two full ones since I've sat down here. Hopefully it's just going to come out eventually." "¦ Methot admitted he thinks about his chances at representing Canada in Sochi, but not all the time. "Sometimes, but as soon as you start playing here, and you get into games, you tend to lose focus on the Olympics and you focus just on the task at hand," he said. "That sounds kind of cheesy, but it's true. The Olympics are always at the back of your mind, especially when you're seeing guys talk about it on TV and whatnot. It kind of refreshes your memory. But right now I'm not really concerned about it." "¦ Making the biggest impression in Binghamton thus far have been Derek Grant, who was recalled by the Senators Friday, as well as Mika Zibanejad, Andre Petersson, Corey Cowick, Dave Dziurzynski, Mark Borowiecki and Chris Wideman. "Those are the player that have really been brought to my attention at this point in time," said MacLean "¦ As it stands, D Joe Corvo will be a healthy scratch again Saturday afternoon. But that could change before game time. "We want Joe to be able to play consistently as well," said MacLean. "He's a veteran guy that gives us a presence back there." "¦ MacLean fondly remembers playing the Oilers in their hey-days. "I can recall a lot of 7-6 games that were a lot of fun to play in," said the former Winnipeg Jet. "We have to make sure we're ready for that (Saturday)."



Ottawa Senators call up Derek Grant from Binghamton and demote Stephane Da Costa



The Bingo Shuffle started Friday afternoon with Stephane Da Costa. By the end of the day, it included forward Derek Grant.

The Senators recalled Grant, their fourth round pick in 2008, after Da Costa cleared waivers and was sent to the AHL affiliate in Binghamton.

Grant, who earned a five-game NHL shot in 2012-13 primarily because of his solid defensive play, scored two goals in the B-Sens first three games this season.

Da Costa, a 24-year centre who was the surprise of training camp, had no points in four games for Ottawa before being placed on waivers. The Senators were pleased to retain his rights when no team claimed him by noon.

"He did enough to make the team coming out of camp," coach Paul MacLean said of Da Costa. "Then it was hard to get him in the lineup consistently. He's still a young player. (Being) in and out of the lineup, I don't think is good for him when he can go there and he can play 15-20 minutes and continue to work at his game.

"He's made good strides within the organization and we want him to continue to do that. We just didn't think, moving forward, that he was going to get the opportunity to play enough (here.)."



Ottawa Senators Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza among top 10 best-dressed players in NHL in magazine rankings

By Michael Aubry ,Ottawa Sun


They might look thuggish and burly skating circles around the competition, but once the helmets come off, our Ottawa Senators sure are dapper.

The writers at Vanity Fair magazine couldn’t agree more, rating two of of the team’s leading gentlemen among the top 10 best-dressed players in the NHL.

In the one corner, hailing from Sweden, standing at six-foot nothing and weighing in at 180 pounds, we have the Sens’ beloved baby-faced Erik Karlsson at number seven.

Vanity Fair insists the star defenceman, who darts about the ice with the grace of a gazelle, “defies the thuggish-defenceman cliché” when he dons his best suit on his off-hours.

He struts around in “Euro-cut slim suits and button-downs that pop with colour,” the magazine’s design gurus say.

It doesn’t hurt that posters of the young chap are plastered on many a young woman’s bedroom wall, hoisting his Norris Trophy.

Some ladies might even want to see him wearing nothing but the trophy.

Shucks, too bad he got married to wife Therese last year.

But let’s not forget the Senators’ main man, the big C, Jason Spezza.

He makes looking suave seem easy in his well-fitted suits, skinny ties and leisurely gait oozing with confidence, ringing him in at number nine in Vanity Fair’s books.

Maybe it comes from being top dog for the Sens in a hockey-crazed town, or perhaps it’s because Spezza was quite the youth model back in the day. (That’s right, bet you didn’t know Spezza became a baby model at age one, eventually appearing in commercials and on posters).

More likely though, is that his $49-million, seven-year contract lets him afford a half decent stylist.

The Rangers' King Henrik Lundqvist, Vincent Lecavellier of the Flyers and the Canucks' Ryan Kesler round out the top three best-dressed jersey-wearing gents.



Ottawa Senators will start Robin Lehner in net against Edmonton Oilers



These days, Senators goalies are a little like the poor sucker who sits in the dunk tank at the country fair.

Next on the plank: Robin Lehner.

Coach Paul MacLean decided to go with his backup against the Edmonton Oilers after watching Craig Anderson withstandd a 42-shot barrage in Thursday's 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Coincidentally, 42 is also the league worst average number of shots allowed by the Senators through seven games this season.

"Right now, it's based on the number of shots they have to face," MacLean said Friday, explaining his rationale in using Lehner against the Oilers. "If they're going to be facing 45 or 50, there's no sense in going with them back to back. You might as well give them a chance to be fresh and ready to go."

MacLean was asked if he really expects the Senators will give up that many shots Saturday against an Oilers team that has just three points in their first eight games.

"Right now that's our track record, that's all we have to go on." he said. "Are we going to try and improve on that? For sure we are. But they're a fast team, they go pretty good. We better be ready."

Lehner is set to go.

This will be his second start of the season, although he also played almost 56 minutes of the game in Anaheim, when Anderson was mercifully pulled after giving up two goals on nine shots - and facing a couple of breakaways - before all the fans at the Honda Center had settled into their seats.

Lehner gave up only two goals on 47 shots the rest of the way that night, which was on par with the 50 shots (while allowing two goals) he faced in his starting assignment against San Jose 24 hours earlier.

Asked if he had ever seen as many pucks in back to back games, the 22-year old Swede shrugged.

"I don't know in two games, but in Bingo we had a few (like that)," Lehner said, referring to his days with the B-Sens. "It was a harder transition sometimes facing a lower amount of shots, and getting used to that. I think I'm a better goalie facing a low amount of shots now than I was before, but I'm used to lots of shots."

Lehner has never faced the Oilers before, but he knows what they are.

"An offensive team, with lots of skill, fast," he said. "Right now we feel like it's a good game for us, because we're starting to get our offence going. We still haven't played our best hockey yet. I think we can change a few things and start playing really good."


722280 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' look to work out of scoring slump

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: Saturday, October 19, 2013, 2:02 AM

Matt Read, one of many highly skilled Flyers forwards without a goal in the first eight games, says he and his teammates are trying too hard.

"When things aren't going your way, you try to do the little extra. You're gripping the stick a little hard," he said after Friday's high-tempo practice in Voorhees. "You're trying to do the little extra thing and getting yourself out of position."

The Flyers' offensive ineptness - at least at the start of an NHL season - hasn't been equaled in almost half a century.

Thursday's 4-1 loss to visiting Pittsburgh marked the eighth straight time they had failed to score more than two goals since the season started. That's the first time that has happened since 1964, when the Boston Bruins did it in the first nine games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Flyers are 1-7 and have scored a total of 11 goals. Their record and the number of goals scored are the worst in franchise history for the season's first eight games.

Read's solution: "Keep it simple. Keep doing the little things - winning puck battles, getting pucks to the net. We're having a hard time hitting the net right now. We have to focus on putting the puck in the middle of the net and getting rebounds."

In the loss to the Penguins, the Flyers had more shots that didn't hit the net (38) than were on goal (25).

The Flyers, whose record would be drastically different if they weren't outscored 12-2 in the third period, don't play again until Thursday against the visiting Rangers. They will have six days between games, and four practices to fine-tune coach Craig Berube's new system.

"We have to figure what we need to do to win games and kind of hit our 'refresh' button," Read said. "We have to put these last eight games behind us. Take these six days to think about the rest of the season. Let's start winning hockey games and enjoy the season."

With 74 games left, Read said, "there's no reason to hit the panic button yet."

"It's a long season and it can only get better," winger Wayne Simmonds said. "I don't think it can get any worse. We have to keep working hard, and the harder we work, the better we get."

"Obviously we're not happy with our record, but we're doing a lot of good things out there and have to stay positive in this room," said captain Claude Giroux, who is still searching for his first goal. "If we do, we're going to start winning games and put ourselves back in a playoff position."

Giroux called Friday's practice, which featured conditioning drills, the "hardest of the year."

Breakaways. Berube, who said it's "my job to keep these guys motivated and upbeat," has changed some of the Flyers' practice plans. They will not practice Saturday or Sunday, though injured forwards Vinny Lecavalier and Scott Hartnell will skate Sunday at 11 a.m. in Voorhees, the coach said. . . . Kimmo Timonen, who left Thursday's game with an unspecified injury, did not practice. He is listed as day to day and is expected to practice Monday, general manager Paul Holmgren said.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.19.2013


Flyers trying to clear negative air

FRANK SERAVALLI, Daily News Staff Writer [email protected]

Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2013, 3:01 AM

STEVE MASON remembers the feeling all too well.

During his four full seasons in Columbus, playing for a franchise that has qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs just once in 12 seasons, the losses piled up quickly.

His team's record was a total of 136-147-45 during those four seasons - a number that is in some ways overinflated because of the NHL's parity-inducing wins and overtime losses format.

Most times, there was a constant negative air surrounding the team. It is one of the reasons Mason, 25, was eager for a new home last April at the trade deadline.

And that same negative air is now surrounding the Flyers, who are off to their worst start in franchise history at 1-7-0. But Mason - easily the team's most valuable player through the first 2 weeks of the season - is trying to do anything he can to avoid the same defeatist attitudes.

"My few years in Columbus, there were a lot of down times, a lot of losing that went on," Mason said. "When the losses start piling up early in the season, it's easy to let that affect us. It's easy to get frustrated.

"We can't let that affect us. There's obviously a lot of things that we need to cover to make sure we get out of this funk that we're in."

The Flyers have a week off to do so. Without a game until Thursday against the Rangers, they will not practice either day this weekend before three straight days of drills leading up to the game.

Mason has done his part. He is 5-7-0 with a .935 save percentage and 2.16 goals against-average since being acquired by the Flyers.

Perhaps, that is the real irony of this all: After such a long spell without any confidence in net, the Flyers are falling apart elsewhere. In some ways, Mason's play may even be giving the Flyers a bit of false hope.

"It's still a bad feeling," Wayne Simmonds said. "We haven't gotten blown out. But it feels crappy that we have going for us is our goaltender and we've let it go to waste. We've got to pick up the slack."

Matt Read said the Flyers need to "just try to make hockey a fun and positive atmosphere again," maybe something the 2 days away from the rink will accomplish.

The week off, Read said, will allow the Flyers to "put these eight games behind us and start another season." With a heavy practice workload, it will almost be an abbreviated training camp for Berube, who has coached the team for just five games.

It's not going to get any easier, though. Pittsburgh already has a 10-point lead in the Metropolitan Division. This is the Flyers' easiest stretch of the schedule by far, with eight of 11 games at home in October, and only 11 games in the month overall. They play 15 and 14 games in most of the other months of this season because of the 3-week Olympic break in February.

After their "hardest practice of the year," captain Claude Giroux reminded that there are still 74 games left.

"That's a lot of games," Giroux said.

Yes, there are plenty of games to get back in the race, but truly hitting the reset button this week will be key.

"Hockey is something that we've all dreamed of playing for a job," Read said. "If you're not here having fun and putting in a full effort, you're in the wrong industry."

Penalty gaffe

The NHL followed up with the Flyers' scoreboard error during Thursday night's loss to the Penguins. At the beginning of the second period, Braydon

Coburn was released from the penalty box 20 seconds early, after serving only 1:40 of his 2-minute minor.

Play continued, but Penguins coach Dan Bylsma was not happy about it post-game.

"It was human error," NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Mike Murphy said. "During the intermission, the penalty clock was to be flipped to intermission mode. It wasn't. When they ran a 20-second promo spot during the intermission, the time ticked off the penalty. The time run-off wasn't noticed at the start of the period, causing Braydon Coburn to only serve 1:40 of a 2:00 penalty."

The NHL rulebook does not allow for any remedy to the disadvantaged team in a situation like that one.

Injury updates

Kimmo Timonen's injury is not considered serious. Timonen, 38, left Thursday's game with 6 minutes remaining in the second period with a "lower-body" injury. He is officially listed as "day-to-day." Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said he expects Timonen to be on the ice when practice resumes on Monday.

Ray Emery and Jake Voracek also did not practice yesterday, with coach Craig Berube calling them "maintenance days." Emery has not played since last Saturday in Detroit, but Berube said he was taking care of "a couple things wrong with him." Voracek seemed to tweak his right knee against the Penguins but Berube said he is fine.

Slap shots

The Flyers do not practice again until Monday . . . Vinny Lecavalier (lower-body) and Scott Hartnell (upper-body) are expected to begin skating on their own on Sunday. Lecavalier, 33, could be ready for Thursday's game against the Rangers, but Hartnell's 3-to-4 week timetable has not changed . . . Berube said Lecavalier's status "depends on if he can get on the ice and get some skating in, because just coming back after not skating enough and getting his legs under him is not a good idea."



Inside the Flyers: Slumping Flyers put Holmgren on the hot seat


Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2013, 3:01 AM

About a month ago, the big boss, Ed Snider, was the picture of optimism.

The Flyers chairman said that last season was an aberration, that the players had a much better rapport this year, that the three newcomers - Vinny Lecavalier, Mark Streit, and Ray Emery - would contribute mightily to a turnaround.

Snider also insisted that, even if the Flyers got off to a shaky start, coach Peter Laviolette and general manager Paul Holmgren had job security.

The Flyers began the season 0-3. Laviolette was fired.

The Flyers are now 1-7 and have scored a total of 11 goals. Is Holmgren next?

No, said Peter Luukko, president of the Flyers' parent company, Comcast-Spectacor.

Though obviously not satisfied with the early-season results, Luukko said that Holmgren's job is not in jeopardy, that the team just needs time to adjust to new coach Craig Berube's system.

Luukko was not alarmed by the results of a recent philly.com poll. Heading into the weekend, more than 4,400 people had responded when asked if Holmgren should be replaced.

Almost 93 percent said yes.

"When things aren't going well, the timing of the poll is what directly relates to the answers," Luukko said the other day. "To us, it doesn't mean anything."

Fans are angry - not just because the team isn't winning and isn't entertaining, but because of a lack of a 60-minute commitment. The Flyers disappeared for an entire period in a lot of games last season, and that head-scratching trend continued in Thursday's 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh. It's one thing to have a lackluster period in a midseason game in, say, Buffalo. But to be embarrassed in a second period - the Penguins had a 17-5 shots advantage and looked as if they were on a power play for almost the entire 20 minutes - in a home game against your bitter archrivals?!

The knee-jerk reaction is to blame the general manager for the Flyers' fall - from a Stanley Cup finalist in 2010, to winning one playoff round in 2011 and 2012, to missing the playoffs in 2013 for just the second time in the last 18 seasons, to this 1-7 disaster.

Holmgren is the one who gave the crazy contract to Ilya Bryzgalov (nine years, $51 million). The Flyers ate the final seven years of the deal, costing the franchise $23 million.

Holmgren is the one who traded away last season's Vezina-winning goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky - though, from here, more blame has to go to Laviolette for the way he lost confidence in him in the 2011 playoffs, causing a panic signing of Bryzgalov.

Holmgren is the one who has assembled an offensively inept team, while traded-away players such as Jeff Carter, Joffrey Lupul, James van Riemsdyk, and Mike Richards are flourishing around the league. And he's the one whose slow, aging defense is the highest-paid in the NHL, thanks to some extremely questionable contracts he handed out. (See Kimmo Timonen's $6 million extension.)

But Holmgren is also the guy who turned around the NHL's worst franchise. In 2007-08, his first full season as the GM, Holmgren's team made a 39-point improvement and reached the conference finals. Holmgren's the guy who brought in productive players and transformed the Flyers from a 22-48-12 team in 2006-07 to four straight seasons of 40-plus wins - and two seasons of 100-plus points.

That past success is why Holmgren deserves to have this season to try to turn things around.

And Holmgren, who is in his 35th year with the organization, was a victim of circumstance: The concussion that ended Chris Pronger's career set the Flyers back dramatically because of the players and draft picks they had given up for the future Hall of Famer.

The Flyers have not been the same team without Pronger. His leadership, as much as his dominance on the blue line, has been sorely missing. If the Flyers took a period off, as they did Thursday, Pronger would be in their faces. Compounding matters is the fact the Flyers' young players have regressed since they stunned the Stanley Cup-favorite Penguins in the first round of the 2012 playoffs.

That regression got Laviolette fired and, despite the front-office denials, appears to have Holmgren on the hot seat.

The ironic part about the Flyers' 1-7 start is that one of Holmgren's better moves - acquiring Steve Mason late last season - has gotten lost because of the team's inept offense. Yes, Mason's sample is small, but the Flyers seem to have finally found a gifted young goalie to build around.

Maybe the pieces around Mason will fall into place as the players adapt to Berube's system and veteran forwards Lecavalier and Scott Hartnell return from injuries.

If they don't and this team misses the playoffs for back-to-back years for the first time since 1993 and 1994, Ron Hextall is waiting in the wings.

The general manager is on the clock.



Matt Read: Flyers need to 'keep it simple'


Posted: Friday, October 18, 2013, 1:41 PM

Matt Read, one of many highly skilled Flyers forwards without a goal in the first eight games, says he and his teammates are trying too hard.

"When things aren't going your way, you try to do the little extra. You're gripping the stick a little hard," he said after Friday's high-tempo practice in Voorhees. "You're trying to do the little extra thing and getting yourself out of position."

The Flyers' offensive ineptness - at least at the start of an NHL season - hasn't been equaled in almost a half century.

Thursday's 4-1 loss to visiting Pittsburgh marked the eighth straight time they had failed to score more than two goals since the season started. That's the first time that has happened since 1964, when the Boston Bruins did it in the first nine games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Flyers are 1-7 and have scored a total of 11 goals. Their record and the number of goals scored are the worst in franchise history for the season's first eight games.

Read's solution: "Keep it simple. Keep doing the little things - winning puck battles, getting pucks to the net. We're having a hard time hitting the net right now. We have to focus on putting the puck in the middle of the net and getting rebounds."

In the loss to the Penguins, the Flyers had more shots that didn't hit the net (38) than were on goal (25).

The Flyers, whose record would be drastically different if they weren't outscored by a 12-2 third-period margin, don't play again until Thursday against the visiting Rangers. They will have six days between games, and four practices to fine-tune coach Craig Berube's new system.

"We have to figure what we need to do to win games and kind of hit our 'refresh' button," Read said. "We have to put these last eight games behind us. Take these six days to think about the rest of the season. Let's start winning hockey games and enjoy the season."

With 74 games left, Read said, "there's no reason to hit the panic button yet."

"It's a long season and it can only get better," winger Wayne Simmonds said. "I don't think it get can get any worse. We have to keep working hard, and the harder we work, the better we get."

"Obviously we're not happy with our record, but we're doing a lot of good things out there and have to stay positive in this room," said captain Claude Giroux, who is still searching for his first goal. "If we do, we're going to start winning games and put ourselves back in a playoff position."

Giroux called Friday's practice, which featured conditioning drills, the "hardest of the year."

Breakaways. Berube, who said it's "my job to keep these guys motivated and upbeat," has changed some of the Flyers' practice plans; they will not practice Saturday or Sunday, though injured forwards Vinny Lecavalier and Scott Hartnell will skate Sunday at 11 a.m. in Voorhees, the coach said. . . . Kimmo Timonen, who left Thursday's game with an unspecified injury, did not practice. He is listed as day to day and is expected to practice Monday, general manager Paul Holmgren said.



Timonen injury is minor

Frank Seravalli

Posted: Friday, October 18, 2013, 12:57 PM

Turns out, Kimmo Timonen’s injury is minor.

According to Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, Timonen is listed as “day-to-day” with a lower-body injury. He left Thursday’s loss to the Penguins in the second period and did not return.

Holmgren said Timonen should be ready to practice Monday.

Ray Emery and Jake Voracek did not skate on Friday. Emery didn’t play against the Penguins, but Craig Berube said Emery took the day off because of a “couple things bothering him.”

Voracek appeared to suffer an apparent knee injury in Thursday’s loss, as he was wincing on the bench in pain and grabbing his right knee. He did not miss any shifts, but did not practice Friday. The team officially labeled it as a “maintenance day.”

Scott Hartnell (upper-body) and Vinny Lecavalier (lower-body) will skate on their own on Sunday.



Penguins aren't about to take 1-6 Flyers lightly

By Rob Parent, Delaware County Daily Times

Posted: 10/17/13, 1:17 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA - There were more words (or pleas) of confidence emanating from the Flyers locker room Thursday after the morning skate, and later, down the hall, one rather prominent and much more accomplished player sounded off in semi-agreement that the 1-6 Flyers aren’t the pushovers their record would indicate they are.

“Obviously their expectations are high and we can relate to that,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said as he prepared to torture the Flyers again in Thursday night’s first meeting of the season between the rivals. “The season’s so early, the games they’ve lost, especially here lately, have been so close. Sometimes you go through that. I think it’s still a little early to be judging them as a whole.”

As a whole in the Metropolitan Division, however, the fact remains the Penguins are first and the Flyers are eighth. Pittsburgh (5-1) has an eight-point jump on the Flyers (1-6) already, and has a game in hand.

Not exactly the time of year to go standings watching yet, though. As Crosby said, it’s a little early for that. Or is it?

“We can get back on track against Pittsburgh,” Claude Giroux said. “It’s always good games against them. So our guys are going to be ready to go and I think this could be a turning point of the year.”

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Kimmo Timonen cautiously proclaimed. “All we need now is a couple of wins in row and to get some confidence back.”

The heat is still high in a rivalry enhanced in recent years by wild games between the teams and a conference quarterfinal series in 2012 that yielded 56 total goals in a six-game Flyers victory. But that has to seem like a long time ago to Flyers fans.

“We did a better job of (goals against) last year in the playoffs,” Crosby said. “We all remember that series (in 2012) and it was kind of hard to explain what did happen and how there were so many goals.”

For the Flyers, however, a team that really hasn’t had a ton of turnover (by NHL standards) since that series victory over the Penguins, it’s tough to explain a non-playoff short season followed by a 1-5-1 preseason followed by a 1-6 start to the 2013-14 regular season.

But you won’t find the visitors down the hall feeling fooled by it all.

“You have to prepare even more for a desperate team,” Crosby said. “You don’t look at the record. You can switch scenarios — they could have won five in a row. At this point it doesn’t matter. You just have to remember that they’re going to be desperate. They always start well here so that’s something we have to be aware of, and make sure that right from the start we have to set the tone ourselves.”

•••

Harry Zolnierczyk, traded from the Flyers to Anaheim last spring for enforcer Jay Rosehill, then traded again just before the June draft to Pittsburgh, was raring to go for game against his old team.

“Like I was in Philly, I’m trying to break in as a regular and find my way into the bottom six (forwards) somewhere,” Zolnierczyk said. “Right now I’m getting the opportunity to do that and I’m trying to make the most of it.”

Asked what he thought of the Flyers’ situation, stewing in last place in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday night’s game with the Penguins, and with Peter Laviolette having been dismissed almost before the season began, Zolnierczyk said, “I don’t think you’d expect the Flyers to be at the bottom of the division like that. But there are a lot of good teams now and if you’re not sharp you can find yourself falling to the bottom pretty quick.”

As for Laviolette’s firing, Zolnierczyk called it, “a shock for me, for sure. I don’t think anyone outside that organization would have seen it coming after just three games.”

•••

Andrej Meszaros joined Hal Gill again Thursday as healthy scratches on defense. For Meszaros, coming off two injury-riddled seasons and yet unaccustomed to the drudgery of being a healthy player on the outside looking in, not playing seems to be taking its toll.

“I’ll keep working hard in practice and just wait for my opportunity,” Meszaros said. “That’s all I can do right now. It’s more frustrating, because you’re healthy, you want to play, you want to get out there. ... Unfortunately, I can’t right now. It’s frustrating. There’s nothing I can do about it. Working hard, trying to stay in shape so in case if something happens and I get back in I won’t be out of shape.

“That’s all I can do.”

More on Meszaros in the Flyers Notebook in the Friday print edition of the Daily Times.

Delaware County Times LOADED: 10.19.2013


McGinn decides to make his call-up count

By Rob Parent, Delaware County Daily Times

Posted: 10/15/13, 12:11 PM EDT | Updated: 2 days ago

PHILADELPHIA — Tye McGinn, called up from the Phantoms last weekend with Michael Raffl to replace injured forwards Vinny Lecavalier and Scott Hartnell, crashed the net area and deposited a couple of bouncing pucks in each of the first two periods Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, thereby registering three goals in two starts.

What’s apparently helping is McGinn was put on the Flyers’ top line right after arriving from the hinterlands of Adirondack hockey. But maybe it’s him helping top-line stalwarts Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, because they had done nothing on the season scoreboard until McGinn arrived.

“They’re great players,” McGinn said Tuesday of his new and far more accomplished linemates. “Even down there (in the AHL), there are some really talented players as well. But when you come up here and play with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, they’re all-stars in the league. They definitely make it easy for me. They let me know what I need to be doing out there, which helps a lot. I can definitely learn a lot from them.”

McGinn’s goals against the Canucks, which went as tying and go-ahead goals then, were textbook examples of an old adage about how going to the net can only produce good results. He did so while defenseman Nick Grossmann took a long-range shot from the left side, and sure enough Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo kicked a rebound right to the on-rushing McGinn for 1-1.

Then in the second period on a three-wide break, Voracek threw a backhander slotward that hit Giroux, fell to the ice, then was shoveled in by McGinn.

“If you get to the net with your stick down those guys can find you,” said McGinn. “And it’s creating room for them, getting into openings for them for outlets, and vice-versa.”

It’s pretty heady territory for McGinn, 23, who nonetheless got a taste of the big time last season with 18 games played. He says he talks every day to older brother Jamie, who is off to a great start this season with the Colorado Avalanche.

“We’re both kind of similar styles,” Tye McGinn said. “So if one of us is down on something or something isn’t working, we give each other some quick (advice).

“I’m just taking it day by day right now. Given the opportunity right now I don’t want to lose it. I’m going out there with the idea of trying to win a spot just like everybody else is. If (a demotion back to the minors) happens you should never get too down too low on yourself. You’ve got to just go down and get back up.”

McGinn knows reality. He knows Lecavalier and Hartnell will be returning. But he has been following a core belief thus far: “If you play well,” he said, “I don’t think you go back down. It’s kind of like that. Sometimes there are numbers (situations) as well. You have to realize that. But you should just take it day by day and each practice play your hardest, and in the games, work even harder.”

The Flyers’ sputtering start of five losses in their first six games heading into Tuesday night’s meeting with the Canucks produced a new wave of trade rumors involving them. But at $3 million-and-change under the salary cap with both Chris Pronger and Marc-Andre Bourdon on long term injured reserve, the Flyers are likely limited in what they can do.

They’ve been said to be talking to Edmonton for some time about winger Nail Yakupov.

For a young guy who looked decent in his rookie short season (17 goals, 31 points) he later proved to be a bit of a flake, and has started this season pointless in four games. He’s been threatening to go back to Russia to play in the KHL, and Oilers coach Dallas Eakins has made him a healthy scratch for a couple of games.

But if the Flyers’ front office doctors are ready to play the role of sports psychologists, they could be trying to swing a trade that would bring them a young forward with plenty of scoring upside.

There is also speculation about veteran forward Ales Hemsky, a pending unrestricted free agent for the Oilers who has four points in six games. He also would come at a $5 million cap hit, which would necessitate dealing either of $4 million-plus defensemen Andrej Meszaros (likely the Flyers’ preference) or Braydon Coburn (certainly the Oilers’ preference) in a package.

Also making the rounds this week is talk of Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek being available, since he’s an unrestricted free agent at year’s end. The Sabres are simply awful this year, and likely would want to rebuild with Vanek’s ridiculous $7.14 million cap hit off the books.

NOTES: Meszaros was a healthy scratch for a second straight game in favor of Erik Gustafsson. ... Coach Craig Berube, when asked by writers Tuesday morning what he has to do to get his players from taking so many bad penalties: “Don’t watch me play.”

Delaware County Times LOADED: 10.19.2013


On paper, Flyers are better than record shows

Tim Panaccio

October 18, 2013, 7:00 pm

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The Sixers were supposed to be the worst team in town, not the Flyers. The Sixers still haven’t played a real game yet, so that means … it’s the Flyers.

And at 1-7, it’s the worst start to a season in the franchise’s 47-year history.

Incredibly, it feels a lot like last season’s lockout-shortened 2-6 start under Peter Laviolette, except the Flyers are actually a better team after eight games than that one was a year ago.

Now, try to convince the South Philly locals sitting around the bar at the Philadium of that. You can’t.

As one general manager with a recent Stanley Cup said this week, “On paper, this is a pretty good team.”

On the ice? There is no chemistry right now.

“It’s still the same feeling -- a bad feeling,” offered Wayne Simmonds after another hard, conditioning practice at Skate Zone.

“It feels crappy. The one thing we have going for us is our goaltending and we’re letting it kind of go to waste at this point. Both Mase [Steve Mason] and Ray [Emery] have played well for us. We haven’t picked up the slack on the other end.”

Flyers captain Claude Giruox did the quick math. There are 74 games left to turn this club around.

It’s not like the lockout when it was 48 games and because all of them were within your own conference, every night someone gained or lost in the standings, regardless.

“That’s a lot of games and we played eight,” Giroux said. “Obviously, the record, we’re not happy with it. We’re doing a lot of good things out there. We have to stay positive in this room. If we do, we’ll start winning games and putting ourselves back in playoff position.”

Asked about his message to the players as their captain, Giroux replied, “It’s not just up to me. There’s a lot of leaders here, coaches and Homer [general manager Paul Holmgren].

“We’re all getting on the same page. When that happens, that is when teams start being dangerous. Go out there without hesitation and just play the great game of hockey.”

The team has already fired its coach. Holmgren would be the next logical target, but how does firing your GM turn around a 1-7 start? And before that happens, Holmgren would likely make a major trade to shake things up.

That could very easily happen during this six-day break between games.

Newly-installed head coach Craig Berube admits you can make a case this fall resembles last January, but only in a superficial manner.

“It’s similar -- we’re not winning hockey games,” Berube said. “But I don’t look at it that way. I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Last season, the Flyers had injuries even before the games began. Their defense was a mess and remained a mess. And they couldn’t score goals. Of those three issues, goal scoring woes are still present and that is the most alarming aspect of this club so far.

Simmonds said he doesn’t feel players “has quit on each other,” but that the team recognize it's still not playing a full 60 minutes every game.

“It’s a long season, we can only get better,” he said. “I don’t think we can get any worse at this point, anyway.”

On Thursday, the Flyers became the first team since the 1964 Boston Bruins not to score three goals in a game in at least one of their first eight contests.

So far, the Flyers have a measly 11 goals -- three of them from rookie call-up Tye McGinn.

“We got to be better -- plain and simple,” Simmonds said.

You can see players pressing to score on the ice. Rolling their eyes. Smashing sticks on the ice. Looking upward toward the ghost of Kate Smith overhead.

“It’s my job to keep these guys motivated and upbeat,” Berube said. “Look at a lot of the positive things we are doing good.

“You obviously have to look at the things we’re not doing good to win hockey games but they’re professionals ... So far, they are positive and motivated and they want to do well. That’s a good sign.”

A few wins would be an even better sign.

Loose pucks

Kimmo Timonen (lower body) remains day-to-day, Holmgren said, adding he is expected at Monday’s practice. Consensus among the staff is Timonen was not injured when hooked on the Penguins' first goal, but after being checked by Tanner Glass later in the second period. … Vinny Lecavalier (lower body) and Scott Hartnell (upper body) both will skate by themselves Sunday morning before joining teammates at the Eagles-Cowboys game. … Emery and Jakub Voracek each had a maintenance day off the ice. Both have minor aches, Berube indicated. ... The Flyers are off for the weekend.



Ex-Flyer Zolnierczyk finds his way to Pittsburgh

Tim Panaccio

October 18, 2013, 1:00 pm

It was the strangest of deals.

Harry Zolnierczyk to Anaheim for enforcer Jay Rosehill. But the former Flyer never reported to the Ducks.

He was sent directly to the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in Norfolk. And then sent somewhere else.

"Yeah, it’s been interesting,” Zolnierczyk said. “After that trade to Anaheim I was training that summer and prior to heading there, I got a call saying I was traded to Pittsburgh.

“It was a good call. I was excited to be in the Pittsburgh organization.”

The 26-year-old left wing played his second game as a Penguin on Thursday night and first against the Flyers after being called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as an injury replacement for Beau Bennett.

“It’s only my third year in the league,” he said. “Any opportunity you get to play against a team that got rid of you, you want to go out and [make] a good impression and win the game.”

Harry Z played 10:04 during the Pens’ 4-1 win.

He was a checker and a bit of an agitator as a Flyer, and that hasn’t changed in Pittsburgh.

“I’m not changing anything in my game,” Zolnierczyk said. “It’s the same style of my game, same way, kinda like I was in Philly. Our objective is to go and win the game. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to help contribute.

“I’m trying to break my way into the league as a regular and find my way on the bottom six somewhere. Right now, I’m getting the opportunity to do that. I have to make the most of it.”

Zolniercyk still talks to Zac Rinaldo and some of his other buddies on the Flyers and admitted the Peter Laviolette firing stunned him.

“Yeah that was a shock throughout the league,” he said. “I don’t think anyone outside of the organization would have thought that was coming after three games.

“And you don’t expect the Flyers to be at the bottom of the division. There are a lot of good teams right now. If you are not sharp, you can easily fall to the bottom pretty quick.”

The Penguins are atop the Metropolitan Division. Instead of playing with a franchise player like Claude Giroux, Zolnierczyk now plays on a club that has two – Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

“Two exceptional hockey players,” he said. “Couple of the best in the world. It’s an experience to be on the ice with those guys and watch them, learn from them. Just the little things they can do. You’re able to learn just by watching them in practice.”



Flyers fail again to put together complete game

Sarah Baicker

October 18, 2013, 11:00 am

For the Flyers, playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins is always an opportunity to get a real sense of how they stack up to one of the NHL’s best teams.

And after Thursday’s 4-1 loss, the verdict is in: Never mind their 1-7 record. The Flyers can hang with the Penguins, the team that lays claim to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis.

They just can’t compete for a full 60 minutes -- and therein lies the problem.

“It’s tough to win games when we played one period like we can,” Max Talbot said. “I think in the third, that’s the type of hockey we want to play. First and second, especially the second period, I really think we didn’t show up.”

After 40 minutes, the Flyers trailed in shots, 29-13. They had incurred four avoidable penalties. They struggled to so much as break out of their own zone, getting caught flat-footed and failing to get much of anything generated offensively.

Had goaltender Steve Mason not put in yet another stellar performance, well, we could be talking about a total blowout in the second period alone. Remarkably, the Flyers entered the third period trailing only 2-1.

They were lucky.

“My opinion, and I think everybody else’s opinion, was [it was] terrible hockey,” Mason said. “You’re not going to win hockey games like that. I thought the guys came out with a lot more emotion in the third period, and that’s the way we need to play. If we can start playing like that, we’ll be more successful than we are.”

For days, head coach Craig Berube has commented on the Flyers’ progress. He’s made note of the small improvements from one game to the next. Even in the team’s last two games, the losses to Detroit and Vancouver, Berube was clear that there were positive takeaways. Their five-on-five play was improving, he said. They were moving their feet better, he said.

So what was the Flyers’ problem against the Penguins, then?

“They stopped playing,” Berube said. “They were standing around watching them play.”

The Flyers fell victim to yet another slow start Thursday night, trailing early in shots, 8-1, and taking two penalties in the first six minutes of play. But they were able to put together a few chances, and where they failed, Mason stood tall.

After 20 minutes, they held tightly to a 0-0 tie. It was after then that, for whatever reason, things truly imploded.

For a Flyers team that now officially owns the worst start in franchise history, it’s no surprise the players are starting to get irritated.

“Obviously, guys are frustrated,” Brayden Schenn said. “You want to win hockey games. But the same time, we have five or six days off here to regroup and look forward to a new start, new challenges ahead, if we can.

“Look at our record -- obviously now we’ve got to look forward, have a good week of practice here, and just be better after the break.”

The good news, perhaps, is that the Flyers really did ramp up their energy in the third period. They might not have scored, and they did give up two goals (one an empty-netter), but they looked like a team working in sync.

In the third period alone, the Flyers almost doubled their shot total to 25 sent in on Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. They were far more disciplined, and actually had a few very good chances on the two power plays they were awarded.

“We’ve got to play like that for 60 minutes,” Wayne Simmonds said. “We need to start being more desperate. It’s just not good enough.

The Flyers will not have a chance to attempt a complete game until next Thursday when they host the New York Rangers. Until then, they’ll have a full six days to skate hard and work to correct the obvious mistakes they’ve made thus far -- and, as Simmonds notes, work on their desperation level.

What they won’t do, however, is dwell on their 1-7 start.

“We all know what our record is,” Schenn said. “There’s no sense in dwelling on it. You might as well try to look forward, look at good things ahead, and not worry about our record right now.”



Flyers Notes: No turning point against Penguins

Tim Panaccio

October 18, 2013, 9:00 am

Claude Giroux said at the Flyers' morning skate on Thursday that their showdown against the Penguins represented a turning point in their season.

Instead, the Flyers played a brutal second period that cost them dearly in a 4-1 loss to the Penguins (see game recap).

So now what?

“Well, obviously, that is how I felt,” the Flyers captain said. “I think if we won that game it would have been a big turning point. It didn’t happen, so.”

Now they have six days off before meeting the Rangers. It is expected Craig Berube will skate them hard, partially because the team’s overall conditioning is lacking.

“We have a lot of time to look at tapes and what we are doing wrong,” Giroux said. “If we play 60 minutes of responsible, disciplined [hockey], we will be fine. We’ll start winning games.”

Crosby says

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby predicted a “desperate” Flyers club.

Well, that didn’t show up until the third period.

“They were desperate,” Crosby said. “You could tell they really wanted one, they had some good looks. We got sticks on them, and they fortunately missed a couple good chances. Our mindset was good.

“We were patient, and even with that happening, I felt like we still stayed pretty composed. The penalties weren't undisciplined. They were penalties that were in battles, they happen, and the PK, like I said, did a good job.”

Crosby thinks the Flyers are better than their 1-7 record shows.

“They've got a lot of skill, they're fast,” he said. “That second-period goal with a couple seconds left gave them a big boost. You could tell they came out with a momentum. It was a big reason why they were able to draw those couple of penalties and carry the play for at least the first 10 minutes there.

“They've got a lot of weapons, and they did a good job of forcing us to make mistakes there, especially in the first 10 minutes."

Second period

Berube was asked what was said in the dressing room between the second and third periods. The Flyers were badly outplayed in the second.

“You could probably guess what was said,” Berube said when asked, adding he prefers to keep those things internal.

Another suggested Berube didn’t like what he saw in the second.

“Did you,” Berube asked.

Loose pucks

The Flyers won 66 percent of faceoffs over the second and third periods (31 for 47) after winning 8 of 20 in the first period and just two of the first 14 in the game. They finished the game at 58 percent (39 for 67). ... They had 38 shots that never made contact with the net. Yep, the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. … Defenseman Nick Grossmann has five blocked shots.


722291 Phoenix Coyotes

Phoenix Coyotes' Antoine Vermette a force in the faceoff circle

By Sarah McLellan azcentral sports Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:29 PM

ANAHEIM -- So much is still a work in progress for the Coyotes: their forward lines, the penalty kill and, of course, the power play.

But what’s been a steady asset so far this season has been their efficiency on the faceoff dot.

Before Friday’s game, the Coyotes were tied for fifth in the league — with the Ducks — with a 54.3 facoff percentage. That’s an impressive ranking considering the Coyotes lost faceoff specialist Boyd Gordon to free agency.

Credit center Antoine Vermette for helping ease Gordon’s loss. Entering Friday’s action, Vermette was first in the league with 105 faceoff wins.

“I’ve always been pretty good, always been up there,” Vermette said. “But knowing Gordo wasn’t going to be there, that falls on my responsibility a little more.”

Three of Vermette’s first four assists have come because he won a faceoff. But where he’s been particularly helpful is when the Coyotes are shorthanded. Vermette also leads the league with faceoff wins on the penalty kill (20 entering Friday’s game vs. the Ducks). On the road, he has 81 faceoff wins. The next-best player, Ottawa Senators captain Jason Spezza, has 65.

“If you can relieve that pressure from the draw, from the get-go, it’s a big plus,” Vermette said.

Back to business

Last season, it took wing Paul Bissonnette 10 games before he registered a point.

This season, he had an assist in only his second game and added another helper the next game to already eclipse his point total in two of the past three seasons.

“It’s a big year for me,” Bissonnette said. “I want to stay here. I want to play here for a long time. Now I’ve got to show I’m capable of being an everyday guy.”

Bissonnette is in the final year of his contract, but he’s been a regular ever since he was eligible to return from suspension Oct. 10. Extra skating, especially with development coach Dave King, during his three-game suspension, helped his transition back into the lineup.

“It’s always different getting in games, and it’s a different speed,” Bissonnette said. “I haven’t really played much yet. I’m sure going forward, hopefully get a couple more minutes a game, just to kind of get in the flow of things, but it helps out when the team’s playing well, too, and they don’t want to change things up. So it’s a credit to the guys and the big guys playing a lot of minutes.”

West is best

The Western Conference has dominated the Eastern Conference to start the season, going 32-14-4 in head-to-head matchups.

Perhaps that’s no surprise since the West has had the upper-hand in recent seasons and five of the past seven Stanley Cup champions crowned have been from the West, but this much disparity so soon isn’t typical.

“There’s been a couple teams in the West that I think have gotten off to great starts, actually three teams — St. Louis, San Jose and Colorado,” coach Dave Tippett said. “They’re not just beating the East. They’re beating up everybody. That could be part of it.”

Masked man

Goalie Mike Smith was wearing his usual Wile E. Coyote-themed mask against the Ducks, but a day earlier he was sporting a plain white lid in practice.

“I was just trying out a different design, different company,” he said.

Ice chip

Defenseman Derek Morris, who sat out Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury, was back in the lineup against the Ducks.

Up next:

Coyotes vs. Red Wings

When: Saturday at 6 p.m.

Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale.

TV/radio: FSAZ/KTAR-AM (620).

Arizona Republic LOADED: 10.19.2013


Phoenix Coyotes lose late lead, fall to Anaheim Ducks in shootout

By Sarah McLellan azcentral sports Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:53 PM

ANAHEIM – It took a patient, relentless and gritty effort to climb back into this game, to finally wrestle the lead away from the Anaheim Ducks.

So when the Coyotes finally accomplished that, it was baffling to see them let it slip away and eventually unravel into a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ducks in the sixth round in front of 13,206 Friday at the Honda Center.

“You ever heard of the saying scared to lose?” goalie Mike Smith said. “Well, we were scared to win and that’s not how you finish off hockey games. Yeah, we were solid up to that point but we went out in the third period and we had six shots and we just let them come and come and come and when you give that team the chances we gave them, sooner or later it’s going to end up in the back of the net.”

The Coyotes (4-2-2) were clinging to a 2-1 lead when Ducks center Nick Bonino’s shot from the point slipped under the crossbar at 17:58 of the third period, capping off a comeback that seemed imminent.

In the shootout, Bonino, Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne and Jakob Silfverberg beat Smith with most exploiting his glove side.

“That was embarrassing for me,” Smith said. “You let in four goals in six shots, and that’s unacceptable.”

Radim Vrbata, Mike Ribeiro and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored for the Coyotes, all impressive goals. Ribeiro’s was especially smooth as he skated in and pivoted sideways before using his forehand to send the puck over Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller.

Despite attempting 12 shots in the first period, tripling their output from the first period against the Ottawa Senators Tuesday, the Coyotes fell behind 1-0.

Ducks center Mathieu Perreault forced a turnover in the Coyotes’ end and found Selanne, who managed to sneak behind defenseman Keith Yandle. Smith absorbed some of Selanne’s shot but not enough to stop it as the puck trickled in behind him to give the Ducks the lead at 6:38.

Smith finished with 37 saves while Hiller had 30.

“I got a good chunk of it, but he’s obviously a really good player and you give him that time and space in front of our net he’s tough to stop,” Smith said.

With 30 seconds left in the period, Yandle’s stick caught center Daniel Winnik in the face for a four-minute high-sticking penalty.

The bulk of the kill came in the second period, and that’s where the Coyotes shined. Center Jeff Halpern, in only his second game, had a critical blocked shot. So did winger Lauri Korpikoski.

Smith also did his part, making three challenging saves to keep it 1-0.

“Our kill was really good tonight, really strong,” coach Dave Tippett said. “They’ve got some top-end talent over there. I know they’ve been struggling a little bit, but that just means they’re due. To keep them off the board, that was a good job by our penalty killers.”

The Coyotes weren’t able to convert on a power play later in the period but seconds after it expired, they tied it. Ribeiro, who was on the ice for the entire power play, fed Yandle at the point and Yandle’s slap-pass was redirected past Hiller by center Antoine Vermette at 11:11.

They went up 2-1 when defenseman Rusty Klesla accepted a pass from center Martin Hanzal and wove his shot through traffic to beat Hiller at 7:54 of the third.

With a secondary assist on the play, captain Shane Doan moved into sole possession of second-place on the team’s all-time points list (818).

“We had control after we scored that second goal, and we just kind of sat back,” Smith said. “I felt we were scared to win.”

The Coyotes had six shots in the third compared to 10 for the Ducks. They settled into a shell that wasn’t aggressive enough to preserve a win.

“We iced the puck I think six or seven times in the third, and we just weren’t making plays and we stopped playing the game,” Smith said. “You could feel it coming and once it came, we couldn’t stop it.

“That’s where we need guys to be able to calm it down and make some plays and play like we had the whole game because we played pretty solid.”

The win extended the Ducks win streak to six games, and it was the fifth straight game the Coyotes have been able to secure at least one point. But, again, the opportunity to snatch up two against a division opponent was there.

“You find out about your group every night and who can respond under pressure and things like that, but we’re in this thing in to be a very good team,” Tippett said. “Learning is the preseason. We’re in regular season. We want to win.”

Report

Key player: Ducks center Nick Bonino tied it at 2 with 2:02 left in the third period with a seeing-eye shot from the point.

Key moment: The Coyotes killed off a four-minute high-sticking penalty to D Keith Yandle that started in the first period and carried over to the second, and that kept the game within reach. Fs Jeff Halpern and Lauri Korpikoski each blocked a shot, and G Mike Smith was challenged in tight but made the stops.

Key number: 0 Power-play goals allowed by the Coyotes. The Ducks had four chances.

Why the Coyotes lost: Once they grabbed the lead off a goal from defenseman Rusty Klesla, they couldn’t build on it. They sat back and let the Ducks attack, and eventually that resulted in a game-tying goal. Keeping the puck in the opponent’s end is an effective strategy for keeping a lead, and the Coyotes weren’t able to do that.

View from the press box: It really is a treat to watch the Ducks’ ageless wonder, Teemu Selanne. At 43, he’s still able to have an impact on the game. Take his goal in the first period. He was in position to receive a pass once the Ducks forced a turnover, and his shot had enough bite on it that it slipped through Smith’s pads even though he was able to get a piece of the puck.



Game Day: Coyotes at Ducks

Coyotes (4-2-1) at Ducks (5-1)

Puck drop: 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KTAR-AM (620).

Possible Coyotes lines:

Klinkhammer-Vermette-DoanBoedker-Hanzal-Vrbata

Korpikoski-Ribeiro-Moss

Chipchura-Halpern-Bissonnette

Ekman-Larsson-Michalek

Yandle-Morris

Klesla-Stone

Smith

Potential scratches: Kennedy, Schlemko and Rundblad.

Injury update: Defenseman Derek Morris missed last game with a lower-body injury but practiced Thursday. “He looks like he’s going to be fine,” coach Dave Tippett said.

Possible Ducks lines:

Penner-Getzlaf-Perry

Silfverberg-Perreault-Selanne

Cogliano-Koivu-Winnik

Palmieri-Bonino-Etem

Beauchemin-Lindholm

Allen-Vatanen

Lovejoy-Fowler

Hiller

Potential scratches: Fistric and Maroon.

Injury update: Defenseman Sheldon Souray is month-to-month with a torn right wrist tendon. Defenseman Luca Sbisa is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Winger Matt Beleskey is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Goalie Viktor Fasth is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so Frederik Andersen is backing up Hiller.

On the Ducks:

“Short trip, division opponent,” Tippett said. “I watched them play (Wednesday) night. They’re playing very well, on a pretty good streak. Get back on the road. Hopefully we can have the same success we finished the last trip with.

“They play well as a group. Obviously, their top players (Ryan) Getzlaf and (Corey) Perry can have a big impact on the game but they’ve got good depth as an organization. They’re playing a couple young defensemen back there. They’re finding ways to win hockey games.”

On having an off-day Wednesday:

“I think the day off did everyone a lot of good,” Tippett said. “That was five games in eight days or whatever it was. You’re pushing hard. It’s not as if we didn’t have a game that was mentally taxing. It was tight games, and you’re battling to find ways to win. A good day off for everybody, but you could see the energy was better out there (Thursday).”

-Morris is in the midst of a three-game point streak with two goals and two assists in that span. He ranks eighth among all NHL defensemen in scoring, and the Coyotes have won every game in which Morris has tallied a point this season (4-0).

-Winger Mikkel Boedker had his 100th career NHL point, an assist, Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators.

-The Coyotes are 17-3-6 over the past three seasons when center Antoine Vermette records a point.

-Goalie Mike Smith is 8-3-1 record with a .903 save percentage and a 2.73 goals-against average in 13 career games vs. the Ducks.

-This Ducks team is the first in the team’s history to win five out of six games to start a season.

-The Ducks have outscored their opponents 20-9 during their current five-game winning streak.



FOXSports.com NHL power rankings

By The Iceman Cometh

It appears that Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has set aside his last few playoff debacles. He has been stock solid in goal, giving this explosive offensive team a chance to win every game his plays.

That makes Pittsburgh the NHL's team to beat this season, following closely by Western Conference powerhouses San Jose, St. Louis and Chicago.

For more puck coverage, check out The Iceman Cometh.

1 Penguins 6-1-0 +3

GOOD NEWS: To nobody’s surprise, Sidney Crosby led the NHL in scoring through the first two weeks of the season.

BAD NEWS: The weeks-long absence of wing man James Neal is complicating life for center Evgeni Malkin. Dating back to last season, Neal scored just 10 goals over a 36-game span.

BOTTOM LINE: They will rack up lots of points scoring four goals per game.

2 Sharks 6-0-1 +3

GOOD NEWS: Tomas Hertl made an early play on the Calder Trophy with an explosive goal-scoring burst.

BAD NEWS: None. Seriously.

BOTTOM LINE: The Sharks outscored opponents 24-7 in their first five games. It is hard to imagine a better start.

3 Blues 5-1-0

GOOD NEWS: They opened the season with a five-game homestand, but didn’t get too comfortable.

BAD NEWS: Coach Ken Hitchcock can’t give all of his skilled forwards the ice time they deserve. He has to juggle three combinations of power-play forwards.

BOTTOM LINE: So far, anyway, the Blues are living up to their preseason hype.

4 Blackhawks 4-1-2 -3

GOOD NEWS: Patrick Kane is still Patrick Kane.

BAD NEWS: Most of the other forwards suffered slow starts. Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell scored just one goal between them during the first five games.

BOTTOM LINE: Once this team finds its secondary scoring, it could regain its top spot in the rankings.

5 Red Wings 6-2-0 +1

GOOD NEWS: Newcomers Stephen Weiss and Daniel Alfredsson have settled into the team’s offensive flow.

BAD NEWS: Goaltender Jimmy Howard suffered an early hand injury.

BOTTOM LINE: Despite that minor setback, these guys are having lots of fun after moving to the Eastern Conference.

6 Bruins 4-2-0 -4

GOOD NEWS: Power forward Milan Lucic came to life in last spring’s playoffs and carried that success into this season.

BAD NEWS: The Bruins' power play needs some work.

BOTTOM LINE: Their newcomers need a bit more time to build chemistry.

7 Maple Leafs 6-2-0

GOOD NEWS: Joffrey Lupul is back! The top-line winger scored five times in Toronto’s first six games.

BAD NEWS: Thus far James Reimer has not answered Jonathan Bernier’s challenge in goal.

8 Kings 5-3-0

GOOD NEWS: Their experience showed as they won twice in shootouts and once in overtime.

BAD NEWS: Newcomer Matt Frattin (no goals, minus-5 rating in his first six games) has failed to provide the expected secondary scoring.

BOTTOM LINE: A tough, early schedule had them playing six of their first eight games on the road. They will be just fine.

9 Avalanche 6-1-0 +4

GOOD NEWS: They won their first five games by a combined 18-4 score, thanks to a deep offense and Semyon Varlamov’s surprisingly long goaltending.

BAD NEWS: The NHL playoffs don’t start this week.

10 Canadiens 5-2-0 +1

GOOD NEWS: Apparently defenseman P.K. Subban wants to win the Norris Trophy.

BAD NEWS: Newcomer Daniel Briere (no goals, one assist in first five games) started poorly.

BOTTOM LINE: A busy offense and an effective power play allow the Habs to sustain constant pressure on their opponents.

11 Ducks 5-1-0 +3

GOOD NEWS: Veteran Jonas Hiller (four goals allowed in his first three games) is playing like a true No. 1 goaltender.

BAD NEWS: Sheldon Souray’s demise leaves the defensive corps vulnerable.

12 Canucks 5-3-0 -3

GOOD NEWS: The Sedin Twins seem to enjoy playing for new coach John Tortorella.

BAD NEWS: Alexander Edler’s suspension for head-hunting adds to the team’s defensive woes.

BOTTOM LINE: The Canucks split their first six games while struggling to play Tortorella’s tight-checking scheme.

13 Senators 3-2-2 -3

GOOD NEWS: Winger Bobby Ryan settled in with his new team and scored at a point-per-game pace.

BAD NEWS: Top center Jason Spezza has been slowed by a lingering groin muscle strain.

14 Lightning 5-2-0 +9

GOOD NEWS: Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis combined for 14 points in their first five games.

BAD NEWS: Anders Lindback conceded the starting goaltending job to Ben Bishop without much of a fight.

15 Coyotes 4-2-1 +5

GOOD NEWS: Coach Dave Tippett led his team to three early road wins, making a strong statement to the rest of the Western Conference.

BAD NEWS: Defenseman Keith Yandle has yet to get his offensive game into gear.

BOTTOM LINE: The much-overlooked addition of goalie Thomas Greiss takes a big load off Mike Smith’s shoulders. This team is more balanced than you think.

16 Rangers 2-4-0 -4

GOOD NEWS: After scoring just 11 goals in 46 games last season, Brad Richards scored four times in his first five games this season.

BAD NEWS: The loss of power forward Rick Nash (concussion) offset Richards’ surge.

BOTTOM LINE: The Rangers played tight defensive hockey under former coach John Tortorella. Under new coach Alain Vigneault, they allowed 20 goals in a three-game span.

17 Capitals 2-5-0 -2

GOOD NEWS: They converted seven of their first 12 power-play opportunities this season before cooling down.

BAD NEWS: The second line of Brooks Laich, Mikhail Grabovski and Troy Brouwer has yet to produce.

BOTTOM LINE: The Caps can’t afford to start poorly again this season. They no longer have an easy divisional path to the playoffs.

18 Hurricanes 3-2-3 -2

GOOD NEWS: Agitator Tuomo Ruutu returned to active duty and to add some spark up front.

BAD NEWS: Goaltender Anton Khudobin, who outplayed Cam Ward during the first two weeks, landed in injured reserve with a leg injury.

BOTTOM LINE: The young ‘Canes defense remains prone to cave-ins. If that continues, this team won’t make the playoffs.

19 Jets 3-4-0 -2

GOOD NEWS: Newcomers Michael Frolik and Devin Setoguchi help this team roll three solid offensive lines.

BAD NEWS: Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec saw 169 shots in his first five games. The results were not good.

BOTTOM LINE: The Jets put on a good show, but their defensive play leaves much to be desired.

20 Islanders 3-2-2 -2

GOOD NEWS: John Tavares (three goals, three assists during four-game span) is getting back into Hart Trophy mode.

BAD NEWS: Would-be scorers Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Matt Moulson suffered poor starts.

21 Stars 3-3-0 -2

GOOD NEWS: Young winger Alex Chiasson is proving that last season’s late outburst was not a fluke.

BAD NEWS: Offensive defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Alex Goligoski had minus-3 ratings and one assist between them after four games.

BOTTOM LINE: The Stars have played uneven hockey for new coach Lindy Ruff.

22 Blue Jackets 2-4-0 -1

GOOD NEWS: Marian Gaborik is taking his contract quest very, very seriously.

BAD NEWS: With Nathan Horton spending much of this team recovering from shoulder surgery, Gaborik doesn’t have much offensive help.

BOTTOM LINE: Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky gives this team staying power.

23 Wild 3-3-2 +1

GOOD NEWS: Defenseman Jonas Brodin is playing nearly 25 minutes per game and excelling at both ends.

BAD NEWS: Jason Pominville hasn’t done much to justify his massive contract extension.

24 Predators 3-3-1 +1

GOOD NEWS: Somehow this team won two of its first five games despite getting outscored 15-9 overall.

BAD NEWS: Goaltender Pekka Rinne struggled early as a lot of young defensemen received on-the-job training.

BOTTOM LINE: This team has a tiny margin for error. If Filip Forsberg doesn’t develop into an offensive threat, look out below.

25 Flyers 1-7-0 -3

GOOD NEWS: Injuries to veteran forwards Scott Hartnell (upper body) and Vinny Lecavalier (lower body) will force new coach Craig Berube to infuse some fresh blood into the lineup.

BAD NEWS: The Flyers lost five of their first six games in convincing fashion.

BOTTOM LINE: They are slow. Their defense is suspect. Their goaltending is questionable. Firing Peter Laviolette didn’t change any of that.

26 Oilers 1-6-1

GOOD NEWS: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made a productive return from offseason shoulder surgery.

BAD NEWS: Winger Nail Yakupov played his way into the press box with his sluggish early effort.

27 Flames 3-1-2 +2

GOOD NEWS: They somehow squeezed eight points out of their first five games.

BAD NEWS: Forward Sean Monahan cannot continue converting 31 percent of his shots.

BOTTOM LINE: Calgary’s save percentage of .897 after five games suggested that this team is headed toward a major downturn.

28 Panthers 2-6-0

GOOD NEWS: Forward Tomas Fleischmann looked like his old self with a four-point game against the Penguins.

BAD NEWS: Goaltender Tim Thomas, the team’s early-season hero, suffered a groin muscle strain.

29 Devils 0-4-3 -2

GOOD NEWS: New No. 1 goaltender Cory Schneider hasn’t been terrible.

BAD NEWS: When Jets goaltender Al Montoya shuts out your team, it’s official: Your offense stinks.

BOTTOM LINE: Top centers Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac need to elevate their play ASAP.

30 Sabres 1-7-1

GOOD NEWS: Well, they have earned a point during the first two weeks of this season. So there’s that.

BAD NEWS: Just when you thought Tyler Myers could not play any worse, he scored no points in his first seven games while earning a minus-7 rating.

BOTTOM LINE: This lifeless team is sitting back and waiting for the first sale to start. What is Darcy Regier waiting for?

foxsportsarizona.com LOADED: 10.19.2013

722295 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins notebook: Luongo appreciates what Fleury has been through

By Josh Yohe

Updated 4 hours ago

• Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has rebounded from a turbulent 2013 playoff benching and a summer of change to post a 6-0 record with a 1.67 goals against average. Roberto Luongo has noticed. The Vancouver goalie, no stranger to scrutiny and controversy, admitted to being impressed with the man he will face at Consol Energy Center on Saturday when the Canucks visit Pittsburgh for the first time since 2010. “I'm happy for him,” Luongo said. “The guy's been through a lot. Anytime a guy goes through all of that and plays this well, it's nice to see.” Luongo and Fleury have much in common. Both entered the NHL with much praise and generally have been successful. Each has produced a monumental achievement — Fleury won the Stanley Cup in 2009, and Luongo was Canada's goaltender when it claimed the 2010 Olympic gold medal — while also struggling mightily at times in the postseason. “I've been through a little bit of that myself,” Luongo said.

• Right wing James Neal and left wing Beau Bennett were present at practice, but neither suited up. Neal remains out of the lineup indefinitely with an upper-body injury, and Bennett is unlikely to play against Vancouver as he continues to nurse a lower-body injury.

• Right wing Matt D'Agostini practiced again as he continues to recuperate from a lower-body injury suffered early in training camp. He could return to game action in approximately a week. Defenseman Kris Letang pracitced with the team but is unlikely to play on Saturday.

• The Penguins recalled winger Chris Conner from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He is tied for the lead in goals and points for the AHL affiliate. Conner could see playing time because of injuries to Neal, Bennett and D'Agostini.

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.19.2013


Niskanen says he'd like to stay in Pittsburgh for long haul

By Josh Yohe

Defenseman Matt Niskanen doesn't want to go anywhere. In fact, if the Penguins want to talk business, he's all ears.

Niskanen, whom many expected to be traded in a salary move this summer, has been an important figure in the team's 6-1-0 start and made it clear Friday he wants to stay with the Penguins.

“Absolutely I do,” he said. “I'm not going to bring it up with them. I don't think that's my place. But if they would come to me at some point down the road, I would have a lot of interest in staying here.”

Niskanen is in the final season of a two-year contract that pays him $2.3 million annually.

General manager Ray Shero, whose preference is to not negotiate contracts during the season, declined to comment.

Niskanen, 26, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and signing him to a long-term deal could be difficult for the Penguins, who have approximately $18 million in salary locked into the blue line next season. The organization also has a wealth of defensive prospects in Olli Maatta, Simon Despres, Derrick Pouliot, Scott Harrington and Brian Dumoulin — all of whom are or are close to being NHL-ready.

Niskanen, however, hinted strongly that he would consider staying in Pittsburgh for less money than he could receive on the open market.

“It obviously depends on a lot of things,” Niskanen said. “But I will say that I put a big emphasis on winning. And this is a good place to be for that.”

Niskanen, a slick puck-moving defenseman who can play the left or right side, could command significant money on the open market.

He largely credits assistant coach Todd Reirden with resurrecting his career after a streaky start in Dallas. He also makes it no secret that he loves the Penguins and Pittsburgh.

“I know I'm not going to get anything like Tanger's deal,” Niskanen said with a smile, referring to Kris Letang's eight-year, $58 million extension signed in July. “I realize that. I think there is a lot to be said for staying put in a place that you like and in a place that likes you. I love it here, and the fact that this is a good team that wants to win adds a lot of value to the decision when the time comes.”

Through the season's first two weeks, only two NHL defensemen have produced more points than Niskanen's six. He leads the NHL with a plus-10 mark, and he and defenseman Rob Scuderi have formed a strong pairing.

Niskanen has been more influential in the offensive zone than in years past, firing one-timers at will. He scored the game-winning goal on a one-timer against Tampa Bay last Saturday.

Reirden recently said Niskanen may have been the Penguins' best defenseman in training camp. Coach Dan Bylsma also offered glowing praise of the former first-round pick.

“(Plus-minus) can be a deceiving stat,” Bylsma said. “But plus-10 jumps off the page as a player playing some great hockey through seven games. Matt's been great. His numbers are pretty gaudy right now.”

“I definitely feel good about the way I'm playing right now,” Niskanen said. “And I'm definitely where I want to be.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.19.2013


Letang understands Maatta's situation with Penguins

October 19, 2013 12:22 am

By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Kris Letang has been in Olli Maatta's skates.

In 2006, Letang was a 19-year-old Penguins defenseman who had a solid start over his first seven NHL games. Then, he got sent back to his junior club.

Right now, Maatta is a 19-year-old defenseman who has been solid over his first seven NHL games. The Penguins have not publicly stated whether they will re-assign Maatta to his junior club sometime in the next week or keep him on their roster.

Maatta, showing the same poise off the ice that has, in part, made him so impressive on it, is stiff-arming any nerves.

"I know it's seven games," he said Friday after Penguins practice at Southpointe. "I'm not thinking about it."

That's exactly the right approach, according to Letang, who spent the balance of 2006-07 with Val d'Or of the Quebec Major Junior League but hardly let that impede his career path. Now 26, he is an elite talent who was a finalist last season for the Norris Trophy, which goes to the top defenseman in the NHL.

"You try to not think about it, try to play well every night, make [management's] decision really difficult," Letang said of being in Maatta's situation. "I think that's what he's been doing.

"When I was 19, I made it a hard decision for them, too, but, at the same time, you know that sometimes it's tough to put a 19-year-old in the lineup for an 82-game season."

Maatta, who has two assists and has shown strong positional and defensive play as a member of the Penguins' third pairing, is not eligible this season to play in the minor league American Hockey League. He said he does not foresee a scenario where he would play professionally this season in his native Finland, either.

That leaves the Penguins -- where his entry-level contract will kick in beyond nine NHL games -- or his junior team, London of the Ontario Hockey League.

Letang has not played this season because of a knee injury, and it seems unlikely he will play today when Vancouver visits Consol Energy Center for a matinee. Also expected to be out are wingers Beau Bennett, James Neal and Matt D'Agostini, who each have unspecified injuries.

Letang has had plenty of time to watch Maatta, although he has not been on the ice with the younger defenseman since training camp.

"Defensively, he's got an edge on a lot of guys at his age," said Letang, who always has been identified as an offensive defenseman.

"Usually, they're worried about the offense. He's playing really well. He's got a good stick, good positioning. He skates well. He's got already a good background defensively.

If the Penguins return Maatta to London, Letang's advice would be to go without a chip on his shoulder.

"You don't want to go back and think, 'I should be up there [in the NHL] playing with those guys,'" Letang said.

"You want to focus on playing a better game defensively, offensively -- you try to work on different aspects of your game and try to show up even a better player a year later."

That's what Letang did. In 40 games with Val d'Or in 2006-07, he had 14 goals, 52 points and a plus-minus rating of plus-19.

"I tried to focus on some things. It's your own game, just learning," said Letang who never has stopped doing those things.

"It's the same every summer, every year for me. I try to get better."

So far, he has been a spectator as the Penguins have scored at least three goals every game, played tight defense most of the time and gotten off to a 6-1 start.

"I can't wait to get in the lineup," said Letang, who gushed when asked what he sees the Penguins doing right.

"Everything," he said. "They're playing well in the system. Guys are playing well offensively, defensively. They're paying attention to little details, and that's what pays off."

That includes the play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, a lightning rod for criticism for his play in recent postseason appearances but who is 6-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage.

"He's one of those goalies that can win games for us," Letang said.

"We're really happy with him right now."

Letang's teammates no doubt will welcome him to the lineup, likely soon considering he is practicing, but whether Maatta will be one of them is still a question, at least in the short term.

"He's a good player," Letang said of Maatta. "He's going to be in the NHL soon."

Scouting report

Matchup:

Penguins vs. Vancouver Canucks, 1:08 p.m. today, Consol Energy Center.

TV, Radio:

Root Sports, WXDX-FM (105.9).

Probable goaltenders:

Marc-Andre Fleury for Penguins; Roberto Luongo for Canucks.

Penguins:

Are 4-0 at home. ... Have not given up a power-play goal at home (9-0). ... Sidney Crosby led NHL in scoring with 14 points going into Friday.

Canucks:

Are 3-1 vs. Eastern Conference. ... Penalty-killing (92.3 percent) led NHL and 3 short-handed goals tied for league lead. ... Henrik Sedin led NHL in assists with 9.

Hidden stat:

Luongo got his 63rd career shutout and 352nd win Thursday at Buffalo, both totals second among active NHL goalies, behind New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.

Post Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2013


Penguins notebook: Bylsma 'scouts' Tortorella

October 19, 2013 12:21 am


To this point, the Penguins have feasted heavily on struggling teams to get to 6-1. Their opponents are a combined 13-34-9, with six of the seven having losing records.

Today, they face a team not far behind them in the NHL standings. Vancouver (5-3) visits Consol Energy Center for an afternoon game.

"You get excited for those games," Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen said. "We've done what we needed to do against teams that have struggled so far. We've taken care of business and we've played pretty well.

"But you get a little geared up for a team that's playing well."

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma has a particular direction he leans toward when preparing for the Canucks, and it's not just the team's top players or goaltender Roberto Luongo.

It's coach John Tortorella, formerly the coach of the New York Rangers.

"We're playing a Vancouver team that is good in a lot of areas, good with their top skill, a good team," Bylsma said.

"We're also playing a John Tortorella team. We get out our scout from the last couple of years on the New York Rangers to see how they're going to play and what they're going to do."

Tortorella, whose team practiced at Southpointe after the Penguins' workout, was asked about Bylsma's tactic of studying Tortorella's tendencies.

"I don't even know," Tortorella said, smiling. "I don't know what he means."

Conner is called up

Deryk Engelland, a defenseman by trade, played right wing on the Penguins' fourth line in a 4-1 win Thursday at Philadelphia and practiced there Friday. Bylsma indicated that Engelland could play there again today, calling it "a definite possibility."

But, after practice, the Penguins recalled winger Chris Conner from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Conner, 29, leads Wilkes-Barre in goals (three) and points (four) through three games.

It's unclear whether Conner will play today and, if he does, whose place he would take.

A rare, unusual look

Vancouver's Sedin twins, center Henrik and left winger Daniel, pretty much always have played together. Each has won an Art Ross trophy as NHL scoring champion. The identical brothers even have matching five-year, $30.5 million contracts that expire next summer.

Tortorella did the nearly unthinkable, however, when he put them on separate lines two games ago.

Part way through a 3-0 win Thursday at Buffalo, he reunited them, putting them on a line with Ryan Kesler, a former Selke Trophy winner as the league's top two-way forward.

Those three have combined for six goals, 21 points through seven games, and Tortorella said he will play those three together today.

Niskanen's starts fast

Niskanen led the NHL with a plus-minus rating of plus-10 going into Friday. He has been playing with staunch defensive defenseman Rob Scuderi as a fill-in for the injured Kris Letang.

Niskanen also leads the team's defensemen with six points (one goal, five assists).

"The plus-minus can be a deceiving [statistic], but plus-10 jumps off the page as having played some great hockey through the first seven games," Bylsma said.

"Matt's been great. His numbers are pretty gaudy right now."

Dupuis not immune to fun

By winning a recent shootout contest at Penguins practice, winger Pascal Dupuis earned "immunity" for a future shootout drill. Usually, players use their immunity card for the end-of-the-month "Moustache Boy" shootout drill, when the loser has to grow a moustache for the following month.

"But next month is going to be 'Movember,' so there's no need for me to use immunity for 'Moustache Boy' if I'm still going to grow a moustache," Dupuis said of the cancer-awareness movement.

So he chose the shootout contest Friday for his immunity and was banished to the Southpointe penalty box. With the help of teammate Tanner Glass, Dupuis figured out the public-address system.

First, he accidentally blared a few seconds of Green Day. Then, he offered some unsolicited commentary.

He introduced "Evgeni Maaalkiin," mimicking the popular call by Consol Energy Center's Ryan Mill. He joked that a shooter was "Offside!" He made a sound effect, "Uhhnnn," when teammates' shots were stopped.



Penguins recall winger from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

October 18, 2013 6:12 pm


The Penguins have recalled winger Chris Conner from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Conner, 29, has three goals and four points in three AHL games this season. He is in his second stint with the Penguins organization.

It's unclear whether he will be in the lineup Saturday when Vancouver visits Consol Energy Center.


722300 San Jose Sharks

Lapierre gets five-game suspension for hit on Boyle

By Carl Steward

[email protected]

Posted: 10/18/2013 04:35:38 PM PDT | Updated: about 6 hours ago

SAN JOSE -- St. Louis Blues forward Maxim Lapierre received a five-game suspension Friday for his devastating boarding hit on Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle, a lighter punishment than had been expected by many around the NHL.

Lapierre, who was fined $14,000 and also will lose $28,205 in salary, pummeled Boyle from behind Tuesday during the Sharks' 6-2 victory, knocking the defenseman unconscious when his chin hit the railing. Boyle had to be removed from the ice by stretcher and spent the night in a St. Louis hospital. He was not at the team's morning skate and won't be in uniform Saturday when the Sharks host Calgary.

Some Sharks players and several people around the league maintained Lapierre deserved a stiff penalty for the hit. NHL head disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan said there was plenty to analyze in determining the penalty.

"It's undeniable that Boyle's loss of balance just prior to contact made him much more vulnerable and contributed to the violent result," Shanahan said in a prepared statement. "However, at no point does Lapierre see anything other than Boyle's numbers when he decides to finish him on this check."

Brent Burns, the Sharks' defenseman-turned-forward who sees the game from both sides, said before the penalty was announced he didn't think Lapierre was deliberately trying to inflict the kind of damage that eventuated with Boyle.

"We've seen a couple hits that have been bad lately, but you could take the worst guy in the league and I don't think he'd say he wants to hurt somebody like that," Burns said. "It's just a fast game.

"I'm not saying those hits are good. But I read on Twitter and stuff where people say this guy or that guy needs to get banned for life. That's pretty harsh when you've got a split-second to react and everybody else is moving."

Burns said players are taught to protect the puck with their backs, and when opposing players are instructed to finish their checks regardless of a player's position, such collisions are unavoidable.

"It's a hard thing, that's why it's not fixed," he said. "Guys are too good. They kind of see the hits coming and they protect themselves, and then the hitter tries to react. You see it 100 times in a period. I've been on both ends of it. And there's no malicious intent. But then you see the video and people say, 'Oh, that was pretty bad.' "

Then there is the hitting aspect in general, Burns said.

"You can't take hitting out," he said. "Everybody loves a huge hit, but as soon as it happens, they say, 'Let's crucify this guy.' "

No members of the Sharks could be reached for comment after Lapierre's suspension was announced.

In addition to Boyle being out Saturday, Sharks coach Todd McLellan wasn't sure if the defenseman will be available for any of the five games on the team's upcoming trip.

"I can't answer that question yet," McLellan said. "Would we like to have him? Absolutely. Do I expect to have him? That's a doctor-player-trainer discussion, not a coach one."

Left wing Marty Havlat practiced with the team for the first in six months following offseason groin surgery.

"It was much different than being all alone," Havlat said. "For the last few weeks and months, I was the best player on the ice. But it's nice to have somebody to talk to and make jokes. Plus, it's much more fun to give passes and receive passes. It's more like a game."

McLellan said Havlat "still has a gap to close" in terms of conditioning and game readiness in order to be activated.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.19.2013


NHL: San Jose Sharks off to familiar start

By David Pollak

[email protected]

Posted: 10/18/2013 03:38:57 PM PDT | Updated: about 7 hours ago

SAN JOSE -- If the Sharks' hot start seems familiar, it is. They started out 7-0 last year, then faltered for the next two months, wobbling around at 6-11-6 before a late turnaround.

But coach Todd McLellan sees this as a different team. And he likes what he is seeing from his current 6-0-1 squad more than what he saw after the first seven games last season -- even after that 4-3 shootout loss in Dallas on Thursday night.

With good reason.

"We relied on the power play last year," McLellan said. "This year we've been able to get it done 5 on 5. We relied on three or four individuals to do a lot of the scoring. This year we're getting it throughout."

This year, it's all about balance. Consider:

San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl (48) celebrates fourth goal of the night with team against New York Rangers in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. (Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

Last season, four forwards got off to monster starts. Patrick Marleau had an eye-popping nine goals and 14 points. Joe Thornton had 14 as well with Joe Pavelski at 12 and Logan Couture at 10. All in seven games.

Those four combined for 21 goals, but only four other players had found the back of the net. And five Sharks who played in every game hadn't scored a point.

This season, Marleau is still impressive with six goals, trailing hot rookie Tomas Hertl by one for the team lead. But beyond that, 14 Sharks have scored at least one goal. And the only Sharks who haven't scored a point are those who haven't played more than two games.

After seven games last season, the Sharks had scored 12 of their 27 goals on the power play with the other 15 at even strength. When the power play accounted for 44 percent of a team's scoring, that's a problem the team wanted to fix.

This season, 24 of the Sharks' 33 goals have come at even strength with an additional one short-handed. That means the power play is providing 24 percent of the goals, a healthier ratio.

Beyond the numbers, the Sharks are playing the aggressive

San Jose Sharks Joe Thornton (19), Brent Burns (88) and Tomas Hertl (48) celebrate 1-1 goal against Vancouver Canucks in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct.3, 2013. (Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

style of hockey that gave them an 11-2-1 record between March 25 and April 18, a continuation of general manager Doug Wilson's "reset and refresh" that transformed San Jose almost overnight.

And the Sharks are doing it without Raffi Torres, last season's spark who will be out several months recovering from knee surgery, or Adam Burish, who played well in the post-season, then required back surgery this week after an exhibition game injury. Marty Havlat also continues to be sidelined after a hip procedure.

Still, rookies Hertl and Matt Nieto, plus offseason acquisition Tyler Kennedy have filled in the gaps nicely, playing the same uptempo game that McLellan and Wilson desire.

McLellan also sees a more subtle reason why this year's seven-game record is more impressive than last year's.

"Last year, we were able to get off to that start because we were a team that had been together and we had four days of training camp and then we

played," he said. "There were a number of teams that hadn't been kept together as much as we were. Now, everybody's had that lead-in time."

Players share their coach's sense that this is a stronger Sharks team.

"We're getting a lot of contributions from different players. We're playing a more aggressive game, a faster game definitely at times," Pavelski said.

If anything, as they try to get back on the winning track Saturday night against the Calgary Flames at the SAP Center, the Sharks should benefit from their problems a year ago when they quickly slid downhill to 0-3-3 after that 7-0 start.

Lesson learned?

"Yeah, I think so," Pavelski said. "We definitely don't want that. We want to be consistent."

With player buy-in, McLellan wasn't troubled by the outcome in Dallas.

"No, that loss doesn't change anything," he said after the game. "We have work to do in certain areas, but overall the point we lost tonight doesn't change where we're at."

SATURDAY'S GAME

Calgary (3-1-2) at Sharks

(6-0-1), 7 p.m. CSNCA

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Dangerous hits still part of game

Ross McKeon

Updated 10:55 pm, Friday, October 18, 2013

San Jose's Dan Boyle and Detroit's Niklas Kronwall, with a combined 1,408 NHL games, have been chasing pucks in their own end for 26 seasons. The two outstanding defensemen are linked this week, however, because both left games on a stretcher.

Boyle, the Sharks' rear guard knocked unconscious in St. Louis on Tuesday by Maxim Lapierre's hit from behind, is feeling good, by all accounts, after one night in a hospital. But he will be closely monitored before he returns to the ice.

Kronwall suffered a concussion and facial cuts but was otherwise OK and never left the arena Thursday after getting pounded against the end boards and dasher - similar to Boyle - by Colorado's Cody McLeod.

Both were grotesque, disrespecting, asinine hits that we see with too much regularity. When the hockey world was abuzz with Tomas Hertl scoring a trick-shot goal in his third NHL game, we were reminded how that was better than talking about fighting or dangerous hits. Sure enough, that goal is well in the rear-view mirror, and here we are again.

"You can take the worst guy in the league and I don't think he's going to say he wants to hurt somebody like that," said Sharks forward Brent Burns. "I wouldn't want to be in that position to be hurt, or hurt somebody."

Is the league doing enough to be proactive? I say yes. For all of those who disagree and complain about NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan, the NHL is swift and decisive with regard to player suspensions - as evidenced by the five-game suspension handed out to Lapierre on Friday.

Rink safety is at an all-time high. Curved glass replaced the hard-edge ends that used to jut out near the players' benches. The cement-like seamless glass is gone, having given way to more-forgiving Plexiglas panels. Each rink is equipped with defibrillators and emergency personnel.

Protective gear is constantly being upgraded, from the most modern helmet to shoulder and elbow pads that eliminate the hard surfaces and edges. There's hybrid icing to try to cut down on the train wrecks that result from chasing a loose puck.

What's next? Can the dasher boards be fitted with a rubber cover? Should a defenseman be allowed to cause interference and hold up a forechecker to protect a puck-chasing teammate?

"You don't want to take away how the game is being marketed with speed and power," Sharks defenseman Jason Demers said. "The onus is on the players to have an ounce of respect for each other."

Let's face it, players can't skate in bubble wrap. Injuries are going to occur with the speed of the game, the size of strong athletes and the force of collisions.

"Everybody wants a physical team. Everybody wants to win the physical battles, finish their checks and play hard against the opposition," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "But I don't think anybody wants the players to take it over the line.

"When you're in that position, let up. We'll understand," he added. "We might lose our marbles right off of the bat, but when you sit back and think about it, you did the right thing. We have to accept that as a coaching staff, and I think the coaches in this league are willing to accept that."

Postscript: The Sharks are kicking themselves for letting three leads get away during Thursday's first loss after six dominant wins. However, San Jose is the first team to win (at least) six straight at the start of consecutive seasons. In this season's hot start, the Sharks had six different game-winning goal-scorers (five doing it for the first time in their careers) while improving to 48-6-1 all-time when Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau score in the same game (three times this season).

Odd couple: Only Colorado's Patrick Roy and Montreal's Mario Tremblay won their first six games as coaches in NHL history. The coincidence here is that Roy was playing for the Canadiens during Tremblay's 1995-96 debut season, but was dealt at midseason after cursing out Tremblay and the team owner, who was sitting behind the bench, after getting pulled from a game.

Streaky Sharks

The best and worst of season starts for the Sharks, with how far they went in the postseason in parentheses:

FASTEST STARTS

2012-13: 7-0-0 (2nd round)

2013-14: 6-0-1 (TBD)

2006-07: 6-1-0 (2nd round)

2008-09: 6-1-0 (1st round)

1994-95: 5-1-1 (2nd round)

1999-00: 7-2-0 (2nd round)

WORST STARTS

1993-94: 0-8-1 (2nd round)

1998-99: 0-6-2 (1st round)

1995-96: 0-7-4 (no playoffs)

1991-92: 1-15 (no playoffs)

1992-93: 1-9-0 (no playoffs)

Ross McKeon is a freelance writer.

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 10.19.2013


Lapierre suspended five games for hit on Boyle

The NHL has suspended Blues forward Maxim Lapierre for five games for his check from behind on Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle in Tuesday night’s game at Scottrade Center.

The incident occurred at 5:22 of the first period of the Sharks’ 6-2 win. Boyle went to play the puck in the corner before Lapierre made contact, driving Boyle’s jaw into the boards. The 37-year-old was knocked out cold for several minutes, before finally regaining consciousness as he was wheeled off of the ice on a stretcher. Lapierre was given a five-minute major for checking from behind and a game misconduct.

Lapierre was previously suspended for four games in 2010 when he hit the Sharks’ Scott Nichol. The league considered that when handing down this latest suspension, but also took into account that Boyle seemed to be losing his balance just before the illegal hit.

Boyle spent Tuesday night in a St. Louis hospital, and returned to the Bay Area on Wednesday. There is no timeframe for him to return, although on Thursday, Boyle’s agent told CSNCalifornia.com that the defenseman was not suffering from any headaches and “feels great.”

Lapierre, who has already served one game of the suspension, will forfeit more than $28,000 in salary.

The Sharks host Calgary on Saturday night at SAP Center, and begin a five-game road trip on Monday in Detroit. The Blues visit San Jose on Nov. 29.



Sharks rookie Nieto impresses in loss to Dallas

DALLAS – It won’t get one million hits on YouTube, like Tomas Hertl’s fourth goal against the New York Rangers, but fellow rookie Matt Nieto scored one of the prettiest goals of the season for the Sharks in Thursday’s 4-3 loss to the Stars.

In the second period, Nieto took a lead pass in the neutral zone from Joe Pavelski and sped up the near boards. He left a cloud of smoke in his wake blazing by Dallas’ Trevor Daley, and released a quick half-slap shot from the high slot past Dan Ellis to give San Jose a 2-1 lead late in the first period.

The 20-year-old Boston University product described the goal after the game.

[REWIND: Instant Replay -- Sharks suffer shootout loss in Dallas]

“Tommy [Wingels] made a great play on the breakout with the first forechecker and got it to [Joe Pavelski]. Pav made another great play to make an indirect pass to me, and the defenseman was flat-footed. I was able to generate a few strides, and I just tried to get the shot off and it went in.”

Nieto was given a reward of sorts later when he switched places with Hertl and skated on the Joe Thornton-Brent Burns line. Although they eventually switched back in the third period, it was a clear sign that the Sharks’ coaching staff was impressed with his game.

It was also the first notable elective line shuffling by Todd McLellan, whose club essentially breezed through its first six wins before having its first off night of the season. Nieto finished the night with three shots on goal and a -1 rating in 11 minutes and 43 seconds of ice time.

“We’ve gone seven games now being comfortable as far as lines go, and I didn’t think we had a lot of jump,” McLellan said. “I thought Matt Nieto was one of them that was really skating well, so we made the switch, and it’s a learning process for the young players, as well.”

Nieto said: “Any time you get to play with those two players, you have to make the most of it. I just tried to get them the puck, let them do their magic, and get to the front of the net.”

The Sharks return home to face Calgary on Saturday, and start another road trip on Monday in Detroit. The week will include a couple of team practices in Nieto’s old home at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.

“Obviously, we wanted to get the win. But the past is the past, and we have to learn from this game and start a new streak,” Nieto said.


722305 St Louis Blues

Lapierre heads to New York to plead case to Shanahan

22 hours ago • By Jeremy Rutherford [email protected] 314-444-7135

WINNIPEG • Blues forward Maxim Lapierre will be in New York today to plead his case with the NHL’s Player Safety Department regarding Tuesday’s hit on San Jose’s Dan Boyle.

Lapierre, who traveled with the Blues to Chicago, will be accompanied to the Big Apple by general manager Doug Armstrong. The two will meet with Lapierre’s agent, Don Meehan, and representatives of the NHL Players’ Association prior to an 11 a.m. hearing with league senior vice president Brendan Shanahan.

“We’ll go over the hit,” Armstrong said. “The (NHLPA) has a lot of experience in these things and I’m there to give my point of view and support to ‘Lappy.’"

In the first period of a 6-2 loss to the Sharks, Lapierre received a five-minute major for checking from behind and a game misconduct after he pushed Boyle into the boards, knocking the defenseman unconscious for a brief time.

Boyle left the ice on a stretcher and stayed overnight in St. Louis before returning to San Jose, where he’s scheduled to undergo an MRI soon.

Lapierre publicly apologized to Boyle Wednesday after unsuccessfully attempting to reach the Sharks defenseman by phone.

“I don’t really want to comment on the hit, expect to say there’s no excuse,” Lapierre said told reporters. “It’s like somebody driving a car. You’re responsible behind the wheel and ... it happens fast, and last night I’m the guy who looks bad now.

“Obviously, it’s a bad situation for me to try to explain. The guy’s on a stretcher, nobody wants to see that, especially not a player like him. He’s an All-Star guy, going to the Olympics. But one thing I know inside my head: I didn’t jump or try to go for his head. I was just trying to finish my hit.

“But like I said, there’s no excuse. It’s terrible ... The only thing I want to focus on today is that hopefully he gets better.”

On Wednesday, the NHL offered Lapierre an in-person hearing, meaning a suspension of more than five games is being considered. For suspensions that the league expects to render a decision of zero to five games, only a phone call is required.

But even though Lapierre has been summoned to New York, his penalty at this point can be any number of games.

"Ultimately, we’re just grateful that it looks like Dan Boyle is going to be fine and that’s important," said Armstrong, who then added his take on the hit. “To me, it looked like a hockey play that went awry at the end. We’ll tell our case. We’ll give our point of view. We’re not going to try and deceive anyone. The way we see it is the way we see it and we’ll tell the league officials that, and they’ll make their decision.”

Lapierre had an option to waive his right to an in-person hearing, but Armstrong, who has never attended this type of event in the past, said that players shouldn't pass up the opportunity to meet with the league in these situations.

“I’ve never gone to an in-person hearing,” he said. “To Brendan Shanahan’s credit, he gave me the protocol that other teams have used. I think it’s important to get there and talk to Brendan face to face. Like anything… emails or voice mails or phone conversations, you don’t really get to see the other person and their eyes and their body language.

“Ultimately, Brendan is going to make the decision he’s going to make. We just hope to get there and he’ll have an open mind. If it’s a pre-determined sentence, then this is just a waste of time and money. If it’s not a pre-determined sentence... if they’re there to listen to Lappy, then it’s certainly worth the effort.”

Lapierre’s other suspension in the NHL came in 2010. While playing for Montreal, he was suspended four games for a hit on San Jose’s Scott Nichol.

With that in mind, Armstrong believes the characterization of Lapierre has been painted incorrectly in recent days.

“He’s a talker by his own admission, but he’s not a dirty player,” Armstrong said. “I think he gets under people’s skin because he talks a lot and does those things. But I don’t think he’s a dirty hitter or a dirty player. I think he’s had one suspension back in (2010), so that’s a long time between situations. This play that you look at, I mean, it’s just a hockey play that went awry.

“I talked to a few GMs that told me the same thing too. I know what a dirty play is, I know what a bad play is. This is an unfortunate play. And as I said, we’re glad that Boyle’s fine and hopefully going to be fine…you never know with head injuries … but when you look at it, it’s just a play that went awry.”

Also in Tuesday's loss, many fans were upset with a hit by Brent Burns’ on the Blues’ Brendan Morrow. Burns received two minutes for boarding but did not receive any supplemental discipline. Morrow missed practice Wednesday, but played in Thursday's game against Chicago.

Armstrong didn't seem bothered by the Burns' hit.

“I find if you get too wrapped up into that stuff, you lose focus of things you can control,” he said. “What the NHL Player Safety department does, it varies, but they know what they’re trying to accomplish. It can be confusing sometimes to people not on the inside, but you can’t control it, so I don’t worry about it.”

But the Blues and Lapierre hope that they have some control over the outcome of his case, and that's why they're making the trip to New York.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2013


NHL suspends Blues' Lapierre five games


WINNIPEG, MANITOBA• The Blues will be without forward Maxim Lapierre for five games, the NHL announced Friday.

The Department of Player Safety suspended Lapierre for his illegal hit on San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle in Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to the Sharks.

Lapierre sat out his second game Friday night against Winnipeg. He is eligible to return Nov. 1 at Florida.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong accompanied Lapierre to New York for Friday’s hearing with NHL vice president Brendan Shanahan. The announcement of the suspension came about six hours after Lapierre presented his case. He is not expected to appeal.

In a video explaining the NHL’s decision, Shanahan spelled out the criteria that he used when evaluating Lapierre’s hit on Boyle.

“As the puck is rimmed up the boards in the San Jose zone, Boyle goes back to reverse it behind his net,” Shanahan said. “As he is doing so, Lapierre closes on him down the left wing wall. As Boyle goes to reverse the puck, his right toe makes contact with the yellow kick plate at the bottom of the boards, throwing him off balance. While this is occurring, Lapierre uses his arms to finish him high in the back, causing Boyle’s jaw to hit the blue dasher on top of the boards and knocking him unconscious.”

Shanahan acknowledged that Boyle’s loss of balance before contact from Lapierre left Boyle in a vulnerable position. But Shanahan said that “at no point does Lapierre see anything other than Boyle’s numbers when he decides to finish him on this check. What’s more, despite the fact that Boyle’s stumble might have contributed to his vulnerability, the fact remains if Lapierre does not illegally hit him in the numbers, Boyle’s face does not crash violently into the boards.”

Lapierre forfeits $28,205.15 as a result of the suspension. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

JACKMAN, MORROW OUT with injuries

Defenseman Ian Cole and forward Adam Cracknell became the last two Blues to make their season debuts Friday, taking the place of Barret Jackman and Brenden Morrow.

“We’re going to rest Jackman and Morrow ... both have upper-body ailments,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said before the game.

Morrow said Thursday that he had been experiencing some neck pain, as a result of a hit by San Jose’s Brent Burns on Tuesday. Morrow played 10 minutes, 32 seconds against Chicago on Thursday.

Jackman finished Thursday’s game with 17:50 of ice time and was a minus-2. The root of Jackman’s injury is unknown and when probed again, Hitchcock only reiterated that it was an upper-body injury.

“They’ve been kind of playing through things, so this gives them a chance to reset the dial,” Hitchcock said. “It’s easy because you want to put other guys in. But I think this gives us two days (off) because we’re not going to skate (Saturday). So they should be 100 percent, or close to it, and ready for Sunday’s practice.”

BLUENOTES

The Blues are off until Friday, when they host Vancouver at Scottrade Center. They will spend the next four days in Charleston, S.C., on a team-bonding retreat, returning to St. Louis on Tuesday.



Blues lose 4-3 to Jets in shootout


WINNIPEG, MANITOBA • The Blues were in command — or so they thought.

They held a two-goal lead on Winnipeg with under seven minutes to play Friday night at MTS Centre, and the Jets had only four defensemen left in the game. But suddenly, the club found itself in a shootout for the second consecutive night and this one didn’t end like the one in Chicago.

In the seventh round, a shootout goal by Winnipeg’s Olli Jokinen, and an ensuing save by Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec on Chris Stewart, capped a disastrous finish for the Blues. They lost the game 4-3 after the Jets won the shootout by a count of three goals to two, and instead of coming away with a two-game sweep of back-to-back road games, the club left Winnipeg stunned.

“It’s a brutal loss,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said.

The Blues fell to 5-1-1 and will be off until next Friday, when they host Vancouver at Scottrade Center. The team, however, is not returning to St. Louis; instead the players are traveling to Charleston, S.C., for a four-day team-bonding trip and coming back home on Tuesday.

In his return home to Winnipeg Friday, Alexander Steen nearly provided the Blues with enough offense to beat the Jets, who have been off to a slow start, losing four of their last five games.

Steen scored two goals – team-leading Nos. 6 and 7 – and David Backes added his sixth, as the Blues built a 3-1 lead in the third period. Steen’s second goal of the night gave the Blues their two-goal cushion with 16:26 remaining in regulation.

The line of Steen, Backes and T.J. Oshie, along with defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester, had a dominating 5-on-5 possession, swinging the puck around the perimeter in the offensive zone. Finally, Backes fired a shot on net, and when the rebound sat still, Steen’s stick seemed to be on a loaded spring the way it exploded the puck for his sixth goal of the season.

“We had complete control of the hockey game,” Hitchcock said. “We were managing the game properly. We made a puck error and gave them a little bit of life. But we had complete control. They were just playing the game out. We made a mistake with the puck and that hurt us.”

A pass from Blues defensemen Roman Polak didn’t meet its destination, bouncing off the skate of center Adam Cracknell. Jet-fast forward Evander Kane took advantage, gaining the zone and putting a shot on goalie Brian Elliott, who was making his first start of the season.

Kane’s shot from the top of the circle hit the sticks of both Polak and Pietrangelo before sneaking past Elliott for a 3-2 Winnipeg deficit with 6:47 remaining in regulation.

“It was just two funny bounces,” Pietrangelo said. “The puck is going so fast, you can’t control it. We get those bounces sometimes. It is what it is.”

The next bounce went to Winnipeg, too.

The Jets, who used their speed to their advantage much of the game, move the puck from Blake Wheeler to defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, and finally onto the stick of fellow defenseman Tobias Enstrom. All alone, Enstrom released a shot that went under the arm of Elliott for a 3-3 score with 1:54 left to play.

“That last goal, there was a little over-collapse to the net,” said Oshie, who was on the ice with Steen, Backes, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jordan Leopold. “We let a guy get open and he snuck one in.”

The Blues still had a chance after the game remained tied through overtime. On Thursday in Chicago, T.J. Oshie netted the lone goal of the shootout, lifting the club to a 3-2 victory.

Oshie converted the Blues’ first attempt Friday, and after Steen scored on the second try, the visitors led the shootout 2-1. They had four chances to end the game, but Shattenkirk, Vladimir Tarasenko, Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund all missed, keeping the Jets alive. Elliott made four saves before Jokinen ended the game.

“‘Ells’ did a great job in the shootout,” Oshie said. “We’ve got to find a way to put a goal in before they do when you go into extra innings,” Oshie said.

Winnipeg completed its comeback despite playing the third period with only four defensemen.

Jets rookie Jacob Trouba left in the first period after a self-inflicted collision into the end-boards. He attempted to put a body on Blues defenseman Jordan Leopold, but when Leopold moved out of the way, the youngster went face-first into the wall.

There was a 10-minute delay in the game, as Trouba was taken off the ice on a stretcher, marking the third such instance this week in the NHL in which a player left immobilized – two cases involving the Blues.

San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle went off on a stretcher after a hit by the Blues’ Maxim Lapierre on Tuesday in St. Louis, and Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall left in similar fashion Thursday night in Colorado.

The Blues weren’t at fault for Trouba’s scary incident and, unlike the scene with Boyle, they kept their composure.

Steen had given them a 2-1 lead with his first goal. Trouba whiffed on a pass to his defensive partner and Steen capitalized, rifling a puck past Pavelec with 1:46 left in the first period.

The first three goals of the game came off giveaways.

The Blues took a 1-0 lead after Winnipeg’s Grant Clitsome blew a tire and lost the puck to Oshie. He gathered it up and sent a laser pass in front to Backes for a wide-open look.

Backes had his sixth goal in the first seven games of the season, matching his output in 48 games in 2012-13. It came on only his ninth shot of the season, giving him a whopping 66.7 shooting percentage.

The Jets picked up their first goal, by Jokinen, also on a turnover. Shattenkirk whiffed on a pass and the Jets went back the other way. Elliott turned aside the initial shot, but Jokinen fought for the rebound and sent a knuckleball past Elliott’s glove for a 1-1 score.

The Blues led by a goal after 20 minutes, but the lead could have been larger. Along with its 11 shots in the first period, the offense had another four hit the post. Berglund, Pietrangelo, Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz and each were denied by iron.

The near misses proved costly, but the Blues were still in control. They lost control and now must head on their team-bonding trip with a sour taste in their mouth.

“It’s tough, but we’ve got a good group,” Oshie said. “We had a tough loss to San Jose. This one, at least we played hard. They just earned the win.”



Live: Jets 4, Blues 3 (Final-shootout)


WINNIPEG • The Blues gave Barret Jackman and Brenden Morrow a night of rest Friday, in part because the veterans are nursing upper-body injuries, but perhaps also because they wanted a speedier lineup against the high-flying Winnipeg Jets.

The Blues needed more speed than they had on their roster. They had a two-goal cushion with under 10 minutes left to play, but Winnipeg wouldn’t go away, and tied the game on a goal by Tobias Enstrom with 1 minute, 54 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Blues went to a shootout for the second straight night, but unlike the night before in Chicago, they came up short. In the seventh round, the Jets’ Olli Jokinen beat goaltender Brian Elliott, and seconds later, goalie Ondrej Pavelec stopped Chris Stewart for a 4-3 shootout victory at MTS Center.

The Blues fell to 5-1-1 and will be off until next Friday, when they host Vancouver at Scottrade Center. The team, however, is not returning home; instead, they players are traveling to Charleston, S.C., for a four-day team-bonding trip.

The trip will start with a bitter taste.

The Blues led 3-1 with 16:26 remaining in regulation, but Winnipeg picked up a goal by Evander Kane with 6:47 left in regulation.

A shot by Kane from the top of the circle was deflected on its in, perhaps by Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, and pulled the Jets to within 3-2.

Then, Enstrom knotted the game 3-3 with under two minutes to play. His blast got through Blues goalie Brian Elliott, bringing on chants of “ELLIOTT” as the game sailed into overtime.

The Blues had trouble keeping pace with the Jets, despite commanding parts of the game and taking a 3-1 lead on two goals by Winnipeg native Alexander Steen and one from David Backes.

The Blues’ line of Steen, Backes and T.J. Oshie, along with defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo had become downright stingy with the puck playing 5 on 5. They circled the perimeter before finally choosing a spot, as Backes fired a shot on net, and when the rebound sat still, Steen’s stick seemed to be on a loaded spring the way it put the puck into the back of the Jets’ net for a 2-1 lead.

The game had been stuck there since late in the first period, when Steen scored his first goal of the game. Trouba whiffed on a pass to his defensive partner and Steen took advantage, wheeling around the defender and beating Pavelec with 1:46 left in the first period.

The first period had the feel of the “Ellen” show, with all of the giveaways. The Blues and Jets gift-wrapped all three goals in the period, with the visitors on the receiving end of two of the tallies.

The Blues’ first goal came via a turnover, when Winnipeg’s Grant Clitsome blew a tire and lost the puck to T.J. Oshie. He gathered it up and sent a laser pass in front to Backes for a wide-open look.

Backes beat Pavelec easily for his sixth goal in the first seven games of the season, matching his output in 48 games in 2012-13. His sixth goal this year came on only his ninth shot of the season, giving him a whopping 66.7 shooting percentage.

The Jets picked up their first-period goal by Jokinen, after a turnover by Kevin Shattenkirk led to a chance at the other end. Brian Elliott blocked the initial shot, but Jokinen fought for the rebound and sent a knuckleball past Elliott’s glove for a 1-1 score with 4:30 left the first period.

If Backes’ teammates were only as accurate, or lucky, the Blues might have held a lead larger than 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Along with their 11 shots on goal in the period, the Blues had another four hit the post. Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, Jaden Schwartz and Patrik Berglund each were denied by iron.

The Blues goals came from Backes and Steen, who now have six and seven goals, respectively. They have scored in the same game in five of the team’s seven games. But their offense wasn’t enough to support Elliott, who stopped 26 of 29 shots in his first start of the season.

Winnipeg played the third period with only four defenseman, as Trouba left in the first period after a nasty collision into the boards and Mark Stuart headed to the locker room after spilling into post early in the third.

Trouba left the game on a stretcher with 1:46 to play in the first period, after crashing face-first into the end-boards. Trouba, arguably the club’s best defenseman, attempted to put a body on Blues defenseman Jordan Leopold, but when Leopold slipped away, Trouba went into the boards.

After 10 minutes, the rookie was taken off the ice on a stretcher, the third such instance this week in the NHL in which a player has been removed in that manner, two involving the Blues. Dan Boyle was carried off last Tuesday in St. Louis and Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall also left on a stretcher Thursday night.

The Jets, though, rallied Friday night and while the Blues gained one point, it cost them a victory.



NHL suspends Lapierre five games for illegal hit


WINNIPEG • Blues forward Maxim Lapierre has been suspended five games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

Lapierre will sit his second game tonight, when the Blues face the Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m. at MTS Centre. He is eligible to return Nov. 1 at Florida.

In his first season with the Blues, Lapierre received a five-minute major for checking from behind and a game-misconduct following his hit on San Jose's Dan Boyle Tuesday night.

On Friday morning, Lapierre and Blues general manager Doug Armstrong traveled to New York for Friday's hearing with NHL vice president Brendan Shanahan. The meeting began at 11 a.m. (St. Louis time) and an announcement regarding the suspension was made shortly before 5 p.m.

In a video explaining the department's decision, Shanahan spelled out the criteria that he used when evaluating Lapierre's hit on Boyle...

"As the puck is rimmed up the boards in the San Jose zone, Boyle goes back to reverse it behind his net. As he is doing so, Lapierre closes on him down the left wing wall. As Boyle goes to reverse the puck, his right toe makes contact with the yellow kick plate at the bottom of the boards, throwing him off balance. While this is occurring, Lapierre uses his arms to finish him high in the back, causing Boyle's jaw to hit the blue dasher on top of the boards and knocking him unconscious. There are many things to consider on this play."

Shanahan acknowledged that Boyle's loss of balance prior to contact from Lapierre left Boyle in a vulnerable position. But Shanahan points out...

"At no point does Lapierre see anything other than Boyle's numbers when he decides to finish him on this check. What's more, despite the fact that Boyle's stumble might have contributed to his vulnerability, the fact remains if Lapierre does not illegally hit him in the numbers, Boyle's face does not crash violently into the boards.... The boarding penalty is less about the violent nature of the check and more about the violent and dangerous nature of the impact with the boards.

Rule 41.1 states that a boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player who checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously.

"So while we recognize that this was not an overly violent check, when you hit someone from behind in this manner, and you have seen his numbers for some time, depending on the circumstances, you might bear the responsibility for the outcome.... And while it might mitigate some of the responsibility for the hit, it doesn't erase it entirely."

Shanahan also noted that Lapierre was a "repeat offender." In 2010, while playing for Montreal, he was suspended for four games for a hit on San Jose's Scott Nichol, a former Blue.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on Lapierre's average annual salary, he will forfeit $28,205.15. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.



Jackman, Morrow will sit against Jets tonight


WINNIPEG • The Blues are putting their final two roster players yet to dress for a game into the lineup tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.

Defenseman Ian Cole and forward Adam Cracknell will make their season debuts when the puck drops at 7 p.m. at the MTS Centre.

Cole and Cracknell will replace Barret Jackman and Brenden Morrow, respectively. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock that both are dealing with injuries.

"We're going to rest Jackman and Morrow... both have upper-body ailments," Hitchcock said. "So they'll rest today and give a chance for Cole and Cracknell to play."

Morrow said Thursday that he had been experiencing some neck pain, as a result of the hit by San Jose's Brent Burns Tuesday. He deemed himself available for Thursday's game in Chicago and remained in the lineup, although he saw just 10 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time.

Jackman finished the game with 17:50 of ice time. He was a minus-2 in the Blues' 3-2 shootout win over the Blackhawks. The root of Jackman's injury is unknown and when probed again, Hitchcock only reiterated that it was upper-body.

When asked whether playing back-to-back games factored into the decision to sit the two, Hitchcock replied: "No, I didn't want to judge it on back to back. They've been kind of playing through things, so this gives them a chance to reset the dial. It's easy because you want to put other guys in. But I think this gives us two days (off) because we're not going to skate tomorrow. So they should be 100 percent, or close to it, and ready for Sunday's practice."

***

TONIGHT'S PROJECTED LINEUP

Forwards

Alexander Steen-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Sobotka-Derek Roy-Chris Stewart

Jaden Schwartz-Patrik Berglund-Vladimir Tarasenko

Magnus Paajarvi-Adam Cracknell-Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo

Jordan Leopold-Kevin Shattenkirk

Ian Cole-Roman Polak

Goalie

Brian Elliott

***

PAAJARVI IS A PLUS

Magnus Paajarvi made his Blues' regular-season debut Thursday in Chicago and fared well, according to Hitchcock.

"He was good," Hitchcock said. "What's nice for us is that it was a continuation of the way he had been practicing. I think he had a lot of solid shifts. I think moving forward he's going to be a big help for us."

Paajarvi saw 8:17 of ice time, playing on a line with Vladimir Sobotka and Ryan Reaves.

"It felt good, physically very good," Paajarvi said. "It means I've been staying on top of what I can control. Obviously I was a little bit rusty in some situations, I think. But overall, not bad at all."

***

TEAM RETREAT

After tonight's game, the Blues will be off for six days. They don't play again until hosting Vancouver Friday at Scottrade Center.

Instead of returning to St. Louis, the club is headed to Charleston, S.C., for four days for a team-bonding trip.

The players will stay off the ice Saturday, but will practice Sunday through Tuesday. But the bulk of the day will be free, allowing them to play golf, go fishing, etc.

"There will be a few of us out in the boats, some guys that haven't fished ever and some guys that know what they're doing," Blues captain David Backes said. "There will be plenty of (competition). We'll give you a report when it's all said and done."

***

ODDS & ENDS

• Vladimir Sobotka went 12-4 in the face-off circle Thursday night. He is 37-15 (71.2 percent) for the season.

• Winnipeg native Alexander Steen has 26 passes for tonight's game. Ryan Reaves, who is from nearby Brandon, Manitoba, has 23.

• In Thursday's overtime game in Chicago, Alex Pietrangelo logged 30:45 of ice time and partner Jay Bouwmeester logged 29:46.

• The hearing for suspended Blues forward Max Lapierre is today in New York. The hearing is over, according to reports, and a decision is expected today.



Blues' Lapierre draws 5-game suspension from NHL

Published: October 19, 2013 Updated 3 hours ago

By NORM SANDERS — News-Democrat

After meeting with the NHL on Friday, St. Louis Blues forward Maxim Lapierre was suspended five games for his hit on San Jose's Dan Boyle.

Lapierre also was fined $28,205.15, with the money going to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Lapierre checked Boyle from behind 5 minutes, 22 seconds into the first period Tuesday, with Boyle's head and face making contact with the glass and boards.

Lapierre, who received a major penalty and a game misconduct, sat out the first game of his five-game suspension on Thursday in Chicago.

NHL Vice President and Director of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan explained the reasoning for the suspension in a video released on the league web site.

"As Boyle goes to reverse the puck, his right toe makes contact with the yellow kick plate at the bottom of the boards, throwing him off balance," Shanahan said. "While this was occurring, Lapierre uses his arms to finish him high in the back, causing Boyle's jaw to his the blue dasher top of the boards and knocking him unconscious."

While Shanahan seemed to indicate Boyle's loss of balance before the hit may have contributed to the damage, he still blamed Lapierre for making the hit.

"It's undeniable that Boyle's loss of balance just prior to contact made him much more vulnerable and contributed to the violent result," Shanahan said. "However, at no point does Lapierre see anything other than Boyle's numbers when he decided to finish him on this check.

"Despite the fact that Boyle's stumble might have contributed to his vulnerability, the fact remains if Lapierre does not illegally hit him in the numbers, Boyle's face does not crash violently into the boards."

Shanahan said that while Lapierre is not considered a repeat offender by the league under the collective bargaining agreement, it was taken into consideration that Boyle was injured and Lapierre was suspended for a similar hit in 2010 on former Blues forward Scott Nichol.

"While we recognize that this was not an overly violent check, when you hit someone from behind in this manner and you've seen his numbers for some time , depending on the circumstances, you might bear the responsibility for the outcome," said Shanahan.

Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 10.19.2013


Blues knock off defending Stanley Cup champs for second time in a row this season

Published: October 18, 2013

By MATT CARLSON — Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — The St. Louis Blues are considered to be one of the teams to challenge defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago at the top of the Central Division.

So far, the Blues are living up to the praise.

T.J. Oshie scored the lone goal in the shootout, Jaroslav Halak stopped all three Chicago shooters in the extra session and St. Louis defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday night.

David Backes scored a power-play goal for St. Louis, while Alexander Steen was credited with an even-strength score in regulation in the Blues' first road game.

The Blues are 2-0 against the Blackhawks so far, also having beaten Chicago with two late goals in a game in St. Louis on Oct. 9.

"It's huge." Oshie said. "And tonight, we played a good team game. We have a couple breakdowns, but for the full 65 minutes and the shootout as a team we played pretty solid.

"We're getting to a stage now that they're where we want to be. That makes you play a little bit harder when you play against them because of what they've accomplished and what we want to accomplish."

The Blues (5-1-0) started the season with five straight home games, and won the first four before losing 6-2 to San Jose on Tuesday.

They bounced back strong on Thursday.

"There was intensity," Backes said. "Mistakes were magnified, just like the playoffs. These are two teams that bring out the best in each other, hard fought, could of gone either way when you get to a shootout."

Chicago's Marian Hossa scored on a breakaway and set up Brandon Pirri's first NHL goal in regulation. All but one of the Blackhawks' (4-1-2) first seven games have been decided by one goal.

Chicago is struggling to score despite a lineup loaded with offensive stars. The Blackhawks have just 20 goals in their first seven games and only 14 in six games following a season-opening 6-4 win over Washington.

The Blackhawks were second only to Pittsburgh in goal scoring last season, but coach Joel Quenneville didn't like his team's effort or output on Thursday.

"I didn't like our pace," he said. "I didn't like that we were turning pucks over.

"We didn't get any pucks to the net. We didn't generate any offense after the first period.

Quenneville said his team needs to find a higher gear.

"We've been getting points outside to the one game, so were OK there," Quenneville said. "But we don't have a lot of production. We'll look at our lines. We need some offense. And I don't like coaching offensively."

Chicago's Corey Crawford made 26 saves and Halak had 27.

Both goalies made a handful of tough stops early before Pirri opened the scoring at 7:42 of the first.

After taking Hossa's perfect pass, Pirri sent a one-timer from the left circle that ticked off the post and into the upper left corner of the net.

Backes' power-play goal at 10:14 of the first tied it at 1. He was parked in front of Crawford and deflected in Jay Bouwmeester's wrist shot from the left point.

The Blues dominated early in the second period. Any momentum was broken when St. Louis' Barret Jackman hit Chicago star Patrick Kane hard from behind and was sent off for boarding at 7:18.

Hossa put Chicago ahead 2-1 with 2:38 left in the second on a breakaway. After the puck slipped past the Blues' defense, both Hossa and Patrick Sharp skated in alone, and Hossa fired a shot past Halak on the stick side.

Steen was credited with a goal 51 seconds later that was inadvertently knocked in by Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith and tied it at 2.

Steen was 30 feet out in the slot, and deflected Bouwmeester's shot from the point. The puck slid to the right side of the crease where Keith was trying to tie up Backes, but Keith swept the puck on goal and past Crawford.

Crawford made a tough close-in save on Alex Pietrangelo with just over seven minutes left to keep it tied.

Halak made an alert save on Brandon Saad 33 seconds into overtime with Jonathan Toews closing in for a rebound. Jackman's shot hit the post 3:17 into the extra period.

Notes: Pirri, who played in his ninth NHL game, led the AHL with 75 points in 76 games last season while with Rockford. ... Backes played his 500th game and Jackman played his 650th. ... The Blues have played the Blackhawks 288 times, more than any other team. ... St. Louis F Maxim Lapierre, who knocked San Jose D Dan Boyle out a game on Tuesday with a blow to the head, did not dress. Lapierre is scheduled for a hearing with the NHL on Friday. ... The Blackhawks had the NHL's third-best penalty killing last season en route to winning the Stanley Cup, but have allowed six power-play goals in 21 chances so far.

Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 10.19.2013

722313 Tampa Bay Lightning

Bolts’ Bishop calm, cool and collected in goal

By Erik Erlendsson | Tribune Staff

Published: October 18, 2013

TAMPA — At one point during Thursday’s game, Ben Bishop made a save where the puck caromed into the air a short distance in front of him.

The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender then calmly proceeded to use the blade of his stick to swat the puck back in his direction, and it landed softly in his glove for a stoppage of play.

The calm, confident act was a product of his calm, confident play.

“I think he’s feeling the vibe right now,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I like it. He is calm in the net ... and I think probably at that moment he let everybody know. He’s just feeling it, and it’s fun to watch. You want your team to be like that, you want to have a little swag going on. I’m a big fan of it.”

Bishop is winning over a lot more fans, as well.

Though the plan heading into the first month of the season was to split starts between Bishop and Anders Lindback, Bishop’s early play has forced the plan to be altered.

Heading into tonight’s game against defending Eastern Conference champion Boston, Bishop has won all five of his starts and has yet to allow more than two goals in a game. He is expected to start against the Bruins, which would be his sixth start in eight games.

His 1.57 goals-against average ranks fourth in the league among goalies with more than one start — just behind Boston’s Tuukka Rask — and he has stopped 124 of 132 shots for a .943 save percentage.

Bishop is the first Lightning goaltender to start the season with five consecutive wins since Nikolai Khabibulin at the beginning of the 2003-04 Stanley Cup season.

But Bishop doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. He is maintaining a day-to-day approach, but thinks his preseason performance has carried over into the regular season.

“I played three games, and we won all three games, and it’s kind of a contagious attitude,” Bishop said. “I just think that’s a big thing, whenever you can get out there and win games. ... Right now I’ve won a few games in a row, so I have (played a) couple more games. It’s a long season, so just take it one game at a time, and when I get a chance to play I want to play well.’’

That certainly has been the case in the early going as Bishop has kept his team in games and made key stops at key times. He has not allowed a first-period goal, stopping all 42 shots faced in the opening 20 minutes of the game.

“He put in a lot of work this summer, working on his game and preparing off ice, and obviously on the ice, and the same thing in training camp,” goaltending coach Frantz Jean said. “He really bared down and paid attention to little details, and all of this has been a build-up to all that work. So he’s put in the time to play like this.”

His teammates have taken notice, as well.

“You knew what he was capable of, but he’s still a pretty young guy and hasn’t played that many games,” defenseman Matt Carle said. “So, it’s good to see him get this confidence early on. Hopefully he runs with it.”

So far, Bishop is off and running while taking a big lead in the goalie competition with Lindback.

For the time being, expect Bishop to carry a majority of the workload. It’s not the result of anything Lindback has done wrong, but rather what Bishop has done right.

“Ben has played extremely well and Ben is winning, so we would be foolish not to continue with what has been working,’’ Cooper said.

“You have to stick with that right now, because he is the hot guy.’’

NOTABLE: RW Marty St. Louis and C Valtteri Filppula did not practice Friday for maintenance reasons.

St. Louis played Thursday despite a sore foot that has the captain wearing a protective walking boot.

Filppula “tweaked” something during Thursday’s game, and he was held out of practice for precautionary reasons, Cooper said.

Both are expected to be in the lineup against the Bruins.

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2013


Lightning-Bruins preview

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

Friday, October 18, 2013 7:49pm

Lightning vs. Bruins

When/where: 7; Tampa Bay Times Forum

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 970-AM

Key stats: The Bruins (4-2) beat the Lightning 3-1 on opening night. Boston scored two shorthanded goals, and Tampa Bay was 0-for-5 on the power play. … C David Krejci (five assists) and LW Milan Lucic (three goals, two assists) lead the Bruins with five points each. … Lightning RW Marty St. Louis snapped a five-game points streak Thursday against the Wild. … Bruins G Tuukka Rask entered Friday fourth in the league with a 1.51 goals-against average.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.19.2013


Lightning goalie Bishop 'feeling the vibe'



TAMPA — You could tell Lightning goalie Ben Bishop is in a groove when he thwarted a Wild flurry with some flair Thursday night.

Bishop gloved a Jason Pominville shot onto his stick, then calmly flicked it back into his glove, the most stylish of his 25 saves.

"He's feeling the vibe right now," coach Jon Cooper said. "I like that he's calm in the net. He's stopping the ones he should and some of the ones he probably shouldn't. I think in that moment, he let everybody know, he's feeling it, and it's fun to watch. You want your team to be like that, to have a little swag going. I'm a big fan of it."

Bishop, 26, has reason to show some swag, having won his first five starts of the season (with a 1.57 goals-against average) and taking an early hold of the Lightning's No. 1 job.

Tampa Bay planned to alternate goalies this season, and Anders Lindback will still get his share of opportunities, too. But, for now, the Lightning (5-2-0) will ride the hot hand of Bishop, who is expected to make his sixth start in the past seven games tonight against the Bruins at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

"It's nice. It's what you work this hard for," Bishop said. "And that's what I've been saying, when you get a chance, you've got to do your job."

Bishop, acquired from the Senators in April for forward Cory Conacher, is getting rewarded for all the work he put in over the summer, goaltenders coach Frantz Jean said. Bishop, 6 feet 7 and with just 50 games of NHL experience, is playing with a lot of confidence, Jean said, playing a sound, simple game that allows him to read plays and use his size to his advantage.

Bishop is also a talented puck handler, which is a huge help to the defensemen who can get open for a breakout pass as opposed to worrying about a forechecker bearing down on them. "It's like having a third defenseman out there, almost," defenseman Matt Carle said.

The Lightning feels fortunate to have two quality goalies to lean on, Cooper said. Lindback (0-2, 4.07 GAA) made his two starts against the Bruins and Penguins, and Cooper said he played well, making it tough to keep sitting him.

" 'Lindy' has been unreal in the locker room. There's not an ounce of time where he's not working," Cooper said. "You've got to feel for him, because he's a competitor, and he's a professional, and he wants to play. But he knows there's 75 more games left to go and we're running through a time right now where we don't have a lot of back-to-backs (games). Coming in November, he's going to see games, and we're going to need him."

But Cooper said Bishop has given the Lightning what it has needed: "a chance to win every night." Bishop has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his starts, and none in the first period.

"It's great knowing that you kind of have that rock back there when you make mistakes," center Steven Stamkos said.

"(Bishop's) confidence is probably sky high right now. It's kind of that safety blanket, especially on the penalty kill. He's made some unbelievable saves. So we're just trying to ride him out as long as we can."

PRACTICE NOTES: Right wing Marty St. Louis and center Valtteri Filppula did not practice Friday due to body maintenance, but both are expected to play tonight. Cooper said Filppula "tweaked something" Thursday but sat out as a precaution. "No cause for alarm," he said.



Playing stars on penalty kill requires extra thought

Tom Jones, Times Sports Columnist


To play or not to play?

The first thought was, "What in the world was Lightning coach Jon Cooper thinking?''

This was Tuesday when the Lightning led the Kings, 3-0, early in the third period. The Kings were on the power play and Lightning star Marty St. Louis was on the ice to help kill the penalty. St. Louis laid out to block a shot and took it off his foot. He hobbled to the bench and, for a split second, the Lightning season flashed before everyone's eyes.

St. Louis played five more shifts in that game and even scored his second goal of the game in Tampa Bay's eventual 5-1 victory.

The next day, St. Louis was in a walking boot, but he was back in the lineup Thursday and looked to be suffering no lingering effects.

Still, you go back to Cooper's decision to play St. Louis on the penalty kill with the game seemingly in hand. Do you really want to see St. Louis and Steven Stamkos killing penalties and blocking shots?

To be fair, I didn't think much about it until after St. Louis got hurt. And, also to be fair, it's not uncommon to see star offensive players killing penalties. Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux used to regularly kill penalties back in the day. It's not unusual to see stars such as Chicago's Jonathan Toews or Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby or the Sedin Twins in Vancouver killing penalties now.

Before Thursday's game — and before we knew that St. Louis was going to be able to play — I asked Cooper about his decision to put his stars on the penalty kill and he was confident in his decision with no regrets.

His points are strong:

One, St. Louis and Stamkos are his best players. Not just his best offensive players, but his best players. And you play your best players in all situations. And maybe they can add a shorthanded goal, something the Lightning has rarely done the past couple of seasons.

Two, he wants to keep his players involved in the game. He doesn't want St. Louis and Stamkos getting cold on the bench while the other forwards kill penalties. In fact, resting for long stretches and then going back on the ice could lead to an injury, particularly a pulled or strained muscle.

But his strongest argument is this: Hey, it's hockey. You can't play games as if you're afraid someone is going to get hurt because you never know when someone is going to get hurt. A player like St. Louis is just as vulnerable getting hit by a puck during a power play or at even-strength as he is while killing a penalty.

The thing is, you can't put St. Louis or Stamkos out there on the penalty kill and expect them to go half-speed. You can't tell them not to block shots or to avoid chasing loose pucks into danger zones like the corners. You might as well not even have them out there.

Should Cooper think about, maybe, not putting his stars out there in unnecessary situations? Like on the penalty kill when you're up 3-0 in the third period? Maybe. But, from the sound of it, Cooper sees no unnecessary situations in a game. And, as he told Tampa Bay Times beat writer Damian Cristodero, if you're worried about guys getting hurt by blocking shots, "you're probably in the wrong sport.''

I still think Cooper should reconsider exactly when St. Louis and Stamkos are killing penalties. Late in games when the outcome has been decided is a good time to keep St. Louis and Stamkos on the bench. Those moments, however, are rare. In the meantime, look for Cooper to call upon his stars in all situations, including the penalty kill.

However, if Cooper doesn't mind, Lightning fans might hold their breath while those guys are out there.

Biggest complaint

Monday Night Football this week will feature former Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman making his debut as the Vikings starter. That's about the only thing interesting in the match-up between the 1-4 Vikings and the 0-6 Giants. While NBC's Sunday Night Football always seems to get the marquee game of the week (this week it gets Broncos at Colts as Peyton Manning returns to Indianapolis to face his former team), ESPN is often stuck with a dog game.

There are a few decent MNF games looming (Bears-Packers, Saints-Seahawks, Cowboys-Bears), but you also have less-than-desirable games such as Dolphins at Bucs and Patriots at Panthers. Earlier this season, there was Broncos-Raiders.

As sports media critic Ed Sherman points out, NBC gets the good Manning games, while ESPN has to settle for games like Denver-Oakland.

"On Monday night, you deserve to see teams that are good, and the Raiders have not been good for a decade," Monday Night Football play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico told 1090-AM in San Diego. "I don't think that best serves the customer, the NFL fan. You get Peyton Manning. That's great. You want to see him against a quality opponent in one of his five or six primetime games as opposed to a team like the Raiders, coming off a bad season in a perpetual rebuild. ... I don't think the Raiders are a team that America needs to see in primetime on national TV."

Media notes

• Sunday morning's Outside the Lines (8 a.m., ESPN2) will look at the dangers involving triathlons. An estimated 52 deaths have occurred since 2007 — most of them during the swim portion.

• A new Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel debuts at 10 p.m. Tuesday night on HBO. The show includes features on baseball great Reggie Jackson and basketball star Chris Paul.

Three things that popped into my head

1. It's absurd that anyone would question Condoleezza Rice's selection to the committee that will chose the college playoff teams. For goodness sakes, this woman was Secretary of State. She has a Ph.D. in political science. I'm guessing she has the wherewithal and experience to do the research necessary to be able to make intelligent decisions on college football.

2. There are rumors that the NFL is thinking about adding a second Thursday night game to the weekly schedule. Yeah, sure, the NFL is worried about player safety, that's why they have teams playing two games in five days or, as the Bucs are about to do, three games in 14 days.

3. Farewell to veteran character actor Ed Lauter, who died last week at age 74 from cancer. Lauter appeared in many movies and television shows, but we acknowledge his passing here because we best remember him for playing the leader and coach of the prison guards in the 1974 football movie The Longest Yard starring Burt Reynolds.



Lightning plan to ride hot hand of Bishop



Goalie Ben Bishop has taken a firm grip of the Lightning's No. 1 goalie job, having won his first five starts.

And Bishop is expected to be in net again Saturday night when Tampa Bay hosts the Bruins, his sixth start in the last seven games.

Bishop is playing with a lot of confidence, and that was evident during a second-period save Thursday, when he gloved a shot onto his stick, then flicked it back into his glove, thwarting a flurry with some flair.

"He's feeling the vibe right now," coach Jon Cooper said. "I like that he's calm in the net. He's stopping the ones he should, and some of the ones he probably shouldn't. I think in that moment, he let everybody know, he's feeling it, and it's fun to watch. You want your team to be like that, to have a little swag going, I'm a big fan of it."

Cooper made it clear that G Anders Lindback has handled the situation like a pro, and will get his share of opportunities, too. Lindback, who made his two starts against the Penguins and Bruins, going 0-2 with a 4.07 goals against average.

"Lindy has been unreal in the lockeroom, there's not an ounce of time where he's not working," Cooper said. "You've got to feel for him because he's a competitor and and he's a professional, and he wants to play. But he knows there's 75 more games left to go and we're running through a time right now where we don't have a lot of back to backs. Coming in November, he's going to see games and we're going to need him."

But Cooper said Bishop has done his job, giving his team a chance to win every night, allowing two goals or fewer in each of his starts.

"It's great knowing that you kind of have that rock back there when you make mistakes," Steven Stamkos said. "His confidence is probably sky-high right now. It's kind of that safety blanket, especially on the penalty kill, he's made some unbelievable saves. So we're just trying to ride him out as long as we can."

Other stuff from Friday's practice: RW Marty St. Louis and C Valtteri Filppula did not practice Friday due to body maintenance, but both are expected to play tonight. Cooper said Filppula "tweaked something" Thursday but sat out as a precaution. "No cause for alarm," Cooper said...Cooper was noncomittal on how long Brett Connolly will stick around, but liked how he played Thursday. "Would I love to get him more ice time? I would," Cooper said. "But I thought he contributed...It's just tough because when you come back, you're playing your first game, and the nerves and everything that comes with it. But he's going to be in this league, it's not an if, it's just a when.".. It appears rookie D Andrej Sustr will continue to stay in the rotation and "learn under fire," with Cooper liking his play, and potential. "He's in the infancy of his career," Cooper said. "If he's playing like this, can't wait to see him in months, years from now. It'll be fun."

- JOE SMITH

(FYI, I'll be filling in for Damian this weekend, so if you have any questions or comments, email me at [email protected]. Follow me on Twitter @TBTimes_JSmith.)


722318 Toronto Maple Leafs

Duhatschek: A freaky kind of night in the NHL

ERIC DUHATSCHEK

The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Oct. 18 2013, 7:18 AM EDT

Last updated Friday, Oct. 18 2013, 11:38 AM EDT

On a night when Nicklas Kronwall was taken off the ice on a stretcher, Jonathan Bernier gave up a goal borrowed from the playbook of his former partner in L.A., and the last two teams fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, your first thought was to check the skies and see if there was a full moon out.

Yes, it was that freaky kind of night. First, the Kronwall hit, which came early in one of the multiple rivalry games on the NHL schedule Thursday night and featured his Detroit Red Wings and their once arch-rivals, the Colorado Avalanche.

It was Detroit’s first crack at Patrick Roy-led Colorado and brought to mind many fabulous battles of the recent past. But it was all eerily quiet at the Pepsi Center early in the first when Kronwall went back to retrieve a puck and got creamed into the boards by the Avalanche’s Cody McLeod, who received a boarding major and a game misconduct on the play.

Kronwall put on the brakes and tried to reverse the puck and in turning to his left, briefly had his back to McLeod, who ploughed on into him. It was one of those bang-bang reaction plays that will put NHL discipline chief Brendan Shanahan’s powers to the test because the sequence wasn’t as clear-cut dirty as some of the other suspension-worthy incidents we’ve seen this week. Officially, Kronwall is out with a concussion.

The Red Wings ultimately went on to win 4-2 as Johan Franzen finally hit the back of the net for the first time this season. He was good and so was Pavel Datsyuk, but the real hero might have been Jonas Gustavsson, aka the Monster, the ex-Leaf netminder who, in the absence of the injured Jimmy Howard, has won three games in a row. Colorado fell just moments after the San Jose Sharks lost for the first time all season – in a shootout to the Dallas Stars – but that doesn’t count as a regulation loss, so now they have points in all seven games to sit atop the league leader board with 13 points.

Bernier’s gaffe evoked not-so-distant memories of a similar play by Jonathan Quick earlier this year, when he misplayed a clearing attempt into his own net that cost the Kings a game. Quick does that from time to time; it remains to be seen if this is a one-off for Bernier, who’d had to come in for James Reimer after he’d been knocked out of the game in the first minute.

Perhaps the most intriguing match-up of the night occurred when the Boston Bruins travelled down to Sunrise to take on the Panthers and their ex-goalie, Tim Thomas. Thomas was a stalwart for years in Boston – twice winning the Vezina Trophy and leading them to the 2011 Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks.

After sitting out last season, Thomas signed as a free agent in Florida and after a slow start, in which he gave up a couple of first-period goals, held the Panthers in it until the last minute, when he gave up a goal and they lost 3-2 in regulation. Thomas was used to having towering defenceman Zdeno Chara in front of him – but not as an opponent, acting as a screen on the power play, which is how Dougie Hamilton’s first-period goal eluded him. He was also used to seeing Daniel Paille use his speed to get open on the wing, which is how his goal went in. But Thomas is a battler and he helped the Panthers make a game of it, which is what they need from him. In another transitional year, filled with multiple roster moves, they need stability in goal – and Thomas, presumably healthy after missing time with a groin injury early on, may provide that.

You just never had the sense of what his Bruins’ teammates thought of Thomas – they were always circumspect when discussing him and remembered to praise him for his contributions to their success – but it didn’t seem as if they had any trouble last night, getting him in their sights.

The same could be said for the Ottawa Senators, who lit up the New Jersey Devils venerable netminder Martin Brodeur for four goals in a 5-2 win. The

Devils have essentially been alternating between Brodeur and newcomer Cory Schneider, but the time has come to give Schneider a few consecutive starts, if the plan is to salvage something from this season. New Jersey is the only team in the league without a victory to date.

Meanwhile, in Long Island, the Edmonton Oilers lost again, but for once, the blame couldn’t be squarely leveled at their goaltending, which was decent, Devan Dubnyk having a quality outing for the first time this season, even as they lost 3-2 to the Islanders. The Oilers’ Taylor Hall, who scored twice, offered encouraging words afterward: “This is where Dubie takes over and starts playing like we know he can. It would have been nice to get a win for him.” They can only hope.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.19.2013


Toronto Marlies suffer first loss in Rochester

By: The Canadian Press, Published on Fri Oct 18 2013

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Luke Adam scored once and set up two more as the Rochester Americans handed the visiting Toronto Marlies their first loss of the season, 4-1 in American Hockey League play Friday night.

Phil Varone and Matt Ellis had a goal and an assist apiece for the Americans (2-2-0) while Dan Catenacci scored the other. Wade MacLeod scored the lone goal for the Marlies (3-1-0).

Rochester’s Nathan Lieuwen made 36 saves for the win, while Garret Sparks turned away 19 of 23 shots in defeat.

Toronto failed to score on six chances with the man advantage.

Toronto Star LOADED: 10.19.2013


Leafs’ goaltending soap opera dominates the season

By: Raju Mudhar Tech Reporter, Published on Fri Oct 18 2013

The Leafs’ starting goalie situation is this city’s most riveting ongoing sports soap opera.

From beat reporters playing a daily guessing game of who will start, to all of Leaf Nation having a nightly referendum on who momentarily has the slight edge — Jonathan Bernier or James Reimer — this is the story that will dominate the season, until it is settled. And even then, if both remain with the team, the second-guessing will not end.

So far, Bernier had a bad game, but managed the win versus Edmonton last Saturday. Reimer played lights out versus Minnesota after the Leafs got badly outshot. On Thursday, Reimer was injured in a collision with teammate Josh Leivo, which brings up scary memories from 2011 when he missed six weeks after a hit from Brian Gionta. He was back at practice on Friday morning. But Bernier lost on a horrible goal in replacing him. The see-saw back and forth is in full swing.

In a town where an askance look between two players’ significant others was a big story during last year’s playoffs, this is rightly huge.

Positional battles are a fact of life in professional sports but there are certain singular positions that always grab the headlines and garner the controversy. It’s the equivalent of a quarterback in football, point guard in basketball and closers in baseball.

It is also the easy story.

“Well, it makes for lots to write about, doesn’t it? It’s never boring. You always have a go-to article,” says Glenn Healy, analyst on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, and a longtime NHL goalie who had a stint in Toronto’s media pressure cooker backing up Curtis Joseph.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of (back and forth) this year. They are not going to just abandon one guy and hand somebody the job. There is a lot of inexperience with both goaltenders. Look at the number of games that both have played from a goaltending in the league standpoint and by no means has either one of them solidified themselves as a clear-cut number one. That is a function of playing games.”

Healy thinks the fixation on a No. 1 goalie isn’t manufactured by the media, but is a result of the team’s history of excellent goaltenders.

“We’ve been desperate for one since we started doing the (Vesa) Toskala, (Andrew) Raycroft, Trevor Kidd, the carousel has been just coming and going,” he says. “Because we had that great level of goaltending, from Felix (Potvin), to Cujo (Curtis Joseph) and then he passed the flag to Eddie (Belfour) . . . I think the history of that has us now wanting it. Over the past number of years, we’ve been desperate to have one guy who could be our Marty Brodeur or next Curtis Joseph or Ed Belfour.”

Speaking of those wayward years, three players Toronto gave up on are now top 10 in goals against average: L.A.’s Ben Scrivens (2nd, 1.22), Boston’s Tukka Rask (4th, 1.51) and Detroit’s Jonas Gustavsson (8th, 1.87). Admittedly, Scrivens and Gustavsson are considered the backups in those towns, and are splitting time in net. Bernier and Reimer are 11th and 31st, respectively.

For the record, Healy thinks Bernier will be the guy, although even he tempers his prediction.

“From what I’ve seen with Bernier, I think he has starting goaltending pedigree. I think he’s got the attitude. I think he’s got the skill set, he’s got the work ethic, and I think he’s hungry,” he says. “Now, anybody in the world could make those same assessments about Reimer, and they would be accurate as well.”

With a 6-2 record, it is currently an embarrassment of riches, but we all know how this is going to go. Trade talk among commentators is starting and if one of these guys manages to get a stranglehold on the position, the potential of moving the other is already causing waves in another hockey-mad city.

Oiler fans on Twitter and Edmonton Journal columnists got into a tizzy on Thursday after analyst Darren Dreger said on TSN 1050 that the Leafs wouldn’t take former 1st overall pick Nail Yakupov for Reimer in a deal.

Both David Staples and Dan Tencer played the speculation as more of a damning (and incorrect) indictment of Yakupov, with Tencer writing: “Either Dreger is totally off base with his assessment of the situation or the Toronto Maple Leafs management is crazy.”

The thing is, folks, this is just the beginning, and with a long season ahead, there are plenty more rumours and trade speculation to come.

Historically, while there have been a few aberrations, or the backup becoming a team’s hot goalie during a series, a real tandem goaltending situation hasn’t been successful in the playoffs. Although, it only takes one successful team to be the example, and with goaltending such a grind, teams do require at least two capable ones.

Whatever the Toronto Maple Leafs’ issues are in front of the net — and the advanced stat types are already starting to mutter about the disconnect with this currently winning team and its numbers — until the goalie situation is settled, it’s going to be the top-shelf discussion. But two capable net minders are clearly better than none.

Best to enjoy it while it lasts. Besides, who doesn’t love a good soap opera?



Maple Leafs: Reimer okay, van Riemsdyk returns to practice

By: Kevin McGran Sports Reporter, Published on Fri Oct 18 2013

Turns out James Reimer is OK and the Maple Leafs’ injury list may finally be getting shorter with James van Riemsdyk practising again Friday.

Reimer, the oft-concussed goaltender, returned to practice on Friday after leaving Thursday’s game against Carolina due to a head-on collision with Josh Leivo that left the netminder with a headache and nothing more.

“The new protocol is you have to get out of the game, so I did,” said Reimer. “I had a bit of a headache, so the doctors felt it was in my best interests that I stay out for the rest of the game. I did.

“I came back (Friday). Felt pretty good. Rode the bike and worked out before I hit the ice. I was just out for protocol-slash-precautionary reasons.”

The last time Reimer got run over — against Montreal early in the 2011-12 season — he lost about a month due to a concussion and took almost a year to return to top form in net.

Reimer’s concussion history was part of the reason the team acquired Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings.

Many, including Reimer, feared the worst from the Leivo incident. The Leafs even called the University of Toronto to recruit a goalie, Michael Nishi, as an extra for practice, just in case Reimer couldn’t participate.

Reimer and the Leafs were relieved that he woke up Friday without headaches or neck pain.

“It kind of subsided as the evening went on,” said Reimer. “It hurt pretty bad when I got hit, which, I think, is pretty normal. By the time I went to bed, there wasn’t much of one. When I woke up, I felt pretty good.”

Reimer said he should be ready to play Saturday night against Chicago if called upon.

“That’s the plan,” said Reimer. “With these things, you really never know. Judge how I’m feeling in the morning. The way I feel today, I should be ready to go.”

Leafs coach Randy Carlyle has had to go with a makeshift lineup since the season began. He certainly hasn’t had the full lineup he once envisioned.

“You’d always like to have your group of players together, but that’s not possible due to suspensions and injuries,” said Carlyle. “You miss guys who can make contributions. We’re asking other guys to step in and fill those roles.”

But there is hope on the horizon, starting with players on the top two lines.

Van Riemsdyk has missed two games due to back spasms. But he participated fully in practice and Carlyle sounded as though he expected him to play Saturday. “There’s a good chance he’s available,” said the coach.

David Clarkson has a mere two games left in his 10-game suspension and should play Friday in Columbus.

“Personally, I can’t wait for that day to come,” said Clarkson. “It’s hard (but) I’m trying to keep ready. When you’re winning, things are a lot easier. There are things we can do better, but the biggest thing is getting points and we’re finding a way to do that right now.

Frazer McLaren might also return to action in Columbus, the date he’s eligible to come off long-term injured reserve. His right pinky is still sore.

“I’d like to tell them I’m 100 per cent ready to go by that time,” said McLaren. “Any time you’ve had a finger broken and in a cast for five weeks, the big thing is range of motion. It’s still hard for me to make a complete fist.”

Neither Nikolai Kulemin (ankle) nor defenceman Mark Fraser (knee) have even skated recently. Kulemin was still walking in a brace after chipping an ankle bone in practice.

But Carlyle said both will “be skating very shortly.”



Maple Leafs face Chicago Saturday: Five things to know about the Blackhawks


The Toronto Maple Leafs face the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks at the United Centre on Saturday (7 p.m. on CBC, Sportsnet 590 The FAN). Here are five things you need to know about the Blackhawks.

1. Watch for the Blackhawks to find a nice way to honour two-time Stanley Cup champion Dave Bolland in his first trip back to the Windy City since the summertime trade to Toronto. After all he scored the Cup-winning goal.

2. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford has stopped 86 of the 91 shots he’s faced in his last three games. He’s the likely starter with backup goalie Nikolai Khabibulin not likely to get his second start until later in the week against Florida or Tampa Bay.

3. The Blackhawks have been outscored 6-0 in the third period over the last six games, blowing 2-0 leads against the Lightning and the Hurricanes. Overall, Chicago is suffering a power outage, struggling to score even with a lineup loaded with offensive stars. The Blackhawks have just 20 goals in their first seven games and only 14 in six games following a season-opening 6-4 win over Washington.

4. The Hawks were 19-3-5 in one-goal games last year, five more wins than any other team. This year they are 3-1-2 in one-goal games. “We’re having a tough time finding the back of the net,” said defenceman Brent Seabrook Thursday after a 3-2 shootout loss to St. Louis. “With that being said, we’ve got to muscle these games out to win them 2-0, 2-1, 1-0. That’s the mindset we have to have when we’re not scoring goals.”

5. The Blackhawks are relatively healthy. Defenceman Michal Rozsival is out with an undisclosed illness.

WHAT THE COACH SAYS: The Blackhawks were second only to Pittsburgh in goal scoring last season but coach Joel Quenneville didn’t like his team’s effort or output recently.

“I didn’t like our pace,” he said Thursday after the St. Louis loss. “I didn’t like that we were turning pucks over. We didn’t get any pucks to the net. We didn’t generate any offence after the first period.”

“We’ll look at our lines. We need some offence. And I don’t like coaching offensively.”

With files from Star wires



Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer back practising for Toronto


James Reimer emerged for practice with the Maple Leafs on Friday, while the team scoured the depths of university goaltending for help.

On Thursday night, it was U of T goalie Brett Willows who got the call as an emergency backup. On Friday, it was Willows’ teammate, Michael Nishi, who dressed for practice as the team’s third goalie, rotating on workouts and dressed in case Reimer couldn’t.

Reimer was forced to leave the game Thursday night just 32 seconds into the first period when teammate Josh Leivo accidentally clipped him in the head with his knee.

Jonathan Bernier took over and finished the game, yielding a freak final goal in a 3-2 loss to Carolina.

Reimer and Bernier started in goal for the morning drills, proving Toronto coach Randy Caryle correct. He had said the previous night that Reimer had a headache and was expected to practise.

“I’m feeling good,” Reimer told reporters after practice. “Obviously everyone saw what happened. I kind of got my head run over there. The new protocol is you have to come out of the game and so I did. And had a bit of a headache, so the doctors felt it was in my best interest and safety that I stay out for the rest of the game.”

He said he came to practice in the morning and worked out to get his heart rate up, to see how he felt.

“I hit the ice and felt good,” Reimer added.

There was concern in other quarters because it’s not the first time Reimer has suffered a blow to the head.

Two seasons ago, he missed time due to concussion-like symptoms that were later linked to a neck problem, when he was hit by Montreal’s Brian Gionta in October 2011.

He was sidelined for more than a month and finished the season on the sidelines after taking a shot in practice in late March 2012 and experiencing a return of the concussion-like symptoms.



Maple Leafs let University of Toronto goalie Brett Willows’ dream come true


Wearing No. 82 for the Toronto Maple Leafs: Goaltender Brett Willows.

Who?

Willows, one of three goalies with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, was a heartbeat away from playing in the National Hockey League on Thursday night.

“It was amazing,” said Willows. “I’m not going to forget this anytime soon.”

Even if it was a bit of a whirlwind.

Willows was about to sit down for dinner at Noodle Bowl on Bloor near Spadina when he got the call from Blues coach Darren Lowe: Goalie James Reimer had been knocked out of the game against the Carolina Hurricanes, after an accidental knee to the head by a teammate, and the Leafs needed an emergency backup for Jonathan Bernier.

“Needless to say, I got out of there quick,” he said.

Willows ditched his Montreal Canadiens cap, raced to Varsity Arena to pick up his gear — still wet from practice — then kept right on racing to the Air Canada Centre.

First, he signed an emergency amateur tryout contract. (He can’t be paid or it would mess with his university hockey status.) Then he went into the Leafs dressing room.

“They were assessing James (Reimer) to see if he could go back out on the bench,” said Willows. “When it turned out he wasn’t good to go, they told me to start putting my stuff on.

“They made up a jersey for me: WILLOWS was on the back. No. 82. Pretty cool.”

He’ll get a jersey to keep: The Leafs intend to send him a better version as a keepsake.

He wasn’t actually allowed to sit on the bench — because his contract hadn’t been formally filed with the league — but had anything happened to Bernier, the deal would have been submitted and Willows would have seen live action.

The 23-year-old joked that by the time he tells his grandchildren the story “it will have evolved that I got the shutout, was a two-time all-star and was the starting goalie for the Maple Leafs.”

As it was, he sat in the dressing room with suspended Leaf forward David Clarkson.

“We watched the third period together,” said Willows. “He made me feel really comfortable and really welcomed me into the dressing room. I was really thankful for that.”

This being the digital age, Willows was able to tweet about what was happening: “What I dreamed about playing mini sticks in the basement just came true.”

Until, that is, he found himself disconnected — and unable to tell his parents — because of low battery on his phone.

“I wasn’t expecting any of this to happen,” said Willows. “When Twitter was blowing up and all the texts were coming in, my phone only had a 15-per-cent charge on it, so it died really quick. I couldn’t phone my parents. Hopefully they don’t hold it against me.”

Willows has played at a fairly high level, backstopping the Dauphin Kings to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship in 2010. Now he’s a kinesiology and phys-ed major with an eye toward becoming a physiotherapist when he graduates.

When Reimer got hurt, it sent Reid Mitchell, Leaf director of hockey and scouting administration, scrambling for his phone. The Leafs have a list of potential fill-ins — available also to the road team if need be.

Willows had been called once before — on March 29, 2012, after Jonas Gustavsson took a shot from Clarke MacArthur in the warmup. Willows got called off that assignment, though, and the Leafs signed equipment manager Scott McKay to the amateur tryout deal instead.

“I knew in the back of my head it was possible, but you never really think your number is going to be called,” said Willows. “I definitely wasn’t planning on making a trip down to the ACC.”

There was another call made on Friday, when the Leafs were unsure if Reimer could practise. Willows’ teammate, Michael Nishi, suited up and faced some shots at the MasterCard Centre even though Reimer, as it turned out, was also okay to hit the ice.

“It was a great experience,” said Nishi, who missed an English study session to accept the rare offer. “It was an eye-opening experience.”

It has happened to other teams from time to time.

Last season, former Calgary Dinos goalie Dustin Butler dressed as the Vancouver Canucks’ backup to Cory Schneider, with players lobbying for him to go in for the last minute of a 4-1 win. The whistle never blew to allow for a change, so coach Alain Vigneault never got a chance to make the move.

In 2011, UBC Thunderbirds goalie Jordan White dressed for the San Jose Sharks against Vancouver after starter Antero Niittymaki got hurt in the morning skate.



Maple Leafs rookie Josh Leivo left his mark in loss to Carolina Hurricanes

By: Mark Zwolinski Sports reporter, Published on Fri Oct 18 2013

On another night, Josh Leivo might have been the story Thursday night.

The Maple Leafs rookie scored his first NHL goal, and it was a beauty. The kind of goal that makes the highlight reels.

But there were enough pitfalls in the Leafs 3-2 loss to Carolina to almost overwhelm the storyline of Leivo’s memorable night.

Toronto basically blew it — a 2-0 lead that evaporated after the club was outshot 28-14 over the final two periods.

Carolina also deserved credit for an intelligent —and belligerent — game plan.

On top of outworking and outshooting the Leafs, they spent the entire night crashing the Leafs crease.

To start with, they smoked James Reimer in a collision in the first minute of the opening period that resulted in the Leafs goalie being removed from the game.

The league has a new, but seldom-used rule where a goalie who loses his mask, or a player who stays down from a collision to the head area, must be sent to the dressing room for observation.

Carolina let the Leafs, and their pumped up home crowd, know right off the bat they had a target and it was the Leafs crease. They didn’t let up the whole game and it was a huge factor in their comeback.

Then there was Leivo. He was the Leafs player who crashed into Reimer. It was a play where he was hustling back to the Leafs zone to pick up his check. Unfortunately for the Leafs, everyone in a blue and white uniform was a half step behind, and it all converged on Reimer, who dropped the puck in the first place and got steamrolled when he went to retrieve it.

“I fell to the ice and hit my chin and I got some stitches,” Leivo said, adding that he “wished it (the play) never happened.”

The Leafs would go on to lose the game on Jonathan Bernier’s own goal, a truly embarrassing moment for the talented goalie, but one that really put an exclamation mark on the team’s collapse.

Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, like his players, believed the play should have been called under the new hybrid icing rules adopted by the league this season.

Bernier couldn’t argue that one, but he wasn’t making any excuses about his own play.

Ultimately, Bernier just misplayed the puck. With the confusion on the icing call — one linesman actually had his hand raised for the call — Bernier didn’t hear the whistle and leaned off his right hand post to play the puck with his stick.

His missed it — an “ooooops” moment that backfired dramatically. The puck slipped under his stick and caromed into the net off his skate.

“One explanation I got was they (referees) thought Bernier left his net to play the puck . . . that’s incorrect because he had to be in his net for the puck to deflect off him the way it did,” Carlyle said.

Bernier now joins Roberto Luongo and ex-Kings teammate Jonathan Quick in the highlight reels for embarrassing goals so far this season.

“It won’t be one of my favorites, that’s for sure,” Bernier said.

But the Leafs — who have way too much experience with blowing leads, and not enough lessons learned from them — quickly dusted off the negative residue of their loss.

They’re in Chicago to take on the defending Stanley Cup champs, a game that will be the biggest test of their early season success to date.

“We will regroup, we have a big game in Chicago,” Bernier said.



Maple Leafs: Three reasons why Toronto lost to the Carolina Hurricanes


Here, in a nutshell, is why the Maple Leafs lost 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes:

1. No push back when the Carolina Hurricanes began pushing them. Toronto had a 12-10 edge in shots after one period, but were outshot 38-26 overall. They did not answer Carolina’s push back.

2. Carolina crashed the crease with relative ease all night. This was a huge factor, probably THE factor in the visitor’s comeback. Carolina quickly showed their intent when Reimer was smoked in the first minute of play — the visitors were going for the crease and going after Toronto’s goalies, who have been the biggest factor in the club’s early season success. Toronto cannot defend against that kind of onslaught all night, not unless you have four Zdeno Chara’s in your top two D-pairings. But Toronto can get to the puck in their own zone first, and execute a much better breakout than they did. This is where the coaching staff must come in, and veteran players take charge. It led to far too many collapses a year ago, and it can’t take root again this season.

3. Toronto did not clog up the neutral zone nearly enough when they had that 2-0 lead after two periods. The Leafs certainly did line up and try to execute a lead protection game plan (trap); and clogging the neutral zone was part of that plan. But Carolina beat that coverage cleanly on too many occasions. Grant it, they are a team that likes to cheat — that is, having one of their top forwards remain up ice for breakaway feeds. They cashed in on that on numerous occasions Thursday night. Carolina also chips pucks in and overloads certain areas of the ice — in short, they take risks and look for quick edges in play. They also pour a ton of shots from the point and overload the crease in search of rebounds and loose pucks. Leaf fans got a huge demonstration of their playbook, and much of it started because Toronto failed to hold off Carolina in the neutral zone.



Maple Leafs: Penthouse: Josh Leivo scores first NHL goal; Doghouse: Jonathan Bernier lets in own goal


Who’s in Toronto coach Randy Carlyle’s penthouse and doghouse after the Leafs’ 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursdsay night?

PENTHOUSE

Josh Leivo

The rookie callup from the Marlies had himself quite a memorable game. Leivo scored his first NHL goal, and that gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead in the second period that would ultimately crumble in the third.

Perhaps not-so-sweet a memory was the first-period collision with James Reimer that resulted in a “headache” for Leafs goalie.

“It was an unfortunate play and I wish it never happened,” Leivo said about the Reimer pile-up.

On his goal, Leivo showed true marksmanship with his snap shot. He was on a two-on-one and snapped a laser beam of a shot over the glove and shoulder of a very good Cam Ward in the Carolina net.

“It was a good drop pass by Bolly (Dave Bolland) and I saw the top corner and just went for it,” Leivo said.

Leivo struck the crossbar in Tuesday’s win over Minnesota on a similar shot.

Leivo, along with David Broll, Carter Ashton, Troy Bodie and Trevor Smith, has done an admirable job in helping the Leafs off to their great start while the club weathers injuries to five regulars.

DOGHOUSE

Jonathan Bernier

Easy, and hard, to pin this on Bernier.

Ultimately, that own goal comes down to Bernier simply misplaying the puck. And that’s a surprise since he is considered a well-above average puck handler among NHL goalies.

It was a screw-up to put it mildly, and it cost the Leafs the game. But the Leafs were collectively in the OUTHOUSE from the second period on.

“We should have responded better after their first goal,” defenceman Cody Franson admitted.

So, Bernier has an embarrassing moment; the Leafs embarrassed themselves by turning in some soft play when they had a 2-0 lead.



Maple Leafs: Damien Cox’s nine thoughts on Thursday’s loss to Carolina Hurricanes

By: Damien Cox Sports Columnist, Published on Fri Oct 18 2013

In honour of Norm Ullman, here’s nine thoughts on the second Leaf loss of this young season:

1. Say thanks to Stevie Y for this one: Cam Ward is undoubtedly still seething over not even being invited to the Canadian Olympic road hockey camp in August, and showed on Thursday night in beating the Maple Leafs with a strong 24 save effort just how good he can be.

So far, you could argue Carey Price of the Habs has been the best Canadian goalie. But after that? Probably Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins, who also wasn’t invited to the orientation camp, but after the past two playoffs it would be gutsy to make him the No. 1 Canadian goalie.

So Ward may end up being right there. Certainly, incumbent Roberto Luongo has yet demonstrated it’s his job to lose. Braden Holtby isn’t wowing anybody For Ward, meanwhile, backup Anton Khudobin is sidelined for a while, so he’s probably going to get a good long run of starts to flaunt his stuff.

2. How depth can disappear in an instant: The number of folks suggesting that they’d seen all they needed to from Jonathan Bernier, and that James Reimer should be traded, was truly baffling. Neither Bernier nor Reimer is an all-star, and both are still establishing themselves. There’s more strength in two than one until one proves he’s all you need.

Reimer’s injury against Carolina may give Bernier a stretch of games, but after that hot start the former King was shelled in his last start Saturday and then gave up that bizarre, awful winning goal to the Canes.

It happens. It was a bad mistake. But Bernier, even before that happened, was still in need of delivering a lot more evidence before he can be anointed as a bona fide No. 1 NHL goalie.

By the way; Brett Willows, the 5-foot-9 U of T goalie who was the emergency goalie on call after Reimer left? He stopped a career-high 50 shots against Ryerson this week.

3. Behind every good team is an ex-Leaf with a brain: Saturday’s game against the Blackhawks will mark the fifth straight game the Leafs have faced a team featuring an ex-Leaf player on its coaching staff.

It start last week in Nashville with Phil Housley (four games!), which was followed up by Dallas Eakins (Edmonton), Darby Hendrickson (Minnesota) and Kirk Muller (Carolina). Chicago, of course, is coached by former Leaf blueliner Joel Quenneville.

4. The Atlantic Division’s punching bag: The Leafs have been outshot in six of eight games, while their opponents have had 30-plus shots in EVERY game. It hasn’t cost them so far with a 6-2 record, but it’s not a recipe for extended success. They’re an entertaining team to watch, but while the D-men are absorbing the lion’s share of the criticism, too many forwards are doing not very much in the defensive zone.

Being without solid vets like Nik Kulemin up front and Mark Fraser on the back end sure isn’t helping.

5. Not the rule’s fault, but . . . bad rule: Look, there’s no excuse for the goal Bernier allowed. That’s it. Period. Jonathan Quick and Roberto Luongo have each permitted one just as bad already this season. Life goes on.



Toronto Maple Leafs: Chicago Blackhawks looking for offence as Leafs come to visit: Cox

By: Damien Cox Sports Columnist, Published on Fri Oct 18 2013

In the Windy City this is what qualifies as hard times for the local hockey heroes.

An offence that isn’t exactly hitting on all cylinders in these early days of the 2013-14 season. A pair of tight losses to their archrivals from St. Louis in the opening days of the season.

Yeah, a real nightmare.

Even with those two losses to the Blues the Chicago Blackhawks team that will host the 6-2 Maple Leafs on Saturday night seems to be a likelier candidate to repeat than was the case with the 2010 champions.

This team wasn’t stripped down because of salary cap problems.

The key players — Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook — are now three years older and more committed than ever to their craft, and the goalie who won the Stanley Cup is back.

So no evidence of any Cup hangover — at least not yet.

This, as Dave Nonis said on the eve of the season, is the kind of team he hopes the Leafs will become somewhere down the road — a team that wins hockey games any which way you want to play them.

Physical? No problem — and the Hawks certainly handled the brawny Bruins for all the glory last spring. Fast, high-skill games? Check. Low-scoring, tight matches? Most of the time the Hawks hold their own.

So after a fluky bounce loss to Carolina on Thursday at home — given the way in which the Leafs have been winning despite some gaping holes in their game it’s hard to see that as a hard-luck loss — this shapes up as an early season litmus test for Randy Carlyle’s crew.

The team has several key injuries, with goalie James Reimer now added to the list. David Clarkson still hasn’t played a game yet and this Leaf team is allowing an average of 35 shots per game — third worst in the league — while managing only about 28 themselves which is in the bottom third of the league.

All that suggests Saturday night could be a rough one against a Chicago team looking to break out.

Still unbeaten on the road after wins in Montreal, Philadelphia and Nashville, the Leafs bring ex-Hawk hero David Bolland with them as they try to prove they really belong with the elite teams of the league.

If there’s anything ailing the 4-1-2 Hawks it’s an offence that has yet to start humming. Chicago has only scored more than three goals in a game once this season. Brandon Pirri’s first NHL goal got them rolling on Thursday against the Blues. But Marian Hossa on a breakaway was the only other Hawk who could score on Jaroslav Halak — including in the shootout, where Chicago couldn’t score at all.

Bolland, of course, was shipped to the Leafs for draft picks at least partly because of the need for the Hawks to sign playoff sniper Bryan Bickell, who potted nine goals in 23 post-season matches last spring.

For that Bickell got a four-year, $16 million contract and Bolland, Viktor Stalberg and Michael Frolik were deleted to help make room.

Well, so far the investment has been a poor one for the Hawks.

Despite playing on the top line with Toews and Kane, Bickell has yet to score this season and has only eight shots in seven games. Against the Blues he had none in 17:09 of playing time and remains stuck at one assist on the season.

So that, in a nutshell, is the extent of Chicago’s troubles.

Can’t beat the Blues (so far). Offence is a little snoozy. Bickell finding the new contract a little heavy on the shoulders.

Otherwise the Hawks have allowed only 18 goals in seven games, so that part of their game is intact. And the fact they were able to keep most of their lineup from the 2013 playoffs in place is bad news for the rest of the league.

The days when the Leafs and Hawks were combative divisional rivals are long gone and the only shame is that Detroit couldn’t bring Chicago with it to the Eastern Conference this season to renew that rivalry.

Still, these are Original Six cousins and the Hawks are the standard against which Nonis, at least, is measuring his young team.

The Leafs may have the offensive firepower to match up with Chicago, but do they have the ability to prosper in a tighter, hard-checking playoff-style game?

So far most would guess they don’t. Saturday night would be a good night to prove that they do.



Leafs-Blackhawks Gameday

By Lance Hornby ,Toronto Sun


CHICAGO - Saturday, 7 p.m., United Center

TV CBC

Radio Sportsnet Fan 590

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

Q is for quirky

The Hawks have no signs of a Cup hangover, except they’ve fallen asleep at times in two late-game losses to the Blues. The most recent, Thursday’s 3-2 shootout defeat at home, put coach Joel Quenneville in a foul mood. And the fallout could come at the expense of the Leafs.

Stuck in their Craw

After a few games where they benefitted from shaky goaltending, the Leafs hit a wall with Cam Ward on Thursday in a 3-2 loss. Corey Crawford, with one regulation loss, will be hard to beat as well - and that’s if the Leafs can get past Chicago’s defence. Chicago has played six straight one-goal games.

Old time hockey

These Original Six meetings have been few and far between. Further still are games where the two teams have been this close to first place in their respective conferences. With a Saturday night crowd and the United Centre hopping, here’s betting the Hawks have more juice.

Falling Leafs

Toronto seems to lose someone every game and can’t win many more without David Clarkson or James van Riemsdyk. The Blackhawks, by comparison have not been stung as badly. Newcomers won’t help the Leafs reduce a league worst 133 giveaways, double the pucks Chicago has coughed up.

Dot dot dot ...

The Leafs sawed off on faceoffs against the Canes on Thursday, but even with 50% of its draws successful, the Hawks are middle of the pack and the Leafs at 45.3% are near the bottom.

CHICAGO LINEUP

LW C RW

Marian Hossa Jonathan Toews Brandon Saad

Patrick Sharp Michal Handzus Patrick Kane

Bryan Bickell Marcus Kruger Andrew Shaw

Brandon Bollig Brandon Pirri Joakim Nordstrom

Defence

Duncan Keith Brent Seabrook

Nick Leddy Sheldon Brookbank

Niklas Hjalmarsson Johnny Oduya

Goal

Corey Crawford

Nikolai Khabibulin

TORONTO LINEUP

LW C RW

JVR/M. Raymond Tyler Bozak Phil Kessel

David Broll Nazem Kadri Joffrey Lupul

Mason Raymond Dave Bolland Josh Leivo

Carter Ashton Jay McClement Colton Orr

Defence pairings

Dion Phaneuf Carl Gunnarsson

Paul Ranger Jake Gardiner

Morgan Rielly Cody Franson

Goalies

Jonathan Bernier

James Reimer

SICK BAY

Toronto - G James Reimer (head/neck), D Mark Fraser (knee), RW Nikolai Kulemin (ankle), LW Frazer McLaren (fractured finger), LW James van Riemsdyk (back). Reimer and van Riemsdyk are probable.

Chicago -D Michal Rozsival (illness) is day-to-day.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power play

Toronto 29.0% 3rd

Chicago 18.5% 16th

Penalty killing

Toronto 87.1% 4th

Chicago 71.4% 29th

THE BIG MATCHUP

Dave Bolland vs. Jonathan Toews

The Blackhawks sound amused about all the ‘Dave Bolland returns’ hype. “We’ll see about that,” Toews said of being shut down by Bolland. “I know his tricks too so it works both ways.” Added Patrick Sharp: “His tricks aren’t going to work against us. We’ve seen that far too many times.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.19.2013


Tighten up, Leafs ... or else!

By Terry Koshan ,Toronto Sun


His goaltending apparently back in proper alignment following James Reimer’s head scare on Thursday night, Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle has turned his attention to the next obstacle on his team’s schedule.

Considering Carlyle has discussed several times in the past few days the importance of tightening up defensively, he shuddered to think what could happen if the Leafs don’t buckle down against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the Windy City on Saturday night.

“If we don’t play to a higher level, I’m sure the score will be a lot more lopsided in Chicago’s favour than in our favour,” Carlyle said after the Leafs practised at the MasterCard Centre during the noon hour on Friday.

“We are a hockey club that is still trying to find its game. We know we are playing the Stanley Cup champions, so we’d better beware.”

There was a clear sense of relief in the dressing room and on the ice when Reimer participated in practice. Not quite 17 hours earlier, the netminder disappeared into the bowels of the Air Canada Centre during a game against the Carolina Hurricanes after teammate Josh Leivo accidentally plowed into his head and neck.

Reimer said the memories of Oct. 22, 2011, when the Canadiens’ Brian Gionta crashed into him in Montreal — causing neck and head issues that required months of recovery — filtered through his brain as he tried to get his wits following the collision with Leivo.

Though a headache bothered him Thursday night, it mostly was gone by the time he went to bed and Reimer felt fine when he awoke on Friday morning.

“Even when I was on the ice, I wanted to stay in there and did not want to come out of the game,” Reimer said. “It’s safe to say it was just protocol (to leave the game) and hopefully we can move on.

“You never want to be out for whatever reason, especially with a head injury. Sometimes you don’t really know. I am glad everything is feeling great and I shouldn’t miss a beat.”

There was further good news on the matter of injuries, as forward James van Riemsdyk, who has missed the past two games with back spasms, practised as well. Carlyle said there is a “good chance” van Riemsdyk will be in the lineup against Dave Bolland’s former team.

Nothing had been confirmed, but it’s probable that Jonathan Bernier will be in goal to face the Hawks. When he was with the Los Angeles Kings, Bernier played in just one game versus Chicago, but learned plenty through observation from his spot at the end of the bench.

“We know their defence is pretty active and likes to get odd-man rushes,” Bernier said. “They have great goaltending and their forwards — a lot of moves, a lot of talent. They have everything you need to win a hockey game.”

The Leafs have a modest single playoff appearance to the tune of seven games in recent years, while the Hawks have a couple of Cup banners, won in 2010 and this past spring, hanging from the rafters of the United Center. But with the 2013-14 regular season in the early stages, Carlyle isn’t ready to use the game as a measuring stick.

But when he looks at Joel Quenneville and his group, he sees something that perhaps the Leafs can become in the fairly near future.

“They are a model for the league, not just our hockey club,” Carlyle said. “If you look at what they have been able to accomplish, the one thing they have been able to do is they have collected a core group of players and have built their team around them. They ask (Ted Dent, the coach of the American Hockey League affiliate Rockford Icehogs) to provide a player a year, or two players to the Blackhawks. That’s what development is supposed to do.

“They have been able to keep their core group together. They have added (Bryan) Bickell to that, (Niklas) Hjalmarsson. They have (goalie Corey) Crawford.

“It’s a process that has to grow (in Toronto). I think we’re finally starting to see some of that.”

LEIVO FEELING THE WORST

James Reimer made a point of seeking out Josh Leivo on Friday morning.

Had Leivo not accidentally crashed into Reimer on Thursday night against Carolina, sending the goaltender to the dressing room with a headache, Reimer would have stayed in the game and perhaps led the Leafs to victory. Instead, Toronto lost 3-2 to the Hurricanes after Jonathan Bernier took over.

“He felt bad,” Reimer said of Leivo. “Even (Friday) morning, he had his head down and I went up to him and said it was no big deal. Obviously, he did not mean to run over me. He was doing his job, came back hard and all of a sudden I was in his way.”

The injury’s uncertainty — it turned out he was fine — meant the Leafs put in a call to University of Toronto goalie Michael Nishi to be on the ice for practice. This after Nishi’s teammate, Brett Willows, was summoned to the Air Canada Centre on Thursday night.There’s a list of a half-dozen goalies the Leafs have in case of an emergency and the two university goalies are on it.

So, who had the hardest shot in practice?

“I have to see the shots first,” Nishi said, drawing laughter. “It was an eye-opening experience.”

Is Nishi, a Toronto native who played major junior with five teams, a Leafs fan?

“It has been on and off with the Leafs,” Nishi said. “My family has season tickets. Growing up, I’ve been to a lot of games, and it was a really great experience to be practising with them.”



Anyone seen Leafs' Kessel recently?

By Steve Buffery ,Toronto Sun


A former NHLer dropped by the Maple Leafs practice on Friday and was asked for his opinion about the way the blue and white has played so far this season.

“Well, they’re winning,” he said. “But let me ask you something. Did Phil Kessel play the last two games?

When told that Kessel had, indeed, played against the Wild on Tuesday and the Hurricanes on Thursday, the dude rolled his eyes. Apparently he knew the answer to the question, he was just making a point ... which was, when Kessel disappears, he really disappears.

The Leafs winger, who signed an eight-year, $8-million per extension last month, did play against Minnesota and Carolina but there were times where you could hardly tell he was on the ice. He picked up an assist in the 4-1 victory over Minnesota — and earned kudos throughout Leafs Nation for his unselfish play on Mason Raymond’s empty net goal — and had three shots on net in the 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday, but he was like the Invisible Man at times. Kessel does have 33 shots on net in eight games this season (eighth most in the NHL, not including Friday night’s games), and two goals. So the shots are there. The question is, though: Is he working hard enough to get good chances or, as Leafs coach Randy Carlyle was asked after practice on Friday, settling too often for long-range snap shots? And, is the fact that he hasn’t been particularly effective in the past two games (Kessel was a minus-1 with no points against Carolina) have anything to do with the fact that his regular linemate, James van Riemsdyk, was out with back spasms?

“I don’t know,” said Carlyle. “I think goal-scorers find their niche, find their comfort zone. And I think with Phil, we’ve asked him to play a little bit more of a cycle game, to do some things stop-up, push the puck deep. We just know that the power play is one area that I think ,with him, that’s his cookies. He gets his opportunities, his chances, on the power play. Once you get one going your way, the floodgates seem to open.”

Kessel has yet to score a power-play goal this season, though the Leafs are tied for first in the NHL with nine as a result of 31 PP opportunities.

UNGODLY

Carlyle joked that the hockey gods caught up to his team on Thursday night with Ron Hainsey’s bizarre goal that gave Carolina a 3-2 win. No doubt the Leafs have won a few games this season they had no right winning. But mostly as a result of great goaltending, they’re 6-2-0. Toronto, however, is averaging 35 shots against per game, third worst in the NHL. Carlyle acknowledged that the club is missing rugged stay-at-home defenceman Mark Fraser, who will start skating soon, but is not pointing the blame solely on his D-men for the one-sided play at times. Carlyle said the forwards have to cut down on the number of turnovers, make better choices in terms of when and when not to try “skill plays” and get a little bit more involved physically.

OLD COUNTRY

What are the odds? New Leafs David Clarkson and Dave Bolland not only share the same first name and were both raised in Mimico, both their dads are from Scotland, though Clarkson’s father, Eric, moved to Canada at a very young age. Drew Bolland met a Toronto girl in Scotland as a young man and then moved over.

“He was six or seven when he moved here,” said Clarkson, who visited Scotland frequently as a kid and still has a U.K. passport. “My uncles still have thick, thick accents. They left when they were older, my dad was the youngest.”

Clarkson said he can still notice his dad’s accent a bit.

“But my uncles, sometimes you can’t understand them,” he said, with a laugh.

Clarkson, who was suspended for the first 10 games of the season for leaving the bench during a pre-season game brawl, has Oct. 25 in Columbus circled on his calender and can hardly wait to play his first game as a Leaf that night.

“I’m here to do what I was brought here to do ... to win and to put the puck in the net and do all those little things,” he said. “Hopefully when I get back, it happens right away.”



Maple Leafs' Dave Bolland set to make return to Chicago on Saturday

By Mike Zeisberger ,Toronto Sun


Where’s the puck?

It seems like an obvious question to ask Dave Bolland. After all, how many of us get to live out the all-Canadian dream of scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal, as he did in Game 6 against the Boston Bruins back in June?

Trouble is, Dave Bolland isn’t sure of the answer. Not right away, anyway.

“Do I have the puck? I don’t know if I do,” Bolland says, wearing his trademark mischievous grin during a sit-down interview with the Sun.

Maybe one of his former Chicago Blackhawks teammates has it. Maybe they pulled a “Pat Stapleton” move.

Stapleton, of course, was the member of Team Canada ’72 who scooped up the puck that Paul Henderson fired past Vladislav Tretiak to win the historic Summit Series against the Soviet Union. For decades, Henderson has failed in his attempts to get the puck back — the same disc of rubber he used to register the most famous goal in this country’s history.

Bolland’s goal might not quite rank up there with Henderson’s tally. At least not here in the Great White North.

But in Chicago, well, it certainly is one of the most memorable.

So, where’s the puck? Does he have it tucked away somewhere? Is it in some exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame?

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I have it,” Bolland says. “(At the time) it didn’t seem important.

“Being in the scrum was the most important thing.”

Of course it was. Why wouldn’t it be?

At the time, Bolland’s goal against Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask with just 59 seconds remaining in regulation put the Blackhawks ahead 3-2 en route to the title. Just 17 seconds earlier, Bryan Bickell, Bolland’s teammate dating back to their minor-hockey days in the Toronto area, had scored to tie the game.

Bolland’s subsequent heroics marked the first time in NHL history that the Stanley Cup-clinching goal came in the 60th minute of a game. Given all that, you can understand why the ensuing jubilant scrum “was the most important thing.”

“That goal he scored in Boston has got to be right up there (in importance in franchise history),” said Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Kane this week. “That’s a great moment — from Bickell’s goal to (Bolland’s) goal, where you think you’re going to go back for Game 7, and then you tie it up and think you’re going to overtime, and then he scores and wins you the Stanley Cup.”

Bolland’s “great moment,” as Kane calls it, has become front and centre again in Chicago. That’s because, on Saturday, the Stanley Cup hero will return to the United Center ice for the first time since being traded to the Maple Leafs just one week after scoring The Goal Heard ’Round The Windy City.

Given the amount of player movement that has become the norm in the modern-day NHL, having players come back to face their former mates is a common, almost ho-hum occurrence.

This is different. It isn’t every day that the guy who won you the Stanley Cup comes back in visiting colours.

Normally, the leather-lunged throng at the Madhouse at Madison would only care that you are the enemy now. But, given Bolland’s contribution to putting yet another Stanley Cup banner up into the rafters, the reception for the Leafs’ No. 63 is expected to be a warm one, especially if reports are

true that the Hawks will show a video tribute on the big centre-ice screen in Bolland’s honour.

“I’m not sure what the reaction will be,” Bolland said. “They are passionate fans and I knew they were on my side when I was there. The fans were always good to me and I very much appreciate that. But I’m on the other side now.

“The best thing about being in Chicago and being a Blackhawk was the city. And all the friends. I met a lot of great new friends there like (actor) Vince Vaughn. We’re actually pretty good buddies.

“I think I’ll always be friends with those people in Chicago. To go back to the restaurants, to see those people, everybody there ... Once you win a Stanley Cup there, everybody knows you. It’s going to be fun.”

Not to mention different. This time, for the first time, he’ll be decked out in blue-and-white when the famed United Center anthem rocks the house. After that, well, friends suddenly become foes out on the ice.

“I still text with some of the guys and stay in touch. (Jonathan) Toews and Kane and (Duncan) Keith, guys like that. When you are on a winning team and you are together for that long, going through two Stanley Cups, I don’t think any of us will ever break apart from one another. You win as a team and you are always along on that same path.”

Not always. Not on Saturday night, anyway. Not when it comes time for Dave Bolland to go into the corner and try to pry the puck away from Jonathan Toews — the same Jonathan Toews he spent so many years trying to pass the puck to.

“Hey, me and him always went at it in practice too,” Bolland said. “Tazer knows the style I play and what I like to do.

“We’ll have some fun on the ice and it’ll be competitive. You’ll always be good friends no matter what happens.”

For Toews, it will be an emotional evening, much like it will be for Bolland.

“We’ll see about (shutting him down),” Toews said. “They don’t call him The Rat for nothing. I know all his tricks, too, so it goes both ways.

“He’s a great guy, one of those guys you sat next to in the locker room. It definitely feels like you’re missing something there when he’s been around for six years and all of a sudden he’s on a different team.

“To win two Stanley Cups with him and be a close friend and teammate for a long time, he’s one of those guys you want to keep in touch with.”

Brace yourself, Chicago. “The Rat” is coming back.

CHITOWN A 'SECOND HOME' TO BOLLAND

Having played together as kids in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland will be back on the same ice surface on Saturday night.

And even though they’ll now be on opposite sides, Bickell is looking forward to seeing his buddy again when the Hawks and Leafs face off at the United Center.

“I know this was a second home to him and now he’s at home,” Bickell said. “I’m sure it’s going to be emotional for him, but it’s going to be nice to play against him.

“He might be himself, but he’s got a lot of friends in here.”

One of the reasons Bolland was traded by the Hawks was to free up cap space to re-sign Bickell. As a southern Ontario kid from Orono, Bickell was happy to see Mimico’s Bolland end up in Toronto.

“It’s kind of funny to see him in a Leafs uniform,” Bickell said. “And I see he’s No. 63 now.

“Coming from that area, you always wanted to play hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a lifelong dream to play for that team.”

BOLLAND'S GREATEST HIT?

In looking back at his time as a teammate of Dave Bolland, Patrick Kane will always remember his famous verbal shot at the Sedin twins.

Or should that be “sisters?”

“My favourite Bolland memory? Probably the thing with the Sedins as far as what he called them on the radio," Kane said.

“He was always effective getting under their skin. That’s what I remember him doing on the ice.”

Kane is referring to Bolland’s controversial 2011 radio interview on Chicago’s WGN when he ripped into Vancouver’s Sedins.

“Well, they’ll never become Hawks,” Bolland said at the time. “I don’t think we’d let them on our team. That’d probably be one thing. We’d be sure not to let them on our team. And, yeah, they probably still would be sisters.

“I think they might sleep in, like, bunk beds. The older one has the bottom one, the younger one’s got the top.”

WINDS OF CHANGE IN THE WINDY CITY

The champagne was barely dry on their famed Blackhawks Indian-head jerseys when the players sensed change was coming.

They had seen it after the 2010 Stanley Cup victory when key cogs such as Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd were dealt.

Sure enough, a week after scoring the Cup-clinching goal for Chicago, David Bolland was a Maple Leaf.

“Yeah, I had some kind of idea,” Bolland said. “I knew the cap was going down. You know you’re not going to likely stick around for your whole career. That really doesn’t happen any more.

“It’s a business.”

Indeed, with one trade, Dave Bolland was gone from the Hawks.

Gone. But not forgotten.

“He was a big part of our team,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Being here for two Cups, Bolly was one of those players who brought something to the table and, come playoff time, his game rose to the challenge.

“You knew he would do well no matter where he ended up. I’m sure he’s excited about being home in Toronto and he’s done well to start the season.

“We have faced in the past a lot of our friends and former teammates and we have to adapt and move on.”



James Reimer at Leafs practice, should be good for Saturday

By Terry Koshan ,Toronto Sun


TORONTO - Thoughts of Brian Gionta danced through James Reimer’s woozy head on Thursday night.

Nearly two years ago, the Maple Leafs goalie was run over by the Montreal Canadiens forward and took months to fully recover from head and neck issues.

When teammate Josh Leivo crashed into him Thursday at the 32-second mark of an eventual 3-2 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, Reimer had visions of that night in Montreal.

“Of course,” Reimer said after practising with his teammates on Friday at the MasterCard Centre.

“Automatically, I think everyone did. I would say I have taken care of myself and try to strengthen things and had different people putting in their insight and wisdom to what I need to do to be stronger, so it is safe to say it was just protocol (that he left the game against Carolina) and hopefully we can move on.”

Reimer had a headache that mostly was gone by the time he went to bed Thursday. When he woke up on Friday, he felt fine.

Will he be available to back up Jonathan Bernier in Chicago on Saturday night against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks?

“That’s the plan,” Reimer said. “With these things, you never really know. I have to judge how I feel in the morning again. The way I feel today, should be ready to go for tomorrow.”

Forward James van Riemsdyk, who has missed the past two games with back spasms, stands “a good chance” of being available, Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said.

The goaltending kerfuffle meant the Leafs had to act quickly. First, it was University of Toronto goalie Brett Willows who got the call during the game on Thursday.

On Friday, Willows’ U of T teammate, Michael Nishi, practised with the Leafs. There’s a list of a half-dozen goalies the Leafs have in case of an emergency and the two university goalies are on it.

Who had the hardest shot?

“I have to see the shots first,” Nishi said, drawing laughter. “It was an eye-opening experience.”

Is Nishi, a Toronto native who played major junior with five teams, a Leafs fan?

“It has been on and off with the Leafs,” Nishi said. “My family has season tickets. Growing up, I’ve been to a lot of games, and it was a really great experience to be practising with them.”



Toronto Maple Leafs call on University of Toronto goalies for backup after James Reimer injury: ‘A great experience’

Sean Fitz-Gerald | 18/10/13 | Last Updated: 18/10/13 3:59 PM ET

TORONTO — Michael Nishi, a University of Toronto goaltender, was invited to practise with the Maple Leafs as an emergency backup on Friday. Afterward, the first-year student was asked who had the best shot: “I’d have to see the shots first.”

James Reimer practises with Leafs the day after taking hit to the head in collision with teammate

He smiled.

The 19-year-old skipped a study session for an English course to skate at the MasterCard Centre in the city’s west end, serving as a third goaltender in case James Reimer was still feeling the effects of a collision the night before. Reimer remained on the ice.

“I’m honoured,” Nishi said. “It was just a great experience overall.”

Reimer was injured seconds into the first period of Thursday night’s home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. With Jonathan Bernier called into duty, the Leafs called out to the University of Toronto for an emergency backup, rushing Brett Willows down to the Air Canada Centre.

Willows remained off camera, near the team’s equipment area, in case Bernier was injured.

“Their dressing room was awesome,” Willows, a third-year kinesiology major, said in a release issued by the school. “We have a pretty good set up here at U of T but they take it to the whole new level.”

Nishi, who played for a handful of junior teams in the Canadian Hockey League, said his coach called him later in the night Thursday, with news the Leafs were looking for another goaltender for practice. He also said his family season tickets for the Leafs.

He was the first player on the ice on Friday, stretching and skating around by himself before the regular Leafs players left the dressing room. He exchanged a handshake and a few words with the assistant coaches, and shared one net with Reimer.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” he said.

Tyler Brownbridge/Postmedia News

Tyler Brownbridge/Postmedia NewsMichael Nishi played for a handful of junior teams in the Canadian Hockey League, including the Windsor Spitfires.

Reimer, meanwhile, said he expected to be available to play when the Leafs face the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks in Chicago on Saturday. The 25-year-old said a headache was the only symptom he faced after teammate Josh Leivo slammed a leg into the side of his head on Thursday night.

“With these things, you really never know,” Reimer said. “But judging by the way I feel today, I should be ready to go.”

Leivo, Reimer said, felt badly about the incident.

“Even this morning, I could tell he kind of had his head down,” Reimer said with a smile. “I just went up to him and said, ‘it’s no big deal — obviously, you didn’t mean to run over me.’”

***

Despite its 3-2 loss to Carolina on Thursday, Toronto still owns one of the best records in the league (6-2-0) heading into Saturday’s game against Chicago. The Leafs are fighting to reduce turnovers, and to control the puck more often; two forces that could threaten the team’s lofty perch in the standings. “I think we’re a hockey club that’s still trying to find its game,” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. “We know we’re playing the Stanley Cup champions, so we’d better beware” … Winger James van Riemsdyk missed Thursday night’s game with back spasms — his second straight game on

the sidelines — but skated with the team on Friday. “There’s a good chance he’s available (to play in Chicago),” Carlyle said.

National Post LOADED: 10.19.2013


Toronto Maple Leafs’ James Reimer practises the day after taking hit to the head in collision with teammate

Sean Fitz-Gerald | 18/10/13 | Last Updated: 18/10/13 1:21 PM ET

TORONTO — As Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle predicted after the game, in the hours after watching his goaltender absorb another hit to the head, James Reimer joined the rest of the team for practice on Friday morning.

'The hockey gods got back at us tonight': Leafs' luck runs out against Hurricanes

There had been some concern the 25-year-old suffered another concussion on Thursday night, but Carlyle told reporters afterward: “The feeling right now is Reimer will be able to practice.”

Reimer did not speak with reporters after the game, though he will likely provide some measure of update following the on-ice workout.

University of Toronto goaltender Michael Nishi was pressed into duty as a practice body Friday at MasterCard Centre, in the city’s west end. On Thursday night, U of T goaltender Brett Willows was rushed down to the Air Canada Centre as an emergency backup. Willows was ready, off-camera, in case of injury.

Reimer was injured 32 seconds into the first period of Thursday night’s game, knocked to the ice after a teammate accidentally drove a leg into the side of his head. Reimer was out of his crease, trying to cover a rebound, as rookie Josh Leivo was racing toward the net in a back-checking role.

Leivo tried to get out of the way. It almost looked like he tried to hurdle Reimer, who was in a crouch over the puck. Leivo’s leg — his right knee, or thigh, or both — smashed into the goaltender’s head.

Reimer lay prostrate on the ice before regaining his feet, collecting his mask and leaving for the dressing room, never to return. Jonathan Bernier appeared in relief, and allowed a fluky goal late in the third period to seal a 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

“Got a headache,” Carlyle told reporters when asked about Reimer after the game. “Got hit. Basically, we’d do the same thing with any player.”

Reimer has a history with concussion. He was injured early in the season two years ago, when Montreal Canadiens forward Brian Gionta buzzed the front of his crease, and was not the same for the rest of the season.

You’re always concerned when any player gets pulled out of a hockey game due to injury. But this one, there is a history there, so you have to worry about it

At first, the team tried to downplay the nature of the injury. The term “concussion” was avoided, adding a sense of mystery to whatever ailed the goaltender. Reimer suffered the injury on Oct. 22, and did not make another start until Dec. 3.

He went a month between public remarks, as well.

“When you get into that injury or that type of injury, there’s so many unknowns that go along with it,” he told reporters during a scrum in Florida, in late November 2011. “Your brain, your neck, is such a complex area of your body that no one really knows a lot about it. There’s so many symptoms that can relate to so many different injuries. I think that’s why it’s concussion-like symptoms.”

By the end of the season, the term “concussion-like” was finally discarded for what the injury actually was: Concussion.

That history loomed as Reimer left the ice on Thursday, and as observers waited to see whether he would indeed skate with the team on Friday. Toronto was scheduled to fly to Chicago after practice for a game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks on Saturday.

“You’re always concerned when any player gets pulled out of a hockey game due to injury,” Carlyle said on Thursday night. “But this one, there is a history there, so you have to worry about it.”

National Post LOADED: 10.19.2013

722337 Washington Capitals

Capitals elect to keep Tom Wilson in the NHL

By Katie Carrera, Updated: October 18, 2013

When Tom Wilson was called into Coach Adam Oates’s office Friday morning, he thought it would be a typical conversation about an upcoming game or system work until he saw General Manager George McPhee in the meeting.

“I was like, ‘Uh oh this might not be good,’” said Wilson, 19. But the rookie winger’s concerns were unfounded. “Fortunately for me, it was good news that they’re going to keep me around every day. But you never want to get too comfortable. It’s still day by day and proving myself, for sure.”

McPhee and Oates ultimately decided to keep Wilson, the 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft, with the Capitals, which means this season will count against his three-year entry-level contract.

Unless he misses a game, Wilson will play in his 10th NHL contest on Oct. 24 when the Capitals visit Edmonton, and with that benchmark the year will count against his contract. Technically, the Capitals could still choose to send Wilson back to the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers at any time this season even though they’re electing to use this year on his contract, but that seems unlikely.

Wilson has seen limited ice time on the fourth line through the first seven games of the season and, barring an injury, will likely remain there for the foreseeable future. Of the 52 rookies who have played at least four games this season, Wilson’s average ice time (6:41) ranks 50th.

But Oates believes Wilson is better served even with a minor role in the NHL than he would be as a standout against his peers in juniors.

“We’ve obviously liked his progression, so many things he brings. It’s a tough decision. We’ve talked about it a lot of times, about how we don’t want to hold him back,” Oates said. “He can go back to junior and score goals and get assists and play 20 minutes but develops a lot of bad habits and they’re not the goals you’d score here, not the assists you’d get here. They’re not the situations or the speed you’d get here. We don’t have the perfect formula, no question, but we think he belongs and we want him and the teammates love him. Hopefully he’ll continue to grow.”

Now that Wilson knows he’ll be staying in Washington, the Capitals are looking into finding him a more permanent living arrangement than staying in a hotel across the street from KCI. The team is conferring with Wilson’s family about considering the option of finding a billet family for Wilson, who is still a teenager, to take away some of the extra pressures of being an adult living on his own.

“The rest, the food, nutrition,” Oates said. “Maybe if a guy’s single he’s got nothing in his fridge. Come home from a road trip [to a] bottle of water and butter. That’s what I had.”

Washington Post LOADED: 10.19.2013


Capitals switch up line combinations


With a 2-5-0 start through the first seven games of the season, Coach Adam Oates made some significant changes to the Capitals’ forward lines as the team returned to practice Friday.

Martin Erat has been moved from the fourth line to the second, with Brooks Laich shifting over to center that unit. That bumped Mikhail Grabovski down to third-line center and Eric Fehr, who was skating as the the third-line center, is now alternating with rookie Tom Wilson as fourth-line right wing.

The defensive pairs have also been altered and look like what they were at the end of the 2-0 loss to the Rangers.

Here’s what the lines looked like this morning.

Johansson-Backstrom-Ovechkin

Erat-Laich-Brouwer

Chimera-Grabovski-Ward

Volpatti-Beagle-Fehr/Wilson

Alzner-Carlson

Schmidt-Green

Erskine/Urbom-Oleksy



What to do with Martin Erat


Last spring, the Washington Capitals traded away their second-best prospect to acquire Martin Erat, a veteran winger with experience handling significant minutes and strong defensive instincts, to bolster the top-six forward depth.

Two weeks and seven games into this season, though, Erat is lodged on the fourth line, seeing the lowest ice time of his career in what is an increasingly untenable situation.

Erat, 32, skated a season-low 6 minutes 20 seconds against New York in Wednesday’s loss but hasn’t played more than 11:50 in any single game this season.

It’s the most diminished role he’s ever held during his 12-year NHL career, and Erat — who has recorded 50-point seasons five times in his career, most recently in 2011-12 — has made it clear he’s not thrilled with the situation.“I have no idea what’s going on,” Erat said. “I’m just trying to stay positive and hope this is just a bump in the road and see how it goes.

“It’s not my position to be in this. I’m not 21 years old waiting for somebody to get hurt or somebody to play bad. It’s not in my system,” Erat said. “In my 12 years I’ve never played less than 10 minutes. It’s kind of new for me. I have to stay in shape in case something happens, but we’ll see what’s going to happen.“

Each time he’s been asked about Erat’s ice time, Coach Adam Oates cites the difficulty in finding playing time for all of Washington’s forwards. There’s been trouble in determining where Erat fits now that Brooks Laich, who was injured last year at the trade deadline, is healthy.

But is leaving Erat on the fourth line a way to determine if he can bring the type of production and defensive balance to a line that was the object of trading for him in the first place?

The Capitals aren’t off to a strong start. They sit 2-5-0 and are looking for consistency, both offensively and defensively, from the majority of the lineup. Oates hasn’t changed his forward lines, with the exception of swapping the fourth-line center. After Washington’s loss to the Rangers, changes could be on the way, and it might be time to figure out whether Erat can be of better use.

Moving Erat up the lineup wouldn’t be a cure-all for the Capitals’ struggles, but at least then they’d know what they have.

Erat counts $4.5 million against the salary cap this season and next. If there really isn’t anything to be gained from his presence on the roster, one would think it would be easier to trade him for something of consequence if he’s seeing more than an average of 8:46 a night.

Erat’s agent, Michael Deutsch, declined to comment on the situation. But it’s not hard to see that the Capitals need to make a decision soon about Erat’s future.


722340 Winnipeg Jets

Jets' game shows bright spots — and room for improvement

By: Gary Lawless

Posted: 10/18/2013 11:11 PM | Comments: 1 | Last Modified: 2:13 AM | Updates

Bad news was hiding behind every corner for the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night, but they somehow managed to diminish the damage.

First, and by far most importantly, the Jets got news from the hospital that rookie defenceman Jacob Trouba was moving and alert after taking a scary spill into the end boards midway through the second period.

Little information was available on Trouba at press time, but the early information was at least encouraging.

Next up was overcoming a two-goal deficit late in the third period to force overtime and then steal a pair of points in the shootout.

The Jets used luck on their first two goals to stay in the game, but give them credit — they stayed focused and kept plugging.

Watching Trouba carted off the ice strapped to a backboard and offering a small wave as he made his exit could have squashed the Jets, but they hung tough.

Trouba wears No. 8, and here’s wishing him a quick and full recovery. Here are eight thoughts on last night’s game.

1. Compete or take a seat

The knock against one-time 30-goal scorer Devin Setoguchi was his work ethic. When he’s working hard, he’s effective and can capitalize on his speed and shot. When he eases up on the gas, he’s ineffective and disappears. Jets coach Claude Noel gave him a seat in the press box Friday night. We’ll see if the message gets through.

2. Too thin

The Jets are too thin at centre ice to send rookie Mark Scheifele to St. John’s, but that’s probably where he should be at this point.

It’s evident Scheifele has the hockey sense and skill to play and contribute at the NHL level, but he’s not physically mature enough to take advantage of his skills. Scheifele doesn’t just get knocked off the puck, he gets blown up.

3. Steaming Steen

Winnipeg native and St. Louis Blues winger Alex Steen now has seven goals and 11 points on the season and has developed into a very strong player. Steen is heavy on the puck and can unload a cannon when given a shooting opportunity. At this pace, he’s a lock to play for Sweden at the Olympics.

4. Buff like a bullet

Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien has gone from a question mark to a favourite where the U.S. Olympic squad is concerned. Byfuglien committed himself to a fitness regime this off-season and has been very strong from the opening faceoff. Checking with some in the know around USA Hockey, they say Byfuglien has played his way into a roster spot.

5. Sixth makes no sense

The Jets have struggled to find an answer with their sixth defenceman this season, as both Paul Postma and Grant Clitsome have proven ineffective. The organization has Zach Redmond in St. John’s, but Clitsome and Postma are on one-way contracts. The Jets feel if they put Postma on waivers for reassignment to St. John’s, they would lose him. Same with Clitsome. Maybe, but it’s becoming clear they need a different answer.

6. Perfect pair

Steve Yzerman will be able to make one of Mike Babock’s decisions this February very easy. Jay Boumeester and Alex Pietrangelo go together like peanut butter and jelly. Smooth, efficient and poised, the duo could just slip into Team Canada jerseys and not miss a beat.

Both can skate and move the puck effectively. No reason to mess with a very good thing.

7. Silly trade talk

So the Buffalo Sabres are willing to talk trade with Ryan Miller. If you were Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, would you kick the tires? Discuss among yourselves.

8. Killing for Kane

Evander Kane has been Winnipeg’s best player most nights this season, but the last two games he’s taken five minor penalties and griped after each one. Noel had enough of the act in the second period last night and gave Kane a seat on the end of the bench for about 10 minutes.

Kane does a lot right, but putting his team in penalty-killing situations so frequently isn’t a plus. He needs to clean it up and shut down the post-call chirping.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.19.2013


Jets down Blues 4-3 in a shootout; Trouba injured

By: Ed Tait

Posted: 10/18/2013 12:18 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 10/18/2013 11:10 PM | Updates

Just when it seemed like the hockey gods really had it in for the Winnipeg Jets — and we’re talking storm clouds gathering for a nasty window-rattling shaker — the skies cleared and a teeny-tiny bit of sun shone down on the local shinny side.

Yes, in a game in which the Jets fell behind 3-1 and were shaken by the scene of promising young defenceman Jacob Trouba taken from the ice on a stretcher, they somehow found another gear for a late rally and, ultimately, a thrilling 4-3 shootout victory over Stanley Cup contender St. Louis Blues.

As a result, the emotion at the MTS Centre was all over the charts, spiking and dipping with some dramatic highs and lows. The win stops an ugly run that had seen the Jets lose four of their last five after opening the season 2-0 and improves their record to 4-4.

It also started an important run of six of seven games against Central Division opponents with a bang.

"It was a good win against a good team," said Jets centre Bryan Little. "Hopefully that gives us some confidence, and that’s been lacking lately, that confidence in our game. We’ve got to believe we can beat teams like this on a nightly basis. This is a great game for us to come back and win.

"There’s some things that didn’t exactly go our way — a couple of mistakes and the puck was in our net. But, overall, I thought we showed a lot of character coming back like that. It shows our commitment to winning."

THE TROUBA ACCIDENT

Trouba, who has been such a shining light to start the season, was taken from the ice on a stretcher early in the second period after crashing into the end boards while trying to hit Blues’ forward Jordan Leopold behind the St. Louis net. The building was eerily quiet for several minutes while the 19-year-old defenceman was placed onto a spinal board and then erupted when he gave the thumbs up as he was taken from the ice.

The Jets said Trouba was taken to the hospital for X-rays and was alert, communicating and moving all his limbs.

"Something like this, it seems like you see it almost every day," said Jets’ goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. "It was no fun at all. It was tough to focus but we handled it pretty well. We knew pretty much right away that it wasn’t going to be something serious and he was going to be fine. That’s great news."

"Trouba is still getting evaluated but he’s good," said head coach Claude Noel. "He’s just getting tested but I think everything’s fine."

The Jets finished the game with just four defenceman — Zach Bogosian, Grant Clitsome, Toby Enstrom and the game’s first star, Dustin Byfuglien — as Mark Stuart also exited with an undisclosed injury.

BETTER START? WELL...

The Jets have been blathering on ad nauseum all week about the importance of posting a solid opening period. And while there were stretches in the first 20 minutes where the home side had some oomph, the first period stats were revealing: Not only were they down 2-1 after two horrible miscues by Clitsome and Trouba that led to goals by David Backes and Alex Steen, they were guilty of six turnovers to the Blues’ one, were losing in the faceoff circle and had been outshot 11-9.

THE BENCHINGS

Claude Noel rattled some cages, sending Devin Setoguchi, Eric Tangradi and Paul Postma to the press box to give Clitsome, Anthony Peluso and Patrice Cormier a look ,and then benched Evander Kane for about 10 minutes in the second after he had taken three minor penalties.

THE LATE DRAMATICS, PART 1

The Jets were down 3-1 with less than seven minutes left when Kane pulled the club to within one with his fourth goal of the season. And with just 1:54 left Enstrom tied it with a blast for his first marker of the year.

THE LATE DRAMATICS, PART II

The shootout included seven rounds and featured 14 shooters, with Andrew Ladd, Little and Olli Jokinen scoring for the Jets while Pavelec stopped the last five shooters he faced.

"It feels good to win a game like that," said Bogosian. "We battled hard. They’re a good team that plays a rally solid team game and I thought we matched their intensity well and we were a lot more physical than in previous games."

—with files from Paul Wiecek and Tim Campbell

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.19.2013


Jets Snapshots: Kane provides spark for Jets

By Paul Friesen ,Winnipeg Sun

First posted: Friday, October 18, 2013 11:09 PM CDT | Updated: Friday, October 18, 2013 11:38 PM CDT

Evander Kane provided the pre-game speech and the third-period spark.

The Winnipeg Jets winger ignited a comeback from 3-1 down against St. Louis, Friday night, with his fourth goal of the season.

And while it was a bit of a ping-pong job, bouncing off at least one St. Louis stick on its way past Brian Elliott, it did the job, the Jets stopping the bleeding and collecting a critical two points with a 4-3 win in the shootout.

“My goal was a bit of a lucky goal, just throwing the puck at the net,” Kane acknowledged. “And it’s a one-goal game.”

That was just enough to put some doubt in the Blues, who’d played a taxing one in Chicago the night before, and some extra jump in the Jets, who appeared well on their way to a fifth loss in their last six.

When Toby Enstrom tied it in the final two minutes, it was only a matter of when, not if, the Jets would grab the two points.

A seven-round shootout, not without its shadowy moments — the Blues scored two quick ones on Ondrej Pavelec — did the trick.

It wasn’t always pretty, but wins against the heavy-checking Blues rarely are.

Down two in the third, the Jets appeared done.

Coming back, no matter how you slice it, showed signs of a pumper in the chests of the home side, after all.

“We showed some heart to battle back to get some key goals,” Kane said. “Our attitude from in the room was good.”

An attitude that may have started with No. 9, Friday morning.

THE SPEECH

Kane got everybody’s attention with some pointed comments about how the Jets have to start playing, then he went and did just that.

“We have to come out with a lot more energy, a lot more emotion and a bit of an F.U. attitude toward every team we play, not just St. Louis,” Kane said following the morning skate. “It seems that a lot of teams are coming out with that attitude against us. We need to have that same mentality.

“If you look at last game, why would (other teams) respect us, when we come out and give up two goals in whatever it was. We have to have that same lack of respect toward other teams... we’ve got to be aware they’re going to try to come out and pound us in our own building. We can’t have that happen. We’ve got to pound them right back to where they came from.”

The Jets actually took Kane’s urgings to heart, throwing plenty of weight into the Blues in the first period.

Kane started it off on his first shift, lighting up Alex Pietrangelo, and Mark Stuart and Zach Bogosian were quick to follow.

But the Blues weathered the storm and struck whenever the Jets screwed up, taking a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

THE PENALTIES

Hours after saying he didn’t need a reminder about discipline — another part of his morning with the media — Kane took two more penalties against the Blues, making it five in his last two games.

As unimpressed as Kane was with his treatment by the stripes — he continues to gripe about every call — he was even less pleased with the pine time he got from head coach Claude Noel.

Noel sat his star winger on the end of the bench for some 10 minutes in the second period.

“Obviously it bothered me — I don’t enjoy not playing,” he said. “It gets you out of your game a little bit. That’s part of the F.U. attitude I talked about. I’ll leave it at that.”

HEART-STOPPER

That was one of the scarier injuries the home rink has ever seen, when rookie Jacob Trouba crashed face-first into the end boards early in the second period.

While Trouba could be seen moving after he crumpled to the ice, the medics took every precaution, strapping him to a stretcher and putting him in a neck brace.

“That was pretty scary,” Kane said. “I think I was one of the only guys that saw it happen. I definitely was thinking about him throughout the course of the game. It was kind of tough to bounce back and get into it pretty quick. Hopefully he’s OK. We heard a little bit of good news. He was moving and conscious.”

JUGGLING ACT

Head coach Claude Noel finally shuffled his lineup for this one, making slumping winger Devin Setoguchi (pointless in five games) a healthy scratch, along with grinder Eric Tangradi (one assist in seven games), in favour of Anthony Peluso and farm call-up Patrice Cormier.

Peluso supplied some muscle, trying to convince Vladimir Sobotka to drop the gloves after Sobotka hammered the Jets Mark Scheifele.

Wisely, Sobotka declined the offer.

That didn’t stop Peluso from running him, legally, the next chance he got.

Noel also reunited the Byran Little, Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler trio late in the game.

“I’m not sure what the lines are going to be next game,” Little said. “But he was juggling them a bit tonight, and it paid off.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.19.2013


Scary moment for Jets, Trouba

By Ken Wiebe ,Winnipeg Sun


Jacob Trouba left the game on a stretcher but the initial diagnosis for the Winnipeg Jets rookie defenceman was positive.

There was a scary moment just under three minutes of the second period of the Jets 4-3 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues as Trouba went crashing into the end boards while attempting to check defenceman Jordan Leopold.

Trouba, who was on the forecheck, didn't fully connect with Leopold and lost his balance and fell awkwardly into the boards head first, causing what seemed to be a strain on his neck.

A hush went over the crowd as Trouba lay on the ice, as both teams were concerned with what had transpired.

"That's the worst part of the game," said Jets forward Blake Wheeler. "It's a violent game and a tough game and that's your worst nightmare, to see somebody god down like that. We're just hoping everything is good with (Trouba). He's been such a spark for our team this year, such a bright spot.

"All we can do is hope that everything is okay there. We were happy we were able to rally and get a win for him."

After being looked at by Jets athletic therapist Rob Milette, Trouba was taken off the ice on a stretcher and acknowledged the fans by raising his finger as they chanted his name.

The Jets said Trouba was taken to the hospital for X-rays but was alert and moving all of his limbs.

"Any time you see someone go down for either team, you get a sick feeling in your stomach," said Jets defenceman Zach Bogosian. "You just hope for the best."

Trouba, the ninth overall pick of the 2012 NHL entry Draft, went into Friday's action with a goal and an assist and was averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time.



Jets rally for comeback win against stingy St. Louis Blues



The Winnipeg Jets had more than enough opportunities to simply roll over, take their puck and go home.

Instead of doing so, the Jets found a way to rally against one of the stingiest defensive teams in the NHL, scoring twice in the third period to send the game in extra time before adding three goals in the shootout to earn a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night before a crowd of 15,004 at MTS Centre.

“We had opportunities to get demoralized and get discouraged a bit,” said Jets head coach Claude Noel, whose squad improved to 4-4 on the young season. “Against a team that can close out games like St. Louis, we really stuck to the plan. It was good for us to play a complete game, to battle and to work.”

After talking about the importance of having a better start, the Jets were much more physical out of the gate and played with plenty of intensity.

But Jets defenceman Grant Clitsome lost an edge in the corner and fell to the ice, leaving David Backes to convert a pass from T.J. Oshie at 8:43 to give the Blues an early lead.

After Jets centre Olli Jokinen tied the game on a knuckle-puck at 15:30 of the first, a pair of goals from Winnipegger Alexander Steen put the Blues in position to lock this one down.

But a turnover by Roman Polak landed right on the stick of Bryan Little and he found Evander Kane, whose shot caromed in off the stick of Polak to make it a one-goal game at 13:13 of the third period.

“Sometimes you need something like that to happen,” said Jets winger Blake Wheeler. “We were generating offence, getting around the net and to get one to fall on your stick and get kind of a flukey goal off somebody’s stick or leg or whatever, sometimes it gives you all the jump you need. We were able to really build off that.”

The signs of life didn’t end there as Dustin Byfuglien, who played nearly 31 quality minutes, made a perfect cross-ice pass to Toby Enstrom, who evened the score with 1:54 left in regulation.

“Down 3-1 against a team like that, it takes a lot to come back,” said Little. “I’m not really sure what the turning point was. It was a good win against a good team and hopefully that gives us some confidence. That’s something we’ve been lacking lately.

“There were some things that didn’t exactly go our way. We made some mistakes but overall, we showed a lot of character coming back like that. It shows a lot about our commitment to winning.”

The fact the Jets came back was made even more impressive, considering rookie blue-liner Jacob Trouba left the game early in the second period with an apparent neck injury and fellow defenceman Mark Stuart left the game in the third period with what appeared to be a rib issue after crashing into the net.

“We got down to four D there and that can be tough at times, but you’re always in the game,” said Bogosian. “We did a good job of battling and we kept up a way better three-period effort than in the previous games.

“It feels good to win a game like that. We matched up their intensity pretty well and we were a lot more physical. That’s something we have to bring every night.”

Kane took two minor penalties to give him five in the past two games, so Noel sat him down for nearly 10 minutes during the second period.

“Obviously, it bothered me. I don’t enjoy not playing,” said Kane. “It gets you out of your game a little bit.”

It’s okay for Kane to be upset about the benching. At least he didn’t mope about it and actually did something to help his team after the lengthy breather.

That’s another sign of maturity for the winger.

“Evander plays with emotion and sometimes that gets him in trouble, possibly with penalties,” said Noel. “He played with emotion afterward. You certainly could see his speed, got back on the board. So things worked out okay for us.”



Kane says Jets need 'F-U attitude'



Evander Kane may not be 100%, but he declared himself ready to go for tonight’s Central Division clash with the St. Louis Blues.

Kane wouldn’t disclose the nature of the issue with his right leg, which was injured after getting tangled up with forward Anthony Peluso during the latter stages of Wednesday’s workout.

“I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t my knee. We’ll leave it at that,” said Kane. “It was a bit of an awkward fall and those kind of things happen. It didn’t feel too good when it happened, but with certain things, sometimes it takes a while to calm down.

“That’s Claude’s decision if he wants to put me in the lineup, but I will be ready to go if my name gets called. I wouldn’t say we’re at 100% by any means, but good enough to play. As long as I can stand up out there, I’ll play.”

Jets head coach Claude Noel said he expects Kane to be in the lineup, but would only know for sure after the warm-up.

Kane believes the Jets (3-4) need a bit of an attitude adjustment as they face the St. Louis Blues (5-1) to continue their six-game homestand.

“We have to come out with a lot more energy, a lot more emotion and a bit of an F-U attitude toward every team we play, not just St. Louis,” said Kane. “It seems that a lot of teams are coming out with that attitude against us. We need to have that same mentality. It has to be from everybody on the bench.

“If you look at last game, why would (other teams) respect us, when we come out and give up two goals in whatever it was (11:28). We have to have that same lack of respect toward other teams but at the same time, we’ve got to be aware they’re going to try to come out and pound us in our own building. We can’t have that happen. We’ve got to pound them right back to where they came from. Guys are confident that we have the group that knows how to play that well and we’ve shown we can play that way but we’ve just got to do it every night and have that same mentality every night.” Kane also said he didn’t need a reminder about discipline after taking three minor penalties in Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

“Penalties are going to happen throughout the course of the game,” said Kane. “I don’t need a reminder. I’ve been in the league five years now and I know how it works. Certain people feel certain ways about referees and I have my own opinions of how things sometimes can go and will go. This was one of those games.”

The Jets appear to be making at least one lineup change, inserting defenceman Grant Clitsome for Paul Postma.

Clitsome has been reunited with Dustin Byfuglien, Zach Bogosian is back on the right side with Toby Enstrom, and rookie Jacob Trouba is back with Mark Stuart.

Forwards Bryan Little (lower-body) and Jim Slater (undisclosed) both declared themselves ready to go for tonight’s tilt against the Blues as well.

Ondrej Pavelec gets the call in goal for the Jets, while the Blues counter with Brian Elliott.

The Blues didn’t have a morning skate after earning a 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night at the United Center.



Jets beat Blues in shootout

First posted: Friday, October 18, 2013 04:47 AM CDT | Updated: Friday, October 18, 2013 11:00 PM CDT

PAUL FRIESEN

The Winnipeg Jets stormed back from a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat St. Louis, 4-3, in a shootout, Friday.

Playing their fourth game of a six-game homestand, the Jets turned in their best effort of the season against one of the top teams in the NHL’s Western Conference.

Goals by Evander Kane and Toby Enstrom, the latter with less than two minutes left in regulation, erased a 3-1 St. Louis lead and forced overtime.

The Jets got the man advantage for the last 38 seconds of overtime when Patrik Berglund slashed Enstrom, but couldn’t cash in.

In the seven-round shootout, T.J. Oshie and Winnipegger Alex Steen scored for the Blues.

Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little answered for the Jets, before Olli Jokinen got the winner, as the Jets improved to 4-4.

The Blues, who’d won a shootout in Chicago a night earlier, fell to 5-1-1.

The win improved the Jets to 2-2 on their homestand.

Once again the Jets spotted their opponent a first-period lead, as they trailed the Blues, 2-1, through 20 minutes.

After a scoreless second period that saw the Jets lose rookie defenceman Jacob Trouba to a frightening injury — he crashed face-first into the end boards and had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher —

Winnipegger Alex Steen scored his second goal of the night early in the third to make it 3-1, Blues.

Trouba lost his balance trying to check St. Louis defenceman Jordan Leopold behind the Blues’ net early in the middle frame.

After a long delay, fans and players from both teams gave Trouba a hand as he was wheeled off, strapped to the stretcher and wearing a neck brace, and he responded by lifting his right hand.

Early in the third period, the Jets updated Trouba’s status.

“He has been taken to hospital for x-rays,” director of communications Scott Brown said via Twitter. “He is alert, communicating, and moving all limbs.”

Jets head coach Claude Noel shuffled his lineup, scratching slumping winger Devin Setoguchi and grinder Eric Tangradi in favour of Anthony Peluso and AHL call-up Patrice Cormier.

The Jets did get off to a better start, relatively speaking, but only in the hitting and battling-for-loose-pucks department.

Two glaring, first-period mistakes, giveaways by defencemen Grant Clitsome and Trouba in their own zone, still left them trailing after 20 minutes.

David Backes, 11 minutes in, and Steen cashed in on the errors.

The Jets’ lone goal of the period was a bit of a fluke, as Matt Halischuk’s long shot from outside the St. Louis blue line bounced high in the air off Blues goalie Brian Elliott, Jokinen whacking at it just as it hit the ice.

The ensuing knuckleball got past Elliott for Jokinen’s second of the season.

The Jets continue their six-game homestand against Nashville, Sunday.


722347 Vancouver Canucks

Tough test for Edler in first game back from suspension

By Ben Kuzma, The Province October 18, 2013

PITTSBURGH — Upon further review, Alex Edler doesn't plan on changing the way he approaches any game.

The fact that he's facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, his first game back from a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Thomas Hertl, has only heightened his resolve to be a defensive deterrent and offensive contributor for the Vancouver Canucks.

Edler checked the San Jose rookie near the Canucks' bench in the second period of an Oct. 10 meeting at Rogers Arena, and the winger's helmet flew off. The league ruled that the head was the main point of contact. And because Hertl was spun around as opposed to being driven backward by the blow, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan made the ruling. He said Edler was supposed to take a better angle toward Hertl — even though Hertl ducked down and looked like he was trying to jump around the defenceman.

"I'm not going to change the way I play," Edler said Friday following practice. "I look at myself as a clean player and I try to play aggressive and that's when I'm at my best."

He'll have to be Saturday. Sidney Crosby leads league scoring with 14 points while Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis have eight, and Chris Kunitz seven points for the 6-1-0 Penguins. Edler was paired with Jason Garrison at practice while Dan Hamhuis lined up with Chris Tanev and Kevin Bieksa with Ryan Stanton. They'll have to stop the league's second-best producing offence — 3.86 goals per game — and the fourth-ranked power play.

"It's going to be a challenge," added Edler. "They're a really great team and if we're going to have a chance, we're going to have to play at our best. Most teams have really good forwards, but two world-class players like that [Crosby, Malkin] — we're going to have to really be sharp."

Canucks coach John Tortorella has lauded Edler's play this season. He had no issue with the aggressive check in the neutral zone on Hertl that at first appeared to be more about the forward trying to avoid a check.

"I would teach that play to all our defencemen," said Tortorella. "The one he was suspended on we're teaching that. The league just happens to believe it's suspendable."

Edler was also suspended two games in March when he made contact with Phoenix goalie Mike Smith behind he Coyotes net. The whiplash motion sent the goalie sprawling to the ice and Edler was assessed five-minute charging major. He's also suspended for the first two games of he 2014 Winter Olympics for his knee-to-knee hit on Eric Staal at the world championship tourney.

Having Edler back against the Penguins gives the Canucks push in all zones. And because the aggressive club is willing to give up odd-man rushes to push the pace, Edler must help stymie the opposition and help transition to offence.

"Getting a guy like that back with the amount of time he's going to play and the shot he has and the space he takes, he's going to step in when we need him," said Tortorella.

The Canucks will also need the new top line of Henrik and Daniel Sedin with Ryan Kesler to be a force. And knowing the Sedins can handle whatever is thrown at them — especially in a marquee matchup — should be of some comfort to Tortorella. It's like he has another coach or two.

"No matter if it's good or bad going on the ice, they're a steadying influence on the bench," said Tortorella. You need to work through bad stretches and stay on top of good stretches. They're not holler guys, but it's the way they carry themselves as pros. Top players get it. Coaches aren't going to inspire top players. Different looks keep them focused and I I don't have to worry about their focus."

Winnipeg Sun LOADED: 10.19.2013


Canucks breaking out the big guns by lining Kesler up with the Sedins

By Ben Kuzma, The Province October 18, 2013

PITTSBURGH — John Tortorella doesn't believe in pop quizzes or mid-term exams to grade the progress of his club. To him, it's an ongoing internal test to excel at systems, execution and resolve. It's not about the other guys.

However, the Vancouver Canucks coach will present those other guys — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the 6-1-0 Pittsburgh Penguins — with a problem to solve when the clubs clash here in a much-anticipated Saturday matinee. He's loading up his top line with Henrik Sedin centring Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. They're a fixture on the first power-play unit, but the potential for Kesler to score more at even strength from right wing has piqued the coach's curiosity. Not since he played the right side with Mats Sundin and the late Pavol Demitra has Kesler found himself away from the middle of the ice.

"I felt comfortable on the wall," Kesler said after a Friday practice.

"It's a good fit. Whenever you play wing, you're going to have a better opportunity to shoot more and with those two guys, you definitely have to be ready to shoot. It's good at times to stack up like that and have one solid line and, obviously, things change through the year. I'm going to enjoy this ride."

It could last a few shifts, a few periods, a few games or more. It's up to the trio. But Kesler had six shots Thursday in a 3-0 win at Buffalo as the Canucks improved to 5-3-0. He also had two shots blocked and four that missed the net, and his 31 shots are just one behind Daniel's team-high. Long lauded for a heavy and accurate wrist shot until hip, shoulder and wrist surgeries curtailed the effectiveness, Kesler believes his game is about to reach another level because his stride and strength on the puck are noticeably better. Tortorella believes Kesler can be excel on the wing.

"It keeps him on the boards more, and keeps him in the areas we want him playing in," said Tortorella. "It's a big body, and he had the puck at lot [Thursday] and controlled it quite a bit. I want him underneath the hash marks and in the corners and retrieving pucks. The more he has it, the better. I'd like him to shoot quicker because a number of pucks were stick-checked or deflected. And when you play with guys like that [Sedins], you look for them and I want him to put it [puck] on the net.

"I'm not sure it's loading up a line, maybe with the names. We'll start that way and see what happens."

The constant line-juggling to find balance and scoring hasn't soured the Sedins. In fact, it's had the opposite effect. They've gone from status quo and somewhat stale to being split apart and mixing linemates. Henrik has looked good with Chris Higgins and Kesler and Daniel has been effective with Mike Santorelli and Jannik Hansen. He'll line up with them again against the Penguins.

"We've been put in situations we haven't been put in before, and that's all you can ask as a player," said Daniel. "We're here to win and we look at ourselves as being complete players. Before, when we didn't score, we felt we let the team down. Now, you can be happy about killing a penalty."

Any angst that the Sedins wouldn't warm to Tortorella couldn't be further from the truth. They have embraced a change of systems, more ice time, penalty killing, blocking shots and the direct and serious nature of the coach. It's been a mutual admiration society for good reason because both the coach and the Sedins have been better than advertised — on and off the ice.

"He's been good and straight-forward," Daniel said of Tortorella.

"You can do that in a lot of ways and you've got to be able to handle it because he wants you to get better."

Winnipeg Sun LOADED: 10.19.2013


Edler won’t change game after suspension, Tortorella doesn’t want him to

October 18, 2013. 3:25 pm

Posted by:

Ben Kuzma

PITTSBURGH — Upon further review, Alex Edler doesn’t plan on changing the way he approaches any game.

The fact that he’s facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday in his return from a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Thomas Hertl, has only heightened his resolve to be a defensive deterrent and offensive contributor for the Vancouver Canucks.

Edler checked the San Jose rookie near the Canucks bench in the second period of an Oct. 10 meeting at Rogers Arena and the winger’s helmet flew off. The league ruled that the head was the main point of contact. And because Hertl was spun around as opposed to being driven backward by the blow, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan made the ruling. He said Edler was supposed to take a better angle toward Hertl — even though Hertl ducked down and looked like he was trying to jump around the defenceman.

“I’m not going to change the way I play,” Edler said Friday following practice. “I look at myself as a clean player and I try to play aggressive and that’s when I’m at my best.”

He’ll have to be Saturday. Sidney Crosby leads league scoring with 14 points while Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis have eight and Chris Kunitz seven points for the 6-1-0 Penguins. Edler was paired with Jason Garrison at practice while Dan Hamhuis lined up with Chris Tanev and Kevin Bieksa with Ryan Stanton. They’ll have to stop the league’s second-best producing offence — 3.86 goals per game — and the fourth-ranked power play.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” added Edler. “They’re a really great team and if we’re going to have a chance, we’re going to have to play at our best. Most teams have really good forwards, but two world-class players like that [Crosby, Malkin] — we’re going to have to really be sharp.”

Canucks coach John Tortorella has lauded Edler’s play this season. He had no issue with the aggressive check in the neutral zone on Hertl that at first appeared to be more about the forward trying to avoid a check.

“I would teach that play to all our defencemen,” said Tortorella. “The one he was suspended on we’re teaching that. The league just happens to believe it’s suspendable.”

Edler was also suspended two games in March when he made contact with Phoenix goalie Mike Smith behind he Coyotes net. The whiplash motion sent the goalie sprawling to the ice and Edler was assessed five-minute charging major. He’s also suspended for the first two games of he 2014 Winter Olympics for his knee-to-knee hit on Eric Staal at the world championship tourney.

Having Edler back against the Penguins gives the Canucks push in all zones. And because the aggressive club is willing to give up odd-man rushes to push the pace, Edler must help stymie the opposition and help transition to offence.

“Getting a guy like that back with the amount of time he’s going to play and the shot he has and the space he takes, he’s going to step in when we need him,” said Tortorella.

The Canucks will also need the new top line of Henrik and Daniel Sedin with Ryan Kesler to be a force. And knowing the Sedins can handle whatever is thrown at them — especially in a marquee matchup — should be of some comfort to Tortorella. It’s like he has another coach or two.

“No matter if it’s good or bad going on the ice, they’re a steadying influence on the bench,” said Tortorella. You need to work through bad stretches and stay on top of good stretches. They’re not holler guys, but it’s the way they carry themselves as pros. Top players get it. Coaches aren’t going to inspire top players. Different looks keep them focused and I I don’t have to worry about their focus.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.19.2013


Tortorella loves him some Sedins

October 18, 2013. 2:48 pm

Posted by:

Jason Botchford

Daniel Sedin Henrik Sedin Tortorella loves him some Sedins

Dotted throughout their careers, the Sedins have been maligned for not being tough enough and in some of the most embarrassing hockey commentary we’ve seen in the past decade, they’ve had their manhood mocked.

Generally, they don’t hit, punch, kick, spear or crosscheck, and it has often been confused for a lack of internal fight.

But along comes the coach with the hard-ass, make-grown-men-cry reputation, and he comes to Vancouver promising to build a team with more bite.

He continually beats the drum of trying to get the Canucks to “play harder.”

Funny, that who he is counting on more than anyone else to make it happen are the Sedins.

Worried about the travel in the Western Conference? Tortorella isn’t. He plays the twins in all situations and, seemingly, all the time. He has them as a third forward pairing on what has been the NHL’s No. 1 penalty-killing unit.

He’ll split them up, but not because they’re struggling. He’s done it when they’re playing well, hoping they’ll get the most out of other linemates, and so far it’s produced two third period comebacks.

That’s in eight games.

Tortorella will line just about anyone in his top six with them. Centres or forwards, it doesn’t matter. When he senses weakness in an opponent, like he did in Buffalo, he loaded them up with Ryan Kesler in an attempt to blow the game up.

And now, in an attempt to counteract the game’s best player, Sidney Crosby, he’s preparing to use that super line again.

Henrik sits 10th among NHL forwards in per-game ice time at 21:30 and Daniel 11th at 21:15. This could be an interesting departure from the the past seven years.

Last year Henrik was 42nd averaging 19:20 and Daniel 54th at 19:01, which is about what they averaged in regulation during the four game sweep against the Sharks in the playoffs.

Only in one postseason game did they get to 20 minutes before overtime.

That’s unlikely to happen with a coach who thinks the best way to win games is to play his best players. A lot.

The Sedins have responded so well — Henrik is second in NHL scoring with 10 points — no one seems to care the Canucks power play is second last in the NHL.



Kesler will wing it with Sedins: ‘It’s a good fit. I’m going to enjoy this ride’

October 18, 2013. 2:27 pm

Posted by:

Ben Kuzma

PITTSBURGH — John Tortorella doesn’t believe in pop quizzes or mid-term exams to grade the progress of his club. To him, it’s an ongoing internal test to excel at systems, execution and resolve. It’s not about the other guys.

However, the Vancouver Canucks coach will present those other guys — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the 6-1-0 Pittsburgh Penguins — with a problem to solve when the clubs clash here in a much-anticipated Saturday matinee. He’s loading up his top line with Henrik Sedin centring Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. They’re a fixture on the first power-play unit, but the potential for Kesler to score more at even strength from right wing has piqued the coach’s curiosity. Not since he played the right side with Mats Sundin and the late Pavol Demitra, has Kesler found himself away from the middle of the ice.

“I felt comfortable on the wall,” Kesler said after a Friday practice. “It’s a good fit. Whenever you play wing, you’re going to have a better opportunity to shoot more and with those two guys, you definitely have to be ready to shoot. It’s good at times to stack up like that and have one solid line and, obviously, things change through the year. I’m going to enjoy this ride.”

It could last a few shifts, a few periods, a few games or more. It’s up to the trio. But Kesler had six shots Thursday in a 3-0 win at Buffalo as the Canucks improved to 5-3-0. He also had two shots blocks and four that missed the net and his 31 shots are just one behind Daniel’s team high. Long lauded for a heavy and accurate wrist shot until hip, shoulder and wrist surgeries curtailed the effectiveness, Kesler believes his game is about to reach another level because his stride and strength on the puck are noticeably better. Tortorella believes Kesler can be excel on the wing.

“It keeps him on the boards more and keeps him in the areas we want him playing in,” said Tortorella. “It’s a big body and he had the puck at lot [Thursday] and controlled it quite a bit. I want him underneath the hash marks and in the corners and retrieving pucks. The more he has it the better. I’d like him to shoot quicker because a number of pucks were stick-checked or deflected. And when you play with guys like that [Sedins], you look for them and I want him to put it [puck] on the net.

“I’m not sure it’s loading up a line, maybe with the names. We’ll start that way and see what happens.”

The constant line juggling to find balance and scoring hasn’t soured the Sedins. In fact, it’s had the opposite effect. They’ve gone from status quo and somewhat stale to being split apart and mixing linemates. Henrik has looked good with Chris Higgins and Kesler and Daniel has been effective with Mike Santorelli and Jannik Hansen. He’ll line up with them again against the Penguins.

“We’ve been put in situations we haven’t been put in before and that’s all you can ask as a player,” said Daniel. “We’re here to win and we look at ourselves as being complete players. Before, when we didn’t score, we felt we let the team down. Now, you can be happy about killing a penalty.”

Any angst that the Sedins wouldn’t warm to Tortorella couldn’t be further from the truth. They have embraced a change of systems, more ice time, penalty killing, blocking shots and the direct and serious nature of the coach. It’s been a mutual admiration society for good reason because both the coach and the Sedins have been better than advertised — on and off the ice.

“He’s been good and straight forward,” Daniel said of Tortorella. “You can do that in a lot of ways and you’ve got to be able to handle it because he wants you to get better.”



The Hat Trick: Willes on Henrik Sedin — “the best player in the Western Conference” — patience with Kassian and Oilers goaltending

October 18, 2013. 11:32 am

Posted by:

Jonathan McDonald

Province Sports columnist Ed Willes weighs in the day after the Canucks’ 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres …

1. With the NHL into its third week of the regular season, you can easily make the case that Henrik Sedin has been the best player in the Western Conference. Hammerin’ Hank leads the NHL with nine assists and leads the West with 10 points. He’s also averaging 21:29 of ice time, but the real testament to his season can’t be measured by statistics. Henrik has made Mike Santorelli, Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins more dangerous players and he’s helped out on the Canucks’ league-leading penalty-killing unit.

It’s also apparent that, as long as John Tortorella is behind the bench, that his top players won’t be complaining about ice time. Against the Sabres on Thursday night, Henrik had 23:35, Kesler had 22:55 and Daniel Sedin checked in at 20:43. Under Alain Vigneault, the Sedins averaged just over 19 minutes a game. It will be interesting to see how they stand up to the increased workload.

(That’s what Henrik does …)

2. The Canucks’ meeting with the Sabres sparked a conversation about the Cody Hodgson-Zack Kassian trade which, while interesting, is ultimately meaningless. Kassian has played just 86 games in his NHL career. He doesn’t turn 23 until January and power forwards tend to develop on their own timetable. Milan Lucic took to the position quicker than most. It took Todd Bertuzzi five seasons for the light to go on.

But if you want to know why you never give up on a player of Kassian’s size and skill set, we refer you to Bryan Bickell. Bickell was a second-round pick by Chicago in 2004 who struggled to find ice time with the Blackhawks his first six seasons. In last year’s playoffs, he suddenly erupted, scoring nine goals in 23 games, and it’s doubtful the Hawks would have won the Cup without his contributions. Teams have to show patience with players like Bickell and Kassian because, when the payoff comes, it’s huge.

3. In Edmonton, meanwhile, the Oilers are taking a run at Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. Miller has a limited no-trade clause in his contract and has listed the Oilers as a team he doesn’t want to be traded to. But the Oilers believe they can talk Miller into reporting.

The return is the next question. New Oilers GM Craig MacTavish isn’t going to trade Nail Yakupov, the first player taken in the 2012 draft, for a pending UFA but the Oilers have other prospects and draft picks to offer. It might be a long shot, but Miller would be the Oilers’ first choice to solve their goaltending woes.


722353 Websites

ESPN / Devils not panicking; Sens double attack

By Pierre LeBrun

Entering the weekend as the only NHL team left without a win is a tough pill to swallow for an organization with such a proud history.

But that is the current state of the New Jersey Devils, off to an 0-4-3 start and looking for answers.

"First of all, we’ve played well enough to win," veteran GM Lou Lamoriello told ESPN.com Friday. "But it’s also obvious we’ve played poor enough where we could take a loss. It’s right in the middle. We don’t like where we’re at; we’ve played seven games and we have three points. So what we have to do right now is to continue to push forward and not dwell on anything.

The Devils have just three points through seven games this season.

"There are 75 games left. There’s no pushing any [panic] buttons. The coaching staff is doing everything they possibly can. They’re working at it."

The Devils are averaging 1.86 goals a game, which pretty much is the place to start in explaining the winless start.

In good times and bad, Lamoriello has always talked about a team’s performance being most influenced by the top players.

"You’ve always heard me say that when you have success, you have your best players consistently playing the best, and that’s what we need to have on a consistent basis," Lamoriello said. "Not one on one night and the other on another night; it has to be consistent."

To be fair, the Devils have a number of new faces after the stunning midsummer loss of superstar winger Ilya Kovalchuk, and it can take time for the new players to jell. Some of those players arrived late in the summer as well.

"There’s no question we brought in four, five new people. Sometimes it takes time even though you don’t like to admit it," the Devils GM said. "But I don’t look for excuses. We’ve had time to get them in, and they have to respond. They’re all quality people and quality players. If it takes a little more time, so be it. But we can’t dwell on it right now. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, we just have to do what we need to do to get back on track."

Santorelli a bargain

As far as signings go, this one went pretty much unnoticed outside of Vancouver on July 6, the second day of free agency.

Mike Santorelli signed a one-year deal with the Canucks, a two-way contract that will pay him $550,000 in the NHL and $250,000 in the AHL.

He was not promised an NHL job, indicative of the two-way deal. He was just promised a fair shot.

"He came to camp in great shape and he’s worked his butt off," Canucks GM Mike Gillis told ESPN.com Friday. "He came determined to earn a spot and he did."

He’s been coach John Tortorella’s "Everything Man" so far, playing with the Sedin twins at times and in checking roles at others as both a wing and a center. Santorelli has six points (4-2) in eight games and a plus-3 rating.

"He’s played on all three lines. The coaches like his versatility, they like the fact he can play in lots of different situations with lots of different players," Gillis said.

Huge credit as well goes to Santorelli and his agent J.P. Barry of CAA Sports. In a summer where so many players were left standing without a job when the music stopped because of the lowered salary cap, they accepted Vancouver’s offer despite its minimal financial appeal. A job is a job.

"We commended J.P. on making a good call because he recognized we had a good opportunity for Mike," Gillis said. "And he got in there early. In this climate, there’s only so many dollars you have to go around. The guys that got in early weren’t left with the stigma of waiting around [for a job]. He did that, and so far he’s done really well with the opportunity."

Senators break up top line

The idea first came during a 4-1 loss in Anaheim earlier in the week with the Senators sputtering en route to a fourth straight defeat.

Coach Paul MacLean took Bobby Ryan off Jason Spezza's top line and put the winger on a line with Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur.

"They looked dangerous," MacLean told ESPN.com this week. "And they were really dangerous against Phoenix [the next game], even though they didn’t score a goal."

So much so that the Coyotes took top shutdown center Martin Hanzal off Spezza’s line and put him on the Turris trio. That opened it up for Spezza to score a hat trick as the Senators ended their winless streak with a 4-3 OT win in Phoenix on Tuesday night.

So the new top two lines stayed intact for Thursday’s 5-2 win over New Jersey.

"If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it," MacLean said.

When Ryan was acquired last summer, the connection with Spezza seemed perfect, a natural goal-scorer with one of the game’s top play-makers.

Perhaps because Spezza was limited in preseason by an injury, the two just never developed enough chemistry.

"All along we said we wanted to be patient and allow them to develop chemistry, but if it doesn’t appear to be there, you don’t want to force it to happen either," MacLean said. "Maybe we’ll go back to it further down the road. Right now, I think we’ll leave Bobby with Turris and MacArthur and Spezza with [Cory] Conacher and [Milan] Michalek, because we seem to be a dangerous team."

And I wouldn’t see this as a demotion for Ryan, not at all. To me, the Sens now have 1a and 1b lines, both units equally important in the scheme of things. In fact, if you look at the ice time in the past two games with the new-look lines, both lines played very comparable minutes.

What it’s given Ottawa is a more balanced attack. MacLean will reunite Ryan and Spezza at some point for sure, but for now this is working for them.

Any regrets for Oilers?

You must wonder how badly the Oilers now wish they found a way to get a deal done with the Canucks last June when Cory Schneider was put up for grabs.

Given their goalie woes in this disastrous early season (although I thought Devan Dubnyk looked much better Thursday night in a 3-2 loss), Schneider would look pretty darn good in an Oilers sweater right now.

Edmonton certainly thought hard about it, showing up at the Canucks’ hotel in New Jersey on the Friday night before the draft, exchanging trade ideas with Vancouver management.

Vancouver’s stated price -- the seventh overall pick Edmonton had, plus a second-rounder and a prospect -- might have been too high for the Oilers at the time.

Vancouver instead dealt Schneider to New Jersey for the ninth overall pick.

Yes, the Canucks were asking for more from the Oilers, but that’s the price to trade within your division, to a Canadian rival no less.

Whatever the case, the Oilers are now phoning other teams around the league looking for a netminder, and it’s sure hard not to think back at what could have been.

As for right now, to me the best options for Edmonton are either Jonas Hiller in Anaheim or Michal Neuvirth in Washington. Those would be the two guys I’d be focusing on if I were the Oil.

Granlund's effort

He had his face buried in his hands, his skates still on long after the game was over.

Minnesota center Mikael Granlund sat there dejected in the visitors’ room Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre, no doubt reliving the two breakaways he didn’t score on that night in a 4-1 defeat -- a game in which the Wild outplayed and outchanced the Leafs but couldn’t finish.

It’s been the story of their young season, really.

"These are tough nights. You just have to move on," the polite 21-year-old told me that night.

A guy like Granlund is among the young players who are going to be key if Minnesota gets going. He had zero goals and three assists in eight games entering the weekend.

I liked what I saw from him in person Tuesday night; he showed off great speed and skill. I’m not around the Wild very much, but from what I’ve seen the last few games, Granlund looks much better than a year ago when he struggled in his rookie year.

"I feel good, I feel comfortable compared to last season," Granlund said. "I know now I can play at this level. I just have to keep building and bury those chances."

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ESPN / Justin Faulk thinking (and hoping for) Sochi

By Pierre LeBrun

Justin Faulk is off to a solid start to the season, entering the weekend with five assists in eight games while leading all Hurricanes in ice time at 25:02 per game.

They’re tough minutes too, with Faulk matching up every night against the other team’s top line.

"He’s a real good player," said one rival NHL team executive.

The St. Paul, Minn., native is only 21, but there are many people who believe he’ll make Team USA.

His eyes lit up this week when I asked him about Sochi.

"I think anyone would be lying if they said it doesn’t cross their mind at all, any player that’s in contention for it, anyway," Faulk said. "But at the same time, I’m just trying to play my game and help my team win. If your [NHL] team is winning, that’s going to be better for any player in contention [for the Olympics], because I’m sure there’s someone watching every night."

What are his goals for his third season in the NHL?

"Just being more consistent," Faulk said. "Obviously not every player is going to be able to play 82 A-plus games, but if I can be more consistent, and right now I’m playing against top lines, trying to keep them off the board plus at the same time trying to chip in [offensively]. But there are more important things than putting up points every night, especially in the role I’m in. I’m not one for set specific individual goals, but I just want to play my game."

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USA TODAY / Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba taken off ice on a stretcher

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports 12:13 a.m. EDT October 19, 2013

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba became the third NHL player this week to be taken off the ice on a stretcher.

He went face-first into the boards on Friday in Winnipeg during the second period after appearing to get tangled up with St. Louis defenseman Jordan Leopold while both pursued the puck behind the Blues net.

Unlike the other two incidents, this was accidental.

In the first incident on Tuesday, San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle hit his face on the lip of the boards after being checked from behind by St. Louis' Maxim Lapierre. Boyle spent the night in the hospital and Lapierre was suspended on Friday for five games after an in-person hearing.

MAXIM LAPIERRE: Suspended for five games

The second incident, on Thursday, resulted in a concussion for Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall. He was treated at the arena.

Colorado Avalanche forward Cody McLeod has been offered an in-period hearing over his high-speed check of Kronwall into the boards. That means he could get a suspension of six games or more, although it could be less, as was the case with Lapierre.

CODY MCLEOD: Offered in-person hearing to explain boarding incident

The Jets rallied to beat the Blues in a shootout and fans chanted Trouba's name as Winnipeg players celebrated.

Trouba, a rookie, had been averaging more than 21 minutes a game for the Jets. He also was invited to the U.S. Olympic orientation camp.

"Trouba is still getting evaluated but he's good," coach Claude Noel said after the game, according to the Jets' Twitter feed. "He's just getting tested but I think everything's fine."

USA TODAY LOADED: 10.19.2013

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USA TODAY / Maxim Lapierre suspended for five games

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports 6:57 p.m. EDT October 18, 2013

St. Louis Blues forward Maxim Lapierre was suspended for five games on Friday for a hit from behind that send San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle to the hospital.

NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan handed down the penalty after an in-person hearing with Lapierre. Such a meeting is called if the suspension might top five games, but Shanahan decided on five.

The hit occurred early in a nationally televised game on Tuesday between the Sharks and Blues, who were unbeaten at the time. Boyle's face hit the lip of the boards and he was knocked unconscious. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher and spent the night in the hospital before flying back to San Jose on Wednesday for further evaluation.

MORE: Cody McLeod offered hearing

Complicating matters is that Boyle's skate hit the boards and he was in the process of falling when Lapierre hit him from behind. Shanahan said that didn't absolve Lapierre of his responsibility for the injury to Boyle.

"It's undeniable that Boyle's loss of balance just prior to contact made him much more vulnerable and contributed to the violent result," Shanahan said in a video. "However, at no point does Lapierre see anything but Boyle's numbers when he decides to finish him on this check."

He added: "If Lapierre doesn't illegally hit him in the numbers, Boyle's face does not crash violently into the boards."

He also noted Lapierre's previous four-game suspension in March 2010 for a similar type of hit. That fell outside the 18-month that would have him a repeat offender under the collective-bargaining agreement and jacked up the per-game cost of the suspension.

Lapierre will forfeit $28,205.15 in pay. He already has served one game of the suspension.

Friday's in-person hearing was the second of three that have been called this season for wayward hits.

Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta, a repeat offender, was suspended for 10 games this week for a head hit on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson and is appealing.

MORE: Kaleta appeals suspension

Colorado Avalanche forward Cody McLeod has been offered a hearing for his hit Thursday night that left Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall with a concussion.

Under the appeals process, Kaleta will have his case decided first by Commissioner Gary Bettman, then by an independent arbitrator if he disagrees with Bettman's ruling.

Lapierre can't appeal to an arbitrator because his suspension was for less than six games.


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USA TODAY / Cody McLeod offered in-person hearing to explain boarding incident

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 11:45 p.m. EDT October 18, 2013

Colorado Avalanche winger Cody McLeod has been offered an in-person hearing to explain his actions in the boarding incident that left Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall with a "mild concussion" and lacerations to his ear.

When the NHL office offers an in-person hearing, it means the player can receive a suspension of six or more games.

HIT: Kronwall concussed

The NHL announced that the hearing will be on Tuesday. The NHL's supplemental discipline czar Brendan Shanahan already had a noon Friday hearing with St. Louis Blues forward Max Lapierre for his boarding incident against San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle.

Lapierre received five games.

The McLeod hit occurred in the first period of Detroit's 4-2 win that ended Colorado's season-starting unbeaten streak at six games. McLeod received a boarding major penalty and a game misconduct.

Kronwall was carried off the ice on a stretcher, but didn't go to the hospital. He will accompany the Red Wings to Phoenix on Saturday.

General manager Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press that Kronwall has "a mild concussion," and also suffered cuts to his right ear. Kronwall was to continue on the trip with his teammates, who next play Saturday at Phoenix.

"Tough situation for him, anytime you get hit like that, you're out cold," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "You're scared to say the least.

"These hits are things we've got to get out of the game."

Kronwall, who was awkwardly positioned when impact occurred, spent several minutes on the ice being tended to by medical personnel before being removed on a stretcher.

"It was really scary hit, Kronner, he can't move for a few seconds," center Pavel Datsyuk said. "Everybody on the bench, like, can't breathe. But after they say he OK - not OK, but OK."


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