SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF
NHL 6/8/2013
Boston Bruins
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Penguins coach: 'We've got one game to win'
Kaspars Daugavins to play tonight
Game 4 preview: Penguins at Bruins
TRUE GRIT: BOSTON ATHLETES PLAYING THROUGH
PAIN
Odds stacked in Bruins' favor
Defense carries Bruins to Stanley Cup Final
Bruins Stanley Cup ticket details
McQuaid's goal sends Bruins to Stanley Cup finals
Bruins advance to Stanley Cup Final
Daugavins replaces injured Campbell for Bruins
Kaspars Daugavins gets the nod
Penguins, Bruins acknowledge how grueling extra periods
can be in playoffs
Game 4, pregame: Daugavins in for Campbell
Beyond wildest dreams
Neely’s grin bears it
Marchand dishes out game-winner
Closing failures get bad rap
Bruins sweep into Stanley Cup finals
Buffalo Sabres
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Buffalo's Bailey, Blujus invited to USA Hockey's world junior
camp
Road to the NHL Draft: Max Domi
Chicago Blackhawks
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Quenneville's line changes -- it was Two-Fer Thursday
Hawks happy to have Keith back Saturday
Bruins won't give an inch
Game 4 victory uplifting for Keith
Hawks know power of desperation mode
Predicting NHL playoffs perilous
Rozsival fits the bill
Blackhawks and their fans deny Kings the comforts of home
Michal Rozsival helps keep clamp on Kings
Even on cusp of series win, Blackhawks can reach another
level
Spellman’s Scorecard: A whole lot of hard Hawks hockey
Hawks need to come out with killer mentality in Game 5
Hawks don’t want to go back to L.A.
Kings coach Sutter not exactly a worry-wart
No one happier than Keith about Game 4 win
Hawks thriving thanks in large part to Bickell, Crawford
Aggressive Kane finally gets his goal
Hossa's late goal gives Hawks Game 4 win
From "Buff" to "Bicks"
Blackhawks benefiting from Rozsival's veteran leadership
With scripts flipped, Hawks know series isn't over
Dallas Stars
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Coaching search: Is Alain Vigneault the man you want
behind the Stars bench?
Stars acquire Sergei Gonchar from Ottawa for 6th-round
draft pick
Report: Sergei Gonchar 'likely' to agree to two-year deal with
Dallas Stars
Sean Avery responds to Dallas Stars' Twitter taunt with
haymaker: Thanks for the $16 million
Detroit Red Wings
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Detroit Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall named grand marshal for
NASCAR race at MIS
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ian White on his way out
Season continues for a few Red Wings
Howe family, ex-managers face off in court over handling of
hockey great's finances
Detroit Red Wing Niklas Kronwall named grand marshal,
Olympic gold medal swimmer Tyler Clary honorary starter
Red Wings' prospects gaining valuable experience during
Grand Rapids Griffins' run to Calder Cup finals
Blackhawks snap LA Kings’ home winning streak
Los Angeles Kings
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Win or done, Los Angeles Kings must break road pattern
Los Angeles Kings need weary Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
Kings' middle management needs improvement in Game 5
It's now or never for defending champion Kings
JILL PAINTER: Road to Stanley Cup rough one for Kings
No supplemental discipline for Penner
Waking up with the Kings: June 7
June 7 quotes: Brown, Williams, Regehr, Stoll
Sutter on Richards: “still really doubtful at best”
Kings history when trailing 3-1
Montreal Canadiens
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Towel-quality guidelines and other highlights from the new
NHL CBA
Molson proud of Habs’ progress this season
1993 Stanley Cup flashback: 10th straight OT win for Habs
in Game 4
Sunday marks 20th anniversary of Habs’ last Cup win
New York Rangers
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Pittsburgh’s loss may be Rangers’ gain
Guest blogger: Jared Sexton of RangersUnlimited.com …
looking ahead to free agency
NHL
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As Bruins Reach Finals, Empty Feeling for Penguins
The Blackhawks’ Bickell Outperforms Star Teammates
Bruins Likely to Replace Campbell with Daugavins
Ottawa Senators
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Bye, bye, Gonchar: Senators trade defenceman’s rights to
Dallas Stars
Ottawa Senators trade rights to defenceman Sergei Gonchar
to Dallas Stars
Philadelphia Flyers
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2013 Flyers offseason: Internal options for filling out the
forward lines
Who would make your Flyers Mount Rushmore?
Pittsburgh Penguins
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Kovacevic: For Penguins, a stubborn failure
Bruins display closing touch in NHL’s Eastern Conference
finals
Crosby, Malkin silenced again in season-ending loss
Penguins notebook: Crosby hit hard by Paille
Bruins notebook: Daugavins gets his shot in lineup
Pieces fail to come together for Penguins in season-ending
loss
Pens, Flyers discussing game at Penn State's Beaver
Stadium
Penguins stars at a loss for words
Penguins outdoor game at Penn State looms against Flyers
Penguins meltdown mystifying
Rask, Bruins shut out Penguins, 1-0
San Jose Sharks
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Sharks checklist, No. 6: Explore market for Thornton, Boyle
St Louis Blues
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Hockey Guy: Happy ending for McDonald
Tampa Bay Lightning
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Bolts hope AHL success pays off
Lightning AHL team in Calder Cup final
Toronto Maple Leafs
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Maple Leafs should trade Phil Kessel: Feschuk
Vancouver Canucks
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Canuck GM Mike Gillis talks about coach search
Washington Capitals
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Agent: ‘No progress at all’ between Matt Hendricks and
Capitals
Websites
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ESPN /Friday, June 7, 2013
ESPN / Hawks' speed, depth dooming Kings
NBCSports.com / Bylsma: ‘I feel real comfortable about our
power play’
NBCSports.com / Bruins confirm Daugavins in for Campbell;
Kelly likely to center Merlot Line
NBCSports.com / Habs owner: GM Bergevin ‘lives hockey,
and our success starts with him’
USA TODAY /Bruins, Rask sweep Penguins
USA TODAY / Stars acquire Sergei Gonchar's rights
USA TODAY /Penguins-Bruins Game 4 preview: Daugavins
in
YAHOO SPORTS /Bruins in championship form, shut down
star-studded Penguins for return to Stanley Cup final
YAHOO SPORTS / Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby
humbled by Bruins, playoffs in East final
Winnipeg Jets
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Winnipeg prospects to skate at Classic
Kane unloads great Twitter rant
Winnipeg Jets have started talks with Zach Bogosian's camp
Winnipeg Jets winger Evander Kane talking a good game on
Twitter
Hainsey unlikely to stay with Jets
Closing the champion chasm
SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129
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Boston Bruins
Penguins coach: 'We've got one game to win'
Posted by Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff June 7, 2013 01:43 PM
Here's what Penguins coach Dan Bylsma had to say Friday morning about
Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Bruins lead, 3-0.
When chances are thin and odds are grim like this, players are saying, “We
believe we can get back into this, when so few teams have done it.” How do
you get them to believe?
Well, there's lots of different ways I think you can look at what the
possibilities are. I think you look at it when you have to beat Boston Bruins
four times in a row, in four elimination games to move on, that's not
something you really want to put your brain around. We beat the Boston
Bruins three times in games this year. We've got them one game here
tonight. It's elimination for our team, and we'll move on when we do. I know
the facts we're in a bracket right now, we've got one game to win to move
on in that bracket. It's right here tonight.
A lot of guys in the locker room said they wouldn't mind winning the Game
1-0. Do you feel this team could get on another one of those runs if they
find the puck at the net when all those chances are paydirt?
I'd love to put our players and our power play and have the puck on James
Neal's stick in the slot, three times with the puck on his stick like he was last
game. Malkin on a breakaway. More than two other opportunities. We'd like
to see those opportunities again for our guys tonight. I feel real comfortable
about our power play and our guys cashing in on those. Is that something
we're going to build on? Absolutely.
You mentioned [Thursday] that you liked the early results of Bennett, Sutter
and Iginla together in Game 3. What was it about that combination that you
liked? What were you hoping bringing Bennett back into the lineup would
add to this group?
Offensive skill guy. Play-making ability. He did both of those things in the
game. Power play, driving the net. Two good chances out from the wing,
one from Crosby, one where he pulled by the defenseman in overtime. He
got opportunities there, used his skill, did that with his line for Jarome and
Brenden. He added that. We're looking for one goal. He was all around it in
the last game.
I know you like to think the game a lot. Were things going around in your
head last night or did you get a little bit of rest before today and clear your
head?
Before the start of the series, you kind of have a rest the night before. In
series, game to game, I think you're always thinking, preparing mentally
opportunities that are going to present themselves in the game for your
team. Did a fair amount of that last night.
A lot of guys keep saying, if not for a bounce here or there, stay the course,
things will work out. Being down 0-3, the clock is ticking. Do you believe just
stay the course or have you thought about some changes in lines or
something else?
We made adjustments last game to our game. In both instances you talked
about, we'll make adjustments in how we play in different areas for this
game as well. Especially last game, how we need to continue to do some of
the things we have done, to get those opportunities, to get it to go our way.
You know, every game I think you could talk about a bounce or some
instance in the game. I don't think we feel like we've lost it on a bounce or a
post going the wrong way. Would have meant the difference in the game for
Craig Adams if his post had gone in. We feel we can play better. We can
continue to play better. We can make adjustments. But we also need to
make good on our opportunities that we have had.
Dan, you have so many forwards and so much skill at your disposal. You
talk about staying the course. When you get to an elimination game, is
there a tendency or desire at some point to ride those guys over and over,
to kind of say at some point, We're not going to roll our lines, we're going to
double shift guys, do whatever we can to get to a Game 5? Where is that
tipping point?
I'm pretty sure Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin played 38 minutes in the last
game. We've done that at times, definitely last game. When we had the
opportunity here on the road to have a matchup, icing, situation we could
get, a different combination, a double shift, we took that opportunity. You
know, we were in a game last game where we felt we were desperate to
win. We'll find ourselves in that game and situation tonight, as well.
Boston Globe LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Boston Bruins
Kaspars Daugavins to play tonight
Posted by Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff June 7, 2013 11:50 AM
Kaspars Daugavins will play tonight in place of injured center Gregory
Campbell. Daugavins has been a healthy scratch since Game 1 against
Toronto.
During the morning skate, Daugavins practiced on the left wing alongside
Rich Peverley and Tyler Seguin. Chris Kelly centered Daniel Paille and
Shawn Thornton. Claude Julien said he has options to mix and match his
bottom two lines.
Tonight's expected lineup:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr
Kaspars Daugavins-Rich Peverley-Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille-Chris Kelly-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin
Boston Globe LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Boston Bruins
Game 4 preview: Penguins at Bruins
Posted by Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff June 7, 2013 10:06 AM
Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will look to sweep the
Penguins out of the playoffs tonight. The Bruins have a 3-0 series lead.
Game 5 would be at the Consol Energy Center on Sunday. The Bruins
have no intentions of making a return trip to Pittsburgh.
The Bruins will be without Gregory Campbell (broken right leg) for the rest
of the playoffs. They will have to replace Campbell’s toughness, evenstrength efficiency, faceoff experience, and penalty-killing prowess.
The Bruins have options, but the guess here is that Kaspars Daugavins will
get the first nod. Rich Peverley could move down to center the fourth line.
Daniel Paille could be promoted to the third line.
No lineup changes are expected for Pittsburgh. The Penguins did
everything possible to win Game 3, but were foiled repeatedly by Tuukka
Rask.
Puck drop: 8 p.m.
TV/radio info: NBC Sports Network (Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk, Pierre
McGuire), 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)
Records: Penguins 0-3, Bruins 3-0
Projected Penguins lineup:
Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Pascal Dupuis
Matt Cooke-Evgeni Malkin-James Neal
Brenden Morrow-Brandon Sutter-Jarome Iginla
Beau Bennett-Joe Vitale-Craig Adams
Brooks Orpik-Paul Martin
Matt Niskanen-Kris Letang
Douglas Murray-Deryk Engelland
Tomas Vokoun
Marc-Andre Fleury
Healthy scratches: Mark Eaton, Tyler Kennedy, Jussi Jokinen, Dustin
Jeffrey, Robert Bortuzzo, Simon Despres
Projected Bruins lineup:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille-Chris Kelly-Tyler Seguin
Kaspars Daugavins-Rich Peverley-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin
Healthy scratches: Matt Bartkowski, Dougie Hamilton, Aaron Johnson, Carl
Soderberg, Jay Pandolfo
Storylines: Tomas Vokoun was excellent in Game 3. Vokoun will get the
start tonight over Marc-Andre Fleury… There are questions in Pittsburgh
about Dan Bylsma’s future if the Penguins bow out. Bylsma would be hired
in a second if the Penguins let him go… The Bruins are perfect on the
penalty kill. They went 6 for 6 against the Penguins in Game 3… Eric Furlatt
and Stephen Walkom will be the referees. Shane Heyer and Brad Kovachik
will be the linesmen.
Boston Globe LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Boston Bruins
TRUE GRIT: BOSTON ATHLETES PLAYING THROUGH PAIN
By Jim Davis/Globe Staff
Someday, today’s young Bruins fans will be telling their kids about the
amazing 2013 playoffs.
They will talk about how Bruins fans first collectively rallied a city blown
apart by evil on a Wednesday night in April by taking over National Anthem
duties from Rene Rancourt. They will say that was the start of something
special. They will talk about a Game 7 comeback against Toronto after
Boston was trailing 4-1 when the team scored three, no 10, no 34 goals in
the third period to force overtime before beating the Maple Leafs.
They will talk about Game 3 against the Penguins Eastern Conference
Finals. How it was a glorious 2-1 double-overtime, gut-wrenching, heartstopping, bladder crushing playoff victory over Sidney Crosby and his
teammates.
But mostly, they will tell their children about how a guy named Gregory
Campbell played almost a minute of hockey during a critical power-play with
a broken leg.
“Yes, kids, a broken leg. Meanwhile, Jacoby Ellsbury was still out that night
after missing five games nursing a sore groin.”
Even in the present, history looms large in this series. When Jaromir Jagr
broke into the NHL, Sidney Crosby was a three-year-old baby boy. Turns
out he still is.
In the context of Campbell’s performance Wednesday, we decided share
some of the memorable moments of Campbell-like in-game “true grit” in the
annals of Boston sports.
Boston Globe LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Boston Bruins
Odds stacked in Bruins' favor
Posted by Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff June 7, 2013 07:08 AM
The Garden was rocking in the wee hours of Thursday morning when
Patrice Bergeron redirected a Brad Marchand feed past Tomas Vokoun for
a double-overtime game-winner that gave the Bruins a commanding threegames-to-none lead over the Eastern Conference top seeded Penguins.
But having been on both ends of 3-0 postseason collapses in the last
decade with the Red Sox (good) and Bruins (not so good), Bostonians are
wise enough to know that though the chances are remote, the Penguins are
still alive in the series. But other factors make it a virtually insurmountable
obstacle for Sidney Crosby & Co. to overcome.
Yes, Pittsburgh entered this series riding a six-game winning streak headto-head with Boston, winning eight of the last nine battles of the black and
gold, but the trend has been dramatically reversed and Claude Julien’s
boys have not lost four straight games since mid-March 2012, with just two
winless streaks of four games or more in the past three combined regular
and postseasons.
A look at NHL history shows that teams taking a 3-0 lead in a seven-game
series have gone 109-65 in Game 4, a winning percentage of .626
(including a Bruins loss last round to the Rangers in the Eastern
Conference semifinals Game 4, before closing out New York in Game 5).
Those same teams have won the series 170 out of 173 times, a confidencebuilding winning percentage of .983.
Expand the study to include MLB and NBA teams and the numbers get
even more staggering in favor of the Bruins' current standing. In 1,212
completed best-of-seven-game postseason series, only four have seen the
team leading three-games-to-none fail to advance (a .997 winning clip)
according to data found at whowins.com.
But Boston has been part of, and on each end of, half of them: the 2004
Red Sox climbing back from the brink against the Yankees in the ALCS and
the Bruins, who in 2010 acquiesced to the Flyers after jumping to a 3-0 lead
in the Eastern Conference semifinals. (the others were the 1942 Toronto
Maple Leafs over the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals and the
1975 New York Islanders, coincidentally over the Penguins, in the league
quarterfinals).
Seven other times the team trailing 0-3 made things very uncomfortable by
forcing a deciding Game 7, most recently in the 2011 Western Conference
semifinals when the Blackhawks nearly pulled off the miracle comeback
against the Vancouver Canucks (the team the Bruins eventually defeated
for the Stanley Cup).
The key total in all of this for this series is eight. That’s the number of Bruins
(Bergeron, Johnny Boychuk, Zdeno Chara, Andrew Ference, Milan Lucic,
Daniel Paille, Tuukka Rask and Shawn Thornton) who participated both in
Game 7 of the ‘10 Flyers debacle and the thrilling Game 3 win that began
Wednesday night and ended Thursday morning. That group not only knows
the awful sting of a collapse, but based on the strength of their experience
hoisting the Cup in 2011, are not a group likely to be associated with two
historically significant chokes.
So go ahead and check out those rates for Chicago and Los Angeles hotels
and flights. While there’s no guarantee that the Pens won’t steal one, two,
or (clutch your chest) even three games this series, lightning would have to
strike a very talented and championship-tested group TWICE for the Bruins
not to advance to the 2013 Finals. You should like their odds.
Boston Globe LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Boston Bruins
Defense carries Bruins to Stanley Cup Final
"It's very exciting," Chara said. "We all know it's not happening every year.
For teams to go into the finals – whatever two, three, five years – it takes a
lot of hard work. I think we are happy where we are right now. But in a few
days we gotta get ready for the final round."
Boston Globe LOADED: 06.08.2013
Posted by Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff June 7, 2013 11:56 PM
A rigid defense, a crafty goalie, and offense from the blue line won out
again and again and again for the Bruins. On Friday, with another near
flawless performance, the Bruins edged the Penguins, 1-0, sweeping the
once heavy favorites in their Eastern Conference Finals series.
The Bruins will face the Blackhawks or Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.
It was the Bruins' 14th sweep in the franchise's history and the team's first
conference final sweep since ushering Washington out of the playoffs in
1990. The shutout was Tuukka Rask's second of the series and his career
in the playoffs. He had 26 saves.
Adam McQuaid, continuing with the team's streak of offensive minded
defensemen, fired a one-timer top shelf in the left corner past Penguins
goalie Tomas Vokoun for the game-winner, only 5:01 into the third period.
Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron assisted on the goal, which was one
of only a few clean looks for the Bruins.
"It feels good to be able to contribute that way when you don't normally,"
said McQuaid. "But I think you look at so many great efforts we had from
guys tonight. The last 10 minutes of the game, guys were all over the ice,
doing whatever it took to preserve that goal."
Bruins defensemen have 35 of the team's 138 points in the postseason,
including 15 of 50 goals.
"Yeah, that's what you need," said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who logged
25:58 ice time. "Contributions from different guys, it's not always gonna be
the same guys. Even we got a lot of offense from guys we rely on. But even
in some key situations of different games we got contributions from guys
that maybe are not well known for their offense. "
Which team do you want to see the Bruins face in the Stanley Cup finals?
The series sweep was marked by the Bruins' tough defense, holding the
Penguins to only two goals in four games. While the Penguins seemed
intent on creating one-on-one chances, the Bruins' system of defense
squelched many of their chances.
"We didn't expect to hold them to two goals in four games," said Bruins
defenseman Johnny Boychuk. "I mean they hit a couple of posts, we got a
couple of good bounces. Both teams worked hard. It was just a good team
effort."
Said Chara: "We were really trying to play the way they came and not focus
on what they were trying to do. We were trying to really play tight
defensively, five guys on the ice, not to really open up too much or give
them too much room."
Vokoun, who had 23 saves for the Penguins, and fought off clean shots
from the Bruins' Milan Lucic and Torey Krug in the second period. But
whatever mastery he had mustered in the first two periods gave away to a
dangerous third, with McQuaid scoring, followed by Jaromir Jagr and Daniel
Paille nailing the post.
The Bruins led in shots in the third, even after the Penguins pulled Vokoun
with a minute remaining that led to a flurry of shots in the waning seconds in
an effort to tie the game. That mad dash had a normally even-keeled Rask
worried.
"Well, yeah. It's just a scramble, you know," Rask said. "You can't see
anything. People are laying down. … You just try to [make] yourself as big
as you can."
Rask now has a .943 save percentage heading into the Stanley Cup Final
against either the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings. The
Blackhawks are up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
"He's playing phenomenal," Boychuk said. "He gives us a chance to win
every night. He's … Tuukka."
The Bruins will make their second Stanley Cup appearance in three years.
The won in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks.
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Boston Bruins
Bruins Stanley Cup ticket details
Posted by Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff June 7, 2013 11:25 PM
The Bruins announced Friday that tickets for three Stanley Cup Final
games at TD Garden will go on sale Tuesday at noon.
The Bruins await the outcome of the Blackhawks-Kings Western
Conference finals. The NHL has not set the schedule for the Stanley Cup
Final, although if the Blackhawks win they will have home-ice advantage
based on regular-season record. The Bruins would have home ice against
the Kings.
Tickets will be available for purchase at the TD Garden Box Office, on the
Bruins' website, and by phone at 800-745-3000.
Boston Globe LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Boston Bruins
McQuaid's goal sends Bruins to Stanley Cup finals
After the game, a calm Rask felt that shutting out the potent Penguins twice
wasn’t such an overwhelming feat.
‘‘Every game starts with zero,’’ he said, ‘‘so you have a chance.’’
McQuaid scored his second goal of the playoffs after he managed just one
in 32 games during the regular season.
By HOWARD ULMAN / AP Sports Writer / June 7, 2013
‘‘It’s obviously nice when you can get a little offense from your defense,’’ he
said.
BOSTON (AP) — The Bruins defense shut down the potent Pittsburgh
Penguins throughout the Eastern Conference finals. Then a Boston
defenseman scored the goal that sealed the stunning sweep.
Brad Marchand held the puck along the left boards in the offensive zone
and waited for McQuaid to skate up ice. Marchand fed the puck toward the
blue line where McQuaid, with no Penguins player close to him, unleashed
the winning shot.
Adam McQuaid scored early in the third period, Tuukka Rask posted his
second shutout of the series, and the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup finals
with a 1-0 win on Friday night.
There was little sustained offense in the first two periods when Pittsburgh
outshot Boston 20-17.
The Bruins dominated the series and held the high-scoring Penguins to just
two goals. Pittsburgh never even had the lead in any of its four losses.
‘‘I think first and foremost, we’re obviously trying to be solid defensively,’’
McQuaid said of the defensemen. ‘‘It obviously feels good. It feels good to
be able to contribute that way when you don’t normally.
‘‘You look at so many great efforts we had from guys. The last 10 minutes
of the game, guys were all over the ice, doing whatever it took to preserve
that goal.’’
Boston will face either the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings when
the Bruins shoot for their second Stanley Cup title in three years.
Chicago leads the Western Conference series 3-1 and can advance to the
finals with a home win on Saturday night. If the Blackhawks get there, it will
set up the first finals matchup of Original Six NHL franchises since 1979.
The Penguins’ season ended swiftly and shockingly as the league’s
highest-scoring team got no points in the series from offensive stars Sidney
Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
‘‘I don’t feel like they totally shut us down,’’ Crosby said. ‘‘I feel like we got
chances, but Rask made some big saves.’’
McQuaid scored at 5:01 of the final period on a 45-foot slap shot from the
right over the glove of goalie Tomas Vokoun.
That unleashed loud chants of ‘‘We want the Cup!’’ from the capacity
crowd.
‘‘We were a little sluggish the first two periods,’’ Bruins forward Milan Lucic
said, ‘‘and we said, ‘We have to win a period to win a series.'’’
They did just that.
The top-seeded Penguins were trying to overcome both the disciplined
defense of the fourth-seeded Bruins and history. Only three teams had lost
a series after winning the first three games. The last was the Bruins in the
2010 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Penguins felt they were ‘‘put together to win the Stanley Cup. That’s
our expectation from Day One,’’ coach Dan Bylsma said. ‘‘You’re going to
look at this as a missed opportunity.’’
Pittsburgh was swept for the first time in 47 series. The last team to do it to
the Penguins was Boston in 1979.
The Penguins also lost the first three games of their opening-round series
last year against Philadelphia before being eliminated in six games.
Rask was solid again with 26 saves, but didn’t have to stop many
challenging shots. His last save came with his glove at the final buzzer on
Jarome Iginla’s shot from 40 feet.
‘‘He has been the reason why we’re here,’’ Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron
said of Rask, who stopped 134 of 136 shots in the series. ‘‘We just played
our game the whole time. We put a lot of pressure in their zone.’’
The Penguins had been shut out just twice in their previous 147 games
before being blanked twice in the four games against the Bruins. Pittsburgh
lost Game 1 at home 3-0.
Holding down Crosby and Malkin was the key.
‘‘He is the best player in the world,’’ Bergeron said of Crosby. ‘‘We did a
good job with that.’’
Boston’s Kaspars Daugavins hit a post at 2:56 of the second period during
his first appearance in the series. Daugavins replaced injured center
Gregory Campbell, who broke his leg in the second period of Boston’s 2-1,
double-overtime win in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
At 10:56 of the second on Friday, Vokoun made a save with his right pad
against streaking Tyler Seguin from the left side.
The Bruins got this far by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games
in the first round and then taking out the New York Rangers in five to reach
the East finals.
Boston rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period of Game 7 against
Toronto just to reach the second round.
‘‘It seems like a lifetime ago,’’ Lucic said. ‘‘Without that Game 7, to come
back and win it, if it wasn’t for that we wouldn’t be here right now.’’
The Penguins topped the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators to
reach the NHL’s final four.
NOTES: John Krasinski, star of ‘‘The Office’’ and a native of nearby Newton
was in the stands with his wife, actress Emily Blunt. ... William and Patricia
Campbell, whose daughter Krystle died in the Boston Marathon bombings,
waved the ‘‘Fan Banner,’’ a traditional part of pregame activities. ... Gregory
Campbell’s father, Colin, was a defenseman on the 1979 Penguins, who
were swept by the Bruins. Gregory Campbell gave a wave to the crowd
when he was shown on the arena video board.
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Bruins advance to Stanley Cup Final
By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff
The Bruins punched a ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, defeating the
Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on
Friday to sweep the series.
It will be the Bruins' second Stanley Cup Final appearance in three years. In
2011, the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to win
their first Stanley Cup in 39 years.
The Bruins also won the Stanley Cup in 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, and 1972.
Adam McQuaid scored the only goal in Game 4, a slap shot from just inside
the blue line midway through the third period. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask
made 26 saves for the shutout, his second of the series.
The Penguins only scored two goals in the series.
The Bruins will face the Chicago Blackhawks or the Los Angeles Kings in
the finals. The Blackhawks and Kings play Game 5 of their series Saturday
in Chicago, with the Blackhawks leading 3-1.
According to a report from TSN's Bob McKenzie, if the Blackhawks win
Game 5, the Stanley Cup Final will reportedly begin Wednesday in
Chicago. If the Kings extend their series, the Stanley Cup finals will begin
June 15.
The NHL has not released an official schedule for the finals.
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Daugavins replaces injured Campbell for Bruins
AP / June 7, 2013
BOSTON (AP) — Kaspars Daugavins is replacing injured forward Gregory
Campbell for the Boston Bruins on Friday night in Game 4 of the Eastern
Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Campbell, the Bruins’ fourth-line center, broke his right leg in the second
period of Boston’s double-overtime win in Game 3 on Wednesday night. He
is out for the rest of the playoffs.
Daugavins played in just one of Boston’s first 15 postseason games this
year.
Boston claimed Daugavins off waivers from the Ottawa Senators on March
27. He had no goals and one assist in six regular-season games with the
Bruins after posting one goal and two assists in 19 games with the
Senators.
Campbell had three goals and four assists in 15 playoff games.
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Kaspars Daugavins gets the nod
Friday, June 7, 2013 -- Steve Conroy
In tonight's potential close-out Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals
against the Penguins at the Garden, Kaspars Daugavins will be making his
return to the Bruins' lineup tonight to make up for the loss of Gregory
Campbell, who suffered a broken fibula blocking an Evgeni Malkin shot in
Game 3.
Daugavins skated as a left wing on a line centered by Rich Peverley with
Tyler Seguin on the right wing. Chris Kelly, meanwhile, moved down to take
Campbell's spot between Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton on the former
Merlot line.
“He's a gritty player,” said coach Claude Julien. “He's strong on the puck,
strong on his skates, shoots the puck well. We always said we've got depth
on this team and we showed it when injuries crept up on defense. Now
we've got an injury up front and he's going to have to step in and do his
job.”
Daugavins was happy to get his chance tonight.
“Playing is always easier than watching,' said Daugavins. Daugavins,
picked up on waivers from Ottawa in late March, has played one playoff
game for the B's, Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a 4-1 victory.
“For sure, it's going to be hard and it helped playing that one game,” said
Daugavins, who'll most likely take over some of Campbell's penalty killing
duties. “Toronto played us hard and, even though we won that game by
three goals, it wasn't easy. I remember that it was hard and I expect the
same thing tonight.”
Kelly, skating between Thornton and Paille, knows he'll be trying to replace
a multi-faceted player in Campbell.
“Soup does a lot of things for this hockey team, a lot of things that maybe
go unnoticed outside this locker room,” said Kelly, who nonetheless said he
feels comfortable playing with anyone. “He's versatile, he kills penalties, he
takes faceoffs, he sticks up for his teammates. And obviously he blocks
shots, like everyone saw. And he can play all three positions. I don't think
one guy is going to go out there and fill Soup's shoes. It's going to take
everyone to pick up their game.”
Though the B's may start the game with those line combinations – the top
two combos were unchanged – that doesn't mean it will stay that way.
Peverley and Kelly could easily switch lines.
“I do have lots of options,” said Julien. “I can change things around after I
see how things go. That's what I had this morning at the skate, but (the
players) know it can change. It's not set in stone.”
The Penguins, down 0-3, will clearly be a desperate team tonight, but the
B's need a little desperation in their game, too. If the Pens can force the
series back to Pittsburgh, they'll have two of the last three games at home
and we all know miracles – or calamities, depending on your perspective –
can happen.
“This is about one game and nothing more than one game and what we
need to do here,” said Julien. “We try to minimize all the hoopla around
everything and try to keep it to the one game. We didn't play our best game
the last game. The played better, we need to be a better team tonight.”
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Penguins, Bruins acknowledge how grueling extra periods can be in
playoffs
Friday, June 7, 2013
Author(s):
Despite the fatigue, sleep didn't come quickly for everyone.
"It's tough to sleep after that," Krug said. "I'm sure there are guys that had a
really hard time going to sleep."
Krug was one of them.
"Yeah, at first, and then I kind of dropped down from the high and I was
exhausted," he said.
Bruins coach Claude Julien said his club fought through the long game and
the aftermath as well as possible.
Shelly Anderson
"You do the best you can as far as psychologically," Julien said, but he
seemed even more concerned about the physical cost.
About 12 hours after playing the equivalent of an emotional 1 1/2 games
over the course of four hours, the Penguins and Boston Bruins were up and
about Thursday.
"I mean, there's two teams that have to feel the same way," he said. "When
you look at Pittsburgh, they worked just as hard as we did [Wednesday]
night and maybe even harder. But it's one of those things that [illustrates
that] this is a tough sport, and when you look at a game like [Wednesday]
night, you really learn to appreciate the athletes.
The Bruins reported to TD Garden, though only a couple of regulars
practiced. The Penguins milled about in their hotel.
The Penguins had to deal with trailing Boston, 3-0, in the Eastern
Conference final after dropping Game 3, 2-1, in double overtime
Wednesday.
"These games are really tough to lose," Penguins goaltender Tomas
Vokoun said.
Both teams were dealing with the physical fallout.
"It was a crazy game," Boston defenseman Torey Krug said. "We were
lucky enough to get the win and send the fans home happy, but it definitely
was pretty taxing."
Following the game, which ended after midnight, some players' faces were
red, others ashen, and they bore the look of fatigue, even though they had
managed the rigors of the long game as best they could.
"The staff's been helping," Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis said, explaining
that team conditioning coach Mike Kadar "was making [protein] shakes and
bringing food through the overtimes and letting us know what to put in our
bodies to get ready for the next game."
That included a lot of liquid.
"You just try to get fluids in you and stay hydrated when it goes that late,"
Penguins center Brandon Sutter said. "A big part of it, too, is [the next day],
getting that rest and trying to follow the same regimen, rehydrate and
refresh yourself."
Krug said even during the game, players were trying to find what worked for
them to keep them going.
In the playoffs, a tie at the end of regulation means full intermissions and
full periods until someone scores. Center Patrice Bergeron ended it by
scoring for Boston at 15:19 of the second overtime.
"Some guys do things differently than others," Krug said. "Some guys are
drinking special drinks."
Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara played 42 minutes, 5 seconds. Penguins
defenseman Kris Letang logged 40:50. Five others topped 35 minutes. And
most of those players already have more ice time than many of their
teammates under usual circumstances.
"That's something I think both teams are going to have to deal with in Game
4, is guys having played a lot of minutes in the last couple of hockey
games," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said.
Game 4 is tonight at TD Garden, with the Penguins facing elimination.
"The playoffs are a grueling time, and you prepare for that," Penguins
winger Matt Cooke said. "You gear up for that through the regular season.
"There may be some fatigue, but you have two days to gear up to go again.
I think our guys do a great job of being in shape and being ready to go."
Toward that end, players from both teams were still in recovery mode
Thursday.
"The physical toll, it was hard on everybody's body to play five periods, but
you've got to do the right thing the day after and hydrate and take care of
your body because [tonight] is going to be a battle again," Boston
defenseman Johnny Boychuk said.
"We finished [Thursday technically], and to come back right the next day
and be ready and willing to do it all over again [tonight] is pretty impressive.
I think hockey players deserve a lot of credit for their conditioning, their
commitment and everything else that goes with it."
Some players didn't feel the effects of double overtime so much.
Such as Boston fourth-line winger Shawn Thornton, who played 3 minutes,
56 seconds in the 95-plus minute game.
"You're asking the wrong guy," Thornton said of the rigors of the game. "I'm
fresh as a daisy."
For much more on the Penguins, read the Pens Plus blog with Dave
Molinari and Shelly Anderson
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Game 4, pregame: Daugavins in for Campbell
Friday, June 7, 2013 -- Mark Daniels
It’s official, Kaspars Daugavins is in for the injured Gregory Campbell.
During the team’s pregame skate, Daugavins was inserted into the third line
next to Rich Peverley and Tyler Seguin. Center Chris Kelly was moved
down to the fourth line with Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton. The lines
were the same during the B’s pregame warmups. Defensive pairings look to
be the same as they've been all series.
Daugavins played in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals
against Toronto, replacing Peverley. He totaled 9:52 of ice time and took
two shots on net. The Bruins won that game 4-1 and hope to see similar
results during tonight’s potential close-out Game 4 of the Eastern
Conference finals against Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old also has experience
in the penalty kill, an area where Campbell excelled. When Campbell got
injured during Game 3, Claude Julien inserted David Krejci into his penalty
kill.
Tonight’s Fan Banner Captains are William and Patricia Campbell of
Medford. Their daughter, Krystle, was one of the victims at the Marathon
bombings.
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Beyond wildest dreams
Sweep surprise as B’s dismantle Pens
Saturday, June 8, 2013
By:Steve Conroy
Enough people gave the Bruins a chance to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in
the Eastern Conference finals. If they had gutted out a seven-game series
win, it certainly would have been a notable upset, but not a shocker.
No one, however, expected things to happen like this.
Coming on the heels of their double-overtime victory on Wednesday, the
Bruins swept the Penguins in a 1-0 defensive classic in Game 4 at the
Garden last night to punch a ticket to their second Stanley Cup finals in
three years.
Tuukka Rask recorded his second shutout over the once-believed-to-bemighty Pens with 26 saves, including the final blast as time ran out. It came,
fittingly, off the future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, who spurned the Bruins’
overtures to obtain him in a trade and instead opted for the Penguins as his
preferred vessel to the hockey Holy Grail.
Iginla wound up with a goose egg in the series, but he had plenty of
company among his elite friends. For a team that averaged 4.27 goals a
game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Bruins-induced power
outage was incredible. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Kris
Letang all joined Iginla in failing to produce a single point against a
suffocating team defense that was led by Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg
and Patrice Bergeron.
But it was not exclusive to those big names.
The Pens came into the series with star power. The Bruins won the series
with staying power.
“We may not have the biggest stars in the world. We may not have the best
players in the world,” said David Krejci, the hero of Game 1. “But we may
have the best team in the world.”
That cannot be proven until they face off against either the Chicago
Blackhawks or the Los Angeles Kings, who battle tonight in Game 5 of the
Western Conference finals with Chicago up 3-1.
But the victories last night — both the game and the series — were ones
the B’s could deservedly bask in for at least a night.
“We were committed to do the little things, and really buy into our structure,
what we want to do defensively,” said Chara, who frustrated the Pens’ stars
for four games. “Let’s not kid ourselves: They have the best offense in the
world, and they are an unbelievable team. They probably deserved better,
but we were just playing under our game plan, and exposing what we do
well, and trying to limit what they’re trying to do.”
It was fitting that in this team-above-all victory, it was a B’s third-pair
defenseman, Adam McQuaid, who was the hero of the night. He scored the
lone goal of the game at 5:01 of the third period on a terrific blast.
Brad Marchand gained the offensive blue line and waited for the trailer that
he wanted. He looked off Krejci and then saw the strapping McQuaid
barreling down the middle of the ice and connected. McQuaid found a
crease in the Penguins’ shot-blocking defense, and lifted the puck over
Iginla’s stick and a sprawling Brandon Sutter to beat Tomas Vokoun with a
perfect shot high to the glove side.
A young man who battled for his life last autumn with blood clot issues,
McQuaid is the very essence of the humble Canadian boy. But his humility
didn’t make him shy away from the big moment.
“We said in the playoffs it’s about everyone, it’s about the team, and
everyone steps up at one point or another, and tonight it was Quaider,” said
Bergeron, who took his turn being the hero in Game 3. “He’s one of those
guys that you don’t necessarily see that often on the score sheet, but he
does his job and the way that he plays goes a long way, especially in the
playoffs, and tonight was his turn to score that big goal.”
From there, it was all about the defense and the goaltending again. And as
they had for the whole series, they came through with flying colors. The B’s
had to kill off 57 seconds of a Penguins power play (0-for-15 in the series),
and once Pittsburgh pulled Vokoun, there was a mad scramble at the end
until Iginla’s shot nestled into Rask’s glove as time ran out.
It was a perfect ending to a nearly perfect game.
“Tuukka and all the defensemen deserve a lot of credit for what they did in
this series,” Milan Lucic said. “The two best players in the world (Crosby
and Malkin) and you’re able to shut them down to zero points is more than
an accomplishment. We have full trust and belief in what they do. And it’s
great what we’ve done as a unit so far, but the job is not over yet.”
Maybe not. But the portion of the job that was finished last night was truly
remarkable.
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Boston Bruins
Neely’s grin bears it
you,” said Lucic. “Fortunately, we were able to turn it into a positive more
than a negative.”
Dogman steps in
Beating hated Pens puts smile on Cam’s face
With the loss of Gregory Campbell, Kaspars Daugavins got the call for the
Bruins, playing mostly on a line with Rich Peverley and Tyler Seguin,
though the bottom six forwards were mixed and matched a bit.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
He had a solid game and nearly put the B’s up in the second period when
he hit a post.
By:Steve Conroy, Bruins Notebook
Bruins president Cam Neely was walking from the team’s dressing room at
the Garden last night wearing just the slightest of grins.
With all of his history with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was asked, just how
satisfying it was to finally knock them out of the playoffs.
“I haven’t really thought of it,” said Neely, breaking into a much wider smile.
It was, of course, a joke. He has the kind of history with the Penguins that
you don’t easily forget. Not only had Neely lost two conference finals to
Pittsburgh in 1991 and ’92, but he suffered an injury from the knee of Ulf
Samuelsson that would lead to the end of his playing career.
The team the Bruins smothered in four games may not have been as good
as those Mario Lemieux-led Penguins, but a lot of people thought they were
close.
“I went up against them twice in the conference finals and we didn’t get as
far as this team did. We’re one step closer to where we want to be. But
when we found out we were playing Pittsburgh, you start thinking about
past history.”
Does this erase any of that history?
“Well, it just feels really good right now,” said Neely, who marveled at the
Bruins’ play in the series. “Talk about a team game, from Tuukka (Rask) on
out. Our ‘D’ played really well, our forwards were very smart. We just played
a great team game.”
Iginla: Loss ‘stings’
Jarome Iginla had his choice of where to go at the trading and, as we all
remember, he chose Pittsburgh as his best chance to win a Stanley Cup,
nixing a trade to the Bruins.
“It doesn’t make it easier, but I’m very fortunate to get the chance to come
to Pitt, and you want this opportunity. You want an opportunity to be in the
conference finals, and have a chance to win, and we had that chance,” said
Iginla, who went scoreless in the series. “The Bruins, they played very well,
they’re a very good team. I was fortunate to have that choice, and when you
make it you definitely believe in the guys here, and we played some great
hockey up until this last series.
“It also stings not playing well in this last series. These four games, I just
didn’t play very well, and that’s when you want to play your best for the
team, and you want to find ways to contribute and be a part of these close
games, and help it go the other way.”
Iginla has always been known as a class act and there was no one in the
Bruins locker room willing to rub salt in his wounds.
“First off, he’s a great player. He’s a legend, he’s a future Hall of Famer,
and I think looking back at that day, he earned the right to make the
decision that he made. You can never blame a guy for going with his heart
and making that type of decision. I’m not going to insult him in any way,”
said Milan Lucic. “He’s a guy that I always looked up to as a teenager and
seeing the way that he played. As a Canadian, seeing what he did in the
Olympics and all that type of stuff, he’s definitely an idol of mine.
“But like I said, he earned that right to make the decision that he made. I’m
sure if he could go back he would make a different decision, but in saying
that, he’s still a great player, he’s got a few more years ahead of him, and
you wish him nothing but the best.”
But did his decision to go with the Penguins get the B’s competitive juices
flowing?
“We kind of took it that way, in that sense that when a guy chooses another
team over your team, it kind of does light a little bit of a fire underneath
“I felt good; I had a lot of energy at the start,” said Daugavins, who hadn’t
played since Game 1 of the first round on May 1. “I didn’t play that much but
every time I got out there I enjoyed every second of it. I tried to keep it
simple because I hadn’t played in a while and it worked. Get pucks deep
and try to start a cycle and back check, it worked well.”
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Marchand dishes out game-winner
Saturday, June 8, 2013
By:Mark Daniels
All series long, Brad Marchand poked, prodded and got under the skin of
several of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He was a constant annoyance, and that didn’t stop last night during Game 4
of the Eastern Conference finals. But for Marchand, the best revenge came
in the form of one crisp pass to Adam McQuaid.
With the game scoreless in the third period, the left winger had the puck
and plenty of options. The Bruins were in the middle of a line change and
Marchand’s first thought was to dump the puck. But as he crossed over the
blue line, he immediately turned up and saw David Krejci. Krejci had a good
head of steam and Marchand thought about sending the puck his way.
But he waited for a moment.
As the Penguins defensemen pulled back, McQuaid was all alone.
Marchand sent him a pass and McQuaid put it home for the score, at 5:01,
to lift the B’s to a 1-0 win over the Penguins and send them to the Stanley
Cup finals.
“I didn’t see him until the last second when I gave it to him,” Marchand said.
“When I turned up, I was going to go to Krejci. I was looking for him. Then I
just saw Quaider came up behind him and Krejci just kind of pulled his guy
through and I just gave it to him. He made a great play.”
Marchand’s never been afraid to get in someone’s face. His role as an
irritant was highlighted in the 2011 Stanley Cup finals when he sent a series
of jabs to the face of Canucks forward Daniel Sedin.
And Marchand was a thorn in the Penguins’ side all night. In the second
period, he mixed it up with Brenden Morrow and Matt Niskanen. Both
Marchand and Niskanen earned matching roughing penalties.
After the game, Marchand said all the animosity made the victory even
sweeter.
“Yeah, I think so. It’s just how the game goes out there,” Marchand said.
“The tempers are flaring a bit. And especially when we’re this far in the
playoffs, guys’ tempers are going and there’s a lot of intensity out there. It’s
kind of right there in your face all the time. Guys are always going after
each other. It’s fun to be a part of.”
Marchand, who scored two goals in Game 3, has tallied 13 points (four
goals, nine assists) this postseason. The 25-year-old said he’s ecstatic as
he heads to the second Stanley Cup finals of his career.
“It’s very exciting. It’s a feeling you can’t describe. We’ve worked for this our
whole lives,” Marchand said. “It doesn’t matter that we won one a couple
years back. I think it made us that much hungrier to be back here and want
another one. We’re extremely excited right now.”
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Closing failures get bad rap
Saturday, June 8, 2013
By:Ron Borges
In baseball, closers provide relief. In sales, closeouts bring relief, too. But in
the dark lair of the Bruins, closeouts bring high anxiety and closers have
been in short supply these past six years.
Last night was the 22nd closeout game the Bruins have faced under the
leadership of Claude Julien. In the hours before the puck was dropped
between the Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins in what could become the
final game of the Eastern Conference finals, there was much discussion
about one fact: Julien’s Bruins were 8-13 in such games, including 2-3 thus
far during their playoff run this season.
Many in these parts have come to feel such disappointing numbers are
revealing of something being amiss at the core of the Bruins or Julien. This
is despite the fact that together they won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and may
soon be four victories (and at least one more “closeout game”) away from
doing it for the second time in three years. Many would see that as a pretty
good “closeout’’ record but others seem to focus not on the big picture but
on each individual closeout failure as if, in the end, the outcome of each
carries the same weight when in reality the only one that really matters is
the one that could close you out.
Hockey is not like pro football, where everything is decided in one game. In
the NFL playoffs every game is a closeout game so if one team or one
coach consistently comes up on the wrong end of such games a reputation
grows that cannot be shaken.
That was the sad, unfair fate of Marty Schottenheimer, who turned around
three franchises and still was labeled a loser. But when you are very likely
headed to the Stanley Cup finals twice in three years you might think this
closeout talk would by now have been, well, closed out.
That it has not is because the past is of interest to fans, ex-players and the
media more than to those who live in the moment. For active players only
one close out game matters: this one.
“You want to play your best game regardless of what happened in the
past,’’ Bruins center Chris Kelly said hours before that first puck dropped
last night. “We’ve gotten much better at being in the moment and at staying
in the moment.
“The main focus has to be on ourselves. The team playing for their lives is a
desperate team and a desperate team is a dangerous team. So if we worry
about them and what they’re going to bring, we’re in trouble.”
What the Penguins intended to bring was all they had. The Bruins intended
to do the same but the reality is it is one thing to be 0-3 and on the brink of
elimination and quite another to be 3-0 and on the brink of eliminating
someone else. The difference is the definition of human nature. It is not, as
many seem to think, that the team that can close out the other necessarily
loses focus or gives less effort than its opponent. It is simply that
desperation can bring a fire as difficult to contain as it is to maintain.
There is an element at work that makes winning such games much more
difficult for the lead dog than it would seem to civilian observers. It is the
difference between desperation and desire.
“When a team is facing elimination they are so desperate everyone brings
their ‘A’ game,’’ explained Brad Marchand, who often plays in that
desperate fashion. “Nobody is a weak link. That’s very difficult to match
that.
“All you can do is be sure you’re prepared because every time you give a
team life it’s dangerous. We have some experience with that around here
(Don’t remind us!).
“We’ve seen a lot of different things happen (at 3-0). We’ve been on the
other end. We know pumping any kind of life into a team is very
dangerous.”
The Bruins have not only been up 3-0 in a closeout game but also led 3-0 in
a closeout game and in both cases saw themselves closed out. It is a
memory that has lingered among fans and some in the media like the
memory of a getting food poisoning at a restaurant. You don’t forget that.
Yet one can learn from such experiences as well and the Bruins, despite
being 2-3 in closeouts this year going into last night, believe they have even
if others outside of their dressing room still wonder.
“I think we know how we need to play,” Julien said. “It’s about bringing it
tonight. This is about one game. It’s nothing more than about one game,
what we need to do here.
“We try and minimize, I guess, all the hoopla around everything and keep it
to the one game, how we need to play. Again, I mentioned yesterday that
we didn’t play our best game last game. They played better. So we need to
be a better team tonight.”
Not a more desperate team. Just a better one.
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Bruins sweep into Stanley Cup finals
Friday, June 7, 2013
By:Steve Conroy
Many people gave the Bruins a chance to beat Pittsburgh Penguins in the
Eastern Conference finals.
No one expected it to be like this.
The Bruins swept the Penguins in a 1-0 defensive classic at the Garden last
night to punch their ticket to their second Stanley Cup finals in three years.
Tuukka Rask (26 saves) recorded his second shutout over the mighty Pens,
who came into the series averaging 4.27 goals in the playoffs but scored
just two in four games against the B’s.
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Neal, Jarome Iginla and Kris Letang
all came up with goose eggs in the series.
Adam McQuaid scored the first and only goal of the game at 5:01 of the
third period on a blast. Brad Marchand gained the offensive blue line and
waited for the trailer he wanted. He looked off David Krejci, and then saw
McQuaid barrelling down the middle of the ice and connected. McQuaid
found a crease in the Penguins’ shot-blocking defense and beat Tomas
Vokoun with a perfect shot high to the glove side.
The game was eerily reminiscent of the B’s Game 7 victory in the Eastern
Conference finals two years ago, which was also a 1-0 win over Tampa
Bay.
In what felt like an extension of Game 3, the two teams were deadlocked 00 after two periods.
The Penguins got the first break of the game just 2:35 in when birthday boy
Milan Lucic was called for unsportsmanlike conduct when he touched
Penguins defenseman Douglas Murray on an icing. It was a light hit and
rather questionable icing call, as it appeared Zdeno Chara had gained the
red line on the follow through of his dump-in. But it was called icing and
thus a penalty on the Lucic hit.
But as the B’s had done on the first 12 Pittsburgh power plays in the series
to that point, they were able to kill it off.
The Pens, however, got some momentum off the power play, and they
pressured the B’s with a strong forecheck, causing a couple of turnovers on
the Bruins breakouts. The B’s would make seven turnovers in the first
period.
The Pens’ best chance came at 7:40 when it looked like Crosby would
break free coming through the slot. Crosby, however, was harassed by
Johnny Boychuk and had to rush his shot, which went off Rask and out of
play.
The B’s got their chance on the power play at 9:22 when the Pens were
called for too many men on the ice.
On the power play, the first unit kept the puck in the Pittsburgh zone for
much of the advantage and got a few shots on Vokoun, but couldn’t put one
past him.
But as the Pens did, the B’s seemed to get a little jump-start from the
advantage, and they carried the play through the middle of the period.
The B’s had a good chance when a loose puck came out and Nathan
Horton had an empty net, but a Penguin just got his stick on it before
Horton could.
Boston Herald LOADED: 06.08.2013
680363
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo's Bailey, Blujus invited to USA Hockey's world junior camp
June 7, 2013 - 12:53 PM
By John Vogl
The United States will go for a repeat at the next world junior hockey
championships. Justin Bailey and Dylan Blujus have a chance to be part of
it.
USA Hockey will hold its national junior evaluation camp Aug. 3-10 in Lake
Placid, and the Buffalo-area duo is among the 40 players invited. Bailey, a
17-year-old forward from Williamsville, plays for Kitchener of the Ontario
Hockey League and is eligible for the NHL draft June 30. Blujus, a 6-3
defenseman for North Bay of the OHL, was selected by Tampa Bay in the
second round of the 2012 draft.
The national team will be selected during a pretournament camp in midDecember. The world juniors will begin Dec. 26 in Sweden.
Buffalo News LOADED: 06.08.2013
680364
Buffalo Sabres
Road to the NHL Draft: Max Domi
June 7, 2013 - 10:00 AM
By John Vogl
Max Domi
Position: Center
Junior team: London (OHL)
Born: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Measurables: 5-foot-9, 185 pounds
2012-13 stats: 64 games, 39 goals, 48 assists, 87 points
Central Scouting rank: No. 19 (North America)
Lowdown: There’s no doubt being the son of an NHL player has certain
perks. Domi, for example, grew up sharing the ice with stars such as Mats
Sundin, Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts while his dad, Tie, played for
Toronto. Max Domi learned how to be a pro from a young age.
There can be drawbacks, as well. Opponents see the name on the back of
the sweater and take their best shot. But Domi’s main obstacles have
included Type 1 diabetes and inheriting his dad’s lack of height. The
compact, powerful forward wears an insulin pump during games and
monitors his glucose levels on the bench and at intermission.
Domi has overcome the challenges so far. He’s strong like his pugilistic
father, but he’s mainly a scorer. He had a hat trick in his OHL debut and
has continued to torment goaltenders. He has top-level speed and an
impressive touch around the net. The concern is whether he’ll get pushed
around by bigger players at the NHL level, but the name Domi carries a
reputation for fighting through obstacles.
He said it: "It’s a blessing to be able to hang around with guys like Mats
Sundin, Mario Lemieux, ask them questions and learn from them,
obviously. It’s definitely beneficial for me. It’s a lot of fun to be around
them.” – Domi.
The Buffalo News is profiling 30 prospects in 30 days leading up to the NHL
draft June 30.
Buffalo News LOADED: 06.08.2013
680365
Chicago Blackhawks
Quenneville's line changes -- it was Two-Fer Thursday
Some of the Hawks’ biggest stars showed up Thursday night. They scored
goals that turned the game and the series.
Nice of them to help out Bickell.
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.08.2013
Steve Rosenbloom
The RosenBlog
8:16 AM CDT, June 7, 2013
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville changed lines.
Of course, Quenneville changed lines. That’s what he does when things get
dire, and sometimes even when they don’t.
But in the second period of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals in Los
Angeles, the Hawks were desperate. Sure, they had established their pace.
Sure, they were moving the puck through the center because they smartly
avoided getting pinned along the boards. But the Hawks were desperate.
They had just blown a two-man advantage of nearly a minute in a one-goal
game. Then they wasted the subsequent 5-on-4 advantage.
The Hawks might’ve been criticized for trying to be too cute on the two-man
advantage, but that’s the smart play. Work for one shot. Instead, the Hawks
managed none.
With a 5-on-4 advantage, the idea is to shoot and crash the net. The Hawks
couldn’t do that, either, managing one shot that Kings goalie Jonathan
Quick saw and gloved.
The Hawks failed to get the puck into the dangerous area or move it well
enough to create a clean blast. They needed to be clutch. They were
capable only of playing catch along the perimeter.
And so, the Hawks were desperate, and oh, were they ever missing
suspended defenseman Duncan Keith.
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, they say your best players have to be your best
players. In these playoffs, the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews,
Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook have been some of their
most worst.
It’s hard enough to beat Quick even up, and here were the Hawks blowing a
golden chance.
Or maybe it’s not that hard.
As he does when the Hawks struggle to create offense, Quenneville put
together Kane and Toews, and bang, here came one important sequence,
perhaps the most important sequence of the playoffs going forward.
Kane motored around the slot and shot. Toews shot near the right. Kane
centered to Niklas Hjalmarsson for a slap shot at the top of the slot. Finally,
Kane shoveled in a Bryan Bickell deflection that trickled behind Quick to
make it 2-2 late in the second period.
Just like that, the two struggling stars from whom Quenneville said he
needed more were reunited and immediately started, continued and
finished a critical scoring play.
Quenneville, of course, changes a second line when he changes a first, and
would you look at that:
Hossa, who was dropped from Toews’ line, took a slick pass from Michal
Handzus, who used to center Kane, and roofed the go-ahead goal 70
seconds into the third period. Three-two, Hawks.
Talk about your ultiamte two-fer: Quenneville changed his top two lines, and
one scored the tying goal while the other nailed the winner.
The Hawks protected that lead the rest of the way, limiting the Kings to just
two shots in the third period. Three games to one, Hawks.
A win at home Saturday puts them in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time
since Kane scored that forever goal. Interesting how it always seems to
come back to certain names.
The Hawks weren’t going to do anything in this series if their stars couldn’t
score, especially in a rink where the Kings hadn’t lost this postseason.
680366
Chicago Blackhawks
Hawks happy to have Keith back Saturday
By Shannon Ryan
Tribune reporter
5:10 PM CDT, June 7, 2013
Nobody in the dressing room was as giddy as the man who didn't play.
After beating the Kings 3-2 in a critical Game 4 on the road Thursday night,
Blackhawks players were rushed by suspended defenseman Duncan Keith.
"He was pumped up when we came into the locker room," defenseman
Niklas Hjalmarsson said Friday when the team arrived back in Chicago from
a cross-country flight. "We were all happy obviously, but he was probably
one of the happiest guys. He was jumping around and giving us fist bumps.
It was fun to see. I can just imagine. It’s always worse watching than
actually playing the games. It was probably pretty tough for him."
Keith can release his energy on the ice again.
After sitting out for a one-game suspension, Keith will return for Game 5 of
the Western Conference finals Saturday night at the United Center, where
the Hawks can eliminate the Kings. He was banned for the game after highsticking Kings Jeff Carter in the face.
"We’re looking forward to getting him back in the lineup," captain Jonathan
Toews said. "We know how much he can help our team."
Winning without Keith, who is considered one of the top defensemen in the
NHL, proved something to the other Blackhawks, they said.
"We’ve played without some of our top players before," Toews said.
"There’s a little bit of a mental hurdle there at first when you realize you’re
going to be without that guy. We have a lot of great players who can step in.
That’s what makes us a good team."
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.08.2013
680367
Chicago Blackhawks
Bruins won't give an inch
McQuaid's goal enough for 1-0 victory and series sweep as Penguins can't
get offense started
By Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune reporter
11:15 PM CDT, June 7, 2013
BOSTON — With one Adam McQuaid slap shot, the Bruins' sweep was
complete.
In a defensive battle Friday night at TD Garden, McQuaid scored the lone
goal to give the Bruins' a 1-0 victory over the Penguins and the Eastern
Conference finals 4-0.
The Penguins made a desperate scramble in front of the net in the final 45
seconds, but as they couldn't convert an equalizer, the crowd of 17,565
began to roar.
As the Bruins celebrated, the roar turned to chants of "We want the Cup!"
The Bruins will make their second appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in
three years after winning in 2011. They will face the winner of the Western
Conference finals between the Blackhawks and the Kings, which resume
Saturday night at the United Center with the Hawks up 3-1.
"It feels good to contribute that way when you don't normally," said
McQuaid, a defenseman who scored just his second goal and third point of
the playoffs. "You look at so many great efforts we had from guys tonight.
The last 10 minutes of the game, guys were all over the ice doing whatever
it took to preserve that (lead)."
The Penguins hadn't been swept in the playoffs since the Bruins took the
1979 quarterfinal round from them.
The talk entering the game was about the difficulty facing the Penguins as
they tried to recover from a 3-0 series deficit. But the Bruins and goaltender
Tuukka Rask pitched the second shutout of the series to stop the comeback
talk before it could get started.
The Bruins allowed just two goals in the series against a team that entered
averaging 4.27 per game in the playoffs. Rask made 26 saves Friday and
breathed a sigh of relief after the Bruins made their final stand.
"It's just a scramble," Rask said of the final minute. "You can't see anything.
People are laying everywhere. You don't have a stick. You just try to grow
yourself as big as you can to stop the puck."
On the winning goal, Brad Marchand got the puck up the ice, paused and
sent a pass back to McQuaid. He fired a shot to the top left corner of the net
past Penguins goaltender Tomas Vokoun with 14 minutes, 59 seconds to
play in the third period. Vokoun made 23 saves.
"I got up the ice, and Marshy kind of stopped up and made a nice pass to
me," McQuaid said. "I just tried to get a shot on net, and luckily it went in."
The Penguins had a better start Friday than they did in the first three
games. They didn't allow a Bruins goal in the first period for the first time
this series.
The Penguins didn't score a power-play goal the entire series, going 0-for-3
Friday to bring their series total to 0-for-15. It was a surprising twist for a
team that boasts offensive powerhouses such as Sidney Crosby and
Evgeni Malkin, neither of whom had a point in the series.
"We're very happy with how we played," Marchand said. "It's a pretty
amazing thing, and I guess lucky too, that we were able to hold them to two
goals. There's so much talent and skill."
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.08.2013
680368
Chicago Blackhawks
Game 4 victory uplifting for Keith
Star defenseman euphoric after Hawks took 3-1 series edge while he was
suspended
By Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune reporter
9:06 PM CDT, June 7, 2013
Nobody in the dressing room was as giddy as the man who didn't play.
After the Blackhawks beat the Kings 3-2 in a critical Game 4 on the road
Thursday night in Los Angeles, suspended defenseman Duncan Keith
rushed his triumphant teammates.
"He was pumped up when we came into the locker room," defenseman
Niklas Hjalmarsson said Friday after the team arrived back in Chicago from
a cross-country flight. "We were all happy obviously, but he was probably
one of the happiest.
"He was jumping around and giving us fist bumps. It was fun to see. I can
just imagine. It's always worse watching than actually playing the games. It
was probably pretty tough for him."
Keith can release his energy on the ice again.
After sitting out for his one-game suspension for high sticking Jeff Carter in
Game 3, Keith will return for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals
Saturday night at the United Center, where the Hawks can eliminate the
Kings.
"We are looking forward to getting him back in the lineup," captain Jonathan
Toews said. "We know how much he can help our team."
Winning without Keith, who is considered one of the top defensemen in the
NHL, proved something to the other Blackhawks, they said.
"We've played without some of our top players before," Toews said.
"There's a little bit of a mental hurdle at first when you realize you're going
to be without that guy. (but) we have a lot of great players who can step in.
That's what makes us a good team."
Power moves: The Hawks' penalty kill is notoriously effective, going 14 of
15 in the series against the Kings and 54 of 56 in the playoffs.
But they admit their power play could use a little work.
They were scoreless in four opportunities with a man advantage in Game 4,
including a 53-second 5-on-3 chance in the second period.
"That could be a small thing maybe," Toews said. "We trailed for at least
half the game until we tied it in the second. It's something that we're always
focused on and we'll keep trying to work on it. We know it can make a
difference in the series."
Coach Joel Quenneville seemed less concerned.
"I don't think we've struggled," he said. "I thought we did some good things
during this series in our power play. Maybe in production it's not reflecting
the zone time or the quality or the momentum you go into the power play
with. The 5-on-3 was disappointing.
At the same time, we're a pretty good penalty killing team. As long as you
don't lose the momentum I think your power play is OK, though certainly
you would like something to show for it."
Tuning in: Or not.
Believe the Blackhawks when they say they are not looking ahead.
Asked if he was going to watch a possible elimination game in the Eastern
Conference finals between the Bruins and Penguins on Friday night,
Hjalmarsson said, "If I have nothing else to do I might watch it."
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.08.2013
680369
Chicago Blackhawks
Hawks know power of desperation mode
They rallied thrice to win elimination games in semis just as Kings must do
against them
By Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune reporter
8:21 PM CDT, June 7, 2013
It wasn't that long ago when questions enveloped the Blackhawks about a
likely inevitable exit from the NHL playoffs.
Down 3-1 to the Red Wings in the Western Conference semifinals, they
were headed off the cliff.
Instead, something clicked.
Now, conversely, with a 3-1 advantage over the Kings and one game from
the Stanley Cup Final, the Hawks hardly are expecting their opponent to
come into the United Center meekly Saturday night for Game 5.
"We were on the other end of this so we know what they're thinking,"
defenseman Johnny Oduya said Friday. "We know this is not over."
The desperate must-win scenario sparked the Hawks who won three
straight from the Wings to claim the series.
The Blackhawks know better than anyone that being one game away from
advancing does not equal a punched ticket.
"We had that the other series and we woke up, knowing (we had) to play
the best game of the series," Niklas Hjalmarsson said.
Captain Jonathan Toews is looking Saturday night as just the start.
"We can just go into that game with the mindset that we're down 3-1," he
said. "That's what we've said the last couple of games in L.A. We know the
other team is coming at you hard. It's up to you to motivate yourself and try
to put yourself in that position that you feel like you're in a seventh game or
your back's up against the wall.
"We did that (in Game 4). We know we have to raise our level of play even
more (in Game 5)."
The Blackhawks appear to have the necessary momentum to close out the
series. They served the Kings with their first home playoff loss Thursday
night, ending a 15-game home winning streak, and they did it without star
defenseman Duncan Keith, who will return to the ice after serving a onegame suspension.
Also working to their advantage is the fact the Kings struggle mightily on the
road.
They are just 1-7 in road playoff games this season, including two losses at
the United Center already.
"They're a great team, and it's always toughest to win to close out a series,"
Hjalmarsson said. "(But we) always look forward to playing at the United
Center. We know the crowd is going to be rocking."
Facing elimination against the Red Wings revitalized the Blackhawks,
coach Joel Quenneville said.
"That's where we started to become a team," he said. "The progression in
our team game has evolved where it's a little more confident."
While the Hawks prepared for a Kings' late awakening, they are eager to
close out the series before the home crowd.
"We don't want to go back to L.A.," Oduya said.
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.08.2013
680370
Chicago Blackhawks
That encapsulates how perfectly the stars have been aligned for Bickell
lately. And it proves that the NHL playoffs can't be predicted or explained.
Predicting NHL playoffs perilous
I'm going to keep trying though. Possessing a willingness to embarrass
yourself is part of the job.
Question Hawks' depth and look the fool
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.08.2013
Dan McNeil
8:16 PM CDT, June 7, 2013
If anybody in the sports observation business ever tells you he or she
doesn't take enormous joy in being right, they're lying.
Everybody with a laptop or a microphone relishes every opportunity to spike
the ball after a prediction — be it on a game, a season, a career — proves
correct. As it is with sports wagering, however, it's much easier to recall, in
vivid detail, those "I'm telling you this is what's going to happen" projections
when they belly up.
Good thing I don't blush easily. My NHL crystal ball has been an off-thecharts disaster this spring.
Leave it to the Stanley Cup playoffs to slam the brakes on my "told ya so"
roll: Brian Urlacher's career being over, the White Sox being much closer to
Cubs-level bad than anybody realized, etc.
Just after my "the Blackhawks are the hammer and the Red Wings are the
nail" proclamation one game into the Western Conference semifinals blew
up, I was telling anybody who would listen that the Hawks were coming
back from Los Angeles with the series tied 2-2.
Without suspended defenseman Duncan Keith, the Hawks were certain to
lose. Nobody could have convinced me otherwise.
Keith's performance in the first game of the series, on both ends of the rink,
was his best of the year. Two nights after the Hawks couldn't get out of their
own zone, there was no way that would change with Keith in civilian clothes
for his boneheaded retaliation against Jeff Carter.
Question the depth of this Hawks roster and look the fool.
I know Niklas Hjalmarsson is a terrific player, but I didn't think he would be
mobile enough to log the extra time two nights after taking a bullet of a slap
shot off his right knee in Game 3. Hjalmarsson played more than 25
minutes and showed no ill effects.
Brent Seabrook rose to the occasion. Michal Rozsival got much more ice
time and responded. Johnny Oduya and Nick Leddy were steady.
The Hawks' blue-liners got the puck out of the defensive zone. In tandem
with the spirited forechecking efforts of the forwards, the Hawks afforded
Corey Crawford his easiest third period in 16 playoff games, holding the
Kings to two shots on goal.
So how in the world can Darryl Sutter's Kings, who were unbeaten after
scoring first at home this season, muster up an effort Saturday and extend
the series to six games?
It's the NHL playoffs. I would recommend waiting until Sunday morning
before checking flights and hotels in Boston for the finals.
The Hawks are going to their second finals in four years, but I can't say with
any more conviction that they will punch that ticket in Game 5 than I can
predict Saturday's winning Powerball numbers.
The Bruins were left for dead in the first round, and the Maple Leafs
choked. The Blues blew a 2-0 series lead on the Kings in the first round.
The Red Wings, the No. 7 seed, were sure to upset the Hawks after taking
a 3-1 series lead in the conference semis.
Professional hockey defies logic. How does one explain role player Bryan
Bickell's ascent to first-line status? The soon-to-be-wealthy winger has gone
from grinder to Conn Smythe contender.
The puck has been finding Bickell. And he has been cashing in. Bickell
scored his eighth playoff goal Thursday, albeit on Jonathan Quick's worst
moment in the series. The NHL's hottest goaltender couldn't get anything
on an unobstructed Bickell knuckler.
680371
Chicago Blackhawks
Rozsival fits the bill
Whatever Hawks ask, veteran defenseman delivers — including quality
starter's minutes
By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter
8:12 PM CDT, June 7, 2013
Michal Rozsival had a vision in his head when he hit the free-agent market
last summer.
The veteran defenseman had several suitors, but it was the dream of
hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head that drew him to the Blackhawks.
Rozsival and the Hawks are now one game from the opportunity to play for
the Cup as they own a 3-1 edge over the Kings in the best-of-seven
Western Conference finals with Game 5 set Saturday night at the United
Center.
"We're not quite there, what I was imagining, but we're on the right track,"
Rozsival said. "I'm having a blast right playing with this group (and) I
couldn't be happier."
The Hawks are pretty pleased with Rozsival's presence as the 34-year-old
has become a vital cog along the blue line. Since signing a one-year, $2
million contract Sept. 11 after playing with the Coyotes in 2011-12, Rozsival
has helped the Hawks many ways. He has filled in when needed, played on
special teams and stepped up to log starter minutes as he did in Game 4
with Duncan Keith suspended Thursday night in Los Angeles. Paired with
Johnny Oduya to form the second unit, Rozsival logged 25 minutes, 28
seconds of ice time as the Hawks limited the Kings to 21 shots in a 3-2
victory.
"All year (Rozsival) probably didn't get a good chance to play those types of
minutes but he certainly … could have handled it," coach Joel Quenneville
said. "He has played in all types of situations. He can play against top guys.
Offensively, he has the puck a lot and has real good patience. He looked
like an old pro out there (Thursday). He's a good fit for us (with) good
experience. He has been around the league, he gives us some size (and)
he's really patient with the puck."
Added Oduya: "He has been tremendous the whole year. He's a skill guy,
smart with the puck and makes plays. You give him that opportunity to play
a little bit more and steps up and plays a great game."
Though he joined the Hawks because he believed he had a good chance to
capture the Cup, Rozsival is one of the reasons the team is in position to do
just that.
"I knew the Blackhawks with the personnel they had and the players they
had up front from playing against them last year in the playoffs," Rozsival
said. "I knew they were a great team. Definitely a contender."
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.08.2013
680372
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks and their fans deny Kings the comforts of home
BY RICK TELANDER rtelander@suntimes.com June 6, 2013 11:46PM
‘‘Their transition is where it gets really hard,’’ said Kings forward Dustin
Brown. ‘‘You’re ultimately going one way and they’re going another.’’
That’s the good Blackhawks we know, the ones who have such gifted
players as Jonathan Toews, Kane, Hossa, Patrick Sharp and so many
others. It’s the Blackhawks that don’t get caught up in dumb fights and silly
slashes. The team that coach Joel Quenneville has built to prove other
teams aren’t as skilled or cohesive.
Updated: June 7, 2013 2:46PM
‘‘At this stage, it doesn’t matter who scores,’’ Hossa said. ‘‘You just want to
win.’’
LOS ANGELES — The puck dropped for Game 4, and Duncan Keith was
nowhere to be found.
Yes, you do. A second trip to the finals in three years is the prize. Then,
maybe a second trip for the Cup itself, showing up in the schools and
offices and parks and bars in Chicago.
But the Blackhawks opened up the ice against the hard-hitting Los Angeles
Kings, their defense held strong, and they pulled off a huge come-frombehind 3-2 win against last year’s Stanley Cup champs.
With a minute to go at Staples Center, actor Will Ferrell came on the
Jumbotron over center ice and screamed like the craziest of fans, ‘‘I NEED
TO HEAR YOU!’’
For Keith, it has to be a relief that his team won without him.
And it should be a reminder that the Hawks are deep and good. Keith isn’t a
bad guy, and he immediately tried to apologize to Carter after high-sticking
him. And he didn’t complain about Carter having tried to break Keith’s hand
with a nasty slash to Keith’s fallen left glove only moments before the
penalty.
The crowd erupted into its ‘‘Go, Kings, go!’’ chant, which was matched
word-for-word by the thousands of Blackhawks fans in the arena
screaming, ‘‘Go, Hawks, go!’’
But that was two games ago.
The combo came out, ‘‘Glow, blah, bloke!’’ and must have inspired the
visitors even more.
Biggest game of the year.
On-fire goaltender Corey Crawford ran out the clock against the dazed
Kings and sealed the deal.
Yes, Chicago fans are everywhere. And they’ll go nuts back home when
Game 5 occurs Saturday night at the United Center and the Hawks have a
chance to move straight on to the Stanley Cup finals.
What will it take to get that critical fourth win?
‘‘Just play well defensively,’’ answered Hawks winger Marian Hossa, as
beautiful a veteran skater as there is in the league. ‘‘Just play the checking
game, because when we do that, we feel like we have the fastest players
and we can take off.’’
Man, can they.
Hossa sped up ice and took a lovely pass from the left side from teammate
Michal Handzus early in the third period and lifted it like a laser beam over
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick.
This is a place where nobody beats the Kings, remember? But the Hawks
didn’t get that memo. Had they lost this game, they might have destroyed
whatever momentum they had achieved in the first two wins of the series.
‘‘They say the last game is the toughest,’’ added Hossa. ‘‘When you want to
close it.’’
And that sweet assist from Handzus, after Johnny Oduya stole the puck to
set up the charge for that third and game-winning goal?
‘‘Ahh, that hit me right in my wheelhouse,’’ the gifted man said with a smile.
Getting hit in the wheelhouse is a good thing. Better than getting hit in the
face and needing some dental adjustment and 21 stitches, as the Kings’
Jeff Carter did after Keith whacked him in Game 3. That’s why Keith wasn’t
around, but Niklas Hjalmarsson and defenseman Brent Seabrook played
more than 24 minutes each, and they finished a combined plus-3, meaning
they done damn good.
‘‘Everybody who was chipping in, whoever was there, they are on the same
page,’’ Hossa said.
That means even the much-criticized and bottled-up Patrick Kane, the little
dervish who twice was crushed into the boards by Kings semi-brute Robyn
Regehr, who goes 6-3, 230.
But Kane came flying from the left, tapping in the second goal of the
game,while launching himself over Quick like a Frisbee.
It was great to see, proving that, as Kane had said, ‘‘I didn’t suddenly just
get bad.’’
Kane flew all over, finding open spaces and, best of all, going to the net.
Now it’s full strength on the home ice coming up.
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Chicago Blackhawks
Michal Rozsival helps keep clamp on Kings
BY ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com June 7, 2013 10:16PM
Updated: June 8, 2013 2:15AM
He didn’t have any points, he didn’t log the most minutes and he had one
shot on goal, according to official statistics. But call defenseman Michal
Rozsival the unsung hero of the Blackhawks’ 3-2 victory against the Los
Angeles Kings in Game 4 on Thursday.
The attention just came a day later.
“He was like an old pro out there,” coach Joel Quenneville said of Rozsival,
who logged 25 minutes, 28 seconds of ice time with top defensemen
Duncan Keith suspended.
“He probably didn’t get the chance to play those kind of minutes, but he
certainly probably could have handled it. Last night, he got a chance to get
a little more opportunity to play, played all situations. He did a great job. He
did what we were hoping he’d do.”
By no means is Rozsival the fastest skater, but his defensive awareness
and steady play kept the Kings out of the Hawks’ zone.
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson might have garnered the most attention
for the strong play of the Hawks’ blue line without Keith, but he was very
admiring of what Rozsival did.
“You can just see, he’s been around for a long time and he knows where to
put pucks and he knows where the centermen are in the ‘D’ zone,”
Hjalmarsson said. “He’s just a really smart player that I personally can try to
learn stuff from, too, just the way he makes situations out there look really
easy.”
No. 2 returns
The Hawks were happy with how they played without Keith, but they’re
even happier that they’ll have the 2010 Norris Trophy winner back in their
lineup for an elimination game Saturday.
The Hawks saw how tough it was for Keith to sit out.
“He was pretty pumped up when we came in the locker room there [after
the win],” Hjalmarsson said. “We were all happy. But he was probably one
of the happiest guys. I would say he was jumping around and giving us fist
pumps. It was fun to see. I can just imagine. It’s always worse watching
than actually playing the game.”
Shutdown mode
The Hawks showed a killers instinct in the third period of Game 4, holding
the Kings to two shots. That included time with Jonathan Quick pulled for an
extra attacker.
“Our team game had a real purpose to it, whether it was puck placement,
protecting the puck, good forecheck, good zone time in the offensive zone,
odd-man rushes having to defend,” Quenneville said. “There’s four
defensemen that played a ton in that period, and they did an excellent job in
front of Corey [Crawford].”
Penner can play
The NHL announced that Kings forward Dustin Penner would not be
disciplined for his elbow to the head of center Dave Bolland in the third
period of Game 4.
In a tweet, the league stated, “Penner/Bolland: A reflex forearm prior to a
collision. Not predatory. Not retaliatory. No history. No Supplemental
Discipline.”
Richards watch
It looks like the Kings still will be without center Mike Richards in Game 5.
Kings coach Darryl Sutter said “it is still doubtful at best” that Richards
plays.
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Chicago Blackhawks
If the Hawks manage to send the defending champs home in five games, it
will be a testament of not only how far they’ve come this postseason, but of
how far they are capable of going.
Even on cusp of series win, Blackhawks can reach another level
Then we can talk about the Bruins.
BY ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com June 7, 2013 10:16PM
“Everybody is going to be aware that [Saturday] is going to be a heckuva
battle,” Quenneville said. “Let’s go do what we have to do.”
Updated: June 8, 2013 2:15AM
Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 06.08.2013
Blackhawks coach Joel -Quen-neville sold his decision to watch Game 4 of
the Eastern Conference Final between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh
Penguins on Friday like it was any other game earlier in the series.
But with a 3-1 stranglehold on the Western Conference Final against the
Los Angeles Kings, it must seem a little different, right?
“We’ve watched every game,” Quenneville said. “And we watch it very
closely.”
Quenneville and Co. aren’t quite ready to talk about the Bruins or a bigger,
grander series that could be in their future. As they always say in hockey,
the Hawks are focusing on their next game — Game 5 on Saturday at the
United Center.
“We put ourselves in a good spot for [Saturday],” Jonathan Toews said.
“We’re looking forward to that.”
But the only way the Kings get out of their 3-1 series hole is if the Hawks let
them.
It’s become more obvious that the Hawks only will be done in by
themselves, that anything is possible if they do the right things to make it
possible. That applies now and later if they do what everyone expects them
to do and advance.
“We know we have to raise our level of play even more, so we’ll go forward
with that mentality,” Toews said.
That’s the intriguing aspect about the Hawks. They’re one victory away from
the Stanley Cup Final, and their play can reach another level. It’s not just
locker-room speak, either. There are definite — and attainable — areas for
improvement.
Start with their hapless power play, which continues to infuriate fans and
baffle everyone. How can a team that struts out star after star after star be
so uncreative and unsuccessful on the power play (14.3 percent in the
postseason)?
Quenneville called the two-man advantage the Hawks had in
Game 4 “a disappointing miss” and said the Kings did a good job of taking
away some set plays. Quenneville didn’t want to get into the technical
details, but it can be argued that the Hawks’ power play is often filled with
too many statues and passes and not enough movement and shots.
“The production is maybe not reflecting the zone time, the quality or the
momentum you go into the power play with,” Quenneville said. “It’s been
OK, but certainly we’d like something to show for it.”
Winger Patrick Kane played more like he can in Game 4, and more of that
effort will be needed. And everyone is waiting for center Dave Bolland, the
“Rat” of 2010, to come out.
“We progressively in these playoffs have gotten better and better as we’ve
gone along,” Quenneville said. “I think that’s the character of our team.”
Most of the Hawks’ woes this postseason are self-inflicted. The series
against the Detroit Red Wings is full of examples. They made goalie Jimmy
Howard’s job way too easy at times, didn’t adjust fast enough to what the
Red Wings were doing to neutralize their speed in the neutral zone and
even lost their composure.
Against the Kings, the same is true, whether it’s defenseman Duncan Keith
getting suspended, third-line grunt Andrew Shaw committing ill-timed
penalties, Kane staying to the outside far too much and so on.
Maybe it’s just the ebb and flow of one team’s postseason, but there is still
some untapped potential left for the Hawks.
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Chicago Blackhawks
Spellman’s Scorecard: A whole lot of hard Hawks hockey
Now if it turns out to be Nadal vs. Djokovic in the men's finals, I'll be all over
that.
Speaking of majors:
Longshot for U.S. Open: Zach Johnson.
By Mike Spellman
So long, Deacon:
Yeah, I'll admit it. My only memory of Deacon Jones was his guest role on
"The Brady Bunch."
Gotta say it:
(Rare) soccer talk:
Duncan Keith deserved that suspension.
Just can't do that.
I know people say hockey is a tough sport to figure out, but for my money
nothing tops the MLS.
Question:
The game itself is easy to follow.
I wonder how many times over the years Brendan Shanahan, the NHL
player safety guru, would've suspended Brendan Shanahan the player?
The off-the-field stuff? Impossible.
Does that even make sense?
Well deserved:
I know it was probably just fate that the best picture Sports Illustrated had
for its regional cover was of Marcus Kruger mixing it up along the boards.
But I love it anyway.
Kruger may not be a marquee name, but the guy throws it all out there all
the time and deserves a little pub.
And if it can't be my guy Michael Frolik, Kruger's a good second option.
Q is right:
Niklas Hjalmarsson is a warrior.
Who was that guy?
While some people sensed trouble Tuesday night when the camera caught
"Chicago guy" Jim Belushi in the seats at the Staples Center, my uh-oh
moment came about three minutes into the game when Patrick Sharp
dropped the gloves.
Players leave midway through the season to go play for teams in their
home countries. You've got your loaners, your DPs, your random friendlies
…
Not that I'm trying too hard to figure any of it out, but when I do give an
effort, my head explodes.
Ahh ... OK:
Now we know why Robin Ventura didn't want to sign that contract
extension.
She's done it again:
A year after introducing everyone to jockey Tim Thornton, Arlington track
analyst Jessica Pacheco is picking right up where she left off with a new
video series called "Racehorse" featuring local owners and the equine
athletes they adore. You can find it at arlingtonpark.com.
After watching the premiere episode, pretty sure this is going to be mustsee stuff.
Two out of three ain't bad:
Showdown at Belmont!
Someone got in his head.
Oxbow vs. Orb!
Just wondering:
Crickets.
Did the city council OK the Cubs' selection of third baseman Kris Bryant in
the first round?
Daily Herald Times LOADED: 06.08.2013
Instant reaction:
I know it's all about pitching, but, man, I really like this pick.
I'm still a little skittish about taking a pitcher that early, and for that I say:
Thank you Mark Prior!
Fun in the press box:
Sunday night at the UC during Game 2, this one media guy was walking
down the stairs of the three-tiered press box with a cup of coffee and just as
he neared the lower tier, he did a Dick Van Dyke over the ottoman routine
and his coffee went flying … all over a couple of reporters.
What a dork.
Yeah, you got it, it was me.
The equation:
The 1-888-709-LIMO commercial is to this decade what the Victory Auto
Wreckers ad was to the 1980s.
Discuss.
Talking tennis:
I'll admit it, I only watch tennis when it's the finals of a major and it's
between two marquee players.
This weekend it will be Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova. Not sure I'm
gonna watch this one though because honestly I can't remember a
competitive match between those two.
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Chicago Blackhawks
Hawks need to come out with killer mentality in Game 5
By Tim Sassone
If the Blackhawks learned anything from the last round against Detroit, it's
that no lead is safe — not even a 3-1 advantage in a series.
That's why the Hawks are taking a guarded approach to Saturday's Game 5
of the Western Conference finals.
The Hawks can close out the Kings with another win and return to the
Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in four years, this time to play
Boston, but they know Los Angeles won't go quietly.
"I think we can just go into (Game 5) with the mindset that we're down 3-1,"
said captain Jonathan Toews, who helped lead the Hawks back from a 3-1
deficit against the Red Wings. "You know the other team's going to come at
you hard, but it's up to you to motivate yourself and try and put yourself in
that position where you feel like you're in a seventh game or your back's up
against the wall.
"I think that's when you play with the most desperation, so we did that
(Thursday) and we know we have to raise our level of play even more."
The Bruins advanced to the Finals on Friday with a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh,
completing the four-game sweep.
If the Hawks win Saturday, the Finals would start Wednesday at the United
Center.
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville is expecting the Kings to play their best
game of the series.
"Everybody's got to be aware that (Game 5) is going to be a heck of a battle
and let's get ready for the start knowing that they're Cup champs for a
reason," Quenneville said. "Let's go do what we have to do, but Games 1, 2
and 4 is how we have to play and finish like that."
The Kings have no answer for the Hawks' transition game, which has been
dominating at times. If the Kings turn the puck over, which they have done
with regularity, the Hawks are right back in their face.
"Their transition game is really hard to handle," Kings captain Dustin Brown
said. "You're ultimately going one way and they're going another. You just
have to learn with the mistakes."
Turnovers have killed the Kings.
"That's one thing Darryl (Sutter) has been hard on us right now," said Kings
defenseman Drew Doughty. "We're making too many turnovers in the
neutral zone especially and that was the cause on 2 of the goals we
allowed (Thursday). We'd turn the puck over and they would come down on
odd-man rushes and score. If we want to win, we can't be doing that."
"It's an incredibly skilled team," said Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi.
"We're not getting into something we didn't know. When you turn the puck
over like that at the blue line, with the skill they have, it's only a matter of
time before they put one on the scoreboard."
The Kings had only 2 shots on goal in the third period of their 3-2 loss in
Game 4.
"We've got to find a way to get more pucks to the net," Brown said. "They
play their game well and keep us to the outside."
The Kings also have no answer for Bryan Bickell. The Hawks' left winger
scored his third goal of the series Thursday and eighth of the playoffs.
"He's playing with a purpose," Quenneville said.
"He's been probably the most important player on our team," Hawks
defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "He's doing everything, scoring
goals, big hits for us, just a big body out there. He's been unbelievable in
the playoffs, that's for sure."
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who was supposed to be the star of the
series, let in a poor goal by Bickell in Game 4 and is getting outplayed by
Corey Crawford.
Crawford kept the Hawks in Game 4 even when they were trailing 1-0 and
then 2-1.
"Being down a goal and then being down again, it just showed some
character to stick with our game," Crawford said. "It's been like that all
playoffs where it doesn't really matter what happens, we believe, and if we
keep going we're going to have a chance."
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what the Kings have to do
Saturday.
"We just have to go in there and win one game, that's it," Quick said.
"We've won there before, obviously not this series, but we've won there
before."
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Chicago Blackhawks
Hawks don’t want to go back to L.A.
By Joe Aguilar
Wearing a blazer and dress shirt with no tie, an unshaved Jonathan Toews
looked a little Hollywood-ish when he stepped off a plane after arriving at
O'Hare Airport with his team from Los Angeles on Friday.
"It was a good plane ride," the Blackhawks captain said. "We're happy to be
back in Chicago with at least one win on the road and put ourselves in a
good spot for (Game 5)."
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson looked equally "L.A. cool" with his beret.
But the truth is, sunny California is a destination the Blackhawks would
rather not visit again this season.
Up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series after splitting a pair of games on the
Kings' home ice, the Blackhawks can wrap up the Western Conference
finals tonight with a win at the United Center.
"We were on the other end, so we know what (Los Angeles) is thinking,"
defenseman Johnny Oduya said of the Blackhawks rallying from a 3-1
series deficit against Detroit in Round 2. "We know this is not over. It's a
really, really good team. We said it (Thursday) night: We don't want to go
back to L.A. It's a tough place to play and to win games. We got to bring our
best performance and best effort to win the game."
Must-see TV:
The Eastern Conference finals between Boston and Pittsburgh is required
viewing for coach Joel Quenneville, but not so much for Niklas
Hjalmarsson.
"I haven't really been looking that much at the other series," Hjalmarsson
said. "But if I got nothing else to do (Friday night) I might watch it then."
Quenneville planned to park his body in front of a TV.
"We watch every game," Quenneville said, "and we watch them very
closely."
Bickell strikes again:
Left-winger Brian Bickell scored his eighth goal, tying him with Patrick
Sharp for the team lead, in 16 playoff games Thursday night. The 6-foot-4,
233-pound Bickell had 9 goals in 48 regular-season games.
"I think he's probably a little more comfortable with the puck," Joel
Quenneville said. "It seems to be finding him. ... He's dangerous off the
rush. He seems to be finding pucks at the net."
The 27-year-old Bickell, who scored a career-high 17 goals two seasons
ago, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
"He's bringing speed to our lineup and playing with a purpose," Quenneville
said. "You talk about all the ingredients that make up a power forward. He's
putting it all together."
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Chicago Blackhawks
Kings coach Sutter not exactly a worry-wart
By Mike Spellman
As his team prepared for a deciding Game 7 against San Jose in the
Western Conference semifinals, their first Game 7 appearance since 2002,
Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter had a two-word response when the
subject was broached by a reporter.
"Who cares?"
Well, now Sutter and his Kings are in an even more precarious situation,
sitting on the cusp of elimination as they prepare for Game 5 tonight against
the Blackhawks at the United Center.
Think Sutter might be a little more animated with a return trip to the Stanley
Cup Finals hanging in the balance?
Think again.
"You know what? I don't put a big deal on elimination games because it
really doesn't have much impact on anything or anybody," Sutter said. "If
we play like we did the last three games, we have a chance to win.
"Somebody will win. Somebody will lose."
While Sutter doesn't put much stock in using the past as a motivation, like
the Kings battling back from an 0-2 deficit against St. Louis in their
quarterfinal series, or holding off the Sharks in Game 7 in the semis, his
players, like captain Dustin Brown, sure seem to see some value in a bit of
desperation.
"It's a different situation when you just have one game to play," Brown said
on the eve of Game 5. "You can draw on being in the trench hole together. I
think it's key for us, the fact that we've been through it together — we've
been down in the holes together.
"I think the most important thing is leaning on each other at a time like now."
This is the 12th time the Kings have opened a playoff series with 3 losses in
four games. The only time they were able to advance was in 1989 against
Edmonton. Only 25 NHL teams have accomplished the feat.
Once again, though, if L.A. wants to keep the series alive, it looks like they'll
have to do it without leading scorer Mike Richards, who's still suffering
concussion-like symptoms after taking a big hit from Dave Bolland late in
Game 1.
"It's still really doubtful at best," Sutter said of the chances of seeing
Richards on the ice.
For a team that struggles to score goals, that's a big loss. And it means
even more pressure will be applied squarely on the shoulders of Kings
goalie Jonathan Quick.
"If there's one thing that's never going to waiver, it's the confidence we have
in that guy," Brown said.
Said Sutter: "We need a great goaltending performance from our
goaltender. At the end of the day, all those things everybody talks about,
the only thing that matters is who scores the most goals.
"I know if you think that you can outscore Chicago, meaning get into a highscoring thing, you're going to lose, so ..."
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Chicago Blackhawks
No one happier than Keith about Game 4 win
By Joe Aguilar
A goal mouth-wide smile greeted ecstatic Blackhawks as they walked into
the visitors locker room following their 3-2 win over Los Angeles at the
Staples Center on Thursday night.
Duncan Keith's smile wasn't too toothy, mind you, only because he
famously lost several teeth thanks to a flying puck that ricocheted off his
mouth the last time the Blackhawks enjoyed an extended run in the NHL
playoffs.
That was three years ago when the Blackhawks brought home the Stanley
Cup.
Keith missed Game 4 of this season's Western Conference finals after
receiving a one-game suspension for busting open Jeff Carter's chin with a
careless stick in Game 3.
That his team prevailed without him was a great high and greater relief for
the Blackhawks' No. 1 defenseman, who will be back in uniform tonight for
Game 5 at the United Center.
"He was pretty pumped up when we came into the locker room,"
defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said with a smile. "We were all happy
obviously, but he was probably one of the happiest guys. He was jumping
around and giving us fist pumps."
Forward Michael Frolik understood Keith's excitement, which was mutual
among his teammates.
"It was a great win, and if we had lost it wouldn't have been a great feeling,"
Frolik said. "He was cheering for us in the room. We thought we had to win
for him, kind of. It was a good feeling."
Keith leads all Blackhawks defenseman with 10 playoff points (9 assists).
He's also a plus-5 and has been one of the team's best players, period,
during the postseason.
"He was happy for his teammates (after Game 4)," coach Joel Quenneville
said. "It was nice to see him so happy. He seemed happier than the guys
that were out there playing."
With the former Norris Trophy winner relegated to spectator status, the
Blackhawks' other defenseman, including newly inserted Sheldon
Brookbank, all had to stretch their minutes.
Veteran Michael Rozsival logged a Keith-like 25 minutes and 28 seconds of
ice time. The 34-year-old Rozsival was essentially a sixth defenseman all
season.
"He's been great this year," Hjalmarsson said. "I noticed the first practice
with him this year just the small passes he makes. It makes it just so much
easier for everyone. You can just see that he's been around for a long time.
He knows where to put pucks and he knows where the centerman is in the
'D' zone. He's a really smart player that I, personally, can try to learn stuff
from."
Defenseman Johnny Oduya agreed. Brent Seabrook (26:20), Hjalmarsson,
Rozsival and Oduya each played more than 22 minutes.
"He's been tremendous the whole year," Oduya said of Rozsival. "We have
good depth and a lot of guys that can play those (heavy) minutes. He's a
skilled guy, smart with the puck and makes plays."
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Chicago Blackhawks
Hawks thriving thanks in large part to Bickell, Crawford
By Mike Spellman
Q. Where would the Blackhawks be without the play of Bryan Bickell and
Corey Crawford?
A. Boy, both of them are playing really well right now. You need players to
step up and sometimes overachieve, and I'm not saying they're
overachieving, but at least play to their utmost potential and you're getting
that out of both of those guys right now.
play video
video Bickell breaks down Game 4 win
What Bryan Bickell is doing right now is incredible. He's a tough force to
deal with — a big body who can score. He's playing with a lot of confidence.
The same goes for Corey Crawford. I don't think there's going to be a lot of
critics of Corey Crawford anymore.
Q. Talk about the way the defense, particularly Michael Rosival, stepped up
in the absence of Duncan Keith.
A. I thought Rosival was great in that game. He absorbed some huge
minutes. That pairing — Johnny Oduya and Rosival — I thought they were
a critical pairing; it was a comfortable pairing for those guys.
Joel Quenneville really relied on four guys and then spread it out among the
rest of them.
Rosival really stepped it up and I thought Oduya and Niklas Hjarmalsson
played tremendous and Brent Seabrook logged a lot of ice time as well.
Those guys really beared down and dug deep to put together a
performance like that.
Q. How important was it that Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa notched goals
in Game 4?
A. Really important. It's easier said than done to play their game. A lot of it
has to do with how L.A. is playing and how they're competing. It's not easy.
This is the semifinals of the Stanley Cup.
The Blackhawks did what they needed to do as a team on Thursday, and
anytime you have your top scorers scoring in a game, it gives them a lot of
confidence. That's important for Kane and Hossa moving forward.
Q. How important is it for the Hawks to come out Saturday and try to take
the Kings' hearts out of it early?
A. I always believe that you have to keep your foot on the pedal when you
have a team on the ropes.
At some point, if you just keep working and keep working, you're going to
lose one or two of those players on the opposition team — at some point
their will kind of starts to drift away a little bit.
When you do that, you can't let up — just make sure you continue putting
the pressure on.
•Troy Murray is in his 13th year as a member of the Blackhawks broadcast
team and his eighth year as the color analyst for the team's radio
broadcasts. The Selke Award winner was a five-time 20-goal scorer and a
veteran of 15 years in the NHL, playing in 915 career games.
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Chicago Blackhawks
Aggressive Kane finally gets his goal
LOS ANGELES – Patrick Kane batted at the puck at the goal line, a puck
that was probably going in anyway on the strength of Bryan Bickell’s shot.
But better to be safe.
“I told Bicks I was sorry I stole it from him. It might’ve gone in,” Kane said
with a laugh. “But when you see the puck there it’s instinctive to stick your
stick in and touch it. But it was a big goal nonetheless.”
And as odd as it sounds, Kane needed that goal more than Bickell did.
Kane’s second-period goal tied the game at the time for the Chicago
Blackhawks, who went on to beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 and to take a
3-1 lead in the Western Conference Final. But for Kane, it was almost a
kind of exhale moment. He’s been struggling, and that goal snapped a
seven-game skid without one. It was also one of several signs that Kane
was getting closer to being Kane again.
“Kaner wanted the puck, he had it early and had it a lot,” coach Joel
Quenneville said. “He was dangerous off the rush and took shots through
screens. It was nice to see him score as well.”
Kane looked like he was playing more his style Thursday night. He did have
the puck a lot, he was more noticeable and he was shooting just about
every time he got a chance. He finished with seven shots on goal, easily the
most of anyone on either team. The right wing said yesterday that patience
was fine, but he was too much so lately. On Thursday, he was more takecharge.
“I think the biggest thing was just trying to get the puck any way I could and
skate with it and get into the game, no matter when that was. I felt I did a
good job of that,” he said. “You get a lot of support from coaches and
teammates that want you to have the puck and want you to skate with it and
start moving with it. It’s a big part of our game if we play as a 5-man unit
and come up with speed. You see how successful we can be.”
That team success that comes from the team speed and puck possession
goes for Kane’s individual game, as well.
Defenseman Michal Rozsival said he told Kane during first intermission that
he would score tonight. Apparently he knew what he was talking about. The
Blackhawks need their top guys to have top performances. Kane was
looking more like himself, and bringing that type of outing, in Game 4.
“Every time he was out there it seemed he had the puck. You could see the
energy in him, the way he was skating and controlling the play,” Rozsival
said. “I’m glad he (got that goal) and it’s great to see him scoring. He’s the
guy we definitely need to be successful.”
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Chicago Blackhawks
Hossa's late goal gives Hawks Game 4 win
LOS ANGELES – Duncan Keith’s absence was going to hurt, there was no
doubt about that.
But the Chicago Blackhawks weren’t focusing on their lineup loss heading
into Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. It was about gaining
something on the ice, enough of an advantage that, if they played the team
defense they were capable of, they could put the Los Angeles Kings’ backs
to the wall.
Done.
Marian Hossa’s wicked shot gave the Blackhawks a lead 1:10 into the third
period, and the defense did the rest as they beat the Kings 3-2 at the
Staples Center Thursday night. The Blackhawks now have a 3-1 series lead
heading back to Chicago, as they handed the Kings their first home loss of
this postseason.
Bryan Bickell scored his eighth goal of the postseason and Patrick Kane
scored to end a seven-game goal-less drought.
For the Blackhawks, it was back to the team mentality, something that was
sorely lacking in Game 3. To withstand another Kings push without Keith,
who was suspended a game for his high stick on Jeff Carter, they needed
everyone contributing, everyone on board defensively. And once Hossa
gave them the lead, they got that.
“We played really well after we scored the third goal there. Just solid,” said
Niklas Hjalmarsson, who logged just under 25 minutes and had two assists
to celebrate his 26th birthday. “We chipped pucks down and the puck just
went to their end pretty quick, so we didn’t have to play much in our end.
We had a lot of confidence there.”
The Blackhawks just shut the Kings down in the third period, ramping up
their defense with whatever personnel was on the ice. The Kings had just
two shots in that final frame, and one of them was with 1:17 remaining in
regulation. That shut-down included a penalty kill without Michael Frolik,
who was penalized in the game’s final five minutes. Defensemen loaded up
on the necessary minutes. Michal Rozsival, who played 15:54 in Game 3,
played 25:28 in Game 4.
“Some guys logged a lot of minutes,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “They
had a good gap, got some clears (in the third period). The defense in front
of Crow and Crow combined to do an outstanding job. That’s a tough team
to shut down like that, but those guys deserve a lot of credit.”
Brent Seabrook said Keith’s absence was obviously tough, but that the
Blackhawks got back to what’s worked for them throughout.
“We talked about it all season, especially in the playoffs: our team game,
team defense is what’s been doing such a great job and Crow in the net
making big saves,” said Seabrook, who played a team-high 26:20 with three
hits and three blocked shots. “When our forwards come back the way they
are it makes it easier for us. We’re just trying to get back there quick and
get outlet passes for our forwards to go with the puck.”
The Blackhawks did have to battle, of course. Kings defenseman Slava
Voynov, who’s had a tremendous postseason, was at it again early, scoring
his sixth goal of the postseason for an early lead. But the Blackhawks’ own
postseason star, Bickell, had the equalizer about 10 minutes later, a wrister
that Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick should’ve had, but just got a piece of.
Dustin Penner reestablished the Kings’ lead about two minutes into the
second, but Kane scored, batting a Bickell shot through, with 1:39
remaining in the second.
“I told Bicks I was sorry I stole it from him,” Kane said with a laugh. “This
was huge, especially with how they’re playing at home. They won 15 in a
row at Staples Center (dating back to the regular season), so it’s nice to
steal one, for sure.”
With one of their best defensemen gone, the Blackhawks put their best
defensive foot forward, especially in the third period. They’ll get Keith back
in Game 5. But the mentality and teamwork will continue regardless of the
lineup.
“We’re not about individuals. The whole team has been pulling on the same
rope all season,” Rozsival. “It’s great to see all the guys contributing, even if
we’re missing a guy like Duncs. But it’s important to have him back.”
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Chicago Blackhawks
From "Buff" to "Bicks"
"Under the radar."
That's actually a phrase Joel Quenneville used when asked for the
umpteenth time this postseason about Bryan Bickell. To clarify, the
Blackhawks head coach used it to describe the 6'4 left wing up until now.
But now, the 27-year-old is not "under the radar".
Try being on every NHL team's radar as he heads full-steam towards
unrestricted free agency after the playoffs are over, and he'll hit the open
market less than a month from now (July 5th, a date four days later than
most offseasons due to the lockout).
So, if the Blackhawks take care of business vs. the Los Angeles Kings
Saturday night at the United Center, or, at worst, find a way to win one of
the next three, it's on to the Stanley Cup Final -- where Bickell will be in the
spotlight, a.k.a. the farthest place from "under the radar."
They could eventually wind up meeting a Boston team filled with Bickell
types: big, rugged, nasty players who've wreaked havoc with everything in
their way, starting in the third period of Game 7 from Round 1 vs. Toronto.
They flicked away the Rangers and are on the verge of sweeping top East
seed Pittsburgh. The crystal ball's becoming clearer: the 2010 champs
against the team that succeeded them.
Back to Bickell, though. We sat here three years ago, marveling at the
Dustin Byfuglien Stanley Cup breakout, as the hybrid forward-defenseman
collected nine goals through the first three rounds, as big a reason as any
that the Blackhawks earned a Finals matchup with Philadelphia. He added
two more goals in the six games against the Flyers, and his formula was
much the same as Bickell's now: the net presence that opponents didn't
have an answer for.
After the Cup was clinched and the city celebrated, "Big Buff" was the first
piece shipped out in the necessary salary purge that needed to take place
in order to get under the Cap the following year. I remember getting on a
plane to Las Vegas to cover the awards show recognizing the Stanley Cup
champions and Duncan Keith's "lock" as the Norris Trophy winner.
Byfuglien was on the team when I was in Chicago. By the time I landed in
Sin City, he was an Atlanta Thrasher. He was going into the final year of his
contract, and his big playoff required a huge payoff the Blackhawks couldn't
meet. He eventually signed a five-year, $26 million deal the following
February. They were numbers the Hawks would never have paid him, even
if they had the resources.
See, as big a splash as Byfuglien made during that Cup run, it was an
instance in which all the stars were aligned for him. He's always wanted to
be a defenseman, but bought in for that Cup run to be the "eclipse" in front
of Pekka Rinne, Roberto Luongo, Vladimir Nabokov and Michael Leighton.
Even after all that success, he still wanted to be on the blue line. On top of
that, many members of the organization throughout his time here tore their
hair out over his lack of commitment to remaining physically fit. And when
the rest of the roster can find ways to do it, how can you make a different
set of rules for someone who can't? And make him among your top five
players on the money scale? And while refusing to embrace the role that
actually earned him that money? Make no mistake, Byfuglien's big shot is
an asset -- especially on the power play, as it is now with the Jets. But he's
a guy who's wanted to stay on the back, where his defensive acumen has
always come into question, not in front -- where Hawks fans fell in love with
him, and he earned all that cash.
Fast forward, now, to the present. After yet another goal Thursday night,
Bickell's potted eight goals heading into Game 5 of the Conference Final,
one shy of what Byfuglien had through the sweep of San Jose. He made
slightly more than half a million dollars this season. His performance at
"money time" this spring has likely earned him a deal at least seven to eight
times more than his current salary. Heck, there might even be a team so
smitten with Bickell they'd offer $5 million annually. On top of that, he's
bought in -- and become very effective -- in the role he's needed.
The Blackhawks now are slightly below the current salary cap of about $71
million. Under the new CBA, the cap shrinks to just over $64 million next
season. Joining Bickell on the current squad that need new deals are Ray
Emery, Viktor Stalberg, Nick Leddy and Marcus Kruger. Of that remaining
group, Leddy is probably the top priority, but Bickell has now moved to the
forefront. I'm counting Emery as gone, after his superb work in almost
splitting time with Corey Crawford in the regular season probably has a
team thirsting for help in net and a starting opportunity throwing cash the
Blackhawks can't match in a backup role.
Despite being in this cap pinch, I'd imagine general manager Stan Bowman
is trying to find a way to keep the Bowmanville, Ontario native around.
Okay, so it's actually Orono, Ontario, but I couldn't help the symmetry. The
GM has found ways to get creative in rewarding and protecting priorities.
First, that new CBA also allows for two contract buyouts over the next two
years that don't count against the cap. He can do one now, one later, or
both now if he so chooses. He has candidates for that.
He and his staff also have a grasp of whether some veterans in the middle
of their salary scale are giving them proper bang for their buck. If not,
perhaps it's time to cut ties with a taker who may be interested. Perhaps he
goes even bolder and makes a move with a player previously considered
"core." Either way, it opens an avenue to re-sign Bickell, get something
decent in return, and open a wider path for the likes of a Jeremy Morin,
Jimmy Hayes, Brandon Pirri, Ben Smith, Ryan Stanton or Adam Clendening
to get a longer opportunity on the big stage to take over for anyone they
may need to launch through this process.
On the glass-half-empty side, Bickell hasn't proven himself over an 82game season. There were confidence issues as recently as 15 months ago.
Half full, he's proven three straight years he's answered the bell when the
pressure's on most -- in April, and now May and June. He seems to now
"get" what it takes, physically and mentally. Still, it doesn't take long for
May's hero to become December's whipping boy. Especially after a big
bucks contract.
But Bickell's proven something here. In a 2004 NHL draft in which there
were tons of first-round misses (and Cam Barker third overall wasn't the
only one), the Blackhawks' second second-rounder is finally sitting awfully
pretty. Where would this Hawks team be without him, especially as "core"
guys like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook have had their
share of struggles in various forms this spring? There can be no question
the big man has earned a big payday. Props to him. We potentially have
another round to see what else he might deliver under the spotlight. Then, it
falls on the bosses to determine just how much Bickell's worth in Chicago,
especially in a role they've been looking to fill since Byfuglien departed.
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Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks benefiting from Rozsival's veteran leadership
June 7, 2013, 7:30 pm
Tracey Myers
Michal Rozsival’s minutes in Game 4 were reflective of what the Chicago
Blackhawks needed from their defensemen in Duncan Keith’s absence:
everyone had to take on a little more.
Rozsival took on more minutes; many more minutes, in fact, than he had in
his last handful of games. But that was fine with him.
“It feels better when you play more regular shifts,” Rozsival said following
Game 4, when he played 25 minutes, 28 seconds. “You go out there often;
you don’t sit for three shifts. You’re more into the game. You just have to
prepare for it mentally.”
Obviously Rozsival didn’t have a problem adjusting there either. With the
Blackhawks needing their defensemen to take on a little more, Rozsival
took on a lot more and looked just fine doing it. His minutes, which included
power-play and penalty killing time, were his second highest this
postseason. He played 27:11 when paired with Johnny Oduya in Game 1
against the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
For Rozsival it was an opportunity. But the Blackhawks have benefited from
his veteran leadership and steadiness throughout the regular- and
postseason.
“He’s been great,” said Niklas Hjalmarsson. “I noticed in the first practice
with him this year, just the small passes he makes made it so much easier
for everyone. He’s just a really smart player that I personally can try to learn
things from. Just the way he makes situations out there look really easy.
He’s been great this year and he had a good game yesterday.”
Rozsival is a plus-5 this postseason. He was a plus-18 with 12 assists the
regular season, when he split time with Sheldon Brookbank. But as the
playoffs approached, Rozsival was consistently penciled in as part of that
third pair.
“He’s been tremendous the whole year,” said Oduya, who was paired with
Rozsival in Game 4. “We have good depth, a lot of guys who can play those
minutes. And he’s a skill guy who’s smart with the puck and makes plays.
He’s obviously a veteran; he’s been around for some time and just showed
yesterday, when you give him that opportunity, he steps up and he played a
great game.”
Thursday night, Rozsival didn’t have to be Keith. Not one guy along the
blue line was expected to be. It was about sharing the load and Rozsival
definitely carried his part of it.
“All year, he probably didn’t get the chance to play those kind of minutes but
he can handle it,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “He can play in all
situations, against top guys and has real good patience. He’s a pretty heavy
defender as well. Last night he had more opportunity and did a good job.
He was an old pro out there; he did what he had to do.”
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Chicago Blackhawks
With scripts flipped, Hawks know series isn't over
June 7, 2013, 6:15 pm
Tracey Myers
Just two Fridays ago the Chicago Blackhawks were on the precipice of their
season’s end.
They lost to the Detroit Red Wings the night before, falling into a 3-1
second-round series hole. They know what it’s like to have their backs
against the wall, what it’s like to just say “heck with it” and play with
determined abandon, and what it’s like to erase that deficit and advance to
the next round.
The Blackhawks know the Los Angeles Kings, down 3-1 in the Western
Conference Final after Chicago’s 3-2 victory Thursday night, are
experiencing all of that right now. And when the Kings throw that desperate,
determined, do-or-die game Saturday night, the Blackhawks plan to act like
they’re in the same boat.
Thanks to their inspired Duncan Keith-less Game 4 victory, the Blackhawks
have a chance to close out a series in five games for the second time this
postseason. They’ll look to slam the door on the defending Stanley Cup
champs, when they host the Kings in Game 5 at the United Center. The
Kings are now where the Blackhawks found themselves in Round 2. But the
Blackhawks said they want to play like they’re the ones facing elimination
again.
“That’s what we said the last couple of games in L.A.,” Jonathan Toews
said. “Obviously being up 2-0 or 2-1, you know the other team’s going to
come after you hard. But it’s up to you to motivate yourself, to put yourself
in that position where you’re in a seventh game or your back’s against the
wall and you play with the most desperation. We did that yesterday and
we’ll go forward with that tomorrow.”
The Blackhawks had reason to tap into that desperation in Game 4, despite
being up 2-1. Minus Keith due to suspension and facing a Kings team that
entered the game 8-0 at Staples Center this postseason, the Blackhawks
were motivated to avoid coming back to Chicago with a series tied 2-2.
Whatever they told themselves manifested itself in the game, with the pack
mentality that’s been the Blackhawks’ modus operandi all season.
Now facing that cliché “hardest-to-win” fourth game, the Blackhawks want
to match, if not dominate in the field of desperation hockey.
“The other team faces elimination and that’s when they’ll fight the hardest.
We had that the other series, and that’s when we woke up,” Johnny Oduya
said. “By no means do you look at it any other way than that, knowing you
have to play the best you can.”
Granted, there are a few differences between the two series. The
Blackhawks were snake-bit through a few of those early games vs. Detroit,
hitting posts and crossbars and having a goal – eventually two – disallowed.
They were, and still are, healthy. The Kings, meanwhile, look like they’re
feeling the effects of their first two series, bruising and physical ones
against St. Louis and then San Jose. Still, when you’re desperate, you can
get past that. The Blackhawks’ attitude and mental toughness during their
deficit stayed strong, and it translated into improved play on the ice. The
Kings certainly have the talent to keep this series alive.
“Everyone has to be aware that tomorrow’s going to be a heck of a battle.
They’re the Cup champs for a reason,” head coach Joel Quenneville said.
“Let’s do what we have to do. Games 1, 2 and 4, we have to play like that.”
The Blackhawks don’t have to look far for motivation. They could wrap this
series up and perhaps get a few rest days before the Stanley Cup Final
begins. But the bigger force pushing them is that 3-1 mark, knowing that
two weeks ago they sat on the short end of that. And since they could turn
things around and come back from that deficit, so could the Kings.
“We were on the other end of this, so we know what they’re thinking. We
know this is not over,” Oduya said. “It’s a really, really good team. We said it
last night, too: we don’t want to go back to L.A. It’s a tough place to win
games. We need to bring our best performance to win.”
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Dallas Stars
Coaching search: Is Alain Vigneault the man you want behind the Stars
bench?
MIKE HEIKA / REPORTER
Staff Writer
Published: 07 June 2013 10:13 AM
Updated: 07 June 2013 10:55 AM
We'll take a look at the Stars coaching candidate in a series of articles here
on the blog. Today, we'll look at Alain Vigneault.
Looking at recent history, Alain Vigneault is the most successful of the
Stars' coaching candidates. Heck, looking at long-term history, he might
also be the most successful.
Vigneault is coming off a seven-year run with the Vancouver Canucks in
which he won six division championships and two Presidents' Trophies. He
posted a 313-170-57 record in that span for a .632 points percentage.
So why did the Canucks fire him? Well, not unlike Dave Tippett with the
Stars, he didn't have enough success in the playoffs. Vigneault's team went
to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, and lost in Game 7 to Boston, 4-0. It was
a crushing defeat for the fans, who rioted, and for the team, which never
seemed to recover. Vancouver lost in the first round in each of the past two
seasons, including getting swept by San Jose this season.
In addition to the playoff loss, the Canucks struggled with a goaltending
controversy between Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. Now, you can
say the goaltending dilemma was created more by GM Mike Gillis, who
could not find a suitable trade partner to move Luongo and his 12-year, $64
million contract (it expires in 2022 when Luongo is 43), but you can also say
that the constant switching between the two goalies created problems on
the team and in the locker room.
Either way, the Canucks decided something had to change.
Vigneault came out of the firing looking pretty good. Many media pundits
supported his work, and his ability as a coach, and said Gillis was making a
mistake.
Here, the Hockey News' Adam Proteau puts the blame squarely on Gillis.
Here, veteran scribe Jim Matheson writes even before Vigneault is fired that
he is a great coach who could easily find a new job.
Here, fellow veteran scribe Eric Duhatschek says that Vigneault's firing was
just the way the NHL works.
But here, Pass it to Bulis says that Vigneault's firing was deserved because
of the long-term lack of playoff success.
So, what could he bring to the Stars at age 52? Well, a ton of experience
and maybe a lot of energy with a fresh start. Tippett also struggled to find
playoff success in Dallas, but was a great regular season coach for seven
seasons with the Stars. After he was fired, he marched straight into Phoenix
and won there with not a lot of talent. The guess is that coaches who have
proven they can win consistently in this league can do it for a lot of different
teams.
Most people would bet that Vigneault could get the Stars into the playoffs
quickly.
In addition, he seems to have a long shelf life. While bringing in John
Tortorella (or even Ken Hitchcock two seasons ago) seems like a plan that
could last three or four seasons, Vigneault might be able to stay for a
decade. New Stars GM Jim Nill has talked about his desire for consistency
and long-term planning, and Vigneault definitely could fit into that scheme.
He is disciplined, but he also is a player's coach.He gets along with the
players and has a good demeanor.
Heck, all you have to do it look at that clip of him giggling over Vernon
Fiddler's impersonation of Kevin Bieksa to understand he likes to have fun.
What kind of scheme does Vigneault embrace? Well, he coached one of
the more offensively talented groups in the NHL, and produced some high-
scoring squads in Vancouver. Two years ago, the Canucks averaged 2.94
goals per game and ranked fifth, three years ago it was 3.15 and first, four
years ago it was 3.27 and second. That said, he is known as a coach who
preaches defense, and the Canucks ranked fourth in goals against two
years ago at 2.33 and first in 2010-11 at 2.20.
Now, a lot of that has to do with talent, and there are critics who say the
Canucks fattened up on a very weak division for the past few years
(Edmonton, Calgary, Minnesota and Colorado) _ and there is something to
that argument. As good as the Canucks have been in the standings, they
don't dominate puck possession or the shot clock. They have been about
plus-1.5 in shot differential and have consistently been around 29.5 shots a
game against (that ranks about 10th on a regular basis).
So can the Stars live with that kind of hockey? Probably. Would Nill (who
has been a part of a puck possession team with a huge "plus" shot
differential in Detroit) help shape the style of Vigneault if he came here?
Also, probably. Remember, Ken Hitchcock was raised on firewagon hockey
in Western Canada and only became a defensive specialist when he
started to learn the Montreal way from Bob Gainey here in Dallas.
In addition to his experience as a head coach in Vancouver and Montreal,
Vigneault also has eight seasons as a head coach in the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League, one year as head coach in the AHL and four years
as an assistant coach in Ottawa. In other words, he has seen it all. Check
out his history here.
He seems like a perfect candidate So, we'll leave you with a very in-depth
look at Vigneault done here by Thomas Drance of the CanucksArmy.com.
Then, you can start your discussion on whether you would want Vigneault
as the next head coach of the Stars.
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Dallas Stars
Stars acquire Sergei Gonchar from Ottawa for 6th-round draft pick
MIKE HEIKA / REPORTER
Staff Writer
Published: 07 June 2013 05:03 PM
Updated: 07 June 2013 06:13 PM
The Stars on Friday acquired the rights to defenseman Sergei Gonchar for
a conditional sixth round draft pick.
The Stars are hoping to get him signed to a two-year contract. If they do,
Ottawa will get the draft pick. If they don't, the Stars keep the draft pick.
Gonchar, 39, is a four-time All-Star Game participant who the Stars see as
a potential No.1 defenseman, or possibly as a power play specialist.
Gonchar has been a 25-minute player for most of his career, and averaged
23:59 in 45 games with Ottawa last season.
He tallied three goals and added 24 assists for 27 points. That ranked 16th
among defensemen in the NHL. Gonchar is coming off a three-year
contract in Ottawa in which he averaged $5.5 million a season. He has told
reporters in Ottawa that he wants a two-year deal, something that Ottawa
appeared hesitant to give at his advanced age.
However, the Stars gave Ray Whitney a two-year deal last summer at 40
and were rewarded when Whitney tallied 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in
32 games. Dallas seems fine with the older player.
Gonchar has had few injury issues in recent seasons. He also played 37
games for Metallurg in the KHL during the lockout last season, and tallied
29 points (3G, 26 A) there.
Gonchar spent parts of three seasons in Pittsburgh with defenseman Alex
Goligoski, and could be a potential partner for Goligoski in Dallas. Gonchar
is listed at 6-2, 206 and is a left-handed shot.
If the Stars can sign Gonchar, that could allow them to take a slow route on
the development of young defensemen like Jamie Oleksiak, Kevin
Connauton or Joe Morrow or it could allow them the ability to study possible
trades for veterans such as Stephane Robidas or Trevor Daley.
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Dallas Stars
Report: Sergei Gonchar 'likely' to agree to two-year deal with Dallas Stars
By SPORTSDAYDFW.COM
Published: 07 June 2013 09:47 PM
Updated: 07 June 2013 09:53 PM
It looks like it didn't take long for talks between the Stars and Sergei
Gonchar to get serious.
Less than six hours after news broke that the Stars traded a conditional
sixth-round pick to Ottawa for the rights to negotiate with Gonchar, TSN's
Darren Dreger tweeted that the defenseman will likely sign with the Stars.
Gonchar also held numerous offers from KHL teams. Just Thursday
morning, Yahoo! reported that Gonchar was nearing a deal with Metallurg
Magnitogorsk of the KHL.
Here is Dreger's tweet:
KHL interest excelerated the process for Gonchar who will likely agree to
a 2 year deal with the Stars. #TSN
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 8, 2013
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Dallas Stars
Sean Avery responds to Dallas Stars' Twitter taunt with haymaker: Thanks
for the $16 million
By SPORTSDAYDFW.COM
Published: 07 June 2013 08:50 PM
Updated: 07 June 2013 09:37 PM
Some teams are still in battles for the Stanley Cup. The Dallas Stars are
officially in a Twitter battle with a former player. And on some score cards,
they're losing.
Yesterday, while participating in the #ImGregoryCampbell hashtag, the
Stars took an unprovoked shot at former forward Sean Avery, who had an
embattled 23-game tenure with the team.
Had Sean Avery on our team. #ImGregoryCampbell
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 6, 2013
Today, Avery fired back.
@dallasstars did i ever say #ThankU for the 16
Million........hahahhahahaha
— Sean Avery (@imseanavery) June 7, 2013
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Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall named grand marshal for NASCAR race
at MIS
3:01 PM, June 7, 2013 |
Posted by Brian Manzullo
Detroit Free Press Sports Writer
Michigan International Speedway is about to get Kronwalled.
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall was named grand marshal
for NASCAR’s Quicken Loans 400 on June 16 at MIS in Brooklyn. Olympic
gold medal swimmer Tyler Clary will serve as honorary starter.
“We are thrilled to welcome Niklas Kronwall and Tyler Clary to the MIS
festivities,” track president Roger Curtis said in a release. “Niklas is an
integral member of the Red Wings and the Detroit community who
represents the state with pride. As a member of the US Olympic team, Tyler
represented our country with pride and we are pleased he will be here with
us to wave the green flag.”
Kronwall helped lead the Red Wings to their 22nd consecutive postseason
before being eliminated in the second round by the Chicago Blackhawks
last month.
Clary, a former swim champion at the University of Michigan, won gold in
the 200-meter backstroke at the 2012 London Olympics.
Free Press news services contributed.
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Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ian White on his way out
6:50 PM, June 7, 2013 |
By Helene St. James
Detroit Free Press Sports Writer
Ian White could see the writing on the Red Wings’ wall: He has no future in
Detroit.
As the Wings prepare for off-season changes, White is one of the guys who
won’t be back. The Wings already have six defensemen under contract for
2013-14, plus two restricted free agents who will be re-signed in Brendan
Smith and Jakub Kindl.
White, who turned 29 earlier this week, is a month away from unrestricted
free agency, a path that will put him in search of a sixth team since joining
the NHL in 2005. White conceded as much as he took part in locker cleanout day at Joe Louis Arena days after the Wings lost in the Western
Conference semifinals.
White didn’t appear in any playoff games, and hadn’t played since April 7.
“It’s somewhat doubtful they’re going to bring back a guy who’s not going to
play,” White said. “Probably the most unfortunate part of our business is
moving around all the time, switching teams.
“I loved playing here.”
The Wings brought White in two seasons ago, and he had a career first
year with 32 points, benefitting from playing opposite Nicklas Lidstrom.
When that changed, White looked decidedly more average, both offensively
and in his own zone. His playing time this season degenerated from regular
to reserve, and his expendability pretty much became official after the
Wings acquired Danny DeKeyser in late March, giving them an excess of
healthy defensemen.
Even before that, though, White was unlikely to be back. One of the most
vocal critics of commissioner Gary Bettman during last fall’s labor dispute,
White’s comment in November that, “I personally think he’s an idiot,” did not
go over well with the Wings organization, with the prevalent feeling one of
distaste that White’s name-calling reflected poorly on the club.
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Detroit Red Wings
Season continues for a few Red Wings
Ted Kulfan
| The Detroit News
Detroit— The season may be over for the Red Wings — well, most of them.
After Detroit was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs last week,
forwards Gustav Nyquist and Joakim Andersson and defenseman Danny
DeKeyser joined the team’s minor-league affiliate in Grand Rapids. The
Griffins begin play in the Calder Cup on Saturday night.
“It’s very valuable,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland of the young
players experiencing a long playoff run. “This isn’t something you can
replicate in a development or training camp.”
The best-of-seven series starts in Syracuse.
DeKeyser makes his American Hockey League debut after breaking his
right thumb in Game 2 of the first round against Anaheim. He went straight
from Western Michigan to the Red Wings without stopping in the minors.
Syracuse is affiliated with the Lightning, whose general manager is Red
Wings legend Steve Yzerman.
Detroit News LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Detroit Red Wings
Howe family, ex-managers face off in court over handling of hockey great's
finances
Mike Martindale
The Detroit News
Pontiac — The recently released film "Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story"
has thrilled fans across North America, but a dramatic chapter in the
beloved Detroit legend's life is still being written in Oakland County Circuit
Court.
A legal battle has played out since 2007 on how appearance fees and
priceless sports memorabilia accumulated over a six-decade career have
allegedly been stolen from the 85-year-old Howe, who has dementia.
Attorneys faced off Friday in Judge Leo Bowman's courtroom in the civil
case. Attorney Steven Matta said Howe, his son Mark and their Power Play
International Co. have suffered well into "seven figure" damages in the
destruction of personal property that had been ordered returned to Howe.
The defendants' attorney, Anthony Randazzo, said such claims are
baseless and the lawsuit is being driven by Howe's celebrity and a personal
"vendetta" by Mark Howe against former business managers Del Reddy
and Aaron Howard because they resigned without notice.
Reddy's father, Michael Reddy, and their Immortal Investments Co. are also
named as defendants.
"We loved Colleen and Gordie Howe," Del Reddy said outside the
courtroom. "We can't talk about this, but this, this is insane."
Later, during nearly three hours of questioning by the Howes' attorney
regarding his handling of business, including the transfer of funds from
Colleen J. Howe Foundation to another foundation called Wind without any
written permission from the family, Reddy's voice quaked and he began
sobbing.
"Wind was because they used to play that song about 'You're the wind
beneath my wings' for Gordie — he was the wind beneath her wings," he
said, his voice breaking as he suddenly dropped his head and sobbed.
Colleen Howe, who handled all of her husband's finances during and after
his career, became ill in 2000. She died in 2009 of Pick's disease, a form of
dementia.
"She was about the big picture … not this," said Reddy, who earlier
described the pain of watching Colleen Howe, his "mentor," going through a
"brain-wasting" disease.
Howe, tanned and appearing still fit enough to skate a shift or two, sat
flanked by his two sons during testimony Friday. .
In a 2007 lawsuit, the Howes claimed Reddy and Aaron Howard — hired by
Colleen Howe — allegedly enriched themselves by cheating Howe of
personal appearance fees and other royalties. The Howes and Power Play
sued the pair and Michael Reddy, and their Immortal Investments.
The lawsuit ended in an out-of-court settlement for $60,000 but also a
permanent injunction that Immortal stop using Howe's name and likeness in
any sales and had to return all Howe's property to him.
But court documents — including two Shred-It receipts — alleged that other
property was destroyed in November 2008, just days before Immortal
returned several vans of property to Howe. Among them: 26 banker boxes
containing 134 digital video discs; 402 compact discs; about 1,400 tapes;
thousands of photographs, and books.
Matta said many of the recordings are irreplaceable because they included
family movies of Howe and his wife, Colleen.
The Reddys and Howard contend they followed the court's instruction but
were within their rights to destroy some materials in their possession that
belonged to Immortal and not specified in the agreement.
The trial is to continue Monday.
Detroit News LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wing Niklas Kronwall named grand marshal, Olympic gold
medal swimmer Tyler Clary honorary starter for Michigan International
Speedway race
By Tarryl Jackson | tjackso1@mlive.com
on June 07, 2013 at 2:31 PM, updated June 07, 2013 at 2:33 PM
JACKSON, MI – Detroit Red Wings alternate captain Niklas Kronwall will be
the grand marshal for the Quicken Loans 400 on Sunday, June 16 at
Michigan International Speedway.
Olympic gold medalist swimmer Tyler Clary will serve as the honorary
starter for the race, the racetrack announced Friday, June 7.
Kronwall will command of the drivers to start their engines, while Clary will
wave the green flag to start the race.
Kronwall has helped lead the Red Wings to seven playoff appearances,
including winning the Stanley Cup in 2008. He won a hockey gold medal at
the 2006 Olympic Winter Games for his native country, Sweden.
Clary, a 24-year-old Olympian and three-time NCAA champion at the
University of Michigan, won the gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke at
the London Summer Olympics. He has won eight medals during his
international swimming career.
“We are thrilled to welcome Niklas Kronwall and Tyler Clary to the MIS
festivities,” MIS President Roger Curtis said in a statement. “Niklas is an
integral member of the Red Wings and the Detroit community who
represents the state with pride. As a member of the US Olympic team, Tyler
represented our country with pride and we are pleased he will be here with
us to wave the green flag.”
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Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' prospects gaining valuable experience during Grand Rapids
Griffins' run to Calder Cup finals
By Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com
on June 07, 2013 at 7:02 AM, updated June 07, 2013 at 7:11 AM
DETROIT – The Grand Rapids Griffins have many future NHL players on
their roster.
Some are certain to be with the Detroit Red Wings from the start of next
season – Gustav Nyquist, Joakim Andersson, Tomas Tatar, Brian Lashoff
and Danny DeKeyser.
Others, like Tomas Jurco, Riley Sheahan and Petr Mrazek, are a year or
two away.
All are gaining valuable experience during the Griffins' playoff run. Grand
Rapids will play the Syracuse Crunch in the Calder Cup finals, a series that
starts Saturday night at Syracuse.
“These are great experiences,'' Red Wings general manager Ken Holland
said. “When you're a young player nothing can be better for your
development than going on a run in the AHL playoffs. It's a roller-coaster
ride, physically and emotionally. This is an experience we can't replicate in
development camp or training camp.''
Tatar leads the Griffins with 11 goals and 16 points in the postseason. The
small but skilled winger has a nose for the net and good hands. He had four
goals and seven points during an 18-game stint in Detroit from Feb. 5 to
March 10 before being sent down to make room for Nyquist.
Nyquist had three goals and six points in 22 regular season games with the
Red Wings and was playing his best hockey during the playoffs, picking up
five points (two goals, three assists) in 14 games on a young third line that
provided energy and matchup problems for Anaheim and Chicago.
Andersson, with his size (6-foot-2, 206) and defensive ability, brings a
different dimension than other Red Wings' prospects. He solidified the thirdline center spot in the absence of injured Darren Helm.
Jurco has half as many goals (seven) in 18 playoff games as he did in 74
games (14 goals) during his first pro season. He is second on the Griffins
with 13 playoff points.
Mrazek has played every playoff game for the Griffins, going 11-7, with a
2.18 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. He had a strong
NHL debut, making 26 saves in a 5-1 victory at St. Louis on Feb. 7, but
appeared in only one other game for Detroit, a 3-1 loss at Minnesota on
Feb. 17.
The Red Wings could elect to keep Mrazek in Grand Rapids for up to three
more seasons without having to expose him to waivers.
DeKeyser, out since May 2 with a broken right thumb, will make his AHL
debut on Saturday.
“They're all playing regularly, they're all contributing,'' Holland said. “Tatar is
only 22, just a kid. He's one of the leaders on that team.
“Jurco has come a long way. He's competing harder, he's made good
strides. Andersson is taking key faceoffs. Peter Mrazek is a great story for
us in goal.
“Jeff Blashill has done a fantastic job as a rookie coach.''
The Crunch is the affiliate for the Tampa Bay Lightning, whose general
manager is Steve Yzerman, the long-time Red Wings captain.
No surgery for Samuelsson
Right wing Mikael Samuelsson won't need surgery for now. An MRI showed
some damage to his pectoral muscle but no torn tendons.
“He'll rehab,'' Holland said. “If he doesn't progress over the next few weeks
then we'll consider (surgery).''
Michigan Live LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Detroit Red Wings
Blackhawks snap LA Kings’ home winning streak
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
Posted: Friday, 06/07/13 07:48 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks were suitably impressed
by the Los Angeles Kings’ 15-game home winning streak. They also
respected the defending Stanley Cup champions’ ability to win eight straight
playoff games at Staples Center.
All that admiration just made the Blackhawks even more eager to be the
team that ended the Kings’ roll — and now they’re one win away from
knocking off the champs.
Marian Hossa scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the
Blackhawks moved to the brink of the Stanley Cup finals with a 3-2 victory
Thursday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, handing the
Kings their first home loss since March 23.
“It’s an impressive streak, especially in the playoffs when the level of
competition goes up a lot,” said Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson,
who had two assists. “It feels really good to break it.”
When Bryan Bickell’s shot slipped out of Jonathan Quick’s usually
inescapable glove and trickled into the Los Angeles net early, the
Blackhawks figured their time might have arrived. When Hossa’s shot
eluded Quick for the go-ahead goal two periods later, the Blackhawks knew
they had cracked both their foes’ star goalie and the formula for winning at
Staples Center.
“They were playing so well at home, and to finally break that streak, we’re
happy about it,” Hossa said. “We knew about it. We talked about it before
the game. We were hoping to break it, and we got it.”
Corey Crawford made 19 saves, and Patrick Kane tapped in the tying goal
as Chicago rallied from a second-period deficit. Bickell had a goal and an
assist for the top-seeded Blackhawks, who took a 3-1 series lead even
without Duncan Keith, their suspended ice-time leader and top
defenseman.
“We knew our defense was going to step up, and they did,” Bickell said.
“We had a good feeling coming in. We had a bitter taste from the last game.
They had a big start, but we stuck with it and eventually got it back.”
Game 5 is Saturday night in Chicago.
Slava Voynov and Dustin Penner scored for the Kings, who had the NHL’s
longest home postseason winning run since 2009. The champs know
they’re in trouble after failing to hold on to a late lead in front of their Conn
Smythe Trophy-winning goalie.
“It’s an incredibly skilled team,” Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said of
Chicago. “We’re not getting into something we didn’t know. When you turn
the puck over like that at the blue lines, with the skill they have, it’s only a
matter of time before they put one on the scoreboard. Hopefully we learned
our lesson, and we’ve got to win the next one.”
The Blackhawks thrived without Keith, who served a one-game suspension
for high-sticking Jeff Carter in the face during the second period of Game 3.
Sheldon Brookbank filled in while Chicago played strong team defense in
front of Crawford, allowing just two shots by the desperate Kings in the third
period.
“Right from the first couple shifts, we were moving our feet, playing with
speed,” said defenseman Brent Seabrook, who led Chicago with 26:20 of
ice time. “We were getting in on the forecheck and making good plays. It
was big for our group to come back with a good effort.”
Los Angeles hadn’t lost a playoff game at home since Game 4 of the
Stanley Cup finals last season, winning nine straight overall. The Kings also
had been outstanding when playing with a lead in front of Quick, who
stopped 25 shots, but Los Angeles uncharacteristically surrendered that 2-1
lead late in the second period.
The high-scoring Kane ended his seven-game goal drought in a quiet
postseason by charging into the crease to tap home the tying goal on a
rebound of Hjalmarsson’s shot and Bickell’s deflection late in the second
period.
After Los Angeles killed a penalty to open the third period, Michal Handzus
caught the Kings napping and set up a break with the speedy Hossa, who
ripped a precise shot for his seventh goal of the postseason.
“That’s one thing that (coach) Darryl (Sutter) has been hard on us for right
now,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We’re making too many
turnovers, in the neutral zone especially. That was a cause of two of the
goals. We made turnovers and they came back down on odd-man rushes
and scored. If we want to win, it’s something we can’t be doing.”
The Kings played their third straight game without center Mike Richards,
who has an apparent concussion after a big hit from Chicago’s Dave
Bolland in the series opener. Richards was the Kings’ leading postseason
scorer with 10 points when he got hurt.
Los Angeles’ unbeaten stretch at home ended in unusual fashion with the
blown lead, and the low-scoring Kings’ title defense could be over in two
days. The NHL hasn’t had a repeat champion since the Detroit Red Wings
in 1998, and Los Angeles has managed just eight goals in four games
against the powerful Blackhawks.
“They didn’t have many great scoring chances,” Crawford said. “We mostly
kept them to the outside. It was great for us to shut them down.”
Chicago needs one win in three games to advance to its second Stanley
Cup finals appearance since 1992. The Blackhawks have been mostly
rolling since their 5-2 victory in the season opener at Los Angeles in
January, ruining the Kings’ banner-raising ceremony.
The Blackhawks hadn’t won a playoff round in the past two seasons since
their Stanley Cup triumph, replenishing their roster on the fly around their
talented young core.
Just nine players remain from the championship team, but it’s safe to say
the rebuild is complete for a team that won its second Presidents’ Trophy
with a 36-7-5 regular season, followed by a gutsy rally from a 1-3 series
deficit against Detroit to escape the second round.
Los Angeles’ fourth line created the first goal just 3:28 in when Kyle Clifford
passed from behind Chicago’s net to Voynov, who skated in alone for a
slap shot past Crawford. The goal was Voynov’s sixth of the postseason,
extending his single-season playoff record for Kings defensemen.
The Blackhawks evened it on an innocent-looking play by Bickell, whose
wobbly shot somehow got out of Quick’s glove for his eighth goal of the
postseason. Bickell is on a remarkable playoff run before unrestricted free
agency this summer, scoring a goal in each of the past three games and
five of seven overall.
The Kings went back ahead early in the second period on a goal by their
newly constituted big line around Carter, who drove the net while Chicago’s
Nick Leddy failed to knock him off the puck. Penner swept home the
rebound of Carter’s backhand when Brookbank couldn’t move him out of
the crease.
Chicago tied it late in the period when Hjalmarsson launched a long shot
through Bickell’s screen. Kane tapped it home for a much-needed boost for
the prolific scorer who had managed just two goals in the playoffs after
getting 23 in the regular season.
NOTES: The Kings lost at home in regulation just four times in the regular
season. ... Brookbank played only 6:50 and was a minus-2, but coach Joel
Quenneville praised his work. ... Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown has one
goal in the last nine games, none in the conference finals. Top scorer Anze
Kopitar has one goal in 13 games, also none in this series. Brown and
Kopitar tied for the NHL playoff scoring lead last season with 20 points
apiece.
Michigan Live LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Los Angeles Kings
Win or done, Los Angeles Kings must break road pattern
Kings' Justin Williams says the team is 'certainly not scared' of the threegames-to-one deficit, although they have rarely won on the road in these
playoffs.
By Lisa Dillman
8:41 PM PDT, June 7, 2013
Comebacks from a 3-1 series deficit, while difficult, happen more regularly
these days in the NHL. Boston did it to Toronto this spring, and the
Blackhawks pulled it off against the Detroit Red Wings in the previous
round.
"We had that in the other series, and that's when we kind of woke up,"
Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya said.
Said Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr: "It's a situation — you don't have to
look very far. You look at the opponent that we're playing. They were in the
exact same situation, and they came out of it in the last round.
"It's something that's very doable. We're preparing to win one game
tomorrow, and that's as far as we're looking right now."
LA Times: LOADED: 06.08.2013
CHICAGO — The Kings used to win road games, and not just by the score
of 2-1 or 3-2.
Really.
In fact, one was here in Chicago at the United Center on March 25 in the
regular season and they scored five goals, the last time they recorded such
an impressive output.
That win in Chicago was two days after the Kings suffered a loss at home
against Vancouver. Then for 75 days the Kings were unbeatable at home
until Thursday night, when they weren't anymore.
Now the show moves to the road where they've found it nearly impossible
to win during the playoffs. Maybe that will change too.
The one truth about these home/road streaks is that they all eventually
come to an end.
The Kings' season is on the line as the defending Stanley Cup champions
face a 3-1 series deficit with Game 5 of the Western Conference finals
Saturday. They are 1-10 in franchise history when trailing 3-1 in the
playoffs, and the lone comeback came via Wayne Gretzky and friends in
1989 against the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.
The Kings, 1-7 on the road in these playoffs, can perhaps find solace in the
fact that last year they set an NHL record with 10 consecutive road wins.
"It hasn't gone our way on the road, obviously," forward Justin Williams told
reporters at the Kings' media session Friday in Chicago. "But now we need
to win two in the United Center. We're not scared of it. We're certainly not
scared of it. We're going to welcome a challenge to beat the best team in
the league this year in their own house starting tomorrow."
The Kings most likely will have to mount their comeback without center
Mike Richards. He missed the last three games because of a concussion
suffered late in Game 1, and was the Kings' leading scorer in the playoffs at
the time of the injury.
Richards has done some light skating — the team was not on the ice Friday
— and attended the Kings' last two games, in the press box for the latter.
His presence at Staples Center was a positive development because often
individuals suffering from severe concussion symptoms are sensitive to
lights and noise and are advised to steer clear of those situations.
He said he was feeling fine, but Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said it was
"really doubtful at best" that Richards would be in the lineup for Game 5.
Chicago will get a boost from the return of its top defenseman, Duncan
Keith, who missed Game 4 because of a one-game suspension for highsticking Kings center Jeff Carter in the face.
"He's been one of the best D men in the league," said Chicago defenseman
Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Sutter had thought that the Blackhawks would adapt to Keith's loss,
spreading the minutes around judiciously.
"When Duncan was suspended, it really doesn't hurt their team," Sutter
said. "He's a great player, but it doesn't really hurt their team because the
way their team is set up, they just add five minutes on the four other
defensemen."
Chicago managed to put a tight grip on the series without Keith and despite
a shaky outing in the early going by his replacement, Sheldon Brookbank,
who was on the ice for both Kings goals. But both sides realize how quickly
that grip can change.
680398
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings need weary Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
Chicago Coach Joel Quenneville was hoping to create this type of spark
when he tinkered with his lines in Game 4. Kane seemed to play with
renewed verve, especially on a third-period rush when he veered to the side
and snapped a wrister that Quick barely gloved.
Kings offense pays price for two stars' low production. Kopitar and Brown
have combined for only 11 points during playoffs.
"Got a lot of support from coaches or teammates that want you to have the
puck," Kane said. "They want you to start skating with it and moving it."
By David Wharton
6:18 PM PDT, June 7, 2013
The Kings want the same for Kopitar and Brown. To this point, they have
gotten most of their scoring from center Jeff Carter, defenseman Slava
Voynov and winger Justin Williams, who has played inconsistently but has
found the net at key moments.
Hoping to enliven his biggest stars, Sutter has done some mixing and
matching, testing various combinations.
CHICAGO — The locker room had emptied out, his teammates heading
home, when Anze Kopitar finally emerged.
Medical treatment for an unspecified ailment had kept him around late, but
that wasn't the only reason for the weary look on his face. Kopitar had
endured a tough night against the Chicago Blackhawks, managing only one
shot on goal.
"Yeah," he said. "It's frustrating."
Last year at this time, the Kings center was piling up points, recording eight
goals and a dozen assists on his team's run to the Stanley Cup. His
teammate, Dustin Brown, was on a similar roll, the two of them leading the
offense.
This postseason, Kopitar and Brown have combined for 11 points —
roughly a quarter of their output in 2012 — which goes a long way toward
explaining why the Kings trail Chicago three games to one with the Western
Conference finals set to resume Saturday night at United Center.
As Coach Darryl Sutter said early in the series: "We have guys that have to
score."
It is an axiom in sports: The best players must shine at playoff time. That's
especially true for the Kings, a physical, defense-minded team that needs
bursts of offense to complement Jonathan Quick's goaltending.
A two-goal average has not been good enough. For Kopitar and Brown,
who have struggled around the net for the past month, the current series
has proven especially troublesome.
Kopitar has rarely been free to execute his trademark maneuver, wheeling
along the boards with the puck on his stick, using that 6-foot-3 frame to
ward off defenders. There has been much speculation about a lingering
injury, which he has refused to discuss.
Either way, Chicago's agile skaters have done a good job of denying him
and Brown the space to make plays.
"You get by one and they almost cheat on the play in the sense that the
second guy is coming right away," Brown said. "Where you catch them is
when they overplay, but we haven't been able to find the open guys."
Contrast this predicament with the scene in the other locker room, where
Patrick Kane feels relieved.
Like Kopitar and Brown, the Chicago winger is a dangerous scorer who had
faltered of late. He had alternately tried being more patient and more
aggressive. The other night, he studied videotape of previous playoff goals
with his dad.
"It's cool to watch those things," he said. "It gives you a little confidence."
Kane finally broke through Thursday night with an acrobatic goal in the
second period.
The sequence began with a slapshot from the blue line that was deflected
by teammate Bryan Bickell, the puck dribbling toward the goal line. As
Quick twisted around to retrieve it, Kane reached in to finish the play while
launching himself airborne, over the fallen goalie.
Truth be told, the shot probably would have carried across without any help.
"I told Bicksy I was kind of sorry I stole it from him," Kane said of the goal.
"Kind of instinctive when you see the puck there, to stick your stick in and
touch it."
Whatever it takes to end a slump.
Brown has willingly moved around, the captain pulling duty on the third line
in some games. He insists the Kings are just a pass or two away from
solving the Chicago defense and claimed to see good things early in
Thursday night's loss.
"In the first [period] it was a good example," he said. "They overplayed and
we had a two-on-one, a three-on-two, and we had a great scoring
opportunity."
But with the game tied at 2-2 starting the third period, the Kings were
stymied for 20 minutes, managing only two shots on goal while another
Chicago star, Marian Hossa, produced the winner during an odd-man rush.
"I haven't looked at the stat sheet — I'm sure you have," Sutter told
reporters afterward. "Look at who has the shots. It's probably going to show
that some of our top guys didn't."
Which left Kopitar looking glum, standing in the hallway as team staff
readied large equipment bags for the trip to Chicago. He mused about
finding more room to make things happen.
This time of year, the top stars have to come through.
"I've just got to play better and produce more," he said. "That's the bottom
line."
LA Times: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680399
Los Angeles Kings
Kings' middle management needs improvement in Game 5
By RICH HAMMOND
2013-06-07 18:15:35
CHICAGO – The oohs and aahs come around the nets. The games are
won in the middle of the ice.
Puck management becomes increasingly important in tight, lower-scoring
playoff games, and so far in the Western Conference Finals, the team that
has won the neutral zone has won the games. Three times, that's been the
Chicago Blackhawks. Only once has it been the error-prone Kings.
Turnovers have been deadly for the Kings, who face elimination in Game 5
Saturday night at United Center. One more careless game with the puck
and the Kings' Stanley Cup defense will be finished.
The situation is grim. Of the 264 NHL teams that have faced a 3-1 deficit in
a best-of-7 series, only 25 have won, a rate of 9.5 percent. The Blackhawks
would feel better about that statistic if they hadn't just become the 25th
team. Chicago won three in a row to knock off Detroit in the second round.
"I think one thing about this group of guys is, we tend to play our best
hockey when we're really in trouble," Kings captain Dustin Brown said with
a grin.
Then again, this series lead isn't a fluke. Chicago has been the better team
in all areas – including goaltending, surprisingly – and the Kings again
figure to be without leading playoff scorer Mike Richards.
The Kings flew to Chicago on Friday morning and didn't skate. Richards,
recovering from a concussion he suffered in Game 1, hasn't yet had a fullteam practice.
"Honestly, I couldn't tell you (if Richards will play)," Coach Darryl Sutter
said. "It's still really doubtful, at best."
Neutral-zone turnovers aren't the Kings' only woe. They've struggled to
finish the too-few chances they have generated, and goalie Jonathan Quick
has allowed a couple eyebrow-raising poor goals.
The Kings could stand to be better in all three zones, but they've been
particularly stuck in the middle. The puck should be handled with care, like
a newborn baby. The Kings have been treating it like the family Labrador
with a tennis ball in the backyard. They've done everything but drool on the
puck.
Poor puck management in the middle of the ice is double trouble. It
prevents a team from gaining the offensive zone and generating chances,
and then often turns into odd-man rushes for the opponent.
"When you turn the puck over like that at the blue lines," defenseman Rob
Scuderi said, "with the skill they have, it's only a matter of time before
they're going to put one on the scoreboard. Hopefully we learned our
lesson."
In Games 1, 2 and 4, their three losses, the Kings struggled mightily in the
neutral zone, were outscored 9-5 and outshot by a 90-74 margin. In Game
3, the Kings won 3-1 and had a 28-20 edge in shots.
Chicago plays with discipline and speed. When a King gets the puck in the
neutral zone, he's met by two Blackhawks, one who tries to deliver a bump
and the other who tries to take the puck. It's not rocket science, though.
Beating the 1-2-2 forecheck requires quick, accurate passing and good
puckhandling.
"They're a very aggressive team," Scuderi said. "They play right on top of
us, with pressure, but you have to realize it's there. If you have time, make
a play. If not, put (the puck) in a safe spot. You can always live to fight
another day, but if you turn the puck over, it's usually going to be a scoring
opportunity."
The Kings need better from their centers. The loss of Richards, a superb
puckhandler, has been devastating. Anze Kopitar, clearly hurt or fatigued
(or both), has been nonexistent in terms of creating offense. Jarret Stoll has
always been more of a grinder than a playmaker.
Jeff Carter has been solid since his move to center after Richards' injury,
but even then, Carter is lugging the puck to the net and creating chances
for himself but not really his linemates.
On the other end, the Kings' sloppy play is making life too difficult for their
goalie. As the Kings scramble to get in position after turnovers, Quick faces
an increased number of odd-man rushes and quality scoring chances. He
has suffered, with a far-below-average save percentage of .901 in this
series.
Here's the good news for the Kings: They know what to do. In Game 3, they
took care of the puck and turned the tables. The Kings' forecheck caused
problems for the smaller Blackhawks. The Kings must bully the Blackhawks
before they have a chance to move the puck.
Protect and cycle the puck, and get in goalie Corey Crawford's face, and
the Kings might be able to stay alive, even though they're 1-7 on the road in
these playoffs. Otherwise, it's goodbye, Stanley Cup.
"I think now that we're down 3-1, people aren't expecting us to (win), so we
can go in there as if we have no pressure on us," Kings defenseman Drew
Doughty said. "We can go in there and play our game, play hard, and steal
one from them in front of the home fans."
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680400
Los Angeles Kings
It's now or never for defending champion Kings
Perhaps we will learn once the playoffs are completed several key players
were injured and will require surgery in the offseason. No question, they
should be praised for their ability to keep playing with determination despite
debilitating injuries.
In the meantime, the Kings must play to their strengths, Brown said. Don't
look for them to open things up and play run-and-gun hockey in Game 5.
By Elliott Teaford, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/07/2013 11:01:58 PM PDT
Updated: 06/07/2013 11:02:11 PM PDT
"We've been through a lot as a group and never been faced with a situation
like this," Brown said in the quiet of the Kings' dressing room after Game 4.
"We're leaning on each other at this point. It's not going to be one individual.
"That's been the strength of this group for a few years now, really relying on
each other and trusting each other when we get in a tough spot."
Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks' top
offensive players resurfaced during their victory in Game 4 of the Western
Conference finals Thursday at Staples Center. The Blackhawks' most
skillful players were their best players during a 3-2 win.
Anze Kopitar, team captain Dustin Brown and the rest of the Kings' top
offensive players continued their collective disappearing act as the Kings
fell into a 3-1 hole in the best-of-7 series. The team's most skillful players
were not their best players while the Kings produced only two shots in the
third period.
"We've got to find a way to get more pucks to the net," Brown said. "They
played their game well, especially in the third period. They limited
opportunities and pushed it to the outside. We have to find a way to get into
the inside.
"We have to get our shots by the first guy, and they blocked a lot of shots
(in Game 4). You have to get it by at least the first guy because they have
layers (defensively). If it's blocked in front of the net, you at least have a
chance (at a rebound try)."
The Blackhawks can eliminate the Kings with a victory in Game 5 today in
Chicago.
Game 6, if necessary, is set for Monday at Staples Center.
It will only be necessary if the Kings find a way to turn up the pressure on
the Blackhawks, create more scoring chances and score more goals. The
Kings' meager output of 34 goals in 17 playoff games is by far the fewest of
the any
of the four surviving teams in the postseason.
The Blackhawks' average of 2.69 goals per game is only marginally better
than the Kings' average of 2.00. But in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the
Boston Bruins were averaging 3.27 goals going into Game 4 on Friday, and
the Pittsburgh Penguins were averaging 3.50.
The so-called Dead Puck Era of the early 2000 s has returned with a
vengeance, with the grinding, hard-hitting Kings its chief practitioners. The
Kings' play is commendable. Who wouldn't admire a hard-working team?
But their lack of scoring depth has been their undoing in this series.
It's not as if the Kings don't have skilled players capable of scoring goals.
They simply don't have enough of them, and those they do have haven't
been producing as anticipated or needed during the conference finals.
Veteran center Jeff Carter and second-year defenseman Slava Voynov
share the Kings' lead with 12 points in 17 games. Each has six goals and
six assists. Injured center Mike Richards is the only other King to reach
double figures with 10 points (two goals, eight assists).
Kopitar, the Kings' leading scorer in the regular season with 42 points in 47
games (10 goals, 32 assists), has seven points (two goals, five assists).
Brown, who tied Kopitar with an NHL-leading 20 points in the playoffs last
spring, has four points (three goals, one assist).
The Blackhawks, by way of contrast, have five players with 10 points or
more in 16 games.
The Bruins have six players with 10 points or more in 15 games.
The Penguins have eight players with 10 points or more in 14 games.
Kings coach Darryl Sutter likes to say the NHL is a 3-2 league.
He's certainly got that right during the postseason.
The trouble for the Kings is they keep getting the two instead of the three.
LA Daily News: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680401
Los Angeles Kings
JILL PAINTER: Road to Stanley Cup rough one for Kings
at 2.
Chicago masterminded a comeback victory in Los Angeles, after the Kings
had taken 1-0 and 2-1 leads.
Told by a reporter that the Kings would need the right attitude going into
today's game, Sutter said: "I assume we'll have the right attitude."
By Jill Painter, Staff Columnist
Posted: 06/07/2013 09:18:41 PM PDT
The Kings must assume the right road attitude, one they haven't had all
season.
Updated: 06/07/2013 11:00:32 PM PDT
Or this could be the worst roadtrip of the postseason. The one that ends it.
LA Daily News: LOADED: 06.08.2013
The Kings are on the road again.
Just can't wait to get on the road again
Oh wait.
The Kings are complete busts on the road this season. Last year, they
wrote the manual on how to win playoff games on the road, where they lost
just once in winning the organization's first Stanley Cup championship.
This playoff season, the Kings are totally befuddled on the road, where
they've lost every game but one.
The Kings' season can come to a crashing halt Saturday in Chicago, where
Game 5 is an elimination game for them in the Western Conference finals.
Chicago leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can advance to the Stanley
Cup Finals with one more win. The Kings would need to win three
consecutive games to advance, and two of those would be on the road.
If their season were to end today, it would be fitting for the Kings if it
happened the road, because that's where most of their debacles have
happened.
In their eight road games, the Kings have scored 11 goals, averaging 1.4
per road game. It's amazing the Kings have even come this far.
Really, the Kings don't score much at home, either, and are averaging just 2
goals per game this postseason. Goaltender Jonathan Quick has made up
for the paltry offense, most of the time.
But they established a particularly disturbing trend by taking their road play
to a new low. Quick has played well, but when he didn't, the Kings were
pummeled 4-2 in
Game 2 in Chicago.
And because Quick was shaky in net in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Chicago, the
Kings have too many deficiencies to count.
This could be it, today. The Kings could be down to their last game.
And unfortunately for them, it's on the road.
"We're not happy with the situation we're in, but they've got to win four
games," captain Dustin Brown said. "Right now they've only won three. We
still have life We're not going into a do-or-die game thinking we've struggled
on the road. We're going into this game thinking we need to win. We have
to find a way to grind it out. Your record on the road doesn't play into a
game like (today)."
Coach Darryl Sutter and players fielded daily questions about why the team
can't figure out how to win on the road. Last year is last year, Sutter said
repeatedly. And this year, unfortunately for the Kings, is so not last year.
Asked how the Kings would play today, in a must-win game, Sutter seemed
to take exception to the question.
"Pardon?" Sutter said. "Ohhhh, I think you can answer that yourself."
Well, based on how the Kings have played on the road all postseason, we
can answer that question for ourselves. Unless the Kings have an offensive
trick or two up their white road jerseys, there's nothing that tells us this
game will be much different than any of the other Kings' road games.
But the Blackhawks just did something special Thursday in beating the
Kings at Staples Center.
No other team had done that this postseason. The Kings had won 15
consecutive games at home before that devastating loss.
How different the series might have been if the Kings had tied the series
680402
Los Angeles Kings
No supplemental discipline for Penner
Posted by JonRosen on 7 June 2013, 2:04 pm
Another game, day in which the question of supplemental discipline has
been raised.
Per Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago, Dustin Penner will not face a hearing
for a third period forearm to the head of Dave Bolland as shown in the video
below.
Skip 35 seconds in for a slowed-down replay of the collision.
Though the hit didn’t appear to pass the threshold of being suspensionworthy, a two minute minor should have been assessed as Penner caught
Bolland in the head with a reckless forearm that spun the Chicago forward
around. It didn’t appear vindictive or intentional, just a forearm that Penner
raised with opposing players in tight quarters, perhaps as an attempted hit
gone awry, or perhaps as a means of bracing against possible contact.
Not that precedence is always useful in the Department of Player Safety’s
logic in evaluating postseason discipline, but if Duncan Keith was assessed
one game for a retaliatory stick-flailing that cracked and chipped several of
Jeff Carter’s teeth in an incident behind the play, Penner wasn’t realistically
going to miss any games for the above hit. Of the three questionable hits
from the series – a list that also includes Bolland’s unpenalized low-to-high
hit that caused a concussion and made Mike Richards’ head the principal
point of contact in the waning moments of Game 1 – this hit was the least
sordid, and that’s not to casually dismiss a blow to the head. A minor
penalty would have been appropriate in this case.
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680403
Los Angeles Kings
Waking up with the Kings: June 7
Posted by JonRosen on 7 June 2013, 9:47 am
-Though the Los Angeles Kings’ 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks
appeared to hinge on a sequence of plays late in the second period and
early in the third, Los Angeles’ inability to take a two-goal lead weighed
heavily in the defeat. Corey Crawford proved that it’s not always about how
many saves you make, it’s when you make the saves, and his denial of
chances on the shift that immediately followed Slava Voynov’s goal, the
Kings’ power play that ensued, and his poke check on Justin Williams’
breakaway four minutes into the second period with Los Angeles leading 21 were pivotal moments in the game.
-This has been a series that has been decided by even strength scoring,
and that’s not necessarily a good thing for the Kings. Los Angeles has
averaged 1.4 even strength goals per game in the playoffs, a scoring output
that has necessitated a razor-thin margin for error on the defense and in
net. The two teams have combined for two power play goals in 26 chances,
with the Kings’ power play tally with 1:02 remaining in Game 2 having
virtually no bearing on the game or the series. A short-handed Los Angeles
squad with Mike Richards – who led the team in scoring when he was
concussed by Dave Bolland on an unpenalized hit late in Game 1 –
watching from upstairs and multiple players attempting to play through pain
is significantly challenged in attempting to keep pace with a healthy
Chicago Blackhawks team that earned points in 41 of 48 games this
season.
-This is also a Kings team that has generally responded well when pushed
into postseason must-win situations. Dustin Brown has discussed Darryl
Sutter’s strength in “getting that emotional level where it needs to be for
individuals and the group,” and the coach responding to an inquiry on how
the team will come out in an elimination game with “I think you can answer
that yourself, couldn’t you?” is all kinds of Sutter-beautiful. It means little,
but the Kings have won five of their last six Game 5s in which they trailed 31 in a playoff series, including a pair of 1-0 shutouts by Felix Potvin in the
rarified air of the Pepsi Center in 2001 and 2002. Those games, coupled
with Jonathan Quick’s 51-save performance in a 3-1 win at San Jose in
Game 5 of the teams’ first round series in 2011 and Los Angeles’ injuries
and five-on-five scoring woes indicate that Quick will need to produce one
of his signature efforts of the 2012-13 season on Saturday. More than one
goal allowed by the Kings’ 2013 playoff MVP may not be a strong enough
performance to send the series back to Staples Center.
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680404
Los Angeles Kings
June 7 quotes: Brown, Williams, Regehr, Stoll
Posted by JonRosen on 7 June 2013, 8:00 pm
Dustin Brown, on facing a 3-1 series deficit:
“It’s a different situation when you just have one game to play. You can
draw on being in the trench hole together. I think it’s key for us, the fact that
we’ve been through it together, we’ve been down
in the holes together. I think the most important thing is leaning on each
other at a time
like now.”
Brown, on why the team accounted for only two shots on goal in the third
period in Game 4:
“I couldn’t tell you what caused that. We have to get more pucks to the net,
more bodies to the net. I don’t think that’s just the third, but the whole
series. The Hawks have done a good job, been limiting our rush chances.
With the way their D skate, we have to place the pucks better and get to the
neutral zone better. I think the neutral zone has pretty much been the key
for the whole series. Their transition game is really good. If we’re going to
turn the puck over or not get through the neutral zone cleanly, it’s going to
play into their hands.”
Brown, on his “belief” in Jonathan Quick:
“Jon has been the backbone of our team ever since he came here. It’s a big
part of the reason why we’ve been successful as a team. It all starts with
him back there. If there’s one thing that’s never going to waiver, it’s the
confidence we have in that guy. Going back through the last few years,
there’s been some times when we have struggled as a team, and he has
allowed us to win games 1-0, 1-0 in shootouts in regular seasons. We never
question that guy as a teammate. Like I said, he’s huge for us.”
Justin Williams, on what the team has to do differently on the power play:
“I think they do an excellent job of blocking shots. That’s plain and simple.
They get their bodies in the shot lane. You can sometimes fake that you’re
in the shot lane when you’re actually not. But they’re in them every time.
They’re manning up and getting behind them. We’re getting a lot of zone
time on the PP. Only have one goal to come with it. Haven’t scored a big
power play goal yet. But getting through the first layer is going to be
important because we’ve had a lot of possession time, a lot of zone time.
But just getting it through their blockers is key.”
Williams, on whether the team’s road play is a “mental hurdle”:
“No, I’m not too worried about it. Are you worried about it? I don’t think
we’re worried about it. [Robyn Regehr: “You prepare the same way,
whether it's the home or on the road. The preparation is all the same."]”
Williams, on the team’s road play:
“It hasn’t gone our way on the road obviously. But now we need to win two
in the United Center. We’re not scared of it. We’re certainly not scared of it.
We’re going to welcome a challenge to beat the best team in the league this
year in their own house starting tomorrow.”
Williams, on how to avoid retaliation in a physical series:
“Well, use your head. We’re pretty smart guys. Sometimes emotions get the
better of you. We’ve been through pressure situations. You take a punch to
the head for the better of the team. Everyone says that. You just do it. It’s
going to be physical. You play whistle to whistle, and that’s it.”
Regehr, on whether Chicago went into “shutdown mode” in the third period
of Game 4:
“I don’t think so. I think they have a game plan. They play it. They played it
well. We had a game plan. We didn’t execute it as well as we wanted to.
Back to that first question you asked to the guys, too. It’s a situation that
you don’t have to look very far. You look at the opponent that we’re playing.
They were in the exact same situation, and they came out of it in the last
round. It’s something that’s very doable. We’re preparing to win one game
tomorrow, and that’s as far as we’re looking right now.”
Jarret Stoll, on Chicago’s skill level:
“I think their skill level is obvious. They’ve got a lot of guys spread out
throughout their lineup that can score goals and create chances. Their
depth is one thing that comes to mind. Their neutral zone play. Like
Brownie said, they move the puck really well. By us being more simple,
getting in on the forecheck, that doesn’t mean throwing pucks across, you
have to do things smartly, set your game up that way. They love the rush.
They love making plays on the rush. They don’t really like to dump the puck
in too much. Whereas St. Louis, they were more of a big-grinding, physical,
down-low cycle team. These guys are a little bit more dangerous.”
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680405
Los Angeles Kings
Sutter on Richards: “still really doubtful at best”
Posted by JonRosen on 7 June 2013, 7:00 pm
Darryl Sutter addressed the media at the team hotel shortly after arriving
from Los Angeles on Friday afternoon and provided a brief update on Mike
Richards, followed by remarks on the team’s attempts to win a road game
at the United Center on Saturday evening.
On Mike Richards’ status for Game 5:
“We didn’t skate today. Didn’t do much yesterday. So honestly, I couldn’t
tell you. It’s still really doubtful at best.
On what the team can do to create more power play chances:
“Not much. Every series, make a big deal out of it. Every series, every year
I’ve been in it, make a big deal about it. There’s no dramatic, you get a
faceoff goal, broken stick goal, everyone says you scored on the power
play.”
On whether his approach to elimination games:
“You know what, I don’t put a big deal on elimination games because it
really doesn’t have much impact on anything or anybody. If we play like we
did the last three games, we have a chance to win. Somebody will win.
Somebody will lose.”
On whether Chicago went into a “shutdown mode in the third period:
“Both teams played outstanding games in the neutral zone. So when you
have a lead, you can do even better because you can just basically force
the other team to chip it in, and then you can chip it out. You chip it in, you
chip it out. It’s pretty much got to be a broken play. It’s not based on shots. I
know that’s what you base everything on, you guys…Quite honest, in this
series, shots have been pretty even. I think in two of the games we actually
out-shot them. But it doesn’t impact the score at all. It’s basically quality
scoring chances and finishing the opportunity. No more than that. At the
end of the day, all those things everybody talks about, the only thing that
matters is who scores the most goals. I know if you think that you can outscore Chicago, meaning get into a high-scoring thing, you’re going to lose,
so…Way better to prevent the goals against this club than to think that
you’re going to out-score them.”
On whether Chicago is a better defensive team than they are given credit
for:
“They won the Jennings, right, which is very tough to do. I’ve been on
teams in Chicago that have done it, in Calgary also, I believe. You do it by
committee. There’s no fluke in it. It’s not just a great goalie when you win
those team awards like that. That’s based on your team commitment. That’s
why they’re such a good hockey club, because it’s both ways for them. It’s
not based on a power play, a penalty kill, a star player. It’s based on the
whole thing. That’s sort of how our team is, too. Would they be underrated?
Not if you look at it stat-wise. They’re not, because they don’t allow a lot of
shots, a lot of goals. Similar to us, you break it out by zone as much as you
can. That’s why I said that with Duncan. When Duncan was suspended, it
really doesn’t hurt their team. He’s a great player, but it doesn’t really hurt
their team because the way their team is set up, they just had five minutes
on four other defensemen. On most other teams, those guys would be
playing those situations anyways.”
On whether there is “anything that’s different” with the way the Kings play
on the road:
“Yeah. Five of them were 2-1 losses. When you lose 2-1, a lot of those
games you could win. I don’t really break it into what pinpoints something at
the start of the game. They’re 2-1. How many overtime games? Three. One
was in the last minute of regulation. So what’s the difference? Not much.
Not very much.
On his “belief” in Jonathan Quick:
“We need a great goaltending performance from our goaltender tomorrow.”
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680406
Los Angeles Kings
-Kings lose series, 4-1
2001 Conference Semifinals
Kings history when trailing 3-1
Game 5: Los Angeles 1 at Colorado 0
Game 6: Los Angeles 1 vs Colorado 0 (2 OT)
Posted by JonRosen on 7 June 2013, 6:30 pm
Game 7: Los Angeles 1 at Colorado 5
-Kings lose series, 4-3
229 different NHL teams have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series, with 20
teams rebounding to win the series in seven games. The 1989 Los Angeles
Kings are one of those teams, having defeated the Edmonton Oilers three
straight times in the Smythe Division Semifinals before eventually
succumbing in four games to the eventual Cup-winning Calgary Flames in
the second round. The Kings have won one of the 11 series in which they
trailed three games to one, though they have won five of the last six Game
5s when faced with a 3-1 series deficit.
2002 Conference Quarterfinals
The last team to win a series in which it trailed three games to one actually
rebounded from a 3-0 series deficit. The 2010 Philadelphia Flyers won four
consecutive games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after the Boston
Bruins had built up a commanding 3-0 series lead. Mike Richards took part
in that series, though Jeff Carter was sidelined with a foot injury. Simon
Gagne scored the series clincher to break a 3-3 deadlock with 7:08
remaining in Game 7; the Flyers ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks
in six games in the Stanley Cup Final.
2011 Conference Quarterfinals
In Los Angeles’ most recent game played when faced with a 3-1 deficit,
Jonathan Quick stopped 51 shots as Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Clifford and
Dustin Penner scored in a 3-1 victory at San Jose on April 23, 2011.
Kings history when trailing 3-1 in a playoff series:
1974 Quarterfinals
Game 5: Los Angeles 0 at Chicago 1
-Kings lose series, 4-1
1977 Quarterfinals
Game 5: Los Angeles 3 at Boston 1
Game 6: Los Angeles 3 vs Boston 4
-Kings lose series, 4-2
1982 Division Finals
Game 5: Los Angeles 2 at Vancouver 5
-Kings lose series, 4-1
1987 Division Semifinals
Game 5: Los Angeles 4 at Edmonton 5
-Kings lose series, 4-1
1988 Division Semifinals
Game 5: Los Angeles 4 at Calgary 6
-Kings lose series, 4-1
1989 Division Semifinals
Game 5: Los Angeles 4 vs Edmonton 2
Game 6: Los Angeles 4 at Edmonton 1
Game 7: Los Angeles 6 vs Edmonton 3
-Kings win series, 4-3
1991 Division Finals
Game 5: Los Angeles 5 vs Edmonton 2
Game 6: Los Angeles 0 at Edmonton 3
-Kings lose series, 4-2
1993 Stanley Cup Final
Game 5: Los Angeles 1 at Montreal 4
Game 5: Los Angeles 1 at Colorado 0 (OT)
Game 6: Los Angeles 3 vs Colorado 1
Game 7: Los Angeles 0 at Colorado 4
-Kings lose series, 4-3
Game 5: Los Angeles 3 at San Jose 1
Game 6: Los Angeles 3 vs San Jose 4 (OT)
-Kings lose series, 4-2
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680407
Montreal Canadiens
Towel-quality guidelines and other highlights from the new NHL CBA
JAMES MIRTLE
The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 4:35 PM EDT
Last updated Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 4:59 PM EDT
At long last, the day is here: The NHL’s new collective bargaining
agreement is publicly available.
And, at 517 pages of legalese – 63 more than its predecessor from eight
years ago – it’s quite a tome.
Not all of the items included within, however, are the kind of dense financial
topics that were talking points during the league’s ugly four-month lockout.
Also addressed are concerns of the quality of the hair products and towels
available in the visiting locker rooms.
Section 34.12 reads “Locker Room Quality/Shower Supplies. Clubs are to
provide professional quality shower supplies/products to home and visiting
team Players. Clubs are to provide high quality bath towels to Players, to be
replaced on as needed basis.”
(The rumour is that the Carolina Hurricanes were slacking in this
department.)
There’s also an odd section of the document dedicated entirely to
shovelling snow off the ice surface, with one new decree stipulating that
teams must have an “eight shoveler” crew dedicated to the process “in
order to optimize ice conditions around the league.”
And they shouldn’t be stomping around out there in their gumboots.
“The Clubs will utilize their best efforts to deploy ice shovelers on skates,” it
reads. “The League will issue updated minimum standards (current
standard attached) for end zone ice shoveling procedure.”
The attachment then provides a diagram for how to best clear the ice, as
well as more in-depth shovel specifications than you’ll find at your local
Canadian Tire:
“The Hockey Operations Department suggests the following tools for this
procedure:
- Six to eight 48" poly single-handed shovels, two poly scoop shovels, two
plastic buckets to hold snow“
NOTE: The recommended shovels can be ordered and replaced when
necessary by going to the website www.thesnowplow.com. The shovels are
48 inches wide, poly single handled plastic shovels.”
No wonder all that collective bargaining took so long this winter.
And wouldn’t you like to know how many lawyers pondered over these
particular sections?
More areas of note in the new CBA:
- New towels won’t be the only addition to the locker room. There’s a whole
host of workout equipment for the visiting team to have access to that’s
standardized in the CBA, including “two stainless mobile whirlpools
(hot/cold).” Oh, and of course, “one Bosu Ball.”
- This section was also included in the last CBA, but it’s still worth a
chuckle: “No Player shall be involved in any endorsement or sponsorship of
alcoholic beverages (excluding malt-based beverages such as beer).”
Wouldn’t want to offend the beer sponsors.
- Perhaps to help those snow shovelers out, the length of intermissions was
extended from 17 to 18 minutes. More time to grab a popcorn, I guess. But
if you’re wondering why games are ending two minutes later than in the
past, there’s your answer.
- On arbitration awards: Teams can only walk away from awards that are
$3.5-million or more. Otherwise, you’re stuck with the player at whatever
number the arbiter comes up with. That figure also rises with the NHL’s
average salary.
- On relocation: “Any player forced to move as a result of being claimed in
an expansion draft, or as a result of a team relocation, shall be paid
$6,000.” Potentially some big money for members of the Phoenix Coyotes.
- Speaking of relocation, the NHL included language to state that it
maintained sole control over those types of decisions: “Each Club, and,
where appropriate, the League… shall in addition to its other inherent and
legal rights to manage its business, including the direction and control of its
team, have the right at any time and from time to time to determine when,
where, how and under what circumstances it wishes to operate, suspend,
discontinue, sell or move and to determine the manner and the rules by
which its team shall play hockey.”
- No more will teams be able to play nine exhibition games, as the Leafs
always seemed eager to do: “Each Club shall schedule no less than six (6)
and no more than eight (8) Exhibition Games during Training Camp.”
- Expanding the playoffs by having four more teams involved in a play-in
round is also still in play: “If the League desires to implement a Playoff
Qualification Round with respect to future NHL Season(s), it may only do so
with the consent of the NHLPA, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.”
- Players get a bump in their meal money, which was at $85 at the start of
the last CBA: “The per diem meal allowance for each Player accompanying
his Club while it is away from its home city for the purpose of playing NHL
Games shall be $100 for the 2012-13 League Year.”
- This one could be known as the Boogaard rule: “Prescription Drugs. Each
Club shall identify one (1) individual who is responsible for monitoring on an
ongoing basis, or auditing on a regular basis, prescription drugs that have
been given to each Player on the Club, with a particular emphasis on
monitoring controlled substances and sleeping pills, if any, that have been
prescribed.”
- There’s also the matter of calculating the cap, which will use a slightly
different formula to the old CBA beginning in 2014-15. For next season,
however, it’s already set: “…in the 2013-14 League Year, the Lower Limit of
the Range shall be $44-million, the Midpoint of the Range shall be $54.15million, and the Upper Limit of the Range shall be $64.3-million.”
- Players will now be paid quite a bit more in the playoffs, with the total
compensation up from $6.5-million in the last CBA to between $14- and
$17-million in this one. Teams that advance deeper in the postseason
receive more of that cash, which acts as a modest bonus.
- The two most complicated sections of the CBA are two that were
dramatically revised: revenue sharing and the pension plan. Both were
seen as small “wins” for the players’ side after negotiations, but it’s difficult
to break down just how much benefit they’ll see. What’s clear is that
revenue sharing will be at least $200-million a season from now on and all
teams – even those in very large markets – are now eligible.
- Here’s one specific item on revenue sharing: “For each Playoff Game that
a Club hosts in its home arena during a League Year, such Club shall
contribute the dollar value equivalent of thirty-five (35) per cent of the
Playoff Gate Receipts” to the pool of money
- And one more that affects teams like the New York Islanders and New
Jersey Devils: “Any Recipient Club that is in a Designated Market Area with
3 million or more households shall only be eligible to receive fifty (50) per
cent of a ‘full share’ ”
Globe And Mail LOADED: 06.08.2013
680408
Montreal Canadiens
Molson proud of Habs’ progress this season
By PAT HICKEY, THE GAZETTE June 7, 2013
MONTREAL - Canadiens owner Geoff Molson was disappointed with the
way this season ended, but is proud of the progress the team made during
the lockout-shortened campaign that ended with a first-round playoff loss to
the Ottawa Senators.
“I think we have a good group of players and we made progress,” Molson
said Thursday following a press conference to announce the start of
construction on the Tour des Canadiens, a luxury condominium
development that will be built adjacent to the Bell Centre.
“You could tell that this was a close team even during the lockout, with the
players texting each other and keeping in touch,” Molson added.
“We had some outstanding performances from our rookies and we had
some of other young players grow into leadership roles. I’m proud of
players like P.K. (Subban) and Carey (Price). We had good coaching, but it
all starts at the top and I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about (general
manager Marc Bergevin). He lives hockey and our success starts with him.”
Molson said he was impressed with the consistency of the team’s
performance.
“We didn’t have any bad stretches until the end when we ran into injury
problems,” Molson said. “But we went a long way toward building for the
future. We’re headed in the right direction.”
Molson took advantage of Thursday’s press conference to announce plans
to relocate Centennial Plaza, which is being uprooted to make room for the
condo development. The plaza will be moved to the Windsor Court on the
east side of the building.
The monuments commemorating the retired jerseys, the team’s 24 Stanley
Cup teams and the mosaic of historic moments will be moved, along with
four bronze statues representing Canadiens greats Howie Morenz, Maurice
(Rocket) Richard, Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur. The team will also
replace the 12,000 bricks that fans purchased during the team’s centennial
celebrations in 2008.
Molson also confirmed that due to the risk of damage inherent in the
removal and storage of existing bricks, the club would absorb the cost of
ordering an entirely new set of bricks complete with the original inscriptions
made by fans.
“By becoming Centennial Plaza brick owners, our fans showed their deep
attachment to the team (and) as a result they became an integral part of the
plaza,” Molson said. “It’s very important to us as an organization take centre
stage in what will become a permanent historic site for the Montreal
Canadiens.”
That was the idea the first time around, but the land on the west side of the
building belongs to Cadillac Fairview, one of the major partners in the
condo development. The Windsor Court property belongs to the Canadiens.
The partners in the project — Cadillac Fairview, Canderel and Fonds
immobilier de solidarité FTQ — said construction will begin on the project
after what were described as record-breaking sales. The project is 99 per
cent sold, with the only unsold units two penthouse apartments with
pricetags starting at $833,000.
“It is no surprise that the unprecedented enthusiasm elicited for the project
allows us to begin construction in record-breaking time, even with the
recent addition of two floors,” said Daniel Peritz, Canderel’s senior vicepresident.
Sal Iacono, the senior vice-president of portfolio and development
management for Cadillac Fairview, said the condominium was part of a $2billion facelift for the area surrounding the Bell Centre. Construction has
already begun at La Tour Deloitte, a 26-floor office and retail complex on a
site to the east of the Bell Centre.
While the Canadiens are listed as a partner in the project, Molson noted the
team’s involvement is minimal.
“We’re not in the real-estate business,” Molson said.
The team has lent its name to the project and will manage a sports bar on
the ground-floor level of the development. Molson said the idea for the
sports bar was inspired by the popular Real Sports restaurant adjacent to
the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, but “it will be different.”
Vail invited to Team USA camp: Canadiens prospect Brady Vail was one of
40 players invited to the Team USA national junior training camp in August
in Lake Placid, N.Y. Vail, a 6-foot, 185-pound centre, was the Canadiens’
fourth-round pick (94th overall) at the 2012 National Hockey League entry
draft. In 68 games this past season with the Ontario Hockey League’s
Windsor Spitfires, he posted 20-35-55 totals and was minus-23. He finished
the season with the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs, posting
1-3-4 totals and a plus-2 in 12 games.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.08.2013
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Montreal Canadiens
1993 Stanley Cup flashback: 10th straight OT win for Habs in Game 4
Posted by Stu Cowan
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Canadiens’ last Stanley Cup
championship.
The Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings met in Game 4 of the 1993 Stanley
Cup final on June 7, 1993 with the Canadiens winning 3-2 in overtime on
John LeClair’s goal, moving within one victory of their 24th Cup
championship.
Below are the columns by Michael Farber and Red Fisher that were
published in The Gazette following Game 4.
PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE ON JUNE 8, 1993
RED FISHER
There he is, facing off in the circle to Hrudey’s right. Jari Kurri, who plays
that position largely as an afterthought, faced him. The puck is dropped,
Muller slips it through Kurri’s legs and, in one motion, lashes a shot beyond
Hrudey.
The Canadiens could have had at least two more. Once, Carbonneau
struck the post on a two-on-one with Ed Ronan. Brian Bellows was set up
delightfully by Muller – and missed the pass. Carbonneau sweeps in on
Hrudey, is stopped, and can’t get his stick to the short rebound.
Games have been won with the opportunities the Canadiens, as a team,
frittered away. Or, more precisely, the chances they couldn’t bury because
of Hrudey’s excellence.
Mathieu Schneider is caught laying on an elbow late in the period. Two
minutes later, he’s out of the box and racing in on Hrudey. He’s stopped.
Bottom line: it may not be the best period the Canadiens have played in the
playoffs, but it was up there with the best.
The Kings?
The best they had to offer among their six shots were two by Tomas
Sandstrom, but Roy took both away – particularly the rebound.
THE GAZETTE
Skating is what the Canadiens were all about. Team Whoosh! They dictated
the pace, and for much of the period it was simply too much for the Kings.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It is one game away from what once was thought to
be an impossible dream, so now Guy Carbonneau sits there, shaking his
head.
“If we win this one,” Mike Keane had said earlier in the day, “we’re in a
great position. If we don’t, it’s anybody’s ball game.”
“Unbelievable. I’m numb,” he said in the moments after this 3-2 overtime
victory by the Canadiens, which gives them a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven
series with the Los Angeles Kings.
“I don’t know what to think, whether to laugh, be serious or to be happy.
Happy, I guess, because we’re leading the series 3-1 and we’re going
home. Unbelievable, though.”
What was unbelievable, perhaps, was that for the second consecutive
game, John LeClair scored the winner, this time 14:37 into the overtime.
Unbelievable, because for the first 25 minutes of this pivotal game, the
Canadiens swept into a 2-0 lead on goals by Kirk Muller and Vincent
Damphousse. They were in control. They set the tempo. They had two, but
could have had four – and then the wheels almost fell off.
The air started to go out of the balloon a couple of seconds after a
Canadiens giveaway – allowing Mike Donnelly to score. That’s when the
Kings started taking over in what ended as a desperate second period
when Marty McSorley tied the score with only five seconds remaining.
“I’m sitting here not really knowing what to say,” said Carbonneau, “but
what I do know is that Patrick (Roy) came into the dressing room after the
second period and said that was the last goal he was giving up.
Keane had that right.
Roy reigns as best player of the second season
PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE ON JUNE 8, 1993
MICHAEL FARBER
THE GAZETTE
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – This had become Hockey Morning in Canada a good
20 minutes earlier and there stood Patrick Roy. He had a mask, but he
didn’t have a cigarette.
He doesn’t smoke. The Kings do. This was Stanley Cup overtime, that extra
special place where the Canadiens have lived for the past seven weeks, but
it was Los Angeles that was owning the extra time, throwing everything at
Roy.
The Kings looked fresh. The Canadiens were like a punch-drunk fighter,
searching out the clinches, hanging on, doing everything they could to fend
off Kings. This was Rocky in Wayne’s World, a tired team trying desperately
not to get outclassed, and the only thing that was keeping the Canadiens
alive was their goaltender.
“He kept his promise.”
“You know, I feel good in overtime,” Roy said later. “I felt perfect. I just had
to make myself tough to beat. You just don’t want to give up a soft goal.
So did LeClair, who had come into the room after the third period and
boomed in his hillbilly twang:
“My concentration came easy, especially in the third period and the
overtime. I knew it would be a difference between 2-2 and 3-1.”
“Let’s go guys. I’ve got lots left.”
Lots – even though many of his colleagues appeared to be tiring.
Enough to get the winner, which came after he pounced on a shot that had
gone wide, shrugged off several restraining bodies beside Kelly Hrudey,
who had fallen out of position, and tucked it beyond defenceman Darryl
Sydor.
“What can you say about that guy,” said Carbonneau. “He’s finally learning
how good he can be. He’s finally learning how to get things done with his
size. He said he had lots left. We need guys that size to do the job for us –
with their size.”
The Canadiens did it the hard way again – a remarkable 10th victory in 11
overtime games after losing the first one to the Quebec Nordiques. What
they also did was go into the game as well- prepared as any team can be.
Twelve minutes into it, the Canadiens had an 8-3 margin in shots. A minute
later, they had tested Hrudey four more times.
It’s called turning it on, but is there a prettier play than the one
choreographed by Muller for the period’s only goal?
John LeClair made sure the Canadiens are one win away from the Stanley
Cup when he scored a 16-incher at 14:37 of overtime. Long John was Short
John again, and his two game-winners put end-to-end would still be a
gimme. But Montreal surely would have been back at its beachfront hotel if
it weren’t for Roy. He was Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Terry
Sawchuck rolled into one.
The next person he becomes is Conn Smythe.
Roy has been the best player in the post-season just as he was in 1986
when, as a rookie, he led Montreal to its last Stanley Cup. He is one
Wednesday from a not-so-instant replay but in the overtime period, he
surely turned the clock back to 1986 when he survived about a 3,465 shot
overtime against the New York Rangers. Roy was called to stop a mere 10
in almost a quarter of an hour against Los Angeles, but he was just as
sharp.
When asked to compare the two, Roy said, “It’s tough to compare this to
1986. We played so few overtime games then, and now we have one
almost every night. But I don’t live in the past. I only go on to the next
game.”
Good idea. Why compare a Van Gogh to a Picasso.
A playoff masterpiece is a playoff masterpiece.
“Patrick Roy is the greatest goaltender in the world,” said Jacques Demers.
“Kelly Hrudey (in the Kings nets) was great, battling, not giving an inch, but
the Patrick Roy who came tonight was the Patrick Roy who is best in the
game.”
Roy made a reflex save on Jari Kurri in the overtime, a remarkable reaction
as Kurri batted the puck in midair off Roy’s glove. Of course, he couldn’t
stop what he couldn’t see but then Roy didn’t have to. His goalpost did it for
him.
Roy didn’t have a clue on Jimmy Carson’s shot from the faceoff in overtime.
Carson was the bounciest player on the ice, Kings coach Barry Melrose
having used him as sparingly as he uses the barber. That made Carson the
most dangerous. He tried a cute play off a faceoff in the Montreal zone –
Kirk Muller had scored on the same play in the first period when he took a
faceoff through Jari Kurri’s legs and shot it past Hrudey – and Carson got
some serious stick on it. Clang. Roy still talks to his posts, and once again
the post talked back.
“I wasn’t thinking about overtime,” Roy said. “I don’t think our team was
thinking about it either, not in a conscious way. But we know that when the
score is tied and there are 10 minutes left in the third period, we’re not
going to take many chances. If we have a good chance, we’re going to take
it and go. But we’re willing to go into the overtime. We’re really positive
about it.”
Why not. The streak of overtime victories has reached 10 and the legend
grows faster than the record for Team Time and a Half because now we’re
into exponents as well as opponents. The Canadiens now have won their
past three games in overtime over the doubting Kings, the first final since
Montreal-Toronto in 1951 to have a string of three overtime games. This
was a little more lingering death than sudden death, but the Canadiens
don’t ask how long, they ask how much.
LeClair scored on a botched two-on-one on a play that should have been
well past your bed time. But you probably stayed up and so did Roy,
challenging the Kings to beat him. They couldn’t when it counted.
we were once nearly fired by a shoe store for an inability to make change.
No. Like other scientists, we welcomed verification.
“Now let me get this straight,” said Prof. Jan DeLeeuw, the director of the
statistics program at UCLA. “Hockey has three periods each of 20 minutes,
which actually takes much longer than 60 minutes to complete. And if there
is a draw after 60 minutes, they play overtime?”
Right.
“Well, you must assume as you start overtime the chances of each team to
win are equally good,” DeLeeuw said, “because that’s why you need
overtime in the first place.”
Of course. Sometimes we scientists have lost sight of that fact because Roy
has made every big save for the Canadiens for seven weeks and Montreal
plays with a nice mixture of verve and composure in sudden death. Still,
when the streak of overtimes started against Quebec in Game 3, the
scientific community favored the Nordiques because 1) they had won the
first game in OT and 2) if OT is a scoring lottery, Quebec seemed to have
more balls in the drum.
“So if overtime is the equivalent of a fair coin toss,” continued DeLeeuw and
then he went off on binomial distribution, which might be elementary to him
but hasn’t been used as regularly in this lab as, say, Spectravision.
The prof came up with the probability of the streak as .00098, roughly one
in a thousand.
Thanks, professor. You’re one in a million for taking time to help. Do you
happen to know any of the Los Angeles Kings?
“One.”
The player wears .00099.
But to verify his figures, to guard against any Left Coast numerical bias, we
checked with the math department at McGill University because for all we
know, .00098 could be .00120 Canadian.
Prof. V. Seshadri, a Canadiens fan since 1962, obliged.
This was no rout, but you better believe they are plotting a route on St.
Catherine St. this morning.
“Just a simple binomial formula,” Seshadri explained. Right. Simple to
DeLeeuw. “You take 1/2 to the power of 10 …
Twilight zone; Canadiens’ mastery in overtime can’t be explained
statistically
“Ah, my calculator isn’t working.”
PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE ON JUNE 8, 1993
This is the Stanley Cup final, Professor. You’ve got to check out your
equipment.
MICHAEL FARBER
That’s what Marty McSorley, Ph.D. always says.
THE GAZETTE
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – We take you now to the laboratory of Advanced
Statistical Hockey Research, also known as Room 711 at the Westin LAX.
This could be any lab in North America (except for the telltale crusts of the
room service club sandwich on the table near the window), but here
yesterday afternoon one of the most significant experiments in recent
sporting history occurred.
Some background, professor.
We men of science could no longer buy the layman’s “ghosts” or a quark
named “Patrick Roy” or “experience” or “patience” or the “long bench” (how
long? 30 metres?) to explain an apparent statistical anomaly.
So we applied the empirical method.
The implements: one 25-cent piece (American, 1980), one bed (king- size,
four pillows), one thumb (right).
The methodology: flip the coin and let it land on the bed.
The data: heads, heads, tails, heads, tails, tails …
For complete results, you will have to wait for the parade. But to
summarize: after 100 flips of the coin, there were 52 tails and 48 heads.
More significantly, the longest streaks by these evenly matched sides were
seven (heads) and five (tails).
So heading into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final last night, the only
explanation for the Canadiens’ record streak of nine overtime wins was:
beats the hell out of us.
The odds against nine straight overtime wins are 1 in 1,024, and you
shouldn’t take the word of Advanced Statistical Hockey Research because
Now we know these findings are controversial. The ghost mob has its
backers, and Dave Taylor of the Kings already is wondering.
“Our series really doesn’t apply a lot to what they’ve done in overtime,” he
said. “We haven’t had good opportunities the other way to score. The
Canadiens have just taken the puck into our zone and put it in the first time.
Two first-minute goals. But it is crazy the way the whole thing worked out.”
The craziness continued., The Canadiens won 3-2 in overtime in Game 4
last night. The law of averages has been repealed.
“You know, I’ve been watching the games, and they have been thrilling,”
Seshadri said. “The finals are different ballgames from what happens in the
rest of the year. Both teams are evenly matched, and this is blood.
“Can you get me a ticket?”
Now we know these findings are controversial. The ghost mob has its
backers, and Dave Taylor of the Kings already is questioning the
methodology.
“Our series really doesn’t apply a lot to what they’ve done in overtime,” he
said. “We haven’t had good opportunities the other way to score. The
Canadiens have just taken the puck into our zone and put it in the first time.
Two first-minute goals. But it is crazy the way the whole thing worked out.”
Maybe. But as they say around campus, nine heads are better than one.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.08.2013
680410
Montreal Canadiens
Sunday marks 20th anniversary of Habs’ last Cup win
unbelievable. Mathieu Schneider, Kirk Muller, Lyle Odelein … we can’t
forget those guys … Ed Ronan. They came in and they enjoyed playing for
the Montreal Canadiens, but really enjoyed the chemistry that we had put
together. Then Rob Ramage came in a little later … Gary Leeman … those
guys were fantastic. They joined the team together and we’re going to work
together and I believe that was the strength of our team, the chemistry.”
By Stu Cowan, GAZETTE SPORTS EDITOR June 7, 2013
Carbonneau agrees with his former coach, saying the ’93 Canadiens were
built to “play as a team, not individually.”
MONTREAL — Where were you on the night of June 9, 1993?
“Everybody that wins … you have to have that chemistry and the trust
between each other,” he said.
Maybe you were lucky enough to be among the nearly 18,000 fans at the
Forum who watched the Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 in
Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final to win their record 24th championship.
Maybe you were downtown for the riotous rampage that followed the
Canadiens’ victory, resulting in 118 arrests, 168 injuries and millions of
dollars in damage.
Maybe, like current Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban — who was 4 at
the time — you were too young to really remember, or like Habs rookie Alex
Galchenyuk, you weren’t even born yet.
Whatever memories you do or don’t have of that night, Sunday marks the
20th anniversary of the Canadiens last Stanley Cup championship.
“It’s hard to believe,” Guy Carbonneau, the last Canadiens captain to hoist
the Cup, said Thursday about the fact 20 years have passed. “It started a
little bit last year … people started to talk about it. It was probably then that
you realize that, my gosh it went fast. Now I’m pretty used to it. But, yeah,
it’s hard to believe.”
Carbonneau doesn’t have any special plans Sunday to mark the
anniversary.
“No,” he said with a laugh. “Either I’m going to go to the Grand Prix or watch
the Grand Prix. I’m not doing anything special. Nobody is organizing
anything.”
Demers doesn’t have any special plans, either.
“Play golf — depending on the weather — at Whitlock with my brother,
Michel, and a couple of friends,” he said Friday about his Sunday plans.
But Demers has been talking a lot about the 20th anniversary recently.
“I’ve been reminded on a daily basis for about a week with different media
calling me,” he said. “I’m very proud and I wish to heck — and I’m being
totally honest with you — that they win (another) one very quickly and I
think they’re on the right track.”
And for the first time on Thursday, Demers brought his ’93 Stanley Cup ring
to the Senate in Ottawa “because they wanted to see it.”
“I felt proud, I felt good,” said Demers, who was named to the Senate in
2009 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and only wears his Cup ring on
special occasions. “A lot of stuff is going on at the Senate now and I didn’t
feel like a Senator yesterday, I felt like the Montreal coach who in 1993, on
June 9, won the Cup. It was very special for me.”
Demers has many special memories from that night 20 years ago at the
Forum. He recalls veteran Denis Savard being upset because he was
scratched from the lineup, instead helping Demers as an assistant coach
behind the bench. During the post-game celebration on the ice, Demers
recalls that Savard was crying when they hugged and told the coach: “I won
my Stanley Cup!”
Demers made another tough decision that night, deciding not to dress
defenceman Kevin Haller to make room for the rarely used Donald
Dufresne.
“I wanted to give Donald Dufresne an opportunity to put his name on the
Stanley Cup,” Demers recalled when he was a guest on The Gazette’s
Hockey Inside/Out web show this year (hockeyinsideout.com/show). “That
was very difficult ... and when Kevin came on the ice (I said) thank you
Kevin for understanding what I did. And Donald Dufresne thanked me. But I
owe thanks to those players. They’re the ones who played hard, they’re the
ones who had to block shots. I was the coach and I got a lot of credit, but I
tell you one thing, those are the players who made the difference for me.
“We had a lot of French Canadians on that team and I think for the province
of Quebec it’s great,” Demers added. “But I never want people to forget the
contribution of some of our anglophones. Mike Keane was absolutely
The Canadiens also had goaltender Patrick Roy, who recorded an
incredible 10 straight overtime victories while winning the Conn Smythe
Trophy as playoff MVP after posting a 16-4 record with a 2.13 goals-against
average and a .929 save percentage.
Carbonneau recalls the Canadiens dressing room at the Forum being
packed after the final game, with friends and family joining in the
celebration.
“At one point after the celebration in the room, we asked everybody to kind
of leave the room and we stayed, just the players and the coaching staff,
the hockey staff, just for about 15-20 minutes trying to reflect on what we
were able to do,” Carbonneau recalled. “I think that was a fun point.
“You can always put the 10 overtime wins, the goals, all those things. But at
the end of the day, I think to be able to kind of reflect on what we achieved
that year was a lot of fun.”
What wasn’t so much fun was trying to get home.
“Because of the riot outside, we couldn’t leave the building,” Carbonneau
recalled. “I remember my daughter, Anne-Marie (who is now married to the
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Brenden Morrow), was there with us and she was
about 11 years old and I remember we couldn’t get out. At one point during
the night, I had to go see some security guys and say: ‘Listen, I need to get
my daughter to bed.’ We called a cab company and we told him what route
to take and once you get to the corner just don’t stop … just open the door.
“We had the security guy making sure that nobody saw us and we asked
the cab to be at the corner by the back door. It was fun, but it was so late.
But we had so much fun.”
After making the escape from the Forum, Carbonneau figures it was around
3:30 a.m. when they finally got home.
The next season, despite recording 96 points, the Canadiens were
eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Bruins. In the
1994-95 lockout-shortened season, the Habs missed the playoffs for the
first time in 25 years and after an 0-4 start to the 1995-96 season, Demers
and general manager Serge Savard were fired by team president Ronald
Corey. Mario Tremblay took over as head coach and Réjean Houle as
general manager, both with no experience in those jobs.
The rest is history.
“Coaches are meant to be replaced ... fired,” Demers said on the Hockey
Inside/Out show, adding that the downfall of the Canadiens started when
Savard was replaced by Houle, who had a “heart of gold” and was a
“tremendous worker,” but had no experience as a GM.
“Savard had won a Cup in 1986 (went to the finals in ’89) and then all of a
sudden we win a Cup in ’93 and he’s fired,” Demers said. “A general
manager who has that competence and who had brought some great
players. Every, every general manager in the NHL or any sport makes
mistakes. But I thought Serge had a vision. Coaches are short-term. We
have to win right now. Serge was a long-term guy. While you’re long-term,
you still want to win right now.”
There was also a revolving door behind the Canadiens’ bench.
“All of a sudden, Alain Vigneault is in the (Cup) finals, Michel Therrien is in
the finals, Claude (Julien) wins the Stanley Cup,” Demers said of former
Habs coaches who went on to have success elsewhere. “Guy Carbonneau I
thought had a really wonderful year (as head coach) … I believe he had
104 points. It’s stability.”
Carbonneau has a message for frustrated Canadiens fans.
“You have to be patient,” he said. “The process now is a lot harder. When
they used to win most of their Cups there was maybe six teams and then 16
teams and then 21 teams and now there’s 30 with the salary cap. It’s really
hard to keep a team together. There’s mistakes that were made because
they wanted to be competitive every year and they paid for it for a long time.
But I think they’re on the right track now and hopefully in the near future
they can give (the fans) a good run.”
Said Demers: “I’m a Montrealer … a French-Canadian … I won the Cup
with the Montreal Canadiens and I could never forget how it happened,
can’t forget the fans who still treat me with great respect.
“Look, we’re 20 years away and we’re still talking about it.”
Relive the 1993 Cup final: You can relive the ’93 Cup final between the
Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings as we republish stories by Red Fisher
and Michael Farber, who covered the series for The Gazette, at
hockeyinsideout.com
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.08.2013
680411
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh’s loss may be Rangers’ gain
By LARRY BROOKS
Last Updated: 3:44 AM, June 8, 2013
Posted: 1:26 AM, June 8, 2013
The Penguins’ loss could be the Rangers’ gain.
For if Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero — perhaps under orders from
team chairman Mario Lemieux — dismisses coach Dan Bylsma in the wake
of his club’s sweep by the Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals that was
cemented in Boston last night with a 1-0 Game 4 loss, the 2009 Stanley
Cup-winner would immediately vault to the top of the list of candidates for
the vacancy behind the Blueshirts’ bench.
That is, if Shero were to grant Rangers GM Glen Sather permission to
speak to Bylsma, who is under contract to the Penguins through the end of
next season.
The Rangers are expected to at least initially address the club’s coaching
search at their organizational meetings at Sather’s Western White House in
La Quinta, Calif., which will commence Monday.
It is unknown whether Sather will conduct formal interviews with candidates
during the week, though it would seem an appropriate time.
The Blueshirts have received permission to speak with former Vancouver
coach Alain Vigneault, fired by the Canucks after a second consecutive
first-round playoff exit following a Game 7 defeat in the 2011 Finals, and
AHL Toronto Marlies’ coach Dallas Eakins. They are expected to ask for
permission to speak with Lindy Ruff, dismissed in February by the Sabres
after 14-plus seasons in Buffalo.
Dave Tippett, who remains under contract to the Coyotes through June 30,
has made it clear his first preference is to remain in Phoenix if ownership
issues can be resolved. Mark Messier remains in the picture, though it is
unclear whether Sather is willing to even entertain the notion of taking the
leap of faith that would be required in order to hire an individual absent of
any coaching experience.
Vigneault is believed to have the inside track for the job, which calls for a
coach who will maximize the team’s talent for a run at the Stanley Cup over
the next year or two, not one who will require time to grow on the job.
But Bylsma’s potential availability would shake up the process. The 42year-old, Michigan-born coach led the Penguins to the Cup in 2009 after
replacing Michel Therrien midway through that season. Pittsburgh then was
upset in the 2010 second round before losing in the first round in both 2011
and 2012.
Though few — if any — fingers are being pointed in Bylsma’s direction for
the Penguins’ embarrassing effort against the Bruins (they were outscored
12-2 in the series), it is possible the coach could pay the price for the
team’s failure to at least reach the Finals for the fourth straight year.
Especially after the club sacrificed four draft selections and three prospects
in a win-now effort to to acquire rentals Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow and
Douglas Murray around the trade deadline.
Bylsma, known as creative and a forthright communicator, has thrived with
top-end, marquee talent since replacing the conservative Therrien. He is
also accustomed to the spotlight that has often accompanied Sidney
Crosby’s team.
New York Post LOADED: 06.08.2013
680412
New York Rangers
Guest blogger: Jared Sexton of RangersUnlimited.com … looking ahead to
free agency
By Jared Sexton at RangersUnlimited.com
Free agency kicks off on July 5, a little less than a month away. It’s a time
of the year that’s been a bit of an adventure during the Sather
administration. It’s produced such blunders as Bobby Holik, Wade Redden,
Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Ales Kotalik and Donald Brashear. Below I list
five targets on which I feel the Rangers should lock in, and three players I
feel they should avoid.
1. Bryan Bickell
Bickell raises a number of red flags for me. He has scored 7 goals so far in
the playoffs, and players who go on these miracle playoff runs tend to get
overpaid when they hit free agency. Joel Ward and Sean Bergenheim both
got lucrative four year deals after big postseasons. I’m also always cautious
about giving physical players long term contracts that will expire in their
30s. You just never how a physical player’s body is going to hold up. The
list of physical players who have signed long-term deals that have turned
out poorly for the teams that signed them is long: Darius Kasparaitis, Darcy
Tucker, Mark Parrish, Jay McKee, Mike Komisarek, Trent Hunter, Colin
White, Mike Commodore, and Ethan Moreau among others.
2. Ryane Clowe
Players to Target:
Clowe missed games this season with a shoulder injury and concussions,
and when he played, he didn’t inspire confidence that his body was going to
hold out much longer. Clowe will turn 31 before the season starts. The
Rangers would have to forfeit their 2014 second-round pick if they re-sign
Clowe, removing any desire I would otherwise have to re-sign the winger.
1. Mark Streit
3. David Clarkson
The Rangers’ need for a strong power-play defenseman needs no
introduction. Streit definitely fits the calling, as he’s averaged 3.63 points
per 60 minutes of 5 on 4 ice time in the past five seasons. A spot in the
lineup could be opened up for Streit if Michael Del Zotto is traded for a
scoring forward, and Marc Staal is moved to the right side to make better
use of his one good eye. Of course, the problem is, Streit is going to get
paid. He is the premier defenseman on the free agent market without
competition, and he recently turned down $14.25 million over three seasons
from the Islanders. To complicate matters, Streit is 35, so any contract he
signs will be a 35+ contract. It would take at least a three year commitment
to win Streit’s services, and I would be very hesitant to give him a fourth
year.
David Clarkson is a hockey player that any team would love to have.
Naturally, then, those teams that would love to have him are going to bid for
him this summer, and he is going to get paid. Clarkson has to (and is willing
to) grind for every point that he gets, and as for reasons described above, I
don’t think paying for physical players on the free agent market works out
well for teams too often.
2. Danny Briere
I’m operating under the assumption that Philadelphia will use an amnesty
buyout on the final two seasons of Briere’s contract. Briere is another player
who could help the Rangers’ hurting power play. Briere has averaged 4.04
points per 60 minutes of 5 on 4 ice time over the past five seasons. He is
also one of the most established playoff performers in the league, with 50
goals and 59 assists in 108 career playoff games. I would figure Briere
would project as a winger for the Rangers, while serving as some much
needed insurance at center for Stepan and Brassard. Briere is also 35. It
would likely take only a two-year commitment to secure his services.
3. Michael Ryder
Ryder is an alternate to Briere. He is another right-handed shooting forward
with a history of success on the power play. Ryder has averaged 4.31
points per 60 minutes of 5 on 4 ice time over the past five seasons. Ryder,
33, is below Briere on my list, not because he’s an inferior player, but
because he’ll likely command a great salary over a larger number of years.
Ryder’s game isn’t pleasing to the eye, but his goal scoring record speaks
for itself.
4. Raffi Torres
The downside to Torres goes without saying: he plays on the edge and the
NHL will suspend him for just about anything at this point. His trouble with
the law is well-documented, but his proficiency at scoring at even strength
gets much less attention. Torres has averaged 1.82 points per 60 minutes
of 5 on 5 ice time over his past five seasons. To put that into perspective,
the Rangers had only four forwards exceed that even-strength scoring pace
this season. I feel that Torres is extremely undervalued and the contract he
receives on the open market will reflect that. San Jose acquired him at the
deadline for a third round pick, which illustrates how he value is negatively
skewed among NHL GMs. Torres would bring some sandpaper in the
games in which he is not suspended.
5. Matt Hendricks
Hendricks would fill the role of fourth-line center and penalty killer while
adding a bit of snarl to the bottom six. Hendricks, who will turn 32 in June,
hasn’t been an offensive producer for a while. It’s been two seasons since
Hendricks has scored as much as a point per four games. He is however,
an excellent faceoff man, as he’s been over 53% in each of the past three
seasons, including a 56.8% rate this year. Hendricks can also play wing if
another center pushes Boyle down the depth chart.
Players to Avoid:
Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680413
NHL
As Bruins Reach Finals, Empty Feeling for Penguins
By PETER MAY
Published: June 7, 2013
The Penguins’ two goals set a Bruins record for fewest allowed in a fourgame series. The previous record, five, had been set in 1930. Rask has a
.943 save percentage in the playoffs, leading the league.
As the clock wound down, the fans in TD Garden, who included the Red
Sox slugger David Ortiz and professional golfer Keegan Bradley, chanted,
“We want the Cup.”
They will get their chance, a lot sooner than they, or the Penguins,
expected.
New York Times LOADED: 06.08.2013
BOSTON — The way the game was going, with goals at an absolute
premium, the first one, whenever it came, seemed destined to be the only
one. And so it was.
In the third period Friday night, the Boston Bruins delivered the coup de
grâce to the scoring-challenged Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the
Eastern Conference finals. It came off the stick of a most unlikely source,
defenseman Adam McQuaid, a finalist for the Masterton trophy, which
recognizes perseverance and sportsmanship.
McQuaid’s goal gave the Bruins a 1-0 victory and a sweep of a series in
which the supposedly high-powered Penguins, who led the N.H.L. in
scoring, managed two goals and never had a lead.
For the second time in three years, the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup
finals, where they will play Chicago or Los Angeles. Boston won the Cup in
2011, ending a 39-year drought.
For the Penguins and their captain, Sidney Crosby, it was a humiliating end
to a season they had hoped would result in a second Stanley Cup since
2009. Instead, Pittsburgh was swept in a series for the first time since 1979.
McQuaid’s goal, at 5 minutes 1 second of the third period, came on a
blistering slap shot from the right point off an ideal pass by Brad Marchand,
who had set up Patrice Bergeron for the winner in Game 3. Marchand, who
had 4 points in the series, eluded several Penguins and found McQuaid
alone. The shot sailed over the right shoulder of Penguins goalie Tomas
Vokoun.
“I felt like I got good wood on it,” McQuaid said. “Didn’t necessarily think it
was going to go in, but I’m glad it did. Marshy made a nice pass and just
tried to get it on net. It feels good to be able to contribute that way when you
don’t normally.”
The goal continued a trend for the Bruins in the postseason. Defensemen
have accounted for 30 percent of their 50 goals. For McQuaid, it was his
second of the postseason; he also scored in Game 3 of Boston’s first-round
series against Toronto.
The impenetrable Tuukka Rask made the goal stand up with his second
shutout of the series, stopping 26 shots. He frustrated the Penguins time
after time: neither Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin nor Kris Letang nor Jarome
Iginla, who spurned Boston at the trading deadline, managed a single point
in the series.
“You score two goals as a team in four games, and we go without any
points,” Crosby said. “That doesn’t sit very well.”
Bruins Coach Claude Julien said, “Our guys did a good job of taking away
time and space, and when they did get opportunities, our goaltender stood
tall.”
Julien added that he did not feel as if the Bruins had swept the series. “I felt
the breaks went our way,” he said, calling the Penguins “snakebitten” for all
their missed chances.
The Penguins’ offensive woes were epitomized by their lack of production
on the power play. Pittsburgh finished 0 for 15 on the power play; on Friday,
it had two two-minute advantages and another of 63 seconds.
The Penguins pulled Vokoun in the final 90 seconds and still got nothing,
even as Rask played several seconds without his stick as Penguins buzzed
around his crease. Malkin appeared to miss an open-net opportunity in the
closing seconds.
Asked about the improbable lack of offense, Pittsburgh Coach Dan Bylsma
said, “I share your disbelief that’s a possible story line in this series.”
He added: “It certainly wasn’t lack of opportunity or scoring chances or
situations for our team. We did have them. And at the end, it felt like not
only Tuukka Rask was keeping the puck out of the net, but there was a
force around the net.”
680414
NHL
The Blackhawks’ Bickell Outperforms Star Teammates
By ANDREW KNOLL
Published: June 7, 2013
LOS ANGELES — When the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in
2010, left wing Bryan Bickell did not meet N.H.L. requirements to have his
name etched on the trophy. Should Chicago win the Cup in 2013, he might
also see his name hammered onto the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to
the player judged most valuable to his team during the playoffs.
Bickell’s eight goals tie him with his teammate Patrick Sharp for the second
most in the playoffs. His 6-foot-4, 223-pound body has also punished
opposing skaters and screened goaltenders throughout the postseason.
“It’s so nice to see Bicksy being on a roll like he is,” Marian Hossa said.
“He’s a big body with an unbelievable shot, so heavy. We just told him to
keep shooting the puck and good things will happen.”
Bickell has emerged slowly over the past two seasons, evening out his
effort, improving his conditioning and getting his quick, hard wrist shots on
goal much more regularly.
“He seems like he’s found consistency in his game,” Hossa said. “As soon
as he moves his feet, he’s almost unstoppable because he has that heavy
body. He can take the puck to the net, and right now his shot is deadly. It’s
not surprising at all, but it’s impressive how he’s playing right now.”
The Blackhawks have restocked the depth, goaltending and grit they lost in
free agency after their 2010 triumph. Much like Dustin Byfuglien that
season, Bickell has not only played alongside top players but also elevated
their games and, in this case, outproduced almost all of them. As Jonathan
Toews and Patrick Kane have struggled to score, Bickell has recorded a
point in every game of the Western Conference finals against the Los
Angeles Kings. He had three goals in the first round against Minnesota, and
his physical play and scoring helped catalyze a rally from a 3-1 series deficit
against Detroit.
With a 3-2 victory Thursday, the Blackhawks have cornered the defending
Stanley Cup champions Kings, taking a 3-1 series lead with Game 5 on
Saturday night in Chicago. They persevered through the one-game
suspension of their top defenseman, Duncan Keith. Chicago won by twice
pushing back from one-goal deficits. They handed the Kings their first home
loss since March 23 and just their fifth regulation loss in 33 games at
Staples Center this season.
Bickell scored the Blackhawks’ first goal on a fluttering shot and nearly
scored again on a deflection that Kane nudged in to tie the game at 2-2.
Kane’s tap relegated Bickell’s redirection to a primary assist rather than his
ninth goal, which would have tied Bickell with Boston’s David Krejci for the
league lead.
“Kaner was telling me, ‘I know I stole one from you, but you’ve already got
eight,’ ” Bickell said.
Bickell, a behemoth of a man with a robust beard now three rounds into the
playoffs, started out on figure skates in Orono, Ontario, a town of 1,800 less
than an hour east of Toronto. Bickell confirmed that, somewhere in his
parents’ home, there is still a photo that offers a stark contrast to the
competitor whom fans see today.
“There’s a picture floating around somewhere of me in a tutu,” Bickell said.
“My dad says it’s on the wall. It’s not on the wall. He’s making that up.” He
has taken a longer road than most to prominence in his professional career.
A second-round pick in 2004, he did not stick as a regular until last season.
At 27, Bickell is not a fresh-faced, breakout performer in the mold of the 23year-old Kings defenseman Slava Voynov, but his timing could prove quite
favorable.
N.H.L. players qualify for unrestricted free agency at 27. Bickell’s linemates
this postseason — Kane, Sharp and Toews — would have each earned
roughly $6 million in salary had 2013 been a full 82-game season. Bickell
would have been paid about $600,000. That low figure and his pending free
agency place him in line for perhaps the most lucrative raise in hockey,
whether he hits the open market or Chicago makes an offer.
For now, Bickell said he remained focused on the ultimate goal of the
Stanley Cup, eschewing discussion of his individual performance and freeagent status. Still, with the finals in sight, he acknowledged that he had
given at least some thought to his personal surge and the chance to kiss
the Cup a little more deeply this time around. “Confidence-wise, I’m on
cloud nine right now,” Bickell said. “Most importantly, we got the win and we
can continue this playoff run now.”
He added: “With the season we had this year, I thought we’d have a great
run. If we have our whole team confident, I think we’re going to be a hard
team to beat. To be a part of this has been fun.”
New York Times LOADED: 06.08.2013
680415
NHL
Bruins Likely to Replace Campbell with Daugavins
By PETER MAY
BOSTON – Kaspars Daugavins appears to be the likely candidate to
replace the injured Gregory Campbell in the Boston Bruins’ lineup for Game
4 of their Eastern Conference Finals against Pittsburgh Friday night.
The Bruins lead the series, 3-0.
Daugavins, who Boston claimed off waivers from Ottawa in March and
appeared in one playoff game (Game 1 of the Toronto series) was on a line
with Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverly in Friday’s morning skate. Coach
Claude Juline moved third line center Chris Kelly to the so-called Merlot
Line, where he was flanked by Campbell’s former linemates, Shawn
Thornton and Daniel Paille.
‘We’ll see how things go,’’ Julien said following the working out TD Garden.
“That’s what I had this morning. They know it can change. Not necessarily
set in stone.”
Daugavins appeared in six regular-season games for the Bruins this
season. He had one assist. His one goal of the season, however, came
against Boston while he was with the Senators. He also achieved a bit of
notoriety for spinning the puck on his stick during a failed penalty shot
attempt against Tuukka Rask.
“He’s a gritty player,” Julien said of Daugavins. “He’s strong on the puck,
strong as an individual, he can shoot the puck. We’ve always said we’ve got
depth on this team. We showed it when injuries crept up on defense. Now
we’ve got an injury up front. He’s going to have to step in and do his job.”
Campbell broke his right fibula – the smaller of the two leg bones – blocking
an Evgeni Malkin shot in the second period of Game 3. He will miss the rest
of the playoffs.
At the Penguins’ morning skate, Coach Dan Bylsma said he was hoping to
build on the team’s performance in Game 3, when it outplayed the Bruins
for much of the game. He also pointed to the team’s regular-season
success against Boston as a reason the Penguins should feel optimistic
about forcing a fifth game back in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
“We beat the Boston Bruins three times this year,’’ Bylsma said. “We’ve got
them one game here tonight. It’s elimination for our team, and we’ll move
on when we do. We’ve got one game to win to move on.”
The high-scoring Penguins have been limited to two goals over three
games, the third of which went into double overtime. Their power play has
not produced a goal in 12 opportunities, although Bylsma said he would
love to see the same opportunities in Game 4 that he saw in Game 3.
“We’d like to see those opportunities again for our guys tonight,’’ he said. “I
feel real comfortable about our power play and our guys cashing in on
those. Is that something we’re going to build on? Absolutely.”
New York Times LOADED: 06.08.2013
680416
Ottawa Senators
Bye, bye, Gonchar: Senators trade defenceman’s rights to Dallas Stars
By Allen Panzeri, OTTAWA CITIZEN June 7, 2013 7:07 PM
With rumours that 39-year-old defenceman Sergei Gonchar was thinking
about an offer to play for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL, and with no
interest in re-signing him, the Ottawa Senators tried to salvage something
Friday by trading him to the Dallas Stars for a conditional six-round draft
pick.
The Stars are said to be interested in signing Gonchar to a two-year deal the same length of deal Gonchar was looking for from the Senators.
If Gonchar signs a contract for the 2013-14 season, Ottawa will get Dallas’
sixth-round selection.
The Senators at present have six selections in the 2013 entry draft,
including their own first-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-round selections.
Ottawa also has the Philadelphia Flyers’ fourth-round selection, acquired
from the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this season.
The conditional pick from Dallas would give Ottawa seven selections in the
2013 draft.
Last season, Gonchar had three goals and 24 assists in 45 regular-season
games for the Senators. He had six assists in 10 playoff games.
Overall, at $5.5 million a year, he played in 186 regular-season games with
the Senators over three seasons, getting 15 goals and 76 assists.
“We thank Sergei for his efforts in Ottawa,” Senators general manager
Bryan Murray said in a statement.
“We felt that this trade will give Sergei the opportunity to extend his career
in the NHL and we wish him success with the Stars.”
In 1,177 regular-season games with the Washington Capitals, Boston
Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Senators, Gonchar has 217 goals and
558 assists for 775 points.
That puts him first among active NHL defensemen in goals, assists and
points. He ranks among the top-20 all-time in all three categories.
The Senators might have been willing to re-sign Gonchar at half his 201213 salary, but the rumoured $7 million offer from Metallurg Magnitogorsk
meant that Gonchar wasn’t going to take a haircut.
In any event, he is not a critical part of Ottawa’s future.
With Erik Karlsson, Jared Cowen, Eric Gryba, Mark Borowiecki, Marc
Methor, Chris Phillips, and Patrick Wiercioch, the Senators are well stocked
defensively.
There’s was no need for the team to spend several million dollars on a
defenceman who is past his best-before date.
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 06.08.2013
680417
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators trade rights to defenceman Sergei Gonchar to Dallas
Stars
Sun staff
First posted: Friday, June 07, 2013 06:25 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, June
07, 2013 06:41 PM EDT
The Senators have cut ties with Sergei Gonchar.
Ottawa traded the rights to the veteran defenceman to the Dallas Stars for a
conditional sixth-round pick in the 2013 NHL draft Friday.
While the condition isn't specified, it seems likely the Senators will only get
the pick if the Stars sign Gonchar before the draft. Gonchar, 39, is set to
become an unrestricted free agent July 5. The trade gives the Stars an
exclusive negotiating window.
"We thank Sergei for his efforts in Ottawa," Senators GM Bryan Murray said
in a statement. "We felt that this trade will give Sergei the opportunity to
extend his career in the NHL and we wish him success with the Stars."
Sources told the Sun Thursday that Gonchar has an offer to return home to
Russia and join Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League.
The deal would pay him north of $7 million per season.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 06.08.2013
680418
Philadelphia Flyers
2013 Flyers offseason: Internal options for filling out the forward lines
Kurt R., SBNation
Posted: Friday, June 7, 2013, 8:49 PM
The big moves this offseason for the Flyers look like they may come on the
defensive side of things, but the team's got a few holes to fill in its forward
corps as well. Ruslan Fedotenko and Mike Knuble are both on their way
out, and Danny Briere is probably going to be gone next year as a
compliance buyout.
Free agency is usually the fun place to look and speculate on these kinds of
things, and we'll talk about potential free agent targets some time between
now and July 5. But given the fact that the Flyers' reserve list for next
season is currently the most crowded in the NHL, with 43 names before any
slide rule previsions, and that their cap situation is the most unfriendly in the
league, it may be easier (and would definitely be cheaper) to fill some of
those vacant spots with some in-house options.
So since it's been a while since the last time anyone in the Flyers
organization played hockey, now may be a good time to re-familiarize
ourselves with some of the forward options in the organization who may get
a look for next season.
Let's start with what we already have. The Flyers have 10 forwards under
contract, not including Briere, that are expected to be on the NHL club next
year, barring a trade: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Scott Hartnell, Wayne
Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Matt Read, Sean Couturier, Zac Rinaldo,
Maxime Talbot, and Jay Rosehill.
Among that group, you've got several pure wingers (Voracek, Hartnell,
Simmonds), some no-doubt centers (Giroux, Couturier), a lot of guys who
can shift around a bit (Schenn, Read, Talbot, Rinadlo), and Jay Rosehill
(Rosehill). There's a lot of flexibility as far as who can line up where, so we'll
ignore those specifics for now. All we know is that it leaves room for three
other players in the opening-day top 13 forwards.
As far as the potential in-house replacements, we can divide them into two
groups, as such:
Guys We Know
... those who spent some time with the Flyers in 2013 and will likely be the
favorites to fill those spots if the team is looking to stay in-house.
Simon Gagne
It was definitely fun to see him back in orange and black, and he's already
expressed his willingness to come back to Philadelphia on a deal worth less
than the $3.5 million he made last year. He's still got a bit of punch
offensively (.42 points per game between LA and Philadelphia this year)
and is more than competent defensively, which could make him a prime
candidate to slot into a defensively-oriented line with someone like
Couturier.
Whether or not the Flyers bring him back probably comes down to two
things: 1. How much of a discount is he actually going to take? and 2. Are
they high enough on any of the other young guys that they already have
under contract that they'd rather not have Gagne block him? We'll talk a bit
more about Gagne, his 2013 Flyers cameo, and his prospects for returning
in the upcoming weeks leading up to July 5. But he's the most interesting
option to slot into one of those winger spots, and certainly the fan favorite.
Tye McGinn
McGinn was a pleasant surprise after being recalled early in the year,
putting up five points in 18 games while actually leading the team's forwards
in Corsi while on the ice. He's offers a bit of everything -- the team tried him
on the top line and power play, so they've got some faith in him offensively,
and he's got a solid physical game and isn't afraid to drop the gloves.
He's under contract for $775,000, which works in his favor, and I definitely
think there's a spot for him in the team's top four lines. At worst, he could
add some physicality and occasional scoring to the fourth line, but his
impressive possession metrics could justify him a trip to the top-9 as well.
Probably my top choice among the in-house options, personally.
Scott Laughton
The team's first-round pick from last season impressed the observers in his
five-game NHL tryout last year, and ended his season in Oshawa with a
total of 56 points in 49 games, along with 13 points in just seven playoff
games before getting suspended for an illegal hit. He's another guy who
was hailed as someone who can play a good two-way game, and to see his
scoring spike the way it did this year was certainly encouraging.
However, since he's still got a year of slide-rule eligibility, the question now
is similar to what it was last January: Is it worth it to burn the first year of his
$1.1 million entry-level contract, or does it make more sense to toll that
contract for one more year and have him spend another season refining his
game outside the NHL? Given that this team is probably not going to
contend for a Cup next season, there's a case to be made that the Flyers
are best-served keeping him back for another year. But everyone will have
their eye on him in the meantime, and he'll almost definitely get at least a
nine-game tryout next October.
Guys We Don't Really Know
... those young players, mostly on entry-level deals, that are long shots to
make the NHL roster but would probably be leading call-up candidates.
Michael Raffl
The new guy from Austria, Raffl was signed by the team last week on a
three-year entry-level deal. The Flyers have said that they think he's NHLready, so it's a given that he's on this list. People seem high on his chances
after the great year he had in Allsvenskan, and he turns 25 in December so
he's a bit more aged than some of the other options. His situation has
drawn some comparisons to Matt Read's from summer 2011, and
apparently the Flyers hope he can play a similar role that Damian Brunner
did in Detroit this year.
Personally, I think both of those are a little optimistic. He was just under a
point a game in Sweden's second league, this was the first year where he
was putting up those kinds of totals in that league, and at that age of 24 he
probably doesn't have as much upside as some of the other guys here. But
they're clearly high on him, so he may get a chance.
Jason Akeson
Akeson, as you may remember, made his first-ever NHL appearance in the
2013 season finale, even scoring his first NHL goal in Ottawa. He's mostly a
one-way offensively-oriented winger, and was the Phantoms' leading scorer
last season with 53 points in 62 games. With one year left on his entry-level
deal worth $900k, the Flyers may give him a chance to show what he's got.
They clearly see SOMETHING in him, because otherwise they probably
wouldn't have put him on the top line in that game in Ottawa. (It may, on
that note, also be worth mentioning that he and Giroux have been close
friends for a decade and do a lot of training together in the offseason, so
Akeson might just have a leg up on some of these other guys if the captain
has any say and/or if the team thinks there may be some chemistry there.)
Kyle Flanagan
Now here's an interesting case, and one that -- in my opinion -- draws a
much better comparison to Matt Read's situation in 2011 than Raffl does.
Flanagan, a Hobey Baker Award nominee last year after putting up 47
points in 35 games with St. Lawrence University, was signed this past
March, and is probably not a favorite to make the squad.
But given his age (24) and the fact that he's on a one-year deal, he may get
more of a look. He's a center, and he's a bit undersized at 5'9, 170 pounds,
so those two things work against him. But in the same way Read came on
and caught us all by surprise two summers ago, Flanagan doing so isn't
totally out of the question. Not likely, but not out of the question.
Petr Straka
Straka was the Flyers' big win in last spring's undrafted free agent signings,
as Paul Holmgren lured him to Philly out of what was allegedly a group of
12 teams vying for his services. A second-round pick of the Blue Jackets in
2010, Straka had two down years in the high-scoring QMJHL before taking
a big step forward this year, posting 82 points in 55 games to go with 25
points in 19 playoff contests for Baie-Comeau. At 21 and on the first year of
a three-year entry-level deal for $925k, the team will likely want to give him
some time in Adirondack before giving him a serious look at the big club. If
he continues progressing, he could get a call-up. But that's likely not the
plan to start the year.
***
There are some other guys in here worth noting. Guys like Ben Holmstrom,
who seems like a candidate to slot in the fourth line as an injury-call up if
needed, or Marcel Noebels, who could get a look if he impresses again at
the AHL level, or even Nick Cousins, who's going to need some time in the
AHL but is one if not the teams best forward prospects. And others.
If I were to guess right now, I'd think that they bring back Gagne, keep
Laughton on the NHL team, and then they'll either sign some bottom-6 UFA
to a low-value deal or they'll go into training camp with the expectation of
Raffl making the team.
If I had my pick? I'd say re-sign Gagne, keep McGinn up, keep Laughton
down for another year, and let some of the aforementioned guys fight it out
for that last spot. I'm intrigued by Flanagan, particularly if he can put on
some weight this offseason and/or if he's willing to shift to the wing. But I
also reserve my right to change those predictions/opinions between now
and July 5.
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 06.08.2013
680419
Philadelphia Flyers
Who would make your Flyers Mount Rushmore?
refusing to come back out. Van Impe was also a valuable member along
the blue line in both Stanley Cup Championships.
Rick Tocchet
Aaron Talasnik
Tocchet spent 11 of his 22 NHL seasons in Flyers orange, and also served
as team captain. Tocchet scored 440 goals during his career, tallying 512
assists. He appeared in four All-Star Games.
June 7, 2013, 7:15 pm
Mark Howe
On Tuesday, ProFootballTalk unveiled their Eagles Mount Rushmore. The
fan vote resulted in a close call, but in the end, Reggie White, Chuck
Bednarik, Randall Cunningham and Brian Dawkins were deemed the four
most iconic Eagles.
How spent 10 seasons in Philadephia and was a staple along the Flyers’
blue line. Twice, he scored more than 20 goals in a season, and in 1985-86
he had 82 points in 79 games. Howe's No. 2 was the fifth and most recent
number to be retired by the Flyers' organization.
Bill Barber
While one could debate the merits of Cunningham over, say, Steve Van
Buren or Norm Van Brockin, Mike Florio took it one step further placing
Andy Reid on his Eagles Mount Rushmore instead of Brian Dawkins.
Barber spent his entire career in orange and black, totaling 420 goals, 463
assists and two Stanley Cups. A six-time All-Star, Barber scored a careerhigh 50 goals in the 1975-76 season and wore the Flyers’ “C” in 1981-82.
Since ProFootballTalk handled the Eagles Mount Rushmore, the Lunch
Break staff decided to tackle the other three major sports teams in the city.
Did Tim Panaccio and Rhea Hughes get the Flyers' Mount Rushmore right?
Who would be on your Flyers Mount Rushmore?
On Wednesday, we released the Phillies Mount Rushmore. Thursday, we
gave you the Sixers Mount Rushmore. Today, it's the Flyers’ turn.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.08.2013
The candidates
Ed Snider Mr. Snider is not just the founder of the Flyers, but is one of the most
recognizable faces of the franchise. He brought hockey to Philadelphia, he
helped build the Wells Fargo Center and there is no questioning the impact
he’s had on the city of Philadelphia through the Ed Snider Youth Hockey
Foundation. Is this more than enough to get his face on Flyers Mt.
Rushmore?
Bobby Clarke
While his tenure as Flyers GM had some rocky moments, there is no doubt
his leadership and skills on the ice will forever be connected with Flyers
hockey and the history of the franchise. Clarke's No. 16 was retired in 1984;
he was a member of both Stanley Cup teams; and he was an eight-time
NHL All-Star and three-time Hart Trophy winner. In his career, Clarke tallied
358 goals and 852 assists.
Eric Lindros
When “Big E” was on the ice and healthy, there wasn't a more dominating
force in the game. While his career was cut short by concussions, Lindros
did compile 372 goals and 493 assists. He also won the Hart Trophy in
1995 and was a six-time All-Star as a Flyer.
Bernie Parent It has been said, "Only God saves more than Bernie Parent," and that alone
might earn him a spot on the Flyers' Mount Rushmore. But Parent’s
numbers also speak for themselves: Six career shutouts, including two
Stanley Cup-clinching shutouts; a career 2.55 goals-against average; and
271 wins. Parent also won two straight Vezina trophies as the league’s best
goaltender, and was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1984. His No. 1
has also been retired by the Flyers' organization.
Ron Hextall
From Bernie to Hexy. Hextall makes the list not without some controversy,
but his rookie year alone -– in which he captured the Vezina Trophy while
leading the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final –- is worth consideration. Hextall
played 11 of his 13 seasons wearing a Flyers jersey, winning 240 games
with 18 shutouts. Hextall also eclipsed the 100-minute mark in penalties in
three years, and has scored two goals –- a rarity for any netminder.
Fred Shero
From 1971-1978, Shero guided the Flyers from the bench. He helped lead
the Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Shero won more
than 300 games while coaching the Flyers in the regular season, plus
another 47 wins in the postseason.
Ed Van Impe
Van Impe was the second captain in team history and might be best known
for throwing a hit that led to the Soviet Union team’s leaving the ice and
680420
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kovacevic: For Penguins, a stubborn failure
By Dejan Kovacevic
Updated 4 hours ago
Stubbornly, those two tried again and again to stickhandle through a stout
Boston defense designed to stop exactly that. And even the few times they
pulled it off, none of Crosby's 13 shots or Malkin's 21 paid off.
“If you look back, the chances were there,” the captain said. “You try to
fight, try to get rebounds. … We scored two goals all series, and I didn't
score any points. It doesn't sit very well.”
Sure doesn't.
“It's tough. I don't have confidence,” Malkin said. “You know, zero goals.”
We know.
BOSTON — Well, at least the Penguins did it their way.
Give 'em that much.
At least they showed the hockey world that their way was right. That all
those changes and adjustments, all those strategic shifts and personnel
switches, all that stuff was for losers.
Not for the mighty Penguins.
Not for the franchise that's now — say it with me — the NHL's four-time
defending paper champion after getting swept out of the Eastern
Conference final by slinking away silently to the Bruins, 1-0, Friday night at
TD Garden.
Silently and stubbornly and stupidly, right to the end.
“It stinks that we're out,” as Jarome Iginla succinctly summarized it. “It
definitely stinks.”
Let's not stop there: This was the worst playoff series in franchise history.
The most embarrassing.
James Neal knows, too. Only his zero point total was accompanied by an
absurd 10 missed shots in the final two games, including five more glassbangers in Game 4. No less stubborn than the rest, he wasn't content to
force Rask to make actual saves. He had to pick at corners.
Small wonder he was testy afterward when someone asked what the
Penguins should have done differently: “Yeah, obviously, we have to put it
in the back of the net.”
Yeah, obviously.
Kris Letang, owner of 16 points through two rounds, disintegrated into a
minus waiting to happen. Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, Jarome Iginla … you
can pretty much roll right through the roster … almost all vanished.
The Penguins' best skater at any position in this series was Paul Martin.
Their best forwards were Craig Adams, Matt Cooke and Brenden Morrow.
And their best overall player, beyond debate, was Tomas Vokoun, who
deserved so much better after earning the chance of a lifetime and being
one of the few to make the most of it.
The most inexplicable.
But with all due respect to those gentlemen, a whole lot went terribly awry
for those to be their team's best in the series leading into the Stanley Cup
final. Shero's got one murderous summer ahead of him to try to figure it out
and react accordingly.
Doubt it?
For now …
Hey, we can revisit all the numbers, the two total goals — two! — on 139
shots over 253 minutes and 14 periods, plus the 55 missed shots, the 0-for15 power play ... all that was disastrous enough.
“When you don't reach your main goal, it's always a failure,” Letang said.
“We had the opportunity. We had the group to do it.”
The most ridiculous.
That's had.
But citing simple stats, even this grotesque, is letting this group off easy.
And that's sad.
It doesn't sufficiently encompass all the talent wasted, all the investment
from the money to the draft picks and prospects sent out, all the passion of
hockey's most passionate American fan base.
And it doesn't do justice to the bullheadedness demonstrated by pretty
much all concerned all through the series.
No, Game 4 did that just fine all by itself.
It started beforehand, when Dan Bylsma's do-or-die lineup move was to
insert Tyler Kennedy in favor of Joe Vitale and … um, that was it.
Presumably because the tide would be turned by a fourth-line shakeup.
His strategic response was even less ambitious, little more than the
standard get-to-our-game fare. Sure, the Penguins tightened up and
faceoffs improved over the final two games, but there were no surprises, no
unusual formations on offense, defense or the breakout, nothing to cause
Claude Julien to so much as break a sweat.
Power plays?
Nothing there, either, not so much as a single X to their O.
Ensuring that forwards go hard to the net?
What, and cause Tuukka Rask to spill his tequila?
To say it again: Bylsma's got questions to answer from Ray Shero, and the
answers had better be good. For that matter, Shero's questions had better
come without any preconceived notion of status quo.
But the coach isn't alone, and as much as he'll make a tidy target, don't
pretend there wasn't more to it.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the consensus two best players in the
world, combined for zero points in a full playoff series.
I can't believe I just typed that.
Tribune Review LOADED: 06.08.2013
680421
Pittsburgh Penguins
Bruins display closing touch in NHL’s Eastern Conference finals
By Matt Kalman
Updated 4 hours ago
BOSTON — In recent Boston sports history, the Bruins have proven the
adage that the fourth win in a playoff series is the hardest to attain.
It took an Eastern Conference final matchup with the top-seeded Penguins
to end Boston's closing problems.
On the strength of a goal by defenseman Adam McQuaid and 26 saves by
goaltender Tuukka Rask, the Bruins won Game 4 on Friday, 1-0, to finish
an improbable sweep of the team that Boston forward Milan Lucic called
“the Miami Heat” of the NHL prior to the series because of the Penguins'
star power.
The Bruins are heading to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in
three seasons, where they'll face Chicago or Los Angeles.
It's difficult to determine what was more improbable from this Bruins team
that finished the regular season in a 2-5-2 slump: that they won in a sweep
or that they held a team averaging four goals per game in the first two
rounds to just two goals in four games.
“This series here against Pittsburgh was not a 4-0 series. I really felt that
the breaks went our way this series on a lot of occasions,” Bruins coach
Claude Julien said. “And you just have to look back to right at the end of the
game when (Evgeni) Malkin had the open net there and Zdeno (Chara)
makes that arm save and those sort of things. They dinged shots off the
post, and if those go in it's a different series.
“The unfortunate part of this game is that sometimes, as a team, you don't
get the breaks, and you wonder what you have to do. And I think that's
where Pittsburgh was a little snake-bitten, and we were the team that was
taking advantage of our breaks.”
Adding to the Bruins' defensive numbers, their penalty kill stopped the
Penguins' power play, which started the series first in the league, all 15
times. And Rask finished the series with a .985 save percentage.
Seemingly still worn out by the double-overtime thriller from Wednesday,
both teams slogged around on some choppy ice through two periods and
went into the third with the game scoreless. McQuaid stopped a pass from
Brad Marchand and beat goalie Tomas Vokoun with a slap shot inside the
left post at 5:01 of the third.
Rask made six saves in the third period, and the Bruins staved off a furious
rush by the Penguins in the final minute.
Boston is 3-3 in closeout games this postseason. In the first round of these
playoffs, the Bruins jumped to a 3-1 lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Twice
the Maple Leafs staved off elimination before the Bruins prevailed in
overtime in Game 7. Boston built a 3-0 lead on the New York Rangers in
the second round before winning the series in Game 5.
Even when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, they twice failed to
clinch a series with a 3-2 lead in Game 6. Of course, they also went on to
become the first team to win three Game 7 situations on their way to the
championship.
The Bruins' most famous closeout failure was in 2010. With Rask as a
rookie in goal, Boston became just the third team in NHL history to lose a 30 lead. The Philadelphia Flyers reeled off four consecutive wins in the
second round. The Bruins couldn't even hang on to a 3-0 lead in Game 7 of
that series.
Matt Kalman is a freelance writer.
Tribune Review LOADED: 06.08.2013
680422
Pittsburgh Penguins
Crosby, Malkin silenced again in season-ending loss
By Josh Yohe
Updated 4 hours ago
BOSTON — They sat side by side in the Penguins' locker room, Sidney
Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the two greatest Penguins — and maybe
players — of their generation. Crosby sat dignified and quiet, while Malkin
sat with his head in his hands for the longest time.
They'll forever sit side by side at the bottom of the score sheet of the 2013
Eastern Conference final, too.
The mega-powers were silenced by the Bruins in a 1-0 setback in Game 4
of the Eastern Conference final. Neither player earned a point in the series.
They weren't able to muster much of an explanation, either.
“I tried,” Malkin said. “I tried. If you're not (shooting), you're not scoring
goals. Sometimes I'm not scoring and I'm nervous and I have good chances
— I don't know, try to shoot quicker? Sometimes I can wait and get an
empty net. It's tough.
“I have no confidence. You know, zero goals.”
Malkin launched 21 shots on goal during the series.
Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask stopped every one.
Crosby knows the feeling.
The undisputed greatest player in hockey endured the most miserable
playoff series of his career.
Crosby actually played his finest game of the series in Game 4 and was
probably the game's best player, other than the unflappable Rask.
But the player who was built to score points at will came up empty against
the stingy Bruins.
“If you look back, chances were there,” Crosby said. “You try to fight, try to
get rebounds. Sometimes they come to you, sometimes they don't. We
scored two goals all series and I didn't score any points. It doesn't sit very
well.”
The Penguins entered the series averaging 4.27 goals per game in the
postseason, the NHL's highest mark through 10 playoff games since the
1990 Edmonton Oilers. They also led the NHL in goals for a second
consecutive regular season.
But no NHL team has won the Stanley Cup and led the league in goals
since the 1992 Penguins.
Crosby gave the Bruins plenty of credit, saying they're among the finer
defensive teams he's ever encountered — “They don't give you anything,”
he said — but refused to give Boston all the credit.
Rather, Crosby acknowledged he and his gallery of future Hall of Fame
teammates simply failed.
“For whatever reason, we just weren't able to capitalize,” he said.
The Penguins did themselves no favors with the man advantage. They
entered the series clicking at 28.2 percent with a man advantage and had
the second best power play during the regular season.
They went 0 for 15 against the Bruins.
“Maybe we should have scored a power-play goal at some point,” left wing
Chris Kunitz said.
Crosby and Malkin are the engine that runs the power play.
The engine, for reasons even they don't seem to understand, was never
ignited.
For the fourth straight time since 2009, someone other than Crosby will
raise the Stanley Cup.
“To get two goals in this entire series,” Kunitz said, “is something we never
would have imagined.”
Tribune Review LOADED: 06.08.2013
680423
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins notebook: Crosby hit hard by Paille
By Rob Rossi
Updated 4 hours ago
BOSTON — Captain Sidney Crosby was leveled by a hard hit from
Boston's Daniel Paille early in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final
Friday at TD Garden.
Crosby had just crossed into the offensive zone when Paille caught him
from the blindside. Paille skated into Crosby, whose head was turned
toward action at the other end of the ice. No penalty was called.
Crosby's neck snapped in a whiplash motion when he hit the ice.
He did not miss a shift immediately after the hit, but he was checked often
by trainer Chris Stewart.
Players showing signs of concussion symptoms are required to be removed
from the game setting to spend time in a quiet room before gaining
clearance from a trained medical professional to return.
“It didn't feel good,” Crosby said. “But it was OK. Knocked the wind out of
me. It was way out of the play. I think it's a penalty. It may have been so far
from the play that they didn't see it.”
Orpik back
Defenseman Brooks Orpik played in Game 4 even though he finished the
previous contest worse for wear after a hit from Milan Lucic of the Bruins.
That hit — near the conclusion of a second overtime Wednesday — did not
cause Orpik to experience concussion symptoms, he said.
Orpik said another part of his body hurt. His right shoulder and head
appeared to hit the glass hard when Lucic caught him from behind in Game
4.
Small tweak
Coach Dan Bylsma only slightly altered his lineup, replacing Joe Vitale with
Tyler Kennedy.
Bylsma had expressed satisfaction with many aspects of the Penguins'
Game 3 performance — chances created and offensive-zone possession.
— Rob Rossi
Tribune Review LOADED: 06.08.2013
680424
Pittsburgh Penguins
Bruins notebook: Daugavins gets his shot in lineup
By Matt Kalman
Updated 4 hours ago
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins' health among forwards throughout the
Stanley Cup playoffs had relegated Kaspars Daugavins, Jay Pandolfo and
Carl Soderberg to healthy scratches since the start of the postseason.
Gregory Campbell's broken right fibula in Game 3 opened a spot for one of
the seldom-used forwards.
Bruins coach Claude Julien went with Daugavins, a waiver-wire pick-up
March 27. In the regular season, he skated in six games for Boston and
recorded one assist.
“He's a gritty player,” Julien said. “He's strong on the puck, strong as an
individual, he can shoot the puck. (He's) got a lot of qualities. We've always
said we've got depth on this team. We showed it when injuries crept up on
defense. Now, we've got an injury up front. He's going to have to step in
and do his job.”
Julien was alluding to the way his team overcame injuries to Andrew
Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden on defense and beat the
Rangers in the second round by plugging in rookies Torey Krug, Matt
Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton.
Missing Campbell
If all you looked at was the 11:35 of ice time Campbell averaged this
postseason, you'd think he was easy to replace. But in the Bruins' four-line
attack, Campbell has been huge in the postseason with three goals, seven
points and a 50.5 success rate on faceoffs. He's also a key member of the
Bruins' penalty kill, which was 15 for 15 against the Penguins' power play in
the series.
“He plays such a hard game,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. “He's
such a big part of our team and especially you saw the last couple of
rounds, he's been very big.”
— Matt Kalman
Tribune Review LOADED: 06.08.2013
680425
Pittsburgh Penguins
Malkin, 26, and Crosby, 25, may have missed out on the last best chance of
their primes, too.
Pieces fail to come together for Penguins in season-ending loss
Wayne Gretzky won his last title at 27. Mario Lemieux was 26. Bobby Orr
was 24.
By Rob Rossi
Shero has no choice but to take on tough decisions with his roster, with
contracts committed to 18 players at a combined salary-cap hit of about $61
million for next season. The cap is set at $64.3 million.
Updated 4 hours ago
BOSTON — Kids, they grow old so fast.
Four years after their coming-of-age Stanley Cup victory, the Sidney
Crosby-led Penguins were swept out of the Eastern Conference final.
Bruins 1, Penguins 0 — that was that from TD Garden on Friday night after
Adam McQuaid scored 5:01 into the third period. Boston claimed the bestof-seven series, 4-0.
Favored, the Penguins never led.
Dangerous, they scored only two goals — none on 15 power play chances.
Experienced, they made mistakes.
The one that players mentioned most after this loss — center Evgeni Malkin
called it “big” — was losing two games at home to open the series,
including a 6-1 drubbing in Game 2.
“We lost this series at home,” Malkin said.
Added defenseman Brooks Orpik, the longest-tenured Penguin: “It was just
Game 2. That will be tough to get over.”
No Penguins squad had been swept in a playoff series since 1979.
Star-studded, these Penguins are star-crossed — infamous for their lows,
the four straight playoff losses to lower-seeded opponents, as they are
famous for their highs, the back-to-back Final appearances that preceded
those defeats.
General manager Ray Shero had stopped talking about his club in the final
days of this series.
So there was no vote of confidence for coach Dan Bylsma, who is 20-21 in
the playoffs since the Penguins won the Cup on June 12, 2009.
There was no defending the honor of franchise cornerstone centers Crosby
and Malkin, without a point in the East final, their team without a signature
postseason victory since that magical night at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena four
years ago.
The missing pieces to another Cup puzzle were not acquired by Shero
three months ago.
Winger Brenden Morrow provided grit and guts, but he was often a fourthliner.
Defenseman Douglas Murray defended the scoring areas and bolstered the
penalty kill, but he was one of a handful of back-end players who could not
handle the heavier workload that eventually fell on the shoulders of Kris
Letang, Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik.
Forward Jussi Jokinen won some faceoffs, but he also watched seven
games with other players who were scratched.
As for winger Jarome Iginla, the diamond of those deemed-dandy moves by
Shero …
He never was Crosby's winger, and he could not fit playing the opposite
side with Malkin. A scorer of more than 500 goals, a quiet warrior respected
by competitors, Iginla finished this postseason with four goals and 12
points.
He was no top-six winger for the Penguins, and the Bruins — the squad to
which he blocked a trade — are playing for the Cup that has eluded Iginla
for each of his 16 seasons.
He has not played for the Cup since 2004, and at age 35 this may have
been his best chance.
“I wasn't very good in this series,” Iginla said. “These close games, you
want to find a way to contribute on that extra goal and stuff.”
Cup-winning wingers Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke and Craig Adams —
staples on the first, third and fourth lines, and the penalty kill — are
unrestricted free agents. Iginla, Morrow and Murray also can test the
market.
Crosby is locked up for the next 12 seasons, but Malkin, a former MVP of
the regular and postseason and a two-time scoring champion, is entering
the last year of his contract. Joining him, notably, are Letang, Orpik and
Kunitz.
Marc-Andre Fleury, the franchise leader in wins, shutouts and Cup-clinching
saves in a Game 7, played only in one game after losing his starting gig to
veteran Tomas Vokoun by the fifth contest of Round 1.
A new era of Penguins hockey is coming to Pittsburgh.
It will be led by Crosby and Malkin, the tandem ownership has instructed
Shero to keep together at any cost.
“That was the expectation,” Crosby said of regaining the Cup. “To come up
this short does not sit well with anyone.”
Adulthood is often about responding to disappointment.
Tribune Review LOADED: 06.08.2013
680426
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pens, Flyers discussing game at Penn State's Beaver Stadium
June 7, 2013 11:02 am
By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers have had informal discussions about
playing a game at Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus.
The talks have been between Penguins CEO David Morehouse and Flyers
president Peter Luukko.
"It would be great for Pennsylvania hockey," Morehouse said.
Luukko confirmed the discussions to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
It likely would not be played during the coming season, when the Penguins
will face Chicago in an outdoors game at Solider Field, but could happen
during the 2014-15 season, if approved by all the appropriate parties.
Such a game, which has been the subject of much speculation in recent
years, reportedly has strong support from Penn State officials.
Dave Molinari
Post Gazette LOADED: 06.08.2013
680427
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins stars at a loss for words
June 8, 2013 12:28 am
"For whatever reason, we couldn't capitalize," Crosby said. "We had
chances, open nets. There weren't times where we were worried, to be
honest, where we felt like we were losing momentum.
???There are times where you get three or four shifts where they???re
hemming you in and you feel like they???ve got a lot of pressure [but] there
wasn???t really any point besides that second game where we felt like [we
were worried].
By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"We felt like we were getting chances pretty consistently, [but prime scoring
chances] were few and far between for both teams. They capitalized and
we didn't."
BOSTON -- There is no consistent seating chart for the Penguins when
they are on the road. Visiting locker rooms are configured differently.
Malkin balked at the idea he simply ran into a hot goalie in Rask.
At TD Garden on Friday, centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin
occupied a small section with just two lockers on one side of the Penguins'
locker room.
They sat there -- in contrast and yet hurting for the same reason -- after a 10 loss to Boston that ended the team's season with a series sweep by the
Bruins in the Eastern Conference final.
Neither star player had a point in the series.
Crosby, surrounded by two sets of reporters, quietly answered question
after question, his voice low and with little detectable emotion.
"You score two goals [as a team] in four games in a series, and personally
to go without any points, it doesn't sit very well," said Crosby, who had
never gone four playoff games in a row without a point before this series.
Malkin sat for several minutes with his head down, stunned and not wanting
to speak to anyone.
When he did, he assigned himself a lot of blame.
"We scored two goals in four games. It's not enough," Malkin said. "It's my
mistake to score zero goals. It's not good for me."
Both Crosby and Malkin have been the NHL scoring champion and league
MVP. Crosby is a finalist to win the Hart Trophy as MVP again this season
and in all likelihood would have led the league in points during the regular
season if he had not missed the final 12 games of the regular season
because of surgery for a broken jaw.
The stage was set for one or both of them to help the Penguins salvage at
least one win in the series and bring it back to Consol Energy Center for
what would have been Game 5 Sunday night.
Previously in games where the Penguins were facing elimination, Crosby
had three goals, nine points in 10 games, and Malkin had four goals, 10
points in 10 games.
Crosby finished Game 4 with four shots, plus three that were blocked and
one that missed the net.
Malkin had one shot, one that was blocked and one that missed the net.
"If you look back, chances are there," Crosby said. "You try to fight and get
through to the net."
Malkin's best game in the series was Game 3, when he had 10 shots, plus
seven that were blocked and four more that missed the net, in a 2-1,
double-overtime loss.
Still, he said in the series he lacked patience for a better shot, perhaps with
more room to get a puck past Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask.
"It's tough," Malkin said. "I don't have confidence. I have zero goals."
Crosby took a few big hits in the series ??? including a blind-side upending
by Bruins winger Daniel Paille in the first period Friday ??? but said he
came out of the series healthy.
It might not be that way for Malkin, who had trouble with a shoulder off and
on for several weeks. There was no indication how severe it might be.
The Penguins' two goals in the four games were scored by Brandon Sutter
and Chris Kunitz, and the Penguins were competitive in each game except
for a 6-1 loss in Game 2.
Rask had two shutouts, assisted by strong defensive play from his
teammates, who cleared rebounds, blocked shots and made it difficult for
the Penguins to get set up offensively.
"My job is not to look at how the goalie plays," he said. "It's my job to score
goals. It doesn't matter what's going on on the ice.
"I tried. I tried."
Post Gazette LOADED: 06.08.2013
680428
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins outdoor game at Penn State looms against Flyers
Two sides to Jagr
There are two things that help define Bruins winger Jaromir Jagr, and they
both came up the past couple of days.
The first is how Jagr -- who set up Boston's winning goal in double overtime
in Game 3 -- keeps going at age 41.
June 8, 2013 12:25 am
By Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
BOSTON -- The Penguins' rivalry with Philadelphia might be going to a new
level.
Or at least to a different setting.
The Penguins and Flyers have had informal talks about playing an outdoor
game at Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus.
"It would be great for Pennsylvania hockey," Penguins CEO David
Morehouse said Friday.
The talks have been between Morehouse and Flyers president Peter
Luukko, who confirmed them to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Luukko told the
Inquirer that Penn State is "very interested" in being the site of such a
game.
Because the Penguins are committed to play an outdoor game against
Chicago at Soldier Field next winter, they likely would not be able to play
the Flyers at Penn State until at least the 2014-15 season.
A Penguins-Flyers game most likely would not be a Winter Classic, which is
a specific annual event on the NHL calendar, but would be one of the
"satellite" outdoor games that will begin taking place in 2013-14 in places
such as New York's Yankees Stadium and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The official website of Penn State athletics lists Beaver Stadium's capacity
as 106,572, although numerous football games there have drawn crowds of
several thousand more.
Bruins' position shocks Bruins
A week ago, not many people expected Boston to be in a position to close
out the Eastern Conference final Friday night. And none, it seems, were
based in the Bruins locker room.
"It's not something you ever think is going to happen, especially against a
team like Pittsburgh," Boston left winger Brad Marchand said before Game
4. "We're very, very lucky right now.
"A few of those games could have gone the other way if a few of their plays
would have connected. [Game 3, a 2-1 double-overtime victory for Boston],
they deserved to win, but we got a little lucky.
"We're definitely happy with where we're at, but we never thought it would
happen."
Boston winger Nathan Horton doesn't think anyone looks for series sweeps.
"I think it's surprising to anybody if [you're in position] to try to sweep in this
day and age," Horton said. "There's so much competition."
Replacing Campbell not easy
Boston lost a valuable role player for the balance of its season when
forward Gregory Campbell's right leg was broken when he blocked an
Evgeni Malkin shot while killing a penalty in Game 3.
Bruins coach Claude Julien chose left winger Kaspars Daugavins to take
Campbell's spot in the lineup, but realized it wouldn't be that easy to
actually replace Campbell, a role player whose value is significantly higher
than his profile.
"You don't replace a guy like Gregory Campbell by putting another guy in
there," Julien said. "He brings a lot. It's when you lose a guy like him, you
realize the hole that he's left.
"Like every other team, you have to find ways to fill it, some of it will be by
other bodies, some of it will be by other guys stepping in."
The selection of Daugavins was interesting because Julien bypassed
veteran Jay Pandolfo, a capable penalty-killer. That is not part of
Daugavins' usual job description.
"You've got to give a lot of credit to his commitment to conditioning, and we
all know at that age if you're not a well-conditioned athlete you're not going
to survive," Julien said. "He really does a lot of extra work."
Jagr, a former Penguins star, is known for late-night skates and other extra
workouts.
"I know a lot of people laugh at all the different things he does after a game
and going out late and shooting pucks in weight belts and everything else,
but he's committed and dedicated to the conditioning part of his game, and
that's what's allowed him to stay on top of his game as much as he can for
a guy that age," Julien said.
Then, there's the playful side.
When the Bruins opened their locker room to a throng of reporters after the
morning skate Friday, Jagr positioned himself at the door as writers, radio
reporters, television sportscasters, etc., started filing in.
He counted them, out loud, and threatened to cut it off at 100 because of
fire safety concerns -- even stopping an unsuspecting camera guy who was
No. 101 -- before walking away with a big grin and without doing interviews.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins meltdown mystifying
In other words, he was the one Penguins player in these playoffs who was
better than himself.
He was the unwavering dance band on the unsinkable Titanic.
Until Adam McQuaid rifled one over his right shoulder five minutes into the
third period, he was working on another postseason shutout.
June 8, 2013 12:24 am
By Gene Collier / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
But in an irony that won't soon fade from his consciousness, the team that
planned to win the Stanley Cup without him, the team he lugged out of the
first round and into the third, suddenly required him to be perfect.
BOSTON
In the hour of their most desperate need, he stopped 23 of 24 shots,
meaning he was minimally imperfect for a team that was maximally
dreadful.
As Penguins postseason meltdowns go, the one that ended inside rollicking
TD Garden Friday night was slower, deeper and more mystifying than the
three that immediately preceded it, and the fallout will be malignant.
The Boston Bruins, beaten reliably by these same Penguins in the
Penguins' record-breaking regular season, turned around and pounded
them when it mattered, abused them in every way short of singing them
Sweep Caroline.
For the first time since 34 years then, the Penguins were chased from a
playoff series with a big swooping broom, having averaged precisely a half
a goal per game and failing to score at all in this Eastern Conference final's
final 127 minutes, 8 seconds.
Put another way, they performed offensively in direct disproportion to their
available talent, a revolting punctuation that figures to bring swift and
dramatic repercussions. When their dressing room doors swung open at
10:43 p.m., what was still at that moment Dan Bylsma's team sat slumped
against the four walls, Sidney Crosby sitting next to Evgeni Malkin, two
superstars who had just combined for exactly zero points in nearly 14
periods of hockey.
"There's not much to say," said Crosby as Malkin sat forward and put his
head in his hands. "We had our chances, that's for sure. You can talk about
their defense and their patience, but whether it was hitting posts or
whatever, we just didn't execute."
Across the room, Jarome Iginla, who chose the Penguins over the Bruins
when looking for a ride on the Stanley Cup Express at the trade deadline,
spoke a truth that was painfully self-evident:
"It sucks not moving on," he said. "
It stings because this is a special group that had a great opportunity. We
were in close games, but we didn't get it done."
The Penguins essentially spent the balance of their forgettable presence in
these NHL playoffs the same way they spent most all of this series: Not
putting the puck in the net.
On their first attempt with their hapless power play Friday night, they tried
simply not shooting the puck at all, but that produced the same result as
when they shoot it five times.
As the third period began, you had to wonder if the Penguins would start
shooting the puck away from the Boston net.
Could that have hurt?
The pity of this series is that it's doomed to be remembered in Pittsburgh for
the Penguins' offensive impotence than for the generally superb work of
Tomas Vokoun, who again Friday night turned back great Bruins scoring
chances, one after the next.
Nathan Horton approached him with the 1,000th Kris Letang turnover of the
series late in the middle period of a scoreless game, but Vokoun's flashing
glove swallowed it whole, just as surely as he stoned an excellent chance
for Tyler Seguin from the left circle a few minutes earlier.
Except for a less than stellar first period in Game 2, Vokoun likely was the
Penguins' most consistent performer in a postseason in which the Penguins
dearly hoped to keep him off the ice altogether.
It was Marc-Andre Fleury's disintegration after four Islanders encounters in
Round 1 that brought Vokoun to center stage, and he never gave Bylsma
any good reason to sit him.
He brought a 2.11 goals against average for this postseason into Game 4,
better than his career postseason figure (2.30), better than his season
number (2.45) and the number for his entire career (2.55).
Letang was on the ice for 7 of the 12 Boston goals in the series. James
Neal was a minus-7. Malkin a minus-5. Two nights earlier, the Penguins
missed on 53 of 54 shots.
If their scoring touch vanished after they scored 13 times in the final two
games against Ottawa in Round 2, their spoken confidence never waned.
Crosby said after a morning skate Friday that the solution was merely to
keep shooting.
"Eventually they'll go in," he said.
100 percent true.
But now eventually means October.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Rask, Bruins shut out Penguins, 1-0
Boston knocks Penguins out of playoffs, finishing four-game sweep as Rask
shuts them out; McQuaid gets only goal in 3rd period
Penguins are convinced, with good reason, that their chances of advancing
were undercut by losses at Consol Energy Center in the first two games.
They had some tough luck in the opener, but self-destructed during a 6-1
loss in Game that stuck them in a hole from which they never came close to
escaping.
"We lost the series at home," Malkin said.
"We started [down] 2-0. Big mistakes.
June 8, 2013 1:12 am
By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The last two games, the team played very well. I'm glad how the team
played the last two games, but it's tough here, and their goalie played very
well."
BOSTON -- It wasn't supposed to end like this.
And so the Bruins are headed to the final for the second time in the past
three years and look entirely capable of earning a Cup to go with the one
they claimed in 2011.
Not this soon.
Not this way.
"It's all about hitting your stride at the right time," defenseman Brooks Orpik
said. "And, obviously, they did it."
Not for a group that had been constructed to win a Stanley Cup, not merely
a couple of early series against low-seeded opponents.
Just as obviously, the Penguins never really did in this series, at least
offensively.
But the Penguins' season came to an abrupt and stunning end with a 1-0
loss against Boston in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final Friday night,
leaving them a full eight victories shy of the championship they were so
intent on winning.
And so, what could have been one of the most exhilarating playoff runs in
franchise history instead will be remembered as an excruciating failure.
"To come up this short definitely doesn't sit well with anyone," captain
Sidney Crosby said.
Just what the fallout from the elimination will be -- and when it will begin -wasn't immediately clear.
There is sure to be significant roster turnover, if only because of salary-cap
limitations, and coach Dan Bylsma and his staff figure to receive a rigorous
review from general manager Ray Shero and the rest of upper
management.
Fittingly, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who was almost unbeatable for four
games, gloved a Jarome Iginla shot as time expired in the series.
He shut out the Penguins in Games 1 and 4, and turned aside 134 of 136
shots during the series. Sensational as Rask was, he was aided greatly by
teammates who consistently got their sticks on Penguins passes and shots
and allowed few second-chance opportunities.
"They have good structure," Penguins left winger Chris Kunitz said.
"They're willing to battle and they have guys there and they bring guys back
to play well defensively."
The Penguins never had a lead in four games and scored just two goals.
Big-time talents such as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Jarome Iginla
and Kris Letang failed to record a point.
The Penguins had averaged more than four goals per game while knocking
off the New York Islanders and Ottawa in the first two rounds.
Boston got the only goal it needed when defenseman Adam McQuaid's slap
shot from above the right circle glanced off Iginla and beat Penguins goalie
Tomas Vokoun high on the glove side at 5:01 of the third period.
McQuaid's goal earned the Bruins a spot in the Stanley Cup final against
the winner of the Western Conference final, in which Chicago holds a 3-1
lead over Los Angeles.
This is just the third time in franchise history the Penguins have been swept
in a best-of-seven series, and the first since Boston did it to them in 1979.
Another striking stat: The Penguins failed to score a power-play goal in a
series for only the second time; the other was in a best-of-three against
Buffalo in 1979.
They also prevented Boston from getting a man-advantage goal, something
the Penguins had managed only once previously.
That was in 1970 against Chicago, which suggests that flawless penaltykilling might not be as valuable as it seems.
The Penguins have been swept both times that happened.
Although the Bruins wrapped up the series in Game 4 after taking a
chokehold on it in Game 3, both of which were played at TD Garden, the
"It's really disappointing," Vokoun said. "We had a great team, and we just
didn't get it done."
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San Jose Sharks
Sharks checklist, No. 6: Explore market for Thornton, Boyle
Kevin Kurz
June 7, 2013, 9:00 am
As successful as the second half of the Sharks’ season was, as San Jose
went 12-5-1 to close out the regular season and advanced to the second
round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, there are no guarantees that the team
will simply pick up where it left off in October. In 2011, after the club lost to
Vancouver in the Western Conference final, general manager Doug Wilson
made a pair of blockbuster trades with Minnesota when he acquired Brent
Burns and Marty Havlat and sent Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi and
Charlie Coyle packing.
Could he have something major in mind for the 2013 offseason?
It’s probably unlikely, considering that the Sharks seemed to have a real
chemistry in the locker room and were “playing for each other,” in the words
of head coach Todd McLellan. Still, Wilson is known as one of the more
active general managers around the league when it comes to keeping lines
of communication open with other GMs, and he has a pair of assets in Joe
Thornton and Dan Boyle that are entering the last years of their respective
contracts and are still very effective players.
Putting out some feelers in the offseason for Thornton and Boyle makes
sense, and if the Sharks struggle out of the gate in 2013-14, it might be time
to finally break up the core group that has failed to get the club to the final
round.
First, Thornton. As well as he played in the playoffs, it was a bit of an
inconsistent season for the captain and leading scorer. Thornton was
benched in the third period of a game in Columbus on April 9, a 4-0 Sharks
loss. On April 21, again in a game with the Blue Jackets, he took some
shifts with fourth line wingers Andrew Desjardins and Adam Burish,
although McLellan downplayed the apparent demotion afterwards, as he
shook up all of his forward lines in a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Even in the playoffs, where Thornton had two goals and eight assists for 10
points, his Game 7 performance against the Kings drew some pointed
criticism from NBC analysts Keith Jones and Mike Milbury after San Jose’s
2-1 loss ended its season.
It’s fair to wonder, too, if Thornton’s game still fits Wilson and McLellan’s
philosophy of playing a north-south game, skating in straight lines and
getting the puck to the net as quickly as possible, as Thornton has made a
potential Hall of Fame career out of slowing the game down and making a
perfect tape-to-tape pass to a teammate.
Boyle is the more movable option, as the defenseman has a limited notrade clause while Thornton has a full no-trade, according to CapGeek.com.
The 36-year-old’s minutes were noticeably scaled down throughout the
season, as he was essentially taken off of the team’s penalty kill unit. Boyle
skated less than 23 minutes per game in the regular season, that lowest
that number has been in his Sharks career. Even so, he was still arguably
the team's best defenseman and was a key component to the top power
play unit.
Wilson may very well have had conversations with other clubs about those
players around the trade deadline, but the Sharks’ five-game winning streak
after the Douglas Murray trade and before the April 3 deadline resulted in
the minor roster tweaks that energized the club and brought it within one
game of the conference finals.
Getting a sense of what kind of market is out there for those two players in
particular would be a good idea, or the Sharks could risk losing them both
for nothing this time next year. And, if the deal is good enough, maybe it
comes sooner than later.
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St Louis Blues
Hockey Guy: Happy ending for McDonald
7 hours ago • By Jeff Gordon jeffgordon@post-dispatch.com
Andy McDonald is one of the NHL’s good guys.
He enjoyed a great professional hockey career. He produced, he led and he
won.
He was popular with his teammates, coaches and managers. He treated
fans and media members with respect.
So it was a shame McDonald couldn’t go out with a final blaze of glory.
He struggled mightily in the playoffs as the Blues lost to the Los Angeles
Kings in the first round. That defeat ensured significant change this
summer, including the likely exit of veterans like McDonald, Scott Nichol
and Jamie Langenbrunner as their contracts expired.
McDonald opted to retire rather than shop his services around the league
as an unrestricted free agent.
This was a wise move.
McDonald, 35, has earned a lot of money playing the sport. He has won a
Stanley Cup. He found a comfortable home for his family in St. Louis.
Given the myriad injuries he suffered during his career – including
concussions he still feels effects from – why should he battle on?
The sports world has learned a lot about concussions in recent years, none
of it good. Once a NHL player suffers a serious concussion, he is more
vulnerable to additional injury.
Athletes who have suffered multiple concussions often feel serious longterm consequences. Former Blues Jeff Brown, Paul Kariya and Geoff
Courtnall are just three examples of players who suffered long after their
retirement.
McDonald left on his own terms, creating a happy ending to his career
story. He will remain in the St. Louis business community and work on his
second career.
He could join our local hockey community, which embraces the former
Blues who settle here. He will add some scoring punch to the Blues Alumni
team and remain an ambassador for the sport locally and nationally.
We would say how much we will miss Andy McDonald but we’re sure we’ll
be seeing him around.
AROUND THE RINKS: Can anybody really blame playmaking center Jori
Lehtera for taking the easy way out by staying in the KHL? He can make
more money on Russia giving about half the effort it takes to produce
offense in today’s NHL. The KHL features a lot of world-class players, but
the game there is slower. There is more room to work on the bigger ice
surfaces. Few KHL goaltenders would hold up in the NHL and most of the
Russian defensemen would be role players at best on this side of the world.
Lehtera has found a comfort zone playing closer to home. If he wasn’t dying
to play in the NHL, then it was best for everybody that he didn’t take a
second stab at helping the Blues . . . Speaking of the KHL and defensemen,
Sergei Gonchar could collect a nice check finishing out his career back in
his homeland . . . The defending Stanley Cup champions are running out of
steam against the explosive Blackhawks. The Kings will need a miraculous
turn of events to get past Chicago now . . . The free agent market for this
summer looks pretty weak. Many teams will be looking move payroll with
the salary cap shrinking. Odds are we will see some serious wheeling and
dealing . . . Once upon a time scoring line wingers Martin Havlat and Dany
Heatley were traded for each other. Now both players could get cap
compliance buyouts this summer after failing to stay healthy and productive
for their new teams . . . As the Oilers reconfigure, those hefty salaries
earned by veteran forwards Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky give the front
office plenty to think about.
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Tampa Bay Lightning
Bolts hope AHL success pays off
By Erik Erlendsson | Tribune Staff
Published: June 7, 2013
Experience serves as the best education.
With that in mind, the Lightning's top prospects are set to graduate the
minor leagues magna cum laude, as Tampa Bay's top farm team will play
for a championship for the second consecutive year.
The Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning's affiliate in the American Hockey
League, open play at home today in the best-of-seven Calder Cup final
against the Grand Rapids Griffins, the top affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
Many of the top prospects in the Tampa Bay organization play key roles for
Syracuse this season, while eight current members of the Crunch won a
championship last season with the Norfolk Admirals — Tampa Bay's AHL
affiliate before switching to Syracuse.
Playing such important games not only gives players extra ice time to
develop their skills, but it puts them in pressure situations that can't be
replicated during practice or even a regular-season game.
“The greatest experience a player can get is winning,'' said Lightning coach
Jon Cooper, who led Norfolk to the title last year and coached Syracuse for
most of this season before being promoted to Tampa Bay. “Regardless of
what happens here at the end, getting to back-to-back finals is hard to do.
When you get to the playoffs, this is truly big-boys hockey. I just think it puts
our guys further ahead than other guys in the league. This is unbelievable
education for our prospects.''
Norfolk finished last season on a record-shattering 28-game winning streak
and went on to win the Calder Cup, dropping only three games in the
postseason and ending the playoffs on a 10-game winning streak.
This season, Syracuse captured the East Division title and finished as the
third seed despite dealing with a handful of issues. The players moved to a
new city, many of the team's top prospects were called up to Tampa and
Rob Zettler assumed head-coaching duties when Cooper was promoted.
In this year's postseason, the Crunch have won 11 games and lost one.
“This kind of expedites their development, so from an organizational
standpoint, that's one of the biggest benefits of having these long playoff
runs,'' Syracuse general manager and Lightning assistant GM Julien
BriseBois said.
While Tyler Johnson, Radko Gudas, Mark Barberio, Ondrej Palat (leaguebest 20 points in 12 playoff games) and Richard Panik are some of the top
Lightning prospects making a second run at a championship, Brett
Connolly, J.T. Brown, Andrej Sustr, Vladislav Namestnikov and Dmitry
Korobov are getting their first taste of postseason success.
The long-term hope for the Lightning is that the experience of winning in the
minor leagues translates into success at the NHL level.
“I think it can (translate to NHL success), we have hope it will,” BriseBois
said. “I look at Ottawa, and they had 10 players on their playoff roster that
won a Calder Cup (in 2011) … to win, you need to have talent, which I think
our young players have, and you need to learn how to win. So I think it
bodes really well for the future.''
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Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning AHL team in Calder Cup final
Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Friday, June 7, 2013 3:53pm
"It bodes well for our organization because I believe a very important
number of them will end up playing for the Lightning and helping us win in
the NHL. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about."
Lightning prospect update: Defenseman Dylan Blujus was invited to the
U.S. national team junior evaluation camp, an audition for the 2014 world
junior championship team. Blujus, 19, 6 feet 3 and 198 pounds, was drafted
40th overall in 2012, and this season he had two goals, 29 points and 57
penalty minutes in 68 games with Brampton of the junior Ontario league.
>>Fast facts
J.T. Wyman hoped to play in the NHL this season. It didn't happen.
But if the forward had to be in the minors, he said he could not be in a
better spot than with the Lightning's AHL affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y.
"This is not an everyday occasion what we've got going here," Wyman said.
"We know how special this is."
What the Crunch has going is a chance to give the Tampa Bay organization
its second straight Calder Cup title, and 12 players who last season won
rings with then-affiliate Norfolk face Grand Rapids in a best-of-seven final
starting tonight at Syracuse.
But the Crunch's story is about more than the achievements of its talented
players. It is about the actualization of an organizational blueprint in which a
player's character is as important as his skills and camaraderie is as crucial
as understanding the coach's system.
"Whether it's for Syracuse or Tampa, it's a very important factor," Syracuse
general manager Julien BriseBois said of evaluating character.
"We do a lot of research on it. We do background checks. We pass on
some really good players because we don't think they fit with our team
chemistry and attitude, and we've brought in some players who maybe
would have been passed up by other teams but we knew they would make
our team better because they're the right fit for what we're trying to do."
The result is a team that finished third in the Eastern Conference despite an
in-season coaching change and the Lightning poaching some of its top
talent.
It is a team with its own bowling league. A team that between playoff series
had a pig roast and arranged an appearance by a hypnotist, who Wyman
said had No. 3 goalie Eric Levine dancing like Michael Jackson.
Really, it is a team that seems more like a family.
"I've been involved in pro hockey for 25 years at both the NHL level and
minor-league level," coach Rob Zettler said, "and I've never been part of a
team that's so close."
"It's just a welcoming environment," Wyman said. "Guys come in, and
they're able to be themselves. We stress enjoying every day we spend
together. It's a great opportunity for us to bond as individuals and a team.
It's to the point everyone knows what they need to do to be part of this."
And the result on the ice?
"They go to bat for each other," said Zettler, who went from assistant to
head coach when Jon Cooper was promoted to the Lightning after Guy
Boucher was fired in late March. "They will tell each other when someone is
not holding up their end of the bargain. It's a really cool atmosphere."
"It's the trust we have for each other," defenseman Radko Gudas said. "In
the playoffs, it's harder hockey, and you fight for every inch. The better
friends we are, the better it is on the ice."
It has been quite a postseason for the Crunch. At 11-1, a sweep of Grand
Rapids, the Red Wings' affiliate, would give it the fewest losses among
Calder Cup champions that had to win four playoff rounds.
Wing Ondrej Palat is tied for the league scoring lead with 20 points and
leads with 15 assists. Center Tyler Johnson is third with nine goals and tied
for the lead with three winners.
Defenseman Matt Taormina is tied for the lead at plus-15, and goalie
Cedrick Desjardins has a 1.86 goals-against average and a .920 save
percentage.
"This is the ultimate learning experience before you get to the NHL, playing
in games this meaningful and at this pace and with this level of
desperation," BriseBois said.
Reaching for seconds
The 12 players on AHL Syracuse's playoff roster who in 2011-12 won the
Calder Cup with Norfolk and go for another with the Crunch:
Defensemen: Mark Barberio, Jean-Philippe Cote, Radko Gudas, Evan
Oberg. Forwards: Mike Angelidis, Philip-Michael Devos, Alex Hutchings,
Tyler Johnson, Eric Neilson, Ondrej Palat, Richard Panik. Goaltender: Pat
Nagle.
On the Web: All Calder Cup games can be seen online at ahllive.com.
Register on the website.
Lightning AHL team in Calder Cup final 06/07/13 [Last modified: Friday,
June 7, 2013 11:22pm]
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs should trade Phil Kessel: Feschuk
By: Dave Feschuk Hockey, Published on Fri Jun 07 2013
If you’re any kind of fan, maybe you’ll never get over it. It was a little more
than three weeks ago that the Toronto Maple Leafs were seconds away
from ousting the Boston Bruins from the NHL playoffs. Now that the Bruins
are a game removed from sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins for a berth in
the Stanley Cup final — well, it’s only natural to relive Toronto’s epic nearmiss with a never-ending procession of what-ifs.
But if there’s no re-seizing a moment that’s been lost, MLSE CEO Tim
Leiweke is bent on re-setting the standards of a once-proud NHL franchise.
“We understand the only thing that matters here, for the greatest fan base
in the history of the National Hockey League — and, by the way, the most
important organization in the National Hockey League — is winning a
Stanley Cup for Toronto,” Leiweke said in a video address to season-ticket
holders this week.
In the YouTube-posted message, Leiweke also offered an endorsement for
the team’s current brain trust while uttering a four-word sentence that would
make any NHL executive nervous, specifically: “I’m a hockey fan.”
“I will bring more enthusiasm and more passion,” Leiweke said. “What you
can be assured of is we’re going to work even harder.”
Somewhere, Leafs forward Phil Kessel is on a golf course saying: “Harder?
That’s a joke, right?” And somewhere else, GM Dave Nonis and his
management team are pounding the phones to bolster a flawed team in
need of improvement in nearly every area. It’s exactly what they should be
doing. With a little more than three weeks until the June 30 draft, now’s
when off-season trade talks traditionally begin their slow build. As Leiweke
has made clear, Nonis should talk a lot, since the status quo won’t cut it.
But making big changes to the Toronto roster, with the NHL salary cap
shrinking from around $70 million (all figures U.S.) to about $64 million, will
require bold vision and savvy manoeuvring that many fans might consider
sacrilege.
Example: There’d be no better time to trade Kessel, considering his
excellent run of play as the league’s sixth-leading regular-season scorer
has put his value at an all-time high. Don’t for a moment believe that Nonis,
fresh off delivering a no-Leaf-is-untouchable post-season message, isn’t
thinking hard about the possibility.
Why would Kessel be a smart chip to cash in? He’s a perimeter-hugging
winger in a net-front league playing for a team that will need to give up
something of value to land its long-sought No. 1 centre. He’ll also be an
unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2014, as will team captain Dion
Phaneuf. The latter, a lightning rod of post-season criticism thanks in part to
his defensive paralysis in the crucial moments of that Game 7, would be by
far the more palatable trade piece in the eyes of many supporters.
But Phaneuf’s stock, weighed down by a hefty $6.5 million salary, is in the
tank. Kessel’s, by contrast, is soaring. Given the local wont to buy high and
bail low, it’d be a welcome change for a Toronto GM to recoup a decent
haul on an investment as costly as Kessel.
It’s not the only possible move, mind you, and Nonis has a shopping list that
isn’t short. The dominant post-season work of Jonathan Quick and Tuukka
Rask is a reminder the Leafs, who got credible if spotty work from No. 1
James Reimer this season, should be on the lookout for an upgrade
between the pipes. Mike Smith is a free agent worth considering. Roberto
Luongo will again be discussed. Tim Thomas’s comeback has got to start
somewhere.
The Leafs are also certain to be among the suitors of David Clarkson, the
impending unrestricted free agent with the New Jersey Devils. That
Clarkson is Toronto-born and media-savvy doesn’t matter as much that he
plays the wing with a Bruins-worthy heaviness and has scored 30 goals in a
season.
But Clarkson is expected to command big dollars and the Leafs will have
plenty of their own players looking for more, too, among them restricted free
agents Nazem Kadri, Cody Franson, Leo Komarov and Carl Gunnarsson.
Toronto centre Tyler Bozak, the best of the Leafs scheduled to hit the
unrestricted open market this summer, can make a case he’s in line for a
raise that would put him on par with the team’s highest-paid forward, the
$5.5 million Mikhail Grabovski, but the Leafs will be looking for him to take a
hometown discount. Giving every incumbent a pay bump might not jibe with
the reality of a shrinking spending limit and other needs.
Toronto, with a defensive corps that also needs help, needs more high-end
talent at low prices, which is why moving up in a deep draft on June 30
would make sense, as would trolling the market to woo compliance buyout
cases that could come relatively cheaply.
Change, for the Leafs, needs to be in the offing. Falling in love with a team
that was a first-round out would be a mistake. The Leafs, by a lot of
measures, weren’t a particularly good squad during the 48-game regular
season. They were grossly outshot. They only secured their playoff spot a
week from the schedule’s conclusion. Still, they made progress.
“I think what we’ve done is we’ve provided ... an identity for our team,”
coach Randy Carlyle said during the playoffs. “I think, in some ways, we’ve
proven if we work hard, with the skill that we have and the commitment to
playing as a team, that we can be competitive.”
Actually, the coach might want to revise that manifesto given the CEO’s
latest mission statement. Working hard and being competitive is suddenly
not enough. Bizarre, historic first-round choke jobs are presumably also not
acceptable. ’Tis the off-season for working harder and assembling
champions. Consider the proverbial bar raised along with the expectations
of Leafs Nation.
Globe And Mail LOADED: 06.08.2013
680436
Vancouver Canucks
Canuck GM Mike Gillis talks about coach search
June 7, 2013. 3:58 pm
Posted by:
elliottpap
Canuck GM Mike Gillis took time out from his coach search Friday to
appear on the team’s flagship radio station, Team 1040. Midday show host
Matt Sekeres asked Gillis a number of questions on the coaching front.
Here are some of his answers…
On Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins, who has been in for two
interviews: “He did very well. He’s a well-spoken guy, a solid young coach
and a good person. He has good views on the game and what it takes to
coach in the National Hockey League.”
On Eakins’s ability to develop the Leafs’ minor-league prospects,
specifically Nazem Kadri: “Whoever our next coach is will have to be able to
work with young players because that’s what the future holds both in terms
of the collective bargaining agreement and where we are as a team. So we
are committed to getting younger players into our lineup and being patient
enough to allow them to develop and play. The next coach is going to have
to have a track record or a commitment to have the features and
characteristics he needs to make sure that it works for us.”
On former Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan, who has also been
interviewed: “I thought his team played hard. They went through a lot of
changes and they kept getting better. Glen is a very bright young coach
with a really solid future ahead of him. In our effort to make sure that we talk
to everybody who is available and might be a candidate, he was involved
and I was very impressed.”
On how long his list of candidates is: “I’m going to interview at least four,
perhaps five more people. I think this is a great opportunity for us to change
direction and I want to speak to everybody and hear their views about what
they feel we need and how they could contribute to the Vancouver
Canucks. It’s an interesting process and it’s an opportunity to learn a lot
about people who are good quality coaches.”
On being willing to wait until the end of the playoffs if there is a candidate
he likes: “If we felt they were really solid, legitimate candidates, we would
be prepared to wait to get them into the mix. For the right person, we would
wait that long.”
On whether he expects to have the new man in place before free agency
begins July 5: “I would like to get the coach in place the moment we make a
decision on the right person. I don’t have a time frame. We are going to
take our time and make sure we speak to everybody we think is a legitimate
candidate and learn as much as we can.”
On whether he would be prepared to wait beyond July 5 if need be: “I don’t
think that will be the case.”
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 06.08.2013
680437
Washington Capitals
Agent: ‘No progress at all’ between Matt Hendricks and Capitals
By Katie Carrera, Updated: June 7, 2013
Updated 1:51 p.m.: NHL free agency is set to open in a little less than a
month, but the Capitals are no closer to reaching an agreement with gritty
forward Matt Hendricks.
Negotiations on a new contract for the versatile Hendricks were ongoing
throughout the season, but the two sides have not discussed a new deal for
the Minnesota native since April 3, the day of the trade deadline, according
to his agent.
“There has been no progress at all. We haven’t even talked,” Hendricks’s
agent, Michael Wulkan said in a phone interview. “Matt said from day one
that his preference is to stay in Washington, but we were negotiating and
then it stopped. They know our position.”
Hendricks, who will turn 32 on June 17, solidified his place as an NHL
regular during his three seasons with the Capitals and became an important
component of the roster. In 203 regular season games with Washington,
Hendricks has 18 goals and 24 assists.
While he doesn’t light up the scoresheet, Hendricks earned the respect of
all those who played with him by being willing to do everything from fight,
kill penalties, fill in on the top lines, score clutch shootout goals or simply
keep his teammates laughing.
Those traits, and his reputation as a reliable blue-collar player, are why
Hendricks could be a sought-after free agent and will likely receive a raise
on the $800,000 salary ($825,000 cap hit) he received last season. The
New York Rangers are reportedly interested in his services, and they’re
likely not the only ones.
As much as Hendricks would like to stay in Washington, where he and his
family have made a home, Wulkan said that the forward isn’t limiting his
options. The closer it gets to July 5, the tougher it will be to not see what
offers are available, Wulkan said.
“He’s not scared of going to free agency,” Wulkan said. “His preference was
to stay in Washington but we can’t do a deal when we haven’t heard from
anybody. This is an opportunity for him to get a deal that he deserves.”
For a player like Hendricks, who didn’t break into the league until he was 28
years old and has only become entrenched on an NHL lineup over the past
few seasons, this is the best opportunity of his career to earn a significant
contract.
Hendricks, who is back in his offseason home of Plymouth, Minn., admitted
it’s tough to balance his fondness for Washington with ensuring he gets
what he believes is a fair deal.
“Number one on my list is to be back in Washington and play for the Caps.
I’ve made a home there and it’s been great. I’ve found a niche with that
team, that organization. I’m treated professionally every day as a man,”
Hendricks said in a phone interview Friday. “But at the same time there is
the business side of it where you want to get market value as a player.
That’s your goal. I’ve done a lot to this point to get here.”
With the salary cap dropping to $64.3 million next season, it will be
interesting to see what the market value will be for Hendricks.
Last summer Brandon Prust, 29, a similarly versatile forward but with 18
goals and 46 points over two seasons prior to becoming a free agent,
signed a four-year, $10 million contract ($2.5 million cap hit) with Montreal.
In late March Tampa Bay signed Nate Thompson, 28, a gritty forward the
Lightning rely on to kill penalties and perform spot duty on top lines, to a
four-year, $6.4 million contract ($1.6 million cap hit). Hendricks is likely to
fall in the range between those two deals on the open market.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job — the business side of it is I need to try to make
what I can when I can. I have a family to think about, which comes first and
foremost over everything else,” Hendricks said. “You never know how long
you’re going to play, but I would like to take a good shot at this one and
make it a good contract that I’ll be able to play and be happy with.”
Washington Post LOADED: 06.08.2013
680438
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg prospects to skate at Classic
By: Staff Writer
Posted: 1:00 AM | Comments: 0
THE Winnipeg Jets got their first look at the likes of Mark Scheifele, Eddie
Pasquale and Adam Lowry two years ago at the Vancouver Canucks
Young Stars Classic.
And, after a year hiatus due to last fall's NHL lockout, the organization's
best prospects will be heading back to Penticton, B.C., to do it all over
again.
The Jets announced Thursday they will participate again in the Canucks'
tournament, 2013 version, which will take place from Sept. 5-9.
The event will feature prospects from the Jets, Canucks, Calgary Flames,
Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks.
The Jets finished the 2011 tournament with a 2-1 record with Scheifele as
the team's leading scorer after three games (two goals, one assist).
For more information about the Young Stars Classic and surrounding
events, go to canucks.com/youngstars.
Here is a schedule for the event:
Young Stars Classic
Sept. 5: Edmonton vs. Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sept. 5: Vancouver vs. San Jose, 9:30 p.m.
Sept. 6: Winnipeg vs. San Jose, 6 p.m.
Sept. 6: Vancouver vs. Calgary, 9:30 p.m.
Sept. 7: Edmonton vs. Winnipeg, 9:30 p.m.
Sept. 8: Vancouver vs. Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Sept. 8: San Jose vs. Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 9: Winnipeg vs. Vancouver, 2 p.m.
All times central
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.08.2013
680439
Winnipeg Jets
He’s not ready to wear a letter next season, but he’s progressing
nonetheless.
Kane unloads great Twitter rant
There are more steps to be taken, but to me, expressing some anger about
not participating in playoff games at this point of the season is something to
be celebrated, not a situation that requires an ounce of worry.
ken.wiebe - June 6th, 2013
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.08.2013
Winnipeg Jets left-winger Evander Kane was innocently Tweeting about
Game 1 of the NBA Final between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs
on Thursday night before really catching the attention of cyberspace.
Kane is no stranger to centre stage and he found himself there once again
when he unleashed a stream of five hockey tweets that caught the attention
of fans and media members alike.
Here’s the play-by-play from @EKane9Jets (go to No 5 and work your way
back please):
Goodnight tweeps. #thenatural
Expand
Evander Kane Evander Kane @EKane9JETS 40m
It really pisses me off and I’m done with these kind of results. It’s time to
start winning and it’s starting now.
Expand
Evander Kane Evander Kane @EKane9JETS 42m
I’m sick of sitting here at this time of the year not having a chance to win,
not scoring goals, not winning games and not winning rounds.
Expand
Evander Kane Evander Kane @EKane9JETS 51m
So I don’t care! Next year will be a different story! You can count on that.
Expand
Evander Kane Evander Kane @EKane9JETS 51m
For everyone asking why I don’t care to watch or talk about the NHL
playoffs. I’m not playing in them, I can’t win this year, CONT:
Naturally, when Kane opens his mouth — or in this case, his thoughts on
social media — there was a firestorm of reaction.
And wouldn’t you know it, some of the conspiracy theorists were
interpreting Kane’s thoughts as suggesting Kane was somehow asking for a
trade.
I don’t see it that way, not one bit.
In fact, in case you forgot, Jets RW Blake Wheeler expressed similar
thoughts in an interview with columnist Paul Friesen last spring. And
Wheeler reiterated those concerns after the Jets were eliminated from
playoff contention during the lockout-shortened season.
Kane’s frustration is obvious and this isn’t the first time he’s expressed his
thoughts about failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs either.
He’s a guy that won a lot on the way to the NHL, but has failed to get to the
post-season party during his four NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and
Atlanta Thrashers.
Kane is driven to improve as a player and he wants to win.
For all of the negativity that seemed to dog him during his first season with
the Jets and during the lockout after the Floyd Money Mayweather Cash
Phone Tweet, I saw maturity and growth from Kane this season.
And not just on the ice, where he had another solid season, despite
watching frequent linemates Olli Jokinen and Kyle Wellwood suffer through
funks.
Kane was more engaging with the media during the season and more
available this season.
It looked to me like he was trying to take more responsibility and trying to
grow into the role as one of the leaders on the team.
680440
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets have started talks with Zach Bogosian's camp
By Ken Wiebe
,Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Friday, June 07, 2013 07:55 PM CDT | Updated: Friday, June
07, 2013 08:00 PM CDT
The Winnipeg Jets have opened talks on a new contract with pending
restricted free agent Zach Bogosian.
Agent Bob Murray, who represents Bogosian, confirmed via e-mail on
Friday morning that he had a “preliminary discussion" with the Jets on
Thursday but wouldn't discuss any further details.
During the last negotiation in 2011 — which ended in the two-year bridge
contract for $5 million that is about to expire — Murray made it clear that he
doesn’t plan to negotiate through the media and he’s sticking to that mantra
this time around.
Bogosian, who is eligible for salary arbitration, is one of nine restricted free
agents on the Jets roster and figures to be in line from a significant raise
over the $3 million he made last season.
The 22-year-old defenceman had five goals and 14 points in 33 games
during the lockout-shortened season.
Locking up Bogosian to a long-term deal is one of the Jets top priorities this
summer, along with new deals for top line forwards Blake Wheeler and
Bryan Little.
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.08.2013
680441
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets winger Evander Kane talking a good game on Twitter
By Ken Wiebe
,Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Friday, June 07, 2013 07:23 PM CDT | Updated: Friday, June
07, 2013 08:10 PM CDT
While it’s true that Kane’s expressions on Twitter have occasionally got him
in trouble (like the Floyd Money Mayweather Cash Call photo), but this
series of thoughts probably brought a smile to the face of Jets general
manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who made a six-year contract commitment to
the sniper last summer.
Provided others on the roster are as hungry as Kane to take the next step
(which is a pretty safe bet), there will eventually come a time when Jets
fans will actually have a game of their own to talk about in June, rather than
having to interpret the Tweets of their power forward.
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.08.2013
With fans of the Winnipeg Jets essentially starved for hockey matters to
discuss, Evander Kane once again did his best to help fill the void.
Only this time, it wasn’t negative attention raining down on the Jets’ star
left-winger — unless you’re one of the conspiracy theorists who believe that
Kane’s Thursday-night Twitter rant was somehow a subconscious plea to
be traded (where have we heard that before?).
In case you were one of those who were sleeping — and plenty of you were
— here’s a little context to what went down.
It was a seemingly routine evening for Kane, a big NBA fan who decided to
share his thoughts on Game 1 of the championship final between the Miami
Heat and San Antonio Spurs.
As he regularly does, Kane provided some insight on the match-up, made a
prediction and then weighed in on what was happening in the game.
At some point, multiple hockey fans Tweeted at Kane to ask why he was
watching the NBA playoffs instead of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Not sure if the question struck a nerve because Kane unleashed four 140
character Tweets to express his displeasure over being on the outside
looking in once again and basically offered up a Mark Messier-like
guarantee:
“For everyone asking why I don't care to watch or talk about the NHL
playoffs. I'm not playing in them, I can't win this year, CONT:
“So I don't care! Next year will be a different story! You can count on that.
I'm sick of sitting here at this time of the year not having a chance to win,
not scoring goals, not winning games and not winning rounds.
“It really pisses me off and I'm done with these kind of results. It's time to
start winning and it's starting now.”
So there you have it.
It doesn’t qualify as breaking news that Kane was unhappy about missing
the playoffs for the fourth consecutive spring.
He shared similar sentiments after the Jets were eliminated from playoff
contention this year.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I liked the rant from Kane.
Again, it’s not a revelation by any means, as you’d be hard-pressed to find
many NHLers who are actually happy about not being in the playoffs,
especially among those who have never had a taste of the Stanley Cup
playoffs.
After getting closer than he’s ever been to the post-season party this spring,
you’d hope that Kane is tired of losing and it’s clear that he is.
And you can be sure that Kane isn’t the only one.
Captain Andrew Ladd has expressed his frustration plenty of times and so
has right-winger Blake Wheeler.
Talking about taking the next step is a start, but the actions must be louder
than the words.
It’s important to remember that for all the strides the Jets took last season,
taking that next step into the playoffs is a big one.
Not to mention one that requires further improvement to the roster, plenty of
sacrifices to be made by individuals in pursuit of the team goal and
ultimately, holding themselves to a higher standard.
Kane isn’t shy about sharing his opinion and for those of us in the media
industry, that’s a good thing, a very good thing.
680442
Winnipeg Jets
So I don't care! Next year will be a different story! You can count on that.
3. Evander Kane @EKane9JETS
Hainsey unlikely to stay with Jets
By: Gary Lawless
Posted: 1:00 AM | Comments: 0
I'm sick of sitting here at this time of the year not having a chance to win,
not scoring goals, not winning games and not winning rounds.
4. Evander Kane @EKane9JETS
It really pisses me off and I'm done with these kind of results. It's time to
start winning and it's starting now.
5. Evander Kane @EKane9JETS
Unrestricted free agency is the holy grail for a players' association in any
sport, so to have one of its leaders spurn the opportunity just wouldn't wash
with the rank and file.
Ron Hainsey's role with the NHLPA almost makes it a requirement that he
test the free agent market on July 5.
Were the Winnipeg Jets to make him an offer significantly increasing his
wage, the veteran blue-liner could likely accept with little or no backlash.
But a pay cut, a given in Hainsey's case, wouldn't be viewed as good union
politics. Hainsey must consider the optics of his actions so it's a safe bet
he'll test the market.
Goodnight tweeps. #thenatural
A couple of things come to mind. It's great Evander wants to be in the
playoffs and is bent on changing the way his team performs.
One might suggest watching the best play at the most difficult time of the
year would be insightful for Evander or anyone trying to reach this level of
competition but maybe that's a bit of hair splitting.
I've ragged on Kane for tweets in the past, so in the interest of fairness,
kudos to Evander for urging both himself and his teammates to reach
higher heights.
Hainsey led his union's recent CBA negotiations as they fought to retain
contracting rights they'd gained in previous deals, including unrestricted free
agency.
BURMI BUSINESS: An email sent to Alex Burmistrov's agent Mark Gandler
went unanswered on Friday. But word around the NHL is Gandler has been
chatting Burmistrov up to a number of NHL teams.
Taking the first offer sent his way, unless it included large gains that would
elevate the marketplace, flies in the face of everything Hainsey has stood
for in his off-ice politics.
It's no secret there's a disconnect between the Jets and the Burmistrov
group, but the latter has almost no leverage. Burmistrov is set to become a
restricted free agent with no arbitration rights. An offer sheet is a pipe
dream and the only way Burmistrov ends up on another NHL team next
season is via trade.
The Jets are unlikely to offer Hainsey anything close to the previous deal -$22.5 million over five years.
The Los Angeles Kings recently signed veteran defenceman Robyn Regehr
to a two-year deal worth $6 million. The players are really only similar in
age, position and previous contract, but Hainsey's representatives will likely
use the Regehr contract as a comparable.
It's hard to imagine the Jets, with an influx of young defensive talent on the
way and serious cash demands to meet in the form of Zach Bogosian and a
slew of valuable restricted free agents, agreeing to such a demand.
It looks more and more like Ron Hainsey will go to market and find work
with another organization.
BOGO TALKS BEGIN: Bogosian is slated to become a restricted free agent
on July 5 and his agent Bob Murray says talks have begun with the Jets.
"We had a very preliminary discussion (Thursday)," said Murray in a
response to an email query from the Free Press. Bogosian is coming off a
strong season and is at the end of a two-year deal worth $5 million.
The Jets signed teammate Toby Enstrom to a five-year, $28.75-million deal
last summer. Veteran Dustin Byfuglien is scheduled to make $5.75 million
this season and has two more years at similar rates left on his deal.
Bogosian doesn't have the same offensive game or hockey sense as
Enstrom and Byfuglien, but has more leadership upside and provides a
constant physical presence.
Bogosian was used against the opposition's best players game in and
game out. The coaching staff trusts him more than any other blue-liner.
The Jets will want to eat up some of Bogosian's unrestricted free agent
years and that comes at a premium.
The maximum term the Jets could sign Bogosian to is eight years. Look for
a six-year deal north of $30 million. If the sides want to go longer, the price
is unpredictable.
EVANDER TWEETS: Jets power forward Evander Kane likes to share
some of his thoughts on Twitter and he got his tweeps stirred up Thursday
night.
Here's the play-by-play:
1. Evander Kane @EKane9JETS
For everyone asking why I don't care to watch or talk about the NHL
playoffs. I'm not playing in them, I can't win this year, CONT:
2. Evander Kane @EKane9JETS
Gandler's efforts may be a way of stirring interest in his client and causing
teams to inquire about the Jets' asking price. Hard to see this getting
wrapped up without some drama.
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.08.2013
680443
Winnipeg Jets
Closing the champion chasm
Club a far cry from Final Four
By: Ed Tait
Posted: 1:00 AM | Comments: 0
The face of the Stanley Cup playoffs is a bearded one. It features a facial
gash of some sort, perhaps a blackened eye. It is bleary-eyed, but
determined.
This is the toughest trophy to win in pro sports because it takes 16 wins
spread out over a couple of months against four different opponents. It
takes skill and talent to be sure, but also equal amounts of grit and
resiliency.
A year ago, with the help of TSN analyst Shane Hnidy -- a cup champion
himself -- we offered up a comparison of the National Hockey League's final
four clubs to the Winnipeg Jets to determine what factors, whether they
were statistical, physical or otherwise, separated them from the loop's elite.
And now, what with the Jets still working to become a playoff team and this
year's Final Four also comprising the last four Stanley Cup champions -Pittsburgh in 2009, Chicago in 2010, Boston in 2011 and Los Angeles in
2012 -- the template is perfect for another comparison.
What separates the Jets from the best? Here is our take...
1. EXPERIENCE... BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
Sorry to open up an old wound, Jets fans, but the Thrashers/Jets 2.0
franchise hasn't qualified for the post-season since 2006-07. That's no
small thing, especially when comparing them to the Final Four. We pointed
this out near the end of the regular season, but it bears repeating: Of the 28
players with the Jets in late April, 16 had never appeared in a playoff game.
The rest, including Stanley Cup champions Andrew Ladd and Dustin
Byfuglien, have combined to play in 249 playoff games. Just as a point of
reference, Sidney Crosby -- who is only 25 -- already has 105 playoff
games under his belt, close to twice as many as the most-experienced Jet,
Ladd (53 games).
The Jets, collectively, are struggling just to make the playoffs let alone
actually win a series. And that's a huge difference compared to the Pens,
Bruins, Hawks and Kings.
"That's the first thing for me," said Hnidy. "All these teams have been there
and all of them have won it. But they've all been through the hard times,
too. You can reference the (Toronto) Maple Leafs' loss in the first round to
the Bruins this year... as tough as that is for them, it's also a growing period.
Look at the Bruins before they won the Cup -- they had a 3-0 lead on the
Flyers (in 2010, before losing) and had to overcome that. Chicago last year
exited early. All these teams have had growing pains, but afterward have
stuck with their core group of guys. That's critical."
Interestingly, the Jets roster could be facing a significant makeover this
summer, especially with nine players scheduled to become unrestricted free
agents -- Nik Antropov, Kyle Wellwood, Mike Santorelli, Antti Miettinen,
Aaron Gagnon, Ron Hainsey, Grant Clitsome, Derek Meech and Al
Montoya.
"Look at Pittsburgh even though they've struggled against the Bruins," said
Hnidy. "Yeah, they've got Crosby and Malkin. But they've got Pascal
Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, Matt Cooke, Craig Adams, Brooks Orpik... to me,
that's their core and those guys have clearly defined roles.
"A coach can establish those roles, but it's finding the players who will
accept those roles and shine in them. They know if they do that role, it
brings success to everyone. That's a big difference between teams that
consistently win and those that don't.
"Give the Jets this: I think this year (Bryan) Little, Ladd and (Blake) Wheeler
established themselves as a legitimate top line. They still need to fill out that
second line with Kane. Hopefully (Olli) Jokinen bounces back, but they
need a right-winger for that line.
"But there isn't enough of a threat on the third line. To me, what they have
on the bottom six was a revolving door of players off waivers, call-ups and
the injury to Jim Slater hurt them. Their top six is more defined right now
than their bottom."
3. TEAM DEFENCE
This one is ridiculously obvious, yet not so easily addressed. The Final Four
ranked first (Chicago), third (Boston), seventh (Los Angeles) and 12th
(Pittsburgh) in goals allowed this year. Winnipeg was 25th, having
surrendered almost a goal more per game (2.95 to 2.02) than the
Blackhawks. Further to that, the Jets were 18th in shots against per game
(29.7) and the quality of those chances was often substantial.
Defence isn't just about the three defensive pairings, although that could be
in a state of flux with Hainsey, Clitsome and Meech all unrestricted free
agents, Jacob Trouba knocking on the door, Toby Enstrom battling injury
problems and rumours about Dustin Byfuglien's future only growing leading
into the draft on June 30.
"To me, their top four D isn't where it needs to be yet," said Hnidy. "But
team defence has to become a mentality. There were periods last year
where the Jets were really good defensively and I remember being in the
room and the guys saying they were seeing the buy-in pay off. But there
wasn't enough consistency. There's got to be more consistency, confidence
and everyone wanting to do it. That comes with time, but you've got to have
the right personnel willing to buy in. The more they do that, the more they
win and then the easier it becomes as a sell for the coach."
4. A DOMINANT PUCK STOPPER
Near the end of the regular season, Jets head coach Claude Noel
reaffirmed his belief the club can win a championship with Ondrej Pavelec
in goal -- an assertion the franchise made clear a year ago when they
signed him to a five-year, $19.5-million contract. The 25-year-old Czech
appeared in 44 games last year and there has been growth in his game, but
his numbers are actually down from his final year in Atlanta -- a 2.80 goalsagainst average and .905 save percentage.
During the regular season, only L.A.'s Quick (.902) had a worse save
percentage than Pavelec, but the Kings' netminder has been outstanding in
the post-season (.941). Tuukka Rask in Boston, Chicago's Corey Crawford
and Pittsburgh's Tomas Vokoun have also played huge roles in
backstopping their teams to the last four standing.
"It's hard to compare Pavelec to the other goalies still playing because of
those teams' commitment to defence," said Hnidy. "It's tough when you're
second or third in the league in shots faced and you wonder what Pavelec
would do on a defensively sound team. I like him, he's a great young goalie
who's maturing, but he still has steps to take. Mind you, there were times
where he stole games for them and he's going to have to continue to do
that and more."
2. STAR POWER, DEPTH AND
THE FAB FOUR VS. THE JETS
CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES
The Final Four features some of the greatest players on the planet in
Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Evgeni Malkin, Jonathan Quick, Anze
Kopitar, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask and many, many
others. Drag your finger down the roster of any one of those squads and
compare them to the Jets and the difference in talent is clear.
But what is also obvious is while the Jets have some solid pieces, their
roster seems to still be in a state of transition. The top six screams out for a
right winger to play alongside Evander Kane, the third line didn't provide
enough offensive punch and the fourth was forever a rotating series of
pieces. The Kings won last year because they could roll four lines, ditto for
the Bruins two years ago and this spring.
A look at some of the numbers of the Blackhawks, Kings, Penguins and
Bruins and how the Jets match up:
THE BASICS
(Regular-season totals)
TEAMW-L-TGOALSGFGOALSGA
RANKAGAINSTRANK
CHICAGO36-7-53.102nd2.021st
PITTSBURGH36-12-03.381st2.4812th
BOSTON28-14-62.6513th2.213rd
BOSTON$64,486,5629th
LOS ANGELES27-16-52.7310th2.387th
LOS ANGELES$62,025,79914th
WINNIPEG24-21-32.6216th2.9425th
WINNIPEG$58,447,94118th
Notable:
Notable:
The Jets finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, four points out of a
playoff spot. Their point total of 51 would have placed them 10th in the
West, also four points out of the playoff picture.
The Jets top six highest-paid forwards (Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen, Andrew
Ladd, Nik Antropov, Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little) earned a combined
$23.1 million.
Based on this year's point totals, Winnipeg would have finished fourth in its
new division, behind Chicago (77), St. Louis (60) and Minnesota (55) and
ahead of Dallas (48), Nashville (41) and Colorado (39).
By comparison, the Pens' top six pull in $30.4 million, the Blackhawks are at
$29.9 million, the Kings just under $28 million and the Bruins come in at
$25.6 million.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 8, 2013 C3
TEAMPOWERRANKPENALTYRANK
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.08.2013
PLAY%KILL%
CHICAGO16.719th87.23rd
PITTSBURGH24.72nd79.625th
BOSTON14.826th87.14th
LOS ANGELES19.910th83.210th
WINNIPEG13.830th79.724th
Notable:
The Jets went from having the second-best PP at home in 2011-12 to 26th.
Even in their one appearance in the playoffs in franchise history, back in
2006-07, the Thrashers' power play was ranked only 23rd overall and their
penalty kill was 26th.
THE DIMENSIONS
Average age, height and weight
TEAMAGEHTWT
CHICAGO27.16-1.5202.4
PITTSBURGH29.76-1204.4
BOSTON28.96-1200.4
LOS ANGELES25.56-1.3202.8
WINNIPEG27.16-1.8206.2
INDIVIDUAL GOALS/POINTS
Number of players per team achieving these totals:
TEAM10+ GOALS20+ GOALS30+ PTS48+ PTS
CHICAGO4232
PITTSBURGH5362
BOSTON6040
LOS ANGELES5140
WINNIPEG3040
Notable:
Andrew Ladd led the Jets in scoring this season with 46 points (18 goals,
28 assists) in 48 games. The last time a player with this franchise finished
with more than a point per game was in 2008-09, when Ilya Kovalchuk
finished with 91 points. The following season he had 58 points in 49 games
when he was traded to New Jersey because Thrashers' management was
convinced he wouldn't re-sign with the team.
DOLLARS AND CENTS
(Numbers courtesy capgeek.com)
TEAM2013 CAP HITRANK
CHICAGO$67,343,5445th
PITTSBURGH$66,739,1337th
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ESPN /Friday, June 7, 2013
Hawks' speed, depth dooming Kings
By Pierre LeBrun
ESPN.com
CHICAGO -- The Los Angeles Kings were a popular upset pick by many
entering the Western Conference finals. And why not, after the defending
Stanley Cup champions showed their resilience in series wins over St.
Louis and San Jose?
Having spent time with the Kings over the past month, however, I felt
entering this series that the Kings were a beat-up squad almost gasping for
air after surviving seven games against the Sharks. I have once again been
impressed with how they grind out wins, but I picked the Blackhawks in
large part because of the fatigue Los Angeles was feeling.
That seems to be bearing out now, and is a good place to start as we
examine why the Hawks have a 3-1 series lead over the Kings and the
inside track to a berth in the Stanley Cup finals.
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ESPN / Hawks' speed, depth dooming Kings
Surprising goaltending and Bryan Bickell's power also driving Chicago
In Quick's defense, it would be nice if his team could score some goals to
support him. Los Angeles has averaged two goals per game in the playoffs,
an offensive output that makes it difficult to repeat as champs. Kopitar and
Brown were 20-point men last spring. They're nowhere near that this year;
as we stated above it's believed both are playing through injuries.
Updated: June 8, 2013, 12:19 AM ET
But where is Dwight King this spring? He was a revelation a year ago in the
playoffs but hasn't done much this year. The power play hasn't delivered
enough, either. The Kings have won their share of 2-1 games, but it's hard
to go to that well every night and beat a quality team like the Blackhawks.
By Pierre LeBrun | ESPN.com
Turnovers are killers
CHICAGO -- The Los Angles Kings were a popular upset pick by many
entering the Western Conference finals. And why not, after the defending
Stanley Cup champions showed their resilience in series wins over St.
Louis and San Jose?
Having spent time with the Kings over the past month, however, I felt
entering this series that the Kings were a beat-up squad almost gasping for
air after surviving seven games against the Sharks. I have once again been
impressed with how they grind out wins, but I picked the Blackhawks in
large part because of the fatigue Los Angeles was feeling.
That seems to be bearing out now, and is a good place to start as we
examine why the Hawks have a 3-1 series lead over the Kings and the
inside track to a berth in the Stanley Cup finals.
The Kings' health issues
If and when the Kings are eliminated, finally becoming privy to the list of
ailments and injuries the defending Cup champs are playing with should be
quite compelling. There's no question Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown are
gutting it out through injuries, because neither has the pace to his game
we're used to seeing. These guys were legitimate Conn Smythe Trophy
candidates a year ago, but that level of play just isn't there this spring.
Coach Darryl Sutter's decision to move Kopitar to the third line before
Game 3 is a pretty strong indication not all is right with Kopitar. Justin
Williams and other Kings are also playing through pain, and even for those
who aren't somewhat injured, just the drain of having played the most
games in the playoffs, plus the most physical series in years versus St.
Louis, has taken its toll.
Los Angeles looked tired near the end of Game 4, like a car running on
fumes, and launched just two shots on goal against the Hawks in the third
period. Not sure the long flight back to Chicago is going to help restore
those legs, either.
Richards' absence hurts
Let's not sugarcoat it: The loss of star center Mike Richards to a concussion
in Game 1 was a huge blow to a team that couldn't afford to lose any key
pieces. Richards does it all for the Kings, from special teams, faceoffs, lategame shifts and shutdown roles, to being the offensive leader and
emotional barometer of the team. His absence is felt in so many ways.
Crawford vs. Quick
The goalie matchup looked lopsided entering this series given how
sensational the Kings' Jonathan Quick looked in the first two rounds. Corey
Crawford had been good for the Hawks, but the greatness Quick displayed
versus the Blues and Sharks gave the Kings an obvious and important
edge. Or so it seemed.
Four games into the series Crawford has held his own and then some,
making the saves he had to while closing the door when Chicago has held
third-period leads. He's allowed only seven goals in four games. What else
can you ask of him?
Nobody is asking Crawford to steal a game in this series. The Hawks just
need him to not lose one. And he hasn't, with a Game 3 loss clearly not
falling on him. He's been steady and confident in the face of a goalie
matchup that could intimidate many other netminders.
Quick, meanwhile, has come down to earth a little in this series, pulled in
Game 2 and victimized in Game 4 by a knuckling wrist shot by Bryan Bickell
that he should have had, whether the puck hit defenseman Robyn Regehr
or not. Just that very small crack in Quick's armor is enough for the
Blackhawks' all-world offensive talent to take advantage, and they have so
far.
The Kings' stagnant offense
The Kings have turned the puck over way too often in the neutral zone in
three of the four games, uncharacteristic of the way L.A. usually plays when
it's on top if its game. But that's also a result of Chicago's superior speed
forcing some of those mistakes. Two of the Blackhawks' three goals
Thursday night, in the critical game of the series, were off Kings mistakes or
turnovers. That has absolutely burned the Kings in this series.
The Blackhawks' depth
Chicago has gotten contributions from all kinds of players in the series. Just
look at the way the Hawks' blue-line corps all stepped up their game in the
absence of Duncan Keith in Game 4, particularly Niklas Hjalmarsson and
Michal Rozsival.
Up front, fourth-line wingers Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger have
continue to spearhead Chicago's ridiculous penalty-killing prowess, while
the third line of Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad and Viktor Stalberg has
provided quality shift after quality shift.
When the supporting cast is giving you those kinds of minutes behind the
big stars on the team, it's tough for a depleted Kings squad to match up.
The power of Bickell
As the risk of beating the storyline to death, you can't write this piece
without once again underlining Bryan Bickell's formidable presence. Now up
to eight playoff goals, the Hawks' emerging power forward has been
impossible for the Kings to handle in their own zone, and Bickell's knack for
timely goals has fueled the Blackhawks in this series.
Is the end near?
If there's any team that can come back from a 3-1 deficit, it's the Kings, who
have shown their character time and again this spring when pushed in a
corner by St. Louis and San Jose.
But for the reasons listed above, and the sense that the Blackhawks are not
going to take their foot off the pedal Saturday night, all signs point to this
series ending shortly. It may not be Saturday, but it's hard to believe there's
any way Chicago won't win one of the three possible remaining games.
And if it does end for L.A., there's no shame in it whatsoever for the Kings,
who have valiantly and proudly defended their title with a trip to the
conference finals, battling through injuries and showing their character in
winning big games when it mattered.
But the Hawks are a step above right now, firing on all cylinders.
Sometimes, there's just no answer for that no matter how much you want it.
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NBCSports.com / Bylsma: ‘I feel real comfortable about our power play’
Mike Halford
Jun 7, 2013, 1:01 PM EDT
Despite the fact Pittsburgh is scoreless on the power play in the Eastern
Conference finals, Dan Bylsma isn’t showing concern.
On Friday, the Pens’ head coach was asked about his team’s inability to
convert with the man advantage (0-for-12 thus far).
He said he’d relish the opportunity for similar chances in Game 4 —
because he’s confident his team will convert.
“I’d love to put our players and our power play and have the puck on James
Neal‘s stick in the slot, three times with the puck on his stick like he was last
game,” Bylsma explained. “Malkin on a breakaway. More than two other
opportunities. We’d like to see those opportunities again for our guys
tonight.”
The Penguins have been unable to convert scoring chances into goals all
series long, but Game 3 was the most glaring example of that struggle —
Pittsburgh out-shot Boston 54-40 on the night (13-4 on the PP) and had six
man advantage opportunities to the Bruins’ two.
The most stunning part might be how quickly Pittsburgh’s power play went
from scorching hot to stone cold.
The Pens went 7-for-21 in the opening round against the Islanders (33. 3
percent) and 6-for-25 against the Sens in Round 2 (24 percent), scoring at
least one PPG in nine of 11 games.
Their current three-game scoreless streak on the power play matches a
season-high, and they never went four games without scoring on the power
play.
So maybe Bylsma is right in feeling confident that, eventually, the PP will
come around.
“I feel real comfortable about our power play and our guys cashing in on
those,” he said. “Is that something we’re going to build on? Absolutely.”
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NBCSports.com / Bruins confirm Daugavins in for Campbell; Kelly likely to
center Merlot Line
Mike Halford
Jun 7, 2013, 11:51 AM EDT
Boston head coach Claude Julien has figured out how to replace Gregory
Campbell in the lineup for Friday’s Game 4 against the Penguins.
Kaspars Daugavins — who hasn’t played since Game 1 of the Toronto
series — will draw into the lineup, Julien confirmed.
Based on the morning skate, the 25-year-old Latvian will play on a line with
center Rich Peverley and winger Tyler Seguin, while Chris Kelly skated in
Campbell’s place on the “Merlot Line” between Shawn Thornton and Daniel
Paille.
Daugavins’ insertion is a story, but it’ll be more interesting to see how
Boston’s fourth line reacts to the loss of Campbell.
The 29-year-old was in the midst of an excellent playoff, scoring 3G-4A7PTS in 15 games, sitting third among all forwards in hits (35) while winning
over 50 percent of his draws.
The line had combined for 16 points this postseason and had developed
some serious chemistry over the last three seasons, allowing head coach
Claude Julien to confidently roll all four lines throughout the game.
Which is probably why Julien decided to drop Kelly — a more natural center
— down to the Merlot Line, rather than drop Daugavins down (he’s a left
winger).
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NBCSports.com / Habs owner: GM Bergevin ‘lives hockey, and our success
starts with him’
Mike Halford
Jun 7, 2013, 11:03 AM EDT
According to Geoff Molson, there’s one person primarily responsible for
Montreal’s turnaround season in 2013:
GM Marc Bergevin.
Bergevin, who was named one of the three finalists for the NHL’s general
manager of the year award, was showered with praise as Molson
addressed the media on Thursday.
“We had good coaching, but it all starts at the top and I’m not talking about
me,” Molson told reporters, as per the Montreal Gazette. “I’m talking about
(general manager Marc Bergevin).
“He lives hockey and our success starts with him.”
Hired last May, Bergevin completely overhauled Montreal’s front office and
coaching staff (see here and here and here and here), culminating with the
hire of head coach Michel Therrien.
In free agency, the rookie GM addressed the team’s lack of toughness by
signing Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong, then selected Alex
Galchenyuk third overall at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
He also stood firm during the P.K. Subban negotiations, and was able to
secure the Norris-nominated defenseman’s services for $2.88 million per
season.
With those moves complete, Bergevin sat back and watched Montreal go
from 15th in the Eastern Conference last year to Northeast Division
champions this year — the club’s first divisional banner since 2008.
Pretty good first year on the job.
Overall, Molson was happy with just about everything this season save the
finish, when injuries besieged the Habs and they were bounced in five
games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We didn’t have any bad stretches until the end when we ran into injury
problems,” Molson said. “But we went a long way toward building for the
future.
“We’re headed in the right direction.”
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USA TODAY /Bruins, Rask sweep Penguins
Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 12:57 a.m. EDT June 8, 2013
BOSTON -- The offensively gifted Pittsburgh Penguins found Tuukka Rask
to be a goaltending mystery they could not solve.
The Boston netminder stymied the Penguins for the fourth consecutive
game Friday, making 26 saves to power the Bruins to a 1-0 victory to
complete a stunning four-game sweep and earn their way back to the
Stanley Cup Final. They won the Cup in 2011.
"There's no question that the performance (Rask) put in this series was
elite," said Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. "He was the difference in the
series.There is no question."
Defenseman Adam McQuaid scored the only goal the Bruins needed when
he launched a 50-foot shot over Pittsburgh goalie Tomas Vokoun at 5:01 of
the third period to break a scoreless tie. He came off the bench on a
change, and winger Brad Marchand found him with a pass as he entered
the offensive zone.
"It feels good to be able to contribute that way when you don't do that
normally," said McQuaid, who has two goals in 48 career playoff games.
The Bruins will face the winner of the Western Conference finals where the
Chicago Blackhawks have a 3-1 series lead against the Los Angeles Kings
going into Saturday's Game 5 in Chicago (8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network).
With the goalie pulled in favor of an extra attacker, the Penguins had heavy
pressure on Rask in the final minute.
"(Evgeni) Malkin had a great look," Rask said. "He didn't shoot it. He went
around me and then 'Z" (Zdeno Chara) saved it. "
Rask gloved the last shot from Jarome Iginla, fitting because Iginla nixed a
deal to go to Boston because he wanted to play for the Penguins.
The Penguins were the highest-scoring team in both the regular season
and first two rounds of the NHL playoffs, but Rask limited them to two goals
in four games. Neither Malkin nor Sidney Crosby had a point.
"Rask is playing phenomenal," said Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk.
"He gives a chance to win, even if we are not at our best."
The Penguins couldn't explain their lack of offense, except to note how well
Rask performed.
"If you look back, the chances were there," Crosby said. "You try to fight.
You try to get through to the net and get rebounds, and sometimes they
come to you, sometimes they don't. But obviously when you score two
goals as a team … it doesn't sit well."
Rask, who became Boston's No. 1 goaltender this season when Tim
Thomas took a hiatus, stopped 134 of 136 shots (.985 save percentage) in
the series.
Even with Crosby and Malkin on the No. 1 unit, the Penguins' power play
was 0-for-15 in the series.
"We just got a lot of lucky bounces and they hit a bunch of posts and
Tuukka made a bunch of saves," Marchand said.
It was definitely more complicated than that, but even Boston coach Claude
Julien said it didn't feel like it was a 4-0 series because he did feel as if his
team got the majority of the breaks.
"Obviously we are a very good team and we went cold at the wrong time,"
Iginla said.
But the Penguins weren't selling the Bruins short. Boston has nine of its last
10 games, dating to its first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"They're playing great hockey," Iginla said. "They're playing tight and they
are opportunistic."
The Bruins were playing their first game without forward Gregory Campbell,
who suffered a broken leg last game while helping to kill a Penguins' power
play. He received international attention for continuing to play on one good
leg for about 40 seconds before he could get off the ice. Kaspars
Daugavins took his place in the lineup, but Campbell was in attendance,
cheering on his teammates.
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USA TODAY / Stars acquire Sergei Gonchar's rights
Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports 8:10 p.m. EDT June 7, 2013
The Dallas Stars got an early jump on the free agency signing period by
acquiring the rights to defenseman Sergei Gonchar on Friday.
They sent a conditional sixth-round pick in this month's draft to the Ottawa
Senators for the rights to talk to the defenseman before he becomes an
unrestricted free agent on July 5. If he signs, the Senators get the pick. If he
doesn't, the Stars hang on to it.
Gonchar, 39, is in the final season of a three-year, $16.5 million contract
and ranked second on the Senators with 27 points this season. His 24
assists ranked fifth among NHL defensemen.
Last summer, the Stars were aggressive, signing 40-year-olds Jaromir Jagr
and Ray Whitney and trading for Derek Roy. But they traded Jagr and Roy
(plus captain Brenden Morrow) as they missed the playoffs again.
That led to the firing of general manager Joe Nieuwendyk and the hiring of
Jim Nill.
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USA TODAY /Penguins-Bruins Game 4 preview: Daugavins in
Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 1:22 p.m. EDT June 7, 2013
Situation:The No. 4 Boston Bruins own a 3-0 lead on the No.1 Pittsburgh
Penguins going into today's game in Boston (8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports
Network). If the Bruins win, they'll go to the Stanley Cup Final.
Goalies: The Penguins' Tomas Vokoun (6-4, 2.11 goals-against average,
.931 save percentage) vs. the Bruins' Tuukka Rask (11-4, 1.85, .940). Rask
stopped 108 of 110 shots in Games 1-3.
Who's hot: Bruins C Dave Krejci has 13 shots and four goals in the series.
Who's not: Penguins centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have no
points in the series. Malkin looked dominant at times in Game 3. He has 20
shots in the series but is minus 5.
Lineup issues: Bruins, coach Claude Julien said LW Kaspars Daugavins
would replace Gregory Campbell (broken leg) in the lineup. Daugavins, who
kills penalties, hasn't played since Game 1 in the first round. "He's a gritty
player," Julien said Friday. "He's strong on the puck, strong as an individual,
he can shoot the puck. Got a lot of qualities." Daugavins was skating with
the third line with C Chris Kelly moved to the fourth. Penguins, C Tyler
Kennedy could be returning to the lineup.
What the Penguins want to do: 1. Play much the same way they played in
Game 3. They were the better team but couldn't put the puck past Rask. 2.
Make Rask's crease area look like a Boston freeway at rush hour; the
Penguins have to put traffic in front of him. 3. Close the barn door before
the horses get out. Own the puck, but don't own it at the expense of taking
chances defensively.
What the Bruins want to do: 1. Play better than they did in Game 3. They
need to dial up the intensity and efficiency about 10 degrees. They need to
play more like they did in the first two games. 2. Put more pucks on the net.
They need more chances against Vokoun. 3. Play as if it's Game 7. Forget
that they're up 3-0 and don't take their foot off the gas.
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YAHOO SPORTS /Bruins in championship form, shut down star-studded
Penguins for return to Stanley Cup final
Nicholas J. Cotsonika
BOSTON — The final shot, fittingly, came off the stick of Jarome Iginla. The
future Hall of Famer chose to waive his no-trade clause for the Pittsburgh
Penguins before the deadline, even though the Calgary Flames had worked
out a deal with the Boston Bruins, because he wanted to play with Sidney
Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and their all-star cast. He figured they would give
him his best chance at the Stanley Cup.
Tuukka Rask surrendered only two goals in four games against Pittsburgh
in the East final. (USA Today)Iginla picked the wrong team. He wasn’t the
only one. The Penguins were the favorites entering the Eastern Conference
final – the NHL’s top scoring team in the regular season and the playoffs,
featuring those two former MVPs and scoring champions. They had beaten
the Bruins six straight times. They had won six straight in Boston. But it
didn’t matter. Not even close.
When that final flurry ended and that final shot was stopped by goaltender
Tuukka Rask, it was just one more futile attempt – and one more indignity
for Iginla, who had watched an Adam McQuaid shot glance off his stick and
into the Pittsburgh net earlier in the third period. The Bruins blanked the
Penguins on Friday night, 1-0. They swept them in the series, 4-0. They
smothered them, suffocated them, stifled them, stoned them – incredible,
indelible goose eggs.
In four games – in more than 275 minutes of hockey, thanks to double
overtime in Game 3 – the Bruins allowed all that star power and firepower
only two goals. They never allowed the Penguins to lead for a second,
never allowed them a power-play goal, never allowed Crosby or Malkin or
Iginla or James Neal or Kris Letang a single point.
Rask stopped 134 of 136 shots. Many others hit sticks or bodies or posts. It
seemed otherworldly, at least to the Penguins, who felt they had enough
chances but couldn’t break through for some reason they couldn’t identify.
Although he called Rask the difference in the series, coach Dan Bylsma
said “it felt like something was keeping the puck out” and “there was a force
around the net.” Ghosts from the old Boston Garden? Maybe, maybe not.
But this will haunt the Penguins for a long, long time.
“I think we played exactly what was our game plan,” said Bruins center
David Krejci. “There was no guy who was cheating on the ice. We all played
with responsibility, we all took pride in our game, and we shut them down.”
There is a reason the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011. They shut down
the top offensive team in the NHL at that time, too, surprising the
Vancouver Canucks in a scrappy, physical, seven-game final. They have a
chance to win the Cup for the second time in three years – and to become
the first team to win it twice since the salary cap was introduced in 2005-06
– because they have the same coach, most of the same players, the same
system and the same dogged approach.
Rask has replaced Tim Thomas, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the
NHL’s most valuable player that year, but he has put up even better
numbers than Thomas did then. Thomas posted a .940 save percentage.
Rask is at .943. The Bruins still have Zdeno Chara, a winner of the Norris
Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman, and Patrice Bergeron, a winner of
the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Though coach
Claude Julien is short on sexy scorers, he has a long bench.
“There’s four lines who can play,” said Jaromir Jagr, the 41-year-old future
Hall of Famer, whom the Bruins added at the deadline after they failed to
land Iginla. “It’s a huge advantage. You’re not depending on one or two
guys and everybody waiting for them to score. … Coach try to roll four lines,
doesn’t matter what the situation is. Even we were up, 1-0, 10 minutes to
go, we were still rolling four lines. Not many teams have the lineup to be
able to do it.”
Sidney Crosby and several other Penguins stars were held pointless in the
series. (AP)The Penguins have a point. They played well the first two
periods of Game 1, and the 3-0 score was a little misleading. Though they
stunk in Game 2, self-destructing in a 6-1 loss, they responded. Game 3
went to double OT, so it could have gone either way. Game 4 went into the
third period scoreless, so it could have gone either way. Echoing his
teammates, Crosby said: “I don’t feel like they totally shut us down.”
But the Bruins played fairly consistently throughout the series. When they
had the puck, they managed it well. When they didn’t have the puck, the
forwards backchecked hard. The defensemen boxed out and didn’t let the
Penguins near the net. Rask saw just about every puck and stopped just
about everything he saw. The Penguins had few second chances. “We
played the system perfectly,” Bergeron said.
Crosby would lose faceoffs to Bergeron – or win faceoffs only to find
Bergeron glued to him. He struggled as badly as he ever has, outside of
some flashes. Malkin kept running into Chara and was a non-factor except
for a solid performance in Game 3.
“They’re great players,” Jagr said. “There’s no question about it. It’s not
easy. It’s like everybody waiting for them to do something. … If you’re going
to play against LeBron James, you’re going to put two guys on him, let the
other guys beat you.”
The other guys couldn’t beat the Bruins, either. General manager Ray
Shero went all-in before the trade deadline, adding Iginla, Brenden Morrow
and Douglas Murray. He said this was his deepest team, even deeper than
the one that won the Cup in 2009. It was a team that won without Crosby
and Malkin when they were injured during the regular season. But it couldn’t
win without them on the scoresheet in this series. The Pens looked out of
sync too often and fell short of expectations, and this group can’t stay intact
because of the cap.
“We have the assets to go far every year, and the management and the
owners always help us create a good team,” said Letang, who struggled
badly during the series after being named a finalist for the Norris Trophy.
“So it’s always a fail when we don’t get our goal.”
Shero now has tough decisions to make. Does he bring back Bylsma?
What does he do about guys who need new contracts or extensions, most
notably Malkin and Letang? Does he make another aggressive trade like he
did last summer when he moved Jordan Staal?
Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli could have been in the same position. His team
blew a 3-1 series lead to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round and
faced a 4-1 deficit in the third period of Game 7. But after rallying to win, the
Bruins have lost only once since, ripping through the New York Rangers in
five games, sweeping the Penguins, rediscovering their identity.
Before the series, Bruins winger Milan Lucic compared the Penguins to the
Miami Heat. After the game Friday night, he was asked if the Penguins
were the Heat, what did that make the Bruins? He laughed. He paused.
“I got no answer for that,” he said.
The Boston Bruins don’t have to be anybody but themselves.
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YAHOO SPORTS / Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby humbled by Bruins,
playoffs in East final
Nicholas J. Cotsonika
BOSTON — “You have high expectations. You expect to be in the finals
every year. But if anything, I think you appreciate how tough it is to get
there, what it takes, probably even more so.”
Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world, has been at his worst in the
East final. (USA Today)Sidney Crosby said that in September 2010. If he
only knew. He was 23 then. He had just experienced his first real failure,
scoring one goal in seven games as the Pittsburgh Penguins were upset by
the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the playoffs, but it seemed
like a blip, a bump, an aberration.
He already had a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal, not to mention
an MVP award, a scoring title and a goal-scoring title. It wasn’t a question of
if he would win more, but how much more he would win. He was the face of
the NHL with so much to look forward to. The Winter Classic was coming to
the ’Burgh on New Year’s Day!
Well, we all know what has happened since, and we all know what is
happening now.
A concussion suffered in that Winter Classic cost Crosby one playoff run,
and injuries might have cost him two MVP awards, two scoring titles and a
goal-scoring title, at least. Though the Penguins have advanced past the
second round for the first time in four years, they face a 3-0 deficit in the
Eastern Conference final against the Boston Bruins.
[Watch: Penguins risk stinging disappointment of being swept by Bruins]
Crosby has zero points in the series. He has lost his composure. He has
turned over the puck. Not only has he failed to be a difference-maker, but
he has even been a liability at times. The best player in the world has been
at his worst.
But this is the first time since 2009 that Crosby has gone three straight
playoff games without a point, and this is the first time since 2008 that
Malkin has. That illustrates three things: One, they aren’t producing in this
particular series, a huge disappointment for Pittsburgh. Two, this is rare.
Three, depth matters. Crosby didn’t record a point in Games 5-7 of the ’09
Cup final, the most important games possible. The Penguins won the Cup,
anyway. Max Talbot, a checker, scored both goals in the 2-1 clincher
against the Detroit Red Wings.
One of the arguments against Crosby’s Hart Trophy candidacy this season
was that the Penguins kept winning after he suffered a broken jaw, and so
as valuable as he was, he wasn’t necessarily the most valuable player. The
Pens have won without Crosby and Malkin in the lineup often in recent
years.
Jarome Iginla and many other Penguins players have been silent against
the Bruins. (USA Today)Why aren’t they winning without them on the
scoresheet in this series, especially when general manager Ray Shero went
all-in at the trade deadline and has called this the deepest team they have
had? Because all that depth has suddenly gone dry, too. The Penguins
have only two goals in more than 215 minutes of hockey in this series. Kris
Letang, James Neal and Jarome Iginla are among the other Penguins with
zero points against the Bruins. Had Craig Adams scored and not hit a post
in double overtime of Game 3, the situation would not be so desperate.
“I think every team would love to make the Stanley Cup finals every year,
but it’s not going to happen. I hope we don’t lose another time in the
playoffs the rest of the time I play hockey, but percentages probably say
that we will.”
Sidney Crosby said that in September 2010, too. It has been tough to win
the Cup in any era, and one player has never made a team, no matter how
great. Wayne Gretzky won four Cups in 20 seasons, Gordie Howe four in
26, Bobby Orr two in 12, Mario Lemieux two in 18. And this is the era of the
salary cap and the concussion.
The Penguins had gone up, up, up in the Crosby era – missing the playoffs,
losing in the first round, making the Cup final, winning the Cup – until that
loss to the Canadiens. It has been a roller coaster since – a first-round loss
with no Crosby or Malkin, a first-round loss with Crosby and Malkin, and
now this. The Eastern Conference final is a step forward, but not far
enough.
Yes, Sidney Crosby is still the best player in the world. It would be foolish to
lose perspective based on one series, especially based on only three
games.
Crosby has risen to a new level, battled concussion problems, come back
as great as before and suffered a broken jaw. He missed a month and put
up seven goals and 15 points in 10 playoff games, and suddenly he's
struggling.
Remember when Claude Giroux outdueled Crosby last year? After
Philadelphia finished its first-round upset of Pittsburgh, Flyers coach Peter
Laviolette referred to Giroux as “the best player in the world,” taking a
subtle but clear shot at Crosby. How does that look now? Giroux didn’t
come close to Crosby in the regular season, and we can’t compare Giroux
to Crosby in the playoffs because the Flyers didn’t make them.
He is still only 25. He is still the face of the NHL and should still have much
to look forward to. Yet if anyone should know not to take anything for
granted, it should be him, and if the Penguins lose this series, one more
precious chance will be gone. Crosby will have been humbled, not just by
his own mistakes, like his brutal giveaway that led to a goal early in Game
2, not just by the Bruins, who have smothered him, but by the game itself.
The pressure is on Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to somehow lead the
Penguins back against Boston. (Getty)Crosby has averaged .493 goals per
game and 1.296 points per game in the playoffs over his career. But let’s
say he is overrated, overhyped, over-adored by NBC and the powers that
be. After all, he didn’t win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most
valuable player when the Penguins won the Cup in 2009; Evgeni Malkin
did. He wasn’t named the best forward at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
despite his golden goal; Jonathan Toews was.
Crosby lost his helmet in double overtime of Game 3. He kept chugging
with that head and jaw exposed, trying to create something, trying to do
what the best player in the world is supposed to do. But not long afterward,
the puck ended up in the Pittsburgh net instead. Just when he thought he
appreciated how tough it was to get to the Cup final, it got even tougher.
Malkin, a former MVP and scoring champion himself, also has zero points
in this series. Toews, a Conn Smythe winner himself, has one point in four
games for the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference final (and
one goal and seven points in 16 playoff games overall).
This is hockey. Even the best players can be shut down when they run into
targeted game plans, responsible defenses and great goaltenders night
after night, plus unforgiving goal posts. Crosby and Malkin both hit posts in
the third period of Game 3. Had one of those pucks gone in, maybe the
Penguins would have cut their series deficit to 2-1 and we’d be writing
about how a star came through in the clutch.
When Crosby and Malkin are healthy, that means they are playing leading
roles, and that means they need to produce in proportion. They have played
81 playoff games together. In 65 of those games, at least one of them has
recorded a point. The Pens have gone 45-20. In the other 16, neither has
recorded a point. The Pens have gone 2-14.
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