Sportsnet.ca http://sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/feed Thu, 28 Mar 2024 22:30:23 EDT en-US hourly 1 Nick Iwanyshyn/CP McMann Why there’s reason to believe the Maple Leafs’ putrid penalty kill will get better full_width Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:36:12 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:46:15 EDT Justin Bourne Toronto’s penalty kill currently ranks 27th in the NHL, worse than any team in a playoff spot. Justin Bourne writes that while that is a concern, there’s reason to believe it will get better.

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Leafs fans, I’ll start with the good news: You don’t have to have an elite penalty kill to win a Stanley Cup. Last year we saw the Vegas Golden Knights hoist the Stanley Cup with a dismal kill rate of 71.7 per cent in the playoffs (beating the Florida Panthers, who finished with a 70.4 per cent playoff penalty kill), while the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals both won with PK percentages lower than Toronto’s current success rate of 76.3 per cent.

So yes, it is possible.

Still, let’s be clear: 76.3 is quite bad — 27th in the NHL bad to be exact — and in most cases the Cup champs were able to kill penalties. Five of the past 10 winners were above 83 per cent, a number that would be top-five in this year’s regular season.

In grand conclusion, a good PK is better than a bad one, and the Leafs have a bad one that needs to be better.

In that regard, there’s hope.

First, we have established that some of the key penalty killers for the Leafs are capable of being above average at it. Two seasons ago the Leafs were eighth in the league with a PK at 82.1 per cent and their top two penalty killing forwards that year were David Kampf and Mitch Marner. The most PK ice time by a Leafs defenceman that season was TJ Brodie, and third was Morgan Rielly.

Last season the Leafs were 12th with a PK at 81.9 per cent, with the top killing forwards being, again, Kampf and Marner, with Calle Jarnkrok tied for third. Brodie was second to only Justin Holl in shorthanded ice time, and late addition Jake McCabe was immediately added to play just under two minutes per game on the PK.

The Maple Leafs today have a lot of the same horses who’ve had success. That said, they lost a lot of their secondary/depth PK guys, who they’ve been scrambling to replace. Holl and Mark Giordano ate piles of pucks for them, and neither will be a part of the Leafs’ Game 1 plans in this year’s playoffs. Jake Muzzin has long since gone as an option, and Luke Schenn came and went in a flash.

Up front, depth guys like Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall are gone, as are Ondrej Kase and Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty.

But this is where I believe there’s room for optimism despite recent results.

Much of this season has essentially been a tryout for penalty kill roles, meaning we’ve seen William Nylander and Auston Matthews get some run. It’s good that they got that experience, but there’s a learning curve taking on any new assignment in the NHL. Bobby McMann has been getting an opportunity of late, Noah Gregor gets over a minute of PK time per game, and every defenceman with a pulse has been given a chance to take hold of a spot. You can’t be experienced without being given experience, and that’s what a lot of this season has been about for Toronto.

Brad Treliving recognized his team’s weakness moving towards the trade deadline and acquired a penalty killer in Ilya Lyubushkin, as well as Joel Edmundson and Connor Dewar, all of whom made some mistakes in their first few games on the PK that led to shots and goals against. Those early errors are only natural, as penalty killing is challenging and reading off new teammates’ tendencies (and where coaches want you to be aggressive) can make it doubly hard.

In that effort to improve, the Leafs acquired the aforementioned Lyubushkin at the end of February, with the other two names joining later in the month. But, by the numbers, it’s only gotten worse.

In the middle row of this table below – the month of March – you can see how miscommunication has led to more Grade A looks against, resulting in the worst expected goals against percentage in the league for the month (thanks to SportLogiq for this great info).

LEAFS ON THE PK

OCT-FEB

MARCH

TOTAL

Zone Denial Rate

43.1 (2nd)

35.1 (19th)

41.6 (3rd)

Slot Shots Against

1.03 (19th)

1.05 (22nd)

1.03 (20th)

Slot One-Timers

0.32 (9th)

0.51 (29th)

0.35 (22nd)

Inner Slot Against

0.41 (4th)

0.44 (13th)

0.41 (4th)

xG Against

0.24 (8th)

0.39 (32nd)

0.26 (19th)

Goals Against

0.27 (23rd)

0.37 (29th)

0.29 (25th)

Now, on Tuesday against the Devils I thought Toronto’s penalty kill looked better, going two for two against New Jersey. And keep in mind what’s happened since they made these additions that led to these numbers. Lyubushkin missed about two weeks and was out of a rhythm, Marner has missed around three weeks, and it spans the time where Edmundson (now out himself) and Dewar have been sorting things out. Even Brodie was given a couple nights off as a scratch.

The Leafs haven’t been able to field consistent pairs up front or on defence.

It’s not impossible to see a world where the three new PK players come back, start to feel comfortable in their rotations, play more aggressively, and improve at least a bit. It’s not hard to see how having everyone healthy would allow the Leafs some stability, rather than a stream of PK tryouts. As much as those numbers above look abjectly awful, if Toronto’s top penalty killing defencemen include players who haven’t been here and haven’t been on the ice together, it doesn’t exactly tell us what their PK would look like with everyone healthy.

Given the success the Leafs’ top penalty killers have had in the past, you’d have to think it would improve some.

And if it improves some small amount – let’s say it keeps one or two more goals against out per week – suddenly you’re looking at a PK that’s closer to 80 per cent than 76 per cent, which is well in line with the penalty kills of teams that have been able to compete deep into the playoffs.

In the post-season, you almost always play against good power plays. Everybody is going to give up some PK goals. But if the Leafs’ power play can hold up its end of the bargain, there’s no reason why a healthy Leafs kill couldn’t get to the modest goal of being “average,” and allow them to have a combined special teams that are an advantage, rather than the opposite.

There’s no guarantee that health gets you there, but there’s enough reason to think the PK should be better over the weeks ahead, as the Leafs get closer to the playoffs.

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NHL Top Stories Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:25:18 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:46:01 EDT Noah Love carousel_meta sn-collection Matt Krohn/AP BrockFaber Does any rookie have a stronger case for the Calder Trophy than Connor Bedard? 5747162 carousel Thu, 28 Mar 2024 09:58:10 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 09:58:18 EDT Adam Vingan Connor Bedard has met all expectations as an 18-year-old rookie, but Minnesota’s Brock Faber has gained momentum in the Calder Trophy discussion. What’s his case? Adam Vingan dives in.

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Connor Bedard winning the Calder Trophy feels like a foregone conclusion. The ultra-talented teenager has been as advertised in his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks.

There is one player who could at least make things interesting, though. Minnesota Wild defenceman Brock Faber has built up support as a result of his steady play on the team’s injury-ravaged back end. Captain Jared Spurgeon, out for the season because of hip and back injuries, was limited to 16 games this season. Jonas Brodin has also missed 20 games.

Faber leads all rookies and is seventh among all skaters in ice time per game (25:05). Since the NHL began tracking time on ice in 1997-98, no rookie has averaged 25 minutes over a full season. (Defenceman Jamie McBain played 25:47 per game for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009-10, but he appeared in only 14 games.)

Unlike Bedard, Faber does not regularly appear on highlight reels. But he has shown tremendous poise for a 21-year-old playing top-pairing minutes, routinely making the right play to get the Wild out of trouble. (When Bedard missed time in January and February because of a fractured jaw, Faber led rookies with 17 points in 16 games in Bedard’s absence.)


There is a recent example of a defenceman beating out the hotshot forward for the Calder Trophy. In 2021-22, Detroit’s Moritz Seider won the award over Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras, earning 170 of 195 first-place votes. Zegras had the sizzle, but Seider led all rookies in total ice time (1,889:22) and put up 50 points. (Faber, who has received 1,781:07 of ice time in 71 games, is on pace for 46 points.)


In any other season, Faber probably would be voted the top rookie in the league. But Bedard has lived up to the hype, producing at an 80-point pace over 82 games with an unimpressive supporting cast. (The two Blackhawks forwards who have shared the most ice time with Bedard at even strength are Philipp Kurashev and Nick Foligno.)

Although Bedard is the likely winner of the Calder Trophy, Faber should not be too far behind on the ballot.

“He’s an incredible player in this league, already, at 18 years old,” Faber told The Athletic. “Obviously they’re struggling in Chicago and he’s still finding a way to put up points and make a difference. As an 18-year-old kid, that’s crazy. That’s me three years ago. He’s a superstar in this league already, and he’s going to be for a long time. … You’ve got to tip your cap to a guy like that.”

All stats via Sportlogiq

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CP170265889(1) Maple Leafs Notebook: Matthews in doubt for Sandin’s return 5747162 carousel Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:48:29 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:48:35 EDT Luke Fox While there would be something magical about Auston Matthews becoming the only active NHLer to register two 60-goal seasons with Alex Ovechkin in the building, the Toronto Maple Leafs sniper may not be healthy enough to play Thursday.

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TORONTO — While there would be something magical about Auston Matthews becoming the only active NHLer to register two 60-goal seasons with Alex Ovechkin in the building, the Toronto Maple Leafs sniper may not be healthy enough to play Thursday.

Matthews, who leads the league with 59 goals, was absent from morning skate due to illness and has been ruled a game-time decision for his club’s third and final meeting against the playoff-hunting Washington Capitals.

Matthews has missed only one game this season, due to a flu bug on Dec. 16, and is on pace for 68 goals. Ovechkin peaked with 65 in 2007-08.

Coach Sheldon Keefe said Matthews is dealing with something “a little different” than the flu bug that has trickled through the Leafs’ dressing room this winter.

“Hopeful that it’s more manageable that he could be available tonight,” Keefe said, “but see how the extra rest today benefits him.”

Pressure on leaders to respond to public callout

With surging Tampa Bay pulling within two points of the Maple Leafs on Wednesday and threatening to drop Toronto to fourth place in the Atlantic Division, Keefe’s bunch is more concerned with the internal pressure to get its game in order.

The coach fired a bullet following Tuesday’s blown-lead loss to New Jersey, blasting his leaders for “immature” play both in the dressing room and from the podium post-game.

“I think Keefer does a good job of walking that line of when it’s maybe behind closed doors sometimes, then you go in the open with it, like happened last game,” said Capitals coach Spencer Carbery, who previously served as one of Keefe’s assistants. “You walk that line, and it’s a feel thing. That’s part of being a head coach and recognizing the times where you got to push some buttons and push your group, push your leadership group, and push your best players.”

Carbery has made his own team aware that the Leafs will be looking to respond from this public embarrassment and is bracing for a bounce-back from Toronto forwards William Nylander and John Tavares in particular.

“The absolute best they have to offer. Our guys will know what went on with New Jersey. And I know Will and John and how they’ll respond in moments like this and in games like this, [reacting to a loss] where they don’t perform to the level that they’re capable of. We’re gonna get their best.”

Leafs winger Nick Robertson believes Keefe’s criticism was both warranted and well received.

“We had Jersey, and we had the lead, and we gave them the game,” Robertson said. “We need to really get it cleaned up leading into playoffs.

“The great thing about hockey is, we got another game to change our mindset. And it starts tonight.”

Welcome back, Rasmus

A first-round pick and beloved member of the Leafs organization for nearly five years, an excited Rasmus Sandin has had his Toronto return circled on the calendar all season.

“It’s going to be a special moment,” Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin says.

Sandin had a chance to visit former Leafs teammate Calle Järnkrok and his family Wednesday and was all smiles reflecting on his Leafs days from the visitors’ quarters at morning skate.

“I think the history of the organization and how big it is here with hockey in this city. Fans are really passionate. So, obviously, fans make it a little bit extra special,” the 24-year-old said. “I was lucky that with all the good Swedes that have been through the organization, that was something I was really proud of — playing in the same organization s some of the greats.”

Sandin was traded out of town by former GM Kyle Dubas for a draft pick that would become top prospect Easton Cowan.

The puck-moving defenceman earned a five-year, $23-million contract extension in Washington. The type of payday that eluded him in Toronto now has him house-hunting in the D.C. area.

“It means a lot, for sure,” Sandin said. “I enjoy being there and enjoy playing with all my teammates here, and organization is great. And for them to have that belief in me to sign me for five years, I think that shows how much they believe in me and want me in this organization right now. So, that’s very exciting. And I’m very honoured to get that deal as well. So, it’s a lot of fun.”

Expect a Jumbotron appreciation for Sandin at Scotiabank Aeena.

Accidental kid line

With Marner and Järnkrok missing in action, Keefe has landed on a young-guys third line composed of Robertson, rookie Matthew Knies, and mid-season callup Pontus Holmberg.

Three players setting career highs in NHL games played, and three guys hungry to earn their coach’s trust.

The upside of not having a Matthews or Tavares centering the unit is that the young guys don’t feel obligated to defer to a star player in the offensive zone.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” Robertson said. “You can ask Homer, me, or Kniesy: We’ve always played with guys that need the puck on their sticks, and that’s part of the thing. They obviously get paid a lot to have the pucks on their sticks.

“So, it’s nice being with younger guys you’re kinda more comfortable to talk to, comfortable to maybe take the shot or give them the puck. But it’s nice to be just a different look with the younger guys.”

One-Timers: If Matthews is unable to play, forward Noah Gregor would be the next man up. … Defenceman Morgan Rielly has yet to skate with the team since suffering his upper-body injury and will miss a second game. Keefe assures there is no concern that this will be a lingering injury…. Marner (ankle) was a full participant in morning skate, taking Matthews’ place. Keefe said he does not anticipate him playing this week, though…. Keefe will be inducted into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame as a player on May 7.

Maple Leafs projected lines Thursday vs. Washington Capitals

Bertuzzi – Matthews* – Domi

McMann – Tavares – Nylander

Knies – Holmberg – Robertson

Dewar – Kämpf – Reaves

McCabe – Liljegren

Brodie – Lyubushkin

Benoit – Timmins

Woll starts

Samsonov

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New York Rangers-2 NHL Power Rankings: Who are the lions and lambs across the league? 5747162 carousel Thu, 28 Mar 2024 11:51:35 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 12:52:35 EDT Ryan Dixon In his latest power rankings, Ryan Dixon provides a 32-team check-in to identify players and squads that are finishing with more menace than they started, while noting a few who have sagged.

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NHL seasons, like this month of March we’re winding down, can have a lion/lamb dynamic to them.

A team or player can start out with an extended meek stretch, only to hunt down goals and wins in the rest of the way. Conversely, you might be shot out of a cannon to kick things off, but fade down the stretch.

In this edition of the Power Rankings, we’re going to focus on those who’ve surged after initially sputtering, while also highlighting some instances where a player or squad started strong before flaming out as the year wore on.

Two entities that most definitely fit the former category are Connor McDavid and the Nashville Predators.

Since the NHL returned to action from the early-February all-star break, McDavid has been averaging 2.08 points per game and 1.6 primary assists per outing. He’s now just five points back of Nikita Kucherov for the league scoring lead.

If there’s such a thing as a lion hunting other killers, this is it. 

Speaking of predators, how about this gang in Nashville?

When they woke up on Feb. 16, the Preds were four points back of both Western Conference wild-card berths and the teams that occupied them (Los Angeles and St. Louis) had played fewer games than Nashville.

You know what happened; the Predators have not lost a 60-minute contest in 18 outings, most recently storming back from a 3-0 deficit on Tuesday night against the team that holds the other wild card in the West, the Vegas Golden Knights, to claim a 5-4 overtime victory. 

Nashville is now just four points back of the Winnipeg Jets for third place in the Central Division.

Those are the most can’t-miss examples of hitting a whole new gear, but there are certainly others. Here, then, is a 32-team check-in to identify players and squads that are finishing with more menace than they started, while noting a few who have sagged.

1. New York Rangers (48-20-4) Not surprisingly, a few Rangers have been soaring. Alexis Lafreniere has scored 10 of his 22 goals since the all-star break, while Adam Fox is playing at a 93-point pace in the same span. Most critically, though, Igor Shesterkin has found his game. The Russian stopper is 12-3-1 with a .931 save percentage after posting an .899 SP in his first 32 games. 

2. Colorado Avalanche (46-21-5) Jonathan Drouin had four goals and 14 points through his initial 32 games with the Avs. Since Jan. 1, he’s got 30 points in 34 games. Drouin is eligible to become a UFA again this summer and, after playing for the bargain rate of $825,000 this year, what will his next deal look like — and will it definitely be with Colorado?

3. Dallas Stars (45-19-9) Wyatt Johnston had 23 points through 40 games this year. The 20-year-old has 34 in 33 since to make this suddenly look like one heck of a sophomore season. 

4. Vancouver Canucks (45-19-8) Brock Boeser is scoring at a 25-goal pace in his past 23 games after firing darts at a 50-goal pace prior to that. 

Meanwhile, Casey DeSmith had an 11-game stretch in the first half where he was 3-4-4 with an .882 save percentage. In March — with starter Thatcher Demko dinged up — the 32-year-old has a respectable .908 mark while going 4-2-1. 

5. Carolina Hurricanes (45-21-7) Pyotr Kochetkov has stepped up during the stretch run, posting a .923 save percentage in his past 14 outings. And how about Freddy Andersen? The guy who missed basically four months as a result of a blood-clotting issue is 6-0-0 since returning on March 7 with a spectacular .951 save percentage. 

6. Boston Bruins (42-17-5) The Bruins are still sitting pretty, but they had a .724 points percentage going into the ASG break — tied for the league’s best number with Vancouver — and they’ve got a .560 mark since, which ranks 17th in the NHL.

7. Nashville Predators (43-25-4) Just go ahead and pick your player. Since the ASG, Roman Josi is basically playing at a 110-point pace; Filip Forsberg is scoring at a 62-goal clip and Gus Nyqvist — whose previous career high for points was 60 — is already at 65 on the year thanks to the 105-point pace he’s been on in the past 21 contests.

And remember Juuse Saros, the goalie we thought Nashville might trade, except maybe not because his down season had punctured his value? After being a .500 goalie with a .901 save percentage through 43 outings, the Finn has a .932 mark while going 12-0-2 in his past 14 appearances. 

8. Florida Panthers (46-21-5) It’s easy to think Matthew Tkachuk always plays like a lion, but he had a very dreary start to the year with 23 points — including just five goals — through 34 games. Contrast that with his past 37, where he has a whopping 55. 

9. Tampa Bay Lightning (40-25-7) Here come the Bolts! Tampa has the second-best points percentage in the NHL in March (.850) after Nashville (.909). That’s shifted the conversation around the Lightning from just making the playoffs to how it’s a team of accomplished vets you might not be crazy about facing in Round 1. 

10. Edmonton Oilers (43-23-4) Obviously no good team began the season worse than Edmonton, with its 5-12-1 start. On Jan. 1, Edmonton’s team save percentage was .903, which ranked 25th in the NHL. Since then, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are at .923 for the ninth-best mark in the league. 

11. Los Angeles Kings (38-22-11) Cam Talbot was 4-10-4 from Nov. 29 through Feb. 13. He’s 9-3-1 with a .934 since. 

12. Toronto Maple Leafs (40-22-9) Auston Matthews and his pursuit of 70 goals obviously gets the headlines, but William Nylander is scoring at a 58-goal pace since the all-star break. 

13. Winnipeg Jets (44-22-6) Presently on a four-game losing skid, the Jets are just 14-12-2 since Jan. 22. The hard-charging Predators might yet push Winnipeg down into a wild-card spot. 

14. Washington Capitals (36-26-9) Ovi is back, baby! Since the ASG, only Zach Hyman (21) and Auston Matthews (19) have more goals than Alex Ovechkin’s 17. Dylan Strome is also finishing this year like no other in his career. The third-overall pick from 2016 has 40 points in 38 games since the final days of 2023. He started the year playing at a 50-point pace through 33 contests. 

15. St. Louis Blues (38-30-4) Jordan Kyrou was sitting on nine goals through 39 contests, but he’s got 16 in his past 33 and five in his past six contests. 

16. Vegas Golden Knights (39-25-8) 23 teams — including the frequently-maligned New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins — have a better points percentage than Vegas’ .488 mark since Dec. 15. Good thing the Knights had built a huge buffer by posting the third-best mark (.726) to that point. 

17. Minnesota Wild (34-28-9) Kirill Kaprizov was not quite a point-per-game player through 35 outings, registering 34 points. Since then, the Russian has exploded for 23 goals and 45 points in 29 games. That’s a 65-goal, 127-point clip for nearly half a season. 

18. Philadelphia Flyers (36-27-10) Morgan Frost was really fighting it for 31 games, netting just 14 points. However, he’s been scoring at nearly a 70-point clip since mid-January. 

19. Detroit Red Wings (36-29-7) I think we all assumed Alex DeBrincat was gunning for 50 when he started the year with nine goals in seven games.             He’s been scoring at less than a 20-goal pace since the earliest days of the season and just snapped a 12-game cold streak with a tally on Tuesday. 

20. New Jersey Devils (36-33-4) Devils captain Nico Hischier was playing at a 60-point pace in mid-January; he’s going at a 92-point clip since.

21. Pittsburgh Penguins (31-30-10) Evgeni Malkin had 40 points in 46 games heading into the ASG, but has fallen off a cliff since then with just 13 points — and only three goals — in his past 25 outings. 

22. New York Islanders (30-26-15) The Isles can’t decide if they’re a lion or lamb. New York won two straight coming out of the ASG break, then one of its next six, then ripped off six straight W’s and has now won once in its past eight games and been blanked three times in that most recent stretch. 

23. Ottawa Senators (31-36-4) Shane Pinto wasn’t even playing hockey for half a season thanks to a lengthy suspension for a gambling-related offence. In an absolutely miserable year in Ottawa, the 23-year-old’s 25 points in 30 games has to register as an obvious highlight. 

24. Buffalo Sabres (34-34-5) Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had an .892 save percentage through 17 games. Now, thanks to his .921 mark in his past 30 — even after getting blasted Wednesday night versus Ottawa — it’s possible to believe Buffalo finally has an answer in goal heading into next season. 

25. Calgary Flames (33-33-5) It took a while, but Calgary has started to really falter. The Flames have fallen out of the Western Conference playoff race with a 3-8-0 record in their past 11 games. 

26. Seattle Kraken (29-29-13) Seattle was in the thick of the West’s wild-card race in mid-January, thanks in large part to a nine-game winning streak. Since the end of that run, the Kraken have come apart with a 10-15-4 mark. 

27. Montreal Canadiens (27-32-12) Nick Suzuki has really shown another dimension to his game the past two months. Always viewed as more of a passer than gunner, the Habs captain has 16 goals since the ASG (only six guys have more). That’s allowed him to already establish career highs with 29 tallies and 67 points. 

28. Arizona Coyotes (30-37-5) Can you freakin’ believe this team was two points out of the playoffs after its first 45 contests? Arizona has a .296 points percentage since Jan. 24, worse than everybody but lowly San Jose. 

29. Columbus Blue Jackets (23-37-12) Daniil Tarasov — who turned 25 on Wednesday — appears to be establishing himself as a capable NHL goalie with a strong finish. He’s got a .922 SP in his past 13 games. 

30. Chicago Blackhawks (21-46-5) I mean, we’re not saying the Hawks are going out like a lion, but a 6-4-0 mark in its past 10 is not nothing for this young squad. 

31. Anaheim Ducks (24-44-4) Frank Vatrano had 21 goals in 41 games, but that 40-goal pace has gone up in smoke in the back half of the campaign as he’s potted just nine in 30 contests. 

32. San Jose Sharks (16-47-8) Like everyone in San Jose, Mikael Granlund started the year in excruciating fashion with zero goals and just four points in 13 games. The veteran Finn is basically a point-per-game player since late November, though, notching 44 in 45 games. Maybe someone bites on him as middle-six scoring this summer when he’ll have just one year remaining on his contract.

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CP168910190(1) Scout’s Analysis: Ranking the top 50 prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft 5747162 carousel Thu, 28 Mar 2024 17:34:09 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 17:42:30 EDT Jason Bukala With playoffs and late-season tournaments coming up, it’s an exciting time on the scouting calendar as final viewings fit in before the NHL Draft. So our scout Jason Bukala gives you his latest top 50 player rankings.

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It’s an exciting time of year in scouting circles.

The three major junior leagues in Canada (QMJHL-OHL-WHL) are dropping the puck on round one of their playoffs this weekend.

South of the border, the NCAA men’s hockey tournament starts Thursday night.

Overseas, the U18 World Championships will be contested at the end of April in Finland.

Although the season is heading towards its conclusion, there remains a ton of work to be done before the last in-person NHL draft takes place in Las Vegas at the end of June.

With that in mind, here is my latest rankings, which are now 50 (plus) deep:

No. 1: Macklin Celebrini, F, Boston University (NCAA)
Height: 6-feet Weight: 190 pounds

Nothing has changed at the top of the ranking. Macklin Celebrini’s name will be the first one called in June. He’s by far the consensus number one overall prospect.

No. 2: Ivan Demidov, F, SKA St. Petersburg (MHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 181 pounds

Demidov’s statistics jump off the page. He’s scored 23G-37A in only 30GP. He’s an offensive talent with a fantastic release and loads of creativity with the puck on his stick. He’s too good to be playing at the junior level in Russia. He started the year in the KHL before an injury put him on the shelf for a couple months, slowing his momentum at the pro level in the process and resulting in Demidov landing in the junior ranks upon his return.

No. 3: Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (NCAA)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 208 pounds

Levshunov led the Spartans in scoring as a freshman defenceman with 9G-25A in 36GP before the NCAA tournament. Levshunov is a coveted right-shot defenceman. He’s very active offensively, pinching down to extend plays and jumping into the rush every time he identifies an opportunity. His defensive zone detail is a work in progress, but he has posted a plus-26 rating so far this season.

No. 4: Anton Silayev, D, Torpedo (KHL)
Height: 6-foot-7 Weight: 211 pounds

It’s not too often a “defensive defenceman” is as highly touted as Silayev, but he’s deserving of a top five ranking for this draft and could go as high as second overall. He’s a massive defender who takes advantage of his stature and long reach to keep opponents away from his crease. He’s also a fantastic skater who has no problem defending against a speed rush, or moving in and out of small areas with his excellent agility.

No. 5: Carter Yakemchuk, D, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 201 pounds

Yakemchuk’s Hitmen team didn’t qualify for the WHL playoffs and due to his birthdate (September 29, 2005) Yakemchuk isn’t eligible for the U18 World Championships in Finland. His season has ended, but what a year he had! Carter is one of the most aggressive risers in my rankings this season. He’s big, mobile, produces offence, and pushes back physically. Yakemchuk ended the season with 30G-41A and scored 10 goals on the power play. He was also whistled for 120 penalty minutes. The right-shot defenceman always competes. He’s involved in the play every time he hits the ice.

No. 6: Sam Dickinson, D, London Knights (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 194 pounds

Dickinson logs a massive amount of ice time playing in London. He’s deployed in all situations, but his primary ice time comes at even strength and the power play. Dickinson is an effortless skater. At times it looks like he isn’t pushing himself to get from point A to point B, but it speaks to the efficiency of his stride. Dickinson possesses high end offensive upside and the ability to quarterback the power play. There are times I would like him to provide more urgency and detail defensively, but it’s also not something I’m concerned won’t improve as he matures. Dickinson produced 18G-52A in the regular season for the Knights.

No. 7: Berkly Catton, F, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 170 pounds

Catton is a dynamic offensive forward who produced 54G–62A for Spokane in the regular season. His defensive commitment has improved alongside his elite offensive element. Catton is deployed in all situations for the Chiefs and finished the regular season plus-15. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Catton selected in the top five of this draft.

No. 8: Zeev Buium, D, Denver (NCAA)
Height: 6-foot Weight: 183 pounds

Buium has had a terrific freshman season at Denver and he also played on Team USA’s gold medal-winning world junior team in Sweden. Buium is extremely competitive. He plays fast. He works to defend his net and push back on opponents, but it’s his elite offensive upside that makes him even more attractive as a prospect. Buium leads all NCAA defencemen with 11G-37A and is in the top 10 in overall NCAA scoring. As noted, Buium brings more than just offence. So far this season he’s posted a tidy plus-32 rating.

No. 9: Zayne Parekh, D, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Height: 6-feet Weight: 179 pound
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Parekh is one of the most creative players in the draft. He’s a transitional defenceman who quarterbacks the power play.

No. 10: Cayden Lindstrom, F, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 210 pounds

Lindstrom, unfortunately, has missed the bulk of his season due to injury. He’s a power forward who leans goal scorer more than distributor, but his length and size leads to plays being extended along the wall and out front the net. He’s also the kind of player who can match up against top scoring lines. In the 32 games Lindstrom has played this season, he produced 27G-19A.

No. 11: Tij Iginla, F, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 182 pounds

It wouldn’t surprise me to hear Iginla’s name called inside the top 10, but for now he lands here on my list. Iginla produced 47G-37A for Kelowna in the regular season. He leans goal scorer, but teams shouldn’t sleep on his creative thinking. Iginla has fantastic hockey sense. He moves pucks to open areas of the ice to extend plays and skate off his check. He’s also not a liability defensively. He skates, scores, and recognizes how to play the game responsibly on and off the puck.

No. 12: Liam Greentree, F, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 211 pounds

Greentree plays a power style. Considering his team in Windsor was rebuilding this season, his offensive statistics are all the more impressive. Greentree produced 36G-54A, with 11 of his goals coming on the power play. I’m assuming Greentree will suit up for Team Canada in Finland at the U18 worlds. The extra games will benefit him and his draft status.

No. 13: Cole Eiserman, F, USNTDP
Height: 6-feet Weight: 195 pounds

Eiserman, in my opinion, is the most elite pure shooter in the draft class. He rarely passes up an opportunity to rip a puck on net. He’s especially dangerous one-timing pucks from the weak side flank on the power play. Eiserman is a work in progress defensively, however. His read/react game is improving. He’s making the effort to earn more trust and prove he can at least provide average detail defensively.

No. 14: Konsta Helenius, F, Jukurit (Liiga)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 180 pounds

Helenius played the entire season at the pro level in Finland and produced 14G-22A. He also benefited from his experience suiting up for Finland at the world juniors. Helenius is a diminutive forward who plays the game fast. He leads the power play breakout and attacks the offensive zone with speed. Helenius is hard to defend. He can escape small areas to make plays. He is a play driver who benefits from the “track meet” style of game that is generally played today.

No. 15: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, F, Mora (Allsvenskan)
Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 194 pounds

I appreciate the growth in Michael’s game this season. He represented Norway at the world juniors, scoring 3G-2A, and has contributed 4G-2A in his most recent 10-game segment playing for Mora at the pro level in Sweden. His speed has gone to another level and his three-zone detail has become more trustworthy. What I especially appreciate is his willingness to battle for pucks, and his positioning awareness. He doesn’t shy away from the hard areas of the ice. He pushes through checks for results.

No. 16: Terik Parascak, F, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 173 pounds

Parascak is an intriguing prospect who produced 43G–62A for the Cougars in the regular season and was also an astounding plus-49. Parascak extends plays along the wall and escapes pressure in small areas. He isn’t the biggest, or strongest, prospect but he’s plenty slippery and hard to defend. His three-zone detail is reliable as well. I’m monitoring him in the playoffs to see how he handles the extra attention that will come. It’s somewhat difficult to put into words but Parascak, despite his statistics, isn’t necessarily a play driver. He’s a play “extender” who capitalizes on his chances when he finds quiet ice to score.

No. 17: Andrew Basha, F, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Height: 6-feet Weight: 185 pounds

Part of the evolution of the Tigers’ roster has been shouldered by Basha. He’s an infectious, energetic, skilled, smart and relentless competitor. He’s one of my favourite prospects to watch in this draft class.

No. 18: Beckett Sennecke, F, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 177 pounds

Sennecke impressed me in the second half of the season when he was tasked with hard matchups against top end teams in the OHL. He produced 27G-41A for the Generals in the regular season and was deployed in all situations. Sennecke is tall and long, but his ability to corral pucks in traffic and make plays in small areas is an element a lot of players his height don’t possess.

No. 19: Sacha Boisvert, F, Muskegon (USHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 176 pounds

Boisvert is an intriguing prospect who has plenty of room to add more weight and strength to his frame. He has a fantastic “catch and release.” Pucks are on and off his blade effectively in traffic. His open ice skating is improving, resulting in Boisvert becoming more of a threat off the rush.

No. 20: Igor Chernyshov, F, HC Dynamo Moscow (KHL-MHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 198 pounds

Chernyshov brings a combination of size and skill. He has a gear through the neutral zone in transition and his most attractive element is his potential offensive upside, especially on the power play. Overall, Chernyshov is best described as equal parts shooter and distributor. Defensive detail, effort and awareness ranges at times, though. Chernyshov split time between the KHL and MHL this season. At the KHL level he produced 3G-1A in 34GP. At the MHL (junior) level he scored 13G-15A.

No. 21: Michael Hage, F, Chicago Steel (USHL)
Height: 6-feet Weight: 187 pounds

Through 50 games played, Hage has produced 31G-37A for the Steel. He plays the game quick and fast. Hage is a threat off the rush in transition. His vision in the offensive zone is one of his most elite elements. Defensive detail, and effort tracking back off the puck, ranges and will have to improve before he arrives at the University of Michigan (NCAA). Has time on his side. His offensive element and the pace at which he plays wins out.

No. 22: Cole Hutson, D, USNTDP
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 165 pounds

Hutson is a somewhat undersized defenceman who possesses fantastic vision with the puck on his stick. He’s a power play quarterback who can be elusive escaping pressure in all three zones. Despite his stature he’s plenty involved defensively, never backs down and defends with purpose. Hutson is heading to Boston University in the fall, the same school where his brother Lane (Montreal Canadiens 62nd overall in 2022) is currently playing.

No. 23: Trevor Connelly, F, Tri-City Storm (USHL)
Height: 6-feet Weight: 156 pounds

Connelly is a light, skilled playmaking forward who has elite vision in the offensive zone. The puck goes through him on the power play. I’m comfortable describing him as a playmaker more than a shooter, but he’s certainly proven capable of scoring goals. So far this season he’s counted 26G–40A. His defensive detail and effort to assist on the backcheck has significant room for improvement. Offence wins out for now, but he’s on the clock to show me he can defend when required.

No. 24: Aron Kiviharju, D, HIFK Helsinki (Liiga)
Height: 5-foot-9 Weight: 170 pounds

Kiviharju has missed most of the season with injury, but earned the respect of scouts with his past performances. He’s a transitional defenceman who quarterbacks the power play. Kiviharju is a capable defender in his zone. He’s not tall, but he is stocky strong. Playing for Team Finland at the upcoming U18 World Championships will solidify his draft ranking.

No. 25: Adam Jiricek, D, Plzen HC (Czech)
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 178 pounds

Jiricek suffered a knee injury at the world juniors and has also missed significant time this season. Before the injury he was struggling to produce offence and it was becoming a concern for me. His best work, arguably, came last year as an underage at the U18’s in Switzerland. When he’s at his best he distributes the puck very well in the offensive zone. He’s a solid skater with sound hockey sense. Jiricek can be used in all situations and has the potential to provide secondary offence.

No. 26: Maxim Masse, F, Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 186 pounds

Masse ended the regular season producing 36G-39A, with 13 goals coming on the power play. Masse was credited with seven game-winning goals. Good size. Average skater in open ice. His best work comes from the hash marks down in the offensive zone. Rips pucks from the weak side flank on the PP. Also capable of producing from the bumper position and setting up around the crease looking for tips and rebounds.

Leans shooter more than playmaker, but his ability to leverage in the hard areas and extend plays leads to assists. Complements quicker, faster, equally skilled linemates with his approach. Has fantastic puck touch.

No. 27: Jett Luchanko, C, Guelph Storm (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight 170 pounds

Luchanko brings more than just offence. He’s a player who can be relied upon in a variety of roles. Listed as a winger, but he plays the majority of his shifts in the middle. On the PP he slots into a role as a quarterback, distributor, shooter, playmaker on the point and leads the breakout. Leans distributor more than shooter, but has an understated and deceptive release with the ability to change the angle of his blade to direct pucks on net. Competes the entire 200 feet. Sturdy strong. Not punishing physically, but also not easy to knock off the play. Very good skater who’s trending up.

No. 28: Ryder Ritchie, F, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 175 pounds

Ritchie missed time with injury this season, but still managed to produce 19G–25A in 47GP for the Raiders. If Prince Albert doesn’t go on a long playoff run, Ritchie could get a call from Hockey Canada for the U18 worlds. He’s an interesting prospect who generally plays the game responsibly in all three zones, moves well, and plays with a mix of skill and will. He pushes back in the trenches. Ritchie scored in streaks this season, making his two-way detail even more important to observe when he wasn’t producing offence.

No. 29: Marek Vanacker, LW, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
Height: 6-foot Weight: 174 pounds

Vanacker is a prospect who has come along over the course of the entire year and is now on the rise, heading towards the draft with momentum. Long and lean. Appears taller than his listed size. Skilled. Equal parts shooter, scorer and distributor. Ended the regular season in Brantford with 36G-46A. In his final 20-game segment he produced 10G-15A, with 10 of those assists being primaries. Threat off the rush. Protects pucks coming off the wall. Goes to the net looking for tips. Quick handles in traffic. He’s aware of and understands his defensive responsibility, but could engage more aggressively at times. Offence wins out and he’s trending towards second line NHL upside.

No. 30: Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, D, Vaxjo U20 (Sweden)
Height: 6-foot Weight: 176 pounds

A mid-sized two-way, transitional defenceman. Excellent skater with an ability to escape pressure in his defensive zone and lead the rush on his own. Average plus defender with adequate push back physically. Power play quarterback who leans distributor more than shooter. There are times when he needs to identify his options more quickly and move pucks to avoid pressure and turnovers. Not elite offensively but certainly capable. Could end up more defined as a two-way defenceman who gets to places ahead of opponents, moves pucks, joins as an extra layer offensively and provides secondary offence.

No. 31: Lucas Pettersson, F, MODO J20 (Sweden)
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 170 pounds

Pettersson is a forward who contributes in a variety of ways. Offensively, he produced 27G–30A at the J20 level in Sweden. When he plays for the U18 national team he’s used in all situations and takes key faceoffs in all three zones. Pettersson is committed defensively. He rotates into shooting lanes effectively on the penalty kill and has good jump to win 50/50 races to pucks. He’s best described as equal parts shooter and distributor and plays the game fast.

No. 32: Henry Mews, D, Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Height: 6-feet Weight: 181 pounds

Mews ended the regular season with 15G–46A in 65GP. Defensive detail has improved over the course of the entire season, but his elite element will always be offence. Quarterbacks the power play, has outstanding vision and finds open lanes to make plays either directing the puck on net or distributing. Solid skater who’s deceptive when exiting the defensive zone, leading the rush, and making plays as he enters the offensive zone. Plays with swagger.

No. 33: Julius Miettinen, C, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 203 pounds

Plays to a consistent identity, bringing a combination of size and power. Good skater who is hard to bump off pucks in the tough areas. Leans shooter more than distributor. Has a quick release and shoots it hard and accurately. Dangerous on the power play.

No. 34: Adam Jecho, C, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-5 Weight: 197 pounds

Jecho ended the year in Edmonton with the Oil Kings, where he produced 23-24A on the season. He’s on the rise. A big body whose skating has improved to where he’s a threat off the rush when he’s up to speed. Solid edges. Primary ice time comes at even strength and power play, but he’s capable on the penalty kill, too.

Despite his stature he isn’t overly physical. He boxes out opponents, but doesn’t punish people physically. Potential second line upside in time. Might end up as a combination 2F/3F at the NHL level.

No. 35: EJ Emery, D, USNTDP
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 185 pounds

Big, rangy, long, and at times physical (though not punishing) two-way defenceman. Moves well, especially on straight lines. Generally keeps the game simple with the puck on his stick and rarely takes any risks. His size is an asset when taking away time and space. Works to direct the play to the perimeter. Has shown an occasional ability to direct pucks on net with a sneaky release from distance, but it’s not a consistent element. Monitor gap control off speed rushes through neutral zone – he turns to the middle instead of pivoting towards the wall and fronting his opponent.

No. 36: Cole Beaudoin, F, Barrie Colts
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 209 pounds

Beaudoin produced 28G-34A for the Barrie Colts in the regular season and ended up plus-2 being deployed in all situations. Power body and a solid skater in open ice. When up to speed he attacks off the rush with good pace and uses his large frame to drive to the net. And when he gets the edge he’s hard to defend heading to the paint. Leans shooter/finisher more than natural distributor or playmaker. Rotates well on the PK and gets in the shooting lane, but body positioning ranges. Complements a darting centre by going to the hard areas and finishing.

No. 37: Alfons Freij, D, Vaxjo U20 (Sweden)
Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 187 pounds

Transitional defenceman whose bulk of ice time comes at even strength and the power play. Beautiful skater with great jump. On his toes all the time, exploding to take away space or pounce on a puck to outlet and join the rush offensively. Average plus defender who’s not overly physical. Elite elements are pace and puck moving. Needs to be paired with a more physical stay at home partner.

No. 38: Matvei Gridin, F, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 182 pounds

Sturdy and strong forward who plays a calculating game. There are moments where he appears to go through the motions, but his read/react/execute is generally very good. Quick release. Has proven he can beat goalies in the USHL from distance with a quick snap shot. Sound hockey IQ. Has the skill and ability to penalty kill if required, but his most projectable element is his offence. Falls somewhere between a 2F/3F as an NHL prospect.

No. 39: Tanner Howe, F, Regina Pats
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 175 pounds

Howe ended the season in Regina with 28G-49A in 68GP. His average ice time hovered around 20 minutes per game and he was deployed in all situations. Works the weak side flank on the PP and has a quick catch and release when moving pucks or directing them on net. Understated one-timer. Solid skater. Good quickness out of the gate and open ice pace to push opponents back. Generally aware defensively.

No. 40: Dean Letourneau, C, St. Andrew’s College
Height: 6-foot-6, 210 pounds

Forwards who have the kind of size Letourneau does, who can also skate, score and push back physically, are attractive prospects. His numbers offensively at the Prep AAA level (61G-66A) combined with the Prep Hockey Conference (17G-16A), jump off the page. I’m hoping he gets a call from Hockey Canada to be part of the U18 team in Finland. The opportunity to see him play at a higher level amongst several draft eligible counterparts will allow me to better project his upside. Letourneau is a Boston College commit, but he isn’t scheduled to enter school until the 2025-26 season. His rights are owned by Sioux City in the USHL where he is likely to play one full year next season.

No. 41: Luke Misa, F, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 170 pounds

Attacks with pace off the rush. A solid skater who is quick to space. Has a gear in open ice. Motion player who’s hard to defend when wheeling around the offensive zone on the perimeter. When he sees a lane he’s willing to take the puck to the cage. Useful prospect who lands somewhere between a second/third line forward on projection. Has the IQ to be used in a variety of roles. When not producing to his offensive element, his speed game is an asset as a checker.

No. 42: Teddy Stiga, F, USNTDP
Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 176 pounds

A player to keep an eye on as the NHL draft nears in June. Undersized, but always involved. Stocky strong. Plays with high end pace and relentless compete. Never goes away and is always around the play. Used in all situations at the USNTDP. Not naturally gifted with the puck, but his offence comes from hard work and determination. Not the kind of player who will slow the game down and get too creative with the puck. Reliable in all three zones. Tracks back the full 200 feet. Can slot into the top six or middle six and contribute to team results.

No. 43: Kamil Bednarik, F, USNTDP
Height: 6-feet Weight: 185 pounds

Two-way forward who is used in all situations at the USNTDP. Excellent skater who’s quick and fast. Pushes the play in transition and jumps in to extend plays or clear pucks from danger in his zone. Efficient penalty killer who pressures the puck up ice and creates havoc. Utility player who does a bit of everything: Blocks shots, provides better than secondary scoring, and takes key face-offs. Not elite in any one category, but very solid in the majority.

No. 44: Raoul Boilard, F, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 188 pounds

Skilled, creative prospect. Makes plays off the rush and in small areas in the offensive zone. Solid and agile skater. Playmaker on the power play who’s equal parts shooter and distributor. Always in motion. Good size, but doesn’t play with physical push back. Average defensive detail — he’s not a liability, but it’s not his area of strength. Projects as a potential third-line forward at even strength, but a skilled forward who should find a role on one of the power play units.

No. 45: John Mustard, F, Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
Height: 6-feet Weight: 180 pounds

Leans shooter more than distributor. Competitive forward who plays quick and fast. Works up and down the ice. Jumps to space to corral pucks and extend plays. Drives to the net off the puck looking for tips and rebounds. The kind of prospect who can play in the top six or middle six depending on the make up of the group.

No. 46: Brodie Ziemer, F, USNTDP
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 190 pounds

Has an infectious approach and plays the game fast. Equal parts shooter and distributor. Strong core and foundation with adequate battle to his game. Has the hockey sense to be used in a variety of roles, but his element is on display at even strength and especially the power play. Has a quick stick and sees the ice well.

No. 47: Colton Roberts, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 192 pounds

Roberts missed some time in the second half with injury, but he has provided me a body of work that has to be dissected closely to be appreciated. Roberts moves very well, has great size, and he’s a coveted right shot defenceman. He projects as a two-way defenceman who can provide some secondary offence. There are times his routes when defending his zone can improve, but he’s also had some tough luck in his zone with plays breaking down around him that led to goals against. It’s my opinion he brings solid value in the second round of this draft class.

No. 48: Will Skahan, D, USNTDP
Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 209 pounds

There’s a ton to like about Skahan’s game. He’s big. He skates well. He takes away time and space in the defensive zone. He’s willing to body up and make life difficult on opponents. Puck play ranges, though. Executing and making plays has been inconsistent at times. Leans two-way defenceman and potentially a shutdown defenceman as he establishes himself. Not likely to produce much offence.

No. 49: Carson Wetsch, F, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Height: 6-foot Weight: 190 pounds

I’m anticipating seeing Wetsch play for Team Canada at the U18 worlds in Finland. Wetsch is the kind of player who can be thrust into a variety of roles. He has good size and strength. He never shies away from being engaged in the hard areas, along the wall and out front the net. On the power play he is efficient as a low flank, or net front option. Good skater. Leans shooter more than natural playmaker. Competes. Mid-range offence is possible, but he could also end up being a useful, bottom six energy/checker. Wetsch produced 25G–25A for the Hitmen this season and was whistled for 89 penalty minutes, which speaks to his style of play.

AND IN THE MIX FOR NO. 50:

The following players are hovering around slot No. 50 in my ranking and are too close to separate at this point. I will be keeping a close eye on them for my next list:

• Sam O’Reilly, F, London Knights (OHL), Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 178-pounds

• Emil Hemming, F, TPS Turku (Liiga), Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 201 pounds

• Miguel Marques, F, Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL), Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 173 pounds

• Nikita Artamonov, F, Nizhny Novgorod (KHL), Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 187 pounds

• Matvei Shuravin, D, CSKA Russia (KHL/MHL), Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 195 pounds

• Charlie Elick, D, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 200 pounds

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Hockey NHL NHL Draft sn-article
dakota joshua Dakota Joshua’s return a silver lining for Vancouver Canucks amid other injury concerns 5747162 carousel Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:27:24 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:19:40 EDT Iain MacIntyre Dakota Joshua went from fringe NHLer to a tough-to-replace power forward with the Canucks. His return to the lineup is excellent news for a team that’s dealing with injuries to Thatcher Demko and Elias Lindholm.

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VANCOUVER — The pinky finger that Dakota Joshua seriously injured in a fight on Feb. 13 probably cost him a 20-goal season and, theoretically, some money as the Vancouver Canuck winger inches towards unrestricted free agency this summer.

But the seven weeks that Joshua missed after completing his Gordie Howe hat trick in Chicago on Feb. 13 by initiating a fight with MacKenzie Entwistle may have actually increased his value because it became obvious that the Canucks had no one to replace Joshua’s combination of size, speed, physicality and skill.

He is a 27-year-old power forward who only now, under coach Rick Tocchet, is starting to show what he could become in the National Hockey League.

Joshua left the lineup as a third-liner but practised Wednesday on the top unit alongside J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. That impressive promotion is expected to hold for at least the Canucks’ home game against the Dallas Stars on Thursday, when Vancouver will try to secure its Stanley Cup playoff berth with nine games remaining.

No wonder Joshua will be at the top of general manager Patrik Allvin’s to-do list when it comes to the sorting through the nine Canucks eligible for unrestricted free agency.

The return of the left winger from Michigan is excellent news for a team that has had bad news lately on injuries, including the Canucks’ decision Wednesday to formalize starting goalie Thatcher Demko’s absence by placing him on long-term injured reserve.

After his Vezina Trophy-calibre season was halted by a knee injury on March 9, Demko is ineligible to play again until April 6, just six games before the Canucks will open their first playoff series at home since 2015.

And while Joshua fully practised Wednesday for the first time since he was hurt, key mid-season acquisition Elias Lindholm missed his third straight workday while resting what Tocchet said is a nagging injury. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Lindholm was seeing a “specialist” this week.

There is no spinning news on Demko and Lindholm as positive. They’re not getting rest; they are injured as the playoffs approach. There is also no denying the advantage that Joshua’s return should provide.

“He’s a hard guy to replace,” Tocchet reiterated to Sportsnet on Wednesday. “When I first got here, I guess he was on the outside looking in, and I just didn’t understand it. I thought that type of player. . . could really help. I just saw his game get better and better. He has body position, he holds on to pucks, he wins battles in front, good penalty killer. And for the most part, his hockey IQ has really taken off this last year. He has actually developed in the last year like a 20-year-old becoming a 25-year-old. He has really developed.”

Still a fringe player when Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau 14 months ago, Joshua was reprimanded for his conditioning at training camp in September, and the coach healthy-scratched him on Nov. 2.

But that was a turning point for the six-foot-three power forward, who built consistency into his game and soon joined Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland to form one of the most effective third lines in the NHL.

Joshua became a go-to penalty killer, still led the Canucks in hits until J.T. Miller recorded seven of them in Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and had career-highs with 13 goals and 26 points in 53 games before getting hurt.

A Toronto Maple Leaf draft pick in 2014 who was given to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations five years later, Joshua did not become a full-time NHL player until Allvin took a flyer on him in free agency two summers ago.

“This was my first one, my first long-term (injury),” Joshua said. “It was hard at first, but then I realized, like, that’s just how it is. I wouldn’t have been able to come back earlier and been myself, which also could have been detrimental. So you know, it’s a learning process to go through this. Definitely not fun because you want to be out there with the guys, so not anything I want to experience again.”

Unlike many injuries, however, this one could have been avoided. Already with a goal and two assists in Vancouver’s 4-2 win in Chicago, Joshua did not need to instigate a fight with Entwistle after the Blackhawk flattened Garland with a hard, clean check that did not hurt the five-foot-nine Canuck.

“You don’t ever know what’s going to happen and that’s just how you play the game, right?” Joshua told reporters. “I don’t regret it. It’s just unfortunate the way that it turned out. You know, you’ve got to stick up for your teammates.”

“I know the end result was getting hurt,” Tocchet said. “Like, why did he do it? But I think that’s what Dakota is (and) doing that added a lot to the crest and to the culture. Now listen, there’s spots where you go, ‘no, don’t.’ But that situation. . . . I think that’s a culture thing that he did. And I’m a little old school when it comes to that. But, yeah, you’ve got to pick your spots, though.”

Joshua is starting with Miller and Boeser partly because Garland was the spark plug that ignited Elias Pettersson on Vancouver’s second line. But Joshua’s direct, heavy style, ability to win and hold pucks and get to the front of the net make him a template for the way Tocchet would like his wingers to play.

Only two weeks ago, the coach said: “I wish we were a little bit better on the boards. . . a better wall team. We want to make plays and we want to scoot and play fast. We’ve got some guys that are never going to be great wall guys, let’s face it. And that’s okay. But can they play five or 10 per cent better on the wall or win a battle?”

And just Monday, after the Canucks failed to get inside on the smothering Kings, Tocchet said: “It’s just blue-paint stuff. You’ve got to own the blue paint.”

Joshua does not quite own the blue paint in the NHL yet, but he’s put down a deposit on a long-term lease in front of opposition goalies.

Asked if he thinks his value to the Canucks was made clearer by his absence, Joshua said: “I don’t really think of myself like that, I guess. I just go out there and try to do what I can. It’s easy to say after a loss, you know, what could have been different (for the team). But I’m just kind of staying in my lane and playing the game.”

That’s all Tocchet wants.

ICE CHIPS – Tocchet insisted that Demko will still have time to play his way into top form for the playoffs despite going on LTIR. And the coach is unconcerned that Lindholm’s day-to-day absence could turn into something significantly longer. “It’s something a little nagging that’s getting better every day,” Tocchet said. “That’s the way you’ve got to look at it.” . . . At one point during practice at the University of B.C., Tocchet barked at players during a meeting at the whiteboard. “A few guys weren’t ready,” he explained. “We have a day off (Tuesday), you’ve got to be ready to go. They picked it up after that. No big deal. I can’t be yelling and screaming every day. But I don’t think I’ve yelled and screamed in two weeks, so it was a good time to do it. Every 14 days.” . . . With cap space created by Demko’s move to LTIR, the Canucks recalled minor-leaguer Arshdeep Bains, who practised Wednesday as an extra forward.

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Hockey NHL VAN sn-article
Darryl Dyck/CP DustinWolf What the Calgary Flames have left to play for down the stretch 5747162 carousel Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:05:07 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:14:07 EDT Pat Steinberg While this final stretch is going to feel largely meaningless, especially for remaining veterans, Calgary has to go out of its way to make sure that’s not the case. The final three weeks of the season can’t be a miserable march to the finish line.

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The Calgary Flames can be officially eliminated from playoff contention as early as Saturday night. For many, they were unofficially eliminated weeks ago.

With 11 games to go, the Flames are playing out the string.

And while this final stretch is going to feel largely meaningless, especially for remaining veterans, Calgary has to go out of its way to make sure that’s not the case. The final three weeks of the season can’t be a miserable march to the finish line.

“We have a lot of guys that have a lot to play for,” said assistant coach Dan Lambert on Sunday’s Flames Talk post-game show. “We have a lot of new players that are trying to prove (themselves) to a new coaching staff, to a new organization.”

It’s not preparing for the post-season or fighting tooth and nail to get in. But the Flames still have things to accomplish between now and the end of the regular season.

Dustin Wolf’s time

When it comes to players with something to prove, Wolf unquestionably leads the way.

And for the first time in his NHL career, Calgary’s goaltender of the future has runway and opportunity. Wolf will remain with the Flames for the rest of the season after the team announced season-ending hip surgery for Dan Vladar last week. Now paired with Jacob Markstrom, Wolf’s most recent returns have been encouraging.

Since being called up earlier this month, Wolf is 2-2-0 with a .929 save percentage in four starts. More importantly, he’s looked comfortable and like he belongs at the highest level. While still early, the “too small” knock on Wolf hasn’t been a factor on this most recent recall.

Wolf needs NHL reps as he continues down his development path. Aside from a return for Calder Cup playoff action next month, there’s nothing left for Wolf to accomplish in the American League.

Opportunity knocks

With mathematical elimination a formality, it’s time for the Flames to start prioritizing the big picture when making lineup decisions. Based on Tuesday night in Chicago, they may have already made that pivot.

2021 first-round pick Matt Coronato returned to the lineup against the Blackhawks after sitting for a pair of games as a healthy scratch. There’s no reason to scratch him again. In fact, now’s the time to elevate Coronato’s role at five-on-five and give him some powerplay time. Like Wolf, he needs the reps before joining the AHL Calgary Wranglers for a playoff run.

At this stage, the Flames can try things they’d be less comfortable doing in the heat of a playoff race. For instance, moving rookie standout Connor Zary to the middle for a stretch of games makes a lot of sense. 

A natural centre, Zary has played almost exclusively on the wing in his first NHL season. In dire need of future depth at the position, an extended run down the middle for Zary would be more than worth it.

Individual milestones

With 17, MacKenzie Weegar has more goals than all but two NHL defencemen: Nashville’s Roman Josi (19) and Colorado’s Cale Makar (18). The ultimate team-first guy, Weegar would far rather be chasing down a wildcard spot than an individual mark. But the chance to lead all players at his position in goals is a fun consolation prize.

It’s a similar situation for Blake Coleman. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has already posted new career marks in goals, assists and points this season at the age of 32. But with 11 games to go, Coleman is two away from being a 30-goal scorer for the first time.

Also sitting at 28, the same is true for Yegor Sharangovich. The Flames believed more opportunity was the key to unlocking Sharangovich when they acquired him from New Jersey in June. And while they’ve already been proven right, seeing him hit 30 for the first time would be a nice exclamation mark.

Getting Rasmus Andersson’s mojo back

It felt like Andersson was ready to cement himself as one of the NHL’s top blueliners entering the season. He’d be the first to admit things haven’t gone as planned, however.

Relative to what he’s capable of, Andersson has struggled defensively at five-on-five. That’s been more apparent since the subtraction of Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev in recent weeks.

And he’s taken a step back offensively, too. After consecutive seasons of 50 and 49 points, Andersson sits at 33 and hasn’t spent time on Calgary’s number-one powerplay unit in weeks. With the pressure off down the stretch, the Flames are hoping Andersson can rediscover the swagger that makes him so effective.

And it starts with shooting the puck.

“We had a long conversation a couple days ago,” Lambert admitted over the weekend.

“Rasmus has a great shot, but unfortunately nobody knows it. It’s like a guy that’s an unbelievable skater but he doesn’t skate. I told Rasmus, I said: if you want to get more points, you have to start shooting the puck.

“I coached Roman Josi (in Nashville). He didn’t care, if there was a lane, he was shooting the puck, and he gets rewarded for it every year. We’re trying to get Rasmus to three or four shots a night.”

Perhaps the message is getting through.

Andersson has averaged more than five shot attempts over the last four games and snapped a 26-game goalless drought Saturday in Vancouver. Tuesday in Chicago saw him finish with five shots on goal for just the third time this season.

This is the type of shot mentality Calgary hopes Andersson can bring into the summer and, more importantly, next season.

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NHL Headlines Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:25:41 EDT Mon, 11 Mar 2024 17:20:03 EDT Noah Love headlines_meta sn-collection (Michael Dwyer/AP) CP170028975 Washington Capitals’ Ethan Bear to enter NHL/NHLPA player assistance program 5747164 headlines Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:20:34 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 20:18:31 EDT Canadian Press Washington Capitals defenceman Ethan Bear is entering the NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s joint assistance program and will be unavailable to the club for an indefinite period.

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Washington Capitals defenceman Ethan Bear is entering the NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s joint assistance program and will be unavailable to the club for an indefinite period.

The NHLPA and NHL said in a joint release Wednesday that Bear will be eligible to return to on-ice competition when cleared by the program administrators.

The 25-year-old from Ochapowace First Nation, near Regina, is in his first season with Washington after signing a two-year, US$4.125-million deal in December.

He joined the Capitals after injuring his shoulder while representing Canada at the 2023 world hockey championship and undergoing surgery.

Bear has a goal and three assists in 24 games with Washington this season.

He has 17 goals and 50 assists in 275 NHL games with Edmonton, Carolina, Vancouver and Washington.

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Matt Slocum/AP fedotov_ivan1280 Philadelphia Flyers prospect Ivan Fedotov has contract terminated by CSKA Moscow 5747164 headlines Thu, 28 Mar 2024 12:54:18 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:41:53 EDT Sportsnet Staff Russian goalie Ivan Fedotov could finally start his NHL career after his KHL contract was terminated on Thursday.

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Russian goalie Ivan Fedotov could be taking a step toward finally starting his NHL career after his KHL contract was terminated on Thursday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported.

Fedotov, who was playing for CSKA Moscow — despite having a contract with the Flyers and in defiance of an International Ice Hockey Federation ruling in August — has had his Russian contract terminated, according to a tweet by the Russian league.

The 27-year-old, six-foot-seven goalie was drafted by the Flyers in 2015 and signed a one-year deal with the club in May 2022. In July 2022, however, he was stopped from leaving his country for allegedly evading military service and missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season.

The Flyers then had the contract they’d signed with Fedotov “tolled” until the start of the 2023-24, only for CSKA Moscow to announce it had signed the goalie to a new, two-year deal in July. The Flyers appealed that ruling to the IIHF, which determined in August that CSKA Moscow’s deal had breached regulations because the player held a valid contract with the NHL club. The IIHF denied CSKA and Fedotov’s appeal of that ruling in December.

The Finnish-born Russian national went 21-22-1 this season with CSKA, posting a 2.57 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick HKN Jets Senators 20210119 Senators’ Chabot to miss game vs. Blackhawks 5747164 headlines Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:32:01 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:32:33 EDT Sportsnet Staff Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot will be out for Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, interim head coach Jacques Martin announced.

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Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot will be out for Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chabot was forced to exit Wednesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres in the third period. It’s not clear exactly when or how he may have sustained an injury, but he did backcheck against Sabres forward Victor Olofsson on his last shift. Prior to leaving, he was shown talking to a Senators trainer.

Chabot’s injury is not overly serious according to interim head coach Jacques Martin.

“No, it’s something he’s been dealing with the last couple weeks, just keep evaluating him on a day-to-day basis,” Martin told reporters Thursday.

Chabot has suffered various injuries this season, sidelined for all of November with a hand injury and earlier this month with a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old has played just 44 of the Senators’ 71 games this season.

Over those 44 games, Chabot has recorded 28 points (eight goals and 20 assists).

AHL call-up Tyler Kleven will replace Chabot in the lineup against Chicago. The 22-year-old blue liner was recalled by the Senators from Belleville earlier Thursday.

In 45 AHL games this season, Kleven has recorded 17 points (three goals and 14 assists). Across 13 career NHL games, he has three assists.

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Dakota Joshua-2 Canucks’ Dakota Joshua, Arshdeep Bains to play vs. Stars 5747164 headlines Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:30:25 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:31:01 EDT Sportsnet Staff The Vancouver Canucks will have some new faces in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars, as head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed that Dakota Joshua and Arshdeep Bains will be in the lineup.

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The Vancouver Canucks will have some new faces in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars, as head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed that Dakota Joshua and Arshdeep Bains will be in the lineup.

Joshua will play for the first first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13. 

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Bains, 23, played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford. 

“I’d like to see where (Bains is) at,” Tocchet said on Wednesday.

The Canucks can clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Stars in any fashion. You can watch the game live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

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Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram Buffalo Sabres’ Bowen Byram fined $5K for interference vs. Senators’ Crookshank 5747164 headlines Thu, 28 Mar 2024 10:48:15 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 10:48:23 EDT Sportsnet Staff Buffalo Sabres defenceman Bowen Byram was fined $5,000 for interference against Ottawa Senators forward Angus Crookshank in their game on Wednesday, the NHL’s department of player safety announced Thursday.

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Buffalo Sabres defenceman Bowen Byram was fined $5,000 for interference against Ottawa Senators forward Angus Crookshank in their game on Wednesday, the NHL’s department of player safety announced Thursday.

Byram was assessed a minor penalty for interference after the incident occurred at 15:18 of the first period.

The fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and goes to the players’ emergency assistance fund.

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Nathan Denette/CP Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner won’t return this week, Rielly questionable 5747164 headlines Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:40:02 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:17:29 EDT Sportsnet Staff Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe ruled Mitch Marner out for the remainder of this week’s schedule, meaning the star winger will miss a minimum of 10 games with his ankle injury.

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe on Wednesday ruled Mitch Marner out for the remainder of this week’s schedule, meaning the star winger will miss a minimum of 10 games with his ankle injury.

Marner participated in Wednesday’s skills session in a grey extras jersey. Keefe told reporters that Marner will be a full participant in Friday’s practice. Marner has not played since March 7.

The Maple Leafs host Washington on Thursday and play in Buffalo on Saturday.

In other Maple Leafs news, defenceman Morgan Rielly is considered questionable for the game against the Capitals. The top-pair defenceman missed Tuesday’s loss to the Devils with an upper-body injury.

Keefe also announced that Joseph Woll will start in net against the Capitals, his third-straight start. Ilya Samsonov, who left Saturday’s win over the Oilers with an injury, did skate on Wednesday and told reporters he is good to go.

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NHL Top Videos Mon, 11 Mar 2024 19:42:54 EDT Sat, 16 Mar 2024 20:49:45 EDT Josh Beneteau carousel_meta sn-collection 17116530685924345 Tocchet emphasizes Canucks’ need to ‘play inside’ to create offence 5909318 carousel Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:15:09 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:15:09 EDT Sportsnet Video Head coach Rick Tocchet speaks to the media about the Canucks’ lack of ability to create offence, and making a habit of playing inside more.

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NHL Must Read Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:05:07 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:47:00 EDT Gary Melo three_cols_meta sn-collection woll-samsonov Ilya Samsonov or Joseph Woll: Who should be Toronto Maple Leafs’ Game 1 playoff starter? 5910779 three_cols Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:11:40 EDT Tue, 26 Mar 2024 17:24:38 EDT Jason Bukala With Joseph Woll five games back from injury and Ilya Samsonov playing some of the best hockey of his season, there’s still plenty to figure out when it comes to who Toronto’s Game 1 playoff starter will be. Jason Bukala looks at both netminders.

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With 12 games remaining in the Toronto Maple Leafs schedule, the team appears to be in relatively good shape between the posts. Their goaltending has been mostly solid for a long stretch of games. Ilya Samsonov has been in good form for his past 20 games and though he left Saturday’s contest early Sheldon Keefe said the diagnosis was “not anything we would consider a concern at this point” and the expectation was that the goalie would practice Wednesday with the team.

Meantime, Joseph Woll appeared close to being the best version of himself in Carolina on Sunday night.

Overall, the Leafs are a middle of the pack outfit when it comes to their goals-against average for the season. Here’s a look at how the goalie stats break down for the entire year so far:


Samsonov has been an interesting study this year and it’s impossible to understate the roller coaster ride his season has been. But Samsonov has been mostly solid for a long stretch of games now. Over his past 20 starts he has posted a 2.72 GAA, paired with a .901 save percentage.

Martin Jones came to the rescue when Samsonov was regrouping mid-season and Woll was out with injury. The veteran goalie has provided what the Leafs brass had hoped he would if they had to slot him into games.

Woll’s return from injury has produced some inconsistent results. His 2.80 goals-against average contrasts his .888 save percentage in the five games he’s been back. Returning from a high ankle sprain is difficult for a goaltender and when you consider Woll’s also returning at the hardest time of year, as teams are vying for playoff position, things get even more challenging for him. But his outstanding effort in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Carolina showed promise he could get back on track. Despite allowing two goals in the first period, he buckled down and made several big stops the rest of the way, giving the Leafs a chance to win on the second of back-to-back games in a tough environment of the road.

So we have to start to wonder: Who will start Game 1 in the playoffs for Toronto? Let’s explore their options.

LOW, MID, AND HIGH DANGER SAVES

Not all shots on goal are packaged the same way. With help from MoneyPuck.com, here are the three categories of shots on goal:

Low Danger: Seventy-five per cent of shots on goal are considered low danger. An unblocked shot on goal from, say, the blue line, is considered a low danger attempt. These shots have less than eight per cent chance of entering the net.

Mid Danger: Twenty per cent of shots on goal fall into the mid-danger category. An example of a mid-danger shot would be a shot from the flank, between the face-off dot and the hash mark. An unblocked shot in this category accounts for greater than eight per cent, but less than 20 per cent of the goals scored in the league.

High Danger: Players in the NHL who drive to the middle of the ice, or find pucks between the face-off dots and around the crease, are worth their weight in gold. Skaters who generate high danger scoring chances account for only five per cent of all shots on goal in the NHL. The results are much more positive when a player generates scoring chances in these areas, though. Shooters convert 20 per cent of their scoring chances from high danger areas of the ice.

Woll and Samsonov have contributed the following save percentages in the three shot categories:

Low Danger SV%

Mid Danger SV%

High Danger SV%

Joseph Woll

.971

.897

.810

Ilya Samsonov

.966

.844

.739

GETTING STOPS ON THE PENALTY KILL

On Sunday night’s broadcast, my colleague Elliotte Friedman brought up an excellent point about the Toronto Maple Leafs. I’m paraphrasing, but the point he was making was that teams can win in the playoffs with a poor power play, but have no chance with a below standard penalty-kill.

The Leafs will undoubtedly face either the Boston Bruins or the Florida Panthers in the first round. Notice the relative parity in the goals for and power play percentage rankings of all three teams. The difference in penalty kill rate is staggering:

GPG

GAPG

PP%

PK%

Toronto

3.61 (3rd)

3.11 (19th)

25.6 (6th)

76.0 (27th)

Boston

3.31 (10th)

2.74 (7th)

23.6 (8th)

81.9 (7th)

Florida

3.23 (13th)

2.41 (1st)

26.2 (4th)

81.9 (8th)

• I recognize the goaltender is a team’s most important player on the penalty kill. It’s his job to come up with timely saves when his group is shorthanded.

• Woll’s save percentage when the Leafs are shorthanded is .885. Samsonov’s save percentage on the penalty kill is .845 over the course of the entire season.

• To be fair, Samsonov had a terrible stretch of games before Christmas that contributed greatly to his lopsided statistics in some categories.

• The entire group in front of the goalies also has to be dialled in defensively, understand their roles, and be willing to block shots.

• The fact of the matter is it’s nearly impossible to win in the playoffs without a penalty-kill operating at over an 80 per cent success rate.

GOALIE COMPARISON

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Maple Leafs allow more high danger chances against than most clubs currently occupying a playoff spot. From Sunday’s game against Carolina alone I could present seven to 10 examples of Toronto players being out of position or not managing the puck appropriately. But the team needs stops at key moments of games and that responsibility falls on Woll and Samsonov.

To be honest, I don’t currently see a separation between the two Leaf goaltenders. Both have ranged from average to great in their last segment of games.

So we’ll break down both goaltenders…

ILYA SAMSONOV

Samsonov is plenty athletic and capable of making acrobatic stops when required. In the following sequence he reads the play developing from the corner, to the slot, and eventually to Leon Draisaitl on the flank. Watch closely how Samsonov tracks the play, fronts the shot from the slot and pushes across square to make a big stop. It’s an example of Samsonov at his best.


Samsonov is best described as an athletic, butterfly goalie. Almost all goalies who play his style have holes in their game when they get too active in their crease. They tend to lose their net or angle between the posts.

Here’s an example where Samsonov lacks initial positioning and control of his body when he drops into the butterfly, which results in him losing the ability to front a second shot off a rebound. He’s leaning forward in both sequences, making himself smaller in the net and ending up on his stomach in the goal against. When Samsonov is off he tends to lose his crease composure.


Finally, the following clip speaks to some of the instances in games (there are plenty to choose from) when Leafs defenders aren’t aggressive enough gapping up and killing zone entries by their opponents. I’m not going to take a ton of time analyzing what Timothy Liljegren is doing in this sequence, but I’ve highlighted how he gives up far too much space as Carolina enters the Leafs’ zone.

The result is a quality snap shot on goal from Jake Guentzel and an even more impressive stop from Samsonov on the low stick side.


JOSEPH WOLL

In my opinion, the biggest difference between the two Leafs goalies is that Samsonov is far more active than Woll, who instead relies on using his size (6-foot-3 203 pounds) to his advantage. He’s not as athletic as Samsonov, but he’s much more composed overall.

I truly felt Woll played one of the best games of his young career in that Carolina game.

The following sequence appears simple enough, but Woll’s initial stop on Martin Necas is a quality save. Woll positions himself with his toes outside the blue paint of his crease to limit the amount of net Necas has to shoot at. The rebound jumps to the point for a second chance, but Woll is positioned well and tracks the play to his glove.


Of course, not everything is perfect with Woll either. He also has allowed a couple goals recently that I felt he could have stopped.

The following clip shows an egregious turnover from William Nylander and serves as an example of the risk/reward approach the Leafs get from a player like him.

Still, Woll would probably like to have this sequence back. The breakaway starts from the far blue line and Woll has plenty of time to set himself better than he does. Bruins forward Trent Frederic directs the puck on net from a fair distance and beats Woll between the legs. He wasn’t set, or compact enough, to make the stop.


Lastly, here’s a clip of one of Woll’s best stops from the Carolina game. The Leafs defence doesn’t have enough time to front the neutral zone regroup from the Hurricanes and gives up too much room on the zone entry as a result. Connor Dewar swings and misses on Necas before Necas (again) directs a quality scoring chance on net.

Woll is positioned above his crease and square to the initial shot, but it’s the second save he makes moving laterally that displays his ability to track and make a desperation glove save.


STRATEGY

Right now, both Samsonov and Woll are providing above average to good and occasionally great goaltending. Neither of them have pulled away in their battle for the Leafs’ crease full-time.

With Woll only having played five games since returning from injury, and Samsonov playing some of the best hockey of his season for a long stretch, it’s going to take a couple more weeks to figure out who Toronto’s best option in net is for the playoffs.

Toronto has 12 games remaining, seven at home and five on the road. Half of those games will come against opponents currently in a playoff spot, and all their remaining games are against Eastern Conference opponents. And there are two more situations where the Leafs play on back-to-back days.

My suggestion would be to split the remaining games between Woll and Samsonov. After each of them has an opportunity to prove himself in their next six-game segment, choose the one you will start on opening night of the playoffs and run with him until his wheels fall off. And at that time, you can always turn back to the other guy.

The reality facing Toronto is they don’t have a clear cut 1A goalie heading down the stretch. Both Samsonov and Woll will very likely be called upon at some point in the playoffs.

Toronto’s more pressing concern has to be finding a way to improve its penalty kill before the puck drops on Game 1 versus either Florida or Boston. And that’s something Justin Bourne will explore here this week.

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CP170229958(1) Unveiling the NHL’s 2023-24 All–Healthy Scratch Team 5910779 three_cols Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:47:10 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 13:11:54 EDT Luke Fox Two full lines, two defence pairs, and two goaltenders who have been forced to sit and watch teammates play in games they had planned to dress for.

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Some folks are “not talking about Sean.” But we are.

We’re talking about Sean and Evgeny and Patrik and Ukko-Pekka and all the other notable players banished, for various reasons and for varying stretches, to the press box.

Yes, we’re unveiling our 2023-24 All–Healthy Scratch Team — two full lines, two defence pairs, and two goaltenders who have been forced to sit and watch teammates play in games they had planned to dress for.

The healthy scratch means different things in different situations.

As you can see by the stories on our squad, there are cases where a benching can foreshadow a trade, embarrass a superstar, drag out an improved performance, hint at a deeper issue, or simply offer a chance for a player’s mental or physical reset.

What all significant healthy scratches do, though, is spark conversation and strike nerves.

Here are a dozen lineup exclusions that caught our attention this season:

Sean Couturier, C: The headliner of this team and only captain on the list, Couturier’s journey from Selke Trophy winner to John Tortorella’s doghouse during a critical stretch run is both fascinating and infuriating. The two-way centreman is signed for six more seasons beyond this one at a $7.75-million cap hit, so this story is far from over.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, C: An 83-point scorer and near–Conn Smythe winner in the Capitals’ Cup-winning run in 2018, Kuznetsov had fallen out of favour in Washington for a while and was ultimately untradable without salary retention. He entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He cleared waivers. And after his deadline deal to contending Carolina, Kuznetsov is savouring a second chance. It may be his last.

Andrei Kuzmenko, LW: Jolted by a ridiculous 27.3 shooting percentage, the undrafted Russian sniped his way to 39-goal debut and a juicy contract extension from the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23, his first season in the North America. The winger’s momentum did not carry over to new coach Rick Tocchet’s 2023-24 regime, however. Falling out of favour on a stronger squad, Kuzmenko was scratched frequently and eventually packaged to Calgary in the Elias Lindholm trade.

Anthony Duclair, LW: Now thriving in Tampa Bay for a Lightning squad that appears to be peaking at the perfect time (nine points in seven games), the speedy Duclair got benched in moribund San Jose back in December. He looked like a lost talent swirling in a lost campaign. “I just gotta skate more. You got to track back and work harder,” Duclair said at the time. “That’s it.”

Patrik Laine, RW: “It was a hard conversation, but nobody is bigger than the Blue Jackets,” Columbus coach Pascal Vincent explained, when he scratched the Jackets’ $34.8-million investment back in November. Laine called his trip to the press box “the most embarrassing thing that has happened to me” in his career. The former 44-goal-scorer entered in the player assistance program in January. For the Jackets and Laine’s sake, here’s hoping the electrifying talent can rebound next season.

Anthony Mantha, RW: The wildly inconsistent power forward responded well after his wrist-slap in Washington, posting 20 goals for the first time in five years and turning himself into a worthy trade chip. The pending UFA has yet to find his niche in Vegas, however. Mantha has only a goal and an assist through his first games for the defending champs, who paid a second- and a fourth-round pick to rent his services.

Tony DeAngelo, D: A two-time 50-point defenceman, DeAngelo has had a difficult time squeezing into Carolina’s winning lineup this season. His frustration will all but certainly lead to a parting of the ways this summer. “I’m not used to it, obviously. I don’t agree with it,” DeAngelo, who has appeared in just 28 contests, said in February. “That’s nothing against the coaching staff or anybody. It’s just, honestly, I know I’m good enough to play. But we’ve got a great D and guys have played well, and that’s the way they went with it…. I came back here, signing in Carolina, to play, to compete, to help try to win. So, it’s tough to not get to be a part of it every night.”

T.J. Brodie, D: The versatile and respected veteran ranks second among all Maple Leafs defencemen in ice time and salary. Yet the guy coach Sheldon Keefe once dubbed “Mr. Consistent” has struggled in the tough matchups this season. Toronto gave Brodie a two-game mental break last week in the hope that some time off can reset and refresh the pending UFA for the post-season. Asked how Brodie performed in Sunday’s return, a 2-1 loss in Carolina, Keefe said: “He was fine.”

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D: Vlasic’s gold-medal-winning days with Team Canada feel distant as the 36-year-old defensive stalwart is now a minus-22 for the scorched-earth San Jose Sharks. That two more seasons — and a $7-million cap hit — remain on Vlasic’s contract make a trade improbable and more scratches likely. Not fun seeing such a steady, stand-up D-man in decline and obscurity.

Tyson Barrie, D: Not since his 10-game taste of the NHL in 2011-12 has Barrie’s ice time been lower than it has been this season (18:21). The four-time 50-point defenceman will be hard-pressed to hit 20 this year. Despite submitting a trade request months ago and being granted permission to speak with opposing team, Barrie has battled injury and quietly hung on as a depth player during the Predators’ thrilling and unexpected wild-card push. “It doesn’t really feel like a great fit,” Barrie said in December. Which is why the free agent should move on this off-season.

Ilya Samsonov, G: The 2023-24 Ilya Samsonov Experience has been a wild ride. At the roller-coaster’s lowest point, the man who backstopped the Maple Leafs’ first playoff series victory in a generation was waived and banished to solo work with the club’s AHL goaltending coach. Reborn mentally stronger, Samsonov has won 14 of his 18 starts since mid-January.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G: Deemed not fit to dress behind prized prospect Devon Levi in the early going, Luukkonen has shone through as one of the brightest stories in another cloudy winter in Buffalo. The 25-year-old Sabres goaltender has been fantastic in 2023-24, posting career highs in games played, wins, and goals-against average. The pending RFA has earned himself a raise.

Honourable mentions: Morgan Frost, Kevin Shattenkirk, Kent Johnson, Cam Atkinson, Connor Brown, David Kämpf, Pierre Engvall, James van Riemsdyk, Simon Holmstrom, Mark Giordano, Antti Raanta, Ethan Bear, Calen Addison.

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Bourque Good deadline deals don’t guarantee immediate glory. Just ask Ray Bourque 5910779 three_cols Mon, 25 Mar 2024 15:24:10 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 15:24:17 EDT Eric Francis As one of the biggest names ever traded at the deadline, Ray Bourque serves as a perfect example of just how hard it is to make a late-season swap that puts a team over the top that spring.

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If Ray Bourque had it his way, one of the game’s greatest fairy-tale endings might never have been authored.

“I kind of wanted to go to Philadelphia,” chuckled the 63-year-old Hall of Famer of his deadline deal from Boston to Colorado in 2000.

 “If I would have gone to the Flyers I would have been very disappointed, so (Bruins GM) Harry (Sinden) picked the right spot.”     

Good luck to any player or agent who uses the trade deadline to try chasing a Cup nowadays.

As one of the biggest names ever traded at the deadline, Bourque serves as a perfect example of just how hard it is to make a late-season swap that puts a team over the top that spring.

As famous as his late-career move was, many people forget Bourque and the Avs fell short in the conference final that spring.

It wasn’t until a year later the Hall of Fame defenceman punctuated his 22-year career with his one and only Stanley Cup.

To put in perspective how rare it is for a deadline deal to end up being the final piece of a team’s championship puzzle, consider that since 1995-96, a total of 1,114 players have been involved in 611 trades in the month leading up to the trade deadline.

Only 44 of those players (less than four per cent) went on to hoist the Stanley Cup later that season. 

Last year, only three of the 99 players traded before the deadline wound up winning a ring with Vegas. 

Just over two weeks after this year’s deadline, it’s still far too early to figure out which of the 72 players moved this year might have that impact.  

In Bourque’s case, it wasn’t until Rob Blake and Steve Reinprecht were added a year later that the Avs finally had enough firepower to help Bourque finish his journey with the emotional Cup handoff he received from Joe Sakic. 

He did it at the conclusion of Game 7 in the 2001 Final against a Devils club he also considered asking to be traded to.

“It is so hard to win, and so hard to try picking who will win every year,” said Bourque from his winter home in Florida.

“Hey, look at last year, Florida creeps in and gets to the Finals.

“I’d been to three Finals and the first two we didn’t get a sniff – we won one game. Just to get there it is a grind. I don’t care how talented you are, or if you are the favourites, if you get on a roll you can do damage.

“If you go to a contender, it’s all you want.”

While it’s much more commonplace nowadays for a veteran to ask for a chance to chase a ring, Bourque agonized over the decision before asking Sinden to end his two decades as Boston’s beloved blue liner.

Wanting to stay on the east coast so he could monitor the building of his family’s new home in the Boston suburbs, Bourque assumed he’d soon join Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg on the conference-leading Flyers.

A phone call from Celine Dion’s husband, Rene Angelil, touting the virtues of Colorado, tipped him off that there were more teams in the running than he thought.

When a last-ditch attempt to complete a deal with Bobby Clarke fell through, Bourque got a call from Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix with news he’d been traded to the Avs, along with Dave Andreychuk. Lacroix immediately passed the phone around to Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Adam Foote and Dave Reid, who welcomed the Beantown legend to Denver.

“I never thought I would leave Boston, but I really needed to challenge myself and see if I had anything left in the tank,” said the five-time Norris Trophy winner, who jumped on a plane to Calgary March 6, 2000 and played that night on a stacked roster that also included Peter Forsberg, Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk.

“It was the best team I ever played on, from that first game I played in Calgary.

“I remember one of my first shifts making a pass to Hejduk from behind the net, he sprung Joe on a breakaway and he scored. I’m thinking, ‘this is going to be fun.’”

Bourque marvels now at how big a deal the trade deadline has become, and is thankful the rumours that follow every trade candidate weren’t a big part of his experience.

He also feels blessed that he went with his gut and asked for a trade despite the love affair he and the city of Boston had. That relationship endures, as the mayor of Boston held a civic celebration for Bourque following his win. 

“I always said I never thought I’d leave to win a Cup, but I just thought it was unfair to be in that environment in Boston,” said Bourque, who will be in Calgary on May 24 to play in the Gordie Howe Cares Pro-Am, where he will also take part in a hot stove luncheon with Gerry Cheevers and Derek Sanderson to celebrate the Bruins’ 100th anniversary.

“I was always one to bring so much energy and fun, and passion to the game every day and it was eating me up. I had to retire or go somewhere.

“That’s the toughest call I ever made, to call Sinden, as to this day I’m loyal to the Bruins and I never thought I’d pull the trigger on something like that. But I had to.”

It worked out.

Eventually.

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Sportsnet Plus Home Page Feature features_banner_story Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:04:02 EDT Thu, 28 Mar 2024 08:52:25 EDT Billy Duke sn-features Frank Franklin II/AP Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares Maple Leafs’ John Tavares responds to Sheldon Keefe’s callout for accountability feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:00:51 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:06:53 EDT Luke Fox Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares didn’t exactly go into hiding after being called out by coach Sheldon Keefe, writes Luke Fox.

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TORONTO — As harsh as Sheldon Keefe sounded Tuesday night after watching his team fumble two leads and mistake its way to a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t say anything publicly that wasn’t first addressed behind closed doors.

Seldom does Keefe speak to his players immediately after a loss.

Trudging through 82 games is a grind, and athletes aren’t always the most receptive to criticism in those frustrated moments that follow a buzzer and a blown opportunity.

So, it speaks to the pressure that the coach is feeling, the urgency he is eagerly trying to instill in his depleted but relatively comfortable group, that Keefe was so ticked off by the Leafs’ “immature” performance in the game’s final two periods that he called out captain John Tavares in front of the group post-game.

That he vocalized his displeasure with his leadership core, and how their failure to set the bar and stick to the gameplan was contagious in a negative way.

“Especially as the captain, you really want to be at the top of the list for being accountable in setting the standard and the way we need to play,” Tavares said Wednesday, following a light (and lightly attended) practice session.

“Sometimes you try to do too much, or you try to grab the game right back instead of just staying with the process and the way we need to play. So, it’s just important to focus on that process. And when we do that over the course of 60 minutes, it usually leaves us in a pretty good spot.”

Keefe didn’t walk back his initial critique. He did, however, add core forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander to the list of veterans he expects to ramp the standard of detailed play with just 11 games remaining on the schedule.

He also predicted a strong response from Tavares, starting with Thursday’s chance to sweep the season series against the Washington Capitals.

“He’s been great, and he will be great,” Keefe said. “I brought John up yesterday, as I did in the room with the team, because he’s our leader. He’s got to set the tone for our group. Sometimes, it’s part of his play; sometimes, it’s as captain to help bring the group back when they’re slipping, when others are slipping.

“Stick to structure. Stick to a plan. And stick to our mindset that we had going into the game, which was really to approach the game the exact same way we approached Edmonton.”

Confounding, it must be, that the same team that kept Connor McDavid & Co. off the scoreboard at 5-on-5 with a fierce defensive effort on Saturday looked so porous for two periods against an opportunistic Devils team with fading playoff hopes a few nights later.

“It doesn’t mean I’m not going to bring it to their attention, let them know we’re not happy about it,” Keefe said.

“You’re trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again. And based on the way our group has been over the last couple of months, I’m expecting that it won’t.”

Samsonov ‘ready to play’ after injury scare

Turns out, Saturday’s heart-in-throat moment, when a dialed-in Ilya Samsonov limped down the tunnel during Toronto’s home win over the Oilers, was no big deal.

“I’m happy it’s just a calf. If it’s groin, I’m done probably for season,” the upbeat goaltender said. “I’m available right now.

“I feel healthy. Everything is good. Like, ready to play again.”

Samsonov explained a hit post and a calf muscle contusion left him feeling sore the last couple days but that he is refocused and happy to get the net back, whenever it’s available.

“We need to play really hard every game because as soon as playoffs [begin], everything changes really quick,” said Samsonov, who improved his record to 19-6-7 with that W over the Oilers.

“Every team will play hard. Angry. It’s different hockey. We need to get ready for this.”

One-Timers: Joseph Woll will make a third consecutive start Thursday versus Washington, a team he’s defeated twice already this season. … Mitch Marner skated again Wednesday but has yet to participate in a full practice since spraining his ankle. He’s not expected to play this week, extending his absence to 10 games. … Morgan Rielly (upper body) and other as-yet-unnamed players are questionable to dress Thursday as well.

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17115757865923584 What changes can we see if CHL players can become NCAA-eligible? feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:45:05 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:45:05 EDT Sportsnet Video Jason Bukala joins Kyper and Bourne to discuss potential changes to the NHL feeder system that could occur if the NCAA opens its doors to CHL players and why there is still a lot to be worked out before any decision is final.

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP Ted-Leonsis Capitals, Wizards arena plan in Virginia now dead feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:08:42 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:45:02 EDT Associated Press The NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals are staying in the District of Columbia. Owner Ted Leonsis and Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the development at a news conference at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals are staying in the District of Columbia for the long term after ownership and the city reached an agreement on a $515 million arena project.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and owner Ted Leonsis signed a letter of intent on Wednesday for the deal, which keeps the teams in the District through 2050. They announced the development at a joint news conference at Capital One Arena minutes later.

“It’s a great day, and I’m really relieved,” Leonsis said.

The project is set to include 200,000 square feet (18,580 square meters) of expansion of the arena complex into the nearby Gallery Place space, the creation of an entertainment district in the city’s surrounding Chinatown neighbourhood and safety and transportation upgrades.

“We are the current home and the future home of the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards,” Bowser said. “As Ted likes to say, we’re going to be together for a long time.”

In a statement, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said residents “could not have been louder or clearer in expressing their desire for the teams to stay.”

“This outcome will have significant positive impacts on economic development, public safety, and overall District energy and spirit generated by the millions of people who attend games, shows, and concerts at Capital One Arena,” Schwalb said.

The Council of the District of Columbia will take up the deal next week and is expected to pass it, Chairman Phil Mendelson said at the news conference.

The agreement between Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the city came as Alexandria officials said talks for a new arena that would have moved the teams to Virginia had ended. Leonsis acknowledged Virginia had land as an advantage D.C. didn’t.

“You’re in this arms race to build bigger and better and higher quality and we’ve been running out of space,” Leonsis said, referencing the new entertainment community the agreement envisions. “We now have 200,000 square feet that we can expand to. It’s not 12 acres, but it’s enough.”

Alexandria said earlier Wednesday that the Potomac Yard proposal “will not move forward,” a blow to Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who announced months ago with fanfare the outlines of a proposal negotiated with the teams’ parent company to bring them across the Potomac River.

In a statement, the governor expressed disappointment and frustration over the demise of a plan he said would have created $12 billion in economic investment, laying blame with the Democratic-controlled state Legislature.

“This should have been our deal and our opportunity,” Youngkin said, adding: “But no, personal and political agendas drove away a deal with no upfront general fund money and no tax increases, that created tens of thousands of new jobs and billions in revenue for Virginia.”

Alexandria, which first announced the news, said in a statement posted to its website that it was disappointed in the outcome.

“We negotiated a framework for this opportunity in good faith and participated in the process in Richmond in a way that preserved our integrity,” the statement said. “We trusted this process and are disappointed in what occurred between the Governor and General Assembly.”

In December, Youngkin and Leonsis announced at a public event that they had reached an understanding on the outlines of a plan to move the teams to a proposed new development district in Alexandria, with not only a new arena but also a practice facility and corporate headquarters for Monumental, plus a separate performing arts venue.

The proposal called for the General Assembly to set up an authority that would issue bonds to finance the majority of the project, backed partly by the city and state governments and repaid through a mix of projected tax revenues recaptured from the development.

Youngkin and other supporters said the development would generate tens of thousands of jobs, along with new tax revenues beyond what would have been needed to cover the financing.

But the plan faced opposition from labor unions, Alexandria residents concerned about traffic and D.C. officials who feared the loss of the teams would devastate downtown Washington.

Youngkin and other backers also failed to win over powerful Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, who chairs the Senate’s budget-writing committee. She used that position to block the legislation, citing a range of concerns but foremost the financing structure of the deal: The use of moral obligation bonds put taxpayers and the state’s finances at risk, Lucas said.

Lucas celebrated the proposal’s demise Wednesday. On social media, she posted a cartoon of herself swatting away a basketball with the word “REJECTED” superimposed. She wrote, “As Monumental announces today they are staying in Washington DC we are celebrating in Virginia that we avoided the Monumental Disaster!”

Leonsis had shifted his tone on social media in recent days, pointing to large crowds in Capital One Arena this month for everything from the Capitals and Wizards to ACC Tournament basketball and a Zach Bryan concert. He posted Wednesday that Monumental expected over 400,000 fans to pass through turnstiles in March.

Leonsis was notably not on the ice Sunday for a ceremony honouring longtime Capitals winger T.J. Oshie for reaching the milestone of 1,000 NHL games. He was booed by some fans when his message to Oshie came up on arena video screens.

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Nick Wass/AP Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko Vancouver Canucks move Thatcher Demko to LTIR, recall Bains feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:15:23 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:38:09 EDT Canadian Press The Vancouver Canucks retroactively moved goaltender Thatcher Demko to long-term injured reserve, the club announced Wednesday.

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.” 

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout. 

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign. 

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League. 

“I’d like to see where (Bains is) at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday. 

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford. 

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said. 

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday. 

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13. 

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

With files from Sportsnet Staff.

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devils leafs Keefe rips Maple Leafs’ ‘immature’ performance in loss to Devils full_width Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:13:04 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:33 EDT Luke Fox This certainly wasn’t the first time that Sheldon Keefe’s Leafs blew multiple leads, but this was the first time the coach and his players saw their effort for what it was: a mess.

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TORONTO — From captain to callups, Sheldon Keefe roasted his players at the postgame podium.

And he had every right to do so.

“We just overdid. It was just really immature. Really immature all the way through our game. I thought it was immature from our most experienced players and our leaders. And then our players who are immature, our inexperienced guys, I mean, we made lots of mistakes,” said the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, following an ugly 6-3 home loss to the desperate New Jersey Devils.

“Hated lots about our game tonight.”

This certainly wasn’t the first time Keefe’s Leafs blew multiple leads — in this case, 1-0 in the first and 3-2 in the second — nor let lackadaisical habits and a rash of puck mismanagement unravel them against a weaker opponent. Nor come up empty on the power-play.

But this was the first time this season that Keefe and the leaders who did speak swatted away all available excuses — all-stars Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly did not play due to injury; and Jersey’s Jake Allen supplied a stellar 42-save performance — and saw their effort for what it was: a mess.

Keefe didn’t let Joseph Woll off the hook. He called out his third and fourth lines for getting dashed in the second frame. He singled out Bobby McMann for giving up a 2-on-1 rush early. And he pointed a finger to his leaders up front, unprompted.

“They gotta be the example. John Tavares has been the example for us. He’s been outstanding for us for a long period of time. He himself got carried away tonight. That’s our captain,” Keefe said, pointedly. 

“So, if that’s going to happen, well, the rest of our bench is now picking up as we go. When you do that, you open the door for an opposition to have a good night. And they did that. And I thought the last goal at the end of the third period there [a Jack Hughes breakaway, gifted by an intercepted Max Domi pass], that’s indicative of our second and third periods.”

Who knows what else the coach would’ve said had his post-loss Q&A not been ended by PR before the three-minute mark?

Thing is, with all the pregame chatter about dialling in their details for this stretch run, the Maple Leafs came out firing in the first, outshooting Jersey 25-10. Puck touches galore.

A hot start in the second saw both William Nylander and Auston Matthews bulge the net off the rush. And then?

“We got incredibly sloppy and careless, and that’s disappointing,” Keefe said.

Toronto committed 19 giveaways, feeding the very counterattack Keefe had warned his group about in the pre-scout. Fifteen Leafs finished in the minus column, and not one of their jumbled defence pairings (McCabe-Liljegren, Brodie-Lyubushkin, Benoit-Timmins) looked like a good idea come playoff time.

“I don’t think we were able to get too much going. And when we did, we just gave it right back. So, I think just a little bit of an immature performance by us at times. We have to have that killer instinct a little bit more, especially when you have a good first period like that,” Matthews said.

“That stuff just can’t happen. That’s on us, on the players.”

Nylander’s assessment was similarly refreshing.

“I think just sloppy, letting it get in a little free flowing and not playing hard enough,” Nylander said. 

“It is rattling. We know we’re capable of a lot better in this locker room, so we still have some time to dial it up. I think we’ve been playing great as of late. So, we came in and played against a little bit of a looser team. Can’t happen again.”

Don’t look now, but after losing four of their past six, the Leafs sit just four points up on the fourth-place Lightning, whom they face twice in their final 11 games. And while falling to a wild-card spot is still unlikely, the team that didn’t show up Tuesday hardly looks like one sharpening its swords for the postseason.

“We haven’t clinched anything,” Keefe stressed. “Nothing’s secure at this point in time. And we need to approach it that way. Every day, every shift, every practice we get, we got to have a level of urgency to everything that we’re doing here.”

Fox’s Fast Five

• Nylander sniped a puck off the rush that beat Jake Allen clean short-side, giving the Swede back-to-back 40-goal campaigns.

“Obviously the win is a lot more important than the 40 goals,” he said.

• Injury roundup: Marner (ankle) has been upgraded to day-to-day status. Rielly missed Tuesday’s game due to a minor upper-body injury. Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) is doubtful to play this week. And Mark Giordano (concussion) is now medically cleared to come off long-term injured reserve.

Luke Hughes jumped in the rush and beat Woll clean on the Devils’ first shot of the night. The D-man’s ninth goal and 40th point pulls him into a tie (with Minnesota’s Brock Faber) for second in rookie scoring, behind Connor Bedard. 

“He’s like Quinn but a lot different in ways,” said Devils coach Travis Green, who worked with Luke’s older brother in Vancouver. “He’s just a very special talent, and he’s going to have a long career in the league, and the ceiling’s high.”

Luke, 20, is 6-foot-2 and 184 pounds. The Norris-hunting Quinn, 24, is a slight 5-foot-10, 180 pounds.

“He’s a bigger guy. He’s a different player. He skates a little different. His play with the puck is a bit different as well. He defends different than Quinn. But he’s humble, a lot like Quinn, which is always what you want to see out of young players. And he’s hungry to learn.”

• The Leafs have allowed 11 power-play goals in 11 games this month, watching their penalty kill tumble to 27th in the league.

Ilya Lyubushkin says their PK needs to be more aggressive, to force the opposition into rushing plays and making mistakes.

“We’re a little bit in-between,” Bobby McMann agrees. “When you aren’t having success, you second guess it a little bit. You’re a little bit in-between, thinking about it rather than reacting. I think we can just react and just play hockey and pressure their guys.”

Toronto went 2-for-2 on the kill Tuesday, a positive step.

• Trying to carry momentum from Sunday’s 41-save performance in Carolina, Woll made his first consecutive starts since returning from injury. Facing plenty of high-danger chances, the goaltender gave up five and finished with a career-worst .792 save percentage on this night.

“You can’t let in the first shot of the game,” Keefe said. “That’s two in a row now.”

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canadiens avs Montreal Canadiens’ win is a sign of progress — and a gift for coach St. Louis feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 01:39:09 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 01:47:05 EDT Eric Engels The Canadiens not only gifted Martin St. Louis a win on the night of his return — they gave reinforcement that the work they’ve put in has seen them progress both as a group and individually.

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They were the six minutes that defined this impressive win for the Montreal Canadiens, and all of them were spent neutralizing one of the most potent power plays in the NHL.

Against a lethal unit composed of Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen, which had helped the Colorado Avalanche score on 28 per cent of its opportunities at Ball Arena coming into Tuesday’s game, the Canadiens snuffed out every chance, broke up the most threatening passes, and they sacrificed their bodies in front of goaltender Samuel Montembeault. They held these dominant players to just two shots on net over three power plays by being organized, coordinated, and uber-competitive — the way Martin St. Louis always wants them to be.

It mirrored the way the Canadiens played throughout this game, punctuating a 2-1 win against a team that had won nine straight contests. 

Afterwards, the coach qualified the performance to reporters in attendance as “a nice team win.”

“I’m really proud,” St. Louis added.

You can only imagine how grateful he was to witness it live after 10 days away on personal leave to attend to his youngest son, Mason, who was hospitalized last week following an injury suffered in a hockey game the week prior.

He watched the Canadiens play from Connecticut, watched the coaching staff band together to assume his duties and the players bond through three tough games in Western Canada and another challenging one in Seattle, and he had come away from it feeling as though they were all enabling him to put his most of his focus where it was most needed.

With his 16-year-old boy finally returning home and getting, as St. Louis put it earlier on Tuesday, “back into his normal routine,” he felt comfortable enough to get back to the Canadiens.

“I’m happy to be back for several reasons, but the main reason is that things are stable at home,” St. Louis said. “It wasn’t an easy week. But I’m happy to be back because my passion is my family and hockey, and it’s in that order.

“So, it’s fun to be back because things are going better and I’m happy to be with the group.”

St. Louis showed it on Monday. 

Martin McGuire, play-by-play man for Cogeco radio station 98.5 Montreal, said he witnessed an emotional reunion between the coach and his players in the hotel lobby following a team dinner in Denver that evening. He relayed that St. Louis greeted each one of them, along with members of the coaching staff and management, with handshakes and hugs.

“I was happy to see them again yesterday,” St. Louis said, “and I thanked them in person — not just for the support, but for how they carried themselves while I was gone.”

The Canadiens weren’t perfect in his absence.

But they faced down challenging circumstances with professionalism and determination, giving the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers all they could handle in hard-fought losses before stumbling in a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks and rebounding with a 5-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.

And they saved their best for last, in the Mile High City, for St. Louis.

“I was happy to be there,” he said.

To see the culture St. Louis had worked so hard to establish lead the Canadiens to prevail over one of the league’s best teams had to have been rewarding.

And it had to have only emboldened what St. Louis had been feeling in the lead up to puck drop.

“Going through 10 days like this reminds me why I fell in love with hockey,” St. Louis said before the game. “It’s not just the sport on the ice, it’s everything it brings. It’s a small community. The support I got across the league, from my team, my players, you can’t buy that. It’s special.”

They gave him something else on this night — a reinforcement of the feeling that all the work they’ve been doing together this season has seen them progress both as a group and individually.

Nick Suzuki scored his 29th goal of the season just nine seconds after MacKinnon opened the scoring 43 seconds in. It was his 67th point, giving him a new career high and ultimately rubber-stamping the growth he’s experienced in the role St. Louis has thrust him in (in a nightly matchup with the world’s best players). 

Linemate Juraj Slafkovsky assisted on the play for his 40th point of the season to make this the most productive campaign a teenager has ever had in the 115-year history of the organization. No player has benefited more from St. Louis’s coaching and influence than the 2022 first-overall pick, except for maybe Cole Caufield, who once again displayed the complete game St. Louis has worked so hard to help him establish.

But this was a game that required everyone on the Canadiens to be at their best, and they were up for it.  

Joel Armia scored the winner, Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher made key third-period efforts that drew power plays, and Jordan Harris and Jake Evans playing pivotal roles on the penalty kill. Montembeault was brilliant when he had to be, and the Canadiens blocked 20 shots in front of him to make sure he didn’t have to be too often.

They played together, played within the structure St. Louis has worked tirelessly to implement, and they closed out the game with poise.

“I liked our maturity and attitude,” St. Louis said.

They are the attributes the Canadiens also displayed in his absence, leading to a 2-2-1 trip that only strengthened character.

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AP/Jeffrey T. Barnes Senators Sabres Hockey Shane Pinto has a goal, three assists as the Senators roll over the Sabres full_width Wed, 27 Mar 2024 22:00:14 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 23:13:37 EDT Associated Press The Ottawa Senators enjoyed a five-goal first-period surge, cruising to a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists, and the Ottawa Senators enjoyed a five-goal first-period surge in cruising to a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

Artem Zub opened the scoring 2:37 in an outing the Senators led 4-0 by the 8:49 mark of the opening period, and Pinto closed the scoring with an empty-net goal. Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun and Drake Batherson each had a goal and assist in a matchup of two Atlantic Division teams all but mathematically out of playoff contention.

Joonas Korpisalo had 34 saves to improve to 5-1 in his past six starts.

“I thought we came out strong,” Pinto said, breaking into an uncontrollable laugh. “When you start like that, it’s just awesome. I think it was fun out there. We had a fun first period.”

It’s not often the Senators could discuss having fun in a season they’ve played well below expectations, and face the likelihood of missing the playoffs for a seventh straight year.

The outcome was another setback for the Sabres, who continue tumbling out of playoff contention and are in jeopardy of extending their NHL-record postseason drought to a 13th year.

“I was pretty shocked. I thought our season’s on the line,” defenseman Connor Clifton said. “They came in and they gave it to us and we had no answer.”

Clifton and JJ Peterka scored second-period goals for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was yanked after allowing four goals on nine shots. Devon Levi mopped up in allowing one goal on 32 shots.

The Sabres’ flat start was indicative of a team still attempting to get acclimated to playing at home after spending much of the past week on a western road swing that closed with a 4-1 win at Calgary on Sunday. Buffalo lost three of five on the trip and sits eight points out of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Senators fourth line provided the early spark by scoring the first two goals.

Zub opened the scoring by sweeping in a loose puck that dribbled in behind Luukkonen, after he stopped Katchouk’s shot that was deflected in front by Mark Kastelic. Katchouk scored 2:19 later by deflecting in Parker Kelly’s shot from the right circle.

“Right off the bat, the first two goals, they were the ones that produced it, so I think it really helped,” Senators interim coach Jacques Martin said. “It doesn’t change things, but you need to have some production from different people on different nights. And, I think when you look at some of the wins that we’ve had lately, we’ve been getting some production from other people.”

Luukkonen was pulled after Chychrun made it 4-0 by blasting in a shot from the left circle. Tkachuk capped the surge in the final minute to mark the 17th time the Senators have scored at least five goals in one period — and first time since a five-goal second period in a 6-4 win against Montreal on April 23, 2022.

The team record is six, which came in the first period of a 7-1 win over Atlanta on March 21, 2000.

Martin said defenseman Thomas Chabot will be evaluated after leaving the game with an undisclosed injury in the third period.

UP NEXT

Senators: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Sabres: Resume a five-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

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CP/AP: Anonymous Bob Murdoch Bob Murdoch’s family says two-time Stanley Cup winner suffered from CTE feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:34:42 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:34:50 EDT Canadian Press The family of Bob Murdoch says the two-time Stanley Cup champion suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

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The family of Bob Murdoch says the two-time Stanley Cup champion suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive and fatal disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation said in a statement Wednesday that Boston University CTE Center researchers made the diagnosis after Murdoch died in August at age 76.

The foundation added Murdoch’s widow, Bev, released the findings to raise awareness around the long-term effects of repetitive blows to the head in hockey.

The brain study found Murdoch, who was also the NHL’s coach of the year in 1989-90 with the Winnipeg Jets, suffered from stage 3 CTE at the time of his death.

Murdoch is the latest ex-NHLer to be diagnosed posthumously with the disease, which can’t be confirmed while a person is alive. Doctors can, however, identify suspected cases based on symptoms and neurological exams.

Former NHL enforcer Chris Simon died by suicide last week at age 52. His family said in a statement it “strongly believes” CTE was to blame. The NHL has repeatedly disputed any links between hockey and CTE, including at the league’s recent general managers’ meetings in Florida.

Murdoch played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings and Atlanta/Calgary Flames over 12 seasons from 1970-82, registering 60 goals and 278 points.

The defenceman from Kirkland Lake, Ont., won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1971 and 1973.

“This diagnosis was not a surprise,” Bev Murdoch, Bob’s wife of 37 years, said in the statement provided by the Concussion Legacy Foundation. “He knew, we all knew, intuitively what caused his suffering. So much more needs to be done in professional hockey to acknowledge and prevent CTE.

“If not, there will be more people like Bob who will lose many years of their lives.”

The foundation said 16 of 17 NHL players studied in the United States and Canada have now been diagnosed with CTE, including Murdoch’s former Montreal teammates Ralph Backstrom and Henri Richard, as well as Stan Mikita, Bob Probert and Steve Montador.

Murdoch was an assistant with the Flames before coaching the Chicago Blackhawks (1987-88) and original Jets (1989-91). He won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 1989-90 after Winnipeg improved by 11 wins and 21 points.

The family said Murdoch began to experience mild cognitive impairment in 2015 before being diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s disease in 2019. Murdoch suspected CTE was contributing to his symptoms and made the decision to donate his brain to Boston University after his death, the Concussion Legacy Foundation said.

“It’s not only the athletes who suffer,” Bev Murdoch said. “This disease causes such a significant impact on the family, especially the spouses who become caregivers. For seven years, I watched the love of my life disappear.”

The Concussion Legacy Foundation said researchers are studying whether CTE increases the risk of developing additional brain diseases later in life.

“I’m disappointed that the NHL still refuses to acknowledge a clear causal relationship between repetitive head impacts and CTE,” Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System and director of the Boston University CTE Center and UNITE Brain Bank, said in the statement.

“I wish (NHL commissioner Gary Bettman) could see the damage these brains endure and the pain this disease causes families.”

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Ross D. Franklin/AP Doan ‘You couldn’t script it any better’: Hockey fans celebrate Josh Doan’s big night feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:11:05 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 01:04:19 EDT Sportsnet Staff In his first NHL game, with his dad Shane watching on, Josh Doan scored his first NHL goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday and brought the Mullett Arena crowd to its feet.

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It might be time to give the NHL script writers a raise.

In his first NHL game, with his dad Shane watching on, Josh Doan scored his first NHL goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday and brought the Mullett Arena crowd to its feet.

To make the script even more perfect, he did it wearing No. 91, a reference to his father’s No. 19 which is almost certainly the most iconic jersey in Coyotes franchise history.

And if that wasn’t enough for you, while playing with Arizona State, he also scored the first goal in the history of Mullett Arena.

Talk about a guy who knows how to make a debut.

To make it even sweeter, Scottsdale’s favourite son doubled up in the third period with a cheeky tip-in to give the Coyotes the lead and build on a night to remember.

With this score, he also became the first skater in franchise history to record multiple goals in their NHL debut.

Josh, 22, was selected in the second round (37th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Coyotes. He then signed a three-year, entry-level contract in March 2023.

With the way his NHL career started, we are sure it won’t be the first time he gives Coyotes fans something to cheer about.

Here are some of the best reactions to the feel-good moment:

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Peter K. Afriyie/AP Rangers Rangers become first team to clinch playoff berth after win over Flyers feed_column Tue, 26 Mar 2024 22:31:40 EDT Tue, 26 Mar 2024 23:51:36 EDT Associated Press Adam Fox scored in overtime and Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves as the New York Rangers defeated Philadelphia.

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NEW YORK — Adam Fox scored 36 seconds into overtime and the New York Rangers became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 following a wild third period Tuesday night.

Alexis Lafreniere had two goals and Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves for the Rangers, who lead the league with 100 points after giving coach Peter Laviolette his 800th career win.

New York technically secured its third consecutive playoff berth just by getting to overtime and earning one point after Detroit lost to Washington in OT. But after the teams traded seven goals in a frenetic third period, it didn’t take long for Fox to finish the night in style with a pinpoint wrist shot from the high slot for his 15th goal, adding to the star defenseman’s career high.

“For us to stay as consistent as we have says a lot about our group,’’ said Fox, who has points in eight straight games. “It’s big for us to clinch that playoff spot. It’s just the first step.”

Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and Jonny Brodzinski also scored for the Rangers, who extended their Metropolitan Division lead to three points over Carolina, which lost 4-1 at Pittsburgh. Trocheck also had two assists.

“I thought we battled hard. We knew this would be a tough game,” Zibanejad said. “I thought we got better as the game went on. We kept fighting.”

Scott Laughton and Ryan Poehling scored second-period goals to put the Flyers up 2-0 before Zibanejad narrowed the deficit with his 100th career power-play goal at 15:28.

Brodzinski and Lafreniere scored early in the third to put New York ahead 3-2 before Travis Konecny tied it 3-all with his team-leading 31st goal at 6:45.

Trocheck scored short-handed at 9:34 off a sweet pass from Zibanejad to put the Rangers ahead 4-3, but Owen Tippett tied it again at 11:45 before Lafreniere scored his second of the game and 22nd of the season at 13:59. Flyers forward Tyson Foerster then evened the score yet again at 16:29 with his 19th goal to send the game into overtime.

“I liked the game for the most part. I thought we played very well,” Laughton said. ”I thought we were in control of it and should have gotten two points. We’re in this game to win and we didn’t get on the right side of it tonight.”

New York won its third straight game and fifth in six overall to improve to 26-9-0 at home. The team is 17-1-1 when Lafreniere, the top pick in the 2020 draft, scores a goal.

“We found a way to win, that’s all that matters,” Lafreniere said. ”There’s still a lot of work to do and we know that. We have a lot of hockey to play still. We have to stay focused.”

Artemi Panarin’s assist on Zibanejad’s goal was his 100th point of the season, making him the seventh player in Rangers history — and first since Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06 — to reach the milestone. Panarin, who added two more assists, has points in 57 of New York’s 72 games this season.

“He’s an unbelievable player,’’ Zibanejad said of Panarin, his teammate for five seasons. “I’m super happy for him.”

Third-place Philadelphia has nine games remaining and will play five of its last seven against division opponents, including the Rangers again in New York on April 11.

“I feel like we did a good job grabbing a point tonight,” said Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson, who is 21-14-7 in his rookie season. ”Great attribute to have as a team, to never give up. I think we showed that tonight.”

Rangers defenseman Brandon Scanlin made his NHL debut in place of injured Erik Gustafsson.

New York captain Jacob Trouba has missed 10 straight games with a lower-body injury, while fellow defenseman Ryan Lindgren missed his fourth in a row with a lower-body injury. Rangers center Alex Wennberg, whose wife is pregnant, was a late scratch for personal reasons and was replaced by Brodzinski.

“What I liked was the fight in our guys,” said the 59-year-old Laviolette, who is the seventh coach in NHL history to reach 800 wins and is in his first season coaching the Rangers. ”I like the fact that we were resilient.”

UP NEXT

Rangers: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

Flyers: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

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Frank Franklin II/AP Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck What’s at root of Jets’ stumble in Central Division race? feed_column Tue, 26 Mar 2024 11:01:21 EDT Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:01:23 EDT Adam Vingan Earlier this season, the Jets went 34 games in a row without allowing more than three goals, tied for the third-longest run in NHL history. But ever since then, things have not gone as well.

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The Winnipeg Jets had a rough end to last week, losing three road games in four days by a combined score of 13-4. Their mini-slump has put them four points behind the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars in the race for the Central Division title. (The suddenly unstoppable Nashville Predators, who have gone 15-0-2 since mid-February, are now only five points back of the Jets.)

The question now is whether this skid is a sign of things to come for the Jets or just a bump in the road. Just last Tuesday, Winnipeg knocked off the league-leading New York Rangers 4-2 at Madison Square Garden.

The Jets, however, have been playing slightly above .500 hockey for the past two months (14-12-1 since Jan. 22) after winning 30 of their first 44 games behind excellent defensive play.

Earlier this season, the Jets went 34 games in a row without allowing more than three goals, tied for the third-longest run in NHL history. That included a stretch of 14 consecutive games in which they held opponents to two or fewer goals.

Since the Boston Bruins snapped that streak Jan. 22, the Jets have taken a step back in their own end.


It is not a significant drop-off, but it coincides with a reduction in offence. Jets skaters have scored 2.4 goals per 60 minutes with Connor Hellebuyck on the ice since Jan. 22, down from 3.36 per 60 over the previous 34 games.

In simpler terms, the Jets outscored opponents by 50 (114-64) in 34 games between Nov. 4 and Jan. 20. They are even (73-73) since Jan. 22.

Hellebuyck was practically impenetrable for those two-plus months, saving an extra 0.86 goals per 60 (21.4 total) across 25 starts. Over his past 19 starts, though, he has saved an extra 0.26 goals per 60 (4.71 total). That is a solid number for many goaltenders, but the perennial Vezina Trophy candidate (and 2020 winner) is held to higher standards.

Under coach Rick Bowness, who will return to the bench Tuesday after recently undergoing a “minor medical procedure,” the Jets have prided themselves on strong team defence, which is supported by elite goaltending from Hellebuyck. That is what carried them to the top of the league standings in mid-January, and it will likely determine how far they go in the playoffs.

“We’ve got to worry about us, worry about our process, make sure that we’re consistent with our details, our compete and our execution,” Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo told reporters Sunday. “That has wavered here in this last stretch. We haven’t been as consistent as we’d like to be. If our process is right, we feel confident in going against anybody in any building.”

All stats via Sportlogiq.

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John Woods/CP Hyman With luck working against them, Oilers steal a win vs. Jets feed_column Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:45:47 EDT Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:46:08 EDT Mark Spector In the end, the Hockey Gods smiled on the Oilers on a night when the breaks went the other way. It was the kind of game where you feel like you beat two opponents, not just one.

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WINNIPEG — It’s hockey’s well-worn cliché, that the breaks always even out in the end. So the trick becomes to steal a few wins when luck is working against you, then collect as many wins as you can when the breaks start falling your way.

Two days after the Edmonton Oilers surrendered power-play goals on two extremely sketchy penalties in a loss at Ottawa, they swallowed two more road apples from the National Hockey League zebras in Winnipeg — the second a phantom high-sticking call with 2:06 remaining in a 3-3 game.

Somebody’s stick hit the visor of Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry in a puck battle behind the Jets’ goal. Referee Brandon Blandina whistled Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a two-minute high-sticking minor, but television replays quickly revealed that the derelict stick belonged to Jets defenceman Dylan Demelo.

Look, it happens fast. These things happen.

They’ll be able to rescind that minor penalty via video review in the playoffs, the Oilers were told, but because it was not a four- or five-minute penalty the officials could not review this one in the regular season. Even though every person inside Canada Life Centre realized the call was wrong as they lined up to drop the puck on the Jets’ late power play, the game on the line for an Oilers team that dragged a two-game losing streak into the contest.

“We were losing it on the bench, obviously, for a little bit there,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse, whose game was strong in a physical affair. “But we were able to collect ourselves. I think it gave us a little motivation that we wanted to kill off the penalty knowing that we shouldn’t be out there killing (at all).”

The Oilers did indeed kill the penalty — a PK unit that gave up three goals in Ottawa was perfect on five attempts Tuesday — and stretched the game into overtime. There, Zach Hyman banged in his own rebound for goal No. 200 in his career and No. 51 on the season, for a 4-3 Oilers OT win.

“I don’t know if it’s worse that you didn’t do it, or worse if you did do it,” said Nugent-Hopkins, who had a goal and an OT assist on a five-shot night. “Regardless, you’re sitting in the box with two minutes left. Pretty stressful.”

“We showed a lot of resolve,” said Connor Brown, who has become a key penalty killer in Edmonton. “We weren’t happy with the call, and we put it behind us and just got the job done. It shows a lot about a character of this group.”

In the end, the Hockey Gods smiled on Edmonton on a night when the breaks went the other way. It was the kind of game where you feel like you beat two opponents, not just one.

Brown scored his third of the season on a goofy sequence of events, as Corey Perry ‘borrowed’ his stick, almost scored with it, then gave it back as Brown changed on the fly for him. Brown grabbed that twig, took a pass, then walked in and rifled a wrist shot over Connor Hellebuyck’s glove for a 3-1 Edmonton lead in the second period.

It all happened within about 15 seconds.

“I had one leg over the boards, and (Perry) just ripped it out of my hands as he skated by the bench, actually,” Brown said. “It was a little too small for him in the slot. I think he would have buried one if he had his own stick.”

Brown is slowly finding his way after a horrendous opening three-quarters of the season, right on cue to perhaps provide some support scoring in the playoffs. Evander Kane, meanwhile, stretched his scoreless drought to 17 games.

He’s been stuck on 21 goals since Feb. 19.

“This has probably been, I would have to say, the longest stretch I have not scored,” he said. “We’ve been creating some quality looks — we could have had three in Toronto, and our line had one. But yeah, I think part of it is just getting some cleaner that looks and some better scoring chances.”

If chances are the barometer, then Kane should be scoring any day now. He had six shots on net Tuesday, and three better-than-decent chances to score — including a breakaway from the blue line in. It’s just not going in for the big left-winger right now, though his line with Ryan McLeod and Perry generated nine shots and no goals on an even night’s work.

Coming home for a Thursday game against Los Angeles will be a lot less stressful with these two points in the standings. Somehow, the Oilers blew a game in Ottawa where they outshot the Senators 38-16, but they got their win in Winnipeg to avoid a pointless roadie.

“We feel like we could have gotten two of three this road trip,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But there are times during the season where we’ve won games that we didn’t deserve to win. Over a season that it works out.”

McDavid had two assists to close to within four points of the NHL’s scoring lead, where Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon sit with 123 points.

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Jae C. Hong/AP Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos Lightning coach Cooper says NHL should add two minutes to overtime feed_column Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:40:50 EDT Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:40:59 EDT Sportsnet Staff Count Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper among the supporters of three-on-three overtime. In fact, Cooper likes it so much he thinks it should be longer.

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Count Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper among the supporters of three-on-three overtime.

In fact, Cooper likes it so much he thinks it should be longer.

Speaking on The Jeff Marek Show on Tuesday, Cooper said the NHL should consider extending overtime to seven

“Gary, hopefully you’re not listening, but if I was going to do something I would just add two minutes to it,” Cooper said. “I don’t think the overtime is broken. I think once that first shot happens, it just takes one odd-man rush to trigger four more.”

Regular season overtime in the NHL has been for five minutes since it was introduced in 1983-84, with the shootout added in 2005-06. Three-on-three overtime was added ahead of the 2015-16 season.

This season, 70.3 per cent of the games that have gone past regulation have ended in overtime, according to Sportsnet Stats, and the Montreal Canadiens lead the NHL with just 10 shootout appearances. In 2014-15, the year before three-on-three was introduced, 23 teams appeared in at least 10 shootouts.

However, changes to the overtime format were floated at the general managers meetings in November. The ideas discussed were intended to prevent teams with possession of the puck from recircling back to their own zones. But, when the topic was brought up at the March GM meetings last week, the managers decided the format should stay as is.

Speaking with Marek, Cooper said that while he understands some people don’t like when teams regroup in overtime, he believes the best scoring chances come as a result of that strategy.

“Yes, sometimes there’s some regrouping and sometimes, I get it, the guys are running around in the end zone and stuff like that, but the regroup is the actual thing that triggers the rushes,” Cooper said. “You can entice bad changes. There’s so many things that can happen. But when the guys keep it in the zone the whole time, it’s actually really hard to generate any offence.”

“What is it, like 70 per cent of the games get decided in overtime, something like that? That would probably go up 10 per cent if they added two minutes.”

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Matt Rourke/AP Torts Flyers’ Tortorella apologizes for recent non-answer feed_column Tue, 26 Mar 2024 15:28:49 EDT Tue, 26 Mar 2024 15:28:57 EDT Sportsnet Staff Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella apologized to local media on Tuesday for a recent non-answer he gave when asked about goalie Felix Sandstrom.

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Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella apologized to local media on Tuesday for a recent non-answer he gave when asked about goalie Felix Sandstrom.

“I made a terrible mistake with you guys the other night,” Tortorella said. “My body language was wrong.”

Tortorella was apologizing for how he acted following Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Panthers. In his post-game press conference, Tortorella was asked about Sandstrom’s performance. Instead of answering, the coach raised both his hands up in the air in a sort of shrug motion, twice, then walked off the podium.

Sandstrom has made five appearances for the Flyers and three starts this season. He replaced Cal Peterson as the primary backup to Samuel Ersson at the beginning of March.

“What I should have said to you was… he’s trying, Sandy’s trying,” Tortorella said Tuesday. “Things happened this year that put our goaltending situation into a little bit of a state of flux. Sandy did not deserve that from me, you had a perfect right to ask the question, he did not deserve that from me and it was wrong.”

Ersson will start for the Flyers against the Rangers Tuesday night.

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Jason Franson/CP Hyman Why a 50-goal season is just the start for bargain scorer Zach Hyman feed_column Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:42:14 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:02:44 EDT Mark Spector Zach Hyman’s goal totals have climbed each year he’s been an Oiler and he just accomplished his first 50-goal season. Mark Spector writes why Hyman, 31, should continue being an extremely valuable contributor to the end of his $5.5 million AAV contract.

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WINNIPEG — Zach Hyman knows the narrative out there, that he is some modern day version of Jonathan Cheechoo.

A product of Connor McDavid’s brilliance, the same way the Moose Factory, Ont. product Cheechoo was the benefactor of the silky Joe Thornton all the way to a career-high 56-goal season for San Jose back in 2005-06.

Cheechoo scored 37 the next season and fell off from there. 

But what about Hyman?

“(When) I started I was an NHL player, but I was an NHL player who had no hands,” Hyman said Sunday night in Ottawa, after scoring his 50th goal on a powerplay feed from (who else?) No. 97.

“A grinder playing next to Auston (Matthews) and Willie (Nylander). That was the narrative,” Hyman said. “I scored 10 goals, then 15 and then 20. And then it was, ‘He’s an okay player. He just plays with good players.’ And I still have that narrative, which is awesome.

“I wouldn’t be in this position without (McDavid).”

So, let’s dig in on this 31-year-old right-winger who has solved the Rubik’s Cube that is McDavid’s hockey I.Q. Who has become the down-low Dave Andreychuk to McDavid’s Doug Gilmour; the crease-crashing Craig Simpson to McDavid’s Mark Messier.

Hyman is a late-bloomer, an NCAA grad who didn’t play pro hockey until age 23. That means his body is 31, but with the wear and tear of a 28-year-old. He’s been largely injury-free and has four more seasons left on his contract after this one with an AAV of $5.5 million — a contract that was supposed to age poorly.

But will it?

Let’s start by listing some facts that we can all agree on:

• In his three seasons in Edmonton, Hyman’s goal totals have risen from 27 to 36 to 50 and counting — one career-high after another.

• Of his 50 goals this season, only 15 have come on the powerplay — compared to 27 for Sam Reinhart, who also hit 50 on Sunday — and no one in the NHL has scored more goals from that area within three feet of the goal line than Hyman.

• Hyman’s game is as cerebral as it is skill-based. By that we mean, his goals don’t come by outskating opponents the way Pavel Bure did, an over powering shot like Alex Ovechkin once had, or simply being bigger and stronger than the defenders like Eric Lindros. Skills that diminish with age. That’s a check mark on the longevity side.

• We know that hockey players get smarter and more wily with age and experience. Leon Draisaitl wins more faceoffs at 28 than he did at age 23; Joe Pavelski tips a better puck today than a decade ago. So too does Hyman work the low slot so much more wisely at 31 than he did at 25.

We’re not saying Hyman gets 50 in each of the next three seasons, but with McDavid at his prime for the next few seasons, and Hyman solidifying his craft as a crease master, is an annual 40 goals realistic?

That’s pretty good for $5.5 million.

“A lot of good things have to happen, but you see the way Hymes scores,” said Corey Perry, whose work in NHL creases over the past 1,300 games qualifies him as an expert on the topic. “There was a chart out the other day — he’s got one (goal from) outside of the house. Outside of that 10-foot area (around) the net.

“If you want to score goals in the league, that’s where you want to go. That’s where you have to go.”

Location of Zach Hyman’s 50 goals. Image and data via Sportlogiq.

Currently, McDavid has assisted on 33 of Hyman’s 50 goals (66%), and has the primary assist on 23 (46%).

For context, Mitch Marner has assisted on 55.1 per cent of Matthews’ 58 goals, with 41.3% of them primary assists, while Sasha Barkov has assisted on 56% of Reinhart’s 50 goals, 30% primary.

So McDavid’s help is greater than the others. Also, McDavid is on a career passing jag. What if he goes back to scoring goals, like he did with a career high 64 tucks last season? Hyman’s production would surely suffer.

Now, let’s talk shooting percentage.

Hyman is scoring at a 20.8% clip this season. He has averaged a shooting percentage of 14.6% over the previous five seasons.

Unsustainable?

Likely, but consider that Hyman has two things working for him here in terms of maintaining what is the third highest shooting percentage in the NHL this season among 25-goal scorers:

No one else in the NHL has scored more goals from within 10 feet of the goal line this season, as the accompanying chart shows, with 30 of Hyman’s 50 coming from that range. The closer you are the net, the more sustainable a high shooting percentage is.

Most goals scored from less than 10 feet in 2023-24. From Sportsnet Stats.

Factor in that no one else has McDavid passing them the puck — even though the NHL is well stocked with superior passers — you could deduce that Hyman’s shooting percentage is bound to be higher than most.

Hey, someone has to tap in those backdoor feeds from McDavid, or cash the rebound from a Draisaitl blast.

The point is, a 20 per cent shooting percentage is unsustainable when you score the way Draisaitl does, or Matthews. But is it less so when the vast majority of your shots come from within six feet of the goal line?

Either way, two things seem true:

Hyman, at $5.5 million, is perhaps the league’s best scoring bargain, a point that will be driven home by Reinhart’s UFA deal this summer.

And a contract that was supposed to age badly may have more good years in it than we thought it would. Because Hyman may slow down significantly in his final season at 35, but maybe not so significantly after all.

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32-THOUGHTS_GMC-SPONSOR-THE-PODCAST_1280x720 32 Thoughts Podcast: Hyman, Reinhart hit 50 goals full_width Mon, 25 Mar 2024 09:41:27 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 09:41:29 EDT Sportsnet Staff In this edition of 32 Thoughts, Jeff and Elliotte pay tribute to Zach Hyman and Sam Reinhart, who both reached the magical hockey mark of 50 goals.

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In this edition of 32 Thoughts, Jeff and Elliotte pay tribute to Zach Hyman and Sam Reinhart, who both reached the magical hockey mark of 50 goals. Now that Reinhart has reached 50, the fellas ponder how the Florida Panthers fit him in their future plans (15:00). Next, Jeff and Elliotte focus on the Edmonton Oilers after Evander Kane didn’t play on Sunday night (17:20) and the guys also highlight how important Gabe Vilardi has been to the Winnipeg Jets (23:20). Elliotte then provides his takeaways from Carolina-Toronto on Sunday (28:00), and that is then contrasted with the Columbus Blue Jackets who were officially eliminated from playoff contention this weekend (30:55). Elliotte provides an update on Elias Lindholm and the Canucks, and the guys highlight the fan ovation for JT Miller on Saturday night (36:14). They give credit to the Nashville Predators who have turned their season around and sit in the first wild card spot in the West (40:19) and close out the A block by commenting on the relationship between the CHL and NCAA (43:19).

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Chris Young/CP mcdonald_lanny1280 Lanny McDonald still emotional six weeks after being ‘on his way to heaven’ full_width Wed, 20 Mar 2024 08:19:20 EDT Wed, 20 Mar 2024 20:51:29 EDT Eric Francis Several days after the stirring ovation that welcomed him back to the Saddledome, Lanny McDonald is still grappling with the emotion of it all, writes Eric Francis.

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CALGARY — Several days after the stirring ovation that welcomed him back to the Saddledome, Lanny McDonald is still grappling with the emotion of it all. 

It’s been six weeks since the hockey icon lay dying on the floor of the Calgary airport, saved by two passing nurses and a policeman who worked so furiously to bring his unresponsive body back to life that he broke McDonald’s sternum and many of his ribs.

Although the former Flames captain recalls very little of a five-day window after feeling weak in the knees and slamming his head into the floor as he went into cardiac arrest, McDonald will never forget the outpouring of love and support he’s received ever since.

“The ovation,” said McDonald, voice cracking as his wife, Ardell, sat by his side to refresh his memory, “was unbelievable. 

“I don’t even know how to describe it.

“It felt so good. So nice. 

“It was … kind of overwhelming.”

Surrounded by Stanley Cup-winning teammates from the 1989 season, McDonald was overcome with emotion Saturday night as 18,000 fans stood for a prolonged salute to a man who has forever done his part to brighten the spirits of those around him with an autograph, a meaty handshake, a photo, a chat, a thumbs-up or a simple smile from the game’s ultimate ambassador.

This was their small way of returning the favour.     

“I never really thought of it in those terms,” said the humble Hall of Famer, who was asked how moved he was by that, and so many other gestures of late.

“Oh my God, my kids tease me all the time, ‘You’re a big tough guy.’ 

“I’m the biggest softy, and I have cried more in the last five, six weeks than you could possibly imagine.

“When I have to rely on Ardell and my kids to remind me I was on a different path until those people at the airport helped roll me over, and the nurses and policeman who helped bring me back … I have a lot of people to thank and be thankful for.”

The heart attack came on Feb. 4, minutes after he and Ardell returned from the All-Star festivities in Toronto where the healthy, always energetic McDonald had a busy weekend as chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Doctors later told him if his episode occurred minutes earlier on the plane, or minutes later in the parking lot, he would have died.

“Talk about lucky,” he said.

“Thank God people came to help.” 

Both the McDonalds needed it.

“I couldn’t turn him over, so I yelled for help and somebody came to help, and then these nurses came and they said, ‘He’s not breathing,’” said Ardell of the two nurses who were on their way to catch a flight.

“They started CPR and then called for the defibrillator before the policeman came and took over.

“He was punching through to China, which is how he broke Lanny’s ribs and sternum.”

“I asked if he had to do it that hard. He said, ‘Yes.’

“They brought him back to life. He was dead. He was on his way to heaven.”

Four days later, McDonald had quadruple bypass surgery.

Eight days after that, on his 71st birthday, he had a pacemaker put in.

“Lanny only does things in dramatic fashion,” said Ardell, smiling.

“There were some angels looking out for him.

“I think he’s looking out now to see how he can give back.”

He can do that by just being here, which is what spurred so many to respond with so much love when news of his episode hit. 

“Just by being a good person, he has given so much to so many people, but he doesn’t realize it, so I think he was overwhelmed by the response,” articulated Ardell, before turning to her Hall of Fame hubby with a chuckle. 

“I’m going to stop … I can see your head swelling.”

McDonald still intends to complete the final year-and-a-half left in his term as Hockey Hall of Fame chairman, but understands he has to take it easy.

“He can’t climb ladders or use a chainsaw — things he likes to do,” said Ardell of her honey from Hanna, Alta.

“He walks until his shoes are worn out, but can’t shovel or sweep, and that’s hard. 

“His activity level is going to have to change.

“The old farm boy is going to have to ask for help.”

Given what he’s meant to this city, you can bet everyone is willing.

“I’ve gone through some tough injuries, but recovery from this one — the broken ribs and sternum — is not for the weak,” said the father of four and grandfather of eight.

“Every day is a challenge, trying to get better.

“You better have a good attitude and be strong mentally because it’s tough, but I feel like the luckiest guy to still be able to spend some time and try to teach my grandkids to be good to people.”

Like Grandpa has always done.

He’s always been there for fellow Calgarians, which is why it’s so heartening they were there for him that fateful afternoon, and ever since.   

“It took weeks to get back to all the people who sent hundreds and hundreds of texts and emails, and it was a real life lesson to get those messages from people who said, ‘Don’t bother writing back, just wanted you to know we’re thinking of you,’” said McDonald.

“The power of those messages.

“Even the team doing a little video coming off the ice that morning meant so much.

“It’s hard to describe how healthy and powerful that is in your recovery.”

Even harder to describe how much it means for everyone that he gets there.

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Graham Hughes/CP Martin St. Louis Canadiens Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis rejoins team after personal leave feed_column Mon, 25 Mar 2024 19:16:44 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 19:55:10 EDT Canadian Press Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis has rejoined the team on their road trip and will be behind the bench for their game Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche.

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Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is returning to the NHL team’s bench for Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

St. Louis had been away from the team since March 16 for family reasons.

The Canadiens say St. Louis’ 16-year-old son, Mason, suffered an injury while playing in a hockey game. Mason experienced injury complications a week later and was hospitalized.

Mason’s condition has since stabilized and he is recovering at the St. Louis family home in Connecticut, the Canadiens say.

“Everyone within the Canadiens organization has been very supportive of my wife Heather and me as we fully focused on our son Mason and his recovery from a hockey injury,” St. Louis said in a statement. “As parents, nothing is more important to us than our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason.”

Assistant coach Trevor Letowski stepped in as head coach with St. Louis away.

The Canadiens went 1-1-2 in four road games in their head coach’s absence.

“We appreciate the Canadiens organization, our fans, and the hockey community for understanding and supporting us through Mason’s injury and recovery. I would like to extend a special thank you to the doctors and nurses that cared for him during this time,” St. Louis said. 

“I’d also like to thank everyone for respecting my family and our privacy, and I ask to please maintain a focus on the Canadiens team and the remainder of the 2023-24 season.”

The Canadiens are 15th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 26-32-12 record in St. Louis’ third season.

St. Louis replaced Dominique Ducharme as Montreal’s head coach Feb. 9, 2022. Montreal signed St. Louis to a three-year contract extension in June 2022.

He played more than 1,300 NHL games for the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.

The 48-year-old from Laval, Que., won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, helped Canada win an Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey in 2014 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

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Darryl Dyck/CP CanucksKings Canucks get Kings’ best effort in potential playoff preview full_width Tue, 26 Mar 2024 02:12:09 EDT Tue, 26 Mar 2024 02:19:13 EDT Iain MacIntyre The Canucks had an opportunity on Monday to clinch a Stanley Cup playoff spot. And yet, it felt like the game meant more to the Los Angeles Kings, who had a lot to prove.

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VANCOUVER – For years, the Vancouver Canucks were so eager to prove themselves capable of something better than they were that games against top teams were constantly viewed as a barometer for them.

Those “measuring-stick” games often seemed to be more important to the Canucks than an opponent who clearly was headed towards bigger games and better things.

Like almost everything around the Canucks this National Hockey League season, the circumstances that spawned that mindset have reversed. 

The Canucks had an opportunity on Monday to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs — in March, with 10 games and 20 points still on the table. And yet, it felt like the game meant more to the Los Angeles Kings, who had a lot to prove.

The Kings were beaten 2-1 by the Canucks in overtime three weeks ago in Los Angeles, and trailed them by 13 points in the Pacific Division standings before Monday. Not only is Los Angeles a potential first-round playoff opponent for Vancouver, it is probably the preferred first-round opponent.

What, you think the Canucks would rather draw the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights or the sizzling Nashville Predators (and travel to Tennessee) in the opening round in 3 ½ weeks? 

Well, the Kings proved a lot in their 3-2 victory against the Canucks at Rogers Arena.

They checked Vancouver into submission, built a two-goal lead heading into the third period and allowed the home team exactly one shot on net in the first 16 minutes of the final frame: a weak slider along the ice by Elias Pettersson.

It looked like the game meant a lot to the Kings.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t want to speak on behalf of them, but we’ve been at the top of the league the whole year,” Canuck J.T. Miller said. “I think there’s a time we can take pride in that. You know, we’re certainly not satisfied. It’s more of a game-to-game process type of thing for us. I don’t love losing games, but when other teams are banging their sticks when that last puck is cleared out, they know they just beat a good hockey team. It says a lot. 

“There’s going to be a lot of hard games here coming down (the stretch). This is good, good prep for us. We’ve got to find a way to win games like that.”

Frequently this season, the Canucks have won these types of games. Defensively, they’re every bit as committed as the Kings. But Los Angeles, with its 1-3-1 trap, and willingness to outwait the other team, is a different kind of opponent – almost a throwback to the dead-puck era. Except they check with speed and counterattack with skill.

“They’re a strong defensive team, too, so it’s hard to get chances,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said admiringly of the Canucks. “I think that’s the challenge for the players: you go out there and you just keep playing and playing. Players like to score, they like to make good passes and all this kind of stuff, and there’s just not a lot of room to do that. I think both teams understood that and it was just a battle, plain and simple. Both teams went at it hard and we got on the right side of it.”

Canuck Sam Lafferty’s outstanding effort taking the puck to the net, bursting between two defenders before tucking the puck around goalie Cam Talbot, tied the game 1-1 at 12:50 of the first period after a poor Vancouver line change contributed to Kevin Fiala’s goal on a three-on-two rush at 7:01.

At 16:29 of the second period, Blake Lizotte’s centring pass banked in off the skate of Canuck defenceman Carson Soucy. And the Kings made it 3-1 at 18:20 when goalie Casey DeSmith spilled a rebound that eventually bounced to Anze Kopitar for a tap-in at the back post.

Trailing by two goals against the Kings is like going to the dentist without freezing or a benefits plan. 

“I mean, that’s their system,” Canuck defenceman Nikita Zadorov said. “They don’t really make plays; they just rim the puck and sit back all game. I mean, it’s their goal to don’t play hockey and don’t let the other team play hockey, pretty much. Yeah, it’s hard to come back, especially when you’re down two goals. They had one extra bounce than we did today, so that was the difference out there.”

The Canucks got a bounce, too, as Brock Boeser’s slap-pass caromed in off Kopitar with 2:53 remaining to make the game close. But Vancouver was unable to generate any pressure or shots until DeSmith was pulled for an extra attacker with about four minutes remaining.

“We got some good pushes, but we have a hard time, I think, getting on the inside sometimes against those guys,” Miller said. “Forwards have got to do a better job of getting there.”

In three games against the Kings in the last month, the Canucks, who are fifth in NHL offence with 3.49 goals-per-game, have scored five times in nine-plus periods.

“It’s just blue-paint stuff,” Canuck coach Rick Tocchet said. “You’ve got to own the blue paint.

“It’s a coin-flip type of game. They hit heads and won. They got a couple around the paint. I think that’s really what it comes down to.”

ICE CHIPS – Struggling centre Elias Lindholm, who has been dealing with an undisclosed injury, missed his first game since his Jan. 31 trade to the Canucks. Tocchet said Lindholm is out “day to day.” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the weekend that Lindholm is seeing a specialist this week. . . With the return of Ian Cole to the defence after the veteran was scratched the last two games, Tocchet and his staff decided to change all three pairings despite Vancouver having won its three previous games while allowing only 58 shots. The elite duo of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek was split, Hughes partnering Tyler Myers while Hronek skated with Zadorov.

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CP170229993(1) Maple Leafs’ Matthews on pace for NHL’s most goals in a season in nearly 30 years feed_column Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:25:24 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:25:53 EDT Associated Press Max Domi lined up for a faceoff in Washington, looked over at Alex Ovechkin and thought, “Wow, that’s going to be the greatest goal-scorer of all time.”

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Max Domi lined up for a faceoff in Washington, looked over at Alex Ovechkin and thought, “Wow, that’s going to be the greatest goal-scorer of all time.”

Then he looked over at Auston Matthews and realized his Toronto teammate could be in that discussion too.

That came in the middle of another two-goal game by Matthews, who has scored an NHL-leading 58 this season. Scoring 70 would require a goal-a-game tear down the stretch, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility by any means, but the U.S.-born centre is on pace for 67, which would be the most in the NHL in nearly 30 years.

“We’ve got more stuff to worry about in our locker room as far as trying to build our game toward the end of the season and stuff,” Matthews said. “The individual stuff, obviously you want to accomplish stuff. You want to push yourself to be as great as you can. That’s what I try to do every night. I’m just going to continue to push and try to elevate my game towards the stretch and do what I can to help the team win.”

Ovechkin owns the single-season record for goals in the salary cap era, which began in 2005, when he scored 65 in 2007-08. That was after rule changes opened up the game, increased power plays and showcased a generation of talent led by the Capitals winger and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.

Matthews, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon have succeeded Ovechkin and Crosby in those starring roles. Matthews (two seasons ago) and McDavid (three times) have already won the Hart Trophy as MVP, and MacKinnon is among the leading candidates for it this year.

Ovechkin, who at 848 goals is 47 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career record, is rooting for Matthews to surpass his single-season mark.

“I’m cheering for him,” Ovechkin said last week. “Happy for him. I hope he gets it. Maybe 70, you never know. He’s a special player. It’s fun to watch.”

Not so fun to defend. Washington coach Spencer Carbery said after his team’s loss to Toronto, “We had zero answer for No. 34 tonight,” referring to Matthews’ jersey number that has become as associated with him as 8 has for Ovechkin, 87 for Crosby, 97 for McDavid and 29 for MacKinnon.

Matthews has scored 60 in a season once and, given the Maple Leafs’ propensity for offence, it would be foolish to rule out a run that gets him to 70 before the playoffs begin.

“Just the way that he plays off the puck, plays to get pucks back, he’s always there in support,” teammate Bobby McMann said. “It’s easy to play with him, and there’s a reason he’s scoring so many.”

So many that there’s already buzz about whether Ovechkin’s time as hockey’s all-time leading goal-scorer, if he gets there, could be short-lived. Matthews is actually outpacing him at this point in their careers, with 357 goals in his first 550 games compared to Ovechkin’s 338.

“It’s crazy to think that Alex can break Wayne’s record, potentially, hopefully, and then Auston’s going to be sniffing at that, too,” Domi said. “It’s really special for guys like us to be able to play on the same ice surface as those guys and have fun and enjoy the moment because those are two generational talents.”

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CP170292847(1) In the Oilers, the Senators see a team they would like to be one day full_width Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:43:54 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:58:01 EDT Wayne Scanlan Watching the Senators’ tiny miracle on home ice against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday evening was to imagine the possibilities.

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OTTAWA — Watching the Senators’ tiny miracle on home ice against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday evening was to imagine the possibilities.

At times run-and-gun, more often bolt-the-door-and-pray (from an Ottawa perspective), the Senators survived for the improbable 5-3 win on a fine bit of goaltending by Joonas Korpisalo (with back-to-back weekend wins) and a lot of puck luck in their own zone. Kudos as well to a Senators power play that struck with such quick precision — seven seconds, 22 seconds and nine seconds into three of their man advantage opportunities — it seemed like a fair imitation of the Oilers with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman. 

Players don’t fool easily. Power play aside, Ottawa’s top players recognized that the ice was tilted for much of the night as Edmonton outshot the Sens 36-16. It felt as though the Oilers had the puck on remote control for the entire third period, until a late power-play goal by Jakob Chychrun, his second of the game, and an empty netter by Parker Kelly put the visitors away. 

“They were kind of all over us,” said Senators winger Drake Batherson, who scored a beauty on a power play and set up both Chychrun goals. 

“I said to the boys, the ice looks pretty good down in their end if we can get down there.”

As you can see, Batherson has verbal talents to go with his hockey skill. 

They got “down there” long enough for Mathieu Joseph to draw a holding penalty. And the resulting power play took care of the rest. 

 “They’re elite players, credit to the guys for keeping it out, they had us hemmed in a bit and they’re going to do that with the guys they’ve got over there,” Batherson said, referencing the team’s reverence for the Oilers.

“We were excited to play the game,” he added. “Playing against those players, you get up for that challenge. We were ready to go and we got a few bounces.”

Watching a motivated Senators team hang on against one of Canada’s best hopes in the post-season, it raised the question: When does Ottawa get to become the legitimate Cup contender that Edmonton is today?

For woe-is-me Senators fans bemoaning their seventh consecutive spring without playoff hockey, Oilers fans have a message: Hold our beer. 

Edmonton went through an 11-year drought before the team finally struck Oil in 2017, which happens to be the last season Ottawa had a playoff run. Difficult as it can be to look past the local area, the National Capital Region doesn’t have a corner on the virtue of patience. 

Though the Senators have never had the luxury of drafting McDavid first overall (2015), there are some similarities between these organizations — things that transpired over the past decade to perhaps provide a blueprint for new Senators general Steve Staios, who just left the Oilers to take on this opportunity. 

Building through the draft?

The Oilers did that with such first-round picks as McDavid, Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse. 

Without a pre-eminent superstar like McDavid, the Senators nevertheless have a solid young core with the likes of draftees Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson, Josh Norris and Thomas Chabot. 

With enough offensive talent to skate with anyone over the past decade, Edmonton has battled to create the defensive corps and goaltender needed by a true contender. 

There may still be tweaks to do, but this group is pretty darned good. 

Trades that delivered defenceman Mattias Ekholm and forwards Warren Foegele and Evander Kane have been vital. 

Signing Hyman, the former Maple Leaf checking winger, turned out to be one of the best UFA decisions of the past decade. Hyman blessed Sunday’s sellout crowd with his 50th goal of the season.

Depth at the deadline? The Oilers took care of that by adding Corey Perry, Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick. 

The defence is much better than it was, if a bit vulnerable at times. 

As longtime Oilers writer Mark Spector told me, the goaltending got a lot better when the play in front of goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard improved. 

The goalies who have come and gone from Ottawa over the past five years can relate. 

One day the Senators, currently one of the youngest teams in the NHL, will be in a position to add like the Oilers, now one of the oldest. 

“We have some good players,” said Senators interim head coach Jacques Martin, when I asked about Ottawa’s program compared to the length of time it took to rebuild the Oilers. 

“I think we need more depth, I think that’s one area we have to look at.”

Martin went on to praise the play on Sunday of some of his core players, including Stützle, Tkachuk and especially Batherson. 

“I think Drake’s been playing very well,” Martin added. “I think back since I got here, he’s playing with so much more confidence with the puck but also comes back hard and is doing a much better job defensively.

“On defence, (Jake) Sanderson (has been excellent) and tonight we got a great game out of Chychrun. You need contributions from different people.”

Watching from the press box, with his left arm in a brace, was another of the Senators’ core forwards, Josh Norris. 

Martin is bang on. The Senators need to add depth and experience through free agency and trades. They will get a top draft choice this spring out of class that is loaded with defencemen, a key area of need for Ottawa. 

They will need to add a goaltender to go with Korpisalo, here on a long-term deal. 

“We know how hard it is to win in the league, how consistent you have to play to get in the playoffs,” Stützle said, to a question on the patience required of a rebuild. “You need almost a hundred points. We’ve just got to keep believing in this group, in this core we have. We need to be way better, that’s our goal. Everybody’s going to work really hard this summer and hopefully achieve our goal.”

Lots of work to do. But the Senators will get there. A decade ago, Edmonton fans were wondering when their long wait would be over. Now they’re saving up their spare change to buy playoff tickets. 

Ring of Honour for Dr. Donald Chow

Before the game, Senators team doctor Donald Chow was welcomed to centre ice with his children, Laura and Andre, to drop the puck on the occasion of Dr. Chow’s induction into the Senators Ring of Honour. He is the franchise’s third inductee. 

In a video taped earlier and played during the first intermission, Dr. Chow thanked his late wife, Angela, for her support as well as many in the Senators organization including fellow longtime team Dr. Mark Aubry. 

Both doctors have been with the Senators from the beginning. 

Two things about Dr. Chow. One, his persistent kindness and care as a person and physician. Dozens of present and former Senators players vouched for that. 

Two, his love of Tesla cars and Harley Davidson motorcycles. 

When I travelled with the Senators, if it was Dr. Chow’s turn to accompany the team on the charter and he had a chance to visit a Tesla showroom in San Jose, say, he would proudly wear his Tesla clothing and visit the showroom to see the latest models. In the move toward electric vehicles, Dr. Chow was way ahead of the game. 

And though he nearly died in a motorcycle crash in 2010 and then got into another motorcycle accident in 2013, Dr. Chow still rides his beloved bike. 

When I told him I rode Triumph motorcycles years ago (many … years ago), Dr. Chow said flatly, “come around to the loading dock (at the CTC) and take my Harley out for a spin sometime.”

That’s Donald Chow. Generous to a fault. 

A former goaltender from Thunder Bay (he still ‘dons’ the pads in oldtimer hockey), Dr. Chow said he got into sports medicine when he realized he didn’t stop enough pucks to be a pro. 

Ottawa and the Senators were the beneficiaries of that move. 

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17114945465922721 Crowded Hart Trophy field shows off NHL’s stacked talent pool feed_column Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:09:55 EDT Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:09:55 EDT Sportsnet Video The Hockey Central panel takes a closer look at the close-fought Hart Trophy race, including some incredible seasons that could miss out on top-three consideration because of the huge pool of deserving candidates.

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17113183865920849 Should the Maple Leafs be concerned about Samsonov’s durability? feed_column Sun, 24 Mar 2024 18:13:51 EDT Sun, 24 Mar 2024 18:13:51 EDT Sportsnet Video Nick Kypreos and the Hockey Central panel discuss Ilya Samsonov’s durability after leaving the Maple Leafs game with an injury against the Oilers and debate whether it should be a concern heading into the playoffs.

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jagr Penguins retrieve missing Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads feed_column Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:08:38 EDT Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:09:16 EDT Sportsnet Staff The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that the team secured the truckload of stolen Jagr bobbleheads and plans to begin distributing the promotional items at the team’s upcoming home game on April 6.

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The mystery of the missing Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads has been solved.

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday that the team secured the truckload of stolen Jagr bobbleheads and plans to begin distributing the promotional items at a home game on April 6.

A shipment carrying bobbleheads of the franchise icon was stolen after arriving in California back on March 14.

The Penguins say they were notified last week that a cargo recovery team negotiated the return of the stolen property to a secure warehouse in Ontario, Calif.

The team had intended to give the bobbleheads away to fans during a home game against the San Jose Sharks. Instead, the club gave fans a voucher that would allow them to pick up the item at a later date.

The team retired Jagr’s No. 68 during a pregame ceremony last month. The 52-year-old Jagr, the NHL’s second all-time leading scorer, remains an active player on the team he owns in his native Czechia.

With files from the Associated Press.

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hyman ‘No hands?’ ‘Grinder?’ Incorrect — Oilers’ Zach Hyman is a 50-goal scorer full_width Sun, 24 Mar 2024 22:30:46 EDT Sun, 24 Mar 2024 22:31:48 EDT Mark Spector Connor McDavid says Oilers teammate Zach Hyman was “supposed to just be a checker in this league.” Well, the NHL’s latest 50-goal scorer has turned out to be much, much more than that.

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OTTAWA — There are many ways to score 50 goals in a National Hockey League season, the only common denominator being that it’s a special, special skill to beat that many NHL goalies on that many nights in the best league in the world.

Especially when you’re Zach Hyman, described by Oilers teammate Connor McDavid as “a guy who was supposed to just be a checker in this league. Not sure if he would ever make it to this league.”

It’s been a hell of a journey for the third eldest player in NHL history to have his first 50-goal season, as the 31-year-old Hyman slots in behind Joey Mullen (32) and Johnny Bucyk, who did the deed at 35.

“In university, I had two goals my first year. I was drafted, and I was just a draft pick. I was no longer a prospect. Everyone kind of wrote me off,” began Hyman, on the night he scored his 50th in a disappointing 5-3 loss at Ottawa against the Senators

“Then I started to score, and I was an NHL player. But I was an NHL player who had no hands. A grinder playing next to Auston (Matthews) and Willie (Nylander). That was the narrative,” he said. “I scored 10 goals, then 15 and then 20. And then it was, ‘He’s an OK player. He just plays with good players.’ And I still have that narrative, which is awesome.”

Mike Bossy didn’t score 50 the same way that Glenn Anderson did, and you can’t get more dissimilar in style between the 52 scored by Dino Ciccarelli in 1986-87, and the 52 that Guy Lafleur rifled home eight years earlier.

We would venture that Hyman, who angled his stick just so to ricochet a perfect McDavid pass into the Ottawa net in the second period Sunday night, is more in the mould of a Tim Kerr or a Dave Andreychuk.

Or perhaps Craig Simpson, who worked the crease with back-breaking effectiveness for the 1987-’88 Oilers. Or maybe, at times in his career, the great Phil Esposito, of whom they made T-shirts that said, “Jesus saves, but Espo scores on the rebound.”

“When I was with the (Toronto) Marlies, we called him ‘Shaq’ Hyman for a reason, because he got to the paint better than anybody,” said Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was behind the bench for Toronto’s AHL affiliate during Hyman’s rookie pro season.

“Now he’s playing with a guy who gets the puck to the paint and tilts the ice more than anybody maybe in the history of the game. (Hyman) works to get to the right places and is getting rewarded for it.”

“I wouldn’t be in this position without (McDavid),” admitted Hyman, “and it was fitting that he was able to set me up for it.

““This is a milestone that I don’t think anybody thought I would ever get to when I started my career. And I got to it, which is pretty crazy, honestly.”

Somehow, a Jewish kid who scored just 13 goals in 114 games over his first three years at the University of Michigan, became the triggerman for a generational passer.

They say that great players are super difficult to play with, and Hyman’s combination of brains, courage, and hands in tight have become the dumpling to McDavid’s matzo ball soup.

And on the night that Stu and Vicky Hyman celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary back home in Toronto, the eldest of their five sons took us back to the back seat of the family Yukon, a scene right of nearly every Esso commercial ever made.

“When you become an NHL player, so many people have sacrificed, have driven you to rinks … My parents, my uncles — everybody chips in to help you. There are so many people who sacrifice,” Hyman said. “My wife, watching kids by herself half the time. I think it means just as much or more to them, just to see you have success.”

Stu was driving in that SUV one day when Zach, a freshman under legendary coach Red Berenson at Michigan, called him.

“He goes, ‘Red told me that he likes how I play, and he wants me to be a grinder and a mucker. So, what does that mean?” Stu recalled with a laugh. “I go, ‘I guess that’s, like, the third or fourth line Zach.’ And he says, ‘Oh? OK. Thanks Dad. See ya.’

“As long as he was on the team, he just wanted to do whatever it took for the team to win.”

By the time Hyman entered his senior year, Berenson told Stu, “I love Zach. I wish I hadn’t for four more years.”

Somehow, Edmonton lost a game here despite having the puck all night long, outshooting the Sens 36-16. It was a wasteful effort, but one that will be soon forgotten.

We’ll remember this night for one thing: The night the grinder with no hands scored his 50th goal.

“I think it just shows,” Hyman said in closing, “that if you just hit the little milestones along the way, and you just block out outside noise and work really hard — and you have a positive attitude — good things happen.”

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