Is it:

A – Because he’s not going to fire Alain Vigneault after all, but instead give him another vote of confidence and opt for status quo in Vancouver?

B – Gillis is trying to live up to a stated promise from within the organization that the Canucks would take their time after being swept by the San Jose Sharks, assuring that any decisions made were taken with cool heads.

C – Vigneault is so fired that the mundane task of actually announcing the transaction has slipped into the cracks of Gillis’ day timer. It now lies somewhere between getting his daughter to her field hockey practice, and picking up milk on the way home.

The answers to all three scenarios, of course, are identical.

It is time to either put Vigneault (read: us) out of his (our) misery, not to mention a couple of assistant coaches who would be networking for their next job already, if what we suspect to be pending was actually announced as fact.

Penned beat man Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: “Like a carton of sour milk, the expiration date on Vigneault has passed. Move on.”

We’re not so sure that analogy isn’t a tad harsh, as we’ve always found Vigneault to be anything but sour. Guarded around playoff time, yes. Sour? No, he’s usually good for a laugh or two.

But after seven seasons at the helm in Vancouver there is no doubt: The Big West Coast problem might not be Vigneault’s fault entirely, but it is his problem.

We’ve seen this picture paint itself many times over the years, and the canvas in Vancouver is no different. It is for every writer as it is for every painter: Eventually the editing process becomes detrimental, and the column gets worse, not better; after a while, each additional brush stroke detracts from the big picture rather than augmenting it.

The harder Vigneault worked on his Canucks team during the 2012-13 season, the worse it looked. Eventually, as Craig MacTavish said upon walking away from the Edmonton Oilers after the 2008-09 season, “The patients need a new doctor, and the doctor needs new patients.”

In the end, the same coach who presided over a Canucks powerplay that had not operated below 19.8 per cent for the previous three seasons, was responsible for a 15.8 per cent unit that ranked 22nd in 2012-13.

Make no mistake — the blame for the Canucks growing stale falls only secondarily on the head coach.

When Vigneault required new blood in his lineup his GM gave him names like Keith Ballard, David Booth and Derek Roy. When injuries beset centres Ryan Kesler and Manny Malhotra, Gillis did not deliver adequate replacements, though the task of replacing both those players at the top of their games would be nigh impossible.

And in the end, The Big Asset — Roberto Luongo — was still wearing that same Canucks ball cap at season’s end that he had donned back in January, testimony to a GM who simply did not deliver for his head coach in Year 7 of Vigneault’s tenure.

Now, Gillis owes Vigneault an answer.

Normally in these things, a GM won’t hold a press conference to say, “We’re retaining Alain as our head coach.” But this is different.

There isn’t a talking head in the game of hockey that doesn’t think Vigneault’s time is over in Vancouver. Nor is there one who doesn’t believe he’ll soon work for another NHL team.

Heads have cooled — the Canucks were eliminated on May 7, and it was clear after their Game 3 loss on May 5 that their series against San Jose was not going to end well.

Yes, Vigneault is believed to have two years remaining on the contract he signed after last season. But this project in Vancouver has hit a wall, and if it has been decided that the preferred solution is to replace Vigneault and assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown, then so be it.

Hold the press conference. Make the announcement. Move on.

It is time, Mike.

The post Spector on Canucks: Time to let go of Vigneault appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

Valuable forward Milan Michalek did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, and Mark Stone has been added to the Senators’ lineup for Game 4.

Senators’ Game 3 overtime hero Colin Greening leads the team in goals for the series, with three.

Stone will play in Game 4

Senators forward Mark Stone confirmed to Sportsnet’s Ian Mendes that he will play in Game 4.

Mark Stone confirms he’s in tonight.

— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) May 22, 2013

Stone skated on a line with Jason Spezza and Cory Conacher Wednesday morning.

Michalek may be ruled out

Ottawa may be without forward Milan Michalek, as he did not practice on Wednesday.

However, with Cory Conacher scratched from the lineup, Michalek may make an appearance.

Milan Michalek is not on the ice this morning. Stone skating with Spezza & Conacher.

— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) May 22, 2013

Michalek missed 24 games in the regular season with a knee injury.

Gryba takes the ice

Eric Gryba has returned to the ice after being sidelined for two games.

Gryba sustained an injury after taking a hit from Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik in Game 1.

Eric Gryba is back on the ice with teammates for the first time since Game 1 of this series.

— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) May 22, 2013

The defenceman remains a game-time decision.

GAME 4 PREVIEW

OTTAWA – After a win in Game 3, the Ottawa Senators are confident they can tie their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Senators trail the Penguins 2-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series heading into Game 4 Wednesday.

“The next game is the biggest game of the year, that’s the way it is,” Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said. “No matter what happens you treat it (as the biggest game) and when that’s done you do the same for the next one.”

The Senators’ confidence in themselves and their ability to rebound has been the benchmark of their season. Ottawa’s 2-1 double-overtime win Sunday night was just another example.

Alfredsson tied the game at 1-1 with 29 seconds remaining in regulation and Colin Greening went on to score the winner at 7:39 of the second overtime.

The Senators know that the Penguins will want to rebound in Game 4 and try to take control of this series.

“We can’t stray too far from our game plan,” Ottawa defenseman Marc Methot said. “Last game in particular we were so strong defensively and that’s a huge key. We know we’re going to get our opportunities offensively in their own zone.”

For the Penguins, getting a split in Ottawa means a chance to clinch the series back home.

“I think every game the more the series goes on the more important each one gets,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “You can see the desperation they have. They want to make sure it’s 2-2 going back to Pittsburgh and obviously we know the scenario is to come here and get one of two on the road and go back home with a chance to finish off the series would be great.

“I don’t think we have to change anything to do that. Our desperation’s been there, our compete level has been there and we believe that if we play the same way as last game and limit a few mistakes that we have a good chance of getting the win.”

Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke knows that the Senators have likely gained confidence from their win.

“The playoffs are a race to four wins through seven games,” Cooke said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We knew the Sens weren’t just going to roll over and give us all four games. Whether we lose 2-1 or 7-1, it’s one loss and that’s the way we have to view it.”

The Penguins are confident and see no reason to panic or change their game plan.

“You have to believe in your game,” Crosby said. “I think teams who get here believe in their game at this point. Sometimes in the playoffs you lose a tight game and you trust that if you play the same way in the next one you have a chance to win.”

Senators defenseman Chris Phillips said much of the Senators success has come from their ability to stay grounded.

“You’d be absolutely beat if after every game that’s all you did was think about the last game or worry about the result of the next game or riding highs or being down if you lose the previous one,” Phillips said. “It’s all about the process and playing and on the days off not even thinking about hockey and removing yourself from it.

“Physically as much as mentally you have to be rested and get ready for the next game. As far as this group is, it’s not about getting caught up in the results it’s going and playing the game the way we can and we’ll deal with the results at the end.”

Notes: Pittsburgh LW Jussi Jokinen could be back in the lineup Wednesday.

- With files from the Associated Press.

The post Stone in, Conacher out for Senators in Game 4 appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

“I spoke with Jake this morning,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said via statement. “He was involved in a car accident in the Czech Republic. Although his car did suffer damage, there were no injuries. Jake is fine.”

 (photo: sport.cz)

Voracek to me: “All good bud. No injuries, no alcohol.”

— Tim Panaccio (@tpanotchCSN) May 22, 2013

Voracek’s accident was first reported by Czech news outlet sport.cz, which also published a series of photographs depicting the damage.

According to sport.cz’s report, the 23-year-old winger crashed his Ferrari into a truck in his hometown of Kladno.

A Google translation of the Czech-language report indicates that Voracek was speeding down the road when a truck pointed the opposite way slowed to make a left-hand turn.

“(Voracek) failed to comply with safe distance from the vehicle ahead,” Kladno police spokesperson Michaela Novakova told sport.cz.

To avoid a head-on collision, the truck reportedly tried pulling back to the right, but Voracek’s car hit the truck. He then went off the road, hitting a tree and a telephone pole. Both vehicles were seriously damaged.

Voracek admitted fault, the police told Sport.cz, and paid his fines.

The post Flyers’ Voracek escapes Ferrari crash uninjured appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

So it’s unfortunate when the mistake that sticks out is the blatant fault of an official.

Down 2-0 in the second period — and deservedly so — the Kings believed they had scratched their way back into the game in the second period when a Slava Voynov point shot made its way through the legs of Sharks goalie Antti Niemi. With the puck clearly loose and behind Niemi, crease crasher Dustin Penner knocked it in the net, seemingly bringing his team within one.

Prior to the puck crossing the line, however, the official blew a quick whistle — and Penner blew his lid.

How do you blow the whistle that quickly? That’s just brutal and Penner has every reason to be irate

— Duran Size (@DuranSize) May 22, 2013

“I’m sure it’s in the rulebook. Once the whistle goes…” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said after the game, which ended in a 2-1 Sharks victory. “What are they gonna tell us? They’re gonna come and say they lost sight of the puck and they blew the whistle.”

That is the rule, and according to that rule, the goal should not have counted. But, wow, that’s an early whistle. Take one second and skate towards the play, ref. Look for that puck.

Not to say the Kings would’ve won the game, but they were pressing hard in the third period, and fans were robbed of what would’ve been one heck of an overtime.

Brutal.

Should be going to OT.Easy on the whistle

— Trevor Gretzky (@TrevorGretzky) May 22, 2013

SJ beats LA, 2-2

— Jack Wilson (@JACKaWILSON) May 22, 2013

That was a monster battle royal tonight between two top notch teams….. Sharks came flying out of the gate and held on for dear life in end

— Brian Lawton (@brianlawton9) May 22, 2013

The post Gotta See It: Early whistle robs Penner of goal appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

Sitting in a local restaurant a couple weeks back, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain knew that he was in trouble immediately after biting into the breading with a broken jaw full of smashed teeth.

In fact, he had to reach into his throat and pry out the hot rubbery cheese to keep from choking on it. As you might imagine, it was a harrowing experience.

“It caught me by surprise,” Crosby recalled Tuesday.

While it’s the kind of situation he can laugh about now, it’s pretty clear that his latest injury was no laughing matter.

Crosby lost six or seven teeth – he can’t recall exactly how many – when he was struck in the face by a Brooks Orpik shot on March 30. It was his first shift of the game and he left a puddle of blood on the ice at Consol Energy Center.

Since then, he estimates he’s spent as much time in a dentist chair as he had in the previous few years combined. And that’s not a good thing.

“I don’t like going to dentist,” he said.

It makes his performance so far in these playoffs all the more impressive. He’s played just eight games since returning to the Penguins’ lineup after being sidelined for a month and has quickly managed to put himself among the league leaders in playoff scoring.

By now, that’s a position we’re accustomed to seeing him in.

Crosby’s post-season average of 1.34 points per game is the highest of any player since he entered the NHL in 2005. No wonder it was a point of pride for the Ottawa Senators that they managed to keep him off the scoresheet during 33 minutes eight seconds of ice time in Game 3.

The Senators have tasked the defensive pairing of Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot with trying to contain Crosby in this second-round series.

Goalie Craig Anderson played a big role in that during Sunday’s game as well.

“(Karlsson and Methot) both skate very well and I thought that they were able to maintain a gap that was sufficient enough to stall him,” said Senators coach Paul MacLean. “I still look at the tape and he got some chances too.”

Methot wasn’t overly eager to bask in the glory of one successful night.

“I don’t want to go in too far,” he said. “I’ll say one thing and he’ll go out there and have a stellar game the next one.”

While Crosby insists that he feels fine – he’s back to eating virtually everything with a jaw now being held together by a titanium plate – he is also unquestionably playing through some discomfort.

For starters, the shield protecting his jaw disrupts his peripheral vision. It also gets in the way when the puck is in his skates, which is why Crosby hopes he’ll be able to ditch it at some point during these playoffs.

Yet it hasn’t kept him from being a consistent force on the ice.

Jarome Iginla played with Crosby at the Vancouver Olympics and has had a chance to observe the 25-year-old closely since being acquired by the Penguins in late March. Needless to say, he’s come away impressed.

“It’s just reinforced what I already knew,” said Iginla. “He’s a very special player. His determination and focus … you see it every day, it’s not an on/off thing. He comes to the rink and he’s focused and it’s about getting better.

“I think that rubs off on all the guys.”

You can feel it around the veteran Penguins.

This is a focused group of players that expects nothing less than a trip to the Stanley Cup final. There was certainly no sense of worry or concern following the double overtime loss to Ottawa in Game 3.

Heading into Game 4 on Wednesday – a potentially pivotal moment in this series – Pittsburgh seemed ready to flex its muscles.

“With each game as the series goes along, it just becomes bigger and bigger,” said Crosby. “I think at this point both teams want that one pretty bad.”

Sitting in Joe Louis Arena four years ago on the night Crosby lifted the Stanley Cup at age 21, there was every reason to believe that the trophy would be going back to Pittsburgh again and again.

Back then, the Penguins looked like a surefire dynasty in the making.

But a series of bad luck and bad goaltending – not to mention the bad head and neck injuries to Crosby – have kept it from materializing. As a result, the core players on this roster have learned not to take anything for granted.

“Experience is definitely a nice thing to have but it doesn’t guarantee you anything,” said Crosby. “Guys who’ve been in different situations and played in a number of playoff series (know) every one is kind of unique. There’s no storyline that ever seems the same. You go through things but it seems like it never really goes the same way twice.

“So I think you kind of have to prepare for that and make sure you appreciate it and make the most of the opportunities you get.”

In this instance, Crosby has a little more motivation than usual to keep playing long into the spring.

A series of dental surgeries beckon in the off-season – Crosby expects that it will take a couple different procedures to put his mouth back together – and the Penguins star isn’t particularly eager to climb back into the dentist’s chair.

In the meantime, he plans to avoid the mozzarella sticks.

The post Johnston: Crosby performing despite discomfort appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

Sutton played in 676 NHL games, most recently with Edmonton. He also suited up for San Jose, Minnesota, Atlanta, the New York Islanders, Ottawa and Anaheim.

He registered 1,134 hits, 1,164 blocked shots and 1,185 penalty minutes in his career, while adding 38 goals and 112 assists for 150 points in his career.

However, his physical style of play took its toll. The six-foot-six, 245-pound native of Kingston, Ont., endured 12 surgeries for various injuries that caused him to miss a number of games in his career. He never played an entire season, and reached the 60-game plateau only three times.

Sutton, 38, last played with the Oilers in the 2011-12 season, compiling three goals, seven assists and 80 penalty minutes in 52 games. He was also suspended twice.

He spent the entire 201-13 season on Edmonton’s injured reserve list with a knee injury.

"My NHL career enabled me to not only play the game I love, but to also be a part of something that so many kids dream about growing up," Sutton said in a statement. "Throughout my 15 years in the league, I have played for some exceptional hockey teams and have met quality people and friends along the way. None of what I accomplished on the ice would have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, friends, teammates and fans who made playing hockey even more enjoyable."

Sutton lives in California with his wife and daughter and is in the process of licensing seven technology patents for hockey protection equipment.

The post Often-injured Sutton retires after 15 seasons appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

FLAMES’ HARTLEY OFFERS ROY INSIGHT

The Calgary Herald elicits keenly insightful comments from Flames coach Bob Hartley on Patrick Roy, who is heavily rumoured to become the next coach of the Colorado Avalanche. Hartley coached Roy when both were with those same Avs years ago.

A time-worn theory is that great players seldom made the transference to great coaches in any sport.

“He’s gonna be different than a lot of them because along with a lot of talent he had a fantastic attention to detail,” predicts Hartley. “Coaching is all about details. Patrick never sat on his talent. He’d have a bad game and I’d be driving home from the game with a smile on my face because I knew we’d have a good chance to win the next 10. The next morning the lion would come out of his cage and he’d be on the ice 45 minutes before everybody else, he’d have sat in the video room an hour before everybody else, watching the goals he’d given up, punching the walls. When we started on the ice, he’d skate by me and say ‘I won’t give up that kind of goal again for a long, long time.’ And all I’d say is: ‘I know.’

“He’s the best winner I’ve ever coached. It’s not for me to say what will happen, but for him, in Colorado, it’s a natural. Especially now, with Joe (Sakic, who is the team’s new VP of Hockey Ops).”

Read the entire article to see more phenomenal quotes on why Hartley isn’t the least bit worried about Roy’s legendary hair-trigger emotional reactions.

UTICA, NEW YORK COVETS CANUCKS’ AHL AFFILIATE

The Vancouver Sun writes that the mayor of Utica, N.Y., is bullish on having the Canucks operate their American Hockey League franchise in his city and is fairly confident the team will be well supported if the franchise does indeed land there.

“Utica definitely has hockey in its blood,” mayor Robert Palmieri said Tuesday in a phone interview. “Utica is a hockey town and it’s been that way for years and years and years. I think, quite frankly, bringing in another AHL team makes a tremendous amount of sense. I think Vancouver and Utica would be just a perfect marriage for great hockey in this area.

“I’m very optimistic. We are a city on the rise and I think there is a lot of interest in hockey. Behind the scenes, we’ve been working diligently for multiple months and I’m very encouraged. I think it would be outstanding for civic pride for Utica to have another AHL team.”

KARLSSON, METHOT VS. CROSBY

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out that whenever Sidney Crosby gets onto the ice, two Ottawa Senators defenseman — Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot — usually aren’t far behind.

“They both skate very well,” said Senators coach Paul MacLean. “I thought they were able to maintain a gap sufficient enough to stall him. He got some chances, too. So I’m not sure if they stopped him … or he stopped himself … or maybe it was Craig Anderson that stopped him … or maybe it was a combination of all those things.”

“Don’t turn the puck over,” said Methot. “You turn the puck over against a guy like Sidney, and he’ll burn you.”

GREENING’S DREAM COME TRUE

The Ottawa Sun imagines Colin Greening’s Game 3 overtime goal was a moment he had imagined and played out, probably a couple of hundred times, as a kid growing up in St. John’s, NL.

“When you’re in your driveway, you always picture yourself being Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. I shouldn’t say Mario Lemieux, because he was a Penguin,” said Greening. “Scoring the overtime winner, it’s something kids dream of. So to go through it, it’s pretty special. To be able to score a big goal like that, it was huge for us. We lose that game, we’re down 3-0.

“It was nice to have that, but that was two days ago. We’ve got a game (Wednesday). At the end of the day, it’s still 2-1. We’ve got to win (Wednesday). My old coach (Kurt Kleinendorst) in Binghamton had a good saying: ‘With anything like that, you can enjoy it until your head hits the pillow, then the next day is a new day.’

JETS’ TROUBA FITS IN AT WORLDS

The Winnipeg Sun speculates that depending on what happens in free agency this summer, Jets prospect Jacob Trouba could very well be looked upon to jump into Winnipeg’s six-man rotation on the blue-line next season.

“It’s pretty good just confidence-wise, knowing that I can do it,” Trouba said, reflecting on being part of Team USA’s bronze medal squad at the World Championships. “I mean, I know that I can do it, but just showing that I can do it, that’s definitely something that’s helpful and will help me in the summer and going into next year.”

At Michigan he often had to be the offensive catalyst, but with the American squad he was able to focus on his defensive play first and then shift into offensive mode when it presented itself.

“I didn’t have to really force it,” he said. “That’s not my role anymore. I just have to get it into the forwards’ hands and play solid defence.

“I’m glad I went. It was pretty cool. Representing your country’s always pretty cool, and coming away with a medal is a good experience. It was a lot of fun.”

STARS NOT WORRIED ABOUT ERIKSSON

The Dallas Morning News observes Loui Eriksson did not have a good NHL season by his standards. That’s why it was nice to see him tally 10 points (5G, 5A) while playing on a line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin for Team Sweden at the World Championships. Eriksson got stronger as the tournament went on, and played his best in the medal round games.

“He has a long career that says he is an excellent player in this league, so I have no worries about him,” said new Stars GM Jim Nill. “Even to have one bad year in a normal career, I don’t think that’s cause for concern. But you have to be really careful with not overreacting in a shortened season like last year. It was a strange year, and I know he had a lot of different challenges with which line he was on and how he was used on the power play, so I think we look back and learn from that and move forward.”

He added: “He’s the ultimate professional, he’s a no-maintenance player, he’s just a great example for everyone. If there’s a player I’m not worried about, it’s Loui Eriksson.”

HOUSLEY, WILD LACKED TIMING

The St. Paul Pioneer Press notes the Wild had expressed interest in just-hired Nashville Predators assistant coach Phil Housley as an assistant two years ago, when he coached the U.S. Junior team to the gold medal in the World Championship in Ufa, Russia, but that didn’t work out.

“I would have jumped at the opportunity,” Housley said. “But I respect that. Now, I couldn’t turn down this opportunity. It’s the right time.”

Housley will be in Nashville on Wednesday for the official announcement.

“I’m pretty pumped,” the 21-year former NHL defenseman said Tuesday. “It’s something I wanted to do, but I didn’t think it would come this quickly. I was expecting to put out my resume this summer.”

PATIENCE PAYS OFF FOR WINGS’ KINDL

The Detroit Free Press illustrates how Red Wings defenseman Jakub Kindl, 26, said there were times when he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get a chance to play a significant role for the Wings in the playoffs.

“For two years and a half, you’re the seventh defenseman, of course you’re thinking maybe this isn’t the team I should be playing for,” Kindl said. “Should I go somewhere else? Of course I was thinking this way too.

“But at the time, I always believed in myself that I could be part of this team and it worked out so far. I’ve gotta be confident. I am confident.”

He also noted: “I always wanted to play for this team,” he said. “This is the first year where I’ve been playing all the playoff games. I’m enjoying my life, to be honest.”

BOLTS’ THOMPSON RELISHED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE

The Tampa Bay Times relays that Lightning center Nate Thompson called winning a bronze medal with the United States at the world championship “a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget.”

His time there may have even helped his advance work for the 2013-14 NHL season.

“The style of play is completely different,” Thompson said, citing the larger international ice surface, “but it can only help you. There are a lot more plays to be made out there. You’re not really dumping and chasing as much. It’s a lot more puck possession. Whenever you can play that kind of game, I think it can only help you. It improves your game with the puck.”

The post Flames’ Hartley offers Roy insight appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

The Senators trail the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinal heading into Game 4 Wednesday at Scotiabank Place. After a big win in Game 3 — another resilient performance in a season full of them — the Senators are confident they can tie the series.

“The next game is the biggest game of the year, that’s the way it is,” said Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. “No matter what happens you treat it (as the biggest game) and when that’s done you do the same for the next one.”

The Senators’ confidence in themselves and their ability to rebound has been the benchmark of their entire season. Ottawa’s 2-1 double-overtime win Sunday night was just another example.

Alfredsson tied the game at 1-1 with 29 seconds remaining in regulation and Colin Greening went on to score the winner at the seven-minute mark of the second overtime period.

The Senators are well aware that the Penguins will want to take their game to a new level and take control of this series. But they believe that if they play as well or better than they did Sunday, they will have a good chance of winning.

“We can’t stray too far from our game plan,” said Ottawa defenceman Marc Methot. “Last game in particular we were so strong defensively and that’s a huge key. We know we’re going to get our opportunities offensively in their own zone.”

Coincidentally, the Penguins believe the exact same thing.

“I think every game the more the series goes on the more important each one gets,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. “You can see the desperation they have. They want to make sure it’s 2-2 going back to Pittsburgh and obviously we know the scenario is to come here and get one of two on the road and go back home with a chance to finish off the series would be great.

“I don’t think we have to change anything to do that. Our desperation’s been there, our compete level has been there and we believe that if we play the same way as last game and limit a few mistakes that we have a good chance of getting the win.”"

Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke acknowledges that the Senators have likely gained confidence from their win. But it’s still just one win.

“The playoffs are a race to four wins through seven games,” Cooke said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We knew the Sens weren’t just going to roll over and give us all four games. Whether we lose 2-1 or 7-1, it’s one loss and that’s the way we have to view it.”

While the Senators bring a resiliency into this series, the Penguins counter with experience. Much like the Senators, the Penguins have confidence in themselves as a group and see no reason to panic or change their game plan.

“You have to believe in your game,” Crosby said. “I think teams who get here believe in their game at this point. Sometimes in the playoffs you lose a tight game and you trust that if you play the same way in the next one you have a chance to win.”

While the Senators are confident after their overtime victory, veteran defenceman Chris Phillips believes much of the Senators success has come from their ability to stay emotionally grounded.

“You’d be absolutely beat if after every game that’s all you did was think about the last game or worry about the result of the next game or riding highs or being down if you lose the previous one,” Phillips said. “It’s all about the process and playing and on the days off not even thinking about hockey and removing yourself from it.

“Physically as much as mentally you have to be rested and get ready for the next game. As far as this group is, it’s not about getting caught up in the results it’s going and playing the game the way we can and we’ll deal with the results at the end.”

Notes: Ottawa D Eric Gryba is expected to skate Wednesday morning, but not expected to play in Game 4. … Pittsburgh LW Jussi Jokinen could be back in the lineup Wednesday. Jokinen said in his opinion he is ready to play.

The post Sens’ confidence soaring heading into Game 4 appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

After the Leafs lost Game 7 of their first-round series by surrendering three late goals and a fourth in overtime against those same Bruins, Gunnarsson had successfully avoided all things NHL playoffs for a couple of nights. But his efforts would prove pointless at Toronto’s Vegas-ized sports bar, and those soul-sucking Bruins were again making with the late heroics in Game 1 of Round 2 against the New York Rangers.

“I want nothing to do with hockey right now, to be honest. But in that place you can’t avoid it,” says Gunnarsson, 26. “I know a lot of fans are disappointed with what happened. Take that times 10 — that’s how we feel. We were out there. It’s hard to explain, but it’s been a rough couple of days. In a week or so, I’ll just try to forget about what happened and try to pick out the positives to bring into the off-season and into next season. It’s tough to do. That’s not the way we want to go out.”

Days after being on the ice for a collapse destined to be replayed and relived on Top 10 countdowns for years, Gunnarsson slaps on a T-shirt and a smile to attend a promotional event in support of Canada’s championship of floorball — a floor hockey hybrid that is big in his native Sweden, where “Gunnar” will soon be bound to spend the offseason and decide his future.

Gunnarsson’s second two-year contract with the Leafs is up, and the seventh-rounder from 2007 will be a restricted free agent this summer. The blue-liner’s last round of negotiations saw his annual salary approximately double to $1.35 million, but it’s believable when he says he hasn’t considered his strategy heading back to the table.

One gets the sense, the Leafs — at least some of them — are still in mourning.

“The ball is in their court right now, so they got to get it moving,” Gunnarsson says of the Leafs, who have seven unrestricted and seven restricted free agents to figure out this summer. “The four years I’ve had here have been great. We’ll see what they want from me next year. I haven’t thought about what I want.”

Gunnarsson intends to sit down with his agent this week and devise a plan for his future. For now, his mind is preoccupied with the recent past.

With time winding down in Game 7 and an extra attacker on the ice for Boston, Gunnarsson was the closest man to Milan Lucic when he scored the Bruins’ third goal; he was in the slot when Patrice Bergeron scored the game-tying fourth. A plus-5 through the season, Gunnarsson finished the game as a minus-2 and the series as a minus-7.

Though pressed, the stay-at-home defender says he can’t quite recall what coach Randy Carlyle told his troops during the intermission prior to overtime.

“It’s all more of a blur right now,” he says. “I can’t really remember. There was a lot of things going on there. The feeling in the room, the first couple of minutes everyone was down that we let that lead go. And everyone eventually rose up and had the feeling that we can’t just let this slip away because we’re so close right now. And I think we did a good job in the overtime coming back and going for it; we just didn’t sit back. It’s hard. When they’ve been pressuring you for the last 10, 15 minutes in the third, it’s easier to sit back. It’s tough to come back from that. We did a good job of that – and that’s what we talked about in the intermission.”

Still, for both Gunnarsson and the Leafs, there is much to look forward to. The Swedish defenceman has thrice represented his country at the world championships and has an outside shot of playing his way onto the 2014 Olympic national team.

“We got a lot of good D-men,” Gunnarsson says of Sweden, “and there’s a lot of young Swedish defencemen coming up right now too. It’s going to be tough to get in there, but that is a dream, and I really want to go. I’m going to do my best to have a good (NHL) season — not just for that; I want a good season anyways — but that’s another goal to shoot for, and hopefully I can get in there.”

As for the Leafs, Gunnarsson says his team must remember how well they played to defy the odds and push Boston to the limit. The ’13 Leafs also grew in terms of player accountability, as Gunnar’s regular partner, captain Dion Phaneuf, got help from a cadre of team leaders — a crucial element he says was missing in 2011-12.

“We needed it last year. Dion is a leader in the room and on the ice, but we needed a couple more guys to step up and take ownership of the group, of the team. This year it’s been way better,” Gunnarsson says. “(Joffrey) Lupul, (Clarke) MacArthur, (Colton) Orrsie… Johnny Liles is great in the room, too. A couple more guys who usually don’t say much but step up every once in a while. It doesn’t have to be much, but once in a while keeping guys accountable for whatever it might be. We got more from everyone this year.”

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Thornton set up Brent Burns’ first-period goal and Logan Couture added a power-play goal early in the second to give the Sharks just enough offence to beat the Kings 2-1 Tuesday night to knot their series at two games.

“He’s our leader for a reason,” Burns said of Thornton. “Everybody keeps saying it. He’s one of the hardest workers we have in here. It’s awesome to play with him when he’s playing like that. It’s a lot of fun.”

The Sharks outshot the Kings 15-3 in the opening period before falling into a shell the second half of the game, managing just four shots in the final 36:05 after taking a 2-0 lead.

Antti Niemi made 13 of his 22 saves in the third period to help the Sharks match Los Angeles’ two home wins to open the series with two of their own.

“In the third it’s typical, unfortunately the way it goes, usually teams are a little bit on their heels and the other team is pressuring, and you’re just trying to find a way,” defenceman Dan Boyle said.

“Obviously that’s not the way we want to play, but that’s the way it happens. A win’s a win. That’s what I’ve been talking about. We’re in a good place right now, and it’s only going to get harder.”

Mike Richards scored a power-play goal and Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for the Kings, who have lost 10 of 11 road games dating to the end of the regular season.

Game 5 is Thursday night in Los Angeles when the Sharks will look to end a streak of four straight wins by the home team in this series.

“We knew going into this series we’d have to win one game at Staples Center if we want to win this series,” Couture said. “We’ve done our job at home. We need to go into L.A. and win a game on Thursday. We’re looking forward to it.”

After falling behind 2-0, the Kings showed some fight in a dominant third period. They got on the scoreboard on a power play when Burns was sent off for boarding Anze Kopitar.

Los Angeles wore down San Jose’s penalty killers in the offensive zone and scored when Richards knocked in a rebound of Jeff Carter’s shot.

“I think we battled back and made it close but you don’t get much for making it close,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.

The Kings outshot the Sharks 14-2 in the third period, holding San Jose without a shot for nearly 13 minutes but couldn’t get the equalizer against Niemi.

Couture gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead early in the second period, deflecting a point shot by Boyle past Quick while Colin Fraser was in the penalty box for roughing Andrew Desjardins in the offensive zone.

The Kings started to generate the better scoring chances after that, getting denied a goal midway through the period on an early whistle by an official. Los Angeles was unable to generate a shot on goal during two power plays later in the period with Jake Muzzin, shooting high with an empty net to cost the Kings a golden opportunity at a goal.

“For us, it’s about how they dominated the first half of the game and then we dominated the second half of the game,” defenceman Rob Scuderi said. “But they buried their chances. They play well here and we didn’t learn from Game 3, so that’s on us for not learning from our own mistakes.”

The Sharks opened the game with one of their most dominating periods of the year to the delight of the boisterous crowd chanting “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” from the start.

But San Jose had only one goal to show for that start thanks to solid play from Quick and a shot by Tommy Wingels that rang off the crossbar.

Led by the physically imposing line of Thornton, Burns and TJ Galiardi, the Sharks spent almost the entire first period in the Los Angeles zone.

San Jose jumped on top early when Thornton stole the puck from Slava Voynov on the forecheck and fed Burns, who shot was blocked. Thornton came up with the loose puck and slid a perfect cross-ice pass to Burns, who was not denied on his second chance, beating Quick with a one-timer.

“Burns has been shooting the puck real well so it was just a matter of time until he put one in the net,” Thornton said. “After the first shot, the puck just came right back to me. He was open again and I just made the pass.”

The Kings had to feel fortunate that was all San Jose managed for the period as they killed off two penalties and withstood constant pressure from the Sharks.

NOTES: F Kyle Clifford returned for Los Angeles after missing four games with an upper-body injury in place of rookie Tanner Pearson. … Kings D Matt Greene, who played only five regular season games because of back problems, was in the lineup for the first time this post-season in place of Keaton Ellerby. … F Tim Kennedy returned to the Sharks lineup in place of Marty Havlat, who left Game 3 after the first period with a lower-body injury.

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Beantown’s Bruins seem intent on wrapping up the long-awaited get-together in a hurry.

Daniel Paille scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:31 left in the third period — after defenceman Johnny Boychuk got the Bruins even earlier in the frame — and Boston put the Rangers on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday night.

Boston leads the series 3-0 and can advance to the conference finals as early as Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Only three NHL teams have rallied from an 0-3 hole to advance.

However, the Philadelphia Flyers did it to the Bruins in 2010 in this round.

“We can talk about it all we want, but that’s in the past,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “We had to live with that and we still have to live with that.”

Boston also nearly blew a 3-1 series edge in the opening round this year against Toronto, before rallying from a three-goal deficit in the third period and capturing Game 7 in overtime.

“The Toronto series, I didn’t think our team was in the zone the way it is right now,” Julien said. “I anticipate — knowing my team — that we’re going to come out the same next game and certainly not be the Jekyll and Hyde team that we were in the first round.”

The Bruins trailed 1-0 heading into the third, but Boychuk tied it with his fourth of the playoffs after he netted just one in 44 regular-season games. The Rangers hadn’t lost in regulation when leading after two periods since Feb. 4, 2010.

Boston thought it had grabbed the lead seconds before Paille scored when a shot deflected off the mask of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, popped up in the air and landed on the goal line. Lundqvist couldn’t find it before Paille swooped in from behind the net and poked in the puck.

“I thought we played a pretty strong game,” Lundqvist said, “but we came up short again and it definitely hurts.”

Taylor Pyatt had made it 1-0 in the second period for the Rangers, who were outscored 8-4 in two losses at Boston to begin the series. New York had won nine straight at home, including three in the playoffs against Washington in the first round.

Lundqvist was sharp until the third period and finished with 32 saves. He bounced back well after an uncharacteristic performance in which he allowed five goals in the Game 2 loss.

“You have to be pretty happy with the situation right now,” said Tuukka Rask, who made 23 saves for Boston. “We were really happy with our effort, I think this was our best defensive effort in a long, long time. So we just have to stay calm, keep playing our style of hockey and good things will happen.”

New York’s task is now most difficult. The Rangers were already trying to become the first NHL team to ever rebound from 0-2 holes to win consecutive series.

“You can’t look at it as you have to win four games,” Lundqvist said. “You just have to focus on the next one. The season is on the line, so you have to leave everything out there.

“We definitely have to give everything right now, mentally and physically, and put it out there on Thursday.”

The Rangers again couldn’t get their power play untracked, failing in both of their chances and dropping to 0-for-10 in the series. New York has only two power-play goals in 38 opportunities during these playoffs.

Boychuk was credited with the tying goal after the puck appeared to deflect into the net off Rangers defenceman John Moore.

The game turned rougher moments later when New York forward Chris Kreider was struck under his visor by the stick of Boston’s Tyler Seguin, who was following through on a shot just inside the blue line. Seguin was then clipped in the exchange by the stick of Rangers defenceman Steve Eminger.

Shortly after, Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron had a cut over his eye that left his white jersey bloodstained. No penalties were called on any of the plays.

New York took just its second lead of the series 3:53 into the second period when Pyatt deflected in a shot by defenceman Ryan McDonagh that was fired from the blue line.

Lundqvist shined in the second, making a pad stop on Seguin 6 1-2 minutes in, stretching across to knock away a drive by rookie defenceman Torey Krug — who scored in each of the first two games of the series — and then bringing the crowd to its feet with a lunging glove snare of Gregory Campbell’s slap shot from the left circle with 8:24 remaining.

That got the Bruins even in shots (15-15) before they outshot New York 8-1 the rest of the second.

The Rangers got off to a sluggish start after losing the opening faceoff, and didn’t mount any kind of early surge fueled by the excited home crowd. New York didn’t carry the puck into the Boston end until 1:35 had elapsed.

“You have to be proud of your team,” Julien said. “The Rangers hadn’t lost here in a long time and they were extremely confident. You saw them come out with that confidence. I thought they were a much better team than they had been in Boston.

“We had to face that and we had to be better.”

The Rangers picked up their play and built a 6-1 edge in shots, including scoring opportunities on Rask. New York earned the first power play of the night, however it was as ineffective as it has been throughout the post-season.

The tide turned back to the Bruins’ favour just before the midway point in the period, starting with a partial breakaway after New York turned over the puck at the Boston blue line. Chris Kelly raced ahead with the puck and was stopped in tight by Lundqvist when he tried a backhanded shot.

Shawn Thornton was also denied when he came in alone on Lundqvist with 8:46 left in the period, and Jaromir Jagr couldn’t score, either, when he got a pair of whacks at the puck that the New York goalie turned aside.

The Bruins’ surge gave them an 8-7 edge in shots, but Boston finished the period trailing 11-9.

“We were down but we weren’t playing that poorly,” Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said of the team’s third-period mindset. “We needed to stay aggressive, try to tie the game. We just wanted to get pucks to the net. We did that and we were rewarded.”

NOTES: The Rangers didn’t yield a power-play chance for the second straight home game. … New York D Anton Stralman was injured in the second period and didn’t return. … Since Boston trailed 4-1 in Game 7 against Toronto, Rask has allowed five goals in four-plus games.

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But in a dramatic final ten minutes, the Marlies saw a two-goal lead disappear and had their playoff dreams dashed on Tuesday night.

Luke Glendening’s goal at 15:57 of the third period spelled the end of Toronto’s season as the Griffins rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Marlies 4-3, and win the Western Conference semifinal 4-2. Grand Rapids will play the Oklahoma City Barons in the conference final.

Glendening was in front of Toronto goalie Drew MacIntyre and had an open net to shoot after picking up a rebound.

“A couple of missed assignments and a bad bounce and suddenly it’s turned the other way,” was how coach Dallas Eakins summarized his team’s unravelling in the third. “The biggest message to my guys is that I’m very proud of them and the next message is how are you going to handle your summer to get better.”

The Marlies had goals from Carter Ashton, Paul Ranger and Will Acton while Tomas Tatar scored twice and Jan Mursak chipped in one for the Griffins.

MacIntyre made 27 saves for Toronto while Petr Mrazek made 14 for the Griffins.

“We knew it was coming. I think we played well in the first two and a half periods,” said defenceman Korbinian Holzer, who experienced a similar scene just over a week ago when he watched as a healthy scratch from the press box when the Maple Leafs blew a third period lead against the Boston Bruins and bowed out of the NHL playoffs.

“I don’t think we backed off too much, we just couldn’t sustain the pressure anymore and they capitalized on it.”

Ashton gave the Marlies a 1-0 lead at 4:15 of the first period when he led a Toronto rush up the right side. He threw what was a hopeful shot on goal but Mrazek had all kinds of trouble blocking the puck entirely and it somehow ended up getting through.

Toronto made it 2-0 at 19:57 of the period when Mike Zigomanis won a faceoff that went to Ranger. His quick shot also somehow fooled Mrazek and managed to trickle across the line.

The Griffins controlled much of the play in the second period and were rewarded four minutes into the period when Tatar’s fine solo goal on the power play cut the margin to 2-1.

But just 37 seconds later, Toronto capitalized on Mrazek’s poor clearance from behind his own goal off a Marlies dump-in. Jerry D’Amigo picked up the clearing attempt and found Acton, whose slap shot from the centre of the ice restored Toronto’s two-goal lead.

The Marlies had managed to prolong the series thanks to winning 4-1 in Grand Rapids on Saturday and despite the shots being relatively even through two periods, Grand Rapids came out harder in the third and Toronto didn’t have an answer.

“I’m kind of in shock still so it’s a bad feeling,” said captain Ryan Hamilton.

“Give all the credit to Grand Rapids. They finished really well. We were in control and we let it slide away but that stuff happens. It sucks though. It takes some time to digest.”

Mursak got the Griffins second goal at 10:04 of the third after splitting a pair of Marlies defencemen and beating MacIntyre from close range.

Just 28 seconds later, Tatar tied the game after Francis Pare found him with a no-look backhand pass from right in front of the net. Tatar flipped it over MacIntyre who scrambled in vain to cover his exposed right side.

Grand Rapids was 1 for 5 on the power play, while the Marlies were 0 for 3.

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Alexei Emelin underwent a reconstructive surgery to his left knee (ACL & MCL). His recovery is estimated to be 6 months.

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 21, 2013

Emelin had reconstructive surgery to his left knee. The Russian suffered the injury as he tried to check Boston Bruins’ Milan Lucic on Apr. 6.

Emelin tallied three goals and nine assists in 38 games in his second NHL season.

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