ReportWire

Tag: Hockey

  • Golden Knights keep rallying, lead Stars 2-0 with NHL West final moving to Dallas

    Golden Knights keep rallying, lead Stars 2-0 with NHL West final moving to Dallas

    [ad_1]

    DALLAS (AP) — The Golden Knights certainly know how to rally when they have fallen behind in these NHL playoffs because it has happened so much.

    “We’ve got a thick skin,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s veteran guys that know that one goal, getting scored on first, shouldn’t dictate the rest of the game.”

    Even though the Knights have trailed in 11 of their 13 games this postseason, including 10 times when the opposing team scored first, they have a 2-0 series lead over Dallas in the Western Conference Final. The Stars, who scored first in both of those road games before losing in overtime, host Game 3 on Tuesday night.

    “Just trying to stick with our game,” Vegas center Jack Eichel said. “You know you’re not going to be your best every night. But some nights when you’re not at your best, you find ways to win hockey games. … You just keep working and you hope you get a bounce or someone makes a play.”

    That was true Sunday in Game 2, when Eichel’s slick backhand pass late in regulation after a Dallas turnover set up Jonathan Marchessault’s tying goal. And when Chandler Stephenson made a game-winner 1:12 into overtime by knocking in a rebound during a sloppy line change by the Stars.

    “We could have won both games,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “I don’t think it’s less troubling that we lost both games in overtime. … There’s mistakes made, and they cashed in.”

    The Knights’ current streak of four consecutive comeback victories matches the longest in NHL playoff history — they are 8-3 overall after falling behind, and 7-3 when surrendering the game’s first goal. Their two wins over Dallas made them only the fourth team to score in the opening two minutes of overtime in consecutive games in the same postseason.

    Their plus-30 goal differential in the first period during the regular season trailed only East finalist Carolina, and they were only a plus-12 combined the rest of those games. The Knights have been outscored by seven goals in the first period during the postseason.

    “Now in the playoffs, it seems like we’re chasing a bit,” Cassidy said. “Yet, I don’t think we played poorly in the first period in a lot of games.”

    Dallas has back-to-back losses for the first time since mid-March. The Stars became the first team ever with OT losses in three consecutive series openers in the same postseason, but didn’t rebound with a win in Game 2 against Vegas like they did against Minnesota and Seattle.

    “We’ve got a really resilient group,” Suter said. “Everyone showed up to play (Sunday) after Game 1 wasn’t very impressive. And then guys got it together. And now we need to go home and have that same effort.”

    The Stars franchise overcame an 0-2 deficit in its very first best-of-seven NHL series, when the Minnesota North Stars rallied to beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 1968 playoffs. The Stars have since lost their last 12 series when falling in an 0-2 hole, six while still in Minnesota and six in Dallas, the last a first-round series against Anaheim in 2014.

    The Stars went 8-14 in games that went past regulation in the regular season, two of those shootout wins while sweeping all three of their games against Vegas. Dallas is now 0-4 in overtime this postseason.

    “The teams that go deep find ways to win in overtime,” DeBoer said.

    Vegas is two wins away from getting to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in the franchise’s six seasons. The Knights made it in their inaugural 2017-18 season, when they beat the Washington Capitals in the opener, then lost four in a row.

    “This year we have the best team we’ve ever had, I think. Not only on paper. The way we play is the biggest thing, and we’re playing good hockey right now,” said Marchessault, a Golden Knight from the very beginning. “The first year, no one thought we were going to win against Winnipeg in the semifinals, and we won. We thought that we hit our stride and we won the first game in the final and we lose four in a row. So there’s so much more work to do.”

    Marchessault and the Knights aren’t going to get ahead of themselves.

    ___

    AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

    ___

    AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Eberle scores 2 as Kraken outshine Stars 6-3, send series to deciding Game 7

    Eberle scores 2 as Kraken outshine Stars 6-3, send series to deciding Game 7

    [ad_1]

    SEATTLE — For their first venture into the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Seattle Kraken are giving their fans quite the exciting, yet stressful experience.

    Two playoff series. And now, a second Game 7.

    “That’s all you can ask for These games are what makes playoff hockey fun,” Seattle’s Jordan Eberle said.

    Eberle scored twice, Eeli Tolvanen had a goal and two assists, and the Kraken beat the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Saturday night to force a deciding Game 7 in their Western Conference semifinal series.

    Tolvanen’s goal in the opening minutes of the second period gave Seattle a 3-1 lead. Rookie Tye Kartye scored his third of the playoffs beating Jake Oettinger with a wrist shot less than three minutes later, and the Kraken withstood several pushes by the Stars to send the series back to Texas.

    “We were ready tonight. I feel like last couple games they’ve been maybe the ready team at the start,” Tolvanen said. “That was the big key today. All four lines were ready to play.”

    Matty Beniers and Yanni Gourde each added a goal and an assist for Seattle, which is headed to the second Game 7 in the its short playoff history after ousting defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado with a 2-1 win in the deciding game of the opening round. The Kraken are the sixth team in league history to go to a Game 7 in each of the franchise’s first two playoff series.

    Philipp Grubauer stopped 20 shots for the win.

    “We had a goal in mind. We wanted to make sure that we were still one of the six teams alive when we woke up tomorrow morning and have the opportunity to go and play a Game 7,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “We know the test. We know the challenge. It’ll be a big one, but we’ll be ready.”

    Mason Marchment, Joe Pavelski and Joel Kiviranta scored for Dallas. Oettinger gave up four goals on 18 shots before he was pulled 4 1/2 minutes into the second period. Scott Wedgewood came on and stopped nine of the 10 shots he faced.

    Game 7 will be Monday night in Dallas.

    “I mean, their lives were on the line. They played desperate hockey and played a good game,” Dallas captain Jamie Benn said.

    The Stars last played a Game 7 in the second round of the 2020 playoffs in the NHL bubble in Edmonton when Dallas beat Colorado 5-4 in overtime. This will be first Game 7 in Dallas since the second round in 2016, when Stars lost 6-1 to St. Louis after giving up three first period goals.

    Pavelski scored his 72nd career playoff goal and his eighth of the series when he redirected Miro Heiskanen’s shot form the point during a power play in the second period. Pavelski is tied with Alex Ovechkin for the most playoff goals among active players.

    And he could have had more. Pavelski nearly added a second goal in the opening seconds of the third period, but his shot hit the post and Heiskanen’s rebound attempt slid wide of the goal mouth. Moments later, Jason Robertson’s shot from the slot hit the same post and ricocheted away from danger.

    Seattle appeared to put a wrap on the win when Beniers finished a 2-on-1 off a pass from Eberle with his third playoff goal at 8:43 of the third period following a key penalty kill by the Kraken. But 16 seconds later Kiviranta tipped Thomas Harley’s shot from the point past Grubauer to pull the Stars back to 5-3.

    It created a unnerving final few minutes for Seattle until Eberle’s empty-netter with 58 seconds left.

    “We had nothing to lose, obviously backs against the wall,” Eberle said. “So we’re going to have the same effort in Game 7.”

    Grubauer was excellent in goal for Seattle, especially in the second period when Dallas made a push. He had 11 saves in the period.

    Oettinger was pulled after giving up Kartye’s goal and his 24 minutes, 23 seconds time on ice was the shortest start of his career.

    Gourde gave Seattle the start it needed, following up his initial shot and beating Oettinger at 8:59 of the first period. Marchment scored 31 seconds later to pull the Stars even, but Eberle’s power-play goal at 16:46 of the period restored Seattle’s advantage.

    “When the other team is hungry like that in an elimination game and you’re on the road, you got to be at least be the smarter team with the puck,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “I felt we compounded mistakes and fed their energy in the first period.”

    ___

    AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Subban launches show showcasing diverse world of hockey

    Subban launches show showcasing diverse world of hockey

    [ad_1]

    More than a year since playing his last NHL game and retiring at age 33, P.K. Subban is still pushing himself away from the ice.

    Sure, he’s still training and staying in shape, but the 2013 Norris Trophy-winning defenseman is now working on pushing the limits on television.

    “I don’t ever put limits on myself. I would suggest that the game of hockey do the same,” Subban said. “I think that there’s no limits on what we can do. The game is still very young in terms of how we broadcast the game and how we do things. I still think there’s a lot of room for growth.”

    That growth is on display across hockey media in the United States. There is a variety of voices contributing, from former women’s star AJ Mleczko and other women on game broadcasts to Black retired players Subban, Kevin Weekes and Anson Carter analyzing from the booth or studio.

    Subban’s latest foray is “P.K.’s Places,” a hockey show by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions for ESPN that puts him at the forefront of a sport eager to embrace and showcase diversity to expand what has long been a predominantly white audience.

    “It’s incredible, and I think it really shows the commitment to diversity that ESPN and Disney and Omaha and the NHL has to really growing the game and expanding the roots,” ESPN senior managing producer Lindsay Rovegno said. “He’s a natural choice. He’s passionate, he’s high energy, he’s fun. It’s really very clear that he wants to expand the game and wants people to see that there’s a history but there’s also a really fun element to the sport.”

    Subban is having plenty of fun after hanging up his skates, and he hopes that comes through on the show, which launched Wednesday with the first episode on ESPN+. He’s at peace with his decision to stop playing after 13 professional seasons because the right situation didn’t materialize to keep chasing the Stanley Cup.

    “When I didn’t have an opportunity to play on a team that I thought was the right fit to do that, it was a no-brainer for me to go in a different direction,” Subban said. “The way I played the game was I give 150% every shift … I have that same passion that I had on the ice to bring it to media.”

    Subban looks up to Super Bowl champion-turned-morning show personality Michael Strahan in terms of creating a second stage of his career and gets advice from the former New York Giants defensive lineman about how to follow his path. In hockey, there are also two prominent former players who are Black: Weekes, who’s at ESPN, and Carter, who’s an analyst for Turner Sports.

    Riffing with Manning and interviewing Ray Bourque about winning the Cup and celebrating in Boston takes Subban beyond just the analyst realm and allows him to show some of the personality that made him a star in the NHL from Montreal to Nashville to New Jersey for more than a decade.

    “He brings a fresh perspective,” said Rovegno, who has worked on the “Places” franchise from its inception. “He brings not only his experience on the ice and sort of shares anecdotes from his time as a player, but really connects with the legends and is able to dive into the history and share the passion that he has for the game.”

    Subban reached a deal with Omaha and ESPN before retiring, and this show may just be the start for him. Perhaps a hockey version of Peyton and Eli’s “ManningCast” with brothers Malcolm and Jordan could be in store down the line.

    “Maybe that’s something that we’ll consider,” Subban said. “To be able to do things that maybe replicate the ‘ManningCast’ or any other things that are being done on broadcasts in the sports world would be something that would be huge for hockey.”

    ___

    AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Lowry scores 2 as Jets beat Golden Knights 5-1 in Game 1

    Lowry scores 2 as Jets beat Golden Knights 5-1 in Game 1

    [ad_1]

    LAS VEGAS — Winnipeg set the tone early Tuesday night by dominating the neutral zone, and by the third period, the Jets had suffocated the Vegas Golden Knights.

    The Jets allowed only two shots on goal in the final period, punctuating the defensive performance that was buttressed by Adam Lowry’s two goals and Blake Wheeler’s three points in Winnipeg’s 5-1 victory in Game 1 of the first-round series.

    The Jets allowed only 17 shots on goal for the game, the fewest the Knights have had all season.

    “A big part of our game is pressuring the puck carrier and not give them a whole lot of time to make plays,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “They’re a very good team on the rush. They look for that second wave, so I thought our forwards did a great job back-tracking and taking away those guys.”

    Wheeler had a goal and two assists for the Jets, Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal an assist, Kyle Connor also scored, and Nino Niederreiter had two assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves.

    William Karlsson scored for the Golden Knights, who suffered their first regulation loss in nine games. It also was the first regulation loss for Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit, who went 7-0-3 in the regular season. He stopped 26 shots.

    “The thing we need to address is it’s playoff hockey,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You needed an intensity level that was greater than the one we had. … But I’ll say this, I don’t think they were doing anything special, either. They get full value for the win, don’t get me wrong. They deserved to win and they did, but some of it was self-inflicted.”

    Game 2 is Thursday night in Las Vegas.

    Vegas entered the game as the top seed in the Western Conference, and the Jets were the last team in the conference to get in the playoffs. But Winnipeg is 6-2 in its past eight games and continued the momentum into Tuesday.

    The Jets had 14 shots on goal in the first period, but failed to get anything past Brossoit even with back-to-back power plays at one point. Vegas, which blocked 13 shots, also survived a big scramble in the crease in which Mason Appleton could’ve poked the puck into the open net, but couldn’t get his stick on it.

    Teammate Morgan Barron took a skate to his face from Brossoit on the play as the bodies piled up in pursuit of the puck. He went to the locker room and received more than 75 stitches before returning in the second period wearing a full cage on his head.

    The Jets broke through with goals from Connor and Dubois 1:02 apart early in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. Both goals came from the Jets’ first line, and Bowness said he likes to have the scoring line quickly go back out there.

    “I think as soon as you get off, you’ve got to be ready to go back there whether it’s 45 seconds later of five minutes later,” Dubois said. “We know we have to keep the momentum on our side.”

    Karlsson put the Knights on the scoreboard with 4:11 left, but Wheeler made it a two-goal lead again 3:53 into the third period.

    Lowry scored twice in the final 1:21, one on an empty-netter.

    EHLERS HELD OUT

    Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who has an upper-body injury, did not play. Ehlers said Saturday he would be ready and on Monday reiterated he felt “very good,” though Bowness had maintained he was day to day.

    “There wasn’t necessarily a setback, but nor was the progress that we had hoped,” Bowness said. “We’re not going to put a player on the ice that isn’t close to 100% and put him in a vulnerable position where he could have a setback.”

    Bowness said Ehlers will be re-evaluated before Game 2.

    STONE RUSTY IN RETURN

    This was Knights captain Mark Stone’s first game since injuring his back Jan. 12. He underwent surgery Jan. 31 and was cleared to play Monday.

    Stone was minus-3 in 21 minutes.

    “He looked rusty,” Cassidy said. “We expected that. … It’s going to take Mark some time to get going and his linemates are going to have to kind of pull through for him a little bit until he finds his timing. We knew that, so I’m not going to judge Stoney other than he’s healthy and ready to play.”

    ___

    AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Kempe’s hat trick sends 3rd-place Kings past NHL-worst Ducks

    Kempe’s hat trick sends 3rd-place Kings past NHL-worst Ducks

    [ad_1]

    ANAHEIM, Calif. — Adrian Kempe had three goals and an assist and the Los Angeles Kings clinched third place in the Pacific Division on Thursday night with a 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, who will have the best odds in the draft lottery after finishing with the NHL’s worst record.

    Captain Anze Kopitar scored a first-period goal that made him Los Angeles’ leading scorer for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons, while Kempe and Trevor Moore scored 49 seconds apart in the second period of the 159th regular-season edition of the Freeway Faceoff.

    Kempe completed his fourth career hat trick on an empty-net goal with 1:39 to play, and dozens of visiting Kings fans littered the ice in celebration. Roughly 40 minutes after leaving the ice, the Kings learned they’ll face Edmonton in the first round for the second consecutive season.

    Shaking off a 2-5-0 skid that scuttled their chances at the division title, the Kings won their final two games to finish with 104 points, the second-most in franchise history behind the 1974-75 squad (105).

    “It’s nice to have the feeling of positive morale, positive momentum going into (the playoffs),” Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “We’ve found some ways to score goals and had a couple of physical games as well, so that’s all been good for us.”

    Troy Terry, Max Jones and Trevor Zegras scored for the Ducks, who wrapped up one of the worst NHL seasons of the 21st century on a 13-game winless streak. Coach Dallas Eakins’ contract is finished after his fourth consecutive losing season, but the rebuilding Ducks have made no announcement about his future.

    “There’s a number of things that we’re very proud of,” Eakins said. “I am proud that in a game like this where it’s our last game, we know it’s totally over, that they still had some rage in them. I thought they went out and battled hard and really kept the love of the rivalry between us and the Kings.”

    Anaheim’s silver lining on its NHL-low 58 points is the best chance in next month’s draft lottery to win the right to select Connor Bedard, the Regina Pats center considered the most tantalizing prospect in hockey since Connor McDavid.

    Anaheim will have only a 25.5% chance of securing its first-ever No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. But the Ducks can fall no lower than third in the lottery, which means they will get a premium prospect in a top-heavy field headlined by forwards Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov.

    Joonas Korpisalo made 21 saves for the Kings, and John Gibson stopped 31 shots for Anaheim.

    “It’s never easy losing games like that,” Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said. “We’re all competitive people and want to do well, but I think I’m proud of the way we stuck together. We never cracked as a team and continued to support one another.”

    Anaheim missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, extending the longest drought in history for a team that had never missed more than three straight postseasons. The Ducks had a pathetic season by nearly every measure, ranking last in the NHL in goal differential (minus-129) and goals allowed while ranking 31st in goals scored (209).

    Statistically, the Ducks were the worst defensive team of the past quarter-century. Their 338 goals allowed were the most by any NHL team in the past 26 seasons since the 1995-96 San Jose Sharks gave up 357, while their goal differential was the NHL’s worst since the 1999-2000 Atlanta Thrashers (minus-143).

    The Ducks’ players have been justifiably uninterested in their team’s draft lottery status as their season limped on, and Terry underlined that stance by scoring just 2:44 into the season finale.

    But Los Angeles evened it late in the first period when Kopitar knocked down a high puck from Kempe and scored his 28th goal of the season. In the second, Kempe got a delayed goal after video review, and Moore scored moments later on a 2-on-0 rush.

    Zegras scored his 23rd goal with 5:09 to play, trimming Los Angeles’ lead to 4-3. After a lengthy brawl, Kempe finished off the victory.

    Kevin Fiala missed his sixth consecutive game for the Kings with a lower-body injury. The playoff availability of Los Angeles’ high-scoring Swiss forward is unclear, but Kopitar used the final game to break his tie with Fiala atop the team’s scoring leaderboard.

    Defenseman Alexander Edler and forward Gabe Vilardi also remained out of the Los Angeles lineup with significant injuries.

    Mason McTavish sat out for Anaheim with an upper-body injury, finishing his rookie season with 43 points in 80 games.

    UP NEXT

    Kings: Vs. Edmonton in first-round of playoffs.

    Ducks: The draft lottery on May 8, when they’ll hope to land a franchise-altering talent.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Nurse scores in OT, Canada beats Sweden 3-2 to dodge upset

    Nurse scores in OT, Canada beats Sweden 3-2 to dodge upset

    [ad_1]

    BRAMPTON, Ontario — Sarah Nurse scored at 4:26 of overtime and Canada dodged its biggest women’s hockey upset, beating Sweden 3-2 on Thursday night in the world championship quarterfinals.

    After scoring in regulation, Nurse took a pass from Sarah Fillier and beat goalie Emma Soderberg with a high shot in the 3-on-3 overtime.

    Sweden forced the extra period on Hilda Svensson’s goal with 9.2 seconds left in regulation.

    Earlier, Aerin Frankel made 18 saves for her first national-team shutout and the United States beat Germany 3-0, and the Czech Republic edged Finland 2-1. In the semifinals, the Americans will face the Czech Republic, and Canada will, meet the winner of the last game between Switzerland and Japan.

    Blayre Turnbull also scored for Canada. Emerance Maschmeyer made 12 saves after Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 26 shots Monday in a 4-3 shootout victory over the United States in group play.

    Lina Ljungblom also scored for Sweden, and Soderberg stopped 51 shots. Canada is 11-0 against Sweden in the tournament.

    Canada has won 12 titles, three more than the United States.

    In the United States’ victory, Amanda Kessel and Hannah Bilka scored power-play goals and Abbey Murphy connected short-handed. Sandra Abstreiter made 49 saves for Germany in its smallest margin of defeat against the Americans.

    “Our special teams were strong today and we got the win we needed to advance to the next round,” U.S. coach John Wroblewski said. “The German goaltender was outstanding and obviously kept us to no even-strength goals, but it felt good for our team to perform well on special teams and earn the shutout.”

    Kessel opened the scoring with 55.3 seconds left in the first period, beating Sandra Abstreiter off a rebound. Bilka made it 2-0 with 7:21 left in the second period on a one-timer from the right circle, and Murphy knocked in her own rebound then made it 3-0 with a short-handed goal at 7:56 of the third.

    Natalie Mlynkova and Katerina Mrazova scored 49 seconds apart in the second period in the Czech Republic’s victory. Mlynkova tied it on a power play, with an assist from Mrazova, and Mrazova followed with the winner. Blanka Skodova made 41 saves.

    Viivi Vainikka scored for Finland in the first period, and Anni Keisala made 20 saves.

    ___

    AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Wild beat Blues 5-3 to keep pace in Central Division

    Wild beat Blues 5-3 to keep pace in Central Division

    [ad_1]

    ST. PAUL, Minn. — Ryan Hartman and Sam Steel scored short-handed goals 20 seconds apart in the first period and the Minnesota Wild earned two key late-season points by beating the St. Louis Blues 5-3 on Saturday night.

    Freddy Gaudreau, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin also scored to help the Wild end a three-game skid, its longest in two months. Filip Gustavsson made 37 saves. Back after missing 13 games with a lower-body injury, Minnesota All-Star Kirill Kaprizov was kept off the score sheet, but still leads the team with 39 goals and 72 points.

    With 100 points, Minnesota pulled into a tie with Colorado, two points behind Central Division-leading Dallas. However, the Avalanche have five games left, including at Los Angeles later Saturday, while the Stars and Wild each have three left.

    “You want to be rolling going into playoffs. We didn’t love our performance the last couple games,” Steel said. “I thought we played really good for the most part. We had a couple lapses, but the two points is the most important thing.”

    Pavel Buchnevich, Sammy Blais and Jake Neighbours scored for the Blues, and Justin Faulk had two assists. Jordan Binnington finished with 24 saves. St. Louis, out of playoff contention, is 6-3-1 in its past 10 games.

    Down 4-1 entering the third period, Neighbours and Buchnevich got the Blues within one with 12 minutes to play, but Brodin added an empty-net goal for Minnesota to seal the win.

    On March 15, Binnington was ejected and later suspended for two games without pay for hitting Hartman in the face with his blocker following Hartman’s goal. Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury skated down to fight Binnington but was held back by an official.

    Down 1-0 midway through the first period, Hartman quickly energized the crowd. Forcing a turnover in the neutral zone, the Wild center chased the loose puck across the St. Louis blue line. Binnington raced out and made a belly slide to get to the puck first, but Hartman was a split-second quicker poking the puck to the left of the goalie, chasing it down and scoring into an open net. He then gave a finger wag toward the crowd.

    “We were down a goal, so it was nice to get a quick jumpstart. I wasn’t thinking about anything besides trying to win a game,” Hartman said.

    “What we’ve liked about Hartzy for a while now is his ability to get up the ice,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “He’s skating extremely well. Shows obviously on the two shorthanded goals how he separated. He moves his feet like he’s a very good player. Hard to handle.”

    Twenty seconds later, Hartman laid a big hit on Kasperi Kapanen, corralled a loose puck and fed Steel in the slot for a quick backhand-to-forehand move and a 2-1 lead. Hartman’s two short-handed points in 20 seconds or fewer was last done by Colorado’s Peter Forsberg — 11 seconds on Dec. 3, 1995.

    The two short-handed goals — quickest in the league since Boston scored twice in 15 seconds on April 10, 2010 — pushed the Wild season total to 13, tying the franchise record set in 2000-01. Only Edmonton (17) and Vancouver (14) have more this season.

    “Obviously, can’t be giving up two on one power play and expect to win a hockey game, said St. Louis center Brayden Schenn.

    Gaudreau made it 3-1 with a second-period power-play goal and Spurgeon scored with 34.5 seconds left in the middle frame.

    ROSTER UPDATES

    Acquired from Columbus on Feb. 28, LW Gustav Nyquist (shoulder) had two assists in his Wild debut. … Wild C Oskar Sundqvist did not play after leaving Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury. … St. Louis C Robert Thomas was back after missing five games with an upper-body injury. … Wild C Mason Shaw, who tore his right ACL for the second time April 1, said he’ll have reconstructive surgery next week. He’s also torn his left ACL twice.

    UP NEXT

    Blues: Home to Dallas on Wednesday night.

    Wild: At Chicago on Monday night.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Parenting 101: Science Centre opens new exhibit on the science behind hockey

    Parenting 101: Science Centre opens new exhibit on the science behind hockey

    [ad_1]

    From April 7 to September 10, follow the action as it moves from the ice to the Montreal Science Centre during the new feature exhibition Hockey: Faster Than Ever, where new and seasoned hockey fans alike can rediscover their favorite sport from a whole new angle and better understand how it became, and remains, our national sport.

    Over two dozen interactive games to enjoy with the whole family

    The very first interactive exhibition to explore the history, science, technology, and innovation of ice hockey, the exhibition Hockey: Faster Than Ever reveals some of hockey’s best kept secrets to audiences big and small.

    This new exhibition invites visitors to explore the world of hockey and discover why our national sport is one of the fastest in the world. The exhibition’s different zones allow visitors to visit a locker room of the stars, get behind the wheel of a Zamboni, explore equipment from the sport’s early beginnings to the state-of-the–art equipment of today, test their performance in the Hockey Lab, experience the tunnel walk and feel all the pregame excitement just like players before they step onto the ice… and more!

    Hockey: Our national passion

    Hockey is an inseparable part of our cultural fabric. So, where does this profound love for this sport come from? Developed by the Montréal Science Centre’s own team in collaboration with Flying Fish, this new exhibition was designed to give audiences a chance to explore the origins of hockey and learn how it has evolved to become one of today’s biggest sports.

    Looking above and beyond what happens on the ice, audiences can also learn how Canada has left its mark on the game’s history and took part in its evolution and innovation, learn about the first official hockey game — which took place in Montréal — and learn how the very first hockey sticks were made by the Mi’kmaq, Indigenous peoples who were among the original inhabitants of the Atlantic provinces, including parts of what’s known today as Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula.

    After enjoying breakaways through all of the exhibition’s zones, family members big and small will have learned:

    — What makes for a good slap shot?

    — Why a hockey helmet is a player’s best ally?

    — What the first hockey sticks and pucks were made of?

    — What the first Stanley Cup looked like?

    — Why the Zamboni resurfaces the ice, and the ideal conditions for the best hockey ice?

    — Why hockey equipment is so stinky after a game?

    For more info, visit their website.

    – Jennifer Cox

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Today in History: Apr 1, First pro baseball, hockey strikes

    Today in History: Apr 1, First pro baseball, hockey strikes

    [ad_1]

    Today in History

    Today is Saturday, April 1, the 91st day of 2023. There are 274 days left in the year. This is April Fool’s Day.

    Today’s Highlights in History:

    On April 1, 1972, the first Major League Baseball players’ strike began; it lasted 12 days. Twenty years later, on April 1, 1992, the National Hockey League Players’ Association went on its first-ever strike, which lasted 10 days.

    On this date:

    In 1865, during the Civil War, Union forces routed Confederate soldiers in the Battle of Five Forks in Virginia.

    In 1891, the Wrigley Co. was founded in Chicago by William Wrigley, Jr.

    In 1924, Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. (Hitler was released in December 1924; during his time behind bars, he wrote his autobiographical screed, “Mein Kampf.”)

    In 1945, American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World War II. (U.S. forces succeeded in capturing the Japanese island on June 22.)

    In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and television, to take effect after Jan. 1, 1971.

    In 1975, with Khmer Rouge guerrillas closing in, Cambodian President Lon Nol resigned and fled into exile, spending the rest of his life in the United States.

    In 1976, Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.

    In 1977, the U.S. Senate followed the example of the House of Representatives by adopting, 86-9, a stringent code of ethics requiring full financial disclosure and limits on outside income.

    In 2003, American troops entered a hospital in Nasiriyah (nah-sih-REE’-uh), Iraq, and rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed on March 23.

    In 2011, Afghans angry over the burning of a Quran at a small Florida church stormed a U.N. compound in northern Afghanistan, killing seven foreigners, including four Nepalese guards.

    In 2013, Taylor Swift was named entertainer of the year for the second year in a row at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

    In 2016, world leaders ended a nuclear security summit in Washington by declaring progress in safeguarding nuclear materials sought by terrorists and wayward nations, even as President Barack Obama acknowledged the task was far from finished.

    In 2017, Bob Dylan received his Nobel Literature diploma and medal during a small gathering in Stockholm, where he was performing a concert.

    In 2020, resisting calls to issue a national stay-at-home order, President Donald Trump said he wanted to give governors “flexibility” to respond to the coronavirus. Under growing pressure, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined his counterparts in more than 30 states in issuing a stay-at-home order.

    Ten years ago: Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty for James Holmes should he be convicted in the July 2012 Colorado movie theater attack that killed 12 people. (Holmes, found guilty of murder, ended up being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.) A cast member of the MTV reality show “BUCKWILD,” Shain Gandee, 21, was found dead in a sport utility vehicle in a West Virginia ditch along with his uncle and a friend; the cause was accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

    Five years ago: Writer and producer Steven Bochco, known for creating the groundbreaking TV police drama “Hill Street Blues,” died after a battle with cancer; he was 74. Authorities said the SUV that had carried members of a large, free-spirited family to their deaths several days earlier may have been driven intentionally off a scenic California cliff; six adopted children were killed along with their parents.

    One year ago: Talks to stop the fighting in Ukraine resumed, as another attempt to rescue civilians from the shattered and encircled city of Mariupol was thrown into jeopardy and Russia accused the Ukrainians of a cross-border helicopter attack on a fuel depot. New federal rules were unveiled requiring that new vehicles sold in the United States would have to travel an average of at least 40 miles per each gallon of gasoline by 2026. Amazon workers in Staten Island, New York, voted to unionize, marking the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giant’s history.

    Today’s Birthdays: Actor Don Hastings is 89. Actor Ali MacGraw is 84. R&B singer Rudolph Isley is 84. Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff is 75. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is 73. Rock musician Billy Currie (Ultravox) is 73. Actor Annette O’Toole is 71. Movie director Barry Sonnenfeld is 70. Singer Susan Boyle is 62. Actor Jose Zuniga is 61. Country singer Woody Lee is 55. Actor Jessica Collins is 52. Rapper-actor Method Man is 52. Movie directors Albert and Allen Hughes are 51. Political commentator Rachel Maddow is 50. Former tennis player Magdalena Maleeva is 48. Actor David Oyelowo is 47. Actor JJ Feild is 45. Singer Bijou Phillips is 43. Actor Sam Huntington is 41. Comedian-actor Taran Killam is 41. Actor Matt Lanter is 40. Actor Josh Zuckerman is 38. Country singer Hillary Scott (Lady A) is 37. Rock drummer Arejay Hale (Halestorm) is 36. Actor Asa Butterfield is 26. Actor Tyler Wladis is 13.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night events

    Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night events

    [ad_1]

    Pride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season.

    A handful of players have objected to participating in pregame warmups that included Pride-themed jerseys, most recently Florida’s Eric and Marc Staal on Thursday night. On Wednesday, the Chicago Blackhawks decided against having players wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys for their upcoming Pride night, citing an anti-gay law in Russia.

    WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIONS?

    The Staal brothers and San Jose’s James Reimer — who are Canadian — and Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov, who is Russian, all pointed to their religious beliefs for refusing to take part in warmups.

    “We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey,” Eric and Marc Staal said in a statement. “Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a Pride jersey, it goes against our Christian beliefs.”

    The Blackhawks said they acted out of concern that the safety of their Russian player and two others with connections to Russia could be jeopardized by the law when they return home because it expands restrictions on supporting LGBTQ rights.

    Chicago coach Luke Richardson said he and his players were disappointed.

    “It’s an unfortunate situation,” Richardson said. “I don’t think we can control the world issues, so that takes it out of our hands.”

    The New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild decided not wear Pride-themed jerseys during warmups after advertising that they would. While each team has at least one star Russian player on its roster, neither specified the reason for the change.

    IS THIS RELATED TO RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE?

    Somewhat. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the anti-gay law signed by President Vladimir Putin in December have combined to pose some problems for the NHL and its 32 teams.

    No North American professional sports league has as many Russian players as the NHL. The Russian contingent includes some of the league’s best athletes.

    There are currently 45 Russia-born players spread across 28 teams, or about 6.4% of all players. They include No. 2 career goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay’s two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning teammate and 2019 MVP Nikita Kucherov and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

    The top five highest-earning Russian players receive an average annual salary of $11.1 million this season.

    Russian players almost never discuss the war, in part out of concern for the safety of their loved ones at home. It was not clear if there was any credible threat behind the Blackhawks’ decision.

    WHAT’S THE NHL’S HISTORY WITH PRIDE?

    The Stanley Cup first appeared at a Pride parade in 2010 when then-Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel brought it to the celebration in Chicago. A few years later, in 2013, the league partnered with the You Can Play Project, which advocates for LGBTQ participation in sports. The NHL added team Pride ambassadors in 2016-17.

    Rainbow Pride stick tape debuted with the Edmonton Oilers in 2016. Now all 32 teams hold a Pride night, though many do so without themed jerseys. The Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets call theirs “Hockey Is For Everyone” night.

    Pride nights, like other themed events, are planned and staged by individual teams, not the NHL.

    WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION?

    The You Can Play Project responded to Reimer’s decision by saying it was disappointed.

    “Religion and respect are not in conflict with each other, and we are certainly disappointed when religion is used as a reason to not support our community,” the organization said.

    Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop, who in 2021 made history as the first player signed to an NHL contract to come out as gay, called the Pride night incidents a “step back” for hockey.

    WHAT DID LEAGUE OFFICIALS SAY?

    NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the boycotts were not about accepting bigotry.

    “Whether or not you choose to embrace and make a statement on behalf of a cause affirmatively, if you choose not to do that, it doesn’t necessarily make you a bigot,” Bettman said last month. “I’m sure you don’t endorse every single charity that solicits you, and you don’t participate in every social cause. You pick and choose the ones that are important to you.”

    The league declined to comment on the Blackhawks’ decision.

    WHAT’S NEXT?

    Teams with Pride nights coming up have some decisions to make. The Buffalo Sabres are set to host their event on Monday, and the Vancouver Canucks on March 31. Each team has at least one Russian player.

    It was not clear if players would wear Pride jerseys in warmups, as the teams have done in the past.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night events

    Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night events

    [ad_1]

    Pride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season.

    A handful of players have objected to participating in pregame warmups that included Pride-themed jerseys, most recently Florida’s Eric and Marc Staal on Thursday night. On Wednesday, the Chicago Blackhawks decided against having players wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys for their upcoming Pride night, citing an anti-gay law in Russia.

    WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIONS?

    The Staal brothers and San Jose’s James Reimer — who are Canadian — and Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov, who is Russian, all pointed to their religious beliefs for refusing to take part in warmups.

    “We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey,” Eric and Marc Staal said in a statement. “Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a Pride jersey, it goes against our Christian beliefs.”

    The Blackhawks said they acted out of concern that the safety of their Russian player and two others with connections to Russia could be jeopardized by the law when they return home because it expands restrictions on supporting LGBTQ rights.

    Chicago coach Luke Richardson said he and his players were disappointed.

    “It’s an unfortunate situation,” Richardson said. “I don’t think we can control the world issues, so that takes it out of our hands.”

    The New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild decided not wear Pride-themed jerseys during warmups after advertising that they would. While each team has at least one star Russian player on its roster, neither specified the reason for the change.

    IS THIS RELATED TO RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE?

    Somewhat. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the anti-gay law signed by President Vladimir Putin in December have combined to pose some problems for the NHL and its 32 teams.

    No North American professional sports league has as many Russian players as the NHL. The Russian contingent includes some of the league’s best athletes.

    There are currently 45 Russia-born players spread across 28 teams, or about 6.4% of all players. They include No. 2 career goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay’s two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning teammate and 2019 MVP Nikita Kucherov and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

    The top five highest-earning Russian players receive an average annual salary of $11.1 million this season.

    Russian players almost never discuss the war, in part out of concern for the safety of their loved ones at home. It was not clear if there was any credible threat behind the Blackhawks’ decision.

    WHAT’S THE NHL’S HISTORY WITH PRIDE?

    The Stanley Cup first appeared at a Pride parade in 2010 when then-Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel brought it to the celebration in Chicago. A few years later, in 2013, the league partnered with the You Can Play Project, which advocates for LGBTQ participation in sports. The NHL added team Pride ambassadors in 2016-17.

    Rainbow Pride stick tape debuted with the Edmonton Oilers in 2016. Now all 32 teams hold a Pride night, though many do so without themed jerseys. The Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets call theirs “Hockey Is For Everyone” night.

    Pride nights, like other themed events, are planned and staged by individual teams, not the NHL.

    WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION?

    The You Can Play Project responded to Reimer’s decision by saying it was disappointed.

    “Religion and respect are not in conflict with each other, and we are certainly disappointed when religion is used as a reason to not support our community,” the organization said.

    Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop, who in 2021 made history as the first player signed to an NHL contract to come out as gay, called the Pride night incidents a “step back” for hockey.

    WHAT DID LEAGUE OFFICIALS SAY?

    NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the boycotts were not about accepting bigotry.

    “Whether or not you choose to embrace and make a statement on behalf of a cause affirmatively, if you choose not to do that, it doesn’t necessarily make you a bigot,” Bettman said last month. “I’m sure you don’t endorse every single charity that solicits you, and you don’t participate in every social cause. You pick and choose the ones that are important to you.”

    The league declined to comment on the Blackhawks’ decision.

    WHAT’S NEXT?

    Teams with Pride nights coming up have some decisions to make. The Buffalo Sabres are set to host their event on Monday, and the Vancouver Canucks on March 31. Each team has at least one Russian player.

    It was not clear if players would wear Pride jerseys in warmups, as the teams have done in the past.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • NHL team won’t wear Pride jerseys, citing new Russian law

    NHL team won’t wear Pride jerseys, citing new Russian law

    [ad_1]

    A National Hockey League team with a Russian player has decided against wearing special warmup jerseys to commemorate Pride night, citing an anti-gay Kremlin law that could imperil Russian athletes when they return home.

    The Chicago Blackhawks, who have at least two more players with connections to Russia, will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday’s game against Vancouver, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press, because of security concerns involving the law, which expands restrictions on supporting LGBTQ rights. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed it in December.

    The decision was made by the Blackhawks following discussions with security officials within and outside the franchise, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke Wednesday to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the move.

    Chicago coach Luke Richardson said Thursday that he and his players were disappointed and called it “an unfortunate situation.”

    “I don’t think we can control the world issues, so that takes it out of our hands,” Richardson said. “We’re just making decisions as best we can as an organization and for everybody.”

    The league declined to comment through a spokesperson.

    The decision comes amid increasing threats to freedom of expression in the U.S. and abroad. Conservative political forces have sought to ban LGBTQ-themed books from American school libraries and to forbid classroom lessons that mention sexuality and some aspects of race relations.

    Similar pressures have forced Russian players to walk a careful line since the invasion of Ukraine, with some cautiously speaking out against the war even with family members still living in Russia. Last year, Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov ran into several roadblocks as he traveled back to the U.S., raising concerns about his safety.

    “There’s such a sensitivity to the topic, and you have concerns for the Russians, especially,” Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo said, emphasizing that he does not “understand what it’s like to be in Russia and to grow up there. And I don’t think we’re able to speak about the psychology of those players because we don’t understand.”

    Chicago defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is a Moscow native, and there are other players with family in Russia or other connections to the country.

    The Florida Panthers — whose star goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, is Russian — went forward with plans to wear Pride-themed jerseys Thursday night before their home game against Toronto. Bobrovsky took part, while brothers Eric and Marc Staal did not, and cited religion as the reason.

    “We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey,” the Staal brothers said in a statement. “Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a Pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs.”

    The jerseys are just one part of many initiatives the Panthers built into the annual event, including auctioning off the jerseys, matching the money raised and donating it to nonprofits that work with the LGBTQ community.

    Speaking after Florida’s 6-2 loss, Panthers coach Paul Maurice described the Staal brothers as men of faith, and then noted how the rest of the team wore the warmup jerseys.

    “I love both of those men and they have the right to their opinion. I stand by that right,” he said. “But everyone else in the room has the right to put that sweater on proudly and wear it and be welcoming to all people in our community.”

    The Sabres and Vancouver Canucks have Pride nights upcoming. The Canucks have not announced specific plans for the event. Sabres management was scheduled to hold discussions Thursday with its player leadership group on the matter, amid concern over whether defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin will participate because he is from Moscow, where he still has family and returns in the offseason to visit.

    Lyubushkin and his family members could face a backlash in Russia, according to a Sabres employee with knowledge of the issue. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

    In other sports, members of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays decided last season not to wear rainbow-colored logos on their uniforms as part of their Pride night. Women’s basketball star Brittney Griner, an American citizen who is gay, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport last year after Russian authorities said she was carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil. She was imprisoned for eight months until a high-profile prisoner swap with the U.S.

    Kurt Weaver, chief operating officer of the You Can Play Project, which advocates for LGBTQ participation in sports, said he was upset when he learned of the Blackhawks’ decision, but he called the conversation an indicator of progress.

    “We are certainly disappointed that the jerseys aren’t worn, because that’s the No. 1 visual representation from the athletes themselves, and I know a lot of the athletes do support this effort and support their community that comes to watch them,” Weaver said, adding praise for the Blackhawks’ commitment to Pride causes dating back more than a decade.

    Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers declined to take part in pregame warmups during the team’s Pride night in January, citing his Russian Orthodox religion. Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed jerseys for the San Jose Sharks Sharks on Saturday, when Canadian goaltender James Reimer refused to take part because, like the Staals, he said it conflicted with his religious beliefs.

    The New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their events despite previously advertising they would.

    The Blackhawks planned a variety of LGBT-related activities in conjunction with Sunday’s game. DJs from the LGBTQ community will play before the game and during an intermission, and the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus is slated to perform. There also are plans to highlight a couple of area businesses with ties to the gay community.

    “We don’t want the jerseys to represent the entirety of the night,” Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones said. “We’re still doing a lot for the LGBTQ community, and us as players respect that. We just thought that this was best for our team.”

    ___

    AP Sports Writers John Wawrow, Josh Dubow and Tim Reynolds, and AP freelance reporter George Richards contributed to this report.

    ___

    Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Coyotes beat Blackhawks 4-2, push points streak to 8

    Coyotes beat Blackhawks 4-2, push points streak to 8

    [ad_1]

    TEMPE, Ariz. — Juuso Valimaki broke a tie with 3:12 left and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Saturday night.

    Valimaki also assisted on Arizona’s first two goals to help the Coyotes extend their points streak to eight games.

    Clayton Keller scored his 32nd goal of the season to tie it six minutes into the third period. Keller also had two assists, giving him 43 for the season. He has scored in eight straight games.

    Barrett Hayton — who has points in each of his last seven games — connected for Arizona in the second period, and Matias Maccelli scored into an empty net with 38.3 seconds to go.

    “It’s not always pretty but when you’re confident like we are right now we found a way,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said.

    Ivan Prosvetov, making his third start of the season, stopped 32 shots for Arizona to improve to 3-0. The Coyotes have won four straight, all at home, and are 20-11-3 at Mullett Arena.

    “There’s no secret, the whole team is playing very well,” Prosvetov said about his record. “I definitely put some work in during the summer and I still do now.”

    “My first couple games were good, but I couldn’t control some of the rebounds. I saw the puck better and killed some chaos in front of the net.”

    Valimaki’s goal was just his third of the season. He has 28 assists, behind only Keller and Maccelli on Arizona.

    “I saw a penalty coming, and just made a pass and broke through,” the defenseman said of the go-ahead goal. “Some of those plays those guys are making right now, it’s unbelievable. All of a sudden the puck was on my stick and it went in.

    “We’re a really tight group. It’s just really fun right now. Everyone’s playing really well and we’re pretty confident in our game.”

    The Blackhawks, though last in the Central Division, were coming off wins at home against league-leading Boston on Tuesday night and at Nashville on Thursday night.

    “I thought we skated pretty well, similar to the way we’ve played lately,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “We didn’t make many (turnovers), but we made them at the wrong time.”

    Chicago took a 2-1 lead at 4:14 of the third on Caleb Jones’ power-play goal.

    Chicago’s efforts to defuse the home-ice edge paid off quickly, as the Blackhawks scored 35 seconds into the game. Jujhar Khaira tipped in a shot by Jarred Tinordi for his fourth goal of the season. The Coyotes tied it with 2:12 left in the second period on Hayton’s 14th goal.

    Alex Stalock made 17 saves for Chicago.

    WELCOME TO THE CLUB

    Chicago defenseman Wyatt Kaiser made his NHL debut Saturday night.

    The 20-year-old signed a three-year entry-level contract earlier this week. A third-round pick in 2020, Kaiser played as a junior this season at Minnesota-Duluth.

    Kaiser played 15:40 and blocked one shot.

    “Tough way to (lose), but I had a blast,” Kaiser said. ”After the first shift, I’m just playing hockey. I made a few iffy plays, but I’m still learning.”

    ICE CHIPS

    Blackhawks: LW Andreas Englund (hamstring) missed his sixth straight game. … RW Cole Guttman had right shoulder surgery earlier this week.

    Coyotes: RW Nick Schmaltz returned after missing three games with an upper-body injury. … D Josh Brown missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. … G Karel Vejmelka didn’t dress for the game as Arizona wanted to get ice time for Prosvetov.

    NEXT

    Blackhawks: At Colorado Monday.

    Coyotes: At Winnipeg Tuesday. ___

    More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Quick goes to Vegas; Bruins get Bertuzzi before NHL deadline

    Quick goes to Vegas; Bruins get Bertuzzi before NHL deadline

    [ad_1]

    Jonathan Quick is on the move again, back to the Pacific Division to solve the Vegas Golden Knights’ latest goaltending quandary.

    Vegas acquired Quick from Columbus on Thursday, less than 36 hours after the Los Angeles Kings traded the two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender and 2014 playoff MVP to the Blue Jackets.

    After losing All-Star starter Logan Thompson to an injury, the Golden Knights sent a 2025 seventh-round pick and journeyman netminder Michael Hutchinson to complete the deal with Columbus, which retained half of Quick’s salary. General manager Kelly McCrimmon doesn’t expect injuries to Thompson or Laurent Brossoit to be long term but inquired and make this trade to have a safety net in the 37-year-old Quick.

    “(Quick has) He’s had a tougher year and needs a change,” McCrimmon said at a news conference in Henderson, Nevada. “We’re all about what lies ahead. … I think he’s going to come in and give us really good goaltending.”

    Another playoff-bound team in the Western Conference upgraded at forward, with Edmonton getting Nick Bjugstad from Arizona. The Coyotes got a 2023 third-round pick and prospect Michael Kesselring for Bjugstad and minor-leaguer Cam Dineen.

    “Definitely a team I was hoping I was getting the call about,” Bjugstad said. “Can’t wait to join the boys and try to help this team win a Stanley Cup.”

    Bjugstad going off the market and Quick getting dealt again leaves Philadelphia winger James van Riemsdyk and Anaheim defenseman John Klingberg as the top players left to be traded before the 3 p.m. EST Friday deadline. Chicago’s Max Domi is also expected to change places after being scratched for trade-related reasons.

    In by far the busiest two-week stretch leading up to the deadline over the past decade, teams have made 42 trades involving 82 players — including Quick twice and counting the contracts of Shea Weber and Jakub Voracek — and 53 draft picks, leaving slim pickings for what’s usually a frantic final day.

    “I haven’t seen anything like it at all,” Boston Bruins president Cam Neely said. “I think everybody is looking at their clubs and saying, ‘We have a chance.’ And we’re no different, obviously, with the season we’ve had.”

    Neely’s NHL-leading Bruins got the action going Thursday by acquiring winger Tyler Bertuzzi from Detroit for a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2024 and a fourth-rounder in 2025, the latest move by a Stanley Cup contender to keep pace in the loaded East. The Red Wings are retaining half of Bertuzzi’s salary for the rest of the season.

    Bruins coach Jim Montgomery called Bertuzzi an excellent player and a “great complementary winger.”

    “He’s someone that understands how to win,” Montgomery said, citing Bertuzzi’s success in junior hockey and as playoff MVP when Grand Rapids won the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup in 2017. “He goes hard to hard areas. He’s a great net-front guy, 5 on 5, power play. He’s got a lot of sandpaper to him.”

    Bertuzzi is a 28-year-old pending free agent winger who gives Boston depth up front and insurance for injured winger Taylor Hall. The team put Hall on long-term injured reserve, ruling him out until late March.

    Enter Bertuzzi, who has himself been limited by injuries this season. He has 14 points in 29 games.

    Bertuzzi, who drew headlines in 2020 for being one of very few unvaccinated players in hockey, has remained a mainstay in the league. He has 88 goals and 114 assists in 305 regular-season games and has yet to reach the playoffs in the NHL.

    That will almost certainly change next month. The Bruins are on pace for 64 wins and 135 points, which would be the best regular season in hockey history with records in each of those categories.

    Four years since the Lightning tied the league record for wins and got swept in the first round of the playoffs, the Bruins aren’t standing pat. They got defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from Washington last week — a deal that made them bigger and tougher in advance of a rough road through the East.

    It got rougher in recent days.

    Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina acquired defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and winger Jesse Puljujarvi, the New York Rangers traded for three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane, the Islanders got depth forward Pierre Engvall, Tampa Bay gave up five picks for 25-year-old forward Tanner Jeannot, Pittsburgh shuffled its roster to bring in Mikael Gralund and Toronto continued a roster makeover that has added up to six new players joining the Maple Leafs. Even Ottawa, five points out of a playoff spot, made a big splash by getting Jakob Chychrun from Arizona.

    Entering Thursday, the Red Wings are tied in the standings with the Senators, but general manager Steve Yzerman is opting to sell rather than buy. Before moving on from Bertuzzi, he traded defenseman Filip Hronek to Vancouver in a deal that got his team a first-round pick.

    Detroit also took care of some internal business Wednesday, signing captain Dylan Larkin to a $69.6 million, eight-year extension to keep the three-time All-Star center in the fold through 2031. Boston did the same Thursday with MVP candidate David Pastrnak, inking him to an eight-year deal worth $90 million — the sixth-most lucrative contract in NHL history.

    Before trading Bjugstad to Edmonton, Arizona got a sixth-round pick to take Voracek’s contract from the Blue Jackets and can use his $8.25 million cap hit through next season to avoid dipping below the salary floor, while Columbus gets some financial flexibility. His career is likely over because of concussions.

    Chicago also got Anders Bjork from Buffalo for future considerations, and St. Louis re-signed Sammy Blais to a $1 million, one-year extension. The Blues reacquired Blais in the trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers, who now have a lineup with the prolific Russian winger and Kane, who made his debut at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

    ___

    Freelance writer Mike Cranston in Boston contributed to this report.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row

    McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row

    [ad_1]

    CALGARY, Alberta — Charlie McAvoy scored at 4:55 of overtime to give the Boston a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night, extending the NHL-leading Bruins’ winning streak to eight games.

    Linus Ullmark made a career-high 54 saves.

    “What a game by him,” McAvoy said. “The shots were obviously a lot to a little there and he kept us in the game all night.”

    Ullmark is the league leader in wins, goals-against average and save percentage. He is 31-4-1 this season.

    In overtime, McAvoy deflected in Patrice Bergeron’s pass just as the game appeared to be headed to a shootout.

    “It was such a heads-up play to pass that puck to me,” McAvoy said. “In a situation like that sometimes you’re thinking about the clock but he was able to make the extra pass there.”

    Dmitry Orlov had two goals and an assist, and Pavel Zacha also scored. The Bruins (47-8-5) have a 13-point lead over Carolina in the overall standings.

    Blake Coleman, Dillon Dube and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Calgary. Dan Vladar, who allowed two goals on five shots in the first period, was lifted in favor of Jacob Markstrom at the start of the second period. Markstrom made 13 saves.

    The Flames are five points behind Winnipeg and Edmonton, who are tied for the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference

    “At this point in the year, we’re scrambling for our lives. We’re still fighting. We’re going to fight until the end,” Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “It’s a grown men’s league, you can’t feel sorry for yourself. You just got to go out there and play hockey and compete and put all your effort into it.”

    The Flames overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit and led 3-2 in the third period. Zacha tied it on a power play with 5:53 left in regulation.

    WESTERN DOMINATION

    The Bruins improved to 21-2-2 against the Western Conference. Included is an 11-1-2 mark against the Pacific Division.

    MILESTONE NIGHT

    Flames center Nazem Kadri played in his 800th career game, while Coleman scored his 100th career goal.

    UP NEXT

    Bruins: Host Buffalo on Thursday night.

    Flames: Host Toronto on Thursday night.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Beyond Kane, much uncertainty ahead of NHL trade deadline

    Beyond Kane, much uncertainty ahead of NHL trade deadline

    [ad_1]

    The NHL’s top contenders did not wait until the last minute to do their shopping before the trade deadline.

    League-leading Boston got bigger and tougher by adding Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway. Toronto got defensive by trading for Ryan O’Reilly. The Rangers answered their New York-rival Islanders’ move for Bo Horvat by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko — and they’re not done yet.

    A handful of big moves already have been made around the league, including a few Sunday, and more are expected before the trade deadline Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Patrick Kane going from Chicago to the Rangers is the most highly anticipated deal on the docket, and yet plenty of uncertainty remains about what else will shake out.

    “I am certainly not going to predict where the market goes next,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said last week after making what could be his first big trade or his only big one. “That’s for all teams, all 32 teams, to continue to discuss and those discussions will continue.”

    Discussions led to a flurry of trades Sunday.

    San Jose traded winger Timo Meier to New Jersey, Tampa Bay gave Nashville a boatload for forward Tanner Jeannot, Stanley Cup champion Colorado reacquired veteran defenseman Jack Johnson in a trade with Chicago in exchange for Andreas Englund, St. Louis sent forward Ivan Barbashev to Vegas for 20-year-old prospect Zach Dean, and Dallas got 20-goal-scorer Evgenii Dadnov from Montreal for Denis Gurianov.

    More are ongoing around Kane, San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun, Philadelphia’s James van Riemsdyk and Washington’s handful of pending free agents after the perennially contending Capitals went from buyers to sellers.

    Prices have been high on a lot of players, most notably Chychrun, who is the top player left to change places by the deadline.

    “I can see the marketplace taking towards the end of the week to sort out for some teams,” said Hart Levine of PuckPedia, a website that tracks the salary cap and player movement.

    WHAT ALREADY HAS HAPPENED

    The Islanders made their splash in late January, getting Horvat, a 30-goal scorer, from Vancouver and signing him to an eight-year extension. The Rangers, after the All-Star break in early February, got Tarasenko and big defenseman Niko Mikkola from St. Louis to start loading up to try to repeat or improve on their trip to the Eastern Conference final.

    “You want to win, and you want to be a part of good hockey teams who can win,” Mikkola said. “The whole team is good, and we can go deep. We all know that.”

    The Maple Leafs want to go deep, but they haven’t won a playoff series since 2004 — before the NHL had a salary cap. Acquiring O’Reilly, a playoff MVP in 2019 when the Blues won the Stanley Cup, and tough depth forward Noel Acciari sets them up better for that pursuit, if their goaltending holds up.

    WHAT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN

    The worst-kept secret in the sport is Kane’s connection to the Rangers.

    After New York got Tarasenko, thinking the price for Meier or Kane would be too high, Kane said: “If things were going to happen … that was a team that I was definitely looking at.”

    Not much of a poker face, but Kane has a full no-movement clause, meaning the three-time Cup champion who was league MVP in 2015-16 can choose where he wants to go. Rangers GM Chris Drury took care of his end of the money aspect Saturday by trading Vitali Kravtsov to Vancouver and waiving Jake Leschyshyn.

    And while Kane’s name isn’t being uttered around the Rangers, there’s an uneasiness around them as the buzz seeps into the locker room.

    “It always does at this time of the year,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “It’s tough on some players. But at the end of the day, you’re trying to make your team better every day and that’s what management does.”

    Chychrun has been on the trade block since before last season, and the 24-year-old defenseman with two seasons left on his contract after this one figures to finally get dealt.

    WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN

    Sellers also are buying while still selling — mass hysteria. Well, not quite hysteria, but it’s not as simple as the haves and the have-nots at this deadline.

    St. Louis, even after trading Tarasenko, Mikkola, O’Reilly, Acciari and Barbashev, could also be in the market for Chychrun or other players signed beyond this season. Same goes for Washington, which won the Cup in 2018 and has made the playoffs every year since 2014, but has been beset by injuries and other events that could end the streak.

    The Capitals sent Orlov and Hathaway to the Bruins and still could trade forwards Lars Eller, Conor Sheary and Marcus Johansson and defenseman Nick Jensen, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Erik Gustafsson, all of whom are pending free agents.

    “It’s a little bit emotional, and it’s not fun,” said Eller, who scored the Cup-clinching goal five years ago. “Just try to stay in the moment, stay in the present.”

    Washington GM Brian MacLellan is certainly doing that. With Alex Ovechkin in pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record, the Capitals aren’t going into a rebuild any time soon, and MacLellan already has foreshadowed taking the picks acquired and flipping them to win again as soon as next year.

    “While this season has proven challenging with injuries to our significant players, we are in a position to use some of our current assets to retool our club and build a competitive team moving forward,” he said.

    That could even start before the deadline.

    ___

    AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen in Boston and Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed to this report.

    ___

    Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • DeBrusk scores late in 3rd period, Bruins edge Kraken 6-5

    DeBrusk scores late in 3rd period, Bruins edge Kraken 6-5

    [ad_1]

    SEATTLE — Jake DeBrusk scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:38 left in the third period and the Boston Bruins edged the Seattle Kraken 6-5 on Thursday night.

    The win avenged Boston’s first regulation home loss of the season, which was a 3-0 defeat to Seattle back on Jan. 12, still the only time Boston has been shut out this year.

    Seattle’s Matty Beniers scored just 40 seconds into the game, and the teams went back and forth the rest of the way.

    Jaden Schwartz put Seattle ahead 5-4 at 15:50 of the third period. Brandon Carlo tied it less than 30 seconds later.

    DeBrusk scored the winning goal at 18:22, with an assist from Charlie McAvoy.

    “It was a good shift by our line,” DeBrusk said. “(Marchand) won a puck battle, (Patrice Bergeron) won a puck battle, he got up to the point, and I just tried to get to the net.”

    “It’s simple hockey, honestly, but it seems like it’s been going that way as of late,” he said. “It’s always fun to score those goals, everyone wants to be a part of it, but I think the goals leading up to it were equally as clutch to get us in that position.”

    The two teams combined for 74 shots on goal. Boston’s Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves for the Bruins and Phillip Grubauer finished with 27 for Seattle.

    “It was a great hockey game,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “It really was. To me, both teams made mistakes defensively, I know we made several, but when teams are executing supporting pucks and playing well offensively, it just makes for a great brand of hockey.”

    With the win, the Bruins improved to 44-8-5.

    “We have a ton of experience,” said Brad Marchand, who scored for Boston. “We have an older group, which I don’t think you can ever discount. I know a lot of teams are going younger and stuff now, but the experience, you can never have enough of it. I think it shows through in times where there is a lot of intensity and pressure.”

    Bergeron put Boston ahead 4-3 at 17:51 of the second period. Yanni Gourde tied it on the power play at 18:52.

    David Krejci, David Pastrnak and Marchand also scored for the Bruins.

    Vince Dunn and Jamie Oleksiak scored for Seattle.

    “The compete level was outstanding all the way through the game,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “There was a lot of intensity in the game, there was pace, obviously a lot of back and forth, especially during the second period and then late in the hockey game.”

    NOTES: Boston acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from Washington in a three-team trade Thursday for forward Craig Smith and a trio of draft picks, also acquired the rights to Russian forward prospect Andrei Svetlakov from Minnesota. … Seattle put goaltender Chris Driedger on waivers. He has yet to play in a game this season while recovering from a torn right ACL.

    UP NEXT

    Bruins: Play at Vancouver on Saturday.

    Kraken: Host Toronto on Sunday.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ESPN gets 1st chance to air hockey Stadium Series game

    ESPN gets 1st chance to air hockey Stadium Series game

    [ad_1]

    Since ESPN won back the NHL rights two years ago, it has carried the All-Star Game and Stanley Cup finals on ABC. The only thing it hasn’t had is an outdoor game.

    That changes Saturday night when ABC has the Stadium Series contest between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes from Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    ABC’s package of Saturday games airs typically in the afternoon, but hockey gets the prime-time slot with the NBA on its All-Star break.

    Mark Gross — who oversees ESPN and ABC’s coverage as senior vice president, production and remote events — said they have seen notes from how TNT and NBC did their outdoor games. However, each stadium game has its flavor and identity.

    “We’re excited because it’s a big event and it will have a big event feel with the studio team on site,” Gross said. “We will also have sky cam coverage over the ice since there’s nothing to block it.”

    Besides the sky cam, ABC will use a drone to provide additional aerial shots. Wireless mics will also be on select players and coaches in coordination with the NHL.

    The start of the Saturday games on ABC on Jan. 28, and the All-Star Game the following week, marked the beginning of more games on both ABC and ESPN as things begin to build with the playoffs on the horizon in mid-April.

    “Now it picks up from here,” play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough said. “Then obviously, we go right into the playoffs, which are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It is a grind once we get into that, so I’m happy to come into it with some rest because once we get going, it’s a whirlwind, to say the least.”

    McDonough is in his second season with analyst Ray Ferraro and reporter Emily Kaplan. They were named ESPN/ABC’s top team after the Walt Disney Company got back the rights in 2021 with a seven-year deal.

    One of the adjustments McDonough had to make going to hockey is that Ferraro is between the benches instead of next to him in the booth for most games. Ferraro, like most analysts, prefers being at ice level because it is easier to see and break down the game.

    “I think stepping on each other is the greatest concern because you can’t make eye contact. So I had to learn Sean’s cadence, and Sean had to learn when I like to jump in,” Ferraro said. “After you do it a number of times, it becomes rhythm.”

    Kaplan, also an online reporter for ESPN.com, said she asked about the possibility of doing rink-side reporting after ESPN regained the rights, figuring she might get a couple of games. She ended up getting added to the top team.

    Kaplan said the one thing she learned from Ferraro was taking feedback from a limited circle of people.

    “No one gives you a guidebook of this is what’s going to happen to you, when you’re suddenly thrust into a national television role. It was a lot of learning on the go,” she said. “It was rewarding because I could carve my own path. I want to stay true to myself and what I thought would be best for this role.”

    McDonough has credited Ferraro and Kaplan for helping to navigate arenas and getting to know coaches and players.

    “The comfort level is just so much higher for me this year. I thought I was following it fairly intensely as a fan, but it’s a different animal when you’re doing this job,” McDonough said.

    Ilan Ben-Hanan, ESPN’s senior vice president, programming and acquisitions, said scheduling has been more favorable this season because the NHL didn’t take a three-week break in February (which was made when the league thought it would be competing in the Beijing Olympics). There also haven’t been games rescheduled due to COVID-19.

    Ben-Hanan said there is the possibility of more Boston Bruins games being added to the schedule. The Bruins (41-8-5) are on pace to tie the NHL single-season mark of 62 wins shared by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

    “We feel well positioned for our schedule the rest of the way, headlined by the Boston appearances. We’re embracing it, and it’s easy to follow if you’re a fan,” he said.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ESPN gets 1st chance to air hockey Stadium Series game

    ESPN gets 1st chance to air hockey Stadium Series game

    [ad_1]

    Since ESPN won back the NHL rights two years ago, it has carried the All-Star Game and Stanley Cup finals on ABC. The only thing it hasn’t had is an outdoor game.

    That changes Saturday night when ABC has the Stadium Series contest between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Panthers from Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    ABC’s package of Saturday games airs typically in the afternoon, but hockey gets the prime-time slot with the NBA on its All-Star break.

    Mark Gross — who oversees ESPN and ABC’s coverage as senior vice president, production and remote events — said they have seen notes from how TNT and NBC did their outdoor games. However, each stadium game has its flavor and identity.

    “We’re excited because it’s a big event and it will have a big event feel with the studio team on site,” Gross said. “We will also have sky cam coverage over the ice since there’s nothing to block it.”

    Besides the sky cam, ABC will use a drone to provide additional aerial shots. Wireless mics will also be on select players and coaches in coordination with the NHL.

    The start of the Saturday games on ABC on Jan. 28, and the All-Star Game the following week, marked the beginning of more games on both ABC and ESPN as things begin to build with the playoffs on the horizon in mid-April.

    “Now it picks up from here,” play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough said. “Then obviously, we go right into the playoffs, which are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It is a grind once we get into that, so I’m happy to come into it with some rest because once we get going, it’s a whirlwind, to say the least.”

    McDonough is in his second season with analyst Ray Ferraro and reporter Emily Kaplan. They were named ESPN/ABC’s top team after the Walt Disney Company got back the rights in 2021 with a seven-year deal.

    One of the adjustments McDonough had to make going to hockey is that Ferraro is between the benches instead of next to him in the booth for most games. Ferraro, like most analysts, prefers being at ice level because it is easier to see and break down the game.

    “I think stepping on each other is the greatest concern because you can’t make eye contact. So I had to learn Sean’s cadence, and Sean had to learn when I like to jump in,” Ferraro said. “After you do it a number of times, it becomes rhythm.”

    Kaplan, also an online reporter for ESPN.com, said she asked about the possibility of doing rink-side reporting after ESPN regained the rights, figuring she might get a couple of games. She ended up getting added to the top team.

    Kaplan said the one thing she learned from Ferraro was taking feedback from a limited circle of people.

    “No one gives you a guidebook of this is what’s going to happen to you, when you’re suddenly thrust into a national television role. It was a lot of learning on the go,” she said. “It was rewarding because I could carve my own path. I want to stay true to myself and what I thought would be best for this role.”

    McDonough has credited Ferraro and Kaplan for helping to navigate arenas and getting to know coaches and players.

    “The comfort level is just so much higher for me this year. I thought I was following it fairly intensely as a fan, but it’s a different animal when you’re doing this job,” McDonough said.

    Ilan Ben-Hanan, ESPN’s senior vice president, programming and acquisitions, said scheduling has been more favorable this season because the NHL didn’t take a three-week break in February (which was made when the league thought it would be competing in the Beijing Olympics). There also haven’t been games rescheduled due to COVID-19.

    Ben-Hanan said there is the possibility of more Boston Bruins games being added to the schedule. The Bruins (41-8-5) are on pace to tie the NHL single-season mark of 62 wins shared by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

    “We feel well positioned for our schedule the rest of the way, headlined by the Boston appearances. We’re embracing it, and it’s easy to follow if you’re a fan,” he said.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Olympics in 2018 showed glimpses of future NHL stars

    Olympics in 2018 showed glimpses of future NHL stars

    [ad_1]

    Connor McDavid could not team up with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon for Canada. Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel did not get the chance to play alongside Patrick Kane for the U.S. Henrik Lundqvist never got a chance to win a second gold medal with Sweden, this time with Victor Hedman in front of him.

    The NHL skipping the 2018 Olympics looks in retrospect like a major mistake, since the world’s best players have yet to face off against each other on the international stage. Turns out, the tournament in South Korea offered a glimpse of what was to come for a handful of players.

    Five years since starring for the Russians on their way to gold, Kirill Kaprizov is now a dominant force for Minnesota. He plays with Jordan Greenway who paused his college career to represent the U.S. in Pyeongchang alongside Seattle forward Ryan Donato. Before joining the Kraken and scoring at will this season, Eeli Tolvanen was roommates with Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who along with then-17-year-old Swede Rasmus Dahlin are among the best at the position.

    Few knew about Czech goaltender Pavel Francouz before he beat the U.S. in an elimination shootout in that tournament; now his name is on the Stanley Cup after helping Colorado win it last season.

    From Kaprizov to Francouz, the success stories from the 2018 Olympics are now playing out in the NHL.

    “It’s a testament to how good the hockey was there,” said Donato, who tied with Kaprizov and Ilya Kovalchuk for the tournament lead with five goals. “You had a lot of guys who played in the NHL for a long time. You kind of got a sense that if those guys could hang around a lot of longtime NHLers, that it would bode well for their career.”

    It has for Kaprizov, who was the best player on the ice for those two weeks while still being an unproven NHL prospect. Only one player had more points than Kaprizov and Tolvanen, who knew all about his Russian counterpart from their time facing off in the KHL.

    “Since the first game we played against them, I knew that he was going to be a really good player,” said Tolvanen, who had three goals and six assists in five games at the Olympics before turning 19. “There was not much talk in North America at that time about him, but everybody that played in the KHL or played against the Russians at the national stage knew that he’s the real deal.”

    Tolvanen and Heiskanen looked like the real deal at the time, too. Heiskanen was the third pick in the draft, Tolvanen went later in the first round and then they were roommates while teaming up for Finland.

    Heiskanen is now a standout for Dallas in the NHL Tolvanen languished with Nashville before going on waivers this season. Claimed by the Kraken, he has since scored nine goals in 20 games.

    “It seems like it’s really helped him to get to the new place and get some more minutes there,” Heiskanen said. “It’s great to see the success.”

    For all their individual successes, Francouz is the only player from the 2018 Olympics to win the Stanley Cup since. The Avalanche became the first team since 1972 to hoist the Cup after two goalies won at least five games each during their run, and they can, in part, thank Francouz’s experience five years ago for putting him on the radar.

    “I think the scouts knew me from the KHL, and they kind of knew what my game looked like,” Francouz said. “But I feel like it definitely helped me that they saw me in person at the tournament and saw what I’m capable of.”

    Dahlin, now with Buffalo, got into just two games with Sweden; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin played in one for the Russians; and Rangers Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin was the No. 3 goalie behind veteran national team starter Vasili Koshechkin.

    Sorokin said Koshechkin “showed me how he works and plays in very big-pressure games, important games.” Dahlin felt the same way practicing with older Swedes.

    “I was enjoying every second,” Dahlin said. “I didn’t play much, but I had a blast.”

    Now the Sabres’ top defenseman, Dahlin is playing plenty. Only 2010 Olympic gold medalist Drew Doughty and 2022 Norris Trophy winner and playoff MVP Cale Makar — who turned down Canada’s invite to the Olympics five years ago — are seeing more ice time this season than Dahlin.

    Finally seeing quality ice time in the NHL, Tolvanen is thriving with Seattle.

    “It kind of feels like back in 2018: that year when I played in the world juniors and the Olympics and KHL,” Tolvanen said. “That was a fun year, and I kind of feel the same way right now.”

    Now professionals, Donato, Greenway and Co. look back fondly on the bonds built playing at what Donato called a “perfect storm” Olympics with no NHL players.

    “The guys who you did that with and experienced that with, you’ll always have that connection,” Greenway said. “We talk about it. We always will.”

    After pandemic-related schedule interruptions kept the NHL out of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the plan is for players to take part in 2026 in Milan.

    Those who participated in 2018 got enough of a taste to want to go again.

    “You see all the other athletes, you see all the buses going around the Olympic village, and you go see other athletes compete,” Tolvanen said. “It’s a dream come true to play there as an 18-year-old, but it’s something that for sure I want to be a part of again.”

    ___

    Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link