1

Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips

April 16-19, 2016

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets | New deal for Seth Jones is top priority of summer Lake Erie Monsters/Prospects PAGE 04: Cleveland Plain Dealer: Lake Erie Monsters announce playoff schedule, will face Rockford IceHogs in first round PAGE 05: Morning Journal: Lake Erie Monsters open playoffs in Rockford despite having

home-ice advantage

NHL/Websites PAGE 06: Sportsnet.ca: Five things we learned in the NHL: Tempers flare in Tampa PAGE 08: Sportsnet.ca: Stanley Cup Playoffs Star WATCH: Tyler Johnson wants that Conn Smythe PAGE 10: TSN.ca: Statistically Speaking: Johnson comes up big PAGE 12: TSN.ca: Lundqvist injury raises cage safety questions PAGE 14: TSN.ca: The Watercooler: Will fists fly in the playoffs? PAGE 17: USA Today: NHL playoffs 2016: Panic meter after Game 1s in the first round PAGE 18: Denver Post: This NHL fighting debate has been going on for decades PAGE 19: Sportsnet.ca: Five things we learned in the NHL: Odd goals galore PAGE 21: TSN.ca: Statistically Speaking: Lundqvist turns the tide PAGE 23: TSN.ca: Thumbs to video review and Bruins keeping Julien PAGE 25: USA Today: How Canadian fans are coping with no teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs PAGE 27: Columbus Dispatch: Michael Arace commentary | Thornton playing like winner for Sharks now PAGE 29: Sportsnet.ca: 5 things we learned in the NHL: A night of firsts PAGE 31: TSN.ca: Statistically Speaking: Preds ride Rinne to victory PAGE 33: TSN.ca: Thumbs up to Lehtonen and Jones, down to rats PAGE 35: Vancouver Province: NHL’s Las Vegas expansion project set to happen? PAGE 37: Sportsnet.ca: Five things we learned in the NHL: Philly’s shame PAGE 40: TSN.ca: Statistically Speaking: Carlson powers Capitals PAGE 42: TSN.ca: Coach’s challenge dominating early playoff chatter PAGE 43: TSN.ca: #MondayMustRead: The search for the perfect playoff format PAGE 47: USA Today: When it comes to NHL coaches, best are in West

2

http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/04/19/seth-jones-top-priority-of-summer.html

Blue Jackets | New deal for Seth Jones is top priority of summer By Aaron Portzline – April 19, 2016

The Blue Jackets won’t play a meaningful game for nearly six months, but the offseason should be anything but sleepy.

The biggest challenge this summer may be signing defenseman Seth Jones, a restricted free agent as of July 1, to a contract extension. Jones, 21, was acquired by trade in January from the Nashville Predators for No. 1 center Ryan Johansen.

“I don’t anticipate any problems,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Monday. “We’ll find a deal that works for us and a deal that works for Seth Jones.”

But the Blue Jackets have had two messy contract negotiations over the past three summers: goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in 2013 and Johansen, whose training camp holdout turned personal and public, in the summer and fall of 2014.

Although defenseman Ryan Murray (two years, $5.65 million) and center Boone Jenner (two years, $5.9 million) recently accepted bridge contracts — they will still be restricted free agents when those deals expire — Jones is likely to sign a multiyear contract that carries him into his unrestricted free agent years.

Kekalainen wouldn’t speak directly about contract talks involving Jones but said the Blue Jackets are not insistent on signing bridge deals with players coming out of entry-level deals.

Last summer, for instance, the Blue Jackets traded for forward Brandon Saad from Chicago and promptly signed him to a six-year, $36 million contract.

“We had our reasons in both (Murray and Jenner) situations, given the injuries they had the season before,” Kekalainen said. “But every situation is different, and it’s based on a number of different factors.”

Last month, Toronto signed defenseman Morgan Rielly — like Jones, a pending restricted free agent coming out of his entry-level deal — to a five-year, $30 million contract.

Rielly, 22, is what NHL general managers and agents would call a comparable to Jones.

In 236 career games, Rielly has 19 goals, 73 assists and 92 points. He played 23 minutes, 13 seconds per game for the Leafs this past season. In 240 career games, Jones, 21, has 17 goals, 66 assists and 83 points. He played 22:05 per game last season but 24:27 per game after the trade.

The Blue Jackets have about $7.5 million under the NHL’s projected 2016-17 salary cap of $74 million.

Other than Jones, center William Karlsson, also a pending restricted free agent, is the only established NHL player who needs a contract. As of July 1, any NHL club can negotiate with restricted free agents. But offer sheets are rare, and the Blue Jackets would have the right to match any offer.

Kekalainen dismissed any suggestion that re-signing Jones would create salary-cap difficulty, even in the event of an offer sheet.

3

“We will have plenty of different options this summer come July 1,” Kekalainen said. “We will have enough cap space to sign Seth Jones.”

4

http://www.cleveland.com/monsters/index.ssf/2016/04/lake_erie_monsters_announce_pl.html

Lake Erie Monsters announce playoff schedule, will face Rockford IceHogs in first round Staff - April 17, 2016

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Lake Erie Monsters will make their first home appearance in five years in the American Hockey League's Calder Cup playoffs when they play the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Monsters announced the schedule for the best-of-five, first-round series after Saturday night's games, when Rockford drubbed the Milwaukee Admirals, 7-1, to finish in third place in the Western Conference Central Division. The Monsters finished second in the division, at 43-22-6-5.

Lake Erie will open the playoff series on the road with games at 8 p.m. Wednesday and 8 p.m. Thursday at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, Illinois.

The series moves to The Q for Game 3 on Saturday. Games 4 and 5, if necessary, will be at The Q at 7 p.m. Monday, April 25 and Thursday, April 28.

5

http://www.morningjournal.com/sports/20160417/lake-erie-monsters-open-playoffs-in-rockford-despite-having-home-ice-advantage

Lake Erie Monsters open playoffs in Rockford despite having home-ice advantage

By Jeff Schudel - April 18, 2016

Home ice advantage in the AHL playoffs has its disadvantages.

The Lake Erie Monsters earned home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs by finishing second in the Central Division, one spot ahead of the Rockford Ice Hogs. But because of geography, the first two games in the best-of-five series will be played in Rockford.

The AHL announced the series schedule late on April 16. The Monsters and Ice Hogs face off at 8 p.m. April 20 and 21 at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, Ill.

The only way the Monsters will benefit from finishing ahead of the Ice Hogs is if the series goes the distance, because the last three games are set for Quicken Loans Arena. Those games are scheduled for April 23, 25 and 28, all at 7 p.m.

So why do the Monsters have to start their first playoff in five years on the road? It has nothing to do with the Cavaliers taking priority at The Q.

The answer is the distance between Cleveland and Rockford, 437 miles, is too far to bus conveniently. Rather than force Rockford to pay air fare to fly to Cleveland possibly twice – once for the first two games and again if a fifth game is necessary – the AHL decided to start the series in Rockford.

Conversely, the Milwaukee Admirals finished first in the Central and the Grand Rapids Griffins fourth. The first two games of that series will be played in Milwaukee, as will the fifth game if necessary, because Milwaukee and Grand Rapids are 277 miles apart and the drive is more than two hours shorter.

“The best of five makes every game and every play more important because it’s best of five instead of best of seven,” Monsters coach Jared Bednar said.

The Monsters were beaten all four times they played in Rockford in the regular season. Likewise, they were a perfect 4-0 against the Ice Hogs at the Q. Even a split in Rockford in the first two games would put Lake Erie in good shape, but that won’t be easy.

“The games we’ve play against Rockford have been physical, hard-fought games.” Bednar said. “They were playoff style games in midseason. It’s going to be interesting.”

The Monsters finished the regular season by winning nine of their last 11 games.

6

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/lightning-johnson-red-wings-blackhawks-crawford/

Sportsnet.ca / Five things we learned in the NHL: Tempers flare in Tampa By Mike Johnston – April 16, 2016

Eight teams hit the ice Friday and all of them had some serious jam in their games. There were hits, there were scrums, there was vim, there was vigor, there was blood and there was even a lost tooth.

Playoff hockey, folks.

Here are five things we learned Friday in the NHL.

Tempers flare in Tampa

The Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning are known more for their talent rather than truculence, but this series has been nasty at times. Game 2 certainly was.

The physical play started early when Dylan Larkin split Jonathan Drouin’s lip open with a hit.

In the second period, Pavel Datsyuk lost a tooth when Victor Hedman got his stick up high. Datsyuk got a retaliation penalty and Henrik Zetterberg was forced to locate his longtime teammate’s missing chiclet.

A few minutes later, Ondrej Palat was crushed into the end boards by Danny DeKeyser which resulted in a scrum.

The piece de resistance, though, occurred late in the third period when Justin Abdelkader attacked Mike Blunden during a line brawl (using the term brawl lightly here).

It seems as though we’re going to see more rough stuff in Game 3. Speaking of which…

Red Wings should turn to Mrazek in Game 3

The Red Wings find themselves in a 2-0 hole after another loss to the Lightning. You can’t blame it all on Jimmy Howard but Jeff Blashill would be wise to start Petr Mrazek when the series returns to Detroit Sunday.

Howard has allowed seven goals on 64 shots (.890 save percentage) through two games and was completely out of position on the go-ahead goal in the third period.

Sure, Howard came on strong towards the end of the regular season but overall, Mrazek was the much better goaltender. Also, the 24-year-old Czech had a .925 save percentage and 2.11 GAA in seven playoff games against the Lightning last season.

Tampa trio is the hottest line in hockey

Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson can’t be stopped. After combining for seven points and a plus-9 rating in Game 1, they continued to light it up Friday adding eight more points with each man finishing plus-3.

That means through two games they’ve tallied 15 total points and a plus-18 rating. They’ve now scored 53.4 per cent of the Lightning’s post-season goals since start of 2014-15 playoffs.

The Blackhawks evened their series with the Blues and with the win, Corey Crawford moved into first place on Chicago’s all-time list of playoff victories with 46. Crawford leapfrogged Tony Esposito, who had

7

45 wins in 99 playoff appearances with the team. Crawford earned his 46th win in his 78th post-season contest.

With his goal in the first period, Ryan Getzlaf now has the most home playoff points in the NHL since the 2005-06 season. In 98 career playoff games, the Ducks captain has 95 points, 65 of which have come during home games. Sidney Crosby and Daniel Briere each have 64 and Evgeni Malkin has 63 over that same time period.

Stat pack…

#FLAPANTHERS ROBERTO LUONGO EARNS HIS FIRST PLAYOFF WIN SINCE SHUTTING OUT THE BRUINS IN GAME 5 OF 2011 STANLEY CUP FINAL

— SPORTSNET STATS (@SNSTATS) APRIL 16, 2016

JOHN TAVARES 9 SHOTS ON GOAL TONIGHT WERE THE MOST BY A #NYISLANDERS PLAYER IN A PLAYOFF GAME SINCE ALEXEI YASHIN ON APRIL 28, 2002 VS TOR

— SPORTSNET STATS (@SNSTATS) APRIL 16, 2016

DYLAN LARKIN IS THE FIRST #REDWINGS TEENAGER TO SCORE A PLAYOFF GOAL SINCE KEITH PRIMEAU APRIL 8, 1991

— SPORTSNET STATS (@SNSTATS) APRIL 16, 2016

THE KEITH EFFECT:

G1 G2

28:11 HJALMARSSON 23:36

30:35 SEABROOK 21:14

28:12 TVR 21:11

— JOHN SHANNON (@JSPORTSNET) APRIL 16, 2016

8

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/stanley-cup-playoffs-star-watch-tyler-johnson-wants-conn-smythe/

Sportsnet.ca / Stanley Cup Playoffs Star WATCH: Tyler Johnson wants that Conn Smythe By Rory Boylen – April 16, 2016

It was a hairy night in the NHL, complete with lost teeth, a way over-the-top reaction in a scrum and other craziness, but there were also some tremendous performances from some of the league’s top — and emerging — stars.

There was a return from a suspension that had a significant impact, a key offensive performance that was overturned by a review, and another emerging star who continues to bounce back from a slow start to the season.

Here is Friday’s look at how some of the league’s star performed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

TYLER JOHNSON: 2G, 2A

Last season, led by Johnson, Tampa Bay’s ‘Triplets Line’ took the league by storm in both the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs. Johnson, a 5-foot-8 late-bloomer, had 29 goals and 72 points in the regular season, and then led the Lightning with 23 playoff points as they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

So the line would be even more of a threat this season, right? Well, it didn’t start off that way. Johnson scored just 16 points in his first 36 games and the Triplets were split up. In the end, Johnson finished with 38 points, so he had a bit of a turnaround, but still wasn’t producing as well as he was a season ago.

But the Triplets, again led by Johnson, are proving themselves as a dangerous playoff line once more. Through just two games against the Red Wings, Johnson now has six points, thanks largely to a huge Game 2, which Tampa Bay won 5-2.

Especially without Steven Stamkos, the Lightning need Johnson and the Triplets to come up in a big way if they are to match, or exceed, what they accomplished in 2015. Jonathan Drouin has been a menace and earned his first playoff point in Game 2, but make no mistake, Johnson’s line will be the one to lead this team.

In fact, he now has more playoff goals as a member of the Lightning than does Steven Stamkos. Johnson would have been a favourite to win the Conn Smythe last year had the Lightning won the Stanley Cup, and he’s after it again.

Last we saw Chicago’s top defenceman, he was taking a tremendously stupid penalty on Charlie Coyle, leading to a six-game suspension that cut his regular season short, and forced him to start the playoffs late.

The Hawks lost Game 1 without Keith by a 1-0 count, but he played a key role in Game 2’s 3-2 win. While the end of the game was full of controversy surrounding a couple of goal reviews, Keith scored a tying marker and added an assist on the (flukey) game-winner by Artemi Panarin. He also logged a monster amount of minutes. Keith had a huge first game back in the lineup, but you know he’s just getting started.

9

The only question is, will all his contributions be positive, or will he lose his cool at a costly moment?

VLADIMIR TARASENKO: 1G, almost 2G

As the St. Louis Blues have fallen short of playoff expectations in the past, the most pressing missing ingredient was a game-breaking goal scorer. They now have that in Tarasenko, one of the most electrifying young scorers in hockey. And in Game 2, Tarasenko did score a couple big goals…well, one big goal anyway.

He opened the scoring in the second period and appeared to score a key go-ahead goal in the dying minutes of regulation. Turns out, that one was called back due to an offside by the slimmest of margins.

This series is now tied 1-1 as it heads back to St. Louis, where the Blues will need Tarasenko to keep being that game-breaker they’ve been lacking in years past.

DYLAN LARKIN: 1G, 0A

Maybe Larkin isn’t really a “star” yet, but he’s quickly on the rise. The Red Wings may still be Henrik Zetterberg’s and Pavel Datsyuk’s team for now, but before long it will be Larkin’s.

The Calder Trophy candidate really burst into the mainstream at All-Star Weekend when he broke Mike Gartner’s fastest skater record, but he’s been a key contributor all year for the Red Wings. With 45 points in 80 regular season games, he’s been one of the best Red Wings rookies since Keith Primeau in the early-90s.

But Larkin isn’t being mentioned here just because of this goal. He showed a feistiness to his game that you don’t immediately correlate with him. Larkin is mostly considered a productive speedster, but he answered Jonathan Drouin’s Game 1 edge by getting in his grill early and often in Game 2.

Larkin picked up 14 penalty minutes, almost all of which came in the crazy melee that broke out at the end of the game. Bring on Game 3.

JAMES NEAL: 1G, 9SOG

The funny thing about Nashville is that, historically, they’ve been an underdog playoff team that didn’t have the scoring, but had the tough defence and excellent goaltending. But this year, they seem to have the scoring (13th in the league), but with Pekka Rinne holding a .908 save percentage, you had to wonder if they’d be able to stop the red-hot Ducks attack.

How about Neal in Game 1? He finished second to Filip Forsberg among Predators forwards in the regular season for goals and points, but he’s the more experienced player, which is sometimes a factor in the playoffs. And in the series opener Friday night, which Nashville won 3-2, Neal was a key driver of the offence. The Predators outshot the Ducks 33-28 and Neal got nine of those shots on his own! Just 35 seconds after puck drop, he put the Predators up 1-0.

Because of the concern around Rinne (I mean, how good is he really?) the Predators will need their offence to shine if they are to pull off this upset. Sure, Forsberg is at the centre of that, but Neal got the lion’s share of chances in Game 1. If he keeps getting as many solid looks as he did, odds are he’s going to score a heck of a lot more. Remember, he scored four times in six games last post-season.

10

http://www.tsn.ca/statistically-speaking-johnson-comes-up-big-1.472962

TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Johnson comes up big By Scott Cullen – April 16, 2016

Tyler Johnson coming up big for the Lightning; Luongo, Keith, Smith, Forsberg and more in Scott Cullen's Statistically Speaking.

Tampa Bay Lightning centre Tyler Johnson busted out with a four-point game in a 5-2 Game Two win against Detroit.

Last season, Johnson put up 72 points in the regular season then led the playoffs with 13 goals and 23 points in 26 games. He and his fellow Triplets, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, were praised far and wide.

This season has been more challenging, as Johnson managed just 38 points in 69 regular-season games and he got hurt in his last regular season game against Montreal, putting his status in doubt prior to the playoffs getting underway.

Well, it's safe to say that Johnson is okay, now that he has a playoff-leading six points (2 G, 4 A) through two games against Detroit.

Johnson's linemates, Kucherov and Alex Killorn, each contributed a goal and an assist in Game Two. Kucherov now has five points in the postseason; Killorn has four.

HEROES

Roberto Luongo - A day after allowing five goals on 26 shots in the first game of the series, the Panthers goaltender stopped 41 of 42 shots in a 3-1 Game Two win over the Islanders. It was Luongo's playoff career-high in saves for a three-period game (ie. excluding overtime contests) and was the kind of performance that showed the kind of advantage that the Panthers expect Luongo to provide for them in the postseason.

Duncan Keith - In his first game back from a six-game suspension, the Blackhawks blueliner produced a goal and an assist and played a game-high 30:59 in a 3-2 Game Two win at St. Louis.

Reilly Smith - The Panthers winger continued to play a major role, putting up a goal and an assist against the Islanders, giving him five points (3 G, 2 A) in two games.

Filip Forsberg - Nashville's rising star winger scored the winning goal in the third period of their 3-2 victory at Anaheim. He finished the regular season with 34 points (19 G, 15 A) in the last 30 games.

ZEROES

Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, Nikolay Kulemin - The Islanders trio struggled late in the year and they were the worst possession unit (4 for, 10 against, 28.6 SAT%) against Florida in Game Two. Nelson was on the ice for all three goals against (which included an empty-netter), while Bailey and Kulemin were on the ice for two goals against.

Justin Abdelkader - The Red Wings disturber had a hard night in Game Two. He was in the penalty box for Tampa Bay's first goal then was on the ice for three more Lightning goals in a 5-2 loss. The cherry on

11

top of the Sunday was the five and ten he received in the final minute of play for attacking Lightning winger Michael Blunden.

The Blues and Video Review - Shortly after having an apparent Vladimir Tarasenko goal overturned, the Blues had their own challenge denied on Andrew Shaw's goal with 4:19 remaining in the third period.

STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY

Vladimir Tarasenko - The St. Louis sniper scored a goal, then appeared to give the Blues a 2-1 lead, but that goal was nullified by Jori Lehtera (who set up Tarasenko for that would-be go-ahead marker) going offside prior to the goal. Tarasenko then followed that replay disappointment by taking a slashing penalty and was in the penalty box when Andrew Shaw scored to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.

VITAL SIGNS

J.T. Brown - The Tampa Bay right winger suffered an upper-body injury after blocking a shot against Detroit. If Brown can't go in Game Three, Erik Condra and Jonathan Marchessault are waiting in the wings as healthy scratches.

Josh Manson - The Anaheim defenceman left with an apparent upper-body injury after taking a hit from Predators left winger Filip Forsberg.

Jonathan Drouin - It's been quite the redemption tour for the Tampa Bay winger, who had an assist and played 19:17 in Game Two against Detroit. Valtteri Filppula (19:59) was the only Lightning forward with more ice time.

SHORT SHIFTS

Panthers C Nick Bjugstad picked up a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over the Islanders; going back to the regular season, he has 14 points (6 G, 8 A) in the past 17 games…Panthers D Dmitry Kulikov contributed a goal and an assist and has four points (1 G, 3 A) during his past three games. He had no goals and three assists in his previous 18 games…Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane, the league's leading scorer with 106 points during the regular season, chipped in a couple of assists in a 3-2 win at St. Louis…Lightning D Jason Garrison had game-best possession (14 for, 3 against, 82.4 SAT%) against Detroit…Predators G Pekka Rinne stopped 27 of 29 shots in a 3-2 Game One win at Anaheim; after posting a below-average .908 save percentage during the regular season, Nashville needs Rinne to come up big in the postseason…Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf scored a goal and had 13 shot attempts (6 SOG) in Game One against Nashville…Predators RW James Neal potted a goal 35 seconds into the game and finished with 16 shot attempts (9 SOG) at Anaheim…Predators C Ryan Johansen had a dominant possession game (22 for, 3 against, 88.0 SAT%), working over the defence pairing of Cam Fowler and Simon Despres at Anaheim, while Predators RW Miikka Salomaki was buried in the defensive zone (1 for, 17 against, 5.6 SAT%) all night.

12

http://www.tsn.ca/lundqvist-injury-raises-cage-safety-questions-1.472529

TSN.CA / Lundqvist injury raises cage safety questions By Frank Seravalli – April 16, 2016

PITTSBURGH — Antti Raanta couldn’t wait until he turned 18 - and not only because that’s the legal drinking age in his native Finland.

It’s the age of majority when goaltenders can decide to play with a “cat eye” style mask, which has oversized eye openings to increase the field of vision for pucks.

“You can see so much better from that,” Raanta explained.

Raanta’s Rangers counterpart, Henrik Lundqvist, returned to the ice on Friday afternoon at Consol Energy Center to test his vision some 40 hours after teammate Marc Staal’s blade gouged his eye through the same style mask.

The freak occurrence raised questions about goaltender protection since that style of mask is banned for use and sale in Canada. But NHL goaltenders, who do not answer to regulatory body Hockey Canada, have made the “cat eye” mask the near unanimous choice.

Lundqvist appeared to come through largely unscathed.

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault labeled him as a “game-time decision” for Saturday’s Game 2, after he was forced to pull himself from Game 1 because of trouble seeing.

Lundqvist sat at the podium on Friday, perfectly styled and coiffed as usual, with a purple mark on his left eyelid as the only visible damage. He visited a specialist on Thursday in Pittsburgh and reported there was no internal harm.

“Today I felt pretty good,” Lundqvist said. “It’s more the swelling around the eye to make it uncomfortable. But practice was good, the vision was good. It’s more about the swelling around the eye that affects it, but I’m very pleased with the way it felt.”

Lundqvist said there were “20 to 30 seconds” where he had “some really bad thoughts” going through his head. He couldn’t see as he writhed on the ice in pain.

“It was such a weird feeling because it was extremely painful but at the same time you go numb a little bit, so you don’t know what’s going on,” Lundqvist explained. “Before you open your eyes, you don’t really know what the reaction will be and that was the scary part for 20 or 30 seconds, not knowing. I wasn’t sure. It was just such a hard hit that I was shock at the same time that it happened. But then you open your eyes and slowly things start to feel a little more normal.”

Both Lundqvist and Raanta said they couldn’t remember many similar incidents. But they have occurred with increasing frequency over the years. Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury sustained a cut below his eye when he was poked by teammate Ben Lovejoy in November.

Lightning goalie Ben Bishop said he felt like his “eye was falling out” when he was gruesomely clipped in San Jose in December. Former Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro had his cornea scratched by Sidney Crosby years ago.

13

“Accidents happen,” Lundqvist said. “I feel still as a goalie, you’re pretty well protected, so I don’t see it as an issue. Obviously within a year here, I’ve experienced two freak accidents (a throat injury in Feb. 2015), but I still feel like the equipment is good and there is nothing really to change.”

Raanta knocked on his wooden stall in the Rangers’ dressing room.

“It was pure bad luck,” Raanta said. “I think the stick can fit just enough.”

Rangers defenceman Keith Yandle said he probably couldn’t squeezed his blade through the enlarged cage opening if he tried during a game.

“Unless the mask comes up or something, it’s so rare to see that,” Yandle said. “Your stick needs to go through on a perfect angle.”

Lundqvist said he wore a different mask when he played in Sweden but switched in the NHL.

“It makes a big difference, it opens it up for your vision and your eyes,” Lundqvist said. “It’s a good thing that you have that ‘cat look’ as they call it. I don’t want to change that.”

And that is the exact reason few changes to the mask structure have been made over the years. The NHL Players’ Association works in a 50-50 partnership with the NHL on goaltending equipment matters, including the mask standard.

“Cat eyes were discussed at length, as it is the preferred cage of NHL goalies,” NHL director of goaltending equipment Kay Whitmore said Friday. “More injuries occurred from bending or broken cages than from stick penetration, so the standard dealt with strength and material composition of the cat eye to ensure it was of the highest quality. The type of injury Henrik incurred happens quite infrequently. Other certified non-cat eye cages are readily available for any (NHL) goalie if they want it.”

Health Canada wrote in a 2009 letter to Hockey Canada that the “wider cat-eye design on some goaltender masks” does not meet the country’s health standards because it does not provide adequate protection against pucks or sticks, according to In-Goal Magazine. They are not available for sale in Canada and not permitted for use in minor hockey.

Every current NHL goaltender is believed to use the cat eye style. John Vanbiesbrouck, Dominik Hasek, Kelly Hrudey and Don Beaupre are just a few of the netminders over the years to buck the trend.

A few years back, manufacturers reinforced the middle of the cage with a second bar, which only slightly reduced the eye hole. It still allows for a stick blade to fit through.

“This is a one in a million injury. It’s a big story because it’s Henrik Lundqvist,” TSN analyst and former NHL goaltender Jamie McLennan said. “But there really haven’t been many injuries over the years. I think if you could slightly shrink the eyes so a stick couldn’t fit in there, guys would be fine with it. It’s only a small adjustment.”

14

http://www.tsn.ca/the-watercooler-will-fists-fly-in-the-playoffs-1.472482

TSN.CA / The Watercooler: Will fists fly in the playoffs? By Gary Lawless – April 16, 2016

Five questions hockey people are talking about around The Watercooler this week:

Will there be blood?

Through seven postseason games so far there has been one fight. Last season there were just eight in the entire playoffs. Fighting continues to drop in the regular season and it’s already a rarity in the Stanley Cup tournament.

St. Louis Blues defenceman Colton Parayko asked Chicago Blackhawks winger Andrew Ladd to answer for a belt Ladd delivered Will there be blood?

on Wednesday night and the veteran forward flatly told him to beat it before both returned to play. Risk injury or penalty for delivering a clean hit at this time of year? No thanks.

Then on Thursday, the precise example of why there are so few fights in the postseason unfolded in the Capitals 1-0 win over the Flyers.

Washington winger Tom Wilson ran Flyers defenceman Andrew MacDonald from behind in the third period with the Caps ahead by a goal. It was a stupid play by Wilson. Flyers power forward Wayne Simmonds, however, took Wilson’s stupid and raised it.

Simmonds jumped in and grabbed Wilson. They fought. When the referees were done with the accounting, Simmonds was given a minor for roughing and a major for fighting. Wilson was given a minor for boarding and a major for fighting. The Flyers lost a power play in the third period of a playoff game and eventually the game. Did Simmonds send Wilson a message? Sure did: We’re suckers.

This was a season where most of the fighting on fighting was done in the media. On the ice, it was largely a campaign of peace.

The NHL experienced .28 fights per game this season, the lowest since 1968-69. There are almost no players on NHL rosters whose role is primarily to fight. Parity and the three-point game have made each outcome too important. Coaches need to win games to keep their jobs, and fighting just doesn’t lead to success. So it’s disappearing.

Former department of player safety head Brendan Shanahan proposed a game misconduct for fighting in a 2011 email to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

"Fighting (like slashing) is NOT legal. There is a penalty. Unlike fighting however, teams don't employ "slashers" for that simple role. We could work out the details but maybe it's time to propose increases [to] the penalty for fighting. If you fight, you get kicked out.

"It's only a matter of time before the CHL and other feeder leagues do it. Let's be first. I believe it's the right thing to do."

Right thing to do? Yup.

Why not move back Jack?

15

My guess is Mike Sullivan, who took over behind the bench in Pittsburgh at midseason, isn’t going to win the Jack Adams Award. But if he manages to get the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final, it’ll be pretty difficult to argue against his impact being the largest of any coach in the NHL this season.

The Jack Adams Award is awarded to the coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success," and is chosen by the National Hockey League Broadcasters’ Association. Voting takes place at the end of the regular season.

Based on the current criteria, a handful of coaches stand out for their regular season work. Sullivan, Barry Trotz (Washington), Dave Hakstol (Philadelphia), Bruce Boudreau (Anaheim) Gerard Gallant (Florida) Lindy Ruff (Dallas) and Pete DeBoer (San Jose) are all worthy candidates.

What will really distinguish the work they do this year will be their playoff results. If the Capitals get bounced early, Trotz will look at the season as a disappointment. Same with Ruff and Boudreau.

In fact, if the Ducks go one and done in the postseason, Boudreau could be fired. He could lose his job and receive the Jack Adams all in the same week. That feels a touch incongruent.

Move the voting back to the end of the playoffs.

Is the Sens job a good gig?

All of the 30 head coaching jobs in the NHL are attractive to candidates looking to run their own bench. Coaches, to the extent they can control the process, want the best fit. The right team, city, organization, general manager and owner are all key to what goes into making a job more or less appealing. In the end, a coach without an NHL bench likely takes any head coaching job. It pays well and the NHL is where they want to be.

More than one coach has said after being fired, that, in retrospect, he shouldn’t have taken a particular job.

This brings us to the Ottawa Senators, a team that has now burned through seven coaches since 2007.

Dave Cameron was fired this week and it wasn’t pretty. Owner Eugene Melnyk threw his coach into traffic near the end of the regular season and the organization stood by for three weeks, watching him get run over.

“That was hurtful. I don’t think there was any need for it. It felt like I was fired for three weeks. Every day,” an emotional Cameron told Ottawa reporters on Thursday.

Will Marc Crawford or Randy Carlyle, veteran Stanley Cup winning coaches, take the job in Ottawa if the phone rings? You bet. Will Guy Boucher, Mike Yeo or Kevin Dineen leap at the chance to get behind another NHL bench? Yup.

New GM Pierre Dorion wants a long-term solution. He should. And he should offer a long-term contract. The next guy the Senators hire should be protected. Big money and big term should be a must for the next guy in the Senators’ firing line.

Was Drouin episode a positive?

Jonathan Drouin had just more than 18 minutes of ice time in Game 1 against the Red Wings, second among Lightning forwards, including 1:32 of power-play work. He was physical, involved and drew praise for his work. He looked like anything but the malcontent.

For some, life can be about second chances. The sample is small but Drouin says he’s eager to rebound from a winter that saw him demand a trade, leave his team and then hold out before ending up in the AHL, waiting and hoping for Lighting GM Steve Yzerman to call.

16

When Steven Stamkos required surgery for a blood clot issue, Drouin’s door opened. He busted through it on Wednesday.

"I have a lot of stuff to prove to myself and to the staff and the team here," Drouin said to reporters in Tampa on Thursday. "Some things I did maybe [were] not [in] the right, but it's up to me to prove that and be sure I have their back and am playing the right way."

Yzerman, Drouin and Lightning coach Jon Cooper know the ins and outs of this situation better and more fully than anyone else. They know the truth.

Was Cooper too hard on Drouin? Did Yzerman put his full efforts into a trade? Did Drouin behave immaturely? Likely there’s a bit a truth in all of the above.

In the end, however, if Drouin can be the player the Lightning thought they were getting when he was drafted and provide a solution to the absence of Stamkos in the present and perhaps the future, this story may end up with a happy ending.

Drouin is right, he has a lot to prove. But that admission and the understanding that draft status doesn’t equate to entitlement are a major step in the right direction. As the expression goes, you can’t fix a problem until you admit there is one? Good on Drouin if he can turn a negative into a positive.

Can nice guys finish first?

In the case of University of North Dakota men’s hockey coach Brad Berry, the answer is yes.

Berry is a fine gentleman and he just led UND to an NCAA title in his first year as a head coach. Berry spent 13 years as an assistant coach with stops at UND, the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets before getting the top job at his alma mater when Dave Hakstol moved on to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The man known to some as Bubba and to others as Big Red Left Ear earned his opportunity and lot of lessons along the way.

“His success doesn’t surprise me,” said New York Rangers associate coach Scott Arniel, who had Berry on his staff in Manitoba and Columbus. “He is one of the best communicators around. He speaks directly to people and then works with them to get the best outcome. He’s totally about team. When we were in Manitoba and were the Canucks affiliate, he would work with guys after practice or before games and you could never tell who was a draft pick or who was a free agent we’d brought in for a few days. Everyone was equal. Players love that. They respond to that. They respond to Bubba.”

What about those nicknames? Bubba is obvious for a guy that played at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. He’s a big man. He’s a Bubba.

But Big Red Left Ear? C’mon.

“Not many people will remember that. That’s a good one,” recalls Winnipeg Jets assistant GM Craig Heisinger, who was an equipment manager with the Jets when Berry was a player in Winnipeg. “He got in a fight one night and got hit right on the left ear. It was sore and swollen and red the rest of the season. So we called him Big Red Left Ear. It stuck for a while.”

Much like Berry has with coaching and how UND will with him for a long while.

17

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2016/04/15/nhl-stanley-cup-playoffs-overreactions-game-1/83079786/

USA TODAY / NHL playoffs 2016: Panic meter after Game 1s in the first round By Kevin Allen – April 16, 2016

We haven’t even launched all of the first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series – the Nashville Predators vs. Anaheim Ducks start tonight (10:30, NBC Sports Network) – and already we have panic in the streets over what has happened.

Here’s the anxiety meter after Game 1:

No reason to overreact

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist left with an injury: New York coach Alain Vigneault said Thursday that Lundqvist's injury (face swelling around his eye after Marc Staal's stick struck him through the mask) did not appear to be serious. He practiced Friday in the starter's net. Lundqvist’s likely return Saturday in Game 2 will give the Rangers a boost. The 5-2 loss is not entirely reflective of how the Rangers played. They competed hard, and Lundqvist gives them hope to win this series.

Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo gave up five goals: His save percentage was .808 after 26 shots against in that 5-4 loss against the New York Islanders. Luongo has a career playoff save percentage of .915. He will step up in Game 2. If he plays as well as he did in the regular season, the Panthers have a great chance to even the series.

Chicago Blackhawks are down 0-1 against St. Louis Blues: The Blackhawks will be reignited by defenseman Duncan Keith's return in Game 2. It will be his first game back after a six-game suspension. He would have been a factor in Game 1.

Red Wings couldn’t get a third goal against Lightning: The Red Wings have struggled to find goals throughout the season, but in Game 1 the Red Wings posted 36 shots against the Lightning. Pavel Datsyuk had seven. Gustav Nyquist, Brad Richards, Justin Abdelkader, Mike Green and Andreas Athanasiou had four shots each. If they can generate that many shots, they will score enough to be a factor in the series.

Reason to panic

Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier gone with shoulder injury: According to CSNPhilly.com, he suffered an AC sprain. The Flyers announced he would miss two weeks. Couturier is crucial to Philadelphia’s overall game. With his defensive savvy, he can match up against either Nicklas Backstrom or Evgeny Kuznetsov. His loss reduces the Flyers' chances of upsetting the Washington Capitals.

Predators hope this is 'the year' to win Stanley Cup

Minnesota Wild injury list too long: Without Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek and Erik Haula, the Wild looked overmatched by the Dallas Stars in a 4-0 loss. They only had two shots in the first period and 22 in the game. The Wild need all hands on deck to have any chance in this series.

San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings at their own game: The Kings should be worried only because these Sharks are not the same Sharks that squandered a 3-0 series lead two seasons ago. These Sharks are deeper, grittier and mentally tougher. This will be a great series.

18

http://www.denverpost.com/frei/ci_29775559/frei-hockey-fights-could-fall-wayside

Denver Post / This NHL fighting debate has been going on for decades By Terry Frei – April 17, 2016

In the first seven NHL playoff games, there was one fight. Philadelphia's Wayne Simmonds and Washington's Tom Wilson dropped their gloves midway through the third period Thursday, with the Capitals clinging to a 1-0 lead.

They're friends who train together in the offseason, but Simmonds responded to Wilson boarding the Flyers' Andrew MacDonald.

That might have caught the attention of Colorado fans upset that no Avalanche player went after Wilson two weeks ago after his crushing hit on Nikita Zadorov. But Wilson wasn't penalized, and while replays were ambiguous, the Avalanche defenseman later confirmed it wasn't a hit to the head.

In the playoff game at Washington, in addition to their fighting majors, Simmonds drew a roughing minor to match up with Wilson's boarding minor. The boarding call was coming on Wilson regardless; this wasn't a case of a referee artfully making a call retroactively because of a response. If Simmonds hadn't gone after Wilson, the Flyers — who ended up losing 2-0 — would have had another power play. The Flyers were 0-4 with the man advantage at that point, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have scored, given a fifth chance.

So Simmonds' reaction was ill-advised.

While the sample size was too small for conclusions about the 2016 playoffs, it at least illustrated the generality — fighting is a rarity in the postseason. And the NHL gets by. Accountability can be enforced more easily in the regular season, minus the postseason stakes, but the NHL playoffs remain pro sports' best, despite the relative absence of fighting.

This NHL fighting debate has been going on for decades, of course. I can offer both sides by rote, because I've memorized the scripts. The difference now is that debating the place of fighting in the game has become largely irrelevant.

It's about legal vulnerability. With more than 100 former players involved in the concussion-related lawsuit against the league, and with the issue on the front burner in football and other sports, the NHL allowing fighting — penalizing it, but allowing it — is mind-boggling.

Granted, fixating on fighting as the sole cause of all NHL concussions would be ridiculous. Fighting's advocates argue that accountability for head shots is one of the reasons fighting belongs in the game. But the deaths of enforcers Wade Belak, a Quebec draft choice who played 35 games for the Avalanche; Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Todd Ewen, and the toll taken on others who regularly dropped the gloves, are chilling.

The NHL's heightened awareness about concussions has been noticeable and praiseworthy. But as long as fighting is a tacitly approved part of the game, the league's defense — whether in the court of public opinion or the courtroom — is undercut.

Fighting will be history soon. Maybe there's a fear that banning it would be considered a confession of guilt about a lack of vigilance or candor with the players on the concussion front. But my question now is: What are they waiting for?

19

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/five-things-learned-nhl-odd-goals-galore/

Sportsnet.ca / Five things we learned in the NHL: Odd goals galore By Mike Johnston – April 17, 2016

The Flyers, Wild and Kings are in some trouble, Evgeni Malkin, Henrik Lundqvist, Tyler Seguin and Marian Gaborik returned to their respective lineups, and the Kings-Sharks series continued to produce more hits than the Beatles in the ‘60s.

Here are five things we learned Saturday in the NHL.

Weird goals happen

Just throw it at the net, right? Even if you’re 100 feet away or you’re behind the net and don’t feel like using your stick.

We saw a pair of truly bizarre goals Saturday that we’ll be talking about for a while.

The first was when Steve Mason of the Philadelphia Flyers had a blunder of epic proportions. Many fans called it the worst goal they’ve ever seen a goalie allow.

“I tried to put it to the corner. I messed up,” Mason told reporters after the game. Can say it over and over again. It’s a bad goal.”

Then, in the Stars-Wild game, Antoine Roussel scored an odd one on Devan Dubnyk. Like, a really odd one. Watch the goal below and read about why it counted.

Lundqvist bounces back after scary eye injury

When Henrik Lundqvist left Game 1 with an eye injury and his status was unknown, it was worrisome for Rangers fans. Thankfully, King Henrik didn’t sustain any serious damage and he was able to start Game 2. Lundqvist kept his team in the game early with a handful of timely saves (13 in the first period) before the Rangers broke out with three second-period goals. He ended up stopping 29 of 31 shots and earned the victory, which moved him up the records books.

#NYRANGERS HENRIK LUNDQVIST MOVES INTO SOLE POSSESSION OF 15TH PLACE ON NHL'S ALL-TIME PLAYOFF WINS LIST WITH HIS 55TH VICTORY.

— SPORTSNET STATS (@SNSTATS) APRIL 16, 2016

One of the bright spots for the Penguins Saturday was Phil Kessel. The winger showcased his excellent release as he picked up both Pittsburgh goals.

PHIL KESSEL HAD 15 SHOTS ATTEMPTS IN TODAY'S GAME: EIGHT ON NET, FOUR BLOCKED, THREE THAT MISSED.

— CHRIS JOHNSTON (@REPORTERCHRIS) APRIL 16, 2016

He has a ways to go to catch up to the Penguins’ all-time leaders in post-season tallies, but two goals in two playoff games with the Pens is a solid start.

Flyers have to find way to solve Holtby

If you’ve watched the first two games of Flyers-Caps then it should come as no surprise Braden Holtby is going to win the Vezina Trophy and possibly take home the Hart as well.

20

WITH YET ANOTHER STELLAR PERFORMANCE TONIGHT, #CAPS BRADEN HOLTBY CONTINUES HIS CLUTCH POSTSEASON PLAY PIC.TWITTER.COM/ZAZL0SKTQW

— SPORTSNET STATS (@SNSTATS) APRIL 17, 2016

Holtby has allowed just one goal in the post-season so far and if Philadelphia hopes to extend this series beyond four or five games, they’ll have to take a different approach.

Kings in trouble?

Teams that go down 0-2 when losing Games 1 & 2 at home have lost 13 straight series.

The San Jose Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 series lead on the Los Angeles Kings in their best-of-seven series with a 2-1 win Saturday.

The last team to rally from such a deficit were the Bruins over the Canadiens in opening round of 2011 Playoffs.

Of course, there’s always the 2014 playoffs when the Kings became the fourth team in NHL history to erase 3-0 series deficit after dropping the Kings 5-1 in Game 7 of their first-round series. So there’s that historical reference point to note.

21

http://www.tsn.ca/statistically-speaking-lundqvist-turns-the-tide-1.473325

TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Lundqvist turns the tide By Scott Cullen – April 17, 2016

Lundqvist changes the story in Pittsburgh; Brassard, Backstrom, Kessel, Holtby and more in Scott Cullen's Statistically Speaking.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist flipped the script rather quickly in Game Two, backstopping the Blueshirts to a 4-2 win in Pittsburgh.

When Game One ended, the Rangers had suffered a 5-2 loss and were facing the prospect of being without Lundqvist indefinitely after the goaltender took a stick near his eye.

But, with a couple of days to recover, Lundqvist was ready to go in Game Two and he turned away 29 of 31 Penguins shots, evening up the series.

Considering the uphill fight the Rangers are fighting, statistically, against the Penguins, there didn't seem to be much hope if Lundqvist was going to miss games, but with King Henrik back in the lineup, the Rangers retain at least a puncher's chance because they have a difference-maker between the pipes.

"Anybody that's been around 'Hank' knows he's an elite goaltender and a big-game goaltender," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said after the game.

Backing up that statement, since 2011-2012, Lundqvist has the best save percentage (.930) among goaltenders that have played in at least 40 playoff games. (Among those with at least 25 playoff games, Braden Holtby and Tuukka Rask are ahead of Lundqvist.)

HEROES

Derick Brassard - With Lundqvist taking care of business on the defensive end, Brassard was leading the Rangers' attack, putting up a goal and two assists. He's been a strong postseason performer for the Blueshirts, and has 20 points (10 G, 10 A) in his last 21 playoff games going back to last season.

Nicklas Backstrom - Washington's playmaking pivot delivered a goal and two assists in a 4-1 Game Two win over Philadelphia. He has four points in two games in the series, but he's due for improved postseason production. After starting his career with 30 points in 28 playoff games, Backstrom followed with 21 points in 43 playoff games entering this postseason.

Phil Kessel - The Penguins winger scored both of his team's goals, and launched 15 shots (8 SOG) at the Rangers net in a 4-2 loss. Kessel now has 15 goals in 24 career playoff games - .63 goals per game in the playoffs is best among active players.

Braden Holtby - Washington's netminder turned away 41 of 42 shots in a 4-1 Game Two win vs. Philadelphia. His .938 save percentage in 36 playoff games is best since the stat has been recorded.

ZEROES

Steve Mason - Allowed four goals on 23 shots but one, in particular, stands out as the real problem for Philadelphia in this game - a 101-footer surrendered to Capitals winger Jason Chimera, who deflected a shot from centre ice.

22

Trevor Daley - The Pittsburgh blueliner had 50% possession for the game, but was on the ice for all four goals against in a 4-2 loss to the Rangers.

Chris Porter - The Wild winger was buried in his own end (2 for, 21 against, 8.7 SAT%) in a 2-1 Game Two loss at Dallas.

STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY

Drew Doughty - L.A.'s workhorse defenceman played more than 29 minutes and generated 10 shot attempts in a 2-1 loss to San Jose. The downside: none of his shots made it on net.

VITAL SIGNS

Evgeni Malkin - The Penguins star returned to action, and had an assist, but didn't take any face-offs and managed no shots on goal (two attempts) in 19:29 of ice time.

Tyler Seguin - Dallas' big-scoring forward came back from his Achilles injury and had a relatively uneventful game for the Stars, playing 15:40, primarily on right wing alongside Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin on the Stars' top line.

Erik Haula - After missing Game One, the Minnesota centre returned to the lineup, playing 16:28, but ending up with poor possession stats (6 for, 20 against, 23.1 SAT%) in the Game Two loss at Dallas.

Dylan McIlrath - With Daniel Girardi sidelined, the Blueshirts put their physical 23-year-old into the lineup. While he played a modest 9:07 against the Penguins, McIlrath delivered solid possession results (11 for, 8 against, 57.9 SAT%) in his limited role.

Scott Laughton - Inserted into the Philadelphia lineup in the wake of the Sean Couturier injury, Laughton played a team-low 11:10, but generated five shots on goal.

Bryan Rust - The Penguins rookie winger recovered from a lower-body injury to play his first game since March 29. He played just 6:19 and was stopped on a breakaway by Lundqvist.

Former Kings understudy Martin Jones has been getting the better of play through two games against his previous team.

SHORT SHIFTS

Sharks G Martin Jones had 26 saves on 27 shots in a 2-1 win at Los Angeles, giving him a .922 save percentage in the first two playoff starts of his career. Rangers LW J.T. Miller assisted on three goals in a 4-2 win at Pittsburgh. It was a nice bounce-back from Game One, when he was minus-3…Penguins C Nick Bonino assisted on both goals against the Rangers; going back to the regular season, he has 19 points (5 G, 14 A) in his past 15 games…Capitals RW Marcus Johansson earned a pair of assists against Philadelphia, giving him four assists in two games…Capitals D John Carlson produced a goal and an assist, notching a power-play goal for the second consecutive game…Stars G Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 2-1 Game Two win against Minnesota…The Stars line of Valeri Nichushkin, Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp had a ridiculous possession game (24 for, 1 against, 96.0 SAT%) against Minnesota…Kings LW Tanner Pearson had impressive possession stats (20 for, 4 against, 83.3 SAT%) in the loss to San Jose.

23

http://www.tsn.ca/thumbs-to-video-review-and-bruins-keeping-julien-1.472984

TSN.CA / Thumbs to video review and Bruins keeping Julien By Dave Hodge – April 17, 2016

It didn’t take long. The result of a a Stanley Cup playoff game has been affected, if not determined, by a coach’s challenge. Officially, the St. Louis Blues have no argument. Video evidence showed that the rush preceding Vladimir Tarasenko’s apparent tie-breaking goal was a tiny bit of an inch offside. Those who subscribe to the theory that anything and everything it takes to get crucial calls right will join the Chicago Blackhawks in supporting the innovation as it played out last night. Thus, the NHL has returned to the farcical days of the 1990s when video review would wipe out goals if the tip of an attacking player’s skate blade was touching the goal crease. Ironically, failure to review such an infraction by Brett Hull allowed the Ken Hitchcock-coached Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup in 1999.

Perhaps that had something to do with Hitchcock’s acceptance of what happened to his Blues last night. He refused to complain. He won’t mind if the rest of us do.

The idea of a coach’s challenge is to make sure a game is not decided by a referee’s obvious error. If a second look cannot detect such a mistake in a reasonably short length of time, everything that transpired on the ice should stand. Let there be common sense; lots of little things are missed.

Last night’s controversial offside in St. Louis could not possibly have been detected confidently by a linesman, especially as he is reluctant to stop play when he knows he has video backup if it turns out he was wrong to let play continue.

The machines are in place to help the humans, not to wrest control of the game from them. We all know what offside looks like. Goalie interference, too. You should be able to see it when it occurs. But, okay, not always. You should be able to see it quickly when it is presented in video form. The game can’t become an episode of CSI. It is just plain silly.

“Thumbs down” to the NHL for being so wrong at trying to be so right.

“Thumbs up” to Claude Julien and the Boston Bruins for deciding they are each other’s best fit.

Surely there were attractive opportunities for both if one or the other chose to part and look elsewhere, but that happens too often in the NHL.

The Bruins could have pinned their failure to make the playoffs on their coach and no one would have been surprised. They agreed with many outside observers that Julien did not fail management or the players as much as they might have let him down. The Bruins knew full well that Julien would be an NHL coach somewhere else (Ottawa?) almost immediately if they let him go. They are wise to keep him and fix the things that need fixing. Among them is finding a replacement for Loui Eriksson if he can’t be re-signed.

Is it the right move to keep Julien in Boston?

Despite missing the playoffs the past two seasons, the Bruins have elected to stay with Claude Julien as head coach. Is it the right choice? Will the way the Sens handled Dave Cameron affect their hiring process? Darren Dreger has more.

24

As for Julien’s desire to stay in Boston, he expressed it with conviction and gave the Bruins the best reason of all to keep him, if they needed one from him.

Julien believes his time in Boston has made him a better coach, and that’s just one of the factors that convince him he’s in the right place.

He’s one of three head coaches who have won the Stanley Cup with their current teams. It doesn’t mean he’ll never leave Boston any more than it suggests Joel Quenneville (Chicago) and Darryl Sutter (Los Angeles) aren’t going to move again. It simply means that he and the others belong where they are right now.

25

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2016/04/16/stanley-cup-playoffs-canadian-interest/83125162/

USA TODAY / How Canadian fans are coping with no teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs By Kevin Allen – April 17, 2016

Just because the seven Canadian NHL franchises didn't qualify for the playoffs doesn’t mean their fans don't have their hearts in the game.

“Part of our patriotism is living and breathing everything that is hockey,” said Ottawa resident Travis Flieler.

Flieler said it’s a “low blow” that no Canadian team advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for first time since the 1969-70 season. “But at the end of the day, the NHL is still the best league in the world, and as a Canadian, it’s hard not to watch,” Flieler told USA TODAY Sports, via email.

Tim Sorge, an Edmonton Oilers fan, hasn't seen his team in the playoffs since 2006. “(My) country plays no role in who I watch,” he said. “I watch games that have stories. The Penguins playing their third-string goalie. Jonathan Drouin back from the abyss (in Tampa Bay) and (Jaromir) Jagr leading the Panthers.”

Satiar Shah, a morning show producer for TSN 1040 in Vancouver, said “hockey still dominates talk radio” in his market.

“Fans in Vancouver have mostly been flocking to the Panthers bandwagon because of Luongo’s prominent ties to the Canucks and to a lesser extent Jagr,” Shah said. “Luongo is more well-liked in Vancouver now than he was when he played for the Canucks.”

Bob McKenzie, 59, has been an analyst at TSN since 1987 and is a lifelong resident of Canada. He believes there has been “less buzz” in the first round.

“But to be honest,” McKenzie said, “if say, Montreal or Vancouver, had made the playoffs, it’s not like the hockey fans all across the country would be a lot more engaged. Obviously fans in those markets would be invested. But I’m not sure there has ever been the mass ‘Canadian hockey fan base’ or collective mindset that others think exists, except of course, during the Olympics or world juniors. So for a Leaf fan in Toronto, it is pretty much business as usual and they wouldn’t feel any differently if a couple of Canadian teams made it.”

McKenzie doesn’t sense that Canadians have “adopted” any specific American team. “Seems to be all over the map,” McKenzie said. “Some cheer for individuals, like Sidney Crosby or Jonathan Toews, and their teams. Many Canadian fans already have a favorite team that isn’t Canadian-based.”

What hasn’t changed: Offseason transactions from non-playoff teams generate more intrigue for fans from non-playoff cities. That’s true in Edmonton.

“Frankly there is far more discussion and interest in the upcoming draft lottery than there is in the playoffs,” said Bob Stauffer, the Oilers’ radio analyst.

Canadian television ratings will eventually reveal what kind of impact the lack of Canadian teams had.

Bruce Cadieux, an Ottawa Senators fan, is bothered when Canadians root for another Canadian team after their team is knocked out.

26

“I think that is ridiculous,” he said. “If you have a favorite club, you support only them. You would never see Manchester United supporters cheering for City in the Champions League just because they want their town to do well."

But national pride has always been intertwined in Canada’s hockey fandom. For example, the world junior championships draws little attention in America over the Christmas. But in Canada, it’s a major television event.

Canadians have long held a reputation for showing up in large numbers at international tournaments.

“Playoff hockey is playoff hockey, and being a hockey lover, it will always get my attention,” said Lewis Brandman, 14, from Montreal.

The first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs also features 141 Canadian players, 48.4% of the field, according to the NHL. There are only 66 American players in the playoffs.

Brad Hunt is a Calgary Flames’ season ticket holder, and he’s planning to watch games every night.

“The whole idea that if there is a Canadian team in the playoffs I should cheer for them is asinine,” Hunt said. “I’m a Flames fan. I could care less about the other Canadian teams and whether they make it. I hope Edmonton and Vancouver never make (the playoffs) again.”

27

http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/04/18/joe-thornton-is-playing-like-winner-in-playoffs-for-sharks-now.html

Michael Arace commentary | Thornton playing like winner for Sharks now By Michael Arace – April 18, 2016

The NHL playoffs begin with a crescendo as players shed one persona and, like Dr. David Banner, they begin smashing. It is another world from the 82 practice games that preceded it. As the stakes rise, force of will comes to the fore.

The Western Conference, the depth of which is clearly superior to the East, has a full slate of wickedly wonderful collisions. The most fascinating of all — for a host of physical, psychological and historical reasons — is the Los Angeles Kings-San Jose Sharks series. Hello again, Joe Thornton.

Jumbo Joe is 36 years old. He has been among the most admired and besmirched players of his era. He is coming off another alleged coach-killing.

I am sensing redemption, and I am rooting for him.

This is Ryan Johansen’s role model. In fact, when the Blue Jackets chucked Joey to Nashville, the murmuring behind the trade was “you just can’t win with guys like that.” Much the same has always been said of Thornton.

Oh, he is huge and brimming with skill. He can see the ice and deliver the puck like few others. He is among the rarest of rare No. 1 centers, with the ability to take over a game all by himself.

But, man, he’s so laid back, so easy going, so chill. Sometimes, it looks like he doesn’t care. Losing doesn’t seem to eat at him. You just can’t win with guys like that, right?

I don’t see the evil.

True, Thornton has had trouble finding a Stanley Cup to hoist — but the same can be said for a host of first-ballot Hall of Famers (Mike Gartner, Marcel Dionne, Adam Oates, Peter Stastny, Gilbert Perreault, Mats Sundin … I can go on here).

True, Thornton has left a string of coaches in his wake. Here, too, he is not alone.

Last year, Peter DeBoer was hired and he leaned on Thornton as a new system was installed. When traction was gained, the Sharks were among the best teams in the league over the second half of this regular season — and Thornton was terrific. He finished second in the league with 63 assists and tied for fourth with 82 points in 82 games. He is a strong MVP candidate. He will turn 37 in July.

Enter the Kings. It had to be the Kings, right? The Sharks won the first two games of the series — on the road — and if you saw either of those games, you had to be awestruck with the speed, the heft of the collisions and the sublime play on both sides. The Sharks were clearly superior through 120 minutes. Now, the scene shifts to San Jose, where ghosts lurk.

Two years ago, the Sharks imploded, blew a 3-0 series lead and lost to the Kings in the first round. The Kings went on to win the Stanley Cup. Thornton went on to another public flogging.

28

Now, the two teams have been rejoined and I am finding myself staying up late, watching the games from California, transfixed. I don’t even have to burn any energy hating Jeff Carter; instead, I am tuned into the bearded maestro, Jumbo Joe, whose baton work has a distinctly different rhythm.

He has scored 1,341 points, not counting his 101 playoff points. There is a relish — a force of will — to his game right now. If he and the Sharks can exorcize their demons of playoffs past, not only would it be a remarkably psychological leap, it would mark them as the most dangerous team nobody has been thinking about — because, you know, you can’t win with Joe.

Game 3 is tonight at 10:30 p.m., local time.

29

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/5-things-learned-nhl-night-firsts/

Sportsnet.ca / 5 things we learned in the NHL: A night of firsts By Scott Lewis – April 18, 2016

It was good night for players searching for their first career playoff goals, Mrazek reclaimed the No. 1 job in Detroit, Smith continues to get it done for the Panthers, and more in five things we learned in the NHL.

First nights

Thomas Hickey scored the first playoff goal of his career in overtime to give the New York Islanders a 2-1 series lead over the Florida Panthers Sunday night.

It was big night for players scoring their first post-season goals.

Hickey's Islanders teammates Shane Prince and Ryan Pulock also potted their first playoff goals in the 4-3 win.

HOLY KEN MORROW- HICKEY IS FIRST #ISLES D TO SCORE A PLAYOFF OT GOAL SINCE KEN MORROW VS #NYR IN 1984. #ISLES ONMSG #SKINNY

— ERIC HORNICK (@EHORNICK) APRIL 18, 2016

#ISLES PULOCK IS YOUNGEST NYI D TO SCORE A PLAYOFF GOAL SINCE WAYNE MCBEAN IN 1990 @ NYR

— ERIC HORNICK (@EHORNICK) APRIL 18, 2016

Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov scored the first playoff goal of his career in the Game 3 loss.

St. Louis Blues defenceman Colton Parayko scored his first post-season marker in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou also bagged his first playoff goal in his team's Game 3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mrazek's shutout magic

Petr Mrazek started all seven games of the Red Wings' first-round playoff series versus the Lightning in 2015. The native of the Czech Republic functioned as the man of choice between the pipes for the better part of the 2015-16 season before relinquishing the gig down the stretch.

Jimmy Howard started Games 1 & 2 of the Red Wings' best-of-seven series with the Lightning this year before taking a seat in favour of Mrazek for Game 3 Sunday night.

Mrazek stopped 16 shots to shut out the Lightning and help Detroit pick up its first win of the series. He's probably a safe bet to be back in goal for Game 4.

Although he's only started eight playoff games in his career, Mrazek has recorded three shutouts. Not too shabby.

He's Reilly good

Reilly Smith was traded twice before his 25th birthday, but the sniper appears to have found a home with the Panthers.

30

Smith scored a goal and added two assists in Florida's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders Sunday night to become the NHL's post-season leading scorer with four goals and eight points in three games.

Smith totalled 25 goals in 2015-16 to record the second 20-goal season of his career. He's proven to be worth every cent of his $3.35-million salary.

Stick work

The Nashville Predators took a 2-0 series lead on the Anaheim Ducks with a 3-2 win Sunday night.

An incident that's sure to draw a second look from the NHL, if not dozens of stories condemning such activity, is James Neal's stick to the face of Ducks goaltender John Gibson in the second period.

Neal's act seemingly went unnoticed by officials as no penalty was called on the play.

Neal wasn't the only player delivering some dirty stick work in the game, though. Ducks' Ryan Kesler also got his blade into the face of Predators netminder Pekka Rinne earlier in the game Sunday night.

@FRIEDGEHNIC @MYREGULARFACE HOW ABOUT WHEN KESLER DID IT TO RINNE? NO ONE MENTIONED IT THEN... PIC.TWITTER.COM/D3C1GE9OBR

— LUKE FOSTER (@LUKEJFOSTER) APRIL 18, 2016

It's an ugly trend we have here.

Tale of the tape

Game 2 between Detroit and Tampa Bay saw things get ugly late in the contest when Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader hammered away on Lightning defenceman Mike Blunden with his fists, leaving him bloodied at the bottom of a scrum.

Tempers flared once again at the end of Game 3 with Lightning forward Brian Boyle looking to exact some revenge on Abdelkader as players on both teams engaged in some pushing and shoving. Abdelkader appeared to want nothing to do with the 6-foot-7 giant, refusing to drop his gloves and eventually finding himself a target of some mockery from Boyle.

It turns out Abdelkader's unwillingness to drop the gloves with Boyle had less to do with a disadvantage in size and more to do with him potentially earning a match penalty...we think.

JUSTIN ABDELKADER'S HANDS TAPED FROM GAME 2 BRAWL. JEFF BLASHILL TOLD HIM BEFORE G3 HE DIDN'T WANT HIM FIGHTING "BECAUSE HE'S TOO VALUABLE."

— HELENE ST. JAMES (@HELENESTJAMES) APRIL 18, 2016

Abdelkader could be seen showing an official his tape job, which was rather convenient because yeah...Boyle is a large man.

31

http://www.tsn.ca/statistically-speaking-preds-ride-rinne-to-victory-1.473612

TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Preds ride Rinne to victory By Scott Cullen – April 18, 2016

Rinne backstops the Predators to another win; Elliott, Smith, the Blues' big line and more in Scott Cullen's Statistically Speaking.

The Nashville Predators stole two road games to start their series with the Anaheim Ducks, and they've held an advantage in goal thanks to Pekka Rinne, who stopped 27 of 29 shots in a 3-2 Game Two win.

Rinne is very much a wildcard for the Predators and their playoff hopes. He's been a (top three) finalist for the Vezina Trophy three times, so he holds a reputation for being a top-tier puck-stopper, yet he's been clearly below average in three of the past four seasons, ranking 20th out of 24 goaltenders in save percentage among goaltenders that played in at least 160 games.

Through two road games in Anaheim, Rinne has stopped 54 of 58 shots (.931 SV%), which has been better than his Anaheim counterpart John Gibson (54 of 60, .900 SV%) and, as a result, the Predators return home with a 2-0 series lead.

HEROES

Brian Elliott - St. Louis' goaltender turned away 44 of 46 shots in a 3-2 Game Three win at Chicago; the 31-year-old led the league with a .930 save percentage during the regular season, and has stopped 105 of 109 shots (.963 SV%) in three games against the Blackhawks.

Reilly Smith - Making an early Conn Smythe case, the Panthers winger put up a goal and two assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders. He has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in three postseason games. Of course, for Smith to really have a shot at the Conn Smythe, he's going to need to advance through the first round and the Panthers are currently down two games to one.

Jaden Schwartz, Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko - In addition to Schwartz netting the game-winner on a third-period power play, this Blues line controlled play (18 for, 4 against, 81.8 SAT%) at even-strength in Game Three. Oh, and they did it while matched primarily against Chicago's top defence tandem of Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson.

ZEROES

Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov - Tampa Bay's top line, which was so dangerous in the first two games, couldn't get loose in Game Three, as none of the three managed a shot on goal. They ran into trouble going head-to-head against Detroit's newly-formed checking line comprised of Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Justin Abdelkader.

Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck - The Islanders' fourth-line bangers were on for all three goals against, and had poor possession numbers together (4 for, 17 against, 19.1 SAT%) in a 4-3 overtime win against Florida.

Miikka Salomaki and Paul Gaustad - Nashville's fourth-line forwards were hemmed in the defensive zone (2 for, 14 against, 12.5 SAT%), in a 3-2 win at Anaheim.

Anaheim's lack of discipline - Came away with one power play, compared to Nashville's five, in Game Two, but that lopsided count was earned, according to Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, who

32

lamented after the game, "Too many penalties, for sure. We were just stupid out there. The penalties we take, sometimes, are just so selfish and so dumb."

STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY

Andreas Athanasiou - The flashy Red Wings rookie scored a goal, and turned heads with a spin-o-rama move that created another scoring chance, but still only played 9:05 in Detroit's 2-0 Game three victory against Tampa Bay.

VITAL SIGNS

Petr Mrazek - After Jimmy Howard started the first two games at Tampa Bay, the Red Wings turned to Mrazek, who had been their No. 1 for most of the season, and Mrazek posted a 16-save shutout in a 2-0 Game Three win.

Kevin Bieksa - The veteran blueliner was back in the Anaheim lineup, for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury March 24, and played 17:46, almost entirely alongside partner Cam Fowler.

Steve Ott - St. Louis' agitator played his first game since December 5, finally recovered from a torn hamstring. He delivered four hits in 6:29 at Chicago.

Filip Forsberg is a difference-maker for the Predators.

SHORT SHIFTS

Predators RW Craig Smith scored a goal and added an assist in a 3-1 win at Anaheim; he has goals in both games of the series…Predators LW Filip Forsberg had a pair of assists, continuing his strong second half into the postseason. Including playoffs, Forsberg has 37 points (20 G, 17 A) in 34 games since the All-Star break…Islanders RW Kyle Okposo contributed a pair of assists for the Islanders vs. Florida, giving him five points (1 G, 4 A) in three games…Islanders C John Tavares added a couple of assists, and has six points (2 G, 4 A) through three games…Islanders rookie D Ryan Pulock had a goal and an assist against Florida; the 2013 first-rounder had four points in 15 games late in the season, and has the ability to generate offence from the back end…Blues rookie RW Robby Fabbri had a pair of assists (while playing just 9:31) and rookie D Colton Parayko scored a goal in a 3-2 win at Chicago. The pair of first-year players have a chance to raise the Blues' postseason hopes…Ducks LW Andrew Cogliano had a goal and an assist, giving him three points (1 G, 2 A) through the first two games of the series.

33

http://www.tsn.ca/talent/thumbs-up-to-lehtonen-and-jones-down-to-rats-1.473351

TSN.CA / Thumbs up to Lehtonen and Jones, down to rats By Dave Hodge – April 18, 2016

It’s not always about goaltending in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it can seem that way.

Pick any of the eight first-round series and try to explain what has happened so far without mentioning the name of a goalie.

Philadelphia can outplay Washington but must beat Braden Holtby or nothing else matters, especially when Steve Mason whiffs on a puck from centre ice. It was the kind of help the Capitals didn’t need with Holtby on their side.

Pittsburgh has to deal with Henrik Lundqvist’s return to the New York Rangers’ net while realizing that Jeff Zatkoff cannot be expected to be as good at the other end.

Thomas Greiss has done fine for the New York Islanders, but the toughest thing for a goalie without playoff credentials is to follow a loss with a win. Veteran Roberto Luongo did that, shaking off an opening game that was much less than his best with a stellar performance to get Florida even.

The St. Louis-Chicago series might well be decided by one goal, and by the winner of what amounts to a goaltending duel between Brian Elliott and Corey Crawford.

Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne join Holtby and two others on the list of goalies who haven’t lost.

Those “others” are Kari Lehtonen of Dallas and San Jose’s Martin Jones.

“Thumbs up” to them for helping their teams to 2-0 series leads, and for silencing, temporarily at least, doubters who pointed question marks straight at Lehtonen and Jones. Or, should I say, at the Dallas and San Jose goalies?

There were those who figured Dallas might use Antti Niemi and the Sharks might need James Reimer. The first two wins aren’t as important or as difficult as the next two that Lehtonen and Jones are seeking, but they should supply necessary confidence. In the playoffs, goalies need that more than anything.

Win or lose against the Islanders, the Florida Panthers have written this season’s most surprising success story. It is good to see the efforts of general manager Dale Tallon, coach Gerard Gallant, the young Panthers and their baby-sitter Jaromir Jagr rewarded with fervent fan support in south Florida. “Thumbs up” on that score.

Then there are the rats that littered the ice at the end of Friday’s 3-1 series-tying victory. They are part of Panthers’ history and it can be argued that they are harmless. Nevertheless, they should not re-appear, and if they do, the NHL should not look the other way.

The Islanders were made to stand and watch the cleanup crew collect plastic rodents before the game could be completed with 10 seconds of meaningless play. It was an invitation for coaches and players of both teams to yap at each other, and the refs hardly needed that. Should the scene be repeated when the series returns to Florida, the NHL should allow the referees to bring the game to a premature end if the verdict has been determined. And if the Panthers want to supply their fans with toy rats, they need

34

to find a way to keep them off the ice. Fat chance, of course, the rats will fly before the fans will stop throwing them. So the Panthers should face a hefty fine from the league.

Fun is fun. Kevin Spacey was fun. The rats are a nuisance.

35

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2016/04/18/nhls-las-vegas-expansion-project-set-to-happen/

Vancouver Province / NHL’s Las Vegas expansion project set to happen? Section: The White Towel

The trend line has been obvious for a while and now we can just about say, “the NHL is going to Las Vegas.”

As first suggested by our own Tony Gallagher two summers ago, the NHL wants to go to Sin City. A “done deal,” Gallagher wrote at the time.

Now Las Vegas-based sports blog The Sin Bin is reporting that expansion will be made official in May, following a likely 30-0 board of governors vote in favour. Given everything that’s happened since Gallagher first dropped the news, this latest revelation really shouldn’t be a surprise.

After the report broke on Monday morning, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke with Radio-Canada and poured some lawyerly cold water on the Sin Bin story, saying no meeting has been scheduled.

A reporter for Le Journal de Quebec reported a similar response from Daly.

(Sin Bin isn’t backing away from their story.)

But we know the NHL’s expansion wheels have been turning for a while, and they’ve been pointing in this direction. The only real question was whether Quebec City, or possibly Seattle, would also be in the mix. It doesn’t sound like it will be the case at this point. (There’s some speculation the for-sale Carolina Hurricanes could end up in La Belle Province, though Daly quashed that one in late March.)

A simple track of Bob McKenzie’s reporting via Twitter shows us the way.

A year ago:

As for expansion, it's obviously coming. I would be shocked if Vegas and Seattle don't get franchises but timing is still a little foggy.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 18, 2015

Last month:

Ex VAN assistant GM Laurence Gilman was retained by NHL to help come up with potential expansion draft scenarios/procedures/rules.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 14, 2016

NHL has not committed to expansion in any way as of yet, but has obviously been working on contingencies in terms of expansion draft etc.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 14, 2016

You don’t bring former NHL executives into the fold if you’re not at least thinking of pushing the start button.

McKenzie’s colleague Darren Dreger told TSN 1040 at the end of March that his “best guess” would be an expansion of one team, to be announced by early June. This time frame would give teams a full year to prepare for their 31-team future.

36

Before announcing the new team, the league is sorting through how to deal with no-movement clauses, how to structure the inclusion of an expansion team into the entry draft and other similar issues. There are also pension plan considerations for the NHLPA, Dreger suggested.

And all the while, Bill Foley, the likely owner of the Las Vegas team has been making plans and getting ready to sign deals, McKenzie’s colleague Frank Seravalli reported last week.

The rink Foley built with the Maloof family, the T-Mobile Arena, is now open.

Aren’t bread crumbs fun to follow?

37

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/five-things-learned-nhl-phillys-shame/

Sportsnet.ca / Five things we learned in the NHL: Philly’s shame By Joe Pack – April 19, 2016

All three games saw an opening-minute goal, a Flyers institution was honoured after his passing and a certain fan base was penalized for throwing wristbands on the ice in an ugly night in Philadelphia.

Here are five things we learned in the NHL Monday.

Flyers pay tribute to Ed Snider

The stage was set for an emotional night in Philadelphia.

In the first home played in Philly after Flyers owner Ed Snider passed away, the organization and fans were primed to claw back into the series after a stirring video tribute to the late Flyers founder.

Sportsnet's John Shannon shared his thoughts on Snider here.

BETTMAN: "ED WAS A DYNAMIC VISIONARY WHO TURNED PHILADELPHIA INTO ONE OF THE GREAT HOCKEY TOWNS IN THE WORLD.”

— TOM GULITTI (@TOMGULITTINHL) APRIL 18, 2016

The team gave away these cool shirts to every fan in the building:

EVERY FAN AT TONIGHT'S GAME WILL RECEIVE THIS SHIRT HONORING ED SNIDER.

ARTWORK BY @DAVIDEWILKINSON PIC.TWITTER.COM/RK4R7NCJJK

— PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (@NHLFLYERS) APRIL 18, 2016

The heartfelt tribute gave one pause when considering the Flyers' chances of getting back into a series in which they'd fallen behind 2-0. Fifty-seven seconds into the game, it seemed possible when Michael Raffl scored to give Philly a 1-0 lead.

As you may already know, that hope fizzled shortly after in an eventual 6-1 Capitals win.

QUITE A NIGHT. REST IN PEACE, ED. PIC.TWITTER.COM/LYYRMUPM5W

— FRANK SERAVALLI (@FRANK_SERAVALLI) APRIL 18, 2016

Ovechkin sets Caps record

Amid all the scoring from Washington -- including five power-play goals, a Caps record -- Alex Ovechkin reached another peak in the organization's history, becoming the team's all-time leading scorer in the playoffs.

Just look at that list (from before the start of Game 3):

MOST PLAYOFF POINTS IN #CAPS HISTORY: DALE HUNTER: 72 ALEX OVECHKIN: 71 MIKE RIDLEY: 60 NICKLAS BACKSTROM: 56 PETER BONDRA: 56

38

— SPORTSNET STATS (@SNSTATS) APRIL 18, 2016

Ovi finished with two goals and one assist, scoring two points on the man-advantage.

Q: "OVI, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU, FRANCHISE LEADER IN PLAYOFF POINTS?"

A: "I DON’T CARE."

— CHRIS GORDON (@CHRIS_GORDON) APRIL 19, 2016

Refs penalize second crowd of 2015-16 season

Florida Panthers fans and their rats are no longer alone.

Prior to the Caps-Flyers game, fans received light-up wristbands that gave a darkened arena a Christmas-like feel.

Until it all went to hell.

The Flyers were penalized late in the game when a number of said wristbands were thrown on the ice. Fans were either upset at their team being down by a handful of goals or were protesting the five-minute major assessed to Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The Flyers forward hit Caps defenceman Dmitry Orlov from behind in a very dangerous looking play.

Orlov appeared to be OK as he finished the game and took questions from reporters afterward.

A FLYERS FAN PELTED ORLOV WITH A BRACELET AFTER HE WAS BOARDED PIC.TWITTER.COM/XKPYMWGJTZ

— PETE BLACKBURN (@PETEBLACKBURN) APRIL 19, 2016

The Flyers took two more penalties after the hit, including the delay of game infraction due to the crowd's throwing of wristbands, and the Caps scored three times to end the game.

Not a good look for Philadelphia on a night meant to be in tribute to their beloved owner.

TROTZ ON THE WRISTBAND TOSSING: “IT WASN’T GOOD FOR THE GAME, PLAIN AND SIMPLE…I DON’T THINK IT DISPLAYS OUR GAME VERY WELL.“

— ALEX PREWITT (@ALEX_PREWITT) APRIL 19, 2016

Wild boost scoring total by 500%

It's been a rough go for the Minnesota Wild in their series with the Dallas Stars. Two convincing defeats produced just one goal -- from a defenceman, mind you -- and a sense that a series sweep was just a matter of time.

WITH #MNWILD WITHOUT A 5-ON-5 GOAL THIS POSTSEASON, SOME FANS ARE TAKING DRASTIC MEASURES. FROM @SANDERS_TJ. PIC.TWITTER.COM/YMMGVPAUSJ

— CHAD GRAFF (@CHADGRAFF) APRIL 19, 2016

Game 3 began Monday with Patrick Sharp of Dallas scoring 26 seconds into the game and then again three minutes later. The obituaries were being written.

But Minny scored one before the end of the first period and went on to score four straight to eventually win 5-3, giving them life in a now 2-1 series. Jason Pominville led the charge with two goals and one assist.

Finally, this is a series.

39

Quick Starts

Monday night saw some quick goals to start each of the three games.

In addition to Raffl's marker 57 seconds in, Sharp potted one 26 seconds in to the Stars-Wild game, while Joe Thornton got the San Jose Sharks on the board 30 seconds in to Kings-Sharks.

Who wouldn't be fired up after this?

49ERS LEGEND RONNIE LOTT FIRED UP THE SHARKS CROWD & LET THE SHARKS OUT OF THE LOCKER ROOM PIC.TWITTER.COM/SWO6KMDVWW

— THE CAULDRON (ICYMI) (@CAULDRONICYMI) APRIL 19, 2016

They didn't produce the expected result, however. The Flyers and Stars lost while the Sharks lost in overtime thanks to Tanner Pearson's overtime winner.

BONUS THING

17 YEARS AGO TODAY, #99 PLAYED HIS FINAL NHL GAME AND PUT HIS NAME ON THE SCORESHEET FOR THE LAST TIME. #GRETZKY PIC.TWITTER.COM/X4BDM6WW9Z

— GRETZKY FACTS (@GRETZKYFACTS) APRIL 18, 2016

40

http://www.tsn.ca/statistically-speaking-carlson-powers-capitals-1.474222

TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Carlson powers Capitals By Scott Cullen – April 19, 2016

Carlson keeps Capitals power play clicking; Ovechkin, Quick, Pominville, Haula and more in Scott Cullen's Statistically Speaking.

For the third straight game in these playoffs, Washington Capitals defenceman John Carlson found the back of the net with a power play goal. He also added a pair of assists in Washington's 6-1 Game Three win at Philadelphia.

Carlson, who mans the point on the league's top power play, scored two power play goals during the regular season, a total that he's already surpassed in three games against Philadelphia. He now has six points (3 G, 3 A) through three games, with five of those points coming with the man advantage.

That Capitals power play was lethal, going 5-for-9 in Game Three alone, against a Flyers team that appeared intent on causing mayhem and ended up paying for it.

HEROES

Alex Ovechkin - Sticking with another big shooter on the Washington power play, Ovechkin tallied a pair of goals and an assist, while launching 18 shot attempts (5 SOG) in the 6-1 rout at Philadelphia.

Jonathan Quick - Backstopped the Kings to a crucial 2-1 overtime win in Game Three at San Jose, turning away 29 of 30 shots; 29 straight after allowing Joe Thornton to score on the Sharks' first shot on goal. Going back to the regular season, Quick had recorded more than 29 saves just twice in his previous 23 games, so he's not often asked to handle the workload that he did in Game Three, but the Kings needed every one of those saves to keep them in the series.

Nino Niederreiter, Erik Haula and Jason Pominville - Minnesota climbed off the mat in their series with Dallas, winning 5-3 in Game Three, thanks to this line.

Pominville led the way for the Wild, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Going back to the regular season, Pominville had no goals and three assists in his previous 13 games.

Haula contributed a goal and an assist, continuing his strong production down the stretch. After managing 11 points in his first 46 games of the season, Haula finished the regular season with 23 points (10 G, 13 A) in his last 30 games. He missed the first game of the series with injury, but Haula has returned to play a big role. He saw 17:39 of ice time in Game Three, a total he surpassed twice in 76 games this year.

Niederreiter added a couple of assists and Minnesota's top possession player during the regular season, controlled play (19 for, 9 against, 67.9 SAT%) effectively when he was on the ice at even strength in Game Three.

ZEROES

Steve Mason - Philadelphia's goaltender was feasted upon by the Capitals power play, which isn't surprising given how much Mason struggled in shorthanded situations this season. Ultimately, he allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-1 loss to Washington, leaving him with a .852 save percentage through three games in this series.

41

John Klingberg - Dallas' dynamic defenceman struggled in terms of possession (16 for, 23 against, 41.0 SAT%) and was on for four goals against (including an empty-netter), with one for, in a 5-3 Game Three loss at Minnesota.

Brenden Dillon - The Sharks blueliner had team-worst possession stats (4 for, 13 against, 23.5 SAT%) and, in conjunction with Logan Couture, was caught out of position in neutral ice in the moments leading up to Los Angeles' game-winning goal.

STANLEY CUP HALF FULL/HALF EMPTY

Brent Burns - San Jose's playmaking blueliner accumulated an eye-popping 19 shot attempts in Game Three against Los Angeles, yet only five of those of those made it on net and he didn't come away with any points in a 2-1 overtime loss.

VITAL SIGNS

Drew Doughty - The Kings leaned heavily on their No. 1 defenceman, playing him 35:01 at San Jose. He had to play a lot because Kings head coach Darryl Sutter wasn't trusting Jamie McBain (5:42) or Brayden McNabb (10:30). With their season on the line, the Kings were more apt to play Rob Scuderi (24:04) and Luke Schenn (23:04).

Brooks Orpik - The Capitals defenceman was clearly the worse for wear after taking a hit from Flyers forward Ryan White.

Dmitry Orlov - Another Washington defenceman was crushed into the boards. Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare flattened Orlov from behind. While the hit was ugly, it appeared initially that Orlov managed to escape serious injury.

SHORT SHIFTS

Stars RW Patrick Sharp scored two goals, his first of the postseason, and had a team-high seven shots on goal in the loss at Minnesota…Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom, RW T.J. Oshie and RW Justin Williams each contributed a pair of assists against Philadelphia. Backstrom, with six points (1 G, 5 A), is tied with Carlson for the team lead, while those were Williams' first playoff points for Washington. Looking at these short shifts, it was apparently a productive night for right wingers acquired last summer. Capitals G Braden Holtby stopped 31 of 32 shots, and has a .978 save percentage in the series.

42

http://www.tsn.ca/coach-s-challenge-dominating-early-playoff-chatter-1.473927

TSN.CA / Coach’s challenge dominating early playoff chatter By Frank Seravalli – April 19, 2016

For all the teeth gnashing about the role of the coach’s challenge in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the hockey people who seem least bothered by the momentum-swinging decisions are the coaches themselves.

Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said Sunday that his video team whispered into his ear early on that Jonathan Huberdeau was likely offside in Aaron Ekblad’s goal sequence.

“Our guy said it was offside a little bit,” Gallant told reporters. “It was real close, but they challenged it and they won. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

Florida went from potentially up 3-0 in the first four minutes of the second period to tied 3-3 by the end of it. They lost, 4-3, in overtime in a bouncing Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They will attempt to rebound on Wednesday night to shift the series back to South Florida all even at two games.

TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie joins Leafs Lunch to discuss Coach's Challenge in the playoffs, Anaheim Ducks potential underdog, and LA Kings importance of getting a win vs San Jose.

The coach’s challenge has been the focal point of the postseason so far.

Through the first 18 games, there have been eight coach’s challenges — four challenged offside plays and four challenges for goaltender interference.

Three of the four offside challenges were successful, resulting in a goal being waved off. The reviews have been lengthy — with linesmen huddling on small tablets near the penalty box for up to 10 minutes of real time — and often come down to millimeters.

And they have been incredibly impactful.

In the third period of Thursday’s Game 2 between Chicago and St. Louis, Vladimir Tarasenko’s go-ahead goal was waved off because Jori Lehtera entered the zone just a skate blade before the puck.

The Blues could taste another Game 2 win. They were just seven minutes away when Tarasenko lit the lamp.

Chicago ended up scoring three times in the final five minutes to knot the series.

“The worst part is it took so long,” Blues centre Paul Stastny told reporters. “That kind of deflates the whole rhythm of the game. I guess that’s the only downside to the challenges. You don’t mind them for certain reasons, but you want to get an answer in 30 seconds, a minute, two minutes ... quick.”

The focus for the NHL is getting the call right, whether it’s a millimeter or a yard off; whether it takes 30 seconds or 10 minutes.

The coaches might not love it, but they know the rule can also work in their favour later in the series.

“I know we just had two go the wrong way,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters Thursday. “We’re owed two back the other way.”

43

http://www.tsn.ca/mondaymustread-the-search-for-the-perfect-playoff-format-1.473661

TSN.CA / #MondayMustRead: The search for the perfect playoff format By Frank Seravalli – April 19, 2016

The genesis of the idea stemmed from an idle conversation with a handful of reporters at Penguins goaltender Jeff Zatkoff’s stall after practice last Friday, filling the space until Game 2.

The Stanley Cup playoffs have been compelling, Zatkoff said, but he wasn’t thrilled with the format. Sidney Crosby previously expressed the same sentiment.

Guaranteed first round elimination for one of the Eastern Conference’s top four teams in the Rangers or Penguins just seemed wrong, Zatkoff thought. Especially after each compiled 100-point regular seasons.

Zatkoff isn’t alone.

Just ask Chicago GM Stan Bowman or St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong. One of their teams will have a long summer by nature of their first-round pairing - and they finished third and fifth overall in the NHL.

The NHL’s new format, instituted two years ago, dilutes the value of the 82-game regular season.

But Zatkoff had a thought: What about a straight No. 1 versus No. 16 bracket?

Forget East versus West. Just have the 16 best teams, regardless of conference or division, battle it out for the Cup. If it means Vancouver against Florida in Round 1, so be it.

“I’m not sure that the travel really makes a difference,” Zatkoff said. “I don’t think guys would care about that. The way we travel, once you’re on a plane, does it even matter if it’s two or four hours?”

What would that look like? Is it even feasible?

The answer would appear to be yes. A hypothetical Broadway against Hollywood clash in the first-round would be gruelling, but the television networks wouldn’t hate it:

Hypothetical 1 vs. 16 Stanley Cup playoff bracket:

A NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT?

MATCHUP DISTANCE FLIGHT 1. Washington 16. Boston 399 miles 1 hour 2. Dallas 15. Detroit 987 miles 2 hours 3. St. Louis 14. Nashville 272 miles 45 min. 4. Pittsburgh 13. Philadelphia 267 miles 45 min. 5. Chicago 12. Tampa Bay 1,015 miles 2 hours 6. Anaheim 11. San Jose 342 miles 1 hour 7. Florida 10. N.Y. Islanders 1,079 miles 2.5 hours 8. Los Angeles 9. N.Y. Rangers 2,450 miles 5 hours

Source: FlightAware.com

Last spring, we would’ve seen a few longer slogs in the first round - Rangers vs. Flames, Vancouver vs. Washington and St. Louis vs. Ottawa - but it isn’t outrageous.

44

This format would level the playing field. Eastern teams could be forced to travel just as much as Western teams, righting a wrong that leaves teams in the East a little more fresh by the final each spring just based on geography. It would also negate the playoff imbalance from the current conference alignment.

Jim Nill’s Dallas Stars team has flown more miles than any NHL team over the last two seasons. But the Stars GM doesn’t think a 1-16 format would pass muster.

“The Eastern teams would never go for it,” Nill said Sunday. “With the current format, the league is focusing on divisional play and building rivalries. With parity, there are always going to be upsets after the first round [anyway].”

The NHL loves to sell hate and rivalries. That was the key reason behind the push to go back to divisional playoff brackets, an ideal poorly executed at times by the ability of wild cards to cross over to the other side.

Watching the Panthers and Islanders square off this week negates a lot of that rivalry argument. It isn’t a prerequisite to a compelling series.

Under the 1-16 format, the Minnesota Wild would not have qualified. They would have been bumped by Boston, who finished with six more points.

“That is the biggest reason for doing it,” Penguins GM Jim Rutherford said. “You don’t want to see a team that finished six points behind making the playoffs over you.”

Rutherford said he would like to see the NHL go to straight division play, with the top four teams from each division earning a berth. He felt the travel would be too arduous to go west that soon.

His Penguins would still face the Rangers, and one of them would still be eliminated in the first round, but he was fine with that.

“Look at the wild cards, they’re capable of beating the No. 1 seed almost every year,” Rutherford said. “The parity in the league is so great now that there is rarely an easy first round. It’s going to be tough no matter who you play.”

Under his format, Rutherford acknowledged the fifth Central division team wouldn’t make the playoffs in favour of a fourth Pacific division team that finished with 10 fewer points. He didn’t like that, either.

“I don’t think there is a perfect format out there,” Rutherford said. “Each setup has its own drawbacks.”

Then again, we all might be thinking too hard. The old format may have been just fine.

“I would like to go back to one versus eight in each conference,” Sabres GM Tim Murray said.

Islanders coach Jack Capuano picked a pretty good time for his first successful challenge in 85 games this season. How big was it? The Isles wanted to bestow their player-picked postgame award, a heinous 90s-era leather jacket, on video coach Matt Bertani for catching Jonathan Huberdeau’s offside entry. The jacket went to overtime hero Thomas Hickey, but that moment might not have been possible without Bertani’s eye. Aaron Ekblad’s disallowed goal would’ve made it 3-0. The successful challenge, a timely 5-on-3 power play and a crazy swing of momentum allowed the Islanders to pull even at 3-3 before the end of the second. Capuano's first two challenges of the year did not overturn calls.

The NHL’s general managers have two weapons at their disposal for their next meeting in June to refine the process of the offside challenge. They can push to have the league’s Situation Room in Toronto make the decision to speed up the process. They can also move to change the wording of the offside rule itself, making it less stringent so that, theoretically, fewer calls would be challenged in the future.

45

The current rule wasn't written with the idea of frame-by-frame dissection in mind. It has been called the same way since the 1950s. Let’s not forget, just a month ago the response from GMs on the coach’s challenge in Boca Raton, Fla., was overwhelmingly positive. While removing the egregious mistake was the intended goal, whether a play was offside by millimeters or a yard doesn’t change the fact it is offside. We’ll see how much of an appetite there is to change a traditional rule, one with roots in 1930.

“We talked about whether the foot is in the air, or it’s the plane [of the blue line] but we’re going to leave that alone,” Red Wings GM Ken Holland said on March 14. “We’re talking history and tradition and the way officials have ruled the game for a long time. I think that’s good for right now … We’ll let it go through as it is until the summertime, but for the most part, it’s the better call.”

Jacob Trouba and agent Kurt Overhardt are expected to meet this week to strategize before negotiations open between the restricted free agent and the Winnipeg Jets. It shouldn’t be difficult to set a target after Morgan Rielly’s six-year, $30-million deal with the Maple Leafs last week. Rielly and Trouba, both 22, were taken four picks apart in 2012. They both have three seasons under their belt. Rielly has one more point in 25 more games. One difference is they are trending in different directions. Rielly’s goals, points and minutes have been on the rise; Trouba has failed to match his rookie production from 2013-14 in those three categories. Rielly has also made it work with Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak as his two most frequent defence partners, while Trouba has sometimes benefitted from Dustin Byfuglien and Zach Bogosian. A deeper dive at the analytics would suggest Trouba compares favourably with Rielly, but there are other outliers in these negotiations, as it depends on how many years of free agency the Jets are willing to buy up or what other kind of no-trade protections Trouba may be seeking. An eight-year deal, for instance, would cost more in AAV for the Jets. Rest assured, fellow restricted free agents Seth Jones, Rasmus Ristolainen, Hampus Lindholm and Matt Dumba will all be taking notes.

Trouba and Rielly stack up as top pair defencemen league-wide in nearly every advanced stat category except for slowing down opponent shots and goals:

For all the gamesmanship, it was interesting to hear Rangers coach Alain Vigneault shake his head and admit it was challenging to keep up with his Penguins counterpart Mike Sullivan’s line changes. “It kept me on my toes,” Vigneault said after Game 2 on Saturday. Sullivan said Sunday to expect more continuity in Game 3. What does that mean for Evgeni Malkin? Malkin didn’t mince words when he said playing the wing with Sidney Crosby was less than ideal, but that might Sullivan’s best option. He will not break up Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel. On Saturday, Sullivan shuffled Malkin with Crosby and then Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary. The odd man out was Chris Kunitz, who sometimes went shifts without playing with his regular linemates because Malkin was in his place.

One underreported regular season stat: NHL scoring appearing to hold steady at 5.20 goals-per-game is really an optical illusion. Why? The number of empty-net goals scored has nearly doubled in two years (223 in 2014-15 to 368 in 2015-16), according to the Edmonton Journal. We explained earlier this season that analytics told coaches that pulling your goaltender earlier gave you the better chance to win. Many bought in. Without the empty-net goals, NHL scoring was down to 4.9 goals per game, off from 5.3 in 2009-10. (That number would be closer to 4.95 without the disallowed goals from the coach’s challenge.) Nonetheless, the impact of empty-netters has been huge on stats around the league, with Edmonton Journal scribe Bruce McCurdy noting Jamie Benn scored more than 10 per cent of his points this season with the opposition’s goalie on the bench.

His 101-foot gaffe was worse, but at least Steve Mason has some company on the Flyers’ worst playoff goals list. Couldn’t help but think of Robert Reichel’s goal for the Maple Leafs as Roman Cechmanek tried to put his glove back on in 2003 at the Air Canada Centre.

46

Mike Keenan put to bed any rumours circulating that the new KHL expansion franchise in Beijing, China, offered him their head coaching job for next season. Keenan said Sunday he had not spoken with Beijing’s Red Stars Kunlun. The KHL’s Magnitogorsk Metallurg fired Keenan, 66, six months ago. The 1994 Stanley Cup winner told Yahoo! Sports recently he wasn’t sure whether coaching would be in the cards again. He led Magnitogorsk to a KHL Gagarin Cup in 2014. The Beijing job will be a highly coveted one. Whoever gets in on the ground floor there will have a big leg up in tapping into the world’s most populous country. He may also have the first crack at coaching China’s national team, which is guaranteed a spot in 2022 Winter Olympic tournament as host nation. Out of 1.3 billion people, China has just 1,225 registered hockey players skating at 48 indoor rinks, according to the IIHF. Their men’s team is ranked 38th in the latest world ranking.

In a brief text exchange, Keenan also couldn’t put his finger on why Magnitogorsk star Sergei Mozyakin has yet to test the NHL. I’d bet there are a few teams willing to try and convince him this summer. Mozyakin, now 35, is running out of time. He was drafted by Columbus in the ninth round in 2002 and never signed. Mozyakin has Magnitogorsk on the precipice of another Gagarin Cup. He is undersized, but his skating is solid and his vision and passing are uncanny. Mozyakin leads all KHL playoff scorers with 11 goals and 25 points in 22 games. Game 7 of the Gagarin Cup final against CSKA Moscow is Tuesday.

Speaking of free agents, we reported last week it sounds like Frozen Four most outstanding player Drake Caggiula has whittled down his list. Caggiula, 21, was ready to sign and make his NHL debut on Sat. April 9 if his North Dakota team lost in the national semi-final two nights earlier. Since burning a year on his entry-level contract was no longer an option, Caggiula is now considering a broader field. Chicago, Edmonton, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Vancouver (in no particular order) are believed to be the front-runners. Buffalo is somewhere in the mix, too.

47

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/columnist/allen/2016/04/18/stanley-cup-joel-quenneville-darryl-sutter-peter-laviolette/83208162/

USA TODAY / When it comes to NHL coaches, best are in West By Kevin Allen – April 19, 2016

Nashville Predators general manager David Poile has spent more than four decades in the NHL and yet every time he looks at his coach Peter Laviolette’s game preparation he feels as if there is more to learn.

“When he talks about his system, or puts something up on the board, you feel like you are in a chemistry class at MIT,” Poile told USA TODAY Sports.

Coaches in the NHL have become increasingly more experienced and sophisticated in recent years. Look no further than the men behind the bench for the opening round match-ups in the Western Conference.

Four of the coaches have won Stanley Cup championships as head coaches, and two others have reached the Stanley Cup Final. John Torchetti is the Minnesota Wild’s interim coach, but even he was an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks when they won a Stanley Cup in 2010.

Joel Quenneville (Blackhawks), Darryl Sutter (Los Angeles Kings), Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues), Lindy Ruff (Dallas Stars), Peter DeBoer (San Jose Sharks) and Laviolette have combined for 11 trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

“The coaching now in the league is unbelievable, and particularly in the Western Conference,” Poile said. “There is not a weak link in my opinion.”

Pierre McGuire, who won a Stanley Cup as a Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach in 1992 and is now an NBC analyst, argues that nothing helps a coach more in the playoffs than what he has learned from being there in the past.

“The experience of getting to the Final and coaching in the final is such an important asset,” McGuire said. “It’s a huge advantage because you understand so many things – travel, work-to-rest-ratio, dealing with the media, how to get your stars to the next level. ... There are so many things that go into i.”

Sutter’s expertise is even more extensive than people realize because he has reached the Final with three different organizations. Before coaching Calgary and Los Angeles to a Final, he went to the Stanley Cup Final as Mike Keenan’s associate coach in 1992.

“Darryl is a killer because he understands everything about coaching,” McGuire said. “Quennville also won a Cup as an assistant in Colorado. People forget that. When you start doing the math on this group in the West, and it’s amazing."

With so much coaching experience in the West, gamesmanship is rampant, even though they won't actually admit it.

"There’s a lot of it,” McGuire said, “because every single one of them is looking for an edge whether it’s using the media, trying to one-up an official or trying to plant a seed of doubt in an opposition player’s head. A lot goes into it.”

Publicly, the coaches try to ignore each other. “I’m not worried about Hitch,” Quenneville said Monday. “I worry about our own team and every game is a different game … The guys at the end of the day are sorting it out on the ice and that’s what I’m worried about.”