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NHL Short Notes

03/30/2024 at 12:07am EDT

* After the Sabres won the lone contest Friday, the final Saturday of March features 15 games including a doubleheader on ESPN+/Hulu to go along with a four-game Hockey Night in Canada slate.

* Saturday will begin with an NHL Network Showcase that could be a First Round preview as the Red Wings, battling for a Wild Card spot, and Panthers, jockeying for a No. 1 seed, meet for a matinee in Sunrise (also on Sportsnet).

* The Avalanche and idle Canucks can both clinch a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday. For more details on their clinching scenarios, click here.

Video- Kaiden Guhle Suspended One Game

03/29/2024 at 7:13pm EDT

NEW YORK (March 29, 2024) – Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle has been suspended for one game, without pay, for slashing Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny during NHL Game No. 1152 in Montreal on Thursday, March 28, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 19:55 of the second period.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Guhle will forfeit $4,496.53. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/guhle-suspended-one-game-6349961867112

Watch the slash from the bench below.

Time To Wake Up

03/29/2024 at 7:08pm EDT

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

"The season is on the line right now," defenseman Moritz Seider said in a somber Wings locker room Thursday after a 4-0 loss in Carolina. "We can't find ways to dominate games and be a force but luckily other teams are missing out on the opportunity (to take advantage) and it's still up to us.

"We have to wake up pretty soon and just beat a team that we definitely can beat, that everyone saw in the past in us this year.

"Then, hopefully, we'll be on the right track."...

"A great opportunity," Seider said of Saturday's game. "An early game in Florida, against a team that is always tough to play against. But we've shown we can beat them in their rink (earlier this season). That would be a big step in the right direction if we got two points out of that building."

There was a sense of disappointment after Thursday's loss, a game Carolina dominated for long stretches. But the Wings aren't necessarily concerned, believing there is plenty of time to correct what is ailing them.

"Keep doing what we're doing. We just have to find a way to the back of the net," said defenseman Ben Chiarot, noting the offensive drought. "We're playing well defensively."...

"We have to get more pucks to the net," Lalonde said. "This time of year, with the way teams are defending, you're not going to get much on the rush. You have to create from the offensive zone and gets pucks to the net.

"When they (goalies) are feeling it and seeing it, you have to be harder around them. We've struggled against Bob (Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky) and we'll see him Saturday and it'll be the same thing. We have to get to that (hard) area a little more, a little bit more volume of shots."

more ($)

After The Wing Practice In Sunrise

03/29/2024 at 1:47pm EDT

In an earlier tweet, HSJ noted Lyon will start.

Case Solved: The Jagr Bobbleheads Theft

03/29/2024 at 10:09am EDT

from Rob Rossi of The Athletic,

The previous day, a shipment of 19,000 Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads had not arrived in Pittsburgh as scheduled. Acklin remained calm, having no reason to believe there was any foul play involved. A trucking company representative in California said the bobbleheads would be in Pittsburgh the next day by 5 p.m.

“Initial word is the truck driver was having some engine trouble — that they had to pause overnight and it’ll be OK,” said Acklin, the Penguins’ president of business operations.

The time came and went, and still no delivery. While watching the Penguins-Senators game from his Pittsburgh home, Acklin received another call from the trucking company. There was no engine trouble. The bobbleheads had been stolen.

“They said, ‘Well, we don’t know all the details, but apparently the trucking company is in touch with’ — and this is the first time I heard the word — ‘the extortionists.’”

By then, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a California-based trucking company and a Hong Kong vendor were all pursuing the people who’d stolen the merchandise.

“They weren’t sure how they were lifted, but they were in touch with a group that has custody of them,” Acklin said.

And to verify the group had the goods and to determine whether to negotiate, Acklin said, the trucking company had to see if the bobbleheads “were still viable.”

“We’re dealing with a theft that sounds crazy,” Acklin said. “It felt like a story from ‘The Onion.’ When you tell it, it’s like an ‘Onion’ article.”

read on ($)

The Downward Spiral Continues For The Wings

03/29/2024 at 1:47am EDT

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

"They're a good team and they capitalized on their chances," defenseman Ben Chiarot said. "They're a team that's contending for a Stanley Cup right now. They know how to play and have been playing that way for a long time. A lot of dangerous players over there, and if you give them a couple of chances to put it in, they'll do it.

"We didn't capitalize on ours."

The Wings (36-30-7) received bad news before the game that forwards Patrick Kane and Austin Czarnik were unavailable because of illness. They went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen instead, bringing in forward Daniel Sprong and defenseman Justin Holl....

"We knew we'd be up against it, only from where the lineup was but to have it happen right before the game," coach Derek Lalonde said. "It's a bit of stinger. That's a tough team to play 11 forwards with because of the pace they play at. We probably could have done more to give ourselves a chance but you look back at this game and there was opportunity in this game."

Lalonde felt the second-period implosion may have began in the first period.

"I'm glad we got out of the first (0-0, though being outshot 15-3)," Lalonde said. "I know the shot volume is extremely lopsided but that's them. If you look at the underlying numbers in the first it wasn't that bad. We'd like to steal the period but we didn't and then a little breakdown on the track in the second, and they score on the power play, and it got away from us."

more

NHL Short Notes

03/29/2024 at 1:32am EDT

* The Stars, Hurricanes, Panthers and idle Bruins punched their tickets to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Thursday marking the first day to feature four teams clinching a postseason berth since a quartet of clubs did so exactly seven years ago.

* Connor McDavid (27-95—122 in 69 GP) continued to close the gap in the Art Ross Trophy race via a three-point performance, now within just two points of League-leader Nikita Kucherov (42-82—124 in 71 GP).

* Friday will feature Jack Hughes and the Devils visiting Tage Thompson and the Sabres on Sportsnet ONE and NHL Network.

Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes

03/28/2024 at 10:03pm EDT

It was 0-0 after 20 minutes . Although the Wings were outshot 15-4, they held their own.

After 40 minutes, the Canes led 4-0. Enough said.

No scoring in the third, Canes win 4-0.

Team Stats

Nothing below.

Mathematically…

03/28/2024 at 7:00pm EDT

Good evening and welcome to all. The Red Wings managed to blow another yet another two important points, but, are still in contention mathematically. Yes, yes, I know we weren’t told there would be any math, and realistically we all know this will go down to the wire. Maybe when all is said and done, the Wings will squeeze into that last Wild Card spot. To paraphrase George Carlin, “The last winner.”

Reimer has the net tonight. No other changes to the lineup have been announced as of 1:00 PM.

It’s the Red Wings vs the Hurricanes. The puck is set to drop around 7:30 PM and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit, and on the Red Wings Radio Network 97.1 (The Ticket in Detroit) for your listening pleasure. Also available on ESPN+/NHLPP, BSSO, and SPORTSNET+.

It’s a Live Blog!

Video- -Saves Of The Week

03/28/2024 at 3:30pm EDT

Top saves of the week in 8 minutes.

Same Lineup Tonight

03/28/2024 at 11:59am EDT

Video- Bowen Byram Fined For Interference

03/28/2024 at 11:03am EDT

NEW YORK (March 28, 2024) – Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for interference against Ottawa Senators forward Angus Crookshank during NHL Game No. 1148 in Buffalo on Wednesday, March 27, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

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

The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Watch below.

Seider's Year

03/28/2024 at 9:34am EDT

from Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic,

It was Red Wings vs. Lightning, January 21. By many eyewitness accounts, it was a Moritz Seider masterclass in shutdown defense. He went toe-to-toe with Nikita Kucherov for 86 percent of his ice time and lived to tell the tale, keeping the shot and goal count even.

That’s the job of a No. 1 shutdown defenseman and he aced it.

The postgame reports analyzing his work through raw data weren’t nearly as complimentary, though. That’s been an increasingly common occurrence through the back half of this season: Red Wings fans swear by Seider’s performance, but the numbers don’t back it up. Top of their hearts, bottom of the charts.

Usually when there’s a gap between the two schools of thought the truth lies somewhere in the middle. In this case, there’s something clearly missing in the equation that shifts the balance toward what many saw that night.

Seider faced off against Kucherov for roughly 15 of his 17 minutes at five-on-five, one of the most difficult defensive assignments any player has had to face this season. What should his numbers look like?

This season Seider has a Defensive Rating of minus-6.9. That means Detroit is estimated to have allowed seven more goals compared to an average player because of Seider, an extremely porous number that ranks 181st out of 189 regular defenders.

continued ($)

NHL Short Notes

03/28/2024 at 2:15am EDT

* The Lightning earned a crucial victory against the Bruins to improve to 8-1-1 in March and moved within two points of the Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division standings.

* While Boston failed to clinch a berth into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, they are one of six teams with an opportunity to do so during a 14-game Thursday (also FLA, CAR, DAL, VAN & COL).

* Playoff races are aplenty tonight, with all 16 Western Conference teams taking to the ice – including a red-hot Predators club looking to become the 15th team in NHL history with a 19-game point streak.

Mistakes Magnified

03/27/2024 at 10:54pm EDT

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

"Every play matters, even the little details," coach Derek Lalonde said. "We preach it, we watch it on video, we rep it, and our guys are understanding what it really takes. The exact details when it matters. A lot of guys haven't been in that situation and a lot of guys are learning and learning it a hard way."

There were glaring individual miscues against Washington that led to Capitals goals or nixed a Wings' scoring chance.

▶ A Moritz Seider turnover along the wall that eventually led to Washington's game-tying goal in the third period.

▶ Andrew Copp losing his man (Dylan Strome) after a faceoff loss and seeing Strome score on a rebound.

▶ Jeff Petry looking to pass instead of shooting into a yawning net late in the third period.

▶ Alex DeBrincat sending a pass on a two-on-one play with Seider into Seider's skate, in overtime, and seeing Washington come back down the ice and win on Strome's deflection.

"Tough video, tough messaging this morning," said Lalonde of the video work.

more ($)

Ethan Bear Under Care From The Player Assistance Program

03/27/2024 at 6:04pm EDT

NEW YORK/TORONTO (March 27, 2024) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association and National Hockey League announced today that defenseman Ethan Bear of the Washington Capitals will be unavailable to his Club for an indefinite period while he receives care from the Player Assistance Program of the NHLPA and NHL.

Under the terms of the joint program, he will return to the Club when cleared for on-ice competition by the program administrators.

Looks Like The Washington Capitals Will Not Be Moving

03/27/2024 at 4:21pm EDT

Video- Goals Of The Week

03/27/2024 at 3:34pm EDT

Top goals from the week in the NHL.

Still In It For Bubble Teams In The East

03/27/2024 at 1:22pm EDT

Playoff Deck Still Being Shuffled In The West

03/27/2024 at 12:59pm EDT

from Travis Yost of TSN,

If you love end-of-season hockey and compelling playoff races, a free tip for the final weeks of the season: ignore the Eastern Conference and set your sights out West.

As it stands today, there are eight extremely likely playoff representatives in the West, with teams like the St. Louis Blues (7 per cent) and Minnesota Wild (4 per cent) hanging on by a thread. That’s taken some juice out of any potential wild-card race, though it’s not entirely out of the question.

And yet the next two weeks will be fascinating, in large part because none of the top eight teams have been able to materially separate from one another in the standings. With the points race this tight, the range of possible seeding scenarios and associated matchups for every team remains extraordinarily wide.

Consider just a few points to appropriately frame this.

  • The Clarence Campbell race has three teams (Dallas, Vancouver, Colorado) separated by just two points.
  • The Central Division race sees three teams (Dallas, Colorado, and Winnipeg) separated by just five points, with chasing Nashville on an 18-game point streak.
  • The current No. 5 seed (Edmonton) is just four points ahead of the current No. 8 seed (Vegas).

continued

NCAA Frozen Four Starts On Thursday

03/27/2024 at 11:18am EDT

from ESPN,

The field for the men's NCAA hockey tournament is set, with 16 teams looking to earn a trip to St. Paul, Minnesota, for the Frozen Four.

Regional play begins Thursday and concludes March 31, with the national semifinals set for April 11 and the championship game April 12 at the Xcel Energy Center. Every game of the tournament will be aired on the ESPN family of networks and streamed on ESPN+.

Boston College, the Hockey East champion and No. 1 team much of the season, secured the No. 1 overall seed. The other top seeds are Boston University, Denver and Michigan State.

The tournament champions in Atlantic Hockey, the Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC were automatic qualifiers, with the 10 at-large spots determined by the PairWise rankings.

continue for TV schedule, brackets, etc.

Fix The Schedule

03/27/2024 at 9:27am EDT

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Now try to tell me again that the reason the league doesn’t break down into 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 conference-based first-round matchups is to foster divisional rivalries and I will tell you that is about the most idiotic explanation you could attempt to offer.

Ninth Avenue does not believe in rivalries.

The schedule matrix is hopelessly broken. The Islanders were the designated home team for the Stadium Series match in New Jersey, so the Rangers haven’t even been to UBS this season. Indeed, the Blueshirts have not played a regular season game on the Island since Oct. 22, 2022.

Holy Dave Fortier!

It is the height of absurdity that clubs play only 26 games within their respective divisions — 32 percent of the schedule — while playing 32 games against teams in the other conference. The Rangers play the Penguins three times this season just as they played three times against the Islanders last year.

more

A Good Point But Not Enough

03/27/2024 at 2:16am EDT

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

With the one point earned, the Wings (36-29-7, 79 points) find themselves two points behind Washington (36-26-9, 81 points) for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals also have one game in hand on the Wings.

"In reality it's probably a good road point," coach Derek Lalonde said. "But under the circumstances you certainly want to get the full two points. Some mixed emotions there. We have a lead into the third (period) and then finding a way to get into overtime.

"In reality a pretty good road point under the circumstances but you probably want a little more."...

"It's not what we wanted but getting one (point) was huge for us," captain Dylan Larkin said. "No moral victories. But we played good and it's playoff style hockey and we stuck in there. I wish we had a better start to the third period."...

"I like the way we're competing and defending and the underlying numbers will play out well," Lalonde said. "in reality we've had six fairly good periods on the road and only one point to show for it. But we're going to need to be even better with the type of competition we have coming up here."...

"You can see why this team is where they're at," Lalonde said. "The goaltender, no one is playing better in the league right now and they feed off him. The confidence he brings to that group, you can tell. But I give our guys credit to be down in the third against that goalie and it feels like it's going to take something remarkable to get something by him, and we got a goal."...

"We had some other looks, Petry had the wide open net and he probably scores nine of 10 times," Lalonde said. "He might have been surprised by how much room and space he had.

"The totality of it is it's a good point, just not with the circumstances."

more

NHL Short Notes

03/27/2024 at 2:04am EDT

* The Rangers officially started the clinch train as the club became the first team to secure their spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Artemi Panarin and David Pastrnak recorded 100 points in a season for the first and second time in their careers, respectively, and became the fourth and fifth players in 2023-24 to reach the century mark.

* A thrilling three-goal, third-period comeback victory allowed Nashville to extend its franchise-record point streak to 18 games (16-0-2) and its winning streak to six contests.

* The Bruins will have another shot at securing a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs should they earn a point against the Lightning on TNT, Max and TVA Sports during Wednesday’s two-game slate.

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