Articles in NHL Teams

* The Penguins pushed their point streak to nine games to match the idle Red Wings (Wild Card 2) at 84 points. Pittsburgh will watch Tuesday as the other six teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race hit the ice, including a pivotal showdown between the Capitals and Red Wings on ESPN (7 p.m. ET).

* A Canucks comeback win against the Golden Knights featured noteworthy performances from their top scorers as J.T. Miller recorded his first 100-point season and Brock Boeser notched his first 40-goal campaign.

* Auston Matthews continued his quest to the 70-goal milestone by scoring his 65th of 2023-24, tying Alex Ovechkin for the most in a season among active players.

* The Predators and Kings can clinch playoff spots, while the Rangers, Stars and Bruins can secure division titles.

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. We're finding things out: I don't have a clue how to write.

- The wildest stat, in a season full of them, might be the New York Islanders blowing 22 third-period leads through their first 74 games. Lock up half of those, and they cruise to a postseason berth.

Can you really look at the goal differential of the clubs just outside the wild-card cut line and argue with a straight face that they deserve to be part of some expanded playoff tournament?

more topics...

* Auston Matthews added to his goal total to reach the 100-point mark for the second time in his career and tied Connor McDavid (64 in 2022-23) for the third-most goals in a campaign in the past 30 years – a list topped by Mario Lemieux (69 in 1995-96) and Alex Ovechkin (65 in 2007-08).

* Sidney Crosby reached the 40-goal mark for the third time in his career – and first in seven seasons – to propel the Penguins into a playoff spot for the first time since Nov. 14 after sitting nine points out just last week.

* Washington and Detroit can move back into a Wild Card spot as part of a busy nine-game Sunday – one that could also feature Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin make NHL history with his 18th career 30-goal season.

* Gabriel Vilardi scored a hat trick to cap off a night that saw the Jets become the eighth team to clinch a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Brad Marchand became the fifth player in franchise history to reach the 400-goal milestone as the Bruins were one of a trio of Atlantic Division clubs to pick up wins during Thursday’s nine-game slate.

* A six-game Friday will feature a TVA Sports doubleheader that pits Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche against Connor McDavid and the Oilers – the second- and third-ranked players in the 2023-24 Art Ross Trophy race.

from Emily Kaplan of ESPN,

Bedard was anointed as the next face of the league before ever taking a shift, and the fanfare surrounding his NHL arrival has sometimes felt astronomical.

"Everyone is asking everything of him," Blackhawks president Jaime Faulkner said recently. "The league is asking for a lot. We are asking for a lot, the media, sponsors and fans. But he always responds with kindness, even when he doesn't need to. He is referred to as a robot because people only see his intensity. But both can be true. He can be driven and highly competitive, but grounded and gracious at the same time."

Bedard's veteran teammates like Taylor Hall cautioned against overexposure as the season began -- not out of jealousy, but protection for the teenager. "It can be a little much at times," Hall said. "He doesn't say that, but it feels like it is."

But Bedard has handled it all with professionalism, settling in on two to three media sessions a week, mostly in scrum settings. Even though he missed his first All-Star appearance because of his jaw, Bedard showed up in Toronto anyway (and, again successfully, still campaigned to participate, passing pucks to players in the skills competition).

"The number of directions he is pulled in, the attention and spotlight he receives in a new city -- it has to be taxing and exhausting," Davidson said. "But he rarely shows it."

It was full bore ever since he took his opening faceoff against his childhood idol, Crosby.

"Looking back," Bedard told ESPN recently, "it definitely was a lot. Kind of overwhelming, but fun at the same time. I just tried to take it all in and enjoy it."

much more

from Joe Smith of The Athletic,

Jesper Wallstedt wrapped up a local TV interview at Wells Fargo Arena last week and left the rink for the day.

The Minnesota Wild’s touted goalie prospect was asked during the segment about how the American Hockey League could also be called the “Always Hungry League,” and he had no disagreements.

“It really is,” he said.

It’s hard for every decision Wallstedt makes not to be about the next level right now. The 21-year-old Swede has rethought and rewatched his mid-January NHL debut countless times; a 7-2 loss will tend to stick with you. He was disappointed but not deterred. More so, he’s determined, especially after the pep talk he received from coach John Hynes on a plane ride home during a brief NHL stint this year.

Spend an afternoon with Wallstedt, and you’ll see the determination everywhere. Even his car: a humongous white Dodge Ram 4×4. He used to drive an Audi but notes that this will be better for inclement weather in the Twin Cities.

“Perfect in a snowstorm,” Wallstedt said.

“I’ll take anything to get up there.”

It shouldn’t be long.

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* Nikita Kucherov became the fifth player in the past 30 years to record 130 or more points in a single season and bested his own franchise record in the process as the Lightning defeated the Maple Leafs.

* Jason Robertson helped the Western Conference-leading Stars establish a franchise record with their eighth straight win while Quinn Hughes set a franchise mark of his own as the Canucks kept pace in second place.

* The Rangers earned a comeback win and maintained the top spot in the NHL standings as they continued to push for their first Presidents’ Trophy since 2014-15.

* A nine-game Thursday will feature pivotal matchups in both the Eastern and Western Conference Wild Card races, including the 69th all-time regular-season head-to-head between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, with the Penguins captain entering the night just three assists shy of 1,000.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

The buzz word in hockey today is “mature.” As in, every team that weathers a storm or plays a solid third period talks about how “mature” a game they played.

So what do we call the game the Oilers laid down in Dallas Wednesday night, if not immature?

A veteran Oilers team folded up like a cheap tent in the second period of a 1-0 game, allowing four goals in a 5:48 span en route to a 5-0 loss.

“They get that second one and we completely go off script. That's just not our game,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, after the Oilers’ third shutout effort of the season. “That's not how you're going to win at any point in the season, especially with nine games left against one of the best teams in the league.”

And the worst thing? Edmonton’s best players were their worst players, particularly assistant captains Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse.

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Watch the highlights below.

Much longer version is below.

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

The balance for Zito and the Panthers will be to fit something in under the salary cap that will allow the team to continue to contend. It’s the challenge all the elite contenders face, making the numbers work with their core players.

Business is business, but it’s difficult to imagine Reinhart leaving a place that players around the league are tripping over themselves to get to, Vladimir Tarasenko being the latest when he gave the Ottawa Senators the Panthers as his only desired destination before waiving his full no-move clause last month ahead of the trade deadline.

The Panthers are a perennial contender, between the lifestyle in South Florida and lack of state income tax. Of course, Reinhart would have to take less than what the July 1 market could offer. That’s obvious.

“Absolutely, for sure there’s a couple of sides to it,” Reinhart said. “You know when you’re trying to make a decision there’s a lot that goes into it. This place checks a lot of boxes, that’s for sure.”...

Reinhart is playing out a three-year deal carrying a $6.5 million average annual value. What will be as important as anything for him will be term, having only done short-term deals throughout his NHL career, dating back to his Buffalo days.

He’s also 28, and obviously there’s always concern about post-30 production in the NHL. There’s also the fact he’s gone from a 30-goal scorer in his two previous seasons to such a monumental jump at age 28. His previous high was 33 goals two years ago. Included in his career-high 52-goal tally is a whopping 27 power-play goals, which easily leads the NHL.

The bottom line is that the Panthers absolutely want to keep him, but it’s an interesting extension to get done.

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Betway did a recent question and answer with Hockey Hall of Fame Member Grant Fuhr.

Is it important to have a veteran goalie on the squad to help guide younger goalies?

I think the dynamic has changed. When I came into the league, I didn’t have a goalie coach for the first 13 years, so your partner was your guy to bounce things off of. Whereas now a lot of guys have their own goalie coach, the team has a goalie coach, there’s a director of goalie development, so you’ve got a lot of guys in the system who you can bounce ideas off of. Which means you don’t really have to have that veteran guy now. You can go with two young guys, because you have other guys for them to talk to. Whereas back in my day, the veteran was important, because he was literally your only sounding board.

Do you think our understanding of goaltending is behind because goaltenders are almost playing a different sport than skaters?

Yeah! You’re looking at basically three hours of being engaged. For me the biggest misnomer that everybody talks about, that you hear about, is save percentage. I’m not a fan of save percentage. I’m a fan of ‘Can you make the right save at the right time?’ And they don’t have a dynamic for that yet. At some point they’ll come up with it, it’s getting better and better. But every building counts shots differently. So, save percentage I kind of throw out the window. I look at quality of saves at opportune times in the game. Can you make that save to change the momentum of the game? Can you make that save to save a game? That’s more important to me, and win. It was like that when I came into the league, and it’s like that now. Can you win a game when it’s on the line? That to me is the biggest statistic there is.

from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,

Against a heavyweight team, the Vancouver Canucks were lightweights on Tuesday.

Playing the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, a possible first-round playoff opponent for the Canucks in 2 ½ weeks, Vancouver was blown open early and lost 6-3.

The Canucks’ slack defending and awful execution in the first 10 minutes, as they served a pile of outnumbered rushes to a big, fast Vegas team that feasts on them, never gave Vancouver a chance to win.

The statement the Canucks made against a formidable opponent, so soon after four losses in Vancouver against playoff-bound teams, will surely embolden the Knights.

“I think as an individual, you look at your game. . . and: 'How can I play better? What can I do to do. . . to contribute to the team?'” Canuck coach Rick Tocchet told reporters after the game. “If everybody does that, you know, you hope the next game will improve on that. Some guys have got to look at their shifts and, 'What can I do different to help the team?' There's a penalty kill; can we be a little bit more aggressive on the wall to get that (puck) out? I think we were a little light getting in there. I just thought we were a little light everywhere. And that's not the type of game you want when you get into the stretch drive, so we've got to find it quickly.”

continued

Game highlights are below.

NEW YORK (April 2, 2024) – Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of March.

* Auston Matthews continued his push for the NHL’s first 70-goal campaign in more than 30 years and set a Maple Leafs single-season record with his 61st and 62nd tallies.

* Sidney Crosby joined elite company in NHL history by securing his 19th career point-per-game season, thanks to a three-point performance at Madison Square Garden.

* The Eastern Conference Wild Card race remains tight as both the Red Wings and Islanders earned crucial road victories against higher-seeded clubs.

NEW YORK (April 1, 2024) – Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended for three games, without pay, for unsportsmanlike conduct during NHL Game No. 1166 in Minnesota on Saturday, March 30, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 3:30 of overtime. Hartman was assessed a 10-minute misconduct.

Hartman is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, will forfeit $62,195.13. 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/hartman-suspended-three-games-6350098419112.

Watch below.

from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

Eight guys in white T-shirts. A single letter on the chest of the shirts. No. 34s on the sleeves and red hearts on the front. They were spelling “MATTHEWS.”

As in Auston Matthews. The star of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then they held up two gold balloons late in the third period to form the number “60” after Matthews potted his long-awaited milestone goal on the season. The building roared the final tally in a 3-0 Toronto victory.

Just another weird moment in a Buffalo season full of them. And a low one. A complete organizational embarrassment.

You can’t question the players’ effort on a night they outshot the Leafs 34-22, and out-attempted them 69-38. Their execution? Pretty inept. But the failures on the ice trace back to the coaches, the GM’s office, the business office and, ultimately, to owner-in-absentia Terry Pegula.

At some point, Pegula really needs to send us some smoke signal that he gives a damn about what is going on here. We assume he does, but we can’t know for sure since we never hear from him or even see him in the building.

Remember that chatter before the season about trying to cut off opposing fans from the building? Epic fail.

more

* The Avalanche and idle Canucks became the sixth and seventh teams to clinch a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Connor McDavid moved into first place in the Art Ross Trophy race for a few minutes Saturday before Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov reclaimed their lead on the five-time winner. The trio are separated by no more than two points headed into the final 19 days of the regular season.

* “Rocket” Richard Trophy front-runner Auston Matthews scored his 60th goal of 2023-24 and became the ninth player in NHL history to record multiple seasons with at least that many goals.

* 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.

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.

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 ($)

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.

* 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.

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.