Articles in NHL Teams

NEW YORK (Feb. 24, 2023) – Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak has been suspended for two games, without pay, for elbowing Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo during NHL Game No. 921 in Tampa on Thursday, Feb. 23, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.The incident occurred at 18:23 of the third period.Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Cernak will forfeit $31,891.90. 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/t-277440360/c-1547257

from Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

The Penguins are 8-12-4 since Christmas with a minus-22 goal differential. Their current losing streak is their third of four or more games. That has happened only one other time during the Mike Sullivan era, four years ago in 2018-19.

Even so, he believes they can as currently constructed still make the playoffs.

“The hardest part about our team right now is probably the volatility,” Hextall said. “It’s a tough one, quite frankly, to put a finger on. ... Some nights you ask yourself, ‘What team are we?’ But I know this: We’ve shown that we’re capable of being a very good team and we’ll continue to try to make our team better.”

Hextall knows fans are frustrated. He heard them loud and clear Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, when “Fire Hextall!” chants erupted in a loss to Edmonton.

“We have high expectations, as well, and we haven’t met them. So I totally get it,” Hextall said calmly. “When you’re a GM, you know what you’re signing up for. We work in the public eye. And they pay good money to come to the rink, and they certainly have the right to chant and say whatever they choose.”

Hextall added, “It’s not going to affect anything I do or anything I don’t do.”

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* Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak and Tage Thompson combined for six goals Thursday as the Oilers, Bruins and Sabres prevailed in high-scoring games.

* For the first time since entering games on Dec. 9, the Red Wings are in a playoff position! Detroit dealt New York its first regulation road loss in nearly two months to leapfrog Pittsburgh and Florida for the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card spot.

* Friday’s six-game slate features a pair of national broadcasts in Canada as the Sabres square off with the Panthers and the Jets face the Avalanche.

A bit over 5 minutes long,

via the Toronto Maple Leafs,

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that after follow-up consultation this month with various specialists, our medical staff have determined that defenceman Jake Muzzin has been ruled out for the rest of the 2022-23 regular season and playoffs as he recovers from a cervical spine injury.

The club will provide a further update as to his status at training camp in September 2023. Muzzin skated in four games with the Maple Leafs this season and recorded one assist.

7 1/2 minutes to watch.

from Steven Goldstein at CBS News Miami,

The Florida Panthers put themselves behind the eight ball by struggling for the first three months of the season.

There were many contributing factors but the fact remained, they were 11 points out of a playoff spot on New Year's Day. They have picked up their play in a big way since, and despite a very difficult schedule have produced enough wins to be in the thick of the NHL playoff race....

As has been the case for a couple of months, every game for this team is of the utmost importance. The Panthers have played a lot of games so other teams have more opportunities for wins, putting the margin for error razor thin. They are 4-3 in their last seven games and at some point, they are going to have to go on a long winning streak. There is still plenty of time left and plenty of home games left to do it. But it needs to happen to reach the postseason.

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* Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined on Edmonton’s game-tying goal to reach the 800- and 700-point milestones, respectively, en route to a comeback win.

* Ryan O’Reilly scored a hat trick in his third game in blue-and-white while Mitchell Marner factored on five of six Toronto goals to tie the Maple Leafs franchise record for assists in a road contest.

* U.S.-born stars Jason Robertson and Patrick Kane will go head-to-head when the Stars host the Blackhawks in a national broadcast on TNT.

from Peter Baugh of The Athletic,

Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar is back in concussion protocol after a collision with Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko on Saturday in St. Louis, leading to his absence Sunday in a home game against Edmonton, coach Jared Bednar confirmed Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Makar got hurt in his first game back after sustaining a head injury on Feb. 7 in Pittsburgh and was originally considered day to day with an upper-body injury, Colorado said. Against the Penguins, he took a Jeff Carter shoulder to the head but returned after passing concussion protocols. The next morning, he woke up feeling symptoms and missed the next four games.
• Against St. Louis, Makar and Toropchenko collided on an Avalanche power play. Toropchenko’s arm struck Makar’s face. The defenseman left the game initially but once again returned to play; Bednar said Tuesday that Makar once again had delayed concussion symptoms.
• Colorado does not play again until Friday in Winnipeg, then returns home to play the Flames on Saturday. Makar will miss the weekend’s games.

Each city has an independent spotter that pulls players who they believe might have suffered a concussion. The player then gets evaluated by the trainers and doctors. In the Pittsburgh game, the spotter pulled Makar to go through protocol.

But in St. Louis, the spotter did not pull Makar from the game, according to an Avalanche spokesman, despite the fact that the defenseman grabbed his face after the play. Makar told the Colorado Springs Gazette postgame that he “got kind of bruised on the nose, just because I think my visor hit it.”

continue for more on the Avs...

from Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet,

There are formulas, numbers and plenty of other important evidence that suggest it’s a bad idea – under most circumstances – for the starting goalie to start on consecutive days.

A growing number of coaches are leaning on that data and leaning on the backup more often, but Monday was one of those nights when the Winnipeg Jets felt it was best to ride the No. 1 guy.

First and foremost, Connor Hellebuyck didn’t have an overly taxing night on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils and, secondly, the commute from Newark, N.J., to Manhattan is pretty easy compared to most other situations when a flight is involved.

When you consider the Jets had lost consecutive games and needed a lift, it was no surprise that head coach Rick Bowness decided to go with No. 37 between the pipes in Monday’s game against the New York Rangers.

Hellebuyck did his part with a virtuoso performance, finishing with a season-high 50 saves as he essentially willed the Jets to a 4-1 victory.

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Watch the game highlights below.

from Cathal Kelly of the Globe and Mail,

Brendan Shanahan is the original adult, and in many ways the only one that matters, but he can’t play. Lou Lamoriello was Adult #2. Mike Babcock was Adult #3. You see where this is headed.

You hire the right managers so they can hire the right players. Sexing up the Leafs executive goosed the recruitment drive. The new Leafs are never short of boldface names. Unfortunately, a lot of them were most boldfaced 10 years before they arrived.

Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Jason Spezza, Wayne Simmonds, Ron Hainsey, Nick Foligno, Jake Muzzin, Mark Giordano – they’re all the same guy. Thirty-something, father-figure types. Even temperament, strong air of competence, history of winning. Not necessarily difference makers on the ice. A couple of them were just barely NHL-level anymore. But full-grown adults.

All the same versions of this same guy have produced the same result. None of them have worked out. No matter how much middle-aged authority the Leafs pack their dressing room with, the kids still dominate.

If you’re being kind, they are mercurial. If you’re not, they are flakes.

How do you stiffen up a bunch of wobbly-kneed types? You keep doing what you were doing until the plan works out (maybe) or you get lucky (that sounds more like it). The Leafs’ latest Locker Room Dad is Ryan O’Reilly.

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* David Pastrnak joined elite company with his third career 40-goal season as Boston defeated Ottawa and matched the NHL record for fewest games to 90 points in a season.

* Connor Hellebuyck and John Gibson both made 50 or more saves Monday, marking just the third time since 1955-56 (when shots on goal were officially tracked) that two goaltenders have posted as many on the same day.

* Tuesday’s nine-game slate will feature a showdown between the Sabres and Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center on Hulu and ESPN+.

from Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' website,

On Friday in New York, the Islanders ended up scoring late in regulation to cap off a comeback and win the game 5-4. It was a particularly disappointing loss for the Penguins, who put forth a spirited effort and played well.

In the rematch on Monday in Pittsburgh, the Penguins again entered the third period with a lead… before eventually falling 4-2.

It was their third straight setback to a division opponent as the Penguins fight for playoff positioning. The Islanders moved into the first Wild Card spot with 65 points (and 60 games played); Florida moved into the second Wild Card spot with 64 points (60 games played); and Pittsburgh (63 points) is now in third, with Washington, Buffalo, Detroit and Ottawa all hot on their heels.

"We should play the same if we lead by two goals or one. Don't wait - try to win," Evgeni Malkin said. "Stay moving, play the same game, try on the forecheck. The last couple games, we feel pressure, you know? We need points... We start to wait too long and they start to change momentum.

"If we play the same, we fight for every inch, we try to play hard, we will win. We have a great team here. I believe in everyone. If we play the same [throughout the game], we'll be in the playoffs, for sure."

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from Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff,

Today, we’re going to key in on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are shooting for a fourth straight Stanley Cup Final appearance. They’re on a collision course with the Toronto Maple Leafs again in the first round. What do the Lightning have up their sleeve after Toronto’s trade for Ryan O’Reilly?

Top Objective: Depth Defender

If Tampa’s penalty kill is really a concern, or if Cooper would like to reduce Victor Hedman’s workload leading up to the playoffs, perhaps the best course of action is to acquire a defenseman who can add to their depth, aid the penalty kill and provide a physical presence. We’ve seen that Tampa is active in that market with both Ian Cole and Philippe Myers being added to the mix, though the Myers bet (and extension) doesn’t look like it will pay off.

Secondary Objective: Depth Forward

One element certainly missing in Tampa’s bottom six forward group is a burst of speed. None of Pat Maroon, Corey Perry, or Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would be considered a burner. The Bolts could use some turbo there, preferably one with term if they’re going to be giving up some of their precious few assets.

Potential Targets

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from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

The Edmonton Oilers can’t keep the puck out of their net, can’t get a save when they need one, and the big boys are taking this thing back to where it was years ago: A travelling offensive circus that shows little affinity for the dirty, defending parts of the game.

For the second game in a row, the Oilers blew a three-goal lead, losing 6-5 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche. One game after coughing up a 4-1 lead against the New York Rangers, they leaked away leads of 3-0, 4-2 and 5-3 before losing for the eighth straight time when a game extends past regulation time.

“We score enough goals,” began honest depth winger Warren Foegele, who had a pair of goals and kept his shifts to a tidy 37 seconds, on average. “The mentality has to be to defend. We're definitely capable of that — it's just having the right mindset. Like, we don't need to score more goals. We're up (by) three.

“So we’ve got to take shorter shifts and stay above guys. For some reason, we're just not doing that.”

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* Mikko Rantanen matched a franchise record with his third overtime winner of the year to cap off Colorado’s first three-goal comeback victory of 2022-23 and the NHL’s 16th of the season.

* Patrick Kane scored a hat trick along with his four-point night and climbed multiple lists in the proces

* A six-game slate will feature four matinees as Presidents' Day and Family Day is celebrated in the U.S. and Canada, respectively, including the Bruins (42-8-5, 89 points) who can match the NHL benchmark for fewest games to 90 points in a season.

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- Which O’Reilly are the Leafs getting? He’s not the upper-echelon O’Reilly who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in leading the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup — that we’ve been told by those who know him best. But he doesn’t have to be that for the Leafs. If he plays the game he is currently capable of, the game that has had him as an annual Selke Trophy candidate, he should fit in seamlessly as a third-line centre with the Leafs, as a winger when needed, as a shutdown forward, as a penalty killer, as someone who can play up and down the lineup, can win faceoffs and, maybe most importantly, as someone who detests losing on a team that hasn’t lost hard enough....

- Not enough is being said about the job first-year boss Derek Lalonde is doing coaching the Detroit Red Wings. The unlikely Wings are knocking on playoff doors in the East.

- If someone other than Darryl Sutter was coaching the Calgary Flames, wouldn’t he have been fired by now?

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* The 2023 Stadium Series had a fitting finish, with the Hurricanes netting four goals to win their first-ever outdoor game in front of their hometown crowd at Carter-Finley Stadium.

* The Kings overcame the Coyotes’ four-goal comeback attempt with a shootout victory at Crypto.com Arena.

* Sunday will feature a doubleheader on HULU and ESPN+, beginning with a rematch of the 2022 Western Conference Final between the Oilers and Avalanche at 3 p.m. ET.

from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic,

In some respects, the Islanders’ loss to the Bruins on Saturday was relatively predictable. Even when healthy, they can’t really match up top to bottom with the best team in the league. When a handful of top-nine forwards are out, they are playing on just about 20 hours of rest, with travel, and all-world goalie Ilya Sorokin has the night off, well, it always had the chance to be ugly.

But, this ugly?

Even with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Josh Bailey ruled out before the game, and Mathew Barzal’s departure about six minutes into the first period, the game was still an embarrassing one from the visitor’s standpoint as they lost, 6-2, in a game that didn’t even feel that close. After all, they are still supposedly fighting for a playoff spot, were coming off of their biggest win of the season on Friday, and had their dads in the building. Instead of rising to the occasion amid difficult circumstances, not only were the Islanders outclassed in terms of talent, but they were also out-hustled and outworked from the drop of the puck, surrendering the first three goals in the first period and never making it even close to a competitive game.

The playoffs are still a conversation topic with this team only because the other teams around them seem to have just as many issues. But Saturday’s lopsided loss in Boston was the kind of performance that again suggests this team may never find a way to give consistent enough efforts to actually qualify, even if they do somehow beat the Penguins again on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

contiued ($)

Catch the highlights below.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

- This was Toronto GM Kyle Dubas slipping into the guise of the Tom Cruise character, Joel, in the classic movie “Risky Business.”

This was Dubas going, “Sometimes you gotta say, ‘What the f–k, make your move.’ ”

The arms race in the powerhouse East escalated late Friday when Dubas and the Maple Leafs paid a rather heavy price in future draft capital to obtain Cup-winning, character-guy, 200-foot forward Ryan O’Reilly and fourth-liner, in-demand Noel Acciari from the Blues. Both are rentals.

If this is not now-or-never for the Maple Leafs, it is as close as it will ever come. The 32-year-old O’Reilly is having a down year in St. Louis, just as Vladimir Tarasenko was before he was traded to the Rangers. But O’Reilly has been one of the league’s most respected two-way centers for more than a decade....

- Marty Walsh, officially named the NHLPA’s executive director, is going to get on the road when he officially takes command in a month in an effort to energize a membership that has grown apathetic and complacent.

It is, unfortunately, the wrong time of year for this, with players homed in on the stretch run in advance of the playoffs. The best time for union tub-thumping is in the offseason if the players would give up a few days of R&R to participate in summer meetings. That has not been the case going back for years, probably since the league — with aid from enemies within — all but broke the union in 2005...

- So Arizona and Columbus — limited to those two franchises at the moment — have somewhat cleverly found the way to tank in plain sight by scratching high-profile trade candidates weeks ahead of the deadline with no imminent deal in sight in either case....

more on all of the above topics plus a few more too..

Craig Button of TSN on the Ryan O'Reilly trade. He calls it a significant move by the Leafs.

26 teams in action today with early puck drop at 2pm ET and including the Stadium Series game at 8pm ET.

Today's schedule is below and feel free to discuss the games.