Kukla's Korner Hockey
The Hiring Of Gerard Gallant
by Paul on 06/15/21 at 02:57 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
This will not represent quite the culture shock of Alain Vigneault replacing John Tortorella behind the bench in 2013, or maybe not even of David Quinn being hired for his first NHL gig in 2018 to succeed Vigneault.
But the hiring of Gerard Gallant as the Rangers’ 36th head coach as first reported by The Post on Monday afternoon, will represent a marked change in approach. The voice will be different, the tone will be different and so, perhaps most importantly, will the relationships between the players — especially the veterans — and the coach.
Chris Drury’s first coaching search as president and general manager came to a conclusion Monday when the parties reached an agreement for Gallant to take over the club that has missed the playoffs the past four seasons.
Gallant was identified as the front-runner for the job from the outset and was interviewed for the job by Drury on May 14, two days before jetting off to Latvia for the World Championships as coach of Team Canada. He returned last Sunday from the tournament with a gold medal in hand after steering his team to the title after starting with three straight defeats.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
NHL Short Notes
by Paul on 06/15/21 at 02:15 AM ET
Comments (0)
THREE HARD LAPS
* Defensemen continued to shine for the Golden Knights as they won their fifth straight game and grabbed a 1-0 series lead.
* Pekka Rinne, a Predators franchise icon for his sparkling playing career and unwavering commitment through the years to improve the lives of so many in Middle Tennessee, won the 2020-21 King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
* The Islanders, who dropped the first two games against the Lightning in the 2020 Conference Finals, will look to take a 2-0 series lead over Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Semifinals.
Filed in: NHL Teams, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Open Post- Day 29 Of The Stanley Cup Playofffs
by Paul on 06/14/21 at 08:46 PM ET
Comments (27)
An intriguing matchup starts tonight with the Vegas Golden Knights hosting the Montreal Canadiens.
We are about to find out if the Canadiens can continue their strong play or will the Golden Knights offensive power be too much?
Pre-game stats and numbers are below.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: vegas+golden+knights
The Next Coach For The New York Rangers Is Gerard Gallant
by Paul on 06/14/21 at 05:20 PM ET
Comments (11)
from Michael Blinn of the New York Post,
Time to meet the new boss.
The Rangers have agreed to hire Gerard Gallant as their next head coach, The Post’s Larry Brooks first reported on Monday.
Gallant, 57, most recently coached the Vegas Golden Knights from 2017-2020 after stints behind the Florida Panthers’ and Columbus Blue Jackets’ benches. He was considered the front-runner in the Rangers’ search, and holds a 270-216-4-51 career record over parts of nine NHL seasons.
added 5:32pm,
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Video- Goals Of The Week
by Paul on 06/14/21 at 01:47 PM ET
Comments (1)
3 1/2 minutes to watch.
Filed in: NHL Teams, | KK Hockey | Permalink
The New York Islanders Prove They Can Play With The Tampa Bay Lightning
by Paul on 06/14/21 at 08:22 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,
For the NHL’s ultimate underdogs, this was a moment worth savouring.
In their first look at the Tampa Bay Lighting since last year’s Eastern Conference Final, the New York Islanders landed a solid counter-punch by bottling up the defending champs with a 2-1 victory to open this third-round rematch.
Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock scored the only goals Semyon Varlamov needed to secure the Islanders a win nine months in the making. That’s how long they’ve had to stew on a six-game defeat at the hands of Tampa inside the Edmonton bubble last fall.
“Both teams were familiar [with each other] and both teams went at it,” said Islanders coach Barry Trotz.
“They’re the standard of the league, I would say,” added Barzal.
And yet New York was full value for its win at Amalie Arena, keeping the Lightning’s most dangerous shooters at a safe distance. Brayden Point broke Varlamov’s shutout bid in the final minute, but he, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos were held to just four total shots in the game.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
NHL Short Notes
by Paul on 06/14/21 at 05:08 AM ET
Comments (0)
THREE HARD LAPS
* The Islanders stifled the Lightning in Game 1 of their Semifinals matchup, rewriting a different outcome than their series-opening contest during the 2020 Conference Finals.
* Ryan Pulock leads all defensemen with four goals during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, three of which have stood as the game winner for New York.
* The Golden Knights and Canadiens are set to begin their Semifinals series tonight with a couple of decorated goaltenders at the helm.
Filed in: NHL Teams, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Video- New York Islanders Take Game 1 Of The Stanley Cup Semi-Finals
by Paul on 06/13/21 at 06:03 PM ET
Comments (7)
As I said in the open post for the game, the Islanders played their game, the Tampa Bay Lightning did not and I'll add could not.
Tampa is going to need to make some adjustments.
Final score 2-1.
Game highlights are below.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Open Post- Day 28 Of The Stanley Cup Playoffs
by Paul on 06/13/21 at 02:50 PM ET
Comments (9)
The New York Islanders enter game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning as the underdog.
We are about to find out how these two teams matchup against each other.
Below, find out more about the Islanders and Lightning.
Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
Afternoon Line- Pat Morris
by Paul on 06/13/21 at 02:25 PM ET
Comments (3)
"Put it this way, three of the final four teams left this year are the same as last year: the [New York] Islanders, [Tampa Bay] Lightning and Golden Knights. The fourth team: whichever team Corey Perry is on. Last year it was Dallas; this year it's Montreal. That's the common thread.
"It's no coincidence. The guy's a winner."
-Pat Morris, agent for Corey Perry. Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com has more on Perry.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
Recent Blog Posts (Page 2)
Time For Your Stanley Cup Playoffs Semi-Final Picks
Video- Weird Stuff Happens, Even In The Stanley Cup Playoffs
Talking The Colorado Avalanche
The Current New York Islanders Bringing Back Memories Of The Dynasty Years
Cap Circumvention Is Still A Topic Of Discussion
The Hard Cap Plus A What If On Mark Scheifele
Video- Top Handshake Moments Of All-Time
The Boston Bruins Have UFA Decisions And The Montreal Canadiens Have Surprised Everyone