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. Peace and Humptiness forever.

1. For those of us who have watched the Toronto Maple Leafs turn the other cheek for half a decade, for those of us who looked at the NHL’s most penalized and hardest-hitting teams and routinely see the Leafs way down among the league’s gentle giants (they currently rank 27th in PIM per game), the notion of these Leafs as a dirty team is almost laughable.

If anything, the swirling criticism around this fleet and high-scoring bunch is that they haven’t been dirty enough. Gritty enough. Mean enough.

They’ve openly pined for a killer instinct. Leafs' scrums almost always involve logo'd microphones and TV cameras and cliches.

So, it was quite the ear-opener to hear Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice respond to the question: Are the Maple Leafs dirty?

“I don't think so. I don't feel that,” Maurice responded Friday. Then the coach’s tongue glided into his cheek.

“The league has said that they're not, so we will abide by the league's rulings. But they are a poorer team, right? They've had some fines. Probably they'll be looking at some part-time jobs now. That's going to hurt.”

The sound you hear is me popping corn in preparation for Saturday night, the ninth of 10 Leafs-Jets matches and a possible precursor to the 2021 Canadian division final.

contiue for more topics...

from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

I still cannot believe John Tortorella hasn’t been fired yet.

This is what I was thinking as I watched Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins talk about how “sad” and “painful” and “embarrassing” it is to be playing for a team that has become one of the biggest disappointments in the National Hockey League this season.

Mike Babcock, Gerard Gallant and Bruce Boudreau are currently out of work. But Tortorella, who chased Pierre-Luc Dubois out of Columbus and is now ruining Patrik Laine’s career, is still being paid to coach. He’s still in a position in which he gets to bench Max Domi and make roster decisions. He’s still given a platform in which he gets to refuse to answer reporters’ questions.

To borrow a favourite phrase from ex-Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, it’s mind-boggling — especially considering who else has lost their job this year.

Claude Julien was fired in February after the Habs went 9-5-4. The following month, Calgary replaced Geoff Ward (11-11-2) with Darryl Sutter, while Buffalo let go of Ralph Krueger (6-18-4). And yet, with the losses piling up, Tortorella (15-25-9) continues to pick up a paycheque in Columbus.

continued

THREE HARD LAPS

* Saturday's 11-game slate includes the League-leading Golden Knights putting their lengthy winning streak on the line, the top two teams in the Discover Central Division going head-to-head again at BB&T Center as well as the Avalanche squaring off with the Blues in a matinee on NBC.

* The Wild improved to 6-0-0 in their last six games as Kirill Kaprizov became the first rookie to reach the 20-goal mark this season.

* The Rangers and Flames inched closer to fourth place in their respective divisions.

from Anthony Crupi of Yahoo Sports,

While neither the WWE nor Peacock are willing to disclose how many new subscribers signed on to the OTT platform in the run-up to WrestleMania 37, Nick Khan on Thursday seemed happy to spill the beans about at least one other aspect of Comcast’s sports-media business.

Speaking to analysts during the WWE’s first-quarter earnings call, the president and chief revenue officer of the House that McMahon Built suggested that NBC and the NHL are poised to go their separate ways. In a response to a query about how the shuttering of NBCSN might lead to a scheduling boondoggle for USA Network, Khan said a coming regime change would eliminate any overlap between wrestling and hockey.

“It’s our belief that NBC and the NHL are not going to continue to be in business together,” Khan said, before adding that the remainder of the rights package that was not snapped up last month by ESPN would go “to a new suitor.”

continued

via Gord Miller tweets,

One of the subjects discussed by NHL GMs yesterday was the proposed schedule matrix going forward, whether the league should stick with divisional playoffs for the first two rounds or go back to the old conference format.

As of last year, the format was mostly divisional, the top three teams in each division qualified, then the next two teams in the conference with the best records got in. An idea being floated now is for divisional only playoffs.

You could either have the top four teams get in, or you could expand it to five, and have teams 4/5 play in a best of three “play-in” series, with the winner playing the top seed in the division.

Division only playoffs could lead to an 84 game schedule that keeps a high number of divisional games:
-2 vs other conference home/away (32 games)
-2 vs other division home/away (16 games)
-5 vs own division (35 games)
-one additional game vs team in own division (biggest rival)

In exchange for an 84 game schedule, the teams would agree to a shortened training camp of two weeks (a big hit for the players) and a maximum of four pre-season games.

Larkin out for the season is the key point.

NEW YORK (April 23, 2021) -- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton has been fined $3,017.24, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for interference against Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault during NHL Game No. 726 in Winnipeg on Thursday, April 22, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 7:26 of the third period. Thornton was assessed a minor penalty for interference.

The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

added 12:46pm, Khan...

Blashill said Larkin will miss rest of season with upper body injury.

added 12:49pm,

from Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News,

Not me, not ever. I wear the mask, I wash the hands, I stay 6 feet away from humans, for the most part. COVID has no shot against me.

That was me four weeks ago, dutiful and defiant. This is me today: 14 pounds lighter, still craving the taste of bacon, tired but getting better.

It will find you, if you let it. I let it with a brief letdown, and near as I can tell, contracted COVID-19 on March 27, two days after getting my first Pfizer shot. Did I get cocky or cavalier after one shot, even though two days isn’t nearly enough time for the vaccine to take hold? I don’t think so. I was restless, bored, and frankly, dumb. It was the second Saturday of the NCAA Tournament and I joined a few friends at a restaurant-bar where tables were sufficiently spread out. As the games went on, more people came in, I stayed too long indoors, and that was it.

I blame no one but me. Not the governor, not the government, not the CDC, not the bar, none of them. They made the mandates and recommendations, and the rest is on us. On me. (I guess I could blame whoever spread it to me, although many people don’t know they have it).It is not oftern I post an article not related to hockey, but today is one of them.

So let this be a cautionary tale, if you’re inclined to listen to this sort of thing. It’s not over. Sorry folks, we’re gonna have to play this to the end, no timeouts, no letting up, no looking back. It’s not over until we make sure it’s over, and that includes vaccines and continued vigilance. If this sounds like preaching, it’s not my intent. I’m just relating a story that many, many others have experienced, and maybe some can learn from.

continued, it is a paid subscription but the above should be enough for you to understand what Wojo is saying.

“I think last year we took a huge step forward from the year before and not being able to take another step forward is definitely very frustrating to be in the position we’re in now. I don’t think we saw each other being in this position at this point of the year, so it’s confusing and frustrating.”

-Claude Giroux, captain of the Philadelphia Flyers. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelpia Inquirer has more.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

So, of course, with many of the Red Wings top offensive players missing due to injuries, the Wings explode for seven goals Thursday and win.

And Jakub Vrana got most of them.

The newly acquired Vrana was spectacular with four goals, as the Wings defeated Dallas 7-3, the seven goals a season-high for the Wings.

It's the Wings' first victory over Dallas in the four-game series this week, which concludes Saturday at Little Caesars Arena.

This, despite the fact the Stars desperately needed this game in a playoff chase while the Wings are decimated with injuries and trying to escape last place in the Central Division.

But the Wings had Vrana, and that was a big checkmark on their side.

"He is fast and he can shoot it, and those two things are undeniable," coach Jeff Blashill said. "Even tonight, the goals were goal scorer's goals, a lot of them. The way he finished, when you have the ability to finish, it can really alter the game."...

"The locker room, it was nice, it felt great in there," said Vrana of the celebration after the game. "There are a great group of guys here. We've been missing some big key guys in the lineup and it's great to see the guys coming in, stepping up and playing great games and get the win.

"We're trying to create some momentum."

read on

Below, catch the extended game highlights.

THREE HARD LAPS

* Nathan MacKinnon led Colorado to its fourth straight playoff berth, the longest streak for the franchise since a run of 11 consecutive postseason appearances from 1995 to 2006.

* Jakub Vrana erupted for a career-high four goals and became the first Detroit player in over 76 years to score a hat trick within his first four games with the franchise.

* The Maple Leafs opened a six-point lead atop the Scotia North Division as Nick Foligno recorded an assist in his team debut. Fellow Sudbury Wolves alumnus Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a decorated goaltender at both the international and junior club levels, is set to make his NHL debut with the Sabres tonight.

from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

A University District punk-rock bar is suing the Kraken for $3.5 million, alleging the NHL expansion team’s name choice and plans to open a Northgate Mall practice facility restaurant risks irreparably harming its brand.

A lawsuit filed Thursday in King County Superior Court states the Kraken Bar & Lounge, founded in 2011 by William Knupp and husband-and-wife Kat Colley and Daniel Colley, had begrudgingly tolerated the team’s name choice despite a parade of new patrons in “hockey themed attire” showing up amid its usual music clientele wanting to make the venue their hangout. But the final straw, according to the lawsuit, came when the team this month announced it will open the Kraken Bar & Grill at its planned $80 million training facility come mid-September.

The lawsuit for trademark infringement and tortious interference asks that the team be prohibited from using “The Seattle Kraken” name and any others similarly confusing with its own trademarks.

continued

First up Jakub Vrana's 4 goals, below find the game highlights and I will add more as they become available, hopefully soon. added 11:42pm, Mickey Redmond post game is below. added 11:48pm, Jakub Vrana is below. added 11:52pm, coach Blashill is below. added 11:55pm, in one video, the longer version with Vrana and Blashill can be viewed below.

Good night, see you in the morning.

Jakub Vrana had a night with 4 goals to lead the Wings to a 7-3 win over the Stars.

Give the Wings credit, they have nothing to play for except pride while is in a battle for a playoff spot.

Detroit goals are below.

Team Stats

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger and TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli joined host James Duthie to discuss the latest on the Women’s Worlds, the NHL at the 2022 Olympics and possibilities for this year’s NHL playoffs if the border between the United States and Canada remains closed.

Watch and read the transcript from the segment at TSN.

added 8:44pm, or watch below...

There's not much to talk about. Eight games to go. The only entertaining aspect about the remaining games, is the joking and banter among the 19, which is much appreciated.

It's a Live Blog!

Less than 3 minutes of your time.

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings today signed left wing Lucas Raymond to a three-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2021-22 season.

via the YouTube page of the NHL,

Recapping another legendary equipment manger moment, a way-too-many-men penalty, fluke bounces, mad scrambles and a wild Joe Thornton cameo.

from Gentry Estes of The Tennessean,

A season once drowning in disappointment was saved in time for the Nashville Predators to play meaningful games and chase a playoff spot at the end of a shortened regular season.

But on Wednesday night in Chicago, the added significance only made a fresh setback even tougher to swallow.

The 5-4 overtime loss to the Blackhawks will go down as a stunningly disappointing moment in this season, especially if the point the Preds dropped by blowing a late three-goal lead ends up costing them in the NHL's Central Division three-team race for one playoff spot.

"We were playing really good until that moment," said forward Mikael Granlund. "I think we got a little loose there, and it just happened. ... We had a great chance to get two points, and we only got one tonight. That's on us."

continued

Watch the game highlights below.

Watch the Morning Skate below and as always, I will update this post with any worthwhile news.

added 11:24am, Ansar Khan tweets...

Blashill said Larkin (upper body) out tonight and maybe longer. Will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Bertuzzi officially out for season, might need surgery. Nielsen (lower body) out for season. Fabbri remains out tonight. day to day.

Also said Joe Veleno, who's been skating with the team, has not been cleared to play yet. He declined to reveal Bertuzzi's upper-body injury.

added 11:48am, Video of Jeff Blashill after the skate is below.

THREE HARD LAPS

* The Golden Knights defeated the Sharks and became the NHL’s first team to clinch a berth into the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* The Blackhawks kept their playoff hopes alive after scoring three third-period goals in a span of 2:51 to erase a 4-1 deficit and defeat the Predators.

* Alex Ovechkin has scored some monumental goals against the Islanders as of late. Will the trend continue tonight at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum?

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

The plays have been happening more frequently over the last month to six weeks, showing the completeness and competitiveness of a young hockey player who is growing his game.

And though this is about Filip Zadina, it’s not plays of the jaw-dropping variety offensively. No booming shots off one-timers or nifty passes showcasing Zadina’s playmaking ability.

You can find Zadina's exploits with the puck on the stick on YouTube and they are impressive.

But just as impressive have been recent defensive plays.

Those might be tougher to find, but just as important.

There was a play earlier in the month, with Tampa Bay looking to clinch the game in the third period, which had Zadina backchecking vigorously, skating hard down the ice, and getting his stick on a pass to Brayden Point near the net. In doing so, he upended what looked like a sure-fire scoring chance.

continued

Ten of them in under five minutes.