from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

The Sabres gave the Rangers the puck, and the Blueshirts took it. The Sabres gave the Rangers time and space, and the Blueshirts took that, too. If you want to deduce that the Sabres gave the Rangers the game at the Garden on Sunday night, well, the Rangers took that, as well.

And so, after the 6-3 victory achieved against a team that allowed the Blueshirts to flaunt their skill without a heck of a lot of opposition, the Rangers have returned to the fringes of the playoff race, back to within four points of the Bruins for the final divisional invite after gaining four points on Boston within 48 hours.

The B’s, beaten by the Sabres on Friday and by the Penguins on Sunday afternoon, still hold two games in hand. They have nine to go, as opposed to seven for the Rangers, whose final two games are set to be played in Boston on May 6 and 8. The Bruins will still have two to play following that set, one at home against the Islanders before their finale in Washington.

So the Rangers in essence need to pick up at least four points on the Bruins over the next five games and then sweep Boston in regulation time. Owning the regulation wins tiebreak, that would clinch a playoff spot.

continued

from Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Mike Sullivan is very good, maybe the best coach in the NHL. He has done terrific work with the Penguins this season despite losing 249 man-games to injury or illness. The proof is in the East Division standings where the team sits in first place. It’s in the overall standings where its 67 points are more than any team but Vegas (70) and Carolina (68).

But the challenges never end for Sullivan. His task now is to get the Penguins to duplicate their performance Sunday afternoon against the Boston Bruins — again and again. If he can do that, he and the team will have an excellent chance to win their third Stanley Cup in six years.

The Penguins played a strong postseason-style game in their 1-0 win. They kept their composure and didn’t take a single penalty. They didn’t get frustrated with the Bruins’ stifling defense, didn’t take foolish chances and didn’t allow many odd-man breaks. They remained patient and waited for their stars to capitalize on an inevitable opportunity to win the game.

It really was a perfect playoff-type performance.

continued

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

The season began with six NHL head coaches entering the final year of their respective deals. As the end of the regular season approaches, five of them are still in that position.

Only Jeremy Colliton in Chicago has been extended in that group. So where are we with the five remaining pending free-agent coaches? Let’s take a look:...

Jeff Blashill, Detroit: No idea. I truthfully have zero sense of where this one is headed. A year ago, GM Steve Yzerman decided to pick up Blashill’s option for this season. Now the coach is up. It’s been a full-blown, organic rebuild in Detroit, and in that context, I feel like Blashill has coached the Red Wings to be pretty competitive on most nights and there’s been growth among the younger players. But honestly, you can see the merit on either side of whichever decision Yzerman makes: Blashill has earned the chance to stick around, I truly believe that, but it might also be time for a fresh voice as the rebuild enters its next phase. As I said, I have no gut feeling on this one.

more (paid) coaches on the last year of their contract...

THREE HARD LAPS

* With three of 16 postseason spots already accounted for, the Hurricanes and Panthers look to inch closer to a berth in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight.

* Mika Zibanejad helped the Rangers keep their playoff hopes alive with his NHL-best third hat trick of the season.

* The Penguins continued their success at PPG Paints Arena and moved past the idle Capitals for top spot in the MassMutual East Division.

from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,

Size must really matter in Washington.

On the surface, that would appear to be the big reason the Capitals agreed to throw in so many extras when they traded Jakub Vrana (6-feet, 197 pounds) to the Detroit Red Wings for Anthony Mantha (6-foot-5, 234 pounds) at the deadline.

There’s not much else separating the principal pieces of this season’s blockbuster.

The 25-year-old Vrana, selected 13th overall in 2014, had 11 goals and 25 points in 39 games at the time of the trade.

In 2019-20, his best of five seasons with the Capitals, he scored 25 goals and 52 points in 69 games.

The 26-year-old Mantha, picked 20th overall in 2013, had 11 goals and 21 points in 42 games when the deal was consummated.

In 2018-19, his best of five seasons with the Red Wings, he had 25 goals and 23 assists in 67 games.

And it’s not like one has proven to be more clutch than the other when the chips are down.

continued

from Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette,

Canadiens fans can be forgiven if they’re now thinking the first 10 games this season might have only been a dream.

The Canadiens started the season with a 7-1-2 record while outscoring the opposition 44-27.

Spotlight on Canadiens’ 2021 disappointments | HI/O Bonus

Since then, the Canadiens have a 13-16-7 record and have been outscored 108-90. They now have a minus-1 goal differential for the season.

The Canadiens had a 9-5-4 record with Claude Julien as head coach and are now 11-12-5 under interim head coach Dominique Ducharme following Saturday night’s 5-2 loss to the Flames in Calgary. This team has been getting worse instead of better as the season goes on.

While Canadiens fans might have been dreaming about a 25th Stanley Cup 10 games into the season, missing the playoffs now looks like a real possibility. After two wins in two nights over the Canadiens, the Flames are only four points behind in the chase for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division with Montreal holding one game in hand.

The final game of this three-game series Monday night in Calgary (6:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM) will be huge.

continued

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Jonathan Bernier stopped the first 43 shots fired at him on Saturday and a career-high 50 through regulation.

Then, wouldn’t you know it, Jamie Benn scored on the first shot of overtime to lift the Dallas Stars past the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 at Little Caesars Arena.

Such is the nature of three-on-three OT, when turnovers more often than not lead to odd-man rushes, resulting in quality scoring chances.

Still, the Red Wings had no business being in overtime after Dallas tilted the rink during the first two periods and held a 51-17 edge in shots after 60 minutes.

Bernier stole a point for his team.

“That’s my job, to stop pucks, and it’s tough to come out and have a performance like this and not win,” Bernier said.

Filip Hronek gave away the puck to Benn in the neutral zone. Benn carried into the Detroit end on a two-on-one and whipped a shot past Bernier at the 32-second mark.

“Benn made a nice play,” Bernier said. “He looked pass the whole way. I think (Hronek) was sliding down, so he took that away, and (Benn) was still trying to find a passing lane but at the last second, he shot it. He made a nice shot. I felt like it hit my blocker, so I wasn’t sure it went in.”

continued

added 9:51am, video of Mickey Redmond after the game last night, watch below.

A Wings fan aks what UFA players from Detroit should Yzerman bring back.

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- If I’m ESPN and I’ve got NHL back on my network next season, my first phone call is to Ray Ferraro, who used to do ESPN work. My second phone call is to Gord Miller, assuming Chris Cuthbert isn’t going anywhere. And then you build around Steve Levy, assuming he can be available with his Monday Night Football duties still significant.

- Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor may be the best offensive player in the NHL who nobody talks about. All he does is score. He’s on 39-goal pace this year, scored 38, 34 and 31 the three previous years. And he’s only 24.

- The more you watch Quinn Hughes, the more you realize he does things that no one else can do.

- Patrick Marleau will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day. But should he be there before Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, Alex Mogilny, Daniel Alfredsson or Theo Fleury? Or Joe Thornton? Not if I’m voting.

more

THREE HARD LAPS

* The Wild benefited from a six-goal outing to win and have qualified for the postseason for the eighth time in nine seasons (since 2012-13).

* Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle (915 GP) now trails only Doug Jarvis (964 GP) for the longest “Ironman” streak in NHL history.

* The Capitals and Penguins each skated to victories on Saturday and continue to jockey for top spot in the MassMutual East Division.

In one video are Jonathan Berneir and Jeff Blashill, below are the game highlights.

After 20 minutes, it was Dallas 19, Detroit 3. That's shots folks and Jonathan Bernier was the story in the first period. Cholowski with the lone goal.

After the 2nd period, Detroit still lead 1-0 and the shot totals were Dallas 41, Detroit 6.

Dallas scored in the 3rd to tie the game and force overtime. The Wings outshot the Stars 11-10 in the 3rd.

Dallas ends it quickly 32 seconds into OT.

Detroit goal is below.

Team stats

Topics discussed by the HNIC crew- Elias Pettersson not expected back for the Canucks this regular season. IIHF will start to look for a new home for the Women's World Championship. Schedule options for the NHL next season. Fox Sports now the front runner for broadcasting games next season along with ESPN, Apple may get in the streaming picture.

via Sportsnet,

via Sportsnet's YouTube page,

This is the story of Zac Bell. A budding young hockey star who was forced to change his career path due to injury. "The Hockey Jedi" is now famous for his incredible trick-shot skills, infectious personality and social media presence.

The Wings are coming off a surprising win the other night. It's safe to say that most fans were pleasantly surprised with the win, but more so, by how many goals were scored against a Stars team that is desperately trying to make the playoffs.

Surprise, surprise! Our two newly acquired players, Vrana as well as Panik, found the back of the net. Vrana potted four and Panik scored one. That trade is looking pretty good so far considering the small sample size. The down side is Larkin is out for the rest of the season as well as Bertuzzi, Nielsen, Ryan, and maybe Fabbri too.

Not to worry though, with only seven games left all 19 of us can just sit back, and maybe enjoy watching the younger players for a change.

It's a Live Blog!

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

It is unclear where the disconnect occurred with Robin Lehner, who believes he was coerced into becoming vaccinated against COVID-19 with promises of relaxed league protocols. No other player has seconded his tale.

So either someone unidentified by the Vegas goaltender flat out lied to him or there was a rather significant misunderstanding derived from his conversations about the NHL/NHLPA virus-related restrictions.

But an individual with knowledge of discussions between the league and the union has told Slap Shots that medical consultants for both parties are in constant communication about whether it might be appropriate to revise the rather stringent protocols depending upon the state of the pandemic and the differing circumstances in which teams play.

Our translation, which is hopefully more accurate than Lehner’s, is that it is possible that protocols could be relaxed for playoff series depending upon the state of the virus in the participating teams’ locations....

continue for more on this topic plus some talk regarding the records in the WHA..

What would happen if the NHL accepted WHA records? Well, Howe would leapfrog Wayne Gretzky as the all-time leading goal-scorer, Mr. Hockey with 975 to the Great One’s 940.

Bobby Hull would move from 18th on the all-time list with 610 to third with 913 including the 303 he scored for the WHA Jets....

from Kevn Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

To make the grind even more onerous, the Bruins spent Saturday, a rare day off for everyone, essentially sequestered in their Pittsburgh hotel. Again, that’s not new. That’s the gig in 2021, as agreed upon by the league and its players. In an attempt to keep COVID-19 at bay, and keep the games going, even much-needed days of R&R on the road must be whiled away in lockdown.

No team golf outings. No zipping out to see a movie. No meeting up with an old high school pal. No team dinners at a Michelin-rated eatery with rookies stuck ponying up their signing bonuses to cover the tab.

On a recent trip to Washington, Bruins players and staff expressed gratitude that during their day off they at least could meander a bit in their hotel’s outdoor courtyard, soak in some spring sunshine, and luxuriate in the smell of cherry blossoms.

Ah, the wonders of the great outdoors, just beyond the fake ficus trees and sliding doors of the hotel lobby.

“Hockey players are creatures of habit — hockey people are,” coach Bruce Cassidy, asked here earlier in the week about the challenges of the 2021 schedule. “So you’ve got to try to find that routine that makes you tick, while knowing that you’re probably not going to be able to stay in it consistently.

“The other challenge is obviously the social part of it — on the road guys love to go to dinner. That’s where the stories are; that’s where the camaraderie is … coaches do it, we do it all the time ... and you just miss out on some of that, enjoying being at work with your colleagues. Not every team has that, but I know the Bruins have it, and we miss that part of it. Because I think our guys like going to work, they like being around each other, so that part of it is a little bit more difficult.”

Again, not unique to the Bruins. It’s the same across the entire Original 31. But just because everyone has to do it doesn’t remove the stress, frustration, the everyday ennui of hockey, hockey, hockey … and hotel.

more

via the PR department of the Tampa Bay Lightning,

After an unforgettable and unprecedented season, playing the entirety of the playoffs in the isolation of hub-cities for 65 days, the Tampa Bay Lightning were crowned the NHL's 2020 Stanley Cup Champions. And last night, the team received their Championship rings at a private team event.

A truly remarkable achievement deserves to be celebrated by an equally spectacular ring. Crafted in 14-karat white gold, diamonds and genuine blue sapphires, the Lightning's 2020 Stanley Cup Championship Ring celebrates that accomplishment in striking fashion.

Watch The Morning Skate below as Ken Kal and Daniella Bruce update us from the skate.

As always, I will update this post if need be.

update: Blashill didn't say much at the media q & a, just all those who played Thursday are available tonight.

No questions asked about Veleno.

added 12:07pm, Jeff Blashill and Filip Zadina videos after the morning skate can be watched below.

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.