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from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,
Usually injury news isn’t particularly exciting during a long NHL season, as injuries are a way of life for any team during the long season.
But in this case it was noteworthy, considering who it was.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier and forward Tyler Bertuzzi are both beginning to skate. They're both with the team on this current Florida trip, inching toward a return to the lineup.
Forward Tyler Bertuzzi has been limited to nine games this season because of injury.
More so, Bernier, said coach Jeff Blashill after Thursday’s morning skate. Bernier participated in Thursday's morning skate, as he steadily progresses from a lower body injury.“He’s inching closer,” Blashill said. “We practice tomorrow and we’ll see how he does with that.”
NEW YORK (April 1, 2021) – Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov and registered nurse Crystal Wimmer (Discover NHL Central Division), Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer and registered nurse Gina Minert (Honda NHL West Division), Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and registered respiratory therapist Darby Scarantine (MassMutual NHL East Division), and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and healthcare aide Fathima Aranha (Scotia NHL North Division) have been named the NHL’s “Stars of the Month” for March.
Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League’s weekly and monthly “Stars.”
More on each frontline healthcare hero and NHL player can be found below:
added 12:25pm, Below, watch Jeff Blashill and Jon Merrill after the skate today.
NEW YORK (April 1, 2021) – Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for unsportsmanlike conduct against Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland during NHL Game No. 209 in Colorado on Wednesday, March 31, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 14:41 of the third period. MacKinnon was assessed a 10-minute misconduct.
The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
watch the incident below...
Watch the hit below.
from QSRMagazine,
Little Caesars announced that it wants to buy the naming rights to living rooms, basements, and anywhere NHL hockey is watched. In exchange for signing a naming rights contract for your viewing space, you can get paid in Crazy Bread every single week for the remainder of the NHL season! (Note: This is NOT an April Fool’s joke!)
As part of the contract, fans will agree to always refer to their living rooms (or wherever they watch the games) as the “Little Caesars NHL Viewing Room.” As payment, contract signors receive a code for free Crazy Bread in their emails every Wednesday throughout the rest of the NHL season (with any pizza purchase). A copy of the official naming rights contract can be viewed here.
The first 600 fans to sign a naming rights contract get an even sweeter deal:
from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News,
The best goalie outside the NHL suddenly isn’t outside the NHL anymore. And just as suddenly, the Florida Panthers’ crease just got a lot more crowded. When the Panthers announced they had signed former Boston College and U.S. World Junior standout Spencer Knight to an entry-level deal Wednesday, it was with the clear intent that he stay with the NHL team the rest of this season.
In fact, don’t be the least bit surprised if Knight, selected 13th overall by the Panthers in 2019, sees NHL action at some point. After signing his contract, the first order of business is for Knight to join the team in Florida, where he’ll likely be placed on the taxi squad. But early indications are that he will not spend any time in the American League this season. He’ll earn a pro-rated portion of his minor league salary of $70,000 on the taxi squad, which will shift to his $835,000 stipend if he is moved to the active roster.
What this means for Florida’s goaltending in the long-term is fairly clear. Sergei Bobrovsky has five years remaining on his deal after this season, but coach Joel Quenneville has not hesitated to play backup Chris Driedger. The same will be the case for Knight, who will ultimately play ahead of Bobrovsky if he proves to be the better option. In the short-term, Driedger, who has been outstanding this season, will not be back in Florida next season. Would the Panthers consider trading Driedger before the April 12 trade deadline in order to make room for Knight? Possibly, but not likely. Driedger’s numbers have actually been superior to Bobrovsky’s this season, although Bobrovsky’s game has picked up after another slow start to the season. I’m told the only way the Panthers would consider trading Driedger is if they receive an offer that is simply too good to refuse. And even if they did that, they would almost certainly go out and get a veteran backup as insurance.
from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,
Seriously. It happened Wednesday night in KeyBank Center. I realize this wasn't momentous enough for thousands of you to someday claim you were there, so you'll have to take this corner's word for it.
The 18-game winless streak – the longest in the NHL in the post-2005 shootout era – is over. The 11-game home winless streak is also history, one shy of equaling the franchise record.
Give the Sabres full marks for their 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, a victory that essentially was three games in the making after the Sabres frittered away third-period leads against the Flyers here Monday and Saturday in Boston.
Things have been particularly egregious at home, where the Sabres were 2-11-3 and had not won since Jan. 30. They were last in the NHL at 1.63 goals per game at home and a shocking 0.88 per game at 5 on 5. Patently absurd.
Frankly, it's been a good thing for this team there have been no fans around. I can hear the booing. But maybe they've missed the motivation. There's just nothing in the way of atmosphere without the masses.
Game highlights are below.
from Steve Kaminski of Mlive,
The 23-year old defenseman, who the Detroit Red Wings drafted with the 20th overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft, was reassigned to Grand Rapids on Monday. So to recap, Cholowski started the season on Detroit’s taxi squad, was reassigned to Grand Rapids Feb. 1, recalled to Detroit March 19 before heading back to the Griffins this week.
Cholowski told the media during a Wednesday Zoom call in Grand Rapids that he’s just rolling with the punches.
“I’m doing well,” Cholowski said. “I’m just worried about what I can control, I guess, which is how I play, wherever that is. I just got to go out and play. That’s all I’m worried about.
“This is my third year, and I have seen it all. I have been up and down. It’s not really frustrating. Nothing really surprises me.”...
Cholowski has played in 11 games for the Griffins and has eight points, including three goals and five assists. He saw action in two games with the Red Wings. Cholowski has played in 90 career NHL games, and he has recorded nine goals and 15 assists.
“It’s tough to evaluate a player’s maturity,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “It’s easy on the ice to evaluate whether a player has improved and matured. I think he has on the ice, for sure. But I think, and one of the things you guys don’t get to see on a daily basis is just how he is handling himself away from the rink and being more of a pro.
more
THREE HARD LAPS
* The Avalanche welcomed fans back to Ball Arena with a nine-goal performance in a wild game that saw the teams combine for six tallies in a 3:27 span of the first period.
* The Sabres snapped their 18-game winless streak with a victory over the Flyers while Brandon Montour scored the fastest two shorthanded goals by a defenseman in NHL history.
* Jack Campbell improved to 7-0-0 this season to help the Maple Leafs fend off the Jets and maintain first place in the Scotia North Division.
NEW YORK (March 31, 2021) – The National Hockey League announced today that, as a result of two Vancouver Canucks Players (including one Player who was added to the COVID Protocol List after it was released at 5:00 p.m. ET today) as well as a member of their coaching staff entering the NHL’s COVID Protocols, the team’s game tonight against the Calgary Flames will be postponed. The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical groups. The League will provide a further update tomorrow.
from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,
“Our mentality going into the season was it’s a 101-day season, with 32 games, and it’s not a bad sacrifice to make,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “We’re all doing the same stuff, giving up different things, in order to make this happen. You have to be aware of your decisions at the rink and away from the rink, and how they can impact if this season is on the rails, or not.”
The Griffins have kept things on track – and tried to make light of it along the way.
“We’re just having fun around each other in practice and when we have a long layoff between games,” defenseman Dennis Cholowski said. “We all know it’s a weird schedule, but we’re going through it together and trying to enjoy each other’s company.”...
“The players have been great, they’ve been great soldiers adhering to the protocols, the mask wearing at the rink,” Simon said.
Two different locker rooms are being utilized at Van Andel Arena, to again, limit any chances of possible exposure.
“It is strange because you can potentially go through a day, and be in either locker room one or two, and you see each other on the ice but don’t see each other otherwise,” Simon said. “We’re trying to mitigate our exposures.”
Meetings are held in small groups, and players are utilizing an app for scouting reports, game plans and video presentations.
The Griffins only travel to Cleveland, Chicago and Iowa, the only three teams they see on the schedule, and do so day of game (they do travel to Iowa the day before).
They travel in two buses, again to limit any potential contact tracing.
“The two buses is a little weird, I’ve never done that before,” Cholowski said. ”But everything is a little weird. None of us have had to cope with anything like this before. We’re all just going with the flow and go with it.”
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the first two members of the 2022 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team in general manager Stan Bowman (Buffalo, N.Y./Chicago Blackhawks) and assistant general manager Bill Guerin (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnesota Wild).
“We could not be happier to have the combination of Stan and Bill, with the support of John Vanbiesbrouck, guiding our men’s Olympic team,” said Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey. “We have a deep talent pool thanks to so many people, including volunteers at the grassroots level across the country, and it’s great to have the leadership and expertise that Stan and Bill bring in building our team.”
SUNRISE, Fla. - Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has agreed to terms with goaltender Spencer Knight on a three-year, entry-level contract.
"We are thrilled to have agreed to terms on a contract with Spencer," said Zito. "He is an immensely talented and dynamic young goaltender who has been an elite player at every level that he has played. From the collegiate ranks to international tournaments, Spencer has consistently elevated his game, a testament to his work ethic, compete and character. We are excited for him to take the next step in his career with the Panthers and look forward to his future with our club."
from Jeff Kotuby of TheStreamable,
In another sign of changing times, the NHL and PGA Tour are teaming up with Buzzer, a mobile live sports platform that aims to draw in younger viewers with bite-sized clips placed behind microtransactions. The clips are about two minutes and will cost 99 cents per highlight.
The NHL did something similar last year during their playoff season, where the league teamed with Twitter and Disney streaming services to offer fans live look-ins of select games via Twitter — including playoff games. Fans were even further in charge of their own entertainment by choosing which games received live look-ins.
Buzzer has Twitter ties as well, as it’s led by former Twitter director of live content Bo Han. Buzzer isn’t claiming to replace live TV streaming services, but rather looking to get the attention of younger fans who don’t want to sit through entire games — or can’t (if they don’t have a cable subscription.)
We recently discussed a new study that showed younger fans are more keen on watching highlights as opposed to full games...
from Michael Traikos of the National Post,
The first-place Leafs, who play in Winnipeg on Wednesday and Friday, have a half-dozen games remaining against the second-place Jets.
For fans, it’s yet another playoff preview, a chance to see how the top two teams in Canada match up against one another. For the Leafs, it’s more than that. It’s a chance to hang on to the top spot in the North Division and put some more distance between themselves and a team that is just one point back of them in the standings.
Toronto has 47 points. Winnipeg, which has played one more game, has 46 points. Edmonton, which has also played one more game than Toronto, has 45 points.
In other words, the division is still up for grabs. And it could be decided by these next six games.
Whoever finishes first will get home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Normally, that’s huge. But in a year where fans are not allowed inside the arena, where you play is far less important than whom you will play.
And if you’re the Leafs, you would much rather not have to play Winnipeg or Edmonton — at least, not until the second round.
Forget about the bragging rights of being the best in Canada. Delaying the inevitable should be the goal right now.
from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,
Then, as noon approached, the long-distance call from someone else who was having a rough time.
It was Don Cherry, but the news from him wasn’t bad.
He had just read Cracks of Don in the Toronto Sun.
He tracked down my number because he had to let me how much he appreciated the column on former Boston Bruins winger Bobby Schmautz, who passed away Sunday on his 76th birthday.
Cherry was emotional.
Schmautz was his “favourite,” and three or four times during our chat he had to stop and compose himself.
“I just wanted to thank you so much for writing such a good story,” said Grapes. “I read your thing every time. It’s really good. It really brings back memories. And boy, when I read that one, I got all choked up.”
Now if you think my decision to use that quote isself-serving, I can’t argue.
I’ve always been a big Cherry fan, and if he’s going to praise my work, damn right I’m going to make it an in-column ad.
But ego aside, I liked listening to his stories about “Schmautzie” even more.
I’ve got room to tell you a few.
via the YouTube page of the Detroit Red Wings,
Carley Johnston and Christian Djoos chat about growing up in Sweden, winning the Stanley Cup, and more in this episode of Coffee with Carley.
The TSN Hockey Insiders Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Frank Seravalli discuss the Flyers pondering adding some goaltending help ahead of the trade deadline, the Sabres mulling a variety of trade scenarios involving Taylor Hall, the Panthers looking to fill the void left by Aaron Ekblad, why Seattle is getting calls ahead of the deadline, and more.
Watch at TSN, includes full transcript or watch it below.
A little less than five minutes to watch.
NEW YORK (March 31, 2021) – Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for elbowing Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi during NHL Game No. 498 in Montreal on Tuesday, March 30, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 17:24 of the first period. McDavid was assessed a minor penalty for roughing.
The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Enjoy a few videos on my idol, Gordie Howe.
ESPN Documentary
The National Hockey League's Trade Deadline is on Monday, April 12 and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy or sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out the latest trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.
Waiver Claim Coming?
With the Florida Panthers losing defenceman Aaron Ekblad for the season, the Florida Panthers are weighing their options to improve the blueline, one of which could be to claim Shayne Gostisbehere off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers....
Marleau on the Move?
Now second on the NHL's all-time games played list, Patrick Marleau said last week he wouldn't close the door on a move to a contender as he chases Gordie Howe's record of 1,767 games.
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic listed five teams who could be interested in Marleau, who is signed for the league minimum of $700,000, ahead of the trade deadline....
Adding in Net?
The Philadelphia Flyers have given Carter Hart two games off this week in hopes the 22-year-old can find his game, but TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the team is also weighing their options of adding another goaltender before the trade deadline.
Hart has an 8-9-3 record this season with a .869 save percentage and a 4.04 goals-against average. He has not posted a save percentage above .890 since shutting out the Buffalo Sabres on Feb 28.
"Yeah, it has been a real struggle for Carter Hart. It is my understanding that the Flyers’ front office is having that discussion internally," LeBrun said on Insider Trading. "Do they go out and get goaltending help before the April 12 trade deadline and allow Carter Hart to have a bit of a reset and work on his game?...
more at TSN on each of the above plus more trade talk...
from Ansar Khan of Mlive,
The Red Wings were confident and feeling good about themselves after beating Columbus twice. That feeling didn’t last long as the Panthers scored 17 seconds into the game and added two more goals before the 13-minute mark.
“It was as bad as we’ve played defensively in a while,” Blashill said. “Individuals getting beat, getting beat back to the net, not protecting inside ice, (opponents) getting behind us.
“How do I explain it? We had a bunch of guys that played their B or C games. … With our hockey club, we need everyone on their A game every night.”
Up first in one video are Dylan Larkin and Jeff Blashill. Below find the game highlights, Mickey Redmond and Larkin and Blashill in seperate videos.
THREE HARD LAPS
* Adam Fox became the first Rangers defenseman in more than 25 years to record 20 or more points in a calendar month, boosting his total to 30 on the season.
* The two highest-scoring rookies in March – Jason Robertson of the Stars and Eeli Tolvanen of the Predators – each found the score sheet in Nashville on Tuesday.
* Scoring and standings races intensified over the course of the busiest month of the season to date, with March set to close with doubleheaders Wednesday in both the U.S. and Canada.
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