Betway did a recent question and answer with Hockey Hall of Fame Member Grant Fuhr.

Is it important to have a veteran goalie on the squad to help guide younger goalies?

I think the dynamic has changed. When I came into the league, I didn’t have a goalie coach for the first 13 years, so your partner was your guy to bounce things off of. Whereas now a lot of guys have their own goalie coach, the team has a goalie coach, there’s a director of goalie development, so you’ve got a lot of guys in the system who you can bounce ideas off of. Which means you don’t really have to have that veteran guy now. You can go with two young guys, because you have other guys for them to talk to. Whereas back in my day, the veteran was important, because he was literally your only sounding board.

Do you think our understanding of goaltending is behind because goaltenders are almost playing a different sport than skaters?

Yeah! You’re looking at basically three hours of being engaged. For me the biggest misnomer that everybody talks about, that you hear about, is save percentage. I’m not a fan of save percentage. I’m a fan of ‘Can you make the right save at the right time?’ And they don’t have a dynamic for that yet. At some point they’ll come up with it, it’s getting better and better. But every building counts shots differently. So, save percentage I kind of throw out the window. I look at quality of saves at opportune times in the game. Can you make that save to change the momentum of the game? Can you make that save to save a game? That’s more important to me, and win. It was like that when I came into the league, and it’s like that now. Can you win a game when it’s on the line? That to me is the biggest statistic there is.

from Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press,

Someday, the Detroit Red Wings will make the playoffs again. And someday, when the Wings do get there, they will make some noise and win a series.

But if we learned anything from their tough five-game trip that bordered on disastrous, it’s that the Wings still lack enough of the elite skill and toughness to sneak into the playoffs for the first time since 2016 — and then beat a top seed once they get there.

At the very least, they’re getting closer to being a legitimate playoff team. They’re playing consistent, disciplined hockey under Derek Lalonde. They’re careful with the puck at both ends, calculated on offense and boast a top-10 power play.

But a measly four points out of a possible 10, with two losses coming via shutout, isn’t the kind of inspiring late-season charge anyone wants to see from a team on the playoff bubble....

I’ve applauded general manager Steve Yzerman for keeping the team intact at the trade deadline this season. Because that’s the first step in him considering the Wings a playoff team instead of an annual yard sale for the NHL’s power brokers to pick through like rich neighbors offering you pennies for those pricey P90X videos you never opened.

Yzerman’s inaction is a start, but it still falls short of the next and most important step: Adding key pieces that help a team not only reach the playoffs but also win series.

more ($)

via TSN's YouTube page,

TSN’s Hockey Insiders discuss Team Canada’s roster build for the 2024 Men’s Worlds, the Flyers working on a contract extension with new goalie Ivan Fedotov, Shane Wright in the spotlight after a call-up from the Kraken and coveted NCAA free agent Collin Graf nearing a decision on which NHL team to sign with.

from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,

Against a heavyweight team, the Vancouver Canucks were lightweights on Tuesday.

Playing the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, a possible first-round playoff opponent for the Canucks in 2 ½ weeks, Vancouver was blown open early and lost 6-3.

The Canucks’ slack defending and awful execution in the first 10 minutes, as they served a pile of outnumbered rushes to a big, fast Vegas team that feasts on them, never gave Vancouver a chance to win.

The statement the Canucks made against a formidable opponent, so soon after four losses in Vancouver against playoff-bound teams, will surely embolden the Knights.

“I think as an individual, you look at your game. . . and: 'How can I play better? What can I do to do. . . to contribute to the team?'” Canuck coach Rick Tocchet told reporters after the game. “If everybody does that, you know, you hope the next game will improve on that. Some guys have got to look at their shifts and, 'What can I do different to help the team?' There's a penalty kill; can we be a little bit more aggressive on the wall to get that (puck) out? I think we were a little light getting in there. I just thought we were a little light everywhere. And that's not the type of game you want when you get into the stretch drive, so we've got to find it quickly.”

continued

Game highlights are below.

NEW YORK (April 2, 2024) – Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of March.

via the YouTube page of the NHL,

NHL bloopers, wacky and lighthearted moments from the last month including a rogue puck, non-traditional "hat tricks," a misfired goal horn and more broken sticks than we've ever seen!

The Wings have an off day today and do not play until Friday.

Feel free to discuss what's on your mind and below find the remaining schedule for Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington.

Also below is the wild card race in the East.

* Auston Matthews continued his push for the NHL’s first 70-goal campaign in more than 30 years and set a Maple Leafs single-season record with his 61st and 62nd tallies.

* Sidney Crosby joined elite company in NHL history by securing his 19th career point-per-game season, thanks to a three-point performance at Madison Square Garden.

* The Eastern Conference Wild Card race remains tight as both the Red Wings and Islanders earned crucial road victories against higher-seeded clubs.

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

David Perron’s goal with 2:40 left in regulation time would snap a 2-2 tie, propelling the Red Wings to a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The outcome brought a halt to Detroit’s 0-2-2 losing skid during this five-game road trip.

“None bigger goal than DP’s goal at the end and he’s been in the battle the whole season, he always is,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin told Bally Sports Detroit. “For him to score the big one, it was just a veteran player that knows how to play in these big games.”...

More significantly, the outcome is leaving Detroit and Washington in a deadlock for the final Eastern Conference wild card playoff spot. Each team has 82 points. However, the Capitals (73 games) hold two games in hand on the Red Wings and the first tiebreaker. Washington has 28 regulation wins, compared to 26 for Detroit....

“We’ve been playing really good team hockey recently,” Perron said. “Obviously, we know how many points we need to keep advancing, being in the fight. I’ve liked our recent play. We just gotta keep pushing, keep getting points.”

Elsewhere Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers were losing 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders. The OT point was enough to move Philly (83 points) back into third spot in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of the Capitals. But the Flyers have played 76 games....

At the other end of the spectrum, fourth-line center Joe Veleno played just 4:42.

“Veleno, just kind of ran into some matchup issues, some special teams, we used him late a couple times,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said....

“Ras left with an upper body,” Lalonde said. “Don’t know much more about it.”

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The Wings scored in the first minute in the second to take a 1-0 lead, but the Lightning scored eight minutes later to make it 1-1.

Score was 2-2 with under 3 minutes to play and Perron scores and Raymond adds an eng.

Wings win 4-2.

Team Stats

Detroit goals are below.

Good evening and welcome to everyone. We’re all trying to stay positive here, but, the Red Wings do not make it easy. Losing their last four games in a row doesn’t exactly instill confidence. Counting on other teams to lose is certainly not an option. Winning is the only way.

Lyon is in the net tonight. Walman is back as well. Maatta is out. No other changes to the lineup have been announced.

It’s the Red Wings vs the Lightning. The puck is set to drop around 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit Extra, and on the Red Wings Radio Network WWJ (950 AM in Detroit) for your listening pleasure. Also available on ESPN+/NHLPP, BSSUN, and SPORTSNET+.

It’s a Live Blog!

NEW YORK (April 1, 2024) – Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended for three games, without pay, for unsportsmanlike conduct during NHL Game No. 1166 in Minnesota on Saturday, March 30, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 3:30 of overtime. Hartman was assessed a 10-minute misconduct.

Hartman is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, will forfeit $62,195.13. 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/topic/player-safety/hartman-suspended-three-games-6350098419112.

Watch below.

NEW YORK (April 1, 2024) – Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson and New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 31.

he roar of the crowd. The whistle blows. Players scramble, flashing blades against the ice. Hockey is a game built on split-second decisions and explosive bursts of power. But behind every crushing check and sizzling slapshot lies a foundation of cunning strategy.

In a sport where the margin between victory and defeat is razor-thin, NHL coaches are the architects of success. Let's pull back the curtain and dissect their secrets, the hidden tactics that shape the electrifying drama on the ice.

Two Tampa notes below.

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

About as surprising as finding the Washington Capitals in playoff position in late March is the goalie who’s led them here.

Undrafted Charlie Lindgren is having a career year eight seasons into a pro career that’s seen him mostly in AHL rinks — his persistence and patience finally leading to a breakout at age 30.

“I just feel ready for the moment,” Lindgren told The Athletic during a recent interview.

“Last year was his first full year in the NHL,” said Caps goalie coach Scott Murray. “He also had some minutes with St. Louis and Montreal, but I think last year being in Washington the full year, he came back this year with a mindset that whatever challenges came his way, he was going to stare them in the face. That’s probably the biggest consistency from him, is that he’s embraced challenges whatever they are.”

continued

from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

Eight guys in white T-shirts. A single letter on the chest of the shirts. No. 34s on the sleeves and red hearts on the front. They were spelling “MATTHEWS.”

As in Auston Matthews. The star of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then they held up two gold balloons late in the third period to form the number “60” after Matthews potted his long-awaited milestone goal on the season. The building roared the final tally in a 3-0 Toronto victory.

Just another weird moment in a Buffalo season full of them. And a low one. A complete organizational embarrassment.

You can’t question the players’ effort on a night they outshot the Leafs 34-22, and out-attempted them 69-38. Their execution? Pretty inept. But the failures on the ice trace back to the coaches, the GM’s office, the business office and, ultimately, to owner-in-absentia Terry Pegula.

At some point, Pegula really needs to send us some smoke signal that he gives a damn about what is going on here. We assume he does, but we can’t know for sure since we never hear from him or even see him in the building.

Remember that chatter before the season about trying to cut off opposing fans from the building? Epic fail.

more

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

An NHL source is telling Hockey Now that the possibility of a coaching change is something that is being pondered by Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.

According to the source, Yzerman might be considering a change in his coach in the offseason were the Red Wings to continue their free fall out of a Stanley Cup playoff position. And if that is indeed the route he decides to take, the man at the top of the list of desirable candidates on Yzerman’s short list would be former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube....

Current head coach Derek Lalonde is in the second year of a three-year pact with the club. Certainly, there is cause of concern within the team’s performance. Slow starts and competent puck management and defensive structure remain frequent issues.

Another NHL source was telling Hockey Now that on Friday, Yzerman read the riot act to his coaching staff and players regarding their lackluster performance of late....

Of course, it’s well known within Detroit hockey circles that Yzerman is tight-lipped about any moves he’d be considering. Only a select few within his inner circle would be privy to such infomation. Generally, nothing of substance leaks out of Detroit. That being the case, it’s always wise to take any rumors relating to Yzerman and the Red Wings with at minimum a grain of salt.

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* Six of the League's top 10 clubs will be on the ice Monday, including two meeting on Sportsnet and TVA Sports when the Maple Leafs try to clinch a playoff spot while facing the Panthers in what is currently a First Round preview (and a 2023 playoff rematch).

* NathanMacKinnon and NikitaKucherov have shared time as leaders in the Art Ross Trophy race for 129 consecutive days, but ConnorMcDavid’s brief reign (approximately 30 minutes) as the frontrunner during games on Saturday has added another layer to the battle with all three in action Monday, including McDavid and the Oilers on ESPN+ and Hulu.

* It's another pivotal night in the Eastern Conference playoff race as the two Wild Card teams – Tampa Bay (vs. DET) and Philadelphia (vs. NYI) – match up against the first two teams outside the bracket.

* Dakota Joshua scored twice in his second game after a six-week absence – including a late game-winner after a multi-goal Ducks rally – while Arturs Silovs won his first NHL appearance in more than a year to help Vancouver become the sixth club to hit the 100-point mark this season. The Canucks are one of seven clubs separated by five points or less in a jam-packed Presidents’ Trophy race.

Michigan State vs. Michigan at 6:30pm on ESPN2 in the West Regional Final in Missouri.

Two Detroit prospects play for the Spartans, goaltender Trey Augustine and forward Red Savage.

Kienan Draper (Wings prospect), son of Kris and Phillippe Lapointe, son of Martin, play for the Wolverines. Both are forwards.

Feel free to discuss the game if watching.

The semifinals are on April 11th in St. Paul, Minnesota. The final will be on April 13th.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

- The loser point continues to turn the standings into more of a funhouse mirror than a true refection of the season. That is the only way to characterize it when Bruins are tied with the Panthers despite Boston winning 42 games and Florida 47 and the Islanders lead the Devils despite winning 31 to New Jersey’s 36.

The Bruins, though, have 15 losses in overtime or the shootout while the Panthers have 5. The Islanders have lost 15 after regulation and the Devils four.

So the object of the game is not necessarily to win, it is to get through 60 minutes tied. Again, this is another example of lowering the bar…to benefit teams that lose.

- I don’t know what has gone wrong in Anaheim with Trevor Zegras, who always seems agitated and/or frustrated—check out the way he destroyed the penalty box camera in Seattle on Thursday after a questionable call—but this is a young man who is clearly in need of a new beginning.

more topics...

"The Lord is risen from the tomb; for our sake he hung on the Cross." Alleluia! The Easter proclamation joyfully resounds: Christ is risen! He is truly risen! He who "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried," Jesus, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, "rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures". -Saint Pope John Paul II

Happy Easter to all who acknowledge this Christian holiday which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion and is the most important liturgical time for Catholics.

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

At some point soon, the Detroit Red Wings are going to run out of moral victories to give. Amazingly, that time still hasn’t arrived. And Detroit has no one to thank for that fact other than just about every other squad involved in this pathetic race for the final Eastern Conference wild card place.

If you ever pondered what the fable of the tortoise and the hare would look like if only tortoises were entered in the race, well, wonder no more. This chase is exactly that.

There is no frontrunner. Just a gathering of stragglers, dawdlers slowly lumbering their way to the finish line....

That’s because the Philadelphia Flyers were 5-7-3 over the past month, while the New Jersey Devils went 6-9. The New York Islanders are 2-7-1 through their past 10 games and the Buffalo Sabres are 2-4 over the past six.

Only the Washington Capitals, 6-2-1 through the past nine games, are making a move. And that move on Saturday was to surpass the Flyers for third spot in the Metropolitan Division. It’s entirely possible that we may have seen the last of the Caps in the wild card race.

Let’s look to the week ahead as the Red Wings continue their chase for a playoff spot.

more

* The Avalanche and idle Canucks became the sixth and seventh teams to clinch a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Connor McDavid moved into first place in the Art Ross Trophy race for a few minutes Saturday before Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov reclaimed their lead on the five-time winner. The trio are separated by no more than two points headed into the final 19 days of the regular season.

* “Rocket” Richard Trophy front-runner Auston Matthews scored his 60th goal of 2023-24 and became the ninth player in NHL history to record multiple seasons with at least that many goals.