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CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • December 12, 2016

Hurricanes are off the road, looking to ‘make hay’ at home

By Chip Alexander

[email protected]

The Carolina Hurricanes could take some solace in leaving California knowing the worst, so to speak, could be behind them.

No team in the NHL had played more road games than the Canes. But Carolina’s remaining schedule — 31 home games, 23 on the road — looks a lot better, even if more condensed.

The Canes (11-11-6) played their 18th road game Saturday at San Jose, falling behind the Sharks early and losing 4-3. The Canes have won just four of the roadies (4-8-6), and entering Sunday’s NHL games were seven points out of a wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

The Philadelphia Flyers, who have played 18 of their 30 games at home, occupied one wild-card spot with 37 points. The Washington Capitals, after 14 home games and 12 on the road, were sitting at 35 points.

The Canes have won six straight at PNC Arena and host the Vancouver Canucks, Caps and Buffalo Sabres in the coming week. They have six of the next eight at home — add in Detroit, Boston and Chicago — before a New Year’s Eve game at Tampa Bay to end the calendar year.

“For us to make the playoffs, we have to play well at home,” Canes forward Lee Stempniak said after Saturday’s game. “We’ve risen to that challenge, and for us we need to come out and make hay when we can. All the points are needed in the standings, so it’s do or die.”

The past few weeks have been brutal for the Canes. They played three on the road, including a Thanksgiving Day game in Montreal, then returned to Raleigh for a Sunday game. Then, another three on the road and another Sunday home game.

Finally, this past week, it was hotels in California. The Canes couldn’t hold two-goal leads and lost in a shootout against the Anaheim Ducks, rebounded for a solid 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings and hoped to cap the trip by reeling in another two points against the Sharks, a team they blanked 1-0 in Raleigh in mid-November.

And then the Sharks scored in the first 12 seconds.

San Jose cruised through the neutral zone, something the Sharks did often early in the game, and Joe Thornton set up Patrick Marleau for a score.

“They had momentum right off the bat,” Canes coach Bill Peters said. “Some guys were dialed in and others were a little late getting started.”

In a rarity, the Canes lost a game after getting two power-play goals — by Stempniak and Derek Ryan — and a shorthanded score by Joakim Nordstrom.

“Our specialty teams were probably better, and they were better than us five-on-five,” Peters said.

Jeff Skinner had a season-high 11 shots, and the Canes outshot the Sharks 33-20. Add in the shots that were blocked (24) and the missed shots (11), and Carolina had 68 attempts to the Sharks’ 44.

The Canes, trailing 4-2 after two, made a push in the third. Ryan scored on the power play, and the Canes again had 11 shots in the period.

Sharks goalie Aaron Dell lost the game in Raleigh. This time, he had 30 saves and won it as Cam Ward took the loss.

For Canes defenseman Matt Tennyson, a return to San Jose and another game against his former team was bittersweet. He took a stick across the nose from the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson and was left bloodied — a play missed by the referees that would have meant four power-play minutes for the Canes.

The Canes hope to get center Jordan Staal (concussion), forward Elias Lindholm (lower-body injury) and goalie Eddie Lack (concussion) back soon. When Staal and Lindholm return, some interesting personnel decisions must be made given how Ryan, Brock McGinn and Phil Di Giuseppe have played of late.

But the Canes can now unpack for a while. Their next extended road trip is in March.

“It will be nice to get home and get some practice time in,” Peters said.

Slavin’s faith, not hockey, defines him as a person

By Chip Alexander

[email protected]

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin has been praised for his poise on the ice, for his unflappable play in pressure situations.

Slavin, one of the Canes’ steadiest players, appears to have an inner calm about him when he plays, and there’s a reason for that, he said.

“My hockey doesn’t define who I am,” he said. “My identity is not found in the game.”


Slavin is a young man of strong faith. He’s not pushy or outspoken about it, nor does he shy away from professing it.

“I’m not rooted in the game of hockey,” he said. “I know hockey will end one day, but God is forever. It puts me at peace knowing God’s in control of every aspect of my life.”

Slavin, 22, grew up in a Christian family in Colorado and likes to reel off the names of his siblings: Justin, Jordan, Josiah and Jeremiah.

“Bible names,” Jaccob said, smiling.

Robert and Wendi Slavin also raised a family of hockey players. That’s includes Josiah, 17, a forward playing in the U.S. Hockey League; and Jordan, a sister who played defense at North Dakota and was called “a tough one” by Jaccob.

“Jaccob has always been a role mode for the family,” Wendi Slavin said. “He’s very grounded. He’s grounded in his faith and as a person.”

A lot of Sundays were spent at hockey rinks, but Jaccob said some Sundays also were spent in a non-denominational church, saying, “I don’t consider myself religious. I have faith in Christ.”

Slavin’s wife, Kylie, also played hockey, in Illinois. The two met through Twitter, their Christianity an instant bond, and were married in the summer of 2015.

Two churches

This past summer, while most of the Canes players scattered, the Slavins spent much of the summer in Raleigh. They were active with their new friends, many from church.

Jaccob said he and Kylie are back and forth between two churches, attending Bay Leaf Baptist during the week and Southbridge Fellowship on Sundays.

Kylie Slavin helps with the children’s ministry at Southbridge Fellowship, Jaccob said. He tends to parking-lot duties at times, smiling and saying, “Put on the vest and everything.”

Sid Graham, the Hurricanes’ team chaplain, and his family have gotten to know Jaccob and Kylie well. Graham says Jaccob is like a “second son” and that their conversations are many.

“I don’t know him as a hockey player. I know him as a brother in Christ,” Graham said. “He’s the real deal. He’s a solid guy. For many pro athletes, their sport can become their life. But hockey is what Jaccob does, not who he is.”

Graham, who said he has worked with the Canes for five years, is affiliated with Hockey Ministries International, a Montreal-based organization that provides chapel programs for many professional teams and leagues.

Graham, 52, said he has counseled, been a listener and adviser, for several Hurricanes players. He said Canes coach Bill Peters has welcomed and encouraged his involvement with the team.

“Jaccob and I talk a lot about accountability,” Graham said. “We have a Savior who looks after us, and we have to look

after each other. You have to hold yourself accountable that way.”

Mature person

Among the Slavins’ church friends are Steve and Emily Madsen. Steve Madsen, 27, is the college and young adult pastor at Bay Leaf Baptist and heads up “Connect” on Wednesdays, a program for college students and young professionals that the Slavins attend when they can.

“It’s a one-year study, a walkthrough of the Bible, book by book,” Madsen said.

“Connect” also is about friends connecting with friends, talking, relaxing, Madsen said, and has allowed him time to see Slavin in a different setting.

“I’ve never seen a more mature person, for the situation he’s in as a pro athlete,” Madsen said. “He’s very genuine and very genuine about his faith. He’s the same person in the locker room as he is in church on Sunday. He’s authentic.”

Madsen said Slavin has professed his faith to some of his teammates, saying one player was “consumed” by the sport but was “blown away by the way Jaccob viewed it in the tiers of his life.”

On the ice, Slavin is all about the game. Averaging about 23 minutes per game in his second NHL season, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound D-man is second on the team in blocked shots with 55 – defensive partner Brett Pesce has 57 – and willing to give up the body to make a play.

A humble guy

In the Canes’ 1-0 victory last Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at PNC Arena, Slavin had a team-high seven shots and blocked four shots. He has one goal this season and three in his career, but is 3-for-6 on career shootout attempts and has some crafty moves.

“He’s a humble guy not after fame,” Graham said. “He told me it would be OK that if I ever see him not being humble, I can be his ‘Dad’ in North Carolina and say, ‘We need to talk.’ ”

Slavin’s Twitter bio says “All Glory to God” and he often attaches the hashtag #AGTG to his tweets.

For Slavin, Galatians 1:10 is a verse he has taken to heart: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

“When he first got to the NHL and his nerves were maybe higher, he’d turn to that verse to helps calm his nerves,” Wendi Slavin said. “It’s good to see he still leans on that. He leans on his faith.”

That won’t change, Jaccob Slavin said.

“God has put me here on this team, with Carolina, for a reason,” he said. “I play every game 110 percent for Him and see what He brings out of it. It kind of gives me a peace, knowing that whether I play well or I play bad I’m still loved by God.”


Karmanos no longer on NHL executive committee

By Chip Alexander

[email protected]

Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. no longer is a member of the NHL’s executive committee, it was announced Friday.

Karmanos and the late Ed Snider, former owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, have been replaced on the committee by Winnipeg Jets owner Mark Chipman and Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson.

The changes were made after a balloting process at the league’s Board of Governors meeting at Palm Beach, Fla. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman later announced the new composition of the committee in comments to the media.

Yahoo Sports reported that Bettman said Karmanos missed the league meetings because of a sinus infection.

The members of executive committee are: Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Murray Edwards of the Calgary Flames, Craig Leipold of the Minnesota Wild, Ted Leonsis of the Washington Capitals, Henry Samueli of the Anaheim Ducks, Larry Tanenbaum of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jeff Vinik of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Rocky Wirtz of the Chicago Blackhawks

Canes get bad luck of the draw in Metro division

Posted 11:59 p.m. yesterday Updated 6:06 a.m. today

By Adam Gold

Oh, these silly divisions.

The National Hockey League shuffled the deck a few years ago and contracted the number of divisions from six to four, and the result is that the Carolina Hurricanes are facing an Everest-like ascent if they want to play bonus hockey in April.

Five of the six best teams in the Eastern Conference join the Canes in calling the Metropolitan Division home. The least of that quintet — the Philadelphia Flyers — is on pace for 103 points.

103 points!

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Carolina, with an 11-11-6 mark through 28 games, is trending towards 82. That’s an awful lot of ground to make up in an entire season, let alone over the last 54 games, since the league rules state that the top three teams in each division plus the two teams outside that cut with the best records.

But at least the Canes will be able to point toward the fact that they will play more home games than any other team in the league over the final two thirds of the season. And Carolina has won six straight at PNC Arena — where they’ll play five of the six games before Santa Claus enters the offensive zone.

But here’s where the randomness of the league’s playoff format comes into play. Had the NHL placed the Canes in the Atlantic Division, where Montreal sets the league pace with 41 points, they would be so much closer to potential playoff spot as Boston sits third with 32 points in 29 games — a pace of only 90 points.

Granted, the Hurricanes aren’t exactly breathing down that neck either, but the path to 91 points is a heckuva lot more palatable than climbing a 3-digit mountain.

Why the league did it this way is mysterious to me, as I’d rather have the eight best teams in each conference battling for a spot in the Stanley Cup finals. In all honestly, it will still likely work out that way. In each of the three previous seasons under the new structure, the top eight teams in each conference all qualified. However, if there was ever a year in which that trend would end, it’s this one.

Unless Philadelphia — who has won nine straight games — comes back down to ice, the division and the two wild card teams are set.

Over in the Atlantic, Montreal is running barter town with 41 points in 30 games, which projects out to a 120-point year. Not too shabby. In our little Metro division hamlet, the Blue Jackets are on pace for 119 points while the Penguins, Rangers and Capitals are all pointed toward 112.

This division, man….I’m not saying it’s over, but…and don’t get me started on the fact that there are two fewer playoff teams in the west with the same number qualifying for the playoffs. That just seems fundamentally unfair.

Remember all those points the Canes let slip away this year? Remember three-goal leads in the first two games of the year — the second of which came against Tuesday’s opponent, Vancouver?

Remember losing third period leads in New York, Boston and Anaheim? Remember how many woulda coulda shouldas there have been in just the first third of the season?

You didn’t think those weren’t going to come back to bite this team in the glutes, did you?

Hey Adam, I thought you said this team was better than last year?


Well, I did and they are. They’ve scored more goals, allowed fewer, albeit both numbers are only slight improvements. The power play is 10th in the league, up from 24th a year ago. The penalty kill is on another level from the rest of the sport. It was good a year ago, 6th in the league. But, this year….?

Carolina’s killed 92.1 percent of power plays, almost 5 percent better than the next best team. They’ve allowed just SIX power play goals this year (next fewest is 11) while scoring four times short handed.

And Cam Ward has been one of the best goalies in the league since Nov. 1. Ward, who got off to a less-than-spectacular start, has a 1.85 GAA and a save percentage of .936 over the last six weeks.

Yet with scoring up and goals allowed down, with special teams among the best in the game and with Cam Ward playing better for an extended stretch than he ever has — well, except for those two months in the spring of 2006 — the playoffs not only feel farther off than we anticipated, they are factually farther away than we’d all hoped at the start of this optimistic season.

Notes and stuff…

Starting Tuesday night when Vancouver plays at PNC Arena, the Hurricanes will play six games in 11 days. The last five will be against teams in the Eastern Conference. Carolina is 6-8-3 against the East.

In his first 13 games, Noah Hanifin had 7 assists (good) but was a minus-8 (bad). Of course, that was playing along side

Jakub Nakladal, Klas Dahlbek and Ryan Murphy — with all due respect to those fine men and their families.

Since Matt Tennyson was recalled from Charlotte, Hanifin has just two scoring points (both goals) but is a plus-2 and hasn’t had a single night on the minus side of the ledger in the fifteen games since pairing with Tennyson. Tennyson, for his part is a plus-5 with a pair of assists in 15 games.

Ron Hainsey and Justin Faulk have combined for four goals and a dozen assists this year. Last year by himself, Faulk had 11 goals and 10 assists through the first third of the season. What’s worse, is that what was supposed to be Carolina’s top defensive pairing is playing like their worst. They are a combined minus-25 this year.

Jeff Skinner scored six goals and registered six assists and posted a plus-2 rating over his first nine games. Over the last 18, Skinner has just three goals and seven assists and is a minus-8. These are the peaks and valleys the Canes were hoping would be in the rear view mirror. Granted he played very well in the 4-3 loss to San Jose. Another night, when things are going a bit better, he probably gets a hat trick. That’s how good the chances were. Saturday though, he didn’t score and was a minus-1. Such is the way things have been going for Skinner these days.

Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin are good. Really good. Like, if Victor Rask got a 6-year contract last year, Ron Francis just might have to sign both of his top defensive pairing before Valentine’s Day. The duo have combined for 2 goals, 16 points and a plus-7 rating this year and make more good plays than anyone on the team not named Cam Ward.

Couture, Labanc help lead Sharks past Hurricanes 4-3

Posted 1:56 a.m. yesterday Updated 6:08 a.m. yesterday

By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose's worst played game of the week delivered the best result for the Sharks.

Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc scored less than 2 minutes apart in the second period and the Sharks bounced back from consecutive losses by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Saturday night.

"When you look at the week out of the three games we played, it was probably our poorest of the three," coach Peter DeBoer said. "But we found a way to win, and the other two we lost, maybe we deserved better. That's hockey."

Patrick Marleau scored 12 seconds into the game and Paul Martin added his first goal of the season for the Sharks, who had allowed late tiebreaking goals in their previous two games to lose to Ottawa and Anaheim.

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Backup goalie Aaron Dell made 30 saves to earn his third win in four starts this season. His only loss was a 1-0 defeat in Carolina last month but he got much more support this game.

"It's always nice to get some good bounces like that," Martin said. "Most of the season we've been creating chances, getting pucks to the net. At some point it's nice to get rewarded for that kind of stuff when guys are working hard and creating opportunities."

Lee Stempniak and Derek Ryan scored power-play goals and Joakim Nordstrom added a short-handed tally but it wasn't enough for the Hurricanes, who earned three points on their three-game California swing. Cam Ward made 16 saves.

"They had momentum right off the bat," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "We were chasing the game most of the night."

After a lackluster start to the second period for San Jose with no shots in the first 8 minutes and then allowing a game-tying short-handed goal by Nordstrom, the Sharks took control with a quick flurry.


Seconds after Ryan returned from a slashing penalty, Brent Burns kept the puck in at the point and sent a shot toward net that Couture deflected past Ward for his 11th of the season.

Just 1:52 later, Labanc came on the ice after Marleau broke a stick and skated right toward the net. That put him in perfect position to knock the rebound of Dylan DeMelo's into an open net to make it 4-2.

Ryan cut the deficit to one when he scored on the power play early in the third period after Brenden Dillon was sent off for cross-checking Sebastian Aho well behind the play.

Carolina nearly got another power play later in the period when Burns was called for hooking, but Jeff Skinner also got sent off when the referee called him for embellishment.

The Hurricanes pushed for the equalizer late but Dell stopped Jeff Skinner's 11th shot on goal of the night to seal the win.

"we're always trying to battle back and get back in the game as best we can and I thought we did a good job in the third at

least to make it interesting," defenseman Matt Tennyson said.

The game got off to an action-packed start with three goals in the opening 3:14. Marleau started it when Justin Braun sprung Joe Thornton on a 2 on 1 to set up the quick score.

The teams then traded goals shortly after that with Stempniak scoring first goal in 23 games on the power play before Martin's point shot deflected off defenseman Brett Pesce's skate to put San Jose back ahead.

NOTES: The fastest goal in Sharks history came 8 seconds into the game by Stephane Matteau on Jan. 11, 2000, against St. Louis. ... Carolina's top-ranked penalty kill unit has four short-handed goals this season, while allowing only six power-play goals. ... Sharks D Marc-Edouard Vlasic left in the second period with a lower-body injury and is day to day.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: Host Vancouver on Tuesday.

Sharks: Start a four-game trip at Toronto on Tuesday.

Koutroumpis: A year later, Ryan still forging his NHL path with the Carolina Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. – As practice ended at Raleigh Center Ice (RCI) on Tuesday, each player filed into the Carolina Hurricanes’ dressing room.

There was no rush, even while preparing to embark on a three-game road trip to the West coast.

Of course, coming off a 1-0 shutout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on Sunday, that extended an unbeaten streak in front of their fans to six games, there was reason to feel comfortable.

Forward Derek Ryan assumed his spot in his stall, closest to the door leading to the ice surface, as others filed past him.

During the season, the opportunities I’ve had to watch him off the ice, he’s presented himself as quiet, unassuming and that type of player who simply comes to play the game to the best of his ability – no more, no less.

He’s displayed that demeanor in his play as well, enough to be noticeable, but for the most part unassuming.

Ryan’s just picked his spots to get people’s attention, like tallying six points (3g, 3a) in his last seven games, including two goals, and the eventual game-winner, in a 3-1 win over Los Angeles on Thursday.

The 29-year old, five-foot-11-inch, 170-pound center has snuck under the radar long enough for Carolina and has now established a presence as an effective role player at the highest level of pro hockey.

How long his run with Carolina will go since being recalled on Nov. 11

th, no one knows, but if he’s posting points at his

current pace, he’s staying up with the big club for a while.

He’s proving he can play in the NHL, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that some of Europe’s better leagues, in Austria and Sweden, dubbed him as their best player at points in his career before returning to North America.

“It’s been a long, convoluted journey through my hockey career,” Ryan said.

“Going back to the U of A, I’m just focusing on my education and playing hockey is a side job to that. Hockey was a big deal to me at that time, but school was more important. Just took a chance to go to Europe and maybe pursue a career over there. My wife and I didn’t really know what we were expecting of that, but we thought we’d take that experience to see a different part of the world and get paid to do it at the same time.”

Thus, as Hurricanes pro scouts and their contacts scoured the Alps, they eventually found this experienced and productive center getting better than regressing, even in his late-20s.

It wasn’t a shot in the dark though because Ryan was coached by Hurricanes bench boss Bill Peters for two years with Spokane in the Western Hockey League (WHL) – a relationship that began in 2005-2006 when the coach took over there.

Ryan had career years back then, and it seems that Peters kept an eye on him, or was reminded to do so at some point last year.

Many who had never heard of him thought that Carolina took a chance on an unknown, albeit an accomplished one, when they signed him last summer.


However, the connection with Peters probably made it a more calculated move – low cost, low risk, but with the potential of a high payoff.

The roll of the dice on the journeyman center has come up seven so far.

Ryan is fast-becoming a well-known commodity for the Hurricanes and in the NHL, and continuing to earn the same credibility he developed at all levels of hockey he’s played at – be it in the WHL with Spokane, in the now defunct United Hockey League (UHL) with Kalamazoo, in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and the CWUAA with Alberta, in Europe with Austria’s Villach and Szekesfehervar, or Sweden’s Orebro, as well as in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Charlotte.

“My first year in Austria, I had a lot of success and played really well, and got another contract and played three full seasons in the Austrian League and just continued to get better and better,” Ryan continued.

“Even at that point, my goal was never to play in the NHL; it was basically to just play and have great experiences in Europe, and raise a family and provide a good living for them at the same time. My last year in Austria I was MVP and set some scoring records and all that, and I got an opportunity to play in Sweden which is one of the better leagues in the world – probably third-best league in the world. At that point in furthering my European career, I wasn’t really all that interested in coming back to North America. Again, I had another good year there, got MVP, and led the league in scoring. At that point, my agent was starting to say that there were some NHL teams that were interested.

“Fast forward, I signed with Carolina and thought that was my best opportunity to play in the NHL. Over the last season I’ve had to work my way up in the minors and prove that I can play in North America, not just in Europe, and be an effective player. I think I proved that last year, and then this year I’m getting a little bit more of a look here up at the top in the NHL. I think I’ve proven I can play here as well and be an effective player whether I’m a third-liner, playing power play, or be a depth centerman if they need that.”

As much as you can consider this a ‘keeping the dream alive’ story, Ryan honestly pointed out that he was hesitant about

taking on the opportunity of playing in the AHL, and grinding his way up to the NHL.

“Every hockey player whether in Canada, the United States, or even Europe, their dream is to play in the NHL – most players anyways,” he said.

“Especially coming from the U.S. where I was born and raised. When that opportunity arose, I was very interested but I was ignorant; I didn’t really know a whole lot about the American Hockey League. I didn’t know what the level of hockey was; I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to battle my way up. But, at the end of the day, we thought it would be worth it to get the chance to play in the NHL. I don’t know what the percentage of hockey players who get to play in the NHL is, but it’s really low, so to have that as a possibility is really cool.”

Ryan knows that as quickly his opportunity to play in the NHL has been provided, it can disappear just as quickly.

For now, he’s intent on playing the game he always has – within his space and role and allowing the elements of perseverance and luck to play out while continuing to work hard for results that come out to his and his team’s favor.

“I think that I’ve shown that I can play at this level too,” he added.

“I just have to continue to focus on my game and help the team succeed obviously, and continue to prove that I can play at this level.”

As the saying goes, good things do indeed come to those who wait.

For Ryan, though playing in the NHL wasn’t a priority, more a distant one that he parked in his mind, sharing how his story has unfolded to eventually follow the path to playing in the league is a “cool” one that even he smiles about when talking of it.

“A lot of cool memories for my family,” Ryan said with a grin.

“My son was born in Austria, and we loved playing in Europe – all those memories. We’ll cherish those forever, but playing in the NHL is what everyone wants to do.”

Hurricanes’ penalty kill on historic pace

Carolina PK at 92 percent, best in the NHL

By Cory Lavalette

December 10th, 2016 12:00 pm

RALEIGH — It’s unlikely the Carolina Hurricanes will maintain their torrid penalty killing pace, but it’s no fluke that coach Bill Peters’ team is having shorthanded success.

In the last two seasons under Peters and assistant coach Steve Smith, who handles the team’s penalty kill, Carolina’s shorthanded unit has finished fourth (84.7 percent in 2014-

15) and fifth (84.3 percent in 2015-16) in the NHL in efficiency.

Through Thursday’s win in Los Angeles, the Hurricanes have taken it up another notch this season, ranking No. 1 in the NHL with a 92.0 percent kill rate.

"We're excited when we get an opportunity to shut them down."

— Forward Viktor Stalberg


Peters said the team’s success on the penalty kill, which has employed five different defensemen and seven forwards in prominent roles, is about system and execution.

“It’s a combination of both,” Peters said. “[Smith] does a good job making sure we talk about who’s next man up, making sure that they’re ready to go and they get some reps in practice.”

Injuries, particularly to former Selke Trophy finalist Jordan Staal, have led to Carolina using several players shorthanded.

“You never know what’s going to happen with injuries, whoever gets a penalty, it might be a guy who usually kills a lot of minutes,” forward Joakim Nordstrom said. “If you lose a guy, it’s always good to have guys to step up. We’ve done a really good job of involving a lot of guys in the meetings and in practices.”

That includes AHL call-up Brock McGinn, whose time on the PK in Charlotte prepared him to contribute with the Hurricanes.

“That helps out with the adjustment coming up here,” McGinn said. “Just the way we have been working our systems right now in our penalty kill, that is showing in our success out there. Our penalty kill has confidence right now.”

The growth of second-year players Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin has been evident both at even-strength and on the PK. Slavin leads all Hurricanes with 91:10 of shorthanded time this season, an average of 3:22 a night. Pesce, with 2:25 a night, said a successful kill can carry over to 5 on 5.

“I’ve always personally taken pride in penalty killing,” Pesce said. “I think it does 100 percent give momentum for your team. If someone blocks a big shot, it kind of gets the boys going. I take pride in it.”

Twenty-seven games into the season, Carolina has allowed the opposition to score just six power play goals, and goaltender Cam Ward — who has started 21 of those games — has given up just four.

Ward’s work on the penalty kill has been a catalyst for his bounce-back season.

His current .949 save percentage shorthanded is among the best in the last two decades. \Of goalies who have played 20 games in a season, only two goalies have ever produced more impressive numbers.

Cory Schneider (.959 save percentage in 33 games with the 2011-12 Canucks) and Cam Talbot (.950 in 21 games with the 2013-14 Rangers) managed better numbers.

Which comes back to the initial point: it will be difficult for Ward and the Carolina PK to keep this up. Since the NHL started tracking power play save percentage in 1997-98, only one goalie — Colorado’s Simeon Varlamov with a .942 in 2014-15 — managed to play more than 40 games in a season and maintain a .930 save percentage while shorthanded.

Furthermore, since 1987-88 no NHL team has finished the season killing more than 90 percent of their opponents’ power plays. The 2011-12 New Jersey Devils hold the best mark at 89.6 percent, allowing 28 power play goals that season.

Ward’s play and the team’s depth in front of him gives them a chance. Also helping is the fact the Hurricanes are the NHL’s second-least penalized team, taking an average of just 6:44 minutes of penalties a night.

And with another shorthanded goal Thursday, Carolina now has three on the season — half the number of goals they’ve allowed on the penalty kill.

Given the Hurricanes’ struggles scoring, the penalty kill has proven to be essential to keeping Carolina’s season afloat.

“Can you imagine if we had an average to below-average penalty kill, where we’d be?” Peters said. “We’d be in a lot of trouble, especially with how tough it’s been for us to score. Now if we’re giving up goals on the penalty kill, then it becomes an even bigger hill to climb.”

Hurricanes Miss Staal’s Physicality

In the six-plus games since Jordan Staal was injured, the Carolina Hurricanes have struggled to find a replacement for his sturdy net-front presence in both zones and his faceoff excellence.

Since Staal exited, with what was later diagnosed as a concussion, in the first period of their Nov. 27 game against the Florida Panthers, the Hurricanes have eked out a 3-3-1 record but could have several more wins if not for the absence of arguably their most well-rounded forward.

Jordan Staal will be back at the CONSOL Energy Center Tuesday night facing off against his old mates. (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)

In the crease, Staal’s 6-foot-4, 220-pound body is missed. Without him, the team’s been unable to get traffic in front of their own shots, a priority for coach Bill Peters this year, and keep opponents out of Cam Ward’s sightline. But he’s also conspicuously absent from board battles, the faceoff dot and even presumably in the locker room, where the Hurricanes aren’t exactly flush with 710-game veterans.


Although so much of what No. 11 adds is intangible, and the impact of a missing player is much more difficult to statistically quantify than the impact of a player on the ice, Staal’s influence on the team’s success has been demonstrated visibly and statistically over the past few weeks.

Crucial Goals Allowed

In the defensive zone, the Hurricanes recently surrendered two crucial late-game goals as a direct result of poor boxing out in Ward’s sight line.

Last week in Boston, Torey Krug’s shot was saved by Ward but unfortunately deflected off Teuvo Teravainen’s skate and past Ward for the tying goal with just 31 seconds left.

The only reason why the puck deflecting off Teravainen went toward the goal instead of away from it, however, was that Boston’s David Backes had been left all alone just outside the blue paint. Teravainen (a man with a four-inch, 40-pound deficit on Backes) noticed and attempted to turn around to shove him away.

The idea of using Teravainen to protect a one-goal lead in the game’s final minute is questionable — and to employ him as a net-mouth guarder dubitable — but the youngster would likely never have been stuck in that scenario if Staal had been healthy.

A week later, on Wednesday in Anaheim, Nick Ritchie sparked the Ducks’ late comeback with a nifty deflection from the lower slot past Ward with four minutes left. Jay McClement — sporting a one-inch, 27-pound deficit on the husky Ritchie — was in charge of covering him, but had been sandwiched in between Ward and Ritchie (no man’s land in this situation) and was actually making no contact whatsoever with Ritchie at the moment of the deflection.

Again, generally, that’s where Staal would be.

By the Numbers

Staal spars with Andrew Ference in a net-mouth battle against the Edmonton Oilers. (Chris Austin-USA TODAY Sports)

Those two scenarios exemplify a trend for the Hurricanes over their past seven games, notably aligning with the duration of Staal’s injury to date.

From the Nov. 27 game on, Carolina has conceded an average of 11.4 scoring chances per game (per Corsica.hockey), up from an average of 9.1 per game before that and even more drastically up from 8.6 per game in the seven games directly preceding that, when Staal was arguably playing his best hockey of the autumn.

Similarly, from Nov. 27 on, 28.7 percent of the shots on goal faced by Hurricanes goaltenders have been designated “high-danger,” as opposed to 24.8 percent before that and 23.7 percent in the seven games immediately prior.

Even beyond just offense-related statistics, the absence of Staal — the team’s leader in hits per game (2.1) this season — has reduced Carolina’s ability to keep up with opponents physically. This week’s back-to-back games in Southern California had the visitors out-hit by a combined 50-25 margin.

Effects in the Faceoff Dot

The Hurricanes’ once-lofty ranking in faceoff winning percentage has taken a massive hit since Staal, the league’s third-best faceoff-taker this season at 60.1 percent, went down.

Embed from Getty Images

The team has slipped from top five in the league to 9th. Their season winning percentage has declined from 52.7 percent to 51.1 percent, thanks to a woeful 46.1 winning percentage over the last seven games.

If Staal had played those seven games and taken an equivalent amount of faceoffs, the team would have benefitted from almost 13 more cumulative faceoff wins, or nearly two extra per game.

The value of faceoff success is surprisingly little in terms of generating and preventing shot attempts, but its worth is amplified in special situations like the penalty kill, where the Hurricanes have fortunately been well-stocked with specialists (McClement, Viktor Stalberg, Joakim Nordstrom, etc.) to continue their remarkable run of near-impeccability.

Most concerning for the team as a whole in regards to Staal, is the fact that a timetable has yet to be established for his return. As long as No. 11 remains out of the lineup, the Hurricanes will have to make do without their best option in a number of oft-unheralded yet critical roles.


Checkers End California Trip With 5-2 Loss To Ontario

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

Published: December 11, 2016

Try as they might, the Checkers couldn’t end their California road trip with a bang, stumbling to a 5-2 loss in Ontario. It was all Ontario out of the gate, with the home squad getting on the board five minutes in and not looking back. The Reign pumped in three more unanswered tallies to build a staggering 4-0 lead late in the second frame. The Checkers looked to create a bit of a spark in the final minute of the second, with Levko Koper receiving a feed from Andrew Poturalski in front and burying it to put the visitors on the board. That momentum wouldn’t carry to the other side of the intermission though, as Ontario potted its fifth goal of the night quickly in the final period. Koper would tack on his second of the night later in the frame, again with a quick wrister from the slot, but it would be too little, too late, and the Checkers would skate away with a 5-2 defeat. After showing an uptick in last night’s overtime loss to Bakersfield, Charlotte’s special teams reverted back to their old ways tonight. The visitors couldn’t muster up any goals on their three opportunities, while the Reign broke through twice on the man advantage. There wasn’t much action for either side in terms of shots on

goal – neither team managed to fire a double-digit amount in any period – but the Reign proved to be opportunistic. They scored three goals on their first nine shots in the first before chasing starter Alex Nedeljkvoic after 40 minutes. Entering the game in relief was Daniel Altshuller, who surrendered a goal early in the third on the first shot he saw but proceeded to turn aside the following seven. The loss brings a merciful end to the Checkers’ West Coast swing, a trip that saw them take just one point out of a possible 12. Charlotte’s road winless streak sits at a franchise-worst 10 games, while overall they are 2-10-2 over their last 14 games. Despite the relief of returning to their home ice, the Checkers’ schedule isn’t slowing down. They’ll regroup before hosting Manitoba and Grand Rapids for four games in seven days next week.

NOTES

With two goals tonight, Koper now has three in his AHL career, all coming against Ontario … The Checkers have failed to score more than two goals in each of their last seven games and 12 of their last 14 … Kyle Hagel dropped the gloves for the fifth time this season, tying him for the league lead … Roland McKeown was not on the bench for the end of the third period … Josh Wesley and Cason Hohmann were healthy extras … Kris Newbury, Brendan Woods, Connor Brickley, Haydn Fleury and Trevor Carrick missed the game due to injury

TODAY’S LINKS

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article120259308.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article119932118.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article120022318.html

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/bad-luck-of-the-draw/16332758/ http://www.wralsportsfan.com/couture-labanc-help-lead-sharks-past-hurricanes-4-3/16330412/

http://trianglesportsnet.com/archives/13605 http://www.nsjonline.com/article/2016/12/hurricanes-penalty-kill-on-historic-pace

http://thehockeywriters.com/carolina-hurricanes-miss-jordan-staal-physicality/ http://gocheckers.com/game-recaps/checkers-end-california-trip-with-5-2-loss-to-ontario


1037954 Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes are off the road, looking to ‘make hay’ at home

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

The Carolina Hurricanes could take some solace in leaving California knowing the worst, so to speak, could be behind them.

No team in the NHL had played more road games than the Canes. But Carolina’s remaining schedule — 31 home games, 23 on the road — looks a lot better, even if more condensed.

The Canes (11-11-6) played their 18th road game Saturday at San Jose, falling behind the Sharks early and losing 4-3. The Canes have won just four of the roadies (4-8-6), and entering Sunday’s NHL games were seven points out of a wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

The Philadelphia Flyers, who have played 18 of their 30 games at home, occupied one wild-card spot with 37 points. The Washington Capitals, after 14 home games and 12 on the road, were sitting at 35 points.

The Canes have won six straight at PNC Arena and host the Vancouver Canucks, Caps and Buffalo Sabres in the coming week. They have six of the next nine at home — add in Detroit, Boston and Chicago — before a New Year’s Eve game at Tampa Bay to end the calendar year.

“For us to make the playoffs, we have to play well at home,” Canes forward Lee Stempniak said after Saturday’s game. “We’ve risen to that challenge, and for us we need to come out and make hay when we can. All the points are needed in the standings, so it’s do or die.”

The past few weeks have been brutal for the Canes. They played three on the road, including a Thanksgiving Day game in Montreal, then returned to Raleigh for a Sunday game. Then, another three on the road and another Sunday home game.

Finally, this past week, it was hotels in California. The Canes couldn’t hold two-goal leads and lost in a shootout against the Anaheim Ducks, rebounded for a solid 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings and hoped to cap the trip by reeling in another two points against the Sharks, a team they blanked 1-0 in Raleigh in mid-November.

And then the Sharks scored in the first 12 seconds.

San Jose cruised through the neutral zone, something the Sharks did often early in the game, and Joe Thornton set up Patrick Marleau for a score.

“They had momentum right off the bat,” Canes coach Bill Peters said. “Some guys were dialed in and others were a little late getting started.”

In a rarity, the Canes lost a game after getting two power-play goals — by Stempniak and Derek Ryan — and a shorthanded score by Joakim Nordstrom.

“Our specialty team were probably better and they were better than us five on five,” Peters said.

Jeff Skinner had a season-high 11 shots and the Canes outshot the Sharks 33-20. Add in the shots that were blocked (24) and the missed shots (11) and Carolina had 68 attempts to the Sharks’ 44.

The Canes, trailing 4-2 after two, made a push in the third. Ryan scored on the power play and the Canes again had 11 shots in the period.

Sharks goalie Aaron Dell lost the game in Raleigh. This time, he had 30 saves and won it as Cam Ward took the loss.

For Canes defenseman Matt Tennyson, a return to San Jose and another game against his former team was bittersweet. He took a stick across the nose from the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson and was left bloodied — a play missed by the referees that would have meant four power-play minutes for the Canes.

The Canes hope to get center Jordan Staal (concussion), forward Elias Lindholm (lower-body injury) and goalie Eddie Lack (concussion) back soon. When Staal and Lindholm return, some interesting personnel decisions must be made given how Ryan, Brock McGinn and Phil Di Giuseppe have played of late.

But the Canes can now unpack for a while. Their next extended road trip is in March.

“It will be nice to get home and get some practice time in,” Peters said.

News Observer LOADED: 12.12.2016

1038083 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks Game Day: The return of Hansen, the crease conundrum, the skinny on Skille

BEN KUZMA

Published on: December 11, 2016

Last Updated: December 11, 2016 9:25 AM PST

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Points to ponder as Jannik Hansen returns after missing 16 games with a collarbone injury from that questionable Morgan Rielly hit. The Canucks didn’t skate Sunday morning, but Ryan Miller tested lower-body tightness he suffered Thursday in Tampa. If he’s not ready, it’s back-to-back games for Jacob Markstrom and not the first NHL start for Thatcher Demko. (2 p.m., Sportsnet, TSN1040):

HANSEN THE RIGHT MOTOR FOR SEDINS

When you watch Henrik and Daniel Sedin labour to exit their own zone, methodically zig-zag through the neutral zone and finally get into the offensive end of things, you think one thing: Get well soon, Jannik Hansen.

It’s the winger’s speed — especially his first few strides — that gets the Sedins going because of that quick transition. In short, he forces the twins to get in the right positions in a hurry and he knows how to get the best out of them. As much as Canucks coach Willie Desjardins has first-line options in Brandon Sutter and Loui Eriksson, he should and will start Hansen with the twins.

So, this is what we hope to see, or maybe it’s just me. And Brendan Gaunce or Michael Chaput in the middle of the fourth line is a coin toss:

D. Sedin-H.Sedin-Hansen/Granlund-Sutter-Erkisson/Baertschi-Horvat-Burrows/Skille-Gaunce-Megna

Playing on the first line is harder that it looks, but Hansen makes it look easy. Speed does that. So does having a feel for the way the twins like to cycle and knowing how to complement them.

“That’s one of biggest things,” said Hansen, who has two goals and four assists in a dozen games. “You’re not seeing the third pairing, you’re seeing checkers and guys who make sure they don’t get scored on and with them (Sedins), there’s a rotation based on production. Pure and simple.”

‘IT’S BETWEEN MILLER AND MARKSTROM’


Desjardins will confirm his starter during pre-game availability and sounded like he didn’t want to put the weight of the world on prize prospect Thatcher Demko.

The 2014 second-round draft pick is on an American Hockey League 5-1-0 roll with the Utica Comets — a 1.50 goals-against average and .945 saves percentage in that span — and is 7-5-1 overall with a 2.59 GAA and .909 saves percentage.

If anything, Demko should be able to handle any twists of goaltending fate. He studied sports psychology at Boston College.

“I was drawn to it because it studies human behaviour, which I find pretty interesting,” said Demko. “It’s good for a goalie, that’s what I’ve heard.”

What will be good for Miller, is to learn whether it’s just a matter for rest or if something else is at play with his second bout of lower-body tightness this season.

He complained of the same when a shootout save off Johnny Gaudreau forced him to extend his body in the season opener.

“This is not an injury, it’s more that a muscle didn’t want to settle down and you’ve got to let it relax,” he said at the time. “As a goalie, you probably feel this way 10 times a season where you might be tight today and the next day make sure my back and hips are lined up and get the right kind of recovery. Once you get the rest you’re fine.”

And, quite frankly, do you really want to push hard post to post today to get over in time for one of those Alex Ovechkin one-time bombs if you’re not quite right? We’ll see. Ovechkin has a dozen goals, including four on the power play.

HOLY SKILLE, LOOK AT THAT SKILL

Jack Skille ran over Colton Sceviour on a mad rush Saturday, split two defenders and went short side on Roberto Luongo. Three goals in his last two games and a pair that made the highlight reel. What gives?

Skille has been working with Canucks sports psychologist Dr. David Cox and maybe that has something to do with his recent scoring finish because he’s always been able to get to the net.

However, Skille isn’t the only first-round draft pick who had to tailor his game. He had 23 goals in the 2009-10 season with the Rockford IceHogs, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him seventh overall in 2005. But his future was going to be more grease than goals.

However, eight goals in 74 games with Colorado Avalanche last season piqued the Canucks’ curiousity for a depth player. Add a willingness to put the mind in sync with the body and you get a well-adjusted pro, even with career uncertainty at age 29.

“When you’re content with your play, that’s when everything starts going downhill and I refuse to get to that point,” stressed Skille, who has three goals in 21 games after turning a professional tryout into a one-year, one-way $700,000 US deal.

Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 12.12.2016


The Best Thing: Canucks lose, but at least the game is over

HARRISON MOONEY


Last Updated: December 11, 2016 6:29 PM PST

In Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, the Vancouver Canucks looked like a team playing its fourth road game in six nights, and the second in a back-to-back set. They were lifeless, uninspired and sloppy.

Granted, the Canucks have looked like that sort of team many nights this season, but tonight, it’s what they actually were. As a result, here’s what they actually weren’t: a threat to win this game at any point.

They had opportunities galore. Vancouver drew five penalties in this game. They generated just one shot.

Shot creation was a problem for the Canucks all night. They challenged Braden Holtby just 20 times, and when I say “challenged,” I mean “shot at.” None of them were particularly challenging saves. You have to feel for poor Jacob Markstrom, who is three games away from hitting 100 without ever registering a shutout — meanwhile, the guy at the other end had one handed to him.

Just look at this shot chart:

There's "being kept to the outside" and then there's whatever this is. pic.twitter.com/sFtyT7doqT

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) December 12, 2016

Maybe Holtby smells or something. But even if he does, he couldn’t possibly stink worse than the Canucks did in this one. Which leads us to tonight’s best thing. Emma?

THE BEST THING:

It’s over. The game is over, and you are invited to go do something else. Heck, it’s not even that late. These early road starts are a pain, but the upside is now you have your whole night free to do or watch something a great deal more entertaining than the hockey game we all just endured.

I’ll be honest: I’m not happy about this. I’d been hoping to save the “it’s over” best thing for later in the season. When I started this feature, I always knew it was going to happen at least once — it’s been in my back pocket since October. But I honestly didn’t think I’d be considering it, like, once a week. This Canucks team could stand to be a little more interesting.

For example: here’s Willie Desjardins explaining why he chose to sit one of his top scorers in Sven Baertschi when Jannik Hansen returned to the lineup, which is like getting a new blender and throwing your toaster oven out the window to make room in your kitchen:

#Canucks WD asked about sitting Baertschi: 'no big decision. Somebody had to come out.'

— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) December 12, 2016

That’s it?! “No big decision”?! You scratched your second-line left-winger and replaced him on the second-unit power play with Alex Biega and it’s no big decision? You chose to keep Michael Chaput and Jayson Megna in the lineup over the guy who’s tied for fifth in team scoring. The team generated just 20 shots, and only one in 10 minutes of power play time while one of the team’s most dynamic players sat in the press box, and all you’ve got is “somebody had to come out”?

@patersonjeff the 2016/2017 Canucks plan is essentially "meh"

— Ottokickeditin (@ottokickeditin) December 12, 2016

Not a whole lot of passion in the Canucks organization right now.

Anyway. Since that’s a pretty weak best thing, here’s tonight’s runner-up: this picture of the Sedins eating breakfast, which is so eerily symmetrical it doesn’t even look real.



Capitals 3 Canucks 0: Ovechkin, Caps punish road-weary Canucks

BEN KUZMA


Last Updated: December 11, 2016 5:29 PM PST


WASHINGTON, D.C. — One in, one out. One with tightness, one with a bigger workload.

In the wild rollercoaster ride that is the Vancouver Canucks, these are not surprising developments. They’re almost expected when you think of what this National Hockey League team has already endured this season — both good and mostly bad — by playing well enough to be competitive but not well enough to win.

Even the return of Jannik Hansen after missing 16 games with a high rib fracture near the collarbone wasn’t enough and it was tempered Sunday by the scratching of Sven Baertschi. And that lower-body tightness Ryan Miller suffered Thursday in Tampa hasn’t lessened to the point where he could have faced the Capitals.

So, Jacob Markstrom played back-to-back games in less than 24 hours — the Canucks didn’t arrive here from Florida until 3 a.m. — and the backup looked like a starter by keeping his club in it until an expected 3-0 setback. It was the fourth game in six days for an exhausted club that was outshot 29-20.

And if the Canucks haven’t had enough of losing on the road — their 4-10-1 mark is 10th worst — they certainly had enough of Alex Ovechkin. The king of the one-timer slapper showed just as quick of a release with a lethal wrist shot Sunday. It’s how the Russian winger opened scoring in the first period with a laser that surprised Markstrom on the short side.

“It (shot) comes off a little different and he’s known for shooting high, too,” said Markstrom. “Your first thought is to almost take away the top part of the net and he got it under the blocker. Frustrating. One you want back for sure.”

It’s also how Ovechkin nearly made it a two-goal bulge in the second period before his deft touch with the puck in the third made it 2-0.

Markstrom made a blocker save at the side of the net and Ovechkin effortlessly tipped the rebound back into the slot for a tic-tac-goal for Justin Williams. Then came the empty-netter and then a disallowed last-minute goal. And while Markstrom was keeping the Canucks in it, a woeful power play did nothing to help turn the tide.

An 0-for-5 performance with the man advantage was as painful as watching the top line get ground into submission at even strength. It’s also why the run of penalties the Canucks took — hooking, boarding, holding, hooking — spoke to a mounting frustration of continuing to play from behind.

“We didn’t get any kind of a forecheck going and we kept it to a one-goal game on the road in the third, but they were just better than us,” said Daniel Sedin. “And we weren’t good enough on the power play — we could have changed things around and we didn’t get anything going.

“We didn’t even have half a chance.”

And, of course, the Baertschi scratching only adds to the drama of being a good call — or a bad means — of messing with the winger’s fragile confidence.

Baertschi is pointless in three games with just three shots and is coming off a minus-3 performance Saturday in Florida. He did have a career high three points (1-2) on Nov 23. against Anaheim and had two goals in his next three outings.

But something is missing in his game. He’s not tenacious on pucks — blowing snow as they say — and often plays with one hand on the stick.

Yet, on a team struggling with the 27th-ranked offence and 26th-rated power play, his 11 points were fifth-highest heading into Sunday. And that’s what you get in a trying season, always room for debate.

OF NOTE — Anton Rodin (knee) is off to Utica on a conditioning assignment while Joseph LaBate and Andrey Pedan are also bound for the Comets.

WHAT THIS MEANS

Ryan Miller could play Tuesday in Carolina.

The 36-year-old veteran was on the ice Sunday morning and that lower-body tightness, similar to what he experienced following the season opener, appears to be settling down.

“I think it’s probably the same (ailment) and with goaltenders being goaltenders, you never get the full story on it,” said Canucks coach Willie Desjardins. “He came to the bench in Tampa with six minutes remaining and said he was sore, so I took him out. He probably would have fought and played through, but I wasn’t going to take a chance of risking an injury at that point.”

And throwing Thatcher Demko into the fire for his first NHL start Sunday was a non-starter.

“With a short turnaround, our goaltender was going to be busy, so it’s not an ideal spot,” said Desjardins. A group of four muscles called adductors help align hips and legs toward the mid-line of the body and what Miller felt in the season opener was a tightness in the low adductor. That’s usually fatigue.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Four goals in a five-game American Hockey League span is a nice run for Jake Virtanen. It speaks to an improving fitness level because there was work to do just to get the right-winger capable of logging 15 to 18 minutes of minor-league ice with the Utica Comets.

The plan is to give Virtanen on- and off-ice direction, so is he staying put? “For now, I would think,” said Desjardins. “It’s good for him to do that (improve). And a lot of young guys have to go through there and find their game at that level – and he’s one of them.”

IN A WORD

SAVING: Jacob Markstrom made a sharp 5-on-3 save off T.J. Oshie in the slot and followed up with a better 5-on-4 stop off Nicklas Backstrom on a high cross-ice, one-timer.

MISSING: Loui Eriksson, who had not scored in five previous games, whiffed on a perfect power-play, cross-ice saucer pass with the Canucks down 1-0 in the second period.

FRUSTRATING: Daniel Sedin took a first-period hooking penalty on Oshie and then a holding minor in the same frame to illustrate the level of frustration in trying to play from behind.

ADVANCED STATS

-9: Combined even strength Corsi for Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Jannik Hansen after two periods — they were each a minus-3 — as the line struggled and looked to be running on fumes agains the well-rested Capitals.

12: First-period goals for the Canucks, which ranks last in the NHL. The Capitals have 25 goals in the first period which ranks sixth. It’s why Vancouver keeps playing catch-up.

29: Number of games it took Brandon Sutter to take his first minor penalty. The hooking infraction came 15 seconds into the second period and gave the Capitals a 5-on-3 for 1:19.

72: Consecutive number of games, not including injuries, that Sven Baertschi had played before being a healthy scratch Sunday. He last sat Dec. 5, 2015 against Boston.

NEXT GAME

Vancouver wraps up its five-game road trip on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes: 4 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, TSN 1040 AM.



Canucks Game Day: The return of Hansen, the crease conundrum, the skinny on Skille

BEN KUZMA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Points to ponder as Jannik Hansen returns after missing 16 games with a collarbone injury from that questionable Morgan


Rielly hit. The Canucks didn’t skate Sunday morning, but Ryan Miller tested lower-body tightness he suffered Thursday in Tampa. If he’s not ready, it’s back-to-back games for Jacob Markstrom and not the first NHL start for Thatcher Demko. (2 p.m., Sportsnet, TSN1040):

When you watch Henrik and Daniel Sedin labour to exit their own zone, methodically zig-zag through the neutral zone and finally get into the offensive end of things, you think one thing: Get well soon, Jannik Hansen.

It’s the winger’s speed — especially his first few strides — that gets the Sedins going because of that quick transition. In short, he forces the twins to get in the right positions in a hurry and he knows how to get the best out of them. As much as Canucks coach Willie Desjardins has first-line options in Brandon Sutter and Loui Eriksson, he should and will start Hansen with the twins.

So, this is what we hope to see, or maybe it’s just me. And Brendan Gaunce or Michael Chaput in the middle of the fourth line is a coin toss:

Playing on the first line is harder that it looks, but Hansen makes it look easy. Speed does that. So does having a feel for the way the twins like to cycle and knowing how to complement them.

“That’s one of biggest things,” said Hansen, who has two goals and four assists in a dozen games. “You’re not seeing the third pairing, you’re seeing checkers and guys who make sure they don’t get scored on and with them (Sedins), there’s a rotation based on production. Pure and simple.”

Desjardins will confirm his starter during pre-game availability and sounded like he didn’t want to put the weight of the world on prize prospect Thatcher Demko.

The 2014 second-round draft pick is on an American Hockey League 5-1-0 roll with the Utica Comets — a 1.50 goals-against average and .945 saves percentage in that span — and is 7-5-1 overall with a 2.59 GAA and .909 saves percentage.

If anything, Demko should be able to handle any twists of goaltending fate. He studied sports psychology at Boston College.

“I was drawn to it because it studies human behaviour, which I find pretty interesting,” said Demko. “It’s good for a goalie, that’s what I’ve heard.”

What will be good for Miller, is to learn whether it’s just a matter for rest or if something else is at play with his second bout of lower-body tightness this season.

He complained of the same when a shootout save off Johnny Gaudreau forced him to extend his body in the season opener.

“This is not an injury, it’s more that a muscle didn’t want to settle down and you’ve got to let it relax,” he said at the time. “As a goalie, you probably feel this way 10 times a season where you might be tight today and the next day make sure my back and hips are lined up and get the right kind of recovery. Once you get the rest you’re fine.”

And, quite frankly, do you really want to push hard post to post today to get over in time for one of those Alex Ovechkin one-time bombs if you’re not quite right? We’ll see. Ovechkin has a dozen goals, including four on the power play.

HOLY SKILLE, LOOK AT THAT SKILL

Jack Skille ran over Colton Sceviour on a mad rush Saturday, split two defenders and went short side on Roberto Luongo. Three goals in his last two games and a pair that made the highlight reel. What gives?

Skille has been working with Canucks sports psychologist Dr. David Cox and maybe that has something to do with his recent scoring finish because he’s always been able to get to the net.

Jack Skille has three goals in his last two games and two were highlight-reel efforts.

Jack Skille has three goals in his last two games and two were highlight-reel efforts.

However, Skille isn’t the only first-round draft pick who had to tailor his game. He had 23 goals in the 2009-10 season with the Rockford IceHogs, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him seventh overall in 2005. But his future was going to be more grease than goals.

However, eight goals in 74 games with Colorado Avalanche last season piqued the Canucks’ curiousity for a depth player. Add a willingness to put the mind in sync with the body and you get a well-adjusted pro, even with career uncertainty at age 29.

“When you’re content with your play, that’s when everything starts going downhill and I refuse to get to that point,” stressed Skille, who has three goals in 21 games after turning a professional tryout into a one-year, one-way $700,000 US deal.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 12.12.2016


Willes’s Musings: Markstrom on the mark, but power play pitiful

ED WILLES

December 11, 2016

December 11, 2016 6:58 PM PST

With Christmas getting closer, here are the both holly and jolly Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of sports.

— Since snapping their nine-game losing streak a month ago, the Vancouver Canucks are 8-7-1 in their last 16 games and have surrendered 48 goals while scoring 45.

On Sunday they dropped a 3-0 decision to the Washington Capitals, a game in which they did some decent things five-on-five and got a standout game from goalie Jacob Markstrom. But the Caps got all the offence they needed on a first-period power goal by Alex Ovechkin, while the Canucks’ power play went 0-for-5, looking pitiful in the process.

All in all, the effort was OK. Ultimately, it wasn’t good enough and that pretty much sums up the Canucks to this point of their season. They’re not an abject disaster but they’re just not good enough on a night-in, night-out basis, largely because their best players aren’t good enough and they don’t have enough depth to compensate for their lack of firepower.

Injured defencemen Chris Tanev and Alex Edler might improve things marginally when they return but they’re not going to make a big difference. These are the Canucks of 2016-17. Might as well get used to it.

— It’s also pretty easy to sum up the Seattle Seahawks this year and, come to think of it, virtually every year of the Pete Carroll era.

Green Bay Packers' Jeff Janis celebrates his touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Green Bay, Wis.

It’s possible they can still fight their way to Houston and the big game. It’s just not probable.

— In the great and unending debate, the NHL will give you any number of reasons why they’re not interested in participating in the Winter Olympics. You can recite them all by heart but never once is this mentioned: The vast majority of hockey fans want the game’s best players in the Olympics.

Isn’t that more important than who pays the insurance costs?

— A while ago, The Hockey News theorized that old friend Roberto Luongo needed 500 career wins to make the Hall of Fame.

That would make him a lock. But if his career ends today, Luongo should still be enshrined in the hallowed Hall. Following his 4-2 win over the Canucks on Saturday, the Florida Panthers goalie now sits with 446 career victories, which is sixth on the all-time list, just one behind Terry Sawchuk. He’s also fifth all-time in games played and should move past Ed Belfour and Sawchuk this season into, yikes, the third spot.


Understandably, this is a different era but it’s still something to see Luongo ahead of immortals like Sawchuk, Glenn Hall, Jacques Plante and Tony Esposito on the all-time list.

He’s now 37 and will need another full season to join Marty Brodeur and Patrick Roy as the only goalies to win 500 games. But his career has been defined by durability and consistency and 500 wins would be the ultimate testament to those qualities.

— Back in the early 2000s, I drove to Glen Falls, N.Y., from Montreal to interview Bill Dineen for my book on the WHA. The old hockey man wasn’t in great health at the time but he came alive when he started telling stories about building the Houston Aeros and bringing Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty to Houston.

Dineen spent five decades in the game. He won two Stanley Cups as a player, two AVCO Cups with the Aeros and two Calder Cups in the AHL. He was a player, coach, GM and scout and three of his sons — Kevin, Gord and Peter — played in the NHL. He passed away on Saturday after a life well-lived and the outpouring of emotion from the hockey world was immediate and heartfelt.

We’re losing too many of them, these men who built the game, but Dineen’s legacy lives on.

— Finally, the B.C. Lions built their 1985 Grey Cup team around an extraordinary group of players with deep ties to this city and province. Lui Passaglia, Glen Jackson, Nick Hebeler and John Pankratz are all Vancouver guys who went to Simon Fraser. Linebacker Kevin Konar is from Vancouver and went to UBC. Al Wilson, the indestructible centre, is from Duncan and went to Montana State. Offensive lineman Gerald Roper is another Vancouverite who went to Utah State. Nelson Martin is from Toronto but played at SFU.

Rick Klassen, pointing to his picture on a Lions dream team in 2003, passed away on Saturday. Gerry Kahrmann/PNG files Gerry Kahrmann / Province

Rick Klassen was a charter member of that group. A native of Sardis, Klassen was recruited by SFU as a running back, switched to the offensive line by head coach Bob De Julius then moved to the defensive line when he joined the Lions. An undersized tackle with a non-stop motor, Klassen was a key member of the Leos’ defence for a decade.

“It was an attacking defence and they were character guys, on and off the field,” said Passaglia. “They played with heart and they loved playing for Don (head coach Matthews). He let them loose.”

Klassen passed away on Saturday at 57 after a lengthy battle with cancer. It was far too soon to lose a man who still had so much to offer but, in his last months, he was able to reconnect with so many of his former teammates.

“A lot of those guys came to visit with Rick,” said Lions VP George Chayka, his lifelong friend who grew up with Klassen, went to SFU with him and represented him as an agent. “It really lifted him up.

“Those guys had a bond. Everyone goes their own direction (after retirement) but when you go through something like that (illness), it gives them a chance to relive those memories. It’s a magical thing.”

It’s said of championship teams they walk together, forever. Those men, Klassen and his friends, will always have that.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 12.12.2016

1038069 Washington Capitals

Capitals reassign defenseman Aaron Ness to American Hockey League affiliate

By Isabelle Khurshudyan

December 11 at 1:35 PM

The Washington Capitals have reassigned defenseman Aaron Ness to their American Hockey League, a good sign defenseman Matt Niskanen is progressing well from his upper-body injury.

Niskanen’s availability for Friday’s game is questionable, as he has to pass NHL concussion protocol before he can play. But since Washington is playing at home, the team doesn’t need an extra healthy defenseman, and that the Capitals have sent down Ness is an encouraging sign for Niskanen’s status for the Capitals’ upcoming road trip to New York on Tuesday.

Ness, 26, registered two assists in eight games with the Capitals last season. He has registered nine points (three goals and six assists) in 17 games with Hershey this season. Ness was drafted by the Islanders in the second round, 40th overall, in the 2008 NHL Draft and has recorded five points (one goal and four assists) in 37 career NHL games with the Islanders and Washington.

Isabelle Khurshudyan

Washington Post LOADED: 12.12.2016


Capitals’ special teams shine in 3-0 win over Vancouver

By Isabelle Khurshudyan

December 11 at 8:12 PM

Alex Ovechkin collected the rebound off goaltender Jacob Markstrom’s pads and passed the puck to Evgeny Kuznetsov in the slot. Kuznetsov could have shot it from there, but he instead found Justin Williams, whose high shot from the left faceoff circle completed the tic-tac-toe play.

That goal lifted the Washington Capitals to a two-goal cushion en route to a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Verizon Center to extend their winning streak to four games. This one was delivered by stellar special teams play and then sealed with a productive night by the Kuznetsov line. On a night the entire team played well defensively, goaltender Braden Holtby made 20 saves for his second shutout.

“We seem to be trending in the right direction,” Williams said. “We’ve won four in a row, but we’ve played better in every game that we’ve won so far.”

Controlling possession most of the night when on the ice, the trio of Kuznetsov, Ovechkin and Williams scored its third goal in as many games, in large part because of the improving play of Kuznetsov. His assist on Williams’s third-period goal was his fourth in the past three games and the 100th of his career.

Was Williams surprised Kuznetsov passed up a strong scoring chance?

“The whole arena was surprised,” Williams said. “I certainly wasn’t expecting that, but all of a sudden you have a gaping net. You have to be ready when Kuzy has the puck because he makes plays you don’t necessarily think are coming.”

Said Coach Barry Trotz: “That was pretty nice. The guys would use the word that it was ‘sick.’ ”

Before that even-strength score, the Capitals had leaned on their special teams. The power play got off to a slow start this season but has recently heated up. In the past week, it had helped the Capitals bank valuable points; Washington had scored four man-advantage goals in the past four games entering Sunday night’s contest, a big part of the team’s winning streak. The power play found the back of the net twice against Buffalo on Friday night.

T.J. Oshie drew a hooking call by Daniel Sedin 12:17 into the first period, and the Capitals’ second unit got the first shift of the power play, showcasing an inverted look on which the player one-timing shots was


on the right side. When the first unit jumped onto the ice, Ovechkin and his one-timer were in the left faceoff circle, like normal.

The puck cycled around with defenseman John Carlson passing it over to Ovechkin in his sweet spot, and Ovechkin beat Markstrom with a wrist shot. That lifted Washington to a 1-0 lead 13:46 into the game, and it marked Ovechkin’s 200th career power-play goal. He’s the 18th player to reach that milestone. The goal ended a seven-game drought for Ovechkin.

“I had pretty good chances the last couple of games, but sometimes the puck just don’t want to go in,” Ovechkin said. “Obviously, I’ve been in this situation before, and it was not frustrating and all that kind of stuff. You just have to fight through it and maybe get a lucky one or from power play.”

That gave the Capitals 10 power-play goals in the past 12 games. But after the Capitals’ power play was the star of the first period, the penalty kill shined in the second period when Washington put itself in a precarious position by taking three second-period minor penalties while clinging to a one-goal lead. On five power plays, the Canucks forced Holtby to make just one save.

“Our penalty kill is doing a really good job,” Trotz said. “I just don’t want them to be really good five times a night. Once or twice a night would be enough.”

It was a quiet night for Holtby, who faced just 12 shots through two periods. The Canucks didn’t have a shot for the final 15:23 of the second period. In the third frame, Washington gave its goaltender some cushion with a goal from Williams and an empty-net one from Wilson, but he ultimately didn’t need it.

“That was one of our best games of the year,” Holtby said. “. . . It was a very well-rounded game. Our last two games have been fairly good. We’re going in the right direction.”

Washington Post LOADED: 12.12.2016


Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby team up to lead Capitals past Canucks

By David Ginsburg

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Alex Ovechkin ended a scoring drought, reached another milestone and - most importantly — helped the Washington Capitals notch their fourth straight victory.

Ovechkin scored a power-play goal in the first period and Braden Holtby made it stand up, stopping 20 shots to carry the Capitals past the weary Vancouver Canucks 3-0 on Sunday night.

Washington nursed a 1-0 lead until Ovechkin earned an assist on a goal by Justin Williams with just under 15 minutes left. Tom Wilson sealed the win by scoring into an empty net with 52 seconds remaining.

“That was one of our best games of the year, obviously,” said Holtby, who was rarely tested in his 25th career shutout.

Ovechkin’s goal was his first in eight games, a wrist shot from the left circle at 13:46 of the opening period. He became the 18th player in NHL history with 200 career power-play goals.

It was his 13th goal of the season, the first since he completed a hat trick the night before Thanksgiving.

“Obviously I’ve been in this situation before. I just have to fight through it and maybe get a lucky one on the power play,” Ovechkin said. “Right now the most important thing (is) we get two points. It doesn’t matter who scores, who’s not scoring.”

And reaching 200 power-play goals?

“It’s big number, obviously,” he said.

On the other end of the ice, Holtby and Washington’s defense teamed to kill Vancouver’s five power plays.

“We were really strong tonight, using each other on the ice to clear pucks, making it very tough on them to enter the zone,” Holtby said. “That’s the signs of a penalty kill that’s working together and on the same page. It was phenomenal tonight.”

The Canucks were playing their second game in less than 24 hours and fourth in six days. Vancouver hastily traveled up the East Coast after losing to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

“I think the schedule got to Vancouver a little bit,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. “They had a real good push in the first (period) and we sort of just started to overwhelm them as the game went on.”

Vancouver kept it close but simply couldn’t find a way to put the puck past Holtby, who has two shutouts this season.

“We kept it a one-goal game into the third, but overall they were better than us,” said Canucks center Henrik Sedin, who dismissed the notion that the team was tired.

“The most frustrating part is our power play,” he said.

Jacob Markstrom started in goal for veteran Ryan Miller, who missed a second straight game with an undisclosed injury.

The 6-foot-6 Markstrom had 38 saves against Florida and followed it up with another solid performance, stopping 26 shots by Washington. But he received no help from an attack that has been blanked five times this season.

“It’s just tough right now. We’ve got to come together as a group,” Markstrom said. “I felt really good before the game today. It’s frustrating. You want to help the team to win.”

NOTES: Washington swept the two-game season series and has won four straight over Vancouver. … Trotz coached in his 1,387th NHL game, passing Mike Keenan for ninth place on the career list. … Vancouver RW Jannik Hansen returned after missing 16 games with an upper body injury. … T.J. Oshie played in his 100th game with Washington. … Capitals D Matt Niskanen was back after missing one game with an injury. … The Canucks have been outscored 21-12 in the first period. … Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov registered the 100th assist of his career on Williams’ goal.

Washington Times LOADED: 12.12.2016


MATT NISKANEN TO RETURN FOR THE CAPITALS VS. VANCOUVER ON SUNDAY

By Tarik El-Bashir

December 11, 2016 3:19 PM

Matt Niskanen will return from a one-game absence Sunday against the Canucks, Coach Barry Trotz said.

The Capitals defenseman was injured in the first period of Wednesday’s game against Boston when he was checked headfirst into the boards by Patrice Bergeron. Niskanen did not return to that game, missed practice Thursday and did not travel with the team to Buffalo for Friday’s game.

Niskanen was in the NHL’s concussion protocol, but Trotz would not say whether the 30-year-old actually suffered a head injury. Trotz would only say that Niskanen passed the required steps and that the injury is “upper body” in nature.

Niskanen’s quick return should not come as a surprise. He practiced on Saturday and afterward reported feeling fine.


“He’s one of the most underrated defensemen in the league,” Trotz said. “He doesn’t get a lot of fanfare. He doesn’t look for that. He doesn’t want notoriety or anything like that. He’s just one of those guys that stabilizes and fixes a lot of ailments for a team, especially on the backend.”

Trotz added: “I can’t say how much he does mean to us, not only on the ice but in the locker room.”

Trotz would not say which defenseman will come out of the lineup to make room for Niskanen.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 12.12.2016


3 BOLD PREDICTIONS: CAPS LOOK TO HIT THEIR STRIDE AGAINST VANCOUVER

By J.J. Regan

December 11, 2016 11:21 AM

The Washington Capitals will look to win their fourth in a row as they host the Vancouver Canucks.

Here are three bold predictions for Sunday's game (CSN, 5 p.m.):

1. The Caps will score four or more goals

Don't look now, but the Caps are hitting their stride on offense. Washington has won three straight with 11 goals in those three wins. On Friday T.J. Oshie scored in his second game back from injury, John Carlson scored his first of the season and Jakub Vrana scored the first goal of his career. Vancouver, meanwhile, is 23rd in the NHL in goals against.

2. Both Sedins will register a point

Henrik and Daniel Sedin have combined for 12 points in the past six games and are Vancouver's two leading scorers. When the Caps and Canucks last played in October, neither twin managed a point. Considering how much Vancouver's offense relies on the Sedins, Washington won't be able to keep them off the scoresheet for a second time.

3. Alex Ovechkin will score a goal

Ovechkin has not scored in seven games. With the rest of the offense starting to produce, Ovechkin will finally find room to work with and finally score goal No. 13 of the season.



WITH MATT NISKANEN GETTING HEALTHY, CAPITALS RE-ASSIGN AARON NESS

By Tarik El-Bashir

December 11, 2016 10:28 AM

The Capitals have re-assigned defenseman Aaron Ness to Hershey, Washington announced on Sunday morning.

Ness was recalled last week and traveled with the team to Buffalo for Friday's game as insurance since Matt Niskanen stayed home as he went through the NHL’s concussion protocol.

Ness did not suit up against the Sabres.

It’s unclear what the move means for Niskanen, but it seems to suggest that he’s close to returning. He practiced with the team on Saturday and said afterward that he felt good.

The Capitals will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they host the Canucks later Sunday. Capitals GameTime begins at 4:30 p.m. on CSN. Puck drop is set for 5.

Niskanen was injured Wednesday night when he was checked into the boards headfirst by Patrice Bergeron.

Coach Barry Trotz is scheduled to meet with reporters at 3 p.m. At that time, he’ll likely update Niskanen’s status.



AFTER A SLOW START, THE CAPITALS' POWER PLAY IS STARTING TO CLICK

By Tarik El-Bashir

December 11, 2016 9:22 AM

Since enduring a protracted dry spell in early November, the Capitals’ power play has begun to resemble the dangerous unit that in past seasons helped bolster the team’s offense.

In fact, over the past nine games, the power play has struck at least once in six of those contests. Over the past four games, it's been even more effective, procuding a total of four goals, including the pair it potted in Friday’s 4-1 win over the Sabres.

“They’re getting some confidence by having some success,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “[Questions were] asked of me every day. And we said, ‘We’re doing good things, so just stay with it.’ They stayed with it.”

Entering Sunday’s showdown with the Canucks, who are coming off a 4-2 loss in South Florida on Saturday night, the Capitals’ power play had jumped up to slightly-more-respectable 16th in the NHL, with a success rate of 16.7-percent.

It’s still a far cry from the top-5 spot that the unit has become accustomed to occupying in recent years. But it’s progress.

“We’ve done pretty good things out there,” said defenseman John Carlson, who scored his first goal of the season, on the man advantage, against Buffalo. “Like my personal [offensive struggles], we could definitely be better. We could work harder and give each other better passes and stuff like that.”

“But,” he added, “it’s good to get some mojo back and get a little life into that thing. It’s been a big part of our team, so we knew we needed to definitely turn that around.”

There have been some subtle structural changes to the power play in recent weeks. There have been some personnel tweaks, as well. There has also seemed to be a greater commitment to getting to the net, setting screens and hunting for second opportunities. Alex Ovechkin has the most power goals with four, though six different players, including Brett Connolly and Jakub Vrana, have scored on the man advantage over the past eight contests.

And while all of that factors in, the biggest difference, according to Trotz and Carlson, has been the players’ growing belief that the puck will go in. That increased confidence allows them to play a bit looser, a little faster and, most important, a tick more decisively.

“They knew that the skill level hadn’t changed,” Trotz said. “The holes [in the opponent’s penalty kill] hadn’t changed. They’re tweaking it in terms of a few things, but it was just staying with the plan and not throwing it out the door. They just stayed with the plan and executed and now pucks are starting to go in.”


Trotz added: “They’ve got a little confidence. [During Friday’s morning skate] they were throwing it around and, as coaches, we were saying, ‘They’re starting to feel it again.’ This game is a lot about confidence…and they were lacking a little bit of trust in their own game. They’re starting to trust their game again.”



JUSTIN WILLIAMS REDISCOVERS HIS SCORING TOUCH AS THE CAPS REDISCOVER THEIR WINNING WAYS

By Tarik El-Bashir


Over the past week, Justin Williams has begun to resemble the Justin Williams that amassed 22 goals and 30 assists a season ago. And that’s a huge development for the player, who is due to become a free agent at season’s end, and the team, which will need his offensive contributions to realize its full potential.

Williams now has four points (three goals and one assist) during the Capitals’ four-game winning streak after ripping a shot past Jakob Markstrom in the third period of Sunday’s 3-0 victory over visiting Vancouver.

“I don’t know about ‘it’,” Williams joked when asked if he starting to feel it a little bit more these days. “But I’m feeling better with the puck. A little more composed. Making plays with a little more confidence out there, absolutely.”

“I’m hoping do to do a lot more,” he added, “because this team needs me to.”

Sunday’s goal finished off a pretty, if slightly confounding, play. After Markstrom stopped Dmitry Orlov’s point shot, the puck squirted out to Alex Ovechkin, who made a deft touch pass to Evgeny Kuznetsov as the centerman cruised down the slot. But instead of shooting the puck himself, Kuznetsov tapped the puck through three Canucks over to Williams in the circle.

Williams wasn’t expecting the pass. But he’s played with Kuznetsov long enough to know to keep his stick on the ice. At all times. Just in case.

“I think the whole arena was surprised,” Williams said of Kuzy’s pass. “I certainly wasn’t expecting that. Then all of a sudden you have a gaping net. You have to be ready when Kuzy has the puck the puck because he makes plays that you don’t necessarily think are coming. He has great vision and that was a prime example.”

Coach Barry Trotz cracked: “I’m not surprised [when] we don’t shoot sometimes. I’ve seen it up close and personal.”

Trotz also is not surprised that Williams, a 16-year NHL veteran, has found his way out of a slump that saw him score just one goal in the first 15 games.

“They’re just starting to go in for ‘Stick’ now,” Trotz said, calling Williams by his nickname. “His work ethic has been consistent. You get some payback if you just stay with it, and he’s stayed with it.”

Now 27 games into the campaign, Williams has five goals and three assists.

Indeed, Stick is starting to heat up. So, too, are the Caps. And not a moment too soon for either.

“We seem to be trending in the right direction,” he said. “We’ve won four in a row, but I think we’ve played better in every game that we’ve won so far. I’m happy with that. I’m happy we were able to shut the game down tonight as we did.”



STRONG DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE LEADS TO 'ONE OF OUR BEST GAMES OF THE YEAR'

By J.J. Regan


The Washington Capitals got points from, among others, Alex Ovechkin, Justin Williams, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson on Sunday. Yet, it wasn't the offense that carried the team to the 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. And it wasn't just another spectacular effort from Braden Holtby in net.

It took only 20 saves for Holtby to record his second shutout as the Caps completely stifled the offense of the Canucks with a strong defensive performance.

"That was a good job," head coach Barry Trotz said. "Anytime you can force them to make plays that they couldn't, they're sort of a board to board team and we had a lot of bodies in the middle of the ice and I think it took away from their ability to do some things."

The key wasn't how the Caps played in the defensive zone, but in the neutral zone where they were able to clog things up to prevent clean entries by Vancouver.

"I thought we did a good job of denying entry or not letting them get set up," Matt Niskanen said. "... They never really got comfortable in a good set up where they're working the puck around. We had the heat on them with pressure and cleared the puck and kind of kept them off balance all night."

The defensive effort also translated to the penalty kill where Washington was able to kill off all five of Vancouver's power plays on the night while giving up only one shot on goal.

"Using each other on the ice to clear pucks, make it very tough for them to enter the zone, that's signs of a penalty kill that's working together and on the same page and that was phenomenal tonight," Holtby said.

The team did acknowledge that the task of shutting down the Canucks' offense was made easier by the schedule. Sunday was the second half of a back-to-back for Vancouver and its third game in four nights.

But Sunday's game does not mark the first time this season Washington has committed to strong defense.

On a team with superstar players like Ovechkin, Backstrom and Kuznetsov, it can be easy to overlook just how well the team is playing defensively. After Sunday's game, Washington ranks second in the NHL in goals against (2.11) and sixth in shots against (28.1).

Holtby said of Sunday's game, "That was one of our best games of the year."

It didn't take an Ovechkin hat trick or a five-point night from Backstrom. All it took was a strong team effort on the other end of the ice.



CAPS BLANK CANUCKS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN

By J.J. Regan



The Caps won their fourth game in a row as they held the Vancouver Canucks off the scoreboard in a 3-0 victory on Sunday.

How it happened: Washington took the lead in the first period thanks to a power-play goal from Alex Ovechkin. John Carlson found Ovechkin in his office from the point, but the pass came in too far behind Ovechkin for the one-timer. Instead he took the pass and fired off a wrister that beat Markstrom and put the Caps up 1-0. The goal snapped a seven-game drought for the Great 8. The Caps added an insurance marker in the third period as Evgeny Kuznetsov passed up a golden opportunity in front of the net to Justin Williams who finished off the play anyway. Tom Wilson added an empty-netter in the third period and Braden Holtby did the rest.

What it means: The win was the fourth straight for the Capitals who look back on track after dropping three straight earlier in the month. Washington also now has four straight wins over Vancouver.

Goalie duel: Holtby turned aside 20 shots to earn his second shutout of the season and the 25th of his career. He was largely untested for much of the game. Jacob Markstrom looked shaky in the first period and seemed to struggle tracking the puck initially, but rebounded for some very big saves in the second period to keep the Canucks in the game. He did not get much help from his offense, however, and took the loss despite 26 saves saves on 28 shots.

Another milestone for Ovechkin: Ovechkin’s first-period power play goal was the 200th of his NHL career. He is now only one of 18 players in NHL history to reach that number. Former Caps Mike Gartner (217) and Dino Ciccarelli (232) also surpassed 200 power play goals in their career. Ovechkin now sits just one goal shy of passing Mark Recchi and four goals from Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin still has some work to do to catch the all-time leader Dave Andreychuk’s mark of 274.

Staying hot: When the Caps were struggling to find offense, Nicklas Backstrom stepped up and carried the team. Now that the offense is starting to wake up, however, Backstrom remains red hot. With his assist Sunday, the veteran center has four points in his last three games and 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) in his last 13 games.

They're back: Carlson had a slow start to the season offensively, but he seems to have put those struggles behind him. With his first period assist, Carlson now has four points in his last five games, including the first goals of the season which he scored Friday in Buffalo. Kuznetsov's struggles of late have also been well documented, but he also seems to be getting hot offensively. He now has four assists in the past three games and a season-best four-game point streak.

Earning his spot: Jakub Vrana liked scoring his first NHL goal so much, he tried everything he could Sunday to earn another. Vrana fired four shots on goal, good for the second most among either team. That does not even include blistering one-timer that just missed the net. The shot was so hard all Markstrom could do was watch and hope it wasn't on target. Vrana was a constant offensive threat with seven shot attempts for the game.

Canuck killer: Tom Wilson's goal was his second of the season. His last goal came on Oct. 29 against...Vancouver. Wilson no doubt will be disappointed Sunday's game marks the last time these two teams will meet this season.

Look ahead: Washington hits the road for a two-game swing against Metropolitan Division foes away from Verizon Center starting on Tuesday. The Caps will be in Brooklyn to take on the Islanders then face the Hurricanes in Carolina on Friday. The Caps return home Saturday as they host Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens.


1037948 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Notebook: Line changes at top; Bogosian skates

By John Vogl

Published Sun, Dec 11, 2016

The Sabres need goals. Dan Bylsma hopes changing the scoring lines will help.

The coach swapped the right wingers on Buffalo’s top two lines Sunday. Kyle Okposo joined center Jack Eichel and left wing Evander Kane. Sam Reinhart moved alongside center Ryan O’Reilly and left wing William Carrier.

They’re expected to remain that way Tuesday when the Los Angeles Kings come to town.

“A little shakeup in the lines and combinations,” Bylsma said in HarborCenter. “Evander, Jack and Kyle, give them a chance to see what they can do as a line.”

Okposo has been one of the Sabres’ most productive players. He scored the lone goal during Friday’s 4-1 loss to Washington, giving him four goals and eight points in nine games.

Okposo may help reinvigorate Eichel, who has one assist in the last four games. He’s cooled off since coming back from his ankle injury with three goals and four points in two games.

Reinhart has been kept off the score sheet in three straight after a run of two goals and seven points in six games. O’Reilly has three-game point streak, recording four assists during the span.

The other lines featured Johan Larsson in the middle of Marcus Foligno and Brian Gionta, and a four-man rotation of Zemgus Girgensons, Matt Moulson, Derek Grant and Nicolas Deslauriers.

While goals from the top of the lineup will help, the Sabres need some from other forwards, too. Girgensons has one goal in 16 games. Moulson has been blanked in the last eight. Larsson has two goals and no assists in the last 16.

“I think it will come,” said Larsson, whose line usually faces the opponents’ top scorers. “Clean up our own end first and think about offense later. There’s a balance there. We want to be good defensively. First of all, we want to be that, but we want to score goals, too."

----------

While the Sabres went through an hourlong workout on the main rink in HarborCenter, injured defenseman Zach Bogosian skated in full uniform with rehab and development coach Dennis Miller on the secondary rink.

“He’s ramping up his skating from being on the ice to being on the ice with gear,” Bylsma said. “His skating level is going higher here. Hopefully, he continues to progress here.”

Bylsma said there’s no timetable for Bogosian to start practicing with the Sabres. He has been out since suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee Nov. 1.

It’s been one month since forward Tyler Ennis had sports hernia surgery, an operation that could keep him out two months.

“Ennis is doing real well,” Bylsma said. “He’s progressed off the ice. He could very well shortly get to skating, but it would be skating. It wouldn’t be with the team.”

The Sabres’ only other injury is a shoulder ailment for defenseman Taylor Fedun. He will miss his fourth game when the Sabres host the Kings in KeyBank Center.

“Taylor Fedun is doing well, getting better, getting stronger,” Bylsma said. “There’s a possibility maybe after Tuesday’s game of getting on the ice.”

----------

It wasn’t a lazy Sunday at the rink for the Sabres. They did an extended drill in which one group of five tried to keep the puck in the zone, while another group of five tried to clear it. It got intense physically.

“I’m glad that was evident,” Bylsma said. “We really just got down to the basics of what our game is there and how we need to play. I thought the last 20 minutes was how we need to play, and you’re going to see more of that drill from us in practice and hopefully see it in the game.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 12.12.2016



Sabres' Lehner frustrated with one win in last 10 decisions

By John Vogl


Robin Lehner is well-aware he has won only once in his past 10 decisions.

“It’s frustrating,” the Sabres goaltender said Sunday, “but I’ve got to move on and look for the next one.”

It’s likely Lehner will get his chance at another win Tuesday when the Los Angeles Kings come to Buffalo, but there have been increasing calls for Anders Nilsson to get more playing time. Nilsson has won three straight to improve to 5-1-1 in his last seven decisions. Lehner is 1-6-3 since Nov. 7.

It’s a maddening stretch for the netminder, who has seen the losses pile up despite some decent efforts.

“We go through a lot of video, go through a lot of things,” Lehner said in HarborCenter. “There’s a lot of positives this year when it comes to myself and how I play. There’s certain things I’m still adjusting in my game on a daily basis with” goaltending coach Andrew Allen, “and I feel really good in practice.

“There’s not been many bad goals this year. It’s small details. It’s right there. It’s just not bouncing the way I want. I don’t accept that, and I just want to keep going.”

Lehner’s numbers during the 10-game stretch are pedestrian. He has a .914 save percentage and 2.66 goals-against average. But he’s twice taken overtime losses after allowing just one goal in regulation, and he suffered a loss after giving up two goals to Boston.

“He feels that frustration level,” coach Dan Bylsma said. “He really doesn’t give a care about the stats and percentages and whatnot. He’s played real well for us, played steady for us, hasn’t got a lot of run support in a lot of his games. As a result, he hasn’t gotten a lot of wins for us.

“He’s played well, but it’s really all about the wins and losses. We just maybe haven’t been there for him. When he’s played well, we haven’t been there for him to get him the run support to win games.”

During Lehner’s last 10 decisions, the Sabres have scored only 14 goals – and four came in one game. Buffalo has been blanked once and scored only one time in six other games.

“We’re trying,” Lehner said. “As I’ve said before, we’re playing a little bit different in games sometimes, one period a certain way and another period another way. That’s a big thing we’re trying to adjust as a team.

“But yeah, it’s been a little frustrating. I’m trying to let in less and less goals, but it’s tough.”

Opposing goaltenders have a .954 save percentage during Lehner’s slump. Some of that is nice saves, but mostly it’s the Sabres’ inept offense. Buffalo has an NHL-worst shooting percentage of 6.8 percent.

“There’s been a couple of stretches this year where there’s not been many goals,” Lehner said. “We as goalies have to work through it and try to do the best with it.”

While he hasn’t gotten support, Lehner is trying to give as much as he can. He even complimented the Sabres’ penalty-kill unit, which has been pitiful at just 56.3 percent in the last 12 games.

“I really like our penalty kill,” Lehner said. “We’re still doing a lot of good things, but it’s that little bit extra that’s missing. There’s been a bunch of goals where we’ve basically killed off the penalty, and they ended up coming in at the end. It’s like, ‘Uhhh.’ We’re just letting it go for the last little bit and they come up with a goal. It happened last game and a couple games before that.

“We’re letting up a little bit, and maybe we need that extra 5, 10 percent to get an extra blocked shot. The goal in the third period last game, it’s a little bit extra, someone get in front, me knocking over Marcus Johansson in the front of the net, just a little bit extra competitiveness.

“If we’re a little harder that PK, it’s 2-1 and we might have come back and tied it. Who knows?”

The only thing he knows for certain is he got dealt another loss. They’re piling up.

“It sucks,” Lehner said. “There’s no other way of putting it.”



Sabres' Bogosian increases his skating; Ennis progressing

By John Vogl


While the Sabres went through an hourlong workout on the main rink in HarborCenter, injured defenseman Zach Bogosian skated in full uniform with rehab and development coach Dennis Miller on the secondary rink.

“He’s ramping up his skating from being on the ice to being on the ice with gear,” coach Dan Bylsma said Sunday. “His skating level is going higher here. Hopefully, he continues to progress.”

Bylsma said there’s no timetable for Bogosian to start practicing with the Sabres. He has been out since suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee Nov. 1.

It’s been one month since forward Tyler Ennis had sports hernia surgery, an operation that could keep him out for two months.

“Ennis is doing real well,” Bylsma said. “He’s progressed off the ice. He could very well shortly get to skating, but it would be skating. It wouldn’t be with the team.”

The Sabres’ only other injury is a shoulder ailment for defenseman Taylor Fedun. He will miss his fourth game Tuesday when the Sabres host Los Angeles in KeyBank Center.

“Taylor Fedun is doing well, getting better, getting stronger,” Bylsma said. “There’s a possibility maybe after Tuesday’s game of getting on the ice.”



Sabres swap right wingers as Okposo, Reinhart change lines

By John Vogl


The Sabres need more goals, so Dan Bylsma is changing the scoring lines.

Buffalo’s top two lines featured a swap of right wingers Sunday morning. Kyle Okposo joined center Jack Eichel and left wing Evander Kane. Sam Reinhart moved alongside center Ryan O’Reilly and left wing William Carrier.


“A little shakeup in the lines and combinations,” Bylsma said in HarborCenter. “Evander, Jack and Kyle, give them a chance to see what they can do as a line. Sam reunited with Ryan.”

Okposo has been one of the Sabres’ most productive players. He scored the lone goal in Friday’s 4-1 loss to Washington and has four goals and eight points in nine games. He may help reinvigorate Eichel, who has one assist in the last four games after coming back from injury with three goals and four points in two games.

Reinhart has been kept off the score sheet in three straight games after a run of two goals and seven points in six games. O’Reilly has three-game point streak, recording four assists during the span.

The other lines featured Johan Larsson in the middle of Marcus Foligno and Brian Gionta, and a four-man rotation of Zemgus Girgensons, Matt Moulson, Derek Grant and Nicolas Deslauriers.

It wasn’t a lazy Sunday morning at the rink for the Sabres. They did an extended drill in which one group of five tried to keep the puck in the zone, while another group of five tried to clear it. It got intense at times physically.

“I’m glad that was evident,” Bylsma said. “We really just got down to the basics of what our game is there and how we need to play. I thought the last 20 minutes was how we need to play, and you’re going to see more of that drill from us in practice and hopefully see it in the game.”


1038088 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Patrik Laine’s own goal a blip in the grand scheme of things

MARK SPECTOR

DECEMBER 12, 2016, 1:39 AM

“If I look back on my career and ask, ‘Did I make a lot of bonehead plays in my career?’ Well, everybody does. Everybody makes mistakes; everybody does things that they would take back.” — former Oilers defenceman Steve Smith.

Blake Wheeler was standing in front of his stall, arms crossed. He was sour.

About a dozen feet away, the media had gathered around Patrik Laine, who was still peeling off equipment in the moments after a 3-2 loss. Wheeler gazed upon the scene with a menacing scowl, watching the post-game proceedings with visible distaste.

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Laine, as you have no doubt seen by now, had inadvertently fired home the game-winner from the slot while on the back check. It was a definitive own goal in the city that coined the phrase with Steve Smith’s beauty back in 1986, and here was the 18-year-old Finn, bravely facing the media the same way Smith had on the evening of his 23rd birthday some 30 years ago.

“I think everybody saw what happened. That’s my comments,” began Laine, taking a valiant stab at commanding the line of questioning.

Alas son, this is not how it works.

“Were you trying to play it into the corner?” asked a media man. “Did you lose track of where you were? What happened?”

“That’s a good question,” offered Laine. “I kind of tried to get rid of the puck right away. It was just a bad position for me. An unfortunate goal.”

Upon his arrival at the Jets bench, Wheeler had draped an arm around Laine’s shoulders, speaking encouraging words into the ear hole of his helmet. It looked like a big brother protecting his little brother — something Wheeler wanted to do in that post-game media scrum, but simply could not.

“Everyone just said to move on, that there is lots of time left,” Laine recalled. “You can score now to the right end.”

You can score now to the right end.

If only it were that easy, even for this blonde, young marksman who sits third in the National Hockey League with 17 goals.

“He’s done a helluva job for us this year. You just hate to see a guy feel that way after a game,” said Wheeler. “He’s 18 years old. He feels terrible. These things happen. It’s just a bad bounce.”

The problem with technology is, when you watch Sportsnet Central, we will slow down the play until it looks as if Laine had time to chalk his cue prior to the shot. However reality dictates, as Smith told me when we talked for my book The Battle of Alberta, it happened mighty fast in an NHL game.

“At the time it was devastating,” Smith said. “It was a catastrophic result, but it wasn’t from thinking the game incorrectly. It was just the result that made it a memorable play.

“If that’s in the middle of December, nobody remembers that.”

Yesterday was Dec. 11. He’s right. Years from now, we will struggle to recall the night Laine sniped on Connor Hellebuyck.

“Every guy in the National Hockey League’s got a goal like that,” said Jets coach Paul Maurice. “Every defenceman, it goes in off them, so he has a story to tell.”

Who got credited with the goal? Why, who else but former Bonnyville Pontiac (AJHL) Mark Letestu, who has made a tidy career out of playing against Winnipeg.

Letestu has scored five of his six goals this season against Winnipeg, and has nine in 15 games against the Jets. Now he’s even scoring without actually shooting the puck into the Jets goal.

“I’m just trying to get a rebound out there, hoping for Connor (McDavid) or (Milan) Lucic to bang it in,” said Letestu, who hammered the shot that created the rebound. On a night when both teams were finishing an absurd stretch of six games in nine nights, neither teams thought they played very well, frankly.

“Tonight really wasn’t our best effort,” Letestu said. “We were lacklustre for two periods, but then the power play gets a big goal and we catch a break.

“It’s nice to get rewarded on a night you don’t deserve it.”

The Jets have played 32 games in 60 days, something never before foisted upon an NHL club. The Oilers have played only one less game.

Connor McDavid had an assist to stay atop the scoring lead (12-27-39), but for the second time this year was denied a goal when it crossed the line less than one-tenth of a second after the buzzer.

Losing an empty-net goal that way must be a real bummer.

All in all however, McDavid is feeling better this morning than Laine.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 12.12.2016

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Sportsnet.ca / West Coast Bias: Connor McDavid finds his voice

MARK SPECTOR

DECEMBER 10, 2016, 8:44 AM


For those who have lamented Connor McDavid’s refusal to “let the hockey world in” when speaking to the cameras and microphones, complain no longer. It seems he has found his voice this week.

It started in Edmonton last Sunday night when McDavid took on the concussion spotter in New York who pulled him off the ice in a game versus Minnesota.

“I was pretty shocked, to be honest,” McDavid said that night. “Obviously the spotter thought he knew how I was feeling. He pulled me off.”

OK. That was the first time we recalled McDavid actually taking an authority figure to task. Then came Thursday in Philadelphia, where McDavid outed Brandon Manning for telling him on the ice that the play that caused last year’s broken collarbone was somehow intentional. (McDavid’s accusation, not ours.)

“I guess we can put the whole ‘if he did it on purpose’ thing to rest because what he said out there kind of confirmed that,” McDavid said after a 6-5 loss to Philadelphia. “Shows what kind of guy he is when he doesn’t step up and fight some of our guys.”

Wow. Twice in one week.

Personally, we’re more than pleased to see McDavid speaking his mind, rather than simply repeating words learned at media training sessions. There’s a smart, well-spoken young man here who is going to become a major voice for the game of hockey, if he isn’t already. He should have a strong opinion, and fans are better for hearing it.

“It’s good to see he has that emotional fight in him,” Wayne Gretzky told reporters at the board of governors meeting in Florida. “It’s good to see he’s combative, he wants to excel and wants to win. That’s what makes him a great player — he has that competitive spirit.

“He probably felt like he had some liberties taken at him by the young man (Manning), and he spoke out against it. That’s part of being a professional athlete.”

This one is a bit confusing however, because someone appears to be fudging the truth here. I simply can not see McDavid making up the fact that Manning said something to him on the ice. There is just nothing in that for McDavid.

However, after the game Manning denied having said those words. I do not know Manning but people close to the Flyers say he’s a stand-up guy with no reason to fib.

So, we are left to wonder — all the way till Feb. 16, when the Flyers visit Edmonton. Get your tickets now.

•••

No (Trade) Means No

The big news out of Vancouver this week came from general manager Jim Benning, who told the Vancouver Province that he would not ask Canucks veterans with no-trade clauses to waive prior to the trade deadline on Feb. 28.

“I’m not doing it. I’m not going to any one of them to ask them to waive their no-trades,” Benning said. “If they come to me, I will accommodate it and find a trade. But otherwise I’m not going to ask any of them to waive.”

The names with NTCs that Vancouver would move under a rebuilding scenario are Alexandre Burrows, Jannik Hansen, Alexander Edler and Ryan Miller. But that presumes that the Canucks are in rebuild mode — and not in “make the playoffs” mode.

“We need (Edler) in this lineup,” Benning said. “We need Hansen’s speed. And you’ve seen what Burrows has done playing with (Bo) Horvat and (Sven) Baertschi. He’s been really good for them.”

OK — the Canucks think they’re a playoff team and are acting as such. The only problem? If they’re seven points out on Feb. 15 and still sticking to those guns, the Canucks fan base will be apoplectic.

•••

200-Foot Conscience

Nail Yakupov is basically attending Ken Hitchcock Hockey School in St. Louis these days, where you simply do not get put on the ice if you don’t conform to Hitchcock’s rigid style of play.

Yakupov was scheduled to be in the lineup Friday in New Jersey, but was a late scratch. He’s dressed for just six of the past 17 games, counting just an assist and averaging 10 minutes of ice time per night. He is basically the 13th forward in St. Louis, waiting for the inevitable injuries to occur.

When that happens, knowing Hitchcock, Yakupov will either impress the coach and become a genuine member of the Blues, or fail and be pushed to the edges the way another former Oilers first-rounder, Magnus Paajarvi has been.

Hitchcock told me he likes Yakupov’s improved “200-foot conscience” more today than when he arrived from Edmonton in exchange for a third-round pick and 22-year-old Zach Pochiro, who has spent the season in the ECHL.

The third-round draft pick becomes a second-rounder if Yakupov scores 15 goals. Sounds like a distant dream for Oilers fans — he has two to date. But the stat that stands out to me is 15 shots on goal in 18 games.

•••

Owner For A Day

In order to truly appreciate the “Olympic Decision” being made by NHL owners, you must put yourself in their shoes. Pretend you own an NHL team:

• You’re risking your star players’ health. Someone’s best guy — as when John Tavares injured his knee in Sochi — may well come back injured and miss the playoff run. If that costs a team a playoff berth, that’s literally millions of dollars of direct cost to you as an owner.

• Your schedule is compressed. That leads to an inferior product, more injuries, and customer fatigue. In many cities, it puts a dent in your walk-up. Plus, February is when the NFL is over and baseball has yet to start. In the U.S., it is the NHL’s best month to make an impression.

• And here’s the kicker: Pyeongchang, South Korea is 14 time zones east of Eastern Standard Time, and 17 hours removed from Pacific. So when Team Canada or Team USA has a 7 p.m. puck drop, it starts at 5 a.m. in Toronto and 2 a.m. in B.C.

TV ratings will not justify all of the above, and worse, returning players will take a good week to recover from the jet lag.

One more point: As Gary Bettman tries to use Olympic participation to extend the CBA, remember where that was born. It was then-union head Bob Goodenow who agreed to send his players to the Olympics, in exchange for a more player-friendly CBA being extended.

I’m not so sure the NHLPA won’t extend; the players as a whole love the Olympics. There are the 15 per cent of players who get a chance to enjoy the Olympic experience, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for some. But it’s the other 85 per cent that know they’re getting most of two weeks off mid-season — and a warn winter vacation somewhere — who really support the Olympic concept.

•••

Head Qualifications

A quick follow-up on a couple of columns on the NHL’s concussion protocol, with some info on the four central league spotters hired this season. Up to four of the spotters work out of the department of player safety room at the NHL’s New York headquarters every game night.

• All four are certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA).

• All four have bachelor’s degrees from U.S. colleges in sports medicine/athletic training. Three have masters degrees in those fields.

• Two were the head athletic trainers for the hockey program at U.S. colleges.

• Three have been head athletic trainers for teams in U.S. developmental leagues (USHL, ECHL, NAHL).

As deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated, these spotters aren’t there to diagnose concussions, but only to identify when one may have occurred. It’s up to team doctors to diagnose.



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Sportsnet.ca / Bibeau earns passing grade, but Leafs’ backup search continues

GARE JOYCE

DECEMBER 11, 2016, 11:18 PM

Ideally you don’t want to be holding auditions for a backup goalie’s role in mid-season.

If you’re having a run-off for spots at the bottom of your roster, for your fourth line or third blue line pair, knock yourself out.

But if you haven’t established who’s going to work in a back-to-back in the dead of winter, it’s a bit of an issue.

Maybe Antoine Bibeau will emerge as that guy in Toronto but it’s still up for discussion for the Toronto Maple Leafs after their 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Sunday night.

Jhonas Enroth came into the season the presumptive No. 2. In four starts he went 0-3-1 and in all his duty he registered a save percentage of .872 and was giving up just about four goals per 60 minutes. Not good enough. He’s down with the Marlies, trying to find himself.

The Leafs can be forgiven if they have already forgotten where they put him.

So it was Enroth who was waived and then sent down and the 22-year-old Bibeau who was called up and given his shot after putting in the last two full seasons with the AHL affiliate.

It seemed like a good, if not perfect, situation for a rookie to draw his first NHL start.

The Leafs had played the night before and burned up a lot of energy in a 4-1 win in Boston Saturday. No matter, they had to assume the Avalanche would be a dispirited bunch—the Montreal Canadiens had thoroughly tenderized and ground up the young Colorado team 10-1.

And for the first 10 minutes or so, it looked like it would play out that way.

Early on, the home team dominated possession and play in the first period—shots were at one point 16-3 and any real action that Bibeau saw was at the distance of 180 feet or so.

The Leafs buzzed the Avalanche net but couldn’t beat Semyon Varlamov. Not that Varlamov had to be spectacular. Through that stretch he had a couple of four-star but not really a five-star chance to turn aside.

Most of the time Toronto’s shooters were undone by a rolling puck, a bad bounce, a defender just doing enough to bother a shooter to undo a quality chance. The numbers would have been even more one-sided if the home team generated more than a single shot on its two power plays.

The longer the game remained scoreless, the more you had a sense that one goal against the flow of play could suck the air out of the ACC.

Which is exactly as it turned out.

Shots were 20-6 in favour of the Leafs when with two minutes left in the first period, Tyler Bozak took a tripping penalty as a Toronto power play petered out.

On the ensuing Colorado man advantage, Matt Duchene controlled the puck in front of Bibeau and found Mikko Rantanen with a behind-the-back pass and it was 1-0. Oxygen masks should have dropped from the rafters.

For the next 40 minutes, the Leafs’ pace dropped and the Avs played them on fairly level terms. And when Nathan MacKinnon made it 2-zip on a power play with 12 minutes left in regulation, you just had a sense it wasn’t the Leafs’ night.

With a couple of minutes left and playing six skaters to three with Bibeau pulled, Jake Gardiner wired a shot high blocker-side to deny Varlamov the shutout. Despite a blizzard of shots the Avs hung on.

Varlamov turned aside 51 of 52 on the night. Blake Comeau’s empty-netter in the dying seconds sent Leafs fans out into the cold.

After the game, Bibeau wasn’t downcast. Anything but, really.

He talked about his family coming in to see the game that he had worked all his life for. He talked about the excitement in the arena, although it might have been more subdued than he imagined. By Bibeau's reckoning he did what he could. His team did everything but score. In the history of the NHL no team has registered a win doing everything but scoring.

“The boys played so great,” he said. “They had so many chances. They just couldn’t score that second goal."

Mike Babcock gave Bibeau at least a passing grade. It would be pretty harsh not to, given that he turned aside 27 of 29. Yeah, he looked nervous at a couple of points when he was dead cold in the first but he showed more as he went along.

“I thought the kid in net did a really nice job,” Babcock said. “He was square. He looked calm. I thought the release on the second goal … he should have been out a little bit on that.

“He had to make some good saves, not a ton … I just felt comfortable. I wasn’t in panic mode with him in net."

Backing up Frederik Andersen isn’t exactly Bibeau’s job to lose. Even if Bibeau had been able to skate away with a win, you have to suspect that the Leafs will look for another solution, a guy who has put in time in the league.

Karri Ramo, late of Calgary and knee surgery, fits the bill and he’s trying to find his game. Maybe there’s someone available in trade—back-up goaltenders aren’t precious commodities. They are by definition replacement players. Maybe Enroth could get another look.

Bibeau might not even be a replacement-level player—there’s not too much you can read into Sunday night’s game. Still, he’s developing.

He might not be a prime prospect—he’s a sixth-round pick who played with four teams in the QMJHL and he has stuck around a .910 save percentage in the AHL. He might only be an organization player.

But you’d be stunting his development if he were anointed the backup. Worse, you be sending the wrong message to a team that wants to vie for the playoffs.

After all, the No. 2 is a pulled groin or high-ankle sprain away from being the netminder you must ride.


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Sportsnet.ca / Jarome Iginla deserves better before illustrious career ends

ERIC ENGELS

DECEMBER 11, 2016, 7:30 PM

MONTREAL—This is not how we’ll remember Jarome Iginla when he finally decides to retire from a Hall of Fame NHL career.

Don’t mistake Iginla for the guy who’s stuck on three goals and three assists in 26 games this season, dwindling on the NHL’s worst team in Colorado, and playing fourth-line minutes alongside Joe Colborne and Andreas Martinsen.

He is the guy who scored at least 30 goals for 11 straight seasons; the guy who had one of the best slapshots ever taken with a composite stick; the guy who stepped up in the biggest games and seemingly played with


his heart on his sleeve at all times; the guy who took on the biggest, meanest and nastiest players—and smiled as he did it.

“He’s the best power forward I ever played with,” said former teammate Craig Conroy in a phone interview with Sportsnet on Saturday.

Iginla deserved much better in his 1500th game later that evening than to be on the receiving end of the 10-1 smackdown the Montreal Canadiens gave his Avalanche team.

But file that game away with the many others that didn’t matter all that much, because when we think of Iginla we’ll always think of what he did when the chips were down.

So will the guys who know him best.

When Avalanche GM Joe Sakic is asked for his favourite memory of Iginla, he goes straight to when the two of them played on a line with Simon Gagne as members of the Canadian team that was trying to break a 50-year Olympic gold-medal drought in Salt Lake City, in 2002.

“We clicked right away,” said Sakic, who started the tournament on a line with Mario Lemieux and Paul Kariya before being switched in Game 2.

It was the line that came up with the goods in the final, with Sakic and Iginla scoring two goals apiece to help Canada beat the United States 5-2.

“It was the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” said Sakic, who won two Stanley Cups as captain of the Avalanche. “As the tournament went on we seemed to get more comfortable together as a line and [coach] Pat Quinn kept going to us and kept us together and showed that confidence to us, and that last game everything clicked for us. If there was going to be one game where you wanted it to click, that would be the game.

“What a competitor Jarome is. He’s so strong on the puck; great shot but great vision too. He could really make a good pass. You really figure somebody out when you start playing with them and you just see his tendencies, but he’s a true competitor and he did everything really, really well.”

What Iginla’s done best is score goals.

No matter whose uniform he was in—whether it was Calgary’s, Pittsburgh’s, Boston’s, Colorado’s or Canada’s—the image of him uncorking that wicked slapshot of his will be the lasting one.

But Iginla’s leadership has also been a big part of what has distinguished his career to date, and never was it more apparent than when he put the Western Conference's sixth-seeded Calgary Flames on his back and took them to within one win of the Stanley Cup in the spring of 2004.

“In Round 1, we were on the bus from the Vancouver rink to the airport to go back to Calgary after splitting the first two games,” said Denis Gauthier, a defenceman on that Flames team. “Everyone in the back of the bus was talking about how we lost Game 1 and how things were going to get tough for us when Jarome caught everyone’s attention by saying, ‘Hey guys, nobody gave us a chance, but we won Game 2, and [Flames goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff] is better than their goalie [Dan Cloutier], this guy is better than that guy, and we can do this. And once we do it, we can go through whoever comes next.’

“He was going into detail about how we’d make our run, and he had such a convincing tone that we kinda forgot that we had no chance of winning against Vancouver. He was so positive. I don’t think we believed in how good we could be, we didn’t have a lot of skill that year. But his sense of belief carried over for all of us and we beat Vancouver in [seven] games, we beat Detroit in six, we beat San Jose in six and lost to Tampa in seven.”

And the way Iginla led on the ice over the course of that run is the stuff of legends.

In 26 games, he scored 13 goals, 22 points and finished plus-13, and every player he matched up against in each series felt his wrath.

“He fought Mattias Ohlund in the first round, fought Derian Hatcher in Detroit, he had a war with San Jose’s Scott Hannan, and he fought Vinny Lecavalier in Tampa,” said Conroy. “It was always a game where we were losing by a goal or two or the game was out of reach or we were down in the series; he did it just to give us a spark. It wasn’t calculated, but he figured it was his chance and he was going to take it right at that moment. He wouldn’t say anything, but he’d be on the bench and you’d know he wasn’t happy and next thing you know he’d just jump someone.

“He was going after the hardest guy. And they played him physical, they were hooking at the time, they were holding, and I think fighting actually gave him more room as the series rolled along, and other guys took notice too. He was like, ‘Are you next?’”

Iginla’s ferocity on the ice is the Hyde to his Jekyll off of it.

“Him and [Arizona Coyotes captain] Shane Doan are the best people I’ve ever met in hockey,” said Gauthier.

Ignila’s smile and his easy-going personality will always be a big part of his legacy.

“He’s a real fun guy and a good one to be around,” said Joe Nieuwendyk, who was traded from Calgary to Dallas in 1995 for Iginla—who had yet to make his NHL debut—and centre Corey Millen. “But when I think of his legacy, I just think he really carried on the tradition of that franchise there in Calgary. He’ll always be known as a Flame. I know he’s been in a few spots since then, but I think the city embraced him, and he did a great job representing that franchise—just like Lanny McDonald did for all those years.”

And maybe that’s where Iginla will finish his career, as a member of a Flames team that's currently third in the Pacific Division with 34 points in 31 games.

He recently told Colorado reporter Adrian Dater that he’d consider waiving his no-move clause for a chance to play on a contending team.

“As long as he’s not playing us, I’d love to see him get a chance to win the Stanley Cup,” says Conroy, who scouts for Calgary. “I know how bad he wants it.”

That would be a much more fitting end for the player who became the 16th in NHL history to appear in 1,500 games.


1038092 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / THE BIG QUESTION

BY GARE JOYCE

How do you shut down Connor McDavid? Teams have succeeded in short stints, but No. 97 keeps finding ways to adjust. The real question, then: Is it even doable?

He’s been around NHL hockey as a player and an executive 40-plus years, and these days he’ll log upwards of 110 games a season as a pro scout, mostly in the Western Conference. On this mid-November Saturday night, he’s in Glendale, Ariz., to see the Coyotes host Edmonton. It’s the third time he’ll see the Oilers live this month, the fifth time this season.

The pro scout will file reports like he usually does. His would be the industry standard. He’ll list lines and note scratches. He’ll log evaluations of players—some for coaches to put into play, some for reference if his GM were to consider a trade for anyone out there. Data analytics is ascendant, but organizations value the eyeball test.

There’s nothing much he can file about Connor McDavid that will come as breaking news to his team or any other, or in fact anyone at all with a casual interest in the game. In his second year in the league, after an injury-abbreviated rookie season, McDavid’s leading the NHL in scoring and running away with the race for highlight-reel moments. “A lot of the game is confidence,” the pro scout says. “As good as this kid was last year, as confident as he was, he’s taken it to another level this year. He knows he can do things the other guys can’t even imagine he’ll do. He’s got confidence you just don’t see every day or even every season.”

Arriving in Arizona, the Oilers are playing perhaps their best hockey since–well, their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006 comes to mind. A 5–0 win over Chicago on Nov. 21 stood as a high-water mark and a


wake-up call to any team that would face Edmonton: the young team might not have figured out how to put it together every night, but on nights when they do, even the league’s perennial powerhouses risk being routed.

The pro scout admits that the phenom presents a challenge to the gatherers of intel. “Sometimes you can get caught up watching him and wondering how the hell he does what he does,” the scout says. “He does things that I’ve just never seen before—like Gretz or Mario or Orr. You can lose sight of the other guys out there or what you can do to stop him—if there’s anything.”


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TSN.CA / 5 Minute Abbs: Canucks at Capitals

By Jon Abbott

Five points of interest ahead of puck-drop.

1. Vancouver completes their seventh set of 16 back-to-back games tonight, when they visit the Washington Capitals. This will mark the second time this season the Canucks have faced Washington on the second night of back-to-back games, but this may be the most challenging setting for a game all year. After arriving very early in the morning Sunday, the Canucks attempt to shake off the rust and improve their overall record when forced to play consecutive games on consecutive days. The Canucks enter 1-5-1 in the first game and 3-3-0 in the second.

2. Jannik Hansen is hoping to provide a boost of energy. The Canucks winger has missed the previous 16 games recovering from a fractured rib suffered in a collision with the Leafs Morgan Rielly. Hansen’s last goal arrived vs. Washington, in a game the Canucks lost 5-2. Hansen is expected to start the night with the Sedins.

3. There are three doors. Pick one. This is not a game, it only sounds like one. The Canucks have a decision to make on what goaltender starts vs. the Capitals. While the team did not skate in the morning, ahead of the game, Ryan Miller is testing out his injured ankle. Post game reports from Florida suggested that if Miller was ready, he would start. If Miller can not go, there are two options: Play Markstrom in a tough back-to-back setting because he is the veteran and possible future number one or throw Demko to the wolves in his 1st NHL start and expect the team highly improves their start to a hockey game because of it. Im banking on door number two…Markstrom starts. We’ll see.

4. Vancouver would love to get at least a point out of the game tonight. While it is a huge gut check, given the turnaround, the Canucks are now at the back half of a road trip where they have recorded only one win. There are some similarities to their longest trip of the year, a six game affair in early November, where the effort was there, but the points didn’t follow and only one win showed up. While the Hurricanes remain on Tuesday, the Canucks hope for some support in the standings out of Washington.

5. The Capitals have not lost in regulation in their last four games. In fact, the Caps enter on a three game winning streak. That didn’t stop the team from holding a players only meeting after the Bruins game, according to reports. Whatever was discussed must have transferred over to Buffalo, where the Caps tallied four goals for the eighth time this season and took home the win. Braden Holtby is expected to get the start tonight. He is 2-1-0 in his career vs Vancouver. Washington are 7-2-0 against the Western Conference this year, including a 5-2 win in Vancouver.

TSN.CA LOADED: 12.12.2016

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