Brewin Flames

Game # 67 Au Revoir! Wolf stands tall, Backlund scores a pair in win over Habs ByTy Pilson @typilson CalgaryFlames.com March 16, 2024 Fresh off a 28-save performance in a 4-1 win against Vegas on Thursday, Dustin Wolf kicked it up a notch for his encore. The Flames goaltender made 36 saves - a handful of them of the highlight-reel quality - as Calgary won their second straight game, dumping the visiting Montreal Canadiens 5-2 in an early Saturday night tilt at the Scotiababank Saddledome. Captain Mikael Backlund scored a pair, while Martin Pospisil, Nazem Kadri and Daniil Miromanov also tallied in the victory. Backlund's second goal - which came just 11 seconds into the second period, same as his number in a neat coincidence - was the 200th of the Calgary captain's career. He also had an assist MacKenzie Weegar had three points, while Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau each had two. Notable on the night that both A.J. Greer and Andrei Kuzmenko returned to the lineup after missing time due to injury. The victory came on the team's annual '80s Theme Night, this year honouring members of the team's 1989 Stanley Cup winning side that beat the Habs, including Lanny MacDonald, who was in attendance after suffereing a cardiac event in early Feburary. He received a hero's welcome via a standing ovation and deafening cheers during a TV timeout, as was fitting for the franchise legend. Wolf turned aside all 15 shots he faced in the opening stanza, the best coming as Cole Caufield tried to outwait him as he circled across the slot after a turnover, but Wolf stayed with him and lunged to get his paddle on the puck as the Montreal forward shot from his knees. The Flames has some excellent looks in the first – an early doorstep tip from Kadri on a pass from Huberdeau, Blake Coleman on a partial breakaway, and Andrei Kuzmenko’s wicked wrister from the high slot – but Cayden Primeau stopped all three. Backlund finally beat him with a nifty tip of MacKenzie Weegar’s point shot on a powerplay at 16:23 that went farside. Backlund’s quick strike for his second came after Primeau made a save but ended up out of position trying to clear the rebound, Coleman sending a no-look pass from behind the net that Backlund merely had to tap home into the wide-open net. Huberdeau showed off his otherworldly passing and vision at 7:41, knocking a puck out of the air and down to his stick as he stood in the blue paint with his back to Primeau, then making a quick, tight feed to Pospisil who potted his seventh of the season. Montreal got on the board off a 2-on-1 rush, Nick Suzuki feeding a cross-ice pass to Caufield, whose one-timer beat Wolf back to the shortside at 10:34. They would add another late in the frame, David Savard’s blueline blast beating a screened Wolf with 1:35 to go in the frame. The Flames needed just six seconds to score on a third-period powerplay, Kadri redirecting a pass from Huberdeau between the wickets of Primeau at 1:01. Miromanov scored his second as a Flame after he snuck in from the point for a pass and then circled behind the net and was in the right spot to grab the rebound of a Weegar blast and snap it into the cage. The Lineup: Forwards Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil Dryden Hunt - Yegor Sharangovich - Andrei Kuzmenko Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman A.J. Greer - Kevin Rooney - Matt Coronato DEFENCE Oliver Kylington - Rasmus Andersson MacKenzie Weegar - Daniil Miromanov Nikita Okhotiuk - Brayden Pachal GOALTENDER Dustin Wolf - starter Dan Vladar

Game # 68 Charlie Coyle scores twice as Bruins hold off Flyers 6-5 to move into top spot in NHL ByAP Updated: Mar 16, 2024, 11:00 pm BOSTON -- — Charlie Coyle scored the tying and go-ahead goals, John Beecher and Jake DeBrusk added insurance scores 19 seconds apart early in the third period, and the Boston Bruins held off the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 on Saturday night in a wild third period that included seven goals. Morgan Geekie and Danton Heinen each added a goal for Boston, which moved a point ahead of Florida for the league’s top record with 95 points — one more than the Panthers. Last season, the Bruins set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135), but were eliminated by the Panthers in the opening round of the playoffs. “Unfortunately, we took a seat back and that's obviously a very desperate team over there in a playoff race,” DeBrusk said before being asked about the team's struggles late in games. “We won. Obviously, we don't want to give up leads, but we did score six.” Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves for Boston, which won for the fourth time in five games. “It's not hard for me to look at the glass half full,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said when asked about taking the league's top record despite the inability to close games this season. “You want to learn these lessons and the desperation of the team, and our schedule's really tough down the stretch," he said. “We're going to continue to play teams that are fighting for playoffs and fighting for position in the playoffs, which is what we like. We want to be prepared for all these things come playoff time.” Joel Farabee had two goals and Ryan Poehling, Nick Deslauriers and Morgan Frost each added one for the Flyers, who have lost four of their last six. The Bruins beat the Flyers 6-2 in the teams’ first meeting. The season series ends in Philadelphia next Saturday. After tying the game late in the second, Coyle took the puck down the left wing, shifted around Flyers forward Travis Konecny before flipping it into the net inside the left post to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead 68 seconds into the third. Beecher scored from the edge of the crease 2:37 after Coyle’s go-ahead score and DeBrusk then made it 5-2 at 4:04. But Deslauriers and Frost scored 62 seconds apart, slicing the deficit to 5-4 with just under 5 minutes left before Heinen’s score. Farabee’s second — with the Flyers' net empty to give Philadelphia an extra skater — cut it to 6-5 with 2:04 left. “It's a tough one to swallow. I thought we played a pretty good game,” Frost said. “You see the fight we had at the end. I think that's encouraging for the rest of the stretch that's super tough.” Midway into the second period, Farabee was positioned in the slot when he redirected Cam York’s shot from the point just as a Flyers power play expired, making it 2-1. Coyle then scored from the edge of the crease for his career-high 22nd goal 5:21 later. Flyers coach John Tortorella was back on the bench after serving a two-game suspension and being fined $50,000 for failing to leave the bench following his game misconduct during a 7-0 loss to Tampa Bay on March 9. Tortorella probably liked what he saw from his team’s start, when the Flyers held the Bruins without a shot on goal for the opening 13½ minutes. “We self-inflict sometimes and we're just not deep enough right now,” he said. “I thought we had a lot of good minutes, I thought we had patience to our game. We just couldn't sustain it to the full 60 (minutes).” Bruins forward James van Riemsdyk was honored with an on-ice ceremony before the game for reaching 1,000 career NHL games earlier this month. After a video tribute, Hall of Famer Johnny Bucyk gave him Tiffany crystal from the NHL, President Cam Neely presented a painting from the team and GM Don Sweeney delivered a silver stick.

Games played on 3/14/24 Buff Connor Clifton vs NYI Anders Lee Winner ?

Game # 66 Flames score 4 in 3rd, defeat Golden Knights Coleman scores twice for Calgary; Mantha gets 1st goal with Vegas ByAaron Vickers NHL.com Independent Correspondent 1:17 AM CALGARY -- Blake Coleman scored twice in a four-goal third period for the Calgary Flames, who defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday. Yegor Sharangovich had a goal and an assist for the Flames (32-29-5), who had been outscored 18-5 during a three-game losing streak. Dryden Hunt had two assists, and Dustin Wolf made 28 saves. "Just a good response," Coleman said. "I thought everybody, for whatever reason, the trade deadline, the travel, whatever it was, loomed heavy on our group a little bit. We were all pretty disappointed with the way the last few games went. We've had some good look-in-the-mirror meetings here in the last 24 hours, and I thought everybody to a man responded really well. All around it was a good team game." Anthony Mantha scored, and Adin Hill made 33 saves for the Golden Knights (35-24-7), who had won consecutive games after losing four in a row. "We're fighting for the playoffs right now, and the fight isn't there," Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb said. "We need to reset and get back to it." Vegas, the defending Stanley Cup champions, lead the Minnesota Wild by four points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference with one game in hand. "I'd like to see them have some urgency and realize it's not automatic that we're going to get a chance to repeat," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "You have to earn your way in. We're not playing well enough right now to assure that. If you're losing playing well, you say, 'OK that's just hockey some nights.' There has to be recognition at some point. The clock is ticking. We're OK today, but who knows next week if this sort of attitude doesn't change." Mantha gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 17:56 of the second period with a one-timer from the right circle. It was his first goal in his fourth game for Vegas since he was acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals on March 5. "It feels good," Mantha said. "Obviously, some pressure off. Now we go." Sharangovich tied it 1-1 at 4:00 of the third period when his shot from the slot rolled up Hill's stick and in. He has five goals in his past five games. Coleman gave the Flames a 2-1 lead at 10:06 when he chipped in a centering pass from Nazem Kadri. The goal came after Wolf made a blocker save on Ivan Barbashev's breakaway at 9:53. "It feels good, obviously," Wolf said. "That's the game of hockey, right? You get the save at one end and the goal at the other. That kind of happens more often than you think. Pretty pivotal moment in the game where I was just trying to stay as dialed in as I could, and things just worked out perfectly." Matt Coronato pushed it to 3-1 at 14:45 with a one-timer from the left circle off a feed from Hunt on a rush. Coleman scored an empty-net goal for the 4-1 final at 17:02. "It was an embarrassing 72 hours for our team," Coleman said. "We maybe didn't handle our response to losing some guys and some friends (at the deadline) ... and we got slapped pretty hard for not showing up and being our best. At the end of the day, if you've got pride and you get beat up like that, you better respond or you don't really belong in this league. We had a lot of guys that were not happy with the last few games, and everybody stepped up and was much better and was who we expect them to be."

Game # 67 Bos 2 Habs 1 Jake DeBrusk scores in overtime as the Bruins beat the Canadiens 2-1 ByAP Updated: Mar 14, 2024, 11:28 pm MONTREAL -- — Jake DeBrusk scored 25 seconds into overtime, and the Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on Thursday. DeBrusk was set up by Bruins captain Brad Marchand, ending a high-energy night at the Bell Centre. It was DeBrusk's 16th goal of the season. Danton Heinen scored in the first period for Boston (39-14-15), which was coming off a 5-1 loss to St. Louis on Monday. Linus Ullmark made 18 saves in his second straight win. Nick Suzuki scored for Montreal (25-30-11). Sam Montembeault stopped 22 shots. The historic rivalry drew both “Let’s Go Bruins!” and “Go Habs Go!” chants at the Bell Centre — and jeers for Marchand every time he touched the puck. The matchup has overwhelmingly favored Boston in recent years, with the Bruins winning 13 of 14 meetings. “The biggest rivalry probably in hockey, you expect that,” DeBrusk said. “The Bell Centre here has great fans. We heard when they had swings, we heard when we had swings.” The Canadiens jumped on the power play with 8:53 left in the third period, only for Suzuki to take a double-minor penalty for high-sticking Charlie McAvoy a minute into the man advantage — leading to a mix of cheers and jeers from the crowd. Montreal killed off Boston’s power play, which didn’t generate any quality chances. The Bruins defeated the Canadiens 9-4 in their last meeting in Boston on Jan. 20, and appeared to have the upper hand again early on Thursday. Heinen opened the scoring at 4:49, sliding a rebound past Montembeault while falling after a check from Juraj Slafkovsky in front of the net. “He’s a good hockey player. I know that he complements people,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said of Heinen, who was signed on a professional tryout in training camp. “He’s a real intelligent player that can play all 200 feet.” Boston dominated the play through 11 minutes, outshooting the Canadiens 8-1 while holding the puck in Montreal’s zone for minutes at a time. Suzuki evened the game at 14:37 with his 26th of the season, tying a career high. Cole Caufield started the play with a relentless forecheck that led to a Brandon Carlo turnover. The puck eventually fell to Slafkovsky, who set up Suzuki for the tying score. “We’re continuing to develop as a team, we’re playing well and we’re showing consistency in our performances, and our schedule is tough,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “It’s a good challenge for us. You’ve gotta embrace it when it’s hard.” Andrew Peeke made his Bruins debut after Boston acquired the 25-year-old defenseman from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jakub Zboril and a third-round draft pick ahead of last week’s trade deadline. Peeke slotted in on Boston’s third pair alongside Parker Wotherspoon. Forward Colin White returned to the Canadiens lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury. Montgomery said the game wasn’t “a Picasso,” but noted it was important for the Bruins to win this type of game late in the season. “I didn’t think we had our normal legs, for whatever reason, but our guys dug down and found a way to win,” he said.

Games played on 3/13/24 Avs Josh Manson vs Nucks Nikita Zadorov Winner ?

Rangers' Matt Rempe gets 4-game suspension for elbow to head Greg Wyshynski, ESPNMar 12, 2024, 05:01 PM ET New York Rangers rookie forward Matt Rempe was suspended four games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Tuesday after elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head Monday night. It's the first suspension of Rempe's 10-game NHL career. Rempe will forfeit $17,083.32, with the money going to the players' emergency assistance fund. He can appeal the suspension to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who would have the final say on that appeal. Rempe was given a game misconduct with 30 seconds remaining in the second period of the Rangers' 3-1 win over the Devils. Siegenthaler held up near the red line after shooting the puck into the attacking zone. Rempe skated toward him and stretched his left arm to connect with Siegenthaler's head. The on-ice officials conferred, reviewed the play, and confirmed that Rempe had earned a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct. Siegenthaler did not return for the third period, and Devils coach Travis Green said "he's not doing great" when asked about his status. After the game, the Devils called for Rempe to be suspended, with Green saying the Rangers forward had "some intent there to injure" on his hit. "He's a huge guy, and he's throwing his elbows around like that," said Devils forward Kurtis MacDermid of 6-foot-7 Rempe. "You've got to learn how to hit properly and not injure players." In its ruling, the NHL Department of Player Safety believed Rempe raised his arm up into Siegenthaler's head after realizing he had mistimed his check. The counterargument from Rempe, the Rangers and the NHLPA was that the contact was unavoidable because Siegenthaler stopped short and that Rempe might have just been bracing himself for impact against the boards. The NHL disagreed. "Rempe is clearly committed to throwing a check on this play. Having ended up at an angle of approach that would take him across the front of Siegenthaler's body and potentially miss him entirely, Rempe chooses to flare his elbow both up and away from his body in dangerous fashion, driving it directly into the head of Siegenthaler with substantial force," the league said in its ruling. The four-game suspension means Rempe will miss Tuesday night's critical game against the Carolina Hurricanes, as well as games against other Eastern Conference teams the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins, plus Sunday's showdown at Madison Square Garden against the New York Islanders. Rempe has quickly become one of the most divisive players in the NHL during his brief career in the league. As well as being 6-7, he plays a physical game. Rangers fans have chanted his name at Madison Square Garden, as Rempe has become a cult hero despite not seeing the ice that often. Through the win over the Devils on Monday, Rempe has nearly as many penalty minutes (54) as minutes played (56:28) in his NHL career. He debuted in the Rangers' Stadium Series win over the Islanders at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 18, fighting on his first NHL shift in that game. This was Rempe's second game misconduct in as many meetings against the Devils. On Feb. 22, Rempe was given a match penalty for an illegal check to the head of Devils forward Nathan Bastian just 2:22 into the first period. The NHL opted not to hand Rempe any supplemental discipline for that hit. Bastian hasn't played in a game since then. MacDermid tried to engage Rempe in a fight a few times during Monday's contest to avenge Bastian, with Rempe refusing. After the hit on Siegenthaler, MacDermid dropped his gloves to fight Rempe and again was rebuffed, with the on-ice officials also stepping in. "I asked him. There's a bit of a code. I thought he would've answered that. I don't know what he was told, but he said no," MacDermid said of Rempe. "And after a hit like that [on Bastian], it kind of goes without saying you should answer the bell in some way and be a man about it. Then he throws another hit that gets him kicked out and with a possible suspension. So, there's a right way to go about things and the wrong way." MacDermid was given a 10-minute misconduct for trying to fight Rempe after the hit on Siegenthaler.

Games played on 3/12/24 Sens Mark Kastelic vs Pens John Ludvig Winner ? Ducks Radko Gudas vs Hawks MacKenzie Entwistle Winner ?

Game # 65 Shorthanded Flames fall 6-2 to visiting Avalanche ByTy Pilson @typilson CalgaryFlames.com 12:09 AM Undermanned, the Flames battled to the end but fell 6-2 to the visiting Avalanche Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Starting netminder Jacob Markstrom was ruled out for the tilt earlier Tuesday afternoon, Dustin Wolf called up from the Wranglers and he backed up Dan Vladar to start the tilt. Prior to puck drop, it was announced Andrew Mangiapane would not play due to illness and following warmup, Andrei Kuzmenko - who took part in the pregame skate - also was sidelined with an upper-body injury. So, the Flames iced 11 forwards and seven blueliners - including the newly acquired Nikita Okhotiuk, who made his Flames debut - and had a 2-1 lead after the first period but the visitors would score five in the middle stanza en route to their victory. Vladar made 29 saves on 35 shots in his 40 minutes of play, Wolf coming in to play the third and stopping all three shots he faced. The Flames had a 8-3 edge in shots in the final frame but couldn't get any more past Colorado starter Justus Annunen, who finished the evening with 25 saves. Newcomer Daniil Miromanov scored his first as a Flames, and Walker Duehr also tallied for Calgary. Mikko Rantanen scored just 2:05 into the game with Martin Pospisil in the box for a slash after a post-whistle scrum. Valeri Nichushkin getting a rebound on the doorstep and passing it cross-crease to Rantanen to tap in. But the Flames answered back 1:19 later when Miromanov stepped into a howitzer by the blueline, his laser fidning twine just under the bar on the blocker side of Annunen. Calgary made it 2-1 at 6:46 with just their third shot of the game, Jonathan Huberdeau trying to feed Yegor Sharangovich, Sam Girard blocking the attempt but Duehr right there as the puck dropped near him and he put a backhand farside for his second of the season. The visitors outshot the Flames 19-9 in the first period, but Calgary held the 2-1 lead after 20 minutes thanks to Vladar’s play. The Avs scored three times in just over three minutes early in the second period, Josh Manson starting the run before Nathan MacKinnon and Nichushkin both tallied. Casey Mittelstadt would score at 14:10, with Rantanen rounding out the five-goal frame with a tough-angle tally with 46 ticks left in the second. The Lineup: The 11 Flames forwards and seven blueliners for the tilt: Forwards Jakob Pelletier - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil Dryden Hunt - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman Walker Duehr - Kevin Rooney - Matthew Coronato Jonathan Huberdeau - Yegor Sharangovich Defence Oliver Kylington - Rasmus Andersson MacKenzie Weegar - Daniil Miromanov Joel Hanley - Brayden Pachal Nikita Okhotiuk Goaltenders Dan Vladar - starter Dustin Wolf

Game # 66 Kapanen, Thomas score in 1st period; Blues roll past Bruins 5-1 ByAP Updated: Mar 11, 2024, 10:34 pm BOSTON -- — Kasperi Kapanen and Robert Thomas each scored in the first period, Joel Hofer stopped 36 shots and the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 5-1 on Monday night. Entering the night eight points out of a wild-card spot and tied for 10th in the Western Conference with two other teams, the Blues snapped a three-game losing streak and completed a five-game road trip (2-3) with a solid win. “This is a big win for our club,” Hofer said. “ That's obviously a good team over there. Hopefully we can keep this going, going home.” Kevin Hayes, Brandon Saad and Alexey Toropchenko also scored for St. Louis, which totaled just three goals during its losing streak. It was the Blues’ highest goal total since a 6-3 victory over Edmonton at home on Feb. 15. David Pastrnak scored his 41st of the season for Boston, which had a two-game winning streak stopped. The Bruins are in position to finish with the NHL’s best record after recording league records with victories (65) and points (135) last season. St. Louis improved to 26-3-1 this season when it scores first, and 17-1-1 when leading after one period. Boston pulled goalie Jeremy Swayman for an extra skater with just under 9 minutes left, giving up Toropchenko’s score with 8:33 left. Kapanen collected a loose puck in the slot and fired a wrister past Swayman for a 1-0 lead midway into the opening period. “Finally, that's what I thought,” Kapanen said, smiling, when asked what he thought when the puck bounced over to him. “Finally caught a lucky break. Just happy it went in.” Skating on a two-man, power-play advantage, Thomas one-timed a pass from Pavel Buchnevich from the right circle for his 21st of the season with 2:01 left in the first. “It was one of those games where we had a lot of chances, too, but it just wasn't good enough,” Boston forward Pavel Zacha said. “We have to start playing these games from the beginning. ... I think it was a slow start. I think everyone saw that.” Hayes scored at the end of a 3-on-1 break 4:31 into the second, slipping a wrister between Swayman’s pads to make it 3-0. After Boston had Justin Brazeau’s goal taken off the board because of a coach’s challenge for offside, Saad’s goal came late in the period when he outworked two Bruins’ defenseman, knocking in his own rebound from the edge of the crease for a 4-0 lead. The Bruins left the ice at the end of the second to a loud chorus of boos. Buchnevich played his 500th career game. Boston captain Brad Marchand’s next goal will be the 400th of his NHL career. “We had a tough start,” Marchand said. “This time of year teams come out playing for a lot, and we need to do the same.”

I could see florida making it out of the east, which sucks because that means my bruins won't And the Panthers won't be an easy out. That said, winning puts asses in seats so to have a "non traditional" team make it, is only good for the NHL

Flames just letting points slip away....

Game # 64 Aho has 3 points, Hurricanes score 7 in win against Flames Svechnikov, Teravainen each gets goal, 2 assists for Carolina, which has won 5 of 6 ByKurt Dusterberg NHL.com Independent Correspondent March 10, 2024 RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen each had a goal and two assists for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 7-2 win against the Calgary Flames at PNC Arena on Sunday. Jalen Chatfield and Seth Jarvis each had a goal and an assist, and Frederik Andersen made 18 saves for the Hurricanes (39-19-6), who have won three in a row and five of their past six. “In the first period, [Aho] made a few nice plays,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “That’s the whole key. When you can get out front, the other team has to do things a little differently. That’s why you see those odd-man rushes. We were able to capitalize on those. That’s where the game was won.” Dryden Hunt and Yegor Sharangovich scored for the Flames (31-28-5), who have lost three of their past four. Dan Vladar made 33 saves. “It was one of those games you’re not going to take a lot from,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said. “That wasn’t good. The skating wasn’t good, game plan wasn’t good. It was everything.” Jordan Martinook gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 6:30 of the first period. He skated in on a rush and dropped a pass to Aho, who faked a slap shot before finding Martinook in the slot for a one-timer. Aho made it 2-0 at 17:43. After Brayden Pachal fumbled the puck in Calgary's zone, Teravainen passed back and forth with Aho twice before Aho scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks. “You feel bad for [Vladar],” Flames forward Blake Coleman said. "He hasn’t been in the net much lately, and he gets hung out to dry all night long. We just got outplayed, outcompeted, everything. Just an awful effort all around.” Chatfield scored 17 seconds into the second period to make it 3-0, and Svechnikov finished off a give-and-go with Aho on a 2-on-1 to extend the lead to 4-0 at 1:15. “We just wanted to keep rolling and playing our game,” Svechnikov said. “We just feel so much confidence. We were just kind of controlling the game.” Hunt made it 4-1 at 4:11, one-timing a saucer pass from Oliver Kylington on a 2-on-1. Brent Burns pushed it to 5-1 at 13:55 when he one-timed a short pass from Jaccob Slavin at the left point. Jarvis made it 6-1 at 19:26 off a pass from Chatfield. Sharangovich cut it to 6-2 at 4:54 of the third period, shooting into an open net after Andersen fanned on a clearing attempt at the bottom of the right circle. Teravainen made it 7-2 at 17:14, chipping the puck over Vladar out of midair after a pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi went off his skate. Each team was playing the second of a back-to-back. The Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday, and the Flames lost 5-1 at the Florida Panthers. “Overall, solid game,” Brind’Amour said. “They had it back-to-back, too. They were a little sluggish, I think, if you ask them.”

Games played on 3/10/24 Wild Marcus Foligno vs Preds Michael McCarron Winner ? Wild Mason Shaw vs Preds Keifer Sherwood Winner ? Edm Warren Foegle vs Pens John Ludvig Winner ? Flames Braden Pachal vs Canes Brenden Lemieux Winner ? Hawks Alex Vlasic vs Yotes Nick Bjugstad Winner ?

Torts not wanting to go was awesome...

Games played on 3/9/24 Flyers Nicolas Deslauriers vs Bolts Austin Watson Winner ? Flyers Sean Coutturier vs Bolts Matt Dumba Winner ? Flyers Cam Atkinson vs Bolts Michael Eyssimont Winner ?

This years frozen four is going to be fun...

Game # 63 Tarasenko’s 2 goals, assist spark Panthers past Flames Newly acquired forward gets 1st 3 points with Florida, which has won 7 of 8 ByGeorge Richards NHL.com Independent Correspondent March 09, 2024 SUNRISE, Fla. -- Vladimir Tarasenko got his first three points with the Florida Panthers, helping them defeat the Calgary Flames 5-1 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday. Playing his second game since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, the forward had two goals and an assist for Florida (44-17-4), which has won seven of its past eight games and 17 of 20. Anthony Stolarz made 34 saves. “I am not going to lie. It is nice and kind of a relief,” Tarasenko said of getting on the score sheet after finishing with two shots on goal in his debut Thursday, a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. “It is to kind of understand your linemates and how the team plays a little bit more. I felt more comfortable as the game went on." Yegor Sharangovich scored a power-play goal, and Jacob Markstrom made 26 saves for Calgary (31-27-5), which had won six of seven. The Panthers outscored the Flames 4-1 in the second period. “That is one of the better teams, if not the best team, right now in the League,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said of Florida. “We liked our first period, but we gave one up early in the second and that allowed their transition game [to get] going a little more than we would have liked.” Tarasenko put the Panthers ahead 1-0 just 23 seconds into the second, intercepting a clearing pass from Jonathan Huberdeau deep in the zone and shooting past Markstrom. Sharangovich tied it 1-1 at 5:51 on the rebound of a Nazem Kadri shot at the right side of the net. Florida took a 2-1 lead at 6:19 when Aleksander Barkov took a backhand, cross-ice feed from Sam Reinhart in the right circle and scored with a one-timer. “It was our second period. We spoke in the room and said, ‘We need to play a little harder,’” said Barkov, the Panthers captain. “We got away from playing hard the past couple of games, but we started back in the second period and we got a good win.” Sam Bennett pushed it to 3-1 at 13:12, deflecting a point shot from Gustav Forsling. Tarasenko made it 4-1 at 14:55 with the teams at 4-on-4. His wrist shot hit Markstrom in the pad and got through. “There is almost no risk in their game for highly skilled offensive players,” Maurice said of the line Tarasenko, Barkov and Reinhart. “They were right on both sides of the puck, and that is exciting for us.” The Panthers extended the lead to 5-1 with a short-handed goal at 4:33 of the third period. After Eetu Luostarinen forced a turnover, Kevin Stenlund finished on the rush with a slick forehand-to-backhand move. “We turned the puck over too much, and they are a highly skilled team and took over on transition,” Flames forward Mikael Backlund said. “We got away from our game in the second, started giving pucks away.” Barkov had a goal overturned at 17:06 after Calgary challenged for offside. The Panthers played much of the game without defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who left in the first period with a lower-body injury after colliding with Tarasenko. Forward Evan Rodrigues also left the game with a lower-body injury late in the second period after blocking a shot. Florida coach Paul Maurice said both players would be evaluated on Sunday and that “we will have a really good idea” then. When pressed about Ekblad, Maurice smiled. “He’s going to be OK,” Maurice said. “I don’t know when he is coming back, it could be practice Monday or maybe a little longer.”

Game # 65 David Pastrnak reaches 40 goals as Bruins beat fading Penguins 5-1 ByAP Updated: Mar 9, 2024, 06:51 pm BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak reached 40 goals for the third consecutive season, and the Boston Bruins beat the fading Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Saturday. Coming off a 4-1 victory over Toronto on Thursday, the Bruins posted consecutive regulation wins for the first time since Jan. 20 and 22. They are fighting for the NHL’s top record a year after setting league records for victories (65) and overall points (135). “I won't take it for granted, obviously,” Pastrnak said of reaching 40 goals again. “It's my job to score goals, but, at the same time, I play in the best league in the world, so I don't take it for granted. It doesn't mean anything to me right now, but I love scoring, so it makes me happy.” Pavel Zacha had two goals and an assist for Boston, which has 91 points. Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk each had a goal and an assist, and Linus Ullmark made 38 saves. “He was our best player,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said of Ullmark. “It wasn't close. ... Glad he's still a Bruin.” Ullmark was rumored to be on the trade block Friday. “I'm just very happy to be here,” Ullmark said when asked if he utilized a no-trade clause in his contract. “This is the team that I want to be (with). I'm very fortunate to be a part of this group, and ever since Day 1 I've loved it here, so I'm very happy with where I am right now.” Kris Letang scored for Pittsburgh, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 17 shots. The Penguins have lost five of six games to drop into 13th place in the Eastern Conference, far behind the eighth and final playoff spot. “It's a lot of work to get there, but we've got to find a way to just go a game at a time at this point,” Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said. “You can't grab all those points at once.” Boston defenseman Hampus Lindholm returned to the lineup after missing the previous nine games with an undisclosed injury. Pastrnak one-timed DeBrusk’s pass from the high slot for his milestone goal, sending it over Nedeljkovic to make it 1-0 at 2:26 of the second period. Zacha chipped in a shot from the edge of the crease for a power-play goal, making it 2-0 at 12:48 of the second. Marchand cut across the front of the net and slipped a backhander into the top right corner with 1:35 left in the period. Ullmark stopped all 14 shots in a busy opening period, including a glove save on Michael Bunting’s clean break-in. Bunting was acquired in a trade with Carolina on Thursday night. Looking for a spark after struggling to close out some games this past month, the Bruins added some beef at Friday’s trade deadline, acquiring veteran forward Patrick Maroon from Minnesota and defenseman Andrew Peeke from Columbus. Neither played on Saturday. “Pat Maroon is a proven champion. He’s going to add a lot of leadership to our group. Obviously, he has a lot of moxie, too,” Montgomery said. Maroon won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, when it defeated Boston in seven games, and two championships with Tampa Bay, which faced Boston in the playoffs. “I feel like I’m hated here,” Maroon said, smiling. “Obviously, there’s been a lot of chirps and a lot of fighting with these guys.”

UFA after the season ends...

Sharks trading Tomas Hertl to Vegas Golden Knights, per reports San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights reportedly working toward a trade involving Tomas Hertl By CURTIS PASHELKA PUBLISHED: March 8, 2024 at 12:02 p.m. | UPDATED: March 8, 2024 at 12:09 p.m. SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, in a potential blockbuster move, are reportedly working toward a trade that would send Tomas Hertl to the defending Stanley Cup champions. Bob McKenzie of TSN first reported the possibility of the deal. The Sharks will receive multiple first-round draft picks in the trade, per reports. Hertl is in the second year of an eight-year, $65.1 million contract he signed with the Sharks in 2022. The deal carries an average annual value of $8.137 million and carries a full no-movement clause, which means that Hertl had to approve the trade.

Rumored return is 2 first rounders and SJ has salary retention

Golden Knights getting Hertl from Sharks pending trade call TSN.ca Staff Published Mar 08, 2024 at 03:00 PM ET Share More options The Vegas Golden Knights acquiring forward Tomas Hertl from the San Jose Sharks pending a trade call, according to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie and Pierre LeBrun. The deal ends an 11-year run for Hertl in San Jose and comes just under two years after inking an eight-year contract extension. Hertl is in the second year of an eight-year, $65.1 million deal that pays him $8.137 annually. The 30-year-old has 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 48 games so far this season. Hertl has 218 goals and 484 points in 712 regular season games spread out over 11 NHL seasons. He was selected No. 17 overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. The move to bring in Hertl is just one of a few big splashes made by Vegas leading up to the 2024 deadline, including getting defenceman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames and Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals.

TSN.ca Staff Published Mar 08, 2024 at 02:39 PM ET Share More options The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired defenceman Matt Dumba and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick, according to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun. Dumba, 29, signed a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Coyotes in the off-season and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The 6-foot, right-shot defenceman has four goals and 10 points in 58 games this season while averaging 20:04 of ice time. Selected seventh overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2012 draft, Dumba has 83 goals and 246 points in 656 career games split between the Wild and Coyotes. Dumba is a founding member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance which is geared to address intolerance and racism in hockey.

The Boston Bruins are hoping they have their Stanley Cup good luck charm, acquiring forward Pat Maroon from the Wild. Maroon, 35, won the Stanley Cup in three straight seasons, beginning with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 before a back-to-back run with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins gave up forward Luke Toporowski and a conditional 2026 sixth-round draft pick. This appears to be a deal for the playoffs since Maroon underwent back surgery a month ago and was scheduled to be out four to six weeks. When healthy, he's a rugged, fourth-line presence who often takes the ice after an opponent's goal to help swing the momentum, The Minnesota Wild have struggled this season, and Maroon, in his first year with the club, became expendable at a cheap rate. He's winding down a two-year deal that pays him $1 million annually. With the Bruins, he can be expected to take up space in front of the net, and not be afraid to mix it up with the opponent. His scoring touch is not what it once was, though he's had his moments across his career. In 2021-22, he had 11 goals with the Lightning. And in 2016-17, he had 27 with the Edmonton Oilers. The move is also a reunion of sorts for Maroon and Bruins broadcaster Jack Edwards, who made fun of the player's weight during a Boston-Tampa Bay game in 2022. After the comments went viral, Edwards sought out Maroon in the Lightning locker room and apologized.