Brewin Flames

Game # 47 Brandon Saad scores twice as Blues beat Flames 4-3 ByAP Updated: Jan 24, 2024, 01:43 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Brandon Saad’s second goal of the night with 48 seconds left in the third period was the winner as the St. Louis Blues rallied to beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Tuesday night. “I felt good,” said Saad, who led the visitors with five shots. “You want to see some more of those go in but any time you see them go in they feel good. Happy to contribute tonight.” Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou also scored for St. Louis and Jordan Binnington made 32 saves. MacKenzie Weegar, Noah Hanifin and Yegor Sharangovich provided the offense for Calgary, which has lost three in a row. Jacob Markstrom, returning from a three-game absence due to a lower-body injury, made 22 saves. Down 3-1 late in the second, St. Louis started its comeback with a short-handed goal. When Weegar mishandled the puck at the St. Louis blue line, Schenn pounced on it and raced away on a breakaway, burying his 11th goal of the season past Markstrom. The Blues’ 11th short-handed goal moves them into a tie for the league lead with the Dallas Stars. Kyrou tied it 3-3 at 6:56 of the third when he skated uncontested into the slot off the side boards and fired his 13th goal just inside the goalpost. On the winning goal, Saad got the puck inside his own blue line, carried it through the neutral zone and sent a 50-foot wrist shot that rattled in off the goalpost on Markstrom’s glove side. “I was just trying to move him side to side and shoot through a screen and it found a way in for me,” said Saad, who has 13 goals on the season. Markstrom said he still should have had it, despite the puck taking a bad bounce. “That’s tough. Obviously with the clock and the time left and tie game, it’s a crazy skip off the ice and post and in. I don’t know. Obviously, I need to stop that one,” said Markstrom. “I thought it was fine, I thought it was just gonna hit the pad.” Having already eclipsed his career high of eight, Weegar’s 11 goals is tied for third for defensemen in the league behind Rasmus Dahlin (13) and Quinn Hughes (12). While the Blues are 18-2-0 when scoring first, their .900 winning percentage leading the NHL, it’s the opposite when they don’t score first. But Tuesday’s win improves their record when trailing first to 5-18-2. The Blues are three points back of Nashville for the second wild-card berth with two games in hand. “These are big wins, four-point games, teams you need to beat in order to climb the standings,” said Schenn. “Gutsy comeback win. It was nice that it was regulation as well.”

Yep....LA gave up the King's Ransom (see what i did there) to get and over pay this guy, all for squat.

Pretty much damaged goods....I hope he just does not produce. He got paid though....

Games played on 1/22/24 Preds Yakov Trenin vs Fla Jonah Gadjovich Winner ?

Game # 46 Bos 4 Jets 1 Bruins down Jets 4-1 for 5th straight victory in matchup of NHL division leaders ByAP Updated: Jan 22, 2024, 10:47 pm BOSTON -- — Charlie Coyle scored the tiebreaking goal late in the opening period and Boston’s tight defense carried the Bruins to their fifth straight victory, 4-1 over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night in a matchup of top NHL teams. Jake DeBrusk and Jakub Lauko also scored as Boston improved to 10-1-3 in its last 14 games. Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves for the Bruins, who lead the Eastern Conference with 67 points. DeBrusk had a short-handed goal with 5:25 left and Brad Marchand added an empty-netter. Winnipeg had given up no more than two goals in 14 consecutive games, and three or fewer in 34 straight — one short of the modern NHL record set by the 2015 Minnesota Wild. “We knew the challenge that was ahead of us. They’ve been playing some good hockey and they’re where they are in the standings for a reason. They don’t give up a whole lot,” Coyle said. “You remember the last time we played these guys. They played really well, and we played really bad. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth and we want to show them what we’re capable of and what we can do. We definitely saw more of that tonight." Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Jets, who lead the Central Division with 64 points. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 17 shots. Last season, Boston set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) before being eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by Florida. “That’s probably the worst game we’ve had in a long time with our breakouts,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “We were slow moving it and the passes were soft. That allows Boston to play their game.” Coyle, positioned in the slot, tipped Linus Lindholm’s shot from the point and it sailed past Hellebuyck, pushing Boston ahead 2-1 with 1:34 left in the first period. The Bruins had jumped ahead when Trent Frederic collected a rebound and sent it over to Lauko, who scored from the top of the crease 2:20 into the game. Namestnikov tipped Dylan DeMelo’s shot from the point and it dipped past Swayman’s glove, tying it at 4:16. “I think it’s all about us,” Jets forward Kyle Connor said. “We can play against any team, and I think we’ve shown that. We were just a little timid.” After scoring nine goals in Saturday night’s win over Montreal and 14 total in their previous two games, the Bruins were faced with a tough test against the league’s best defensive team. They improved to 6-0-1 in their last seven meetings with the Jets, getting some payback for a 5-1 loss at Winnipeg on Dec. 22. “They embarrassed us the last time we were in Winnipeg,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “We have a lot of proud guys that represent the Bruins for a long time in a real good way,” he added. “I think the opportunity to get back at them was something that was motivating.” The Jets came in giving up just 2.25 goals per game. Boston responded with some stingy defense of its own, holding the Jets to single digits in shots on goal until the closing minutes of the second period. Winnipeg also entered the night with the league’s top winning percentage (72.7%) and Boston was second (72.2).

Games played on 1/21/24 Seattle Brandon Tanev vs Leafs Jake McCabe Winner ?

Roy grateful to be back in NHL as Islanders coach Says he’s evolved since resigning from Avalanche in 2016 © Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images ByNicholas J. Cotsonika @cotsonika NHL.com Columnist January 20, 2024 Patrick Roy wanted another shot to coach in the NHL after abruptly resigning from the Colorado Avalanche on Aug. 11, 2016. He got it when the New York Islanders hired him to replace Lane Lambert on Saturday. Finally. “It means a lot,” Roy said. “When I left Colorado, I thought the phone would ring faster. But it did not, and I understood that the way I left Colorado was probably not the best way to do things.” Roy said he learned from his experience with the Avalanche and has evolved over the past 7 1/2 years. That will be key to his impact on the Islanders, starting with his debut against the Dallas Stars at home Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSSW). General manager Lou Lamoriello made it clear he thinks Roy can take this team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders have lost six of their past seven games (1-5-1) but entered Saturday two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. “In my opinion, that is exactly what this is for,” Lamoriello said. “And now we have to put it on the players, because I know what Patrick will bring to them. Now it’s what the players will bring to us.” Roy was one of the greatest goalies in NHL history, arguably the greatest. We all know his Hockey Hall of Fame resume. He was an instant success as coach of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, leading them to the Memorial Cup in 2005-06. Then, after eight seasons in junior, he was an instant success again in Colorado in 2013-14. The Avalanche went 52-22-8, won the Central Division and took the Minnesota Wild to seven games in the Western Conference First Round. He won the Jack Adams Award, voted NHL coach of the year. But some felt his record was deceiving, because the Avalanche had poor possession and great goaltending. Then they went 39-31-12 and missed the playoffs in 2014-15, and then they went 39-39-4 and missed the playoffs again in 2015-16. The downward trend in points: 112 to 90 to 82. When Roy resigned, it was a little more than a month before training camp for the 2016-17 season, putting the Avalanche in a difficult position. Joe Sakic was general manager, but Roy was vice president of hockey operations. He released a statement saying his vision needed to be “perfectly aligned with that of the organization” and he wanted “a say in the decisions that impact the team’s performance.” He said those conditions weren’t met. Perhaps that had something to do with why the phone didn’t ring. After two seasons out of coaching, Roy returned to the Remparts for five seasons. He led them to the Memorial Cup again last season. Two important questions: One, is Roy a different coach now than he was when he left Colorado? “Day and night,” Roy said. “… I learned to respect even more today the work of the coaching -- coming to the rink early, working hard to help the players with ideas -- and I really want to establish a bit what we did in Colorado, which was a partnership with the players. We want the players to buy into what we’ll do as a coaching staff and help them to achieve their goals.” Patrick Roy hired as the new Islanders coach Two, will Roy have a role in management? “Zero interest in management,” Roy said. “And that’s the first thing I told Lou. Even at the end of my days in Colorado, Joe was our GM, and he was making most of the decisions. Yeah, he would come downstairs and ask my opinion on things, but I had zero interest in management [in New York]. “And I would say this to you: When I took the job in Colorado, I think I was a bit of a dreamer and thinking that I could do both. I think have plenty on my plate. Just worry about my relationship with the players and the media, and try to use the media as a bridge between us and our fans. “Our fan base is extremely important, and I want our fans to come to our games and be excited for all this. I want our fans to walk in the street wearing that jersey and be so proud of that team, and that’s my objective.” If you’re an Islanders fan, how can you not be excited about that? “I’m proud of taking the time to go back to junior, working with those guys [and] making sure that I stay on top of that different culture, because the player of today is different than what it was in my times,” said the 58-year-old, who retired as a player in 2003. “It changed, and you have to adjust to the younger guys. I’m very happy that I did this, and I’m very happy that I received this call. “I wasn’t unhappy on the golf course. I won’t lie. But I would say this to you: It was a very welcome call.”

Games played on 1/20/24 Sens Brady Tkachuk vs Jets Brenden Dillon Winner ? Habs Josh Anderson vs Bruins Trent Frederic Winner ?

Game # 46 Flames 1 EDM 3 Oilers beat Flames 3-1 for Canadian-record 13th straight victory ByAP Updated: Jan 21, 2024, 02:47 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Sam Gagner broke a tie with a fluke goal early in the third period and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Saturday night to break Montreal's record for the longest winning streak by a Canadian team at 13. From below the goal line near the corner, Gagner attempted to center to Dylan Holloway in the slot, but it deflected off Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson’s skate, ended up on the top of goalie Dan Vladar’s trapper and fluttered into the net. Ryan McLeod and Zach Hyman — into an empty net — also scored and Stuart Skinner made 26 saves to help Edmonton break the tie with the 1967-68 Canadiens for the Canadian mark. Pittsburgh set the NHL mark of 17 in 1992-93. “Any time you can be the only team to do anything that’s positive, that’s always exciting. Good for our group,” said captain Connor McDavid, whose points streak ended at 12 games. “It’s not something we were paying too close attention to but obviously we want to keep going.” The Oilers improved to 26-15-1, going 23-6-0 since Kris Knoblauch took over as coach. “When we did the 10-game streak, we eclipsed the Oilers’ ’80s teams, now it’s the old Montreal team,” said Hyman, who has 28 goals. ”When you’re in the moment you just go out there and play, but I’m sure it’ll be something cool to look back on.” The Oilers have won nine straight on the road to break the franchise record set in 1986-87, and Skinner won his 10th straight to tie Grant Fuhr’s 1985-86 team mark. “Just try to keep on playing the game and keep on winning games,” said Skinner, 17-2-0 in his last 19 starts. “We’re still here to battle and grind and make our way up the leaderboard.” MacKenzie Weegar scored for Calgary and Vladar stopped 29 shots. The Flames have lost two straight after winning four in a row. “I thought there would have been a little bit more pride there from us,” Weegar said. “It’s a big game, they’re coming into our territory, our city, I thought we would have a little bit more juice there.” McLeod opened the scoring with late in the first, getting in alone and neatly tucking a shot inside the near goalpost as he cut across the top of the crease. Weegar tied it early in the second. Blake Coleman put a saucer pass Weegar's stick and he steered it inside the goalpost. “We got outcompeted, awareness was limited. There wasn’t much urgency in that first period,” Weegar said. “Vladdy stood on his head. … Battle of Alberta, there wasn’t much of a battle tonight from us.” In the first game between the provincial rivals since the Heritage Classic in Edmonton, both teams wore their same retro look from the outdoor game.

I think this would be a horrid trade for the bruins.... Wanna expalin your logic ?

Game # 45 Bos 9 Habs 4 Marchand has 11th straight 20-goal season, Heinen gets 1st hat trick as Bruins beat Canadiens 9-4 ByAP Updated: Jan 20, 2024, 11:02 pm BOSTON -- — Brad Marchand set a club record by scoring his 20th goal for the 11th consecutive season, Danton Heinen got his first career hat trick and the Boston Bruins rolled to a 9-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday for their fourth straight victory. David Pastrnak added his team-leading 30th goal, Pavel Zacha scored the 100th of his career and the Bruins beat their longtime rivals for the 12 time in 13 meetings. Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk also scored, and defenseman Brandon Carlo had a goal in his first game since being sidelined nearly two weeks with what he called a “little concussion.” The Bruins honored an era of from the late 1980s to 2000 in this their 100th season celebration before the game. “Nights like this don't happen very often,” Marchand said of the Bruins' goal-scoring outburst. “It's great when it happens in that fashion when we're recognizing past players against a big rivalry team for us. It was a fun night and great to see how everything came together.” Marchand broke a tie with Hall of Famer Johnny Bucyk and Patrice Bergeron, who both had 20 goals in 10 straight seasons. Linus Ullmark, playing for the first time since leaving a Jan. 9 game with an unspecified injury, made 17 saves as Boston which improved to 9-1-3 in its last 13 games. It was the Bruins' first nine-goal game at home against Montreal since Feb. 21, 1933. The fans started chanting “We want 10!” late in the game. “It's exciting. We love when the fans are into it,” Coyle said. “It's a special night, honoring that before and playing against the Canadiens on a Saturday night. There's not many better things than that, honestly.” Brendan Gallagher, Cole Caufield, Joel Armia and Mike Matheson scored for Montreal, which has lost five of its last seven. “The third period was hard,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “Every now and then this league will humble you. That's kind of happened to our team in the third period. That's OK. Maybe it's a period that will send us to a higher place. We'll learn from it.” With the score tied 3-3, Heinen skated down the right wing and fired a wrister inside the far post for his second goal, pushing Boston ahead for good 10:46 into the second period. Coyle then tipped Pastrnak’s pass into the net, making it 5-3 less than a minute later. Gallagher’s score sliced it to 5-4 before Pastrnak scored on a partial breakaway early in the final period, just over 3 minutes before Marchand’s milestone goal. Heinen completed his trick, Boston’s second in two games after Pastrnak did it in Thursday’s win over Colorado, with a power-play score midway into the third. Boston has won two of three meetings between the Original Six rivals, with the season series finale coming March 14 at Montreal. “It’s strange but I am thankful that we get to play the Canadians four times this year, last year we only got to play them three times,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said at the morning skate. “It’s a rivalry game. It doesn’t matter. Steep history here between the Bruins and Montreal for decades.” Before the game, the Bruins held their fourth Centennial Era Night, honoring a period they called the “New Blood, New Beginnings” years from 1986-2000. The highlight was halting an 18-series playoff losing streak to the Canadiens in 1988. TD Garden fans booed briefly when a video tribute started with the Canadiens skating with the Stanley Cup before shifting to cheers when it showed success against their rivals. Hall of Famers Ray Bourque and Cam Neely held a banner that read: “Broke the Jinx” along with some former teammates. Boston’s defense was bolstered by the return of veterans Carlo and Derek Forbort, who missed 20 games with a an undisclosed lower-body injury.

NHL Legend Patrick Roy Named Islanders HC After Lane Lambert Firing JACK MURRAYJANUARY 20, 2024 Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images It's a new era on Long Island. The New York Islanders announced Saturday that head coach Lane Lambert had been "relieved of his coaching responsibilities" and that the franchise had named Hall of Famer Patrick Roy as the new head coach. The Islanders are currently 19-15-11 and sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. Lambert was in his second season as the team's head coach and finished with an overall record of 61-46-20. This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

NHL Legend Patrick Roy Named Islanders HC After Lane Lambert Firing JACK MURRAYJANUARY 20, 2024 Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images It's a new era on Long Island. The New York Islanders announced Saturday that head coach Lane Lambert had been "relieved of his coaching responsibilities" and that the franchise had named Hall of Famer Patrick Roy as the new head coach. The Islanders are currently 19-15-11 and sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. Lambert was in his second season as the team's head coach and finished with an overall record of 61-46-20. This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

Games played on 1/19/24 Fla William Lockwood vs Wild Brandon Duhaime Winner ? Fla Jonah Gadjovich vs Wild Marcus Foligno. Winner ?

Games played on 1/18/24 Habs Michael Pezzetta vs Sens Zach MacEwen Winner ? Yotes Liam O'brien vs Van Nikita Zadorov Winner ?

Game # 44 Bos 5 Avs 2 David Pastrnak scores hat trick, Bruins beat Avalanche 5-2; Cale Makar falls just shy of Bobby Orr David Pastrnak scores a trio of goals in the Bruins' win vs. the Avalanche. ByAP Updated: Jan 19, 2024, 12:19 am BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak scored on the game’s opening shift, had two insurance goals late in the third period, and the Boston Bruins held off the red-hot Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Thursday night. Jake DeBrusk and Jakub Lauko also scored for the Bruins, who won their third straight and improved to 8-1-3 in their last 12 games. “I guess obviously its always nice to get one early to get the lead early,” Pastrnak said. “You definitely feel like its going to be (a good night).” Colorado's Cale Makar collected one assist but fell a point short of tying Hall of Famer Bobby Orr as the fastest defenseman to collect 300 NHL career points. Orr did it in his 279th career game on Dec. 13, 1970. Makar played his 279th game on Thursday and now has 299 career points. Playing his sixth straight game and making his fourth consecutive start for the first time since the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves for Boston. Nathan MacKinnon and Miles Wood scored for Colorado, which lost for just the fourth time in 14 games. Making his league-leading 37th start, first-time All-Star Alexandar Georgiev stopped 26 shots. Pastrnak’s first goal pushed Boston ahead 1-0 when the All-Star winger fired a wrister from the slot that beat Georgiev inside the left post 44 seconds into the contest. He added a power-play score with 2:36 left in the game, then put in an empty-netter for his team-leading 29th of the season. After his trick was complete, Pastrnak was handed a cowboy hat in the team colors of yellow and black from the many that littered the ice. He brought it to the bench and handed it to an equipment person. “The hat that was actually handed to me was a pretty nice hat,” he said, smiling. “The one is nice. Thank you to whoever threw it.” Lauko redirected Morgan Geekie’s pass into the net from the edge of the crease for his first goal of the season to make it 2-0 at 4:58 of the first. Wood collected a rebound off the backboards and flipped the puck between Swayman’s left pad and the post to slice Colorado’s deficit in half just under 3 minutes later. “We're trending the right way,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “You have peaks and valleys. ... I think the last three games might be the best three consecutive games we've had all year.” Boston opened a 3-1 lead when DeBrusk tipped in Parker Wotherspoon’s shot from the point at 14:52 of the second period before MacKinnon banged home a rebound of Josh Manson’s shot with 3:40 left in the second for his 24th goal. Makar had the second assist on the goal, sending a cross-ice pass to Manson at the blue line. Makar leads NHL defenseman in scoring with 53 points (10 goals, 43 assists). “It's about making the road trip a successful trip,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of the team's final spot on a five-game a trip coming Saturday. “You come out 3-2 if you win the game. ... It has not been easy but sometimes you have to embrace the grind.” Boston goalie Linus Ullmark, who hasn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury on Jan. 9, practiced Wednesday and dressed as the backup.

Game # 45 Flames 3 Leafs 4 Auston Matthews has 3 goals and an assist in Maple Leafs' 4-3 victory over Flames ByAP Updated: Jan 19, 2024, 01:49 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Auston Matthews had a hat trick to push his NHL-leading goals total to 37 and added an assist in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-3 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Mitch Marner also scored and Martin Jones made 24 saves to help Toronto end a four-game skid and improve to 22-13-8. William Nylander and Pontus Holmberg each had two assists. “I think it just gives us confidence to have that lead, hang onto it,” Matthews said. “Lots of really good things in the third period. I don’t think we sat back too much. I thought we tried to drive play on the other half of the ice as much as possible.” Yegor Sharangovich, former Toronto forward Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane scored for Calgary, and Dan Vladar stopped 29 shots. The Flames had won a season-high four games in a row. “We were turning the puck over too much in the neutral zone. Making it hard on ourselves and feeding them,” Calgary captain Mikael Backlund said. “They’re a really highly skilled team, and if you feed them, they’re going to eventually capitalize and that’s what they did.” Late in the first period, Backlund rang a shot off the goalpost on a breakaway that would have given the Flames a 3-0 lead. Ninety seconds later, Matthews pounced on a mishandled puck inside the blue line by Flames defenseman Nick DeSimone and ripped a shot into the top corner. The Leafs carried that momentum into the second period by tying it at 4:08 when Matthews converted Nylander’s setup during a delayed penalty. After Toronto surged in front at 7:44 with Marner’s 19th goal on a 4-on-3 power play, Matthews completed the hat trick with 6:21 left in the period. Vladar gloved a shot from Matthew Knies but couldn’t secure it before Matthews outmuscled DeSimone in the slot and buried a backhander. “It’s pretty impressive,” Jones said. “It always feels like even when we’re down two in the first we’re never really out of a game because we have those weapons that can dig us out of those holes.”

Games played on 1/16/24 Hawks Cole Guttman vs SJS Kyle Burroughs Winner ? Hakws Jarred Tinordi vs SJS Scott Sabourin Winner ? Caps Joel Edmundson vs Ducks Ross Johnston Winner ?

Game # 44 Flames 3 Sharangovich scores with seconds left in OT, Flames edge Coyotes 3-2 ByAP Updated: Jan 17, 2024, 01:32 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Yegor Sharangovich scored a power-play goal in overtime to give the Calgary Flames a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. The Coyotes were penalized for too many men at 3:03 of OT. Sharangovich, who was acquired in last summer’s trade with the New Jersey Devils for Tyler Toffoli, roofed a sharp-angled shot with 17 seconds remaining in extra time. “Heck of a shot. He’s one of those guys that all he needs is one and he made it count,” Flames winger Blake Coleman said. Coleman scored his team-leading 20th goal, and his fifth in four games, and Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist for the Flames in their fourth straight win. Dan Vladar made 25 saves. Sean Durzi had a goal and assist and Logan Cooley scored for the Coyotes, who led 2-0 early in the third period. Connor Ingram stopped 27 shots in the loss. “We played a really solid game,” Arizona head coach Andre Tourigny said. “If you look at the scoring chances, the pace of the game, possession, it’s a good team on the other side and I think we played one of our most complete games.” The Flames played without winger Jonathan Huberdeau (illness) and also called up goaltender Dustin Wolf from the AHL’s Wranglers after declaring Jacob Markstrom day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Calgary’s power play that ranks among the worst in the NHL and went 0-for-4 in regulation time found success in OT. The Coyotes went 1-for-3. The Coyotes led 2-0 on Cooley’s power-play goal at 6:37 of the third period. Durzi’s shot deflected off the toe of Cooley in the slot. But Calgary pulled even with a pair of goals in a 63-second span. Coleman scored his team-leading 20th and his fifth in four games at 8:54 by redirecting Rasmus Andersson's feed from behind the goal line. Kadri extended his point streak to seven straight games driving the net to knock in a one-handed pass from Martin Pospisil at 9:57. After a scoreless first period, Durzi scored at 8:20 of the second period to give Arizona the early lead. Vladar had an otherwise strong second period. He repelled four shots during Arizona’s power play a minute into the period, stopped Cooley on a breakaway and denied Jason Zucker on a good chance. “I speak for a lot of us when I say we didn’t have it tonight at all energy-wise and it just wasn’t there. Vladdy gave us a chance to hang around,” Coleman said. “We talked about it in-between periods. We couldn’t let this slip away no matter how we felt.”

Men's college hockey check-in: Top teams, players, Frozen Four picks ESPN.com Jan 16, 2024, 09:15 AM ET With the calendar turned to a new year, the college hockey season is hitting high gear, with conference play heating up and the NCAA tournament about two months away. There are some different squads than we've seen the last few years near the top of the national rankings and their respective leagues, with traditional powers and old stand-bys also in the mix. Conference tournaments will begin on or around March 8, with league champs being crowned by March 23. The 16-team NCAA field will be announced March 24, with regional play beginning March 28. The Frozen Four will be held April 11 and 13 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. To get you caught up on what's happened in the first half of the season and what's ahead, we asked ESPN college hockey analysts Colby Cohen, Andrew Raycroft and Sean Ritchlin about their favorite players to watch, the biggest surprises of the season, the most intriguing league races and their Frozen Four picks. ESPN+ is home to dozens of men's and women's college hockey games, including every Hockey East and ECAC game, plus every game of the NCAA tournament. Sign up for ESPN+ What team has been the biggest surprise so far this season? Ritchlin: Mike Hastings had an incredible decade of dominance at Minnesota State, building that program into a proven winner over his tenure, including a spot in the national championship game in the 2022 Frozen Four at Boston. Then came the switch for Hastings to Wisconsin after the completion of last season. Coming off a last-place finish in the Big Ten with 13-23-0 record, the Badgers already have 19 wins and have given up only 39 goals (1.63 per game), by far the best in the conference (Minnesota is next at 2.73 goals allowed per game). The attention to detail in the neutral zone and defensive zone have completely turned this program around. Raycroft: Sean is right. Hastings was hired with a great pedigree, but I did not expect the turnaround to be so quick. At 19-4-1, Wisconsin has the most wins in the country to go with an impressive 10-2 Big Ten record. This team will be a difficult out come March. Mike Hastings brought the winning formula he had at Minnesota State to Wisconsin with great results. Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire Cohen: I don't think any of us expected to see Maine and Wisconsin near the top of the Pairwise rankings to start 2024, but this is great for #Cawlidgehawkey. At Maine, it's great to see Alfond Arena back and energized again and it's incredible how coach Ben Barr has brought the Black Bears back in his second year at Orono. College hockey is better and more exciting when the Black Bears are making noise. The same is true in Madison, but the difference is we have all come to expect Mike Hastings magic. Hastings brought in a number of new recruits and players from the transfer portal and has Wisconsin back in the conversation to compete for the national championship. It's going to be really interesting to see if these schools can continue the upward trend in the second half of the season. What league race do you find the most intriguing? Raycroft: Hockey East is loaded, with the top two teams in the country (Boston University and Boston College) and four of the top nine (Maine, Providence) based on the current Pairwise rankings. It will battle to the end for the league title, but the fight in the middle of the league will be just as compelling. Matchups will be a huge key come playoff time, and any of the top seven teams could go on a run to win the conference tournament and more importantly the automatic berth into the NCAA regionals. Pairwise rankings (as of Jan. 16) 1. Boston University (14-4-1) 2. Boston College (14-4-1) 3. Michigan State (15-4-3) 4. Quinnipiac (15-4-2) 5. Wisconsin (19-4-1) 6. Maine (14-4-2) 7. North Dakota (15-6-1) 8. Denver (15-5-2) 9. Providence (11-6-2) 10. Western Michigan (14-5-1) 10. New Hampshire (11-6-1) 12. Minnesota (12-6-4) 12. St. Cloud (11-6-3) 14. UMass (12-6-3) 14. Michigan (10-7-3) 16. Cornell (8-4-3) Cohen: As Andrew said, Hockey East is an absolute gauntlet this season. In addition to the teams he mentioned, New Hampshire and UMass are in the Pairwise top 15, and the conference is loaded with big-time NHL draft picks, strong goaltending and great coaches. The BU-BC series Jan. 26 and 27, to be followed by a first-round Beanpot matchup Feb. 5, could tell us a lot about how the conference is going to shake out. Ritchlin: Every conference has some drama, but the CCHA and Atlantic Hockey do not have a team in the top 16 in the Pairwise currently. If that stands, only the conference tournament champ in those leagues will make the 16-team NCAA tournament, so home ice becomes crucial -- regular season games will take on a playoff-like atmosphere heading into the stretch run. Who is your favorite player to watch? Cohen: This is tough, but Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson blow me away every time they pull that BU sweater on. Hutson is the most dynamic defenseman I have seen at the NCAA level and what Celebrini has done as a 17-year-old has been tremendous. The freshman line down the street at BC isn't so bad to watch either. I could list a number of others too ... what a great year for college hockey. Raycroft: Cutter Gauthier. As Colby alluded to, there has been a lot of buzz about BC's freshman line, which played intact for Team USA in the World Juniors, but the biggest offensive driver of the team is Gauthier. His size, speed, power and shot are all NHL ready and it's evident every time he steps on the ice. Between his on-ice presence and the off-ice commotion, Cutter Gauthier is can't miss. Ritchlin: Teams want guys that can put the puck in the net. Don't get me wrong, seeing someone create open ice and dangle three guys is exciting, but the talent of finding the twine is special. There are a lot of great pure goal-scorers this year in the NCAA (Gauthier, Minnesota's Jimmy Snuggerud, Western Michigan's Dylan Wendt), but none greater than Denver's Jack Devine, who always seems to find the puck in front of the net. He has 18 goals in 22 games in the difficult NCHC. He will go to the dirty areas to score, but also can strike from the outside. His development from a 17-year-old freshman on the third or fourth line to where he is today is impressive; the Florida Panthers found a gem in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. What team is set up to have a second-half surge? Cohen: Keep your eyes on Western Michigan. The Broncos never get the publicity, but Pat Ferschweiler's group has played some high-quality hockey this season. They have seemed to get better with each passing week and will certainly have the opportunity to become battle tested down the stretch of the NCHC season. Raycroft: Quinnipiac. The defending national champs have gone about their business, staying in the top 10 all season, and I think they are building toward another gear. The ECAC is light this season, which should set the Bobcats up for a big second half of preparing for defending their title. Ritchlin: Michigan is off to a slow start at 10-7-3 and will need to have a sense of urgency in the second half in order to make the NCAA tournament. Four players (Rutger McGroarty, Seamus Casey, Frank Nazar and Gavin Brindley) are coming back from World Juniors with a ton of confidence after winning the gold medal; they will be leaned on heavily to get the Wolverines going in the direction coach Brandon Naurato envisioned. Team defense will be key. Offensively they are deep and can score from a lot of areas, but they will need to combine that scoring touch with strong defensive play in order to make a run. Who do you expect to see in the Frozen Four? Cohen: Boston University, Boston College, North Dakota and Denver Raycroft: I'm going straight blue bloods too: BC, BU, Denver and North Dakota Ritchlin: BC, BU, Denver and Quinnipiac. I think Wisconsin, with that great defense, has an outside shot as well. BC and BU are insanely talented with several players on both teams who are going to wear an NHL sweater sooner than later. We haven't seen a team with that makeup win it all in awhile -- maybe this is the year.

Fleury reflects on passing Roy for 2nd on NHL wins list Calls it an ‘honor not just for Patrick but for the other guys I was able to catch up with’ © Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images ByJessi Pierce NHL.com Independent Correspondent January 15, 2024 ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Marc-Andre Fleury moved into sole possession of second place on the NHL's all-time wins list when he made 21 saves for his first shutout of the season in a 5-0 win for the Minnesota Wild against the New York Islanders on Monday. The win, Fleury's 552nd, comes nine days after he tied his childhood idol, Patrick Roy, for second in NHL history. The Wild went 0-3-1 last week, with Fleury going 0-1-1 in his two starts. “Finally, right? It’s been a little rough lately,” Fleury said. “I wish we could have done this a little while ago, right? But I think everybody knows, everyone in this room, that we try to work our best and try to win games, climb our way back, right, and tonight that was a great game against a good team and we got that one.” Fleury now trails only Martin Brodeur (691) on the NHL's all-time wins list. “I’ll need 15 more years,” Fleury joked of catching Brodeur. “I think it’s good. It’s good to have goals. I think for me the last couple years, right, I’ve been playing for a while but it’s something I always wanted to win the next game, but personally trying to get some games played, some wins, right? I think it’s fun to catch up to some of these guys and I always loved goalies growing up, so I have so much respect for guys that played before me and it’s an honor not just for Patrick but for the other guys I was able to catch up with.” NYI@MIN: Fleury earns his 552nd career win, 74th shutout Fleury was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he played his first 13 seasons and won three Stanley Cups: 2009, 2016 and 2017. The 39-year-old is 552-324-92 with two ties, a 2.59 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and 74 shutouts in 1,007 games (978 starts) with the Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks and Wild. Fleury is on the final season of a two-year, $7 million contract he signed with Minnesota on July 8, 2002. “I came in, my dream was to play in the NHL,” Fleury said. “I was so happy to play that first game. From then on, it was just one game at a time, one win at a time, trying to win the next one. I’ve been very fortunate to play with really great teams, great teammates, people that helped me stay healthy, right, throughout the journey. It feels crazy to be here now.” Fleury, who played in his 1,000th game on Dec. 31, is the fourth goalie to reach the mark, along with Brodeur, Roy (1,029) and Roberto Luongo (1,044). Each is from Quebec, and Fleury seems certain to follow his three fellow Quebecois into the Hockey Hall of Fame; Roy was inducted in 2006, Brodeur in 2018 and Luongo in 2022. What makes Fleury more special than the accolades -- past, present and future -- is the type of teammate he is. “He’s a likable guy,” Wild forward Mats Zuccarello said. “He’s a better guy than a goalie, and that says a lot, when you have the second-best goalie in the world — so far. We’ll see. He gets younger and younger, so you never know.” Added Marcus Foligno: “It’s so cool to be a part of that night. We’re happy to be a part of it. He’s had a lot of wins with obviously Pittsburgh, Vegas, Chicago and us, and just to be part of a guy’s Hall of Fame bound and such an amazing career and amazing person, happy to be the team that does it for him. He played great tonight. To get a shutout, too, it’s a really special.”

Game # 43 Bos 3 Devils 0 Sway Now: All-Star Swayman posts shutout, Bruins beat Devils 3-0 ByAP Updated: Jan 15, 2024, 05:09 pm BOSTON -- — Jeremy Swayman is making the most of being the new full-time goaltender for the Boston Bruins. Starting his third straight game since goalie tandem partner Linus Ullmark was injured, Swayman stopped 31 shots for his third shoutout of the season to lead the Bruins to a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday. “It’s nice to be able to see him have this opportunity,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “If Linus wasn’t injured, we wouldn’t have seen it. But his makeup is someone that wants the net every night. Linus has that, too. The swagger that he brings, it feels like he never gets tired.” Swayman, who was named to the NHL All-Star roster on Saturday, had been splitting time with Ullmark, with each goalie starting 20 of the team's first 40 games. But the reigning Vezina Trophy winner had to be helped off the ice in an overtime loss to Arizona on Tuesday, and Swayman has been in the net ever since. Ullmark was skating before Saturday's game and was considered day to day. “Something I take it seriously is whenever I’m in the net, I’m going to compete and give a team a chance to win every night,” Swayman said. “No doubt my mind Linus is going to be back in no time. He’s a Swedish Viking; we all know that he’s a stud. He’s going be back, and I can’t wait to have him back.” David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle scored for Boston, and Trent Frederic added a diving empty-netter to help the Bruins to their first regulation victory in five tries. The previous four games — all on the road and all in six nights — went to overtime, with Boston losing the first three before snapping the streak on Saturday against St. Louis. “That’s not an easy game for us after being in three different time zones in nine days, playing five games,” Montgomery said. “I think we were running out of fumes, but we really managed the game well.” Coyle scored 30 seconds into the second period on a backhander, and Pastrnak made it 2-0 on a power play early in the third. Brad Marchand had a pair of assists, and Pastrnak also assisted on Coyle’s goal to give him 61 points on the season, third-most in the NHL. Frederic’s empty-netter came with 78 seconds left when he out-dove a defender to tip the puck off the post and over the goal line. Swayman improved to 2-0 since being announced as a selection through fan voting for the Feb. 3 All-Star Game in Toronto. The honor came just six months after the Bruins filed for arbitration even after he and Ullmark split time in a record-setting, 65-win season. “It doesn’t matter what happens away from the rink. It’s all about what happens when you step through the doors every night,” Swayman said. “That accolade belongs to this team. So very grateful, and moving forward all we care about is Bruins hockey." Nico Daws made 33 saves for New Jersey. Boston appeared to take a 1-0 lead on a first-period power play when Marchand fed James van Riemsdyk in front, but a replay ruled that Pastrnak was offsides entering the zone. So it was still scoreless when the Bruins scored off the second-period faceoff, with Marchand backhanding it from the left boards to a streaking Coyle, who put a backhand of his own past Daws. Pastrnak made it 2-0 three minutes into the third period on a one-timer off a cross-ice pass from Charlie McAvoy.

Games played on 1/13/24 Yotes Liam O'Brien vs Wild Brandon Duhaime. Winner ? Yotes Josh Brown vs Wild Marcus Foligno Winner ? Buff Erik Johnson vs Van J.T Miller Winner ? Seattle Vince Dunn vs CBJ Cole Sillinger Winner ? Stars Sam Steel vs Hawks Ryan Donato Winner ?

Game #42 Bos 4 Blues 3 OT Marchand scores twice, passing 900 career points, as Boston beats St. Louis 4-3 in OT ByAP Updated: Jan 13, 2024, 11:54 pm ST. LOUIS -- — Charlie McAvoy scored his second goal in overtime and Brad Marchand added two goals Saturday night, leading the Boston Bruins to a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The game-winning goal came 1:10 into overtime when McAvoy snapped in a wrist shot. “He’s a great talent and it was a great shot,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “That’s a goal-scorer’s shot right there.” The final play began when Robert Thomas was tripped by David Pastrnak. McAvoy picked up the loose puck near the red line. He skated in and shot from the faceoff circle into the upper part of the goal. “It was a two on one, and I didn’t want to try a pass so I shot it,” McAvoy said. “I picked my shot. It was sort of a quick bang-bang play.” Drew Bannister, the St. Louis interim coach, didn't offer an opinion on there being no call on the play. “It’s disappointing the way it ended. I don’t need to comment on it that much guys, to be honest with you. I think the replays said enough,” Bannister said. “I’ve only been here five weeks. I’m smart enough to know I can’t comment on certain things.” The win snapped a three-game losing streak, although the Bruins picked up a point in each of the first three games of the road trip that ended in two overtimes and a shootout. “This felt good. Points in every game sounds good but it was kind of disheartening losing three overtimes in a row,” McAvoy said. “Tonight we blow a lead and go into overtime again. But it all worked out.” Marchand scored in the first period and had a power-play goal in the third. He has 901 points in his 15-year NHL career. He is the fifth player in Bruins history to pass the milestone. Jeremy Swayman recorded 20 saves in regulation. Earlier Saturday, the NHL announced Swayman was chosen as part of the All-Star Game Fan Vote, where fans got to vote for their favorite players online and through social media. “It’s a special win,” Swayman said. “That’s what we wanted. We wanted to end this road trip off right. We got it done in overtime tonight. It’s something we’ll build on moving forward.” Jordan Binnington, who had won his previous three starts, saved 31 shots in regulation. Pastrnak and James van Riemsdyk had two assists for the Bruins. Oskar Sundqvist, Jake Neighbours and Kevin Hayes scored for the Blues. St. Louis scored its second power-play when Sundqvist tipped in the puck at 14:47 for a 3-3 tie. The Blues power play is 9 for 37 (24.3%) since Bannister’s first game as interim head coach on Dec. 14. Before Bannister took over, the Blues’ power play was 7 for 83 (8.4%), which ranked 31st in the NHL. Marchand's power-play goal came on a two-man advantage at 7:43 from the right faceoff circle. A power-play goal by Neighbours tied it 2-2 at 10:57, his first goal in seven games. “We battled back,” Hayes said. “We were down, our power play was great tonight, got a point, but yeah, definitely a tough way to lose.”