Maple Leafs’ Gardiner Looking Forward to Rematch With Bruins The Canadian Press | April 10, 2019 TORONTO — Jake Gardiner hasn’t watched the tape of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ devastating Game 7 playoff loss to the Boston Bruins last year. He hasn’t had to because that bitter memory of the Bruins’ series-clinching 7-4 win rem…
‘Good Luck!’ Lightning Carry Burden of Presidents’ Trophy The Canadian Press | April 10, 2019 Jon Cooper and Todd Reirden were coaching at the All-Star Game in January when the topic of winning the Presidents’ Trophy came up. With Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning cruising toward winning it as the NHL’s best team, he asked the Washington coach how t…
‘Jerk’ Hurricanes Surge Into 1st Playoff Series Since 2009 The Canadian Press | April 10, 2019 RALEIGH, N.C. — They traded punches with Evander Holyfield. They dunked a basketball on ice. They flopped around like beached whales. The Carolina Hurricanes have done plenty of unusual things this season, and here is one more: They are preparing for t…
Star-laden Penguins Open NHL Playoffs Against Stingy Islanders The Canadian Press | April 10, 2019 EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — The Pittsburgh Penguins have the big-name players. The New York Islanders rely on their system for success. Perennial All-Stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lead the high-scoring Penguins against Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal and the…
Flames Face Uphill Battle in Tough Western Conference Playoffs The Canadian Press | April 9, 2019 The Calgary Flames are the new players in the Western Conference playoffs, a field stacked with Stanley Cup-contending teams such as the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights. It doesn’t appear to be safe to count…
Sharks’ Belief in Goalie Remains High Despite Down Season The Canadian Press | April 9, 2019 SAN JOSE, Calif. — With nine players with at least 50 points, four 30-goal scorers and three world-class defencemen, the San Jose Sharks have almost all the ingredients necessary to make a long playoff run. The one major question facing the Sharks is i…
Trading Places: Deadline Deals’ Effect on Playoff Teams The Canadian Press | April 9, 2019 Excuse Derick Brassard for having a little difficulty finding his bearings after the veteran centre took an unorthodox cross-country route in reaching the NHL playoffs. Starting the season with Pittsburgh, Brassard was traded to Florida and spent 10 ga…
Montgomery Steers Stars to Playoffs in Pro Debut The Canadian Press | April 9, 2019 DALLAS — While the NHL buzzed in early January over the Dallas Stars CEO profanely ripping the franchise’s two best players, first-year coach Jim Montgomery worked to figure out how to make defence the priority for a team that was having trouble scorin…
Watson’s Return Solidifies Predators’ Lines for Playoffs The Canadian Press | April 9, 2019 NASHVILLE — The Nashville Predators mixed up the roster in February by bringing in four new players. It turns out the biggest addition may have come in the final week of the regular season. Coach Peter Laviolette slid Austin Watson back into the third …
A Golden Knights Fan Guide to the San Jose Sharks Zeke | April 9, 2019 Fans of the Vegas Golden Knights are comfortable viewers of Stanley Cup playoff hockey, and many are familiar with their upcoming opponent, the San Jose Sharks. For those who aren’t…
Avalanche’s Rocky Road to the Postseason J.D. Killian | April 9, 2019 The Colorado Avalanche fought their way into the postseason through skill, grit, teamwork, resiliency and a little bit of luck. In other words, the Avalanche earned every inch of their…
Blues’ Success Hinges on Analytics & Matchups Michael Pelts | April 9, 2019 As the NHL season heads into the playoffs and the St. Louis Blues prepare to take on the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, I had the opportunity to take…