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Jets’ Laurent Brossoit staying laser-focused between rare starts – Sportsnet.ca

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3 years ago

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WINNIPEG — The ice was empty, with the exception of Laurent Brossoit and goalie coach Wade Flaherty.

With roughly 30 minutes to go before practice officially began, Brossoit was laser-focused on executing his side-to-side fundamentals with precision.

It would be five more days before his first start in nearly three weeks, but that willingness to put in the work when almost no one was watching would eventually pay dividends for the Winnipeg Jets backup goalie.

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Mental toughness is a prerequisite for anyone in the backup job, where the line between pedestrian and excellent can often be razor-thin.

On Friday night against the Vancouver Canucks, Brossoit left no question which column this performance would fall under, turning aside all 29 shots he faced to lead the Jets to a 2-0 victory at Rogers Place.

“(Brossoit) was excellent. Obviously, our best player,” said Jets defenceman Neal Pionk. “He’s got one of the harder jobs in the league. He knows that (Connor Hellebuyck) is going to get most of the games and he comes in and he’s been ready to play this year. It’s been awesome.”

It was the second shutout of Brossoit’s NHL career, with both of them coming in Vancouver against the Canucks (the other came on Dec. 22, 2018).

Shining in his home province brought a wide smile to his face when the topic was broached during his post-game interview.

“If there’s a city I want to have those stats, it’s probably this one. I’ll take it,” said Brossoit, who has turned aside all 88 shots he’s faced in three NHL appearances in Vancouver, including a relief stint with the Edmonton Oilers in October of 2017. “I mean, whether I’m playing or not, my day-to-day looks the same. It’s not too difficult to stay prepared. I’ve got my routine and I stick to it.”

Brossoit made a number of impressive saves, including one on Canucks defenceman Nate Schmidt on a clear-cut breakaway.

Although the puck got behind Brossoit for a brief moment, he was able to reach back and cover it up before it crossed the goal line.

“I felt fast and on that breakaway, I felt a little bit too fast. I overreacted a bit,” said Brossoit, who improved to 3-1, lowered his goals-against average to 2.24 and raised his save percentage to .935. “Saw he was going blocker and jammed my blocker out toward the puck and a bit of an overreaction so it hit my armpit and I felt it dropped and I made sure I covered it up.”

In a condensed season, the Jets knew they were going to have to lean on Brossoit more than they did last year, when Hellebuyck started 56 of 71 games before the pause.

With Brossoit’s ability to stay as sharp as he has in the early stages of the season, he’s instilled confidence in his teammates and the coaching staff — which is essential given how hectic the schedule is about to become.

Even when the reigning Vezina Trophy winner needs to take a night off, the Jets are confident there won’t be much — if any — dropoff between the pipes.

“Yeah, and maybe less so this year, but in the past, yeah, he’s gone long runs (between starts) because of the schedule, and been able to come up with some really good performances,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He’s underrated, and rightfully so Connor Hellebuyck gets all the accolades that he should, he’s a Vezina winner, but our goaltending tandem is just exceptionally strong.

“(Brossoit) is just so powerful getting from post to post. He had a couple of really good stays where he had to get across hard, but by the time he got there he was really in his own structure, he was composed with it. And then the rebound control. There was maybe one that got away from him, the rest he had a real good handle on the first shot and then put the puck where he needed to put it. He was just right on.”

This is the third consecutive season that Hellebuyck and Brossoit have worked as a tandem and having a strong personal relationship has served them well.

They train together and incorporate many of the same movements in the crease, which could create a series of spin-off benefits.

“They both agree on the same philosophies of where they’re trying to put pucks off shots, how they get across the net on certain things,” said Maurice. “I might be reaching on this one, but it may be subconscious. They both play the puck with a similar mindset. For your defence, they get to come back to the same holes, if you will, for the outlet (pass).

“Two very, very big men and neither one of them scrambles. They’re both square and strong in the net. And the pucks come off them, a lot of the times, in the same way. There’s no difference in the room going out to the ice or in the way our back end plays, regardless of who is playing in the net. And that may well be all of those nuance things that aren’t spoken about, they’re just played with. I think there’s an advantage there, I would agree with that.”

The Jets were coming off a split against the Edmonton Oilers, winning a 6-5 game that they could have easily lost because of how loose things got defensively and losing a 3-2 game that they could have easily won, were it not for a couple of defensive lapses during a span of 21 seconds.

So as they looked to rebound from a loss that was much closer to resembling the template they’d hope to employ to enjoy some sustained success, it was critical for the Jets to not abandon the willingness to pay attention to the defensive details.

By improving to 5-0-1 after suffering a loss this season, the Jets are 10-6-1 going into Sunday’s rematch with the Canucks.

“It’s hard to win in this league and it’s hard to get on a roll of winning. If you lose a game in the NHL, you should come out the next night and have a little extra intensity, a little extra burr in the saddle, so to speak, in terms of not wanting to lose two in a row,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “That’s the identity of a great team. That’s another fundamental that we’re trying to play to and have every day as a part of our identity. And then, you just handle that situation. Things are going to happen. You might lose two in a row, who knows. Try to never let that happen and continue to up that intensity level.”

Prior to a late empty-netter from Mason Appleton — which came after a couple of superb defensive efforts from Pionk — the Jets’ lone marker came from centre Mark Scheifele, who got in alone on Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko and beat him with a nifty forehand-backhand deke.

“I obviously saw he was far out of the net, but he’s a pretty stellar goaltender, a big body, so I just kind of made my move and he bit a little bit so I was happy to put it in,” said Scheifele, who extended his point streak to nine games. “I don’t get many breakaways, so it’s fun when you put them in.”

Scheifele’s skill set was on full display as he moved to nine goals and 22 points in 17 games.

“I saw a move that I couldn’t pull off, that’s for sure. Mark is an elite hockey player, that’s definitely right up his alley, the skill part,” said Pionk. “The other day in the hotel, we were talking about hockey and some of the skill stuff and a lot of it went right over my head.

“He thinks about things that a lot of people don’t think about. It was a heck of a move and got us going in the right direction.”

The other guy that got the Jets going on Friday was Brossoit.

“Yeah, he’s been fantastic. Every game he comes in he gives us a chance to win,” said Scheifele. “It’s pretty awesome when you have two great goalies that no matter who’s in, we know we’re going to get their best. It’s definitely huge when you have your backup that plays so amazing on pretty much every night.

“He works his bag off every single day. He comes to the rink and he’s one of the fittest guys on our team, does all the things to prepare every single day so you know those guys that come in day in and day out and work their hardest and give it their all and prepare their bodies like Laurent does, it’s something that’s so commendable and we see it every single day. We see the work he puts in on and off the ice and it’s awesome to see him shine on the ice as well.”

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Canucks start new playoff tradition and Dakota Joshua got first honour | Offside – Daily Hive

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5 hours ago

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April 22, 2024

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Good Co. Bars is your home for the playoffs! Enjoy $5 beers, prizes, a full game-day experience, and the best atmosphere to catch the game. Join us at any of our five locations.

The Vancouver Canucks revealed the debut of a new playoff tradition after last night’s exciting Game 1 comeback win against the Nashville Predators.

The team has created a win tracker in the shape of the Stanley Cup to commemorate their victories as they go through this year’s playoffs, the first non-COVID postseason for the Canucks since 2015.

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The Stanley Cup tracker has space for 16 pucks, one for each win needed on the journey to capture the sport’s ultimate trophy. The player of the game, after each win, gets to place a puck into an empty slot.

Winger Dakota Joshua earned the honour of inserting the first puck after a huge performance in Game 1.

“We’re going to start a little tradition here, 16 pucks, 16 wins,” explained captain Quinn Hughes after the team’s big Game 1 comeback victory. “[Could] give it to Demmer, he made some big saves, Lindy, way to get us going, but this is going to Playoff D!”

“One of 16, let’s f**king go,” Joshua said as he placed the puck into the tracker.

The bruising power forward deserved the honour as he scored twice, including the game-winner, and added an assist in the Game 1 victory. Thatcher Demko and Elias Lindholm also had big games, as Hughes alluded to during his mini-speech before picking the winger as the player of the game.

Joshua’s contributions helped the Canucks take a 1-0 series lead on a truly special night at Rogers Arena. The crowd was the loudest than it had been in years.

The team will have the chance to add another puck to the Stanley Cup tracker tomorrow night when they take on the Predators in Game 2. The puck drops at 7 pm PT.

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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins — Game #2 Preview, Projected Lineups & TV Broadcast Info – Maple Leafs Hot Stove

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6 hours ago

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April 22, 2024

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Following a frustrating Game 1 in which many familiar playoff issues reared their ugly heads, the Maple Leafs will need a cleaner and tighter performance in Game 2 if they’re to bring the series back to Toronto tied at 1-1 (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet, CBC, ESPN).

The reactions to Game 1 on both sides of the spectrum have been… well, reactionary. On the one hand, the Leafs also got blown out in Game 1 a year ago against the Tampa Bay Lightning, yet rebounded to win the series in six games. On the other hand, the Leafs are now 2-7 in Game 1s in the Matthews era and just 1-5 since Sheldon Keefe took the reins as head coach. To state the obvious, a 0-1 series deficit makes a difficult task — one that the Leafs have only completely successfully once in the last 20 years — that much more difficult.

It’s also true that the five-on-five play was a lot closer than the final Game 1 scoreline reflects. Even if we removed the third period when score effects were in full swing at 4-0, Natural Stat Trick pegged the 5v5 expected goals at 2.03-1.88 in favor of Toronto, and shot attempts were 29-28 Bruins over the opening 40.

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The Leafs gave the Bruins five power-play opportunities, and it wasn’t only a case of some dodgy officiating. The Leafs took some sloppy penalties, including one from each member of the top line, with Tyler Bertuzzi and Auston Matthews taking high-sticking calls in front of the Bruins’ net. They also were off to a positive start to the game before giving up a 2-on-1 goal, and on the PK, Jake DeBrusk’s goal was far too easy. Those are the types of looks the Bruins simply did not afford the Leafs over the course of the game.

The other big storyline continues to be the Leafs’ infamous streak of scoring two goals per game in the playoffs (now at eight games). Some of the challenges were due to Jeremy Swayman, and some were Toronto’s offensive approach in the game. The (possibly) good news is that one of the team’s best offensive weapons was on the ice this morning and is not ruled out for tonight.

William Nylander was seen at the Leafs’ optional skate Sunday morning with the Leafs’ projected scratches and again participated in the morning skate on Monday. With all due respect to Nick Robertson, he’s nowhere near the calibre of the play-driving threat Nylander is both at five-on-five and on the power play. On paper, a new-look third line of Järnkrok-Holmberg-Nylander could give the Bruins some matchup headaches after Game 1 played out in a fairly straightforward manner for Jim Montgomery.

As was the case in Game 1, with Keefe staying mum in the media, we won’t know for sure about Nylander until close to puck drop.

Maple Leafs’ Keys to Game 2

via Anthony Petrielli

– The Bruins have scored first in all five games this season, and the Leafs have not led a single game at any point. The first goal would provide Toronto with some confidence and allow them to settle down.

– The Leafs need to play more north/south and attack the net. There was too much east-west in Game 1.

– There was a lot of focus on the PK, the defense, and the goaltending after Game 1, all of which are real issues, but the Leafs have eight goals in five games vs. Boston this season. Cut it any way you want, but the Leafs are not going to win consistently with that poor of an offensive output. They need to get inside on Boston, crash the net, shoot more, and win battles in front of the net.

–  The Leafs’ penalty kill needs to do a better job of pressuring. They can’t allow a player like Jake DeBrusk to curl up top with the puck, go downhill, and shoot untouched. That’s far too easy.

– The Leafs need to limit time in the box and not get carried away physically or with the overall emotions of the game.

–  Put simply, the Leafs need some saves and for their stars to be stars. The Bruins’ top players have outplayed the Leafs’ in all five games so far this year. In Game 1, Boston got away with matching Brandon Carlo vs. Auston Matthews. It is very difficult for any team in the league to win when its best players don’t deliver.

Game Day Quotes

Jim Montgomery on his starting goalie for Game 2:

I don’t like keeping you guys in the dark. Do any of you play Wordle? The starting goalie tonight has two vowels in his first and last name.

Montgomery on why he keeps his goalie decision tight to his chest:

I don’t know why we would divulge information. If you are preparing for a game, there are parts of the goaltender that are a part of your pre-scout. That is an advantage for us, right? We don’t know who is starting.

I don’t tell my wife. I am not telling [the media].

Montgomery on what he is hoping to repeat about the team’s Game 1 performance:

I liked our physicality. That has to be repeated. I liked how we got over top of people. We didn’t give up too much off the rush. That is really important against such an electric offensive team.

Sheldon Keefe on the expectation for his team in Game 2:

I expect our team to come out and play hard, play well, and play — in a lot of ways — like we did the other night. Just make a few fewer mistakes and finish a few of our chances. We don’t have to change much more than that. Quite honestly, we liked a lot of things about our game. We just have to get back to it.

Keefe on shifting Tyler Bertuzzi onto PP1:

Bert is good around the net. It gives you a second guy similar to John in the sense that he can hound the puck and be good around the net. That is really it.

Keefe on the message to Max Domi after his slashing penalty in Game 1:

It is playoff hockey. I don’t even have to talk to Max about these things. He has been through it a lot. It is all part of the intensity. I don’t need Max to change anything about who he is and how he plays.

He is an important guy for us. I love the intensity he brought the other night. He got caught on a penalty. Their guy is probably going to give the same slash 10 times over the rest of the series. We’ll see if he gets called on it.

I love Max’s intensity.

Keefe on the group of six defensemen he’s started the series with, with TJ Brodie on the outside looking in:

We looked at how the season has gone, how the group has come together, how the pairs fit, the opponent, and the type of matchups and intensity you expect early in the series. Those are the guys we are going with.

Head-to-Head (Regular Season) Stats: Maple Leafs vs. Bruins

In the regular-season statistics, the Leafs hold the advantage over the Bruins in five out of five offensive categories, but the Bruins hold the advantage in three out of five defensive categories.

Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines*

Forwards
#59 Tyler Bertuzzi – #34 Auston Matthews – #11 Max Domi
#23 Matthew Knies – #91 John Tavares – #16 Mitch Marner
#89 Nick Robertson – #29 Pontus Holmberg – #19 Calle Jarnkrok
#24 Connor Dewar – #64 David Kampf – #75 Ryan Reaves

Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin
#2 Simon Benoit – #22 Jake McCabe
#20 Joel Edmundson – #37 Timothy Liljegren

Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Ilya Samsonov
#60 Joseph Woll

Extras: TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano, Conor Timmins, Noah Gregor, Martin Jones, Cade Webber
Injured: Bobby McMann, William Nylander

Boston Bruins Projected Lines*

Forwards
#43 Danton Heinen – #18 Pavel Zacha – #88 David Pastrnak
#63 Brad Marchand – #13 Charlie Coyle – #74 Jake DeBrusk
#94 Jakub Lauko – #39 Morgan Geeke – #11 Trent Frederic
#19 John Beecher – #70 Jesper Boqvist – #61 Patrick Maroon

Defensemen
#27 Hampus Lindholm – #73 Charlie McAvoy
#48 Matt Grzelcyk – #25 Brandon Carlo
#22 Kevin Shattenkirk – #52 Andrew Peeke

Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Linus Ullmark
#1 Jeremy Swayman

Extras: James van Riemsdyk, Parker Wotherspoon, Mason Lohrei
Injured/Out: Justin Brazeau, Milan Lucic, Derek Forbort

*Note: At playoff time, with neither coach forthcoming on lineup decisions or injury situations, the final lineups won’t be known until close to puck drop.

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Nylander could be out again for Maple Leafs in Game 2 of Eastern 1st Round – NHL.com

Published

8 hours ago

 on

April 22, 2024

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BOSTON — William Nylander will not play for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Monday because of an undisclosed injury.

The 27-year-old forward had participated in the morning skate after missing Game 1 of the best-of-7 series on Saturday, a 5-1 loss. Despite taking the ice with the full team Monday, he did not participate in line rushes and stayed on for extra skating with projected scratches.

Nylander also did not participate in special-teams drills. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi was elevated to the top power-play unit, while forward Calle Jarnkrok moved down to the second unit. Toronto went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage Saturday, and its only goal came from David Kampf on the fourth line.

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Nylander played all 82 games in the regular season, finishing with an NHL career-high 98 points (40 goals, 58 assists), which ranked 10th in the League. His offensive ability was missed in Game 1, but his teammates said they received a boost just by seeing him on the ice Monday.

“Obviously, a really good sign,” Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. “We know what he means to our hockey club, so obviously great that he was out there.”

After Game 1, Keefe and multiple players pointed to how Toronto overcame key absences during the regular season, and it’ll have to do the same in Game 2 with Nylander unavailable.

“They’re taking care of him, so it’s [only] a matter of time until he’s back in the lineup,” Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson said. “We’ve got to do what we can without him and hopefully get a win tonight.”

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