Sports
Postponed Canucks-Flames game no solace for struggling Markstrom – TSN
The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks – two teams with identical records and faint playoff hopes – will be forced to wait to face off after two Canucks players and a Vancouver coaching staff member entered the National Hockey League’s COVID-19 protocol Wednesday.
Several hours after both the Flames and Canucks had their morning skates, word came out from the league on Wednesday evening – less than two hours before puck drop in Vancouver – that their matchup would be postponed.
The NHL will have an update on Thursday. On Tuesday, Canucks forward Adam Gaudette was pulled off the ice during practice after testing positive and added to the protocol list.
The Canucks and Flames have both fallen short of expectations this season in the North Division, stumbling to the same 16-18-3 record two-thirds of the way through the 2020-21 season.
For the Flames, playing Wednesday evening would have been the last opportunity for starting goalie Jacob Markstrom to salvage a substandard month. In March, he compiled a 4-6-1 record with a 3.02 goals-against average and .890 save percentage.
On Tuesday, the 31-year-old goalie slammed his stick in frustration at the end of practice after allowing a shootout goal.
“It’s my job to keep the puck out of the net, and I’m not doing that to the level where I want,” he said afterwards. “You want to win the goalie battle against the other goalie, and I’m not doing that. That’s really frustrating.”
Early on under Darryl Sutter, it’s clear that the veteran coach’s habit of riding his starting goalies hasn’t gone away.
Since the two-time Stanley Cup winner was hired in early March, Markstrom has started eight of 11 games, with David Rittich mostly getting action on the second half of back-to-backs.
Markstrom’s rough stretch even prompted Sutter to go against a tenant of his coaching philosophy – yanking a starting goalie.
Sutter despises the notion of pulling his goalie from a game.
It’s a belief he’s ascribed to for much of his 1,296-game coaching career that has spanned four decades.
“Not for one shift, second, minute, anything,” Sutter said after a Flames loss on March 17 where Markstrom allowed seven goals on 30 shots against the Edmonton Oilers.
“I’m on-record for this. Every team I’ve ever coached: I do not pull the goalie. I hate pulling the goalie, it’s like benching somebody and I do not believe (in) that. I believe they stick with their teammates and fight their way out of it just like everyone else.”
Less than two weeks later and with the Flames in a tailspin, that quote rings all the more significant. After allowing four goals on 23 shots versus the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, Markstrom was pulled after the second period – a move clearly at odds with Sutter’s stated philosophy.
Since Miikka Kiprusoff retired in 2013, it’s been a steady diet of the likes of Cam Talbot, Reto Berra, Joni Ortio, and Niklas Backstrom (among several others) between the pipes for Flames fans … stopgaps that the organization hoped would turn into long-term solutions, but never ultimately did.
And surely the Flames organization didn’t anticipate facing those familiar questions again so soon after inking Markstrom to a six-year, $36 million pact – the richest contract the team has ever given a goalie – this past off-season. They also standardized their approach to the position, unveiling a goaltending department led by former pro Jordan Sigalet and bringing in ex-NHLer Jason LaBarbera to work with both Markstrom and Rittich.
Early on, the commitment to the pivotal position paid dividends: In January, Markstrom was 11th among 64 NHL goalies in save percentage (.929) and 16th in goals-against average (2.18), and through the first four weeks of the season he had logged more minutes than all but two goalies (fellow North Division netminders Frederik Andersen and Mikko Koskinen).
Since coming out of his crease to charge Canucks forward Tanner Pearson in a race for the puck on Feb. 17 (and subsequently being placed on the injured reserve), however, Markstrom’s play has faltered.
After returning, he’s 4-6-1 while allowing over three goals per game and stopping less than 90 per cent of shots. This year, he’s allowed more than three goals seven times in 26 starts and rarely stolen a game for a team that will effectively be in must-win games through the end of the pandemic-shortened 56-game season.
For his part, Markstrom emphatically shrugged off the notion that the collision with his ex-teammate turned his season in the wrong direction, and Sutter has stood by his starting goalie.
“I’ve coached a lot of really good goalies,” Sutter said. “(Markstrom) has the ability to reach that level of those guys if he sticks with it and works his way through it.”
Markstrom has proven to be capable of that in the recent past. Between 2017-18 and 2019-20, among the 36 goalies with at least 100 starts he was 16th in save percentage (0.914) and 18th in GAA (2.74) while playing more than just six other goalies in the league. He also finished fourth in Vezina voting last season.
“The urge to play better, I would say, is very high,” Markstrom said prior to Tuesday’s flight to Vancouver. “I obviously try to push myself in practice but, at the end of the day, you have to get the work done in the games and I’m not happy with my performance.”
Markstrom is surely relieved that the month of March is over, but there’s no time to dwell on the past as the Flames play their first game of April Friday night against the surging Oilers in Edmonton.
Sports
Marchand says Maple Leafs are Bruins’ ‘biggest rival’ ahead of 1st-round series – NHL.com
BOSTON – Forget Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens.
For Brad Marchand, right now, it’s all about Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs.
“You see the excitement they have all throughout Canada when they’re in playoffs,” Marchand said Thursday. “Makes it a lot of fun to play them. And I think, just with the history we’ve had with them recently, they’re probably our biggest rival right now over the last decade.
“They’ve probably surpassed Montreal and any other team with kind of where our rivalry’s gone, just because we’ve both been so competitive with each other, and we’ve had a few playoff series. It definitely brings the emotion, the intensity, up in the games and the excitement for the fans.
“It’s a lot of fun to play them.”
The Bruins and Maple Leafs will renew their rivalry in their first round series, which starts Saturday at TD Garden (8 p.m. ET; TBS, truTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS). They’ll be familiar opponents.
Over the past 11 seasons, the Bruins have faced the Maple Leafs four times in the postseason, starting with the epic 2013 matchup in the first round. That resulted in an all-time instant classic, the Game 7 in which the Bruins were down 4-1 in the third period and came roaring back for an overtime win that helped propel them to the Stanely Cup Final.
That would prove to be the model and, in the intervening years, the Bruins have beaten them in each of the three subsequent series, including going to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2018 and 2019.
Which could easily be where this series is going.
“Offensively they’re a gifted hockey club,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Thursday. “They present a lot of challenges down around the netfront area. We’re going to have to be really sharp there. We’re a pretty good team defensively when we stick to what our principles are. So I expect it to be a tight series overall.”
But if anyone knows the Maple Leafs — and what to expect — it’s Marchand. In his career, he’s played 146 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 11th most of any active player. Twenty-one of those games have come against the Maple Leafs, games in which Marchand has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).
“They’re always extremely competitive,” Marchand said. “You never know which way the series is going to go. But that’s what you want. That’s what you love about hockey is the competition aspect. They’re real competitors over there, especially the way they’re built right now. So it’s going to be a lot of fun, and that’s what playoffs is about. It’s about the best teams going head-to-head.”
But even though the history favors the Bruins — including having won each of the past six playoff matchups, dating back to the NHL’s expansion era in 1967-68 and each of the four regular-season games in 2023-24 — Marchand is throwing that out the window.
“That means nothing,” he said.
The Maple Leafs bring the No. 2 offense in the NHL into their series, having scored 3.63 goals per game. They were led by Auston Matthews and his 69 goals this season, a new record for him and for the franchise.
“You have to be hard on a guy like that and limit his time and space with the puck,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “He’s really good at getting in position to receive the puck and he’s got linemates who can put it right on his tape for him. You’ve just got to know where he is, especially in our D zone. He likes to loop away after cycling it and kind of find that sweet spot coming down Broadway there in the middle. It’s not just a one-person job.”
Nor is Matthews their only threat.
“They have a lot of great players, skill players, who play hard and can be very dangerous around the net and create scoring opportunities,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “You’ve just got to be aware of who’s out there and who you’re against, who you’re matched up against, and play hard. Also, too, we’ve got to focus on our game and what we do well and when we do that, we trust each other and have that belief in each other, we’re a pretty good hockey team.”
Especially against the Maple Leafs.
Marchand, who grew up in Halifax loving the Maple Leafs, still gets a thrill to see their alumni walking around Scotiabank Arena in the playoffs. And it’s even more special to be on the ice with them, to be competing against them — even more so when the Bruins keep winning.
But that certainly doesn’t mean this series will be easy.
“They’ll be a [heck] of a challenge,” Marchand said.
Sports
NHL sets Round 1 schedule for 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Daily Faceoff
The chase for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice will begin on Saturday.
After what could be described as the most exciting season in NHL history that saw heartbreaks and last-ditch efforts to clinch playoff spots, players and staff now get ready as 16 teams go to battle.
We saw the Vancouver Canucks have a massive year and finish first in the Pacific Division with captain Quinn Hughes leading all defensemen in points. The Winnipeg Jets set a franchise record for most points. The Nashville Predators went on a franchise-record winning streak in order to lock themselves into a Wild Card spot, and the Washington Capitals clinched the last Wild Card spot in the East after a wild finish that saw the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers see their playoff hopes crumble in front of them.
While Auston Matthews missed out on scoring 70 goals, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay Lightning standout Nikita Kucherov became the first players since 1990-91 to record 100 assists in a single season. They joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players to do so.
With the bracket set, it’s time to expect the unexpected.
Here is the schedule for Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Eastern Conference
#A1 Florida Panthers vs. #WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Tampa at Florida | 12:30 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Tampa at Florida | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Thursday, April 25 | 3. Florida at Tampa | 7 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Florida at Tampa | 5 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 29 | 5. Tampa at Florida | TBD |
Wednesday, May 1 | 6. Florida at Tampa | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Tampa at Florida | TBD |
#A2 Boston Bruins vs. #A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
Date | Game | Time |
Saturday, April 20 | 1. Toronto at Boston | 8 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 22 | 2. Toronto at Boston | 7 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 3. Boston at Toronto | 7 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Boston at Toronto | 8 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Toronto at Boston | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Boston at Toronto | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Toronto at Boston | TBD |
#M1 New York Rangers vs. #WC2 Washington Capitals
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Washington at New York | 3 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Washington at New York | 7 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 2. New York at Washington | 7 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 2. New York at Washington | 8 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, May 1 | 2. Washington at New York | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 2. New York at Washington | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 2. Washington at New York | TBD |
#M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #M3 New York Islanders
Date | Game | Time |
Saturday, April 20 | 1. New York at Carolina | 5 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 22 | 2. New York at Carolina | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Thursday, April 25 | 3. Carolina at New York | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Carolina at New York | 2 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. New York at Carolina | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Carolina at New York | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. New York at Carolina | TBD |
Western Conference
#C1 Dallas Stars vs. #WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
Date | Game | Time |
Monday, April 22 | 1. Vegas at Dallas | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 2. Vegas at Dallas | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 3. Dallas at Vegas | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 29 | 4. Dallas at Vegas | TBD |
Wednesday, May 1 | 5. Vegas at Dallas | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Dallas at Vegas | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Vegas at Dallas | TBD |
#C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. #C3 Colorado Avalanche
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Colorado at Winnipeg | 7 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Colorado at Winnipeg | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Winnipeg at Colorado | 10 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Winnipeg at Colorado | 2:30 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Colorado at Winnipeg | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Winnipeg at Colorado | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Colorado at Winnipeg | TBD |
#P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #WC1 Nashville Predators
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Nashville at Vancouver | 10 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Nashville at Vancouver | 10 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Vancouver at Nashville | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Vancouver at Nashville | 5 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Nashville at Vancouver | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Vancouver at Nashville | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Nashville at Vancouver | TBD |
#P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. #P3 Los Angeles Kings
Date | Game | Time |
Monday, April 22 | 1. Los Angeles at Edmonton | 10 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 2. Los Angeles at Edmonton | 10 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Edmonton at Los Angeles | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Edmonton at Los Angeles | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, May 1 | 5. Los Angeles at Edmonton | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Edmonton at Los Angeles | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Los Angeles at Edmonton | TBD |
Sports
With matchup vs. Kings decided, Oilers should be confident facing familiar foe – Sportsnet.ca
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