Vladimir Tarasenko, who had surgery Oct. 29 to repair a dislocated left shoulder, was about a week away from returning to the lineup when the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. Now with four more months to get stronger, Tarasenko should be back to form. His biggest impact could come at 5-on-5; his 112 5-on-5 goals from 2014-15 through 2018-19 were second in the NHL behind Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (118). The Blues were 12th in the NHL and third among the four teams in the West round-robin with 149 goals at 5-on-5 this season.
Jordan Binnington helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup last season and carried his strong play into this season. He went 30-13-7 with a 2.56 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and three shutouts in 50 games. His 30 wins were third in the NHL, and his 34 starts with a save percentage of at least .900 were tied for second in the NHL with Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning (Connor Hellebuyck of Winnipeg Jets, 38).
Numbers to know
The Blues were 18th in the NHL on the penalty kill this season at 79.3 percent, but it didn’t affect their record because they were one of the more disciplined teams in the League. They averaged 7:13 of penalty minutes per game, sixth lowest in the NHL, and were shorthanded 2.86 times per game, 12th fewest. The potential to be better is there; the 2020 postseason roster includes nine of the 11 skaters who averaged at least 1:16 of shorthanded ice time per game last season when St. Louis finished ninth on the penalty kill at 81.5 percent.
They said it
“We’re preparing for something big. Biggest challenge in the NHL is the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs. … Everybody understands how important it is and everybody understands we need to be ready to go right away. Just do what we can to prepare and play our best in the playoffs.” — forward Vladimir Tarasenko
Projected lineup
Jaden Schwartz — Brayden Schenn — Vladimir Tarasenko
Zach Sanford — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron
Sammy Blais — Robert Thomas — Tyler Bozak
Mackenzie MacEachern — Oskar Sundqvist — Alexander Steen
Carl Gunnarsson — Alex Pietrangelo
Marco Scandella — Colton Parayko
Justin Faulk — Robert Bortuzzo
Jordan Binnington
Jake Allen
Scratched:Ivan Barbashev, Troy Brouwer, Jacob de la Rose, Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou, Austin Poganski, Niko Mikkola, Derrick Pouliot, Jake Walman, Ville Husso
Center Nathan MacKinnon is a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player and the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play. He was fifth in the NHL with 93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, scoring 14 more goals and 43 more points than any teammate. In 12 playoff games last season, he scored 13 points (six goals, seven assists), second on the Avalanche to forward Mikko Rantanen‘s 14.
Goaltending
Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz each is a potential starter, and the Avalanche won’t decide on their No. 1 goalie for the Stanley Cup Playoffs until after the round-robin, according to coach Jared Bednar. Grubauer, who was the backup for the Washington Capitals when they won the Stanley Cup in 2018, went 7-5 with a 2.30 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and one shutout in 12 playoff games for Colorado last season. He battled injuries this season and went 18-12-4 with a 2.63 GAA, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts in 36 games. That opened the door for Francouz, who went 21-7-4 with a 2.41 GAA, a .923 save percentage and one shutout in 34 games but never has played in the postseason.
Numbers to know
Defenseman Cale Makar has scored 56 points (13 goals, 43 assists) in the first 67 games of his NHL career, regular season and playoffs. He made his NHL debut in the 2019 postseason and scored six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 games, then scored 50 (12 goals, 38 assists) in 57 games this season and is a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. He scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in eight games against the Avalanche’s round-robin opponents: two assists in four games against the Dallas Stars, four points (two goals, two assists) in three games against the St. Louis Blues, and one goal in one game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I think this unfortunate break kind of benefited us the most, just in that everyone got the time to rejuvenate and we got all of our injured guys back. So that’s definitely a plus that came out of this. But I think for us, obviously our goal is to make it all the way. We know we can.” — defenseman Cale Makar
Projected lineup
Andre Burakovsky — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Gabriel Landeskog — Nazem Kadri — Valeri Nichushkin
Matt Nieto — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — Matt Calvert
Ryan Graves — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Erik Johnson
Ian Cole — Nikita Zadorov
Philipp Grubauer
Pavel Francouz
Scratched:Shane Bowers, Sheldon Dries, Tyson Jost, Logan O’Connor, T.J. Tynan, Mark Barberio, Bowen Byram,Kevin Connauton, Anton Lindholm, Conor Timmins, Michael Hutchinson
Unfit to play:Colin Wilson
Vegas Golden Knights
2019-20 season: 39-24-8, .606 points percentage
Season series: COL 0-2-0; DAL 1-1-0; STL 2-1-0
Game breaker
Forward Mark Stone led the Golden Knights in scoring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games. He was leading them in scoring this season with 63 points (21 goals, 42 assists) in 65 games through Feb. 26, but a lower-body injury caused him to miss the final six games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. He’s healthy now and expected to return to his spot on the Golden Knights’ top line.
Goaltending
Coach Peter DeBoer said he has two starting goalies and will play each one. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the face of the Golden Knights since being chosen at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and helped Vegas to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. He was 27-16-5with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and five shutouts in 49 games this season. Robin Lehner was acquired in a trade Feb. 24 from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who earlier in the day had acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks. He was 19-10-5 with a 2.89 GAA, a .920 save percentage and one shutout in 36 games, including 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .940 save percentage in three games with Vegas.
Numbers to know
The Golden Knights led the NHL in 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage at 54.8 percent. Vegas had four of the top 10 players in the NHL in SAT percentage (minimum 30 games), led by forward Max Pacioretty, who was fourth at 58.9 percent, and Shea Theodore, who was fifth and led NHL defensemen at 58.5 percent. Stone was seventh at 57.7 percent, and defenseman Nick Holden was 10th at 56.8 percent.
“Playoffs are a different animal, right? We go out on the road. We’re in the hotel. We hang out together. I guess the only difference is you don’t get to stay at home, you don’t get to see your family. So that’s going to be tough on guys. But they’re not going to be in the city, so I don’t think it’s going to be difficult. What’s more fun than hanging out with your buddies every day playing hockey?” — forward Mark Stone
Projected lineup
Max Pacioretty — William Karlsson — Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault — Paul Stastny — Reilly Smith
Forward Jamie Benn had a disappointing regular season with 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 69 games, his fewest in a season since he scored 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 41 games in the shortened 2012-13 season. But he is a proven postseason performer with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 32 Stanley Cup Playoff games. His average of 0.94 points per game in the playoffs is the best for the Stars since the team moved to Dallas in 1993-94 (minimum 10 games).
Ben Bishop went 21-16-4 with a 2.50 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage and two shutouts in 44 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. He is the Stars’ No. 1 goalie. Bishop has 49 starts in the NHL playoffs, 11th among active goalies, going 28-19 with a 2.12 GAA, a .929 save percentage and five shutouts. That gives him the experience edge on Anton Khudobin, who has played in two playoff games (no starts) in 11 NHL seasons. But Khudobin went 16-8-4 in 30 games this season, tied for second in the NHL with a 2.22 GAA, and had a League-best .930 save percentage (minimum 25 games). He’s almost a No. 1B behind Bishop.
Numbers to know
Dallas allowed 2.52 goals per game, second in the NHL behind the Boston Bruins (2.39), but was 26th in the League in scoring at 2.58 goals per game. The Stars scored 108 goals at 5-on-5, second fewest in the NHL ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings (92).
They said it
“We know what our issues are in terms of puck possession and creating offense. We’re the No. 2 team in the League defensively, so that’s our identity. Can we do more with our identity? Absolutely. So we’re working on it and we feel we can improve that area.” — coach Rick Bowness
Projected lineup
Jamie Benn — Tyler Seguin — Denis Gurianov
Mattias Janmark — Joe Pavelski — Alexander Radulov
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
