Monthly Archives: April 2016
Sullivan: ‘Everyone in hockey is trying to remove’ hits like Orpik on Maatta
Mike Sullivan was not pleased with what he saw from the opposition in Game 2 Saturday night.
More specifically, he took exception to a late and high hit leveled on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta by Brooks Orpik of the Washington Capitals.
"I think it's the type of hit that everyone in hockey is trying to remove from the game," Sullivan told reporters after the game.
As far as Maatta's status, he's considered out indefinitely, pending further examination.
In the other locker room, Orpik was not made available to reporters after the game, and it's likely he'll receive a phone call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety.
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Watch: Penguins’ Fehr scores Game 2 winner on deft redirection
All's Fehr in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It was Eric Fehr who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins tie their second-round series with the Washington Capitals at one win apiece, courtesy of a nifty redirection past Braden Holtby.
The goal, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz, was the second of the playoffs for the former Capital.
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Predators recall Mazanec, raising questions about Rinne
The Nashville Predators summoned goaltender Marek Mazanec from the AHL on Saturday night, leading to speculation about the health of starter Pekka Rinne.
Rinne appeared to be in discomfort after allowing San Jose Sharks winger Joel Ward to score the go-ahead goal with about eight minutes remaining in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
He was replaced by backup netminder Carter Hutton with 20 seconds left.
Mazanec went 19-15-5 with a 2.45 GAA, a .912 save percentage and four shutouts with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals this season.
Game 2 between the Predators and Sharks goes Sunday night at the SAP Center in San Jose.
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Auston Matthews: Playing for Leafs would be ‘very special’
Auston Matthews would relish the opportunity to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"The idea of playing in Toronto, if they were to choose me, it's pretty exciting," the top draft prospect told TSN's James Duthie after the Leafs won the lottery Saturday night. "It would be very special."
Matthews had plenty of reasons to be excited about potentially starting his NHL career in Toronto.
"It's the hockey mecca of the world," he said. "They have one of the best coaches in the league and it's a very exciting place to play. Their fans are very passionate and I think everybody really enjoys watching them play."
The Arizona-born forward wasn't concerned about possibly playing for a Canadian franchise, whether the Maple Leafs select him first overall, or the Winnipeg Jets choose him second.
"To me, it doesn't matter. I just want to play in the NHL, so wherever that may be, it would be a tremendous honor either way."
He'll find out on June 24, when his name is called at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
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Leafs’ Shanahan: ‘We earned this the hard way’
The pain of another losing season was all worth it for Brendan Shanahan.
"We earned this the hard way," the Toronto Maple Leafs president told Kathryn Tappen on Sportsnet after winning the draft lottery Saturday night.
"It wasn't a whole lot of fun this year, but our coaching staff and our management staff did a lot of really good things here in Toronto, (and) this will certainly help."
Sitting through the lottery wasn't easy for Shanahan.
"I'm just a little bit rattled from this whole experience," he said. "That was a pretty tense moment for all of us. I think just to get into the final three, even (the) Columbus (Blue Jackets), Winnipeg (Jets) and us, we just felt that we were all going to get a great player."
The Leafs had the highest odds of winning the lottery at 20 percent. The Jets secured the second overall pick despite having the sixth-highest odds, while the Blue Jackets had the fourth-highest odds and moved up to third.
Shanahan said landing the first pick will aid the club's rebuild, but it will take more than one great player to turn things around.
"It's a team sport and it's not about one guy, and that's one thing that (head coach) Mike (Babcock) and (general manager) Lou (Lamoriello) really believe in, but certainly when you have an opportunity to pick first overall, it's an important moment for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"It's an important moment for our fans, our ownership group has given us the support to do this build the right way, so this is a little bit of luck here, it's a lottery, and we're just happy to be lucky today. But we didn't get here without a lot of support from our fans, from our ownership group and from our whole staff."
The 2016 NHL Entry Draft will begin June 24 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
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Watch: Penguins’ Maatta leaves Game 2 after late check by Capitals’ Orpik
Brooks Orpik of the Washington Capitals may be in some hot water following a late hit delivered to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta early in Saturday's Game 2.
Maatta was helped off the ice and sent to the locker room for examination, while Orpik was assessed a two-minute penalty for interference. The Penguin did not return for the second period.
The incident is likely worthy of another look, this time from the NHL's Department of Player Safety.
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Watch: Disgruntled Canucks fans lament draft lottery loss
Vancouver Canucks fans were not happy about slipping in the draft lottery Saturday night.
The Canucks had the third-highest odds of securing the first overall pick but fell to fifth, while the Toronto Maple Leafs were awarded the top selection in June.
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Maple Leafs fans rejoice over draft lottery win
Given the reaction, you'd think the Toronto Maple Leafs just won the Stanley Cup.
Fans watching the NHL draft lottery at a bar near the Air Canada Centre let out a raucous cheer when deputy commissioner Bill Daly revealed that the Leafs secured the first overall pick in June's draft.
The streamers were a nice touch.
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