Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins just earned himself a permanent spot on the highlight reel.
Caught out of position late in the game, Merzlikins dove across his crease in desperation, ultimately committing highway robbery on Russian forward Sergei Mozyakin.
Guy Boucher and Marc Crawford are both off the board.
The Ottawa Senators introduced Boucher as their head coach Monday afternoon, while also announcing that the club has hired Marc Crawford as associate head coach.
#Sens GM Pierre Dorion confirms that new associate coach Marc Crawford will also act as a liaison between the coaching staff in Binghamton.
Boucher said he wanted a former head coach by his side during his second go-round in the NHL, and Crawford's the guy. The two had been coaching in Switzerland and discussed working together one day in the NHL. Boucher said he was in touch with Crawford almost immediately upon getting the Senators' job, and wanted to get a deal done as soon as possible. An agreement was reached Monday morning.
"It's not about ego, it's about getting it right," Boucher said about adding Crawford to the staff.
Boucher thanked Senators owner Eugene Melnyk upon being introduced by general manager Pierre Dorion, and said he's looking forward to working with Ottawa's experienced staff.
"I'm very enthusiastic, and extremely excited to be surrounded by quality individuals and people who are dedicated to winning," Boucher said. "It's a great challenge I'm being given. I just can't wait to start, I'm more hungry than ever."
"Coming in a second time, the perspective is different and the planning is different. Managing players will be the same," says Boucher #Sens
Dorion said Boucher was the first candidate he interviewed and that Boucher made an "outstanding first impression." The first meeting lasted more than four-and-a-half hours, while a second interview lasted a whopping eight hours.
"Guy brings passion, drive, great communication skills, knowledge of the game, intelligence, he's progressive, (and) innovative," Dorion said. "What impressed me the most was his ability to translate how we need to play to have success."
Dorion acknowledged the Senators must be a better defensive team.
"We know that for the Senators to win and win in the playoffs we need to play better defensive hockey."
Dorion doesn't want to shy away from offensive hockey, but is looking for more balance, and a better power play. He re-iterated that Boucher was his first choice for the job.
Boucher, meanwhile, added that he'll begin meeting with Senators players immediately, and weighed in on a couple of integral parts of the team:
Boucher says he won't try to change the way Erik Karlsson. Wants him to use his speed. #Sens
The rookie goaltender had a Game 5 to forget against the Washington Capitals, allowing three goals on only 19 shots, but he'll be in the crease Tuesday in Game 6, head coach Mike Sullivan announced.
After signing Frozen Four MVP Drake Caggiula out of North Dakota, the Oilers announced they inked St. Cloud State forward Patrick Russell to a two-year, entry-level deal on Monday.
The 23-year-old recorded 20 goals and 21 assists in 41 games with the Huskies this season, which is good for third on the team.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - Ryan O'Reilly scored twice as Canada remained unbeaten at the world hockey championship with an 8-0 rout of Belarus on Monday.
Canada broke a close game open with four second-period goals to improve to 3-0 in St. Pete...
The St. Louis Blues are on the cusp of their first appearance in the conference finals since 2001. All they have to do is beat the Dallas Stars once more.
St. Louis is in a familiar position with a chance to eliminate a division rival, though in the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blues made things difficult by waiting until Game 7.
This time around, however, the Blues have more experience under their belts, and are looking forward to the opportunity of clinching on home ice.
"We've been in this situation before, so we know what we have to do a little bit different than last time," defenseman Carl Gunnarson told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We've got a good feeling in the group right now. I think everyone was a little nervous on both sides (Saturday), who's going to get the advantage. Getting it 3-2 and playing at home, that win is going to be the upper hand for us."
St. Louis took Game 5 by a convincing 4-1 margin, but the road team has won three times in the series, and the Stars aren't going to roll over.
"Once you get backed into a corner it brings out the best of you in a lot of ways," Dallas defenseman Johnny Oduya said. "It's always talked about where if you are on the other side, winning that fourth game is the toughest. I think we felt that the last series (against Minnesota) too. For us, we are looking at winning one game. That's the mindset we're approaching every game in the playoffs, but it becomes even more important now."
After needing only 10 games to advance to their second consecutive Eastern Conference finals, it's safe to say the Tampa Bay Lightning have got something going.
Tampa Bay finished two wins shy of a championship last season, but a slow start to the season raised doubts about if the Lightning are truly among the upper echelon of NHL teams. Add the swirling rumors surrounding captain Steven Stamkos' contract situation, a chaotic saga engulfing Jonathan Drouin's reputation, and you have what could have been a disaster for Jon Cooper and Co.
Entering the playoffs without Stamkos or top-pairing defenseman Anton Stralman, the Lightning were written off by some, but as they did all year, they handled the adversity. This time with ease.
The Lightning advancing to the conference finals is proof general manager Steve Yzerman built a contender in Tampa, and this roster, no matter who's missing, is among the best in the East.
Nikita Kucherov leads the playoffs in goals with nine, while Tyler Johnson is tied for second in points with 13. The emergence of Drouin - who has nine points through 10 games - on the second line has solidified the Lightning's attack.
Defenseman Victor Hedman has been a force on the blue line, scoring nine points in 27:30 of ice time per game, while boasting a CF60 percent of 59.42 (war-on-ice).
Goaltender Ben Bishop is proving his Vezina Trophy candidacy, posting a .938 save percentage with a 1.98 goals-against average and two shutouts.
As a team, Tampa Bay is allowing the second-fewest goals per game in the playoffs (1.90), while scoring at the second-highest clip (3.00).
The thought off adding Stamkos and Stralman - though it's unclear when that could be - to a roster already firing on all cylinders spells trouble for any opponent.
Now, awaiting the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Washington Capitals, the turbulence of a hectic regular season is all but a distant memory for the Lightning.
Barely a full month into their offseason, the Ottawa Senators' front office has undergone a complete makeover.
In April, longtime general manager Bryan Murray stepped down to take an advisory role with the team and handed over the reins to Pierre Dorion, who formerly served as assistant GM.
Dorion wasted no time making an impact, relieving former head coach Dave Cameron of his duties and hiring Guy Boucher. Dorion is optimistic about the direction in which his team is heading.
"I'm as, or more, confident about the decision (to hire Boucher) as any that I've made in my hockey career," Dorion said Monday.
Boucher returns to the NHL after two seasons coaching in Switzerland. He was with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2011-13, posting a record of 97-78-20.
With the New York islanders eliminated from the 2016 playoffs, here’s a look at what could be ahead in the offseason. ESPN.COM: Craig Custance looks ahead at what could be a busy summer for New York Islanders GM Garth Snow. Topping the list is honoring defenseman Travis Hamonic’s request to be dealt to a […]
Lightning eliminate the Islanders, Senators hire Guy Boucher as head coach & more in today’s collection of NHL morning headlines. TAMPA BAY TIMES/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Victor Hedman scored twice and Ben Bishop turned aside 28 shots to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a series-clinching 4-0 blanking of the New York Islanders, winning their […]