After picking the top corner to provide the equalizer in the first period Friday, Vladimir Tarasenko struck again late in the third, rifling a loose puck past Pekka Rinne for his second of the game and third of the playoffs.
The Blues marksman was St. Louis' best player from puck drop, adding 22 minutes of ice time and six shots to his two-goal performance to secure a split on home ice.
Nothing like a trade to spice up the NHL playoffs.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes orchestrated a move Friday, as the former sent netminder Scott Darling to Raleigh in exchange for a third-round pick in June's draft. Darling is an impending unrestricted free agent, but Carolina owns exclusive negotiating right as part of the deal.
The deal makes plenty of sense for both parties, and here's why.
He can be a No. 1
Although he's backed up Corey Crawford throughout his career, Darling, 28, has the tools to be a starter in the NHL.
In 32 appearances this season, Darling posted an 18-5-5 record, with a 2.38 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. His career marks in the same categories sit at 2.37 and .923, respectively, through 75 games.
Though his body of work is a smaller sample size than that of Cam Ward and Eddie Lack, both of Carolina's options this season, in a word, stunk.
Lack was publicly lambasted by head coach Terry Peters for poor play, while Ward waited until the end of the season to give his team a chance. Coincidentally, the Hurricanes earned points in 12 straight games down the stretch, coming closer than expected to sneaking into the postseason.
The Hurricanes have believed in Ward for 11 seasons since he won the Conn Smythe trophy, and with a bevy of youthful talent both up front and on the blue line, the timing couldn't be better for Carolina to hand the crease over to a new No. 1.
Cap relief, protection
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Like clockwork, Chicago's cap situation is a mess, and although they're losing one of the game's premier backups, keeping him around for next season and beyond wasn't an option financially.
On Carolina's side of things, adding Darling affords the Hurricanes, and general manager Ron Francis, an easier decision on who to leave exposed for Las Vegas.
Little cost
Darling's an Illinois native, and a character guy in the dressing room. Pulling the trigger on the breakup may have been difficult, but Stan Bowman just landed an additional draft pick, basically for free.
With Darling all but likely hitting the open market anyway, Chicago grabbed the third-round selection they lost in acquiring Tomas Jurco earlier in the season.
Carolina, meanwhile, won't be griping at the loss of the pick, which they acquired in exchange for Viktor Stalberg at the deadline. Trading another team's selection for a new starting goalie? No brainer.
One measly lost pick won't stop the Hurricanes on their trek toward prominence, as Francis still owns the chance at a lottery pick in the first round, three second-rounders, and two third-rounders in the 2017 draft.
The 28-year-old spent his first three seasons in the NHL backing up Corey Crawford. During that time, he compiled a a record of 39-17-9 in 75 games with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
"We could count on Scott in any situation as he was always reliable," Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said in a release. "We appreciate his contributions to the Blackhawks organization - including a Stanley Cup championship team - and we wish him well as he continues his career in Carolina."
This past season, Darling went 18-5-5 in 32 games, posting a .924 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against average - both higher marks than Crawford.
No one could be happier with the play of Marc-Andre Fleury this postseason than the Pittsburgh Penguins brass, except maybe the brain-trust in Las Vegas.
Fleury has put to rest any doubts about his postseason performance and is playing his best playoff hockey since the 2007-08 campaign. He's made general manager Jim Rutherford look like a genius for not dealing him this season.
Many expected that Fleury's days in Pittsburgh would be numbered with the impending NHL expansion draft. Matt Murray proved last season and through most of this regular season that he is the franchise's goalie of the future, leaving doubts about Fleury's role.
However, an injury to Murray later and now Fleury is shining bright in the spotlight.
The problem now is that Fleury has a no-movement clause, so he must be protected by the Penguins. And since the team can only protect one goalie, it's a near certainty that Murray will be plucked by the Vegas Golden Knights unless they do something about it.
This means the next biggest Fleury fan might be George McPhee - and not just because the Penguins have a 1-0 lead against his former club - since the Golden Knights general manager likely understands that Fleury's great play puts the Penguins in a rather uncomfortable situation, one that could benefit his club.
So how do the Penguins attack this conundrum? Here are some of the possible outcomes that could arise at season's end and how they could impact these two clubs and these two netminders:
Penguins hold on to Fleury, Vegas gets Murray
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
We'll get the most unlikely scenario out of the way first.
Fleury has been great this postseason and anyone who caught Game 1 against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night can attest that Fleury was the reason the Penguins got the win.
He has been great, and with Rutherford appearing to have a hard time letting him go, there is the chance that he has done enough to get back in the Penguins' good graces and prove that he can still be their goalie for years to come.
The Golden Knights would be ecstatic with this scenario. Not only would they get a fairly proven No. 1 goalie in Murray, but they'd get one who is just 22 years of age. Those talents don't come along very often, almost never. He would be a great first addition for the new franchise.
Penguins are forced to trade Fleury, possibly to Vegas
The most likely scenario is that, somehow, the Penguins trade Fleury to ... someone?
The Penguins are smart enough to understand what they have in Murray, and as great as Fleury has been, he is 10 years older and his best years are likely behind him.
So, regardless of how loyal Rutherford might be to Fleury, there's only so much he can do. He could try to swing a deal with a club in need of a No. 1 goalie. The Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars certainly come to mind.
Another possible partner, the Golden Knights. Here me out on this one.
Of course, between the two the Golden Knights would take Murray, but if the Penguins trade Fleury to Vegas on a deal skewed in the Golden Knights' favor - maybe including a high draft-pick - they could help Vegas score a strong netminder and provide some aid to their roster build, since they will certainly rely heavily on the draft in their first couple seasons.
It's a risky ploy, but with two desperate teams, it can't be ruled out.
Penguins, Golden Knights agree to deal that keeps Murray, Fleury in Pittsburgh
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
This kind of deal is exactly what could make the pending expansion draft so exciting. Vegas can make deals with teams so they don't pluck certain players from their roster. It's a fantastic rule.
It's hard to imagine what that would take in this instance, since - as mentioned - Murray could be a franchise goalie. But I'm not a general manager, I just play one on the internet.
Maybe Pittsburgh could package something mighty that Vegas would accept in order to look for a goalie elsewhere. One would think that would start with a first-round pick and include at least a good prospect or two - and even that might not be enough.
It would be a lot for Pittsburgh to give up, but it all comes down to how much the Penguins and Golden Knights value the two goaltenders.
Things are going to get interesting.
Of course, there could be a Plan D here that changes all of this, but as it stands now the Penguins will have a lot to consider at season's end.
The team is clearly over the moon with how the man they call "Flower" has played, but as it stands now, this strong performance will make things much more complicated for Pittsburgh in one month's time.
After ranking fourth league-wide in goals this season, the high-flying New York Rangers offense has been stifled in the playoffs.
The Blueshirts were first tested by Carey Price, and though they dispatched him and the Montreal Canadiens in six games, their sputtering goal-scorers aren't about to catch any breaks against the Ottawa Senators.
Victimized by Ottawa's pesky 1-3-1 format, the Rangers managed just one tally in the series opener Thursday night, and forward Derek Stepan believes he deserves some criticism for his team's general lack of postseason production.
Stepan added, "I'm all over the map. It stinks. It's not fun not playing well. You want to be a part of it. You want to help. But like I said, I just have not been good."
South Korea will play in the 2018 IIHF World Hockey Championship for the first time in its history after defeating Ukraine in a shootout in a qualifying tournament.
Here's a look at the shootout winner by Sanghoon Shin:
South Korea will play in IIHF World Championships (2018) for the first time ever after this nasty shootout winner. They are really happy. pic.twitter.com/W6E51sJq4c
Qualifying for the World Championship comes at a very opportune time for South Korea, as the city of Pyeongchang will be hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics.
With hockey as a marquee event for the Winter Olympics, interest in the game from the home nation could be at an all-time high once February rolls around.
There's at least one player on South Korea that NHL fans might be familiar with, former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Alex Plante. He was chosen 15th overall by the Oilers in 2007, suiting up in 10 games from 2009-12.
If an NHL playoff game is played in front of a non-capacity crowd at an arena in Canada, has it truly been played?
That's the question the north is grappling with Friday, after only 16,744 souls - the building was at 90.5 percent capacity - showed up Thursday to Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa for Game 1 of the second-round playoff series between the Senators and New York Rangers.
Second round. Not the first. The second. Prior to these playoffs, the Senators had advanced this far only once since their Stanley Cup Final run in 2007. Ottawa fans, in other words, certainly haven't been spoiled with winners.
Look, we get it. The rink's not in an ideal location. Nobody wants to pay $20 or more for parking, anywhere. And public transit is, generally speaking, the absolute worst. But this is a bad look, Ottawa, any way you spin it. Those seats shouldn't have been empty - especially when they're as cheap as they are, even on the secondary market. And especially not this year, because these Sens, this group of guys, are too damned easy to root for.
A true team
The Senators, like Ottawa, don't get a lot of respect. Only two of our editors had them advancing to the second round, while over at ESPN, only three of 12 picked Ottawa to win. But the Sens, led by Guy Boucher, have been proving folks wrong all season long, and have clearly rallied around one another. They're a team in the truest sense of the word, and it goes back all the way to training camp.
MacArthur's unbelievable comeback
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
In September, during a training-camp scrimmage, Clarke MacArthur suffered yet another concussion when he was hit by defenseman Patrick Sieloff, a 2012 second-round pick who was looking to make his mark with his new team.
MacArthur's concussion history was common knowledge - he played only four games in 2015-16. Every hit taken could be his last. And watching him skate off the ice at camp, clearly in distress, knowing his career might be over, was brutal to watch.
Immediately after the hit, Bobby Ryan, the Sens' highest-paid player with a cap hit of $7.25 million through 2021-22, dropped the gloves with Sieloff. He had to send a message to one of his own. Sieloff was eventually removed from the scrimmage, because Chris Neil was angling for a piece of him after Ryan. That's how serious it got.
MacArthur was thought to be out for the season, and retirement was appearing more and more likely. But he somehow returned in early April for Ottawa's final four games, and he eliminated the Boston Bruins in overtime of Game 6 in the first round. It was as perfect as perfect gets.
And you know damned well who was credited with the first assist on the winner: Ryan. But before joining teammates in celebration, he went and retrieved the puck for MacArthur. That one was a keeper, after all.
Ryan's redemption
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Ryan's writing his own neat little playoff story.
The 30-year-old struggled badly this season, scoring only 13 goals and finishing with 25 points - by far the worst statistical season of his career. But it appears he's used the playoffs as a fresh start.
Ryan has four goals - two of them game-winners - and three assists in seven spring games. One of those winners was an OT number, and the other was tallied in the third period of what ended up a 1-0 game.
Big goals. Big Bobby.
The Captain
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Oh, yeah, there's also that Erik Karlsson guy, who's scoring game-winning goals in the second round of the NHL playoffs off Henrik Lundqvist, while playing with hairline fractures in his heel.
Karlsson is a defenseman like no other in the league. He's worth the price of admission on his own.
The Andersons
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
We haven't even mentioned Nicholle and Craig Anderson yet.
The Sens' starting goalie's wife was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in the fall, leading Craig to rightfully take multiple leaves of absences from the team in order to be with her. And he had the Senators' blessing, and the support of teammates, every step of the way, even when nobody knew when he'd return to the club.
Craig played only seven games from December 2016 through February 2017, with backup Mike Condon - acquired via trade in November - carrying the load. Condon would end up playing 40 games for Ottawa, winning 19 of them and posting five shutouts. He's a big reason why Ottawa made the playoffs. It was truly a team effort.
As for Nicholle, she was able to report good news with respect to her treatment, and on April 17 wrote a blog post dedicated to Craig, titled, "My Rock."
Here's an excerpt:
During this cancer journey, my husband definitely has shown the definition of a best friend.We cried and laughed together.We experienced situations that we never thought would come our way. He became my cheerleader, like I am for him on the ice. He pushed me on days where I didn’t think I was going to make it. He was the first to hold my hair when chemo didn’t agree with me, and when I was so weak he would carry me to the car and rush me to the hospital or hydration. On Christmas Day, I was admitted into the hospital, missing our kiddos, and found a way to smile drinking milkshakes and hospital chicken fingers. During the night he would watch over me, and check on me. Never once did he ever complain that he was tired or needed a break. His strength to be by my side is truly remarkable. I always think I can I ever repay him? I am truly blessed by GOD to have this man in my life.
In what was easily the most challenging personal and professional season of his life, Anderson recorded a .926 save percentage and five shutouts in 40 games. In any season in which the 35-year-old has played 40 games, he's never been better.
Nicholle surprised her husband by showing up in Boston for Game 6, which Anderson and the boys won in OT on MacArthur's winner. A whole lot of feelings, all around.
So, how can you root against the Andersons, their perseverance, and the Senators?
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Truth is, you can't. The organization handled the Andersons' situation with utmost class, and deserves all the success it's achieving. Which is why those empty seats Thursday are so bothersome. Everyone in Ottawa should want to watch this team, this family, play hockey. First round, second round, who cares. Fill that damn arena, no matter where it's located.
They're not the "Pesky Sens" of a few years ago, but they're something else, something stronger. This team, it appears, is on a mission.
Get it together, Ottawa. Game 2 better be sold out.
2017 NHL Draft Lottery When: Saturday, April 29, 8 p.m. ET Where: Toronto, Ontario TV: NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports (Coverage on Sportsnet, CBC begins at 7:30 p.m. ET)
It's ping-pong balls time.
The NHL Draft Lottery will be held Saturday to determine which team will select first overall at the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago, Ill., on Friday, June 23.
The most significant change to this year's lottery is a 15th team - the Vegas Golden Knights are in the mix. If it hasn't yet hit home that the NHL is expanding, it will this weekend.
Vegas has been afforded the same lottery odds as the 28th-place team (the Arizona Coyotes), while "the odds for all other participating teams have been reduced proportionally from the odds utilized in last year's NHL Draft Lottery," according to a league release.
Vegas, meanwhile, in its first draft, is guaranteed to pick no worse than sixth overall:
Team
Odds to land 1st pick
2nd
3rd
Avalanche
18%
16%
14.1%
Canucks
12.1%
11.8%
11.3%
Golden Knights
10.3%
10.3%
10.1%
Coyotes
10.3%
10.3%
10.1%
Devils
8.5%
8.7%
8.8%
Sabres
7.6%
7.8%
8%
Red Wings
6.7%
7%
7.2%
Stars
5.8%
6.1%
6.4%
Panthers
5.4%
5.7%
6%
Kings
4.5%
4.8%
5.1%
Hurricanes
3.2%
3.4%
3.7%
Jets
2.7%
2.9%
3.2%
Flyers
2.2%
2.4%
2.7%
Lightning
1.8%
2%
2.2%
Islanders
0.9%
1%
1.1%
Like last year, the top three picks are in play. There will be a first Lottery Draw, a second Lottery Draw, and a third Lottery Draw, after which the clubs (4-15) will be slotted in based on how many points they had in the regular season (in inverse order).
Like previous years, though, it's thought to be a two-horse race: Canadian center Nolan Patrick, who earned NHL Central Scouting's No. 1 ranking among North American skaters, and Swiss center Nico Hischier, who slots in behind him at No. 2.
Nolan Patrick
Here's what you need to know about Patrick:
He's 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, shoots right, and is from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
He had 20 goals and 46 points in 33 games with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings this season, which was shortened by injury that also kept him out of the world juniors.
He had 41 goals and 102 points in 72 games with Brandon in 2015-16. He added 13 goals and 30 points in 21 playoff games that season, leading the Wheat Kings to their first title in 20 years. He was named playoff MVP.
Nico Hischier
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Here's what you need to know about Hischier:
He's 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, shoots right, and hails from Naters, Switzerland.
As a QMJHL freshman this season, he had 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games with the Halifax Mooseheads. He was named Rookie of the Year.
He impressed at the world juniors, finishing with four goals and seven points as Switzerland advanced to the quarterfinals, earning one more point than Finland.
The Takes
1. The Canucks have to be praying they land the top pick - but either No. 1 or No. 2 will do. Anything less will be a major disappointment, because in an unsexy draft headlined by two players, it would be very Vancouver-like for the Canucks to drop.
Vancouver needs top-flight offensive talent. Bad. This draft could ignite a true rebuild out West, or keep it sputtering.
2. The Avalanche are poised to add another dynamic young player to an already young core, but you have to think that adding one of Patrick or Hischier means a trade of Gabriel Landeskog or Matt Duchene is all but guaranteed.
If you're rooting for fireworks this summer, you want the Avalanche to come out on top. And if you're an Avalanche supporter, you've earned that No. 1 pick.
3. It would be great for Vegas and for the NHL if the Golden Knights land the top pick. The club is already shaping up to be more competitive than your standard expansion outfit, thanks to some well-thought-out expansion draft rules.
With the NFL on its way to Sin City, hockey on the strip is going to need all the help it can get.
The Rest
The top six ranked North American skaters are centers, and nine of 10 are forwards.
Six of the top 10 European skaters are forwards.
You can view all of the draft prospect rankings on the NHL's website.
Also of note, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall holds the same capacity with Team Canada, while Philadelphia bench boss Dave Hakstol will serve as an assistant coach with the Canadian team.
Canada kicks off tournament action May 5 against the Czech Republic.
