Bobby Ryan desperately wanted to go back to Pittsburgh. Not only did he get his wish, he did his part.
The 30-year-old continued his stellar playoffs Tuesday, scoring a much needed power-play goal for Ottawa, which tied Game 6 against the Penguins 1-1. Mike Hoffman would score the winner, forcing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final. And that's all Ryan wanted:
Bobby Ryan: "We bought ourselves two more days together. This team just wants to be around each other."
The Senators have been a team in every sense of the word this season, rallying around each other despite personal challenges faced by Craig Anderson, whose wife was diagnosed with cancer in the fall, and Clarke MacArthur, whose career was thought to be in jeopardy, but who came back and eliminated the Boston Bruins in the first round.
It was a trying season for Ryan, too, the four-time 30-goal scorer finishing with only 13 goals and 12 assists in what was by far the worst statistical season of his career.
But as Ryan wrote last week on The Players' Tribune, this Senators outfit, while not so different from other ones, is actually different. Because it is and always has been about the team, not personal statistics, from day one. Ryan and his numbers are the perfect example.
This has been a fun ride so far, but I think this team still has a lot left in the tank. This is the moment we’ve been preparing for all year, and now that it’s here, we feel ready.
I mean, why not us?
Why not now?
The underdog Sens, doubted all season and all playoffs, are one win away from the Stanley Cup Final. And you know Ryan wants nothing more than to play hockey in June.
Add another name to the list of head coaching candidates in Florida.
San Jose Sharks assistant Bob Boughner will reportedly meet with the Panthers for an interview this week, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN. The Sharks granted permission to speak to Boughner earlier in May.
Boughner has been with San Jose since 2015, and was part of Pete DeBoer's staff when the team made a Stanley Cup Final appearance last spring.
He previously served as an assistant with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010-11, with long stints as head coach of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires from 2006-10 and 2011-15 sandwiching that NHL experience.
Boughner joins Michel Therrien, Todd Reirden, and Jim Montgomery as reported candidates for Florida's vacant position.
Evgeni Malkin believes it's Pittsburgh's turn to bounce back from a tough loss.
After dominating Game 5 to the tune of a 7-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, the Penguins were unable to book a spot in the Stanley Cup Final in Game 6 despite outshooting the opposition by a wide margin.
Malkin was the only Penguin to get the better of Craig Anderson on Tuesday, while recording seven of Pittsburgh's 46 shots in the 2-1 loss. A similar effort should seal the deal in Game 7, according to the Russian center.
"I think we had great game," Malkin said postgame, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "We missed so many great chances. It's a hard game. We played against a good team, and after the last game, they changed and they played better. We know it's a tight game. We'll go back home and win the last one. We play at home. It's a good chance to win."
Malkin's goal was his seventh of the postseason, bringing his point total to 24, most among remaining players and five ahead of second-ranked Sidney Crosby (19).
Marc Methot and Mike Hoffman simultaneously trying to mess with Sidney Crosby. Methot poking him with his stick, Hoffman squirting water pic.twitter.com/zuNyor7DfR
With the offseason underway for a number of teams and the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.
2016-17 Grade: B
The Calgary Flames bounced back from a horrid 2015-16 season. In their first year with Glen Gulutzan behind the bench, they registered 94 points, finishing as the Western Conference's first wild-card team. They played exceptionally well down the stretch, posting a record of 21-9-1 in their final 31 games.
The Flames were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Ducks, but three of the four games were decided by one goal. Regardless, reaching the postseason was good enough to earn this team a B grade.
Free Agents
Most of Calgary's core pieces are locked up long term, but a good chunk of its supporting cast will require contract renewals, specifically on the back end. More importantly, both of its goaltenders are unrestricted free agents:
Player (Position)
2017-18 Status
Age
2016-17 Cap Hit
'16-17 Points/SV%
Kris Versteeg (LW/RW)
UFA
31
$950K
37
Sam Bennett (C)
RFA
20
$925K
26
Curtis Lazar (C/RW)
RFA
22
$894 167
4
Micheal Ferland (LW/RW)
RFA
25
$825K
25
Alex Chiasson (RW)
RFA
26
$800K
24
Dennis Wideman (D)
UFA
34
$5.25M
18
Deryk Engelland (D)
UFA
35
$2 916 667
16
Michael Stone (D)
UFA
26
$2M
15
Brian Elliott (G)
UFA
32
$2.5M
.910
Chad Johnson (G)
UFA
30
$1.7M
.910
Ladislav Smid (D)
UFA
31
$3.5M
0 (LTIR)
2017 Draft Picks
The Flames have just five picks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft:
Round
Picks
1
1 (16th overall)
2
0
3
0
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
1
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Summer Priorities
1. Acquire a legitimate No. 1 goaltender:
Alright, Flames. Enough of this two-headed monster business in net. Time to go out an get a legitimate No. 1 goalie. Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson both had stretches of good play, but neither was as consistent as needed to make a run at the cup.
The only problem is, available No. 1 goaltenders are few and far between. Ryan Miller is probably the best available free-agent netminder, but he'll be 37 by the time next season rolls around.
Perhaps the most available goaltender via trade this offseason will be Marc-Andre Fleury. He was a bit shaky during the regular season, but re-upped his value with strong postseason play.
Otherwise, the best course of action would be calling up rebuilding teams like Arizona, Detroit, and New Jersey to inquire about the asking prices of Mike Smith, Jimmy Howard, and Cory Schneider. All three are capable of taking the Flames deep into the playoffs with the right pieces in front of them.
If they can't land a big name to round out their top-4, they would be smart to add three capable, if unspectacular, names to give them a strong D-core one to six. Brendan Smith, Ron Hainsey, Trevor Daley, Michael Del Zotto, and Cody Franson should all be considered. Re-signing Michael Stone also shouldn't be ruled out.
3. Get a winger to play with Monahan and Gaudreau:
The vacant wing on Calgary's top line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau was a revolving door throughout the regular season. Gulutzan experimented with Micheal Ferland, Alex Chiasson, and Troy Brouwer, among others, but none are long-term solutions on the top line.
Going out and getting one of the top available wingers, such as T.J. Oshie or Alexander Radulov, would be ideal, but could cost a pretty penny.
When Monahan and Gaudreau had their breakout seasons in 2014-15, the club's leading scorer was their linemate, Jiri Hudler. While getting a high-profile player would be nice, Hudler's season is evidence that a big name isn't required for success. A veteran such as Radim Vrbata, for example, won't cost a fortune and could mesh well with Monahan and Gaudreau.
2017-18 Outlook
If the Flames can solve their goaltending issues, they will be legitimate contenders in the Pacific Division. The Sharks are only getting older and the Ducks could be hurt by the expansion draft more than any other team. The Kings could very well enter a rebuild - or a retool - and the Coyotes and Canucks are lottery candidates. The rival Oilers will be the favorites, though, which should give Calgary all the more reason to restock and put out a competitive team next season.
Anderson stopped 45-of-46 shots against the high-powered Pittsburgh Penguins to force a Game 7, thus proving how crucial it is to have a true No. 1 netminder in a defensive-minded system such as Boucher's.
OTTAWA, Ontario - Mike Hoffman scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period to give the Ottawa Senators a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night and force a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Evgeni Malkin gave Pittsburgh, vying for its second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, the lead early in the second period and Matt Murray finished with 28 saves.
Game 7 is Thursday night in Pittsburgh, with the winner advancing to face the Nashville Predators for the championship.
The Senators managed to quickly forget a 7-0 loss two days earlier in Game 5 and extend their season for one more shoot at a return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 10 years. and land one more shot at a first Stanley Cup final appearance in 10 years.
Ottawa was primarily looking for a return to structure in Game 6, beginning with a smoother start - which they got. Notable in a scoreless opening period were two effective penalty kills, one of which saw Viktor Stalberg get the best opportunity short-handed.
Pittsburgh had four shots with the man advantage, but Anderson stopped them all. The 35-year-old struggled through Games 4 and 5 - allowing seven goals - but it was evident early that he had his game back in this one. He stopped Nick Bonino off a rebound in transition, Scott Wilson off a deflected shot by Phil Kessel, and Bonino again when Kyle Turris gave the puck away.
Murray was also sharp. The 22-year-old, who replaced Marc-Andre Fleury after Game 3, made maybe his finest save of the first on Derick Brassard, who found an open lane down the middle of the ice following a pass from Ryan.
The Penguins appeared to have opened the scoring just over three minutes into the second, but Trevor Daley was deemed to have interfered with Anderson following an Ottawa challenge.
Less than two minutes later though, Pittsburgh took the 1-0 lead anyway off a few moments of brilliance from Malkin. The playoff scoring leading (24 points) bounced off a check from Zack Smith behind the goal and after being stopped on his drive to the net, followed up with a nifty backhand rebound to beat Anderson.
It was the 153rd career playoff point in 142 games for Malkin - three back of Sidney Crosby for second among active players behind Jaromir Jagr - who had been jarring with Hoffman a few minutes earlier.
The Senators had little going until a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage for 1:24 just past the midway point of the period. The Ottawa power play, which had gone 0 for 29 in the previous 10 games, came through with Ryan ultimately wiring a one-timer short-side to tie the score.
It was the sixth goal and 15th point of the playoffs for Ryan, who is second on the Senators behind captain Erik Karlsson (16 points).
Craig Anderson turned in a sensational Game 6 performance, stopping 45 of 46 shots in Ottawa's 2-1 victory to stave off elimination. With the win, Anderson earned his way into the Senators' record books, tying Patrick Lalime for the club's all-time record with 21 postseason wins.
The victory came after a forgettable Game 5 performance in which he was yanked after allowing four goals on 14 shots in a 7-0 blowout loss on his 36th birthday.
In Anderson's last four games when facing elimination, he is 3-1 with a 0.76 GAA and a .978 save percentage.
Anderson has continued to show that no amount of adversity, in the crease and in life, is too much for him to handle. His wife Nicholle, of course, has been battling a rare form of throat cancer since October.
