All posts by Brandon Maron

Red Wings extend head coach Jeff Blashill

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman announced the club has agreed to a contract extension with head coach Jeff Blashill.

Yzerman also announced that assistant coach Dan Bylsma will pursue other opportunities in the NHL for the upcoming season.

Blashill just completed his sixth season with the club as head coach, with the Red Wings finishing in seventh place in the Central Division with a 19-27-10 record.

Since taking over as head coach in 2015, Blashill has largely overseen the franchise's rebuild in Detroit. He has a career record of 172-221-62 and has missed the playoffs the last five seasons.

Detroit made significant strides this campaign under Blashill after having one of the worst seasons in league history last year. The club surpassed its win total (17) from last season despite playing 15 fewer games.

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Kotkaniemi, Caufield, Romanov to be scratched for Game 1 vs. Leafs

Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed youngsters Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield won't be in the team's lineup for Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

Ducharme also revealed rookie defenseman Alexander Romanov will miss the first contest, according to Engels.

The pair of forwards have been practicing as extras this week. Ducharme expects to use the duo at some point and will prepare them to play when they get in the lineup, the bench boss added.

These were the lines employed at Tuesday's practice:

Caufield appeared in 10 games with the Canadiens down the stretch of the campaign, scoring four goals and adding one assist. Kotkaniemi skated in all 56 games this season, recording five goals and 15 assists. Romanov played in 54 contests, scoring one goal and adding five assists.

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NHL reveals King Clancy Trophy nominees

The NHL announced the 31 nominees for this year's King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

The award is handed out annually to the player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

Each team chooses its nominee, and the winner is then chosen by a committee of NHL executives led by commissioner Gary Bettman and his deputy, Bill Daly.

The winner will receive a $25,000 donation to a charity or charities of their choice, while the two runners-up will receive $5,000 each.

Here's the full list:

Team Player
Anaheim Ducks Cam Fowler
Arizona Coyotes Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Boston Bruins Charlie Coyle
Buffalo Sabres Jack Eichel
Calgary Flames Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes Jordan Staal
Chicago Blackhawks Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Columbus Blue Jackets Cam Atkinson
Dallas Stars Esa Lindell
Detroit Red Wings Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers Kyle Turris
Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky
Los Angeles Kings Trevor Moore
Minnesota Wild Mats Zuccarello
Montreal Canadiens Jonathan Drouin
Nashville Predators Pekka Rinne
New Jersey Devils P.K. Subban
New York Islanders Anders Lee
New York Rangers Chris Kreider
Ottawa Senators Thomas Chabot
Philadelphia Flyers Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby
San Jose Sharks Kurtis Gabriel
St. Louis Blues Ryan O’Reilly
Tampa Bay Lightning Alex Killorn
Toronto Maple Leafs John Tavares
Vancouver Canucks Tyler Motte
Vegas Golden Knights Marc-Andre Fleury
Washington Capitals Garnet Hathaway
Winnipeg Jets Blake Wheeler

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Panthers turning to Driedger in net for Game 2 vs. Lightning

Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger will be in net for Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, head coach Joel Quenneville confirmed.

Sergei Bobrovsky started the first game of the series, stopping 35 of the 40 shots he faced in a 5-4 loss.

The goaltending duo split games almost evenly during the season, with Bobrovsky starting 30 contests to Driedger's 23. Bobrovsky finished the campaign with a .906 save percentage and 2.91 goals-against average, while Driedger achieved a .919 save percentage and 2.32 goals-against average.

Driedger, whose 27th birthday is Tuesday, played the Lightning three times during the regular season. The netminder went 2-0-1 with a .913 save percentage and one shutout, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. This contest will mark the first postseason start of his pro career.

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NHL won’t hand out conference championship trophies this season

The NHL won't be giving out the conference championship trophies this postseason, the league's chief content officer Steve Mayer told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski on Friday.

The winner of the Eastern Conference is typically awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy, while the Western Conference winner is usually handed the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.

The NHL needed to drastically alter its regular-season format this campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Divisions were temporarily realigned - including all the Canadian teams participating in the North Division - and clubs only played intradivisional games.

Teams will continue to play within those same divisions for the first two rounds of the playoffs. When one team is remaining from each of the four divisions, those squads will be re-seeded before facing off for spots in the Stanley Cup Final, making it possible for two clubs from the same conference to battle for the championship.

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Flames shut down Monahan ahead of planned hip surgery

Calgary Flames forward Sean Monahan won't play in his team's four remaining regular-season games as he's scheduled to undergo hip surgery next week, the team announced. He's expected to be ready for full participation at training camp.

The Flames were officially eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. The team's final four games of the season are all against the Vancouver Canucks.

It's unclear how long Monahan has been playing through the ailment. He recorded 10 goals and 18 assists in 50 games this season. This would equal a 46-point pace in an 82-game campaign, which would be the lowest total of his career since his rookie season.

The 26-year-old has already undergone a number of procedures throughout his career, including wrist, groin, and two hernia surgeries in 2018. He also had wrist surgery in 2017.

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Rangers fire head coach Quinn, 3 assistants

The New York Rangers fired head coach David Quinn and assistants David Oliver, Jacques Martin, and Greg Brown, the team announced.

The changes come a week after the Rangers named Chris Drury their new general manager and president after firing GM Jeff Gorton and president John Davidson.

Team owner James Dolan released a statement saying the team lacked "overall spirit and culture" under the former executives.

The club issued a letter to fans in 2018 outlining plans for a full-scale rebuild and signed Quinn to a five-year contract shortly afterward. Since then, the Rangers added MVP candidate Artemi Panarin via free agency as well as lottery picks Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko.

The Rangers finished in fifth place in the East Division this season with a 27-23-6 record. They're in 15th place in the league's overall standings.

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Canadiens become NHL’s last team to clinch playoff spot

The Montreal Canadiens clinched the final playoff spot in the North Division after earning one point against the Edmonton Oilers during Monday's 4-3 overtime loss.

Montreal is the NHL's last team to clinch a postseason berth, joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Oilers in its division. The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks are now officially eliminated, but the two teams will still square off four times.

The Canadiens lost in the first round last year, falling in six games to the Philadelphia Flyers after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round.

Montreal is in fourth place in the North Division with a 24-21-9 record with one game remaining.

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Watch: Emotional moments from Ryan Miller’s final NHL game

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ryan Miller played his last NHL game Saturday in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. The 40-year-old recently announced he would retire after the season.

Miller received a standing ovation from the crowd in Minnesota to begin the game.

The Wild lined up postgame to shake Miller's hand before he stepped off the ice for the last time.

Miller also shared an emotional moment with his parents.

He finishes his career as the winningest American goalie in NHL history with 391 victories. Miller won the Vezina Trophy in 2010 while playing with the Buffalo Sabres, and he backstopped Team USA to a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics.

His 18-year career ends with a 391-289-96 record, a 2.64 goals-against average, and a .914 save percentage.

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Report: Tortorella won’t return to Blue Jackets next season

John Tortorella has informed the Columbus Blue Jackets he won't return to the club after his contract expires this summer, reports The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Tortorella has been the team's head coach for six seasons, compiling a 227-166-54 record while reaching the playoffs four times. The Blue Jackets advanced to the second round once under his leadership.

Columbus finished last in the Central Division with an 18-26-12 record, closing out its season with a 5-4 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

Tortorella won the Jack Adams Trophy in 2016-17 with the Blue Jackets. He previously won the award in 2004 after coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup victory.

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