The Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenseman Lukas Bengtsson to a two-year entry-level contract, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Wednesday.
The 22-year-old recently helped his SHL club, Frolunda, win the league championship with an impressive postseason, posting seven points and a plus-7 rating in 12 games.
The 5-foot-10, right-handed blue-liner recorded seven goals and seven assists in 30 regular-season games.
It is believed Bengtsson also received interest from the New York Rangers, who were eliminated from the playoffs by the Penguins earlier in the week.
The two clubs met in the first round of the 2004 postseason, with the Islanders serving as the first of four to fall by the wayside during the Lightning's first and only Cup win.
This time around, the teams will face off after having already won a series, as the Islanders knocked off the Florida Panthers in six and the Lighting - the current defending conference champions - took care of the Detroit Red Wings in five.
The Islanders took the season series 2-1, outscoring Tampa Bay by a margin of 12-11.
Here's why the Lightning will return to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season.
Triplets 2.0
The Lightning line of Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson, and Nikita Kucherov - dubbed "Triplets 2.0" - straight-up dominated in the first round, combining for 20 points over the course of five games.
And it's the talented Russian winger who's leading the way.
Player
Goals
Assists
Nikita Kucherov
5
3
Tyler Johnson
2
5
Alex Killorn
3
2
This trio played together sporadically during the regular season, and it was Ondrej Palat who was featured on the first iteration of the Triplets line in lieu of Killorn.
Steven Stamkos remains a massive loss, but Kucherov and Johnson have proven to be able to carry the team, and the league's hottest line will remain near impossible to contain, especially for an Islanders team that's allowed a playoff-high 39.2 shots per game.
Goliath in net
Ben Bishop was one of the best goalies back in the regular season, and is showing no signs of being less dominant when it matters most.
He stands 6-foot-7, and certainly stood tall against Detroit, posting a .950 save percentage, while allowing just eight goals on 160 shots against. That success rate is up from .926 in the regular season, where he ranked second in that category among goalies with at least 41 appearances.
Bishop has also proven to lock it down in critical situations.
The 21-year-old forward, previously suspended for failing to report to an AHL game after making a public trade request, is back with the big club and making an impact in the offensive zone.
Drouin recorded fours assists against the Red Wings, three of which came on the power play. He also fired 13 shots on goal, and commanded the attention of defenders who would previously have been tasked with slowing Stamkos down.
His long-term standing with the Lightning remains up in the air, but more positive performances could be invaluable when it comes to sinking the Islanders.
Not unlike most teams that remain standing, the Anaheim Ducks must overcome a hurdle that's induced more than just a few postseason face plants.
When Anaheim hosts the Nashville Predators in the terminal clash of its first-round series Wednesday, it'll be looking to snap a three-season run of having its postseason bid end in a Game 7 on home ice.
Historical context is most often overblown. And it's important to note that just four players - Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Andrew Cogliano, Cam Fowler - were around to experience each previous defeat. But without question, every player in the room feels the weight of those failures.
And for that, they're the wiser.
"Safe is going to get you nowhere," Cogliano said, according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times. "Being ... timid, or hoping for something, is going to get you absolutely where it does, and that's where we've lost the last couple of years. We need to come out and be willing to out-compete them."
The Ducks were paralysed by two Jonathan Toews goals within the first 12 minutes of last season's culminating clash in the Western Conference Final versus the Chicago Blackhawks before falling behind 4-0. Just 11 months removed, those memories are still vivid, and an important reminder to force the issue.
"You can't go out there and play not to lose," Fowler said. "You have to play aggressive. You have to play on your toes. You have to do the things that got you here as a team and, for us, that's playing aggressive, that's (being) physical, because any time we sit back and we wait for teams, that's when we get in trouble."
Not unlike most teams that remain standing, the Anaheim Ducks must overcome a hurdle that's induced more than just a few postseason face plants.
When Anaheim hosts the Nashville Predators in the terminal clash of its first-round series Wednesday, it'll be looking to snap a three-season run of having its postseason bid end in a Game 7 on home ice.
Historical context is most often overblown. And it's important to note that just four players - Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Andrew Cogliano, Cam Fowler - were around to experience each previous defeat. But without question, every player in the room feels the weight of those failures.
And for that, they're the wiser.
"Safe is going to get you nowhere," Cogliano said, according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times. "Being ... timid, or hoping for something, is going to get you absolutely where it does, and that's where we've lost the last couple of years. We need to come out and be willing to out-compete them."
The Ducks were paralysed by two Jonathan Toews goals within the first 12 minutes of last season's culminating clash in the Western Conference Final versus the Chicago Blackhawks before falling behind 4-0. Just 11 months removed, those memories are still vivid, and an important reminder to force the issue.
"You can't go out there and play not to lose," Fowler said. "You have to play aggressive. You have to play on your toes. You have to do the things that got you here as a team and, for us, that's playing aggressive, that's (being) physical, because any time we sit back and we wait for teams, that's when we get in trouble."
Ducks and Predators prepare for Game 7, updated second-round playoff schedule & more in today’s collection of notable NHL headlines. NHL Playoff Headlines. THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/ESPN.COM: As the Anaheim Ducks prepare to face the Nashville Predators in the seventh and deciding game of their opening-round series, they must overcome their own disappointing Game 7 […]
Time to catch up on the latest Oilers, Canadiens and Lightning speculation, plus updates on Alexander Radulov. Enjoy! Subban for Hall and Klefbom? EDMONTON JOURNAL: David Staples cited a recent discussion between 630 CHED insider Bob Stauffer and Montreal Canadiens insider Marc-Antoine Godin in which Godin speculates Habs GM Marc Bergevin is looking into the […]
RED DEER, Alta. - Austin Strand, Haydn Fleury, Braden Purtill and Evan Polei all scored in the first period as the Red Deer Rebels took an early lead and never looked back to top the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-2 on Tuesday in Western Hockey League pl...
LONDON, Ont. - Mitch Marner scored twice and added two assists to power the London Knight past the Erie Otters 5-1 on Tuesday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action.
London takes a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference ...
While the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking forward to Saturday's NHL Draft lottery results, they seem to have already scored a major victory on the prospect front.
With two goals and two assists in a London Knights playoff game Tuesday against the Erie Otters, Mitch Marner leads the OHL with 14 goals and 21 assists, and is averaging almost three points per game this postseason.
Mitch Marner is up to 35 points in 13 playoff games this spring.
For the sake of comparison, former Otters center Connor McDavid recorded 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists) in 20 OHL playoff games last year, good for an average of 2.45.
Marner's mark through 13 games sits at 2.69.
Drafted fourth overall in 2015 - three spots behind McDavid - Marner could start plying his trade in Toronto as early as next season.
For now, an OHL championship and playoff MVP honors are well within his sights.
The Philadelphia Flyers center admitted Monday to suffering a Grade 2-3 shoulder separation after being leveled into the boards by Alex Ovechkin in Game 1 of the first-round series, but said he was going to try to suit up for the series-deciding game if it had gone that far.
The risk of re-injury would have been high, and in the long run, perhaps it's better to have not tested the shoulder in such a high-pressure situation.
The Flyers lost in six, meaning the possibility is off the table, and Couturier can start focusing on next season while probably also thinking what could have been had he not been injured so early in the series.
"It was a good season but we can't be satisfied. Next year we have to be even better." -Sean Couturier pic.twitter.com/ljqwtj1DFL
