Category Archives: Hockey News

PHOTO: Rangers’ Zuccarello gives stick to fan in need of prom date

New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello scored the game's first goal in Monday's 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, but provided a huge pre-game assist to a fan in need of a prom date.

After seeing a pair of high-schoolers holding the sign below during pre-game warmups, Zuccarello handed an extra stick to a security guard to give to the young couple. He autographed both the sign and the stick following the win.

"Gotta help a buddy out," Zuccarello said, per the New York Daily News. "Gotta help him get to prom."

The helping hand worked, as the young lady said yes - though she admitted it would've been a yes regardless.

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VIDEO: Wings’ Anthanasiou turns on jets, toe drags, scores top-shelf

If Dylan Larkin is the fastest skater in the NHL, a fellow Detroit Red Wings rookie can't be far behind.

Andreas Athanasiou scored his second goal Monday against the Dallas Stars in spectacular fashion, speeding into the offensive zone before toe-dragging around defenseman Johnny Oduya and roofing the backhand past goalie Antti Niemi.

His two-goal performance doubles his season total in his 18th game with the Red Wings.

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Lightning hold off impressive rookie-laden Leafs for 7th straight win

Tyler Johnson recorded his first multi-goal game of the season and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves as the Tampa Bay Lightning held off a young Toronto Maple Leafs lineup for a 2-1 victory Monday, extending their winning streak to seven games.

The big performance from Johnson comes just one day after he was forced from a game against the Boston Bruins due to a puck to the head from an Adam McQuaid clearing attempt. The 28-year-old has three goals and two assists in his last six games.

The other story from the game came from a quartet of Maple Leaf rookies making their NHL debuts in William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Zach Hyman, and Nikita Soshnikov. All four impressed, but were ultimately kept off the scoresheet.

Player TOI SOG Hits
Nylander 18:41 2 0
Kapanen 16:48 3 2
Hyman 15:58 2 1
Soshnikov 14:12 3 1

After Nazem Kadri scored with under three minutes left to make it a one-goal game, head coach Mike Babcock turned to Nylander, Kapanen, and Hyman for the game's final shift and the Maple Leafs kept considerable pressure before defenseman Jake Gardiner failed to keep the puck inside the blue line.

"I thought they were good," said Babcock of the debuting Leafs, per James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail. "I was impressed with them."

Though the result didn't go the way they'd hoped, it was clearly a dream come true for all four players to hit the ice at the NHL level.

"When you're standing in front of (Steven) Stamkos, you're like 'this is the NHL,'" Nylander told reporters, but admitted: "I just wanted to score, that's the only thing, and win the game. Otherwise it was lots of fun."

The Leafs now head to Washington on Wednesday, where recent acquisition Brooks Laich will visit his old team. The Lightning, who have drawn even with the Florida Panthers at 78 points atop the Atlantic, will wrap up their three-game trip against the Ottawa Senators.

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VIDEO: Stepan fakes out Korpisalo, buries shorthanded game-winner

Derek Stepan gets the SHG to put the Rangers back in the lead, 2-1 #hockey #NYRvsCBJ - Streamable

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Derek Stepan wasn't interested in playing overtime.

The New York Rangers forward pounced on a loose puck after a miscue by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the neutral zone, then faked out goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and scored to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead with under three minutes left.

Stepan's 14th goal of the season came with seven seconds left in a tripping penalty to teammate Marc Staal, and helped the Rangers secure their third straight victory as they held on for a 2-1 win.

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Report: Drouin won’t return to Lightning

Jonathan Drouin has a standing offer to return to the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, but that reportedly isn't going to happen.

“That ship has sailed," a source close to the situation told TSN's Frank Seravalli, mere hours after Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said "the door is open" for Drouin to return, but that the onus is on the player.

Servalli's source stressed Drouin's return is not a possibility, and Yzerman's offer is reportedly believed to only include the Syracuse Crunch, the club's AHL affiliate.

Even if the the offer included a chance to return to the Lightning before the playoffs, Servalli reports Drouin isn't believed to be interested.

The 20-year-old forward was suspended indefinitely without pay by the Lightning for failing to report to a game with the Crunch last month.

Yzerman elected not to trade Drouin, despite garnering plenty of interest from around the league, saying it "made no sense" to deal him for a rental player that he couldn't or wouldn't want to re-sign.

Drouin has been skating in the Montreal area with his former midget team while awaiting a deal. He could still be traded before the end of the season, but any team acquiring him wouldn't be able to use him in the playoffs.

The 2013 third overall pick could also be dealt at the draft, which takes place in Buffalo on June 24 and 25.

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