The 22-year-old made 15 first-period saves to keep the game scoreless, including the series of saves above, ending with a sprawling stick stop to rob Valtteri Filppula.
General manager Lou Lamoriello said he needed a better look at Sparks after trading James Reimer to San Jose ahead of the trade deadline, and the young goalie is certainly making a good impression so far.
EDMONTON - Jack Walker struck twice and Tyler Soy had a goal and three assists as the Victoria Royals toppled the Edmonton Oil Kings 6-1 on Monday to take over top spot in the Western Hockey League.
Joe Hicketts added a goal and an assist for...
The New York Rangers goaltender made a glove save while sitting helmetless on the bench as the backup netminder in the first period of Monday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
BOSTON - Heading into his first trade deadline as general manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney's biggest task was to resolve the situation with pending free agent Loui Eriksson.
When the deadline passed at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Eriksson ...
Despite speculation forward Scott Hartnell and defenseman Fedor Tyutin could be on the move, the Columbus Blue Jackets stood pat at Monday's trade deadline, and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen confessed he never came close to making a deal.
He admitted that though the team had two phone lines for incoming calls, his line alone was "plenty enough today."
Kekalainen, Blue Jackets GM since 2013, made a pair of deals at last year's deadline, moving defensemen Jordan Leopold and James Wisniewski to Minnesota and Anaheim respectively while adding young players and draft picks.
Jones notched nine goals and six assists in 59 games for the Flames, and played his final game with Calgary on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
"As much as I love Calgary and my teammates, I think this situation for me is great," Jones said.
Backstrom hasn't played an NHL game this season. The 38-year-old former Wild starter leaves Minnesota as the franchise leader in games played (409), wins (194) and shutouts (28) at the position.
#MNWild GM Chuck Fletcher: "I want to recognize everything Niklas Backstrom has done for this franchise -- winningest goalie."
The Flames take on Backstrom's $3.42-million cap hit this season, while the Wild absorb Jones' $4-million hit. Both players are pending unrestricted free agents.
Carey Price skated in full gear Monday, and later in the day, Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin provided more positive news regarding their star goaltender.
"There never has been surgery and there never will be," Bergevin said of Price's lower-body injury, per TSN's John Lu. The 28-year-old hasn't played since Nov. 25, and though many believe he could be shut down for the year, Bergevin implied he's closer to full health.
"I'm convinced if he played a position other than goalie he'd be playing hockey right now," he added, according to NHL.com's Arpon Basu.
The biggest events bring out the best in Brad Treliving.
Eight months after plucking Dougie Hamilton off the draft floor, the Calgary Flames' second-year general manager executed another plan on another salient event on the NHL calendar, engineering a series of shrewd deals in the lead-up to the trade deadline.
In all, Treliving turned a depth forward approaching his ceiling and three players on expiring contracts that, for all intents and purposes, could re-up with the club this summer, to acquire six functional assets (and a sixth-round lottery ticket) to fuel the team's continuing reconfiguration.
IN: F Hunter Shinkaruk, D Jyrki Jokipakka, F Brett Pollock, two second-round picks (one of which could become a first), fourth-round pick, sixth-round pick
Perhaps his best move came at the expense of the organization which might, nay, is, feeling the most wrath from its fan base. Treliving revisited (and feasted) on a previously useful, and perhaps unusual, trade partner in Jim Benning's Vancouver Canucks with last week's acquisition of Shinkaruk for Granlund.
A former first-round selection, Calgary native, and one of the top AHL goal-scorers, Shinkaruk possesses much more upside than Granlund - a player who failed to carve out a role in 86 games.
With that swindling, Treliving then turned his attention to expiring contracts on his payroll.
First, two days before the deadline, Calgary received value on Hudler, acquiring second- and fourth-round draft picks from the Florida Panthers. Hudler contributed massive numbers previously, but needed 53 games this season (largely spent alongside Calgary's best two offensive players) to reach the 10-goal plateau.
For comparison sake, Hudler is averaging just 0.31 points per 60 minutes more than Kris Versteeg, who the Los Angeles Kings acquired for a fifth-round pick and a low-grade prospect.
Lastly, Treliving manufactured the trade deadline's greatest rental bounty. Russell, the mid-to-bottom pairing blue-liner who hangs his hat on shot blocks and intangibles, brought back a young, controllable, NHL-ready puck mover to fill out the team's current group in Jokipakka, a former second-round pick and point-per-game WHL scorer in Pollock, and conditional second-round selection.
The pick, currently the Flames' third in the second round this summer, will be upgraded to a first-round pick should the Dallas Stars - currently third in the overall standings - win two series this spring.
Oh, and then long after the deadline has passed, it was announced Treliving dumped a third expiring contract in David Jones onto the Minnesota Wild for a sixth-round pick (and the right to house goalie Niklas Backstrom).
***
Stan Bowman's masterful roster augmentation in Chicago was objectively unmatched. But for Treliving and the Flames, who unlike the Blackhawks must balance improving the existing makeup with devotion to the process, might be right there behind the defending champions.
The NHL's trade deadline has come and gone, leaving a minimal ripple in its wake. In the end, only 15 deals were made, with few winners and losers to consider, in no particular order.
And on defense, Eric Gelinas was acquired from New Jersey. The 2009 second-round pick's ice time had fallen under first-year head coach John Hynes, but he showed great promise for the Devils in his rookie season, and defense is a clear area of weakness in Denver.
Patrick Roy's squad holds a two-point advantage over Minnesota in the race for the second wild-card spot, and general manager Joe Sakic did well to help ensure that bubble won't burst.
Calgary Flames
The Flames entered the day as sellers, and GM Brad Treliving was able to secure quite the haul from the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Kris Russell.
Calgary received defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka, forward prospect Brett Pollock, and a conditional second-round draft selection for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent.
Jokipakka is a solid defender with limited NHL experience, while Pollock is a WHL prospect with decent offensive upside.
The draft pick condition is key, however, because if the Stars qualify for the conference finals with Russell appearing in half their playoff games, Calgary will get a first-round pick come June. Otherwise, it remains a second-round selection, which would have been a nice return on its own.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks fell flat out of the gate this season and have been playing catch up ever since. The offense, in particular, has sputtered, averaging 2.48 goals per game, ranked 22nd in the NHL.
In adding Brandon Pirri and Jamie McGinn, Anaheim was able to shore up its forward depth with players who fit the team's current style of play and who can put the puck in the net with semi-regularity.
The fact that they were able to land Pirri - who scored 22 goals in 49 games last season - for the mere pittance of a sixth-round pick is cause for celebration all on its own. The third-round pick for McGinn would also be well worth it if they can manage to come out of the West.
Losers
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks fall firmly in the losers camp for what they weren't able to do.
GM Jim Benning was sitting on two seemingly attractive trade chips in impending UFA's Radim Vrbata and Dan Hamhuis.
The latter was certainly believed to be commanding attention from several suitors, including Chicago, Dallas, Boston, Pittsburgh, and even Washington. While it is believed he was willing to waive his no-trade clause for at least a couple of those options, the return didn't appear to meet Benning's liking.
"Staying here was my number one priority" said Hamhuis. Said #Canucks took calls from Chicago and Dallas, but nothing worked out.
Hamhuis enjoys Vancouver and could very well have returned as a free agent this summer; that the Canucks held on to him when there was such great interest and offers on the table is nothing short of baffling.
And the same goes for Vrbata, who's had a down season after being removed from the top line early on, but who also recorded 31 goals and 63 points as recently as last year. Surely a contending team had a draft pick or two lying around for that potential boost.
In short, the inability to gain assets for these two players is a stunning lack of action for a team stuck in no man's land in terms of direction for the future.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins considered themselves buyers, dealing no fewer than four draft picks - third and fourth rounders in 2016 and second and fifth rounders in 2017 - for defenseman John-Michael Liles and forward Lee Stempniak.
For a team with an aging core that missed the playoffs last season, the willingness to give up picks for rental players is somewhat puzzling.
All this after waiving Zac Rinaldo, who inexplicably cost the team a third-round pick back in the summer, and after Stempniak practiced with the Bruins prior to training camp and could have been signed back then on the cheap.
At the same time, and perhaps more egregiously, GM Don Sweeney ultimately decided to hold on to impending unrestricted free agent Loui Eriksson, choosing instead to view him as an added bonus rental who's already been with the team for a few years.
Considering Andrew Ladd - whose production this season was dwarfed by Eriksson's - fetched high-end prospect Marko Dano and a first-round pick, it certainly seems to be an opportunity lost for a team seemingly keeping its Stanley Cup window open with toothpicks.
What remains to be seen is whether the Bruins and Eriksson can agree to terms on an extension by July 1, at which point he could walk and leave the Bruins with their hands deeper in their pockets.
