Watch as @HockeyHungary celebrates its historic win yesteday in style, by singing their national anthem. #IIHFWorldshttps://t.co/cBKfhY9VpG
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 15, 2016
Hungarians don't get to hear their national anthem in hockey rinks very often, so forgive them for savoring the moment.
Players and fans alike basked in the glow of a rare national achievement at the World Championship on Saturday after Hungary earned its first top-pool victory at the tournament in 77 years with a 5-2 win over Belarus.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Auston Matthews scores his 3rd of the tournament.... #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/XgRCTiKgiq
— Robert Söderlind (@HockeyWebCast) May 15, 2016
Auston Matthews continues to impress against NHL-level competition at the World Championship.
The likely No. 1 pick in June's draft scored his third goal of the tournament on Sunday, flicking a terrific wrist shot past New York Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss on the power play to tie the game between the United States and Germany.
Matthews picked up his sixth point in six games.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Mike Babcock's reaction mirrored that of many Toronto Maple Leafs fans on the night of the draft lottery.
While team president Brendan Shanahan smiled and said all the right things on national TV following the announcement that the Leafs had won the right to select first overall, Babcock celebrated from his lakehouse.
"When we got in the top three I had my hands in the air,” the head coach told Postmedia's Michael Traikos from the World Championship in Russia on Saturday.
Related: Maple Leafs fans rejoice over draft lottery win
“I thought it was unbelievable and then obviously when we were set up to be No. 1 it was a real big thing for our franchise. There’s real good players and you get the chance to select a player that’s going to make a real difference, both as a human being and as a player in our city. And I think it gives our fans hope, which is so important.”
Babcock is in St. Petersburg, where he'll watch top prospects Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine play for the United States and Finland, respectively, on Sunday.
“Elite players,” said Babcock. “We’re going to have a big decision in the end. It’s exciting for us. We’ve all spent a long time watching these players. In the end, that’s why we pay (head scout Mark Hunter) the big bucks, to make that decision. I’m sure we’ll all have some input. But we’re excited.”
Babcock also knows the franchise player they choose will need some time to fully develop.
"They’re not going to be dominant players right away. I’m not saying that at all. But they’re going to be good players.”
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Alex Ovechkin is in Russia, competing to win the World Championship on his native soil, but that's not where he wants to be playing.
The Washington Capitals captain and face of the franchise is still coming to grips with another early playoff elimination. After winning the Presidents' Trophy, it appeared this was the year Washington was destined to breakthrough. Instead, the second-round hurdle tripped the Capitals once again.
Now 30, Ovechkin admitted gearing up for another offseason of training isn't as easy as it used to be.
"I start thinking about summer, training and all that kind of stuff," Ovechkin told Chuck Gormley of CSN Mid-Atlantic. "Right now you have to take months off or whatever and start doing it again. It's not fun, to be honest with you. When you get older, you have to take more time to practice and train (than) when you were 21 or 22 years old. But again, it's life and you have to live with it."
Ovechkin was the leader the Capitals needed, scoring 12 points in 12 games, but it still wasn't enough as the Pittsburgh Penguins won the most advertised series of the playoffs.
"Obviously, it's disappointing. Obviously you don't want to stand here and talk about finishing the year and all that kind of stuff," he said.
"It sucks when you lose in the first round, second round or third round - it doesn't matter. Your goal is to win the Cup, obviously."
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
There will be no Canadian national anthem in St. Louis on Sunday after all.
Related: Blues make pitch for Canada's rooting interest
As part of the Blues' attempt to be embraced by the true north strong and free, the team tweeted that "O Canada" would be sung along with "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Not anymore.
Due to a pregame conflict, we're unable to perform O Canada tomorrow. But we do have a special in-game honour for our Canadian friends.
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 15, 2016
Bonus points to the Blues for adding the 'u' to honor, though.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
After losing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the biggest decision Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan faces is whether to stick with rookie netminder Matt Murray, or swap him out for well-rested Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury.
Though a healthy Fleury is certainly an enticing option, there are a number of reasons why the Penguins are likely to stick with the 21-year-old in Monday's Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Though Fleury provides additional veteran experience in the crease, is that really enough to dethrone the goalie who has carried the Penguins through the opening two rounds?
Not only has Murray posted an incredible .929 save percentage through 10 playoff games, but he's recorded his seven victories opposite goaltending giants Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby.
Though Andrei Vasilevskiy is no typical backup in the event Lightning starter Ben Bishop's injury sidelines him for an extended period, neither is Murray. He's proved throughout this spring that he's not afraid of postseason pressure, making him a clear candidate for playoff MVP.
Though this is Sullivan's first trip to the third round of the NHL playoffs, it's the third time for general manager Jim Rutherford after two long playoff runs as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes. And if anybody should be confident in running deep into the postseason with a rookie goalie, it's him.
In 2006, Martin Gerber won 38 games during the regular season for the second-seeded Carolina Hurricanes, but it was a rookie thrown into action midway through the first round that changed the course of the playoffs.
Cam Ward, then 21, won 15 games on the way to a Conn Smythe and the franchise's first Stanley Cup. If Rutherford believes history can repeat itself, he'll remember that after losing Game 1 of the '06 conference finals, the Hurricanes stuck with Ward and went on to win in seven.
Though allowing three goals on 20 shots in Game 1 hardly appears to be a strong performance, Sullivan was quick to defend his goalie's effort.
"The goals that were scored were high-quality chances," said Sullivan, per Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "Very difficult saves. So I don't think it's an instance where Matt had a subpar performance."
It's hard to peg any game of Murray's so far as "subpar." He's allowed four goals just once in these playoffs, while the other three remaining starters - Bishop, Martin Jones, and Brian Elliott - have allowed at least four multiple times.
Though disappointing, Murray's performance Friday was better than anything either Fleury or Jeff Zatkoff could put together across the Penguins' three regular-season losses to Tampa Bay. There's no reason to pull the 21-year-old out of the crease until his play is truly a cause for concern.
| Goalie | TOI | GAA | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray * | 57:44 | 3.12 | .850 |
| Fleury | 91:26 | 5.91 | .769 |
| Zatkoff | 86:34 | 3.47 | .853 |
* - Game 1 of Eastern Conference finals
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe needs more from William Nylander.
The 20-year-old, who was drafted eighth overall by the Maple Leafs in 2014, recorded an impressive 45 points in 38 regular season games for the AHL club this season, but his postseason performance has left something to be desired.
So says Keefe, who spoke about Nylander directly following a Game 6 loss to the Albany Devils on Saturday.
"We need (Nylander) to be a lot more competitive with and without the puck," Keefe told reporters. "Right now, he's 'foot off the gas' quite a bit when we don't have the puck, and as a result we're not getting it nearly enough when he's out there and he's not able to use his strength."
Keefe added Nylander is one of many players that need to step up in order for the Marlies to come out on top in Game 7.
Toronto finished with a league-high 114 points this season, and a second-round loss would be a huge disappointment for a club with serious Calder Cup aspirations.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.