Tag Archives: Hockey
Minnesota Duluth among No. 1 seeds in NCAA Hockey Championship
The defending champions from Minnesota Duluth, alongside Minnesota State Mankato, St. Cloud State, and Massachusetts will be the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Hockey Championship bracket.
For the second straight year, St. Cloud State is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
Here's the path to the NCAA Frozen Four, which will take place April 11 and 13 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo (all times ET):
West Region
Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D.
1. St. Cloud State (30-5-3)
4. American International (22-16-1)
March 29, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
2. Denver (22-11-5)
3. Ohio State (20-10-5)
March 29, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
Northeast Region
SNHU Arena, Manchester, N.H.
1. Massachusetts (28-9)
4. Harvard (19-10-3)
March 29, 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
2. Clarkson (26-10-2)
3. Notre Dame (22-13-3)
March 29, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
East Region
Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.
1. Minnesota State Mankato (32-7-2)
4. Providence (22-11-6)
March 30, 1 p.m. (ESPNews)
2. Northeastern (27-10-1)
3. Cornell (20-10-4)
March 30, 4:30 p.m. (ESPNews)
Midwest Region
PPL Center, Allentown, Pa.
1. Minnesota Duluth (25-11-2)
4. Bowling Green (25-10-5)
March 30, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
2. Quinnipiac (25-9-2)
3. Arizona State (21-12-1)
March 30, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
You can view the full bracket here.
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Islanders’ Trotz pleads for patience from fans amid power-play slump
Head coach Barry Trotz appreciates the passion from the New York Islanders' fan base, but asks they show more support amid the team's struggles on the man advantage.
"It doesn't help that our fans boo us 30 seconds into the power play," Trotz said, according to the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis. "In our own rink, give us an advantage ... we have fantastic fans, and they have the right to boo, but we need their help."
The Islanders' power play entered Sunday's action ranked 29th in the league, operating at 14.5 percent. With just one goal over their last 36 opportunities, Trotz understands the criticism is warranted, but hopes fans can exercise a little more patience.
"Power play is not good, we deserve to get booed," he said. "But give us a couple of them. If it's the third or fourth one and we're not doing anything, then you can boo. Every team needs the support of their fans. When you're struggling, you don't need other people kicking you down."
Trotz will likely be a candidate for the Jack Adams Award this spring. With seven games remaining, he's improved the Islanders' point total by 13 from one year ago. The 56-year-old became the fourth bench boss in league history to coach in 1,600 games when the Islanders took on the Arizona Coyotes Sunday.
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Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – March 24, 2019
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 24, 2019
Leafs laud Rangers’ Georgiev after he stymies them again
The Toronto Maple Leafs gave credit where it was due after Alexandar Georgiev excelled against them for the second time this season.
The New York Rangers goaltender made 44 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory Saturday night, following up a 55-save performance in a 4-1 win over Toronto in February.
"Their goalie has just got our number," Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews told reporters. "Somehow he’s just made some unbelievable saves (Saturday night) and kept them in it and then obviously, it comes down to one play in overtime to get the extra point."
Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen praised his counterpart as well.
"He was playing well down there, he obviously made a game out of it," he said.
Zach Hyman echoed that sentiment.
"It just wasn’t going in," the Toronto forward said. "Give credit to their goalie, he played great."
Georgiev helped the Rangers snap a five-game losing streak with the victory, and said afterward it felt like winning a championship.
Alexandar Georgiev, on how good it feels to win a game: "Great feeling,'' he said with a huge grin. "It’s kind of like winning Stanley Cup, maybe. It’s always like that when it’s a tough streak and you finally win.''
— Colin Stephenson (@ColinASteph) March 24, 2019
New York center Ryan Strome potted the winner less than two minutes into overtime.
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Jets clinch playoff berth with victory over Predators
The Winnipeg Jets officially secured their spot in the postseason with a win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
It's the second straight year the Jets have qualified for the playoffs, and the fourth time they've done so in franchise history.
Winnipeg became the third Western Conference club to book a berth this season, joining the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks.
Moments after the Jets clinched, the Boston Bruins became the fifth NHL team to officially earn a spot with their win over the Florida Panthers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have already locked down the Presidents' Trophy and the top seed in the playoffs.
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Bruins become East’s 2nd team to secure playoff spot
The Boston Bruins punched their ticket to the playoffs for the third straight year with a 7-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.
Boston's the second team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a postseason spot following the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
Saturday's win gave the Bruins 101 points on the season and they appear set to capture the second seed in the Atlantic Division, which means Boston will likely meet the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round for the second year in a row.
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Senators looking to hire president of hockey operations
The Ottawa Senators are looking to add to their front office by hiring a president of hockey operations, the team said in a statement, according to The Canadian Press.
"The Senators intend to hire a president of hockey operations to support and provide guidance to the general manager, and fill the void left by the late Bryan Murray," the statement said.
"The position is integral to the success of the hockey club, especially as we continue our rebuilding process, hiring a top-notch candidate to fill this role is critically important."
While the Sens seek another hockey mind, the team added that the new hire won't threaten GM Pierre Dorion's position with the club.
The Senators have made several significant trades since the offseason and have begun a full-scale rebuild. The club shipped out former captain Erik Karlsson in September and then dealt Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel - the club's three leading scorers at the time - before the trade deadline.
As a result of the roster makeover, Ottawa has 19 draft picks at its disposal over the next two drafts. In February, owner Eugene Melnyk said the club will be "all-in" for a five-year run of success from 2021 to 2025 when the team will spend close to the league's salary cap.
The Senators currently rank 31st in the NHL with 58 points through 75 games.
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Hitchcock: ‘If I’m good, I can coach until I’m 99’
If all goes well for Ken Hitchcock, he'd like to stay in his line of work until he's nearly a centenarian.
"For the record, I feel if I'm good, I can coach until I'm 99," the Edmonton Oilers bench boss told reporters after an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
When asked about whether he wants to coach the Oilers next season, the 67-year-old acknowledged that decision is out of his hands.
"That's hard because it's somebody else's ballgame now," Hitchcock said. "From a management standpoint, obviously there's going to be a new general manager. I can just tell you what I did this year, I wouldn't change this for the world."
Hitchcock said he's grateful to have the opportunity to work in a Canadian market.
"There's coaching and then there's coaching in Canada, and this is a whole different animal and something that I'm so lucky that I get to experience," he said.
Hitchcock is under contract with Edmonton for two more years after this season.
The Oilers have gone 24-24-7 since Hitchcock came out of retirement and replaced the fired Todd McLellan in November. The club sits six points out of a playoff spot as of Saturday evening and needs to leapfrog five teams to move into a postseason position.
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