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The Friday Three – Long-term fit for Nylander?

written by BelowTheIce

The belief is that William Nylander won’t be a Maple Leaf for very long, even if he signs a bridge deal. Where’s a good long-term fit for him?

TYLER YAREMCHUK: I think Carolina is obviously the best fit. It’s clear they have interest, and they have the pieces on defence to get it done. Outside of them, I could see Columbus making a push this summer if they lose Artemi Panarin to free agency.

Philadelphia could be hungry for a big splash, as could Anaheim, Minnesota or LA should they miss the playoffs. I could see the Rangers being interested as well. Every team should be making a pitch though.

WYATT ZIEGER: I’ve been preaching it for over a year, but I firmly believe that William Nylander will be an Anaheim Duck. Anaheim is out of the division so they’ll only have to see him twice a season and Toronto is in desperate need of a top 4 right defensemen. The Ducks have two in Brandon Montour and Josh Manson.

Montour, 24, has a higher ceiling offensively and is a power play specialist. Manson is a big boy, who loves to throw the body and is one becoming one of the hardest defensive defensemen to play against.

I assume Toronto would lean more towards Montour because he is three years younger than Manson and can grow with the Maple Leafs young core. Throw in whatever draft picks to make the HFBoards crowd happy and let’s get the ball rolling.

IAN SHEPPARD: Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes have an estimated $23 million in cap space right, and a flurry of draft picks after the Jeff Skinner trade with Buffalo. With Nylander wanting somewhere between $8-10 million a season the Hurricanes have the enough to pay the talented winger what he wants.

They also have the ability to trade some higher end draft picks with four selections in the first three rounds this year. Not to mention a few next years they could with as well. For Carolina who currently sits just outside of a Wild Card spot, Nylander would be the perfect piece to throw into their top-six and help them reach the post-season.

After 20 games, which team would you say improved the most thanks to their offseason moves?

TYLER YAREMCHUK:  How could you say anyone other than Buffalo? Starting in free agency when they signed Carter Hutton, basically getting a number one goalie for nothing more than a cap-hit.

They acquired Conor Sheary, who has been a good fit when he’s been healthy. They realized that Casey Mittelstadt and Jack Eichel were there future top-six centres, so they dealt Ryan O’Reilly for Tage Thompson, Vlad Sobotka, and Patrik Berglund which gave them tremendous depth.

Oh yeah, they also got Jeff Skinner who has become one of the most lethal goal scorers in the NHL. He already had three game winners as well.

They didn’t have to sell the farm either. They still have four first round picks over the next two drafts. They could stock up at this year’s deadline and make a serious run.

WYATT ZIEGER: It’s got to be everyone’s favourite new wagon, the Buffalo Sabres who made out like gangbusters this summer.

The offseason started by trading Ryan O’Reilly for essentially two over-the-hill players in Sobotka and Berglund and a promising prospect in Tage Thompson, a trade which plugged depth holes for Buffalo.

On the same day, they signed Carter Hutton, who has been a revelation after the train wreck that was Robin Lehner in net.

But the biggest move of them all; Acquiring Jeff Skinner for a B- level prospect in Cliff Pu, plus a 2nd, 3rd and 6th round picks. Skinner looks like currently sits tied for second in league scoring with 19 goals after scoring only 24 all of last year.

IAN SHEPPARD:  Calgary Flames: Sure, there are some more obvious choices out there, but let’s think outside the box a little here. The Flames made a big splash this past off-season trading Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and a prospect to Carolina in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. They also picked up free-agent Derek Ryan who played under current Flames Head Coach Bill Peters in Carolina.

Currently, Lindholm, Hanifin, and Ryan all find themselves in the top-10 in scoring for the Flames. Lindholm with 24 points (11G-13A) Hanifin with 11 (2G-9A) and Ryan with 8 (3G-5A) all play a significant role in the Flames success this year.

Not to mention David Rittich who was on the roster last year but brought back as a free agent this past offseason and has been the better goaltender on the team. Looking at these contributions, it’s no surprise the Flames find themselves currently at the top of a tight Pacific Division.

Who is the best offensive defenseman in the NHL?

TYLER YAREMCHUK: In past years, I would have said Erik Karlsson because he’s always been head and shoulders above his peers in my opinion. This year, you could say, Brent Burns, Morgan Rielly, or one of three other names and make a good argument.

I’m going to go with the guy who has surprised me the most, and that’s Thomas Chabot. In just his second season, he’s stepped in and become their best defender. He eats tough minutes and plays against the other teams best, and his offence doesn’t suffer. He ranks top three in almost every underlying offensive stat. Incredible.

WYATT ZIEGER: The legend, the myth, the beard, Brent Burns.

Although Burns has been snake bitten recently when it comes to scoring with only three goals through 26 games; even without the higher goal volume this season he is still at a point per game, over a quarter of the way through the season.

This season and last Burns shooting percentage this season is almost half of his career average, so there is hope the switch still flips this season.

Look for the forward turned D-man to contend for another Norris this season.

IAN SHEPPARD: Morgan Reilly: Reilly is currently second in scoring among defenseman with 28 points (9G-19A) just one point back of first place. Reilly has been enjoying an increased scoring output since the start of the year. With Reilly on the first pairing of a paper-thin Leaf’s defensive core, his almost double-digit number in goals is the perfect balance for an already offensive-heavy team.

November 30, 2018 0 comment
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NHL 31 for 31: San Jose Sharks

written by Wyatt Zieger

The Below the Ice crew brings you, NHL: 31 for 31

This year as the clock ticks down towards the NHL season, the writers here at BTI will be bringing you our preview of all 31 NHL teams, in 31 days.

DAY 6:

“On to the next one” – Jay Z

Today we bring you the last of our Californian teams, the San Jose Sharks.

 

LAST SEASON

3rd in the Pacific, 6th in the West, 45-27-10 (100 points) Lost in 2nd round to Vegas (6 games)

After losing their all time leader in almost every single franchise statistic, Patrick Marleau to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sharks were missing their identity. After a middling start to the season going 10-10-0 the Sharks found themselves swimming aimlessly in the middle of the Pacific (division).

These were not the same San Jose Sharks that had been to a Stanley Cup final two years prior. Age started to show, bringing injuries to the two oldest players on the roster, Joe Thorton (38) and Joel Ward (37).

After scoring 29 goals and capturing his first Norris the year prior, Brent Burns would go his first 20 games without registering a goal finishing the season with 12, his lowest amount in a full season since 2011-12. Burns would still finish the season with 67 points and 55 assists 2nd in D scoring only to John Carlson.

The season would take a turn when Doug Wilson went out and traded for the controversial Evander Kane. Kane made his debut February 27, against the Edmonton Oilers putting up 2 assists in the game. In the 17 contests Kane suited up for the Sharks had a record of 11-5-1 propelling San Jose into the playoffs, while Kane put up 14 points (9G,5A).

 

OFFSEASON MOVES:

  • May 23, Extended Evander Kane 7-years, $7AAV
  • June 19, Traded Mikkel Boedkker and Julius Bergman to Ottawa for Mike Hoffman and Cody Donaghey
  • June 19, Traded Mike Hoffman + 7th to Florida for a 2nd + 4th +5th picks
  • June 21, Waived Paul Martin for the purpose of buying him out
  • June 30, Extended Logan Couture 8-years, $8AAV
  • July 1, Signed Joe Thornton 1-year, $5AAV, Tomas Hertl 4-years, $5.625AAV

IN:

Cody Donaghey

OUT:

Paul Martin, Mikkel Boedkker, Julius Bergman, Jannik Hansen, Joel Ward

OFFSEASON MOVES: D

I’m sure San Jose would tell you that their summer could of been better.

They swung on Free Agent John Tavares and missed, swung on Ilya Kovalchuk and missed. Just when it seemed they got a hit by trading for Hoffman, they inexplicably flipped him to the Florida Panthers for picks hours later.

They managed to lockup key assets such as Kane and Couture but at 15 million combined for two players that have been near a point per game might seem a little steep.

Buying out Paul Martin gave San Jose some cap relief.

One thing I would of liked to see the Sharks do would be to get younger, most of their core; Vlasic, Pavelski, Burns, Braun and Thornton are all on the wrong side of 30 and their window to win the cup is starting to shut.

The summer is not over yet though, San Jose who could still swing for the fences and trade for Erik Karlsson, as it appears Ottawa is ready to have a fire sale. San Jose does not have a 1st round pick this year but they do next year as well as two second-rounders. I could see a package from San Jose that focuses on Ryan Merkley.

 

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES:

Timo Meier

81GP, 21G, 15A -2017-18

Last year was a coming out party for Meier, the former 9th overall pick scored over 20 goals and topped 30 points in his freshman season.

Meier has great net front presence as 18 of 21 goals came from within 20ft of the goaltender. His hand eye is also something to behold as all four of his PP goals were deflections. It’s not just in tight or off rebounds he can beat you, Meier has a very accurate wrist shot that may not come with blazing speed but is deceptive thanks to his quick release.

I would look to Meier to continue his goal scoring abilities in the NHL, being a left shot RW on a team of centres gives Meier all the advantages to become a 30 goal scorer.

2018-19 Projection: 27G, 23A

 

Tomas Hertl

79GP: 22G, 24A – 2017-18

Tomas Hertl has been the ideal candidate to make the leap into 60 point territory since his rookie season, we can also credit Hertl with helping provide perhaps the best Joe Thornton quote ever. I’ll leave you to find that yourself.

He’s a flashy scorer, strong on the puck and uses his backhand quite often to score on goalies in close as its almost impossible to read coming off his stick. Hertl has left me wanting more several years now because I feel there is a potential in him thats yet to be tapped.

Heading into what is his 6th NHL season, it is time for him to turn the corner and join some of his other San Jose teammates like Pavelski and Couture and start filling the net. There are as many as 5 Sharks with the skill and shot to score 30 goals next year and ill book Hertl as one of them.

2018-19 Projection: 33G, 28A 

 

DUE TO REGRESS:

Justin Braun

81GP: 5G, 28A

Last season feels as if it was a bit of an anomaly for Braun. Entering the year with a career average of under 17 points, Braun essentially doubled his production while playing essentially the same minutes he’s become accustomed too.

The number that really stands out for me is his negative Corsi over the last two seasons, 46.5% in 2017 and 45.6% in 2018, his regular defensive partner Vlasic managed almost 3% better in the same amount of contests.

The saving grace for Braun is that he is not a power play player and all 33 of his points did come at even strength. This year I could see 2018 1st-round selection Ryan Merkley coming into camp and stealing ice-time from some defenders included Braun who plays on the same side.

2018-19 Projection: 3G, 17A 

 

SEASON PREDICITION

1st in Pacific, 3rd in the West, 109 points

There’s no way in hell Burns will go his first 20 games without a goal and that makes all the difference to a team that struggled to score to start the year. As well, Evander Kane in his first full season with San Jose should easily eclipse the 30 goal mark for the first time in his career, 29 is his career high.

There are a lot of teams that are going to struggle in the basement of the Pacific like; Vancouver, Arizona and Edmonton. The Sharks will smell blood in the water and take the division by hold during the 1st quarter of the season.

San Jose is not getting any younger and you have to wonder if this is the year they can finally get it done and make the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in the last four years. There are not many players that I would rather see get to hoist the Stanley Cup other than Joe Thornton. Thornton is already a first ballot hall of famer but a cup would cement his legacy and keep him away from the Mats Sundin comparisons. I am not rooting for the Sharks to win the West but expect them to make it through to the 2nd or 3rd rounds.

 

Come back tomorrow when on day 7 of NHL 31 IN 31, our own Jordan Clarke covers the Vancouver Canucks.

 

 

September 13, 2018 0 comment
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The Jam Packed Western Conference

written by Tyler Yaremchuk

Every year in the NHL there is a handful of teams who really have no hope of competing, and most of the time that’s by design. The teams will obviously never admit that they’re tanking, but instead, say that they’re focused on getting younger and giving ice time to their “next generation”. The best example of this was when the New York Rangers wrote a letter to their fans this past season:

I’ll get to the Eastern Conference in a second, but for now, I want to focus on the Western Conference where it appears that there are as many as 15 organizations who are coming into this season with a “playoffs or bust” mentality.

Notice that I used the word “organization” instead of “teams”. Obviously, the players in the room are going out trying to win every single night, but it isn’t that hard to see which organizations are more focused on the future, than the upcoming season.

Let’s start with the teams who made the playoffs last year:

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: They led the West with 117 points last season and there’s no doubt that they’re going for it. With over $7 million in cap space, I could even see David Poile make another move before the season starts.

WINNIPEG JETS: Yes, they lost Paul Stastny, but the rest of their young core is still in-tact. They didn’t make any big additions, but it’s more-or-less the same roster that delivered last years 114 point season. It’s clear what their intentions this year are.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS: The biggest surprise in sports last year went out this offseason and brought in Paul Stastny and Nick Holden. They lost David Perron and James Neal, but they still have decent depth on the wings. It still sounds weird to say, but anything less than the playoffs for Vegas would be disappointing.

MINNESOTA WILD: With a new GM at the helm, I was expecting big changes to the Wild’s roster this summer. That didn’t happen. It’s still the same team that finished fourth in the West last season. If they don’t make it this year? Then we could be looking at a roster overhaul.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: Getzlaf, Perry, and Kesler are only getting older but they do have some really nice young pieces who could take steps forward this year. They’ll be leaning on the likes of Rakell, Montour, Silfverberg, Kase, and Ritchie more than ever this year, but it’s obvious that the organization has playoff expectations.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: They missed out on John Tavares, but locked up Evander Kane and brought back Joe Thornton. Playoffs have been the standard in San Jose for close to a decade, that isn’t changing this year. With only 5 forwards under contract for 2019-20 though, a disappointing year could lead to some big changes.

LOS ANGELES KINGS: All three California teams are in similar spots. While they all have some nice young pieces, their cores are aging. LA is another example of that. Their window is closing, and with the acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk, it’s clear that they won’t be satisfied with anything less than a playoff berth.

COLORADO AVALANCHE: The Avalanche didn’t get a lot of attention for their breakthrough 17-18 campaign and that’s mainly because everyone was too busy gushing over the Golden Knights. They squealed thanks to a win in game 82 over St. Louis and had a good offseason as well. With a new goalie (Grubauer), some added depth (Cole and Calvert), and a young core that should take another step forward, it’s easy to see why the Avs have their sights set on taking another step forward.

So those were the eight teams that made the playoffs last year, and it should be no surprise that they all expect to be right back in the big dance this season. The West gets interesting when you start looking at the teams that missed the playoffs last season. Almost every team that missed out last year, is in “playoffs or bust” mode.

ST.LOUIS BLUES: After dealing Paul Stastny at last years deadline, there were reports that Doug Armstrong was making close to everyone available. Instead of selling off in the summer, he bought into his current core. They gave their forward core a facelift by adding Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak, Patrick Maroon, and David Perron. If the playoffs don’t happen this year, jobs will most likely be lost.

DALLAS STARS: Many thought the Stars would be a juggernaut last season after they had added Martin Hanzal and Alex Radulov. They missed the playoffs last year and you’d imagine that a second straight miss for a team with the amount of skill that the Stars have, someone will have to pay the price.

CALGARY FLAMES: Glen Gulutzan and Brian Burke got the ax after the team underperformed last year, only winning 37 games. They made a big splash acquiring Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm in exchange for Dougie Hamilton and Michael Ferland. They also signed James Neal, which should give their offense a much-needed boost. Goaltending still worries me, but there incredibly improved and should be right there in terms of the playoff picture.

EDMONTON OILERS: No playoffs this year will likely mean the end for both Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan. They didn’t do a lot to improve their team this summer, instead, they’ll be relying on some bounce-back performances and better special teams. They’re good enough to make the playoffs, they just need to live up to their potential. There isn’t an organization with more on the line than Edmonton.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: Did I say no one has more on the line than Edmonton? I lied. After missing the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade, there were rumours that the Hawks would be making huge changes. They have a core that appears to be getting close to its expiration date, and they didn’t do a lot to change that this summer. Still, they have a tonne of skill and they know how to win. A healthy Corey Crawford will go a long way to helping them rebound, but if the Hawks miss this season, it could lead to the dismantling of a dynasty.

ARIZONA COYOTES: Clayton Keller is going to be a superstar, Oliver Ekman-Larsson already is, and Antti Raanta was one of the best goalies in the league once the calendar flipped to 2018. The pieces are there in Arizona, and it might sound surprising, but this is a team that could shock a lot of people in 18-19. When they say their goal is to make the playoffs, you better believe they mean it.

That’s 15 teams who will be playoff contenders. Only eight will get in and that means seven teams will be mightily disappointed. Now you might be thinking “well there are 16 teams in the Western Conference. What do you mean only seven will be disappointed?”.

Well, that brings me to the Vancouver Canucks. Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat are fantastic young players. Quintin Hughes will be one day as well, and I’m very high on Jonathan Dahlin and Elias Pettersson as well. The bottom line is that they will not be remotely good enough for the playoffs this year. Coming dead last and getting the first overall pick would be fantastic for this organization and I’m pretty sure they recognize that, even if they won’t admit it publicly.

The West is clearly jam packed and it should make for a fantastic 2018-19 NHL season.

August 19, 2018 0 comment
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Landing spots for Tavares

written by Wyatt Zieger

It’s no secret that upcoming free agent John Tavares has been meeting with teams this week in LA. Five to be exact; The Leafs, Bruins, Sharks, Stars and Lightning as well as phone calls with at least three other teams.

Each team will present a different package to Tavares, who is the most coveted free agent on the market.

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June 28, 2018 0 comment
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The NHL’s Busiest Teams

written by Tyler Yaremchuk

Rumours are flying, the insiders are tweeting, and bloggers are writing. It’s the offseason, baby.

Last year, the Vegas Expansion Draft was the talk of the league as every team looked to avoid losing a key piece. It was expected to be one of the craziest offseasons in NHL history, but honestly, it was underwhelming.

This year, it won’t be an expansion draft making noise, it will be the number of star players who could be on the move. John Tavares and John Carlson are top-tier NHL talent and both will likely hit the UFA market come July 1. You also have names like Erik Karlsson, Ryan O’Reilly, and Max Pacioretty on the trading block.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone if we see more than a few big splashes this summer, but which teams could be the busiest? Here’s my list:

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June 11, 2018 0 comment
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Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap-Day 23

written by Ian Sheppard

On day 23 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs two teams have come within one win of reaching their respective Conference Finals. In a night full of offense….and maybe a lick or two…Tampa Bay found a way to win their third straight while the hottest expansion team in sports stood tall with their MVP goaltender.

Here’s how it went down:

Tampa Bay 4-3 Boston-OT

Tampa Bay leads series 3-1

The Tampa Bay Lightning out shot the Bruins 104-73 through the first three games of the series and have kept the pressure up throughout. Tuukka Rask was the one solid piece that had kept the Bruins in the series.

Boston seemed to be equalling Tampa Bay’s pressure early, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Lightning from taking the early lead.

Brayden Point used his speed to steal the puck in the neutral zone and skate his way through both Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy on his way to making a move around Rask, scoring his third of the playoffs.

The Lightning would add to their lead less than five minutes later. After two consecutive Bruins’ penalties, Tampa Bay would score on the powerplay. Nikita Kucherov would score his sixth of the playoffs one-timing a pass from Victor Hedman past Rask for the 2-0 lead.

With a powerplay of their own, Boston would cut the lead in half. Torey Krug would blast a shot from the point and it would deflect in the air and to the right of Andrei Vasilevskiy where David Pastrnak was waiting to clean up the rebound and make it a 2-1 game with under four minutes left.

The Bruins controlled the pace of play in the second and would tie the game in the period.

Tyler Johnson took a tripping penalty 43 seconds into the second. On the man-advantage Patrice Bergeron buried his fifth of the playoffs, down low in the slot to tie the game at two.

Boston’s special team’s units were producing all night. While short-handed Brad Marchand took the puck from his own zone and skated up ice and threw the puck on net. Patrice Bergeron skated up in front of the net and tipped it past Vasilevskiy for his second of the game and a 3-2 Bruins lead.

Tampa Bay tied things up with seven minutes left. On a questionable play where it looked like Nikita Kucherov pulled Charlie McAvoy down with one arm, behind the Bruins’ net, the Lightning were able to capitalize.

On the questionable play, JT Miller took the puck up the side boards and made a pass into the slot where Steven Stamkos one-timed a shot past Rask, for his third of the playoffs and his second of the series. The Captain’s goal was enough to send the game into OT.

A little over three minutes into the OT period, Dan Girardi became the hero for Tampa Bay. Giradi set up down low in front of Tuukka Rask and deflected the puck that was thrown on net by Alex Killorn for the game winner, giving Tampa Bay a 3-1 strangle hold on the series.

The Lightning were finally outshot by the Bruins and for the first time in the series, held to under 30 shots. However, they never stopped fighting and it’s starting to look like their speed may be too much for Boston.

In side news, Brad Marchand was up to his usual antics as replays found him getting a little too close with Ryan Callahan. It appeared as though Marchand licked Callahan’s face after the whistle, following some aggressive hits were thrown. Torey Krug also left the game after going into boards hard, feet first. The injury did not look good and Krug did not return.

Tampa Bay can knock Boston out of the playoffs and move onto the Eastern Conference Final on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT from Amalie Arena.

San Jose 3-5 Vegas

Vegas leads series 3-2

In a series that has gone back and fourth from the start, this has turned out to be one of the more exciting series with both teams generating a total of 348 shots and two of the four previous games going into overtime.

Vegas made some line-up changes coming into Game 5, playing some players who hadn’t played yet in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Luca Sbisa drew in for John Merrill, while Oscar Lindberg got the nod over Tomas Nosek. Tomas Tatar was injured and replaced with Ryan Carpenter.

Things started out fast and physical with both teams flying around and throwing bodies in the opening few minutes.

It took until three seconds left in the first period, but Vegas scored the opening goal of the game. David Perron patiently moved the up the side-wall and made the pass to Shea Theodore who one-timed the puck on net. Erik Haula was set up in front of the net and the puck deflected off him to a wide-open James Neal who buried the rebound for his third of the playoffs.

After Tomas Hertl took an interference penalty Vegas took to the powerplay and Alex Tuch scored his third of the playoffs. Tuch parked his big frame in front of the net and batted in the rebound on a shot blasted on net from Reilly Smith.

The Golden Knights would add a third goal four minutes later. David Perron skated up ice and rocketed a pass to Erik Haula, just missing him. The pass banked off the corner boards and Haula threw the bouncing puck on net on a sharp angle, finding it’s way through Martin Jones for a 3-0 lead.

Vegas would make it 4-0 with Alex Tuch scoring his second of the game off a beautiful saucer pass by Cody Eakin. The goal would chase Martin Jones to the bench after allowing four goals on 31 shots. He was replace by Aaron Dell

The Sharks did spoil the shut-out for Marc-Andre Fleury with Kevin Lebanc roofing one over the glove of Fleury on the powerplay to make it 4-1.  Less than two minutes later Tomas Hertl would make it a two-goal game netting his sixth of the playoffs.

The Sharks took one step closer to the come-back crashing the net and through a crowd of bodies Mikkel Boedker scoring his first of the playoffs and the third unanswered goal for San Jose, cutting the lead to 4-3 for Vegas.

Jonathan Marchessault would add an empty net goal to seal the deal for Vegas, delivering a 3-2 series lead.

Marc-Andre Fleury gave another MVP-like performance making XX saves on XX shots including some stops that were simply out of this world. He continues to be a massive part of the Golden Knight’s success as they continue this deep run into the playoffs and now find themselves one win away from the Western Conference Final.

The Golden Knights controlled a majority of this game but San Jose was able to fight back scoring three unanswered goals and almost completed the come-back.  Vegas out-shot San Jose but the Sharks had scoring chance after scoring chance turned away by Marc-Andre Fleury. Despite giving up three late goals “The Flower” stood tall when his team needed it most.

Vegas has an opportunity to eliminate the Sharks and move onto the Western Conference Final Sunday at 5:30 MT from SAP Arena in San Jose.

May 5, 2018 0 comment
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Stanley Cup Playoff Recap-Day 19

written by Ian Sheppard

Day 19 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs saw the Tampa Bay Lightning even up the series while getting a redeeming performance out of one of it’s starts and the Vegas Golden Knights sneak out an OT win while relying on another outstanding performance by their all-star goaltender.

Here’s how it went down:

Boston Bruins 2-4 Tampa Bay Lightning

Series tied 1-1

After losing convincingly in Game 1 by a score of 6-2, Tampa Bay needed to come out strong and fast in Game 2. They did just that outshooting Boston 10-0 through 12 minutes of play. It took 14 minutes for Boston to register their first shot.

In fact, Tampa Bay scored their first goal before the Bruins even registered a shot. Yanni Gourde scored his second of the playoffs on the powerplay, after taking the cross-ice pass from Brayden Point.

Boston would even out the pace of play, in the first getting a two-man advantage with less than six minutes to play. They evened out the shot totals to 10-8 in favour of Tampa Bay and the Bruins did even the score before the second period.

Charlie McAvoy would score his fist of the playoffs on a tic-tac-toe play with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron sending the game into the second period with a 1-1 tie.

After a Bruins turnover in the offensive zone, Brayden Point sped down the ice to catch up to a long pass from Ondrej Palat. Point then set up Tyler Johnson cross-ice in the slot who rifled it past Tuukka Rask for a 2-1 Lightning lead with less than 10 minutes left in the period.

After another Bruins turnover, this time at their blue-line as they were exiting the zone, Point added to his multi-point night with another assist setting up Ondrej Palat, who sniped one past Rask glove side. The extra cushion did not last for long.

With a face-off to the left of the Tampa Bay net after an icing call, Torey Krug scored his third of the playoffs 1:50 after the Palat goal, cutting the lead back down to one with four minutes left in the game.

Brayden Point would go on to score an empty net goal to seal the deal with 25 seconds left in the game. Point finished with four points (1G-3A).

Rask was over-exceptional for the second straight game. He stopped 27 of 30 Lightning shots. In the third period, he kept Boston in the game while Tampa Bay outshot them 13 to 7. It’s a shame the Bruins could not find a way to grab a victory with another outstanding performance by their goaltender.

Game 2 was mostly a defensive game that started to break out more offensively late. Tampa Bay continued to bring a heavy shot total but this time capitalized on their opportunities and found ways to beat a strong goaltending performance from Tuukka Rask.

 

The more games that are played in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, the more the series’ start to develop into what we expected. That was more than the case for Game 2 between the Lightning and Bruins.

Game 3 will take place Wednesday night at 5 p.m. MT from TD Garden.

Las Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 San Jose Sharks-OT

Las Vegas leads series 2-1

San Jose made sure to bring the same pressure and offensive prowess it had in Game 2 early on in Game 3. They outshot Vegas 17-10 in the first period. Marc-Andre Fleury stood tall though, stopping all 17 shots, some in acrobatic fashion as the game entered the second period tied at zero.

Fleury would take a penalty in the second period, for tripping Mikkel Bødker as he came around the net on the wrap-around. On the powerplay, Timo Meier would score his second of the playoffs after Chris Tierney cleaned up a deflection and made the cross-ice pass to set Meier up.

After the goal, things fell apart for the Sharks. They took three penalties in the second period and gave up three goals, two on the powerplay.

The 1-0 lead would not last long as Brenden Dillon would be called for holding putting Vegas on the powerplay. On the man-advantage James Neal set up Colin Miller with the back-door pass for Miller’s second of the playoffs, tying the game 1-1.

Three minutes later Vegas would go right back on the powerplay. Jonathan Marchessault would one-time a pass from Alex Tuch right past Martin Jones and a 2-1 Knights lead with just over six minutes left.

A little over a minute later Vegas would again add to their lead. Reilly Smith tapped one home from the side of the net to give the Knights a two-goal lead headed into the third period.

The Sharks would finally find a way to beat Fleury pulling within one goal with 12 minutes left. Evander Kane sent a lazar of a shot from the face-off circle over the shoulder of Fleury. Vegas challenged goaltender interference with Logan Couture bumping into Fleury, but the play on the ice stayed as called, and the game remained 3-2.

San Jose would fight their way back into the game with Tomas Hertl burying one down low with a bunch of Sharks crashing the net and jumping on the loose puck. Hertl was able to tie the game with just under two minutes left, his fourth of the playoffs.

In OT Marc-Andre Fleury continued his amazing performance robbing Logan Couture point blank in the slot off of a set-up from behind the net. Eight minutes into the OT period the Knights ended the game taking a 2-1 series lead.

William Karlsson skated up ice and sniped a shot over Martin Jones’ shoulder blocker side. The goal was Karlsson’s fourth of the playoffs.

San Jose has proven to be putting up shot totals at an astronomical level in this series putting up a total of 122 shots through the three games. But if the Golden Knights can keep getting performances from their goaltender like this one it will be a tough series. Fleury made a total of 39 saves on 42 Sharks shots.

For one I hope the rest of the series continues to play out like Game’s 2 and 3 have. Game 4 is set to take place Wednesday at 8 p.m. MT from the SAP Center.

May 1, 2018 0 comment
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FeaturedNHL

Pacific Division Playoff Preview-San Jose vs. Vegas

written by Ian Sheppard

San Jose Sharks (3) vs Las Vegas Golden Knights (1)

First Round Recap

With both these teams sweeping their way into the second round, we didn’t get much of a sample of what they can bring to the table.

However, both teams should make for an exciting and entertaining second round match-up.

Vegas Golden Knights
Won first round series 4-0 over LA

The Vegas Golden Knights shocked the world by being the best expansion team in its first year than any other to date. They not only broke records in terms of wins, points and by being the first expansion team to make the playoffs but they also became the first to move past the first round.

And they did it in four games.

The Knights faced the veteran savvy, and playoff experienced LA Kings team in the first round. They swept LA by only scoring seven goals through the entire four games and had a powerplay percentage of just 8.3% while holding a staggering 92.3% penalty kill rating.

They were able to do so by only giving up three goals through the series.

Marc-Andre Fleury was the backbone of the Vegas Golden Knights through the first round. The Flower made 127 saves on 130 shots faced from the Kings. That averages out to a .977 SV% (best in the playoffs so far)  and a 0.65 GAA.

Reilly Smith led the team with three points (0G-3A) in the first round.

Depth scoring was a huge contributor to Vegas’ success in moving onto the first round as all seven goals scored for them were by different players. Shea Theodore, Alex Tuch, William Karlsson, James Neal, Erik Haula, Brayden McNabb and Cody Eakin each scored for the Pacific Division Champions.

Notable Players to Watch

As mentioned the Knights are productive depth wise with players in every corner of the roster finding ways to be effective. This is the time to look at some of the more experienced guys to step up.

James Neal had two points (1G-1A) in the first round. His only goal came in Game 3 to solidify a 3-0 stranglehold on the series. Playing on the second line with Alex Tuch and Game 2 OT hero Erik Haula could be an opportunity for “Big Game James” to start adding to his career 46 playoff point total.

San Jose Sharks
Won first round series 4-0 over Anaheim

The Sharks finished third in the Pacific Division behind the Ducks and Knights but still swept a Ducks team who had been dealing with injuries. The offensive explosion of the Sharks over the past month has been an impressive piece to their early playoff run.

The Sharks scored a total of 16 goals in the first round while only giving up four goals. They had a powerplay percentage of 30% and a penalty kill of 83.3% against the Ducks. San Jose generated an average of 32.3  shots per game.

What’s more impressive is the Ducks averaged 33 shots per game but could only score four goals through four games. Martin Jones was second in SV% and GAA in the first round with a .970 SV% and a 1.00 GAA. Jones had one shutout in the first round while facing the ninth most shots.

Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski led the team in the first round with five points each. Nine players scored a goal for San Jose with Tomas Hertl, Marcus Sorensen and Evander Kane each scoring three goals.

Notable Players to Watch

With players like Couture and Pavelski being obvious candidates, I look for production from a newly acquired Shark.

Evander Kane is my player to watch. As mentioned earlier Kane scored three goals in the first round. With this series being more of a defensive battle than the first, it’s understandable that Kane may not light up the scoring sheet.

But with goals most likely being hard to come by with an elite goaltender on the other end of the ice, I see Kane adding to his 18 total points as a Shark and in moments when it will be needed. Pairing him on the first line with  Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi will surely see Kane get plenty of ice time and opportunity to come up clutch in big-time situations.

Season Series
Vegas (3-0-1)

Goals were not an issue in the regular match-ups for these teams. Vegas outscored San Jose 14-11 through the four games with two of the four going into overtime. Both teams have solidified a much stronger defensive game since the last meeting on March 31, so it will be interesting to see how they match up in the second round.

Conclusion

This could be one of the more exciting series of the second round. It may not be an offensive explosion, but a defensive chess match could lead to a tightly contested battle, leaving you on the edge of your seat. Look for both goaltenders to be lights out with the possibility of plenty of OT with two of the four regular season matchups going into extra frames.

Vegas will depend more on Marc-Andre Fleury with the lack of scoring on their end in the first round, going up against a Sharks team that was able to almost score at will.

In the end, I do see a tooth and nail fight with the Sharks pulling away late in the series with their powerhouse scoring ability.

My Prediction: Sharks in 6 games.

April 26, 2018 0 comment
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