Veteran goalie Mike Smith entered Game 1 of the NHL playoffs with the Calgary Flames’ fan base wondering if he was the right man to be their team’s No. 1 goalie. He is 37 and hadn’t played a playoff game in seven seasons. His save percentage this season was .898, well below the NHL average.
Frederik Andersen settled the puck behind his net, patiently faked out the hard-charging Brad Marchand and zipped a pass beyond Patrice Bergeron to clear the defensive zone. It was a subtle sequence in the third period of the Maple Leafs’ convincing 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
If you look at the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a long exam, then the Tampa Bay Lightning failed part one in spectacular fashion. After taking a three-goal lead in the first period of Game 1, they fell back into their bad habit of only playing one or two periods of hockey instead of a full
report this ad In today’s News & Notes, the Boston Bruins had some familiar faces back at practice on Friday, including Sean Kuraly, Todd McLellan is not expected to be the next coach in Buffalo and the Calgary Flames have signed Adam Ruzicka. Kuraly, Moore Skate, DeBrusk Absent Kuraly skated at Bruins’ practice with a
Oilers could be made available Allan Mitchell of The Athletic: The Edmonton Oilers have some depth on the blueline. They may need to make some decisions on which veterans to move this offseason to create room for some younger players. Adam Larsson has two years left on his deal and would get some trade interest.
7:54 PM ET Chris PetersESPN NHL Close Chris Peters is ESPN’s NHL draft and prospects analyst. The Chicago native previously covered the NHL for CBSSports.com and founded the popular independent blog UnitedStatesofHockey.com where he covered the game at all levels since 2010. BUFFALO, N.Y. — UMass defenseman Cale Makar was named the 2019 recipient of
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Brett Sutter of the Ontario Reign is the 2018-19 winner of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey. The award is voted on by coaches, players and members of the
CALGARY – Rookie left-winger Andrew Mangiapane scored the eventual winner and Mike Smith made 26 stops as the Calgary Flames shut out the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 on Thursday night to win Game 1 of their first-round series. It took until 14:25 of the second period for the game’s first goal, but it was worth the
Rookie left-winger Andrew Mangiapane scored the eventual winner and Mike Smith made 26 stops as the Calgary Flames shut out the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 on Thursday to win Game 1 of their first-round series. It took until 14:25 of the second period for the game’s first goal, but it was worth the wait as Mangiapane’s
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion believes better times are ahead. Considering all the turmoil experienced by the franchise in the past two years or so, it would be hard for that not to be the case. The Senators general manager covered plenty of ground in his end-of-season news conference on Tuesday, touching on the
The Tampa Bay Lightning faced little adversity in the regular season on the way to a record-tying 62 wins and the most points in a season in 23 years. That all changed as fast as the Lightning squandered a three-goal lead before losing 4-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their first-round
Canadiens can spend to the salary cap next year Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette: The Montreal Canadiens were $8 million under the salary cap ceiling for a second consecutive season. GM Marc Bergevin has the go-ahead from ownership to spend the cap next year. “One-hundred-per-cent yes,” the GM said. “I always have permission to
7:06 AM ET Emily KaplanESPN The current playoff format just isn’t fair, because a legitimate Stanley Cup contender like the Boston Bruins must play a powerhouse team in round one like the… Toronto Maple Leafs? Toronto played a complete game to knock down the Bruins at home in Game 1, though this series is far
by Jason Karnosky | AHL On The Beat When it comes to National Hockey League franchises and their American Hockey League affiliates, few relationships are stronger or more beneficial to both teams than the one between the Predators and the Admirals. Despite the fact that 568 driving miles separates Nashville from Milwaukee, the two squads have
ESPOO, FINLAND—In an unfamiliar game against an unfamiliar foe, Canada summoned the brand of hockey the team believes can win gold at the women’s world championship. Blayre Turnbull’s two goals in a 5-0 quarterfinal win over Germany on Thursday were scored by driving hard to the net and paying a physical price in front of
The Toronto Maple Leafs begin another championship quest on Thursday evening at TD Garden against the Boston Bruins. The Maple Leafs don’t need to be reminded that May 2 is the 52nd anniversary of the last time the storied franchise won a Stanley Cup. They don’t need to be reminded that this restless club has
BROSSARD, Que. — Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin doesn’t need to check social media or turn on a television to get a sense of how Montrealers have felt about him for the last month. “I’m a smart enough man to know that when you haven’t produced in 17 games, the city’s probably turning a little on you,”
Only one team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, has hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup in back-to-back seasons since the tun of the century, and only one other team, the Detroit Red Wings, has done so since the days of Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s. Winning the Cup is hard to do once, let