Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov and his KHL team, SKA St. Petersburg, were kicking off their chase for the Gagarin Cup yesterday, and to say it was a disappointing start would be an understatement.
As reported, Demidov started the game as SKA’s thirteenth forward, and while Roman Roterberg had said he would play, he rode the pine for the entirety of the first frame. After 20 minutes, SKA was losing 2-1 to Dynamo Moscow.
The right winger then saw 3:30 of action in the second frame and a further 4:16 in the final one, including a two-minute shift at six on five when St. Petersburg was desperate to find a goal, losing 3-1. It was too little too late, however, and the score remained the same.
Demidov ended his work night with 7:46 ice time, two shots on goal, two hits, and a blocked shot. Will Rotenberg decide to change the lineup after that less-than-ideal result? We’ll see when the two teams face off again on Saturday.
Two former Canadiens are skating for the Dynamo in that series. One is Jordan Weal, who spent three seasons in the Habs’ organization, registering 25 points in 65 games in the NHL and 24 in 34 games with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. The center got a pair of helpers in the 3-1 win, while the other, Cedric Paquette, also grabbed an assist.
Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Friday morning that their 2024 second-round pick, Harrison Brunicke, would be assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The 18-year-old right-handed defenseman finished his third season with the Kamloops Blazers, who did not qualify for the playoffs with a 24-39-4-1 record and finished 10th in the WHL Western Conference.
Despite the team's place in the standings, Brunicke wrapped up his third WHL season by finishing sixth in team scoring with a career-high 30 points thanks to five goals and 25 assists.
Although Brunicke has never played in the AHL, he played some NHL pre-season games this year. Meanwhile, the WBS Penguins are one of the top teams in the AHL, giving the rookie defender a chance to play competitive hockey leading up to the Calder Cup playoffs.
The Philadelphia Flyers fired John Tortorella on Thursday, replacing him with Brad Shaw on an interim basis.
Tortorella, 66, had a year remaining on his contract. Following a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, he expressed frustration over the Flyers' recent decline in the standings, sounding like he wasn't keen to continue coaching a rebuilding team.
Under Tortorella, the Flyers exceeded expectations since last season. They narrowly missed the post-season last year despite management's hesitant rebuilding approach and the lack of experienced goalie depth following Carter Hart's mid-season departure.
They were still in the chase this season. However, trading away Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Erik Johnson gutted their roster depth, which was further weakened by a recent injury to blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen. They wound up tumbling down the standings and out of contention.
Finding a suitable replacement will be management's off-season priority.
The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau and Jonathan Bailey suggested David Carle of the University of Colorado as a candidate. Before Tortorella’s firing, Philly Hockey Now's William James suggested the same. Ben Kuzma of The Vancouver Province wondered if Canucks coach Rick Tocchet might land behind the Flyers' bench.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun mentioned Carle and Tocchet, pointing out that the latter is the only current NHL coach on an expiring contract, though it comes with a club option for next season. He wondered if Joel Quenneville might be part of the Flyers' search.
LeBrun also cited interim coaches Joe Sacco in Boston and Anders Sorensen in Chicago. He mused about Peter Laviolette's future if the New York Rangers miss the playoffs. The Hockey News’ Sam Carchidi and Proteau also wondered about AHL Lehigh Valley coach Ian Laperriere as an option.
Before his firing, Tortorella felt the Flyers had to improve their goaltending after this season. He indicated Hart's departure last season left the position in turmoil, relying on inexperienced goaltenders Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. As a result, the Flyers have one of the league's worst goals against per game (3.45).
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic believes Fedotov's future with the Flyers is in doubt. He has a year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3.275 million, a 5-13-3 record, a 3.21 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage.
The Flyers will find the market is thin this summer for free-agent goaltenders with starter experience. The notables include the oft-injured Fredrik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jake Allen of the New Jersey Devils, and Vitek Vanecek of the Florida Panthers.
John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks is the only noteworthy goalie in the trade market. He carries an average annual value of $6.4 million through 2026-27 and a 10-team no-trade clause. The 31-year-old Gibson might not be keen to swap a rebuilding team in Anaheim for one in Philadelphia.
Crosby has 80 points in 72 games this season, 17 more points than the second-leading scorer on the Penguins, Rickard Rakell. Crosby missed two games before the 4 Nations Face-Off, meaning he can only play a maximum of 80 matches this season.
The 37-year-old could still break some massive franchise records set by another all-time great, Mario Lemieux.
Lemieux is the Penguins' leader in goals with 690 and points with 1,723. Crosby gained the lead in the assist column earlier this season and currently has 1,058 helpers.
It’ll take some time for Crosby to beat Lemieux in goals and points, but he’s well within reach. He could even get it done before his next two-year contract expires.
Crosby only needs 48 more points to become Pittsburgh’s all-time points leader. He’s more than capable of setting that record in the first half of next season.
In every season where Crosby has played at least 40 games, he scored at least 47 points. As long as he stays healthy, he won’t break a sweat on his way to becoming the franchise’s point leader. If we use his 1.11 points-per-game average from this season, he’s projected to record eight more points this season and break Lemieux’s record 36 games into 2025-26.
Breaking the goals record will be a bit more of a challenge.
Crosby has 618 career goals, 73 away from breaking Lemieux’s 690-goal marker. In the next two seasons, Crosby will have to get close to 40 goals in each of those campaigns to become the club’s all-time goal leader.
Last season, he scored 42 goals, his most since the 44 he recorded in 2016-17.
The goal to give him the point per-game record was his 26th of the year. In the season's final eight games, he’s on pace to score two or three more goals. He’ll have to return to his production from last season if he wants any chance to break the record, but at this point, it’s tough to doubt what Crosby can do.
As for the team, they lost 7-3 to the Sabres, sit 26th overall in the NHL standings and are projected to miss the playoffs for the third straight season.
After a disastrous road trip, the Pittsburgh Penguins are calling up some reinforcements from the AHL. On Friday morning, they announced that prospects Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty are bound for Pittsburgh.
Currently, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the AHL's fifth-best team, with a 36-18-7-1 record thanks partly to Koivunen, who has compiled 55 points in 62 games, good enough for sixth in league scoring.
Meanwhile, since Feb. 15, McGroarty has collected the most points of anyone in the WBS lineup, scoring 18 points in the past 19 games, bringing his season totals to 39 points in 60 games.
After coming to the Penguins organization after a mid-summer trade from the Winnipeg Jets, McGroaty played in three NHL games before finding his groove in the AHL.
Like McGroarty, Koivunen is playing his first professional season and is the baby Penguins' leading scorer and one of four players to score more than 20 goals this season.
The Finnish winger, a key piece in the Jake Guentzel trade, will have a chance to make his NHL debut on this call-up.
Since Pittsburgh will not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, both prospects will get some laps in and still have plenty of time to return to the AHL for the Calder Cup playoffs, which begins mid-April.
Pittsburgh's next game is Sunday against the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena, while WBS visits the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.
The Chicago Blackhawks have ten games left. At 21-42-9, their playoff chances were gone by the time November started. That’s the reality for a team going through a long, grueling rebuild.
Throughout the season, the Blackhawks have transformed their roster into a young, vibrant group. Many of the top players on the Rockford IceHogs made their way to Chicago to show what they can do at the NHL level.
10 games remaining don’t sound like a lot, but there is plenty of time for the folks in charge to do some last-minute evaluating. These are five questions that they’d like to have answered before they hit the offseason:
Is Connor Bedard a center or a winger?
A lot of what the Chicago Blackhawks do during the summer will depend on their opinion of Connor Bedard. Is he a center or is he a winger? These final 10 games can better help them make that decision.
Is Ryan Donato worth a long-term extension?
The Chicago Blackhawks decided not to take anything for Ryan Donato at the trade deadline. They did not have an extension with him in place when this decision was made, so they ran the risk of losing him for nothing. Is he worth a long-term extension after having an unlikely career year?
What do they have in Kevin Korchinski?
Ahead of their final 10 games, the Blackhawks used their fourth and final non-emergency call-up on Kevin Korchinski. He has had a great season in the AHL, but only time will tell if he can be a star at the NHL level. Chicago will use these final 10 games to evaluate, which should help decide what to do with him in the summer.
Are any college players going to get an NHL showcase?
We have already seen a couple of college players sign with the teams that drafted them. As teams get eliminated from the NCAA tournament, will the Blackhawks consider giving any of them a chance in the NHL before the year is over? A few likely candidates are out there. These final 10 games could get interesting in that regard.
What big splash needs to be made this upcoming summer?
The Chicago Blackhawks have the roster availability and cap space to make a big move or two. What type of splash needs to be made to improve the team in the long term? Is it worth it to throw a lot of money at a player like Mitch Marner? We will know more after these 10 games are done. The answers to the above questions will help answer this one as well.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (29-34-11) finished their three-game road trip with a disastrous performance at KeyBank Center. They fell to the Buffalo Sabres 7-3 on a historic night, as Sidney Crosby broke Wayne Gretzky's point-per-game record.
In a recurring theme, Tristan Jarry gave up a goal on the first shot of the game, and the Penguins were never able to recover as the younger Sabres kept lighting the lamp in hopes of climbing out of the Eastern Conference basement.
Thankfully, Pittsburgh has a few days off before their game, providing plenty of time to unpack this performance.
Crosby Steals the Headlines
Unfortunately, the Penguins were chasing the game less than a minute after the opening puck drop; captain Sidney Crosby scored at 11:11 of the first period to collect his 80th point of the season.
The milestone goal cut the deficit to 2-1 for the home team, as Bryan Rust grabbed the puck out of the net to celebrate Crosby's historic achievement of earning his 20th point-per-game campaign.
Even though only four Buffalo skaters failed to get on the scoresheet, and seven had two-point games, Crosby stole all the headlines by etching his name into the NHL record book.
The End of Tristan Jarry
Jarry rediscovered his game in the AHL for over a month, coming back to Pittsburgh to go on a four-game win streak. However, when he finally lost, it was like he had lost all his confidence again and had yet to find it.
For the second consecutive game, Mike Sullivan started Jarry, and for the second game in a row, he had to pull him as he gave up four goals on 12 shots to finish the night with a .667 SV%.
Originally drafted by the Penguins in 2013, the end of his tenure in Pittsburgh is here. The Penguins must move on from a goalie who just can't make a save, let alone one on the first shot of the game.
Thursday night was Jarry's third shortest start of the season and his third-worst SV% game, which is not statistics worthy of being an NHL netminder.
Penguins Different Team Without Malkin
Evgeni Malkin missed his second consecutive game, and the Penguins gave up at least six goals in each. As the team's second-line center, Malkin leads another layer of attack that isn't there when he's not.
Even though most of the team's scoring has come from Crosby, Rust, and Rickard Rakell, Malkin is the Penguins' fifth-leading scorer and a future Hall of Famer that opponents tend to game plan for.
Without him in the lineup, the secondary scoring dries up, and the bottom six players are shuffled to compensate for the second-line opening, changing the offense's dynamics.
Despite the fanbase wondering what the team would look like without the 38-year-old in the lineup, the answer currently appears to be a mess. However, the Penguins can overcome his absence with some retooling and restructuring.
While the Montreal Canadiens suffered an embarrassing loss on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, rookie blueliner Lane Hutson still hit another milestone. With an assist on Alex Newhook’s goal, the youngster recorded his 50th helper of the season in his 71st game.
According to the NHL Public Relations account, he became the seventh fastest rookie to reach the milestone in a season since 1984-85. Joe Juneau did it in 59 games, Mario Lemieux and Chris Chelios in 63, Sergei Makarov in 64, Pelle Eklund in 65, and Matthew Barzal in 67.
Furthermore, he became the 24th rookie in history to accomplish the feat and just the fifth defenseman to do so after Larry Murphy (60 in 1980-81), Chris Chelios (55 in 1994-85), Stefan Persson (50 in 1977-78) and Gary Sutter (50 in 1985-86).
With another assist on Cole Caufield’s third-period goal, Hutson recorded his 13th multi-assist game. Only two rookie defensemen got more in a season: Chelios (16 in 1984-85) and Murphy (14 in 1980-81). With 11 games remaining on the Habs’ schedule, it’s far from out of the realm of possibility that he could catch them.
The rearguard has 51 assists and five goals for 56 points in 71 games. Chelios also has the record for most points by a defenseman in his rookie season with the Sainte-Flanelle with 64. To tie him, Hutson needs eight points in the remaining 11 games. It’s doable, but it will be tight, especially if the Canadiens don’t start winning again at the earliest opportunity.
Hutson still leads the rookie scoring race, two points ahead of Matvei Michkov, who overtook Macklin Celebrini last night with his three-point performance against the Canadiens. It will be interesting to see if the Flyers' rookie will produce more now that there’s been a coaching change in Philadelphia. He looked like he was flying last night and missed a hat trick by a quarter of an inch.
Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.
Heritage Auctions will open an auction Monday morning of 11 game-worn sweaters from some of hockey’s greats—including three Alex Ovechkin jerseys for collectors who may be seeking to add some of the star’s memorabilia to their collection ahead of his breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals mark. Ovechkin is just six goals away from surpassing Gretzky’s 894 NHL goals.
The auction includes the jerseys Ovechkin wore for his 300th NHL goal in 2011 and his 400th NHL goal in 2013, along with a jersey from February, when Ovechkin notched his 19th-straight 25-goal season. Jersey values are estimated at $50,000 each for the 2011 and 2013 sweaters, and $20,000 for the jersey from February. The jerseys up for bid are all game-worn and photo-matched to the associated contests by MeiGray, a firm that authenticates memorabilia, including as the official partner of the Washington Capitals.
“The jerseys included in this curated 11 lot collection represent the best goal scorers in the history of the game, and we know that the interest will be significant as Alex Ovechkin marches forward in his quest to catch and surpass Wayne Gretzky as the all-time NHL career goal record holder,” Heritage’s director of sports auctions Chris Ivy said in an email.
The remaining jerseys in the auction come from other greats as well. There’s a Gordie Howe-worn jersey from the 1973-74 Houston Aeros season of the World Hockey Association, estimated at a value of $60,000; two Gretzky jerseys from LA Kings and New York Rangers games estimated at $250,000 and $500,000, respectively; and a Sidney Crosby 2011 Winter Classic sweater estimated at $30,000. Rounding out the offerings are a Mark Messier Rangers jersey ($20,000), Jaromir Jagr New Jersey Devils sweater ($15,000), Connor McDavid Oilers jersey ($35,000) and Auston Matthews St. Pats throwback jersey from 2021 ($8,000). All those jerseys are also photo-matched by MeiGray to a specific game, except Howe’s, which is photo-matched to his first Aeros season.
Ovechkin’s memorabilia has a good track record of doing well at auction. In 2018, a jersey from a 2006 game in which he scored a legendary goal—while on his back, after being tripped—fetched $33,600. In the past two years, trading cards of the Russian have fetched $15,600, according to Heritage’s website.
“He seems to remain very popular with collectors,” Ivy said, when asked if Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has had any impact on Ovechkin’s collector’s market. “I’ve never had a collector bring up any geopolitical issues regarding Ovechkin, and I haven’t seen any noticeable impact on his collectibles.”
Despite the goals record’s impending arrival, Heritage is the only major auction house to plan an Ovechkin-related auction, based on an early March survey of the top five sports auction firms by Sportico. The auction opens the morning of Monday, March 31.
The Montreal Canadiens lost 6-4 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the post John Tortorella era. The Flyers were going to come out strong to avenge their old coach and the Canadiens weren’t up to the task.
You can’t leave Matvei Michkov open. His first goal was too easy and that amped up the home crowd and left the Canadiens looking listless early on. I didn’t see that coming. Why would they start an impactful game so poorly?
Cam York was facing disciplinary backlash for an undetermined item the Flyers wouldn’t elaborate on. He was on the bench with no stick. The Flyers played the entire game with five defenseman because they didn’t have anybody that was healthy enough to fill in. All of their defensive pairings were put in a blender and their defense was cohesive compared to the Canadiens.
The Canadiens missed defensive assignments on the Michkov goal, then the Michkov breakaway was stopped, On Couturier’s first goal, that went off his hand (was taken away from Michkov) he said postgame. It was easy, he was parked in the crease, they both were. When the defense wasn’t letting the team down, Jakub Dobes did. He wasn’t ready for a game of this magnitude.
Patrik Laine made a great defensive play and eventually got a goal. He had a good game. The Alex Newhook goal is the type he could pull off in college but hasn’t replicated enough in the pros. Goaltender interference is bizarre at this point. I can’t tell you what the rule is and neither can most players and Brendan Gallagher.
“They got in Dobers way. That’s what they’ve been calling. That’s the standard. The league needs to show consistency with it. I don’t know what to make of the decision. Players are frustrated around the league.”
I thought Brink touched him while in the blue paint. What do I know the goal counted.
5. Accountability is great but fixing it is more important.
“There’s no excuse,” said Josh Anderson.
That’s what you expect to hear. He looked miserable and took the bullet. Does that mean they will do better next game? I’m not sure. I had said in previous articles the Flyers faltered down the stretch last year because of bad goaltending and not enough scoring at the right time. Not garbage time. It feels like the Canadiens are going down that path but the season isn’t over yet.
The Ottawa Senators improved their playoff chances on Thursday night while also knocking another nail in the Detroit Red Wings' coffin. Despite spending much of the first period in the penalty box and then bending hard in the third, the Senators held on to defeat the Red Wings 4-3 at Little Caesars Arena.
Just two and a half weeks ago, in a 2-1 victory, Sens goalie Linus Ullmark frustrated the Wings with a season-high 48 saves. He was the biggest reason Detroit was held scoreless in a chaotic first period, as the Red Wings went 0-for-5 on the power play. Ullmark ended the night with 31 saves.
Despite the Wings controlling most of the early play, Ottawa struck first. Fabian Zetterlund notched his first point as a Senator, setting up a hard-charging Thomas Chabot. Chabot hustled up into the rush and beat goalie Alex Lyon with a wrist shot to make it 1-0.
Just over seven minutes later, Brady Tkachuk caught up to Lucas Raymond and manhandled him in the neutral zone. While the Detroit fans protested, the puck went the other way, and Tim Stützle beat Lyon with a wrist shot on the short side. At that point, the Senators were being outshot 12-3 but still led 2-0.
A chippy first period boiled over when Stützle and Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson got into a shoving match, prompting Tkachuk to step in. Edvinsson, at 6-foot-6 but not known for fighting, agreed to drop with Tkachuk. But the scrap was little more than a wrestling match.
The Red Wings’ luck didn’t improve in the second period. Defenseman Ben Chiarot attempted to dump the puck in off the boards, but it struck Michael Rasmussen and bounced right to Drake Batherson, who set up David Perron for a breakaway goal, stretching Ottawa’s lead to 3-0.
That marked the end of Lyon’s night, as he was replaced by former Senator Cam Talbot.
The Sens took that lead into the third and finally took one penalty too many. With Shane Pinto off for a cross-check, Patrick Kane broke through for the Wings on the power play. Former Senator Alex DeBrincat fed him a pass across the crease, and Kane was able to tap it in.
Michael Amadio seemed to put the game away with a breakaway goal, his sixth goal of the month, making it 4-1 Ottawa. It turned out to be the game-winner and Amadio's sparkling two-way game will be tough to leave on the fourth line much longer.
With just over eight minutes to play, in a dreadful piece of Ottawa defending, Raymond made it 4-2. He was left all alone in front of Ullmark and had all day to pick his spot.
Less than four minutes later, former Senator Vladimir Tarasenko beat Ullmark from the slot, cutting Ottawa’s lead to one and setting up a tense finish.
However, the Senators D fought back a heavy Detroit push for the victory.
With the win, Ottawa moves seven points above the Eastern Conference playoff cut line. They'll host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night in the first of three games against them in the final three weeks of the regular season.
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
When a team is in last place, they look for small-but-real victories, examples of progress as a unit.
For the San Jose Sharks, maybe they’re learning to play with leads better?
On March 1, they lost 5-3 to the Ottawa Senators after blowing another third-period lead.
At that point, the Sharks had an NHL-worst .450 Winning Percentage Leading After Two Periods, which would be the worst mark in the salary cap era, just below the 2005-06 St. Louis Blues’ .500.
Since then, however, San Jose has won three straight games leading after two periods: March 4 at the Buffalo Sabres, March 13 against the Chicago Blackhawks and Thursday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, raising that gruesome .450 to a less-abominable .522.
Yes, the Sharks blew a 5-3 lead to the Leafs, giving up two last-minute goals with Toronto’s goalie pulled. San Jose needed the shootout to come away with the win.
The 2024-25 regular season is coming to a close, with the majority of NHL teams having 10 or fewer games remaining. That includes the Vancouver Canucks, who sit just below the playoff bar with 80 points through 72 games. Ultimately, the last few weeks of the season will be chaotic as teams in both the Western and Eastern Conferences battle for 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff berths.
When it comes to the Canucks, they are in a complicated situation. As mentioned, Vancouver is currently on the outside of the playoff picture and is competing with the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, and Utah Hockey Club for the two Wild Card spots. While most of the focus has been on the Wild Card chase, there is another way the Canucks could get into the playoffs, and that is by finishing as the third team in the Pacific Division.
Before diving into this possibility, it is important to note that Vancouver finishing as the third-place team in the Pacific Division is highly unlikely. That being said, the team that is currently holding the spot is 1-2-1 in their last four games and is facing some serious injury issues heading into the final weeks of the regular season. The team in question is the Edmonton Oilers, who, with ten games remaining, have 87 points on the season.
Now that the theory has been presented, the question is what would need to happen to make this idea a reality. Ultimatley, the Canucks would need to record eight more points than the Oilers for the rest of the season. For example, if Edmonton posted a 3-7-0 record, Vancouver would need to go 7-3-0 in their final ten games to surpass their division rival.
As for the schedule comparissons, the Oilers have an easier schedule than the Canucks. Edmonton's strength of schedule is .529 compared to Vancouver's .577. If this were to happen, the Canucks would need the San Jose Sharks to do them a huge favour, as they have three more matchups against the Oilers left on the schedule.
One of the reasons why this is possible is that, as mentioned, the Oilers are currently dealing with some injury issues. Leon Draisatil and Connor McDavid have both missed the last handful of games, while Stuart Skinner was absent from the lineup on Thursday when they lost to the Seattle Kraken. While all three of these players are expected to return before the end of the season, not having them at 100% could cause some issues as Edmonton looks to secure a playoff berth.
While the odds are stacked against them, Vancouver still has a chance at clinching a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It will not be easy, as six of their final 10 games are against teams currently in playoffs, which included two more games against the Winnipeg Jets. That being said, anything is possible if they go on a run, which includes surpassing the Oilers for the third spot in the Pacific Division.
The Canucks play their fifth of sixth straight on the road Friday when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a key matchup for both teams as each is battling for a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT from Nationwide Arena.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
After a sluggish start, the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing catch-up all night in a 6-5 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
Despite a valiant effort in the final minute of regulation, Toronto's attempt to stage a comeback came up short. Down 5-3, they scored twice in 44 seconds to force overtime and earn a point, pushing their regular-season point total to 90 and regaining sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.
However, the Leafs missed out on two points against the Sharks this season – who are ranked dead last in the league – dropping both contests in a shootout.
One bright spot for the Leafs, though, was newly acquired forward Scott Laughton registering his first goal and point as a member of the team.
The tally came at the 15:13 mark of the second period to cut the deficit to one, making it a 4-3 score. His goal broke a 14-game point drought that stretched back to his time with the Philadelphia Flyers, picking up his first in 10 games in Toronto.
The 30-year-old made a strong play in the offensive zone, carrying the puck up the half wall before he wired home a one-timer off a pass from David Kampf, beating Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
It was an important moment for the Oakville, ON, native, who has been working hard to settle into his new role with the Maple Leafs.
“It was nice, probably for my own confidence, and nice to get one for sure. It would have been a lot nicer to get a win and not score,” Laughton admitted after the game. “I know my role on this team, and obviously, contributing is nice, but I know what to bring on a daily basis, and I’m starting to feel more comfortable. Starting to play a little bit better. So, it’s good for myself, but you want to get those two points.”
Head coach Craig Berube had previously urged Laughton to stop overthinking his game, urging him to loosen up and just play freely.
With the postseason approaching, hopefully, this is a step in the right direction for Laughton, who is adjusting to his new environment and working to find his rhythm after joining the Leafs in a trade on March 7.
His teammates know just how much of a breakthrough a goal like that can be down the stretch.
“A lot of fun seeing him rip one home,” said Nylander. “First goal as a Leaf is huge. I’m happy for him.”
“Yeah, it was huge. I think him being from Toronto and everything coming here is extremely exciting. And a lot of us know Lotty from different things. But he's been an unreal guy coming in here. He brings great energy every day despite whatever comes at him,” added captain Auston Matthews.
He was previously demoted to the fourth line, the “identity line,” amid the struggles and was recently placed back with Max Domi and Nick Robertson on the left wing of the third line for the past couple of games. On Thursday, the 12-year veteran logged 12:28 of ice time, registering two shots on goal, two hits, and two blocks, finishing with a plus-1 rating to go along with his goal.
When at his best, Laughton can provide physicality, depth, and steadiness. His game in San Jose was a key indicator of his capabilities, and he is now looking to build on his recent momentum by stringing together multiple strong outings in a row.
“It was great to see him get a goal tonight. I thought he played great tonight. I thought he matched well on that line and created some really good chances. And that was a big goal that he had for us. So I know that's a big weight off your shoulders,” said Matthews. “I think that's just going to continue to carry momentum in his game. He's just going to continue to be more comfortable as we go along here.”
Despite earning a point against the Sharks, the Leafs have now lost seven of their last 12 games. They dropped the opening contest of their three-game California road trip and will face a back-to-back in Los Angeles on Saturday, followed by a visit to Anaheim on Sunday.
They’ll need to clean things up to finish the weekend on the right foot.
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the San Jose Sharks 6-5 in a shootout at SAP Center on Thursday. Although they picked up a crucial point in the standings, it was yet another example of the Leafs struggling to pounce against a team at the bottom of the NHL standings as they gear up for a playoff run next month.
The Leafs appeared destined to lose against the Sharks in regulation time. But two goals in the final minute of regulation time forced the game beyond 60 minutes. Outside of their performance on the power play, Toronto looked lethargic on the ice. There were also some lapses in judgement.
Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll misplayed the puck while attempting to make a pass. Instead turning it over to Sharks forward William Eklund and into the net.
"They are a quick team, but I think that maybe the travel yesterday and everything, we just weren't on our toes," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said while trying to pinpoint an explanation for his team's performance. "We got better as the game went along. We made some mistakes. We all got to be better, goalie included. It's not good enough."
The performance came just after the Leafs punished the bottom-feeding Philadelphia Flyers 7-2 on Tuesday. It appeared as though they were passed their transgressions of not taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them by pouncing on teams lower in the standings like they did on Saturday when they fell to the Nashville Predators.
"I didn't love our game tonight. I thought we just seemed slow," Matthews said. "We didn't seem to take care of the puck much, just kind of messing around with it too much."
The Leafs got into penalty trouble later in the game, which didn't help. After getting the first three power plays in the game, San Jose had the next four chances.
Leafs need better goaltending.
When your team is having nights where they are struggling, a strong goaltending performance can turn the tide. While Woll was busy making 14 saves on 16 shots in the first period, he wasn't particularly strong after that, finishing the night with 30 saves on 35 shots.
Since the 4 Nations break, the goaltending tandem of Woll and Anthony Stolarz hasn't been as strong as they were to start the season. In his last eight starts, Woll's save percentage is .892 and Stolarz's save percentage is .895 in his last 10 starts. Both have now reached career highs in games played during a season after never being the starting goaltender before. It's still anyone's guess who will start for the playoffs, but neither has goalie has taken the bull by the horns as of late.
Nylander hot
William Nylander scored twice to reach a career-high 42 goals this season. Not the type that has traditionally scored in bunches, the Swede recorded back-to-back multi-goal games for the first time in his NHL career. With 10 games to go, he'd need eight to reach the 50-goal mark. It certainly looks attainable.
Nylander recorded his 42nd goal of the season.
For the first time in his NHL career, Nylander recorded back-to-back multi-goal games. Two tonight, and two against Philly on Tuesday. https://t.co/idRGZgb3Yv
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
