There has been a belief Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman could play before the end of his team's second-round series against the New York Islanders, but though he is skating once again, Jon Cooper isn't optimistic about an imminent return to the lineup.
"He's not near ready yet," Cooper said after Stralman skated in full gear prior to Friday's team practice, according to Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.
The 29-year-old has not played since suffering a fractured fibula during a March 25 game against the Islanders, who hold a 1-0 series lead over the Lightning after a 5-3 win Wednesday.
Erlendsson noted fellow blue-liner Matt Carle missed practice due to an unspecified injury. It is unclear if he will be available for Game 2 on Saturday.
The moment has come, Canada. And for you too, America.
The NHL Draft Lottery takes place Saturday night in Toronto, and the results will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, CBC, and TVAS. The fate of a number of franchises hang in the balance ahead of the 2016 NHL Draft on June 24 and 25 in Buffalo, N.Y.
There's a significant change to this year's lottery: It will decide the top three picks, as opposed to the first overall selection. In previous years, the team finishing in last place in the standings was guaranteed a top-two pick. That's no longer the case.
There will be three draws, one each to determine the clubs that will draft first, second, and third. The drama!
Odds
The Toronto Maple Leafs were the worst team in the NHL this season and have the best odds at the No. 1 pick. Five Canadian teams have a 7.5 percent chance or more to land the first pick. Woe, Canada!
Team
Odds
Maple Leafs
20%
Edmonton Oilers
13.5%
Vancouver Canucks
11.5%
Columbus Blue Jackets
9.5%
Calgary Flames
8.5%
Winnipeg Jets
7.5%
Arizona Coyotes
6.5%
Buffalo Sabres
6%
Montreal Canadiens
5%
Colorado Avalanche
3.5%
New Jersey Devils
3%
Ottawa Senators
2.5%
Carolina Hurricanes
2%
Boston Bruins
1%
Vote
The Big 3
The class of 2016 is thought to be three deep: Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, and Jesse Puljujarvi; the American and two Finns.
Matthews is the prize. At 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, he's the No. 1 center teams dream about. While his path to the NHL has been unorthodox, the 18-year-old choosing to spend his draft year playing in Switzerland's National League, there's no doubt about his talents - he scored 24 goals and 22 assists in 34 games as a teenager in a men's league. The Scottsdale-born kid is ready for primetime, and the team that lands him is going to be set up the middle for 10 years.
Laine is one hell of a consolation prize. He celebrated his 18th birthday on April 19, and already has the body of a man at 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds. The winger turned heads at the World Junior Hockey Championship, scoring seven goals and finishing with 13 points in seven games as the Finns won gold on home soil. The scary part: He only got better as the Finnish Elite League season went on. He scored 17 goals in 46 regular-season games, but bagged 10 in 15 playoff games. In the postseason, the game plan was "Pass it to Laine." He's going to score at the NHL level. We'll find out for who Saturday.
Puljujarvi is only 17. He's 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds. He's a better skater than Laine. He's been compared to Jamie Benn. Let's put it this way: The team drafting third is going to get a very, very good player in Puljujarvi, if Matthews and Laine go 1-2 as projected. As good as Laine was at the juniors, Puljujarvi was better. He finished with five goals and 17 points in seven games - the highest total since 1990, when some guy named Jaromir Jagr put up 18 - and had a hat trick in the gold-medal game. This kid brings size, speed, skill, and toughness. Whatever the situation, Puljujarvi has the ability to thrive.
History
The Edmonton Oilers have drafted first overall in four of the past six years: Taylor Hall in 2010, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2011, Nail Yakupov in 2012, and Connor McDavid last year. Just when you think Edmonton can't possibly land another No. 1 pick, it does. Nothing goes the Oilers' way on the ice, but the ping pong balls have been kind. No one will be surprised if Matthews is an Oiler on June 24. You can't be.
While history's on Edmonton's side, the Maple Leafs put themselves in the best position to land Matthews. But history has never been on Toronto's side. In any respect. But Toronto's rebuild will add a big piece if the Maple Leafs land in the top three - which means they're all but guaranteed to drop to No. 4.
As for the team that could truly use Matthews, it has to be the Vancouver Canucks. The club's never drafted first overall. And there's no time like the present.
After missing the playoffs a year ago, the Dallas Stars rocketed to the best record in the Western Conference in 2016, and while their offense continues to be a major part of their success, their improvement at the defensive end cannot be overlooked.
Head coach Lindy Ruff attributes part of that improvement to three key additions from the offseason - forward Patrick Sharp, defenseman Johnny Oduya and goaltender Antti Niemi - who all won Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks.
"That's the impact I think we were hoping for," Ruff said, according to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. "I think their impact in the regular season helped us, and now, I think it's even bigger."
Meanwhile, it was the team's youth that provided the boost in Friday's Game 1 victory over the St. Louis Blues - with rookie forward Radek Faksa recording a goal, assist, and three hits, while first-year blue-liner Stephen Johns added three hits of his own in 13 minutes of ice time.
"They've brought a physicality, they've brought a hardness to our lineup that I think was needed," Ruff said of the young duo. "We were getting away with high-end speed and skill, and I think they've brought a hardness to the adjustments that the league has played against us.
"We've been able to physically come in and win more battles and create more situations that have helped us win games."
The Stars will need to continue to keep the puck out of their net if they hope to knock the Blues out in the second round. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday.
Detroit Red Wings fans really aren't having the name of their new arena.
On Thursday, the team announced that the club's new arena - currently being built - will be named the Little Caesars Arena after naming rights were sold to Mike Ilitch, the owner of the pizza chain.
Fans were immediately displeased with the new name, and some have gone so far as to sign an online petition to change it.
The petition, started by Julien Nadeau, is fighting to change the name to Caesars Colosseum. Nadeau says the new name has a better ring to it and is a fair compromise that "will still pay homage to Little Caesars, but will sound better (AND TOUGHER) for the deserving team."
The Red Wings have called the Joe Louis Arena home since the 1979 season and once the team makes the move to their new arena - whatever the name may be - New York's Madison Square Garden will be the only NHL arena without a corporate sponsor.
As of Saturday morning, the petition had received more than 12,700 supporters.
Latest on the Ducks and Red Wings, plus an update on Alex Radulov, in today’s NHL Rumor Mill. Changes coming for the Ducks. YAHOO SPORTS: Jen Neale reports Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray isn’t done making changes after announcing head coach Bruce Boudreau was relieved of his duties yesterday. Murray was particularly critical of his […]
The San Jose Sharks might have had too much time off between the first two rounds.
The club went off for five goals in the third period of Friday's 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators, proof to head coach Peter DeBoer that the team might have been affected by the week-long break through the first 40 minutes.
"Coming off the break, we had some questions of how we would be. I saw some of the effects of that (in) the first two periods," DeBoer said, according to NHL.com's Eric Gilmore. "We found a way. (Martin Jones) made some saves and let us hang around and survive that. We got going.
"To be able to come out of Game 1 with a win even though I think we didn't play our best 60 minutes is good because I think we'll be better in Game 2."
Forward Joe Pavelski picked up an assist in the win, giving him seven points in the postseason while pushing his point streak to three games. The captain admitted the club had to shake off the cobwebs early, but felt the team did a great job of rallying.
"We tried to fight against any kind of rust or intensity issues," Pavelski said. "We came out, we didn't really take it to any level in the first. We were just kind of there. We just kind of played with them. As the game went on, we got better and we could feel them on their heels a little bit, I think.
"It was just good to see the guys keep feeding off the crowd, feeding off the goals and really pushing for the next one."
The Sharks will be hoping all lingering effects are behind them when they head into Game 2 on Sunday.
Second-round recaps, Ducks fired head coach Bruce Boudreau, NHL draft lottery odds, expansion news & more in today’s collection of notable NHL headlines. NHL Playoff Recaps THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS/STLTODAY.COM: Rookie forward Radek Faksa scored the game-winning goal and collected an assist as the Dallas Stars edged the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in Game One […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Joel Ward scored the tiebreaking goal against his former team with 8:11 remaining in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks rally past the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Friday night in Game 1 of their second-round series.
Ward also set up Tomas Hertl's power-play goal that tied the game earlier in the period before scoring one of his own to help San Jose win its first playoff game when trailing after two periods since 2011.
Logan Couture added a power-play goal and an empty-netter for insurance, before Tommy Wingels sealed it with another empty-net goal as the Sharks showed few signs of rust after having six days off since beating Los Angeles in a five-game series in the first round. Martin Jones made 29 saves, and Brent Burns had two assists.
Mike Fisher and Ryan Johansen scored for the Predators, who allowed five goals in the third period after having only one day off since winning Game 7 of a first-round series in Anaheim. Pekka Rinne made 33 saves.
Ward has long played his best hockey in the postseason, most notably when he scored seven goals in 12 games in 2011 to help lead Nashville to its first appearance ever in the second round. He proved he could do it just as well against the Predators.
He started the comeback by setting up Hertl near the side of the net late in a power play early in the third. Hertl then fired a shot just under Rinne's glove on the short side.
Ward then scored his 15th career playoff goal when he was left all alone after taking a pass from Joonas Donskoi. He stickhandled past Rinne before tucking the puck into the net.
Couture's first goal on the power play gave San Jose breathing room it needed when Johansen scored with 1:49 left and Rinne off for an extra skater.
But Couture and Wingels answered with the empty-netters to clinch the win.
The game lacked the usual playoff atmosphere in the Shark Tank at the start where there were rows of empty seats in the first non-sellout in the playoffs in franchise history.
Nashville's tight-to-the-vest play also helped keep the crowd out of it as the Predators did their best to prevent the Sharks from setting up in the offensive zone and Rinne was once again sharp against San Jose.
But San Jose nearly scored first when Melker Karlsson shot his own rebound toward the net just as a sliding Anthony Bitetto knocked it off the moorings. The Sharks argued that the puck would have gone in had Bitetto not knocked off the net but a replay review was inconclusive and the call of no-goal stood.
The Predators then struck early in the second after Matt Nieto was sent to the box for tripping in the offensive zone. Nashville had failed to convert on 26 of its first 27 power-play chances this postseason, including one in the first period, and appeared on its way to another blown opportunity.
But late in the man advantage, Johansen slid a cross-ice pass to Fisher, who beat Jones with a wrist shot from the circle to the short side.
NOTES: The Sharks last overcame a deficit after two periods to win a playoff game in Game 3 against Detroit in the second round in 2011. San Jose trailed 3-2 after two before winning 4-3 in OT. ... F Craig Smith (lower body) missed his third game of the playoffs and Eric Nystrom got the nod in his place.
The San Jose Sharks forward scored one of the finer goals of the postseason Friday, showing incredible smarts by faking his shot and then putting his immaculate hands on display to put the puck past a helpless Pekka Rinne.
San Jose defeated the Nashville Predators 5-2 in Game 1 of their second-round series, scoring all five of their goals - including two empty-netters - in the final 20 minutes.
The captain dropped some real talk after his team dropped Game 1 on Friday to the Dallas Stars to open their second-round series.
"This was a good game by them," Backes said. "They outplayed us, they deserved to win this one."
The Blues woke up after 40 minutes, but the Stars were able to eke out a 2-1 win. It would have been much, much worse if not for the stellar play of Brian Elliott in the Blues' goal.
"We've got to play for a full 60 the way we did in the first series and we'll be just fine," Backes said. "They came out with tons of speed and pressure on us. It took us 40 minutes to start to look like ourselves."
Head coach Ken Hitchcock agreed.
"I didn't like the way we played in the last 10 minutes of the first and the whole second," Hitchcock said. "After the second period, (Elliott) gave us a chance, gave us a real chance. We needed to punch through."
Coming off an emotional Game 7, a letdown was expected. But there's so little room for error in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I don't think anybody is really pleased with the type of game that we played," Elliott said. "We grinded it out. I think once we do get to the Blues' style of hockey, I think that will serve us well."
They'll have to play Blues hockey on Sunday, or face a 2-0 series deficit against a very good Stars team.
