All posts by Ian McLaren

Crosby doesn’t buy narrative that Capitals folded to Penguins in past

Sidney Crosby knows there isn't much that separates his Pittsburgh Penguins from the rival Washington Capitals.

Despite having beaten the Capitals in each of the past two postseasons on the way to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, Crosby doesn't see anything different in Washington this year. That's to their credit, he adds, acknowledging how slim the margin of error is when these two clubs face off.

"I thought they were pretty relentless the last couple years, too," Crosby said Monday, per Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post. "The games are separated by one goal here, mistake here, mistake there. I didn't see them give in before. That's an easy storyline because we ended up winning."

The Penguins face elimination entering Game 6 of a third straight second-round series between the two clubs; last year's series went seven games, while Pittsburgh won in six back in 2016.

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Predators’ Hartnell back in lineup for Game 6

Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette is hoping Scott Hartnell can push the right buttons once again.

The veteran winger will make his third appearance of the postseason in Monday's Game 6 against Winnipeg, wherein the Predators will look to avoid an early playoff exit.

Among other things, Hartnell's goal will be to "stir the pot a little bit," per Josh Clipperton of the Canadian Press.

Hartnell has appeared in 97 playoff games over his career, scoring 19 goals and adding 28 assists. This year, he's recorded four shots in two games, including three in a Game 4 win over the Predators.

Calle Jarnkrok also took part in the morning skate, with Miikka Salomaki and Ryan Hartman the odd men out.

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Backstrom listed as game-time decision for possible series clincher

Nicklas Backstrom is officially listed as a game-time decision in advance of Monday's potential series decider in Pittsburgh, head coach Barry Trotz announced.

The Washington Capitals center suffered an upper-body injury in Game 5 but was expected to be ready for Game 6, pending further evaluation and medical clearance.

Backstrom was not present at the morning skate. These were the line combinations rolled out in his absence:

Backstrom has recorded three goals and 10 assists in 11 playoff games.

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Marchand burns Canadiens for throwing shade his way

Brad Marchand didn't get any shots off during a Game 5 season-ending loss to Tampa Bay, but he sure fired an accurate one Montreal's way on Monday.

Earlier in the day, the Canadiens Twitter account sent a public service announcement to an unnamed player, citing the dangers of licking golf balls. It was obviously a not-so-subtle dig at Marchand after the Boston Bruins were eliminated from the postseason on Sunday, and in light of his recent propensity to lick opposing players.

Marchand's response, however, is sure to leave a bad taste for Habs fans:

Montreal, of course, finished the regular season in 28th place, 41 points behind the Bruins.

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Canadiens’ Twitter gets lick in on Marchand following Bruins’ playoff exit

Credit the Montreal Canadiens with a win despite not advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year.

On the morning after the Boston Bruins were eliminated by Tampa Bay, the team's Twitter account posted a public service announcement regrading the dangers of licking golf balls.

This after Bruins winger Brad Marchand was told to stop licking the opposition, and will now have plenty of time to think about his actions during a long offseason.

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Capitals’ Vrana: Scoring Game 5 winner ‘feels really f—ing good’

Warning: Story contains coarse language

Jakub Vrana is the man of the hour in Washington.

The Capitals winger scored the winning goal late in Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, and was clearly quite pleased with his accomplishment:

Vrana was promoted to the top line alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin mid-game in place of Devante Smith-Pelly, who'd initially been filling in for the suspended Tom Wilson.

All three players drew points on the winning tally.

For his part, Vrana didn't seem bothered about being the second fill-in option

"That's just how the game rolls," he said. "Sometimes you're gonna make changes. Today we did. We were all ready. I felt comfortable out there."

It was Vrana's second career playoff goal, with the first - another game-winner - coming back in Game 2.

The Capitals can now advance to the conference finals for the first time in the Ovechkin era with a win Monday in Pittsburgh.

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Watch: Capitals grab lead with 2 goals in 33 seconds

Washington sure capitalized on its opportunities late in the first period of Game 5.

Down 1-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins with less than two minutes remaining in the opening frame, the Capitals scored two goals in 33 seconds to take the lead.

The first came off the stick of defenseman John Carlson on the power play.

Forward Brett Connolly added the second in short order.

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USA blanks Denmark in World Championship action

The United States defeated Denmark on Saturday to improve to 2-0 at the 2018 World Championship.

Goals were scored by Will Butcher, Chris Kreider, Cam Atkinson, and Nick Jensen, while goaltender Keith Kinkaid needed only 12 saves to earn the shutout.

The American squad defeated Canada in a shootout on the opening day of the tournament, and will next face off against Germany on Monday.

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Bruins’ Cassidy: Krug out for Game 5, injury doesn’t look short term

The Boston Bruins will be without defenseman Torey Krug for at least Sunday's Game 5 of their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to a lower-body injury, head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed Saturday.

Krug suffered an apparent ankle injury during Game 4, and Cassidy added that the initial prognosis isn't all that encouraging.

"He's still getting evaluated, but doesn’t look good that it will be short term," Cassidy said.

Krug is averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time for the Bruins this postseason, and ranks fourth on the team with 12 points in 11 games (three goals, nine assists).

Cassidy added that Nick Holden will enter the lineup to play alongside Adam McQuaid on Sunday.

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Rinne, Subban lead Predators to series-tying Game 4 win

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Pekka Rinne made 32 saves, P.K. Subban and Ryan Hartman scored and the Nashville Predators held off a late charge by the Winnipeg Jets to win 2-1 on Thursday night and even their second-round series through four games.

Patrik Laine scored off a faceoff in the final minute, but Nashville's Nick Bonino won two key faceoffs after that to end it.

Game 5 will be Saturday in Nashville, with Game 6 set for Winnipeg on Monday. Game 7, if necessary, would be in Nashville next Thursday.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 27 shots, but Nashville snapped Winnipeg's 13-game home winning streak, which dated to March 2.

Rinne allowed five goals amid a series of defensive miscues in a 7-4 Game 3 defeat. He rebounded impressively behind a team that was much sharper in its own end.

The Jets found far less space in the neutral zone, but also saw a couple of golden opportunities bounce over their sticks.

The Predators led 1-0 after the first period and stretched their lead with 5:24 left in the second when Subban blasted a one-timer on Nashville's first power play.

Booed by the thunderous white-clad crowd every time he's touched the puck the last two games, Subban seemed to feed off the noise. It was Subban's third goal of the series after being held without one in the first round.

The Jets had a couple of great chances to tie it earlier in the period. Kyle Connor missed on a pass from Bryan Little in the slot on a power play, and Mark Scheifele let the puck skip over his stick on a 2-on-1 with Blake Wheeler moments before Subban silenced the crowd with his goal.

Laine scored on a 6-on-4 with 50.2 seconds left in the third - his third of the playoffs and first of the series - but the Predators held on from there to wrestle back home-ice advantage.

Nikolaj Ehlers was back on the Jets' top line alongside Scheifele and Wheeler after switching spots with Connor following Tuesday's disastrous opening 20 minutes when Winnipeg fell behind 3-0. Connor once again skated with Laine and Paul Stastny.

Nashville opened the scoring with 2:40 left in the first when Hartman scored his second of the playoffs off a scramble in front. An attempted clear by Winnipeg's Ben Chiarot in front instead went off defense partner Tyler Myers and directly to Hartman, who beat Hellebuyck up high.

The teams traded chances earlier in the period, with Hellebuyck stopping Roman Josi and Scott Hartnell on 2-on-1 breaks, while the butt end of Rinne's stick stopped Josh Morrisey's backhand chance along the ice at the other end.

Notes: The Jets inserted winger Joel Armia into the lineup after he missed the first three games of the series with an upper-body injury. Rookie forward Jack Roslovic was a healthy scratch. ... Hartnell stepped in for Kevin Fiala, who scored in double overtime for Nashville in Game 2. The Predators also dressed defenseman Yannick Weber in place of Alexei Emelin.

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