All posts by Josh Gold-Smith

Golden Knights’ Brossoit: Jets fans’ taunts gave me ‘fuel’ in Game 4 win

Laurent Brossoit says he had a little extra motivation when the fans of the opposing team - and his former club - tried to get under his skin Monday night.

The Vegas Golden Knights goaltender got the last laugh after fans at Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre derisively serenaded the ex-Jets netminder with his name and chants of "You're a backup."

Brossoit stopped 24 of 26 shots in a 4-2 victory that gave Vegas a 3-1 series lead and pushed Winnipeg to the brink of elimination in their first-round playoff series.

"Oh yeah, I could hear them," Broissoit said postgame. "Honestly, it's just fuel. When you have that many people chanting your name, whether it's positive or negative, it's fuel."

"(It) didn't really seem like much fazed him," Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore said. "I know the crowd was kind of getting on him there, but he's a fantastic goalie, and he's on his game right now."

Brossoit played three seasons for the Jets as Connor Hellebuyck's backup from 2018 to 2021. Broissoit is in his second campaign with the Golden Knights, who signed the 30-year-old as a free agent in July 2021.

He took over as Vegas' starter in the wake of injuries to Logan Thompson and Adin Hill. Brossoit himself spent time on long-term injured reserve and played 23 AHL games in addition to 11 with the Golden Knights this season.

The B.C.-born puck-stopper went 7-0-3 with a .927 save percentage at the NHL level this year prior to the playoffs. He has a .902 clip to go along with a 3-1 record in the postseason.

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Campbell: ‘Nice to get a shot’ in goal during Oilers’ comeback win

Jack Campbell appreciated getting an opportunity to enter the crease as his Edmonton Oilers rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series Sunday night.

Campbell came on in relief of Stuart Skinner, who allowed three goals on 11 shots before getting the hook after 20 minutes in Edmonton's 5-4 overtime victory.

"It's a nice win, nice to get a shot, and (I'm) just happy for the guys," Campbell said postgame. "Stu's been playing great when he's been in there. We had a tough first (period), but everybody bounced back, and (it) feels good."

The Kings stormed out to a 3-0 lead after the opening frame, but the Oilers responded with three goals of their own in the second. Los Angeles defenseman Matt Roy gave his team a 4-3 lead early in the third period, but Evander Kane tied it late in regulation before Zach Hyman won it in overtime to even the series at two games apiece.

Oilers star Leon Draisaitl scored two of the three goals in the second period, finding the back of the net twice in a span of just over 10 minutes. He's been on the ice for all 14 goals Edmonton has scored in the series. The German forward praised Campbell's performance postgame.

"Really, really good," Draisaitl said. "Not an easy situation, (it) hasn't been an easy year for him. But the way he showed up (Sunday night) was really, really great, and we're very fortunate to have him."

Campbell turned aside all but one of 28 shots after entering the contest. The 31-year-old was outplayed by Skinner during the regular season, but the younger netminder has been a bit inconsistent in these playoffs, going 1-2 with an .881 save percentage in four games.

Skinner had grabbed Edmonton's No. 1 job from Campbell and held it for the balance of the regular season. Skinner provided stability in goal for the Oilers in what was technically his rookie campaign, posting a .914 save percentage in 50 regular-season games.

Campbell was expected to be the unquestioned starter heading into the season because the Oilers signed him to a five-year, $25-million deal as a free agent last July. But the veteran was uneven out of the gate and ultimately posted a paltry .888 save percentage over 36 games - his worst mark in any season in which he played more than a single game - before these playoffs.

Game 5 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Edmonton.

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Flyers’ Braun retires after 13 NHL seasons

Justin Braun called it a career Monday after playing more than a decade in the NHL.

The 36-year-old defenseman suited up for 13 seasons in the league, including nine with the San Jose Sharks, who traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in June 2019.

Braun spent parts of four campaigns with the Flyers in two separate stints, rejoining them for his final season in 2022-23 after Philadelphia dealt him to the New York Rangers at last season's trade deadline.

The Minnesota-born blue-liner was known more for his defensive play than his offensive production, topping out at a career-high 33 points with the Sharks in 2017-18. He was part of several playoff runs with San Jose, helping the club reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.

Braun collected 34 goals and 165 assists over 842 regular-season games. He also played 119 postseason contests, including 84 with the Sharks.

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Cooper: ‘Zero idea why’ referee blew whistle on disallowed Lightning goal

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper wasn't as animated postgame as he was in the immediate aftermath of a disallowed goal that would've given his club a 4-2 lead in an eventual overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

But he appeared to be just as baffled about the referee blowing the play dead.

"I have zero idea why he blew the whistle," Cooper said after a 4-3 defeat in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series. "It was shocking. The entire building - there (were) 20,000 people - saw (the puck) was sitting right there. What I don't get is I don't know what the ref had to gain by blowing the whistle."

Late in the second period, Maple Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie tried to clear the puck out of his team's defensive zone from behind the net. His attempt deflected off Lightning forward Brayden Point in front before the attacking player forced it in. However, the goal was immediately nullified on the blown whistle.

"Listen, that's not why we lost (if) you look back now," Cooper acknowledged postgame. "But I just don't get it."

Maple Leafs center Ryan O'Reilly tied the game with one minute remaining in regulation before blue-liner Morgan Rielly netted the winner with 45 seconds left in the extra frame.

Toronto took a 2-1 series lead as a result. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night in Tampa Bay.

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Bedard tops NHL’s final rankings of North American draft-eligible skaters

Connor Bedard is the No. 1 North American skater heading into this year's NHL draft.

The Regina Pats dynamo headlined NHL Central Scouting's final rankings of draft-eligible skaters from the continent Tuesday.

Here's the top 10:

Rank Player Position Team
1 Connor Bedard C Regina (WHL)
2 Adam Fantilli C Michigan (NCAA)
3 William Smith C USA U18 (NTDP)
4 Matthew Wood RW Connecticut (NCAA)
5 Ryan Leonard RW USA U18 (NTDP)
6 Zach Benson LW Winnipeg (WHL)
7 Nate Danielson C Brandon (WHL)
8 Oliver Moore C USA U18 (NTDP)
9 Samuel Honzek LW Vancouver (WHL)
10 Gabriel Perreault RW USA U18 (NTDP)

Bedard led the WHL with a whopping 71 goals and 143 points across 57 games during the 2022-23 regular season, adding 10 goals and 10 assists over seven playoff contests. The 17-year-old led Canada to a second straight gold medal at the World Junior Championship in January. He was named MVP after leading all skaters in the tournament with 23 points.

Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's hockey player this season. Bedard and Fantilli are widely projected to be selected first and second in the draft, respectively. The top three on the list remain unchanged from Central Scouting's midterm rankings, while Wood moved up from eighth.

Central Scouting also finalized its list of international skaters. Here's the top 10 in that category:

Rank Player Position Team
1 Leo Carlsson C Orebro (Sweden)
2 Matvei Michkov RW SKA Saint Petersburg (KHL)
3 Dalibor Dvorsky C AIK (Sweden-2)
4 Eduard Sale LW Brno (Czechia)
5 David Reinbacher D Kloten (Switzerland)
6 Otto Stenberg C Frolunda (Sweden-Jr.)
7 Axel Sandin Pellikka D Skelleftea (Sweden-Jr.)
8 Lenni Hameenaho RW Assat (Finland)
9 Daniil But LW Yaroslavl (KHL-Jr.)
10 Mikhail Gulyayev D Omsk (KHL-Jr.)

Carlsson also held the top spot on the midterm rankings in January. The 18-year-old, who's widely projected to be drafted third, collected 10 goals and 15 assists over 44 games while playing in Sweden's top league. He notched three goals and three assists in seven contests for his country at the most recent world junior tournament.

Reinbacher rose five spots from the midterm edition, while Sandin Pellikka dropped four spots.

The NHL will conduct the draft lottery on May 8. The draft itself is scheduled for June 28 and 29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

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Flames, Treliving agree to part ways

The Calgary Flames and general manager Brad Treliving have agreed to end his tenure, the club announced Monday.

Don Maloney will take over as president of hockey operations and interim GM. The 64-year-old had been the team's senior vice president of hockey operations.

Treliving's contract expires June 30. The Flames hired the 53-year-old in April 2014.

The Flames fell two points shy of a playoff berth following an offseason in which they lost Johnny Gaudreau in free agency and were forced to trade Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. Treliving was lauded at the time for acquiring prolific winger Jonathan Huberdeau, dependable defenseman Mackenzie Weegar, and prospect Cole Schwindt in that deal.

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Canada avoids quarterfinal scare with OT win over Sweden

Sarah Nurse scored the overtime winner as Canada escaped the quarterfinal round with a 3-2 win over Sweden at the Women's World Hockey Championship on Thursday.

Sweden's Hilda Svensson tied the game with 9.2 seconds left in the third period.

Canada dominated the game, outshooting Sweden 48-14, including an 18-5 margin in the second frame.

In the semifinals, the Canadians will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Switzerland and Japan. The United States will face Czechia in the other semifinal.

Earlier Thursday, the U.S. blanked Germany 3-0, while Czechia edged Finland 2-1.

Canada defeated the United States 2-1 to win gold at last year's tournament.

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Isles clinch playoff berth, Pens eliminated for 1st time since 2006

The New York Islanders booked the final spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and dashed the Pittsburgh Penguins' postseason hopes with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

The Islanders only needed one point against the Habs to nab the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Florida Panthers secured the other one Tuesday night.

Pittsburgh last missed the playoffs in 2005-06, Sidney Crosby's rookie campaign. The Pens made 16 consecutive postseason appearances between 2006-07 and 2021-22.

This is the first time both NHL teams in Pennsylvania have failed to qualify since 1989-90.

New York will return to the playoffs after missing out last season. The Isles reached the semifinal round in 2020 and 2021, losing to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning both times.

The Penguins re-upped franchise fixtures Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang last summer, inking Malkin to a four-year deal and Letang to a six-year pact. Crosby is signed through 2024-25.

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Kings, Coyotes to play preseason games in Australia

The NHL is headed Down Under.

Melbourne, Australia will play host to the first-ever NHL games in the southern hemisphere when the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings meet in exhibition matchups on September 23 and 24, the league announced Tuesday.

The preseason tilts will be held at Rod Laver Arena - the multipurpose site of the Australian Open tennis tournament - and will be part of the league's annual Global Series.

"The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are two of our league's rising young teams and among our most innovative and adventurous franchises," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "We look forward to their two games at Rod Laver Arena and know this history-making visit will thrill our many avid fans in Australia and cause so many more throughout the sports-loving nation to be captivated by our great game."

The Kings are no strangers to lengthy flights, having played preseason games in China back in 2017. They've also flown to Austria and Germany for exhibition contests, and played in Germany for regular season games, along with visits to England, and Sweden.

Jordan Spence is an Australian-born Japanese-Canadian defenseman who's primarily suited up for Los Angeles' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, this season. He's appeared in six games with the NHL club during this campaign after getting in 24 contests with the Kings in 2021-22. Spence was born in Manly, New South Wales before moving Osaka, Japan, as a child and then to Prince Edward Island as a teenager.

The Coyotes have played a preseason game in Latvia and two regular season tilts in Czechia.

The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks flew to Germany and Switzerland last October for preseason games, then opened the regular season by facing off twice in Czechia.

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Flames eliminated from playoff contention with SO loss to Predators

Tommy Novak netted the winner in the shootout as the Nashville Predators prevailed 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Monday, eliminating the hosts from playoff contention.

Earlier in the shootout, Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter went with grinder Nick Ritchie over the team's leading scorer, Tyler Toffoli, and 17-goal producer Andrew Mangiapane.

"Not much difference, if you do the percentages or odds," Sutter said postgame, according to TSN's Salim Nadim Valji. "You're going on practices, you're going on guys that have scored against (Predators goaltender Juuse Saros). That's not the point. It really had no bearing on the game. The difference is those great chances in overtime."

The Flames were expected to contend for the Pacific Division title this season.

Despite losing Johnny Gaudreau in free agency and being forced to trade Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in late July, Calgary managed to acquire Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar in the Tkachuk deal, along with prospect Cole Schwindt.

But instead of vying for the Pacific crown, the Flames struggled to find consistency in 2022-23. Calgary sits fifth in the division at 37-27-17.

The Flames didn't often get blown out during this campaign, but they were incredibly unsuccessful in close games.

Calgary will play its season finale at home against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.

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