Sam Bennett is returning from an upper-body injury in time to play his first game in one of hockey's most storied cities.
The Calgary Flames forward, who's been sidelined since March 9, missing four games, will play Sunday in Montreal, much to his delight.
"I'm excited," Bennett said after the morning skate. "It's my first time at the Bell Centre."
The 19-year-old, who spent his junior hockey a few hours drive from Montreal, has 15 goals and 17 assists this season.
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The NCAA announced the field for this year's college hockey championship on Sunday.
Quinnipac is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and the top seed in the East Region. St. Cloud State, North Dakota, and Providence also grabbed top seeds in their respective regions.
Here's what the bracket looks like:
1. Quinnipac (29-3-7)
4. Rochester Institute of Technology (18-14-6)
Date: Saturday, March 26 at 4 p.m. ET (TV: ESPNU)
3. Yale (19-8-4)
2. UMass-Lowell (24-9-5)
Date: Saturday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN3)
1. Providence (27-6-4)
4. Minnesota-Duluth (18-15-5)
Date: Friday, March 25 at 4:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN3)
3. Harvard (19-10-4)
2. Boston College (26-7-5)
Date: Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m. ET (TV: ESPNU)
1. North Dakota (36-4)
4. Northeastern (22-13-5)
Date: Friday, March 25 at 2 p.m. ET (TV: ESPNU)
3. Notre Dame (19-10-7)
2. Michigan (24-7-5)
Date: Friday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPNU)
1. St. Cloud State (31-8-1)
4. Ferris State (19-14-6)
Date: Saturday, March 26 at 3 p.m. ET (TV: ESPNews)
3. Boston University (21-12-5)
2. Denver (23-9-6)
Date: Saturday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPNU)
You can view the full bracket from the NCAA here.
The Frozen Four runs April 7 (semifinals, ESPN2) and 9 (final, ESPN).
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Saturday, April 30. The only date that matters this spring for fans of Canadian hockey teams.
The NHL draft lottery will be held that night, and through play as of Sunday morning, the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs have the best odds at landing the top overall pick:
| Team | Odds | Points | GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Leafs | 20% | 61 | 71 |
| Jets | 13.50% | 63 | 71 |
| Oilers | 11.50% | 65 | 74 |
| Canucks | 9.50% | 66 | 71 |
| Blue Jackets | 8.50% | 66 | 71 |
| Flames | 7.50% | 66 | 71 |
(Courtesy: TSN)
Before Maple Leafs fans get caught up in the excitement that is being in last place, Toronto's won three of four and has picked up points in five of seven. It's that time of year.
It's going to be a race to the bottom, and to, in all likelihood, American center Auston Matthews, projected to be the first overall selection in Buffalo in June.
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Step right on up, Steve Mason.
The Philadelphia Flyers push for a playoff spot will be backstopped by Mason after general manager Ron Hextall announced that Michal Neuvirth will be out three weeks with a lower-body injury. In a subsequent move, Anthony Stolarz was recalled to serve as Mason's backup.
Neuvirth was expected to start Saturday against Pittsburgh but was a late scratch because, the team said, he wasn't feeling right.
Through 31 games, Neuvirth has a 17-8-4 record with a sparkling .925 save percentage.
If the Flyers fail to qualify for the postseason, the injury effectively ends Neuvirth's campaign.
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Most of us were too young - or simply not alive - to watch Bobby Orr play hockey and singlehandedly change what a defenseman could be. Luckily, YouTube exists.
No. 4 turns 68 on Sunday, and there's no better way to celebrate than by watching awesome Orr highlights set to Hannah Miller's "Promised Land." And if you've never seen the pass he makes at the 1:12 mark, you're going to want to change that. Now.
Orr had 139 points in 1970-71, as a 22-year-old. Injuries limited him to only 657 regular-season games, in which he compiled 915 points.
There will never be another.
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Ryan Johansen is a member of the Nashville Predators. Today, tomorrow, and probably for a long time.
Traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets in a one-for-one swap for defenseman Seth Jones, Johansen opened up about the deal with The Tennessean's Adam Vingan, saying the end of speculation about his future was certainly welcome.
"As soon as I hopped on that plane (after the trade), I just felt like I wanted to be at the rink," the 23-year-old said. "I wanted to get there. I wanted to get on the ice with the guys, just start my new chapter, I guess. ... For me, it was kind of like a 'get to work' moment."
Johansen's been a Predator for 32 games, after spending the first four seasons and 38 games of his career with the Blue Jackets. After scoring 33 goals in 2013-14, a career high, and 26 last season, his goal-scoring touch has abandoned him this season. He scored six with Columbus and has six with Nashville. He averaged 0.68 points per game this season before the trade and is averaging 0.69 after.
Johansen's thankful the deal happened when it did, long before the trade deadline. He feels like a Predator, as the club gears up for a playoff run.
"Just kind of a bonus of the trade was getting it done in January there instead of right at the trade deadline where things are a little more hectic," he said. "I was able to have some more time to adjust and get settled in with a new team and stuff and get more familiar with the guys and how they play and the systems and things like that. I think it was definitely, for any player I guess, a better situation to get there early.
Johansen makes it clear he wasn't relieved he was traded - he was committed to Columbus - but he was excited to start the next phase of his career, especially considering how young he still is.
"They made it very clear that I was the top-line center that they had been looking for, and for me, that's the perfect opportunity. I can go out there and just do my thing and have fun," he said.
Johansen's played six playoff games in his career, in 2013-14, scoring twice and adding four assists. The Predators are hoping for similar production, in hopefully three or four times the games.
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Out-shot, out-scored, out-worked, out-played.
That was the scene Saturday in Vancouver as the Canucks dropped a 3-0 decision to St. Louis, and while Ryan Miller stood on his head with a 47-save performance, Daniel Sedin thought the resolution demonstrated by the rest of the team left much to be desired.
"The only thing I worry about is effort," Sedin said, according to Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun. "And I think from some guys right now, the effort is not there. It’s not good enough. I think those guys know who they are. I think it’s embarrassing if you’re not giving the effort every night. Shift in and shift out, game in and game out, it has to be there otherwise it’s going to look like this."
The lack of effort, he said, isn't a new trend, and one that's effectively killed their playoff chances.
"I think it’s been an issue most nights," he continued. "Early on, we won some games because we had enough guys battling. It’s about learning to win those one-on-one battles. We’re there right now, trying to battle. But we’re not winning them. That’s a big difference."
Sedin, the team's assistant captain and de facto leader in the absence of brother Henrik, recorded seven shots in the loss, the Canucks' second-straight game without a goal.
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Don't take anything for granted. That's Nicolas Deslauriers' good advice.
The Buffalo Sabres forward scored his sixth goal of the season Friday, dropping to his knees in celebration, impressing his head coach, writes The Buffalo News' John Vogl.
Told Dan Bylsma was dazzled, Deslauriers kept it rather real.
"For me you've got to celebrate like it's your last one," he said. "You never know. I kind of lose control."
Scoring a goal in the NHL - there's probably little like it.
Deslauriers, a third-round pick in 2009, has scored 12 times in 160 career games - around once every 13 games.
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