Zaitsev met with the Maple Leafs in Toronto last summer and said he was "pleasantly shocked" by the reception. It was reported in January he'd sign an entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs.
In 46 KHL games this season, Zaitsev scored eight goals and added eight assists.
Playoff updates on the eve of the opening round plus some notable news on several non-playoff clubs in today’s collection of NHL headlines. NHL Playoff Updates. THE DETROIT NEWS: Long-time Red Wings Pavel Datysuk and Henrik Zetterberg could be reunited on the top line for tonight’s opening-round game against the Tampa Bay Lightning TAMPAYBAY.COM: Lightning center […]
The real test of Kris Letang's relentless stamina doesn't come in the Pittsburgh Penguins dressing room after a long game. When he logs the kind of ice time that looks like a typo on the stat sheet, the big challenge comes the next morning, when...
KELOWNA, B.C. - Rourke Chartier scored one goal and assisted on the others as the Kelowna Rockets edged the Victoria Royals 3-2 in Game 3 of their Western Hockey League playoff series on Tuesday.
Tomas Soustal, with the eventual winner midway...
MONCTON, N.B. - Chiwetin Blacksmith had two goals and an assist and Mathieu Bellemare made 37 saves at the Gatineau Olympiques toppled the Moncton Wildcats 7-1 in Game 3 of their second-round Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff series on T...
KITCHENER, Ont. - Chandler Yakimowicz scored 7:51 into overtime as the London Knights pushed the Kitchener Rangers to the brink of elimination with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 of their second-round Ontario Hockey League playoff series on Tuesday.
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WWE Monday Night Raw was hosted at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, and four wrestling superstars were surprised with custom Kings jerseys prior to the event.
Chris Sutter, son of head coach Darryl, presented jerseys to Ric and Charlotte Flair, Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho - whose father Ted Irvine spent parts of three seasons with the Kings between 1967 and 1970.
Midway through the NHL season, it didn't appear as though the Anaheim Ducks, nor the Nashville Predators, would reach the postseason.
Thanks to drastic second-half turnarounds for both teams, though, the Ducks and Predators are set to square off in the opening round.
Nashville won the season series 2-1, but the clubs haven't met since November. Both strong possession teams that have trouble scoring, this has the makings of a long, tightly contested series.
Tale of the tape
Ducks
Statistic
Predators
103
Points
96
2.62 (17th)
Goals per game
2.73 (13th)
2.29 (1st)
Goals against
2.6 (14th)
23.1% (1st)
Power play
19.7% (10th)
87.2% (1st)
Penalty kill
81.2% (16th)
52.4% (5th)
Corsi
52.5% (4th)
6.6% (T-28th)
5-on-5 SH%
7.3% (18th)
92.4% (T-18th)
5-on-5 SV%
92.2% (22nd)
Getzlaf: 63
Leading scorer
Forsberg: 64
Key players
John Gibson and Frederik Andersen
Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau joked he may flip a coin to decide between Gibson and Andersen to start the series, and luckily for him, both sides of that coin are reliable between the pipes.
Name
GP
Record
GAA
Sv%
SO
Andersen
43
22-9-7
2.30
.919
3
Gibson
40
21-13-4
2.07
.920
4
In a series that will likely be hard-pressed for goalies, the Ducks - no matter who starts in net - have a capable goalie to shut down opponents.
Ryan Johansen
Someone needs to score for Nashville, and a strong series from Johansen could solidify his worth to the Predators' brass.
Acquired in one of the biggest trades of the season, Johansen tallied only eight goals in 42 games with Nashville, but a good showing in the playoffs would erase a troublesome regular season.
Beyond Filip Forsberg and James Neal, Nashville's offense needs to step up to beat the team that allowed the fewest goals in the 82-game campaign, and although it's a small sample size, Johansen has tallied six points in six career playoff games.
Corey Perry
Perry's style of play is built for the playoffs.
The gritty winger excels in getting under opponents' skin, and is a menace in front of the net. Nashville's top defensive pairing of Roman Josi and Shea Weber will be in charge of neutralizing Perry's time and space, but that's easier said than done.
The 30-year-old Perry has already racked up 90 career playoff contests, in which he's scored 32 goals and 42 assists.
"I'm excited to see him play in the playoffs," Chimera said of Richards, per CSN's Chuck Gormley. "He's one of those guys that gets it done. He always brings out the physicality. Guys like him and (Justin Williams) always seem like the bigger the game the bigger they play. It’s a different dynamic for sure."
Richards has struggled to produce during his short tenure in Washington, recording just five points in 39 games. But Gormley notes that like Chimera, Richards has averaged more points per game during the playoffs (0.70) than in the regular season (0.65) during his career.
"He has the ability to slow things down when everything gets hectic," Trotz said of the two-time Stanley Cup champion. "In the playoffs he's been a player who finds a way to affect the game in a positive way. It's the same with Justin Williams."
He and Williams - his former Los Angeles Kings teammate - both boast incredible 7-0 career records in Game 7's, and the Capitals hope this veteran experience can finally bring them the playoff success that's escaped them in the past.
Game 1 between the Capitals and Flyers is scheduled to begin Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk isn't ruling out dealing any of his players, but he'll leave those decisions up to his new general manager.
Melnyk joined Sportsnet's "Tim & Sid" on Tuesday and was asked if he'd consider anyone on the Senators roster untradeable.
"No," he said.
When asked if that included Erik Karlsson, Melnyk said while the owner does have final say, that decision will be made by management.
"I'm not going to say anything other than ... first of all, I don't make those decisions. I let the coaches and the GMs make those decisions. They come to me when it's a big name, they come to me for everything in the end, but ... if they came in and had a deal on the table ... I can't keep them accountable if I don't let them take a shot.
"If they're wrong and wrong and wrong, then things change, but it's their team to coach and to manage, so if I stick my nose into it, who do I blame at the end but myself? (I'll) let them do their job. That's what they're paid (to do) and that's what they know how to do much better than I ever will."
Melnyk said he hopes to have a new head coach in place by the draft in late June.
Pierre Dorion replaced Bryan Murray as general manager Sunday and his first major act was firing head coach Dave Cameron on Tuesday.
