James Reimer did not ask for the moon from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks prior to the trade deadline, a report emerged suggesting the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent was asking for $6 million per season on his new deal.
This, it was said, precipitated the team's decision to move on.
"I don’t even want to dignify it with a response," Reimer told Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun of the report. "That was definitely untrue."
The 27-year-old is in the final season of a two-year, $4.6-million contract signed with Toronto, and for now is focusing on helping his new club down the stretch.
"Going into the offseason is not something I even think about right now - I’m focused now on trying to help this team get as far as we can," he said.
"But if we can have success it’s a win-win for both situations."
Reimer allowed three goals on 25 shots in his only start for the Sharks to date.
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Jaromir Jagr made history again Monday, recording an assist to move him past Gordie Howe on the NHL's all-time points list.
But Jagr wasn't in the mood to celebrate the milestone after the Florida Panthers dropped their third straight game, a 5-4 decision to the Boston Bruins.
"It's more for you guys," Jagr said to the assembled media after the game, in a video posted on the Miami Herald's website. "It's just behind me now, let's concentrate on the wins."
Jagr, who turned 44 last month, has 21 goals and 28 assists in 63 games. He's got his eye on the playoffs (which he hasn't played in since 2013), because the postseason means more hockey, and if Jagr's proved anything, it's that he can't get enough of the game.
The Panthers fell behind 4-1 Monday night, storming back to tie the game. New Bruin Lee Stempniak scored the winning goal in overtime.
"It's not like they outplayed us," Jagr said, according to the Miami Herald's Aric Dillala. "It'd be a different story if they outplayed us. We just (gave) it to them."
The Bruins and Panthers are now tied in the Atlantic Division with 81 points, with Florida officially in second place because its played one fewer game. Both trail the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points.
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There's hope in the City of Brotherly Love.
With a win over Tampa Bay on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers moved to within two points of Detroit for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
A recent 7-2-1 run has greatly increased their chances of qualifying for the playoffs, something that seemed like a pipe dream as the calendar turned to 2016.
(Courtesy: Sports Club Stats)
Now within striking distance of both Detroit and Pittsburgh with 17 games remaining for each club, here's three reasons why the Flyers will indeed be one of the final 16 teams left standing at the end of the regular season.
The big story, of course, has been the one they call "The Ghost Bear," who's been nothing short of spectacular since being called up in mid-November. Through 47 games, 22-year-old Shayne Gostisbehere has recorded 14 goals and 23 assists, and only Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Brent Burns, and John Klingberg are averaging more points per game among defensemen.
While Gostisbehere is rightfully being lauded for helping right the Flyers' offensive ship with his breakout performance on the blue line, the emergence of Radko Gudas as a stellar defenseman is also going a long way towards propelling Philadelphia's upward climb.
Sure, his recent four-point night was an anomaly, and he's known more for questionable hits than pushing the puck up the ice, but possession-wise, Gudas is actually playing at a high level.
Among defensemen with at least 750 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, Gudas ranks 20th with a Corsi rating of 53.7, while beginning only 31.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.
Defense wasn't expected to be an area of strength for the Flyers, but six of the eight players who have dressed this season sit at or above 50 in terms of five-on-five Corsi.
Jakub Voracek's lower-body injury could not have come at a worse time, and while he's expected to miss a couple more games, the Flyers' top line has been smoking hot in his absence.
Here's what the trio of Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn, and Wayne Simmonds has done in the five game since Voracek was bit by the injury bug.
| Player | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Giroux | 2 | 6 |
| Brayden Schenn | 4 | 2 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 3 | 3 |
Voracek's expected return should only give the Flyers a more balanced offense, making the team difficult to handle down the stretch.
Their team shooting percentage sits at 7.05 at five-on-five, good for 18th in the league. Even a slight uptick will give the Flyers that much more of a boost down the stretch.
Philadelphia's quest for anything resembling competent play in net has been lengthy and well documented, but general manager Ron Hextall may have finally unlocked that particular achievement.
Once thought to be a lost cause in Columbus, Steve Mason has quietly rejuvenated his career with the Flyers, while the addition of Michal Neuvirth has given head coach Dave Hakstol reason to believe he has a 1A-1B tandem on his hands.
| Player | GP | Record | GAA | Sv% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Mason | 39 | 15-15-7 | 2.61 | .916 | 4 |
| Michal Neuvirth | 30 | 16-8-4 | 2.29 | .925 | 3 |
In five-on-five play, the Flyers' .936 save percentage ranks second only to the New York Rangers, meaning the goalies can't be blamed this time around if the Flyers don't end up advancing to the postseason.
With three games remaining against Pittsburgh and two versus the Red Wings, all of the above will be key in terms of passing one or both en route to a playoff berth.
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You can't beat hockey hair. And the Minnesota State High School hockey tournament features some of the best flows in North America. Maybe even the world, dare we say.
The kids are alright. In Minnesota, at least.
- With h/t to Yahoo Sports
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It was the perfect test.
The Anaheim Ducks had won a record 11 in a row. They'd flown (sorry) to the top of the Pacific Division. And they welcomed the NHL-best Washington Capitals to town on Monday.
The teams played an entertaining and tightly contested game at five-on-five.
| Ducks | Statistic | Capitals |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Shots For | 22 |
| 49 | Corsi For | 37 |
| 20 | Scoring Chances For | 20 |
| 5 | High-Danger Scoring Chances For | 12 |
| 11 | Offensive Zone Starts | 12 |
| 41 | Hits | 30 |
And though it took a shootout for the Capitals to end the Ducks' run, Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau was impressed by what he saw from the presumptive Stanley Cup favorites, who now have 102 points.
"I don't think skill for skill we can match those guys in the middle of the ice," Boudreau said, according to Agence France-Presse's Greg Heakes.
That's probably not what you want to hear as a player, but Boudreau knows it takes a lot more than skill to win a Stanley Cup.
He also lamented his team's inability to score on a four-on-one rush, which would have given the Ducks the win.
"You got to make hay with those golden opportunities," Boudreau said.
"It's tough to keep winning," he added, according to The Orange County Register's Jeff Miller. "But our execution wasn't what I thought it should be tonight. Maybe they had a lot to do with that. They're a good hockey club."
If you thought an 11-game winning streak, and points in 14 straight, would satisfy Boudreau, you're wrong.
"It's great that we got a point and all that, but I just think we're winning right now but we're not playing as good as we can. We've got to get back to that."
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Dion Phaneuf's keeping his letter.
Acquired from Toronto in arguably the NHL's most surprising trade this season, the Ottawa Senators defenseman and former Maple Leafs captain will be keeping the "A" he's worn on his jersey over the last two games, head coach Dave Cameron said.
After assistant captain Kyle Turris went down to injury, defenseman Matt Borowiecki took the letter. Borowiecki was lost last week to a torn MCL, and Phaneuf had the "A" in his return to Toronto on Saturday for the first time since the trade.
"You put it on somebody that is a leader. I knew what he was as a player," Cameron said, according to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch. "I didn't know his personality because I've never spent any time with him."
Cameron's been impressed with Phaneuf in a short time.
"The pleasant surprise for me is his personality. He's here, he comes into the rink every day and you know he's happy to be in the NHL. He has energy, he's engaging, he talks. There's no moping, and that's been missing somewhat with our young team as we've been bouncing up and down. This guy comes in every day, does his work, does it in good humor and brings other guys along."
Phaneuf has a goal and six assists in 13 games with the Senators, while averaging almost 24 minutes of ice time. He has a 49.1 Corsi For rating, down from 52.1 with Toronto, according to Hockey Reference.
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