Category Archives: Hockey News

Report: Islanders receiving offers on Halak

Banished New York Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak may be back in the NHL by Wednesday.

Two teams have made offers for the keeper, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli, with a third team also in the mix.

Halak, who will be 32 in May, has been beasting in the AHL since being waived and demoted by the Isles. He has a .933 save percentage in 18 games with Bridgeport, winning 14 of them.

There's one year and $4.5 million left on his contract.

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Bruins’ Spooner: I don’t think Julien liked me as a player

Ryan Spooner is airing some laundry now that the dust has settled.

The Boston Bruins center addressed his relationship with former head coach Claude Julien on Tuesday, admitting he didn't feel like the two were on the same page, to say the least.

"I felt like the last coach ... he just didn’t really trust me," Spooner said, per Joe Haggerty of CSNNE "It might've been kind of on me not really playing to the potential that I have, but at the same time ... I just don’t think that he really liked me as a player.

Spooner added: "It’s kind of in the past now. It’s just a part of the game. It’s up to me to just go out there and just play, and not have that stuff in the back of my mind."

After a breakout 2015-16 in which he recorded 13 goals and 36 points as the team's third-line center, the 25-year-old has taken a few steps back production-wise this season, due in part to being bounced around from the middle to the wing early on under Julien.

In seven games under interim bench boss Bruce Cassidy, Spooner has been good for two goals and four assists, perhaps with a bit of renewed confidence in his back pocket.

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Lamoriello rewards Leafs for strong play with Boyle trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs earned Brian Boyle.

The veteran center - who's played a ton of playoff hockey over the past few years - was acquired by Toronto in a trade with Tampa Bay on Monday, and the players he's joining can consider Boyle a reward for their strong play through three quarters of the season.

"It goes to show they have a lot of faith in the group here," winger James van Riemsdyk said of the trade, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.

The plan is for Boyle to center Toronto's fourth line with Matt Martin and - for the time being - Josh Leivo, while he'll also see duty on the penalty kill and in front of the net on the power play, according to head coach Mike Babcock.

The Leafs are hopeful that Boyle - flying out west from Tampa Bay - will be in their lineup Tuesday night in San Jose.

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‘Enough talk’: It’s time to do something in playoffs, says Ovechkin

Talk is cheap, and doesn't put a Stanley Cup ring on one's finger.

That's the message brought forth by Alex Ovechkin after his Washington Capitals traded for defenseman Kevin Shattekirk, further cementing their status as Stanley Cup favorites.

"Every year we talk about 'this is our year, this is our year,'" he said Tuesday, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "But enough talk. It's time to do something."

The reigning Presidents' Trophy winners were bounced from the playoffs in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, and the Capitals have never actually advanced to the Eastern Conference finals during the Ovechkin era.

With the roster currently in place, Washington has its best chance of winning a Cup, and anything less will be a massive disappointment, as reiterated by general manager Brian MacLellan.

When asked what success means to the team this season, he said, "winning a championship."

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Senators acquire Stalberg from Hurricanes for 3rd-round pick

The Ottawa Senators have acquired winger Viktor Stalberg from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 draft, the clubs announced Tuesday.

In Stalberg, the Senators add more forward depth, which was also addressed Monday when general manager Pierre Dorion traded for longtime Canucks winger Alex Burrows.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are well outside the playoff picture, but with the extra draft selection have now accrued an astounding seven picks in the first three rounds of the 2017 draft.

In 57 games this season, Stalberg's recorded 12 points. He'll be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

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Red Wings send Smith to Rangers for pair of draft picks

The Detroit Red Wings have traded defenseman Brendan Smith to the New York Rangers, the club announced Tuesday.

In exchange for Smith, 28, the Red Wings will receive a 2018 second-round pick and a 2017 third-rounder.

The Rangers were reportedly in the mix for Kevin Shattenkirk, who was dealt to the Capitals on Monday, but in Smith, the Blueshirts receive a viable consolation prize to shore up a back-end in need of more mobility.

Smith carries a cap hit of $2.75 million, and will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. In 33 games this season, he has just two goals and three assists, but was one of few possession drivers on a struggling Red Wings team.

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Ex-Sabre Andrew Peters won’t be charged for role in youth brawl

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Former Buffalo Sabres player Andrew Peters won't face charges following an on-ice brawl involving the youth hockey team he coaches.

The Erie County district attorney's office and Buffalo police began looking into the Saturday fight after video appeared to show Peters reaching across the Buffalo Junior Sabres' bench and shoving to the ice a player from the Hamilton, Ontario, team.

District Attorney John Flynn said Tuesday the parents of the teenage player don't want to pursue criminal charges against Peters, so his office won't take legal action.

The 36-year-old Peters was suspended from coaching Buffalo's 15-and-under team. Neither the Buffalo Junior Sabres nor Peters has responded to requests for comment.

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Rangers’ Girardi out up to 2 weeks with ankle injury

The New York Rangers will be without defenseman Dan Girardi for 10-14 days as a result of an ankle injury, the club announced Tuesday.

Girardi is averaging almost 19 minutes per game this season, with four goals, eight assists, and 52 shots.

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Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Use Blue Jackets’ depth against tired Canadiens

Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Tuesday, Feb. 28 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

  • LW Nick Foligno (44K) & C Alexander Wennberg (38K), Blue Jackets (at Canadiens): The Canadiens return home following an overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils, Monday. The lack of rest will further test their poor forward depth. Columbus' third line has a Corsi For rating of 55.17 percent, and they played 21.24 percent of all 5v5 minutes last game. Montreal's has just been assembled.
  • C Evgeni Malkin (77K) & RW Phil Kessel (57K), Penguins (at Stars): Malkin, Kessel and LW Chris Kunitz played 16.98 percent of 5v5 minutes in the Penguins' most recent game. The Stars have been allowing 11.21 opponent scoring chances per 60 minutes since Feb. 1, the third-highest rate in the league. Their 3.09 expected goals allowed per 60 is second most.
  • LW Jonathan Huberdeau (55K) & C Aleksander Barkov (64K), Panthers (vs. Hurricanes): The Hurricanes have been expected to allow 2.78 goals on 8.32 scoring chances per 60 minutes of 5v5 play since Feb. 1. Floriday's 'first' line has been used less than the second line of LW Jussi Jokinen, C Vincent Trocheck and RW Reilly Smith at 5v5, but they remain the top power-play unit.

Goalie Breakdown

  • TARGET - Ryan Miller (94K), Canucks (vs. Red Wings): Miller's moderately expensive following a recent run of five starts where he allowed three or more goals in four of the five appearances. The Red Wings are averaging 9.98 scoring chances per 60 minutes but are expected to score just 2.52 goals.
  • BARGAIN - Ben Bishop (75K), Kings (at Flames): Bishop is the minimum salary entering his expected debut for the Kings. He allowed just six goals in five February starts and picked up his first shutout of the season. Los Angeles is allowing fewer scoring chances, goals and shots on goal per 60 minutes than Tampa Bay this season.
  • FADE - Petr Mrazek (81K), Red Wings (at Canucks): The Canucks average a moderate 7.35 scoring chances per 60 minutes but average just 27.44 SOG per 60 minutes. Mrazek won't be able to rack up enough saves to overcome the detriment of just a couple goals allowed.
  • CONTRARIAN - Darcy Kuemper (78K), Wild (at Jets): Kuemper is expected to replace G Devan Dubnyk for the second half of Minnesota's back-to-back. The Wild allow 31.08 shots on goal per 60 minutes but just 5.97 scoring chances at 5v5. He represents a significant drop from Dubnyk's talent, but he has made 30-plus saves in five of his past seven games.

Bargain Plays

  • LW Peter Cehlarik (27K), Bruins (vs. Coyotes): Cehlarik is easily the most affordable member of the Bruins' top-six forwards. He also comes with the lowest upside, but if he can replicate his 17:48 of ice time in his most recent game he'll have a good shot of returning value against the Coyotes' porous defense. The line of Cehlarik, C David Krejci and RW David Pastrnak have a CF% of 52.43.
  • C Christian Dvorak (25K), Coyotes (at Bruins): Dvorak should be given the first opportunity to replace C Martin Hanzal as the Coyotes' first-line center. He is also likely to move from the second power-play unit to the top trio with the man advantage. He had two SOG in each of his past two games with the count likely to rise with more ice time.
  • RW Craig Smith (27K), Predators (at Sabres): Smith has more shots on goal in February than any other month this season, tallying at least two in each of his past five games. He has played between 11:50 and 16:09 during the span, with the majority of his 5v5 time coming on the right side of C Mike Fisher and LW Kevin Fiala. The three have a CF% of 55.36 and face a Sabres team with a rating of just 46.84 for the season.

Top Fades

  • C Jonathan Marchessault (46K), Panthers (vs. Hurricanes): Marchessault has remained a fantasy asset since the return of Huberdeau to Florida's top line. A lot of his retained value has come via his role on the point on the top power-play unit. The Hurricanes, however, allow the lowest power-play conversion rate in the league, further limiting Marchessault's potential.
  • D Dustin Byfuglien (62K), Jets (vs. Wild): While a high shot on goal count is typically all owners seek in a defenseman, Byfuglien's lofty salary requires some point production. As stated above, the Wild are among the league's best teams at limiting scoring chances, with Byfuglien unlikely to pose a threat with his average shot distance of more than 40 feet.
  • RW David Pastrnak (75K), Bruins (vs. Coyotes): Pastrnak has oddly been bumped from his spot on the first line with LW Brad Marchand and C Patrice Bergeron and joins Cehlarik and Krejci on line two. While he'll still be playing with a top-tier center, he won't have quite the same upside indicative of his salary.

Contrarian Options

  • D Colton Parayko (34K), Blues (vs. Oilers): Parayko should take over the majority of the offensive role vacated by D Kevin Shattenkirk. The Oilers rank just 23rd in penalty-kill percentage. Nine of his 28 points on the season have come via the man advantage.
  • C Nathan MacKinnon (49K), Avalanche (at Flyers): MacKinnon is having a disastrous season as part of an even worse year for the Avalanche. He did notch seven SOG in his past two games, playing a high of 21:08. The Flyers allow 3.00 goals per game, ranking fifth-worst in the NHL.
  • LW Jason Zucker (37K), Wild (at Jets): Zucker is expected to replace LW Zach Parise on the top line. While he has a lower offensive ceiling, he still has 19 goals and 42 points on the season, and he provides more blocked shots and hits than Parise, translating to a higher floor in equal ice time.

(Photos courtesy Action Images)

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