The most senior member of the Carolina Hurricanes didn't mince words following the club's excruciating loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.
The Canes were staked to a 4-1 lead in the third period, but the Bruins roared back with five unanswered tallies in the final frame, handing Carolina its seventh loss in 10 games.
"It's beyond anger, to be honest," Justin Williams told Fox Sports Carolinas after the game. "We've got thousands of Boston fans cheering for them when we're at home. It's a product of what's happening. It's beyond upsetting, but we gotta look at ourselves and know we're responsible for what we've done at this point."
Carolina now sits seven points outside the playoff picture with 12 games remaining. Although the Hurricanes' odds of qualifying were slim before Tuesday's collapse, that's the type of loss that could have lingering effects on an organization, particularly one that just shook up its front office.
In the first edition of theScore's Vezina Trophy Power Rankings, editor Josh Wegman ranks the top goaltenders around the league from this season.
5. Frederik Andersen, Maple Leafs
GP
Rec.
GAA
SV%
SO
57
33-18-5
2.76
.919
5
If there's one word to describe Frederik Andersen, it's workhorse. The Maple Leafs netminder leads the league in games started, minutes played, shots against, and saves.
They haven't exactly been low-stress minutes, either. Among playoff teams, the Leafs allow the most shots against per game, the second-most scoring chances against per 60 minutes, and the sixth-most high-danger scoring chances against per 60 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.
Andersen has been able to overcome these obstacles and post a better save percentage than Tuukka Rask, for example, who isn't tested nearly as often.
4. Sergei Bobrovsky, Blue Jackets
GP
Rec.
GAA
SV%
SO
56
30-21-5
2.42
.921
4
The Blue Jackets rank 25th in goals per game - lower than any other current playoff team - meaning there isn't much room for error for Bobrovsky. If he allows more than two goals in a game, chances are Columbus isn't going to win.
That puts an absurd amount of pressure on a goaltender, but last year's Vezina Trophy winner has handled it with relative ease. In fact, Bobrovsky has been able to hide some of his team's defensive flaws, as he ranks first in the NHL in high-danger save percentage among goalies with at least 30 games played, per Corsica.
3. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning
GP
Rec.
GAA
SV%
SO
57
40-13-3
2.52
.923
7
Vasilevskiy was the front-runner for the Vezina after a blazing-hot start, posting a .939 save percentage in his first 34 games, but it appears his first season with a starter's workload has led to some fatigue, as his save percentage in the 23 games since then is just .902.
Nonetheless, the 23-year-old has cemented himself as one of the league's top goaltenders. Those who believe he's a byproduct of the team in front of him are mistaken. In fact, it's hard to believe the Lightning would sit atop the NHL's standings if it weren't for their stud netminder.
2. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
GP
Rec.
GAA
SV%
SO
58
35-11-9
2.36
.924
6
The Jets didn't make any major offseason moves, yet they've already surpassed their point total from last season by five with still 12 games to go. While health has been a contributing factor to their turnaround, the single biggest reason for their improvement has been the play of Connor Hellebuyck in goal.
He's been an absolute rock between the pipes since the get-go, never posting lower than a .911 save percentage in any month, and nothing higher than a 2.63 GAA.
1. Pekka Rinne, Predators
GP
Rec.
GAA
SV%
SO
51
38-9-4
2.25
.929
7
Rinne is first in the NHL in both GAA and save percentage among netminders with at least 40 games played. Not only has he simply stopped the puck at a better rate than any other goaltender with a full starter's workload, but he's also arguably the league's best puck handler - a wildly underrated aspect of the position.
Rinne is having one of the best season's of his career in his age-35 season, and he's primed to finally get recognized for his efforts with his first Vezina Trophy.
Smith turned away all 28 shots thrown his way as the Flames halted the Oilers seven-game winning streak in the Battle of Alberta.
It marked the first win for Smith since missing an entire month with a lower-body injury. It was also Smith's first shutout since he blanked the Arizona Coyotes back on Nov. 30.
With the win, the Flames gained slight ground in the Western Conference playoff race. The team now sits tied with the Anaheim Ducks for 80 points, two points back of the Dallas Stars for the final wild-card spot
Pateryn on Shaw hit: He was knocked out as soon as he hit me. He knocked himself out when he hit me. I didn't realize he was knocked out until he was on the ice and his eyes were in the back of his head. Play like that, that's what happens sometimes.
Pateryn revealed he was no worse for wear after the collision but added that Shaw puts himself at risk of head injuries with these types of hits.
"I'm fine," he said, according to Shapiro. "But that speaks for itself, the way he plays, that's why he has four or five concussions a year."
Canadiens head coach Claude Julien didn't want to dignify Pateryn's comments with a reply.
"Comments like that don't deserve a response," he told reporters, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "They speak for themselves."
Pateryn was given a roughing minor in the aftermath for getting a couple of punches in on Shaw while he laid on the ice. Shaw needed help getting to his feet after the hit, then left the game and didn't return.
Julien also revealed postgame that Shaw had not been taken to the hospital and it wasn't clear whether he'd been concussed on the play, but he was under close evaluation, according to Engels.
Shaw has suffered multiple concussions in his career, and he opened up to Engels last fall about trying to hide the symptoms.
With the win, the Predators reached the 100-point mark for the sixth time in franchise history. They also passed the Tampa Bay Lightning - who fell to the Ottawa Senators 7-4 on Tuesday - to take over first place in the overall standings.
The Lightning have 100 points on the season as well, but they've played one more game than the Predators.
This marks the fewest games (69) it has taken the Predators to reach 100 points in a season, beating the mark set by the club during the 2006-07 campaign when it reached the milestone in the 73rd game.
The veteran 'tender, and former Stanley Cup winner, has turned back the clock since arriving in Montreal, where he's posted five wins and a stellar .933 save rate through 14 appearances.
Even more impressive is that Niemi is putting together such a performance on a club that finds itself in the bottom-third of the standings.
Team
Games
Record
SV%
GAA
Penguins
3
0-3-0
.797
7.49
Panthers
2
0-1-0
.872
5.11
Canadiens
14
5-2-4
.933
2.30
Furthering his comeback story, Niemi's latest victory came Tuesday as he turned aside 36 shots to guide the Canadiens to a 4-2 win over his former club, the Dallas Stars, the same team that tossed him aside last summer. Call it a night of redemption.
Only a few months ago, all signs pointed to Niemi's NHL career being on borrowed time. But given his bounce-back with the Canadiens, that may no longer be the case, as the pending unrestricted free agent will be an intriguing option this summer for teams in search of a reliable second-stringer.
No doubt Niemi will stand out from the crowd in free agency given the crop offers realistic backup options like Jonathan Bernier, Eddie Lack, and Chad Johnson. It's the sort of competition that will have teams once again betting on Niemi when the calendar turns to July.
Shaw collided with Pateryn along the boards in the third period, and the Montreal Canadiens forward went to the dressing room after being helped off the ice.
Oh man that's not good.
Andrew Shaw throws a major hit on Greg Pateryn, but collides head on head too. pic.twitter.com/nFD1lYZsyD
After falling behind 4-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes with less than 10 minutes to play in the third period, the Bruins went off for three goals in just 1:17 to tie the game at 4-4.
They weren't done there.
Four minutes later, David Pastrnak scored his second of the period, as his one-timer on the power play gave Boston a 5-4 lead. Then, with 1:34 left on the clock, Pastrnak fired a puck into the empty net to collect his first career hat trick and cap off the five-goal onslaught for a 6-4 victory.
This marks the sixth time in franchise history that the Bruins have rallied from a third-period deficit of three or more goals to win in regulation.
