Tag Archives: Hockey

Mock expansion keeper list: Pacific Division

Each day this week, we'll publish mock expansion keeper lists by division, and up next is the Pacific. On Friday, we'll publish our mock expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights roster.

Atlantic | Pacific | Metropolitan | Central

*NMC = No-movement clause
*All first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club's applicable protection limits).

Anaheim Ducks

F D G
Corey Perry (NMC) Hampus Lindholm John Gibson
Ryan Getzlaf (NMC) Sami Vatanen  
Ryan Kesler (NMC) Cam Fowler
Rickard Rakell Kevin Bieksa (NMC)
  • The Ducks depth at defense appears to be a curse and as such will be forced to make Josh Manson available lest they swap out one of the defensemen above.
  • That move will also guarantee Jakob Silfverberg's availability. The Ducks are sure to lose someone of significance to the Golden Knights.

Arizona Coyotes

F D G
Shane Doan Oliver Ekman-Larsson Mike Smith
Tobias Rieder Alex Goligoski (NMC)
Teemu Pulkkinen Connor Murphy
Alexander Burmistrov
Radim Vrbata
Anthony Duclair
Jordan Martinook
  • The blessing for the Coyotes is that few members of their future are eligible for the expansion draft, so the team is unlikely to lose anyone significant.
  • Unfortunately, having to make available two players who are signed through 2017-18 means Brad Richardson gets exposed.

Calgary Flames

F D G
Johnny Gaudreau Mark Giordano Brian Elliott
Sean Monahan Dougie Hamilton
Troy Brouwer T.J. Brodie
Mikael Frolik  
Mikael Backlund
Sam Bennett
Michael Ferland
  • The Flames should have no problem locking up all their heavy hitters. That said, new acquisitions Curtis Lazar and Michael Stone are sure to be exposed, while goaltender Chad Johnson - who's had stints as the club's starter this season - is also likely to be available.

Edmonton Oilers

F D  G
Jordan Eberle Andrej Sekera (NMC) Cam Talbot
Milan Lucic (NMC) Oscar Klefbom
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Adam Larsson
Zack Kassian
Patrick Maroon
Anton Lander
Leon Draisaitl
  • The Oilers' most notable moves heading into the expansion draft will be leaving a couple of veterans exposed.
  • Players such as Matt Hendricks and Benoit Pouliot, who have produced very little, are likely to be exposed, while Anton Lander - who is producing 1.6 points per game in the AHL - could be protected in lieu of the men above.
  • Once again, exposure requirements could leave utility player Mark Letestu available.

Los Angeles Kings

F D G
Anze Kopitar (NMC) Drew Doughty Jonathan Quick
Dustin Brown Alec Martinez
Jeff Carter Jake Muzzin
Tyler Toffoli
Trevor Lewis
Tanner Pearson
Marian Gaborik
  • The most intriguing decision for the Kings will be to almost certainly make Ben Bishop available.
  • What could skew the above list is if the team decides to make players such as Marian Gaborik and Dustin Brown available. Both are under contract for the next four and five years, respectively, with a combined cap hit of $10.75 million.
  • The Kings could decide to risk that Vegas won't want to add those contracts and in turn protect more depth forwards.

San Jose Sharks

F  D G
Joe Thornton Brent Burns Martin Jones
Patrick Marleau Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Logan Couture Justin Braun
Joe Pavelski
Mikkel Boedker
Tomas Hertl
Melker Karlsson
  • The Sharks could be forced to expose some of their depth forwards and defensemen, but their strong core is safe.

Vancouver Canucks

F  D G
Henrik Sedin (NMC) Alexander Edler Jacob Markstrom
Daniel Sedin (NMC) Christopher Tanev
Loui Eriksson (NMC) Luca Sbisa
Brendan Gaunce
Sven Baertschi
Markus Granlund
Bo Horvat
  • Given his age and contract, it's clear the Canucks will expose Ryan Miller.
  • On defense, the most notable exposure is Erik Gudbranson, while the team is also expected to leave some depth prospects available.
  • As for forwards, limited contracts leave Brandon Sutter as the Canucks' choice to be left exposed.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Stars will score as Dallas heads to Edmonton

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, March 14 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

  • LW Jamie Benn (63K) & C Tyler Seguin (66K), Stars (at Oilers): The Stars' top line of Benn, Seguin and C Jason Spezza played just 13.91 percent of 5v5 minutes in their most recent game. The team ranks third in Corsi For percentage over the past month, while the top trio owns a rating of 51.50 percent in more than 160 minutes of 5v5 this season. The Oilers have an expected goals against per 60 minutes of 2.51.
  • LW Patrick Maroon (44K) & C Connor McDavid (92K), Oilers (vs. Stars): Despite the Stars' improved Corsi rating, their expected goals allowed per 60 minutes sits at 2.61. The Oilers' top line should top 400 5v5 minutes together for the season during this game, and they average a whopping 12.18 scoring chances and 3.30 expected goals per 60 minutes.
  • LW Ondrej Palat (51K) & RW Nikita Kucherov (68K), Lightning (at Senators): Despite the Senators' winning streak, they rank in the bottom five of the league in Corsi For percentage over the past month, while the Lightning is seventh. They're averaging just 48.47 percent of all shot attempts over their past 14 games. Tampa Bay played Monday night, but Ottawa is also without RW Mark Stone for the foreseeable future.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Goalie Breakdown

  • TARGET - Frederik Andersen (99K), Maple Leafs (at Panthers): The Panthers have averaged 32.71 shots on goal per 60 minutes since Feb. 14, but they've had just 6.66 scoring chances and 2.26 expected goals. They've relied heavily on power-play production, but the Maple Leafs have the ninth-ranked penalty kill. Andersen has allowed just two goals in each of his past five starts.
  • BARGAIN - Andrei Vasilevskiy (78K), Lightning (at Senators): Peter Budaj started and won Tampa Bay's game, Monday, making Vasilevskiy the likely candidate for the second half of the back-to-back. The Senators will be without their No. 2 points leader in Stone, once again handicapping an offense which has scored three or more goals in five-straight games.
  • FADE - Thomas Greiss (94K), Islanders (at Hurricanes): The Islanders will head to Carolina for the second half of a back-to-back, after dropping Game 1 in New York by a score of 8-4. G Jean-Francois Berube allowed four of those goals in a 28-minute start. Greiss allowed four goals in relief, and he isn't likely to fare much better in the rematch.
  • CONTRARIAN - Braden Holtby (100K), Capitals (vs. Wild): Holtby has not looked like the reigning Vezina Trophy winner over his past three starts, allowing 12 goals on 67 shots. The Wild lead the league in shots on goal per 60 minutes since Feb. 14, averaging 34.83 SOG. They do get 9.17 scoring chances and 2.80 expected goals per 60 minutes, but Holtby does have the potential for a high saves total.

(Photo courtesy Getty Images)

Bargain Plays

  • C Josh Ho-Sang (25K), Islanders (at Hurricanes): After a slow start to his NHL career, Ho-Sang now has four points in his past four games, including a goal and an assist in Monday's loss to Carolina. It was his first game with multiple shots on goal since his debut and his very first two-point game. He sees time on the second power-play unit, and he has been seeing some 5v5 time with C John Tavares.
  • LW Miles Wood (25K), Devils (vs. Jets): Wood has been playing his 5v5 minutes on the left side of fellow top prospect C Pavel Zacha. Wood snapped a four-game point-less streak his last time out, notching three shots on goal in 13:20 of ice time. Winnipeg has the fourth-highest expected goals allowed per 60 minutes since Feb. 14.
  • D Marc Edouard-Vlasic (30K), Sharks (vs. Sabres): The Sabres own the league's 29th-ranked penalty kill at just 76.4 percent kill rate. Vlasic plays on the Sharks' second unit, though he has just six power-play points this season. His value is frequently returned via blocked shots and hits in more than 20 minutes of TOI per game.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Top Fades

  • C John Tavares (80K), Islanders (at Hurricanes): Tavares was held off the score sheet in the Hurricanes' beat down of the Islanders Monday. His salary remains extremely high, even though the Hurricanes have played better on home ice. Opt for New York's cheaper options if looking for a contrarian.
  • RW Brendan Gallagher (60K), Canadiens (vs. Blackhawks): Gallagher picked up an assist and tallied six SOG in Montreal's most recent game, but he played just 12:34 and 11.45 percent of 5v5 minutes. Chicago has allowed just 6.75 scoring chances per 60 minutes over its past four road games.
  • D Jaccob Slavin (28K), Hurricanes (vs. Islanders): A low salary mitigates the risk with Slavin but it may also attract more recency bias, after Monday's hat trick. Prior to the career game, he had just four career goals. He has been receiving large amounts of ice time, but he doesn't factor on the power play.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Contrarian Options

  • D John Klingberg (41K), Stars (at Oilers): Klingberg has played at least 22:30 in three-straight games, though he has just one assist to show for it. The majority of his 5v5 and power-play time comes with the top trio of Benn, Seguin and Spezza. He should factor in if the forwards are able to notch some goals.
  • LW Mike Hoffman (62K), Senators (vs. Lightning): Hoffman has played his best hockey of the season with C Derick Brassard and Stone, but he currently skates on a 5v5 line with C Jean-Gabriel Pageau and LW Tom Pyatt. The three have a Corsi rating of just 47.79 percent at 5v5, but Hoffman is easily the primary shooter. He had a goal and an assist on four SOG in Ottawa's most recent outing.
  • C Nicklas Backstrom (61K), Capitals (vs. Wild): LW Alex Ovechkin is in the well-documented worst slump of his career, but Backstrom hasn't fared much better. He has just two goals and two assists in March. Ovechkin won't be kept off the score sheet much longer, particularly in a difficult matchup, but Backstrom's lower salary represents much less risk, while the two remain tied together for point production.

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2017 marks 1st time 4 NHL teams have recorded 10-game winning streaks

Winning games in bunches has become a hot trend this season.

With a 4-3 win by the Calgary Flames over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night, the Flames pushed their winning streak to 10 games, becoming the fourth team to record a double-digit winning streak this season. It's the first time in NHL history four teams have accomplished the feat in one season, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The Flames join the Columbus Blue Jackets - who came within a win of tying the NHL record of 17 straight victories, the Minnesota Wild who strung together a streak of 12, and the Philadelphia Flyers who recorded 10 straight wins.

The current streak eclipses last year's mark which had served as the only year in which three teams had recorded such winning streaks.

Of the four teams above, the Flyers are the only club not currently in a playoff spot.

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Crosby meets 5-year-old with brain tumors

It's a story of two people who know a thing or two about going into battle coming together.

Ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins game Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, captain Sidney Crosby took the time to meet one of his most adoring fans, 5-year-old Memphis Savage.

The Vancouver Island native - who had brain tumors removed shortly after his first birthday - received the news in January that, after years of no problems, two new non-cancerous tumors had developed.

Shortly after, Memphis' father, Cole, penned a letter to the Penguins asking if there was a chance Memphis could meet his favorite player - Crosby.

The opportunity presented itself Saturday.

"I was hoping and praying but I had no idea it was going to happen," Cole said, according to Cheryl Chan of The Province. "I can’t stress how good (Crosby’s) heart was, and how nice he was to do this for us."

Crosby spent nearly 45 minutes signing autographs and chatting with the family and urging Memphis to continue fighting in a chat that was instigated by Memphis.

"My name is Memphis. Nice to meet you, sir," a well-dressed Memphis said, breaking the ice with his idol.

Memphis would get to watch Crosby skate in a 3-0 win over his favorite team, the Canucks, capping off what, to dad, was a perfect afternoon.

"I was almost crying," said Cole. "He’s a 100 percent class act. We met a real champion. A heart of gold that guy has."

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O Canada: This season’s unsung heroes

Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."

With less than a month remaining in the regular season, things are either heating up or cooling down for Canada's teams.

Those vying for the playoffs - after a year when no Canadian-based teams made the postseason - will rely heavy on star players, but it's important not to forget the seldom-mentioned players who have made huge contributions.

Here are some of this season's unsung heroes:

Calgary Flames

Player: Michael Frolik

Take: Death, taxes, and Frolik scoring 15 goals.

The Flames forward has seldom been in the spotlight during his career, but he's been as consistent and reliable as anyone could ask from a third-line player.

This season, Frolik has once again chipped in with 15 goals - good enough for third on the Flames - while his 41 points puts him on pace to eclipse his career high. All that and the fact he's put up nine points during a 10-game winning streak, just further proves how vital he's been to the team.

Edmonton Oilers

Player: Mark Letestu

Take: On a club that boasts the most electrifying player in the game in Connor McDavid, guys such as Letestu can fly under the radar very easily.

Nevertheless, with a respectable 13 goals and 30 points in 65 games, Letestu has given the Oilers some value and proven he can play up and down the lineup in nearly all situations.

He has the fifth-best shooting percentage on the team, is on pace to hit a career high in points, and with four goals on nine opportunities he's also been among the Oilers most trusted players in the shootout.

Montreal Canadiens

Player: Paul Byron

Take: It might surprise some to know that Byron actually ranks second on the Canadiens with 18 goals.

He sits second only to Max Pacioretty's 33 and is second on the team with five game-winning tallies. He's done all this while averaging just 14:56 of ice-time (15th on the team) and with only 79 shots.

Byron's made the most of his opportunities and appears to be a steal at just over $1.1 million.

Ottawa Senators

Player: Dion Phaneuf

Take: Love him or hate him, Phaneuf has been a welcome addition to the Senators.

In his first full season with the club, he sits second behind Erik Karlsson among efensemen with nine goals and 29 points. He's averaging the third-most time on the penalty kill, has the third-most power play points, and averages the third-most blocks.

A smaller spotlight than he had in Toronto appears to be working wonders.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Player: Tyler Bozak

Take: Bozak might never become that true elite centermen many Maple Leafs fans had envisioned, but there's nothing wrong with that.

The 30-year-old sits sixth on the club with 16 goals and 46 points and is on pace to surpass his previous career high of 49 points.

Bozak has been valuable, contributing 15 power play points and is by far the team's most reliable faceoff man with a 55.3 percent success rate.

Vancouver Canucks

Player: Sven Baertschi

Take: This season has been a roller coaster for the Canucks. The club has shown glimpses of both dominance and disaster. However, through it all, one shining light has been the play of Baertschi.

After much fermenting in the AHL and a trade from the Flames, the 2011 first-round draft pick appears to be coming into his own. This season, he has a career-best 16 goals and 31 points, surpassing last year's totals in 18 fewer games.

He still needs more development, but Baertschi is looking like a key piece of the Canucks' future.

Winnipeg Jets

Player: Jacob Trouba

Take: Once appearing to be on his way out of town, Trouba still remains on the Jets and the team is all the better for it.

Trouba has been an important cog on the blue line, sitting third in ice time, third with 103 blocked shots, while leading the club with 3:04 of short-handed ice time per game.

Factor in that he's also chipped in six goals and 27 points - the second most among Jets' blue-liners - and it's easy to see why the club made the right decision in not dealing him away.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Playoff Percentages: Here comes Tampa Bay; Isles and Kings backslide

Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.

If the New York Islanders want to make the second season, they're going to have to beat the Carolina Hurricanes. Like, at least once. They've got two more tries, including a rematch Tuesday after an 8-4 whipping - their third loss to the 'Canes this season - in Brooklyn.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, are now a point out of a wild-card spot and have quietly picked up points in six of seven games since the trade deadline. So much for selling, eh?

Out west, the Los Angeles Kings' playoff aspirations may be in serious doubt after the St. Louis Blues secured two huge points in regulation in Hollywood.

An uncharacteristically busy Monday night saw some major swings as the race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues to heat up. Here they are:

Eastern Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Lightning W 3-2 vs. Rangers 29.9% +10.2%
Bruins W 6-3 vs. Canucks 84.6% +8.2%
Islanders L 8-4 vs. Hurricanes 26.2% -19.5%

Western Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Blues W 3-1 vs. Kings 94.7% +7.4%
Predators W 5-4 (OT) vs. Jets 89.6% +7.4%
Kings L 3-1 vs. Blues 23.8% -18.1%

To see percentages for each team in the league, visit Sports Club Stats.

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Marchand’s absurd 2017 pace may result in Art Ross, Richard trophies

Brad Marchand's 2015-16 was no fluke. Far from it.

The Boston Bruins forward had a huge night Monday, torching the Vancouver Canucks for four points, including a third period hat trick, in an important 6-3 win.

(If you haven't seen his second goal, fix that now, because No. 63 stripped Henrik Sedin of the puck, put it through Alex Edler's legs in order to get around the lanky defender, and then went backhand off the post past Ryan Miller for what stood as the game-winning goal. It was bonkers.)

Also bonkers: Marchand is now tied with Sidney Crosby for the league lead in goals with 35, and also tied with Crosby for the second-most points in the NHL, with 74. Connor McDavid's one up on the pair, with 75 points. (It must be noted that Crosby's played six fewer games than McDavid and seven fewer than Marchand.)

After a career-high 37 goals and 61 points last season, Marchand's taken his game to another level. His 74 points and counting are already a career best, and he will easily hit 40-plus goals at this pace. At 28 years old, he's become truly elite.

Seriously, it's silly. Marchand has seven goals in six games in March, and an absurd 25 goals in his last 28 games, dating back to Jan. 7.

No one's been better since the calendar flipped to 2017. Here are the top 10 scorers since Jan. 1, and McDavid and Crosby:

Rank Player GP G A P GWG
1 Marchand 30 25 18 43 4
2 Nicklas Backstrom 33 12 26 38 2
3 Patrick Kane 29 19 17 36 2
4 Mark Scheifele 31 13 23 36 1
5 Jack Eichel 33 13 22 35 1
6 Brent Burns 31 12 23 35 2
7 Nikita Kucherov 30 18 16 34 2
8 Mikael Granlund 31 13 21 34 1
9 Patrice Bergeron 30 10 24 34 3
10 David Pastrnak 30 9 25 34 3
12 McDavid 30 9 23 32 2
13 Crosby 30 9 23 32 2

Some takeaways:

  • Not only has Marchand outproduced his peers, he's scoring massive goals for his team. Not in the table are his three shorthanded goals and five shorthanded points in the new year.
  • His linemates Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak are producing exceptionally, as well. There's no way the trio will let the Bruins miss the playoffs.
  • How weird is it that Crosby and McDavid have the same exact totals? Very, we'd say.

Marchand's shooting an unsustainable 28.1 percent in the new year, and 17.5 percent on the season, the highest mark of his career in a non-lockout campaign. Yeah, there's some luck involved, but it's more than that. He's very, very good. He's creating some of that luck.

With a handful of games and less than a month left in the season, not only are the playoff races going to be something to watch the rest of the way, so are the scoring ones.

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Allen leads Blues to big win over Kings in Western wild-card showdown

LOS ANGELES - Magnus Paajarvi scored a power-play goal, Jake Allen made 38 saves and the St. Louis Blues extended their winning streak to five games with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.

David Perron scored late in the second period and Alexander Steen added an empty-net goal with 6.5 seconds left for the Blues, who lead the Kings by five points for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

Dustin Brown scored with 2:55 remaining and Jonathan Quick stopped 23 shots, but the Kings failed to earn a point for the first time in Quick's six starts since returning from a groin injury.

Quick made an acrobatic initial save on Perron's one-timer, but the puck trickled free underneath the goalie and Perron tapped it in for his 14th goal of the season 13:37 into the second.

Paajarvi then redirected Patrik Berglund's shot to give the Blues a 2-0 lead 1:10 into the third.

It was Paajarvi's first power-play goal since April 6, 2013, when he scored for Edmonton in a 4-1 loss to the Kings.

Brown banged in a rebound to make it 2-1 late after Allen landed face-first to stop Drew Doughty's shot. The Kings had the puck in the offensive zone for much of the closing minutes but could not come up with the tying goal.

Both teams were cautious to start, not necessarily a surprise given the high stakes. However, the tenor of the game changed in the closing 15 seconds of the first period when Quick did the splits to deny Paul Stastny's backhand, and the chances continued to pile up after the break.

Dmitrij Jaskin hit the post during a St. Louis power play, and Robert Bortuzzo put a great chance over the net with Quick out in front of his crease. The Kings' line of Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli each had promising looks during one particular blitz, with Los Angeles piling up 21 shots in the second without scoring.

Jaskin was helped to the locker room and did not return because of an upper-body injury after a frightening collision with Bortuzzo in the second. Jaskin was trying to make a play on the puck and never saw Bortuzzo in front of him, plowing into the stationary 221-pound defenseman.

NOTES: Steen picked up his 30th assist on Perron's goal, giving him at least 30 in a season for the fourth time. . Brown broke a six-game scoreless streak and now has 499 career points.

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