Emotions got the best of Dalton Prout on Sunday in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but you wouldn't know it by his sober self-reflection.
The Columbus Blue Jackets defender provided a truly composed assessment of his sucker punch on Nikita Kucherov, essentially explaining that he's good with the one-game suspension he received for the heavy hand.
"I think the league did a good job. I'm going to serve my punishment. It's fair," Prout said, according to Todd Jones of the Columbus Dispatch.
"You never have any regrets about trying to play the game hard and within the rules. Sometimes you step over the line. Sometimes in that situation you react too much on emotion or adrenaline. You don't always do the right thing."
That's certainly a refreshing take, but we have to ask, what sort of adrenaline spike was happening on this one?
You can almost smell the playoffs. Mass movement in this week's rankings. Let's go.
1. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 1)
Washington's got an "X." It's March 16. It's possible we're taking the Capitals' greatness for granted.
2. Los Angeles Kings ▲ (Last Week: 11)
Wins in Chicago and Dallas by a combined 10-2.
3. San Jose Sharks ▲ (Last Week: 14)
Back-to-back wins over the Capitals and Bruins, and Martin Jones is at .927 since the All-Star break.
4. Anaheim Ducks ▼ (Last Week: 2)
After winning 11 in a row, the Ducks lost three in a row. Life happens.
5. St. Louis Blues ▲ (Last Week: 10)
They beat the Blackhawks, Ducks, and Stars, then lost to the Flames. Which makes sense, actually.
6. Florida Panthers ▲ (Last Week: 13)
The Greatest of All Time, Jaromir Jagr: "If you want to be better than the opponent, you have to train when he's asleep."
7. New York Islanders ▼ (Last Week: 4)
You can't lose to the Maple Leafs at this time of year.
8. Boston Bruins ▼ (Last Week: 6)
Considering how poorly he started, that Tuukka Rask is up to .918 on the season is absolutely remarkable.
9. Chicago Blackhawks ▼ (Last Week: 7)
Losers of three in a row, including a 5-0 beating at the hands of the Kings. But this has to be a ploy. The Blackhawks can't be bothered until mid-April.
Losses in four out of their last five, including - somehow - a 4-1 defeat to the Maple Leafs.
13. Pittsburgh Penguins ▲ (Last Week: 15)
Remember when everyone was freaking out about Sidney Crosby? He's up to 70 points in 68 games, good for fifth in league scoring.
14. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 14)
Points in five straight, including two wins over the Lightning and a massive victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday. Up next: Chicago, Pittsburgh, and the Islanders. The Flyers are the team to watch in hockey right now.
15. New York Rangers ▼ (Last Week: 5)
New York's next five games are against: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose (all on the road), Florida, and Boston. Now would be a good time to show up, Eric Staal.
16. Colorado Avalanche ▲ (Last Week: 17)
Matt Duchene: "You can't just keep missing the playoffs. You're just taking steps backwards." Read more at The Denver Post.
17. Minnesota Wild ▼ (Last Week: 16)
That 76.9 penalty-killing rate will be the death of the Wild.
18. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 18)
The playoff streak's ending. Sorry, Detroit. But it was a good run.
19. Ottawa Senators ▲ (Last Week: 20)
Erik Karlsson - third in the NHL in scoring - makes the world a better place.
20. Carolina Hurricanes ▼ (Last Week: 19)
Carolina's lost only one game in regulation since trading captain Staal - on the afternoon he was dealt, Feb. 28. They're 3-1-3.
21. New Jersey Devils ▲ (Last Week: 23)
Keith Kinkaid was named third star of the week, then gave up a touchdown to the Ducks. Being a goalie has to be the worst.
22. Montreal Canadiens ▼ (Last Week: 21)
Thank your God that P.K. Subban is OK.
23. Columbus Blue Jackets ▼ (Last Week: 22)
If you missed this Guardian story on Brandon Saad and his Syrian family, change that.
Christian Dvorak has 118 points in 56 games in the OHL. Dylan Strome has 103 in 53.
26. Winnipeg Jets ▲ (Last Week: 27)
Give Blake Wheeler the "C," and Mark Scheifele an "A."
27. Calgary Flames ▲ (Last Week: 28)
Better than the Oilers, at least.
28. Vancouver Canucks ▼ (Last Week: 26)
29. Toronto Maple Leafs ▲ (Last Week: 30)
Winners of two in a row and three of four. Yep, it's that time of year when the Maple Leafs sabotage themselves. (In all seriousness, the kids look great.)
30. Edmonton Oilers ▼ (Last Week: 29)
The Oilers played their first two games of the season with Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, and Jordan Eberle all in the lineup Saturday and Monday. They lost both.
TORONTO - Growing up in St. Louis, Ben Bishop never envisioned the career that would unfold before him.
"I remember just going to Blues games as a kid at the old arena there," he said. "When I was 4 years old, I was like, 'I want to do that.' So they got me skates, got me skating lessons, and I just went from there."
Bishop's hockey heroes at the time were Curtis Joseph, Brett Hull, and Brendan Shanahan, all Blues in the early '90s. Bishop was involved in multiple sports, but began to focus on hockey when he was forced to play goal, as many skaters are from time to time.
"I have no idea why I wanted to be a goalie," the 29-year-old said. "As a kid, we all took turns playing goalie and I was somewhat good at it and I enjoyed playing the whole game so I just had fun with it. I never in a million years thought that I was going to go this far. It's funny how things work. I just had fun with it as a kid and things kind of worked the way they are right now."
Where he stacks up, where he's going
Bishop's now in his third season as the Tampa Bay Lightning's starting goalie, and his save percentage continues to rise. At .928, he's tied for second in the NHL. His career .920 save percentage is impressive, and is one of the reasons he was named to the United States' World Cup roster, along with Jonathan Quick and Cory Schneider. Quick's won Stanley Cups, and Bishop and Schneider share a similar track record, though Schneider's .925 career save percentage stands apart.
At 6-foot-7, Bishop is the league's tallest goalie, which helps him cover a lot of real estate. With one more season at $5.95 million left on his contract, and the most wins of any goalie since 2013 (he's tied with Braden Holtby), it's natural for Bishop to be thinking about his future. Based on comparables, Bishop could be in line for a healthy raise that would make him one of the game's highest-paid goaltenders.
Bishop made his first All-Star appearance this season, joining Lightning captain Steven Stamkos - who said his goalie is "having a Vezina-caliber season" - in Nashville. Stamkos, of course, is the premier free agent heading into the summer, and his future could very well factor into Bishop's.
Considering goalies are deemed expendable outside of the few elite 'keepers, and the length of general manager Steve Yzerman's to-do list, it's not a surprise Bishop and the Lightning haven't agreed on an extension.
But Bishop matters. Especially to the Lightning. If you compare him to the previous generation of American goaltenders, Bishop's definitely up there. But with many big American goaltenders now emerging in the NHL, Bishop is more representative of the evolution of his position.
Smaller equipment for the biggest goalie
It's "full steam ahead" on streamlined goalie equipment, according to comments Tuesday from the general managers meetings in Florida. While Bishop understands scoring is down and accepts that equipment will change, he doesn't expect the changes to yield the glut of scoring the league is hoping for.
"It's really not that big of a difference. I don't think you will be able to even tell the difference (when you see it) on most of the guys," Bishop, who had a sneak peak at the equipment during All-Star weekend, said. "They're trying to make the game better and we're all for it. I think us goalies just want to make sure we're protected, but I think it's kind of minimal. You're not going to see 100 more goals next year."
Goalies are interesting creatures. Some are easy going and can handle slight changes, while others are superstitious and need equipment and routine to be fine-tuned to allow for optimal performance.
Bishop doesn't foresee any change in his performance and cites the evolution of the athlete in the goaltending position over the years.
"If you look at the last lockout, it wasn't drastic changes. They took an inch off each pad, they took an inch off the blocker and glove and scoring didn't go up at all," Bishop said. "It's one of those things where I don't know if they are looking for excuses for not as many goals. But goalies are just pretty good these days. They're athletic and they're big. Hopefully this is good for the game and maybe a couple of more goals go in, but I don't think you're going to see change."
At the moment, Bishop's equipment is smaller than the maximum size allowed, as he prefers a little bit of room for mobility. Whatever he's using, one thing's clear: It's working.
Connor, a freshman and first-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, led Division I in goals (30) and points (61), while Compher, property of the Colorado Avalanche, finished with a nation-best 39 assists.
The Vancouver Canucks' Demko, meanwhile, fashioned a 25-6-4 record with 10 shutouts and a sizzling .938 save percentage.
The Hobey Hat Trick, or the three finalists, will be announced March 31.
The 19-year-old prospect and future of the club will play in his 10th game Thursday against the Florida Panthers, head coach Mike Babcock confirmed. By playing more than nine games, the first year of Nylander's entry-level contract will be burned.
Nylander has two goals in nine games, averaging slightly under 16 minutes of ice time per game in his first taste of NHL action. He'll be headed back down to the AHL at the conclusion of the Maple Leafs' season, as the Toronto Marlies are set to compete for the Calder Cup.
BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Edmonton Oilers are just two points ahead of the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs entering action Wednesday and stand a fair chance of landing the first overall pick for the fifth time in seven years.
But evidently there'...
Attention poolies and Roberto Luongo fans alike: Strombone wants "some."
The Florida Panthers netminder - and noted fantasy football wiz - sent an open invitation to his March Madness bracket challenge into the Twittersphere on Wednesday.
Tyler Bozak skated with the new-look Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time Wednesday, taking part in an official practice after a near month-and-a-half long absence with a concussion.
The top-line contributor, who at the time of the injury was on pace to surpass his career-best point total and playing some of the best hockey of his career, was injured Feb. 6 versus the Ottawa Senators.
Bozak was cleared for contact Tuesday. And though he's eager to get back into the lineup, there's no timetable for his return after an 18-game layoff.
He last played Feb. 25, but is said to have been dealing with the injury prior to his last appearance.
Johnson has six goals and 14 points and led the Blue Jackets in average ice time before being taken out of the lineup. He still has two years remaining on his deal at $4.5 million annual cap hit.
Seth Jones has seen a major workload increase in the absence of the 29-year-old top-pairing defender.
It will be a few months yet before NHL executives have a firm handle on next season's salary parameters, but on Wednesday, they were provided a high-water mark.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly revealed at the general manager meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., that the salary cap will rise to $74 million should the CBA's five percent escalator be triggered, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli,
If that built-in clause - which depends on growth factor - isn't enacted, the cap will stay flat, and close to the current $71.4-million ceiling.
For now, and given the state of the Canadian dollar, teams will likely plan for a flat number, and then have a little extra wiggle room should the salary cap indeed rise.
The $74-million projection is $500,000 less than the estimate NHL commissioner Gary Bettman pointed to in December.
