Neuvirth won three consecutive starts before losing his most recent outing, March 3 against the Edmonton Oilers. He has a 16-8-4 record this season with three shutouts.
With the Czech Republic native sidelined, Steve Mason will start for the second day in a row after making 18 stops Friday in a 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The NHL Officials Association says Don Henderson, the linesman knocked to the ice by Calgary Flames defenceman Dennis Wideman in January, is still recovering from the concussion he suffered and is out for the season.
In a statement emailed to...
"It is pretty sweet," the 19-year-old said Friday, per Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun. "I haven't really played with them since pre-season … I am looking forward to playing with those guys, they are world-class players."
Since a disappointing 2015 World Junior tournament, with just one point in four games and a pair of late penalties in Canada's quarterfinal loss to Finland, the forward admits his game has turned around.
"I came back from world juniors, I don't know exactly what happened, but everything felt a lot slower," Virtanen said. "I was seeing plays happen and reading plays better. I am feeling a lot more confident every game by making plays and stuff."
With Virtanen set to make his top-line debut Saturday against the Nashville Predators - as the Canucks begin a three-game homestand - newly signed defenseman Nikita Tryamkin practiced with the team Friday and is expected make his NHL debut next week.
Set to begin a four-game road trip Tuesday, the Boston Bruins will play their final game before St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, but they won't miss their chance to celebrate the holiday.
The Bruins tweeted out a photo of the jerseys they'll being donning during warmups, prior to their afternoon game against the New York Islanders.
The green jerseys feature plaid shoulders, complete with clovers:
TORONTO - If there's anyone on the Toronto Maple Leafs who knows how quickly things can turn around, it's recently acquired forward Milan Michalek.
He was 27, in his third season with the Ottawa Senators. The team had come off a disappointing 32-40-10 season and was in rebuild mode heading into 2011-12. Expectations were low and many predicted the Senators would finish last in the NHL.
But the Senators were an interesting crew, and put together a memorable season. A bunch of young prospects in their early 20s, plus a motley crew of unproven talent and established veterans cobbled together a surprising second-place finish in the Northeast Division. Michalek played a big part, scoring a career-high 35 goals.
The Senators' ability to fight back from deficits and overcome adversity quickly earned the club praise from media and fans. They were dubbed the "Pesky Sens."
"Those were some great years,” Michalek said, ahead of his first visit back to Ottawa on Saturday since being traded last month.
The trade
On Feb. 9, Toronto and Ottawa completed a blockbuster nine-player trade, headlined by now-former Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf. Toronto didn't necessarily intend to take veteran players in return - that doesn't jive with the rebuild - but Phaneuf’s $7-million annual salary-cap hit meant some money had to go the Maple Leafs' way. Enter Michalek and his $4-million cap number through 2016-17. His inclusion in the deal became a financial necessity, and he became the most notable veteran to head to Toronto in the trade.
Michalek had been out of the lineup since Jan. 22, after he broke a finger in what ended up being his last game as a Senator. When he arrived in Toronto, he was no longer trying to recover in time to help a bubble playoff team. Instead, he was on a team that had essentially relinquished any playoff aspirations back in training camp.
"The bag skates were really tough but I wasn't feeling rushed at any point in my recovery," Michalek said, when asked if the pressure was off with respect to getting into his new team's lineup. "You don’t want to go through those so I was just trying to get back in time to avoid doing those.”
The future
Although healthy, it's going to take time for Michalek to get his conditioning back to where it needs to be, in order for him to try to produce like he has in the past. He's settled in Toronto, living in an apartment that's his until the end of the season. With one year left on his contract, Michalek realizes anything is possible.
And given the injection of new blood, it's not out of the realm of possibility to expect a substantially improved Maple Leafs team in October 2016.
"There's a lot of young guys with skill, it's really fun to be here," Michalek said. "I'm not really looking ahead," he added. "I mean, I'm really looking at this season and want to play my game and help the team any way I can. Help the young guys and show them along."
A little older and more established, the Maple Leafs will need a veteran or two around as the younger players continue to perform - and when they eventually struggle.
What's left?
Now 31, Michalek's production has dropped incrementally over the years. Injuries cost him more than half of the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign after his career-best season, and he scored 17 goals in 82 games in 2013-14. Last season, he had 13 goals in 66 games, and he arrived in Toronto with six goals in 32 games. It's unlikely he'll hit the 20-mark again, but he should be good for 10-15 goals if healthy.
"He's obviously got good hockey sense, we just have to get him skating and moving and getting in shape and getting his confidence back,” head coach Mike Babcock said. "He's a big guy who looks like he can make a play and has had success in the league."
Michalek's hockey sense is ultimately what could decide his fate in Toronto. If he can prove in the final month of the season that he can make other players around him better, management may be inclined to keep him around.
The Senators haven't been referred to as "pesky" in quite a while. In acquiring Michalek, the Maple Leafs are hoping to add some "pesky" to their game in 2016-17, which wouldn't be such a bad thing.
After being called up from the Toronto Marlies on Friday, defenseman Rinat Valiev is set to become the ninth rookie to make his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
"I am just so excited to be here. Little bit nervous."
The Maple Leafs selected Valiev in the third round of the 2014 draft. After playing the last two seasons in the Western Hockey League, the Russian has three goals and 18 assists in his first season with the Marlies.
It's been more than six weeks since Dennis Wideman cross-checked linesman Don Henderson, and the situation continues to intensify after an arbitrator recently made a decision to reduce the defenseman's suspension from 20 games to 10.
While Wideman was thankful for the sentence reduction, the NHL Officials' Association isn't happy with the decision, releasing the following statement Saturday:
The NHLOA strongly disagrees with the arbitrator's decision to reduce Dennis Wideman's suspension to 10 games while linesman Don Henderson continues to recover from an injury inflicted by the player that will sideline him for the rest of the season. The message in reducing the suspension that is sent to NHL players, as well as athletes all over the world, including children, is that hte code of conduct towards officials has changed.
The NHLOA intends to take all steps necessary so that its members are protected in the future and ensure that this type of conduct by a player against an official never happens again.
Both Henderson and Wideman, who was hit by an opposing player moments before he collided with the official, suffered concussions during the incident.
The Calgary Flames defender returned to the lineup Friday against the Arizona Coyotes, playing 18 minutes in a 4-1 loss.
More speculation over the futures of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Drouin, while the New Jersey Devils could welcome back Lee Stempniak via free agency. TSN 1050 (VIA TODAY’S SLAPSHOT): Bob McKenzie recently speculated Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos hasn’t decided anything yet. Stamkos is eligible for UFA status in July and the subject of season-long […]
Dennis Wideman suspension reduced, no charges against Evander Kane and more in today’s collection of NHL headlines. Notable Game Recaps. THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Jason Spezza scored in his fifth straight game to help the Dallas Stars to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, moving the Stars into first place in the Western Conference. […]
