When KHL free agent Artemi Panarin signed with the Chicago Blackhawks last spring, few people expected him to have the impact he's had for the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
That impact currently amounts to 74 points in 79 games, good for 10th in the NHL.
The chemistry the rookie has developed with NHL point leader Patrick Kane has set the league ablaze, and Panarin's due for a raise because of it.
If he remains in the top 10 in points at season's end, Panarin will be awarded a bonus of $1.725 million. He could earn even more, thanks to other bonuses outlined in his contract. Although the Blackhawks are perennially stifled by salary-cap restrictions, general manager Stan Bowman couldn't be happier with Panarin's production.
"I think it's fantastic for Panarin to have achieved what he has; I don't look at it as a negative at all," Bowman said. "What he's done here as a rookie - I don't want to say it's unprecedented, but it hasn't happened in a long, long time. For a guy in his first year in the league to finish in the top 10 in scoring, that's why those bonuses are rarely earned, and he's done something very special this year."
Panarin, 24, is a strong candidate for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, an award that hasn't been won by a Blackhawk since Kane took it home in 2008.
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Everything's coming up Red Wings.
Detroit, in a win-and-you're-in situation Saturday against New York, will face a Rangers team missing a number of regulars - including Henrik Lundqvist. Backup Antti Raanta gets the start, head coach Alain Vigneault announced.
The Rangers will also be without forwards Mats Zuccarello and Viktor Stalberg, who are dealing with lower-body injuries. Both should be fine for the playoffs, Vigneault said, according to the New York Daily News' Justin Tasch.
Defenseman Dan Girardi, day to day with what's believed to be a concussion, will not play Saturday, but Vigneault expects him to be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, too. He missed Thursday's game after being hurt Tuesday.
Captain Ryan McDonagh was already ruled out for the regular-season finale. He remains day to day with a hand injury, and his status for Game 1 is up in the air.
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The New York Islanders topped their cross-town rival Rangers for the fourth time this season Thursday night, swapping places in the standings and putting pressure on the Blueshirts, who fell to a wild-card position.
The loss slots the Rangers to play the Atlantic Division champion Florida Panthers in the first round of the playoffs, a move some people think is New York's version of tanking to avoid a matchup with the white-hot Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rangers forward Rick Nash, however, isn't one of those people.
"I can understand why the question (about preferring the wild card) would be asked, but anyone who has ever been in a locker room environment would know that would never happen," Nash told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "The answer to the question is 'no.' It is the furthest thing from our minds."
He added, "We're going to have to go through those teams sometime. We're going to face a really good team in the first round no matter what."
The Rangers are stumbling down the stretch, having lost of four of their last six. They're 9-7-3 since acquiring Eric Staal at the deadline.
"Our focus is on getting our game together and going into the playoffs with momentum and confidence," Nash said.
The winger, perhaps more than any other Rangers player, is being depended on to turn his individual struggles around in order to help the team.
With only 15 goals, Nash is set to finish with his lowest total since the 2013 lockout-shortened season when he scored 21, and lowest overall since tallying 17 as a rookie.
"I know I have to be better," he said. "I'm happy with my defensive game, but the offense isn't where I know it has to be.
"I know I have to score to help this team in the playoffs."
Ironically enough, Nash's difficulty finding the back of the net has been a theme during the Rangers' past few playoff runs. Perhaps the 31-year-old will reverse the trend by putting together a strong showing this postseason following the most modest offensive season of his pro career.
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Sergei Bobrovsky and Nick Foligno's seasons aren't over yet.
The Columbus Blue Jackets teammates will represent their countries at the IIHF World Championship, writes the The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline.
Foligno, Columbus' captain, will suit up for the United States, while Bobrovsky will man the crease for Russia.
"It's just nice to continue your season," Foligno said. "But I sure don't want to get used to have our (NHL) seasons end in April."
Bobrovsky, also on Russia's World Cup squad, was limited to only 36 starts this season, so he wants to play.
"I have had lots of time off in the season. Unfortunate, yes," he said. "So I will go. It's always great to represent your country. And to play in front of your own fans, of course, is special."
The tournament runs May 6-22 in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Forward Brandon Saad declined his invitation from the United States. The former Chicago Blackhawks forward has often been busy this time of year, and will be participating in the upcoming World Cup on the Under-23 North American team.
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Matt Beleskey would like you to know the Boston Bruins are going to bring it. Again.
Hours after the Bruins spanked the Detroit Red Wings in a must-win game, scoring four goals in bunches in the first and third periods, Beleskey pointed out he wants there to be no doubt in the building Saturday, when the Ottawa Senators come into town. No doubts in the dressing room, and none in the stands.
"Don't come to the game if you're expecting a letdown," Beleskey said, according to CSNNE.com's Joe Haggerty. "I don't care if you're there.
"We're going to play hard and we're going to try and get the job done. I think the fans are pretty good here and I know they all want us to win on Saturday. I'm sure they'll be there in their black and gold on Saturday ready to go."
Chants of "We want playoffs!" have been the norm in Boston of late, and Thursday was no exception.
The Bruins are a .500 team at home this season, at 17-17-6. They're on the cusp of the playoffs thanks to their road record. But they must win at home, and get some help, in order to reach the postseason. They likely won't know their fate until Sunday night.
Enjoy the weekend, Bruins fans.
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MOSCOW - No one will face criminal charges over the worst doping scandal in Russia's history, the country's sports minister said Friday.
A report in November by a World Anti-Doping Agency commission alleged systematic, state-sponsored drug use in Russian track and field and a widespread cover-up of doping.
The former head of the Russian track federation was also accused of a role in extorting 450,000 euros ($500,000) from a marathon runner and was later banned for life.
''The General Prosecutor's office carefully examined the report in question and did not find a single legally supported fact to open any kind of case,'' Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko told sports portal Sportfakt.
Mutko's comments came a day after almost the entire Russian national under-18 hockey team was cut from next week's world championships and replaced with an apparently weaker under-17 squad. The change was announced the day before the under-18 team had been expected to fly to the United States.
Mutko said some players had taken meldonium while it was still legal but that Russian officials feared it could have remained in their bodies.
''If an athlete or a group of athletes took it in October or November, we don't know if it'll be found or not (in testing),'' Mutko said in comments reported by the state news agency Tass. ''We're minimizing risks.''
Russian Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretiak had said the roster change was ''tactical,'' but the federation admitted Friday the switch was actually due to meldonium.
The federation claimed that players stopped using the substance in the fall of 2015 when WADA ruled it would be banned for 2016. Removing the under-18 team from the world championship was an attempt to ''defend the rights of young athletes,'' it said.
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In a perfect world, the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs would play each other in the Basement Bowl on Saturday night, and Auston Matthews would be in attendance.
Both teams are tied for last in the league with 69 points, and both have one game left to play. The Maple Leafs will face the New Jersey Devils on the road Saturday, while the Oilers visit the Vancouver Canucks.
Last place guarantees the best odds - 20 percent - at the NHL draft lottery on April 30. On the line is the right to select first overall at June's entry draft, where Matthews is predicted to be taken No. 1.
The Maple Leafs failed to clinch 30th by winning Thursday in Philadelphia.
Should both Toronto and Edmonton win or lose their final games, the Maple Leafs will finish 30th thanks to fewer regulation and overtime wins (ROW). Toronto has 23 ROWs to Edmonton's 27.
If the Maple Leafs finish last, it will only be the third time in franchise history, writes the Toronto Star's Kevin McGran.
May the luckiest team lose.
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