Joe Pavelski wasn't happy with an overtime penalty call against Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn that ultimately led to the Tampa Bay Lightning's game-winning power-play goal in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday.
"The ref's got a tough job. I see it. It's in front of (referee) Kelly (Sutherland), he's got a great look at it, the back ref calls it," Pavelski said postgame. "I don't have a ton of time for a play where (Lightning forward) Tyler Johnson steps in front of Jamie Benn and has no real effect in the play.
"Jamie breathes on the guy and he falls over. Whether that's the case or not, there's a little battle going on there. It's playoffs, it's overtime, we expect five-on-five. We expect to battle it out."
Benn was called for tripping just over five minutes into overtime after taking down Johnson while the two battled for a loose puck. It was Dallas' fourth penalty of the game. Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored on the ensuing power play to give Tampa the win.
Stars head coach Rick Bowness also disagreed with the call.
"I saw two guys going for a loose puck, their guy hooking our guy, and our guy trying to fight through the hook. ... That's a hockey play," Bowness said. "That's what I saw. I looked at the replay a couple of times, and it's two guys in the playoffs and you're going for a loose puck."
He continued: "The players want to dictate the end of the game, and they're right. They want to play five-on-five and let's see what happens here. ... Let the players decide the game."
With the loss, the Stars have their backs against the wall and trail 3-1 in the series. Game 5 is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars in a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory in Game 4 on Friday to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
The teams traded goals all night but the Lightning ultimately prevailed in overtime when Kevin Shattenkirk scored the game-winner.
Shattenkirk's marker came on the power play after Stars forward Jamie Benn took a tripping penalty. It was the Lightning's third goal of the game with the man-advantage.
The Stars got off to a hot start, scoring the game's first two goals thanks to John Klingberg and Joe Pavelski. The Lightning answered just before the buzzer in the opening frame when Brayden Point burst into the offensive zone and put one past Anton Khudobin.
Point was able to bat the puck out of the air to score again just minutes into the second period to tie it up.
An incredible solo effort by Tyler Seguin led to a goal from Corey Perry, who managed to jam the puck into a wide-open net to put the Stars back on top. But, similarly to the first period, the Lightning netted a power-play marker at the end of the second to tie the game back up.
Alex Killorn got on the board for the Lightning to take the lead minutes into the final frame, but Pavelski scored his second minutes later to tie things up once again.
With the goal, Pavelski became the oldest player in NHL history to score 12 goals in a single postseason and also tied Joe Mullen for the most playoff goals scored by an American skater (60).
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy ended the night with 26 saves on 30 shots, while Khudobin stopped 30 of the 35 he faced.
John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen became on Friday the second pair of defensemen on the same team to record at least 20 points each during a single postseason, according to TSN's Statscentre.
The Dallas Stars teammates joined Paul Coffey and Charlie Huddy as those to accomplish the feat. Coffey and Huddy did it with the Edmonton Oilers during the 1985 playoffs when they recorded 37 and 20 points, respectively.
Klingberg's goal in the opening frame of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final helped him reach the 20-point mark, while Heiskanen already had 24 points entering the contest. They've each appeared in 25 games this postseason, including Dallas' three contests in the round robin of the qualifying round.
The pair are leading the way for the Stars this postseason, with Heiskanen sitting at No. 1 and Klingberg second in team scoring.
"This came up and blindsided me because I had a no-move clause," Hornqvist said Friday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Matt Vensel. "But then I find out that Pittsburgh didn't want me and Florida really wants me, and it was an easy choice for me and my family. I'm super excited to go down there and help them win some games."
The deal, in which the Panthers sent defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour to the Penguins, was first reported Wednesday. However, Hornqvist had to waive his no-trade clause for the transaction to go through, and it wasn't finalized until Thursday.
"It's been obviously a little crazy," he added. "It was obviously a tough situation for me and my family, when you get blindsided a little bit. When you know you have a no-trade, you don't think this kind of question is going to come up. When it came up, I took my time to go through every scenario."
The 33-year-old spent the last six seasons with the Penguins - helping them win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017 - after playing his first six NHL campaigns with the Nashville Predators.
The Montreal Canadiens signed defenseman Jeff Petry to a four-year extension carrying an annual cap hit of $6.25 million, the team announced Friday.
Petry's current contract, which carried a $5.5-million cap hit, was set to expire after next season. His new deal begins in 2021-22 and runs through the 2024-25 campaign.
The 32-year-old is coming off his three most productive seasons. He tallied 11 goals and 40 points in 71 contests this past campaign. Petry also added two goals - including an overtime winner - and one assist in 10 playoff games.
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We dropped our first pick in awhile in Game 3, falling to 9-3-1 since the start of Round 3. It sure would have been nice to know about Steven Stamkos' return at the time of writing.
Let's bounce back in Game 4.
Tampa Bay Lightning (-160) at Dallas Stars (+140)
While the return of Stamkos had a galvanizing effect on the Lightning offense - he scored the game's second goal in a 5-2 win - it was also clouded by yet another injury. The forward managed just five shifts on 2:47 of ice time before leaving the game at the end of the first period and not returning.
That's put a cloud of doubt over his Game 4 status, which makes it tough to appropriately pick a side here. Obviously if Stamkos is deemed healthy enough to participate tonight we have to assume he's going to be a full go - this isn't the time to trot out decoys on the ice.
What we do know though is that if the Stars want to get into a run-and-gun affair with the Bolts, they're going to lose the Stanley Cup Final. That's not a slight to Dallas' forward group, but rather a testament to just how deep this Tampa team is. The Stars will need to focus on tightening things up again in Game 4 and playing to their strong suit.
It was also an off night for Anton Khudobin, who allowed 2.83 goals above expected. With a bounce back from the determined Stars netminder, and a shift in approach from the team in front of him, we can expect a much tighter contest on Friday night.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
Patrik Laine is one of the league's most intriguing young stars. He's still just 22 years old and has shown the potential to be one of the league's most dangerous goal-scorers, ranking seventh in the league with 138 tallies since his NHL debut in 2016.
After signing a two-year bridge deal last season, Laine showed up in 2019-20 with an improved 200-foot game and registered a career-high 35 assists while potting 28 goals. However, the Winnipeg Jets are reportedly considering trading Laine to address other needs on their roster.
Here's a look at some of the teams that could try to acquire the 2016 second overall pick.
Colorado Avalanche
Brian Babineau / National Hockey League / Getty
With a stacked crop of young talent and plenty of cap space, the Avalanche can't be ruled out as players in any scenario. It wouldn't be a surprise to see general manager Joe Sakic pursue Taylor Hall in free agency, but Laine would certainly make sense if the team looks to add a younger winger at a lower cost.
The Avalanche have over $22 million in projected cap space but have several players in line for new deals, including restricted free-agent rearguards Nikita Zadorov and Ryan Graves. Both players would add some much-needed size and grit to the Jets' back end, but a potential swap would likely be contingent on either agreeing to a new contract.
Tyson Jost and Nazem Kadri are intriguing options at center and could interest Winnipeg with veteran pivot Bryan Little's career in jeopardy. Jost would replace Laine's youth, while Kadri would give the Jets a strong two-way center who's in his prime.
What a deal could look like:
Avalanche acquire
Jets acquire
F Patrik Laine
D Ryan Graves/Nikita Zadorov
D Connor Timmins
F Tyson Jost
Carolina Hurricanes
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
The Hurricanes have one of the deepest defensive corps in the NHL - and now depth down the middle, too, with Vincent Trocheck's arrival - so it's no surprise they've reportedly expressed an interest in acquiring Laine. The Hurricanes can easily fill the Jets' needs.
Trocheck is two seasons removed from recording 31 goals and 75 points with the Florida Panthers and has proven he has what it takes to serve as a team's dependable No. 2 center. The 27-year-old has two seasons remaining on his deal with an annual cap hit of $4.75 million, and he fits Winnipeg's win-now mentality.
It would be tough for the Hurricanes to part ways with defenseman Brett Pesce, but the 25-year-old has played increasingly well since his debut in 2015 and would surely be an attractive player to the Jets. With a deep defensive group that includes Dougie Hamilton and Jaccob Slavin, the Hurricanes would be able to withstand the loss and continue moving forward as one of the league's more exciting teams.
What a deal could look like:
Hurricanes acquire
Jets acquire
F Patrik Laine
F Vincent Trocheck
D Brett Pesce
Columbus Blue Jackets
Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The Blue Jackets have also reportedly shown interest in Laine already, and we saw last postseason what the club's core is capable of when paired with high-end offensive talent.
Columbus still managed to knock out the high-powered Toronto Maple Leafs in the qualifying round this year despite losing Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene to free agency last offseason, and adding a winger of Laine's ilk could be what the team needs to make a deep playoff run.
Seth Jones isn't going anywhere, nor is Zach Werenski, but the Blue Jackets still have a couple of blue-liners who could serve as a serious upgrade for Winnipeg. David Savard would be the most realistic starting point, but the 29-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent after 2020-21, which adds an element of risk for the Jets. Columbus could work out a sign-and-trade to give the Jets some assurance, and also add another impact player or a draft pick.
What a deal could look like:
Blue Jackets acquire
Jets acquire
F Patrik Laine
D David Savard
F Josh Anderson
2021 3rd-round pick
New Jersey Devils
Andy Marlin / National Hockey League / Getty
The Devils boast one of the league's youngest teams, headlined by No. 1 picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The 22-year-old Laine could be the player who helps propel the Devils back to their former status as a perennial contender.
New Jersey has two defensemen who can fill Winnipeg's needs. The first is P.K. Subban, who's coming off his worst season but is also a past Norris Trophy winner. Despite carrying an annual cap hit of $9 million, Subban is owed only $10 million in actual money over the next two seasons, which makes his high cap hit easier to swallow.
The second option is Damon Severson. The 26-year-old has proven he can contribute offensively - he recorded 19 goals and 70 points in 151 games over the past two seasons - and could settle in nicely on Winnipeg's second pairing.
New Jersey would ultimately have Pavel Zacha to offer as a center. Still just 23 years old, Zacha was selected with the sixth pick in the 2015 draft but has failed to find his footing in the NHL, as he has just 37 goals and 108 points in 266 games.
The Devils are an intriguing landing spot for Laine, but they'd likely need to part with one of their three first-round picks in 2020 to sweeten the deal.
What a deal could look like:
Devils acquire
Jets acquire
F Patrik Laine
D Damon Severson
F Pavel Zacha
2020 1st-round pick (via Vancouver)
Minnesota Wild
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
The Wild are one of the most adept defensive teams in the league, and adding a lethal scorer such as Laine would undoubtedly take them to the next level. General manager Bill Guerin has made it known that the club wants to add a first- or second-line center, but Minnesota has only two right-shot forwards in its lineup, so acquiring another player with that tendency wouldn't be an awful Plan B.
Matt Dumba's name has been tossed around in trade rumors, and the 26-year-old would make for a strong starting point in Guerin's bid. Dumba has three years remaining on his current deal, which carries an annual cap hit of $6 million. Perhaps adding a second-round pick that converts to a first-rounder if Laine signs with the Wild beyond 2020-21 could sweeten the pot.
