Category Archives: Hockey News

NHL unveils schedule for 2nd round

With the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals series now in the bag, all second-round matchups are set.

The Capitals will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ottawa Senators will tangle with the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers will face the Anaheim Ducks, and the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators will go to battle.

Here are the schedules for those series:

Eastern Conference

Capitals vs. Penguins

Game Date Start Time Home Away TV
1 Thurs. April 27 7:30 pm Capitals Penguins NBCSN / Sportsnet / TVA Sports
2 Sat. April 29 8 pm Capitals Penguins NBC / CBC / TVA Sports
3 Mon. May 1 7:30 pm Penguins Capitals NBCSN / CBC / TVA Sports
4 Wed. May 3 7:30 pm Penguins Capitals NBCSN / CBC / TVA Sports
*5 Sat. May 6 TBD Capitals Penguins TBD
*6 Mon. May 8 TBD Penguins Capitals TBD
*7 Wed. May 10 TBD Capitals Penguins TBD

Senators vs. Rangers

Game Date Time Home Away TV
1 Thurs. April 27 7 pm Senators Rangers CNBC / CBC / TVA Sports
2 Sat. April 29 3 pm Senators Rangers NBC / CBC / TVA Sports
3 Tues. May 2 7 pm Rangers Senators NBCSN / CBC / TVA Sports
4 Thurs. May 4 7:30 pm Rangers Senators NBCSN / CBC / TVA Sports
*5 Sat. May 6 TBD Senators Rangers TBD
*6 Tues. May 9 TBD Rangers Senators TBD
*7 Thurs. May 11 TBD Senators Rangers TBD

Western Conference

Ducks vs. Oilers

Game Date Time Home Away TV
1 Wed. April 26 10:30 pm Ducks Oilers NBCSN / Sportsnet / TVA Sports
2 Fri. April 28 10:30 pm Ducks Oilers NBCSN / Sportsnet / TVA Sports
3 Sun. April 30 7 pm Oilers Ducks NBCSN / Sportsnet / TVA Sports
4 Wed. May 3 10 pm Oilers Ducks NBCSN / Sportsnet / TVA Sports
*5 Fri. May 5 TBD Ducks Oilers TBD
*6 Sun. May 7 TBD Oilers Ducks TBD
*7 Wed. May 10 TBD Ducks Oilers TBD

Blues vs. Predators

Game Date Time Home Away TV
1 Wed. April 26 8 pm Blues Predators NBCSN / CBC / TVA Sports
2 Fri. April 28 8 pm Blues Predators NBCSN / CBC / TVA Sports
3 Sun. April 30 3 pm Predators Blues NBC / Sportsnet / TVA Sports
4 Tues. May 2 9:30 pm Predators Blues NBCSN / Sportsnet / TVA Sports
*5 Fri. May 5 TBD Blues Predators TBD
*6 Sun. May 7 TBD Predators Blues TBD
*7 Tues. May 9 TBD Bllues Predators TBD

* = If Necessary. All game times ET

Let the games begin.

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Capitals’ Trotz congratulates Maple Leafs after Round 1 battle

Compliments all around from the coach of the Washington Capitals.

Barry Trotz opened his postgame press conference Sunday by paying respect to his opponent, congratulating the Toronto Maple Leafs and their management staff on the season that was.

"You've got a hell of a team," Trotz told Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock.

The Maple Leafs were a surprise playoff entry this season after finishing in last place a year ago. That earned the Maple Leafs the top pick in the 2016 draft and the right to select Auston Matthews, who led the club with 40 goals this season.

One year later and the Maple Leafs took the Presidents' Trophy winners to six games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with five of the six games decided in overtime.

Matthews led a crop of rookies in Toronto this season, flanked by fellow freshmen Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

On Thursday, Matthews was named a finalist for Rookie of the Year honors, alongside Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski.

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Opening round sets record for overtime games

Extra time has been essential this spring.

The opening round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs has sent a record 18 games to overtime as of Sunday's contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals, which couldn't be won in 60 minutes.

The Maple Leafs-Capitals series has gone to extra sessions five times, tying a mark set in 1951 by the Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, and the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks in 2012.

Here are the 18 overtime contests from the first round:

Date Outcome Winner
April 12 Blues 2 - Wild 1 Edmundson
April 12 Sharks 3 - Oilers 2 Karlsson
April 13 Capitals 3 - Maple Leafs 2 Wilson
April 14 Canadiens 4 - Rangers 3 Radulov
April 15 Senators 4 - Bruins 3 Phaneuf
April 15 Maple Leafs 4 - Capitals 3 Kapanen
April 16 Penguins 5 - Blue Jackets 4 Guentzel
April 17 Maple Leafs 4 - Capitals 3 Bozak
April 17 Senators 4 - Bruins 3 Ryan
April 17 Ducks 5 - Flames 4 Perry
April 17 Predators 3 - Blackhawks 2 Fiala
April 20 Rangers 3 - Canadiens 2 Zibanejad
April 20 Oilers 4 - Sharks 3 Desharnais
April 21 Bruins 3 - Senators 2 Kuraly
April 21 Capitals 2 - Maple Leafs 1 Williams
April 22 Blues 4 - Wild 3 Paajarvi
April 23 Senators 3 - Bruins 2 MacArthur
April 23 Capitals 2 - Maple Leafs 1 Johansson

Two of the 18 games went to double overtime.

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Werenski offered to help write Matthews’ Calder acceptance speech

It would appear Zach Werenski doesn't foresee himself taking home rookie of the year honors.

The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman - who is nominated for the Calder Trophy along with Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews - was asked if he had spoken with his good friend Matthews since the nomination.

Werenski admitted to having a rather peculiar conversation.

"Yeah, I asked if he wanted help writing his acceptance speech," Werenski said, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.

Werenski clearly feels Matthews is the favorite to win the Calder, and considering he led all rookies with 40 goals and 69 points during the regular season, it's not a huge stretch.

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Watch: Matthews opens scoring in Game 6 after fortunate bounce

It's a game of bounces and boy did Auston Matthews get a fortunate one.

The Toronto Maple Leafs rookie opened the scoring midway through the third period of a must-win Game 6 after a dump-in by Morgan Rielly took a precarious bounce, giving Matthews a breakaway.

Matthews took advantage of the opportunity, roofing a wrister over the catching glove of Braden Holtby.

The Capitals lead the series 3-2.

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Senators continue to fly under radar

The Ottawa Senators have surprised again.

Eliminating the Boston Bruins on Sunday, the Senators advanced to the second round of the postseason for a date against the New York Rangers.

It marks the first series win for the Senators since 2013 and just their second since 2007, the same year they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

This season, the Senators have been one of the most consistent clubs, never losing more than twice in a row as the team has continued to achieve away from the limelight. Three key reasons stand out for the Senators' success:

Craig Anderson

The Senators netminder doesn't garner the headlines like the league's bigger names, but his stat line certainly speaks to his performance.

Missing most of the season due to a leave of absence to be with his ill wife, Anderson made his permanent return to the crease in mid-February. From that point, he wrapped up the regular season with a 13-5-3 record and a .929 save rate. Only Jake Allen posted better numbers than Anderson with as many appearances over that stretch.

Anderson's play has carried through to the postseason, where he shut the door and outdueled Boston netminder Tuukka Rask:

Goalie Games Record GAA SV%
Anderson 6 4-2 1.94 .921
Rask 6 2-4 2.24 .920

The Senators hope Anderson can put up a similar performance in Round 2 versus the Rangers.

Boucher's Balanced Attack

The Senators' forward ranks is without a superstar, but the team's offensive arsenal still has a few choice weapons.

This season, three Ottawa forwards - Mark Stone, Kyle Turris, and Mike Hoffman - broke the 50-point plateau, and all three also potted at least 20 goals.

In all, Ottawa's scoring value comes in spades: 10 Senators reached double-digit tallies this season, including Derick Brassard and Bobby Ryan, who proved invaluable in the opening-round series against the Bruins, combining for 15 points in the six-game set.

It's a balanced attack that fits perfectly with the style of first-year coach Guy Boucher, who preaches a defensive approach that finds its opportunities in exposing the opponent's mistakes.

Erik Karlsson

You can't stop Karlsson, you can only hope to contain him.

The play of the Senators captain isn't a secret, but it's no doubt a force. Shutting down a superstar is a key focus of any coach, and that's no different when facing the Ottawa defenseman.

Already a two-time Norris Trophy winner, Karlsson is once again in contention as the league's top defenseman. Not only did Karlsson put up 71 points on the season, he was effective at both ends of the ice, finishing second in the league with 201 blocked shots.

His highlight-reel plays have carried through to the offseason, with Karlsson already putting together a few jaw-dropping plays:

Now up against New York, Karlsson will have a chance to make that music before a Broadway audience.

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Bieber attends crucial Capitals-Leafs Game 6

Canadian pop icon Justin Bieber was on hand for Sunday night's nail-biter between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bieber was shown on the Air Canada Centre's big screen as he watched the tie game from a private box, clearly rooting for the Maple Leafs, who are down 3-2 to the Capitals in the series.

Judging by his very famous face, he's as nervous as any of the 19,000-plus Leafs fans in attendance.

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Cassidy: Injuries to Krug, McQuaid, Carlo caught up to Bruins

The Boston Bruins made it close against the Ottawa Senators, but ultimately came up short in six games, with all four of their defeats coming by one goal - and three of them in overtime.

After Boston's elimination Sunday, head coach Bruce Cassidy said missing three of the team's top defensemen caught up with the club, according to Joe Haggerty of CSN New England.

Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid, and Brandon Carlo missed the entire first-round series with their respective injuries, and a quick glance at their regular-season stats indicates how important they were to the Bruins.

Player GP Goals Points Blocks Average Time on Ice
Krug 81 8 51 82 21:36
McQuaid 77 2 10 144 20:48
Carlo 82 6 16 115 18:14

Cassidy said Carlo and McQuaid would have been assets for the team's penalty kill, and Boston missed Krug's puck-moving ability.

The depleted Bruins made the Senators work, and one can't help but think that a healthier Boston back end could have made a significant impact on the series.

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Karlsson admits to playing 1st round with 2 hairline fractures in heel

Erik Karlsson was a marvel in the first round of the playoffs, and yet he wasn't even playing at full health.

Following the Ottawa Senators' dramatic Game 6 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday - to send them to the second round - Karlsson admitted he played the series with two hairline fractures in his left heel, according to ESPN.com's Joe McDonald.

Karlsson explained that the injury occurred when he blocked a shot in a March 28 game against the Philadelphia Flyers. That ailment forced Karlsson to miss five games.

Fortunately for the Senators, it doesn't appear as though the injury should impact Karlsson much longer.

"I've been playing on shots (injections) and by Thursday it should be back to normal," Karlsson said.

Despite the ailment, Karlsson has been his usual offensive self, leading all defensemen in the playoffs with six points (all assists).

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