Category Archives: Hockey News

Watch: Mrazek sprawls for remarkable paddle save on Galchenyuk

Larceny.

With a two-on-one heading his way, Detroit Red Wings netminder Petr Mrazek sprung across his crease and somehow managed to thwart Alex Galchenyuk's attempt with an outstanding stick save.

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Watch: Kessel obviously ends goal-scoring slump in Toronto

Phil Kessel went into Saturday night scoreless in 10, with only one goal since the beginning of March, facing his former team in a game his ex-teammates must win.

Slump's over, obviously.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward got No. 23 on the season to open the scoring, a snipe low blocker side, just like old times at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

That's Kessel's first goal and first point in six games since being traded by the Maple Leafs. He's got some timing.

Here's a more traditional replay:

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Watch: Leafs’ Van Riemsdyk scores 27th after unbelievable zone entry

How exactly did he do that?

With his team facing an early 1-0 hole at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins (thanks to former teammate Phil Kessel), Toronto Maple Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk buried the equalizer after deftly tapping the puck out of midair to himself while somehow staying onside.

The goal was challenged by the Penguins due to an apparent offside, but it was upheld, giving Van Riemsdyk 27 on the season.

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Kings honor Bob Miller, calling his final home game

Los Angeles is saluting Bob Miller.

The voice of the Kings is calling his final game Saturday night.

He's hanging up the microphone due to health issues. Miller, 78, has been the man behind the mic in L.A. since 1973.

Miller's an institution. Check out the CV:

The Kings' Twitter account is filled with tributes to the legend. Here's one from Bryant Gumbel:

First Vin Scully, now Bob Miller. Sports in L.A. will never be the same.

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Canes all wearing No. 29 on helmets in Bryan Bickell’s final home game

It's Bryan Bickell's night.

The forward is skating in the final home game of his NHL career with the Carolina Hurricanes, announcing earlier Saturday that he's retiring at the end of the season after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last November.

Bickell played seven games with Carolina in October, and after time in the AHL, returned on April 4, playing 12:35 in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Earlier Saturday, Bickell's teammates surprised him by joining him at a Walk MS event in Raleigh, N.C.

All class, the Hurricanes.

Bickell, 31, will leave the NHL on Sunday a champion, his name engraved on the Stanley Cup three times.

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Watch: Craig Cunningham skates laps with Coyotes trainer

Craig Cunningham is back on the ice.

The Arizona Coyotes welcomed Cunningham back to Gila River Arena on Saturday, where the club will honor him prior to their game against Minnesota for the "tremendous courage, willpower, and perseverance he's demonstrated throughout his rehabilitation" after collapsing on the ice as a member of the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners.

Part of Cunningham's leg was amputated as a result of an acute cardiac arrest, ventricular fibrillation, and he was recently seen walking without assistance for the first time since the incident.

This latest step is another inspirational development along Cunningham's road to recovery, and his time with the Coyotes may not be over quite yet.

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Watch: Patrik Elias takes one last warmup with Devils

The Patrik Elias era is officially coming to a close in New Jersey.

The longtime Devils forward, who recently announced his retirement after 18 NHL seasons, took part in one last pregame skate with the team Saturday. His teammates allowed him to first take the ice on his own, at which time he promptly potted yet another puck into the net.

Elias then saluted the crowd before skating off for the time being.

And to cap his evening, Elias - joined by his family - took part in the ceremonial faceoff.

Despite hoping to play one final season, Elias was forced to sit out all of 2016-17 and was limited to 16 games last season as a result of a knee injury.

He hangs up his skates as New Jersey's all-time leader in goals (408), assists (617), points (1,025), game-winning goals (80), and hat tricks (eight).

The Devils have already announced they'll retire Elias' No. 26 next season. He'll be the fifth player in franchise history to earn that honor, joining Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Ken Daneyko.

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Tortorella not looking to dissect Blue Jackets’ 6-game backslide

John Tortorella and his Columbus Blue Jackets have come upon difficult times to close out the most successful season in franchise history.

With Saturday's 4-2 loss in Philadelphia, Columbus has dropped six games in a row - the club's longest losing streak since dropping its first eight of 2015-16. But its head coach is trying not to overthink the backslide.

"I'm not going to pick apart what my team is right now, because it's so hard to judge in these types of circumstances," Tortorella said following Saturday's defeat, according to Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.

The circumstances are by no means dire, as Columbus is locked into a first-round matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Blue Jackets have one more chance to right the ship before the postseason begins, as they'll travel to Toronto on Sunday for a matchup with the Maple Leafs.

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Bruins’ Carlo injured by Ovechkin hit

The Boston Bruins are losing defensemen at the worst possible time.

Already playing their regular-season finale without an injured Torey Krug, the Bruins lost Brandon Carlo on Saturday - at least for the final two periods of their game against Washington. This as a result of an unpenalized hit into the boards by Alex Ovechkin that forced Carlo to leave during the first.

Prior to the start of the second period, the Bruins announced Carlo - who's averaging more than 21 minutes a night as a rookie - wouldn't return to the game due to what's been labeled an upper-body injury.

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Anisimov deemed ready to go for playoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks will get a key member back in the lineup when the playoffs begin next week.

Artem Anisimov, who last played March 14, will be ready for Game 1 of the opening round, head coach Joel Quenneville confirmed Saturday, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.

It's a big addition for the No. 1 seed, as Anisimov was primarily deployed centering Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane throughout the regular season.

In 64 games, he contributed 22 goals and 23 assists.

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