Whoever is in charge of playing the victory anthems at the IIHF World Hockey Championship was a little Slo at the draw after Slovakia's 3-2 win over Italy on Saturday.
Instead of playing Slovakia's anthem, "Nad Tatrou Sa Blyska," Slovenia's anthem, "Zdravljica," was blared throughout the arena.
The Slovakian players were obviously confused, but luckily their fans were there to drown out the anthem with cheers.
The staff member in question at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, will get a chance at redemption (if they still have their job) if Slovakia can pull off a win Tuesday against Denmark.
Whoever is in charge of playing the victory anthems at the IIHF World Hockey Championship was a little Slo at the draw after Slovakia's 3-2 win over Italy on Saturday.
Instead of playing Slovakia's anthem, "Nad Tatrou Sa Blyska," Slovenia's anthem, "Zdravljica," was blared throughout the arena.
The Slovakian players were obviously confused, but luckily their fans were there to drown out the anthem with cheers.
The staff member in question at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, will get a chance at redemption (if they still have their job) if Slovakia can pull off a win Tuesday against Denmark.
The Pittsburgh Penguins' thin defense corps will take another hit on Monday night.
Trevor Daley - who left Saturday night's contest in the third period - will miss Game 6 against the Washington Capitals as he deals with a lower body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan announced Monday.
Daley has averaged 18:27 of ice time per game, chipping in with one assist in 10 games.
Meanwhile, fellow defenseman Brian Dumoulin had a maintenance day Monday and will suit up for Game 6.
The Washington Capitals are 60 minutes or more from having their Stanley Cup dreams shattered again. But being on the brink is a good thing for two of the club's best players.
The Caps will play their second straight elimination game Monday night against Pittsburgh. The Penguins are up 3-2, and are looking to end Washington's season in six games in the second round for the second consecutive spring.
Barry Trotz, though, can rest assured goalie Braden Holtby and captain Alex Ovechkin will show up. They have a history of doing so.
False narratives
By now, you know the "Ovechkin doesn't show up in big playoff games" narrative is garbage. In 19 career elimination games, Ovie has 10 goals and 10 assists. He'll leave his mark on Game 6.
Meanwhile, a dive into Holtby's playoff career suggests he's going to be in top form, as well, despite a subpar postseason so far, by his standards. Among goalies who have played at least five playoff games in 2017, his .909 save percentage is tied for 12th in the league - a far cry from his career .932 save percentage in the postseason.
Throughout his career, though, Holtby's risen to the challenge when his team faces elimination:
Year
Game #
Opponent
Round
SV%
Result
2017
Game 5
Penguins
2nd
.909
W
2016
Game 6
Penguins
2nd
.905
L-OT
2016
Game 5
Penguins
2nd
.968
W
2015
Game 7
Rangers
2nd
.949
L-OT
2015
Game 7
Islanders
1st
.909
W
2013
Game 7
Rangers
1st
.815
L
2012
Game 7
Rangers
2nd
.935
L
2012
Game 6
Rangers
2nd
.972
W
2012
Game 7
Bruins
1st
.969
W
He has a .930 save percentage (252 saves on 271 shots) in nine career elimination playoff games, and is 5-4, with two overtime losses.
It's clear that with their backs against the wall, Holtby and Ovechkin rise to the occasion. But they need help in order to ensure a Game 7.
Supporting cast
Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Evgeny Kuznetsov are each averaging a point per game through five games against the Penguins. They're not the problem.
Losing three of the first four to the defending champs has left the Capitals with an almost-impossible challenge. One down, two to go. While it's certainly possible Holtby and Ovechkin can force a Game 7 on their own, the Capitals' depth must make its mark at some point this week, or it'll be deja vu.
With the offseason underway for a number of teams, and with the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.
2016-17 Grade: F
In an era when NHL teams earn points for losing, the 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche proved to be the most inept.
Since the adoption of the shootout coming out of the 2004-05 lockout, no team has finished with fewer than the 48 points amassed over 82 games by the Avalanche this season. If we include the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign, Colorado's .296 point percentage also ranks dead last.
The next worst seasons were recorded by the Buffalo Sabres in 2013-14 and 2014-15, and it's no secret those rosters were not built to succeed, with a view to securing the best available talent through the draft.
To make matters worse, Colorado fell hard in the draft lottery, entering the proceedings with the best chance at securing the first overall pick and coming away with the fourth selection.
It doesn't get much worse than that.
Free Agents
General manager Joe Sakic's offseason to-do list features decisions to be made on a number of players who will need new contracts come July 1:
Player (Position)
2017-18 Status
Age
2016-17 Cap Hit
'16-17 Points
John Mitchell (F)
UFA
32
$1.8M
7
Mikhail Grigorenko (F)
RFA
22
$1.3M
23
Matt Nieto (F)
RFA
24
$735000
13
Rene Bourque (F)
UFA
35
$650000
18
Sven Andrighetto (F)
RFA
24
$650000
24
Fedor Tyutin (D)
UFA
33
$2M
13
Nikita Zadorov (D)
RFA
22
$894167
10
Patrick Wiercioch (D)
RFA
26
$800000
12
Cody Goloubef (D)
UFA
27
$750000
5
Player (Position)
2017-18 Status
Age
2016-17 Cap Hit
'16-17 Save %
Jeremy Smith (G)
UFA
28
$675000
.888
2017 Draft Picks
Prior to that date, the Avalanche have eight picks in the NHL Draft.
Round
Picks
1
1
2
1
3
0
4
2 (Own + Rangers)
5
1
6
1
7
1
Summer Priorities
1. Get Sakic some help: At present, Sakic serves as the Avalanche's head of hockey operations, overseeing the big picture while also running things from the ground as GM. Team president Josh Kroenke sits above him, but the owner's son doesn't really bring much tangible puck knowledge to the table.
At this juncture in the team's history, Sakic desperately needs help, and Colorado would do well by bringing in an experienced executive to run the show as head of hockey operations while Sakic focuses on the GM role, or by hiring a GM to direct the ship and make some more informed moves to help improve the team, with Sakic's approval.
2. Determine which core players to build around: Amid the struggles of this past season, the likes of Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene were oft mentioned in trade rumors.
Sakic held his ground, but it's not known whether that was due to an affinity for the players or a lack of suitable offers. Sakic did say he wants the team to get younger and faster, with Mikko Rantanen and Tyson Jost set to play increasingly prominent roles.
A significant shakeup isn't out of the question here.
3. Make the most of the fourth overall pick: As mentioned above, a historically bad season produced a lower than expected first-round pick for the Avalanche, and while this year's crop won't reap a Connor McDavid or an Auston Matthews, an infusion of the best available talent would have been nice.
Sakic and Co. will now have to work a bit harder to figure out who to select with the pick, or weigh the merits of either trading up or packaging the selection in an even bigger trade.
2017-18 Outlook
Expecting the Avalanche to make the jump from 30th to the playoffs in the vein of the 2016-17 Toronto Maple Leafs is a bit much, but a renewed emphasis on skill and speed, a bounce-back season for Semyon Varlamov - who spent much of the year on the shelf due to injury - and upgrades on the blue line should render Colorado at least somewhat competitive.
Still, pending offseason moves, the Avalanche will likely tumble back to the bottom of the Central Division next season.
Randy Carlyle isn't concerned with the Anaheim Ducks' recent history of ineptitude in Game 7s.
"It's not the same group, and I wasn't here, so don't pin any of the Game 7s on me," the Ducks head coach told reporters after the Edmonton Oilers forced the do-or-die game Sunday night. "Simple as that."
Anaheim has lost four consecutive Game 7s on home ice, but Carlyle insists that's in the past.
"This is a different group and we're going to approach (this one) as we do every game," he said following a 7-1 loss to Edmonton in Game 6. "We're not afraid to go into our building and play a solid hockey game, and that's what's going to be required."
Bruce Boudreau guided Anaheim for parts of the last five seasons, and he was fired after the Ducks fell in Game 7 to the Nashville Predators last spring.
Carlyle said Sunday that the franchise's difficulty in seventh games didn't have any impact on the blowout loss in Game 6.
"Not for me," he said. "I wasn't there for the situations that they lived through, and it's my job - and our job as the coaching staff - to prepare this group to play the best game of the year come Wednesday night in Anaheim."
No magical comeback in the cards this time 'round for the Anaheim Ducks, as the Pacific Division champs were dusted 7-1 Sunday at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, and according to winger Andrew Cogliano, Anahiem got exactly what it deserved.
"There’s a lot of mistakes that we made tonight, uncharacteristic mistakes, and we deserve to lose that way," Cogliano lamented postgame.
With an opportunity to book their ticket to the Western Conference final for the third time in 12 years, the Ducks laid a massive egg, managing only one goal while allowing a crooked number against.
Cogliano recognizes the missed opportunity, but was also quick to give the Oilers the respect they've earned.
"You don't see other teams giving up breakaways in the first 10 minutes of a hockey game to move onto the conference finals," said Cogliano. "I think that was the difference tonight, they wanted it.
"They outplayed us, they outclassed us, and they out-battled us, really."
Anaheim will have two-plus days to lick its wounds and prepare for a do-or-die Game 7 Wednesday night at Honda Center.
"I wasn't very good. I (have) to come up with a couple saves," the Ducks goaltender said postgame, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. "Maybe it's different (if I do), maybe it's not."
Gibson was pulled less than nine minutes into the 7-1 loss after allowing three goals on six shots. He took responsibility for his lackluster play afterward.
"Stuff happens sometimes," he said. "It's my job and obviously I wasn't good enough tonight as I want to be. I just kind of let them down."
Jonathan Bernier relieved Gibson for only his second postseason appearance this spring, making 25 saves on 29 shots after taking over following Zack Kassian's goal that gave the Oilers a 3-0 lead.
Edmonton forced Game 7 with the victory, and the winner-take-all contest will go Wednesday night in Anaheim.
