The notion that Canadians should support the last and/or only Canadian club in the playoffs despite their allegiances is always contentious, so this will certainly stoke that fire.
"As the last Canadian team standing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we want to show our appreciation to everyone across Canada for their support," Sens owner Eugene Melnyk wrote in an email about the stickers, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "It's an honor to have the Canadian flag on our equipment and say thank you!"
This will go over well. Probably as well as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments last week about Canadians rallying in support of the Sens.
"We're all happy to support Ottawa right now and even Torontonians and Montrealers can agree on this," Trudeau said, according to Macleans' Aaron Hutchins.
With all due respect to Mr. Trudeau, we're still waiting on proof of that claim.
For a non-controversy, the Pittsburgh Penguins certainly stretched this one out.
After Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled from Game 3 on Wednesday, victimized on four of nine shots, and Matt Murray providing excellent relief, head coach Mike Sullivan said he'd sleep on his Game 4 starter decision. He did, but he didn't fill us in Thursday, instead saying an announcement would be made Friday. We're on a need-to-know basis, apparently, and we didn't need to know.
Well, the decision's finally in: Murray is back in the crease. Last year's Stanley Cup-winning Pens starting goalie will make his first start of the postseason Friday night in Ottawa. He was hurt in warmups ahead of Game 1 of the first round against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but showed no rust Wednesday, stopping 19-of-20 shots.
Here's the thing, though: For all the waiting and wondering - Fleury or Murray? Murray or Fleury? - goaltending isn't the reason why Pittsburgh's down 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators in the the Eastern Conference Final. Even after Wednesday's putrid effort, for which Fleury can hardly be blamed, "The Flower" still has a .924 save percentage in the playoffs - second only to Pekka Rinne among the four starting goalies still competing for the Cup. (For what it's worth, Fleury's stopped 61-of-67 shots against the Senators, for a .910 save percentage. Not superb, but it could certainly be worse.)
The issue: Pittsburgh has three goals in three games. That ain't going to cut it. Period.
Where's Sid?
The Senators have frustrated the Penguins through three games, neutralizing a prolific offense that features four of the top six scorers in the playoffs. Even in the game Pittsburgh won (No. 2), the Penguins were at each other's throats, with Phil Kessel having a tantrum on the bench directed toward Evgeni Malkin, and Sullivan forced to have a chat with the Russian.
The pair eventually hooked up on the Game 2 winner, but, through two games, Phil and Geno have only a goal and an assist. Like everyone else, they've been neutralized.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
But those two points are actually one better than Sidney Crosby, whose garbage-time goal in Game 3 - that made a 5-0 game 5-1 - is all he has to show for the series. Crosby's averaging only two shots per game, and is a minus-4. You have to give the Sens and their 1-3-1 system credit. It's working.
While some will criticize Sullivan for going with Murray, he's blessed to have the option to play and be confident in both of his goalies. Full credit to the Penguins' front office - holding on to Fleury was the right decision, and a tremendous one.
Murray was excellent during the regular season, solidifying himself as both the goalie of the future and the present in Pittsburgh, while Fleury's play in the postseason after being dogged by trade and expansion draft rumors all season became one of the best stories of the playoffs.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
But, again, what ails the Pens isn't goaltending. Murray and Fleury can't score, like the rest of the Penguins. The only problem: Scoring isn't their job.
Deja vu
Sullivan's been here before - last year, actually, as NHL.com's Tom Gulitti pointed out Friday - but the circumstances are certainly different:
Pens made similar goalie change for Game 5 of ECF last year vs. Tampa Bay with Fleury going in for Murray and it didn't work.
So, we may not have seen the last of Fleury. But unless Pittsburgh can figure out how to beat Ottawa's trap, we may be witnessing the end of this season's Penguins.
Chris Kunitz was asked about secondary scoring during media availability early Friday afternoon, and the veteran forward, with one assist in the series, couldn't help but laugh at the question.
"I'm not going to elaborate on the decision," Sullivan said, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.
Fleury was pulled from Game 3 on Wednesday after Ottawa blitzed Pittsburgh for four goals on only nine shots in the first period. Murray stopped 19-of-20 shots in relief, and Fleury will resume his backup duties behind the 22-year-old.
Coach Sullivan on Fleury's reaction to the change: "Marc was a professional like he always is."
Friday will be Murray's first start of the playoffs. He was hurt in warmups ahead of Game 1 in the first round, with Fleury taking over and leading the Penguins to their nine spring wins.
Last season, Murray took over for Fleury late in the season, winning 15 games in the playoffs as Pittsburgh won its second Stanley Cup in the Sidney Crosby era.
Sullivan also announced that Patric Hornqvist, Bryan Rust, and Justin Schultz will all miss Game 4 and are considered day to day with their respective injuries.
The goal put him in some elite company, too. Perry tied the NHL record for most playoff overtime winners in a single season, equaling the mark set by Maurice "Rocket" Richard in 1951 and Mel Hill in 1939.
Perry is also in some impressive company on the all-time list.
Player
Career Playoff OT Goals
Joe Sakic
8
Maurice Richard
6
Glenn Anderson
5
Patrick Kane
5
Corey Perry
4
As if that isn't enough, he tied Teemu Selanne for the most career game-winning playoff goals in Ducks history, notching his eighth Thursday night.
Perry's emergence as a recurring overtime hero for Anaheim this spring comes after the veteran posted his worst output from a goal-scoring standpoint in a non-lockout campaign since 2006-07.
He scored 19 goals in 82 games before these playoffs began, a far cry from the 34 markers he netted last season and a significant drop-off from the 35.6 goals he's averaged in the eight years since he potted 17 in his first full season 10 years ago.
Perry has some miles on him at this point in his career, and sure, some of his goals are going in off sticks and from odd angles, but he's showing he can still produce when it matters most.
We're discussing the Ottawa Senators' (mostly boring) brand of playoff hockey in this week's "On the Fly" roundtable.
Navin Vaswani: I looked up the list of Stanley Cup champions - there's no asterisk next to the New Jersey Devils' titles in 1995, 2000, and 2003. They perfected the trap and won three titles because of it. And that's pretty much the beginning and end of the "Senators are boring" discussion, because while their style of play dominates headlines, the team keeps marching on, somehow, to 16 wins. Only six more to go.
You've heard and read it before: Some teams play to win, others play not to lose. Ottawa definitely falls into the latter category, and, since style points account for nothing in the playoffs, not losing is, uh, kind of paramount. The 1-3-1 system's working, and it doesn't matter a lick what you or I or anybody thinks of it.
There's a lot of irony to this discussion, as well. Everyone keeps saying the Sens don't deserve to be where they are, but it's the system that's got them here. A coach is only as good as his players, and it's no stretch to say that, other than Erik Karlsson, there aren't any truly elite players on the squad, but the roster is littered with solid NHLers like Kyle Turris, Derick Brassard, Dion Phaneuf (who has found a home in Ottawa, behind Karlsson), Mike Hoffman, Craig Anderson, Mark Stone, and Clarke MacArthur. Toss in a couple of unexpected, yet exceptional, playoff performances from Bobby Ryan and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and suddenly you realize how deep the Senators are up front. Boring? Sure, that's one way to look at it. Another: The Senators have found the best method to win games with the squad they've got.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Then there's Karlsson himself. Arguably the league's most exciting player, he plays on the NHL's most boring side. But I'll tell you what wasn't boring, and what, for me, remains the top moment of the playoffs: Karlsson's unbelievable saucer pass from his goal line to Hoffman at the Boston Bruins' blue line. A close second: Phaneuf's obliteration of Bryan Rust, with the type of clean yet vicious open-ice hit you simply don't see all that much anymore. There's beauty, in other words, to be found in even the most boring team on the planet.
Ottawa doesn't deserve to be derided for its style of play. Instead, the team deserves praise, because it isn't the Pittsburgh Penguins, which boast four of the top six playoff scorers. The Senators know exactly who they are. They've embraced their identity. To a man, they've bought in. And that's all that matters in the spring.
Josh Gold-Smith: It's not pretty, but dammit, it works.
Ottawa's style is unquestionably boring, but as long as the Senators are winning, it's not going away. Yes, it's a trap, but they can still put crooked numbers on the scoreboard when they want to, as we saw in the Game 3 blowout.
"Defense wins championships" is a tired cliche, but it's proven to be true many times in the history of the NHL and beyond. Every team plays a tighter game in the postseason, and as exhilarating as firewagon hockey is to watch, it's not always a recipe for playoff success.
Sure, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup last season with a slew of dynamic scorers, and they have a shot at doing it again, but look at the most exciting teams besides the Penguins this season. The Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs were all must-watch squads, but now they're all sitting at home watching the Senators, who are a pair of wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
It might be sleep-inducing, but it's hard to argue with a formula that's paying off for Guy Boucher's club.
Craig Hagerman: Anything for the Cup, right?
Well, the Senators are certainly taking that wisdom to heart - and all the power to 'em.
Sure, their style might not be the most artistic display on the ice, but it works for them. And that means it would be hard to find a member of the franchise or its fan base who would be calling for a change, especially with the team only two wins away from advancing to their second-ever Stanley Cup Final.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
"The Senators are worse than watching your parents have sex," as Vice Sports' Dave Lozo put it, ever so vividly.
They might piss off a Phil Kessel or two in the process, but what's wrong with that?
Love them or hate them, the Senators are getting results, and that's all that matters. And while we're at it, let's not forget that Ottawa's outscored Pittsburgh 7-3 through three games. So maybe it's the Penguins who should be considering a style change.
Josh Wegman: Sometimes I wonder if Guy Boucher's goal is to slowly kill hockey, but then I remember he's in the business of winning hockey games.
Sure, his 1-3-1 trap can make some - though not all - games incredibly boring, but it has his team within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final - a position the Senators have no business being in on paper.
Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" suddenly has a whole new meaning.
The pop singer took some unfair heat for the Nashville Predators' Game 4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks after pointing out that she could be blamed for it because she sung the anthem at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night.
Some appeared serious, and others more tongue in cheek, but the replies predictably poured in when Ducks forward Corey Perry scored the overtime winner.
Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" suddenly has a whole new meaning.
The pop singer took some unfair heat for the Nashville Predators' Game 4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks after pointing out that she could be blamed for it because she sung the anthem at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night.
Some appeared serious, and others more tongue in cheek, but the replies predictably poured in when Ducks forward Corey Perry scored the overtime winner.
The Anaheim Ducks goaltender got away with an incredibly risky maneuver early in overtime of Game 4 on Thursday night, leaving the crease to retrieve his stick while the Nashville Predators controlled the puck nearby.
Calle Jarnkrok had possession behind the net and James Neal stood lurking all alone in front of the empty cage, but the Predators failed to capitalize on the golden opportunity.
Ducks forward Corey Perry scored later in the extra session to even the series, but it could have been a very different ending had Nashville converted on Gibson's gamble.
With the offseason underway for a number of teams, 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: C-
Entering the season, many around the NHL expected the Philadelphia Flyers to be a legitimate playoff contender. However, their year unfolded in a manner that few expected.
The Flyers showed flashes of brilliance during the 2016-17 campaign, but also flashed an uglier, sloppier side more fitting of a club working a rebuild.
Sprinkle in the fact the Flyers also hold a ton of young talent both up front and on the back end, and it's even harder to understand the recent plight of the orange, black, and white.
Relative to high expectations, this grade could potentially be even lower.
However, Philadelphia's main issue - as it seemingly has been since Ron Hextall retired in 1999 - is goaltending.
The Flyers conceded the 10th-most goals per game while allowing only 28.5 shots per contest - only six teams allowed fewer pucks on net.
With Michal Neuvirth, Anthony Stolarz, and impending free agent Steve Mason as the current options in goal, the Flyers may be in for another year of wondering what could have been.
Free Agents
The majority of the offseason work for the front office will likely focus on the team's back end, where rearguards Michael Del Zotto and Nick Schultz are unrestricted free agents, as is the aforementioned Mason.
With that said, Hextall - now serving as GM - has a few intriguing names to handle up front, namely Jordan Weal and Nick Cousins.
Player (Position)
2017-18 Status
Age
2016-17 Cap Hit
'16-17 Points
Michael Vecchione (F)
RFA
24
$925K
0
Roman Lyubimov (F)
RFA
25
$925K
6
Nick Cousins (F)
RFA
23
$840K
16
Chris VandeVelde (F)
UFA
30
$712.5K
15
Jordan Weal (F)
UFA
25
$650K
12
Michael Del Zotto (D)
UFA
26
$3.8M
18
Nick Schultz (D)
UFA
34
$2.2M
4
Shayne Gostisbehere (D)
RFA
24
$925K
39
Despite the Flyers' struggles to keep pucks out of their own net, Mason has performed admirably over his five seasons in Philly, amassing a respectable record of 104-78, and will have teams sniffing around for his services.
Goalie
2017-18 Status
Age
2016-17 Cap Hit
'16-17 SV%
Steve Mason
UFA
28
$4.1M
.908
2017 Draft Picks
Not only do the Flyers have a talented young core featuring the likes of Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov, and Sean Couturier, but Philadelphia also has the luxury of owning 12 picks in June's entry draft.
Round
Picks
1
1
2
1
3
2 (Own + Bruins)
4
3 (Own + Islanders + Lightning)
5
1
6
1
7
3 (Own + Devils* +Lightning)
* - Denotes conditional seventh-round pick from NJ.
Summer Priorities
1. Wake Giroux from his slumber
After an up-and-down season, the four-time All-Star and current captain needs to find his MVP-caliber game - and quickly - if the Flyers hope to return to postseason action.
Giroux is coming off his worst offensive showing in four years, managing only 14 goals to go along with an ugly minus-15 rating.
Simply put, the 29-year-old needs to wake up and find his old form or the Flyers' faithful may be calling for the speedy center's name to be mentioned in trade discussions, sooner than later.
2. Deal for a veteran forward
What the Flyers lack in experience they make up for in skill.
But that doesn't change the fact that Philadelphia proved at many points last season that it needs an experienced voice up front to support Giroux and Simmonds in the day-to-day running of the club.
Two free agents in particular would fill that need nicely: Joe Thornton or Justin Williams. Both are proven veteran leaders that would help steady this young and sometimes frenetic group.
3. Lock down the Ghost
Regardless of a dip in offense from a season ago, Gostisbehere remains a crucial piece of the Flyers' present and future.
Few D-men in the league dazzle like the 24-year-old can, and his offensive flair is backed up by his production. In 142 games over parts of three NHL campaigns, the young American has racked up 24 goals and 85 points by throwing 352 shots on goal.
Philadelphia has already benefited from the bargain deal the rearguard is on - $925,000 is an absolute steal - and the club would do well to pay the man his money.
2017-18 Outlook
To most NHL pundits, Philadelphia was an enigma in 2016-17. Its roster had way too much talent, speed, and skill to underperform the way it did.
Fast forward to next season, and expectations and pressure to succeed will be ratcheted up a notch.
With this core of players, Philly is expected to be a perennial playoff threat, and if the Flyers manage to miss the postseason for a third time in the last six seasons, heads will roll in the City of Brotherly Love.
