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Hockey News

Malkin out for Game 6 with undisclosed injury

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without superstar forward Evgeni Malkin in Game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers due to an undisclosed injury, the team announced.

Malkin appeared to injure his leg in the first period of Game 5 as he got tangled up with Jori Lehtera and went down awkwardly. He did play the rest of the game, however.

The good news for the Penguins is that Patric Hornqvist returns to the lineup after missing the past two games with an upper-body injury. He will play alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the team's top line.

As for the rest of the lineup, Riley Sheahan will take Malkin's place between Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel, while the third line of Conor Sheary, Derick Brassard, and Bryan Rust remains intact. Zach Aston-Reese, Carter Rowney, and Tom Kuhnhackl make up the fourth line.

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Hockey News

Maple Leafs’ Gardiner on Game 5 win vs. Bruins: Glad we got over that curse

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If you're a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you've likely tried everything you possibly can to erase the memory of the first-round playoff collapse against the Boston Bruins in 2013: A series Toronto seemingly had in the bag with a 4-1 lead in the third period in Game 7.

Everyone knows how that played out, with the Buds blowing the game and, in turn, the series. So, on Saturday night, when the Leafs built another late 4-1 lead, some Toronto players like Jake Gardiner couldn't help but think back. "We had a lead similar to the one we had five years ago," Gardiner said with a smile, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

"Glad we got over that curse so that’s out of our minds now."

While there is no telling what will happen in Game 6 (or a possible Game 7), Gardiner already feels the Leafs are a more composed team than the one that coughed up that juicy lead five years ago.

"During that series it was pretty tense on the bench when they scored to make it 4-3," said Gardiner, per Masters. "It was a lot more tight on the bench (while) last night we just tried to relax and stay calm and keep playing."

Curse or not, the Leafs will try and push the series to a seventh and deciding game with a victory on Monday night.

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Hockey News

Trotz: Capitals will need ‘killer instinct’ to eliminate Blue Jackets in Game 6

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Guarantees are nice. Heck, winning streaks in the playoffs are even better.

Related: Ovechkin: We're going back to Washington tied

But, for Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, he knows exactly what he wants out of his club on Monday night if it hopes to knock off the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games and advance to the second round.

"If you have a chance to eliminate a team, you have to have that killer instinct," Trotz told the media on Sunday, according to Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports. "And it's the toughest game to win because the other team is desperate. Their backs are against the wall"

"They're going to have their max effort tomorrow. We've got to make sure that we've got a max effort, and if we do that, then we have a chance to win in Columbus. We've won there a couple of time already."

He's not wrong about that last part, as Washington won both Game 3 and 4 on the Blue Jackets' home ice. And following their Game 5 overtime victory on Saturday, the Capitals head back to Columbus with a chance to end their opponent's season.

Puck drop is set for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET from Nationwide Arena.

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Canucks 1st-rounder Pettersson joins elite company during record-breaking SHL playoffs

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Naslund. Backstrom. Forsberg. Sedin. Pettersson.

Yup, you can pencil in Elias Pettersson's name in with some of Sweden's all-time players.

Fresh off a regular season in which he set the SHL (Sweden's top professional league) record for points by a U20 player, the Vancouver Canucks prospect has not slowed down in the playoffs.

Pettersson has 10 goals and 19 points in 13 playoff games, setting another SHL record for points in a single postseason by a U20 player, according to Elite Prospects.

When you combine the regular season and the postseason, the numbers are that much more impressive.

He also appears to have the clutch gene, showing incredible poise with a defender draped all over him to score the SHL Championship-winning goal. He was named SHL Playoff MVP for his efforts.

Drafted fifth overall by the Canucks in 2017, Pettersson - who turned 19 last November - could announce his presence in North America with authority next season.

Canucks fans have every reason to be giddy about this kid.

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Hockey News

Bruins’ Rask: ‘Probably could have stopped more pucks with my eyes closed’

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Tuukka Rask put on a performance Saturday that he'll want to forget.

In Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins netminder allowed four goals on just 13 shots before getting the hook midway through the second period.

The veteran blamed himself for the 4-3 loss that saw the Maple Leafs close in on the Bruins' 3-2 series lead.

"(I) probably could have stopped more pucks with my eyes closed," Rask told Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. "It's on me."

Backup Anton Khudobin came into the game in relief of Rask, turning aside eight shots, but the Bruins couldn't overcome the Maple Leafs' early lead.

Game 6 goes Monday in Toronto.

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Hockey News

Andersen shines as Maple Leafs hold off Bruins’ comeback to force Game 6

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BOSTON (AP) Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk scored 1:19 apart in the second period, and then the Toronto Maple Leafs killed off a 5-on-3 and three more power plays in a row to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in Game 5 on Saturday night and avoid playoff elimination.

Connor Brown and Andreas Johnsson each scored his first career playoff goal in the first period, and the Maple Leafs took a 4-1 lead to chase Tuukka Rask in the second. Toronto also led 4-1 in Game 7 of the teams' 2013 playoff series before the Bruins won in overtime en route to their second Stanley Cup final berth in two years.

This time, Boston cut the deficit to one goal but the Leafs held on.

Frederik Andersen stopped 42 shots for Toronto, which returns home for Game 6 on Monday. Game 7 would be back in Boston on Wednesday, if necessary.

Jake DeBrusk and Sean Kuraly scored for the Bruins. Patrice Bergeron returned to the ice after missing one game with an undisclosed injury but not to the scoresheet; his line, which had 20 points in the first two games, was held without a goal or assist.

Rask was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots before skipping off to the locker room when he was pulled with 8:05 left in the second. Anton Khudobin, making his first career playoff appearance, stopped all eight shots he saw the rest of the way.

Toronto lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston by a combined score of 12-4, then won the third game at home before dropping the fourth to fall to the brink of elimination. The Maple Leafs also fell behind 3-1 in 2013 before back-to-back victories that forced a seventh game.

This time, they're hoping they can get that far.

Leading 4-1 midway through the game, they then gave Boston four straight power plays - putting four players in the penalty box at one point - but killed each one off. Kuraly made it a two-goal game with about three minutes left in the second and Noel Acciari made it 4-3 six minutes into the third.

Notes: Bergeron's absence from Game 4 was a surprise, and his upper body injury remains a mystery. He skated on the off-day Friday and again on Saturday morning and was then cleared to play. ... Grzelcyk had his first playoff point, and Acciari recorded his first playoff assist. ... Khudobin made his NHL debut in 2010 but has been a backup since then and never saw the ice in a playoff game. ... The game ended with fisticuffs in the corner. Bozak and Boston's David Backes were in the middle.

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For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

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Hockey News

Report: Ducks GM made it clear Carlyle will be back for another season

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Randy Carlyle's job is apparently safe for now.

Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray made it clear Saturday during his exit interview that his head coach will return next season, but said he's also looking to make changes to the team's style of play, according to Mike Coppinger of The Los Angeles Times.

Carlyle guided the Ducks to the playoffs for the second time in as many seasons since returning behind the Anaheim bench before the 2016-17 campaign, but his club was swept out of the first round by the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.

The Ducks made it to the Western Conference final in Carlyle's first season back in Orange County before losing to the Nashville Predators.

Carlyle is under contract through 2018-19, according to CapFriendly.

He also coached the team from 2006-07 to 2011-12.

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