In the wake of missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, newly appointed Senators general manager Pierre Dorion made his first personnel decision, firing head coach Dave Cameron, the club announced Tuesday.
Cameron became the 11th head coach in franchise history - and fourth since 2008 - in December 2014.
Number of games for last five #sens head coaches: Cameron (137), MacLean (238), Clouston (198), Hartsburg (48), Paddock (64).
He was an assistant in Ottawa for three seasons before taking over for Paul MacLean, and guided the Senators to one of the most unlikely playoff berths in NHL history.
This season, however, Ottawa regressed.
Thanks to poor defensive play, the Senators finished the campaign with a minus-11 goal differential, and missed the playoffs by 11 points.
The team also announced assistant coaches Andre Tourigny and Rick Wamsley have been relieved of their duties.
Cameron coached Ottawa to a record of 70-50-17 during his tenure in the nation's capital.
Jonathan Drouin, who hasn't played a home game for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016, could end up being a difference-maker for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Suspended by the team on Jan. 20 for failing to report for an AHL game following a trade request made public, the young forward is back with the club and eager to contribute.
"I've got a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I've got stuff to prove," Drouin said, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "You want to show that you deserve to be in the NHL, you deserve your shot. I have a lot to show the fans and to myself and our team this year."
The 21-year-old scored two goals in two games since being recalled, providing a much-needed boost to an offense devoid of Steven Stamkos' prowess.
Whether the relationship between Drouin and the Lightning can be mended remains to be seen, but even if the trade request still stands, a strong playoff run could turn out to be a win-win.
Updates on P.K. Subban, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Mike Hoffman plus the latest on the Oilers, Red Wings and Bruins in your NHL rumor mill. Latest on the Canadiens, Senators and Oilers. MONTREAL GAZETTE: Pat Hickey reports Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said he didn’t have defenseman P.K. Subban on the trade block, though he noted even Wayne Gretzky got […]
MONTREAL - Sen. Jacques Demers has begun therapy and his overall health is getting better after his stroke last week, hospital officials said Monday.
"His overall medical condition is stable and continues to improve," said a statement from th...
Parise was diagnosed with a herniated disk that was pressing on a nerve in January. He played through the injury while getting treatment and cortisone injections. But since being tripped last week (April 5) by Sharks center Logan Couture, Parise has experienced tingling in his legs, foot numbness, and disabling back pain, sources say.
"This is an extraordinary loss for us," goalie Devan Dubnyk said. "The only way to look at it is, like any time, it’s going to be an opportunity for somebody else to step up and play a huge role, and play a role in winning the series.
"But you’re just not replacing Zach. Somebody like that, when he’s in the lineup, he’s awesome, and when he’s not, you certainly feel it. It’s sports. That’s the way it is."
General manager Chuck Fletcher declined to comment on the situation, and Parise is officially listed as day to day with an undisclosed injury.
The 31-year-old scored 25 goals in 70 games for the Wild, with only Charlie Coyle (21) and Nino Niederreiter (20) able to hit the 20-goal mark.
Minnesota's playoff campaign begins Thursday in Dallas.
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CHICAGO - The last title defence for the Chicago Blackhawks also started with the St. Louis Blues, and it nearly ended there, too. Four of the six games went to overtime before the Blackhawks moved on.
While most of the finer details from tha...
The San Jose Sharks are expected to have Marc-Edouard Vlasic back in the lineup for Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, as the defenseman took part in practice Monday after missing his team's last 12 games with an MCL sprain.
"I'm looking forward to playing," Vlasic said, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. "Took the time to heal properly, and now I'm ready to go."
Vlasic and partner Justin Braun make up the Sharks' key shutdown defense pairing, which will see plenty of minutes against the likes of Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, and Tyler Toffoli throughout the series.
The 29-year-old set new career highs with eight goals and 31 assists this season in just 67 games.
Forward Matt Nieto, who has also missed the team's last 12 with a broken knuckle, is also expected to be back in the lineup for Thursday's game.
"We've got all hands on deck," said head coach Peter DeBoer. "No issues here right now."
The St. Louis Blues have been knocked out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three straight years under head coach Ken Hitchcock. It's now or never. Problem is, the road to the second round is paved with one massive roadblock: the defending champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago's contributed to one of those three St. Louis first-round exits, in 2014, in six games.
The Blues won the regular-season series 3-2, taking the last two games in extra time - March 9 in a shootout and April 7 in overtime. Three of the five meetings were decided by one goal, and the other two by two goals. It will be tight.
Here's what we know: One excellent hockey team is going home after the first round. The Blues' 107 points ranked third in the NHL, and the Blackhawks' 103 fifth. It's almost a shame.
Tale of the tape
Blues
Statistic
Blackhawks
107
Points
103
2.7 (15th)
Goals per game
2.9 (6th)
2.4 (4th)
Goals against
2.5 (10th)
21.5% (6th)
Power play
22.6% (2nd)
85.1% (3rd)
Penalty kill
80.3% (21st)
52.% (7th)
Corsi
50.7% (15th)
7% (21st)
5-on-5 SH%
6.8% (26th)
93.1% (5th)
5-on-5 SV%
92.9% (12th)
Tarasenko: 74
Leading scorer
Kane: 106
Key players
Corey Crawford
Corey Crawford doesn't get enough credit for the Blackhawks' sustained success, but he's going into the playoffs as cold as it gets. A head injury - a suspected concussion - limited him to only one game after March 14, and that was Chicago's final game of the regular season. Crawford was lit up for five goals on only 25 shots.
The 31-year-old had an amazing season, winning a career-high 35 games, recording a career-high seven shutouts, and posting a .924 save percentage for the second straight campaign. And .924 is apparently the magic number - that was his save percentage on his way to the Stanley Cup last year, in 20 games and 19 starts.
Crawford should be fine. His career .921 save percentage in the postseason proves he plays his best when games matter most. But if the Blues can get to him early in Game 1, and perhaps plant a seed of doubt, well, that'd be something, wouldn't it?
Brian Elliott
In a series that boasts offensive players like Art Ross Trophy winner Patrick Kane, Calder Trophy candidate Artemi Panarin, 40-goal sniper Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Steen, Jonathan Toews, and Paul Stastny, it feels a little silly to be focusing on both teams' starting goalies. But, let's face it, the difference in what will be either a six- or seven-game series, will be between the pipes.
While injuries limited Brian Elliott to 38 starts, he was brilliant when he played, winning 23 games and posting the best save percentage in the league. Elliott stopped a stupendous 93 percent of the 1,113 shots he faced.
Jake Allen was great, too, he had to be for the Blues to get to 107 points. But it'll be Elliott in the crease in Game 1, and if the Stanley Cup Playoffs weren't difficult enough, the Blues, as noted, are facing massive pressure to win in the postseason. And goalies have enough on their minds.
Elliott didn't make a start in last year's playoffs, and has a career .897 save percentage in the spring, which simply won't do. He has to be better this time around, or the Blues, for as good as they've been over the past four seasons, may have to look at other options in the crease as well as behind the bench.
Here's more pressure: Elliott had an .892 save percentage in three starts against Chicago this season.
"Short term seems unlikely. A longer term of five or six years seems more likely," Dreger said, adding Rielly could earn "somewhere between $4.5 million and upwards of $5.5 million per year."
The only player to appear in all 82 of his team's games this season, Rielly led all Toronto defensemen with 36 points, while setting new career highs in goals (nine), assists (27), and shots on goal (167).
The former fifth overall draft pick will become a restricted free agent this summer.
