Tag Archives: Playoffs

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 28, 2016

Predators eliminate Ducks, Islanders take first game against Lightning, Vezina Trophy nominees announced and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.  NHL Playoff Recap. YAHOO SPORTS/THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER:  Appearing in their first Game 7 in franchise history, the Nashville Predators edged the Anaheim Ducks 2-1, eliminating the Ducks and extending their streak of losing […]

Watch: Quincey sends Johnson flying with big hit

So, Tyler Johnson can fly. But the diminutive Tampa Bay Lightning forward would probably have preferred to stay on his skates in this case.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey sent Johnson for a ride early in Game 4 on Tuesday, using his size and weight advantage to launch Johnson out of the Detroit zone.

Johnson got up and got the last laugh, at least early on, assisting on another game-opening goal by Nikita Kucherov.

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4-year playoff goal drought getting to Jagr: ‘It’s tough for me’

Even for the best, the well sometimes runs dry.

Jaromir Jagr hasn't scored in the playoffs in a long time - 34 games to be precise - and even though he's been playing forever, he's not immune to squeezing the stick a little bit tighter. It's been four years, after all.

"Sometimes you're too hot and it goes in and sometimes it goes the other way," the Florida Panthers' 44-year-old forward said, according to the Sun Sentinel's Harvey Fialkov. "The toughest thing is just don't get frustrated when things don't go the right way. It's tough for me and I've played for 24 years.

"It's like they say," Jagr added, "when everything goes right it's easy. Everybody can drive the bus if everything is good."

Jagr's pointless through three games against the New York Islanders in the first round, but has nine shots on goal. He's a minus-3, but played a season-high 22:14 in Game 3.

His line has generated chances, and Jagr thinks it's coming down to puck luck.

"I think it's a matter of time," he said. "Everything is a lot tighter, so to score goals it's a little bit tougher. (The Islanders are) playing good defense, so we should score on power plays, and we didn't do that ... It's wait and see."

The Panthers trail the series 2-1. They have one power-play goal in seven opportunities. Game 4 goes Wednesday night.

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Rangers captain McDonagh returns for Game 3

The captain is back.

New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh is in the lineup in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

McDonagh hasn't played since sustaining a hand injury on April 4. He was paired with Brady Skjei in warmups.

It's a big addition to the New York lineup, as McDonagh had 34 points during the regular season, averaging more than 22 minutes per game. He has seven goals and 19 assists in 44 playoff games over the past two seasons for the Blueshirts.

The series is tied 1-1, with the Rangers taking home-ice advantage away from the Penguins after a big win in Game 2.

Mcdonagh was originally thought to be a long shot to play in Game 3, but his visit to the doctor's office Tuesday afternoon clearly went well.

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Penguins tab Matt Murray as Game 3 starter

Matt Murray is the Pittsburgh Penguins' starting goalie for Game 3 against the New York Rangers.

The 21-year-old is making his NHL playoff debut.

Murray, who has practiced once since suffering an undisclosed injury in the regular-season finale, posted a record of 9-2-1 with a .930 save percentage in 13 appearances with the Penguins.

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Oshie after Game 3 onslaught: ‘We wanted 7 (goals)’

An ugly hit on Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov opened the floodgates Monday, and the Philadelphia Flyers paid the price.

Motivated by six unanswered goals to take a imposing 3-0 series lead, the Capitals were hungry for more.

"We wanted seven," Washington forward T.J. Oshie told Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. "Hit the post there on one of them."

The final period was chippy, to say the least, and the Flyers were hemmed in their own zone while the Capitals relentlessly pushed for more.

"I mean, they're always talking a lot, so it's always nice to shut their mouth with a couple goals," Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky said.

Jason Chimera shared the same opinion as his teammates, and was happy to watch the Capitals pour it on.

"Obviously you want to kick a team when they're down, for sure," the Washington winger said. "When their emotions get the best of them and they start taking penalties, you want to take advantage of that."

Washington did just that, scoring five power play goals.

In a chaotic 20 minutes, the Capitals flexed their first-place muscles at the expense of a division rival on the ropes.

"The fact that we can have that meltdown in their rink is awesome," Caps enforcer Tom Wilson said.

Game 4 is slated for Wednesday night. Expect more fireworks.

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Flyers’ Bellemare suspended 1 game for hitting Capitals’ Orlov from behind

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare will not play Game 4 against the Washington Capitals.

The Philadelphia Flyers forward has been suspended one game for an illegal check from behind on Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov in Game 3 on Monday.

(Courtesy: NHL.com)

As explained in the video, Bellemare - who was assessed a major and a game misconduct at the time of the play - rode Orlov forcefully into the boards as both players pursued the puck in Washington's zone.

While it's believed that the hit became more violent because Orlov lost an edge, it was still Bellemare's responsibility to change the angle of approach in order to minimize the force of the hit or avoid delivering the check altogether.

The one-game decision was reached, in part, because Orlov wasn't injured on the play and Bellemare had not been previously suspended.

Game 4 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.

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Sharks’ DeBoer looking for more production from depth players

Suddenly, the pressure is on the San Jose Sharks.

After two wins in Los Angeles to open the series, the Sharks woes at home continued Monday, falling 2-1 in overtime to the Kings.

Captain Joe Pavelski and linemate Joe Thornton have been the catalysts for San Jose's offense through three games, but after only three goals in the last two contests, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer is looking for more production from everybody.

When asked if he'd like to see more from lines two-through-four, DeBoer didn't beat around the bush.

"I think that's probably a little bit of an understatement," he said, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area.

Each game has been decided by one goal, and the Sharks are approaching treacherous waters if their supporting cast fails to show up.

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