The use of the word unexpected may be surprising to some since he is a talented playmaker, but he had a bit of rocky season. He requested a trade and was sent to Tampa Bay’s
AHL Affiliate,
Syracuse Crunch. When he didn’t report to the Crunch, he was suspended indefinitely by the Lightning. He ended his protest and finally reported to the AHL. He was recalled on April 7 due to a blood clot that forced
Steven Stamkos to miss one to three months.
Since
Drouin’s return, he has played in 13 playoff games and has 11 points. The forward has been playing with
Ondrej Palat and
Valterri Filppula for most of the playoffs. Drouin has scored three goals, eight assists, that is 11 points while averaging 16:57 of ice time per game. Jon Cooper has him playing the point on the first power play unit with
Victor Hedman.The 11 points tie him for second on the Bolts roster with Hedman, just behind
Nikita Kucherov and
Tyler Johnson, who have 14 points a piece. His eight assists are second in the postseason for Tampa Bay only to Johnson’s nine. Drouin’s 26 shots are fourth on the team behind Kucherov, Hedman and
Jason Garrison.
Drouin is proving that he has the ability to be a point-producer in the
NHL and he’s doing it while the Bolts are on another postseason run. In round 1, against the
Detroit Red Wings, the forward had four assists in five games including three power play assists. He recorded his first multiple point postseason game in Game 4 when he recorded three power play assists to help lead Tampa Bay to a win. He added 13 shots in the series to help the Bolts advance to the second round where they faced the
New York Islanders.
In series against the Isles,
Drouin added one goal, four assists and five points in five games played. He had two more power play assists and one game winning goal, which came in Game 2. The forward added another multiple point game in the series in Game 2 where he recorded a goal and an assist. In game 3, he was hit up high and had to leave the game, but he returned and assisted on the game-tying goal with just 39 seconds left in regulation. The Bolts would go on to win the game in overtime. He added another power play assist in the series clinching Game 5.
In three games of the Eastern Conference Final, he has two goals and one costly turnover. He had a goal in each of the first two games and the turnover came in the third game of the series, but he needs to put the play in the past and get back to playing the way he has been all postseason long.
Drouin has been creating offense and scoring chances with his speed. If he has speed in the neutral zone, teams are backing off of him and giving him the time and space to create plays. He has great vision on the ice and is creative with the puck. He can put the puck in the net, but most of his points will come off of assists and setting up his line mates for goals. The biggest reason for the great postseason play has been confidence.
He has the confidence to make plays that he knows he can make and isn’t hesitating to make them. He is driving to the net and has done a decent job to getting puck towards the net. He has generally been involved on the ice almost every time out there whether he is using his speed to get to a loose puck or his vision to make a nifty play to a teammate. Drouin has been mixing it up in scrums and battling along the boards while in on the forecheck. He is using his skating skills to evade the opposing player and get into the offensive zone.
Drouin is showing in this postseason that he has the ability to be a dynamic offensive player. He’ll need to put Game 3 behind him and get back to the form he has had all postseason.
In many cases, the overall success of a team comes down to the decisions that the owners and general managers make. While there are many exceptions to this, every year there are a few teams who really blossom to their full potential. Some of these teams have been good for years, but just needed a few changes or additions that may have seemed absurd at the time. Others find themselves rising from bottom up.
Since the 2009-10 season, the National Hockey League honors one general manager for exceeding all expectations and going above and beyond. This year, Brian MacLellan of the Washington Capitals, Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars and Jim Rutherford of the Pittsburgh Penguins have been named as the three finalists for the award of ‘General Manager of the Year’.
All of these general managers had notable seasons for different reasons. Brian MacLellan and the Washington Capitals had a phenomenal regular season. Though they were eliminated in the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoff’s, their season cannot be discounted. The phenomenal goaltending and landslide win of the 2015-16 President’s Cup (for being the top NHL team with 56 wins-making it a franchise record) are not the only notable things that can be said about this season’s Capitals. The acquisition of T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams in the last offseason added greatly to the team’s success.
Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars was also among the list of NHL general managers who knows what they are doing. Acquiring Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya and Antti Niemi in the last offseason are only a few of the factors that led the the success of the Star’s this season. The Dallas Stars won their first Western Conference title since the 2002-03 season and made it deep into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoff’s, along with reaching 50 wins for only the fourth time in franchise history.
Over the past year, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jim Rutherford have been busy curating a roster full of exceptional players. They were able to (most notably) add Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen, Eric Fehr, Carl Hagelin and Trevor Daley to their arsenal. After firing their coach mid-season, the Penguins found success in Mike Sullivan’s team leading efforts. Now, in the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoff’s the Penguins are a hard team to count out. Their perseverance and bench full of superstars have only been some of the factors in their success and the credit can be mainly given to their general manager.
The winner of General Manager of the Year will be announced on June 22nd at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
The
Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking to even the Eastern Conference Final at two games a piece, while the
Pittsburgh Penguins look to go up 3-1 in the series. Game 4 will be played on Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m. (ET) on NBCSN.
Here are five keys to Game 4:
1.) Avoid Turnovers/Sloppy Play
The Lightning have been turning over the puck too much in their own zone or neutral zone. They will have to cutback on the turnovers if they want to even this series. It wouldn’t be as bad if those turnovers weren’t leading to scoring chances or goals for the Penguins, but that is exactly what is happening. The Penguins have taken full advantage of the turnovers and sloppy play of the Bolts in their own zone so far this series. The forwards and defense of Tampa Bay need to support each other and move the puck quick to get it out of their own end. The Penguins forwards have been doing a great job of getting in on the forecheck to force a lot of those turnovers.
2.) Stop the ‘HBK’ Line
Tampa Bay will need to figure out a way to slow down the red hot line of
Carl Hagelin,
Nick Bonino and
Phil Kessel. The ‘HBK’ line has a combined 39 points in 14 postseason games. The players that Jon Cooper chooses to matchup against that line can slow them down by spending more time attacking and cycling in the offensive zone instead of defending in their own zone. The Bolts can also slow down the trio by nullifying plays in the neutral zone or getting sticks in the passing and shooting lanes like they did in Game 1. It will be a tall order to try to keep them off the board since the line has been on absolute fire during the postseason.
3.) Take Advantage of Opportunities
If a Lightning player has a chance to get the puck to the net then he needs to take the shot, and not look for the pass. If there is an odd man rush and the puck carrier has the shot then he needs to take it and hope that his teammates keep driving to the net looking for a rebound chance. Tampa also needs to be better while on the man advantage. They need to have speed through the neutral zone to get setup and once setup have quick puck movement to go along with player movement. Tampa Bay also needs to get someone in front of the net to screen the goalie.
4.) Another Solid Road Game
Pittsburgh needs to play like they did in Game 3. The Penguins will need to get in on the forecheck and force turnovers. They’ll need to make the Lightning defense make quick decisions with the puck while under pressure. They should continue to use their speed and quickness to get to loose pucks and create scoring chances.
5.) Weather the Storm
Tampa Bay is going to have the home ice advantage so look for them to come out ready to play. In Game 3, they played really well in the offensive zone and had a ton of chances, but then the Penguins took over from there. The Bolts will be trying to push the pace and get that first goal and take the lead into the first intermission. If the Pens can weather the storm like they did in Game 3, then they should have a good chance at taking a 3-1 series lead.
After the St. Louis Blues were shutout in their own barn on Tuesday allowing the San Jose Sharks to tie the series, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock talked about having learned to go from “furious to curious” in putting a loss behind him and moving forward. However, he was likely expressing some fury during the intermissions in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final as again the Sharks took control of the game.
It looked in the first period as though the Blues had learned their lesson, coming out strong on the forecheck; perhaps a result of the line changes Hitchcock made going into the third game. The only line he left alone was his second—Robby Fabbri, Paul Stastny and Jaden Schwartz. Throughout the first five minutes of the game, the Blues were putting good pressure on the Sharks overall and were outshooting them 4-1.
However, it was Hitchcock’s newly created fourth line of Magnus Paajarvi, Kyle Broziak and Dmitrij Jaskin that showed some of the strongest play for the Blues. They would see a number of shifts as a result of their efforts.
Despite the strong start, it wouldn’t last. While the Sharks struggled in the beginning to clear their zone, when they did get the puck out they often found themselves on the odd man rush in that first period. Though the shots ended up off the mark, it was clear that if they could force the Blues to turnover the puck that they could have the upper hand.
The Sharks found the back of the net at 15:53 of the first period as a result of just such a Blues’ turnover in the neutral zone exploited by Brent Burns who was able to set up Joe Thornton’s pass to Joe Pavelski who in turn got it on the stick of Tomas Hertl. Hertl’s laser shot found twine behind Blues goaltender Brian Elliott. Burns’ intercept took advantage of the Blues’ stretch pass the first clue that St. Louis was getting away from their game.
Going into the second period the Blues were down a man after Alex Pietrangelo was whistled for charging with just eight seconds remaining in the first. While the Blues made the kill, that was perhaps the only positive for them. They continued to struggle to regain the energy and control they had in the beginning of the game. Their best opportunity coming again from the fourth line, but Martin Jones was up to the challenge—continuing to look calm despite his present national arena.
Fabbri, instead of perhaps taking a shot on net or dumping it around the back of the net, sent the puck cross ice intending it for his linemate Stastny only to see Joonas Donskoi poke it out getting it up to Logan Couture. Couture showed awareness of Donskoi’s positioning and patience waiting for the right winger to get into the offensive zone. Couture’s pass to Donskoi set him up to put the Sharks up 2-0.
Vladimir Tarasenko (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
As the teams went off for the second intermission it was clear that the Blues, who are best known as a physical team, were anything but. In addition to being down two goals, they were also being outhit 34-16 in the first two frames. Their star players making ghostly appearances, especially Vladimir Tarasenko who managed only 2 shots on goal in the entire game and lost his battles to the puck.
On the flip side, the stars for the Sharks continued to show their focus and determination. While Burns didn’t have a point in this game, his skill with the puck and his view of the ice were responsible for that first goal though he didn’t get an assist on the stats’ sheets. And that goal seemed to tilt the ice in favor of the Sharks and they never let up.
Six minutes into the third, Hertl got his second of the game and gave the Sharks a 3-0 lead. This goal, the third of only 14 seen by the Blues net minder saw Elliott pulled and Jake Allen taking his place. However Allen wouldn’t spend too much time there. With an aggressive 5:18 remaining in the third, Hitchcock used his timeout and elected to put six players out there and sit his goaltender for the rest of the game.
The Sharks shut out the Blues in back-to-back games going up 2-1 in the series. Their decisions on the ice are forcing the Blues to turnover the puck and shed their identity. Hitchcock seems to be sending a few mixed messages in this regard as well, asking the team to play to their strength—which is a physical game—but then inserting some skill guys in his line shakeups.
The teams will see each other again on Saturday night at the Shark Tank, where clearly the Blues hope to even the series and regain some control. Of course if Jones continues his backstopping prowess along with the overall cohesiveness of his teammates in front that may not be an option.
The San Jose Sharks did exactly what was expected of them during Game 2 of the NHL Western Conference Final on Tuesday night. After dropping Game 1 with a 2-1 loss in St. Louis on Sunday night, the Sharks looked to even the score.
“Getting the first goal was big,” said Sharks Head Coach DeBoer. “I knew our power play would bounce back. It always has all year. But, you know, I liked our five-on-five game. We got contributions from everyone.”
The first of those contributions came from 28-year-old Sharks center, Tommy Wingels just over 2 minutes (2:07), into the first period. The goal was the second of the playoffs for Wingels, who tallied a mere 7 goals during the regular season. While many might perceive the first and second line at a higher importance, it is imperative, especially down the playoff stretch for all lines to equally contribute. The Sharks fourth line, and Wingels in particular, did just that.
“It’s very important. We talk as a line and as a team, you know, how as a fourth line can we be effective. Maybe most nights it’s creating energy. It’s punishing the defensemen in the offensive zone. It’s forechecking hard, winning battles, playing well defensively,” lamented Wingels postgame. “That all being said, we have the confidence as a line that we can score. We can wear their ‘D’ down. We can play in the offensive zone. Tonight I thought we did a great job of that. Yeah, the goal is great. Aside from that, I thought we followed it up with numerous shifts after that playing in their zone. As a line, you just got to gain confidence game after game and try to build on it. As a line, we’re going to try to do that in Game 3.”
Already having contributed 5 goals in the playoffs alone, Sharks defensemen Brent Burns found his way to the net on a power play at 7:04 of the second period. But the goal in the second period wasn’t the last that Sharks fan would see from their grizzly hero. Following his second period goal, Burns continued his scoring at 11:58 of the third period, giving his team a 3-0 lead over the Blues.
Dainius Zubrus put the final goal of the game on the board at 19:41 of the third period, giving his team a final 4-0 win, and tying the series in the west at 1-1.
While their was an offensive rush throughout the night, it wasn’t simply goals that lead the team to victory, but the play between the pipes from goaltender Martin Jones. Jones stopped 26 shots in the win and proved himself as an asset for the Sharks organization. It’s hard to believe that the goaltender is still a rookie in the ranks.
“I don’t really think of him as a rookie, I guess,” said Burns when discussing goaltender Martin Jones postgame. “He’s won a Cup. He’s been through a lot. Won a gold medal last summer. I think he’s shown that he can play in stressful situations. I mean, I know everybody’s been talking about how calm he is. I think he’s got experience. I don’t really think of him as a rookie really.”
This is the time to shine. Jones, acquired by San Jose from the Boston Bruins back on June 30, 2015, filled a void for the team. With a cool demeanor, he is no stranger to the pressures of a Stanley Cup run, and won the Cup with the LA Kings. Will the rookie goaltender be the key to finally bringing the San Jose Sharks to a Stanley Cup Final? Fans will know soon enough.
With a tied series, both teams find themselves fighting to take the lead, as the quest for hockey’s holy grail becomes more intense. Game 3 faces off Thursday evening on Sharks home ice at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The Flyers will play four games in the first three days of their preseason due to its annual split squad game. The split squad game will take place on Sept. 26 with the Flyers will send one squad to the Prudential Center to face the Devils. The other squad will go to the Barclays Center to face the New York Islanders. The following night, the Orange and Black will see home ice for the first time during the preseason against the Islanders.
The game on Wednesday, September 28 versus the Devils will be played at the PPL Center, which is the home of the Flyers’
AHL Affiliate,
Lehigh Valley Phantoms. This is the second year on a row that the Flyers will host a NHL preseason game at
PPL Center. The Flyers hosted the New York Islanders there last season and won the game 5-3.
In the final four games of the preseason, Philadelphia will see the Boston Bruins twice and the New York Rangers twice. One game in each series will be home and one will be away.
The Bruins face the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, October 1. This will only be Philadelphia’s second “home” game of the preseason. The Flyers and New York Rangers will then play a home-and-home series. The Orange and Black will host the Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time during the preseason on Monday, October 3. The Rangers will return the favor on Thursday, October 6 at Madison Square Garden.
Philadelphia will wrap up the preseason on Saturday, October 8 against the Bruins at TD Garden, which will be at 5 p.m. All of the other seven preseason games for the Flyers will be at 7 p.m.
The
Tampa Bay Lightning and
Pittsburgh Penguins will play Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday, May 18. The series will shift to Tampa, Florida and the game can be seen on NBCSN at 8 p.m.
Here are five keys to Game 3:
1.) Take Advantage of Home Ice
The Lightning will be on home ice for the first time in the series and will need to take advantage of it. The crowd will be loud so they need to get off to a fast start and feed off the crowd’s energy. The Lightning need to get the forecheck established early and spend some much needed time in the offensive zone, which they didn’t do enough of in Game 2. The Bolts will want to try and get the first goal since they are 7-1 when doing so in the postseason. They did come back from a 2-0 deficit in Game 2, but lost in overtime.
2.) Support
Tampa Bay needs to do a better job of supporting each other especially if they want to cut down on the Pens quality scoring chances. The Bolts will also need to support each other to win the board battles, get loose pucks and get a forecheck going to spending some attack time in the offensive zone. The gap between the forwards and the defenseman can’t be too big because the Pens will take advantage of that and try to force turnovers. The Lightning didn’t have the puck enough in Game 2 to be able to generate much sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
3.) More Shots
The Lightning have had as many shots on goal in two games as the Pens total shots on goal in Game 2 (41). They had 20 shots get through to Matt Murray in Game 1, and 21 shots get through to the goalie in Game 2. The Pens have done a decent job of keep the Bolts to one and done in the offensive zone. Tampa Bay will need to get a cycle game going and if the shot is there then take it and don’t pass it up. They’ll also need to get in on the forecheck and win those board battles and get someone in front of Murray so they can have those second and third chances.
4.) Weather the Storm
Pittsburgh will need to weather the storm for the first 10 minutes of the game. The Bolts should come out ready to play in front of the home crowd. If the Pens can survive the first 10 minutes of the game and play a strong, defensive road game then they’ll have a good shot at taking the series lead. The Penguins also need to play a full 60 minutes, and keep attacking if they can manage to get the lead.
5.) Penguins Power Play
The Penguins need to start converting on the free opportunities that the Lightning are giving them by not being discipline, and taking too many penalties. The Penguins only had two chances on the power play during Game 2, but are only 1-for-6 in the Eastern Conference Final. One of those power plays was for five minutes and the Pens couldn’t take advantage and score a goal or two. The puck movement has been good, when they manage to get setup, but they are missing the net with too many shot attempts while on the man advantage. If they can get the power play going then they’ll be in good shape for the rest of the series.
The Flyers and the Devils will square off on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 7:05 p.m. This is the second consecutive preseason that the Flyers will play a game at the
PPL Center, which will be hosting its third year of professional hockey.
The first NHL game was played at
PPL Center last preseason when the Flyers hosted the
New York Islanders. The game took place on September 21, 2015 and the Flyers won the game 5-3. It was a split squad game for both teams with half of the players going to Brooklyn to play at the Barclays Center. The Flyers sent some of the regular players like
Claude Giroux,
Michael Raffl and
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare along with prospects like
Travis Konecny to Allentown. The preseason game gave the fans a chance to see some current Flyers and prospects that they may not follow or see in person.
The tickets for the game will go on sale beginning on Tuesday, May 17, to Lehigh Valley Phantoms season ticket holders in an exclusive presale. The Phantoms will also be offering a discount to season ticket holders should they decide to buy the tickets and go to this game. On Thursday, May 19, at 10 a.m. the general public will be able to purchase tickets for the game. They will be able to get them online at
pplcenter.com, by calling (610)-347-TIXX or go to the Box Office at PPL Center.
The PPL Center will also be the sight of the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic, which will be happening from January 28, 2017-January 30, 2017.
Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal 40 seconds into overtime to tie the Eastern Conference Final at one game apiece.
The goal ended an eight game goalless streak for Crosby, who hadn’t scored since Game 4 of the first round. Brian Dumoulin got the puck to Bryan Rust, who found a wide open Crosby in the slot. Crosby fired the puck up high just under the crossbar to even the series. Crosby’s goal was the fastest goal in Penguins overtime history, with George Ferguson previously holding that record, scoring an overtime goal at 47 seconds on April 14, 1979.
Pittsburgh got off to a fast start and Andrei Vasilevskiy had to make a pad save eight seconds into the game on Chris Kunitz. The Penguins built off the early chance and followed it up with a goal by Matt Cullen. Cullen started the play on a 2-on-1, got the puck over to Eric Fehr, who took the shot. Vasilevskiy made the save but left a huge rebound that Cullen found and put up over the goaltender’s shoulder. The Penguins didn’t slow up after the first goal and kept pushing.
Brian Boyle blocked a shot, but the puck was kept in the offensive zone by defenseman Ian Cole. Cole managed to get the puck over to Phil Kessel, who made the cross-ice pass to Carl Hagelin. Hagelin took the shot, which got knocked down in front and over to Nick Bonino, who found Kessel who ripped one past Vasilevskiy. Pittsburgh was out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Lightning just wouldn’t go away.
Tampa Bay had just killed off its first penalty of the game when Victor Hedman made a nice pass to Jon Marchessault. Marchessault spotted Anton Stralman cross- ice, made the pass and Stralman roofed one just under the crossbar to make it a 2-1 game. It was Stralman’s first game back from a broken fibula and his first goal of the postseason. The Lightning took another penalty, but subsequently killed it off.
Matt Carle got the puck to J.T. Brown, who made a quick touch pass to Jonathan Drouin. Drouin skated into the Penguins zone, and sniped one past Matt Murray. Drouin’s game tying goal came with just under 50 seconds left in the first period. It was Drouin’s 11th point of the postseason. The teams went to intermission tied at two.
In the second period, each team had some chances but nothing got past either goalie. Sidney Crosby had the best chance of the period but Vasilevskiy made a nice glove save before the puck crossed the goal line. The Penguins controlled the play for the last 10:00 or so of the period. The Bolts were held without a shot for over eight minutes in the second. In the closing seconds, Alex Killorn had a nice chance but Murray was there to make the save.
Pittsburgh absolutely dominated the third period after Mike Sullivan made an adjustment during intermission. Conor Sheary was benched for the period due to his poor play and not being able to generate anything. Sullivan went with 11 forwards and a bunch of different line changes. The Penguins out-shot the Lightning 16-6 in the third period. Vasilevskiy once again was the busier goalie in the third period and kept the game tied at two.
The Penguins came out and continued their dominance from the third period to grab the eventual game winner.
The series will travel to Tampa Bay for games three and four. Game 3 is on Wednesday, May 18, with a puck drop time of 8 p.m. The game can be seen on NBCSN.
Here are five keys for Game 2:
1.) Fast Start
The Penguins didn’t get off to the best start in Game 1. The Lightning had the better start while generating some early chances, but fortunately for the Penguins they didn’t end up in the back of the net. Pittsburgh needs to come out with more urgency and spend more time in the attacking zone while establishing a fore check. The Pens should feed off the early energy from the home crowd and get some chances. The Lightning are 7-1 in the postseason when scoring first, while Pittsburgh is 3-3 when opponents net the first goal of the game. The Penguins are 5-1 when scoring first and the Bolts are 2-1 when the opponent scores first.
2.) Discipline
The two teams have taken their fair share of penalties during this postseason. Tampa Bay is leading the way with 47 penalties while Pittsburgh isn’t far behind with 44 penalties. The Bolts penalty kill has been able to pass the test so far by killing off 87.2% of the penalties taken. The Pens have killled off 81.8% of their penalties. The two teams, especially the Lightning, need to stay out of the box. If both teams keep taking penalties then it’s going to come back to burn them because each team has a good power play.
3.) Get Shots Through To Net
Pittsburgh had a lot of shots blocked or miss the net high and wide in Game 1. They’ll need to get more shots on net like they did in the third period of the first game, if they want to have a chance at making this a series. The Bolts did a really nice job of getting in the shooting and passing lanes in Game 1. The Penguins will need to figure out a way to make an adjustment and get more shots through to the goalie with traffic in front.
4.) Goaltending
Matt Murray has already been named the started for the Pens in Game 2 by coach Mike Sullivan. Murray will look to have a bounce back game after giving up three goals in the first game. The Bolts haven’t officially made an announcement on who its starting goalie will be for Game 2.
Ben Bishop left Game 1 when he injured his leg, and is listed as day-to-day for the Bolts.
Andrei Vasilevskiy replaced him in the net and had a very strong game especially in the third period. The Pens need to get more traffic in front of the goalie and take away his eyes.
5.) Get Crosby & Malkin Going
If the Penguins want to stay in this series then they’ll need to get its two superstar players going.
Sidney Crosby had an assist on the power play while
Evgeni Malkin didn’t register a point in Game 1. Crosby hasn’t scored a goal since Game 4 of the first round, which is a goalless streak of eight games. Malkin has been held off the scoreboard for the last five games and his last goal was in Game 1 of round two. Mike Sullivan will need to figure out how to get these two going even if it means switching up lines or just having better in game management to get them away from the lines that Jon Cooper wants them to face.
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