Saturday night saw the Clarkson University Golden Knights take on the Providence College Friars in the Championship Game of the 2017 Friendship Four. In the third year of this international NCAA tournament, it was somewhat expected that Providence would likely be the winner. The previous two years had seen the Hockey East team of the finals with the win. However, Providence had a young team and Clarkson had the tight-knit connections that have been seen in the other winners.
Photo by William Cherry/Presseye
Going into the first period, it did look like Providence was going to carry the game. They were outshooting the Golden Knights and they notched the first goal. In fact as the teams went into their locker rooms during the first intermission, Providence seemed to be in full control of the game.
As things got under way in the middle frame, the Friars took two penalties just 28 seconds apart. The first at 4:40 of the second, was a tripping penalty called on freshman defenseman Jeff Baum. The second at 5:08 was a slashing penalty on sophomore forward Shane Kavanagh—who would find himself sitting two more times in the game for a boarding and a roughing. Clarkson would capitalize during the five-on-three opportunity 50 seconds in, as Devin Brosseau got the Golden Knights on the board, assisted by Terrance Amorosa—himself a decommit from Providence. That goal definitely gave Clarkson energy.
“Took two penalties against the best power play in the country. It’s immaturity. The second penalty was…there was no need for that penalty,” said Friars’ head coach Nate Leaman after a disappointing loss. “It allowed them to get back in the game. I thought we were playing a very good game up to that point.”
As the game went on, Providence had a few chances, and things were still close going into the second intermission, though Clarkson had gone up a goal. However, a one-goal game is still anyone’s game. That all changed when the Golden Knights got their third goal of the game 1:20 into the third period. They responded with a fourth goal just a minute and a half later, and it was clear that the wind had been knocked a bit out of the sails of the Friars.
“If we want these big moments, we have to attack them better and I thought for the first period we attacked it pretty well, but as the game went on, I thought their forechecks and their gaps were tighter,” Leaman expounded on his team’s overall experience.
Photo by William Cherry/Presseye
On the other side of the ice, despite being down a goal at the end of the first period, it was clear that Clarkson wasn’t willing to give up. After getting their tying goal on the power play, the Golden Knights seemed determined to win. Despite what Coach Leaman said about his opponent’s power play, it was actually even strength goals that carried them to the win. Clarkson had one additional power play in the second and two in the third but it was those quick goals at the top of the third that cemented their win and their right to ring the Friendship Four bell.
“We missed some scoring changes and they kind of put us on our heels taking that first goal, but I thought from second period on, I thought we really played towards our process and played to who we are and the outcome was good for us tonight, “ Clarkson’s head coach Casey Jones shared after the game.
Playing to a team’s identity is certainly an important aspect of the any team, but seems to be even more important in hockey which is one of the last true team sports. And as Clarkson showed their resilience in the second period, it gave them the confidence to continue their game, which resulted in the win.
Photo by William Cherry/Presseye
At the end of the game, an individual player from each team was recognized for their contribution to the game and to their team. The Providence Friars’ player Erik Foley was so honored for his opening goal on the game and the assist to the Friars second goal in the third period. Clarkson’s Brosseau got the honor in recognition of his tying goal and an assist on Nico Sturms’ game-winning goal early in the third. There is also a Player of the Tournament who is recognized and awarded the Beacon of Hope Trophy, which gets its name from the Beacon of Hope sculpture in Thanksgiving Square of Belfast. An appropriate award for the Friendship Four which is always played the Friday and Saturday of the American Thanksgiving week, this year’s trophy was given to Clarkson’s goaltender Jake Kielly.
Clarkson was the first team to bring their pep band along and they were the first ECAC Hockey division team to win the tournament. They have raised the bar for their division teams coming over in 2018—Yale University and Union College. They will compete against Hockey East Division’s Boston University and University of Connecticut. And if you are in Belfast or even nearby, make plans to attend what is becoming a most impressive display of hockey talent amidst an exuberant crowd of hockey fans.
As the ceremonial puck was dropped by Belfast’s Lord Mayor Nuala McAllister, Friendship Four 2017 was underway. The annual hockey tournament, which is the only NCAA tournament to take place internationally, was celebrating its third year, and the crowds proved that the skill of the college players is definitely catching on.
Photo by William Cherry/Presseye
The first game between ECAC division rivals RPI and Clarkson was the second time this month that these two teams saw each other across the puck. As division rivals, they play each other frequently throughout the season, and on November 3, the Clarkson University Golden Knights had schooled RPI’s Engineers to the tune of a 6-0 final, so RPI clearly was hoping for a different outcome.
Josh Dickinson capitalized on the man advantage at 18:10 of the opening period putting Clarkson on the board first with the only goal scored in the first. The score would still be 1-0 in favor of Clarkson when the teams went into their rooms for the second intermission. It actually looked like it might be a one-goal game as the clock ticked under the three-minute mark of the final twenty but Dickinson found his second opportunity and gave Clarkson a little breathing room in those final few moments.
Photo by William Cherry/Presseye
Throughout the game the cheering from the students of the schools the players had visited earlier in the week spoke to their interest in the college players that visited them. Clarkson had also brought their pep band—a first for this tournament—which head coach Casey Jones attributes to part of the atmosphere that helps his team win. And it clearly continued to help the Golden Knights on Friday night, as did the secondary scoring from Dickinson who seemed to be in all the right places at the right times.
Jeremy Swayman (Photo by William Cherry/Presseye)
The Hockey East division game saw the Providence Friars taking on the University of Maine Black Bears. Overall in their division, the Black Bears have won more games between the two teams, however, Friday night’s game the Black Bears seemed to struggle to bury any of their chances. Their freshman goaltender, Jeremy Swayman, worked hard to keep his team in the game, but as head coach Red Gendron pointed out, the team must score at the other end.
Photo by William Cherry/Presseye
The Providence Friars were tentative in the first period, but as they continued in the second, it was clear they were getting more comfortable and after Ryan Tait got the Friars on the board at 15:12 of that middle frame, their confidence was clear. It was still just a one-goal game, as the clock neared the midway mark of the third period, when Maine’s Brendan Robbins was called for a hooking and the Friars took advantage on the power play. That goal gave the Friars an energy that Maine just couldn’t combat, and a late major high-sticking, contact to the head penalty sealed the fates of the Black Bears. The Friar’s Tait notched his second of the game on an empty net during the power play.
Both Maine and RPI must push off the sting of their losses on Friday night as they will meet each other in the consolation game Saturday afternoon (10AM Eastern Time). As for Clarkson and Providence, while they have experienced the high of their wins, they now must refocus to see who will raise and ring the school bell that is the trophy awarded to the winner of the Friendship Four tournament. They meet on the ice at 7:00pm (2pm ET).
New Year’s Day 2019 will open with something familiar to NHL fans—an Original Six matchup facing off in the Winter Classic.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins will “Play Like A Champion Today” to ring in 2019 at the iconic Notre Dame Stadium, home of golden helmets, Touchdown Jesus, Fighting Irish, and the setting for the beloved and oft-referenced film Rudy.
“Well, I’ve seen the move ‘Rudy,’” joked Bruins’ center Patrice Bergeron. “I don’t know all that much about it, but I know there’s a lot of history behind that school and that program. It’s going to be special, for sure, and I’m looking forward to take it all in once we’re there.”
The Notre Dame choice could appeal for a number of reasons from its history and aesthetics to its South Bend, Ind. haven of lake-effect cold and snow.
“Notre Dame Stadium, with its capacity approaching 80,000, will provide an ideal setting for this ground-breaking event and will host the largest live audience ever to witness a game by either of these teams,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a press release.
This will be the Blackhawks’ fourth Winter Classic and sixth outdoor game (two Stadium series) and the Bruins’ third, but its first as a visitor. The recycling of Original Six teams for outdoor games has quite a few fans in a tizzy. Here’s some of the rare not-too-foul-to-print commentary:
Blackhawks in ANOTHER winter classic. Might as well start calling it the Blackhawks Classic…@NHL
Because they know they will at least get decent ratings with Blackhawks and they aren’t willing to try anything else. I think a Penguins/Preds Winter Classic or Stadium Series would do great. Cup final ratings show that.
If it’s any consolation to the angry NHL fans, Chicago has won just one of the six games—a 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2014 Stadium Series at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
Chicago’s 2009 game versus the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field ended with a 6-4 loss, though it certainly grew the team.
“We lost. But it was the rebirth of the Blackhawks.”
They won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years the following season and have taken two more championships since.
Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman said:
“I think it will be spectacular, right up there with Wrigley Field. Before the first Winter Classic in Buffalo, a lot of people wondered. New Year’s Day pretty much belonged to college football and bowl games. Would an outdoor hockey game work? Well, it worked. It certainly worked at Wrigley Field.
“It was a big, big deal, to host one of those. We were just beginning to see some hope then as a team. The star of the show was Wrigley Field. You asked yourself, ‘What could be unique after that?’ Soldier Field was huge, and Notre Dame, all the tradition on that campus. I loved my time there. Playing a hockey game there will be tremendous. All the outdoor experiences are nice, but hosting one as we will for the third time is really special.”
The Bruins hosted their two NHL Winter Classic games—a 2-1 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park in 2010 and a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium in 2016.
Bruins President Cam Neely told media he’s looking forward to the experience:
“The Boston Bruins are excited to be playing in the 2019 Bridgestone Winter Classic against another storied Original Six franchise, the Chicago Blackhawks. The rich history of Notre Dame Stadium is well documented, and our team looks forward to playing at such an iconic venue. We hope that by participating in these large scale and unique NHL events we can bring Bruins fans new hockey experiences, and that we can use these opportunities to help grow our great game and attract new fans.”
And, while some fans may feel neglected, this matchup and venue makes sense. Both Chicago and Boston have healthy Irish-American populations. Chicago had a reign of Irish leaders for 43 of the last 57 years; and, while the city proper Irish-American numbers have dropped from 16 percent to about 8 percent since 1990, many suburbs hit up to the mid-20s of Irish-identifying population, according to census results. Chicago dyes its river green and both cities host large parades for St. Patrick’s Day each year. Boston-Irish numbers hit around 20 percent.
Both teams also have connections. Bowman is a Notre Dame alum and the team has training camp at the university each year.
Blackhawks winger Vinnie Hinostroza (currently at AHL Icehogs) played two years at Notre Dame.
Former Bruins forward Dave Poulin played for Notre Dame from 1978-82 and served as Notre Dame’s hockey coach. Bruins rookie forward Andres Bjork played hockey for three years at the university.
Jack Swarbick, Notre Dame University Vice President, is excited:
“I think it’s only fitting that two of the NHL’s legendary ‘Original Six’ teams will take the ice for the first hockey game in one of America’s most iconic athletic facilities. Hosting two franchises with so many connections to Notre Dame also provides a unique opportunity to celebrate our hockey legacy.”
Tickets are expected to be released for sale to team season ticketholders before the general public, but so far no dates have been released.
The Boston Bruins played host to the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s newest expansion team, for their inaugural tilt against each other. The two teams will see each other just twice during the regular season.
There is the age-old question of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Thursday night’s game between Boston and Vegas came close to answering that question—as both teams play a similar “blue collar, grind down the opponent” style game. And what was learned is that it keeps both teams with limited chances on net and those chances that do get through, the offensive team needs to have someone in the crease for a greasy goal.
The Bruins were coming off their over-time loss to the LA Kings last Saturday and then a shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. The Knights came into Boston after losing to the New York Islanders on Monday followed by a loss on Tuesday to the New York Rangers. Both teams wanted a better outcome, but just as with the unstoppable force and the immovable object, something will give, because only one team can be the victor.
The Bruins came out strong in the first period, keeping the Knights from a shot on goal for close to the first ten minutes. Once Vegas got that first one though, the ice tilted a bit in their favor. When Patrice Bergeron was whistled for a tripping at 11:07, the Vegas power play went to work and hemmed in the Bruins for the bulk of their time on the power play. While Tuukka Rask would keep the Knights from scoring, it wasn’t the best of efforts by the Bruins on the penalty kill. Three and a half minutes later Matt Beleskey would get a tripping penalty and the Bruins would again be down a man. They did a much better job of limiting the chances and the amount of time that Vegas set up shop in their end. At the end of the first twenty minutes, neither team had scored and Vegas was up in shots on goal 8 to 5.
Kuraly, McAvoy and Miller
Every hockey game is a team effort though there are often key individuals who stand out for one reason or another. Thursday night’s game, it seemed that the Hockey Gods wanted to see what Sean Kuraly could do for Boston and what Nate Schmidt could do for Vegas. Kuraly would end up with the go-ahead goal for the Bruins that saw them garner the two points from the game. Schmidt would pick the puck off Jake DeBrusk and go on to assist on the Knights’ one goal, made by Cody Eakin, in a very tight game.
Certainly not to diminish from Riley Nash’s first goal on the season which he scored for the Bruins at 3:24 of the middle frame, assisted by Austin Czarnik and Torey Krug, but the test of the grinders would come a bit later when the Knights got that equalizer.
“He didn’t feel me on his backside and when a guy doesn’t feel you, they expose the puck,” Schmidt said of the sequence. “You have a chance to be able to pick his pocket. I’ve been on the other side of that a few times in my career, so it’s a little bit different to be on the right side of things.”
Just as the Knights had three more shots on goal in the first, the Bruins would be the team with the extra three at the end of the second twenty, and the players would go to the second intermission with the score tied at one and the shots on goal tied at 20 a piece.
Much of the first half of the final period of regulation saw a lot of north and south play, something to be expected given how similar both teams were in regard to style. That particular approach grinds down the players on the other team until someone makes a mistake. As the game went on, the grinding from both teams continued to minimize opportunities and it was clear that the team with the most grit would probably come out on top.
Such was the case on Kuraly’s goal. He made a point of putting himself in front of the net, first to the right of netminder Lagace and then sliding to the left looking for a rebound. Kuraly would end up kissing the goal post after scoring, as he was pushed into the net, but that wouldn’t slow down his celebration with his linemates. For DeBrusk it was a chance to redeem himself with an assist and for Krug, who was playing his first game without the jaw guard, it was a two-point night with assists on both of the Bruins goals.
“We asked our group to make sure we forced [Lagace] to control rebounds, work to find pucks, and we had pockets of that in the second period. I thought we did a good job, and then in the last goal we needed more of it and [Kuraly] was good,” said Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. “It was good to see Sean [Kuraly] get rewards. He’s certainly more than willing to go to those areas. Those are the type of goals he’s going to score.”
Kuraly certainly agrees with that assessment.
“That’s what I’ve got to do to help this team push it in the right direction, push the game in our favor and tonight I was lucky enough to find one on the doorstep.,” Kuraly shared. “But, if you keep going to those spots I think you’ll keep finding them, and I kind of felt it coming tonight, felt the puck coming around the net and kept coming to me. And I think you just keep working and doing the right things and treat the game with respect, it kind of respects you.”
Kuraly is the fifth rookie this season to score their first career NHL goal with Boston, and everyone on the bench has been thrilled for each of those players to reach that milestone.
The Bruins will take the win and Nash and Kuraly will enjoy the evening with the extra joy from their goals, but then it will be business as usual for them on Friday as they hit the ice for practice at Warrior Ice Arena. They will then host the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. The Capitals, who also played on Thursday, beating the New York Islanders, come into Saturday’s game with a 6-6-1 record so far in the season.
The Chicago Blackhawks have lost five of their last seven games for an underwhelming 5-5-2 start to the season.
As hard as it’s been to watch the team’s lackluster performance recently, it’s certainly too soon to count them out. As winger and current points leader Patrick Kane told media:
“Not the start we wanted, but we still have a lot of good players. Let’s not push the panic button just yet.”
But the frustration is obvious in the players’ performance and expressions, and even in Coach Joel Quenneville’s decision to to close practice with players skating laps.
“I think it just had to do with us not managing the puck the right way. We had a lot of turnovers and they capitalized the other way. That’s what kept us in our own end, and we couldn’t create offense. We did it to ourselves. But we learned from it. It was a big win, and we’ll move on.”
They didn’t move on in the right direction, however.
Blackhawks at Blues 10/18
Jaden Schwartz notched a hat trick, and a potential head injury, in the Blues‘ 5-2 victory.
Then, on another offensive play, Schwartz lost an edge speeding to the left of the net and hit the boards hard head-first. He left the game but returned for the second period, when he scored again (assisted by Blues goalie Jake Allen) just over five minutes after puck drop.
Tarasenko took a 3-0 lead with an unassisted goal about two minutes later.
The Blackhawks’ attempted comeback started with Richard Panik redirecting Duncan Keith‘s shot from the point (also assisting, Kane) with 5:13 remaining in regulation.
Schwartz capped off his hat trick, and the Blues’ victory, with an empty-netter (Colton Parayko) with 57 seconds remaining.
Quenneville summed it up pretty well in the post-game presser:
“They played well and we were brutal. It was a bad start, it was a bad middle, it wasn’t very good. Even a little excited at the end, but that wasn’t very good. That was as close to brutal as you can get.”
The next night, the Hawks had a much closer game hosting Edmonton.
Blackhawks versus Oilers, 10/19
The Edmonton Oilers took an overtime win in Chicago in a low-scoring 2-1 game.
Kane (Jan Rutta, Keith) broke first blood at 13:27 in the first period by banking a goal-line shot off Cam Talbot‘s stick and skate.
After the following two periods went scoreless, Mark Letestu turned a setup from McDavid and Oscar Klefbom into a one-timer on a power play with just under 16 seconds left in overtime.
The Hawks had five unsuccessful power plays in the game. Goalie Anton Forsberg made 40 saves.
He noted McDavid’s danger for defense to post-game press:
“You have to be aware [when McDavid] is on the ice, for sure. He comes with a lot of speed and makes all of his players on the ice better. You have to know where a lot of guys are. At the same time, you have to keep up with his pace. He’s, for sure, a good player.”
Quenneville talked about the lack of play-making.
“We had some great looks around the net. There was a lot of loose pucks, we just didn’t find, handle or weren’t anticipating or sniffing them up around the net. We had some close looks but no finish.”
This broke a four-game losing streak for the Oilers, but added to Chicago’s slump.
At 11:32 of the second, Kane took a Toews pass for a breakaway goal and a 2-1 lead.
Tommy Wingels had a penalty shot goal overturned by video review at 17:24 into the second.
And, Clayton Keller rebounded a Max Domi shot for a 2-2 score less than 30 seconds later.
With 1:03 left in regulation, Wingels passed to Keith whose shot from the slot was redirected in by Lance Bouma.
And, the Hawks sealed their victory 24 seconds later when Wingels scored off a setup from Bouma and Keith.
Crawford made 27 saves. Louis Domingue stopped 25 for the Coyotes.
Quenneville commended his fourth liners, Wingels, Bouma, and Hayden to media after the game:
“I think what they did prior to that put them in a position to be out there in that situation, and I like what we saw. Those are the kind of goals you score in our league, second opportunities, traffic at the net. Moving forward, we can take a page out of what they’re doing.
“They give us a different look, not just skill, but some hard work, some physicality, some puck possession.”
Blackhawks at Golden Knights 10/24
The Blackhawks’ good start of the game couldn’t match up to the Golden Knights‘ phenomenal start to the season.
At 3:33 into the first, Hayden scored an unassisted shorthanded goal on goalie Oscar Dansk.
And, another goal came about halfway through the third, when Jonathan Marchessault took a pass from Nate Schmidt (Luca Sbisa) missed by Wingels and Bouma, and shot from the left faceoff circle over Crawford’s left shoulder.
Kane tapped in a dish from Saad with 1:05 remaining in regulation, but it was too little too late for Chicago.
Toews noted the strength of the Knights’ game to the press.
“It’s a fun, exciting atmosphere. There’s no doubt they’re excited to play and just to go out there and not necessarily be the underdogs, but just go out there and try and make teams make plays and score and frustrate them, and they’re really keying off that and getting some energy off that.”
There was a time when Chicago played that way. But they seem to have lost touch.
Blackhawks versus Predators 10/27
With one lone goal in the first period, the Blackhawks were unable to beat the Rinne and the Predators.
Nick Schmaltz‘s shorthanded breakaway was stopped by Rinne, but, Artem Anisimov’s hustle paid off with a rebound chip-in goal 26 seconds before first intermission.
Less than a minute back onto the ice, Calle Jarnkrok fired a wrister from between the circles to tie the Hawks.
Then, with 8:58 remaining in the second, P.K Subban and Kevin Fiala set up Craig Smith, whose wrist-shot from the circle beat Crawford–and ultimately the Blackhawks as it went unanswered through the end buzzer.
Rinne made 43 saves in the game.
Quenneville took the loss with a positive twist in the presser:
“Definitely a tough loss. I mean there were more positives than a lot of games. We probably played our best period outside of the first two periods in the Pittsburgh game.”
Unfortunately the momentum didn’t carry over to Colorado.
Blackhawks at Avalanche 10/28
The Blackhawks fell five goals behind through most of the second before they even got started in Colorado.
Just 3:24 into the first, Nathan Mackinnon took the puck from a big hit behind the net and passed it to Mikko Rantanen to bury a one-timer.
About 12 minutes later, Alexander Kerfoot set up Mackinnon on the power play for a top-shelf wrister from the slot, making it 2-0 Avalanche.
A no-look backhander from Rantanen bounced off Forsberg and Keith into the net for a 3-0 lead with four seconds left in the first.
Mackinnon (Gabriel Landeskog, Rantanen) opened the second period by stacking a fourth goal over the Blackhawks.
Schmaltz tipped a shot from Michal Kempny (Hayden) just over a minute after Andrighetto’s goal, getting Chicago on the board.
It was followed a few minutes later with a two-on-one goal from Anisimov and DeBrincat (Kempny) for a 5-2 score as the second period closed.
Grimaldi tipped in a one-timer from Erik Johnson (Andrighetto) to make it 6-2 at 8:45 into the third.
And, with under five minutes left, Hartman (Wingels, Bouma) found the puck in a mad scramble and fought to bring the Hawks back into the game.
Schmaltz told the press of the team’s challenges after the game:
“Obviously we didn’t get off to a great start. We dug ourselves a big hole and couldn’t find our way back. We’ve just got to keep battling and work on our starts a little bit, make sure we’re coming out fast. That was a hungry team. They came out quick and put it to us right away.”
Toews talked to the press about the team’s shortcomings in recent games:
“We’ve been playing good hockey at times, sporadically, but obviously it’s not good enough. We get ourselves down in games and it’s just too little too late to try and come back. Throughout our games there’s some good things here and there. We’ve just got to be way more consistent.
“We want to look at the big picture and stay positive. There’s got to be urgency, but we can’t overreact.”
What’s next?
There’s no question the Blackhawks aren’t finding their groove on the ice right now. They know it and so does their coach, who, according to Chicago media, ended Tuesday’s morning practice not with a pep talk but with player laps.
“I didn’t like the last part of our practice. The intensity and the pace went down to a tough-to-watch [level]. It was just, ‘Let’s go.’”
The team needs more “Let’s go” in its mindset.
If they come out hot, they can’t maintain. If they get a slow start, they’re not able to push past the opponent. They’re not making many pretty goals, with very few gritty ones either.
One move the Hawks are making is some lineup changes.
DeBrincat is moving to Toews’ line, where he can play on his more comfortable left side. Saad will be joining Kane, a matchup that’s done well in the past. Cody Franson is joining Keith on the top defensive pairing.
Saad told reporters the team is comfortable shifting lines:
“We have a deep team. Regardless of who you’re with, you’re playing with a good hockey player. [Quenneville] is looking at different looks and we need to regroup right now and get back to playing the right way.”
There’s no doubt the line blender will run on the fly, but the Blackhawks need to see what can be done with a talented roster and learn how best to utilize it.
The Blackhawks host the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m. C.T. Wednesday on NBC Sports.
On the morning of Thursday, October 26, 2017, it was announced that forward Danton Heinen was being recalled from the Providence Bruins. During his brief stint with the AHL affiliate this season, in which he has played four games, the Langley, British Columbia native has amassed one goal and seven assists for eight points.
The 22-year-old was drafted by Boston in the 4th round, 116 overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, he was headed to the University of Denver—where he would spend two years playing for the Denver Pioneers. In his 81 games dressed in the crimson and gold, he notched 36 goals and 57 assists for 93 points.
Before suiting up with the Bruins, as they played host to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, Heinen had seen NHL time in three previous games this season and eight games last season. Given the points he was tallying in Providence—averaging two points per game, his confidence had clearly increased. It was as though he hadn’t missed a beat during the offseason after having scored nine goals and added nine assists for eighteen points in seventeen games during the Providence Bruins push in the playoffs. And during his previous three games this season in Boston he had managed three assists.
“I think for me it was last year watching him in the playoffs in Providence. Games got hard, heavier,” shared Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “To see him play a complete game. It was a different play than when he left here and when he got sent back in I’m going to say November of last year. He was able to do some of those things. Be heavier on pucks and use his body to win pucks on the wall. Things—details that don’t show up on the scoresheet. So that is, for me, when it dawned on me that he might be able to play in the bottom of the lineup.”
Heinen embraced this recall and took to the ice playing his game. The 6’1” left shot had 18 shifts in Thursday’s game for a total time on ice of 8:39. That included 1:14 on the penalty kill as well.
Heinen scored his first career NHL goal 9:41 into the first period of the Bruins game against San Jose and it was the result of going to the crease. David Backes had a solid shot on the Sharks goaltender, Martin Jones, from the right point. While Jones was able to deny Backes, he gave up a rebound and Heinen was right there to make him pay. Perhaps the best part of the entire play was that it happened while the Boston Bruins were shorthanded.
That first NHL goal is a big moment in any hockey player’s life, and for some it takes a few games to get there. For Heinen, it took suiting up for his 12th game with the big club to see that dream become a reality. And he is the fourth player with the Black and Gold to notch that milestone this seaon—joining Jake DeBruskk, Charlie McAvoy and Anders Bjork.
Danton Heinen
“I feel like I’m an offensive guy. I want to contribute,” Heinen said postgame. “You see everyone scoring their first and you want to get your first as well. It felt like it was never coming, but I’m glad I got it out of the way.”
While the San Jose Sharks would tie the game half way through the middle frame, not surprisingly off the stick of former Bruin Joe Thornton, while on the power play, the Bruins didn’t panic, nor did they alter their mindset. Approximately three and half minutes after the Sharks got the equalizer, Heinen would slam home another rebound—this time off the end wall—to get the go-ahead goal and the ultimate game winning goal.
“I don’t know if we’re always trying to score on the PK, but it’s a recipe that we’ve talked about—pucks in the net, find rebounds. Both of his goals are that sort of play where he goes to the net, finding that little bit of space, and he’s got the finish and brought it out tonight,” Backes said of Heinen. “But kid gets his first goal and I couldn’t be happier for him and then he scores a second that ends up being a game winner. Quite a storybook day for him and we’ll humble him back down tomorrow, but he can certainly enjoy the night. He deserves it, he worked his butt off tonight.”
In a bit of serendipity, Heinen’s career milestone was witnessed by his collegiate coach—Jim Montgomery—University of Denver’s head coach. The Pioneers are in town to take on the Boston University Terriers on Friday night and the Boston College Eagles on Saturday night. For a hockey player, aside from getting your first NHL goal in front of your family, perhaps the next best thing is to get your first and second NHL goals in front of your former coach.
Heinen had a great night, and while the Bruins played much better throughout most of the game in comparison to the breakdowns against the Buffalo Sabres last Saturday, they were fortunate that Heinen clearly wanted to maintain his two points per game average and was willing to go to the net. Otherwise the ending of this story could have been quite different.
The Bruins will regroup at Warrior Ice Arena Friday morning at 11:00 am for practice and look to build off the momentum from Thursday night’s win. They will need to look at what didn’t work and strive to fix it because on Saturday night the LA Kings will be in Boston, bringing their 8-1-1 record and riding a two-game winning streak.
As the Buffalo Sabres came to Boston, they were coming off a 4-2 loss on home ice to the Vancouver Canucks the night before. Of the two teams, they were certainly the one that was more tired, and their season was not going well, bringing a 1-5-1 record. The Boston Bruins, who had beat the Canucks on Thursday, had Friday to practice and rest.
For the Bruins the list of injuries continued to grow. On Friday, at practice, the team was missing Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Kevin Miller, and Adam McQuaid. Bergeron was a maintenance day—given the number of minutes he had played in his first game of the season, coming off an injury. Krejci and Miller were upper body and on Saturday they were listed as game time decisions. McQuaid, it was announced, was headed for surgery on Monday; having broken his right fibula. He will be out for approximately eight weeks. During warm ups before the game Saturday, Miller was not on the ice, but Krejci was and during rushes he was slotted between his usual line mates Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak. However, just after they got off the ice, it was announced that Krejci was a scratch and Matt Beleskey would be put in.
These injuries certainly resulted in some shuffling of lines. Tim Schaller was moved up to the second line to center DeBrusk and Pastrnak. And Beleskey was put on the wing in the fourth line. On defense, Zdeno Chara was paired with Charlie McAvoy, while Torey Krug’s partner was Brandon Carlo. Paul Postma played his first game as a Bruin and was paired with AHL emergency call up Rob O’Gara.
A lot of moving pieces, and certainly some need for communication for most of the Bruins lines. However, despite a bit of a sloppy start, the Bruins found some rhythm and were up two goals at the end of the first period. Pastrnak’s wrister on the doorstep of Buffalo Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner potted the rebound Lehner gave up on Schaller’s attempt. Brad Marchand got the second goal right off the faceoff just as the Bruins went on the power play.
Thirty-seven seconds into the middle frame and Marchand had his second of the night, giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead. However, the Sabres weren’t going away. While Boston had outshot Buffalo in the first 13-6, that would end up being the only period they would carry in that category. In fact, roughly seven and a half minutes after Boston got their third, the Sabres would get on the board—a wrist shot from Jason Pominville. Pominville’s goal gave Buffalo a bit of life and they were soon shooting everything they could at Boston’s Anton Khudobin.
Anton Khudobin
“Yeah, they were [shooting from everywhere], and they were driving the net,” Khudobin said postgame. “I like shots, like probably every other goalie, but they were crashing the net. They were going hard. There were a lot of deflections, a lot of rebounds, a lot of scrums in front of the net, which were… that’s the dangerous part, not just the shots.”
And the rebounds were plenty—something that Khudobin needs to limit.
“Erratic. He battles. We love that about him,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said about Khudobin’s play after the game. “He battled to the end. Certainly made his share of saves. We need to be better in front of him.”
With Tuukka Rask currently undergoing concussion protocol, Khudobin is in essence the Bruins primary goaltender for the time being. The team has called up Zane McIntyre from the Providence Bruins while Rask is out, but if the team in front of these goaltenders can’t push for the full three periods, it will be tough going for both netminders.
Khudobin, Eichel and Chara
The life that Pominville’s goal gave the Sabres seemed to be tempered as Pastrnak scored his second on the night giving the Bruins that three goal lead again. Unfortunately the shots on goal began to mount for the Sabres as the period went on and it was only a matter of time before one of them got in on Khudobin. Jack Eichel scored his fourth of the season, and as the teams went to their respective rooms for the second intermission the score stood at 4-2 in Boston’s favor.
The third period was like watching the reverse of the first. The Sabres were in charge and peppering the Bruins goalie with shots from all angles and going hard to the net. They were also doing a good job of preventing the Bruins from getting much on net at the other end.
“What we discussed between periods is making smart decisions with the puck, not get it out at all costs and sort it out from there,” Cassidy shared. “We weren’t able to temper it, just settle it down and string together three or four shifts to sort of get through that. So it gives the other team life and it becomes a vicious cycle. Get it out, change, get it out, change if you can, and you get into scramble mode.”
And scrambling was what it looked like as the Sabres cut the Bruins lead to one with Benoit Pouliot’s snap shot 6:51 into the third. The ice was tilted and the Bruins weren’t making those smart decisions with the puck that they’d discussed between periods. Eleven minutes later, with 2:18 remaining in regulation, Evander Kane’s backhand shot trickled past Khudobin and across the goal line, tying the game.
As the overtime got underway, it was again clear that the Sabres wanted the win more than the Bruins. They had the momentum and they pushed it all the way to what would end up being a controversial goal by Ryan O’Reilly. Khudobin believed he’d been interfered with, but the call on the ice of a good goal was upheld.
“They made the call. You know how those go. I lost, so I disagree with it. They won, so I’m sure they’re going to agree with it. They are tough calls, sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t,” Cassiday said about the review of the goal.
Indeed Phil Housley, head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, did agree with the call.
“I think [Rasmus Ristolainen] was trying to avoid the goaltender and he was pushed in. It was the right call,” he said when asked about the review.
In the end it should never have come to that point for Boston. They had a strong lead and somehow they allowed the Sabres to get back into the game.
“We didn’t play the game we needed to play,” a subdued Marchand said after the game. “We relaxed a bit and we started losing a few battles in the wrong areas, and, you know, they just played better than we did.”
That pretty much sums it up. Of course the Sabres will need to follow this win up with another one when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Meanwhile the Bruins, who are off on Sunday, will certainly need to regroup and diagnose their lapses on Monday when they hold their next practice. They don’t play again until Thursday when the San Jose Sharks come to town.
The start of the Boston Bruins season saw one of their most valuable players watching from above, as Patrice Bergeron suffered an injury just before the regular season got underway. His absence was noticeable not only in the many things he does on the ice, but also in the overall cohesiveness he seems to cultivate among the players in the locker room. So it was with happiness that the team was able to add him and David Backes back into the lineup as the Bruins returned to TD Garden after a less than impressive, albeit short, road trip Thursday night. It was even more important to have them back with the placement of Ryan Spooner on the injured reserve list and the announcement that the unfortunate collision between Anders Bjork and Tuukka Rask at Wednesday’s practice had resulted in Rask suffering a concussion.
Layla Flint – Ceremonial Puck Drop
For the Bruins, it was their annual Hockey Fights Cancer night, which included the wearing of the lavender warm up jerseys that will be auctioned off, as well as the recognition of cancer survivors—including the ceremonial puck drop by Layla Flint.
The Vancouver Canucks scored the first goal of the game, with Derek Dorsett getting credit though the puck deflected off a Bruins player in front of Anton Khudobin. However, the Bruins would not languish, instead responding 31 seconds later off the stick of Anders Bjork, from Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
Unfortunately for the Canucks, at 6:13, Eric Gudbranson would be whistled for a five-minute major penalty for boarding Frank Vatrano, who would be slow to get up and end up going down the tunnel. Vatrano would return later, but Gudbranson would not. He would get another five minutes for fighting when the Bruins Tim Schaller jumped in to defend the injured Vatrano. Finally he was given a game misconduct—and it was announced after the game that he would have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Thursday.
The following five minutes of power play for the Bruins would result in a flurry of goals, the first being a 200-foot unassisted play by David Pastrnak halfway through the major penalty. Twenty-three seconds later, Bjork would get his second of the game, this time assisted by David Krejci and Charlie McAvoy, and 1:14 after that Krejci would get another one, with Bergeron getting his second assist on the night, along with AHL call-up Kenny Agostino getting the other.
Jake DeBrusk and Jacob Markstrom
That goal by Krejci signaled the end of the night for another of the Canucks’ players—goaltender Anders Nilsson, who would watch the rest of the game from the bench. Jacob Markstrom would come in and calm things down. The Bruins headed to the lock room during the first intermission with a healthy three-goal lead.
The second period would see a lot of north and south play for the first half before Marchand got his fourth goal of the season, an even strength goal assisted by Bjork and Bergeron, who now had a three-point night, giving the Bruins a 5-1 lead.
Ten minutes later the Canucks would do their best to change the momentum, getting a power play goal from Thomas Vanek, who always seems to score on the Bruins regardless of the team he is playing with. Thirty-four seconds later Bo Horvat would get an even strength goal and cut a little further into the Bruins lead. Just as the buzzer signaled the end of the second period, McAvoy would get whistled for a slash—his second of the game—which would result in the Bruins starting the third down a man.
“We knew they were going to have a push. We had a lapse in about three or four minutes,” defenseman Kevin Miller said after the game. “We came back in the room, grabbed our composure. We know how to win in this room, and we wanted to make sure we went out and had a good third, and I think we did that.”
And indeed they did. They killed off the penalty to McAvoy and the additional slashing penalty to Marchand eight minutes into the period. Khudobin would keep the pucks out despite the Canucks opportunities early in the period. And Bergeron would seal the deal with his first goal of the season—and his fourth point of the game—at 11:53, assisted by Pastrnak and Marchand.
It was clear that Marchand was feeling very comfortable having his line mate back.
Patrice Bergeron and Brandon Sutter
“It’s incredible the way he came back and dominated the game after being out for that long, and you know, again, he’s just such a big part of the group,” Marchand said of his line mate. “He’s able to calm things down in the room, on the bench, and he leads by example. You know, he just does everything that a top guy does.”
“His brain, it’s ridiculous,” Backes said of Bergeron’s abilities despite not being at peak condition yet. “He and [Marchand], they might be twins like the Sedins [Henrik and Daniel]. They always know where each other are and that comes from playing together forever.”
To say the team was thrilled to have Bergeron back would be an understatement, but the man himself was equally pleased to be back on the ice after having to watch the first five games.
“It’s hard no matter what it is. You know, when you’re missing games, when you’re missing time,” Bergeron shared. “You miss being out there with the guys and battling with them and going through what we have to go through as a team, so you know, it’s good to be back.”
Going forward, Bergeron who played 20:58, just one second less than Marchand, will hopefully continue to heal completely so that he doesn’t have to sit out and future games. His teammates certainly appreciate his play as well as his demeanor in the locker room and on the bench.
The Bruins return to TD Garden on Saturday evening to take on the Buffalo Sabres—who recently signed Jack Eichel to an eight-year contract extension worth ten million a year. The Sabres have played seven games so far this season and are 1-4-2. It will be interesting to see if the Bruins–with Bergeron’s return–can continue to play to their strengths. With the two road losses, they could definitely use a winning streak of more than one game.
With some serious roster shakeups in the off-season, the Chicago Blackhawks set a tone in their decisive opener victory before a couple shaky games.
Now 3-1-1 heading into a game against the Nashville Predators, the Hawks are playing more like a team than they have in recent years. It could be the product of a mix of veterans and young talent.
They opened hosting the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and skating off with a decisive 10-1 victory.
Saad had a hat trick in this first game back in Chicago, while Hartman had one goal and four assists, Kane had one goal and three assists, Schmaltz had two goals and one assist, Seabrook had one goal and two assists, Panik had one goal and one assist, and Sharp tallied a goal in his return to red.
The Blackhawks also signed Bryan Bickell for one last game after his Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, allowing him to retire a Hawk. He was honored with “one last shift.”
“We have so much history here and I didn’t want it any other way,” he said in a press conference, where he also spoke about hoping to raise awareness for MS.
The Columbus Blue Jackets lost the Panarin-Saad trade in this game as Saad scored for Chicago while Panarin finished a minus-2 in the Blackhawks’ 5-1 victory.
In the first period, Kane broke the ice with the first goal (Hartman, Forsling assisting) just 1:33 after puck drop. Saad closed the period with a power play goal (Toews, Sharp).
Toews tallied his first goal of the season (Saad) about halfway through the second period. Sonny Moligno (Nick Foligno, Gabriel Carlsson) netted the Jackets’ lone goal less than a minute later. Rutta (Kane, Keith) expanded the Hawks’ lead about two minutes after that.
And, Panik, unassisted, scored the final goal in the third.
Panik (Forsling, Rutta) brought the Hawks to the notorious 3-1 lead with less than 13 minutes remaining in regulation. But, the Leafs’ Brown (Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey) launched a comeback about five minutes later. Shortly after, James van Riemsdyk(Tyler Bozak, Morgan Reilly) knotted the score, making it 3-3 through regulation.
After 3:43 of sudden death four-on-four, Matthews’ unassisted goal would seal the win.
Game 4:
The day after their overtime loss, DeBrincat netted his first Blackhawks goal in a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Tomas Plekanec earned the Habs a 1-0 lead early. But at the close of the first, the Hawks scored two goals in 19 seconds. DeBrincat, 19, netted a snapshot of a pass from veteran Sharp. Then, Saad buried a wrister from Toews and Panik.
And, halfway through the second, Anisimov (DeBrincat, Franson) scored on a power play for a lead that would last through the final buzzer.
Game 5:
The Blackhawks went down with a fight after a controversial 5-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild.
Marcus Foligno (6’3″, 232 pounds) pushed Seabrook over the boards early in the game, then challenged Hayden (6’3″, 223) to one of the longest fights seen in recent years. It didn’t end well for the Wild player, who left in the second period.
Neither team scored in the first period, but Eric Staal (Charlie Coyle) opened the second with a goal.
Hartman (Kero, Kane) tied the game 1-1 at 8:21 into the third.
At about the halfway mark, Christ Stewart (Jason Zucker) scored on a questionable offside play. The Blackhawks challenged the goal when clear video showed Zucker entering the zone well ahead of the puck. However, the league determined the play was onside since the puck deflected into the Hawks’ defensive zone off of Seabrook’s skate. Rulebook language insinuates the defenders should have control of the puck, rather than bouncing off a skate, in these situations, but the Blackhawks went on a penalty kill after the lost challenge.
Zucker would score on the power play with less than eight minutes left in regulation for a 3-1 lead.
With under five minutes to go, Steward and Mikko Koivu both score empty-net goals to make it 5-1.
Toews’ power play goal with 56 seconds left was too little, too late for the Blackhawks.
Foligno (facial fracture from fight), Nino Niederreiter (hit), and Coyle (blocked shot) would all leave the game injured in the win.
Devan Dubnyk made 36 saves, holding the Hawks to less than two goals for the first time this season.
The Wild shut down Saad’s four-game scoring streak before it could reach five.
“We’ve played some good hockey, and you know we had a good game tonight and we fought to the end there and, you know, it didn’t go our way on the overturn (challenge) there and it kind of changed the game around a little bit,” Hartman told media after the loss.
What’s next:
The Blackhawks host the Predators (2-2-0) tonight after losing four straight in the Western Conference Playoff First Round last year.
While Chicago is coming in off two tough losses after outscoring their first two opponents 15-2, the Preds are riding on two straight victories (6-5 versus the Flyers and and 4-1 over the Stars).
Schmaltz is likely to be out, injured, for the Blackhawks (with Kero filling in at second-line center) while Ryan Ellis and Yannick Weber‘s injuries are expected to keep them sidelined as well.
Sharp spoke with press regarding the matchup:
“They have a great team game, they always have, going back however many years back you want to go. It’s always a difficult team game playing Nashville. Tough to get to the net, tough to generate scoring chances. I think they’ve added some game-breakers, I think they’ve added a lot of speed in their game and they are good on the road as well. They’ve been a rival of ours for a long period of time.”
Filip Forsberg has four goals (three on the power play) and two assists in their four games so far.
Kane has two goals and five assists in the Hawks’ five games.
Crawford is expected in net for Chicago and Pekka Rinne for the Preds.
The teams face off at 7:30 C.T. on WGN Chicago and Fox Sports TN as well as NHL.TV.
The first period of the game between the Terriers and the Mavericks was an array of penalties, with the first one coming just 26 seconds into the game, as Connor Mackey was whistled for interference. The Terriers would convert as Shane Bowers got his third goal of the season, with assists to Hank Crone and Brady Tkachuk. At 4:01 of the period, it would be BU’s turn to sit and reflect when Tkachuk got called on a crosscheck. The Mavericks would tie the game just 20 seconds into their man advantage, as Zeb Knutson potted the goal assisted by C.J. Suess and Daniel Brickley. It would be less than a minute of even strength play before Max Coatta would go to the box for hitting from behind. This time the Terriers would fail to convert. Thirty seconds after the Mavericks made that kill, they would find themselves again down a man as Nick Rivera was sent off for holding. This time BU would find the back of the net with the goal going to Jordan Greenway, assisted by Bobo Carpenter and Chad Krys. Brickley and Logan Cockerill would spend four minutes each in their respective penalty boxes. Brickley was called for hitting after the whistle and roughing, while Cockerill received two for hitting after the whistle and two for unsportsmanlike conduct. Two more penalties would be handed out in the opening frame as MSU’s Charlie Gerard was whistled for a tripping at 11:18 and 48 seconds later, BU’s Bobo Carpenter would head off for hooking. The Mavericks would tie things up at 16:38 with Brickley getting an unassisted goal.
As the teams returned to play during the second period, while there were less special teams, it was also clear that the Terriers were struggling to play to their identity. The Mavericks would get the go-ahead goal 3:40 into the frame from Charlie Gerard, with assists going to Rivera and Brickley. As Greenway sat in the box for a slash just over five minutes into the period, MSU would score off the faceoff as Ian Scheid got his first of the season assisted by Brad McClure and Jake Jeremko. BU would end up down a man again five minutes into the period as Brandon Hickey was whistled for interference, but the Terriers would make the kill.
The Terriers spent a lot of the first half of the middle frame contained in their own end as the lopsided period continued. It wasn’t until there was about five minutes remaining in the period that it looked like the Terriers might be re-finding their identity. Perhaps it had something to do with the fifth goal scored by MSU as Riese Zmolek earned his first goal of the season, with assists credited to Gerard and Brickley. The Terriers got their third from Bowers—his second of the game, assisted by Tkachuk and Hickey. The third penalty of the period was called on Scheid who received two for hooking at 17:10. Once again BU failed to convert.
MSU Mavericks -Daniel Brickley, Connor LaCouvee, Coach Mike Hastings
For Connor LaCouvee, who was once again between the pipes at Agganis Arena, it was a bit different. This time he was entering the ice from the other bench—having joined Minnesota State University (Mankato) for his senior year after suiting up for the Terriers the previous three. He described the experience as surreal, but said he had approached the game like any other. He was quick to acknowledge and appreciate the applause he had received as he was announced as the starting goaltender. Even if he was playing for the other team, he was still appreciated by those dressed in the scarlet and white. It looked like perhaps his former teammates had his number, scoring two on him before the first period was half over, however, he would then deny the Terriers another opportunity for 30 minutes, when Bowers capitalized on his doorstep.
“I think I just tried to settle in. I was moving around a little too much there,” LaCouvee said after the game. “It’s kind of tough I think to start a game with all those penalties there too, it kind of upsets the flow of the game.”
For the next 50 minutes, they played men’s hockey and we played boys’ hockey. – Coach Quinn
At the other end of the ice, Jake Oettinger, playing his second year of collegiate hockey, would actually keep the Mavericks from running away with the game. When the horn sounded to end regulation, he would have seen 45 shots, stopping 39—a lot of rubber to see in your home barn.
Despite the brief rally in the second period, the Terriers never would regain control of the game, ultimately losing 6-3 when Jared Spooner deflated the Terriers to get the Mavericks their sixth at 9:31 of the last twenty. It was Spooner’s first of the season assisted by Marc Michaelis and Knutson. BU would continue to be outplayed and outshot throughout the final period, with many of their passes being intercepted as they tried to stretch them out. They would be caught puck watching and seem unable to beat the Mavericks to the loose pucks. In the end only Oettinger would be given any praise by Terriers Head Coach David Quinn postgame.
“We looked like we’d never played d-zone coverage before. Just no urgency, and they beat us to a lot of loose pucks,” Quinn lamented. “I’d be hard-pressed to find five guys that played well for us tonight. I’m concerned with giving up 45 shots at home and giving up six goals. And our goalie played very well. You can’t say that very often.”
Quinn went on to describe the many ways the team had gotten completely away from the mindset and game identity they had for those first ten minutes or so. The mindset that earned them their first two goals of the game and had them narrowly outshooting the Mavericks at the end of the opening frame.
“We’ll see how we react to our first sign of adversity,” Quinn elaborated. “That’s the key. How do you respond to it? Good news, it happened on a Friday night. We get to come back [on Saturday] and see how we do respond.”
The teams will return to Agganis Arena on Saturday night for a rematch. For the Terriers, it is a chance at vindication. At the very least it is a chance to show that they are second-ranked for a reason and that their breakdowns in almost all areas on Friday night were the exception rather than the rule.
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