The Boston Bruins came into Monday night’s game riding a two game winning streak. Pulling out the win in a shootout against Carolina last Thursday and holding onto the one goal lead in their 2-1 regulation win against the Sabres on Saturday has perhaps added a little bit of confidence to the team.
Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers saw the Bruins leading three times in regulation but the Panthers were able to tie it up each time, capitalizing on a couple of costly mistakes by the Bruins. In an uncharacteristic move, Patrice Bergeron misplayed a pass from Zdeno Chara, allowing Panthers Reilly Smith to get the puck to Aleksander Barkov for the Panthers’ second goal. Their third goal came just six seconds after Roberto Luongo vacated his net for the extra attacker, the goal coming with 1:29 remaining in regulation.
Krejci chatting with Pastrnak (photo: Alan Sullivan)
David Pastrnak would end up being the hero of the evening with two goals—including the game winner in overtime. Going into the extra five minutes the Panthers had been perfect with a 5-0 record in OT. The patience Pastrnak showed coupled with the speed he gathered by going out to the neutral zone and back in to pick up David Krejci’s pass was enough to get Luongo down in the crease. Then all Pastrnak had to do was raise it up. That gave the Bruins their third straight win.
“[Pastrnak] scored some big goals, some timely goals. I don’t know if any of them have been quite as pretty as that one in OT,” David Backes said after the game. “He’s got the skills, the confidence. It almost looked like his shootout move from the other day.”
With the back and forth of the goals, Backes’ own goal, a deflection of Ryan Spooner’s slapper, that put the Bruins back on top with under seven minutes remaining in regulation proved essential to the game. Luongo had denied so many shots throughout the night. If he saw it, he stopped it. Backes’ screen and deflection wasn’t the first time he’d been in front of the net during the game. In fact, he was playing a strong “blue collar” game each time he was on the ice. Without that goal, it could have been a completely different result.
Pastrnak has spent most of this season on the line with Bergeron and Brad Marchand. He’s been keeping his ears open, learning from them and the coaches.
“Obviously it’s our 26th or 27th game in the season and all games I play beside [Bergeron] and [Marchand] and those two guys—it’s such a pleasure to play and learning a bunch of stuff,” Pastrnak shared. “Learning every single shift and they talk to me, tell me what to do, and then I guess [I’m] trying to listen and we have a lot of guys here who have been around the league for a long time, so they [are] helping us young guys and it’s really helpful.”
While the Bruins scored four goals in the game, it still came down to a single goal for the win. With continued injuries—such as the six week injury to Matt Beleskey that was just announced—the team is going to have to dig a little deeper. The corps players are still struggling a bit, but their young linemates like Pastrnak and Brandon Carlo are soaking up what the players and coaches have to say. It would be nice, though, if not every game the Bruins played hinged on a one goal differential drama.
The Bruins will play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday evening. The Avalanche sit in last place in the Western Conference, which means they will bring everything they have on Thursday, because they have nothing to lose. These types of games sometimes pose problems for the Bruins, but perhaps their current mettle will help them get the jump on the game.
Don’t let the final score fool you. The Boston Bruins were 31 seconds away from losing another home game and keeping alive their statistic of losing every game in which they are trailing in the second period. For the first 40 minutes of the game, Boston was almost invisible, except in the faceoff. They were being outshot. They struggled to make solid passes. On the opportunities when they did have the puck and a possible scoring chance, they couldn’t hit the target.
By the time the teams had to go to the shootout, Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin had already seen a handful of breakaways—perhaps priming him for what was to come. If not for him, the outcome could have been completely different with no need for the bonus hockey.
The Bruins seem to be laboring in their game—playing from behind way too frequently. A team can only rely on their goaltenders so much and rallying in the final minutes. That is a dangerous way to play hockey, and often results in a loss.
“We need to control the puck and make sure that we’re putting it in good places and not turning it over, especially in the neutral zone, especially by the blue lines,” forward David Backes said. “If we can find that game, get it into their zone, make their defensemen keep going back for pucks—over time, they get tired of doing that or they make risky plays and we can do the counterattacking on them. When we get to that game, that’s when we’re really effective with four lines that can roll and play against anybody. But, if we try to play cute, it’s a coin flip and sometimes, it works in our favor and looks good. But sometimes, it doesn’t and looks really terrible. Those are the games we need to do without and keep doing the things that make us successful.”
David Pastrnak (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
Getting cute, or trying to make pretty plays is something that this team tries too often while on home ice. Better that they remember the importance of not being pretty when dealing with any of the teams that play with speed, of which the Carolina Hurricanes are one.
Meanwhile, as the Bruins continue to grapple with jump-starting their game, the Hurricanes find themselves currently failing to finish. For the Bruins this played in their favor, with the deflection that Torey Krug was able to make on David Pastrnak’s shot to get that important tying goal.
“I don’t like to say that we lost the game because of bad bounces, but at the same time we are working hard, we are coming together as a team, and we are playing a lot on the road right now and that helps to come together as well,” Hurricanes Derek Ryan expressed. “But at the same time we have to find ways to win these games, get two points just like this game and the last game against the Rangers as well. Yeah there are some positives we can take out of it, but at the same timer we have to start getting results.”
Of course, in the end , a win is a win, regardless of how ugly it is. Khudobin’s saves and the game winning shootout goal by Pastrnak, which was one of the only pretty things of the game, got Boston the extra point.
“I don’t think anyone here thinks they played their best game tonight, but to be able to come out with the two points is huge—especially down the stretch. So we’re excited about that,” Matt Beleskey said after the game.
However, they shouldn’t get too excited. The way they are playing right now does not speak loudly of a team that plans to make a deep playoff run. Boston sits close to the top of the big spender teams in the cap and the talent they have purchased needs to look within and take the game—the full 60 minutes of the game—to a much higher level.
The Bruins go on the road Saturday for a matinee against the Buffalo Sabres. They will be back on home ice on Monday, December 5th, hosting the Florida Panthers, who saw their coach fired this past week.
Eddie Pasquale stands tough.
November 25, 2016 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – There was no doubt that by the end of the 2nd period of Friday nights contest between AHL Central Division rivals Grand Rapids Griffins (@grgriffins) and Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) that Griffins fans felt doomed. With a three-point lead entering the 3rd period, Monsters goalie Anton Forsberg was looking like an impenetrable brick wall. No matter what the Griffins threw at him, he knocked it away. The score, 0 – 3, reflected that strength. In fact, it was the night of the Griffins annual “Teddy Bear Toss” for the Kent County Hug-A-Bear Foundation where fans bring teddy bears to donate and let them rain down upon the ice after the Griffins first goal of the game. But there had been no first goal. Fans were mumbling, “what do we do with our bears if they never score a goal tonight?”
The first period of the game was a non-event. Both goalies looked solid and neither team was able to put a puck in the net. Despite one penalty call on the Griffins Nick Jensen for holding and another two on the Monsters Paul Bittner for hooking and Brett Gallant for delay of game, the power plays made no difference in the balance of power or score.
GRG Mitch Callahan lines up for a faceoff.
The 2nd period belonged entirely to the Monsters, however. Hitting the ice more aggressively than in the previous period, Brett Gallant racked up his second penalty of the night at 4:58 for tripping, but the Griffins weren’t able to capitalize on the Monsters lack of a man. Surging with adrenaline only 22 seconds out of the penalty box however, Brett Gallant finally moved the board to Cleveland’s favor when he landed the first goal of the night (Assists: Palushaj, Sifers). Not quite seven minutes later at 14:12 Oliver Bjorkstrand (Assists: Maletta, Heatherington) lit the lamp again for the Monsters and three minutes after that had a repeat performance at 17:24, this time assisted by Sonny Milano and Joe Pendenza. A pair of cross-penalties by Cleveland’s Cody Goloubef for cross-checking and Grand Rapids Mathew Ford for high-sticking at 18:07 saw each team end the period down a man but still evenly matched.
Grand Rapids Goal
The 3rd period opened with a still energetic but concerned Griffins fan base. Forsberg had been solid against the Griffins offense and the Monsters has clearly dominated the scoring thus far. Then, unexpectedly the “wall” that had been Forsberg started to crack, then crumble, and then it fell apart altogether. The Griffins Brian Lashoff (Assists: Criscuolo, Ford) launched the first offensive at 3:08, getting the puck around Forsberg and rippling the net for the Griffins for the first time. Thousands of teddy bears and other stuffed animals, large and small, rained down upon the ice. It was a light-hearted moment that even players on both sides seemed to enjoy as they skated through the toys and used their sticks to flick the little stuffed critters up into the boxes that the ice crew had brought out to collect them in. As soon as the ice was clear the game resumed.
Was it the culmination of two lackluster periods? Was it the inspiration of the first goal, the fans and the teddy bear toss? Who knows, but the Griffins seemed to be energized like at no time in the previous periods. They showed that newfound energy again in only a minute and forty-six seconds when at 4:54 Martin Frk (Assists: Renouf, Russo) landed another goal and put the Griffins down by one. The Monster’s Dillon Heatherington then made the regretful choice of deciding to argue with the officials after being called for interference at 6:49, leading to an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and landing him in the penalty box for four minutes. It was that second two minutes that hurt his team, because with only 21 seconds left in the four minute power play, Kyle Criscuolo (Assists: Jurco, Ford) tied the score at 3.
The Griffins were rejuvenated and for the first time of the night, with a tied score, the Monster’s were on the defensive as their comfortable lead had slipped away. At 13:08, Grand Rapids Tomas Nosek was called for 2:00 for slashing but the Griffins and their goalie, Eddie Pasquale held strong. At 17:13, the Monsters Sheldon Brookbank was called out for roughing, once again placing the Griffins on a power play. Five seconds later, at 17:18, Tomas Nosek (Assist: Street) wrangled the puck past Forsberg and the Griffins had the lead for the first time of the night.
With 1:03 left in the final period and the Griffins now up by one, Monsters coach John Madden pulled Forsberg for the extra man. At 19:02, Mitch Callahan was able to get his blade on a rebounded puck that had nearly tied the game for Cleveland and sent it down the ice to clear it from the Grand Rapids zone. Intentionally aimed or not, the puck traveled the length of the ice and slid quietly, and uncontested, into the empty net of the Monsters. One last penalty at the end of the game for Cleveland, this time a ten-minute major against Cody Goloubef for abuse of officials, had no bearing on the game and the Griffins won after an amazing five goal third period.
November 26, 2016 – Cleveland Ohio – The second night of the weekend series saw Cleveland back on their home ice, no doubt still stinging from the previous nights 3rd period loss stunner to the Griffins in Grand Rapids.
GRG Eddie Pasquale defends the Griffins net from CLM Nick Moutrey.
Grand Rapids Martin Frk (Assists: Lorito, Nosek) landed the first goal of the night at 12:05 on a power play after Cleveland’s Jaime Sifers was called for interference at 11:07. Just shy of two minutes later Tomas Nosek (Assist: Russo) took the Griffins up by two, getting another shot past Joonas Korpisalo at 13:53. An interference penalty against Dan Renouf at 19:09 put the Monsters on the power play and unlike that night before, they were able to make good on the extra man this time and Oliver Bjorkstrand (Assists: Ramage, Zaar) found the back of the net at 19:28 to get the Monsters on the board for the first time in the night.
Cleveland entered the 2nd period strong and tied the game 2-2 on a goal by Brett Gallant (Assists: Zaar, Maletta) at 4:02. A penalty against Cleveland at 6:36 for too many men on the ice went unanswered, as did a Griffins double minor penalty on Matthew Ford for high-sticking. At 12:34, Griffins Colin Campbell grabbed 2:00 for slashing, yet even shorthanded, Grand Rapids managed to find a hole in the Monsters defense at 13:03 and recaptured the lead on a goal from Matthew Ford (Assist: Street). Finally, at 16:55, the Griffins widened that lead yet again with another goal from Kyle Criscuolo (Assists: Lashoff, Jensen).
GRG Nick Jensen and CLM Jordan Maletta chase the puck around the boards.
The 3rd period opened with the previous nights game undoubtedly on everyone’s mind; the 3rd period 5-goal comeback by Grand Rapids to defeat the three goal lead the Monsters had. If Cleveland had such a triumph in mind, it was not to be.
Neither team was able to capitalize on the other for the first three-quarters of the final period. Neither team was even called for a penalty. Then, at 14:44 Dominic Turgeon (Assists: Ford, Criscuolo) notched another one for the Griffins, taking Grand Rapids up by two. The first penalty of the period was called on Cleveland’s Aaron Palushaj at 15:33 for tripping, giving the Griffins the one-man advantage. It was an advantage that Grand Rapids would use. At 17:02 Matt Lorito (Assists: Nosek, Russo) gave the scorekeeper one last reason to change the numbers, and the Griffins took a healthy 6-2 lead over the Monsters; and the tension began to show. At 19:05 Jacob graves went to the
GRG Kyle Criscuolo and Dominic Turgeon battle CLM Brett Gallant for the puck on the open ice.
Monsters penalty box for cross-checking. It was 27 seconds later that things really fell apart, at least as far as composure. The “scrum” that occurred at 19:32 made no difference in the final outcome of the game, but it did show the frustrations that were now plaguing the hockey boys of the Buckeye state. When it was all cleaned up, the Griffins Dan Renouf was charged 2:00 for roughing and 5:00 for fighting; Cleveland’s Brett Gallant caught 2:00 for roughing, a 5:00 major for charging the goaltender, as well as a 10:00 game misconduct for charging. Jordan Maletta of the Monsters was given 5:00 for fighting, and Oleg Yevenko received a 10:00 game misconduct.
While the hockey fans may have had the greatest excitement of the game in those last 28 seconds, no doubt the Griffins were happy to hold on to the number two spot in the AHL Central Division at 11-6-0-0 while the Monsters wallow at the bottom of the division at 6-10-1-1.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will visit Atlantic Division opponent, Detroit Red Wings tonight at 7:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on the NBCSN network and will be streamed live on the NBCSN app.
It may only be November, but this game is a chance for each team to grab some points within the division. Here are three things to watch for in tonight’s matchup:
1) TAMPA BAY POWER PLAY
The Bolts power play is operating at 23.4%, which is sixth best in the NHL. They have drawn 64 penalties and have 15 power play goals on the season, but have given up a shorthanded goal against while on the man advantage. The Lightning power play units are dangerous with the likes of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Alex Killorn on them. Tampa Bay will need to take advantage of the fact that the Red Wings aren’t the best team at killing penalties since they are only operating at a 77.5% clip on the penalty kill. The Bolts are pretty dangerous on the road with the power play since they have seven power play goals in 33 opportunities (21.2%).
2) PACE OF THE GAME
Detroit should start the game off with high energy and maintain that pace throughout the game. They’ll need to take advantage that Tampa Bay played the New York Islanders last night and had to travel after the game. The Red Wings should play an up-tempo, north-south game and go right at the Bolts. The team should also throw its weight around a little even though that isn’t Detroit’s style. The Red Wings should also try to turn on its speed through the neutral zone to create some chances.
3) GOALTENDING
The goaltending is going to need to be good for both teams. The Bolts have so many offensive threats and playmakers so either Petr Mrazek or Jimmy Howard will have to be on his game. The goalies will need to make the routine saves, be in good position to make the save and may even have to have quick reflexes to make a few saves look easy. Ben Bishop is expected to go tonight for the Lightning after Andrei Vasilevskiy shut out the Isles last night. Bishop will need to stay focused, track the puck well and just be in the right place at the right time to make saves, and keep Detroit from scoring goals.
The Philadelphia Flyers will look to take advantage of playing in front of its home crowd this week. They will face the Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The one thing that those teams have in common is speed so the Flyers will have to play a team game on defense, and take care of the puck.
On Tuesday night, Erik Karlsson and the Senators will visit Philly to take on the Flyers. Philadelphia will need to watch out for Karlsson since he is like an extra forward when he is on the ice. He’ll join the rush or even make a pinch along the wall to keep the play alive. He leads the team in points and assists. The Flyers will need to avoid turnovers and be smart with the puck since Ottawa will be able to use its speed to create chances off turnovers. The guys in Orange and Black will also need to spend some time in the offensive zone since the goaltending hasn’t been spectacular and Michal Neuvirth is hurt, so it will be on Steve Mason to step up his less than stellar play so far this year.
The Sens have already announced that goalie Craig Anderson will get the start on Tuesday night so the Flyers will want to get some bodies in front to look for deflections and rebound chances. Ottawa will also want to keep an eye on Philly’s defensemen since they like to join in on the play in the offensive zone and lead the League in points as a group. The Senators will also want to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers power play has been clicking early and is really good on home ice. The Sens will also want to try to get its power play going since the Flyers do have a weak penalty kill. Ottawa will want to get pucks to the net and get in on the forecheck to force turnovers.
The Jets will visit the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. The Flyers will want to try and keep the top line of the Jets, which consists of Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, off the board since they have combined for 50 points on the season. The guys in Orange and Black will want to play a full 60-minutes and not sit back if they can get the lead. They’ll want to be smart with the puck and take advantage when on the power play. The Flyers will also want to limit the top six forwards in terms of points and make the bottom six beat you since there is a huge disparity in points.
Winnipeg will want to get that first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game. The Jets will also want to get the power play going against a weak penalty kill, and stop the top six of the Flyers which includes Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds and Jake Voracek, since they have been hot to start the season. Winnipeg will want to keep pressuring the Flyers even if they get down because Philadelphia will give up goals and turn the puck over. The Jets will want to stay out of the penalty box since Philly has one of the best power plays in the NHL.
The Flyers end the week with a visit from Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Philly will want to play a smart game since the Bolts have a balanced attack and a dangerous threat on almost every line. They’ll want to avoid turnovers since the Bolts are a skilled team that will make you pay if you turn the puck over. The Flyers will want to get the first goal and keep the pressure on since Tampa Bay can be sloppy with the puck. The Flyers will want to keep an eye on the Tampa Bay defense, specifically Victor Hedman, since they like to join the play in the offensive zone.
The Bolts will have to avoid the penalty box because the Flyers power play has been red hot to start the season. They’ll need to use their speed through the neutral zone and in the offensive zone to get to those loose pucks. Tampa Bay will need to have a better start and that shouldn’t be hard to do since Philly has struggled to get off to good starts. The Lightning need to get puck on net and establish the forecheck early in the game. The Bolts will also need to keep an eye on the Flyers defense since the group like to chip in on the offensive side of the puck.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to be road warriors this week as they start a five-game road trip that goes into next week.
This week they will be traveling mostly along the East Coast to take on the New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Bolts will need to take advantage of playing some teams that aren’t very good and are having trouble either scoring or keeping the puck out of their own nets.
On Monday night, the Lightning will face the Islanders for the third time this month. They have outscored the Isles 10-2 in the first two meetings. Tampa Bay will need to get the power play going since the Isles have a weak penalty kill. Steven Stamkos should help the power play since he has five points in two games against New York so far this year. The Bolts need to make good decisions with the puck and not turn it over. The team will also need to come out with some energy, get the forecheck going and spend some time in the offensive zone to create chances.
The Islanders haven’t been a very good team to start the season. They are giving up more goals than they are scoring and are struggling on the penalty kill. New York will need to somehow keep Stamkos in-check since he has played well against them this year. They’ll need to get the first goal and try to build off of that. The Islanders will also need to get the puck to the net because they had some decent scoring chances last game, but just couldn’t cash in. John Tavares and company need to start getting to dirty areas to get some deflections and bounces to go their way.
On Tuesday night, Tampa Bay travels to Detroit to face the Red Wings. The Lightning will once again need to take advantage of its power plays since the Red Wings have struggled on the penalty kill. If the Bolts can get the lead then they need to keep the pressure coming and not sit back on the lead since Detroit has some come-from-behind wins. The Red Wings have a pretty balanced line up and any one of its lines can put the puck in the net.
The Red Wings will need to have the lead entering the third period because the team has no wins when trailing after two periods. They will need to put pressure on the Bolts because they will turn the puck over and can be sloppy with the puck at times. A big must is to try to stay out of the penalty box since Tampa Bay has a strong power play. Detroit will also need to keep an eye on the Tampa Bay defensemen since they like to join in the play on the offensive side of the puck. The Red Wings need to come out with energy and play up tempo to take advantage of the fact that the Bolts played the night before and have to travel.
The Bolts take on another Atlantic Division opponent on Thursday night in the Sabres. Tampa Bay will need to beat them at even strength since the Sabres have pretty good special teams. If Robin Lehner is in net then it’s going to be a tough task in trying to score goals. The Lightning will need to get bodies and sticks in the shooting lanes to go for deflections and to take away the goalie’s sight lines. They’ll need to bring that balanced attack with everyone chipping in since the Sabres don’t score much, but they also don’t give up too much either.
The Sabres need to get the first goal of the game since they only have one win when the opponent gets the first goal. The goaltending will need to come up big since Buffalo will turn the puck over and have defensive breakdowns. The Sabres will need to play a full 60 minutes, and put the effort in the whole game. They’ll need to get pucks to the net with bodies in front waiting for rebounds, if they are there. The Sabres will also need to take care of the puck since the Lightning will make them pay if they turn over the puck.
On Saturday, the Lightning will take on the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly. The Lightning will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have one of the best power plays in the League. The Bolts will need to be on the lookout for the top two lines because they have been producing early in the season especially Jake Voracek and Wayne Simmonds. Tampa Bay will need to be on the lookout for Philly’s defense joining the play in the offensive zone, since the group leads the NHL in that department. The Lightning will also need to take advantage of the Flyers weak penalty kill.
Philadelphia will need to stay out of the penalty box themselves since Tampa Bay also has a deadly power play. The Flyers will need to make sure that they don’t give Stamkos any room to get his shot off especially in the power play. The Orange and Black will need to play disciplined hockey and avoid the turnovers in its own zone. They’ll also need to avoid the mental mistakes and the goaltending is going to have to be a lot better than it has been lately.
The Buffalo Sabres will start the week off on the road and return home to face the defending champions. They will take on the St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins this week. All three teams made the playoffs last year, but the Blues are struggling early on.
The Sabres will visit Scottrade Center on Tuesday night. Buffalo will need to somehow find a way to score some goals. They are really struggling in the scoring department, but luckily for them the goalie, Robin Lehner, has been excellent. He is making the routine saves and even highlight reel type saves that leave one puzzled as to how the save was even made. Buffalo will want to get the first goal and take the home crowd out of the game. The Sabres just need to keep coming even if they get down since they have come back a few times this year. Buffalo is really missing center Jack Eichel and someone will really need to step up like Kyle Okposo or Sam Reinhart.
The Blues haven’t exactly been lightning up the score sheet themselves in the early going. St. Louis could try to get a struggling home power play going since they only have three power play goals in 31 opportunities. The Blues need to come out with some energy and get the first goal to keep the crowd into the game. The team will need to get off to a good start, and play a full 60 minute game.
On Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Sabres. Buffalo will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Bolts power play is a good one. They will need to play a tight checking game and take away any time and space from Tampa Bay players to create chances. Buffalo will need play in its offensive zone and get off to a good start since that is one way to defend against the balanced attack of the Bolts. The Sabres need to get the first goal and build on the momentum, and the team will also need the goalie whether its Lehner or Anders Nilsson to step up and make some big saves.
The Lightning will need to bring that balanced attack and win the game at even strength since the Sabres do have decent special teams numbers. The goalie, either Andrei Vasilevskiy or Ben Bishop, need to come up big and make some mistakes since the Bolts will allow some chances against. Tampa Bay need to play a full 60-minute game and avoid the lulls where the opposing team just seems to take over the game, and its all on the goaltender to win the game for them. The Bolts need to not overlook the Sabres because it won’t be an easy game since Buffalo won’t come out and just roll over.
The defending champions, Penguins, come to town on Saturday to face-off against the Sabres. The Sabres will need a good effort from the goaltending to just keep this game close. Buffalo needs to shutdown the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, and stay out of the penalty box. They will also need to get the first goal of the game and play tight defense and smart hockey for a full 60 minutes.
The Penguins will need to work on the power play while away from home since it is only operating at 10.5% early in the season. Pittsburgh will need to keep an eye on Okposo and Ryan O’Reilly since that is where most of the Sabres offense has been coming from with Eichel out of the lineup with a high ankle sprain. The Pens will need to bring that balanced attack and have all the lines rolling. The team will also need to keep an eye out for Rasmus Ristolainen, who can act as a fourth forward on the ice at times.
The goaltending in Philadelphia hasn’t been very good to start the season, and now the crease will belong to Steve Mason.
The team announced that Michal Neuvirth will be out four to six weeks with a lower body injury. Neuvirth was injured during the first period on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild while making a save. He went down to make a save and his left knee bent backward and while the goalie struggled to get up afterwards, he decided to finish out the first period. Mason took over the crease to start the second period. The injury was reported to be a left knee sprain by Tim Panaccio of csnphilly.com.
Neuvirth had been struggling throughout the season. He is 4-2-0 in nine games played this season. He has a 3.54 goals against average and a .859 save percentage, neither of which are good numbers. The goalie has been letting in some soft goals, but has also been left out to dry by the play of the team in front of him. He has allowed three or more goals five times this year and has been pulled twice. There have been times where it has looked like Neuvirth has gotten over his struggles only to have given up a bad goal on the next shot.
The crease will now belong to Mason, who had a strong outing after coming in for Neuvirth on Saturday night. Mason has also struggled at times during the season, and has been inconsistent. He has also let in some cheap goals that should have been saves. The goaltender can now look to get on a roll since the crease now belongs to him. The play in front of the goalies definitely needs to be better, but Mason needs to be sharper and make the easy saves.
The Flyers will likely call up Anthony Stolarz, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms starting goaltender. In eight games played this season in the AHL, Stolarz is 6-2-0, and has only allowed 19 total goals. He has a 2.39 goals against average to go with a .927 save percentage. This will be Stolarz’s chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.
He has been playing well for the Phantoms, and he should get to make his NHL debut this time around. Stolarz was called up towards the end of the season last year when Neuvirth was injured, but he never got the chance to make a start since the Flyers were in the middle of a playoff race. Mason led the Flyers to a playoff spot down the stretch with his stellar play.
If the Flyers want to get back on track and string some wins together then they are going to need the goaltending to step up and lead the way.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is considered one of the birthplaces of American beer and has been dubbed Brew City, while Grand Rapids, Michigan has been named Beer City, USA for its unprecedented growth in the small, micro-brew/craft brew industry trend that has taken America by storm in the past decade or so. On Saturday night, the ambassadors for these cities met in Milwaukee to wage a different battle; not a battle of the brews, but a battle on the ice. It was a hard fought battle, but the Grand Rapids Griffins walked away with the evening’s victory over the Milwaukee Admirals, the current Central Division leaders in the American Hockey League (AHL).
GRG Mitch Callahan and MIL Jack Dougherty battle for puck control while MIL Adam Pardy takes position.
As the first period got underway, it was the Griffins who looked as if they came to play hockey. Grand Rapids hit the ice hard and aggressively and at 5:56 Colin Campbell put away the first goal of the game with no assist against the Admirals goalie Marek Mazanec. At 8:48, the Admirals Mike Liambas was sent away for 2:00 for elbowing, opening up another opportunity for the Griffins when Mitch Callahan (Assists: Frk, Campbell) glossed one past the glove of Mazanec. Still on a tear and with the adrenaline pumping, an unassisted Louis-Marc Aubry rippled the Admiral net yet another time only thirty seconds later at 10:22.
This much activity so quickly into a game cannot go without some tensions starting to flare and frustrations beginning to show. The Admirals Jimmy Oligny caught 2:00 for cross-checking at 11:05. The Griffins were not immune either and Evgeny Svechnikov followed shortly thereafter, at 13:30, on a holding call. The period came to a close with Milwaukee’s Justin Kirkland, riding the penalty pine for goaltender interference at 18:30.
While the Griffins clearly dominated the first period of the game, the top-ranked team in the division had no intention of letting the game slip away that easily and they returned to the second period revitalized. Equally so, the Griffins had no intentions of slowing down or going away. Over nine minutes of second period action went by before the teams decided to step the game up and at 9:42 the increased action saw its first power play opportunity arise when the Griffins Conor Allen went to the penalty box for roughing. The Admirals, however were unable to capitalize on Grand Rapids short-handed two minutes. At 14:45, the Griffins were unable to clear their men off the ice fast enough and caught a bench min or for too many men on the ice which was served out by Martin Frk. Again, the Admiral’s were unable to capitalize on the power play, but only thirty one seconds later Matt White (Assists: Fiala; Dougherty) was able to move a deflected puck into the Griffins net and the Admirals made their numbers move for the first time. Energized, the Admiral’s Adam Pardy (Assist: Fiala) narrowed the game to a single point only 29 seconds later when he sneaked one past the Griffins netminder, Eddie Pasquale.
GRG Colin Campbell and MIL Alexandre Carrier fight for the puck along the boards.
The third period was do-or-die for the Brew City boys. Two more power play opportunities passed unanswered by Milwaukee however; the first at 00:59 when Martin Frk was penalized for stick holding, and again at 04:58 when Joe Hicketts was on the short end of a slashing call. The period saw two more penalty calls, the first of those on Milwaukee’s Mike Liambas at 11:08 for boarding, and then the playing field leveling again when Grand Rapids’ Martin Frk was sent off for high sticking. Neither team was able to make hay on those opportunities. At 18:18, Admiral’s head coach Dean Evason pulled Mazanec from the net for the extra offensive man. At 18:40, Adam Payerl, quickly moving on a shot rebounded off Pasquale’s glove, was able to slip the game-tying goal into the net. The period closed and both teams prepared for overtime.
Overtime saw both teams vying for the puck, but it was the challengers from Beer City, the team who’d had a solid lead after the first period, that thirsted for the win. Not even halfway into the OT period, they redeemed themselves when Joe Hicketts, scoring his first professional goal, sealed the win for the Grand Rapids Griffins, taking their numbers to 8-4-0-0 for the season so far in this 4 – 3 victory.
Milwaukee dominated the game in shots with 37 shots on goal to the Griffins 26, but the Griffins were able to capitalize on a power play where the Admiral’s couldn’t and by refusing to roll over in the overtime period.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a chance to find out exactly what they are made of this week, with matchups against the Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens.
The Leafs will start the week off on Tuesday night when they play host to the Predators, who have been playing better of late after getting off to a slow start. The Leafs will need to take advantage of the Preds weak penalty kill. Pekka Rinne got off to a slow start but has been much better in the month of November, where he is 4-0-2, has allowed only seven goals, a .957 save percentage and 1.14 goals against average. If Rinne is in net, the Maple Leafs are going to have to get traffic in front of him. Toronto will also need to be aware of the Predators defensemen and where they are on the ice since the defense corps likes to join the play in the offensive zone.
The Preds will have to keep an eye out when going to get the puck along the boards, the Leafs have shown that they aren’t afraid to throw their weight around. Nashville will also need to watch out for the speed of the “kids” and top the top six of the Leafs since that is where most of their point production. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Tyler Bozak and James Van Riemsdyk have accounted for most of Toronto’s point production. The Preds need to come out with some energy and get the first goal, they are a much better team when they get that goal. They’ll need to be good on the penalty kill because the Leafs power play can be dangerous since they move the puck really well.
On Thursday night, Atlantic Division opponents, the Panthers come to visit the ACC. The Leafs will need to get traffic in front of the net for deflections and screens. Toronto will need to get the first goal and keep the pressure coming; the Panthers aren’t the best team when trailing after two periods. Frederik Andersen or Jhonas Enroth will need to step up and make some saves since Florida can take advantage of its limited chances. The Maple Leafs will need to keep an eye on Jonathan Marchessault, the leader in goals and assists for the Panthers. They’ll also need to use its speed to create in transition and have odd man rushes.
Florida has a chance to get its offense going since Toronto is a young team, and will give up its chances. They’ll need the big name players like Aaron Ekblad, Jaromir Jagr and Reilly Smith to start producing in the offensive end of the ice. Florida will need to play a good game at even strength as the Leafs have really good special teams. They will also need to keep an eye on the top two lines of the Leafs since that’s where most of its offense comes from.
Toronto will try to compete with the Canadiens on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. The biggest obstacle for the Leafs will be trying to get some goals, especially if Carey Price is in the net for Habs. Price has won his first ten games that he has played in and Montreal only has one regulation loss, which came against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’ll need to get some traffic in front of the net, go for the deflections, look for rebound chances and screen the goalie. The Leafs will need to take advantage of its power play chances since the Habs penalty kill isn’t the best in League. Toronto needs to take care of the puck and limit mistakes because Montreal will make you pay.
The Habs have a chance of winning this game because they have the Carey Price Factor, if he starts. Montreal needs to keep the neutral zone turnovers to a minimum, otherwise the Leafs can use they’re speed in transition and create off man rushes. They need to get the first goal of the game since that almost is a guarantee that the Habs will win the game. Montreal has a balanced attack and the defensemen can put up some points. If the Canadiens should get a power play then be aware of the Shea Weber bomb from the point.
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