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Capitals Notes: Ovechkin, Milano, Snively

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In a recent tweet thread from Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post, he shares that Washington captain Alex Ovechkin will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the New York Rangers. After recording an assist in their most recent win against the New York Islanders, it was noted that Ovechkin did not participate in the team’s practice the next day for ’maintenance’. Stubbs shares that Ovechkin appears to be dealing with a lower-body issue, and head coach Peter Laviolette will wait to make a decision on the Russian forward.

Other notes:

  • Included in the thread, Stubbs mentions that Capitals’ forward Sonny Milano is confirmed to be out of the lineup tonight, as he is dealing with a ’non-Covid illness’. Replacing Milano in the lineup is young forward Aliaksei Protas. In 43 games so far this season, Protas has provided the Capitals with three goals and seven assists. Although he does not provide the same level of depth scoring as Milano, the Capitals are in a position this year to give a few more games and minutes to their younger players.
  • After being recalled this morning on an emergency basis, Stubbs confirms that Joe Snively will play if Ovechkin is unable to. Becoming one of the best players on their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears over the last couple of seasons, Snively may be able to show what he can do at the NHL level against a very good Rangers team.

Arizona Coyotes Recall Bokondji Imama, Michael Kesselring From AHL

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March 14th, 4:01 PM CDT: In response to the news of Kesselring being recalled on an emergency basis, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that defenseman Patrik Nemeth left the Coyotes practice this morning with an apparent injury. It is not yet known the nature or extent of the injury that Nemeth sustained this morning, but we do know that he will not be playing in the team’s game tonight.

March 14th, 3:16 PM CDT: The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Bokondji Imama and defenseman Michael Kesselring on emergency loans from their AHL affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners. Both players will be made available to dress for tonight’s matchup against the Calgary Flames.

For the second time in as many days, Imama will again be on the roster for the Coyotes. Now playing in his second year in the Coyotes organization, Imama has spent most of his time in Tuscon. In 95 games played over those two seasons, Imama has 10 goals, 14 assists, and a whopping 274 PIM. He has scarcely played in the NHL, having only seen six games in Arizona, averaging just over five minutes of ice time a night.

As the Coyotes continue to assess which players will be around for the future of Arizona hockey, Imama provides the Coyotes with the ability to add quite a bit of grit into their lineup, if they choose to do so.

In his third full season of professional hockey, Kesselring arrived in Arizona during the trade deadline, being one of the pieces sent from the Oilers in the trade for Nick Bjugstad. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL draft, Kesselring developed a knack for scoring goals at the AHL level during his time with Edmonton. In 49 games played for their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors this season, Kesselring racked up 13 goals, providing some offense from the back end.

Canucks Sign Phillip Di Giuseppe To Two-Year Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks have announced via a press release that the team has signed forward Phillip Di Giuseppe to a two-year, two-way contract extension. Di Giuseppe will make $775K in the NHL and $500K at the AHL level. General Manager Patrik Allvin was very happy to report the signing as he described Di Giuseppe by saying, “He has been a reliable forward when called upon in Vancouver this year and has been an impactful player and leader with Abbotsford each of the past two seasons.”

In his second season within the Canucks organization, Di Giuseppe has only received playing time in Vancouver this season. In 13 games this year, he has registered two goals and two assists. In his limited time in Vancouver, Di Giuseppe has also spent time on the penalty kill as well. With a league-worst 68.75% penalty kill percentage, the Canucks have used a rotating door when establishing who will be on the ice when they are a man down this year.

In the minor leagues, Di Giuseppe has been far more productive. Combined over the last two years, Di Giuseppe has played 69 games for the Abbotsford Canucks, registering a total of 25 goals and 43 assists. As Vancouver begins to establish more prospect depth in the minor leagues, and Abbotsford competes for a playoff position, Di Giuseppe will be a valuable part of the Canucks organization for the next two seasons.

East Notes: Tavares, Lindholm, Flyers

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During a hard-fought battle in front of the net of last night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, John Tavares slashed the hand of Oilers’ defenseman Vincent Desharnais, sending him to the ice immediately. The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain will be fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. This will be the second time in his career that Tavares has been fined for slashing, the first time being in a similar incident with then Devils’ forward Zach Parise back in 2011.

Aside from the incident with Tavares, the Maple Leafs managed to secure another big win leading into the playoffs. The group has now managed to go 7-3-0 in their last ten games, gathering steam at just the right time.

Other notes:

  • In a quick meeting with the press, Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery stated that defenseman Hampus Lindholm will be held out of today’s game with the Detroit Red Wings. After blocking a shot in yesterday’s matchup between the two teams, Lindholm’s foot has apparently become very swollen, and he will return to the lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Replacing him in the lineup is defenseman Derek Forbort, who has seen his playing time cut since the Bruins deadline moves. With 42 points already this season, and an incredible 40 +/-, Lindholm’s absence shouldn’t have too big of an impact on the Bruins. Having one of the most dominant seasons of any team in NHL history, the Bruins have put themselves in a position to absorb the loss of Lindholm for one game.
  • Flyers beat reporter Giana Han announces that the Philadelphia Flyers have sent down forwards Elliot Desnoyers and Tyson Foerster to their AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, becoming the first-ever transaction made by General Manager Daniel Briere. As the Flyers’ season has been lost, it will be important for the two forwards to continue their growth in the playoffs this year for the Phantoms.

Mattias Samuelsson Listed As Week-To-Week

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The Buffalo Sabres reported on Sunday morning that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will be listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury after the team’s overtime loss to the New York Rangers last night. Already without top defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the lineup, the Sabres will once again be looking for different players to step up on their back end in the team’s pursuit of a playoff spot.

Unlike Dahlin, Samuelsson is not known for his offensive prowess coming from the blue line. Drafted 32nd overall by the Sabres in the 2018 NHL draft, Samuelsson has become a very serviceable defenseman for Buffalo. With only eight points so far this season, before the injury, Samuelsson was well on his way to recording over 100 blocks and 100 hits this season. Becoming one of the more physical players on the Sabres’ back end, the team rewarded his work ethic with a 7-year, $30MM contract extension which will kick in next year.

Thankfully for Sabres fans, Scott Harrington of TBN Sports reports that head coach Don Granato clarified it is not a season-ending injury for Samuelsson. As the Sabres continue their hunt towards making the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season, they will be without one of their most physical players for the foreseeable future.

East Notes: Sabres Injuries, Stamkos, Steeves

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The Buffalo Sabres issued updates on several key injuries this morning. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is still day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not practice with the team this morning. A few moments later, the team announced that goaltender Eric Comrie is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Fortunately, Mike Harrington of TBN Sports shared a video of Alex Tuch practicing in a regular jersey this morning; he has been out of the lineup since their February 24th game against the Florida Panthers.

Going 4-5-1 in their last ten games, the Sabres are beginning to falter in the Eastern Conference playoff race. After their loss last night, they are now seven points behind the New York Islanders, the current holder of the final wild-card spot. With three games in hand, the Sabres are not out of it yet, but the injuries to the back end will not help their playoff aspirations. On the bright side of things, the potential return of Tuch gives Buffalo the ability to put another point-per-game player back into their lineup. In 57 games this year, Tuch has scored 28 goals and 34 assists, helping create a solid trio with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner.

Other notes:

  • In an awkward collision into the boards with new Chicago Blackhawks forward Joey Anderson, Steven Stamkos left yesterday’s game with an apparent leg injury. After getting up, Stamkos appeared to be unable to put any pressure on his left leg, hobbling back to the bench. The Tampa Bay Lightning have given no official update as to the status of Stamkos, but the team did report that head coach Jon Cooper believes he will be “OK”, and they kept him out last night’s game as a precaution. With 16 games remaining in the regular season, the Lightning are battling with the Toronto Maple Leafs for home territory in the first round.
  • In a press release this morning, the Maple Leafs announced that forward Alex Steeves has been recalled from their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, a day after he was demoted to the minors. In 55 games this season with the Marlies, Steeves has scored 17 goals and 28 assists. The Maple Leafs have employed him more sparingly throughout the year, playing in only three games with the NHL club, and averaging just under eight minutes of ice time.

 

Minor News and Notes: Griffith, Bruins, Puljujarvi

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After a three-goal and four-point performance in the Bakersfield Condors 6-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday night, Seth Griffith became the 100th player to record 500 points in the American Hockey League. Over the past ten seasons, Griffith has quietly been one of the most productive and consistent forwards in the AHL, scoring 77 points during the 2015-16 season with the Providence Bruins, and scoring an even 80 points last year.

Aside from his dominance in the AHL, Griffith has only played in 80 total games at the NHL level, scoring eight goals and 11 assists. His last action in the NHL came last year, when he played one game with the Edmonton Oilers, getting just over five minutes of play. After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, Griffith has cultivated a great career in the minors, cementing himself in the history books of the AHL.

Other notes:

  • With a 3-2 victory against the Detroit Red Wings yesterday afternoon, the Boston Bruins have officially clinched a playoff spot, becoming the first team this year to do so. Through 64 games this season, the Bruins are on pace for a 64-12-6 record, which would break the split record of wins (62) shared by the Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as the points record (132) set by the Montreal Canadiens. Continuing the most dominant season by any team in NHL history, the Bruins will now look to clinch their division, conference, and finally the President’s Trophy.
  • Since being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on February 28th, Jesse Puljujarvi finally made his Carolina Hurricanes’ debut during their 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights last night. Playing on a line with Stefan Noesen and Paul Stastny, Puljujarvi received just under 13 minutes of ice time, recording three shots on goal. As the Hurricanes continue to stave off the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers as the top team in the Metropolitan Division, expect Puljujarvi to continue to be slowly introduced into more important moments for Carolina.

Flyers Notes: Briere, Laperriere, Flahr

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Earlier this morning, Interim General Manager Daniel Briere of the Philadelphia Flyers held a press conference introducing his new title to the media. Briere touched on many aspects of where he expects Flyers hockey to go. One of the more popular soundbites coming out of the press conference is that Briere believes the Flyers must enter a “rebuild that will be a multi-year process”. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet also noted that Briere doesn’t believe a fire sale is justifiable, as he believes there are still talented players on their current roster.

Since his retirement from the NHL after the 2014-15 season, Briere has been working in various capacities for Philadelphia since 2017. Briere was initially put in charge of the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, a team that was purchased by Comcast Spectacor, the same ownership group of the Flyers. After serving as General Manager for the Mariners, Briere was named a special assistant to the General Manager for the Flyers halfway through last season.

The Flyers are expected to go through a hiring process to determine who will oversee this team full-time, and although Briere may be the front-runner, there is no guarantee that he will be given the job. With a deep 2023 NHL Draft on the horizon, and the Flyers having some money coming off the books before free agency begins, it will be interesting to see how Briere handles putting the beginning touches on the Flyers’ rebuild.

Other notes from the press conference:

  • Briere gave a lot of credit to former Flyer Ian Laperriere in his development of key prospects on Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Since being named the head coach before the 2021-22 AHL season, Laperriere has helped graduate several Flyers prospects such as Cameron York, Tyson Foerster, and Morgan Frost. With a lot of changes expected to come internally to the Flyers organization, Laperriere may be a popular name for promotion.
  • Since taking a job with the Flyers during the 2018-19 season, Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr has seen many ups and downs in Philadelphia. Briere noted during his press conference that the expectation is that Flahr is expected to remain with the team for the foreseeable future. Since working his way up as a scout with the Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks, Flahr spent a few short seasons with the Ottawa Senators as their Director of Hockey Operations. Beginning in the 2009-10 season until his eventual move to Philadelphia, Flahr was the Assistant General Manager of the Minnesota Wild.

 

Poll: Who Will Be The Wild Card Teams In The Eastern Conference?

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Now that the NHL and AHL trade deadlines have passed, the league is full speed ahead toward the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With between 15-18  games left in the regular season, there are only nine points separating the seventh-place and 13th-place teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

If the season ended today, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins would cross the finish line as the wild-card winners in the East. In their last ten games, respectively, the Islanders are 7-2-1, while the Penguins are 5-4-1. Whether or not they have the rosters to get it done, both teams made moves at the deadline in hopes of making the playoffs this year.

Following behind them, the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators are making the strongest case to move past the Islanders and Penguins. In their last ten, the Panthers are 6-4-0, while the Senators are 7-3-0. The Panthers are not the same dominant team that they were last year, but they still have an extremely talented roster led by Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.

The Senators are following a much different course. After a few seasons of rebuilding, the Senators are finally a fun hockey team to watch again. After signing Claude Giroux and making a trade for Alex DeBrincat, the Senators had hope for meaningful games in April at the beginning of the season. Starting slow out of the gate, it seems this team has put it all together as the season has progressed. By acquiring top trade candidate Jakob Chychrun at the deadline, the Senators have the team to bring the Eastern wild-card race down to the wire.

Rounding out the last of the group that could theoretically reach the playoffs, the Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings are still within striking distance. The Capitals and Red Wings both chose to sell at the deadline, while the Sabres’ biggest move was acquiring Jordan Greenway from the Minnesota Wild. The Sabres have a similar aura around them as the Senators, after they too have an exciting team after years of rebuilding. However, all three of these teams have a losing record in their last ten games, with the Sabres’ last game being a 10-4 blowout loss to the Dallas Stars.

So who will it be PHR readers? Cast your vote and let us know which two teams will win the wild-card race in the East.

Minor Transactions: 03/06/23

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As the NHL looks forward to the playoffs, transactions are still happening across the league and internationally as well. Here are some of the minor transactions and news pieces so far today.

  • The Colorado Avalanche has announced that goaltender Jonas Johansson has been recalled from the AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles. On the heels of incredibly shaky starts from Justus Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev, the Avalanche will now employ a different option in the net. Recent acquisition Keith Kinkaid was sent down earlier this morning after coming in as backup during the blowout game against the Dallas Stars Saturday night. The Avalanche will enter play tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks as they look to stop their three-game losing streak.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that defensemen Nick Jensen and Martin Fehervary were seen in non-contact jerseys during this morning’s practice. Neither of the two has played since the Capitals’ game against the Anaheim Ducks last Wednesday. Jensen recently signed a 3-year, $12.15MM contract extension with the Capitals; coupled with the deal sending Dmitry Orlov to the Boston Bruins, Jensen figures to be an important part of Washington’s blue line moving forward.
  • Outside of the NHL, veteran forward Patrik Lundh is in agreement on a 1-year extension with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. Now in his second tenure with the Swedish club, Lundh has previously played in several of Europe’s most popular hockey leagues. After spending time in both the Kontinental Hockey League and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Lundh made the switch back to the SHL last season.

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