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Poll: Who Is The Stanley Cup Favorite Now?

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If you had asked a crowd of hockey fans before the playoffs began to put down a bet on who would win the Stanley Cup, there would likely have been one resounding favorite. The Tampa Bay Lightning had just completed a historic 62-win season and had everything you would want in a team. Top scorers, including potential Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov who led the league with 128 points this season. Shutdown defenders like Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh, both playoff-tested from years of postseason play. One of the best goaltenders in the world in Andrei Vasilevskiy, a Vezina finalist for the second consecutive season.

None of that mattered though, after the Columbus Blue Jackets erased a 3-0 first period lead in game one and never looked back. Tampa Bay was swept out of the first round, and weren’t the only favorite to be overcome. All four division leaders were knocked out this season, the first time that has happened in the history of the NHL. The Calgary Flames (107 points), Washington Capitals (104) and Nashville Predators (100) all saw their playoff run end early. Even other 100-point teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins were ousted, though this time by even better regular season teams that were forced to face higher seeds than in playoff formats of the past.

The second round started last night, with the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues taking early series leads. Are they now the default favorites to go all the way? What about the upstart wild card teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes who have more young talent than they know what to do with?

If that same crowd were asked today to name a favorite, it might not be as easy. Cast your vote below and make sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section!

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Minor Transactions: 04/25/19

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The second round is coming up and all four wild card entries are still alive. The NHL playoffs is a wild and crazy ride this season but hockey fans everywhere are loving it. As the eight remaining teams prepare for action in the coming days, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • Clark Bishop is back up with the Carolina Hurricanes as the team prepares for their second round matchup with the New York Islanders. Bishop has bounced up and down during the postseason due to the injuries to Andrei Svechnikov and Micheal Ferland, and will once again be considered an insurance policy for the start of round two.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Zane McIntyre to serve as a third goaltender while they get set to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. In addition, the team has assigned Kyle Keyser to the minor leagues after his OHL team was eliminated from the junior playoffs.
  • Joe Cannata is on his way to the Colorado Avalanche, recalled today from the minor leagues. Cannata played most of the season at the ECHL level, but can give the team an extra practice goaltender for the time being.
  • Dylan Gambrell, Lukas Radil and Josef Korenar are on their way to San Jose, joining the Sharks after their AHL club was eliminated from the playoffs last night. The San Jose Barracuda lost in four games to the San Diego Gulls, meaning the Sharks will have some extra bodies hanging around for their playoff run.

NHL Announces Second Round Playoff Schedule

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The NHL was ready for either outcome last night in Game Seven between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, although they waited alongside the rest of us as the game went to double overtime. The Hurricanes emerged victorious, knocking out the defending champions, as well as the fourth and final division leader. The stage is now set for the next round of playoff action, as this unpredictable postseason rolls on. Per the league release, here is the lineup for the remaining eight teams over the next few weeks:

Eastern Conference

A2 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 Columbus Blue Jackets

Thursday, April 25th @ 7pm ET
Saturday, April 27th @ 8pm ET
Tuesday, April 30th @ 7pm ET
Thursday, May 2nd @ 7:30pm ET
Saturday, May 4th (if necessary)
Monday, May 6th (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 8th (if necessary)

M2 New York Islanders vs. WC1 Carolina Hurricanes

Friday, April 26th @ 7pm ET
Sunday, April 28th @ 3pm ET
Wednesday, May 1st @ 7pm ET
Friday, May 3rd @ 7pm ET
Sunday, May 5th (if necessary)
Tuesday, May 7th (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 8th (if necessary)

Western Conference

P2 San Jose Sharks vs. WC2 Colorado Avalanche

Friday, April 26th @ 10pm ET
Sunday, April 28th @ 7:30pm ET
Tuesday, April 30th @ 10pm ET
Thursday, May 2nd @ 10pm ET
Saturday, May 4th (if necessary)
Monday, May 6th (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 8th (if necessary)

C3 St. Louis Blues vs. WC1 Dallas Stars

Thursday, April 25th @ 9:30pm ET
Saturday, April 27th @ 3pm ET
Monday, April 29th @ 8pm ET
Wednesday, May 1st @ 9:30pm ET
Friday, May 3rd (if necessary)
Sunday, May 5th (if necessary)
Tuesday, May 7th (if necessary)

 

Adam McQuaid, Ryan Murray Remain Out For Blue Jackets

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For anyone hoping to see Adam McQuaid face off against his former team this postseason, you’ll have to wait a while longer. As the Columbus Blue Jackets departed for Boston today to face the Bruins in their second-round series, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that neither McQuaid nor fellow defenseman Ryan Murray made the trip. There is no clear timeline for either’s return, but they will at least miss the first two games in Boston.

McQuaid, 32, has yet to play this postseason after suffering a concussion late in the regular season. The veteran defender was acquired by the Blue Jackets from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, but many still remember him most from his time with the Bruins. McQuaid, ironically a Columbus draft pick, spent the first nine years of his career in Boston before he was traded this past off-season. At the time, Boston was dealing from a position of strength, but ended up struggling with injuries on the back end all season and could have used McQuaid. Now, they could face the physical stay-at-home defender in the playoffs, that is if he can get healthy. Not only would McQuaid sure up the Blue Jackets’ bottom pair and provide insight into the Bruins’ inner workings, he would also provide the playoff experience sorely lacking from the roster. McQuaid has appeared in 68 playoff games and two Stanley Cup Finals, including winning it all with the Bruins back in 2011.

Murray, like McQuaid, is no stranger to being injured. The 2012 No. 2 overall pick has only played in more than 66 games in a season once in his six-year NHL career and finds himself on the sidelines again this postseason with a back injury. Murray has actually had a career campaign, recording 29 points in just 56 games and +20 rating that led all Columbus defensemen. Yet, Murray has been out since early February and it grows harder to imagine a comeback with each missed game. If Murray is able to return versus Boston or perhaps later in the playoffs, it would give the Blue Jackets a major boost and make them an even more dangerous puck-moving team.

Fortunately, Hedger notes that Markus Nutivaara did make the trip and is not expected to miss any further time with the upper-body injury that cost him the final two games of the first round sweep. He joins Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, and David Savard as a very capable top-four unit for Columbus. However, with McQuaid and Murray still out, the Blue Jackets could struggle matching up their bottom pair against the Bruins. Scott Harrington played very well against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but will have to keep up with that level of play if he and Dean Kukan (or Adam Clendening or Vladislav Gavrikov) want to defend against a deep Boston team.

Kevan Miller Remains Out For Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins will start their second round series in a few days, but won’t be getting a key member of their defense back in time. Kevan Miller has suffered a setback in his recovery and is now “week-to-week” according to Bruins GM Don Sweeney. The veteran defenseman did not play in a single game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

Miller, 31, played just 39 games for the Bruins this season as he dealt with multiple injuries, but would be a welcome addition if he could find any level of health in the playoffs. The physical defenseman strengthens their right side and would give them an upgrade over the rotation of Connor Clifton and Steven Kampfer. While Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo really carried the weight in the first round, Miller would help balance out the minutes as a reliable option.

Still, the Bruins defense was still good enough to hold the Maple Leafs to three goals in the pair of elimination games they faced at the end of the series. The top two pairings were put out time and again across from Toronto’s best players and almost shut them down completely when it mattered. Depending on what happens tonight in Washington the Bruins could head into the second round as the highest seed remaining in the playoffs and enjoy home ice advantage for as long as they keep playing.

AHL Notes: Studnicka, Conway, Bouchard, Jones, Howdeshell

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The Providence Bruins face the tall task of defeating the Charlotte Checkers in their first-round match-up of the Calder Cup Playoffs, after Charlotte’s historic season earned them the top seed in the Eastern Conference. If Providence is able to do so, it will likely be in no small part due to the efforts of their newest addition. Forward Jack Studnicka, the Boston Bruins’ 2017 second-round pick and the player considered by many to be their top prospect, has joined Providence following the end of his junior season. In a strange turnaround, Studnicka and the stacked Niagara Ice Dogs simply could not figure out fellow Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser in net and were surprisingly knocked off by his Oshawa Generals in the second round of the OHL Playoffs. Oshawa had traded Studnicka to Niagara earlier in the season, yet somehow emerged from the match-up with their former captain. Now, Stunicka has to move on from his junior season and try to help Providence immediately in their own playoff run. He was able to make an instant impact last year, recording five points in five games with the P-Bruins. This time around, he could be an even bigger threat. Studnicka scored at better than a point-per-game pace with both Oshawa and Niagara this season, totaling 83 points in 60 games. He’s also trying to impress the Boston brass, as Studnicka’s OHL career is over and this is his first step toward cracking the Bruins’ roster next season. Adding a motivated and talented top prospect to the mix should be a major boost for Providence.

The P-Bruins have also added a local product to the roster, reports Mark Divver of The Providence Journal. Divver writes that Providence College senior Scott Conway has joined the team and has signed a one-year AHL contract as well. Conway, 24, is coming off an interesting collegiate career, in which he showed consistent success but also flashed next-level ability that never fully manifested. After his freshman year at Penn State University, in which he recorded a respectable 26 points in 34 games, Conway opted to leave the program and played the 2015-16 season outside of the NCAA with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. Conway was a star in the BCHL, amassing a league-leading 116 points while skating alongside Colorado Avalanche center Tyson Jost and quickly committed to a new college team in Providence. Yet, in three seasons with the Friars, Conway’s numbers were no better than they were with the Nittany Lions. It’s thus unclear what the ceiling may be for the experienced English forward, who dominated the junior-A level, but failed to reach stardom at the college level. The Bruins likely got a good look at the local product and willing to see what he can bring to the table next season.

  • Like Studnicka, two other highly-touted junior prospects have also joined their respective AHL teams for the playoff run. Defenseman Evan Bouchard, who played in seven games with the Edmonton Oilers to begin the season, has been assigned to the Bakersfield Condors, the team announced. Last year’s tenth overall pick notched 53 points in 45 games with the OHL’s London Knights this year and added another three points at the World Juniors with Team Canada. Bouchard is a near-lock to make the Oilers out of camp next season and can further improve those odds with a strong stretch of play for the Condors. Ben Jones, a seventh-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, has already proven to be a steal and will look to advance that title with his first pro experience. A teammate of Studnicka’s in Niagara, Jones led the team with 102 points on the year, but was held in check in the postseason compared to his fellow Ice Dogs standouts. Nevertheless, Jones will still be an exciting addition for the Chicago Wolves after a top-ten scoring season in the OHL. Having graduated from the junior level, this is also a peak into what’s in store for Jones next season in the pros.
  • Like Conway, another promising undrafted prospect has been brought in by an AHL team just prior to the postseason, only that team didn’t qualify for the postseason. Forward Keeghan Howdeshell of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds has signed a one-year deal with the Tuscon Roadrunners, his former club revealed. The Roadrunners are already looking ahead to next season after failing to grab one of the final spots in the Western Conference playoff picture, much like their parent club. Howdeshell, 21, finished tied for second in scoring for the Greyhounds this year with 77 points in 66 games. The U.S. National Team Development Program product seemed likely to be drafted but was instead passed over several times. He has since re-established his value and will look to translate his game to the pro level with Tuscon next season. A strong campaign could lead to Howdeshell earning an entry-level deal with the Arizona Coyotes.

Minor Transactions: 04/18/19

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You know the postseason is well underway when the first roster transactions of the day don’t trickle in until late in the afternoon. With the majority of NHL teams now done for the year in addition to the end of the AHL regular season, there are few organizations still making moves back and forth to benefit both the parent squad and affiliate. So, while teams stay busy with playoff preparations – or rather draft preparations for many – there aren’t a lot of transactions being made. A few small moves today have been the exception:

  • The Boston Bruins were not forced to use AHL veteran forward Paul Carey nor rookie defenseman Jakub Zboril in Game Four on Wednesday night and have thus returned both players to Providence. Carey and Zboril were each recalled earlier in the week for precautionary reasons and traveled with the team to Toronto, but did not need to be used against the Maple Leafs after all. With John Moore back in the lineup on defense and Sean Kuraly nearing a return up front, neither one will need to stay with Boston and can return to the AHL Bruins, who are looking to channel the Columbus Blue Jackets by knocking off the regular season champion Charlotte Checkers in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • Young Josef Korenar served as the San Jose Sharks’ emergency third-string goalie on the team’s road trip to Vegas this week. He has been returned to the AHL’s Barracuda today upon the Sharks’ return home to San Jose for Game Five. Korenar obviously did not see any action with San Jose, but maybe he should have; Martin Jones’ .838 save percentage is the worst in the playoffs and Aaron Dell is third-to-last at .861.

NHL Announces 2019 Selke Trophy Finalists

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The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2019 Frank J. Selke Trophy, given to the best defensive forward in the league. Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, who has won the award four times, received his eighth consecutive nomination. With him are St. Louis Blues center Ryan O’Reilly and Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone.

Bergeron’s presence on the list should come as no surprise. The 33-year old center has long been considered one of the best defensive forwards to ever suit up in the NHL, finishing just outside the finalist group twice even before this nearly unprecedented eight-year run. Still, given the fact that he played just 65 games and logged an average of just 13:30 at even strength some may point to other deserving candidates like Aleksander Barkov who seem to have been overlooked. There’s no doubt that Bergeron still has the chops for this prize, but as he ages and more responsibility is put on other Bruins it will be harder and harder for him to take home the trophy.

In his place as a potential yearly candidate is O’Reilly, who turned in the best season of his career after a move to St. Louis. Though his 77 points don’t directly tie into the Selke voting (or at least, they shouldn’t), they were all the more impressive given his outstanding efforts in the defensive end. O’Reilly was once again one of the best faceoff men in the league, winning more draws than any other player and converting at a 56.9% rate. He has never been named a finalist for the award previously, but has received at least some votes in each of the last eight years.

Stone’s appearance here is perhaps most impressive, given that he does not play the position most often linked to the Selke trophy. The Golden Knights forward lines up on the wing but is arguably the best player in the league at creating neutral zone turnovers and hardly ever gives the puck up without a fight. That two-way ability is exactly why the Golden Knights decided to go out and acquire him at the deadline, and that decision is paying off handsomely as he leads all players with six goals and ten points in the playoffs.

Jesse Gabrielle Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Wednesday: Gabrielle has cleared waivers.

Tuesday: The Boston Bruins have placed forward Jesse Gabrielle on unconditional waivers according to CapFriendly, for the purpose of a contract termination. Gabrielle’s season ended early after suffering another concussion in March, his third head injury since training camp. The 21-year old had another year left on his entry-level contract, but he will become an unrestricted free agent instead.

Gabrielle, 21, played this entire season in the ECHL and was even loaned to the Wichita Thunder—affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers—partway through the year. It seems as though the relationship between him and the Bruins has frayed at some point, and he’ll now need to find another opportunity if he wants to continue his hockey career.

The Bruins meanwhile will save a contract spot for next season and no longer have to pay his minor league salary. Originally selected in the fourth round, the team will just have to move on from the missed opportunity and look elsewhere for contributions. This is just another unfortunate outcome from what has turned out to be a frustrating 2015 draft class for the Bruins. The team had six picks in the first two rounds and ten total, but only have Jake Debrusk and Brandon Carlo to show for it as full-time NHL players.

Nazem Kadri Suspended For Rest Of First Round

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without one of their most physical players for the rest of their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. The Department of Player Safety announced today that forward Nazem Kadri has been given a suspension of up to five games for his cross-check on Jake DeBrusk in Saturday night’s game. Kadri was responding to a hit on Patrick Marleau, and hit DeBrusk right in the face with his stick. Instead of giving the Maple Leafs forward a determined number of games, the league decided it was best to keep him out for the remainder of the series instead. As the accompanying video explains:

This is not a hockey play. Instead, this is a player retaliating against an opponent by using his stick as a weapon to make forceful and direct head contact. While we understand that Kadri took offense to DeBrusk’s hit against Marleau, players are simply not permitted to flagrantly violate league playing rules because they feel that retribution is justified. It is also important to note that Kadri has an extensive disciplinary track record that must be considered when issuing supplemental discipline.

This will be Kadri’s fifth suspension and one that is eerily similar to his last. Almost exactly a year ago the Maple Leafs center was suspended for a check on Boston’s Tommy Wingels in their first round series and was given a three-game ban. Toronto would eventually lose that series in seven games and many consider Kadri’s absence a contributing—if not ultimately determining—factor.

Though the league has not handed out many suspensions that can vary in length before, this is not entirely without precedent. In 2013, San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres was suspended for the rest of his series against the Los Angeles Kings after a hit to the head of Jarret Stoll. Torres similarly had a long history of discipline, which included at that point a 21-game suspension (reduced from the original 25) for another head shot. Torres would eventually receive an even longer suspension in 2015 when he was banned for half a season.

While Kadri doesn’t have quite the reputation that Torres built over his playing career, that is the kind of discipline he’ll have to be wary of in the future. The Department of Player Safety has been clear that they will not tolerate repeat offenders especially when incidents are similar in nature. In fact, the Kadri video today brought up a similar cross-checking incident from his past when he struck Luke Glendening in the face with his stick in retaliation. His discipline will only increase unless he finds a way to stop these retaliatory incidents from occurring.

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