NHL Announces Conference Final Schedules
After Joe Pavelski returned to the San Jose Sharks lineup they were not to be defeated, and have advanced through to the Western Conference Final. They’ll meet the St. Louis Blues after an impressive series victory of their own, meaning at least one of them will get a chance to compete for the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. On the other side the Carolina Hurricanes should be well rested after quickly dispatching their second round opponent, but will have to find a way to break through the stingy Boston Bruins defense and goaltending. Here is the full schedule for the third round (all times central):
Eastern Conference Final
Boston Bruins (A2) vs Carolina Hurricanes (W1)
Thursday, May 9th @ 7pm
Sunday, May 12th @ 2pm
Tuesday, May 14th @ 7pm
Thursday, May 16th @ 7pm
Saturday, May 18th @ 6:15pm (if necessary)
Monday, May 20th @ 7pm (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 22nd @ 7pm (if necessary)
Western Conference Final
San Jose Sharks (P2) vs St. Louis Blues (C3)
Saturday, May 11th @ 7pm
Monday, May 13th @ 8pm
Wednesday, May 15th @ 7pm
Friday, May 17th @ 7pm
Sunday, May 19th @ 2pm (if necessary)
Tuesday, May 21st @ 7pm (if necessary)
Thursday, May 23rd @ 8pm (if necessary)
Sharks-Avalanche Outcome Of Interest To Senators, Red Wings
The Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators seem to be inextricably linked this season. While GM Joe Sakic and the Avalanche were cheering on every Ottawa loss as a step closer to a top draft pick, Senators GM Pierre Dorion now gets his own chance to hope for a Colorado defeat. The Senators are one of two non-playoff teams hoping the San Jose Sharks can overcome the Avalanche tonight and advance another round. That’s because of the conditions on the Erik Karlsson trade from last season, which state that if the star defenseman re-signs in San Jose another second-round pick will change hands. That pick will upgrade to a first-round selection in 2021 if Karlsson re-signs and the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup final this season.
While obviously the Sharks want to win the Stanley Cup, just reaching it would certainly make any extension talks with Karlsson more interesting. The team has already traded away their first pick in this year and next year’s draft, meaning they could end up without one until 2022. There hasn’t been any indication which way Karlsson leans so far, as he is instead focused on the playoff run ahead of him. Sharks GM Doug Wilson though has always tried to retain his rental acquisitions, as evidenced most recently by the seven-year extension for Evander Kane.
The Senators aren’t the only team watching the outcome though, as the Detroit Red Wings also have some skin in the game. The Red Wings will see their 2020 third-round pick acquired for Gustav Nyquist upgrade to a second if the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup final this season or if he re-signs with them. Again, Nyquist has fit in quite nicely with the Sharks and could be a candidate for an extension, but the condition makes it more difficult from a San Jose perspective.
Obviously the Sharks would need to win another series against the rolling St. Louis Blues in order to get to the final, but they’ll have to get past the Avalanche tonight. As they try to slow down Nathan MacKinnon and company, they’ll have some cheerleaders from the Eastern Conference.
Pacific Notes: Pavelski, Donskoi, Quick, DiPietro
The San Jose Sharks are expected to get back a key forward for Game 5 on Saturday, but it won’t be captain Joe Pavelski. The veteran forward, who has been out after hitting his head on the ice in Game 7 of the first-round of the playoffs after taking a hit from Vegas’ Cody Eakin, has been skating more often this week, but is still not ready to return, according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. “Getting better. Starting to skate regular,” head coach Peter DeBoer said of Pavelski, but added “Not in tonight.”
However, the Sharks are expected to be getting back Joonas Donskoi, who has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury after taking a hit from Vegas’ Brayden McNabb in Game 6 in the first round. The winger said he’s available to play, although DeBoer said that Donskoi will be a game-time decision. The 27-year-old has appeared in just three playoff games this season with no points. Donskoi was a healthy scratch for the first three games of their first-round series to allow Micheal Haley to play. If Donskoi does go in, he would likely replace Lukas Radil and join the team’s third line along with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane. Haley is expected to play on the fourth line regardless.
- The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required), in a mailbag column, suggests that the Los Angeles Kings would be better off holding on to veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick. With the team moving towards a rebuilding project, many feel that trading Quick makes the most sense, especially considering the success that Jack Campbell and Calvin Petersen had this season. However, Dillman writes that with four years remaining on his contract at $5.8MM AAV, there will likely be few takers for Quick considering his poor numbers last year (3.38 GAA, .888 save percentage). She writes that it would be better for the Kings to hold onto him and hope he can bounce back and increase his value ahead of the trade deadline or next off-season.
- Vancouver Canucks prospect goaltender Michael DiPietro got injured Saturday in the OHL playoffs, according to Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal, who adds that he hears it is a high-ankle sprain, which could end his season early. The 19-year-old star goalie prospect, who is expected to join the Utica Comets next season in the AHL, is 13-0 in the playoffs with a 2.24 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The injury should not affect his availability to begin next season.
Snapshots: WHL, Drouin, KHL
The WHL handed out their awards today, and several NHL prospects took home some hardware. Ian Scott of the Toronto Maple Leafs took home the Goaltender of the Year award, Ty Smith of the New Jersey Devils was named Defenseman of the Year, and Joachim Blichfeld of the San Jose Sharks was awarded the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as Player of the Year.
All three players exceeded expectations this season, but the most interesting may just be Blichfeld who was a seventh-round pick of the Sharks back in 2016. While he will turn 21 this summer and was older than much of his competition, the simple fact that he’s developed so well from his draft day is a huge win for San Jose. The team already signed him to an NHL contract back in late 2017. The Sharks have done extremely well pulling value from the late rounds, as Kevin Labanc (171st overall in 2014) and Joakim Ryan (198th in 2012) are already paying off for them in this year’s playoffs.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced today that Jonathan Drouin underwent minor surgery yesterday to correct a fractured nose. The 24-year old forward had mentioned an injury that would keep him from playing in the IIHF World Championship, but it wasn’t clear exactly what that was. The release notes that Drouin is expected to resume his training in two to three weeks, meaning he’ll be ready in plenty of time for training camp in a few months.
- KHL free agency opened today and some familiar names have already re-signed, meaning there won’t be any NHL returns for them this season. Brandon Kozun, Paul Postma, Eric O’Dell, Anton Lander and Stephane Da Costa, have all signed new deals. The previously reported trade of Jiri Sekac to CSKA Moscow in exchange for the rights to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Igor Ozhiganov was also officially filed today.
Snapshots: Francis, Maple Leafs, Pavelski
If you’re looking for someone to credit for the success that the Carolina Hurricanes are having right now, it’s easy to name head coach Rod Brind’Amour, GM Don Waddell or even new owner Tom Dundon. One person who may be deserving of a good chunk of that credit though is former GM Ron Francis, who was let go before this season even started.
No, Francis wasn’t the man to pull the trigger on the Dougie Hamilton or Nino Niederreiter trades, but his fingerprints are still all over the roster. He was the GM who signed captain Justin Williams to a two-year, $9MM contract despite the forward being over 35. He orchestrated contract extensions for Brett Pesce ($4.025MM AAV) and Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM) that look like absolute steals right now, and he was the one who selected Sebastian Aho with the 35th pick in 2015. On Sportsnet radio today Francis admitted that he is interested in returning to management, and John Shannon notes that his contract expires on June 30th. It will be interesting to see where Francis lands, and in what role.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs are expecting to add a Russian on Wednesday according to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, though it is not exactly clear who that would be. McGran suggests it is likely either Yegor Korshkov, a draft pick of the Maple Leafs who is expected to sign his entry-level contract this summer, or Ilya Mikheyev, who has been linked to the team in recent weeks. With the KHL season officially ending today and contracts expiring, many names will be signing over the next several days.
- The San Jose Sharks will still be without captain Joe Pavelski when they take on the Colorado Avalanche today, as he did not travel with the team to Denver. The Sharks haven’t listed exactly what Pavelski is dealing with, but he hasn’t played since suffering the scary head injury against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. Gustav Nyquist, who flew home for the birth of his child, is expected to play for the Sharks.
San Jose Sharks Sign Mario Ferraro
The San Jose Sharks have inked a top college prospect, signing Mario Ferraro to a three-year entry-level contract. Ferraro recently finished his sophomore season at UMass. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released this statement about his newest recruit:
Mario had another stellar season at UMass and has consistently proven his capacity to compete and lead at an elite level. His offensive skills, ability to make plays from the blueline and the energy he brings to the rink are impressive and we look forward to seeing him continue his growth at the professional level.
Ferraro, 20, was selected 49th overall in 2017 after an outstanding rookie season in the USHL and has continued that solid progression at the NCAA level. The left-handed defenseman combined with Cale Makar to make one of the most dynamic pairings—freshmen or not—in the country last year before head coach Greg Carvel split them up this season to give his team a deeper attack.
While he may not be Makar in terms of his upside, Ferraro is no slouch at either end of the rink. In fact, the Colorado Avalanche star prospect’s presence may have actually stifled Ferraro’s production at times, given the fact that UMass would rely heavily on the latter in the defensive end while letting the former run wild with the puck on offense. Ferraro can move the puck effectively and may bring more offense at the next level, but the Sharks will be pleased with the defensive zone polish he’s received at college. Even though he doesn’t bring intimidating size, Ferraro can play physical when he needs to an shuts down plays routinely at his blue line.
That kind of defensive responsibility may be the perfect fit for the Sharks, who already have Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson (if re-signed) to move the puck and attack the opposing team. It will be interesting to see if Ferraro can compete for a spot on the NHL squad out of training camp, or if they feel he’ll need more seasoning in the minor leagues.
Snapshots: Willie O’Ree Award, Hurricanes’ Injuries, Haley
The NHL revealed the finalists for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. The award was established last year, named after O’Ree who was the NHL’s first black player and spent decades bringing the sport of hockey to people who might normally not be exposed to it, to honor people not directly affiliated with the NHL or any teams.
The finalists are Anthony Benevides, Tammi Lynch and Rico Phillips. Benevides has built an affordable hockey program in Detroit, which serves Latino youth in impoverished areas. Lynch, a hockey mom, started a movement called Players Against Hate after her son’s teammate was a victim of racial slurs. Phillips has run a free hockey program in the inner city of Flint, Michigan, which he has run for the last six years.
- Luke DeCock of the News-Observer was quick to bring back injury updates after the Carolina Hurricanes saw three of their players forced to leave their Game 2 victory over the New York Islanders. According to DeCock, forward Saku Maenalanen is expected to have surgery for a hand injury and is expected to miss 10 to 14 days. Goaltender Petr Mrazek is listed as day-to-day with a possible groin injury, but the team intends to recall Alex Nedeljkovic from Charlotte of the AHL. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will have an MRI on his left shoulder and is out indefinitely. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said after the game that van Riemsdyk is “definitely not coming back any time soon,” according to NHL.com’s Michael Smith.
- The San Jose Sharks are expected to get bottom-line winger Micheal Haley back in their lineup Sunday for Game 2. The veteran has been out for the past five games with an ankle injury. Head coach Peter DeBoer revealed that Haley will go in, while rookie Dylan Gambrell will sit out for the game, according to the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka.
Pacific Notes: Brodie, Haula, Nyquist
With an early and somewhat shocking first-round exit in the playoffs, many feel that the Calgary Flames are likely to make some changes this season to continue building their team into a contender. With plenty of salary cap issues already upon the franchise, the Flames will likely have to move on or trade some of their players in order to free up some much-needed cap room.
In a roundtable discussion, Postmedia’s Danny Austin, Wes Gilbertson and Kristin Andersen suggested several of those players, with defenseman T.J. Brodie potentially being the top name on the list. The 28-year-old Brodie has been a solid defenseman in Calgary for years, but with the emergence of rookies Rasmus Anderson, Juuso Valimaki and Oliver Kylington, the team might be better served by trading Brodie for another top-six forward after the disastrous signing of James Neal. Brodie, who will still has one year remaining on the five-year, $23.2MM contract he signed in 2014 at an AAV of $4.65MM, might garner quite a bit of interest from teams that need to upgrade their defense.
Other suggestions of players who likely won’t be back included 37-year-old UFA goaltender Mike Smith, who might be let go to give David Rittich a chance to become the starting goaltender next season, and forward Michael Frolik, who has had issues with the team due to his lack of playing time this season.
- The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) profiles the injury of Vegas Golden Knights forward Erik Haula, who suffered a gruesome knee injury on Nov. 6 that saw his season come to an end after appearing in just 15 games. Interesting enough, he was close to returning to Vegas’ lineup during the playoffs had the team not been eliminated by San Jose in the first round. “He was probably a week to 10 days away from being able to practice with the team, and maybe three weeks away from playing,” Vegas general manager George McPhee said. However, Haula will scale back his aggressive rehab after the Golden Knights’ exit and now has four months to get close to 100% to begin next season. He is already penciled in to center the team’s third line next to wingers Alex Tuch and KHL star Nikita Gusev next season, which should be one of the strongest third lines in the league.
- The San Jose Sharks were forced to play without one of their top players in Game 1 in Joe Pavelski. The veteran forward suffered an upper-body injury in Game 7 of their first-round series after he hit his head following being cross-checked by Vegas’ Cody Eakin. However, despite being without Pavelski against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1, head coach Peter DeBoer praised his replacement, Gustav Nyquist, who moved up to the team’s second line and scored a goal in the team’s 5-2 win over Colorado, according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. “I thought he was really good,” said DeBoer. “We’ve been waiting for that kind of impact. The effort has been there, but we haven’t had the impact on the game like we got last night, which is something he needs to build on and bring some more of.” Nyquist will continue to play on the second line until Pavelski is ready to return. Pavelski is currently listed as day-to-day.
Golden Knights Owner Pushing For Major Penalty Review
A series-defining call, or mistake in the minds of many, has lit a fire underneath the owner of the NHL’s newest team. Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley has already begun lobbying the league to make all major penalty calls reviewable after a controversial major ended up costing his team in the first round.
With a 3-0 lead over the San Jose Sharks in the third period of Game Seven, Vegas center Cody Eakin was issued a five-minute major and game misconduct for cross-checking Sharks counterpart Joe Pavelski, who fell awkwardly to the ice, had to leave the game, and remains sidelined for San Jose. Over the course of that five-minute penalty, the Sharks scored four times and ultimately won in overtime to eliminate the Golden Knights. The penalty was a blatant cross-check and worthy of a two-minute minor, but it’s hard to argue that a major was the right call. In fact, the NHL has reportedly apologized to the club for the call.
While Knights GM George McPhee said that he and the team would not dwell on the call, he apparently wasn’t speaking for his owner. In a press conference on Thursday, Foley informed the media that he believed a major penalty should be reviewable via coach’s challenge. It is unlikely that this was a passion project of the owner prior to his team’s controversial elimination, but it certainly is now. Foley stated that he has already spoken with league officials and fellow owners about the issue and expects it to be a topic of conversation at the summer Board of Governors meeting.
Foley insisted that if a major penalty review process had been in place, the call on Eakin would have been overturned and the Golden Knights would have won the game and advanced to the next round. However, the owner is only focusing on one part of the problem. Bad calls happen, but if your team cannot allow less than four goals over one five-minute penalty, it would seem that the penalty kill is a bigger issue than the league’s policies and procedures.
Joonas Donskoi To Miss The Start Of The Second Round
- On top of missing Joe Pavelski for tonight’s series opener against Colorado, the Sharks will also be without winger Joonas Donskoi, notes Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (Twitter link). He suffered an upper-body injury back in the sixth game of the first round against Vegas. Despite having a career-best 37 points this season, the pending UFA has seen limited action so far this postseason, even when healthy. There is no timetable for his return.