Author: Hockey Feed

Categories
Hockey Feed

Morgan Barron looks “like he got attacked by a shark” following Game 1 gruesome injury

Twitter / Broadcast

It was a scary scene in Vegas. Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron took a skate to his face Tuesday night, requiring more than 75 stitches. But he was back on the ice less than a period later.

It happened in the first period of the Game 1 of the Golden Knights and Jets’ Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday. Barron was caught in a scramble in front of Vegas’ net in pursuit of a loose puck and the Jets’ forward was accidentally pushed onto goalie Laurent Brossoit’s skate blade. It cut Barron badly above the cheek, very close to his right eye, and it required more than 75 stitches to stop the bleeding, allowing him to return on the ice.

When looking at pictures of the wound following the Jets’ 5-1 win, Barron’s teammates Adam Lowry explains it best:

“Looks like he got attacked by a shark,” he said. “It’s a scary thing. We’re all so worried about the puck crossing the line, and all of the sudden we see a trail of blood all the way from the crease to the bench.”



Barron didn’t up end on the scoresheet, but his return to action motivated the rest of the Jets’ bench to get the first win of the series.

“To sit on the table, get stitched up and miss basically an hour of action and come back, speaks volumes to his heart. It’s tough to come back when you’ve sat that long,” added Lowry.

Game 2 is set for Thursday night before the series shifts to Winnipeg for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon. Barron’s wound won’t be healed by then, but the battle scar might keep inspiring the Jets to move on to Round 2.

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Jon Cooper plays mind games with the Maple Leafs after Game 1

Postgame presser

The Toronto Maple Leafs pretty much faced the worst-case scenario in Game 1 of their first-round series versus the Tampa Bay Lightning…

Both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll faltered, allowing seven goals on 34 shots, with Samsonov getting replaced for the third frame.

The Lightning were simply the better team on Tuesday, but head coach Jon Cooper isn’t taking that for granted.
In his Game 1 postgame presser, the Bolts’ bench boss talked about the Maple Leafs and how they could win the series in comments that could only be Cooper playing mind games with Toronto ahead of Game 2 on Thursday night.

“The Leafs might win the series. They might. There’s so much runway left in this, but what I’ve learned over the years is I sure as hell wouldn’t bet against our guys.”

While Cooper has a way of getting under the skin of the Maple Leafs and their fanbase during the first-round series, he has a point. There’s a reason why playoff series are best-of-seven.

And Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe also had an answer when it comes to where the series might go – almost as a response to Cooper’s comments:

“That’s the nature of a playoff series,” the head coach said. “It’s on us to respond.”

And that response starts on Thursday in Toronto for Game 2 of this series.

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Sheldon Keefe addresses starting goalie for Game 2

Maple Leafs / press conference

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov wasn’t the only one to blame for the humiliating 7-3 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their first-round series on Tuesday night. However, giving six goals over two periods before giving up your crease to rookie Joseph Woll for the last frame isn’t the way for the Maple Leafs to win this series and finally move on to Round 2.

“I will play better. I played like (expletive) today,” Samsonov admitted after the loss.

This, of course, prompted reporters to immediately asked head coach Sheldon Keefe about his plan in between the pipes for Game 2 on Thursday night.

Keefe kept his cool, contrary to during the contest thanks to questionable calls by the officials, and make this statement:

“It’s too early to know.”

Keefe was noncommittal about who he will put in net on Thursday after Game 1. I love the young Woll and what he’s done for Toronto in the last stretch of the regular season, but the playoffs are an entirely different game. While he managed to stay confident for the last period of Game 1, I wouldn’t want him to deal with the pressure of Game 2 on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Keefe finally confirmed that Samsonov will be back in net to start Game 2 against the Bolts tomorrow night.

“Sammy’s going in net for sure.” – Sheldon Keefe

That’s the right call, right? Right? 

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Officiating scandal flares up following Game 1 in Toronto!

Twitter / EDIT

If you ask the Toronto Maple Leafs : it wasn’t supposed to be this way. The Tampa Bay Lightning built a 3-0 lead in the first period and humiliated the Maple Leafs 7-3 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday.

Despite the Maple Leafs coming out flat and Ilya Samsonov allowing six goals on 29 shots before getting replaced by Joseph Woll to start the third period, fans are still focused on the potential officiating scandal that emerged ahead of the contest yesterday.

Referee Wes McCauley called Game 1 action, but there appears to be a conflict of interest. Most of us remember the David Frost and Mike Danton scandal, right? David Frost was a former junior coach turned NHL player agent who was accused of sexually assaulting a number of underage hockey players, including Danton. Frost was acquitted of the charges and Danton was subsequently arrested and convicted for conspiring to murder Frost.

Here is where McCauley comes in: he and Frost are brothers-in law and are reportedly very close. On the other side, Danton and Keefe are lifelong friends. The two grew up playing hockey together and were teammates on a junior team coached by Frost when the alleged abuse took place. Fast forward to Danton’s trial and it was Keefe who was on the stand testifying against Frost.

You see what we mean?

Well, several fans saw exactly what we were pointing to and took on social media to call out the officiating scandal in Toronto:

Captain John Tavares even appeared to blame the referees for the Game 1 loss and all the penalties than landed he and his teammates in the box.

On broadcast, former NHLer Chris Chelios called it “Absolutely terrible officiating. Worst in a while.”

The Maple Leafs host the Lightning for Game 2 on Thursday. Let’s see how this one goes…

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

NHL Player Safety: Bunting facing possible suspension

-

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a brief update to our earlier published report on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting.

UPDATE: Bunting has been called in by NHL Player Safety and faces possible supplemental discipline.

For our earlier report on this developing story, read below.

We’ve had a bit of everything so far in Game 1 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Big goals, big saves, big hits and… surprise, surprise… a cheap shot from Leafs forward Michael Bunting.

Butning earns himself a major penalty and a game misconduct for this elbow on Lightning defender Erik Cernak:

Bunting will now watch the rest of the game from the dressing room and his teammates will be forced to kill a five minute major while already down two goals.

UPDATE: Welp… now they’re down 3 goals.

Categories
Hockey Feed

Nazem Kadri gets tangled in Maple Leafs’ playoffs woes!

Twitter / EDIT

This can’t be happening again, right Toronto Maple Leafs’ fans?! Last night, Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting received a match penalty for an illegal check to the head on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak during the teams’ first game of their Round 1 series. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced after the game that Bunting will have a hearing on Wednesday afternoon for the incident.

Many reports emerged following the incident, which took place in the second period when Bunting appeared to hit the unsuspecting Cernak in the head in front of the Bolts’ net. Cernak, who did not have the puck, fell backwards to the ice and went to the dressing room. He did not return to the contest.

As it was expected, Bunting’s situation is now being compared to what happened to forward Nazem Kadri in the first round series of the 2019 playoffs against the Boston Bruins. Kadri was suspended for the remainder of the first round by the NHL’s department of player safety for delivering a dangerous cross-check to the head of Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk. The Maple Leafs were consequently eliminated from the postseason with Kadri looking on from the press box. Kadri was also suspended during the 2018 Leafs-Bruins series for a high hit on Tommy Wingels, for which he was banned three games.

The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke couldn’t help but bring Kadri back into the discussion as we await the league’s verdict on Bunting.

“It’s hard not to pick up some serious Nazem Kadri vibes from this whole sequence of events. The former Leafs forward was a long-time fan favourite for his physical, heart-on-his-sleeve approach, but was suspended in both the 2018 and 2019 playoffs for hits that even with the benefit of hindsight, look questionable.

“Both Kadri and Bunting are players who play on the edge: they can get under the skin of opponents but they’re also counted on to contribute offensively. Back-to-back 23-goal seasons for Bunting for a measly $950,000 cap hit is a tremendous value, but that comes with an inherent risk: Bunting led the NHL in penalties taken among NHL forwards this season.”

Bunting didn’t speak to the media after the game, but it’s a clear fact that he has struggled with discipline this season. It remains to be seen if Bunting will be suspended, which if yes, comes with loads of questions. How long? Who takes his spot? Can he be trusted after that?

But one question that will remain unanswered is why Bunting pulled that move on Cernak to put the Maple Leafs’ series in jeopardy?

Not sure even Kadri can answer that one…

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Bruins benefit from secret weapon despite huge lineup absence

NHL.com

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron did not take part in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers on Monday night due to an illness, and is believed to be questionable for Game 2.

However, Bergeron remains the Bruins’ top weapon as head coach Jim Montgomery explained to Matt Porter after Boston’s 3-1 win over the Panthers. Bergeron was “in the coaches’ room” and then spoke with his teammates during intermissions about what he was seeing on the ice.

“I learn from him every game. He’ll say something on the bench and I’m like, ‘Ah. I’m going to start talking about that now.’”

While this is great for the Bruins to count on Bergeron’s game IQ during the series, it is unfortunate that he cannot provide that support from the ice.

He might be suffering from an illness, but there are also reports of a lingering upper-body injury that occurred in the team’s regular-season finale against the Montreal Canadiens. Bergeron then missed practice Saturday and Sunday.

Following Monday’s morning skate, Montgomery said:

“We have not only Bergeron, but a couple of guys that have been under the weather.”

The team listed Pavel Zacha taking Bergeron’s spot on the top line between wingers Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk.

Isn’t it reassuring for Bruins’ fans to know that the captain remains a huge weapon off the ice as well?

Game 2 is tonight in Boston with the Bruins leading the series 1-0.

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Oilers’ star players reveal what went wrong in Game 1

NHL.com

The Edmonton Oilers had control of Game 1 of the first round series in the Western Conference on Monday night, but the Los Angeles Kings earn the statement win in a 4-3 overtime victory. This was a slap in the face for the Oilers, but it sounds like they can recover from it, especially with star players identifying what went wrong.

“Got to be more mature than that,” said star forward Leon Draisaitl, who posted two goals in the loss. “It’s a 3-1 game with eight minutes left or whatever. We’ve got to lock that down.

“We have to be more mature.”

Captain Connor McDavid was adamant that his Oilers were the better team 5-on-5 in the series opener, but they desperately need to clean up the penalty problems moving forward.

“You can’t take six penalties in a playoff game!”

The Kings tallied their last two goals – the tying one at 19:43 of the third period with the goalie pulled to send the game to overtime – on the power-play. Alex Iafallo put the OT winner behind goalie Stuart Skinner with Vincent Desharnais in the penalty box.

“We had the game in our hands. We just let it slip away,” Desharnais said. “We took too many penalties, and they just bury you at some point.”

Game 2 takes place later tonight before shifting to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4. Head coach Jay Woodcroft and his players are now focused on tying the series.

“That said, it’s one game. We feel it’s going to be a long series between two teams – a 109-point team and a 104-point team. Both teams are going to have their moments,” Woodcroft concluded.

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Two Flames’ key players are vocal about leaving Calgary amidst management changes

via USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, it was announced that the Calgary Flames and GM Brad Treliving had agreed to part ways after the team failed to qualify for the 2023 NHL playoffs. While Don Maloney takes over as president of hockey operations and interim GM for the time being, there is tremendous uncertainty regarding the club’s off-season roster moves.

The main concern is about the lot of Flames eligible for UFA status in 2024 : the list includes centers Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm, winger Tyler Toffoli and defensemen Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov.

TSN’s Salim Valji reported at the Flames’ end-of-season press conference that Backlund and Lindholm sounded non-committal about re-signing in Calgary before next summer.

Despite loving the atmosphere in Calgary, Backlund spoke about his desire to win the Stanley Cup, adding he wasn’t sure what would happen if offered a contract extension this summer.

“I don’t know, the summer what’s gonna happen. Even if they offer us anything, or me, I might wanna see what this group can do [next season] before I make a decision…I’ve been here a long time. I love Calgary. I love the organization, but the year we had, I’m 34 years old.”

As for Lindholm, he brought up the last a year left on his contract and commented that he would see how things go.

“I’ve got one more year. Gotta look at it that way. I have one more year and that’s all I can say.”

Other key players like Toffoli and Zadorov sounded more upbeat about sticking around and signing an extension with the Flames before free agency comes up.

However for now, they don’t know who will be the Flames’ new GM and what players will be on his top priority for the future of the club. There are possibilities that one or two of those players will be traded before the start of next season.

It will once again be a busy offseason in Calgary.

Recommended articles:

Categories
Hockey Feed

Minnesota Wild rip ex-teammate Ryan Suter

Sports Illustrated

Former Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter was lured just over 10 years ago to the Minnesota Wild alongside his good friend Zach Parise; they both inked identical 13 year, $98 million contracts in what was thought to be the beginning of a golden era of Wild hockey.

Unfortunately, the team never advanced past the second round with their dynamic duo, and they were both bought out of the remainder of their deals by general manager Bill Guerin in the summer of 2021. Suter subsequently signed with the rival Dallas Stars, while Parise headed east for the New York Islanders. 

Suter is now facing his former Wild teammates in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he’s already gotten under their skin in a major way. Suter got away with not one but two separate brutal crosschecks to the back of Russian sniper Kirill Kaprizov over the course of what would eventually be a 3-2 Wild double overtime victory. 

Needless to say, this didn’t sit well with the Wild players. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Suter was catching some serious heat from his ex-teammates in the Minnesota dressing room following the game: 

“Gaudreau, playing hurt, looked bothered at times. Middleton, who was outstanding, hobbled to the bench on one occasion. Same with Johansson and Kaprizov, who ate a couple vicious cross-checks from Ryan Suter, who is not a popular fixture at all inside his old locker room. Wild players were ripping the longtime former Wild defenseman to shreds in the celebratory postgame locker room.”

As you may remember, Suter was referred to as “uncoachable” by a former Wild head coach, while his close relationship with Wild owner Craig Leipold was a reported source of tension within the organization. 

Expect some fireworks tonight when the two teams get together for Game 2 from American Airlines Center!