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Maple Leafs explain what went wrong vs. Panthers

The Globe and Mail

The lasting image of last night’s game at Scotiabank Arena between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the visiting Florida Panthers will be Panthers bench boss Paul Maurice absolutely exploding on his squad for what he clearly felt was a lack of effort during a break in the 2nd period.

That seemed to wake up the Panthers, who are scrapping and clawing (no pun) towards securing a playoff spot in the tightly contested Eastern Conference. It would eventually be Brandon Montour playing the role of hero for Florida, scoring in overtime to secure a valuable extra point that was also made possible thanks to a strong 38 save performance from goaltender Alex Lyon. 

Florida now sits just one point out of the final Wild Card postseason spot, while the Leafs have already locked up their postseason reservation.

“Played a good game,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said afterward in his postgame media session. “Didn’t score enough to win and then made some mistakes at the end. Cost us the extra point.”

However, a stat that fans will immediately notice is that the Leafs were unable to score on four separate power play opportunities, which could have proven to be the difference in the game.

“Not great,” said Auston Matthews on being unable to cash in with the man advantage. “Just a little bit disconnected there and maybe over-complicating things at times instead of just keeping it a little more simple and breaking them down at the start and then letting things open up.”

“Rather have it happen now than in the playoffs,” explained Zach Aston-Reese of giving up the lead. “Six-on-four situation, you know it’s going to happen again for sure. Definitely something we can watch the tape and learn from and hopefully down the stretch be a lot better at.”

The Leafs will be back in action when they visit the rival Ottawa Senators in the Canadian capital city on Saturday evening.

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Fan crashes penalty box with Tie Domi 22 years ago!

Sportsnet

It seems just like yesterday, but this will forever be one of the more iconic confrontational moments not only in hockey but in sports period between a fan and a player. 

22 years ago, a fan behind the penalty box during a game at the then-named First Union Center in Philadelphia was verbally jousting with Toronto Maple Leafs hard nosed forward Tie Domi, who was currently in the sin bin. Domi reached behind him and squirted the glass the fan was behind with his water bottle, leading to all hell breaking loose: 

The fan, who was identified as 36-year old Chris Falcone, lunged at Domi over the glass, which would eventually give way. Into the box spilled Falcone, instantly triggering a scuffle between the two until linesman Kevin Collins was able to help break things up. 

“That hasn’t happened to me since I was 15 years old in juniorhockey. It was a mascot,” Domi said afterward. “Hey, that’s old-timehockey. It was perfect.”

“They threw stuff at me. Once was enough,” Domi continued. “After the second one, I told the guy in the penalty box that after onemore I was going to squirt water. So I squirted water. I didn’tplan on fighting anybody.”

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Paul Maurice loses it on his Panthers’ players during Leafs goal review!

Broadcast / Twitter

The Florida Panthers’ players said it themselves : tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto is do or die.

Keith Tkachuk even called them out before the game on Toronto radio, saying the Panthers are in the position they currently are because of their own doing. He was in attendance Monday night when the Panthers lost 5-2 to Brady and the Senators and he was not impressed with Matthew’s team.

“They are a soft team and they are getting everything they deserve right now.”

Despite the Panthers taking the lead in the first minute of the first period, the Maple Leafs tied things up in the second frame. They even thought they had gotten the 2-1 lead thought Panthers head coach Paul Maurice immediately asked for a review.

As the officials looked at the play, Maurice absolutely lit into the players at the bench after successfully challenging a Toronto goal for offside. He is clearly unhappy with his players even though it remains 1-1. He even appears to be telling his players “You’re playing like f***ing b****es, f***ing b****es”.

The Panthers better wake up and play better…

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Revealing investigation would pose “serious risks” for Hockey Canada

CBC

It’s been nearly a calendar year since Hockey Canada was absolutely rocked with multiple scandals and nearly nine months since the government of Canada froze its $98 million account.

Yesterday, the CBC reported that Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge is considering restoring Hockey Canada’s federal funding after admitting that the group had satisfied her requirements for funding restoration.

“We want to make sure that the new board of directors remains committed to [bringing] the expected profound cultural change within the organization,” said Ariane Joazard-Belizaire, a spokesperson for the minister’s office. 

The organization is still under third party investigations after allegations made against members of Hockey Canada’s 2003 U20 World Junior team and the 2018 U20 World Junior team. Members of Parliament are pushing for the findings of the investigations to be made public, but Hockey Canada says that doing so would pose “serious risks” to its operation moving forward.

In a statement sent to CBC, Hockey Canada said it told the committee it “will deliver the report” but asked the committee “to consider the serious risks that producing the report to the committee could have on the ongoing police investigation and Hockey Canada’s independent adjudicative process.”

“If, despite those risks, the committee confirms its order, Hockey Canada will deliver the report to the committee,” the statement says. 

Hockey Canada said its own panel of two retired judges and a senior lawyer is reviewing the investigation report behind closed doors to decide if there should be any sanctions.

“As that process continues, all information concerning the contents of the investigator’s report are held in the strictest confidence so as not to risk compromising the integrity of the panel’s work,” said Hockey Canada. 

In other words: We’d like to keep doing what we want, when we want and with no oversight. Oh… and please give us our free money because we’ve been waiting 9 months.

I have no doubt that if the findings of these investigations were to be made public then there’d be Hell to pay for Hockey Canada. I’ve thought at several points in this scandal that things couldn’t get any worse for the once proud organization, but now that I think about it if the investigation findings were to be made public, we could receive some information that literally destroys Hockey Canada permanently. If that’s the case… I’m not sure I wanna know…

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Former Habs coach rips Michael Pezzetta for “humiliating” celebration

Zuma Press

In case you missed it earlier this week, Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta had a bit of a viral moment after he decided to bust out the Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams goal celebration after scoring the shootout game winner over the Buffalo Sabres.

Check it out:

An absolutely unforgettable moment in what’s mostly been a forgettable season for Habs fans. You’ve got to love it.

Or… maybe you don’t if you’re a crabby old fart like Michel Therrien.

The former Habs bench boss was recently on TVA Sports and he didn’t hide the fact that he was disturbed by Pezzetta’s over the top celebration.

“You should never humiliate the opponent. That’s a type of humiliation. He should have celebrated his goal in a different way. When I was a coach, I often told the players that you have to be humble in victory. For me, the team concept is important. You never want to disrespect your opponents because they can make you look bad later. That’s a dangerous line. The guys are proud. You never want to embarrass them. That’s how I look at it.”

– Michel Therrien

I get what Therrien is getting at here but the fact of the matter is that hockey is supposed to be fun. What Pezzetta did was fun and there hasn’t been much fun for Habs fans to cheer for the past couple seasons. Just get over yourself and enjoy some hockey, for crying out loud…

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Rangers sign Chytil to big money deal

New York Rangers

In case you missed the news last night, the New York Rangers announced a four year contract extension for 23 year old forward Filip Chytil.

Rangers insider Larry Brooks of the New York Post is reporting that it’s a four year deal worth $4.375 million per season.

As Brooks points out, this is an outstanding contract and a very good bit of business from Rangers GM Chris Drury.

More from the Rangers’ official press release announcement:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has agreed to terms with Filip Chytil on a four-year contract extension through the 2026-27 season.

Chytil, 23, has recorded a career-high in goals (22), assists (20) and points (42) this season while skating in 66 games for the Blueshirts. Among NHL centers 23 years or younger, he ranks tied for fifth in goals. He is the seventh Rangers player in the past 20 years to record a 20-goal season at age 23 or younger, joining Pavel Buchnevich (21 in 2018-19), J.T. Miller (22 in 2015-16), Chris Kreider (21 in 2014-15), Derek Stepan (21 in 2010-11), Brandon Dubinsky (20 in 2009-10) and Petr Prucha (30 in 2005-06). Among all NHL players who average 15 minutes or less of ice time this season, he ranks tied first in points and second in goals. On the Rangers, he ranks fourth in goals.

The Kromeriz, Czech Republic native has skated in 319 games with the Rangers across parts of six seasons, tallying 64 goals and 71 assists for 135 points and seven power play goals. He has posted three 10-plus goal seasons and has 20 or more points in five seasons. Among players selected in the 2017 NHL Draft, Chytil ranks seventh in goals and 10th in points. Chytil’s 319 games played before turning 24 is the second most for a Ranger behind Ron Greschner (335). In addition, Chytil has also tallied nine points (7G-2A) in 23 playoff games. Only four skaters in Rangers history have recorded more postseason goals before age 23 than Chytil did (7): Alex Kovalev (13), Ron Duguay (11), Don Maloney (8) and Don Murdoch (8).

Internationally, Chytil has represented Czechia in several tournaments including the World Championship and Under-20 World Junior Championship.

Chytil was originally selected by the Rangers in the first round, 21st overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

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Report: Pair of Eastern teams could target John Gibson

Sportsnet

The Anaheim Ducks have had a miserable campaign, though one of the only positive aspects about the regular season that is winding down to a close is that they’ll be right in the thick of things in the NHL Draft Lottery with the chance to draft phenom forward Connor Bedard.

One of the other positive aspects on this miserable Ducks squad is goaltender John Gibson, who has done everything possible to be a consummate professional despite having nearly no help in front of him. And despite having four years remaining on his current deal with an average annual value of $6.4 million, could the only NHL team that he’s suited up for have plans to move on from him? 

It wasn’t long ago that Pierre LeBrun floated the idea that future playoff bound teams looking for an upgrade between the pipes could make an offer for Gibson, who would almost certainly thrive on a team with more talent in front of him. And that idea was furthered by Dan Rosen of NHL.com, who suggested two potential possibilities that included a possible homecoming for the Pittsburgh native. 

Take a look at his response: 

“The Penguins could use him. Tristan Jarry is in the last season of his contract, a pending unrestricted free agent, and he’s been injury prone. If the Penguins miss the playoffs or get in and lose in the first round, it’s possible, if not likely, that they could go in a different direction with their No. 1 goalie. Gibson is from Pittsburgh and having him could keep the Penguins run at being Stanley Cup contenders alive for a few more seasons regardless of what happens this season.”

“The Buffalo Sabres should also be in the mix. Craig Anderson has had a fine season, but he’s 41 years old and the Sabres are built to win starting next season. Gibson fits there. He could do a lot of winning with them.”

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Could Edmonton Oilers target Max Pacioretty?

The Fourth Period

Most hockey fans, especially those of the Detroit Red Wings, know how much that current Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland loves grizzled old veteran players. What are the chances that he could elect to take a wager on a veteran who has suffered two severe injuries in the last calendar year? 

According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, current Carolina Hurricanes forward Max Pacioretty could be an option for Holland this summer on a League minimum contract: 

Take a look what Seravalli had to say: 

“You can sign the player (over 35 years old) to a league minimum deal and add performance bonuses to that contract. That money (the performance bonuses) does not count against your cap that season. You have the option to only show $775k (league minimum) and then whatever bonuses are hit by that player they are applied to next year’s cap.”

“What happens with (Max) Pacioretty and other injured players is something that is not talked about all that often, but applies here. There is a stipulation in the CBA that you do not have to be over 35 to do the same thing with a player who has had a long-term injury and is a free agent. If you have played 400 in the NHL and you missed more than 100 days with a long-term injury you can do the same thing as an over-35 contract.”

Pacioretty is currently on Long Term Injured Reserve after he tore his right Achilles tendon, which happened to be the same one that he had torn four months prior during offseason training. He’s in the final season of the four year, $28 million deal that he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights prior to the 2019-20 NHL Season. 

He certainly could be a low-risk, high-reward style of deal that could prove to be intriguing.

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New NHLPA president gives a statement on recent protests

Zuma Press

Across the NHL this season, there’s been a small wave of players engaging in silent protest against the league’s LGBTQ+ celebrations. 

Players like Ivan Provorov, James Reimer, Marc Staal, Eric Staal and Ilya Lyubushkin have all opted to NOT wear Pride Night themed warmup jerseys to promote inclusiveness and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. While it’s each players’ right to choose whether or not to support the issue, it’s clear that these protests are having a huge impact on the league’s ability to deliver its message about inclusivity. When someone opts out the narrative shifts from inclusivity and supporting sexual orientation and gender identity to outright hate and bigotry, especially when it comes to the trans community. Frankly, it’s disheartening and now it appears that the NHL is considering dropping the celebrations altogether.

“This is the first time we’ve experienced that, and I think it’s something that we’re going to have to evaluate in the offseason,” Bettman told CTV News on Monday in Ottawa.

“This is one issue where players for a variety of reasons may not feel comfortable wearing the uniform as a form of endorsement,” he said.

“But I think that’s become more of a distraction now, because the substance of what our teams and we have been doing and stand for is really being pushed to the side for what is a handful of players basically have made personal decisions, and you have to respect that as well.”

Indeed, these silent protests have provided a large enough distraction from the larger narrative that the NHL is trying to get behind that you have to really consider if it’s all worth it? If Pride Night just provides a platform for players and fans to dump more bad faith arguments and toxic opinions out there, why bother? It’s a question that needs to be asked at this point. Frankly, I’m not sure it’s worth it… 

New NHLPA president Marty Walsh was also asked about the matter during his official introduction today, stating:

Personally speaking, I would like to see the NHL do away with Pride Night celebrations.

Having said that though, I’d also like to see it do away with ALL pre-game celebrations, especially those political in nature. So that means no more Pride Night, no more Military Appreciation Night, no more Serve and Protect Night and no more national anthems before the game. It’s hockey, let’s leave identity politics and world issues for their time and place.

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Derek Lalonde has words for Sebastian Cossa

Toledo Walleye

With the 15th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings went with Western Hockey League goaltender Sebastian Cossa of the Edmonton Oil Kings, a towering figure who many analysts believe could fit the profile of a franchise goalie of the future.

And while it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for Cossa earlier this season with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, he’s suddenly caught fire, having not suffered a loss since early February while sporting a save percentage above that of .960 and an equally stellar goals against average. He was also named the ECHL goaltender of the week earlier in the month. 

And while it’s still going to be a bit before we see him in the red and white of the Red Wings, head coach Derek Lalonde can’t help but notice his success .

“It’s excellent,” Lalonde said of Cossa’s hot streak. “It’s not an accident that a ton, most percentage of goalies in the NHL have spent time, even some significant time in the ECHL.”

“Sometimes that game is a little more chaotic,” Lalonde continued. “You’re dealing with rotating rosters. Sometimes you’re stuck on an overnight and you’re playing with a depleted lineup. Sometimes it’s a less organized game and the goalies down there actually are looking at tougher chances, percentages than they do at every level.

“If he’s doing it over that period of time, no matter what the circumstance is, I think that speaks pretty well of how he’s playing. This is the vision the management team had for him and it’s going exactly to the script.”

Red Wings fans are certainly right to be optimistic about one day seeing the 6’6 goaltender between the pipes for their team.