Sports

Inside the NHL: Nine stars on a mission and Flower power

You might be forgiven when you forgot that Nikita Kucherov gained the Artwork Ross Trophy three years in the past and promptly face-planted within the playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning star did a reasonably good job of erasing the reminiscence of an unpleasant week in April 2019 by having two monster playoff runs and twice profitable the Stanley Cup within the post-seasons instantly following it.

It ought to function an instructive and inspiring instance for the sport’s most prolific level producers.

What the NHL’s prime 9 scorers share this season isn’t just the very fact they’ve been on prime of their video games. None of these gamers have beforehand performed past the second spherical, and every of them can be collaborating within the career-defining video games that begin the primary week of Could.

Take into account it a possibility to shift some narratives.

Hockey is at its coronary heart a staff sport, however the stars usually put on playoff disappointment the heaviest.

That was definitely the case in Toronto final spring when Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner acquired bottled up by the Montreal Canadiens. Connor McDavid is some extent per sport playoff scorer throughout his profession, however he and Leon Draisaitl share simply the one collection victory, over San Jose in 2017.

Sand is passing via the hourglass in Edmonton.

Johnny Gaudreau has taken his share of criticism throughout unproductive springs previous in Calgary, however he’s by no means had a marketing campaign higher than this one. Identical with teammate and linemate Matthew Tkachuk.

Jonathan Huberdeau, who’s unexpectedly difficult McDavid for the scoring title with six days left within the common season, merely hasn’t had many post-season alternatives as a profession Florida Panther — taking part in simply 16 of his 685 NHL video games within the playoffs.

None of the NHL’s top nine scorers — led by Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, left, and including Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk — has ever made it past the second round of the playoffs.

Kirill Kaprizov had seven targets in 10 video games final yr as a playoff rookie in Minnesota, however could make an excellent greater mark by propelling the Wild to a deep run now.

And countryman Artemi Panarin, incomes McDavid/Matthews-type cash because of a wealthy free-agent contract in 2019, lastly has a New York Rangers staff round him able to making some noise.

What the Kucherov scenario illustrates is that it doesn’t actually matter what occurred in years passed by. The post-season is all about what you’ve accomplished for us these days. And it tends to be the place reputations are burnished.

Few gamers ought to arrive at this yr’s Stanley Cup match with extra confidence than McDavid, Huberdeau, Gaudreau, Draisaitl, Matthews, Kaprizov, Tkachuk, Marner or Panarin.

They’ve all delivered the products all through the 82-game season.

A clean canvas awaits.

RIP Man Lafleur

One other week and one other lack of a hockey legend.

Should you’d by no means seen Man Lafleur play or heard about his exploits, all you would want to know is that he’ll be mendacity in state on the Bell Centre subsequent Sunday and Monday.

What number of sports activities stars can be provided that form of therapy upon their demise?

The Canadiens did it when Maurice (Rocket) Richard died in 2000 and when Jean Béliveau died in 2014, they usually’ll invite the general public in once more to mourn Lafleur. The 70-year-old was a cultural icon in his native Quebec and died Friday after enduring a collection of well being points — one week after Mike Bossy, a fellow goal-scoring right-winger who was additionally named one of many prime 100 gamers in NHL historical past throughout the league’s centennial yr.

Lafleur is the all-time chief in factors by a Canadiens participant and sits second to Richard on the group’s targets checklist. He had his title engraved within the Stanley Cup 5 instances.

He’s additionally been remembered as a beneficiant teammate — the form of man who as soon as insisted {that a} rookie borrow his automotive to drive residence for the Christmas break reasonably than taking the practice. That anecdote was shared on Twitter by Jamie Baker, who crossed paths with Lafleur throughout the two seasons he spent with the Quebec Nordiques earlier than retiring.

Wherever Lafleur went, he made an affect.

The picture of him blazing down the wing and scoring with a depraved shot stays immediately within the minds of those that watched him. He was Mario Lemieux’s hockey hero. His life can be commemorated within the method you’d anticipate to be reserved for a head of state.

Relaxation in peace, Flower.

#AskCJ

Is that this the yr the Leafs win a playoff collection? Do the Wild make a deep run?

@PJHughes45

I imagine that is the yr the Leafs win a playoff collection. They’re destined to attract a tough opponent — most definitely Tampa, probably Boston — however I believe they’ve acquired an excessive amount of expertise to not break via. As for the Wild, I actually like their staff. However I view Colorado as the massive canine within the Central Division, in order that’s going to forestall a deep run for Minnesota.

My #askcj query. Is Wayne Simmonds delicate?

@kevpope

Properly performed, Kevin. Of all of the adjectives you would possibly use to explain Wayne Simmonds, delicate positively isn’t one among them.

So as, what do you suppose will occur first: first feminine GM, head coach, assistant coach?

@RichieTempest

It’ll most definitely go: 1. First feminine assistant coach; 2. First feminine GM; 3. First feminine head coach. We’ve now acquired a number of girls working in NHL entrance places of work. It’s solely a matter of time earlier than a number of girls are employed into an assistant teaching position.

Are the Oilers nonetheless pretenders?

@bears_fan_ning

I might not label them pretenders, no. They carry a wholesome quantity of play at five-on-five and clearly have game-breaking expertise. The penalty kill has began to come back round. I’ve nonetheless acquired questions on their goaltending, however credit score the place it’s due. Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen have been getting the job accomplished.

Which of the Canadian groups do you imagine will make the deepest playoff run?

@DavidJBoles

Calgary is one of the best guess to have an prolonged playoff run. They’re an elite staff at even power and may discover a barely simpler path via the Pacific Division than Toronto has via the Atlantic. That being mentioned, there’s nothing straightforward concerning the Stanley Cup playoffs!

What affect will the sanctions in opposition to Russia have on the signing/re-signing of Russian and Belarusian gamers within the NHL?

@KeninYHZ

At this level the NHL doesn’t have any particular sanctions protecting athletes from Russia. Groups are free to signal gamers from there. What stays to be seen is whether or not the Canadian and U.S. governments will proceed to concern work visas to Russian residents.

Which sports activities second, that you simply weren’t at, would you choose to magically return and expertise???

@laureninthe6ix

The ultimate sport of the 1993 World Sequence for Joe Carter’s walkoff residence run. That was in all probability the good sporting second of my youth. As for a sport I attended and would like to relive, the lads’s hockey closing on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is essentially the most tense/electrical environment I’ve ever skilled. I’m unsure I’ll ever see it matched.

What saved a younger Cobourg minor hockey participant named Chris Johnston from taking part in professional hockey? Measurement? Skating?

@CountyPride

I might say it was the mix of dimension, skating and an entire lack of any pure expertise. However I liked the sport from the primary day I got here into contact with it, and it’s given me an exquisite life.

Tidbits

Wayne Gretzky labored as a TNT analyst this season and is predicted to solid a poll for the NHL’s end-of-year awards … Gretzky gained the Hart Trophy 9 instances as a participant, which is 9 greater than the opposite 199 voters have mixed … Ballots are due on Could 2 — the opening night time of the Stanley Cup playoffs … It appears like Hockey Canada is getting a beneficial response from gamers prepared to journey to Finland for subsequent month’s IIHF world hockey championship … Canada is the defending gold medallist at that occasion … If the playoffs began immediately, the Leafs and Lightning would discover themselves matched up in a best-of-seven collection for the primary time ever … Both the Canadiens or Coyotes will end thirty second this season and have 18.5 per cent odds of profitable the No. 1 choose within the draft lottery … Antti Raanta suffered a lower-body harm on Sunday, becoming a member of Carolina Hurricanes goaltending associate Frederik Andersen (knee) on the shelf … Pyotr Kochetkov, a 2019 second-round draft choose, is Carolina’s starter till additional discover … By 40 video games with the Oilers, Evander Kane is producing career-best per sport numbers in each targets (.53) and factors (.93) … The arbitrator’s ruling on Kane’s grievance with the San Jose Sharks over his contract termination is predicted to take months … Phil Kessel (979) is 10 video games shy of Keith Yandle for essentially the most consecutive video games performed in NHL historical past … We may see 10 NHL gamers hit 100 factors in a season for the primary time since 1995-96 … What a cool second watching Bokondji Imama have a good time his first NHL purpose with Arizona on Saturday night time … RIP Garry Moore, a longtime household good friend within the Cobourg space and passionate Leafs fan who just lately misplaced his battle with most cancers. Maintain these drives within the fairway up there, Moore Canine.

C.J.’s High 5

Joe Pavelski is only a shade underneath a point-per-game participant in his age-37 season and has the fourth-most factors (78) for somebody that age within the NHL’s salary-cap period. Right here’s a subjective take a look at the highest 5 greybeard seasons since 2005-06:

1. Joe Sakic

Colorado, 2006-07

A powerful 36 targets and 100 factors in what can be the ultimate wholesome full marketing campaign the previous Avs captain performed.

2. Dominik Hasek

Ottawa, 2005-06

File this one underneath “what may have been?” Hasek had a glowing .925 save proportion at age 41 earlier than struggling an adductor muscle tear throughout the 2006 Olympics and lacking the remainder of the yr.

3. Brendan Shanahan

Detroit, 2005-06

A 40-goal efficiency at 37, essentially the most by any NHLer at that age or older on this period.

4. Roberto Luongo

Florida, 2017-18

It was a troublesome go for the Panthers, however not the beginning goalie who posted a .929 save proportion within the penultimate yr of his profession.

5. Teemu Selanne

Anaheim, 2010-11

Selanne celebrated his fortieth birthday and nonetheless racked up 80 factors.

Parting thought

Patrice Bergeron is mainly a lock to be nominated for the Selke Trophy because the NHL’s prime defensive ahead for an eleventh straight season. What’s even crazier? There’s an opportunity it’s the ultimate season for the fashionable Boston Bruins captain who has remained noncommittal about his future past this spring. Simply one thing to remember as Bergeron heads into the playoffs with a Bruins staff prone to end in a wild-card spot.

Chris Johnston writes about sports activities for NorthStar Bets. NorthStar Bets is owned by NordStar Capital, which additionally owns Torstar, the Star’s mother or father firm. Comply with him on Twitter: @reporterchris



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