The Wngs failed to start the game on time and found themselves down 3-0 after 20 minutes. Dallas basically sat on the lead and won 5-2. Detroit goals are below. Team Stats added 11:48pm, Below, find a mix of media post game.  added11:59pm, Sam Gagner and Jeff Blashill in one video, watch below.

Trouba has not returned.  

This is a very quick turnaround. Two games in two nights makes for at least one tired team. Yesterday's game wasn't too bad. It was kind of boring actually. The good news is, the home stretch is in sight, and we'll soon be able to forget about another awful season.    It's a Live Blog!

via the Bob McGown podcast YouTube page, NBC hockey insider, PIERRE MCGUIRE joins the podcast to let Bob and John know why Sidney Crosby is the most disrespected superstar in the NHL. That leads the gentleman to discuss the top talents in the league, and who is at the top of Pierre's list when it comes to the greatest hockey player playing in the NHL today. The three also chat about how the size of goaltenders equipment has gotten out of hand, the shelf life of an NHL coach today and Pierre informs us as to why thinks having playoff experience isn't going to make or break your post season performance. Watch the 46 minutes show below.

NEW YORK (April 20, 2021) – “While we hope the end of the trial offers a chance for healing, we remain committed to actively engaging in the movement for equality and we invite our fans to join us in supporting systemic change.”

from Frank Seravalli of TSN, On the night Patrick Marleau made history, Connor McDavid offered yet a reminder that his shortened season may be history in the making. McDavid scooped up a loose puck just inside the Edmonton Oilers’ blueline, fired up the jet packs and picked his way through two Canadiens defenders – including one (Jeff Petry) who will receive Norris Trophy votes this season – to break open a tied game with less than five minutes to play. Another three-point third period? Yawn. That was McDavid’s league-leading 130th end-to-end rush, according to Sportlogiq, some 28 more than New York Islanders centre Mathew Barzal, the NHL’s next closest player. “I’m never really afraid to take on two defenders,” McDavid told reporters postgame. “It can get me into trouble sometimes … [but] I was able to get it in good stride and I was just trying to make a play.” Yes, the greatness of hockey’s most highly evolved player is on display with such regularity that we’ve run out of superlatives to describe McDavid. Nights like Monday, when No. 97 takes a game over, have become routine. continued Witness another great goal from McDavid below.

Just over three minutes.  

On Blashill, "his contact expires after this season, has had a lot of good conversations with Steve Yzerman, the general manager over the year.  They are going to wait until the season ends and then they'll address his situation..." Joe Micheletti's exact words.  He said nothing about a new contract but you decide.   #RedWings joe micheletti, #NBCSports, reporting "yzerman and blashill are having good conversations" about new contract stuff like that not reported on national game broadcasts about yzerman's teams unless true increasingly, expect blashill back@DetroitRedWings — gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) April 20, 2021

PATRICK MARLEAU BECOMES ALL-TIME NHL LEADER IN GAMES PLAYED Sharks forward Patrick Marleau surpassed Gordie Howe for the most games played in NHL history when he skated in the 1,768th regular-season game of his career on Monday in Las Vegas. Howe had held the distinction since Nov. 26, 1961 when he overtook Ted Lindsay (999 GP) and became the first player to appear in at least 1,000 career NHL regular-season games.

I've been fighting a 'blah' feeling all day and it would be unfair for me to do the recap of a Detroit 3-2 shootout loss. Detroit goals are below, called by the Dallas Stars broadcasting crew. Team stats and the post game media talk will be posted either late night when most of you are sleeping or early in the moring when most of you are still sleeping. See you tomorrow at 8:30pm ET, same teams, different channel

Congrats Patrick Marleau.  If Gordie Howe was still around, he would have been the first to shake your hand, of course followed by a sneaky elbow to the ribs.     added 10:31pm, Below a longer version with Randy Hahn, the TV voice of the San Jose Sharks.

The 'blah' feeling I was experiencing today has been replaced with just get the job done.   So we have Luke Glendening and Jeff Blashill up first and below find the game highlights.  

No, I'm not quoting scripture here, but, to Red Wings fans this day marked the return of one of our own. Two years ago today, one Steven Gregory Yzerman returned home where we believe he belongs. No, he hasn't changed water into wine. In fact, since his return Wings fans still have plenty of whine. Those expecting miracles will just have to slow it down a notch or two, keep the faith, and, trust the Yzerplan. In his short tenure as GM he has made a few trades, delt a player who was once considered untouchable, and most importantly, garnered a ton of picks in order to build a viable, competitive, shot at a Stanley Cup team. No one in their right mind should think this rebuild was going to happen overnight. Oh, did I mention there's a pandemic to boot, so try working around that obstacle. Needless to say, we're still here, all 19 of us. Through thick or thin, and as far as I can tell, we're all in. It's a Live Blog!

Three minutes worth of top goals.  

NEW YORK (April 19, 2021) – Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center RN Michaela Pastorius have been named the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending April 18. Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League’s weekly and monthly “Stars.” Pastorius works as a nurse at Buffalo’s Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, where just a few years ago she was walking the same halls as a patient battling a cancer diagnosis. Pastorius put nursing school on hold while going through treatment, but vowed to finish her degree and now works alongside the nurses who once cared for her as a patient. The inpatient unit at Roswell Park where Pastorius works – known as 6West – is typically for cancer patients with solid tumors, but has become a designated COVID-19 space over the past year. Pastorius understands what these patients are going through and brings a positive attitude to the floor despite the incredibly challenging and emotional experience of the pandemic on both patients and staff.  "When I was going through inpatient chemotherapy at Roswell Park, the Buffalo Sabres gave me motivation to continue fighting,” Pastorius says. “The amount of support the Sabres show for Roswell and its patients felt personal to me since I am such a big fan . . . The appreciation I had and still have for their support is bottomless.” Rounding out the “Three Stars” of the week are New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone. More on each NHL player’s performance can be found below:

Blashill says Joe Veleno on the trip but won't play in either game in Dallas.  

from Bob McKenzie of TSN, The TSN Mid-Season 2021 NHL Draft Rankings have become a Power Ranking. As in, Owen Power. It’s unanimous - 10 out of 10 NHL scouts surveyed by TSN have the 6-foot-5 1/2 University of Michigan freshman defenceman at No. 1. The Mississauga, Ont., native has solidified and enhanced his No. 1 standing from last fall’s preseason rankings, when only four of those same 10 scouts had him ranked first overall. That said, it should be noted that Power’s No. 1 status on draft day is not an absolute lock. His mantle is not unassailable. Most of the scouts who ranked him first do allow for the possibility he could still be challenged for top spot and a name other than Power could be called out on July 23. He is, however, the consensus favourite. “I don’t know what percentage number you would want to put on it,” said one scout, “60, 70 per cent? I’m not sure. It’s certainly more than 50 per cent, but this is not a draft where there’s one dominant prospect who is the unquestioned No. 1 choice. I mean, it’s close enough between Power and the other top guys that you couldn’t rule out someone else. There are some defencemen who could still challenge him and if the team picking first overall this year really wants or needs a forward, well, there are a couple of forwards who could still be [viable options at] No. 1.” It’s a draft year like no other. continued, with 100 names on the list...

from Max Bultman of The Athletic, Unsatisfying as it may be, Yzerman’s Day 1 decision to not set a timetable was probably for the best. Because while the Red Wings are finally starting to see some fruits of the rebuild (in Zadina, Rasmussen, and soon, Seider), their odds of making the playoffs next season are no better than they were the day Yzerman took over. Moving players like Mantha certainly doesn’t speed up the path to the postseason, and it may well delay it. More hard years await. And while the arrival of players like Seider and Raymond, on top of growth from the existing core, should result in positive momentum, Detroit can’t expect a neat, step-by-step ascent from the bottom to the middle to the top. In all likelihood, Detroit will remain at the bottom of the pack next season, barring a major unexpected push this offseason. Even a 2023 playoff berth seems too ambitious at this stage. Both as the captain of the Red Wings’ last great era and as the architect of the NHL’s current juggernaut in Tampa Bay, Yzerman has built up the credibility to ask for that kind of patience in Detroit. When he said there was a lot of work to do on Day 1, he meant it. And two years later, it looks like he was right. What’s jarring as his tenure enters Year 3, though, is how much work still seems to remain, and just how long it might take to accomplish. much more (paid)

Vancouver’s Alexander Edler will have a hearing today for Kneeing Toronto’s Zach Hyman. — NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 19, 2021 Watch the incident below.

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Stock up Michael Rasmussen Rasmussen had a goal and two assists last week, tallying his second multipoint game of the season when he contributed two assists April 12 at the Hurricanes. (His first was Jan. 28 against the Stars). Rasmussen, a first-round pick in 2017, is noticeable every game for how he uses his big body to protect the puck, or drive to the net for a scoring opportunity. He led his team with six shots on net Saturday and nearly scored. He’s playing with so much confidence, and the improvement from even the start of the season is remarkable. Jakub Vrana What a debut for the trade-deadline acquisition: Out of the penalty box and straight up the ice for the winning goal. Vrana looks like he can be a good fit — he has won puck battles, and gone to hard areas. As his comfort level with new teammates grows, and as he finds chemistry on a new line, Vrana could be a bright spot over the final 10 games. Stock down Dennis Cholowski The first time the 2016 first-round pick was called up this season, he appeared in two games before being sent back down. He has been up again since April 10, with steadily growing minutes — and no points. Saturday, he played 21:19, and 5:14 of that was power-play time. That’s the area where Cholowski, 23, needs to make an impact if he’s to gain traction. He’s an NHL-caliber skater, but needs to be more assertive with the puck. more ($$$), no other players in the down section, also in the up are Stecher and DeKeyser.

THREE HARD LAPS * History will be made when Sharks forward Patrick Marleau steps on the ice tonight at T-Mobile Arena. * Braden Holtby made a season-high 37 saves and Vancouver scored three unanswered goals – bookended by tallies from Bo Horvat – to rally past Toronto in its return to action. * The Islanders and Flyers required overtime in six contests during their eight-game season series, which concluded on Sunday.

from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, To twist an old Neil Young song, rust never sleeps. The Vancouver Canucks, three weeks after COVID-19 halted their season, far back in the playoff race and with many of their players still out or ailing, gave the fully charged Maple Leafs all they could handle Sunday night at Rogers Arena. Braden Holtby, who was having a sub-par year before the COVID outbreak, denied the best Leaf shooters much of the night as the Canucks won 3-2 in overtime. Bo Horvat’s second of the game, the OT winner, sent the Canucks’ bench into emotional celebration. But midway through the game, Canucks Alex Edler took the fight a little too far, sticking a knee into Toronto spark plug winger Zach Hyman. Hyman limped off and did not return; Edler received a major, misconduct and possible Player Safety Department discipline. Though a couple of Leafs were optimistic Hyman’s injury wasn’t serious, head coach Sheldon Keefe said “we’ll see tomorrow.” continued Below, find the game highlights plus a sensational save by Braden Holtby.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, In a scheduling quirk — thank you, pandemic-shortened and affected NHL schedule — the Wings play the Dallas Stars four consecutive games. The Wings are in Dallas for games Monday and Tuesday, then return for games Thursday and Saturday at Little Caesars Arena. Are these the playoffs? No, of course not. But there’s a good best these games will have a feel of something extra, given how important they are for Dallas. “(We’ll) treat it like first four games of a playoff series, two games there and we have two games at home,” forward Dylan Larkin said. “It’s going to be physical and going to be tight checking and we need to respond to that. It’s a great challenge. “I know our guys will look at it like that, and we have to step up and rise to the occasion for that one.” The defending Stanley Cup finalist Stars are three points behind Nashville (49-46) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division. Chicago is in between with 47 points. Dallas has played two fewer games than Chicago (45-43) and three fewer games than Nashville (46). more

Yes, Tom Wilson has a reputation, but this was the correct call.  No penalty on Wislon. As you can imagine, social media wants the scalp of Wilson.   Call it what you want but this guy just loves hurting people pic.twitter.com/0ZRSkjQw1K — big heatdaddy (@DanyAllstar15) April 18, 2021 Much longer version is below.

from Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, That sounds lofty, even theoretical. Here’s what it means: Patric Hornqvist, one of the veterans Zito brought in this season, said something as everyone moved off the ice after a pre-season practice. “He said, ‘Where’s everyone going? We’re not done,’ " Zito said. “Did some players need to hear from a guy like him about putting in more work? He even said it to [goalie Sergei Bobrovsky], who’s one of the hardest-working guys I’ve seen. ‘Hey, we need to work on the penalty kill.’ " Maybe the change in the standings started there. Maybe it started with coach Joel Quenneville getting some players he needed for this team. Maybe it just was Zito signing Hornqvist, Carter Verhaeghe, Radko Gudas — you can go down the roster of new, supporting names brought in before this season. This moribund franchise had signed new players for years. Just the previous year, they brought in so many players the news conference had to have two shifts because there weren’t enough seats at the table to accommodate them all at once. Here’s the difference: These signings led to wins. Again, serendipity? Again, luck? The nucleus of this team, the stars like Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Frank Vatrano and until his injury Aaron Ekblad, were brought in by previous general manager Dale Tallon. more

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, - On Saturday night, Patrick Marleau tied Howe by playing in his 1,767th game. (Marcel) Dionne is more impressed with Ovechkin than he is with Marleau, who on Monday, barring an injury, will pass Howe. “What is he scoring now, a goal or two a year? I’m not that impressed with that. I give him credit for playing that long. Just not how he’s doing it.” Marleau, for the record, has four goals this season. - So if J.T. Miller doesn’t say anything, would the Vancouver Canucks have been playing on Saturday night? Would the NHL have turned its back on its players’ health and safety? Would the NHL Players’ Association have protected its membership? Would Canucks management and ownership have stepped in? Odds are the games would have gone on as scheduled without the Miller interview and to hell with the health of those putting their lives on the line. - The top four goaltenders in all-time wins are Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Roberto Luongo, and now Marc-Andre Fleury. All of them Quebecois. And there’s not a single Quebec goalie of consequence (apologies to Jonathan Bernier) playing in today’s NHL. - Didn’t understand all the praise for GM Steve Yzerman for getting a first-round pick and more for Anthony Mantha. Mantha has a big shot to go along with big shooters like Ovechkin, John Carlson, Nikita Kuznetsov in Washington. The Capitals get a player now. The Red Wings get a player and a draft pick, who might be a player by 2024. Mantha can be a playoff series difference-maker now for Washington. more

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, With a nod to his number he wore, now raised to the rafters in Little Caesars Arena, here are 19 thoughts on what Yzerman has accomplished since April 19, 2019. - Trading Anthony Mantha was not an indictment on the state of the rebuild, it was an indictment on Mantha. Yzerman said early on he wanted to observe the team he took over from his predecessor, Ken Holland. Yzerman saw in Mantha what others in the organization had seen for longer: That the nights he was unnoticeable outnumbered the ones where Mantha dominated. Anyone who remembers Yzerman knows how competitive he was as a player — he played on one knee, basically, at the end of his career, and still gave it his all. Yzerman had had enough, and that’s what led to the trade. - Since Yzerman took over, 14 NHL regulars are no longer part of the roster. In addition to shedding Mantha, Athanasiou and Abdelkader, Yzerman opted not to re-sign Jimmy Howard, Thomas Vanek, Luke Witkowski, Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson. He did not issue a qualifying offer to Martin Frk, Madison Bowey and Christoffer Ehn, and also traded Mike Green and Jacob de la Rose. Niklas Kronwall retired. - Even with holding on to Bernier, Staal, and Luke Glendening, all pending unrestricted free agents, Yzerman carries 12 picks into the 2021 draft, including five in the first two rounds. That potentially could speed up the rebuild. - One of the most important prospects is Moritz Seider, the defenseman Yzerman drafted sixth overall in 2019. Loaning Seider to Rögle in the Swedish Hockey League meant a season-long commitment — other European leagues allowed players to be recalled once hockey started up in North America — and it has worked wonderfully. The 20-year-old has flourished, tallying seven goals and 21 assists in 41 games, and is in position to win a championship. He’s poised to join the Wings’ lineup next season. more (paid subscription)

THREE HARD LAPS * Oilers captain Connor McDavid is set to return to the ice and can accomplish a rare feat with his 70th point of the season. * Jeremy Swayman became the ninth different rookie goaltender to post a shutout in 2020-21. The most in a single season in NHL history is 17. * Tyler Toffoli joined rare company by scoring his 20th goal with the Canadiens in fewer than 40 games.

from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, Given two more days to prepare for the worst month of their hockey careers, the Vancouver Canucks will have a full lineup when they end an unprecedented 24-day layoff Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They don’t know who will be coaching (bench boss Travis Green was among the hardest hit by the organization’s COVID-19 outbreak) or who will be playing (except injured star Elias Pettersson won’t), but at least the Canucks will have a team. They wouldn’t have had one Friday had the NHL not revised Vancouver’s schedule a second time and pushed back its re-entry into the stretch drive for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With 19 games in 32 days, the Canucks may well finish a regular season that has been officially declared a disaster while the top four teams in the Canadian division are playing playoff games. After a year in which the NHL thought it had seen everything, it turned out nobody had seen anything like the Canucks’ COVID-19 outbreak, which was made exceptional – and especially dangerous – because it was driven by the aggressive P.1 variant. None of the league’s earlier outbreaks, including those similar in scope and duration to the Canucks’ crisis, were caused by any of the coronavirus variants that have built a gigantic third wave in Canada. A Canucks’ official described it this week like this: 10 days into the NHL’s earlier major outbreaks, nearly all the players involved had recovered enough to resume training; 10 days into the P.1 variant outbreak in Vancouver, not only were a lot of players still sick but a few were actually getting worse. continued

from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, So the Leafs are really pretty much the same team they were before the deadline, perhaps slightly improved, with the same strengths and same weaknesses. No. 1 on the list of those weaknesses is the uncertain situation in net, and while four different masked men have now earned points for Toronto this season, we all are pretty familiar with the NHL’s rule that you can only play one at a time. Currently, that looms as a prickly problem for Keefe. He’s got lots of goalies hailing from lots of different places, and he just needs one of them to play well enough to get the club past the first round of the playoffs. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? The fate of this team in this bizarro season rests on Keefe identifying a goalie, and on whether Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Zach Hyman and perhaps one or two others have the ability to play much better in the playoffs this spring than they did in last summer’s bubble playoffs. Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza are nice stories and occasional contributors, as is Wayne Simmonds. But the big money boys have got to come through. For 44 games, this team has performed very well. If it can hang on to first place, sometime next month it will likely face Montreal in the playoffs. That could be loads of fun and the stars will need to come out. Dubas has so far declined to touch the core of this team, believing it will mature and eventually perform at a level that might get the Leafs to within striking distance of the Cup. Soon, we will see if he was right. Or, more accurately, whether he was right within the context of a season like no other. more

from Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press, COVID-19 is no joke. But the way the NHL has mishandled an outbreak on the Vancouver Canucks sure is, suggesting a tone-deaf league that will always put profit over people, including forcing a sickly bunch to hit the ice when it was unsafe to do so. Only a player-led revolt and some public shaming forced a last-minute change of plans that is just slightly less egregious. If NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and company had their way, the Canucks would have hosted the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night, their first game since March 24 and the start of a murderous stretch of hockey that would involve 19 games over 31 nights. It would have come after just one measly practice, with multiple players still in virus protocols and others still working their way back from battling serious symptoms that were a result of the more potent Brazil variant. That, folks, was a recipe for disaster. Instead, Vancouver was given an extra two days to gear up for what will now be 19 games over 32 days starting Sunday, which is still ridiculous. continued

5 1/2 minutes long, conference begins with a question about Lucas Raymond.  

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, Up until the Red Wings and Capitals stunned the trading floor on Monday, the best deadline deal belonged to the Islanders, who jumped out ahead by five days and added dependable ex-Devils Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to a strong group of forwards. But then, just as the dealin’ was nearly done, the Capitals filched the single-best talent that few knew to be available, acquiring 6-foot-5-inch right winger Anthony Mantha from the Red Wings. “Wow!” said one front office executive, praising Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman for the deal.... The Capitals, always enamored by size and skill (why not?), surrendered slick Czech forward Jakub Vrana and Slovak right winger Richard Panik, whom Yzerman drafted for the Lightning in his Tampa GM days. They sweetened the package even further with first-round (2021) and second-round (2022) picks. Sweet haul, no doubt. But the best player in the deal is Mantha, who pitched in with 1-1—2 in his Capitals debut Tuesday night. Few in the league have the new age Big M’s size and skill, which the Red Wings no doubt viewed to be true in November when they extended his deal for four years at a $5.7 million cap hit. Five months later, what, he’s trade bait? The asterisk on Mantha, age 26, is his erratic consistency and motivation. He can appear maddeningly disengaged, even now seven years into his pro career. In part, that label was why, even with his size, he lasted until No. 20 in the 2013 draft (three picks after the Senators grabbed Curtis Lazar, don’t ya know?). Vrana, 25, will be a restricted free agent in the summer, and the Capitals were concerned he might earn Mantha kind of money via salary arbitration. Now that’s Yzerman’s worry. Stevie Y is hoping Vrana (career-high 25 goals, 52 points) might find Detroit a comfortable fit with fellow Czechs Filip Hronek (D) and Filip ZadinaRW). If he’s right, that might bring some added value to the deal. Detroit is a hard sell these days. The deal is somewhat reminiscent of the Bruins abruptly dishing Joe Thornton to the Sharks 23 games into the 2005-06 season, when no one knew the former No. 1 pick (1997) was being shopped... more and other topics too...

from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com, Growing up in Aneroid, Saskatchewan, Patrick Marleau looked to see which players from his province had made the NHL. At the top of the list was one of the greatest of all time, the one who had played more NHL games than anyone else, Gordie Howe. "It gives you hope," he said. "It gives you hope that maybe that could be me one day playing in the NHL, since these other guys before me did it coming from small farming communities in Saskatchewan." Playing in the NHL is an accomplishment in itself. Out of everyone who has laced up a pair of skates, only 8,102 have appeared in the League in more than a century, starting with its first season in 1917-18. The number is 8,074 including only the regular season. Marleau is about to reach one of the greatest milestones in the sport considering that, and it's all the more special because he is passing none other than Mr. Hockey. Marleau is scheduled to tie Howe's record of 1,767 NHL regular-season games when the San Jose Sharks play at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; BSN, NBCSCA, NHL.TV) and break it at the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. continued

from Mark J. Burns of SportsBusiness Journal, NHL jersey advertising could become a reality as early as the 2022-23 season, multiple sources tell Sports Business Journal, cautioning that nothing has been finalized or approved by the league’s Board of Governors. In recent weeks, NHL clubs have been conducting valuation work -- some with third-party sports sponsorship and marketing agencies as well as valuation firms -- to determine what a jersey patch and helmet decal could both be worth before eventually providing that data to the league, sources said. In other words, what’s the business and revenue case for formally adopting the new sponsorship assets, some sources described. The exact location of a jersey patch, chest or shoulder, is also still being discussed and evaluated, sources said. Jersey patch sizing is unknown at this time. continued

For the first time this season the Wings have posted three wins in a row. To many of the Wings faithful this represents a streak of sorts. Improvement with some consistency, even at a snails pace is better than none, and, the addition of the two new players seems to have sparked the team on a bit. It's the best effort we've seen this season. Vrana scored his first goal as a Wing, which was also the game winner, on a nice feed from Lindstrom as he(Vrana) exited the penalty box, and skated in alone, ripping a nice shot into the back of net. I don't remember the last time that happened, but, it sure felt good.  One more win against the Cawks tonight would really go a long way as far as holding the interest of 19 Wingaholics for the remainder of the season. It's a Live Blog!

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post, The NHL and NHLPA have handled the unprecedented challenges posed over the past 13 months admirably, balancing the well-being of the industry with the safety of those under their charge. But sending the Canucks back to work after the most serious outbreak of COVID-19 encountered by any NHL team so they can dutifully play out the string of a season gone horribly wrong seems a story that belongs under one of those generic headlines we’ve read all too often: “CORPORATION ORDERS EMPLOYEES BACK TO WORK” Please do not talk to me about the integrity of the schedule or the integrity of the playoff race in the Canadian division. Neither exists under these conditions. The five teams that have a sum of 19 games remaining against Vancouver will in essence be picking at the carcass of a club whose players, staff members and respective families have been struck, and struck hard, by the P1 variant of the virus. Playing these games — when they start Sunday night, the Canucks will be scheduled to play 19 games in 32 days, an insane burden even if placed on the healthiest and best conditioned of teams — will add mockery to the playoff race, not justify it.... continued plus more topics including... So I hear or read about the Blue Jackets’ upcoming decision whether to “rebuild or reload,” and wonder if we are taking about the same Blue Jackets who have won one playoff round in their history. That one triumph came two years ago while they still had all the guys who left town as soon as they could.

via Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman and Chris Johnston look at the latest news from around the NHL, with the Canucks recovering from COVID-19 and the playoff situation for all the Canadian teams.  

The Wings started strong and had numerous scoring chances in the first period but could not score. With less than 30 seconds left in the first, Chicago scored and it became an uphill battle for Detroit. Chicago added a goal in the second and two goals (one ENG) in the third to make the final score 4-0. Team stats added 10:20pm, Below find post game talk and game highlights.

Before Saturday's game. via Sportsnet, Patrick Marleau joined Ron MacLean and Kelly Hrudey to talk about tying Gordie Howe’s record for NHL games played, and looks back at his favourite memories of the legendary Howe.  

THREE HARD LAPS * It's been a long road to the top, but Sharks forward Patrick Marleau finally matched “Mr. Hockey” on the NHL’s all-time games played list. * The Coyotes overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Blues after Oliver Ekman-Larsson guaranteed a win for Leighton Accardo, who the club honored in a pre-game ceremony. * Sunday’s six-game slate opens with the Bruins facing the MassMutual East Division-leading Capitals on NBC.

Chris Peters of HockeySense does a great job with prospects.  His site is subscription only but this time of year is well worth it.  Consider a subscription if you can. 1. Owen Power, D, Michigan (Big Ten) With his season over, there isn’t a ton more Power can do to solidify his case to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, but he’s done enough this season to earn the pole position at this point. As has been the case throughout the season, the race for No. 1 remains tight with opinions widespread on who it should be. To me, the player with the most translatable skills to NHL impact and potential stardom remains Power. His maturity is already beyond his years and he’s taken the right approach to his development, excelling at each step without rushing the process.... 2. Matty Beniers, C, Michigan (Big Ten) Beniers does the things every team needs in a center to win games. He’s got the skill and speed to pressure teams offensively, but then he’s able to be among the best defensive centers you can throw over the boards. His work ethic on and off the puck is unrivaled in this class, which makes him both difficult to play against and a coach’s dream. He has that natural toughness that doesn’t manifest itself in big hits or over-aggressiveness, rather he’s going all out in the corners, at the net front, with one goal in mind – the puck belongs to him and it’s going to be a fight for you to try and keep it.... 3. Dylan Guenther, RW, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) My, oh my, what a start for Guenther since the WHL returned. He’d been among the top scorers in the league since the puck dropped and never really looked back before leaving for Canada’s U18 camp. We should take some of the numbers with a small grain of salt just because of the way the WHL schedule is set up this season. When you remove the grueling travel and almost 40 games from the schedule, it does make for a better chance at more sustainable production in a smaller, more controlled sample. Even without that, though, you just need to look at Guenther’s skill set to see why he is among the exceptional in this draft class and averaged a WHL-best two-points per game before departing. more on each of the above plus 42 more names...

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings today signed left wing Lucas Raymond to a three-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2021-22 season. Raymond became the Red Wings' highest draft pick since they took Keith Primeau third overall in 1990 when he was drafted with the fourth-overall pick at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft last October. The 19-year-old spent the 2020-21 campaign with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, notching 18 points (6-12-18) and 12 penalty minutes in 34 games. Despite missing 18 games due to injury, Raymond still finished 10th on the team in points and tied for fourth in SHL scoring among junior-aged players, with fellow Red Wings prospects Moritz Seider and Albert Johansson among the group of players ahead of him. His offensive output also bested his SHL rookie-year totals of 2019-20, when he tallied 10 points (4-6-10) in 33 games. Raymond debuted professionally with Frolunda at age 16 and has skated in 77 games with the team since 2018-19, totaling 30 points (12-18-30), a plus-eight rating and 16 penalty minutes. He also won back-to-back championships with Frolunda in the Champions League tournament in 2019 and 2020.

NEW YORK (April 16, 2021) – The National Hockey League today announced the following updates to the 2020-21 regular-season schedule for the Scotia North Division:

from Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette, The perfect symbol of the 2021 Montreal Canadiens is their captain, Shea Weber. I have nothing against the Man Mountain, but he more than anyone perfectly represents general manager Marc Bergevin’s lack of a vision for this team. Weber has played some great hockey, though not recently. It’s not his fault. He’s just too old for today’s game, just like another Bergevin acquisition, Eric Staal. As an aside, it’s hilarious to note that three key members of the current Habs squad — Weber, Staal, and Corey Perry — were all on that epic Canadian team that won Olympic gold in … 2010! That plays right into the jokes about how Bergevin is building the perfect team to win the 2010 Stanley Cup, complete with a big, lumbering defence corps that seems so out of line with today’s speedy National Hockey League. But let’s return to the curious case of Weber. He looks terrible out there. He keeps making costly mistakes that would result in anyone else being benched by interim head coach Dominique Ducharme. The entire Canadiens team, with the exception of Jake Allen, sucked eggs Wednesday in a must-win game against the Calgary Flames. But it was Weber who made sure they lost with a boneheaded play in his own zone that led to third Calgary goal and the final nail in the coffin. more

from David McGrath of the Chicago Tribune, So if in 2021, in the middle of the season, or at the end of the playoffs, which the Blackhawks may still manage to squeeze into, would it be that big a deal if they shortened their name to simply the “Hawks”? And if instead of the head of an Indian person with war paint and feathers, they changed the logo and mascot to that of a literal winged bird? Say, for instance, the red-tailed hawk, common in Illinois, which would then not necessitate changing the team’s colors. It’s an opportune time to do so, since the U.S. Senate has just confirmed Deb Haaland as secretary of the Interior, the first Native American in history to hold a cabinet post. And after decades of protests and complaints about the stereotyping and dehumanizing that results from sports teams’ use of logos, mascots and names based on Native Americans, hundreds of high schools, colleges and pro teams have eliminated offensive monikers. more

A little over 3 minutes of hits.  

Very limited optional practice today for #RedWings. Fabbri, who’s missed six games, is skating. Svechnikov, scratched last night due to an upper body injury, is not. Wings host Blackhawks tomorrow at 7 on ?@BallySportsDET? Plus. pic.twitter.com/OhamihuqxY — Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) April 16, 2021

from Stan Fischler of The Fishler Report, Who cares that the soon-to-be 32d NHL team hasn't played a game yet; the Kraken's future is as bright as searchlights on the city's Space Needle.  Enthused fans have shown their dedication by flooding the Kraken combine with ticket info and requests. Meanwhile, the Seattle savants would love some news about their pre-natal franchise. One question that will grow in heat during the next month comes down to who the estimable Ron Francis chooses as head coach. A few of the marquee names have a certain glow about them. A couple even wear Stanley Cup rings. Try these on for size and see if you like them: MIKE BABCOCK: He's a proven winner -- despite what the Toronto media says -- and still has the glow, although it's fading fast.  CLAUDE JULIEN: The French-Canadian maestro won a Cup in Boston and got the best out of a mostly  mediocre Montreal market. Claude is lower key than Babcock but just as savvy. JOHN TOTORELLA: Another Cup-winner, Torts does well in his first year and that's vital with this new franchise. He'll get attention by intimidating the media, benching stars and wearing his emotion on his spectacles. BRUCE BOUDREAU: Cousin Brucie would be the Don Cherry of the Northwest in the best possible way. His players, the press, the fans -- everybody -- will love this guy. His resume is lengthy and impeccable; MY CHOICE: Cousin Brucie because I like smart coaches who are as funny as they are smart.  more hockey topics...

via Sportsnet, The Montreal Canadiens have recalled forward Cole Caufield from the Laval Rocket, their AHL affiliate, on Friday and assigned him to their taxi squad. The team has not officially said when Caufield could make his NHL debut, but the earliest date would be Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators. Caufield, who won the 2021 Hobey Baker Award as the best player in the NCAA, was one of the most prolific scorers in college hockey this year, scoring 30 goals and adding 22 assists in 31 games for the University of Wisconsin. In two AHL games with the Rocket, Caufield scored three goals and added an assist. Montreal also recalled goaltender Cayden Primeau on an emergency basis.

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, A little update on a story I first reported on in early March regarding what happens with the Canadian division winner once we’re down to the NHL semifinals. As I wrote on March 5, the idea of the Toronto Maple Leafs, for example, playing past the second round of the playoffs in nearby Buffalo remains on the table. And given where the COVID-19 numbers are these days in my country, it’s looking less like fantasy and at least like a realistic possibility that this happens. The new wrinkle now is that the NHL will want to put the Canadian division playoff winner in a U.S. NHL facility closer to its semifinal opponent. So sure, if the Leafs happen to come out of the Canadian division and match up with the New York Islanders, then yes Buffalo would still make sense for the Leafs in that case. But if it’s Toronto-Vegas in the final four, then maybe Arizona or L.A. would make more sense for the Leafs? Or if it’s Colorado-Toronto, would Chicago make sense for the Leafs as a home base? Again, whether it’s Edmonton, Winnipeg or Montreal (or Calgary!) coming out of the Canadian division, the league will have a plan in place. Here’s another wrinkle to consider: I’m told whichever U.S. adoptive city the league would potentially choose for the Canadian division winner, it’s most likely that’s their home for the remainder of the playoffs. They wouldn’t move the Canadian team around to another locale if it reached the Stanley Cup Final no matter what the championship matchup is. continued (paid)

THREE HARD LAPS * Igor Shesterkin became the NHL’s second rookie goaltender to post consecutive shutouts in 2020-21. * Brad Marchand, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers each found the back of the net on Thursday to extend their respective streaks of consecutive 20-goal seasons. * Patrick Marleau (1,765 GP) heads into a back-to-back set between the Sharks and Wild sitting three games from passing Gordie Howe (1,767 GP) for the most regular-season games played in NHL history. Click here for a look at Marleau’s journey and what was going on in the world at the time of his debut in 1997.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, The Red Wings couldn’t have scripted a better evening all the way around. Newcomer Jakub Vrana scored a goal in his debut. Troy Stecher scored two goals in a game for the first time in his career. And, for the first time this season, the Red Wings own a three-game win streak. The Wings took all the positives and rolled them into a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena. It wasn't perfect — the Red Wings were called for too many men on the ice twice in the second period, and that's tough to do — but it was a good 60 minutes of hockey for a team that appears to be finding itself (albeit too late in the season). "We want to build on this as a group," Stecher said. "Everyone has something to play for, whether it's ice time, or a future contract, there's always something to play for. To string three wins in a row, we're having some fun. "We're playing with a purpose and playing for each other. We're not getting worked up over little mistakes, mistakes are going to happen through a game. The biggest thing is confidence, and having fun." continued Below find extended game highlights plus more complete interviews with Troy Stecher and Jeff Blashill.

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, An optimist would find comfort in the fact that the referees typically start hiding their whistles by the time the playoffs arrive. Because at this stage, the only thing that could have the Toronto Maple Leafs feeling good about their power play is the prospect of having fewer of them. On Thursday, the punchless PP was the main culprit for a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets — bringing a nagging itch to the surface. They’ve been able to string together a lot of wins while going 1-for-42 with the man advantage since March 9 because of excellent results at even strength. But there are going to be times where you can’t outskate that level of futility. In tight games against quality opponents, special teams are often the difference. “I think it’s quite obvious the impact that the power play could have had on the game today and [we] failed to get it done,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. continued Game highlights are below.

Troy Stecher and Jeff Blashill in the first video, the game hghlights are below.  

Fun for everyone wearing red tonight. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Probably the most enjoyable Detroit game I've watched in a few years. Michael Rasmussen continues to impress, he's looking more like Pete Mahovlich and Keith Primeau in their post-Detroit years.  We've watche him go from that look of a deer in the headlights to a very motivated player. Most impressive, the pressure put on by Detroit in the 3rd period and their overall defensive gams. I'll leave the breakdown of the game to you. Team Stats Detroit goals are below.

No penalty on the play.  

Tonight the Wings will be going for three consecutive wins for the first time this season as they faceoff against the Cawks. We will also have two new faces in the lineup. Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik will make their first appearance wearing the Winged Wheel. The addition of the new players is part of the Yzerplan, which saw Anthony Mantha moved to the Capitals in what seems to be a pretty good move by the GM. Only time will tell.  Speaking of time, it's been thirteen years since the Wings won the Cup, and, only one player from 2008 is still on this team. Good old Darren Helm. It's a Live Blog!

from Sportsnet, The Vancouver Canucks' matchup Friday against the Edmonton Oilers will be postponed as the team continues to recover from its outbreak of COVID-19, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The decision comes a day after Canucks forward J.T. Miller was outspoken in his frustration with the speed of the team's return to action after seeing at least 21 players and four members of its coach staff test positive for the novel coronavirus since March 30. "We try to talk about the No. 1 priority is the players' health and the families' safety, and it's almost impossible to achieve that with what they've asked us to do here on our return," said Miller, calling a return Friday "very challenging and not very safe." The Canucks practised Thursday for the first time since they were hit by the outbreak and haven't played since March 24. The team was slated to meet with medical groups from the NHL and NHLPA to discuss health evaluations and whether any schedule changes were necessary. continued

via USA TODAY, Sports Seriously: Mackenzie Salmon connected with NHL legend Mark Messier and got his thoughts on the league reaching a TV deal with ESPN. Messier believes being on the world wide leader in sports will only help for the future growth of the game. Watch below.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, Tonight, forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik will make their Red Wings debut following Monday’s trade with Washington that sent Anthony Mantha to the Capitals. Vrana has 60 goals and 124 points in 190 games the past three seasons with the Capitals. “He’s a talented player, his points have been really good for a young guy in the league,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s played with some talented players on a team that’s scored a lot of goals. It’s a little bit different here in the sense that you have to be a bigger driver of offense with our group than you do in Washington. Guys like (Alex) Ovechkin and (Evgeny) Kuznetsov control the puck so much you don’t have to drive as much of the offense.” Vrana will play a significant role five-on-five and on the power play. Panik is a bottom-six forward whose role will be determined as they go. “He’s a big, strong guy who has ability,” Blashill said. “We talked all year long about having great depth of scoring and being able to use four lines and I think he gives us another guy. That depth is extremely important.” read on

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the 25-player roster for the U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team that will compete at the upcoming 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men's World Championship from April 26-May 6 in Frisco and Plano, Texas. 

Watch the stream below and I will update this post with any news from the skate.

from Michael Traikos of the National Post, After acquiring Nick Foligno and Riley Nash at the trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs have 14 NHL forwards. The number increases to 15 if you include Nick Robertson, who has played in the past two games and not looked out of place. So where does that leave Joe Thornton, who has no points in the past 14 games and has gone almost two months without a goal? For most of the year, the 41-year-old has filled an honorary role alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on Toronto’s top line, where no one has minded all that much if he produces or not. But with the playoffs approaching, Thornton has been working his way down in the lineup while Alex Galchenyuk and others move up in the pecking order. With William Nylander on the COVID protocol list, Thornton found himself skating on a line with John Tavares and Zach Hyman for Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Calgary. But it was a strictly temporary move. When Nylander returns, there won’t be a place for Thornton on the top two lines. And there won’t be a spot for Thornton on a third line with Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev once Foligno finishes his quarantine. That leaves the fourth line. And even there, keeping Thornton around just for the sake of it may not be a luxury the Leafs can afford. read on

THREE HARD LAPS * Marc-Andre Fleury earned his 485th career win and now trails only Martin Brodeur (691), Patrick Roy (551) and Roberto Luongo (489) for the most in NHL history. * Mark Giordano led the Flames past the Canadiens in a crucial Scotia North Division clash, with the two clubs set to go head-to-head four more times before the end of the month. * The NHL entered the Final Quarter of the 2020-21 season at the completion of Wednesday’s third game. Click here for a collection of NHL Stats as the League prepares for the race to the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

from Joh Niyo of the Detroit News, ...then it’ll be up to Yzerman and his front-office staff to make the decisions that'll shift this rebuild into its next phase. That starts with Blashill's expiring contract, of course, a topic Yzerman politely tabled until after the season when asked about it Monday. But like Bertuzzi, Vrana is scheduled for restricted free agency this summer as well, giving Detroit the option of re-signing him to a short-term contract before deciding whether to extend him on a deal similar to the one Mantha signed last November. Detroit also took on Panik’s remaining contract in the trade, giving Washington salary-cap relief in exchange for more draft compensation. But that also helps the Wings in this summer’s NHL expansion draft for the new Seattle franchise. Now Yzerman can leave Panik exposed along with Frans Nielsen, if he chooses, and protect a player like Vladislav Namestnikov instead. As for all those draft picks? With a dozen in his pocket, including two first-rounders and seven over the first three rounds, Yzerman has more to work with than any of his peers heading into this summer’s entry draft, whether he gets lucky in the lottery or not. That could add more leverage in a year where the class of prospects is more of a mystery than usual, thanks to a pandemic that wreaked havoc with junior hockey in North America and Europe this season. “It probably is more unpredictable this year,” said Yzerman, who also owns 10 picks in the 2022 draft at the moment. “You can look at it two ways: You may get really lucky, or you may get really unlucky.” But with all that draft capital, the Wings will be in a position to move up to grab a prospect they really like who's sliding, whether that’s in the middle of the first round or early on Day 2. more ($$$)

via Sportsnet's YouTube page, Jim Rutherford joined The Big Picture to talk about his departure from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and why bringing Phil Kessel was the right move at the time.    

“I hope people don’t take this the wrong way, I’m a super competitive guy... but this isn’t about hockey for our team. This is about the health and safety of our players, their family and their children. This isn’t about making the playoffs.” - J.T. Miller #Canucks — Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) April 14, 2021

10 1/2 minutes with Jeff Blashill and I will add to this post if more videos become available.  

The Sabres have announced the following update regarding forward Jack Eichel. pic.twitter.com/SlpzHy7sWp — Sabres PR (@SabresPR) April 14, 2021

FRISCO, Texas – Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill offered the following updates on the health status of goaltender Ben Bishop and forward Alexander Radulov: It has been determined that Bishop will not return to play this season, allowing him time to continue his rehabilitation and return to full health for the 2021-22 season. Radulov will require surgery to repair a core muscle injury. The surgery will force him to miss the remainder of the season. He is expected to be fully recovered for the 2021-22 season.

Expected guests are Larry Murphy and Ken Kal among others. The stream starts at 12pm, watch it below.

10 of them in just over 4 1/2 minutes.  

via Ansar Khan tweets, Robby Fabbri back in practice but in orange non-contact jersey, so looks like he won’t be ready for tomorrow’s game vs. Blackhawks. practice lines: Svechnikov-Larkin-Zadina Vrana-Rasmussen-Filppula Panik-Namestnikov-Gagner Helm-Glendening-Erne Brome-Nielsen-Smith (gray jerseys/extras) Cholowski-Hronek Staal-Stecher DeKeyser-Lindstrom Djoos-Biega Bernier Greiss Pickard power play units: Rasmussen (net front), Erne (bumper), Larkin-Zadina (flanks), Hronek (point). And Gagner (net front), Svechnikov (bumper), Filppula-Vrana (flanks), Cholowski (point).

from Bill Dow at the Detroit Free Press, For 31 years as the play-by-play voice of Red Wings hockey — from 1964-65 through the 1994-95 Stanley Cup Final —Bruce Martyn called the shots. He started in Olympia Stadium in the Original Six era, lasted through the dreadful “Darkness with Harkness” and “Dead Wings” years, all the way to the eve of Detroit’s Stanley Cup championship teams at Joe Louis Arena.  Along the way, rabid Wings fans became loyal followers of the beloved broadcaster who called goals — from Gordie Howe to Steve Yzerman —with his famous “He shoots………(in a higher pitch) HE SCORES” call. After attending what would become Lake Superior State University, then dropping out of the University of Michigan, the Sault Ste. Marie native pursued his dream of radio broadcasting when he broke into the business in 1950 at hometown WSOO-AM, hosting a music show, providing news and sports reports, and announcing minor league hockey games. In 1953, he left for WCAR-AM in Pontiac — where he stayed until 1962 — doing sportscasts and hosting a weekday music show. For a short time in the early 1960s, he also announced games for Michigan State football, the Pistons, and Lions before becoming, in 1964, the first sports director of WKBD-TV (Channel 50) television. That was also when he began his Wings play-by-play work, splitting the duties on television and radio with Budd Lynch. Following the ’72-’73 season, Martyn did all of the play-by-play on radio until he retired. He dropped doing telecasts in 1985. From 1976-86, Red Wing legend Sid Abel provided color commentary. For the final seven years of Martyn’s career, former Wing Paul Woods provided the color, a role he still has with current play-by-play broadcaster Ken Kal. continued

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, -This is purely my opinion and not anything I’ve heard, but, coming out of the enormous Detroit/Washington deal, does anyone ask Steve Yzerman about Dylan Larkin? One of the reasons Anthony Mantha and Jakub Vrana were traded was due to frustration with their play (and, especially in Vrana’s case, his own consternation at the way he was being used). But another key factor is that the Red Wings feel their rebuild will take longer than originally predicted. I’d written earlier about Detroit making everyone available except Larkin, 2020 first-rounder Lucas Raymond and 2019 first-rounder Moritz Seider (and possibly co-leading scorer Filip Hronek). Mantha is signed for three more seasons, and may be out of his prime before they’re ready. Larkin is signed for two more. He’s their captain, and it’s not insignificant to consider the fan base’s reaction. If you were another team, though, and you liked him, the Mantha deal could give you reason to ask. - One story about Vrana: the Washington Capitals woke up on June 5, 2018, with a 3–1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. There were two days off before Game 5, and all regulars were excused from practice. Vrana was the only one to skate. I asked him why. He said it was because he needed to practise scoring. He was 12 games without a goal at that time. Vrana then scored the first goal of the Cup-clinching Game 5. It’s always about that extra edge. more Thoughts...

from Mark Zwolinki of the Toronto Star, David Rittich got a lot of credit from his coach and teammates for jumping into the Maple Leafs net so soon after being traded from Calgary. It didn’t end well — they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Flames, their second defeat in as many nights — but that wasn’t because of the goaltending. “I thought he looked really good,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I’m sure it was tough for him. Emotions were a part of it — the different coloured jerseys, the (teammates) on the other side — but it was a good debut for him.” Rittich made his Leafs debut — asked for it, actually — less than two days after the trade. With his old club travelling to face his new one, Rittich flew with the Flames to Toronto as a member of the Leafs. “A lot of chirps there (on the plane). Some of the guys didn’t hold back,” Rittich said. “But I got a chance to say goodbye to all of them.” Rittich spent four years in Calgary and was solid in his first game with the Leafs, who were behind for much of the night. Zach Hyman tied the game at 1-1, and Alex Kerfoot scored in the third to make it 2-2. But Johnny Gaudreau, with a terrific inside-out deke, scored 36 seconds into the overtime period, giving the Flames a win they desperately needed to keep their playoff hopes alive. Rittich told Keefe in their first conversation on Monday that he wanted to play right away. Keefe said he gave Rittich the night to “sleep on it,” and the goalie was still set on playing Tuesday. continued Catch the game highlights below.

THREE HARD LAPS * Alex Ovechkin found the back of the net on Tuesday and has now scored at least 40 career goals against six different franchises. * Roman Josi recorded his 12th career game with three or more points to help Nashville improve to 10-2-0 since his return to the lineup. * The top two teams in the Honda West Division set their sights on seasonal benchmarks when the Avalanche and Golden Knights take to the ice against the Blues and Kings, respectively.