Around the rink – Thursday, January 13th

By Joe YerdonJan 13, 2011, 2:43 PM EST

7:00 p.m.

Philadelphia @ Boston

Let’s get this out of the way now: No, the Boston Bruins will not be getting redemption tonight. With the Philadelphia Flyers in town we’re sure Jack Edwards will have a slew of Revolutionary War comparisons to make should the Bruins keep their winning streak alive but last year’s playoff failure against Philly is over and done with. That said, if the Bruins can’t collectively get up for this game, there’s a serious problem. The Flyers roll into Boston on a four-game win streak of their own and they’re playing great atop the Eastern Conference. This is easily the game we’re locked into tonight.

Vancouver @ NY Rangers

If the Rangers were looking for a good test for their young defense, they’ve got it. Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, and Ryan Kesler are running wild in the Western Conference and they’re having just as much good fortune out east. One thing the Rangers won’t have to worry about is facing Roberto Luongo. Of course, facing Cory Schneider isn’t much of a treat either as he’s been outstanding as Luongo’s backup this year. The Rangers have been involved in a lot of 2-1, 3-2 games this year and there’s no reason to think this won’t be another one.

Carolina @ Buffalo

Well look at this, these two teams come in on a bit of a hot streak with the Hurricanes having won three in a row and the Sabres winners of four of their last six. While each team has their own superstar goalie, they’ve been struggling to keep opponents off the board. The Hurricanes offense is one of the better ones in the NHL with Eric Staal leading the way. If Ryan Miller can keep the Canes captain off the board, they’ll be in good shape.

Ottawa @ NY Islanders

On every schedule there’s a game that inspires little to no inspiration to watch it. This is tonight’s version of that game. Ottawa rolls into Long Island losers of six in a row and losing badly. If the Senators get thumped on by the improved Islanders and rookie goalie Kevin Poulin, this could be the end of the rope for coach Cory Clouston, GM Bryan Murray or both. Of course, we thought that after they were drubbed by the Maple Leafs two weeks ago and nothing happened so… Yeah. The Isles, meanwhile, are just hoping to keep solid play rolling. After nearly beating the Canucks the other night and winning more often than losing of late, confidence is improving on the Island.

7:30 p.m.

Nashville @ Florida

The Predators are winners of six in a row and playing some great hockey. Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback are stopping virtually everything thrown at them in goal and the offense is picking things up just enough to make it all stand. In typical Smashville fashion, the Preds are making life miserable on opponents. The Panthers have lost three of their last four, but much like Rinne, Tomas Vokoun is doing his part to keep the Panthers in games. These two will grind the game out and see what shakes loose, but if you’re a fan of great goaltending, this is the game to watch.

9:00 p.m.

Toronto @ Phoenix

Can the Leafs make it five in a row and reach .500? That’s what’s at stake tonight and while we’re pretty sure there won’t be any money waving around the locker room this time, the confidence in Toronto is soaring and thanks for a lot of that has to go to surprise goaltending sensation James Reimer. Phoenix won’t be easy to beat though as they’ve won four of their last five. We can’t help but wonder if we’ll see any “bounty” in action on behalf of former Maple Leaf and current Coyote Lee Stempniak. Someone call the NHL fun police!

10:30 p.m.

St. Louis @ Los Angeles

What do you get when you have two teams desperate for a win? You call it tonight’s Blues-Kings game. The Kings have dropped six of their last seven games and the Blues are coming of a 7-4 thumping against Anaheim last night. The Blues might be the streakiest team in the NHL as they’ve lost five in a row. This losing streak is coming off of a stretch of five straight wins. If you think you’ve got a bead on them, good luck. An ugly loss tonight by L.A. could mean GM Dean Lombardi shakes things up a bit more than just swapping guys in and out of the lineup.

Edmonton @ San Jose

Speaking of teams playing unmotivated hockey, hey it’s the San Jose Sharks! The Sharks are losers of five in a row and doing so in rather unspectacular fashion. They’re not scoring goals, they don’t look like they’re trying all that hard and the one guy who is, Logan Couture, is out of tonight’s game after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Colton Orr. If they can’t snap out of it against Edmonton, you have to wonder if there’s something GM Doug Wilson can do to improve things for a team that’s virtually the same one that finished on top of the Western Conference last year. Edmonton, meanwhile, have lost nine of their last ten. We don’t want to say this is a must win game for San Jose but…

Sharks goalie James Reimer declines to wear Pride jersey

Associated PressMar 19, 2023, 3:44 PM EDT

Getty Images

San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer won’t take part in pregame warmups Saturday night, saying the team’s decision to wear Pride-themed jerseys in support of the LGBTQ community runs counter to his religious beliefs.

Reimer said in a statement Saturday that he made the decision based on his Christian beliefs, adding that he “always strived to treat everyone with respect” and that members of the LGBTQ community should be welcome in hockey.

“In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions, which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in life,” Reimer said.

Reimer is the second NHL player this season to refuse to take part in warmups with Pride-themed jerseys, with Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov declining to in January. Reimer was not slated to start in Saturday night’s home game against the New York Islanders, which is Pride night.

Additionally, the New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night in January despite previously advertising that plan.

The Sharks said in a statement that they are proud to host Pride Night, saying the event reinforces the team’s commitment to inclusiveness.

“As we promote these standards, we also acknowledge and accept the rights of individuals to express themselves, including how or whether they choose to express their beliefs, regardless of the cause or topic,” the team said in a statement. “As an organization, we will not waver in our support of the LGBTQIA+ community and continue to encourage others to engage in active allyship.”

The You Can Play Project, which works to promote inclusiveness in sports, said the organization was disappointed in Reimer’s actions.

“Religion and respect are not in conflict with each other, and we are certainly disappointed when religion is used as a reason to not support our community,” the organization said. “Wearing pride jerseys, like any celebration jersey worn, is not about the personal feelings of an athlete; rather the communication from the team that a community is welcome in the arena and the sport.”

Panarin, Shesterkin lead Rangers to 6-0 rout of Penguins

Associated PressMar 19, 2023, 1:18 AM EDT

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NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, Artemi Panarin scored twice and Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves as the New York Rangers routed Pittsburgh 6-0 on Saturday night for their second win over the Penguins in three days.

Vladimir Tarasenko, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba also scored for the surging Rangers, who have won nine of their last 11 home games and are 12-4-0 in their past 16 at Madison Square Garden.

Shesterkin won his fifth straight and posted his second shutout this season. He nimbly denied Pittsburgh forward Mikael Granland with a sprawling save five minutes into the third period to preserve the shutout, the 10th of his career. His other one this season was a 1-0 home win over Philadelphia on Nov. 1.

“When you put in hard and honest work, miracles happen,” Shesterkin said through a translator. ”We played wonderfully today – scored many, many goals. Honestly, I hope the fans loved it. We’re playing for them.”

The Penguins lost their third straight and trail the Rangers by 12 points for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh, still in wild-card position, is trying to reach the playoffs for the 17th straight time.

“Tonight was a humbling experience for all of us,” coach Mike Sullivan said. ”At this time of year, you have to have a short memory. We still have control of our destiny.”

Patrick Kane and defenseman K’Andre Miller also had two assists apiece as New York improved to 7-1-1 in its last nine home games against Pittsburgh. The Rangers are five points behind the second-place New Jersey Devils, who lost at Florida on Saturday.

“This was a big game for our goalie and our team,” Panarin said. “If you work at playing the right way, you have opportunities for goals.”

Since Dec. 5, when they turned around their season with a 6-4 comeback win at home over St. Louis, the Rangers are 29-9-5.

As he did on Thursday when the Rangers beat the Penguins 4-2, Zibanejad opened the scoring. He got his team-leading 36th goal at 5:10 of the first, beating Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry. Trouba and Miller assisted.

Panarin made it 2-0 at 19:49 on the power play, whipping the puck past Jarry from the left circle off a pass from Adam Fox.

Tarasenko increased the lead at 3:54 of the second with his fifth goal since joining the Rangers in a trade with St. Louis on Feb. 9. Tarasenko has points in 10 of his first 18 games with the Rangers.

Kreider made it 4-0 at 6:43 with his 31st goal and third in two games against the Penguins. Kane and Vincent Trocheck assisted on Kreider’s 260th career goal, which moved the Rangers forward within two of Vic Hadfield for fifth place on the franchise list.

New York won Thursday when Kreider scored the go-ahead goal in the third and added an empty-netter.

After Casey DeSmith replaced Jarry in net following Kreider’s goal, Trouba beat the replacement with a sharp-angle shot at 8:39 for his eighth to increase the margin to 5-0. Trouba has points in six of his last eight games.

Panarin scored again at 16:38 of the second – his 22nd goal of the season – to make it 6-0, with assists to Kane and Filip Chytil.

“We’re building chemistry, building every day and every game,” Kane said.

Panarin has points in eight of his last 10 games and leads the Rangers with 77 points overall, while Kane has seven points in his last six games.

“It’s nice to see that many great players on your team,” added Panarin, whose first two NHL seasons were played alongside Kane with the Chicago Blackhawks. “We’re happy tonight.”

Zibanejad assisted on goals by Tarasenko and Trouba and has 25 points – including 14 goals – over his last 20 games.

“It was just one of those nights when the puck goes in for us,” Zibanejad said. “And obviously Igor gives us a boost making all those saves.”

NOTES: The Penguins were missing defenseman Jeff Petry after he was hit with an unpenalized elbow from Rangers forward Tyler Motte on Thursday. … Pittsburgh also scratched defenseman Jan Rutta and forward Dalton Heinen and played defenseman Mark Friedman for the first time since Feb. 11. … The Rangers were without injured defenseman Ryan Lindgren for the 10th straight game.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host the Ottawa Senators on Monday.

Rangers: Host the Nashville Predators on Sunday night.

Coyotes sign Shane Doan’s son to entry-level contract

Associated PressMar 17, 2023, 12:35 PM EDT

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

TEMPE, Ariz. — Josh Doan is following his father’s footsteps into professional hockey.

The Arizona Coyotes signed the 21-year-old forward to a three-year entry-level contract, beginning with the 2023-24 NHL season. He will report to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL and play his first game against the Calgary Wranglers.

Doan’s father, Shane, played 21 seasons with the franchise, many of those as captain, and followed it from Winnipeg to the desert in 1996. Shane Doan now serves as Arizona’s chief hockey development officer.

The Coyotes drafted Josh Doan in the second round of the 2021, but he opted to play for the hometown Arizona State Sun Devils.

Josh Doan set school records for goals (12) and assists (25) as a freshman last season. He had 16 goals and 22 assists in 39 games with Arizona State this season.

The 6-foot-1, 183-pounder also played two seasons for the Chicago Steel of the USHL.

Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman has shoulder surgery

Associated PressMar 17, 2023, 12:34 PM EDT

Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman had surgery on his right shoulder.

The team said the operation was performed in Los Angeles. Team physician Michael Terry said the 23-year-old Guttman is expected “to be out of hockey activities for approximately four months.”

Guttman had been a pleasant surprise for rebuilding Chicago. He made his NHL debut last month and finished the season with four goals and two assists in 14 games.

Guttman was selected by Tampa Bay in the 2017 draft. He agreed to a two-year contract with Chicago in August 2022 that had a $950,000 salary cap hit.