NHL Rink Wrap: 1,000th game could be Giroux’s last with Flyers

By Mar 18, 2022, 7:00 AM EDT
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Thursday’s top NHL players

John Klingberg, Stars

Should the Dallas Stars trade John Klingberg, knowing that he’s likely to leave via free agency? Should the Stars instead treat Klingberg as their “own trade deadline rental,” keeping him for this run?

Miro Heiskanen being out gave the Stars extra incentive to keep, not trade Klingberg. A game like this could provide another nudge in that direction.

John Klingberg scored the goal that sent the Stars’ game against the Canadiens to overtime. Klingberg then scored the OT game-winner, finishing the night with three points (2G, 1A).

Ever since Heiskanen rose to prominence, Klingberg’s role — and offense — really started to shrink. Maybe he’ll heat up without Heiskanen, and with a ton of incentive to earn that next contract? During the past five games, John Klingberg collected eight points (3G, 5A). He generated a point in all but one of those five contests. He’s fired six SOG twice during this five-game surge, including on Thursday.

Could be the sort of run that really bumps up Klingberg’s perceived value. Maybe the Stars are wise to ride that wave? We’ll find out soon enough.

Roman Josi, Predators

Like Klingberg, Roman Josi collected three points (3A) on Thursday. Remarkably, Josi might be on an even hotter streak than Klingberg right now.

With those three points, Josi scored 10 points (2G, 8A) in the last three games alone. He’s riding an eight-game point streak, collecting an outrageous 19 points (3G, 16A). On the season, Roman Josi is at 72 points, easily a career-high for a defenseman who already has a Norris Trophy to his name.

Thursday NHL highlights

The Flyers shared the eight-minute ceremony celebrating Claude Giroux‘s 1,000th game with the team. More on that in a moment.

John Klingberg chased his own rebound to win it for the Stars in overtime:

Filip Forsberg scored an impressive goal on one of Roman Josi’s three assists.

Leon Draisaitl reached the 40-goal mark during the NHL action on Thursday:

And so did Chris Kreider:

Tremendous save by Ilya Sorokin, who is having a sneaky-strong season.

Tough night for Craig Anderson, but he didn’t offer this save.

Thursday NHL Takeaways

Giroux plays 1,000th game with Flyers, trade looming?

Multiple reports indicate that Claude Giroux isn’t leaving Philadelphia for the team’s next game, and it’s not just because he’s celebrating 1,000 games (all with the Flyers).

Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo reports that the Flyers are putting the “finishing touches” on a trade that would send Claude Giroux to the Panthers. Others contend that the Panthers are frontrunners for a Giroux trade, but not guaranteed to land him.

Time will tell. It’s worth remembering that sometimes a trade can look just about done, only for something to change. (There are rumblings that Owen Tippett could be involved in a Panthers – Flyers trade revolving around Giroux.)

Either way, Giroux and the Flyers celebrated him reaching the 1,000 games played milestone. You can watch that above. Neatly enough, Giroux scored 900 points (291 goals, 609 assists) in 1,000 games with the Flyers.

Through ups and downs for the Flyers, there had been occasional rumblings about a Giroux trade. It never happened, allowing Giroux to enjoy a resurgence in part due to moving to the wing.

The Panthers already sent a first-rounder to the Canadiens for Ben Chiarot, so they’re really going for it if they trade for Claude Giroux. Stay tuned.

Golden Knights win to end streak at five games, but lose Eichel to injury

In what was a back-and-forth, exciting game, the Golden Knights ended their losing streak by beating the Panthers. It would have been a really great story if Jack Eichel didn’t get injured during the win.

At the moment, the extent of Jack Eichel’s injury is unclear. He wasn’t able to return to play after hurting his arm/hand on a blocked shot.

How would a significant Eichel injury affect the Golden Knights’ trade deadline plans. It’s tempting to joke about Eichel going on LTIR, allowing the Golden Knights to pull even more salary cap skullduggery. Practically speaking, though, would this push them toward selling a bit? Move Reilly Smith out, suddenly absorb cap hits to broker deals for others, and just see what happens? Perhaps you use cap space to try to plug in some injury holes?

It’s dizzying to think about, while every win and loss could alter the balance. Beating the Panthers is a pretty nice triumph, even if it makes that five-game losing streak (four losses to non-playoff teams) that much more puzzling for the Golden Knights.

Erik Källgren delivers for Maple Leafs once again

Who is Erik Källgren? You can get soak in a snapshot of the supposedly smiling Swedish goalie in a previous NHL Rink Wrap.

Through these two starts, Källgren won two games for the Maple Leafs, stopping 69 out of 71 shots. In his debut, Källgren pitched a shutout.

Impressively, each win came against good-to-great teams with reasons for urgency. The Stars got blanked by the netminder with a lot on the line, and the Hurricanes are always a big threat. It’s a seriously small sample size, but the Maple Leafs will take a brief goaltending bump when they can get it.

Thursday NHL injury news/rumors

  • Thomas Chabot‘s season appears to be over due to a broken hand. Maybe he could play a couple games, but why risk it if you’re Ottawa?
  • Speaking of fractures, is Robin Lehner dealing with a fractured kneecap, or something similar? Reports indicated as much, but Lehner denied that was the nature of his injury. Either way, it’s a murky situation for the Golden Knights, as Lehner’s return seems touch-and-go. With Eichel suffering an injury during the NHL action on Thursday, this is quite the situation for the Golden Knights.

Friday’s big story

One last push for the Ducks to embrace selling at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline

By trading Josh Manson, the Ducks already showed some interest in being sellers at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. Relatively speaking, that was the easy decision, though.

Will the Ducks really make the plunge by trading Rickard Rakell, and most prominently, Hampus Lindholm? Winning or losing against the Panthers shouldn’t make that much of a difference for the Ducks, as these are decisions that reverberate for years. Also: one win wouldn’t suddenly make a playoff run that much more likely for Anaheim.

That said, NHL teams clearly are stubborn about rebuilding at times, so maybe Friday’s Ducks – Panthers game may make a difference.

The two teams also own the sort of offensive weapons that could make it a fun game, too.

Thursday NHL scores

Maple Leafs 3, Hurricanes 2
Stars 4, Canadiens 3 (OT)
Flyers 5, Predators 4
Capitals 7, Blue Jackets 2
Islanders 2, Rangers 1
Penguins 3, Blues 2 (SO)
Oilers 6, Sabres 1
Red Wings 1, Canucks 0
Kings 3, Sharks 0
Golden Knights 5, Panthers 3

More hockey news

coyotes suspension
Coyotes minority owner suspended by NHL following arrest
Blue Jackets’ Patrik Laine out 2-4 weeks with triceps injury
flyers wild
Tortorella earns 700th career win, Flyers top Wild 5-4

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

Coyotes minority owner suspended by NHL following arrest

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:45 AM EDT
coyotes suspension
Donald Page/Getty Images
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NEW YORK — Arizona Coyotes minority owner Andrew Barroway was suspended indefinitely by the NHL on Friday following his arrest for domestic violence in Colorado.

Online court records show Barroway was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of second-degree assault strangulation, a felony, and third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. He appeared in court Friday to be advised of the possible charges he is facing and is scheduled to back in court on April 3.

Barroway spent Thursday night in Pitkin County Jail after police arrested him at an Aspen hotel, according to a police report obtained by the Aspen Daily News.

“The National Hockey League is aware of the arrest of Arizona Coyotes’ minority owner Andrew Barroway,” the NHL said in a statement. “Pending further information, he has been suspended indefinitely.”

The 57-year-old Barroway was arrested after a verbal altercation with his wife turned physical, according to the police report. He is prohibited from having contact with his wife, except when it involves their children, and can’t consume alcohol under a court order.

A prominent hedge fund manager, Barroway owns 5% of the Coyotes.

“We are aware of the allegation regarding Mr. Barroway and we are working with the League to gather more information,” the Coyotes said in a statement. “When we have enough information, we will have an appropriate response. Until the investigation is complete, we will have no further comment.”

Blue Jackets’ Patrik Laine out 2-4 weeks with triceps injury

Associated PressMar 24, 2023, 1:12 PM EDT
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine is out 2-4 weeks after straining a triceps muscle in practice, yet another blow to the last-place team in the NHL that has been hampered by injuries all season.

The Blue Jackets announced Laine’s absence before their home game against the New York Islanders.

They already have 454 man-games lost to injury, one of the highest numbers in the league, and have a record of 22-41-7.

Laine missed two separate stints with elbow and ankle injuries in the fall. The 24-year-old Finn is the team’s second-leading scorer with 52 points in 55 games.

Columbus has been top defenseman Zach Werenski since November because of a torn labrum and separated shoulder. Forward Sean Kuraly recently went on injured reserve with a strained left oblique muscle but is set to return Friday.

Tortorella earns 700th career win, Flyers top Wild 5-4

Associated PressMar 24, 2023, 12:33 AM EDT
flyers wild
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PHILADELPHIA — John Tortorella needed one word to sum up if 700 career wins meant anything to the Flyers coach.

“No.”

OK, then. Good thing the brusque Stanley Cup winner isn’t paid by the word.

James van Riemsdyk scored the only goal in a shootout, and Philadelphia beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Thursday night for Tortorella’s 700th victory.

Tortorella is 700-573-181 in 1,454 games as an NHL head coach. His 700 wins rank 12th in NHL history and his career games rank ninth in NHL history. He led Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004. In his first season coaching the Flyers, Tortorella joined Peter Laviolette as the second American-born coach to win 700 games.

“I think the culture’s kind of changed around here,” Flyers forward Joel Farabee said. “I think he’s done a really good job of keeping the group together.”

Farabee, Scott Laughton, Rasmus Ristolainen and Tyson Foerster scored for Philadelphia. The Flyers have two straight games for the first time since Jan. 9-14 when they won three straight. Yeah, it’s been that kind of season.

“Farabee’s starting to pop, he’s looking real good. Tyson is looking real good,” Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo said. “This is all about laying the foundation for next year but we get a lot of money to do this job. It’s something we love, so we’re gonna go out and give it our best every night.”

Matt Boldy had two goals for the Wild, and Oskar Sundqvist and Marcus Foligno also scored.

“We weren’t very good. They were good,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “We knew they were playing well, they played well tonight. We were loose. We were not firm, turnovers, it didn’t look like our hockey club.”

The Flyers and Wild were tied 1-all at the end of the first period, 3-3 at the end of the second and 4-4 headed into OT.

The rebuilding Flyers have been plucky of late. They had won two of three coming into the game, with the lone loss in overtime. They showed some of that grit in the final two periods, scoring late tying goals.

“It’s a credit to their group, to their coaching staff, that they’ve got them playing the right way,” Evason said.

Boldy poked a backhander past Carter Hart with 6:28 left for a 4-3 lead. The Flyers, playing more for the No. 1 pick and for pride, tied the game on Foerster’s second goal of the season.

Farabee tipped in Cam York’s shot early in the second for a 2-1 lead.

The Wild got going when Boldy ripped one top shelf past Hart for his 24th goal of the season that tied the game 2-all. Foligno scored his seventh goal for the 3-2 lead.

Ristolainen buried a hard slapper from the blue line on the power play for the tying goal with 23 seconds left in the second.

“I think it’s good to try to lay this foundation, kind of get ready for next year. You see guys getting confidence,” DeAngelo said.

The Flyers only played ahead in the first period.

Laughton scored off the rush for his 17th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead. Sundqvist celebrated his birthday with a deflection for the tying goal with 3:24 left in the period.

The Flyers had been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL until the start of this seven-game homestand (3-2 so far). They have scored at least three goals in every game and at least four in the last four.

“We have definitely gotten to the net better,” Tortorella said. “We have spent a lot of time on the ice and with tape as far as getting to that area.”

UP NEXT

Wild: Host Chicago on Saturday.

Flyers: Host Detroit on Saturday.

Crosby reaches 30-goal mark, Penguins knock off Avalanche 5-2

Associated PressMar 23, 2023, 12:06 AM EDT
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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DENVER – Sidney Crosby wasn’t even aware of reaching yet another milestone. He’s simply locked in on helping the Pittsburgh Penguins make a 17th straight postseason appearance.

Jeff Carter had a pair of goals, Crosby scored on a nifty backhand shot in the second period to reach the 30-goal mark for an 11th season and the Penguins beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2.

Crosby moved into a tie with Hall-of-Fame center Mario Lemieux for the most 30-goal seasons in Penguins history. Another milestone reached – it came as news to him.

“I think the most important thing for me is just try to be consistent and if that reflects that great,” said Crosby, who turns 36 in August.

Even more, Crosby’s the first player in league history to post a 30-goal campaign at 18 years old and again when he was 35-plus, according to NHL Stats.

“It means I’ve been in the league for a while,” Crosby cracked. “That’s been the thing that’s driven me since since I got into the league – in your first year, you want to prove that you belong. Even at 35, I still think you want to prove you belong, because it is a younger league.”

Jake Guentzel also scored and Bryan Rust added an empty-net goal for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game slide and moved back into a wild-card spot in the East.

“It’s definitely a big one for us, for sure,” Guentzel said. “Defending champs, coming to their building, you know how good they are. Top to bottom, we defended hard and that’s what we have to do at this time of the year.”

Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry stopped 28 shots in improving to 11-4 this season against teams from the Western Conference.

J.T. Compher and Devon Toews had goals for the Avalanche, whose six-game winning streak was halted. Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his home points streak to 18 games.

It was a missed opportunity for Colorado, which could’ve pulled into a three-way tie with Dallas and Minnesota in the Central Division with a victory.

“We knew they were going to play with urgency,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “But I didn’t feel like there was any reason why we couldn’t, either. … We didn’t get it done. Hopefully we get another one.”

Alexandar Georgiev made 40 saves, including several critical ones in a second period controlled by the Penguins, who outshot the Avalanche by a 21-9 margin. It could’ve been more than a 3-1 deficit heading into the third period.

Toews’ power-play goal made it 3-2 with 9:32 remaining. But Carter wrapped up the win with his first multigoal game in the regular season since Jan. 11, 2022.

“I’m thrilled for him. We’re all thrilled,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Carter. “He cares about the Penguins. He wants to win, and he wants to contribute in helping us win so we couldn’t be happier for him.”

BEDNAR’S DEAL

Bednar was appreciative of the three-year extension he signed Tuesday that goes through the 2026-27 season. In his seventh season, he’s the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper (March 2013) and Sullivan (December 2015).

“It’s not a forgiving league or sport, for the most part, but obviously that’s part of the reason why I’m so grateful and thankful,” Bednar said. “Because there were times over my tenure that got a little hairy and management could have made another decision. But obviously they didn’t.”

AROUND THE RINK

Avalanche D Cale Makar missed a second straight game with a lower body injury. “I still have him as day-to-day,” Bednar said. … F Darren Helm returned after missing 64 of 69 games this season with a lower-body injury. … Penguins D Jeff Petry (upper body) skated in the morning but sat out his third straight game. … The Penguins are 11-1 against the Central Division this season. … Penguins standout Evgeni Malkin assisted on Guentzel’s goal to reach the 50-assist mark for a seventh time in his career.

UP NEXT

Penguins: At Dallas on Thursday night.

Avalanche: Host Arizona on Friday night.