NHL Rink Wrap: No stopping Gaudreau, Kadri, Kreider

By Mar 26, 2022, 7:00 AM EDT
NHL Rink Wrap: No stopping Gaudreau, Kadri, Kreider
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Friday’s top NHL players

Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers

Chris Kreider (2G, 1A) and Mika Zibanejad (3A) generated three points apiece during the NHL action on Friday. Both Rangers scorers stood out, and their numbers keep climbing.

With two goals on Friday, Chris Kreider reached 44 goals, tying him with Leon Draisaitl for second in the NHL. Kreider has a reasonable chance to catch Auston Matthews, who’s on top with 46. Remarkably, with those 44 goals, Chris Kreider matched his goal totals from the previous two seasons (20 last season, 24 in 2019-20).

For years, Kreider’s been a player whose overall play sometimes slipped under the radar because of iffy puck luck. Now he’s just rolling and rolling, to the point that we may just need to realize that Kreider’s found a new ceiling. (Overall, Kreider’s scored 61 points in 65 games, his first season at 60+ points.)

It’s one of the most surprising developments for what’s been a surprising Rangers team.

In the case of Zibanejad, he crossed the 500-point barrier in this one. The 28-year-old finished the night at 502 points in 669 career regular-season games. As far as this season goes, Zibanejad’s at 68 points in 65 contests.

Johnny Gaudreau, Flames

If this isn’t the best season of Johnny Gaudreau’s already-impressive career, it’s close.

With a goal against Arizona, Gaudreau reached 30 goals for the third time in his career, and first since he registered a career-high 36 in 2018-19. By collecting two assists in a three-point game, Gaudreau’s at 85 points in 64 games this season.

Currently, Gaudreau’s on pace for about 108 points over an 82-game campaign. He’s never reached 100 in his career, falling just short with 99 points in 2018-19.

Gaudreau combining with Matthew Tkachuk won’t make either of them cheap to keep around, but it’s been a delight to watch them light up opponents just about every night.

Nazem Kadri, Avalanche

Now, this is a Nazem Kadri stat line, 2021-22 edition. He scored three points (1G, 2A) while racking up seven penalty minutes and unloading seven shots on goal. Kadri now has 25 goals and 79 points in just 62 games this season. Yep, pretty ridiculous.

Kadri’s 79 points tie him for seventh in the NHL with another already-strong player reaching another level: Roman Josi.

On Friday, PHT’s Adam Gretz broke down stunning numbers from both Josi and Cale Makar. With two goals, Makar’s now all the way to 24 on the season.

Plenty of special seasons to go around, it seems.

Friday NHL highlights

The Rangers scored three (pretty) goals in the opening five minutes of their game against the Penguins.

Ilya Samsonov went to Scramblesville, and lived to tell the tale without allowing a goal:

Kyle Connor scored his 41st goal of the season on an impressive shorthanded tally. Stealing a bit of Patrik Laine‘s thunder there.

Just 21 seconds into OT, Connor also assisted on Nikolaj Ehlers‘ overtime game-winner:

Friday NHL Takeaways

Golden Knights’ Howden released from hospital

After a scary collision on Thursday that left him hospitalized, Golden Knights forward Brett Howden was eventually released from hospital. Via The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, Peter DeBoer said Howden feels sore, but nothing was broken.

Not too surprisingly, Howden is out indefinitely.

Rangers rout Penguins in possible playoff preview; Kreider still on fire

As you can see above, the Rangers went up three goals just five minutes into their eventual win against the Penguins. Thanks to steady overall play, the game was basically over by then.

Special teams was one of the factors in this game. While Jeff Carter scored Pittsburgh’s lone goal on the power play, Kreider found the net shorthanded. The Penguins received a four-minute power-play after a high-sticking infraction drew blood when they were down 3-0. They accomplished little on that extended advantage, and didn’t really muster much of a comeback bid vs. the Rangers.

Andrew Copp got on the board for his first goal with the Rangers, and the 14th of this season.

Laine returns to Winnipeg with Blue Jackets

In a “circle the date,” game, Patrik Laine returned to Winnipeg as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Reporters indicate that Laine received a mix of boos and cheers when he touched the puck, but the Winnipeg crowd was loud during a welcome back video that also included Jack Roslovic.

The Jets ended up beating Laine’s Blue Jackets in overtime, which you can see evidence of in the highlights section. Laine fired four shots on goal and took a penalty, but couldn’t generate a goal or an assist.

Despite going pointless against his former team, Laine remains above a point-per-game (48 points in 46 games) during his second season with Columbus. What kind of money might Laine be worth next season? That’s still hard to tell, but either way, it’s still slightly surprising to think about how much things changed for both Laine and the Jets over the years. There was a time when Laine seemed like he’d battle with Auston Matthews to take the sniping torch from Alex Ovechkin. The Jets appeared poised to ascend to an elite level as a team for years to come.

As heartening as it is to see Laine produce offensively, it’s not clear if he’s as much of a “net positive” as many think. Actually, by all-around impact, Pierre-Luc Dubois may remain an upgrade over Laine. Consider their RAPM comparison charts from Evolving Hockey:

Dubois went pointless against Columbus, leaving him with 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points in 65 games this season. (He’s been rambunctious, too, with 90 penalty minutes blowing away his previous career-high of 64 PIM.)

Roslovic ended up being the former Jets/current Blue Jackets player who factored into the scoring, collecting a goal and an assist.

Flames make Monahan a healthy scratch for first time in his career

Flames coach Darryl Sutter said all the right things about the decision to make Sean Monahan a healthy scratch. Sutter makes a point that perhaps Monahan needed more time to work his way back from hip surgery.

Even so, Monahan being a Flames healthy scratch for the first time for performance reasons remains a resounding sign of his struggles. The still-young forward isn’t that far from being lumped in with Johnny Gaudreau as an integral part of this Flames team. Now, he’s a scratch after 14 consecutive pointless games.

Maybe this rest will do Monahan some good. Perhaps he needed a reality check, along with a breather. The Flames would certainly be a better team if Monahan could provide at least some offense, so we’ll see if he can turn things around.

Saturday’s big story

The most relevant “Battle of Alberta” in some time

When’s the last time both the Flames and Oilers were this good heading into a “Battle of Alberta?” At least with any level of season-long consistency? These two franchises likely delight in the two teams’ intermittent lows, but isn’t it more fun when you can spite your regional rivals in games that actually matter?

With the Oilers steadying and teams like the Golden Knights fading, it looks like Edmonton should (most likely) head to the playoffs. If both the Flames and Oilers can win a round, there’s a solid chance hockey fans could get a second-round “Battle of Alberta.”

Being that the Flames flattened the Coyotes on Friday, the Oilers get the rest advantage, so we’ll see if they can leverage that against Calgary. We’ll also see if Monahan can draw back into the Flames lineup (no guarantee, especially after an efficient win).

Friday NHL scores

Capitals 4, Sabres 3 (SO)
Rangers 5, Penguins 1
Jets 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT)
Avalanche 6, Flyers 3
Flames 4, Coyotes 2

More hockey news

panthers stanley cup
Florida Panthers in familiar territory, backs to the wall once again down...
flyers trade
Flyers trade Pride-night boycott defenseman Provorov in 3-team deal
Golden Knights take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final with 7-2 win over Panthers

—

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.

Scroll Down For:

    Florida Panthers in familiar territory, backs to the wall once again down 0-2 in Stanley Cup Final

    Associated PressJun 8, 2023, 12:42 AM EDT
    panthers stanley cup
    Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sport
    4 Comments

    SUNRISE, Fla. — The Panthers need a miracle. Again.

    Such is the story of Florida’s season, and it makes all the sense in the world that the plot has reappeared in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers needed a furious late-season push just to get into the playoffs as the lowest seed, then needed to win three consecutive elimination games to oust a record-setting Boston team in Round 1.

    And now, another huge challenge awaits. Down 2-0 in the title series to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Panthers return to home ice on Thursday night looking to spark one more epic turnaround and get right back in the hunt for hockey’s biggest prize.

    “Desperation and winning a game,” Florida veteran Marc Staal said. “We’ve approached every game in the playoffs the same way. We just try to take it – like everyone says – one at a time. But our backs are against the wall, obviously. We’re down by two. But we’re coming home. Love our team, love our resiliency. We’re going to go out and give our best effort and play our best game tomorrow and go from there.”

    To say the odds are stacked high against the Panthers is a bit of an understatement.

    – They’ve beaten Vegas in four of 12 all-time meetings between the franchises. And now they’ve got to beat them in four of the next five games to win the Cup.

    – They’ve been outscored 10-2 in the last four periods against Vegas.

    – Matthew Tkachuk has two more misconduct penalties (three) than he has points (one, a goal) in the series.

    – Former Panthers Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith have as many goals so far in the series (four) as all the current Panthers do in the series, combined.

    – Vegas hasn’t dropped four out of five games since going 1-2-2 to start a six-game road swing that began in late January.

    – Teams that start a Stanley Cup Final with two home wins have won the Cup 38 times in 41 past instances.

    But by now, Florida’s penchant for pulling off the improbable is well-known. Almost expected, really.

    “Of course, we’ve had three really tough series,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “Boston is a good example. We were down, we found a way, we started playing a little better, we found a way to come back and get out of there. Same thing here – we’ve just got to work a little harder, work a little smarter and find a way to win games.”

    They’ve done it before.

    There was the 6-0-1 stretch late in the season to hold off Pittsburgh for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The winning three elimination games against a Boston team that had the best regular season in NHL history in Round 1; Game 5 there was on the road in overtime, Game 6 required a rally late in the third period to erase a 5-4 deficit and Game 7 was another road OT victory. There was a four-overtime win at Carolina in the East final, setting the table for a sweep where the Panthers got four one-goal wins and allowed only six goals.

    They’ve given up 12 goals in two games against Vegas. And it’s not all on Sergei Bobrovsky, either. Panthers coach Paul Maurice found it funny that it was considered a surprise to some that Bobrovsky – who carried Florida to the final round – will remain the starter for Game 3.

    “He was outstanding in Game 1,” Maurice said. “And he was as good as our team was in Game 2.”

    The message was simple: Everyone has to be better. The Panthers have a history of rising to those moments.

    “We never lose doubt in this room,” Florida forward Ryan Lomberg said. “Obviously, they’re a good team. They got here for a reason. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It’s kind of the theme of our whole year is we make it tough. Whether we wanted it this way or not, it’s this way, so we’ve got to play the hand we’re dealt now.”

    NOTES: Maurice said he expects D Radko Gudas, who left Game 2 injured, to play in Game 3. Forward Eetu Luostarinen will remain out. Maurice declined to offer specifics on Luostarinen’s injury, but quipped “he’s a good human.” … Thursday will be Florida’s first Stanley Cup Final game on home ice in FLA Live Arena. The Panthers’ 1996 final appearance was at a long-demolished arena in Miami.

    Flyers trade Pride-night boycott defenseman Provorov in 3-team deal

    Associated PressJun 6, 2023, 10:12 PM EDT
    flyers trade
    Dennis Schneidler/USA TODAY Sports
    7 Comments

    PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers have traded Ivan Provorov, sending away the defenseman who boycotted the team’s Pride night as part of a three-team trade that included the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings.

    The seventh overall pick of the 2015 draft, the 26-year-old Provorov lands in Columbus and is set to enter the fifth season of a $40.5 million, six-year contract. He was the centerpiece Tuesday of the first major move under new Flyers’ leadership.

    There were plenty of moving parts in the three-team deal.

    — Philadelphia traded Provorov and forward Hayden Hodgson to Los Angeles in exchange for goalie Cal Petersen, defenseman Sean Walker, defenseman Helge Grans and the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick. The Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs.

    — Columbus acquired defenseman Kevin Connauton from Philadelphia in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick (22nd overall) and a conditional second-round pick in either the 2024 or 2025 NHL Draft. Columbus acquired Provorov from Los Angeles in exchange for Connauton.

    The Flyers already hold the No. 7 pick in this season’s draft and now also have the 23rd pick as they start accumulating key assets for long-range success in what is expected to be a deep draft.

    Flyers general manager Danny Briere had said no player was untouchable after the Flyers missed the playoffs for the third straight season and went to work with the Stanley Cup Final still underway. The Flyers named broadcaster Keith Jones team president last month and he is still working the Final for TNT. But it’s clear the overdue rebuild is underway for a franchise that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup in 48 years.

    “We felt that the picks and the direction that we wanted to go in, it was really enticing, very exciting,” Briere said. “We have a chance to really start building the team the way we wanted. The right way.”

    Briere said the Flyers are “open for business” this summer and that included potentially listening to offers for No. 1 goalie Carter Hart. Coach John Tortorella, Briere and Jones have all tempered offseason expectations for any fan looking for a quick fix. The trio all insist the Flyers have a cohesive plan for the future.

    Provorov had 65 goals and 217 points in 532 career games with the Flyers. The Russian was widely criticized in January when he cited his Russian Orthodox religion as the reason he did not participate in pregame warmups when the Flyers wore Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape.

    “I respect everybody’s choices,” Provorov said after the game. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”

    Now, he’s traded during Pride month.

    Briere said the backlash over Pride night had nothing to do with trading Provorov.

    The Blue Jackets, who missed the playoffs this season, were ready to take a flier on a defenseman seemingly with many productive years ahead.

    “Improving our blue line has been a priority for us and acquiring Ivan gives us an established left-shot defenseman who is still a young player with his best seasons in front of him,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He immediately improves our group on defense as he is durable, has great skill, skates well, is an excellent passer with an accurate shot and can effectively play at both ends of the ice.”

    Provorov said at the end of the season he wasn’t necessarily happy the Flyers planned to rebuild but understood the decision. Briere declined to say if Provorov wanted out of Philadelphia.

    “I wouldn’t say it’s the most positive news you can hear, but there’s a bright future here, and there’s a lot of great players that can keep growing,” Provorov said in April. “Obviously, it depends on how quick everybody gets better and how quickly the team game gets better. I think that’s what determines the length of the rebuild.”

    Turns out, the potential success out of the haul the Flyers got for Provorov just may determine the length of the rebuild.

    Golden Knights take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final with 7-2 win over Panthers

    Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 11:49 PM EDT
    Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
    3 Comments

    LAS VEGAS — No team in over 25 years has been more dominant than the Vegas Golden Knights through the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final.

    They have outscored the Florida Panthers by eight goals, including a 7-2 victory in Game 2 that put the Knights two wins from the first championship in the franchise’s short six-year history.

    It will take a rare rally for the Panthers to come back as the series shifts to Florida for Game 3 on Thursday. Teams that took a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final are 31-3 in the expansion era, but the Panthers opened the playoffs by storming back from 3-1 down to beat the heavily favored Boston Bruins.

    Florida will have to significantly up its level of play to beat a Vegas team that won by three goals on Saturday and then five in this game. The last team to win the first two games of a Cup Final by more than eight combined goals was the 1996 Colorado Avalanche – who outscored the Panthers by nine.

    “I think our depth has been a strength all year,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It is the biggest reason we are still here, why we beat Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas. I just feel that we have the best team from player one through 20.”

    Jonathan Marchessault scored twice for the Knights and started an early blitz that chased Sergei Bobrovsky, the NHL’s hottest postseason goalie.

    Marchessault also had an assist to finish with three points. His 12 postseason goals set a Golden Knights record, with all of them coming after the first round. The only player with more following the opening round was Pavel Bure, who scored 13 for Vancouver in 1994.

    “They want to set the tone with being undisciplined like Game 1 and we set the tone back,” Marchessault said. “It was scoring that first goal there. But we’re still pretty far from our goal here.”

    Brett Howden scored twice for the Knights, who also got goals from Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio. Six players had at least two points for Vegas, all 18 Knights skaters were on the ice for even-strength goals and their nine goal scorers through the first two games are a Stanley Cup Final record. The Knights’ seven goals tied a franchise mark for a playoff game.

    It was too much for Bobrovsky, who was removed 7:10 into the second period down 4-0. It was the fifth time in 12 games the Knights have chased the opposing goalie.

    Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, carried Florida through the Eastern Conference playoffs. Coming into the Stanley Cup Final, he had won 11 of his past 12 starts with a 1.95 goals-against average and .942 save percentage during that stretch. But he’s given up eight goals in 87 minutes against Vegas, compiling a 5.52 GAA and .826 save percentage in the series.

    “We can be a little better in front of our goaltender,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I got him out to keep him rested.”

    Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell scored for Florida.

    Adin Hill continued his stellar play in net with 29 saves for the Knights. Hill once again brought his feistiness as well as his A-game. He stopped Carter Verhaeghe on a breakaway in the first, and later that period hit Tkachuk, who was in his net, with his blocker and then slashed him with his stick.

    “He’s been unreal for us,” Vegas forward William Carrier said. “He’s been unbelievable.”

    A group of four fans behind one of the nets wore sweaters that spelled out his last name, and Hill has often received the loudest cheers from Knights fans, reminiscent of when Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for Vegas in its first three seasons.

    “It’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey,” Hill said. “I’m just enjoying it, cherishing every day. It’s been awesome to be part of the journey with this team.”

    The Knights were dominant early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Marchessault and Martinez. It was Vegas’ third game in a row with a power-play goal, its first such stretch since Christmas week.

    The Panthers lost their biggest, toughest defenseman early in the game when Radko Gudas was injured on a hit by Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev. Gudas left 6:39 in and did not return.

    That was one of several big hits by Barbashev, the Golden Knights’ biggest trade-deadline acquisition, a Stanley Cup champion with St. Louis in 2019. Barbashev broke the sternum of Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard during the playoffs last year, also on a clean hit.

    Vegas had its own scare late in the second period when Jack Eichel was nailed in the right shoulder by Tkachuk. Eichel returned in the third and set up Marchessault’s second goal for his second assist of the game.

    “We did a good job managing momentum tonight,” Eichel said. “And we got some timely goals.”

    Ducks hire former Leafs, Islanders assistant Greg Cronin as head coach

    Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 2:18 PM EDT
    Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
    3 Comments

    ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks have hired veteran NHL assistant and AHL head coach Greg Cronin to be their new head coach.

    Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek announced the decision to hire the 60-year-old Cronin, who will be a first-time NHL head coach.

    Cronin has 12 years of experience as an NHL assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs and in two stints with the New York Islanders. The Massachusetts native has been the head coach of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles since 2018, and he spent six years as a collegiate head coach at Northeastern.

    Verbeek called Cronin “the ideal fit” to take over a young, rebuilding team.

    “I felt we needed a teacher of the finer points of the game, and someone who has worked extensively over time with talented young players, helping them develop into successful NHL players,” Verbeek said. “Greg has done all that and more.”

    Cronin replaces Dallas Eakins, whose contract wasn’t renewed in April after the Ducks finished their fourth consecutive losing season of his tenure. Anaheim finished in last place in the overall NHL standings at 23-47-12.

    The Ducks never finished higher than sixth in the Pacific Division during Eakins’ four years in charge. They’ve missed the playoffs in a franchise-record five straight seasons, and Anaheim was the NHL’s worst defensive team of the 21st century by several measures during the just-completed season.

    Cronin takes over a struggling team that is still loaded with young talent, including the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft and a wealth of farm prospects seemingly ready to break into the NHL. Anaheim has a solid long-term base with playmaking center Trevor Zegras, two-time All-Star Troy Terry and promising forward Mason McTavish.

    Cronin has never led an NHL bench, but he interviewed for the Boston Bruins’ vacancy a year ago.

    He becomes only the Ducks’ fourth permanent head coach since Henry and Susan Samueli bought the franchise from Disney in 2005, joining Randy Carlyle, Bruce Boudreau and Eakins.