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Bergeron, O’Reilly, Stone are the 2019 Selke Trophy finalists

By Sean LeahyApr 17, 2019, 6:30 PM EDT
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It’s awards season! The NHL has begun to roll out the nominees for the 2018-19 awards beginning with the Selke Trophy, which is awarded “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”

The nominees, who are voted for by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the conclusion of the regular season, are Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues, and Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The trophy was first  presented in 1977 by the NHL Board of Governors in honor of Frank J. Selke, one of the architects of Montreal and Toronto Stanley Cup winning teams.

The winner will be announced on June 19 (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN) at the 2019 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

The Case For Patrice Bergeron: The four-time winner of the trophy, Bergeron finished the regular season with 32 goals and 79 points. He was eighth overall in face-off win percentage (56.6%), the 10th straight season he’s had a success rate in the dot of at least 56%. He also posted a 56.77% Corsi rating, the eighth consecutive season he’s reached at least the 55% mark in the category. This is his eighth straight year as a finalist and one more win will see him pass Bob Gainey for most Selke wins ever.

The Case For Ryan O’Reilly: Leading the Blues with 77 points, including 23 goals, O’Reilly enjoyed his first season with in St. Louis. He was once again strong in the face-off circle with a 56.9% success rate, posted a 53.44 Corsi %, his best since the 2013 NHL season, and had a 2.82 Corsi relative percentage. The Blues had a 93.39% on-ice save percentage when O’Reilly was out there at even strength and his 42.53 expected goals against percentage led the team’s forwards.

The Case For Mark Stone: A win here for the Golden Knights forward would bring a bit of history. The last Selke winner who wasn’t a center was Jere Lehtinen, who took home the award in 2002-03 while a member of the Dallas Stars. Stone was one of two players to have over 100 takeaways (122) this season, leading the NHL in that category. He posted a 52.99% Corsi rating and was third among all forwards with at least 800 5-on-5 minutes with an 8.16 Corsi relative percentage.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.

Mark Stone is unstoppable right now for the Golden Knights

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By Sean LeahyApr 16, 2019, 12:07 PM EDT
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What Mark Stone is doing for the Vegas Golden Knights through three games against the San Jose Sharks should come as no surprise.

Stone has an NHL-best six goals and is tied for first on the team with eight points, already matching his career best in the postseason set during the Ottawa Senators’ run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017 in 16 fewer games. As part of Vegas’ second line that was built through free agency last summer (Paul Stastny) and separate trades in September (Max Pacioretty) and February (Stone), the trio have combined to record 22 of the Golden Knights’ 35 points.

“They’ve eaten us up this series so far,” said Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer. “We haven’t had an answer for them. You get three really good players playing at a high level right now. That’s part of the issue, and we have to find an answer to slow those guys down.”

A hat trick and five-point night during a 6-3 win in Game 3 only further cemented how good of a player Stone is and how important he’s been to the Golden Knight’s lineup.

“That’s one of the dominant games I’ve ever seen from a player in the playoffs,” said Pacioretty.

When the Sharks mounted a brief comeback to cut the Golden Knights’ lead from 5-1 to 5-3, there was one simple solution to stop the onslaught, according to Nate Schmidt.

“We sent Mark Stone out there,” he said.

[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Stone, who signed an eight-year, $76M extension following the consummation of the trade, immediately clicked with his new team, scoring five times and recording 11 points in the final 18 games of the regular season. He hasn’t need any sort of adjustment period following his years in Ottawa, and certainly going from a lottery team to a Cup contender breeds quite a bit of inspiration.

“I just love being here,” Stone said. “I love playing in Las Vegas. I love my teammates, the fans, the city. This is why I came here, I want to play playoff hockey. We’ve had some success, sure, but we can’t dwell on it. We have to be good professionals and continue to get better.”

The Golden Knights’ second line is one of a handful of issues facing the Sharks ahead of Game 4. Joe Thornton will miss the game due to suspension and Regular Season Martin Jones appears to have returned after a solid Game 1 performance.

As DeBoer said, San Jose needs to find answers as they face a hole that could be too deep to dig out from.

Game 4 of Golden Knights-Sharks is Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN (Live stream)

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.

This time, Sharks dominate Golden Knights in Game 1

By James O'BrienApr 11, 2019, 1:37 AM EDT
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The Sharks were overwhelmed against the Golden Knights last year, losing 7-0. The score wasn’t as lopsided in Game 1 of their Round 1 series to start the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but this time San Jose was the dominant team.

The duo of Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson lived up to its billing on Wednesday, helping the Sharks beat Vegas 5-2, giving San Jose a 1-0 series lead. Burns generated a goal and an assist, while Karlsson collected two helpers. All of their three assists were of the primary variety. Evander Kane and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also chipped in two points apiece with one goal and one assist each.

At times, the game was almost as nasty as the dental repairs Joe Pavelski will require after the 1-0 goal went in off of his chin.

[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Evander Kane and Ryan Reaves jabbed at each other with their sticks late in the game, and there were some “pleasantries” after the final whistle. The two teams combined for 56 penalty minutes, and Game 1 included a span where the teams went 3-on-3. You … don’t usually see that happen, beyond the 3-on-3 overtime format of the regular season.

Last year’s series got nasty at times, and it seems like even though there are some key changes to both rosters, the disdain remains. This could be a physical, very unfriendly series. For a team that’s still as young as the Golden Knights, it sure seems like they’re building an intense rivalry with San Jose.

After Pavelski’s off-the-face goal made it 1-0 through 20 minutes, the Sharks really swam away with the game in the second period, increasing their lead to 4-1.

Mark Stone scored both of Vegas’ goals, including the 4-2 tally that made things more interesting for a spell in the third period. Beleaguered Sharks goalie Martin Jones was able to stop a Reilly Smith breakaway attempt, and then the Sharks scored the 5-2 empty-netter to end any last grasp at an unlikely Golden Knights rally.

This still seems like a series that could appeal to just about every type of hockey fan, but the Golden Knights need to find answers to make it more competitive after this lopsided Game 1. In other words, they might want to take a page from the Sharks, although Vegas hopes with the same outcome as last year, of the Golden Knights ultimately winning the series.

Golden Knights – Sharks Game 2 from The SAP Center will be Friday night at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

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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.

Stone scores first for Golden Knights in goal-fest first period

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By Scott BilleckMar 10, 2019, 12:39 AM EDT
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Alright, Vegas. You can breathe now.

Mark Stone had six goals in his final six games with the Ottawa Senators prior to his departure to Vegas on trade deadline day.

But heading into Saturday night, he had nothing but a couple of assists in his first five games with his new club, one he will be with for quite some time after signing and eight-year deal to stay with the team.

The goal drought ended early in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks, however, as Stone cleaned up the trash in front of the opposing goal to grab his first market in the black and gold threads.

By the time the period was through, the Golden Knight had fired five past Jacob Markstrom, who was chased at the 14:17 mark of the frame. Stone picked up an assist on Paul Stastny‘s goal for his first multipoint game.

Vegas hasn’t seemed to need Stone scoring lately — they’ve won five straight and are well on their way to No. 6. But with $76 million invested in him now for a long time to come, it’s good to see him get back in the scoring column.

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Golden Knights, Capitals quietly on another crash course for Stanley Cup Final

By Stephen LorenzoMar 8, 2019, 3:45 PM EDT
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Everyone is talking about the Tampa Bay Lightning and their record-pace. The Boston Bruins are riding high with an 18-game point streak. The St. Louis Blues started from the bottom and are now in third in the Central. The Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames are all battling for their respective divisional supremacy.

Meanwhile, quietly in the nation’s capital, the Washington Capitals have won five consecutive games and are tied with the New York Islanders in points atop the Metropolitan Division. Even more quietly out in the desert, the Vegas Golden Knights have also won five straight. Does anybody remember that these were the last two teams standing last season? Because that’s what could very well happen again.

The Caps won back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies in 2015-16 and 2016-17, only to lose in the second round of the playoffs both years to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Penguins. Last season, they won the Metropolitan again but finished third in the East before going on to win their first Cup in franchise history. They’re in a similar position this year, just two points behind Toronto for third in the conference. Perhaps being a bit under the radar is where they thrive.

Washington has also shown the ability to flip a switch and turn back into the defending champions at a moment’s notice. Take last week’s game against Ottawa for example. The Capitals found themselves down 2-0 before they could blink against the lowly Senators early in the first period. But by the time the period was over, the score was tied. By the final buzzer, Washington had won 7-2.

With a league-leading 46 goals, Alex Ovechkin is carrying the offensive load for Washington once again this season. But the Capitals’ recent 5-game winning streak has been a demonstration of the depth that carried them to the Cup last year, as 13 different players have scored a goal and 18 players have registered a point in that span. At the trade deadline, general manager Brian MacLellan did well to bolster that depth by adding defenseman Nick Jensen and forward Carl Hagelin, who have both already made contributions during their brief time in D.C.

Of course, the biggest difference between this Washington team and the one that hoisted the Cup is behind the bench. At the moment, former Capitals coach Barry Trotz and his Islanders seem to be the only thing standing between Todd Reirden and the franchise winning a fourth straight division title.

Out west, while Calgary and San Jose jockey for first place in the Pacific, Vegas has a stranglehold on third in the division. That means they’ll play whichever team finishes second between the Flames and the Sharks in the First Round, a tough match up for whichever team comes up short. Vegas has not lost since the trade deadline, Mark Stone seems to be gelling nicely with the now-healthy Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny, and Marc-Andre Fleury is playing like the Fleury of last postseason, stopping 109 of the 111 shots he faced during his four straight wins.

Very few expected last year’s expansion Vegas team to make a run to the Cup Final, if not for their lack of star power, then certainly for their lack of postseason experience. Well, they now have that star power and after coming three wins away from the Cup last season, there is no lack of playoff wisdom on this Golden Knights roster. Even their new pieces like Stone (2017 with Ottawa), Pacioretty (2014 with Montreal) and Stastny (2016 with St. Louis & 2018 with Winnipeg) have all played in a Conference Final.

Given the Capitals’ previous failures in the playoffs and the Golden Knights’ infancy as a franchise, it was a bit of a shock to see them both facing off for the Stanley Cup last season. Don’t be so surprised if it happens again this year.