Finnish Hockey - Round Up - November 22-28

Weekly Finnish Hockey round-up by Aatami Mäkinen. 
KHL

* Jokerit, Finland's only representatives in the Kontinental Hockey League, had a mixed week of results as they faced rivals from the Baltic Region.
* They started the week with a 3-2 defeat in Belarus when they faced Dinamo Minsk. Two nights later they were back home at the Hartwall Arena, but once again lost 3-2, this time to the expensively assembled SKA Saint-Petersburg, who can list Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Voynov amongst their team roster.
* Things did improve on Saturday however, when they travelled to Latvia and skated off with a 2-1 win against Dinamo Riga.
* At present Jukka Jalonen's men sit in Seventh place in the Western Conference with 53 points, which is good enough for a play-off place. However, with still nearly half the season to go they will face stern opposition from the likes of Dynamo Moscow and Vityaz for their position, although the gap back to tenth-placed Medvescak Zagreb is now nine points.
* In other news this week, bottom six forward Michael Keränen left the team. It has been a disappointing spell for the player who was once on the books of the Minnesota Wild in the NHL.





SM liiga

* Pelicans Lahti have had a successful week winning both their games by 2-1 score lines, meaning they have jumped up to fourth in the standings.

Full reports of both those games can be found here:

TPS v Pelicans: http://heshootshescores91.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/sm-liiga-pelicans-tps-turku-tuesday.html

Pelicans v Ilves: http://heshootshescores91.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/sm-liiga-pelicans-v-ilves-tampere.html 

* Lukko picked up some useful points this week as they battle to climb off the bottom of the standings.

The Raumo-based side got an important 4-2 win last Tuesday, at home to Karpat, who now sit just seven points and two places above them in the table. Joonas Niemela and Valentin Claireaux had given Lukko a two goal lead by the 44 minute mark. But, three goals in 36 seconds set up a tense finale. John Albert pulled one goal back for Karpat at 57:22, but Aleksi Saarela scored at 57:50 to restore Lukko’s two goal lead. However, Karpat scored again eight seconds later through Mika Pyorala. Karpat then pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, but that left them exposed at the back and Ville Vahalahti netted the empty netter to seal a much needed win.

* Lukko then played host to HPK on Saturday where they twice came from behind to force the game into overtime before eventually losing 3-2. Eero Somervuori gave HPK the lead early into the second period but Ville Vahalahti tied it less than five minutes later. Teemu Turunen looked to have won the game for the visitor’s with just over three minutes to go but with only four seconds left on the clock Janne Niskala dramatically tied the game and took it into overtime. Sakari Manninen converted at 3:21 into the extra session to seal the win.

That all means Lukko have closed up the gap to some of the teams above them and if they can claim another successful week again, might be off the bottom before long.

* League leaders Tappara hold a three point lead at the top of the table after wins over Sport [6-5], SaiPa [5-4] and TPS [1-2]. The side from Tampere have made a habit out of winning thrilling games these past few weeks and that continued.

* Tappara won a thrilling game against Sport Vaasa after twice coming from behind. Mikko Pukka and Joonas Komulainen gave Sport a two goal lead at the first break but three quick goals from Otso Rantakari, Martin Roymark and Jukka Peltola turned the game around for Tappara, or so they thought. Olevi Vauhkonen netted twice in 90 seconds to give Sport the lead again, but Tappara could thank Veli-Matti Savinainen and Otto Rauhala to give them the lead once again at 5-4. Less than a minute later Tomi Korkko tied the game once more but Jani Lajunen netted the eventual winner with just over five minutes left in the game.

* Against SaiPa on Friday, the lead changed hands several times in the early stages. Otso Ranrakari gave Tappara the lead, but William Makinen levelled just over a minute later. Saku Salminen then gave the visitors the lead early in the second period before two goals from Sebastian Repo in just 46 seconds turned the game around for the home side. Further strikes from Joona Luoto and Jan-Mikael Jarvinen looked to have made the game safe at 5-2 but two late goals from Tero Koskiranta and Kim Stromberg set up a tense final few seconds.

The next day Joona Luoto netted two goals against Turku side TPS. Tomi Kallio responded for TPS.

* Kalpa are the leader’s closest challengers right now, but the Kuopio-based side lost some ground to Tappara after losing to in-form Assat in overtime last Tuesday. Jyri Junnila had given Kalpa the lead but Arttu Ruotsalainen levelled early into the third period setting up Jussi Makkonen to net the winner 44 seconds into overtime.

* They were able to claim a victory against Sport Vaasa two days later and then follow that up with an overtime win over JYP. Goals from Alexander Ruuttu, Topi Piipponen and Jyri Junnila proved enough against Tomi Korkko’s solo strike in Vaasa.

* Kalpa did it the hard way against JYP though, going two goals behind early on after Juha-Pekka Hytonen and then Antti Suomela gave the visitors the lead. However, Jesse Mankinen and Tommi Jokinen made sure the game was tied by the end of the second period and then Santeri Lukka netted the winner 1:52 into the extra session.

* TPS currently sit in third place, nine points off the leaders after losing at home to Pelicans in overtime but then hitting five gaolas past KooKoo, as they did local neighbours Lukko a favour. Jasper Lindsten, Jerry Ahtola, Eric Perrin and Erik Thorell [twice] all scored while Anrei Hakulinen grabbed the only goal for KooKoo.

* HPK are having a decent season and they are sitting in fifth now after a 2-0 win over Ilves [Philippe Cornet and Niko Kapanen] and an overtime victory over Lukko. In-between those games they lost 2-1 to JYP. Antti Suomela and Mathias Porseland scored during regulation time, but with no further goals in overtime we went to a shootout.  Janne Tavi scored the only goal in the shootout to claim the points.

 

* New-comers to the Liiga, Jukurit had a busy week, playing three times in five days, and losing all of them. A 3-2 reverse at home to struggling KooKoo was disappointing, after twice taking the lead through Miika Roine and Teemu Tallberg. Kai Kantola levelled for KooKoo,  and then Jan-Mikael Juutilainen and Mikko Jokela scored less than 90 seconds apart to steal the points.

* Jukurit were well beaten by HIFK two days later. Mika Partanen, Juuso Puustinen, Juhamatti Aaltonen and Mikael Johansson all scored for the Helsinki side while Jesper Piitulainen’s goal at 50:52 was little more than a consolation.

Jukurit then travelled to SaiPa on Saturday where they lost that one 3-2. Turo Asplund’s double wasn’t enough as Matti Jarvinen, John McFarland and Per Savilahti Nagander scored for SaiPa.

* However, the Mikkeli based side are still having a more than respectable season and are still sitting in Seventh place.

* Karpat, who are being drawn back to the bottom of the table claimed a shock 3-0 win in Pori against Assat. Mikko Lehtonen’s double and Sami Anttila’s single goal was enough to claim the points.

* However, on Saturday they lost at home to Sport Vaasa. Markus Nenonen’s goal 55 seconds from time proving decisive.

* One of the most exciting games of the week took place between SaiPa and JYP last Tuesday. SaiPa took the lead through Joni Nikko, with less than three minutes on the clock, but Antti Suomela scored twice before the period was finished to give JYP the lead. Elmeri Kaksonen then tied the game before Mikko Kalteva restored JYP’s lead. Tomi Leivo tied the game again with 15 seconds left in the middle period. Urho Vaakanainen gave JYP their third lead of the game, but once again SaiPa tied it up at 52:33 with Kaksonen’s second. That took the game into overtime where Sami Niku netted the winner 62 seconds in.

KooKoo are also struggling to stay above Lukko but an overtime victory over HIFK in Helsinki last Friday, might just prove crucial, with Juha-Pekka Haataja getting the only goal of the game.

 

Tuesday November 22

HPK v Ilves 2-0

Jukurit v KooKoo 2-3

Lukko v Karpat 4-2

SaiPa v JYP 4-5 OT

Tappara v Sport 6-5

TPS v Pelicans 1-2 OT

Assat v Kalpa 2-1 OT

 

Thursday, November 24

Jukurit v HIFK 1-4

JYP v HPK 2-1 SO

KooKoo v TPS 2-6

Sport v Kalpa 1-3

Assat v Karpat 0-3

 

Friday, November 25

HIFK v KooKoo 0-1 OT

Tappara v SaiPa 5-4

 

Saturday, November 26

Kalpa v JYP 3-2 OT

Karpat v Sport 0-1

Lukko v HPK 2-3 OT

Pelicans v Ilves 2-1

SaiPa v Jukurit 3-2

TPS v Tappara 1-2

Mestis
* SaPko still top Finland's second tier, Mestis, despite losing both games last week. The biggest surprise was their 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Leki last Wednesday. The league leaders then lost to their closest challengers, TUTO. Losing 2-1 at home. Those results, couple with TUTO's huge 9-2 win over Roki means that SaPKo's once huge lead at the top has been slashed to just two points now.

* Hokki lost both their games by narrow 0-1 score lines, and currently sit in eleventh place. Losing away to Hermes last Wednesday and then at home to JYP-Akatemia on Saturday.

* KeuPa HT, holding on to eight spot, also lost both of their games. The lost to K-Vantaa, from the Helsinki Region 3-1 on the road and then at home to Peliitat in what was a 4-3 thriller on home ice.
* Struggling Espoo, had mixed results last week. The team relegated and renamed from the Liiga, following the demise of the Blues, grabbed a much needed 3-0 win away to IPK, before losing 4-1 away to Jokipojat.
Other big scores from the past week saw Peliitat put six goals past Hermes on their own ice! while Leki beat Roki 7-1 at home on Saturday.

Wednesday, 23 November
JYP-Akatemia - IPK - 0-2
Leki - SaPKo - 5-1
Hermes - Hokki - 0-1
K-Vantaa - KeuPa HT - 3-1


Friday, 25 November
IPK - Espoo United 0-3
Hermes - Peliitat 0-6
TUTO - Roki 9-2
JYP-Akatemia - Jokipojat - 4-2


Saturday, 26 November
SaPKo - TUTO - 1-2
Leki - Roki 7-1
Keupa HT - Peliitat 3-4
Jokipojat - Espoo United 4-1
Hoki - JYP Akatemia 0-1
K-Vantaa - Hermes 4-3



Nuorten SM-Liiga
Hockey from across the Pond is very excited to announce that Finnish hockey fan and photographer Roosa Marjanen has given me permission to use her outstandingly brilliant pictures for the blog.
Roosa has her own website showcasing her talents and I would urge you all to check out just how great the quality of her hockey pictures are:
http://roosamarjanen.kuvat.fi/

Roosa was who is from Rauma in Western Finland was at Pori this weekend just gone taking in the U20 tournament. You can check out the results from those games and also a brief report from our on location reporter here:
http://heshootshescores91.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/nuorten-sm-liiga-november-25-27-2016.html

Nuorten SM-Liiga - November 25-27, 2016

exclusive report and photography from Roosa Marjanen in Pori.

The Nuorten SM-Liiga or Finnish U20 competition held the turnausmuotoisesti in Pori this weekend.
A total of Ten teams play over the three days, with each team playing three games [one game a day each].
The competition is made up of Nine sides from the Finnish SM-Liiga; Lukko, Ässät, Pelicans, KooKoo, Ilves, Tappara, TPS, SaiPa, Jukurit and Austrian side Salzburg.
Five games take place each day in Pori, in either the main Isomäki Areena, home to Assat, or the practise hall, Astora Arena




Friday, November 25
Pelicans - Lukko 3-2 shootout
KooKoo - Ilves 3-2 overtime
Salzburg - Tappara 3-4
TPS - SaiPa 8-3 
Ässät - Jukurit 8-1


* The most surprising score line from Day One was Salz-Tap because Salzburg,  although being a strong side in their own country, little was known of them or expected. When Tappara scored in the first minute those thoughts were strengthened. Tappara dominated for most of the first period but Salzburg were able to fight against them well!
Salzburg showed what a very physical and aggressive team they were, as they threw our Finn boys along the walls.
I wasn't able to see the whole game but Tappara's goalie Rautiainen had 38 saves, while Salzburg's Reich had only 18.
However, the Austrian side were stronger against Tappara than I expected so it's positive!


* TPS of Turku beat SaiPa with 8-3, although I have no idea what happened there because SaiPa isn't that bad of a side, while TPS had two huge penalties called against them. SaiPa were also awarded some penalty shoots during the game. TPS has one of the best goalies in the league, possibly even the best, in Julius Pohjanoksa. Even though he is very small for a goalie (179cm/70kg), he recorded a 93.93%sp to help limit SaiPa's goal scoring. But that doesn't explain how TPS wracked up 8 goals themselves.


* Ässät eased to an 8-1 win over Jukurit. They held a firm 3-0 lead after the first period and wracked up further goals on home ice.


Saturday, November 26
Pori - Isomäki Areena
Tappara - Pelicans 3-6

KooKoo - Lukko 3-2

Salzburg - Assat 1-2

Pori - Astora Arena

Ilves - SaiPa 4-0

Jukurit - TPS 1-4




* A tough day in the tournament, all players were tough against refs and so many injuries that I can't even count those.
One of the popular players from Lukko, Niklas Murto, got injured too as someone threw him head first into the boards. Thankfully he was alright though, and after resting for five minutes he was able to play again.
He's gotten used to that. He told me afterwards that he's 'a little sore but that's all'.




Other games around Finland
Tikkurilla - K-Vantaa - Sport 0-3

Hameenlinna - HPK - HIFK 4-2

Jyvaskyla - JYP - Karpat 4-5

Helsinki - Jokerit - Blues 6-4

Sunday, November 27

Tappara - KooKoo 3-2 SO
Ilves - Pelicans 4-5
Salzburg - TPS 3-1
Jukurit - Lukko 2-4
Ässät - SaiPa 2-1

* Lukko won on Sunday against Jukurit, so the day's action started with a  positive.
* TPS lost to Salzburg which was the biggest surprise. Salzburg did deserve to win at least one game during the tournament, but TPS had been so strong in the other games that it is a very confusing result.

SM liiga - Pelicans v Ilves Tampere - Saturday, November 26, 2016

The game was won in the opening few minutes as Antti Lehtonen had to fish the puck out of his net twice before the even made it to the first intermission.
Just 11 minutes had elapsed when Antti Erkinjuntti and Roope Elimäki linked well to set up Juhani Tyrväinen, whose narrow angle shot went in via the player's skate.
Three minutes later Joonas Alanne, then scored his first goal of the season, when he skated between the Ilves defensemen to finish a Henri Heino pass to make it 2-0.
Ilves called a time-out, to try and stop the bleeding and then changed their goalie for the start of the second period. Hannu Toivonen replacing Antti Lehtonen.
That seemed to spark Ilves into life a little bit but their finishing was still wayward.
Indeed if anyone looked like scoring it was still the Pelicans and Justin Hodgman could have made it 3-0, but he struck the frame of the goal.
Ilves finally did pull a goal back at 42:03 when Juho Liuksiala finished off a pass from former NHLer Jerry D'Amigo.
From there on the Pelicans did a great job in restricting the visitors to minimal shooting opportunities and forced them into the corners.
A final push was expected by the Tampere side but with 39 seconds left in the game Marcus Fagerudd delievered ugly hit, kneeing Hannes Björninen. Björninen had to be led from the ice while Fagerudd received a 5 + 20 minute penalty.
The Pelicans goalie, Juvonen was again the hero, stopping 34 shots.

Team Line Up
Justin Hodgman had new line mates with Morten Poulsen and Ville-Matti Koponen. 
Arttu Heikkinen was on the fourth line with Joonas Alanne.
Nico Manelius and Taavi Vartiainen joined what is now becoming a large injured list.
Pasi Puistola usually lines up alongside Ben Blood on the blue line but he was partnered by Valtteri Parikka while Blood was with Roni Rukajarvi. Henri Heino also came in alongside Marko Poyhonen.
Janne Juvonen once again, started in net.

74 Antti Erkinjuntti - 37 Roope Elimaki - 22 Juhani Tyrvainen
18 Aleksi Rekonen - 27 Miska Siikonen - 24 Hannes Bjorninen
38 Morten Poulsen - 7 Ville-Matti Koponen - 16 Justin Hodgman
29 Arttu Heikkinen - 25 Joonas Alanne

12 Pasi Puistola - 6 Valtteri Parikka
39 Marko Poyhonen - 84 Henri Heino
10 Ben Blood - 51 Roni Rukajarvi

41 Janne Juvonen - 30 Joona Voutilainen


Opposition View
Brett Bulmer is the most famous name on Ilves' roster. The Right Wing made 17 NHL appearances for the Minnesota Wild between 2011-16. Most recently he played 3 times for the Wild last season. During his time with the organisation he spent most of his time with their American Hockey League affiliates Houston Aeros and Iowa Wild.

Jerry D'Amigo is another with NHL experience, making 31 appearances, 22 with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013-14 and then 9 with the Buffalo Sabres the following year. Most of his time with those teams saw him playing in the AHL too though. Playing for the Marlies whist in Toronto and then last season with the Rochester Americans.

10 Eemeli Suomi - 71 Tapio Laakso - 92 Brett Bulmer
12 Otto Koivula - 21 Aleksi Mustonen - 18 Ville Meskanen
91 Jerry D'Amigo - 29 Matias Sointu - 27 Niko Ahoniemi
17 Markus Jokinen - 25 Markku Flinck - 23 Juho Liuksiala




47 Arto Laatikainen - 77 Marcus Fagerudd
57 Jarkko Parikka - 38 Teemu Aalto
3 Ville Jarvinen - 9 Olli Vainio
31 Valtteri Ilomaki




35 Antti Lehtonen - 33 Hannu Toivonen

SM liiga - Pelicans @ TPS Turku - Tuesday, November 22, 2016

The game began in expectant mood for TPS. Despite a slow tempo to the game, the home team started the more brighter. Ilkka Pikkarainen's shot hit Janne Juvonen pads, but Teemu Väyrynen, was unable to put home the rebound. That was the best chance of the period so the game remained scoreless.
Juhani Tyrväinen set up Marko Pöyhönen who supplied a fantastic pass for Roope Elimäki to fire past the goalie.
The tempo of the game increased in the second period. Pelicans continued to make the right plays and were patiently trying to catch their opponents with counter attacks.
At 29:19 TPS quickly switched play from defense to attack. Teemu Väyrynen  gathered a pass from Jani Forsstrom and set up Otto Nieminen, who struck the puck into the net to make the score 1-1.
Chances were once again at a premium in the third period. Each team had some half chances but neither could add to the score so we headed into overtime. 
Henrik Tallinder had the best chance at the start of extra time, before Antti Erkinjuntti also went close for the Pelicans.
There was only 13 seconds remaining when Tyrväinen passed to Justin Hodgman. Hodgman was stationary, but he sparked into life and feinted TPS  goalie Alexandar Georgiev, sending him the wrong way and gave the pelicans for a 2-1 overtime victory. Juvonen was the Pelicans man of the match, stopping 32 shots.

Team Line Up
Justin Hodgman joined the third line at Morten Poulsen's expense who in turn replaced Arttu Heikkinen on the fourth line.
All three defensive pairings remained unchanged once again. While,
Janne Juvonen started in net.

74 Antti Erkinjuntti - 37 Roope Elimaki - 22 Juhani Tyrvainen
24 Hannes Bjorninen - 27 Miska Siikonen - 18 Aleksi Rekonen
81 Taavi Vartiainen - 84 Henri Heino - 16 Justin Hodgman
25 Joonas Alanne - 7 Ville-Matti Koponen - 38 Morten Poulsen
29 Arttu Heikkinen

10 Ben Blood - 12 Pasi Puistola
39 Marko Poyhonen - 8 Nico Manelius
51 Roni Rukajarvi - 6 Valtteri Parikka

41 Janne Juvonen - 30 Joona Voutilainen


Opposition View
82 Erik Thorell - 22 Jerry Ahtola - 41 Oskari Siiki
67 Jasper Lindsten - 10 Eric Perrin - 71 Tomi Kallio
84 Ilkka Pikkarainen - 25 Teemu Vayrynen - 43 Otto Nieminen
48 Julius Vahatalo - 29 Jonne Virtanen - 65 Topi Taavitsainen
40 Martin Berger


7 Henrik Tallinder - 36 Elmeri Eronen
46 Miro Keskitalo - 49 Ilkka Heikkinen
20 Jani Forsstrom - 55 Harri Tikkanen




30 Aleksandar Georgiev - 34 Oskari Setanen

NHL - Roundup - November 01-06 2016

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Boston @ Florida 2-1
Carolina @ Ottawa 1-2 OT
Tampa Bay @ NY Islanders 6-1
Edmonton @ Toronto 2-3 OT
Nashville @ Colorado 5-1
Anaheim @ Los Angeles 4-0

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Vancouver @ Montreal 0-3
The Montreal Canadiens have the best 10-game start in their history, thanks in large part to their goaltender. Carey Price made 42 saves for his first shutout of the season, a 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Bell Centre. The Canadiens (9-0-1) have 19 points in the standings after 10 games for the first time. Montreal had 18 points last season (9-1-0) and in 1943-44 (8-0-2).

Second-period goals by Nathan Beaulieu and Torrey Mitchell helped the Canadiens extend their winning streak to eight games. Alexander Radulov scored an empty-net goal with 1:55 remaining in the third period. Ryan Miller made 19 saves for the Canucks (4-5-1), who lost their sixth straight game after starting the season with four straight wins. Vancouver was shut out for the third time in its past four games.
The Canucks outshot the Canadiens 13-3 in the first period and were outshooting them 22-3 at 6:00 of the second period. The shots were 26-10 Canucks when Beaulieu gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead at 12:22 of the second, scoring his first of the season on a rebound off a shot by Brendan Gallagher. It was the fourth goal of Beaulieu's NHL career, his first at Bell Centre. The Canadiens went ahead 2-0 at 19:11 when Mitchell scored on a feed from Philip Danault on a 2-on-1 for his fifth goal on his ninth shot on goal of the season. The Canadiens scored on their 11th and 13th shots on goal, and the Canucks were outshooting them 30-13 after Mitchell scored. At about the midway point of the third period, Price made a left-shoulder save on a chance by Loui Eriksson on the doorstep off a feed from Brandon Sutter to maintain a 2-0 lead.

Detroit @ Philadelphia 3-4 OT

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Philadelphia @ NY Islanders 3-2 SO
Toronto @ Buffalo 2-1
Edmonton @ NY Rangers 3-5
New Jersey @ Florida 3-4 OT
Boston @ Tampa Bay 4-3 SO
Vancouver @ Ottawa 0-1
Nashville @ Phoenix 2-3 SO

Friday, November 04, 2016

Montreal @ Columbus 0-10
The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Montreal Canadiens 10-0 at Nationwide Arena. It was a Blue Jackets record for goals in a game and margin of victory.
Cam Atkinson, Scott Hartnell, Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson each had two goals for Columbus (5-3-1), which previously scored eight goals in a game three times. Alexander Wennberg had an NHL career-high four assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for his third shutout in his past six games.

The Canadiens lost 10-0 for the fourth time in their history to tie their largest margin of defeat. Backup Al Montoya made 30 saves for Montreal (9-1-1), which had won eight in a row. It allowed 13 goals in the previous 10 games but gave up eight in the first 38 1/2 minutes to the Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets, winners of three straight, also got goals from defensemen Seth Jones and David Savard. Columbus scored three goals in 3:10 of the first period to take a 3-0 lead. Atkinson scored at 10:56 and Jones got his third at 11:54 before Savard scored at 14:06.
Atkinson started a stretch of four goals in 9:28 in the second period with his fourth goal of the season at 4:01. Foligno scored on the power play at 10:12 and Hartnell's power-play goal at 11:53 put Columbus up 6-0. Foligno scored his fourth goal at 13:39 and Anderson's long backhand was the eighth goal at 18:32 of the second when the Blue Jackets tied their record with five goals in a period.
Columbus, the best power play in the NHL, went 4-for-5 against the No. 3 penalty kill. Montreal coach Michel Therrien said he kept Montoya in because he wanted to save Carey Price for the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Anderson had a no-look, excuse-me backhand shot from near the top of the right faceoff circle in the second period. Bobrovsky held onto a wrist shot by Tomas Plekanec at 18:46 of the third period for his 30th and final save.
If the Canadiens had any hope of getting back into the game when trailing 4-0, it ended at 8:13 of the second period when Gallagher took a double minor for high sticking Wennberg. Foligno scored with one second left on the first power play and Hartnell scored on the second power play for 6-0 lead.
Columbus had 16 players get at least one point. The skaters who did not were defenseman Ryan Murray and forward Lukas Sedlak. Rookie defenseman Markus Nutivaara got his first NHL point by assisting on Savard's goal. … Bobrovsky is 5-1-1 with a 1.29 goals-against average and .960 save percentage in the past seven games. … The Montreal record for goals allowed is 11. It's happened six times, most recently Feb. 12, 1995.

Phoenix @ Anaheim 1-5

Saturday, November 05, 2016

New Jersey @ Tampa Bay 1-4
NY Rangers @ Boston 5-2
Philadelphia @ Montreal 4-5
Buffalo @ Ottawa 2-1
Florida @ Washington 2-4
Edmonton @ NY Islanders 4-3 SO
Vancouver @ Toronto 3-6
Carolina @ Nashville 3-2 SO
Calgary @ Los Angeles 0-5

Sunday, November 06, 2016

Edmonton @ Detroit 2-1
New Jersey @ Carolina 4-1
Calgary @ Anaheim 1-4

NHL - Wild - 1991 A Year to Remember in Minnesota

The State of Hockey's brush with the Stanley Cup. Payne Stewart's 18-hole playoff triumph at Hazeltine. "And we'll see you tomorrow night!"

The year 1991 was a special time to be part of Minnesota sports culture. In May of that year, the Minnesota North Stars met the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final at the Met Center in Bloomington. That summer, the U.S. Open came to Hazeltine National Golf Club, and in late October, the Minnesota Twins won the World Series at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
"That whole spring was so much fun," remembered Mike Modano, who tallied 77 points in 76 games with the North Stars that season. "The crowds, the atmosphere, the tailgating before the games, the [Met] was just packed before the games even started."

The North Stars were something of a Cinderella story that year. They knocked out the first-place Chicago Blackhawks in six games and eliminated the second-place St. Louis Blues in the semifinals before defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers in the conference final. Bobby Smith, whose Stanley Cup win with Montreal in 1986 was sandwiched between stints with Minnesota, says that the North Stars' unexpected success surprised even some of their diehard fans.
"People really got behind the team," Smith said. "I talked to lots of people, and I don't think anybody expected us to play right through to the finals. [I remember] younger people telling me they were taking their homework to restaurants so they could do their homework and watch the games because they didn't have the right cable package at home, and other people telling me they maxed out their credit cards [because] they had no idea they'd be going to 12 North Stars home games in the spring."
Minnesota's magical run came to an end at the Met Center in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals when Mario Lemieux's Penguins put up eight goals to shut out the North Stars. But it wouldn't be long before another Minnesota team climbed to a championship series. The Twins' 1991 run is often remembered as one of the greatest World Series ever played. Five games between the Twins and the Atlanta Braves were decided by a run, four were determined by the last at-bat, and three took extra innings.
"Each game, it kind of had more drama that built up to Game 7," said Dan Gladden, who will be making the "Let's Play Hockey!" call with Twins teammate Gene Larkin at the Wild's Friday game against the same Pittsburgh franchise that ended Minnesota's title hopes 25 years ago. "I don't think it could've been a better setting or a better ending."
The Twins and the Braves battled to a 0-0 tie after nine innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Gene Larkin smacked the first pitch he saw to left center with Gladden on base. Gladden raced home, and Minnesota won its second World Series in five years.
"As you get older and get further and further away from the moment itself, you appreciate it even more, and you have more perspective about the circumstances behind it," Larkin said.
That year, the championship-caliber franchises each made their own mark on Minnesota history, but they also embedded themselves in the minds of fans.
Modano recalls that when he would pull into the Met Center parking lot before playoff games, the place would already be packed with tailgaters in their North Stars gear. He still feels some of that admiration to this day when he returns to Minnesota to watch the Wild play.
"There's still such a strong following of North Stars fans [in Minnesota]," said Modano, who reunited with several North Stars teammates in last year's NHL Stadium Series Alumni Game at TCF Bank Stadium. "I always enjoy going back there. I think it will always hold a special part of me because I started my career there and I was so young and the fans were so great. So it's always been a special part of my life."
Across town, Larkin admired the franchise's fan base, too. Many of those same fans tailgating in the spring cheered on the Twins as the leaves fell, proud of how their hometown teams had put Minnesota on the map.
"The state of Minnesota had a tremendous opportunity to watch some very good teams get to the final moments to win their league," Larkin said. "I went to quite a few [North Stars] games that year ... I loved hockey, and I think this being the State of Hockey, people here really appreciate the skill level and have an amazing passion for hockey. That was a great experience for me."

NHL - Blues - Round Up November 15-23, 2016

Buffalo Sabres @ Blues 1-4 - Saturday, November 15, 2016

Jaden Schwartz and Kyle Brodziak each scored 1:35 apart in the third period to help the St. Louis Blues defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 at Scottrade Center.
Schwartz scored 44 seconds into the third to give the Blues a 2-1 lead, following up a Dmitrij Jaskin move to the net, and Brodziak scored at 2:19 by redirecting a backhand pass from Ryan Reaves from the low slot. Robby Fabbri and Scottie Upshall also scored for St. Louis (8-6-3), which won for the fifth time in the past 14 games (5-6-3). Jake Allen made 23 saves after getting pulled Saturday when he allowed four goals on 12 shots in an 8-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blues got back to their blue-collar style of playing physical but doing so without running around and chasing hits. The Sabres (5-7-4) lost for the third straight time on the road after starting 4-1-2. Robin Lehner made 27 saves and Sam Reinhart scored. Buffalo has scored two or fewer goals in eight straight games; they've scored 10 total in that span. Each team converted power-play opportunities in the first period. Reinhart put the Sabres ahead 1-0 at 7:55 when he was able to score on a rebound of a shot by Matt Moulson from the left circle, a puck that appeared to carom off the stick of Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. It was the second power-play goal the Blues' top-ranked penalty kill allowed on home ice in 35 chances. Fabbri made it 1-1 at 10:58 after the Sabres were called for too many men on the ice. He followed up a rebound of a shot by Vladimir Tarasenko from the left circle to make. It was Fabbri's third goal in two games after being a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career. Upshall scored into an empty net with 1:26 remaining.

* Jaskin received a stretch pass from Kevin Shattenkirk and used his size to make a hard, quick move at Lehner from the right. Schwartz made a move to the net to clean the play up and it got the Blues off and running.

* Lehner denied Fabbri the opening goal in the first period by making a glove save on a shot from the slot with 10:01 remaining.

* Reaves has set up both linemates with beautiful saucer backhand passes this season. He led Brodziak perfectly to the slot, and the center redirected the shot over Lehner to give the Blues a 3-1 lead.

* Lehner did all he could to give the Sabres a chance, and his point-blank save on Blues center Patrik Berglund during a Buffalo power play 1:10 into the second period kept it 1-1.

* The Blues have won nine in a row against the Sabres and 19 of the past 21 games.

* Steen did not play the third period because of an undisclosed injury. He hit his head on the glass in the corner of the Buffalo zone after a check from Gorges in the second. ... Shattenkirk and Colton Parayko each had two assists for St. Louis.

"Playing physical but playing patient. We talked about not running around again. We got away from that two games ago. I think when we're physical, but we're in good position, it makes them run around and second-guess what they're doing back there. I think we did a good job of that." Reaves said.
"I thought as the game went along, our puck support got better and better. We started to play the short game, the team game. It was more effective as it went along.... We had a great start to the third period, and played well in the third." Ken Hitchcock said.
"When you get bounces like that, it's pretty good. [Lehner] had a nice glove save on me before that, so I just wanted to make sure I put this one in." Robby Fabbri

Nashville Predators @ Blues 1-3 - Saturday, November 19, 2016

The St. Louis Blues have responded accordingly after allowing eight goals in a loss on Nov. 12 in Columbus. The Blues came home, did some soul-searching and found a remedy this past week by getting back to playing disciplined hockey in their building. The result was a three-game winning streak following a 3-1 decision against the Nashville Predators at Scottrade Center. Blues center Kyle Brodziak scored the game-winner when he converted a backhand rebound of Scottie Upshall's shot at 7:28 of the third period after Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne made the initial save off an odd-man rush. It was Brodziak's second goal in three games after he had not scored in the first 15.

David Perron and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored for St. Louis (10-6-3), which improved to 8-1-2 at Scottrade Center, including getting points in the past eight (6-0-2). Jake Allen made 30 saves to improve to 6-0-2 on home ice.
The Predators (7-7-3), who went 1-2-0 on a three-game road trip, got a goal from Mike Ribeiro. Rinne made 31 saves for his first regulation loss in November (5-1-2). Perron put the Blues ahead 1-0, extending his point streak to four games after he scored on a backhand at 3:09 of the second. Ribeiro tied the game 1-1 on the power play at 8:59. Tarasenko scored off another odd-man rush, converting a wrist shot from the slot at 11:36 of the third to give the Blues a 3-1 lead.

* The game-winner by Brodziak was textbook from Upshall, who purposely targeted Rinne's pads on the initial shot off the 2-on-1 to create a rebound once he saw Brodziak crashing the net.

"Yeah, we work on that shot a lot," Upshall said. "I got Pekka on it last year actually. I knew he knew it was coming, but it was just a great play by Kyle to go far pad, far post. He made a good play to get that puck on his backhand. It was a good goal."

* Allen's save on Mattias Ekholm right before the Tarasenko goal with 8:38 remaining was a two-goal swing for the Blues that turned a potential 2-2 game into a 3-1 St. Louis lead.

* The Predators weren't creating the kind of traffic at Allen like the Blues were at Rinne until Ribeiro crashed the net and was able to find a loose puck behind Allen, who made the initial save on Craig Smith's shot.

* Perron's goal was executed in three phases. Center Paul Stastny won the offensive zone faceoff, defenseman Jay Bouwmeester's slap shot from the left point created a rebound and Perron went to the net and scored.

* Predators right wing James Neal had his six-game goal-scoring streak end. ... Predators left wing Colin Wilson (upper body) was a late scratch and was replaced by Cody Bass. ... Blues forward Alexander Steen missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury.

"It isn't that the game was just on the line. We outplayed all three teams. So from every aspect of our game -- from special teams to shots on goal to scoring chances -- we outplayed all three teams. That's the No. 1 sign for me. We upped our energy as the game went on. I thought, overall, of the three games, this was probably the best game we've played." Ken Hitchcock on the Blues outscoring three opponents 5-0 in the third period this past week

"The [defenseman] kind of played it well where there wasn't much open space in between us. [Upshall] made a great play, and when you get a chance like that, it was on purpose. A lot of people don't probably understand that a shot off the goalie or a pass off the goalie makes sense, but it's a play he tried to make and it was a good one." Brodziak said.

Blues @ Boston Bruins 4-2 - Tuesday, November 22, 2016


Jake Allen made 39 saves and Robert Bortuzzo and Paul Stastny scored 2:12 apart in the second period to help lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-2 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Jori Lehtera scored his first goal in seven games in the second and got an empty-net goal in the third period for the Blues (11-6-3), who have won four in a row and won for the first time in their past five road games. Colton Parayko and Patrik Berglund each had two assists. Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara left the game after skating one shift in the second period and did not return. Bruins coach Claude Julien didn't have an update after the game. David Backes, a former captain of the Blues, scored in his first game against St. Louis since signing with Boston on July 1. Dominic Moore scored and Tuukka Rask made 24 saves, and the Bruins (11-8-0) lost for the first time in their past four home games. Backes scored on a rebound of his own tip-in attempt for a 1-0 lead at 7:44 of the first period. St. Louis took advantage of Chara's absence in the second period and outshot Boston 14-12. Lehtera's deflection of a Parayko shot at 3:23 tied the game 1-1. The Bruins challenged because they thought there was goaltender interference on the play but the goal was upheld after review. Boston regained the lead 2-1 on Moore's shorthanded goal at 8:59 after he beat Allen with a wrist shot. But Bortuzzo scored on a rebound at 13:59 for his first goal of the season to tie it 2-2. Stastny gave the Blues a 3-2 lead with his fifth goal of the season and first in nine games. Lehtera scored into an empty net at 18:44 of the third period for the 4-2 lead.

* Stastny scored the game-winning goal on a rebound of Jaden Schwartz's shot after a solid cycle of the puck in the right circle.

* After Bruins center David Krejci stole the puck in front of the St. Louis net, Allen made a blocker save at 15:43 of the third period.

* With the Bruins pressuring with a 6-on-5 advantage, Allen went post to post to rob Ryan Spooner at 18:31 of the third period.

* Parayko kept the puck in at the right point twice, including once after Tim Schaller blocked Parayko's shot, leading up to Bortuzzo's game-tying goal.
* Bruins defenseman Torey Krug got his 100th NHL assist. ... Krejci got his 484th NHL point to tie Don Marcotte for 15th in Bruins history. ... Berglund (two assists) had gone 11 games without a point.

"Well we were so sideways in the first period, trying to make plays that weren't there and they just turned it back on us. Once our attack went direct, I thought our second period was the best we have played on the road. Then we needed the goalie in the third and he came through big time." Ken Hitchcock said.

"We actually had three guys at the top of the blue line and we kicked it high so I figured it was a safe play to come down there and a fortunate bounce to come to me and I put it home," Bortuzzo said.


"Yeah I think if you ask the family or people outside the situation, you are happy for him, he gets his goal. As a team we are happy because you know we got our two points and now we look forward to tomorrow." Paul Stastny on giving up a goal to former Blues captain David Backes


"A little weird at first but you realize you're wearing different jerseys and you're playing for keeps. You get a couple bumps and I wish, I think the whole team [wishes], that we had a different outcome tonight." David Backes on facing the Blues for the first time

Blues @ Washington Capitals 3-4 - Wednesday, November 23, 2016


Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick to help the Washington Capitals defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 at Verizon Center. Evgeny Kuznetsov scored, and Braden Holtby made 18 saves for the Capitals (12-5-2). Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice, and Alex Pietrangelo scored for the Blues (11-7-3), who got two goals in the final 1:15 but had a four-game winning streak end. Carter Hutton made 21 saves.

Ovechkin scored on the power play at 17:28 of the first period to give Washington a 1-0 lead. His shot from the left circle went top corner on Hutton, who was playing in place of Jake Allen, who made 39 saves in a 4-2 win against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.

Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead at 10:12 of the second period. His first attempt from the left circle was saved by Hutton, but Andre Burakovsky kept the puck in, passed it to John Carlson, who set up Ovechkin. Tarasenko scored at 10:48 of the second to make it 2-1. His first attempt was saved by Holtby but Tarasenko scored on the rebound past Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner, who dove to block the shot. Kuznetsov scored off a feed from Dmitry Orlov to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead at 6:31 of the third.
Ovechkin's third goal of the game, 12th of the season, was scored at 6:53 of the third period. He came down on the rush unchallenged and scored over Hutton's catching glove. The hat trick was Ovechkin's first of the season and 16th of his NHL career, the most among active players. Pietrangelo scored on the power play with 1:15 remaining to make it 4-2, and Tarasenko's second goal made it 4-3 with 29 seconds remaining.

* Kuznetsov scored on the rush off Orlov's pass. Hutton couldn't get to the other post in time and Kuznetsov had an almost wide-open net.

* Hutton stopped Justin Williams' point-blank one-timer with a swift right-pad kick save.

* The sequence that led to Ovechkin's second goal was almost as impressive as the goal. Burakovsky fed the puck through his legs to Kuznetsov as he skated through the neutral zone. He sent the puck cross-ice to Ovechkin for his first attempt. The rebound skittered toward the boards, and Burakovsky got to it and sent it to Carlson at the point. Carlson set up Ovechkin perfectly for his signature one-timer from the left circle.

* Washington forward Jay Beagle won two neutral-zone faceoffs late in the third period after St. Louis scored two quick goals. Capitals coach Barry Trotz credited Beagle's faceoff wins with helping them maintain puck possession and hold off the Blues.

* Ovechkin's 110 multigoal games are the most in the NHL since 1995-96.

"I think [Kuznetsov] was flying today. I hope he's back on his game. When he has confidence, he controls the puck on his stick and he goes back and forth. It helps us as wingers when you see your centerman play well." Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin on Evgeny Kuznetsov

"When we mounted the comeback in the second period and we got some momentum back, we got beat up the ice on two of the rushes. We got caught on the rush and we got beat up the ice."
"They've got a good team over there. Some days you're not going to have it all the time. But how you check, and when you don't use your legs you end up using your stick, and that's what's happening. There was too many of them early in the game. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the team." Ken Hitchcock