The Penguins now hold a 2-0 lead in the series. Crosby notched his hat trick by 1:15 of the second period, showcasing his tools with great stick handling and speed, cleverness on the ice and a plus shot. It's not easy to stop the Penguins captain, but the Senators certainly could've done a better job being physical on him. Brenden Morrow potted what is considered the game-winning goal. Paul Martin and Kris Letang picked up two assists apiece. Matt Niskanen finished with a game-high plus-three rating, and he also had a helper. Chris Kunitz, James Neal and Evgeni Malkin also had assists.
Sidney Crosby's hat trick powers Game 2 win
Sidney Crosby | PIT
(May 17, 2013 10:20 PM EDT)
Sidney Crosby had a hat trick to lead the Penguins over the Senators 4-3 in Game 2 of their second-round series Friday night.
Sharks GM: Suspension 'unfair' to Torres
Raffi Torres | SJ
(May 17, 2013 8:26 PM EDT)
Raffi Torres won't appeal his suspension.
Torres was suspended for the rest of Round 2 for his illegal hit to the head of Kings forward Jarrett Stoll. Don't think that this means Torres agrees with the suspension, though; in fact the organization disagrees with it. Sharks general manager Doug Wilson released a statement on it, calling it "abundantly clear that this was a clean hockey hit." He also said it was an "inappropriate application" of Rule 48.1, where the head is the principal point of contact and target of the hit. Wilson said this suspension was "grossly unfair" to Torres.
Source:
Sharks.com
Jason Spezza (back) might return on Sunday
Jason Spezza | OTT
(May 17, 2013 4:04 PM EDT)
Jason Spezza (back) might be available for Game 3 on Sunday.
Spezza reportedly doesn't have medical clearance yet, so there are still hurdles for him to overcome. "He continues to skate on a daily basis and makes progress," said Senators coach Paul MacLean. "We'll go through practice (Saturday) and the pre-game skate and we'll see where it is. If he's available to us, it's Jason Spezza, we're going to have him in the lineup." Spezza was limited to just five regular season games.
Source:
Ottawa Sun
IIHF suspends Edler for kneeing Eric Staal
Alexander Edler | VAN
(May 17, 2013 11:49 AM EDT)
Alexander Edler has been suspended by the IIHF for his knee-on-knee hit of Eric Staal.
Edler will be forced to miss the remainder of the 2013 World Championship for his "reckless" and "dangerous" actions. The IIHF Disciplinary Committee can choose to extend Edler's suspension if they wish, which would open the door to him missing part or all of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, Carolina Hurricanes fans just have to hope that Eric Staal's injury isn't as bad as it looked.
Source:
IIHF.com
Paul MacLean headlines Jack Adams nominees
Paul MacLean | OTT
(May 17, 2013 10:29 AM EDT)
Paul MacLean is one of the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award.
Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau and Chicago's Joel Quenneville are the other candidates for the award that will go "to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success." It would be surprising if MacLean misses out on this award. His Senators had to overcome major injuries to Craig Anderson, Erik Karlsson, Milan Michalek, and Jason Spezza. The fact that they managed to make the playoffs despite that is incredible.
Source:
NHL.com
Kunitz returns to Crosby's line at practice
Chris Kunitz | PIT
(May 17, 2013 10:14 AM EDT)
Chris Kunitz was reunited with Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis at Thursday's practice.
"I'm sure [coach Dan Bylsma] is pretty comfortable with us because we've played together for so long," said Crosby. The move sent Jarome Iginla back to the right side with Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. These may be the line combinations that Bylsma chooses to go with in Game 2 versus Ottawa Friday night.
Source:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Reimer probable to stay as Leafs' top goalie
James Reimer | TOR
(May 17, 2013 10:02 AM EDT)
Toronto GM Dave Nonis expects James Reimer to be back as the team's number one goalie next season.
"At this point, I'd say he'll be back as No. 1," Nonis told reporters on Thursday to wrap up the year. "I think his mental make-up remains his strength. It's something you could question last year. I think it was clear that a lot of his issues a year ago were based upon his health. When we needed quality goaltending ... James was very good. I don't think anyone could point to goaltending as an issue with our team." The Leafs may continue their search for a quality veteran keeper, but Reimer made plenty of positive steps during the lockout-shortened campaign.
Source:
Toronto Star
Devils begin contract talks with Clarkson
David Clarkson | NJ
(May 17, 2013 9:21 AM EDT)
New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello has started contract talks with potential unrestricted free agent David Clarkson.
"We'll continue to work on it," Lamoriello said Thursday. "We've certainly started the process, but until (contracts) are complete there is nothing done." There hasn't been financial discussions at this point though. Clarkson would garner a fair share of attention if he were to hit the open market.
Source:
The Star-Ledger
Zdeno Chara remains red hot in Round 2
Zdeno Chara | BOS
(May 17, 2013 8:09 AM EDT)
Zdeno Chara has been a handful at both ends of the ice during Boston's 2012 playoffs.
He continued his remarkable two-way play in the Bruins' 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Thursday. Chara racked up a game-high 38:02 of ice time, while dishing out nine shots, six hits and two points. The towering defender got his second goal of the postseason and he leads all defensemen in scoring with 10 points in eight games. The Bruins will continue to lean heavily on him even when their young blueliners, who are currently in the lineup, are replaced by the team's injured veterans.
Source:
Boston Herald
Trevor Lewis gives the Kings 2-0 series lead
Trevor Lewis | LA
(May 17, 2013 12:53 AM EDT)
Trevor Lewis scored the winner with 1:21 left in the third period to give the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals.
The goal capped a furious comeback by the Kings who were down 3-2 with less than two minutes to go but a couple of San Jose penalties gave the Kings a two-man advantage and Dustin Brown scored at the 18:17 mark of the third to tie it up. The Kings were still on the power play when Lewis scored the winner 22 seconds later. The Kings got off to a 2-0 lead on goals by Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty. Los Angeles was great on the power play, scoring three times on six opportunities. It was Lewis's first goal of the playoffs.