MacKinnon's OT goal lifts Avalanche to 4-3 win over Wild; take 3-2 lead in series

Source : Faceoff.com

Sometimes, it's hard for the Colorado Avalanche to remember that Nathan MacKinnon is just 18 years old and only a rookie.

Because he keeps coming through in big moments.

The speedy MacKinnon scored 3:27 into overtime after P.A. Parenteau tied the game late in regulation, helping the Avalanche rally for a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night and a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.

"The kid's special," Parenteau said. "I know it's cliche to say, but it's pretty impressive to see. ... This is the kid we want on our side."

MacKinnon is having quite the series, with two goals and eight assists.

Surprised at the poise of his No. 1 pick?

"We knew when we drafted him what kind of player we were drafting," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said as the series switches back to Minnesota for Game 6 on Monday. "He had a solid game."

A memorable one, too. After all, it's not every day a rookie scores an OT winner in the playoffs.

MacKinnon corralled the puck and poked it past Darcy Kuemper's glove with two defenders near him. Soon after, MacKinnon was mobbed by teammates.

He deflected the credit, though, saying it should go to Paul Stastny or Gabriel Landeskog for their roles on the play.

"Paulie forced the puck down in their end, Landy got it on the half-wall and I was screaming for it,"
MacKinnon said. "Definitely a good play by him."

MacKinnon's time in the spotlight was made possible by Parenteau, who scored with 1:14 left after Roy pulled goaltender Semyon Varlamov with 2:22 remaining. The strategy worked out again, just like in Game 1.

There may have been some controversy on Parenteau's tying goal, though, with Stastny possibly being offsides on the play.

At least, that was the Wild's take.

"They missed the call and we paid for it," Minnesota defenceman Ryan Suter said. "No excuses. We have to play better in overtime. We've got to get more pressure on the kid (MacKinnon) when he comes to the net."

Wild coach Mike Yeo is hoping the breaks equal out.

"I would say we're due for, I don't want to say luck, but for stuff to go our way a little bit," Yeo said.
"I'm not going to dwell on what happened in the game."

When his team trails, Roy has been rather liberal in pulling Varlamov all season long, preferring to send out an extra skater with plenty of time left on the clock. It worked in the series opener, as Stastny scored with 13.4 seconds remaining in regulation and then added the OT winner.

"We believe in ourselves more when we're down a goal," Landeskog said. "It's exciting to be a part of. It's not something we want to make a habit of doing."

Nick Holden and Cody McLeod also added goals for the Avalanche.

Kyle Brodziak, Zach Parise and Matt Moulson scored for the Wild. Two of Minnesota's goals came after a Colorado defenceman shattered their stick and had to play without one.

Parise tied the game at 2 early in the third when he glided down the left side and beat Varlamov with
a shot over his glove.

Nearly two minutes later, Brodziak gave the Wild the lead after defenceman Jan Hejda broke his stick and struggled to cover anyone.

McLeod had a short-handed goal at 8:04 of the second period, when he redirected a pass from Ryan O'Reilly past Kuemper.

The lead was short-lived as the Wild answered 1:13 later when Moulson tipped in a shot by Jared Spurgeon from the blue line. On the play, Maxime Talbot gave his stick to defenceman Andre Benoit after his broke and then Jamie McGinn passed his to Talbot, leaving McGinn without a stick.

The Avalanche may soon have leading scorer Matt Duchene back in the lineup as he skated with the team Saturday morning. Duchene has been sidelined since hurting his left knee when he ran into a teammate against San Jose on March 29.

Expect Duchene back for Game 6?

"We're going to take a serious look at it," Roy said.

NOTES: The Wild were without suspended LW Matt Cooke for a second game after his knee-on-knee hit knocked Avs D Tyson Barrie out for at least a month. ... The Avs are 1 for 18 on the power play. ... According to the Avs, MacKinnon (18 years, 237 days) is the second-youngest player in Stanley Cup playoff history to score an OT goal. Don Gallinger was 17 years, 339 days when he scored an OT winner for Boston in 1943.

Montreal Canadiens call up Nathan Beaulieu... Again

Source : habseyesontheprize



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The Montreal Canadiens have announced via their official twitter account that Nathan Beaulieu has been recalled from Hamilton once again. I think by now we can call Beaulieu the human yoyo.

I'm not sure why the Canadiens waited to do this until now when they called up Michael Blunden and Patrick Holland earlier, but I'm sure they had their reasons.
Here's the press release out of Hamilton:

  
 Montreal Canadiens and Hamilton Bulldogs General Manager Marc Bergevin announced today the Canadiens have recalled defenceman Nathan Beaulieu from the Bulldogs.

 Beaulieu has appeared in one game with Hamilton this season, recording three shots on goal and two penalty minutes in a 2-1 loss against the Toronto Marlies on Sunday, October 20th. He has also played two games with Montreal this season, recording no points and no penalty minutes.

The 20-year-old split last season between Hamilton and Montreal. Last season, the 6'2", 194-pound defenceman was named the Bulldogs' Most Valuable Player and Top Rookie and also shared top defenceman honours with Jarred Tinordi. In 67 regular season games with Hamilton, the Strathroy, Ontario native recorded 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) and 63 penalty minutes. In six regular season games with Montreal, he recorded two assists and no penalty minutes.

 Beaulieu was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (17th overall) in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

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Canadiens : Tinordi encore de la partie, Beaulieu s’amène

Source : Tvasports

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Décidément, Jarred Tinordi est en voie de se tailler une place avec le grand club.

Le défenseur de 21 ans prendra part à un sixième match préparatoire d’affilée ce soir alors que le Canadien de Montréal rendra visite aux Sénateurs d’Ottawa.

Et pour l’occasion, Nathan Beaulieu fera son entrée en scène. Le jeune défenseur était tenu à l’écart depuis sa blessure au camp des ­recrues, après un contact accidentel avec Charles Hudon.

Devant le filet montréalais, on retrouvera Peter Budaj alors que la cage ontarienne sera protégée par Nathan Lawson.

Formation du CH :

Attaquants : Gallagher, Galchenyuk, Moen, Dumont, Blunden, Bournival, White, St-Pierre, Thomas, Tarnasky, Eller, Holland.
 
Défenseurs : Tinordi, Nygren, Beaulieu, Diaz, Pateryn, Dietz
 
Gardien : Budaj

 

Formation des Sénateurs :

 

Attaquants : Michalek, Da Costa, Ryan, MacArthur, Turris, Conacher, Greening, Zibanejad, Condra, Kassian, Pageau, Neil

 

Défenseurs : Methot, Karlsson, Phillips, Corvo, Wiercoch, Claesson

 

Gardien : Anderson

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Habs : Carey Price was “phenomenal” in 34-save shutout of Rangers: Therrien

 Source : Montrealgazette.com

P.K. Subban was ready to come to Carey Price’s defence after New York Rangers forward Rick Nash ran into the Canadiens goaltender Saturday night, but Price told his friend to cool it.

“I told him to leave it,” said Price. “We were going on the power play and that was a lot better than playing 4-on-4 with a talented team like the Rangers.”

Turning the other cheek proved to beneficial to the Canadiens because Subban picked up his third assist of the night when rookie Brendan Gallagher scored to put the finishing touches on a 3-0 Montreal win.

Subban has scored 27 points in 28 games and recognition as the second star Saturday night sewed up the Molson Cup honours for March, but he kept the focus on the team in his post-game remarks.

“We’re playing well as a team,” Subban said. “We’re sticking to the game plan. We have 14 games to go (in the regular season) and our focus is on getting better.”

He did offer some individual praise for Price and defenceman Alexei Emelin.

“To be honest, I thought it was a routine game for Pricey,” Subban replied when asked if the 34-save shutout was Price’s best game of the season. “He makes saves out there look easy but they’re not easy. That’s just Pricey, he’s one of the best goalies in the league.

As for Emelin, he received a word of thanks for preserving the shutout while Subban was serving an interference penalty in the first period when the Canadiens were leading 1-0.

Price gave up a rare rebound on a shot by Ryan Callahan. That left Derek Stepan with an open net, but Emelin deflected the puck high and wide.

“I’m usually screaming and banging my stick when I’m in the box and the other team usually scores when I’m in there,” said Subban. “I thought Pricey made the save but I have to say: ‘Thanks, Em.’ ”

Price agreed: “That was a big play by Emelin and later in the game, he took one off the ankle for me.”

Earlier in the Rangers’ power play, Price had to do it all himself when Marian Gaborik came in alone and Price had to close the five hole.

If Subban was reluctant to talk about himself, head coach Michel Therrien was happy to oblige.

“P.K. is playing some great hockey for us,” Therrien said. “We asked him to be dependable with the puck and he’s making the right decisions. He has to also be dependable without the puck and this is something he’s focused on. He has the right attitude and it’s fun for the coaching staff to work with a guy who works hard and wants to be better.”

Therrien laughed when asked whether Price had redeemed himself after giving up four goals in two periods Wednesday night in Boston. Peter Budaj relieved Price in that game and was the key in a 6-5 shootout win. Therrien noted Price wasn’t the responsible party on several of those goals.

As for Price’s play against the Rangers, Therrien said: “He was phenomenal. He was square to the puck. He played a great, great game.”

Therrien also had some kind words for a couple of rookies — Gallagher and defenceman Nathan Beaulieu, who was making his NHL debut.

“Nathan played a solid game,” Therrien said after giving the newcomer 17:17 of ice time. “He made some good passes and kept his game simple. He has good vision with the puck, which is good for the transition game, and he wasn’t out of position on defence.”

That last item is important because Beaulieu came out of juniors with a reputation as an offensive player who needed to make a commitment to playing defence.

As for Gallagher, he took any fight out of the Rangers when he scored on a rebound, battling for control in front and then lifting the puck over Martin Biron.

“That was my only chance,” said Gallagher. “The goalies take away the bottom of the net in those situations and I knew I had to lift it.”

“He’s playing with a lot of determination,” Therrien said of Gallagher. “He’s tough to play against. He’s always on the puck, he’s always at the net. That was a huge goal.

“I have fun watching him,“ added Therrien.

Canadiens : Les débuts de Beaulieu

Source : Rds.ca



Un troisième jeune défenseur du Canadien va faire ses débuts dans la LNH ce mois-ci. Après Greg Pateryn et Jarred Tinordi, c'est au tour de Nathan Beaulieu de se voir fournir l'occasion de montrer son savoir-faire.

L'entraîneur Michel Therrien a confirmé la présence de Beaulieu dans la formation contre les Rangers de New York, samedi, au Centre Bell, ainsi que le retour de Carey Price devant le filet.

«Le rappel des jeunes défenseurs fait partie du plan de développement que nous avons mis en place, a précisé Therrien. La porte est ouverte pour nous, nous voulons en profiter. Nous voulons également donner la chance aux joueurs de s'auto-évaluer. Comme ça, à leur retour dans les rangs mineurs, ils ont une idée précise des aspects qu'ils doivent améliorer.»

Therrien a dit que Beaulieu, un défenseur à caractère offensif qui a été le premier choix de l'équipe en 2011, avait peaufiné son jeu en défense dernièrement. Il totalise 25 points (6-19) en 62 matchs chez les Bulldogs de Hamilton, en plus d'afficher un différentiel de moins-9 en défense. Mais à ses 11 derniers matchs, il a amassé neuf points (2-7), en se forgeant un bon différentiel de plus-5.

Beaulieu devrait être utilisé en compagnie du vétéran Francis Bouillon et obtenir du temps de jeu au sein de la seconde unité de l'attaque massive.

«Nous voulons voir où il est rendu, dans ce calibre, a mentionné Therrien. Nous jouons nos deux prochains matchs à la maison. C'est plus facile de gérer son temps d'utilisation et contre quels joueurs nous voulons l'opposer. Ses performances vont dicter la suite des choses dans son cas.»

Prust de retour?

L'attaquant Brandon Prust, contraint à l'inactivité depuis le 10 mars en raison d'une blessure à l'épaule gauche, devrait effectuer un retour au jeu. Après avoir raté huit matchs, Prust s'est entraîné avec le groupe pour la première fois, vendredi. Il a patiné au sein du troisième trio, en compagnie de Lars Eller et d'Alex Galchenyuk.

Therrien a indiqué qu'on prendrait une décision en ce qui a trait à Prust après la séance matinale d'entraînement, samedi.

«Je me sens bien sur la glace et fin prêt à rejouer, a commenté Prust. La décision finale pourraît même être prise tout juste avant le match.»

Tinordi et Dumont

Au début de la séance d'entraînement, le Tricolore avait annoncé les renvois à Hamilton de Tinordi et de l'attaquant Gabriel Dumont.

Le géant Tinordi, premier choix de 2010, a livré six rencontres, récoltant une aide à sa première sortie en carrière au New Jersey, le 16 mars.

En huit matchs, Dumont a amassé deux passes et 13 minutes de pénalités, en plus d'un différentiel de zéro en défense.

«Tout le monde a été très satisfait de la façon qu'il (Dumont) a joué. Il peut évoluer aux positions de centre et d'ailier droit, et remporter des mises en jeu importantes, a souligné Therrien. Dans les cas de jeunes joueurs, comme j'expliquais à Gabriel ce matin (vendredi), c'est important qu'ils jouent en masse. Ça ne fait pas toujours leur affaire parce qu'ils préféreraient tous rester dans l'entourage de l'équipe. Mais il faut s'assurer de prendre les meilleures décisions pour leur avenir.»

Bourque à Atlanta

Le défenseur suisse Yannick Weber était également de retour à l'entraînement avec ses coéquipiers. Weber est rétabli de la blessure à un genou qui lui a fait manquer neuf matchs.
Pour ce qui est des autres blessés, l'attaquant Ryan White (bas du corps) a patiné en solitaire, avant l'entraînement. Les «commotionnés» Rene Bourque et Raphaël Diaz continuent de progresser, selon Therrien.

Bourque poursuit sa période de récupération sur patins à Atlanta, sous la supervision du docteur Ted Carrick. Le défenseur Diaz, lui, continue de s'entraîner en salle.

Un gardien à l'essai

Le directeur général Marc Bergevin a par ailleurs annoncé qu'on avait accordé un contrat d'essai dans la Ligue américaine au gardien Jacob Gervais-Chouinard, du Phoenix de Sherbrooke.
Gervais-Chouinard, un Sherbrookois âgé de 21 ans, a disputé 55 matchs dans la LHJMQ cette saison, se forgeant une fiche de 20-24-7, avec une moyenne de buts accordés de 3,36 et un taux d'efficacité de 89,5 pour cent.