Bruce Cassidy watched from afar as Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stoned Travis Zajac on a breakaway and knew that was the kind of save teams need in the playoffs.One night later Custom Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys , the Boston coach saw up close how Tuukka Rask got his blocker on Mitch Marner’s breakaway attempt on the way to another Bruins victory.”Every team needs goaltending,” Cassidy said. ”On the road, you’re going to need a little extra at some point. We got it.”The Bruins aren’t the only team getting great goaltending at crucial moments as the first round wraps up. While Rask has them up 3-1 on Toronto, Vasilevskiy is the biggest reason Tampa Bay has the New Jersey Devils on the brink of elimination and Braden Holtby has stabilized the Washington Capitals to tie their series against Columbus going into Game 5 Saturday (3 p.m. EDT, NBC/NBCSN).After a high-scoring start to the Stanley Cup playoffs, netminders are making spectacular saves when called upon. A lot of the routine stops, too. Even though postseason scoring is up 7 percent from last year, Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury and San Jose’s Martin Jones combined to allow just seven goals in eight games – two four-game sweeps – to set up a second-round showdown. Rask and Vaslievskiy have each given up just nine through five games and Holtby has stopped 63 of 67 shots since replacing Philipp Grubauer in goal.”Your job obviously every game as a goaltender is to limit bad goals,” Holtby said Friday. ”Your goalie’s there to calm things down at the right minutes – make a big save here and there.”Big saves are a bigger deal this time of year than volume, considering how many harmless shots are flicked at the net from long range. Sometimes those go in www.canucksshoponline.com , like when Boston’s Torrey Krug floated a weak shot past Frederik Andersen in Game 4 Thursday night.Few of those have happened in these playoffs against Rask, Holtby and Vasilevskiy, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, the NHL’s top goalie award. Rask’s 2.27 goals-against average and .926 save percentage are indicative of just how solid he has been in giving the Bruins a chance to close out the Maple Leafs on Saturday (8 p.m. EDT, NBC).”He’s one of the best goalies in the world and gives us an opportunity to win every night,” Bruins winger Brad Marchand said of Rask, who won the Vezina in 2014.Rask might be salty that he wasn’t one of the three Vezina finalists, finishing behind Nashville’s Pekka Rinne, Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy, who get a postseason trip to the awards show in Las Vegas. Vasilevskiy earned it with a strong first half of the season Vancouver Canucks T-Shirts Womens , struggled late and is back in form with Atlantic Division-champion Tampa Bay able advance with a win Saturday (3 p.m. EDT, NBC/NBCSN).Lightning coach Jon Cooper doesn’t think Vasilevskiy played poorly in the final quarter of the regular season as much as his team’s defensive game sagged. That has changed against the Devils, though Vasilevskiy has bailed out Tampa Bay on a few occasions.”When your team’s playing better defense it helps your goaltender out and he doesn’t have to make as many highlight-reel saves,” Cooper said. ”I think what you’re seeing in the playoffs is a group that’s been determined to play both ends of the ice, and in turn that’s helping Vasilevskiy out.”Game 4 Thursday was Holtby’s first time allowing fewer than two goals in a start since Nov. 18. But the 2016 Vezina winner insists he doesn’t feel any different than before his time off to reset his game in March.He just looks like his old self.”I think it’s got him to a place where he feels like Braden Holtby again, like he trusts his game, he trusts what he’s put in,” coach Barry Trotz said. ”He’s focused on the right things and it’s allowed him to get to a place where I think he feels very comfortable.”STEPPING UPWhen Bruins star Patrice Bergeron’s streak of 104 consecutive playoff games ended because of an undisclosed injury, unheralded Riley Nash excelled centering the top line of Marchand and David Pastrnak in Game 4 in Toronto.”He plays a two-way game,” Bruins center David Krejci said. ”He’s got good skills as well Vancouver Canucks Hoodies Womens , so he fit well on that line.”Cassidy said a decision on Bergeron playing in Game 5 won’t come until Saturday. Toronto center Nazem Kadri will return from a three-game suspension for boarding Tommy Wingels.Lightning winger Ryan Callahan is a game-time decision against the Devils, who are likely to be without top defenseman Sami Vatanen.Columbus center Alexander Wennberg skated Friday and could return after missing three games after a hit to the head from Tom Wilson. Washington won’t have winger Andre Burakovsky for the rest of the series because of an upper-body injury that Trotz said requires ”minor” surgery.Without Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson earned the promotion to the Capitals’ top line and has thrived with significant ice time alongside Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie.”It’s something you only dream of,” Stephenson said. ”Growing up watching them and then finally playing with them, it’s quite the special feeling.”CLOSE THE DEALGoing through a grueling run to the 2015 Cup Final taught Cooper a lesson about the benefits of finishing a team off in elimination games. The same goes for the banged-up Bruins because they’re on a crash course to face the Lightning in the second round.”If you have a chance to win a series early, do it,” Cooper said. ”Just to get the mental and physical rest, and then (have) all the other series go deep.”—AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen in Boston, Mitch Stacy in Columbus, Ohio Vancouver Canucks Hats Womens , and Fred Goodall in Tampa, Florida, contributed. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Bob Naegele Jr., the founding owner of the Minnesota Wild, has died of complications from cancer. He was 78.The Wild said Naegele died on Wednesday night with his family by his side. Players will wear a jersey patch with his initials for the remainder of the season, and a moment of silence will be held before Minnesota’s next home game on Tuesday night against Washington.“A piece of his heart and soul will remain forever as a part of the Wild,” said current owner Craig Leipold, who bought the club from Naegele in 2008. “We will honor that. My family and I are so fortunate to have the chance to build on the great foundation he established here.”Naegele was the lead investor in the expansion franchise that began play in 2000, eight seasons after the North Stars left Minnesota for Dallas. A star goalie at Minnetonka High School in the Twin Cities area Custom Vancouver Canucks Jerseys , Naegele built his wealth through a billboard company started by his father. He also helped revive the Minnesota-based Rollerblade company that fueled the in-line skating craze in the 1980s and 1990s. Naegele eventually retired in Florida.In 2008, he was one of the winners of the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to the sport.“We are all grateful to the dreamer who made the return of the NHL possible, as will be future generations of the Minnesota hockey fans,” said former Wild minority owner and chief executive officer Jac Sperling. “We will all miss Bob greatly.”Naegele was married to his wife, Ellis, for 58 years. They had three daughters and a son and 10 grandchildren.

Edmonton Oilers CEO and vice chair Bob Nicholson still has full confidence in general manager Peter Chiarelli.The same can’t exactly be said for head coach Todd McLellan and his staff.Nicholson addressed reporters in Edmonton on Thursday and stated that he believes Chiarelli http://www.floridapanthersteamshops.com/authentic-james-reimer-jersey , also president of hockey operations, is still the right guy to lead the Oilers’ front office and isn’t going anywhere – despite Edmonton missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under his guidance.However, when asked about McLellan or his assistants returning for 2018-19, Nicholson would only say the organization still has some thinking to do heading into the offseason.”We will have a plan coming out in the near future with how we are moving forward,” Nicholson said. ”I think we want to do an evaluation and make the decisions we think are right. We are going through the process with not just the coaches, but everyone within hockey operations and (Oilers Entertainment Group) staff.”It’s all being evaluated.”The Oilers entered the 2017-18 season with high expectations, but things quickly went downhill after they started 3-6-1 in October and chased the pack the rest of the way.Despite another strong outing from superstar forward Connor McDavid – who earned his second straight league scoring title – the Oilers had a 25-point drop in the standings from the previous season http://www.hurricanesshoponline.com/authentic-jeff-skinner-jersey , when they made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 with 105 points.Edmonton finished 23rd this season with a 36-40-6 record. The Oilers were 25th in goals against, last on the power play and 25th on the penalty kill.Nicholson plans to discuss coaches with Chiarelli, but says the GM will have the most input in any coaching changes.”On the whole it was a challenge for our coaches this year,” Chiarelli told reporters in Edmonton on Wednesday. ”I think Todd is a very good coach, but we’re in a period of evaluation right now with him and his staff. Certainly we didn’t perform the way we expected.”Nicholson hired Chiarelli in April 2015 after he was let go by the Boston Bruins. Chiarelli brought in McLellan only a month later to be Edmonton’s sixth coach since 2010. Despite regressing in numerous ways over the course of a season, Nicholson is optimistic in Chiarelli’s vision.”Yes we had a down year, but I really believe when I talk to Peter he has a plan to get us back in the playoffs next year http://www.hurricanesshoponline.com/authentic-justin-williams-jersey ,” Nicholson said. ”Our goal is to make the playoffs next year.”Nicholson mentioned that he’s met with season ticket holders that are frustrated with the organization. He also says team owner Daryl Katz is: ”disappointed, angered and wants us to get it right.”McLellan is 114-109-23 in three seasons with Edmonton.Nicholson won’t hint at when an announcement on the coaching staff will be made.”From my own personal side of it I’m not a person that’s going to rush it, we’ll announce it when we are ready,” Nicholson said. ”I’m not going to put a timeline on it.”— WINNIPEG, Manitoba — What a difference a couple of weeks can make.After walloping the St. Louis Blues 8-4 on the road during the last week of November — a game where sniper Patrik Laine scored five times — the Jets were blanked 1-0 by the same team thanks to a 26-save performance from Jake Allen.Laine was held to a single shot on goal, although he did ring one off a post. It’s just the second time this season that the Jets have been shut out, following a no-goal performance against the Nashville Predators nearly two months ago.Article continues below ...The Jets’ vaunted power play went 0 of 6 with just four shots on goal.The Jets are hoping to reverse their fortunes Sunday afternoon at Bell MTS Place when they host the Philadelphia Flyers Minnesota Wild Hoodies Womens , who laid a 6-2 licking on the Buffalo Sabres in an early game on Saturday. That’s the most goals the Flyers have scored since early October and just their third win in their last 10 games.The Jets are expected to welcome back defenseman Josh Morrissey, who has missed two games with a lower-body injury. The team reassigned defenseman Cam Schilling to the Manitoba Moose on Saturday.“(Morrissey) will come to the rink as a player,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said after practice on Saturday. “Then we’ll make sure he feels as good (Sunday) as he does (Saturday) and we’ll make that decision.”After a brief injury bug hit the Jets’ defensive corps during the last couple of weeks, they’re back to full power.Dustin Byfuglien and Dmitry Kulikov returned to the blue line on Friday and Byfuglien didn’t exactly ease his way back in after missing three games with a concussion, leading all players in ice tie with 26 shifts for 28:56. Kulikov, meanwhile, played 11:40 in the third pairing.Laine is one Winnipeg player who’ll be disappointed the season series between the Jets and Blues has wrapped up Rod Brind'Amour Jersey , with the Jets winning three of them. The 20-year-old produced six goals and one assist in the four games.“Obviously, I know what I’m expecting from myself, but all that matters is what we think here inside this room and what the coaches and other players are expecting of you,” Laine told The Winnipeg Sun. “They’re expecting you to play your best hockey every night and give everything that you’ve got on the ice and if you score, that’s great. But just give great effort on the ice. That’s what these guys are expecting of you.”You can bet Claude Giroux will be centering the Flyers’ top line on Sunday. With No. 1 pivot Sean Couturier out with a lower-body injury, the captain moved over from right wing to center the lead trio on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years. He seemed to know what he was doing, scoring a goal and adding three assists. “I’d like to tell you it’s like riding a bike Womens Scott Darling Jersey , but it’s not,” Giroux said in a postgame scrum. “But it turned out great tonight.”It was also the Flyers’ first win for new general manager Chuck Fletcher, who replaced Ron Hextall in late November.

NEW YORK (AP) The Minnesota Wild have been thriving lately on the road to keep pace in the Central Division. After smothering the Rangers 4-1 www.officialcoyotes.com , they completed a three-game sweep in the New York area.Mikael Granlund and Eric Staal each scored twice and Devan Dubnyk made 22 saves in the Wild’s victory over the free-falling New York Rangers on Friday night. The Wild also beat the Islanders on Monday night and New Jersey on Thursday night.”Well, it obviously means getting six points, but we have never done that before,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. ”Anytime you do something you haven’t done before, it’s pretty cool.”The Rangers lost for the sixth straight time in regulation. New York is 6-17-0 since beating Buffalo in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1.”In my mind, we worked hard. We just weren’t able to make the plays that we needed to make to get something out of that,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.Granlund opened the scoring for Minnesota at 16:06 of the first period after Staal intercepted a terrible breakout pass attempt by Rangers defenseman Anthony DeAngelo. Staal passed to Granlund, who easily put the puck past rookie netminder Alexandar Georgiev.Georgiev played his second NHL game after making his debut Thursday night in a 3-1 loss at Montreal.Staal made it 2-0 at 18:43. The goal was originally credited to Granlund but was changed to Staal late in the third period.The Rangers narrowed the deficit to 2-1 when Jesper Fast scored his ninth of the season at 2:41 of the second.Staal made it 3-1 for the visitors 52 seconds into the third period with a power-play goal – his team-leading 29th – of the season. Defenseman Ryan Suter and Granlund had assists.Eric Staal had a short stint with the Rangers two seasons ago Arizona Coyotes T-Shirts Authentic , joining his brother Marc in New York but only recording only three goals in 20 games and none in the playoffs.”There’s always motivation every night,” Eric Staal said. ”You always want to prove yourself. Tonight was one of those nights we caught them with some great plays and we were fortunate to be able to capitalize.”Granlund, made it 4-1 at 9:22 of the third with his 17th goal of the season.”Obviously, it’s always nice to score,” said the 25-year-old Finnish forward who was drafted ninth overall by the Wild in 2010. ”It’s nice to get some offense going.”Minnesota is 6-1-2 in its last eight games. The Wild are in playoff position in a tight Central Division race.Rangers forward Rick Nash didn’t dress for the second straight game. The 33-year-old Nash, whose contract expires after this season, is expected to be traded by Monday’s deadline.He has 18 goals and 10 assists this season and is one point shy of 800 for his career. Nash scored against the Flyers in last Sunday’s 7-4 home loss. He was also a healthy scratch for Thursday’s loss at Montreal.The Rangers traded forward Michael Grabner – their leading goal scorer – to the Devils late Thursday after sending defenseman Nick Holden to the Boston Bruins earlier in the week.The Rangers are facing late-season games without playoff-race meaning for the first time since 2004 when they also made numerous deadline trades. They have only missed the playoffs once since 2005-06, in 2010 when the Rangers missed out on the last day of the season in a shootout loss at Philadephia.”We’re in a results-oriented business Arizona Coyotes Hoodies Authentic ,” Vigneault added. ”The effort and preparation is there. We just have to stay with it.”NOTES: Forward Chris Kreider returned for the Rangers after missing 24 games with blood clot in right arm. Kreider last played Dec. 27 against Washington. … The Wild are 4-7-0 at Madison Square Garden … Minnesota scratched forward Chris Stewart and defensemen Jonas Brodin and Gustav Olofsson … The Rangers continued to be without injured defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan McDonagh and Steven Kampfer.UP NEXT:Wild: Host San Jose on Sunday night.Rangers: Host Detroit on Sunday night. BOSTON — One win, especially one over a road-weary and injured team, does not mean a turnaround.But the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Bruins at TD Garden Saturday night hoping to finally get something going.To do it, though, the Pens will have to survive without goaltender Matt Murray for a while. Murray, who has struggled through this 8-8-4 start, was placed on injured reserve Thursday with a lower body injury.Article continues below ...“This is something that he’s been dealing with for a couple of weeks Arizona Coyotes Hats Authentic , and the decision was made this morning [for him] to rest and see if that gives him an opportunity to heal,” coach Mike Sullivan said.Murray has a 4.08 goals-against average and .877 save percentage for the Pens, who sit a point from the bottom of the Eastern Conference.The injury has lingered.“He’s a real competitive guy,” Sullivan said. “He’s fighting through it trying to capture his game. He knows how important he is to our team and it just speaks volumes for the type of person that he is.”Casey DeSmith was in the driver’s seat in Wednesday’s win and top prospect Tristan Jarry was recalled from the minors Thursday.“Over 60 minutes, I think this is the best game we played all year,” Patric Hornqvist said after the Pens improved to just 2-6-2 in their last 10 games. “We didn’t give them much, and we controlled the territory all night. We were the better team.”Sidney Crosby returned Wednesday after missing three games with an upper body injury and had a three-point night in the victory.If the Penguins are looking for sympathy from the Bruins in the injury department, they won’t find it. The Bruins have been missing no fewer than six defensemen at the same time and captain Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron are both out for a month.Injured defenseman Kevan Miller returned in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss in Detroit after missing 13 games with a broken hand. Fellow defenseman Charlie McAvoy is close to a return from a concussion.The Bruins finished 1-1-2 on a four-game road trip and know they have to work without their two leaders for several weeks.“We don’t really let that bother us. We saw how long Bergy’s going to be out Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys , Zee – obviously they’re big keys in our team,” Tuukka Rask, who has come back strong from his short personal leave, said after Wednesday’s game. “But we can’t start thinking of that, we just have to move on and guys are coming in and they’re going to have great opportunities to grow for NHL players and make a difference.“You’ve got to look at it as an opportunity. I think the experience now is going to pay [off] in the end. That’s kind of how we’re trying to build.”The Bruins have swept five home games from the Penguins over the last three seasons.While DeSmith was chased in just 5:27 — three goals on eight shots — in a start against the Bruins back on March 1, Jarry (14-6-2 with the Pens last season) is 0-1 in two games against Boston. He has allowed 10 goals on 52 shots.If the Boston rotation continues, Jaroslav Halak will start Saturday night. Halak, who has taken the No. 1 job from Rask www.officialbruinsproonline.com , is 7-2-2 on the season. His 2.07 GAA is third in the league, while his .935 save percentage is tied for second.Lifetime against the Penguins, he is 8-6-2 with 2.50/.920 numbers and one shutout.

BOSTON (AP) So long Danton Heinen Jersey Kids , Gordon Howe.Bye-bye, Robert Hull.Au revoir, M. Richard.Those Hockey Hall of Famers and the rest of the players who won an NHL championship from 1954-65 are being stripped off the Stanley Cup this spring to create room for a new layer of names without making the trophy too big to be skated around the ice by the winning captain or checked on an airplane for its next journey.”People in Saskatchewan are a little upset Gordie’s name is coming off, but that’s the tradition,” said Mike Bolt, one of the Hall of Fame staffers assigned to escort the Cup around the world. ”It can’t get any bigger. … We wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”Perhaps the most iconic trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup is unique among major prizes because the NHL passes it from team to team instead of producing a new one for every champion. It’s also the only one that includes the name of every player to win it in each season – though the names come and go.Since it was first donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley, the governor general of Canada, the Cup has grown from a 7-inch-high bowl to a 3-foot trophy more the size of a large wedding cake, with three small layers under the original bowl and five more bands under that that fit about 13 years of champions apiece.The top one of those bands, honoring much of Toe Blake’s Montreal Canadiens dynasty and three of Punch Imlach’s four titles in Toronto, will be removed in a matter of weeks. It will be flattened and displayed along with two previously retired rings – covering the 1927-40 and ’41-53 championship teams – at the Hall of Fame in Toronto. (In place of the name-by-name listing, teams are engraved on the upper rings).The process will need to be repeated every 13 years, meaning a player’s name lasts on the Cup a maximum of 65 years.”I run into some of the older timers, like from the `70s Authentic Mitchell Marner Jersey , even the `80s. They’re always like, `Hey, Mike. How many years have I got left on the Cup?”’ Bolt said. ”Some guys start doing the math, `Oh, I won’t be around anyway.’ But if you win it when you’re young, you’re going to be around when your name comes off.”On tour to promote the start of the NHL playoffs on April 11, Bolt stopped at The Associated Press bureau in Boston this week after visiting a children’s hospital and before going to a hockey arena to surprise another group of kids. He dons white gloves and unsnaps the latches to reveal the Cup in its form-fitting, blue velvet travel sanctuary.The black base is chipped and dinged from years of celebrations by joyous champions. There are also a few misspellings, and one name is crossed out. Still, seeing the trophy remains a thrill for many fans; earning a spot on it is the ultimate goal for every NHL player who has ever laced up a pair of skates.”That’s the best part of the job, watching the reaction. That’s one of the things that does not get old,” said Bolt, who accompanies the Cup on its travels for the traditional summer tour that allows every player on the winning team to spend a day with it – often in his hometown, no matter where on the globe he grew up.”I’ve seen grown men cry; they can’t believe they are this close to it,” Bolt said. ”It’s like a celebrity. Everybody’s always happy when the Cup’s around.”Players like Gordie Howe http://www.officialmapleleafsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-morgan-rielly-jersey , Bobby Hull and Maurice ”Rocket” Richard might not have known that their immortality has an expiration date, but modern players realize getting one’s name on the Cup isn’t forever any more.”We knew it’s going to be there for about 40 years,” said Patrice Bergeron, a member of the Boston Bruins‘ 2011 championship team who is hoping to extend his time on the Cup with another title this year. ”It’s still pretty special.”Brad Marchand, who also won it all in 2011, was consoled by the knowledge that the band with his name will go on permanent display at the Hall of Fame after it is removed.”You can’t take away the fact that we won,” he said. ”We’ll still have all the memories.”VULCANIZED RUBBER SOULFans in Nashville have come up with a way to pass the time while waiting for video reviews. When the referees skate over to check on a Predators goal, the in-house public address system plays the Beatles song ”Let It Be.” Fans sing along, waving their cellphone flashlights as if at a concert.ZEBRA FAREWELLReferee Tom Kowal worked his last game on Saturday when the Bruins played the Panthers in Boston. When the milestone was noted in the arena, fans gave him an ovation and both teams gave him the customary salute by banging their sticks on the ice or boards. After the final buzzer, the players remained on their ice to shake hands with him.Kowal, who worked 1,094 regular-season games and 12 in the playoffs over 18 years, is the third and last official to retire this season, according to the NHL Officials Association. Thirty-year linesman Shane Heyer worked his last game on Friday Nikita Zaitsev Jersey Kids , and referee Dave Jackson hung up his skates after 25 years in Los Angeles on Thursday.LEADERS (Through Tuesday’s games)Points: Connor McDavid (Edmonton), 103. Goals: Alex Ovechkin (Washington), 46. Goals-against average (minimum 40 games): Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas), 2.14. Save percentage (min. 40 games): Fleury, .931.GAME OF THE WEEKTantalizing matchups with postseason positioning and outright berths at stake in the final week of the season include Pittsburgh at Columbus on Thursday and St. Louis at Colorado on Saturday.—AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.— WASHINGTON (AP) — Evgeny Kuznetsov continued his dominance against the Vegas Golden Knights, scoring a goal and assisting on three more as part of a 5-2 Washington Capitals victory Wednesday night in a rematch of last season’s Stanley Cup Final.Kuznetsov assisted on two goals by Alex Ovechkin and one by Nicklas Backstrom and scored his own on the power play. The leading scorer in the Cup Final with eight points in five games, Kuznetsov has seven points through the defending champions’ first three games of the regular season.Coming off a 49-goal season and a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, Ovechkin has four goals in three games. The 610th and 611th goals of his career put him in sole possession of 17th on the NHL’s career list, passing Bobby Hull.Braden Holtby stopped 29 of 31 shots and bailed out his teammates during an especially sloppy second period. Holtby allowed goals to Cody Eakin in the second period and Reilly Smith in the third.Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who wanted to start this game instead of facing his former team in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, allowed four goals on 28 shots. His teammates hit the post a handful of times and went 0 for 3 on the power play and are 0 for 11 so far this season.The Golden Knights fell to 1-3-0 at the beginning of their second season. They didn’t lose their third game in their inaugural season until Halloween when they started 8-3-0.COYOTES 3, DUCKS 2, SOANAHEIM Womens Patrick Marleau Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Nick Cousins scored in the shootout, Antti Raanta made 23 saves and the Coyotes earned their first win of the season.Dylan Strome and Brad Richardson scored for Arizona (1-2), which dropped its first 11 games last season.The Coyotes got their first goal this season when Strome converted a power-play opportunity with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first. They were the last NHL team to score.Anaheim was trying for the first 4-0 start in franchise history. Ryan Kesler and Ben Street scored for the Ducks (3-0-1), and John Gibson made 37 saves.FLYERS 7, SENATORS 4OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jakub Voracek and Scott Laughton scored two goals apiece, and Philadelphia rebounded from an embarrassing loss to beat Ottawa.Sean Couturier, Robert Hagg and Claude Giroux also scored for the Flyers, who were coming off an 8-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks in their home opener a night earlier. Calvin Pickard stopped 31 shots.Brady Tkachuk scored his first NHL goal and finished with two goals and an assist for Ottawa. Maxime Lajoie also had two goals and an assist for the Senators, who were playing the first of a five-game homestand.Craig Anderson made 38 saves, but the Flyers victimized him with four goals through two periods before they pulled away in the third.

OTTAWA www.officialhockeypanthersshop.com , Ontario (AP) Mike Hoffman joked with Robin Lehner earlier in the day that he was going to get a goal against his former teammate.Hours later Hoffman did just that, scoring 1:13 into overtime Thursday night to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.Hoffman took a cross-ice pass from Erik Karlsson and beat Lehner with a one-timer from the left side to end Ottawa’s two-game skid.Article continues below ...”We were fortunate enough to catch them in a middle of a change and Karlsson made a great play and I just tried to hit the net,” Hoffman said. ”The ice is a little choppy in overtime and you never try to put one in the top corner, it’s more so just getting the puck on net and that’s what I tried to do.”Marian Gaborik and Derick Brassard also scored for the Senators, who rallied after trailing twice in the third period. Craig Anderson made 23 saves.Scott Wilson and Evan Rodrigues scored in regulation for the Sabres, and Lehner finished with 33 saves to fall to 5-0-3 against his former team.”He played terrific and he always seems to bring his best against Ottawa,” Sabres forward Kyle Okposo said of Lehner. ”It wasn’t a clean game and I thought our effort was sporadic. I thought in the second period they absolutely dominated us. We’ve got to better.’Brassard sent the game to overtime after tying the score 2-2 with 30.9 seconds left in regulation.”We got exactly what we deserved. The compete, the battles, (Ottawa) won the majority of them and even though we somehow found a way to get a 2-1 lead, we’ve played much better than that in the last three or four games Florida Panthers T-Shirts Authentic ,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said.”It’s a good learning lesson for our guys that you have to come to play and prepare and compete every night.”Gaborik, making his Senators debut after being acquired from Los Angeles on Tuesday night, tied it 1-1 when he tipped a point shot from Karlsson past Lehner at 5:15 of the third.”I felt good right from the get go. Got use to some systems and some basic rules of thumb and I think it worked out pretty well,” said Gaborik, who also had an assist. ”We battled right to the end and I think their goalie held them in there. Happy to get going on a winning note.”Rodrigues put Buffalo back ahead with 4 1/2 minutes left as he took a pass from Kyle Okposo and beat Anderson off the post and in for his fourth of the season.Earlier in the third, the Sabres had their best offensive pressure of the game during a power play when they kept the puck in the Senators end for the entire two minutes. Kyle Okposo and Ryan O’Reilly both hit the post with shots, but that was as close as Buffalo got during the advantage.The Senators outshot the Sabres 22-12 over the first two periods and had four power plays to just one for the Sabres, but the only goal came 6:31 into the game as Wilson took a shot from the faceoff circle that beat Anderson on the short side. The puck was lobbed into the Senators end before being bobbled by the defensive pairing of Mark Borowiecki and Thomas Chabot and ended up on Wilson’s stick.NOTES: Nick Shore also made his Senators debut after coming over with Gaborik in the deal the sent Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson to the Kings. … Alexandre Burrows and Frederik Claesson sat out for the Senators. Burrows was serving the fourth game of a 10-game suspension for kneeing Taylor hall of the New Jersey Devils in the head. … Jack Eichel, Jordan Nolan and Justin Falk were scratched by the Sabres. … Buffalo has points in 10 straight games (7-0-3) against the Senators.UP NEXTSabres: Host Lost Angeles on Saturday.Senators: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday. ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Anaheim Ducks showed their embarrassment from their playoff-opening shutout loss with every bone-crunching hit they landed on the San Jose Sharks throughout Game 2.The Sharks knew what to expect from their hard-nosed California rivals. Even after the Ducks scored in the opening minute Florida Panthers Hoodies Authentic , San Jose survived the storm quite well – and when Anaheim made minor mistakes, the Sharks capitalized for enough goals to take a major series lead back to San Jose.Logan Couture had a goal and an assist, Martin Jones made 28 saves and the Sharks thrived on the road again, beating the Ducks 3-2 Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.Marcus Sorensen and Tomas Hertl also scored for the Sharks, who gave another disciplined, organized performance while moving halfway to their first playoff series victory since their Stanley Cup Final run in 2016.”Nothing we haven’t taken before,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said of the Ducks’ physical style. ”Maybe they are coming a little bit harder. Be poised. Make some plays. Stick to what we are trying to do.”They’re not leaving Orange County without bruises, however: The Ducks attempted to make up for their listlessness in Game 1 with a series of big hits early in the rematch. Nick Ritchie, Hampus Lindholm and Francois Beauchemin all delivered early on, with Lindholm sending Game 1 hero Evander Kane to the bench with a mouth injury from an open-ice shoulder check.The Ducks kept up that pressure until the final minutes Florida Panthers Hats Authentic , when Corey Perry clobbered Melker Karlsson with 3:43 to play. Instead of getting mad, the Sharks took the power play and salted away the win.”We didn’t shrink,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. ”We stood in there. That’s one thing about our group: We don’t get pushed out of games. We didn’t ask the referees to fix it. We stood in there and came out of the first period up 2-1.”Game 3 is Monday night in the Shark Tank.Lindholm had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who are leaving Honda Center with an 0-2 series deficit for the third time in their last five playoff series. Jakob Silfverberg scored in the opening minute and John Gibson stopped 32 shots as Anaheim dropped to 3-6 in its last nine home playoff games overall.”I know the resolve in our room,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. ”I guarantee you we’re not going to lay down. We made some mistakes and basically gave them goals. When you gift things in the playoffs, you’re usually going to end up on the wrong side of the score.”Anaheim undeniably showed more resolve and creativity than in its series-opening defeat, but its scorers still couldn’t crack Jones and the San Jose defense when it counted. The Sharks’ late-season slump hasn’t hurt their ability to rise in the postseason, while the Ducks have retained little momentum from their ferocious second-half surge in the regular season.But after getting shut out two days earlier, the Ducks scored on their first shot of Game 2. Just 40 seconds in, Silfverberg flung a long shot past a few defenders and got his 18th career postseason goal past Jones Custom Florida Panthers Jerseys , who didn’t appear to read it well.The Sharks still evened it midway through the period when Brenden Dillon shot the puck off the back boards and it caromed perfectly to Sorensen at the far post for the tap-in. Couture then put San Jose ahead with a slick power-play score, badly faking Gibson before sliding home his 31st career playoff goal.Honda Center grumbled when Hertl put the Sharks up 3-1 early in the second, and the Ducks finally responded with their first sustained stretch of control. Lindholm trimmed the deficit with a nasty wrist shot during a power play, and Perry barely missed tying it up moments later with his shot off the post.”We have some strong shifts, then we take a couple off,” Ducks defenseman Brandon Montour said. ”We have some lapses, and they capitalized on those.”NOTES: Joe Thornton sat out again for San Jose. The 38-year-old center hasn’t played since Jan. 23 after having right knee surgery. … D Kevin Bieksa returned to the Ducks’ lineup for his 86th career playoff game. He missed the past month recovering from hand surgery. … Ducks D Cam Fowler missed his sixth straight game with a shoulder injury. He isn’t likely to return for this series, depriving Anaheim of its top defenseman.—