PuckAgency Blog

Acquisition of Jason Arnott doesn't take Devils out of Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes

2010-06-23T12:34:00.004-04:00

Acquisition of Jason Arnott doesn't take Devils out of Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes
Richard Chere The Star Ledger June 19, 2010

Jason Arnott brings size, strength, a powerful shot and experience to the Devils.

The veteran center also brings a $4.5 million salary.

But Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Arnott’s salary doesn’t take the Devils out of the running to possibly sign both defenseman Paul Martin and winger Ilya Kovalchuk. Both can become unrestricted free agents July 1.

“No. You have to do other things to make room,” the GM said. “We didn’t win. We’re going to have to make some changes. There are going to be some changes that might surprise some people.

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Draft Rewind: Tim Erixon

2010-06-23T12:30:00.003-04:00

Flames 2009 Draft Rewind
Kristi Hennessy June 21, 2010

Although Tim Erixon was actually born in Port Chester, New York, he began playing hockey in Sweden at the age of five. His father Jan moved his family back to Sweden after he retired from the New York Rangers.

His professional hockey career began with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Elite League (SEL) at the age of 17. In his first full season with Skelleftea, Erixon recorded seven points in 45 games by the end of the 2008-09 season.

The 6’2”, 190-pound defender represented Sweden at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships and the 2009 World Junior Championships where he brought home a silver medal. He made a third Team Sweden appearance at the 2010 World Junior Championships held in Saskatchewan, Canada. He posted a goal and two assists in five games and took home a bronze medal.

Erixon was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the first round (23rd overall) and was ranked as the 5th ranked European skater according to NHL Central Scouting. The Flames consider him a well-rounded player; not expected to be an offensive minded defenseman, but a player with a good vision on the ice.

Erixon attended the 2009 development camp last summer but knew all along that he would return to his team in Sweden for at least one more season. Last season, he recorded 13 assists in 45 games with Skellefea (SEL) and added one goal in 12 playoff games.

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Kovalchuk and Volchenkov, 1 and 3 respectively in Yahoo! Sports Top 50 Free agents

2010-06-17T09:39:00.007-04:00

The NHL's top 50 unrestricted free agents
Sam McCraig Yahoo! Sports June 16, 2010

NHL free agency begins on July 1, the date when most of the league’s general managers leave sanity behind and spend ownership’s money faster than you can say “salary cap.”

Here’s a look at the top 50 players who are eligible for unrestricted free agency:

1. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, NJ – Goals, speed and superstar street cred. Kovalchuk is easily the most talented player on the open market...

3. Anton Volchenkov, D, Ott – A shot-blocking, bodychecking, stay-at-home stud...few defensemen are more proficient in their own zone than Volchenkov.

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The Province's UFA of the Day -- Ilya Kovalchuk

2010-06-16T10:59:00.003-04:00

Mike Halford The Province June 15, 2010

From now until June 30, we'll be taking a daily look at this year's unrestricted free agency class. Today's UFA of the Day? Ilya Kovalchuk.

Age: 27

NHL seasons: 8

2009-10 team/salary: Atlanta Thrashers/New Jersey Devils, $6.4 million

Why teams might want him: If there's a (goalscoring) problem yo, he'll solve it.

Point blank, Kovalchuk is a consistently elite sniper. He's posted six straight 40-goal seasons (and two 50-plus goal campaigns) which, in terms of goalscoring prowess, puts him in some pretty rarefied air. Since the lockout, only Alexander Ovechkin has scored more goals -- that puts Kovy ahead of snipe shows like Dany Heatley, Sidney Crosby, Marian Gaborik, Jarome Iginla and Marian Hossa, to name a few.

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St. Louis Blues Sign 2009 1st-round pick David Rundblad

2010-06-11T09:29:00.005-04:00

Posted by Nathan Fournier, The World of Junior Hockey

Press Release June 11, 2010

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced Thursday the club has signed defenseman David Rundblad (RUHND-blahd), who was the Blues first selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

“By signing David and adding him to the fold, we continue to keep our blueline depth strong,” said Davidson. “We have been impressed with the progress he’s made since we drafted him last year and are looking forward to watching his development towards the NHL.”

Rundblad, 19, has spent the past three seasons with Skelleftea HC of the Swedish Elite League (SEL).

In 2009-10, the Lycksele, Sweden native played in 47 games for Skelleftea posting 13 points on a goal and 12 assists to go along with 14 penalty minutes. In total, the 6’2”, 189-pound defenseman has made 98 appearances for the Swedish side accumulating 23 points including a goal, 22 assists and 24 penalty minutes.

In addition, Rundblad represented Sweden in both the 2009 and 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships, helping the team capture the Silver Medal in 2009 and Bronze in 2010. At the 2009 Championship, he posted a goal and an assist to go along with a plus-3 rating in six games while in 2010 he increased production to a goal, four assists and a plus-9 mark in six appearances.

Insider Draft Video: Frederik Anderson (Goalie, Denmark) - Latvia v Denmark 5:3

2010-06-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

Insider Draft Video: Frederik Anderson (Goalie, Denmark) - Latvia v Denmark 1:0

2010-06-10T15:22:00.003-04:00

Draft Value: Sergei Zubov Best Return On Investment For NHL Defensemen

2010-06-10T10:39:00.006-04:00

Defensive Value Over Two Decades
Alvin Change NHL Draft Blog, ESPN June 10, 2010

Excerpt
1. Sergei Zubov, New York Rangers
1990, Round 5, No. 85 overall
Expected: 0.125 points per game
Actual: 0.722
Difference: 0.597

In the 1990 draft, only seven European players were taken in the first four rounds of the draft. In the fifth round, the floodgates opened with four Europeans in that round -- the first of which was Zubov. The Rangers took a chance on Zubov and fellow Soviet player Sergei Nemochinov, despite getting limited looks at them. After the draft, Rangers coach Roger Neilson told the Toronto Star, "I have never coached a Soviet player so I have no feeling either way about them. I don't see how they can be any different than Swedes or Czechs." For the next two years, the Rangers wouldn't get many chances to watch Zubov in Russia but, in 1992, he came over to North America. The following year, Zubov made it to the NHL to play for Neilson. But after less than 10 games, Neilson was fired. Of players drafted in the last 20 years, Zubov is No. 1 in scoring with 771 points. He played in the KHL last season.

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The Red Line Super Sleeper Pick: Frederik Anderson

2010-06-10T10:27:00.006-04:00

The Red Line Super Sleeper Pick: Frederik Anderson
The Red Line Report June, 2010

Excerpt
What initially caught our attention at the Worlds in Germany was his size: Anderson has a huge frame 6-4/220 that NHL clubs are looking for these days. Then we noticed that he had pretty darn good athleticism and made lots of acrobatic saves. Also, he never gives up on a play and is a mentally strong battler who gives his outmanned club a chance to win every game. Plus, he's got a quick glove. Pretty soon, he had our undivided attention.

Frederik Anderson's Complete Stats

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Perttu Lindgren Scores For Texas Stars In Game 4 of Calder Cup Finals

2010-06-10T09:05:00.004-04:00

Hershey Ties Series with 4-2 Win over Texas
Our Sports Central June 9, 2010

Stars centers Greg Rallo and Perttu Lindgren each notched a goal, and forward Travis Morin added two assists in the defeat at home. Texas will host Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals on Friday night at 7:30 PM at Cedar Park Center.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov The Scouting Report's #16 Prospect For The 2010 NHL Entry Draft

2010-06-09T10:45:00.006-04:00

The Scouting Report

#16. Evgeny Kuznetsov RW Traktor (KHL)

Date of Birth: May 19th, 1992
Height: 6.00
Weight: 174lbs.
Shoots: L
Season Statistics: Regular Season | 35GP 2G 7A 9P 10PIM
                  Playoffs | 4GP 1G 0A 1P 0PIM
TSR Midterm Rank: 17 | Position Rank: 11th Forwards
League Rank: 2nd KHL | Country Rank: 3rd Russia

Despite flying under the radar most of the year, generally the result of playing out of the North American sphere of influence, Kuznetsov has gradually proved that he is one of the most pure offensive talents available in this draft crop.

Kuznetsov has spent his development years working his way up the organizational chart with Traktor-Chelyabinsk, but made his first foray into the international spotlight last season. After a very impressive showing with the Russian U17 team, where he notched 6 goals and 10 points in only 5 tournament games, he was outstanding at the U18’s as an underager, where he managed 6 goals and 13 points in only 7 games played.

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RLD Hockey Talk - Episode 20 - 6/8/10

2010-06-08T16:29:00.003-04:00

We will have Anthony Curatolo and Buddy Oakes as our co-hosts. Two great guests will join us! Draft prospect Nick Bjugstad and agent Jay Grossman are scheduled to be our guests. We'll also touch on the ongoing Stanley Cup Final, and whether will skate the Cup tomorrow... or if a Game 7 will be necessary. You don't want to miss this one!

Click Here to Listen to Jay Grossman on RLD Hockey Talk

What Would You Do To Land the Most Prized UFA?

2010-06-08T16:26:00.004-04:00

What Would You Do To Land the Most Prized UFA?
Michelle Kenneth, Michelle Kenneth's Hockey and Musings Blog, June 8, 2010

The #1 UFA approaching the market is none other than Ilya Kovalchuk.

While most people think that Kovalchuk will sign in the KHL (because who wouldn’t want to be paid an exorbitant amount of money for a short amount of time), whoever said that Kovalchuk was all about money?

There are elements that people leave out in how Kovalchuk will make his decision. The #1 factor…Kovalchuk is a family man. He wants to go to a FAMILY ORIENTED TEAM.

There are things that Kovalchuk changed about the way he played and the way he was a team member, just to fit into the dynamics of the New Jersey Devils for a few months. What makes you think he wasn’t INTERVIEWING the Devils for the job as his new workplace?

Kovalchuk can go to just about any team in the world right now. But where he ends up going has everything to do with where he wants to relocate his family. Kovalchuk is a family man, so his decisions will be purely based on what team and location will benefit his family the most.

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Perttu Lindgren and Texas Stars Take Down Bears And Earn 2-0 Series Lead In Calder Cup Finals

2010-06-07T11:20:00.004-04:00

TEXAS SINKS HERSHEY 4-3 IN LAST MINUTE TO WIN GAME 2
STARS TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD IN THE CALDER CUP FINALS

Texas Stars May 5, 2010

The Texas Stars (14-6) defeated the Hershey Bears (12-5) 4-3 on Saturday night in front of 10,872 fans at the Giant Center in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals. Texas forward Travis Morin scored the game-winning goal with 46 seconds remaining in the contest, giving the Stars the victory and a 2-0 series lead heading home for Game 3 on Monday at Cedar Park Center. Forwards Aaron Gagnon and Mathieu Beaudoin also scored as Texas improved to 8-4 on the road in the playoffs. Stars defenseman Garrett Stafford also netted a goal, as Texas handed Hershey the first set of back-to-back regulation losses at home this year (playoffs and regular season). Texas goalie Matt Climie (7-3) made 25 saves, helping the team to its fourth straight victory. Hershey forwards Steve Pinizzotto, Andrew Gordon and Francois Bouchard each scored in the loss. Hershey goalie Michal Neuvirth (10-4) stopped 19 Texas shots in the defeat. Texas will host Game 3 of the Calder Cup Finals on Monday night at 7:30 pm at Cedar Park Center.

In the second period, the teams traded goals once again. Texas pushed in front with the first power-play goal of the series at 11:03 of the middle frame. Stars defenseman Garrett Stafford blasted a shot that deflected off a Hershey defender and into the Bears net for the 2-1 Texas lead. Stars defenseman Andrew Hutchinson and forward Perttu Lindgren assisted on Stafford’s fourth goal of the playoffs. Hershey countered to tie the game 2-2 at 11:49. Forward Francois Bouchard blasted a one-timer from the high-slot, beating Texas goalie Matt Climie on the stick side for his fourth goal of the playoffs. Hershey defenseman Patrick Wellar and forward Ashton Rome picked up the assist on the Bears second goal of the night.

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Inside Kovalchuk's value, where he will sign as free-agent star

2010-06-07T11:03:00.003-04:00

Dmitry Chesnokov Yahoo! Sports Puck Daddy June 5, 2010

There is no name entering this summer's free agency bigger than Ilya Kovalchuk.

Come to think of it, there has not been a player entering the free agency bigger than Ilya Kovalchuk in the "new" salary cap NHL. Some arguments may be made about players like Marian Hossa or Brian Campbell. But they are just not on the same level.

A few things will come into play when Kovalchuk makes his career choice this summer: He is looking for commitment, which means there will be no 1-year deals for a chance at the Cup. He wants the team he chooses to be a contender throughout his stay there. Compensation is also very important. And the city is important -- Kovalchuk has three children.

What about the money? How could he have turned down $100 million with the Atlanta Thrashers? And how much is he looking to get?

First of all, all that talk about the KHL is just lunacy. There is no chance he is going back to Russia, regardless of how many oil dollars they try to throw at him.

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For Devils, Kovalchuk Means Much More than Goals and Assists

2010-06-07T10:11:00.002-04:00

The Devil's Advocate June 4, 2010

On the evening of February 4, GM Lou Lamoriello galvanized the fanbase and his slumping team behind the explosive Russian sniper Ilya Kovalchuk, the league’s most prolific scorer since 2004; and while Kovalchuk did not deliver the astronomical offensive production the Devils hoped for and needed, he did provide flashes of brilliance and a boatload of heart, something his teammates sorely lacked during their swift playoff exit.

Kovalchuk wasn’t flawless by any means, though. He frequently turned over the puck on the powerplay, and his insistence on skating through the entire opposing team was often met by pokechecks and groans from wide-open teammates. Yet his persistence and physicality was admirable, particularly considering the rest of the team looked nauseatingly indifferent. Kovalchuk’s ten goals were not enough to revitalize the Devils’ offense, but he was a point-per-game player in twenty seven regular season games and five playoff contests.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov International Scouting Service's #19 Prospect Overall For 2010 NHL Entry Draft

2010-06-03T11:24:00.003-04:00

The International Scouting Services announced its final rankings for the upcoming 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

19. Evgeny Kuznetsov (KHL, Traktor Chelyabinsk)

Lindgren dazzling in AHL, looking to take next step

2010-06-03T10:37:00.003-04:00

By John Tranchina

By now, everyone knows how Dallas Stars rookie Jamie Benn has been tearing up the AHL playoffs for the organization’s top minor league affiliate, the Texas Stars, who are based in the Austin suburb of Cedar Park.

What Stars fans may not realize is that another significant contributor to the farm club’s storybook run to the Calder Cup Finals has been Finnish center Perttu Lindgren.

Lindgren’s six post-season goals trails only Benn’s league-leading 14 on the squad, while his eight assists give him 14 points in 18 games, including a virtuoso performance when it mattered most. Lindgren scored a goal and two assists in the Stars’ 4-2 win in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals last Wednesday night on the road at Hamilton, ensuring a trip to the Finals. He capped off the club’s comeback from a 2-0 second period deficit by connecting for the game-winning goal with six minutes remaining in the third period.

“Perttu, that guy has got a great set of hands,” noted Texas wingerRaymond Sawada. “He can dipsy-doodle in a phone booth with five other guys in there. He’s a tremendously-skilled hockey player and when he gets out there on the power play, even 5-on-5, if you give him some room, he’s going to do some special things with that puck.”

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Kovalchuk and Volchenkov, 1 and 3 respectively in Fanhouse Top 50 Free agents

2010-06-03T10:24:00.003-04:00

NHL free agency begins July 1, as teams begin to wine and dine players hitting the market in hopes of filling holes and landing the guy they think can get them closer to the Stanley Cup.

Below, we rank the Top 50 unrestricted free agents available. Restricted free agents weren't included because their movement is rare. After the first five or six players there's a pretty significant drop in terms of impact players. It's a shallow pool for forwards, and a bit deeper for defensemen. Shot-blocking, stay-at-home defensemen appear to be the strength.

Also note that this list would have included Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne, two unrestricted free agents, but both players are expected to either re-sign with their current team, the Ducks, or retire. Another team seems very unlikely for both

1. ILYA KOVALCHUK, F

Age: 26 | Experience: 8 years | '09-10 Team: Thrashers/Devils

2009-10 Stats: 41 g | 44 a | 85 pt

The Skinny: There's only a small handful of quality wingers available in this year's free agent market, and Kovalchuk is the easily the best of the bunch. One of the most explosive goal-scorers in the NHL, Kovalchuk is coming off his sixth-straight 40-goal season and is going to command top dollar on the open market. It's not often that a player this talented, this young, becomes available on the open market to the highest bidder.

3. ANTON VOLCHENKOV, D

Age: 28 | Experience: 7 years | '09-10 Team: Senators

2009-10 Stats: 4 g | 10 a | 14 pt

The Skinny: One of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL and still on the right side of 30, Volchenkov is set to strike it rich on the free agent market, perhaps commanding a deal north of $5 million per season. After seeing the success of players like Hal Gill and Josh Gorges in the postseason, why wouldn't a team want to invest in one of the best defensive-defenseman in the NHL?

Click here to see the full 50

The Kovalchuk Effect: Examining What Ilya Kovalchuk Has Brought To New Jersey And How Much He Means To The Franchise

2010-05-28T08:38:00.012-04:00

Will Kovalchuk Remain With Devils?
Michelle Kenneth Yardbarker.com May 27, 2010

There are a lot of dynamics that go into a successful team. For the Devils, Lou Lamoriello makes sure that the person he selects to add to his roster is an individual that he knows will fit into the locker room.

For Ilya Kovalchuk, he seemed to be a perfect fit to the roster. His passion to join a team that could win was more important than the dollars and cents in the end. He proved that by turning down the $101 Million, 12-year contract offer from the Atlanta Thrashers. He also followed it up by telling the press in New Jersey that he wanted to be part of a winning team. He would take a pay cut if that’s what it meant to remain a part of a winning team.

For Devils management, that is music to their ears.

As the rumors are currently running rampant that Kovalchuk already has two KHL offers on the table, it could be just a ploy (by announcing it in the media) to get the Russian more money from NHL teams. Just how much are the Devils willing to pay Kovalchuk to keep the superstar there?

You can look at the stats all you want. You can look at the salary cap all you want. What I’m looking at is just how valuable it is to the Devils to keep the happy Russian on their roster.

The comparison between Kovalchuk and Zach Parise has been made constantly over the past few months. In the dollars and cents category, it’s not Parise that brings the masses to Prudential Center. He never has. In Kovalchuk’s short amount of time with the Devils, the numbers at Prudential Center have skyrocketed. Sales for Kovalchuk Devils merchandise also skyrocketed. It was such a hot item, the words, “Sorry, we’re sold out,” could be heard coming from the lips of various retailers.

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The Texas Stars Are Heading To The Calder Cup Finals! Perttu Lindgren's Game 7 Goal and Assist Help Texas Beat Hamilton

2010-05-27T07:21:00.003-04:00

TEXAS BEATS HAMILTON 4-2 IN GAME 7, ADVANCES TO CALDER CUP FINALS

Texas will play Hershey for the Calder Cup

Hamilton, ONT, Canada – The Texas Stars (12-6) defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs (11-8) 4-2 on Wednesday night in front of 5,121 fans at Copps Coliseum in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The Stars scored four unanswered goals after trailing Hamilton 2-0 early in the second period, including three goals in the third period alone. Forwards Mathieu Beaudoin and Perttu Lindgren each had a goal and an assist in the decisive Game 7. Texas goalie Matt Climie (5-3) made 41 saves, including 32 in the first two periods, giving the Stars their second Game 7 win this postseason. Rookie Jamie Benn and defenseman Ethan Graham also netted goals in the team’s sixth road win of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Hamilton goalie Curtis Sanford (5-4) stopped 16 Texas shots in the defeat. With the win, Texas will meet Hershey in the Calder Cup Finals.

The first period was nearly scoreless before a late goal by the Bulldogs at 19:51. Aaron Palushaj’s centering pass bounced to center David Desharnais, who carried the puck to the bottom of the left-wing circle and snapped a shot to the Stars net. Texas goalie Matt Climie lunged for the save, but the puck deflected off his stick and into the net for the 1-0 Hamilton lead after one period of play. Desharnais’ tenth goal of the playoffs marked the seventh straight playoff game Hamilton opened the scoring against Texas.

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Alexander Radulov Named KHL MVP of Regular Championship

2010-05-27T07:20:00.000-04:00

The League's Finest
KHL May 26, 2010

The ballot for the most valuable player in the regular championship chose Salavat Yulaev attacker Alexander Radulov, and he receives the prestigious Golden Stick trophy.

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Draft Profile: Evgeny Kuznetsov

2010-05-26T11:00:00.005-04:00

Chelyabinsk, KHL

Position: Center
Age: 18
Date of Birth: May 19, 1992
Place of Birth: Chelyabinsk, Russia
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 175
Shoots: Left

An offensive dynamo, Kuznetsov maybe the best skater from Russia in this year's draft. The 18 year old KHL blue chipper has wowed scouts with his extremely quick and soft hands. The Red Line Report went as far as to say that Kuznetsov, "Makes highlight reel plays and can kick in the after burners to leave d-men in his dust." The Scouting Report praised Kuznetsov stating the young Russian " ...has the ability to make plays in the offensive zone that very few others can make" and "...could be an absolute gem to pick up".

Evgeny Kuznetzov Complete Stats

Draft Profile: Johan Gustafsson

2010-05-26T10:59:00.006-04:00

Skare BK, Sweden

Position: Goalie

Age: 18

Date of Birth: February 28, 1992

Place of Birth: Koping, Sweden

Ht: 6-2 Wt: 207

Shoots: Left

Opposing defenders find it mighty hard to beat the keep when Johan Gustafsson is in net. The Koping native is among the best Swedish and international prospects eligible for this year's draft. With great technical skill and agility that of a cat, Gustafsson has a nice blend of size and talent to succeed at the next level. The athletic goaltender is also a very capable stickhandler, only adding to his complete game.

Johan Gustafsson's Complete Stats

Draft Profile: Oscar Lindberg

2010-05-26T10:50:00.002-04:00

Skelleftea, Sweden Jr.

Position: Center

Age: 18

Date of Birth: October 29, 1991

Place of Birth: Skelleftea, Sweden

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 187

Shoots: Left

You might not know the name now, but Oscar Lindberg may soon become a household name. Becoming a better overall player as the season progressed, the young Swede impresses scouts with his dependability in all three zones. Even more so, scouts have raved about his very strong play in the face-off circle, leading the J20 SuperElit in best face-off percentage two years in a row. At 18 years of age, Lindberg's future is bright, as teams will be looking to land the kid from Skelleftea.

Oscar Lindberg's Complete Stats

Draft Profile: Adam Pettersson

2010-05-26T10:15:00.000-04:00

Skelleftea, Sweden Jr.

Position: Center

Age: 18

Date of Birth: January 13, 1992

Place of Birth: Skelleftea, Sweden

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 186

Shoots: Left

Adam Pettersson's game is as smooth as butter. With excellent skating ability, agility, and creativity, Pettersson has all the tools to become a nice play maker at the next level. In addition, scouts believe Pettersson has the intangibles to preform at the highest level. The do-it-all center from Sweden can also keep his opponents honest with his ability to score goals.

Adam Pettersson's Complete Stats

Draft Profile: Petter Granberg

2010-05-26T10:11:00.000-04:00

Skelleftea Jr., Sweden

Position: Defense

Age: 18

Date of Birth: August 27, 1992

Place of Birth: Gallivare, Sweden

Ht: 6-2 Wt: 201

Shoots: Right

Don't let age fool you, despite being one of the youngest players eligible for this years draft (date of birth 08/27/1992), Petter Granberg has all the tools to become a valuable player at the next level. Equipped with NHL size, Granberg has played well this year in Sweden's SuperElit, and only looks to get better over time. Over the past year the "baby faced assassin" has been the talk of many scouts and has been climbing draft boards.

Petter Granberg's Complete Stats

Draft Profile: Frederik Andersen

2010-05-26T10:10:00.008-04:00

Frederikshavn, Denmark
Position: Goalie
Age: 20
Date of Birth: October 2, 1989
Place of Birth: Herning Denmark
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 220
Shoots: Left

The "Big Dane" has caught the eye of many scouts based upon his excellent play in the Danish league. The 20 year old net minder secured the Danish league MVP after posting a league leading .932 SVS%. Big and imposing, Andersen has plenty of international experience under his belt including an upset over the Finland. The 6-3 marvel saved 36 of 37 shots and since then has garnered plenty of attention from NHL scouts.

Frederik Andersen's Complete Stats

Texas Stars Watch Party: Perttu Lindgren And The Stars Battle The Hamilton Bulldogs For The Calder Cup

2010-05-26T09:06:00.005-04:00

Texas Stars Hockey May 25, 2010

Wednesday, May 26th come see your Texas Stars take on the Hamilton Bulldogs in Round 3 Game 7 at the Cedar Park Center. The game will be showing in the arena on the jumbotron!

Free Parking, and no entry fee!

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Perttu Lindgren & Texas Stars Stay Alive With 3-2 OT Win

2010-05-25T10:42:00.002-04:00

Texas Stars Stay Alive With 3-2 OT Win
Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals Is Wednesday at 6:30 PM (CDT)
Dallas Stars May 25, 2010

The Texas Stars defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 in overtime on Monday night in front of 2,613 fans at Copps Coliseum in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Center Aaron Gagnon scored the game-winning goal 18:32 into overtime, tying the best-of-seven series 3-3 and forcing Game 7 on Wednesday night in Hamilton. Goalie Matt Climie (4-3) made 51 saves, including 28 in the third period and overtime combined to preserve the overtime victory. Bulldogs goaltender Curtis Sanford (5-3) stopped 35 Texas shots in his third overtime loss of the playoffs. All of Sanford's overtime losses in the playoffs have been to Texas. Stars forward Scott McCulloch and defenseman Garrett Stafford also scored in the win. Game 7 will be in Hamilton on Wednesday, May 26th at 6:30 PM (CT).

In the first period, Hamilton opened the scoring with a goal at 16:58. Hunter Bishop played the puck to the net from the right-wing circle and Climie made the initial save, but could not control the rebound. Bulldogs’ forward Gabriel Dumont scooped up the rebound and backhanded the puck past Climie for his second goal of the playoffs and a 1-0 Hamilton lead.

In the second period, the Stars countered with a power-play goal at 9:04, tying the game 1-1. Texas worked the puck with quick passes from Perttu Lindgren to Travis Morin, who finally set up Stafford in front of the Hamilton net. The Stars defensman snapped his third of the playoffs over the glove of Bulldogs goalie Curtis Sanford for the Stars goal. Hamilton would score a power-play goal of its own before the end of the period. Bulldogs winger Brock Trotter found defenseman Shawn Belle in front of the Texas net. Belle fired a wrist shot at 17:51 past the outreached glove of Climie, scoring his first of the playoffs and pushing Hamilton back in front 2-1.

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Former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire defends decisions made during season

2010-05-25T09:56:00.001-04:00

Jacques Lemaire believes the Devils could still be playing hockey this spring.

During almost a month of vacation in Florida since he announced his retirement on April 26, Lemaire has watched the Stanley Cup playoffs and feels the Devils could have been the team coming out of the Eastern Conference.

“We all tried to find the reason why we lost. That’s normal,” Lemaire told The Star-Ledger today. “But criticism shouldn’t be part of trying to find what we could have done differently. To me you have to be objective.”

Lemaire has come under criticism from several Devils players, including captain Jamie Langenbrunner, for the way he handled several team matters during the second half of the season.

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Ilya Kovalchuk Sparkled for Russia

2010-05-24T09:21:00.002-04:00

Ilya Kovalchuk Sparkled for Russia; Andy Greene did not for USA - Summary of Devils at 2010 World Championships
John Fischer In Lou We Trust May 23, 2010

Kovalchuk shouldn't feel too bad about his own performance. While the IIHF directorate named his teammate Datsyuk the best forward of the tournament and the media snubbed him for their all-stars, Kovalchuk led the World Championships in points with 2 goals and 10 assists along with 15 shots and an average ice time of 16:52. So much for Kovalchuk being a selfish player. The coaches named him Russia's best forward. He certainly made his mark. All stats are viewable at the IIHF's statistics page which has all this information in PDFs for some inexplicable reason.

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Perttu Lindgren's Power Play Goal Helps Stars Defeat Hamilton 5-4

2010-05-20T10:56:00.004-04:00

Stars Win 5-4 On Grahams's OT Blast
Hundred Degree Hockey May 19, 2010

Ethan Graham had yet to score a Calder Cup playoff goal in his entire career. In fact, Graham had only suited up for four playoffs games for the Stars before tonight. "It's probably my biggest [career goal]. I think I had an overtime winner in bantam, so... bigger than that!" said the unlikely hero Graham.

Hamilton got a lot of bad angle shots in past Texas tonight. Texas countered with a lot of gritty goals from within 4 feet of the net. Hamilton scored first in this one, putting one in from a sharp angle with Matt Climie out too far to stop it. Texas answered with a baseball swing shot from Perttu Lindgren that beat Sanford glove-side high on the power play. Texas went to the first intermission tied at 1 with the shots advantage at 12-10.

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Ilya Kovalchuk's 2009-2010 GVT Suggests His Defense Is Better Than Evengi Malkin

2010-05-20T10:48:00.005-04:00

Ilya Kovalchuk Contributed More on Defense than Evgeni Malkin - A Look at Kovalchuk's 2009-10 GVT
John Fischer In Lou We Trust May 19, 2010

Ilya Kovalchuk is a fantastic sniper, a player who has put up 338 goals and 304 assists in 621 games. Standing officially at 6'2" and 230 pounds, Kovalchuk will be one of the hottest names on the free agency market this summer. The New Jersey Devils swung a deal in early February to pick up the erstwhile face of the Atlanta Thrasher franchise and ended up having a good, but not special time in New Jersey. He led the Devils in playoff scoring, but given how the Devils got eliminated, not many are likely going to use his playoff performance as reason why he'll command big dollars this summer.

Shortly after the playoffs, I defended the deal. It was a deal that had to be made. Now Kovalchuk has the option to test the waters for himself. He's in the prime of his career and he's really a special player even beyond the fact that he leads all active NHL players under 30 in goals. Based on observation, it's noticeable that Kovalchuk's puck handling is amazing; he's probably the only Devil who can take on a defenseman and win a one-on-one more than just occasionally; and he can get a shot off from anywhere on the ice.

The advanced statistics interest me more, and not just because they remove confirmation and observation bias. They can go into depth into how well Kovalchuk performed. Maybe we'll learn something beyond the narrative around Kovalchuk. Maybe it can provide a little suggestion into why Lou has begun talks with Kovalchuk's agent, Jay Grossman, about a contract before Paul Martin and his people were contacted, as per Tom Gulitti's article at NorthJersey.com. (Thanks to ILWT reader Bill for the heads-up via e-mail.) Maybe we'll find something about him that we won't particularly miss should he go elsewhere.

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Ilya Kovalchuk Assists Twice In 5-0 Win Over Finland, Getting Ready For Canada

2010-05-19T10:07:00.003-04:00

Russian power play
Beats Finland, wins group, gets ready for Canada.

Russia rolled over Finland, 5-0, getting goals by five different players and a shutout by Semyon Varlamov. Ilya Kovalchuk got two assists and Maxim Afinogenov a goal and an assist.

"With the new rules it is all about special teams and I think our penalty killing was great and the power play worked tonight. It is important for the quarterfinal," Kovalchuk said.

The last time Russia left a World Championship rink as a loser was in Moscow in 2007 when they lost to the Finns 2-1 in overtime. Since then, the team has raked in 23 wins. Before their game against Finland. Now the win count is 24.

Finland started the game strong, they came out of the gate like they meant business. And they did. Finland pressured the Russian defencemen, and created several good scoring chances. Unfortunately for the Finns, when it was time to put the puck to the back of the net, they hit the post instead. Four times.

"They played very well in the beginning," Kovalchuk admitted.

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A Reason to Support Ilya Kovalchuk - The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils Roster by PDO

2010-05-19T09:39:00.001-04:00

One of the big reasons I'm so interested in advanced statistics is because they provide a different perspective into a player's performance. For example, we know that Ilya Kovalchuk is a goal scorer. He's scored 338 goals in 631 games in his NHL career. This is simple. But how impressive has been his performances? What can help explain his exceptional results?

Well, here's one way: his PDO is quite impressive.

What's PDO? Well, it doesn't stand for anything in particular, as far as I know; but it's meaning is real. PDO is the summation of a team's or a player's on-ice shooting percentage and on-ice save percentage at even strength (5-on-5) play. What makes PDO stand out is that it can quickly show whether a team or player is above the base value of 1. Higher is better, lower is worse, and that's simple. More importantly, as Tyler Dellow found way back in 2008, is that it's usually an unsustainable value. A team's or player's PDO will regress towards their true mean over time. The exceptionally talented player will be able to maintain a PDO above 1 consistently.

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Pekka Rinne and Team Finland Clinch Quarterfinal Spot With 5-2 Win

2010-05-18T09:44:00.003-04:00

Jokinen sinks Slovakia
Finland clinches quarterfinal spot with 5-2 win.
IIHF May 17, 2010

Jussi Jokinen scored twice, his first goals of the tournament, and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves as Finland beat Slovakia 5-2 and secured its spot in the quarterfinal.

"It was another must-win game for us, we've had four of those now. This is good for our self-confidence. We've got ourselves to a position where we play for the group top spot," Jokinen said.

Finland needed a point from the game to clinch its playoff berth, and took three. The Slovaks still have their fate in their own hands despite the loss. By beating Germany on Tuesday, they will still advance to the quarterfinals.

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Russian streak continues at Worlds: Kovalchuk tied for team lead with five points in five games

2010-05-17T21:31:00.003-04:00

Ilya Kovalchuk's line with Pavel Datsyuk and Evgeni Malkin has Russia on a roll at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany.

Led by Datsyuk's hat trick, the trio collected 10 points in Sunday's 6-1 win over Denmark. Kovalchuk, the Russian captain, tallied three assists and is tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team points lead with two goals and three assists in five games.

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Rinne, Finns advance at World Championship

2010-05-17T16:08:00.002-04:00

John Glennon The Tennessean May 17, 2010

Preds goalie Pekka Rinne appears to be back in strong form at The World Championship in Germany.

Rinne lost his first game of the tournament, as Denmark beat Finland 4-1 in the teams’ opener. But he’s rebounded to win his last two games, and now has a 2-1 record, along with a 1.67 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. Rinne stopped 25-of-27 shots on Monday, as Finland beat Slovakia 5-2 and clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.

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Daugavins, a veteran at 22

2010-05-17T10:22:00.003-04:00

Daugavins, a veteran at 22
Young Latvian part of new, post-Irbe wave
IIHF May 14, 2010

Kaspars Daugavins first came to international prominence at the 2006 World Championship in his native Riga. Only 17 years old at the time, he played just a small role on the Latvian national team, but as he has developed, he has become the cornerstone of the team’s future in the generation following Arturs Irbe, Sandis Ozolins, and the late Sergejs Zoltoks.

“We have a lot of young guys coming into the national team,” Daugavins said the other day after the team beat Italy, 5-2, to advance to the Qualification Round. “We now have maybe only six or seven guys here from the team when I first started. I think we’re a stronger team now because we’re younger and faster.”

Daugavins is central to the team’s development. He played for Latvia at three U18 events in Division I and demonstrated even as a young teen he was a top prospect in Latvia. In fact, in 2006 he played at the U18, U20, and World Championship and was even considered for the Olympic team.

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Kaspars Daugavins and Latvia Keep quarterfinals hopes alive with 5-0 victory over Norway

2010-05-17T10:18:00.002-04:00

Latvia blanks Norway
Masalskis gets shutout as Latvians stay in Group F race

IIHF May 16, 2010

With a 5-0 win over Norway on Sunday, Latvia kept alive its slim hopes of making the quarterfinals. The Latvians exploded for five third-period goals, two by Janis Sprukts.

The Latvians close out the Qualification Round against the Czechs on Monday, while Norway faces Group F-leading Switzerland that day. Norway, Latvia, and the Czechs are currently tied with three points apiece.

This game didn't provide thrilling hockey for the 1,925 in attendance, unless more than two periods of scoreless action kept you on pins and needles as a fan of either nation. Through two periods, the Latvians and the Norwegians played like they were afraid to lose, but one team had to.

"We knew this was an important game for both teams, so nobody wanted to risk anything on offence," said Latvia's Kaspars Daugavins. "Everybody played smart, defensive hockey, no crazy passes in the neutral zone, so it wasn’t a lot of fun to watch."

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Kovalchuk-Malkin-Datsyuk Russian Super Line Collects 10 Points in 6-1 Victory Over Denmark

2010-05-17T10:09:00.006-04:00

Russia's sweet 23
Datsyuk gets hat trick, Russia its 23 straight win at the Worlds
IIHF May 16, 2010

Pavel Datsyuk scored a hat trick and Alexander Ovechkin kept his goal streak going, adding his fifth in the tournament in as many games. The Kovalchuk-Malkin-Datsyuk line collected ten points as Russia beat Denmark 6-1.

Russia now hasn’t lost a World Championship game since the 2-1 overtime loss to Finland in 2007.

"We wanted to make sure that we'd respect Denmark, and play organized hockey, and we did just that," said Vyachselav Bykov, Russia's coach.

"There were a couple of minutes in the second period where we lost the discipline, but I'm happy with the result," he added.

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Eric Selleck Joins Muvico Theaters Florida Panthers Street Hockey Party May 22

2010-05-14T16:30:00.006-04:00

Muvico Theaters Florida Panthers Street Hockey Party Set For May 22 In Pompano Beach
Florida Panthers Prospects & Local Panthers Alumni to Attend Event
Florida Panthers May 10, 2010

The Florida Panthers in conjunction with Muvico Theaters and support from local sponsor Papa John’s will host the Florida Panthers Street Hockey Party on Saturday, May 22 from 3-5 p.m. in the parking lot of the Pompano Beach Muvico (2315 North Federal Highway). The street hockey party is part of the commitment that the Florida Panthers have made to stay actively involved in the South Florida community.

“The Florida Panthers Street Hockey Party is another example of how our organization continues to stay involved in the South Florida community during the offseason,” said Florida Panthers President/Chief Operating Officer Michael Yomark. “This event presents an ideal opportunity for our fans to get together and meet some of our current and former players and coaches, while enjoying an afternoon of fun and entertainment.”

At the street hockey party, fans will have the opportunity to meet Florida prospects AJ Jenks, Adam Comrie and Eric Selleck, as well as Panthers alumni including Randy Moller, Bill Lindsay, Peter Worrell, John Jakopin and Chris Wells. In addition, fans will be able to participate in interactive street hockey games, enter special raffles to win various prizes and enjoy great entertainment. Stanley C. Panther and the Panthers Ice Dancers will also be on hand to meet with and take photos with the fans. The first 100 children attending the street hockey party will also receive a complimentary Muvico movie pass.

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Binghamton Senator Kaspars Daugavins & Team Latvia Moving To Next Round

2010-05-14T10:57:00.003-04:00

Sens duo moves onward at worlds
Karlsson, Swedes drop preliminary round finale to Czechs
Rob Brodie Ottawa Senators May 13, 2010

For a pair of Ottawa Senators, it's on to bigger and better things.

But for a third, not so much at the 2010 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Germany.

Despite a 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic earlier today in Mannheim, Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson and Sweden finished on top of Group C. And Sens forward Peter Regin and surprising Denmark, which wound up third in Group D, will join the Swedes in the next phase of the competition, which begins Friday in Cologne and Mannheim.

Joining Karlsson and Regin in the qualification round is Binghamton Senators forward Kaspars Daugavins and Latvia, which claimed third place in Group B. The top three in each of four groups moved forward in the tournament, while the bottom teams now play in the relegation round. Shockingly, that group includes Sens forward Nick Foligno and the United States, which went winless in three preliminary round starts.

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Mikael Samuelsson Named As Honorable Mention On Dobbler Hockey's 2009-2010 Prime Cuts

2010-05-13T09:41:00.005-04:00

2009-10 Prime Cuts (Part 5 of 5)
Jeff Angus DobberHockey.com May 12, 2010

Better late than never! The final part of the Prime Cuts 2009-10 article series is here! Check out the Prime Cuts rosters from 2007-08 and 2008-09. The thinking process that goes in to selecting the team is similar to Pierre McGuire’s “Monsters” for TSN (I promise that is the first and only time I will compare my thinking process to Pierre’s). Since this is a fantasy hockey site, the selection process favours players that have had strong seasons on the score sheet, obviously. However, not just goals and assists are weighted – perhaps a player has started to shoot the puck more, or play better defensively. Intangibles like heart, grit, and determination factor in to the selection process as well. It is far and away my favourite article to write each year, and I hope you will all enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Honourable mentions:
Mikael Samuelsson – perhaps the best non-goalie UFA signing last summer (Craig Anderson), Samuelsson set career highs in almost every category, anchoring the Canucks second line with Ryan Kesler.

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Perttu Lindgren and Stars Advance To Western Conference Finals

2010-05-13T09:34:00.002-04:00

RESILIENT STARS EDGE WOLVES 6-5 IN OVERTIME OF GAME 7, ADVANCE TO WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
TexasStarsHockey.com May 11, 2010

Rosemont, IL – The Texas Stars (8-3) defeated the Chicago Wolves (7-7) 6-5 in overtime on Tuesday night in front of 3,958 fans at the Allstate Arena in Game 7 of the West Division Finals. Right wing Jamie Benn beat Chicago goalie Drew MacIntyre 4:57 into overtime, lifting the Stars over the Wolves and into the Western Conference Finals. Texas overcame a pair of two-goal deficits and a one-goal deficit with 10:15 left in the third period to defeat the Wolves in the 15th Game 7 in AHL history to go into overtime. Defenseman Andrew Hutchinson and Maxime Fortunus each scored third-period goals to complete the Texas comeback. Fortunus finished with a goal and two assists. The Stars outshot the Wolves 24-6 in the third period and overtime combined. Forwards Travis Morin, Scott McCulloch and Aaron Gagnon also posted goals in the first Game 7 in Texas history. Stars goalie Matt Climie (1-0) made 24 stops in his first postseason win of the 2010 Calder Cup playoffs. Chicago goalie Drew MacIntyre (1-2) made 47 saves in the loss. The Stars begin the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals in Hamilton on Friday. Game 1 is schedule for Friday, May 14th at 7:30 PM (EDT).

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Latvia Is Rocking, Kaspars Daugavins Scores Twice In 5-2 Win Over Italy

2010-05-13T09:27:00.004-04:00

Latvia yea, Italy nay
Daugavins scores pair, Italian offence falls short again
IHF May 12, 2010

Riga is rocking tonight. For the third straight year, Latvia cracked the Qualification Round with a 5-2 win over Italy on Wednesday. The Italians, meanwhile, now face a tough battle to avoid getting relegated again, as they were in 2008.

Defenceman Arvids Rekis got the winner for Latvia early in the third period, and Ottawa Senators prospect Kaspars Daugavins paced the attack with two goals.

Latvian starter Edgars Masalskis earned his first victory of the 2010 IIHF World Championship, outduelling Italy's Adam Russo. Latvia outshot Italy 38-26.

"They played aggressive hockey, Canadian-style," said Daugavins of the Italians. "It was hard to play. We were waiting for their mistakes. They play you one-on-one, so that means if you beat your man, you’re going to get a scoring chance. We crashed the net and got to the puck."

In the Qualification Round, Latvia will aim to secure its fourth quarterfinal berth of all time. The previous ones came in 1997, 2004, and 2009, all of which led to seventh-place finishes.

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ILYA KOVALCHUK – 400!

2010-05-12T14:04:00.001-04:00

ILYA KOVALCHUK – 400!
Yesterday Ilya Kovalchuk netted his 400th goal in his professional career in his 50th match for the Russian national team.
Sport Express Daily May 12, 2010

New Jersey forward Ilya Kovalchuk played his jubilee 50th match for his national team yesterday and was voted the best player of the team in the World Championship game against Kazakhstan (4:1).

"I felt much better and the team demonstrated hockey of higher quality than in the previous match against Slovakia", Kovalchuk said. "We created a lot of scoring opportunities and played more reliable".

"It’s not so important who are your partners in the national team. Afinogenov and Kulemin are in excellent form, and I think they played very well".

"It’s great that Pavel Datsyuk is coming to Germany to join us, as it’s perfect reinforcement of our team. Pavel is one of the best centers in the world".

"Kazakhstan played well against us, and it was not an easy match for Russia. It became easier to play after we scored a goal on powerplay".

"I would have given award for the best player of the game to Alexandr Eremenko, who saved us many times. He is not to blame for conceded goal".

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Mattias Weinhandl Hat Tricks In 5-2 Win Over Norway

2010-05-12T12:43:00.003-04:00

Sweden 5 – Norway 2 : Hat Trick Weinhandl In Border War
Go Iron Pigs May 12, 2010

SWEDEN, powered by three goals from Dynamo Moscow forward MATTIAS WEINHANDL, snapped a tie early in the third period to finish 5-2 victors over pesky Scandanavian neighbors NORWAY at the World Championships in Germany.

Weinhandl, who played 182 games (19 go 37 as, 56 pts, 70 pim) for the New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild over parts of four seasons, and 19-year-old defenseman ERIK LARSSON of the Ottawa Senators handed Sweden a 2-0 lead with first period goals; Larsson’s seeing-eye shot from the point was his first at a senior international tournament.

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Ilya, the captain

2010-05-11T10:59:00.003-04:00

Ilya, the captain
The 'C' on his chest marks Kovalchuk a true leader
IHF May 11, 2010

He scored the game winner in the 2008 World Championship final in Quebec City, and in 2009, when Russia defended their title, he averaged most ice time on the team. Sounds like a player who’s got what it takes, right? The ability to deliver in a crunch situation and the willingness to work hard, and lead by example. Also, he seems to have earned the coach’s trust.

So when Alexei Morozov couldn’t make the World Championship due to an injury, it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise to see coach Vyacheslav Bykov name Ilya Kovalchuk the team captain.

It wasn’t one to his teammates.

“I wasn’t surprised, he’s one of our best players, our leader, and in the absence of Morozov, he was a natural choice,” says defenceman Denis Grebeshkov.

For Kovalchuk, wearing the ‘C’ on his chest wasn’t anything completely foreign, after all, he was the captain of the Atlanta Thrashers his last year with the team. He first served as one of five alternate captains until the alternates collectively requested to general manager Don Waddell and coach John Anderson for Kovalchuk to take over the captaincy.

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Russia Beats Slovakia In World Opener, Kovalchuk Named Captain

2010-05-10T10:54:00.003-04:00

In the Crease
Associated Press May 10, 2010

World championships

Jaromir Jagr set up three goals to help the Czech Republic cruise past France, 6-2, in their opening game of the ice hockey world championships in Cologne, Germany.

Group C rival Sweden won a had-fought battle with Norway, 5-2.

In Group A, Belarus rallied from two goals down to beat Kazakstan, 5-2. Russia, led by its big guns - team captain Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Maxim Afinogenov - beat Slovakia, 3-1.

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Perttu Lindgren Second Leading Scorer For Stars In Western Division Finals

2010-05-10T10:48:00.004-04:00

Game 6: West Division Finals
TexasStarsHockey.com May 9, 2010

Series Leaders –

Texas rookie winger Jamie Benn is tied with Chicago’s Anthony Stewart and Brett Sterling for scoring in the West Division Finals with seven points each. Stewart leads all skaters with five goals in five games, including a pair of two-goal games (Game 2 and Game 5). Defensemen Andrew Hutchinson and Dan Jancevski, along with left wing Francis Wathier, each have five points in the five-game series. Stars centers Aaron Gagnon and Perttu Lindgren are second on the team with three goals against the Wolves.

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Samuelsson Assists Twice In Game 5 Win Over Chicago

2010-05-10T10:44:00.003-04:00

Bieksa's pair pace Canucks as Luongo keeps Hawks from clinching
Associated Press May 9, 2010

The Vancouver Canucks got back to a more disciplined style, made sure they had fun and relied on a formula that's familiar and successful.

They used their speed, checked well and got solid goaltending from Roberto Luongo. Their reward: at least one more game with the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference semifinals.

Kevin Bieksa scored twice and Luongo made 29 saves Sunday night in a 4-1 victory that cut Chicago's series lead to 3-2.

"The two games in Vancouver obviously our emotions in some situations got the best of us," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "We needed to be more disciplined and we were."

Vancouver gave up four power play goals in Game 4 on Friday night when its attempt to play more physical ended up in a penalty-filled 7-4 loss that put the Canucks one defeat away from elimination.

"I think that was a little uncharacteristic of us. We are a fairly disciplined team. For whatever reasons we were frustrated the last game and did things we don't usually do," Bieksa said.

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Man On Fire: Spurred by an Olympic snub, Mikael Samuelsson has turned into a scorer

2010-05-07T11:40:00.002-04:00

Brian Cuzeneuve Sports Illustrated May 10, 2010

Mikael Samuelsson's ascent from journeyman forward to the NHL's hottest scorer began with a blind-side blow—not a hit from behind, but a stab in the back. Samuelsson's Canucks were in Calgary on Dec. 27 when the 33-year-old winger learned he'd been left off the Swedish Olympic team. A gold medalist in 2006, he fumed at the omission, urging Swedish officials to engage in unprintable anatomical gymnastics. "I knew I deserved to be on the team," Samuelsson says. "My words came from the heart. I don't regret them."

Neither do the Canucks. After dispatching the Kings in six games, Vancouver trounced the Blackhawks 5--1 in their Western semifinal opener last Saturday at the United Center. Although Samuelsson didn't score, through Sunday his seven goals were third best in the postseason, and his +9 rating was tied for first. "Mikael has been completely on fire," says his linemate Daniel Sedin. "There isn't a hotter player in the league."

Samuelsson admits the slight from home was a catalyst for the play that has put him among the game's top snipers. "It flipped a switch," he says. "I wanted to prove that they made a mistake, and the best way was with what I did on the ice."

At the time he had 10 goals in 38 games, and was +1 for the season. But over his next 31 games Samuelsson scored 20 goals and was +14. It was a stunning turnaround for a nine-year veteran who had broken the 20-goal plateau just once before. Samuelsson had played on four teams before signing with the Red Wings as a free agent in 2005. He became a playoff rookie that season at age 29. Three years later he won a Stanley Cup. Vancouver G.M. Mike Gillis liked the Red Wings' Euro-heavy blueprint for success and last July gave Samuelsson, a third-liner in Detroit, a three-year, $7.5 million deal. As important, Gillis also promised the Swede a bigger role with a franchise that still awaits its first title. (Samuelsson's 76 postseason games are more than those of all but one Canuck.)

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The Bleacher Report's Top Five Canucks In The Playoffs, Number One Mikael Samuelsson

2010-05-07T10:20:00.004-04:00

Canucks Playoffs: Their Top Five Players
Nucks IceMan The Bleacher Report May 7, 2010

Number one has to be Mikael Samuelsson as he leads with 8 goals and 4 assists. The one area that has really impressed me is his physical play, which speaks volumes for his compete level and will to win.

The ‘Nucks need more guys like Mikey.

The Sedin Twins fall into second and third place respectfully and although Daniel has one more point at 11, two game winning goals, I’ll give the nod to second to Henrik who has been strong in the face-off circle (59%) and has hung in there when the going got tough.

We’ll see if the Hart Trophy nominee rises to the occasion on the key Friday night game.

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Volchenkov Key to Senators Free Agent Puzzle

2010-05-07T10:13:00.002-04:00

Andrew Rodger The Hockey Writers May 6, 2010

Vochenkov is the most important piece to the Senators’ free agent puzzle this summer. A key element in shutting down the opposition’s top forwards, he will be difficult to replace should he leave. With a salary in the $2 to $3 million dollar range the past few seasons, he is certainly entitled to a raise. However, the Senators have always operated with their own value system under Murray’s leadership. If Volchenkov asks for more then they think he is worth; he could be on the move for next season. In 428 NHL games, all with Ottawa, the native of Moscow has accumulated 16 goals and 94 points during his career and he is a +61. Last season, injuries limited him to 14 points in 64 games but he is not an offensive defenceman; Ottawa needs him for his hits and shot blocking abilities. In 352 games played since the lockout, Volchenkov has delivered 832 hits on his opponents and blocked an astounding 1,023 shots.

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Ilya Kovalchuk & Russia takes aim at gold medal hat trick at Worlds

2010-05-07T10:07:00.005-04:00

Russia takes aim at gold medal hat trick at Worlds
Foxnews.com May 7, 2010

During the recent LG Hockey Games (an annual World Championship preparation tournament in Stockholm and Helsinki), Bykov confirmed that two-time Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin, 2009 World Championship MVP Ilya Kovalchuk, high-scoring Capitals forward Alexander Semin and promising young Capitals goaltender Semyon Varlamov all said they will answer to call to help the national team defend its World Championship gold medal. In addition, enigmatic Los Angeles Kings forward Alexander Frolov and Nashville Predators defenseman Denis Grebeshkov will join Team Russia for the start of the tournament.

In a recent interview with Sovetskiy Sport translated through Russianhockeyfans.com, Kovalchuk explained that he and other top Russian players already had discussed possible World Championship participation immediately after the Olympics, and pledged to one another that they would play in the tournament if possible. He also said he spoke with Ovechkin and Semin shortly after the Caps lost Game 7 to Montreal. Although Kovalchuk is an impending free agent, he said his contract status will not be a deterrent to playing in Germany.

"We must win and make this season end well," Kovalchuk said. "My wife Nicole understood me at once, told me that the whole family would be watching games on TV and cheer for us. She and the kids stayed in Miami. I spent a week there and flew to Russia."

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Perttu Lindgren Scores Two Goals In Loss Against Chicago

2010-05-05T10:49:00.003-04:00

Chicago Downs Texas in Game 3; Wolves Take 2-1 Series Lead
Our Sports Central May 4, 2010

The Texas Stars (5-2) were defeated by the Chicago Wolves (6-4) 5-3 on Tuesday night at Cedar Park Center in Game 3 of the West Division Finals. Chicago right wing Spencer Machacek and defenseman Nathan Oystrick each scored a pair of goals as the Wolves claimed a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series. Chicago goalie Peter Mannino (6-3) picked up the win with 27 saves, while Stars goalie Brent Krahn (5-2) suffered the loss after stopping 18 of 22 Chicago shots in 40 minutes of play. Texas center Perttu Lindgren scored two goals in the Stars first home loss of the playoffs. Game 4 of the West Division Finals is Wednesday at 7:30 PM in Cedar Park.

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Eric Selleck inks deal with Florida Panthers

2010-05-04T17:28:00.003-04:00

Selleck inks deal with Panthers
After breakout season with Lakers, sophomore forward ready for challenges at professional level
Mike Kraft The Oswegonian May 4, 2010

For the first time in Oswego State history a member of the men’s ice hockey team has signed a professional contract with the National Hockey League (NHL).

Sophomore forward Eric Selleck signed a two-way, two-year contract with the Florida Panthers organization last Thursday, thus bringing his two year career with the Lakers to a close.

Selleck’s minor league contract with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) is reportedly worth $105,000, while Selleck’s contract with the Florida Panthers is reportedly worth $1.175 million.

“We support it,” head coach Ed Gosek said. “I think it is the right decision for him. Timing is everything. As much as we hate to see him go, I do think it’s the right thing for him and we wish him the best of luck and hope it works out.”

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Kovalchuk Emphasizes Win Now For Russia

2010-05-04T10:37:00.003-04:00

World Championship - Ilya Kovalchuk: "We need to win now like never before"
RussianHockeyFans.com May 4, 2010

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.

Many thought that you won't play for the national team. It is very risky as you don't have a contract for the next season in the NHL. Besides your wife gave a birth to your son in March. Was this decision hard to take?

Kovalchuk: "After failing in Vancouver all guys agreed to go to the World Championship if there is a chance. We must win and make this season end well.
My wife Nicole understood me at once, told me that the whole family would be watching games on TV and cheer for us. She and the kids stayed in Miami. I spent a week there and flew to Russia."

Many teams will have either weak or very young rosters. It will be easier for Team Russia to win the gold?
Kovalchuk: "In first place we have to think about our team. It doesn't matter against whom we will play. All teams will fight against Russia. Especially the young guys, who will want to show themselves. But our team is young too, we have Kulikov, Anisimov, Varlamov, Radulov, Ovechkin, Semin... They aren't old men, are they?"

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Canucks prospect Shirokov set to shun KHL for shot at NHL dream

2010-05-04T10:33:00.003-04:00

Matthew Sekeres Chicago Globe and Mail May 4, 2010

Vancouver Canucks prospect Sergei Shirokov does not intend to play in Russia next season, according to both the NHL team and the player himself.

A report on a Russian website, picked up by Canadian and U.S. media outlets, says the 24-year-old winger is headed back to the Kontinental Hockey League next season after spending most of 2009-10 with the Manitoba Moose, Vancouver’s farm team.

But Canucks assistant general manager Laurence Gilman says that Shirokov’s camp has given the team every indication that he will be back at training camp next autumn. Shirokov, in fact, said as much just last week when interviewed from Moscow.

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Sergei Shirokov is recalled from the Manitoba Moose

2010-05-04T10:27:00.002-04:00

Canucks recall four
Evan Oberg, Guillaume Desbiens, Mario Bliznak, and Sergei Shirokov are recalled from the Manitoba Moose.
NHL.com May 4, 2010

Shirokov, 24, played in 76 games with Manitoba this season and was second on the team in scoring, registering 45 points (22-23-45) and 32 penalty minutes.

In six playoff games with Manitoba this year, he recorded two points (0-2-2) and four penalty minutes.

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Canucks TV Talks With Mikael Samuelsson

2010-05-04T10:18:00.003-04:00

NHL.com April 3, 2010

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Anssi Salemela Helps Lead Finland to 4-1 Victory Over Czech Republic

2010-05-03T10:06:00.002-04:00

Finland 4 – Czech Rep 1 : Three-Goal Third For Finns
Goironpigs.com

Three unanswered goals in the third period carried the day for FINLAND in the 4-1 victory over the CZECH REPUBLIC at the LG Hockey Games tournament from the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Czechs took an early lead five and a half minutes into the match via Columbus Blue Jackets forward JAKUB VORACEK but the Finns answered with just under seven minutes to go in the second period with a goal from 20-year-old junior international TEEMU HARTIKAINEN of Kalpa Kuopio, a sixth round selection of the Edmonton Oilers (2008, # 163 overall).

New Jersey Devils defenseman ANSSI SALMELA fired Finland to the lead 7:12 into the final period.

Florida Panthers goaltender TOMAS VOKOUN (25 saves) absorbed the loss for the Czech Republic while Tappara Tampere’s 20-year-old HARRI SATERI (22 saves) was successful for Finland.

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Sammy Makes The Sports Dish's All-NHL First Round Team

2010-04-29T10:30:00.002-04:00

The Sports Dish Exclusive: All-NHL First Round Team
The Sports Dish April 28, 2010

Right Wing- Mikael Samuelsson, Vancouver Canucks (7 G, 4 AST, 11PTS)

When your team is facing a Goalie as good as Jonathon Quick, it’s tough to score when you do not have an offense as good as Vancouver’s and a player as good as Mikael Samuelsson. Samuelsson was complety dominating Quick and the Kings defense during the series and scored 7 goals. He also helped score four more goals by providing his teammates with good passes, as well. Look for him to make a big presence in the series against the Blackhawks.

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Mikael Samuelsson Best Secondary Player In Round 1

2010-04-29T10:25:00.003-04:00

Top 10 Secondary Players in Round 1
Dave Poleck The Hockey Writers April 28, 2010

1. Mikael Samuelsson (7 goals, 4 assists)

Samuelsson led the Canucks in goals and points and used his deadly wrist shot to expose Jonathan Quick’s weak glove all series long. In Samuelsson’s last three Finals’ runs with Detroit, he had 11 points in 18 games, 13 in 22 and 10 in 23 last year; his highest goal total over that stretch was five.

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Canuck Offense Gets Edge Over Chicago Heading Into Series

2010-04-28T12:27:00.005-04:00

Early look and prediction at Hawks-Canucks

Jesse Rogers ESPN Chicago April 28, 2010

Offense: Vancouver had the most potent attack in the Western Conference, but the Blackhawks weren’t far behind. Both teams have secondary scoring, but it didn’t surface as much for the Hawks in Round 1 as it will need to in Round 2. Players like Kris Versteeg and even Troy Brouwer might find the open ice against Vancouver a relief compared to Nashville’s stifling play, especially in games 1-4 of the opening round. There might not be a better top line in the conference than the Sedin twins along with Alex Burrows. And don’t forget about Pavol Demitra and Mikael Samuelsson. Samuelsson leads the NHL in goals in the postseason with seven. Edge: Canucks.

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Hot commodity Shirokov sticking with chosen path

2010-04-28T10:20:00.003-04:00

Ken Wiebe Winnipeg Sun April 28, 2010

Sergei Shirokov has no plans to abandon his dream.

There are sure to be lucrative offers for the skilled forward to return to Russia and play in the Kontinental Hockey League, but Shirokov is still planning on being in North America next fall.

“Next year I’ll go back to training camp in Vancouver and then we’ll see what we’re doing,” said Shirokov, a 24-year-old from Moscow. “If they send me back down, I’ll go to Winnipeg to play and work hard. I want to play in the NHL.”

There were plenty of things for Shirokov to experience and adjust to as he played his first season in North America.

“It’s a very good season, lots of new things for me,” said Shirokov, a sixth-round pick (163rd overall) of the Canucks in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. “Lots of emotions. New country, new language. I like (Canada), it’s very nice.”

Shirokov tied for the team lead in goals (22) and was second in points (45) to Marco Rosa (55) while appearing in 76 games with the Moose.

“Not bad, it was OK for the first year,” said Shirokov, when asked to assess his own play. “I want to score more goals. I need more shots.”

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Puck Daddy of Yahoo! Sports Chats With Anton Volchenkov

2010-04-27T13:25:00.002-04:00

Puck Daddy chats with Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov‏ about free agency, his Norris winner and why Senators lost to Penguins

Dmitri Chesnokov Puck Daddy, Yahoo! Sports April 27, 2010

Anton Volchenkov of the Ottawa Senators is a defenseman, and the Norris Trophy is the award given to the best player at his position. If Volchenkov had to chose the winner among 2010 finalists Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks, who gets his vote?

"Doughty is a really good player. I think this year he played really well. He's a young guy, but he is such a talented defenseman. He's had a great year," Volchenkov told Puck Daddy in an exclusive interview this week.

"Green? He's like a fourth forward when he's out there for Washington. I don't see him playing that seriously defensively, but offensively he is of a lot of benefit."

That's expected from Volchenkov, whose reputation is that of a "defensive" defenseman. He averaged 2.69 blocked shots per game this season, finishing in the NHL's top 10 in that category once again, while scoring only 14 points in 64 games this season. But his defensive abilities have made him one of the most interesting names on the unrestricted free agent market, after having just a $2.5 million cap hit for the Senators last season.

We spoke with Volchenkov about his impending free agency, the chances he'll return to Ottawa, why the Senators lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, the Dany Heatley(notes) trade to the San Jose Sharks in hindsight, his offensive game and his Stanley Cup pick ... along with what he's driving and listening to these days.

Q. Now that the season is over for the Ottawa Senators, what is your assessment of it?

VOLCHENKOV: Of course we didn't do well in the playoffs. That's the main point. But at the same time we did make the playoffs to begin with, which means it was an OK season. This season was really tough because of the Olympics. It was especially hard because of the game against Canada. [Russia] really did not play well in that game. We simply burned out. But otherwise it was a good season.

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Pekka Rinne Believes Confidence Is Still High In Nashville

2010-04-26T09:30:00.002-04:00

Nashville Predators insist confidence remains high against Chicago Blackhawks: Players say confidence still OK despite stunning Game 5 loss
Bryan Muller The Tennessean April 26, 2010

When the Predators returned home from Chicago on Saturday night, they held an impromptu meeting in the airport hangar.

Coach Barry Trotz told his players to keep their heads up, don't look back, and reminded them of some teams that came back from the brink of elimination to win playoff series.

"It was good to get everyone on the same page," goaltender Pekka Rinne said. "I think everybody was feeling bad about themselves, but you can't feel sorry for yourself. We're still in a good position. We need two more wins. It's pretty simple."

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Chatting with Ilya Kovalchuk about his future with Devils, NHL

2010-04-26T09:25:00.003-04:00

Dmitry Chesnokov Puck Daddy, Yahoo! Sports April 24, 2010

As soon as the series against the Philadelphia Flyers was over, the talk of where the New Jersey Forward Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) may end up. For Kovalchuk, the thought of signing a new contract is not the most important thing in the world right now. Ilya welcomed his third child, a son, in March. And ever since being traded from the Atlanta Thrashers, he hasn't been able to spend a lot of time with his family.

That is why the morning after losing the quarterfinal series, he was packing his bags to catch an afternoon flight to Florida. Oddly enough, he was watching the KHL finals online when SovSport's Pavel Lysenkov called him.

"Wow, Ak Bars just scored," Ilya said right after he answered his phone. "I am watching the KHL finals, rooting for Ak Bars."

Here's Pavel's chat with Kovalchuk:

Q. What can you say about New Jersey?

KOVALCHUK: We didn't get what we really wanted. And we wanted the Stanley Cup.
I am very upset right now.

Are you going to the World Championships?

We'll see. I will talk to [the coaches] about it and we will decide what we'll do. But right now I am flying to Florida where my family lives right now. At least I will see my children. They have been living away from me since the beginning of February when I was traded to New Jersey. We only spent a couple of days together since then.

Going to the World Championships this time is a huge risk because you don't have a contract. You may get injured.

No one is safe from injuries. If you keep thinking about them, you will most certainly get injured. So, I am chasing these kinds of thoughts away. It will be decided soon. But I have to talk to [the coaches].

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Sammy's Lucky Break Helps The Canucks Advance

2010-04-26T09:22:00.003-04:00

Canucks’ late goal finishes off Kings: Latest third-period rally sends Vancouver to conference semis
Associated Press April 26, 2010

Of all the breaks that went the Vancouver Canucks’ way in the final three games of their playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings, none was bigger than a fortuitous crack in Mikael Samuelsson’s stick.

When Samuelsson’s lumber snapped on a shot that sent the puck trickling meekly toward the net, Daniel Sedin was in perfect position to pounce. His late goal sent the Canucks into the second round on a wave of confidence in their talented twins’ top line, which is making its own good luck.

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Mikael Samuelsson's Hard Work Paying Off

2010-04-26T09:19:00.004-04:00

The harder Samuelsson works the luckier he gets
Ben Kuzma The Province April 26, 2010

The media mob was surrounding Henrik and Daniel Sedin and allowed Mikael Samuelsson to catch his breath and contemplate another stunning playoff comeback Sunday. And while he didn't score to send the Vancouver Canucks to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he proved that there is no such thing as luck. There is preparation meeting opportunity.

When Samuelsson's stick broke as he teed up a slapper in the slot with the score tied 2-2 late in the third period, the puck found Daniel Sedin and his sharp-angle wrister beat Jonathan Quick for the game-winner en route to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

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Perttu Lindgren and The Stars Advance as Texas Sweeps The Ice Hogs

2010-04-26T09:15:00.003-04:00

Texas Stars Win 4-2, Sweep Series Against Rockford IceHogs
Texas Stars April 23, 2010

The Texas Stars (4-0) defeated the Rockford IceHogs (0-4) 4-2 on Friday night in front of 2,403 fans at the Rockford MetroCentre. The Stars completed the sweep of the Hogs, winning all four games in the best-of-seven series. Stars goalie Brent Krahn (4-0) stopped 38 of 40 Rockford shots in the win. Texas defenseman Andrew Hutchinson scored two power-play goals, helping the Stars advance to the second round for the first time in team history. Forwards Warren Peters and Mathieu Beaudoin also scored as Texas finished the year 10-2-0-0 against Rockford. Rockford’s Kyle Beach scored twice, as the IceHogs dropped their 10th straight playoff decision. IceHogs goalie Corey Crawford (0-4) made 20 saves on 23 Stars shots in his fourth straight loss. Texas will play the winner of the Chicago and Milwaukee series. Those two teams will play Game 7 in Chicago on Monday night....

In the second period, Texas tacked on two more goals to give the Stars a 3-0 lead after two periods of play. The Stars completed a rush with their second goal of the night after a great passing play involving Jamie Benn and Perttu Lindgren, which was finished off by Mathieu Beaudoin. Lindgren dropped off the puck to the right wing and Benn feathered a pass to the left wing for Beaudoin, who buried his second goal in as many nights for a 2-0 Stars lead at 8:38. Less than two minutes later, Texas struck again to open up a 3-0 lead at 10:23. Lindgren played the puck to the point and Hutchinson blasted a one-timer from the high slot for his second goal of the night. Travis Morin picked up the second assist on the power-play goal.

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Signing Samuelsson a coup for Canucks

2010-04-26T09:11:00.002-04:00

Dave Lozo NHL.com April 25, 2010

When Mikael Samuelsson signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent last summer, it wasn't exactly an attention-grabbing move on par with Marian Gaborik and the Rangers, or Marian Hossa and the Blackhawks.

But at three years and $7.5 million, Samuelsson has been a bargain. Teammates rave about what he's brought to the Canucks after spending four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Besides leadership and Stanley Cup experience, he also contributed a career-high 30 goals while playing mostly on the second line, a stark contrast to his time in Detroit, where Samuelsson was a third-line player who didn't get anywhere near as much power-play time as he has in Vancouver.

"He's been great that way," Henrik Sedin said of Samuelsson's offense. "We know he's kind of an offensive talent to score more than he has. He was put in a different situation here, playing on the second line, more power play, and he's stepped up."

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Sens Season in Review, Volchenkov & Phillips A Superb Pairing

2010-04-26T09:07:00.003-04:00

Sens in Review: More positives than negatives for Ottawa this season despite Saturday's early playoff exit
Roy MacGregor The Globe and Review April 25, 2010

It sure happens fast.

Today, a car flying down the Queensway with Ottawa Senators window flags flapping in the wind looks out of sorts, instantly out of season.

Time to stop the honking, wash off the red paint, put away the Alfie jerseys … This morning at Scotiabank Place, the Senators will clear out their lockers, some never to return. The coach and general manager and perhaps even the owner will have their final assessments of the year – more positives than minuses will be found, despite falling in the first round to the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins – and the sports talk radio station will wonder what in the hell it will do in this single-sport town during the 144 days between now and the opening of camp...

The defensive pairing of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov have become one of the league's best shut-down duos and, if Volchenkov can be re-signed over the summer, will continue together.

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The Physical Force That Is Anton Volchenkov

2010-04-23T16:52:00.002-04:00

Leclaire Backstops Senators to Season-Saving Marathon Win
Brian Ciskie NHL Fan House April 23, 2010

There were countless shots that Leclaire didn't have to stop. That's because the guys in front of him -- led by gutsy defenseman Anton Volchenkov -- blocked a ton of shots. Volchenkov was a physical force in the game, and at one point had to crawl to the Ottawa bench during the third overtime.

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Samuelsson's a Swede surprise

2010-04-23T16:49:00.002-04:00

Samuelsson's a Swede surprise
tearing it up: No matter what Henrik Sedin says, no one could have seen this coming
Gordon McIntyre The Province April 23, 2010

Had it been Christian Ehrhoff at the point and not Daniel Sedin, Mikael Samuelsson might have gone to the net for a rebound.

But since Ehrhoff was in front of the crease, screening Jonathan Quick, and it was a Sedin with the puck at the blueline, Samuelsson knew he had to be ready for anything.

So when Daniel's slap-pass arrived, Samuelsson turned his blade at the perfect angle to redirect the puck past Quick and pull the Canucks even at 3-3 at 7:29 of the third period in Wednesday's pivotal Game 4.

"I'm looking to do a little more with them, I guess," Samuelsson said about being moved to the Sedin line for the third period.

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Smooth Play By Perttu Lindgren Helps Stars Take 3-0 Series Lead

2010-04-22T11:08:00.002-04:00

Stars take 3-0 series stranglehold, win 6-1
Hundred Degree Hockey April 21, 2010

If you were able to watch or listen to tonight's game, consider yourself lucky. This was likely one of the most complete games the Texas Stars have ever put together. The Stars matched their record for goals for at 6 and smothered Rockford's offense, allowing only 1 goal in the game and not until the third period. Texas has still never trailed in the series. With a 3-0 series lead, the Stars hope to close out the series on Friday and wait for the winner of the Chicago/Milwaukee series to be decided....

Hannu Toivonen came out to start the third period. Texas would surrender one goal in the third, a goal by rookie Ben Smith. The Stars would add another by Mathieu Beaudoin in the period to bring the score to 6-1. Perttu Lindgren gets a lot of credit for Beaudoin's tally, as he skated all the way down behind the Rockford net and passed it through traffic to the waiting stick of Beaudoin in the slot for the one-timer. Travis Morin got the 2nd assist for his 5th point of the series.

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Meet The Players: Mikael Samuelsson

2010-04-22T11:03:00.002-04:00

The Vancouver Sun April 22, 2010

He moved to North America in 2000 to join the San Jose Sharks organization. After one year there, he moved on in fairly rapid succession to play for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings in that order. said laughing. He added that Sandra makes great lasagna and lots of good Swedish food as well.

He has few dislikes but is easily rattled in traffic. He likes to cut through it.

He is also a man who stands for social justice. When he sees unfair treatment of people both on and off the ice, "that rattles me too."

Mikael Samuelsson is married to Sandra who is from his native Sweden. He has two kids -4½-year-old William and 2½-year-old Stina. They live in Shaughnessy.

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Ilya Kovalchuk, "We have to just focus on ourselves"

2010-04-22T09:58:00.006-04:00

Devils host must-win Game 5 against Flyers, who are expected to be without Carter, Gagne
Ira Podell Associated Press April 21, 2010

“We have to just focus on ourselves,” Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re going to play against, who is going to play who. You just have to be better than the other guy in front of you. Everybody has to take that challenge. We can’t lose anymore.”

This is exactly the situation the Devils faced 10 years ago in the Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia and then rookie goalie Brian Boucher, who again is the Flyers goalie this series.

Brodeur and the Devils erased that 3-1 deficit en route to winning the Stanley Cup. That was the only New Jersey team to accomplish the feat. It has been done 20 times on 229 occasions, including twice by Minnesota Wild teams coached by Lemaire in 2003.

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Mikael Samuelsson's Experience Proving To Be Major Factor In Canucks Success

2010-04-22T09:46:00.007-04:00

Kings not at all surprised by this series
Veterans had warned younger players it would be this way and now it's 2-2
Arash Markazi ESPN Los Angeles April 22, 2010

"This is was what I hoped for," Samuelsson said. "This is what I wanted. I wanted to play a bigger role. I really liked it in Detroit, but I got stuck a little bit there and I thought I could do bigger things and I still think that."

He has proven his worth so far, on and off the ice for a Vancouver team, which may have more playoff experience on the roster than the Kings but only has one player in Samuelsson who knows what it feels like to hold the Stanley Cup.

"He's been unbelievable for us and that's what we need," Henrik said about Samuelsson. "He's been there every game for us. It's been fun to play with him. He's really calm out there. He makes the plays that we need and he's really patient and if things don't go right he stays with it and that's what we need."

While the stat sheet will show Samuelson's impact on the ice, his ability to relax the Sedins and his teammates may be just as important. This is a team that would have almost certainly fallen behind 3-1 in a similar situation last year but stuck with its game plan and battled back to get the win this year.

"You have to approach it as a game," Samuelsson said. "If you want to get deep it's like if you're watching a movie. Last night I was watching a war movie. I can get into it, but you have to understand it's only a movie and this is only a game. It means a lot obviously, but you have to take it for what it is and separate yourself from it. I'm pretty easy going like that. I just try to stay calm."

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Senators must keep Anton Volchenkov

2010-04-22T09:36:00.005-04:00

THN.com Blog: Senators must keep Anton Volchenkov
Ken Campbell The Hockey News Blog April 21, 2010

Regardless of how the Ottawa Senators’ first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins ultimately turns out, the team has some pressing concerns that need to be addressed, all of which relate to payroll.

It’s no surprise the Senators are in a salary cap crunch, given the fact they have 10 NHL-caliber forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders under contract for next season. There are a lot of teams in the NHL that would kill to have the Senators’ cap woes.

Assuming the cap stays about the same – initial reports are that it should go up by about $800,000 to $57.6 million next season – the Senators will have a cushion somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.5 million going into the summer.

All of which looks great, but you have to remember that’s predicated on the assumption ownership will be willing to continue to eat Jonathan Cheechoo’s $3 million salary by keeping him in the minors next season. And when you consider they have to sign or replace restricted free agents Nick Foligno, Peter Regin, Jesse Winchester and Chris Campoli – and a huge unrestricted free agent in Anton Volchenkov – that cap space will evaporate in a hurry.

The most important of the signings is Volchenkov, given that the others are restricted and have far fewer options than the Senators’ best defensive and shot-blocking defenseman. There is little doubt Volchenkov will be looking for a substantial raise on his $2.5 million cap hit (he actually made $3.2 million in real money this past season) and a long-term deal that will include a no-movement clause and make him the Senators’ top-paid defenseman.

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Rinne Dominates in Net as Preds Beat The Blackhawks 4-1

2010-04-21T10:22:00.003-04:00

The Nashville Predators have their first 2-1 lead ever in an opening-round series. It's only fitting the first player they ever drafted played a key role....

Pekka Rinne stopped 26 shots and has allowed only two even-strength goals. Joel Ward and Shea Weber also scored for Nashville, and Martin Erat scored on a penalty shot late. The Predators more than made up for the absence of top goal-scorer Patric Hornqvist, scratched for a second straight game with an injury.

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Ilya Kovalchuk finds game

2010-04-21T10:17:00.003-04:00

The Bergen Record April 21, 2010

Ilya Kovalchuk’s adjustment to playoff hockey took a significant turn for the better Wednesday night, though the Devils may have precious little time to enjoy his improved play...

"I felt good all four games," Kovalchuk said. "Sometimes, my [linemates] are in a better position and I have to pass it to them. Sometimes I get good passes from the guys and I take a shot. Again, tonight [Brian Boucher] made some big saves for them at the right time. But we all know we have to do better."

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Sammuelsson Helps Canucks Take Series Lead Over LA

2010-04-20T09:56:00.004-04:00

Kings down Canucks, take series lead
Sports News Radio April 19, 2010

Michal Handzus scored two power-play goals and added an assist to help Los Angeles defeat the Canucks, 5-3, in Game 3 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at Staples Center.

The clubs split two overtime games in Vancouver, with Los Angeles dropping the opener, 3-2, before overcoming a two-goal first-period deficit to take Game 2 by the same score on Anze Kopitar’s winner.

Drew Doughty registered a goal and three assists for the sixth-seeded Kings, who hosted their first playoff game since April 27, 2002.

Ryan Smyth and Brad Richardson also tallied for Los Angeles, while Jonathan Quick made 25 saves on 28 shots.

Mikael Samuelsson, Daniel Sedin and Mason Raymond each had a goal for the Northwest Division champion Canucks, who were dealt an embarrassing 8-3 loss in their last visit to Los Angeles on April 1.

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Fortunus, Lindgren & Sawada put the Stars up 2-0 against Rockford

2010-04-20T09:52:00.001-04:00

Texas Hockey Expert April 19, 2010

Another great defensive showing plus goals by Sawada, Fortunus and Lindgren, along with 2 assists from Colton Sceviour have put the Texas Stars up 2-0 and have them half way to winning the team's first ever Playoff Series as the Series will shift to Rockford, Illinois for Games 3, 4 & 5 coming up this week.

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Predators’ Rinne proves tough to solve

2010-04-20T09:48:00.002-04:00

Predators’ Rinne proves tough to solve
He’s in position to fulfill one of the most time-worn postseason roles: the hot goalie that steals a series
Brian Hamilton Chicago Tribune April 19, 2010

From the gridlock in front of the net, the puck scooted to Marian Hossa on the right side of the crease. Nothing but chilled air separated the Blackhawks sniper from a score and some breathing room in Game 2 against the Predators on Sunday.

Then Pekka Rinne vaulted his 6-foot-5 body into that space, the series' other playoff-untested goalie from Finland lunging horizontally and consuming the lane in an instant. Rinne's body swallowed Hossa's shot. The Hawks winger dropped his shoulders, tilted his head back and looked skyward in exasperation.

A golden chance to build on a one-goal lead, bust open a must-win game and perhaps subvert the confidence of a playoff rookie? Finnished.

"There were some pretty remarkable saves there at the end of the regular season where I'm not quite sure how he kept it out," Predators center Jerred Smithson said. "But he did."

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Kovalchuk hits, scores -- and wins

2010-04-17T13:14:00.000-04:00

Please excuse Ilya Kovalchuk if his emotions sometimes get in the way of his spectacular moves and blistering shot.

"I'm an emotional guy and I should stay away from some of that stuff in front of the net, but you have to play tough so sometimes things happen out there," Kovalchuk said.

Players and fans of the New Jersey Devils saw another side of their prized midseason acquisition on Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Round at Prudential Center.

Kovalchuk not only produced an empty-net goal, a pair of assists and a plus-2 rating, he also took a game-high six minutes in penalties on the way to earning his first Stanley Cup Playoff victory in six career games.

"It's nice," Kovalchuk said of leaving a playoff game as a winner for the first time. "That's what the playoffs are about. I knew I was going to win at some point. When we come to the rink tonight, we had no doubt in our minds we were going to win. We battled hard; we were down a goal twice and came back to win. It was great teamwork and everyone battled so hard and Marty (Brodeur) made unbelievable save in the third period and (Dainius Zubrus) scored a great goal.

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Preds win battle of Finnish goaltenders

2010-04-17T13:12:00.002-04:00

CHICAGO -- Patrick Sharp couldn't believe his luck when he grabbed a turnover at the Nashville blue line in the first period of Friday's playoff opener between the Predators and Chicago Blackhawks.

It was the end of a shift, but Sharp took the puck and bolted for the net. Waiting there was Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne. It looked like Sharp had an opening -- but Rinne made the save of the night by poke-checking the puck harmlessly to the corner as Sharp went to shoot.

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Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk: I was too emotional in Game 1 vs. Flyers

2010-04-16T12:30:00.003-04:00

It was evident in the Devils' dressing room before Game 1 of their playoff series against the Flyers.
Ilya Kovalchuk was not exactly himself.
"He hasn't been in the playoffs that much. With that first game it's just good to get back into it," Dainius Zubrus said. "He had a lot of emotions going on."
Kovalchuk, who has only played in one other playoff series, did not deny that he may have been too fired-up in Game 1 Wednesday night.
"I felt very good physically. Maybe I was a little too emotional, so I overplayed on some plays," Kovalchuk said this morning. "You just have to try your best all the time and good things will happen."

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Classic Video: Mikael Samuelsson Game Winner vs. LA Kings 4-15-2010

2010-04-16T09:48:00.003-04:00

Playoffs: Mikael Samuelsson Scores in OT vs Kings Apr. 15/10
VanCity12 Youtube.com

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Samuelsson Receives 1st Star Honors from Yahoo! Sports Puck Daddy

2010-04-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

Thursday's Three Stars: Samuelsson, Plekanec OT heroes
Sean Leahy Puck Daddy Yahoo! Sports April 16, 2010

No. 1 star: Mikael Samuelsson, Vancouver Canucks

The final game of the night needed an extra period to decide things and at 8:52 of overtime, Mikael Samuelsson's shot beat Los Angeles' Jonathan Quick(notes) for his second goal of the night as Vancouver took Game 1 3-2. The Sedins continued leaving their imprint on the Canucks' offense with Daniel adding a goal and an assist and Henrik recording two helpers of his own.

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Shirokov and Moose Ready To Rumble Against Hamilton Bulldogs

2010-04-16T09:29:00.002-04:00

Antler Banter: Volume 24
Hockey Blog In Canada April 15, 2010

The AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs start this evening, and the Moose will be in Hamilton, Ontario to battle the North Division Champion Hamilton Bulldogs. These two teams battled to even 4-3-1 records this season, proving that there wasn't a lot of difference between the teams in the North Division. The familiarity also breeds contempt as the Bulldogs and Moose had moments of hand-to-hand combat this past season. We'll take a look at how these two teams match-up in this series, and what will be the keys to victory for the Moose....

Sergei Shirokov was Manitoba's most dangerous scorer against Hamilton, recording three goals and four assists. Evan Oberg and Marco Rosa recorded two goals and four assists each. A total of 22 Moose players recorded one point in the eight games against Hamilton.

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Samuelsson nets winner in overtime as Vancouver slips past L.A.

2010-04-16T09:26:00.002-04:00

Canucks work overtime to get 1-0 jump on Kings: Samuelsson nets winner in overtime as Vancouver slips past L.A.
Canwest News Service April 16, 2010

The Vancouver Canucks had to work overtime to do so, but they struck first in their NHL Western Conference quarter-final series with the Los Angeles Kings.

Mikael Samuelsson scored his second of the night at 8:52 overtime to give the Canucks a 3-2 win Thursday before a towel-waving crowd at General Motors Place.

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Ilya Kovalchuk and Devils Will Bring "A Game" Tonight

2010-04-16T09:06:00.002-04:00

Devils rather calm despite Game 1 loss to Flyers
Associated Press April 16, 2010

Ilya Kovalchuk, who probably was the Devils’ best player in the game, took a simple approach. He wants the Devils to shoot more, especially on the power play.

The Russian also knows the Devils can’t lose the opening two games at home.

“We just have to bring our A-game, our double A game,” Kovalchuk said. “We have to bring a lot of energy and be focused right from the first second.”

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Volchenkov and Phillips Proving Early On To Be Crosby's Kryptonite

2010-04-15T11:23:00.003-04:00

Senators’ duo stymies Sidney in opener
Adam Kimelman NHL.com April 14, 2010

It's no surprise, then, that the Ottawa Senators made slowing the Penguins' captain a large part of their strategy going into the start of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.

The shock was that they were able to accomplish their goal. Every team goes into games against the Penguins looking to slow down Crosby -- but the stats show how tough a task that is.

Led by defensemen Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips, the Senators held Crosby without a shot until 6:17 was left in the game. Crosby had 3 assists, but only one came at even-strength.

"That was the plan, to shut Crosby down," Volchenkov told NHL.com. "Every time Crosby jumped on the ice, it was a quick change and me and Philly (Phillips) jumped on."

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Countrymen Rinne, Niemi reach first NHL playoffs

2010-04-14T10:19:00.002-04:00

Rick Gano The Canadian Press April 14, 2010

Nashville's Pekka Rinne and Chicago's Antti Niemi share a homeland. On Friday night, the two Finnish goaltenders will have something else in common when they make their debuts in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The six-foot-five Rinne went 32-16-5 this season and hopes to use his big frame to block the net for the seventh-seeded Predators.

Niemi, a 26-year-old rookie, took over late in the season as the Blackhawks' top goalie, starting the final nine games. He had a six-game winning streak before Chicago lost in overtime to Detroit in the season finale Sunday, knocking the Blackhawks into the second slot in the Western Conference.

With goaltending one of the biggest questions for the talented Blackhawks this season, Niemi supplanted Cristobal Huet as the starter and finished the season 26-7-4.

Niemi and Rinne each had seven shutouts.

"Both teams got young goalies and the comparisons are pretty accurate, very similar in a lot of ways," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said.

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Samuelsson brings the ring-thing factor to the Canucks

2010-04-14T10:16:00.003-04:00

Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun April 14, 2010

There aren't many Stanley Cup rings in the Vancouver Canucks' dressing room and, given the team's history of never winning one, obviously the jewelry has been captured elsewhere and been imported.

Mikael Samuelsson won his ring two years ago while a member of the Detroit Red Wings and then reached the final again last season before the Wings fell in seven to Sid Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins.

So Samuelsson has been there, he's done that and wants to do it again with his new team. The right-winger, 33, signed a three-year deal with the Canucks last summer, in part because they were seeking his playoff experience and savvy. Samuelsson has played 69 post-season games, all of them since 2005-06.

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Kovalchuk Prepared To Perform In The Playoffs

2010-04-14T10:05:00.006-04:00

Ilya Kovalchuk gets shot at performing under pressure as New Jersey Devils face Flyers in playoffs
Kristie Ackert New York Daily News April 14, 2010

Kovalchuk, who had five seasons with at least 41 goals (including two with career-best 52) for Atlanta, will try to win his first playoff game in his eighth NHL campaign.

"I am excited," said Kovalchuk, 26. "to play with guys who have won a (Stanley) Cup already and a lot of young guys like me who just want to win one.

"This is when you show who you really are as a player."

A lot of people are waiting to see what kind of player Kovalchuk is when he is under playoff pressure. Even though Kovalchuk struggled in his first playoff appearance, a four-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers in 2007, the Devils felt the change of scenery would do Kovalchuk well.

With the window of opportunity to win Stanley Cups on the back of 37-year-old future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur closing, the Devils gambled that Kovalchuk's offense would put them over the top. With Kovalchuk set to become a free agent on July 1, many general managers will be watching, willing to throw millions his way if he comes through for the Devils.

In the 2007 playoffs, Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist but was so frustrated by the Rangers, he dropped his gloves and attempted to fight Sean Avery.

"I don't like to think what happened before, but I was only (23) years old, there is a big difference," said Kovalchuk, the first pick of the 2001 draft. "I am more mature, I have played more games, I have played World Championships. I have played Olympics. So I know now what it is to win the big games."

According to Kovalchuk, no game is bigger than tonight's as the Devils attempt to set the tone for the playoffs. Kovalchuk is determined to come through in the clutch.

"You want to be the winner, don't want to be the loser," Kovalchuk said. "Always being done by middle of April, it was not fun. Winning the World Championships, it's good. but all the best players were still here and that's where the real good hockey is."

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