Hockey Today - June 5
Tue, Jun 5, 2007
By Associated Press
SCOREBOARD Tuesday, June 5
No games scheduled.
STAR Monday
-Andy McDonald, Ducks, had two goals and an assist to lead Anaheim to a 3-2 victory over Ottawa and a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup finals.
SITTING OUT
Ottawa forward Dean McAmmond, knocked out in the third period of Saturday night's 5-3 victory over Anaheim when Chris Pronger flattened him with a straight elbow, was scratched from Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday night. The Ducks won 3-2 to take a 3-1 series lead.
GOOD SIGN
Anaheim is 7-0 in clinching games, including 3-0 this year, and 5-0 in the finals at home. The Ducks will attempt to win their first Stanley Cup with a Game 5 victory Wednesday against Ottawa.
TIGHT
Anaheim's 3-2 victory over Ottawa in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday night was its 12th one-goal win of the postseason, tying the NHL mark.
SWINGS
Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson, playing in his 98th consecutive playoff contest with the Senators, scored for the second straight game Monday night - his NHL-leading 12th of the playoffs - after being blanked twice in Anaheim. The goal, with less than a second left in the first period, wasn't enough as the Ducks won 3-2 to move within one victory of their first championship.
SLOW START
Anaheim's two shots in the first tied the franchise low for a playoff period, set in the second period of Game 2 of the 2003 finals in New Jersey. The Ducks beat Ottawa 3-2 to take a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.
DOING FINE
Anaheim is 8-7-3 without defenseman Chris Pronger, including 2-0 in the playoffs after suspensions, following Monday night's 3-2 victory over Ottawa that moved the Ducks within one victory of their first championship.
TUNING OUT
Ottawa's 5-3 victory over Anaheim in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday night received a 1.5 overnight rating and a 3 share on NBC, down 12 percent from the 1.7/3 for Edmonton's 2-1 win over Carolina in Game 3 last year.
COMING BACK
Vancouver re-signed forward Taylor Pyatt to a two-year, $3 million contract Monday. Pyatt, 25, set career highs with 23 goals and 37 points in 76 games while making $700,000 last season and could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
SPEAKING
''You can probably figure out what I thought. I wasn't happy. No need to get hit with a puck at that point. I'm not going to say anything more.'' - Anaheim defenseman and captain Scott Niedermayer after being hit by a shot from Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson in the final seconds of the second period Monday night. The Ducks won 3-2 to give them a chance to clinch the Stanley Cup with one more victory.
Canucks re-sign forward Taylor Pyatt
Mon, Jun 4, 2007
By Associated Press
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Vancouver Canucks re-signed forward Taylor Pyatt to a two-year, $3 million contract on Monday.
The 25-year-old Pyatt set career highs with 23 goals and 37 points in 76 games while making $700,000 last season and could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Acquired from Buffalo last summer for a fourth-round draft pick, Pyatt benefited from playing large parts of the season on the Canucks' top line with twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound wing also scored two goals in the playoffs, including an overtime winner in the first round against Dallas, and added two assists in 12 postseason games.
Pyatt, originally a first-round draft pick by the New York Islanders in 1999, has 65 goals, 135 points and 212 penalty minutes in 384 career NHL games.
Blackhawks sign defenseman Magnus Johansson
Mon, Jun 4, 2007
By Associated Press
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks signed defenseman Magnus Johansson, a veteran of the Swedish Elite League.
The 33-year-old Johansson appeared in 52 games for Linkoping HC, scoring eight goals and getting 28 assists. In nine seasons in the Swedish league, Johansson has played for Vastra Frolunda HC Gotebo and Linkoping HC, appearing in 440 games, with 86 goals, 167 assists and 226 penalty minutes.
He also played in 54 playoff games, getting 10 goals and 11 assists.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Johansson also played one season for Langnau in the Swiss Elite League in 2003-2004.
Also Monday, the Blackhawks signed centers Petri Kontiola and Adam Hobson to three-year entry level contracts. Kontiola, 22, was selected in the seventh round of the 2004 draft. Hobson was selected by the Blackhawks in the seventh round of the 2005 draft.
Sabres Regier confident he'll be back
June 4, 2007
OTTAWA (AP) -Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier is confident he'll return with coach Lindy Ruff next season. Co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere are less certain about their future.
``Both of us expect to be back,'' Regier said Monday, referring to himself and Ruff, whose contracts expired after this season. ``There's been work that's been positive, and I don't expect any changes going forward. We'll get there at some point.''
Briere and Drury are eligible to become unrestricted free agents July 1.
Regier said he hasn't had any talks with either player, but he expects the process to begin as early as next week.
``We'll get through this week,'' Regier said, noting he and team executives are still conducting a season analysis after the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs by Ottawa in Game 5 the Eastern Conference finals.
``I think it's really important for us to sit down - and we've started to and we'll finish this week - and analyze everything from start to finish and then move from there,'' he said.
Regier, who has not made himself available since the Sabres were eliminated, spoke at the NHL general managers meeting ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals between Ottawa and Anaheim.
Regier said he felt it was important not to say anything immediately after the playoffs so everyone with the team time to digest a disappointing ending after the Presidents' Trophy winners failed to reach the Cup finals.
``I think it was more of just allowing things to settle out,'' Regier said. ``If you're going to do it right, you need to take time to let things settle in place and really just work from there.''
His lack of availability led to speculation of whether Regier, who completed his 11th year in Buffalo, and Ruff, the team's winningest coach, would leave.
Regier confirmed that the Sabres will work on a budget that will be below the NHL's salary cap, which is projected to rise to about $48 million and mark a $4 million increase over last year.
The Sabres' payroll was at the $44 million cap - ballooning by $15 million - after they made a determined effort to keep intact the core of the team that reached the East finals last season.
``I think we'll still have a very workable budget and a very good hockey team,'' Regier said.
Fitting Briere and Drury in that budget remains a big question.
Drury set career highs with 37 goals and 69 points and is expected to receive a considerable raise above the $3.15 million he made last year.
Briere, who scored a team-leading and career-high 95 points, is also expected to earn a raise above the one-year $5 million contract he earned in salary arbitration.
Briere's agent Pat Brisson said he's not had any discussions with Buffalo, but is open to negotiations.
Drury has traveled to his offseason home in southern California.
Forwards Dainius Zubrus and Adam Mair, defenseman Teppo Numminen and backup goalie Ty Conklin are also eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.
The Sabres must also make room to re-sign forward Thomas Vanek, who scored a team-leading 43 goals. Buffalo can retain Vanek's rights by offering him a tendered contract, although the forward is eligible for arbitration.