Carolina Hurricanes Kings hold off Hurricanes 3-1 for 4th straight win

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1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks Ducks mum on trade-deadline intentions Ducks show their physical side Ducks sign rugged right wing Tim Jackman to contract extension Boston Bruins Ovechkin's 2 goals lift Caps to 4-2 win Bruins don t keep tabs on Alexander Ovechkin Bruins start stretch run with sloppy games Bruins, Tuukka Rask fall, 4-2, to the Capitals Tuukka Rask to start against Capitals This time, Ovechkin has Rask s number Tasty vintage of Merlot vs. Caps Tuukka s at Ovi s mercy No excuse for effort Bruins aim to shake off Olympic rust Buffalo Sabres Reports: Sabres front office discord could involve LaFontaine A life-changing day for Ryan Vinz Ryan Miller central: A look back and everything on the trade Vinz gets his 60 minutes of fame Players still trying to process trade of Miller, Ott Top line for March John Vogl s Inside the NHL: Top Miller moment a misunderstanding Dysfunction returns to the Sabres front office The latest on LaFontaine: Power struggle or simple second thoughts? As LaFontaine leaves, a look back at his November return Calgary Flames Flames try out line combo of Granlund, Monahan, and Colborne vs. Edmonton Calgary Flames take on fellow basement dwellers Edmonton Oilers Calgary Flames rookie Sean Monahan money in OT Johnny be Great Flames snapshots -- Flames ice intriguing young trio of Monahan, Colborne and Granlund Carolina Hurricanes Kings hold off Hurricanes 3-1 for 4th straight win Chicago Blackhawks Blackhawks best Penguins 5-1 at Soldier Field Upper body injury takes out Marian Hossa Hockey like it oughta be Players and fans soldier on Bowman: Blackhawks not seeking trades before deadline Blackhawks rout Pens 5-1 at snowy Soldier Field Stadium Series game: Cool duty for old Soldier Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman not focused on trade deadline Hawks at Soldier Field truly an awesome spectacle Sharp gets party going Once again, Toews upstages Crosby Hawks win in best setting you could ever want Hawks in no hurry to react to Blues blockbuster trade Blackhawks beat Pittsburgh 5-1 at Soldier Field Hawks fans drink in outdoor game's special atmosphere Kris Versteeg hits new milestone at Stadium Series game Blackhawks: Toews finishes off Penguins with second goal Bickell gets on the board with third period goal NHL 3/2/2014 DAILY BRIEF Blackhawks cont'd Blackhawks get hot at snowy Soldier Field, beat Penguins Kris Versteeg scores outdoors... again Jonathan Toews with some fancy moves for Soldier Field goal Hossa injured in first period of Blackhawks' outdoor game Patrick Sharp strikes first for Blackhawks at Soldier Field Bowman says Blackhawks likely to stay put at deadline Colorado Avalanche Paul Stastny, Avs could part ways if new deal not done by Wednesday Avs Erik Johnson set to return vs. TB Lightning, George Gwozdecky Dater: World Cup-type tourney would make more cents Columbus Blue Jackets NHL: Blue Jackets stop the bleeding with win over Panthers Michael Arace commentary: Blue Jackets now facing 23-game stress test NHL: Short-handed goals concern Blue Jackets Blue Jackets notebook: It didn t take too long for Marian Gaborik to get up to speed Blue Jackets too much for Panthers Wisniewski says Blue Jackets have to find their rhythm now Special teams key in Blue Jackets' victory over Florida Takeaways from the Blue Jackets' 6-3 win over Florida Dallas Stars Lightning pounce early; Stars launch offensive assault but can't find back of net Stars' floundering power play fails again against Tampa Bay Brenden Dillon sits out Lightning game with injury Lightning fast start too much for Stars Detroit Red Wings Helene St. James: As trade deadline looms, blockbuster deal unlikely for Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings great Nicklas Lidstrom's legacy, No. 5 jersey will be remembered forever Ilitches to get all revenues from new publicly financed Red Wings arena Red Wings' Johan Franzen: Fighting 'not a part of the game' Five for No. 5: A look back at Detroit Red Wings great Nicklas Lidstrom's career The Stevies: The Red Wings, Sochi Olympics and more NHL roundup: Alex Ovechkin powers Capitals past Bruins; Jaromir Jagr nets 700th Johan Franzen dismisses Chris Neil's challenge; he stinks at hockey, Red Wing says Red Wings' Stephen Weiss, Jakub Kindl appear ready to return but must earn a spot in lineup Red Wings' Johan Franzen won't be goaded to fight: 'It's like asking (Chris Neil) to get hockey sense and good Analysis: Two-way center Ryan Kesler would be a good fit with Red Wings, but cost might be too high War of words continue bewteen Johan Franzen, Chris Neil Edmonton Oilers Goal drought marks Edmonton Oilers game against Calgary Flames Flames topple Oilers in overtime Edmonton Oilers lose to Calgary Flames in overtime

2 Florida Panthers BOYES STAYING?: Florida's Leading Scorer Says He Wants to Remain with Panthers, Agent Talking with Tallon RUN OVER IN C-BUS: Panthers 'Special' Teams Don't Do Much in 6-3 Loss to Blue Jackets Special teams burn Florida Panthers in loss to Blue Jackets Panthers pitiful special teams lead to 6-3 loss to Blue Jackets Los Angeles Kings Kings defeat Hurricanes, 3-1, for third win since break Kings showing some post-olympic mettle Kings grind out another victory, their third since end of Olympic break Minnesota Wild Wild's Granlund has memories of Sochi to savor with Selanne Russo: Wild signs Brassart, close to signing Gabriel Minnesota Wild: With Darcy Kuemper shining, need for another goalie is weighed Montreal Canadiens Habs earn all-important second point with overtime win over Leafs In the Room: Budaj filling in nicely for injured Price Habs wake up to beat Leafs in OT About last night Nashville Predators Predators take playoff chase punch from Jets in 3-1 loss Nashville Predators' Rich Clune perseveres to play in 100th game in NHL New Jersey Devils Jaromir Jagr Gets 700th Goal, and Devils Rout the Islanders Devils' Jagr Becomes 7th NHL Player With 700 Goals Devils' studs and duds: For Jaromir Jagr and Martin Brodeur, it's like old times Jaromir Jagr not overly excited about 700th, but other Devils sure are Jaromir Jagr says if Devils want to trade him, he'll have some influence Jaromir Jagr scores 700th goal in Devils' 6-1 rout of Islanders while Martin Brodeur wonders if he'll be trade Devils' Lou Lamoriello on emotions of trade deadline: 'Well, we're all human' Devils' captain Bryce Salvador won't play vs. Islanders; Anton Volchenkov in NHL trade deadline: Jaromir Jagr says, 'I'm not going anywhere' Salvador to sit out for Devils today with bruised collarbone; Tavares-less Isles won t be easy prey Devils' Brodeur could be on way out Gulitti: Last time in Devils' net? It's Brodeur's call Jaromir Jagr scores goal No. 700 as Devils beat Isles, Devils' Jagr sets new goal: Scoring No Clowe looking forward to facing former Sharks teammates for first time; Devils offense suddenly hot Brodeur enjoys getting back in Devils net, but wonders if it was last time; Wild express interest After scoring 700th goal in Devils 6-1 win over Isles Jagr now aiming for Jagr, Marty star in possible finale New York Islanders Jaromir Jagr Gets 700th Goal, and Devils Rout the Islanders Jagr, Marty star in possible finale Islanders routed by Devils as Jaromir Jagr reaches milestone Islanders' penalty kill dooms them Blues now an unlikely Islanders' trade partner New York Rangers Rangers Rally From Two-Goal Deficit, Then Go Cold in Loss to Flyers Flyers edge closer to the Rangers with a 4-2 win over Henrik Lundqvist and the Blueshirts Alain Vigneault 'confident' and 'optimistic' Rangers will re-sign Ryan Callahan; Derek Dorsett replaces Dom Mo Slow-footed Rangers fall flat in loss to Flyers Girardi glad to be with Rangers for the long haul Now it s up to Callahan to strike deal Dorsett in for Moore; AV confident Cally re-signs Lundqvist gets start today in Philadelphia Flyers 4, Rangers 2: Wrapping up Rangers notes: Derek Dorsett back in lineup Rangers suffer rare road loss, 4-2, to Flyers Flyers outmuscle Rangers in Philly Derek Dorsett returns to lineup for Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault 'very confident' that Rangers, Ryan Callahan can agree to a deal More post-game quotes from Philly: Callahan, Lundqvist Ottawa Senators Picturesque venue won t stop Ottawa Senators from keeping focused on an important two points Ottawa Sens might want to hire a meteorologist to prepare for outdoor action Ottawa Senators veteran Chris Phillips needs to make a decision Philadelphia Flyers Flyers rebound to defeat Rangers, Some trade rumors include the Flyers Another bounce-back character victory Flyers rebound with win over Rangers McCaffery: Simmonds showing why he can be an elite player Lecavalier helps Flyers take control over Rangers Parent: Any Flyers trade should start with blue line Rinaldo, Carcillo frequent sin bin in Flyers' win Mason outduels Lundqvist as Flyers top Rangers Flyers use first-period surge to beat Rangers FLYERS NOTES: Goalie Mason finding support during stretch run ISAAC: Flyers need help on defense, now Flyers top Rangers, gain some ground Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix Coyotes hope to overachieve in fight for final playoff spots Elite offense still a missing ingredient for Coyotes Elite offensive talent still a missing ingredient for Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins stumble to loss at snowy Soldier Field Penguins notebook: Blackhawks' penalty kill their Achilles' heel Penguins' Malkin crashing net like no other Bettman: Fighting an 'overblown' issue Penguins minor league notebook: Physical winger Payerl making up for lost time Penguins identify Canucks' Kesler as top trade target Weather, travel don't deter Penguins fans from attending Stadium Series game On the Penguins: Inside the numbers places, points and ties Successful formula works for Penguins, Blackhawks Blackhawks outshine Penguins, 5-1

3 San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks' players well aware of looming trade deadline St Louis Blues Hockey Guy: Miller trade earns rave reviews Miller is looking forward to a new era with Blues Blues move all-in with Miller deal Blues-Coyotes matchup box Time to win is now for Blues, who go all-in on Miller Tampa Bay Lightning St. Louis scores twice again, leads Bolts over Dallas Bolts Notebook: St. Louis excels amid distractions Bolts Beat: No denying strain St. Louis rumors have caused Preview: Lightning-Avalanche Lightning Nuts and Bolts Lightning tops Stars Lightning has little incentive to trade Marty St. Louis Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leafs call up Peter Holland to face Canadiens Leafs penthouse-doghouse: JVR shines, Gardiner struggles Leafs drop second straight OT decision, losing 4-3 in Montreal Coach's Corner: Don Cherry says NHLers won't be at next Winter Olympics Leafs call up Peter Holland Maple Leafs' lack of depth up front could be a problem going forward Maple Leafs fall to Habs in OT Montreal Canadiens seek crucial two points against Toronto Maple Leafs as playoff race continues Montreal Canadiens defeat Toronto Maple Leafs on Max Pacioretty s overtime winner Vancouver Canucks Lack expected to start ahead of Luongo in Heritage Classic Willes: Canucks at a crossroads, and that Kesler trade could be a make-or-break moment in relationship with fa Wet-coaster Kyle Turris excited for outdoor game Lack starting Heritage game is a tone deaf call Canucks on the precipice with Heritage Classic date looming vs. Senators Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin records his 800th career point; Oates: That s not a milestone Expectations for Evgeny Kuznetsov should be tempered, whenever he arrives with Capitals Five thoughts on the Capitals 4-2 win in Boston Alex Ovechkin scores 2 more as Caps handle Bruins Ovechkin s 2 goals lift Caps to 4-2 win Websites ESPN / Re-signing Miller will trigger pick change USA TODAY / Blackhawks roll past Penguins in snowy Soldier Field USA TODAY / Pat LaFontaine resigns from position with Sabres Winnipeg Jets Jets beat Predators For Jets' penalty kill, it's a case of practice makes perfect Can you say 'playoffs?' Jets earn separation in standings with big win over Predators SPORT-SCAN, INC

4 Anaheim Ducks Ducks mum on trade-deadline intentions NHL-leading Anaheim has depth to make a deal ahead of Wednesday's deadline and a quality acquisition could improve its chance at a Stanley Cup. By Lance Pugmire 3:48 PM PST, March 1, 2014 Owning the NHL's best record, the Ducks aren't feeling the pressure of Wednesday's trading deadline like others trying to get in the playoffs, climb toward Anaheim's lofty perch or rid themselves of a pending free agent. Yet, a final piece that could help clinch home-ice advantage through the Western Conference playoffs and further improve their chance at a Stanley Cup might be out there, and the Ducks are equipped with the depth to deal. Whether it be one more shutdown defenseman, an elite scoring forward or another center, Anaheim owns two first-round and two second-round picks in this year's draft, and a wealth of goaltending depth such as Viktor Fasth with young forwards who might also emerge as bargaining chips. Ducks General Manager Bob Murray isn't going to tip his hand right now, and Coach Bruce Boudreau said, "Don't even go there," when asked whether he has a hunch whether the Ducks will act. "It's up to Bob to assess, but we match up good with most teams," Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said after scoring the only goal in the Ducks' 1-0 victory over their nearest conference pursuer, St. Louis, Friday night at Honda Center. "We play a good team game, with good depth from the young guys who've been brought up through the system. Either way, we'll be prepared and push on no matter what happens." St. Louis fired a shot across the bow earlier Friday by acquiring standout goalie Ryan Miller from the Buffalo Sabres. Although the depth of the Ducks' roster is impressive with many producing career years, another quality player to complement 60-point stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry would add an exclamation point to the postseason plans. "It's the start of an exciting five days," Boudreau said. Tampa Bay wing Martin St. Louis, New York Rangers wing Ryan Callahan, New York Islanders wing Thomas Vanek, Buffalo wing Matt Moulson and others are reportedly available for the right price. Boudreau said he's "excited" about Wednesday morning, when he'll find out whether he has another weapon or whether he's staying the course with the league's best team through the first week of March. Once in a lifetime Jeff Tyni was on his way to his part-time job as Ducks clubhouse attendant Friday afternoon when a telephone call came: Could he instead serve as the St. Louis Blues' backup goalie? Tyni, 30, who played college hockey for Cal State Fullerton at venues such as The Rinks in Anaheim while continuing to play in a recreational league, jumped at the chance set up by Jaroslav Halak's trade to Buffalo for Miller. "Best job on earth, right?" Tyni said late Friday after St. Louis starter Brian Elliott remained in net all game, leaving Tyni to cherish the bench time and ask for autographs from his short-time "teammates." "Too bad it never lasts," he said. Was he dreading the call to play, or pleading inside for the chance? "You do this because you want to play," Tyni said. "If you're given the opportunity, take it to the next level." Jackman extended The Ducks awarded tough forward Tim Jackman with a one-year contract extension through the season for $637,500 on Saturday. Jackman, with two goals and an assist, has 89 penalty minutes in 30 games. No fear Ducks forward Matt Beleskey not only used his body to contribute three of the Ducks' 27 blocked shots Friday, but also he blew off the idea of using a face shield earlier in the day as teammates fired shots toward him in the "tip drill" to close the morning skate. "I trust them not to hit me in the face," Beleskey said after further proving his comfort by deflecting at least half of the blasts into the net. "I always try to get in front of the net, especially on the power play." Beleskey said he's learned the key is "keeping your eye on the puck," and said Perry is the best on the team at it. TODAY VS. CAROLINA When: 5 p.m. PST. On the Air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Etc.: By claiming his 300th career win Friday in just 496 games, Boudreau reached the landmark faster than any NHL coach in history, better than Montreal's Toe Blake (525 games), former Ducks coach Mike Babcock (526) and Edmonton's Glen Sather (528). The Hurricanes lost to the Kings, 3-1, on Saturday for their fourth loss in a row. LA Times: LOADED:

5 Anaheim Ducks Ducks show their physical side By ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER Published: March 1, 2014 Updated: 10:37 p.m. ANAHEIM Extra ice bags were ordered up by the Ducks after Friday night s 1-0 willful win over St. Louis that showed this skilled team also has an abrasive side. It also showed the possibility they can win when they re not lighting up the scoreboard. The Ducks offered up a display of tough defensive play they can use as a reference point when the games soon start to become more meaningful. Defenseman Mark Fistric said the lack of sharpness with their passes wasn t surprising in their first game after the Olympic break, but added that our work ethic and our sacrifice made up for it. I thought we did a good job of everyone buying in and playing a physical game, Fistric said. We had a couple of our smaller forwards getting in on the forecheck and finishing guys. When you have all 20 guys buy in like that, it s definitely going to make for a lot better defensive night. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau called the battle between the Western Conference s top two teams a man s game and liked his team s willingness to get in front of shots. We had 27 blocks, Boudreau said. And if we re going to succeed defensively, we block shots. It s part of our protecting-our-house type thing. It s something we work on and preach about all the time. And then when the goalie sees the puck, he can stop it. It makes for a good game plan. The highlight of the Ducks effort was allowing just 18 shots to the Blues and making life difficult for their forwards, particularly with many battles against center David Backes in front of the net. I think the little things away from the puck that we got to take away from that game, defenseman Bryan Allen said. Blocking shots. Playing the body. Good positioning. Those are the things we got to build on and take from that game for sure. JACKMAN EXTENDED The Ducks re-signed right wing Tim Jackman to a one-year extension that ll pay him $637,500. Jackman, 32, has a goal and an assist in 20 games since coming in a trade with Calgary, but his rugged, physical play has been an asset against big lineups. I ve tried to find my role as being an energy guy and being responsible, Jackman said. Doing the little things that I can do every night for the team, like forecheck and skate and be physical. So I m just happy that they like my role and they like where I fit in. Orange County Register: LOADED:

6 Anaheim Ducks Ducks sign rugged right wing Tim Jackman to contract extension By Elliott Teaford, Daily Breeze Posted: 03/01/14, 7:27 PM PST Faceoff: 5 p.m. Sunday, Honda Center TV/Radio: Prime / 830-AM Update: The Ducks on Saturday signed right wing Tim Jackman to a one-season contract extension worth $637,500, a move that further solidified their roster for the future. The league-leading Ducks continue their five-game homestand following the Olympic break by playing host to the Hurricanes. They returned to action with a grinding 1-0 victory Friday over the No. 2 St. Louis Blues. Coach Bruce Boudreau played a more physical lineup that included Jackman against the rugged Blues. Boudreau planned to shift gears and go with a faster skating lineup against the Hurricanes that would include Jakob Silfverberg, who was scratched Friday. The Ducks are a franchise-best after 61 games. They also are , tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins for the league s best home record with 48 points. The Hurricanes are after Saturday s 3-1 loss to the Kings. LA Daily News: LOADED:

7 Boston Bruins Ovechkin's 2 goals lift Caps to 4-2 win By KEN POWTAK / Associated Press / March 1, 2014 BOSTON (AP) Alex Ovechkin looks as if he s ready to carry the Washington Capitals to one of the Eastern Conference s final playoff spots. Coming off a strong game two days earlier, Ovechkin collected his 800th career point and raised his league-leading total to 43 goals with a pair of power-play scores, leading the Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon. I think we re just playing more solid right now, said Ovechkin, who became the 150th player to collect 800 points. We don t have time to make mistakes. Every point right now is very important for us. Joel Ward and Eric Fehr also scored, and Braden Holtby made 36 saves for the Capitals, who won their fourth straight in their push for the playoffs. I think we were missing our swagger a little bit, Ward said of his team s play before the Olympic break. When our team plays with a little bit of cockiness we seem to get wins. We were missing that before the break. We re finding ways to win. The bottom line is we re winning games. Ovechkin had the go-ahead goal and two assists in a 5-4 win at Florida on Thursday. It s his first season of 40-plus goals since collecting 40-plus in his first five seasons from to The Capitals star winger even impressed Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask with his second goal. The second one it seemed like he was going short side and it just kind of knuckled in, Rask said, breaking into a slight smile to show how impressed he was with the shot. I was trying to ask him and he was kind of shaking his shoulders. It s funny when you see those. He was kind of leaning into it. It s like impossible to go the other way and it goes the other way. You re like, Come on, buddy.' Washington, which hosts Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, remained one point behind the Flyers for the conference s eighth and final playoff spot. Patrice Bergeron and Shawn Thornton had Boston s goals. Rask stopped 27 shots in his first start since winning the bronze medal with Finland at the Sochi Olympics. It was just the Bruins second regulation loss in their past 13 games (8-2-3). The Bruins lost 5-4 in overtime at Buffalo on Wednesday. We re getting caught cheating too much in the offensive side and it s ending up in the back of the net, Boston coach Claude Julien said. It s something we need to fix because we re giving up too many goals. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was disappointed how his team started out. For sure that wasn t our best game, he said. We could have done a number of things differently and better. We have to learn from games like this, especially against an opponent like this. The Capitals opened a 3-0 lead on second-period goals by Ovechkin and Ward. Similar to his first score of the game, Ovechkin one-timed a blistering shot over the right shoulder of Rask inside the far post from the left circle for his milestone point. Ward stole a puck near the blue line from defenseman Johnny Boychuk, broke in alone and shifted to his backhand before tucking a shot behind Rask for an unassisted score midway into the period. The Bruins cut it to 3-1 on Bergeron s power-play goal 41 seconds later when he snapped off a shot from the slot that beat Holtby inside the left post. Thornton s centering pass was inadvertently tipped past Holtby by defenseman Mike Green as he was skating hard to the net battling for position with Bruins forward Gregory Campbell at 17:32. The goal was originally credited to Campbell, but changed early in the third. But the Capitals made it 4-2 when Fehr scored on a clean breakaway midway into the third. He poked the puck into an open area near center ice from his own blue line, skated in on Rask and beat him between the pads. Holtby made a key pad save on Chris Kelly s breakaway bid while his team was on a power play with 3:06 to play. Washington led 1-0 after one on Ovechkin s first goal. He one-timed John Carlson s pass from the left circle inside the far post at 18:39. The Capitals held Boston to one shot on goal when they were short-handed for a full two minutes after Jay Beagle was called for holding and Tom Wilson high-sticking during the delayed penalty early in the first period. That was a big kill for us, Holtby said. I didn t know it was a 5-on-3 until I looked up on the faceoff. The guys made some big plays. I think one or two shots got through. NOTES: Capitals RW Martin Erat, who had to leave Thursday s game after injuring his left foot, tried to skate during pregame warmups but came off quickly and was not in the lineup.... Washington C Mikhail Grabovski was also out after re-injuring his left ankle Thursday.... It was the first of three meetings between the teams.... Nicklas Backstrom collected an assist on Ovechkin s first goal to pass Peter Bondra for seventh place on the club s all-time list with 354 assists.... It was the second game since the Olympic break for both teams.... Boston faces the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.... Washington s entered the game with the league s second-best power play. Boston Globe LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Bruins don t keep tabs on Alexander Ovechkin By Amalie Benjamin Globe Staff March 02, 2014 team that has not been very good to him in his career. He entered the game with a 3.42 career goals-against average and an.883 save percentage against them... The Bruins face the Rangers Sunday at Madison Square Garden, as they continue a run of three games in four days with the Panthers in town Tuesday. There s one number that bodes well for them. When the Bruins have faced three games in four days they have an record in the second game. Amalie Benjamin Boston Globe LOADED: The Bruins hadn t faced the Capitals this season, so maybe they were rusty on the rules for playing against Washington: Don t put the Capitals on the power play. And certainly don t leave Alexander Ovechkin alone if you do so. Unfortunately for the Bruins, the otherworldly Ovechkin beat them twice on the power play, once with 1:21 left in the first period, once at 2:24 of the second period, as Washington went on to win, 4-2, Saturday at TD Garden. The first score came when the Bruins left Ovechkin essentially undefended in the left circle, and he made them pay with a one-timer past Tuukka Rask. The second came on another shot from the left circle, this time off the rush, giving Ovechkin the 800th point of his NHL career. If he gets those one-timers with a half-empty net, you re pretty much going to score, Rask said. You have to recognize that he s out there and I don t think we did a very good job today with that. If you keep giving him those one-timers he s going to find the back of the net. The power plays came as a result of penalties to Chris Kelly, for interference, and Matt Bartkowski, for tripping. The Kelly penalty was drawn by Jason Chimera, with whom Kelly had engaged in some shoving. Then, with Kelly coming off the ice on a change, he pushed Chimera back against the boards by the Bruins bench, and was nabbed for the infraction. It was more us not doing what we said we were going to do, defenseman Zdeno Chara said, when asked if the power-play goals were more on the Bruins or the Capitals. So that s going to have to be addressed and for sure those kind of mistakes we have to eliminate and be more focused and be sharper. With the two power-play goals allowed, the Bruins fell to 12th in the NHL on the penalty kill, at 82.4 percent. I thought our guys got caught running around and that opened up the seams that we didn t want to open up, coach Claude Julien said. Those are our own mistakes. At the same time I didn t think we were disciplined enough to play against a team that has that kind of a power play. We took way too many penalties [six], and that didn t help, either. Effective tweaks The Bruins got their best effort from the Merlot line, a group that got almost all of the team s early offensive chances. They cashed in at 17:32 of the second period, closing the deficit to within one goal on a Shawn Thornton score. Thornton was able to steady a bouncing puck, then passed it in front of the goal where it at first seemed to bounce off an onrushing Gregory Campbell and past Braden Holtby. The goal, though, later was changed, given to Thornton after it bounced off a Washington defender. We had talked before the game, Thornton said. We weren t happy with where we were last game. I think we looked at some video, we chatted about what we could do to make ourselves a little bit more effective. We tried to work on those [today], and for most of our shifts I thought we did a pretty good job. Added Julien, They were good. I thought they played their better game. They seemed to be more in synch and play with lots of energy. Trading places Milan Lucic was paying attention Friday night, when Buffalo traded Ryan Miller and Steve Ott in the biggest move of the trade deadline season so far. Asked if he spends some time playing GM around the deadline, the hockey buff said, You see what s out there obviously rumors are rumors, you try not to pay too much attention to them [but] obviously when there s rumors swirling around your team about what the additions could be and stuff like that it s hard to ignore. I don t think I play GM, but at the end of the day you see it just like everybody else.... Rask allowed four goals to the Capitals, a

9 Boston Bruins Bruins start stretch run with sloppy games By Fluto Shinzawa Globe Staff March 02, 2014 Unless drastic movement takes place between now and Game No. 82, the Bruins will start the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. It will be hard for them to catch Pittsburgh. They re comfortably ahead of Tampa Bay. Comfort, at this time of the year, is not always a good thing. Aside from a second-period charge of offense and emotion, the Bruins submitted a decaf performance in their 4-2 home loss to Washington Saturday. It was their second straight loss to a team currently out of the top eight in the East. They lost to Buffalo, the worst team in the NHL, in overtime Wednesday, 5-4. The Capitals are fighting for playoff entry. The win put them a point behind the Flyers, who currently man eighth place in the East. We know we don t have time to make mistakes, said Alex Ovechkin (two power-play goals, nine shots). Every point right now is a big point for us. The Rangers, the Bruins opponents Sunday, are not in the safe zone, either. The Rangers lost to the Flyers Saturday, 4-2. New York has 69 points, just two more than Washington. The Rangers are desperate for points. We should know that these last 20-plus games are going to be very intense, Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara said. Every opponent is going to play their best. So we should definitely be up for these games and be better. The Bruins are not in that position. They want the regular season to be over. Their focus is on playoff preparation. Between now and mid-april, the Bruins want to figure out whether Dougie Hamilton can be a shutdown strongman alongside Chara. They re looking to determine if the No. 3 line can be a consistent offensive threesome. They re trying to learn whether Matt Bartkowski can be a dependable second-pairing defenseman for multiple playoff rounds. Answers to these questions are more important than wins. The trouble is the Bruins started their busiest month Saturday. It was the first of 17 games in March. When a team plays with bad habits in such a busy stretch, it becomes harder to eliminate those mistakes if they re not addressed immediately. It s not easy to turn around a leaky aircraft carrier that s steaming toward dangerous waters. The Bruins only push against the Capitals took place in the second period. They had fallen behind by three goals. They started their rally with a Patrice Bergeron power-play goal at 10:54. Three-zone effort by Gregory Campbell helped bring the Bruins to within one goal. Campbell triggered the play by backchecking hard on Brooks Laich and gaining control of the puck. He chipped the puck off the wall to Daniel Paille to start the counterattack. Campbell completed the rush by going hard to the net, sucking in Mike Green, and helping Shawn Thornton score his fifth goal, at 17:32 of the second. I thought after Bergy scored, our compete level went way up, Thornton said. I thought for the majority of it, we were the better team after that. But we gave them opportunities and they capitalized on all of them. You give a team like that those kinds of opportunities, they re very dangerous. We can t be doing that. The comeback fell flat in the third. The Bruins couldn t put any regular heat on Braden Holtby. They torpedoed the rally when Johnny Boychuk got caught deep in the offensive zone without support at the point. Torey Krug blew a tire. Eric Fehr pulled away. At 10:53 of the third, Fehr tucked a breakaway goal past Tuukka Rask to close out the Bruins. I think the issues were the breakdowns defensively, coach Claude Julien said. You outshoot the team. You have the puck more than they did. But at the end of the day, you made more mistakes than they did. When his boys are rolling, Julien knows what to expect. He can depend on his defensemen keeping tight gaps. He can count on his No. 1 line playing with down-low presence. Julien can look to his third line to sustain offensive momentum generated by the top-six forwards. He can trust Chad Johnson to be dependable if not outstanding. Two games into the stretch run, the coaches don t know what they re going to get. Against Buffalo, Kevan Miller s slack gap cost them a goal. Jarome Iginla (two shots on Saturday, zero on Wednesday) has played two light, nonabrasive games. Chris Kelly, Carl Soderberg, and Loui Eriksson were good against the Sabres. They combined for only five of the Bruins 67 shot attempts Saturday. Johnson s C-level play cost the Bruins a win in Buffalo. The Bruins will get a jolt when they acquire blue-line help before Wednesday s trade deadline. The defenseman they add will be motivated to mesh with a team expected to push for a Cup. The rest of the roster is experienced enough to prepare for the playoffs. It s to do the little things correct at all times, Campbell said. Because those are the things that matter going down the stretch. I think that s where we want to put our focus on right now. The pre-playoff stretch is when top-flight contenders want to showcase good habits. It s not vital to record points. But it s crucial to play the game the right way. Allowing nine goals in two games says the Bruins are doing things wrong. Fluto Shinzawa Boston Globe LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Bruins, Tuukka Rask fall, 4-2, to the Capitals Saturday, March 1, Mark Daniels On a day where Tuukka Rask returned to the ice for the first time since the Olympics, it appeared early on that the rest of the Bruins were still on hiatus. Conversely, the Washington Capitals looked in midseason form at the start of this afternoon s game at the TD Garden. Despite following into an early 3-0 deficit, the Bruins made a game of this one, but ultimately fell 4-2. The B s fall to and the Capitals improve to Even though he let in four goals, Rask didn t look bad, but was the victim of several miscues and two power-play goals from Alex Ovechkin as the Bruins struggled to wake up from their post-olympic slumber. Ovechkin scored his first goal with 21 seconds left in the first period after Chris Kelly got whistled for interference. The NHL s leading goal scorer added another power-play goal to open up the second period at 2:24. Things only looked worse for the Bruins, at 10:13 of the second, when Joel Ward took advantage of a Johnny Boychuk turnover and beat Rask one-on-one. And just like that, the Bruins were down 3-0 but they didn t give up. Thirty one seconds after Ward s goal, Patrice Bergeron scored a power-play goal off of a nice feed from Dougie Hamilton. The goal gave the Bruins a much-needed jumpstart for the second half of the period. Then at 17:72 of the second, the merlot line closed the gap to 3-2 after a goal from Gregory Campbell. Shawn Thornton facilitated this one, doing a great job of stopping a bouncing puck, before centering it for a diving Campbell, who knocked it past Braden Holtby. The Bruins took the first three shots on net to open the third period, but the Capitals received the first power play when Brad Marchand got whistled for high-sticking at 5:04. At 5:54, Rask made a beautiful glove save off of a point-blank shot by Troy Brouwer to keep the B s deficit at one goal. But the sloppiness returned for the Bruins at 10:53 when Eric Fehr scored off a breakaway to put the Capitals up 4-2. Rask finished with 27 saves in the loss. Bruins head into the third down, 3-2, to the Capitals It took a period and a half, but the Bruins have finally woken up. After an eventful second period, which saw four combined goals, the Washington Capitals hold onto a 3-2 lead as we enter the third. The second period started much like the end of the first for the Bruins. The Capitals received another power play just 47 seconds into the second when Matt Bartkowski got whistled for tripping. And once again, Alex Ovechkin made the Bruins pay, netting his second power-play goal of the game at 2:24. With 23 seconds left in the power play, Ovechkin rifled in a shot past Tuukka Rask from the left point, to put the B s in a 2-0 hole. The Bruins showed some life, at 8:14, when Brad Marchand got into a scrum behind the Capitals net. The brief skirmish also brought the TD Garden crowd back to life. The brief cheers turned into boos, however, when Joel Ward scored at 10:18 to give Washington a 3-0 advantage. Off of a faceoff, Ward took advantage of a Johnny Boychuk turnover, got a one-on-one with Rask and beat the B s goaltender. The Bruins came right back, however, getting a power-play goal from Patrice Bergeron. At 10:37, the B s got their first power play of the period when Jason Chimera got sent to the box for tripping. Then at 10:54 Bergeron received a pass from Dougie Hamilton and put it past Braden Holtby to close the gap to 3-1. The B s earned another power play, at 13:11, when Eric Fehr got whistled for high-sticking. The Bruins weren t able to take advantage of the power play this time around. It didn t take the Bruins long to cut into the Capitals lead, getting a Gregory Campbell goal at 17:32. Shawn Thornton facilitated this one, securing a bouncing puck and sending a pass out in front of the net. Campbell was there and dove before tipping the puck in past Holtby. Bruins down, 1-0, to the Capitals after one The Bruins head into the second quarter down 1-0 to the Washington Capitals after giving up a late power-play goal from Alex Ovechkin. Tuukka Rask, in the net for the first time since leaving for the Olympics, got tested early. Through the first 4 minutes the Capitals outshot the B s, 3-1. At 4:13, Carl Soderberg got whistled for holding Eric Fehr s stick, giving Washing the first power play of the game. There were some close calls, but Rask stopped all five shots he saw during the two-minute duration. At 6:57, the Bruins received their first power play of the game, which turned out to be a 5-on-3 after Jay Beagle (holding) and Tom Wilson (high-sticking) got sent to the box. The B s, however, only mustered one shot on goal by Torey Krug. The Capitals had as many shots on net (5) during their power play as the Bruins did in the first 17 minutes of play. With 1:48 left in the period, Chris Kelly got whistled for interference, giving the Caps their second power play of the game. It didn t take long for Washington to capitalize, getting a goal from Ovechkin just 27 seconds into the power play. The goal was Ovechkin s 42nd of the season, which leads the NHL. The Capitals are outshooting the Bruins, Boston Herald LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins Tuukka Rask to start against Capitals Saturday, March 1, Steve Conroy Tuukka Rask will make his Bruin return this afternoon when th B's play the Capitals in a Garden matinee. But no matter who plays goalie for the B's, they have to tighten up things in the defensive zone if they want to be successful against the potentially explosive Caps and Alexander Ovechkin, who leads the league with 41 goals. In their first game back from the Olympic break, the B's let a win slip through their fingers when they allowed the tying goal in the final minute of regulation and then lost in overtime to the Sabres. The first line was a minus-3 in the game and were on the ice for the equalizer. "It was team wide-thing," said coach Claude Julien. "I know the (first line) was minus-3 and it's not something we're used to seeing from them. They have to take some responsibility on the tying goal. I think they could ahve been a little bit better, but it wasn't all them. But it was more of a team thing with regard to that loss." The Caps come into the game in their last nine games and are just outside of the playoff structure, so this should be a decent tilt. And the fact that most teams get up to play the B's doesn't matter much to Julien. "We should be ready to play hard every night," said Julien. "If we built tha knid of repuation of a team that other teams get up for, then we should take it as a positive not a negative. That's what keeps us consistent for the most part. We're playing a team today that we haven't seen all year and they can be pretty explosive if we don't respect their offense." Puck drop is few ticks past 1 p.m. Boston Herald LOADED:

12 Boston Bruins This time, Ovechkin has Rask s number Mark Daniels A week and a half ago, Tuukka Rask played a big part in eliminating Russia s Alex Ovechkin-led hockey team from the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Rask stopped 37 shots, including three by Ovechkin, in Finland s 3-1 quarterfinal win over the host Russians. Ovechkin had the next laugh, however, yesterday at the Garden. The dynamic right winger had two power-play goals to lead the Washington Capitals to a 4-2 win over the Bruins. It was the first time in Ovechkin s career that he had scored on Rask. It also gave the 28-year-old superstar his 800th career point. I feel good about myself, said Ovechkin, who leads the NHL with 43 goals. I have a good feeling about my shot and every time when I have (the opportunity) to shoot the puck, I m going to shoot it. When you feel hot, you have to stay hot. The Capitals outplayed the Bruins for most of the opening period, but had trouble getting anything past Rask. Until with 21 seconds left in the first, when Ovechkin connected from the left point on a one-timer off a pass from defenseman John Carlson, the shot squeaking by Rask low to the stick side. Ovechkin opened the second period similar to the way he ended the first. After a tripping penalty on Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski, Ovechkin once again scored off of a one-timer from the left point. The first one, I was focused on Carlson there. He was pretty close, Rask said. And the second one, I was pretty sure he was going short side and it kind of knuckled in. I was trying to ask, but he was just shaking his shoulders. It s funny when you see those, he was kind of leaning into it. It s like impossible to go the other way and then he goes the other way. Then you re kind of like, Come on, buddy. Rask called Ovechkin one of the most dangerous players in the league when it comes to one-timers, even if the winger was denied by Rask at the Olympics. He s always dangerous, Rask said. Against him we did a pretty good job with (Finland) in the Olympics, but (yesterday) not so much. The Ovechkin goals set a solid tone as the Capitals went up 3-0. The Bruins closed to within 3-2, but never evened the score with Washington. Boston Herald LOADED:

13 Boston Bruins Tasty vintage of Merlot vs. Caps Fourth line rediscovers spark Torey Krug led the B s with six shots on net, while Ovechkin had a game-high nine.... The B s missed the net 15 times. Boston Herald LOADED: Steve Conroy, Bruins Notebook If there was a silver lining in the Bruins 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals yesterday, it was the play of the fourth line. Not only did the trio of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton score the goal late in the second period to cut the B s deficit to 3-2 Thornton was credited with it, though Campbell may have touched it but Thornton had a nice tip early in the third that goalie Braden Holtby was able to stop. The line brought some decent energy for most of the game. They combined for eight shots on net. We had talked before the game. We weren t happy with where we were last game, said Thornton. I think that we looked at some video. We chatted about what we could do to make ourselves a little bit more effective. We tried to work on those tonight, and for most of our shifts I thought we did a pretty good job. The goal was a little lucky, but those guys were driving the net hard. I m not sure who touched it, but so take that out of it and just talk about our shifts. I think we did a better job of reading off of each other and supporting each other. Coach Claude Julien liked what he saw from his Merlot Line. They were good, said Julien. I thought they played their better game tonight. They seemed to be more in sync and play with lots of energy. They were a good line for us tonight. And I think our young guys on the back end did their work, so I m certainly not going to stand here and blame our youth. I think it s more our team overall the five guys on the ice, and making sure that we have some layers. We ve talked about that for a long time. If there s a small mistake, there s layers (to make up for it), but there haven t been too many layers as of late. Costly penalties The Bruins took six minor penalties in the game and it wound up costing them two Alex Ovechkin power-play goals the first one with Chris Kelly in the box for interference, and the second with Matt Bartkowski whistled for tripping. We talked about it, and I thought our guys got caught running around and that opened up the seams that we didn t want to open up. So those are our own mistakes, said Julien. At the same time, I didn t think we were disciplined enough tonight to play against a team that has that kind of a power play. We took way too many penalties, and that didn t help either. Trade talk The first big deadline deal in the NHL went down Friday night with the Sabres sending goalie Ryan Miller and center Steve Ott to the Blues for goalie Jaroslav Halak, forward Chris Stewart, prospect William Carrier, a 2015 first-round pick and a 2016 third-round pick that would turn into a first-rounder this year if Miller re-signs with St. Louis. Milan Lucic, the B s resident analyst, believes it s a good deal for both sides. Yeah, it s a big trade. I think it s been a bit of a while since a big name player has been moved like that, said Lucic. Obviously it makes St. Louis a lot better between the pipes. They were already in first place in the Central Division and this trade just makes them better. And obviously some picks are going Buffalo s way. They ve got a lot of picks coming in the next couple of years. Someone said it was 18 or 19 picks in the first two rounds over the next four years. It will be interesting to see how they draft and how they look moving on in the future.... The B s are in the midst of three games in four nights. They are 5-4 in the first games of such stretches, 8-0 in the second games and in the third games....

14 Boston Bruins Tuukka s at Ovi s mercy Stephen Harris For the final minute and a half or so yesterday at the Garden, it was pretty obvious that all that was on the minds of the Washington Capitals was to set up an Alex Ovechkin empty-net goal and hat trick. Come to think of it, setting up the NHL s premier sniper was kind of the Caps game plan much of the day as they cruised to a far too easy 4-2 victory over the too sloppy and too soft Bruins. After delivering consistently strong team defense in the weeks before the Olympic break, the Bruins are 0-for-2 afterward with two poor defensive showings. In this case, poor defense when Ovechkin was on the ice proved to be exactly the wrong approach as the Caps captain continued a sensational bounce-back from a lousy Olympic performance in Sochi. He had the game-winning goal and a pair of assists vs. Florida on Thursday, and the first two goals yesterday on nearly identical, one-time, power-play bombs from the left circle. B s goaltender Tuukka Rask was not a happy guy afterward. He made it clear he d have appreciated his team paying just a little more attention to the top goalscorer (Nos. 42 and 43 yesterday) in the NHL. If he gets those one-timers with the half-empty net, he s pretty much going to score, Rask said. We ve got to recognize that he s out there. I don t think we did a very good job of that. If you keep giving him those, he s going to find the back of the net. He s so good at finding that kind of dead area (in the offensive zone) where nobody else really goes to shoot. He finds that and just bombs it. He s probably the most dangerous (shooter in the NHL). Rask was left home to rest when the Bruins returned to action Wednesday in Buffalo, where they were good offensively but bad defensively, and dropped a 5-4 overtime decision. They knew they had to be better. Knowing it and doing it proved two very different matters. Yeah, that went over well, didn t it? said Rask. It s got to be better. It s got to get better every day. It doesn t matter if we keep talking about it. (Yesterday) was pretty crappy again. (It was) just mental mistakes; you talk about certain things on their power plays then you just give them those opportunities. Breakaways and stuff like that... not our style. It s got to be better. Rask s specific beef was that it was rather obvious the Washington power-play design was all about setting up Ovechkin. No secret there. Yet he was open to tee up monster slappers at least three times, slamming two into the net. They try to find Ovechkin (most of the time), Rask said. They did (find him). I mean, they got that guy in the center of our guys (in front of the net) and they re either going to hit him or Ovechkin. They hit both of those guys. We have to get better at that. We talked about those things before the game and we didn t really execute. He s always dangerous unless you take him away, especially on the power play. He s always going to score goals. The B s goalie wasn t too impressed, either, with the offensive production by his team at the other end. He didn t see a great many good scoring chances but saw a lot of long shots easily gobbled up by counterpart Braden Holtby. It s the best feeling in the world (for a goalie), when the (opponent) is just shooting wristers from the outside, Rask said. There were little glimpses of how good we can be, and when we created those chances, we got goals with net drives, people driving the center lane. But for the most part, there was no traffic and we (were) just playing (on the) perimeter. Rask understands that a team playing so well before the break as the Bruins were doesn t automatically pick up playing the same way when it returns. It s a funny game, he said. You re always trying to find that perfect balance and that good feeling. When you have a break like two weeks, it s natural that you re not going to start over where you finished off. You kind of have to find it again. That s our challenge. Guys haven t played in a couple of weeks, and I guess it shows. But, still, there s no excuses for that. We have to be better better focused and sharper out there. The Bruins know general manager Peter Chiarelli is trying to acquire a defenseman and these two games may add urgency to the search. But Rask figures adding a player won t fix what s ailing the team right now. We know how good we can be, and this definitely is not that, he said. It doesn t matter if you get players or you don t get players: You still (have to) play a certain system. You saw (yesterday) the mental errors cost us. That s all. We just have to be better mentally. At the Olympics, of course, Rask and Team Finland shut down Ovechkin and stunned the Russians eliminating the home team en route to a bronze medal. We did a pretty good job against him with our team in the Olympics, Rask said. (Yesterday), not so much. Boston Herald LOADED: