CAROLINA HURRICANES. NEWS CLIPPINGS March 25, Alumni Game Attracts International Participation

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1 Alumni Game Attracts International Participation Monday, / 3:05 PM ET / Tracking the Storm By Colleen Hamilton In its four years of existence, the Hurricanes annual Alumni Game has reunited old teammates and has given passionate fans the opportunity to skate alongside their idols. This year s game included 11 Hurricanes alumni, with Niclas Wallin, Sergei Samsonov and Stu Grimson making their debut. In addition, 21 fans suited up for the experience of a lifetime. One Hurricanes fan traveled a wee bit farther than the rest of his soon-to-be teammates. Paul Lawson made the journey from Glenrothes, Scotland to Raleigh to play in the Alumni Game. Lawson has been a Hurricanes fan since the team relocated from Hartford, Conn. As an avid hockey fan in Scotland, he was looking for an NHL team to root for. I found out one of my granddad s brothers had immigrated to Hartford, so I had a family bond with one of the cities so I thought I ll go for the Hartford Whalers, Lawson said. Being Scottish and a loyal family guy, I stuck with the franchise after the move. Lawson relies on NHL.com and CarolinaHurricanes.com to stay up-to-date on Hurricanes news from across the pond. We don t get a lot of games on TV back home in Scotland. Normally by the time I get up in the morning the editing has been done so the game highlights are up," he said. "I sit and eat my breakfast and watch the highlights before I go to work. He originally found out about the Alumni Game on the Hurricanes Facebook page. "I m always online looking to see how things are going. So I saw the post promoting it again and that there were still roster spots available, he said. Once the idea had become more concrete (and approved by his supportive wife), Lawson began looking at the logistics of making his way to Raleigh for the game. It took awhile to get things organized as well. I had to call Shane (Willis) up because I couldn t register online because I don t have a U.S. address," Lawson said. "It turns out I m the first non-north American to come over. It s a pretty big deal for me. Lawson stayed with friends during his five-day stay in Raleigh. He arrived on Friday and came straight from the airport to PNC Arena. From start to finish, from the minute I landed here, it s been great and a couple of friends put me up for the five days that I m here," he said. The weekend kicked off at Lucky B s on Friday night for the roster reveal party. Lawson was drafted by the white team, which was captained by his idol, Rod Brind Amour. No one takes a faceoff better than Rod Brind Amour. So you spend hours looking online at what he does in faceoffs, you try to take bits and pieces of that and try and train it into yourself," Lawson said. Lawson was also excited about joining one of his all-time favorite players, Stu Grimson. Being on Rod and Stu s teams, that s pretty cool," he said. "It s really exciting and fellow-european Nic Wallin is gonna be on my team as well. The white team also had an unknown Scottish connection, with Canes assistant coach Steve Smith participating in his first Alumni Game. Smith originally hails from Glasgow, Scotland. He s a big sports fan, a big hockey fan and it was really cool that he came over and spent time in an NHL rink, Smith said. He got to meet some alumni players, he got into our locker room and got a feel for what an NHL gameday is like. Lawson said his favorite moment of the game was when he tipped in the "Grimmer s really weak shot. He put the puck on net, I think I got a piece of it," Lawson said. "The referees are never wrong. The white team s victory was just another highlight in Lawson s alumni weekend experience. I m delirious with excitement right now. It s just awesome," he said. Lawson will return home with a few tangible memories that will serve as a reminder of his Alumni weekend experience for years to come including Steve Smith s autographed, gameworn jersey. For guys that are distant travelers, coming here and seeing what the NHL is all about, is kind of a once in a lifetime experience and you look and say, Is he crazy to come all this way to do that? I look at it and say, You only get to do this once, do it right and you don t need to go around again,'" Smith said. "He doesn t get that day back and he ll have a lot of years to talk about it. I think Paul had the same sort of feel for the game when it was all said and done. He truly enjoyed the experience and good for him for doing it." While Lawson considers this a bucket list experience, he didn t rule out the possibility of playing in a future Alumni Game with his son.

2 Shane and his team have put together a great weekend, and all the alumni guys Glen, Jesse, Grimmer coming in they ve all been really friendly," Lawson said. "It s been really good from that perspective, but getting to play hockey in another country, especially in a building like this, the team that you followed from way back in Hartford, it s beyond a dream come true so it s a proper bucket list experience and hopefully won t be my last. Weekly Report: March 23, 2015 Created: March 23, :48 am Written by Nicholas Niedzielski Despite kicking the week off with one of their worst losses of the season, the Checkers were able to turn things around with a weekend sweep of the Iowa Wild. Although they have found themselves on the wrong end of some lopsided losses, the Checkers have been quietly turning in one of their best stretches of the year, winning seven of their last 11 contests. The Checkers will wrap up their road trip Wednesday night with their final visit to Norfolk before returning to Charlotte for their longest and final home stand of the season. Week in Review San Antonio 9, Checkers 3 Two days after a 6-1 blowout at the hands of the Barons, the Checkers ran into a hot Rampage team and suffered one of their worst losses of the season. The Checkers pulled within one less than one minute into the second with a Brock McGinn strike, but things spiraled out of control from there. The Rampage went back up by two late in the period, and then poured in three goals in the first five minutes of the third to build a 7-2 lead. Brendan Woods notched his second goal of the night midway through the third, but San Antonio kicked in two more and rode away with an overwhleming 9-3 win. Full recap Checkers 3, Iowa 2 After returning to Charlotte for a few days to regroup, the Checkers headed out for a two-game series in Iowa looking to right the ship following two big losses. Brett Sutter found the back of the net twice to put the Checkers out in front 2-0 midway through the second. The Wild pulled back within one shortly after, but Justin Shugg ripped a power-play marker, the Checkers' second of the game, to regain the two-goal advantage. The Wild turned up the pressure late in regulation, pulling back within one with five minutes to go, but Drew MacIntyre and the visitors buckled down and held on for the 3-2 win. Full recap Checkers 4, Iowa 2 The Checkers took the ice the next day for their final matchup with the Wild and came away with their secodn straight win. After a scoreless first frame, Marc Hagel put the Wild on the board early in the second. The Checkers responded swiftly, however, chipping in three goals throughout the rest of the second to build a two-goal lead. Joel Chouinard struck 29 seconds into the third to put Iowa back within one, but once again the Checkers stood strong and held onto their lead. Zach Boychuk then found the empty net with less than two seconds left on the clock to seal back-to-back wins for Charlotte. Full recap Notables Home And Road With a pair of wins this weekend in Iowa, the Checkers moved out of a tie for the fewest road points this season, but their 20 losses away from home are the second most in the league, trailing only Norfolk. Meanwhile, the Checkers are at home, including wins in six of their last eight games. The Checkers have a -48 goal differential on the road (66 goals for, 114 against) and a -5 goal differential at home (83

3 goals for, 88 against). All five shutouts the Checkers have suffered this season occurred on the road. Carrick Lights It Up With 12 points in his last 11 games, Trevor Carrick has emerged as an offensive force on the Checkers blue line. He currently leads all Charlotte defensemen in goals (six), assists (20) and points (26), all of which are new records for a Checkers roookie defenseman. Of his five multi-point outings this season, four have occurred during the month of March, including a trio of two-assist efforts in his last five games. Carrick is currently tied for third on the team in points. His 20 assists lead the team. Eleven of his assists have come on the power play, a total that leads the Checkers, ranks fourth among all AHL rookies and first among AHL rookie defensemen. A fourth-round pick in 2012, the 20-year-old Carrick put up 51 points in his final season of junior last year, split between Mississauga and Sudbury, and ranked second among OHL defensemen in goals (22). Sutter Strikes Brody Sutter's two-goal effort on Saturday marked his second AHL multi-goal game and first since scoring two goals, including the overtime winner, in his first professional playoff game at Oklahoma City on April 26, He also assisted on Justin Shugg's game-winner, giving him a point on all three Checkers goals in the 3-2 victory and marking a new career high for points in a single game. He then followed that up with another goal the following night, giving him six points in his last five games. Sutter, who has been limited to just 38 games this season due to injury, has now tied his career high of eight goals set in 69 games last season. His first goal on Saturday marked his 50th AHL point (133 games). MacIntyre's Workload Checkers goalie Drew MacIntyre, who has played in six of the team's last eight games, ranks fourth in the AHL with 2,544 minutes played and is second with 1,265 saves. He would only need to appear in four of the team's last 11 games to tie the franchise record for games played by a goaltender in a single season (48 by Justin Pogge in ). MacIntyre has made 40 or more saves seven times this season, including twice in his last six starts. Though he has yet to record a shutout, he has won five games by a 2-1 score. He owns a.933 save percentage in overtime games this season (42 saves on 45 shots) and has stopped 21 of 23 in the shootout. He is tied for the league lead in shootout victories this season (4-1 record). MacIntyre, a 31-year-old veteran now playing his 12th professional season with his eighth AHL club, ranks 10th on the league's all-time wins list with 210 and is just 22 wins away from tying Frederic Cassivi for fifth. He has a record, 2.48 goals-against average,.935 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 397 career AHL games dating back to the season. Shugg Takes Over By scoring 15 points (6g, 9a) in his last 18 outings, Justin Shugg has taken over the Checkers' leads in goals (19, a new career high) and points (36). He is also tied with Ryan Murphy for second on the team in assists with 17. Shugg, 23, now ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time points list with 108 points (47g, 62a) in 202 games played. He needs two more to pass Jerome Samson and move into the top five. Powering Up The Checkers have scored a power-play goal in 10 of their last 14 games dating back to Feb. 22, going 13-for-51 (25.5 percent) during that time. As a result, their power play has risen out of the league's lowest-ranked spot it had occupied since Dec. 14 and now ranks 27th in the AHL at 13.5 percent. Saturday's game in Iowa marked the sixth time the Checkers have scored multiple power-play goals in a single game this season and second in as many games. All six of those instances have come since Jan. 16. In Sunday's rematch, the Checkers were not awarded a power play, the second time this season that has happened. Ranks Injuries Kyle Hagel ranks second in the AHL in major penalties (21) Chad LaRose is tied for the AHL lead in shorthanded assists (3) and tied for third in shorthanded points (4) Greg Nemisz leads the AHL in shooting percentage (25.0%) Drew MacIntyre ranks second in the AHL in saves (1,265), fourth in minutes (2,544), and is tied for the AHL lead in shootout wins (4) Justin Shugg is tied for the AHL lead in shootoutwinning goals Phil Di Giuseppe ranks fourth among AHL rookies in shots (143) Trevor Carrick ranks third among rookie defensemen in scoring (21) and ranks fourth among AHL rookies in power-play assists (11) Chad LaRose - missed 11 games from 2/25-3/21 Keegan Lowe - missed 11 game starting 2/27 Greg Nemisz - missed 45 games starting 12/8 (out for season) Milestones Kyle Hagel recorded his 1,000th pro penalty minute on 3/22 Justin Shugg played in his 200th AHL game on 3/17 Sean Dolan played in his 150th AHL game on 3/17

4 Brendan Woods played in his 100th AHL game on 3/17 Zach Boychuk recorded his 200th AHL penalty minute on 3/17 Transactions Incoming March 21 - (D) Jordan Henry signed to professional tryout contract Outgoing March 19 - (D) Danny Biega recalled by Carolina (NHL) TODAY S LINKS CAR home \ Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins notebook: Ehrhoff exits early again after hitting his head By Jason Mackey Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 8:12 p.m. Updated 17 minutes ago Deploying seven defensemen and 11 forwards as the Penguins did Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues lasted just 5:07 as defenseman Christian Ehrhoff made an early exit. Ehrhoff, who had missed 19 of the Penguins' past 24 games, appeared dizzy after the side of his head hit the boards following a Vladimir Tarasenko hit early in the first period. Head issues have been a problem for Ehrhoff this season, starting with a game Jan. 28 at Washington. There, he went to deliver a hit on Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, but his head bounced twice off the ice. He missed the next 12 games, returned for one, then experienced a recurrence of symptoms. After playing four in a row starting March 14 at home against the Bruins, Ehrhoff was a surprise, late scratch Saturday in Arizona with an undisclosed injury. Coach Mike Johnston said, however, that it was not concussion-related. Relying on a defenseman-heavy lineup is something Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said wasn't the worst idea for his team or the Penguins. Only one condition, though: Don't double-shift Sidney Crosby. That's very unfair and something Mike (Johnston) would not do, Hitchcock joked. Pouliot was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in mid-may but only because he had minor-league options left, a salary cap move. He was recalled Tuesday morning when Andrew Ebbett was returned to the Baby Penguins. The Penguins dressed defenseman Taylor Chorney but used him at forward earlier this season. They said it wasn't about my play, Pouliot said. I went down to (Wilkes- Barre/Scranton), worked hard for the amount of time that I was there. Back up here and ready to go again. Pouliot, who assumed a spot on the Penguins' top power play, had two goals and three points in 26 games prior to Tuesday. Though he has had some inconsistency in his game, a team source told Trib Total Media last week that Pouliot is expected to begin the playoffs as one of the Penguins' top six defenseman. Malkin, Hornqvist close Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist skated with strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar for an hour prior to Tuesday's gameday skate, though neither played against the Blues. Hornqvist suffered an undisclosed injury March 15 against the Red Wings. Malkin hurt his lower-body the day before against the Bruins. Johnston said their returns aren't far off. We're hoping, maybe, by the weekend, Johnston said. Line it up With Malkin and Hornqvist out, the Penguins had no scratches. The Blues were without defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, who has missed the past two

5 games with an upper-body injury that is not concussion-related. Olli Jokinen, Dmitrij Jaskin and Chris Butler were their other scratches. Maatta update Johnston said defenseman Olli Maatta (second shoulder surgery) won't skate for at least another month. He's not cleared to play this year, Johnston said. The time when he will be cleared to play will be toward the end of June. Maybe the first of July. Tribune Review LOADED: Pittsburgh Penguins Steen's overtime goal boosts Blues over Penguins, 3-2 After the Blues again put Fleury under heavy pressure, former Penguins center Marcel Goc collected a loose puck and beat Fleury to tie the game. The third period saw scoring chances increase for both teams. A couple of the Penguins' best chances in the first half of the period came from right wing David Perron, another player playing against his former team. Still, neither goaltender would budge during the final period. The Penguins were forced to play without defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, who left the game early after absorbing a heavy hit from Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. The Penguins return to action Thursday in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes. Tribune Review LOADED: By Josh Yohe Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 9:45 p.m. Updated 13 minutes ago Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins, Blues players adjust to roles with new teams The Penguins lost for the fifth time in six games when Alexander Steen's overtime goal gave the Blues a 3-2 victory just 35 seconds into overtime on Tuesday at Consol Energy Center. The Penguins increased their lead over Washington for third place in the Metropolitan Division to three points. Steen, while being defended by defenseman Ben Lovejoy, deflected a shot past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The first period was like so many that the Penguins have played recently. They've gone six consecutive games without scoring a first-period goal. During that stretch, the Penguins have been outscored 5-0 in the first period. They managed to keep the game scoreless in the first because of some quality work from Fleury, who was particularly strong during an early flurry from Blues standout David Backes, who had three shots in the opening period. The Penguins were on the defensive for much of the opening 20 minutes, mustering only three shots. Everything changed in the second. Left wing Daniel Winnik found some good fortune when he stepped out of the penalty box and found himself on a two-on-one with right wing Blake Comeau. Winnik used his long reach to set up Comeau, who fired a shot between goaltender Jake Allen's pads for the game's first goal. The Penguins, without any offensive push in the first period, required only 17 seconds to score again. Forward Nick Spaling alertly picked off a pass inside the St. Louis blue line and spotted right wing Steve Downie in front of the net. Downie turned the puck over to his forehand side and snuck a shot past Allen to give the Penguins a 2-0 advantage. The Penguins had an opportunity to extend the lead, but their struggling power play again failed them. St. Louis came back with a vengeance late in the second. Following a wild scramble in front of Fleury, former Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo fired a shot from the right point that beat Fleury. Another former Penguin scored less than three minutes later. By Jason Mackey Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 10:39 p.m. Updated 6 hours ago The examples were everywhere. Robert Bortuzzo watched from the bench as Penguins players, one at a time, skated over to say hello. Groups gathered around Bortuzzo's locker stall now in the visiting dressing room as well as that of Ian Cole, the player the Penguins traded Bortuzzo for March 2. Marcel Goc, David Perron, Maxim Lapierre and assistant coach Gary Agnew all had smaller, one-on-one conversations. The Penguins and the Blues, the NHL's equivalent of the Steelers, the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh West. Perhaps St. Louis can be Pittsburgh Midwest when it comes to pucks. We're all competitors, all hockey players and coaches enjoying what we do, Bortuzzo said following Tuesday's gameday skate. Maybe there will be a little different feel to it, but I'm sure that will go away real quick, and we'll settle in. It was a new experience for Bortuzzo and Cole, young defensemen traded for the first time, now facing former teams. Cole said he was up early Tuesday morning. He couldn't stop thinking about the game. Seeing Blues gear and opposing trainers was strange. Cole did not expect the game itself to be as difficult. Obviously, I have a lot of friends over there, but part of being a professional is being able to curb that and do your job, Cole said. Lapierre and Goc were traded for one another Jan. 27 but did the whole old-team-new-team thing Feb. 21, a 4-2 Penguins win at Scottrade Center. That served as a homecoming of sorts for Agnew, a former St. Louis assistant, and Perron, who played for the Blues from This was more about Cole and Bortuzzo. It is hard to do, but I think if you approach it any other way, you risk trying to be too nice and let up on them, Cole said. Chances are they're not going to let up on you. As a defenseman, if you let up for a second, there's a chance the puck could end up in your net.

6 The Blues practiced at Consol Energy Center on Monday, and Cole said he went out to dinner with several former teammates that night. Same for Bortuzzo, who stopped by his old place that he shared with Beau Bennett, welcomed Olli Maatta over for a bit, and the group grabbed a bite to eat at Meat & Potatoes. Entering the visiting locker room was strange, Bortuzzo said. But so far the trade to one of the NHL's top teams has been a good thing. It's an exciting time for me, Bortuzzo said. I get to play against an organization that treated me real well. I owe a lot to and had a lot of good friends over there. Getting traded is tough, but when you find out it was a place like here, your excitement level rises. Tribune Review LOADED: Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins recall defenseman Pouliot from Wilkes-Barre March 24, :46 AM By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Penguins have recalled defenseman Derrick Pouliot from their farm team in Wilkes-Barre and returned forward Andrew Ebbett to the Baby Penguins. Coach Mike Johnston said the Penguins will dress seven defensemen for their game against St. Louis tonight at 7:08 at Consol Energy Center. That total includes Christian Ehrhoff, who has an unspecified injury and did not play during a 3-1 victory at Arizona on Saturday. Dressing seven defensemen is a precaution that will allow the Penguins to avoid being caught short on the blue line if Ehrhoff is unable to finish the game. Johnston said that forwards Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist, who are nursing undisclosed injuries, will not play against the Blues, but that they could dress this weekend. Pouliot has two goals and three assists in 26 NHL games this season. He was sent to Wilkes-Barre last week to open the salary-cap space needed to recall Ebbett after Malkin and Hornqvist were injured. Post Gazette LOADED: Pittsburgh Penguins Gene Collier: Penguins display their March flaws March 25, :00 AM By Gene Collier / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The intensive search for hard evidence that the Penguins are in any way superior to their general March profile, which now reads 5-5-2, turned up very little Tuesday night in Uptown. That Mike Johnston s team went to the third period against the St. Louis Blues wondering whether they could outscore Robert Bortuzzo and Marcel Goc, only to discover that no, they could not, can t be terribly encouraging to a team that might be sitting on a six-game winless streak had it not run into a pack of sickly Coyotes in the desert over the weekend. The head coach, who d been leaning toward this game against a highly accomplished opponent for any kind of positive indication, claimed that he got some. But he got plenty of lingering disappointment packaged within a 3-2 loss in overtime. St. Louis is a tough team, Johnston said correctly. The first period was really tight checking, low shot totals, and then in the second we got our goals, but unfortunately we let them back in. I think their compete level went higher. Our compete level stayed the same. We have to bring it up. It was typical during this March of the Penguins that they would score twice in 17 seconds in the second period, only to have that lead wiped out on goals not only by players they d recently traded, but players who can sometimes be counted upon not to score twice in 17 weeks. But Bortuzzo got his third of the season and Goc got his third as well before the second period ended in a 2-2 standoff. Both clubs played the opening period as though suffering from easily identifiable strains of common NHL flu. The Blues had that final-game-of-a-long-road-trip malady, as Tuesday night s appointment was their sixth in a row outside of Missouri. Then the Penguins had that first-game-back-from-a-road-trip congestion, so together they played a first 20 minutes as though they d been mainlining Nyquil. The only tangible contribution from the nearly silent crowd came when someone screamed, Wake up! The Penguins managed three shots on goal while the Blues, who haven t scored a first-period goal since March 10, fired seven. The first period also included the obligatory Christian Erhoff injury, this one an apparent shoulder issue after he was knocked off his skates behind the net by St. Louis attacker Vladimir Tarasenko. It was the second game in a row that Erhoff could not complete the opening period. Did I see some improvements? For sure, Johnston said We were playing a top team, a little bit short-handed. Quite a few players actually had really good games, but we still had four or five guys who need to pick up their compete level. Oh. You mean 20 to 25 percent of the roster? So, three weeks from the start of the NHL playoffs then, the Penguins have four or five guys who aren t competing hard enough. By the club s own public admission. I m no expert, but the implications of that numerical sequence, the ol 3-4-5, can t be good. Chris Kunitz apparently can t be good anymore, either. In 12 games this month, he has no goals and two assists. I liked parts of his game, Johnston insisted. He was at least in the scoring areas. David Perron has at least found the net thrice this month, but his shots are so erratic he s a danger to players of both teams as well as at least a portion of the audience. Sidney Crosby, who was the league s leading scorer when the puck dropped Tuesday night, has developed a habit of making goofy plays at critical moments, such as when he put the fat rebound of a Derrick Pouliot shot right on his blade and, with Blues goalie Jake Allen sprawled helplessly in the goal mouth, back-handed it over Allen, the crossbar, the rear glass everything but the net and the mid-bowl luxury seats. That came with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, but the Captain wasn t done. With four seconds left, Sid had the puck again in the high slot. He had time and space, those two most coveted of hockey valuables, and he dropped

7 the puck off to Blake Comeau on his right wing. Comeau had neither time nor space, and thus the Penguins did not have a winning goal. Thirty-five seconds into overtime, St. Louis had the winner, an outcome that clearly sickened Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who openly blamed himself for letting Blues forward Alexander Steen get inside him for a deflection. But this team has bigger problems than Lovejoy was lamenting. Way bigger. Post Gazette LOADED: Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins notebook: Traded players face former teammates March 25, :00 AM By Jenn Menendez / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Ian Cole hardly could sleep. Marcel Goc took a wrong turn when he first arrived at Consol Energy Center. And Robert Bortuzzo was certain there would be a few moments of nervous anticipation when the puck finally dropped. The Penguins-St. Louis Blues matchup Tuesday night was a strange and nostalgic night for the four players swapped as part of two trades this winter between the clubs. Goc was traded by the Penguins for Maxim Lapierre in late January, and Cole was acquired for Bortuzzo and a seventh-round draft pick in 2016 at the March 2 trade deadline. The day s been long. I woke up a little earlier. I was really excited for the game, Cole said. Seeing the Blues paraphernalia around [when] it s not my team any more [is] a little weird. He then teased about irritating his former teammates with some cross checks or something. Bortuzzo said he is settling in well with the Blues and that the trade was easier to swallow because St. Louis is a contender and well-regarded organization. Getting traded is tough, but when you find out it s a place like here St. Louis your excitement level rises and you know you re going to be playing some meaningful hockey games, Bortuzzo said. It was a little different using different entrances and staying in a hotel in a city that I ve spent a lot of time in. I owe a lot to that organization across the hall there. Likewise for Goc, who said he has assimilated just fine. His club is in the midst of trying to hit its stride with the playoffs on the horizon and the top of the Western Conference within reach. It took not too long to adjust. It s a good locker room here, and teammates that are fun to be around, said Goc. I definitely went to a great team. We have to make sure we play the right way to give ourselves a chance. We have 10 games left and need to stay consistent. You don t want to just turn the switch when playoffs start. You want to go in feeling good. We re on our way to accomplishing that. He said he headed toward the Penguins dressing room when the team arrived Monday, a vestige of his former life. Yeah, I almost walked to their room when we came in for practice, but the guys made sure I walked through the right door, he said. Ehrhoff returns Penguins coach Mike Johnston used 11 forwards and seven defensemen Tuesday night as defenseman Christian Ehrhoff (undisclosed injury) returned to the lineup after missing the game Saturday night at Arizona because of an undisclosed injury. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said that could pose a challenge. "It depends on who they play as their 12th forward. If it's a skill guy, then it's a real problem because it impacts the line a lot, said Hitchcock. We've done that before, and it's been some of the best games we've played like that. Pouliot also returns Defenseman Derrick Pouliot was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and in the lineup Tuesday night. Forward Andrew Ebbett was re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Johnston said he will look to Pouliot for some offense down the stretch. We want to see the same game that he played for the majority of time he was up here before. That puck movement, quick escape out of the zone, Johnston said. He s the type of guy in our lineup which you don t defend as much because he can really make a very good first pass, get you out of the zone and he can create offensively. We re talking about adding some offense.... He can generate a lot from the back end. Injury update Evgeni Malkin (lower-body injury) and Patric Hornqvist (undisclosed injury) skated together before the team s morning skate. They were not in the lineup against the Blues, but Johnston said, We re hoping maybe by the weekend. Post Gazette LOADED: Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins handed overtime loss by St. Louis Blues, 3-2 March 24, :00 PM By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The simple truth is, Robert Bortuzzo was due. Not only to score a goal he didn t have one in his previous 38 games but to do it at Consol Energy Center. After all, he had tried on 21 previous occasions this season, with no success. Turns out he just needed a change of scenery. Or sweaters. Bortuzzo, whom the Penguins traded to St. Louis for defenseman Ian Cole March 2, got the goal that triggered a Blues comeback in what became a 3-2 overtime victory against the Penguins Tuesday night. And he was not the only Penguins alum to have a profound impact on the outcome. Marcel Goc, who had two goals in 43 games here before being traded to St. Louis for Maxim Lapierre, scored the Blues second goal and defenseman Zbynek Michalek, traded away in 2012, set up Alexander Steen s winner 35 seconds into overtime. All our Pittsburgh guys had big nights, Steen said. The Penguins ( ), who built a 2-0 lead on second-period goals 17 seconds apart by Blake Comeau and Steve Downie, are in their past six games.

8 Their magic number for clinching a playoff berth, without tiebreakers, is 12. They have 91 points two fewer than the second-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division and nine games to play. Boston, with 84 points and nine games remaining, and Florida, which has 81 points and nine games left, are the only teams outside the top eight in the Eastern Conference that can overtake the Penguins. The Penguins again played without center Evgeni Malkin, who missed his fifth consecutive game because of an undisclosed injury, and winger Patric Hornqvist, who sat out his fourth in a row. They dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen because of uncertainty about whether defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, who missed their 3-1 victory at Arizona Saturday because of an unspecified injury, would be able to make it through the game. Turned out those concerns were well-founded, although not because of any pre-existing condition. Ehrhoff left the game at 5:07 of the opening period when Blues right winger Vladimir Tarasenko hit him with his shoulder, knocking Ehrhoff into the boards head-first. He left the ice under his own power, but went directly to the locker room and did not return. There was no word after the game on the nature or severity of his injury. The Penguins, for what it s worth, had plenty of guys willing to blame themselves for the loss. Lapierre said he held himself accountable for the first two St. Louis goals citing an offensive-zone turnover before Bortuzzo scored from the top of the right circle to cap a sequence in which goalie Marc-Andre Fleury lost his stick, and sub-par defensive coverage when Goc put in a rebound from the slot and defenseman Ben Lovejoy volunteered culpability for the winner. We were battling on the boards, and [Steen] was able to get inside position, Lovejoy said. I wasn t able to control his stick, and Fleury can t be expected to stop that. The Penguins scored the first goal for the first time in six games, and liked having a lead so much that they added to it almost immediately. They could not pad their lead, however, and Bortuzzo s goal at 14:52 of the second started to turn the momentum in the Blues favor. We were playing pretty well, Fleury said. A bit of a letdown, I think. And a solid third period wasn t enough to get them a second consecutive victory. We re trending in the right direction, Lovejoy said. But that s a game I think we feel we could have won. That s a point we let slip away. Post Gazette LOADED: Boston Bruins In playoff chase, Bruins are grinding to a halt By Fluto ShinzawaGlobe Staff March 24, 2015 WILMINGTON The Bruins are not strangers to being outside of the playoff picture. On Jan. 6, the day CEO Charlie Jacobs launched a salvo at his employees, the Bruins were in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, 1 point behind Toronto. In the following nine-game span, the Bruins won seven times to reenter the playoff chase. So on Tuesday, the Bruins were in a familiar position as they practiced at Ristuccia Arena: in ninth place once more, trailing Ottawa by 1 point. But this is a different position. The Bruins are chasing a legitimate team instead of the Maple Leafs, who are a leaguewide punch line. The Senators vaulted over the Bruins with a 5-2 win over San Jose Monday. They are in their last 17 games. While the Senators have ripped off points, the Bruins have been grinding their gears. They are in their last 17 games and in their last five. This is a team leaking in critical areas: at the blue line and in front of the net. A closer look at the road ahead for the Bruins as they chase an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Now they ll have to enter a nine-game end-of-year segment without their best three-zone defenseman. Dougie Hamilton is out indefinitely because of an undisclosed injury. He was hurt in Saturday s 2-1 shootout loss to the Panthers. The Bruins were already thin on defense following the loss of Kevan Miller following shoulder surgery. Losing Hamilton (10 goals and 32 assists while averaging 21:20 of ice time against tough competition) compromises what was already their weakest position. The Bruins lost their most recent game to Tampa Bay on Sunday, 5-3. The score was deceiving. The Lightning could have easily doubled their output (see: Steven Stamkos and Valtteri Filppula fooling around instead of finishing a two-on-zero rush) and made it a laugher earlier. There were stretches of the first period when the Bruins never sniffed the puck. That loss came three days after the Bruins dropped a 6-4 decision to Ottawa. In that game, Tuukka Rask looked uncomfortable in goal for good reason. His teammates, primarily Reilly Smith, insisted on giving the puck to the Senators and setting them up for unimpeded rushes into the zone. When they re humming, the Bruins are a checking team that scores. Lately, they have done neither. We can t give up five goals a game, said coach Claude Julien. That takes away our opportunities to win those. When we take care of our own end, the rest usually takes care of itself. The Bruins have been a metal-on-metal team for the last two weeks. They got a lucky 3-1 result in Ottawa March 10 when the Senators dominated the pace of the final 40 minutes. Their good fortune continued two nights later in a 3-2 home win over the Lightning. In the second period, they gave Tampa chance after chance. The wins disguised what was going on. The Bruins were playing with fire. Their shots, especially on the power play, were finding the back of the net. Rask was spectacular under assault. High shooting and save percentages are difficult to sustain. It was only a matter of time until Rask became mortal, especially under the heaviest workload of his career. The wheels have since fallen off. In their wins, the Senators and Lightning maximized their speed and skill against the plodding Bruins. They faced little resistance flying over the blue line because of the Bruins turnovers, sloppiness in the neutral zone, and slack gaps between the defensemen and forwards. Because of how fiercely they attacked, both clubs chewed up the scrambling Bruins in front of the net. This season, this has been a familiar sight for Rask. One mistake always leads to another, Rask said. At some point, that ends up costing us a goal. It s the sum of a lot of things. To make the playoffs, the Bruins now need help from two entities: themselves and the Senators. Neither seems willing to oblige. Julien does not have many players he can depend on other than Rask and Patrice Bergeron. The second line of Milan Lucic, Ryan Spooner, and David Pastrnak is a trick-or-treat group. They create chances on one shift, but on the following two, they chase the puck or turn it over in the defensive zone. Carl Soderberg has not delivered against tougher competition during the absence of David Krejci. Hamilton and Torey Krug were the only defensemen who were playing reliably. The other defensemen, especially Matt Bartkowski and Dennis Seidenberg, are subject to volatile swings in performance and reliability. Above the peaks-and-valleys Bruins, the Senators know nothing of dips. This is a roaring club full of swagger, speed, and skill. Erik Karlsson is driving the pace from the back end. Their top two lines are fast and good with the puck.

9 Andrew Hammond (14-0-1, 1.67 goals-against average,.946 save percentage) is on a mind-bending run after doing nothing of consequence in the AHL. But the Senators are not asking him to steal games. The Hamburglar looked beatable against the Bruins when he let in four goals. Had his opponent done anything worthwhile defensively, Hammond would have been tagged with his first career NHL loss. Krejci could return Thursday. He practiced on the first line with Bergeron, Daniel Paille, and Brad Marchand Tuesday. Krejci, who s missed 15 games because of a partial MCL tear in his left knee, finished the practice with battle drills and said he felt good following the session. The Bruins need Krejci s help. They will start a three-games-in-four-days set with Anaheim, the best team in the Western Conference. We ve shown throughout this season that when we put our minds to it and want to play the game plan, we can have success, Lucic said. That s going to be the most important thing heading into Thursday s game. Not much more you can say than that. The Senators are playing well. We just have to make sure to focus on ourselves and take care of our business. That will give us the best chance to get back in the playoff picture. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Season s homestretch won t be easy for Bruins By Andrew MahoneyGlobe Staff March 24, 2015 It s hard to believe it s come to this, but Bruins are in real danger of not making the playoffs. In recent years, the playoffs were a foregone conclusion, and Boston s only concern was jockeying for playoff positioning. Just last season, the Bruins finished with the best record in the league to win the Presidents Trophy. While home ice this season is out of the question, the playoffs seemed like a lock less than two weeks ago. Back on March 14, the Bruins were coming off a five-game winning streak. The question was not whether they would qualify for the postseason, but where they would be seeded and whom would they be playing. They moved past the Washington Capitals for the seventh spot, and had the Detroit Red Wings in reach. Since then, the Bruins are winless in their last five games. That slide has coincided with a seven game unbeaten streak from the Ottawa Senators, who have surpassed the Bruins for the last playoff spot. The Senators are in the last 17 games, riding the spectacular goaltending of Andrew Hammond, who is in that stretch. Unlike the team they are now chasing, Ottawa, the Bruins are leaking in key areas. Here s a look at the final stretch of the season: AP The Senators have rallied around goaltender Andrew Hammond and vaulted past the Bruins into the final playoff spot. Personnel issues If the Bruins are going to climb back into the playoffs, they will need goalie Tuukka Rask to get on a hot spell of his own. This season s heavy workload appears to be wearing on him, and he did not look sharp last time out and was pulled in Sunday s loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season, Rask played a career-high 58 games and 3,389 minutes, compiling a.930 save percentage and a 2.04 goals-against average. With nine games remaining, Rask has already surpassed those totals this season, playing 61 games and logging 3,549 minutes. He has a.921 save percentage and a 2.33 GAA. A healthy return for David Krejci would certainly help. Krejci has been trying to come back from a partially torn MCL, and had hoped to play in one of the games in Florida last weekend. He missed both, but the talented center may be available soon. The Bruins could use a healthy David Krejci back in the lineup. The news is less promising for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who was injured in the second period of Saturday night s loss to Tampa Bay and was unavailable for Sunday s game against the Panthers. He did not participate in Tuesday s practice after which coach Claude Julien said Hamilton is out indefinitely. Remaining schedule The schedule will not be easy. The Bruins play five of their last nine games on the road, including the last three games of the season. Seven involve teams competing for the playoffs. The Bruins start off this stretch with three games in four days, beginning with a home game Thursday night against Anaheim. The Ducks are in a battle for first place in the Western Conference and defeated the Bruins 3-2 on Dec. 1. Next up is a matinee with the New York Rangers on Saturday at home. The Rangers are competing with the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, and split the two previous meetings with the Bruins. The Bruins won, 3-0 at TD Garden on Jan. 15 as Rask made 30 saves and Boston won its fifth straight game. The Rangers won the rematch, 3-2, on Feb. 4 in New York. With home ice throughout the playoffs on the line, it s hard to imagine the Ducks or Rangers conceding anything. A must-win On Sunday, the Bruins face the Hurricanes in North Carolina. It would appear to be a must-win game, as Carolina has amassed just 62 points. But the teams have met twice already, with each squad winning at home by a 2-1 score. If the Bruins do not make the playoffs, their inability to cash in against the teams at the bottom of the standings will certainly be a reason why. Last week, the Bruins faced the lowly Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden. Rask was given the night off, and backup Niklas Svedberg stopped 23 of 24 shots. Unfortunately, the Bruins could muster just one shot past Buffalo goalie Anders Lindback. The game went to a shootout, and the Sabres prevailed. The final test in March is another game against the Florida Panthers. Florida is still in the race for the last spot, and won a pivotal game last Saturday, earning two points in the shootout. It was Florida s first win over the Bruins in the last three years. The Bruins have struggled mightily in the shootout and have left too many points on the table. Road to the playoffs? The Bruins finish the season with four of their last five games on the road, beginning with a visit to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, April 2. The Bruins defeated the Red Wings earlier this month, 5-3. The Toronto Maple Leafs come to TD Garden for the last home game of the season. Despite having another down year, the Maple Leafs have taken two of the three meetings this year already. That is followed by games at Washington, Florida, and Tampa Bay. Washington, which snapped the Bruins wins streak with a 2-0 win of March 15, will be attempting to lock up a playoff berth, while Tampa Bay could have an outside shot at home ice. Playoffs probability The Bruins need to make up ground on the teams ahead of them in the standings. According to hockey-reference.com, they have a 40.3 percent chance of making the playoffs. The Senators lead the Bruins by one point, but also have a game in hand and have a 70.3 percent chance of reaching the postseason. The games against Detroit and Washington are crucial. The Red Wings appear to be in good shape as they are five points ahead of the Bruins and

10 have played two fewer games. They have a 97.9 percent chance to reach the playoffs. Like the Bruins, the Capitals also have just nine games remaining, but they are four points ahead in the standings and have an 88.6 percent chance to qualify for the playoffs. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Dougie Hamilton out indefinitely for Bruins By Fluto ShinzawaGlobe Staff March 24, 2015 WILMINGTON Dougie Hamilton is out indefinitely because of an undisclosed injury. Hamilton will be reevaluated in several days, said Claude Julien. Hamilton was hurt in the Bruins 2-1 shootout loss to Florida on Saturday. Hamilton s injury is a significant blow to a team now out of the playoff picture. Hamilton, as Zdeno Chara s primary partner, is the team s best three-zone defenseman. In 72 games, Hamilton has 10 goals and 32 assists while averaging 21:20 of ice time per appearance against tough competition. While Hamilton will most likely be unavailable against Anaheim on Thursday, David Krejci could return after missing the last 15 games because of a partial MCL tear in his left knee. Krejci made it through Tuesday s practice at Ristuccia Arena, ending the session with battle drills. Krejci said he felt good, but didn t commit to dressing on Thursday. The Bruins need Krejci in a big way. They are in an downturn in which they ve allowed 15 goals. The Ducks have a league-leading 99 points. We just have to come together as a team and find ways to win hockey games, Milan Lucic said. We ve shown throughout this season that when we put our minds to it and want to play the game plan, we can have success. That s going to be the most important thing heading into Thursday s game. Not much more you can say than that. The Senators are playing well. We just have to make sure to focus on ourselves and take care of our business. That will give us the best chance to get back in the playoff picture. Today s lineup Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Daniel Paille/David Krejci Milan Lucic-Ryan Spooner-David Pastrnak Loui Eriksson-Carl Soderberg-Reilly Smith Max Talbot-Chris Kelly/Gregory Campbell-Brian Ferlin Zdeno Chara-Adam McQuaid Torey Krug-Dennis Seidenberg Matt Bartkowski-Zach Trotman Tuukka Rask Niklas Svedberg Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Steve Conroy And the hits just keep coming for your Boston Bruins. Coach Claude Julien was economical with his words, but his update on defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who suffered a possible upper injury in Saturday's shootout loss in Florida, did not sound good. Out indefinitely, said the coach of Hamilton. He'll be re-evaluated in a few days. With the Bruins now on the outside looking in on the playoff structure, the Hamilton injury has stripped the Bruins' already-thin defense corps down to the bare bones. The top pairing in practice Tuesday was Zdeno Chara with Adam McQuaid, followed by Torey Krug and Dennis Seidenberg with a third pairing of Zach Trotman and Matt Bartkowski. Hamilton the B's second-leading scorer ( ), top assist man and power-play quarterback joins Kevan Miller, out for the season with a shoulder injury, on the shelf. Zdeno Chara and Adam McQuaid also missed significant time earlier in the season while Torey Krug missed four games with a finger injury. It's what we've had to do all year, we've had to step up with a number of injuries and we've got to keep doing it, said Julien. With nine games to go and the Ottawa Senators in the midst of something pretty special, having taken over their playoff spot for now -- the B's have no time to feel sorry for themselves. You're at the stage now where you have to worry about what you've got to do here in these next nine games. That's where your focus has to be, said Julien. Meanwhile, David Krejci, out for just over a month with a partially torn MCL, had a strenuous practice today while skating on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand (Daniel Paille was the fourth player on that line). But while Krejci said he felt good in practice, he did not have a definitive answer on whether he'll play on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks at the Garden. It felt good today so we'll see, said Krejci. No one likes to practice. Everyone likes to play games. I've been practicing enough. If I feel good enough and I can help the team, then I'll be back. The other lines in practice were Milan Lucic, Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak; Reilly Smith, Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson; and Chris Kelly, Gregory Campbell and Max Talbot (Brian Ferlin was the fourth player on that line). Brett Connolly skated before practice with strength coach John Whitesides. Connolly, who suffered a broken right index finger on March 4, took wrist shots and did some stickhandling drills. He's still only halfway into six-week prognosis that the team gave for him at the time of the injury, but the player did say shortly after he suffered the injury that he hoped to get in a few regular season games. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins have officially lost their grasp on playoff spot Tuesday, March 24, 2015 Herald Staff Dougie Hamilton out indefinitely; David Krejci questionable for Thursday Tuesday, March 24, 2015 Even on their day off, the Bruins still had a bad day on Monday. The Bruins lost their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the East when the Ottawa Senators beat the San Jose Sharks last night. That gave the Senators 85 points, one more than the Bruins' 84.