Tuesday, 31 January 2017

{coyotes} Muzzin's late goal gives Kings 3-2 win over Arizona

 

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Los Angeles Kings kept the pressure on most of the game and it finally paid off in the final two minutes.

Jake Muzzin took a slick pass in front of the net from Jeff Carter and scored a power-play goal with 1:49 to play, giving the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 victory over Arizona on Tuesday night that snapped the Coyotes' season-best three-game winning streak.

''I think we hit three posts for sure in the third (period),'' Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. ''We're hoping eventually one goes in.''

Anze Kopitar and Jordan Nolan also scored for the Kings, who never led until Muzzin's goal, which came with 10 seconds left in the power play.

The victory gives Los Angeles a one-point lead over St. Louis for the final playoff spot in the West.

Arizona goalie Mike Smith withstood a barrage of third-period shots before finally allowing the deciding goal.

Jordan Martinook and Ryan White scored for Arizona. Smith had 36 saves to 30 for the Kings' Peter Budaj.

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett was unhappy with officiating decisions that resulted in two late power plays for Los Angeles.

''It's too bad a couple of soft calls like that have an impact on the game,'' he said.

Still, Tippett said, ''We defended too much. They pushed hard. We didn't push back had enough.''

Los Angeles, host of last weekend's All-Star festivities, outshot Arizona 14-2 in the third period before the Coyotes got five shots late with Smith pulled for an extra skater.

The fourth line scored both of Arizona's goals, but the Kings countered quickly after both scores.

Arizona scored first when Connor Murphy slammed a shot into a crowd in front of the Los Angeles net. Martinook controlled the deflection and sneaked the puck past Budaj 8:48 into the first period.

The lead didn't last long. With a scrum in front of the Arizona net, Kopitar got the puck past Smith to tie it 1-1 at 10:21 of the first. It was only the sixth this season for Kopitar, who has 249 career goals. He does lead the team with 22 assists.

''That goal kind of woke us up,'' Kopitar said. ''Even the second half of the first period we were able to do what we wanted to do.''

Los Angeles dominated most of the second period. Smith, an All-Star participant for the first time in his career, made a stabbing glove save of Jacob Chychurn's sizzling slap shot from the top of the left circle.

The Coyotes picked it up late, although they botched a 4-on-1 breakaway with passing problems at the finish.

But Arizona kept up the pressure and, after Budaj knocked Lawson Crouse's close-in shot into the air, White crashed the net and scored to make it 2-1 with 1:30 left in the second period.

The lead lasted just 25 seconds. Jordan Nolan rushed down the ice and to the front of the net. Smith got a piece of Nolan's shot, but the puck trickled in to tie it at 2 entering the third period.

The Kings had three shots hit the post, two in the third period.

NOTES: Arizona's Shane Doan passed Steve Yzerman for fifth on the list of most games played (1,514) with a single franchise. ... Longtime Kings play-by-play broadcaster Bob Miller suffered a mild stroke over the All-Star weekend. The team says Miller is recovering and in good spirits, but it's unknown when he will return to broadcasting. ... Los Angeles placed D Matt Greene on injured reserve. Greene had been battling various injuries, including to his back and groin. Those injuries could be career-threatening. Greene played in only three games last season due to a shoulder injury.

UP NEXT

Kings: Los Angeles returns home to face Colorado Wednesday night.

Coyotes: Arizona faces the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night in the final game of a five-game home stand that started before the All-Star break.

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{coyotes} NHL loses judgment after arguing former players 'mere puppets' in lawsuit

 

When former Detroit Red Wings captain Reed Larson wanted to explain why he is involved in a lawsuit against the National Hockey League for its handling of brain injuries, he turned to The Detroit News.

In a Feb. 21, 2015, first-person story for The News, Larson wrote, "I was always eager to return to the game and my team as quickly as possible, and the NHL was more than willing to encourage this by never treating or acknowledging the head hits."

The NHL wasn't having any of it.

According to a decision in the case that was unsealed late Monday, the league wrote in court documents that former NHL players like Larson who are suing the league are "mere puppets" who "certainly would not have had the mental faculties to write lucid and sophisticated op-eds for publications."

The NHL asked a judge for help obtaining correspondence between those former players and CLS Strategies, a Washington-based public relations firm that has given communications advice to the lawyers who represent a group of more than 100 former NHL players suing the league.

The players allege that the NHL put its own profits ahead of their health.

Late Monday, a U.S. federal court in Minneapolis unsealed a court order handed down on June 30, 2016, by Judge Susan Nelson.

In her decision denying the NHL its request for correspondence between the CLS Strategies and the former players, Nelson also revealed that the NHL had sought email correspondence between CLS and reporters who are covering the NHL concussion litigation.

The NHL claimed in a motion that the information from CLS was necessary to "clarify the source of [the former players'] purported press statements."

"During the depositions of Named Plaintiffs Bernie Nicholls, Reed Larson, and David Christian, counsel for the NHL asked questions regarding the authorship of certain op-ed columns that had appeared in print publications and bore the respective players' names in the bylines," Nelson wrote in her ruling.

"Nicholls and Larson testified that they had not personally written the articles. However, via email, Nicholls reviewed and approved the op-ed piece bearing his name as author, Larson testified that he reviewed his op-ed prior to its publication and the words in the publication were his own, and Christian testified that he edited his op-ed piece to such a degree that he considered it to be in his own words, even though it was originally drafted by someone else."

Nelson wrote in her June 30, 2016, judgment that "the facts belie" the NHL's claim that former players suing the NHL are "mere puppets for class counsel."

"The deposition transcripts, in full context, demonstrate that the named plaintiffs were interviewed for certain publications, their own words were used, and they had authority to edit and approve the op-ed pieces bearing their names."

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{coyotes} KINGS (24-21-4) at COYOTES (16-26-6)

 

KINGS (24-21-4) at COYOTES (16-26-6)

9 p.m. ET; FS-A, FS-W, NHL.TV

 

Kings team scope

Los Angeles Kings center Nic Dowd will return after missing three games with a lower-body injury. Center Tyler Toffoli, out since Dec. 20 with a lower-body injury, skated and appears on the verge of making a comeback, coach Darryl Sutter told the Los Angeles Times. The Kings are 2-4-0 in their past six games, and resume play after the all-star break one point behind the St. Louis Blues for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Calgary Flames, in the second wild-card spot, have the same point total as the Blues (53) but St. Louis has three games in hand. The Kings are even in games with the Blues and have three games in hand on the Flames. Goaltender Peter Budaj is expected to start; he made 22 saves in a 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday to lower his goal-against average to 2.06 and help the Kings end a four-game losing streak. Jeff Carter leads the Kings with 24 goals (second in the NHL) and leads the League with eight game-winning goals, one shy of the franchise record for one season. Defenseman Matt Greene was placed on injured reserve on Monday, so the Kings have a roster spot available when Toffoli returns.

 

Coyotes team scope

The Arizona Coyotes seek their first four-game winning streak of the season after victories in the first three games of a five-game homestand. Goaltender Mike Smith won his past three starts, including his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Smith needs one shutout for his 21st with Arizona, which would tie the franchise record co-held by Nikolai Khabibulin and Ilya Bryzgalov. Rookie forward Christian Fischer had a goal in each of the Coyotes past two games, but was sent back to Tucson of the American Hockey League to take part in the AHL All-Star Game. "He's a good up-and-down player but I don't think he's ready for full-time NHL duty yet," coach Dave Tippett said. "It's part of the growth for every player." Forward Max Domi skated with the scratched players for the first time since breaking his hand seven weeks ago. He may practice Wednesday if he gets the OK to do so from the Arizona medical staff, and likely is within two weeks of returning, Tippett said. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun was hit in the mouth twice with pucks in the past week, once in a game and once in practice Monday, but will play. Center Brad Richardson skated on his own Monday for the first time since breaking his tibia and fibula on Nov. 17 against Calgary.

 

Kings projected lineup

Marian Gaborik -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown

Tanner Pearson -- Jeff Carter -- Kyle Clifford

Trevor Lewis -- Nic Dowd -- Andy Andreoff

Dwight King -- Nick Shore -- Jordan Nolan

Jake Muzzin -- Drew Doughty

Derek Forbort -- Alec Martinez

Brayden McNabb -- Kevin Gravel

Peter Budaj

Jeff Zatkoff

Scratched: Tom Gilbert, Devin Setoguchi

Injured: Tyler Toffoli (lower body) Jonathan Quick (groin), Matt Greene (back/groin)

 

Coyotes projected lineup

Tobias Rieder -- Martin Hanzal -- Radim Vrbata

Brendan Perlini -- Christian Dvorak -- Shane Doan

Jamie McGinn -- Alexander Burmistrov -- Josh Jooris

Lawson Crouse -- Jordan Martinook -- Ryan White

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Luke Schenn

Alex Goligoski -- Michael Stone

Jakob Chychrun -- Connor Murphy

Mike Smith

Louis Domingue

Scratched: Kevin Connauton, Peter Holland

Injured: Max Domi (hand), Brad Richardson (broken leg)


Status report

Jooris replaces Fischer on a line with McGinn and Burmistrov. With Dowd returning, Setoguchi is expected to be scratched.

 

Who's hot

Vrbata has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past eight games. … Rieder has five points (three goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak. … Burmistrov has four points (one goal, three assists) in a three-game point streak. … Hanzal has four points (one goal, three assists) in his past three games. … Doughty has five points (one goal, four assists) in a four-game point streak.

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[cactuswings 3746] Storage & Other News

Last week's movers

Victorville – KVCV

BOE651         B748         arr Jan 26 from Paine Field = N1785B

GEC8153      MD11       arr Jan 24 from Buenos Aires EZE = D-ALCM

FDX9046       A310         arr Jan 24 from Memphis = N805FD

Marana – KMZJ

DLH9922       A346         arr Jan 24 from Munich = D=AIHM

Kingman – KIGM

ASQ9845       E145         dep Jan 27 to Abilene = N687JS

Roswell – KROW

N359AA         B763         dep Jan 26 to San Bernardino

Blytheville – KBYH

N615SC         B735         dep Jan 28 to San Bernardino

other bits

Mobile Downtown – KBFM

AAL9707       A321         dep Jan 27 to Dallas DFW = N997AA delivery flight

New Iberia Acadiana – KARA

BOE656         B789         arr Jan 27 from Charleston = HL8081

BOE918         B788         dep Jan 26 to Charleston = N817AN

Rome – KRME

N801MA        E170         dep Jan 25 to Goose Bay

San Bernardino – KSBD

SWA8500      B733         arr Jan 27 from Dallas DAL = N360SW

N359AA         B763         arr Jan26 from Roswell

KAL29D         B744         arr Jan 23 from Seoul ICN = HL7473

Bangor – KBGR

AAL9709       A321         arr Jan 27 from Hamburg XFW & dep to Dallas DFW = N998AN delivery flight

N356AG         SF34        made local test fight Jan 26

Goose Bay – CYYR

N716FR         A321         arr Jan 28 from Hamburg XFW & dep to Tampa = delivery flight

Any help with missing registrations is appreciated.

Those not on FlightAware I have try to trace using Libhomeradar & FR24, also thanks to Chris Witt/Skyliner.

All the best,

Dave.

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Saturday, 28 January 2017

{coyotes} NHL to expand Learn to Play Program League-wide

LOS ANGELES -- The scene Saturday at STAPLES Center was a sight to behold.

About 30 children ages 4 to 8, members of the Los Angeles Kings' Learn to Play Program, were on the ice, split amongst five stations. They were being instructed by former Kings players; forward Derek Armstrong, defenseman Mathieu Schneider, now special assistant to the executive director at the NHL Players' Association and forward Daryl Evans, now a Kings broadcaster.

The kids were taught a different hockey skill -- skating, shooting, passing -- at each station. Sometimes the players executed the drill, sometimes they fell, sliding along the fresh sheet of ice. No matter the success or failure the kids smiled. So did their instructors.

It will soon be a scene that will take place in each of the League's 31 markets. On Saturday, the NHL announced the adaptation of the Learn to Play Program on a League-wide basis.

The Learn to Play initiative was developed jointly by the League and the NHL Players' Association to offer more families a chance to experience youth hockey. It provides first-time participants between the ages of 4 and 8 free head-to-toe equipment, age-appropriate instruction and certified coaching, led by NHL alumni.

"The Learn to Play program from our perspective is all about reducing cost barriers and casting a wider net for first-time hockey participants, introducing the sport to people who may not have had an opportunity absent this program," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said.

The program, based on successful repetition, is in eight NHL markets.

"In my estimation, this is one of the best programs the NHL and the NHLPA offer," said David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Penguins. "About 10 years ago, Sidney Crosby came to us and asked how can we make it more affordable for kids to play hockey, I'd like to try to help. So what we did was we went to a couple of our corporate sponsors, at the time, Dick's Sporting Goods and Reebok, now CCM, and together with Sidney we funded a program to provide free hockey equipment for kids in western Pennsylvania. We're in our 10th year, and every year it's over 1,000 kids.

"Those kids are learning basic values besides learning how to play hockey. The unique thing about this program is the NHL, the NHLPA, USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, the four of us all getting together. We can truly change and grow the game."

The League and the NHLPA, using its Industry Growth Fund, believes it can introduce new players to the game, but also introduce those players to a positive initial experience.

"I think there's probably a lot of people in this room that would agree that there's a negative culture in youth sports today, and from the first time a kid puts on a pair of skates, gets on a baseball field, picks up a basketball, everything is about winning and losing," Schneider said. "And what this program aims to do, and what we hope to do expanding in the future, is to change that culture, make it a fun, positive environment, give the kids a place where they can get great coaching, develop some of the life skills that sports teach you.

"It's not about becoming a great hockey player, it's about becoming a great person, and hockey is a vehicle to help you achieve your goals."

As the Learn to Play Program grows it will introduce more players to the game -- the goal is 30,000 annually, according to Daly -- and, by extension, more fans to the sport.

"There is no platform we have as far as visibility that's better than doing things with the League and its teams," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "They generate the exposure that we can't necessarily do on our own. So to have them to be doing what they are going to be doing in 24 U.S. markets, in those areas and around those areas, it is just going to give a real turbo boost to our efforts and you are going to see that growth start to ladder over the course of the next few years."

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{coyotes} Jan. 29: Martin Brodeur announces retirement

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Jan. 29

2015: Martin Brodeur, the winningest goaltender in NHL history, officially announces his retirement.

Brodeur, 42, finishes his NHL career 691-397-105-49 with a 2.24 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and a League-record 125 shutouts in 1,266 games, all but the last seven with the New Jersey Devils. He holds the NHL's regular-season records for wins, shutouts, games played and minutes played (74,439). He's also first in starts (204) and shutouts (24), and second in victories (113) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and helped the Devils win championships in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

"If you play hockey, you might as well win," he said. "The most important record is the wins record that I have."

Brodeur retires after going 3-3-0 with a 2.87 GAA, .899 save percentage and one shutout in seven appearances for the St. Louis Blues; he stays with the Bluese and becomes an assistant general manager.

 

MORE MOMENTS

1953: Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens makes NHL history by becoming the first player to score 20 or more goals in each of his first 10 seasons. Richard reaches the milestone with the first of his two goals in Montreal's 5-2 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

 

1985: Center Bryan Trottier becomes the 19th player in NHL history with 1,000 career points when he scores two goals to help the New York Islanders rally from a four-goal deficit for a 4-4 tie with the Minnesota North Stars at Nassau Coliseum. Trottier is the first player to get his 1,000th point by scoring a shorthanded goal.

 

1998: Luc Robitaille reaches 1,000 NHL points when he has two assists for the Los Angeles Kings in a 5-3 victory against the visiting Calgary Flames. Robitaille is the sixth left wing in NHL history to reach 1,000 points.

On the same night, Ron Francis of the Pittsburgh Penguins becomes the 11th player in NHL history to reach 1,400 points. He has two assists in a 4-2 road victory against the Boston Bruins. Three years later, Francis, now with the Carolina Hurricanes, is credited with three assists in a 5-2 win against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning to become the fifth player with 1,600 career points.

 

2004: Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings moves past Mario Lemieux into sixth place on the NHL's all-time scoring list. He gets 1,702nd point with a third-period assist in Detroit's 5-2 victory against the New Jersey Devils at Joe Louis Arena.

 

2015: Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson scores a game-tying shorthanded goal against the Toronto Maple leafs at Air Canada Centre five seconds after the puck drops to start the third period. It's the quickest shorthanded goal from the start of a period in NHL history and sparks the Coyotes to a 3-1 victory.

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{coyotes} Mike Smith steals Four Line Challenge for Pacific

 

LOS ANGELES -- Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith wasn't sure he'd even hit the net again, but NHL rivals know him to be a much better shooter and puck-handler than he gave himself credit for Saturday.

Smith stole the show in the Honda NHL Four Line Challenge, the second event of the 2017 Coors Light NHL All-Star Skills Competition, when he scored from 180 feet away into an opening barely the width of the puck.

Smith said he only worried about hitting the net from such a distance.

"I didn't really have a strategy," he said. "I was focused on just hitting the board, but it just kind of curled in at the last second. I couldn't believe it, to be honest with you.

"I was just as shocked as everyone else was. It was pretty fluky, but we'll take it."

The shot was worth 20 points for the Pacific Division, which won the Four Line Challenge with 23 points to one for each of the Metropolitan Division and Central Division. The Atlantic Division did not score.

The Four Line Challenge was a new event in the Skills Competition.

"That was awesome. That was cool," said defenseman Ryan Suter, who got the Central Division's only point by scoring from the near blue line.

What were the odds on Smith's shot?

"I'd say 1 in 20," Suter said. "He can handle the puck pretty darn good. Maybe even lower than that. If you gave him 20 pucks, I'd bet you he could make one or two of them for sure.

"He's got good hands, a good shot for a goalie. He can handle the puck; he's almost better than some defensemen."

Smith is the most recent goalie to score during the regular season. He scored with one second remaining into an empty net for the Coyotes against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 19, 2013.

Despite that success, Smith put the odds much worse that he'd score in the Four Line Challenge.

"[Given 100 pucks,] I probably wouldn't even hit the net again, let alone slide it into a slot like that," Smith said. "It's a pretty cool moment for sure.

"But I'll stick to stopping the puck and leave the scoring up to my teammates."

The Pacific Division was already ahead in the event after defenseman Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks found the top corner of the net with a shot from the center line, which was worth three points.

Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers scored from the near blue line for the Metropolitan Division's point.

Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks was the Pacific Division's fourth shooter and yielded his second attempt to Smith, as the rules allowed. Any goalie scoring as the fourth shooter in the event was credited with double points.

Smith said the scoring moment from the far goal line will be something to remember.

"It was pretty cool," Smith said. "The look on Bo Horvat's face when I looked over at him was pretty priceless. I'm sure mine was, too, to see it go in.

"It was something that we'll all remember for a long time. My family was here to witness it so they can believe me. Obviously it was a cool moment of the game."

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