by ldh2013 » Thu Jun 23, 2016 9:00 am
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks kick-started their league-leading offence by holding on to the puck -- and shutting down New Jersey defensively. . Patrick Sharp scored twice and Patrick Kane, Bryan Bickell and Nick Leddy also connected to lead Chicago to a 5-2 win over the Devils on Monday night. Stephen Gionta and Michael Ryder had goals for the Devils, whose season-high four-game point streak (3-0-1) ended. New Jersey was lucky to get those two scores -- off a failed clearing attempt and a close-in turnover -- as Chicago outshot the Devils 37-12, and controlled the puck and the play. "I thought it was one of our better games all year as far as puck possession, directing plays," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought we did everything we were looking to do in the game. I liked their energy, I liked their thought process, our purpose." The Blackhawks spent little time in their zone. With only a couple of exceptions, they moved the puck to their forwards efficiently and left the Devils. Sharp, who recorded his third two-goal game this season, was one of the beneficiaries. "It starts with the defence making great plays in the D-zone," he said. "Weve had great forwards here for a while that want the puck and want to score goals." The 25-year-old Kane has been better offensively this season, his seventh in the NHL. He has points in 12 straight games, matching his career high -- set earlier this season and just before his run. Kane has seven goals and 14 assists in his streak, and at least one point in all but one of his past 25 games, helping him climb into second in the NHL scoring race behind Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby. "If we can play defence like that every night, I think youre going to see more scores like that," he said. Bickells goal was his first since Nov. 10, but he missed 14 of Chicagos 19 games during that span with a knee injury. Chicago rookie Antti Raanta blocked 10 shots in his seventh straight start -- all since Blackhawks top goalie Corey Crawford suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 8. He faced the fewest shots against Chicago in a game this season. New Jerseys Cory Schneider made 32 saves. "Theyre a relentless team," Schneider said. "They dont give up on the puck and theyre always trying to force turnovers. They didnt take their foot off the gas. "We just didnt play at the level we need to play to compete." The Blackhawks outshot the Devils 12-2 in the first period and led 1-0 after 20 minutes. Sharp opened the scoring at 12:59 when he snapped off a 40-foot shot from the left boards. New Jersey defenceman Mark Fayne reached toward the puck with his right glove, but deflected it past Schneider. One of the Devils two shots in the period was a dump-in from their own blue line while killing a penalty. Gionta tied it at 1 at 5:37 of the second on a deflection at the doorstep and the Devils fourth shot on goal. Following a failed Chicago clearing attempt on the left boards, Jon Merrill fired from the top of the slot. The puck struck the skate of Blackhawks defenceman Michael Kostka, then ticked in off Giontas stick. Kane put Chicago back ahead 2-1 just over 2 minutes later when he drove to the net and slammed in a rebound of Leddys shot. Schneider made a glove save on Leddys drive from the slot, but it dropped to the ice and Kane plowed over Devils defenceman Marek Zidlicky to score. Bickell made it 3-1 with 7:33 left in the period, connecting on a rising, screened shot from the right circle after taking a feed from Brandon Saad. Ryder swept in a backhand 59 seconds into the third to cut it 3-2 after he picked off a clearing pass by Chicago defenceman Brent Seabrook. The Devils managed to come back from a two-goal deficit against Washington on Saturday to win in overtime. The Blackhawks didnt let that happen. "Tonight we gave away way too much space and way too much opportunity to move the puck as well," Ryder said. "Were pretty stingy on defence usually, and tonight we got away from that and tonight it shows on the scoreboard." Set up by Marian Hossas stretch pass, Sharp scored his second goal on a breakaway at 5:54 to extend Chicagos lead to 4-2. He took the feed at centre ice, streaked in alone and fired a low shot under Schneiders glove. Leddys power-play goal, on a drive from the top of the circle with 7:01 left, completed the scoring. Sharp narrowly missed a hat trick, firing the puck off the post with 39 seconds left. NOTES: Crawford has resumed skating and is expected to start practicing after Christmas, according to Quenneville. ... Giontas goal was his second in four games after not scoring in his first 20 games this season. ... Devils RW and leading scorer Jaromir Jagr was held without a point for the first time in seven games. ... New Jersey RW Damien Brunner missed his second game with a lower-body injury and C Andrei Loktionov sat out his second with an illness. ... Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, who used to work in the Blackhawks front office, attended the game. . Both teams finished the first half of the season tied on 50 points after an exciting, back-and-forth showdown at Vicente Calderon Stadium yielded no winner. Barcelona was troubled by Atletico pair Diego Costa and Arda Turan throughout, while second-half substitute Lionel Messi enjoyed the visitors best chances as the Barcelona forward headed wide before forcing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into a clutch stop in the 81st. . Goran Dragic scored 29 points, Eric Bledsoe had a career-high 28 and the Suns extended their season-high winning streak to four games by beating the Sacramento Kings 116-107 on Friday night. . Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Flames team that has new management and will be looking to build on the strong finish and hope not to fall back to where they started the 2013-2014 season.Randy Carlyle is at peace with management’s decision to remove him as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. There’s a sense of relief,” he told the Toronto Sun on Wednesday. “I’m going to the grocery store this afternoon and I don’t really care. I know the people at the grocery store. I know the people at the coffee shop. I know the people where I go. I’m not going to stop living. I’ll do what I have to do.” In a week of chaos where Carlyle lost his job and his brother-in-law after a year-long battle with ALS, as well as revealing he will undergo back surgery later this month and is dealing with some compromised credit cards, the former Stanley Cup winner has no hard feelings for anyone as a result of his firing. “(Being fired) is part of the pro business,” Carlyle said. “We didn’t win enough. And obviously I don’t feel good about it. And I’m not looking at (management) and saying ‘Those rotten, ‘effin ...’ whatever word you want to use. I’m looking at it and saying, ‘Hey, they made a decision.’ I was fortunate enough to work for some great people. (MLSE Chairman) Larry Tanenbaum is a friend of mine, (Director at MLSE) Dale Lastman is a friend of mine. I got to know (BCE President and CEO) George Cope a little bit. (Leafs President Brendan Shanahan) Shanny gave me an extra year on my contract.” There are a lot of things I’m grateful for. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to coach here.” The truth of the matter is that winning cures all and the Leafs, who are 2-7 in their last nine, just didn’t win consistently enough. For a team that powered through December with a stretch of 10 wins in 12 games, there has never been the feeling of stability for fans. “It’s all about winning,” Carlyle said. “Winning makes your life easier and makes it better. The thing about when you lose here in Toronto, you don’t breathe for a couple of days. When you win, you can exhale.” After the Leafs most recent loss, a 5-1 blowout at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 3, Carlyle admits he had a feeling his time had run out. “When I walked off the ice in Winnipeg, in my mind, I thought this could be my last game,” he said. He was right. Just three days later, while Carlyle was in the midst of dealing with his family issues and planning carpools to Sudbury, a phone conversation with Toronto GM Davee Nonis was the final act. . “I don’t hold any ill will because it was over the phone,” he said. “I don’t. I just said, if you’re going to make a change Dave, let me know.” And that was it. Carlyle was out, his 1,039 days as coach of the Leafs in the books and it was only a matter of time before the media firestorm. Did Carlyle have the right team for his style of play? Are the Leafs hopeless regardless of who is behind the bench? Is Phil Kessel uncoachable? In Kessel’s words, he doesn’t think so. “I’m not here to throw stones or throw mud at anybody,” Carlyle said. “I appreciate the players for what they are, they’re the best athletes in my mind. Phil’s an elite athlete. Obviously there’s deficiencies in us all,” he said. In a more philosophical answer to the Toronto Star, Carlyle further illustrated his point. “On every team, you’re going to find there’s obviously some people who are more difficult than others to sell what you’re asking,” he said. “Not any different than going to school. Some kids want to sit in the front row. Some kids want to sit in the middle of the class and some kids want to sit at the back and screw around.” Take that as you will, but Carlyle is more than willing to put his dismissal on his own deficiencies. “There’s always going to be things that you question. Should I have done this or that? Should I have started that goalie there? Should I move this guy to that line?” he said. “Coaching in the NHL is not easy. It’s not supposed to be easy. You’ve got competition that is trying to do the same thing you’re trying to do. The definitive part happens on the ice. You can bring whatever you want into the classroom but the proof is the on-ice performance. That’s how we get evaluated.” So while Carlyle says he plans on coaching again, for now he is going to take care of more pressing issues and take his mind off of hockey for a little while. “The last two mornings I haven’t woken up and been worried about what’s going on with the hockey club, what are we going to do with this, how are we going to deal with that? That’s what coaching does to you. You’re immersed in it. There’s always that constant battering, things that are running through your mind,” he said. “That’s the relief I’m feeling right now. It’s easy to park this.” ' ' '
