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Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 04.08.2013

668856 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning defenseman Ohlund mulls retirement

Erik Erlendsson

Tribune Staff

Published: April 7, 2013

WASHINGTON The official end of Mattias Ohlund’s career is near.

After two knee operations in the past 18 months and hundreds of hours spent doing rehab and workouts, the 36-year-old said he is no closer to being able to get back on skates to resume his career.

The most logical step would be to hang up the skates and announce his retirement. Though he did say that was his next step, it is a subject that has come up many times in different conversations, including with himself.

“I’ve thought about (the next step) quite a bit, but it clearly involves more people than me,’’ Ohlund said today. “I’ve spoke to Steve (Yzerman) quite a bit about what the end result will be. For a long period of time I’ve been trying to get better and better, but clearly the longer you don’t play, the likelihood of playing again gets smaller and smaller each day, especially at my age. I don’t know long term what my situation will be, but I’m sure it will be figured out shortly.’’

In the meantime, Ohlund has been on the road with the team for the past three games to serve as an additional set of eyes to help out the coaching staff – which he did at one point last season – something new head coach Jon Cooper asked about shortly after taking over last week.

“I’m a big believer in you surround yourself with as many good people as possible and good things will happen,’’ Cooper said. “The respect he garners and the knowledge he has, even though he’s not going to play for the rest of the year, he’s too much of a wealth of knowledge and been in the trenches for too long, and I would be remiss if I didn’t try to tap into that.’’

Back to Bishop Cooper will go back to G Ben Bishop for today’s key matchup against Southeast Division leading Washington, handing the 6-foot-7 netminder starts on back-to-back nights. It will also be Bishop’s third start in four days since being acquired from Ottawa on Wednesday, staring with a 45-save shutout on Thursday before allowing three goals on 27 shots in Saturday’s loss at the New York Islanders.

“I think sometimes we sit there and say back to back games and coming off a loss, but he didn’t play poorly at all. He actually played pretty well,” Cooper said. “Bish has played in the American League, he’s played in the NHL. In the American League you play three games in three nights and a goalie may start all three of them. It’s not something out of the norm, especially what he’s played growing up. I don’t think he had a huge workload last night, so he’s ready to go.’’

With Ottawa coming up on the schedule on Tuesday, Cooper said it doesn’t enter his thought process much if he wanted to give Bishop the night off Sunday and let him go against his former team.

“You’re only human,” Cooper said. “You see there and think about, ‘Well, you’re going to play against your old team.’ But I think if it came down to playing a game to try and get us back into the divisional race or play your old team, I’m pretty sure he’d take the divisional race game.’’

Nuts and Bolts Cooper said he was unsure of what the lineup would be for today’s game, but said there will be 21 players on the ice for warm-ups, including RW Dana Tyrell, who was a healthy scratch Saturday. … Tampa Bay is on a 2-for-35 stretch on the power play and is 0-for-10 since Cooper was named head coach.

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 04.08.2013

668857 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning lose crucial ground in loss to Capitals

By Erik Erlendsson

Published: April 7, 2013

WASHINGTON - Sunday served as a Game 7 for the Lightning's season.

Win and stay in the race.

Lose, well, then it's time to start making those summer vacation plans.

The Lightning can start putting in the calls to the travel agent.

Tampa Bay blew a pair of one-goal leads before falling to the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Sunday night at Verizon Center.

Alex Ovechkin scored twice to give him 25 on the season, tying him with Steven Stamkos for the league lead, while John Carlson and Joel Ward scored less than four minutes apart in the second period to help the Caps take the lead for good. Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal with 4.4 seconds left.

The loss knocked the Lightning eight points behind division-leading Washington as well as eight points behind the eighth spot in the conference with 10 games remaining. Tampa Bay, which lost 4-2 to the Islanders on Saturday, is in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, just two points ahead of Florida.

Overall it was a familiar tale that sealed Tampa Bay's fate — play well enough to win, do just enough to lose.

“I think we played a really good game. We had our opportunities, we came out of our zone good and we make a couple of mistakes in the second,'' Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier said. “Otherwise, I think we played a really good game.''

Ben Bishop, making his third start in four days, saw two deflected shots get past him — one off a teammate's stick — plus another bad bounce off a teammate's stick while stopping 34 shots.

Lecavalier had a goal and an assist, while Alex Killorn registered his seventh of the season for Tampa Bay.

There were plenty of chances for the Lightning, but they failed to take advantage of a rusty Michal Neuvirth, making his first start since March 16.

“They got three bounces off sticks, that was the difference,'' Bishop said. “It's very disappointing. We can't lose by a goal and say we played good enough because it's a loss.''

It didn't take long for Tampa Bay to get on the board as seven seconds into a power play, Lecavalier camped out at the top of the crease to tap in a pass from Marty St. Louis at 1:52 of the opening period. It marked the first power-play goal for Tampa Bay since Jon Cooper was named head coach.

Lecavalier nearly scored his second power-play goal of the period when he was alone in front of the net, and tried to deke Neuvirth but was unable to lift the puck over his right pad in the final minute. It was one of five shots for Lecavalier in the first period.

The lead didn't last long into the second period as Washington pulled even at 3:14 when Ovechkin got to the top of the crease area to get his stick on a point shot from Jack Hillen and redirect the puck over Bishop and into the net.

Killorn regained the lead for Tampa Bay three minutes later, hauling in a pass from Lecavalier and moving up ice with a head of steam to get around Hillen, cutting to the front of the net and slipping a backhand through the pads of Neuvirth at 6:37 for his third goal in four games.

Washington jumped in front, however, with two goals 3:27 apart in the second. First, Carlson came down the middle, called for the puck from Ward and stepped into a slap shot 5 feet inside the Lightning zone. His shot deflected off the blade of Eric Brewer and over Bishop at 12:54.

Ward then took advantage of Nate Thompson covering the right point, driving the puck wide, flipping it over to his forehand and seeing his pass attempt hit Thompson's stick, only to have the puck come right back to him before beating Bishop, who was playing the pass, to the short side at 16:21.

“That's a tough one,'' Cooper said of the game. “We've put ourselves in this situation, so that makes it tough to begin with. But I thought our guys battled hard and we had every chance to win that game. The boys are battling hard, then you look at the first (Washington goal), that's a shot wide, our (defenseman) doesn't pick up the stick. The second one, Bishop saves it 100 out of 100 times, but it happens to hit Brewer's stick and go top corner. What do we do there?

“Then third one, a harmless play, nothing coming out of it and it hits (Thompson's) stick, goes right back to him and it's another seeing-eye single. Those are tough. But there was a lot good to take out of this, but ultimately it's a loss.''

And likely the loss that all but officially ends their season.

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 04.08.2013

668858 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning loses to Capitals

Damian Cristodero

Times Staff Writer

Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:30am

WASHINGTON — The Lightning was not eliminated from the playoff race after Sunday's hard-fought 4-2 loss to the Capitals at the Verizon Center.

But any dim hopes it had of mounting a push — and those hopes were remote, at best — are just about extinguished.

"But we're not giving up," captain Vinny Lecavalier said. "We're going to finish hard. You never know what is going to happen."

True, but consider that Tampa Bay (16-20-2) is eight points behind first-place Washington in the Southeast Division, with the Jets and Hurricanes ahead of them as well with 10 games left.

The Lightning is eight points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But sitting in 14th, it would have to jump six teams to get there. And Tampa Bay is just two points ahead of the Panthers, last in the East.

"We're getting better as a team," coach Jon Cooper said. "The problem is we're just running out of time.

"I guess ultimately you see what these guys have character-wise, because they have every right to throw in the towel and say we're too far out. Or they can rally the troops and get ready for Ottawa (on Tuesday). Until we get that little mark that says we're out (of the playoffs), we keep going."

The Lightning's puck possession was much improved over Saturday's loss to the Islanders, as was the time Tampa Bay spent in the offensive zone despite the Capitals' 38-30 shot advantage.

But Tampa Bay couldn't hold a 2-1 second-period lead built on goals by Lecavalier and Alex Killorn. It also could not finish prime scoring chances. Lecavalier had three in the first period on which he couldn't beat goalie Michal Neuvirth.

"Any time you miss, you wish you could do something differently, but the opportunities were there," Lecavalier said. "I wish I had them back."

The Capitals got second-period goals from Alex Ovechkin, on a deflection; John Carlson, whose shot ricocheted off the stick of Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer; and Joel Ward, who beat goalie Ben Bishop short side after a pass attempt deflected back to him off the stick of Tampa Bay's Nate Thompson.

Cooper called them "seeing-eye singles."

"He tries to pass to the middle. It goes off his stick, so right back to him," Bishop, otherwise solid with 34 saves, said of Ward's winner. "I'm reading the first play."

Ovechkin finished with an empty-net goal scored despite Killorn, from the bench, reaching over the boards with his stick to disrupt the play.

"Losses like these are tough to swallow," Killorn said, "but until we're mathematically out of it, we're going to play as hard as we can."

Capitals 0 3 1 4

Lightning 1 1 0 2

Capitals 0 3 1 4

Lightning 1 1 0 2

First Period—1, Tampa Bay, Lecavalier 8 (St. Louis, Salo), 1:52 (pp). Penalties—Oleksy, Was (interference), 1:45; Aulie, TB (cross-checking), 6:55; Backstrom, Was (tripping), 18:40.

Second Period—2, Washington, Ovechkin 24 (Hillen, Backstrom), 3:14. 3, Tampa Bay, Killorn 7 (Lecavalier, Carle), 6:37. 4, Washington, Carlson 6 (Ward, Hillen), 12:54. 5, Washington, Ward 8 (Perreault, Chimera), 16:21. Penalties—Stamkos, TB (holding), 17:32; St. Louis, TB (roughing), 19:50; Fehr, Was (roughing), 19:50.

Third Period—6, Washington, Ovechkin 25 (Ribeiro), 19:55 (en). Penalties—None. Shots on Goal—Tampa Bay 10-9-11—30. Washington 13-13-12—38. Power-play opportunities—Tampa Bay 1 of 2; Washington 0 of 2. Goalies—Tampa Bay, Bishop 9-7-0 (37 shots-34 saves). Washington, Neuvirth 3-5-1 (30-28). A—18,506 (18,506). T—2:34. Referees—Chris Rooney, Ian Walsh. Linesmen—Thor Nelson, Brian Mach.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.08.2013

668859 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning's Ohlund ponders how to retire

Damian Cristodero

Times Staff Writer

Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:30am

WASHINGTON — Lightning D Mattias Ohlund knows his playing career is over. He said as much in January, 11 months after partial replacement surgery on his left knee did not achieve the desired results. The question now is how he chooses to retire.

"I think about it a lot," Ohlund, 36, said Sunday. "I don't know if I have a solution, but I'm sure at some point in the future I'll talk to (GM Steve Yzerman) or the coaching staff and we'll find a direction."

Ohlund, who has not played since the 2011 playoffs, has three years and $6.75 million left on his contract, which carries a $3.607 million salary cap hit. It was unclear how the Lightning would be affected financially by retirement because Ohlund's seven-year contract might be subject to a cap benefit recapture formula.

In the meantime, Ohlund has reconnected with teammates because of an initiative by coach Jon Cooper. Ohlund acknowledged his injury has separated him from the team's day-to-day activities as he spends his time at the Tampa Bay Times Forum rehabilitating.

But Cooper, since taking over March 25, pushed for Ohlund to get more involved, and Ohlund traveled with the Lightning on its three-game road trip that ended Sunday against the Capitals.

"I'm a big believer in, you surround yourself with as many good people as possible and good things will happen," Cooper said. "He's just too much of a wealth of knowledge. I would be remiss if I didn't try to tap into that."

"It gives me a little bit of a purpose," Ohlund said. "I don't know what will come out of it in the end, but everybody needs a goal or focus, and clearly, I haven't done that the last little while."

As for the frustration he initially felt after his February 2012 surgery, Ohlund said he is over it. "Clearly, I'm going to need a miracle to skate again and practice," he said. "Anybody would like things to be different, but it is what it is."

MILESTONE: W Marty St. Louis played his 900th Lightning game.

STICK CHECK: F Alex Killorn scored a highlight-reel goal in Sunday's 4-2 loss and also interfered — from the bench — with Alex Ovechkin's empty-net goal.

Ovechkin scored with 4.4 seconds left, but he didn't even have to shoot after Killorn leaned over the boards and, with his stick, tried to knock the puck away from the Capitals star as he skated past. NHL Rule 56.7 states that at that point, "the referee shall immediately award a goal."

More impressive was Killorn's seventh goal of the season. He blew past Washington D Jack Hillen in the Capitals zone, then backhanded the puck through the legs of G Michal Neuvirth.

"He got caught flat-footed," Killorn said of Hillen. "That's why I was able to take him wide. Once I got around him, I had an idea of what I wanted to do."

ODDS and ENDS: Ovechkin's two goals gave him 25 to tie C Steve Stamkos for the league lead. … Vinny Lecavalier's power-play goal was the team's first in 11 tries under Cooper. ... D Matt Carle has a career-best five-game points streak. … D Victor Hedman (lower body) and RW Dana Tyrell were scratched.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.08.2013

668860 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul returns to the ice

Mark Zwolinski

Published on Sun Apr 07 2013

Everything seemed to go well for Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul, who returned to the ice Sunday for the first time since suffering a head injury in Toronto’s loss to Philadelphia Thursday.

The club said Lupul had a “good day” as he skated with teammates in an optional practice at the Master Card Center.

Lupul skated or about 20 minutes before exiting the practice. He had taken a turn on the Rapid Shot shooting machine prior to practice. Overall, Lupul appeared to handle the work and the brief skate very well.

The team said Lupul, if he feels good after Sunday’s practice, will skate again with the team at Monday’s morning skate. Toronto plays the resurgent New York Rangers Monday night on home ice in the first of a home series with the Rangers.

Lupul will not play Monday; while there is no timetable for his return, he is likely to remain sidelined until the weekend at the earliest.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.08.2013

668861 Toronto Maple Leafs

Winter Classic do-over: Maple Leafs to battle Red Wings in 2014 game

Mark Zwolinski

Published on Sun Apr 07 2013

Several Maple Leafs have experience with outdoor games, but only one — James van Riemsdyk — has played in a Winter Classic.

That will change come New Year’s Day: the NHL officially announced Sunday that the 2014 Winter Classic will be played between the Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.

That’s a restoration of the 2013 game, which was axed because of the NHL lockout, disappointing the 110,000 or more fans who were expected to jam the “Big House,” the football stadium at the University of Michigan, for a contest that might well have set an all-time hockey attendance record.

The league will get another shot at that number, since everything about the 2014 game is the same as the 2013 game except the date.

“My first major outdoor game was pretty special, it’s something I’ll remember,” said Leafs defenceman John-Michael Liles, who played in the “Cold War,” the Michigan University-Michigan State rivalry game at Spartan Stadium in 2001.

Newly acquired Leafs defenceman Ryan O’Byrne came within a few months of being the second Leaf to participate in an NHL outdoor game. O’Byrne would have participated with his former Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic against Calgary in 2011, but he was traded to Colorado three months before the event.

“It goes back to the roots of hockey. There’s something special about that, playing outdoors,” O’Byrne said.

What would make it even more special for O’Byrne is the fact he’s never played an outdoor hockey game in his life.

“I’ve skated outdoors, I’ve skated in Montreal on public rinks, but never with a puck,” O’Byrne said.

“I never had a rink in my backyard when I was a kid. I’m from Victoria (where the weather is never consistently cold enough for a backyard rink). As a player, whenever you get a chance to skate outdoors, you’d look forward to it for sure.”

Leafs centre Joe Colborne played with the Marlies last winter when they faced the rival Hamilton Bulldogs in an outdoor game at the former Ivor Wynne Stadium.

“That was such a special experience, but I think you’d have to multiply that by a hundred times for (the Leafs-Red Wings Classic),” Colborne said.

“You look at it and it’s taken off since the first one. It’s one of the biggest marketing tools the NHL has now, and now with the Leafs in it, and two Original Six teams, it’s going to be extra special.”

Winter Classics obviously depend on the weather, and cooler conditions — around minus 3 to 5 C — are considered ideal.

Colborne said there are other considerations, even if the weather appears perfect.

“I remember last year in Hamilton skating against the wind and it was pretty difficult,” he said.

“You’d get up to the red line and dump it in and that seemed harder than normal. Just some things you wouldn’t realize in a normal game.”

In the meantime, the NHL has been in board-level discussions regarding expansion of the Classic to include several outdoor games on New Year’s Day. It’s expected the league will add at least one other game to coincide with the Leafs-Red Wings event.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.08.2013

668862 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs: Inexperienced James Reimer faces battled-hardened Henrik Lundqvist in game against Rangers

Mark Zwolinski

Published on Sun Apr 07 2013

James Reimer is gearing up for what could be one of those shining moments Monday when the Maple Leafs entertain the New York Rangers on home ice.

The big story around the team lately concerns the injury to forward Joffrey Lupul — and there was good news on that front Sunday — but Reimer has become pivotal to the club’s success this season. Monday’s game puts him in a special matchup with Rangers superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist, a taste of the nightly battles against experienced, top-notch goalies that will come in rapid succession for Reimer if the Leafs, as expected, advance to the playoffs.

First, Lupul: the Leafs said their injured star had a “good day” Sunday in an optional practice, his first skate with the team since suffering a head injury in Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia.

Lupul looked fine in 20 minutes of skating and light drills. He’d taken a turn on the Rapid Shot machine prior to practice, and will give it another go at the morning skate Monday if there are no complications from Sunday’s workout.

Lupul took a nasty hit to the head and shoulder area and missed Saturday’s win in New Jersey. There is no timetable for his return, but given the pace of his workout Sunday, he could be back by the weekend at the earliest.

That would mean the Leafs would be without their star winger for a home-and-home series with the resurgent Rangers, which, like all games at this point in the season, take on huge implications in the standings.

Reimer was brilliant in the Leafs’ 2-1 win over the Devils, turning in the kind of solid performance playoff teams expect of their goalies when they’re on the road and get outshot by desperate teams needing points to stay alive in the playoff race.

That’s the kind of performance the Rangers have come to expect with Lundqvist between the pipes.

Lundqvist, one of the classiest players in the game, turned in a 48-save effort in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over Carolina on Saturday.

That effort had “clutch” written all over it: Lundqvist made 14 saves in the first period and 21 in the third as the Hurricanes dominated the Rangers and did everything possible to restore their fading playoff hopes — except beat Lundqvist.

“That’s the best I’ve seen him play since I’ve been here,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said in a telling statement.

Reimer’s tape from Saturday night was similar, if not as numerically dramatic: Toronto was outshot 28-18 — 14-8 in the first period, 10-5 in the third. Without Reimer’s performance, the Leafs might well have lost the game.

Reimer, of course, is hardly in the same league as Lundqvist in terms of experience, but he has shown his counterpart’s ability to either steal a game or keep his team in it until they find a way to win.

Lundqvist has been delivering those performances his entire career; Reimer’s acquaintance with that level of play is in its infancy.

“Experience is experience, you can’t argue with that,” Reimer said. “But at the same time the youthful exuberance we bring to our games every night, you can’t disregard that either.

“The biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs is pressure and how to handle it . . . but all of us have played in the playoffs somewhere, in the AHL or in junior. We’ve all faced that pressure and we’ve all handled it. And though it’s not been in Toronto, we’ve all done it so we’ll need to draw on that experience now.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.08.2013

668863 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs can impact New York teams' hopes

By Lance Hornby

Toronto Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:55 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:14 PM EDT

TORONTO - When the NHL’s 48-game schedule began, most pundits felt safe picking the Stanley Cup-finalist New Jersey Devils and the glossy New York Rangers to either make the playoffs or finish ahead of the Maple Leafs.

Jan. 19 now seems a million years ago, in an Eastern Conference race turned upside down a few times. Today, the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, who were 13th and 15th, respectively last April, are top five. And, for the Leafs, Saturday’s 2-1 triumph in New Jersey, coupled with a regulation home win Monday against the Rangers, would be near unscalable between those teams and the Leafs as the schedule dwindles.