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“We’ve had plenty of defensive breakdowns (this season) where we’ve been saved by our goaltender or by another player,” said Methot. “Once in a while, they’re going to capitalize on those, but can’t afford to be having those lapses late in games at this time of year. We’re a young team and mistakes will happen. It’s how we handle them coming back.”

INJURY UPDATE

Mike Hoffman will have a second X-ray in Buffalo on Friday, but Senators general manager Bryan Murray believes he won’t be out too long after leaving Tuesday’s game following a hit by Boston’s Dougie Hamilton. Hoffman had missed eight weeks this season due to a broken collarbone and Murray said the hit caused a “shock on the scar tissue that had healed from the break.” Murray said “at this point, we think it will just take a little time to recover.”

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.04.2013

667872 Ottawa Senators

Senators trade Ben Bishop to Lightning

by James Gordon

The Ottawa Senators have traded goaltender Ben Bishop to Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for winger Cory Conacher and a fourth-round draft pick.

Conacher, 23, has nine goals and 15 assists in 35 games with the Lightning this season, which instantly makes him the Senators’ leading scorer. He finished second in American Hockey League scoring last season, becoming just the fourth rookie to be named that league’s MVP since the award was established in 1948.

The 5-foot-8, 175-pound Burlington, Ont., native is currently second in NHL rookie scoring.

Bishop, meanwhile, was 8-5-0 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .922 save percentage and had been getting the bulk of the work in the Senators’ net after No. 1 netminder Craig Anderson went down with a severe ankle sprain.

With Bishop gone, Robin Lehner will take over until Anderson is ready to return (likely in the next week or so).

The trade clears up a logjam in the Ottawa crease, clearing the way for Lehner to finally ascend to the NHL level permanently. He’s been ready for the big show for some time, but was the odd man out when Anderson was healthy because of his two-way contract.

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.04.2013

667873 Ottawa Senators

Senators fielding offers for Bishop on deadline day

by Ken Warren

BOSTON — The Ottawa Senators are fielding offers for goaltender Ben Bishop from “four or five teams,” assistant general manager Tim Murray said late Wedneday morning.

Bishop, who is tied for seventh in the NHL with a .922 save percentage, is clearly the most valuable chip the Senators have at their disposal.

Murray also said the team is interested in adding a depth forward and or a depth defencemen. Again, though, the price must be right and the Senators will not part with their blue-chip prospects.

Murray suggested it was likely the team would do something, but he admitted that it’s a situation where one NHL trade sets the stage for others to follow.

One domino has fallen already. TSN is reporting that Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has decided to play out the year where he is and retire at the end of the season.

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.04.2013

667874 Ottawa Senators

Scanlan: Bishop deal should help both clubs

by Wayne Scanlan

Sure, the Ottawa Senators lost 11 inches in height on the deal.

Still, the trade of 6-foot-7 goaltender Ben Bishop for 5-foot-8 forward Cory Conacher, plus a fourth-round draft pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning, is a good return. Bishop, remember, was scooped by the Senators last year for a second-round draft pick.

Instead of a future selection, Ottawa gets immediate scoring punch.

Conacher, 23, is a distant relative of the famed sporting Conachers, including legendary Lionel ‘Great Train’ Conacher, voted Canada’s top athlete of the first half of the 20th century.

Born in Burlington, Ont., Cory Conacher is remarkable in a number of ways, and not just because he’s a smaller train. Undrafted and considered too small in a big man’s game, he played four years at unheralded Canisius College, and had several tryouts before catching on in the AHL with Norfolk and Syracuse. He became an AHL MVP and was part of a Calder Cup team.

Like Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers in the Broad Street Bullies heyday, Conacher suffers from type 1 diabetes. He removes his insulin pump, attached to a port in his abdomen, in order to play. For all his challenges, Conacher is a rookie of the year candidate off his early play with the Lightning, 12 points in his first seven games, before cooling off lately.

While he only has two goals in his past 17 games — or two in his last six, including one against Ottawa, depending on how you want to measure it — he was among Tampa Bay’s top four scorers with nine goals and 24 points in 35 games. That puts him second among NHL rookies and yes, Conacher instantly becomes the Senators’ leading point producer as soon as he name is added to the list.

In Tampa Bay, Conacher was viewed as a Marty St. Louis clone, a small, quick player who hustles, battles above his weight class. Tiny dancer. He’s bound to be a crowd favourite at Scotiabank Place. Because the Lightning have another little big man, Tyler Johnson, waiting in the wings, they could afford to let Conacher go. Teams only need so many sub-six-foot forwards.

This looks like one of those deals that can help both clubs.

With Steven Stamkos, St. Louis et al., Tampa Bay can score. Stopping pucks is another matter. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman had to do something to shore up his goaltending situation, considering how Anders Lindback and Mathieu Garon have struggled. Bishop gets a chance to move in there and challenge for the No. 1 position right away.

He’s not a sure thing, but neither is it unusual for a 26-year-old goalie to be seeking to establish himself. His size and decent athletic ability for a big man make Bishop promising. Now he needs to make this successful Ottawa run a springboard to a long term place in the NHL. Bishop’s .922 save percentage this season, 8-5-1 record and 2.45 goals-against average are the best numbers he has had in parts of four NHL seasons.

Will he suffer by moving away from Ottawa’s strong team game? Playing behind Tampa’s defence will be a challenge for him.

Meanwhile, Bishop’s departure — and Conacher’s arrival — changes things dramatically on the Senators’ roster. With Conacher added to the centre position, the club acquires some badly needed offensive spark with top centre Jason Spezza still sidelined following back surgery and last year’s top scorer, Milan Michalek, not ready to return from having his knee scoped.

Look for Conacher to step right into a top-six role with the Senators at centre or wing.

Back in the goal crease, Robin Lehner draws a giant sigh of relief. For weeks, Lehner has been living on borrowed time in Ottawa, assured of a place only because starter Craig Anderson was out with an ankle sprain.

Lehner’s two-way contract dictated that the 21-year-old Swede was the odd man out, the goalie for AHL Binghamton as long as Anderson and Bishop were healthy. Despite assurances from management that he had a bright future in the organization, the stress showed on Lehner. Now, he can settle in knowing he’s not going anywhere. No wonder he tweeted about his happiness on Wednesday.

Anderson has nearly recovered and he could return to start as early as Friday in Buffalo. Otherwise, he would likely back up Lehner, who stopped 47 of 50 Boston Bruins shots in a 3-2 Boston victory Tuesday night.

No longer do the Senators have a goaltending “situation,” gone is the “crowded crease syndrome.” What remains is pressure on Anderson to stay healthy and on Lehner to continue to progress into a legitimate NHL starter.

Anderson was the NHL’s top goaltender until he suffered that ankle injury Feb. 21 versus the New York Rangers.

What kind of form will he have when he returns after six weeks away from game action?

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.04.2013

667875 Ottawa Senators

Compelling Conacher brings grit, skill

by Ken Warren

BOSTON — Big Ben Bishop and Cory Conacher, the little train that could, were due to pass each other in the night skies late Wednesday.

Bishop was leaving his former Ottawa Senators teammates behind in Boston for the opportunity to become a No. 1 goaltender with the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Conacher was coming the other way, with a shot at being a point producer for a Senators team likely headed for the playoffs. The Senators also received a fourth-round draft choice from Tampa in the trade deadline deal.

“He’s a gritty guy, he’s not afraid to go to the net and spear the goalie or anything like that,” said Bishop, paying Conacher a compliment before leaving Boston. “He’s a good player, he’s got a nose for the net and I’m sure he’ll fit in well (with the Senators). He’s always going into the scrums and stuff.”

Conacher — whose great grandfather’s cousin was Canadian sporting legend Lionel “Big Train” Conacher — agreed with Bishop’s description of his style.

“Sounds about right,” the 23-year-old rookie said in a conference call, before jumping on a flight to Boston, where he’ll join the Senators for practice Thursday. “Maybe I go a little too hard at the goalie sometimes. I like to be first on the puck and dig for turnovers.”

Conacher, who has nine goals and 14 assists and is in the running for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year — he trailed Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau by a point before Wednesday’s games — instantly becomes the Senators’ top scorer.

His rise to the NHL is also a compelling story.

At 5-foot-8 and 176 pounds, he was a long-shot to make the big leagues. He was cut from AA and AAA minor hockey teams in his native Toronto because of his size, didn’t receive a sniff from major junior teams or big-time United States colleges or universities and was completely overlooked during his draft-eligible days as a teenager.

He used the rejections as motivation, clinging to the hope provided by Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis — “he made it in the league when it was all about size,” says Conacher — and attracted attention by re-writing the record book at Canisius College, a small school in Buffalo. As luck would have it, Conacher will make his Senators debut in Buffalo Friday, playing in front of the Canisius coaches he credits for his development, as well as family and friends making the drive from Toronto.

Conacher scored 80 points in 75 games in 2011-12 with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, helping them win a league record 28 consecutive games and a Calder Cup title. He began the NHL season on a tear and, while he has cooled off in recent weeks, Senators general manager Bryan Murray believes he could be a fit with fellow rookies Mika Zibanejad and Jakob Silfverberg.

“His skill set is real high,” said Murray. “He’s not a big player, but he’s quick, courageous, he handles the puck, he makes plays and gets points and if we need anything, we need a point-getter.”

Trading away Bishop, which wasn’t a surprise, finally opens the door for 21-year-old goaltender Robin Lehner to remain in the NHL full-time. With Craig Anderson ready to return to the lineup from his sprained ankle — he could start Friday in Buffalo — the Senators would have been forced to assign Lehner back to Binghamton of the AHL.

“That was ridiculous, really,” said Murray. “Robin has done anything and everything that a young guy has to do to prove he’s NHL ready and (Tuesday) against Boston once more confirmed that. He was just superb (stopping 47 of 50 shots) and we lost but not because of him.”

Murray credited Bishop for “saving us last year,” but says he was the odd-man out due to the fact he had a contract that expires at the end of the season.

Bishop wasn’t surprised by the trade, but he called it “bittersweet” because he’s leaving many friends behind.

“I developed a very good friendship with Robin this year, playing with him in Binghamton during the lockout and up here and (Anderson) is a good goalie,” Bishop said. “You can’t get mad at guys for playing well and everybody’s playing well. It’s just kind of unfortunate that one of us had to go. Robin is the young guy with the bright future, so I’m the guy to go. But I’m excited to go to Tampa.”

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.04.2013

667876 Ottawa Senators

Senators goaltender Craig Anderson ready to return to action

By Don Brennan ,Ottawa Sun

Craig Anderson is good to go.

Out since Feb. 21 with a high ankle sprain, the NHL's leading goalie has declared he's ready to return to action, Senators GM Bryan Murray said after trading Ben Bishop Wednesday.

"That's what I've been told," said Murray. "I don't know if he'll play in Buffalo (Friday). That's up to (coach) Paul (MacLean). But he has told us he's ready to play."

Anderson's availability and the play of 21-year-old Robin Lehner convinced Murray it was safe to deal Bishop for some much-needed scoring help.

In nine games since being recalled from Binghamton, Lehner has a .940 save percentage and a 2.15 goals against average to go along with a 3-2-4 record.

"Robin to me has done everything and anything a young guy has to do to prove he's NHL ready," said Murray, who added it would have been "unfair" to Lehner to send him back to the AHL. "I think the game against Boston (Tuesday) once more confirmed that. He was just superb."

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.04.2013

667877 Ottawa Senators

Senators send Bishop to Tampa for Conacher, draft pick

By Don Brennan ,Ottawa Sun

BOSTON - The Senators lost almost a full foot, but gained a draft pick and a 'Little Train' in their crease-clearing deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning at Wednesday's trade deadline.

Gone is Ben Bishop, their 6-foot-7 goalie who, with the emergence of 21-year old Robin Lehner as a rising star, always figured to be the odd man out once NHL goalie stats leader Craig Anderson recovered from an ankle injury.

Incoming is 23-year-old winger Cory Conacher, a 5-foot-8, 179-pound sparkplug who is not only second in NHL rookie scoring this season, but with nine goals and 15 assists automatically takes over the Senators points lead.

Conacher is related to both legendary Toronto Maple Leaf Charlie Conacher -- whose banner hangs from the rafters at the Air Canada Centre -- and former NHL defenceman Lionel Conacher, who was known as "Big Train" both for his stature and style of play in the 1920s and '30s.

The great grandson of Big Train's cousin has a reputation as a player with a nasty edge who has no problem running into people.

He's also out to prove himself as another Little Engine That Could.

"I actually saw that in one of the articles, they actually called me Little Train," Conacher said from Tampa, before flying to Boston and joining the Senators Wednesday night. "That's a neat little name. I hope I can be that Little Train, I try to be that gritty player.

"It's very important for me to play hard, play the same way and do whatever it takes for the team to win and for me to be a part of that win."

Senators GM Bryan Murray looked at rentals as well as depth defencemen and forwards before settling on Conacher, whom he currently sees as a winger on the team's third line with Mika Zibanejad and Jacob Silfverberg when everybody is healthy. In the meantime, Conacher is expected to fill in for the injured Mike Hoffman, who was on the first line, when he makes his debut in Buffalo Friday.

"His skill set is real high ... he's not a big player, but he's quick, courageous, handles the puck, makes plays, gets points," Murray said. "If we need anything, we need a point-getter, and I think he addresses one of those needs at least.

"We've been talking to a variety of teams for quite some time, really. Finally, we thought that Cory Conacher was the most productive player we could get. We wish he was 6-foot-7, but he's not. He's a guy that addresses a need of points."

Conacher, who was cut from teams as a kid because he was deemed too small, didn't start thinking of a career in pro hockey until he had great success at Buffalo's Canisius College, where he still holds numerous Golden Griffins records. Undrafted, he worked his way to the AHL, and last season led the Calder Cup-winning Norfolk Admirals in goals (39) and points (80), while finishing third on the team in penalty minutes, with 114.

"All I heard our team in Binghamton complain about is this guy Cory Conacher scoring goals and (being) competitive, and dirty," said Murray. "He's mean around the net."

Even Bishop attested to that.

"He's a gritty guy," said Bishop, who played against Conacher in the AHL. "He's not afraid to go to the net and spear the goalie or anything like that. He's a good player and he's got a nose to the net. I'm sure he'll do well here."

Told of Bishop's scouting report on him, Conacher offered confirmation.

"That sounds about right," said Conacher, whose cap hit on a contact that expires in 2014 is $925,000. "I maybe hit goalies a little too hard sometimes, just going to the net. I'm a guy who likes to be first on the puck, and likes to be in the corners and dig for loose pucks, create turnovers and finish checks when I can. Skate hard, backcheck hard, be responsible on the ice. That's kind of what I'm working on right now. I think Ottawa is a team that has a lot of players that do those things. It'll be a good fit for me. I'm excited to play there.

He's also hopeful of having a long and fruitful career like that of his childhood idol, Lightning star Martin St. Louis.

"I see his size, and he had to make the league when the league was all about size," said the Little Train. "I know if he can do it, then it's possible for myself to do as well."

don.brennan@sunmedia.ca

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.04.2013

667878 Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers' Zac Rinaldo leaves game with lower-body injury

Jerry Gaul, Philly.com

Posted: Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 9:58 PM

The Flyers announced that winger Zac Rinaldo left Wednesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens with a lower-body injury. He will not return.

Rinaldo amassed 5:06 of ice time in the game. He recorded two hits and fought the Canadiens' Brandon Prust in the second period.

Including tonight's game, Rinaldo appeared in 32 games. He scored three goals and recorded two assists, while accumulating 85 penalty minutes.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667879 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers trade for goalie Steve Mason

Sam Carchidi, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 7:56 PM

TORONTO - The Flyers' future goaltending situation was apparently put into disarray after they acquired Steve Mason from Columbus just before the NHL trade deadline Wednesday.

The move could pave the way for the Flyers to use a compliance buyout on starter Ilya Bryzgalov after the season.

The Flyers sent backup goalie Michael Leighton - did the ghost of Patrick Kane's 2010 Stanley Cup-winning goal go with him? - and a 2015 third-round draft pick to Columbus for Mason, who has regressed after winning the Calder Cup as rookie of the year in 2008-09. That season, he recorded a 2.29 goals-against average and 10 shutouts in 61 games.

This year, he was 3-6-1 with a 2.95 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. In the last four seasons, his goals-against average has been 3.05, 3.03, 3.39, and 2.95, respectively.

Mason, 24, was available because Sergei Bobrovsky - whom the Flyers traded to Columbus after last season for three draft picks - has blossomed into the Blue Jackets' top goalie and one of the best in the NHL this year.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Mason is a restricted free agent after this season, and the Flyers want to resign him at a lower rate than he currently receives ($2.9 million). General manager Paul Holmgren said he expected to sign him before the season ends.

"We see him as one of our two goalies not only the rest of this year but moving forward," Holmgren said. "We'll just leave it at that for now."

Will Bryzgalov be the other half of the tandem? That may depend on how the rest of the season unfolds.

Earlier in the day, the Flyers were outbid for the goalie they really wanted, Ben Bishop, whom Ottawa traded to Tampa Bay for gifted rookie winger Cory Conacher (24 points) and a fourth-round pick.

Reportedly, the Flyers refused to part with slumping sophomore center Sean Couturier, preventing them from making the deal.

An NHL source would not confirm whether Ottawa wanted Couturier, but he did say the Flyers "never" had intentions of putting the 20-year-old in the deal.

Holmgren is hoping a change of scenery invigorates Mason, who is young enough to bounce back.

"We still think there's a tremendous upside there," Holmgren said, adding that goalie coach Jeff Reese was high on Mason.

"Every goaltender wants a fresh start," Mason said.

Mason is viewed as an upgrade over Leighton, but he is also a lot more expensive. If the Flyers keep Bryzgalov next year - that's a big if at the moment - and Mason re-signs for around his current salary, the Flyers will have about $8.6 million committed to their goalies next season.

They probably would not be getting enough bang for their buck.

Acquiring Mason could mean the Flyers will "amnesty" Bryzgalov next year and try to sign an unrestricted free-agent goalie in the offseason. The most attractive candidates are former Flyer Ray Emery, Jimmy Howard, Mike Smith, and Niklas Backstrom.

After this year, Bryzgalov, 32, will be owed a total of $34.5 million over the last seven years. If he is bought out through the amnesty procedure, the Flyers would have to pay two-thirds of that salary. But it would not count against the salary cap.

Before they acquired Mason, the Flyers claimed 6-3, 213-pound forward Adam Hall off waivers from Tampa Bay. Hall has played in 10 NHL seasons and figures to be used on the penalty kill and eat some minutes supplied by Max Talbot, who is out for the season with a broken left leg.

Hall, 32, had four points in a combined 26 games with the Lightning and Carolina this year, but he was effective in the faceoff circle, winning 54.9 percent of his 173 draws.

Adding Hall was an "easy decision," Holmgren said. "Adam has been around. He's a bigger guy and can play left wing, right wing, or center. It's depth and experience."

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667880 Philadelphia Flyers

Mason happy to be joining Flyers

POSTED: Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 3:09 PM

Steve Mason said he was ecstatic to be traded today to the Flyers. The Columbus Blue Jackets traded the 24-year-old goalie for goalie Michael Leighton and a third round pick in 2015.

“I am more than thrilled to have this opportunity and have a fresh start,” Mason said in comments distributed by the Flyers.

Mason hasn’t come close to matching his production when he won the Calder Cup as Rookie of the Year in 2008-2009. That was his lone playoff season when he recorded a 2.29 goals against average and recorded 10 shutouts in 61 games.

This season he was 3-6-1 while backing up former Flyer Sergei Bobrovsky in Columbus.

When asked if Mason would back up Ilya Bryzgalov, general manager Paul Holmgren said, "He is one of our two goalies, not only for this season but moving forward."

Mason, who will be a restricted free agent, talked about being a teammate with Bryzgalov.

"I am looking forward to working with him," Mason said.

Here's video of Flyers' GM Paul Holmgren adressing the media:

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667881 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers defenseman Nick Grossmann gets work in