Tom Wilson opened eyes around the NHL with his overtime goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1.The Columbus Blue Jackets, for example, scored just once in their Game 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and captain Nick Foligno pointed to Wilson's shot from the side boards as an example of a simple way to help boost his team's offense."There is no bad shot in the playoffs," Foligno said Friday about Wilson's goal, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "Sometimes when you're trying to create offense you're looking for the perfect play but that's not how it's going to work in the playoffs. The best offense is gritty and just throwing it in there."And when Foligno says there's no bad shot, he means firing an attempt from anywhere."Catch a goalie off guard. Catch them off guard," he continued. "Right when they think you're going to go behind the net with it, rip it at the net. Things like that that all of a sudden cause chaos. That's really what you're trying to do in the offensive zone."The Blue Jackets did outshoot the Penguins 32-29 in their Game 1 loss, a total that could rise if Foligno's message gets through.And with Marc-Andre Fleury in net for Pittsburgh, one never knows what could happen.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TAMPA, Fla. - Scotty Bowman was 12 years old when he saw Jackie Robinson play in Montreal. More than 70 years later, Bowman says Montreal welcomed Robinson during the Hall of Famer's one season with the International League Royals.''Adoration,'' the winningest coach in NHL history said. ''Montreal fans embraced him.''Robinson ended racial segregation in major league baseball on April 15, 1947 when he made his big league debut at first base in a Brooklyn Dodgers home game against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field.Robinson is honored every April with ceremonies throughout baseball. All MLB players will wear his retired No. 42 jersey in Saturday's games.Robinson's journey to Brooklyn had one final stop after being signed in 1945 by Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey: a season in the minor leagues.Bowman attended Sunday games at Delorimier Stadium in 1946, where Robinson was part of a powerful Dodgers Triple-A team that won the IL title and the Junior World Series. Robinson hit .349 with three homers, 66 RBIs, 113 runs scored and 40 stolen bases over 124 games in his lone minor league season.''He could have played in Brooklyn that year,'' Bowman said. ''We went to the games, my friends and I, and you could see it. He was an all-around player.''Robinson remains revered in Montreal. The house where he rented an apartment is a landmark.''They made it a heritage building,'' Bowman said.Robinson, raised in California, got a taste of the Canadian winter as the Royals capped off the year by beating the American Association's Louisville Colonels for the Junior World Series championship.''It was snowing in one of the games,'' said Bowman, currently a senior adviser with the Chicago Blackhawks. ''It didn't bother them, they won.''After Bowman had his hopes of an NHL playing career derailed by injuries, he eventually ended up becoming a Montreal legend, too. Five of Bowman's NHL-record nine Stanley Cup coaching championships came from 1973-79 while with the Montreal Canadiens.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin and Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller have been added to Team USA's World Championship roster, USA Hockey announced on Friday.This marks Hanifin's fourth time that he will dress for the United States at the tournament. As for Keller, this marks the second time this year that he will represent his country after he contributed three goals and eight assists in seven games at the World Junior Hockey Championship.Related: Lee, Hellebuyck among 15 players named to U.S. World Championship rosterHanifin is coming off a strong sophomore season in the NHL that saw him post 29 points in 81 games - a seven-point improvement over his rookie year.Meanwhile, Keller is coming off his first year at Boston University where he posted 21 goals and 45 points in 31 games. The 18-year-old also got his first taste of the NHL collecting two assists in three games with the Coyotes.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks could receive a boost to their lineup sooner rather than later.Head coach Randy Carlyle spoke to reporters after Friday's practice and noted that injured defenseman Cam Fowler is improving "rapidly," based on a Thursday assessment. The team is hopeful that Fowler will begin skating within a week.Fowler missed the final two games of the regular season and Thursday's playoff opener after a knee-on-knee hit from Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano on April 4. His timeline was expected to be anywhere between two and six weeks.The 25-year-old Fowler led all Ducks defenders with 11 goals and 39 points in 80 games this season, his highest points output since his rookie campaign back in 2011.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks sure know how to put out a spread.At Friday's practice - following Thursday's 3-2 Game 1 victory over the Calgary Flames - the Ducks provided media members with a spread of burgers and fries from In-N-Out Burger, and it was something to behold.

With a flick of the wrist, Tom Wilson became a very popular man.The Washington Capitals forward was the hero of Game 1 on Thursday, scoring the overtime winner against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. When he looked at his phone after the game, he had 91 text messages from family and friends in both cities, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic.Related - Watch: Wilson's OT winner completes Capitals' Game 1 comeback over LeafsOf course, the goal makes Wilson more an enemy than a hero in his hometown, but teammate Brett Connolly said that should make Games 3 and 4 in Toronto even more exciting for Wilson."He's probably so excited to go in there and be the villain and just do his thing," Connolly said, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.In the meantime, the Maple Leafs will try to even the series in Game 2 on Saturday night.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sooner or later, Clarke MacArthur believes the Ottawa Senators will catch up and start scoring goals at a more consistent clip.Speaking to reporters Friday ahead of the team's Saturday matinee against the Boston Bruins, the forward was confident in his team, and compared Ottawa's lack of offense to a condiment issue."It's like banging the ketchup bottle here, waiting for it to ooze out," MacArthur said, according to Sportsnet's Kristina Rutherford.Goals have been tough to come by for the Senators of late. Bobby Ryan netted the team's lone marker in Game 1, and over the last five games, the Senators as a team have managed just nine goals.The longer view doesn't bode well for the Senators either: They had the 22nd-ranked offense during the regular season, the lowest among all playoff teams.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have to endure at least one more game without defenseman Nikita Zaitsev.Head coach Mike Babcock said Friday that he expects Zaitsev to miss Game 2 of the Leafs' first-round series, according to TSN's Mark Masters.Zaitsev did not dress for Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals after being forced from Sunday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets with an upper-body injury.While Zaitsev did not take the ice for practice with the team, Masters reports the blue-liner was spotted riding the stationary bike.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Friday, April 14:Dynamic Duos

Former Philadelphia Flyers forward R.J. Umberger shared an update of the work on his son's play room Friday, and it's a hockey fan's dream.

In this edition of "On the Fly," theScore's NHL roundtable series, we discuss who should take home the major hardware at the NHL Awards in June.*Please note: this is not an official ballot.Calder Trophy - Auston MatthewsCraig Hagerman: This was far from a two- or even three-horse race, but in the end, your Calder Trophy winner is Auston Matthews.Matthews set a plethora of Toronto Maple Leafs records including most goals and points by a rookie in a season. He was the only player to record at least a shot in every game this season, his 40 goals were the most by an American-born rookie in NHL history, and sorry, he was just that much better than Patrik Laine.Related: Matthews becomes 4th-ever rookie to reach 40 goals before turning 20The 19-year-old also tallied the most goals by a rookie since Alex Ovechkin scored 52 during the 2005-06 season, while his 69 points are the eighth-highest mark since 2000.Factor in his play on the other side of the puck and what he was able to help the Maple Leafs achieve this season and there's no question he deserves the award. Still, huge props to what's easily the best rookie class the NHL has seen in some time.Vezina Trophy - Sergei Bobrovsky(Photo courtesy: Action Images)Ian McLaren: For the second time, the Vezina Trophy will be awarded to Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets.The Russian goaltender ranked second in wins this season with 41, trailing both Braden Holtby and Cam Talbot by a single victory. But it's his save percentage - dividing the number of saves by the total number of shots on goal - that sets him apart from the field.Among all goalies with at least 41 appearances, Bobrovsky ranks first with a save percentage of .931, with Holtby (.925) coming in second. In five-on-five play, Bobrovsky continued to hold an advantage over Holtby, with the former posting a save percentage of .939 and the latter coming in at .937.The one extra win should not cancel out Bobrovsky's ability to more regularly stop the puck. That, after all, is the chief aim of goalies.In an impressive year all around in Columbus, Bobrovsky was the backbone, and the best goalie league wide.Jack Adams Trophy - John TortorellaCory Wilkins: After a disastrous and short-lived season with the Vancouver Canucks, and an even worse showing leading Team USA at the World Cup, veteran head coach John Tortorella was all but left for dead.Pundits across the hockey landscape chose Tortorella as the first coach to be fired this season. The reasoning: His style had gone stale, and in a league moving more and more toward youth, communication is key, leaving little room for Tortorella's fiery demeanor.But all he's done in his first full season as coach in Columbus (he coached 75 games with the team last year) is pull the team into hockey relevancy. The Blue Jackets spent nearly all of their first 15 years in the league's basement, but emerged as a contender this season, making a 32-point improvement on 2015-16 and finishing as just one of four teams to crack the 50-win plateau.Tortorella tossed aside the meaningless morning skate. He unleashed his young players and worked through their growing pains as they learned from their mistakes. Through it all, Tortorella mellowed. For those reasons, coupled with the team's success, the Blue Jackets bench boss deserves to be this season's coach of the year.Norris Trophy - Erik Karlsson(Photo courtesy: Action Images)Sean O'Leary: When Drew Doughty captured the Norris Trophy last season, nearly everybody outside the Kings organization was shocked, believing Erik Karlsson deserved it after the most prolific season of his NHL career (82 points).Now, Doughty is an all-world talent - his ability to thrive at both ends of the ice won him the award, and voters said it was his time. Fast forward a season, and here we are debating whether it should be Brent Burns or Karlsson, both beyond worthy candidates.Burns had more points, 76 to Karlsson's 71. But if offense didn't win Karlsson the Norris, why would it win Burns one?Karlsson adapted to Guy Boucher's defensive regime, and thrived. Karlsson blocked more shots, logged more time on ice per game, and suppressed opponents' offense more effectively than Burns this season on a team that quietly registered 98 points.Burns has undoubtedly become one of the game's most polarizing superstars both on and off the ice, but Karlsson is a true generational talent, and if I had a vote in this debate, it would go toward No. 65's third Norris Trophy.Hart Trophy - Connor McDavid(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)Navin Vaswani: It's got to be the kid. The Captain. The Edmonton OIlers. Connor McDavid.He finished with 100 points, an Art Ross winner at 20, in his second NHL season at only 19.Almost more impressively, Edmonton finished with 103 points. Remember, this is the Oilers. A team that hadn't hit 80 points since 2009, or 90 since 2006, in the Cup Final season. Not only are the Oilers back in the playoffs, they have home ice in the first round, hosting last year's Western Conference finalists. They had a chance to win the Pacific Division with only hours to play in the 82-game season. The math, it don't lie.I could get into more of the numbers - the even-strength dominance, the percentage of the Oilers' offense McDavid accounted for - but if you watched him this season, you know why he's the MVP. You saw why.That's taking nothing away from Sidney Crosby, who is dominant in a way no other player is, not even McDavid. But there's something about No. 97 - it may very well be his speed, and his ability to do things at speeds no one else can.He stands out, stands apart, in a way no other player does.So many of the league's top teams are loaded with talent. It's tough to argue the Oilers, though they finished tied for seventh in the NHL in points, are one of them. It's McDavid and the boys. McDavid's that good. He's the most valuable player, because the Oilers probably are not the Oilers without him.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In Brian Elliott's eyes, the Anaheim Ducks didn't so much win Thursday night's game as the Calgary Flames lost it.The Ducks edged the Flames 3-2 in Game 1 of the quarterfinal series, but Calgary's goaltender attributed Anaheim's victory to some costly mistakes by his own club."Two power-play goals and a bad change, it's not like they really earned it that much. We kind of gave it to them," Elliott said postgame, according to The Canadian Press. "We clean things up, we'll take care of business."The highlight of the night was Rickard Rakell's second-period goal that came on a very rare three-on-zero break, just one of the mistakes Elliott alluded to."I have to watch it from a different angle because all I saw was just three guys coming," Elliott said. "Try to stand your ground but that can't happen this time of year."It was still a one-goal game, and that's something Flames forward Kris Versteeg feels the team can take out of the loss."All in all, we were still there in the end," Versteeg said. "We had our opportunity to tie it up and we didn't. Let's move on to the next one."Related - Watch: Gibson makes game-saving pad stop in final secondsGame 2 in the series goes Saturday night.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks walked out with a 3-2 win on Thursday night and they have goaltender John Gibson to thank for that.The club holds a 1-0 series lead, but that's due in part to the miraculous pad stop Gibson made on Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau with less than 20 seconds remaining in regulation.For Gibson, Thursday's victory helps bring his career playoff record to a more reasonable 3-4-0 mark. He will hope to bring that line to .500 when the Ducks and Flames take the ice again on Saturday night.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The first two days of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs are in the books, and they haven't quite gone the way Canadian-based clubs hoped.A year after not a single team from the Great White North participated in the postseason, five punched their ticket this spring, but all five are still looking for their first win after Thursday's action.TeamOpponentResultCanadiensRangersL 2-0SenatorsBruinsL 2-1OilersSharksL/OT 3-2Maple LeafsCapitalsL/OT 3-2FlamesDucksL 3-2Excepting the Montreal Canadiens' loss to the New York Rangers, each of the contests has been decided by a single goal, including the Toronto Maple Leafs' and Edmonton Oilers' overtime losses. In total, Canadian teams have been outscored 13-7.It's been a while since fans of a Canadian-based team have celebrated a playoff victory. The last postseason win by a Canadian club came on May 9, 2015, when Montreal defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of their second-round series.The win kept the Canadiens' playoff hopes alive for just three days: They dropped Game 6 by a 4-1 score and were eliminated.The Canadiens and Oilers are back in action Friday night as the question remains: Who will give Canada the country's first playoff victory in nearly two years?Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jakob Silfverberg scored the tiebreaking power-play goal late in the second period, and captain Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist in the Anaheim Ducks' 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames in their first-round playoff series opener Thursday night.Rickard Rakell scored the tying goal after Calgary made a horrendous line change in the second period, and John Gibson made 30 saves as the Ducks avoided a slow start to their latest Stanley Cup playoff campaign.Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett scored and Brian Elliott stopped 38 shots for the wild-card Flames. Calgary is winless in Anaheim since April 25, 2006, when the Flames won a playoff game in a series won by the Ducks.Game 2 is Saturday night at Honda Center.With their fans' chants of ''You can't win here!'' echoing down from the rafters, the Ducks kept up their improbable home mastery of the Flames despite falling behind in the second period.Getzlaf was dominant while he became the first Ducks player to score 100 playoff points. He capped his night with an enormous third-period check on Calgary captain Mark Giordano, who is reviled in Anaheim after injuring All-Star defenseman Cam Fowler with a knee-on-knee hit last week.Anaheim capped the win by killing two Flames power plays, including a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 1:17 in the waning minutes. Gibson was shaky at times, but he denied Johnny Gaudreau in the crease with 18 seconds to play.With Calgary's loss, the NHL's Canadian teams fell to 0-5 in their playoff openers this season.The Ducks have won five straight Pacific Division titles, but their postseason failures in recent years led to coach Bruce Boudreau's firing last spring and the return of Randy Carlyle, who led Anaheim to its only championship a decade ago. The Ducks haven't reached the Stanley Cup Final since, and they've won just three playoff rounds during the past four seasons - including an embarrassing first-round loss to Nashville last season.The Ducks lost the first two games at home to the Predators, who eventually won in seven games. A slow start wasn't a problem against the Flames, however: The raucous Orange County crowd hadn't even settled in its seats before Getzlaf wired a one-timer through traffic for his 30th career playoff goal.Calgary evened it on a power-play redirect by Monahan, the top-line forward who scored 58 points and didn't miss a game during the regular season.Bennett put the Flames ahead with a slick shot off Kris Versteeg's slick backhand pass in front. Before Honda Center or the Ducks could get too tense, Rakell evened it on a rebound of Getzlaf's shot after Calgary gave up a 3-on-0 rush with its confused line change.Silfverberg then put a beautiful wrist shot through traffic to reclaim the lead.The Ducks expect to be without Fowler for at least the next few games after the hit by Giordano, who wasn't penalized or further disciplined by the NHL. Giordano was booed every time he touched the puck.NOTES: Ducks D Shea Theodore got the first two playoff points of his career with power-play assists. ... Calgary's Glen Gulutzan coached his first NHL playoff game, and rookie F Matthew Tkachuk made his playoff debut. ... Anaheim D Brandon Montour and F Ondrej Kase made their Stanley Cup playoff debuts. ... Ducks F Nick Ritchie completed his two-game suspension for punching Chicago's Michael Rozsival last week. The power forward will be eligible to make his NHL playoff debut in Game 2.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Corey Perry survived a bit of a scare Thursday night.The Anaheim Ducks forward caught a broken stick blade in the face on a draw in the second period of Game 1 against the Calgary Flames.Perry went down the tunnel, but wasn't gone for long.

The Calgary Flames seemed to be in a giving mood in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks.The Flames helped the Ducks score a goal for the second time Thursday night, going for a wholesale line change that Anaheim alertly spotted and took immediate advantage of.Kevin Bieksa fired a long stretch pass from behind his own red line to Ryan Getzlaf in the offensive zone, and Jakob Silfverberg banged in the rebound after the captain's initial shot was stopped, knotting the game late in the second period.Earlier in the game, Getzlaf scored a power-play goal that deflected in off Flames pugilist Deryk Engelland's stick.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dylan Wells is used to stopping the puck, but he can also bury it.The Edmonton Oilers goaltending prospect pulled off an impressive feat in the Peterborough Petes' series-clinching win over the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL playoffs Thursday night, firing the puck into the empty net from behind his own in the final minute.He handled the celebration like a seasoned vet, too.

Deryk Engelland isn't the most popular member of the Calgary Flames, and this certainly won't help his cause.The veteran enforcer committed a regrettable gaffe less than a minute into Game 1 of the Flames' first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks, deflecting the puck past teammate Brian Elliott and into his own net.Ryan Getzlaf was credited with the power-play goal, which was answered by another man-advantage marker when Flames forward Sean Monahan evened the score midway through the first period.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't just happy to be here.In a tightly-contested Game 1 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, the Leafs proved they can hang with the Presidents' Trophy winners, as far as goalie Frederik Andersen is concerned."We showed we can play with them and we've got to keep playing better throughout the game and improve next game too," Andersen told reporters.While the end result didn't fall in their favor, Andersen believes there are some positive lessons to be gleaned in order to ensure this series is far from over."It's one game obviously and not the end result we wanted," he said. "We played really good and I think we showed we can play with these guys. That was a good game for us, but obviously you don't get a win for that. We've got to come back and play the same way and better."Andersen stopped 41 of 44 shots fired by the Capitals, and was a major reason why the game was pushed to overtime.Game 2 is set for Saturday in Washington.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs gave the Washington Capitals a scare in the opening game of their first-round playoff series, but Barry Trotz acknowledged his club's slow start actually had a positive effect."It's a (really) good wake-up call for us," the Capitals head coach told reporters, according to TSN's Mark Masters, following Washington's 3-2 victory. "I know we have another level."The underdog Leafs scored the first two goals of the series, the first coming less than two minutes in courtesy Mitch Marner and the second scored by Jake Gardiner midway through the opening frame.Justin Williams brought the Capitals level with a pair of goals that eventually forced overtime, and Tom Wilson finished off the comeback with the game-winner in the extra period.Related: Wilson's OT winner completes Capitals' Game 1 comeback over LeafsTrotz didn't like how Washington played for the first 30 minutes of the game, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.The Capitals out-shot the Leafs 13-7 in the third and 6-2 in overtime, and Washington ultimately prevailed, so Trotz shouldn't have much of an issue with how the Presidents' Trophy winners finished Game 1.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pekka Rinne made Nashville Predators history in a Game 1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.The veteran goaltender stopped all 29 shots against in the 1-0 decision, recording the first road playoff shutout in team history, per Adam Vingan of The Tennessean.Related: Predators' Arvidsson sneaks behind defense, scores on deft tipAs the following shot attempt table shows, the Blackhawks dominated the contest from the beginning of the second period on, with Rinne making a huge difference in the outcome.The Predators had played 35 playoff games on the road prior to Thursday, while Rinne himself had posted one playoff shutout on home ice back in 2012.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tom Wilson has offered the perfect rebuttal to Mike Babcock's scouting report.The gritty Washington Capitals forward scored the overtime goal to give his team a Game 1 win, belying the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach's assessment of him heading into the series.Related: Wilson's OT winner completes Capitals' Game 1 comeback"Nothing against (Wilson) because he works hard and all that, but he's not as big of concern as lot of people on their team," Babcock said Tuesday, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post.In fairness, Wilson is far down on the list of Washington's expected offensive heroes, but the game-winner - his first career playoff goal - came on a pretty nice shot.To his credit, Wilson - known more for his physical play than offensive prowess - admitted Babcock may have had a point.

Tom Wilson, playoff hero.The Washington Capitals pest fired home the winner in overtime to seal a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening game of the first-round playoff series Thursday night.The Capitals fell behind 2-0 less than 10 minutes into the contest, but a pair of goals by Justin Williams drew Washington even before Wilson ended it about five minutes into the extra frame.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Frederik Andersen is playoff ready.The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender made 36 saves in regulation during Game 1 against the Washington Capitals, and perhaps none was bigger than this one off the stick of Marcus Johansson to help make sure the game at least went to overtime.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Willie Desjardins put the blame squarely on himself while facing the Vancouver media for the last time.Three days after being fired from his role as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, Desjardins expressed his regret by drawing on a conversation he had with Alex Burrows before the veteran forward was traded to the Ottawa Senators at the deadline."When he was going to leave, (Burrows said,) 'I was just really disappointed that I couldn't win a Cup in this market. I felt I let the market down,'" Desjardins told reporters Thursday, via TSN 1040."And that's what I think. It's the same thing. (Burrows) gave everything he had ... I did the same."Desjardins spent the first few minutes of Thursday's presser thanking members of the organization, and he later explained that his motivation for addressing the media one more time was gratitude, not any ill will about his dismissal."I'm not bitter about it. I am disappointed," he said. "It's such a great game. There's just lots of people I owe thanks to."The 60-year-old said he had a feeling for months that he wouldn't be back."You just get a sense sometimes," Desjardins said. "When you've been around the game a little bit you get a feeling when things are coming to an end."The Canucks dropped their final eight games of the season and won only two of the final 17 contests."It's a tough situation when you get to this point," Desjardins said. "There's casualties sometimes."Vancouver finished second-last overall with only 30 wins in 82 games, missing the playoffs for the second straight season.The Canucks got worse in each of Desjardins' three campaigns at the helm, going from 101 points in his first NHL campaign to only 69 in 2016-17.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The underdogs have drawn first blood.Mitch Marner banged home the opening goal of the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round series against the heavily favored Washington Capitals less than two minutes into Game 1 on Thursday night.It was the 19-year-old's first career playoff goal, and it came after a great second effort by James van Riemsdyk, who followed his own shot with another and got the puck to carom out to Marner, who found himself with a virtually wide-open cage out front.Marner also made a little history in the process, becoming the first Leafs teenager to score a postseason marker since Daniel Marois in 1988, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and the first Toronto rookie to do so since Jeff Farkas in 2000.The Presidents' Trophy winners have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, but that won't matter if the underestimated visitors can continue to silence the Verizon Center crowd.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

USA Hockey has named 15 players to the men's national team for the upcoming World Championship to be played in Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France.The initial roster features five players who helped guide Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2015 IIHF Men’s World Championship, namely Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings), Anders Lee (New York Islanders), Connor Murphy (Arizona Coyotes), and Brock Nelson (New York Islanders).Here's a look at the full list of 15.

As the head coach of the visiting team in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Mike Babcock has a clear goal in mind for his underdog Toronto Maple Leafs: Take the crowd out of it early."There’s nothing like a bunch of fans who have long faces, who are sitting on their hands and are nervous like you can’t believe," Babcock said Thursday, per Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star. "That obviously is the goal for us."The host Washington Capitals enter the postseason as the Presidents' Trophy winners for the second straight season, and are favored by many to come out of the Eastern Conference. A first-round series against the last team to clinch a spot should be a short part of that journey.In the Alex Ovechkin era, however, this team has never advanced past the second round, and even small bumps along the road can make the most ardent of believers begin to question the Capitals.An early goal or two from the upstart Maple Leafs would indeed silence the Washington faithful.Capitals' head coach Barry Trotz, then, is making sure his team doesn't take anything lightly."Toronto's not coming here not to win. They're coming here to win and our job is to make sure that we're making sure that they don't win."Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A Pittsburgh man was so determined to see the Penguins' playoff opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets that he put off receiving medical treatment for a stab wound until after the game was over.Police were called to an auto detail shop Wednesday around 9 p.m. local time, where they found the 43-year-old victim, whom they believe to be the shop's owner, bleeding from his head, according to Bryan Armen Graham of the Guardian. He had been stabbed with a screwdriver during an altercation with a 25-year-old man.Paramedics attempted to treat the victim's laceration, but he refused, saying he would drive himself to the hospital after the game, which the Penguins won 3-1.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray suffered a lower-body injury, and there's no time frame for his return, head coach Mike Sullivan announced Thursday.Murray was injured in the warmup before Game 1 versus Columbus on Wednesday night, and didn't dress for the contest. Marc-Andre Fleury filled in admirably, making 31 saves as the Pens jumped out to a 1-0 series lead.It's a strange coincidence for Murray and the Penguins, who dealt with virtually the same scenario last postseason. Upon an injury to Fleury early in the first round, Murray took over the crease in relief and never relinquished it, leading Pittsburgh to a Stanley Cup.Whether Fleury can do the same this time around remains to be seen.Sullivan announced Fleury will start Game 2 on Friday, with rookie Tristan Jarry set for backup duties.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ken Hitchcock is back in Dallas, and it appears he couldn't be happier.The Stars officially introduced the 65-year-old as their new head coach Thursday - marking his second stint with the organization, and first job since being let go by the St. Louis Blues in February."Ken is an exceptionally talented coach and we could not be happier to have him joining the organization," general manager Jim Nill said. "He is a meticulous coach who brings with him an emphasis on structure and a defensive style of play, which will accent our level of skill nicely."Hitchcock was set on retirement after the 2016-17 season, but since his ended early, he got the bug again once fellow coaches reached out for advice.While specifics weren't identified, Nill announced during Thursday's press conference that Hitchcock's deal is a multi-year contract, and when it expires, it will be followed up with a consultant position with the Stars."This is a deal where he's going to be with us for a while," Nill said.Hitchcock, meanwhile, said the Stars opening was one of the few he would have accepted, and he's happy to be back with the club he led to a Stanley Cup in 1999."It's like coming home to me," Hitchcock said. "It's all about winning and this is the best opportunity for me."The Stars missed out on the playoffs this season by a wide margin - accruing just 79 points - but Hitchcock believes his experience coaching against Dallas as a member of St. Louis will help things get on track quickly.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The city of Edmonton was electric Wednesday night, as the Oilers made their return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.Despite a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss, at least two members of the sold-out Rogers Place crowd went home happy.Those two are David and Tanya Idzan, who won the 50/50 draw and took home a grand prize of $336,995.Seriously:

Playoff nerves: not even "The King" can avoid them.Even with 116 postseason starts heading into Wednesday night's series opener versus Montreal, Henrik Ludnqvist was chock-full of nervous anticipation."As a goalie you always try to look at good things in every situation," Lundqvist told Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "I had butterflies for two days. I've been thinking about this almost every hour for the past week about the start and to get going and feeling anxious and nervous and excited at the same time. It's just nice to get going."Despite the nerves, it's safe to say he was ready, as he turned away 16 first period shots en route to a 31-save shutout - his 10th in the playoffs, establishing a new franchise record over Rangers legend Mike Richter.Lundqvist didn't enjoy his best statistical season in 2016-17, going 31-20-4 with below career average numbers across the board. But it's a new season now, and after the first installment of his battle with fellow all-world netminder Carey Price went his way, it appears he's ready for more.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights officially announced the hiring of Gerard Gallant as the franchises first head coach Thursday.Gallant, 53, has been linked to the gig since his dismissal from the Florida Panthers in November, and the speculation became all but a certainty Wednesday, as reports surfaced that general manager George McPhee was closing in on his target."We are proud to announce Gerard as the first head coach in Vegas Golden Knights history,' McPhee said. "He is an experienced head coach, has had success at multiple levels and has a great reputation amongst the players who have played for him."Being named the first head coach in Vegas Golden Knights history is such a tremendous opportunity and one I am extremely grateful for," said Gallant. "There is a great deal of excitement in the hockey community regarding what is happening with the Golden Knights and I am glad to now be a part of the team."Gallant led the Panthers to the Atlantic Division title in 2015-16, and owns a record of 152-141-4-31 as an NHL head coach. He's also been named to Team Canada's coaching staff for the 2017 World Championship, and was an assistant for Team North America at September's World Cup.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, April 13 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):Dynamic Duos

After one period Wednesday night, it appeared as though the San Jose Sharks' slump to close out the regular season had carried over into the playoffs.The Edmonton Oilers, in front of a raucous home crowd, stormed out to a 2-0 lead, but the Sharks stayed calm, and their experience heavily factored into a 3-2 comeback victory in Game 1."I think there wasn't much that needed to be said. There wasn't much panic," captain Joe Pavelski said of the early deficit, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area.The Sharks, of course, are the reigning Western Conference champions, but they entered the postseason in a swoon. After holding a commanding nine-point lead atop the Pacific Division as late as March 14, San Jose lost six in a row in regulation, dropping the club below the Oilers and Ducks in the standings.Entering the postseason, however, the Sharks' roster had a combined 1,169 playoff games under their belts, and it paid off in a huge road win."It doesn't matter what we did in March. We're here now and we're playing and that's all that matters," head coach Peter DeBoer said.After each team recorded 10 shots in the first period, San Jose took over, winning the final shot count in dominating fashion by a total of 44-19. More importantly, the Sharks stole home-ice advantage from the Oilers, and may have reminded themselves how good they can be in the process.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Evgeni Malkin's return to the Pittsburgh Penguins' lineup was a triumphant one.Geno recorded two assists Wednesday in his first game since March 15, helping his club to a 3-1 win and 1-0 series lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The main beneficiary of Malkin's addition to an already terrifying offense was Phil Kessel, who picked up two points playing wing on No. 71's line.After the win, Malkin praised his linemate."It's fun," Malkin said of playing with Kessel, according to Bill West of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He's an amazing player, he's actually like a playoff guy. He wants to win every game. He wants to score every game. He wants to play hard every game."During Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup run in 2016, Kessel turned in a Conn Smythe-worthy postseason on the right wing of the "HBK" line, featuring Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino.Kessel and Malkin, though, both finished in the top 20 in NHL scoring in the regular season, and the possibility that they'll develop more playoff chemistry should be daunting for opponents.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.With the end of the NHL season drawing to a close, it's time to hand out some end of season awards. theScore's fantasy department wants YOU, the readers and fantasy players, to vote and decide the winner of each award. When voting, value players relative to standard league scoring:SkatersGoaliesGoalsWinsAssistsSV%+/-GAAPPPShutoutsPIMsSOGCriteria: The Fantasy MVP should be awarded to the player who was the most valuable fantasy player during the 2016-17 season. Consistent season-long production and positional eligibility/scarcity should be factored in. Bonus points should be given to a player if he stepped up his play during the fantasy playoffs.Nominee: C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh PenguinsGA+/-PPPPIMSOG4445172524255The case: Over the course of Crosby's career, he has been more of a pass-first type of player. This year he is shooting the puck more and it has led to his highest goal total since 2009-10. This goal-scoring has made Crosby even more valuable in fantasy circles, as goals are harder to come by than assists. The only knocks on Crosby are his lone C eligibility and the fact he missed six games during the fantasy season.Nominee: C Connor McDavid, Edmonton OilersGA+/-PPPPIMSOG3070272726251The case: Unlike Crosby, McDavid didn't miss a game all season long. He too, has only center eligibility, which dampers his value ever so slightly. He has collected more points than anyone in the league this season, albeit coming with assists more often than not. Nonetheless, his consistent production has been incredible.Nominee: D Brent Burns, San Jose SharksGA+/-PPPPIMSOG2947192540320The case: Burns provided fantasy owners with elite forward-like production from a position of scarce point producers. This would have allowed Burns owners to address the deep forward position later in drafts. He, amazingly, led the NHL in shots on goal, though he faded slightly down the stretch.(Photos courtesy Action Images)Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Melker Karlsson sure rained on Edmonton's return to the postseason party.The San Jose Sharks forward sniped the puck past Cam Talbot to give his team a Game 1 win over the Oilers, 3-2.The Sharks trailed 2-0 after the first period, but came all the way back for the win while dominating the Oilers 44-19 in shots on goal.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jake Allen could not be beat, until he was.The St. Louis Blues goaltender stood on his head for the majority of Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild, until Zach Parise scored with under 30 seconds remaining in the third period to send it to overtime.Full marks to Mikko Koivu for that ridiculous touch pass that fooled everyone but Parise.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nothing to worry about it.Despite dropping Game 1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Columbus Blue Jackets liked a lot about their game in the series opener.The Penguins took the contest 3-1, despite being outshot 32-29. It was all Columbus in the first period, as the Blue Jackets put up 16 shots to the Penguins' three.Things went the opposite way in the middle frame, with the Penguins leading the shot margin 16-4."I'm not worried about the team. This is why it's a series," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch after the loss. "We had some good minutes, even in the second period. I'm encourage. We lose the game, but I thought we did some good things. We'll get ready for Game 2."The coach praised young defenseman Zach Werenski. The rookie blue-liner appeared in his first playoff game, leading all Columbus defenders with six shots. He finished third on the team with 25:19 in ice time."What can you say about it? He hasn't played ... a 19-year-old kid ... We lose the game, (but) I thought he put on a show," Tortorella said. "His determination ... I hope it rubs off on other people on our team. That was inspiring to me to see what he can do."The Penguins carried a 3-0 lead into the third period, where Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert broke the shutout bid by Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.Fleury was a late start for the game after Matt Murray sustained a lower-body injury in the pregame warmup. But the last minute change didn't throw the Blue Jackets for a loop."(Fleury has) been a starter in this league a long time and he's won a Stanley Cup," said Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky. "It wasn't like we were licking our chops and making a big deal about it."The second game of the series comes Friday in Pittsburgh.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

That's a no-no.Montreal Canadiens blue-liner Andrei Markov was tossed late in Game 1 after spearing New York Rangers forward Rick Nash.The incident occurred in the final minute, with the Canadiens down 2-0 and pressing to score.Markov finished the night with a misconduct. It is unknown whether the incident will be reviewed by the NHL's department of player safety.Game 2 of the series comes Friday in Montreal.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't quite done with Marc-Andre Fleury.The team's longtime starting goalie basically lost his job around this time last year, when Matt Murray stepped in as an injury replacement and took the team to a Stanley Cup championship.Fleury played the role of backup all season, and was thought to have made his final start as a Penguin in the regular-season finale, with Murray set to backstop another playoff run.But instead of sitting on the bench wondering whether he'll be traded this summer or snagged in the upcoming expansion draft, Fleury was called upon as a late starter for Wednesday's Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He proceeded to stop 31 of 32 shots in a 3-1 win, proving general manager Jim Rutherford right for keeping Fleury around as insurance.Related: Penguins' Fleury starts Game 1 after Murray injured in warmupThat managerial decision was affirmed by head coach Mike Sullivan after the Game 1 win.