NHL Thread Because There Isn't An NHL Thread

Hollywood said:
Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Patrik Laine isn't quite sure why he was stuck to the bench during the late stages of the club's 5-4 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

The 22-year-old logged just 2:20 of ice time in the third period and didn't play in the final seven minutes of regulation or overtime despite having what he believed to be a strong game.

"Yeah we got scored on a couple of times but I think the first two, if you take out the one play where the puck was bouncing a little bit and I couldn't get it out and they ended up scoring, I thought I was playing good, but I guess I thought wrong," Laine told reporters following the loss.


Laine, who said earlier Thursday his confidence was "closer to zero" amid a seven-game point slump, tallied one goal and one assist to help Columbus open a 4-1 lead after two periods. However, his line was out for a pair of Panthers' third-period tallies, which could have led to his benching.

Head coach John Tortorella didn't offer much when asked about his decision to shorten the bench as the game progressed.

"At that point in time that's just the way it worked out," Tortorella said.

The Blue Jackets acquired Laine from the Winnipeg Jets in January. The Finnish forward was benched in just his fourth game with the club in February for reportedly verbally disrespecting a member of the coaching staff.
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Yep all Torts...his line being responsible for 2 goals is garbage too
 
It was nice to see the Wings beat Tampa Bay last night...it doesn't mean much during this horrid stretch, but small victories are all us fans have lately.

I hope people don't start getting impatient with Stevie Y and the rebuild. I think he's the guy for the job, but this team was is such bad shape with bloated contracts for aging, mediocre players and young draft picks not being coached up very well. I think Blash has to go, but guessing Yzerman is being patient as the team doesn't need the next level coach yet. But I am concerned that there are no stars on this team at any position.
 
ranbalam said:
It was nice to see the Wings beat Tampa Bay last night...it doesn't mean much during this horrid stretch, but small victories are all us fans have lately.

I hope people don't start getting impatient with Stevie Y and the rebuild. I think he's the guy for the job, but this team was is such bad shape with bloated contracts for aging, mediocre players and young draft picks not being coached up very well. I think Blash has to go, but guessing Yzerman is being patient as the team doesn't need the next level coach yet. But I am concerned that there are no stars on this team at any position.
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I can't imagine anyone else taking that job getting that much trust from the fans other than Yzerman. You've got some great prospects in the pipeline, and with a couple more lean years you'll have even more. I'd have more faith in Yzerman rebuilding than most teams that have tried and failed to do so (i.e.,. Buffalo).
 
BjorgenFjorgen said:
I can't imagine anyone else taking that job getting that much trust from the fans other than Yzerman. You've got some great prospects in the pipeline, and with a couple more lean years you'll have even more. I'd have more faith in Yzerman rebuilding than most teams that have tried and failed to do so (i.e.,. Buffalo).
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Yep, I have faith and it's not solely because he's a hero from his playing days. He clearly helped build something great in TB.

I met him once at a Plymouth Whalers game when he was working for TB, he was standing behind the last row in the arena watching/scouting. I didn't ask for anything more than a handshake, I didn't desire a pic or autograph, but did feel the need to tell him how much his time with the Wings meant to me. He was not super pleased to be honest. Intense and a bit icy.
 
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella provided some insight into his decision to bench Patrik Laine for the majority of the third period and all of overtime in Thursday's 5-4 loss against the Florida Panthers.

"You guys think I don't want to play Patty? I mean, I want to play him," Tortorella said Friday, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda. "But I still have to make calls as far as how the players are playing at that particular time.

"I thought Patty probably played one of his best periods in the first period," he continued. "He played really well. But I also have to make calls as the rest of his game is going on where he is at that particular time, especially late in the third period and us reeling a little bit.


"There's no free passes because you're notably the top gun."

Laine snapped a seven-game pointless streak after tallying a goal and an assist. Despite the offensive production, the 22-year-old only saw the ice for 2:20 in the third period and didn't play during the final seven minutes of regulation or in overtime after his line was on the ice for two goals against in the final frame.

The sniper was puzzled by his lack of ice time after the game, and said he thought he was "playing good." Tortorella doesn't necessarily see his decision to limit Laine's ice time as a benching.

"I didn't bench anybody last night," he said, according to Svoboda. "I just decided to play some other people in situations late in the third period that I felt more comfortable with at that time."

After owning a 4-1 lead against the Panthers, the Blue Jackets allowed three straight goals in the third period before falling in overtime. Columbus currently sits in fifth place in the Central Division with a 10-12-6 record.
 
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded defenseman Mikko Lehtonen to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Veini Vehvilainen, the club announced Friday.

Vehvilainen, 24, made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets on March 6 in relief for Joonas Korpisalo. He stopped three of the four shots he faced.

Columbus selected the Finnish goalie in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He appeared in 33 AHL games during the 2019-20 season, posting a 10-18-5 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.


Vehvilainen was named the Finnish Liiga's best goaltender in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons while playing with Karpat. He was also a member of Finland's gold-medal teams at the 2019 IIHF World Championships and the 2016 world juniors.

Lehtonen, 27, was signed by Toronto to a one-year, entry-level contract prior to the beginning of the season. He was the KHL's top-scoring defenseman during the 2019-20 campaign. Lehtonen recorded three assists over nine games with Toronto this season.
 
Hollywood said:
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella provided some insight into his decision to bench Patrik Laine for the majority of the third period and all of overtime in Thursday's 5-4 loss against the Florida Panthers.

"You guys think I don't want to play Patty? I mean, I want to play him," Tortorella said Friday, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda. "But I still have to make calls as far as how the players are playing at that particular time.

"I thought Patty probably played one of his best periods in the first period," he continued. "He played really well. But I also have to make calls as the rest of his game is going on where he is at that particular time, especially late in the third period and us reeling a little bit.


"There's no free passes because you're notably the top gun."

Laine snapped a seven-game pointless streak after tallying a goal and an assist. Despite the offensive production, the 22-year-old only saw the ice for 2:20 in the third period and didn't play during the final seven minutes of regulation or in overtime after his line was on the ice for two goals against in the final frame.

The sniper was puzzled by his lack of ice time after the game, and said he thought he was "playing good." Tortorella doesn't necessarily see his decision to limit Laine's ice time as a benching.

"I didn't bench anybody last night," he said, according to Svoboda. "I just decided to play some other people in situations late in the third period that I felt more comfortable with at that time."

After owning a 4-1 lead against the Panthers, the Blue Jackets allowed three straight goals in the third period before falling in overtime. Columbus currently sits in fifth place in the Central Division with a 10-12-6 record.
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This dude coaches like he’s Kreese and the players are Cobra Kai.
 
Pekka Rinne isn't interested in leaving the Nashville Predators to chase a Stanley Cup during what could be his final NHL season.

"I believe in this team," Rinne told The Athletic's Adam Vingan. "I do want to retire as a Predator."

Nashville currently sits seventh in the Central Division, 10 points back of a playoff spot. The Predators have qualified for the postseason each campaign since 2014, leaving Rinne with an unfamiliar feeling right now.


"For sure, I want to have success," he said. "I've been fortunate that we've been, for most of my career, doing pretty well. For the most part, we've never been sellers at the deadline. Obviously, I don't want to go through that. This is the team I want to retire (with)."

Rinne is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the Predators will likely sell off some assets prior to the trade deadline as they stare down a potential rebuild.

The 38-year-old has been Nashville's No. 1 netminder since the 2008-09 season, and he was among the NHL's best goalies at his peak. Rinne has been a Vezina Trophy finalist four times, and he won the award in 2018. The veteran owns a career .917 save percentage across 678 games despite being below .900 in each of the past two seasons.
 
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