Flames down the Ducks in overtime, Brandon Prust fined, an update on Andrew Ladd and the latest on the Maple Leafs.
Flames forward Mikael Backlund celebrates his Game Three overtime goal against the Ducks.
CALGARY HERALD/LOS ANGELES TIMES: Johnny Gaudreau’s game-tying goal in the dying seconds of the third period set the stage for Mikael Backlund’s overtime tally as the Calgary Flames edged the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in Game Three of their best-of-seven series. The Ducks lead the series two games to one. Patrick Maroon, Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey scored for the Ducks in their first loss in this year’s playoffs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Once again, the Cardiac Kids snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but they must be prepared for a more determined effort from the Ducks in Game Four. This game also saw a controversial no-goal decision against the Flames, while the Ducks felt they had touched the puck on a delayed penalty call just prior to the Backlund goal.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens forward Brandon Prust was fined $5,000.00 for his disparaging remarks against referee Brad Watson following Game Two of the Canadiens-Lightning series. Prust also issued a public apology.
THE TAMPA TRIBUNE: The Tampa Bay Lightning appear to be inside the heads of the Canadiens.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s been obvious throughout this season and in this series. The Canadiens have lost seven straight games to the Bolts, five of them in lopsided fashion. That’s what led to the breakdown in the Habs discipline in Game Two. If the Lightning win Game Three tonight, it will all but finish the Canadiens’ hopes of rallying back in this series.
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Jets captain Andrew Ladd is honored to be names a finalist for the Mark Messier leadership award.
TSN.CA: It’s believed the Toronto Maple Leafs have contacted former NHL coach Guy Boucher, who’s currently coaching in Switzerland. They also reportedly have interest in speaking with New York Rangers assistant GM Jeff Gorton but the Rangers haven’t granted permission.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I believe the Rangers are grooming Gorton to become Glen Sather’s successor. If so, it’s no surprise they’re not granting permission for rival clubs to speak to him.
I think Simmons yesterday also mentioned the Leafs havent comtacted Nashville for permission to speak with Paul Fenton….think this is all adding up to some (more?) outside the box hires. Not the Gorton dosent have a tonne of experience, just that the new GM and coach could be 2 people that not many would think as likely candidates. Boucher kinda ccaught me off guard at first but think about it ehh not so much….
Boucher’s a very system-oriented, intellectual coach (think: Paul Maurice) – But, during his initial stint with the Lightning he was somewhat undone by his inability to take off the gloves with under-performing players.
One can readily chalk that up to a lack of confidence (and the “gaga factor”) that came with being a rookie coach – He aimed to please too many people – and everything was so good, until it very suddenly wasn’t. It got to the point where it seemed that player-accountability had evaporated (sound familiar, Leafs’ fans?)
(He also tried to surround himself with a coaching staff of familiar faces – from Junior Hockey – and, in retrospect, that may not have been in his best interests, either.)
The team showed a (honeymoon) level of success, then progress stalled as the novelty of his strategies were gradually exposed and adjusted-to by opponents.
The team’s lack of resilience and mental toughness (their growing inability to bounce back) – in part, likely a by-product of a Franco-Canadian “clubhouse mentality” (which spawned a certain amount of self-congratulatory laziness and poor practice-habits) and a lack of a clearly defined leadership (Lecavalier was being his sulky, perpetually-injured, thin-skinned self, at the time) – also contributed to seemingly interminable losing-streaks; dropping the Bolts into the cellar. And it cost Guy his job.
Having since logged a few (thousand) difficult miles/kilometers, it would seem likely that he’s ready to re-enter the NHL with a great deal more clarity, pragmatism and levelheadedness. Whether he’s the right coach for this Maple Leafs’ team remains to be seen.
(Though, I think not.)
…goaltending Sonny, the uear they went to the conference final they had it the following 2 years they had brutal goaltending and a very shallow lineup with a GM that made it very easy for players to tune out a coach. I dont dissagree with some of youre post, who knows if he or how Boucher would work out, but I think there was a little easier way of looking at things. It wasnt the system he coached that was the reason for Tampa suddenly dropping in the standings, that wasnt a very good team, outside a young Stamkos and not sure Stevie Y did a coach any favors by apologizing to Philly after the
Pronger incident. Kinda had an undermining effect on a coach when
a gm goes out of his way to embarass him. What player is listening
after that? Boucher will be a good NHL coach again…not saying in
Toronto but somewhere down the road he will be back.
Anyone else as surprised as I was when that no goal call made on the ice was held up over video review. I am positive that that was in the net. I didn’t quite get the gray area. It was a goal from what I could tell. Good thing the Flames managed to pull of the win.
Shouldn’t the Leafs hire a GM, then a coach? After all it is always said that a GM likes to have his own coach in place.
I would think so, unless the coach was a more proven guy like the Babcocks of the world that you might miss your chance at and that most GMs would love to have anyway. Im not sure a guy like Boucher is that coach…lol