2013 NHL Quarterfinal Playoff Schedule

(PR) 2013 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

SERIES A TIME (ET) #1 Pittsburgh vs. #8 NY Islanders Networks
Wednesday, May 1 7:30 p.m. NY Islanders at Pittsburgh NBC Sports Network, TSN
Friday, May 3 7 p.m. NY Islanders at Pittsburgh NBC Sports Network, TSN
Sunday, May 5 Noon Pittsburgh at NY Islanders NBC, TSN
Tuesday, May 7 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at NY Islanders NBC Sports Network, TSN
*Thursday, May 9 7 p.m. NY Islanders at Pittsburgh TSN
*Saturday, May 11 TBD Pittsburgh at NY Islanders TSN
*Sunday, May 12 TBD NY Islanders at Pittsburgh TSN

SERIES B TIME (ET) #2 Montreal vs. #7 Ottawa Networks
Thursday, May 2 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal CBC, RDS, CNBC
Friday, May 3 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal CBC, RDS, CNBC
Sunday, May 5 7 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network
Tuesday, May 7 7 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa CBC, RDS, CNBC
*Thursday, May 9 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal CBC, RDS
*Saturday, May 11 TBD Montreal at Ottawa CBC, RDS
*Sunday, May 12 TBD Ottawa at Montreal CBC, RDS

SERIES C TIME (ET) #3 Washington vs. #6 NY Rangers Networks
Thursday, May 2 7:30 p.m. NY Rangers at Washington NBC Sports Network, TSN
Saturday, May 4 12:30 p.m. NY Rangers at Washington NBC, TSN
Monday, May 6 7:30 p.m. Washington at NY Rangers NBC Sports Network, TSN
Wednesday, May 8 7:30 p.m. Washington at NY Rangers NBC Sports Network, TSN
*Friday, May 10 7:30 p.m. NY Rangers at Washington TSN
*Sunday, May 12 TBD Washington at NY Rangers TSN
*Monday, May 13 TBD NY Rangers at Washington TSN

SERIES D TIME (ET) #4 Boston vs. #5 Toronto Networks
Wednesday, May 1 7 p.m. Toronto at Boston CNBC, CBC, RDS
Saturday, May 4 7 p.m. Toronto at Boston CNBC, CBC, RDS
Monday, May 6 7 p.m. Boston at Toronto CBC, RDS, NHL Network U.S.
Wednesday, May 8 7 p.m. Boston at Toronto CBC, RDS, NHL Network U.S.
*Friday, May 10 7 p.m. Toronto at Boston CBC, RDS
*Sunday, May 12 TBD Boston at Toronto CBC, RDS
*Monday, May 13 TBD Toronto at Boston CBC, RDS

2013 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

SERIES E TIME (ET) #1 Chicago vs. #8 Minnesota Networks
Tuesday, April 30 8 p.m. Minnesota at Chicago NBC Sports Network, CBC
Friday, May 3 9:30 p.m. Minnesota at Chicago NBC Sports Network, CBC
Sunday, May 5 3 p.m. Chicago at Minnesota NBC, CBC
Tuesday, May 7 9:30 p.m. Chicago at Minnesota NBC Sports Network, CBC
*Thursday, May 9 TBD Minnesota at Chicago CBC
*Saturday, May 11 TBD Chicago at Minnesota CBC
*Sunday, May 12 TBD Minnesota at Chicago CBC

SERIES F TIME (ET) #2 Anaheim vs. #7 Detroit Networks
Tuesday, April 30 10:30 p.m. Detroit at Anaheim NBC Sports Network, TSN
Thursday, May 2 10 p.m. Detroit at Anaheim NBC Sports Network, TSN
Saturday, May 4 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Detroit NBC Sports Network, TSN
Monday, May 6 8 p.m. Anaheim at Detroit CNBC, TSN
*Wednesday, May 8 10 p.m. Detroit at Anaheim TSN
*Friday, May 10 TBD Anaheim at Detroit TSN
*Sunday, May 12 TBD Detroit at Anaheim TSN

SERIES G TIME (ET) #3 Vancouver vs. #6 San Jose Networks
Wednesday, May 1 10:30 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver TSN, NBC Sports Network
Friday, May 3 10 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver TSN, CNBC
Sunday, May 5 10 p.m. Vancouver at San Jose NBC Sports Network, TSN
Tuesday, May 7 10 p.m. Vancouver at San Jose CNBC, TSN
*Thursday, May 9 10 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver TSN
*Saturday, May 11 TBD Vancouver at San Jose TSN
*Monday, May 13 TBD San Jose at Vancouver TSN

SERIES H TIME (ET) #4 St. Louis vs. #5 Los Angeles Networks
Tuesday, April 30 8 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis CNBC, CBC
Thursday, May 2 9:30 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis CNBC, CBC
Saturday, May 4 10 p.m. St. Louis at Los Angeles NBC Sports Network, CBC
Monday, May 6 10 p.m. St. Louis at Los Angeles NBC Sports Network, CBC
*Wednesday, May 8 TBD Los Angeles at St. Louis CBC
*Friday, May 10 TBD St. Louis at Los Angeles CBC
*Monday, May 13 TBD Los Angeles at St. Louis CBC

Kaleta Suspended Five Games For Hit On Richards

NEW YORK — Given his style of play, Patrick Kaleta can make it difficult for people to respect his actions as a hockey player.  Given that he dodged the press and left others accountable for his hit from behind on New York’s Brad Richards, and it’s even harder to respect him in any regard.

The National Hockey League came down hard on the pesky Kaleta, suspending him five games without pay for his checking from behind penalty in the third period last night.  According to a league release, Kaleta is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the CBA, and will lose $76,219.25 in salary as a result of his actions.

Kaleta might not have been talking after the game, but the Rangers sure were.

“We were all not happy about it, clearly,” J.T. Miller told The Trentonian.  “That’s a star player of ours and a respected player around the league.”

Rick Nash, who had his best game since returning from a mysterious upper-body injury, was also asked about the incident.

“I didn’t get a good view, so I can’t comment on it,” he said.  “But Richie takes a lot of hits, so for him to stay down it was obviously a tough one.”

According to reports out of New York, Richards did not practice with the team today — although he did come back in Sunday’s game — and his status for Tuesday’s tilt against the Flyers is uncertain.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Clarkson Hands Princeton Crushing Conference Loss

There is no such thing as a free pass in the ECAC.

But a first-round bye in the conference tournament is pretty close, and the Princeton Tigers were in prime position to hold on to one of those spots coming into their weekend series with Clarkson and St. Lawrence.  But the Golden Knights turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win, and now the Tigers will have to face the Saints, who just knocked off the No. 1 team in the country.

“This isn’t a step back at all,” said Princeton head coach Bob Prier.  “We’ll just regroup and come back tomorrow.”

As for tonight, Princeton didn’t seem to have their legs in the first period — perhaps due to a stomach virus that’s been traveling through the team — but junior goaltender Sean Bonar, starting in place of a sick Mike Condon, stopped all 15 shots he faced to keep the game scoreless through one period.

“I thought maybe we played a little tentative (in the first period),” Prier said.

“I was expecting a better start out of us, I felt like we had a really good week of practice.  The guys looked pretty good.  I thought we had a good second half of the first period, and I thought we controlled the game there until the third.  They were pretty desperate in the third, like teams are when they’re down, but we changed the way we played.  We changed the way we played because of the score, the clock, and that’s uncharacteristic of us.”

Ah yes, the third period.  That did not go well for the Tigers.  They got outshot 11-8, but it felt like more than that.  Rob Kleebaum — who had a very strong game on both sides of the puck — and Mike Sdao got the Tigers out of an early 1-0 hole in the second period, but the Golden Knights poured in the pressure in the final 20 minutes.

With just 5:30 left to play, Simon Bessette’s seemingly innocent wrist shot from the outside of the left circle somehow eluded Bonar, and T.J. Moor put Clarkson ahead for good just 2:23 later on the power play.  Prier was asked directly if the flu that has been ravaging his team led to the late loss, but refused to use that as an excuse.  However, when also asked about Bonar’s play in the first in relation to the goal(s) he’d like to have back in the third, Prier only offered “he played well,” without any further comment.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Previewing Princeton vs. Clarkson

Friday night’s matchup at Baker Rink is hardly a must win for Princeton, but should the Tigers overlook the lightly regarded Golden Knights, it could come back to hurt them in a big way.  With six conference games remaining, Princeton (9-10-4, 7-6-3 ECAC) is in a tight battle for the final three first-round byes remaining in the ECAC Tournament, with the top-ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats having all but secured a spot.

The second through tenth spots in the conference are separated by all of six points, with Princeton clinging to the fourth and final spot that would give them a first round free pass (they’re actually in a three-way tie with 17 points with Dartmouth and RPI) by having one more goal than the fifth-place squad.

Clarkson has two NHL draft picks on its roster in F Ben Sexton (BOS) and G Cody Rosen (NYI), but Rosen has only played a handful of games this season, sitting on the bench in favor of freshman Greg Lewis.  Princeton, of course, has D Mike Sdao as their lone NHL-drafted player, but Andrew Calof has been the star of the show for the Tigers for most of the season anyway.

Calof, a 5-foot-10, 165 pound junior, is tied for 22nd in the nation in scoring with 30 points despite having played in just 23 games.  Perhaps a more accurate assessment of his skill would be to look at his points per game ratio (1.30), which is good for ninth in the nation among qualifying top 50 players.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Masked Men: Petr Mrazek

Masked Men: Barry Brust

5FW Originals: McElhinney Making Most Of AHL Return

I’ve been everywhere, man.

Curtis McElhinney hasn’t written a book — it sure seems like he’s got a good title, at least — but he’d have quite a few stories to tell once his playing career has a come to a close. But for now, he’s just hoping to make sure those final few chapters include a return to the National Hockey League.

The 29-year-old was Calgary’s sixth-round pick in the 2002 draft, and rather unexpectedly established himself as a prospect in the organization with strong play for their then-AHL affiliates in Omaha and Quad City. He made his NHL debut during the 2007-08 season for the Flames, and established himself as the full-time backup the following season.

And then frequent flyer miles started piling up.

At the 2010 trade deadline, he was shipped off to Anaheim in exchange for Vesa Toskala. After less than a calendar year in Orange County, he was again traded for a goalie; this time to Tampa Bay in exchange for Dan Ellis. Just four days later, he was claimed on waivers by the Ottawa Senators.

Prior to the 2011-12 season, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, for whom he appeared in two NHL games. But he didn’t last the year there either, getting dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Antoine Vermette deal.

“It’s a lot of travel,” McElhinney told The Trentonian through a laugh.

“I think the first time you get shipped out of somewhere, it’s a little difficult to accept, but after that, I think it’s just the nature of the beast unfortunately. There’s some positives to it in getting to meet a new group of guys and some new people, and you try and the most of it.”

Now, McElhinney has found some stability…if there ever is such a thing for him. But, to be clear, McElhinney does not fit the textbook definition of “suitcase goalie.” Talent has never been an issue, and that much has been on full display this season — his 2.28 goals against average and .926 save percentage earned him a second career appearance in the AHL All-Star Game with the Springfield Falcons.

“I’m pretty good at fitting in in new areas nowadays,” joked McElhinney, who understood having to come back to the AHL this year.

“The situation just with the injury and Phoenix having to unload a contract was totally understandable. I wasn’t doing much for them at the time sitting out, so I think the situation worked out for both organizations. Fortunately for me, I was able to find a home in Springfield this year.”

The trade-off is an interesting one for the approachable London, Ontario native.

On one hand, he found himself stuck behind workhorses like Miikka Kiprusoff and Jonas Hiller during his time in the NHL and never was going to get an opportunity to be a regular starter. In the AHL, he’ll get the bulk of the games, but be further away from the spotlight.

“It was tough (establishing yourself),” he said.

“Obviously, I’d like to think if I was able to go back and do it now, it would be a little bit easier just based on the experience, but to do that when you’re so used to playing so many games, it certainly presented its challenges. It was a learning experience for me, it was where I wanted to be.

“Now, it’s nice to get into a routine again. You’ve always been used to playing, especially growing up…but when you get up to the NHL, and you’re talking about 30 guys (who start), it’s tough. There’s not a lot of guys and there’s not a lot of movement at that position, so there are going to be backups regardless of how we’ll you’ve done at juniors or the AHL and whatnot. It’s certainly a transition, and for people that have been used to playing so much their entire lives, it’s challenging at times.”

Now, McElhinney finds himself in an interesting situation yet again. With the Blue Jackets goaltending situation in a perpetual state of flux — Sergei Bobrovsky was brought in to challenge Steve Mason for the starting job, but they currently rank 26th and 27th out of qualifiying NHL goaltenders in GAA, respectively — the well-traveled backup could be in a perfect position to get another opportunity at the big time.

“I’d like to think so,” said McElhinney when asked if he could get a chance there.

“It’s tough to tell with the shortened season as far as what their views are going to be on it and what they do, but you don’t want to wish anybody any negative results in their games. But at the same point, you’re still looking for a break and another chance yourself. Hopefully, there will be one at some point this season.”

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Audy-Marchessault Gets Called Up After AHL All-Star Game

For anyone who’s covered the AHL All-Star Game over the past few years, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault grew up right before your very eyes.

Back when the the 2012 AHL All-Star Game was held in Atlantic City, he was a little-known, but exciting prospect in the New York Rangers system.  Signed to an AHL deal after his QMJHL career with the Quebec Ramparts had come to an end, Audy-Marchessault tied with Kris Newbury for the Connecticut Whale’s team-lead in scoring with 64 points and was a hot commodity on the free agent market this season.

Much like Tim Erixon, who was also summoned to Columbus following the 2013 AHL All-Star Game in Providence, the 22-year-old is another former Rangers farmhand who will find himself wearing a Blue Jackets jersey.  This year, expectations were high.  And after another strong campaign in the AHL — he tallied 16 goals and added 29 assists in just 42 games with the Springfield Falcons – he’s finally earned his first look in the NHL.

The Trentonian spoke one-on-one with the Quebec City native in Providence on Sunday, just before he played what many are thinking could have been his last AHL game.

“I think I’m getting there, I’m only 22 years old,” he said.  “I want to be better and be more complete as a player so I can be ready when I get up.  I want to improve in every facet of the game, so hopefully I’ll get that call-up.”

He, of course, didn’t have to wait as long as he might have thought.  But still, he says he was working on becoming a more consistent player for however long he was going to be in Springfield.

“I want to be able to bring it to every game,” he said.  “Every game is important, the points are important for our team.  If I can bring it every game, that would be great for me.”

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Masked Men: Robin Lehner

Here is the first of a series of Masked Men videos from the AHL All-Star Game, this one featuring Binghamton Senators goaltender Robin Lehner. Look for tons of original features coming up on 5FW from the game, as well as additional videos from Barry Brust, Petr Mrazek, Niklas Svedberg and Justin Peters.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!

Photo courtesy of devils.nhl.com

NEWARK — Surely, Stefan Matteau has been told that he’s a chip off the old block on countless occasions.  He just isn’t so sure himself.

Just 18 years old, the first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the most recent draft is set to make his home ice debut tonight after seeing his first National Hockey League action over the weekend at Nassau Coliseum.  The son of long-time NHL’er Stephane Matteau, Stefan Matteau wasn’t quite sure how his style of play compared to his father’s.

“I couldn’t really tell you, because I never really watched him play,” Stefan Matteau said.  “I was too young to really remember, but from what I hear, we’re pretty similar; big body, can skate, power forward.  I’ve just got to keep my game simple.  Whatever he did, I’ll try to do that, he played 14 years.  I’m my own player though, so I’ve just got to work hard.”

Matteau was drafted out of the U.S. National Development program, but was cut from the preliminary World Junior Championships roster.  It may have been a blessing in disguise, as it allowed him to focus on his game with Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL, for whom he scored 18 goals in 35 games.  Surprisingly polished with the media for his age, Matteau told The Trentonian that while he’s certainly enjoying life in the NHL, the way he approaches a game there isn’t much different than what he did for the Armada.

“It’s not that different, you just go the rink every day and then relax at home,” Matteau said.

“I didn’t really expect anything (about making the team) because of the lockout.  I knew that there weren’t going to be that many guys coming to camp, but it was kind of a nice surprise to get invited to camp.  I worked hard and I think I earned a spot to start the year.  I’ve just got to keep working if I want to stay here.”

It’s still certainly possible that the Devils could send Matteau back to juniors, so he’ll need to produce.  Although he went scoreless in just 7:26 of fourth line ice time in his debut — one he says he’ll remember for a long time – he did manage three shots on goal and could earn a chance to move up a line, which could give him the best opportunity to stick with the team.

“I hope he sticks around, he’s a good kid.  He wants it, he’s got it in him,” linemate Cam Janssen told The Trentonian.

“He’s a got a big body, he uses his body well protecting the puck.  I like playing with him.  I like playing with him, because every shift you have a chance of producing some sort of offense.  He shoots the puck, and I tried to get him his first (goal) last game, but the goalie made a good save.  Hopefully tonight, he gets one at home.”

It may come as somewhat of a surprise, given that they play completely different roles on the ice, that Janssen has been a good influence off of it for his linemate.

“I’m in his ear a lot,” said Janssen, “but sometimes you have to back off a bit, because you don’t want to overload.”

“He’s got a lot of questions, but there’s a lot of things to know; between the system and ‘when do we go out, and when do we do this’ and so on and so forth.  There’s a lot of little things that he needs to know, and I’m the guy and there are a couple other guys that he talks to and he feels comfortable with.  But, I keep an eye on him and let him know the little mistakes he makes.  It’s good to have that, because I know when I was coming in, there was a couple guys that did the same for me, and it helped out big time.”

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com