Thursday's hockey: Plymouth's Kirsten Simms one step from top collegiate award
Plymouth's Kirsten Simms was named a top-three finalist for the highest individual honor in women's college hockey.
The Wisconsin forward, teammate Casey O'Brien and Cornell's Izzy Daniel are up for the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which will be handed out at the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in Durham, New Hampshire on March 23.
Simms, the WCHA Player of the Year, leads the NCAA in scoring with 71 points on 32 goals and 39 assists. Her 1.97 points per game average also paces the country and ranks in the top-10 in program history.
Simms leads Wisconsin with nine game-winning goals, which ranks second in the country. She's recorded points in 31 of the 36 games and has 23 multi-point games.
It's also the first time in school history that a pair of Badgers have been top-three finalists in the same season.
The Badgers have had five previous winners of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, including Sara Bauer (2006), Jessie Vetter (2009), Meghan Duggan (2011), Brianna Decker (2012) and Ann-Renee Desbiens (2017).
UW's five winners are the second-most of any program in the country, trailing only Harvard with six.
O'Brien ranks second in the country with 69 points and has a NCAA-leading 47 assists and Daniel ranks third in the country in points per game with 1.71 average.
The No. 2 Badgers open the quest for an eighth NCAA title on Saturday against the winner of Penn State and St. Lawrence.
Thursday's NHL games
(At) Tampa Bay 6, N.Y. Rangers 3: Brayden Point had three goals and three assists, Nikita Kucherov added a goal and four assists, and the Lightning rallied to beat the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers.
Steven Stamkos and Anthony Duclair also scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 25 saves as the Lightning came back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2. Tampa Bay holds the top wild card in the Eastern Conference – four points ahead of the New York Islanders and Detroit, who are tied for the second wild card.
Kucherov, second in the NHL with 112 points, joined Edmonton’s Connor McDavid as the only active players with three or more 70-assist seasons.
Jack Roslovic had a goal and an assist, and Artemi Panarin and Braden Schneider also scored for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin had 22 saves as New York fell to 14-3-1 in its last 18 games.
(At) Carolina 4, Florida 0: Evgeny Kuznetsov had his first goal as a member of the Hurricanes and Frederik Anderson recorded his first shutout in more than a year as Carolina beat Florida.
Kuznetsov, playing in his fourth game since last week’s trade from the Washington Capitals, also had an assist. Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina. Jaccob Slavin had two assists.
Andersen stopped 21 shots for his third victory in three outings in an eight-night span since being sidelined since early November. It was his first shutout since March 5, 2023, in his ninth game this season. He has 25 career shutouts.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves as the Panthers lost for just the second time in 10 games. Florida was shut out for the fifth time this season.
Toronto 6, (at) Philadelphia 2: Tyler Bertuzzi scored the first of three first-period goals for Toronto that helped chase goalie Samuel Ersson, and scored three more in the third in a win over Philadelphia.
The Maple Leafs returned from a four-day break to win their second straight road game – thanks to six players with goals – and put some distance between them and a Flyers team also jostling for a better playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Maple Leafs are up to 84 points while the Flyers remained stuck at 76. With 15 games left for the Flyers this season, a team that was considered in the preseason destined for the lottery is instead in the midst of an improbable playoff push.
The Flyers – who at one point had three players without sticks in the dying moments of a penalty kill – played for the second straight game without suspended head coach John Tortorella.
Boston 2, (at) Montreal 1 (OT): Jake DeBrusk scored 25 seconds into overtime, and Boston beat Montreal.
DeBrusk was set up by Bruins captain Brad Marchand, ending a high-energy night at the Bell Centre. It was DeBrusk’s 16th goal of the season.
Danton Heinen scored in the first period for Boston (39-14-15), which was coming off a 5-1 loss to St. Louis on Monday. Linus Ullmark made 18 saves in his second straight win.
Nick Suzuki scored for Montreal (25-30-11). Sam Montembeault stopped 22 shots.
New Jersey 6, (at) Dallas 2: Dawson Mercer, Timo Meier and Tomas Nosek all scored within 2 1/2 minutes early in the second period and New Jersey broke open a close game for a win over Dallas.
Jake Allen allowed two goals on Dallas’ first three shots on goal but went unscathed afterward to finish with 35 saves, some from point-blank range, in his first start for New Jersey since being acquired from Montreal last week.
Mercer broke a 2-2 tie following a spinning move at the crease at 1:30 of the middle period, and Meier’s score at 3:52 chased Stars starter Jake Oettinger, who made only six saves. Nosek greeted replacement Scott Wedgewood by scoring from beyond the left faceoff circle at 5:12 for his first goal this season. Wedgewood stopped eight shots in a little more than 38 minutes.
Meier and Chris Tierney each had a goal and an assist and Erik Haula and Alexander Holtz also scored for the Devils, who were outshot 39-20.
(At) Buffalo 4, N.Y. Islanders 0: Ukko-Pekko Luukkonen stopped 21 shots for his fifth shutout of the season, and Buffalo beat the New York Islanders to match a season high with their third straight win.
Victor Olofsson, Dylan Cozens and Zach Benson scored 5:13 apart during a second-period surge as Buffalo outshot the Islanders 29-11 through two periods and 37-21 overall. Benson added an empty-net goal with 4:54 remaining.
Buffalo improved to 8-3-1 in its past 12 and continued inching back into contention. The Sabres pulled three points behind the Islanders and Red Wings who were tied for the second wild card.
The Sabres took advantage of an Islanders team closing a four-game road trip, with the first three games played on the West Coast. The challenge for Buffalo now is opening a five-game road swing that begins at Detroit on Saturday.
The Islanders, coming off a 3-0 loss at Los Angeles on Monday, were blanked for the sixth time this season, and haven’t scored in a span of 121:48, dating the final minutes of a 6-1 win at Anaheim on Sunday.
(At) Minnesota 2, Anaheim 0: Marc-Andre Fleury made 16 saves in his 75th career shutout, and Minnesota beat Anaheim.
Fleury is 11th on the NHL shutouts list, one behind Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito. The 39-year-old goaltender got plenty of help from his teammates, who were credited with 16 blocked shots.
Kirill Kaprizov and Zach Bogosian scored for the Wild, who improved to 5-0-1 in their last six games. Minnesota entered the night six points behind Vegas for the final wild card in the Western Conference.
Lukas Dostal stopped 29 shots for the Ducks, who have dropped four in a row.
(At) Pittsburgh 6, San Jose 3: John Ludvig and Rickard Rakell scored two minutes apart in the third period and Pittsburgh pulled away from San Jose for win.
Ludvig scored his second goal of the season on a shot from the left point at 2:38 of the third period to make it a 4-3 game. Rakell stuck out his leg to deflect P.O. Joseph’s shot across the line at 4:48, as Pittsburgh snapped a four-game losing streak.
Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Jeff Carter Noel Acciari also scored for Pittsburgh, which won for the first time since dealing star winger Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes at the trade deadline last week. Tristan Jarry made 30 saves for the Penguins, who were outscored 17-2 during their losing streak.
Fabian Zetterlund, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Klim Kostin scored for San Jose, which lost for the 11th time in 12 games. Magnus Chrona stopped 25 shots.
Ottawa 3, (at) Columbus 2 (SO): Claude Giroux scored in regulation and the shootout, leading Ottawa to a come-from-behind victory over Columbus.
Giroux beat goalie Elvis Merzlikins with a slap shot in the third round of the shootout as Ottawa rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to win its second straight game following a seven-game skid.
Giroux scored at 7:25 of the third period to cut the Senators’ deficit to a goal. Tim Stützle tied the game at 2 with 8:03 left in regulation.
Anton Forsberg stopped 35 shots for Ottawa.
Boone Jenner scored 15 seconds into the game and Alex Nylander added a goal in the third period for the Blue Jackets, who have lost three in a row. Merzlikins made 34 saves.
(At) Calgary 4, Vegas 1: Blake Coleman scored twice in Calgary’s four-goal third period, to beat Vegas.
Yegor Sharangovich had a goal and an assist, and Matt Coronato also scored for the Flames as Calgary snapped a three-game skid. Dryden Hunt added two assists and Dustin Wolf stopped 28 shots to improve to 2-3-1 on the season.
Ex-Red Wing Anthony Mantha scored for Vegas, which has lost five of its last seven. Adin Hill finished with 33 saves. The Golden Knights remain in the second wild card in the Western Conference with a four-point lead over Minnesota.
Washington 2, (at) Seattle 1: Connor McMichael scored on a breakaway with 8:24 left in the game and Washington gained ground in their bid for a playoff spot by beating Seattle.
T.J. Oshie, playing in his 999th NHL game, also scored for the Capitals. Washington, now with 71 points, is one point behind the New York Islanders and Detroit for the East’s second wild-card spot. Both of them lost on Thursday and remain with 72 points.
Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Kraken, who have 68 points and remain nine behind Vegas for the West’s second wild-card berth.
Playoff tracker
Atlantic
▶ Panthers (94)
▶ Bruins (93)
▶ Maple Leafs (84)
Metropolitan
▶ Rangers (90)
▶ Hurricanes (86)
▶ Flyers (76)
Wild card
▶ Lightning (76)
▶ Islanders (72)
(Top two wild-card teams make the playoffs)
▶ Red Wings (72)
▶ Capitals (71)
▶ Sabres (69)
▶ Devils (68)
▶ Pittsburgh (67)
Jagr bobbleheads stolen
Jaromir Jagr is missing. Well, the bobbleheads of the former NHL star are anyway.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Thursday that a shipment carrying bobbleheads of the franchise icon was stolen after arriving in California.
The team had intended to give the bobbleheads away to fans during Thursday night's home game against the San Jose Sharks. Instead, the club will give fans a voucher that will allow them to pick up the item at a later date.
Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin said in a statement the club has contacted state and federal authorities to look into the incident.
“While this unfortunate incident adds to the legend of Jaromir Jagr, who will be in attendance as our guest at (the) game, we look forward to resolving this theft and delivering the prized Jagr bobbleheads to their rightful homes, with our fans," Acklin said in a statement.
The team retired Jagr's No. 68 during a pregame ceremony last month. The 52-year-old Jagr, the NHL's second all-time leading scorer, remains an active player on the team he owns in his native Czech Republic.
NHL, NHLPA settle Perry case
The NHL and NHL Players' Association have reached an undisclosed settlement to resolve Corey Perry's situation with the Chicago Blackhawks when they terminated his contract, two people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the settlement is not being made public. A grievance was threatened but never filed, and the league and union agreed to extend the window to consider it beyond the 60-day deadline specified by the collective bargaining agreement.
“The timeline ran out, so we wanted to make sure we had time to continue forward,” NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said Feb. 2 at All-Star Weekend in Toronto.
Chicago cut ties with Perry in late November, saying he violated his standard player contract and team policies “intended to promote professional and safe work environments.” Neither Perry nor general manager Kyle Davidson was willing to provide any details about what happened to lead to the termination.
Perry, 38, apologized for his actions and said he'd begun seeking help for alcohol abuse. He asked for a meeting with Gary Bettman and spoke with the commissioner in January, then was back in the NHL less than two weeks later after signing with the Edmonton Oilers for the rest of the season.
Perry, a veteran winger who won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2006 and reached the final three consecutive years from 2020-22, has seven points in 20 games with Edmonton – already more than he played with Chicago.
Coyotes cleared to bid for land
The Arizona Coyotes have the green light to bid on a tract of land in north Phoenix in their yearslong bid to build a new arena.
The Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals unanimously approved the $68.5 million appraisal of the 95 acres on Thursday. The decision sets the stage for the Arizona State Land Department to sell the land at auction with a starting price of $68.5 million. The next step is to set an auction date, which must be publicly advertised for 10 weeks.
Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo looked at various potential arena sites around the Valley before zeroing in on the tract of land near Scottsdale.
“I think people are craving certainty,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said recently. "And we are, too, but this isn’t a 60-minute game where the light goes on and the game’s over. He’s (Meruelo) working on it. We still have some time.”
The Coyotes have been searching for a permanent home since their former owner took the franchise in bankruptcy in 2009. The team appeared to have stable footing at then-Gila River Arena, but the city of Glendale backed out of a multimillion-dollar lease agreement in 2015.
The Coyotes had leased Gila River Arena on a yearly basis before the city terminated the contract following the 2021-22 season. Arizona has played the past two seasons at Mullett Arena, a 5,000-seat facility that's by far the NHL's smallest and is shared with Arizona State University.
Michigan-area hockey this week
Thursday
▶ Arizona 4, Red Wings 1
Friday
▶ Iowa at Grand Rapids, 7 (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ Western Michigan at St. Cloud State, 8:30
▶ Cedar Rapids at NTDP U18, 7
Saturday
▶ St. Louis at Red Wings, 12:30 (NHL/BSD/97.1)
▶ Iowa at Grand Rapids, 8 (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ Michigan State at Ohio State, 6:30 (Big Ten/1240)
▶ Michigan at Minnesota, 8 (Big Ten)
▶ Western Michigan at St. Cloud State, 7
▶ Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 5
▶ Cedar Rapids at NTDP U18, 7
Sunday
▶ Red Wings at Pittsburgh, 6 (NHL/BSD/97.1)
▶ Western Michigan at St. Cloud State, 7 (if necessary)
Tuesday
▶ Buffalo 7, Red Wings 3
▶ Cleveland 3, Grand Rapids 2 (OT)