News » Arizona scratched centers Laurent Dauphin

PITTSBURGH (AP) The chase began nearly a year ago Youth Kevin Labanc Jersey , when Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan addressed hundreds of thousands of fans following a second Stanley Cup championship parade through choked downtown streets in as many summers.Rather than run from the challenge of trying to become the first franchise in 35 years to win three consecutive Cups, Sullivan embraced it.”I wonder if we can repeat, or three-peat, should I say,” Sullivan said.Following an occasionally rocky regular season, the Penguins begin their pursuit in earnest Wednesday night when they host cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers to open their first-round series. Asked Tuesday if he remembers openly talking about a three-peat – last accomplished by the New York Islanders in 1983 – Sullivan just shrugged. He wasn’t so much predicting another mid-June celebration as he was stating the obvious.”We believe that we have a group that’s capable,” Sullivan said. ”And we’ve shown an ability to have success in a high-stakes environment.”For proof, look no further than the most recent names etched on hockey’s most coveted chalice. The Penguins have won series in all kinds of ways over the last two years. They’ve dominated. They’ve rallied. Mostly, they’ve survived. And the Flyers have noticed.”They have all the pieces,” Philadelphia center Claude Giroux said. ”On paper they’re a really good team and in the playoffs they always find a way.”The Flyers, however, present a unique challenge. Philadelphia hasn’t won a playoff series since it beat the favored Penguins in six sometimes chaotic games in 2012. The Flyers pulled off the upset thanks in part to a meltdown by Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost their composure at times, leading to a string of power plays that Philadelphia rode to victory.While the majority of the faces that will take the ice at PPG Paints Arena are different, the history of antagonism between the two clubs remains. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby understands things are likely to get chippy. He’d prefer they not get out of hand.”I don’t think we’re looking to fight,” Crosby said. ”It will definitely be an intense series, we know that.”One in which the erratic Flyers, who endured a 10-game winless streak around Thanksgiving Martin Jones Jersey , know they are the underdogs. That’s fine. In some ways, they’ve been one all season.”In reality, when you have to earn your way and your margin of error is pretty short all the way along, it tests you,” Philadelphia coach Dave Haksol said. ”Sometimes you pass the test. Sometimes you fail the test. It tests you and pushes you to get better.”Some things to look for as Philadelphia tries to put an abrupt end to Pittsburgh’s bid at winning a fourth Cup during the Crosby Era.POWER HOUR: The Penguins and their star-laden power play led the league and set a franchise record by scoring 26.2 percent of the time with the man advantage. Their number this season was just a touch better than the 26.0 the 1995-96 club posted, a group that included Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis and future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr. The Flyers understand their best chance to pull off the upset will be by staying out of the penalty box.”They got special players that make special plays,” Giroux said. ”For us it’s to make sure we minimize those chances.”HOW SWEEP IT IS? The Penguins took all four meetings between the teams during the regular season, scoring five goals each time. Look closer, however, and things are tighter than they seem. Both games in Pittsburgh ended with the Penguins escaping 5-4 following goals during the three-on-three overtime. There are no extra-period gimmicks in the playoffs.”I don’t think we’ve played our best game or a full 60 minutes against Pittsburgh yet,” Flyers forward Sean Couturier said. ”But I like our chances if we play some good hockey for 60 minutes, maybe even more.”BRASSARD BONANZA: Pittsburgh’s big move at the trade deadline was to bring in Derick Brassard from Ottawa to center the third line. Brassard appeared to be hitting his stride in late March before suffering a lower-body injury. He should be good to go in Game 1, and his presence gives the Penguins perhaps the best depth down the middle of any team in the league.”I’m just going to try and keep it simple early and go from there,” Brassard said.— SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) Vincent Trocheck got the Florida Panthers going at just the right time Saturday night.Denis Malgin snapped a tie with 3:45 left after Trocheck tied the game with a pair of goals, and the Panthers overcame a two-goal deficit by scoring four times in the third period for a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.Trocheck put Florida on the board at 6:13 of the third when his wrister beat goalie Darcy Kuemper to the short side. The center tied it at 2 when Mark Pysyk’s shot deflected off the post and Trocheck reached around and tapped it in for the first 30-goal season of his career.”We needed one of our big guys to step up. For (Trocheck) to get his 30th there, I think it’s a statement http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-logan-couture-jersey ,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. ”That’s what he’s been all year. I call him the engine of the team. When he’s going, we’re going.”Florida improved to 10-2-0 in its last 12 home games.Malgin scored from the slot by gathering a loose puck and firing in his 11th of the season.”It’s always nice to score. If it’s a game-winning goal it’s nice, but most important is that we won this game and it was huge for us for the playoffs,” said Malgin, who was moved from second-line right wing to the same spot on the third line.”My line has done a good job. I was just waiting there and the puck came to me and I just shot it and it went in.”The Panthers remained three points behind New Jersey for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Florida has two games in hand on the Devils.”Their big boys started to play, Trocheck and (Aleksander) Barkov. We didn’t have an answer for them,” Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said.Jamie McGinn added an empty-netter with 14 seconds to play, with Trocheck getting an assist for a three-point night.”Momentum is a real thing in hockey. We knew if we got one we would get that momentum and kind of keep throwing pucks at the net and hopefully get a couple bounces to go in,” said Trocheck, whose previous high was 25 goals during the 2015-16 season.Clayton Keller and Richard Panik scored for the Coyotes, and Derek Stepan had two assists.In a matchup of backup goalies, James Reimer made 26 saves for the Panthers while starting in place of an ailing Roberto Luongo. Kuemper stopped 43 shots for Arizona.”Obviously, they’re desperate in the position they’re at. They just kind of kept coming. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t hold them off,” said Kuemper, traded to Arizona by the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 21. ”It’s a desperate team over there that was able to get the upper hand late.”Keller scored when Panik’s shot from the right circle bounced to the rookie, who netted his 22nd goal at 14:36 of the first period for a 1-0 lead.That tied Keller for most goals by a Coyotes rookie with Peter Mueller in 2007-08. Keller also holds the franchise rookie records for assists and points. The 19-year-old right wing stretched his point streak to seven games.Arizona made it 2-0 when Stepan’s shot on the power play deflected off Panik and past Reimer at 1:33.The goal was Panik’s 11th this season and third in four games. The left wing also has a five-game point streak.NOTES: Arizona scratched centers Laurent Dauphin http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-tomas-hertl-jersey , Freddie Hamilton and Zac Rinaldo, plus defensemen Jason Demers and Niklas Hjalmarsson (lower body), who sustained a non-contact injury in Arizona’s 6-5 loss Thursday at Carolina. … Stepan has four consecutive multi-point games. . D Trevor Murphy, 22, who was acquired from Nashville last month, made his NHL debut after splitting time between AHL affiliates Tucson and Milwaukee. … Florida scratched forwards Micheal Haley, Connor Brickley and Radim Vrbata, plus defenseman Ian McCoshen. … The Panthers recalled G Harri Sateri from Springfield, with Luongo sore from the recent road trip. … Florida D Aaron Ekblad, the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, played in his 300th game. … The Panthers honored founding owner H. Wayne Huizenga, who died on Friday. Huizenga also was the founding owner of the Florida Marlins and owned the Miami Dolphins. … Florida hosted Panther Conservation Night in an effort to raise awareness about the Florida panther, an endangered cougar that inhabits the Everglades and South Florida.UP NEXTCoyotes: At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.Panthers: At the New York Islanders on Monday night.—