Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur didnt mince words about the performance - or lack thereof - of certain Montreal players despite the teams lengthy postseason run.
Eric Staal Wild Jersey . In an interview with La Presse this week, the five-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time NHL scoring leader specifically took aim at wingers Thomas Vanek and Max Pacioretty, saying they cant show up in a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and come up empty in Game 6. "Guys like Vanek and Pacioretty, you cant keep that on your team," he told the Montreal newspaper. "They should remain at home if theyre not willing to pay the price. Your team will never win with players like that who fade when theres adversity." Pacioretty, 25, tallied 60 points in 73 regular season games with the Canadiens, including a career-high 39 goals. He registered five goals and 11 points in 17 playoff games. Pacioretty is signed for five more seasons with a $4.5 million cap hit. Vanek, who was acquired by the Canadiens at the trade deadline and becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, scored five goals and 10 points in 17 postseason games. Files from La Presse were used for this report.
Jordan Greenway Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season.
J.T. Brown Wild Jersey . Cilic cruised to victory, beating the seventh-seeded Seppi 6-1, 6-3 in just 72 minutes. He faced only one break point, winning 24 out of 29 points played on the first serve.ANAHEIM, Calif. - Corey Perry, Matt Beleskey and Kyle Palmieri staked Anaheim to a big lead, and the Ducks then held on for their 19th straight home victory against Calgary, beating the Flames 3-2 on Tuesday night.The Flames havent won in Anaheim since Jan. 19, 2004. Only three players who played for Calgary in that game are active in the NHL.Jonas Hiller, who spent his first seven NHL seasons with Anaheim before signing with Calgary in July, stopped 29 shots in his return.Anaheim got to the playoffs five times in Hillers seven seasons, but never made it past the second round.The Flames, coming off a 4-1 homestand that included shootout wins over the Ducks and New Jersey Devils, spoiled Frederik Andersens shutout bid with 8:58 remaining when T.J. Brodie beat him with a screened slap shot.Jiri Hudler made it 3-2 with 25.4 seconds to play after Hiller was pulled for an extra skater.Andersen made 32 saves.Another potential goal by Johnny Gaudreau with 3:11 remaining was overturned by video replay after he was ruled to have kicked the puck in during a delayed penalty.The Ducks opened the scoring at 4:37 of the first when Beleskeys intended centring pass for Perry caromed off the riight skate of defenceman Kris Russell and past Hillers left skate.
Greg Pateryn Jersey. Almost 3 minutes later, Hiller got a break of his own when Beleskeys one-timer from the slot hit the left post. But Perry made it 2-0 at 5:04 of the second period with his team-high 12th goal. Beleskey was hit in the skate by Francois Beauchemins slap shot, and kicked the puck to Perry.The Ducks went the entire game without a power-play, and have had no more than three in their last eight games. Calgary was 0 for 4 with the man advantage, making Anaheim 5 for 43 on the penalty kill the past 14 games.Beauchemin didnt play in the third period after blocking a slap shot by Brodie with about 3 minutes left in the second.NOTES: The Flames are 1-20-8 in their last 29 visits to Anaheim. ... Ducks C Andrew Cogliano played in his 563rd consecutive game, the sixth-longest streak in NHL history and the longest among active players. He took over that distinction from St. Louis Jay Bouwmeester, whose streak ended at 737 on Sunday. ... While with the Ducks, Hiller was 6-5-1 against Calgary with a 2.92 GAA. ... Anaheim recorded only one shot from a defenceman during the first 48 minutes, 50 seconds. ' ' '