CALGARY
Colton Parayko Jersey , Alberta (AP) The Columbus Blue Jackets stayed hot thanks to a big night from rookie centre Pierre-Luc Dubois.Dubois had his first
career hat trick and the Blue Jackets beat the Calgary Flames 5-1 on Thursday
night.”We have a lot of experience in this room and I’m lucky enough to play
with guys like (Artemi Panarin) and Cam (Atkinson), who are two amazing
players,” Dubois said. ”I want to keep winning and keep improving. It’s a great
environment to learn in.”Columbus earned its sixth straight road victory and
12th win in its past 13 games, and moved past the Philadelphia Flyers and into
third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets are one point back of
the second place Pittsburgh Penguins.”We can’t control what the other teams do
but if we keep winning, I think we’ll put ourselves in a pretty good spot,”
Dubois added.Markus Hannikainen and Markus Nutivaara also scored for Columbus.
Dubois’ linemates Artemi Panerin and Cam Atkinson each had two assists.Chris
Stewart scored for Calgary, ruining Sergei Bobrovky’s shutout bid with 22
seconds left in the game.The Flames have lost seven straight games, being
outscored 33-8 over that span.”We’re feeling sorry for ourselves a little bit
too much,” Flames veteran Matt Stajan said. ”These games are hard to play, but
we’re in the NHL, we have to go after it a little bit better. We’re making way
too many mistakes – turning pucks over, odd-man rushes – things that you lose
hockey games because of.”Columbus coach John Tortorella won his 128th game,
moving him past Todd Richards into first on the club’s all-time list.Because of
an injury to Marcus Foligno (lower body), Dubois was re-united with Panarin and
Atkinson on the top line in Edmonton on Tuesday and so far, so good. Dubois’
first multi-goal game came after the trio combined for two goals against the
Oilers.Making it 2-0 at 12:23 of the first period, Dubois’ first of the game
came on a one-timer past rookie Jon Gillies after being set up neatly by
Panarin.Dubois’ second, making it 3-0 at 3:55 of the second, came after a
sensational end-to-end rush by Atkinson, who wove his way down the ice,
eventually sliding a backhand pass into the slot that Dubois snapped just inside
the post.He capped off his memorable night with a power-play goal at 15:23 of
the third.Eighteen goals on the season is a team record for goals by a rookie,
surpassing Rick Nash’s 17 in 2002-03. The 2016 fourth overall pick has 44 points
on the season, three back of Zach Werenski’s record for points by a rookie, set
last season.Calgary outshot the Blue Jackets 38-28, but as has been the theme
lately for the injury-riddled club missing its three top goal scorers, the
Flames struggled to get one past Bobrovsky.Among the stops for the NHL’s
reigning Vezina Trophy winner was a sprawling stop of Micheal Ferland in the
first period. Early in the second, Bobrovsky stabbed his glove to snare a
dangerous shot from 15 feet from Nick Shore.With Sean Monahan (wrist), Matthew
Tkachuk (upper) and TJ Brodie (upper body) among the injured Flames, Calgary
lost defenseman Travis Hamonic (upper body) after he was shaken up in a
collision late in the first period.NOTES: The Flames have called up Spencer Foo
from Stockton (AHL). He will make his NHL debut on Saturday against Edmonton. …
Johnny Gaudreau (family matter) missed his second game, but he will rejoin the
team on Friday. … Blue Jackets’ Brandon Dubinsky (illness) left the game in the
second period.UP NEXT:Blue Jackets: Travel to Vancouver on Saturday.Flames: Host
Edmonton on Saturday night.— ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) William Nylander fondly recalls
messing around on the ice with Alex Ovechkin as an 11-year-old when his dad,
Michael, played for the Washington Capitals.”I have some good memories,”
Nylander said.Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom remembers those days, too. It
was a decade ago when he, Ovechkin and Washington’s ”Young Guns” looked like a
powerhouse that could win the Stanley Cup multiple times and dominate the NHL
for years to come. The Capitals beat Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs last
spring in their ninth playoff appearance in 10 years but have yet to advance
past the second round.As the Maple Leafs and Capitals meet outdoors at the U.S.
Naval Academy on Saturday night
http://www.stlouisbluesteamshops.com/authentic-dmitrij-jaskin-jersey , they’re both legitimate contenders but look like teams going in opposite
directions in the near future. Toronto is at the start of its championship
window and Washington appears on the edge of running out of time.Like the
Capitals had Ovechkin, Backstrom, Alex Semin and Mike Green, the Maple Leafs
have their own young stars in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Nylander.There
are plenty of similarities.”It was a lot of excitement around the team when we
were at that age. I’m sure they’re feeling the same,” Backstrom said. Asked if
there was less stress in that position, he added: ”Yeah, but actually time
flies. They’ve got to enjoy every moment.”The Metropolitan Division-leading
Capitals are headed back to the playoffs and with Ovechkin, Backstrom and
goaltender Braden Holtby still have the potential to lift the Cup this June. But
after the salary cap necessitated roster changes after two consecutive
Presidents’ Trophy-winning seasons, they don’t have quite the external pressure
as a Cup favorite.”You’ve just got to get in,” coach Barry Trotz said. ”If you
get in and you’ve got everybody playing at the top of their game at the same
time, you’ve got a chance.”Toronto certainly has a shot without the pressure as
Matthews and Marner are just 20, while Nylander is 21. The Maple Leafs’ young
stars are as excited as Ovechkin and Backstrom were when they were beginning
their NHL journeys but fully understand – perhaps from seeing the Capitals’
regular-season success and playoff losses – that talent doesn’t magically turn
into championships. Veteran general manager Lou Lamoriello augmented his young
core with 38-year-old leader Patrick Marleau and Cup-winning defenseman Ron
Hainsey in the offseason, and acquired center Tomas Plekanec at the trade
deadline.There has also been the natural progression of the three young stars.”I
just think we’re significantly better because our young guys are better,” said
coach Mike Babcock, who won the Cup with Detroit in 2003 and is signed through
the 2022-23 season. ”They’ve been through it more. They’ve seen what it’s like.
They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs. They know right away here you get in
the playoffs and then 10 days later one of you is moving on and one of you goes
home.”Almost immediately after the playoff exit, Maple Leafs players tried to
rationalize it as growing pains. Now looking down on the Capitals in the Eastern
Conference standings, the Maple Leafs can feel the progress with their next
playoff trip a month away.”It just motivates you,” 23-year-old defenseman Morgan
Rielly said. ”Even though we didn’t win the series, I think that we proved to
ourselves that we can play with those high-end teams, and I think that moving
forward we have to believe in ourselves.”Marleau, who rode the roller coaster of
Cup contention in 19 seasons with the San Jose Sharks that included just one
trip to the final in 2016, said the belief is always there no matter the
external expectations.”When you’re in the locker room, when you’re with the
guys, you always believe in them and you always think you have a chance of
winning,” Marleau said. ”You’ve got to put in the work and put yourself in the
right spots to succeed and then when it comes playoff time, crunch time, you
know you’ve got to have some luck and some bounces here and there.”Washington
might be a few bounces away from its own dynasty – a save on Ovechkin early in
Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, several stops by Jaroslav Halak
in 2010 and an empty net against the Rangers in 2015. That’s just reality in a
sport so full of parity.The same thing could surely happen to the Maple Leafs.
Amid all the potential and excitement surrounding his group, Babcock knows
it.”Don’t get me wrong, we’re still going to have lots of highs and lots of
crushing lows,” he said. ”That’s just part of being on a good team. But you want
to set yourself up for as many opportunities as you can possibly have, and I
think we’re going in the right direction that way.”
