By Bruce Berlet
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut Whale had been living on the edge the past few weeks, needing strong finishes to compensate for sluggish starts while winning nine of 11 games, four when trailing after two periods.
The Whale erased the unwanted slow-start trend Friday night and then pulled a Harry Houdini to beat the Charlotte Checkers 3-2 on Evgeny Grachev’s first shootout goal in the fifth and final round before 5,862 at the XL Center.
Veteran Justin Pogge, subbing for injured Mike Murphy, appeared on the way to his first shutout of the season before critical faceoff wins by former Toronto Marlies teammates Kris Newbury and John Mitchell led to long-range goals by defensemen Pavel Valentenko and Stu Bickel 73 seconds apart in the final 2:21 of regulation.
Then after Dov Grumet-Morris (29 saves) made SportsCenter-worthy stops on Nick Dodge, former Hartford Wolf Pack defenseman Bryan Rodney and Zac Dalpe in the final 52 seconds of overtime, Mitchell and Grachev scored in the skills competition as the Whale (38-26-2-6) improved to 8-21-0-2 when trailing after the second period, with three of those wins coming in the last four games.
“We tried to stay positive and not get frustrated,” Grachev said. “We had our chances in the first two periods but had some bad bounces and missed nets. But we knew if we kept doing the right thing – working down low, putting pucks to the net and drive the net – good things would happen. Finally our defensemen got hot with two strikes from the blue line, and it’s so good to make such a big comeback against such a good team. To win in the shootout is a good win for us and now we have to keep rolling.”
Murphy had excelled as the Checkers beat the Whale 5-1 and 1-0 in Charlotte on Feb. 24 and 26, and Pogge continued to frustrate the Whale until Newbury won a faceoff from Jacob Micflikier to Blake Parlett, who passed to his right to Valentenko for a one-timer that beat Pogge high to the glove side with 2:21 left to end a scoring drought against the Checkers of 123:45.
“I’m always trying to shoot like that, but sometimes I’m wide,” Valentenko said. “I switched sides (with Parlett) and shot 80 percent. I’m looking to be quicker with my shot, but I was concentrating more on hitting the net. It finally worked.”
After Grumet-Morris was pulled for a sixth attacker, Mitchell won a faceoff from Jon Matsumoto to Wade Redden, who again passed right to Bickel for a one-timer that again beat Pogge high to the glove side with 1:08 to go.
“All game that lane was open for us, and I just tried to get tight into Reds so I could get off the one-timer,” Bickel said. “I just looked at the lane where I could get the puck thought to the net. We knew what we wanted to do off the draw, and it worked out. When you’re not scoring a ton, you look at where you’re shooting and maybe try to change things up, but from the point, you’re mostly looking for the lane to get it through. If you see a corner, you’re obviously going to shoot there, but you’re not so much trying to pick a corner as you are trying to the puck through on net.”
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Williams said the Whale followed the script needed against the 6-foot-3 Pogge.
“He’s a really good goalie who could have been in the NHL when he was younger, but when he got the opportunity (with the Toronto Maple Leafs), he unfortunately didn’t have much of a team in front of him,” Williams said. “He’s big, so the only way you’re going to score on him is if he can’t see the puck.”
Grachev, who was unable to convert on a 2-on-1 with 19 seconds left in overtime, gave the Whale the improbable victory, their fifth in a row and a six-point lead over Worcester, a 4-2 loser to Providence, in the battle for the third and final guaranteed playoff berth in the Atlantic Division. They also remained one point in front of Binghamton (38-27-3-4), a 3-0 winner over Wilkes-Barre Scranton and fifth in the East Division in the fight for a possible crossover playoff berth. The crossover rule says the top four teams in the East Division and the top three in the Atlantic Division qualify for the playoffs, and the conference’s eighth and final spot will go to whichever has more points between the East’s fifth-place team and the Atlantic’s fourth-place club.
“(Pogge) is a big guy, and I was looking between the pad and blocker,” Grachev said. “I haven’t been getting a lot of opportunities (in shootouts), but maybe I’ll get more now.”
When asked about fellow Russian Valentenko’s goal, Grachev smiled and said, “He’s got a bomb. If it’s not going in, he’s going to hurt somebody or break somebody’s stick. The set play we had didn’t work for us this year. Maybe we didn’t try it enough. Maybe we didn’t get those clean draws. But Newber and Mitchell won draws, and we got two good goals.”
Grumet-Morris extended his AHL career-high winning streak to seven games as the Whale finished 2-2 against the first-year Checkers (39-25-3-6), their former ECHL affiliate.
“They played a great game and trapped very well,” Grumet-Morris said. “Until 2:21 was left, we had only one goal in nearly three games, which tells you how good their goaltending and defensive scheme is. Obviously our defensemen came up big after our centers won their two big draws, and then we deserved to win the shootout.”
Grumet-Morris tried to downplay his excellence at the end of regulation and in the shootout.
“Some goalie coaches say if you’re stretching like that you’re out of position, but I’ll take the saves, I guess,” he said. “But I’m just very happy that we were able to come through in the shootout. That’s what really impressed me. I thought Pogge did really good in the shootout but just got unlucky. He had a great game and deserved to win just as much as me.
“Certainly we were excited to win. It was a big point, and to get the second point in the shootout was really big. I know it’s a cliché, but those points are important right now. We were as excited about winning the game as we were about getting those points, and our playoffs hopes ride on that.”
Bickel gave Grumet-Morris props when he said, “He’s a good goalie and exciting to watch because he battles. And you really appreciate that from your teammates. It gets you fired up and your adrenaline going.”
The Whale finally had a good first period, outshooting the Checkers 12-5, which were four more shots than they had in the opening 20 minutes of the previous two games combined. But they again ran into another hot Checkers goalie, as Pogge made good blocker saves on Dale Weise during the Whale’s first power play and Williams and a good glove save on Mitchell.
The Whale also failed on two power plays, including a 5-on-3 for 40 seconds. With Brad Herauf in the penalty box for boarding, Nicolas Blanchard was called for goaltender interference, though it was Redden who was nudged into Dov Grumet-Morris and sent the goalie sprawling. Trainer Damien Hess came out to attend to Grumet-Morris, who needed several minutes to clear his head and continue. He also made good stops off Matthew Pistilli at 2:16 and Micflikier with 7:49 left in the period.
Grumet-Morris denied Cedric McNicoll from 30 feet in the slot at 3:08 of the second period, but the Checkers took the lead 22 seconds later. Herauf took the puck from Redden along the right boards, skated into the circle, used defenseman Jared Nightingale as a partial screen and beat Grumet-Morris to the far stick side for his third goal of the season.
Pogge then made a good chest stop on Derek Couture from 25 feet in the slot at 7:20 and denied Grachev from the left circle at 9:38. Three minutes later, Bickel dove and poked the puck from McNicoll on his breakaway bid.
Pogge stopped Mitchell’s backhander from in front with 4:29 left in the period, but the Checkers took a 2-0 lead when Zach FitzGerald cleared the puck from behind his net along the right-wing boards, where it was missed by Dalpe and Valentenko. Zack Boychuk took advantage, grabbed the puck in the neutral zone, broke down the right wing and fired a shot from the top of the circle that hit off Grumet-Morris’ stick and trickled through his legs and into the net with 25 seconds left for Boychuk’s 20th goal.
The Checkers nearly made it 3-0 at 2:34 of the third period, but Chris Terry hit the post. Then at 6:23, the Checkers broke in 2-on-1, with Grumet-Morris making a strong stop on Terry before Matsumoto had a goal disallowed for kicking the rebound into the net.
Pogge made another big save off Kris Newbury at 6:23, and on the counter attack, Grumet-Morris sprawled to deny Boychuk on a 2-on-1.
Then came the magical end to regulation, Grumet-Morris’ brilliance in overtime and the clutch shots by Mitchell and Grachev in the shootout.
“It’s a critical time of year with two big points every night,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said. “They play a good, sound defensive game and wait for their offensive opportunities and are pretty good at capitalizing because they have some pretty skilled forwards. We certainly feel fortunate because they’re a very strong defensive team, but it came down to two pretty good point shots.”
WHALE SCRATCH SAME SIXSOME
The Whale again scratched defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Jyri Niemi and forwards Chad Kolarik, Devin DiDiomete, Chris McKelvie and Todd White, who is likely out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a concussion in a seemingly harmless collision with teammate Brodie Dupont in a 4-2 loss to Manchester on Feb. 28. White was playing in only his second game after returning from another injury that had sidelined him for four games. He missed his 24th consecutive game Friday night and has played in only nine games since clearing waivers and being assigned by the parent New York Rangers on Dec. 29. He has three goals and two assists with the Whale after getting one goal and one assist in 18 games with the Rangers, who acquired White from the Atlanta Thrashers on Aug. 2 for disgruntled forwards Donald Brashear and Patrick Rissmiller. … The Checkers scratched forwards Jared Staal, Mike McKenzie and Oskar Osala, former Hartford Wolf Pack defenseman Ethan Graham and goalie Mike Murphy, who starred in the Checkers’ 5-1 and 1-0 wins over the Whale in Charlotte on Feb. 24 and 26. Staal is the younger brother of the three Staals in the NHL – Marc with the Rangers, Jordan with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Eric with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Checkers’ parent club. All three were first-round picks. … Former Wolf Pack defensemen Bobby Sanguinetti, the Rangers’ first-round pick (21st overall) in 2006, and AHL All-Star and captain Bryan Rodney were one of the Checkers’ defensive pairings. It was Sanguinetti’s first game in Hartford since he was traded to Carolina on draft day 2010. … The Checkers started a weekend that had them playing the Whale, Portland and Norfolk, which were 12-0-1-1 in their last 14 games combined. … Two former Wolf Pack wings who are among the AHL’s goal-scoring leaders are back in the league. Nigel Dawes, No. 1 with 33 goals in only 55 games because of several recalls to the Atlanta Thrashers and Montreal Canadiens, was reassigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs by the Canadiens. The Edmonton Oilers demoted Alexandre Giroux, tied for fourth in goals with 29, to the Oklahoma City Barons.
WHALE HONORS HOWE FAMILY ON SATURDAY NIGHT
“Howe Family Night” arrives Saturday night as the Whale honors legendary Gordie Howe, sons Mark and Marty and his wife, Colleen, who died in 2009. Before a game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, fans can meet Gordie and get a personalized autographed book and photo by purchasing a copy of the colorful 185-page book “9. Nine. A Salute to Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.” The book sells for $70, and he will sign copies starting at 5:30 p.m. in the XL Center atrium. The first 2,000 fans will receive a free commemorative 36-page Gordie Howe tribute program full of color photos and stories, and there will be a video tribute to the Howes during a first-intermission ceremony. A refurbished banner honoring the No. 9 of “Mr. Hockey,” one of seven numbers in the XL Center rafters, will be spotlighted as he and his sons, whom he played with for seven seasons in Houston and Hartford, look on. Colleen also will be honored as a new banner saluting the Howes will be raised.
In warm-ups, Whale players will wear special 1978 vintage No. 9 Gordie Howe New England Whalers white home jerseys, and 10 of them will be auctioned off. Bids, which start at $170 per sweater, can be made in the atrium from shortly after the puck drops through the start of the second intermission, and there will then be a live auction in the second intermission. The sweaters are hand-signed by Gordie Howe and come with a certificate of authenticity also signed by Gordie.
The Howes played together for the first time with the Houston Aeros in 1973 before coming to Hartford and signing with the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers. Howe ended his legendary 32-year career in the Whalers’ first NHL season (1979-80), when he had 15 goals and 26 assists and was named a NHL All-Star for the 23rd time while helping the Whalers make the playoffs at 52 years old. His No. 9 is in the rafters with the Whalers’ No. 2 (Rick Ley), 5 (Ulf Samuelsson), 10 (Ron Francis), 11 (Kevin Dineen) and 19 (John McKenzie). Gernander’s No. 12 is the only number to be retired in the 14-year history of the AHL team.
Mark Howe was at the XL Center on Friday night scouting for the Detroit Red Wings after being on Long Island on Thursday night as the Atlanta Thrashers beat the New York Islanders 2-1. On his way to Hartford on Friday, he made a pit stop in Bridgeport and watched Minnesota-Duluth beat Union 2-0 in the NCAA regional semifinals at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. Minnesota-Duluth plays in the final Saturday night against top-seeded Yale, which beat Air Force 2-1 in overtime.
The Whale is 5-1-0-1 against the Sound Tigers (24-36-4-7) and won the last three meetings. The Sound Tigers are on a six-game points streak (3-0-1-2) after a 3-22-2-3 slide to start 2011 that dropped them into the Atlantic Division cellar with the AHL’s worst record. Right wing Rhett Rakhshani (20, 34) is the Sound Tigers’ leading scorer and second among AHL rookies, followed by centers Rob Hisey (11, 26) and rookie David Ullstrom (14, 21). Rakhshani had a hat trick in a 5-1 victory at Atlantic Division-leading Portland on Friday night. The Sound Tigers have used an AHL-high seven goalies, and Mikko Koskinen (7-19-3, 3.69, .883) and Nathan Lawson (4-4-4, 3.02, .913) are now in Bridgeport.
The Sound Tigers game is the end of the Whale’s second five-game homestand of the season. They play back-to-back games at Providence on Sunday afternoon and Friday night, visit the Springfield Falcons next Saturday night and then return home April 3 to face Portland, coached by former Hartford Whalers standout right wing and captain Kevin Dineen, on First Tee of Connecticut Day. Level 200 tickets will be $12, with the First Tee of Connecticut receiving $5 from each ticket sold. To purchase tickets and help local youngsters interested in improving their golf game and life skills, contact Nick Criscuolo at 860-728-3366 or ncriscuolo@whalerssports.com.
The Whale end their 14th regular season with a game at Bridgeport on April 8, followed by home games against the Sound Tigers and Norfolk Admirals on April 9 and 10. The Calder Cup playoffs begin the following week, and the Whale hope to return to postseason play after missing for the only time in franchise history last year by three points.
QUICK DOES IT AGAIN
Hamden native Jonathan Quick is proving to be quite the stalwart in shootouts. He improved to 9-for-9 this season on Thursday night, stopping four of five shots in the skills competition as the Los Angeles Kings beat the rival San Jose Sharks 4-3 before a raucous sellout crowd of 18,118 at the Staples Center.
Kings captain Dustin Brown, a former standout with the Manchester Monarchs, scored twice in regulation and beat Antti Niemi in the fifth round as the Kings won back-to-back shootouts and moved into a tie for fifth place with Nashville in the wacky Western Conference with 90 points. The Sharks, who had their four-game winning streak snapped, pulled even with Detroit for second in the West with 95 points, though the Wings own the tiebreaker because they’ve played one fewer game.
The Sharks got to overtime when a wide-open Patrick Marleau scored a sixth-attacker goal with 4.1 seconds left. That was 1:38 after the Kings thought they had won on Brown’s power-play goal. Marleau also tied the score at 2-2 with 3:32 left when his wrist shot from just inside the left circle dipped under Quick’s glove.
“They sneak a point out of it, and I think we outplayed them for a majority of the game and we played a solid game as a team,” Quick said. “At the end of the day, we got two points and you can’t complain about that.”
The Kings were playing their first game without top-line wing Justin Williams, who sustained a dislocated shoulder in a 2-1 shootout victory over Calgary on Monday. Oscar Moller, recalled from Manchester, took his place and assisted on Willie Mitchell’s goal. … Former Wolf Pack wing Lauri Korpikoski, who has a career-high 18 goals, sustained an upper-body injury in the second period of the Phoenix Coyotes’ 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Ilya Bryzgalov had 29 saves, and former Rangers defensemen Michal Rozsival and Derek Morris scored as the Coyotes remained three points ahead of the Kings and Nashville. It was Rozsival’s third goal in 27 games since being acquired from the Rangers for Wojtek Wolski on Jan. 10. Bryzgalov, who is 7-2-0 with a 1.88 goals-against average in his last nine starts against Columbus, recorded his seventh shutout of the season and 21st as a Coyote to tie Nikolai Khabibulin’s franchise record. Former Wolf Pack forward Ryan Hollweg was called up Friday to replace Korpikoski.
WHALE 3, CHECKERS 2 (SO)
Charlotte 0 2 0 0 0 — 2
Connecticut 0 0 2 0 1 — 3
First period: No scoring. Penalties: Herauf, Char, boarding, 6:42; Blanchard, Char, goaltender interference, 8:02.
Second period: 1. Char, Herauf 3, 3:30; 2. Char, Boychuk 20, 19:35. Penalty: Williams, Hart, tripping, 13:13.
Third period: 3. Conn, Valentenko 3 (Parlett, Newbury), 18:39; 4. Conn, Bickel 2 (Redden, Mitchell), 18:52. Penalties: None.
Overtime: No scoring. Penalties: None.
Shootout: Connecticut 2 (Mitchell G, Williams NG, Newbury NG, Weise NG, Grachev G. Charlotte 1 (Dalpe G, McNicoll NG, Terry NG, Micflikier NG, Matsumoto NG).
Shots on goal: Charlotte 5-10-11-5-0–31. Connecticut 12-15-8-1-1-37. Power-play opportunities: Charlotte 0 of 1. Connecticut 0 of 2. Goaltenders: Charlotte, Justin Pogge, 18-17-3 (36 shots-34 saves). Connecticut, Dov Grumet-Morris, 11-3-1 (31-29). A: ????; Referee: Chris Cozzan; Linesmen: Derek Wahl, Kevin Redding.
