By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, April 23, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale were defeated by the Portland Pirates, 6-4, Saturday night, before 4,514 at the XL Center. The loss enabled the Pirates to clinch their first-round playoff series with the Whale, four games to two, knocking Connecticut out of the postseason for the second time in four seasons.

Paul Byron had three points for the Pirates, including two goals, and Mark Parrish also had three points to lead the Portland offense over the Whale.

Jeremy Williams had put the Whale on the board first with his first goal of the playoffs, as his wrist shot beat Portland goaltender David Leggio (30 saves) as he skated in from the top of the left circle. Wade Redden and John Mitchell both assisted on the goal, which came on the Whale’s first power-play, just 3:45 into the opening period.

The Whale extended their lead to 2-0 on a nearly identical play, as Dale Weise scored on the power-play in his return to the lineup after missing Game Five due to injury. Weise scored on a wrist shot from the top of the circle, with Redden earning his second assist of the night and Brodie Dupont also getting a helper.

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Portland cut the lead in half two minutes into the second period when Byron put a shot past Whale goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris (24 saves) while Chad Kolarik was serving a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Mark Mancari and Corey Tropp both had assists on the score.

Mark Parrish tied the game for the Pirates just over two minutes later, as he buried a Colin Stuart rebound past Grumet-Morris. Defenseman Dennis Persson also assisted on the goal, his fourth helpout of the series.

The Pirates took the short-lived lead with their third unanswered goal, as Mancari scored at 9:25. The Whale failed to clear the puck from a scrum in front of the net and it was finally pushed underneath Grumet-Morris. Luke Adam notched the primary assist on Mancari’s second goal of the series.

The Whale tied it back up 1:22 later, when Carl Hagelin deflected a bid by defenseman Tomas Kundratek past Leggio for Hagelin’s professional goal. Kundratek had received the rebound from a Chad Kolarik shot which kicked out to the point, and Kundratek’s shot ricocheted off of Hagelin and into the goal.

Portland retook the lead for good, however, with 2:52 remaining in the second, when Alex Biega ripped a shot from the high slot, beating Grumet-Morris’ catching glove. Parrish and Byron both collected their second points of the night with assists on the goal.

Byron netted his second goal of the game 10:56 into the third period, extending the Portland lead to 5-3. Parrish grabbed his third point of the night with an assist on the goal. Tropp followed up with the Pirates’ sixth goal of the night at 14:14.

Kolarik tipped a Redden shot from the point past Leggio to make it 6-4 with just 17 seconds remaining, the Whale’s final goal of the season.

The Pirates will now advance to face the Binghamton Senators in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Portland Pirates 6 at Connecticut Whale 4
Saturday, April 23, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Portland 0 4 2 – 6
Connecticut 2 1 1 – 4

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Williams 1 (Redden, Mitchell), 3:45 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Weise 2 (Redden, Dupont), 18:42 (PP). Penalties-Biega Por (hooking), 3:22; Kundratek Ct (interference), 5:24; Valentenko Ct (interference), 9:44; McCauley Por (goaltender interference), 11:05; Weise Ct (boarding), 12:15; Voakes Por (boarding), 17:38.

2nd Period-3, Portland, Byron 1 (Mancari, Tropp), 2:00 (PP). 4, Portland, Parrish 2 (Stuart, Persson), 4:05. 5, Portland, Mancari 2 (Whitmore, Adam), 9:25. 6, Connecticut, Hagelin 1 (Kundratek, Kolarik), 10:47. 7, Portland, Biega 1 (Parrish, Byron), 17:08. Penalties-served by Kolarik Ct (bench minor – too many men), 0:33; Voakes Por (delay of game), 11:24; Whitmore Por (tripping), 17:22; Bickel Ct (roughing), 19:59.

3rd Period-8, Portland, Byron 2 (Parrish), 10:56. 9, Portland, Tropp 2 (McCauley), 14:14. 10, Connecticut, Kolarik 3 (Redden, Newbury), 19:43 (PP). Penalties-O’Hanley Por (hooking), 5:28; Tropp Por (tripping), 19:21.

Shots on Goal-Portland 6-18-6-30. Connecticut 12-7-15-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 1 / 5; Connecticut 3 / 7.
Goalies-Portland, Leggio 4-2-0 (34 shots-30 saves). Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 2-3-0 (30 shots-24 saves).
A-4,514
Referees-Jamie Koharski (84), Ghislain Hebert (49).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Paul Simeon (66).

By Bruce Berlet

Anticipation. Instincts. Timing. Guts.

In some ways, blocking shots in hockey is even more dangerous than goaltending. Neither is for the faint of heart, but at least a goalie has plenty of padding and a facemask.

But a willingness to sacrifice your body for your goalie and your team can earn a player a lot of Brownie points, especially at playoff time.

Connecticut Whale defenseman Pavel Valentenko parlayed all those qualities into a personal first/best in Game 3 of the Atlantic Division semifinals against the Portland Pirates. With his team already two games down in the best-of-seven series and clinging to a 3-1 lead, Valentenko noticed goalie Dov Grumet-Morris was out of the net as AHL Rookie of the Year Luke Adam wound up hoping to slam in a rebound.

As Adam readied to fire from about 10 feet in front, the thought of scoring very much in his head, Valentenko dove across the crease and took Adam’s laser to the abdomen. The gritty Russian keeled over in pain from the shock of the shot, but the Pirates were awarded a penalty shot with 5:38 left.

“It was the first time I did that,” Valentenko said of his dive into the crease to prevent a certain goal. “I saw Dov was out of the net, so I knew I had to do something.”

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Grumet-Morris then stacked his pads to make a brilliant save on the penalty shot by Mark Parrish, who has played in 722 NHL games, sparking the Whale to the first of two 3-1 victories that tied the series. Despite blowing two three-goal leads Thursday night, the Pirates took a 3-2 series lead with a 5-4 victory on Parrish’s power-play goal at 2:44 of the third period that came 1:08 after Brodie Dupont had tied it and then committed a tripping penalty five seconds later. Game 6 is Saturday night at 7 at the XL Center.

“Pavel is probably one of the better shot blockers in the league,” Grumet-Morris said.

Grumet-Morris’s running mate in net, Cam Talbot, went even further, saying, “Pavel blocks shots so well it’s like having three goalies.”

Valentenko said he has patterned himself after a defenseman named Yahamov (he couldn’t remember his first name) who played for the Russian Super League team in his hometown of Nizhnekamsk, Russia, and nine-year NHL veteran Anton Volchenkov of Moscow, who just completed his first season with the New Jersey Devils after being the Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick (21st overall) in 2000.

The 23-year-old Valentenko said he saw how Yahamov and others blocked shots when he started playing hockey as a youngster in Nizhnekamsk.

“All my hockey career I’ve tried to block as many shots as I can every game because then it’s easier for the goalie and better for the team,” said Valentenko, nicknamed “Tank” in training camp by New York Rangers coach John Tortorella. “Even when I was a kid I was staying in the net and blocking shots. My father said, ‘Be a goalie if you want.’ I didn’t want to be a goalie. I just wanted to protect the net.

“Yahamov was not a big star, but he was a hard-working guy on the penalty kill who blocked shots. Blocking shots came natural, and I think it helps the team. Actually you can learn it by trying to find a good position and see where a guy places his stick with the puck and block an area. I don’t know how to learn that. It’s instinct.”

Valentenko began to try to refine his instincts at his first Montreal Canadiens training camp in 2007 when several media members said he reminded them of Volchenkov. After that, Valentenko began watching Volchenkov on YouTube.

“I knew who he was, but I had never seen his games, never followed him,” Valentenko said. “I saw him block shots and save some goals. And we never play on the power play.”

On June 30, 2009, Valentenko, a fifth-round pick of the Canadiens in 2005, was traded to the Rangers with former Yale center Chris Higgins, defensemen Ryan McDonagh, a first-rounder (12th overall) in 2007, and former Springfield Pic defenseman Doug Janik for center Scott Gomez and former Hartford Wolf Pack players Tommy Pyatt and Michael Busto.

Grumet-Morris, Whale assistant coach J.J. Daigneault and defenseman Wade Redden, a 12-year NHL veteran who is adept at blocking shots more with craftiness, said Valentenko reminds them of the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Volchenkov, known as “The A-Train” and the “Russian Bear.”

Redden said Volchenkov and former Hartford Whalers defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn are the best shot blockers he has seen.

“ ‘Tank’ plays a lot like Volchenkov,” Redden said.

Grumet-Morris said he appreciates players who blocks shots, though it can be “a mixed bag.”

“Certainly blocking shots is a skill, but there are some shot blockers who are obviously better than others,” said Grumet-Morris, who considers Valentenko, the Minnesota Wild’s Greg Zanon, Pittsburgh Penguins Rob Scuderi and the Canadiens’ Hal Gill the best shot blockers he has seen. “‘Tank’ is a guy who has kind of perfected the art, and the one thing it says to me as a goalie and the team is he’s willing to sacrifice his physical health in order to help the team win. That helps to inspire and motivate other players to push themselves beyond what they normally would.”

Though a mistimed block can cause havoc for a goalie, Grumet-Morris said the positives of a shot blocker usually outweigh the negatives.

“So much goes on on the ice – there are so many tips and changes of direction – and what a lot of people don’t understand is goaltending is a lot about luck, it’s the luck of the bounce,” Grumet-Morris said with a smile. “We can do a lot of things as goaltenders to put ourselves in position to benefit from a good bounce. However, a bounce here and a bounce there, and it changes the game.

“At times, yes, you pay a price at an attempted block that screens you or tips that change directions, but that’s part and parcel of the game and you accept that and move on and hopefully you end up on the plus end of that margin.”

Daigneault, who is in his fourth season as a Hartford Wolf Pack/Whale assistant coach, said the art of shot blocking has changed since he began an 18-year pro career in 1984 after the Vancouver Canucks made him the 10th overall pick earlier in the year. He called himself “an unnoticeable shot blocker” because he never went down to block a shot, preferring to use a long stick and winning one-on-one battles with bigger forwards by fronting them in front of the net.

“Nowadays being in the (shooting) lane is really important, and something you can teach,” said Daigneault, who considers former Canadiens teammates Guy Carbonneau, Rod Langway and Brian Engblom the best shot blockers he has seen. “A lot of it is also about being willing to sacrifice the body, and it’s getting harder for defensemen to get shots through to the net. So they have to be proficient at moving laterally to get shots on net because on any team there’s always guys who are very good shot blockers.

“And there’s more pressure put being put on the point men on the power play. The penalty killers are overall more aggressive. Before a lot of teams just sat back in their box and let the power-play guys play on the perimeter. Nowadays there’s back pressure, there’s pressure when puck possession is in doubt, there’s more pressure all over the ice.”

Daigneault said Valentenko, McDonagh and former Wolf Pack defenseman Vladimir Denisov are similar in that he had to work with them on not getting out of position when they tried to block shots.

“The willingness to sacrifice their body for the team and their teammates was there, but at times, they had a tendency to take themselves out of the play,” Daigneault said. “I think ‘Tank’ used to go down a lot early in the season, but he doesn’t do that as much. He blocks the shot, but he’s more efficient now at blocking shots.”

Daigneault also helped Rangers defenseman Daniel Girardi when he first arrived in Hartford, and this season he led the NHL with 224 blocks.

Whale coach Ken Gernander said his picks for best shot blockers are Mike Keane, who played 1,161 NHL games and 443 AHL games with his hometown Manitoba Moose before retiring last season, and Manchester Monarchs defenseman Andrew Campbell. He also pointed out the Rangers’ tandem of center/captain/Trumbull native Chris Drury and former Wolf Pack players Girardi, Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal.

“A key to shot blocking is being able to anticipate where a play is going so you can get yourself in the shooting lane,” Gernander said. “And along with that, there’s a bit of timing. If you go down too soon, the guy doesn’t attempt the shot. Too late, and it’s too late. So you have to be able to anticipate and read the play. And there’s a lot more pressure, so the onus is on the defenders or penalty killers to be in the shooting lanes. Blocking a lot of shots is a strength of Valentenko’s game, and he does great job on the (penalty) kill.”

Pirates coach Kevin Dineen was known as a good shot blocker in an 18-year NHL career that included nine seasons with the Hartford Whalers, though he jokingly called it his “Flamingo move” while contouring his body as if dancing. But Dineen thinks so much of the importance of the skill that he occasionally has his Pirates practice blocking shots with tennis balls or foam Chuck-A-Pucks that fans toss between periods to raise money for charity.

“It’s one of those intangibles that go along with the game,” Dineen said. “It’s a hard thing to practice, but every once in a while you try to change things up. It’s a real art, and back in the old days, Coach Q (Chicago Blackhawks coach and former Whalers teammate Joel Quenneville) used to have shin pads that were stuffed full of cotton and a little wider, and my brother Peter used to wear ankle guards. There are different ways to earn a paycheck, but there’s certainly a talent to it.”

Dineen said Quenneville, Carbonneau and Bryan Marchment top his list of best shot blockers, and Derek Whitmore and Tim Conboy are the best on the Pirates. Conboy proved that in Game 2 when he blocked Francis Lemieux’s shot with his shin pad, the puck caroming into the neutral zone to set up a 2-on-1 that Whitmore converted off Brian Roloff’s pass for a 3-2 victory at 12:04 of overtime.

“We try to encourage all our guys to get out there and do it,” Dineen said. “Whitmore is a guy who has no fear when he plays and wants to get shot blocks. Then Conboy blocks one in the second game that sets up the winning goal, so it makes a difference.”

By Brian Ring

Portland, ME, April 21, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale were defeated by the Portland Pirates, 5-4, Thursday night before 6,260 in attendance at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Connecticut now trails Portland, three games to two, in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

Mark Mancari and Dennis Persson both tallied three points for the Pirates to pace Portland’s offense in the win. Kris Newbury scored twice and added an assist for the Whale. Untimely penalties, however, ultimately cost Connecticut the game.

“It keeps coming back to the little things,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “The majority of our guys battled hard. But it’s the penalties and little mistakes that take us out of it.”

The Pirates struck midway through the first, as Mancari fired a shot from long range that fooled Whale starting goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris and snuck in beneath the crossbar at 11:28. The goal was the first in Portland’s last 25 chances on the power-play, and was Mancari’s first goal of the series. Mark Voakes and Paul Byron both assisted on the score.

Travis Turnbull extended the lead to 2-0 at 17:47 of the first period, beating Grumet-Morris on a shot from the high slot for his first point of the series. Corey Tropp made the primary pass, earning his third helper of the series, with Persson also assisting.

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AHL Rookie of the Year Luke Adam then scored for the Pirates to make it a 3-0 Portland advantage just 45 seconds into the second period. The goal chased Grumet-Morris (three goals-against on 16 shots), who seconds earlier had been hit in the head by a hard shot from Matt Ellis.

Mancari’s shot rebounded off of the pads of Grumet-Morris and to Adam, who backhanded the puck past the Whale netminder. Persson recorded his second assist of the game on the play.

Cameron Talbot, making his first career pro playoff appearance, replaced Grumet-Morris at that point and went the rest of the way, absorbing the loss with two goals-against on 24 shots.

Newbury scored on the power-play for the Whale 4:28 into the second period, as he managed to bury a rebound past Portland goaltender David Leggio (34 saves) to cut the Pirates’ lead to 3-1. Brodie Dupont and Chad Kolarik collected the assists on the goal, which was Newbury’s first point of the series.

The Pirates temporarily regained their three-goal lead as Dennis McCauley scored his first of the series off of a two-on-one with Tropp 9:03 into the second.

But Newbury scored his second of the night for the Whale just 21 seconds later, putting a high shot from the right wing boards past Leggio to decrease Connecticut’s deficit to 4-2.

The momentum continued for the Whale at 12:03, as Chad Kolarik scored his second in as many games to close the gap to 4-3, Connecticut’s second power-play goal of the game. The puck was deflected in off of Leggio as the puck was bobbling around in mid-air. Newbury recorded his third point of the game with an assist, with John Mitchell also chipping in a helper.

The Whale temporarily tied it when Dupont deposited a pass from Kelsey Tessier to knot the score at four apiece just 1:36 into the third. Defenseman Blake Parlett also assisted on Dupont’s first goal of the Whale’s first-round series.

The Pirates regained the lead, though, on Mark Parrish’s goal just 1:08 later at 2:44, with Persson and Mancari both collecting their third point of the game with the assists. The Whale failed to clear the puck from in front of their own net while killing Dupont’s penalty, which proved to be the turning point of the game, and Parrish buried his chance for the go-ahead fifth goal.

The series will now switch to Hartford, as the Whale attempt to stave off elimination on Saturday night at the XL Center  in Game Six (7:00). Should the Whale win that game, there will be a decisive Game Seven in Portland on Monday night (7:00).

Game Six tickets are available at the XL Center ticket office, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

Connecticut Whale 4 at Portland Pirates 5
Thursday, April 21, 2011 – Cumberland County Civic Center

Connecticut 0 3 1 – 4
Portland 2 2 1 – 5

1st Period-1, Portland, Mancari 1 (Voakes, Byron), 11:28 (PP). 2, Portland, Turnbull 1 (Tropp, Persson), 17:47. Penalties-Zuccarello Ct (goaltender interference), 8:28; Dupont Ct (slashing), 10:16.

2nd Period-3, Portland, Adam 2 (Mancari, Persson), 0:45. 4, Connecticut, Newbury 1 (Dupont, Kolarik), 4:28 (PP). 5, Portland, McCauley 1 (Tropp, O’Hanley), 9:03. 6, Connecticut, Newbury 2   9:24. 7, Connecticut, Kolarik 2 (Mitchell, Newbury), 12:03 (PP). Penalties-Conboy Por (cross-checking), 1:33; Adam Por (high-sticking), 4:10; Bickel Ct (roughing), 11:26; Byron Por (slashing), 11:26; Conboy Por (roughing), 11:26; Roloff Por (high-sticking), 16:10; McCauley Por (boarding), 19:32.

3rd Period-8, Connecticut, Dupont 1 (Parlett, Tessier), 1:36. 9, Portland, Parrish 1 (Persson, Mancari), 2:44 (PP). Penalties-Dupont Ct (tripping), 1:41; Hagelin Ct (high-sticking), 5:14.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-15-14-38. Portland 13-17-10-40.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 2 / 5; Portland 2 / 4.
Goalies-Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 2-2-0 (16 shots-13 saves); Talbot 0-1-0 (24 shots-22 saves). Portland, Leggio 3-2-0 (38 shots-34 saves).
A-6,260
Referees-David Banfield (44), Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Landon Bathe (80), Joe Ross (92).

By Bruce Berlet

HARTFORD, Conn. – Timing really can be everything in life – and especially in sports.

On Monday, the Connecticut Whale added gifted wing Mats Zuccarello, reassigned by the parent New York Rangers after being a healthy scratch in their last two Stanley Cup playoff games. Then on Tuesday, the Whale added another gifted wing, Chad Kolarik, who returned after missing 17 consecutive games and 26 of 28 with an injury.

Meanwhile, the Portland Pirates lost All-AHL right wing Mark Mancari to another recall to the Buffalo Sabres, leaving only center/captain Matt Ellis and defenseman Dennis Persson as reinforcements from their parent club.

So the Whale appeared to have gained an edge for Game 4 of the teams’ tightly contested Atlantic Division semifinal Tuesday night at the XL Center. Then again, the Pirates had lost their only game in the best-of-seven series with Mancari and Persson, victimized on the Whale’s tying-breaking and insurance goals in Game 3.

Then five minutes into the game, Whale right wing Dale Weise left for the night when crosschecked into the boards by AHL Rookie of the Year Luke Adam without a penalty being called.  Whale coach Ken Gernander said he didn’t know the extent of the injury to Weise and that he hoped Weise would be able to play in Game 5 Thursday night at Portland.

So the end result of all the comings and goings? Kolarik and Zuccarello each had a goal and an assist to support another strong penalty killing effort and goaltending by Dov Grumet-Morris as the Whale beat the Pirates 3-1 before 2,581, tying the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

“They made big plays at key times,” Gernander said of the return of the Whale’s two most skilled players. “That’s what you would hope they would do in that situation.”

Kolarik, admittedly a bit rusty after playing only two games since Feb. 13, misfired on his first shot, then took advantage of the first of the game’s four 5-on-3 power plays to put the Whale ahead to stay when he beat David Leggio between the legs from the left circle with 4:28 left in the first period off a pass from Jeremy Williams.

“It’s a cliché, but if you can’t get up for playoff hockey you don’t have a pulse,” said Kolarik, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 11 for former Hartford Wolf Pack captain Dane Byers. “It was exciting to get back in there, and I was playing with two great players (Zuccarello and Kris Newbury), so it’s pretty easy to play with those two.

“I should have scored on the first shot (with 5:50 left in the period) because it was a great pass by Zucks, but I don’t have a good one-timer and was a little rusty for sure. But it was good to get that first one and get a little confidence going. It was good to get that 5-on-3 because it makes it a lot easier when you have a lot of time with the puck. You get your hands back a little bit, and once you get that goal, you get the adrenaline going and the confidence up. A guy with confidence is tough to stop.”

Kolarik, who had 21 goals and 20 assists in 49 games with the Whale and Springfield Falcons, set up the clinching goal when he stole the puck  from Corey Fienhage and Colin Stuart, who had collided, and made brilliant cross-slot pass to Zuccarello for a quick finish into an open net at 4:48 of the third period. It was Zuccarello’s first goal since he scored twice for the Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 6. Kolarik now has the most points against the Pirates this season (five goals and six assists).

“I had good energy, and it was a great team win,” said Zuccarello, who scored his first goal in six with the Whale since Dec. 15. “Without the good job by Dov and the penalty killing, it would have been a different game. But they’re playing awesome, and we’re the lucky ones to get to chip in with the goals.”

The Whale’s penalty kill was 7-for-7, making it 24-for-24 since allowing two goals on the Pirates’ first three power plays in Game 1.

“A guy like Pavel Valentenko blocked probably 100 shots and some of the other defensemen blocked shots, too, along with the forwards chipping in,” Zuccarello said. “We just played really good. We got a few too many penalty minutes (16), but that’s life. We played good on the penalty kill, and they got one lucky goal, but that happens.”

Gernander also commended the penalty killing.

“We’ve done a really good job, but you don’t want to have to rely on it,” he said. “Some defensemen have really sacrificed their bodies to block some shots, and that takes a lot of courage night in and night out. They’ve done a good job in that regard, but we’d like to give them a little bit of a breather, maybe not take so many penalties.”

The Pirates had the better of the play at the outset, with Grumet-Morris (19 saves) making a good stop on Adam’s rush off right wing at 4:32. Just 32 seconds later, the Whale lost Weise, who immediately skated off to the locker room.

The Whale nearly took the lead at 6:24, but Valentenko’s one-time laser from the left point hit the crossbar behind a screened Leggio. But the Whale did break through with two seconds left on a 5-on-3 power play for 1:12 when Kolarik took a pass from Williams and fired a shot that beat Leggio between the legs with 3:28 left in the period. Zuccarello got the secondary assist.

The Pirates nearly tied it on a carryover power play into the second period, but Grumet-Morris made a brilliant glove save on T.J. Brennan’s bid off the right point off a turnover at 32 seconds. The Pirates then got a 5-on-3 power play for 1:10, but the Whale allowed only one shot thanks to brilliant penalty killing by Mitchell, Newbury, Wade Redden and Stu Bickel.

Moments after the Pirates’ ensuing 5-on-4 expired, Evgeny Grachev poked the puck ahead to Mitchell, who broke in alone, deked Leggio to the ice and slipped in a forehand shot for his team-high third goal of the playoffs at 4:45.

A series of penalties gave both sides odd-man advantages, but the only serious threat was the Pirates’ Paul Byron from 20 feet in the slot on another 5-on-3 power play. When Grumet-Morris stopped the bid with 6:52 left in the period, Byron put his hands to his head in disbelief.

Leggio was alert to stop Carl Hagelin’s one-timer with 2:05 to go, then the Whale caught a break when Jacob Lagace shot high off a perfect goal-mouth setup by Ellis with 12 seconds left.

Leggio robbed Kelsey Tessier from 10 feet in front at 3:56, then 37 seconds later, Grumet-Morris made a stellar save on Derek Whitmore’s backhander off a right-wing rush.

After Zuccarello made it 3-0, the Whale had another 5-on-3 for 1:27, but Leggio made four saves to keep it close.

Three seconds after the Whale killed a sixth shorthanded situation, the Pirates finally broke through as Mark Voakes took a pass from Corey Tropp and beat Grumet-Morris high to the stick side from 35 feet in the slot with 7:37 left.

“Those are pretty hollow (victories), especially when you lose,” Pirates coach Kevin Dineen said of Voakes’ goal. “We need to get production out of those areas (power play), and it’s not happening right now. It’s pretty obvious (we’re struggling). We tried to address it in our personnel. Now we need to make sure we have the right people on the ice.”

Hagelin hit the post off a Tessier pass with 3:37 left, and the Pirates then had yet another power play and pulled Leggio with 2:09 left for a 6-on-4. But the Whale allowed only one shot on Grumet-Morris, assuring the Pirates’ playoff road losing streak would reach six games. They haven’t won away from home since their opener at Providence in 2009.

“We had some guys on our line who can put the puck in the net and are confident doing it,” said Newbury, who is scoreless in the playoffs after leading the Whale in scoring in the regular season with 61 points despite playing 11 games with the Rangers. “But wins are what’s most important. It doesn’t matter who puts the puck in the net if you get the win.

“The bench got shortened a little bit (after Weise was injured), so guys are going to play a little more. Missing a guy like that out of your lineup hurts, so guys jumped on board and did what they had to do to get the victory.”

NEW PLAYERS BRING MORE LINE CHANGES

With Zuccarello in from New York and Kolarik back in the lineup, Gernander again revamped his four lines after scratching centers Francis Lemieux and Ryan Garlock. Zuccarello and Kolarik were alongside Newbury, while Brodie Dupont moved from wing to center between Williams and Hagelin, who signed an amateur tryout contract after he captained Michigan to the NCAA title game. On the other two lines, Mitchell centered for Grachev and Weise, and Tessier moved from wing to center between Derek Couture and Tommy Grant, another of the Whale’s seven ATO signees. The Whale’s three defensive pairings remained intact: Redden-Jared Nightingale, Valentenko-Blake Parlett, Bickel-Tomas Kundratek.

The Whale’s other scratches were goalie Jason Missiaen, defensemen Jyri Niemi, Dylan McIlrath and injured Michael Del Zotto and forwards Justin Soryal, Kale Kerbashian, Shayne Wiebe, Andrew Yogan and injured Devin DiDiomete and Todd White.

“We had some real tough decisions as far as who wouldn’t be in our lineup tonight,” Gernander said. “Dale is obviously a guy we would be counting on to provide us some offense and be a real solid player for us. If he can’t go the next game, we have a couple of guys waiting the wings probably chomping at the bit to get it.”

Rugged Lagace and Travis Turnbull replaced Mancari and Igor Gongalsky.  The Pirates also scratched defensemen Brian O’Hanley, Jeff Dimmen and Drew Schiestel and forwards Joe Whitney, Dennis McCauley and Shawn Szydlowksi. … McIlrath, the Rangers’ first-round pick (10th overall) in 2010, turns 19 on Wednesday. … All 16 teams that qualified for the postseason played Tuesday night, tying April 26, 1996, as the busiest night in Calder Cup history. … The crowd included what could have been one of the best lines in NHL history: Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Adam Graves. In a total of 3,852 games in 73 NHL seasons, the trio combined for 1,682 goals, 2,858 assists for 4,540 points – with 4,819 penalty minutes tossed in for good measure

GIRARDI – DAN, NOT JOE – GETTING BETTER WITH TIME

Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi is one of the best success stories in all of sports.

Though Girardi was a member of the London Knights that won the Ontario Hockey League title and Memorial Cup in 2005, injuries kept him under the radar of most scouts. And the stay-at-home defenseman still flew under some peoples’ radar as late as two years ago.

“When I first came here, I was calling him Joe Girardi,” a smiling Rangers coach John Tortorella told the New York media, confusing him with the New York Yankees manager. “No lie. For a whole meeting.”

In July 2006, the Rangers signed Girardi – Dan, not Joe – to an AHL contract, but he started the season with the Charlotte Checkers, who were then in the ECHL. But injuries to several Hartford Wolf Pack defensemen gave Girardi a shot at the AHL.

Girardi joined the Wolf Pack in November and played so well that he was on Broadway the next season, after several Rangers defensemen were injured. He made his NHL debut on Jan. 27, 2007 and played 37 regular-season games and 10 playoff games, though he didn’t score his first NHL goal until the following season. It came against the Atlanta Thrashers on Oct. 18, 2007.

On Feb. 16, 2008, Girardi signed a two-year contract extension with the Rangers worth $3.1 million. On July 9, 2010, he signed a four-year deal with the Rangers worth $13.3 million. Now he’s part of the Rangers’ No. 1 defensive pairing with another former Wolf Pack player, Marc Staal, the team’s No. 1 pick (12th overall) in 2005.

Girardi, 26, has proven good things really can come to good guys who wait. And he has earned a nice paycheck the hard way, battling bigger guys in front and often causing coaches, teammates and fans to shudder when he falls in front of laser shots as he did Sunday during the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

With the game tied 1-1 in the second period, the Capitals were on a 3-on-2 rush when Marcus Johansson, trailing the play, took a drop pass that left him with lots of open space. He had so much time that when he stepped into his slap shot it threw off Girardi’s timing on his block attempt.

But Girardi held his ground and rolled over into the shot, absorbing the shot in his back, an area that doesn’t have much protection. Seconds later, he could be seen wincing in pain on the bench but never missed a shift. It was one of five blocks for Girardi that helped the Rangers pull within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series entering Game 4 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

“I kind of slid and he kind of delayed for a second,” Girardi told the New York media. “I got it in the back, but there’s not much you can do there. I’m just trying to get in the way of the shot.”

“He’s got (guts) as big as the building,” Tortorella said at the Rangers practice facility, which is nearly 105,000 square feet. “The shot he blocked on that late 3-on-2 and the guy came in late, that’s a huge play.”

Girardi’s subdued style contrasts sharply with Staal, one of four brothers in professional hockey, three of whom are in the NHL. But Tortorella and the rest of the Rangers are delighted to have such an effective player, who led the NHL with 236 blocks this season.

“He’s one of the more underrated players in this league, I’ll tell you that right now,” Tortorella said. “I think Marc gets a lot of the notoriety. Danny wasn’t drafted and all that stuff. But he’s a good player. He continues to get better.”

Girardi’s style also has enabled Staal to join the rush more this season, as he had seven goals and a career-high 29 points in 77 games.

“He’s solid every game,” Staal said. “He’s physical, he blocks a ton of shots. He’s a lot of fun to play with. He makes it a lot easier on me.  He’s been great all year long. With a bigger stage in the playoffs, everyone starts realizing how talented a player he is. … I think the experience helps. He sits back a little more, allows me to get into the rush when I feel the opportunity to jump in. Communication is a big thing for us, too. We talk a lot on the ice and on the bench just to work things out if they’re not going our way.”

Girardi and the Black-and-Blueshirts faithful hope things continue to go the Rangers’ way Wednesday night.

“It’s still 2-1 for them, but I think that’s definitely a step in the right direction to get a little momentum here,” Girardi said, referring to the victory Sunday on former Wolf Pack wing Brandon Dubinsky’s goal with 1:39 left. “We just have to come out hard (in Game 4).”

Like as hard as Dubinsky bear-hugged the first teammate he ran into after his winner Sunday, a guy named Girardi, Dan Girardi.

QUICK CONTINUES STELLAR PLAY INTO THE PLAYOFFS

The stout play of Hamden native and former Avon Old Farms standout Jonathan Quick during the regular season has continued into the postseason for the Los Angeles Kings goalie.

After a tough 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1 against the host San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, Quick made 34 saves in a 4-0 victory Saturday night that was the first shutout for a Kings goalie since Felix Potvin blanked Colorado 5-0 in Game 5 of a first-round series in 2002.

Quick was strongly supported by defenseman Drew Doughty, 21, a Norris Trophy finalist last year who had two goals and assisted on those by defenseman Jack Johnson and Kyle Clifford. Doughty, the second overall pick in 2008, tied the franchise playoff record by a defenseman set by Paul Coffey in 1992. He already has five goals and six assists in only eight playoff games.

“We had a lot of adversity before this game with two of our top centers out,” said Doughty, referring to Anze Kopitar, who sustained a season-ending broken ankle March 26, and Jarret Stoll, suspended for a game for a check from behind on defenseman Ian White in Game 1. “I guess a lot of people probably didn’t think we had a chance, so I guess we showed those people wrong.”

The Kings relied heavily on Quick, a defense corps that had three, four assists and 11 blocked shots and an effective power play (2-for-6) to tie the Western Conference quarterfinal series at 1. Games 3 and 4 are in Los Angeles on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

“The right guys stepped up and produced at the right time,” Kings coach Terry Murray said.

“Guys dug in,” Quick said. “We had a big effort from everyone in the locker room. At the end of the day, it’s just one win. We need three more to move on. We’re looking forward to Game 3 and looking forward to getting the same result.”

Quick is 1-1 in his first playoffs with a 2.40 goals-against average and .933 save percentage after going 35-22-3, 2.24, .918 with six shutouts in the regular season.

“For us to have a chance, Quick is going to have to be our best player and our defense is going to have to play like it has most of the year, and that includes our forwards, too,” defenseman Rob Scuderi told ESPN.com. “I thought everybody came back and it was a total team effort.”

WHALE 3, PIRATES 1

Portland          0 0 1 –  1
Connecticut    1 1 1 –  3

First period: 1. Conn, Kolarik 1 (Williams, Zuccarello), 16:32 (pp).

Penalties: Adam, Por (hooking), 4:58; Tropp, Por (hooking), 11:16; Tropp, Por (tripping), 14:34; Adam, Por (tripping), 15:22; Valentenko, Ct (interference), 18:52.

Second period: 2. Conn, Mitchell 3 (Grachev), 4:45. Penalties: Grachev, Ct (interference), 1:52; served by Hagelin, Ct (bench minor-too many men), 2:43; Ellis, Por (interference), 10:43; Zuccarello, Ct (slashing), 11:05; Grachev, Ct (elbowing), 12:10; Fienhage, Por (hooking), 16:41; Grant, Ct (roughing), 16:41.

Third period: 3. Conn, Zuccarello 1 (Kolarik, Parlett), 4:48. 4. Port, Voakes 2 (Tropp), 12:23. Penalties: Biega, Por (tripping), 6:16; Conboy, Por (roughing), 6:50; Grant, Ct (roughing), 10:20; Tessier, Ct (high-sticking), 16:43.

Shots on goal: Portland 5-9-6-20. Connecticut 12-8-10-30; Power-play

opportunities: Portland 0 of 7; Connecticut 1 of 7; Goalies: Portland, Leggio 2-2-0 (30 shots-27 saves). Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 2-2-0 (19-18); A: 2,581; Referees: Chris Ciamaga, Ian Croft; Linesmen: David Spannaus, Luke Galvin.

New York, April 18, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Mats Zuccarello has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Zuccarello, 23, made his NHL playoff debut in Game One of the Rangers Eastern Conference Quartefinal match-up vs. the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.  He also tallied an assist in New York’s season finale win vs. New Jersey on April 9, following his recall from Connecticut on April 8.  Zuccarello has registered six goals and 17 assists for 23 points, along with four penalty minutes in 42 games this season.  He tied for the team lead with nine power play assists, ranked seventh with nine power play points and tied for fifth with 13 assists at MSG.  He also tied for first on the Rangers and fifth and second in the NHL, respectively, with five shootout goals and three shootout game-deciding goals, and ranked second on the team with a 55.6% shootout percentage.  Zuccarello made his NHL debut on December 23 vs. Tampa Bay, tallying a shootout goal in the contest.  He recorded his first NHL point with a power play assist on December 27 vs. the New York Islanders, and notched his first career goal with the overtime game-winner on January 5 vs. Carolina.

Zuccarello returns to Connecticut where he registered 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points, along with 16 penalty minutes in 36 games this season.  He recorded 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in his last 24 AHL games with four goals and nine assists in his last 10 contests.  He led all Connecticut rookies in goals, points, shots on goal (107), and power play goals (three), and ranked second in assists.  Zuccarello posted an AHL career-high, four points, including his first career hat trick in a 7-1 win vs. Bridgeport on November 7.  He made his AHL debut on October 9 vs. Charlotte, and tallied his first career point with a goal on October 15 at Albany.

The Oslo, Norway native signed with the Rangers as a free agent on May 26, 2010.

By Bruce Berlet

HARTFORD, Conn. – A parade and rally to celebrate the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team’s third national title forced the start of Game 3 of the Connecticut Whale’s first-round playoff matchup with the Portland Pirates to be pushed back several hours.

After a second disheartening one-goal loss in Maine on Saturday night, one had to wonder how the Whale would react at a critical juncture of the Atlantic Division semifinal. Would they fight off the demons of several unfortunate breaks and more penalties to get back into the best-of-seven series or go onto life support with another loss?

Well, the Whale had a revamped look as coach Ken Gernander shuffled all four of his lines. And Pirates coach Kevin Dineen, the former Hartford Whalers standout right wing and captain whose No. 11 hangs in the XL Center rafters, had three reinforcements in his lineup, including All-AHL right wing Mark Mancari and defenseman Dennis Persson, reassigned by the parent Buffalo Sabres. That came three days after center/captain Matt Ellis returned from Buffalo for Game 1.

Despite facing the added firepower, the Whale competed to the nth degree, got a goal and an assist from John Mitchell and Derek Couture, countless minutes from veteran defenseman Wade Redden and Dov Grumet-Morris’ 29 saves, including on NHL veteran Mark Parrish’s penalty shot with 5:38 left, to carve out a 3-1 victory before 3,102 at the XL Center.

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“In any game there’s an ebb and flow, and obviously we took a lot of minor penalties (10),” Grumet-Morris said. “But when that happened, the penalty killers were able to step up and do everything that they could do in their powers to kind of bail the guy out. Everyone – and I mean every single athlete at every level in any sport – makes a mistake. It happens. That’s why this is a team sport, and your teammates have to help you.

“If you don’t want to do that, then you play an individual sport. You play golf or you play tennis, something of that nature. We’re a very good team here when we play together, and obviously Portland is as well, and we just came out a little bit ahead. But usually that’s what happens in the playoffs. Usually you don’t see 7-1 games.”
Gernander concurred after the Whale went 8-for-8 on the penalty kill after a 7-for-7 showing in a 3-2 overtime loss in Portland on Saturday night.

“It was a good effort by a lot of guys,” said Gernander, whose team is 18-for-20 in the series while a man short. “Our defensemen were good on the penalty kill, Dov was good in net and the forwards logged a lot of minutes killing penalties. It was a real good team effort and more and more we’ve used a lot more personnel to try to spread out the penalty killing. And everybody has been pretty productive in that regard. That’s good to have, but you don’t want to rely on it, and I think we could do ourselves a big favor by staying out of the (penalty) box.”

The victory got the Whale to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series that continues Tuesday night at 7 at the XL Center and will have at least a Game 5 on Thursday night in Portland, Maine.

“It was a very close game that definitely went back and forth,” Grumet-Morris said. “Our power play, which has been much maligned, really came up huge for us in the third period, and that was the difference in the game. We got a couple of bounces and they didn’t, but certainly Portland could have won the game very easily. But now it’s 2-1 and a new ballgame.”

And that can be traced directly to Grumet-Morris stacking his pads to stop the penalty shot by Parrish, who skated right to try to get a better angle on the Whale goalie. Parrish got the chance after Whale defenseman Pavel Valentenko blocked AHL Rookie of the Year Luke Adam’s rebound blast from point-blank range with Grumet-Morris out of position during the Pirates’ eighth power play. Valentenko keeled over from the shock of the shot to his stomach, falling on the puck in the crease. Despite Valentenko being temporarily disabled, referee Jamie Koharski awarded the Pirates a penalty shot.

“(Koharski) obviously felt he tried to freeze the puck himself in the crease,” Gernander said.

But as he has done most of the season since joining the Whale from Greenville of the ECHL, Grumet-Morris bailed out a teammate.

“I could hear Koharski, so I knew right away it was going to be a penalty shot,” Grumet-Morris said. “From his perspective, it looked liked our man was on top of the puck. I would have to look at the replay to see if (Valentenko) was covering it or it was just lying next to him. Either way, the ref is just trying to make the best call he can make. I’ve known him for 10 years, so I don’t question his integrity. The call was the right call, and luckily we came out a little bit ahead on that play.

“I didn’t know what he was going to do ahead of time, but essentially there’s three things you can do. You can come hard down the middle, come from the right or come from the left. He came from my left, and luckily I was able to get a piece of it when he shot the puck.”

The Whale again took an early lead when left wing Tommy Grant, one of seven recent college/junior signees, passed to Ryan Garlock, who rushed into the right circle and flipped a backhand centering pass that hit off Grant’s skate and past David Leggio at 3:03 for his first pro playoff goal.

“Tommy got us a big goal off the start to get us going,” Gernander said.

Leggio (19 saves) denied All-Star Jeremy Williams’ rush off right wing at 5:00 and again in front at 12:50. Given those reprieves, the Pirates tied it when Parrish’s rebound bounded past Kris Newbury to Mark Voakes, who sled the puck past Grumet-Morris with 52.6 seconds left in the period.

Grumet-Morris then kept the Whale ahead with a left-pad stop on Igor Gongalsky’s bid off a 3-on-1 at 2:52 of the second period. Leggio, who had been 5-1-1 against the Whale, then stopped a semi-breakaway by Brodie Dupont at 5:18 after he left the penalty box.

Grumet-Morris made another stellar save on Colin Stuart, who had maneuvered around Stu Bickel in front of the Whale net with 8:19 left in the period.

The Whale then reclaimed the lead for good as Couture outmaneuvered Persson in front and backhanded in a rebound of Redden’s 40-foot shot from the slot off a nice setup by Mitchell with 3:37 to go.

“Mitch was on the forecheck and was strong on the puck and got it back to Reds, who let go a nice veteran shot low,” Couture said. “I screened the goalie, the rebound came out and just put it in. … It’s hard to say the difference from the first two games, but Dover played a helluva game, the power play got a goal and guys worked hard, though guys were working hard in Portland as well. You don’t know how it’s going to go down, so you’ve got to keep playing the same way.”

The Pirates nearly tied it again, but Derek Whitmore, the hero of Game 2 with the tying and winning goal in overtime, hit the far post with 2:08 left. The Whale nearly took a two-goal lead at 3:05 of the third period, but Leggio stopped Newbury’s deflection and dove to deflect Williams’ rebound bid.

The Whale then took their first two-goal lead of the series when Dale Weise’s shot deflected off Persson’s skate to Mitchell, whose bad-angle shot went in off Leggio at 9:22.

After Grumet-Morris stopped Parrish’s penalty shot, the Pirates pulled Leggio with 42 seconds left but got only one shot on goal as the Whale franchise ended a six-game playoff losing streak to Portland dating to 2008 and a six-game postseason slide overall since the then Hartford Wolf Pack took a 2-0 series lead in the first round against the Worcester Sharks in 2009.

“I think the first two games we had a few moments in certain periods where we kind of fell asleep, and that cost us,” Mitchell said. “In the playoffs, you can’t take any shifts off because if you do, they’re going to pounce all over you. And they did, especially in Game 1 when they got up 3-0 in a quick span in the first period. Then we brought it back and had a good game.

“And unfortunately in Game 2, they’re last two goals they got were a little bit of sloppy play for an instant, and before you knew it the puck was in the back of our net. We addressed those things, and this was obviously a must-win for our team, and we came in and put in a solid effort. There are plenty of teams that go on the road and not win either of the games, but we knew we had home ice and had to take advantage of it. We have a series, but now Game 4 is just as important as tonight’s game was.”

Meanwhile, the Pirates had a two-game playoff winning streak stopped after losing eight consecutive games since Game 1 of the 2009 division semifinals at Providence on April 15, 2009. The Pirates went on to lose the next four games of that series and were swept in the first round by Manchester last year.

“In the second period we ended up losing the period, but I was really very happy with the way the period went,” Dineen said. “We had good assertive play. We had some confidence and we made a good push. We started the third period on the power play, and that didn’t go so well and we started to lose momentum there. That was a little bit of a turning point in the game.”

Along with Grumet-Morris’ penalty shot save that assured it wouldn’t be the ninth one-goal game in the 11 meetings between the teams this season, including five at the XL Center.

“A lot of times goaltending and their whole body of work comes down to the big save you made or the save you didn’t make,” Gernander said. “I think obviously that was a big save that he made there.”

SAME SCRATCHES FOR WHALE

The Whale again scratched goalie Jason Missiaen, defensemen Jyri Niemi, Dylan McIlrath and injured Michael Del Zotto and forwards Justin Soryal, Kale Kerbashian, Shayne Wiebe, Andrew Yogan and injured Chad Kolarik, Devin DiDiomete and Todd White.

But Gernander changed his lines as newcomer Carl Hagelin moved alongside veterans Newbury and Williams, Weise shifted alongside Mitchell and Evgeny Grachev, Dupont skated with Francis Lemieux and Kelsey Tessier and Grant moved alongside Garlock and Couture.

“We wanted to spread out the work load a little bit,” Gernander said. “I don’t know that we had a ton of chemistry in the games in Portland, so we just made some changes.”

Meanwhile, the Pirates had Mancari (32 goals, 32 assists in 56 games) with Brian Roloff and Whitmore.  Persson replaced Jeff Dimmen and was paired with Alex Biega. Mancari replaced Jacob Lagace, and Dineen also inserted Maxime Lagace for Travis Turnbull. The Pirates also scratched defensemen Brian O’Hanley and Drew Schiestel and forwards Joe Whitney and Shawn Szydlowski. … Wing Mats Zuccarello, on recall from the Whale, was scratched again Sunday by the Rangers, who beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on former Wolf Pack wing Brandon Dubinsky’s goal with 1:39 left.… Hagelin must have felt as if it was déjà vu Saturday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. A week earlier, an overtime goal gave Minnesota-Duluth a 3-2 victory over the University of Michigan, captained by Hagelin, and its first NCAA hockey title. Saturday night, Whitmore’s overtime goal gave the Pirates a 3-2 victory. But unlike seven days earlier, the Whale lived on to play another day. Hagelin said it might take until summer to completely get over the loss in the NCAA title game. And who can blame him? … Not surprisingly, Whitmore was named the No. 1 star in the AHL on Saturday, though his tying goal was quite fortunate as it went into virtually an open net after Grant inadvertently ran into Grumet-Morris and knocked him off balance. Grumet-Morris, who had 33 saves in another tough-luck loss, was named the game’s No. 3 star, but he earned plenty more stars for how he handled the situation, refusing to toss Grant under the bus in any matter. “It was inadvertent, but that’s hockey and it happens,” Grumet-Morris said. “It’s a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. I make mistakes all the time. I’ll blame myself first before anyone.” It was another classic/classy reason why Grumet-Morris was named Whale MVP by his teammates. … The Whale franchise has lost seven consecutive road playoff games and six straight in Portland.

SUNDAY MEMORABLE DATE IN WOLF PACK/WHALE HISTORY

Sunday was the 13^th anniversary of one of the greatest comebacks in hockey history.

Marc Savard, whose career is in jeopardy after a cheap shot by the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Cooke set off concussion problems on March 7, 2010, had two goals and three assists in a seven-goal third period as the Wolf Pack rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Beast of New Haven in the Wolf Pack’s first playoff game.

Savard played one season and the start of a second with the Wolf Pack before rejoining the Rangers and then being traded June 26, 1999, with the Rangers’ first-round pick, to the Calgary Flames for the rights to Jan Hlavac, the Flames’ first-round pick, which became Jamie Lundmark, and a third-round pick that was later traded back to Calgary.

Savard put up solid numbers with the Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Boston Bruins, but unfortunately the crafty center remains home in Ontario for the second straight postseason with no chance to make a triumphant return. Cooke’s blind-side hit sidelined Savard for the remainder of the regular season and the first-round series with Buffalo in 2010 before he returned and scored the winner in Game 1 against Philadelphia last year. But that was the high point for Savard, who obviously wasn’t himself the rest of the series, which the Flyers rallied to win.

A recurrence of post-concussion symptoms followed during the summer, delaying his debut this season until December. His season ended after only 25 games because of another concussion sustained when he was hit by former Bruin Matt Hunwick of the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 22. Savard remains in contact with the Bruins, but little has changed with his condition.

“I’ve kept in contact with Savvy every week or so,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said before his team met the Montreal Canadiens. “We communicate, and things haven’t changed in his case, and it’s unfortunate for him. I’m sure he’s going to be sitting at home and watching these games and wishing he could be part of it because as a player, that part of you will never leave. And this is the most exciting time of the year, and I know he loved the times that he was in the playoffs.”

ADMIRALS SMARTER THAN MANY THOUGHT; DAWES GETS WINNER

Some AHL observers wondered why the Norfolk Admirals played so well and so hard in the regular-season finale against the Whale. A loss would have given the Admirals a first-round matchup with Atlantic Division runner-up Manchester. But a 6-3 victory moved the Admirals past idle Binghamton and into fourth place in the East Division, meaning they would have to face Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which finished the AHL’s best record (58-21-0-1).

But the Admirals obviously knew what they were doing. Paul Szczechura scored with 7.6 seconds left in the second period Saturday night and Dustin Tokarski made 27 saves as the Admirals shut down the high-powered Penguins for the second straight night in a 2-0 victory. The Admirals then headed home to Virginia with a 2-0 series lead and the next three games scheduled at the Scope Arena, starting Tuesday night.

Tokarski, the first star in both wins, has allowed one goal on 60 shots. After Szczechura’s goal, the Admirals defense stifled Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before former Penguin Marc-Antoine Pouliot clinched the win with an empty-net goal with 5.3 seconds left in the game.

All-AHL goalie Brad Thiessen made 25 saves but has now suffered his first back-to-back losses of the season. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which set franchise records with 58 wins and 117 points, is the first AHL regular-season points champion since Buffalo in 1968-69 to fall behind 0-2 in its first playoff series. But seven teams in AHL history have won a best-of-seven series after losing the first two games at home, including the Penguins against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2006. … Former Wolf Pack wing Nigel Dawes scored on a power play at 1:03 of the second period to break a tie, and the Hamilton Bulldogs went on to beat the Oklahoma City Barons 2-1 for a 2-0 lead in their North Division semifinal series. Wethersfield native Colin McDonald, son of former Hartford Whalers defenseman Gerry McDonald who led the AHL in goals with 42, set up Brad Moran’s first-period score that gave the Barons a 1-0 lead. But Andreas Engqvist scored with only 2.9 seconds left in the first period, and then Dawes, who finished one goal behind McDonald for the scoring title, got the winner early in the second. The Bulldogs’ Drew MacIntyre made 38 saves, stopping all 27 shots he faced in the final two periods. … Former Wolf Pack wing Matthew Ford scored twice in his AHL playoff debut as the Lake Erie Monsters tallied three times in the second period and held off Manitoba 6-4 in Game 1 of their North Division semifinal series Saturday afternoon. A crowd of 7,908 at Quicken Loans Arena watched the first AHL playoff game since 2004 in Cleveland, which has a storied history with the nine-time Calder Cup champion Barons from 1936-72. Manitoba evened the series Sunday when Rick Rypien scored at 8:03 of overtime for a 3-2 victory.

QUICK CONTINUES STELLAR PLAY INTO THE PLAYOFFS

The stout play of Hamden native and former Avon Old Farms standout Jonathan Quick during the regular season has continued into the postseason for the Los Angeles Kings goalie.

After a tough 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1 against the homestanding San Jose Sharks Thursday night, Quick made 34 saves in a 4-0 victory Saturday night that was the first shutout for a Kings goalie since Felix Potvin blanked Colorado 5-0 in Game 5 of a first-round series in 2002.

Quick was strongly supported by defenseman Drew Doughty, 21, a Norris Trophy finalist last year who had two goals and assisted on the others by defenseman Jack Johnson and Kyle Clifford. Doughty, the second overall pick in 2008, tied the franchise playoff record by a defenseman set by Paul Coffey in 1992. He already has five goals and six assists in only eight career playoff games.

“We had a lot of adversity before this game with two of our top centers out,” said Doughty, referring to Anze Kopitar, who sustained a season-ending broken ankle March 26, and Jarret Stoll, suspended for a check from behind on defenseman Ian White in Game 1. “I guess a lot of people probably didn’t think we had a chance tonight, so I guess we showed those people wrong.”

So the Kings relied heavily on Quick, a defense corps that had three, four assists and 11 blocked shots and an effective power play (2-for-6) to tie the Western Conference quarterfinal series at 1. Games 3 and 4 are in Los Angeles on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

“The right guys stepped up and produced at the right time,” Kings coach Terry Murray said.

“Guys dug in,” Quick said. “We had a big effort from everyone in the locker room. At the end of the day, it’s just one win. We need three more to move on. We’re looking forward to Game 3 and looking forward to getting the same result.”

Quick is 1-1 in his first playoffs with a 2.40 goals-against average and .933 save percentage after going 35-22-3, 2.24, .918 save percentage with six shutouts in the regular season.

“For us to have a chance, Quick is going to have to be our best player and our defense is going to have to play like it has most of the year, and that includes our forwards, too,” defenseman Rob Scuderi told ESPN.com. “I thought everybody came back and it was a total team effort.”

WHALE 3, PIRATES 1

Portland           1 0 0 – 1
Connecticut     1 1 1 – 3

First period: 1. Conn, Grant 1 (Garlock, Couture), 3:03. 2. Port, Voakes 1 (Parrish), 19:07. Penalties: Gongalsky, Por (goaltender interference), 3:36; Bickel, Ct (interference), 8:06; Gongalsky, Por (unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:11; Legault, Por (boarding, roughing), 14:11; Couture, Ct (cross-checking), 14:11; Garlock, Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:11; Weise, Ct (roughing), 16:11.

Second period: 3. Conn, Couture 1 (Redden, Mitchell), 16:23. Penalties: Dupont, Ct (roughing), 3:10; Crawford, Por (tripping), 5:18; Valentenko, Ct (hooking), 19:42.

Third period: 4. Conn, Mitchell 2 (Weise, Redden), 9:22 (pp). Penalties: Valentenko, Ct (holding), 3:20; Stuart, Por (tripping), 8:36; Lemieux, Ct (holding), 9:59; Brennan, Por (interference), 10:08; Williams, Ct (hooking), 11:39; Weise, Ct (interference), 13:23.

Shots on goal: Portland 8-13-9-30. Connecticut 10-5-7-22; Power-play opportunities: Portland 0 of 8; Connecticut 1 of 4; Goalies: Portland, Leggio 2-1-0 (22 shots-19 saves). Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 1-2-0 (30-29); A: 3,102; Referees: Ryan Fraser, Jamie Koharski; Linesmen: Jim Briggs, Paul Simeon.

By Brian Ring

Portland, ME, April 16, 2011 – Derek Whitmore scored two goals for Portland, including the overtime game-winner, Saturday night, giving the Pirates a two games to none lead over the Whale in their first-round playoff series before 5,029 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Matt Ellis had put Portland on the board first just 5:02 into the first period, as he took a bad angle shot from behind the circle that appeared to fool Whale goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris (33 saves). Corey Tropp recorded his second point of the series with an assist on the goal, with Whitmore receiving the other assist.

The Whale tied the game at 15:26, as Francis Lemieux scored his first Connecticut goal on a partial breakaway off a long pass from the defensive blue line. Lemieux took a pass from defenseman Tomas Kundratek, skated in and then stuffed the puck underneath the pads of Portland goaltender David Leggio (23 saves) for the equalizer. Stu Bickel earned his first career AHL playoff assist with the other helper on the score.

John Mitchell gave the Whale the 2-1 lead on the power-play just 1:16 later, as a centering pass deflected off of a Portland defender and past Leggio. The goal was the first of the series for the Whale with the extra-man, coming unassisted.

The first period was markedly different from Thursday’s Game One, during which the Whale surrendered three goals in the span of less than three minutes. Connecticut outshot the Pirates, 16-8, in the first frame.

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The second period was a scoreless affair, as the Whale managed to hold the Pirates scoreless in four power-play attempts during the period. Portland outshot Connecticut, 7-3, in the frame, however the play of Grumet-Morris and the penalty-kill helped carry the Whale lead into the third period of play.

Despite the Whale killing seven-of-seven Portland power-play opportunities to that point, Connecticut allowed the even-strength equalizer as Whitmore tied the game for the Pirates with 7:40 remaining in the third. Grumet-Morris appeared to be bumped by one of his own players, Tommy Grant, in front of the net, aiding Whitmore’s unassisted drive.

“It was a mistake, everyone makes mistakes, I make mistakes all the time,” said Grumet-Morris of the inadvertent contact.

Grumet-Morris kept the Whale in the game despite allowing Whitmore’s first goal, as Connecticut was outshot, 16-2, in the period and could not put any pressure on the Portland defense. Regulation ended with the Pirates outshooting the Whale, 31-21.

The defining play off the game came off the stick of Lemieux, as his shot bounced straight off the shin pad of Portland defenseman Tim Conboy to the Pirates’ Brian Roloff.  Roloff then set up a two-on-one with Whitmore, whose shot beat Grumet-Morris for the game-winner and the two games to none series lead.

“That’s hockey. That’s overtime hockey. Unfortunately we came out on the wrong side of the game and we have to come back and try to win the next game at home. Quick turnaround, we have the game (Sunday) at home, that’s it,” said Grumet-Morris.

The series now switches back to the XL Center in Hartford for Games Three and Four. The Whale will host the Pirates Sunday (6:00 PM), and again on Tuesday (7:00 PM) as they continue their first-round matchup.

Connecticut Whale 2 at Portland Pirates 3 (OT)
Saturday, April 16, 2011 – Cumberland County Civic Center

Connecticut 2 0 0 0 – 2
Portland 1 0 1 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Portland, Ellis 1 (Tropp, Whitmore), 5:02. 2, Connecticut, Lemieux 1 (Kundratek, Bickel), 15:26. 3, Connecticut, Mitchell 1   16:42 (PP). Penalties-Hagelin Ct (hooking), 2:54; Brennan Por (high-sticking), 6:18; Gongalsky Por (slashing), 8:43; Stuart Por (roughing), 16:33.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Lemieux Ct (slashing), 2:21; Valentenko Ct (cross-checking), 7:12; Fienhage Por (interference), 9:53; Grant Ct (roughing), 15:45; Parlett Ct (high-sticking), 19:33.

3rd Period-4, Portland, Whitmore 1   12:20. Penalties-Grumet-Morris Ct (tripping), 3:24; Lemieux Ct (tripping), 8:32.

OT Period-5, Portland, Whitmore 2 (Roloff), 12:04. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 16-3-2-4-25. Portland 8-7-16-5-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 4; Portland 0 / 7.
Goalies-Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 0-2-0 (36 shots-33 saves). Portland, Leggio 2-0-0 (25 shots-23 saves).
A-5,029
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Mark Lemelin (84).
Linesmen-Landon Bathe (80), Joe Andrews (32).

HARTFORD, April 16, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Carl Hagelin to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement.

Hagelin, 22, was the parent New York Rangers’ sixth-round pick (168^th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.  The 6-0, 187-pound Sodertalje, Sweden native has played the last four seasons in the NCAA’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association for the University of Michigan Wolverines.  In 2010-11, Hagelin skated in 44 games for the Wolverines, notching 18 goals and adding 31 assists for 49 points.  Those numbers were good for first among Wolverines players in points, goals and assists, and a tie for fourth in the CCHA in assists and fifth in points. Hagelin helped lead Michigan to this year’s Frozen Four title game as one of the teams’ co-captains. He was also named to the All-CCHA First Team, while also winning the CCHA’s award for Best Defensive Forward.

In 171 career games with Michigan, Hagelin totaled 61 goals and 91 assists for 152 points, to go along with 133 penalty minutes.

The Whale continue their Atlantic Division Semi-final Calder Cup playoff series tonight, with Game Two at Portland (7:00 PM faceoff, WTIC HD 3, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com).  After tonight’s clash, in which the Whale go for a split of the first two games after a 3-2 loss in Game One Thursday, the series switches to Hartford’s XL Center for Games Three and Four tomorrow, Sunday, April 17 (6:00 faceoff), and this Tuesday, April 19 (7:00).

Tickets for those first two Whale home games in the series are on sale now at the XL Center ticket office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may also be charged by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.CTwhale.com.

Playoff ticket packages are also available that include tickets to all possible home playoff games, plus rollover options and incentives for next year’s season tickets.  To speak to a Whale account executive about a playoff ticket package, call (860) 728-3366.  More information is available at www.ctwhale.com.

By Brian Ring

Portland, ME, April 14, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale fell to the Portland Pirates, 3-2, Thursday night in the first game of their Atlantic Division Semi-final series. Three goals in a span of 2:53 in the first period gave the Pirates the 1-0 series advantage before 2,171 fans at Portland’s Cumberland County Civic Center.

Game Two between the Whale and the Pirates will be Saturday night, also in Portland.

The Pirates had jumped out to a 1-0 lead 13:47 into the first period while on the power-play, as a failed clearing attempt turned into Portland’s first score of their three-goal flurry. Dov Grumet-Morris (20 saves) hugged the right-side post looking to poke-check Luke Adam, however Adam reached around the Whale goaltender and stuffed it in. Paul Byron and T.J. Brennan both assisted on the play.

“Little mistakes aren’t going to be little mistakes,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “They manifest themselves into big plays throughout the course of the game.”

Portland extended their lead less than one minute later at 13:45 of the frame, as Corey Tropp sniped a wrist-shot past Grumet-Morris as he skated through the right circle, beating him high to the blocker side. Mark Voakes had set up Tropp with a pass up the slot.

Colin Stuart completed the outburst and gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead with a shot from the left point at 16:40, as Portland capitalized on the power play for the second time, with Nick Crawford and Voakes chipping in the assists. The Pirates outshot the Whale, 13-7, in the first period.

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“We compounded some of our problems by taking some penalties,” Gernander said. “When things aren’t going your way, you definitely don’t want to be playing shorthanded. We definitely let them get too much momentum.”

The Whale broke through 5:13 into the second, as Blake Parlett found himself in front of the Portland cage all alone and accepted a pass from Francis Lemieux in the left corner. Parlett managed to stuff it behind Portland goaltender David Leggio (23 saves) for Connecticut’s first goal of the playoffs. Tommy Grant also assisted on the goal.

Connecticut outshot the Pirates, 9-3, in the second period, but the Whale could not get anything else past Leggio with Parlett’s goal accounting for the only tally of the frame.

Dale Weise cut the Portland lead to 3-2 with 6:57 remaining in the third period, as his slap-shot from the slot was ripped past Leggio, knocking the goaltender’s water bottle flying. Evgeny Grachev and Wade Redden both assisted on Weise’s goal.

The first period letdown proved decisive, though, as the Whale could not mount any further offense against Portland, despite outshooting the Pirates 25-23 in the game and 18-10 over the last two periods.

“We got ourselves back into the game.  We’ll focus on that tomorrow as more along the lines of how we have to play these next 60 minutes, and we’ll build from there,” said Gernander.

The Whale will face the Pirates again Saturday, as they meet for Game Two of the series.

The series will switch to the XL Center in Hartford for games Three and Four of the series, as the Whale will host Portland on Sunday the 17^th (6:00) and on Tuesday the 19^th (7:00).

Connecticut Whale 2 at Portland Pirates 3
Thursday, April 14, 2011 – Cumberland County Civic Center

Connecticut 0 1 1 – 2
Portland 3 0 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Portland, Adam 1 (Byron, Brennan), 13:47 (PP). 2, Portland, Tropp 1 (Voakes), 14:45. 3, Portland, Stuart 1 (Crawford, Voakes), 16:40 (PP). Penalties-Brennan Por (slashing), 0:52; Newbury Ct (tripping), 7:28; Couture Ct (goaltender interference), 12:05; Williams Ct (slashing), 15:08.

2nd Period-4, Connecticut, Parlett 1 (Lemieux, Grant), 5:13. Penalties-Adam Por (slashing), 7:03; Valentenko Ct (interference), 10:05; Whitmore Por (tripping), 16:07.

3rd Period-5, Connecticut, Weise 1 (Grachev, Redden), 13:03. Penalties-Turnbull Por (holding), 3:30; Weise Ct (elbowing), 7:31.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 7-9-9-25. Portland 13-3-7-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 4; Portland 2 / 5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 0-1-0 (23 shots-20 saves). Portland, Leggio 1-0-0 (25 shots-23 saves).
A-2,171
Referees-Chris Brown (86), Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Landon Bathe (80), Jeremy Lovett (78).

By Bruce Berlet

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut Whale coach Ken Gernander has to hope his season-long plea for more discipline sinks into his players’ heads before the playoffs start Thursday night in Portland, Maine.

The Whale started like a tortoise in their regular season finale Sunday and then helped the Norfolk Admirals by taking three penalties in the first 171/2 minutes that led to two power-play goals against on the way to a 6-3 loss before 4,825 at the XL Center.

After Marc-Andre Pouliot converted Mattias Ritola’s pass at 9:26 as the Admirals had 11 of the game’s first 12 shots, Paul Szczechura and Blair Jones scored power-play goals to give Norfolk a 3-0 lead after a first period in which it had a staggering 20-4 shot advantage.

In an attempt to wake up his team after a stern first-intermission lecture, Gernander replaced Dov Grumet-Morris, the Whale MVP, at the start of the second period with Cam Talbot, and it paid immediate dividends when John Mitchell scored 1:02 into the second period. But a wide-open Ritola took a pass from Jones and scored into an open net only 2:13 later, and the Admirals were on their way to ending a three-game losing streak and 1-6-1 run.

“The change wasn’t necessarily a reflection on our starting goalie,” Gernander said. “I don’t think he was getting a lot of help, and I don’t think he had a lot to gain from playing the last two periods the way we were playing in front of him. And you want a bit of a ‘send a message’ that you can’t play the next 40 minutes the way we played the first 20.”

Was he more disturbed with the way the team was playing or that it was continuing to take penalties?

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“Both, and it goes hand in hand,” Gernander said. “When you’re playing your best hockey, you don’t make poor decisions and don’t take penalties. When you’re playing your best hockey, usually you’re in the other team’s offensive end, creating chances and forcing them to take penalties.

“When you put yourself behind because of taking penalties, you’re overtaxing some (players), you’re taking others out of the flow. You can’t be successful when you’re shorthanded all night.”

Despite finishing second in the league in penalty minutes – 1,749 to 1,927 for Albany, which finished with the AHL’s worst record (32-42-1-5) – the Whale (40-32-2-6) finished third in the Atlantic Division behind Portland and Manchester and will play the first-place Pirates in the first round of the playoffs, starting Thursday night in Maine. The Whale was 5-3-0-0 against the Pirates, coached by former Hartford Whalers standout right wing and captain Kevin Dineen, but six games were decided by one goal, including three overtime wins for the Whale.

“We’ve had great games with Portland, and that’s what I would expect moving forward, that everything is going to be a close, tight-checking game,” Gernander said. “Usually both teams are fairly physical and like to grind it out, and that’s what we’re expecting.”

Grumet-Morris said the turning point of the season was a lengthy meeting after a 9-2 loss at Toronto on Feb. 9 in which Gernander and assistants J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller were “very blunt” and “players were blunt and honest with themselves.” The Whale then went on a 16-8-0-1 run that moved them into playoff contention, and a berth was achieved with a 4-1 victory at Bridgeport on Friday night.

“I think we had a great run to get into the playoffs, which was huge because it was in doubt for a long time,” Grumet-Morris said. “Now that we’re in, we feel focused, and we’ll see how we show up on Thursday. Portland is going to be ready, and (the Cumberland County Civic Center) is a difficult place to play because I know from playing there for and against Portland. It’s going to be a monumental challenge for us, but we’re looking forward to it.”

But what about the team’s poor finish?

“Three games ago, I thought we played a great road game,” Grumet-Morris said, alluding to Friday night. “We gave up 21 shots and were great on the penalty kill so I took that as a positive. The last two games is more of an aberration in terms of the lineup, as well as the way we played and the other teams played. Often times that happens and I don’t think it’s indicative of the players. And as long as you intellectually understand that, emotions want to win. But intellectually understand it, accept it, make your corrections and move on. I don’t think it should necessarily be a concern.”

But Nightingale admitted the Whale must be more disciplined, especially with the playoffs usually having close games often decided by special teams.

“We’ve been addressing coming out with a good start and obviously we didn’t, getting into the box and penalty trouble,” Nightingale said. “We’ve been stressing that, but we can also learn from that, get it out of our system and be ready to go (in the playoffs). Now we can’t really dwell on that, and we won’t.

“They’re a skilled team that plays very well in their building, but we’ve had success there this year. So we have to stick to our game plan and do what we do best, which is crash and bang and keeping it simple and getting off to a good start. That first period is going to be critical, along with staying out the (penalty) box.”

The Admirals (39-25-9-7) qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2007 but had lost three in a row and seven of eight before Sunday. But the closing win might have proved costly because the Admirals leapfrogged Binghamton and into fourth place in the East Division and will have to play division champion and overall league leader Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (59-21-0-1) instead of Atlantic Division runner-up Manchester (44-25-4-6). The Penguins set franchise records for wins and points (117), and Brad Thiessen and John Curry won the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award for being the goaltenders on the team that allowed the fewest goals in the regular season (183).

The Admirals hardly looked like a team that had one win since March 26 in the first period. Grumet-Morris held them at bay for nearly half the period before Ritola stole the puck from Nightingale and got it to Pouliot, who broke in alone and beat a sprawling Grumet-Morris at 9:26 for his team-leading 25^th goal.

After Grumet-Morris stopped Johan Harju’s breakaway with 6:33 left in the period, the Whale penalties started. The Admirals made it 2-0 on a five-on-three at 15:46 when Szczechura tipped Troy Milam’s one-timer from the left circle past Grumet-Morris, who had lost his stick.

Then with the Admirals on their third power play, the Whale got their first real scoring chance, but a sprawling Jaroslav Janus (17 saves) reached back into the crease to stop Evgeny Grachev’s blast from the right circle off a 2-on-1 with Ryan Garlock with 1:41 left in the period.

The Admirals then increased their lead to 3-0 with a second power-play goal as Jones lifted Pouliot’s cross-crease pass under the crossbar with 38 seconds to go.

The goalie change temporarily turned the tide early in the second as the Whale pressed at the outset and made it 3-1 when Mitchell took a pass from Derek Couture, skated into the Admirals zone around Vladimir Mihalik and beat Janus to the stick side at 1:02.

But the Admirals then scored on their first two shots of the period for a 5-1 lead. Jones picked up the rebound of his shot that deflected off Whale defenseman Pavel Valentenko and passed through the slot to the left circle to a wide-open Ritola for an easy finish into an open net at 3:15. Just 2:19 later, James Wright made a brilliant blind backhand pass from behind the net to a wide-open Szczechura in front for a one-timer on which Talbot again had no chance.

The Whale made it 5-2 when junior newcomer Andrew Yogan got the puck to the right point to Valentenko, who scored through a screen.

Talbot kept the Whale in it when he stopped Levi Nelson’s breakaway and a wide-open Stefano Giliati with 4:32 and 4:01 left in the second period.

The Whale finally got their first power play midway through the third period. After Janus made a sprawling save on Yogan’s bid for his third goal in two games off a nifty setup by Dale Weise, the Whale got to 5-3 as Jyri Niemi broke in off the point and one-timed Grachev’s pass from behind the net past a helpless Janus with 8:04 left.

But the Admirals clinched the win when Mike Angelis stole the puck from Mitchell and chipped it past a diving Talbot with 2:24 left.

“We’ll relax for a few minutes tonight, get reenergized or recharged and obviously put the last couple of games behind us and focus on playing our best game starting on Thursday,” Gernander said. “I don’t know if we want to use the tapes from the last two days specifically. I think we want to focus more on bringing our best game.

“We might make corrections based on what we saw the last couple of games, but for the most part I think we’ll probably want to stress what positives, what attributes, we bring to the table and draw out our best game for Thursday night.”

THREE YOUNGSTERS IN WHALE LINEUP

The Whale lineup included three recent signees – forwards Tommy Grant and Yogan, who scored his first two goals in a pro game in a 4-3 loss to Bridgeport on Saturday night, and defenseman Dylan McIlrath, the Rangers’ first-round pick (10^th overall) in 2010. They replaced regulars Wade Redden, Kris Newbury and Blake Parlett. The Whale also scratched newcomers Kale Kerbashian and Shayne Wiebe and injured Michael Del Zotto, Chad Kolarik, Devin DiDiomete and Todd White. With Redden and Newbury scratched, Weise and Dupont joined Nightingale as alternate captains. The Admirals scratched Cedrick Desjardins, who is injured, Pat Nagle, Kevin Quick, Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Tim Marks, Matt Fornataro and former Wolf Pack wing Mitch Fritz, who was assisting on the bench.

Now after missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, the Whale will begin postseason play for the 13^th time in 14 seasons against the Pirates (47-24-7-2) on Thursday night at 7. The Pirates clinched first place with a 3-2 shootout victory at Albany on Saturday night and ended the season with a 2-1 overtime loss to Springfield on Sunday.

The best-of-seven Whale-Pirates series continues in Maine on Saturday at 7 p.m. before the teams travel to Hartford for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday at 6 p.m. and April 19 at 7 p.m. If necessary, Game 5 will be at Portland on April 21 at 7 p.m., Game 6 at the XL Center on April 23 at 7 p.m. and Game 7 at Portland on April 25 at 7 p.m.

The Pirates, who closed the season with seven games in nine days, are currently without their top goalie (Jhonas Enroth), top defenseman (Eddie Shore Award winner Marc-Andre Gragnani) and top forward (Mark Mancari, the AHL All-league right wing), all of whom are with the parent Buffalo Sabres, who qualified for the NHL playoffs. Mancari (32 goals, 32 assists) and Gragnani (12, 48) are the Pirates’ No. 1 and 3 scorers. Center Luke Adam, the third consecutive Pirates player to be named AHL rookie of the year, is the remaining top scorer with 29 goals and 33 assists, followed by center Paul Byron (26, 27), veteran Mark Parrish (17, 34) and left wings Derek Whitmore (27, 20) and Colin Stuart (16, 27). With Enroth in Buffalo, the goaltending is being shared by David Leggio (22-12-0, 2.80 goals-against average, .911 save percentage, three shutouts), Jeff Jakaitis (4-1-1, 3.19, .904) and John Muse, who earned his first pro victory by making 33 saves in regulation and stopping four of five shots in a shootout Saturday night.

Tickets for the Whale’s first two games are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com and through Ticketmaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000. Playoff ticket packages that include tickets for all 16 possible home playoffs games, plus rollover options and incentives for season tickets next season are available at 860-726-3366. More information is available at www.ctwhale.com.

GRUMET-MORRIS, NIGHTINGALE WIN TWO TEAM AWARDS

Grumet-Morris and Nightingale each received two of the Whale’s team awards presented after the game.

Grumet-Morris (13-5-1, 2.12 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, one shutout) was named MVP and Fan Favorite. He was quite the addition since originally signing a professional tryout contract with the Whale on Oct. 18 while helping Greenville get off to the best start in the ECHL and eventually finish second overall and win the Eastern Conference title. He didn’t play with Portland and Grand Rapids after signing PTOs with those teams, and then rejoined the Whale for good on Feb. 3, winning an AHL career-high seven consecutive games at one point.

“It’s definitely an honor and very humbling, considering it was my peers who did the voting. I definitely appreciate that,” Grumet-Morris said. “I didn’t know Fan Favorite was a category, but it’s always nice when people appreciate the work that you do. It’s also appreciated by me, especially when I’ve been here only half a (season). That has strong meaning to me.

“But that’s something you tend to look at more after the fact, after the whole journey. It’s not over yet. We still have a new season to begin, and I hope we can continue the success that we’ve had.”

Nightingale (two goals and six assists in 71 games) received the Bob Girouard Character Award and Mary Lynn Gorman Community Service Award after being named the Whale’s AHL Man of the Year for his community relations work. Nightingale never puts up gaudy offensive numbers but was part of the team’s No. 1 defensive pairing with Redden, kills penalties and is always ready to stick up for teammates.

“It’s a great honor whenever you’re recognized by your peers,” Nightingale said. “It’s nice, but I also think there are a lot of guys deserving of it, especially the character award. We’ve got a room full of character guys, so to be recognized like that is very nice.”

Rookie Kelsey Tessier (10 goals, 18 assists and plus-2 in 75 games), who played all three forward positions and helped kill penalties, received the Unsung Hero/Seventh Player Award. Besides being solid on a checking line, Tessier, like Nightingale and Grumet-Morris, did a lot of community relations.

The players chose the MVP and Girouard Character Award, the Whale staff picked the Gorman Community Service Award, fans selected the Fan Favorite via a poll on the Whale website and Facebook and the media selected the Unsung Hero/Seventh Player Award.

Whale team leaders were: games played, Valentenko, Justin Soryal, 79; goals, Jeremy Williams, 32; assists, Newbury, 44; points, Newbury, 61; power-play goals, Williams, 15; game-winning goals, Newbury, Williams, 5; shorthanded goals, Grachev, Kolarik, 2; plus-minus, Valentenko, Grachev, plus-21; penalty minutes, Devin DiDiomete, 303; shots, Williams, 239; goalie wins, Chad Johnson, 16; goals-against average, Grumet-Morris, 2.12; save percentage, Grumet-Morris, .923; shutouts, Johnson, Talbot, 2.

MCDONALD WINS AHL GOAL-SCORING TITLE

Wethersfield native and Oklahoma City Barons right wing Colin McDonald, son of former Hartford Whalers defenseman Gerry McDonald, scored a power-play goal with 2:32 left in a 6-3 loss to Houston on Sunday to win the AHL goal-scoring title with 42. McDonald finished one goal ahead of former Wolf Pack wing Nigel Dawes of the Hamilton Bulldogs. He passed Dawes with a career-high four goals on Friday night and one on Saturday and Sunday. His 42 goals were eight more than he scored in his first three pro seasons combined, with his previous high being 12.

Former Wolf Pack center Corey Locke of the Binghamton Senators, named the AHL’s MVP on Friday, won his first league scoring title with 86 points despite not playing the final three games because of a shoulder injury. Locke finished eight points ahead of former Wolf Pack wing and two-time MVP Alexandre Giroux. Dawes tied for fifth with 72 points despite playing 13 NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers and Montreal Canadiens, who acquired him on Feb. 24.

Other AHL leaders included Locke, assists, 65; McDonald, power-play goals, 19; Giroux and Justin Azevedo, Manchester, game-winning goals, 8; plus-minus, Sean Collins, Hershey, plus-29; and shots, Denis Hamel, Adirondack, 266. … Former Wolf Pack left wing/captain Dane Byers finished the season with an AHL-record 85 games played, two more than Paxton Schulte in 1995-96 with the Cornwall Aces and Saint John Flames. Byers played for the Wolf Pack, Springfield Falcons and San Antonio. … The 2011 Calder Cup Challenge, aimed a testing a fan’s knowledge and skill of predicting outcomes in the playoffs, is available at www.theahl.com. … Sean Berkstresser’s goal at 6:22 of the second overtime gave Greenville a 2-1 victory over visiting Elmira on Saturday night, advancing the Road Warriors to an ECHL Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Wheeling Nailers. Berkstresser got the series-clinching goal after Chris McKelvie, who was reassigned by the Whale last week and scored the winner Friday night, won a faceoff forward in the right wing circle for slap shot. The Road Warriors, who share an affiliation with the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, won the first-round series 3-1 against an Elmira team that included former Whale center Oren Eizenman and goalie Jared DeMichiel of Avon, who attended Avon Old Farms and Rochester Institute of Technology, a surprise entry in the 2010 Frozen Four. The Road Warriors open the semifinal series Thursday at home.

MOST RANGERS WATCH TAMPA BAY BEAT CAROLINA

After notching a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils and Martin Brodeur on Saturday afternoon to finish the season on an 11-4-1 run, most Rangers players gathered to watch Tampa Bay play Carolina, chants of “Let’s Go Lightning!!” still echoing in their ears.

The Lightning, coached by Rangers coach John Tortorella when they won the Stanley Cup in 2004, must have been listening as they blitzed the host Hurricanes 6-2, assuring the Rangers would have the eighth and final seed and not miss the playoffs for the second straight season. They will face the top-seeded Washington Capitals in the first round, starting Wednesday night.

“A pretty significant portion of guys got together, the superstitious ones stayed away,” Rangers captain/Trumbull native Chris Drury, who scored on his first shift in his first game since Feb. 3 after knee surgery, said on a conference call Saturday night. “I have to say that we’re all pretty excited and thrilled for the opportunity to play the Capitals.

“For a lot of guys it was a long day with a range of emotions. Watching the game next to Hank (goalie Henrik Lundqvist) is something I don’t want to do again. He was pretty intense, but we’re all happy to be going to the playoffs. … I think it will do a ton (for the future of the organization). You look up and down our roster, there’s a ton of young guys, guys that haven’t played in the playoffs, though probably the last six, eight, 10 games, it’s been like playoff games. It’s a terrific opportunity for the (Derek) Stepans, the (Michael) Sauers, the (Ryan) McDonaghs, and it’s a great thing for our organization that they’ll get to experience it at such a young age.”

A year ago, the Rangers were eliminated on the final day of the season when they lost a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers, who lost in the Stanley Cup finals to the Chicago Blackhawks, who lost their season finale 4-3 to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday and needed help from the Minnesota Wild to earn the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. They got it when the Wild beat the Dallas Stars 5-3, giving the Blackhawks a shot at the Vancouver Canucks, who finished with a league-high 117 points, 10 more than runner-up Washington.

Rangers playoff tickets go on sale Monday at noon, with a maximum of four per round per person to try make them available to as many fans as possible. Tickets will be available at www.newyorkrangers.com and Ticketmaster charge-by-phone at 866-858-0008.

ADMIRALS 6, WHALE 3

Norfolk             3 2 1 – 6
Connecticut      0 2 1 – 3

First period: 1. Nor, Pouliot 25 (Ritola), 9:26. 2. Nor, Szczechura 21 (Milam, Barberio), 15:46 (pp). 3. Nor, Jones 24 (Pouliot, Ritola), 19:22 (pp). Penalties: Niemi, Ct (hooking), 13:55; Nightingale, Ct (slashing), 15:06; Valentenko, Ct (tripping), 17:35.

Second period: 4. Conn, Mitchell 8 (Couture, Valentenko), 1:02. 5. Nor, Ritola 9 (Jones), 3:15. 6. Nor, Szczechura 22 (Wright, Harju), 5:34. 7. Conn, Valentenko 5 (Soryal), 13:10. Penalty: Williams, Ct (roughing), 15:59.

Third period: 8. Conn, Niemi 3 (Grachev, Couture), 11:56 (pp); 9. Nor, Angelidis 20, 17:36. Penalty: Gudas, Nor (boarding), 10:00.

Shots on goal: Norfolk 20-11-6-37. Connecticut 4-8-8-20; Power-play opportunities: Norfolk 2 of 4; Connecticut 1 of 1; Goalies: Norfolk, Janus 2-5-1 (20 shots-17 saves). Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 13-5-1 (20-17); Talbot 11-9-2 (17-14); A: 4,825; Referee: Marcus Vinnerborg; Linesmen: Jim Briggs, Luke Galvin