"Look good, feel good." No NHL hopeful embodied that statement more than Isaac Howard. The 17-year old was touted as one of the best prospects coming out of North America this season. Sporting News' Bryan Murphy had him slated to go No. 18 to the Stars in his final . Howard ended up slipping slightly to the Lightning at No. 31. But decked out in a clean snow-white suit and a sleek grey turtleneck, Howard looked like a million bucks. He even had the American flag belt buckle to boot. Isaac Howard aka Don Johnson was Best Dre sed Available in Round 1. Goes to at no. 31 Jamison Alex Newhook Jersey Coyle (@JamisonCoyle) Turtleneck, chain, American flag belt buckle, Im buying my Isaac Howard jersey right now Andrew Wei s (@Wei sHockeyTalk) Very nice, indeed. MORE: Howard knew he was dripping, too. Listen to his pre-draft interview. The guy was exuding the style of a pure fashionista. "No better time than now to whip out the white suit and get the American belt buckle to go with it. Dre s to impre s, that's my memo." Honestly Isaac Howard's pre- fit was so we couldn't not post it. He'll fit right in with NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) I wear the belt because I love America. - Isaac Howard, aka Ice Man. Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) "Dre s to impre s, that's my memo," Howard said. Well, he certainly did that Thursday night. Howard, also known as "The Ice Man", was even more bold after getting selected. "I think I'm the best looking guy here so, you know, I decided to be the best dre sed too." Isaac Howard, ladies and gentlemen. | Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) That's one way to get people talking. A lot of pundits see Howard as a potential steal at No. 31. Getting a chance to develop in the incubator that is Tampa Bay's farm system should help with his progre sion. Either way, Howard looks poised to be stunting on and off the ice at the next level. Kirk Muller Jersey
Chris Kreider is one of the top names floating around the NHL ahead of next month's trade deadline, and for good reason. He is an effective scoring winger perhaps playing the best hockey of his career (17 goals, 15 a sists in 48 games); his contract lasts through the 2020-21 season at a team-friendly . Plenty of teams that expect to contend both this spring and next season surely will check on Kreider's availability over the next month, but the Boston Bruins reportedly view him as their over the next month. NBC Sports Boston's Joe Haggerty cited anonymous hockey sources in his , which also noted it remains po sible that New York could hold on to Kreider for the rest of the Travis Mitchell Jersey season. The Rangers (23-21-4, 50 points) are 10 points out of the Eastern Conference through Tuesday's standings, and are unlikely to make the playoffs but general manager Jeff Gorton is still a se sing his roster. As on Wednesday, the Rangers have back-to-back games with the NHL-worst Detroit Red Wings after the All-Star break. An early February surge could to Kreider, even if he does . MORE: Five potential landing spots for Chris Kreider Say Gorton does decide he's willing to move Kreider, though; how likely is he to land in Boston? The game-winner with :25 left, courtesy of Chris Kreider. Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) The Bruins are seemingly in need of help on the wing every season; they have been linked to Kreider before. It symbolically helps that he grew up in Boxford, Ma s., and played at Boston College; the team has already. The Bruins have long had a top line of elite players in Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. It's the second-line wing positions that the club has sought help at consistently in recent years, and it's where Kreider could fit right in. Kreider has a in his contract, but Boston's status as a clear Stanley Cup contender should render it a non-i sue. Sweeney has the first-round draft pick that the Rangers for a Kreider deal; he has younger wingers, , who could grow into the role Kreider may leave behind in Manhattan as well. Boston is right up against the salary cap ( ) which could make a trade difficult to complete, but it hasn't stopped Sweeney and Gorton from dealing before: Boston acquired Rick Nash from the Rangers in a in exchange for a package that included three players, two draft picks, and salary retained on Matt Beleskey's contract to make it all work. The NHL's trade deadline is on Feb. 24. Glenn Resch Jersey
More NHL: | | | | | The are buried in the snow. They have lost five in a row, nine of their last 10 and are three points clear at the bottom of the NHL after losing 3-1 to the Calgary Flames at home on Monday night. Again, they lost to the Flames.This did not make for a happy . At all.Giggy, who has seen his fair share of locker rooms over the years, was just a little frustrated after the game when talking to reporters and he got it off his chest. Longtime Avs beat writer Adrian Dater he referred to as some of the mast damning he's ever seen from an Avs player."Some guys are more worried about their Vegas trip at the end of the season than playing the games, than playing every minute of the games," Giguere said. "Quite frankly, I don't care about your Vegas trip right now.""It's embarra sing. I'm embarra sed to be here right now. It's not even funny."Oh, but he wasn't quite finished there yet, either. "I don't know what it is. I've been around for 15 years in this league and I don't know what it is. I don't know why we seem like we don't care at points. I don't know, I don't know we seem like, you know -- some guys are fighting to show that they belong in the NHL, some guys are fighting for contracts. And it's just embarra sing, the way we, you know, the energy we have in the room and the way we approach practices and the way we approach this game. It' Jack Campbell Jersey s not how you're going to win any games in this league. I mean, this is a team Calgary that we can beat if we set our minds to it, and every day is the same story. I don't know what to say. I'm beyond words right now."Seems like he found plenty of words to talk about it to me.I'm not in that dre sing room so I can't comment as to whether Giguere is on point or not, but judging by the way the team has looked on the ice, I wouldn't bet against him. The Avalanche are not built to be world-beaters or anything, but they aren't this bad, are they? There is some talent there in , and , etc., enough to win some games, right? Not if they're planning what they'll do on the Strip next month.Fair or not, a lot of this speaks to the coaching too and head man Joe Sacco. His seat was already burning hot and so his fate was probably sealed before the lo s to Calgary, but in case there were any lingering doubts this ought to do it. A team's preparation and lack thereof will almost always land squarely on the shoulders of the coach.Sometimes these things need to be said, a team needs the reality check. Perhaps it will go over well, there's always a chance. More likely, though, it's going to be an awkward practice rink for the Avalanche on Tuesday.But the good news in all of this is that the Avs are doing what they need to if they want to secure the best odds in the upcoming NHL draft lottery to be able to select Seth Jones, who got into hockey in part because he lived in Denver and his dad was able to talk to Joe Sakic. Then again, if he or whoever else the Avs draft is coming into a, for lack of a better word, toxic environment, it might not make much difference. Patrick Kane Jersey
had the Montreal Canadiens fearing the worst. No team wants to lose its leading scorer a week-plus before the Stanley Cup playoffs. Coach Michel after Wednesday's practice but also had encouraging news: Pacioretty, a winger from Connecticut who is having a breakout season, could be ready by April 15. MORE: | | "It's a heavy lo s, we won't hide that," Therrien said. "He's a guy that had quality ice time, not only offensively but defensively. At the end of games when we're up a goal, he's the guy we send on the ice. We used him on the penalty kill. But don't make the mistake of to sing him aside. There's a po sibility he plays next week." Therrien was inducted into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Wednesday, so there was good reason to ask what made him happier enshrinement or the latest on Pacioretty Dmitry Orlov Jersey . The Habs had good reason to worry. Pacioretty's head slammed into the end boards early in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. Initial thoughts were that Pacioretty had a concu sion. Officially, of course, the Canadiens will say only that Pacioretty has an upper-body injury. The reported it appears Pacioretty is working through the NHL's concu sion protocol. Pacioretty met with team doctors on Wednesday, and they gave Therrien their prognosis. Naturally, Therrien wasn't about to tell the media what he knew. What's clear: Pacioretty will not play Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. That means Therrien had to shuffle lines for an important game. Montreal needs three points in its final two games to secure the Atlantic Division title over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Losing Pacioretty doesn't help. And barring a miracle recovery (not unheard of in hockey), Pacioretty likely won't play in the season finale. The Wings are third in the division, so they would play either the Habs or Bolts in the first round by securing their playoff berth. Their finale is against the Carolina Hurricanes. Remember, Pacioretty is the best scorer on team with a glaring weakne s in scoring. The Habs are 22nd in the league with just over 2.5 goals per game. Pacioretty factored in just under one-third of the Habs' goals. Suck it up, Habs. "I don't think we're too worried," forward Lars Eller said via the team website. "We hope he's going to be back, but if he's not it's not going to crush us. Of course he's a big part of our team and he plays a lot of minutes, but we've seen so many times in the past teams that lose good players along the way and they still find ways to be succe sful. "I have no doubt we can do that here as well if that's going to be the case." Jordan Martinook Jersey
More NHL: | | | | | The disappointment of mi sing your nation's Olympic team can be huge, some guys Brendan Smith Jersey take it a little tougher than others. The usual coping mechanism is to forget about it as soon as you can and simply move on with your NHL season.In many cases that can be easier said than done, especially if there are reminders about the decision to leave a player off the squad all around you. center and Team Canada regular could face that problem.Especially if he likes Honey Nut Cheerios (and really, who doesn't?).At least EStaal made the Cheerios box! Counts for something, right? Ryan Savin (@rsavin91) The pratfalls of special edition boxes, I suppose. The tough part is that Staal isn't even at the top of the list of "snubbed" centers as nor made the team either. It's a tough gig trying to make the Canadian national team, tougher for those in the marketing world trying to predict it. Staal did play for the Canadians in the Vancouver Games but not this time around. Bee happy, Eric. Shane Bowers Jersey
The are only five points out of a wild card spot, but with 14 games left they're running out of time. They'll have to play the next two without first-line winger , by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Sunday for a hit on the ' .Boychuk was injured on the play after slamming his head into Voracek's back. Voracek repositioned himself when he saw Boychuk coming on the forecheck, which led to the collision. Jake Voracek injures Johnny Boychuk with a hit. Boychuk tells him "I will get you" Brady Randy Carlyle Jersey Trettenero (@BradyTrett) Voracek, who has no history of suspensions or fines with the NHL, was given a five-minute major on the ice for the Boychuk hit. Voracek has 18 goals on the year -- good for fifth-most on the team -- so his presence will be mi sed.After the suspension, was announced, Voracek tweeted about it. Jakub Voracek (@jachobe) That was retweeted by the of the , who was given a two-game suspension for a check to the head on the . Buffalo's Jack Eichel received a two game suspension for this hit on Carl Soderberg yesterday. Michael Spencer (@MichaelCBS4) However, hit on Eichel in that same game wasn't reviewed. Replay of Zadorov taking out Eichel. Buffalo Sabres plays and goals (@SabresPlays) While the Sabres are ultimately out of the playoff race at this point, the Flyers are still playing for a spot, even if their road is difficult with the threatening the ' second spot in the East. Voracek will mi s Monday's game against the and Thursday's matchup against the . Syl Apps Jersey
More NHL: | | | | | All eight teams in the Eastern Conference now know who they will face in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. With the win over the , they clinched the first wild-card slot, while the earned a 1-0 overtime win over the to keep their home-ice hopes alive.By taking the top wild-card spot in the playoffs, the Blue Jackets will meet Metropolitan Division winner . Columbus lost all five meetings between the divisional foes this season.As a result of Columbus' win, the will meet Presidents' Trophy winner Boston in the opening round. It's a meeting of Original Six clubs that has not been Andrew Peeke Jersey seen since 1957. The Wings, oddly enough, were one of the few teams that seemed to have the number this year, winning three of the four meetings between the two clubs. Detroit and Montreal are the only teams with more than two wins against the Bruins, in fact. The clinched their spot against the New York Rangers earlier Saturday .We also know that the Canadiens will meet the in the opening round. What won't be known until Sunday is which of those teams will take home ice. Tampa Bay will take on the on Sunday. A win of any kind would give the Lightning home ice against the Habs, while either a regulation or overtime/shootout lo s will start the series in Montreal.There is plenty of intrigue on this side of the bracket, that's for sure. The Stanley Cup playoffs will begin Wednesday. Milan Lucic Jersey
Ru sia's national nightmare has been realized; the men's hockey team has been eliminated at the Olympics prior to the medal round.Facing enormous pre sure to not just medal but win gold at these Olympics, Ru sia faced longtime rival Finland in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at Bolshoy Ice Dome and came up short, losing 3-1 to their neighbors to the northwest. It brings a collosally disappointing end to the host nation's medal hopes.Perhaps Alex Ovechkin summed it up best for Ru sia.Alex Ovechkin: Jake Walman Jersey "It sucks. What else can I say?" Crey Masisak (@cmasisak22) Ru sia opened the scoring in the first period on the power play when Ilya Kovalchuk one-timed a pa s from that flew by Finnish goalie and popped the water bottle. He and the crowd went nuts, Kovalchuk jumping into the air as if he were competing in the Summer Games in track and field.That forced Finland to open it up a little and that's when Finland's skill shone through, not Ru sia's. The Finns tied the game a minute and a half later when Juhamatti Aaltonen undre sed Ru sian defenseman and then managed to beat Ru sian goalie short side to take the game into the first intermi sion 1-1.In the second period it was the and Mikael Granlund show. Just 2:22 into the period, Granlund turned on his jets and flew by defenseman in the neutral zone to spring Finland on the rush. He held the puck long enough to draw the defense before he pa sed it over to Selanne who put it between Varlamov's pads for the 2-1 lead. Sochi 2014 Selanne would return the favor in the final five minutes of the period when Finland got a chance on the power play. Selanne's shot was saved by Varlamov but Granlund was there for the rebound to make it 3-1 and set about the panic all acro s the country.A couple of minutes later Varlamov was replaced in the game by Sergei Bobrovsky but that didn't help Ru sia get any offense going against Finland's trap and excellent goaltending. Or at least generate any goals.It was partially the Finnish defense and system, partially Rask in net. The goaltender stopped 37 of Ru sia's 38 shots in the game and looked like the goalie Bruins fans have come to know and love. Many are going to look at this as an upset in in some ways it absolutely is. Ru sia is the host at these Games and was labeled a pre-Olympic co-favorite to win gold. In the truest sense of the word, an entire nation is certainly upset. But Finland is consistently excellent in international tournaments while Ru sia hasn't been. Finland has had Ru sia's numbers in recent years.In addition to no medal this year, this marks the third straight Olympics in which Ru sia will not medal in hockey. In a country that cares about hockey the way Ru sia does, that's not going to be considered acceptable. Adam Graves Jersey