Around the rinks: Andersen turns back the clock . . . lights out for Stars
Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen has enjoyed life in the Eastern Conference, with a better road schedule than he was used to with the Anaheim Ducks. “Definitely, the travel has been easier. . . . You sleep in your own bed a lot more than you do on the West Coast. I’ve been liking it a lot. Flights are an hour, an hour and a half, and being home in your own bed sometimes before midnight, that’s pretty nice. With the Ducks, you’d have longer road trips and come home the next day.
YOUNG DOGS: The Arizona Coyotes will miss the playoffs for the fifth season, but general manager John Chayka says the team is on the right path. They are one of the youngest teams in the NHL, having used nine rookies this season. “We wanted to get better and better, and I think over the last 20 games we’ve been a real competitive team that can win any night,” he told USA Today. “The younger guys took longer than we hoped, but not longer than we expected.”
BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE: At 25 years old and undrafted, Yanni Gourde scored his first NHL goal over the weekend. The ECHL graduate, who studied civil engineering in case hockey didn’t work out, is one of six rookies playing a key role in the Lightning’s fight for a playoff spot. “He’s seizing his moment,” said coach Jon Cooper. PARADISE ISLE: The New York Islanders were thrilled to return home from a nine-game road trip — the longest in team history — with a 5-3-1 record that kept them in the Eastern race. Goalie Thomas Greiss started all nine games, but was yanked three times. “We’ve gained some confidence on the road as a team,” coach Doug Weight told New York Newsday. “I think playing on the road, the style we have to play, we’ve played a lot of different teams with different elements.”
THE LONGEST GAME: Joakim Jensen scored with 2:46 remaining in the 11th period and Storhamar defeated Sparta Warriors 2-1 in an eight-overtime game in Norway on Sunday. It went on for roughly 8 1⁄2 hours, the longest hockey game ever played according to NHL.com — 217 minutes and 14 seconds of play. The previous record was set by the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons in 1936 (176 minutes, 30 seconds).
STARS DUST: The Dallas Stars are headed for a playoff miss and lead the league in some dubious categories: They’ve used two goalies in the same game 12 times, allowed 11 shorthanded goals, own the league’s worst save percentage, allowed the most power-play goals and have the worst penalty-killing rate. “It’s embarrassing,” captain Jamie Benn told the Dallas News. “It’s hard to put into words. If you’re going to play like that and have those numbers, you’re not going to get too far.”
BY THE NUMBERS: The Stanley Cup turns 125 on Saturday. ... The Ottawa Senators have six wins in six games since acquiring Alexandre Burrows from the Vancouver Canucks. Kevin McGran