Predators hire Laviolette
The Nashville Predators filled their coaching vacancy on Tuesday by hiring ex-Flyers coach Peter Laviolette. He follows Barry Trotz, who served as the coach since the franchise began in 1998 but was let go after the Predators missed the playoffs this season.
The Nashville Predators filled their coaching vacancy on Tuesday by hiring ex-Flyers coach Peter Laviolette. He follows Barry Trotz, who served as the coach since the franchise began in 1998 but was let go after the Predators missed the playoffs this season.
Laviolette won nine of the 14 postseason series he coached with the Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, and Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with Carolina and coached the Flyers to the Cup Finals in 2010. The Predators said they signed him to a multiyear contract but didn't release his salary.
Laviolette will take over in Nashville once he finishes coaching the U.S. team at the 2014 World Championship. He said he loves the Predators' nucleus, starting with defenseman Shea Weber and goalie Pekka Rinne.
Canadiens 4, Bruins 2 - P.K. Subban and Dale Weise each had a goal and an assist, and Montreal beat Boston to take a two-games-to-one-lead in their NHL Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.
Tomas Plekanec and Lars Eller also scored for the Canadiens, who were outplayed for long stretches but made the most of quick-strike attacks.
Wild 4, Blackhawks 0 - Ex-Flyer Ilya Bryzgalov made 19 saves for his first shutout in the playoffs in eight years, Erik Haula and Mikael Granlund scored goals less than three minutes apart early in the third, and Minnesota recovered from a sluggish start for a victory over visiting Chicago.
Chicago leads the Western Conference semifinal series, two games to one.
Zach Parise put the exclamation point on the win with a power-play goal.
- Associated Press