Avalanche wins NHL draft lottery
Colorado is likely to select highly touted defenseman Seth Jones with the first pick. The Flyers will have the 11th selection.
THE COLORADO Avalanche won the NHL draft lottery last night.
The Florida Panthers own the second pick for the June 30 draft, while the Tampa Bay Lightning has the third selection.
The Flyers will get the 11th pick.
Colorado had an 18.8 percent chance of winning the lottery after finishing the regular season with a 16-25-7 record, worst in the Western Conference.
The Panthers, who finished last in the NHL with a 15-27-6 mark, had the best odds of winning the lottery at 25 percent but had to settle for the No. 2 pick.
Portland Winterhawks defenseman Seth Jones is the No. 1-ranked North American skater, according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.
Jones is the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones. He learned to play hockey while growing up in Denver.
The lottery adopted a different format this year, with all of the 14 non-playoff teams having a shot at the first overall pick. The remaining 13 squads will be slotted in reverse order of their regular-season points.
In previous years, the lottery-winning team could move up no more than four spots in the draft order.
Edmonton picked first overall in each of the past 3 years, becoming the first team to do so since Quebec (1989-1991).
The Nordiques franchise went on to capture the Stanley Cup 5 years later after moving to Denver.
Noteworthy *
Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby practiced yesterday, but his status remains uncertain for tomorrow's playoff opener against the New York Islanders.
Crosby hasn't played since breaking his jaw a month ago, missing Pittsburgh's final 12 games of the regular season. He underwent dental procedures and was cleared to return to noncontact drills last week. Crosby says he'll see doctors again today and will not play until he is given clearance.
The Penguins thrived in his absence, going 8-4 without their captain while locking up the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Crosby still finished tied for third in the NHL in scoring despite missing a quarter of the season. He had 15 goals and 41 assists in 36 games.
* Vancouver Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider returned to practice but his status for the first game of the Stanley Cup quarterfinals against the San Jose Sharks remains uncertain.
Game 1 of the series is tomorrow night.
Schneider was injured April 22 in a win over Chicago, when he played the whole game without any apparent discomfort. He had not practiced with the team since then and missed Vancouver's final two regular-season games.
Roberto Luongo will start if Schneider is not ready to return.
* Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland and goaltender Ray Emery will not play against the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series tonight because of lower-body injuries.
