Latest news with #Markström
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Zibanejad, Nylander, Markström, Andersson Disappointed After Swedish Semifinal Loss To USA
They assembled a strong roster to try to win gold on home ice, and the path to victory seemed to grow a little wider when Canada got knocked out in the quarterfinals, but following a disappointing 6-2 loss to the USA in the semifinals, the best the Swedes can now do is bronze. Asked what was wrong, Mika Zibanejad answered, 'Quite a lot.' The veteran New York Ranger elaborated to 'I think we were too spread out, didn't play with enough urgency, and weren't quick enough moving the puck. I think they did a better job of pressuring us and not giving us the time that we might have had in the other games.' 'I think we played a little too much on the outside,' William Nylander agreed. 'We were maybe better in the third but it's a little too late when it's 4-0.' Nylander took the game's first penalty just 27 seconds in. And although the Americans didn't score on the power play, they had sustained pressure in what became a dominant first period. 'Yes, I hit him in the face,' the Toronto Maple Leafs winger admitted. 'He tried to pull my helmet off, so I sort of hit him back and got called. A little unnecessary.' Confirmed: William Nylander Will Join Swedish Team William Nylander has accepted an invitation to play for Sweden at the IIHF World Championship and is already on his way to Stockholm, Swedish website reported. on Wednesday morning. Jacob Markström was critical of himself. The New Jersey Devils goalie was beaten four times on 20 shots through 40 minutes. With Sweden trailing 4-0, Markström was lifted in favor of Samuel Ersson to start the third period. 'I have to be better,' said Markström. 'It's too bad in this atmosphere, this setting, being at home and not making the final. If I'd been better, we'd have had a better chance of winning.' Asked about the momentum change resulting from the two quick goals early in the third period to make it 4-2, Zibanejad said, 'We woke up a bit, both the team and the fans inside the arena and so on. Obviously, we didn't stop believing that we could do it. But then the 5-2 goal made it tough.' 'I'm sad, frustrated … all sorts of thoughts are going through my head and I'm mostly disappointed and pissed off,' said Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. 'To some extent, it falls on me as captain in the room that we have that bad of a start. So it falls on my shoulders.' Asked what he could have done differently, Andersson answered, 'Try to push the boys even harder, maybe show the way more on the ice. It's easy to stand here and say it in retrospect, but if the team isn't ready, it falls on me as captain. 'It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we squandered.' Photo © David Kirouac-Imagn Images Clayton Keller, Jackson LaCombe, Cutter Gauthier React To USA Semifinal Win Over Sweden The semifinal curse is dead. For the first time since the IIHF adopted a playoff format for the World Championship in 1992, the USA is in the final, following a 6-2 win over Sweden in Stockholm.
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jacob Markström shows why Devils acquired him — and what he means to them in the future
New Jersey Devils president of hockey operations Tom Fitzgerald spent last summer trying to mold his team from a group with talent into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. His biggest bet in the on-ice overhaul — which included the additions of Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and Stefan Noesen — was on Jacob Markström. Advertisement The goaltender showed why in Game 5. He made 33 saves in the third period and in the two overtime frames, robbing Jackson Blake, Eric Robinson and Jordan Martinook on dangerous chances in the first extra period. Martinook looked to the sky in frustration after the goalie gloved his wrist shot from the slot. When Markström is at his best, he's among the best goalies in the world. He showed that with the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, finishing in the top five in Vezina voting while with each team. That level of performance wasn't enough for the undermanned Devils, down Jack Hughes and three defensemen, to upset the Carolina Hurricanes. After a Carolina push that lasted more than 40 minutes of game time, Sebastian Aho ripped a power-play goal past him early in the second overtime, ending the Devils' season with a 5-4 loss. Markström, who can wear his emotions on his sleeve, slammed his stick on the post, breaking it in half. 'It's frustrating right now that it ended like this,' the goalie told reporters in Raleigh, N.C., after the game. Now that the New Jersey season is over, Markström has one year left on his contract. He's 35 years old, which adds a wrinkle to the Devils' contention window. When healthy — which they weren't this year — the Devils have high-end forward talent in Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and captain Nico Hischier, as well as Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton and Pesce on the back end. Markström's age could put a limit on how long he's part of that core, and it could perhaps add urgency to Fitzgerald's approach to the coming season. The Devils gave up a 2025 first-round pick and Kevin Bahl to acquire Markström from Calgary. He had an injury-interrupted first season with the Devils, but in the games that mattered most, he proved himself as worth the price. He posted a .910 save percentage in the playoffs and stopped 6.23 goals more than expected, according to Natural Stat Trick. Advertisement 'He's the best,' Pesce said earlier in the series. 'He's our horse. Love that guy to death. I love going to battle with him. You know he's going to come up big.' He did in the regular season, at least before suffering an MCL sprain Jan. 22. Before the injury, he had a 21-9-5 record with a .912 save percentage. He saved 12.67 goals more than expected, according to Evolving-Hockey. He struggled his final 13 regular-season games after coming back from injury March 2, dipping his season save percentage to .900 in 49 games. Marky's out here making the incredible look easy. — x – New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 30, 2025 Markström had a save percentage above .900 in four of the Devils' five games against Carolina. His best stretch of play came toward the end of Game 5, all after he gave up goals on three consecutive shots early in the second period, then another to Aho on a five-on-three power play later in the frame. He made 15 saves in the third period, including a flurry of stops on Logan Stankoven. He continued to rob Hurricanes players in the first overtime period. Blake couldn't beat him on a three-on-one rush. He gloved a one-handed Robinson redirect. Martinook looked to the sky in disbelief when Markström robbed him from the slot. 'Man, we were under siege, and he was outstanding,' Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said in his postgame news conference. Each save kept the Devils' season alive a little longer. 'He gave us a chance to keep fighting,' Keefe said. The skater group — battered on the back end and lacking necessary forward depth — just did not have enough. Trade rumors connecting Markström to the Devils started in the 2023-24 season. Calgary traded Tyler Toffoli going into the year, then moved Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov during the season. Markström, who has a no-movement clause, did not end up getting traded in season. The Devils piqued his interest, though. His agent, Patrick Morris, told The Athletic over the summer that the goalie 'was fixated on New Jersey all last year.' Advertisement Markström got his wish when Fitzgerald acquired him in June. The Devils were counting on him to bring stability after none of Vitek Vaněček, Akira Schmid or Nico Daws emerged as a consistent enough starter in a disappointing 2023-24 season in which the team missed the playoffs. After the way Markström played against the Hurricanes, Fitzgerald can feel good about that decision. Speaking to the media in Raleigh, Hischier said he felt bad for Markström because of how hard he battled in Game 5. 'I know how much he wants to win,' he said. Next year will offer another chance. And given Markström's age, it's an important one — for him and the Devils.
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Hurricanes survive Jacob Markström masterpiece, advance to second round with 2OT win over Devils
Heading into play Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes had lost six consecutive playoff games that went to overtime. Their last postseason goal in an extra period came in 2023 — at home against the New Jersey Devils in a Game 5. Perhaps the Hurricanes just needed to play the Devils again to rediscover their overtime touch. Advertisement Two years later, in Tuesday's Game 5 of the teams' first-round series, Sebastian Aho ripped a Shayne Gostisbehere pass past Jacob Markström for a 5-4 double-overtime win, sprinting to center ice in jubilation after making the Hurricanes the first NHL team to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It's the fifth straight season advancing past the first round for the Hurricanes, who will play the winner of the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens. The No. 1 seed Capitals lead that series 3-1. The Hurricanes had their work cut out for them facing Markström. The Devils' goalie made a flurry of saves at the end of regulation, then robbed Jackson Blake, Eric Robinson and Jordan Martinook in overtime. In all, he made 15 saves in the third, 14 in the first overtime and 48 in the game. Not many goalies can hold their heads high after allowing five goals. Markström can after that performance. The Devils have now been eliminated by Carolina twice in the past three seasons. They made it back to the postseason after missing in 2024 but took only one game, winning Game 3 on a double overtime goal by Šimon Nemec. This story will be updated. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
