The veteran goalie delivered a 50-save performance to backstop the IceCaps to a 3-2 overtime win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Sunday evening at Mile One Centre. It was the third straight time the IceCaps split a series with their guests in this eight-game homestand, which clews up next weekend.
Chris Terry, fresh off a stint with the parent Canadiens in Montreal, got the game-winner for St. John’s in OT, capping off a frenzied 4:34 of three-on-three hockey.
While the talk of the night was no doubt Danis’ work and Terry’s goal, it shouldn’t be forgotten the IceCaps coughed up a two-goal lead, making the extra session a requirement.
The IceCaps held a 2-0 advantage until late in the second period. St. John’s had trouble clearing the puck and the result was an Oscar Sundqvist goal with only four seconds left on the clock.
Predictably, the Penguins came out hard in the third, outshooting the IceCaps 17-5.
“We knew getting that late goal would give them some momentum,” IceCaps coach Sylvain Lefebvre said. “We bent a little, but they couldn’t break Yann Danis.”
It was Danis’ sixth start for the IceCaps after signing as a free agent just after the start of the season. The 35-year-old veteran of 55 NHL games, including two with the New Jersey Devils last season, improves to 3-2-1 and lowered his goals against average to 2.92, while upping his save percentage to .911.
“What can I say about Danis?” said Lefebvre. “He played unbelievable. He held the fort when we needed it.”
And the IceCaps definitely needed a good netminding performance with Charlie Lindgren, who has been so magnificent so far this season, allowing 12 goals in his last two outings, including Saturday’s 6-2 loss in the first of the two-game Pens series.
It was the second straight 6-2 loss for the rookie Lindgren, who prior to that had not allowed more than four goals in a game this season.
“He’s not worn down or anything,” Lefebvre said of his goalie who has logged the third-most minutes in the AHL so far this season. “I don’t think he liked his game Saturday night.
“But he’s a good goalie, and he’s hard worker so he’s going to be fine. Chalk up to one of those things where he’s off a bit.”
As good as Danis was Sunday — the Pens outshot the IceCaps 17-5 in the third — Wilkes-Barre/Scranton managed to solve him a second time when Chad Ruhwedel scored on a weak shot that fooled the St. John’s netminder on a Penguins power play.
It set the stage for the thrilling OT, when it appeared the IceCaps might be caught after Penguins defenceman Cameron Gaunce foiled an IceCaps three-on-one play with a blocked shot, and then stripped Terry of the puck.
But in an instant, Gaunce went from hero to goat when his cross-ice pass was picked off by Julian Brouillette, who fed Terry at the face-off circle. Terry didn’t miss on the one-timer, slapping it past Casey DeSmith for the game-winner.
Terry’s presence in the lineup is welcomed for a club that’s been struggling to create offence. Take him and Sven Andrighetto — the slick Swiss forward had a goal and an assist for his second straight two-point game — out of the picture and the IceCaps don’t have much scoring, especially with second-year pro Nikita Scherbak out of the picture for a week or two after suffering an injury Saturday night (Michael McCarron, by the way, also sat out the two-game set with the Penguins, but might be back next weekend against Springfield).
In their last nine games, the IceCaps have managed 18 goals, or an average of two per game.
“When Scherbak is on top of his game, he’s a threat, and Terry is a threat which he certainly showed tonight,” Lefebvre said.
“Andrighetto too. But we need to start getting some secondary scoring,” he said, mentioning Jacob de la Rose by name.
De la Rose has yet to score this season, and neither has Mark MacMillan. McCarron, from whom more was expected this season, has only three goals.
“We had the defence shooting more the last couple of games, and we need that,” added Lefebvre.
The IceCaps have some time off before the Thunderbirds come to town for two games Friday and Saturday. After that, St. John’s hits the road, with a trip split by the Christmas break, and doesn’t return to Mile One until Jan. 13-14 when the Hartford Wolf Pack come to Mile One.
The veteran goalie delivered a 50-save performance to backstop the IceCaps to a 3-2 overtime win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Sunday evening at Mile One Centre. It was the third straight time the IceCaps split a series with their guests in this eight-game homestand, which clews up next weekend.
Chris Terry, fresh off a stint with the parent Canadiens in Montreal, got the game-winner for St. John’s in OT, capping off a frenzied 4:34 of three-on-three hockey.
While the talk of the night was no doubt Danis’ work and Terry’s goal, it shouldn’t be forgotten the IceCaps coughed up a two-goal lead, making the extra session a requirement.
The IceCaps held a 2-0 advantage until late in the second period. St. John’s had trouble clearing the puck and the result was an Oscar Sundqvist goal with only four seconds left on the clock.
Predictably, the Penguins came out hard in the third, outshooting the IceCaps 17-5.
“We knew getting that late goal would give them some momentum,” IceCaps coach Sylvain Lefebvre said. “We bent a little, but they couldn’t break Yann Danis.”
It was Danis’ sixth start for the IceCaps after signing as a free agent just after the start of the season. The 35-year-old veteran of 55 NHL games, including two with the New Jersey Devils last season, improves to 3-2-1 and lowered his goals against average to 2.92, while upping his save percentage to .911.
“What can I say about Danis?” said Lefebvre. “He played unbelievable. He held the fort when we needed it.”
And the IceCaps definitely needed a good netminding performance with Charlie Lindgren, who has been so magnificent so far this season, allowing 12 goals in his last two outings, including Saturday’s 6-2 loss in the first of the two-game Pens series.
It was the second straight 6-2 loss for the rookie Lindgren, who prior to that had not allowed more than four goals in a game this season.
“He’s not worn down or anything,” Lefebvre said of his goalie who has logged the third-most minutes in the AHL so far this season. “I don’t think he liked his game Saturday night.
“But he’s a good goalie, and he’s hard worker so he’s going to be fine. Chalk up to one of those things where he’s off a bit.”
As good as Danis was Sunday — the Pens outshot the IceCaps 17-5 in the third — Wilkes-Barre/Scranton managed to solve him a second time when Chad Ruhwedel scored on a weak shot that fooled the St. John’s netminder on a Penguins power play.
It set the stage for the thrilling OT, when it appeared the IceCaps might be caught after Penguins defenceman Cameron Gaunce foiled an IceCaps three-on-one play with a blocked shot, and then stripped Terry of the puck.
But in an instant, Gaunce went from hero to goat when his cross-ice pass was picked off by Julian Brouillette, who fed Terry at the face-off circle. Terry didn’t miss on the one-timer, slapping it past Casey DeSmith for the game-winner.
Terry’s presence in the lineup is welcomed for a club that’s been struggling to create offence. Take him and Sven Andrighetto — the slick Swiss forward had a goal and an assist for his second straight two-point game — out of the picture and the IceCaps don’t have much scoring, especially with second-year pro Nikita Scherbak out of the picture for a week or two after suffering an injury Saturday night (Michael McCarron, by the way, also sat out the two-game set with the Penguins, but might be back next weekend against Springfield).
In their last nine games, the IceCaps have managed 18 goals, or an average of two per game.
“When Scherbak is on top of his game, he’s a threat, and Terry is a threat which he certainly showed tonight,” Lefebvre said.
“Andrighetto too. But we need to start getting some secondary scoring,” he said, mentioning Jacob de la Rose by name.
De la Rose has yet to score this season, and neither has Mark MacMillan. McCarron, from whom more was expected this season, has only three goals.
“We had the defence shooting more the last couple of games, and we need that,” added Lefebvre.
The IceCaps have some time off before the Thunderbirds come to town for two games Friday and Saturday. After that, St. John’s hits the road, with a trip split by the Christmas break, and doesn’t return to Mile One until Jan. 13-14 when the Hartford Wolf Pack come to Mile One.
