There will be five former University of Maine players on National Hockey League rosters for the Stanley Cup playoffs, which get under way Tuesday and Wednesday.
Checking-line center Bob Corkum, backup goalie Garth Snow and their Philadelphia Flyers host Tampa Bay Tuesday night in the first game in their best-of-seven series. Eric Weinrich and Keith Carney man the blue line for the Chicago Blackhawks when they open their series against Calgary on Wednesday, and defenseman Matt Martin is hoping to see some action for the Toronto Maple Leafs against St. Louis.
Martin suffered a broken ankle in midseason but is skating again.
Carney led the Blackhawks in plus-minus with a plus-31 and finished with five goals and 14 assists in 82 games. He was one of only two Blackhawks who played in all 82 games. He had 94 penalty minutes.
Weinrich had five goals and 10 assists in 77 games and was a plus-14. He had 65 penalty minutes.
Corkum racked up nine goals and 10 assists in 76 games between Anaheim and Philadelphia. He had four goals and three assists in 28 games with the Flyers after being obtained in a trade. He had 34 penalty minutes in the 76 games.
Snow, who backs up Ron Hextall, wound up 12-8-4 with a 2.88 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage.
Martin played in 13 games for the Maple Leafs and didn’t register a point. He was minus-one and had 14 penalty minutes.
Weinrich leads the ex-Bears in playoff games played with 42 and said the playoffs are quite different from the regular season.
“The best way to describe a playoff game is it’s like a guy getting called up from the minors. The speed and intensity is a step up from what it is normally,” said Weinrich. “That’s because it’s do-or-die every game. You can’t afford to take any nights off. There’s no margin for error. Guys don’t take chances like they normally do.”
He expects his team’s playoff series with Calgary to be very tight-checking and he intends to continue being more of a defensive-minded defenseman. He added that he will keep playing a more physical brand of hockey than he has in the past.
“I wish I had gotten into the offense a little more this year but with the season we had, I have no complaints,” said Weinrich. “I feel like I did my job.”
He said Carney had an outstanding season.
“He was probably our most consistent defenseman, defensively,” said Weinrich. “He finally got a chance to play regularly and proved to everyone what kind of defenseman he really is.”
The Red Wings set an NHL record with 62 regular-season wins and the 29-year-old Weinrich said, “They’re as good a team as I’ve seen since my first year in the league. Their Russian line can dominate a game.”
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