Winnipeg Coach Paul Maurice resigned on Friday, saying it was time for a new voice. Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via the Associated Press
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice has resigned, saying his longtime team needs to hear a “new voice.”
The Jets announced Maurice’s decision on Friday, and said it was effective immediately. Dave Lowry, an assistant under Maurice and the father of Jets forward Adam Lowry, agreed to serve as the interim coach for the rest of the season, General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said.
Winnipeg (13-10-5) has dropped three of four heading into Friday night’s game against the visiting Washington Capitals. It lost 4-2 to the lowly Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
“This isn’t necessarily a bunch of negative things that stacked up on this,” Maurice said. “This was, I’ve pushed as long and as hard as I can here. I love these guys. They need a new voice, and I know that.”
Maurice said he had lost some of his passion and love for the game, and it wouldn’t have been right for him to continue under those circumstances, or fair to the players.
Winnipeg lost Lowry’s debut, losing to the Washington Capitals 5-2.
Michael Sgarbossa and Alex Ovechkin scored empty-net goals in the final 2:40 to seal the win for Washington. Brett Leason, Daniel Sprong and Conor Sheary also scored for the Capitals.
Brenden Dillon and Josh Morrisey scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 34 of the 37 shots.
PENGUINS 3, SABRES 2: Jeff Carter redirected a centering pass from Kris Letang between the legs of Malcom Subban 2:53 into overtime to give Pittsburgh a win at home.
Pittsburgh extended its winning streak to a season-high six games by relying on the NHL’s top penalty-killing unit at the start of overtime after Carter drew a penalty for tripping with just 5 seconds left in regulation. Carter atoned by deftly slipping the puck past Subban to send his teammates spilling over the bench in celebration.
Evan Rodrigues set a career high with his 10th goal and Brock McGinn scored for the third time in four games, but Buffalo pushed Pittsburgh to overtime thanks to a spectacular performance by Subban.
Subban made a career-high 45 saves in his second start with Buffalo since being acquired from Chicago earlier this month.
Zemgus Girgensons picked up his sixth goal of the season for the Sabres and Rasmus Dahlin tied it at 2 with 5:18 left in regulation when he swooped in off the rush, took a centering pass from Rasmus Asplund and fired a shot past Tristan Jarry.
KNIGHTS 3, RANGERS 2: Jonathan Marchessault scored in the third round of the shootout and Vegas won in New York for its season-high fourth straight victory.
Brett Howden had a goal and an assist and Dylan Coghlan also scored in regulation as Vegas won for the seventh time in eight games. Laurent Brossoit had 27 saves.
Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider each had a goal and assist in the second period for the Rangers, who lost for the fourth time in six games after a seven-game win streak. Alexander Georgiev, making his sixth start in place of injured starting goalie Igor Shesterkin, stopped 28 shots.
After Vegas’ Nicolas Roy and Evgenii Dadonov and New York’s Kaapo Kakko and Zibanejad were stopped in the first two rounds of the shootout, Marchessault broke through for the Golden Knights. Brossoit then denied Ryan Strome to preserve the win.
BLUES 4, STARS 1: Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice, Charlie Lindgren made 26 saves and St. Louis capped a home-and-home sweep against Dallas with a win in St. Louis.
Lindgren improved to 5-0 since taking over in net for the injury-ravaged Blues.
Logan Brown scored, Ivan Barbashev added an empty-netter and Pavel Buchnevich recorded two assists as St. Louis won for the fifth time in six games. The Blues have points in their last seven games (5-0-2) overall and in nine straight home games (8-0-1) since Nov. 18.
PREDATORS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2: Tanner Jeannot scored in overtime, Thomas Novak and Colton Sissons also scored, and short-handed Nashville won in Chicago.
The Predators won their seventh straight game despite having eight players in COVID-19 protocols. Defenseman Mark Borowiecki was ruled out following a positive test 90 minutes before faceoff.
The entire coaching staff is also out because of COVID-19. This was the second game Karl Taylor, head coach of their farm club in Milwaukee, ran the bench with his assistant, Scott Ford. Many of his players were called up as well.
With three of their top four scorers out, Nashville played a tight defensive game, allowing only 19 shots — and holding Blackhawks star Patrick Kane to just two — while still managing to take 31 at Marc-Andre Fleury.
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