The Bruins have at least gotten positive news

[officialsbaseball]

VANCOUVER , British Columbia (AP) It couldn’t have been scripted any better.Daniel and Henrik Sedin said goodbye to the hometown crowd with a memorable farewell.Daniel scored the winning goal in overtime , off an assist from twin brother Henrik as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 Thursday night.It was the Sedins’ final NHL game at Rogers Arena and a step back in time for the crowd of 18,865 who had one more taste of the elegance and skill the brothers brought to the sport.A blurry-eyed Daniel tried to describe his feelings when he saw the puck go into the net.”Relief,” he said. ”I was happy. You couldn’t dream of a better ending in this building, the last time we stepped on this ice.”It was emotional.”For Henrik, the Canucks’ captain and franchise leader in points, it was a perfect ending to an emotional week.”When I woke up this morning I knew it was going to be a big day,” said the older brother by six minutes. ”We tried to enjoy every minute of it.”Daniel finished with two goals. Henrik also assisted on his first goal in the second period which tied the game 1-1.The 37-year-old twins from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, announced Monday they are retiring after playing 17 seasons with the Canucks. Drafted second and third overall in 1997, their final game will be Saturday in Edmonton against the Oilers.The boisterous crowd at Rogers Arena was on its feet for most of the third period and the overtime. Between ovations there were chants of ”Go Sedins Go” and ”Hall of Fame.”The anticipation ratcheted up even higher when the Sedins went over the boards after Arizona’s Richard Panik was called for hooking at 1:16 of overtime.The goal came when Henrik passed back to Daniel, who blasted a shot from the blue line.The Canucks came off the bench to mob the brothers. Hats littered the ice. Coyote players banged their sticks in recognition.After the celebration Daniel and Henrik slowly skated around the arena , waving and clapping to the fans.Defenseman Alex Edler said it was the kind of finish the Canucks wanted for their teammates.”It was special for sure,” said Edler, who also assisted on both of Daniel’s goals. ”We talked before the game it was going to be loud. We just fed off that.”The twins had a great game. They were on fire. It was a perfect ending.”The first goal was a throwback to the Sedins’ early years.The play began with Henrik making a move along the boards, then dishing the puck to Edler, who was streaking toward the goal. He passed to Daniel, who shot into an open net.Both Sedins had season highs of ice time. Henrik logged 21 minutes 36 seconds. Daniel was on for 21:12 and had 10 shots on goal.Winning the game was just the icing on the cake. Sending the fans home buzzing about a last special performance was the main victory for the Sedins.”It means something,” Henrik said. ”The way the crowd showed up, right from the warmup.”To finish off like we did, they can walk away and remember this. If you lose the game 5-1, it’s not fun. It’s a better feeling for us.”Christian Fischer, Derek Stepan and Dylan Strome scored for Arizona.Jake Virtanen and Brendan Leipsic got the other goals for the Canucks. Both teams will miss the playoffs.With Vancouver struggling in the standings, Rogers Arena has often been a quiet building with plenty of empty seats this season. The Sedins’ finale produced the energy and enthusiasm of a playoff game.Even in the warmups , fans lined the boards waving signs and snapping pictures on cell phones. One woman held up a sign which lit up with the words ”Congrats Henrik and Daniel.”The first standing ovation came when the Sedins skated out for the national anthems. During the game there were loud cheers each time the Sedins stepped on the ice, anticipation whenever they touched the puck.The fans almost got their wish 18 seconds into the game when Henrik hit the post.The standing ovations continued after most whistles during the third period. Daniel and Henrik acknowledged with waves.Prior to the game there was a video tribute. Past Canucks players and coaches talked about the Sedins’ history, their contributions on the ice and their work in the community. A tribute mural wall was installed outside the arena for fans to write messages. The lights outside Rogers Arena and in many city buildings glowed Swedish blue and yellow in tribute.During the game some fans chanted ”one more year.” Daniel was asked if there was any chance the brothers would reconsider their retirement.”No, not at all,” he said. ”I saw our kids up on the Jumbotron (during the game). That made me happy. We will spend more time with them.”NOTES: Attending the game were the Sedins’ parents and two brothers. . The Canucks gave out their team awards with rookie Brock Boeser the most outstanding player, Alex Edler the top defenseman and Derek Dorsett the unsung hero.UP NEXT:Coyotes: Host Anaheim on Saturday in the regular-season finale.Canucks: Travel to Edmonton on Saturday in the regular-season finale.— BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins rebuilt faster than expected and the result was a 50-win season in 2017-18, the 10th in franchise history.But their playoff run ended in the second round, leaving room for improvement that owner Jeremy Jacobs hopes comes with the continued maturity of Boston’s young players around its core of veterans.Jacobs was asked about his expectations during the Bruins’ media day Monday at Warrior Ice Arena.“My expectations never lessen so far as this team is concerned. … They’re young, we’ve got that on our side, and we’ve got a good warehouse of talent,” said Jacobs, who’s entering his 44th season of ownership of the Bruins.“I expect them to improve on last year. Because we didn’t start as strongly , I guess it was more the finish, we didn’t (the start) have last year.”The Bruins started 6-7-4 last season, but their 50-20-12 record earned them second place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.After defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round — the Bruins’ first playoff series win since 2014 — they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the second round.The Bruins open their regular season Wednesday on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, who will raise their championship banner during a pregame ceremony.As if the competition wasn’t enough of a challenge in Boston’s attempt to have a better start, they’ll have a greater challenge because defenseman Torey Krug will not be in the lineup.Krug had a left ankle injury in the Bruins’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Krug is in a walking boot and will be evaluated in three weeks.Krug had 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 76 games last season and was working his way back from a fractured ankle that ended his season after the fourth game against Tampa Bay in the playoffs.With Matt Grzelcyk, the replacement for an injured Krug both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, trying to return from a lower-body injury, the Bruins’ depth is being tested early.“Well given the fact that Torey is starting injured, I think that adding John Moore was a benefit to our group and deepening that,” said general manager Don Sweeney, who signed Moore as an unrestricted free agent from the New Jersey Devils on July 1.Rookie Urho Vaakanainen is also in line to pick up some of the slack depending on Grzelcyk’s status.The Bruins have at least gotten positive news on center Patrice Bergeron , whose return from offseason groin surgery was hampered by back spasms. He didn’t play in any preseason games, but practiced with the team for the second time on Monday and took contact in some drills. He anticipates being in the lineup on opening night.Like Jacobs, Bruins president Cam Neely desires a better start to the season. However, Neely’s more interested in how the Bruins finish.“I don’t want us to look at our point total and how many wins,” Neely said. “I want us to look at are we playing the way we want to play, are we playing the way the coach would like us to play, are we competing in a way that gives us chances to win every game and are we getting better as the season progresses as we get into the playoffs.”