Stanley Cup Hockey

Montreal assistant coach Luke Richardson is ready to hand the reigns back to Coach Dominique Ducharme, who missed the past two weeks while in mandatory quarantine. Phelan Ebenhack/Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — Canadiens assistant Luke Richardson is preparing to hand back the coaching duties to Dominique Ducharme for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Final.

Ducharme, the team’s interim head coach, spent the past two weeks in mandatory quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. The 14-day period ended Thursday, leaving him eligible to return in time for Game 3 of the series against Tampa Bay on Friday night in Montreal.

“As far as as I know, he’ll be back in the building first thing tomorrow with the team, ready to go, just like he was before he left,” Richardson said Thursday, before the Canadiens traveled to home trailing the series 2-0.

Perhaps, Richardson said, Ducharme’s return could provide the team a boost, much like that of a player being cleared after an injury.

“We’ve kept in contact and had some Zoom meetings, but it’s not the same,” he said. “So a fresh view and voice back there to add what he’s seen us do in the first two games is going to be a plus for us.”

Richardson has a 3-3 record since taking over, and guided the Canadiens to win three of four to eliminate the Vegas Golden Knights in six games of their semifinal series. Montreal followed a series-opening 5-1 loss on Monday with a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

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“We’re getting better,” said Richardson after Montreal outshot Tampa Bay 43-23 in Game 2. “And we just plan on getting better the next game and winning that Game 3.”

Ducharme was promoted from his assistant job after the Canadiens fired Claude Julien in February. Under Ducharme, the Canadiens overcame various injuries and a late-season coronavirus outbreak to clinch a playoff berth with the worst record of the 16 qualifiers. Montreal has since gone on a remarkable run in returning to the championship round for the first time since winning the Cup in 1993.

“I know it’s got to be killing Dom for the last two weeks,” forward Eric Staal said. “He’s no different than us as players, and I’m sure the rest of the staff. You dream and you work your whole life to be in a Stanley Cup final. To be with us in person will be huge for us. Now we’re looking forward to it.”

COYOTES: Arizona officially announced the hiring of Andre Tourigny  as its coach on Thursday, hoping the veteran NHL assistant and major junior coach can turn around a franchise that’s missed the postseason seven of the past eight seasons.

“I want players to see it as a fresh start,” Tourigny said. “I want players to know it’s not about what they did in the past. I want them to arrive here with the philosophy of improving themselves for a new coach and with a new culture.”

Tourigny has made a name for himself as a coach known for holding players, young and old, accountable. He could be just what the Coyotes need after floundering for most of the past decade.

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Arizona hit a high by reaching the 2012 Western Conference Finals, followed by a series of middling finishes and small crowds.

KINGS-PREDATORS TRADE: The Los Angeles Kings have acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville in exchange for two draft picks. The Predators get a second-round pick this year and a third-round pick in 2022 in the trade announced Thursday.

The 28-year-old Arvidsson is a two-time 30-goal scorer who has spent his entire seven-year NHL career with Nashville. After scoring 94 goals over three combined seasons, the Swede has scored only 25 combined goals while overcoming injuries during the past two coronavirus-affected seasons.

Arvidsson was among the NHL’s elite offensive players during his three-season run from 2016-19. He scored a career-best 61 points in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, and he set the Predators’ franchise record with 34 goals in just 58 games during the 2018-19 season. He has three seasons and $12.75 million left on a seven-year contract worth nearly $30 million.


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