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2010-11 Pucking Awesome NHL Preview: Pacific Division

Saturday, August 28th, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

Only three teams have ever won the Pacific Division since the three division per conference re-alignment for the 1997-1998 NHL season. They are the Sharks, Ducks and Stars. The Coyotes and Kings both had remarkable seasons last year and both teams hope to build upon that success and perhaps clinch their first Pacific crown. This division also boasts two Stanley Cup wins in the past 12 years, with the Stars winning the cup during the 1998-99 season and the Ducks winning it during the 2006-07 season. Discounting overtime losses, each team in the Pacific was ten games over .500 at home except for the Kings and Coyotes who were nine over.

1.) San Jose Sharks

Rear-view Mirror: The Sharks rolled their way to a second straight Western Conference title and advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. They then lost to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.

The addition of Dany Heatley (39G-43A-82P) added to an already potent line consisting of Joe Thornton (20-69-89) and Patrick Marleau (44-39-83). On the backend Dan Boyle (15-43-58) paced the Sharks logging 26.12 of ice time per game, 4th in the league, and he was also 4th in the league for defensemen in scoring. The Sharks were the 4th highest scoring team in the league, they had the 4th best power play and the 5th best penalty kill at 85%.

Evgeni Nabokov recorded his best SV% (.922) of his ten year career and he also faced the most shots (2168) of his career. His GAA (2.43) was right around his career average but, along with backup Thomas Greiss , it was good enough as a team to finish 8th in the league.

In the playoffs the Sharks were led by Joe Pavelski (25-26-51) who had a breakout postseason with 17 points. A very welcome changed from a Sharks team that sometimes struggled to score in past postseasons. The Sharks pretty much owned the Avalanche peppering Craig Anderson with a barrage of shots. The series was only closer because of a few gaffes. The Sharks then almost swept the Red Wings pretty much demolishing them impressively. The Sharks run came to an end against the Blackhawks, where they seemingly couldn’t get much going. They were basically manhandled in the same way they manhandled their previous opponents.

Offseason Ins: Antero Niittymaki, Jamal Mayers

Offseason Outs: Evgeni Nabokov, Rob Blake (retired), Manny Malhotra

What Makes Them Tick: The Sharks are an experienced yet still somewhat youthful bunch. They have pretty much been through every scenario possible, except a Stanley Cup Final, while still being just below the average age for the league. They have two really talented scoring lines that rival any other teams. The Ryan Clowe (19-38-57), Pavelski and Devin Setaguchi (20-16-36) line is a great second option to the potent Thornton, Heatley and Marleau. Defensively Boyle will continue to log major minutes but expect Jason Demers to creep into more minutes. Demers just came off his 1st NHL season and along with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, both 23, they are the future of the Sharks defense. Vlasic led the Sharks in +/- with a +21. The Sharks were also the top faceoff team in the league, winning 55.6% of their faceoffs.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: The Sharks were looking to upgrade their goaltending, so the let Nabokov walk and signed experienced but somewhat unproven Antero Niittymaki. If he doesn’t perform well, there will be much second guessing in San Jose whether it was the right move to let Nabokov walk. They will also be under pressure for the move they didn’t make in not signing Antti Niemi. Niemi wasn’t available until after they signed Niittymaki but you have to believe that they wished they waited now, even though they would never admit that. More troubling for the Sharks is that Niittymaki only has two games worth of previous playoff experience. For a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, it is a lot of pressure to pin on an inexperienced playoff goalie. They also need to cut down on turnovers, as they were the 5th worst in the league with 810 giveaways.

Player to Watch: Joe Thornton is in the last year of his deal you have to assume the Sharks would like to retain him for at least three more years to anchor the Marleau and Heatley line. Depending on how he preforms in the regular season and playoffs, he might price himself out of the Sharks budget. But in order for any team to want him, including the Sharks, he will need to step-up his game in the playoffs. This postseason he lead all players with a -11, a dubious distinction no player would ever want.

Prediction: The Sharks hope to wrap up a 4th consecutive Pacific Division crown and a 5th consecutive 100+ point season. There really shouldn’t be any reason they won’t unless Niittymaki falters greatly. As always though, the Sharks season is measured but what they do or do not do in the playoffs. They didn’t really lose any significant pieces in the offseason other than Nabokov. It’s really up to how Nittymaki performs. Backup Thomas Greiss has played will in relief of Nabokov but obviously the Sharks do not have the confidence in him to be the number one goalie. But he may be given the chance to outshine Nittymaki similarly to what Antti Niemi did to Cristobal Huet. Similarly an extended injury to Dan Boyle would also be a huge blow to the Sharks.

2.) Los Angeles Kings

Rear-view Mirror: The Kings had their most successful season in awhile making the playoffs for the first time since 2002. They then lost to the Canucks in the 1st round in six games. During the regular season the Kings were one of only two teams, the Capitals were the other, that had eight players score 40 or more points each. The Kings were led by Anze Kopitar (34G-47A-81P) who set career highs in goals, assists, points, +/- and shots on goal. Kopitar also flirted with the league scoring title for a few weeks. Wayne Simmonds (16-24-40) in his 2nd season continued to develop into an all around player. While he was only 8th on the team in points, he almost doubled his point total from last season and he was 1st on the team in +/- with +22 and 2nd in PIM with 116.

On the defensive side Drew Doughty (16-43-59) emerged as one of the premier defensemen in the league and his hard work paid off with a Norris Trophy nomination in only his 2nd season. He was also second on the team in assists, +/- (+20) and points. Jonathan Quick became a workhorse goalie in his 2nd full season and played in 72 games, the 4th most of any goalie. None of Quick’s major stats (2.54 GAA, .907 SV%, 4 SO) were better than his previous season however.

Offseason Ins: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Willie Mitchell

Offseason Outs: Alexander Frolov, Sean O’Donnell, Randy Jones

What Makes Them Tick: The Kings boast an extremely talented and dynamic defensive group. Featuring young Olympians Doughty and Johnson paired with veterans Rob Scuderi and newly signed Willie Mitchell. With the young defensive stars having another year of NHL experience and the addition of another experienced veteran to learn off of, the Kings defense will only get better. Offensively the Kings have a very balanced attacked as alluded to above with eight players with 40+ points each. Kopitar almost had the breakout season everyone was expecting him too before he started to slump somewhat. He still had a great season but this year he should even top that. He should be a 100+ point player this season.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: The Kings will now have expectations for the first time in a long time. How they handle them mentally will determine how successful their season is. Kopitar will need to play more consistently as the Kings are 34-21 when he scores a point and 12-15 when he does not. Overworking Quick is also a potential problem discussed further below. The Kings could also work on turnovers, as they gave away the puck the 4th most with 815 giveaways.

Player to Watch: Jonathan Quick will be under a lot of pressure to preform this year, as the Kings have higher expectations. Quick faltered in the playoffs, where he had the 3rd worse (3.50) GAA and 3rd worse (.884) SV% of playoff goalies who stated at least four games. In order for the Kings to reach their full potential they must get good consistent goaltending from Quick. If Quick falters, the Kings do have a number of options. Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier are two such options. Bernier was sensational in the limited action he saw last season. It’s no doubt that the Kings view Quick, the third goalie on Team USA, as the long term option. It might be wise to play him less games this season, as fatigue was probably a big factor in his playoff slump and the Kings possess more than capable backups.

Prediction: The 6th youngest team in the league, the Kings are poised to improve upon last years balanced success. Frolov and O’Donnell are somewhat significant losses but it shouldn’t have much of an impact on a pretty deep team. O’Donnell is essentially replaced with the Mitchell signing anyway. The Kings should pretty much be a lock to make the playoffs. If Quick can improve his game and Kopitar can take his game to the next level, it’s very possible the Kings could win the division. With the available cap space, I wouldn’t be surprised the Kings add one or two veterans to make a strong playoff run during the season.

3.) Anaheim Ducks

Rear-view Mirror: The Ducks missed the playoffs for the first time in five years. A huge disappointment for a team that was a game away from making the Western Conference Finals the year before. Jonas Hiller emerged as the number one goalkeeper when the Ducks traded away fan favorite and former Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere to the Maple Leafs. Still he wasn’t as sharp as the year before and he had half as many shutouts (2) in 20 more games. In Scott Niedermayer’s swan song he showed that he still had it logging the 3rd most minutes per game in the league but he finished with his lowest +/- (-9) of his 18 year career.

Injuries also plagued the Ducks for most of the year. Ryan Getzlaf (19G-50A-69P) had various injuries at the beginning and end of the season and Teemu Selanne (27-21-48) broke his hand and then his jaw. Joffrey Lupul (10-4-14) started out the season playing in 23 games and fairly well until he had back problems that kept him out the rest of the season. Despite their injuries the Ducks managed to have the 5th best power play in the league, scoring on 21% of their chances.

Offseason Ins: Toni Lydman, Andy Sutton, Aaron Voros

Offseason Outs: James Wisniewski, Scott Niedermayer, Steve Eminger, Mike Brown

What Makes Them Tick: The re-signing of Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu (19-33-52) was a huge relief for the Ducks. Now if the Ducks can finally sign Bobby Ryan (35-29-64) and if Joffrey Lupul is healthy enough to play, the Ducks will be boast arguably the best top 6 forwards in the NHL. Even if Lupul can’t play the Ducks will still be loaded. The Getzlaf, Ryan and Corey Perry (27-49-76) line is one of the best in the league. There are also rumors of a reunion with former Duck and team captain Paul Kariya. But those rumors were squashed when Kariya announced he will need to sit out this season due to post-concussion syndrome. Hiller is still on of the top young goalies in the league. He had stretches where he just didn’t look that great last season. But as he has shown during the ouster of the Sharks in the 2009 playoffs and more recently with the Swiss Olympic team, Hiller is capable of raising his game to another level.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: Not signing Bobby Ryan would certainly be a huge blow but that’s unlikely to happen. Injuries and the defense were the downfall of the Ducks last season and it could very will be that way again. Keeping everyone healthy especially the 40 year old Selanne will be hard to do. GM Bob Murray decided to scrap the whole defense after Scott Niedermayer retired. It’s never easy for any team to lose a future hall of famer on defense two seasons in a row. The Ducks have now done that and are hoping the late season additions they made last year (Lubomir Visnovsky (15-30-45)) , coupled with the changes this offseason of Sutton and Lydman will yield them a competitive defense. The Ducks are always one of the most penalized teams in the league and last year was no exception. They racked up 16.1 PIM a game 3rd worst in the league. The Ducks faceoff winning percentage has been taking a tumble recently. They were 4th worst in the league at 48.1%.

Player to Watch: Ryan Getzlaf is an elite player who boasts a impressive resume. Among his accolades are All-Star appearances, Stanley Cup Champion, Olympic Gold medalist and World Juniors Gold medalist. However, he has yet to produce a 100 point season or more than 25 goals in a season. Now entering the prime of his career and his 6th full season, Getzlaf will be expected to step up his game and also his leadership role on the team. The team captaincy is currently vacant and Getzlaf, a current alternate captain, is the front runner to receive it. Other options include the only other former Ducks captain on the roster Teemu Selanne and current alternate captain and long time Canadiens captain Saku Koivu. If he stays healthy, this could very well be Getzlaf’s elite breakout year.

Prediction: The Ducks can easily go from a mid seeded playoff team to not making the playoffs at all. They will probably get in as the 7th or 8th seed. The forwards, especially the big guns, need to stay healthy, if they do that they will develop chemistry and score a lot of goals. On the back end Hiller needs to play better than he did last season. How the defense clicks will ultimately determine the fate of this team. Luca Sbisa, acquired in the Chris Pronger trade, will really need to develop into a top four defenseman in his first full season in the NHL. He is also looking to score his first NHL goal. The addition of Sutton will give the Ducks a gritty defenseman who will hopefully rub off on the rest of the defenders. Sutton was 2nd in the league in blocked shots with 204 and 21st overall in hits with 197. Though the Ducks as a team are physical themselves, as they finished 7th in the league in hits with 2050. But they could certainly use the help with blocked shots, as they were the 2nd worst in the league with 943.

4.) Phoenix Coyotes

Rear-view Mirror: The Coyotes had what you would call a magical season last year. They started the season unsure of whether they would stay in Phoenix and as such played to mostly empty arenas. But by the end of the season, they had flirted with the Western Conference’s best record, made the playoffs for the first time since 2002, recorded their first ever 100+ point season and played to packed “white out” crowds. Despite losing to the Red Wings in seven games in the 1st round of the playoffs, Phoenix accomplished a lot as a team and proved that hockey could make it in the desert.

Ilya Bryzgalov (2.29 GAA, .920 SV%) finally became a household name with his breakout season. He was 2nd in the league in shutouts (8), 3rd in wins (42) and he received a Vezina nomination. He helped the Coyotes to the 3rd best team GAA (2.39) in the NHL.

The Coyotes were an offensively challenged team, ranking near the bottom in goals scored. Shane Doan (18G-37A-55P) lead the Coyotes in points. Only the Bruins had a team leader with less points and the Maple Leafs leader (Phil Kessel) also had 55 points. Radim Vrbata (24-19-43) lead the team in goals, the only player on the Coyotes to crack the 20 goal plateau. On the backend Ed Jovanovski (10-24-34) and Zbynek Michalek (3-14-17) formed a formidable defensive one two punch.

Offseason Ins: Ray Whitney, Andrew Ebbett

Offseason Outs: Zbynek Michalek, Matthew Lombardi, Daniel Winnik, Lee Stempniak

What Makes Them Tick: Not really having a go to guy on the team means that opponents can’t really zero in on any one player to disrupt the flow of the team. Everyone chips in with their blue collar approach. The Coyotes do well in the shootout, where they had the most wins of any team at 14 and one of the higher winning percentages. They are a well disciplined team coming in with the 7th least PIM a game with 11.3. They also had the 2nd least amount of giveaways with 420. Wojtek Wolski (23-42-65) will now move to the center position and anchor the top line with Doan and Ray Whitney (21-37-58). Of course Ilya Bryzgalov is their biggest strength. Look for him to have another phenomenal season.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: The Coyotes didn’t really add enough players to make themselves a stronger contender in a very tough western conference. The offensive struggles of the Coyotes will more than likely continue which is not something you can realistically get away with two years in a row. Last season the Coyotes had the 3rd worst power play in the league but they did have the 6th best penalty kill. The addition of 18 year veteran Whitney will help, provided he can still prove his has some gas left in the tank. Michalek and his 9th best 156 blocked shots are also gone.

Player to Watch: Wojtek Wolski was the big acquisition last year by the Coyotes who gave up Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. At the time it seemed like a steal, with Mueller struggling to fit in the with the Coyotes. However, Mueller flourished in the few games he played with the Avalanche and nobody is quite sure what the young Porter will develop into. The pressure is now on Wolski to have his break out season, especially on an offensively challenged team. Last season he set career highs in goals (23), assists (42) and points (65). Look for him to push towards a 30 goal 80 point season.

Prediction: It’s hard to imagine the Coyotes duplicating last years success. Teams will now take them as more of a threat. Key players like Doan and Jovanovski are now each a year older. The loss of Michalek will hurt the Coyotes without anyone really brought in to take his place. Still if any team can make it work and make a run for the playoffs the Coyotes could. Last year at this time things looked even bleaker for them. Kyle Turris the 3rd overall pick in the 2007 draft should see even more playing time this year. He is still low on the depth chart currently but could creep up fast. The Coyotes are also bullish on 8th overall pick of the 2008 draft Mikkel Boedker who only played in 14 games last season. How well these young guns can be integrated into the Coyotes, will determine their playoff fate.

5.) Dallas Stars:

Rear-view Mirror: After five consecutive seasons of making the playoffs, the Stars are currently on a two season streak of not making them. After an injury plagued year, Brad Richards (24G-67A-91P) played his first full season in a Stars jersey and lead them in assists and points. Defenseman Stephane Robidas (10-31-41) continued his exceptional level of play. He was 7th in the league in blocked shots (177) and 4th in the league in hits (269) but 1st overall for defensemen. Loui Eriksson (29-42-71) led the Stars in goals and was 2nd in points.

Marty Turco’s GAA (2.72) and SO (4) were pretty average but he had his best SV% (.913) since 2004. The Stars actually finished last in the Pacific Division for the first time since the NHL switched to the the three division format in the 1998-99 season.

Offseason Ins: Andrew Raycroft, Adam Burish, Brad Lukowich

Offseason Outs: Mike Modano, Marty Turco

What Makes Them Tick: The Stars are a very physical and great checking team. The lead the NHL in hits last season with 2338. Loui Eriksson is just coming into his prime and he should be able to produce another 30+ goal season. Paired with a healthy Brad Richards and gritty veteran and team captain Brenden Morrow (20-26-46) they make a formidable 1st line. The Stars have a lot of free cap space, so they should be in the market to make other improvements. Defenseman Mark Fistric (1-9-10) finished 4th in the league in +/- with a + 27.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: Kari Lehtonen is so far penciled in to be the starting goalie. Lehtonen is now entering his 7th season in the NHL and while he has played well, it’s nothing exceptional that you would want in your number one goalie in this day and age. So while he is not a bad option, he is probably only temporary anyway. The Stars have a few young goalie prospects that could come up this season or next. They include 2006 pick Richard Bachman, 2008 pick Tyler Beskorowany and the 11th pick overall in the 2010 draft Jack Campbell. Despite their physical nature of style, the Stars ended up with the 4th worst penalty kill. Like the Ducks, the Stars also struggle with faceoffs coming in at the 5th worst with 48.1%

Player to Watch: Jamie Benn was a relative unknown last season taken in the 5th round of the 2007 draft. However he was a standout player for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL and was named to the all-star first team his last year there. He also helped Team Canada win a Gold at the 2009 World Junior Championships. Benn found a home on the 2nd line with the Stars in his first NHL season. He produced 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points and 3 game winning goals tied for 3rd on the team. Look for more out of Benn in his 2nd season. He has the potential to be a consistent 30+ goal scorer.

Prediction: It’s a transition season for Dallas as the team shed two veterans (Turco, Modano) who most identified as the faces of the franchise. Playing in a fairly strong division it is not likely the Stars will make the playoffs and they seem destined for last place for the 2nd year in a row. However the Stars didn’t miss the last playoff spot by much, like a lot of teams out West. They still boast two impressive scoring lines and one of the top defenseman in the league in Robidas. The team certainly is not an easy win especially in Dallas. If Lehtonen or one of the young prospects can perform well in goal, anything is possible.

Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Antero Niittymaki, Anze Kopitar, Brad Richards, Dallas Stars, Dan Boyle, drew doughty, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jamie Benn, Joe Thornton, Jonas Hiller, Jonathan Quick, Kari Lehtonen, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Ryan Getzlaf, San Jose Sharks, Shane Doan, Stephane Robidas, Wojtek Wolski
Posted in Analysis, Predictions | 2 Comments »

The Hat Trick: 2010 NHL Entry Draft Edition

Friday, June 25th, 2010 Written by: Eric Sutter

This is a big weekend for the NHL, as general managers all meet to select the future of their franchises or make moves to impact the current roster. How can you not be overwhelmed with joy upon hearing your GM call out the name of some 18 year-old kid that could be the next big thing, or in a couple of years be taking your order at the local Tim Hortons? So, now to my Hat Trick. This week I change it up to the three most underrated story lines surrounding this weekend’s draft.

Hurricane Season:

The Carolina Hurricanes hold eleven draft picks this weekend, including three second round picks, and we all saw at this year’s trade deadline what second round picks can get you. This is a team that is a year removed from the Eastern Conference Finals and four years removed from their Stanley Cup victory. Carolina after the New year last season was 25-14-3. With the Southeast division so wide open after the Washington Capitals and in the salary cap era, it’s possible to go from being a non-playoff team to a Stanley Cup contender overnight; therefore, this weekend could be start of something good for the Caniacs. Keep an eye on this team this weekend, for they can either package their extra picks to move up in the draft, or pick up necessary veteran pieces to upgrade their defense who were 26^th in the league in GAA (3.06).

Cap Tap Dancing:

Much has been printed about how the Stanley Cup Champions are in serious cap trouble, but there are other teams that are going to be interested in unloading salary for draft picks. The Boston Bruins took on even more salary in the trade for Nathan Horton; now they will be asking some team to help them out by trading for backup goalie and former Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas, or even team leader Marc Savard.

Big changes were expected as the Calgary Flames failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Defensively they made the switch from Dion Phaneuf to Jay Bouwmeester, but now they have too much money tied up to their backline. The team will try to move the likes of restricted free agent Ian White or veteran Cory Sarich, or they may try to get tough d-man Robyn Regehr to waive his no movement clause. But something will have to give as the Flames try to create some much-needed cap space.

Goalie Carousel:

With the news coming out that the Sharks are not retaining mainstay Evgeni Nabokov, the first domino has fallen in the great goalie debate. Nabokov will now be the number one free agent goalie available with Marty Turco, Chris Mason, Dan Ellis and Michael Leighton falling in line after.

Although we won’t know where these players will end up until July 1^st, the groundwork for some of their landing spots could be laid this weekend. The teams in need of a starting goalie are San Jose, Washington, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. If those teams choose to trade for an available young goalie, then we know they are out of the running for the big free agent goalies available.

Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Mason, Dan Ellis, Evgeni Nabokov, Marty Turco, Michael Leighton, NHL Draft, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Southeast Division, Stanley Cup, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
Posted in Analysis | 1 Comment »

2009-10 NHL Season Recap

Thursday, June 17th, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

As you sit there in your favorite team jersey waiting for it to be October, let’s recap and vote on our favorite moments on the season that was. The 2009-10 NHL season was one of the most thrilling ever, featuring a Stanley Cup playoff race that was wide open. The 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs smashed many ratings records on the way to crowning the Chicago Blackhawks as Stanley Cup champions. Most, if not all, of the twitter tending topics that night were NHL related. Hockey is definitely on an upswing. Some of the points below I didn’t go into as much detail as I would like to have. However, I already wrote about most of it in previous columns, so sometimes it’s hard to re-write. There’s a lot to read and videos to watch, so I hope you enjoy it! (Trust me when I say it’s really long)

To break this article down, in the first part I recap the season of the Stanley Cup Champions, then I go into the biggest surprises, disappointments and awards of the season and other miscellaneous stuff. I end it with voting for the goat and the fight of the season, compiled from the best of those during the regular season from my weekly Between the Pipes column. Which I hope you all come back to read next season.

The 2009-10 Stanley Cup Champions

Chicago Blackhawks

What an unusual season it was for the Chicago Blackhawks. Their offseason certainly wasn’t boring. First you have Marian Hossa signing a huge contract worth 62.8 million dollars over 12 years. That alone brings up many questions like won’t he be 42 by the end of it? How do you even know how he will perform towards the end of the contract? Then the good/bad of the signing, Hossa wanted to play for a contending team and he viewed the Blackhawks as the team with the best chance to do so. Well that’s great but then you wonder, didn’t he think that with the Penguins and the Red Wings as well? How did that turn out? Next up you have Patrick Kane and his cousin assaulting a cab driver for 20 cents. Wait he what? There’s nothing like having one of your top players being involved in a ridiculous incident like that. Still the Blackhawks pressed on and opened the season a talented loaded team with one huge albatross around their neck, what about your goaltending?

Cristobal Huet was the number one goaltender by default, despite not being the number one last season, because the Blackhawks didn’t have enough money to sign Nikolai Khabibulin. As the starting goalie, Huet certainly didn’t make the regular season boring. First you had his 25.29 GAA average against the Flames in October, where he gave up three goals on five shots in seven minutes. Though to speak to the resiliency of the Blackhawks this season, Niemi actually came in and gave up two more goals in the 1^st period to put the Blackhawks in a 0-5 hole at intermission. But the Blackhawks ended up scoring six unanswered goals to win the game in overtime. Then there was the game against the Stars in which Huet gave up four goals on ten shots. Finally he gave up 14 goals over a span of three games, when the Blackhawks finally said the hell with this and made Antti Niemi the starting goalie. He did have some high points, putting together a seven game win streak and posting four shutouts. But he will mostly be remembered for plays like this:

Despite their goaltending issues, Chicago came within one point of the best record in the West. They boasted a balanced scoring attack with six players each having 20+ goal seasons. They also boasted one of the top defensive pairs in the league in Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Antti Niemi started to develop into a number one netminder, hopefully vanquishing the albatross in the process.

The Blackhawks opened the 1^st round of the playoffs against the perennial stepping stone Nashville Predators. The Blackhawks lost the 1^st game at home and then the 3^rd game on the road to find themselves in a 1-2 hole. They seemed disinterested in the series and they weren’t getting the basics right. They managed to win Game 4 but then Game 5 happened. Game 5 was the kind of game that everything just went right, even when things looked bleak. It was the turning point of the series and the Blackhawks season. It was the game in which the Blackhawks got their swagger back. Let’s set the stage. Down in the important Game 5, 4-3, in the final minutes the Blackhawks try a final push only to have Marian Hossa get called for boarding. It appeared that Hossa was already working his curse magic. Instead it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the inexperienced Predators played aggressive on the power play, looking for the kill goal. The Blackhawks were able to get a lucky bounce on the rebound and storm the other way and then pull their goalie to make it five on five. Then in some eerie foreshadowing, Patrick Kane scored the game tying goal off of a rebound in what would be his second most important goal of the playoffs.

After opening the overtime period shorthanded the Blackhawks ended up in the Predators zone and Hossa jumps out of the box and sets up right where Patrick Kane scored the previous goal. The puck once again took a fortuitous bounce and Hossa capped off the impromptu comeback.

In the decisive Game 6 you could tell it would be the Blackhawks year after Brent Seabrook gets an unexpected goal against Pekka Rinne.

From there it was the highly anticipated rematch with the Vancouver Canucks. Personally I found the series to be disappointing, as most of the games were pretty one sided. It had some comical moments though, like when the Canucks self destructed in Game 5 and committed four penalties in the span of four minutes and 40 seconds. There was also Roberto Luongo being himself hot, a 1.00 GAA in the two Canucks wins and cold, 5.25 GAA in the four losses. The soon to be Conn Smythe winner, Jonathan Toews was simply sensational against the Canucks. He was also in the midst of a 13 game point streak in which he amassed 25 of his 29 points.

Next was the highly anticipated match-up between the number one seeded Sharks. The win total of the two teams far surpassed any of the other match-ups in the 2010 playoffs. Oddly enough, it was also the only sweep of the playoffs. I’ll write more about it below in the disappointing section.

Then it was onward to the Blackhawks first Stanley Cup appearance in 49 years to face the Philadelphia Flyers and their 35 year drought. The series was very good and each game had a point in the 3^rd period, except for Game 5, where there was only a one goal differential. I don’t know about you but that’s hockey I want to see. Nobody on the Blackhawks had a truly remarkable series. They won as a team as it should be in hockey, the ultimate team sport. Some players did have remarkable games though, as Dustin Byfuglien did in Game 5 and Patrick Kane did in Game 6. The thing I love most about hockey is watching each player on the team hoist the Stanley Cup and skate around with it. You don’t see anything else like that in any other sport, period. Just the player, the Stanley Cup and the moment. It’s something every player in the NHL hopes to achieve but very few get too. An experience so awesome that it brings tears to those that didn’t get to achieve it, like Jeremy Roenick the great Blackhawk for eight seasons and 20 NHL seasons overall.

You shouldn’t be surprised that the Blackhawks won the series, as we still haven’t had a team with a regular season goal differential of less than a +25 win the cup in the past 20 years, maybe longer (This is my favorite hockey stat). The Flyers had no chance with their +11. It also wasn’t all bad for Huet. As many of you know, Niemi was the first Finnish goalie to win the Cup. Despite not really playing, Huet was also the first Frenchman to win the Cup. Here are some of the Blackhawks celebrating with Jay Leno, gag.

Finally for shits and giggles here are some of the best user comments on Yahoo by fans after the Blackhawks were down 1-2 to the Predators after their Game 3 loss.

A Yahoo! User Thu Apr 22, 2010 03:02 pm PDT

“I can’t wait next year for the Hawks 50 year anniversary since the last cup we won! We’re not gonna win it this year cause we won’t get out of the 1st round but when they bring those guys from the 1961 cup team come out on their rascals i will stand up and salute them. I hope they make snow tires for rascals. Maybe the Caps will let us borrow the cup next year for the ceremony. We probably won’t make the playoffs next year with a new coach and we play in a division with the Red Wings, Preds, (who are embarassing us) and the Blues and Jackets will be better next year so we might be last in the central. I also can’t wait to hang that central division banner next year. The Caps can have the cup we have the central division! That’s most important.” (This guy feels really stupid right now)

tom c Wed Apr 21, 2010 10:40 am PDT

“I don’t care who wins the cup if Detroit doesnt all I do know is it won’t be CHICAGO….1961…hahaha. Get used to it and the Wings will win another cup or two before you do if ever again…Love hossa now don’t ya…”

Biggest Surprises/Best of the Year

Teams

Phoenix Coyotes – How many of you had the Coyotes getting home ice in the 1^st round and then coming within a game of knocking off the perennial contending Red Wings? Nope nobody did and if you said you did, you’re lying. Apparently Wayne Gretzky was holding them back. Kidding aside this plucky group gave it their all. They even did it with the possibility of being sold at any moment during the season and having to possibly relocate at the end of the season. Ilya Bryzgalov, who had a few previous outstanding seasons, finally became a somewhat household name. He was 2^nd in the league with eight shutouts and he was nominated for the Vezina Trophy. The rest of the squad collectively overachieved. Shane Doan was the leading scorer with a whopping 55 points and only one other player had over 50 points (Matthew Lombardi). Radim Vrbata was the only Coyote to have over 20 goals during the season with 24. Despite losing in the 1^st round, the season was definitely something to build on. More importantly it may have finally sold hockey in the Phoenix desert.

Montreal Canadiens – The Canadiens magic season can be summed up with two words, Jaroslav Halak. If it wasn’t for his emergence the Canadiens would have had just another 1^st round exit. But he did emerge out of the shadow of Carey Price. I’ll admit Carey Price doesn’t cast a very large shadow but Halak had mostly been his backup until this year when they evenly split time in the regular season. Come the playoffs Halak was named the starter but he really didn’t flourish until after he was benched for Game 4 and then he came back with a vengeance. He even faced 134 shots over a three game span against the Capitals, not an easy task. It wasn’t all Halak though, Michael Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Tomas Plekanec led the Canadiens offensively in the regular season and postseason. Though Gionta and Cammalleri combined for almost half of the 46 postseason goal total with 22 goals. There was also the emergence of P.K Subban who stepped in for the injured Andrei Markov and perhaps even surpassed his level of play. Subban was loved in Montreal for his hustle, determination and skill and hated everywhere else for his big mouth. The 2009-10 Canadiens returned the storied franchise to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993. Even a 1^st round series win is celebrated like they just won the Stanley Cup in Montreal. I’ll leave with two videos, one the crazy but tame celebration and one not so tame.

Best Game 7

Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens

I can’t think of a game that had me at the edge of the seat like this one, in quite some time. Despite the Canadiens winning the previous two games, I didn’t really give them much of a chance. First you had the Canadiens taking the early 1-0 lead on the power play, just 30 seconds into the game. But it was still early and the Capitals had plenty of time to come back. Only after the second intermission it was still 1-0 and then you start to wonder, maybe the Canadiens can pull it off. When Montreal scored with about four minutes left in the game to take a 2-0 lead, you realized you were watching history in the making. About a minute and a half later the Capitals finally score to cut it to 2-1 and then you think maybe they can come back. All you know is the final two minutes would be the most intense you’ve ever seen in your life. Then Montreal gets called for a penalty to make 5 on 4. The Capitals pull their goalie to make it a 6 on 4 and you think surely the number 1 offensive team can score a goal with a two man advantage to save their season. But no Halak comes up huge the time runs out and see Alex Ovechkin slumped over to end another season. Relive the final two minutes here.

Best Series

This one was really hard for me to pick so I decided I’ll name four and you can vote. I didn’t include the Stanley Cup Finals because well it’s the Stanley Cup Finals so it would be memorable even if it sucked, which in this case it did not.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings

This was an awesome series that we were sadly deprived of a Game 7. It featured lots of open ice action, some high scoring and sometimes some great saves. Watching Doughty shut down the Sedin twins was also great to watch.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Phoenix Coyotes

This series was also great. The enthusiasm in the Jobing.com Arena (dumb name) was awesome and Detroit matched it. There was a ton of open ice as well in this series and high scoring. Game 7 took a little bit of the luster off of the series. Favorite moment is the Shane Doan face after his Game 2 goal, who could ever forget that.

Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Game 1 was truly spectacular and featured a lot of pretty goals and an overtime win. Game 4 featured the same 5-4 score as Game 1 and another overtime. This series will mostly be remembered for the Flyers and their great series comeback and never give up attitude.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Hard to pick this series over the Canadiens vs. Capitals series but I did because you didn’t really know what you were witnessing at that point, plus I missed a lot of the games because there were so many other series going on. Other than Game 7 (more on that below) I thought this series was pretty evenly matched with great intensity and an always great Montreal crowd. Just love that atmosphere in the Bell Centre.

Questions View Results

Biggest Disappointments/Worst of the Year

Teams

Anaheim Ducks – After coming within a game of the Western Conference Finals last season, Anaheim made the off season trade of sending Chris Pronger to the Flyers for Joffrey Lupul and Luca Sbisa. They had hoped to bolster their offense while securing another blueliner of the future for Pronger. They felt the addition of Lupul coupled with the signing of Saku Koivu would give them the offense they needed in order to make another run at the cup. Unfortunately while that looked great on paper, absolutely nothing worked out for the Ducks. Sbisa, while he will probably be on the Ducks blueline for the next decade, at only 19 was not ready for the big leagues especially with the crowded Ducks defenseman corp; he wouldn’t have cracked the top two pairs. Coach Carlyle felt it was important Sbisa received playing time, so down to the minors to dominate he went. Lupul was reunited with the team that drafted him but a happy reunion it was not meant to be. He ended up playing in only 23 games and was out the rest of the year with back spasms and a subsequent herniated disk surgery. While in the long run the trade might look kindly on the Ducks, they essentially traded Pronger and received nothing in return.

Koivu and Teemu Selanne, Team Finland linemates, never really developed the chemistry the team was hoping for when they acquired Koivu. Selanne also suffered two of his worst injuries in his career almost in succession, further dampening the Ducks hopes of a potent second line. Towards the last few weeks of the season, the duo finally blossomed and showed their potential but it was to late. But give credit where it’s due, Koivu was the Ducks MVP for the last two weeks racking up 11 points in the final five games. On the back-end the defensive core seemed to be okay with the trade of Pronger because the Ducks had acquired James Wisniewski and Ryan Whitney last season. Wisniewski played adequately but found himself suspended a few times, causing the group to not be at full strength. Ryan Whitney did not fit in well, especially at the power play point where the Ducks had hoped he would fill Pronger’s skates. He did not and the Oilers and Ducks swapped Olympians with the Ducks receiving Lubomir Visnovsky (further giving me another beyond complicated name to type when I recap the past weeks Anaheim Ducks games). Lack of chemistry and injuries really were the downfall of the Ducks. Next year looks promising though if they can bring back all of the key players next season.

Washington Capitals – There’s an old adage that goes “defense wins championships”. Apparently the Capitals have never heard of it. Coasting through the regular season playing in the weakest division and racking up goals like nobody’s business, these Capitals seemed destined for great things. They were the Goliath of the NHL. But unfortunately for the Capitals, there was also a David lurking named the Montreal Canadiens and their mighty stone Jaroslav Halak. Now don’t get me wrong the Capitals had a 3-1 series lead at one point, so it’s not like they played horribly throughout. It’s just when you play four series in three seasons and they all go to even games and you only win one of them, people start to wonder many things. I don’t blame the Capitals for only getting three goals by Halak in games five, six and seven, because lets face it, the line of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull in their primes probably wouldn’t have scored any more goals either. I more concerned with their lack of heart and their willingness to do whatever it takes to win. I’m also concerned with their defense. Mike Green is probably the premier offensive defenseman in the league but he’s nowhere near the top of defensive defenseman in the league. That’s really where the Capitals need him to be. He just completed his fourth season though, so barring something drastic on his part I really don’t think he will improve. The NHL really needs to do him a favor and stop nominating him for Norris Trophies he doesn’t deserve. The Capitals need to acquire better defensive talent and they need to become a more dynamic offensive team. I will give props to Semyon Varlamov who had a pretty good postseason. Unfortunately not many noticed it. Who knows though, the Sharks had a 1^st round exit last year and made it to the Conference Finals this year. The same could happen to the Capitals.

Worst Game 7

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens

This Game 7 was somewhat reminiscent of last years 2^nd round game between the Penguins and Capitals in which the Penguins destroyed the Capitals 6-2 in the 2^nd round in a hugely disappointing game as well. This time the Penguins were on the losing end. I’m still not really sure how the defending Champions would show up so flat footed at home, but they did. They lost the game 5-2 and were even down in the 2^nd at one point 0-4, yikes. As awesome as this series was, and it was one of the best of the playoffs, this game couldn’t have been anymore anticlimactic. It also showcased none of the things that made the series great, other than Halak playing well again. Marc-Andre Fleury was awful, the Penguins defense was awful, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin had no points and the game wasn’t close.

Worst Series

Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks

I alluded to it in the Blackhawks season recap but this certainly was the most disappointing series in some time. Normally you don’t get the 1 vs. 2 match-up very often and considering what we got in the East, I expected so much more from this series. The Sharks had just come off a dismantling of the Detroit Red Wings and the Blackhawks looked strong coming off their Canucks series win. Now none of the final scores had more than a two goal win but you just got the vibe the whole series that the Sharks didn’t have much of a chance, especially after they dropped the first two games at home. The score in those games were a lot closer than the game actually was. Nobody on the Sharks came to play except Patrick Marleau and they never scored more than two goals in a game. You can’t expect to win the series when you average 1.75 goals a game in the series. The Sharks also took a bunch of dumb penalties in Game 4 when it was tied 2-2, basically handing the game to the Blackhawks on a silver platter. Evgeni Nabokov didn’t play well and now I hear the Sharks want to resign him, yikes. He’s a regular season goalie, not a playoffs goalie.

Miscellaneous

Can only happen in hockey

Duncan Keith loses seven teeth – Duncan Keith, or how he’s referred to on the internet Duncan Teeth, showed the world just how tough hockey players are. While trying to keep the puck in the offensive zone on the power play, Keith took a puck to his face from a clearing attempt by Patrick Marleau. Marleau ended up scoring a breakaway goal because Keith was taken out of the play. But showing the true hockey player that he is, Keith returned to the game minutes later. Here’s a nice video on the play and what happened afterwards.

You’ve got to be kidding me

The Philadelphia Flyers come back from an 0-3 series deficit – This feet was made all the more impressive by the fact that they only got into the playoffs on a shootout win in the final game of the season against the New York Rangers. But the Flyers became only the third team in NHL history to comeback, joining the 1975 New York Islanders and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only did they come back down from 0-3 in the series, they also came back down 0-3 in Game 7. Not to mention they had to switch stating goalies in the middle of the series due to injury and they lost their 2^nd leading scorer, Jeff Carter, for a month due to injury. I can’t think of a team that had to battle so much to get so far. Many thought this might be a team of destiny but their destiny ran out in the Stanley Cup Finals. Special acknowledgment goes to Danny Briere for leading the whole NHL in postseason scoring and for having some pretty goals along the way.

Iron Man Award

Craig Anderson – Now here’s a guy that had never been a starter in the league before or played in more than 31 games. He played in 71 games this season for the Colorado Avalanche, almost the same amount of games he played combined in his first five years in the league. He didn’t stop there, as he faced the most shots of any goalie during the regular season with 2233. He was one of the primary reasons the Avalanche rebounded so quickly. In the playoffs he faced the highest shot total of any goalie to play six games and sometimes he faced more than those with a few more games played than him. He finished the playoffs with the highest SV% at .933. Here’s hoping he can keep up the pace next year.

Team on the Rise

Los Angeles Kings – Something is brewing in Los Angeles and it isn’t the latest motion picture. It’s the first legit team the Kings have put together since Wayne Gretzky left town. They’re a young and deep talented team. Anze Kopitar at only 22 has seemingly blossomed into an elite player leading the league in scoring for a good chunk of the time. He did severely cool off towards the end of the season. However, I think this season was just a little preview of what’s to come. The Kings have a great pair of young defenseman in Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Doughty is something truly special and his skilled were acknowledged with the Norris Trophy nomination. While I don’t think he will win it this year, my vote is on Duncan Keith, I think Doughty might dominate the award in the future like Bobby Orr, Raymond Bourque and Nicklas Lidstrom have in the past. Doughty was simply sensational in the Canucks series. How quickly the Kings can ascend, falls mostly on the shoulders of Jonathan Quick. Quick was a workhorse this season and will probably need to be again next season. He will need to continue to hone his skill in his 3^rd full season if the Kings hope to advance further in the playoffs.

The comeback that never was

Ray Emery – Nobody wanted to take a chance on Ray Emery because of his previous bad behavior but the Flyers desperate for goalie help decided it would be worth the risk. Emery started all of 29 games before suffering a torn muscle. He was later diagnosed with avascular necrosis and was out for the rest of the year. In his absence Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton led the Flyers all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. With the Flyers recently signing Johan Backlund and already having Brian Boucher under contract, its unlikely free agent Emery will return. I don’t think any other NHL team will give him a chance either and I’m not even sure if he is fully recovered to play.

Breakout of the year

Steven Stamkos – I gave it to Stamkos because he had struggled so much the previous year. It’s not easy to come into the league as the 1^st overall pick in the draft. Expectations are high and you are expected to perform. Stamkos rose to the challenge in his second year. Playing along side Martin St. Louis certainly helps but Stamkos is a special talent in his own right. Leading the league in goals in your second season is also an impressive feat. Stamkos will only continue to get better. John Tavares was another number 1 pick this year that put up almost identical numbers to what Stamkos did in his first season. I suspect his second season will end up being his breakout year as well. Craig Anderson would have gotten this nod for the regular season but I gave him another award. Jaroslav Halak would defiantly have gotten this award for the postseason but I already wrote about him.

Rookie of the Year (Calder Trohpy)

Tyler Myers – Besides goalie I think defenseman is the hardest position to learn. It’s not easy to try and stop the speed and skill of the top wingers in the NHL on a nightly basis. Myers was also the only defenseman on the Sabres in the top 80 in defenseman scoring. It’s very rare that there aren’t at least two defenseman from each team in the top 60. Leading all players on your team in ice time is always an honor for any rookie. Myers should compliment Ryan Miller for years to come.

Goalie of the Year (Vezina Trophy)

Ryan Miller – Goaltending has only gotten better over the years and there were a lot of strong contenders. Tuukka Rask came in a strong second but he played in 24 fewer games so I’d like to see what he can do with a full season under his belt. Miller had the 2^nd best GAA at 2.22 and the 2^nd best SV% at .931. Both were behind Rask. He faced the 4^th most shots and had the 4^th most wins. So while he wasn’t first in any major statistical category, he was 1^st in taking over a game. He isn’t perfect though as he did make a few of my Goat of the Week awards this season. But as the entire World witnessed in the Olympics, he can put on quite a good show. This past January I saw Miller play live against the Ducks. He didn’t start the game, Patrick Lalime did. But the Ducks chased Lalime after the first 10 minutes after he gave up four goals. Though the Ducks did manage to score one goal on Miller, the whole entire feel of the game seemed different when he came into it. It was if he told the Ducks this isn’t going to be easy anymore. It wasn’t. I hope that Miller doesn’t suffer the same fate Dominik Hasek did in Buffalo. That is to go cupless.

Player of the Year (Hart Trophy)

Sidney Crosby – Now before we start this, I am not a diehard Sidney Crosby fan. I think he is a great player but I do not worship the ground he walks on. Furthermore, I honestly don’t think he is the most talented player on his team. I think Evgeni Malkin is. Two years ago Malkin would have easily won my player of the year award (I know my award isn’t that prestigious). So why does Crosby get it when Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Sedin had just as good or even better seasons? Well first off, Malkin didn’t have the same year he had in the previous two seasons and a lot of that was due to injuries. So basically Crosby had to carry the Penguins on his back. The other important thing to remember is Crosby doesn’t really have anyone else on his line. Sure Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin are good players but they aren’t great. Sedin has his brother Daniel Sedin on the same line and Ovechkin has Nicklas Backstrom and sometimes Alexander Semin. Crosby is the line all by himself. He also scored 51 goals which was not only tied for 1^st in the league but his own personal best. He had never even reached 40 goals in any of his previous seasons. He was also red hot in the 1^st round of the playoffs before coming back down to earth against Halak. I don’t think he has reached his full potential yet but I felt he was the best player on the ice this season.

Vote for the best of the season

Some were hard cuts particularly in the Goat category, so many goats this season. But I narrowed it down to three fights and five goats. There is no playoff goats so no Dan Boyle own goal or Halak stupidly playing the puck way beyond his net.

Fight of the Season

Cam Janssen vs. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond

David Koci vs. Brian McGrattan

Rick Rypien vs. Cam Janssen

Questions View Results

Goat of the Season

Nikolai Khabibulin misplays the puck in the final minute of the game against the Flames to give them the win.

Tim Thomas mishandles the puck allowing the Penguins to get the win in overtime.

Keith Ballard taking out his own unsuspecting goalie

Ivan Vishnevskiy loses the puck off his stick and into his own empty net

Antoine Vermette comes sweeping in and knocks it in his own goal.

Questions View Results

Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Anaheim Ducks, Andrei Markov, Antoine Vermette, Antti Niemi, Anze Kopitar, Bill Guerin, Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins, Brent Seabrook, Brett Hull, Brian Boucher, Brian Gionta, Brian McGrattan, Cam Janssen, Carey Price, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Kunitz, Chris Pronger, Colorado Avalanche, Craig Anderson, Cristobal Huet, Daniel Sedin, Danny Briere, David Koci, Detroit Red Wings, drew doughty, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Edmonton Oilers, Evgeni Malkin, Evgeni Nabokov, Henrik Sedin, Ilya Bryzgalov, Ivan Vishnevskiy, jack johnson, James Wisniewski, Jaroslav Halak, Jeff Carter, Jeremy Roenick, Joffrey Lupul, Johan Backlund, John Tavares, Jonathan Quick, Jonathan Toews, Keith Ballard, Los Angeles Kings, Lubomir Visnovsky, Luca Sbisa, Marc-Andre Fleury, Marian Hossa, Mario Lemieux, Martin St. Louis, Matthew Lombardi, Michael Cammalleri, Michael Leighton, Mike Green, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Nicklas Backstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Nikolai Khabibulin, P.K Subban, Patrick Kane, Patrick Lalime, Patrick Marleau, Pekka Rinne, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Pittsburgh Penguins, Radim Vrbata, Ray Emery, Raymond Bourque, Rick Rypien, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Miller, Ryan Whitney, Saku Koivu, San Jose Sharks, Scott Gomez, Semyon Varlamov, Shane Doan, Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Teemu Selanne, Tim Thomas, Tomas Plekanec, Tuukka Rask, Tyler Myers, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, Wayne Gretzky
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Between the Pipes – Conference Finals Recap

Monday, May 24th, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

How do you say disappointing? – So the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs were shaping up to be some of the best playoff action in quite some time. The 1st round was just awesome. No sweeps and all games tied at 1-1. The 2nd round was for the most part pretty decent. Then we get to the Conference Finals where the awesome playoff momentum should surely carry over. I mean if the the previous rounds were close surely the next round would be the closest and most evenly matched right?

Wrong you are good sir. In the West San Jose looked nothing like the team that dismantled Detroit, not even close. Chicago looks like it was bored half the time in the 1st two games. San Jose now has the dubious distinction of four straight 100 point seasons and no Stanley Cup hardware to show for it. The only other team that did that would be the New York Islanders. Of course after their four years of ineptitude, they rattled off four straight championships. Something tells me that won’t be happening to the Sharks though, because there are simply way to many teams now.

In the East we got a match-up we weren’t expecting at all. But I was still excited because you had one team, the Flyers, coming off an improbable 0-3 comeback and another, the Canadiens, coming off of two straight thrilling Game 7 upsets. So naturally this would make for a great series right? Wrong again. The first two games weren’t even fun to watch unless you were a Flyers fan. Game 3 wasn’t much fun to watch either, unless you were a Canadiens fan. Game 4? Well that one was fun to watch except for the fact that the Canadiens signature this postseason, their defense, ended up costing them the game with two mistakes. One was a skate malfunction and really that’s just crappy luck, not much you can do with that. The other was a bad pass that Philly also converted.

Before we get into it congratulations go out to the Edmonton Oilers for getting Taylor Hall, he will be awesome for years to come. Yes they didn’t pick him yet but if they don’t, they have lost their minds.

7 Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

I wish I could write more on this series but for some reason I can’t recall much of it.

What we learned: You really can’t predict the East, so stop trying.

Things I like: I like the way the Flyers rebounded in Game 4. It was a really crucial game on the road that they weren’t really expected to win after getting shalaked in Game 3. The 2nd period was key for them as they out shot the Canadiens 13 to 1.

I find it ironic that the Flyers biggest problem the last few years (Martin Biron, Robert Esche, Ron Hextall) was finding a quality goaltender to lead them to the Finals. Yet this year they can plug in any washed up goalie and watch him play phenomenally, weird.

Things I don’t: Why does Halak have such problems playing in Game 1′s? He didn’t play in Game 1 against Washington but he was pulled in both Game 1′s in the 2nd and 3rd round. He gave up six goals each time too. I’d like to think he hasn’t played the team yet so he has to feel them out. The problem is he isn’t a rookie and he has played these teams before.

Montreal actually out shot the Flyers in every game but game 4, which is weird because they only out shot the Penguins in two of the seven games and only once in the seven games against the Capitals, but they aren’t scoring much. The main issue is they don’t have any bodies in front of Michael Leighton. As Dustin Byfuglien has shown for the Blackhawks, having a net presence is important and helps you score goals.

Montreal is a mind boggling 1 for 16 on the power play in this series, that’s just awful. You won’t win many games if you can’t convert on the man advantage. They even had a 5 on 3 which they didn’t convert. Of course a lot of this goes back to my point of establishing a net presence, the Canadiens haven’t so the power play is suffering.

Likely Winner: Flyers, of course I didn’t think Montreal would come back down 3-1 to the Capitals. I also didn’t think the Flyers would come back down 3-0 to the Bruins. So maybe I should pick the Canadiens.

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 2 Chicago Blackhawks

Normally I break down the series and give my prediction but it’s over so… let’s recap it. Congratulations to the Blackhawks for making their first Stanley Cup Final since 1992.

This series reminded me of the Stanley Cup final in 2008 when the Penguins just looked lost the 1st two games and then came out and played well in the rest of the series. The same can be said for the Sharks, who were lost in the 1st two games and found in the 2nd two games. The problem is they didn’t win either of the 2nd two games, so series over.

The Sharks never scored more than two goals in any game against the Blackhawks. Now a lot of that is because of the sterling performance put in by Antti Niemi. But regardless, you still won’t win many games if you average 1.75 goals a game. The Sharks total lack of composure in the 3rd period of Game 4 really hurt them. It was tied 2-2 but they took 3 fairly dumb penalties in the period while the Blackhawks took none. Wouldn’t you know it the game winner was scored on the power play by the Blackhawks.

I think it’s time for the Sharks to do a complete overhaul on Defense. Evgeni Nabokov while he didn’t play horribly is not the goalie who will lead you to the Stanley Cup. He is also not getting any younger. Speaking of which the Defense is not getting any younger either. Only two of the top six defenseman are under 30. Come playoff time, you really need some fresh legs back there. The secondary scoring was non existent. Joe Pavelski who was so great against the Avalanche and in the first half against the Red Wings, failed to really show up against the Blackhawks. Other than Patrick Marleau nobody really showed up against the Blackhawks offensively.

Let’s not take anything away from the Chicago Blackhawks though. This was a team rebuilt from nothing in the draft. Also let’s face it when one of your key pieces, Dustin Byfuglien, was drafted in the 8th round you have an eye for talent. The Blackhawks have a great defensive core and are three lines deep in scoring talent. The checking line can also score at times. The only thing they were missing was solid goaltending, but they have found that in Antti Niemi. Let’s not forget to mention Duncan Keith losing most of his teeth and coming back out on the ice. Now that’s a hockey player.

Numbers Numbers

-11 – Joe Thornton’s plus minus rating for the Stanley Cup playoffs

9 – Number of goals for Joe Pavelski in the first 8 games

0 – Number of goals for Joe Pavelski in the second 7 games

5,625,000 – Cristobal Huet’s salary this season

826,875 – Antti Niemi’s salary this season

.953 – Halak’s SV% in games 5 through 7

.877 – Halak’s SV% in games 1 through 4

1 to 1 – The ratio of points to penalty minutes for Chris Pronger, the first time it isn’t in favor of PIM in his postseason career

3 – The number of shutouts for Michael Leighton in four games against the Canadiens.

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

May 17, 1979 Ken Dryden became the first goalie in NHL history to score a point in the Stanley Cup Finals. He drew an assist on Jacques Lemaire’s goal at 17:10 of the third period, to give the Canadiens a 4-1 win over the Rangers in Game 3 of the Finals.

May 18, 1997 Wayne Gretzky extended his NHL record with his 10th playoff hat trick, and the Rangers scored three times on their first 4 shots for a 5-4 win at Philadelphia, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

May 19, 2000 Patrick Roy tied an NHL record with his 15th career playoff shutout (set by Clint Benedict in the 1920′s) and rookie Martin Skoula had 2 assists as the Avalanche won 2-0 over the visiting Dallas Stars, in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

May 20, 2000 Craig Berube scored the game-winning playoff goal (his third goal in 86 playoff games) at 12:58 of the third period as Philadelphia won 3-1 at New Jersey, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

May 21, 1979 Montreal beat NY Rangers 4-1 in Game Five of the Finals, to become the 1979 Stanley Cup Champions. The win gave Montreal its 4th straight Cup, one short of their record five (1956-60).

If the Flyers win tonight then I’ll be back relatively soon with a Stanley Cup Finals preview.

Tags: Antti Niemi, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Pronger, Cristobal Huet, Dustin Byfuglien, Edmonton Oilers, Evgeni Nabokov, Jaroslav Halak, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Michael Leighton, Montreal Canadiens, Patrick Marleau, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks
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THE HAT TRICK: Conference Finals Edition

Monday, May 24th, 2010 Written by: Eric Sutter

One half of the Stanley Cup Finals have been decided as the Chicago Blackhawks are going to play for the Cup for the first time since 1992 after winning the Western Conference Finals on Sunday. We will have a full “Pucking Awesome Preview” once the other team is set. For now let’s look at the top three things to watch for this week in the “Pucking Awesome Hat Trick.”

Flyered Up:

Seven goalies dressed shootout to get into the playoffs, down 3-0 in a series and 3-0 in Game 7—all no problem to these Philadelphia Flyers. From a town that immortalized the ultimate underdog movie hero, Rocky , this is a run that seems only real in the movies.

One of the biggest attributes needed to win a Stanley Cup is resiliency. The journey through the Stanley Cup playoffs is usually one with a lot of peaks and valleys. Players are going in and out of the lineup, series turn on a dime and through it all the team that has mental toughness to work through those ebb and flows are the ones that come out on top.

With that being said the Montreal Canadiens are a team that has also shown some big time resiliency during the playoffs. Being down 3-1 to the President Trophy Capitals and 3-2 to the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and winning those series shows some serious intestinal fortitude. It is almost like they would prefer to be in this position and have experts give them no shot to win.

Regardless, in any series the fourth win is the toughest to get. That is when desperation takes over and the idea of not playing hockey anymore is so close to a reality for these players that cherish the game. I will be looking forward to see if the Flyers will survive the first period back to the wall push by the Canadiens. If so, the Flyers have outscored their opponents by a 24-7 margin in the second period. Those 24 second period goals lead the league.

To put that in perspective, the Blackhawks are 2nd in the league with 18 goals, and the Flyers have 50 goals total so that is almost half occurring in the second period.

Blackhawks Magic:

Although they do not have former Blackhawks superstar Jeremy Roenick on their side, who has come out to say he will root for the Flyers (another of his former teams) over the Blackhawks because they traded him, the Blackhawks have built this team for this moment. From drafting in consecutive years Jonathan Toews (3rd overall in 2006) and Patrick Kane (1st overall in 2007) the pillars were built to start building this franchise from a place that saw them make the playoffs twice in the last 10 years (2002 and 2009)

Again I will have a lot more about this year’s team in the upcoming “Pucking Awesome Preview,” but this also was a team that surprisingly to some made a run to the Western Conference Finals last season, and obviously has built on that experience. The biggest proclamation though was made on July 1st when the team forked over a 12-year, $62.8 million deal to winger Marian Hossa. This move signaled to the hockey world that this young team did not see the 2009 Western Conference Finals appearance as a fluke.

What I will be watching for this week is how this team deals with the extra media pressure put on a team that is set to contend for sports holy grail, this was expected of them and it will be interesting to see on how they deal with the label of favorite to win Chicago’s first Stanley Cup since 1961.

NHL Combine:

The NHL Combine is being held in Toronto from May 24-29 and it does not have the same appeal as the NFL or NBA combines, but it still is a great event to get a read on this year’s draft eligible talent. By now we’ve all have heard of the top two prospects; Windsor Spitfires winger Taylor Hall and Plymouth center Tyler Seguin, and they deserve most of the press for this year’s draft.

Let’s not forget the other 98 prospects that will be brought to Toronto for interviews, medical screenings, and fitness tests both on and off the ice. A couple of hockey bloodlines will be on display as Sault Ste. Marie defenseman Brock Beukeboom, son of four-time Stanley Cup champion Jeff Beukeboom, Oshawa forward Christian Thomas, who is the offspring of Steve Thomas, who played 20 years in the NHL, and Kamloops Blazers forward Brendan Ranford, nephew of former Oiler goaltender Bill Ranford.

Also attending are Russian top prospects Vladimir Tarasenko and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Both should put on a show. The obvious missing transfer agreement will deflect some teams from drafting these talented kids near the top of the draft. Kuznetsov put on a show at this year’s World U18 Championships with 5 goals, 12 points and +8 in being named a tournament All-Star.

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, NHL Draft, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks
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TOP SHELF: Top Scorers Around The League

Thursday, May 20th, 2010 Written by: Eric Sutter

The NHL Conference Finals in both the East and West head to hockey weekend with two teams with a 2-0 lead.

Out west the Blackhawks should change their name to the Chicago Road Warriors, as they swept both games in San Jose and tied a playoff record with seven consecutive road games.

In the East, the Canadiens failed to score in Philadelphia as Michel Leighton became the first Flyers goalie to record back-to-back shutouts since Bernie Parent.

In this weeks edition of the top shelf I will break down the scorers in both series and lastly look ahead to the upcoming Memorial Cup Finals weekend.

Sharks vs. Blackhawks:

Jonathan Toews has continued his march towards the Conn Smyth Trophy in the Western Conference Finals. The Blackhawks captain has added onto his league lead in points with three points (G, 2A) in the first two games. Also with three points for Chicago is Toews linemate Patrick Kane (3 assists) and top defenseman Duncan Keith (3 assist).

The Sharks captain, Patrick Marleau, has three points in the first two games (2G, A) and only Dan Boyle has more than a point in this series (2 assists).

The first game of the series was a shooting gallery that saw the teams combined for 85 shots but only three goals as both goalies stood tall. The second game in contrast was not as closely contested as the Blackhawks led by 3-0 and 4-1 en route to a 4-2 win. The Blackhawks have made a conscious effort to frustrate Joe Thornton in similar fashion to how they frustrated the Sedin twins.

In order for the Sharks to get back into this series, they need to focus on playing their game, not playing into the Blackhawks mind games. They have to continue to get good special teams (2 for 6 on the series). Once red hot, Joe Pavelski now has gone five games without a goal, and for the Sharks to have any chance of coming back in this series they will need their second line to wake up and produce like they did in the first two rounds.

Chicago would benefit by checking into a hotel and continue the success they feel when not playing at home. They would also like to see Marian Hossa start getting on the scoreboard as the sniper only has two goals this postseason but already has eight shots in this series. They do have a goal from each of their top three lines in this series, but would be more dangerous heading forward if Hossa wakes up and gives them two legitimate lines that strike fear in their opponent.

Flyers vs. Canadiens:

The Flyers rode a historic miracle comeback into two home wins where they outscored the Canadiens 9-0. The Orange and Black have now scored 13 unanswered goals with Danny Briere and Simon Gagne combining for six of those goals.

The playoffs are all about unheralded players stepping up when called upon and Ville Leino has done just that. The 26-year-old winger played only 13 games during the regular season for the Flyers and registered four points. He now has 11 points in 10 games since being inserted in the lineup for the injured Jeff Carter.

For the Canadiens not much can be said offensively as they have not gotten a puck past Michael Leighton. The one positive sign they can take to the Bell Center is that they have been able to outshoot the Flyers 58-48. The bad news is the Canadiens are now 0-5 when they outshoot an opponent and 8-3 when they get outshot.

The Flyers take a good amount of penalties so for the Canadiens to get back into this series they will need more scoring out of the power play, currently 0 for 8. Scoring the first goal on home ice could change the series for the Canadiens as they are 7-2 when they get the first goal, and it could give hope to the rabid fans in Montreal.

The Flyers must keep the momentum they have built from this magical run they are on. They will have to maintain the advantage they have created on the power play. With their four power play goals in this series, they now have a league high 17 power play goals.

Memorial Cup:

The Windsor Spitfires have already clinched a berth in Sunday’s Memorial Cup Final as they try to become the first team to repeat champion since the 1994-95 Kamloops Blazers.

They have been led in scoring by none other than the top prospect in the upcoming NHL entry draft, Taylor Hall. The 18-year-old winger has four goals and two assists in the three games played this year, giving him 14 career points in 9 Memorial Cup games. Also contributing for the Spits is Cam Fowler, one of the top defensive prospects in the upcoming draft, who has four points.

Facing off against the defending champions will be the winner of the Calgary Hitmen and tournament-host Brandon Wheat Kings. The Hitmen destroyed the Wheat Kings 5-1 on Wednesday and the host team will look for a better showing in the rematch Friday.

Calgary is led by the hottest scorer of the tournament, Jimmy Bubnick , who has three goals and eight points in his three games. The Thrashers sixth round pick in 2009 was traded from Kamloops earlier this season. The 6’2’’ center had 22 goals and 53 points combined for the teams, nothing spectacular in the high scoring WHL , but has come up huge for the Hitmen in the playoffs.

The Wheat Kings are offensively led by Toni Rajala (2G, 3A), the Oilers fourth round pick of 2009, and the Kings first round pick last season Brayden Schenn (G,A in 3 games). The two teams facing off on Friday have some history.

As they have met in the post-season four times in the last six years, but Calgary has won three of those times.

Tags: Brandon Wheat Kings, Calgary Hitmen, Chicago, Eastern Conference Finals, Kamloops Blazers, Memorial Cup, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Western Conference Finals, Windsor Spitfires
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Between the Pipes – Stanley Cup Conference Finals Preview and 2nd Round Recap

Sunday, May 16th, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

If you just want to read the Conference Championship previews then scroll about halfway down the first part is going to be a little bit of a 2^nd round recap.

Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Game 7 Recap

The biggest story is of course the Canadiens ousted another superstar laden team in the Penguins. After they ousted the Capitals you probably shouldn’t have been so surprised but this was the defending Stanley Cup champions we’re talking about. A young, yet playoff experienced team with back to back Stanley Cup Final appearances under their belt. So what went wrong? Well for starters Sidney Crosby took a penalty in the first 10 seconds of the game which really set the tone. The Canadiens took advantage of it and scored first and early. Most of the games they won against Pittsburgh the Habs scored in the first two minutes of the game. It’s hard mentally for a team to be down that early in a game. It’s almost like you start with a handicap. Also Fleury seems like a goalie who once he makes an early mistake lets that mistake overwhelm and take control of him mentally for the rest of the game. This leads to him playing poorly. Consequentially he wasn’t able to recover and he was pulled for Johnson. Game 5 was a game I thought the Penguins would win and they did. It was an important game because the series was now tied at two and the winner of Game 5 usually controls the series. I thought because the Penguins were the more experienced team and were at home, they would win. I thought the same thing would happen in Game 7 because the Penguins had the same things going for them in this game, wrong. It just didn’t seem like they showed up or really wanted to win the game. Maybe they were just tired because they have played the most hockey out of anyone the past three seasons. Whatever it was, the defense was just awful and once you get behind by a couple of goals against Halak you can pretty much kiss the game goodbye.

Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Game 7 Recap

The Bruins vs. Flyers series was just interesting on so many levels. First you have the Bruins going up 3-0 in the series and naturally you wouldn’t think it would be hard to win just one of the next four games. Of course since it’s the Bruins, you’d be wrong. Then in the decisive final Game 7 you have the Bruins going up 3-0 in the game, hard to lose that lead right? Wrong again, the Flyers rally back to win the game 4-3 and the series 4-3. Game 7 was essentially a microcosm of the whole series right down to the Bruins goal scoring problems. The Bruins scored the least amount of goals of all the playoff teams. Yet against the Flyers they had no problems scoring in the first three games they won and even game four which they lost. Then in the next two games they only scored one goal. In Game 7 they produced three goals in the 1^st period, so perhaps all was well again. Unfortunately they didn’t score again after that period which was a problem because they Flyers did. The Bruins has more shots in the 1^st period then they did in the 2^nd and 3^rd periods combined. You can’t win games like that and they didn’t.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Wrap-up

The Canucks must be feeling some Deja Vu right about now. For the 2^ndstraight year the Canucks were eliminated in the 2^ndround by the Blackhawks. I guess some progress was made as instead of giving up seven goals Luongo only gave up five. However the Canucks were only able to muster up one goal as opposed to last years five. Either way the Canucks have some major problems. Despite backstopping team Canada to a goal medal, Luongo still has a monkey on his back. He has yet to win anything important in the NHL. Each year his playoff GAA average has gone up and his SV% has gone down. Next year, assuming the Canucks make the postseason again, is really a make or break season for Luongo. If he fails again, I think the Canucks should look for a new goalie. Of course the Canucks signed Luongo to a hefty 12 year deal with a no trade clause until the 7^thyear, so they pretty much screwed themselves over. Good job.

7 Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

Some important things to note about this match-up. Neither of these teams would have made the playoffs in the West. They both would have been tied for 12^th. Furthermore is how the Rangers play into all of this. The Flyers didn’t make the playoffs until the last day of the season and if the Rangers had beaten them they wouldn’t even have gotten in. The Canadiens wouldn’t have made the playoffs if the NHL used the Olympic scoring system. If the NHL did the Rangers would have gotten the last spot over the Canadiens. It just illustrates how crazy the East has been this year.

Season Series: split 2-2

Playoff History: 3-2 Canadiens. Most recent in 2008 when the Flyers defeated the Canadiens in the 2^nd round.

Star to Watch: Well we all know how awesome Michael Cammalleri is, he will need to continue to be for the Canadiens Stanley Cup hopes, but I’m going with Tomas Plekanec. Despite having a three game assist streak currently I feel he has been rather quite. He also has scored a goal in the last eight games. He will need to step it up. For the Flyers I am going with mister dynamic Danny Briere. Briere had many key and pretty goals in the Bruins series. He started off slow against the Devils with no points in the first three games but he has come on as of late. He is a nice second fiddle to Mike Richards.

X-Factor: P.K. Subban who is essentially not even a rookie since he only has two regular season games under his belt. Despite the lack of experience and only being 21, Subban is leading all Canadiens in ice time for the playoffs. He is also one of the main penalty killers and currently has a +3.

Goalie Problem: Jaroslav Halak has simply been sensational. On the other side Brian Boucher had been pretty awesome in his own right, that is until he got injured. So the Flyers turned to Michael Leighton who was originally their 3^rd string goalie. I wonder if there’s ever been another time where all three goalies on a team have been injured at some point in the season. Anyway Leighton has performed well so far posting a .943 SV% and a 1.54 GAA. Neither Halak or Leighton have prior playoff experience so it will be interesting to see how they handle the increasing pressure. But then again Patrick Roy was a rookie and he did alright for himself.

Fun Fact: The 7^th and 8^th seeds have never played each other in a conference final.

Prediction: Well I picked against the Canadiens twice and was wrong both times. So this time I am going to pick them in I’ll say six games. Halak is the better goalie and I like the style of defense the Canadiens play. I think the Flyers will take to many dumb penalties and the Canadiens will capitalize on this. In reality there’s no way you could have predicted anything that has happened in the East, I mean really there’s no way.

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 2 Chicago Blackhawks

Season Series: 3-1 Blackhawks, two wins were in overtime for the Hawks

Playoff History: Zippo

Star to Watch: Joe Pavelski who has been on fire for the Sharks had a six game point streak going. His last two games though, he posted no points and a -1. He will need to get it going again against the Blackhawks for the Sharks to have a chance. For the Blackhawks keep an eye on red hot Jonathan Toews who has a nine game point streak currently going. He is also a +7 during that streak which is a huge comeback from his first three games of 1 point and a -3.

X-Factor: The Sharks haven’t played in eight days. The good thing is they well be well rested the bad thing is they may be rusty. It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t win Game 1.

Goalie Problem: Evgeni Nabokov still hasn’t impressed me all that much. Of the four starting goalies left Nabokov has the best winning percentage but he also has the worst SV% at .907. Niemi’s SV% isn’t much better at .909 but he’s had moments where he has really played well. He is also the playoff league leader in shutouts with two. Experience edge definitely goes to Nabokov having played 76 playoff games to Niemi’s 12.

Fun Fact: The last time the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup was in 1961. Of course the league was much different then. The last time they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals was in 1992 when they lost to the Penguins. I was hoping we would get a rematch but alas that was not to be, thanks Halak.

Prediction: As dominate as the Sharks have been so far, I think their run is up. I believe Chicago is the more dynamically skilled team and I like Niemi over Nabokov despite his inexperience. I think Dustin Byfuglien will again play a key part in the series with his net presence and his ability to get under everyone’s skin. The Sharks don’t really have anyone in particular to counter that. Blackhawks in six.

Goat of the Week

The Penguins Defense and Marc Andre Fleury – Pittsburgh Penguins

There’s obviously more than one blunder that can be written here but I think the 4^th goal scored shorthanded by Travis Moen sums up the Penguins D or lack thereof for the night. After a bad turnover Moen rushes up the ice in what is essentially a 1 on 3 in favor of the Pens. So you wouldn’t think it be that hard to wrest away the puck but after assistant captain Sergei Gonchar’s lackadaisical hit on Moen and no one else really attacking him, Fleury completes the awful trifecta by letting in a weak goal. It’s a shame really because that was really the dagger in the Pens back. Had that not of happen after the Pens scored those two goals to close the 2^nd, they would only have been down a goal in the third and may have had more confidence in mounting a comeback.

Numbers Numbers

14 – Number of points for Sidney Crosby in the Senators series

5 – Number of points for Sidney Crosby in the Canadiens series, which was also a game longer

7 – Number of times Jaroslav Halak has had a SV% of or over .949 out of 13 games played

14 – Shots on goal by the Bruins in Game 7 in the 1^st period

11 – Shots on goal by the Bruins in Game 7 in the 2^nd and 3^rd periods combined

-1 – +/- for Michael Cammalleri the only player in the top 16 in scoring with a minus, maybe he isn’t so awesome after all

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

May 08, 2001 Mario Lemieux tied the game with 1:18 left in regulation and Martin Straka scored the winning goal at 11:29 of OT (and added two assists) in the Penguins 3-2 win against the visiting Buffalo Sabres, in Game 6 of the East. Conference Semi-Finals.

May 09, 1994 Rookie Martin Brodeur recorded his first career playoff shutout and Bob Carpenter scored a goal and added an assist in the Devils 2-0 win over the visiting Boston Bruins, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

May 10, 1984 Grant Fuhr recorded his first career playoff shutout to lead the Oilers to a 1-0 win over the Islanders, at Long Island in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Fuhr became the first goaltender to get a shutout in Oilers’ playoff history.

May 11, 1996 Colorado’s Patrick Roy became the NHL’s all time leader in playoff minutes by a goaltender, during a 4-1 Avalanche win over Chicago, in the Western Conf. Semi-Finals. Roy passed Billy Smith, who had played 7,645 career playoff minutes.

May 12, 1993 Steve Thomas scored twice and added two assists to lead the Islanders to a 7-5 playoff win over the Penguins in New York, forcing a 7th game in the Patrick Division Finals. Kevin Stevens scored two goals and an assist for Pittsburgh.

May 13, 2000 Patrick Roy recorded his 14th career playoff shutout as the Avalanche ended the Stars’ 8-game home winning streak in the playoffs with a 2-0 victory at Dallas, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

May 14, 1995 Quebec Nordiques beat the visiting New York Rangers 4-2, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals. It was the final NHL game played in Quebec City.

May 15, 1967 In one of hockey’s biggest trades, Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield were traded from Chicago to Boston in exchange for Gilles Marotte, Pit Martin and Jack Norris.

Tags: Antti Niemi, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Danny Briere, Dustin Byfuglien, Evgeni Nabokov, Jaroslav Halak, Joe Pavelski, Jonathan Toews, Marc-Andre Fleury, Michael Cammalleri, Michael Leighton, Montreal Canadiens, P.K Subban, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Roberto Luongo, San Jose Sharks, Sidney Crosby, Tomas Plekanec, Travis Moen, Vancouver Canucks
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WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEW

Thursday, May 13th, 2010 Written by: Eric Sutter

The battle for the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl is set as the top two seeds survived and the San Jose Sharks will face the Chicago Blackhawks.

The usually disappointing Sharks have made their second Conference Finals and first since 2003-04. The Blackhawks on the other hand have now made back-to-back Conference Finals and their third since the NHL went to its current playoff format.

So let’s break this series down Pucking Awesome style.

No. 1 San Jose Sharks vs No. 2 Chicago Blackhawks:

It is the promise vs. the broken promises, so many years the Sharks have been favorites to make it to this round but have fell short, while the Blackhawks were chic pick in the preseason to make it this far.

It all comes down to the two teams that were separated by one point and clearly at the head of the Western Conference class, and it will be the year for one of these teams to make their long awaited appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Offensively both of these teams are stacked as both teams have averaged three goals a game this postseason (CHI – 3.33 and SJ – 3.09) and have featured a very balanced scoring attack as both teams have had 13 different goal scorers this playoffs.

The re-emergence of Jonathan Toews (20 pts in 12 GP) and emergence of Joe Pavelski (15 pts in 11 GP) have paced these two offensive juggernauts.

The one thing to watch offensively is whether the Sharks can keep up with the speed of the Blackhawks who have just skated pass their last two opponents with their three shorthanded goals this postseason (13 shorthanded goals in the regular season).

The Sharks will have to continue their hot play on the PK also, as both teams have only allowed six power play goals all playoffs.

Chicago beat San Jose three out of four games during the regular season including a 7-2 shellacking in Marian Hossa’s first game in a Blackhawks uniform in late November.

That game is the reason the Blackhawks outscored the Sharks 17-11 in the season series.

The first goal was also significant in the season series as the team that scored first won each game and both teams have continued that through their current runs.

The Sharks are a perfect 4-0 when scoring first and the Blackhawks are 6-1 when getting the all important first goal of the game. Both teams field top lines that can dominant a series with the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley (29 combined points for the Sharks), and Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Dustin Byfuglien (41 combined points for the Blackhawks) manning those lines.

Defensively both teams have players who love to move into offense, especially on the power play. The Sharks top pairing is a perfect mix of skill and grit as Dan Boyle has bounced back from his own goal vs Colorado with two goals and 11 points and 38 shots.

His partner, the 6’3″ Douglas Murray, will be asked to contain the big bodies of Toews and Byfuglien in front of the net.

On the other side, Norris Trophy finalist Duncan Keith and his partner Brent Seabrook have combined for 14 points and +4 while giving the Blackhawks tough minutes (597:53 combined minutes this postseason).

The real development on the Blackhawks backline has been the surprising shorthanded shutdown duo of Brent Sopel and Niklas Hjalmarsson and I haven’t even mentioned Brian Campbell, who is a part of the five man rotation since moving Byfuglien back to winger.

Goaltending is where the Sharks might have the slight edge as Evgeni Nabokov has 76 career playoff starts to Antti Niemi’s 12.

Niemi is trying to follow the footsteps of Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, and Cam Ward of rookie goalies to win the Stanley Cup.

Nabokov is trying to quiet the critics that have said that 34-year-old has come up small in big games with such a talented team in front of him. He is also playing for a contract as he is a free agent at season’s end. Nabokov has shown he can take over games against the Blackhawks. In the Sharks’ lone win against the Blackhawks this season, a 3-2 victory on Dec. 22, the Sharks were outshot 47-14.

Overall, the depth of both teams will be tested as both teams have three lines that can score. The Blackhawks have been amazing on the road this playoff with a 6-1 record while the Sharks are 5-1 at home, so something will change in that stat.

With that in mind, I predict a long series and now that my preseason Stanley Cup pick, the Canucks, are out, I think the Blackhawks will win this series in seven games.

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Western Conference Finals
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Between the Pipes – Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Recap

Thursday, May 6th, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

Okay so it really pisses me off to have the Sharks vs. Red Wings and the Canadiens vs. Penguins games starting only 30 minutes apart. Having said that I guess I should be grateful the NHL doesn’t schedule them at the same time. I love how ratings are up like 50 to 75% in all areas but considering that they weren’t that high to begin with it isn’t all that impressive. Still baby steps are encouraging and I think the NHL will continue to reach new fans over the next few years. If the series continue as they are I will have predicted three of four 2nd round series correctly, which sure beats my 1st round predictions… Now let’s get to the series recaps.

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

What we learned: Halak mostly still has it.

Things I Like: Other than a really bad game 1, probably due to exhaustion, Halak has been back to his three game wonder days against the Capitals. Only difference is that the Penguins are a little more versatile than the Capitals.

I love the atmosphere of the Bell Centre, just awesome. From the consistent chants to the chorus of boos it the kind of atmosphere I wish every NHL arena had.

Marc-Andre Fleury hasn’t always been on the top of his game in the regular season or the postseason. But he did just pitch his first shutout of the postseason in game 3. Also every postseason he starts to get hot and help carry the penguins, that shutout must just be the catalyst to his hot streak. He truly earned his shutout as a lot of the saves early in the game were pretty awesome.

Things I Don’t: Besides Michael Cammalleri, who continues to be red hot, the Canadiens are having some offensive woes. Top guys aren’t really delivering when they need to. After having an awesome start in the Capitals series, Tomas Plekanec has cooled considerably and has only one assist in the past four games including the game 7 against the Capitals. Scott Gomez has only one goal in the postseason and that was in game 1 against the Capitals. These guys need to step it up for the Canadiens to have a chance. The one bright spot for the Habs is that P.K Subban has stepped in nicely for the injured Andrei Markov.

Likely Winner: Penguins

8 – Goals by Michael Cammalleri tied for 2^nd in the league

3.03 – Team GAA for the Canadiens the worst of the remaining teams, that probably surprises you so go ahead blame Carey Price

6 Boston Bruins vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

What we learned: Philadelphia can really only beat New Jersey and the Bruins had everyone fooled.

Things I like: The Bruins regular season scoring problems was apparently a clever ruse to make people think they couldn’t score. Averaging a healthy 4 goals a game the Bruins are also getting real balanced scoring. In all three games no player has scored more than one goal.

I love the high flying open ice of the series. Asham, Satan, Briere, Krejci have all had nifty move goals or breakaway goals. I may have missed some others. In some cases this series reminds me of the Canucks vs. Kings series.

Things I don’t: The Flyers aren’t getting manhandled by the Bruins but at the same time they aren’t winning. We already know they can’t beat the Penguins in the post season but now they aren’t showing much fight against the Bruins. It’s been a season of ups and downs for the Flyers and most of the ups came against the Devils. They really need to pull out one win to have more confidence for next year.

Brian Boucher who was phenomenal against the Devils has cooled considerably against the Bruins. In game 1 he faced a ton of shots and had some nice saves, so he was still admirable in defeat. But the last two games he has been about average and he really needs to get it going for the Flyers to get a win. Boucher’s SV% is .874 against the Bruins and was .939 against the Devils.

Likely Winner: Bruins

2.34 – Goals a game average for the Bruins in the regular season

2.89 – Goals a game average for the Bruins in the postseason

4 – PIM so far this postseason for Chris Pronger an all time low that’s for sure

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 5 Detroit Red Wings

What we learned: Sometimes you win by losing.

Thing I like: Last year the Sharks got bounced in six games to the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks were by no means your typical 8^th seed and even though it was embarrassing for the Sharks, I don’t think it was that bad. Losing for them was a good thing it made them learn they weren’t where they need to be yet, that were a little over confident and it made them work harder. It has so far paid off this year. The same thing will probably happen to the Washington Capitals next year.

Joe Pavelski is on fire, so much so that at this point it doesn’t matter that Thornton and Marleau aren’t. They both were awesome on the overtime breakaway winner in game 3 though, so that more than makes up for their other shortcomings.

Things I don’t: Detroit got probably hotter than anybody down the stretch to make the playoffs. Having said that, they probably overworked themselves to much to get into the playoffs. Then to go up against a team with something to prove after a seven game series against the Coyotes, also didn’t help much. They’ll be back next year thought they might pick a few games in the meantime.

Jimmy Howard isn’t quite ready to led his team in the playoffs but he is getting there. This is all valuable experience for him. He should be a solid bet between the pipes for the Wings for the next decade.

Likely Winner: Sharks

4 to 3 – The last three scores of the Wings vs. Sharks series, talk about tight

9 – Goals by Joe Pavelski, the league leader in the playoffs so far

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 3 Vancouver Canucks

What we learned: These teams just aren’t peaking at the same time.

Things I like: Dustin Byfuglien needed to be the sparkplug in this series and so far he has. In game 3 he was truly was playing his best in his element. He screened Luongo, he goaded Canucks and he gasped scored a hat trick. If he keeps it up the Canucks don’t have much of a chance. He is the ultimate X-Factor.

After a bad game 1 Antti Niemi has bounced back with stong efforts in games 2 and 3. The Blackhawks Stanley Cup hopes lies mainly on his shoulders and I like how he has performed so far. Everyone has bad games it’s how you bounce back from them that matters. Niemi’s strong saves in a hectic 1^st period in game 3 really help set the tone for the Hawks in the game.

I liked Marian Hossa’s enthusiasm after he scored his goal in game 3 with his “yeah baby” yell. He has been mostly quiet thus far and I’d like to see if that goal helps energize him and get him more involved.

Roberto Luongo is a quote machine. From his first round gem of “I only play when it matters” to this round’s “Momentum is overrated” I’d love to know what he’d say in the Stanley Cup round if given the chance to play for it.

Things I don’t: The referring this Stanley Cup playoffs has been spotty at best. In game 3 of the series a couple of Blackhawks basically pushed Luongo into the net and it was called a good goal. They reviewed it and it was still a good goal. Byfuglien and the other Blackhawk weren’t pushed in by any Canucks and it’s ludicrous to count the goal when Luongo had no chance to make a play. Not to mention in another series, I can’t remember which, a similar goal was disallowed. Consistency is something refs should strive for as is not allowing goals that clearly are not legal.

The Sedin twins have been neutralized by the Blackhawks top defensive pair since game 1. Since the top line provides most of the offense for the Canucks that poses a huge problem. Coach Vigneault needs to get more creative on his line changes and perhaps even split up the twins.

What I mostly hate is how the Canucks brought their A game in game 1 and the Blackhawks didn’t show up. The Blackhawks brought their A game in game 3 the Canucks didn’t really show up. In game 2 the 1^st period was all Canucks and the 3^rd period was all Blackhawks. I’d like to see both teams just bring their A game for the whole game just once. That’s what everyone wants to see.

Likely Winner: Blackhawks

.932 – Antti Niemi’s SV% in games 2 and 3 combined

0.5 – Combined PPG average of the Sedins against the Blackhawks

1.5 – Combined PPG average of the Sedins against the Kings

Goat of the Week

Kevin Bieksa – Vancouver Canucks

Kris Versteeg gets credited for the goal but Bieksa was the one that actually knocked it in. Bieksa was at a bad angle but he could have done a better job in knocking the puck in a different direction. Having said that he was rushed by Versteeg which made him panic and forced him to react quicker.

Warning: The video is highlights of the whole game but the goal is the first clips in the reel. This was the only video I could find that had the overhead replay of the goal.

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

April 29, 1986 Rookie Claude Lemieux scored the winning goal at 5:55 of overtime as the Canadiens won 2-1 over the Hartford Whalers, at the Forum in Game 7 of the Adams Division Finals. Montreal advanced to the Conference Finals vs NY Rangers.

April 30, 2003 Anaheim’s Mike Leclerc scored a power play goal with 1:47 remaining in regulation, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere recorded his first career playoff shutout, in a 1-0 victory over the visiting Dallas Stars, in Game 4 of the Western Conf. Semi-Finals

May 01, 1992 Buffalo’s Pat LaFontaine became the first player in NHL history to score a goal in each of his team’s first 7 playoff games in one year. The milestone came in a 3-2 Sabres loss at Boston, in Game 7 of the Adams Division Semi-Finals.

May 02, 1971 Bobby Hull scored a goal and added two assists to lead the Black Hawks to a 4-2 playoff win over the New York Rangers, in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals at Chicago Stadium. Black Hawks advanced to the Finals vs Montreal.

May 03, 1994 Don Sweeney scored the winning goal at 9:08 of overtime as the Bruins won 6-5 over the Devils at New Jersey, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The win gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the series.

May 04, 1972 Bobby Orr scored a goal to break the career record for defensemen playoff goals. #17 came in only his 47th playoff game. He broke the mark set by Detroit’s Red Kelly (16) in 94 playoff games. Boston lost to the Rangers, 5-2 at New York.

May 05, 1977 Montreal’s Bob Gainey scored twice to lead the Canadiens to a 2-1 win over the Islanders at New York, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals. With the win Montreal advanced to the Finals against Boston.

Tags: Antti Niemi, Arron Asham, Boston Bruins, Brian Boucher, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Pronger, Daniel Sedin, Danny Briere, David Krejci, Detroit Red Wings, Dustin Byfuglien, Henrik Sedin, Jaroslav Halak, Jimmy Howard, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Kevin Bieksa, Kris Versteeg, Marc-Andre Fleury, Marian Hossa, Michael Cammalleri, Miroslav Satan, Montreal Canadiens, P.K Subban, Patrick Marleau, Pittsburgh Penguins, Roberto Luongo, San Jose Sharks, Scott Gomez, Tomas Plekanec, Vancouver Canucks
Posted in Features | 2 Comments »

Between the Pipes – 2nd Round Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

Thursday, April 29th, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

The second round begins with a few surprises and I’m not sure if you noticed but each of the eight seeds are represented. 4,6,7,8 in the East and 1,2,3,5 in the West. I’m mostly annoyed that I was robbed of many fine game sevens and I had to settle for just two. I was really looking forward to Vancouver vs. Los Angeles for one more go. That emerged as my favorite series with probably Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa creeping in at number 2. San Jose vs. Colorado fell down in my book because the Avalanche just didn’t get many shots off or make the final games very competitive. Boston vs. Buffalo came on strong in the end to make two of the last three games quite entertaining. Looking back on the 1^st round only one series ended in less than six games and every series in the West was tied 2-2 at some point, proving how competitive the West was this year.

As for the two game sevens we did get, I didn’t care for the Coyotes vs. Red Wings. I guess the Coyotes, despite being at home, never really had a chance especially without Shane Doan. They just couldn’t get any offense going despite Bryzgalov’s best efforts. In the end an amazing journey for the Phoenix Coyotes and their season has come to an end. As for the other game…

I have to say I’m a little stunned at the outcome of the Capitals vs. Canadiens series. Now the Capitals have underachieved before and have had problems closing out opponents in other series but this was a little different. They played really well all season except for down the stretch when they had nothing to play for. It may have hurt them because they probably got a little too used to playing for nothing. The Canadiens were just lucky to be in the playoffs. Varlamov played well and probably played a lot better than most people thought he would. Unfortunately he didn’t get much offensive or defensive help at certain times. The real story was Jaroslav Halak pulling his best Patrick Roy circa 1986 impression. Halak faced 134 shots in the final three games and he only allowed three goals. This equates to a mind numbing .977 SV%. Ovechkin’s disappointing year continues. No league leading goals or points trophy, no gold medal or any medal and now no Stanley Cup. The great number eight will defiantly have better seasons ahead. Regardless of the outcome the last five minutes of the game were phenomenal. A truly remarkable first round and one of the best first rounds I can remember. Of course this could also be attributed to the fact that I saw basically all the games since I watched them all online. I didn’t have to just watch whatever limited games were broadcasted on TV. One thing that bothered me was on the Fox Sports Red Wings and Predators broadcasts, both of them mentioned Pittsburgh as the 5^th seed. No, they are the 4^th seed how hard is it to look that up? Also the announcing team on the Predators broadcasts sure don’t look like hockey announcers, not that you have a certain look per say but you can defiantly tell they are from the south.

The young teams in the West with little to no playoff experience (Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche and Phoenix Coyotes) all made great strides this year. Prolonging a series to six or seven games against more playoff savvy teams is a great accomplishment. All should be a force to reckon in next year’s playoff. I particularly like the Kings upside assuming Jonathon Quick continues to develop into the top goalie he is projected to become.

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

Season Series: split 3-1 Penguins

Playoff History: 1-0 Canadiens. The only time they met was in 1998 in the 1^st round. Sidney Crosby was ten then.

Star to Watch: Sidney Crosby to see if he can continue his epic scoring pace against the hottest goalie around in Jaroslav Halak.

X-Factor: Michael Cammalleri came on strong against the Capitals and he leads the team with 10 points. He single handedly beat the Caps in game six. The Canadiens will need him to continue to produce if they are to pull off another shocker.

Goalie Problem: Well Halak is not a problem so that leaves Fleury in the hot seat. Fleury’s current SV% is .890 but he usually comes up big when necessary. He will need to come up a big a little more often if Halak is able to stymie Pittsburgh’s big guns.

Fun Fact: Since the 1994 playoff format switch, only nine 8^th seeds have beaten the 1^st seed out of 32 possible tries, the Canadiens being the ninth.

Prediction: Well I said the Capitals would sweep the Candiens, oops though I should have written five or six games I never would have thought Candiens in seven. I’m going to have to go with Penguins in six just because there isn’t much difference with this Penguins team and the two that made the Finals.

6 Boston Bruins vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

Season Series: 2-2 split

Playoff History: 2-2 split. Not since 1978 have these two met in the post season. Starting in 1974 they met in four of the five following post seasons.

Star to Watch: Mike Richards because with Jeff Carter out this is Richards’ team. Richards has played well so far, as he is 8^th in scoring and leads the Flyers in scoring this post season. He will have to kick it up a notch to best Rask and advance the Flyers to the next round.

X-Factor: Can Satan continue to dominate? Miroslav Satan delivered game winners in Game 4 and Game 6 and his patented Satan Shuffle. In fact those were the only two goals he scored. The magic of Satan, the Bruins hope he has a little left in him.

Goalie Problem: The Bruins never had a problem in net and considering they usurped the best goalie this season in Ryan Miller I say they’re doing good. Boucher has become the top goalie with Halak this postseason, so none for the Flyers either.

Fun Fact: In the two post seasons the Bruins beat the Flyers in the 2^nd round and then they lost in the conference finals to the Canadiens. That could happen again this year and wouldn’t it be something if it did?

Prediction: Well this is a really tough one to call. I could never have envisioned this pairing and I’m sure the Bruins never envisioned a scenario that they would get home ice in. While the Bruins have found a little scoring depth and Rask is playing well, I think the Flyers are the more complete team. They are built for the playoffs. Unless of course Boucher returns to normal, then advantage Bruins if not Flyers in six.

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 4 Detroit Red Wings

Season Series: 3-1 Red Wings

Playoff History: 2-1 Red Wings. The last two times the teams met in the 2^nd round and the Wings won both. The most recent meeting was in 2007.

Star to Watch: Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton. I wrote about Marleau in last round’s preview about how he always disappears in the playoffs, well he hasn’t been found yet. Thornton has also joined him and he has no goals in six games, yikes. Both of them will need to bring their A game to have a chance at beating the Red Wings.

X-Factor: The Sharks made it out of the 1^st round, hooray. However their real problem is getting out of the 2^nd round as before their ouster in the 1^st round last year, they couldn’t get past the 2^nd round in the three post seasons following their Conference Finals lost in 2004. Now is when the true test for the Sharks begins.

Goalie Problem: Evgeni Nabokov played alright in the 1^st round but he also wasn’t tested. He faced the least amount of shots of the twelve goalies who played six games. Howard is a rookie so he is just gaining experience. The game seven Coyotes win was huge for him. Still his game is not complete and the Sharks should be able to pepper him with enough shots and exploit his game. Let’s face it Jimmy Howard is not Craig Anderson circa this year or Jonas Hiller circa last year and the Sharks will be much relieved of this.

Fun Fact: The Red Wings don’t lose in the 2^nd round very often. In the past 18 post seasons they have only done so four times. The Sharks on the other hand have lost in the 2^nd round 7 of 12 times.

Prediction: Well I’m hoping for San Jose but also I think they are the better team. Detroit struggled to make the playoffs until the last month and they struggled at times to beat the Coyotes. I think the Sharks have finally put it all together, let’s face it they have had plenty of time to, Sharks in seven.

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 3 Vancouver Canucks

Season Series: Split 2-2

Playoff History: 2-1 Blackhawks. The last two times they met in the conference semifinals and the Blackhawks won both of them. The most recent meeting was of course last year when Luongo gave up seven goals in the decisive game six.

Star to Watch: The Twinkie twins I mean the Sedin twins, thanks Panger. Neither has averaged over a point a game in any post season. They both currently are and they will need to continue to in order to beat the upper crust Western Conference teams.

X-Factor: Dustin Byfuglien hasn’t done much of anything yet. He has no points so far and even more surprising he has only two penalty minutes. Last year he was tied for 3^rd in PIM in the playoffs. Granted he has been playing out of position as a defenseman but he is moving back to forward in this series. He will need to get involved in the game more if he is to provide that pesky spark that he did so well in providing last year.

Goalie Problem: Roberto Luongo and Antti Niemi are very similar in that sometimes they have great games and other times you’re left scratching your head. Luongo has more of an upside but Niemi had way better numbers in the 1^st round, though numbers aren’t everything. If Luongo plays like he did in game six against the Kings advantage Canucks.

Fun Fact: These two teams were the 2^nd (Vancouver) and 3^rd (Chicago) highest scoring teams in the regular season. Chicago had the most shots on goal and the 10^th highest shooting percentage. Vancouver had the 10^th most shots on goal and the 2^nd highest shooting percentage.

Prediction: Both teams looked beatable in the 1^st round but I don’t think Chicago has peaked yet, while I think Vancouver has. I also don’t think Luongo can play consistently well the whole series. Chicago in seven.

Goat of the Week

Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators

Poor Pekka he played his heart out and almost helped the Predators upset the Blackhawks. Alas it was not to be and his gaffe in the sixth game sealed that fate. Many Blackhawks say he played the puck correctly, as a former goalie I say no he did not. He reacted way too early to a puck that was far away. Even if the puck did what he thought it was going to do, he would have had plenty of time to play it.

Mathieu Schneider – Phoenix Coyotes

It wasn’t the greatest pass from Lee Stempniak but Schneider’s poor handling of the pass coupled with Brad Stuart leaving the penalty box at around the same time, led to the goal that essentially broke the Coyotes back.

Numbers, Numbers

1 – of 33 on the power play for the Washington Capitals the top scoring team for a PP% of 3

0 – of 19 on the power play for the Buffalo Sabres

10 – of 26 on the power play for the Los Angeles Kings for a PP% of 38.5 tops in the post season

.940 – Brian Boucher’s SV% in six playoff games started

.939 – Jaroslav Halak’s SV% in six playoff games started

2.33 – Sidney Crosby’s PPG in the playoffs

1.83 – Mikael Samuelsson PPG in the playoffs the next closet player

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

April 22, 1993 Yuri Khmylev scored twice, including a power play goal at 1:05 of overtime, and added an assist to lead the Sabres to a 4-3 playoff win over the Bruins at the Aud. Buffalo took a 3-0 lead in the Adams Division Semi-Final series.

April 23, 1991 Pittsburgh’s Kevin Stevens became just the third player in NHL history to get three straight game winning goals in one playoff series, in a 3-1 win at Washington, in Game 4 of the Patrick Division Finals. Mark Recchi added a goal and two assists.

April 24, 1994 Gary Suter scored a hat trick and Jeremy Roenick scored the winning goal at 1:23 of overtime and added three assists to lead the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over Toronto in Chicago, in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarter-Finals.

April 25, 1994 Claude Lemieux scored twice and added two assists to lead the Devils to a 5-3 win over the Sabres in New Jersey, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals. New Jersey took a 3-2 lead in the series.

April 26, 1997 Rod Brind’Amour scored two shorthanded goals within a span of :54 (to tie an NHL record for most SHG in one game) and added an assist in the Flyers 6-3 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conf. Quarter-Finals.

April 27, 1992 Rookie goalie Tom Draper recorded his only career playoff shutout, and Petr Svoboda picked up two assists as the Sabres won 2-0, at Boston in Game 5 of their Adams Division Semi-Finals series.

April 28, 1984 Minnesota and Edmonton combined to set a Stanley Cup playoff record for most power play goals in one game, with seven. North Stars had four and Oilers had three as Edmonton won 8-5, in Game 3 of the Campbell Conference Finals.

Rankings

Based on the likelihood of winning the Stanley Cup

1. Chicago

2. Vancouver

3. Pittsburgh

4. San Jose

5. Detroit

6. Philadelphia

7. Boston

8. Montreal

Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Antti Niemi, Boston Bruins, Brian Boucher, Chicago Blackhawks, Craig Anderson, Daniel Sedin, Detroit Red Wings, Dustin Byfuglien, Evgeni Nabokov, Henrik Sedin, Jaroslav Halak, Jeff Carter, Jimmy Howard, Joe Thornton, Jonas Hiller, Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mathieu Schneider, Michael Cammalleri, Mikael Samuelsson, Mike Richards, Miroslav Satan, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, Patrick Marleau, Pekka Rinne, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Roberto Luongo, San Jose Sharks, Shane Doan, Sidney Crosby, Tuukka Rask, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals
Posted in Features | 2 Comments »

Between the Pipes – 1st Round Stanley Cup playoff recap… so far

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

What an awesome 1^st round it’s been so far, probably the best bunch of 1^st round matches in quite some time. Ratings are up, all of the 1^st round series were tied 1-1 at some point and we’ve had a lot of overtimes. High intensity matchups and wide open hockey, you have got to love it. Best series so far for me are the Coyotes vs. the Red Wings, Canucks vs. Kings and Avalanche vs. Sharks. My least favorite are the Bruins vs. Sabres and the Blackhawks vs. Predators. I have no idea what it is but I just can’t get into either one. Also there have been way too many goalies overplaying the 1^st save to lead to a wide open second chance which has generally gone in. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen that happen this much.

So far I haven’t cared for the NHL’s scheduling. You have five games some days and three other days. It should just be four and four. Second and most annoying are the times the NHL has two games start at 7pm ET, why? Keep them stacked at 7pm then 7:30pm so that when the first is over you can still watch half of the 3^rd period. As opposed to when the first 7pm game is over you turned to the other 7pm game and watch the final minute, wow one minute so awesome. (note sarcasm)

So I think I’ll try a new recap column format for the playoffs that incorporates some of the old format. I didn’t have time to do as many numbers as I would like to have.

1 Washington Capitals vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

What we learned: The Capitals defensive problems are actually much worse than anticipated.

Things I Like: Niklas Backstrom is really having a break-out playoffs. Thomas Plekanac or Thomas Jagr, as per his new nickname, is really having a great series. This comes as no surprise as he has been the best player all year for them. I liked how Ovechkin rebounded from his Game 1 disaster. Everyone has bad games, even stars, it’s how you rebound from them that matters. I love the Montreal arena atmosphere, just awesome. There is nothing like hockey in Canada.

Things I Don’t: Alexander Semin, who I mentioned needed to have a big few series, is not having a break-out playoffs. He literally has done nothing having zero points. However you can’t say he isn’t trying as he has 16 shots which is leading the capitals. Defense on some of the goals that the Capitals have given up has just been atrocious. We knew that their Defense wasn’t their strongest point but if they expect to beat more complete teams in subsequent rounds it needs to be at least adequate.

Likely Winner: Capitals

0 – Saves made by Jose Theodore on two shots

0 – Points and shots by Alex Ovechkin in the 1^st game

0 – Points thus far by Alexander Semin

2 New Jersey Devils vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

What we learned: The Devils are becoming the new Sharks.

Things I like: I don’t think anyone would have though Brian Boucher would play as well as he has so far, even Brian Boucher. If he keeps it up the Flyers might not need Emery or anyone else to come back.

Things I don’t: There was a call in Game 2, I believe, that led to a Flyers goal that should not have been a penalty. The Devils defenseman knocked the Flyer down but he did so after making contact with the puck first. Sometimes I wish there was instant replay for penalties too. The Devils are now down 3-1 and barring some sort of miracle are now toast. If they lose one more game this will be the 3^rd year in a row they will not have gotten out of the 1^st round as a high seed. This is not what Kovalchuk was acquired for. Martin Brodeur’s play is declining a little bit and he isn’t getting any younger. I smell problems in New Jersey and it’s not the garden state. The only good thing about the Devils going down in the 1^st round is that it should pave the way for the Capitals vs. Penguins Conference Final we all wanted.

Likely Winner: Flyers

.886% – Brodeur’s save percentage

3 Buffalo Sabres vs. 6 Boston Bruins

What we learned: That neither one of these teams are that great.

Things I like: Miller has so far played fairly well but he is being outplayed by Tuukka Rask who is making sure Tim Thomas won’t get to play. This was the battle of goalie play series and thus far it has lived up to its billing.

Things I don’t: We knew the Bruins had problems scoring goals but the Sabres seem to have more problems. It’s weird because towards the end of the Season Buffalo was scoring pretty well but so far nobody on the team has more than two points.

Likely Winner: Bruins

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Ottawa Senators

What we learned: Love him or hate him Sidney Crosby is the man. Also someone on the Ottawa bench can’t count.

Things I like: Sidney Crosby owned game 2 in a must win game for the Penguins. All the key plays in the game involved him. He had the first goal, an amazing sliding save on a puck going near the goal line and he set up the GWG with some awesome work behind the net before he passed the puck on one knee. He has been electric since that game.

Things I don’t: Ottawa has had three too many men on the ice penalties. One is bad, two is really bad and three is just ridiculous. In the playoffs it’s just embarrassing. I didn’t care for Andy Sutton’s hit on Jordan Leopold. They said it wasn’t dirty but Leopold had his head down and couldn’t see and Sutton made contact with his head. Considering how long he lay on the ice, I think Sutton should have gotten something. Brian Elliott seems to have no chance. Poor guy, he played fairly well in the regular season. In his defense Pascal LeClaire didn’t fare much better.

Likely Winner: Penguins

11 – Points by Sidney Crosby in four games, the league leader

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 8 Colorado Avalanche

What we learned: The Sharks are cursed, no seriously they are, and also Craig Anderson is quite a goalie.

Thing I like: I really think Craig Anderson is the round 1 breakout star. So far he has been phenomenal and he has already helped to steal some games for the Avs. Whether he can steal the series outright like Hiller did for the Ducks last year remains to be seen. I love the fact that 3 of the 4 games have gone to overtime, I do wish some of them would be a little longer though.

Things I don’t: I didn’t care for the Adam Foote penalty in overtime in game 2. Sure it was a penalty but it really had no effect on the outcome of the play, so it shouldn’t have been called. In the playoffs in overtime I want to see them play without whistles. Only major penalties that really affect the game should be called. The Avalanche are not a consistent bunch. They had almost no shots on goal in games two and three but they shot fine in games one and four. I really think if the Sharks lose this series they need to just rebuild the whole team. If they win regardless of how far they go, they need to find a new goalie because Nabokov is just not cutting it in the playoffs.

103 – Combined shots by San Jose in games 2 and 3

39 – Combined shots by Colorado in games 2 and 3

174 – total shots faced by Craig Anderson, yikes

Likely Winner: San Jose, barely

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7 Nashville Predators

What we learned: The Blackhawks sure hit a lot of crossbars and posts. As for the Predators well.. they’re like the Blue Jackets why do they exist? Sorry Predator and Blue Jacket fans it’s just the name and the city it’s just all wrong.

Things I like: The Blackhawks goaltending receives a lot of flack but so far Anti Niemi has played pretty well. He has given up a couple of bad goals but otherwise it’s been all good and he even has a shutout. Unfortunately he isn’t getting much help. Pekka Rinne has so far been sensational, which also doesn’t help Niemi.

Things I don’t: The Blackhawks really haven’t played all that well and I’m not really sure what the problem is. The definitely need to work on their accuracy with all the pings they have gotten at the end of the season and thus far in the 1^st round. Considering the progress they made last post season and the addition of Hossa losing in the 1^st round would be a huge step backwards for them. It would also help if the captain Jonathan Toews would show up.

Likely Winner: I still think Chicago can pull it out

.953% – Save percentage of Pekka Rinne, the league leader

3 Vancouver Canucks vs. 6 Los Angeles Kings

What we learned: If you thought the Gold medal was what Luongo needed to get over the hump, well it wasn’t.

Things I like: Drew Doughty is the man. Despite that fact that he is only 21 and he leads the Kings in postseason scoring as a defenseman what really makes him awesome are his defensive skills. He’s had many phenomenal plays including breaking up a Sedin twins two on one. Overall this has been an exciting series and the Los Angeles crowds are into the games.

Things I don’t: Luongo and Nabokov seem to have the same problem of not showing up in the playoffs. If Luongo can’t pull it together it doesn’t look good for the Canucks. The Sedin Game 3 kicked goal should have been a goal. It was not a direct kicking motion. It’s possible his plan was to stop there to force the puck in but I highly doubt it. Good news was it didn’t matter because they lost by two goals.

Likely Winner: Kings

4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. 5 Detroit Red Wings

What we learned: Shane Doan can get really pumped when he scores a goal, I just loved his enthusiasm.

Things I like: Despite how high the Coyotes finished I still had my doubts with how they would fare in the postseason especially opening against the Red Wings. But they played exceptionally well and some of the up and down play by both teams in certain stretches was unreal. I dug the crowd in Phoenix in the first two games they were very loud and it’s nice they finally came out to support their team. It should be rocking for Game 5.

Things I don’t: There isn’t much to fault except the goalies might want to practice defending breakaways a little more.

Likely Winner: too close to call

Goat of the Week

Dan Boyle – San Jose Sharks

Well I’m sure you’ve all seen this a billion times by now, but hey let’s see it again.

I have to admit I laughed when this happened. All I could think was typical Sharks luck, I mean what are the odds that this would happen to anyone else but them in the playoffs? I can’t tell if O’Reilly actually tipped the puck or not.

T.J Galiardi – Colorado Avalanche

Another gaffe that happened in Game 3 was T.J Galiardi’s breakaway, which was by far the worst breakaway I have ever seen. All he did was stickhandle the entire time until he ran out of ice and ran into Nabokov. Shoot the puck T.J you can’t score if you don’t shoot. Unless he thought Nabokov would fall asleep because of sheer boredom. If he would have connected, he would have spared Dan Boyle.

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

April 15, 1975 Vancouver Canucks recorded their first-ever playoff win, 2-1 at Montreal to even their series at one game apiece in Game 2 of the Quarter-Finals. Garry Monahan tallied the first playoff game-winner for Vancouver, while Bob Dailey had two assists.

April 16, 1987 Ken Wregget recorded his second career playoff shutout to lead the Maple Leafs to a 4-0 win over the visiting St. Louis Blues, in Game 6 of the Norris Division Semi-Finals. With the win, Toronto advanced to the Division Finals vs Detroit.

April 17, 1969 Gerry Cheevers became the first goaltender in playoff history to get 3 straight shutouts at home, and Phil Esposito scored twice and added 3 assists, in the Bruins’ 5-0 win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens, in Game Three of the Semi-Finals.

April 18, 1993 Pittsburgh Penguins won 6-3 over the Devils at the Civic Arena to tie an NHL record with their 12th consecutive playoff victory. The record was set in 1984-85 by the Edmonton Oilers. Mario Lemieux scored two goals and two assists.

April 19, 1982 Denis Savard scored a hat trick to lead the Black Hawks to a 7-4 playoff win over St. Louis, in Game 4 of the Norris Division Finals at Chicago Stadium.

April 20, 1994 Chris Osgood became the fifth rookie goalie in NHL history to record a shutout in his first career playoff game, when he led the Red Wings to a 4-0 win over the Sharks, in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarter-Finals, in Detroit.

Tags: Adam Foote, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Andy Sutton, Anti Niemi, Boston Bruins, Brian Boucher, Brian Elliott, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Craig Anderson, Dan Boyle, Detroit Red Wings, drew doughty, Evgeni Nabokov, Jonathan Toews, Jordan Leopold, Los Angeles Kings, Martin Brodeur, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Niklas Backstrom, Ottawa Senators, Pekka Rinne, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Miller, San Jose Sharks, Shane Doan, Sidney Crosby, T.J Galiardi, Thomas Plekanac, Tuukka Rask, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals
Posted in Features | 1 Comment »

Between the Pipes – NHL Recap and 1st Round Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

Monday, April 12th, 2010 Written by: Alex Mueller

Well start growing your hockey beards it’s that time of year. Let’s take a look at the match-ups and try and break it down. BTW I love Wikipedia, it makes life so much easier. Also in case your wondering if going to the Olympic scoring system (Teams get three standings points for winning in regulation, two points for winning in overtime or in a shootout and one point for a team that loses in overtime or a shootout) would have had any impact on this season the answer is basically no. Exhibit A is here, the only difference is Nashville finishes ahead of Los Angeles and the New York Rangers gets in over Montreal. So basically only Rangers fans are upset right now. If you’re wondering I did not take that photo. I’ve discussed the current point system before here. I’m just annoyed the final spot came down to a shootout. I really think the overtime needs to be made at least ten minutes.

1 Washington Capitals vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

Season Series: split 2-2

Playoff History: They have never played each other, well there’s a first time for everything.

Star to Watch: Alexander Semin because he needs to step his game up to the next level in the playoffs for the Capitals to have a chance at the Stanley Cup.

X-Factor: With Saku Koivu and Alexei Kovalev gone Tomas Plekanec is the man in Montreal. He produced a goose egg in three games in last years playoff. He will need to play well for Montreal to have any chance.

Goalie Problem: Both teams have problems and they both might go with a two headed monster in net. But I think in Montreal’s case they stick with Jaroslav Halak. He’s certainly played better down the stretch and earned it. As for the Capitals they said the plan on rotating between Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov. I say go for it because if there is any round which you can afford to experiment it would be this one. Have them play every other game and go with the hotter one.

Fun Fact: Washington has scored 101 more goals this year than Montreal.

Prediction: The Washington Capitals should sweep the Canadiens unless Varlamov/Theodore truly suck it up.

2 New Jersey Devils vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

Season Series: 5-1 Flyers

Playoff History: 2-1 in favor of the Devils, last meeting was in 2004 which the Flyers won in the 1^st round.

Star to Watch: Ilya Kovalchuk because the spotlight is on him. He was acquired for the playoffs and now it’s his time to shine. He has only played in four games in the postseason before but he’s surrounded by a group that’s been there before. I expect the Devils to continue to jumble their top two lines to find a good fit for everyone including Ilya.

X-Factor: Can Chris Pronger stay out of the penalty box? He sure had a problem doing so in Anaheim at key moments. However, last year was the first year he averaged under one PIM a game in his postseason career.

Goalie Problem: The Flyers employed a three headed monster in goal this season and lost two of its heads to injury and were left with just Boucher. This is his second stop in Philly and he was last in the playoffs with them in 2002 where he only played in two games. He played well in the must win against the Rangers.

Fun Fact: Philadelphia had the 2^nd highest PIM this season while New Jersey had the 3^rd lowest. I smell fights though.

Prediction: Well despite the advantage of the Flyers in the regular season, the Flyers have played poorly down the stretch and are lucky to have made the playoffs. The Devils are still mad about being bounced in the 1^st round the past two seasons. I think they and Brodeur have something to prove, Devils in six or seven.

3 Buffalo Sabres vs. 6 Boston Bruins

Season Series: Boston 4-2

Playoff History: 5-2 Boston, though Buffalo has won the last two meetings the last one being in 1999 in the 2^nd round.

Star to Watch: Well slim pickings in the star category but I’d have to say Michael Ryder. Marc Savard is injured, Phil Kessel is gone and it’s up to Ryder to lead them in playoff scoring like he did last year.

X-Factor: How will Calder candidate Tyler Myers hold up? Myers was phenomenal playing for the Kelowna Rockets in the playoffs last year and he will need to deliver again.

Goalie Problem: Neither of these teams have one, unless you consider choosing between Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas a problem. Personally I call that a luxury.

Fun Fact: If Tuukka Rask plays most/all of the round, this match-up will feature the top two goalies in GAA and SV% this season.

Prediction: Buffalo in five games because the Bruins just don’t score enough and goals will not be plentiful on Ryan Miller.

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Ottawa Senators

Season Series: split 2-2

Playoff History: Bad blood between these two. They didn’t meet last year as Ottawa didn’t make the playoffs but they met the previous two years in the 1^st round and here they are again. The first time the Senators beat the baby faced Penguins who vowed revenged next year. They got their revenge with a sweep and supposedly tanked on purpose to draw the Senators in the first round.

Star to Watch: Evgeni Malkin because he hasn’t been healthy lately but when he has been in the lineup he’s still been effective. The key to the series (but mostly other series) might be how often he can play.

X-Factor: Can Kris Letang (3) and Brooks Orpik (2) both score more goals in the postseason than they did in the regular season? Probably.

Goalie Problem: Mac-Andre Fleury hasn’t played all that well the last month except for three games. But playoff off time is generally when Fleury shines so he should rebound nicely. If not we might see some of Brent Johnson. Brian Elliot gets some much needed experience for Ottawa.

Fun Fact: The winner in each of the two previous playoff meetings went on to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals first to the Ducks and then to the Red Wings, will that happen again?

Prediction: Pittsburgh should win this probably in five games but possibly a sweep. The Senators are probably one of the weakest five seeded teams in some time.

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 8 Colorado Avalanche

Season Series: split 2-2

Playoff History: They have met three times in the playoffs before, the Avalanche hold the series lead 2-1. They haven’t met since the 2004 playoffs when San Jose bounced them in the 2^nd round.

Star to Watch: Patrick Marleau, people rag on Joe Thornton a lot, but where the hell does Marleau disappear to in the playoffs? He has 11 points in 19 games and a -2 the past two seasons. With the addition of Danny Heatley he does have a little less pressure but now he has no more excuses.

X-Factor: With all that Colorado youth I’m sure they’ll have no pressure and continue to play as normal. That might be a probably if San Jose ratchets up the intensity but Adam Foote, Milan Hejduk and Stephane Yelle have sure been here before.

Goalie Problem: Craig Anderson has been overworked this year and it’s by far the most amount of games he as ever played in the NHL in one season. Subsequently he started to wear out at the end. He was stupidly not rested in a meaningless game against the Kings. Way to go management. Evgeni Nabokov will need to put last year’s playoff debacle against the Ducks behind him and play better.

Fun Fact: San Jose has only been past the 2^nd round once. Colorado has been past the 2^nd round six times. San Jose has been around four more years as a franchise.

Prediction: Honestly this is probably the hardest series to predict. I can actually see the Avalanche beating the Sharks. Whatever happens, it’s going seven games but I’ll just say Colorado for the hell of it. Prove me wrong San Jose.

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7 Nashville Predators

Season Series: Chicago 4-2

Playoff History: None, then again the Predators haven’t been around that much.

Star to Watch: Jonathan Toews because he really needs to have a breakout campaign in the playoffs for Chicago to reach where they want to go. Anchoring Hossa, Kane and/or Sharp should help him reach his potential.

X-Factor: The Predators have never been out of the 1^st round and they sure would like too. I’m sure the fans in Nashville really don’t care.

Goalie Problem: Antti Niemi has played really well down the stretch with a .927 SV%, except for the game against St. Louis. If he keeps it up we won’t see Huet. Nashville is a good first round opponent for Niemi as they aren’t exactly an offensive powerhouse. He only faced Nashville once this year and wasn’t stellar with an 800 SV% and a 4.00 GAA.

Fun Fact: Chicago has been to the playoffs 54 times and Nashville four times, not including this year.

Prediction: Chicago in five. I expect big things from Chicago this year; then again they made it all the way to the conference finals last year. Chicago just has way more talent than Nashville. I’m amazed Nashville finished as high as they did.

3 Vancouver Canucks vs. 6 Los Angeles Kings

Season Series: Vancouver 3-1

Playoff History: 2-1 Los Angeles and not since the 2^nd round in 1993 when the Kings made it to the Stanley Cup finals.

Star to Watch: Way too many to mention here. I’ll have to say Anze Kopitar vs. Henrik Sedin in the head to head center match-up, fun times indeed. Henrik obviously has the experience advantage and his new Art Ross hardware.

X-Factor: We have the inexperienced defense of the Kings, minus Scuderi and O’Donnell of course, vs. the banged up Canucks defense. I think we will be seeing some high scoring games.

Goalie Problem: What has happened to Roberto Luongo? If Luongo can regain his form the Canucks may go for, if not they could get bounced in the 1^st round.

Fun Fact: The only win this year that Los Angeles had over Vancouver, the Kings scored eight goals on Luongo.

Prediction: Well this will probably be the most fun of all the first round series and another hard one to predict. It should go seven but I guess I’ll take the Canucks.

4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. 5 Detroit Red Wings

Season Series: split 2-2

Playoff History: Only met one other time in 1998, Detroit won in the 1^st round.

Star to Watch: Shane Doan returns to the playoffs with the Coyotes for the first time since 2002. He’s the only one left from that team as well. Doan will need to step it up for the Coyotes to have any chance at all.

X-Factor: How much do the Red Wings care? I mean they’ve been there done that a few times before. Phoenix on the other hand has not accomplished anywhere near as much. Between their ownership problems, their surprising season and not making the playoffs in eight years it should make for an interesting dynamic. At least fans finally came out to support the Coyotes. I’m looking forward to the WhiteOut.

Goalie Problem: Jimmy Howard doesn’t have a lot of playoff experience and neither does Ilya Bryzgalov. While Howard has none, Bryzgalov did play a few games for the Mighty Ducks including three consecutive shutouts.

Fun Fact: Detroit has been to the playoffs 55 times (not including their days as Cougers or Flacons) and Phoenix five times, not including this year.

Prediction: Try as I might, I can’t see any scenario that the Coyotes beat the Wings. Then again I couldn’t have seen any scenario in which the Coyotes would obtain over 100 points. Lightning can strike twice but in this case I think the Wings experience wins out, so Detroit in six.

As for Stanley Cup Final prediction I say the Washington/Pittsburgh winner against Chicago. I’m not sure who I would pick and I know it’s a cop out not to pick a winner and to also not pick between Pittsburgh and Washington but it really depends on how the goaltending for Washington and Chicago fair in order to pick. Part of me wants Chicago to lose in the finals so that Marion Hossa can be on the losing side three years in a row. The hilarity that would ensue for everyone but him, I know Schadenfreude, I’m a bad person.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Matt Cooke vs. Evander Kane

Well we had a few KOs this season but this one might take the cake. I’m guessing Matt Cooke will want a rematch next year.

Trevor Gillies vs. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond

A decent back and forth fight with a weird start.

Micheal Haley vs. Rod Pelley

A decent back and forth fight with some good punches.

Goat of the Week

Marc Staal – New York Rangers

Marc Staal’s bad pass attempt to another Ranger, I can’t identify, who wasn’t even looking for the pass sets up Mike Richards breakaway goal.

Things I like

1. Ten years of over 100 points for the Red Wings. That is consistency and it’s really tough to do in this day in age of the game.

2. The Boston Bruins scored three shorthanded goals all during the same penalty. To think that Boston had problems scoring all year, they just needed to be shorthanded. Although they were the 29^th shorthanded scoring team so maybe it was just an anomaly.

3. Seven teams in the Western Conference had 100 points or more. Wow. Yet many people wonder why I and many others think the West is the superior conference. Of course you get a point now for an overtime loss but you used to get a point for a tie which a lot of these games could have ended if there wasn’t a shootout.

4. Standing Ovations for Mike Modano (maybe retiring), Keith Tkachuk (retiring) and Teemu Selanne (maybe retiring) during their final home games. Of course two of those three players made up a phenomenal line on the Winnipeg Jets. Tkachuk and Selanne teamed with Alexi Zhamnov in the early to mid 90’s. I didn’t see them play because who televised Winnipeg Jets games (and I was like 12 haha) but I did have their hockey cards. Scott Niedermayer also might have played his last game but he’s a defenseman so no one cares. I’m just kidding but my gut tells me Selanne and Niedermayer will both be back.

Things I don’t

1. NBC did one of those patented NBC moves. Only one game had a game that meant something to both teams, the New York Rangers vs. the Philadelphia Flyers. You can argue that Detroit and Chicago meant something but only whether they would move up a spot or not, which is not a big a deal as winner gets into the playoffs. So NBC shows the Capitals vs. the Bruins, ugh. And people wonder why the NHL can’t get a bigger following in the states, bonehead moves like that is why. Now I know that the Caps game was at 12ET and the Rangers vs. Flyers game was at 3ET but I’m pretty sure they could have moved the game up if they wanted to show it.

2. When NBC was going over the standings and possible playoff matches they had the Flyers vs. the Capitals and then they said of course the Rangers could win and get in instead. Of course they failed to mention that if the Flyers won they wouldn’t play the Capitals because they would leapfrog the Montreal Canadiens and the Canadiens would then play the Capitals. I guess that would have required too much research on their part. Between NBC’s sheer stupidity and no one carrying versus I can’t think of a time the NHL had worse broadcasting partners. Unless of course you count that FOX glow puck debacle.

3. Four teams in the West that didn’t make the playoffs finished at or above the 88 points the 7^th and 8^th seed Flyers and Candiens had in the East. Hmm… doesn’t seem fair. Of course Detroit shouldn’t even be in the West seeing how they’re even more East than Atlanta is.

4. Ranges in the shootout, I mean Gaborik wasn’t even one of the first three shooters and Lundqvist picked a bad time to suck in the shootout after playing an awesome game.

Stat Line of the Week

04/11/10 Pittsburgh 6 vs. NY Islanders 5

Skater	TOI	G	A	+/-	SOG	PIM
S. Crosby	22:38	2	3	+3	6	2

Crosby made a run for the records he could get and while he came up short on the points record, he did end up tying Ovechkin for 2^nd. He also ended up tying Stamkos for the goal lead at 51.

Did You Know?

The playoff beard tradition was started by the New York Islanders in the early 1980’s. It seemed to work as they won four cups in a row in the 80’s.

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

April 08, 1937 Referee Clarence Campbell officiated his first Stanley Cup match in Game Two of Finals, a 4-2 win for Detroit over the Rangers. Campbell, who became third league president in NHL history in 1946, gave out three penalties.

April 09, 1980 Bob Sauve recorded first shutout in Sabres playoff history, 6-0 over Vancouver in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Preliminary Round. Gil Perreault scored a goal and added two assists.

April 10, 1982 L.A. Kings staged their famous “Miracle on Manchester”, scoring 5 goals in the third period to tie the Oilers, then winning 6-5 on an overtime goal by Daryl Evans. The win gave the Kings a 2-1 lead in the best of 5 series vs Edmonton.

April 11, 1994 Tom Barrasso stopped 32 shots for his 21st career shutout as Pittsburgh clinched the Northeast Division title with a 4-0 win at Ottawa. Jaromir Jagr led the scoring with three assists.

April 12, 1960 Montreal’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard scored his 82nd (and final) NHL playoff goal in Game 3 of the Finals against Toronto. Canadiens beat the Leafs 5-2, and won again two nights later for the 1960 Stanley Cup Chamionship.

April 13, 1997 Mario Lemieux picked up two assists in his final career regular season game (until his comeback in 2000-01) as the Penguins lost 7-3 at Boston. The two assists gave Lemieux 122 points, and his 6th NHL scoring championship, in his 12th season.

Rankings

Based on the likelihood of winning the Stanley Cup

Top 5

1. Washington
2. Chicago
3. Pittsburgh
4. New Jersey
5. Detroit

Bottom 5

16. Montreal
15. Nashville
14. Ottawa
13. Philadelphia
12. Phoenix

Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Antti Niemi, Anze Kopitar, Boston Bruins, Brooks Orpik, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Pronger, Colorado Avalanche, Craig Anderson, Detroit Red Wings, Evander Kane, Evgeni Malkin, Evgeni Nabokov, Henrik Lundqvist, Henrik Sedin, Ilya Bryzgalov, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jaroslav Halak, Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Toews, Jose Theodore, Keith Tkachuk, Kris Letang, Los Angeles Kings, Mac-Andre Fleury, Marc Staal, Marian Hossa, Matt Cooke, Michael Ryder, Micheal Haley, Mike Modano, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, NBC, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Patrick Marleau, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Pittsburgh Penguins, Roberto Luongo, Rod Pelley, Ryan Miller, San Jose Sharks, Scott Niedermayer, Semyon Varlamov, Shane Doan, Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup, Steven Stamkos, Teemu Selanne, Tim Thomas, Tomas Plekanec, Trevor Gillies, Tuukka Rask, Tyler Myers, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets
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The Neutral Zone – Western Conference Playoffs Preview

Monday, April 12th, 2010 Written by: Phil

What’s up folks? It’s been a WHILE since I’ve written for PA. I did an Olympic Preview for this site under my old moniker ”5 for Friday”, but alas, the rigors of working everyday in the TV business caught up to me…not to mention me not really digging the name for my column. So now I debut “The Neutral Zone”, the weekly (or sometimes even bi/tri-weekly depending on the action) column in which I will give my own personal reflections on NHL happenings while ignoring my deep-rooted bias for the Washington Capitals (bias since 1993) and shoot straight from the hip.

Firstly, what an end to the NHL season! The last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference being decided in a shootout was nothing short of high drama, as well as some of the more prominent individual awards, such as the Art Ross and “Rocket” Richard trophies, being decided on the final day. But now the dust has settled, and it’s time for the business end of the NHL season…THE PLAYOFFS! Let’s do a preview of the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, with my series predictions:

#1 SAN JOSE SHARKS VS. #8 COLORADO AVALANCHE

2009-10 Head to Head: Tied, 2-2

For the 2nd consecutive season, the San Jose Sharks enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top seed out West, and yet, one can only wonder if they’ve learned any lessons from last seasons 6 game capitulation at the hands on the Anaheim Ducks, in which they scored 10 goals and got shut out twice. Lying in wait are the Colorado Avalanche, a team that was on fire until the Olympic Break, then sputtered down the stretch, and crawling into the playoffs thanks to the inconsistency of division rival Calgary Flames.

Key Players: San Jose’s Canadian Gold Medal Line of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thorton, and Dany Heatley will be counted on to lead the Sharks attack followed by Defenseman Dan Boyle, who accumulated nearly 60 points on the season. Colorado will need goals from their young scorers Chris Stewart and Matt Duchene. Ultimately Colorado’s chances in the series depend on the shoulders of G Craig Anderson. The career minor leaguer was signed last summer and played in 71 games for the Avs, a team record, while posting a 2.64 GAA, .917 Save %, and 7 Shutouts. Great numbers…but he seemed tired down the stretch. Add to the fact that he’s never played in a playoff game makes things interesting…

X-Factors: Only one man for me in this series, and he plays for the Sharks: G Evgeni Nabokov. Played in 71 games like Anderson, but recorded only 3 Shutouts. Can be a great player, but surely we all remember how he blew up in the Olympics against Canada for Russia. Is this of concern to Todd McLellan’s Shark team down the stretch?

Prediction: Sharks win…call it 4-5 games

#2 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS VS. #7 NASHVILLE PREDATORS

2009-10 Head to Head: Blackhawks 4 – 2

Central Division Rivals Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the heels of two largely successful seasons for both franchises. Nashville has qualified for the playoffs for the 5th time in 6 seasons, finishing 7th in the West with an even 100 points…which says something about the strength of hockey in the Western Conference! Chicago had a stellar year, setting franchise records in wins (52) and points (112), while locking up key players Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane to 5 year contract extensions and Norris Trophy candidate D Duncan Keith to a 12 year extension. Both teams play excellent hockey, and there could be potential for one or two high scoring affairs during this series, although, it’s probably Chicago that will do most of the scoring in those games!

Key Players: For the ‘Hawks, It’s no secret that Toews, Kane, and Keith will be relied upon to spearhead their attack, but the key to their success has been balance. And if the top guns misfire, it’s up to guys like Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg to pick up the slack. Nashville had only 2 guys reach 20+ goals this season, Martin Erat (21), and surprise top scorer Patric Hornqvist (30). If they want to win, those guys have to score. Hornqvist tied for the team lead with 51 points. How did this team get 100 points with such limited scoring? Goaltending. Pekka Rinne will start in goal, but they have a perfectly capable backup in Dan Ellis, who posted a .909 save % during the season (Rinne had .911%). Shea Weber shoots the puck so hard that his own teammates are too scared to stand in front of the opposing goalie on Power Play’s!

X-Factors: If Chicago are to go deep into the playoffs, they will need their goaltending to step it up a notch. Antti Niemi looks as though he’s secured the #1 sweater, although he only played in 39 games this season, while would-be starter Cristobal Huet played in 48, but only had a Save % of .895. Doesn’t exactly bode confidence does it? For Nashville, I’m plunking for Head Coach Barry Trotz. Small payroll, limited scoring and talent, but will he find the correct line combinations to stifle the balanced scoring attack of Chicago. Having the leadership of Captain Jason Arnott will also help out a little bit, who just returned after missing 8 games with a head injury.

Prediction: Chicago in 6

#3 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS. #6 LOS ANGELES KINGS

2009-10 Head to Head: Canucks 3-1

Vancouver enters the Stanley Cup Playoffs with enough scoring, grit, tenacity, and goaltending to make a surprise run in the Western Conference. They have arguably the best 1st line in hockey with Alex Burrows complementing the Sedin twins. Henrik Sedin won the Art Ross Trophy by amassing 112 points (29 G, 83A), beating his previous career high of 82 last season. Daniel Sedin also notched a career high in points (85), while Burrows led the team with 35 goals. Behind them is Ryan Kesler, who gained a lot of new fans, myself included, with his hard nose play in the Olympics, and he certainly can find the goal, notching 25 goals himself. Mikael Samuelsson and Mason Raymond also reached the 25+ goal plateau. Roberto Luongo had another excellent season, and will be boosted by rescuing Canada’s gold medal hopes in the Olympics in his “hometown”. Standing in their way are the Los Angeles Kings. Qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2002, will the Kings be able to put up much of a fight against the favored Canucks. Ryan Smyth was a great Free Agent pickup, as he gets in the face of goaltenders on the King PP, and notched up 22 goals. Anze Kopitar is the superstar who will be counted on to change games in the Kings favor, while Wayne Simmonds and Captain Dustin Brown can score and grind out opponents. Drew Doughty is the key man on the blue line.

Key Players: For Vancouver, look no further than Henrik Sedin. The man is a magician with a puck and can find a player in any position on the ice, especially his brother Daniel. Los Angeles needs it’s own magician to counter, so step up to the plate Anze Kopitar. Great scorer (34G, 81Pts), and great hands for the gifted youngster, but he was only a +6 on the season. LA needs him to be better on the ice for them to have a chance to win.

X-Factors: For Vancouver, I’m going for Alex Burrows. He led the Canucks with 35 goals, like I stated earlier on, but since the Sedin’s are more privy to making beautiful passes, it’s up to Burrows to continue to put the pucks in the net. For Los Angeles, there can be only one candidate, and that’s Jonathan Quick. Sure, he played great during the year and finished with 39 wins, but alarm bells have been ringing out in Hollywood. He’s played 72 games this season, and down the stretch, had 5 chances to win his 40th game, but went 0-3-2. Coach Terry Murray started Erik Ensberg in net to end the season in Colorado, and was rewarded with a 2-1 OT win. Will Quick even start in the playoffs for the Kings? Who knows…but what I do know is that the boy hasn’t won a game since March 22.

Prediction: The Kings might steal a game, or two…but the Canucks advance

#4 PHOENIX COYOTES VS. #5 DETROIT RED WINGS

2009-10 Head to Head: Tied, 2-2

The two most interesting team stories in the 2009-10 NHL season square off in an unlikely playoff matchup. Detroit floundered for much of the season, being on the outside looking in, and there was genuine concern that they would miss the playoffs! However, after the Olympic Break, the team got healthy, and, wouldn’t you know it, started to win hockey games. They have an intelligent coach in Mike Babcock, who overcame immense national pressure to mastermind the gold medal victory for Canada in February, and was able to rally this Wings team together, after a change in goal (more on that in a minute) to propel the Red Wings from 9th place to 5th in seemingly no time. As for Phoenix, you can do nothing but tip your had to Dave Tippett’s hockey club. From the brink of financial ruin and relocation, to the playoffs in less than a year, the Coyotes have been nothing short of a sensational sports story. Of course the detractors point out how the team is successful while being owned by the NHL, but take nothing away from them. On a side note, how funny would it be, if Phoenix won the Stanley Cup, to see Gary Bettman present the Stanley Cup to…HIMSELF?!?!?!?!?!

Key Players: Captain Coyote Shane Doan has the leadership and grit to rally his team around him and lead them further into the playoffs…should they get lucky, that is. There are some goal scorers in the form of Lee Stempniak, Wojtek Wolski, and Radim Vrbata. But their hopes lie solely on Ilya Bryzgalov. The Russian netminder played 68 games this season, posting a 2.29GAA and .920 Save %. Between him and backup Jason LaBarbera, Phoenix posted the 3rd best team GAA (2.34) and Save % (.919) in the entire NHL. Detroit has the usual suspects in their line up: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Tomas Holmstrom to name a few. They’ve all been there and done that.

X-Factors: The Forwards of Phoenix are my X-Factors? Why? Because who will score the timely goals for them? They registered 211 goals during the season, which was 7th lowest in the NHL, and 2nd lowest amongst playoff teams; only the Boston Bruins scored fewer goals (196). For Detroit, it’s G Jimmy Howard. He played in just 9 NHL games before this season, but since taking the starting reins from Chris Osgood, he registered 37 wins, 2.26 GAA, and a .924 Save %. The kid, however, is not playoff tested. Will he handle the pressure?

Prediction: This is a tough one to call….Wings in 6.

Join me tomorrow as I preview the Eastern Conference. Until then, take care!

Tags: Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, NHL, Phoenix, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver, Western
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Posts Tagged ‘San Jose Sharks’

1.) San Jose Sharks

2.) Los Angeles Kings

3.) Anaheim Ducks

4.) Phoenix Coyotes

5.) Dallas Stars:

The 2009-10 Stanley Cup Champions

Biggest Surprises/Best of the Year

Teams

Best Game 7

Best Series

Biggest Disappointments/Worst of the Year

Teams

Worst Game 7

Worst Series

Miscellaneous

Can only happen in hockey

You’ve got to be kidding me

Iron Man Award

Team on the Rise

The comeback that never was

Breakout of the year

Rookie of the Year (Calder Trohpy)

Goalie of the Year (Vezina Trophy)

Player of the Year (Hart Trophy)

Vote for the best of the season

Fight of the Season

Goat of the Season

7 Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 2 Chicago Blackhawks

Numbers Numbers

This Week in Hockey History

7 Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 2 Chicago Blackhawks

Goat of the Week

Numbers Numbers

This Week in Hockey History

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

6 Boston Bruins vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 5 Detroit Red Wings

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 3 Vancouver Canucks

Goat of the Week

This Week in Hockey History

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

6 Boston Bruins vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 4 Detroit Red Wings

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 3 Vancouver Canucks

Goat of the Week

Numbers, Numbers

This Week in Hockey History

Rankings

1 Washington Capitals vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

2 New Jersey Devils vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

3 Buffalo Sabres vs. 6 Boston Bruins

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Ottawa Senators

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 8 Colorado Avalanche

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7 Nashville Predators

3 Vancouver Canucks vs. 6 Los Angeles Kings

4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. 5 Detroit Red Wings

Goat of the Week

This Week in Hockey History

1 Washington Capitals vs. 8 Montreal Canadiens

2 New Jersey Devils vs. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

3 Buffalo Sabres vs. 6 Boston Bruins

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Ottawa Senators

1 San Jose Sharks vs. 8 Colorado Avalanche

2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7 Nashville Predators

3 Vancouver Canucks vs. 6 Los Angeles Kings

4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. 5 Detroit Red Wings

Fights of the Week

Goat of the Week

Things I like

Things I don’t

Stat Line of the Week

Did You Know?

This Week in Hockey History

Rankings

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