Pens Vs. Sens LIVE!

I haven't been able to do one of these in a while, but this should be fun.

The Cardiac Kids are back at it today opening up a franchise record eight-game homestand. A solid homestand here should solidify the Pens place in the playoffs and it all starts today against the hated Senators.

The Pens are coming into this game off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

The reason there wasn't a post about that game is because of the massive chest pains and stomach pains that game caused me.

Down 3-0 after an early goal in the third period, the Pens storm back to tie the game with three goals in 3:08 to tie it.

In overtime, Chris Kunitz cleanly beats Steve Mason, but catches iron. Seconds later, Ruslan Fedotenko channeled Sidney Crosby's hands and deked two defenders out of their skates. Mason came out to challenge and Fedotenko slides a nice pass to Kris Letang who was streaking in from the point. Letang fires a one-timer only to be flat out robbed by Mason's blocker.

In the shootout, Kristian Huselius scored the lone goal in the third round for the win.

During the intermissions today, I'll break down the three goals against in the Columbus game to update the Hal Gill Quotient.

Video Highlights Courtesy Of NHL.com


Some things to keep in mind today:

- Lead after two periods and your odds of winning are very good as Ottawa is just 1-25-2 when trailing after two periods.

- Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to be the starting goaltender today with Mathieu Garon getting the call tomorrow against Boston.

- Petr Sykora is still listed as day-to-day, but could play this weekend. When he plays is the question.

- The Sentors lead the season series 2-1.

- Kunitz has caught fire since coming to Pittsburgh and has eight points in his last nine games. Thank you Ray Shero!

- The Pens are 9-1-2 under Dan Bylsma.

- Brian Elliot in net for the Senators

First Period

20:00 - Pens wearing the ugly powder blue jerseys.......

19:00 - Looks as if Sykora is in the lineup according to the Hockey Night In Canada crew. PP coming for the Pens. Mike Fisher for roughing.

18:17 - Couple solid chances down low for Bill Guerin, but Elliot is up to the task early

17:00 - Penalty killed, but some very good puck movement by the boys in blue and some solid saves by Elliot.

15:20 - Daniel Alfredsson rings a wrister off the iron behind Fleury, but it stays out.

14:07 - Senators get a ton of pressure thanks to two horrible pass attempts and turnovers by Hal Gill.

13:55 - SCORE! 1-0 PENGUINS - Eric Godard with an amazing individual effort. Who knew the big fella could skate like that?! Godard flew up the far boards to chase down a puck, beating the defenseman no less. He hauls in the puck along the wall by the hashmarks and makes a power move to the net looking for a teammate in the slot, but the pass goes off a Senator skate and behind Elliot.

13:30 - Fleury stones Mike Comrie on a breakaway. Nice save Flower.

11:24 - 1-1 Tie Chris Campoli fires a wrister from the point off a face-off. The puck had eyes and hit something in front of the net to deflect past Fleury. Malkin takes the blame on this one for losing the draw cleanly and then losing his man off the draw who set the screen. Full point for Geno.

5:34 - There hasn't been a whistle in a long time until Kunitz takes a tripping call. Sens head to the powerplay. Just as an observation, Gill has looked awful so far in this game. Every time he gets the puck on his stick, his hands turn to stone and he panics. Breathe Baby Huey Breathe!

4:27 - Pascal Dupuis runs over Nick Foligno for no reason. 53 seconds of 5-on-3 coming...

1:59 - Penalties killed, but the Sens rang two more posts on consecutive shots. Fleury getting help from his best friends.

End of period one and we're toed at 1-1. Pens lead 9-7 in shots, but most of those came early in the period.

Not a bad period, but the Penguins need to work on their in-zone play right now. Sens are getting to many good looks off turnovers and bad breakout passing.

In the offensive zone, the Pens need to stop looking for the pretty play and just fire it on net. Look what happened when Godard threw it on net. I rest my case.

Now let's go back to Thursday's game and breakdown the first goal:

Fedor Tyutin leads Huselius into the zone with a pass through a couple of Pens, but Kris Letang got caught flat-footed and a little out of position and ended up chasing Huselius instead of being in his face. Huselies protects the puck an moves to the top of the left faceoff circle. He fires a shot, but Letang recovered slightly to get a stick on Huselius' stick, but it wasn't enough to stop the shot. Instead, the puck comes off the stick as a changeup and beats Fleury through the 5-hole.

Points assigned - Letang 0.5 for being out of position, Fleury 0.5 for overreacting to the changeup and getting beat between the legs.

Second Period

17:43 - Elliot makes a nice save on a Sykora one-timer from the high slot. Pens are picking up the physical play early in the period.

16:14 - Dupuis takes his second penalty of the game on a trip on Brian Lee. Nice acting job by Lee.

14:04 - SCORE!!! 2-1 Pens! - SIDNEY CROSBY WITH A TAP IN ON A BEAUTIFUL TIC TAC GOAL FROM JORDAN STAAL AND MARK EATON. The goal comes just after the penalty to Dupuis had expired. Eaton brought the puck up ice and hit Sid in stride. After a weak clearing attempt, Staal sends the puck down low to Eaton who finds Crosby wide-open on the backpost for the tap in goal.

12:58 - Fedotenko takes a high-sticking penalty after failing to lift Jason Spezza's stick and catching him in the face instead.

10:05 - Comrie throws an elbow into Brooks Orpik's face while trying to get around him. PP Pens.

8:37 - Chris Phillips is not happy with a by Kunitz on Chris Neil and a melee ensues. Phillips goes after Kunitz, Crosby goes after Phillips, Neil joins the fracas and everyone on the ice pairs off in the scrum. Phillips is physically manhandled by a linesman while trying to kill someone. Nice job zebra.

5:57 - Pens can't find the back of the net on a couple solid chances by Tyler Kennedy and Staal. Pens are starting to find some open ice to move into now though. Looks like the goal woke them up a little.

5:20 - Trademark glove save by Fleury. Nothing less than what we've come to expect out of the young goaltender. Still looks impressive every time though.

4:12 - Jesse Winchester holds Staal. PP Pens. Time to make the Sens pay for taking these penalties.

1:34 - SCORE!!! 3-1 PENS! - Kennedy buries a wrister on a 2-on-1 from Matt Cooke after Cooke stole the puck from Campoli at the Pens' blueline. Prety play again.

End of period two and the Pens have a 3-1 lead. Remember that stat about the Sens and their record after two periods when trailing that's noted above.

The other 2 goals from the Columbus game will be broken down after the game.

Third Period

19:36 - Sens head to the powerplay after a hold by Sergei Gonchar, who has played a solid game so far.

16:59 - Penalty over. Fleury covers up the puck and takes a bump from Neil. Fleury punches Neil in the back of the leg with the blocker and another scrum ensues. Way to protect your paint Fleury, but he takes the penalty for slashing. Odd call, but in any event, the Sens have another PP.

15:59 - Dany Heatley drills Gonchar in the teeth with the stick while trying to lift his stick and draws blood. No word yet on how many missing teeth Gonchar might have now, but it's a four-minute penalty to Heatley.

13:50 - Anton Volchenkov has a "lower body injury" and will not return to this game.

11:13 - Kennedy has been something else lately. He's been flying around making plays and taking good shots. He's definitely been one of the best players on the ice today.

12-00 - 3-2 Pens - Foligno rips a wrister to the shortside twine through a sea of blue bodies. Fleury never saw it as Orpik, Staal and Gonchar were all screening him.

7:08 - Malkin gets wide open in the slot and takes a hard wrister, but Elliot is up to the task and leaves no rebound.

6:06- 3-3 Tie - Phillips ties it on a horrible turnover by Scuderi who attempted a breakoutpass/clearing attept. Heatley fires it off Fleury's shoulder and the puck rolls down him into the pain and Phillips pounds it home. This is all on Scuderi.

3:09 - I cant take this. Another two goal lead blown in the third period. Staring OT in the face for a 4th straight game.

2:02 - After a brilliant skate save by Fleury, Malkin kills the logo on Elliot's jersey again.

:5.8 - Gonchar battling with Heatley and somehow the refs call a tripping penalty on Gonchar. Complete and utter diver by Heatley.

End of period 3 and we go to overtime for the fourth straight game.

Overtime

4:36 - Huge save by Fleury on a cross-crease pass from Spezza to Heatley. Keeps us alive for now.

4:25 - Another save by Fleury on a slapper by Heatley.

3:58 - Fleury eats one in the chest on a bomb by Filip Kuba.

3:45 - Fleury makes two big saves on Alfredsson and Spezza off a rebound. Pens losing every draw so far.

1:48 - Fleury is standing on his head to keep the Pens alive in this game. Fans are on their feet chanting "Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!"

End of overtime and we head to a shootout for the fourth straight game. Unofficial NHL record has been set by the Pens for most consecutive shootouts.

Pens got a couple chances including a 2-on-1 with Crosby and Malkin, but Elliot got the shoulder on a rising shot by Geno.

If the Pens win this shootout, everyone owes this win to Fleury for his spectacular play tonight especially in overtime.

Shootout

Pens will shoot first.

Letang the first shooter - Letang bails on his usual move and Elliot makes the save.

Alfredsson - Dekes around the sprawling Fleury and the Sens lead 1-0.

Sykora - Stoned by Elliot on the backhand.

Spezza - Fleury makes a nice save on a backhander by Spezza to keep the Pens alive.

Crosby the last hope - SCORES!

Ruutu - Fleury makes the save and we're going to extras.

Malkin - Elects to shoot and not make a move and Elliot saves it with the glove.

Fisher - Fleury slams the door on the 5-hole and we play on.

Kunitz - Dekes Elliot out of hi jock, but goes over the net.

Comrie - Slides the pucks under the outstretched pad of Fleury and the Sens win the shootout 2-1 and the game 4-3.

Here's the remaining two goals:

Goal #2: Jackets dump the puck into the zone and Fleury comes out to play it. There's a big miscommunication between Letang and Fleury, which allows Antoine Vermette to steal the puck and fire an aerial pass out front from his knees. The pass connects with Jason Williams who fires a backhander from the slot to the shelf over Fleury's glove.

Points assigned: Letang and Fleury get 0.5 each for their little mishap behind the net that led to the goal.

Goal #3: Gonchar has the puck in the corner and coughs it up to Williams who finds Vermette out near the blueline in the high slot. Vermette tees one up and blasts it by Fleury for the 3-0 lead.

Points assigned: Gonchar takes full blame on this one as Fleury had no chance to stop that rocket.

Updated Hal Gill Quotient Standings:

Kris Letang - 5.84 - 11 GP
Marc-Andre Fleury - 5.08 - 14 GP
Sergei Gonchar - 4.58 - 12 GP
Hal Gill - 4.34 - 13 GP
Mark Eaton - 3.83 - 14 GP
Brooks Orpik - 3.59 - 14 GP
Rob Scuderi - 3.50 - 14 GP
Ryan Whitney - 3.5 - 6 GP - TRADED
Jordan Staal - 2.38 - 14 GP
Evgeni Malkin - 1.5 - 14 GP
Matt Cooke - 1.0 - 14 GP
Ruslan Fedotenko - 1.0 14 GP
Tyler Kennedy - 1.0 - 14 GP
Pascal Dupuis - .83 - 14 GP
Max Talbot - 0.5 - 14 GP
Referee Paul Devorski - 0.5 - 1 Game Reffed
Bill Thomas - .33 - 5 GP - WAIVED

Pens don't have long to think about this one that got away as the Bruins come to town tomorrow. Hopefully, this will teach them a lesson about those awful powder blue jerseys. For the love of God, STOP WEARING THEM! Show me a powder blue penguin in nature and I'll drop my argument. Until then, my point stands.

Jason Spezza Busted For Illegal Stick

When I first read about Toronto coach Ron Wilson challenging Jason Spezza's stick, I had to really think about why he would do such a thing so late in a game.

Upon further review it makes perfect sense. You're down by one goal late in the game, why not try and get a cheap power play by challenging the legality of a stick?

Ultimately, it worked out as the Leafs were successful in their challenge but that's not the real story in this tale.

The real story is what Spezza did to try and hide the fact that he had an illegal stick.



Spezza is waiting to take a draw and overhears that the Leafs want to challenge his stick. In an absolute admission of guilt, Spezza snaps his stick in two and tries to exchange it out for a legal one without the refs noticing.

A valiant effort indeed, but it didn't work. The refs saw the whole thing and properly measured the appropriate stick in question and found out that it was illegal.

Spezza was assessed a two-minute penalty and the Leafs failed to score to tie the game and eventually lost 2-1. Pretty anti-climatic ending to a great move by Wilson.

Live from the Holiday Inn

Part of me was very glad I wasn't able to access the site during the game. The inside of the Wachovia Center was bleak and troublesome. The game started out innocently enough, but the lack of urgency on the Flyers first two powerplays spelled doom for the rest of the night. The Flyers outplayed the Sens for many stretches of the game, but couldn't get a bounce to save their life. Niitty wasn't to blame. The defense wasn't entirely to blame. Nothing the Flyers conceived came to fruition. They outshot the Sens, outworked the Sens, but when the chances came, Brian Elliott positioned himself well, or the pucks simply missed the net.

This is the kind of loss you have to write off in the course of a long season. A team that's low in the standings, hungry to make their mark and dent some playoff hopes. It's not so easy for me to write off, though, seeing as this is the only game I'll attend in Philadelphia unless they qualify for the playoffs (and even then, there's no guarantee).

I'm baffled by what happened. Harmless shots from the Senators trickled in all night. They played a decent game, but they were lucky to be in advantageous position for most of the evening.

Good to see Richards and Upshall back but no one on the roster was overly impressive. The only player that needs singling out is Randy Jones, who had an awful game both offensively and defensively. He was chasing and fighting off the puck for the course of the game, and broke up a ton of chances that might've given the Flyers some life.

Every time they seemed to have a spark, the Sens answered. Suppose this is just one of those games.

I have a few pictures from tonight but nothing extraordinary. As soon as my e-mail complies I'll get them posted. Have a good evening.

Pens Bust Out The Brooms

Going to keep this relatively short today as I'm still too giddy to really write anything. I went to bad last night thinking that they couldn't possibly have swept the Ottawa Senators after being dispatched in five games last season.

I woke up today and had to check the scoreboards just to make sure that what happened last night, actually happened.

I can't get over how much improved the Penguins are from last year. They have a sense of purpose this year, an almost undeniable sense of the moment. You can see it in their eyes on the bench. They know they have the chance to do something special this season, just how special remains to be seen.

The only thing I don't like about the Penguins brushing the Senators under the rug is that they will have about a week off or so between games. Who they will play in the next round remains to be seen as the Devils/Rangers and Capitals/Flyers series are shaping up to be long ones. (Yes, I'm aware that the Devils are down 3-1, but do you really think they won't show up at home in front of the 12 fans who will come out to the game and attempt to defend their home ice?)

The Pens have looked sharp this entire series and proved that they can win a tight game in the playoffs. They also showed that they have a killer instinct and won't mess around when it comes to putting the final nail in the coffin.

Last night in Game 4, the Pens led 2-1 heading into the third. There comes a time in every rod playoff game that you have to weather the storm and since the Pens dominated the first two periods, that time became the third period.

In the third period, the Senators came out with a desperation that was unseen for most of the series. They outshot the Penguins 9-3 in the third and Marc-Andre Fleury had to make a couple of sparking saves to preserve the lead. The Senators pulled Martin Gerber with about 90 seconds to play and kept the puck in the Pens' end for most of it, but how fitting is it that a loose puck pops in the air right to Sidney Crosby who took off up ice and deposited the puck into the empty cage? Sens fans booed Sid every time he touched the puck and if there was a better way to give the proverbial middle finger to the crowd, I'd like to know what it is.

Here's the highlights from the game:



Just throwing this out there, but Jarkko Ruutu may be one of the most under rated guys in the league. Coach Michael Therrien uses him in shootouts often and for good reason. That goal he scored last night should not have been scored by an enforcer type like him. I was at a Penguins game last January with Cheech and Ruutu was awarded a penalty shot and made it look easy as he stuffed it behind Andrew Raycroft.

This is a much different team than last year and they've elevated their play to a level unseen in the regular season. It's scary how much the team is focussed and driven to avenge last season. Now that they have, they need to keep the same focus heading into the second round against whoever they end up playing. I know I won't be happy with a second round exit and neither will they.

Penguins vs. Senators Game 3

OK so since I'm admittedly a huge Penguins fan I decided to do something I did a couple years back with the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm going to try the best I can to keep a running log of my emotions and reactions to things going on during the game.

6:30pm - Half hour until the puck drops. This will be the first game I've actually been able to watch in this series because I had to work during Game 1 and had a previous engagement during Game 2. I've got the day off today due to a buddy from back home being in town for the week and staying with us. This should be a fun one tonight.

7:00pm - The hockey package just kicked in and we've got the CBC feed tonight. which means Jim Husson will be the play by play guy. Opening montage showing highlights from the first two games is pretty sweet. CBC reporting that Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson will play tonight.

7:04 - On ice ceremony begins with a Roman Empire type theme. A senator is standing at center ice with a shield and sword giving one hell of a battle cry speech. This may have been the coolest team entrance in the history of hockey. Wow.

7:08 - National anthem time. United States up first. This guy singing has a great booming voice. I'm impressed. Fans respectful, which is good.

7:10 - Canadian national anthem. Mix of English and French....and the fans just took it over. I love when the fans sing the national anthem like that. I seriously get chills. We're going to the puck drop right now.

7:13 - Devorski and Leggo calling the game. Puck drops and the Sens win it. We're under way in Ottawa.

7:14 - Alfredsson makes his 2008 playoff debut to a standing ovation. Sens with the first shot and Fleury covers.

7:15 - Chris Neil runs own Kris Letang in the corner and while on the ice he punches him in the face. Power play Penguins. Come on boys, let's get one.

7:17 - Hossa in clean, slapper...POST! Soo close. Pens back in the zone, couple good saves by Gerber.

7:18 - Penalty killed, Pens with a couple good chances. As the penalty expires Dupuis lets a rocket go and Gerber eats it up.

7:19 - Max Talbot runs into Gerber while going for a loose puck. Gerber and Talbot both going for the puck. Power play Senators.

7:21 - Fleury makes two solid saves during the kill. The second one was on a rebound chance by Alfredsson who is looking good in his first game back since getting his bell rung by Mark Bell of Toronto.

7:23 - Fast pace to start the game as we head to the first commercial break of the evening. Penguins kill the penalty and only surrender one good scoring chance. The penalty kill has been much improved since getting Hal Gill and Pascal Dupuis. It's going to have to be good if they want to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

7:28 - It looks as if the Penguins are trying to weather the storm right now. It's been pretty much all Ottawa so far. Fans chanting Fleury's name for the first time tonight.

7:31 - Pens generating a couple more chances now. Fleury is standing tall and keeping Ottawa off the board in this crucial time of the game, stopping 11 shots so far.

7:37 - Hitting is picking up as the pace is slowing just a bit. Gonchas just threw a huge hit in the offensive zone. Yeah, Gonchar...who knew right?

7:42 - Penalty on Ottawa. Donovan lost his stick and ripped Ruutu's stick away. Donovan sits fr 2 minutes.

7:44 - Gerber absolutely tones Malone from point blank range with the glove. Nice save. Pens best chance so far.

7:45 - Penalty killed. Pens being too passive on the power play. Plenty of chances to just put it on net and they elected to pass. I'm not exactly happy with how the second half of the power play went.

7:47 - Massive scrum in front of Fleury with three Senators hacking at it. No idea how it doesn't go in.

7:49 - First period comes to a close. The Pens seem to be finding some space now and are attacking the net much better than they were to start the game. Fleury is the hands down star of the period. After one period your score is 0-0.

8:01: Don Cherry has me near tears from laughing so hard. They just showed two clips of Marc Savard looking at his stick and caressing the blade on the bench. Don narrates "see what he's saying there....I love you.....I'll stroke you. You kids out there, pay attention. Take care of your sticks, they cost a lot of money."

8:07 - Second period underway.

8:09 - Bouncing puck eludes Whitney, Foligno picks up the puck and fires it through the legs of Fleury. 1-0 Senators.

8:11- Pens fourth line forces three turnovers in the offensive zone and force Gerber to make a couple solid saves.

8:16-SCCCCOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! MAX TALBOT GOES 5-HOLE ON A BRILLIANT MOVE!!! 1-1!! Announcers were just talking about how the Senators goal seemed to wake up the Pens who are now skating harder and making crisper passes.

8:23 - Talbot is being rewarded with more ice time as he has had a ton of chances so far this period along with the rest of the fourth line in Ruutu and Laraque.

8:26 - Penguins are controlling the play right now. Gonchar had a great chance after dancing his way into the slot, but refused to shoot the puck. The Sykora, Malone, Malkin line is starting to come on as well. Pens going on the PP again after Neil takes another dumb penalty.

8:31 - Massive pile in front of Gerber. Leggo blows it dead as the puck was still free from the tv camera angle. Letang fires into the net, but it obviously doesn't count. Bunch of penalties assessed during the scrum and the Pens will have another power play as a result.

8:35 - Puck worked down low to Hossa who tried to tap in a puck that bounced through and off the post. Pens soo close once again.

8:40 - Wow is the pace picking up again and just like the first period, the hitting has picked up as well. Lots of bodies being crunched into the boards. Man do I love playoff hockey!

8:46 - 27-26 in shots at the end of the second period in favor of the Senators. My heart is racing and I think I'm going to be sick from all the nerves. There's something not right about that, but I don't care, I'm a die-hard fan and live and die with every second that passes during games. Need to go take a walk to calm down a bit after a pretty even period.

9:03 - Time to strap in for what should be a great third period.

9:04 - SCCCCCOOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! SIDNEY CROSBY SCORES ON A 2-ON-1!!!! 2-1 PENGUINS. Goal scored at :12 of the period. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

9:07 - SCOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! JORDAN STAAL TIPS ONE BEHIND GERBER AND IT'S 3-1!!! Goal scored at 1:11 of the period. What a start to the third period for my boys!!!

9:09 - Chris Neil does it again. His third dumb penalty of the game. Eventually this will come back to haunt them and already down two goals this could be fatal. Play under review to see if it's 3-2 after Fleury got plowed into.

9:10 - Leggo waives it off. No goal. YAY!

9:13 - Gonchar is going to be a hated man by the rink crew after that power play. Three slappers from the point leave welts in the endboards. At least he's shooting now though, so I can't complain too much.

9:14 - Dave Nonis fired as Canucks GM. Wonder if that's because he couldn't make a deadline deal for someone who could actually score.

9:15 - What a scrum in front of Fleury who somehow made about 4 saves while on his stomach in the crease. I'm sitting on pins and needles here. This clock needs to start moving a lot faster. Penalty on the Penguins during the scrum and the Senators will get a chance to cut the lead to 1 goal.

9:18 - Two penalties on Ottawa. Staal gets a stick to the face resulting in a 4-minute penalty and Malone gets tripped up in the neutral zone. As a result it's a 4-on-3 powerplay for the Penguins. A goal here could quite possibly end this game and make me very happy.

9:23 - Whitney returns to the ice and it's now 5-on-3. Great chance at the side of the net gets blown dead by a quick whistle. The Penguins decide to call timeout to keep the top unit on the ice.

9:25 - SCCCCOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! WELCOME TO PITTSBURGH MARIAN HOSSA!!!!! A POWER PLAY GOAL AND IT'S 4-1 PENS! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! This is one guy I've wanted to see get one for a while. He's had soo many chances in this series so far and one finally goes in.

9:28 - TV timeout with 8:55 to play. I'm starting to be able to taste a 3-0 series lead, but I refuse to say that this game is over. Until the clock reads 00:00 I'm not celebrating.

9:33 - Pens are now playing shut down hockey and seem to be content with just dumping the puck in the corner and letting the Sens skate 200 feet. 6:00 left in the period, which is good because I haven't eaten dinner yet and I'm sure that's playing into my upset stomach right now.

9:40 - Two minutes left. Still not getting excited.

9:41 - One minute left in the third. Getting closer.....

9:42 - IT'S OVER! PENGUINS WIN 4-1!!! TAKE A COMMANDING 3-0 SERIES LEAD!!!!!

What a game! I was nervous as all hell heading into the third period, but Sidney Crosby eased my fears with that goal just 12 seconds into the period. Now we will have a chance on Wednesday night to send the Senators packing. I'll be at work, but I'm going to seek out a broom in the building just in case.

This was a lot of fun for me and I hope you enjoyed it even if you're a Senators fan.

Eastern Conference Nightmare First Round Scenarios

OK, yes this is going to be a painful post for me as I can't stand the New Jersey Devils. The objective journalist in me, as well as Gopher, begged me to do something about this since there is a real possibility the Devils end up as the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.

Why stop there though? Gopher and I put our minds together and came up with the idea for the nightmare situation for the top 4 seeds in the East.

New Jersey Devils

Right now there is a chance they could play one of about five teams in the first round. Those teams are: Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Florida and Washington.

Washington getting into the playoffs would be a great story wouldn't it? Also, of the five teams listed there, I think New Jersey might have a small collective accident should the Caps get in.

Here's why, Cristobal Huet and Alexander Ovechkin. Do I really even need to explain this? Huet has been a wall since being traded to the Caps and Ovechkin is the current NHL points leader.

In case you've been under a rock for the last couple years and haven't seen what Ovechkin is capable of, here you go:



New Jersey will fall to a team who can control the pace of the game and get them out of their trap defensive scheme. If the game becomes an end to end game, the Devils cannot and will not prevail. They win games by playing lockdown defense and scoring goals off turnovers in the neutral zone.

Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo and Florida should they make it stand no chance. There's not much explanation needed here.

Buffalo has lost three defensemen in the last week.

Boston has some serioulsy shaky goaltenders though Auld has played well lately.

Florida's hopes would solely rest on the shoulders of Vokoun.

Montreal Canadiens

Who would give the Canadiens fits int he first round you say? How about a fellow Original 6 team? The New York Rangers.

If there is a team in the playoffs right now who should be able to put up 5 goals a game, it's the Rangers. Not to mention Henrik Lundqvist has proven that he can be an absolute machine in net and can take over any given game.

There's a reason he's got the nickname of King Henrik. Here's just a sample of his jaw dropping ability.



I know I keep harping on this point, but Montreal has an inexperienced goalie in 20-year-old Carey Price. If he falters even a little bit, how long will the Habs stick with him before going to Jaroslav Halak?

The Rangers have guys that would have no problem getting into his kitchen and trying to rattle the young guy. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Sean Avery camped in his crease and taking extra hacks after the whistle every chance he gets.

Carolina Hurricanes

Picking this one proved rather difficult as I don't believe the Canes should even be a 3-seed. See my earlier post on how I'd restructure how teams qualify for the playoffs for further details.

Sorry Canes fans, but I'm taking the field on this one. Take your pick of teams to finish as the 6-seed, doesn't matter.

Calling this now. Whoever plays the Canes in the first round is moving on. Period. Both of the other divisions in the East are top to bottom better than the teams in the Southeast division.

I couldn't come up with any snazzy highlight video for this one, so here's one of my all-time favorite clips and since I work in news here you go:



When will the NHL wake up and stop rewarding mediocrity? I for one hope it's soon.

So to recap, Carolina's nightmare is making the playoffs.

Gopher's reaction to the above is simply this: "The nightmare isn't just making the playoffs, but also missing out on a lottery miracle."

Pittsburgh Penguins

This may sound a little unorthodox here, but I'm going to draw on my personal experience of growing up near Boston and seeing the Penguins play roughly a dozen times over the years in person up there.

The Pens have a serious mental block against the Bruins. It seems like they cannot beat them. Ever. Especially in Boston. I think my career record in Boston is 1-10 when in attendance for a game between these two. That one win came last March. I'm still in awe that it actually happened.

I had to watch these highlights again just to be sure it actually happened. Side note, when I was doing my worst announcers post I entirely forgot about this crew. Consider them No. 6 on the list.



Are the Pens a better overall team than Boston? Yes. Do I think the Pens would probably prevail given the recent injuries and shaky play of Tim Thomas? Yes. Would I literally have a heart attack during this series? You can put money on it.

You may all be thinking that Ottawa would be a worse nightmare in the first round, but I really think the Pens could avenge last year's early dispatching despite being 1-3 against the Senators this season. We were 3-1 against them last year and were gone in five games against them in the first round.

It's pretty simple right now in why the Pens would beat the Senators.

Martin Gerber.

Gerber has been playing very well lately, but no one can keep up that kind of pace. Just look at how Ty Conklin has done over his last few games. When Gerber returns to Earth, he will be a slightly above average goalie. He has yet to show the Gerber that got the Hurricanes into the playoffs where Cam Ward took over and won the Cup since coming to Ottawa.

Not to mention, Ray Emery may be the unofficial biggest headcase in the NHL.

Anyway, if my theory about Pitt being unable to win in Boston for whatever reason, the Bruins would only have to win one of four potential games at the Igloo.

So there you have it, the Western Conference nightmares will be up next. Check back tomorrow and thanks for reading.

This Week's Hot And Cold Teams

Normally I would have had a couple more posts up already, but things came up hence the delay. Life is like that I suppose.

Anyway, I was reading the latest power rankings on ESPN.com and got inspired to do something similar of my own. If you look at the comments section on the ESPN list, you’ll notice everyone yapping back and forth about why their favorite team isn’t #1.

Here’s the thing, the people doing the list aren’t rocket scientists. They’re normal people like you and me who actually get paid to write this fodder for the masses to chew on. I do get a kick out of reading the comments though. Inevitably there’s some poor sap who barely watches hockey who announces to the world that he/she is an idiot and the entire message board pounces on them like a pack of hyenas taking down an Impala in the African wilderness. (I just watched disc one of the BBC’s “Planet Earth.” If you haven’t seen it, go buy it and watch it on an HD television and prepare to be blown away like I was to see the boy-band era actually exist for longer than 30 seconds.)

Got a little off topic there, but here’s what I’m going to do every once in a while. Might be every week, but who knows. I’m going to pick the three hottest teams in the league and the three teams that should be acting like Tanya Harding asking the judges for a re-do. If you haven’t seen this crying fiasco by now, enjoy.



3 Teams On Fire

#3 Boston Bruins

The Bruins are currently the 6-seed in the Eastern Conference with 77 points. The team is 7-1-2 in their last ten games and is closing in on the Ottawa Senators in the division. They sit three points back of Ottawa and four back of division leader Montreal.

This team has been a pleasant surprise this season and gives the city of Boston another shot at a championship. The Bruins haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1971-72 and I don’t see the streak ending this season.

There is a lot of potential on this team especially in young guy Phil Kessel who will be the leader of this team for years to come. It remains to be seen if he will suffer the same fate as another young guy who was supposed to be the franchise player of the century in Joe Thornton. We all know how that ended up.

#2 New York Rangers

The Rangers are currently the 7-seed in the Eastern Conference with 77 points. Tied with the Bruins above but the B’s have more wins and thus have the 6-seed. They sit five points back of New Jersey and six points back of the conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins and are 7-0-3 in their last ten games.

To quote a famous rapper and then distort the line for my own no-good: “Will the real New York Rangers please stand up?”

Just because I can, I’m going to rant on the Rangers a little.

Where was this display all year? Why have guys like Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr been making me question why I even follow hockey in the first place if I can’t dominate my fantasy leagues like I have for years. (Shut up Gopher, you got lucky and you know it and I’ll see you in the playoffs this year to take back what is mine.)

Does anyone really want to face this team right now in the playoffs? A month ago I would’ve been jumping up and down with anticipation of the first-round bye, but now the Rangers actually look like the legit contender we all thought they would be at the start of the season. The only question now is, can they keep it up or is this just another chapter in the up and down season they’ve had?

#1 Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks currently sit as the 4-seed in the Western Conference with 83 points. They trail the Pacific Division leading Dallas Stars by four points and the conference leading Red Wings by 11. The Ducks are also 9-1-0 in their last ten games.

It finally looks like the Ducks are once again Stanley Cup contenders and could make a solid defense of their title.

The team really started to turn things around when Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer opted out of retirement and decided to come back for one more year.

Selanne has 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in 12 games since returning to the lineup and Niedermayer has brought more stability to the back line.

It’s not a far fetched idea that they could catch and pass the Stars and head into the playoffs as the two or three-seed.

3 Teams Who Should Forget This Week Happened

Normally I would include teams like the Thrashers, Kings, Lighting etc., but it would get old saying the same thing week after week so let’s look at the playoff chasing teams who are slipping.

#3 Detroit Red Wings

This may look weird being on this list, but the Wings have been struggling recently. To keep form with the rest of the team intros: the Wings are currently the 1-seed in the Western Conference with 94 points and lead the 2-seed Stars y seven points.

There’s not much to say about this team. They got out to such a huge lead from the start of the season that this slump isn’t even hurting them. If anything it shows they are human and can be beat. Chris Osgood has finally returned to Earth after being on one ridiculous streak and has now been told he’ll be starting only five of the team’s remaining 15 games so Dominik Hasek can get some WD-40 into his joints and be ready to go for the playoffs.

#2 Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are currently clinging to a one point lead over the Buffalo Sabres for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 74 points. They are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games.

After losing 10 straight games the Flyers have put together a better week and are back in the playoffs right now, but the injuries they suffered appeared to show that their younger players and farm system are not ready to carry the load just yet.

If they can get healthy they could return to mid-season form where they were leading the Atlantic Division. They’ve shown (much to my utter annoyance) that they can hang with playoff teams, especially Pittsburgh who they would face in the first-round right now.

They better start winning and winning fast because not only are the Sabres one point back, but the Capitals are two points back and the Islanders are only three points back.

#1 Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are currently the 5-seed in the Eastern Conference with 80 points. They trail the 4-seed New Jersey Devils by two points and Northeast Division leading Montreal by one point.

My my, I guess the saying “the bigger they are, the harder they fall” applies as if it was written about this team. Like the Red Wings, the Senators looked unstoppable at the start of the season, but since the All-Star break the team has been in a tailspin.

They have had some injuries to key players such as Dany Heatley and captain Daniel Alfredsson, but the team has looked like they don’t care about playing hard on some nights. It’s almost as if the rest of the team quits when “The Big 3” (Jason Spezza being the 3rd Musketeer in this equation) are in the lineup.

Let’s also look at the goaltending situation. Martin Gerber has shown moment of brilliance, but has also shown he can’t stop a beach ball at times. His poor wife must spend hours rubbing aloe on his neck to ease the pain of the sunburn.

Same goes for Ray Emery who I believe thinks he’s Muhammad Ali (who’s depicted on his helmet.) Most enforcers don’t even want to throw down with Brian McGratton and yet Ray-Ray has done it on a couple of occasions this year alone.

Unless something drastic happens in Ottawa in the next month, this team is going to be a pushover in the first-round. Emery showed last year that he can be a solid goalie that can carry a team deep in the playoffs, but he hasn’t even resembled his former self for more than a handful of games this season.