Penguins Stun Sharks, Me 2-1 In Shootout

All I can say is, wow. I'm speechless. If you were not a hockey fan before tonight's Penguins/Sharks game, you should be one now.

The Sharks outshot the Penguins (shocker) 37-36 for the game, but both goaltenders were stellar between the pipes.

Personally, I'm shocked at two things about this game.

First, we put up 36 shots against arguably the best team in the league. Why? The Pens rank dead last in the league in shots on goal per game at 27.3. By comparison, the Sharks are 2nd with 34.5.

I'm not surprised we gave up 37 shots one bit, that's old news. The Pens rank 23rd in the league in shots allowed per game with 30.8.

Here's the shocking part about the Pens getting 36 shots tonight. The Sharks are tops in the league in shots allowed with 27.1 per game.

Now for how stagnant the Penguins offense has been, this was a major improvement and accomplishment.

Secondly.....WE WON!

I can't emphasize enough how ecstatic I am about knocking off the Sharks. Yes it was only a 2-1 victory in a shootout, but the Pens did the little things tonight and were rewarded in the end.

Bill Thomas was flying around the ice and got his first goal as a Penguin in the second period on a weird bounce.

Miroslav Satan chipped the puck up the far-side boards where Thomas picked it up in full stride. Thomas skated down below the right faceoff circle and appeared to attempt a pass to Jordan Staal on the back-post, but the puck deflected off Rob Blake and behind Brian Boucher much to the delight of the fans at the Igloo.

Something else struck me as different after the goal too. The reaction on the Penguins' bench was not the typical "everyone stands and high-fives in a business only fashion." This was like they each found out they were dating Giselle Bundchen. Everyone up and hoping around pounding the boards and such. Perhaps the boys are having fun again?

The Pens took the 1-0 lead to the 3rd period only to see it erased about halfway through the frame.

Let's break it down shall we?

Dan Boyle skates around the back of the net to the near side with Hal "Pylon" Gill in lukewarm pursuit. Boyle throws it out in front to the crowd of five players (three Sharks, two Pens.) The two Pens? Rob Scuderi and Evgeni Malkin.

After a couple whacks the puck squirts loose to Joe Pavelski who slammed the puck into the empty cage behind Marc-Andre Fleury to tie it up at 1-1.

Now, the question you should be asking is where was Gill? To answer that you need to watch the video to actually believe it.

Video Highlights Courtesy Of NHL.com


Gill follows Boyle (a defenseman) out to the blue-line and seems shocked that Boyle got rid of the puck.

Petr Sykora is caught in a tough spot and slides down to mark Pavelski, who Gill should have had, but by the time Sykora processes Gill's gaffe, the red light is on.

Now what should have happened in this situation is this:

Gill is correct in forcing his man behind the net and wide, but he should have broken pursuit at the faceoff dot and let Sykora come down for support since it would be his man anyway to cover. Gill goes to the net and evens up the battle in front and maybe the puck doesn't find it's way in, but this is how goals are scored and hindsight is 20/20.

I will be keeping a running total of how many goals are caused by each player starting with the last game against Detroit. Half points will be assigned in the case of multiple player's breakdowns leading to a goal. More on the full rules to come tomorrow as I tweak the system.

Anyway, Fleury (8-5-1 with a .916 save percentage since Jan. 6.) saved the game, and potentially the season, when he stoned Mike Grier on a shorthanded breakaway with just under three minutes to play. Grier tried to put the puck through Fleury's pads, but the attempt was no match for the agile Fleury. As a result, Pens fans got treated to some free bonus hockey.

Sidney Crosby had a couple of glorious chances for legendary announcer Mike Lange to scream "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis...has...just...left...the building," but Boucher was up to the task and sent the game to a shootout where it came down to the final round.

Sid the Kid moved in and snapped off a wrister to the 5-hole of Boucher giving the Pens a 1-0 lead in the shootout. The game then rested on the broad shoulders of Fleury who needed to stop Boyle to secure the victory.

Boyle started out near the nearside boards, dangled his way to the slot, went to the backhand on a pretty nice move. He had Fleury beat, but out of nowhere Fleury throws out the right pad and just gets a toe on the shot sending the Igloo into a frenzied state.

The Penguins bench erupts like they just won the Stanley Cup and Fleury pops up pumping his glove in victory. The reaction of the team is nothing I have seen since last season's playoff run. Everyone is up and jumping and hugging. This can only be a good sign.

Up next for the Pens are the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at the ACC. I'll be in attendance and am hoping that Sergei Gonchar suits up for the first time this season. The sooner he comes back the better and I wouldn't be surprised at all if that gives GM Ray Shero the greenlight to start pulling the trigger on trades.

All in all today was a good day to be a Penguins fan.

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Penguins Notes 2/11

According to a report in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, defenseman Sergei Gonchar has been cleared to play by team doctors.

Gonchar will not be in the lineup tonight against the San Jose Sharks, but this is very good news.

With Gonchar back in the lineup, the Penguins' powerplay will get back its quarterback and not a moment too soon. Currently the Pens are 15th in the league with the man advantage, clicking at 19.3%.

Now, anyone who's seen Gonchar tee it up knows he can bring it. However, endboards around the league should be shuddering as his attempt to pick corners with that howitzer tend to go wide.

Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that he just lets it fly from the point. I'm just hoping this surgery might have straightened out his mechanics a little.

As for tonight's game against the Sharks, I'm not expecting much. Maybe the news of Gonchar being cleared to play will spark the team. Maybe it won't. Time will tell, but I would not be surprised to see the Sharks grab an early lead and hold onto it.

Last night's comeback win in Boston should have the Sharks buzzing, so be ready Marc-Andre Fleury.

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If the season ended today

We are at this current moment 25-30 games away from the end of the regular season. This season has been exciting with some great story lines and is setting up to have two of the best conference finals in a long time should the standings hold true throughout the playoffs. With that said though, we may be in line for the most boring first round of the playoffs ever. I cannot realistically see any 6, 7, or 8 seeds challenging and of the top 3 seeds in either conference.

East

1 Boston Bruins vs 8 Florida Panthers

Boston is currently the best team in the league and outside of it's hiccup last night vs the Fighting Nabokovs, has rarely been beaten badly this season. They score on 23% of their power plays and kill 82% of their penalties. Tim Thomas hasn't woken up yet from his dream season and is playing out of its mind. Florida does not possess an offensive line that scares anybody nor have they picked a goaltender to lead them into the playoffs. Is it Vokoun or Andersen? Who gets the nod to start game one? After either gets shelled in game 1, how long until you see the other in the series? And with all signs to them trading Bouwmeester, the odds of them even making the playoffs are slim at best. But seeing how we are looking at today's standings only, the Panthers are in the playoffs, but won't last long.

Prediction: Bruins 4-0

2 Washington Capitals vs 7 Buffalo Sabres

The most important player in this series will be none other than Alexander....... Semin. Please use the next 20 seconds to throw something against the wall, calm down because I didn't say Ovechkin, and regroup. We good? Great. Alexander Ovechkin in my eyes is the best player in the league. He can score at will, is physical, and creates absolute havoc when on the ice. I have no doubt he will light it up in the playoffs. I am not saying he is not important to the sucess of the Caps. But here is my fun fact of the day. Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin EACH score on average 1.3 points per game. Each averages .7 goals and .6 assists. But the difference is that teams will key on Ovie and try not to let him beat them in the series. This will leave opportunities for Semin. If he can capitalize on those opportunities, these team will go far.

Prediction: Caps 4-1

3 New Jersey Devils vs 6 New York Rangers

It pains me to say this being a Rangers fan, but short of a miracle, they have no chance in the playoffs this year. Let's look at the best case scenario here for the Rangers. Hank plays out of his mind, stands on his head, and allows no more than 2 goals a game. A Devils team who decided the last 15 years of boring hockey wasn't going to cut it decided to go out and get some offense because Brodeur was getting up there in years and was due for and injury letdown (which happened). Marty comes back for the playoffs, with trememdous rest, and the Devils revert back to boring hockey. In that scenario, do the Rangers win 4 games vs. their arch rival. No chance. The Rangers have trouble finding the back of the net and their defense is just bad enough that other teams get multiple scoring chances and cash in on 2-3 a game. Hank does his best to stop them all but he's also human. With Parise, Elias, Zajac, Langenbrunner, Rolston, and Shanny, the Devils are finally poised to take the load off of Marty's back and score more than 2 goals a game. The Garden may give the Rangers a game or 2, but no more.

Prediction: Devils 4-1

West

1 San Jose Sharks vs 8 Minnesota Wild

The Wild are the Rangers of the west. They play great defense, but can't find the back of the net against regular goalies. Evgeni Nabokov is no regular goalie. Nabby has the ability to play at 75% and shut out inferior teams. He will be able to yawn his way through the first round. The only chance the Wild has is if Backstrom matches Nabby and forces games into OT, where suddenly tensions run high, heart rates rise, and every shot could be the last of the game. That, or if the Sharks overlook the Wild and ready for a 2nd round matchup. In my opinion though, both things are highly unlikely and in this bout, Goliath beats David.

Sharks 4-0

2 Detroit Red Wings vs 7 Vancouver Canucks

Outside of Roberto Luongo (who hasn't looked at all himself since returning from the injury) and the Sedin boys, how are the Canucks ever going to match the offensive fire power of the mighty Red Wings. The Wings boast the top PP in the league (over 27%) and have the most goals in the league by a large margin. The 2nd place scoring team can put up a Dallas-esque 10 in the next game and still be trailing Wings in goals scored. If you are facing Detroit, which guy do you target the most to stop? Datsyuk or Zetterberg? Or Hossa? Or Lidstrom? What about on the PP? Because when you are watching those 4, Samuelsson and Hudler and Holmstrom wreak havoc and light the lamp. This team is simply a matchup nightmare, and Vancouver doesn't have the power to do anything about it.

Prediction: Detroit 4-1

3 Calgary Flames vs 6 Anaheim Ducks

This is by far the most intruging matchup of the 1st round and I strategically left it for last. Somehow after losing two of their top scorers from last year in Tanguay and Huselius, the Flames filled in the cracks and are sitting atop their division and in third in the conference. (Michael Cammalleri take a bow) Each year the Flames are the ugly ducklings of the playoffs. They rely on basically two guys to carry the load on their backs (Iginla and Kipper) and use role players the rest of the way to keep the ship going. With that said though, those role players all take turns stepping up and being the heroes of any given game. The Flames win ugly, but the key is Mike Keenan has found a way to keep them winning.

The Ducks on the other hand don't have "it" this year. They look almost bored out there. This team used to be fun to watch. They hit, they fought, they scored, and they looked like they were having fun out there. Now, they look like they are simply going through the motions until the end of April roles around. There is no sense of urgency or want with this team. While I am not saying that is the end all and be all when it comes playoff time, it is something. On top of that, who is getting the nod game 1? Is it Hiller or Giggy? Easily you can make cases for each, but Giggy hasn't been himself since his father passed away and Hiller is inexperienced. Also, whichever one does start will be looking over his shoulder the entire time, especially once one or two losses happen. I think this will be the closest series that isn't a 4-5 in the playoffs, but for some reason I think the Flames want it more and therefore will take it.

Prediction: Calgary 4-2

There you have it, what may be one of the most boring first rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in recent memory.

Bruins Play Chum, Eaten By Sharks

Coming into tonight's encounter with the Western Conference leading San Jose Sharks, the Boston Bruins are fresh off the heels of a nearly unprecedented loss to the Philadelphia Flyers this past Saturday. The Flyers managed to win 4-3 in overtime after trailing 3-1 in the first period. This particular occurrence was special because it marked just the second time the Claude Julien led Bruins have lost a game when leading by two goals. However, while coming off of one tough loss, the Sharks have struggled in their last three, losing to Chicago 4-2 on January 31st, falling 4-3 in a shootout to Carolina on February 5th and finally falling yet again in overtime, this time to 3-2 to Columbus on Saturday.

Both hockey clubs are undoubtedly looking for the win tonight, the Sharks currently sitting two points ahead of Detroit for first in the west, while Boston will look to add to their already large 13 point lead over the Washington Capitals. Sharks playmaker Joe Thornton will certainly be looking to play at an especially high level tonight coming into the TD Banknorth Garden and facing his former club. The game will certainly be keyed on Boston's stout defense led by living giant Zdeno Chara. Unfortunately, the Bruins will be without Michael Ryder for around three weeks after he had surgery on his broken face. Of course all the talk of Joe Thornton could be moot if he can't stay on the ice for more than five minutes. Lastly, and interestingly enough, this will be the only meeting between the two clubs this season... well at least that we know of.

On to the game...

Both teams came out fast and furious, albeit a little on the sloppy side. At 3:58 into the first period Milan Lucic was in the right place at the right time, just to the right of the crease when Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov got himself tangled up with defenseman Dan Boyle, giving Lucic an easy put away into the net for a 1-0 Bruins lead. The Sharks weren't about to wait around too long before getting themselves level. After Patrice Bergeron found himself in the sin bin for a tripping call, the Sharks powerplay unit hit the ice. Rob Blake fired a shot that bounced a couple of times and lazily trickled it's way past Bruins goalie Tim Thomas at 7:18.

With the first goal behind them, San Jose seemed to have a little extra pep in their skate, but the Bruins were first to strike again. Petteri Nokelainen and Milan Lucic were able to capitalize on an errant Sharks pass at center ice and bore down on Nabokov. Lucic passed for Nokelainen who ripped a slapper. Nabokov made the save, but surrendered a rebound even Muggsy Bogues could grab and Lucic caught the Sharks goalie too far out, blasting it by for a 2-1 Bruins lead.

Versus breaks in with an interesting stat, brought to you by Denny's. Since the 2003-2004 season, Joe Thornton leads the NHL in assists with 352, the Bruins' Marc Savard second with 280.

There was a bit of controversy at the end of the first period when a high stick caught Petteri Nokelainen straight in the face. Dan Boyle went to use his stick to lift Nokelainen's, but he missed the shaft and jabbed poor Petteri right in the kisser. A high sticking was very close to being called, as it should have been, but after some kvetching from the Sharks bench and some dopey bewildered gesturing from Claude Julien, oh and the Sharks refusing to take the fifth man off the ice, the penalty was shelved, leaving a fine tuned chorus of boos in referee Don VanMassenhoven's direction. Rumour has it VanMassenhoven has more letters in his name than his actual IQ. It's just a rumour though. Look at it this way though, maybe Joe Thornton will look at VanMassenhoven in just the right manner to push the referee's buttons, ejecting Thornton. You would think there would be a make up call for the missed high stick.

Boston was certainly the better of the two teams in the first period with crisper passing and they were able to create more pressure in the final third of the ice, advertised by their 13-6 shot advantage over the Sharks. As a neutral fan between these two clubs, it appears as if Boston seems to be getting stronger and the pressure could continue to mount on San Jose early in the second period. San Jose has had a couple of comical near collisions with their defensemen, including the one between Nabby and Boyle that led to Lucic's first goal. Perhaps a little teamwork at the back could make things a little more difficult for a very fast Bruins offense.

Do you think Andy Brickley is glad to have a break from Jack Edwards tonight? He looks faily happy twiddling his thumbs while standing next to the World's Worst Commissioner, Gary Bettman.

As the second period gets underway, Brickley and company bring up a strong point about the Bruins not being able to match their energy and intensity from the first period into the second an onward. That was obviously their downfall against the Flyers on Saturday and will be interesting to see if that malaise sets itself in again here tonight.

Early on in the second (less than a minute) and Devin Setoguchi is sent to the box for interference, narrowly missing Tim Thomas' crotch with as he dives into the net. Forty-nine seconds of five-on-three action after Dan Boyle is caught tripping. The Bruins came away empty-handed however as the Sharks looked extremely defiant and strong in defense. Nabokov made a number of nice saves, something the players can look to feed off of.

A nice "Oh!" moment midway through the second, Bergeron broke down the left wing and snapped a shot on Nabby that went off his blocker, Savard got the rebound, but fired it just past the far post. Moments later Savard himself broke down the left wing and snapped it low, but Nabby was one better and double pad stacked it away.

Absolutely fantastic end to end action in this game. It's been beautiful and exciting to watch. The second period yielded no goals, but the excitement was constant, brilliant saves from Nabokov to deny the Bruins chance after chance. Both the Bruins and Sharks putting terrific pressure on each other offensively. A very fast paced, action packed second period. The Bruins are 26-0-2 this season when leading after two periods. A daunting statistic for those San Jose Sharks fans out there, but witht he way this game has been played, anything can happen.

Tim Thomas' 200th game in the NHL tonight. All of them with the Bruins of course, and oh how they regretted the first 164 of them. And as I say that, Patrick Marleau takes a deflection from point off Dennis Wideman and onto his stick, making it an easy goal and a 2-2 hockey game with just over sixteen minutes to play.

Well, it seems as if I have completely and utterly cursed Tim Thomas. Boyle breaks down center ice, into the zone, passes it to Ryane Clowe just right of the crease. Clowe softly passes it back into the slot where Milan Michalek drills it just under the crossbar, TING! and in. Sharks up 3-2 and I suppose that energy and solidity I mentioned after the first period has been... solidified. The Bruins certainly haven't lacked the effort, like they may have against the Flyers, the Sharks have simply outplayed them in the first half of this third period. Plain and simple.

Wow! Thornton with a blue to blue pass, Marleau breaks it down the left wing, whiffs on the shot, gets checked hard, Setoguchi picks up the loose puck, leaves it for Thornton who winds up, but it hits his skate first and goes in! The play is obviously under review to make sure there was no kicking review. The booing Bruins turn over to cheers as the call for review is announced. I agree with Andy Brickley (total Bruins homer) says that Thornton was making a hockey move. VanMassenhoven alerts us that goal stands, Bruins fans are angry.

The Sharks kill yet ANOTHER Bruins powerplay. Did I say something about 26-0-2 after two periods earlier? I really feel as if I've killed it for the Bruins in this third period.

Dennis Wideman breaks to the left of the slot and is promptly hauled down. Important for the Bruins to make the most out of these two minutes to give themselves some sort of a chance here. How about a 105mph slapshot geared to Nabokov's head? At least half of us at Back to the Point would move out of the way.

Again nothing on the Bruins powerplay and there's two minutes left in the game. Not looking nearly as rosy as it was after the first twenty minutes of play. Empty net with 80 seconds to go. Nabokov makes a good glove save, forcing a faceoff to his right. Nabokov has been something else in the final two periods. He just robbed Savard about 32 times with the pads double stacked. Mike Grier puts the icing on the proverbial cake with an empty netter, only 30 seconds to go.

Video highlights courtesy of NHL.com


Well. A 5-2 final after a four goal flurry from the San Jose Sharks in the third period. They outplayed the Bruins in every facet of the game, out-hitting the Bruins 40-25, and 32-15 in faceoffs. They showed they wanted the game more over the course of the final two periods and while it was close in the second, the gap became a chasm as San Jose ran away with it. For the first time all season the Bruins have lost a game by more than two goals, which is a pretty incredible stat. On the other hand, the Sharks win their first out of their last four and must have a tremendous amount of confidence as they'll head into Pittsburgh.

The Bruins will certainly be asking questions about what went wrong, just as it did in the Flyers game and what can they do to correct it. I felt as if Nokelainen had a fairly solid game, but the offense is obviously already missing a certain something without Michael Ryder's presence. San Jose and Nabby were brilliant penalty killing tonight, the B's failing to capitalize on five powerplay chances, including that two man advantage early in the game. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they have to leave the comfort of the Garden, heading to New Jersey to face the Devils on Friday the 13th (creepy? yes) and heading into Nashville for the Predators on Saturday. Claude Julien has three days to find some answers on his team. My guess is he can get the problem solved and get them back on track.

Sharks Survive Again...Plus DERBY DAY!

This is going to be really quick today as I'm too excited about the Kentucky Derby today.

The Sharks finally showed a backbone last night. After trailing 2-0 heading to the third period, they stopped trying to make all these fancy passes and just put the puck on net.

They started generating chances and opened up passing lanes to finally be able to move the puck for a high percentage shot. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Joe Thornton may be the most underrated passer in the league. He's not going to score 40 goals in a season, but every year he puts up 60+ assists and is always among the league leaders.

The pass he made to set up the first goal last night was jaw dropping. I don't know how his teammates even play with the guy, if he sees a small shred of daylight, he's putting the puck through it.

Plus, the goal Brian Campbell scored to tie it up in the third was an absolute laser beam. Marty Turco had no chance whatsoever to stop that puck.

The way you beat Turco is to get traffic in front of him. Get in his kitchen. Give him a whack after the whistle. Give him a little nudge when he comes out to play the puck. I'm not saying lay the guy out or do anything to take a penalty. He gets frustrated very quickly.

Take last night for example, one two occasions late in the 2nd and early in the 3rd periods, he got some contact and started screaming at the refs to make a call.

If you keep going to the net and crashing into him, he'll get mad and that's what you want if you're the Sharks. You need him thinking "I'm taking out the next guy who touches my paint."

That's how the Sharks will win the series. If they keep being passive, we won't even see a game 7.

Now, onto Derby Day.

I am going out on a limb today and making my own call. Cheech thinks this is a wide open field and with Big Brown being out the far outside post at No. 20. Write this down. BIG BROWN WILL NOT WIN. It's a sucker's bet today. Yeah he's the favorite, but no horse has ever won the Derby from the 20 post. EVER.

The only way he wins is if he gets down to the rail by the first turn. If he's on the outside heading into turn one, rip up your tickets.

Now, here's what I'm going to play.

Since, Big Brown will spend a ton of energy early in this race I'm looking for a solid closer in this race. Keep your eyes on the No. 10 horse Colonel John. In the Santa Anita Derby John got boxed out big time coming around the final turn, had to change his line and still ran down four horses in the final straightaway to win it by 1/2 a length.

This horse will be stalking the pace the entire time and watch for Colonel John to make a big kick down the stretch. Colonel John will be your 2008 Kentucky Derby winner.

As a longer shot on the board and if you're looking for a value bet. Take a hard look at Smooth Air in the 12 post. This horse lost to Big Brown in the Florida Derby, but has a noticeable post advantage over Brown this time around and might be able to take Brown down.

Now as for the other favorite on the board, I'm not all that impressed. Pyro has a great name and my favorite number in 9, but finished 10th in his last race at the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. I didn't see the race, but for him to come in 10th in a decent sized field does not bode well for a race with 20 horses. I think he'll be a mid pack horse at best, but what do I know? I'm just a puckhead.

Top 5 Disappointments Of The Playoffs (So Far)

I was sitting around thinking the other day about some of the biggest surprises of the first round so far and why I'm giddy as a Pens fan. I figured that would be good for a later post and started thinking about the flip side of that scenario being the biggest disappointments of the playoffs so far. After running this by Gopher and bouncing off my few ideas and with some of his own I narrowed the list down to a cool five. Here they are:

#5 - Martin Brodeur's Play Against The Rangers

Has he ever played a worse playoff series in his career? I don't think so. Go back to the two blunders he had in Game 1 on home ice. With the score tied in the third period and on the power play, Brodeur either had a massive brain lapse or was his typical cocky puck playing self. (Yes, he's one of the best puck handling goalies in the league, but he gets a little over-confident some times.)

With Ryan Callahan curling around the net, Brodeur drops the puck in his crease about a foot from the goalline thinking that the man coming around the net was his defenseman only to see Callahan hack it into the net for a backbreaking shorthanded goal.

As if it wasn't bad enough, later in the same period Brodeur overplays Scott Gomez on a 2-on-1. Gomez was practically in the 5th row of the crowd when he realized Brodeur was staring him in the face and not in the crease when he passed it out front to Sean Avery for an easy tap in goal to pad the lead.



These are just two examples of his poor play in this series. A majority of the goals he allowed in this series were pucks he should have stopped or were pucks that had no business being in the net. Did Avery's antics really get into his head that bad, or is this just the first signs of an aging goaltender in the new NHL? Time will only tell, but needless to say this was not the Brodeur we are all used to seeing at this time of year.

#4 - The Dominator Becomes The Dominated

This is pretty self explanatory, but can you really blame Mike Babcock for turning to Chris Osgood this soon? I think I saw Hasek filling out his AARP membership info during Game 6 against Nashville.

He was brutal in Games 3 and 4 in Nashville. He singlehandedly put Hockeytown into a state of panic not seen since the Sharks upset them many a moon ago. I enjoyed watching Hasek play during his career, but I hate seeing athletes hang on too long. Look at Jerry Rice, does it get much worse than seeing a Hall of Famer be cut and no one pick him up and then see him have success on "Dancing With The Stars?" I don't think so.

This needs to be Hasek's last season. Yes he put up great numbers this season, but honestly put a pylon in net and the wings still win at least 48-52 games. That team is loaded and is a well oiled machine. The Wings have a very capable goalie in Jimmy Howard waiting in the wings for his turn. He's the future of this franchise and has proven that he can play at the NHL level when he filled in for the osteoporosis-ridden Hasek earlier this season.

#3 - Carey Price Is Either On Or Can't Stop A Beachball

I hate to see someone struggle like this and for me to have to come on here and say "I told you so," but here it is. I TOLD YOU SO.

Carey Price looked great for five of the seven games against Boston. Games 5 and 6 were terrible where he gave up 10 goals in those two games and allowed Boston to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-1 in the series. Now I haven't been able to figure out if his shutout in Game 7 is anything to be overly excited about as the Bruins had absolutely nothing left in the tank for that game. Price did have some great saves in the game, but his team had already spotted him a 3 goal lead before anything he did mattered.

Flash ahead to the current series against Philadelphia. He hasn't looked solid in any of the first three games and was pulled in Game 3 after the second period. He let up three goals on 12 shots and was replaced by Jaroslav Halak who didn't allow a goal in the third period as the Habs almost forced overtime after heading into the final period down 3-0.



Who will be in net for Game 4? If I'm running the show I go with Halak. You can't waste time waiting for a kid to show up and play like we all know he's capable of playing. I've said this before. I like Price. I really do, but the inexperience of a 21-year-old kid playing in Montreal with the hopes of all of Canada on his shoulders right now to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada, is starting to show.

The backbreaking goal he allowed in Game 2 in the third period had no business being scored. On a floating puck in the air he nonchalantly put his glove out to catch it only to see it batted out of his glove and then into the net. You have to fight for that puck at all times as a goalie. Maybe he'll turn it around, but he's got to do it quick if the Habs are going to keep advancing in the playoffs.

#2 What's Up With San Jose?

I felt obliged to put this in near the top of the list since I picked them to win the Stanley Cup.

I don't quite get it. This team was the hottest of any team heading into the playoffs, but has been just good enough to advance. The one game that sticks out in my mind was when they ran Kipper from the net in Calgary with three goals in less than four minutes. Things looked great for the Sharks in that game and then it all fell apart as they went on to lose the game.

You can't blow three goal leads in the playoffs and expect to win. Ask the Rangers about how Game 1 against Pittsburgh turned out after they did the exact same thing.

Now they find themselves down 0-2 against the Stars and heading BACK TO DALLAS for the next two games. The Stars have completely dominated the first two games of this series and I wonder if San Jose is feeling some fatigue from playing a very physical seven game series against the Flames.

This team has no business losing like this. They are too deep and too good of a team to be tossed around like this.

#1 - Anaheim Ducks Made The Playoffs?

Boy I bet Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne are glad they came out of semi-retirement for this splendid Stanley Cup defense.

What a pathetic showing from the defending champs against the Stars who were one of the coldest most out of sync teams heading into the playoffs. It was almost like the Ducks expected to win and didn't put any effort into doing so.

J.S. Giguere was solid in only two games and those were the two they ended up winning.

The Stars controlled this series from the opening puck drop and the added boost of knocking off the defending champs has carried over into their series with the Sharks. I can't believe how the Ducks rolled over in this series. You can't take anything for granted in the playoffs even as the defending champs. With the way the Ducks played in the first round, I wouldn't have been surprised if the Lightning could have knocked them out. (Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch, but come on this was almost as bad as how the Senators played against the Penguins.)

The only thing I can come up with is that someone had really good tee times at Pebble Beach that making a run at defending the Stanley Cup was an afterthought.

Western Conference Quarterfinals Playoff Breakdown

As promised yesterday, here is the breakdown of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

The Western Conference in my opinion is going to be a little harder to predict as almost any team could represent the West in the Stanley Cup Finals, but let's get right into it.

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs #8 Nashville Predators

I can't believe I'm actually sitting here staring at this matchup. I thought for sure that with losing guys like Paul Kariya Kimmo Timmonen and Tomas Vokoun that this team wouldn't even be relevant, but here we are.

Why The Wings Win:

Better question is why don't they win, but we'll get there. This has been the most complete and dominant team in the NHL this season. Yes, the Sharks are probably the hottest team in the world right now, but look at this from a season standpoint.

If the Wings haven't been the number one seed from game one of the season, it had to have taken them at most three or four games to claim that spot and they haven't given it up since.

The play of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk has been incredible and guys like Johan Franzen have stepped up and performed well above expectations.

Why They Don't Win: Told you we'd get to this. Anyway, it's hard to find a flaw in this team. The only thing that jumps to mind is that the combined age of their goaltending is just shy of triple digits. Not to mention Chris Osgood has either been great, or terrible. Yeah, his save percentage is impressive, but come on a pylon could've put up solid numbers for the Wings this year.

They're that good.

Onto the Predators

Why They Win: Dan Ellis has been on fire recently. He hasn't given up more than three goals since Feb. 23 against Dallas in a 6-3 loss.

Since then he's 8-4-1 with two shutouts.

The Predators have been playing well down the stretch going 6-3-1 in their final ten games to catch and hold off the Vancouver Canucks for the final playoff spot.

If the Predators are going to win Ellis is going to have to channel the spirit of Dwayne Roloson and J.S. Giguere from playoffs past.

Why They Don't Win: I just don't see the Preds pulling off the upset. Don't get me wrong, I'll be rooting for it, but Detroit has the complete package.

The Predators aren't exactly a deep team and that is going to be what hurts them. They have played the Wings well only losing the season series 5-3, but this is the playoffs and the Wings are very much built for the playoffs.

Bottom Line: Nashville as an organization should feel good about defying odds and making the playoffs at least, but don't blink because this one is going to be over quick. Red Wings in 5.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs #7 Calgary Flames

By far one of the most intriguing goaltending matchups we'll get in the playoffs. Evgeni Nabokov against Miikka Kiprusoff. Both capable of stealing a series.

Why The Sharks Win: This team has been the most dominant team in the league down the stretch. Before losing in regulation of their last game of the season, the Sharks hadn't lost in regulation in 21 straight games. Are you kidding me? A pace like that and they couldn't even catch the Wings who had built up a huge lead all season.

Joe Thornton may be the best passer in the game and in the top 5 all-time. Big Joe didn't reach 100 points this season falling just three shy, but he still logged 67 helpers. I really like this team's chances to represent the West.

Why They Don't Win: This is a team that doesn't get out and score many goals. If they face a team that can figure out a way to get past their incredible defense and get some pucks behind Nabokov, the Sharks are going to be in trouble.

Onto the Flames

Why They Win: Jarome Iginla and Kipper are going to have to put this team on their back and carry them. Calgary has been one of the streakiest teams in the league this season. They'll go from scoring at will to not being able to hit the broad side of a barn. From a fantasy standpoint, that fact killed Gopher all year long as he had Iginla, Alex Tanguay and Daymod Langkow. When that line was hot, he was unbeatable. When it was cold, he was still tough to play against, but easier to knock off, unless you had my team which whooped him even with them scoring.

But I digress.

Kipper is obviously capable of carrying this team in the playoffs. He did in during the 2004 playoffs and in my opinion won the Stanley Cup in overtime in Game 6. If he plays solid and the Iginla line plays like it can, the Flames have a shot. Let's not forget that they won the season series with the Flames 3-1.

Why They Don't Win: I wouldn't exactly say the Flames are living up to their name as they went 5-5 in their final ten games. Kipper was pulled against the Canucks on March 30 after giving up four goals on 13 shots.

The Flames also haven't scored more than three goals in a game sin March 22 against Minnesota in a 5-4 win, a span of six straight games.

Bottom Line: If the Flames would have played better down the stretch, I could see myself taking them in this series based on their record against San Jose. However, San Jose is the hottest team in the league as noted above and should have no trouble advancing to the second round. Sharks in 6.

#3 Minnesota Wild vs #6 Colorado Avalanche

This series could go on for a while. With Colorado's win on the last day of the regular season, they earned the 6-seed and the right to play the Wild in the first round.

Why The Wild Win: The Wild always seem to be in every game they play. They hang around like no other and have the potential to explode for goals at any minute.

For them to win this series Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra are going to need to step up. Not to mention, Brian Rolston has been fantastic over the last couple of months. I nearly dropped him in my fantasy league, but he quickly turned it around and finished the season with 31 goals and 28 assists for 59 points. If he had been on the same line as Gaborik for the entire season, hes over 75 points.

Let's not overlook goaltender Niklas Backstrom who has been phenomenal this season going 33-13-8 with a 2.31GAA and a .920 save percentage. He's also on a personal four-game winning streak that he's only allowed a total of four goals and has one shutout.

Why They Don't Win For a team that was built around a defensive standpoint, they have given up 218 goals this season. Only three other Western Conference playoff teams have given up more.

The team has also scored 223 goals giving them a goal differential of +5 which is only better than #7 Calgary (+2) and #8 Nashville (+1). You could look at that two different ways: On one hand, they've shown they can win close games which the playoffs are known for. On the other hand, it shows that they can be scored on which has to worry the fans and coaching staff.

Onto The Avalanche:

Why They Win: Well this is pretty easy, they reassembled the Stanley Cup champion team from 2000-01. The only notable players missing are Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, Chris Drury and Alex Tanguay. The rest of the roster is pretty close.

Peter Forsberg is the X-Factor in this series to me. When he's healthy, and not that often, he is one of the best players in the world hands down. Like any great player, Forsberg makes the other guys around him better.

I would say the Avs have played better since the trade deadline and that's true. They were hovering around the 8-seed all season long and at least managed to jump up a couple spots down the stretch even if it was on the last day of the season. They suffered a lot of injuries this season to key players, namely Joe Sakic who only played in 44 games this season. The team is healthy again and that makes them dangerous.

Why They Don't Win: Will the real Jose Theodore please stand up? Is he hot right now, yes. He's 5-0-1 in his last six games with a shutout. The problem here is that if you look at his game log from this season, this isn't the first time he's gone on a streak like this.

By my count this is the 5th win streak he has totaled this year of at least three games. Every time after the streaks? Multiple loss streaks of at least 3. For example, from Feb. 26 - March 8 he went 6-0. Immediately following that streak he went 1-4 over his next six starts. He was yanked from the cage in the sixth game after allowing three goals on eight shots in 14 minutes. He got off the hook as the Avs ended up losing 7-5 to Edmonton.

There is a pattern with him and if looks shaky at all, Peter Budaj is going to have to step up huge.

Bottom Line: If the last game of the season series on April 6 was a precursor to what we are in store for, this is going to be a fun series to watch. There may not be a lot of goals scored, but I'm thinking we'll see a lot of 3-2 games. Based on goaltending, Wild win in 7.

#4 Anaheim Ducks vs #5 Dallas Stars

Oh baby this is going to be a good one. Giguere vs Marty Turco. The defending champs taking on one of the most complete teams in the league.

Why The Ducks Win: The Ducks may have figured out how to build a cup contender from year to year. If you look back to the Stanley Cup Finals last year against Ottawa, they completely shutdown the high flying Sens by pounding them into the ice every chance they got. I'm not saying they Ducks are just a bunch of goons, though they do have two that jump to mind in Todd Bertuzzi and Chris Pronger.

The thing with the Ducks is that they are a group of huge individuals who can skate like the wind and hit like a Mack truck. Let's also not forget they have a Conn Smythe winner in net.

Since Teemu Selann and Scott Niedermayer decided to return from a retirement of sorts, the team has responded and looked much like the same team as last year. They go their identity back and have been a force down the stretch. They're 8-2-0 in their last ten games which you like to see if you're a fan heading into the playoffs.

Why They Don't Win: The only way this team loses in the first round, is if they beat themselves. I'm not just talking about showing up to the rink and playing for 60 minutes. Guys like Pronger and Bertuzzi need to keep their emotions in check. Pronger was jut suspended for eight games for stomping on Ryan Kesler and he was suspended during last year's cup run for an elbow which was debatable.

The Ducks need to show up and play the bruising style of play we know they are capable of playing. It won them the cup last season and it could very well do it again this year.

Onto the Stars:

Why They Win: On paper I like this team a lot. I loved the addition of Brad Richards at the trade deadline and he appeared to be fitting in quite nicely.

He's going to have to step up as a former Stanley Cup champion and bring his A-game if the Stars are going anywhere. Other guys like Mike Modano are going to need to step it up as well.

In net, the time is now for Marty Turco. Stars management entertained offers for him in the offseason and chose to stick with him. If the Stars lose because of poor play in net, he could very well have played his last game in Dallas. I don't blame last year's loss to the Canucks in seven games on Turco at all. It was a great series and he played well, but against a team like Anaheim you can't give them soft goals.

Why They Don't Win: I don't know if there's a chemistry problem going on in Dallas or what, but since the Richards deal the team hasn't been winning many games. In their last ten games they're 3-5-2, which I'd be worried about if I was a Stars fan or player.

Richards did not play a game in April and only recorded six points in March. That lack of offensive putout was a major reason why the Bolts traded him. That and the salary cap issue with keeping Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis.

Bottom Line: I never trust slumping teams come playoff time, but if there is a team that has the ability to turn it around it's the Stars who won the season series with the Ducks 5-3. As much as I like the Stars on paper, the Ducks are the team to beat right now as they still hold the Stanley Cup. Ducks win in 6.

NHL Headlines 3/31/08

This was a long and hectic weekend to say the least. I had plans of getting a post up on Friday, but thanks to laws requiring me to have a license to drive that idea went out the window. No, my license wasn't suspended or anything, I just needed to renew it. Still a complete pain to do.

Anyway, now that my bracket is officially dead thanks to Texas losing to Memphis yesterday I can once again devote all my attention to hockey.

Here's a look at the day's headlines.

Wild Clinch Playoff Berth With Win Over Avs

Congrats Minnesota on a fine season thus far. Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra have stayed healthy for the majority of the season for the first time in history it seems like. Figures that the one year I don't take him in the fantasy world, he actually stays healthy. Side note: If you even have someone you want to see injured or miss some time to help your fantasy match-up, drop me a line. I swear I'm a hex. In football alone this season I went through 8 QBs.

Anyway, Minnesota will clinch the Northwest Division title with one more point or a Colorado loss of any kind. They currently hold a four-point edge over the Avs with two games remaining for each squad.

Here's the highlights from tonight's game.



Yes, the Flames have a snowball's chance in the fiery pits below to win this thing, but they'd need to win out and get a lot of help.

Sharks Kill Fighting Gretzkys Playoff Hopes

Phoenix fans should be very happy with how this team played this season and should be excited about seeing these guys again in the Fall. They now have a goaltender who can actually stop pucks in Ilya Bryzgalov, with a kid in the wings in Al Montoya who will be able to step in and play solid games as well.

The Sharks continue to impress with their play and utter dominance lately. This was the Sharks 17th win in their last 19 games. You always hear talk about teams getting hot at the right time. Well right now there's none hotter than the Sharks.

Joe Thornton has been a machine of late, which is helping one of my other fantasy teams put up a respectable fight in some consolation game. Not even sure which right now as I'm only focusing on knocking Gopher off his pedastol.

Side note: The finals are a two-week marathon. After week 1 I control all 8 of our goaltending categories and hold and 11-4 lead after week one. Really all I need to do now is pick and choose which games I want my goalies to play and get some production out of the offense and I'll be hoisting my mini Stanley Cup in 7 days.

McCarty Makes Return To NHL

Welcome back Darren. I was never a big fan of this guy because I'm not a Wings fan, but you have to give credit to a guy who realized his life was going down the tubes and made the effort to get things back on track.

I have a lot of respect for people, not just athletes, who realize they have a problem of any sort that is ruining their lives and relationships and do something about it.

Britney Spears, if you read this....WAKE THE F%&# UP! YOU HAVE 2 KIDS! STOP BEING A MORON AND GET YOUR LIFE BACK ON TRACK ALREADY! I'M TIRED OF POSTING STORIES ABOUT YOUR SORRY ASS AT WORK EVERY DAY. IF THE FACT THAT K-FED HAS YOUR KIDS DOESN'T DRILL SOME SENSE INTO YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL.

Side note: If you haven't seen the Britney Spears episode of South Park go look it up online or Tivo it ASAP. If she doesn't end up suing Comedy Central I'd be shocked. It's that hilarious/wrong.

I have to say something here. I absolutely hate pop music and hate how these supposed "stars" get so much coverage when they screw up. Do you have any idea how many people get DUIs everyday? Why is it news when Spears, or Paris Hilton get caught breaking the law like anyone else? WHO CARES?!

Anyway, back to hockey.

Koivu Could Miss 4 Weeks

What a blow this is to the Canadiens. Compound that with the loss of defenseman Mark Streit and this could potentially be the equivilant of pushing the self-destruct button.

This is the time of year where teams face and overcome adversity, but how will the Habs respond to losing these two guys. Especially Koivu for what could be about a month.

Both players will be evaluated later today and at that time perhaps a timeframe of return will be announced. In any event, both players sat out their game Saturday against Toronto. It's not quite panic time yet, but it could be very soon.

Western Conference First Round Nightmare Scenarios

There is no way I cannot do the Western Conference scenarios after the way the Eastern Conference Nightmares were received. We got a big boost in traffic from Deadspin.com and Greg Wyshynski, of FanHouse and The Fourth Period with his latest article It's Those 190-Foot Goals That Always Getcha

Check it out and scroll down to the end of the article for the link he graciously put to yesterday's Eastern Conference scenarios.

That's enough sentimental stuff. You're hear because you want to see what Gopher and I were able to come up with for the Western Conference. So here you go.

Detroit Red Wings

Let's get sentimental here for a moment shall we? Who didn't stay up late to watch these two teams go at it in the playoffs?

I don't care who you are, Colorado has to be scaring the top teams in the West right now with their deadline acquisitions. They practically re-assembled the cup team of 2000-01.

Here's the reason why Detroit would be a little upset about facing Colorado. These teams absolutely hate each other. Hate may not even be the right word. It's much deeper than hatred. I wouldn't be surprised if Lidstrom had to choke back some bile when talking about the Avs.

Anyone remember this classic bout? Expect more of this if these two see each other in the opening round.



I'm not saying Detroit would lose to Colorado, none of these nightmare scenarios are meant as predictions of winners unless otherwise stated. This pick is more selfish than anything as I would tape every game and watch them during those lonely summer nights without hockey.

San Jose Sharks

The first team that came to mind was the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver hasn't exactly lived up to the expectations I thought they would achieve at the beginning of the season, but that still doesn't mean that they don't have one of the best defensive teams in the league.

The problem with Vancouver is that they have no offense to speak of outside of the top line of Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and whoever they decide to put alongside those two.

However, even without the offense and a solid defensive scheme we cannot forget who is backstopping this team. Roberto Luongo.

I would not want to face Luongo in the regular season let alone the playoffs. He may very well be the best goaltender in the league. Here's a fun montage of some of the things Luongo is capable of done to a song from one of my favorite bands, Breaking Benjamin.



Note the final save shown against San Jose. Was it lucky? Of course, but it's things like that that could give the Sharks fits.

Minnesota Wild

How about a classic offense against defense series with the Calgary Flames. Now before you start jumping on me for saying the Flames are all about offense, they do have a much scarier offense than the Wild.

I look at the Wild and I see a team that reminds me a lot of the Devils. They play the same trap system, but the only difference is that Niklas Backstrom is not Martin Brodeur and there in lies the weakness.

On paper there is no question that Miikka Kiprusoff is the all around better goaltender even if he hasn't had the best of seasons.

Calgary isn't just going to have to bank on Kipper in net. They also have one of the most dynamic players in the league in Jarome Iginla. These two guys are capable of taking over a series in an instant. Let's not forget that they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in Game 7 against Tampa Bay.

Here's some highlights of that great series in 2004.



(Side note: For those of you who remember Game 6 of that series in Calgary you'll remember it went to overtime and there was some controversy. Martin Gelinas appeared to be the first player in NHL history to score the series deciding goal in every round when he appeared to get the puck behind the Bulin Wall. The "goal" went upstairs for review and came back down as inconclusive which was a total crock. Congrats Flames fans, I award the Stanley Cup to you. I still believe the NHL went into a lockout because the Bolts won the Cup and that it had nothing to do with money whatsoever. That's my opinion and this is my blog so deal with it.)

Anaheim Ducks

I've been saving my personal pick at this very moment that is subject to change in the upcoming playoff previews for both conferences. The team the Ducks do not want to see in the first round is the Dallas Stars.

Anaheim earned their second win of the season against Dallas tonight in a hard fought 2-1 game. This was the seventh meeting of the season between the two clubs and Dallas still holds the 5-2 advantage.

This could quite possibly be the best series of the entire first round if we are lucky enough to witness this.

Who wouldn't get excited about J.S. Gigeure going up against Marty Turco? You'd have to be legally dead to not get pumped up to see two of the top goalies in the league go at it for potentially seven games. Think back to last year and how much fun the Canucks/Stars series was that went the distance.

Here's some Marty Turco heroics.



There is no more physical team top to bottom than the Ducks. That's what got them the Cup last year, but the Stars have had the Ducks number this year and could easily represent the Western Conference in the Cup finals this year.

Of course this will come down to whether or not Turco can shake the playoff demons that have haunted him over the years. By no means am I blaming last year on him, he played great. He just came out on the short end of things.

So there you have it. The nightmares for the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. Time to sit back and wait to see how many of these nightmares become a reality as we go down the stretch to the playoffs.