Just some notes: They said that the team will remain in the southeast division. Winnipeg is about in the middle of Canada and just above Minnesota. So that means teams like the Lightning, Panthers and Hurricanes. The trip from Tampa Bay to Winnipeg? It's 1109.6 miles (kudos to mapquest for giving me the number). This is a ridiculous journey for any of the southern teams (6 games between division teams) so I'm almost certain that they'll adjust divisions after this year.
Another thing is that they still haven't announced on the name of the team. The Manitoba Moose are reportedly leaving Manitoba and might move to St. Johns so the possible Manitoba or even Winnipeg Moose is available. Another possibility will be changing the name back to the Jets. There was only one time in NHL history where a team kept its name after moving. The Atlanta Flames became the Calgary Flames. But I still don't think they'll keep it this time around. Also the name "Falcons" are available and Falcons is pretty badass. If it were up to me though, I'd keep it as the Jets. Once again I'll keep you kind people updated.
NHL.com is by far my favorite web site (besides for robinsnest-yoro.blogspot.com). It gives me up to the minute details on anything going on hockey related.
Well today I was fiddling through the site and found a comical mistake.
I was looking through the playoff series so far this season and when I clicked on the 3rd round, this came up:
Yes. For the semi final round in the Western Conference, they have pictures of Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks and Joe Pavelski of the Sharks. And for the Eastern Conference they have Michael Cammalleri of the Canadiens and I believe Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers.
These (Blackhawks-Sharks, Canadiens-Flyers) were the matchups of last year's third round. It jumps out at you right away on the page so I'm surprised the NHL hadn't fixed it yet. I'll let you know when they do though.
3rd round results:
came close to getting both right. Oh well.
Lightning-Bruins
I said Bolts in 6
Bruins won in 7
0
Sharks-Canucks
I said Nucks in 7
Nucks won in 5
.5
This round: 1/2 teams correct; .5/2 points
Playoffs: 10/14 teams correct; 6/14 points
1 Vancouver Canucks vs 3 Boston Bruins
Bruins win season series 1-0
Well we are here at last. The last round of the NHL playoffs and the 2 teams that remain are the Bruins and the Canucks. The Bruins haven't won the cup since 1972 and the Canucks haven't won the cup in their existence dating back to 1970. A team in Canada has not won the cup since the Montreal Canadiens did in 1993 so Vancouver can put these two droughts to rest with a cup victory. Let's see how both teams made it thus far.
Canucks over Blackhawks in 7
After winning 3 games, Vancouver thought they would finally beat these rivals. But the Blackhawks battled back and even managed to get to Roberto Luongo who was pulled at one point and then didn't start game 6. But the Canucks fought back and won the memorable game 7 in overtime.
Canucks over Predators in 6
An anticipated matchup turned out to be an exciting series. The defensively sound Nashville team served as a good opponent for the Canucks but Vancouver eventually put their foot down against the Predators after almost blowing a 3 games to 1 lead.
Canucks over Sharks in 5
The Canucks most impressive series win. The Canucks, whom many believed wouldn't be able to step up their game against such a good team, did just that and didn't appear to have any problems at all as they beat the Sharks to a pulp and eliminated them quickly.
Bruins over Canadiens in 7
After losing the first 2 games at home, the Bruins were able to win 3 games straight and then won the game 7 in overtime. This series was just as exciting as everyone thought it would be as it featured possibly the most historic rivalry in the NHL.
Bruins over Flyers in 4
Last year the Bruins went up 3 games to none on the Flyers in the playoffs but saw it slip away and they lost that series in 7. There was literally no way that the Bruins would let that happen again and this time they beat the weak Flyers in game 4.
Bruins over Lightning in 7
A fantastic series. Neither team was really able to gain momentum in the series and it took 7 to decide this memorable matchup. Different heroes kept stepping up for either team and game 7 was the most watched Conference Finals game since 2002 Detroit-Colorado classic.
Now that we see how each team got here let's start matching them up.
Forward - Canucks
Well Henrik and Daniel Sedin have been fantastic in the playoffs. So was Ryan Kesler. But what's impressed me most was the secondary scoring by Vancouver. Guys like Burrows and Higgins played fantastic and have had a few clutch goals. And going into the playoffs I said that Raffi Torres had to play well and he did just that in the San Jose' series. He was literally all over the ice throwing checks and making plays. They need him to do that again this series. Maxim Lapierre also has played excellent. Vancouver also is getting Manny Malhotra back for this series as he has yet to play a game yet in the playoffs. This should help them in several areas. First off he should add even more secondary scoring to the mix. But most importantly, Malhotra is their man when it comes to important faceoffs in the offensive zone. The Canucks will enjoy this advantage as they will start more plays with the puck now. The bottom line is that, ya. Their stars are fantastic. But this may be the most impressive secondary scoring team we've seen in a while.
Bruins
It wasn't pretty but they were able to get the job done with their offense. Their most important offenseman this year has been David Krejci. When he's playing well, it seems the Bruins will win. And he's been playing well. But for the Bruins, it's more needing everyone to step up. Horton, Marchand, Seguin, Lucic, and Bergeron have all contributed enough so far to get the job done. But this round they'll definitely need more than that to be victorious. They can't rely on this strategy if they want to win the Stanley Cup. Scoring has been a slight problem for them so far and they are in dire need for scoring this round. I think though, Milan Lucic will have a fantastic series. Lucic, a native of Vancouver, will be "playing on home ice" for games 1,2,5,and7. A player usually saves his best games for when he's in his home town. Martin Brodeur has been playing spectacular games throughout his entire career for example. So I think he'll be Boston's best weapon this round offensively.
Edge
The edge has to go to Vancouver. Their stars are better and their secondary scoring is better. The Bruins are not as strong on offense and this might be their demise in the Finals.
Defense - Canucks
Just as impressive as their offense. Possibly unknown to the rest of the league as to how good these players are. Christian Ehrhoff and Kevin Bieksa are shut-down defensemen who don't give up much. Oh. And so are Edler, Hamhuis, Salo, and Ballard. These guys are great. Oh. And by the way, they can score also:
These defenseman have been stepping up offensively as well. Vancouver will be thrilled if they continue this into the next round.
But there are more bright spots like McQuaid who's played well as and the same with Johnny Boychuk.
Edge
I'll call this one even if every Bruins defenseman brings his A game. But if even one defenseman on the Bruins doesn't play well, this one goes to the Canucks.
Goaltending - Canucks
Roberto Luongo has definitely been steady over the playoffs ever since his slight breakdown in round 1 against the Blackhawks. However, he has still been giving up odd goals in the past couple of rounds like these.
all of these goals happened in this year's playoffs
I'm not trying to trash Luongo or anything but he has to step up his game in that respect. These soft goals can change the momentum of a game. He is ordinarily a very good goaltender but has to stop these especially on such a big stage like this. And if you don't think Luongo can win in a big-game situation? He won the Gold Medal last year.
Boston
Easily the Vezina Trophy winner for this year. After sitting most of last season, Timmy has returned and exceeded everyone's expectations and now, not only does he have his starting job back, he has his team in the Stanley Cup Finals. He's known for his unorthodox style of play and he can be unbeatable at times. His best attribute? Never giving up on a play. There are many highlights of him making desperation saves. This is because his style of play is aggressive and he is often far out of his net to try to make a save. Therefore, if the player with the puck passes it off, he has to scramble back to the net to try to make the save. Here are the examples http://robinsnest-yoro.blogspot.com/2011/05/thomas-save-of-playoffs-and-possibly.html.
Edge
Gotta go to Tim Thomas. This will be an interesting matchup, however, with both goalies Vezina Trophy finalists. But I'm not as confident in Luongo as I am Thomas who essentially put his team on his back and took them to the finals.
Special Teams - Canucks
PP% - 28.3%
PK% - 80.6%
Boston
PP% - 8.2%
PK% - 79.4%
No. Stop adjusting your monitor. You're seeing this correctly. The Bruins ARE THAT BAD on the powerplay this postseason. They have 5 goals in 61 attempts. This is terrible. There were 4 teams that got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs that have as many playoff goals as Boston does A team needs a good powerplay to do well (generally speaking). And their penalty kill hasn't been all too great either. In game 6 against the Lightning they gave up 3 powerplay goals in a row and ended up losing the game. Bottom line the Bruins have got to do SOMETHING to figure this out.
This is the opposite for the Canucks. The Canucks scored 3 straight powerplay goals in less than 2 minutes in game 4 against the Sharks and have been effective on the kill against San Jose'. In their last 16 kills, they've given up only 2 goals. Plus with Malhotra back and winning faceoffs, their kill should even improve further.
Edge
No doubt the Canucks. This will be a key stat to look at through this series and may be the deciding factor for who will win the cup.
Prediction
Well this is going to be a pretty close series but the Canucks will be the ones controlling the play. The Bruins won't be able to produce much offense and their struggles will continue on the power play. The Canucks will get stronger and stronger as the series goes on. But that shouldn't last long. Solid play by Luongo throughout the series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvfPMDdM_Nw - Burrows
This one wouldn't have made the cut if there were other goals that deserved to be on the list. But still a nice passing play that started off with a nice give-and-go with the Sedin Twins and included a behind-the-back pass from Daniel. And then Burrows capped it off with a nice shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNQ9YQGcP8U&feature=channel_video_title - St. Louis
There isn't too many things nicer in hockey than a perfectly executed 2 on 1 odd man rush. The Lightning displayed such great fundamental skill in this goal. A perfect give and go with Martin St. Louis and Steve Downie. What I liked best about this goal was the great patience shown by Downie waiting JUST enough to get Thomas out of the crease before laying the puck perfectly on St. Louis' stick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb8pZCl9gqE - Burrows
Burrows is the beneficiary of another great passing play. This time Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows score on a 2 on 1 odd man rush. An unnoticed perfect play by Daniel Sedin in his own zone started off the 2 on 1. He noticed the second defenseman dropping in so he quickly got the puck to his brother for the chance. Then Henrik completely froze Niemi with the fake shot and slid it between his legs to a patient Burrows who easily tapped the puck into the back of the net.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPlOoyYLFzU&feature=channel_video_title - Seguin
I wasn't sure if this or Burrows' goal should be the best of the round. But I chose the rookie's goal because of the great speed he used at the beginning of the play to get down the ice. Seguin skated through Randy Jones and Viktor Hedman (two respected defensemen) with ease before putting a sweet move on Roloson.
In 2010, Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics, an international sporting event that happens once every 4 years.
In Canada's history, this was the third time it hosted the Olympics. In 1976 the Summer Olympics took place in Montreal, Quebec. A year later in 1977, the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. In 1988, the Winter Olympics were hosted in Calgary, Alberta. Who won the Stnaley cup a year later? Correct. The Calgary Flames went on to win the Stanley cup in 1989. Last year, in 2010, Vancouver, British Columbia hosted the Winter Olympics. A year later, the Canucks are in the Finals and have a chance to repeat history if they win.
I'm not saying this is definite proof the Canucks are going to win. But I talk about how there's a factor in hockey that appears too perfect and uncontrollable. For instance how the "hockey gods" are often topics of conversation between hockey fans. Well this might be the case here also.
Situation: Well we remember game 6 where Mr. Nathan Horton was involved in some controversy http://robinsnest-yoro.blogspot.com/2011/05/possible-suspension-for-bruins-for-game.html. Once again, he wasn't suspended for doing something written explicitly in the NHL rule book. Well how does he get re-compensated for his actions in game 6? WHAT???? A GAME WINNING GOAL TO PROPEL HIS TEAM TO THE STANLEY CUP FINALS?!?!?!?! WHAT IS THIS?!?!?!
Yes. Believe it or not, Nathan Horton continued his timely goal scoring this postseason with the only goal in game 7 in the 3rd period and because of him, Boston made it to the Stanley Cup Finals defeating the Lightning in 7 games.
video courtesy to bestdanghockeygoals. like him on facebook
This type of thing kind of makes you scratch your head. How someone can succeed after such a childish immature act.
In the mean time, while the hockey gods ignored their duty with Nathan Horton (just received word tonight, the day after game 7, that Horton was fined an undisclosed amount. Pfff. Big deal. That's like receiving a free Porsche but you have to pay for the tires. He just made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm sure he doesn't mind paying a small sum), they ignored another chance to do good. Tampa Bay Surperstar, Steven Stamkos, was struck in the head with a puck during the second period of game 7. Stamkos went down immediately and skated off the ice in a bloody mess. Well hockey is toughest sport on earth with BY FAR the most competitive and tough players. Stamkos barely missed a shift and was back on the ice just 5 minutes later wearing a cage on his mask.
video courtesy to NHL
Now let me ask you something. Wouldn't it be fitting that a player who gives it his all, and plays through a brutal injury such as Steven Stamkos', wouldn't it be fitting that HE is the one to score a game winning goal? This would be the perfect scenario for a fairy tale-type team to make it to the finals. Just look at these photos of Stamkos and tell me he didn't deserve to win based on suffering alone:
But the hockey gods disappeared on us and now the Boston Bruins, the diving hypocrites, are in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Well the schedule is set for the final round. Regardless of who wins the game 7 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins to face the Vancouver Canucks, this is the schedule of the games:
all times Eastern all channels American *denotes if necessary
Game 1: Wednesday, June 1st: @Van 8:00 PM, NBC
Game 2: Saturday, June 4th: @Van 8:00 PM, NBC
Game 3: Monday, June 6th: @Bos/Tbl 8:00 PM, VERSUS
Game 4: Wednesday, June 8th: @Bos/Tbl 8:00 PM, VERSUS
*Game 5: Friday, June 10th: @Van 8:00 PM, NBC
*Game 6: Monday, June 13th: @Bos/Tbl 8:00 PM, NBC
*Game 7: Wednesday, June 15th: @Van 8:00 PM, NBC
So a couple of notes. First off, regardless of the matchup, there'll be a far journey to either arena. Look at this map. Vancouver is upper west part of the map in British Columbia while Boston and Tampa are all the way on the East coast.
I apologize for the Thrashers still being in Atlanta in this picture. No updated photos yet.
Between games 2 and 3, there is only 1 day off for travel and rest. As a matter of fact, the only time there isn't a 1 day rest is between games 1 and 2 and between games 5 and 6. This may benefit the team in the east. First off, either team (between Boston and Tampa) will be tired from their 7 game Conference Finals series. So a day off early on in the series (between games 1 and 2) might help that team. Also, an extra day of rest, late in the series, right before a home game is also a great advantage. So in that case, the East has the favorable set up.
Also, none of these games conflict with the NBA finals. Apparently some people would rather watch basketball in this country instead of watching a playoff hockey game. But they avoid the competition this year.
Furthermore, only 2 games are on NBC so that should help with the views as well.
One last thing. These finals go legitimately far into the month of June which isn't always the case. So look forward to intense hockey into the Summer!
After game 6's victory, Tampa fans threw their clapper paddle images on the ice in celebration.
This is common in NHL playoff games where fans throw towels or whatever is given out at the game onto the ice. There's no real reason for it but it's just something to do for the fans I guess.
Well Bruins players didn't appreciate this. While having towels thrown at you (which is usually the case) is harmless, these paddles are probably a little harder and might sting a little if hit by one (just ask David Krejci).
Well one Bruin player, Nathan Horton, decided to do something about this. While skating off the ice, he took a gatorade bottle from the bench and quirted liquid at a fan and then threw the water bottle at him. Here's the video:
Happens at the 1:30 mark.
Well time for a history lesson boys and girls.
Prior to this season, the NHL made an announcement about this type of behavior.
Any identifiable player who uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures directed at any person runs the risk of an unsportsmanlike penalty and possible supplemental discipline.
Well several people say Ference wasn't suspended because he's on the Bruins and the guy in charge of dealing out disciplinary actions, Colin Campball, is the father of Boston forward Gregory Campbell. Well if that was the reason, then it looks like Horton will go unpunished as well. Furthermore, if you say "well it's playoff time and it's a bigger hit if there's a suspension" well look back to 2009 when Rangers coach John Tortorella was suspended a game in the playoffs for literally the same exact thing.
So the Bruins have been getting away with dirty play several times so far in the postseason. Once again, we'll see what happens with this case.
Edit: For about the 3rd time this postseason, I will say this again. It enrages me to say this but the Bruins will go unpenalized AGAIN for disobeying the rules. @HabsLaughs puts it perfectly in several tweets:
before the decision not to suspend him: "Horton should get suspended, but he won't be. We all know he won't be"
and "I know there is no conspiracy, but it's weird that I have to say that every time the Bruins do something illegal and then get away with it"
Edit: just received word tonight, the day after game 7, that Horton was fined an undisclosed amount. Pfff. Big deal. That's like receiving a free Porsche but you have to pay for the tires. He just made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm sure he doesn't mind paying a small sum.
Boston Bruins @ Tampa Bay Lightning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IZaM1QU-uQ
Tbl 5 Bos 4
Series tied 3-3
First Period:
(Tbl) Teddy Purcell (5) from Vincent Lecavalier (12)
(Bos) Milan Lucic (3) from Nathan Horton (8) and Johnny Boychuk (3)
(Bos) David Krejci (8) from Daniel Paille (2)
Second Period:
(Tbl) (PPG) Martin St. Louis (9) from Vincent Lecavalier (13) and Steven Stamkos (6)
(Tbl) (PPG) Teddy Purcell (6) from Steve Downie (11) and Brett Clark (2)
Third Period:
(Tbl) (PPG) Steven Stamkos (6) from Eric Brewer (6) and Martin St. Louis (10)
(Bos) (PPG) David Krejci (9) from Nathan Horton (9) and Tomas Kaberle (7)
(Tbl) Martin St. Louis (10) from Steve Downie (12) and Steven Stamkos (7)
(Bos) David Krejci (10) from Milan Lucic (6) and Tomas Kaberle (8)
For the second time in the playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks scored in overtime to advance to the next round. In round 1 Alex Burrows scored a giant goal against the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the second round.
Well tonight the Canucks had another opportunity to advance and this time they're going to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in team history; first since 1994. It took a huge goal from Ryan Kesler with 15 seconds to go to tie the game at 2. This put the game in overtime which was the first overtime game in the third round of the playoffs for the East and for the West. The first overtime was highly uneventful as was the beginning of the second overtime. The refs were letting the game go on and didn't cal a penalty once in the extra frames. Then came the goal.
WARNING: This may be the strangest overtime goal since...well since last year's Patrick Kane goal. But this was still uniquely strange.
Edler tries to put the puck deep into the zone from the blue line. The camera tries to follow the puck into the zone but the puck isn't seen on camera. Then out of nowhere the announcer yells "scores!" even though there wasn't even a shot to be seen. Literally you cannot see any sign of a scoring opportunity yet the puck wound up in the net.
Upon looking at the replay you see everything you needed to know. Original concerns that the puck hit the netting above the glass (something shown by the San Jose' players) were refuted as you saw the puck hit a stanchion in the glass and redirected directly to an open Kevin Bieksa at the point. Bieksa let it rip. Boom goal. But a few more funny things about the goal. First off, Bieksa didn't get all of his strength on the shot and it fluttered in on Niemi. And speaking of Niemi, he looked so clueless as to where the puck was and was surely surprised when he learned the puck went in. Niemi played great for San Jose' down the stretch and goals like this (crazy and wild bounces) are known to happen in the playoffs ESPECIALLY in overtime.
One last thing I want to address. It is a strange tradition in the NHL when the captain of a team is given either the Prince of Wales (winner of the Eastern Conference) or the Campbell (winner of the Western Conference) trophy and he doesn't touch it. It is believed that this isn't the real trophy you want to touch and if you don't touch it, you will win the Stanley Cup. Well in 1982 when the Canucks first made it to the finals, they picked up the trophy and skated around with it. In 1994 when they made it for the second time, they not only picked it up, they broke it. The lid fell off of the top. (video can't be found right now...). Well what did they do this year? They kept their distance. Captain Henrik Sedin didn't even consider touching it for a second.
I'm sure everyone has seen the great save by Tim Thomas by now. In complete desperation, Thomas dove, stick first, at his right post to stop the chance by Steve Downie in the 3rd period against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sure for everyone it's an unbelievable save at a key moment. Hockey fans will forever marvel in its brilliance. But I want to share with you what it feels like for the opposing team and fans when you get robbed on such a chance.
On December 23rd, 2008, I was at a Devils-Bruins game with my Dad. It was an extremely close game and neither team was able to get on the scoreboard. The reason? Well Tim Thomas (eventual Vezina Winner) was in net for Boston while injury-replacement Scott Clemmensen was in net for the Devils during Brodeur's injury. Both goalies were hot at the time and neither team was able to do too much. The first goal took until the beginning of the third period to happen.
Well in the second period, the Devils got a fantastic scoring opportunity short-handed. Jamie Langenbrunner and Patrick Elias came in on a 2-1 odd man rush against Boston. After a booming shot by Langenbrunner followed by a big rebound by Thomas, Elias had the net wide open. He put it on net but Thomas somehow got his paddle down and stopped the puck while diving across.
So the question is, how does a fan of the opposing team react to a save like this?
Not well. At first I thought the puck had gone in because my usual seats (Section 22) was the opposite side that the save happened on. Once I saw that it didn't go in, I tried to rationalize what had happened. I was trying to not be impressed by the save. I figured 'well it was his (Thomas') fault to begin with. He was out too far and then gave up a big rebound. He was lucky to react in time.' Then I started to degrade the actual save all together. 'Well Elias didn't shoot the puck as hard as he should have. He (Thomas) probably just dove with his eyes closed and made a 1-in-a-million save.'
So while everyone else figured it was a fantastic save, I was forced to not admire it. And I'm sure the Lightning fans did the same when Thomas made that save on Downie.
After giving up 3 goals on 9 shots in the previous game, Tampa Bay's Dwayne Roloson sat out in game 5 in Boston. In his place was on-and-off starter Mike Smith. Smith is a pretty good goalie who started about half of the games for Tampa in the 08-09 and the 09-10 seasons. He always appeared to be solid in net and he wasn't even too bad this year either in the regular season. This year he wasn't that bad either. He had a .899 SV% with a 2.90 SV% but injuries and other competition (Dan Ellis and Dwayne Roloson) forced him to only play 22 games this year. But he has proven himself to be reliable-enough when they need him to be. And Mike Smith was just that in tonights game. He appeared steady and calm during game 5, which isn't an easy task especially in the TD Garden in Boston. I was truly impressed with the way he plays the puck. I previously expressed my concerns about NHL goalies playing the puck (http://robinsnest-yoro.blogspot.com/2011/05/goalies-playing-puck.html) but Smith is exceptionally well at it. Several times he wristed it the length of the ice in hopes of springing an odd man break. He also had a dazzling save against Zdeno Chara in the 3rd period on a 2-1 rush. He stretched out his glove and snagged it before it crossed the goal line. http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20102011,3,315&event=BOS448
So only one question remains:
WHO WILL START GAME 6 FOR THE BOLTS?
In possible-elimination games this year, the Lightning are 3-0. They came back from down 3-1 against the Penguins in the first round and stunned the hockey world with their series win. All of those wins came from Roloson. As did every other win in the playoffs for Tampa up until game 4. Roloson was lights out and didn't give up more than 3 goals in a game up until the game 2 against the Bruins. Boston appears to have figured Roloson out along with figuring out their 1-3-1 game play. The Bruins attacked the Lightning differently with quick passes up the ice and they were able to get passed the zone-type defense and get to the goalie. While not all of the goals this series were Rolosons fault, his 13 goals in less than 4 games is something that he has to fix quickly if he wants his team to win.
Smith on the other hand has yet to do anything wrong. It was Smith who relieved Roloson in game 4 when down 3-0 and he played great and didn't give up another goal and helped the team come back and win the game. Tonight the goals weren't his fault at all and he played very well again.
So the question remains.
Do we go with the previously-hot and veteran goaltender who gut us this far in the tournament although he hasn't been playing well recently?
Or do we go with the youngster and give him a chance to continue to play well but potentially risk the loss?
Well in my opinion, there's no way you sit Roloson again. Roloson played spectacular against the Penguins in the comeback and his team will feel more confident with him in net which is something they'll need in game 6. This series has been filled with quick goals, quick leads, and blown chances so far and the Lightning have to muster up a good performance on home ice in order to stay alive. Guy Boucher has been a pro handling his team this post season and I'm sure he'll want Roloson back in net for his team.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_hEOHkUdfQ&feature=channel_video_title
Bos 3 Tbl 1
Bos leads series 3-2
First Period:
(Tbl) Simon Gagne (5) from Steven Stamkos (5)
Second Period:
(Bos) Nathan Horton (7) from Milan Lucic (5) and David Krejci (6)
(Bos) Brad Marchand (6) from Patrice Bergeron (11) and Zdeno Chara (3)
Third Period:
(Bos) Rich Peverley (2) from Chris Kelly (7)
(Bos) Tim Thomas-33/34
(Tbl) Mike Smith-17/19
San Jose' Sharks @ Vancouver Canucks
Van 3 Sjs 2 (2OT)
Van wins series 4-1
First Period:
(Van) Alex Burrows (7) from Henrik Sedin (18) and Daniel Sedin (8)
Second Period:
(Sjs) (PPG) Patrick Marleau (8) from Dan Boyle (13) and Joe Pavelski (4)
Third Period:
(Sjs) Devin Setoguchi (7) from Joe Pavelski (5) and Kent Huskins (1)
(Van) Ryan Kesler (7) from Henrik Sedin (19) and Alex Edler (6)
Overtime:
none
2 Overtime:
(Van) Kevin Bieksa (5) from Alex Edler (7) and Alex Burrows (7)
(Van) Roberto Luongo-54/56
(Sjs) Antti Niemi-31/34
SAN JOSE' SHARKS ELIMINATED. VANCOUVER CANUCKS ADVANCE TO STANLEY CUP FINALS
38 year old Brian Rafalski announced that he was going to retire after this season. The 11 year vet went undrafted but was later signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils in 1999. In his rookie year in 2000, he helped the Devils to their second Stanley Cup in 5 years. His professional hockey journey started 4 years before this in different European Pro leagues. He was paired with other NHL great Scott Stevens and excelled from lining with such great skill. His first year he had the highest +/- rating amongst all rookie defenseman and finished the season with an impressive 32 points.
The next few years he continued enjoying solid scoring seasons and was regarded as one of the best 2 way defenseman of the league. Once again, he helped the Devils win another Stanley Cup in 2003 against Anaheim.
In 2007 when he was signed by the Red Wings, he was lined with yet another great defenseman. Him and Nicklas Lidstrom formed a fantastic line and were potentially the best two-some in the NHL. A year after joining
Detroit, Rafalski won the cup again. An amazing 3 Stanley Cups in 7 years. He made it to the finals the next year as well and now that his career is over, it's amazing to see what he accomplished. He made the playoffs in every single season in his career and made it all the way to the finals an amazing 5 times (winning 3 times). He was a great competitor but slowed down by the end of his career due to injuries.
In the 2010 Winter Olympics, Rafalski represented USA and was the assistant captain of their ice hockey team. Although the US had to settle for the silver medal, Rafalski was the third highest scorer and highest scoring defenseman in the tournament (4 goals, 4 assists). He was also named as the best defenseman of the tournament.
Rafalski is one of the most well-liked and well-respected players in the NHL and surely will be missed by players and fans. I remember his high level of skill and he was definitely missed after leaving New Jersey. But he enjoyed a great NHL career and will hopefully make it to the Hall of Fame.
Oh and by the way, Doug Weight also retired. The 23 season vet was kind of good I guess. Unfortunately, I don't fully know Weight's career so here's his wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Weight
Boston Bruins @ Tampa Bay Lightning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lC5tNRIfxY&feature=feedu
Tbl 5 Bos 3
Series tied 2-2
First Period:
(Bos) Patrice Bergeron (3) unassisted
(Bos) Michael Ryder (5) from Chris Kelly (6) and Tomas Kaberle (6)
(Bos) (SHG) Patrice Bergeron (4) unassisted
Second Period:
(Tbl) Teddy Purcell (3) from Simon Gagne (6)
(Tbl) Teddy Purcell (4) from Mattias Ohlund (2) and Vincent Lecavalier (11)
(Tbl) Sean Bergenheim (9) from Dominic Moore (8)
Third Period:
(Tbl) Simon Gagne (4) from Ryan Malone (3)
(Tbl) (Empty Netter) Martin St. Louis (8) from Simon Gagne (7) and Viktor Hedman (6)
(Tbl) Dwayne Roloson-6/9
(Tbl) Mike Smith-21/21
(Bos) Tim Thomas-32/36
Vancouver Canucks @ San Jose' Sharks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY1_SFp3M3g
Van 4 Sjs 2
Van leads series 3-1
First Period:
none
Second Period:
(Van) (PPG) Ryan Kesler (6) from Sami Salo (1) and Henrik Sedin (14)
(Van) (PPG) Sami Salo (2) from Henrik Sedin (15) and Daniel Sedin (5)
(Van) (PPG) Sami Salo (3) from Henrik Sedin (16) and Daniel Sedin (6)
Third Period:
(Van) Alex Burrows (6) from Henrik Sedin (17) and Daniel Sedin (7)
(Sjs) Andrew Desjardins (1) from Kent Huskins (1) and Jamie McGinn (1)
(Sjs) Ryan Clowe (6) from Logan Couture (7) and Patrick Marleau (5)
Boston Bruins @ Tampa Bay Lightning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW_buvI6bBA&feature=channel_video_title
Bos 2 Tbl 0
Bos leads series 2-1
First Period:
(Bos) David Krejci (7) from Milan Lucic (4) and Johnny Boychuk (2)
Second Period:
none
Third Period:
(Bos) Andrew Ference (2) from Michael Ryder (6) and Chris Kelly (5)
(Tbl) Dwayne Roloson-23/25
(Bos) Tim Thomas-31/31
Vancouver Canucks @ San Jose' Sharks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hQFfM_uYHE
Sjs 4 Van 3
Van leads series 2-1
First Period:
(Sjs) (PPG) Patrick Marleau (6) from Joe Thornton (12) and Devin Setoguchi (3)
(Sjs) (PPG) Ryan Clowe (5) from Dan Boyle (12) and Ian White (8)
(Sjs) Patrick Marleau (7) from Joe Thornton (13)
Second Period:
none
Third Period:
(Van) Alex Burrows (5) unassisted
(Sjs) (PPG) Dan Boyle (3) from Patrick Marleau (4) and Joe Thornton (14)
(Van) (PPG) Dan Hamhuis (1) from Henrik Sedin (13)
(Van) (PPG) Kevin Bieksa (4) from Mason Raymond (6) and Jannik Hansen (4)
(Sjs) Antti Niemi-27/30
(Van) Roberto Luongo-34/38
It was just reported that the Atlanta Thrashers are officially packing their bags and moving to Winnipeg. After weeks of anticipating and with the doubt of the Coyotes' and the Thrashers' future, we find the answer to both teams 2011-2012 season. The Coyotes are remaining in Phoenix for at least another year but the Thrashers are moving to Winnipeg for next season. Here is the story from The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/atlanta-thrashers-moving-to-winnipeg/article2029179/
So I apologize to Thrasher fans and I congratulate the Winnipeg fans who finally get their team back.
Edit: Just reported by several sources that no official deal has been done. But it appears it is only a matter of time. NHL reporter Darren Dreger says he'll get an update from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after 2nd intermission of tonights Lightning-Bruins game. He thinks the deal will get done soon.
Fighting in the NHL is an aspect unparalleled by any professional sport. The way a team is able to build up momentum based off of a somewhat "side competition" between 2 role players isn't seen in basketball or football. Players are able to contribute to a hockey game in different ways. Not everyone was bourn with great hockey abilities like Pavel Datsyuk. Guys like the late Derek Boogaard and Paul Bissonnette contribute to their team with winning over momentum in a close game by dropping the gloves with an opponent. It's a trademark aspect to the game of hockey.
So as the game of hockey evolves, so does fighting. Ever since the lockout, fighting has been on the rise. Players are bigger and more talented and more momentum is needed in an average game of hockey. So lets look at trends in fighting in the post-lockout NHL.
2005-2006: 14 fights .1 fight per game 918 in regular season .7 fights per game
2006-2007: 13 fights .1 fight per game 987 in regular season .8 fights per game
2007-2008: 7 fights .08 fight per game 1316 in regular season 1 fight per game
2008-2009: 21 fights .2 fight per game 1458 in regular season 1.1 fight per game
2009-2010: 10 fights .1 fight per game 1423 in regular season 1.1 fight per game
This Season: 10 fights .1 fight so far so far. 1284 in regular season 1 fight per game stats thanks to hockeyfights.com a great web site with all of your hockey fighting needs! check it out!
So fighting in the NHL appears to have increased significantly after the lockout. Now year after year the teams with more fighting majors appear to miss out on the playoffs (that's what it seems from the statistics.) Also in the playoffs fighting goes down significantly. Well this is because the better teams tend to have the players that like most to succeed on the ice and you can't do that in the penalty box. But that doesn't mean to completely omit fighting because it is a proven effective way to gain momentum in a game. Similar to a big hit, or a nice glove save, a won fight gives your team more energy in a close game. Just one note:
Ever since the lockout the Red Wings were always the team with lowest amount of fighting majors. Every single season since 2005 they've been in dead last in fights. And they've made the playoffs every one of those years.
There have been questions of taking fighting out of hockey due to major injuries especially after the death of Derek Boogaard. Boogaard died young and he suffered from multiple concussions throughout his career. So thoughts of eradicating fighting has been even furthered.
I want to share with you a passage from a fantastic book written by former Montreal goalie and present-day Canadian Congress member Ken Dryden and his book "The Game"
"Hockey was a rough game, and had been very nearly from its start. Its speed, its confined, congested playing area, had almost guaranteed it, and made body-checking accepted defense strategy. But the forward pass, and later the centerline, made body-checking immensely more difficult. Never abandoned, as it might have been, it evolved in part into something else after the war. The sequence was not surprising, for what does a defenseman do when a game speeds up and changes direction on him? When locked in tradition, he continues to do what his coach and his instincts have taught him to do. He body-checks. But more often than not, given the increased speed of the skaters, he misses, but not completely. For just as a well-avoided hip turns into a knee, so a should becomes a high-stick, or a hook, and a punishing ride into the boards. This was something new. The stick and the boards had never been used so systematically in this way before. But, stuck in old traditions, it was how the defense responded to game's new speed. And the league allowed it. To the finesse player, it was one more crushing blow. What good was it to skate and stickhandle to gain an advantage so easily wrestled away? Why not just dump and chase like the rest? It was from this simmering frustration that violence emerged. Brawling and stick-swinging became more frequent and vicious than before. Not grim and calculated, goon against good, as it was decades later; this was human nature boiling over. Often it was the game's biggest stars, Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Geoffrion, hooked and high-sticked until they would take no more. The league intervened with fines and suspensions for the worst abuses, but did nothing to penalize its insidious causes, in the end more damaging to the game. The effect has been profound. The game was pushed far more completely down the dump-and-chase road, its various alternatives plainly discouraged. The game was made more violent. The hockey stick had been allowed a new use. Not just as a tool of offense and defense, but as a weapon as well, a legal weapon to impede and punish. Those with memories of the 1920s or 1930s, or before, will insist there were more series incidents of violence in other times. Perhaps so. But it was in the late 1940s that a pattern of violence entered the game. For the first time, it became part of the regular play. And when it wasn't removed, it only meant it would get worse. The nature of violence, the emerging style of play, guaranteed it."
Dryden went on to explain that fighting was mainly instituted to prevent such violence from occurring and it was a useful instrument to keeping the game relatively-clean. Dryden was one of the most well-spoken hockey players in NHL history and is very knowledgeable. He feels that fighting is necessary in the game today.
The Canucks took a commanding 2 games to none lead over the Sharks with their game 2 7-3 win tonight. Vancouver was unstoppable especially on the powerplay where they went 3/9. The Sharks committed a ton of penalties. Ryan Clowe, Ben Eager, and Scott Nichol were all given game misconducts in the third period. There was a big fight by the end of the game that gave Ben Eager a 2 minute penalty for cross checking (and a misconduct for Eager), Scott Nichol a 2 minute penalty for roughing (and a misconduct for Nichol), and misconducts for Vancouver's Maxime Lapierre, Jannik Hansen, and Aaron Rome. All of this happened with just 9 seconds left in the game.
Eager himself had an interesting night. He had 3 penalties and then scored a petty goal with a few minutes remaining in the game to make the Sharks' deficit to 4 goals. Upon scoring, he leaned down over the net and said a few words to goalie Roberto Luongo.
After everything was cleared up, he received a 2 minute penalty for roughing. A few minutes later he received another penalty for cross checking and a game misconduct. So in all, Eager had one goal and 20 penalty minutes. This may possibly draw a suspension because most of his penalties were unnecessary but I'm not sure if the leagues going to do it because the Sharks are probably not going to play him for the next game or two. But we'll see.
The Sedin Twins also had a sick game [they weren't the best twins in the game though (viewer discretion is advised) http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-The-Girl-Who-Flashed-Ben-Eager-in-the-pen?urn=nhl-wp5198&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter] Henrik Sedin (later named 3rd star of the game) had 3 points (all assists) and was a +1 rating. Daniel Sedin had 2 points (all goals) and was also a +1 rating. It appears that Vancouver has finally found the perfect mix of star power and secondary scoring. Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler have all found their playoff game while guys like Raffi Torres (1 goal tonight) and Chris Higgins (a goal and 2 assists tonight) have picked up their play as well. This is a deadly combination in the postseason and they look like a legitimate cup winner.
Now I want to talk about Kevin Bieksa. The guy played great for the Canucks tonight with just about 19 minutes of ice time. He was effective on the ice and won a big, rare fight in the second period against Patrick Marleau:
(courtesy hockeyfights.com) Not only that though, he scored in the scored in the second period and eventually added on an assist for the Gordie Howe hattrick (where a player scores a goal, gets an assist, and gets in a fight all in the same game.)
(courtesy NHL)
This is unofficially one of the greatest stats in all of sports because it shows the different strengths a player needs to have to succeed in this league.
Anyway, my favorite highlight of Bieksa tonight was in the first period with his team up 2-1 and the Sharks were on the powerplay. After a close bank shot attempt from Joe Thornton, the refs try to find the puck in the net. Bieksa quickly tried to put his foot in the net to block the in-net-camera from any visible shot of the puck. It's happened before that a play on the ice couldn't have been overturned because of a body perfectly blocking all camera angles. But I've NEVER seen it been done on purpose. (happens at 0:10 and then he skates away at 0:14)
(Courtesy to bestdanghockeygoals. once again like his page on facebook. great guy)
So to sum it up, this was an eye opening, bizarre game on many fronts. But a happy ending for Vancouver.
What do you do against a team that has just won 8 games in a row?
What do you do against a 41 year old goalie who, in 12 playoff games this season, has never given up more than 3 goals in a game and has the lowest GAA and best SV%?
What do you do in a situation where if you lose game 2 on home ice, you are going to be forced to steal a game or 2 on the road to climb back into the series?
Well Boston answered all of these questions.
You score 6 goals. That’s what you do.
The Boston Bruins put up an impressive 6 goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This was an important answer to their game 1 5-2 loss on home ice. People doubted their chances again in game 2 because forward Patrice Bergeron is still out with a concussion. But tonight 19 year old Tyler Seguin was magical and scored a couple of goals to help his team win.
Now I can go on discussing the excitement of this game tonight. On how the Bruins were able to chase Dwayne Roloson who, up until now, looked almost unbeatable. But I just want to briefly discuss one goal in the game and what happened.
With his team down 6-4 with just 6:45 left to go in the game, Tampa’s Viktor Hedman took a shot from the point that hit both posts and rolled through the crease. After much scurrying, the puck was finally stuffed into the vacant net by Dominic Moore. At first I thought there should have been a whistle because I saw Boston goalie Tim Thomas’ helmet lying on the ice. And any hockey fan knows that when a goalie loses their helmet, there is an automatic whistle and the play is dead. People on twitter were raving about how there was a missed call and that it should have been waived off immediately.
“How does a goal not get automatically disallowed if the goalie's mask is off? That's dangerous,” said hockey fan/comedian @whatnojagr.
“How on earth does the whistle not blow there? 4 stripes on the ice and no one sees Thomas without his bucket...” said NJ Devils backup goalie Mike McKenna. (@MikeMcKenna56)
Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson said “Do they not blow the whistle when the goalies mask falls off?” (@JohnCarlson74)
And Yahoo! Puck Daddy cowriter Rob Pizzo said “I thought the whistle was supposed to be blown as soon as a goalie's helmet is knocked off” (@robpizzo)
On the replay it showed that the puck ended off caroming off of Thomas’ face before crossing the goal line. So at the time my thought process was this:
‘So they make a bad call by not recognizing that his mask came off. And the whole point of the rule in the first place was so the goalie wouldn’t get hit in the face with the puck. Which was exactly what happened. So the referees missed a standard call which was made specifically to avoid a situation like this.’
Thankfully there is an NHL rulebook online and after a few minutes of scrolling through it I found the answer.
Rule 9.5: Protective Equipment
When a goalkeeper has lost his helmet and/or face mask and his team has possession of the puck, the play shall be stopped immediately to allow the goalkeeper the opportunity to regain his helmet and/or face mask. When the opposing team has possession of the puck, play shall only be stopped if there is no immediate and impending scoring opportunity. This stoppage of play must be made by the Referee. When play is stopped because the goalkeeper has lost his helmet and/or face mask, the ensuing face-off shall take place at one of the defending team’s end zone face-off spots.
So there you have it ladies and gentleman. Since Tampa had possession of the puck, and since there was an immediate scoring opportunity (they had the puck on the goal line with the net wide open) there was no whistle. SO this was a fantastic job by the referees to not make the call when all common sense (the fact that there’s a goalie lying in the direction of a puck coming at him and the fact that if he doesn’t blow the whistle, all of TD Garden will boo him) pointed otherwise.
One last note.
My good youtube friend bestdanghockeygoals put this video up due to my request. I promised him to post to my followers to like his page on facebook so if you can just press the like button on this page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bestdanghockeygoals-Offical-Fan-Page/186090148109150or you can just search “Bestdanghockeygoals official fan page” on facebook and do it that way. This guys nice so please help him out.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c-viy9lz5I&feature=feedu
Bos 6 Tbl 5
Series tied 1-1
First Period:
(Tbl) Adam Hall (1) from Vincent Lecavalier (8) and Nate Thompson (3)
(Bos) (PPG) Nathan Horton (6) from Dennis Seidenberg (6) and Tomas Kaberle (4)
(Tbl) Martin St. Louis (7) from Steven Stamkos (3) and Vincent Lecavalier (9)
Second Period:
(Bos) Tyler Seguin (2) from Michael Ryder (5)
(Bos) David Krejci (6) from Dennis Seidenberg (7) and Nathan Horton (6)
(Bos)Tyler Seguin (3) from Nathan Horton (7) and Andrew McQuaid (4)
(Tbl) (PPG) Vincent Lecavalier (6) from Martin St. Louis (9) and Steven Stamkos (4)
(Bos) (PPG) Michael Ryder (3) from Tyler Seguin (2) and Tomas Kaberle (5)
(Bos) Michael Ryder (4) from Chris Kelly (4) and Tyler Seguin (3)
Third Period:
(Tbl) Steven Stamkos (5) from Viktor Hedman (5) and Adam Hall (4)
(Tbl) Dominic Moore (3) and Vincent Lecavalier (10) and Sean Bergenheim (2)
(Bos) Tim Thomas-31/36
(Tbl) Dwayne Roloson-21/27
(Tbl) Mike Smith-7/7
San Jose' Sharks @ Vancouver Canucks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOONK6tvx8A
Van 7 Sjs 3
Van leads series 2-0
First Period:
(Sjs) (PPG) Logan Couture (7) from Dany Heatley (6) and Ian White (7)
(Van) (PPG) Daniel Sedin (7) from Henrik Sedin (10) and Dan Hamhuis (3)
(Van) Raffi Torres (2) from Christian Ehrhoff (9) and Jannik Hansen (3)
(Sjs) Patrick Marleau (5) from Joe Thornton (11) and Dan Boyle (11)
Second Period:
(Van) Kevin Bieksa (3) from Chris Higgins (2) and Dan Hamhuis (4)
Third Period:
(Van) (PPG) Chris Higgins (4) from Mason Raymond (5) and Kevin Bieksa (4)
(Van) (PPG) Daniel Sedin (8) from Henrik Sedin (11) and Alex Edler (5)
(Van) Aaron Rome (1) from Alex Burrows (6) and Henrik Sedin (12)
(Van) Mason Raymond (2) from Chris Higgins (3) and Dan Hamhuis (5)
(Sjs) Ben Eager (1) from Joe Pavelski (3) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (2)
(Van) Roberto Luongo-28/31
(Sjs) Antti Niemi-31/38
I don't know if I'm just angry because I'm a goalie.
Or I don't know if I'm confused because I'm so used to seeing Marty Brodeur doing it 100 times a night.
But there's a problem in the NHL today.
Goalies are having major difficulty playing the puck in their own zone.
Last night in game 1 during the Western Conference Finals between the San Jose' Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks, Joe Thornton scored a goal on a terrible turnover by Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo.
Expectedly, the announcers chewed him out but, hey. It was a mistake. What can you do. But then the second goal of the game also had a turnover by a goalie. Except it was a type of turnover that literally happens 5 or 6 times a game from behind the net. A goalie skates behind the net to play the puck and tries to rap it around the boards but a player reads it and gets in the way and intercepts the puck. This type of turnover led to Maxim Lapierre's goal for Vancouver.
The announcers at first didn't even point out the turnover by Sharks' goalie Antti Niemi. I figured after they trashed Luongo for his turnover they'd at least point out Niemi's turnover. But no such point was made by the announcers in the booth (eventually they realized the turnover by Niemi but they still criticized the defense more for not getting the puck out). This may be because goalies aren't expected to play the puck WELL anymore. People don't trust that the goalies will play the puck well and get it out so they don't make as much of a big deal out of it as they used to. The NHL appeared to be changing with guys like Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur who've played the puck consistently well for their entire careers. Here's Martin Brodeur simply clearing the puck off the boards and all the way out of the zone (ignore the announcers. Just pay attention to his clear)
It was plays like this that the NHL should want more of. Notice how the defenseman for the Devils doesn't even skate all the way into his zone to help out. He trusts Marty to play the puck right. The Devils have had this sort of "Sixth Defenseman" advantage for a long time now. The NHL pretty much made the trapezoid (a trapezoid shape behind the net. The goalie is only allowed to play the puck within the trapezoid behind the red goal line. If he plays the puck outside of the trapezoid it will result in a delay of game penalty) for more scoring because goalies couldn't help out as much as they used to forcing the defenseman to make more pressured plays and in doing so might lead to more offense. What this rule has done, has lowered the amount of practice put in for goalies to play the puck. They treat it as a non-necessity and this is why there are not many goaltenders nowadays who play the puck well.
A few years ago, I was watching a hockey game with my dad. After a bad turnover by the goalie he turned to me and said, "If the NHL wants more scoring, they should TAKE AWAY the trapezoid". We laughed it off at the time but now I realize that eradicating this rule might help stress the importance of goalies playing the puck well and might give us more scoring chances for their team as well. Goalies would work harder to play the puck up the ice and may give their offenseman better chances.
So hopefully goalies will one day get better at playing the puck.
Because I can only take so much more of bonehead turnovers like this:
Now I know all of you have been just DYING to find out what happens in the IIHF World Championships in Bratislava this year so I apologize for my lack of updates.
Earlier today, the Czech-Republic defeated Russia by the score of 7-4 in the Bronze Medal Game. This was the highest scoring affair for a Bronze Medal game in World Championships history. For Russia, NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk had 2 goals for the Russian squad while Petr Prucha had 2 goals for the Czechs and Tomas Plekanec added an empty netter for the Czech Republic. (Other goal scorers had names neither of us would recognize nor pronounce correctly). Alex Ovechkin was a bust for the Russian team. In the 6 games he played he didn't even register a point which is odd for the usually dominant Ovechkin. Fatigue may have been a factor having just gotten eliminated from playoff contention. Kovalchuk in the 9 games he played had 3 goals (2 of them today) and 5 assists. The Czech were led by Patrick Elias who played fantastic for them and was their leader as well. He had 4 goals and 5 assists in his 9 games. He even received praise from intimidating Hockey Agent Allan Walsh for his swell captaining. Ondrej Pavelec played goalie for the Czech team. He had 39 saves in the Bronze Medal winning game. The goalie for the Russian team is unidentifiable.
Later today will be the Gold Medal game between Finland and Sweden. I'm not well versed in either team but I know how to look the rosters up online.
Here are the NHL players on both teams:
Sweden:
Oliver Ekman Larsson (PHX)
Carl Gunnarsson (TOR)
Mattias Tedenby (NJD)
Patrik Berglund (STL)
Loui Eriksson (DAL)
Marcus Kruger (CHI)
Mikael Backlund (CGY)
Magnus Paajarvi (EDM)
Finland:
Anssi Salmela (NJD)
Mikko Koivu (MIN)
Jesse Joensuu (NYI)
Personally, I want Sweden to win because of Mattias Tedenby. But it'd be nice to see Mikko Koivu win the gold medal 17 years after his brother Saku Koivu won it for the Finns. Also, anything good done by the Koivu family is nice to see because of Saku's comeback from cancer so I really wouldn't mind either team winning.
Edit: Well it wasn't much of a game. Finland defeated Sweden 6-1. Wasn't too pretty for Sweden this afternoon. Magnus Paajarvi for the Swedes scored the first goal of the game but then allowed the next 6 goals. Mikko Koivu had 2 assists for Finland and Anssi Salmela had an assist as well. Besides for that I'm sure you don't care who else did anything.
In America this tournament doesn't seem like such a big deal. For us it seems like the N.I.T. Tournament for the Stanley Cup Finals. Not even all the players in the NHL from teams that didn't make it in the playoffs play in the tournament. In the European countries, however, this tournament is a major event. Mostly all the players from the European league represent their country and for them it means a lot.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqjS7hL0dj0&feature=feedu
Tbl 5 Bos 2
Tbl leads series 1-0
First Period:
(Tbl) Sean Bergenheim (8) from Dominic Moore (7) and Viktor Hedman (4)
(Tbl) Brett Clark (1) unassisted
(Tbl) Teddy Purcell (2) unassisted
(Bos) Tyler Seguin (1) from Michael Ryder (4) and Rich Peverley (6)
Second Period:
none
Third Period:
(Tbl) (PPG) Marc-Andre Bergeron (2) from Brett Clark (1) and Martin St. Louis (8)
(Tbl) (Empty Netter) Simon Gagne (3) from Teddy Purcell (11)
(Bos) Johnny Boychuk (3) from Tyler Seguin (1)
(Bos) Tim Thomas-29/33
(Tbl) Dwayne Roloson-31/33
San Jose' Sharks @ Vancouver Canucks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftZthI2yhnI&feature=feedu
Van 3 Sjs 2
Van leads series 1-0
First Period:
(Sjs) Joe Thornton (3) unassisted
Second Period:
(Van) Maxime Lapierre (1) from Jannik Hansen (2) and Raffi Torres (2)
(Sjs) (PPG) Patrick Marleau (4) from Dan Boyle (10) and Joe Thornton (10)
Third Period:
(Van) Kevin Bieksa (2) from Alex Burrows (5) and Henrik Sedin (9)
(Van) Henrik Sedin (2) from Christian Ehrhoff (8) and Ryan Kesler (11)
(Van) Roberto Luongo-27/29
(Sjs) Antti Niemi-35/38
