Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 7

All 16 teams remain alive, though some are barely clinging to life. The quality of hockey seems to increase every game, and as teams start to face elimination, we're seeing that desperate ferocity that makes for really entertaining hockey.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 7, VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2
Vancouver leads series 3-1

The Hawks staved off elimination with an offensive onslaught against a sluggish Vancouver team. Chicago's defensemen got involved in the offense, as both Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell scored. The Blackhawks power play, which helped propel them past Vancouver in last year's playoffs, also woke up, scoring 2 goals. This series hadn't been as brutally violent as last year's, until the 3rd period. 92 penalty minutes were issued in that frame, including six misconducts. Game 5 should be exciting.

SAN JOSE SHARKS 6, LA KINGS 5 (OT)
San Jose leads series 2-1

44 seconds into the 2nd period, the Kings scored to make it 4-0. The Sharks pulled Niemi, and looked dead. But by the end of the period, it was 5-5. Devin Setoguchi scored the OT game-winner and the Sharks completed a monumental comeback, the likes of which has only happened 4 times in Stanley Cup history. That's why the NHL Playoffs are so exciting. One btilliant period of hockey could be the difference in this series. As the Sox are out West this week, do yourself a favor and watch bits of Game 4 of this series on Thursday night while the Sox game is in a commercial break.

Tonight's games:
7:00 PM - Capitals @ Rangers (Washington leads series 2-1) - Versus
7:00 PM - Penguins @ Lightning (Pittsburgh leads series 2-1)
7:30 PM - Flyers @ Sabres (Philadelphia leads series 2-1)
8:30 PM - Ducks @ Predators (Nashville leads series 2-1)
10:30 PM - Red Wings @ Coyotes (Detroit leads series 3-0) - Versus

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 1

The hits. The saves. The goals. There's just nothing like the Stanley Cup playoffs. Here's how night #1 went down:

DETROIT RED WINGS 4, PHOENIX COYOTES 2
Detroit leads series 1-0

Detroit's annual goal is to win the last game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They won the first thanks to goaltending and special teams. Jimmy Howard carried the Wings through the 1st period, and Phoenix was unable to capitalize on some early power play opportunities, including a 5-on-3. In the 2nd, Detroit scored a power play goal, and another goal just after a power play expired. Players like Datsyuk and Franzen were engineered for the playoffs.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 3, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 0
Pittsburgh leads series 1-0

M.A. Fleury was all over the place, stopping 32 shots for his 5th career playoff shutout. Kovalev and Arron Asham did the scoring, plus Chris Kunitz added an empty-netter. The power play reliant Lightning only had 1 power play opportunity. Stamkos was held to one shot, and met Mr. Brooks Orpik.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS 2, NEW YORK RANGERS 1 (OT)
Washington leads series 1-0

The Rangers were on their way to a 1-0 shutout over the Caps. Late in the 3rd, Lundqvist locks up a puck between his thighs, Ovechkin pokes at it, the ref is tardy with his whistle, the puck rolls across the line. Then after almost a full period of OT, fatigue catches up with Marc Staal who gives the puck away to Jason Arnott. Then Alexander Semin scores the winner. Without Ryan Callahan, the Rangers might be in serious trouble.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 0
Vancouver leads series 1-0

Roberto Luongo was brilliant. 32 stunning saves. His 2nd career playoff shutout. Chicago held the Sedins scoreless, but weren't able to do much offensively themselves. This Blackhawks team is just completely different without Dustin Byfuglien driving the engine. Sharp, Kane, and Toews need to show up.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 4, ANAHEIM DUCKS 1
Nashville leads series 1-0

Mike Fisher scored twice with an assist, Shea Weber had a few big hits and a power play goal, but the star of the game was Pekka Rinne, who made an unbelievable kick save to keep the game at 1-0. As you might expect from a blowout, there was some ugliness at the end. The Ducks collected 32 penalty minutes in the last 15 seconds.

Tonight's games:
7:00 PM - Canadiens @ Bruins - NESN (Versus nationally)
7:30 PM - Sabres @ Flyers
10:00 PM - Kings @ Sharks - Versus

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Playoffs: West Preview

We don't get to see the Western Conference teams very often in Boston. It's a shame that we play Florida and Atlanta far more often than Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver, or even San Jose.

#1 VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs. #8 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
The defending champion Hawks were victimized by the salary cap in the off-season, which I think will do the NHL more long-term harm than good, and that's why they barely made it in as an 8 seed. Vancouver have been electric all year. #1 in goals scored, goals against, power play, and #3 in penalty kill. The Sedin-Samuellson line totaled 78 goals. Then Ryan Kesler added 41 more from the 2nd line. Luongo had a brilliant year, and on paper, the Canucks have to be favorites to win it all. The Hawks also boast plenty of weapons, but their goaltending is untried, and their defense is suspect. Vancouver wins in 6 high scoring games.

#2 SAN JOSE SHARKS vs. #7 LOS ANGELES KINGS
The Pacific Division sent 4 teams to the postseason and these are two of them. They split the season series 3-3. And while San Jose has dangerous scorers like Marleau, Thornton, Pavelski, Heatley, and 22 year old Logan Couture (who scored 32 goals), I have my doubts. The Sharks are perennial postseason failures. Their offense depends a great deal on the power play, and LA has an excellent penalty kill. The Kings also have Jonathan Quick. I don't think LA has the offense to go very far, but they do have enough defense to stop San Jose. Kings in 7.

#3 DETROIT RED WINGS vs. #6 PHOENIX COYOTES
Detroit made the playoffs for the 18th straight season. They can score, but their defense and goaltending is shaky. Zetterberg's health is a question mark, but the Wings can deploy plenty of other weapons. Not to mention a roll call of strong, experienced forwards. Datsyuk, Franzen, Cleary, Bertuzzi, Draper. And it's the same on defense. Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart. Phoenix doesn't have many recognizable skaters. Even goalie Ilya Bryzgalov had an off year. Phoenix are solid 5-on-5, but have an anemic power play and a gaping penalty kill. That will be their undoing. Detroit wins in 5.

#4 ANAHEIM DUCKS vs. #5 NASHVILLE PREDATORS
The Predators were 3rd in goals against, and 21st in attendance. The Ducks had the 3rd best power play, and were 26th in attendance. Two of the best players in the NHL will duel each other in this series. And they'll finally be able to do it in front of full houses. Anaheim's Corey Perry scored 50 goals, with 48 assists. Nashville's Pekka Rinne had a 2.12 GAA and a .930 SV%. The Ducks have some weapons beside Perry, including George Parros' bristling black mustache.

But Anaheim's offensive output depends too much on getting power play points. The Predators also have Shea Weber, a burly defenseman who also scored 16 times this year. I'm picking Rinne and the Preds in 6.

It's difficult to not pick Detroit to win the West. But they're old. They don't have the goaltending. I think this is finally the year for Vancouver to shine and go all the way to the finals.

Tonight's games:
7:00 PM - Red Wings @ Coyotes - Versus
7:00 PM - Lightning @ Penguins
7:30 PM - Rangers @ Capitals
10:00 PM - Blackhawks @ Canucks - Versus
10:30 PM - Predators @ Ducks

-The Commodore

Bruins 3, Blackhawks 0

On paper, wins over Montreal, Philadelphia, and Chicago in a 6 day span is pretty impressive. But Montreal were menstruating, the Flyers were flatter than Kiera Knightley, and the Blackhawks were sleepy. I watched the end of the Detroit/Chicago game on Monday, and it was a brutal grinder. So I'm not overly enthused about the Bruins' 3-0 win over the exhausted Hawks.

Then again, it's not as if the B's lost to a tired team. They did what needed to be done. And when Chicago was able to muster the strength to play hard, the Bruins matched their intensity.

Oh yeah, and Tim Thomas is unbelievable. His GAA dropped below 2 thanks to his 9th shutout of the season.

These have been nice wins, but they've hardly been tests. Which is why I'm not letting them influence my feelings about this team in the playoffs. Right now I'm just anxiously awaiting the start of the playoffs on April 13.

Shawn Thornton is a savage. He gets his forehead sliced open by a skate, then on his way to the bench someone from Chicago says the wrong thing (I'm guessing a tampon joke), and he wants to fight the guy.

Thornton received 40 stitches. He also said of the Blackhawks chirping at him: "If I ever find who it was, I'll deal with it my own way." And I believe him.

Bruins next play a team that will probably be very motivated. The Maple Leafs come to town on Thursday, only 5 points out of a playoff spot.

-The Commodore

Blackhawks @ Bruins Preview

No matter what the Bruins are in the playoffs, but the Blackhawks are going to have to fight till the end to get in. Chicago his currently in 8th place in the Western Conference just 3 points above Calgary for the last spot. Don't let them fool you though, this is a dangerous team.

The Blackhawks won it all last year, but the salary cap came back to bite them in the ass this year. Still, they have won 3 of their last 4 games, and it's not exactly like the Bruins have blowing the doors off teams. The Bruins won a close games against Philly last night out, which would seem impressive, but it was really a dull game that Philly seemed disinterested in.

The key for the Bruins is going to be shutting out the Blackhawks dynamic offense, which is led by Toews, Sharp, and Kane who all have more point then any Bruin. That has to scare the Bruins who have trouble scoring at times. I like Chara being able to slow these guys down, but the Bruins still struggle at times with turning the puck over in their own end. You do that against a team with this kind of offensive talent and you are going to get burned.

The Bruins are going to get a playoff effort out of Chicago as they make their push for the playoffs, and I just don't trust the Bruins to keep up. I wish I could say different, but you really just never know what kind of effort you are going to get from them. Hopefully I am wrong, but with this team you just never know.

Blackhawks win 4-3
Player of the Game: Jonathan Toews
Game starts at 7:30pm on Versus

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 57

CHICAGO 4, PHILADELPHIA 3 (Blackhawks win series 4-2)
It's been since 1961 that Blackhawks fans have waited for the Cup to return to their Original 6 city. There were only 6 teams back then. And now finally, the Cup has come back to Chicago.

Give all the credit in the world to the Flyers, who mounted one of the most impressive playoff runs I've ever seen. If it weren't for some deficiencies at goaltender, they would have been doing laps with the Cup. Look for them to address that need during the offseason.

Game 6 itself, I felt, was marred by overly tight officiating. Chris Pronger got a 2 minute cross-checking penalty for something he's done 10,000 times in this series, and 10,000,000 in the playoffs. Seabrook and Sopel each got soft minor penalties that would have been let go if this weren't an elimination game.

It's more than a little unfortunate that there were 9 total power play in this game.

That being said, I'm thankful that the refs swallowed their whistles and the pivotal goals were all tallied even-strengthed.

Including Patrick Kane's game-winner, which wriggled through Michael Leighton, who utterly failed to hold the post and be solid against an 87 degree shot. But as I said, that's Philly's only noteworthy weakness. Although I will pat myself on the back for declaring it so before this series.

While Eastern PA might be upset, I think the rest of the hockey world is glad. Then again, they'd be glad if Philly had won too (except me, I wouldn't've been glad). This is a big market city winning a title for the first time in decades. You have to appreciate it.

But how close did the Flyers come to being one of the most compellingly miraculous stories in sports history? Needing a shootout win to qualify for the playoffs, coming from 0-3 down against the Bruins. They are very very close to achieving victory in this Stanley Cup thing. So watch out next season.

-The commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 54

This is how smart the NHL is. Why not have Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals go up against Game 2 of the NBA Finals? I know the NHL set their dates long before the NBA did, but can't Gary Bettman text David Stern and say "yo, if u hav a game on 6/6 what time RU gonna start ur game?" Then when Stern responds "LOL, 8pm EST ;-)" Then Bettman can schedule Game 5 of the Cup Finals for 3 in the afternoon.

But I guess that's too much.

CHICAGO 7, PHILADELPHIA 4 (Blackhawks lead series 3-2)

You know what game I bet the Flyers would be good at (besides hockey, of course)? Duck-duck-goose. You slap them on the head and they'll chased after you like a rabid dog. And even if they don't catch you, you'll die of a heart attack from the strain. They simply do not believe they can die.

The Hawks went up 3-0 in the 1st, and looked to cruise through to Game 6. But the Flyers hate cruise ships almost as much as the Israelis do (couldn't resist and by no means is this a political commentary, just a fucking joke, so relax), and they fought back. The teams traded goals in the 2nd, and if not for some brilliant Niemitics, it easily could have been a 5-4 game, instead of 5-2.

More goal-trading in the 3rd, and after the dust settled, Chicago won 7-4, but it was hardly easy. You have to stay aggressive and keep slapping the scoreboard against Philly. Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Dustin "pug fufly" Byfuglien all woke up. The Chicago power play made its debut, as well.

So now Philly is facing elimination. Which is familiar and seemingly comfortable position for them. And much like this game, the Blackhawks need to keep the pedal pinned to the floor, because the Flyers will fight like Rocky Balboa until the bitter end.

Game 6 Wednesday night in Philly. Hey! It's not conflicting with an NBA Finals game! Whaddya know?!? How fucking novel!

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 50

It was NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's birthday last night, and it's safe to say he enjoyed it. Not only did this close Stanley Cup Finals continue it's 1 goal margin-of-victory trend, not only was there an overtime, but the series between the 3rd and 8th largest media markets in the country is very far from over.

PHILADELPHIA 4, CHICAGO 3 (Blackhawks lead series 2-1)

This felt like a Game 7. The Flyers acted like it were Game 7. The Blackhakws acted as if it were Game 3. Niemi bailed out his teammates more than once, but Chicago was unable to consolidate the one lead they had, which only lasted 20 seconds.

Some Blackhawks had great nights. The afore-mentioned Niemi, Marian Hossa, Toews and Kane hooked up for a goal. But some Blackhawks weren't so great. Chris Pronger stifled the monstrous Dustin Byfuglien, and antagonized him into taking a stupid penalty that resulted in a power play goal.

Special teams have been one-sided in Philly's favor this series. They're 7 of 10 on the power play (yikes!), while the Blackhawks are 0 for 6 with a man advantage. You hear that and it's shocking that Chicago's up 2-1.

The Flyers were faster, made much better decisions with the puck, dominated key faceoffs, out-hit the Blackhawks, and were better at everything except perhaps goaltending. I wouldn't say Philly dominated, but how many Stanley Cup Final games are dominated by one team or another?

Chicago needs to rebound in Game 4. They don't need to win, but now neither do the Flyers. The Blackhawks need a better effort, and they need to do things like not get outshot 15-4 in the 3rd period.

Game 4 Friday night on Versus.

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

A tale of two cities, of two teams, of two historic franchises long overdue for some silverware. The Blackhawks rode the high road to get here, winning 52 games, claiming the 2nd seed in the West, and going 12-4 in the playoffs, rolling through their competition. The Flyers, took the low road. They squeezed in on the last day of the season by the slimmest of margins: a shootout goal. They're 12-5 in the playoffs, but were once on the brink, down 0-3 to the Bruins, before surging back, then thumping Montreal.

The Blackhawks haven't won the Cup since 1961. The Flyers since '75.





Philly's playoff run has been, in a word: compelling. They lose Jeff Carter, but are able to beat Brodeur and the Devils in 5 games. They fall behind Boston 3-0, even losing their goalie, then comeback and win the series in the Bruins' ice. Then they face the giant slayers from Montreal, who could beat Washington and Pittsburgh, bet couldn't handle the Flyers. Not even close.

But I'll burst your bubble, Philly. The playoffs are about weaknesses more than they're about strengths. The Flyers have a balanced offense (10th in scoring) with multiple threats (7 players with 4+ goals this postseason). They also boast 4 stalwart defenseman, including the guy with a triathlete's endurance: Chris Pronger. Where's the weakness? Goaltending. Despite their solid defense, the Flyers were 15th in goals allowed this season.

But in the playoffs they have the best GAA, an impressive 2.12! Have Leighton and Boucher stepped up in the postseason? Yes. But that's not the total story. Certainly both have been solid, but they've also benefited from their opponents' lack of offensive prowess.

The Devils were 19th in the NHL in goals scored. The Canadiens 23rd. The Bruins 29th. The Devils had Kovalchuk and Parise. The Bruins' offense was spearheaded by a 42 year old in Mark Recchi and a scrap-heap acquisition in Miroslav Satan. The Canadiens had Mike Cammalleri, and nothing else.

Chicago had the 3rd best offense in the NHL's regular season, averaged 3.31 goals per game in the post-season thus far (behind only Vancouver and Detroit).

They get offense from multiple players, just like Philadelphia. Six Blackhawks have 4+ postseason goals. Six Blackhawks had 20+ regular season goals.

Moreover, Chicago will be playing with home ice advantage. Philadelphia was 17-21-3 on the road during the regular season, and 5-4 during the playoffs. Chicago was 29-8-4 at home this season. But they've actually been better on the road in the postseason, with a spectacular 7-1 record away from Chicago.

Now what's Chicago's weakness? It might just be goaltending too. Antti Niemi's had an impressive 2.33 GAA in the postseason, but his SV% is much less staggering, at .921, it's 5th among playoff goalies with 4+ starts.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there will be goals. Both teams have good offenses and exploitable goalies. Chicago's power-play wasn't very good in the regular season (17.7%), but it's been decent in the postseason (22.6%). Then again, both teams are very good penalty killers. (85.0% for Chicago and 83.0% for Philly in the regular season, 86.6% and 87% for them, respectively, in the playoffs).

So who has the edge? Chicago. While Philadelphia's Top-4 D-men have been outstanding this postseason, they've yet to face a team that can roll 2 to 3 good scoring lines. Moreover, Chicago can keep possession of the puck, wearing out those 4 defensemen.

My gut wants to say Chicago in 5. But I'll temper that with some pessimism and say Chicago in 6.



CONN SMYTHE WATCH:

Antti Niemi, G, CHI - 2.33 GAA, .921 SV%, 2 shutouts
Michael Leighton, G, PHI - 1.45 GAA, .948 SV%, 3 shutouts, 6-1 record
Jonathan Toews, C, CHI - 7 goals, 19 assists, +4, 3 GWG
Mike Richards, C, PHI - 6 goals, 15 assists, +6
Patrick Kane, RW, CHI - 7 goals, 13 assists
Danny Briere, C, PHI - 9 goals, 9 assists, +4, 4 GWG
Claude Giroux, RW, PHI - 8 goals, 9 assists, +10
Patrick Sharp, C, CHI - 7 goals, 9 assists
Chris Pronger, D, PHI - 4 G, 10 A, 26 hits, 51 blocks, like 30:00 per game
Brent Seabrook, D, CHI - 3 G, 6 A, +8, 60 hits, 41 blocks
Dustin Byfuglien, RW, CHI - 8 G, 2 A, 4 GWG, 56 hits

-The Commodore

Blackhawks 5, Bruins 4 (SO); Maple Leafs 2, Bruins 0

The Bruins played a pair of road games this weekend. As to be expected, they looked like completely different teams from night to night.

On Friday, in Chicago, they stole a point in what eventually became a 5-4 shootout loss. The Blackhawks boast a pretty talented team this season, and had 21,717 fans supporting them Friday night. David Krejci had his 2nd career multi-goal game, the other also came on December 18, in 2008 when he registered a hat-trick against Toronto.

The Bruins allowed a staggering 44 shots on goal, and allowed Chicago's offense too much space and time. It wasn't the defense-in-depth that we've been accustomed to here since Julien took over. But a point in Chicago is a nice early Christmas gift.

Then Saturday night, it was just sad. Rask was decent, but allowed a silly goal to trickle between his legs. But the real horror show was the offense. Apart from breakaways, the Bruins hardly pressured Jonas Gustavsson, who made 25 saves on his way to his first career shutout.

The Bruins' offensive woes are caused by multiple things. Here are some that were evident Saturday night:

1) Too many stupid penalties:
Toronto had 6 power plays. And although they were 0 for 6, that's a significant chunk of the game spent in your own zone, not focusing on scoring goals. It's also a waste of potential offensive minutes for some of your key offensive players (Sturm, Savard, Wheeler, Chara, Krejci). Two Bruins' power plays were abbreviated by their own penalties. And these were really stupid penalties too.

2) No battles won along the boards:
You miss guys like Lucic in this area. Some players, like Bitz and Sobotka, can consistently go into a corner and come out with a puck. But with most of the Bruins, it's about a 50/50 bet. It gets to the point that you don't want to do it at all, because you don't want to give up possession so easily.

3) Too many shots into traffic:
How can this be a bad thing? Well, when the opposing defensive players are the traffic, your long-range shots become interceptions. Toronto blocked 21 shots (the B's got 25 to the net). Very frequently, those shots turned into breakaways for them, like the 3-on-2 that resulted in their 2nd goal. Morris, and now Chara, shoot too much from the points. They don't have shooting lanes, yet still let it fly.

In fact, the Bruins rarely shoot at the net, they shoot TOWARD the net, in the general direction of the net. That recent offensive drought seemed to convince them that it's impossible to shoot at the net and score. You have to shoot toward the net, hope for a deflection or rebound. And while there's nothing wrong with that, if 100% of your offense is slap-and-hope, you won't score as often as you should.

The Bruins are in Ottawa tonight. Think it's cold here? It'll be 11 degrees up there when the puck drops at 7:30.

Johnny Boychuck is now among the ranks of my favorite Bruins.



-The Commodore

Marian Hossa Plays A Little Baseball

Hossa Signs 12 Year Deal With Blackhawks

"The Chicago Blackhawks dipped deep into the free-agent market by signing star forward Marian Hossa away from the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday with a 12-year contract (Sportsline)."

What the fuck?????? Why are hockey contracts so long? Although we don't know the numbers yet, a 12 year contract to a guy who is 30 is just crazy. As far as I know NHL contracts are guaranteed. Don't get me wrong they are getting one hell of a player, but 12 years is just fucking ridiculous.

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 42

Well after the previous round saw three series go the full 7, this round wrapped up fairly quickly. The Penguins swept the Hurricanes. And the Red Wings made short work of Chicago.

DETROIT RED WINGS 2, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 1 (OT)
***Detroit wins series 4-1***
The Blackhawks had to replace the Bulin Wall in net with Cristobal Huet, who split time in net this season. Huet was amazing last night, but like Pedro Martinez in 2001, he got no offensive support. Huet stopped 44 of 46 shots. Meanwhile, Chicago had 0 shots in the 4 minutes of overtime that was played.

The Wings went after Martin Havlat in this series, and they hit him enough to literally knock him out. Without Havlat, Chicago's offense lost its teeth, and Detroit only needed 2 or 3 goals a night to close out the series.

To be fair, the Wings won this without Lidstrom, without Datsyuk, and without Draper. Not too shabby.



The Stanley Cup finals start Saturday night.

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 37

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 4, DETROIT RED WINGS 3 (OT)
(Detroit leads series 2-1)
Patrick Sharp scored the first goal of this game, and the last one. The Blackhawks nearly blew this one. After taking a 3-0 lead, they let up a bit, and Detroit stormed back with 3 goals in less than 5 minutes. Sharp's goal was bigger than almost all of Chicago's goals this season combined. If they lose in OT (and going against Detroit in OT is almost a guaranteed loss after 5 minutes of playing), the series is over. But now they've got some momentum, and confidence. This could turn into an entertaining series.



Saturday night's game:
7:30 PM - Penguins @ Hurricanes (Penguins lead series 2-0) - Vs

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 34

DETROIT RED WINGS 3, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 2 (OT)
(Detroit leads series 2-0)
Detroit took a commanding lead in this series, by escaping with a win. Jonathan Toews scored twice for Chicago, including a tying goal with 7:40 left in the 3rd, which eventually forced the overtime. But stopping Detroit in sudden death OT is next to impossible. They can roll 4 quality lines, and as you're gasping for air, they're relaxed and fresh. Mikael Samuelsson scored the winner.



Thursday night's game:
7:30 PM - Hurricanes @ Penguins (Penguins lead series 1-0) - Vs

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 32

DETROIT RED WINGS 5, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 2
(Detroit leads series 1-0)
Not quite as dominating as the score suggests, the game was tied until 7:31 into the 3rd. That's when Detroit exploded. Daniel Cleary scored two goals, and Johan Franzen had a goal and 2 assists. Detroit can score, and unless Chicago can get 4 goals a game or more, this series will be short and sweet.



Monday's game:
7:30 PM - Whoricanes vs. Penises - 7:30 PM - Vs

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup: Conference Finals Preview

We're down to four teams. The #1 seed from each Conference has been eliminated, as has one of the #2 seeds, and both #3 seeds. We're left with the #2 Detroit Red Wings, the #4 Pittsburgh Penguins, the #4 Chicago Blackhawks, and the #6 Carolina Hurricanes.

Chicago is the only big market team left, and the NHL has to be kind of disappointed with that. Before last night, there had been potential to have a team from Southern California, and one from the Northeast. But now, it's Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Raleigh.

WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP:
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #4 Chicago Blackhawks
A rematch of the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. These teams are both Original 6 rivals, and play in the Central Division. That's about as far as the similarities go. The Wings are the reigning champions, the Blackhawks haven't won it all since 1961. Chicago last made the Conference Finals in 1995, and were knocked out by Detroit.



Chicago has been the sleeper team in the playoffs. They've gotten little respect, and little notice. But they're a good example of a successful playoff team. They fight hard every shift, make everything difficult for the opponent, and don't make many mistakes.

Detroit is the most exciting team ever. Their locker room is loaded with trophy winners, All-Stars, Olympic gold medalists, loads of experience, and tons of talent. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler, Daniel Cleary, Marian Hossa, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Chris Osgood, et cetera, et cetera.



These teams played 6 times, with Detroit winning 4. However, two of those wins came in shootouts. And Chicago's only two wins in the season series were games #81 and #82, when Detroit had locked up their playoff seeding, and Chicago was fighting for home ice in the 1st round.

I'm not amazed by either team's goalies. Osgood is solid, but fortunate to be on such a talented team. Khabibulin is very good, but also worn down.



Chicago has their own scorers, although not as impressive as Detroit's list. The Blackhawks were 4th in scoring this year. More impressively, they allowed the 5th fewest goals in the NHL. And that is the advantage I think they'll use to catapult them to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Blackhawks in 7.



EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP:
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Who cares? Why is it that some team from the South has to ruin the Stanley Cup playoffs every year? And how long before hockey fans start suffering from a Sidney Crosby overdose?



Both of these teams are here because more talented teams choked in the Conference Semis. But Pittsburgh shouldn't be taken too lightly. Crosby is good. Evgeni Malkin is great. The Penguins have a bit of a liability between the pipes in Marc-Andre Fleury.

Carolina, on the other hand, has an advantage in Cam Ward. Ward has never lost a playoff series as a starting goalie, thanks in no small part to the Canes not making the playoffs in 2007 or 2008. But he is good, and can steal a game or two, unlike Fleury, who can give one away.



The thought of either team winning, and going to the Finals is sickening. I loathe Pittsburgh and the Penguins. And the thought of Scott Walker's name engraved on the Stanley Cup makes me want to puke in my mouth.

But I think Carolina's streak of opponents choking has come to an end. Pittsburgh is not a choking team. They're experienced, physical, smart, and explosive. They played in the toughest division in the League, and still managed to get 99 points. If they can beat Washington, they can handle Carolina.

Penguins in 6.



CONN SMYTHE WATCH:

Some really good candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP of the playoffs) were eliminated last week. Alex Ovechkin with his 21 points and 54 hits (although he gets credit for about 3 hits every time he's on the ice, even if he doesn't touch anyone or anything); Milan Lucic with his playoff leading +/- of +12, his 9 points, and 37 legitimate hits; Ryan Getzlaf and his 18 points, 25 hits, and 15 blocked shots; and Timmy Thomas and his playoff leading GAA of 1.85 (which will probably remain the best GAA in the playoffs), and 2nd best SV% of .935. All these worthy candidates will NOT be winning the Conn Smythe.

But here are some people who might:

Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)
12 goals, 9 assists, #1 in playoffs with 21 points, #1 in goals, #2 in assists, +6, 12 hits, 12 blocked shots

Johan Franzen (Detroit)
8 goals, 7 assists, 15 points in 11 games

Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh)
6 goals, 13 assists

Eric Staal (Carolina)
9 goals, 7 assists

Jussi Jokinen (Carolina)
6 goals, 4 assists, 3 game winning goals

Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit)
6 goals, 8 assists, +8

Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit)
3 goals, 8 assists, +6

Cam Ward (Carolina)
2.22 GAA, .927 SV%, 2 shutouts

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 26

One series ends, and another is extended.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS 5, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 4 (OT)
(Series tied 3-3)
This series is perfect for the neutral hockey fan, two teams loaded with offensive talent, and two mediocre goalies to let them score almost at will. This game swung like a pendulum, but Washington wound up on top because of a key advantage: more Russians. Togliatti, Russia's Viktor Kozlov had two goals, and Moscow's Alex Ovechkin had three assists. But it was Wisconsin's Dave Steckel had the game winner 6:22 into the extra period.

Game 7 will be Wednesday night in Washington. In keeping with the Russian theme of this recap, here is Moscow's Anna Semenovich...



CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 7, VANCOUVER CANUCKS 5
***Chicago wins series 4-2***
Chicago becomes the first team to advance to the Conference Championship round, behind a Patrick Kane hat-trick. Jonathan Toews added 2 goals to the cause. Daniel Sedin had 2 for the losing Canucks. It's Chicago's first trip this deep into the postseason since 1995. Penalties were once again the story in this one, the Blackhawks scored 3 of their 7 goals with a man advantage.

The 4th seeded Blackhawks await the winner of the Detroit/Anaheim series.



Tuesday night's games:
7:00 PM - Bruins @ Hurricanes (Hurricanes lead series 3-2) - Vs/NESN
10:00 PM - Red Wings @ Ducks (Red Wings lead series 3-2) - Vs

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 24

A thriller in Washington with an anticlimactic ending, and tempers flaring in Vancouver.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 4, WASHINGTON CAPITALS 3 (OT)
(Pittsburgh leads series 3-2)
In a Stanley Cup rarity, these teams played back-to-back games. Friday night they were in Pittsburgh, Saturday night in DC. Washington took a 2-1 lead into the 3rd, then the Penguins exploded, and took a 3-2 lead. With about 4 minutes left, Ovechkin scored a goal (thanks to excellent maneuvering from Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green), his 10th of the playoffs. The two teams went into overtime, Pittsburgh got a power play after a blatant trip.

It was an unfortunate ending to what had been a great game. Evgeni Malkin tried a centering pass, the defenseman dove and tried to stop the puck with his extended stick, but the puck ricocheted off the stick, and right between Sergei Varlamov's pads. Sergei had been setting himself up to play the recipient of the pass. Shitty way to lose a game, and as a somewhat neutral fan, it was a disappointing end.



CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 4, VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2
(Chicago leads series 3-2)
So much of playoff hockey is the ability to be physical, get into scrums, scraps, and outright fights, then cool down and play solid hockey while your opponent makes mistakes. The Blackhawks found their cool during and after an intense 2nd period, the Canucks lost theirs. 32 penalty minutes in the 2nd (couldv'e been 20 more easily), and a 2-1 Vancouver lead was erased late in the period. Kevin Bieksa committed a dumb high-stick penalty in the 3rd, and Chicago's Dave Bolland scores on the ensuing power play. Martin Havlat added the empty-netter. Vancouver only had 21 shots on goal, and only 10 in the final two periods.

When was the last time the Blackhawks had a chance to clinch a playoff series at home? They'll have one Monday night.



Sunday's games:
5:00 PM - Ducks @ Red Wings (Series tied 2-2)
7:30 PM - Hurricanes @ Bruins (Hurricanes lead series 3-1) - Vs

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 22

Shit gets tied up in the West...

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 2, VANCOUVER CANUCKS 1 (OT)
(Series tied 2-2)
The Blackhawks saved themselves from falling into a 3-1 hole. Chicago's Old Faitfhful playoff hero Martin Havlat scored a late goal in the 3rd. Then Andrew Ladd won it early in the overtime. Only 15 total shots on goal from Vancouver in an unforgivably wretched offensive performance.



DETROIT RED WINGS 6, ANAHEIM DUCKS 3
(Series tied 2-2)
Detroit's firepower came out to play in Game 4. Johan Franzen had a pair of 1st period goals. Marian Hossa woke up in the 2nd with 2 goals. The Wings scored enough to chase Jonas Hiller from Anaheim's net, and perhaps they've raised some doubts in the young Switzerlander's head. Games like this are why Detroit is so hard to put away. Way too many weapons.



Friday's games:
7:00 PM - Capitals @ Penguins (Capitals lead series 2-1) - Vs
7:30 PM - Bruins @ Hurricanes (Hurricanes lead series 2-1) - NESN

-The Commodore