Habs/Pens Game 1 Preview

Does he have another incredible performance in him? The hockey world will know when the puck drops shortly after 7 p.m. tonight. I cannot make any promises about blogging this one tonight. Lots of stuff on my plate this evening. If and when I do get to sit down and watch, I will definitely blog from that point. The Pens did ok against a hot goalie in LeClaire but Jaro is playing slightly better than him. I also like Montreal's 'D' a little more than Ottawa's but truth be told, I don't see the Canadiens getting past the Caps and then disposing of the Pens. The defending champs take this one in 6.....or 7.

SLACKER!!

Wow, I missed the 1st game of the 2nd round last night. Sorry 'bout that. New comedy on NBC and I was trumped on the television. Sharks scored 3 quick ones in the 1st and held on for the W and 1-0 series lead.

Caps/Habs Game 7 Neglect

Sorry about missing this one. Had other hockey related stuff to tend to Wednesday evening. We all know the deal though. Halak was the difference maker in the series. Caps had all the pieces in place to make a loooong playoff run. We'll see what kind of changes they make in the offseason. My workload gets a little bit lighter with the field cut in half. Let's get ready to drop the puck on the Conference Semis.

Red Wings/Coyotes Game 7

After a scoreless period in which Bryzgalov stopped everything the Red Wings threw at him, the puck is down in the second. 30 seconds in, Detroit goes up a man.


Pavel Datsyuk gives the Red Wings a 1-0 lead on the power play.

Coyotes get a chance after Eaves goes off for tripping.

Now it's time for some 4-on-4.


Pavel Datsyuk just undressed Bryzgalov. Looked like one of his shootout moves. 2-0 Wings.

Coyotes strike out on the power play.


Shot off the face-off from Vernon Fiddler beats Howard who was really not set. 2-1 Red Wings.

The action is back and forth with the Red Wings applying most of the pressure. So much so that Phoenix takes a penalty. Detroit a man up with just under 8 to go in the 2nd.


Bryzgalov cannot stop 'em all and with 2 seconds left in the power play, Lidstrom makes it 3-1 Wings.

All sorts of penalty calls late in the 2nd. Somehow the 'Yotes end up with a 5-on-3 for 1:12. Here may be their only chance to get back in this.

Phoenix does not capitalize one the power play.


Late in the 2nd Stuart makes it 4-1 Red Wings. We all know the story of the Phoenix. They need to pull something like that off or it's over.


Just a little bit over 6 minutes gone in the 3rd and Bertuzzi bangs home a rebound to make it 5-1.


And the hits just keep on coming. Lidstrom on the power play. 6-1.

And that's how it ends. Detroit eliminates Phoenix in 7. The 2 western semi-final matches are set. One more game 7 tomorrow to figure out the east.

Red Wings/Coyotes Game 7 Preview

There really isn't much to say about this one. It's a Game 7 folks. It doesn't get any better than this. Well, this one will be that much more special as it is being played in Phoenix. That joint will be all about the "white-out" and I am sure the building will be shaking long before the anthem is belted out. This is going to be a good one. Really interested to see if Doan gets on the ice for the Coyotes with the season on the line. Then we get another Game 7 on Wednesday night at the Habs try to upset the Caps. Buckle up folks!

Chicago/Nashville Game 6

This game is tied at 1 about halfway through the 1st. One of these early games needs to end so I can get a look at this one.

We have a 1st period track meet in Nashville. 3-2 Blackhawks with about 3 minutes to go in the 1st. Because of the fact Washington was on CSN, I have to wait for the Versus feed to head out to Nashville before I can watch.

4-3 Chicago with a little less than 10 minutes to go in the 2nd period. Wild and wooly 1st where all the goals were scored.

Still have a 4-3 score after 2 periods. Nashville with a total of 4 shots on goal in the 2nd. The Chicago power play has had 10:00 of power play time and have not dented the twine.

Nashville needs to win the period to either force OT or win outright to force a 7th game.

Oops! Dropped the ball (wait maybe the puck) on this one. Kind of nodded off after a tough workout last evening.

Nashville poured it on in the 3rd outshooting the Hawks 15-3. Madden adds and empty netter with 8 seconds to go and we have more handshakes.

Chicago will face Vancouver in Round 2.

Caps/Canadiens Game 6

Action is fast and furious already in this game. Lots of pushing and shoving after just about every whistle.

I can hear the Stayin Alive Theme in the background.


Mike Cammalleri scores on the power play to put the Habs up 1-0.


Less than 2 minutes later it's Mike Cammalleri again. To put Montreal up 2-0.

Bell Centre is going nuts.

Montreal with a really huge opportunity here on the power play with about 8 minutes to go in the 1st. That short circuits as Metropolit goes off. 20 seconds of 4-on-4 and then it's the Caps chance to try with the man advantage. Make that a 2-man advantage for the Caps.

No dice for the Caps.

Period ends with Halak seeing a ton of rubber. Caps outshoot the Habs 18-10.

2-0 Canadiens end of 1.

More than halfway through the 2nd period and the score remains 2-0 Montreal. Halak is the difference as the Caps have 30 shots already and nothing to show for it.

2-0 Habs end of 2. 33-13 shots advantage for the Caps. Third period should be a doozy as the Caps definitely have the firepower to not only tie, but overtake the Habs.


Less than 5 minutes into the 3rd and Maxim LaPierre beats Varlamov from a bad angle. 3-0 Habs.

It was only a matter of time. Halak had faced 50+ shots.


Eric Fehr scores with 4:50 to go and gives the Caps some life. 3-1 Habs.


Empty net goal added by Plekanec seals the deal.


Game 7 is going to be crazy in D.C. Roles reversed from last year. Caps were down 3-1 and had to play 7. This year they were up 3-1 and yet again they are going to a 7th and deciding game.

Bruins/Sabres Game 6

TD Garden is rocking early. Buffalo power play but better chances for the B's.

As of 7:33 p.m. I lost the feed for this game. Nasty springtime thunderstorms rolling through the area.

We have comms at 7:45. Boston scored while thunder rolled across the sky here in Virginia Beach.


Krejci on the power play puts Boston up 1-0.

That's how the period ends.

Teams will open up the second period playing 4-on-4.

A little busy being a chef/sandwich artist this evening.


Recchi scores a power play goal to make it 2-0 Bruins 1:01 into the 2nd. They showed his career playoff stats earlier in the game. WOW. Clutch is all I can say. Almost a point per game guy.


Patrick Kaleta pots his first of the playoffs to cut the Bruin lead half.

2nd period ends with the Bruins holding onto a 2-1 lead and 20 minutes away from eliminating the Sabres.

Bruins get a 4:00 power play and cannot add to the lead. Does that give Buffalo a big lift and can they bury one to tie it up?


I guess not. Pretty much right off the faceoff, Lucic centers to Krejci and the Bruins go up 3-1.


22 seconds later Nathan Gerbe buries one on a bonehead give away. Rask was hot after it went in.


Miro Satan with a huge goal late in the 3rd puts Boston up 4-2.

I see a handshake line coming up here shortly.

One step closer to having a tie game.


Vanek scores on a one-timer to cut the lead to 4-3.

We have a hockey game.

Buffalo doesn't get any kind of good chances at the end of the game and the Sabres are sent home.

Bruins still don't know who their 2nd round opponent will be after Montreal forces a Game 7 in D.C.

3 Game 6's on a Monday night.

We have 3 game 6’s this evening which should make for an exciting Monday night of NHL Playoff action.


Buffalo @ Boston – 7p.m. According to early reports this morning, coach Lindy Ruff has hinted that Thomas Vanek might be back in the lineup for the Sabres tonight. Big lift possibly for the Sabres to have their star player back in this obviously pivotal game. The Olympic gold medalist advanced last night so now it’s silver medal Miller’s time to shine and force a deciding game 7 back in Buffalo. On the other side for the Bruins there is even a possibility that Marc Savard gets back on the ice too. It is a long shot because he needs medical clearance to play whereas Vanek just needs to tell the coach he is good to go. Expect Boston to throw everything they got at the Sabres tonight. Miller may have to win this game for the Sabres if there is any hope for a deciding Game 7.


Washington @ Montreal – 7p.m. Maybe the Habs would rather play this game in D.C. as they lost both games in Montreal in this series. Caps were down 3-1 last year to the Rangers and came back to win the series in 7. With a win tonight, Montreal gets a shot at turning the tables on the Caps. They would head to D.C. with a chance to eliminate the President’s Trophy winning Caps on home ice in a Game 7. I am guessing Halak gets the start after playing a great game in D.C. to take this series to a 6th game. The 2 games in Montreal were rather high scoring affairs but I do not expect that this go ‘round. Another 2-1 or 3-2 game gives the Habs their best shot to win. If they want to get into a track meet with the Caps, I don’t think they can pull it off. Smart plays all over the ice for the Habs tonight or this one is over.


Chicago @ Nashville – 9p.m. Can anyone say controversy? Hossa’s 5 minute major (which he probably will not be suspended for) and GWG as he stepped out of the box in OT will have some big time boo-birds out in Nashville every time he touches the puck. The last game in Chicago was a wild one. Could we see more of the same as Nashville hopefully doesn't make the same blunders they did in Chicago on Saturday? This is probably, to me, the most intriguing game of the night and should be a thriller.

Kings/Canucks Game 6

Puck is down. Crowd is rowdy and L.A. is trying to stay alive!

Game is exciting thus far. Kings applying some pressure but Kopitar take a lazy penalty and puts the Canucks on the power play.

L.A. takes one too. A little 4-on-4 before the dangerous L.A. unit gets a crack at it.


And we have a Frolov sighting. 1st of the series for him on a wrap around. Staples is rocking!

Kings with a bunch o' shots but have not converted on 2 power plays.

Lots of desperation by the Kings had the Canucks on their heels the entire 1st period. Shots are 16-5 L.A.

Early in the 2nd, Kopitar draws a penalty and hits the post all in the same play.

Kings still applying some pretty good pressure. With Luongo down and out, he makes a ridiculous save on Smyth.

Quick strike on the power play for the Canucks.

Steve Bernier should get credit for the goal. Game is tied at 1 just about halfway through regulation.

Kings go on the power play and it looks like it did at the beginning of the series.


Drew Doughty scores just as the penalty to the Canucks had expired. Staples goes crazy and the Kings lead 2-1.

Fast and furious action the last 5 minutes of the 2nd. Kings will take a 2-1 lead into the 3rd.

That lead does not last long.


Quick leaves the post a little early and Kevin Bieksa ties at 2.


Late in the third on a broken play, Daniel Sedin breaks a bunch of L.A. hearts and beats quick.

Add an empty net goal by Alex Burrows and Vancouver eliminates the Kings in 6 games.

So much for my sexy pick out west.

Wings/Coyotes Game 6

And the puck is down as the Red Wings try to dispose of the Coyotes.

Less than 2 minutes in and Phoenix goes a man down on a lazy penalty in the neutral zone.

Bryzgalov making all kind of saves and might have to do it again as Detroit draws another penalty.

WOW! Detroit with all the early momentum.

That comes to a halt pretty quick.

Lori Korpikoski beats Howard between the legs. 1-0 Dogs.

Phoenix takes another penalty. Lenghty 5-on-3 for the Wings.

The Coyotes kill off both penalties and keep ot 1-0 in their favor.

At the end of 1 the score remains 1-0 Phoenix. Lots of hitting by Detroit. Bryzgalov came ready to play. He has made some big stops with frantic action in front.

The 2nd period begins and Bryzgalov makes some ridiculous playground type saves.

Power play for the Coyotes and a chance to go up 2-0.

The 0-fer on the power play is over for the 'Yotes

Schneider gets credit for the goal on a shot from the point. 2-0 Coyotes

Detroit responds on the very next shift.


Brad Stuart cuts the lead in half. 2-1 Desert Dogs.

Jimmy Howard comes up big right off the faceoff after the Detroit goal.

Just about halfway through the period and Phoenix goes back on the power play.


Now 3-1 Coyotes. Ridiculous cross ice pass from Lang to Vrbata and he roofs it.


Petr Prucha off a face off throws one toward the net with traffic to the side of Howard and it finds the back of the net. 4-1 Phoenix. Wolski gets credit for the goal.

Phoenix is 20 minutes away from a Game 7 with Detroit. The weather is nice in Phoenix but Detroit does not want to back there. They will come out like gangbusters to at least try and tie this thing up in the 3rd.

Zetterberg with an iffy penalty for tripping.


Keith Yandle with a wrist shot from the point is deflected in by Talyor Pyatt. 3rd PPG of the game makes it 5-1 Phoenix. The Joe is quiet.

Detroit on the power play after Derek Morris draws an extra 2. He fought Abdelkader after Stempniak got smashed into the boards.

Abdelkader mixes it up again. He gets 4 and 10. 1st guy in and out of the shower for the Wings.

Puck fired from a strange angle play is under review and....

Darren Helm makes it 5-2.

That'll do it folks. Sets up a white-out Game 7 on Tuesday night in the desert.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

A light day on the playoff schedule with only 2 games.


Phoenix @ Detroit – 2p.m. Jimmy Howard has been great the last 2 games surrendering only 1 goal. Phoenix better throw everything they got at him today to have any chance at winning this game. Detroit is peaking at the right time and has been one of the hottest teams since the Olympic break. The Detroit core has come to life in recent games and showed why they are still a dangerous team in the playoffs. Can the Dogs shut down the Wings and force a game 7? They have a chance if Bryzgalov outplays Howard and they keep Zetterberg/Datsyuk/etc…in check. That’s a tall order but anything is possible. Even taller with the game at the Joe.


Vancouver @ Los Angeles – 9p.m. Is confidence going to be an issue for the Kings after getting beat in every way, shape and form the last game? Lost the game 7-4 and when they tried to make a statement by upping the rough stuff, the Kings players that dropped the gloves, did not fare too well. Here is yet another team out west that was not expected to do much. They will have the home crowd behind them tonight @ Staples. How many handshake games do we end with up tonight? 0, 1 or 2?

All Apologies (yeah that's a Nirvana song too)

The playoff blog was on shutdown yesterday. Getting back to it and getting ready to write up some previews.

Brief recap of yesterdays games.

Chicago comes back to tie and eventually win in OT. Up 3-2 in the series.

Ottawa goes up 3-0 on the Pens. The defending champs battle all the way back to tie and force OT. The game ends with a handshake as the Senators go home.

In the late game, Colorado hung in there for a while but could not handle the Sharks. Another handshake game as the Avalanche are done for the year. Not too bad for a team that was not even supposed to come close to making the playoffs.

Today's previews are coming up.

Red Wings/Coyotes Game 5

The sea of white is out in full force.

Jimmy Howard has come up big and will need to now. 8+ minutes to go in the 1st and the Dogs are on the power play.

Phoenix comes up empty with the man advantage.


From a goal mouth scramble Detroit bangs one under Bryzgalov. Justin Abdelkader gets credit for the tally. 1-0 Wings.

Puck is down for the 2nd period and Detroit is on the power play.

No dice for the Wings.

12:28 left in the 2nd and Phoenix goes a man up looking to tie the game at 1.


Not long after penalty expires, Eddie Jovocop bangs home a rebound camped out in front of Jimmy Howard.

Zetterberg in the sin bin with under 10 to go in the 2nd. Big time opportunity for the desert dogs to go ahead.

'Yotes come up empty and through 2 periods we are still knotted at 1. Change the scoring on the Detroit goal to Drew Miller. Phoenix outshooting the Wings 21-16 after 40 minutes.

As we move along in the 3rd and more than halfway into it we have 2 quick ones scored by the Wings.


Tallies by Holmstrom and Datsyuk make it 3-1 for the Wings with about 7 minutes to go in the 3rd.


Zetterberg adds an empty netter and makes it a 4-1 final. Red Wings heading home with a chance to knock out the Coyotes.

Kings/Canucks Game 5

Just about halfway through the 1st and we have had several penalties called.


Bernier bangs one home off a lively bounce from the backboard. Terrible defensive coverage didn't help too much either. Quick had no chance.


Fluke goal by Handzus deflects off a Canucks D-man and gets past Luongo. Pretty good chance that this was on the power play for a L.A. and you guessed it.......it was!


Puck bouncing around and the Kings cannot clear. Alex Edler gets a goal that Quick slows down but it still crosses the line.

Momentum swinging back toward the Canucks. The shift right after the goal, the draw a penalty and go a man up.

Just about a minute into the 2nd, Jack Johnson is whistled for tripping. Big kill needed here for the Kings.


Right off a face-off, Daniel Sedin gets 2 whacks and puts the 'Nucks up 3-1.

The wheels are loose on the Kings' bus but haven't fallen off yet. They are once again shorthanded.

Kings cycle down low in the Canucks zone but get nothing accomplished.


Mikael Samuelsson rips one past Quick who almost seemed to duck as the puck flew in the net. 4-1 Canucks and curtains for Quick. Erik Ersberg now in goal for the Kings.

With the Kings on the power play, Dustin Brown draws a penalty giving the Kings a 2-man advantage for 28 seconds. If the Kings are going to claw their wat back into this game, the time is now. The Kings get nothing done on the power play.

The period ends with the Canucks up 4-1.

Less than 5 minutes into the 3rd and.......it's now 5-1 on a goal by Demitra.

Kings bounce right back..Freddy Modin bangs one home. 5-2 'Nucks.

Kings down a man and destroying any hopes of a comeback.

Did someone say blowout?Mikael Samuelsson again. Now 6-2.

Goaltending carousel in net for the Kings as Quick is back in there.

Quick does not fare too much better.


Big Steve Bernier adds the extra point and makes it 7-2 Canucks. Sheesh!

Kings trying to make a statement dropping gloves etc. Even that isn't working.

Put it in the books kids. The Canucks kicked their ass. Plain and simple. Game 6 at Staples with the Kings' season on the line.