The defending champion, Chicago Blackhawks, beat the Los Angeles Kings in double overtime to force a game six in the Western Conference Finals.
The Blackhawks got on the board just 1:13 into the game after Drew Doughty took a seat in the penalty box for tripping Jonathan Toews. Patrick Kane got the puck over to Toews, who made the pass to Brent Seabrook at the point. Seabrook took a slapshot and it beat Jonathan Quick to give the Blackhawks the early 1-0 lead.
Johnny Oduya made a pass to Andrew Shaw and he for the puck to Kane in the neutral zone. Kane made a nice move at the blue line, took the shot, and the puck went right to Oduya in the slot. Oduya beat Quick for the two-goal lead.
The Kings answered with a goal of their own. They got into the Blackhawks zone and Jarrett Stoll was behind the net. Stoll tried to pass it to one of his teammates out front but the puck got caught up in skates and none of the Blackhawks players could get a stick on it to clear. Stoll came from behind the net, found the puck and wristed a shot that beat Corey Crawford to cut the Blackhawks lead in half.
Brandon Saad scored his fifth of the playoffs to give the Blackhawks the 3-1 lead. Kane got the puck along the boards, and found Saad. Saad passed the puck to a wide open Shaw, who was in the slot, and he took the shot. Quick made the save but left a big rebound that found its way onto Saad's stick and he put it into the net.
Marian Gaborik then came back with a gaol of his own to make it a 3-2 game in favor of the Blackhawks. Quick made a big pad save on Toews, which led to the eventual goal at the other end. Dustin Brown got the puck and skated into the Blackhawks zone, where he made a little drop pass to Anze Kopitar. Kopitar then made the pass over to Gaborik, who scored his 11th goal of the postseason.
The first period was wide open with both teams finishing with nine shots a piece. Crawford didn't seem to be tracking or seeing the puck well during the first period. There were five goals scored on just 18 shots between the two teams in the period.
The second period started off a little tighter than the first, but the Kings still managed to tie the game and then take the lead two minutes later.
Brent Seabrook failed to clear the Blackhawks zone and Brown took a shot, which was blocked. The puck bounced right to Gaborik and he took the shot, but Crawford was there to make the save. The rebound went right to Brown and he put it into the net to tie the game at three.
Mike Richards for the puck out of his own zone and into the neutral zone, where Jeff Carter managed to get the puck ahead to Tanner Pearson. Pearson took the shot from just above the face off circle and it beat Crawford for the 4-3 Kings lead. It was the fourth time in the playoffs that the Blackhawks had blown a two goal lead.
There was only one goal in the third period. It came early but was the game-tying goal for the Blackhawks. Ben Smith got the puck to Saad, who took a shot. The shot was deflected over to Smith, who put the puck in the wide open net, just 1:17 into the period to tie the game.
There were chances for either team to win the game in the final 1:30. Marian Hossa took a shot late but Quick made the save and Niklas Hjalmarsson made a nice defensive play for the Blackhawks to keep Carter from getting a scoring chance.
The first overtime was up-and-down hockey with hardly any whistles. Both teams had scoring chances, but the Blackhawks had the better of them. The period had such a fast pace to it that the teams managed to play it in just 26:45, and it usually takes teams about 45 minutes to play 20 minutes of hockey.
Saad had a goal and two assists and was everywhere for the Blackhawks tonight. He played a solid game along with Kane, who had four assists and was a plus three in 28:34 of ice time. Crawford started out slow and look shaky but redeemed himself with stopping the last 19 shots that he faced from the Kings.
Will the Blackhawks be able to force a game seven or will the Kings be going to the Stanley Cup Finals? Tune in Friday night at 9pm on NBCSN to find out.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Wild Even the Series with Blackhawks
The Minnesota Wild remained perfect on home ice during the playoffs. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 to even the series at two games a piece. The Wild improved to 5-0 this post season at the Xcel Energy Center.
Matt Cooke returned to the Wild lineup after serving a seven game suspension for a knee-to-knee hit on Tyson Barrie in the first round of the playoffs. He forced turnovers, checked, and even assisted on the first Wild goal. Cooke forced a turnover and got the puck over to Justin Fontaine. Fontaine then waited for Corey Crawford to make a move and beat the goalie upstairs.
The Wild were clearly the better team in the first period, out shooting and out chancing the Blackhawks. With only 39 seconds left, Michal Roszival passed the puck to Marian Hossa, who made a nice pass over to Patrick Sharp. Sharp made a nice move around a sliding Mikko Koivu, took the shot and beat Ilya Bryzgalov five hole. Bryzgalov should have made the save but instead the game was tied 1-1 after one period. The Blackhawks only managed four shots but one of them found the back of the net.
The second period started off kind of slow, but picked up the pace in a hurry. The Wild scored just 3:51 into the period on a deflection by Jason Pominville. Zach Parise got the puck over to Ryan Suter, who took a shot that went over the net and Crawford appeared to have lost sight of it. Pominville found the loose puck and banked it off Crawford's skate and into the net.
Sharp went in on the forecheck for the Blackhawks and Michal Handzus got to the puck. Handzus passed over to Hossa and then back to Brent Seabrook, who took the shot from the point with traffic in front. Handzus got his stick on the puck to deflect it past Bryzgalov to tie the game at two.
The Wild came right back. Charlie Coyle got the puck in the neutral zone and made a nice touch pass over to Nino Niederreiter, who took the shot from just outside the face off circle and beat Crawford high glove side. The Blackhawks had a chance to tie the game on a breakaway by Sharp, but Bryzgalov did the splits and held the post to make the pad save.
Keith Ballard left in the second period after taking a hit from behind from Brandon Bollig. Bollig was assessed a two minute minor for boarding on the play. Ballard got up from the hit, skated to the Wild bench, and then right back to the locker room. He didn't return for the rest of the game. The Wild out shot the Blackhawks 18-9 in that second period and lead 3-2.
In the third period, the Wild scored a power play goal against the league's best penalty kill in the playoffs. Suter got the puck over to Mikko Koivu, who sent a no look pass over to Jared Spurgeon. The pass was on edge but Spurgeon had time to settle it onto his stick and then roof it high over Crawford for the 4-2 lead.
Bryzgalov made two huge saves, in close, on Jeremy Morin, which would have put the Blackhawks down by only one goal had Bryzgalov not made the saves. The Blackhawks were just outplayed and outworked in every facet of the game. The Wild played with speed but played smart, for the most part, too.
If the Blackhawks don't want to go down 3-2 in the series on home ice then they need their big time players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to step up and start making some plays. The Hawks also need to play with some more effort and urgency. The Wild need to play how they played tonight if they want to take home ice away from the Blackhawks.
Game 5 will be on Sunday night at 9 p.m. (EST) on CNBC.
Matt Cooke returned to the Wild lineup after serving a seven game suspension for a knee-to-knee hit on Tyson Barrie in the first round of the playoffs. He forced turnovers, checked, and even assisted on the first Wild goal. Cooke forced a turnover and got the puck over to Justin Fontaine. Fontaine then waited for Corey Crawford to make a move and beat the goalie upstairs.
The Wild were clearly the better team in the first period, out shooting and out chancing the Blackhawks. With only 39 seconds left, Michal Roszival passed the puck to Marian Hossa, who made a nice pass over to Patrick Sharp. Sharp made a nice move around a sliding Mikko Koivu, took the shot and beat Ilya Bryzgalov five hole. Bryzgalov should have made the save but instead the game was tied 1-1 after one period. The Blackhawks only managed four shots but one of them found the back of the net.
The second period started off kind of slow, but picked up the pace in a hurry. The Wild scored just 3:51 into the period on a deflection by Jason Pominville. Zach Parise got the puck over to Ryan Suter, who took a shot that went over the net and Crawford appeared to have lost sight of it. Pominville found the loose puck and banked it off Crawford's skate and into the net.
Sharp went in on the forecheck for the Blackhawks and Michal Handzus got to the puck. Handzus passed over to Hossa and then back to Brent Seabrook, who took the shot from the point with traffic in front. Handzus got his stick on the puck to deflect it past Bryzgalov to tie the game at two.
The Wild came right back. Charlie Coyle got the puck in the neutral zone and made a nice touch pass over to Nino Niederreiter, who took the shot from just outside the face off circle and beat Crawford high glove side. The Blackhawks had a chance to tie the game on a breakaway by Sharp, but Bryzgalov did the splits and held the post to make the pad save.
Keith Ballard left in the second period after taking a hit from behind from Brandon Bollig. Bollig was assessed a two minute minor for boarding on the play. Ballard got up from the hit, skated to the Wild bench, and then right back to the locker room. He didn't return for the rest of the game. The Wild out shot the Blackhawks 18-9 in that second period and lead 3-2.
In the third period, the Wild scored a power play goal against the league's best penalty kill in the playoffs. Suter got the puck over to Mikko Koivu, who sent a no look pass over to Jared Spurgeon. The pass was on edge but Spurgeon had time to settle it onto his stick and then roof it high over Crawford for the 4-2 lead.
Bryzgalov made two huge saves, in close, on Jeremy Morin, which would have put the Blackhawks down by only one goal had Bryzgalov not made the saves. The Blackhawks were just outplayed and outworked in every facet of the game. The Wild played with speed but played smart, for the most part, too.
If the Blackhawks don't want to go down 3-2 in the series on home ice then they need their big time players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to step up and start making some plays. The Hawks also need to play with some more effort and urgency. The Wild need to play how they played tonight if they want to take home ice away from the Blackhawks.
Game 5 will be on Sunday night at 9 p.m. (EST) on CNBC.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Penguins Blank Rangers To Take Series Lead
The Pittsburgh Penguins have bounced back from a game one overtime loss to take a 2-1 series lead.
A big reason for the comeback has been the play of Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. He hasn't let in a goal since the overtime winner in the first game of the series. Fleury is the first Penguins goalie to record a shutout in consecutive playoff games, according to Elias. The goalie has stopped 72 of the last 73 shots he's faced in the series.
The Rangers made some lineup changes before the game to add some speed. John Moore, Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett were all out of the lineup, while Raphael Diaz, J.T. Miller and Jasper Fast were all in the lineup.
The Rangers had their chances, especially on the power play, but they couldn't get anything past Fleury. James Neal took a seat in the penalty box for four minutes because he caught Fast with a high stick. Benoit Pouilot and Martin St. Louis both hit posts and the Rangers streak of not scoring on the power play continued.
The Penguins seem to build off the momentum of the penalty kill. Roberto Bortuzzo made a nice stretch pass to Sidney Crosby, who skated in and beat Henrik Lundqvist to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. It was Crosby's first goal of the playoffs. The Rangers next chance was a dandy. Derick Brassard found a rebound, took the shot, beat Fleury, but the puck rolled along the length of the crossbar and never crossed the goal line.
Jussi Jokinen gave the Rangers another chance to tie the game on the power play when he went off for holding the stick. The Rangers had shots and chances but just couldn't seem to get the puck past Fleury, who seemed in control. Mats Zuccarello missed Brad Richards with as pass as Jokinen was coming out of the penalty box. Jokinen found the puck, skated in all alone, hesitated for just a split second and the beat Lundqvist blocker side for the 2-0 lead.
The Rangers kept coming in the third period, out shooting the Penguins nine to one, but Fleury made the saves when his team needed him to. The Rangers were 0-for-5 on the power play but did manage 10 shots on goal. The Rangers also out shot the Penguins for the game by a 35-15 margin.
If the Rangers want to win game four, they need to find a way to put the puck in the net, especially on the power play. If Fleury and the Penguins keep playing the way they are right now, they could win the series in five games.
A big reason for the comeback has been the play of Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. He hasn't let in a goal since the overtime winner in the first game of the series. Fleury is the first Penguins goalie to record a shutout in consecutive playoff games, according to Elias. The goalie has stopped 72 of the last 73 shots he's faced in the series.
The Rangers made some lineup changes before the game to add some speed. John Moore, Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett were all out of the lineup, while Raphael Diaz, J.T. Miller and Jasper Fast were all in the lineup.
The Rangers had their chances, especially on the power play, but they couldn't get anything past Fleury. James Neal took a seat in the penalty box for four minutes because he caught Fast with a high stick. Benoit Pouilot and Martin St. Louis both hit posts and the Rangers streak of not scoring on the power play continued.
The Penguins seem to build off the momentum of the penalty kill. Roberto Bortuzzo made a nice stretch pass to Sidney Crosby, who skated in and beat Henrik Lundqvist to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. It was Crosby's first goal of the playoffs. The Rangers next chance was a dandy. Derick Brassard found a rebound, took the shot, beat Fleury, but the puck rolled along the length of the crossbar and never crossed the goal line.
Jussi Jokinen gave the Rangers another chance to tie the game on the power play when he went off for holding the stick. The Rangers had shots and chances but just couldn't seem to get the puck past Fleury, who seemed in control. Mats Zuccarello missed Brad Richards with as pass as Jokinen was coming out of the penalty box. Jokinen found the puck, skated in all alone, hesitated for just a split second and the beat Lundqvist blocker side for the 2-0 lead.
The Rangers kept coming in the third period, out shooting the Penguins nine to one, but Fleury made the saves when his team needed him to. The Rangers were 0-for-5 on the power play but did manage 10 shots on goal. The Rangers also out shot the Penguins for the game by a 35-15 margin.
If the Rangers want to win game four, they need to find a way to put the puck in the net, especially on the power play. If Fleury and the Penguins keep playing the way they are right now, they could win the series in five games.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Blackhawks With The Win Over the Wild
The Chicago Blackhawks lost Andrew Shaw to an injury, but won the game to take a 1-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild.
Shaw was hit by Wild defenseman, Clayton Stoner, in the first period and didn't return due to a lower body injury. After the hit Shaw limped over to the bench and went to the locker room.
The Wild know about injuries, which have seemed to hit their goalies hard this season. Darcy Kuemper was injured during game seven against the Colorado Avalanche and is out day-to-day with an upper body injury.
The Wild had to start Ilya Bryzgalov in net and he looked shaky early in the game. He wasn't square to the shooter and was flopping around but nothing got past him until 14:48 of the first period. Jonas Brodin went to the box for four minutes after catching Marian Hossa with a high stick, which gave the Blackhawks the man advantage. Brent Seabrook got the puck to Hossa, who passed it right back to Seabrook and he took a slap shot from the point. There was plenty of traffic in front of Bryzgalov and Bryan Bickell got his stick on the puck to tip it past the goalie and into the net for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead.
The Wild had some opportunities short handed but couldn't cash in. On one play, Nick Leddy made a nice defensive play on Zack Parise and he didn't even get the shot off after being in on a breakaway. The Wild had another opportunity short handed but once again the Blackhawks managed to get back into position.
In the second period, the Wild spent a lot of time in the Blackhawks zone. They even had a power play but couldn't convert so the Blackhawks still had the one goal lead. Then Brodin went to the box for his second high sticking minor of the game. This time it was only for two minutes but Hossa made sure that he paid for taking the penalty. Leddy got a quick pass of to Brandon Saad and he skated towards the net and sent a backhand pass over to Hossa. Hossa put the puck up and over Bryzgalov's pad for the 2-0 lead.
The Blackhawks were out shot 17-3 in the second period and Corey Crawford kept them in the game.
The Wild scored twice in the third period to erase the two goal deficit. Stoner picked a good time to get his first goal of the playoffs. Jason Pominville took the shot from the point which went wide. Parise got the puck back to Stoner, who let a shot rip from the point. Blackhawks defeneman, Johnny Oduya, made a nice stick save but the puck then trickled past him as he battled with Pominville in front of the net.
Kyle Brodziak tied the game off of a nice pass from Eric Haula, but the Blackhawks came right back to take the lead again. Patrick Kane got the puck in the neutral zone, skated it into the offensive zone, made some moves, and backhanded the puck over Bryzgalov's shoulder for the 3-2 lead.
Patrick Sharp kept the puck in the Wild's zone after a save by Brzygalov. He took the shot from the point and Ben Smith had the deflection, which went right to Kane. Kane knew exactly what to do with the puck and gave the Blackhawks the 4-2 lead.
The Wild pulled Bryzgalov with just about three minutes left in the game since they were down by two goals, but Bickell scored the empty net goal. The Blackhawks skated away with the 5-2 lead even though the Wild played a pretty decent game.
If the Wild are looking to even the series, then they need to hit the net with their shots more. It seemed like they missed the net either high or wide quite a few times tonight. The Wild also need to have a better penalty kill since they allowed two goals in four opportunities tonight.
The second game of the series is on Sunday at 3pm on NBC.
Shaw was hit by Wild defenseman, Clayton Stoner, in the first period and didn't return due to a lower body injury. After the hit Shaw limped over to the bench and went to the locker room.
The Wild know about injuries, which have seemed to hit their goalies hard this season. Darcy Kuemper was injured during game seven against the Colorado Avalanche and is out day-to-day with an upper body injury.
The Wild had to start Ilya Bryzgalov in net and he looked shaky early in the game. He wasn't square to the shooter and was flopping around but nothing got past him until 14:48 of the first period. Jonas Brodin went to the box for four minutes after catching Marian Hossa with a high stick, which gave the Blackhawks the man advantage. Brent Seabrook got the puck to Hossa, who passed it right back to Seabrook and he took a slap shot from the point. There was plenty of traffic in front of Bryzgalov and Bryan Bickell got his stick on the puck to tip it past the goalie and into the net for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead.
The Wild had some opportunities short handed but couldn't cash in. On one play, Nick Leddy made a nice defensive play on Zack Parise and he didn't even get the shot off after being in on a breakaway. The Wild had another opportunity short handed but once again the Blackhawks managed to get back into position.
In the second period, the Wild spent a lot of time in the Blackhawks zone. They even had a power play but couldn't convert so the Blackhawks still had the one goal lead. Then Brodin went to the box for his second high sticking minor of the game. This time it was only for two minutes but Hossa made sure that he paid for taking the penalty. Leddy got a quick pass of to Brandon Saad and he skated towards the net and sent a backhand pass over to Hossa. Hossa put the puck up and over Bryzgalov's pad for the 2-0 lead.
The Blackhawks were out shot 17-3 in the second period and Corey Crawford kept them in the game.
The Wild scored twice in the third period to erase the two goal deficit. Stoner picked a good time to get his first goal of the playoffs. Jason Pominville took the shot from the point which went wide. Parise got the puck back to Stoner, who let a shot rip from the point. Blackhawks defeneman, Johnny Oduya, made a nice stick save but the puck then trickled past him as he battled with Pominville in front of the net.
Kyle Brodziak tied the game off of a nice pass from Eric Haula, but the Blackhawks came right back to take the lead again. Patrick Kane got the puck in the neutral zone, skated it into the offensive zone, made some moves, and backhanded the puck over Bryzgalov's shoulder for the 3-2 lead.
Patrick Sharp kept the puck in the Wild's zone after a save by Brzygalov. He took the shot from the point and Ben Smith had the deflection, which went right to Kane. Kane knew exactly what to do with the puck and gave the Blackhawks the 4-2 lead.
The Wild pulled Bryzgalov with just about three minutes left in the game since they were down by two goals, but Bickell scored the empty net goal. The Blackhawks skated away with the 5-2 lead even though the Wild played a pretty decent game.
If the Wild are looking to even the series, then they need to hit the net with their shots more. It seemed like they missed the net either high or wide quite a few times tonight. The Wild also need to have a better penalty kill since they allowed two goals in four opportunities tonight.
The second game of the series is on Sunday at 3pm on NBC.
Rangers Take Game One in Overtime
It's no surprise that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers needed overtime to decide a game one winner. This was the 16th time in the Stanley Cup playoffs that a game has gone to overtime this year.
The Rangers hadn't played in any of those overtime games until tonight, while the Penguins had played in two during their first round series with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
At 3:06 of the overtime period, Derick Brassard decided to end the game with his first goal of the playoffs. Beniot Pouliot forced the Penguins defenseman, Rob Scuderi, to turn the puck over behind his own net. Pouliot managed to get a pass through a maze of sticks and over to Brassard, who wristed the puck high over Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder. The puck went in and out of the net so fast that the refs didn't even notice that a goal was scored. The teams kept playing with Fleury flopping around his net and his teammates blowing defensive coverage, the puck found its way back to Pouliot and he put it in the net again. A replay showed that Brassard's shot actually went in the net.
The Penguins came out flat in the first period and seemed like the team playing their fourth game in six days. The Rangers came out and took a 2-0 lead in the first period. Dan Girardi blocked a shot, Pouliot picked up the puck and skated it right into the Penguins zone and fired one right past Fleury for the goal. At 17:03 of the period, Girardi dumped the puck into the Penguins zone and this time Carl Hagelin won the puck battle along the boards. Hagelin got the puck to Brad Richards and he tucked it past the Penguins goalie for the 2-0 lead.
The Penguins looked like a completely different team in the second period. They were battling hard and getting the puck towards Henrik Lundqvist. Lee Stempniak finally got the Penguins on the board on a backhand shot. Marcel Goc passed the puck to Beau Bennett and Bennett crossed over and made the nice drop pass to Stempniak, who made a move and put the puck in the net.
The Penguins tied the game at two after a goal by James Neal. Evgeni Malkin picked up the puck in the neutral zone, and dished it off to Jussi Jokinen. Jokinen then made the drop pass to Neal, who took the shot and Lundqvist made the save, but the puck went up into the air and then came back down and into the net. The goal was reviewed to make sure that Malkin hadn't played the puck with a high stick while it was in the air, but the goal stood because Malkin never touched the puck at all.
The Penguins out shot the Rangers 15-4 in the second so Lundqvist was the busier of the two goalies that period.
The third period was evenly played with both teams getting their chances. Lundqvist had to make a save with only 11 seconds left in regulation to force the game into overtime. The Penguins out shot the Rangers again but this time it was only by a 12 to eight margin.
The next game is Sunday at 7:30 on NBCSN. If the Penguins want to even the series, then they're going to have to have a better start to the game. The Rangers need to be a little tighter defensively than they were in the second period of game one. If either team can manage to get its power play going, then that could be a key to winning the series.
The Rangers hadn't played in any of those overtime games until tonight, while the Penguins had played in two during their first round series with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
At 3:06 of the overtime period, Derick Brassard decided to end the game with his first goal of the playoffs. Beniot Pouliot forced the Penguins defenseman, Rob Scuderi, to turn the puck over behind his own net. Pouliot managed to get a pass through a maze of sticks and over to Brassard, who wristed the puck high over Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder. The puck went in and out of the net so fast that the refs didn't even notice that a goal was scored. The teams kept playing with Fleury flopping around his net and his teammates blowing defensive coverage, the puck found its way back to Pouliot and he put it in the net again. A replay showed that Brassard's shot actually went in the net.
The Penguins came out flat in the first period and seemed like the team playing their fourth game in six days. The Rangers came out and took a 2-0 lead in the first period. Dan Girardi blocked a shot, Pouliot picked up the puck and skated it right into the Penguins zone and fired one right past Fleury for the goal. At 17:03 of the period, Girardi dumped the puck into the Penguins zone and this time Carl Hagelin won the puck battle along the boards. Hagelin got the puck to Brad Richards and he tucked it past the Penguins goalie for the 2-0 lead.
The Penguins looked like a completely different team in the second period. They were battling hard and getting the puck towards Henrik Lundqvist. Lee Stempniak finally got the Penguins on the board on a backhand shot. Marcel Goc passed the puck to Beau Bennett and Bennett crossed over and made the nice drop pass to Stempniak, who made a move and put the puck in the net.
The Penguins tied the game at two after a goal by James Neal. Evgeni Malkin picked up the puck in the neutral zone, and dished it off to Jussi Jokinen. Jokinen then made the drop pass to Neal, who took the shot and Lundqvist made the save, but the puck went up into the air and then came back down and into the net. The goal was reviewed to make sure that Malkin hadn't played the puck with a high stick while it was in the air, but the goal stood because Malkin never touched the puck at all.
The Penguins out shot the Rangers 15-4 in the second so Lundqvist was the busier of the two goalies that period.
The third period was evenly played with both teams getting their chances. Lundqvist had to make a save with only 11 seconds left in regulation to force the game into overtime. The Penguins out shot the Rangers again but this time it was only by a 12 to eight margin.
The next game is Sunday at 7:30 on NBCSN. If the Penguins want to even the series, then they're going to have to have a better start to the game. The Rangers need to be a little tighter defensively than they were in the second period of game one. If either team can manage to get its power play going, then that could be a key to winning the series.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Canadiens Beat Bruins in Double OT
The 34th Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins started off with a bang.
Carey Price had 48 saves and PK Subban won the game just 4:17 into the second overtime.
At 4:10 of the second overtime, Bruins defenseman, Matt Bartkowski, was called for holding and that gave the Canadiens the man advantage. The Canadiens wasted little time making the Bruins pay for taking the penalty. Danny Briere got the puck to Andrej Markov off the face off. Markov fed it to Subban, who was at the other point, and he rifled it past Tuukka Rask for the game winner.
It was the second power play goal of the night for Subban. In the first period, Bartkowski went off for tripping Dale Weise. Tomas Plekanec pick up a loose puck along the boards and got it back to Subban. Subban got the puck over to Markov, who then passed it back to Subban. Subban took the shot and beat Rask, who had to deal with some traffic in front of him.
The Canadiens built on the 1-0 lead in the second period. The Bruins turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Lars Eller jumped on the puck. Eller got it over to Rene Bourque, who snapped the puck past Rask for the 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
The third period featured another two goal lead blown and four goals total. Three of the four goals were scored by the Bruins.
The first Bruins goal came just 2:44 into the period and was scored by Reilly Smith. It was Smith's second of the playoffs from Brad Marchand and Dougie Hamilton. Then at 6:30 of the period, the Bruins struck again to tie the game. This time it was Torey Krug from Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron. Lucic picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in the offensive zone, and passed it over to Krug, who beat Price.
Michel Therrien used the Canadiens time out and his team responded with a goal by Francis Bouillon to take the 3-2 lead. Brian Gionta got the puck to Bouillon and he scored. Rask may have been screened by his own teammate, Johnny Boychuk on the play.
The Bruins kept coming at the Canadiens even though there were down a goal. Carl Soderberg got the puck to Loui Eriksson, who managed to play the puck to the corner while falling down. Marchand picked up the loose puck and got it back to the point. Johnny Boychuk took the slap shot and beat Price to tie the game at three with just 1:58 left in regulation.
There were no goals in the first overtime period but plenty of chances especially for the Bruins. They just couldn't bury the opportunities they had because they were either stopped by Price or the Canadiens players cleared the puck out of harm's way before a Bruin could get to it.
If the Bruins want to tie the series at one then they'll have to be better on Saturday. Rask stopped 29 of the 33 saves he faced but he'll need to be better than that if the Bruins want to win the series.
Carey Price had 48 saves and PK Subban won the game just 4:17 into the second overtime.
At 4:10 of the second overtime, Bruins defenseman, Matt Bartkowski, was called for holding and that gave the Canadiens the man advantage. The Canadiens wasted little time making the Bruins pay for taking the penalty. Danny Briere got the puck to Andrej Markov off the face off. Markov fed it to Subban, who was at the other point, and he rifled it past Tuukka Rask for the game winner.
It was the second power play goal of the night for Subban. In the first period, Bartkowski went off for tripping Dale Weise. Tomas Plekanec pick up a loose puck along the boards and got it back to Subban. Subban got the puck over to Markov, who then passed it back to Subban. Subban took the shot and beat Rask, who had to deal with some traffic in front of him.
The Canadiens built on the 1-0 lead in the second period. The Bruins turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Lars Eller jumped on the puck. Eller got it over to Rene Bourque, who snapped the puck past Rask for the 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
The third period featured another two goal lead blown and four goals total. Three of the four goals were scored by the Bruins.
The first Bruins goal came just 2:44 into the period and was scored by Reilly Smith. It was Smith's second of the playoffs from Brad Marchand and Dougie Hamilton. Then at 6:30 of the period, the Bruins struck again to tie the game. This time it was Torey Krug from Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron. Lucic picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in the offensive zone, and passed it over to Krug, who beat Price.
Michel Therrien used the Canadiens time out and his team responded with a goal by Francis Bouillon to take the 3-2 lead. Brian Gionta got the puck to Bouillon and he scored. Rask may have been screened by his own teammate, Johnny Boychuk on the play.
The Bruins kept coming at the Canadiens even though there were down a goal. Carl Soderberg got the puck to Loui Eriksson, who managed to play the puck to the corner while falling down. Marchand picked up the loose puck and got it back to the point. Johnny Boychuk took the slap shot and beat Price to tie the game at three with just 1:58 left in regulation.
There were no goals in the first overtime period but plenty of chances especially for the Bruins. They just couldn't bury the opportunities they had because they were either stopped by Price or the Canadiens players cleared the puck out of harm's way before a Bruin could get to it.
If the Bruins want to tie the series at one then they'll have to be better on Saturday. Rask stopped 29 of the 33 saves he faced but he'll need to be better than that if the Bruins want to win the series.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Islanders Acquire Jaroslav Halak
The New York Islanders acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Washington Capitals for a fourth round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
The Islanders have until July 1st to try and sign him to a contract. If they can't come to terms with Halak then he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
Halak spent time with three different teams last season. He started the season with the St. Louis Blues, but was part of a trade that brought Ryan Miller to the Blues, and Halak was sent to the Buffalo Sabres. The goalie didn't even play in a game for the Sabres, but was traded to the Capitals at the trade deadline. The Sabres got Michal Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla for Halak and a fourth round draft pick in 2015.
Halak posted a 29-9-4 record with the Blues in 40 games played. He had a 2.23 GAA, .917 save percentage and four shutouts. In 12 games for the Capitals, he was 5-4-3 while posting a 2.31 GAA, a .930 save percentage and one shutout. Halak has played in 272 career games and is 144-85-29 in those games. He has a career 2.25 GAA, .921 save oercentage and five shutouts.
In 23 playoff games, Halak is 10-11 with a 2.42 GAA, .923 save percentage, and has zero shutouts. He was drafted in 2003 by the Montreal Canadiens and later traded to the Blues for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
Halak and Brian Elliott won the William J. Jennings Trophy, which is given out to the goalie tandem that allows the fewest goals in the regular season.
The Islanders have until July 1st to try and sign him to a contract. If they can't come to terms with Halak then he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
Halak spent time with three different teams last season. He started the season with the St. Louis Blues, but was part of a trade that brought Ryan Miller to the Blues, and Halak was sent to the Buffalo Sabres. The goalie didn't even play in a game for the Sabres, but was traded to the Capitals at the trade deadline. The Sabres got Michal Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla for Halak and a fourth round draft pick in 2015.
Halak posted a 29-9-4 record with the Blues in 40 games played. He had a 2.23 GAA, .917 save percentage and four shutouts. In 12 games for the Capitals, he was 5-4-3 while posting a 2.31 GAA, a .930 save percentage and one shutout. Halak has played in 272 career games and is 144-85-29 in those games. He has a career 2.25 GAA, .921 save oercentage and five shutouts.
In 23 playoff games, Halak is 10-11 with a 2.42 GAA, .923 save percentage, and has zero shutouts. He was drafted in 2003 by the Montreal Canadiens and later traded to the Blues for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
Halak and Brian Elliott won the William J. Jennings Trophy, which is given out to the goalie tandem that allows the fewest goals in the regular season.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
St. Louis Blues Playoff Run Eerily Similar to Last Year
The St. Louis Blues only have to look back to last year's playoffs, if they are feeling a sense of déjà vu.
In the 2013 playoffs, the Blues faced the Los Angeles Kings, the defending champions, in the first round. The Blues had home ice advantage and took a 2-0 series lead. The Kings then won the next three games to take a 3-2 series lead, and eventually won the series in six games.
This year the Blues are playing the Chicago Blackhawks, the defending champions, in the first round. The Blues again took a 2-0 series lead but the Blackhawks have won the last three games to take the 3-2 series lead. The Blackhawks have a chance to finish off the Blues in six games, just like the Kings did last season. The only difference this season is that Ryan Miller is in goal for the Blues and not Brian Elliott.
Those are just a few similarities between the two series. The Blues won game one against the Kings last year on a shorthanded goal by Alexander Steen in overtime and took the 1-0 series lead. Alexander Steen also scored the game winning goal against the Blackhawks. This time it was in the third overtime and again gave the Blues the 1-0 series lead.
In game two last season, Barrett Jackman scored a late goal against the Kings in regulation to give the Blues the 2-0 series lead. This season Vladimir Tarasenko score with just 6.4 seconds left on a power play with the goalie pulled. Barrett Jackman scored in overtime to give the Blues a 2-0 series lead over the Blackhawks.
Jonathan Quick and the Kings got the 1-0 shutout in game three last year, while the Blackhawks and Corey Crawford got the 2-0 shutout this season in game three. In game three against the Kings, the Blues power play didn't score in four opportunities. In game three against the Blackhawks this year, the Blues power play had no goals in three chances.
The Kings came back and won game four in overtime by a score of 4-3 in the playoffs last year. This year Chicago also won game four by a score of 4-3 in overtime. The Blues have blown a 2-0 series lead the past two seasons. In the past two years, the series were tied at two games apiece going back to St. Louis for a pivotal game five.
In game five against the Kings, the Blues tied the game at two on a goal by Alex Pietrangelo. In overtime, Slava Voynov scored for the Kings and gave them the 3-2 series lead. In game five against the Blackhawks, Alex Pietrangelo score the game tying goal again to force overtime. This time Blackhawks captain, Jonathan Toews, scored the game winning goal to give the Blackhawks the 3-2 series lead.
The Kings went on to win the series against the Blues last season in six games. The Blackhawks have the series lead going back home and into game six.
Will history repeat itself for the Blues? They will have to wait until Sunday and game six to find out.
In the 2013 playoffs, the Blues faced the Los Angeles Kings, the defending champions, in the first round. The Blues had home ice advantage and took a 2-0 series lead. The Kings then won the next three games to take a 3-2 series lead, and eventually won the series in six games.
This year the Blues are playing the Chicago Blackhawks, the defending champions, in the first round. The Blues again took a 2-0 series lead but the Blackhawks have won the last three games to take the 3-2 series lead. The Blackhawks have a chance to finish off the Blues in six games, just like the Kings did last season. The only difference this season is that Ryan Miller is in goal for the Blues and not Brian Elliott.
Those are just a few similarities between the two series. The Blues won game one against the Kings last year on a shorthanded goal by Alexander Steen in overtime and took the 1-0 series lead. Alexander Steen also scored the game winning goal against the Blackhawks. This time it was in the third overtime and again gave the Blues the 1-0 series lead.
In game two last season, Barrett Jackman scored a late goal against the Kings in regulation to give the Blues the 2-0 series lead. This season Vladimir Tarasenko score with just 6.4 seconds left on a power play with the goalie pulled. Barrett Jackman scored in overtime to give the Blues a 2-0 series lead over the Blackhawks.
Jonathan Quick and the Kings got the 1-0 shutout in game three last year, while the Blackhawks and Corey Crawford got the 2-0 shutout this season in game three. In game three against the Kings, the Blues power play didn't score in four opportunities. In game three against the Blackhawks this year, the Blues power play had no goals in three chances.
The Kings came back and won game four in overtime by a score of 4-3 in the playoffs last year. This year Chicago also won game four by a score of 4-3 in overtime. The Blues have blown a 2-0 series lead the past two seasons. In the past two years, the series were tied at two games apiece going back to St. Louis for a pivotal game five.
In game five against the Kings, the Blues tied the game at two on a goal by Alex Pietrangelo. In overtime, Slava Voynov scored for the Kings and gave them the 3-2 series lead. In game five against the Blackhawks, Alex Pietrangelo score the game tying goal again to force overtime. This time Blackhawks captain, Jonathan Toews, scored the game winning goal to give the Blackhawks the 3-2 series lead.
The Kings went on to win the series against the Blues last season in six games. The Blackhawks have the series lead going back home and into game six.
Will history repeat itself for the Blues? They will have to wait until Sunday and game six to find out.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Pens Defeat Blue Jackets to Take Series Lead
The Pittsburgh Penguins came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3. It was the Blue Jackets first home playoff game in almost five years.
The Blue Jackets jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the first 3:18 of the game. Boone Jenner got the Blue Jackets on the board first. Jack Skille took the shot from the boards and Marc-Andre Fleury made the save, but the rebound went right to Jenner, who put the puck in the back of the net.
Brandon Dubinsky kept control of the puck behind the net and managed to get a shot off from the corner. Fleury gave up another rebound and this time Jack Johnson put it in the net for a 2-0 Blue Jackets lead. The Blue Jackets were out shot 16-7 in the first period.
The Penguins started to play better in the second period. They started to get more offensive zone pressure and Fleury was making the saves that needed to be made to keep his team in the game. The Penguins work paid off with only 1.7 second left in the period. The Blue Jackets tried to clear the zone but Paul Martin kept it in at the blue line for the Penguins. Martin got the puck down low to Beau Bennett, and he got the puck over to Brooks Orpik in the slot. Orpik made a nice move around a sliding Cam Atkinson and wristed the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky.
At the end of the second period, the Blue Jackets had the lead 2-1. The Blue Jackets had a little bit of luck on their side for the third goal. Bobrovsky made a save and the rebound went right to Matt Calvert, who got the puck ahead to Dubinsky. Dubinsky made a nice move around Penguins defenseman, Kris Letang, took the shot and the puck went off of Cam Atkinson and behind Fleury. The Blue Jackets took a 3-1 lead in the third period.
The turning point of the game was when Brandon Sutter scored a goal for the Penguins and made it 3-2. Bennett got the puck back to Martin at the point and he got the shot to the net with plenty of traffic in front of Bobrovksy. Sutter got his stick on the puck and deflected it past Bobrovsky.
Then just 1:10 later the Penguins even up the game at 3-3. Chris Kunitz got the puck over to Lee Stempniak, who wristed the puck past Bobrovsky. The Penguins had two goals on two consecutive shots. Jussi Jokinen scored the evetual game winner on a deflection. Evgeni Malkin got the puck back to Olli Maata at the point. Maata took the shot and it was deflected out high by Jokinen and then off of Blue Jackets player, James Wisniewski, and behind Bobrovsky.
In game one, the Blue Jackets had a 3-1 lead but the Penguins came back to win that game 4-3. In game two, the Penguins were the team that blew a 3-1 lead and the Blue Jackets won in double overtime by a score of 4-3. It looks like the teams won't want to take a 3-1 lead or they'll wind up losing the game.
The Blue Jackets were out shot 41-20 in the game and 15-5 in the third period. A team can't expect to win a game when they get out shot that badly in the third period.
The series continues on Wednesday in Columbus at 7:00 ET on NBCSN.
The Blue Jackets jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the first 3:18 of the game. Boone Jenner got the Blue Jackets on the board first. Jack Skille took the shot from the boards and Marc-Andre Fleury made the save, but the rebound went right to Jenner, who put the puck in the back of the net.
Brandon Dubinsky kept control of the puck behind the net and managed to get a shot off from the corner. Fleury gave up another rebound and this time Jack Johnson put it in the net for a 2-0 Blue Jackets lead. The Blue Jackets were out shot 16-7 in the first period.
The Penguins started to play better in the second period. They started to get more offensive zone pressure and Fleury was making the saves that needed to be made to keep his team in the game. The Penguins work paid off with only 1.7 second left in the period. The Blue Jackets tried to clear the zone but Paul Martin kept it in at the blue line for the Penguins. Martin got the puck down low to Beau Bennett, and he got the puck over to Brooks Orpik in the slot. Orpik made a nice move around a sliding Cam Atkinson and wristed the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky.
At the end of the second period, the Blue Jackets had the lead 2-1. The Blue Jackets had a little bit of luck on their side for the third goal. Bobrovsky made a save and the rebound went right to Matt Calvert, who got the puck ahead to Dubinsky. Dubinsky made a nice move around Penguins defenseman, Kris Letang, took the shot and the puck went off of Cam Atkinson and behind Fleury. The Blue Jackets took a 3-1 lead in the third period.
The turning point of the game was when Brandon Sutter scored a goal for the Penguins and made it 3-2. Bennett got the puck back to Martin at the point and he got the shot to the net with plenty of traffic in front of Bobrovksy. Sutter got his stick on the puck and deflected it past Bobrovsky.
Then just 1:10 later the Penguins even up the game at 3-3. Chris Kunitz got the puck over to Lee Stempniak, who wristed the puck past Bobrovsky. The Penguins had two goals on two consecutive shots. Jussi Jokinen scored the evetual game winner on a deflection. Evgeni Malkin got the puck back to Olli Maata at the point. Maata took the shot and it was deflected out high by Jokinen and then off of Blue Jackets player, James Wisniewski, and behind Bobrovsky.
In game one, the Blue Jackets had a 3-1 lead but the Penguins came back to win that game 4-3. In game two, the Penguins were the team that blew a 3-1 lead and the Blue Jackets won in double overtime by a score of 4-3. It looks like the teams won't want to take a 3-1 lead or they'll wind up losing the game.
The Blue Jackets were out shot 41-20 in the game and 15-5 in the third period. A team can't expect to win a game when they get out shot that badly in the third period.
The series continues on Wednesday in Columbus at 7:00 ET on NBCSN.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Philadelphia Flyers Clinch Playoff Berth
The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Florida Panthers to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the 17th time in the last 19 seasons.
Roberto Luongo was supposed to start for the Panthers but was a late scratch due to an upper body injury. The backup goalie, Dan Ellis, got the call and had a decent first period.
The Flyers couldn't get much going offensively until Drew Shore took a 4:00 high sticking call and then Scottie Upshall was called for a hooking minor. The Flyers had a 1:43 of 5-on-3 power play time but couldn't convert. They had opportunities but couldn't put the puck into the back of the net.
The Flyers finally got on the board in the second period. Adam Hall went in on the forecheck and forced the Florida defenseman to turn the puck over. Hall got a shot off and the rebound bounced to Vinny Lecavalier, who put the puck into the back of the net with traffic in front. It was Lecavalier's 20th goal of the season. The Flyers have seven players that have scored 20 or more goals this season, which leads the NHL. It was Lecavalier's fifth goal in his last seven games.
The Panthers had a prime scoring chance after Luke Schenn turned the puck over in his own zone. A shot got through from the point and Tomas Fleischmann was there to get the rebound but Steve Mason did the splits and pinned the puck along the post for the save.
Nicklas Grossmann made a nice pass out of his own zone to Claude Giroux, who skated into the Panthers zone, using Ed Jovanovski as a screen and blasted one past Ellis for his 26th goal on the season. The Flyers took a 2-0 lead.
At 8:50 of the second period, Scott Hartnell got the puck into the Panthers zone and Mark Streit went and got it along the boards. Streit made a nice pass to Giroux in the slot and Giroux fired it past Ellis for his 27th goal of the season, and gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead. The Orange and Black had three goals and only five shots on goal.
The final goal of the period come from Sean Couturier, who broke a 17-game scoreless streak. Matt. Read got the puck over to Couturier and he made a nice play along the boards to got the puck to the point. Braydon Coburn took the shot and it bounced right to Couturier, who scored his eleventh goal of the season.
The Flyers scored four goals on just 12 shots in the second period.
The Flyers came out slow to start the third period and the Panthers took advantage of it. The Flyers turned the puck over in their own zone, which led to offensive zone pressure and an eventual goal by Erik Gudbranson. Gudbranson took the shot from the point and the puck found its way past Mason with traffic in front.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored the second goal of the game for the Panthers after the puck went off of Streit's stick and past Mason. It was Huberdeau's first game back after missing 11 games due to a concussion.
The third period has not been a good period for the Flyers their last four games. They have been out scored 8-2 in the last four third periods played. They were fortunate the Panthers only scored two goals in the third period after their own sloppy play.
Tye McGinn scored the insurance goal for the Flyers late in the third period. Hall won the face-off and Lecavalier got the loose puck and made a nice pass over to McGinn. He tipped it past Ellis for the fifth and final goal of the night.
Roberto Luongo was supposed to start for the Panthers but was a late scratch due to an upper body injury. The backup goalie, Dan Ellis, got the call and had a decent first period.
The Flyers couldn't get much going offensively until Drew Shore took a 4:00 high sticking call and then Scottie Upshall was called for a hooking minor. The Flyers had a 1:43 of 5-on-3 power play time but couldn't convert. They had opportunities but couldn't put the puck into the back of the net.
The Flyers finally got on the board in the second period. Adam Hall went in on the forecheck and forced the Florida defenseman to turn the puck over. Hall got a shot off and the rebound bounced to Vinny Lecavalier, who put the puck into the back of the net with traffic in front. It was Lecavalier's 20th goal of the season. The Flyers have seven players that have scored 20 or more goals this season, which leads the NHL. It was Lecavalier's fifth goal in his last seven games.
The Panthers had a prime scoring chance after Luke Schenn turned the puck over in his own zone. A shot got through from the point and Tomas Fleischmann was there to get the rebound but Steve Mason did the splits and pinned the puck along the post for the save.
Nicklas Grossmann made a nice pass out of his own zone to Claude Giroux, who skated into the Panthers zone, using Ed Jovanovski as a screen and blasted one past Ellis for his 26th goal on the season. The Flyers took a 2-0 lead.
At 8:50 of the second period, Scott Hartnell got the puck into the Panthers zone and Mark Streit went and got it along the boards. Streit made a nice pass to Giroux in the slot and Giroux fired it past Ellis for his 27th goal of the season, and gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead. The Orange and Black had three goals and only five shots on goal.
The final goal of the period come from Sean Couturier, who broke a 17-game scoreless streak. Matt. Read got the puck over to Couturier and he made a nice play along the boards to got the puck to the point. Braydon Coburn took the shot and it bounced right to Couturier, who scored his eleventh goal of the season.
The Flyers scored four goals on just 12 shots in the second period.
The Flyers came out slow to start the third period and the Panthers took advantage of it. The Flyers turned the puck over in their own zone, which led to offensive zone pressure and an eventual goal by Erik Gudbranson. Gudbranson took the shot from the point and the puck found its way past Mason with traffic in front.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored the second goal of the game for the Panthers after the puck went off of Streit's stick and past Mason. It was Huberdeau's first game back after missing 11 games due to a concussion.
The third period has not been a good period for the Flyers their last four games. They have been out scored 8-2 in the last four third periods played. They were fortunate the Panthers only scored two goals in the third period after their own sloppy play.
Tye McGinn scored the insurance goal for the Flyers late in the third period. Hall won the face-off and Lecavalier got the loose puck and made a nice pass over to McGinn. He tipped it past Ellis for the fifth and final goal of the night.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Flyers Use Late Goal to Beat Blackhawks in Overtime
The Philadelphia Flyers next 10 games on the schedule are brutal, but the team started off the stretch with an incredible overtime win.
Claude Giroux scored the game-winning goal with 4.2 seconds left in overtime. Mark Streit started the late rush and gave the puck to Giroux, who skated into the Blackhawks zone. He took the snap shot and beat Antti Raanta over the shoulder.
The Blackhawks came out and took an early 2-0 lead. Brayden Schenn turned the puck over in the offensive zone, and Patrick Sharp pounced on the puck. Sharp skated the puck into the zone and got the puck over to Michal Handzus, who took a shot, but Ray Emery made the save. The rebound came out to Andrew Shaw, who was in front of the net, and he scored to make it 1-0 Blackhawks. The defending champions were 31-1-6 when scoring first.
A 1:22 later, the Blackhawks were at it again in the offensive zone. Jonathan Toews passed the puck to -Duncan Keith and he took a slap shot that skidded past Emery. The goal was Keith's first in 30 games. The other assist on the goal went to Marian Hossa.
The Flyers seemed to settle down after a sloppy start. Emery was playing in his first game since February 27th when he got hurt against the San Jose Sharks. Braydon Coburn rolled the puck behind the Blackhawks net to Scott Hartnell, who tried to make the pass to Giroux. The puck deflected off of the skate of Marcus Kruger and into his own net. The Flyers couldn't capitalize on a couple of power play opportunities.
Then at 16:27 of the period, Hartnell scored his second goal of the game. Matt Read battled for the puck behind the net, Giroux came in for support and passed the puck to Hartnell, who fired it past Raanta to tie the game 2-2.
In the second and third periods each team had its chances, but both Emery and Raanta kept the teams off the board. In the second period, Zac Rinaldo and Sheldon Brookbank dropped the gloves after the gloves after Rinaldo hit Brookbank along the boards.
In the third period, the Flyers had two straight power plays but couldn't convert on either of them. The Blackhawks came into the game 23rd in the league on the penalty kill, but kept the Flyers power play off the board in five chances. Brayden Schenn had two chances to win the game for the Flyers, but couldn't put the puck in the net.
The win was Emery's first since February 8th versus the Calgary Flames because he was out with a groin injury. The win also gave the Flyers some breathing room in the playoff race with the Columbus Blue jackets losing, 3-1, to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers are three points ahead of the Blue Jackets in the standings.
The next game doesn't get any easier for the Flyers as the Dallas Stars come to the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
Claude Giroux scored the game-winning goal with 4.2 seconds left in overtime. Mark Streit started the late rush and gave the puck to Giroux, who skated into the Blackhawks zone. He took the snap shot and beat Antti Raanta over the shoulder.
The Blackhawks came out and took an early 2-0 lead. Brayden Schenn turned the puck over in the offensive zone, and Patrick Sharp pounced on the puck. Sharp skated the puck into the zone and got the puck over to Michal Handzus, who took a shot, but Ray Emery made the save. The rebound came out to Andrew Shaw, who was in front of the net, and he scored to make it 1-0 Blackhawks. The defending champions were 31-1-6 when scoring first.
A 1:22 later, the Blackhawks were at it again in the offensive zone. Jonathan Toews passed the puck to -Duncan Keith and he took a slap shot that skidded past Emery. The goal was Keith's first in 30 games. The other assist on the goal went to Marian Hossa.
The Flyers seemed to settle down after a sloppy start. Emery was playing in his first game since February 27th when he got hurt against the San Jose Sharks. Braydon Coburn rolled the puck behind the Blackhawks net to Scott Hartnell, who tried to make the pass to Giroux. The puck deflected off of the skate of Marcus Kruger and into his own net. The Flyers couldn't capitalize on a couple of power play opportunities.
Then at 16:27 of the period, Hartnell scored his second goal of the game. Matt Read battled for the puck behind the net, Giroux came in for support and passed the puck to Hartnell, who fired it past Raanta to tie the game 2-2.
In the second and third periods each team had its chances, but both Emery and Raanta kept the teams off the board. In the second period, Zac Rinaldo and Sheldon Brookbank dropped the gloves after the gloves after Rinaldo hit Brookbank along the boards.
In the third period, the Flyers had two straight power plays but couldn't convert on either of them. The Blackhawks came into the game 23rd in the league on the penalty kill, but kept the Flyers power play off the board in five chances. Brayden Schenn had two chances to win the game for the Flyers, but couldn't put the puck in the net.
The win was Emery's first since February 8th versus the Calgary Flames because he was out with a groin injury. The win also gave the Flyers some breathing room in the playoff race with the Columbus Blue jackets losing, 3-1, to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers are three points ahead of the Blue Jackets in the standings.
The next game doesn't get any easier for the Flyers as the Dallas Stars come to the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Andrew MacDonald Makes Flyers Debut
Andrew MacDonald made his debut for the Philadelphia Flyers last night versus the Washington Capitals.
MacDonald was paired with Luke Schenn. He played a pretty solid game with the exception of having a shot go off of him and into his own net. The defenseman finished the game with an assist, was a plus two, blocked three shots and finished with 18:07 of ice time.
He didn't get any time on the power play, but that's because the Flyers have had their power play units set since the beginning of the year. MacDonald did get to play 1:18 of shorthanded time. He got a chance to play on the penalty kill because the Flyers had traded Andrej Meszaros earlier in the day to the Boston Bruins.
MacDonald looked like he could move the puck up the ice pretty good. He had three hits and can play physical at times. MacDonald and Luke Schenn looked like an adequate defensive pairing. Luke Schenn will now have a steady defensive partner unlike earlier in the season and that could benefit him down the stretch.
MacDonald had a good debut for his new team. You didn't notice home when he was on the ice because he wasn't making any stupid plays or mistakes. He also stayed out of the penalty box. Hopefully the defenseman can play smart for the rest of the season with the Flyers being in the middle of the playoff race.
MacDonald was paired with Luke Schenn. He played a pretty solid game with the exception of having a shot go off of him and into his own net. The defenseman finished the game with an assist, was a plus two, blocked three shots and finished with 18:07 of ice time.
He didn't get any time on the power play, but that's because the Flyers have had their power play units set since the beginning of the year. MacDonald did get to play 1:18 of shorthanded time. He got a chance to play on the penalty kill because the Flyers had traded Andrej Meszaros earlier in the day to the Boston Bruins.
MacDonald looked like he could move the puck up the ice pretty good. He had three hits and can play physical at times. MacDonald and Luke Schenn looked like an adequate defensive pairing. Luke Schenn will now have a steady defensive partner unlike earlier in the season and that could benefit him down the stretch.
MacDonald had a good debut for his new team. You didn't notice home when he was on the ice because he wasn't making any stupid plays or mistakes. He also stayed out of the penalty box. Hopefully the defenseman can play smart for the rest of the season with the Flyers being in the middle of the playoff race.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Flyers acquire Andrew MacDonald from Islanders
The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenseman Andrew MacDonald from the New York Islanders in exchange for prospect Matt Mangene, a 2014 third round draft pick and a 2015 second round draft pick.
MacDonald, 27, is in his last season of a four year, $2.2 million contract. He is due to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The defenseman was reportedly asking for $5 million per season from the Islanders, according to nbcsports.com.
MacDonald was drafted by the Islanders in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 295 career games registering 17 goals, 72 assists, 89 points, is a minus 11, has five power play goals, and four game-winning goals.
This season MacDonald had played in all 63 games for the Islanders. He has four goals, 20 assists, 24 points, is a minus 19 with two power play goals, while averaging 25:25 of ice time per game. MacDonald also has 48 hits, 198 blocked shots, 53 giveaways and 22 takeaways. His last assist came against the Flyers on January 20, 2014.
He can play at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill unit. MacDonald, the Islanders assistant captain, will be reunited with former teammate, Mark Streit. Streit was acquired by the Flyers in the offseason.
The Flyers most likely aren't done making trades. They now have nine defensemen on the roster. I'd look for the Orange and Black to move Andrej Meszaros before the deadline since he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Flyers are asking for a second round draft pick for Meszaros, according to Darren Dreger.
capgeek.com/player/1110
nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473584#&navid=nhl-search
MacDonald, 27, is in his last season of a four year, $2.2 million contract. He is due to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The defenseman was reportedly asking for $5 million per season from the Islanders, according to nbcsports.com.
MacDonald was drafted by the Islanders in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 295 career games registering 17 goals, 72 assists, 89 points, is a minus 11, has five power play goals, and four game-winning goals.
This season MacDonald had played in all 63 games for the Islanders. He has four goals, 20 assists, 24 points, is a minus 19 with two power play goals, while averaging 25:25 of ice time per game. MacDonald also has 48 hits, 198 blocked shots, 53 giveaways and 22 takeaways. His last assist came against the Flyers on January 20, 2014.
He can play at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill unit. MacDonald, the Islanders assistant captain, will be reunited with former teammate, Mark Streit. Streit was acquired by the Flyers in the offseason.
The Flyers most likely aren't done making trades. They now have nine defensemen on the roster. I'd look for the Orange and Black to move Andrej Meszaros before the deadline since he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Flyers are asking for a second round draft pick for Meszaros, according to Darren Dreger.
capgeek.com/player/1110
nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473584#&navid=nhl-search
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Panthers Acquire Brandon Pirri from Blackhawks
The Florida Panthers have acquired center Brandon Pirri from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2014 3rd round draft pick and a 2016 5th round pick.
Pirri is only 22 years old and is in the last year of his entry level contract. He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The center was taken in the second round (59th overall) in the 2009 Entry Draft by the Blackhawks.
Pirri has split his time this season between the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs. He played in 28 games in the NHL this season, while scoring six goals, assisting on five goals, and tallying 11 points. The young center was a plus six in those games with 12:15 of ice time per game.
Pirri did get some power play time while in the NHL. He averaged about 54 seconds of power play time per game this season. He also had 14 hits, 10 blocked shots, only three give aways and 12 takeaways. He was sent down to Rockford and then called back up to the Blackhawks on January 27.
Pirri lead the AHL in scoring during the 2011-12 season with 75 points and won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy for being the league's leading scorer. He played 238 games, tallied 68 goals, had 132 assists for a total of 200 points and was plus 13 during his time with the Ice Hogs.
In the 26 games he played for the Ice Hogs this season, Pirri had 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points and was a minus 1. He seems like he is responsible with the puck and can score by his career stats in both the NHL and AHL.
capgeek.com/player/1869
theahl.com/stats/player.php?id=3777
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475204#&navid=nhl-search
Pirri is only 22 years old and is in the last year of his entry level contract. He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The center was taken in the second round (59th overall) in the 2009 Entry Draft by the Blackhawks.
Pirri has split his time this season between the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs. He played in 28 games in the NHL this season, while scoring six goals, assisting on five goals, and tallying 11 points. The young center was a plus six in those games with 12:15 of ice time per game.
Pirri did get some power play time while in the NHL. He averaged about 54 seconds of power play time per game this season. He also had 14 hits, 10 blocked shots, only three give aways and 12 takeaways. He was sent down to Rockford and then called back up to the Blackhawks on January 27.
Pirri lead the AHL in scoring during the 2011-12 season with 75 points and won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy for being the league's leading scorer. He played 238 games, tallied 68 goals, had 132 assists for a total of 200 points and was plus 13 during his time with the Ice Hogs.
In the 26 games he played for the Ice Hogs this season, Pirri had 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points and was a minus 1. He seems like he is responsible with the puck and can score by his career stats in both the NHL and AHL.
capgeek.com/player/1869
theahl.com/stats/player.php?id=3777
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475204#&navid=nhl-search
St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres Make Major Trade
The Buffalo Sabres have traded Ryan Miller and Steve Ott to the St. Louis Blues for Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, prospect William Carrier and two draft picks.
It had been rumored that Miller could get traded for weeks since he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and sign with any team he wants. Miller was drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 draft by the Sabres and had played all of his 540 games with the team. He has 284 wins, 186 losses, and 57 ties or overtime losses. The goalie has a lifetime .916 save percentage to go along with a 2.46 GAA.
He went from being on a team that is completely out of playoff contention to a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race. The goalie, 33, has played in 40 games posting a record of 15-22-3. The 22 losses are first in the league. He's faced 1,411 shots (6th most in NHL), while posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.72 GAA.
The Sabres have the least amount of wins in the NHL with 18, give up the second most shots in the league and give up a full goal more per game than they score. The team isn't very good and that's what has contributed to Miller having the most loses in the NHL.
He's been to the playoffs four times in his career, but has only gotten as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006. Miller played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics for Team USA. He won the Vezina Trophy for being the best goaltender during the 2009-10 season.
Steve Ott, Buffalo's former captain, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars and later traded to the Sabres. Ott is 31 years old.
The center has played in 59 games this season and has scored nine goals to go along with his 11 assists for a total of 20 points while averaging 19:42 of ice time per game.
He has 103 goals, 161 assists, 264 points, and is a minus 35 in 673 career games played. The center can play on both the power play and the penalty kill units. He is fourth in the league with 94 hits. Ott is a physical player, who will stand up for a teammate when needed. He also likes to stir the pot and get the opposing team's player frustrated enough to take a penalty.
Jaroslav Halak, who was sent to Buffalo, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Halak is 28 years old and was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2003.
The goaltender has played in 40 games this season while posting a 24-9-4 record. He is eighth in the league in wins and third in the league with four shutouts. He has a .917 save percentage to go along with a 2.23 GAA.
Halak has a 139-81-26 record in 260 career games played. He has also posted a .917 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA to go with 29 shutouts in those 260 games played. The goalie is 10-11, has a .923 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA in 23 playoff games.
Halak also played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. He was part of the goaltender tandem that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL during the 2011-12 season and won the William J. Jennings Trophy that same season.
Chris Stewart plays right wing and is only 26 years old. He is in his first year of a two year deal worth $8.3 million. The cap hit for the 2014-15 season is $4.15 million.
Stewart was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2006 draft. He has played in 58 games scored 15 goals, assisted on 11 of his team's goals and has a total of 26 points. He's a plus two and has 112 penalty minutes, which is good for eighth in the league. The winger is averaging 13:41 minutes of ice time per game.
He has 115 goals, 113 assists, 228 points and is a minus 17 in 377 games played. Stewart has played in 19 playoff games and has five goals and one assist on those games. Stewart was only playing on the power play for St.Louis. He has 78 hits, eight blocked shots, eight giveaways and 11 takeaways o the season.
The Sabres also received prospect William Carrier in the trade. Carrier is a 6'2", 198 pound left winger who is only 19 years old. He was drafted by St.Louis in the second round of the 2013 draft.
Carrier has size, skill, is willing to play physical in the corners and in front of the net to make a play, according to hockeysfuture.com. He can try to do too much times but he has a good set of hands and a hard shot, according to hockeysfuture.com.
The Sabres will also get a first round pick in the 2015 draft and a conditional draft pick. If the Blues make the Western Conference Final or Miller resigns with St. Louis then the Sabres would get a first round pick in the 2014 draft from St. Louis, according to nhl.com.
Sources:
hockeysfuture.com/prospects/william-carrier
capgeek.com
hockey-reference.com
nhl.com
It had been rumored that Miller could get traded for weeks since he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and sign with any team he wants. Miller was drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 draft by the Sabres and had played all of his 540 games with the team. He has 284 wins, 186 losses, and 57 ties or overtime losses. The goalie has a lifetime .916 save percentage to go along with a 2.46 GAA.
He went from being on a team that is completely out of playoff contention to a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race. The goalie, 33, has played in 40 games posting a record of 15-22-3. The 22 losses are first in the league. He's faced 1,411 shots (6th most in NHL), while posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.72 GAA.
The Sabres have the least amount of wins in the NHL with 18, give up the second most shots in the league and give up a full goal more per game than they score. The team isn't very good and that's what has contributed to Miller having the most loses in the NHL.
He's been to the playoffs four times in his career, but has only gotten as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006. Miller played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics for Team USA. He won the Vezina Trophy for being the best goaltender during the 2009-10 season.
Steve Ott, Buffalo's former captain, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars and later traded to the Sabres. Ott is 31 years old.
The center has played in 59 games this season and has scored nine goals to go along with his 11 assists for a total of 20 points while averaging 19:42 of ice time per game.
He has 103 goals, 161 assists, 264 points, and is a minus 35 in 673 career games played. The center can play on both the power play and the penalty kill units. He is fourth in the league with 94 hits. Ott is a physical player, who will stand up for a teammate when needed. He also likes to stir the pot and get the opposing team's player frustrated enough to take a penalty.
Jaroslav Halak, who was sent to Buffalo, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Halak is 28 years old and was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2003.
The goaltender has played in 40 games this season while posting a 24-9-4 record. He is eighth in the league in wins and third in the league with four shutouts. He has a .917 save percentage to go along with a 2.23 GAA.
Halak has a 139-81-26 record in 260 career games played. He has also posted a .917 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA to go with 29 shutouts in those 260 games played. The goalie is 10-11, has a .923 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA in 23 playoff games.
Halak also played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. He was part of the goaltender tandem that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL during the 2011-12 season and won the William J. Jennings Trophy that same season.
Chris Stewart plays right wing and is only 26 years old. He is in his first year of a two year deal worth $8.3 million. The cap hit for the 2014-15 season is $4.15 million.
Stewart was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2006 draft. He has played in 58 games scored 15 goals, assisted on 11 of his team's goals and has a total of 26 points. He's a plus two and has 112 penalty minutes, which is good for eighth in the league. The winger is averaging 13:41 minutes of ice time per game.
He has 115 goals, 113 assists, 228 points and is a minus 17 in 377 games played. Stewart has played in 19 playoff games and has five goals and one assist on those games. Stewart was only playing on the power play for St.Louis. He has 78 hits, eight blocked shots, eight giveaways and 11 takeaways o the season.
The Sabres also received prospect William Carrier in the trade. Carrier is a 6'2", 198 pound left winger who is only 19 years old. He was drafted by St.Louis in the second round of the 2013 draft.
Carrier has size, skill, is willing to play physical in the corners and in front of the net to make a play, according to hockeysfuture.com. He can try to do too much times but he has a good set of hands and a hard shot, according to hockeysfuture.com.
The Sabres will also get a first round pick in the 2015 draft and a conditional draft pick. If the Blues make the Western Conference Final or Miller resigns with St. Louis then the Sabres would get a first round pick in the 2014 draft from St. Louis, according to nhl.com.
Sources:
hockeysfuture.com/prospects/william-carrier
capgeek.com
hockey-reference.com
nhl.com
Friday, January 31, 2014
Varlamov, Avalanche Agree to Extension
Semyon Varlamov and the Colorado Avalance have agreed to a five year, $29.5 million extension.
The contract comes with a cap hit of $5.9 million until the end of the 2018-19 season. Varlamov was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season. The goalie is currently making $2,833,333 for the 2013-14 season.
He has played in 42 games and is 26-9-5 on the season. The 26 wins are a career high and have him ranked third in the league in that category. He has a .925 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average and one shutout. The goalie has only allowed three or more goals 15 times this season with having faced 1,296 shots, which is good for fourth in the league. He has 1,199 saves and that is good for fourth in the league.
Varlamov was first in the NHL last season with 21 loses, but those loses came in a lock out shortened season. He was traded to Colorado by Washington in exchange for Colorado's first round choice in the 2012 Entry Draft (Filip Forsberg) and Boston's second round choice, which was previously acquired and then traded away. He is set to play in the Sochi Olympics in February.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473575#&navid=nhl-search
http://capgeek.com/player/873
The contract comes with a cap hit of $5.9 million until the end of the 2018-19 season. Varlamov was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season. The goalie is currently making $2,833,333 for the 2013-14 season.
He has played in 42 games and is 26-9-5 on the season. The 26 wins are a career high and have him ranked third in the league in that category. He has a .925 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average and one shutout. The goalie has only allowed three or more goals 15 times this season with having faced 1,296 shots, which is good for fourth in the league. He has 1,199 saves and that is good for fourth in the league.
Varlamov was first in the NHL last season with 21 loses, but those loses came in a lock out shortened season. He was traded to Colorado by Washington in exchange for Colorado's first round choice in the 2012 Entry Draft (Filip Forsberg) and Boston's second round choice, which was previously acquired and then traded away. He is set to play in the Sochi Olympics in February.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473575#&navid=nhl-search
http://capgeek.com/player/873
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Flyers, Mason Agree to Contract Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers and goaltender Steve Mason have agreed to a three year, $12.3 million contract extension. The cap hit will be $4.1 million until the end of the 2016-17 season. He was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Mason was traded to Philadelphia at the end of last season by the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goalie Michael Leighton and a third round draft pick in 2015. He played in seven games last season for the Flyers and posted a 4-2-0 record to go with a .944 save percentage and a 1.90 goals against average.
The 6'4" goalie was named the Flyers starter in the beginning of the season. He is 19-11-5 in 37 games played with a .915 save percentage and a 2.56 GAA. In the early part of the season, Mason was standing on his head to keep the Flyers in every game even though the team wasn't playing great in front of him, offensively or defensively. Mason went a span of 27 straight games with the Flyers of not allowing more than three goals in a game that ended in either regulation or overtime.
He has been a little shaky lately and has even been taken out a few games. He was pulled in a game on January 11 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning after allowing five goals on just 17 shots. Mason was pulled again in last night's game versus the Islanders after allowing four goals on 24 shots.
Mason is athletic and can get from post-to-post pretty quick. He can handle the puck and it seems that, for the most part, he is square to the shooter and ready to make a save.
His best season came in 2008-2009 while with the Blue Jackets. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy for best rookie. He had 33 wins, a .916 save percentage, a 2.29 GAA and had 10 shutouts. After a brilliant rookie season, he struggled in Columbus, but it looks like he has found his game again playing with the Flyers.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Oilers Trade Devan Dubnyk, Then Acquire Ben Scrivens
In two separate trades, the Edmonton Oilers acquired goaltender Ben Scrivens, forward Matt Hendricks and a third round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. (http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=700837&navid=nhl:topheads)
The first trade sent back up goaltender, Devan Dubnyk to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks. Dubnyk has played in 32 games this season with a 11-17-2 record. He has a .894 save percentage and a 3.36 goals against average, but also has two shutouts.
One of the reasons Dubnyk's save percentage and goals against average are so bad is because the Oilers have given up 116 even strength goals, while only scoring 80. The team has also given up seven short-handed goals, which is tied for the most in the NHL this season. The penalty kill unit is ranked 21st in the league at 79.6%, while the power play unit has scored 34 goals and is ranked 10th.
The cap hit for the Predators is only $1.75 million for the remainder of the season, according to capgeek.com.(www.capgeek.com/player/49) The Predators picked up Dubnyk because Pekka Rinne is out with an injury and the team is unsure of when he will return to the lineup, according to nhl.com. (http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=700837&navid=nhl:topheads). Even though his numbers may say otherwise, Dubnyk was a good pick up for the Predators because he came at a cheap price and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Oilers got Matt Hendricks in the Predators trade. Hendricks is 32 years old and should bring some veteran leadership to a young group of players. He has played in 44 games, has two goals, two assists, and is a minus five on the season.
Hendricks isn't an offensive forward with only 62 points in 307 career games played, but he brings the Oilers another player to add to the penalty kill unit. He averaged just over 2:18 on the penalty kill for the Predators. This is Hendrick's fourth team in six NHL seasons.
Hendricks is currently in his first year of a four year, $7.4 million deal. The cap hit will be $1.85 million for the Oilers until the end of the 2016-17 season. (www.capgeek.com/player/578)
In the second trade, the Oilers acquired goaltender Ben Scrivens from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a third round pick in the 2014 draft.
Scrivens was the back up goaltender for Jonathan Quick until Martin Jones came along and stole his spot. Quick went out with an injury and on December 3, Jones got the start and won his next eight games, which left Scrivens expendable.
Scrivens has played in 19 games this season and is 7-5-4 with a .931 save percentage, a 1.97 goals against average and he has three shutouts. He has only played 51 careeer games and is 18-19-6 with five shutouts, a .917 save percentage and a 2.54 goals against average.
Scrivens only has a $550,000 cap hit this season, according to capgeek.com (www.capgeek.com/player/1717). He is also an unrestricted free agent after the season so the Oilers can use the rest of the season to evaluate him and decided if they want to sign him to a contract. This is the second time Scrivens has been traded since the summer. He was part of the deal that sent Jonathan Bernier to the Toronto Maple Leafs from the Los Angeles Kings.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Steve Downie Scratched Again
Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie was a healthy scratch for the second straight game.
In his past five games, Downie had zero points, was a minus three, and had eight penalty minutes. He was taking too many penalties and wasn't playing defensive hockey.
On Saturday, the Flyers played the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning went up by a score of 3-1, but the Flyers battled back to tie the game at 3-3. Then Downie wasn't in position defensively and the Lightning scored the eventual game-winning goal.
Downie was demoted to fourth line minutes after that by Berube. Tye McGinn, a recent call up by the Flyers, took Downie's place on the third line.
Downie has also been struggling offensively and hasn't scored since Dec. 11, 2013, a span of twelve games. He has had his chances but hasn't been able to put them in the net. His last assist came in a game versus the Washington Capitals on Dec. 17, 2013, a span of nine games.
Downie came over in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche in late October. The Flyers traded forward Max Talbot for him. He was playing on the third line and had good chemistry with Sean Couturier and Matt Read early in the season.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Rangers Get Off to Fast Start; Beat Flyers 4-1
In a battle of Metropolitan Division rivals, the New York Rangers got the best of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Rangers got off to a quick start and never looked back, but the Flyers looked like a team that started the season with a 1-7-0 record.
The Rangers had their forechecking game going early. The puck was dumped into the Flyers zone and Mark Streit got the puck, but turned it over to Daniel Carcillo. Carcillo skated to the side of the Flyers net untouched and slide the puck past goaltender, Ray Emery. It was Carcillo's second goal of the season and it came 2:14 into the first period.
Then 28 seconds later the Rangers struck again. The puck was again sent into the Flyers zone, but this time two Rangers players pressured Flyers defenseman, Braydon Coburn into turning over the puck. Chris Kreider spotted a wide open Rick Nash, in the slot, who fired the puck past Emery for a 2-0 Rangers lead.
Flyers head coach, Craig Berube, decided to take his timeout after the Nash goal to try and get his team going in the right direction. It seemed to work. There were chances for both teams, but the score remained 2-0 Rangers until the 9:24 mark of the first period. Coburn was pressured by the Rangers forecheck and turned the puck over again. Mats Zuccarello came up with the puck and sent it to a wide open Derick Brassard, who put it past Emery for his eighth goal of the season.
The Flyers had 17 shots in the first period but couldn't get anything past Rangers goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist. They had their opportunities but the Rangers either cleared the puck out of the crease or Lundqvist decided to cover up the puck.
In the second period, the Rangers power play unit finally solved the Flyers penalty killing unit. The Flyers had killed 26 straight penalties before allowing the power play goal to Kreider. Sean Couturier, a regular on the penalty kill, failed to clear the puck out of the zone. Nash sent to puck to Kreider, who skated into the slot area, and put the puck off Coburn's skate and past Emery for the 4-0 Rangers lead.
The Flyers only managed six shots on net in the second period, but solved Lundqvist in the third period when Ryan McDonagh went off for holding Wayne Simmonds. The Flyers setup in the Rangers end and went to work on the power play. Vincent Lecavalier, Streit and Sean Couturier played catch with the puck until Streit was at the center point and took a slapshot. The puck found the back of the net with Lundqvist being screened in front by both Tye McGinn and Brayden Schenn.
The Flyers waited until there was about 5:00 left into the game to put some effort into the game. The team was physical, helped each other out on the forecheck, got traffic in front of the net, and battled for loose pucks.
Lundqvist stopped 37 of the 38 shots that he faced in the game and Emery stopped 31 of the 35 shots that were directed at him.
The Rangers got off to a quick start and never looked back, but the Flyers looked like a team that started the season with a 1-7-0 record.
The Rangers had their forechecking game going early. The puck was dumped into the Flyers zone and Mark Streit got the puck, but turned it over to Daniel Carcillo. Carcillo skated to the side of the Flyers net untouched and slide the puck past goaltender, Ray Emery. It was Carcillo's second goal of the season and it came 2:14 into the first period.
Then 28 seconds later the Rangers struck again. The puck was again sent into the Flyers zone, but this time two Rangers players pressured Flyers defenseman, Braydon Coburn into turning over the puck. Chris Kreider spotted a wide open Rick Nash, in the slot, who fired the puck past Emery for a 2-0 Rangers lead.
Flyers head coach, Craig Berube, decided to take his timeout after the Nash goal to try and get his team going in the right direction. It seemed to work. There were chances for both teams, but the score remained 2-0 Rangers until the 9:24 mark of the first period. Coburn was pressured by the Rangers forecheck and turned the puck over again. Mats Zuccarello came up with the puck and sent it to a wide open Derick Brassard, who put it past Emery for his eighth goal of the season.
The Flyers had 17 shots in the first period but couldn't get anything past Rangers goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist. They had their opportunities but the Rangers either cleared the puck out of the crease or Lundqvist decided to cover up the puck.
In the second period, the Rangers power play unit finally solved the Flyers penalty killing unit. The Flyers had killed 26 straight penalties before allowing the power play goal to Kreider. Sean Couturier, a regular on the penalty kill, failed to clear the puck out of the zone. Nash sent to puck to Kreider, who skated into the slot area, and put the puck off Coburn's skate and past Emery for the 4-0 Rangers lead.
The Flyers only managed six shots on net in the second period, but solved Lundqvist in the third period when Ryan McDonagh went off for holding Wayne Simmonds. The Flyers setup in the Rangers end and went to work on the power play. Vincent Lecavalier, Streit and Sean Couturier played catch with the puck until Streit was at the center point and took a slapshot. The puck found the back of the net with Lundqvist being screened in front by both Tye McGinn and Brayden Schenn.
The Flyers waited until there was about 5:00 left into the game to put some effort into the game. The team was physical, helped each other out on the forecheck, got traffic in front of the net, and battled for loose pucks.
Lundqvist stopped 37 of the 38 shots that he faced in the game and Emery stopped 31 of the 35 shots that were directed at him.
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