Sharks Move On

Going into Thursday night, the Sharks were on the verge of becoming only the fourth team in NHL history to lose a series after winning 3 straight games. The Sharks would have no such history attached to them. The Sharks managed to hold off the Red Wings in game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals to advance and face the Vancouver Canucks. A main factor in game 7 was the play of "Jumbo" Joe Thornton. Thornton has been criticized over the years for his poor play come playoff time, but game 7 was not the case. "People have criticized Joe Thornton, said he's not a playoff guy," said Devin Setoguchi to Fearthefin.com. "But the passion he played with [in game seven] is just a clear example of what Jumbo brings to our team. He's our Captain, he's got to be our catalyst. It's going to start with him. He worked extremely hard and it rubbed off on everyone else." Thornton played with a gritty, physical, style of play that was unmatched. It was Thornton who set up Devin Setoguchi for a powerplay goal 12:20 into the 1st. With just under a minute left to play in the 1st, Henrik Zetterberg turned the puck over to Logan Couture who fired a shot over the left shoulder of the unexpecting Jimmy Howard. Zetterberg would make up for his mistake when he connected on a center lane drive style 3 on 2 with a beautiful backhand. The Sharks would go up 3-1 on a Patrick Marleau goal 12:13 into the third. Down 3-1, the Red Wings did everything they could to claw themselves back into the game. Pavel Datsyuk had what may be the best goal of the 2011 playoffs when he took a backhanded shot from the top of the circle that went in the words of George Pantazopoulos "Bar." Datsyuk would fight for his playoff life for the remainder of the game taking shots and battling for pucks, but his effort could not save the Wings. The Sharks move on to face the Vancouver Canucks.

New York Ranger Fans

Although the season is over, there's no shortage of news for New York Ranger fans lately.  Ranger fans, such as myself, have recently been dealt some fantastic news, as well as some deeply saddening news.

We'll start with the bad news.  It has been confirmed that Rangers forward Derek Boogaard has passed away at the age of 28.  Reports say that family members found him dead in his apartment Friday morning.  Little information has been released at this point in time, and it is not yet clear what the cause of death may have been.

Boogaard was respected as one of the toughest enforcers in the league:

Words from former teammate, Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom:

I don’t know how to describe it.  It’s really hard.  Unreal guy.   Great friend and an awesome teammate.   Just a really big teddy bear.   Outside the rink, he didn’t want bad for anyone.”

Boogaard registered 3 goals, 14 assists and 589 penalty minutes in 255 NHL games.

This is terrible news for the entire hockey community.  My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Derek Boogaard.  Rest in peace.

On a lighter, more encouraging note for Ranger fans, rumors have been swirling that the New York Rangers are going to play the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Rangers are the last of the Original Six teams to have not participated in a Winter Classic game.  It would be Philadelphia's second appearance.  It's interesting to note that reports are talking about the game being played on Monday, January 2nd instead of on Sunday, January 1st.  I would hate for the tradition of having the Winter Classic on New Years Day to change, but, at the same time, the annual outdoor game is a huge promotion for hockey, and it's important that the game is aired at a time that allows as many viewers as possible an opportunity to watch.  I'm interested to see what kind of impact an NFL lockout would have on the Winter Classic.  Perhaps the game will still be played on New Years Day if there is not football?

What I'm more excited for than the actual outdoor game itself is HBO's 24/7 series that will follow the Rangers and the Flyers throughout the weeks leading up to the 2012 Winter Classic.  HBO did an outstanding job this year filming the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  This time around, I will get an insightful perspective into the workings of my favorite team.  The personalities on the Rangers - think coach John Tortorella and Sean Avery - would make for great television.  I suspect that the mouth of Tortorella could give Washington Coach Bruce Boudreau a run for his money, and that's no small accomplishment.

A short clip from HBO's series this year following Washington and Pittsburgh:

Detroit @ San Jose: Game Seven Preview

You have to be kidding me, Blogger.  It's pretty difficult to update a daily blog when Blogger is "unavailable" for an entire day.  Well, here was the game seven preview I had prepared for last night's Detroit vs. San Jose game, but never had the chance to post thanks to Blogger.  I'm not sure it makes much sense to post it at this point, and clearly my bold prediction was wrong, but it is what it is.  Sorry for the interruption of posts.

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What do the years 1942, 1775 and 2010 all have in common?  These years represent the only three times in NHL history that a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.  The Toronto Maple Leafs did it in 1942 against the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Islanders did it in 1975 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and, of course, the Philadelphia Flyers did it last year against the Boston Bruins.

According to NHL.com:

Completing the comeback is an extreme rarity in the NHL -- the three successful clubs represent just 1.8% of the 167 clubs that have attempted it -- as well as in the other major professional sports leagues. Just one club in the history of Major League Baseball has done it, the Boston Red Sox in 2004 against the New York Yankees, and no club in the National Basketball Association has accomplished the feat.

Clearly, the odds are not in favor of the Detroit Red Wings in tonight's game.

When asked by a reporter after Detroit's game six victory, "How special would it be to see this team comeback from a 3-0 hole and finish them off?" Gordie Howe responded with "Expect it."

I am most certainly in no position to argue with Gordie Howe, one of the greatest hockey players of all time, so I'm going to have to agree with him on this one.  I'm going to take the 1.8% odds and say that Detroit wins game seven tonight.  It doesn't help that they're going to have to do it on the road at the Shark Tank, but if Philadelphia could do it last year, I don't see why the Red Wings can't do it this year.  The Detroit roster is stacked with players who have game seven experience.  A staggering 22 players on Detroit have played in a game seven, compared to only 11 players on San Jose with game seven experience.

Lidstrom Anchors Team, Detroit Forces Game 7

The Red Wings have been around the block a time or two. In the last fifteen years, the Detroit Red Wings have won 4 Stanley Cups, more than any other team. So when the Wings went down in the series 3-0, there was no need to panic. Well experienced captain Nicklas Lidstrom told the Calgary Sun, "We had to break it down, whether it was a game at a time or even a period at a time. You focus on just trying to work hard and hopefully things will work out for you. It makes it easier to approach rather than looking at the whole big picture of, 'We have to win four straight games.' When you break it down and focus on that, it makes it a lot easier." Many of the Red Wings realize that they have not accomplished their goal just yet and that they must keep their level of intensity up. Niklas Kronwall said in an interview, "We've been playing like its game 7 every night."

After a scoreless first and second period that saw phenomenal goaltending by both Jimmy Howard and last season's Stanley Cup winner Anti Niemi. Through the first two periods, Niemi made 32 stops and Howard 13. Logan Couture opened the score for the Sharks 3:52 into the third when he batted the puck through Howard's pads. The puck squeaked through Howard and slightly crossed the goal line. After going to the "war room" in Toronto, the goal was signaled. Half way through the period the Wings would notch the score at 1 on a Henrik Zetterberg tip-in. After entering the corner, Flippula cut back up the half board and sent a pass to wide open Niklas Kronwall. Kronwall let a wrist shot go that was tipped by Zetterberg past Niemi. 12:32 into the third, just as a "Lets go Red Wings!" chant emerged, the Red Wings took a 2-1 lead on a Flippula tap in. The severely injured Datsyuk winged a perfect backhanded saucer pass right onto the tape of Flippula while on an odd man rush, who tapped it past the sprawling Niemi. With just over a minute left Darren Helm capped off the victory with an empty net goal.

3 Stars:

1. Valtteri Flippula- assisted tying goal and scored the game winner
   
2. Pavel Datsyuk- game winning assist
   
3. Antti Niemi- .955 save percentage on the night
   

San Jose @ Detroit: Game Six Preview

Tonight, the San Jose Sharks will have an opportunity to advance and play the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference finals.

Vancouver's Henrik Sedin made it clear that he doesn't have any preference on what team he plays in round three:

We don't really care. It's two good teams again. We've been through two good teams already. We'll see. It's going to be long flights anyway, and we'll take whoever we get.

My prediction is that the Detroit Red Wings will get the home ice win and force a game seven.  Hopefully my prediction for tonight's game goes better than my prediction for last night's game.  Detroit's comeback in game five made it obvious that they were simply a more determined team than San Jose.  I'll pick determination over skill any day of the week - not to say that the Red Wings aren't one of the most talented teams in the tournament, of course.  Besides, with so many star players out with injuries for both sides, heart and determination will play an even larger role.

Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk will be playing through a wrist injury tonight that left Red Wing fans wondering if he was going to be playing in game five; he did.  Detroit will, however, be playing without Johan Franzen tonight due to an ankle injury.  Mike Modano will take take his spot for tonight's game on the top line with Tomas Holstrom and Pavel Datsyuk.  Modano will be playing in only his second playoff game this year - he also replaced Franzen for one game in Detroit's first round series against the Phoenix Coyotes.  Modano commented on his start tonight in a very humble, focused manner.

I'm excited just to be a part of it.  It's all you look forward to all season long, to be involved in some sense and be on the ice with these guys and competing -- knowing they're going through some physical and mental abuse out there and to kind of help lighten that load maybe and not be such a target.

It was tough last night sleeping, knowing that I was playing and there was no mystery about it.  It wasn't coming here and waiting and seeing after warm-up or whatever. In some sense that's good. In some sense that's bad. I mean, you get kind of restless sleep, but then again you have time to really think about what you want to do as a player and what's expected of you. It's a Game 6, elimination game and the fans are going to be very revved up.

Commenting on their third period collapse in game five, San Jose coach Todd McLellan said that "we'll make sure that we take it up a notch higher" in game six.

The Sharks are battling injuries of their own, and will be down Ryane Clowe because of "an upper-body injury."  Clowe is currently tied for second with thirteen points in the playoffs so far.  This will be an enormous loss for the Sharks.

In response to Clowe's absence tonight, McLellan said:

It puts a little more pressure on other players. He's obviously an important guy to our hockey club. It's not about the ones that are out of the lineup. It's about the ones that are in.

San Jose captain Joe Thorton's remarks sounded similar to McLellan's:

During the course of a year, you're going to have a guy that's out. Different guys have to step up. That's been the case all year. I wouldn't expect anything different from us tonight. Guys just have to pick up the slack for Clowe."

Detroit General Manager Ken Holland said that "we plan to be flying back for game 7."  I hope he's right.  Nothing is better than a game seven in playoff hockey, and it would be a shame for round two to come to an end so quickly without any game sevens.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview

After the Western Conference semi-final round is complete, the much anticipated Eastern Conference Finals will begin. The Boston Bruins will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in what has been a long time waiting for each team. Although the Bruins have such a rich history, the last time the Boston Bruins made the Eastern Conference Finals was in 1992 and their last cup victory in 1972. The Tampa Bay Lighting have a more vivid memory of the Stanley Cup, winning it in 2004. Both teams, however, have had significant struggles in the mid-2000 era. The Bruins finished last in the Atlantic Division in 2006-2007 and were knocked out by the rival Montreal Canadiens in the first round the following year. Since the hiring of current head coach Claude Julien, the Bruins have had success, but nothing like this season. The Tampa Bay Lightning have not even remotely had any success until the 2009-2010 season. With their poor play from 2007-2009, they were able to select Steven Stamkos and Viktor Hedman who are star players for the Lightning today. Needless to say, both the Bruins and the Lightning are having success that they are not quite used to.

Forwards

Brad Marchand has had a very productive postseason thus far. In 11 games played he has recorded 5 goals and 6 assists. Only a rookie, Marchand is playing with a lot of confidence, and rightfully so. Although playing well, Marchand told NESN, "The first few games I was nervous right off the bat. Now I'm starting to calm down a bit and just focus on playing."

Nathan Horton has had a playoff run to remember. In this season's playoffs Horton has capitalized twice in overtime. In addition to his two overtime winners, Horton has obtained 5 goals and 5 assists with a +5 rating. If the Bruins end up in an overtime game, you know who to look for.

Martin St. Louis is tied for the NHL lead in points with 13. An overall offensive threat, St. Louis is no stranger to the Stanley Cup playoffs. St. Louis anchored the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup with 24 points in the playoffs. St. Louis plays well come crunch time and the Eastern Conference Finals will be no exception.

Vincent Lecavalier doesn't trail St. Louis by much, boasting a total of 12 points. 3 of the points he has recorded were game winning goals. Throughout his career he has attained 45 playoff points, a total that he looks to expand in the conference finals.

Defense

Zdeno Chara has had a phenomenal playoff run so far. He boasts a league leading +11 rating and a respectable 4 points. Chara has displayed solid defensive play when called upon and is a key factor on the power play. If the Bruins are to win the series, Chara will need to keep his strong play going.

Mattias Ohlund enters the Eastern Conference Finals with 6 years of playoff experience. In the 2011 playoffs Ohlund has recorded a solid +6 rating in 11 games played. He has also recorded 36 blocked shots. Ohlund is a key asset to the Tampa Bay defense and sees plenty of ice. He sees an average of 20 minutes of ice time per game. The Lightning will need Ohlund's leadership and strong defensive play to make it past the Bruins.

Goaltenders

Tim Thomas has arguably been the best goaltender in the NHL for the entire 2010-2011 NHL season. Thomas has kept his strong play going and has produced a .938 save percentage with a 2.03 goals against average. Thomas has been a major factor in the Bruins success this season and the playoffs have been no different. The Bruins will rely on Thomas to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals and thus far he has been up to the task.

Dwayne Roloson has been head and shoulders above the competition in the playoffs thus far. He flaunts a .941 save percentage and a 2.01 goals against average. To many, Roloson has played well enough to earn Conn Smythe honors. Roloson possesses something that not many of the goalies left have; playoff experience. Roloson led the Edmonton Oilers to the 2006 Stanley Cup finals but was injured in game 1.

Vancouver @ Nashville: Game Six Preview

The Vancouver Canucks have another opportunity tonight to close out the series against the Nashville Predators. They weren't able to do it Saturday on home ice, and although I think they are eventually going to take the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals, they are going to need seven games to get the job done. Nashville will win tonight.

As the playoffs advance and the all-around intensity increases, the Vancouver Canucks are going to need Daniel and Henrik Sedin to contribute and lead their team the way they did throughout the regular season. Although they have combined for seventeen points so far in the 2011 playoffs, it's not necessarily their offensive game that needs improvement. The most striking statistic is that they have combined for a -14 plus/minus rating, suggesting that their defensive game is strongly lacking.

From NHL.com:

Daniel finished with a minus-four rating in the loss to the Preds on Saturday, the worst plus-minus rating he has ever had in a single game in his career - regular season or playoffs. Daniel has had minus-three ratings several times over the course of his career, including back in Game 4 of the opening round series versus Chicago, but has never fallen below that mark until Saturday.

Vancouver has managed to get by so far, largely thanks to Ryan Kesler who has thirteen points (five goals, eight assists) and is currently plus five in the first twelve playoff games, but the bottom line is that the Canucks need the Sedin twins sooner rather than later.

Nashville captain Shea Weber rocking an unbelievable playoff beard. Well done, well done.

Predator fans demolished a car painted with the Vancouver logo with a sledgehammer outside of Bridgestone Arena in an event known as "Nuck Knock Out." The crowd is clearly ready to go, and the atmosphere should be electric as they begin to make their way inside and take their seats.

Should be a fantastic game tonight...

Dwayne Roloson's Last Chance

2011 could be the last year for Dwayne Rolson's NHL career. Roloson will become an unrestricted free agent following the 2011 playoffs barring an offer from the Lightning. January 1, 2011 was the luckiest day of the year for the Lightning faithful. The struggling New York Islanders dealt away Roloson for 22 year old defenseman Ty Wishart. The trade was a classy move by the Islanders because it gave the 41 year old Roloson an opportunity to play for a dominant Tampa Bay squad. The Tampa Bay Lightning have dealt with goaltender woes since they last won the Stanley Cup with goaltender Nickolai Khabibulin. The addition of Roloson lifted the Lighting to the 5th overall seed heading into the playoffs. Roloson had a solid regular season with the Lighting boasting a .912 save percentage coupled with a 2.56 goals against average. Once in the playoffs, however, Roloson took his game to a whole new level. In the playoffs thus far, Roloson flaunts a .941 save percentage and a 2.01 goals against average. This dominant performance by Roloson was last seen in the 2006 NHL playoffs. Roloson lead the 8th seeded Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup finals taking down the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks in his path. In the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals Roloson suffered a third degree MCL sprain and would miss the remainder of the series. Roloson nearly won Edmonton a Stanley Cup, and looks determined to win won for Tampa Bay.

History Will Be Made.

Howard's 39 Save Performance Propels Wings

The first and second periods of this game were dominated by the goaltenders. Both Niemi and Howard made acrobatic and sprawling saves throughout the game; none better than Niemi's glove save in the first period. Niemi has a history of making sprawling glove saves, as last years save was turned into a "History Will Be Made" commercial. Despite Howard's remarkable first period performance, the Sharks managed to get one by him. Dan Boyle launched a wrist shot through the slot that found the stick of Devin Setoguchi, directing it past Howard. Early in the second, it would take Howard's best performance to keep the Wings in the game. 3:25 into the second period Howard showcased a flurry of saves while on a penalty kill. Detroit Red Wing's head coach, Mike Babcock, told the Detroit News, "Howie got us to the third period, our defense was good and our was goaltending was good, but we weren't competitive enough up front. Howie played real good and kept us in the game." When Detroit went down 3-1 a minute into the third on a finesse deke by Logan Couture, many thought the game and the series was over. Jimmy Howard, however, thought otherwise. Fully aware of his stellar play, the modest Howard said to the Detroit News, "I just wanted to not give up another one. If you give up another one, your season's over." Two minutes after the Couture goal, unlikely hero Jonathan Ericsson converted on a scramble in front of the San Jose goal. Although down by a goal and fighting for their playoff lives, the Red Wings only managed to put 6 shots on Niemi in the third. San Jose coach Todd McLellan told NHL.com, "I think you put yourself in a very dangerous position if you start getting back on your heels against that team, but I don't think that was the case tonight." 5:29 into the third period Kronwall snapped a shot that deflected off of Niemi and behind the net. Cleary managed to gather the puck behind the net and chip it past Niemi from an impossible angle. With some help from Jimmy Howard, the Red Wings managed to keep the score knotted through the third until 6:48 remained. Datsyuk danced through two San Jose defenders and while off balance managed to slip the puck to Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom let a bomb go from the point that was redirected by Thomas Holmstrom. The Red Wings did not look back and took game 5 by a score of 4-3. With the series at a tight score of 3-2, anything can happen. Look for Detroit to steal game 6 from the Sharks as there is no comparable home ice advantage in the National Hockey League to Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit @ San Jose: Game Five

First Intermission Update:

Things are looking good for the San Jose Sharks.  For a team that has struggled so far in the 2011 NHL playoffs with a -9 first period goal differential leading up to tonight's game, spirits must be high in the locker room right now with a 1-0 lead.  Antti Niemi has been standing on his head, and made one of the best saves I've seen in the playoffs so far.  The lone goal in the first came from Setoguchi's tip-in through the legs of Howard off of Boyle's shot from the point.  With a home ice advantage and a 1-0 lead, the Sharks are in a good position to put away the Red Wings and advance to the Conference Finals.  It will be interesting to see how things shape up in the next forty minutes of hockey.

Note:  Franzen and Datsyuk are both in Detroit's line-up despite speculation that they may be out due to injury.  Franzen exchanged slashing penalties with San Jose's Thorton at the end of the first period.

Second Intermission Update:

San Jose found a way to maintain a one goal lead over Detroit after the first period.  The Sharks went up by two goals thanks to Pavelski's two vs. one goal assisted by Clowe and Wellwood.  Kronwell's goal closed the gap to only only one goal with 3:35 left in the period just 53 seconds after Pavelski's goal.  The Sharks are dominating the game in general, evident by the fact that they are outshooting The Red Wings 31 to 15 after the completion of two periods.  If Howard doesn't get more help from his teammates in the third period, Detroit's season is going to come to an end in twenty minutes.

Post-game Update:

Howard got the help necessary in a very busy third period.  San Jose looked like they were going to pull away after Couture's early third period goal, but Detroit's not the kind of team to go down without putting up one hell of a fight.  Three unanswered goals from Ericsson, Cleary and Holmstrom gave Detroit the 4-3 win.  Datsyuk had three assists on the night as well as a few plays to remind everyone why he has the best hands in the league.  Detroit must be grateful he was in the line-up.  San Jose became the second team in two days to blow a game five opportunity to advance in front of  their own fans; Vancouver did it yesterday.

Howard commenting on his performance with his usual sense of humility:

Detroit Coach Mike Babcock:

Nashville Heading Home for Game Six

Going into game five the Nashville Predators knew they would return to Nashville later that night. It was undetermined, however, as to whether they would be heading toward the golf course or back to Bridgestone Arena. The Predators managed to defeat the Vancouver Canucks by a score of four to three. David Legwand opened the scoring with a shorthanded breakaway goal that squeaked through Luongo. It wouldn't take long until Vancouver evened the score when Jeff Hansen over powered a Vancouver defenseman and found Raffi Torres open on the backdoor. Ten minutes later, Kesler managed to chip a puck past a Nashville defender toward Raymond. This sent Raymond and Kesler in on a two on one. Raymond "toe-dragged" his defenseman and slid the puck over to Kesler, who tapped the puck in despite being tightly covered. Things would take a turn for the worse for the Canucks when Legwand accidentally flipped the puck over the back of the net, which hit Luongo and crossed the line. This was all Nashville needed to get going. The third period was dominated by Joel Ward, who had two on the night. Despite a late period goal by Ryan Kesler, the Predators would take game 5. Going into game 6, the Predators have all of the momentum. I feel that the David Legwand goal in the second period will prove to be the pivotal point in the series. Look for the Predators to take game 6 with energy and momentum going into game 7.

Game five video highlights: