Stars Ducks and Matt Cullen.

I watched most of the Stars and Ducks tonight after posting my game recap.

I noted that in the early games, there were four shutouts, including two 5-0 scores and two 2-0 scores. The Stars and Marty Turco made it a fifth shutout, and a third by the score of 5-0.

I would guess that this one of a few, or maybe the first time in history that there have been so many shutouts on the same night.

Unfortunately, Mike Modano was unable to get that elusive 1232nd point. Wednesday, the Stars will be in San Jose, and Modo will have another chance to become the most prolific American born player.

While the Ducks broadcasters were discussing the Modano milestone watch, they got to talking about American born players for the Ducks, which led them to a three minute discussion about Matt Cullen. He totaled 200 (65/135) points spread out over five and a half seasons for the Ducks, and is still very well liked on Orange County.
They gave high marks to Jim Rutherford for bringing Cullen back to Carolina, they commented on his very nice start to this season, and they said he was the best player on the ice in game 7 of the 2006 SCF.

And Ottawa makes 18

The Anaheim Ducks have won the Stanley Cup, and two Stanley Cup trends continue. An old one, and a new one.

Ottawa became the latest casualty in a list of 18 teams. Not because Daniel Alfredsson touched the Prince of Wales trophy. That probably didn't help their cause, as it pissed off the Hockey gods. No. It wasn't that transgression that cost the Sens the Cup. It wasn't anything that happened on or off the ice.

Before I proceed, I should be careful to say that Anaheim was outstanding, and they absolutely deserved to win the Cup. They were one of the best teams all season long, and they were phenomenal all throughout the playoffs, mowing down each opponent in five games.

That said, it wasn't the Ducks' supremacy that made Ottawa lose the Cup.

It was destiny. It was part of the hockey gods' joke that they've been playing since 1989. Starting that year with the Montréal Canadiens, there have now been 18 consecutive DIFFERENT Cup runners-up.

I've mentioned this a number of times before, and I used this phenomena to correctly predict this outcome before the Conference Finals even occurred.

Here are the 18 different consecutive runners-up

1. 1989 Montréal Canadiens
   
2. 1990 Boston Bruins
   
3. 1991 Minnesota NorthStars
   
4. 1992 Chicago Blackhawks
   
5. 1993 Los Angeles Kings
   
6. 1994 Vancouver Canucks
   
7. 1995 Detroit Red Wings
   
8. 1996 Florida Panthers
   
9. 1997 Philadelphia Flyers
   
10. 1998 Washington Capitals
    
11. 1999 Buffalo Sabres
    
12. 2000 Dallas Stars
    
13. 2001 New Jersey Devils
    
14. 2002 Carolina Hurricanes
    
15. 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
    
16. 2004 Calgary Flames
    2005 (no Cup)
    
17. 2006 Edmonton Oilers
    
18. 2007 Ottawa Senators

If you're smart, you'll also take note of the other fun game that the hockey gods are playing. It works like this: A Cup winner is determined by who was the runner-up four years previous.

Carolina was runner-up in 2002, and was the winner in 2006
Anaheim was runner-up in 2003 and was the winner in 2007
Cal-Gary was runner-up in 2004, and will be the winner in 2008. The game will either end there, or Cal-Gary will be allowed to repeat in 2009.
Edmonton was the runner-up in 2006, and will win the Cup in 2010.
Ottawa was runner-up this season, and will win in 2011.

Since Calgary is obviously going to win the Cup in '08, you should bet $20 now. Go ahead.

The runner-up (who will then become the 2012 winner can only be one of the following six Eastern Conference teams: Rangers, Penguins, Islanders, Thrashers, Lightning, Maple Leafs. My guess is that it'll be the Penguins.

Calgary, plan your 2008 parade route now. Calgary fans, start saving up for playoffs tickets. Gamblers, throw down a $20 or $50 bet right now. It's as safe as could be. Screw it. Bet a couple grand. It's a can't lose bet.

Pittsburgh fans, prepare yourselves for heartbreak.

Seriously, though, congrats go to the Ducks. Good for Teemu Selanne. Good for the Niedermayers. Chrissy Pronger can suck it, but good for the rest of the guys.

Earl Sleek and Christy Finn will see more traffic to their blogs today than they have ever seen. And they deserve it.

Last June 19, I had about quadruple my normal traffic after game seven.


Take care of the Cup, Ducks fans. We miss it already.

Ducks take commanding 3-1 lead

On Monday night, the Ducks defeated the Sens 3-2 to take a 3-1 Stanley Cup Finals lead. Game five will be Wednesday night afternoon in Anaheim. Like Carolina last year, the Ducks will have three chances to finish this thing, and potentially two of them will be at home.

I don't think it will go that far.

Ray Emery was not good tonight. He made one or two good saves, but he didn't look sharp. He didn't have to be in the first period, as the Ducks only mustered two shots on goal. The rest of the game, he looked shaky, even bad. Several times, he got help from the crossbar or the posts.

Anaheim played well despite having their best defenseman in the press box. Pronger will be back on Wednesday, and the home crowd will be fired up.

There is a good chance that Ottawa will be without the services of their captain on Wednesday. At the close of the second period, Daniel Alfredsson fired a shot directly at Scott Niedermayer, who was NOT between Alfie and the goal. It looked pretty deliberate, and the commentators seemed pretty disgusted by it.
The play went unpenalized, but it will be reviewed by the League, and I guess they'll issue a one game suspension.

This. Is. Over.

Even if the Sens can pull out a victory in Anaheim, AND force a game seven, I just don't think they're good enough. For the third straight season, the Cup will go to a team from a "non-traditional" market, a sunny and warm place.

Third round went swimmingly, on to the finals

After an embarrassing 0-4 performance in the second round of the playoffs, my predictions went 2-0 in the third round.

Cumulatively, I've gone 8-6. Not bad. Last year, picking the Canes to win, I went 9-6.

My pick for the Stanley Cup Champs is ..... Anaheim.

Make no mistake. I'm rooting for the Sens. I'm rooting for them in a big way.

Here's what my head has to say:

As I've said before, the Hockey gods are funny guys. They've got that long running joke with us that they want to continue. If the "joke" continues, it will make perfect sense for Ottawa to lose. They will become the 18th different team in a row to lose in the SCF. Anaheim has already lost, so they can't repeat or the joke ends.

In another way, the hockey gods might have another joke. A new joke. The way this new one works, is you win the Cup four years after you lose in the SCF.

Carolina lost in 2002, and won in 2006.
Anaheim lost in 2003, and has a very good shot to win in 2007.

If this turns out like this, 2008's champ will be Cal-Gary, who lost in 2004. Their opponent will be one of: Rangers, Islanders, Thrashers, Bolts, Penguins or Maple Leafs (any of whom would make it 19 straight different losers). My bet is that it will be Pittsburgh.

HOWEVER:

My heart says I should root for the Sens. And I will.

There are many reasons, but the primary one is that they need to win this for Elgin-Alexander.

Daniel Alfredsson wins game, guarantees Sens will lose Cup

On Saturday afternoon, the Senators eliminated the Sabres in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Sens will now wait for the Western Conference Final between the Wings and Ducks to conclude.

The city of Buffalo continues their Championship drought.

Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson scored the game winner 9:32 into the overtime period on a really nasty play. He came in the Sabres zone on a one-on-three situation, used Sabres defenseman Brian "Soupy" Campbell as a screen, and bistered one through Ryan Miller's five hole from the top of the left circle.

There was jubilation in the Canadian capital city.

For about 30 seconds.

The NHL folks quickly brought the Prince of Wales trophy out on the ice for presentation to Alfredsson. During the perfunctorily quick ceremony, Alfredsson committed the cardinal sin: He touched the Prince of Wales trophy.

Everyone knows you don't skate with, pick up, or even touch the Prince of Wales. You really don't even look at it. Ron Francis and the Carolina Hurricanes learned this the hard way in 2002. When they got their second chance in 2006, they made a point to not touch the POW. Of course, Detroit was by far the better team, but Carolina angered the hockey gods with the touching of the POW.

EDIT: -->In 2003, Asshole Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils skated with the Prince of Wales, and his team went on to win the Cup.

This Senators team looks unbeatable right now. Buffalo struggled with focus and effort in this series, but they played well today. Not well enough, though. I don't think anyone could have played well enough.

If the Red Wings advance out of the West, I will be rooting for Ottawa.
If the Ducks advance out of the West, I will be rooting for them.

Buffalo avoids sweep; Chris Pronger is made an example of (kind of).

On Wednesday night, the Senators had a chance to complete a sweep of hockey's best team, and they had that chance in front of their home crowd. Unlike the previous three games, Buffalo decided to show up, and they won the game 3-2.

At 8:06 of the second period, Chris Drury gave the Sabres a 3-0 lead. They had no way of knowing it at the time, but it turned out to be the game-winner.

I didn't see even one second of the game, and I didn't get to chat with any of my Buffalo friends, but I'm sure they're all happy. Just before game four, I saw one of my Buffalo peeps, and he had pretty much sent the white towel up the mast.

As fate would have it, the Sabres benefitted from a five-on-three situation, scoring their first power play goal of the series.

Will this give the Sabres life? Sure. They head back to Eerie Coutie with a chance to instill hope in their fans. Those fans, by the way, have scooped up every ticket to every game this season and of course during the playoffs. Something like 60 straight sellouts.

Do they have a chance to win the series? Probably not.

In the West, which I have had a very hard time caring about, Detroit dominated game three with a 5-0 shutout. Game four is tonight in Anaheim.
By now, we've all read about or seen the thing with Chris Pronger.
He and Rob Neidermeyer crushed Tomas Holmstrom into the boards, knocking him silly and opening a gash on his forehead. Neidermeyer was given the boot for boarding, and after reviewing the tape, Pronger was suspended one game for "a blow to the head".

As regular readers know, I support the institution of stiff penalties for blows to the head. I'm glad that the League decided to do something about it. I find it a bit odd, though, that they capriciously handed down this one game suspension. There is no provision in the rulebook, and no precedent in NHL play. Huzzah for taking a stand, but I have to say that it seems like they're changing the rules in the middle of the game.
Several times during the season, players threw very hard head-high checks, causing injury. Those players were often unpenalized, and when they were given supplementary discipline, it wasn't consistent.
Like I say, good for the League for deciding to do something about it. During the summer, I very much hope that they'll write some verbage in the rule book pertaining to blows to the head. At the very least, they should have some defined supplementary discipline. A yard stick, if you will. They should know that such behavior carries a two, three, five game mandatory suspension.
That brings me to my other gripe. If the League wants to be serious about punishing players for this type of hit, they need to be more firm in their punishment. A one game suspension during the playoffs is a big deal, but the League cannot allow that to be the precedent. It needs to be more severe.
As a guy who doesn't care about the Ducks, and a guy who actually has dislike for the Redwings, I can look at the tape with a slight bias against the Wings. However, that hit looks almost predatory in nature.

As you may remember, Canada's Shea Weber (Nashville) was suspended for three games during the IIHF World Championships for delivering a head-high check to Germany's Yannic Seidenberg. There is nothing set in stone (relating to supplementary discipline) there either, but they do have a stance against head-high hits.

Anyway, that Ducks-Wings series continues tonight in Anaheim. Detroit is up 2-1, and the Ducks will be without their best defenseman.

Sens lead 1-0, Wings/Ducks start tonight.

On Thursday night, the Senators took a 1-0 series lead over the Sabres with a 5-2 victory in Buffalo. They have, in effect, stolen the "home ice" advantage by winning game one on the road. If Buffalo should win game two (and I think they will), Ottawa will have three of the remaining five games in their building.

Due to a long-standing Thursday ritual, I didn't watch the game. This ritual has only been broken a few times. Namely, when the Hurricanes were in the playoffs last season and an occasional home game in the regular season this year.

From my conversations with my Sabres friends, I've gathered that the home team didn't play very well. Their special teams, which have been under criticism all playoff season, stunk. Apparently, their effort was lacking or completely absent in the closing stanza.

For a more qualified opinion on the matter, I highly recommend BFLOBLOG, as I always do. Mark has his detailed analysis here, and the always on-point Kevin has a very terse review here.

For Sens opinion, I suggest Hockey Will Tear Us Apart. As of the moment, "AQuietGirl" hasn't posted a game review, but she had some excellent series preview stuff.

Finally, here's the play of the game, Mike Fisher's shorthanded breakaway goal in the first period:



Wings and Ducks start tonight. I'll predict the Ducks in game one.

Also, the United States lost to Finland and was eliminated from IHWC play on Thursday. Meanwhile, Canada soldiers on.

Third round predictions

I have one foot out the door for work, so I have to make this quick. No shiny graphics, no elaborate analysis. I need to get my third round picks in, and if I get around to it, I'll detail them before Thursday's action begins.

After going a respectable 6-2 in the first round, I was a dreadful 0-4 in the second. I'm still at the break-even point, which isn't that bad.

Ottawa over Buffalo in seven games.
I think Buffalo's stagnant power play is going to become a problem. There's the potential for the bad blood between the teams to boil, but since it's the ECF, I think the players will cool it. Jason Spezza will be the star for the Sens, and Chris Drury will be Buffalo's best player.

The hockey gods' little joke has something to do with this pick. I really think, though, that the Sens will be too much for the very talented Sabres to handle.

Anaheim over Detroit in six. Teemu Selanne deserves this. Chris Pronger does not, but it's acceptable. My heart refuses to let my head say anything good about the Wings. The ducks are en fuego, anyway. They're too good.

Conference Finals set

On Monday night, Detroit finished off the Sharks, which finalizes the Conference Finals. In the West, Detroit will host Anaheim starting on Friday. In the East, Buffalo will host Ottawa starting on Thursday.

The hockey gods are funny guys, and because of their running joke, both the Sabres and the Senators were rooting for the Sharks to come back against the Wings. That didn't happen, and Ottawa is destined to be the next victim of this "joke".

To explain:

Since 1989, there have been 17 different losing teams in the Stanley Cup Final. No team has lost twice in that span. Of the four remaining teams, Ottawa is the only one not on that list. Detroit lost in the 1995 Finals against New Jersey. Anaheim lost in the 2003 Finals against New Jersey. Buffalo lost in the 1999 finals to Dallas. This incarnation of the Senators has never been to the Final. The original Senators won the Cup in 1927, and folded seven years later.

So, it looks like Ottawa will win the East and lose in the Final.

The complete list of those 17 different losers with winning team in parentheses:

1989 Montéal Canadiens (Calgary Flames)
1990 Boston Bruins (Edmonton Oilers)
1991 Minnesota North Stars (Pittsburgh Penguins)
1992 Chicago Blackhawks (Pittsburgh Penguins)
1993 Los Angeles Kings (Montréal Canadiens)
1994 Vancouver Canucks (New York Rangers)
1995 Detroit Red Wings (New Jersey Devils)
1996 Florida Panthers (Colorado Avalanche)
1997 Philadelphia Flyers (Detroit Red Wings)
1998 Washington Capitals (Detroit Red Wings)
1999 Buffalo Sabres (Dallas Stars)
2000 Dallas Stars* (New Jersey Devils)
2001 New Jersey Devils (Colorado Avalanche)
2002 Carolina Hurricanes (Detroit Red Wings)
2003 Anaheim Ducks (New Jersey Devils)
2004 Calgary Flames (Tampa Bay Lightning)
2005 -- No Cup
2006 Edmonton Oilers (Carolina Hurricanes)

* Although the Dallas Stars are technically the same franchise as the Minnesota North Stars, they are indeed different. In the late '70s the North Stars merged with the Cleveland Barons(nee California Golden Seals), and at some point in the early 90's the team tried to move to San Fransisco. This didn't work, the Gunds sold the NorthStars, and the San Jose Sharks were granted to the previous owners of the NorthStars. The team eventually moved to Dallas and is under different ownership. The North Stars have more of a "real" connection with the San Jose Sharks than they do with the Dallas Stars.

So anyway, the Sabres won't be making it to the Final this year. In order for the joke to continue, Ottawa has to go, and they have to lose.

Don't blame me. Blame the Hockey gods.

Ducks advance

Last night, in double overtime, the Ducks defeated the Canucks, 2-1. They have taken the series 4-1 and will advance to the Western Conference Final. Hopefully against San Jose.

Condolences to Alanah and J.J..

I'd been growing my beard again. Partly out of a desire to support the Canucks, and partly as an attempt to be in good favor with a young lady who prefers the beard to the clean shave. I was about to cross the line from "sexy bearded man to goddamned hippy" (thanks, Sacamano). I was beginning to look, as I quipped last May, like an "out of work lumberjack". Today, I trimmed it way back. I still have some facial hair, which pleases the young lady, and I don't feel like a miscreant.

So the Ducks are on to the round of four. Congrats go out to Finny.

Tonight, there's a huge matchup in Buffalo. The winner tonight will have two chances to finish off their opponent.

If Buffalo wants to win, they'll have to get their power play working.
If the Rangers want to win, they'll have to keep doing what they're doing, but find a way to score more than two goals.

Sabres, Ducks take early lead

On Wednesday night, both the Sabres and the Mighty Ducks crushed their opponent and took 1-0 series leads. Buffalo trounced the Rangers 5-2 while Anaheim whipped the Canucks 5-1. Each team won on their home ice.

The Rangers' game plan was to irritate and frustrate the Sabres and cause them to take penalties. However, it was the Rangers who had discipline issues. They took more penalties than did the Sabres and they failed to convert a full two minutes of five-on-three.

The Blueshirts will have to be more focused if they want to have any chance in this series.

In the second period, the Rangers lost defenseman Michal Rozsival to a leg injury. He didn't return. As is typical in the playoffs, no details about the nature of the injury are available. He's listed as "day-to-day". During the regular season, Rozsival led Rangers defensemen with 40 (10/30) points. He had totaled three (2/1) points in the Rangers four game sweep of the Thrashers and was third in the league with a +/- rating of +5. This will be very bad news for the Rangers if he is unable to return.

In the West, it was just about the same story. The Nucks had discipline issues and couldn't take care of their own scoring chances. Although the Canucks struck first blood, they were unable to do any damage. Andy McDonald netted a hat trick for the Ducks in what turned out to be a very one-sided game. Vancouver is going to have to make some big adjustments. This isn't Dallas anymore, and the high-flying Ducks won't let you beat them with just two goals.

Tonight, the Wings host the Sharks and the Devils host the Sens. I think the Detroit-San Jose series should be very good. The New Jersey-Ottawa series will be extremely physical, but I think it will be all about Marty Brodeur. I don't think the Devils will have much trouble.

Nucks grab last spot

On Monday night, the Vancouver Canucks, wearing their third sweater, finally finished off the Dallas Stars 4-1. There were two empty net goals, so it wasn't the blowout that the score might suggest. Finally, the playoff picture for the second round is complete.


In the first round, I correctly predicted six series winners and missed two. Last year I correctly picked only three in the first round. For comparison, Maggie the Monkey correctly picked four in this season's first round. I'm half again as smart as a monkey!

I hope that I'll take a close look at each series, but for now, I'll just cut to the chase and make my second round predictions.

So without further ado, after re-seeding:








I agonised over the Sabres-Rangers series. For the reason that there are about 7 former WhalerCanes on the Rangers roster, I have to pull for them. As long as Ryan Miller stays healthy and effective, this should be a great series that will go the distance. The only problem with rooting for the Rags, though, is that Jaro Jagr comes with that territory.

Nucks-Ducks and Sabres-Rags will start on Wednesday while Devils-Sens and Wings-Sharks will begin Thursday.

more teams advance

I haven't been able to keep up with the playoffs as well as I had hoped. Being in a wedding last weekend, then working a lot this week, then opting for the company of a woman over the Pens-Sens game the other night. A lot has happened on and off the ice.

In off-ice matters, former Hurricane Sean Hill has been suspended by the NHL 20 games for substance abuse. The 37 year old defenseman is the first player to be suspended under the League's new substance abuse policy. Although few details are available, the "substance" is alleged to be a performance-enhancing agent. Hill and the Islanders learned of the suspension just hours before game 5 of their series with the Sabres. He did not travel with the team. The suspension will begin next season, assuming Hill is in the NHL next season. He is scheduled to be an UFA in July.
Although we don't know the details, Isles GM Garth Snow was quick to throw Hill under the bus. He spoke to the media for 30 seconds on the matter, and the meat of it was:

''The New York Islanders do not support the use of performance-enhancing agents in any form,''

Funny. Sean Hill gets busted using a yet-to-be-announced "performance enhancing" drug. It could very well turn out to be Propecia. Anyway, he gets busted, the League hits him with a big suspension, and the Isles say, essentially "He got what he deserved" and made no effort to come to the defense of its player. After the Chris Simon incident, the club was quick to say that it supported its player and made a mountain of excuses for his appallingly violent act. I don't understand this.

Anyway...

In on-ice matters, five teams have advanced.

The Rangers made quick work of the Thrashers. I predicted the Rags in 6. They only needed 4.

The Sabres finished off the Hill-less Islanders on Friday night. I predicted the Sabres in 7, but they did it in 5.

On Thursday, the Senators got through by completing their dominance of the Penguins. I picked the Penguins in 7, and was way off the mark. Sens won in 5.

Also on Thursday, the Ducks eliminated the Wild. Again, I was way off the mark with that one. I predicted the Wild in 6. In actuality, it was the Ducks in 5.

On Friday, the Sharks advanced by beating the Preds. I thought it would take 6 games, but it only took 5.

Vancouver could advance with a road win tonight against Dallas.

So far, I am 3-2 in my predictions. Maggie the Monkey is a dreadful 1-4.

Unless the Lightning make a startling comeback in their series with New Jersey, the Sabres will play the Rangers in round two.

not about hockey

Sometimes, I have to remind myself that the sport we all love is "just a game". Even in the playoffs, hockey is still "just a game". In the wake of the horrific events that unfolded in Blacksburg, Virginia yesterday, this is one of those times.

I did not go to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. I have never even been to Blacksburg. I don't have any friends presently there. I have some friends who went there in the '90s, and some second-degree friends who presently go there. They're all fine. As a human being, though, this is a very dark day. I watched a bit of the convocation ceremony on television this afternoon, and the looks on the faces of those kids was unbearable.

We, here at RBH wish to express our condolences to the family and friends of the victims, and to anyone close to the matter. Today, we're all Hokies.

Side note #1. It's really unfortunate that this son of a bitch turned the gun on himself. After killing 32 people execution-style, self-inflicted death is not enough of a punishment.

Side note #2. One of the victims was a holocaust survivor.

While it is true that hockey is "just a game", one of the reasons we care about hockey, or sports in general is that it gives is an escape from the real world. Though are hearts may be heavy, we can still enjoy the game. We may even forget, for a second, why our hearts are heavy.

Tonight, there's a full slate of games.

The Rangers will try to go up 3-0 on the Thrashers with the first of two games in MSG. We think they will take that 3-0 lead

Pittsburgh will try to level the series score at 2 with a home game against the Senators. They will.

Dallas will try to level the series score at 2 with a home game against Vancouver. They won't.

The Wild will try to stave off elimination with a home game against the Ducks. They will.

Finally, the Flames will try to get their act together with a home game against the Red Wings, against whom they are down 2-0. They will.

Canes defeat Ducks 4-2

Carolina played a very solid game on Friday following the frustrating loss to Buffalo on Thursday. The result was a 4-2 win over the Ducks. They were injury riddled, but the Canes will offer no sympathy in that department, as they are also depleted. What follows is the period-by-period updates done during intermissions. It'll take the place of my usual game recap. I left the comments (I was the only one playing along) in.

FIRST PERIOD:
The Canes tested Wall early and often. He answered the bell a couple of times in the first minute, and looked much better than his inexperience would suggest.

--7:42 Ray Whitney scores on a beautiful one-timer from Justin Williams. Avi Tanabe got the second assist. Tanabe (playing for the first time in weeks) started at the right point, worked his way across the ice, then dropped it back to Viva. He made a perfect tape-to-tape pass to The Wizard, who blasted the one-timer past Wall on the stick side.

Formally speaking, it was a power play goal at 7:42 of the first. Whitney from Williams and Tanabe.

Moments later, Carolina was on another power play and had a couple of great chances denied by Wall. In particular a really nice one on Scott Walker.

Late in the first, Carolina had another great chance turned aside by the rookie. Cory Stillman had a great breakaway chance that Wall made a really nice glove save on.

After 20 minutes, I like the way things look. Carolina will have to avoid the second period lull that has plagued them lately, and they will need to continue to play well on the kill.

A BUSY SECOND PERIOD:
Just :41 into the second, Teemu Selanne unleashed a howitzer from the high slot that beat Ward badly on the glove side. Ward didn't have a chance on the play. Scott Niedermayer and Mike Wall got the assists.

At 3:22, Selanne struck again. During a Ducks power play, he slapped one in from the left circle, beating Ward stick side. Chris Pronger and Andy McDonald got the assists.

At this point, it looked like Carolina might have been slipping, hitting the "lull". Fortunately, they were able to right the ship quickly.

Rod Brind'Amour evened the score at the 4:31 mark on a power play marker. Ray Whitney made a really nifty move to work his way through traffic in the high slot, then wristed a shot that was ever so slightly deflected by Brind'Amour. I thought it was Whitney's goal, but the replays got a good look at the deflection. Avi Tanabe got the second helper.

At 6:57, Viva put the Canes in front with his 19th goal of the season. He let one go from the inside hash marks of the left circle. Brind'Amour and Whitney got the helpers.

So far, the Wizard has three points while Viva, Brind'Amour, and Avi each have two.

I'd still like to get Cole involved, but so far, so good.

THIRD PERIOD
A quick period. The only goal was an empty netter at 19:30 by Erik Cole. Chris Pronger was gone for a double minor high sticking, and Wall was gone for the extra attacker. Carolina managed to work the puck to center ice, but missed two shots from that distance. After the second, Cory Stillman raced down to battle for the puck. An attempted clear by the Ducks went right to Colesy high in the slot. He wristed it in with authority from there to seal the deal.

Officially, the last goal was unassisted, and was a power play goal into an empty net.

Carolina has done something that only five teams had done thus far: beat the Ducks in regulation.

Unfortunately it came at a cost: Nic Wallin had to leave the game with an "upper body concern". Now we have THREE of our top six defensemen out. Tonight, Carolina had seven defensemen dressed, so it was okay, and they'll be able to dress Keith Aucoin (scratched tonight) as the twelfth forward on Sunday night. Nothing catastrophic.

The "official" three stars of the game were Viva (third), Ray Whitney (second) and the Captain (first). This was a perfunctory gesture on "Rod Brind'Amour night" (celebrating his reaching 1,000 career points), but he was still one of the best players on the ice. As homerish as I love to be, I can't quite play it that way. There's no way to ignore the performance of Teemu Selanne, who, by the way, has 1088 points in 999 career games (counting tonight).

The RBH three stars:

Third Star: Justin Williams, CAR. GWG on 1 shot, assist, GWG, 24:02 TOI
Second Star: Teemu Selanne, ANA. 2 goals on 2 shots
First Star: Ray Whitney, CAR. 1 goal on 1 shot, 2 assists.

Carolina's power play should actually be named the game's first star. They converted three of their six chances, and in reality, it should be more like three of five. Cole scored on the front end of the double minor to Pronger, and the back end still had 1:30 remaining when time expired.

Honorary mention goes to David Tanabe, whom I have given a really hard time. He had a great game both ways, picking up two assists on the night.

At times, Carolina looked the way they did in June. Their passing was crisp, their d-men were really stepping up, they were getting to loose pucks. All of that. They deserved this huge win.

On New Year's Eve, Carolina will play host to the floundering Flyers with the traditional Dec 31 start time of 8:00 pm eastern.

Canes face Ducks

On Friday night, the best team in the West is in Raleigh to face Carolina. Anaheim has only lost five games in regulation this season, and is off to the best start in franchise history. In fact, they're off to one of the best starts in the history of the NHL.

Tonight, though, the Ducks will have to be better than the best. With Ilya Bryzgalov AND J-S Giguere both out with groin injuries, the likely starter in the net is Mike Wall. He's only started one game at the NHL level, defeating Calgary 5-3 on November 26. He came in in relief of Giggy on Tuesday, and didn't allow anything as the Ducks squeaked by the Sharks 4-3.

Even at the AHL level, Wall doesn't have much experience. He appeared in 11 games for the Portland Pirates last season with a 5-5 record and a 3.38 GAA.

Of course the Ducks have an outstanding defense, and they will need to step up to protect their rookie keeper, who may be suspect between the pipes.

Unable to score a ticket, I'll have to watch this one from home.

Before the game, there'll be a ceremony honoring the Captain Rod Brind'Amour, who scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season. In doing so, he joined a class of only 71 players.

Also, FSN South color commentator Tripp Tracy will be doing his job from an on-ice perspective. I'm assuming he'll be lodged between the two benches, and hopefully we'll get some on-ice interviews during the game. That should be fun in itself.

I hate that I'll miss this. Both for the historic night, honoring Brindy, and for the opportunity to see the best team in hockey.

Hopefully Justin Williams and Erik Cole will have big nights. Eric Staal has been ice cold lately and really needs to bring it. He won't, though.

Sadly, I have to predict that the visitors will win. The Canes are tired, frustrated and injured. The Ducks are injured but rested. I'll say 5-3 Ducks. I'll predict that Teemu Selanne will be the best player. Of course I HOPE I'm wrong.

For Ducks-centric view on tonight's matchup, visit Girl with a Puck.

Same as last night, I'll open a comment thread and I'll post an almost liveblog during teevee timeouts.

Andrew Ladd and Kevyn Adams are both back on the ice for practice, but neither will be able to re-join the team. Frantisek Kaberle is getting closer to a return, Tim Gleason won't be back till late January, and I'd just as soon never see "Avi" Tanabe again. Two star defensemen and two forwards out for us.

For the Ducks, Giguere and Bryzgalev are both out. Defenseman Francois Beauchemin is out with a busted spleen. Also, defenseman Sean O'Donnell is out with a cut foot. Todd Merchant has some abdominal issue which has him sidelined as well. Two goalies a star defenseman and two other players out for them.

Yesterday, the Ducks made a deal with the Blackhawks which brought them Pens castoff goaltender Sebastien Caron and some spare parts. They gave up former Cane Bruno St. Jacques. All involved parties will report to their new team at the AHL level.

Puck drop shortly after the 7:00 Brind'Amour ceremony.

Canes to face huge test

Tonight the Canes will take their five game win streak to the HSBC Arena to face the East's best team. BFLOBLOG and Sabre Rattling has all the views from Western New York. Yeah, I know Tom's not in WNY, but still...

As if that wasn't bad enough, they'll have to travel and have about 16 hours to prepare for the West's best team. Finny from Girl with a Puck will have all the Ducks coverage on that one. Unfortunately, I won't be in the arena for that one. It's not in my ticket package, and I can't find anyone who has an extra or will just give me a ticket.

Buckle up. These next two should be good.