On Thursday, the Penguins failed to complete the sweep of Philly. After an explosive three-goal first period, the Flyers were able to hold on, win the game 4-2 and live for at least one more day.
I predicted a seven game series, but after the Penguins took a 3-0 lead, I thought there would be a sweep. The Flyers, who had played without verve for the first three games, came flying (sorry) out of the gates. Although Jordan Staal and the Penguins had a late surge, they couldn't quite make up the difference.
The Series will shift back to Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, in the AHL, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton "Baby Penguins" lost their game to the Portland Pirates (Ducks). That Eastern Conference final series is knotted at one game apiece. There isn't any standard for series set-ups in the AHL. Some series go 1-2-2-2; some go 2-3-2; most go 2-2-1-1-1. This one happens to go 2-3-2, meaning the next three games are in Portland.
Detroit also failed to complete their sweep of Dallas on Wednesday, and that series will shift back to Detroit on Saturday.
In IIHF action, the two semi-final games are today. Russia will take on Finland, and Sweden will play Canada. Good luck to the Canes players in IIHF play. Tuomo Ruutu for Finland; Nic Wallin for Sweden; Cam Ward and Eric Staal for Canada.
Showing posts with label Flyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flyers. Show all posts
Friday, May 16, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
Conference finals set
The second round of playoff games are over, and we're down to just four teams remaining.
In the first round, I correctly picked half of the series winners, while Maggie the Monkey was good on five and wrong on three. In the second round, I again got half of them right, and Maggie got just one. For the third year in a row, after 12 playoff series, I'm tied with a monkey in my prognosticating skills.
This round, I correctly predicted that the Pens would beat the Rangers, but I guessed that the Habs would beat the Flyers. Out west, I missed badly when I said that the Sharks would beat the Stars, but I was good in picking the Red Wings to advance. Maggie only correctly picked the Wings.
Here are my picks for the conference finals, followed by some brief analysis:
The Eastern Conference final promises to be excellent. The two teams, separated by 300 miles of Interstate 76, don't like each other one bit. The Flyers won five of the eight regular season games between the teams. They have met in the playoffs thrice before, and the Flyers have won all three series. Most recently, in 2000, the Flyers beat the Pens 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
For the Penguins, they've been getting it done with a balanced offensive attack and a very stingy defense. M-A Fleury has allowed just 16 goals in nine games, and the penalty killers have killed 34 of 38 manpower disadvantages.
The Flyers have been getting it done with some spectacular goaltending by Marty Biron. Save a couple of stumbling blocks, he's been very solid. He's certainly been challenged way more than Fleury has. Biron has faced 395 shots at an average of 32.9 per game. The next guy on that list, Evgeni Nabokov, faced 333 shots at an average of 25.6 per game. Fleury, for comparison's sake, has faced a total of 256 shots at an average of 28.4 per game.
They've also been getting it done by "Mr. Playoffs" Danny Briere, who stumbled in the regular season but has 14 (8/6) points in 12 playoff games. Also, RJ Umberger, who had 50 points in the regular season, has 11 (9/2) in the playoffs.
The Penguins have three guys with 10 or more playoff points. Evgeni Malkin has 14 (6/8). Sidney Crosby has 14 (2/12) and Maid Marian Hossa has 10 (5/5).
By contrast, the Flyers (who have played three more games), have four guys with 10 or more. Briere leads the Flyers with 14. Umberger has the aforementioned 11. Vaclav Prospal (whom I refuse to call "Vinny") has 12 (3/9) and Mike Richards has 11 (4/7).
After cruising through the first two rounds, this will be a challenge for the Penguins. The Flyers are a more physical, more motivated group than the Pens have seen thus far. I fully expect this one to go the distance, with lots of road games won and lots of overtime. And some spectacular goaltending. Oh, and probably some fighting.
Out west, I haven't been folowing as closely, but I don't think the Stars can put up much of a fight against the Red Wings juggernaut. The Stars have been playing some low-scoring games, and that won't cut it against the Red Wings. The Wings have been averaging 3.8 goals for per game, while the Stars have only been managing 2.9. In the six game series against the Sharks, they scored just 15 times for an average of 2.5.
The Red Wings have been on fire, thanks largely to the outstanding play of Johan "The Mule" Franzen, who leads all players with 11 goals. To that, he has added 3 assists, for a total of 14 points. Henrik Zetterberg (7/6) and Pavel Datsyuk (5/8) have 13 points apiece.
Detroit won the season series 3-1. Including the Minnesota North Stars days, the Wings and Stars have met three times in the playoffs, and the Wings have won all three series. Most recently, the Wings won 4-2 in the 1998 Western Conference final.
The Stars, like the Flyers, have four players with 10 or more points. In 12 games played, Mike Ribeiro has 14 (3/11). Brendan Morrow (7/4) and Brad Richards (2/9) each have 11, and Mike Modano has 10 (4/6)
While Marty Turco has been good, I think it will come down to the even better goaltending of Chris Osgood and a superior Wings team dictating the flow.
I think the Red Wings will have a pretty easy time of this, with the Stars winning their lone win at home.
So far as I can tell, Maggie hasn't made her picks yet, but we have a few days off before the series start. The West will begin on Thursday and the East will start on Friday.
In the first round, I correctly picked half of the series winners, while Maggie the Monkey was good on five and wrong on three. In the second round, I again got half of them right, and Maggie got just one. For the third year in a row, after 12 playoff series, I'm tied with a monkey in my prognosticating skills.
This round, I correctly predicted that the Pens would beat the Rangers, but I guessed that the Habs would beat the Flyers. Out west, I missed badly when I said that the Sharks would beat the Stars, but I was good in picking the Red Wings to advance. Maggie only correctly picked the Wings.
Here are my picks for the conference finals, followed by some brief analysis:
The Eastern Conference final promises to be excellent. The two teams, separated by 300 miles of Interstate 76, don't like each other one bit. The Flyers won five of the eight regular season games between the teams. They have met in the playoffs thrice before, and the Flyers have won all three series. Most recently, in 2000, the Flyers beat the Pens 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
For the Penguins, they've been getting it done with a balanced offensive attack and a very stingy defense. M-A Fleury has allowed just 16 goals in nine games, and the penalty killers have killed 34 of 38 manpower disadvantages.
The Flyers have been getting it done with some spectacular goaltending by Marty Biron. Save a couple of stumbling blocks, he's been very solid. He's certainly been challenged way more than Fleury has. Biron has faced 395 shots at an average of 32.9 per game. The next guy on that list, Evgeni Nabokov, faced 333 shots at an average of 25.6 per game. Fleury, for comparison's sake, has faced a total of 256 shots at an average of 28.4 per game.
They've also been getting it done by "Mr. Playoffs" Danny Briere, who stumbled in the regular season but has 14 (8/6) points in 12 playoff games. Also, RJ Umberger, who had 50 points in the regular season, has 11 (9/2) in the playoffs.
The Penguins have three guys with 10 or more playoff points. Evgeni Malkin has 14 (6/8). Sidney Crosby has 14 (2/12) and Maid Marian Hossa has 10 (5/5).
By contrast, the Flyers (who have played three more games), have four guys with 10 or more. Briere leads the Flyers with 14. Umberger has the aforementioned 11. Vaclav Prospal (whom I refuse to call "Vinny") has 12 (3/9) and Mike Richards has 11 (4/7).
After cruising through the first two rounds, this will be a challenge for the Penguins. The Flyers are a more physical, more motivated group than the Pens have seen thus far. I fully expect this one to go the distance, with lots of road games won and lots of overtime. And some spectacular goaltending. Oh, and probably some fighting.
Out west, I haven't been folowing as closely, but I don't think the Stars can put up much of a fight against the Red Wings juggernaut. The Stars have been playing some low-scoring games, and that won't cut it against the Red Wings. The Wings have been averaging 3.8 goals for per game, while the Stars have only been managing 2.9. In the six game series against the Sharks, they scored just 15 times for an average of 2.5.
The Red Wings have been on fire, thanks largely to the outstanding play of Johan "The Mule" Franzen, who leads all players with 11 goals. To that, he has added 3 assists, for a total of 14 points. Henrik Zetterberg (7/6) and Pavel Datsyuk (5/8) have 13 points apiece.
Detroit won the season series 3-1. Including the Minnesota North Stars days, the Wings and Stars have met three times in the playoffs, and the Wings have won all three series. Most recently, the Wings won 4-2 in the 1998 Western Conference final.
The Stars, like the Flyers, have four players with 10 or more points. In 12 games played, Mike Ribeiro has 14 (3/11). Brendan Morrow (7/4) and Brad Richards (2/9) each have 11, and Mike Modano has 10 (4/6)
While Marty Turco has been good, I think it will come down to the even better goaltending of Chris Osgood and a superior Wings team dictating the flow.
I think the Red Wings will have a pretty easy time of this, with the Stars winning their lone win at home.
So far as I can tell, Maggie hasn't made her picks yet, but we have a few days off before the series start. The West will begin on Thursday and the East will start on Friday.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Flyers end Caps' dreams
On Tuesday night, the Flyers defeated the Capitals 3-2 in overtime of game seven of their playoff series. The Caps had staved off elimination twice, but weren't able to win on home ice.
As a die-hard fan of the Hurricanes, it may be unfashionable to root against a fellow SE team, but I loathe the Capitals. It brought me great joy to see Joffrey Lupul pot the game winner 6:06 into the bonus frame. Actually, I was literally jumping for joy. Earlier in the night, I had been doing the same when former Hurricane Sami Kapanen gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead, but Alexander Ovechkin came through with a clutch goal. Naturally, he followed that goal with a ridiculously exaggerated celebration. Thankfully, I won't have to see that again until October.
So the eastern conference semi-finals are set. Montréal(1) will host Philadelphia (6) while Pittsburgh (2) will host Rangers (5).
Meanwhile, the rout is on in San Jose. They're in the midst of destroying Calgary.
Interestingly, the matchups in the West will be the same as in the East. Detroit (1) will be hosting Colorado (6), while San Jose (2) will host Dallas (5).
As a die-hard fan of the Hurricanes, it may be unfashionable to root against a fellow SE team, but I loathe the Capitals. It brought me great joy to see Joffrey Lupul pot the game winner 6:06 into the bonus frame. Actually, I was literally jumping for joy. Earlier in the night, I had been doing the same when former Hurricane Sami Kapanen gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead, but Alexander Ovechkin came through with a clutch goal. Naturally, he followed that goal with a ridiculously exaggerated celebration. Thankfully, I won't have to see that again until October.
So the eastern conference semi-finals are set. Montréal(1) will host Philadelphia (6) while Pittsburgh (2) will host Rangers (5).
Meanwhile, the rout is on in San Jose. They're in the midst of destroying Calgary.
Interestingly, the matchups in the West will be the same as in the East. Detroit (1) will be hosting Colorado (6), while San Jose (2) will host Dallas (5).
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Caps hold serve; down to one
On Thursday, the Capitals refused to die. They won their sixth straight game and forced the Southeast title to swing on the last games of the season for Carolina and for Washington.
Carolina will have a chance to end it on their own terms with a regulation or overtime win against Florida at the RBC Center on Friday. Failing that, Carolina will hope that one of two things happens.
Plan B will be for the Capitals to lose in regulation to the Kitties on Saturday. That way, Carolina will still win the Southeast and will have the #3 seed.
Plan C will be for the Flyers to lose both of their remaining games (New Jersey on Friday and Pittsburgh on Sunday), with at least one of those losses in regulation. That way, Carolina will have the #8 seed in the East.
Obviously, they'd prefer to do it by themselves.
Go Canes!
Carolina will have a chance to end it on their own terms with a regulation or overtime win against Florida at the RBC Center on Friday. Failing that, Carolina will hope that one of two things happens.
Plan B will be for the Capitals to lose in regulation to the Kitties on Saturday. That way, Carolina will still win the Southeast and will have the #3 seed.
Plan C will be for the Flyers to lose both of their remaining games (New Jersey on Friday and Pittsburgh on Sunday), with at least one of those losses in regulation. That way, Carolina will have the #8 seed in the East.
Obviously, they'd prefer to do it by themselves.
Go Canes!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Steve Downie at it again
What will become of this latest misdeed by Steve Downie? On Saturday, early in the third period, the Flyers were leading the Leafs 2-0. A tussle was about to develop, but the linesmen separated and restrained Steve Downie and Jason Blake. Downie went ahead and punched Blake anyway, leaving a huge welt under his left eye.
Of course you remember that Steve Downie was the first of five Flyers this season to receive supplemental discipline from the league. He was suspended for 20 games during the preseason for his vicious hit on Dean McAmmond of the Senators.
After four other Flyers had committed transgressions, the league essentially told them to mind their Ps and Qs for the rest of the season. They were told that from here on in, they would be under close watch and that the coaches, general manager and the organ-eye-zation itself would be punished if they crossed the line again.
Is this "crossing the line"? Sure. One linesman had Jason Blake restrained. The other did a very sloppy job of trying to restrain Downie, and the waste of space threw what can only be construed as a sucker punch at Blake.
A week and a half ago, Sean Avery of the Rangers did a very similar thing to Andrew Ladd of the Canes. Ladd now has a broken orbital bone. Specifically, if you're scoring along at home, it was the zygomatic bone.
I was under the impression that there was an automatic one game suspension for such a thing, but Avery was given none.
Colin Campbell has made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to see any more monkey business from the Flyers.
Under other circumstances, this would be looked at by the league and there would be a maximum of one game suspension. However, this might be different. Given that it was this particular player on this particular team, we might see something more severe. This player has already shown a propensity for reckless play. The team has been warned about patterns.
I'm usually wrong about these things, but I'll guess that Downie will get a three game suspension by the league and that the team will give him a one-way ticket across the parking lot to the Phantoms facility. I'm guessing that nothing will happen to John Stevens or Paul Holmgren, but that Colin Campbell and Gary Bettman will say something like: "We warned you about reckless play from your players, and one of them has done it again. We're not happy about it, but we can't hold you responsible for the actions of one player. However, we're totally not kidding. Next time, we'll make you sit in the corner for five minutes."
We'll probably find out sometime late Monday or early Tuesday.
What do you think will happen?
Of course you remember that Steve Downie was the first of five Flyers this season to receive supplemental discipline from the league. He was suspended for 20 games during the preseason for his vicious hit on Dean McAmmond of the Senators.
After four other Flyers had committed transgressions, the league essentially told them to mind their Ps and Qs for the rest of the season. They were told that from here on in, they would be under close watch and that the coaches, general manager and the organ-eye-zation itself would be punished if they crossed the line again.
Is this "crossing the line"? Sure. One linesman had Jason Blake restrained. The other did a very sloppy job of trying to restrain Downie, and the waste of space threw what can only be construed as a sucker punch at Blake.
A week and a half ago, Sean Avery of the Rangers did a very similar thing to Andrew Ladd of the Canes. Ladd now has a broken orbital bone. Specifically, if you're scoring along at home, it was the zygomatic bone.
I was under the impression that there was an automatic one game suspension for such a thing, but Avery was given none.
Colin Campbell has made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to see any more monkey business from the Flyers.
Under other circumstances, this would be looked at by the league and there would be a maximum of one game suspension. However, this might be different. Given that it was this particular player on this particular team, we might see something more severe. This player has already shown a propensity for reckless play. The team has been warned about patterns.
I'm usually wrong about these things, but I'll guess that Downie will get a three game suspension by the league and that the team will give him a one-way ticket across the parking lot to the Phantoms facility. I'm guessing that nothing will happen to John Stevens or Paul Holmgren, but that Colin Campbell and Gary Bettman will say something like: "We warned you about reckless play from your players, and one of them has done it again. We're not happy about it, but we can't hold you responsible for the actions of one player. However, we're totally not kidding. Next time, we'll make you sit in the corner for five minutes."
We'll probably find out sometime late Monday or early Tuesday.
What do you think will happen?
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Hurricanes top Flyers in shootout; Stillman to miss a week.
On Saturday, the Hurricanes went to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, attempting to avoid a season series sweep by the Flyers. Dating back to last season, the Flyers had won four matches in a row. Carolina eked out a 6-5 win with Rod Brind'Amour getting the "winner" in the shootout.
I was helping a friend load up a moving truck all day long, then went to dinner, so I was only able to watch the first period. I set the dvr to record the rest, but I used the automatic setting rather than manually adding 20 minutes like I usually do. The result was that I didn't get to see the last five minutes of regulation, the overtime period or the shootout. Thank goodness NHL.com does a good job with the highlights.
At 9:33 of the first, Joffrey Lupul converted a breakaway chance to put the Flyers up 1-0. The unassisted goal was Lupul's tenth of the season.
Defenseman Nic Wallin converted the rebound of an Erik Cole shot into a goal for the Canes at 13:49. Cole's hard slapper from the right circle bounced out to Wallin in the slot, and he shot it into a wide open net for his first goal of the season.
At 15:21, it looked like Wallin had made it 2-1 with a wrist shot from the left point. However, closer inspection showed that Scott Walker re-directed the shot from the slot. It was Walker's third goal of the season, and Wallin had the only helper.
Carolina took a 3-1 lead at 2:17 of the second. It was one of many bizarro goals on the night. The puck was clearly in the net, but the on-ice call was no goal because it was played with a high stick. Initially, the referee was saying that Cullen (the eventual goal scorer) had his stick above the height of the crossbar when he deflected it in. When they reviewed it, they found that the puck caromed off Cullen's body after having bounced off a Flyer's stick. The initial shot by Tim Gleason from the blue line was deflected with a questionably high stick by Craig Adams. Then off a Flyers' stick (which negates the played with a high stick). Then it bounced off of Cullen's torso (or maybe the shaft of his stick). Something about the Philly player made everything else irrelevant. Ultimately, Cullen was given credit for the goal. Gleason and CrAdams had the assists.
Just when it looked like it might be a runaway, the crazy goals kept coming. And they were coming from both sides.
Scott Hartnell scored a power play goal at 5:28 to bring the home team within one goal. Johnny Crackers made a good stop on a Hartnell shot from close range, and he was trying to freeze the puck. However, the puck was loose just inches from the goal line with just a tiny gap between Grahame's body and the left post. The referee was in perfect position to see that the puck wasn't frozen, and Hartnell kept whacking at it until he got it to cross the line. Jeff Carter and Braydon Coburn got the assists.
At 7:32, Lupul scored his second tally of the night on another goal that was initially ruled "no goal". RJ Umberger came in on a breakaway and Crackers made a stop on him. The rebound went out to Lupul in the left circle. By this point, Grahame was out of position, and Carolina defensemen Tim Gleason dove into the net with his left leg on top of the goal line, running parallel with it. Lupul's shot struck Gleason's leg and bounced out. Play continued. At the next stoppage of play, they took a closer look at that play, and Gleason's leg was just a hair over the goal line. When the puck hit his leg, it just barely crossed the goal line to do so. 3-3. The lone assist went to RJ Umberger.
Eric Staal busted out of his scoring drought at 13:20 of the second. Cole, Ray Whitney and Staal broke into the Flyers zone on an odd-man rush. Cole led the way down the right wing, then dropped a pass to the trailing Staal who one-timed it from the right circle. His 16th goal of the season broke a three game goal drought and was just his second in the last 11 games.
The second period ended 4-3, but Carolina lost the services of Cory Stillman. He suffered a knee injury and was unable to return. He lay on the ice a while after getting tangled with a Flyers player, then couldn't put any pressure on it as he left the ice. Initial indicators are that he'll miss a week or so.
Daniel Briere was left all alone in front of the net, and he made the Canes pay with an equalising goal at 0:30 of the third. Scott Hartnell and Braydon Coburn had the assists.
Trevor Letowski, who has been playing really well lately, restored the Canes lead at 6:17 of the third. After he worked really hard along the goal line against Biron, the puck worked out to the left point, where Bret Hedican fired away. Letowski was there in the left circle to make the tip, and it easily found the back of the net. Letowski's third goal of the year was assisted by Hedican and CrAdams.
Joffrey Lupul completed the hat trick while the Flyers were enjoying a five-on-three power play. All three Canes skaters and three Flyers were involved in a scrum after a flurry of shots on Grahame. Somehow, amidst all those legs and pads and gloves and sticks, the referee says he never lost sight of it. The Flyers were furiously hacking at Grahame's acoutrements trying to coerce the puck over the line. It worked. Lupul from Mike Knuble and Mike Richards at 11:46 of the third on the power play.
There was no more scoring in the third or the overtime period, but each team had power play opportunities galore.
It went to shootout.
Briere went first and shot his attempt over the net.
Cullen went first for the Canes and he used a move like Kristian Huselius used the other night on his breakaway goal against the Canes. He beat Biron cleanly.
Mike Richards went next for the Flyers. He went straight in without any fancy stuff and buried his shot.
Jeff Hamilton went second for the Canes. Instead of pulling backhand to forehand late, he did it early. His trick this time, though was to swing wide left, then pull back to the right and he easily beat Biron.
Lupul went next, knowing that he had to score just to stay alive. He went straight in, fired a shot that Grahame handled, but it trickled through him and in the goal.
Brind'Amour was next for the Canes. A miss meant the shootout would continue. Under a cloud of thundering boos (why?), the former Flyers alternate captain went in and fired a shot right at the glove hand of Biron. The puck popped straight up into the air over Biron's head. He had no idea where it was until it hit him in the back and rolled into the net.
Carolina won its first shootout since the 2005-06 season.
The official three stars went to Cole (third), Brind'Amour (second) and Lupul (first). I see it a little different. I'd love to give Crackers some love. He stood tall in a shooting gallery in stages of the second and third periods. He faced a lot of really tough shots and looked good. He gave up five goals, but he looked really good. I know that sound odd, but he did.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Nic Wallin, CAR -- 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 blocked shots (all while having the least ice time of any defensemen)
SECOND STAR Erik Cole, CAR -- 2 assists, 2 hits
FIRST STAR Joffrey Lupul, PHI -- 3 goals, shootout "goal"
The Flyers turn right around and play a 5:00 game at New Jersey. The Hurricanes, who did the same thing last weekend with a 5:00 Sunday game at Detroit following a 7:00 game at Rangers, will have no sympathy for the Flyers.
The Canes will be back in action with a home game against the Leafs on Tuesday.
I was helping a friend load up a moving truck all day long, then went to dinner, so I was only able to watch the first period. I set the dvr to record the rest, but I used the automatic setting rather than manually adding 20 minutes like I usually do. The result was that I didn't get to see the last five minutes of regulation, the overtime period or the shootout. Thank goodness NHL.com does a good job with the highlights.
At 9:33 of the first, Joffrey Lupul converted a breakaway chance to put the Flyers up 1-0. The unassisted goal was Lupul's tenth of the season.
Defenseman Nic Wallin converted the rebound of an Erik Cole shot into a goal for the Canes at 13:49. Cole's hard slapper from the right circle bounced out to Wallin in the slot, and he shot it into a wide open net for his first goal of the season.
At 15:21, it looked like Wallin had made it 2-1 with a wrist shot from the left point. However, closer inspection showed that Scott Walker re-directed the shot from the slot. It was Walker's third goal of the season, and Wallin had the only helper.
Carolina took a 3-1 lead at 2:17 of the second. It was one of many bizarro goals on the night. The puck was clearly in the net, but the on-ice call was no goal because it was played with a high stick. Initially, the referee was saying that Cullen (the eventual goal scorer) had his stick above the height of the crossbar when he deflected it in. When they reviewed it, they found that the puck caromed off Cullen's body after having bounced off a Flyer's stick. The initial shot by Tim Gleason from the blue line was deflected with a questionably high stick by Craig Adams. Then off a Flyers' stick (which negates the played with a high stick). Then it bounced off of Cullen's torso (or maybe the shaft of his stick). Something about the Philly player made everything else irrelevant. Ultimately, Cullen was given credit for the goal. Gleason and CrAdams had the assists.
Just when it looked like it might be a runaway, the crazy goals kept coming. And they were coming from both sides.
Scott Hartnell scored a power play goal at 5:28 to bring the home team within one goal. Johnny Crackers made a good stop on a Hartnell shot from close range, and he was trying to freeze the puck. However, the puck was loose just inches from the goal line with just a tiny gap between Grahame's body and the left post. The referee was in perfect position to see that the puck wasn't frozen, and Hartnell kept whacking at it until he got it to cross the line. Jeff Carter and Braydon Coburn got the assists.
At 7:32, Lupul scored his second tally of the night on another goal that was initially ruled "no goal". RJ Umberger came in on a breakaway and Crackers made a stop on him. The rebound went out to Lupul in the left circle. By this point, Grahame was out of position, and Carolina defensemen Tim Gleason dove into the net with his left leg on top of the goal line, running parallel with it. Lupul's shot struck Gleason's leg and bounced out. Play continued. At the next stoppage of play, they took a closer look at that play, and Gleason's leg was just a hair over the goal line. When the puck hit his leg, it just barely crossed the goal line to do so. 3-3. The lone assist went to RJ Umberger.
Eric Staal busted out of his scoring drought at 13:20 of the second. Cole, Ray Whitney and Staal broke into the Flyers zone on an odd-man rush. Cole led the way down the right wing, then dropped a pass to the trailing Staal who one-timed it from the right circle. His 16th goal of the season broke a three game goal drought and was just his second in the last 11 games.
The second period ended 4-3, but Carolina lost the services of Cory Stillman. He suffered a knee injury and was unable to return. He lay on the ice a while after getting tangled with a Flyers player, then couldn't put any pressure on it as he left the ice. Initial indicators are that he'll miss a week or so.
Daniel Briere was left all alone in front of the net, and he made the Canes pay with an equalising goal at 0:30 of the third. Scott Hartnell and Braydon Coburn had the assists.
Trevor Letowski, who has been playing really well lately, restored the Canes lead at 6:17 of the third. After he worked really hard along the goal line against Biron, the puck worked out to the left point, where Bret Hedican fired away. Letowski was there in the left circle to make the tip, and it easily found the back of the net. Letowski's third goal of the year was assisted by Hedican and CrAdams.
Joffrey Lupul completed the hat trick while the Flyers were enjoying a five-on-three power play. All three Canes skaters and three Flyers were involved in a scrum after a flurry of shots on Grahame. Somehow, amidst all those legs and pads and gloves and sticks, the referee says he never lost sight of it. The Flyers were furiously hacking at Grahame's acoutrements trying to coerce the puck over the line. It worked. Lupul from Mike Knuble and Mike Richards at 11:46 of the third on the power play.
There was no more scoring in the third or the overtime period, but each team had power play opportunities galore.
It went to shootout.
Briere went first and shot his attempt over the net.
Cullen went first for the Canes and he used a move like Kristian Huselius used the other night on his breakaway goal against the Canes. He beat Biron cleanly.
Mike Richards went next for the Flyers. He went straight in without any fancy stuff and buried his shot.
Jeff Hamilton went second for the Canes. Instead of pulling backhand to forehand late, he did it early. His trick this time, though was to swing wide left, then pull back to the right and he easily beat Biron.
Lupul went next, knowing that he had to score just to stay alive. He went straight in, fired a shot that Grahame handled, but it trickled through him and in the goal.
Brind'Amour was next for the Canes. A miss meant the shootout would continue. Under a cloud of thundering boos (why?), the former Flyers alternate captain went in and fired a shot right at the glove hand of Biron. The puck popped straight up into the air over Biron's head. He had no idea where it was until it hit him in the back and rolled into the net.
Carolina won its first shootout since the 2005-06 season.
The official three stars went to Cole (third), Brind'Amour (second) and Lupul (first). I see it a little different. I'd love to give Crackers some love. He stood tall in a shooting gallery in stages of the second and third periods. He faced a lot of really tough shots and looked good. He gave up five goals, but he looked really good. I know that sound odd, but he did.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Nic Wallin, CAR -- 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 blocked shots (all while having the least ice time of any defensemen)
SECOND STAR Erik Cole, CAR -- 2 assists, 2 hits
FIRST STAR Joffrey Lupul, PHI -- 3 goals, shootout "goal"
The Flyers turn right around and play a 5:00 game at New Jersey. The Hurricanes, who did the same thing last weekend with a 5:00 Sunday game at Detroit following a 7:00 game at Rangers, will have no sympathy for the Flyers.
The Canes will be back in action with a home game against the Leafs on Tuesday.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
penguins-flyers goes bad.
Tuesday's bout between the Penguins and the Flyers got started on the wrong foot, then turned into a very good game, then turned very ugly by the end. Early in the third, a bad officiating call turned the game on its end. We're just lucky that we didn't see something like the line brawl between the Sabres and Senators last season.
Just :20 into the game, there was a fight between Ryan Malone and Jason Smith. Nothing came out of that, but it was only one of many altercations of the evening.
Joffrey Lupol scored two quick goals to give the Flyers the lead, but ten minutes later, Pittsburgh answered back with two to tie it.
There was a little bit of chippiness in the second, but no fights broke out. Just a bunch of roughing penalties against the Penguins. The Flyers scored three markers in the second, but only one was on the power play.
Three minutes into the third, with a scrum along the boards at center ice, Ben Eager landed a big elbow to the noggin of Georges Laraque. Le Grande Georges didn't like that and immediately took Eager to task for it. I figured there would be (at the very least) an elbowing call against Eeager and matching roughing penalties, leaving the Pens with a power play. Instead, there was no elbowing call. There was a double minor roughing penalty to Le GG and nothing at all to Eager. This was a horrible, horrible call. Gary Roberts made sure that Eager didn't get away scot free by pummeling him in a fight. Only then did Eager get a penalty. During the ensuing four minute power play, Joffrey Lupul completed his hat trick and Braydon Coburn kicked the extra point to make it 7-2.
For the next several minutes, the two sides were itching to brawl, but the linesmen kept it under control.
At 13:49, tempers flared again. Multiple players squared off resulting in a couple of ejections.
At 16:47, Le GG did a very stupid thing that will surely get him suspended. He took a feet-first leap at Martin Biron in an attempt to take him out. Biron was knocked down but not out, and another fight erupted. Again, players were ejected. Under five minutes to go, that's a mandatory ejection and fine.
A minute later, RJ Umberger scored his third goal of the night, making two hat tricks for the Flyers.
The Penguins still wouldn't let it go, and Jarkuu Ruutu got himself ejected with about a minute to play.
This was an ugly, ugly game. George Laraque, who is a talentless piece of crap was completely idiotic there at the end, but all of tonight's bad blood got started with the dirty hit for which Ben Eager was unpenalized.
Laraque will certainly incur the wrath of Colin Campbell for his act of lunacy. Eager should (but won't) be disciplined for his elbow.
I expected this to be a good game and I was very disappointed that it turned into a very bad game. I was also disappointed with the officials. Not just the non-call against Eager. Every time the game boiled over and there were multiple penalties, the Flyers ended up with a power play. Out of all that rough stuff, there were 12 penalties levied against the Pens and only six against the Flyers.
All told, there were 23 penalties against the Pens for 98 PIM. The Flyers had 11 penalties for 58 PIM.
Philly is now up 3-0 in the Battle of Pennsylvania. They won't meet again until late January. I expect the Flyers won't have forgotten about the dirty play of Le GG. Nor will the Penguins forget how badly they were beaten.
Just :20 into the game, there was a fight between Ryan Malone and Jason Smith. Nothing came out of that, but it was only one of many altercations of the evening.
Joffrey Lupol scored two quick goals to give the Flyers the lead, but ten minutes later, Pittsburgh answered back with two to tie it.
There was a little bit of chippiness in the second, but no fights broke out. Just a bunch of roughing penalties against the Penguins. The Flyers scored three markers in the second, but only one was on the power play.
Three minutes into the third, with a scrum along the boards at center ice, Ben Eager landed a big elbow to the noggin of Georges Laraque. Le Grande Georges didn't like that and immediately took Eager to task for it. I figured there would be (at the very least) an elbowing call against Eeager and matching roughing penalties, leaving the Pens with a power play. Instead, there was no elbowing call. There was a double minor roughing penalty to Le GG and nothing at all to Eager. This was a horrible, horrible call. Gary Roberts made sure that Eager didn't get away scot free by pummeling him in a fight. Only then did Eager get a penalty. During the ensuing four minute power play, Joffrey Lupul completed his hat trick and Braydon Coburn kicked the extra point to make it 7-2.
For the next several minutes, the two sides were itching to brawl, but the linesmen kept it under control.
At 13:49, tempers flared again. Multiple players squared off resulting in a couple of ejections.
At 16:47, Le GG did a very stupid thing that will surely get him suspended. He took a feet-first leap at Martin Biron in an attempt to take him out. Biron was knocked down but not out, and another fight erupted. Again, players were ejected. Under five minutes to go, that's a mandatory ejection and fine.
A minute later, RJ Umberger scored his third goal of the night, making two hat tricks for the Flyers.
The Penguins still wouldn't let it go, and Jarkuu Ruutu got himself ejected with about a minute to play.
This was an ugly, ugly game. George Laraque, who is a talentless piece of crap was completely idiotic there at the end, but all of tonight's bad blood got started with the dirty hit for which Ben Eager was unpenalized.
Laraque will certainly incur the wrath of Colin Campbell for his act of lunacy. Eager should (but won't) be disciplined for his elbow.
I expected this to be a good game and I was very disappointed that it turned into a very bad game. I was also disappointed with the officials. Not just the non-call against Eager. Every time the game boiled over and there were multiple penalties, the Flyers ended up with a power play. Out of all that rough stuff, there were 12 penalties levied against the Pens and only six against the Flyers.
All told, there were 23 penalties against the Pens for 98 PIM. The Flyers had 11 penalties for 58 PIM.
Philly is now up 3-0 in the Battle of Pennsylvania. They won't meet again until late January. I expect the Flyers won't have forgotten about the dirty play of Le GG. Nor will the Penguins forget how badly they were beaten.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Flyers "on notice"
By now, we all know about the Flyers' latest transgression. Or maybe not. This one didn't make as much press as the previous four, but a FIFTH Flyer has been suspended for delivering a high hit to an opponent's head.
Versus the Stars on Friday night, Riley Cote earned himself a three game suspension for a late and high hit to the head of Stars' defenseman Matt Niskanen. Here's the video:
That's the best I could find. Clearly, Niskanen did not have the puck. It was gone for at least a second when Cote came barreling in from somewhere on the other side of the Delaware River to deliver a hit. Cote used his elbow and shoulder to lay the boom on the rearguard from the same town (Virginia, Minnesota) as Canes center Matt Cullen. Oh, and by the way, it was late in the game with the Flyers trailing 4-1. He was immediately given a ten minute match penalty, which carries an automatic suspension after review. Although Niskanen lost his lid on the play, he wasn't injured. But it wasn't because Cote didn't try.
Colin Campbell handed down the signature three game suspension along with the standard statement that goes something like "the offending player was trying to let up, but didn't let up enough. The other player was in a vulnerable position."
In addition to the suspension, Gary Bettman has informed general manager Paul Holmgren, head coach John Stevens and the entire organization that they are "on watch". According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Holmgren has talked to the team:
To Cote's credit, he knew the suspension was coming, and he never tried to plead innocence. After that game, he told the Inquirer:
This is now five suspensions for the Flyers this season, including the 20-game one that Steve Downie had in the preseason. He just finished that, by the way. In total, the Flyers have lost 52-man games to suspension. They have been warned that any further shenanigans will result in disciplinary action against the Flyers organization. Campbell has the authority to fine the entire organization and/or Holmgren and/or Stevens if he sees a pattern.
My question is why he can't already see a pattern. Sure, Downie has nothing to do with Jesse Boulerice and Boulerice has nothing to do with Randy Jones and Jones has nothig to do with Scott Hartnell and Hartnell has nothing to do with Cote. But by now, one has to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt. They should already be fined.
I have been thinking that since they are repeat offenders, they should be denied the right to replace the suspended player with an AHL call-up. I think the fines should be severe. They won't. My guess is that the next time this happens (and it will), the fines will be nominal in nature. And it's a shame. A damn shame.
Somehow, I think that when Gary Bettman tells Paul Holmgren "You guys are on watch", it's an empty threat. I hope he proves me wrong.
Versus the Stars on Friday night, Riley Cote earned himself a three game suspension for a late and high hit to the head of Stars' defenseman Matt Niskanen. Here's the video:
That's the best I could find. Clearly, Niskanen did not have the puck. It was gone for at least a second when Cote came barreling in from somewhere on the other side of the Delaware River to deliver a hit. Cote used his elbow and shoulder to lay the boom on the rearguard from the same town (Virginia, Minnesota) as Canes center Matt Cullen. Oh, and by the way, it was late in the game with the Flyers trailing 4-1. He was immediately given a ten minute match penalty, which carries an automatic suspension after review. Although Niskanen lost his lid on the play, he wasn't injured. But it wasn't because Cote didn't try.
Colin Campbell handed down the signature three game suspension along with the standard statement that goes something like "the offending player was trying to let up, but didn't let up enough. The other player was in a vulnerable position."
In addition to the suspension, Gary Bettman has informed general manager Paul Holmgren, head coach John Stevens and the entire organization that they are "on watch". According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Holmgren has talked to the team:
"They think, like I do, that these are different coincidences, and have to be viewed differently. But the question was raised about ramifications if it happens again," Holmgren said. "Obviously, we're under watch.... It has been addressed and will continue to (be) addressed. We want to play hard but play within the rules. It has to stop."
To Cote's credit, he knew the suspension was coming, and he never tried to plead innocence. After that game, he told the Inquirer:
"I know what's coming," Cote said. "It was stupid on my part. I had no intention of hurting anybody. I wanted to finish my check. . . . I definitely didn't try to hurt him. It looks bad. I don't know what to say. I feel terrible. . . . Head blow. Thank God he didn't get hurt."
This is now five suspensions for the Flyers this season, including the 20-game one that Steve Downie had in the preseason. He just finished that, by the way. In total, the Flyers have lost 52-man games to suspension. They have been warned that any further shenanigans will result in disciplinary action against the Flyers organization. Campbell has the authority to fine the entire organization and/or Holmgren and/or Stevens if he sees a pattern.
My question is why he can't already see a pattern. Sure, Downie has nothing to do with Jesse Boulerice and Boulerice has nothing to do with Randy Jones and Jones has nothig to do with Scott Hartnell and Hartnell has nothing to do with Cote. But by now, one has to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt. They should already be fined.
I have been thinking that since they are repeat offenders, they should be denied the right to replace the suspended player with an AHL call-up. I think the fines should be severe. They won't. My guess is that the next time this happens (and it will), the fines will be nominal in nature. And it's a shame. A damn shame.
Somehow, I think that when Gary Bettman tells Paul Holmgren "You guys are on watch", it's an empty threat. I hope he proves me wrong.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Flyers down Canes (again)
The much maligned Flyers rolled into town with three players under NHL suspension and all eyes on them. Many have called them "dirty". Many have called them the "Broad Street Bullies Redux", alluding to their rough and tumble play in the 1970's when they first got the moniker. On Tuesday night on national (cable) tv, Brian Engblom stopped short of calling them "dirty", but called them "the stupidest team in the NHL".
Tonight, there was no rough business, but the visitors asserted themselves on the scoreboard. Last Wednesday, they came in and just embarrassed the Canes 6-3 thanks to a hat trick by Daniel Briere. It wasn't quite as brutal this time, but it wasn't pretty. The final tally Wednesday night was 3-1, but it wasn't really even that close.
Carolina has now lost five of their last seven games, and they have gone ice cold in the goal scoring department. As the injured players are working their way back into the lineup, the lines are being juggled and there might be some chemistry issues. Either way, the Canes have been outscored 27-13 in those seven games.
The same thing happened tonight that has happened in most of the games this entire month. First period even, second period awful, third period good.
The first period tonight was really evenly played. No score, shots were about even. No penalties in tonight's first frame. In the second period, they didn't show up. This has been a recurring theme. During this seven game span, the Canes have been outscored 5-3 in first periods, 12-1 in second periods and 10-9 in third periods. In the final frame, Carolina showed a little bit of life, and the guys desperately tried to get the team back in it.
Another recurring theme is that the power play has been awful. Heading into this seven game doldrum, Carolina was the top scoring team in the league and had the #2 power play in the league. These days, the power play looks more like a penalty kill. They can't pass, they can't shoot, they can't create havoc in front of the net. They can't even keep the puck in the zone. It's just been ugly.
Philly is a very good team, and I don't feel bad about losing to them. I do feel bad, though, that the Hurricanes looked awful for about 35 minutes, and never looked "good".
Canadian-turned-American Mike Knuble was the man tonight. He had a hand in all three goals. One goal and two assists to give him 16 (8/8) points on the season. He walked away with the game's first star.
Mike Richards had a two point night and walked away with the third star. Marty Biron made 40 saves and was the second star.
I don't know how to "fix" the Canes. Don't be mislead by the 41 shots the Canes put on net. Very few of them were quality. Definitely, the special teams units need some extra work. The other night against Washington the Canes surrendered three power play goals. The first two were really quick. The PK has been struggling, and as I mentioned, the PP has suddenly become stone cold.
One thing that would help this team is if they moved one of their slumping defensemen (read: Frantisek Kaberle) and one of their marketable, but often lost in a numbers game forwards (read: Andrew Ladd) for one of those fancy puck-moving defensemen. Dion Phaneuf is one of these guys who fall into that "puck moving" category, and would add youth to an aging blue line in Carolina. He's in the last year of his rookie contract and will be a RFA at the end of this season. He could easily demand a $4M payday and nobody in the NHL would bat an eye. Although is sure would be a crowd pleaser, there's no way this is going to happen in Carolina. Especially with the Flames having some injury issues to their own defense. This is another post for another day: Ladd and Kaberle for Phaneuf and change.
Carolina will be glad to see the Flyers leave town. They have been a rude guest, beating us twice in our own barn. The home stand (and the horrid month) end this Friday when the Capitals come to town.
Washington is a team that Carolina should beat every time out. They have had trouble with the Caps this season. They just can't beat them and their pompous Russian phenom. They've given the Canes fits this season. Fits, I tell you! Oh sure, there was that 5-0 shutout we handed them, but aside from that, they've been a tough customer. And they will continue to be.
Tonights "official" three stars and the RBH three stars are identical:
THIRD STAR Mike Richards, PHI -- 2 assists
SECOND STAR Martin Biron, PHI -- 40 saves, win
FIRST STAR Mike Knuble, PHI -- 1 goal, 2 assists
Cam Ward was decent for the Canes, making a few highlight reel saves, but he looked a bit shaky. He had trouble handling his rebounds, he had trouble handling the puck, and he looked out of position way too frequently. It isn't like him to come way out to challenge someone, but he was doing it a lot, and doing it at inappropriate times. I wonder if he's got the flu or something. He just didn't look himself tonight.
I'd like to say that the Canes will have a hard practice on Thursday and will right the ship and come out with a fire under their asses on Friday, but I know I'll be wrong.
Tonight, there was no rough business, but the visitors asserted themselves on the scoreboard. Last Wednesday, they came in and just embarrassed the Canes 6-3 thanks to a hat trick by Daniel Briere. It wasn't quite as brutal this time, but it wasn't pretty. The final tally Wednesday night was 3-1, but it wasn't really even that close.
Carolina has now lost five of their last seven games, and they have gone ice cold in the goal scoring department. As the injured players are working their way back into the lineup, the lines are being juggled and there might be some chemistry issues. Either way, the Canes have been outscored 27-13 in those seven games.
The same thing happened tonight that has happened in most of the games this entire month. First period even, second period awful, third period good.
The first period tonight was really evenly played. No score, shots were about even. No penalties in tonight's first frame. In the second period, they didn't show up. This has been a recurring theme. During this seven game span, the Canes have been outscored 5-3 in first periods, 12-1 in second periods and 10-9 in third periods. In the final frame, Carolina showed a little bit of life, and the guys desperately tried to get the team back in it.
Another recurring theme is that the power play has been awful. Heading into this seven game doldrum, Carolina was the top scoring team in the league and had the #2 power play in the league. These days, the power play looks more like a penalty kill. They can't pass, they can't shoot, they can't create havoc in front of the net. They can't even keep the puck in the zone. It's just been ugly.
Philly is a very good team, and I don't feel bad about losing to them. I do feel bad, though, that the Hurricanes looked awful for about 35 minutes, and never looked "good".
Canadian-turned-American Mike Knuble was the man tonight. He had a hand in all three goals. One goal and two assists to give him 16 (8/8) points on the season. He walked away with the game's first star.
Mike Richards had a two point night and walked away with the third star. Marty Biron made 40 saves and was the second star.
I don't know how to "fix" the Canes. Don't be mislead by the 41 shots the Canes put on net. Very few of them were quality. Definitely, the special teams units need some extra work. The other night against Washington the Canes surrendered three power play goals. The first two were really quick. The PK has been struggling, and as I mentioned, the PP has suddenly become stone cold.
One thing that would help this team is if they moved one of their slumping defensemen (read: Frantisek Kaberle) and one of their marketable, but often lost in a numbers game forwards (read: Andrew Ladd) for one of those fancy puck-moving defensemen. Dion Phaneuf is one of these guys who fall into that "puck moving" category, and would add youth to an aging blue line in Carolina. He's in the last year of his rookie contract and will be a RFA at the end of this season. He could easily demand a $4M payday and nobody in the NHL would bat an eye. Although is sure would be a crowd pleaser, there's no way this is going to happen in Carolina. Especially with the Flames having some injury issues to their own defense. This is another post for another day: Ladd and Kaberle for Phaneuf and change.
Carolina will be glad to see the Flyers leave town. They have been a rude guest, beating us twice in our own barn. The home stand (and the horrid month) end this Friday when the Capitals come to town.
Washington is a team that Carolina should beat every time out. They have had trouble with the Caps this season. They just can't beat them and their pompous Russian phenom. They've given the Canes fits this season. Fits, I tell you! Oh sure, there was that 5-0 shutout we handed them, but aside from that, they've been a tough customer. And they will continue to be.
Tonights "official" three stars and the RBH three stars are identical:
THIRD STAR Mike Richards, PHI -- 2 assists
SECOND STAR Martin Biron, PHI -- 40 saves, win
FIRST STAR Mike Knuble, PHI -- 1 goal, 2 assists
Cam Ward was decent for the Canes, making a few highlight reel saves, but he looked a bit shaky. He had trouble handling his rebounds, he had trouble handling the puck, and he looked out of position way too frequently. It isn't like him to come way out to challenge someone, but he was doing it a lot, and doing it at inappropriate times. I wonder if he's got the flu or something. He just didn't look himself tonight.
I'd like to say that the Canes will have a hard practice on Thursday and will right the ship and come out with a fire under their asses on Friday, but I know I'll be wrong.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Flyers at it again
On Monday night, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins were playing the worst NFL game ever, the Flyers were involved in yet another filthy play that ended with yet another player face down and motionless on the ice. For the second time, it was a Bruins player who bore the brunt.
Andrew Alberts, on his knees a few feet from the boards and completely defenseless was drilled and driven into the boards by Scott Hartnell. Hartnell defended the hit saying "I'm a guy who always finishes his checks", but this is a case where he clearly could have and should have left the vulnerable player alone.
Hartnell was given a major penalty and a game misconduct.
The Bruins didn't retaliate. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara:
Personally, I don't see a huge suspension coming for Hartnell. Maybe four games. I said before and I'll say again, though, that the League has to take into consideration that this is a team with multiple offenses.
These goons will be in Raleigh on Wednesday. I'm a little worried.
Andrew Alberts, on his knees a few feet from the boards and completely defenseless was drilled and driven into the boards by Scott Hartnell. Hartnell defended the hit saying "I'm a guy who always finishes his checks", but this is a case where he clearly could have and should have left the vulnerable player alone.
Hartnell was given a major penalty and a game misconduct.
The Bruins didn't retaliate. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara:
"We probably ended up with some bruises, but we have two points and that's the most important thing right now. It's up to the league to address things like that."
Personally, I don't see a huge suspension coming for Hartnell. Maybe four games. I said before and I'll say again, though, that the League has to take into consideration that this is a team with multiple offenses.
These goons will be in Raleigh on Wednesday. I'm a little worried.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Injuries continue to pile up for Canes
Last night, Carolina lost Scott Walker for at least a few games to a "torso injury".
The plan was to dress seven defensemen, then call a forward up from Albany for the three game homestand starting Monday against Vancouver.
Unfortunately, Carolina suffered another injury today, and it was to a very key player. Erik Cole has suffered some sort of "foot injury" and didn't dress tonight. According to the FSN South crew, the injury didn't occur during the pre-game skate, but occurred "off the ice". Luke Decock is speculating that the injury occurred in the customary soccer-style game during warm-ups. Didn't some other NHLer get injured like this earlier this season?
Oh boy.
No further details are available. Due to the short notice of the situation, and the fact that Andrew Ladd is already out injured, Carolina had no choice but to dress a team that is a man short. Tonight they have just 10 forwards and seven defensemen.
At the first break, the score is 1-1, after goals by Simone Gagne and Eric Staal (power play).
More on the game and the injuries later.
UPDATE
Justin "Viva" Williams has added one, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead at the second intermission. This is Williams' second goal in as many nights, and just his third of the season. Except for the 2-0 shutout loss at Washington on October 6, Williams has at least one point in every game this season.
UPDATE II
Simon Gagne has won the game for the Flyers with a quick goal early in the overtime period.
The road trip is over, and Carolina has taken eight of a possible 12 points on the trip. Not too shabby.
The plan was to dress seven defensemen, then call a forward up from Albany for the three game homestand starting Monday against Vancouver.
Unfortunately, Carolina suffered another injury today, and it was to a very key player. Erik Cole has suffered some sort of "foot injury" and didn't dress tonight. According to the FSN South crew, the injury didn't occur during the pre-game skate, but occurred "off the ice". Luke Decock is speculating that the injury occurred in the customary soccer-style game during warm-ups. Didn't some other NHLer get injured like this earlier this season?
Oh boy.
No further details are available. Due to the short notice of the situation, and the fact that Andrew Ladd is already out injured, Carolina had no choice but to dress a team that is a man short. Tonight they have just 10 forwards and seven defensemen.
At the first break, the score is 1-1, after goals by Simone Gagne and Eric Staal (power play).
More on the game and the injuries later.
UPDATE
Justin "Viva" Williams has added one, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead at the second intermission. This is Williams' second goal in as many nights, and just his third of the season. Except for the 2-0 shutout loss at Washington on October 6, Williams has at least one point in every game this season.
UPDATE II
Simon Gagne has won the game for the Flyers with a quick goal early in the overtime period.
The road trip is over, and Carolina has taken eight of a possible 12 points on the trip. Not too shabby.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Boulerice calls Kesler, gets cut
On Monday, the Flyers placed former Hurricanes tough guy Jesse Boulerice on waivers. This comes just days after Boulerice was handed a record-tying 25 game suspension for his vicious crosscheck to the face of Canucks skater Ryan Kesler. No team will be expected to touch the waste of space with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.
In his short and fruitless career, Boulerice, who once cited The Garfield Christmas Movie as his favorite, (see this video as proof) has caused trouble everywhere he has gone.
In April of 1998, while playing with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League, Boulerice swung his stick a la Chris Simon at the head of Andrew Long, who played for Guelph Storm. After reviewing the video, OHL officials determined that Boulerice would be suspended for the entire 1998-99 season including the preseason and playoffs.
Boulerice was sent up to the AHL the next season, and the suspension didn't come with him.
He spent the next couple of years bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, putting up astonishing PIM numbers but not doing much of anything else. In 2000-01 with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL, he put up 256 PIM in 60 games played. If you're scoring along at home, that's more than four and a quarter minutes per game played. That number is roughly equivalent to his average TOI in the NHL.
Unfortunately, Boulerice was dealt to the Hurricanes in February of 2002. He completed that season in Lowell, piling up 80 PIM in just 15 games. 5.33 PIM per game.
Boulerice was called up to the big team for the 2002-03 season, where he made a lasting impression on February 11, 2003 as "the guy who got knocked the eff out by Aaron Downey" in a one-punch fight.
He continued to serve the role of agitator/pugilist for the 03-04 season, but when we came back from the lockout, there was little room for him in the "new NHL". He started on the big club, but about a month into the season, the Canes opted to keep the skilled players on the ice and eliminated his roster spot. He was sent down to Lowell, and ultimately was used as part of a multi-player deal to get Doug Weight from the Blues.
Boulerice didn't make any fans in St. Louis. During one of his first practice sessions, he allegedly checked teammate Ryan Johnson WAY too hard, and the result was a broken foot for Johnson. There was also some talk of a locker room fight involving Jesse and, at some point, a chair. The Blues knew they had a cancer on their hands, and despite an injury-depleted roster, they released him after just a few days.
Somehow, Jesse ended up back in the Carolina organization during the 2006-07 campaign, but only played a handful of games with Lowell before being cut.
This season, despite having colossally deficient in any skill category, he managed to make the Flyers roster. On the big club. Presumably to protect their $10M investment Daniel Briere.
We all know what happened next.
Also on Monday, it was reported that Boulerice made a little bit of good by calling Ryan Kesler to offer his apology. Kesler was "taken aback", and appreciated the effort by Boulerice. At least there's that.
I think we can safely assume that "the Bull" won't be playing in the NHL any more.
In his short and fruitless career, Boulerice, who once cited The Garfield Christmas Movie as his favorite, (see this video as proof) has caused trouble everywhere he has gone.
In April of 1998, while playing with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League, Boulerice swung his stick a la Chris Simon at the head of Andrew Long, who played for Guelph Storm. After reviewing the video, OHL officials determined that Boulerice would be suspended for the entire 1998-99 season including the preseason and playoffs.
Boulerice was sent up to the AHL the next season, and the suspension didn't come with him.
He spent the next couple of years bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, putting up astonishing PIM numbers but not doing much of anything else. In 2000-01 with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL, he put up 256 PIM in 60 games played. If you're scoring along at home, that's more than four and a quarter minutes per game played. That number is roughly equivalent to his average TOI in the NHL.
Unfortunately, Boulerice was dealt to the Hurricanes in February of 2002. He completed that season in Lowell, piling up 80 PIM in just 15 games. 5.33 PIM per game.
Boulerice was called up to the big team for the 2002-03 season, where he made a lasting impression on February 11, 2003 as "the guy who got knocked the eff out by Aaron Downey" in a one-punch fight.
He continued to serve the role of agitator/pugilist for the 03-04 season, but when we came back from the lockout, there was little room for him in the "new NHL". He started on the big club, but about a month into the season, the Canes opted to keep the skilled players on the ice and eliminated his roster spot. He was sent down to Lowell, and ultimately was used as part of a multi-player deal to get Doug Weight from the Blues.
Boulerice didn't make any fans in St. Louis. During one of his first practice sessions, he allegedly checked teammate Ryan Johnson WAY too hard, and the result was a broken foot for Johnson. There was also some talk of a locker room fight involving Jesse and, at some point, a chair. The Blues knew they had a cancer on their hands, and despite an injury-depleted roster, they released him after just a few days.
Somehow, Jesse ended up back in the Carolina organization during the 2006-07 campaign, but only played a handful of games with Lowell before being cut.
This season, despite having colossally deficient in any skill category, he managed to make the Flyers roster. On the big club. Presumably to protect their $10M investment Daniel Briere.
We all know what happened next.
Also on Monday, it was reported that Boulerice made a little bit of good by calling Ryan Kesler to offer his apology. Kesler was "taken aback", and appreciated the effort by Boulerice. At least there's that.
I think we can safely assume that "the Bull" won't be playing in the NHL any more.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Boulerice
Jesse, why are you such a jackass?
By now, we've all heard about and seen the vicious hit delivered by former Hurricane Jesse Boulerice of the Flyers to the head of the Canucks' Ryan Kesler.
Just in case, here it is:
Absolutely disgusting.
The game was well in hand. Flyers up 7-2, eight minutes left in the game. There is no need for that kind of aggression ever, and in this case you can't blame "heat of the competition".
Sure, the two players had been going at each other all night, but this kind of thing is completely outrageous.
The most disgusting thing about it is that Boulerice, who is completely useless outside of his "agitator" role, stood over Kesler and shook the gloves loose as if to suggest that he was going to give Kesler some more.
Steve Downie, who wouldn't have made the Flyers squad anyway, was suspended for 20 games for his violent head-high checking during the preseason. This was meant to send a message to the players that hits to the head will not be tolerated.
Apparently it didn't work.
I would expect a double digit games suspension. I seriously hope that "The Bull" gets tossed for the remainder of the year.
Was this as violent as McSorley/Brashear? No. As gruesome as Bertuzzi/Moore? No. Simon/Hollweg? No. But it deserves a suspension as long or longer than any of those.
Boulerice was once banned for an entire season from the OHL for a stick-swinging incident. He also faced assault charges in civil court for that incident. I think Colin "Clownshoes" Campbell would be remiss if he failed to take Jesse's history into account.
Unfortunately, the disciplinary office has been terribly fickle. They might decide that since Kesler was able to skate off on his own power, Boulerice should only get three games.
My hope is that he gets in excess of 25 games. I also hope that the league sends the Flyers a message. Surely at some point the coaches and front office have to have some accountability. A Flyer just pulled some jackass stunt two weeks ago, and now another Flyer with another jackass stunt. The league has got to send a message of some kind before things get even more out of control. I'm sure John Stevens didn't tell Boulerice to go out there and decapitate Kesler, but I don't know how else to send a message to both the players and the coaches.
What do you think? How many games does the Bull deserve?
By now, we've all heard about and seen the vicious hit delivered by former Hurricane Jesse Boulerice of the Flyers to the head of the Canucks' Ryan Kesler.
Just in case, here it is:
Absolutely disgusting.
The game was well in hand. Flyers up 7-2, eight minutes left in the game. There is no need for that kind of aggression ever, and in this case you can't blame "heat of the competition".
Sure, the two players had been going at each other all night, but this kind of thing is completely outrageous.
The most disgusting thing about it is that Boulerice, who is completely useless outside of his "agitator" role, stood over Kesler and shook the gloves loose as if to suggest that he was going to give Kesler some more.
Steve Downie, who wouldn't have made the Flyers squad anyway, was suspended for 20 games for his violent head-high checking during the preseason. This was meant to send a message to the players that hits to the head will not be tolerated.
Apparently it didn't work.
I would expect a double digit games suspension. I seriously hope that "The Bull" gets tossed for the remainder of the year.
Was this as violent as McSorley/Brashear? No. As gruesome as Bertuzzi/Moore? No. Simon/Hollweg? No. But it deserves a suspension as long or longer than any of those.
Boulerice was once banned for an entire season from the OHL for a stick-swinging incident. He also faced assault charges in civil court for that incident. I think Colin "Clownshoes" Campbell would be remiss if he failed to take Jesse's history into account.
Unfortunately, the disciplinary office has been terribly fickle. They might decide that since Kesler was able to skate off on his own power, Boulerice should only get three games.
My hope is that he gets in excess of 25 games. I also hope that the league sends the Flyers a message. Surely at some point the coaches and front office have to have some accountability. A Flyer just pulled some jackass stunt two weeks ago, and now another Flyer with another jackass stunt. The league has got to send a message of some kind before things get even more out of control. I'm sure John Stevens didn't tell Boulerice to go out there and decapitate Kesler, but I don't know how else to send a message to both the players and the coaches.
What do you think? How many games does the Bull deserve?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Why are we in this handbasket, and why is it so hot?
Here's another indicator that the NHL is screwing up. I got this from James Mirtle's blog today.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Sean Hill was suspended for 20 games by the NHL for failing a drug test. We still don't know what "positive" result came back, but the League immediately hit him with 20 games. Of that, he served one game, and still owes 19. We all remember that. That's not the point.
The NHL decided to forbid him from participating in preseason games. Meanwhile, it has decided to allow the Islanders' Chris Simon to participate in the preseason even though he is still under suspension for his violent attack against Ryan Hollweg of the Rangers back in March.
As I pointed out on Tuesday, Simon's participation in a preseason tilt against the Rangers resulted in a huge brawl. I wondered on this page why he was allowed to play, and many people answered "because these games don't count". Of course I understand that, but I was (and still am) of the belief that a suspended player shouldn't be allowed to participate in any games (real or preseason) until he has served his suspension.
The problem here is that there's a double standard. The NHL has responded to this by saying "Terms of suspensions are case specific. Sean Hill's does not allow him to play" in the preseason.
In otherwords:
(Please pardon my mixing of two game shows and one board game to make that example)
Here's where it could get even trickier. Steve Downie from the Flyers will have a hearing with NHL disciplinarian Colin "Clownshoes" Campbell on Friday for his violent check of the Senators' Dean McAmmond. If Downie is suspended, Colin Campbell will have a lot of explaining to do in how he doles out the number of games and the remainder of the preseason.
Since these games "don't count", couldn't one make a silly argument that his potential suspension should only be for other exhibition games? Obviously that's a farce, but it would fall suit with the mutual exclusivity of regular season and pre-season rationale that allows Simon to play in the preseason.
You've probably seen the hit by now, but please check out this clip of it because it has a gem at the end.
There is no audio in the first 25 seconds of that video, but the bit that really gets me is Sens coach Bryan Murray talking about a "lack of respect" among players. He essentially calls Downie a "dirty player".
Hey Bryan... You ever hear of a guy named Chris Neil? Check your team's roster.
I will be very curious to see how this all pans out.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Sean Hill was suspended for 20 games by the NHL for failing a drug test. We still don't know what "positive" result came back, but the League immediately hit him with 20 games. Of that, he served one game, and still owes 19. We all remember that. That's not the point.
The NHL decided to forbid him from participating in preseason games. Meanwhile, it has decided to allow the Islanders' Chris Simon to participate in the preseason even though he is still under suspension for his violent attack against Ryan Hollweg of the Rangers back in March.
As I pointed out on Tuesday, Simon's participation in a preseason tilt against the Rangers resulted in a huge brawl. I wondered on this page why he was allowed to play, and many people answered "because these games don't count". Of course I understand that, but I was (and still am) of the belief that a suspended player shouldn't be allowed to participate in any games (real or preseason) until he has served his suspension.
The problem here is that there's a double standard. The NHL has responded to this by saying "Terms of suspensions are case specific. Sean Hill's does not allow him to play" in the preseason.
In otherwords:
We spun the wheel of disciplinary fortune, and Sean Hill hit a whammy while Chris Simon landed on "get out of jail free"
(Please pardon my mixing of two game shows and one board game to make that example)
Here's where it could get even trickier. Steve Downie from the Flyers will have a hearing with NHL disciplinarian Colin "Clownshoes" Campbell on Friday for his violent check of the Senators' Dean McAmmond. If Downie is suspended, Colin Campbell will have a lot of explaining to do in how he doles out the number of games and the remainder of the preseason.
Since these games "don't count", couldn't one make a silly argument that his potential suspension should only be for other exhibition games? Obviously that's a farce, but it would fall suit with the mutual exclusivity of regular season and pre-season rationale that allows Simon to play in the preseason.
You've probably seen the hit by now, but please check out this clip of it because it has a gem at the end.
There is no audio in the first 25 seconds of that video, but the bit that really gets me is Sens coach Bryan Murray talking about a "lack of respect" among players. He essentially calls Downie a "dirty player".
Hey Bryan... You ever hear of a guy named Chris Neil? Check your team's roster.
I will be very curious to see how this all pans out.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Eastern Conference hot seats (part one)
A few days ago, The Score presented its list of players who will be in "the hot seat" for their respective team. Not necessarily that their job is on the line, but the suggestion is that the success or failure of the team would be predicated upon the success or failure of a single player. Unfortunately, their list puts too much pressure on the goaltender to be the guy. I don't really buy that. Too often, goalies become the fall guy he's not getting any goal support. I like to look elsewhere.
The rest of the crew over at SESO have been kicking this around for a few days, everyone putting their own two cents in. I thought it would be fun to take it team-by-team and give my own unqualified opinion. I'm in no way qualified to comment on Western Conference teams, and in many cases, I have no business commenting on Eastern, but I'll take a shot at all 15 teams in the East. Here, at least is part one of this project. Please excuse the length.
Boston Bruins. The Score says Manny Fernandez is in the hot seat. They traded to get him, and the idea is that he's going to right the goaltending ship. I'm not looking that way at all. Tim Thomas is by no means Ken Dryden, but I just don't think that the Bruins main problem was between the pipes. Their goaltending was suspect, but even more suspect was their offensive production. The Bs scored just 210 goals last season, putting them in 25th place league-wide. This is clearly an area that needs improvement. I'll pick on the youngster Phil Kessel. He's gonna have to step it up in this, his sophomore season. The Teddy Bears have been all about Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron, but that's going to have to change. He is going to have to show everyone why the Bs took him with the #5 overall pick in 2006 and why they sent him straight to the big club. Take a quick look at his rookie numbers. 29 (11/18) points in 70 games. Look at Eric Staal's rookie season, when he was also sent directly to the big club. 31 (11/20) points in 81 games. If Kessel can have a Staal-esque sophomore season, I think the natives in Boston will be quite happy with how the rest of the squad responds. It's unfair to pin it on the kid, but I really think that if they want to be any good, it's going to take a breakout season by Kessel.
Montréal Canadiens. The Score picks on Alexei Kovalev. He's grossly overpaid, and he needs to prove his worth, but that 95-point season was a freak combination of playing over one's head and playing alongside Jagr and Lemieux. It was a perfect storm, and it'll never happen again. I'll pick on Michael Ryder. He's been good, but there's probably more in the tank. He needs to find it. With Sheldon Souray gone, someone will have to pick up the slack in point production. Koivu can't do it all, and I don't see the need to demand more of Kovalev in that department. Ryder was the Habs' leading goal-scorer last season, but he needs to pick it up even more. If he should have a letdown of a season, they're done.
Washington Capitals. The Score put Ovechkin in the hot seat. Not me. I put Michael Nylander there. He was an uber-expensive free agent acquisition, and it is up to him to bolster that one man show up there. Okay, so with Alexander Semin there, it's a two man show. But anyway, it's all on him to make it a three-man show. He has to stay healthy and motivated. He has to have the kinds of numbers that he had the last two seasons (83 points, 79 points). Elsewise, the Caps will have wasted their money and they will finish out of the playoffs again. I think they'll finish out of the playoffs either way, but Nylander can help them to be competitive.
New Jersey Devils. The Score chose Dainius Zubrus. That pick is too obvious. The Devils need a Scott Gomez replacement. Zubrus ain't it. He put up good numbers in 2005-06 when he played on a very very crappy Capitals team, but whenever he's surrounded by talent, those numbers won't be as high. After he was acquired by Buffalo at the trade deadline last season, he did virtually nothing for them in the regular or post season. at $3.4M, he's way overpaid, and he needs to have a 70+ point season to justify the big contract. He won't, but the Devs will be just fine. Unless.... My hot seat selection for them is Zach Parise. The youngster had a semi-breakout season last year with 62(31/31) points. He'll need to have another career best season this year This season, he won't have the beautiful playmaking of Scott Gomez to help him out, and who knows whether Hepatitis Boy will stay healthy all season. In any case, Parise should step up his game, and my opinion is that as he goes, so too will go the Devils.
Philadelphia Flyers. The Score said Marty Biron was the guy. The Bullies went all apey in the free agent market, and really you could pick any of those new guys with the huge price tags. I'll take the easy way out and pick the former Sabres captain Danny Briere. He's making $10M this year, and if he doesn't score over 150 goals and add 150 assists while leading the Flyers to their third Stanley Cup, it will have been a waste. Who wants to bet that it won't happen?
Unfair to pin it all on Briere? I don't think so. This dude's salary has been skyrocketing at a rate non-commensurate with his production. In 2003-04, Briere made $1.6M while putting up 65 (28/37) points. Before the lockout, an arbitrator "awarded" him a $2.55M contract for the season that never happened. In 2005-06, he made $2M and put up 58 (25/33) points in just 48 games (1.21 ppg). Last seson, he was awarded a "huge" $5M contract via arbitration and he scored 95 (32/63) points (1.17 ppg). This season, his pay will literally double. Even when you average out the "cap hit" to $6.5M, this is a hefty raise. I don't think he deserves it, and unless he accomplishes the aforementioned impossible tasks, it won't have been worth it. Can Briere handle the pressure of living up to this huge contract? With all these "sexy" acquisitions, the Flyers should be competitive, but I think it all depends on the little Quebeccer.
Speaking of the Buffalo Sabres, The Score puts Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek sitting in each other's laps in the "hot seat". Those two were among the Sabres' top five scorers, and they'll certainly need to put up the same kinds of numbers if the Sabres want to be good. They'll be good, but if Maxim Afinogenov can crank it up a couple of notches, they'll be great. He's been a frustrating player for Sabres fans. With such flashes of brilliance interspersed with sloppiness and a trademark inability to finish scoring chances, I think there's a phenom trapped in the body of a near-phenom. If he busts out, the Sabres will be (to borrow from Rick Jeanneret) "Scary Good" despite losing their two co-captains to ridiculous free agent poaching. In the 2004 season, Afinogenov scored one of the most incredible goals I've ever seen. Enjoy the YouTube clip and Jeaneret's call.
As a special treat for Sabres fans, that's Carolina's current #2 goaltender "Johnny Crackers" getting abused by Maxi in the clip.
The Score puts Cam Ward in Carolina's "hot seat". This is purely based on the way Cam came down to earth last season after playing way over his head on the way to winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy in 2006. Will Cam have to be good? Sure. However, I pick Matt Cullen. When Carolina struggled last season, everyone had a million excuses for why they weren't the same as the Cup-winning team. Almost everyone agreed that the absence of Cully was a huge factor. A lot of people rated it as the #1 factor. Carolina spent a lot of money to re-acquire Cullen via trade with the Rangers. Now that Carolina has replaced Cullen with Cullen himself, they should be able to return to 2006 form. Cullen will have to put up at 50 or more points and push the Canes back into a deep playoff run to justify going over the self-imposed budget. If he can't produce, the Canes will be on the links in April. He's the "hot seat" guy.
New York Islanders. In keeping with their "pick on the new guy or the goalie" theme, The Score put Billy Guerin in the Isles' "hot seat". The Isles are going to stink this year. They've made some acquisitions, but they're all old guys, except Mike Comrie, and they overpaid like hell for him. Charles Wang is running a clown factory over there, and the Isles' new sweaters are going to make a lot of eyes sore. Defenseman Emma Bergeron had a great season last year, and he'll probably be the Isles leading point-getter this season. Just for giggles, I'll put Jeff Tambellini in the "hot seat". In what was a pretty strong draft class in 2003, Tambellini was taken with the 27th overall pick. He put up point-a-night numbers in two AHL seasons, but has yet to make an impact on the NHL level. The Isles will have a bunch of 10-goal scorers, and a small handful of old dudes scoring 20. I don't see anyone scoring 30, unless this guy has a breakout season. If he does, the Isles might be competitive. I don't think old man Billy Guerin will be able to carry the weight of the team. One of the young guys will have to step to the front. I nominate Tambellini.
This is taking way longer than I anticipated. Look for part two by Friday evening. Lemme know what you think.
The rest of the crew over at SESO have been kicking this around for a few days, everyone putting their own two cents in. I thought it would be fun to take it team-by-team and give my own unqualified opinion. I'm in no way qualified to comment on Western Conference teams, and in many cases, I have no business commenting on Eastern, but I'll take a shot at all 15 teams in the East. Here, at least is part one of this project. Please excuse the length.
Boston Bruins. The Score says Manny Fernandez is in the hot seat. They traded to get him, and the idea is that he's going to right the goaltending ship. I'm not looking that way at all. Tim Thomas is by no means Ken Dryden, but I just don't think that the Bruins main problem was between the pipes. Their goaltending was suspect, but even more suspect was their offensive production. The Bs scored just 210 goals last season, putting them in 25th place league-wide. This is clearly an area that needs improvement. I'll pick on the youngster Phil Kessel. He's gonna have to step it up in this, his sophomore season. The Teddy Bears have been all about Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron, but that's going to have to change. He is going to have to show everyone why the Bs took him with the #5 overall pick in 2006 and why they sent him straight to the big club. Take a quick look at his rookie numbers. 29 (11/18) points in 70 games. Look at Eric Staal's rookie season, when he was also sent directly to the big club. 31 (11/20) points in 81 games. If Kessel can have a Staal-esque sophomore season, I think the natives in Boston will be quite happy with how the rest of the squad responds. It's unfair to pin it on the kid, but I really think that if they want to be any good, it's going to take a breakout season by Kessel.
Montréal Canadiens. The Score picks on Alexei Kovalev. He's grossly overpaid, and he needs to prove his worth, but that 95-point season was a freak combination of playing over one's head and playing alongside Jagr and Lemieux. It was a perfect storm, and it'll never happen again. I'll pick on Michael Ryder. He's been good, but there's probably more in the tank. He needs to find it. With Sheldon Souray gone, someone will have to pick up the slack in point production. Koivu can't do it all, and I don't see the need to demand more of Kovalev in that department. Ryder was the Habs' leading goal-scorer last season, but he needs to pick it up even more. If he should have a letdown of a season, they're done.
Washington Capitals. The Score put Ovechkin in the hot seat. Not me. I put Michael Nylander there. He was an uber-expensive free agent acquisition, and it is up to him to bolster that one man show up there. Okay, so with Alexander Semin there, it's a two man show. But anyway, it's all on him to make it a three-man show. He has to stay healthy and motivated. He has to have the kinds of numbers that he had the last two seasons (83 points, 79 points). Elsewise, the Caps will have wasted their money and they will finish out of the playoffs again. I think they'll finish out of the playoffs either way, but Nylander can help them to be competitive.
New Jersey Devils. The Score chose Dainius Zubrus. That pick is too obvious. The Devils need a Scott Gomez replacement. Zubrus ain't it. He put up good numbers in 2005-06 when he played on a very very crappy Capitals team, but whenever he's surrounded by talent, those numbers won't be as high. After he was acquired by Buffalo at the trade deadline last season, he did virtually nothing for them in the regular or post season. at $3.4M, he's way overpaid, and he needs to have a 70+ point season to justify the big contract. He won't, but the Devs will be just fine. Unless.... My hot seat selection for them is Zach Parise. The youngster had a semi-breakout season last year with 62(31/31) points. He'll need to have another career best season this year This season, he won't have the beautiful playmaking of Scott Gomez to help him out, and who knows whether Hepatitis Boy will stay healthy all season. In any case, Parise should step up his game, and my opinion is that as he goes, so too will go the Devils.
Philadelphia Flyers. The Score said Marty Biron was the guy. The Bullies went all apey in the free agent market, and really you could pick any of those new guys with the huge price tags. I'll take the easy way out and pick the former Sabres captain Danny Briere. He's making $10M this year, and if he doesn't score over 150 goals and add 150 assists while leading the Flyers to their third Stanley Cup, it will have been a waste. Who wants to bet that it won't happen?
Unfair to pin it all on Briere? I don't think so. This dude's salary has been skyrocketing at a rate non-commensurate with his production. In 2003-04, Briere made $1.6M while putting up 65 (28/37) points. Before the lockout, an arbitrator "awarded" him a $2.55M contract for the season that never happened. In 2005-06, he made $2M and put up 58 (25/33) points in just 48 games (1.21 ppg). Last seson, he was awarded a "huge" $5M contract via arbitration and he scored 95 (32/63) points (1.17 ppg). This season, his pay will literally double. Even when you average out the "cap hit" to $6.5M, this is a hefty raise. I don't think he deserves it, and unless he accomplishes the aforementioned impossible tasks, it won't have been worth it. Can Briere handle the pressure of living up to this huge contract? With all these "sexy" acquisitions, the Flyers should be competitive, but I think it all depends on the little Quebeccer.
Speaking of the Buffalo Sabres, The Score puts Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek sitting in each other's laps in the "hot seat". Those two were among the Sabres' top five scorers, and they'll certainly need to put up the same kinds of numbers if the Sabres want to be good. They'll be good, but if Maxim Afinogenov can crank it up a couple of notches, they'll be great. He's been a frustrating player for Sabres fans. With such flashes of brilliance interspersed with sloppiness and a trademark inability to finish scoring chances, I think there's a phenom trapped in the body of a near-phenom. If he busts out, the Sabres will be (to borrow from Rick Jeanneret) "Scary Good" despite losing their two co-captains to ridiculous free agent poaching. In the 2004 season, Afinogenov scored one of the most incredible goals I've ever seen. Enjoy the YouTube clip and Jeaneret's call.
As a special treat for Sabres fans, that's Carolina's current #2 goaltender "Johnny Crackers" getting abused by Maxi in the clip.
The Score puts Cam Ward in Carolina's "hot seat". This is purely based on the way Cam came down to earth last season after playing way over his head on the way to winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy in 2006. Will Cam have to be good? Sure. However, I pick Matt Cullen. When Carolina struggled last season, everyone had a million excuses for why they weren't the same as the Cup-winning team. Almost everyone agreed that the absence of Cully was a huge factor. A lot of people rated it as the #1 factor. Carolina spent a lot of money to re-acquire Cullen via trade with the Rangers. Now that Carolina has replaced Cullen with Cullen himself, they should be able to return to 2006 form. Cullen will have to put up at 50 or more points and push the Canes back into a deep playoff run to justify going over the self-imposed budget. If he can't produce, the Canes will be on the links in April. He's the "hot seat" guy.
New York Islanders. In keeping with their "pick on the new guy or the goalie" theme, The Score put Billy Guerin in the Isles' "hot seat". The Isles are going to stink this year. They've made some acquisitions, but they're all old guys, except Mike Comrie, and they overpaid like hell for him. Charles Wang is running a clown factory over there, and the Isles' new sweaters are going to make a lot of eyes sore. Defenseman Emma Bergeron had a great season last year, and he'll probably be the Isles leading point-getter this season. Just for giggles, I'll put Jeff Tambellini in the "hot seat". In what was a pretty strong draft class in 2003, Tambellini was taken with the 27th overall pick. He put up point-a-night numbers in two AHL seasons, but has yet to make an impact on the NHL level. The Isles will have a bunch of 10-goal scorers, and a small handful of old dudes scoring 20. I don't see anyone scoring 30, unless this guy has a breakout season. If he does, the Isles might be competitive. I don't think old man Billy Guerin will be able to carry the weight of the team. One of the young guys will have to step to the front. I nominate Tambellini.This is taking way longer than I anticipated. Look for part two by Friday evening. Lemme know what you think.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Rangers strike twice
The Rangers landed TWO of the marquee free agent forwards within 12 minutes of one another.
First they signed Scott Gomez to a seven-year $51.5M contract.
Then they turned right around and won the Chris Drury sweepstakes with a five-year, $35.25M contract.
Un-freakin-believable.
Added to that, the Flyers addedSteveJASON "own goal" Smith and Joffrey Lupul from Edmonton in exchange for Joni Pitkanen and Geoff Sanderson.
Say hello to the new Atlantic Division!
Now that Briere and Drury are gone, and the marquee FAs have been gobbled up (don't forget about Jason Blake signing with the Leafs), what the heck are the Sabres gonna do? Put the weight of the team on Drew Stafford's shoulders?
First they signed Scott Gomez to a seven-year $51.5M contract.
Then they turned right around and won the Chris Drury sweepstakes with a five-year, $35.25M contract.
Un-freakin-believable.
Added to that, the Flyers added
Say hello to the new Atlantic Division!
Now that Briere and Drury are gone, and the marquee FAs have been gobbled up (don't forget about Jason Blake signing with the Leafs), what the heck are the Sabres gonna do? Put the weight of the team on Drew Stafford's shoulders?
Briere a Flyer
Philly made the first big splash of the free agency period Sunday afternoon when they signed Daniel Briere to an eight year deal valued at $52M. He will earn $10M this year, but the cap hit will be just $6.5M.
Briere is a good player, but this is lunacy. Ten million dollars? This, I'm afraid, is the result of last year's $5M arbitration award. That should never have happened. The Sabres should have gotten him signed, but instead they find themselves in a tough spot. I said last summer that the award would cause problems, and I thought they would come up sooner than this. I guessed that they would walk away, and Briere would have signed somewhere else.
Even after his 95-point season and disappearance in the playoffs, nobody in their right mind would have guessed that he would be paid $10M. The average of his 8-year deal is $6.5, which I still think is a bit high, but it's much more reasonable than $10.
Now we're starting to hear rumblings that Chris Drury doesn't want to return to Buffalo and that he is being courted by a certain team who wears teal. We'll probably know more about that by day's end. If this turns out to be so, Buffalo will have to aggressively go after some of the other name brand players in the FA market. And they will have to reconsider their intentions for Dainius Zubrus.
Don't be surprised to see Scotty Gomez in Buffalo next season. He made $5M last year with the Devils. After a below average season, he's not in line for a raise, so consider him to be a downgrade from Briere, but for the same money (or maybe even more money). Again, this goes back to what I've been saying for over a year: they should have signed Briere to a long term contract instead of allowing him to go to arbitration.
Now. About Philly....
With the Briere signing, they come in at about a $48.6M cap hit, and I think they need one or two more forwards. They have made some very serious moves to improve their team.
Last I heard, they did not give Joni Pitkanen a qualifying offer, which means his status changes from RFA to UFA.
Briere is a good player, but this is lunacy. Ten million dollars? This, I'm afraid, is the result of last year's $5M arbitration award. That should never have happened. The Sabres should have gotten him signed, but instead they find themselves in a tough spot. I said last summer that the award would cause problems, and I thought they would come up sooner than this. I guessed that they would walk away, and Briere would have signed somewhere else.
Even after his 95-point season and disappearance in the playoffs, nobody in their right mind would have guessed that he would be paid $10M. The average of his 8-year deal is $6.5, which I still think is a bit high, but it's much more reasonable than $10.
Now we're starting to hear rumblings that Chris Drury doesn't want to return to Buffalo and that he is being courted by a certain team who wears teal. We'll probably know more about that by day's end. If this turns out to be so, Buffalo will have to aggressively go after some of the other name brand players in the FA market. And they will have to reconsider their intentions for Dainius Zubrus.
Don't be surprised to see Scotty Gomez in Buffalo next season. He made $5M last year with the Devils. After a below average season, he's not in line for a raise, so consider him to be a downgrade from Briere, but for the same money (or maybe even more money). Again, this goes back to what I've been saying for over a year: they should have signed Briere to a long term contract instead of allowing him to go to arbitration.
Now. About Philly....
With the Briere signing, they come in at about a $48.6M cap hit, and I think they need one or two more forwards. They have made some very serious moves to improve their team.
Last I heard, they did not give Joni Pitkanen a qualifying offer, which means his status changes from RFA to UFA.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Carolina waxed by Philly, season likely done
On Wednesday night, the Hurricanes had a golden opportunity to rebound from Tuesday's poor performance because they were playing the League's worst team. They were playing a team that gives up nearly four goals per game and had only won EIGHT home games all season long. The perfect chance to get back on track and assert themselves in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot. However, they failed to show up for the second straight night and they were decimated by a really bad team. The final tally was 5-1, but like the game on Tuesday, it wasn't even that close.
With five games to play, and Carolina three points out of eighth place, this pretty much seals the deal. I would say that unless Carolina runs the table AND gets some help from the likes of Toronto, Montréal and Tampa, they will be defending the Stanley Cup from Pinehurst #2.
I was supposed to work tonight, but I got off really early and found myself in a bar that I almost never enter. I'm friends with the managers, and it was on the way from work to the parking lot, so I poked my head in. The general manager bought me one beer, the kitchen manager bought me another. I then felt compelled to go home, clean up and make my way back there for dinner. I ended up, actually, watching the Sabres-Devils game with a native Buffalonian whom I had never met before. It all started when the dude said "Hey, I know you're a 'Nucks fan, but do you mind if they put on the Sabres game?" At which point I had to explain my brand new Canucks hat.
That game was way more exciting than the garbage that Carolina put out on the ice in Philly. One goddamn goal?!?
There's still a slim chance that Carolina could qualify for the playoffs, but I just don't see it happening. They've been outscored 11-2 in the last two games, and they've looked really bad. I wish like hell that I could root for the Sabres, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
The hat. Recently, I decided that I really really needed to buy a new Canes hat. The ones they have in the team gift shop don't really work out for me. I have to order on-line to get what I really want. Lids.com was running a BOGOHO special (so was NHL.com for that matter), so I went ahead and decided to get a 'Nucks hat while I was at it. Those dreams had led me to the conclusion that I'm a closet Canucks fan, and I already said a couple of weeks ago that I would endorse the Nucks, so I figured I needed a ballcap.
I am still, and always will be, a Canes fan first and foremost. But for now....
... Go Nucks!
With five games to play, and Carolina three points out of eighth place, this pretty much seals the deal. I would say that unless Carolina runs the table AND gets some help from the likes of Toronto, Montréal and Tampa, they will be defending the Stanley Cup from Pinehurst #2.
I was supposed to work tonight, but I got off really early and found myself in a bar that I almost never enter. I'm friends with the managers, and it was on the way from work to the parking lot, so I poked my head in. The general manager bought me one beer, the kitchen manager bought me another. I then felt compelled to go home, clean up and make my way back there for dinner. I ended up, actually, watching the Sabres-Devils game with a native Buffalonian whom I had never met before. It all started when the dude said "Hey, I know you're a 'Nucks fan, but do you mind if they put on the Sabres game?" At which point I had to explain my brand new Canucks hat.
That game was way more exciting than the garbage that Carolina put out on the ice in Philly. One goddamn goal?!?
There's still a slim chance that Carolina could qualify for the playoffs, but I just don't see it happening. They've been outscored 11-2 in the last two games, and they've looked really bad. I wish like hell that I could root for the Sabres, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
The hat. Recently, I decided that I really really needed to buy a new Canes hat. The ones they have in the team gift shop don't really work out for me. I have to order on-line to get what I really want. Lids.com was running a BOGOHO special (so was NHL.com for that matter), so I went ahead and decided to get a 'Nucks hat while I was at it. Those dreams had led me to the conclusion that I'm a closet Canucks fan, and I already said a couple of weeks ago that I would endorse the Nucks, so I figured I needed a ballcap. I am still, and always will be, a Canes fan first and foremost. But for now....
... Go Nucks!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Canes host Flyers tonight
On New Year's Eve, the Hurricanes will be hosting the Flyers in their traditional NYE home game. This will be the fourth straight season the Canes have rung out the year with a game in the RBC Center on December 31.
After two games against the League's best teams, Carolina will get a look at the League's worst team. The Flyers won only one game thus far in December, dropping the other 10 games.
Carolina got some good news when both Kevyn Adams (wrist) and Andrew Ladd (appendix) were re-activated from the IR. Keith Aucoin has been reassigned to Albany. However, the blue line is hurting. Tim Gleason is still out, Frantisek Kaberle has been out all season, and now Nick Wallin has an "upper body" concern and is questionable for tonight's game. This means Avi Tanabe will be relied upon much more than most fans care for. He had a great game on Friday, and we hope that he can keep it up.
Peter Forsberg has just returned to the Flyers lineup after missing four games with a concussion. Don't think that the Canes aren't aware of this.
Viva, who is a former Flyer, should be expected to have a great game tonight to continue his hot streak.
After Thursday's debacle, all significant scoring streaks came to an end, but now the Captain (also a former Flyer) is on a five game points streak. He should also have a good night.
I'm guessing that Erik Cole will be quiet, and that Eric Staal will do something to snap out of his cold streak.
Puck drop will be at 8:00 eastern.
After two games against the League's best teams, Carolina will get a look at the League's worst team. The Flyers won only one game thus far in December, dropping the other 10 games.
Carolina got some good news when both Kevyn Adams (wrist) and Andrew Ladd (appendix) were re-activated from the IR. Keith Aucoin has been reassigned to Albany. However, the blue line is hurting. Tim Gleason is still out, Frantisek Kaberle has been out all season, and now Nick Wallin has an "upper body" concern and is questionable for tonight's game. This means Avi Tanabe will be relied upon much more than most fans care for. He had a great game on Friday, and we hope that he can keep it up.
Peter Forsberg has just returned to the Flyers lineup after missing four games with a concussion. Don't think that the Canes aren't aware of this.
Viva, who is a former Flyer, should be expected to have a great game tonight to continue his hot streak.
After Thursday's debacle, all significant scoring streaks came to an end, but now the Captain (also a former Flyer) is on a five game points streak. He should also have a good night.
I'm guessing that Erik Cole will be quiet, and that Eric Staal will do something to snap out of his cold streak.
Puck drop will be at 8:00 eastern.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Canes hand Flyers record-setting loss
On Tuesday night, the Hurricanes picked up their second win in a row and handed the Flyers their seventh loss in a row 2-1. The losing skid sets a new benchmark in futility for the Orange and Black. It might not end any time soon, as their next game is in Montréal on Thursday night.
Elsewhere, the Caps lost, which allowed the Canes to leapfrog them into second place in the Southeast Division. Division leader Atlanta won their game in a shootout, maintaining a six point cushion over the Canes. Yeah. It's wicked early to think about the playoffs already.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Rod Brind'Amour was back in the lineup tonight, and no worse for the wear. He logged more than 25 minutes of ice time and took 31 of the team's 61 faceoffs. He was, actually, a little below his normal 60% winning per centage, but we'll gladly take his 54%. Since he was able to play, there was no need to recall Dave Gove or Ryan Bayda.
The story of the night, though, was Carolina's defensemen. They were sharp. In particular, Anton Babchuk had a great game. Defensively, he had two blocked shots and a number of timely poke-checks. Offensively, he did a great job of joining the rush, and ended up with the game-winning goal.
Carolina was buzzing around the net all game long, and if not for a heroic effort by Antero Nittymaki, it might have been 8-1. Erik Cole had a number of good chances, and poor Ray Whitney hit the post twice, and was robbed a couple of times. He picked up an assist on Caroina's first goal, but had nothing else to show for his great effort.
At 12:41 of the first, Viva was on the right side of the net to tip in a point blast from Andrew Hutchinson. The "shot" was well off net, but Viva was in the perfect place to lift it up and over Nittymaki. Ray Whitney picked up the secondary assist. Viva now has a five game point streak, and is on pace for a 77 point (35/42) season. Last season, his 76 points landed him in 36th place in the League in scoring. Somehow, he's still a player that nobody knows.
Early in the second period, Carolina decided to make it FIVE GAMES IN A ROW with one of those delaying the game (puck in crowd) penalties. This time Mike Commodore was the culprit. Scott Cason hates this rule, and one of these days, we'll get a discussion going over at SESO about this. I don't hate the rule in principle. I hate the way it's adjudicated. I think this is where Cason has issue: I think there out to be some discretionary wiggle room for the refs. They have a lot of wiggle room with the enforcement of goaltender interference, or with the awarding of penalty shots. I wish they had the same for this. Actually, I've got a whole different proposal, but that's for another post. The thing is that the players know that the rule is there and that the refs have to enforce it. There's no point in trying those cute bank passes off the glass if you're a defenseman with marginal puckhandling skills.
The penalty ended up being no harm because the Flyers couldn't stay out of the box in the second period, and they were only able to enjoy one minute of the resultant power play before they made it four-on-four hockey. During this segment, Anton Babchuk showed flashes of offensive brilliance in beating Nittymaki. From the right point, Babs faked a slap shot, forced Nittymaki to come way out, and beat him badly high on the glove side. Erik Cole got the only assist.
At 14:05 of the third, Simon Gagne ended Cam Ward's shuotout bid by re-directing a left circle blast from Randy Jones. Joni Pitkanen got the second assist.
Philly was unable to knot it up, nor was Carolina able to pot an empty net goal after Nittymaki was lifted.
The "official" three stars went to Anton Babchuk (third), Antero Nittymaki (second) and Viva(first). I don't quite see it that way. The RBH three stars:
Third Star Ray Whitney, CAR. 1 assist
Second Star Antero Nittymaki, PHI. 40 saves
First Star Anton Babchuk, CAR. game winning goal
Carolina is off until Friday, when the Islanders come to town.
Elsewhere, the Caps lost, which allowed the Canes to leapfrog them into second place in the Southeast Division. Division leader Atlanta won their game in a shootout, maintaining a six point cushion over the Canes. Yeah. It's wicked early to think about the playoffs already.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Rod Brind'Amour was back in the lineup tonight, and no worse for the wear. He logged more than 25 minutes of ice time and took 31 of the team's 61 faceoffs. He was, actually, a little below his normal 60% winning per centage, but we'll gladly take his 54%. Since he was able to play, there was no need to recall Dave Gove or Ryan Bayda.
The story of the night, though, was Carolina's defensemen. They were sharp. In particular, Anton Babchuk had a great game. Defensively, he had two blocked shots and a number of timely poke-checks. Offensively, he did a great job of joining the rush, and ended up with the game-winning goal.
Carolina was buzzing around the net all game long, and if not for a heroic effort by Antero Nittymaki, it might have been 8-1. Erik Cole had a number of good chances, and poor Ray Whitney hit the post twice, and was robbed a couple of times. He picked up an assist on Caroina's first goal, but had nothing else to show for his great effort.
At 12:41 of the first, Viva was on the right side of the net to tip in a point blast from Andrew Hutchinson. The "shot" was well off net, but Viva was in the perfect place to lift it up and over Nittymaki. Ray Whitney picked up the secondary assist. Viva now has a five game point streak, and is on pace for a 77 point (35/42) season. Last season, his 76 points landed him in 36th place in the League in scoring. Somehow, he's still a player that nobody knows.
Early in the second period, Carolina decided to make it FIVE GAMES IN A ROW with one of those delaying the game (puck in crowd) penalties. This time Mike Commodore was the culprit. Scott Cason hates this rule, and one of these days, we'll get a discussion going over at SESO about this. I don't hate the rule in principle. I hate the way it's adjudicated. I think this is where Cason has issue: I think there out to be some discretionary wiggle room for the refs. They have a lot of wiggle room with the enforcement of goaltender interference, or with the awarding of penalty shots. I wish they had the same for this. Actually, I've got a whole different proposal, but that's for another post. The thing is that the players know that the rule is there and that the refs have to enforce it. There's no point in trying those cute bank passes off the glass if you're a defenseman with marginal puckhandling skills.
The penalty ended up being no harm because the Flyers couldn't stay out of the box in the second period, and they were only able to enjoy one minute of the resultant power play before they made it four-on-four hockey. During this segment, Anton Babchuk showed flashes of offensive brilliance in beating Nittymaki. From the right point, Babs faked a slap shot, forced Nittymaki to come way out, and beat him badly high on the glove side. Erik Cole got the only assist.
At 14:05 of the third, Simon Gagne ended Cam Ward's shuotout bid by re-directing a left circle blast from Randy Jones. Joni Pitkanen got the second assist.
Philly was unable to knot it up, nor was Carolina able to pot an empty net goal after Nittymaki was lifted.
The "official" three stars went to Anton Babchuk (third), Antero Nittymaki (second) and Viva(first). I don't quite see it that way. The RBH three stars:
Third Star Ray Whitney, CAR. 1 assist
Second Star Antero Nittymaki, PHI. 40 saves
First Star Anton Babchuk, CAR. game winning goal
Carolina is off until Friday, when the Islanders come to town.
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