Monday, June 11, 2012

Monday Links - hockey almost over for the summer.

There are a few stories of interest today on the internet about Stanley Cup Finals.

There is one thing that we know – the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going to last one or two more games and then the NHL will be in full summer mode. This season Stanley Cup Finals has been one of the most uneventful playoff series in a very long time. There has been nothing in the way of big hits that need extra scrutiny or villains like the Canucks Alex Burrows that need to be vilified.
Can Devils captain Zach Parise heat up?

After checking in with seven goals and 14 points in the first 17 games of this postseason, the production has dropped off for Parise. He doesn't have a point in five games and has a plus-minus rating of minus-five in this stretch.

"Zach's game is so much more than the stat line," Devils coach Peter DeBoer. "He's the heartbeat of our team. He's the identity of our team. He forechecks, he back-checks, he kills penalties, plays in all situations. He really is our barometer. He's the guy that makes us go, whether he's scoring or not. "Again, I don't measure his game on goals and assists. He's creating opportunities. They're eventually going to go in. He's had these type of situations before. It's tough out there right now for anybody to score. But I'm not concerned about his game. I know it's going to come." Parise twisted his left ankle in the third period of Game 4 and briefly missed some time. But he practiced on Friday and will play. DeBoer will not make any changes to his lineup. That means veteran defenceman Henrik Tallinder and forward Petr Sykora will suit up again. [Tim Wharnsby,CBC.CA]
With the win on Saturday night the Devils All-World goalie and future hall of famer added to his already
impressive total. In my opinion Martin Brodeur is one of the best goalie in my lifetime.
Brodeur has won three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, four Vezina Trophies and a Calder Trophy. He is the only goalie to put together eight 40-win seasons and no netminder has played in more games (1,191), won more (656) and recorded more shutouts (163).

With his victory on Saturday, Brodeur recorded his 17th win in a Stanley Cup final to move into a tie with New York Islanders great Billy Smith on the all-time final wins list.

25 - Jacques Plante, Montreal
24 - Ken Dryden, Montreal
21 - Turk Broda, Toronto
19 - Terry Sawchuk, Detroit (17), Toronto (2)
18 - Patrick Roy, Montreal (10), Colorado (8)
17 - Martin Brodeur, New Jersey; Billy Smith, N.Y. Islanders [Tim Wharnsby,CBC.CA]
Here is a good article by Mark Spector - Kings a distracted team

It would appear that the Phoenix Coyotes are going to be staying in Glendale, Arizona. I know, I know, we have heard this one before – it will be interesting to see how this story plays out and if the Yotes are finally going to stay in Phoenix area.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes' long wait for an owner might finally be over.

Glendale's City Council approved a 20-year lease agreement for Jobing.com Arena on Friday, clearing the last major hurdle in the sale of the Coyotes to a group led by former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison.

The council ratified the 20-year, nearly $325 million agreement by a 4-2 vote after a sometimes-contentious six-hour meeting attended by Jamison, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

"We've been doing this a long time," Bettman said. "We believe this team, the Coyotes, can be here with a new ownership in place and should be here."
One of the questions facing the Kings and Devils is fatigue - Kings Fighting Fatigue, as Well as Devils

Apparently Jaromir Jagr is coming back for another season in the NHL and is close to resigning with the Flyers...

The New Jersey Devils Power Less Play went 0-15 before Parise scored on Saturday night for the Devils to give them a 1-0 lead in game 5.

Stanley Cup finals hot topic: Give 3 reasons why Devils will win Game 6

The New Jersey Devils are still in a tough spot being down three games to two.
Tom Gulitti, Fire and Ice --- “I don’t see any reason why we should be overconfident or satisfied,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We’re still down 3-2. We’re still in the same spot we were. One loss and we’re done. I think just having gotten a couple wins, we’re playing with more confidence, but I don’t think that’s making us feel overconfident.

We still know how great of a team they are and how much better we need to play to make this thing even go further.
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