Now that's an interesting stat. The L.A. Kings are the first team to win three game sevens on the road in one post season.
Sunday, June 01, 2014
L.A. Kings: Interesting Stat alert
Now that's an interesting stat. The L.A. Kings are the first team to win three game sevens on the road in one post season.
L.A. Kings: game-winning goal, hand shake (No shenanigans)
The goal was originally announced as Alec Martinez's goal, but they reviewed the goal and that could change to Tyler Toffoli. Or I should say, that everyone but NBCSN and the NHL changed the goal.
Nonetheless it was a very good series and only fitting that this game went to overtime. This series could have gone either way.
L.A. Times --- Kings defenseman Alec Martinez shot inside the blue line off a pass from Justin Williams -- who's now 7-0 in Game 7s -- and the puck was deflected through traffic and into the goal by rookie forward Tyler Toffoli, past teammate Jarret Stoll and Chicago goalie Corey Crawford.
Is Thomas Vanek the new whipping boy?
Holy Cow, poor Thomas Vanek has become the whipping boy, and the reason for the demise of two teams, if not three. That might be an exaggeration, just a bit.
Josh Elliot, the Hockey News -- First, he was the sacrificial lamb (one of them) for the rebuilding Sabres. Then, he was expected to help John Tavares put the New York Islanders over top and get them into the playoffs. Next, after the losses and the contract offers piled up on Long Island, he was the guy they just couldn’t pay to stay. And off he went to Montreal, where he would help them to the playoffs before earning the goat horns in the Habs’ third-round elimination.
Vanek wasn’t terrible in Montreal. He wasn’t the reason they lost. But he didn’t help much when it mattered, either. The Austrian put up five goals and 10 points in 17 games. That’s OK, but nowhere near his 27-goal, 68-point regular season pace. And with just two points in his final seven playoff games, there’s no denying he pulled a disappearing act. Maybe his mind was in Minnesota, but more likely (he’s a professional, after all) he suffered an injury that we’ll hear about in the coming weeks.
But injury or not, just look at the carnage in his wake. The perennially-rebuilding Islanders are down a first-round pick in the Connor McDavid draft next year. They also lost a second-rounder in the Buffalo trade, and while they recouped it when they sent Vanek to Montreal, the Habs’ pick won’t be as high as the Islanders’ one would have been. And what else do they have? Only 2012 second-round pick Sebastian Collberg, and a fifth-round pick.
Oh, and the Islanders have another gaffe to hang on Garth Snow – one that nears Mike Milbury-esque levels of catastrophe.
NHL 15 Cover Vote... #NHL15Bergeron
RT this if you're going to vote for #NHL15Bergeron as much as you can today. pic.twitter.com/CbR6Z4Vjif
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 1, 2014
It ends today. You can use this link to vote. Voting closes today.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Thomas Vanek Watch is Officially On
This was a story that I happen to come across on the Score. I would have to think that the Thomas Vanek watch is officially on. It will be interesting to see where he actually ends up. From the looks of it, it doesn't appear that his stay in Montreal was very memorable, either.
Thomas Vanek said he's excited for the opportunity to pick his own team for the first time, but for now most excited to see his family
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
"I feel we're both good players, just weren't on the same page" - Thomas Vanek on him and Tomas Plekanec
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
Vanek said he feels the Canadiens could win, and they could be an option for him. Whether the feeling is mutual remains to be seen.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
Thomas Vanek said his top priority on July 1 is winning. Was asked about Minny and simply said he lives and trains there.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
Vanek said he's not injured, just never found any chemistry once he was removed from top line. Lack of shots was due to lack of chemistry
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
"I could have made a difference and I just wasn't there" - Thomas Vanek
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane is on fire
Right now, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane is on
fire. He's smoking hot. Kane has (2g-6a—8pts) in the last three games. Incidentally, Kane came into game five
with a single point during the third round. Since then, he has gone a tear the last two games. Scoring (2g-5a—7pts).
For the playoffs, Kane has scored (8g-10a—18pts) in 18 games.
Wild close to extending Yeo
Very good news. According to Michael Russo of the Star and Tribune, the Wild are very close to resigning head coach Mike Yeo to multiyear contract extension. This past season, Mike Yeo lead the Minnesota Wild to a (43-27-12) record. Obviously, the Fire Mike Yeo crowd isn't going to be happy, but Yeo has the Wild going in the right direction.
Michael Russo, Startribune -- Final details were being worked out Friday night, but all signs pointed toward an agreement soon, multiple sources said. Yeo, General Manager Chuck Fletcher and other members of the front office are due to leave for owner Craig Leipold’s home in the Bahamas on Saturday for meetings. The NHL’s youngest coach is 104-82-26 (. 552) in the regular season and coached the Wild past the first round for only the second time in franchise history this spring. Yeo, 40, is nearing the end of a three-year contract. Fletcher said May 16 that his first offseason priority was to re-sign Yeo, then address the two dozen others whose contracts also expire June 30.
Friday, May 30, 2014
(Video) Chicago Blackhawks: Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane ice the Kings - game six
Think about this for a minute, in the last two games, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has scored (2g-5a—7pts) and been an absolute beast against the L.A. Kings. Coming into game five, Kane had scored 1 assist, in the other four games of the series. This has been a very good hockey series and it's only fitting that this series is going to a game seven.
11:34 CHI Duncan Keith (4) Wrist shot - ASST: Patrick Kane (10), Andrew Shaw (5) 3 - 3 Tie
16:15 CHI Patrick Kane (8) Wrist shot - ASST: Brandon Saad (9) 4 - 3 CHI
(Video) Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez score 2:06 apart to take the lead - game 6
The Kings would take the lead back from the Chicago Blackhawks as Kings Defensemen Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez score 2:06 apart. That lead would evaporate quickly as the Blackhawks would get two goals in just under five minutes to take the lead.
05:32 LAK Drew Doughty (4) Wrist shot - ASST: Dustin Brown (6), Mike Richards (6) 2 - 2 Tie
07:38 LAK PPG - Alec Martinez (3) Wrist shot - ASST: Drew Doughty (12) 3 - 2 LAK
(Video) Andrew Shaw and Jonathan Quick mix it up, Crawford and Quick butt heads
Exciting end of the second period of game six. First, it looks like Andrew Shaw is helped into L.A. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. It was obvious that Quick was still fuming from that incident, butts heads with Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford on the way off of the ice. Checking the box score, there were no penalty assessed.
(Video) Chicago Blackhawks score two goals in 1:37 - game 6
The Chicago Blackhawks scored two quick goals 1:37 minutes apart in the opening minutes of the second period to take a 2-1 lead in game six.
Kane is smoking hot, and in the last two games has scored (1g-4a-5pts).
01:12CHI PPG - Patrick Kane (7) Wrist shot - ASST: Jonathan Toews (8), Brent Seabrook (10) 1 - 1 Tie
02:49 CHI Ben Smith (4) Wrist shot - ASST: Patrick Sharp (5), Brent Seabrook (11) 2 - 1 CHI
Lambert, "Stop your complaining about diving already"
Today, Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy fame has a blog post about diving. I always love those writers and fans that tell us to stop complaining about the on-ice officials. Moreover, I also love the people that tell us to stop complaining about player embellishment.
Seriously, I don't know too many hockey fans that want to see any more displays like these two examples. I posted two videos of Vancouver Canucks frauds Alex Burrows and Ryan Kessler. These two are the epitome of diving. Burrows is known around the NHL as being a head snapping embellishing clown. Lastly, Lambert a known Boston Bruins hater, is again using his blog to troll the Boston Bruins fan base, but none of us should be shocked by that.
People seem particularly aggrieved these days by “the head snap,” that is, when a stick or a glove gets somewhere up near a guy's face, he throws his head back. Tomas Plekanec famously did this in Game 4, after everyone talked about how both teams had “embarrassed” the refs by embellishing for calls in Game 3. The reason why is simple: They'd been able to do it to great effect in the past, but because the officials were on the lookout for it, they spotted it in Plekanec's case. The guy who gets caught is always the one who gets vilified, and the quote-unquote hilarious hashtag “#Plekanecing” quickly made its way around social media (spurred on by, who else, Bruins media hacks). The reason for this is that it's hard to take a picture of throwing yourself on the ice with the force of 10 atomic bombs because a guy's stick tapped the back of your skate (#Marchanding), and that people's memories are short (#Boychuking).I am sorry, but diving and embellishment has gotten way out of hand in all levels of hockey. It doesn't matter if you watch the NHL, College or youth hockey. Hockey players are flopping all over the ice to get calls and draw penalties. Face it, diving is poor sportsmanship and it cheapens the game of hockey. We don't want the NHL resembling soccer.
Seriously, I don't know too many hockey fans that want to see any more displays like these two examples. I posted two videos of Vancouver Canucks frauds Alex Burrows and Ryan Kessler. These two are the epitome of diving. Burrows is known around the NHL as being a head snapping embellishing clown. Lastly, Lambert a known Boston Bruins hater, is again using his blog to troll the Boston Bruins fan base, but none of us should be shocked by that.
Friday Links: Time to kick off the summer
Breaking Down UND’s Decommitments: (The Hockey Writers)
NCAA Hockey: Penalize Player Embellishment: (The Hockey Writers)
Nick Schmaltz – The Next Ones: NHL 2014 Draft Prospect Profile: (the Hockey Writers)
NHL’s draft combine to conclude with Saturday’s grueling fitness tests: (Kuklas Korner)
Here's the list of the 119 2014 NHL Combine Invites: (NHL.COM)
Don Cherry will be on Rogers Net: (the Spin)
Kings want to close out series tonight
While I think that the L.A. Kings are saying all of the right things, I also think this series is over tonight. Just my prediction, and we will know tonight about 10:00 pm., baring overtime. Thoughts?
I just happen to think this is the Kings year. As a UND hockey fan, there's a very good chance that the a former UND hockey player will again be a Stanley Cup Champion. Whoever advances from the Western Conference, is going to be the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
Thomas Drance, the score -- Though the Kings - who still hold a three-games-to-two lead in the series - have some margin for error, they're well aware that you can't let a dangerous, experienced team like the Blackhawks off the mat.
"We know we can't let it go to Game 7," Doughty told Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. "They're a good team in their home arena. They feed off their fans. It's a tough arena to play in. So we need to win [Friday]."
Continued Doughty: "No matter what, this game has to be ours. It's so important for us to advance to the Stanley Cup Final that we win this game. If we give them this game they're going to have so much more life and they're going to be a different team."
Thursday, May 29, 2014
NHL Cover Vote: #NHL15Bergeron
Since former UND forward T.J. Oshie has been eliminated from the voting, I am not shifting my focus to Patrice Bergeron.
New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens Handshake, no Shenanigans
After watching the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens go through the handshake line, it was nice to see a classy handshake. These two teams killed each other on the ice. There were two suspensions from this series (Brandon Prust and John Moore).
Total headshot by Prust... pic.twitter.com/noiCYd9ZKb
— DKM Hockey (@DKM_Hockey) May 30, 2014
Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price back in full pads
Carey Price, in full gear, an hour before the team is scheduled to be on the ice. pic.twitter.com/dbxvvsI8q8
— SeanFitz_Gerald (@SeanFitz_Gerald) May 27, 2014
Ruh-roh! The New York Rangers might want to put the Montreal Canadiens away in game six or they could end up facing Carey Price in game seven. Price was at practice, wearing full gear, and did face some shots. Price also did some side-to-side drills. Are you thinking what I am thinking?
Canada's Stanley Cup Drought
I can't believe it's been 20 years since the Stanley Cup was won by a team that resides in Canada. Ironically, it was the Montreal Canadiens that last won the Stanley Cup and they're probably not going to get out of the Eastern Conference Finals. The handshake game is tonight.
Mark Spector, Sportsnet -- Every June day was Edmonton Oilers Day in Edmonton 35 years ago. And when the Oilers failed to make it the Stanley Cup just twice in the eight years between 1983 and 1990, well, no problem. Montreal (1986) and Calgary (1989) took care of the Cup for Canada in Edmonton’s off years, even playing each other in ’89.
Can you imagine? Eight straight Cups featuring a Canadian team?
In the 22 Stanley Cups contested since, our country has sent six teams to the finals, winning just once. Ottawa took a turn in 2007, and each of Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver (twice) have suffered the indignity of a Game 7 loss in the final in the years since the Habs won our last Cup over Los Angeles in 1993.
(Video) History Will Be Made: Chris Kreider / Carey Price.
I think a fitting end to this series would be for New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider to score the game-winning goal.
If the #habs are going to blame Chris Kreider, they should be pointing the finger at Brandon Prust, too: http://t.co/QVRY9aY4Yg
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 23, 2014
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