Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Beasts of the East

After what some consider an upset for the Penguins to take out the Flyers in six games, and an 80 second burst of pure skill and a hint of luck for the Hurricanes, the East is settled to 4 teams: Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington and Carolina. It's a dream come true for the people who live and breath the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry, while the other series has certain people thinking hard about what could very well happen.

Boston Vs. Carolina

There's no denying the Hurricanes are essentially the dark horse of the East. Going into the post-season, not too many people were really talking about them and, in a way, that's underestimating them. The Devils were one of the favorites to get to the Conference Finals, but after seeing what damage the Hurricanes can do, regardless of the series going to 7 games, one must not count them out against the Bruins.

The Bruins are a team that have many young players with a ton of talent and grit to push them through; however, the Hurricanes are a team that completely works as a single unit. There is no major powerhouse player on the team, other than Eric Staal, and they feed off each other in pursuit of the win. The Bruins have tremendous goaltending, a firm defensive stance and explosive speed. It will depend on how well all of their lines perform in the series to see if they can get past the Hurricanes in less than 6 games, for there is no denying that Carolina is a far more superior team compared to the Montreal Canadiens.

This series will depend on the level of intensity from both sides and how they use their forechecking. Needless to say, a simple shot on net is not going to fool Tim Thomas - the Hurricanes will have to focus legitimate chances on goal to get a win, and it won't be easy. The Bruins, on the other hand, must keep Cam Ward deep in his net, refuse to allow him to challenge the shooters and maintain pressure on Eric Staal and Erik Cole. If they can shut down the top duo and keep the pressure on by constantly sending the puck into the offensive zone, they will be able to take this series in as many as 5 games, but don't be surprised if the Hurricanes steal one or two. This is a team that thrives on unity and a bit of luck.

Pittsburgh Vs. Washington


Despite Washington finishing 2nd in the Standings, a lot of people believe the Penguins are far and away the better team. The whole debate on who the better player is between Crosby and Ovechkin will be put on the line in this one, but people are overlooking one simple fact: it isn't about who is better, it's about who can elevate their game and lead their team to a berth in the Conference Finals.

There's no doubt both sides have a ton of firepower, but will they have the necessary defensive skills to hold each other off? Let's face it, these are "defense-first"-minded teams we're talking about here. In the regular season, the Penguins were a collective +23, and only a +5 on the road. The Capitals were a collective +18 and only a +2 on the road. To put that into perspective, the Bruins were a +60, while the Jackets were a +18. Needless to say, this will be an explosively offensive series that will likely be home-and-home wins.

This series will be dependent on superb goaltending. The defense have a knack for making unnecessary mistakes or showing signs of sheer laziness on the back-check. In order for either of these teams to get the big W they will need to be supported significantly between the pipes and that will surely mean more of Varlamov's outstanding performance thus far and absolutely no sign of Theodore on the ice. If the Caps for some reason decide to go with the veteran, it will be a costly mistake.

Unless one of Fleury and Varlamov completely shine and shut the door throughout, neither team will go away quietly. Expect a long one for this one and plenty of frustration.

Get ready for the Beasts of the East!

Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The West is Set

In 2 games featuring a double elimination night, the teams on the brink of golfing just couldn't get it done. The Calgary Flames lose their game to the Blackhawks 4-1, and the San Jose Sharks lose their game to the Ducks 4-1. The Western Conference Semi-Finals has been determined and will feature the Ducks and Red Wings in one series, with the Canucks taking on the Blackhawks in the other. Two sweeping teams vs. two teams that went to Game 6. Interesting Setup.

Calgary Vs. Chicago

From the get go, it did not seem like the Flames had a chance to get into it. They constantly surrendered late surges after early leads and just could not get finish on plays that should have ended in a goal. They lacked leadership throughout and the young guns who were able to score over 30 and 40 goals could not find the back of the net.

Kiprusoff seemed like he was burnt out at the end of the regular season and once the post-season began, he played similar hockey. Perhaps if he is not in net for 76 games in the regular season next year he'll be of better help to the club when it truly matters; however, there is one reason why he had to play that many games. The club did not have the wages to afford a decent backup and were worried of losing games down the stretch and ultimately finishing behind the Canucks in the Northwest Standings. That said, a simple home-ice advantage issue should not be the cause of burning out your goaltender against teams like Los Angeles and Colorado. There needs to be a repair on the goaltending services next year that involve a stronger duo. Kipper needs a guy to man the pipes every 6 or 7 games.

Chicago, on the other hand, found out why Khabibulin was able to capture Lord Stanley with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Once they added Christobel Huet to the roster over the summertime, The 'Bulin Wall was energized and ready to battle for his number one position. He proved he is still capable of stealing games when they matter and the Flames were not too pleased over it. In Game 6, facing elimination, the Flames peppered him with 44 shots, only to score 1 goal, thanks to Todd Bertuzzi, on a shot that Khabibulin turns away from because he thought he was going to get hit square in the mask. He finished off the series 0.921 SV% after facing 190 shots, stopping 175 of them, and with a stronger defensive unit in front of him, he's provided the necessary goaltending to go far in the post-season. Vancouver should be well prepared for a series that will primarily feature a goaltender's duel. Luongo vs. Khabibulin.

With the amount of injuries the Flames suffered and the sheer finesse level on the Blackhawks team, the right team won the series.

Anaheim Vs. San Jose


This is a series that featured a powerhouse club in the San Jose Sharks against a team that has a ton of playoff experience and never gives up. That's exactly what played into the win for the Ducks - they never gave up.

The Sharks were destined the lose once people began to recognize that they would not give up the body in blocked shots, or go the extra mile for a race for the puck. You need to earn scars and bruises to win the Stanley Cup, and the Sharks did not earn their spot to move on. Yes, they go into a few fights; yes, they threw some big hits, but they did not find that extra gear to give it all they had when they needed it the most. In a sense, they kept allowing the losses the rally believing that "next game things will be different", but that next game featured more of the same. The Ducks took the punishment and still made the plays - the Sharks avoided the punishment in hopes to find the perfect play.

The Regular Season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are two different walks of life. You have teams that are buckling down to try and put together a successful year to make a few extra bucks by getting to the first round and you have other teams that are building chemistry and strength for the long battle that starts (not in October, but) in November. The Sharks played more like that team trying to get the extra playoff bonuses and not the team ready to take a beating to hoist the Silver Grail.

Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are an unbelievable trio. The loss of Dustin Penner two years ago has been filled by Bobby Ryan and there's no guessing that these three will be a line of superb talent for years to come. The Ducks now have a new core of players ready to take the reign and they proved it by wiping the President Trophy winners off the map right out of the gate.

Next stop: Motorcity, and a much anticipated battle between the Red Wings and the Ducks. If the Wings come into this series expecting to face another young, inexperienced team such as the Blue Jackets, they'll have another thing coming. I think of the Sharks would have advanced and met the Wings in the post-season (regardless of standings) they would not fair as well as the Ducks can. If San Jose met Detroit, I would have guessed Detroit to win it. Now that the Ducks are there, and ready to be Mighty once again, it's a tough call and certainly a series to pay attention to.

Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Do or Die Night - Sharks and Flames Face Elimination


It's an intriguing night of hockey in the Western Conference as both the Calgary Flames and the regular season power house San Jose Sharks look to extend their post season with a win tonight against their respectful clubs. In what has been a frustrating playoff performance from both teams, they now must kick the team into high gear and force the Game 7.

The Calgary Flames have found out today that Dion Phaneuf, who has notched 3 assists and a +2 thus far in the series, will sit out tonight's game after bumping heads with Troy Brouwer in Game 5. This is a significant blow to the Flames blueline as they are already missing Robyn Regehr to a knee injury. Thankfully, the Flames will be playing at home tonight and will have to call upon their fan base to chime in some much needed energy to push this one to Game 7.

The Sharks were the leagues best team heading into the post-season, but for some reason (consider it a curse) the Sharks just can't seem to find a way to get it done in the playoffs. Down 3-2 in the opening round to the 8th seeded Ducks, the Sharks find themselves facing elimination for the second straight game and hope to avoid it once again with a win tonight on the road. That said, the Ducks are by no means a terrible team. In fact, the teams who placed 2nd to even as much as 4th have had an easier opening team to play against than the Sharks have landed in the Ducks.

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will be called upon once again to push this series and get a win, for anything less than a series victory is a failure on the season and on behalf of the leaders of this team. The Sharks have come and gone from the playoffs for far too long without making it to the Finals, and that is certainly not what this organization wishes to see again this time around. Simply being a difficult team to beat in the playoffs is not what this team has longed for. If they want the cup badly, they'll have to pay the price to get there, starting with a physical, grinding game tonight on the road.

I'll be covering the Flames/Blackhawks on TheScore tonight. Tune into TheScore's liveblogs for more details.

Micheal Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com

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Sunday, April 26, 2009

Norris and Calder Thoughts


When the NHL playoffs begin, so too do the gradual announcements of the nominees for the various annual individual awards. Starting with the Calder Trophy for the league's outstanding rookie and the Norris Trophy for the outstanding defenseman, I'll be taking a look at the nominees, picking a winner and offering up names of players who could have been there instead.

The Calder Trophy

The three nominees for the Calder Trophy are Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks, Steve Mason from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Ryan led all rookies in scoring this season with 31 goals and 57 total points in just 64 games. Versteeg placed second with 22 goals and 53 points in 78 games. Mason is the youngest of the group, leading the NHL in shut outs with 10 at just 20 years old. Versteeg and Ryan are both 22 and have played in the AHL previously.

Steve Mason is the primary reason the Columbus Blue Jackets were finally able to make the playoffs this season for the first time in franchise history, though they were swept out by the defending champion Detroit Red Wings.

Bobby Ryan was a great piece in helping the Anaheim Ducks sneak into the playoffs and is leading the Ducks with 4 goals, all while holding a 3-2 series advantage over the league's best regular season team, the San Jose Sharks.

Versteeg was a nice addition to a very young, very good Chicago Blackhawks squad. He hasn't had the impact that Ryan and Mason have. I would have preferred to see Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty nominated in his place. Doughty stepped right into the Kings' line up and established himself as a top line d-man almost immediately. I would have also taken Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne over Versteeg.

Who Will Win: Steve Mason

Who Should Win: Steve Mason

The Norris Trophy

The three players nominated for The Norris Trophy this season are Detroit Red Wings captain and the guy this trophy will probably get re-named after, Niklas Lidstrom, Boston Bruins monster Zdeno Chara and the offensively explosive Mike Green of the Washington Capitals.

Green played just 68 games this season but managed to accumulate 31 goals and 73 points, the most in both categories for a defenseman. He also set a record for an NHL defenseman with goals in 8 straight games. He isn't as defensive minded as Lidstrom or Chara, but his offense more than makes up for it.

Nik Lidstrom has won the Norris 6 out of the past 7 years and is only two shy of Bobby Orr's record of eight awards. He placed third in defenseman scoring with 59 points and is one of the best and most consistent captains in the NHL. You could easily make a case for Lidstrom to win his seventh Norris.

Chara has been nominated for the Norris twice previously, but has never won. The 6'9" 251 pound monster has the hardest shot in the NHL and finished the season with 50 points. He is a fearsome competitor and has a very strong defensive game. He has more of an impact on his team than either Lidstrom or Green.

It's hard to argue with the nominees here, but Dan Boyle of the San Jose Sharks and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators also deserve a mention for their outstanding play this season.

Who Will Win: Mike Green

Who Should Win: Zdeno Chara

mitch.hart@gmail.com

Follow Me on Twitter at Twitter.com/Mitchell_Hart

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Game 6: Flyers/Pens Pre-Game



At 3:00 PM EST, the Pittsburgh Penguins will get a second chance to finish off the Philadelphia Flyers, but this time they'll have to do it on the road. They were leading the series 3-1 when the Flyers stormed Igloo and flat out dominated Pittsburgh in every aspect of the game to inch the series closer. Today, if the Penguins fail to get this win, it could very well be the end of the series.

Philadelphia is not and easy team to beat, and they are damn good at making cheese steak sandwiches and low fat cream cheese. Coming into the playoffs, everyone knew this was going to be the series to watch in the East, and it has certainly lived up to expectation. But the odds of anyone guessing the Pens would have taken 3 of the first four games are low, and the Flyers are proving a point to the hockey world and their fan base - they will not go down without a fight.

And that's certainly what has transpired. Facing elimination, key players have shown exactly what they are capable of. While guys like Carter and Richards have not been explosive, they are a still a threat on the ice, but the veteran players such as Asham, Knuble and Gagne are certainly pulling their own weight and more to get their team back into it. Well, so far so good. The Flyers are down by one and are heading home. If the crowd can give some much needed support, Philly could easily push this series to seven games.

There is a factor though.

In Game 5, in which Philly brought the series to 3-2, Sidney Crosby was still the best player on the ice for both sides despite not producing a single point. He was hammered hard at the end boards early in the game and it sparked him to kick his game into another gear. If he comes out flying today, the same way he played in Game 5, the Flyers could have a problem on their hands, for no other player in the league has scored more points against Philadelphia in the last 3 years. They will have to put every man on the ice on his back to keep him at bay or there will be a price to pay.

That said, shut down the Kid and you got yourself a Game 7.

Join me for the liveblog of today's game on The Score. Also, be sure to check out The Score on Twitter to see what games are getting liveblog coverage every day.


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Thursday, April 23, 2009

Draft Dodgers: A History of Maple Leaf Drafts



I made this a while ago, and thought given Mikey most recent article, I should post this for entertainment purposes. This is a list of all the guys the Leafs passed on. This does NOT include picks they traded, but flat-out players they did NOT take in favour of someone else. The "took" column does not necessarily imply I don't agree with the guy they did take (i.e. Potvin in 1990), but rather it shows the comparisons and options available at the time.

YEAR

TOOK

AVAILABLE

2002

Steen

Cam Ward

2001

Jay Harrison,

Nicolas Corbeil

Brandon Bell

Maxim Kondrietev

Tomas Mojzis

Ray Emery,

Jussi Jokinen,

Christobol Huet,

Marek Svatos,

Martin Gerber

2000

Miguel Delisle, Mikael Tellqvist

Henrik Lundqvist

1999

Luca Cereda

Jonathon Zion

Mirko Murovic

Martin Havlat

Ryan Miller

Henrik Zetterberg

1998

Andropov

Peter Svoboda

Jamie Hodson

Ponikarosky

Alex Tanguay

Simon Gagne

Scott Gomez

Jonathan Cheechoo

Brad Richards

Eric Cole

Francois Beauchemin

Brian Gionta

Andrew Raycroft

Pavel Datsyuk

1997

Jeff Farkas

Frank Mrazek

Eric Gooldy

Maxim Afiniganov

Kyle Calder

Matt Cooke

Mike York

Ladislav Nagy

1996

Marek Posmyk (D)

Chris Bogas (D)

(took Kaberle in Rd 8)

Znedo Chara

Samuel Pahlsson

Pavel Kubina

1995

Jeff Ware

Martin Biron

Mikka Kipprussof

Vesa Toskola

1994

Eric Fichaud

Sean Haggardy

Frederik Modin

Dan Cloutier

Jose Theodore

Patrick Elias

Milan Hejduk

Marty Turco

Daniel Alfredsson

Evgeni Nabokov

Tomas Vokoun

Steve Sullivan

Richard Zednik

1993

Kenny Jonsson

Landon Wilson

Paul Vincent

Jason Allison

Saku Koivu

Todd Bertuzzi

Darcy Tucker

Andrew Brunette

Patrick Lalime

Kimo Timonen

1992

Brandon Convery

Grant Marshall

Sergei Gonchar

Martin Straka

Mike Peca

Jim Carey

Manny Fernandez

Jeri Lehtonen

Nicholai Khabibulin

1991

Yanic Perrault

Alexi Zhitnik

Chris Osgood

1990

Drake Berehousky

Felix Potvin

Darby Hendrickson

Alexander Godynyuk

Eric Lacroix

Martin Brodeur

Keith Tkachuk

Doug Weight

Geoff Sanderson

Alexi Zhammnov

Sergei Zubov

Craig conroy

Robert Lang

Peter Bondra

Sergei Nemchinov

1989

Scott Thornton

Rob Pearson

Steve Bancroft

Matt Martin

Bill Guerren

Bobby Holik

Olaf Kolzig

Nicklas Lidstrom

Sergei Fedorov

Pavel Bure

Arturs Irbe

1988

Scott Pearson

Tie Domi

Jermey Roenik

Teemu Selanne

Rod BrindAmour

Mark Recchi

Rob Blake

Alex Mogilny

1987

Luke Richardson

Danial Morois

Mike Eastwood

Joe Sakic

John Leclair

Eric Dejardins

Mathie Shneider

Theo Fleury

1986

Vincent Damphousse

Brian Leech

Adam Graves

1985

Ken Sprangler

Dave Thomlinson

Tim Armstrong

Sean Burke

Joe Neiwendyk

Mike Richter

Bill Ranford

Igor Larionov

1984

Al Iafrate

Todd Gill

Jeff Reese

Derek Laxdal

Gary Roberts

Patrick Roy

Kirk McLean

Brett hull

Luc Robitaille

Gary Suter

1983

Russ Countnall

Jeff Jackson

Dan Hodgeson

Greg Rolston

Cam Neely

Claude Lemieux

Bob Essensa

Esa Tikkanan

Kevin Stevens

Rick Tochet

Dominic Hasek

1982

Gary Nyland

Peter Ihnacak

Dominic Campedelli

Scott Stevens

Phil Housley

Dave Andrechyk

Pat Verbeek

Ron Hextall

Tony Granaot

Doug Gilmour

1981

Jim Benning

Gary Yaymechuk

Grant Fuhr

Al MacI nnis

Chris Chellios

Mike Vernon

John Vanbiesbrouk

1980

Craig Muni

Bob McGill

Don Beupre

Kelly Hrudy

Moral? Hindsight is 20/20, but when it comes to drafting, people actually get paid to do this job, so at some point, there is a fair amount of incompetence here...


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