"Monster" Leafs, Ducks aren't "Finnished"

The Toronto Maple Leafs have come to terms on a 1 year $810,000 contract with swedish goaltender Jonas Gustavsson. The 24 year old is considered the best goaltender outside of the NHL today and looks to prove that he is indeed one of the best goaltenders in the game period. He'll get his chance next season as he joins the Maple Leafs organization as their 1B position in net.

Last season, Gustavsson was far and away the best goaltender in the Swedish Elite League as he posted a 1.96 goals against average and a 0.932 save percentage in the regular season and set a shutout streak record during the playoffs. He's scheduled to become the immediate backup to Vesa Toskala but since it is Toskala's spot to lose, or perhaps Gustavsson's spot to gain, it's difficult to imagine Jonas not playing consecutive nights early in the season.

The Anaheim Ducks also added more veteran presence to the dressing room as long-time friend of Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, joins the fold. He signed a 1 year 3.25M dollar contract after spending 13 years in Montreal. It's unlikely the two will play on the same line, but their chemistry in World Hockey events could prove to be the fuel to fire for a great second line scoring tandem.

There are still plenty of options out there for teams in terms of free agent signings as Alex Tanguay, Derek Morris, Todd Bertuzzi, Dennis Seidenberg, Robert Lang, Christian Backman, and god forbid, Mats Sundin are atop the popular names on the market, not including Brendan Shanahan. And if teams want a little grit and more suspensions, the scoring dynamo that is Ryan Hollweg is still waiting by the phone.

Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com

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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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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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