Knee To Knee Hits On The Rise

The NHL playoffs have delivered some of the most exciting action in recent years. Great goals, amazing passing, and some pretty incredible goaltending.

One negative that has seen an increase this year are the number of knee to knee hits occuring on the ice. The most obvious example would be Alexander Ovechkin's hit on Sergei Gonchar in the second round matchup between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin was given a two minute minor for kneeing, while Gonchar was helped off the ice and missed two games, but is probably now playing through the injury.

So far in the Eastern final between Pittsburgh and the Carolina Hurricanes, there have been at least three instances of knee to knee contact. Matt Cooke hit Erik Cole in game one after Cole had taken a shot. No penalty again, but Cooke clearly went out of his way to make sure he caught part of Cole. In game two, Denis Seidenberg and Craig Adams had a collision at center ice. Again, no penalty. Adams appeared to try and avoid the body check and Seidenberg was determined to get a piece of Adams. And later in that game, Walker took a questionable run at Evgeni Malkin, hitting him low.

Since the lockout, the NHL has cracked down hard on stick infractions, especially through the neutral zone in an effort to speed up the game by reducing the amount of interference occuring during games. Because of this effort, players are more often trying their hardest to try and hit players coming with speed. The unfortunate result (in most cases, it's not the intention to injure) is that more knee to knee hits have occured.

Unfortunately, the NHL's response to these types of hits has been mixed, to the point that many feel that there is preferential treatment depending on who hit whom. The league needs to be consistent and concrete in handing out punishment for these types of hits, even if it's the playoffs, and one of the premeire players gets suspended. Otherwise, it's a matter of time before someone's career is ended by one of these hits.

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Conference Final Predictions

What an ending to the second round. Three game sevens, one amazing overtime, and Chicago getting some needed rest while Anaheim and Detroit finish a war.

So now the Conference Finals are set, and both matchups look like they will continue the stretch of intense action. On the line: a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Will the upstart Chicago Blackhawks make it all the way and win their first Cup since 1961? Will Carolina make it back to the Finals for the first time since winning in 2006 (the last two times they qualified for the playoffs, they’ve made it to the Finals)? Are we destined for a Detroit-Pittsburgh rematch?

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Carolina Hurricanes
The Penguins are coming off a highly charged series against the Washington Capitals. Sidney Crosby proved why he’s arguably the best player on the planet right now. Carolina had staked itself to a 3-1 series lead against the Boston Bruins, only to be forced to overtime in game seven when unlikely hero Scott Walker put the series away. Now Eric and Jordan Staal get to face each other.

The Penguins will need a lot more secondary scoring, especially from Kunitz, Satan and Staal. Crosby and Malkin can only do so much of the heavy lifting. Carolina needs bigger contributions from Brind’Amour and Cole. Sergei Samsonov showed up against his former team, but he needs to not disappear again.

Prediciton: Penguins in six.

Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks
The last time the Hawks were in the conference finals was 1994-95 where they lost to Detroit. This is the third straight trip for the Red Wings. Chicago comes in on a tear, winning the last three against the Vancouver Canucks to close them out in six games, while Detroit needed a weak goal given up by Jonas Hiller late in game seven to finish off the Anaheim Ducks.

Chicago needs to establish leads early in games, and not have to comeback against Detroit, as the Wings are one of the best at maintaining a lead. Nikolai Khabibulin is going to have to be stellar for the Hawks to have a chance. Detroit needs to stay out of penalty trouble as the Hawks have the best powerplay in the playoffs and the Wing’s biggest weakness has been on the penalty kill.

Prediction: Red Wings in six.

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Home Ice Advantage?

In sports, especially during the playoffs, everyone invariably talks about the mythical 'home advantage'. The boost from the home fans and familiar settings all lead to some advantage in a best of seven series against another team. Most teams make it their goal in the regular season to earn this advantage for as long as they can. After all, it's better to have four games at home than three. But how much does this 'advantage' really come into play?


If you take the teams as a whole, right now the home teams have a 27-24 (.529) record. In the second round alone so far, the home teams are 4-3. To get a historical perspective on what the numbers mean, the records of the home teams since the 2000-2001 season were calculated.

2000-01: 43-45 (.489)
2001-02: 47-43 (.522)
2002-03: 49-40 (.551)
2003-04: 52-37 (.584)
2005-06: 44-39 (.530)
2006-07: 45-36 (.556)
2007-08: 50-35 (.588)

From a statistical standpoint, there is definitely an advantage to the home team (although usually slight). The trend indicates that the home teams have gained in their advantage over the past nine years, although without further analysis 2000-01 could be an anomylous year where the road teams actually had the upper hand (which makes some sense...finalist New Jersey was 8-4 on the road that year in the playoffs, and champion Colorado was 7-3).

The most interesting deviation occurs when only game sevens are observed. In the same period as above, the home team is 20-9 (.690) in game seven. In other words, having home ice advantage is nice during a series, but it's one of the most important factors when a series goes the distance.

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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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Question Period - Playoffs Edition

The New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils were all victorious in Game 1 of the NHL Playoffs. What sort of matchups will we see tonight? Will the Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens to a bloody pulp? Will the San Jose Sharks choke once again? All those questions and more… RIGHT NOW:


1) The Habs have had a successful playoff history against the Bruins, holding a 24-7 playoff record vs. the Bruins going into tonight’s match-up. I don’t have to tell you where both teams currently stand, so what’s your prediction? Will the Habs pull off the upset? Also, how many fights do you expect in this series, and more specifically, from George Laraque?

2) Nik Antropov scored his 3rd career playoff goal last night – in 28 games, mind you. He was the Rangers’ most productive player during the regular season; do you expect similar results in the playoffs?

3) Mats Sundin and the Canucks have won Game 1. Sundin recorded 2 shots, and couldn’t find the scoresheet. How will he fare throughout the rest of the playoffs? Do you expect the Canucks to go far? Will you support Sundin?

4) Do you think the Columbus Blue Jackets will upset the Detroit Red Wings? What will be the deciding factor? Will Rick Nash have to perform at an exceptional level? Can Osgood repeat his brilliant performance from last year?

5) The St.Louis Blues made the playoffs. That is an accomplishment in itself. Do you expect to do anything in the playoffs? Do they have a chance against the Canucks, or is their playoff berth just letting them get their toes in the water?

6) Joe Thornton and the Sharks are in the playoffs once again. So, will Thornton finally show up and lead the Sharks to the Cup, or will he disappear and lead the Sharks to another quick exit? Who else specifically needs to step up?

7) The Flames acquired Jordan Leopold and Olli Jokinen to bolster their lineup for the playoffs. However, they struggled at season’s end. How will the Flames fare tonight? Will they make a push for the Cup, or will they crumble once again? Does Mikka Kiprusoff have what it takes?

8 ) The Devils, judging from their performance last night, are rolling on all cylinders. Will Brodeur lead the team to a fourth Stanley Cup? If not, what will be their downfall?

9) Do you think the Penguins can find themselves in the Stanley Cup Final once again? Will Crosby have a better post-season than Alexander Ovechkin?

10) Can Ovechkin lead the Washington Capitals to glory? Or are the Capitals too young? Can Theodore backstop the team past the Eastern Conference Finals?

11) Do the Philadelphia Flyers have what it takes? The team showed little emotion last night, and struggled to a) apply pressure on the Pens’ defense, and b) score on Marc-Andre Fleury, who is on fire. Do they have a chance to make the ECF again?

12) Do you believe the hype surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes? They were easily disposed of last night, and the question persists if Cam Ward can backstop the club to another Stanley Cup. What is their fate?

13) Do you think the Chicago Blackhawks are too young to advance in the playoffs? Do they need more size? Or, do you think they can actually do some damage? If so, how far do you see them going?

14) Can the Anaheim Ducks beat the Sharks? They’ve been dismissed by analysts everywhere, but let’s not forget that the Sharks HAVE choked before. The Ducks are strong in all facets of the game, although their goaltending worries me a bit this time around. Can they pull off the upset? Are they the dark horse of the playoffs?

15) The Stanley Finals will be between ____________ and _____________. ___________ will win the Stanley Cup.

Bonus Question!

If someone claims they have never puked in their life, you punch them in the __________.

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Hardcore Hockey Talk Vs. Checking From Behind!

TEAM CheckingFromBehind -->

So here's the lowdown. The "experts" over at The Score's Hardcore Hockey Talk were thinking about doing this playoff pool. Not necessarily a player pick pool, but more along the lines of who they felt would win a series and in how many games. Based on their collective IQ, it seemed an easy feat. Then one of them mentioned for it to be a challenge of Witt and Mastery... well that's where CFB comes in!

Witt and Mastery, you say? Those just happen to be 2 of our middle names! (Note: Yes, we are aware that our parents are a bit strange, and we found it coincidental that we should all share the same middle names). But there is one other middle name we all happen to share - Awesomeness - but that's beside the point. The point is, we took up this challenge and now The Score Federation's Hockey Bloggers are in a battle of epic proportions against the so-called "experts".

Outwit, Outlast, Outplay. That's the strategy we've learned long ago from shows based on sheer stupidity. But that same stupidity has won millions of dollars, you say? Well, We're Not In It For The Money! No... no... We are in it for the GLORY!... and maybe a little money, but there is none, so PURE GLORY! I've been watching you Al Strachan; I know how your mind operates.

Yeah, you Fold those Puppies! Freakin' Al Look-alikes!

We're bringing out Big Slick, Al, Diamond Style! (Note, none of us are poker players and are not sure if this made any sense at all) And there's nothing you can do about it! And don't even begin to think about trying to use Steve Kouleas' smile to blind us!

Damn you Ryan Seacrest Look-alike!

And don't even get me started on Steve Ludzik and Mark Osborne. Ha! We all know what Steve Ludzik does. "Oh I'm losing? I'll just put the SQUEEZE on people!"

Seen Here: The Ludzik Squeeze!

But I can take you, Ludzik. Oh yeah, I've been practicing neck contortions and neck muscle build. So the next time you think you can activate the Ludzik attack, I'll either slither out of there or flex my neck so hard that it will shatter your squeeze hold. Yes, we've been prepared for you.

Finally, there's Mark "Ozzie" Osborne. Yeah, we didn't forget about you, Mr. I-was-part-of-the-GEM-line. Yes, Leaf fans don't forget these things. You think you're so cool with your two Conference Finals finish and your Wikipedia page? Well, I got news for you! When this is all said and done, there will be a wiki-page about how bad we kicked your ass in this playoff pool. That's right, even if I'm the one who has to make it!

Seriously, Al, Steve, and the rest of you "experts", you don't know what you just got yourselves into. Because this is OUR House and we're drinking Folgers and listening to Madness. So you can hide behind your mainstream publicity and your awesome suits and your insider knowledge and your celebrity status... but you will NEVER take away OUR BLOGGING FREEDOM! (Because that's not what this is about at all, but it sounded like a good ending)

Go Here to see the CFB picks for the playoffs and watch the magic unfold.

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If you'd like to follow along with this battle, please visit Fantasy Hockey Scouts for full coverage.

... FHS is going down too!

Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com

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Lazy Leafs – Reckless Beginnings

It comes as no surprise anymore that the Maple Leafs are capable of these late season success stories; the one’s where they basically go on a ridiculous wins to loss ratio and play damn well near 0.700 hockey. And while this can make for exciting hockey, it leaves many shaking their heads at their televisions, laughing at the sheer dominance the club proved over an elite team.

Some people will say “you can’t get upset at the way they are playing, they are a professional team. They are always playing for a win and will not try to lose.” That’s understandable, but we absolutely have the right to be upset. Not necessarily at how they are playing now, but how they faired in the months of October, November and December.

Let’s take a quick look at the numbers:

October: 4-3-3
November: 4-6-3
December: 7-7-0
January: 4-7-2
February: 6-3-4
March: 6-4-1

8 of their last 12 wins have all come against teams who sit comfortably in a post-season position. The Leafs are currently 8 points out of a playoff position with 8 games to go and 3 teams ahead of them vying for that final seed. The Leafs are 1 loss away from mathematically being eliminated from the playoffs. The average “point bracket” for successfully reaching the post-season is 91 for the 8th seed in both the Eastern and Western Conference. With 8 games remaining, the Leafs would have to win every game from here on out.

While I sit back and now say “well, I have no control over where they finish anymore, but they really have to keep losing” it made me think back to specific comments in the early months of the season. Comments like “you wins some, you lose some”; “we just had a bad night”; “these are problems we have to fix”, and then I look at where they currently are. These late season runs have become a sham as to how the team truly is – lazy.

We can all remember games at the start of the year when the Leafs would piss away a 2, 3, even 4 goal lead and fail to register a point in a game of which they were in full command. Those games they gave up late goals to go to overtime only to lose. Those “we just had a bad night” games, where Ron Wilson would come out and publicly discuss the team’s situation while everyone would be free to say they aren’t a good team, so why expect a win.

It brings us to today, watching the Leafs continue to play pressure-free hockey and register points in games they have no business winning, but still they show up, chug away and slowly, but surely, cut down the opposition until they’re sending home big goals at the right times. Those early season antics are showing, more than every, that the Leafs gave up their post-season chances, for the fourth consecutive year, in October and November and not in February and March.

You turn some of those overtime losses into a win, you give the team a wakeup call and holding those 2, 3 and 4 goal leads, and all of a sudden the surging Leafs are looking more legitimate point-wise than they are talent-wise. This team is much stronger than they let on, but once again, their lazy plays in the start of the seasons are what causes the most damage at the end. Like the butterfly who flaps his wings and causes a hurricane.

The Leafs are, and always have been, their own worst enemy in these situations. It’s why these late season runs are of the most frustrating times to watch this team. On February 12th, I wrote an article here called Leafs/Lightning and Lucky Number. In it, I explained the Leafs would have to win 21 of their remaining 27 games. The lucky number was 7, or 14 points. If the Leafs lost 14 points in that time frame, they would be knocked out of the playoffs.

Since then, the Leafs have given up 13 points. Since February 12th, the Leafs have posted a record of 11-5-3. If the Leafs lose one more game in regulation, my theory will stand correctly, and as noted above, the Leafs must win all of their remaining games to make the post-season.

I did not bring this back up to reinforce how correct I was near the beginning of February, I brought this back up to really shed some light on this season for the Leafs. If they continue to play as good as they have been lately, they’ll finish the remaining 8 games with around a 5-3-1 record. Putting themselves just 7 points out of a playoff position. It will also keep them around 9th overall for a draft pick.

It puts those losses in the early parts of the year into perspective. While some may say “those games don’t really affect the year”, they are sadly mistaken. It is those games that mean the most to the Leafs on a yearly basis, and once again, their poor efforts at the start have cost them in the end; in making the playoffs and in drafting lower.

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