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More often than not, the better goalie will prevail in game seven.

Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins proved just that in game seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.  Thomas earned his second shutout of the series, while also recording an amazing 1.15 GAA and a .967 save percentage in the final seven games.  Here is the laundry list of achievements that he can add to his resume:

-The oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP (37 years old).

-He recorded the most saves in a Final (238).

-He recorded the most saves in a playoff year (798).

-He faced the most shots in one playoff year (849).

-He is the first goaltender to win three game sevens in one playoff year.

-He is the first goaltender to ever post a game-seven shutout on the road in the Final.

Continue reading "Thomas Betters Luongo in the End"

Two teams who have been sitting outside of the Stanley Cup Finals for quite some time finally get the chance to win Lord Stanley’s Cup.  Boston has not seen the Finals since 1990 when they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in five games.  The Vancouver Canucks are well-documented in their last Stanley Cup Final appearance, when they lost in that memorable seven-game series to the New York Rangers in 1994. 

This is just history though; it teaches us nothing of the current teams.  What do these franchises have in store for us in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final?

Here are some things to watch out for in the coming Final:

Beware Nathan Horton.  When Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli acquired Horton last summer, he was expecting someone to jump in and help the struggling Bruin-offense.  Horton put up just 23 goals in 80 regular-season games, probably making Chiarelli question moving offensive-defenseman Dennis Wideman for Horton.  But the former Panther has proven to be a success this post-season, connecting for eight goals, tying him for fourth in the NHL playoff goal-race.  His big shot from the slot has been a Godsend for Boston, who will rely on Horton to bend his stick even more in the next series.

Continue reading "Stanley Cup Finals Preview: Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks"

Over and over again, we have seen penalties hurt a team’s chance of winning games in the 2010-11 NHL Playoffs.  These penalties have been turning into power-play goals with one flick of the wrist or one wind-up from the point.  How important is it to be that guy that gets the all-important power-play goal to give his team a mental edge?

Looking purely at the numbers, the Canucks’ powerhouse offense is led by the Sedin twins.  Currently with 17 games played, Henrik leads the NHL with 19 points (2G, 17A).  His brother, Daniel, finds himself tied for sixth with five other players in the point race with 15 points (8G, 7A).  Taking a deeper look, the power-play helps boost those numbers to what they are.

Henrik has amassed 10 power-play points (1G, 9A), while Daniel adds 9 power-play points (5G, 4A).  Henrik’s power-play points add up for 53% of his total points, while Daniel has scored 60% of his points on the power-play.

Continue reading "Behind the Numbers: Does the Power-Play Really Make a Great Player?"

The fate of the one Canadian city left in the Stanley Cup playoffs will be rested on an American.

Ryan Kesler, born in Livonia, Michigan, was a dominating force that the Canucks needed to get past the pesky Nashville Predators.  The feisty center put up an amazing 41 goals in the regular season to lead the Canucks, but was held scoreless in the first round of the playoffs against Chicago.  He did not turn it on until game three of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Kesler, who had no goals and just five assists prior to game three, was finally awoken against Nashville.  Kesler tallied two power-play goals and one assist in the game, one of the goals coming as the game-winner in overtime.  It was his play along the boards that put Nashville’s top penalty-killer, Shea Weber, in the penalty box that resulted in Kesler’s game-winner.  Agree with the call on the ice or not, the 26-year old forward did his job to ensure a victory.

Continue reading "Kesler the Key to Vancouver’s Success"

The first round of the 2010 NHL Playoffs speak of the Detroit Red Wings’ character better than almost any series of games.  Crushing dreams and taking control are the names of the game for the Red Wings.

After leading in the series two different times, the Phoenix Coyotes faced a game seven against Detroit after a miracle season in the desert.  Facing numerous problems off the ice yet still finishing as the fourth seed of the Western Conference, the Coyotes were actually considered the favorite by many heading into the series.  With game seven in Phoenix, the hockey world set its eyes at what promised to be a tight, high-intensity game.  Sometimes, promises cannot be kept.

The Red Wings offense made the Cinderella-story Coyotes look foolish in game seven, exploding with four goals in the second period.  Adding two more in the third, they crushed the Coyotes, 6-1.

Continue reading "Red Wings Never Done Working"

Remember that Flyers – Bruins series last post-season?  The Blackhawks have it fresh in their memories.

After being down in the series 3-0, the eighth-seeded Chicago Blackhawks have made the series very interesting, winning the last two games in convincing fashion.  After winning game four 7-2, the Blackhawks flew into Vancouver and stole game five, 5-0.  Not only are the Blackhawks staving off elimination, they are chasing Vezina trophy-finalist Roberto Luongo from between the pipes.

After giving up six goals on 28 shots in game four, Luongo was pulled from his net and was replaced by backup Cory Schneider.  Luongo was even more dreadful in game five, letting in four goals on 12 shots, resulting in being taken out of the game yet again.  Luongo’s GAA in these two games is well above 5.00 and his overall GAA has skyrocketed from 1.67 after the first three games to 3.67 overall. 

Continue reading "Do the Blackhawks Actually Have a Chance?"

About halfway through the third period of the Capitals and Rangers series opener, Capitals fans started feeling the same disappointment that they have felt for the past few post-seasons.  But things changed in a hurry.

Alexander Ovechkin found the back of the net at 13:44, finally solving Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist for the Capitals’ first goal of the game.  The Capitals continued pressing for the winner in the third, but the dazzling play of Lundqvist and his defense would not allow any more goals in regulation. 

Alexander Semin struck at 18:24 of overtime, after teammate Jason Arnott batted down a Marc Staal clearing-attempt and slid the puck to Semin who one-timed the shot from beyond the hashmarks.  It was Semin’s first goal in 14 playoff games.

Continue reading "Meet the New Washington Capitals"

Vancouver is the heavy favorite heading into the 2011 NHL playoffs to win the Stanley Cup.  Their Northwest Division foes can vouch for that.

 The Vancouver Canucks, who won the President’s Trophy by a landslide-ten points over the East’s Washington Capitals, posted an impressive 54-19-9 record for a league-leading 117 points in the regular season.  Obviously, the Canucks head into the Quarterfinal Series as the top seed in the Western Conference where they will meet the eighth-seeded Chicago Blackhawks.  But how much did Vancouver playing in the Northwest Division help bloat their point total?

The Northwest Division, which features the Canucks, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, saw only one of its teams make the playoffs.  This is the only division in the NHL to do so.

Continue reading "Weak Northwest Division Could Benefit Blackhawks"

I'm not sure if the New York Knicks have all the pieces in place right now, but by adding Carmelo Anthony they are certainly one big step closer to being a NBA championship contender. Although considering the mismanagement over the last 10 years it's heard to believe they won't mess this up too.

Watch for the Knicks to make some strong stragetic moves during this off season to sure things up and make them a true Eastern conference powerhouse.

New York NY Direct TV can bring you all the Knicks action you want.

Continue reading "Are the New York Knicks real contenders with Carmelo Anthony on board?"

We can finally put all of these Kaberle rumors to rest.

The Boston Bruins officially announced on Friday morning that the club has acquired defenseman Tomas Kaberle from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for prospect center Joe Colborne, the Bruins first-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional second-round pick.  Toronto takes control of the Bruins own second round pick in 2012 if the Bruins can reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011 or if they re-sign Kaberle this summer (Kaberle is an unrestricted free-agent at the end of the season).

Kaberle has three goals and 35 assists for 38 points on the season, while posting a -3 rating on a Maple Leaf team that has seen 29 more pucks go in their net than on opposing teams’ nets.

Kaberle has been the subject of trade talks for about a year now, dating back to last season’s trade deadline.  He was a long-time member of the Maple Leafs and his now-former teammates only had positive things to say about the 32-year old defenseman.

Continue reading "Kaberle solidifies a Well-Rounded Boston Defense"