Sunday, May 31, 2009

Osgood Very Good in Game 1 Victory





Osgood Very Good In Red Wings Game 1 Win

The Penguins thought they were a different team than last year. That still may prove to be true but they still had the same result as last year. A Game 1 loss to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. If the Penguins do not want to have the same fate as last year, I do believe that tonights Game 2 is very important to them. They do not want to fall behind 2-0 to the Red Wings who take advantage of every mistake their opponent seems to make.

The game started pretty well for Pittsburgh as they had the first good chance of the game. As announcers Doc Emerick and Ed Olczyk said the board are very lively at Joe Louis Arena. Hal Gill took a shot that bounced off of the back boards right to Max Talbot. Talbot took a quick shot just inside the right circle that Osgood stopped. The first goal of the game was very fluky in nature and one that Marc-Andre Fleury would want to have back. Brad Stuart took a shot from the left point that deflected off of the back boards and hit the back of Fleury's right pad and went into the net. This gave Det the 1-0 lead they wanted. Just about 5 minutes later Malkin stole a clearing pass from Stuart that he shot on goal that Osgood could not control. He left the rebound out front that Ruslan Fedotenko took the puck away from Osgood who was trying to tie the puck up. He then backhanded it into an open net to tie the game. Fedotenko who won a Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, is having a very good postseason scoring his 7th goal of the playoffs. Detroit outshot the Penguins 11-7 in the first.

The Penguins came out strong in the second period trying to get the lead. Evgeni Malkin got a clean breakaway about 3 minutes into the second period but Osgood denied him with his glove. Osgood sometimes has a reputation of letting in some soft goals but tonight was clearly on his game. Pitt early in the second really carried the play but Osgood was up to the task. About 10 minutes after his great stop on Malkin, Osgood denied Crosby on a nice spin-o-rama backhander to keep the game tied at 1. As the period wore on, it seemed that Det as they usually do was going get the next goal. Johan Franzen took a shot off off another backboard bounce that he shot in off of Fleury from a really sharp angle. This was another goal the Fleury would like to have had back. The Pens did outshoot the Wings 13-11 in the second but the Wings had the all important lead at 2-1.

In the third period, the next goal in a one goal game is usually very very important. Early in the period the Wings got the all important two goal lead. Justin Abdelkater took a shot that was deflected up in the on a save by Fleury. Jordan Staal who was defending did not know where the puck was but Abdelkater did gloved the puck down and shot the puck into the top left corner over Fleury. The Wings had not played a perfect game by their own admission but did have a 3-1 lead in the third period and with their great ability to play defense, shut down the Pens the rest of the night. Chris Letang had another good chance that Osgood snuffed out to keep the game at 3-1. The Pens had a very difficult time getting any more sustained pressure on Osgood for the last 10 minutes of the game. They did outshoot the Wings 12-8 in the third and 32-30 for the game but Osgood made the Wings lead stand up and to me was clearly the best player for Detroit. The Pens must bring their “A” game if they want to win Game 2 or they will be in jeopardy of going back to Pittsburgh in a 2-0 hole. We all know what happened last year when they lost the first 2 games at the Joe last season. Pitt had a very difficult time recovering and eventually lost in 6 games. Tonights game is critical for both teams and could be very telling on who will win this Series. The Pens are better than last years team but need to show the same tenacity they showed in winning their last 5 games before tonights Game 1 loss. I credit Det playing far from their best game and finding a way to win this game. Thanks for reading this, I really appreciate it.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Pens Sweep Canes with 4-1 Victory





Pens Sweep Canes with 4-1 Victory

The Pittsburgh Penguins as they have shown throughout this series, were just too much for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Pens earned a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they will face either the Detroit Red Wings or the Chicago Blackhawks, with another very good performance in Raleigh, NC tonight. The Pens are a much better team defensively this year than they were last season and will be very difficult to beat in the Final.

The game started out well for Carolina again as it did in Game 3, when Eric Staal scored his first goal of the series on a wraparound. Staal took the puck from behind the goal line, skated behind Fleury and stuffed the puck just inside the left post of Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury otherwise was sensational making 30 saves after Staal scored. Fleury did stop Samsonov on a nice chance in front on a power play. After the game settled down, Pittsburgh took over. Ruslan Fedotenko took a hard pass from Phillpe Boucher just to the right of Cam Ward and redirected it past Ward to make it 1-1. This play took tremendous skill for Fedotenko to direct it past Ward where he basically cut on dime to redirect the shot in. Ward then made what appeared to be a blunder when he missed a blocked shot from Max Talbot that floated over his glove and into the net to make it 2-1 Penguins. Ward said that “I lost it for a moment, bad break fluke goal”. By watching this first period the Pens did seem poised to win this game. They outshot the Canes 9-5 in the first period.

The Canes had a lot more step in their game in the second period. Every shot they had, Fleury had an answer. Eric Staal made a nice rush on a penalty kill where he got around a defender, but Fleury stopped his backhander. Pittsburgh stretched their lead to 3-1 when Antoine Babchuck, who was a healthy scratch for the first 3 games of this series, turned the puck over at his blue line to Sidney Crosby. Crosby then skated down the left wing and fed a perfect pass to the wily veteran Bill Guerin who then shot it past Ward into a partially empty net. Crosby has just been sensational this series and does have 14 goals and 14 assists in 17 games so far in this playoff season. The Canes outshot Pittsburgh 16-10 in the second period but the wonderful work of Fleury kept the game at 3-1.

In the third period the Canes came out with a purpose. Fleury was brilliant in stopping Segei Samsonov on a nice tip just 36 seconds into the third period. Then not even 20 seconds later, Fleury again stopped a nice tip in front by Ray Whitney. Fleury then got a lot of help from Pittsburgh with how good defensively they played the rest of the game. Matt Cullen had another good chance when he cut through the defense but Fleury stopped him with his blocker when he followed Cullen to his right and then sprawled and kept the game at 3-1. Pittsburgh did not attack as much in the 3rd period but then played a wonderful defensive system that Dan Byslma had put in after taking over the coaching duties on February 15, 2009. Pittsburgh finished with an 18-3-4 record under him and has won now 12 games and only lost 5. This Penguins team looks unbeatable right now. To finish the game after Cam Ward was pulled, Craig Adams, the former Hurricane player, deposited the puck into an empty net to make it 4-1.

The Penguins impressed my by showing that they can adapt to any style of game you play. The can win a more defensive oriented type game like tonight or win a shootout like Game 2 was 7-4. Led by Malkin, Crosby, and some of the foot soldiers, Guerin, Rob Scuderi, Kris Letang and Jordan Staal, this team is well rounded and to me looks like they can beat anybody including Detroit. If Fleury plays as well as he did tonight and in Game 1, he will keep Pittsburgh in every game and will possibly lead this team to the Stanley Cup Finals.

To sum up the Hurricanes season, Paul Maurice said it best. “If you looked at the tank of some of our players, you would see the gage on the Empty part.” The exciting and grueling series that they played vs both the NJ Devils and Boston Bruins, seemed to take a lot out of this team. I am very proud of the way this team responded to the hiring of Paul Maurice in December. They were about 21-20-3 when he was hired and they finished with 45-30-8. I was one that thought this was a bad hiring. I was DEAD WRONG. This team showed tremendous character, grit and determination in this playoff season. They also gave me a memorable game that I saw live in Boston for Game 7 when most experts though they had little chance to win on the road. They got the job done and it was very satisfying for me to see it live, thanks to my cool uncle from Chicago. Thank you Canes for a nice postseason run. I hope you add the necessary talent to hopefully go a bit farther next season. Also congratulations to the Penguins, they earned their way by easily disposing of the Canes. Good luck in the next series, which I think has all the makings of a classic, if they play Detroit. I do believe that is what will happen but I hope Chicago makes it very hard on them and pushes them a bit harder tonight as well.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Malkin Has Pens Thinking Sweep





Malkin Leads Pens to Brink of Cup Finals.

Domination. That is what the Pens are doing to the Hurricanes. The Pens are so much more talented than the Bruins and Devils and the Canes are finding out in a rude way. The Pens took a 3-1 lead at the end of the First Period with 2 goals by Malkin and the other by Sidney Crosby. The Pens outshot the Canes 16-8 at the end of the period. The game did start well for Carolina when Matt Cullen took at nice pass from Partick Eaves and beat Marc-Andre Fleury to make it 1-0 Canes. That was the last lead of the night for the Canes. The Penguins got a power play when Patrick Eaves took a dumb slashing penalty. The Canes must be more disciplined on Tuesday Night if they do not want to get swept in this Series. Malkin scored on the power play on a Sidney Crosby setup to make it 1-0. Malkin has been a man possessed in this Series and to me DESERVES to win the Conn Smythe if the Penguins win the Stanley Cup this year. Malkin has 9 points on 6 goals and 3 assists in this series. The game was even for most of the first until the last minute of the period. That is when the Pens struck and really took complete control of this game. Bill Guerin fed a nice pass from the left wing boards that Sidney Crosby deposited into a basically empty net to make it 2-1. 30 seconds later Malkin took the puck from the right wing and cut right out in front to beat Ward to make it 3-1 Penguins. If Ward was not on his game earlier in this period it could have been 5-1 Pens.

The Second Period had no scoring in it but had more Pens domination with them outshooting the Canes 15-8. Ward stopped Max Talbot on two different occasions in this period. Ward was scrambling when the Canes seemed to be fixated on the puck and did not cover the open late guy. This Pens team is so good with puck possession and it really showed tonight. The Canes were able to settle the game down for the second part of the period and did have a couple of good chances. Nick Wallin shot from the right wing on a penalty kill and it deflected off of Fleurys glove and trickled just outside of the right post. Chad Larose also had another good chance that Fleury cut across to stop with his pad. Ward did keep the Canes within striking distance going into the third period. Would they show some fight?

What do you think happened. The Canes did cut the lead to 3-2 when Samsonov scored off of an Eric Cole rebound on Fleury. Samsonov spun away from Craig Adams to put the puck just inside the right post. The Canes did have a nice momentum serge for awhile after this goal and Samsonov did get another chance that he backhanded just wide of Fleury. Fleury did not seem to see the puck on this backhander but was fortunate it did not end up in his net. Malkin then fed the ever gritty Max Talbot from with a pass from behind his own red line to Talbot just at center ice. Talbot had another breakaway for Pitt and was denied by Ward with his right pad. Ward did his job for most of this game even though the final score was very lopsided. You just cant give Pitt tap in type goals or let Malkin come out in front uncontested for shots on net. These are the most talented forwards in the NHL led by Malkin and Crosby. The Canes pressed on for a bit more but the next goal which was the back breakerrr was set up but guess who, Malkin who dropped a nice pass to Ruslan Fedetenko who beat Ward glove side to make it 4-2. The Canes pulled Ward and to add insult to injury, Jussi Jokinen won a face-off so cleanly that it ended up in the empty net to make it 5-2. Just for the gas on the fire, Bill Guerin finished the scoring to make it 6-2 on a backhand goal.

To put it mildly, the Canes are outclassed by this Penguin team that seems to be poised to possibly win a Stanley Cup for the first time since the Mario Lemieux days of 1992. They might even get a rematch of that 92 Series if the Blackhawks win vs Det. I hope so. Yes Chicago has work to do being down 2-1 to Det but they have a young fast talented team and it would be pure fun hockey to see them battle the Pens. I will still root hard for my Canes on Tuesday Night but there is an elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. Yes the 1975 NY Islanders came back from 3-0 vs the Penguins and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs did beat the Red Wings when down 0-3 in that Final. But lets be realistic the Canes besides a small part of game 1 and for the first period of game 2, have been so outclassed but this Pens team it is not even funny. I don't care how gritty you are, when you meet your match that is gritty and talented, you have very little chance to win. What also must be said is this Penguins team is not as bad defensively as they were last season. Their improvement in this part of their game bodes well for them in the Finals. They can beat both Det and Chicago if they play a smart disciplined game and Malkin still acts like a man possessed. He beat Mario Lemieux's postseason record of 5 straight multi point games with his sixth tonight. He is truly an awesome talent who is also a great all around player as well. The Canes are gassed. I just hope for one win on Tuesday night for their great fans who have supported them all season long. Thanks for reading. I hope to have at least two more of these entries before the Stanley Cup Finals begin. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, even though the outcome was not what I wanted. Oh well credit to a great Pens team who deserved to win again tonight in Raleigh.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Malkin Sensational in Pens Game 2 Domination





Malkin is Sensational in Pens Game 2 Victory!

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the most talented forwards in the NHL. Tonight Evgeni Malkin was sensational scoring a hat trick and also had an assist in the Penguins 7-4 victory over the Hurricanes. The Pens now have a commanding 2-0 lead in the Series and if Carolina does not want this to be a short series, they must be better in their own zone. Also they must stop giving up breakaways. Malkin and Crosby were relentless in their pressure of the Canes goal. Malkin had 8 shots on net in this barrage. There is a reason why he led the NHL in scoring this year. He showed it tonight. The Pens put so much pressure on Cam Ward by unleashing 42 shots on him. It was like they had extra players on the ice at times with the pressure that they put on. This team is scary when they get going here.

Carolina got the first good chance of the night but Marc-Andre Fleury stoned Scott Walker. Pitt opened the scoring for Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby scoring 1:51 in, assisted by Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin. The Canes though answered quickly when Chad Larose banged in a Ray Whitney rebound to tie the score at 1. Ward and Fleury both looked a little shaky in the first period. But Fleury did make a big save on Larose early in the first. Malkin scored his first goal on Tyler Kennedy rebound to make it 2-1 Pens. The Canes did respond by tying the score at 2 when Jussi Jokinen banged in a Scott Walker rebound to tie the game up. Then it seemed the Canes had some momentum when Dennis Seidenberg beat Fleury with a long shot from the point to make it 3-2 Canes. The Pens to their credit played a much better game for the rest of the game, dominating but outshooting the Canes 30-14 over the final two periods.

The Canes actually did start out the second period pretty well but Fleury did settle down and kept the game at 3-2 Canes . Then the Pens got a break when Max Talbot beat Ward with a breakaway. Ward did not have one of his better games tonight but he got very little help from his defense and forwards backchecking. This was the type of game that plays right into the hands of the Penguins. The Canes better tighten up when they go back to the RBC Center on Saturday or this will be a short series. The goal that had the most momentum with it was when Joni Pitkanen was at the end of a shift and could not get the puck out of his own end. Chris Kunitz picked it up and beat Ward high blocker side to make it 4-3 Pitt. This was a very bad goal for Carolina to give up with 7 seconds left in the second period.

The third period had Parick Eaves tie it up for the Canes at 4. He was set up nicely by Ryan Bayda and then Eaves who scored his first goal of the playoffs, beat Fleury with a nice wrist shot high to the glove side. The game then exploded when Malkin scored his 2nd goal of the night and the game winner when he beat Ward on the third rebound of a Chris Kunitz shot. This gave the Pens a 5-4 lead and then Malkin scored one of the prettiest goals you will ever see. He took the puck behind the Canes net cut out to Wards left, with Seindenberg draped all over him, beat Ward with a backhander upstairs when he as not even looking. It was pure magic really. Ward played the percentage by going down but Malkin who to me is Pitt best player came through to make it 6-4. The Canes did not give up and Eric Cole had Fleury beaten on a nice feed in front but Fleury came up with the same. A little bit later on, Whitney rang one off of the crossbar and you just knew it was not meant to be for the Canes tonight. Tyler Kennedy finished the scoring with an empty net goal to make it 7-4.

The Penguins are simply a better team. There is no hiding it. Losing Tuomo Ruutu has also hurt the Canes anemic power play which was 0 for 3 tonight. They had a key one in the second period and were afraid to shoot the puck. If I were Paul Maurice and Ronnie Francis, I would press upon them when on the power play, shoot the puck and crash Fleury. He does give up rebounds. The Pens are going to be very hard to beat in this Series but I do feel confident that the Canes will give them a very tough fight and hopefully push the Series to at least 5 games or even 6. There is a reason why the Pens were in the Stanley Cup Finals last year. I also believe that fatigue is starting to set in for the Canes, who have played back to back 7 game series. They have shown tremendous heart in this postseason and exceeded most “experts” expectations. I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing this, even though my Canes let me down with the putrid effort in the third period.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Fleury Leads the Pens to a Game 1 Victory





Marc Andre-Fleury Saves the Day for Pitt in Game 1

Sometimes no matter how gritty a team is, talent is so hard to overcome. The Penguins won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals 3-2 over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes were feeling the effects of two 7 game grueling series with the Devils and Bruins. Pittsburgh outshot the Canes 31-25 as well. Carolina got some early pressure on Fleury. Fleury made a wonderful stop on Chad Larose on a short handed chance. Then a bit later with his glove hand on Tuomo Ruutu. The Penguins struck first when Miroslav Satan scored on a clean breakaway on Cam Ward to put Pitt up 1-0. Satan skated on the left wing faked Ward to the left and then tucked a backhander into an empty net to score his first goal on the playoffs. Satan had just come out of the penalty box to get the breakaway. Evgeni Malkin the leading scorer in the NHL with 35 goals and 113 pts had a wonderful game with 6 shots on net. It seemed like every time he had the puck he had a chance to score. Fleury then stopped Eric Staal in the high slot to keep it at 2-0. This was a very entertaining first period.

The second period started with Pitt getting the first real good chance of the period. Sidney Crosby had the puck behind his net fed a nice backhander to Bill Guerin who tried to go upstairs on Ward, but Ward made a wonderful stop on Guerin to heep the game at 2-0. The next real good chance came about 10 minutes in to the second period. Rod Brindamour stole a pass just inside the line and fed Sergei Samsonov down low. Samsonov then feathered a pass to Jussi Joken just near the right face-off circle and Fleury robbed him. With about 5 minutes left in the second Eric Cole set up the gritty Chad Larose and he beat Fleury with a low hard through the 5-hole to get Carolina right back in the game. Larose then thought he tied the game up with a hard shot just inside the post, but Erik Cole was called for goaltender interference to wipe out the goal. Ward kept the game at 2-1 when he stopped Malkin by dropping his left pad on the ice. He then stopped Bill Guerin as well on the power play. Pittsburgh did outshoot the Canes 12-6 in the second and did have the better of the play, but as he does on most nights, Cam Ward gave the Canes a chance to win this game still in the third.

The Canes did have the first good chance of the third period stopping Staal to keep the score at 2-1 Pitt. Fleury did have a very strong game with some really good saves on glorious chances. The Pens then got the next real good scoring opportunity when Samsonov made a horrible play at his own blue line to give Malkin a clean breakway and Ward stopped him with his right pad. Malkin tried to score on his forehand. Ward then stopped Bill Guerin again to keep the game at 2-1. About halfway through the third period, Matt Cullen was called for a costly delay of game penalty when he was pressured in his own zone and flipped the puck into the crowd. Phillipe Boucher, who was set up by Sidney Crosby, scored from just above the right circle to make it 3-1. The Canes as they have shown throughout these playoffs next quit. Brooks Orpik took an elbowing penalty for the Pens and Carolina responded when Joe Corvo set up by Ray Whitney beat Fleury to make it 3-2, with a shot from the point. Carolina had pulled Ward to get extra pressure on Fleury. With about 30 seconds left, I thought the game would be tied but Eric Staal could not corral cleanly a beautiful pass from Brindamour on a back door play. He did get the puck somewhat on net but Fleury stopped him. Then with just 19 seconds left, Joe Corvo decided to flip a shot on Fleury, the puck took a weird bounce and Fleury had to be magnificent with his blocker to heep the game 3-2. This his how the game ended.

All in all I thought Pittsbugh had the better of the chances but Ward kept Carolina alive. The Pens have such a fast team that anyone that tried to play up and down with them are usually going to pay with some odd man rushes against them. I think Pitt had 3 breakaways and did score the opening goal but Satan on one. The Canes must not turn the puck over so much if they want to have any chance in this series. Pitt just has to play the same as they did tonight and they will most likely be victorious. Also Marc Andre-Fleury who gets unjustly criticized was key at the beginning of the game to keep Carolina off the board. He was very strong also at the end of the game as well when needed. All in all a very fun game to watch. A footnote as well, Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu both getting knee injuries was not a good sign for the Canes. Cole got hurt trying to cross the middle when making a play in the Pitt zone. I don't think this was dirty. However Ruutu getting his knee cut out from behind by Mark Eaton was a bit questionable in my opinion. I hope both return for Game 2 on Thursday night in Pitt. The Canes must win this game if they are to have a legitimate chance of beating the Pens. Thank you all for reading this I really appreciate it very much so. Even though the team I wanted to win lost, I still enjoy doing a summation of what happened. I may be a Canes fan first, but I am also an NHL fan and respect how good Pittsburgh is and how much fun they are to watch. Hope you read again after Game 2.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Eastern Conference Final Canes vs Penguins








Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Preview

Well in early February, who would have thought the Hurricanes and Penguins would both be in the Eastern Conference Finals? Both of these teams have shown in this playoff season, tremendous heart, character and a will to win to get to where they are currently. The Penguins first beat a very good Flyer team 4 games to 2. Then they spotted the red hot Capitals a 2-0 series lead before waking up. They also had a chance to win on home ice in Game 6, but fell when Chris Letang hit the crossbar. The Penguins then showed tremendous grit in smoking the Caps on their home ice 6-2 in Game 7. This Pittsburgh team has experience from last year making all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Detroit Red Wings in 6. The Hurricanes were also struggling in February. They went on a tremendous run to finish the season (17-5-2). They then were in the fight of their lives vs the best goalie in the last 20 years in Martin Brodeur. The Cardiac Canes scored two goals in the last 1:29 to stun NJ in NJ in Game 7. Would they be able to bring the momentum to the Boston Series. Of course they did an even built a 3-1 series lead before struggling Games 5 and 6. They had to go against the Bruins who were 29-6-6 at home this season and were in overtime of Game 7. Of all people, public enemy number 1 to Bruins Fans, Scott Walker was able to deflect a rebound out of mid air of a Whitney Shot from the Right Wing to shock the Bruins faithful at the Garden.

This is the first time these two teams have ever met in the playoffs. Both have experience in recent memory of deep playoff runs and Stanley Cup wins. The Penguins have a tremendous set of forwards led by Sidney Crosby (12 goals and 9 assists), Evgeni Malkin (6 goals and 13 assists), Sergi Gonchar (2 goals and 10 assists) and old pro Bill Guerin who has chipped in with 5 goals and 4 assists. Their goaltending can be suspect at times with Marc-Andre Fleury, 8-5., 2.72 GAA and Save % .901. Fleury is better than people give him credit for however. He does seem to come up big in overtime and does make some spectacular saves as he did on Ovechkin in Game 6. Another player that goes under the radar for the Penguins is Jordan Staal, the younger brother of the Canes Eric Staal. Jordan scored 22 goals this season and so far in the playoffs has 5 pts. He is very capable of getting a big goal when called upon. The rest of the defense for the Pens are the very physical Brooks Orpik and the underrated Mark Eaton (4 goals) and Chris Letang (3 goals and 9 assists).

The Canes are led by Staal (9 goals and 4 assists), the white hot Jussi Jokinen (6 goals and 4 assists). Jokinens goals all seem to mean something as he has scored 3 of his goals that either tied the game late or were the game winners. The rest of the Canes offense has come from Sergei Samsonov (4 goals and 2 assists), scrappy Chad Larose (3 goals and 6 assists), Joni Pitkaken (7 assists) and Joe Corvo (1 goal and 5 assists). The Canes have some other underrated defenseman in Tim Gleason and Dennis Seidenberg. But the best player on the Canes and the main reason why they are still playing is goalie Cam Ward (8-6, 2.22 GAA and .927 save percentage). Cam is playing even better than he did when he won the Conn Smythe in 2006 leading the Canes to their first ever Championship.

Now like I have said a number of times I do not hide the fact that I am a huge Hurricanes fan. I have loved this team since they resided in Hartford in 1986. The win over Boston that I was lucky enough to attend was probably the best sporting event I have ever been to. I have tremendous respect for the Bruins as their fans are amazing and were so loud at that Game 7. The Bruins will be very good next year if they add to their defense I believe. The Penguins to me are going to be just too tough for my Canes to beat. I predict Pittsburgh to win this series in 6 games. My heart says the Canes in 7, another win on the road in Game 7 for the fairy tale playoff run to continue. The Canes will be game but the Pens with their up front talent will be just too much. However, if Cam Ward plays like he is capable and steals a game either Games 1 or 2 in Pitt, then the Canes are very capable of winning this series as well. You don't play series on Paper, you play them on the Ice. If believed all the experts the Canes would have lost to NJ in round 1 and then after than, they certainly would not have beaten Boston either, especially after having to win a Game 7 on the road. We shall see what happens but as long as we as hockey fans are all entertained it will be a fun ride. Thank you all for reading this, I really appreciate it very much.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Canes Stun Bruins in OT and Win Series in 7!






Canes Stun Bruins in Overtime and Win Series

This series had so many twists and turns that as a Hollywood Scriptwriter you could not have written a better ending for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are still alive because tonight they took their game back to what it was in games 3 and 4 in Raleigh. This team has so much character and heart. The Bruins are a more talented team but the Canes were the more determined team tonight. It is so hard to win on the Road in a Game 7 in the playoffs. Now the Canes have eliminated the Devils in New Jersey in miracle fashion and now the Bruins in overtime tonight. Also as a footnote, I was there to experience this. My cool uncle, who is originally from Chicago, was able to score tickets 9 rows up from the Bruins Bench. You don't know how had it is to root for a team quietly when the Garden was rocking at times tonight. In the end the Canes were the more determined team and go the job done.

The game started well for Boston as Byron Bitz scored off of a rebound from the back boards to give Boston a 1-0 lead 7:42 in. So much for team scoring first to win the game huh? Tells you how much I know. A little over a minute later, Ward (34 saves) kept the game at 1-0 with a nice save on Dennis Wideman. Ward is so cool under pressure as he still in his young NHL career never has lost a game 7 (4-0) and never has lost an NHL playoff series (6-0). With about 12 minutes in PJ Axelsson took an ill advised hooking penalty. As time was running down on the penalty Dennis Seidenberg took a shot from the point that was tipped by Rod Brindamour to tie the game at 1. Brindamour finally scored his first goal of the 2009 playoffs in his 14th game. This was a huge goal because it gave the Hurricanes hope that they would win this game. Boston had dominated most of games 5 and 6 and scored the first goal tonight and had all the momentum. Shots were 11-10 for Boston in this evenly played first period. I commented to my uncle that being 1-1 at the end of the first was a very good position for the Canes to be in. Any time you are the underdog, the longer the game stays tied or within striking distance, the dog believes that they can win.

The Canes came out flying in the 2nd period. Tim Thomas who was excellent as well tonight and made 34 saves stopped Ray Whitey (7 shots on goal, gw assist) to keep the game tied. About 6 minutes in Joni Pitkanen (2 assists) skated down the right wing into the Boston zone. He then fed a nice pass across the crease to Sergei Samsonov to redirect in to give Carolina a 2-1 lead. This play is what Carolina does best. They use their speed to their advantage. The Bruins are a bigger team but the Canes are a faster team and they showed that tonight. Cam Ward chipped in with some good saves of his own stopping Byron Bitz on some nice chances in the second. Carolina outshot the Bruins 10-6 in the second period and if not for Thomas, they might have had a bigger lead than 2-1.

The third period Carolina started out on a continuation of a power play from the end of the second period almost got the game to 3-1. Corvo took a shot from the right point and Brindamour tipped it and off of the right post. This was the break that Boston needed to try to tie the game. Boston did just that when Milan Lucic beat Ward to the stick side. Marc Savard who had a very good series fed the pass to Lucic to knot the score. The rest of the third period the goalies made sure that this game was going into overtime. I told my uncle going it that the way Carolina would have a chance to win it would have to be a low scoring game that might even go to overtime. I must have been prophetic to think this. Cam Ward stopped Marc Recchi a couple of times to keep the score knotted. Tim Thomas then stopped Ray Whitney on a nice chance the puck then cleared by Bergeron away from Eric Staal who would have been 15 feet in front. Ward stopped Recchi on a couple of nice chances near the end of the third period. Shots were 11-9 Boston in the third.

Overtime started quickly for the Canes. A funny bounce led to Staal having a great chance about 30 seconds in. Thomas stood his ground with this save and did not give up any rebound. About 5 minutes in Ward stopped David Krejci on a glorious chance in front. The Bruins continued to press when Ward stopped Kobasew about 11 minutes in. Just over minutes later, Thomas stopped Staal again to keep the game tied. On the rebound, Staals stick was lifted by Bergeron. Thomas again stopped Whitney with a little under 4 minutes left in the ot. After this Chuck Kobasew had the puck on a glorious chance in the high slot but instead of shooting he drop passed the puck that was stolen by Jokinen who then fed Scott Walker on a 2 on 1. Thomas was able to stop him and then pounce on the puck behind the net. At 18:46 of overtime, Dennis Seidenberg fed a nice pass to Ray Whitney. Whitney shot from the right wing that Thomas saved but left the rebound out front. Walker then hit the puck out of the air to score the game winning goal. This was his first ever playoff goal and what a time to get it. Walker who is public enemy number 1 in Boston (I do not condone what he did in Game 5 btw) was able to stun the crowd. It was surreal to hear really. To be honest with you, I still can't believe as a fan of this franchise since 1986 that I was able to experience such a great moment live. I have tremendous respect for Boston as they are an excellent team and will be a force to be reckoned with in 2009-2010. As the NHL Network announcers have said it seems like this is a team of destiny. Yes very cliché but to win two Game 7s on the road and one in overtime vs a team that dominated you in Game 5 and Game 6 is unbelievable.

I hope that I did not sound too homerish in this blog. I thoroughly enjoy writing and try to paint an accurate picture of what happened. I will continue this throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs no matter who the teams are. I just wish I had more time as I would love to blog about Chicago vs Det as well if possible. I hope that exciting series goes the distance. They are very high scoring teams and if you are an NHL fan like I am, it should present some exciting hockey. The Canes are now going to face a very good Pitt team, but they have already faced very good Boston and NJ teams. I will never count this team out ever this season. We shall see what happens starting next week. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this, especially since this game was more special to me being there live to witness it in person.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Bruins Show Their Mettle and Force Game 7!





Bruins Show their Mettle and Even Series at 3!

What is the hardest thing to do in sports? The hardest thing is to win the 4th game of a Best of 7 Series.
The Canes looked like a shaken group in the beginning of the first period falling behind 2-0.
The Boston Bruins were just better tonight. They showed why they were the best team in the Eastern Conference all season long. They must love their chances at a Game 7 at home on Thursday Night.
Marc Recchi opened the scoring when Nic Wallin tried pinching in the Bruins Zone early in the first period. Wallin was caught off guard and Patrice Bergeron (2 Assists) fed a nice pass across the crease to Recchi who had basically a tap in to make it 1-0 Boston. Bergeron had a very strong game in my opinion. Just over 3 minutes later, Steve Montador scored on a nice slap shot from just above the right circle. Cam Ward was screened big time by Byron Bitz with his 6 foot 5 frame. After Boston took this lead Carolina tried to respond but Thomas would have none of that. He stopped Eric Staal on a a nice feed from Erik Cole. Carolina outshot the Bruins 11-9 in the first period but the Bruins had the better of the chances.

In the second period, the Canes did cut the lead to 2-1 when Matt Cullen was set up by Scott Walker on a nice feed in front of Thomas. Cullen has had a very solid series for the Canes. About 6 minutes later Milan Lucic made a very strong play at the blue line and had three Hurricanes following him. He then fed a nice cross ice pass to a wide open Marc Savard to make it 3-1 Bruins. Lucic has been one of the best Bruins two way players this entire series. He is never afraid to throw his weight around and has chipped in with 2 goals and 3 assists in this series. I have watched every minute of this series and the Canes always know when he is on the ice due to his 6 foot 4 frame. People have compared him to Bruins great Cam Neely and usually I have thought that was a bit premature. In Lucic's defense, he is only 20 years old and should improve again next year. I would peg him for 25-30 goals and his big physical play will always make him a favorite in Boston, rightly so. Later on in the period Matt Cullen got a partial breakaway when the Bruins were on the power play. Tim Thomas came up bit to keep the game at 3-1. For the rest of the period, the Bruins owned the play. With about 2 minutes left in the period Patrice Bergeron, who also has had a good quiet two way series, fed a beautiful pass to Chuck Kobasew (1 goal, 1 assist) to make it 4-1 Bruins. Carolina did outshoot Boston 8-6 in this period but quality over quantity I say.

For the third period the Canes did come out with some sustained pressure on Tim Thomas. At 7:20 Sergei Samsonov did cut the lead to 4-2 when shoveling a backhander past Thomas. Eric Staal and Tim Gleason did get the assists. For the rest of the period, Tim Thomas (31 saves) did a wonderful job at keeping this game a 2 goal cushion for the Bruins. Right after Samsonov scored, Dennis Wideman shot the puck over the glass to put Carolina on the power play. Thomas stood his ground and got his glove on an Eric Staal shot right out in front. With about 7 minutes left in the 3rd period, Thomas again made a wonderful save on Matt Cullen when he was set up by Walker. After this save you just knew that it was Boston's night. Carolina did outshoot Boston 14-4 in the 3rd period and 33 to 19 overall.

The Bruins proved that you don't have to play an ascetically perfect game to win. They built a lead and were very good at protecting it with Thomas being the best at protecting the lead for Boston. The Bruins have shown tremendous character, guts and desire in winning the last 2 games. Can they continue this? Most experts would think so. I have to say that they have all the momentum and should be a very confident team, however, hockey is a funny game, sometimes just when you think something is a sure thing, it seems to not be sometimes. A hot goalie can sometimes steal a game. You don't play the games on paper, you play them on the ice. I admit being a Canes fan and was very disheartened with this game. For Carolina to have any chance at all in Boston, they MUST score first and then gain some confidence and try to match Bostons play. I will not predict anything but I just hope to be fully entertained in Game 7, like I was in the last series when the Canes shocked me by upsetting NJ with a miracle finish. Only time will tell, but no matter what the outcome is, I will be honest and tell you what I think I saw. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. I enjoy writing about hockey and sports in general and to the few that read this, I hope I painted an accurate picture of what happened.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Bruins Throttle Canes to Stave Off Elimination





Bruins Throttle Canes and Stave off Elimination

You find out a lot about a team when their backs are against the wall. How will they handle it?
Will they come out fighting or will they turtle. Tonight the Boston Bruins showed why they were the best team in the Eastern Conference. They utterly dominated the Canes in every aspect of this game with a 4-0 win. If it were not for Cam Ward (36 saves) this game could have been 8-0 Bruins. Milan Lucic (1 goal and 1 assist) set the tone with about 5 minutes left in the game when he smacked Dennis Seindenberg out near the boards. This led to Seidenberg taking a dumb slashing penalty. On the ensuing power play, Zedeno Chara took a blast from the point and Mark Recchi tipped the puck between Cam Wards Pads for a 1-0 lead. The Canes did respond with some of their only pressure of the night. Rod Brindamour set up Sergei Samsonov for a nice slot shot that Tim Thomas (19 saves, shutout) stopped and the rebound went to Joni Pitkanen for a glorious shot and Thomas denied him with a nice blocker save that looked like it was labeled. This was a huge moment in the game because even though the Bruins dominated this game big time, it could have been 1-1 very easily at this point. Later on in the first period, the slick Marc Savard set up Phil Kessel (2 goals +2) with a beautiful cross ice pass that he beat Cam Ward with about 1:30 minutes left in the period. The Bruins deserved to have the lead in the first. They actually could have been up by more if not for Ward. The Bruins outshot the Canes 16-7.

In the second period the Bruins never let up. After Chara absolutely crushed Staal with a hit the Bruins made it 3-0. Marc Savard set up Kessel again for a shot in the slot who beat Ward to make it 3-0. I give the Bruins tons of credit for getting the lead and wanting to make it a bigger lead and not sitting back. The were in complete control of the second period as well. Carolina had no answers for their forecheck. The Canes could not get out of their own zone and had a very very hard time getting any sustained pressure on Thomas. Chara made his presence known tonight and clearly played his best game since the Montreal series. Claude Julien really had his team ready for play tonight and the Bruins showed what kind of character they have. My one final comment was that Jussi Joikenen could have seriously hurt Chara with his cheap shot at Chara's skates. I am really happy the Chara recovered and played the rest of the game. I hate dirty play by anyone period! I relish the play like Lucic did tonight on Seidenberg and that bascially set the tone for the game. After two the Bruins were so dominant that they outshot the Canes 27-11 and it seemed like more.

In the third period, the Canes had some good chances but Thomas made the stops look easy. Eventually Milan Lucic set up by Ryder and Bergeron scored on Ward to make it 4-0 with about 8 minutes left in the game. This blast from the right circle was a rocket into the top corner. Ward had no chance on that laser shot. Then last on in the period the game got chippy as what usually happens when a playoff game is a blowout like this one was. Tim Conboy and Mark Stuart fought but the real ugliness happened when Scott Walker was in a scrum with Aaron Ward. It appeared they were going to fight but Ward did not drop his gloves and Walker nailed him. As a Canes fan I wish this did not happen as I have a lot of respect for Ward from his time in Carolina. Walker got a fighting major and a game misconduct while Ward only received a roughing minor. Boston outshot the Canes 11-8 and 40-19 overall.

To sum up game 5. The Bruins were desperate and played like it. They showed tremendous character in winning this game. What will happen in Game 6, no one knows. All I know is that whomever scores first usually wins as what has happened in 5 of the first 6 games. The Bruins showed grit and did not want their season to end tonight. They live on for another game and will have a huge chance in game 6 to get back to Boston for Game 7 if they play with the same intensity as tonights game. For the Canes they must do like they did in the 2006 Stanley Cup final when losing game 6, 4-0 at Edmonton. They bounced back and played great and won Game 7. Anything is possible. We shall see what unfolds on May 12th. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Even though I admit I am a Canes fan. I enjoy writing about each and every game no matter what the outcome is.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Jokinen Does it Again, Canes Lead Series 3-1





Jokinen Does it Again as Canes Win 4-1

This game just struck me as who wanted it more. The Bruins may have had a great regular season and played very well in game 1, but since then besides one good third period in game 2 and a good 2nd period tonight, they have been outworked by the faster Hurricanes. And please stop telling me about talent. Hockey in the playoffs is about heart, determination and who wants it more and so far in this series the Canes want it more than Boston, plain and simple.

The Bruins did come out well very early in the first period when on a power play, Kessel hit the post and seemed to pressure Ward early. When Carolina was on a power play, PJ Axelson stole a pass from Joni Pitkanen and broke in alone on Ward. Ward waited him out and stopped him with his left pad. From that point on, Carolina dominated the rest of the period, outshooting the Bruins 12-4. Eric Staal (2 goals tonight, 9 total for the playoffs) was set up by Ray Whitney and Cole by beating Thomas with a wrist shot from the left circle to give the Canes a 1-0 lead. Tim Thomas had a strong first stopping, Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen and Chad Larose and some very good chances. Zedeno Chara did hit the post about 9 minutes in as well for Boston.

In the second period, Tuomo Ruutu took a bad penalty in my opinion. That set up Boston with a power play where they sustained some good pressure on Ward. After a scramble in front, Marc Savard banged in a shot off of the left post to tie the game at 1. Boston had some chances after that where they hemmed Carolina in, but Ward was up to the task. Boston's best chance came when Ryder tipped a shot from the point but Ward corralled it with his glove to keep the game tied at 1. Late in the period when the Canes had the power play, Thomas made a nice stop on Joe Corvo when he was completely screened by Eric Cole. Boston outshot the Canes 10-6 in the second period and seemed to have the better of the chances.

The third period the Canes came out with a purpose knowing they could take a strangle hold on the series with a victory tonight. On a power play, the “Finnisher” as Jussi Jokinen has been known as, took a nice pass in front from Rod Brindamour to score his 6th goal of the playoffs. It is amazing because in the regular season he only scored 7 in 71 games. This proved to be the game winning goal. After this goal the Canes kept the pressure on and Ray Whitney set up Eric Cole for a glorious chance to basically ice the game but he shot it wide from about 25 feet out in front. Tim Thomas later on made a nice outlet pass all the way up to Marc Savard on the left wing, Savard was gassed though and took a nice slap shot that Ward handled off of his right shoulder. With about 6 minutes left in the game, Jussi Jokinen feathered a nice pass to Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov then faked Dennis Wideman out and walked in on Thomas to beat him clean with a high backhander to the blocker side to make it 3-1. Eric Staal then off of the left wing beat Thomas for his second goal of the night, also set up by Jokinen. In the third period the Canes outshot the Bruins 13-7 but after they made it 4-1 it was something like 12-2.

As I have said on numerous occasions, hockey is a game of character, luck and skill. This Canes team that is so resilient, seemingly eliminated by New Jersey, is now in command of this series. Jussi Jokinen and Sergei Samsonov have stepped up their game big time in this series to help support the scoring of the Staal, Whitney and Cole line. They still have to win another game, but if they show the heart, desire and effort that they have shown in the last two games, their chances of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2006 is good. Also not to be overlooked, this Canes team has a lot of players that have Stanley Cup Championship experience including Ward, Staal, Brindamour, Cullen, Wallin, Whitney, Cole and LaRose. I feel that their poise from being there before has helped them immensely in this series.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Cardiac Canes Prevail in Overtime 3-2


The Cardiac Kids Strike Again. Jokinen Wins Game in OT, 3-2



Home ice, home ice. The Carolina Hurricanes are certainly a different team when playing in front of their wonderful crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Canes are surprising a lot of hockey fans
who know very little about them. Tonight even though they fell behind 1-0 and were outplayed most of the first period, they showed their true character and grit. They were slick in 06 winning a cup and sometimes too cute in 07 and 08, but now this team has shown a new mettle since that they acquired after Erik Cole on trade deadline day March 4th.

The Bruins controlled the first period and Milan Lucic scored the game opening goal when he stopped a shot from the point by Dennis Wideman with his pad and then shot is over Ward in the top left corner. The Bruins, even though they were outshot 12-8 in the period, to me had control of the game at this point. Eric Staal was leveled by his adversary Zeneno Chara with a nice clean hit into the boards. Tim Thomas (38 saves) did make one outstanding save on Matt Cullen when after a shot from the point.
Ward was good as well keeping the game a 1-0 deficit for the Canes making 7 saves in the period.

The second period started out with the Bruins looking good. After Jokinen overpassed on a 3 on 1 break with Joni Piktanen, Phil Kessel took the puck back up ice and eventually fed Chara with a pass that he directed on to Ward (21 Saves), then the puck squired out to Aaron Ward sneaking in from the point, Ward was brilliant with his left pad and stoned Ward with about 10 min left in the period. Boston scores there and its 2-0 against the best team in the league defensively and a goalie who is a Vezina trophy finalist. Later on when Micheal Ryder took an undisciplined penalty that allowed Carolina to tie the game at 1. Staal (7 goals), when behind the net, picked the pocket of Steve Montador and then beat Thomas with a high snapshot blocker side. From this point on for the most part, Thomas and the Bruins were under siege. 69 seconds later, Samsonov (1 goal and 1 assist) scored on a nice feed from Scot Walker to beat Thomas with a low shot inside the left post to give the Canes a 2-1 lead at the end of the 2nd period. Carolina outshot the Bruins 15-7 in the 2nd period and felt really good about their chances of winning this game.

Once the 3rd period started, the Canes tried to pad their lead but after a nice play by Chad Larose to get a shot on net, Matt Cullen was staring almost an empty net. He shot it over the net and that was the break the Bruins needed to keep the game at 2-1. Even though the canes did outshoot Boston 11-4 in the 3rd, Mark Recci, against his former team, tied the game at 2 with a deflection of a Chuck Kobasew pass. He beati Ward five-hole. After the goal the only other good chance that Boston had the rest of the period was a nice snap shot in the high slot by Milan Lucic. The Canes did press to get the lead but Thomas had other ideas. Scot Walker (1 assist and plus 2) fed Matt Cullen out front but Thomas stopped Cullen again to keep it tied at 2. Later on in the period the Canes pressed, but Thomas said no with some nice saves to both Whitney and Cole.

In overtime it appeared that Lucic, who had a wonderful two way game to me, was denied by Ward. He beat Dennis Seidenberg with a nice inside-outside move. Cam Ward once again gave his team a chance to win. Chara and Kobasew tried to clear the Boston zone and were unable to do so. Samsonov stole the puck and cut down on the ride side near the circle. He beat Chara and got an backhand on goal which was saved by Thomas, but he left a rebound and Jussi Jokinen (5 playoff goals) pounced and beat Thomas cleanly for the overtime game winner. Jokinen only had 7 goals in the regular season but has really elevated his game big time in this postseason.

To sum it up, games are not played on paper. If they were, there would never be an upset in any sport. This is why we watch sports, to see the unexpected sometimes. This has been a good series so far and it far from over. On to game 4 on Friday, May 8th. I look forward to recapping that game once it is over.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Cam Ward Steals the Show and Canes Even Series



I believe that hockey is the only sport that the team with the most “talent” does not always win the Stanley Cup. Usually in baseball, football and basketball for the most part the best overall teams usually win their respective championships. Tonight in the Canes 3-0 win over the Bruins to tie the series at 1, Cam Ward was simply outstanding. He had 36 saves and recorded his 4th lifetime playoff shutout. Boston outshot the Canes 36-25 and an incredible 16-3 in the 3rd period. Ward looked like the Conn Smythe winner from 2006 in tonights game. (See hightlights as well below Ward's Save on Ryder picture)

The first period was an even one. The Canes did seem to come out more determined after losing game 1, 4-1 on Friday night. They were much smarter with the puck, especially in the neutral zone. Zedeno Chara absolutely nailed Eric Staal with a clean hit midway through the period. The first real good chance by Boston came off of a Dennis Wideman shot from the right point. Ward also stopped Lucic on a point blank shot from the right circle. Thomas came up with his own moving across save on Patrick Eaves on a nice feed from Rod Brindamour. Shots in the first were Carolina 13 Boston 9.

As I mentioned to a few people that if Carolina wanted to have a chance in this game, they needed to score the first goal. At 2:30 of the 2nd period, they did just that. Joe Corvo (1 goal 1 assist) blasted one from about 10 feet in from the right point on a nice feed from Eric Staal to make it 1-0. This was such a psychologial advantage for the Canes as they were so badly outplayed by Boston all season long. As the period wore on Joni Pitkanen was in the box for a cross check. Pitkanen is the ultimate heart attack player, meaning he can help score goals with nice offensive ability, but also tends to get out of position leaving his goalie out to dry sometimes. Chad Larose stole a Chara pass and broke down the left wing and ended up hustling to the puck behind the net. He then fed a nice pass to the trailing Matt Cullen, who beat Thomas with a shorthanded goal to make it 2-0. Chad Larose (2 goals and 8 pts in the playoffs) is by far to me the most improved Hurricane player especially in the 2nd half of the season. Larose has in addition to his penalty killing duties, has earned more ice time than he had for most of the regular season. Then at the end of the period, Larose pounced on a clear in and tried to beat Thomas up and appeared to hit the crossbar and then the post and it was ruled by the ref it did not go in. After some replay it looked like the puck might have gone slightly over the line. The two Versus announcers, ironically John Forslund the play by play man for the Hurricanes and Andy Brickley the color man for the Bruins, both though the play was a goal. After a lot of deliberation, it was ruled inconclusive for a no goal. The scored remained 2-0. Boston did outshoot Carolina 12-9 in the period but this might have been Carolina's best road period of the playoffs.

I give the Bruins credit for the 3rd period. They came out flying and as I mentioned earlier, poured it on Cam Ward. Ward was up to the task. Early in the period, Phil Kessel set up nicely by Marc Savard. was stopped by Ward. With the period about 7 minutes old, PJ Alexelson was set up nicely by Shawn Thornton and cut to the middle, Ward was able to stand tall and keep Boston scoreless. Tim Thomas (22 saves) who also had a solid game, stopped Eric Cole with about 10 minutes left to keep Boston in the game. Then Joni “heart attack” Pitkanen was in the box again with less than 7 minutes left in the game and Boston pressured Carolina again. Dennis Wideman took a shot from the point that was deflected out front. There were a mass of bodies in front of Ward and the ever dangerous Michael Ryder got the puck and fired a puck that looked like a sure goal. Ward just kicked out with his left pad and kept the Bruins scoreless. For good measure he also stopped Wideman as well and you just had the feeling it was Carolina's night. Eric Staal did score an empty net goal to seal the win for the Canes.

I will stand by my original prediction in saying this series will go at least 6 games. The Bruins are the more talented team, but if Cam Ward plays like he did tonight for the rest of the series, they definitely have a chance of upsetting Boston. I love hockey so much because of the unpredictability of each and every game. If you went by Fridays utter domination of Boston over the Canes, the regular season dominance and how crisp Boston usually is, most experts would not have though the Canes stood a chance tonight. A hot goalie can cover for any teams deficiencies. I look forward to writing about this series some more in the next few days. I like to thank anyone who reads this humble blog. Even though I am just a regular guy trying to have fun, writing about sports is so gratifying. On to game 6 in Raleigh on Wednesday night.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Bruins Throughly Dominate Canes in Game 1, 4-1





Bruins Thoroughly Dominate the Canes in Game 1, 4-1

The Bruins showed no rust in Game 1 after an 8 day layoff from playing. They definitely looked like the team that dominated the Canadiens in round 1. David Kreji scored just 1:34 into period 1 off of a screen of Cam Ward. He was set up by the underrated Michael Ryder. The lead could have been more but Cam Ward (20 saves) stopped Montator on a two on one with Kessel. Tim Thomas was also very good in period 1 when he stopped Tuomo Ruutu on a nice feed from Jussi Jokinen. Late in the period Jokinen did tie the game at 1 when he accepted a drop pass from Ryan Bayda and beat Thomas with a shot on the ice through the five hole. This was an evenly played period with Carolina outshooting the Bruins 10-8. One thing that I did notice is the Bruins seemed to have the better of the chances but did seem to miss the net on a few of them.

In period 2 the Canes came out trying to take the lead but Thomas (26 saves overall) would have none of that. There was a stretch about 5 minutes into the period that Carolina was carrying the play and Thomas showed a great glove hand when he robbed Corvo off of a nice drop pass from Erik Cole. Thomas also stopped Pitkanen on a nice feed from Rod Brindamour and kept the score tied at 1. Right after those two saves by Thomas, the Bruins took control of the game. Joni Pitkanen was out of position when Mark Savard scored on a rebound of a Phil Kessel shot on a flurry in front of Ward. There were two Bruins outmanning Ward, who basically had no chance on this goal. The Bruins were showing their depth on offense at this time. About 5 minutes later, Michael Ryder (1 goal and 1 assist) took a blind pass from Ruutu just over the Canes blueline and skated on the wing with Blake Wheeler. Ryder shot an absolute lazer over the glove of Cam Ward on this goal. Ryder has been fantastic during the playoffs so far scoring 5 goals. The Canes outshout the Bruins 10-9 but after Boston took the lead, they dominated the rest of the period.

In period 3 the Canes were looking to get within a goal when they opened with a flurry around Tim Thomas. To me the turning point of the game happened when Thomas stopped Eric Staal on a nice fed from Whitney to keep the game at 3-1. Thomas also stopped Whitney earlier on a tip from the point. Matt Cullen turned the puck over to Phil Kessel. Kessel skated in the right wing and left a nice drop pass to Marc Savard, who beat Ward with a nice hard shot to the blocker side about 12 inches off of the ice. When Ward is playing good he would usually make that stop. Make no mistake the shot was labeled but Ward was not screened and saw it all the way. Once the game was 4-1 the rest of the game was kind of anticlimactic. The Bruins fully earned this victory to take a 1-0 lead in this best of 7 series.

If the Canes continue to have horrid giveaways in the neutral zone or their own zone, this will be a short series. Boston will win in a sweep or at most 5 games. They must be more sound with the puck and give Ward a bit more support in their own end. For Boston, they just need to play their game and all will be well. As long both teams stay disciplined, I do not believe the power play will have a major role in this series. This was a good game for about the first 30 minutes or so. Once Boston got the two goals in the 2nd period to take a 2 goal lead, you had a sense that they felt there were no way that they would blow this game and they were correct. Credit a great coaching job by Julien and the star players in Savard, Ryder, and Kreji coming to play. The Canes will play better in the coming games I anticipate, but will it be enough to overcome the deeper Bruins team? I don't know, but will tune in on Sunday night for game 2 to find out.

Hurricanes vs Bruins Playoff Preview


Game On – Hurricanes at Bruins - Series Preview

Will the Boston Bruins continue their 2008-09 dominance over the Carolina Hurricanes in their initial game of their Easter Conference Semi-final series tonight? Boston outscored the Canes 18-6 in 4 blowouts. The Bruins had the best record in the East basically all season and finished with 116 pts with 53- 19-10. They had the best defense in the league giving up only 196 goals and scored the 2nd most in the league with 274 (Det was first). However that was then and this is now. The Canes finished with a 12-3-2 record to get into the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. They outlasted a very good New Jersey team in dramatic fashion 4-3. It was a well played series that came down to Carolina tying game 7 in the final moments and then Eric Staal coming through in the clutch with 31 seconds left to win the series. The Bruins throughly dominated the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 and outscored them 17-5.

This series also has some history as the Hartford Whalers played the Bruins in 1990 and 1991 with Boston winning two tightly contested series. After the Whale moved to North Carolina in 1997 they played another series vs Boston, losing 4-2. Ironically the Canes were coached by new/old coach Paul Maruice. Maurice took over the Canes in December and they looked dead. Maurice along with assistant coach Ron Francis helped the Canes realize that if they were going to get back to the playoffs, they would need to be better defensively. Maurice also challenged Cam Ward, the former Conn Smyhe winner to play better. Ward after struggling early in the season, responded and played his best hockey since 2006 when the Canes won the Cup over the Oilers He finished with a GAA of 2.44, 39 wins and save percentage of .916. His counterpart, Tim Thomas has been outstanding all season long with a GAA of 2.10 and a save percentage of .933. Thomas is a finalist for the Vezina trophy, handed to the top goalie in the NHL and I believe he will win it, rightly so. Both have played even better in the playoffs, Thomas has a GAA of 1.50 and save percentage of .946. Ward has a GAA of 2.11 with a save percentage of .933. This is the most tightly contested matchup in the series. I will say that this is even. Both are capable goalies and can steal a game at any time.

Offensively the Bruins have more depth up front over the Canes. They had 7 guys score more than 20 this year and their best overall talent on offense, Marc Savard who had 88 pts. He is supported by David Krejci 73 pts, Phil Kessel, 36 goals and Michael Ryder. 27 goals. Also offensive minded defensemen in Zedeno Chara 19 goals, 50 pts and Dennis Wideman 13 goals and 50 pts, make this a very very potent offense to stop for the Canes. Ryder and Kessel both had outstanding offensive series vs Montreal as well. The Bruins have a phenomenal power play and the Canes would be wise to stay of of the box as much as possible against this very explosive unit.

The Canes are led by superstar Eric Staal, 40 goals, 75 pts, linemate Ray “the Wizard” Whitney, 24 goals and 77 pts, Tuomo Ruutu, 26 goals 54 pts and the very underrated Chad Larose, who scored 19 goals but in the playoffs he has move up to Eric Staals line and really played well contributing 7 pts in 7 games. Antone Babchuck scored 16 goals from the point and along with Joni Pitkanen, add to the power play. Jussi Jokinen as a role player added 4 pts in the playoffs but one was a game winner with .03 seconds left in game 4 and then scored the game typing goal in game 7 as it appeared the Devils were going to win the series.

Coaching, I will say is pretty even, with a slight edge to Boston. Both teams have been well prepared and can play both styles of play, either wide open or a 1-0 game. Claude Julien has done stupendous job and should win the coach of the year I do believe. In 2 years he has taken a bad soft team and made them a Stanley Cup contender. Physically the Bruins are tougher and led by overall power winger in Milan Lucic (17 goals and 136 PIMS) can be very intimidating for an opponent. Tim Gleason who had a wonderful series vs NJ is the Canes toughest player.

My overall prediction for this series is Boston in 6 games. Yes I am a huge Hurricanes fan and hope they win, I won't lie, but I have also followed the B's all season long (I like them as 2nd fav) and this team is very very resilient team. They are just deeper in all areas with the exception of goaltending. If Cam Ward stands on his head, then the Canes have a punchers chance. I just hope for all hockey fans that we are entertained and see at least one overtime game and lots of close matchups. I do believe that will be the case as these teams will be well prepared and both of them do not ever quit. I hope they you have as much fun reading this as I do writing this.