Canucks lose Game #1 against Ducks

Well, it didn’t surprise me. The Canucks were playing without four regulars, and two of their top defensemen. Matt Cooke and Ryan Kelser remained out, and Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo (two of the Canucks top D-men) were out as well. Those left some huge holes.

The Vancouver defense looked awful without them. Willie Mitchell did his best to make up for it, but just couldn’t make up for the huge loss. With Edler and Fitzpatrick out there, the Canucks seemed to lack confidence, and just the overall defensive ability to shut down the Ducks.

My first thought was… wow this game is much more wide open, I think the Canucks have a legitimate shot. They could have had three goals in the first five minutes. Giguere is good, but he is no Turco. He CAN be beat. He is solid angle-wise, but he isn’t very quick, and a good quick shot will beat him. Only problem was… the Canucks couldn’t hit the damn net! I swear they missed the net on six easy scoring opportunities. Also, what was Henrik Sedin doing passing across the crease when he had a completely wide open net?

I’m not that upset, as I really didn’t think they would win this game. They seemed to play like they knew they would lose, as soon as Anaheim scored that first goal. They seemed to lack any energy or effort once they got behind. It’s like they were thinking “Ok, we don’t have two of our top d-men, we’re tired after a long series, let’s just get to game #2″.

Some other notes from the game…

- Alex Burrows did a great job agitating Teemu Selanne. I hope he keeps it up. Selanne can be a snap show, and if Burrows gets under his skin enough, he will draw penalties, or at least, get co-incidentals, and take Selanne off the ice with him.

- Markus Naslund continues to be completely ineffective. It’s almost coming to the point – and this is really quite sad – that he is actually hurting us on the ice. He loses the puck or gets easily checked on almost every Power Play and the other team dumps the puck out of the zone. He had a perfect chance to score in the first minute of the game, and he basically walked into the net and F’d up. We were discussing last night, that next to Jose Theodore, Naslund is probably the most overpaid player in the league. At this point, he’s a third-liner at best. Pretty sad for $6 Million a year.

- I am glad they took Luongo out when the Ducks scored their 4th goal. Not because Luongo was bad in any way, but because the game was out of reach, and there was no sense risking Luongo getting hurt. It also gave Dany Sabourin a chance to play. The poor guy sits on the bench 99% of the time, and it was good to give him his first playoff ice time.

- The Ducks are incredible on the Power Play. Vancouver has to do whatever possible to avoid stupid penalties. And… on the topic of stupid penalties… wow, was the reffing absolutely horrid last night. There were so many brutal calls on both teams.

I think we’ll see a completely different Canucks team come out to play on Friday. They can beat the Ducks. They play a style that Vancouver can handle better than the style Dallas played. Provided Bieksa and Salo return, I still think the Canucks can take this series. Game 2 is a huge one.

Game #2 in Anaheim starts at 7:00pm on Friday.

Calgary Flames’ new jerseys for 2008

 

Hehe.

We’re gonna party like it’s 1994

Trevor Linden must think he’s still in the 1994 playoffs, as he scored the game winning goal in last night’s game 7 against Dallas. It’s kinda crazy seeing as it’s 13 years later and he’s still scoring important goals for the Canucks.

When Dallas went ahead 1-0, I was worried as hell. But the Canucks came through and in a big, big way. They absolutely dominated Dallas through the second period and played great through the third to keep the lead.

The Canucks showed great confidence and composure and played an incredibly sound game in the last two periods. I don’t remember the last time I had a feeling of relief the way I did when the Canucks put in the first empty net goal.

Taylor Pyatt, Trevor Linden, The Sedins and Roberto Luongo were the stars of the game. Pyatt has played great lately. The Sedins finally dominated a game, Luongo played amazing as always, and Linden was huge scoring his (active NHLer) league leading 11th game 7 point.

I don’t really have much else to say, other than BRING IT ON, DUCKS! I can’t wait for round 2 to start!

The puck drops for Game #1 in Anaheim on Wednesday.

NHL Playoffs- Round 2 Predictions

I did pretty good with my Round 1 Predictions, going 7-1, but we’ll see how Round 2 goes. This round is going to be much harder to predict.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings vs. San Jose Sharks

This is tough to call. Detroit was great in round 1 against Calgary, and their defensive game is so sound, it’s hard to say how they will do against a big, tough and talented team like the Sharks. San Jose has better goaltending, although even at 42, Dominik Hasek is no slouch. It seems most people are predicting San Jose, but I’m going to go with Detroit in 6 games.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks

Ok, do I pick with my heart or my head? The obvious choice is Anaheim. Everyone is predicting them to win, and for good reason. They are a much better team, and they could easily defeat the Canucks (a 4 game sweep isn’t out of the question). However, the Canucks are a team that wins when they have to (just take a look at their overtime record this year). Luongo is the wild card here, as he could single-handedly win this series. It all boils down to: can Vancouver score? If Vancouver can score at least two goals every game, I think they will win this series. I just can’t bring myself to go against my team, so I’m going to predict the Canucks in 7 games. Luongo will out-play whoever gets the nod for the Ducks, and I think that will be what gets the ‘Nucks into Round 3.

Eastern Conference

Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers

New York has been flying high for a good two months now, and I am finding it very hard to bet against them, even though they are taking on the perennial favorite to win the Cup. This should be an excellent series, as both teams have a large arsenal of offensive talent. They also each have two superstar goalies, in Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist. This should be an offensive battle as well as a goaltending battle. I am going to go with Buffalo in 6 games.

New Jersey Devils vs. Ottawa Senators

New Jersey were one of my picks to make it far at the start of the playoffs, but their play in the opening round surprised me. I thought they would easily take Tampa, but they didn’t They looked very beatable. I think Ottawa will take this series in 6 games. It will be a very close series, but I think this is Ottawa’s year, and if Ray Emery can continue his great play, Ottawa will win this series.

My Round 1 Predictions. How did I do?

Well, the first round of the playoffs is over, and this year was quite different than most. How so? Well, nearly every team that was supposed to win, actually did. Before the Playoffs started, I did a post on my predictions for each round. Let’s take a look at how I did…

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings vs. Calgary Flames. Detroit wins the series 4-2

My Prediction: I picked Detroit, and I was right in the amount of games, as well.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild. Anaheim wins the series 4-1.

My Prediction: I went for an upset in this one, and picked the Wild in 6 games. However, I did say I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ducks sweep the Wild, and that was close.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars. Vancouver wins the series 4-3

My Predicition: I was dead-on with this one, picking the Canucks in 7 games.

Nashville Predators vs. San Jose Sharks. San Jose wins the series 4-1

My Prediction: Wow, for a third time in the West, I was dead on predicting San Jose to win it in 5 games.

Eastern Conference

Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Islanders. Buffalo wins the series 4-1

My Prediction: This was the easiest series to pick in my mind. I went with Buffalo to win it, so I was right. But I thought it would end in 4 games, not 5.

New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning. New Jersey wins the series 4-2

My Prediction: I chose the Devils in 5. I was right about who won, and close on the amount of games as well.

Atlanta Thrashers vs. New York Rangers. New York wins the series 4-0

My Prediction: I picked the Rangers in this one, but I didn’t think they’d sweep it (I picked it to go 6 games).

Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins. Ottawa wins the series 4-1

My Prediction: I went with Ottawa in this one, but I thought it would take 6 games.

So, how did I do overall? I’m pretty impressed with myself, actually. I was 7-1, in my predictions with only getting the Ducks/Wild series wrong. I was also right on the amount of games in three of the series’ as well.

Round 2 Predictions will be coming soon.

Goalie Jamie McLennan gets slash-happy

In Game 5 of the Calgary vs. Detroit series, as it began to get a little rough, Calgary pulled Mikka Kiprusoff and put in backup Jamie McLennan. McLennan proceeded to go crazy and slash everyone in sight.

He ended up with a 5 game suspension, the coach Jim Playfair was fined $25,000 and the organization was fined $100,000.

Canucks lose Game 5, still lead series 3-2

Well, the Canucks had a chance to put the series away at home, but they weren’t able to pull it off. It doesn’t surprise me at all, as I didn’t expect them to win this game. However, I do think they deserved to win game 5. They out-played Dallas for most of the game, and both teams played a more offensive game, which lead to a more entertaining game.

With the game being tied 0-0 going into overtime, you’d think the game would have been boring as hell. But it wasn’t. It was a pretty entertaining game, with lots of back and forth action, with both goalies making some pretty great saves.

I really thought the Canucks were going to come through, but an unfortunate “two many men” penalty in overtime was their undoing. Dallas seemed to be playing with the lead, and trying to play a more shut down game in the third. Quite the odd strategy, considering this was a “must-win” game for them. In fact, it seemed both teams were playing as if they had the lead for the second half of the third period.

Some notes:

- I thought Taylor Pyatt played one of his better games of the year. He was hitting, playing more aggressive and had a few scoring chances. His line, along with Brian Smolinski and Trevor Linden had another strong game.

- The Sedins looked a lot better tonight as well, as they were able to get a few scoring chances.

- Naslund was invisible. Again. I honestly can’t think of a single moment when he did anything, good or bad.

- The goaltenders were once again the stars of the game. Turco had his second shutout of the series, and hopefully people will stop calling him a “choke” in the playoffs. He is the only reason Dallas is still in this series. Luongo was once again amazing, and I thought he had an even better game than Turco did. It’s unfortunate both goalies couldn’t get the shutout.

- Mattias Ohlund had a really good game. He has made a few mistakes during these playoffs, but he is one of the guys that does so much for this team, and doesn’t always get credit for it. He plays almost entirely against the other team’s top lines, and is incredible in his shut down abilities. Same goes for Willie Mitchell.

I will almost guarantee the Canucks will win Game 6 in Dallas. They are great on the road, and usually play a more relaxed game without the home crowd watching in. Hopefully they can take the series in Dallas on Saturday, as I don’t think my nerves can handle a Game 7 at this point.

Game 6 prediction: 2-1, Vancouver.

Snoop Dogg + Hockey = ???

Snoop Dogg went to his first NHL game. Check out his interview:

“Yabba-dabba dizzle, fo’ shizzle dizzle”. Um, I think that means “Go Ducks”…

Canucks win Game 4, Stars face elimination

Well, the Canucks are going home with a chance at eliminating the Dallas Stars. As much of a Canuck fan as I am, and even though I predicted the Canucks to win this series, I never expected this.

Last night’s game was the first of the series that the ‘Nucks actually deserved to win. They outplayed Dallas for most of the game, and really turned it on in the last 10 minutes. It was an impressive win.

Some points from the game:

- Luongo was incredible, as usual. However, the Canucks have done a great job in front of him, and have given him the chance to make a lot of the saves he’s made.

- Jeff Cowan hasn’t been doing much lately. He took a bad penalty, and didn’t seem to get much ice time after that. He had a hit or two, but didn’t provide the energy game that he did in Game 1.

- I barely noticed Jannick Hansen at all last night. His linemate Jan Bulis had a great game, though. I was huge Bulis-hater earlier in the year, but he has really impressed me lately. So much so, that I wouldn’t mind the Canucks re-signing him for next season. A month ago, I would have never even considered it as an option. Bulis is skating hard, getting into a good offensive position a lot, and doing a good job controlling the puck in the neutral zone.

- Trevor Linden had an incredible shift that ended up creating the Canucks game-winning goal. He back-checked hard in the offensive zone, and ended up getting the puck back in a play that looked like it was over. He battled hard, got the puck, and ended up with the goal. Linden looked like the ’94 Superstar that he used to be.

- Willie Mitchell single-handedly saved the game with his diving play to wack the puck out of the net, just as it was about to cross the goal-line. What a play!

- Markus Naslund is completely useless. He had maybe one good shift, but also had a brutal giveaway which caused the Stars’ goal. How he continues to get so much ice time just baffles me. And what the hell was he doing on the ice in the last minute of the game? Are you kidding me?

- The Sedins had a better game, and it looks like they’re figuring out how to play against the good Dallas defense. This is a huge positive, as Dallas has been able to do a great job shutting the Sedins down for most of the series.

Overall, things are looking great for the Canucks. If they don’t win it at home at Thursday, I am 100% positive they will at least win the game in Dallas on Saturday.

Go Canucks Go!

Canucks win Game 3

Capping off a great weekend, I got to see the Canucks win Game 3 in overtime. Game 3 was much, much better than the horribly boring Game 2, which the Canucks lost 2-0.

After 2 periods, I was starting to think it was the same team all over again. No offense, no sense of urgency… basically it just didn’t seem like they wanted to win. That, or Dallas is too good of a team. I have been impressed with Dallas’s forecheck, and defensive play. They are on you the second you have the puck, and the are great at holding up the neutral zone.

But the Canucks finally figured it out in the third period. The came out flying, and it seemed Dallas didn’t know how to react. Vancouver used their speed, and forechecked hard and put a lot of great shots toward Marty Turco. They were finally rewarded with Jan Bulis’ first goal of the playoffs. Bulis scored off a Jannick Hansen rebound.

Speaking of Hansen, wow is he ever impressing me. He has speed, grit, and  great ability at getting the puck to the net. He’s able to get 4 shots on net in each of his two games. He made some great passes, and his work in Game 3 allowed him to get his first NHL point.

The goaltending was once again the highlight of Game 3. Turco and Luongo both played great.

Before this game started, I said that whoever wins this game will win the series.  I sure hope that proves to be true.

Hockey Goalies can sometimes be a little… odd

From Newsday.com:

The college hockey player who drew a misdemeanor charge in the mooning of a crowd at Eccles Ice Center pleaded not guilty to a lewdness charge.

Michael Meyer, a player for the University of Southern California, submitted a plea by facsimile machine Wednesday.

Police said Meyer rode his stick like a horse, dropped his bulky pants, mooned the crowd and slapped his buttocks during a Feb. 17 tournament game against Brigham Young University.

Atta boy… way to keep that “goalie’s are weird” reputation going.

My Top 10 Favorite Goalie Masks

I’ve always been fascinated with Goalies, and one of the coolest things about a goalie, is their mask. I remember how excited I was to get my first painted mask. Over the years, there have been several really cool masks, and I’ve decided to put together a Top 10 list of my all-time favorite goalie masks.

10. John Vanbiesbrouck

His nickname was “Beezer”. In this mask it features the cityscape of New York (the team he played for), and there are little “bee’s” flying around. Get it?

9. Hannu Toivanen

Toivanen’s mask is a tribute to Denis Lemieux, the goalie in the “Slap Shot” movie. I like how it’s painted to look like he’s wearing the old style mask, by painting ears and hair right onto the helmet.

8. Stephane Fiset

It’s a simple design, but I like it. A wall of ice blocks. Very cool.

7. Gilles Gratton

 

That is one hell of an intense goalie mask. Imagine coming down and shooting on a goalie wearing that?

6. Ed Belfour

Belfour got his nickname, “Eddie the Eagle”, because of his mask. He’s used the same design since the early 90′s, and even though I can’t stand Belfour, his mask is a classic.

5. Corey Hirsch

Corey Hirsch was one of my all-time favorite goalies (don’t laugh), and I’ve always loved the mask he used near the end of his Canucks’ career. It pictures the haunted house from the Alfed Hitchcock movie, “Psycho”.

4. Blaine Lacher

I almost painted this design on my mask back in the mid-90′s. I loved Blaine Lacher and although this is a crappy picture and doesn’t really show off the mask, it was one of the coolest masks of it’s time.

3. Gerry Cheevers/Steve Shields

The original “designed” mask was this awesome Gerry Cheevers creation. He started putting a scar mark on his mask every time a puck hit him in the face, to show what would have happened had he not of been wearing the mask. The second picture above, is of Steve Shield’s mask from a few years back, which is obviously a tribute to Cheevers.

2. Brian Hayward

Brian Hayward was one of the first goalies to do this style of mask. I was probably about 8 or 9 years old the first time I saw it, and I remember thinking it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I had a huge poster of the mask on my wall for a few years.

1. Andy Moog

My team has the same color pattern as the Boston Bruins, so I was always interested in what the Bruins goalies would use for equipment. When I saw this paint job, I decided right away that it was the one I wanted on my helmet. It was such a cool design, and it matched our jerseys and color scheme perfectly. I had the mask for nearly 10 years, and after all this time, it’s still my favorite goalie mask.

> Read more ‘Top 10′ posts

Wow, what a game

Well, that was a long night. The Canucks vs. Dallas playoff game #1 last night finally ended at nearly 1:00am. The game was tied 4-4 after the end of regulation time, and then took another FOUR overtimes before the next goal is scored. To put that in perspective, the Canucks played two full games plus an additional period. They must be dead tired tonight.

A few points I noticed about last night’s game:

- First, Dallas deserved to win the game. The Canucks were the better team in the 1st period, but for the second half of regulation, Dallas was the much better team. The Canucks were horrible in their own end, and I have a huge respect for Dallas after that game. Their forecheck and work ethic is incredible. They are a much harder working team than I expected.

- Marty Turco is like a 3rd defenseman. Wow, can he ever play the puck. His quickness at stopping it and making a great play with it is uncanny. The ‘Nucks have to keep the puck away from him, and try to softly dump it into the corners so Turco can’t play it.

- Dallas did a great job to contain the Sedins during regulation. That had one of the least effective 3 periods that I’ve seen from them all year. But their line was dynamite in the third and fourth OT, and you just knew they were going to eventually put one in. A great goal by Henrik Sedin to win the game. I expected the game to end on a garbage goal, but that was a beauty.

- Markus Naslund played the best game I’ve seen from him in a long, long time. He scored a goal, had an assist, was responsible defensively, and even laid out a few huge hits. This is when he has to shine. He had a horrible regular season, and it’s a clean slate for him now. He can completely redeem himself if he comes out and actually leads this team with games like last night.

- I was shocked to see Kesler back for game 1. He had a pretty great game (or games, rather), and having him back was a huge bonus especially considering both Cooke and Burrows left the game via injury. I really hope they’re back for the next game, as they are two pretty important cogs in the wheel.

- Jan Bulis has a pretty good game. All year, I’ve been down on him. But he played a good, hard game, and created some scoring chances. Jeff Cowan could have been the best player on the Canucks. He kept the energy going ALL night, and his play helped energize the Canucks in overtime, which I think really helped them keep the effort going. He was hitting everything in sight, and you could see how much it was effecting the Stars’ defense. Huge game from Cowan. He impresses me more each and every game.

- Luongo broke a record for most shots faced and saves made for the Canucks. Even though that fourth goal was incredibly weak, he came back and strong and made all the saves he needed to make for the rest of the game.

It was a great game, and I’m tired as hell today, but it was well worth it. The game ended up as the 6th longest game of all time, and the 3rd longest of the modern era (post-Original Six).

I can’t wait for Game #2! Go Canucks!

NHL Playoffs – Round 1 Predictions

Here’s my predictions for the first round of the NHL Playoffs:

The Western Conference…

Detroit Red Wings vs. Calgary Flames

This will be a good battle, and I think Calgary will take it to the Wings pretty good, but in the end, I think Detroit will get past the first round, and win this one in 6 games.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild

At the start of the year, and most of the way through it, Anaheim was the Stanley Cup favorite. I’m going to go against the grain, and pick Minnesota to win this one. It’ll be a tough series, but I’m going to say Minnesota in 6 games. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see Anaheim take it in 4 though. They are a good team, I just think Minnesota has too solid of a team for Anaheim to beat. Also, I think Anaheim’s weakness will be in goal.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars

It will be a good series, but I’m going to go with my team, the Canucks, to take it in 7 games. Dallas is a good team, and we’ll see a lot of 1 goal games in this series, with probably each game being a 1 goal game. There won’t be a lot of scoring, but in the end, I think Luongo will out-do Turco.

Nashville Predators vs. San Jose Sharks

Nashville has a very good team, but they won’t be enough to beat the Sharks. San Jose is as complete as a team as there is in the NHL, and they are just too big and tough for the Preds to defeat. I’m going with San Jose in 5 games.

And the Eastern Conference…

Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Islanders

This is, in my mind, the only for sure series in the playoffs. Buffalo will easily take this one, and I think it’ll be a 4 game sweep.

New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa has an explosive offense, but they will be no match for the Devils. Tampa’s defense and goaltending is so horribly weak, there is no way Marc Denis/Johan Holmqvist will be able to out-play Martin Brodeur. No chance at all. Tampa will probably win one game, but that’s it. Devils in 5.

Atlanta Thrashers vs. New York Rangers

The Rangers have been flying lately, and although, based on regular season points, the Thrashers are the favorites, I’m going with New York (in 6 games) in this one. The Thrashers just aren’t deep enough to win this series.

Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh has loads of talent, and they will be a force for years, but I think Ottawa will win this series. It will be very close though, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see The Pens take it, though. Senators do have a good team, and after years of hearing they will win the Cup, people aren’t saying it this year. I, however, think they have a good shot. Ottawa in 6 games.

Welcome to the NHL, Jack Johnson

Here’s the awesome hip-check that Jan Bulis of all people, laid out on Jack Johnson, in his first NHL game. Wait for the second replay… it’s great.

The hockey-related quote of the year

Recently, there have been rumors that Boston Bruins forward Glen Murray (who has two years remaining on his contract after this year) may be traded to his former team, The Los Angeles Kings sometime in the off-season. Kings’ blogger Rudy Kelley at The Battle of California, weighs in with his feelings on this possible trade:

“I liked Glen Murray when he was on the Kings and I’m sure he’s a pleasant enough guy, but I’d rather eat a baby than have him on the Kings for the next two years.”

Henrik Sedin breaks 30-year old record

Last night, Vancouver Canuck Henrik Sedin broke Andre Boudrias’ 30-year old record for most assists in a season (62) as a Canuck, with 63. There are a still a few games left for him to add to his totals. Hopefully he, along with his brother, will finally begin to receive the accolades they deserve as they’ve quickly become two of the NHL’s top all-around stars.

Hockey Night in Canada staying on CBC

There have been some rumors going around that TSN was going to win the rights to “Hockey Night in Canada”, as the NHL’s contract with CBC expires at the end of the year.

Thankfully, that won’t be happening, as CBC and the NHL have come to a contract agreement.

From The Globe & Mail:

The CBC and National Hockey League announced a new television agreement Monday that will keep Hockey Night In Canada on the air through the 2013-14 season.

The six-year contract extension begins at the conclusion of the current deal in 2007-08 and is worth about $100-million a year, according to sources.

I have no problems with TSN, but I just can’t imagine Hockey Night in Canada being on anything but CBC. It’s been a tradition since long before I was born, and I’m really glad to see they’ve worked out a deal.

This just looks wrong

Add this picture to the list of things I never wanted to see.

I know it’s been nearly a year since Todd Bertuzzi was traded away in the incredible deal that fetched us Roberto Luongo, but I still find the picture above to just seem… wrong. This isn’t even Bertuzzi’s first team since the Canucks. However, in Florida he barely played (only 7 games) and well, it’s Florida… we never hear about them or see them play so it was like it never even happened. But Detroit? They are Conference rivals of Vancouver and Bertuzzi shouldn’t be playing for a team we’ve battled against for so long. Bertuzzi still feels like a Canuck to me, and seeing him wearing the jersey of the other guys… well, it just doesn’t seem right.

Six Games in Seven Nights

My hockey league’s regular season concluded last night, in a game that we won 9-0, giving me my third shut out of the year. I had a really fun year this year; one of my most enjoyable in recent memory. I played as many games as I ever have in a year, playing full time for one team, and part time for two more teams, and then sparing for a couple others.

In the past week, I have played six games. It’s been a good week, as we’ve managed to win all six games.

I ended the year with the best GAA (goals against average) in the league with a 3.23, most shutouts with 3, and the best winning percentage.

Our team finished first overall, and playoffs start next week. Hopefully we can cap off a successful season with the league championship.