Hockey Beat » NHL Playoffs

Jokinen Powers Hurricanes to Game 3 Win

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:30:18 +0000

Jussi Jokinen continues to be an instrumental part of the Carolina Hurricanes’ surprising postseason success and last night’s game was no exception. Just like the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference, the Canes are playing surprisingly well in the playoffs and now lead the series 2-1 against the Boston Bruins, the east’s best team this season.

Hurricanes goaltender, Cam Ward, was coming off his fourth career playoff shutout and it seemed like the team was on a mission to prove that their first win was not a fluke. It was definitely an intensely played game and the little feud between Zdeno Chara (Boston) and Eric Staal (Carolina) continued to mount.

The teams were tied 2-2 when the third period ended. Although Carolina had a good momentum going, Boston netminder, Tim Thomas, really did try his best and made a spectacular save on Matt Cullen and had to reach behind himself and guess where that puck was to stop it from going in. Thomas hasn’t allowed a goal in third period during the postseason so I wasn’t surprised when they went to overtime.

Jussi Jokinen received a pass and did a really smooth rotation in front of the net before putting it behind Thomas to win in overtime. I wanted Boston to win but I can’t deny that it was just a really sweet goal.

image: TSN

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Anaheim Beats Detroit in Third Overtime

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:55:23 +0000

What a crazy game!!! I was hoping that the Anaheim Ducks would rebound after being beat by the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of this second round and they did not disappoint. The two most recent Stanley Cup champions battled hard, matching goal for goal until it was all decided in third overtime, making this the longest playoff game so far this year!

image: TSN

I think both the Red Wings and the Ducks put a huge amount of effort into the game tonight but I do want to say that Detroit goaltender, Chris Osgood, didn’t seem to be on his game whereas Anaheim’s Jonas Hiller was spectacular. Both of them were tested quite a bit but Hiller faced an whopping 62 shots (Detroit was definitely trying!) while Osgood dealt with 46.

I was riveted throughout the regulation portion of the game, anxious during first OT, on the edge of my season for second OT and pulling my hair out by the time third OT began. Fortunately, it didn’t last very long since, after just about a minute, Anaheim’s Todd Merchant fired a wrist shot through traffic and beat Osgood, who never saw it coming. I can’t really think of too many games that were won by Merchant so I’m sure the Ducks are pretty happy with him right now.

The teams meet again on Tuesday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

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Carolina Shocks Boston, Wins Game 2

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:54:36 +0000

Just like many of the viewers at home, I’m sure the Boston Bruins were shocked to not only lose to the Carolina Hurricanes but to also be shut out by them.

image: TSN

Hurricanes captain, Rod Brind’Amour, played his 150th postseason game and goaltender, Cam Ward, recorded his second playoff shutout in four games, turning away all 36 shots he faced.

This spoiled the record for the Bruins who were the last unbeaten team left in this year’s playoffs and ended netminder, Tim Thomas’, 11-game winning streak.

The 3-0 victory (and it really could have been 4-0 but a goal was not allowed even though I think it was clearly in) marks the first time Carolina has beaten the Bruins all season.

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Two Remaining Eastern Conference Series Tied Up

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:24:24 +0000

After yesterday’s action, the last two undecided series in the Western Conference are both tied up and I honestly couldn’t tell you which way this is going to go. So far, I’ve been surprised so I’m not going to make any guesses.

The New York Rangers had an opportunity to eliminate the Washington Capitals but, with Sean Avery back in the lineup and coach John Tortorella suspended for one game, it looked like they were a bit lost. The Caps took full advantage of the situation, winning the game 5-3.

It’s not that the Rangers didn’t try hard (32 shots on goal) but they just got outplayed. The Caps really showed that they want to stay in the playoffs and they came out strong, scoring three goals in just the first period.

Similarly, the Carolina Hurricanes were eager to hold off the New Jersey Devils and they did it in a big way. Yesterday’s 4-0 win was the biggest victory the Hurricanes have had this series and I’m stunned that they not only continued to beat goaltender, Martin Brodeur, but I’m also disappointed that the Devils didn’t try harder (28 shots on net). It was a game filled with penalties for both teams but the Devils really outdid themselves, spending more than 30 minutes in the box. I hope their coach has a long talk with them because it was pretty ridiculous.

Tuesday, April 28 is going to be a big night in hockey with these four teams battling to advance to the second round. I hope they bring the intensity because there will be no more chances. Leave it all out on the ice, boys!

images: TSN

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Detroit is One Game Away From Series Win

Jeanne Dupuis — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:39:52 +0000

This was the first year that the Columbus Blue Jackets have ever made the playoffs and it looks like it’s going to be a short-lived run for the Cup. Unless something miraculous happens, they are about to be swept by the Detroit Red Wings who won their third straight game in the series last night and need just one more win to eliminate the Blue Jackets.

image: TSN

It’s sad because it was the first time a playoff game was played at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio and it was catastrophic. There, in front of the franchise-record crowd of 19,219 fans, the Blue Jackets crashed and burned, losing 4-1.

The Wings’ 4-1 victory was largely powered by Henrik Zetterberg last night who scored two goals who had the audacity to say the following: “It was an exciting game for the first playoff game in this building,” said Zetterberg, whose empty-netter gave him 30 goals and 25 assists in his 64 playoff appearances. The fans were excited. We tried to defeat that, too.”

Exciting for who? Certainly not the Blue Jackets or their fans. I’m sure it started out that way but I’m sure the mood changed somewhere around the second period when the third goal was scored against them. I’m seriously stunned about the performance of goalie, Steve Mason, though. I know he’s just a kid (a rookie) and he’s been battling mono but he had been stellar all season. What happened?

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Sundin Out of Lineup With Lower Body Injury

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:33:07 +0000

The Vancouver Canucks are clearly on a roll after winning their third straight game in the quarterfinal series over the St. Louis Blues. Unfortunately, veteran player, Mats Sundin, had to sit out of last night’s match and his status for Thursday’s contest is in question after he suffered and unspecified lower body injury.

image: TSN

“We’ll know in a couple days,” Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said. “At this time it’s day to day, week to week, whatever you want to call it.”

This is the last thing old man Sundin needs. He had been playing about 15 minutes per game but has really struggled since signing that enormous contract with the Canucks halfway through the season. He’s only managed to score nine goals in 41 appearances and has a –5 rating. So far, he’s got one goal in the postseason (although, I have to say that it’s one goal better than Sidney Crosby has so I’m not going to trash the man too much).

Hopefully, he’ll be back in the lineup soon. In the meantime, Jannik Hansen is keeping his spot warm.

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Flames Lose in Overtime to Blackhawks

Jeanne Dupuis — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:24:04 +0000

In probably the most intense matchup of the night, the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Calgary Flames and it was an ugly game. I think that both teams ended up acting in a way that was shameful considering the privilege associated with making the playoffs. I was very disappointed. The Flames were playing better than they have in a while and the Blackhawks began to get physical. The Flames not only took the bait, they took it up to the next level and the rest of the game was as much about fighting as it was about playing.

image: TSN

Mike Cammalleri (CGY) sucker punched Martin Havlat (CHI) right off the face-off and was called, but so far hasn’t been suspended. This came, however, after Havlat got away with all kinds of crap on the ice last night, including when he skated behind the net and clipped Flames goaltender, Miikka Kiprusoff, in the back of the knees and tripped him. No call and even the commentators were surprised by that one.

The game ended with a score of 3-2, with the game winner coming 11 seconds into overtime. Tough game, tough loss for the Flames. I can’t wait to see how Game 2 goes tomorrow night.

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Rangers Take Early Series Lead Over Caps

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:04:01 +0000

The New York Rangers took an early lead in the series by winning 4-3 over the Washington Capitals. It was a hard battled game but, really, it came down to the amazing skills of NYR goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, who managed to stop 32 shots on goal. The ones that made it in were so good, he barely had a chance to save them.

image: TSN

Meanwhile, his Washington counterpart, Jose Theodore, was busy putting a lot of blame on himself. After saying that his effort “just wasn’t good enough” coach Bruce Boudreau did very little to make the netminder feel better. Boudreau added “there’s times when you sit there, you need the save, and he didn’t make the save when we needed it.” Things got a little insane when the coach said it was possible that he would use rookie Simeon Varlamov in Game 2 on Saturday. “There’s a chance anything could happen,” Boudreau said. “When you lose, you make changes.”

Uhhhhh… it was one loss and it wasn’t even by a large margin. Let’s not get crazy. I think this series could get really interesting.

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2009 NHL Playoffs First Round Matchups

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:57:30 +0000

The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin next week and, with the remaining spots taken last night by the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues, the NHL has announced the final matchups for the first round.

image: Newscom

In the Western Conference the following teams will square off:

San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues
Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks
Vancouver Canucks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Calgary Flames

Those are some interesting matchups. I predict that the Sharks will take out the Blues and the Wings will pick off the Ducks but I am not sure what will happen with the others. Vancouver is red hot right now but Columbus is also doing well. The thing that is going to make this pairing sizzle, though, is the battle between goaltenders, Roberto Luongo (Canucks) and rookie Steve Mason (Blue Jackets). I can’t stand Vancouver (although, I have to admit that they’ve been amazing) so I want them to lose the series but I will be watching these games whenever I can just to see whether Luongo or Mason will come out on top. The Chicago vs. Calgary games could go either way since both teams have been patchy throughout the season and Calgary has been really struggling since acquiring Olli Jokinen at the trade deadline. They had been doing so well so it’s anyone’s guess whether they will be able to shake off whatever is bothering them in order to get more effective on the ice…

image: Newscom

In the Eastern Conference, you will find the following matchups:

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Washington Capitals vs. NY Rangers
New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins/li>

I can’t even believe that Boston is going to battle Montreal in the first round. Both were part of the original six teams that made up the NHL and they are long-time rivals. The fans are going to go crazy and I wish I could head back east and watch a Montreal game with my family. I don’t know who will win the Caps vs. Rangers series but, if it comes down to it, I think that Alexander Ovechkin is going to do all that he can to stay in the game. After the season that goaltender, Martin Brodeur, has had, I’m hoping the New Jersey Devils will beat out the Carolina Hurricanes but I don’t think it’s obvious enough to make a prediction. Also, although it may not be as rooted in history as the Montreal/Boston series, it’s going to be intense when the Flyers take on the Penguins. It’s going to be one long “Battle of Pennsylvania” for the fans and I am hoping the Pens skate away with a strong victory. I know that Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin are going to want that second chance after narrowly losing the Stanley Cup finals last year.

I’d love to hear what you think! Which matchups are you most looking forward to and who do you think will move on?

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Teams Set

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:35:46 +0000

The teams who will compete in the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been decided and I’m extremely excited! There are a few surprises (Montreal just squeaking in) and things that I’m truly happy about (Chicago, Columbus and St. Louis making the cut) but aside from that, it’s pretty much what most of us could have predicted a couple months ago. I am disappointed, though, that Dallas wasn’t able to pull it together this season to push past their problems and get to the postseason. Maybe next year…

Here are a list of the teams that made it:

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

1	Z	Boston	114	1	Z	San Jose	117
2	Y	Washington	108	2	Y	Detroit	112
3	Y	New Jersey	104	3	X	Vancouver	98
4	X	Philadelphia	97	4	X	Chicago	100
5	X	Carolina	97	5	X	Calgary	96
6	X	Pittsburgh	97	6	X	Columbus	92
7	X	NY Rangers	93	7	X	Anaheim	90
8	X	Montreal	93	8	X	St. Louis	90

Who do you think will take home Lord Stanley? I think that the two teams leading each conference (Boston and San Jose) are going to be tough to beat so I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them won the finals (I think Boston might be a little more likely). Still, the playoffs can be so unpredictable so it’s hard to tell…

image: NBCUMV

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