In an overtime thriller, the Detroit Red Wings successfully won their second home game over the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2009 Western Conference Finals.

I know it was a loss for the ‘Hawks but I still think they played a very good game.  It was a tough one but, in the end, Mikael Samuelsson scored 5:14 into overtime to give Detroit the 3-2 victory.

image: TSN

It just shows what kind of stamina a well-trained and disciplined team like the Red Wings can deliver despite the fact that their legs must be pretty tired at this point (they played for the fourth time in a week, including those last two hard-fought games against the Anaheim Ducks in the semifinals).

Obviously, the Blackhawks really need to step up their game and use that home ice advantage in these next two games (in Chicago) or they will be eliminated.  I would hate to see them get swept.  The entire team is going to have to put in a lot of extra effort and this is where experience and maturity can be a major factor.  This is a young team and, last night, only Jonathan Toews scored (twice!).

Game 3 takes place in Chicago on Friday night.

The finalists for the Vezina, Norris, Calder, Selke and Lady Byng Memorial Trophies have been chosen.  I will update this post as more nominees are announced.  The winners will be revealed at the 2009 NHL Awards which will be broadcast from Las Vegas, NV on June 18, 2009.  I’m going to list my predictions in each category but feel free to let me know who you think will win in the comments area!

VEZINA TROPHY

The possible Vezina Trophy (top goaltender) winners include Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins), Niklas Backstrom (Minnesota Wild) and rookie Steve Mason (Columbus Blue Jackets). I think that all three of these finalists have a shot for different reasons.

• Tim Thomas finished the season with a 2.10 GAA and helped the Bruins become the team with the second-best record in the league.  He’s also been good in the postseason where his team swept the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.
• Mason had a GAA of 2.29 and he was truly impressive throughout the year considering the fact that he is a rookie and has been battling mononucleosis.  He was pretty abysmal, however, in the playoffs and the Columbus Blue Jackets made an early exit.
• Backstrom finished the season with a 2.33 GAA but the Minnesota Wild failed to make the playoffs.  Still, of the three finalists he had the most wins with 37, making him the fifth most winningest goalie in the league.

MY PREDICTION:  Thomas.  He was solid this season and so was his team and I think that will give him the edge he needs to take home the Vezina.

image: TSN

NORRIS TROPHY

The finalists for the Norris Trophy (top defenseman) are Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins), Mike Green (Washington Capitals) and Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings).

• Chara is arguably the best player on the Bruins and the captain has done an excellent job leading his team to the top spot in the Eastern Conference this season.  He has had more ice time than his fellow finalists with an average of 26:04 per game and had 19 goals (fourth best among NHL defensemen) and 31 assists, leaving him with 50 points.
• Green led the defenders with 31 goals and 73 points but really made his presence known during Washington’s power play since 18 of those goals were scored on a man-advantage.  That ranked second to superstar teammate, Alexander Ovechkin, best among NHL defensemen and fourth among all players.  He is also tied with fellow finalist, Lidstrom, for third most game-winning goals (4).  He sets himself apart, however, with his 86 hits, 110 blocked shots and 49 takeaways.
• Lidstrom is a leader on the Wings as he has been for years.  In the 17 seasons he’s played since entering the NHL in 1991, he’s only missed 32 games which speaks volumes about his durability.  I can’t stand Detroit but this man needs to be recognized for the amazing player that he is.  He’s also just a really great skater with excellent hand-eye coordination.  He logged 16 goals and 43 assists for a total of 59 points this season.

MY PREDICTION: This is a tough one.  I really am having a hard time choosing but since I have to pick just one person, I’m going to say Chara.

CALDER TROPHY

The nominees for the Calder Trophy (top rookie) this year are Steve Mason (goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets), Bobby Ryan (Anaheim Ducks) and Kris Versteeg (Chicago Blackhawks).

• Mason had a history-making season and has done better than some of the greats (Brodeur, Roy, Sawchuk, etc…).  The kid, who battled mononucleosis toward the end of the season, recorded 10 shutouts (#1 in the league), ranked second with a 2.29 save percentage, eighth with 3,664 minutes, ninth with 33 wins, 10th with 61 games and 11th with a .916 save percentage.  Unfortunately, the fairytale fell apart in the postseason…
• Ryan was drafted in the 2005 Entry Draft (#2 behind Sidney Crosby) and finally, he got to play this year after spending two more years in the junior league (although, he did begin the season in the AHL since the Ducks had no room in the salary cap for him).  He led all NHL rookies with 31 goals and 57 points.  He also had an impressive 17.8 shooting % from 174 shots. The rookie also led the Ducks with a plus-13 rating and 12 power-play goals (17th overall in the NHL).
• Versteeg registered 22 goals and led all NHL rookies with 31 assists.  He also ranked fourth among rookies with a plus –15 rating.  He has incredible puckhandling ability and led the Blackhawks and tied for fourth in the NHL with four shorthanded goals.  Ryan and Versteeg tied for second among NHL rookies with three game-winning goals.

MY PREDICTION: Bobby Ryan, especially given his team’s surprising performance during the quarterfinals.

SELKE TROPHY

The Selke Trophy (top defensive forward) will be awarded to one of the following players: Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings), Ryan Kesler (Vancouver Canucks) or Mike Richards (Philadelphia Flyers).

• Datsyuk has a lot of desirable qualities (see all the good stuff I wrote about him in the Lady Bing section below) but he has a chance at winning this award for the second time because he really is a smart player.  He pays attention to his own game play and that of his opponents and he tries to improve himself accordingly.  As such, it’s hard for rivals to know exactly what he’s going to do and part of that is because he’s so quick in getting in on the forecheck.  In comparison with his competition for this award, Datsyuk outscored both Richards and Kesler by logging 32 goals and 65 assists for 97 points (4th in the NHL).  Datsyuk was third in the NHL with a plus-34 rating and won 56% of his faceoffs (9th overall).
• Kesler brings intensity to the game both physically and emotionally.  He makes his presence known and he definitely knows how to bring out anger in his opponents.  Kesler might be the most versatile of these three nominees because he’s able to center a checking line or play the rugged forward on the right side of the first line with the Sedin twins.  His stats aren’t as great as those of Datsyuk or Richards but this award isn’t all about the numbers – it’s also about having good judgment and being a keen observer.  Kesler finished the regular season with 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points (63rd overall) but he had a plus –8 rating, two shorthanded goals, blocked 77 shots and won 54% of his faceoffs.
• Richards was named an alternate captain for the Flyers last season but was promoted to captain before the season began.  You only need to watch a few games to see his clear leadership qualities.  He led the team in assists, takeaways (83) and faceoff percentage.  He also led the league with seven shorthanded goals and had the best season of his career with 30 goals, 50 assists and a plus-22 rating.  He also managed to block 90 shots and had 147 hits (33rd in the league).

MY PREDICTION: Kesler.  He may not have the numbers on paper but I think that he has shown how strong he is as a player and I think it made a difference in Vancouver’s push to the playoffs.

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY

This year’s Lady Byng Memorial (for sportsmanship) nominees are Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings) and Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils).

• Datsyuk could be the first player since Boucher in 1931 to win the Lady Byng four times in a row.  He’s got some impressive numbers to go along with his good behavior.  He led the Red Wings with 65 assists (fifth in the league) and 97 points (4th overall) and was third on his team with 32 goals.  He was instrumental to his team’s power-play success with 11 goals and 25 assists for a total of 36 power-play points.  As if that wasn’t enough, the mid-sized player managed to block 33 shots.
• Parise had quite a year during his fourth season in the NHL.  He played his 300th game, got his 100th goal and 200th point.  The Devils can thank him for his big effort in improving their offensive attack – he took an amazing 364 shots which is the third-highest in the NHL.  He also played in every game and finished the season with 45 goals (3rd in the league) and 95 points (5th overall).  He also had 14 power-play goals, eight game-winners and spent just 24 minutes in the penalty box.  Pretty saintly, if you ask me.
• St. Louis is one of those rare spirited players that somehow manages to avoid taking penalties.  Maybe it’s because he’s smaller than the average player (5-foot-9 and 177 pounds) or he really could just be a nice guy.  Whatever the reason, he’s never spent more than 38 minutes in the box in 10 NHL seasons which is downright incredible.  Also, despite the fact that his team was doing extremely poorly this year, he kept his head in the game and led the Lightning with 30 goals (seven on the PP and three game-winners), 50 assists and 80 points.

MY PREDICTION: I think that Parise has a good shot because he had an overall great season but there’s something to be said about a player who continues to work hard on a team that’s slowly sinking like St. Louis.  Still, if you look at the points-per-penalty minute ratio, St. Louis produced 5.71 points per penalty minute; Datsyuk, 4.4 and Parise, 3.96.  Maybe that will give St. Louis enough edge to win.

It was an amazing night for the Columbus Blue Jackets who made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history after a 4-3 SO win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

image: TSN.ca

It has been almost nine years since the Blue Jackets were added to the NHL and I’m sure this victory was sweet since they were the only active team to have never qualified for the postseason.  They only needed one point to secure the playoff spot.  “To get that one point was huge, to come back after being down 2-0,” Rick Nash said. “To get the win was even more important. We’re going to try to win these last two games to keep our position in the standings. I don’t know if it’s quite sunk in yet. We’re so used to playing out the season.”

There are only four playoff berths remaining but the Blackhawks also need a single point to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2002 (and only its second in 11 seasons).

I’m glad the Calgary Flames traded Kristian Huselius to them because he really had lost his game and it seems like he’s back to playing the way that he should.  Of course, rookie goaltender, Steve Mason, is making a huge impact despite suffering for a while with mononucleosis.  Will he lead this team to the finals in his first year in the NHL the way Cam Ward did for the Carolina Hurricanes?  I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Did you catch the Vancouver at Dallas Stars game last night?  It was a crazy one filled with action, injuries, wild hits and amazing saves.  It truly looked like a playoff game and reminded me of how strongly these teams have battled during the postseason in the past.  It also demonstrated how much Vancouver wants to overcome their setbacks this season and make playoffs.  Vancouver is now 17-4-1 in its past 22 games and has 87 points which ties them with the Chicago Blackhawks for fourth place in the Western Conference.

image: TSN.ca

I saw Daniel Sedin take a high stick to the mouth.  He tried to keep playing but he was bleeding so much.  Over on the bench, he spat out a good amount of blood (and a tooth) and then returned to the ice and scored the go-head goal in a tied game.  Outrageous.  Sedin ended up needing multiple stitches to close the wound.  “I got hit by the high stick,” he said. “But it was nice to score on the power play. We got the lead and that was huge.”

Ryan Kesler also had a big night.  Not only did he score two goals but he got clipped in the back of the head with a skate during the second period and left the game.  He did return, though.  Henrik Sedin rounded up the scoring with two goals, powering the Canucks to a 5-2 victory over the Stars.

Roberto Luongo stopped 35 shots to help the Canucks snap a four-game road losing streak.  “It was a gritty game and we found a way to get goals,” Luongo said. “Sometimes, you’re not going to get a picture-perfect goal, but you find a way to win.”

Still, Marty Turco made the save of the night by narrowly keeping the puck out of the net, stopping it right on the line. Watch the highlights:

With playoff fever sweeping across the NHL, the on-ice id definitely heating up.  These “plays of the week” packages are getting better and you can see that the players are very determined to fight for a spot in the postseason.  Of course, there is a clip from when Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils) became the NHL goalie with the most wins in history (beating the record set by the great Patrick Roy).

Make sure you see the goal made by Martin Havlat (Chicago Blackhawks) around the 4:45 mark.  He leaps across the ice and takes a shot in mid-air and scored against the Edmonton Oilers.  You’ve got to see it to believe it. 

I’m sure none of us are surprised by the fact that Don Cherry ripped in to Alexander Ovechkin again during his “Coach’s Corner” segment of Hockey Night in Canada.  He criticized the Washington Capitals star for his on-ice antics after making history by scoring his 50th goal of the season (the first player to accomplish that feat three times).

image: TSN.ca

The ever-observant former player/coach was quick to point out that Ovie’s teammate, Mike Green, skated away from him when he put his stick down on the ice and pretended to warm his hands over it.   Cherry then directed his comments straight at Ovechkin:  “You should be a role model, you don’t need to do it like this, you’re above stuff like that.  You’re the best hockey player playing today. Have a little class and do it right.”

He wasn’t done yet.  Cherry added (and I agree with this part):  “How would you like to be playing for Tampa? They’ve gone through a nightmare season, it’s in their building, they’re being beat 5-1 and you score on a rookie goalie.  I mean how do you think (Tampa goalie Mike) McKenna feels about this?”

“You think the people from Tampa came to see (Ovechkin) act like that?” Cherry said. “That is not class and he knows it, (Washington coach) Boudreau knows it.  You don’t do that. Everybody said that he’s taunting (the Lightning). The guy’s not a mean guy, he’s not taunting them, he didn’t mean to taunt them. But think how bad the rookie feels. You can’t do stuff like that and not make people feel bad. But he’s not a mean guy, he’s just having a good time. But you know what, even your own coach talked to you about the whole thing.”

Watch the video of Cherry from “Coach’s Corner”:

What do you think about Ovechkin’s celebrations?  I know some people have been quick to point out that Cherry is really hard on Russian players (he’s been on Ovechkin’s case in the past) and I agree that he definitely favors Canadians but I think he might have a point about these flamboyant celebrations, especially when teams are fighting for a playoff spot (or, in the Bolts’ case, having a MAJORLY sucky season).  I’m okay with guys who pump their fists and go crazy when they score a goal in overtime or something but this is a bit excessive.

There were some great plays this past week across the NHL but there were a couple goals that stood out for me – Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) scoring on the Florida Panthers with his back turned to the net, Jamie Lundmark (Calgary) wrapping around the net to surprise Ty Conklin (Detroit) with 1:20 left in the game and then Olli Jokinen securing the 6-5 victory in a shootout after making a major comeback.  Jokinen also scored an amazing breakaway goal for the Flames (who lost) against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There were great saves too – Steve Mason (Columbus) denies the Boston Bruins, Cam Ward shuts the door on the Washington Capitals, Tomas Vokoun narrowly stops the Buffalo Sabres (it looks like his glove was just on the line) and Marc-André Fleury shocks RJ Umburger (and the crowd) who was celebrating a goal that never was. 

Watch the highlights:

Wow.  I know the goal against Vesa Toskala was bad but watch this one.  It doesn’t change direction or anything – it just bounces into the back of the net.  This change of events is likely the reason the Minnesota Wild came back and beat the San Jose Sharks. 

Marek Zidlicky took a backhand shot from mid-ice and, incredibly, it bounced right back backup goalie, Brian Boucher.  Watch the goal:

Wow.  Talk about embarrassing.  During the game between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins, fans must have been shocked to see the home team lose after Alexander Semin (Caps) put a goal behind Tim Thomas (Bruins) from 80 feet away.  It just goes to show that even the best team in the league with a great goaltender can lose from dumb mistakes.  I couldn’t help but laugh at how fast Thomas bolted from the ice.

Here are the best plays in the NHL from this past week.  It kicks off with highlights from last week’s matchup between the Calgary Flames and the visiting Vancouver Canucks.  I watched that game and goaltender, Miikka Kiprusoff, was truly amazing.  There are at least three great saves on the video below but, really, he was pretty great for the whole game.

When Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) snatched up the puck and robbed Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), my son and I jumped with surprise but then Ovechkin got his revenge when he scored one of the sweetest goals so far this season.

The clip from the Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers game was insane.  I was sure the Bruins were going to be able to put one in the back of the net with all the activity near, in and around the crease but, somehow, Tomas Vokoun (Florida) was able to make the save (he had a little help from his crotch, though – ha ha!).

There were some really good plays.  Check out the video: