tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50744372064509265292024-03-05T21:33:05.274-08:00NHL News and Noteswith a focus on the washington capitals and l.a. kingsPShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-821447643136464632010-04-13T09:21:00.000-07:002010-04-13T12:03:59.030-07:00Playoff Previews/Season Recaps<div>Here's a quick look at the upcoming playoff series for Round 1, the Conference Quarterfinals, including how each team faired during the regular season, and the season series record between the two teams in each matchup.</div><div><br /></div><div>EASTERN CONFERENCE:</div><div><br /></div>1 <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHDk3oxaKOCqoUyU8Crxg6A1dd10M68Yrgm8yV1kPvUqYMlH0Muw11MOVmv0LFSKfgGYFILp4thHgi2x-n3RGGr5_DEYhdXwFXwWNBVbKrsb7NwpwUdI2O-QXxYn0-QIOOUDCMtLI2Aw/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659528844875842" /> vs 8 <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFta1louzQZEY8YdmYB7IjXytNROanf019QbYn2tTNQvfBxGek1d6uSWj6RKJtjp4EiFJEHpwAqUOspGOL79hMuHWhct5W_uvxayLPO7mBJBsNSfuXYo4vcww2jeFQwAZjmPIBl8sErY/s400/canadiens.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659516501540450" /><div><br /></div><div>Washington Capitals: 54-15-13, 121 points</div><div><div>Montreal Canadiens: 39-33-10, 88 points</div><div>Season Series: WSH 2-1-1, MTL 2-1-1</div><div><br />2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl21Eim6g0lQ8dzX0cgHgRsgaVHp9RXDKNuPsI0KEqEIy6iLQPQloEC34tD1QR8TjDcI4JN4tbFI5O3ZDXD8oYo_SEIHSQul4wGAdtDGhL268BLIZKSM9a91F8kPV8pLvcdJVtcoVTR14/s1600/devils.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl21Eim6g0lQ8dzX0cgHgRsgaVHp9RXDKNuPsI0KEqEIy6iLQPQloEC34tD1QR8TjDcI4JN4tbFI5O3ZDXD8oYo_SEIHSQul4wGAdtDGhL268BLIZKSM9a91F8kPV8pLvcdJVtcoVTR14/s400/devils.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659549595636146" /></a> vs 7 <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYPoITsSsO4xhyphenhyphendk7E3eMIooqI4nbQWr3LT_DVkj899a9uPKQ4vQjTPskFwSYVaUITGeuL19iwV4nvME3gy3Ua6Qc2o-7ZXu-WwHN3l6cO0UmnE5l3o0SC4M4mUUa6zCK3eUyoZylwhI/s400/flyers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659543755913954" /></div><div><br /></div><div>New Jersey Devils: 48-27-7, 103 points</div><div>Philadelphia Flyers: 41-35-6, 88 points</div><div>Season Series: NJ 1-4-1, PHI 5-1-0</div><div><br /></div><div>3 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8d5gUWfp2pFiu9LOmuq1hUeepx73WGUPLBDrKi6jbgKDzUm8PXiTh19C_dnn8uYmW4Fp597kd1sxwQUfOwRvCmlcCLtkbN0saUusLp2vsld5GbbfcB2lnUiPgVhG-PzTjPDUe8YGIzw/s400/sabres.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659795999634594" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> vs 6 <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0wHN5RolH2-sKLmcPsezDpomNSfDDSvJhBS1Uub4yoOQY2CWy4w92pHbmORoF2tuVDdT3U9CJyGzKskIOhveGW-m60fOGn7HNjY2pWDh9gcLgAZkVJUdXVPmIP8XvIYSo0CX4uSGdow/s400/bruins.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659559498316738" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo Sabres: 45-27-10, 100 points</div><div>Boston Bruins: 39-30-13, 91 points</div><div>Season Series: BUF 2-2-2, BOS 4-2-0</div><div><br />4 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUIVaYifuV-atoQRE_9Np9KWvIoytfem5GcUeuftgy6SEB3RY7Iu0uS4zW82ViDTy_nt_Kw50FH7ZqYYya2M_iulKd8MDNhUyQXhotJd-N3XIVRhsEJbj6Z4OHIK7oMJODwpSgzKLTPQ/s400/penguins.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659811342434818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> vs 5 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCnEzjOr9aGn7zrRpYTRIoNJcHq_3t8TUirFoSxHwodT__vDVi_z1JBJ3O6W3SZLgIOllFVr-5kFxiuI-7Fy3jkBeSwUKnHnfy4T60Y7mYMPYZMy5UBFXGr4v6buA-6pu1T3BzvqnIdo/s400/senators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459659807643749090" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Pittsburgh Penguins: 47-28-7, 101 points</div><div>Ottawa Senators: 44-32-6, 94 points</div><div>Season Series: PIT 2-2-0, OTT 2-2-0</div><div><br /></div><div>WESTERN CONFERENCE:</div><div><br /></div><div>1 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXQ_jPbFZVDeRcyJH-4K1gKX4nf9nXzlFYWMs0tTpdX2pA57LGxkoL9bqQoPzHHTQkC34FyY1erjBKylyeVeW6JBELRphShxesv_n4i9r0BrKV5QecWs6g_OOg-OSuGWirtq9JRxNvwo/s400/sharks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660370948589138" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> vs 8 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjBLT6BCO3mGYxDTUQX4xvhFzF7JFXgc5tWlzLgA6LZebimKkuFdEgoC6gFRHG_U-IhiUCi2VtqiWebxjAMHYdj4qZu44nzFbOCHrQDcCrI1wEu97WlHYujH2KdnR1qy1uuBPeuBuBRU/s1600/avalanche.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjBLT6BCO3mGYxDTUQX4xvhFzF7JFXgc5tWlzLgA6LZebimKkuFdEgoC6gFRHG_U-IhiUCi2VtqiWebxjAMHYdj4qZu44nzFbOCHrQDcCrI1wEu97WlHYujH2KdnR1qy1uuBPeuBuBRU/s400/avalanche.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660570733041186" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose Sharks: 51-20-11, 113 points</div><div>Colorado Avalanche: 43-30-9, 95 points</div><div>Season Series: SJ 2-1-1, COL 2-2-0</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjBLT6BCO3mGYxDTUQX4xvhFzF7JFXgc5tWlzLgA6LZebimKkuFdEgoC6gFRHG_U-IhiUCi2VtqiWebxjAMHYdj4qZu44nzFbOCHrQDcCrI1wEu97WlHYujH2KdnR1qy1uuBPeuBuBRU/s1600/avalanche.png"></a><br />2 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDMRXQG1kVGKd7AJzpmmZzavrqwYCg0jQyWm3rv4CHcVBiZzqFr8BRlxNbIU4BwjyvxHc1gFsVTGIjURLuguxUabl74xJSUhyphenhyphen3sZAMB63_h-KO0JemkKa8_Y2daC6OvHZYoxpD6pqND8/s400/blackhawks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660397609270354" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> vs 7 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgctgG_S_5lW2V9KkrwD-dkAYaAFj7rv4WBeLQ1c37snBq3c_RhVXoJEj6kXOnhJUqZ7Ho6GFu_So7huU8MeRh484zTeEuVwZi9Dm1evMm-Q5J0cfFVJGka1rLz-6TyjZPcasNDdK90U/s1600/predators.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgctgG_S_5lW2V9KkrwD-dkAYaAFj7rv4WBeLQ1c37snBq3c_RhVXoJEj6kXOnhJUqZ7Ho6GFu_So7huU8MeRh484zTeEuVwZi9Dm1evMm-Q5J0cfFVJGka1rLz-6TyjZPcasNDdK90U/s400/predators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660564199819650" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Chicago Blackhawks: 52-22-8, 112 points</div><div>Nashville Predators: 47-29-6, 100 points</div><div>Season Series: CHI 4-2-0, NSH 2-4-0</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgctgG_S_5lW2V9KkrwD-dkAYaAFj7rv4WBeLQ1c37snBq3c_RhVXoJEj6kXOnhJUqZ7Ho6GFu_So7huU8MeRh484zTeEuVwZi9Dm1evMm-Q5J0cfFVJGka1rLz-6TyjZPcasNDdK90U/s1600/predators.png"></a><br />3 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBMO2Naa4XES4syceN_AmkPHnBYcboHjCx9WU-aBbXmTf7GUq5hzSQ0ChliVy3A7Tn70i8X5d7M_UFgIQj80P4rS3xVMsxp6p9iOSXvVuAqpYSZcNqgGi84CcrcSAgdArUSxHs0Ql2JQ/s400/canucks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660400125013778" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> vs 6 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV0VaCz8OEZx0qZY-5h0rX61aQbxogNP18-5CROj54VH0gXqO5UVymiFgsByJA0wtcqoEPXywh3zdTQTODSmF5oxIwfyWH2yNhKRGtNZ1YUfCY1Hdleay4vmzeakbCgk8yh4xnQjdJxk/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV0VaCz8OEZx0qZY-5h0rX61aQbxogNP18-5CROj54VH0gXqO5UVymiFgsByJA0wtcqoEPXywh3zdTQTODSmF5oxIwfyWH2yNhKRGtNZ1YUfCY1Hdleay4vmzeakbCgk8yh4xnQjdJxk/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660562184562274" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Vancouver Canucks: 49-28-5, 103 points</div><div>Los Angeles Kings: 46-27-9, 101 points</div><div>Season Series: VAN 3-1-0, LA 1-2-1</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV0VaCz8OEZx0qZY-5h0rX61aQbxogNP18-5CROj54VH0gXqO5UVymiFgsByJA0wtcqoEPXywh3zdTQTODSmF5oxIwfyWH2yNhKRGtNZ1YUfCY1Hdleay4vmzeakbCgk8yh4xnQjdJxk/s1600/kings.png"></a><br />4 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1T6vUfgQmhyPhWNkTgyU7K9-3M9MBQwsab-70HokhS6ary19bRnjVf5l5yCemOJSutTJ_mDDYEQ2vRi8PZra4Rif_oiChVTZoGtGQOrna1bCMGlVStdSohi9xZ09Qe123FAwlbc90Bg/s400/coyotes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660404076636322" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> vs 5 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0b2q9qykQjKwHWu5rtWTzrP3iZaNRkbfvyC5hWnCGWp_U-JjZdw_bDFXu3i4EfwHE9IjTLmWtfMyrZ0TlMsy5RxzUav_E3eX5Ym1Av8XSqYgIeTnwiHuuKi1UMcPer2eOzZGU1Z-xag/s400/red+wings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459660554935821746" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix Coyotes: 50-25-7, 107 points</div><div>Detroit Red Wings: 44-24-14, 102 points</div><div>Season Series: PHX 2-2-0, DET 2-0-2</div><div><br />----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Non-Playoff Teams Final Numbers</div><div><br /></div><div>Eastern Conference:</div><div><br /></div><div>9 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYg4QVZ1vZQIhz8ZcUvWJ-Cdcj29DJo6x3k13k9B3FJyZvmb_F6R1jaTu1raUdKhiqmgRrpEnbEk8U7dd-b3pOGsLmrZm_ehg4RloM2sGhI4IMDKr8oqFnmbXTW2NGCUsaDixOVzXz2Og/s400/rangers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459661481549747954" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> New York Rangers: 38-33-11, 87 points</div><div>10 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmXFZSnJhgnItG-E4RrH_4_vMPKBiL6TGUQbp0vD-JW_VE7vRoU7Ms1I13DTw_MRE-lb1WCH_3kbysnKU2JQXtll8uUrM97hgeckrqSWCbU7V74Z-o_GHPE7rgtDyXOtyG8NbC_woTbQ/s400/thrashers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459661482925526002" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> Atlanta Thrashers: 35-34-13, 83 points</div><div>11 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh2rdrNJfCMs0Hq5PinpsiwNuKdZ3RhbpJkRKQfTdDQ8yx-PBMVTz4-uPsPL1sdZB0iYP1_jqeYhoodHKosCSnernrQf_MLnTkks40CASsN9kc6GkLu0C3G-LDvxt1m4y3rV1uFUvsBw/s400/hurricanes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459661494452117730" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> Carolina Hurricanes: 35-37-10, 80 points</div><div>12 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xMYiQE9P9hRAQ4oOvwCRnCpLiJbzrG6T6kmUYF4YYiJNwFroql7458wPcM1cX5M2ZaBS9yGPha6zQF9sS50hYv8S2FaCfjN2SLTivsj3zkoxp0e-QA-rPHoEKSz9hBT3DALGfEFmt3Q/s400/lightning.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459661659274767906" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> Tampa Bay Lightning: 34-36-12, 80 points</div><div>13 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglNuCRY7E9dhrR7ALn8c5kY9eA4LNUh2OEcyhB_kq1us4NaUDQWGGQ4pwjkMVrNTNMEufbJIIGPTtd2PBZvSp6Tv6WP7z9-OqOXhErckuC4Wp12_qcLseMCSpXQ30qnNb0CdvHJV9K34/s400/islanders.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459661500155033266" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> New York Islanders: 34-37-11, 79 points</div><div>14 <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMnZ-gMBi-hNHTATvYdk6gerigCo68ozu3yL_dtEjkTlCCRHz6qzpubdG2PT-MZcVoi3P7SiZOYm2gK1TSaNjBROcWl6EFijbtj2v5oXz-wJEWOpDQ-4Woirx5imio6JcshFvfDdTUtI/s400/panthers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459661676646210882" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /> Florida Panthers: 32-37-13, 77 points</div><div>15 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmm7bu-HtdTiPjpkwVGo276pZT0ZmnmXk6OhcuvQZRInFkXIzC6WxHugeTeEtQUBEmls7CPQNWBMk_JDBwloBmyMoRtH5cECnc8A-aWodvDNxoGEzdhJ2kV6BGNEb_Nqyv5p0TB3pvYds/s1600/maple+leafs.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmm7bu-HtdTiPjpkwVGo276pZT0ZmnmXk6OhcuvQZRInFkXIzC6WxHugeTeEtQUBEmls7CPQNWBMk_JDBwloBmyMoRtH5cECnc8A-aWodvDNxoGEzdhJ2kV6BGNEb_Nqyv5p0TB3pvYds/s400/maple+leafs.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459661680132762098" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> Toronto Maple Leafs: 30-38-14, 74 points</div><div><br /></div><div>Western Conference:</div><div><br /></div><div>9 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK8OtSBU_PMFftA1Sh-ys11VOQhFgzzrEtLOyknH0ZqrSEQ0FIbt5llNG5BcUhu1_0n1FX4TXGiFb95qCXW3l86Y2XV9ENtC1DJDwdlhXESF1Emi-dmSK0vmirhAYw1Sx9j8xQnZ6QnY/s1600/blues.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK8OtSBU_PMFftA1Sh-ys11VOQhFgzzrEtLOyknH0ZqrSEQ0FIbt5llNG5BcUhu1_0n1FX4TXGiFb95qCXW3l86Y2XV9ENtC1DJDwdlhXESF1Emi-dmSK0vmirhAYw1Sx9j8xQnZ6QnY/s400/blues.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459662559000159378" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> St Louis Blues: 40-32-10, 90 points</div><div>10 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG__OzrAAd7izgbWXRG-V5B2flIW9daYsllWqO7PRPyL9BZrjzqHAfwJ6HyNbT-IciUdNVWjYtLw3eknBKJx3iBNE0s4M1mGK-8cw81xl_yof4CEUcqYMkXlclzESxlt37Bn_IqgrviM/s1600/flames.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG__OzrAAd7izgbWXRG-V5B2flIW9daYsllWqO7PRPyL9BZrjzqHAfwJ6HyNbT-IciUdNVWjYtLw3eknBKJx3iBNE0s4M1mGK-8cw81xl_yof4CEUcqYMkXlclzESxlt37Bn_IqgrviM/s400/flames.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459662547906239570" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> Calgary Flames: 40-32-10, 90 points</div><div>11 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93qw-u1GmgrwImd5HjA46NZuUuTVsJRyrX2nAUeUvUbOqwdTHmXCx80vJY6Sd5Oj8L6nEiuPHf7rkr75s8tWxMTxCli8utEgHdBEMGUq1623RfAuprtkn6n2uoXFdeolQ5k6F_nWmGA0/s1600/ducks.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93qw-u1GmgrwImd5HjA46NZuUuTVsJRyrX2nAUeUvUbOqwdTHmXCx80vJY6Sd5Oj8L6nEiuPHf7rkr75s8tWxMTxCli8utEgHdBEMGUq1623RfAuprtkn6n2uoXFdeolQ5k6F_nWmGA0/s400/ducks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459662540205250226" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> Anaheim Ducks: 39-32-11, 89 points</div><div>12 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK__L4Nvt1sim4FYyfUzVsAUficsGxrcdiZwJdBGoC8R7dOHT5D33GoEmEQQzwDJo2bEOA5LKid2SS_XDZRAz88b3V1Yo6xxcbhScgc8jETl9wIuJPpl2h3nTVmQzE63-O-N5ngOkzdU/s1600/stars.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK__L4Nvt1sim4FYyfUzVsAUficsGxrcdiZwJdBGoC8R7dOHT5D33GoEmEQQzwDJo2bEOA5LKid2SS_XDZRAz88b3V1Yo6xxcbhScgc8jETl9wIuJPpl2h3nTVmQzE63-O-N5ngOkzdU/s400/stars.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459662528750733010" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> Dallas Stars: 37-31-14, 88 points</div><div>13 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGLgb6nNaoZtbTwMQ9Yc4Q57IH6AyOJJoLlTCQVBwlR6BspBj_wzbKS2FyH3a1X-ER-Lu29lhmEbtlfoRdYMvkyvHmaGwqrah6ovK6itUVNDhBSAAIjAG__3dFCg-qpskcVaMbcjSjbk/s1600/wild.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGLgb6nNaoZtbTwMQ9Yc4Q57IH6AyOJJoLlTCQVBwlR6BspBj_wzbKS2FyH3a1X-ER-Lu29lhmEbtlfoRdYMvkyvHmaGwqrah6ovK6itUVNDhBSAAIjAG__3dFCg-qpskcVaMbcjSjbk/s400/wild.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459662304064430226" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> Minnesota Wild: 38-36-8, 84 points</div><div>14 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0w9SZXMebyATDeXxO-YXNzFIMKROORSP_W_GQMwoFPP7euRVqbXnbFAA4o3zlczRuE6JUBSht2gSs7CedZ4vvAlF8B6GjXAr3TU7zhKJ4e_ftNQTsMywDbFlgWYn09bOoSE4Ro2AFH8/s1600/blue+jackets.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0w9SZXMebyATDeXxO-YXNzFIMKROORSP_W_GQMwoFPP7euRVqbXnbFAA4o3zlczRuE6JUBSht2gSs7CedZ4vvAlF8B6GjXAr3TU7zhKJ4e_ftNQTsMywDbFlgWYn09bOoSE4Ro2AFH8/s400/blue+jackets.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459662296379024130" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> Columbus Blue Jackets: 32-35-15, 79 points</div><div>15 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hdOiTn3HC6sYuRfEU0aqHFswb6y-N8ZpqTdC4n7VtHqji9_d2GVr7zdLeNv1gHTr9w0kmOiIduMi08GlBupMpb3ryc0p3_w8-MERuM9DZEO8QDGX53IyGR6bWgkaEhUW4f1J4TlK8n0/s1600/oilers.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hdOiTn3HC6sYuRfEU0aqHFswb6y-N8ZpqTdC4n7VtHqji9_d2GVr7zdLeNv1gHTr9w0kmOiIduMi08GlBupMpb3ryc0p3_w8-MERuM9DZEO8QDGX53IyGR6bWgkaEhUW4f1J4TlK8n0/s400/oilers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459662288117133778" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> Edmonton Oilers: 27-47-8, 62 points</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-65418762400049331242010-04-11T21:09:00.000-07:002010-04-11T21:17:22.645-07:00Playoff Matchups Set on Last Day of the Regular SeasonThe Flyers beat the Rangers in a shootout in the win-and-you're-in game in Philadelphia, the Capitals fall to Boston in a shootout, the Kings rally to beat Colorado in overtime, and Stamkos hits 51. Those recaps and the ones from every other game on this last day of the season to come tomorrow. But here's a quick look at the matchups for the upcoming playoffs:<div><br /></div><div>Eastern Conference:</div><div><br /></div><div>1 Washington Capitals vs 8 Montreal Canadiens</div><div>2 New Jersey Devils vs 7 Philadelphia Flyers</div><div>3 Buffalo Sabres vs 6 Boston Bruins</div><div>4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5 Ottawa Senators</div><div><br /></div><div>Western Conference:</div><div><br /></div><div>1 San Jose Sharks vs 8 Colorado Avalanche</div><div>2 Chicago Blackhawks vs 7 Nashville Predators</div><div>3 Vancouver Canucks vs 6 Los Angeles Kings</div><div>4 Phoenix Coyotes vs 5 Detroit Red Wings</div><div><br /></div><div>Playoffs begin Wednesday.</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-111152261050431142010-04-10T21:46:00.000-07:002010-04-10T22:59:44.146-07:00B's, Habs Clinch; Devils Clinch Atlantic<div>Montreal clinches a spot in the East, New Jersey wins the Atlantic Division, L.A. rallies but falls, Stamkos hits 50, and Mike Modano plays what could be his last game in the NHL. But Saturday's Game of the Night will come from Boston, where the Bruins don't just clinch a playoff spot, but they do something never before seen in the NHL:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2CoygE9S4t_cIjDjRgA3MlIyN2JFARjfc53vwU_Syl-SePe5LiWH_24btOOU2wd8oZkT4Q-_fTgAB9dMWBPBuEAWQ0CWGnaR4KUW4QsFCY7R4mEYYVIVQnf319C1dWEo76UDycrWAAU/s1600/hurricanes.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2CoygE9S4t_cIjDjRgA3MlIyN2JFARjfc53vwU_Syl-SePe5LiWH_24btOOU2wd8oZkT4Q-_fTgAB9dMWBPBuEAWQ0CWGnaR4KUW4QsFCY7R4mEYYVIVQnf319C1dWEo76UDycrWAAU/s400/hurricanes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458737407196544290" /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-x20x2yqlLnaELnKg3FDgb8YGhAoTm5kjm40xHAxmGx8Yvf5P6e5NaBDmjsUV6eqAR4KJP-K6vSRP02KXMVqJw0-R3xtOs2OGYUBtC58fjkZTCT9dccaUBukue5eJF71lklNbrMrdi0/s1600/bruins.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-x20x2yqlLnaELnKg3FDgb8YGhAoTm5kjm40xHAxmGx8Yvf5P6e5NaBDmjsUV6eqAR4KJP-K6vSRP02KXMVqJw0-R3xtOs2OGYUBtC58fjkZTCT9dccaUBukue5eJF71lklNbrMrdi0/s400/bruins.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458737405535643154" /></a> 4<div><br /></div><div>The Bruins had a chance to control their destiny tonight against Carolina, win and they're in. Well, they're in, and they did it in the most unexpected fashion.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only important thing that happened in the 1st period was a hooking penalty against Bruins' Matt Hunwick with 18 seconds left in the period.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the first 1:36 of the 2nd period while down a man on the Hunwick penalty, Boston would score 3-straight shorthanded goals. Daniel Paille 32 seconds into the period, Blake Wheeler 49 seconds later, and Steve Begin 15 seconds after that.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was the 1st time in NHL history that a team scored 3 shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill and it was the fastest 3 shorthanded goals ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Erik Cole and Patrick Dwyer would tally later in the in the period for the Hurricanes to cut the lead to 3-2 after 2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Boston would pack in the defense and hold onto the win, with Milan Lucic adding an empty net goal with 1 minute to play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cam Ward made 38 saves for Carolina while Tuukka Rask stopped 33 shots for Boston.</div><div><br /></div><div>Carolina will end the year with 80 points, 11th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>The win clinches a playoff spot for the Bruins and they will head into the playoffs as the 6 seed, facing either New Jersey or Buffalo in the first round. They will close out their season in Washington tomorrow at noon.<br /><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyonEV6KibWwYGzDOoB4O4Zer4iH-W5RRXZODKy5vnkSiv54yJkdH8zfdlmFN0MxHtFEGao2LSc_LW3RV7DsdIGYPKmdeMqY11hQabXBSfxNo7J1onnwugcMV4dACqtinv_uX0TozxRWE/s1600/oilers.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyonEV6KibWwYGzDOoB4O4Zer4iH-W5RRXZODKy5vnkSiv54yJkdH8zfdlmFN0MxHtFEGao2LSc_LW3RV7DsdIGYPKmdeMqY11hQabXBSfxNo7J1onnwugcMV4dACqtinv_uX0TozxRWE/s400/oilers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458737591165745810" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVX7GPj372lgwyicGlvNmRDRdREXIiNE_h2DtrFRvVqJHDbME9u5tBcWlJqyar2hRo2Q5SgiuwgiBg_WSy0HrGgx3MPigiI_-NVpA2ocD8cj1cPHJ7SFLZ2FLMMWuyl1VLosC_0b1nRVk/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVX7GPj372lgwyicGlvNmRDRdREXIiNE_h2DtrFRvVqJHDbME9u5tBcWlJqyar2hRo2Q5SgiuwgiBg_WSy0HrGgx3MPigiI_-NVpA2ocD8cj1cPHJ7SFLZ2FLMMWuyl1VLosC_0b1nRVk/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458737580390827122" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings haven't faired too well in matinee games this season, and their 3-0 deficit in the 3rd period may have shown that they came out flat again. But that wasn't nearly the case.</div><div><br /></div><div>L.A. was outshooting Edmonton 39-13 after 2 periods but were down 2-0.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mike Comrie scored for the Oilers in the 1st period and then again in the 2nd period on the power play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tom Gilbert would add a shorthanded goal for the Oilers 5:24 into the 3rd period to give Edmonton a 3-0 lead. The Oilers at that point had scored 3 goals on their first 14 shots of the game against Jonathan Quick. It took the Kings until their 46th shot of the game to put one past Devan Dubnyk.</div><div><br /></div><div>The goal came from Dustin Brown on the power play 6:39 into the period. About 6 minutes later, Jarret Stoll cut the lead to 1. And then just a couple minutes after the Kings killed off a 5-on-3 advantage, Michal Handzus would tie it at 3 with 2:34 remaining in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings outshot Edmonton 15-2 in the 3rd period, and the final total was 55-16.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shawn Horcoff would net the game winner in the shootout after a scoreless overtime to give the last-place Oilers the 4-3 win.</div><div><br /></div><div>In an unbelievable performance, Devan Dubnyk made 52 saves. Quick stopped 13 shots for the Kings.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Oilers now have 62 points, last in the league, and will finish their season tomorrow in Anaheim.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings point has them up to 99, and they are 7th in the West with 1 game left--tomorrow in Colorado. A win and a Red Wings loss (regulation or overtime) would give them the 5th-seed. An overtime loss would give them the 6th-seed if Detroit loses in regulation, and keep them the 7th-seed if the Red Wings get at least a point.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Maple</b> <b>Leafs</b> 4 Canadiens 3 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Montreal's point in their last game of the season clinches them a playoff spot. They have 88 points and are 7th in the West. If the Flyers beat the Rangers tomorrow, Montreal will finish 8th and play the Capitals in Round 1. If the Rangers beat the Flyers, the Canadiens will remain 7th and play either Buffalo or New Jersey depending on the outcome of their game tomorrow. Toronto ends their season with 74 points, last in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sabres</b> 5 Senators 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo's win--led by a 4-goal night from Thomas Vanek--gives them 100 points on the year, and they are only 1 point behind the Devils for 2nd-place in the East. Those 2 teams play each other tomorrow. A Sabres' win in regulation will give them the 2-spot, while a Devils' win or any kind of overtime game will hand New Jersey the 2-spot. Ottawa will finish the season with 94 points, 5th in the East, and they will play Pittsburgh in the first round.</div><div><br /></div><div>Islanders 1 <b>Devils</b> 7</div><div><br /></div><div>New Jersey wins the Atlantic Division with their win combined with the Penguins' loss. The Devils have 101 points, 1 up on the Sabres for 2nd in the East. The 2-spot will be determined tomorrow depending on the outcome of their game versus Buffalo. New York has 78 points and are 12th in the East. They finish their season tomorrow at home against Pittsburgh.</div><div><br /></div><div>Penguins 0 <b>Thrashers</b> 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta plays spoiler, shutting out the Penguins, and ending their season with 83 points, 10th in the East. Pittsburgh has 99 points, and they are now locked into the 4-spot and will face the 5th-place Senators in the first round.</div><div><br /></div><div>Panthers 3 <b>Lightning</b> 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Tampa Bay's 20-year-old Steven Stamkos scores his 49th and 50th goals of the season, tying Alex Ovechkin for the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals. Sidney Crosby has 49 goals. All 3 will be in action on the final day of the season tomorrow. Tampa Bay and Florida face each other again tomorrow in Sunrise to end the season, while the Lightning have 78 points, 13th-place, and the Panthers have 77 points, 14th-place.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blues 1 <b>Predators</b> 2 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Nasvhille gives themselves 100 points on the year in their final game of the season. They sit 6th in the West, and can still finish 5th, 6th, or 7th even though they don't have any games left. It all depends on what the 5th-place Red Wings and the 7th-place Kings do tomorrow. St Louis finishes their year with 90 points, 9th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stars</b> 4 Wild 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Dallas beats Minnesota in what could be Mike Modano's final game of his career if he decides to retire. The Wild fans gave him a great ovation after the game, as he skated around wearing a Minnesota North Stars jersey, the team with which he began his career. The Stars will end the season with 88 points, and they sit 11th in the West. Minnesota ends with 84 points, 13th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flames 3 <b>Canucks</b> 7</div><div><br /></div><div>Vancouver dismantles their Northwest Division rivals to end their season with 103 points. They are locked in the 3-spot in the West, and will play either Detroit, Nashville, or L.A. in the first round. Calgary finishes with 90 points, 10th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coyotes 2 <b>Sharks</b> 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose finishes their season with 113 points, and they sit 1st in the Western Conference, 2 points up on Chicago. If the Blackhawks win tomorrow though, they will win the West and the Sharks will be the 2-seed. With that in mind, the Sharks and Blackhawks have a chance to play Detroit, Nashville, L.A., or Colorado, all depending on what happens tomorrow. Phoenix is locked in the 4-spot, as they end their year with 107 points. They also will play either Detroit, Nashville, or L.A. in the first round.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday's Schedule (Last Day of the Regular Season):</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Bruins @ Capitals, 12:00, NBC</span></div><div>Rangers @ Flyers, 3:00, NHL Network (winner gets final East playoff spot)</div><div>Red Wings @ Blackhawks, 3:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Kings @ Avalanche, 3:00, FS West</span></div><div>Sabres @ Devils, 5:00</div><div>Penguins @ Islanders, 5:00, NHL Network</div><div>Lightning @ Panthers, 5:00</div><div>Oilers @ Ducks, 8:00, Prime Ticket</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-78732889362025488962010-04-09T20:52:00.000-07:002010-04-10T13:21:51.812-07:00Sunday Showdown Set for Flyers, Rangers<div>Ovechkin gets goal number 50 and Backstrom gets point number 100 on the same play in Washington and Keith Tkachuk plays his final game in St Louis. But Friday's Game of the Night has to be the do-or-die matchup for a playoff spot in the East at MSG between the Flyers and the Rangers:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ciKmPYodZiJSw28S52896Icfq0bkVmEH4AiK4AyHcHerdKguPNXmhfuJeqkYXleHeV9vIMfqGTDsBSlpH8GxdLShYRS7e3s2zUCujKksxY2h8LmnerGm9Bhp51a0GqP0_chMLkNYwmk/s1600/flyers.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ciKmPYodZiJSw28S52896Icfq0bkVmEH4AiK4AyHcHerdKguPNXmhfuJeqkYXleHeV9vIMfqGTDsBSlpH8GxdLShYRS7e3s2zUCujKksxY2h8LmnerGm9Bhp51a0GqP0_chMLkNYwmk/s400/flyers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458352628915365538" /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEd2EOSidfI7uEyoEOWGMMaNBbIllttsUkeoWsrgqVHdKZoG1_z0ZuZpMBBlSbrh77wa3auxKyUJnN18KBQ6Bxmm3Qdt9SLGbWzfEmvofEZ3yL5vRxWqtbYd_cCZ_lwEuHv0L95wVXZVY/s1600/rangers.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEd2EOSidfI7uEyoEOWGMMaNBbIllttsUkeoWsrgqVHdKZoG1_z0ZuZpMBBlSbrh77wa3auxKyUJnN18KBQ6Bxmm3Qdt9SLGbWzfEmvofEZ3yL5vRxWqtbYd_cCZ_lwEuHv0L95wVXZVY/s400/rangers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458352619126789810" /></a> 4<div><br /></div><div>A win for Philadelphia and they would knock out the Rangers from contention and clinch a spot for themselves, the Bruins, and the Canadiens. But no one clinched tonight, and the final playoff spot in the East won't be decided until Sunday afternoon.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Rangers knew they had to play their hearts out facing elimination, and they did just that, outshooting the Flyers 12-4 in the 1st period and taking a 2-1 lead into the 2nd.</div><div><br /></div><div>It may not have looked great at the beginning for New York when Mike Richards scored for Philadelphia off of a clear cut turnover from Marc Staal to put the Flyers up 1-0 only 40 seconds into the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Chris Drury would put the Rangers on the board 7:22 into the 1st on the power-play and Jody Shelley would score his 1st goal of the season almost 3 minutes later to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brandon Dubinsky made it 3-1 Rangers just under 7 minutes into the 2nd period, before the Flyers would make a little comeback of their own.</div><div><br /></div><div>Danny Briere and Richards again would net goals for Philadelphia within the next 8 minutes and the game was tied at 3.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just over 2 minutes after that, with 3:06 left in the 2nd period, Marian Gaborik would give the Rangers the lead back, and they would hold on by a thread.</div><div><br /></div><div>Henrik Lunqvist made 10 saves in the scoreless 3rd period for New York, and at least 2 or 3 of those on great chances for the Flyers. He would end the game with 24 saves. Brian Boucher stopped 21 for the Flyers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the picture in the East heading into the final 2 days of the season with 4 teams battling for the last 3 spots: Boston sits in 6th with 87 points and they have 2 games left, tomorrow at home versus Carolina and Sunday afternoon in Washington. Montreal is 7th with 87 points as well and their last game will be tomorrow night at home against Toronto.</div><div><br /></div><div>Philadelphia is 8th with 86 points while the Rangers are in 9th with 86 points too but 2 fewer wins than the Flyers. The Flyers and Rangers each have 1 game left and it's against each other. The game will be Sunday at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O0N9aKehNVXFq0fTOUDGmTveJ3ZTcjElY7J2LR6zzQ1lHmpyB3Z2ciWeUxIWJodNUjqQkSOiGhpSLGyjC47b4Xfdqa2-83Eopgx7mVhqu2XeZlQl5r9c8aa5OGcLvOuh8NlgIwTeJ8w/s1600/thrashers.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O0N9aKehNVXFq0fTOUDGmTveJ3ZTcjElY7J2LR6zzQ1lHmpyB3Z2ciWeUxIWJodNUjqQkSOiGhpSLGyjC47b4Xfdqa2-83Eopgx7mVhqu2XeZlQl5r9c8aa5OGcLvOuh8NlgIwTeJ8w/s400/thrashers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458352784093134098" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBz91AtUsUNXLcyOA1oBw9pOfY8qFuhn6tFIHXwWnSe3puo8qVXo_1677V51E5QEl62YgnBcNiaMpVllZvX2o_hBunFKpghTPDixbLQkF0qWBCjK0T0l8zE9lSzThTMA03ErSUdaRf-0/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBz91AtUsUNXLcyOA1oBw9pOfY8qFuhn6tFIHXwWnSe3puo8qVXo_1677V51E5QEl62YgnBcNiaMpVllZvX2o_hBunFKpghTPDixbLQkF0qWBCjK0T0l8zE9lSzThTMA03ErSUdaRf-0/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458352779640602066" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>The Washington Capitals keep their feet on the pedal as they try to head into the playoffs with as much momentum as possible. They were looking for their 5th-straight win on a night where the President's Trophy was awarded to the team in a short ceremony before the game against Atlanta.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not that they needed any more positive things to play for, but a couple of milestones were reached on this night as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nicklas Backstrom would net his 32nd goal of the year and 99th point at 14:44 of the 1st period to give Washington the 1-0 lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Capitals hadn't decided to fully turn up the on-switch yet in the 2nd period, and the Thrashers would take advantage. Evgeny Artyukhin tied the game at 1 with 8:45 left in the 2nd period.</div><div><br /></div><div>Almost 2 minutes later, Clarke MacArthur would strip Ovechkin of the puck and head down the ice on a short-handed breakaway, depositing the wrist shot past Jose Theodore.</div><div><br /></div><div>3 minutes after that, Alex Ovechkin would rip a one-timer off a pass from Alexander Semin past Ondrej Pavelec to tie the game at 2 on his 49th goal of the year.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was all Washington in the 3rd, and the 1st of 3 goals in the period wasn't just the most important because it was the game-winner...</div><div><br /></div><div>Nicklas Backstrom fed a pass to Alexander Semin, who found Ovechkin rolling through the middle of the ice. As Backstrom headed toward the yet, providing a screen, Ovechkin threw his wicked wrist shot to the back of the net for his 50th goal of the season, now taking the lead in the race for the Rocket, a goal ahead of Sidney Crosby.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ovechkin becomes only the 3rd player ever--joining only Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy--to score 50 or more goals in 4 of his first 5 years in the league.</div><div><br /></div><div>Backstrom's assist on the goal was his 100th point of the season. After the game, they were asked how they would decide who gets the puck. The answer is easy: split it in half. They don't quite know how they will go about that yet, but it sounds like a good idea.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jason Chimera and Backstrom would add goals for the Capitals in the next 4 minutes, completely taking over the game for Washington and giving them a 5-2 lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ondrej Pavelec would stop 42 of the Capitals' 47 shots--of which Tyler Sloan was the only Capital not to register one--and Jose Theodore would stop 29 for the Capitals.</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta has 81 points and are 10th in the East and they have 1 game left to play.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Capitals are up to 120 points, and they will try to end the season on a 6-game winning streak as they face the Bruins at Verizon Center on Sunday.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Red</b> <b>Wings</b> 1 Blue Jackets 0 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Columbus was the only team in the league to finish off their season on this night, and their goalie Steve Mason would go out in style, but their disappointing season would end on another bad note, as the Jackets' offense could get nothing going. Mason would make 45 saves--including 19 in the 3rd--to get credit for his 5th shutout of the year, while Jimmy Howard gets his 3rd shutout of the season for Detroit. Columbus will end the year with 79 points, 14th in the West. Detroit is now up to 5th in the West with 100 points, 2 up on the Kings and Predators with 1 game to play, while Nashville also has 1 left but the Kings have 2. It's the 10th-straight season that the Red Wings have put up 100 points or more.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ducks 3 <b>Blues</b> 6</div><div><br /></div><div>Keith Tkachuk goes out in style in front of his home fans in St Louis. He gets 2 3rd-period assists in their win over Anaheim. The Blues have 89 points and are 10th in the West with 1 game left, while the Ducks are in 11th with 87 points with 1 game remaining as well. The fans would send off Tkachuk with a great ovation after his post-game interview telling the fans he will never leave that great city.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blackhawks</b> 5 Avalanche 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Chicago takes 1st-place back in the Western Conference with their win over the 8th-place Avalanche. The Blackhawks have 111 points, tied with San Jose in points for 1st but they have 2 more wins than the Sharks. Each team has 1 game remaining. The Avalanche have 94 points and 1 game left, but they are set to head into the playoffs as the 8th-seed, knowing they will have to face either these Blackhawks or the Sharks in the 1st round.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Hurricanes @ Bruins, 1:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Oilers @ Kings, 4:00, FS West</span></div><div>Maple Leafs @ Canadiens, 7:00</div><div>Sabres @ Senators, 7:00, NHL Network</div><div>Islanders @ Devils, 7:00</div><div>Penguins @ Thrashers, 7:00</div><div>Panthers @ Lightning, 7:30</div><div>Blues @ Predators, 8:00</div><div>Stars @ Wild, 8:00</div><div>Flames @ Canucks, 10:00</div><div>Coyotes @ Sharks, 10:30, NHL Network</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-7733531670214558312010-04-08T21:33:00.000-07:002010-04-08T23:46:44.925-07:00B's Big Win; Yotes Rally Past Kings<div>In the West, the Kings faced Phoenix in a potential 1st-round matchup. In the East, Montreal hoped to clinch a spot while Boston looked to help solidify theirs. The Northeast Division matchup between Buffalo and Boston at TD Garden is Thursday's Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUqX7PqyHgzYjYMYVdwPT0b8YpyuPxXy3JFwyABYEVOVfb9gEusrM8uYvazbp-uWwMbchmcjZlUDxGNbu7fV1INoYLgcW-WE1IMQwry_z0TGQFQd2oKOuPXq1YqYO_uf6j2kNCJIHvtE/s1600/sabres.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUqX7PqyHgzYjYMYVdwPT0b8YpyuPxXy3JFwyABYEVOVfb9gEusrM8uYvazbp-uWwMbchmcjZlUDxGNbu7fV1INoYLgcW-WE1IMQwry_z0TGQFQd2oKOuPXq1YqYO_uf6j2kNCJIHvtE/s400/sabres.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457991503760156882" /></a> 1 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqpRcOz3GynKN8HGOQhSHRsN8aUDnSfJtv2JE8We26jyc0w-uQXo33Fj4pgZCi9W2k4xeYjgk35-EUDN3jj4ChjZQ_0UYAS5Sg67rnum_yODkz3ihkQOsvZxU40gD3FBQu2YCf2Z_YVU/s1600/bruins.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqpRcOz3GynKN8HGOQhSHRsN8aUDnSfJtv2JE8We26jyc0w-uQXo33Fj4pgZCi9W2k4xeYjgk35-EUDN3jj4ChjZQ_0UYAS5Sg67rnum_yODkz3ihkQOsvZxU40gD3FBQu2YCf2Z_YVU/s400/bruins.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457991496679906946" /></a> 3<div><br /></div><div>Boston entered the night in dangerous 8th-place in the East, only 1 point ahead of the Rangers. At the end of the night, they find themselves in 6th with a big win over the Northeast Division Champion Sabres.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo started the scoring 11 minutes into the game with a goal from Derek Roy.</div><div><br /></div><div>2:15 into the 2nd period, Miroslav Satan scored for Boston to tie the game at 1, the only goal of the period. Tied heading into the 3rd, the Bruins would come through in the clutch when they needed to most.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dennis Wideman put the Bruins up 1 just under 2 minutes into the period. Tuukka Rask would hold off tough Buffalo and Mark Recchi would add an insurance goal for Boston with 3:25 left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Patrick Lalime got the start for Buffalo in a game that didn't mean much for them. He made 31 saves, while Rask also made 31 stops for Boston.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo is 3rd-place in the East with 98 points, a point behind New Jersey for 2nd.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Bruins' crucial 3-1 win gives them 87 points, tied with Montreal for 6th, but they hold 6th themselves because they have played 1 fewer game. They have 2 games left and are now 3 points ahead of the 9th-place Rangers who also have 2 games to go.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxLRCwDyRVcbbH6WBm1lezYYGVtcB3JEUzVoZb6g4Q8Gvlz7CC01MvcEieJ9smky0RVWRcwMxjCbXU6jsaWyhflgfNiPm0pNatTTsMqOiPBtDlCrPVKCzfY_Ln8w1fhR-QvynrbaKqao/s1600/coyotes.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxLRCwDyRVcbbH6WBm1lezYYGVtcB3JEUzVoZb6g4Q8Gvlz7CC01MvcEieJ9smky0RVWRcwMxjCbXU6jsaWyhflgfNiPm0pNatTTsMqOiPBtDlCrPVKCzfY_Ln8w1fhR-QvynrbaKqao/s400/coyotes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457991717471475570" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvQV2iJTXvoxyKShB084zcKWJZspyF7aBcbeWYjt2e6vhs7H6AKANueGz0sO2LmuPYzM_hgDlAfWZ8RwouxLMY-LJqACeoF4SsAsjtfU6cvEgNRIdV4EMJufh8XprMjpYmzZxNPjBn9E/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvQV2iJTXvoxyKShB084zcKWJZspyF7aBcbeWYjt2e6vhs7H6AKANueGz0sO2LmuPYzM_hgDlAfWZ8RwouxLMY-LJqACeoF4SsAsjtfU6cvEgNRIdV4EMJufh8XprMjpYmzZxNPjBn9E/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457991704710138514" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings seemed to have this game under control until the last half of the 3rd period.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a scoreless 1st period, Drew Doughty made it 1-0 L.A. just under 8 minutes into the 2nd period. Anze Kopitar's assist on the goal was his 80th point of the season.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the 3rd period, Jack Johnson made it 2-0 Kings with a goal just over 9 minutes in. But then back came the Coyotes with some of their magic once again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Matthew Lombardi cut the lead in half with 7:17 left in regulation, and then with 5:53 to go, Taylor Pyatt deflected a shot past Jonathan Quick to tie the game at 2.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a scoreless overtime, the game would head to a shootout--which Phoenix looks to have mastered this season.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kopitar scored for the Kings and Radim Vrbata for the Coyotes in the first 3 rounds, and in the 4th round, Adrian Aucoin--their "closer"--did it again. After Jarret Stoll missed, Aucoin scored to give him 6 shootout goals in 8 attempts this season--all 6 goals were game-winners.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jason LaBarbera got the start for Phoenix and he stopped 22 shots, while Quick made 25 saves for the Kings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix is locked into the 4-spot, but they now have 106 points--the 4th-most in the NHL--with 1 game to play.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings' point moves them to 98 and they are now in a 3-way tie for 5th-place in the West with Detroit and Nashville, but they hold it themselves because they have 3 more wins than Detroit and have played 1 fewer game than Nashville. L.A. and the Red Wings have 2 games left, while the Predators have 1 to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Canadiens 2 <b>Hurricanes</b> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>A win for Montreal would have meant a playoff spot, but with only 1 game left to play, they aren't out of the woods yet. They have 87 points and are tied with Boston for 6th in the East, but they sit in 7th because Boston has 2 games left. They're 1 up on 8th-place Philadelphia and 3 up on 9th-place New York. With the Flyers playing the Rangers in a home-and-home to end the season, lots of things have to go wrong for the Canadiens to miss out, but anything is possible. Carolina has 80 points, 11th in the East, and they have 1 game left.</div><div><br /></div><div>Islanders 3 <b>Penguins</b> 7</div><div><br /></div><div>It was the last regular season game ever to be held at Mellon Arena, and the Penguins said goodbye to the "Igloo" in style. Pittsburgh is now tied with the Devils for 1st-place in the Atlantic Division with 99 points. They both have the same record and each have 2 games to go. New Jersey swept the season series, though, so they hold the tiebreaker and sit 2nd, while the Penguins are in 4th.</div><div><br /></div><div>Senators 3 <b>Lightning</b> 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Ottawa is already guaranteed 5th-place in the East, and they now have 94 points with 1 game remaining. Tampa Bay is 14th in the East with 76 points and they have 2 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>Devils 2 <b>Panthers</b> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Scott Clemmensen beats his former team again, as Florida stops New Jersey from extending their lead in the Atlantic Division. The Devils have 99 points and are tied for 1st in the division and 2nd in the conference with 2 games left with Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 13th in the East with 76 points and have 2 games to play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ducks 2 <b>Stars</b> 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>In what might be his final game in Dallas if he chooses to retire, Mike Modano scored the shootout winner to help Dallas hold off their Pacific Division rivals. They move to 86 points on the year with 1 game left while Anaheim now has 87 points with 2 games left. The Stars and Ducks are 12th and 11th in the West, respectively.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wild</b> 2 Flames 1 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Minnesota's win gives them 83 points on the year and they are 13th in the West with 1 game left. Disappointing Calgary has 90 points, 9th in the West with 1 game left as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Canucks 2 <b>Sharks </b>4</div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose moves back into 1st in the Western Conference with 111 points, 2 up on Chicago, but they have 1 game left while the Blackhawks have 2 to go. Vancouver remains 3rd in the West with 101 points and they have 1 game remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Friday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Flyers @ Rangers, 7:00, Versus</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Thrashers @ Capitals, 7:00, CSN, Versus</span></div><div>Red Wings @ Blue Jackets, 7:00</div><div>Ducks @ Blues, 8:00, KDOC</div><div>Blackhawks @ Avalanche, 9:00, Versus</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-47926001607914042032010-04-07T21:59:00.000-07:002010-04-07T22:21:31.950-07:00Rangers Set up Weekend Race for 8thThe New York Rangers stay alive in the East and make the race even more interesting. The actual game though wasn't worthy of Wednesday's GON, so we're going to go to the desert, where the Predators were facing the Coyotes in a potential first-round matchup:<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kS6zNaGOmD8MDOWRqddrcIMI9AUNymfViRq23RK_NfJXP-k5gxd_cbGBTfVlA4qxh2u-eGWzjTFek-dYHeUlOKqPjUU01TEqY8dADK598TQznuMXqXS2YlD2DCEDP-UtAUEKKtt50s4/s1600/predators.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kS6zNaGOmD8MDOWRqddrcIMI9AUNymfViRq23RK_NfJXP-k5gxd_cbGBTfVlA4qxh2u-eGWzjTFek-dYHeUlOKqPjUU01TEqY8dADK598TQznuMXqXS2YlD2DCEDP-UtAUEKKtt50s4/s400/predators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457627674561869714" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJfvCAWwFQrbDPNYbj2LaL-Tg8xDxflauVnsytv0gOJTut195eA1sLKjg-RbF8D1TqxxNcSKWPxRlbmrGeBh7tJvvkmOArcxBiSzXdyyN_IbfKMT2AWAAd3zBmKvufNABB-OuuphEL84/s1600/coyotes.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJfvCAWwFQrbDPNYbj2LaL-Tg8xDxflauVnsytv0gOJTut195eA1sLKjg-RbF8D1TqxxNcSKWPxRlbmrGeBh7tJvvkmOArcxBiSzXdyyN_IbfKMT2AWAAd3zBmKvufNABB-OuuphEL84/s400/coyotes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457627671234332674" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix clinches the number 4 spot in the Western Conference with their win over Nashville in front of over 17,000 at Jobing.com Arena tonight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shea Weber ripped a slapshot past Ilya Bryzgalov 12 seconds into the game to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. Just under 2 minutes later, Lauri Korpikoski would tie it at 1 for Phoenix.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only goal of the 2nd period came off the stick of Wojtek Wolski to give the Coyotes a 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Predators would tie it in this back-and-forth game 5:53 into the 3rd on a power-play goal from Steve Sullivan. But almost 5 minutes later, Taylor Pyatt gave the Coyotes a 3-2 lead and they wouldn't look back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shane Doan made it 4-2 and Petteri Nokelainen added an empty-net goal with 19 seconds to go to end it 5-2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pekka Rinne stopped for 25 shots for Nashville and Bryzgalov made 23 saves for Phoenix.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Coyotes will go into the playoffs 4th in the Western Conference with home-ice advantage in Round 1. They have 104 points and 2 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Predators were 5th in the West before this loss, as they move down to 6th tied with Detroit for 5th with 98 points but they have played 1 more game than the Red Wings. Nashville has 1 game left and the Red Wings have 2 to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>Los Angeles is a point behind both Detroit and Nashville with 3 games still remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Maple Leafs 1 <b>Rangers </b>5</div><div><br /></div><div>New York stays in the playoff hunt in the East with this huge bounce-back game. They now have 84 points, a point back of Boston for 8th and 2 behind Philadelphia for 7th, with 2 games to go. The Flyers also have 2 games left, and wouldn't you know it's a home-and-home versus the Rangers starting Friday. Fasten your seat belts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blue Jackets 3 <b>Red Wings </b>4</div><div><br /></div><div>Detroit has moved up to 5th in the West with 98 points, tied with the Predators but they hold a game-in-hand on Nashville. Detroit has 2 games left. Columbus is 14th in the West with 78 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blues 5 <b>Blackhawks</b> 6</div><div><br /></div><div>A pretty unbelievable game at the United Center tonight. St Louis jumped out to a 1-0 lead before allowing 6-straight goals to Chicago. Starting late in the 2nd, the Blues began attempting the comeback. It almost was complete, but the Blackhawks would barely hold off the Blues, 6-5. Chicago takes over top spot in the West with 109 points, tied with with San Jose, but they have 2 more wins than the Sharks. Both Chicago and San Jose have 2 games left. St Louis is 10th in the West with 87 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Avalanche 4 <b>Oilers </b>5 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Edmonton is on its way to a last-place season, but they have been playing a little better as of late. They are now 8-3 in their last 11 home games, but remain last in the league with 60 points. Colorado, the newest and last member of the playoffs in the West, move to 94 points, 3 back of L.A. for 7th but they have 2 games left while the Kings have 3 to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Sabres @ Bruins, 7:00, Versus</div><div>Canadiens @ Hurricanes, 7:30 (Versus in BUF and BOS)</div><div>Islanders @ Penguins, 7:30, NHL Network</div><div>Senators @ Lightning, 7:30</div><div>Devils @ Panthers, 7:30</div><div>Ducks @ Stars, 8:30, KDOC</div><div>Wild @ Flames, 9:30</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Coyotes @ Kings, 10:30, FS West</span></div><div>Canucks @ Sharks, 10:30</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-51644592273243211222010-04-06T21:43:00.000-07:002010-04-06T22:41:58.117-07:00Caps/Pens Rd 4; Fwy F-off Rd 6; Avs ClinchThe final meeting of the year between the Capitals and Penguins came into the night almost assured of Tuesday's GON until the Battle of Southern California gave it a huge run for its money. But it will remain on top, as Washington/Pittsburgh Round 4 is tonight's Game of the Night:<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVHng7VIc-6pC401v_nhOVGny0K89oTxBJabmqGp29xMvxJT1prUHlzbzfMF5xf1zm9F3sk_D6yaY1FjYImDli8QhJ4tFNGYHSriSNzbXY-GL-DhykMyLuU9gYvsPVBiNlfQlYjRTx18/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVHng7VIc-6pC401v_nhOVGny0K89oTxBJabmqGp29xMvxJT1prUHlzbzfMF5xf1zm9F3sk_D6yaY1FjYImDli8QhJ4tFNGYHSriSNzbXY-GL-DhykMyLuU9gYvsPVBiNlfQlYjRTx18/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457254057909124898" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 6 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ6a6J3bDt0V3YpTuDr0C4nnmud9ldAbzVD0P_gKvZ0h1LmetG3H0wQn45Glnwtff3k1I1nRxwBHhbuVjDTppBV4vgVRVA566xUny2elk9Y1LMwWA8gSUc-R1XrG3ndqz3p8vn1W-FVc/s1600/penguins.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ6a6J3bDt0V3YpTuDr0C4nnmud9ldAbzVD0P_gKvZ0h1LmetG3H0wQn45Glnwtff3k1I1nRxwBHhbuVjDTppBV4vgVRVA566xUny2elk9Y1LMwWA8gSUc-R1XrG3ndqz3p8vn1W-FVc/s400/penguins.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457254052173659330" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington has nothing to play for in terms of standings--they haven't for a couple weeks now. They have the best record record in the league wrapped up. But none of that kind of motivation is needed when they're playing the Penguins, especially when they know Pittsburgh is fighting for the title in their Atlantic Division.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alexander Semin scored his 39th goal of the year with 7 minutes left in the 1st and the Capitals had a 1-0 lead after 1.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mike Knuble would tally for Washington 42 seconds into the 2nd period to make it 2-0. Pittsburgh kept battling back, but every time they would cut the lead to 1, the Capitals would give a quick answer back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sidney Crosby made it 2-1 on the power-play 6:21 into the 2nd, his 48th goal of the year, only to be followed by Washington's Tomas Fleischmann 21 seconds later, and the Capitals were back up by 2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jordan Leopold made it 3-2 9:55 into the period, and 8 minutes later, Matt Bradley put the Capitals back up by 2 at 4-2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Leopold would get his 2nd of the night 49 seconds into the 3rd period. Less than 2 minutes later, Alex Ovechkin would net his 47th goal of the season on the power-play to make it 5-3 Washington, and they would never look back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ovechkin would add an empty-net goal with less than a second remaining to tie Crosby for the league-lead in goals with 48 and give the Capitals a 6-3 win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Semyon Varlamov got the win for Washington, making 26 saves. Marc-Andre Fleury would stop only 9 of the Capitals first 12 shots, and Brent Johnson would finish the game and eventually be handed the loss. Johnson made 13 saves on 15 shots.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Capitals sweep the season series from arguably their biggest rivals, going 4-0-0. The team knows that this means nothing, though, and that a meeting in the postseason would start a clean slate. After all, the Capitals went 3-0-1 against Pittsburgh last season before falling to them in the 2nd round of the playoffs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington was questioned recently on their play because of the fact that they don't exactly have anything to play for. 4 games ago, they were on a 3-game losing streak and looked somewhat lackadaisical. But whether it's team records, individual records, momentum, or just flat out pride as an athlete, the Capitals keep winning.</div><div><br /></div><div>They have now won 4-straight games, and have 118 points on the year--9 better than the 2nd-best Sharks. They have 2 games remaining, both at home, where they own the best home record in the NHL. Friday night against Atlanta and Sunday afternoon versus the Bruins.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Penguins remain at 97 points, 2 back of New Jersey for the lead in the Atlantic Division. Both teams have 3 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJLogoXh0jPEZFsqTeoR9xYzM25rjxR9cdZznPq1SSatDB7pJM26KxnoDXumH-aBPEqK1AHxN_FrlrVmDKtb7ZjHSBrGkiPU4Iyadlb628RIvl6ZgaD432n8OTR72UC-lk0gjGPE2rXc/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJLogoXh0jPEZFsqTeoR9xYzM25rjxR9cdZznPq1SSatDB7pJM26KxnoDXumH-aBPEqK1AHxN_FrlrVmDKtb7ZjHSBrGkiPU4Iyadlb628RIvl6ZgaD432n8OTR72UC-lk0gjGPE2rXc/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457258607046052882" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 5 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaZuNbKgyrpcjbkTO7vZdrFSon4UCZczDJf7GTTuklv9LAL05Z60096zWrEsP9Z3XwICiNLvkWNEC3yd08UZjqr37P5i2trztUn43hrL_v9jCH8P1bs_Lnrcq0EFHeZmCQK8B8RGwMgQ/s1600/ducks.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaZuNbKgyrpcjbkTO7vZdrFSon4UCZczDJf7GTTuklv9LAL05Z60096zWrEsP9Z3XwICiNLvkWNEC3yd08UZjqr37P5i2trztUn43hrL_v9jCH8P1bs_Lnrcq0EFHeZmCQK8B8RGwMgQ/s400/ducks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457258600554758626" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>It was the back end of a home-and-home between these two Pacific Division rivals to close out this year's version of the Freeway Faceoff. And what a game it was for the playoff-headed Kings.</div><div><br /></div><div>It didn't look at first for L.A., as Anaheim looked as if they were quickly going to send the Kings back up Interstate-5.</div><div><br /></div><div>5:28 into the game, Jason Blake would tally for Anaheim, and Teemu Selanne would net a goal for the Ducks with jut over 3 minutes left in the 1st period, giving them a 2-0 lead after 1.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bobby Ryan made it 3-0 Anaheim 2 minutes into the 2nd period on a gift turnover, at which point Jonathan Quick was pulled from the net for Erik Ersberg after allowing 3 goals on only 8 shots.</div><div><br /></div><div>Almost 10 minutes into the 2nd period, Dustin Brown whacked one in past Curtis McElhinney to put the Kings on the board.</div><div><br /></div><div>Selanne would get his 2nd goal of the night 2 and a half minutes later on the power-play to put the Ducks back up by 3. But the Kings kept pounding away, and Alexander Frolov bounced the puck in with just over 3 minutes left in the period to make it 4-2 Ducks after 2. The Kings were outshooting Anaheim 22-11 after 2 periods.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the 3rd, L.A. had 16 shots to the Ducks 3. Justin Williams made it 4-3 7:56 into the 3rd on a beautiful move. And with Ersberg headed to the bench for the extra attacker, Michal Handzus backhanded the puck into the net after a great pass from Justin Williams to tie the game at 4 with 1:09 left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The overtime would be an unbelievable back-and-forth extra session, but it would solve nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Corey Perry put the Ducks up in the shootout on the first shot, but Jack Johnson and Anze Kopitar would score for Los Angeles, giving them the rally-back 5-4 win.</div><div><br /></div><div>McElhinney would end with 36 saves for Anaheim, while Ersberg stopped 12 of 13 for the Kings and he picks up the win.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Ducks were eliminated from the playoffs during their own shootout when Colorado won their shootout over Vancouver, but this just sealed the deal. They are 11th in the West with 86 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings move to 6th in the West with 97 points, 1 back up Nashville for 5th with a game-in-hand and 1 up on Detroit who's in 7th. L.A. has 3 games left, 2 at home, then 1 in Colorado to close it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Rangers 2 <b>Sabres </b>5</div><div><br /></div><div>New York suffers a huge blow to their playoff chances, and they remain 9th in the East with 82 points, now 3 back of 8th-place Boston with only 3 games to play. Buffalo clinches the Northeast Division title with the win, sitting 3rd in the East with 98 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Flyers </b>2 Maple Leafs 0</div><div><br /></div><div>They Flyers' big win moves them to 7th in the East with 86 points, 1 up on 8th-place Boston and now 4 points into a spot. They have 2 games to play. Toronto is last in the East with 72 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Canadiens 3 <b>Islanders</b> 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>New York's 3rd-straight win keeps Montreal from clinching a playoff spot just yet, as the Canadiens are now up to 87 points, 6th in the East, and their magic number is just 1 with 2 game left to play. The Islanders are 11th in the East with 78 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Devils </b>3 Thrashers 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Martin Brodeur's 600th career win is none other than a shutout. It's his 110th shutout. And in Ilya Kovalchuk's return to Atlanta, the Devils officially eliminate the Thrashers from the playoff chase. Atlanta is 4 points behind Boston for 8th, but they only have 2 games to play and the Bruins hold the tiebreak. New Jersey is 1st in the Atlantic Division--2 points up on Pittsburgh--and 2nd in the East with 99 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Senators </b>5 Panthers 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Ottawa remains clinched in 5th in the East with 93 points and 2 games left, while Florida is 13th in the East with 74 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hurricanes </b>8 Lightning 5</div><div><br /></div><div>Carolina had a 5-1 lead over Tampa Bay after the 1st period, and they wouldn't let themselves lose that. Steven Stamkos did score his 47th goal of the season for the Lightning, keeping his 1 behind Ovechkin and Crosby for the most in the league. Carolina has 78 points, 12th in the East, while Tampa Bay has 74 for 14th-place.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blackhawks </b>5 Stars 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Chicago remains within 2 points of San Jose for 1st-place in the Western Conference as they now have 107 points on the year and they have a game-in-hand on the Sharks. Dallas is 12th in the West with 84 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sharks </b>2 Flames 1</div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose remains 1st in the West and move to 109 points while eliminating the Flames from the playoffs and clinching the Pacific Division title in the process. Calgary has 89 points and are now 4 back of Colorado for 8th, but they only have 2 games left and the Avalanche hold the tiebreak.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Avalanche </b>4 Canucks 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado has been one of the best surprise stories of the year. They were projected by many to finish near the bottom, if not the bottom, of the Western Conference, just like they were last year. How wrong they are, as on this night, the Avalanche clinched a playoff spot. They are 8th in the West with 93 points, 3 back of Detroit for 7th with 3 games remaining. Their clinch means that the West has all 8 teams ready for the playoffs. Vancouver is one of them, as they stay 3rd in the West with 101 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Wednesday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Maple Leafs @ Rangers, 7:00, Versus</div><div>Blue Jackets @ Red Wings, 7:30</div><div>Blues @ Blackhawks, 8:30</div><div>Avalanche @ Oilers, 9:30</div><div>Predators @ Coyotes, 10:00, NHL Network</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-69534312559349257192010-04-05T21:54:00.000-07:002010-04-05T21:59:14.153-07:00Laich it or not, Caps Win 3rd StraightIn their first game after clinching the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL, the Washington Capitals were at home against a Boston Bruins team desperate for points and trying to solidify a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Verizon Center is our sight for Monday's Game of the Night:<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2VgnLuUT0TpvAL9wD2N1R1DxnulgvnoqrFTvHK5D6JmCkEVgJ5F60IeEH6tkAMhT_jyjvmWOUIW1C91s4GZ5YB-1x3dtm6CUbZXyj4652hPvXTZ3X04z06IcFZmxa-2EyEBgt994Yew/s1600/bruins.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2VgnLuUT0TpvAL9wD2N1R1DxnulgvnoqrFTvHK5D6JmCkEVgJ5F60IeEH6tkAMhT_jyjvmWOUIW1C91s4GZ5YB-1x3dtm6CUbZXyj4652hPvXTZ3X04z06IcFZmxa-2EyEBgt994Yew/s400/bruins.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456860190417459218" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCQ-JdUxzwa34vpJIuaCDeMtNnGrgc1LLDLXnocPhsKPyJBipFLJRRkJqWBM46c-sbntIc7N2_FnerHUeQTlOERW_5qKbx2tW0FK7WWW_JqWGsXB61BFePjJ7digGi8SqEzDFjNF6jR4/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCQ-JdUxzwa34vpJIuaCDeMtNnGrgc1LLDLXnocPhsKPyJBipFLJRRkJqWBM46c-sbntIc7N2_FnerHUeQTlOERW_5qKbx2tW0FK7WWW_JqWGsXB61BFePjJ7digGi8SqEzDFjNF6jR4/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456860181047211250" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Boston's 1st visit of the year to the toughest building in the NHL happened to be when they needed the points most. They got 1, but the lowest-scoring team in the league couldn't convert for the big goal they needed to help their playoff run.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nicklas Backstrom started the scoring for Washington with his 31st goal of the year 7:36 into the game when he wristed a shot that barely rolled its way over the line. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jose Theodore would hang tough for the rest of the 1st period before Dennis Wideman blasted one past him with less than 2 seconds to go in the period.</div><div><br /></div><div>Patrice Bergeron gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead less than 8 minutes into the 2nd period, but then it was the Capitals' turn to score a late goal, as Mike Knuble put one past Tuukka Rask with 29 seconds left in the period to tie it at 2.</div><div><br /></div><div>A scoreless 3rd period was dangerously close to not being scoreless when Brooks Laich took a penalty with 5:01 remaining in regulation. The Capitals would have his back and kill the penalty and send the game to overtime, and Laich would make up for it later.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the overtime, Dennis Wideman took a high-sticking penalty only 24 seconds in. It was only 20 seconds later when the game would end.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brooks Laich found the puck lying in front of the crease after an Alexander Semin one-time shot off a pass from Nicklas Backstrom and deposited it into the back of the net to give the Capitals the 3-2 win, their 3rd-straight win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington is the highest scoring team in the league with 304 goals. Boston is the lowest with 195.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuukka Rask stopped 27 shots for the Bruins.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jose Theodore made 28 saves, including 2 huge stacked-pad saves in the 1st period. There are still questions circulating around the Capitals as to how their goaltending will hold up come playoff time. But when you look at the numbers, it's hard to see why they're still out there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Theodore hasn't lost in regulation since January 12th, going 19-0-3 since then. He is 29-7-7 on the season, and is looking for only his 3rd 30-win season of his career.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lone point for the Bruins does move them up to 7th-place in the East all by themselves. They have 85 points, now 1 up on 8th-place Philadelphia, 3 up on 9th-place New York, and 1 behind Montreal for 6th. They have 3 games left this season.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington has already secured home-ice throughout the playoffs, so it's nothing but pride to play for in their final 3 games, as they now have 116 points. The Capitals face the Penguins in Pittsburgh tomorrow before ending the year with 2 home games; Friday against the Thrashers and Sunday afternoon against these same Bruins.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Blue Jackets 1 <b>Blues</b> 2 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't count out the Blues just yet. Erik Johnson scored on the power-play with 1:01 left in overtime to keep St Louis' slim playoff hopes alive. Their win has them at 87 points, 10th in the West, 4 points back of Colorado for the 8th and final playoff spot. They are 2 back of Calgary for 9th. The Blues only have 3 games left though, while the Flames also have 3 and the Avalanche have 4 to go. Columbus has 78 points and are 14th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wild 1 <b>Oilers </b>4</div><div><br /></div><div>Edmonton now has 58 points on the year with their win over the Wild. The Oilers are last in the league, 14 points behind the 29th-place team, Toronto, and 20 points behind the 14th-place team in the West, Columbus. Minnesota is 13th in the West with 81 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Rangers @ Sabres, 7:00</div><div>Flyers @ Maple Leafs, 7:00</div><div>Canadiens @ Islanders, 7:00</div><div>Devils @ Thrashers, 7:00</div><div>Senators @ Panthers, 7:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Capitals @ Penguins, 7:30, Versus</span></div><div>Hurricanes @ Lightning, 7:30</div><div>Blackhawks @ Stars, 8:30</div><div>Sharks @ Flames, 9:30</div><div>Avalanche @ Canucks, 10:00, Versus</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Kings @ Ducks, 10:00, Prime Ticket</span></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-60915638879146815342010-04-04T21:45:00.000-07:002010-04-04T22:48:00.720-07:00Avs Bounce Back; DET, LA Clinch<div>On Sunday, the Flyers got a big win, the Blackhawks clinched the Central Division title, and the Canucks clinched the Northwest Division title. But our Game of the Night comes from Denver, where the Avalanche got what head coach Joe Sacco called their "biggest win of the year."</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpJkrCSIFKE2z9MIw-VhYhRsg7IstM65sYRYeQaszwFT39CEZuwav32jk0vySgXkA2TGDIDcT274WBlqvxHakQKqXFxo4z03McxauPksQLol7WJx8wFXgm-HwT6S7a-2zEubnaxAqV2Y/s1600/sharks.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpJkrCSIFKE2z9MIw-VhYhRsg7IstM65sYRYeQaszwFT39CEZuwav32jk0vySgXkA2TGDIDcT274WBlqvxHakQKqXFxo4z03McxauPksQLol7WJx8wFXgm-HwT6S7a-2zEubnaxAqV2Y/s400/sharks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456510102592059346" /></a> 4 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnj_lNe3k6lWHuRgwXwzND6OYXVDvaqSJGI62_Ghw19f94wtP3-typCMv7nTUpfJm52UMNx_l8CLHPqt4BZTvlhoGKhnIWQyzlgGrJKFngE8gYJP5hyphenhyphenLqAtyZM_uUq2YxueBfTNBHWlw/s1600/avalanche.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnj_lNe3k6lWHuRgwXwzND6OYXVDvaqSJGI62_Ghw19f94wtP3-typCMv7nTUpfJm52UMNx_l8CLHPqt4BZTvlhoGKhnIWQyzlgGrJKFngE8gYJP5hyphenhyphenLqAtyZM_uUq2YxueBfTNBHWlw/s400/avalanche.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456510096587729346" /></a> 5 (OT)<br /><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't technically a "must win" for 8th-place Colorado, but it was as close as it could get after seeing their lead over 9th-place Calgary evaporate the other night. They had to face the Western Conference leaders in their battle to bounce back.</div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose would open up a 2-0 lead on goals by Douglas Murray and Jamie McGinn less than 9 minutes into the game, only to see the Avalanche score 4-straight goals after that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kyle Quincey closed out the 1st period with a goal to cut the lead to 2-1. Peter Mueller would then tally twice for Colorado in the 2nd period, giving the Avalanche a 3-2 lead after 2.</div><div><br /></div><div>20 seconds into the 3rd, Paul Stastny made it 4-2 Avalanche on the power-play. But the 3rd-highest offensive team in the NHL wouldn't go down easy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Patrick Marleau made it a 4-3 Avalanche lead with under 12 minutes left in regulation. The tying goal would come off the stick of Joe Pavelski with 5:19 to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the Avalanche would get the big goal they badly needed 2:59 into the overtime from John-Michael Liles to give Colorado the 5-4 win.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Avalanche hadn't scored more than 3 goals in regulation in their last 8, going 1-6-1. But they finally found their offense, outshooting the Sharks 40-22.</div><div><br /></div><div>Evgeni Nabokov stopped 35 shots for the Sharks while Craig Anderson made 18 saves for the Avalanche.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Sharks' point gives them 107, remaining 1st in the Western Conference. They are 2 points up on Chicago with 3 games left and have played 1 more game than the Blackhawks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado's win combined with tonight's Flames' loss gives the Avalanche 8th-place back all to themselves. They have 91 points, 2 up on Calgary, and have 4 games remaining while the Flames only have 3 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 8-spot in the Western Conference is now the only one left to fight for, as teams 1 through 7 have all clinched.</div><div><br /></div><div>*Note- the Sharks' loss also makes the Washington Capitals the winners of the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL's regular season. The Capitals will have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Red Wings 3 <b>Flyers</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>NBC's Game of the Week proved to be another dandy, as Philadelphia got a huge win for their playoff hopes and handed Detroit their 1st regulation loss in their last 13 games in the process. The Flyers are still in 8th-place in the East, tied in points with Boston for 7th with 84, but are now 2 points up on the Rangers, who sit in 9th, and 3 points up on the 10th-place Thrashers. The Flyers and Thrashers have 3 games left, while the Rangers have 4 to go. The Flyers and the Rangers will end the year with a home-and-home, and it will likely be a deciding factor in which team makes the postseason. Detroit's loss keeps them 6th in the West with 96 points, 2 back of Nashville for 5th and 1 up on L.A. who are in 7th. But Calgary's loss to Chicago later in the night clinches a playoff spot for the Red Wings for the 19th-straight season.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flames 1 <b>Blackhawks</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>A big loss for Calgary to the hands of Chicago moves the Blackhawks a point closer to top spot in the Western Conference. Chicago has 105 points on the year, now 2 back of San Jose for 1st in the West with a game-in-hand on the Sharks. The Flames, however, can't keep pace with Colorado. They stay at 89 points, 2 back of the Avalanche for the 8th and final playoff spot. They have 3 games left and have played 1 more game than the Avalanche.</div><div>*Note- Calgary's loss also clinches a playoff spot for the Los Angeles Kings--their 1st since 2001-2002.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wild 3 <b>Canucks</b> 4 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Vancouver salvages their Northwest Division-clinching win after what was an unbelievable ending. Alexander Edler scored an empty-net goal with 55 seconds left in regulation to give the Canucks a 3-1 lead. But hold your horses. Cody Almond scored his 1st NHL goal for the Wild with 42 seconds to go, cutting the lead back to 1. And with 19 seconds left, Antti Miettinen would tie the game at 3, absolutely stunning the GM Place crowd--or at least the people that hadn't headed for the exits thinking the game was wrapped up. But Sami Salo would get the goal in overtime on the power-play to give the Canucks the 4-3 win, clinching the Northwest Division title. They are up to 100 points and remain 3rd in the West with 3 games to play. Minnesota is 13th in the West with 81 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Bruins @ Capitals, 7:00, Versus</span></div><div>Blue Jackets @ Blues, 8:00</div><div>Wild @ Oilers, 9:30</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-84874391133333822212010-04-03T21:26:00.000-07:002010-04-04T10:27:00.661-07:00Rangers Tie for 8th; Predators Clinch<div>The race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference rages on, as the Canadiens, Bruins, Rangers, and Thrashers were all in action on Saturday. But the Game of the Night is going to be given to a Central Division matchup between the 5th and 6th place teams in the West in which 1 of the teams clinched a playoff berth:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpELNv8OTH9GjZhTWS2YSaDn4_FrOXVd0N1o5u0J1ZYlRUCuInqBnQmtwMMaIH5IVOVnO-HbjZY1a_qtXpxiVTBLwZzD2jX1KQEkXUzR1eIuT-XeEjhpLX5m1ADzofpzdAdG1Psg9JVg/s1600/predators.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpELNv8OTH9GjZhTWS2YSaDn4_FrOXVd0N1o5u0J1ZYlRUCuInqBnQmtwMMaIH5IVOVnO-HbjZY1a_qtXpxiVTBLwZzD2jX1KQEkXUzR1eIuT-XeEjhpLX5m1ADzofpzdAdG1Psg9JVg/s400/predators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456134150591401714" /></a> 4 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD13LZmKvPaU9DgpRhuo8mIK2i8sK06eRZDtscTEEv4uhZFxCvyCxWeJoDfkXQYa3oJgdBEPynzA7diHuAUY6O7Cnr_m6QLxxA5PmSklKL4zgAIL0viqSaTwCLuL_oDbFqJOKtdg2F2ro/s1600/red+wings.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD13LZmKvPaU9DgpRhuo8mIK2i8sK06eRZDtscTEEv4uhZFxCvyCxWeJoDfkXQYa3oJgdBEPynzA7diHuAUY6O7Cnr_m6QLxxA5PmSklKL4zgAIL0viqSaTwCLuL_oDbFqJOKtdg2F2ro/s400/red+wings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456134146489935378" /></a> 3 (OT)<div><br /></div><div><div>The Nashville Predators are the 5th team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot so far, as they break Detroit's 7-game win streak.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brian Rafalski scored the only goal of the 1st period to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the first 5:01 of the 2nd period, Shea Weber and Martin Erat had goals for Nashville, making it 2-1 Predators. Later in the 2nd, with about 4 minutes left, Nicklas Lidstrom tied it for Detroit, only to see J.P. Dumont score for Nashville with 43 seconds left in the period to give the Predators the lead once again.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't until 37 seconds left in the regulation when Pavel Datsyuk scored the game-tying goal for Detroit to send it to overtime in a 3-3 tie. But it didn't take long for Nashville to answer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ryan Suter ended it for the Predators 16 seconds into the overtime to give Nashville the win over their Central Division rivals.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pekka Rinne stopped 28 shots for Nashville and Jimmy Howard had 20 saves for Detroit.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Predators remain 5th in the West with 98 points and 2 games left, while the Red Wings remain 6th with 96 points, 1 up on 7th-place L.A., and have 4 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's the 5th time in the last 6 years that the Predators will make the playoffs in the Western Conference.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28bkZ8ViL6bTfasaAtwrv7eav_lSL5CkCtJqGySIDny9x8IaJm-YE9v1s8-85-eodPGKqzzLlSmGbnAwF0DUromE92d7AIAO4XI3Zdmz8UynPwgN3qfBf6S40Gb0p3wFsUtrF8lDDqkc/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28bkZ8ViL6bTfasaAtwrv7eav_lSL5CkCtJqGySIDny9x8IaJm-YE9v1s8-85-eodPGKqzzLlSmGbnAwF0DUromE92d7AIAO4XI3Zdmz8UynPwgN3qfBf6S40Gb0p3wFsUtrF8lDDqkc/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456134377730864162" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KREa9e3Sy0eZBdJhLJDHJDKEUcensBo8LMZWjQFy7ZIbbVdWICCEoYHeB7G4eG8raS5HcPyKCPnRBGElr68MpWKYjfM3SXjHkJvV_ljrfZk67Z1Qkhx3zZbqrx1SlUNjLakm8YyUR7Q/s1600/blue+jackets.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KREa9e3Sy0eZBdJhLJDHJDKEUcensBo8LMZWjQFy7ZIbbVdWICCEoYHeB7G4eG8raS5HcPyKCPnRBGElr68MpWKYjfM3SXjHkJvV_ljrfZk67Z1Qkhx3zZbqrx1SlUNjLakm8YyUR7Q/s400/blue+jackets.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456134379298943026" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington wins their franchise record 51st game of the season as they are now 51-15-12 on the year. They had a quick start, good goaltending, and good defense to defeat Columbus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alexander Semin, Tomas Fleischmann, and Mike Green scored the goals for the Capitals, all in the first 14 minutes of the game. Green's goal was on the power-play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Antoine Vermette scored a short-handed goal later in the 1st to cut the lead to 3-1 after 1.</div><div><br /></div><div>No goals were scored in the 2nd period, as the Capitals were holding their ground. Vermette would get his 2nd goal of the night with under 8 minutes left in the 3rd to make it interesting. But the Blue Jackets couldn't put another one past Jose Theodore and the Capitals prevailed, 3-2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Theodore ended the game with 34 saves for Washington. Mathieu Garon allowed the first 2 goals on the first 4 Capitals' shots before he was pulled for Steve Mason, who stopped 22 shots for Columbus.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Blue Jackets are 14th in the West with 77 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington now has 114 points, and they are 1 point away from clinching the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL. They have 4 games left in the season, 3 of them at Verizon Center.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSqvsqKp08YayLFwvLaM21OW-kgT3EXJt3e0ADCUtbfgTDt5-q0HhZQHyg847iX2tc75PheUWwoum_l0kIlyEKKiaiXYcm9mrt2As0tQ3TIHUq1ZrItXkjs3oY-_8DTvkMA27ruKr80A/s1600/ducks.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSqvsqKp08YayLFwvLaM21OW-kgT3EXJt3e0ADCUtbfgTDt5-q0HhZQHyg847iX2tc75PheUWwoum_l0kIlyEKKiaiXYcm9mrt2As0tQ3TIHUq1ZrItXkjs3oY-_8DTvkMA27ruKr80A/s400/ducks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456134541420875058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-fI6JCqRPMh-3X9M81PrbA4g40U-bkwig9pu8Fq0vLnLxtFElWafea9BI9FPSEsdU2Czir_Zx0oyNY-0oN9bRb4DWJheejKw7Cx7fQP7v1l14pbktJMsBPuSR4ejdf-rDeqr1vS3Sts/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-fI6JCqRPMh-3X9M81PrbA4g40U-bkwig9pu8Fq0vLnLxtFElWafea9BI9FPSEsdU2Czir_Zx0oyNY-0oN9bRb4DWJheejKw7Cx7fQP7v1l14pbktJMsBPuSR4ejdf-rDeqr1vS3Sts/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456134539427174898" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 1 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Round 5 of the Freeway Faceoff goes to Anaheim in a pretty sloppy, flow-less game in front of a sold-out Staples Center.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jack Johnson scored the only goal of the game for Los Angeles on the power play with 20 seconds left in the 1st period.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 2nd period was scoreless and the 3rd period was almost scoreless.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jarret Stoll took a tripping penalty with 2:13 left in the regulation, and the Ducks would take advantage of the advantage. Saku Koivu would put the puck past Jonathan Quick on a rebound to tie the game at 1 with only 1:32 left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Koivu would get the only goal of the shootout to give Anaheim the 2-1 win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Curtis McElhinney had 28 saves for the Ducks and Quick had 32 for L.A.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was the Kings first loss when leading after 2 periods, as they are 29-0-1 in that category.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anaheim isn't exactly dead yet, as they now have 85 points, tied with the Blues, and they sit 10th in the West. They are 4 points behind Colorado and Calgary who are tied for 8th. The Ducks have 4 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings are now up to 95 points, 6 points into a playoff spot with only 4 games left. They are 7th in the West, 1 point back of Detroit for 6th, and 3 back of Nashville for 5th with 2 games-in-hand on the Predators.</div><div><br /></div><div>These two teams meet again in Anaheim on Tuesday night.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Thrashers 3 <b>Penguins</b> 4 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta suffers another heartbreaker, losing out on a chance to set up a 3-way tie for 8th-place in the East. 2 nights after barely falling to Washington, they see their 3-2 lead over Pittsburgh vanish on a goal from Sergei Gonchar with only 1:14 left in regulation. Jordan Leopold's 1st goal as a Penguin gave them the win in overtime. The Thrashers are 10th in the East, a point behind both the Rangers and the Flyers, but Atlanta only has 3 games left--1 more against Pittsburgh, 1 against Washington, and 1 versus New Jersey--while New York and Philadelphia have 4 left. Pittsburgh is 4th in the East with 97 points, but they are tied with the Devils for the lead in the Atlantic Division.</div><div><br /></div><div>Senators 1 <b>Islanders</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>New York's win gives them 76 points on the year, and they sit 11th in the East. Ottawa remains clinched with 91 points, 5th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bruins </b>2 Maple Leafs 1 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Miroslav Satan scored the game winner for Boston in overtime--his 2nd goal of the night--to give the Bruins an important 2 points. They now have 84 and are 7th in the East, 2 up on Philadelphia and the Rangers who are tied in points for 8th, and 2 back of Montreal for 6th. Toronto has 72 points, last in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sabres 0 <b>Canadiens </b>3</div><div><br /></div><div>Jaroslav Halak collects his 5th shutout of the year for Montreal and his 2nd shutout in 2 nights. The Canadiens stay 6th in the East and move up to 86 points, moving them much more comfortably into a playoff spot. Buffalo remains 1st in the Northeast Division with 96 points, 3rd in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Devils </b>4 Hurricanes 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Martin Brodeur gets his 8th shutout of the year and his 109th of his career to keep the Devils tied with Pittsburgh for 1st in the Atlantic Division. They have the exact same record as the Penguins, but the Devils swept the season series, giving them the number 2 spot in the East. Carolina has 76 points and is 12th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rangers </b>4 Panthers 1</div><div><br /></div><div>A huge 4-goal 3rd period gives New York a big win, their 3rd-straight, to tie them in points for Philadelphia for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. The Rangers remain in 9th-place though because they have 2 fewer wins. Each team has 4 games remaining. Florida is 13th in the East with 74 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stars 1 <b>Blues </b>2</div><div><br /></div><div>St Louis' win pretty much ends the playoff hopes for Dallas, while at the same time keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. The Blues sit 11th in the West with 85 points, tied with Anaheim, 4 back of Colorado and Calgary who are tied for the 8th and final playoff spot. The Blues have 4 games left, while the Flames also have 4 left and the Avalanche have 5 to go. Dallas has 84 points, 5 points back of 8th, but they only have 3 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oilers 2 <b>Coyotes</b> 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Matthew Lombardi scored the only goal of the 8-round shootout in Phoenix to beat the last-place Oilers. Phoenix now has 102 points and remain 4th-place in the West. They are 4 points behind San Jose for 1st in the Pacific Division and Western Conference with 4 game left. Edmonton has 55 points, last in the league.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Red Wings @ Flyers, 12:30, NBC</div><div>Flames @ Blackhawks, 3:00</div><div>Sharks @ Avalanche, 8:00</div><div>Wild @ Canucks, 10:00</div></div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-70831080245615838392010-04-02T21:35:00.000-07:002010-04-02T22:14:15.752-07:00Avalanche Engulfed in Flames<div>On March 17th, the Flames were 9 points behind the Avalanche. They aren't anymore. Coming into Friday, Calgary was 2 back of Colorado for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. Their battle in Denver is Friday's Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJKRXTM9tj2cHeDJfPhndbxX_KgoJYJOY_Qd_BzzZoy-GfJtCpm6egz9LNrh2gb1AV0uuuSB8jhSGBZ6ieRzqpP5_-8wqXipAxWiOwXAV1Nyoxtg7-8X0I7xcuLTObyeBV4ftQDgvyIM/s1600/flames.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJKRXTM9tj2cHeDJfPhndbxX_KgoJYJOY_Qd_BzzZoy-GfJtCpm6egz9LNrh2gb1AV0uuuSB8jhSGBZ6ieRzqpP5_-8wqXipAxWiOwXAV1Nyoxtg7-8X0I7xcuLTObyeBV4ftQDgvyIM/s400/flames.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455765944739758722" /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrx5b3nCworcp8l5O4-5cAiRM8Ec4fq3Get2_n5Out4COA1lvzAIQlpUGxIv5AGZtvjKqMw1zvH2cQFWHGYnrcKpFu571msLYd-7pnFlvDoWdSEZ_g2IE6KGlGiKkKRm7GMcIml3gyfY/s1600/avalanche.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrx5b3nCworcp8l5O4-5cAiRM8Ec4fq3Get2_n5Out4COA1lvzAIQlpUGxIv5AGZtvjKqMw1zvH2cQFWHGYnrcKpFu571msLYd-7pnFlvDoWdSEZ_g2IE6KGlGiKkKRm7GMcIml3gyfY/s400/avalanche.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455765919524302338" /></a> 1<br /><div><br /></div><div>Colorado has been one of the best surprise stories in the league this year, but their dream run has run into some fire.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both goalies played very well tonight and the 1st goal of the game was scored 2:28 into the 2nd period off the stick of Nigel Dawes to give Calgary a 1-0 lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rene Bourque made it 2-0 2:11 into the 3rd period, but T.J. Galiardi would make it very interesting with a goal just over 5 minutes later to cut the lead back down to 1.</div><div><br /></div><div>But that was all the offense Miikka Kiprusoff would need, as he got the big win for Calgary on a 35-save night. Craig Anderson made 25 saves for Colorado.</div><div><br /></div><div>These two teams are now tied for 8th-place in the West with 89 points, but Colorado still sits in 8th because they have 1 more win and have played 1 fewer game.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Avalanche have 5 games left, 3 at home, while the Flames have 4 games left, 2 at home.</div><div><br /></div><div>The stretch run will be quite interesting--much more than Colorado would have hoped.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blackhawks</b> 2 Devils 1 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Kris Versteeg tied the game for Chicago with only 26 seconds left in regulation, and the Blackhawks rallied to beat the Devils in a shootout in Newark. Chicago now has 103 points, 2nd in the West, 3 back of San Jose for 1st. New Jersey's point ties them with Pittsburgh with 95 points for 1st in the Atlantic Division and 3rd in the East. Both Pittsburgh and New Jersey have the exact same record with 5 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Canadiens</b> 1 Flyers 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Montreal now has 84 points, moving up to 6th in the East, now 2 up on Boston and Philadelphia. The Flyers are all of a sudden the ones in trouble. They sit 8th with 82 points, only 2 up on the tied-9th-place Rangers and Thrashers. They are tied with Boston for 7th, but they have played 1 more game than the Bruins.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rangers</b> 5 Lightning 0</div><div><br /></div><div>The Rangers tie Atlanta in points for 9th with 80, and hold the spot themselves because they have 1 more win and a game-in-hand. They are 2 back of Philadelphia for 8th with a game-in-hand on them as well. 6 through 10 in the East (Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia, NY Rangers, Atlanta) are separated by only 4 points. Tampa Bay is 14th in the East with 74 points. Mike Smith allowed 4 goals on 7 shots for the Lightning in the first 15 minutes of the game.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sharks</b> 3 Wild 2</div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose remains 3 up on Chicago for the best record in the Western Conference with 106 points and they extend their lead on Phoenix in the Pacific Division to 6. Minnesota is 13th in the West with 80 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oilers 3 <b>Stars</b> 6</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't count the Stars out just yet, as they now have 84 points and continue to score. They're 5 points behind 8th-place Colorado and 9th-place Calgary, but their problem is that they only 4 games remaining. They would need some major help to sneak in. Edmonton is last in the league with 55 points--22 points behind the next-best team in the West, Columbus.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Canucks </b>5 Ducks 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Vancouver holds off Anaheim in a wild one at Honda Center. The Canucks now have 98 points and remain 3rd in the West. Anaheim is 12th in the West with 82 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Thrashers @ Penguins, 1:00</div><div>Senators @ Islanders, 2:00</div><div>Predators @ Red Wings, 2:00</div><div>Bruins @ Maple Leafs, 7:00</div><div>Sabres @ Canadiens, 7:00, NHL Network</div><div>Devils @ Hurricanes, 7:00</div><div>Rangers @ Panthers, 7:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Capitals @ Blue Jackets, 7:00, CSN</span></div><div>Stars @ Blues, 8:00</div><div>Oilers @ Coyotes, 10:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Ducks @ Kings, 10:30, FS West</span></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-69597533569458912532010-04-01T22:13:00.001-07:002010-04-01T23:06:48.318-07:00Kings Put up 8; BOS, PHI, ATL Fall<div>Apparently nobody actually wants the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. Of the 5 teams sitting 6 through 10--separated by only 4 points--and battling for the final 3 spots, 3 of them played tonight, and all of them lost. In the West, the Kings looked to stay on track as they were at home against the Northwest Division-leading Canucks. An offensive outburst in L.A. gives us Thursday's Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YV2OXIhHdZ3b3FV7oPGXZwwmryZrq4cEvWqbuba7i6_8kyeJCsb-fa2IkO5eRFLpagEzkL8uSZltqDCHsO0ECS44F-31q90LzUouTNSGJ6RqLhX5P3K2eQfh2hjh5_9tq23TmQDJ2BA/s1600/canucks.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YV2OXIhHdZ3b3FV7oPGXZwwmryZrq4cEvWqbuba7i6_8kyeJCsb-fa2IkO5eRFLpagEzkL8uSZltqDCHsO0ECS44F-31q90LzUouTNSGJ6RqLhX5P3K2eQfh2hjh5_9tq23TmQDJ2BA/s400/canucks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455404122538823826" /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1j5e2S-DbL1KuUqit8RKS1LcSspxXd8kYDn7pZT3nhYEpZY3wgBkvZwDala9CwetKwM1v6lYJSIyseMLgN_Lg3Xu3HYGyYV46ePj7WkqZW_aadeR40Pys44-xtdpMF0UxrNwIqg_TMPk/s1600/kings.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1j5e2S-DbL1KuUqit8RKS1LcSspxXd8kYDn7pZT3nhYEpZY3wgBkvZwDala9CwetKwM1v6lYJSIyseMLgN_Lg3Xu3HYGyYV46ePj7WkqZW_aadeR40Pys44-xtdpMF0UxrNwIqg_TMPk/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455404114249131986" /></a> 8<div><br /></div><div>At least for tonight, you can say that the Kings broke out of their recent offensive slump, and after some questioning, they show once again why they should be a true contender in the playoffs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jonathan Bernier was making his 3rd start of the year, his 2nd-straight, and the Kings gave him plenty of cushion early. They had a 3-0 lead after the 1st period, and were up 5-0 at the 10-minute mark of the 2nd in front of a sold-out Staples Center.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the Kings: Dustin Brown had a hat trick, and 1 goal each came from Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Alexander Frolov, Michal Handzus, and Jarret Stoll.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vancouver scored 2 quick goals later in the 2nd period, to put a little hesitation in the Kings, cutting the lead to 5-2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brown would score his 3rd of the night 3:30 into the 3rd to make it 6-2, but Kyle Wellwood would answer for the Canucks over a minute later to make it a 3-goal game again. 6:38 into the period, Justin Williams would all but put it away, making it 7-3 L.A.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wellwood would get 2 goals for Vancouver, and Ryan Kesler also tallied for the Canucks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Roberto Luongo played the whole game for the Canucks, allowing 8 goals on 29 shots. Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves to move to 3-0-0 on the year, allowing a total of 4 goals in those 3 starts.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Canucks remain 3rd in the West with 96 points and their magic number to clinch remains at 1. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings stay 7th, but with 94 points, they are now a much more comfortable 7 points ahead of the 9th-place Flames and are only a point behind Detroit for 6th and 2 behind Nashville for 5th with 5 games remaining.<br /><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiax41Lg5HxgTrrA3z8JcqB4s5kqtm1MK-tHcHuR09KFghIn8CHFiosiRO-Ux4_m8q9hI_quAcKVO8wp-dMjOlZZJLacEpoXMAICV7rpopd00hW3E3mhmV0va9GtLVd5IV7Xg0glXT9ZqQ/s1600/thrashers.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiax41Lg5HxgTrrA3z8JcqB4s5kqtm1MK-tHcHuR09KFghIn8CHFiosiRO-Ux4_m8q9hI_quAcKVO8wp-dMjOlZZJLacEpoXMAICV7rpopd00hW3E3mhmV0va9GtLVd5IV7Xg0glXT9ZqQ/s400/thrashers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455404259827645810" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 1 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePOZ2Oe5bsWEafwl7RAM0Zvs5tTM8mChFA8MiTmevg8D_v2GgSWoEJwVqXyWad7W41Sh-HLkv_rB62OJwufvf61sGM7GtbH5tZsPFNFbnrkySjnp1pWEytEyrr7GLO-TKMHYj39KQwEo/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePOZ2Oe5bsWEafwl7RAM0Zvs5tTM8mChFA8MiTmevg8D_v2GgSWoEJwVqXyWad7W41Sh-HLkv_rB62OJwufvf61sGM7GtbH5tZsPFNFbnrkySjnp1pWEytEyrr7GLO-TKMHYj39KQwEo/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455404256688147362" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to be nice here and not use the word 'boring,' but let's just say that a game featuring a team fighting for their playoff lives going against the top offensive team in the NHL should be a bit more up-beat.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the Capitals did what they had to do to finish off a potential first-round opponent in the Thrashers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 1st and 2nd periods saw a total of 13 shots each, with both teams trading 7-6 advantages. The 1st goal of the game was scored by Nicklas Backstrom on a deflection of a Mike Green shot with 58 seconds left in the 1st period.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tim Stapleton would tie it for Atlanta with 2:09 remaining in the 2nd period, giving the Thrashers life as they had done a pretty good job holding the Capitals in check for the first couple of periods.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Atlanta couldn't slip the big goal they needed past Semyon Varlamov. </div><div><br /></div><div>Matt Bradley did squeak a big goal past Ondrej Pavelec 9:46 into the 3rd period, and that was all she wrote.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pavelec finished with 22 saves for Atlanta, while Varlamov stopped 19 for Washington.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Capitals have already wrapped up top spot in the East, and they now have 112 points with 5 games remaining and 3 of those at the Verizon Center, including one more against Atlanta. It was the 50th win for the Capitals, and they have an 8 point lead over the Sharks for the best record in the NHL.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Thrashers loss keeps them in 9th with 80 points but still only 2 points back of Philadelphia, Montreal, and Boston, thanks to the Flyers and the Bruins falling on this night. They have 4 games remaining while those 3 other teams each have 5. The Rangers, who sit 2 points behind Atlanta in 10th, have 6 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Panthers</b> 1 Bruins 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Florida's Scott Clemmesen shuts down Boston with a 36-save performance, and Keith Ballard scored in the 1st period to give the Panthers all they would need. Boston has 82 points and they remain tied for 6th with Philadelphia and Montreal, but sit in the 8th spot because of fewer wins. Florida is 13th in the East with 74 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sabres 2 <b>Maple</b> <b>Leafs</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>Toronto holds off the Northeast Division-leading Sabres at Air Canada Center. Buffalo remains at 96 points, 2nd in the East, a point ahead of Pittsburgh. They hold a 5 point lead over Ottawa for tops in the division. Toronto is last in the East with 71 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flyers 4 <b>Islanders</b> 6</div><div><br /></div><div>New York puts up 6 on the Flyers and they beat them for the 1st time in their last 16 tries, going 0-12-3 in their last 15 against Philadelphia. The Flyers sit 6th in the East with 82 points but are only 2 points ahead of 9th-place Atlanta. The Islanders are 12th in the East with 74 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hurricanes 3 <b>Senators</b> 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Ottawa holds off Carolina in a shootout to win their 6th-straight, clinch and playoff spot, and pull within 5 points of Buffalo for the lead in the Northeast Division. They have 91 points and sit 5th in the East, 3 back of New Jersey for 3rd, but Ottawa only has 4 games remaining while the Devils have 6 and the Sabres have 5. Carolina is 11th in the East with 76 points, 6 points behind 8th, but they only have 4 games left as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blue Jackets 2 <b>Red</b> <b>Wings</b> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Detroit keeps rolling as their win gives them their 7th-straight and they now have 95 points on the season. They are 6th in the West, a point behind Nashville for 5th and 5 points behind Phoenix for 4th, with a game-in-hand on each. They are a point ahead of the Kings who sit in 7th. Columbus is 14th in the West with 77 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blues 2 <b>Predators</b> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Nashville holds their lead over Detroit in the West, collecting 96 points on the year. They are 5th in the West but are only a point up on Detroit on 2 up on L.A., each of whom have 2 games-in-hand on the Predators. They are, however, still next in line to clinch a spot. St Louis is 10th in the West with 83 points, 7 points back with only 5 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Friday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Blackhawks @ Devils, 7:00, NHL Network</div><div>Canadiens @ Flyers, 7:00</div><div>Rangers @ Lightning, 7:30</div><div>Sharks @ Wild, 8:00</div><div>Oilers @ Stars, 8:30</div><div>Flames @ Avalanche, 9:30</div><div>Canucks @ Ducks, 10:00, Prime Ticket</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-13880278342821065972010-03-31T21:10:00.000-07:002010-03-31T21:50:40.614-07:00Flames Within 2<div>The biggest story of the night on this 7-game Wednesday was the race for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The 8th-place faltering Avalanche were at home against Anaheim, while the 9th-place Flames were at home versus Phoenix. The Flames needed a win to stay at least 4 points within Colorado, and that is our Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rd25tVdGnRWXdSGvbgT9FAGMiAJ_MQzzOR7Ruv8T80OFu0HN-jd0vRdnZAsLIiGIICaQTD3pK3G1GYNpychxjaXKsSxh0vV04ecoD7IxQTU69OuC04ed8e8R6HnOj8lAeIADWFqmUuE/s1600/coyotes.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rd25tVdGnRWXdSGvbgT9FAGMiAJ_MQzzOR7Ruv8T80OFu0HN-jd0vRdnZAsLIiGIICaQTD3pK3G1GYNpychxjaXKsSxh0vV04ecoD7IxQTU69OuC04ed8e8R6HnOj8lAeIADWFqmUuE/s400/coyotes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455016854399018610" /></a> 1 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZdZ5RAQtZACdSkr4pwiJGpRBydwghPEpxQl7wTLii9UTeCCiQ5TGnKAUukHv3gNJ9InofMiIDvx0sr1b1_aWiU3F8uL_5TYgrKcoVBmAQmqt864I3G3Abz9zP46eZW_IS6aiF89zG_k/s1600/flames.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZdZ5RAQtZACdSkr4pwiJGpRBydwghPEpxQl7wTLii9UTeCCiQ5TGnKAUukHv3gNJ9InofMiIDvx0sr1b1_aWiU3F8uL_5TYgrKcoVBmAQmqt864I3G3Abz9zP46eZW_IS6aiF89zG_k/s400/flames.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455016851685812642" /></a> 2<br /><div><br /></div><div>After being shutout by Boston, 5-0, on Saturday and sitting a tough 6 points out of a playoff spot, Calgary is all of a sudden on the verge of tying Colorado for 8th.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, the Flames beat the Capitals in Washington and Colorado lost to the Sharks in San Jose. That put Calgary within 4 points. Tonight, the Ducks held off Colorado, and Calgary is now within 2 points of the Avalanche for 8th with their win over Phoenix.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nobody found the back of the net until the 2nd period, when Rene Bourque put Calgary ahead 1-0 on the power-play 14:23 into the period.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the 3rd, Ales Kotalik put it past Jason LaBarbera 3:46 into the period to make it 2-0 Calgary. But Phoenix would make it interesting with a goal from Lee Stempniak with just under 7 minutes to go to make it 2-1.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miikka Kiprusoff held his ground and gave Calgary a huge win on home ice. He finished the game with 29 saves. Jason LaBarbera got the start for Phoenix in place of the usual Ilya Bryzgalov and played well, also ending the game with 29 saves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix' loss keeps them at 100 points, and 4th-place in the West, 4 points behind San Jose for the lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Flames now have 87 points on the year and have 5 games remaining. They are 2 points behind the 8th-place Avalanche, who have 6 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fight should be interesting the rest of the way, and it will be made even more interesting very quickly, as the Flames face off with the Avalanche in Denver on Friday with a chance to tie them in points.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Panthers 2 <b>Sabres</b> 6</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo wins their 3rd-straight and extends their Northeast Division lead to 7 points over Ottawa. They also jump over Pittsburgh for 2nd-place in the East with 96 points. Florida is 14th in the East with 72 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hurricanes</b> 2 Canadiens 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Carolina keeps their very slim playoff hopes alive, as they will have to run the table in their remaining 5 games and hope for some help from other teams. But they'll take every win they can get, as they keep going in a very positive direction after a dismal 1st half of the season. They have 75 points, sit 11th in the East, and are 7 points back of 8th. Montreal loses their 2nd-straight, and although they remain tied in points with Philadelphia and Boston, with 82, the Canadiens sit in the 8-spot because they have played 1 more game than each of the other two teams. They are only 2 points up on the 9th-place Thrashers and 4 up on the 10th-place Rangers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lightning</b> 2 Penguins 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Steven Stamkos and Steve Downie would score for Tampa Bay, as they stun the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Mike Smith made 27 saves to record his 2nd shutout of the year for the Lightning. Pittsburgh's lead over New Jersey in the Atlantic Division remains at 1, and they drop down to 3rd in the Conference with 95 points. Tampa Bay is 12th in the East with 74 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blackhawks</b> 4 Wild 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Chicago finally gets back on track, as Antti Niemi made 21 saves for his 7th shutout of the season. Chicago moves up to 101 points, 2nd-place in the West, 3 back of the Sharks for 1st with a game-in-hand. Minnesota is 13th in the West with 80 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sharks 1 <b>Stars</b> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>The last time San Jose was in Dallas, the Stars put up an 8-spot and won 8-2. It wasn't much of a better showing on Wednesday. Steve Ott recorded a hat trick for Dallas, and Evgeni Nabokov allowed all 5 goals for San Jose on only 21 Stars' shots through the first 2 periods. The Sharks remain 1st in the West with 104 points. Dallas has 82 points and sits 12th in the West, 7 points back of 8th.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ducks</b> 5 Avalanche 2</div><div><br /></div><div>A huge loss on home ice for Colorado could come back to haunt them. Maybe they're panicking because they're such a young team trying to handle the pressures of making the playoffs, but whatever it is, they better get back to playing the hockey they were playing the whole year that got them in the top 8 in the first place. Jason Blake had a point on every Ducks' goal, finishing with a goal and 4 assists. Anaheim is 11th in the West with 82 points. Colorado has gone 1-5-1 in their 7 games, and have seen their playoff positioning melt before their eyes. They still remain 8th in the West with 89 points, but are only 2 up on Calgary with a game-in-hand on the Flames. Friday night is showdown night in Denver, and the Avalanche better have a quick turnaround because in comes Calgary with a chance to tie Colorado in points in a head-to-head matchup.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Panthers @ Bruins, 7:00</div><div>Sabres @ Maple Leafs, 7:00</div><div>Flyers @ Islanders, 7:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Thrashers @ Capitals, 7:00, CSN, Versus</span></div><div>Hurricanes @ Senators, 7:30</div><div>Blue Jackets @ Red Wings, 7:30</div><div>Blues @ Predators, 8:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Canucks @ Kings, 10:30, FS West, NHL Network</span></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-21146912947328475102010-03-30T22:29:00.001-07:002010-03-30T22:36:22.172-07:00Kings End Slump; BOS, ATL Both Win<div>The battle for 8th in the East rages on and the fight at the top of the West continues as well. But the Kings came into Tuesday on a 4-game losing streak and headed to Nashville to play the Predators, a team they are chasing in the West standings. That is our Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wmvKPaxnmFp0UpRwEnQU99VfXkVEvJlMyW35gbvP4ANQJVwKMH7yjWuu5_6ims0lJ9GlMh0U-88cpboX7BZTwaxPcdr9e9g6ZuqHDU3Wx6Vrk4AVCI3g9m_N711UPZf5Xs5dHw1wgNE/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wmvKPaxnmFp0UpRwEnQU99VfXkVEvJlMyW35gbvP4ANQJVwKMH7yjWuu5_6ims0lJ9GlMh0U-88cpboX7BZTwaxPcdr9e9g6ZuqHDU3Wx6Vrk4AVCI3g9m_N711UPZf5Xs5dHw1wgNE/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454652897134189170" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVKgCRkeMTV9HkX-NKyqaUcaddhlobNhJOTlUlnSSL9gy3DvV2CywlTgwdndGinaYwg-EQhrpo2OzDi78BZ93lFNWa0Xo6jrA4jgiOR7JRklNPZAvmGvWVCSvjLZ7sVzYbiPsOf19Hnc/s1600/predators.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVKgCRkeMTV9HkX-NKyqaUcaddhlobNhJOTlUlnSSL9gy3DvV2CywlTgwdndGinaYwg-EQhrpo2OzDi78BZ93lFNWa0Xo6jrA4jgiOR7JRklNPZAvmGvWVCSvjLZ7sVzYbiPsOf19Hnc/s400/predators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454652890009776770" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 0<div><br /></div><div>The Kings had lost all 3 games against Nashville so far this year, and were 0-6-1 against them going back to last year.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Jonathan Bernier, former 1st-round pick, made his 2nd start of the season. In his 1st start on March 12th in Dallas he let up 1 goal. He let up fewer tonight.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game was scoreless after 2 periods. The Kings outshot the Predators 18-8 in the 1st period, and the Predators outshot the Kings 15-4 in the 2nd. The only scoring came in the 3rd.</div><div><br /></div><div>Scott Parse scored 7:50 into the 3rd period to record his 3rd goal in the last 2 games to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. Sean O'Donnell would tally his 3rd goal of the season to seal it for the Kings with 2:01 left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jonathan Bernier gets his 1st career shutout and is now 2-0-0 this season. He ended the game with 34 saves. Pekka Rinne also played great for Nashville, as he ended with 29 saves.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings now have 92 points, sit in 7th in the West, and are 7 points up on 9th-place Calgary with only 6 games remaining. L.A. is 3 up on 8th-place Colorado, 1 point behind the Red Wings for 6th, and now only 2 points behind Nashville for 5th with 2 games-in-hand on the Predators.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2OR6KHmyTNpGxi9ejaZDCr3YwhaNXbUHrpe6WKJL4UWxutYBMZnyPWJSem9LdVoX7mlVbIlNCB47FK590Gfs0mcA4AhX6qUOWFFK3VXGse42_i-KKxn44Y3xyEAzIc_ydUUW0C0r5HM/s1600/senators.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2OR6KHmyTNpGxi9ejaZDCr3YwhaNXbUHrpe6WKJL4UWxutYBMZnyPWJSem9LdVoX7mlVbIlNCB47FK590Gfs0mcA4AhX6qUOWFFK3VXGse42_i-KKxn44Y3xyEAzIc_ydUUW0C0r5HM/s400/senators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454653029130122466" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 5 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjol5WIaJcIQIkFuMZXfzDcSsRFEye27RFor4l50Eo6tCUPsoCViTesjUVZHR8zHhoMHavTy0YWsnzc3OUx11z1SlKuueS02nvlUxb3j2oWw209cadXnPKUFfCndYJaDwoMj0myzt8xcqo/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjol5WIaJcIQIkFuMZXfzDcSsRFEye27RFor4l50Eo6tCUPsoCViTesjUVZHR8zHhoMHavTy0YWsnzc3OUx11z1SlKuueS02nvlUxb3j2oWw209cadXnPKUFfCndYJaDwoMj0myzt8xcqo/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454653028339773106" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Another awful 1st period for Washington, but another offensive and explosive comeback, only to see it fall short in overtime.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Capitals looked like they were sleeping in the 1st period for the 2nd-straight game. In fact, they have allowed 13 or more shots in each of the last 5 first periods. They hadn't done that all year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ottawa outshot the Capitals 13-4 in the 1st period, and had a 3-1 lead going into the 2nd. Peter Regin started the scoring for the Senators 1:24 into the game. Alex Semin would tied it for Washington 3 minutes in.</div><div><br /></div><div>A minute-and-a-half later, Jason Spezza made it 2-1 Ottawa, and Chris Campoli made it 3-1 with 4 minutes left in the period.</div><div><br /></div><div>Semin would get his 2nd of the night to start the comeback 12:04 into the 2nd period. Mike Green on a one-time slapshot tied it at 3 only 54 seconds later.</div><div><br /></div><div>Only 24 seconds into the 3rd period, Mathieu Perreault showed again why he provides so much energy for the Capitals. He made a great move on Brian Elliott to give Washington a 4-3 lead. But about 5 minutes later, Jason Spezza tied it on the power-play for the Senators.</div><div><br /></div><div>In overtime, Nicklas Backstrom would be called for a tripping penalty with 32 seconds left. While the place was getting to their feet to cheer on the penalty-kill, Alex Kovalev deflected a shot past Jose Theodore and ended the game with 19 seconds left before the shootout.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ottawa finished 3-for-4 on the power-play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Theodore made 26 saves for the Capitals, once again looking a bit shaky, especially in the 1st period. Brian Elliott made 17 saves for Ottawa, only facing 21 shots.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Senators are up to 89 points in the East and they sit in 5th-place. The Capitals remain tops in the league with 110 points, a 15-point lead in the East, and a 6-point lead over the Sharks for the best record in the league.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thrashers</b> 3 Maple Leafs 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta needs every win they can get in their final 6 games of the year, and this was a good start as they hang on against Toronto. The win gives them 80 points, but they remain 2 back of 8th-place Boston because of the Bruins' win over New Jersey. Boston has a game-in-hand on Atlanta. The Thrashers last 5 games of the season include 2 against Washington, 2 against Pittsburgh, and 1 against New Jersey--not exactly a walk in the park. Boston will play Washington twice, Florida, Toronto, Buffalo, and Carolina. Toronto has 69 points, last in the East, and are now officially eliminated.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bruins</b> 1 Devils 0 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Big win for Boston in New Jersey, staying 2 points up on Atlanta for the 8th and final playoff spot. Patrice Bergeron put in the only goal of the game in overtime. Boston now has 82 points, and are tied with Philadelphia and Montreal for 6th, but sit in 8th because of fewer wins. The Flyers in 6th and the Rangers in 10th are all separated by only 4 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rangers</b> 4 Islanders 3</div><div><br /></div><div>The Rangers hang on to beat their New York rivals on Long Island. They have 78 points and remain 10th in the East and 4 back of Boston for 8th, 2 back of Atlanta for 9th. They have 6 games remaining. The Islanders are 13th in the East with 72 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lightning 2 <b>Blue</b> <b>Jackets</b> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Columbus' win gives the 77 points and they are 14th in the West, while the falling Lightning are down to 14th in the East with only 72 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oilers 4 <b>Red</b> <b>Wings</b> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>Detroit had a 4-0 lead over Edmonton with less than 3 minutes left in the 2nd period. By the time the halfway mark rolled around in the 3rd, it was 4-4. The Red Wings wouldn't panic though, and Brad Stuart would tip one in past Jeff Deslauriers with only 1:07 left in regulation. The win gives Detroit their 6th-straight, and they are 9-0-1 in their last 10. They move up to 93 points and sit 6th in the West, 1 point behind Nashville for 5th and 1 point up on L.A. in 7th. After thinking they might struggle to make the playoffs, the Red Wings are now 8 points into a spot with only 6 games left. Edmonton has 55 points, worst in the league.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blackhawks 2 <b>Blues</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>Chicago loses their 3rd-straight, falling to a Blues team who moves to within 6 points of Colorado for the 8th-spot in the West. St Louis has 83 points, 10th in the West, and even a run of the table in their last 6 games might not be enough to snag the 8th-spot, but you never know. The Blackhawks remain at 99 points, 2nd-place in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coyotes 1 <b>Canucks</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix fails to move closer to the top-spot in the West, as they remain at 100 points, the 3rd-best record in the NHL. But they sit 4th in the West, 4 points behind San Jose for 1st-place in the Pacific Division. Vancouver is 3rd-place in the West with 96 points, trying to move in on Chicago for 2nd.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Wednesday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Panthers @ Sabres, 7:00</div><div>Hurricanes @ Canadiens, 7:00</div><div>Lightning @ Penguins, 7:30, Versus</div><div>Blackhawks @ Wild, 8:00, Versus</div><div>Sharks @ Stars, 8:30</div><div>Ducks @ Avalanche, 9:00, FS West</div><div>Coyotes @ Flames, 9:30</div></div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-1839208659210685952010-03-29T22:06:00.000-07:002010-03-29T22:14:31.802-07:00Kings Lose 4th Straight; BOS, ATL Both Fall<div>On a night where the battle for the 8th-spot in the East was in full swing, neither of the teams included in that fight could get a point. In the West, L.A. was trying to rest a bit more easy in the top 8. Their 4th-straight loss won't help. It wasn't pretty, but it is Monday's Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94MIK2vfNhyphenhyphenr4XeIXrkc2jg60_0Po8EPS_jRmOmX9WKNt3Y6jKc3JGQZ7_-MepcQhmFubI6wwdyKP7PSxotJ29Rg_WfZkqDbuXjOsJUlp14KkLT2VvcR70dOqFC6NiPNU2s0wmCB-m3A/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94MIK2vfNhyphenhyphenr4XeIXrkc2jg60_0Po8EPS_jRmOmX9WKNt3Y6jKc3JGQZ7_-MepcQhmFubI6wwdyKP7PSxotJ29Rg_WfZkqDbuXjOsJUlp14KkLT2VvcR70dOqFC6NiPNU2s0wmCB-m3A/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454256155684426610" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ll6twLBYmjQIqURaMdw2hqiu7_s5azGRtcL7eCDYE4QBMNNgi25ujVoMUJ92eQfwW_ti3OFdju4Xdz3hdIq6ZYthmkmtS61QYlm1cjWkKtFRTY0P8Z01xqnR2TcqCjVoitgv063nHj8/s1600/wild.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ll6twLBYmjQIqURaMdw2hqiu7_s5azGRtcL7eCDYE4QBMNNgi25ujVoMUJ92eQfwW_ti3OFdju4Xdz3hdIq6ZYthmkmtS61QYlm1cjWkKtFRTY0P8Z01xqnR2TcqCjVoitgv063nHj8/s400/wild.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454256147760313234" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3<div><br /></div><div>A few weeks ago, the Kings were comfortably sitting in a playoff spot in the West, knowing full well that this could and should be their first season of playoffs since 2001-2002. In fact, L.A. was even 1st place in the Western Conference a couple of months back.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not saying they're in any danger, but they might just want to watch their backs and pick it up a bit--or, a lot. Not making the playoffs would be an unimaginable disaster after years of this team falling short of expectations.</div><div><br /></div><div>But anyway, back to the game. The Kings came into Monday losers of 3-straight, and hoping to break that against the Wild, a team they have beaten 2 of 3 times this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a scoreless 1st period, Owen Nolan tallied on the power-play for Minnesota just over 1 minute into the 2nd. Brent Burns would make it 2-0 7:26 into the period.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings would cut the lead in half on a goal by Scott Parse later in the 2nd. Parse would score his 2nd of the night, providing the only offense for the Kings, 1:25 into the 3rd period to tie the game at 2.</div><div><br /></div><div>But after a failed opportunity on a 2-minute 2-man-advantage, the Kings would allow a power-play goal to the Wild off the stick of Martin Havlat 7:38 into the 3rd. And that was all she wrote.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings would finish 0-for-5 on the power-play, including a couple of 2-man-advantages, while the Wild went 2-for-3.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jonathan Quick faced only 20 Minnesota shots, and ended the game with 17 saves. Niklas Backstrom stopped 29 shots for the Wild.</div><div><br /></div><div>Minnesota has 80 points on the year and they sit 12th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings are now 0-3-1 in their last 4, and are only 5-7-2 since the Olympic Break. They sit in the 7 spot in the West with 90 points. They are 1 point up on the the 8th-place Avalanche and only 5 points ahead of the 9th-place Flames, with a game-in-hand on Calgary and 7 games to play. But they are still only 1 point behind Detroit for 6th, and 4 points behind Nashville for 5th. </div><div><br /></div><div>They play in Nashville on Tuesday night, a team on which they hold 2 games-in-hand, and it looks like Jonathan Bernier will get the start and try to erase the Kings' losing streak. He won his only start of the year so far in Dallas, 2-1 in a shootout.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sabres </b>3 Bruins 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Boston loses out on a chance to move further into a playoff spot in the East with their loss over the Northeast Division-leading Sabres. The Bruins remain in the 8th and final playoff spot 2 points ahead of the 9th-place Thrashers and 4 up on the 10th-place Rangers. But they are still just 2 points back of Montreal for 7th and Philadelphia for 6th. Buffalo has already clinched a spot, as they lead the Northeast Division by 7 points and sit 3rd in the East, a point behind Pittsburgh for 2nd.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hurricanes</b> 4 Thrashers 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta can't capitalize on the Boston loss, as they fall to Carolina and split the home-and-home with the Hurricanes. The Thrashers remain in 9th in the East, 2 points behind Boston, and they have 6 games left and have played 1 more game than the Bruins. Carolina is up to 73 points, 11th in the East, and actually only 7 points back of 8th. But with 2 other teams ahead of them, even a run of the table might not be enough for Carolina, who is doomed by there horrendous 1st half.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Predators </b>3 Panthers 2 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Patric Hornqvist scored the game-tying goal for Nashville with just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation, and Francis Bouillon netted the game-winner a minute into overtime to give the Predators a 3-2 rally win in Sunrise. Nashville sits 5th in the West with 94 points, 3 ahead of 6th-place Detroit and 4 up on 7th-place L.A. They have played at least 1 more game than every other team in the West and have only 5 games left, but sit a comfortable 9 points up on the 9th-place Flames and are next in line to clinch a spot. Florida is 13th in the East with 72 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stars 1 <b>Ducks </b>3</div><div><br /></div><div>Anaheim gets a win over Pacific Division-rival Dallas on a night where they paid tribute to one of their best players of all time, Teemu Selanne, and his entrance into the 600-goal club. Selanne did get an assist on Nick Bonino's first career NHL goal in the 2nd period. The Ducks are 11th in the West with 80 points, while the Stars also have 80 points but sit in the 13 spot.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Thrashers @ Maple Leafs, 7:00</div><div>Bruins @ Devils, 7:00</div><div>Rangers @ Islanders, 7:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Senators @ Capitals, 7:00, CSN</span></div><div>Lightning @ Blue Jackets, 7:00</div><div>Oilers @ Red Wings, 7:30</div><div>Blackhawks @ Blues, 8:00, Versus</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Kings @ Predators, 8:00, FS West</span></div><div>Coyotes @ Canucks, 10:00</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-25085229084641498812010-03-28T21:21:00.001-07:002010-03-29T06:16:14.087-07:00Caps Clinch #1 in East, Fall to FlamesNone of the 6 games on Sunday really deserves the Game of the Night, but since I have to pick, I'm going to go with a Western Conference battle between the Avalanche and the Sharks in San Jose:<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn1mDmOe38JPezB-Rb8_c-ULdA1_IIuj2M5doNJSD_4M__t1oYAoE2SxEFNbxwSFjOG9xJwOxMjvxREt8SgVV_jMEkPrXreW5AEj2eY-gx34BUxkEWvSRie8TmCFHxp1Q1iUIcWWWM0w/s1600/avalanche.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn1mDmOe38JPezB-Rb8_c-ULdA1_IIuj2M5doNJSD_4M__t1oYAoE2SxEFNbxwSFjOG9xJwOxMjvxREt8SgVV_jMEkPrXreW5AEj2eY-gx34BUxkEWvSRie8TmCFHxp1Q1iUIcWWWM0w/s400/avalanche.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453906690450602498" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3SZqISGP-6rl5k0USi47RlgKpzLcuAZNa3KtgrC5bKgb0DlEYhDa6o17gYjRgdsVDQbFysMfaNdu0oRrb5trlc264xb03cCKqGJPJ2bWA3mMru1fQy62O1i_jqbofa-DQinK8-r-wNM/s1600/sharks.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3SZqISGP-6rl5k0USi47RlgKpzLcuAZNa3KtgrC5bKgb0DlEYhDa6o17gYjRgdsVDQbFysMfaNdu0oRrb5trlc264xb03cCKqGJPJ2bWA3mMru1fQy62O1i_jqbofa-DQinK8-r-wNM/s400/sharks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453906684670529410" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado's road to the playoffs got a little bit more slippery tonight with a loss against the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Devin Setoguchi, Jed Ortmeyer, Dan Boyle, and then Setoguchi again tallied for San Jose, while Kevin Porter scored for the Avalanche and Peter Mueller scored twice.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Sharks had a 1-0 lead after the 1st period, only to see Colorado score 2 straight in the 2nd. Ortmeyer's goal late in the 2nd period brought the game to a 2-2 tie heading to the 3rd.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was 3-3 in the 3rd when Setoguchi's 2nd of the night with less than 6 minutes remaining in regulation put the Sharks up 4-3.</div><div><br /></div><div>Craig Anderson made 28 saves for Colorado, as Thomas Greiss got the start for San Jose and helped the Sharks survive with 42 saves, his 7th win of the season.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado remains at 89 points and sits in the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. They are only 4 points up on the the 9th-place Flames with 7 games left, and have a game-in-hand on Calgary. They are 1 point back of 7th, 2 back of 6th, and 3 back of 5th.</div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose has already clinched a spot as they sit 1st in the West with 104 points, 5 points behind the Capitals for the best record in the league.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VXqGcCGOtfjuxZhCvLaZiDWlt6JoDwAxaeQqnXJYvJfxTI3R8OclZcYakaOVkayp3hdTi2IIcbnrCzrMZ3_wVk-sCVBTxfsgMId16alXSYV0xedH_uquiJbUx0iOnpz9jw0lV4AtRm4/s1600/flames.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VXqGcCGOtfjuxZhCvLaZiDWlt6JoDwAxaeQqnXJYvJfxTI3R8OclZcYakaOVkayp3hdTi2IIcbnrCzrMZ3_wVk-sCVBTxfsgMId16alXSYV0xedH_uquiJbUx0iOnpz9jw0lV4AtRm4/s400/flames.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453908640742714194" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 5 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmQoVe44Nd9mEVUJaTy_tv-mDsOq-rcGKj8QlVVp-aBkNq1aOtSOnsscyy_D6gn4cnFTDeDhCyzK1bx-m9g60kb7PNIt82aXd_613b3BI_sqVKNS0ZF5nLE5b54JeYdhQk9VzalbnQXc/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmQoVe44Nd9mEVUJaTy_tv-mDsOq-rcGKj8QlVVp-aBkNq1aOtSOnsscyy_D6gn4cnFTDeDhCyzK1bx-m9g60kb7PNIt82aXd_613b3BI_sqVKNS0ZF5nLE5b54JeYdhQk9VzalbnQXc/s400/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453908637422107138" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>A terrible start tonight for the Capitals doomed them as they could never come back from a 4-0 1st period deficit at the Verizon Center.</div><div><br /></div><div>Calgary came into the game knowing full well that they needed this one, and that it wasn't going to be easy against the best home team in the NHL. The Flames were shutout by Boston on Saturday and lost on Long Island Thursday, greatly hurting their playoff chances. They weren't about to lose again Sunday.</div><div><br /></div><div>Calgary jumped all over the Capitals in the 1st period, putting up 4 on goals by Ales Kotalik, Ian White, Jay Bouwmeester, and Niklas Hagman.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jose Theodore let up the 1st 3 for the Capitals on 10 shots, before he was pulled for Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov ended up getting the loss, as he stopped 10 of the Flames' final 12 shots.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alex Ovechkin made it 4-1 early in the 2nd, but Rene Bourque answered late that period to put the Flames up 5-1. David Steckel closed out the period with a goal to cut the lead to 5-2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone knew the Capitals would make a game out of it, and that's what they did as Mathieu Perrault scored on the power-play less than 5 minutes into the 3rd. The rest of the 3rd was all Washington, but Miikka Kiprusoff held his ground for the Flames.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kiprusoff ended up making 31 saves, including 19 of the 20 Capitals' 3rd period shots. The Capitals outshot Calgary in the 3rd by a total of 20-2.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Flames now have 85 points and sit 9th in the West, 4 points back of Colorado for 8th and 5 back of L.A. for 7th. But they only have 6 games left and have played 1 more game than the Avalanche and 2 more than the Kings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington loses for only the 5th time in regulation at home all season, as they remain tops in the Eastern Conference and in the NHL with 109 points. </div><div><br /></div><div>With the Devils' loss to Philadelphia later in the night, Washington clinched the #1 seed in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Maple Leafs 4 <b>Penguins </b>5 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pittsburgh's win moves them back atop the Atlantic Division, 2 points ahead of the Devils, but they have played 1 more game than New Jersey, and they sit 2nd in the East with 95 points. Toronto has 69 points on the year, last in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oilers 1 <b>Blues </b>2</div><div><br /></div><div>The Blues have won 2-straight and move up to 81 points and sit 10th in the West. Too little too late, though, for St Louis, as their lousy home record is what will help keep them out of the playoffs. They are 8 points back of 8th with only 7 games remaining. Edmonton has 55 points, last in the NHL, and 20 points behind the next-best team in the West, Columbus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Devils 1 <b>Flyers </b>5</div><div><br /></div><div>Philadelphia gets a huge win over their Atlantic Division rivals and they jump back up to 6th in the East with 82 points. They are tied in points with Montreal, but the Canadiens are 7th because of 1 fewer win. The Flyers are 2 points up on the the 8th-place Bruins, and 4 points ahead of the 9th-place Thrashers. New Jersey drops to 4th in the East because of their drop to 2nd in the Atlantic, but they have already clinched a spot and have 93 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blue Jackets </b>4 Blackhawks 2</div><div><br /></div><div>When it gets later in the season, teams that are out of it and have nothing to lose are usually the toughest teams to play against for teams that have already clinched, as was the case tonight in Chicago. Columbus' win gives them 75 points on the year, and they sit 14th in the West. Chicago has 99 points, and they are 2nd in the West with a playoff spot in their back pockets.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Sabres @ Bruins, 7:00, Versus</div><div>Hurricanes @ Thrashers, 7:00</div><div>Predators @ Panthers, 7:30</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Kings @ Wild, 9:00, FS West</span></div><div>Stars @ Ducks, 10:00, Prime Ticket</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-38437327578045856312010-03-27T20:19:00.000-07:002010-03-27T22:16:37.250-07:00DET Climbing; NJ, BUF, PIT, PHX Clinch<div>4 teams clinched playoff berths on Saturday--3 in the East and 1 in the West--to bring the total up to 7, joining Washington, Chicago, and San Jose. Detroit was recently on the bubble in the West, but as they keep winning, they keep climbing. Saturday's Game of the Night goes to their Central Division matchup in Nashville:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKgsLDnKR_9QdUFXkIudn3jDU3I4-hAPJUJTiKn883vjaeWnEVU_FOpZ7_qOZwXw-tUntVAGnUow5H_W17b8mDBRh2udzvauUCZiktraOvWVPAUMy93OE_8JF-n3Ngu78TokcWxn7im4/s1600/red+wings.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKgsLDnKR_9QdUFXkIudn3jDU3I4-hAPJUJTiKn883vjaeWnEVU_FOpZ7_qOZwXw-tUntVAGnUow5H_W17b8mDBRh2udzvauUCZiktraOvWVPAUMy93OE_8JF-n3Ngu78TokcWxn7im4/s400/red+wings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453521232009808674" /></a> 1 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGoUlvf4l7m-XGl7ZBy48I54Ia4MbXDQ5qqc0BYCbctbeRAPgRlj_-oW5gERPwjG-PSQOar6IxI1yIp24IX2uo0M_IUyzXwQuRnyl8Z_R15dmby4wF2oNJl8eGO4_jhweUIDHQeKiXwI/s1600/predators.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 25px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGoUlvf4l7m-XGl7ZBy48I54Ia4MbXDQ5qqc0BYCbctbeRAPgRlj_-oW5gERPwjG-PSQOar6IxI1yIp24IX2uo0M_IUyzXwQuRnyl8Z_R15dmby4wF2oNJl8eGO4_jhweUIDHQeKiXwI/s400/predators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453521225910403202" /></a> 0 (SO)<div><br /></div><div>5 rounds of the shootout passed before any rubber was put behind a goaltender the entire night in Nashville, and it took 11 rounds before the game was settled.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nobody could beat Jimmy Howard or Pekka Rinne through 65 minutes, as both goaltenders get credit for a shutout. Howard made 33 saves for the Red Wings to get his 2nd shutout of the year, while Rinne made 38 saves for the Predators to get his 7th shutout of the year and his 4th this month.</div><div><br /></div><div>Todd Bertuzzi scored the 1st goal of any kind in the 5th round of the shootout for Detroit, but Nashville's Steve Sullivan kept it alive.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't until Niklas Kronwall scored in the 11th round for Detroit on his 1st career shootout attempt to give the Red Wings the 2-1 shootout win, and the 1-0 game win. It was their 5th win overall, and helps solidify their playoff positioning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Detroit now has 91 points and they jump to 6th in the West, a point ahead of both Los Angeles and Colorado, but they have played 1 more game than each of those teams. They are now only 1 point behind the Predators for 5th with a game-in-hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>These two Central Division rivals meet for the 6th and final time of the season next Saturday in Detroit.<br /><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuAjcLqS0jmeURrhrUyR4Oxu1GouVItnaNiG5LWHpY594bPLp-C-vlc1RIm2PjclYZC17z7D4nH1yilERUoz26RI1eDxr4xh3oeTLV0It7bwP7NrkoFROBYaFwUe_JHacwM-SIRZunvk/s1600/stars.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuAjcLqS0jmeURrhrUyR4Oxu1GouVItnaNiG5LWHpY594bPLp-C-vlc1RIm2PjclYZC17z7D4nH1yilERUoz26RI1eDxr4xh3oeTLV0It7bwP7NrkoFROBYaFwUe_JHacwM-SIRZunvk/s400/stars.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453521430166716290" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbPsnYYEACbBBL9Nzql0WZ2hgrlAZGup4EvXq65IjmeBqIdT3aCeie_8oPQfCcJBwBj7ntYhMhDMcB9smIYQ1cIh4HUyiebiczWDC5dhNopYHNJFck3NZ7vgTBRhrgUBMfpsWoZxTYE4/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbPsnYYEACbBBL9Nzql0WZ2hgrlAZGup4EvXq65IjmeBqIdT3aCeie_8oPQfCcJBwBj7ntYhMhDMcB9smIYQ1cIh4HUyiebiczWDC5dhNopYHNJFck3NZ7vgTBRhrgUBMfpsWoZxTYE4/s400/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453521426038286770" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 1</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings lose their 3rd-straight game in front of the 20th sellout of the season at Staples Center. Their black alternate jersey, the one they will be wearing throughout the playoffs when they go "Back in Black," couldn't help them this time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Michal Handzus did give L.A. a 1-0 lead, scoring on the power-play 15:52 into the 1st period. Dallas would come up with 3 goals in the 2nd period, all on the power-play. Brendan Morrow made it 1-1 only 17 seconds into the period, and 2 from Brad Richards put the Stars up 3-1 going into the 3rd.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dallas would get their 4th power-play goal of the game from Steve Ott 48 seconds into the 3rd period to put them up 4-1 and all but end it. The Stars went 4-for-7 on the power-play.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings had won all 5 of the previous meetings with Dallas this season, and were trying to sweep a 6-game season series versus any opponent for the first time in their history.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves for Dallas, and Jonathan Quick stopped 21 for L.A.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Stars are 10th in the West with 80 points, but are 9 behind the Avalanche for the 8th and final playoff spot.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings are still comfortably in the Western Conference playoffs, but mostly due to Calgary's recent losses. They remain 7th in the West with 90 points, 7 points ahead of the 9th-place Flames. They are only a point in front of 8th-place Colorado, but are still only 1 point back of Detroit for 6th and 2 points behind Nashville for 5th. They have a game-in-hand on the Red Wings and 2 on the Predators and they have a total of 8 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Flames 0 <b>Bruins </b>5</div><div><br /></div><div>Tim Thomas recorded his 5th shutout of the season for Boston as the Bruins took down the desperate Calgary Flames. Boston is now 7th in the East with 80 points, tied in points with the Flyers, but they have a game-in-hand on now-8th-place Philadelphia. They are 2 points behind Montreal for 6th, but are still only 4 points ahead of the 9th-place Thrashers. Calgary is now in deep trouble. They are 6 points behind the Avalanche for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West, and they only have 7 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flyers 1 <b>Penguins </b>4</div><div><br /></div><div>Pittsburgh clinches a playoff spot with their win over their Atlantic Division rivals who are suddenly one of the most desperate teams in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers have dropped to 8th-place in the East, only 2 points up on 9th-place Atlanta and 4 up on the 10th-place Rangers. They are tied with Boston in points for 7th, and 2 behind Montreal for 6th. The Penguins remain tied in points with the Devils for 1st in the Atlantic Division, but they have played 1 more game than New Jersey. They are 4th in the East with 93 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lightning 1 <b>Sabres </b>7</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo's win, led by Derek Roy's 4th career hat trick, clinches them a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, as they sit atop the Northeast Division with 92 points. They have a 5-point lead over Ottawa in the division with 2 games-in-hand, and are only 1 point behind New Jersey for 2nd in the East. Patrick Lalime got the win for Buffalo, his 200th of his career. Tampa Bay has 72 points and they are 12th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rangers 2 <b>Maple Leafs</b> 3 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>A huge loss for the Rangers greatly impacts their playoff hopes. They are by no means out of the race, but no one will be happy with a loss to the last-place Leafs when your team is desperate for points. New York had a 2-0 lead after the 1st period, but Toronto tied it up, and Nikolai Kulemin ended it 39 seconds into the overtime. The Rangers' point gives them 76 and keeps them 10th in the East, 4 points behind Philadelphia for the 8th and final spot, and 2 points behind Atlanta for 9th, with 7 games left. Toronto has 68 points, last in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Devils</b> 4 Canadiens 2</div><div><br /></div><div>New Jersey clinches a playoff berth for the 13th-straight year with their win over Montreal, who are by no means guaranteed a spot in the East yet. The Devils have 93 points and remain 1st in the Atlantic Division and 2nd in the East. Montreal all of a sudden finds themselves only 4 points in a playoff spot. They have 82 points and sit 6th in the East. They are 2 points ahead of 7th and 8th-place Boston and Philadelphia, and are 4 points up on the 9th-place Thrashers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Panthers 2 <b>Senators </b>3</div><div><br /></div><div>Ottawa moves themselves further into a playoff position, as they now have 87 points, 5th in the East. They're only 5 points behind Buffalo for 1st in the Northeast Division, but have played 2 more games than the Sabres and have only 6 games left. Florida is 13th in the East with 71 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thrashers </b>4 Hurricanes 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta gets a big win over their Southeast Division rivals in the front end of a home-and-home with Carolina, helped in big part by Johan Hedberg's 2nd shutout of the season for the Thrashers. Atlanta remains 9th in the East with 78 points, 2 back of both Boston and Philadelphia for the 8th and final playoff spot. Carolina is 14th in the East with 71 points.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Islanders </b>4 Blue Jackets 3 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Josh Bailey put in the winner for New York in overtime, as they beat Columbus for only their 11th road win of the season. The Islanders are 11th in the East with 72 points and the Blue Jackets are 14th in the West with 73 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Avalanche 2 <b>Coyotes </b>6</div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix was handed their playoff spot earlier in the day when Calgary lost in Boston, and clinching their 1st berth since 2002 was made to feel even better with their rout over Colorado in front of a packed house in Glendale to give them 100 points on the year. The 100 points have them 2nd in the Pacific Division, 2 points behind the Sharks for 1st, and 4th in the West. For Colorado, the bad news is that they fall to 8th in the Western Conference with 89 points, but the good news is that they are 6 points ahead of the Flames. Colorado has a game-in-hand on Calgary as well, and are a point behind 7th-place L.A. and 2 behind 6th-place Detroit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Canucks 2 <b>Sharks</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>A 3-goal 2nd period is all San Jose would need to down Northwest Division-leading Vancouver. The Sharks remain 1st in the Pacific Division and 1st in the Western Conference with 102 points, 2 points ahead of Phoenix in the division and 3 points up on Chicago in the conference. They are 7 points behind the Capitals in the President's Trophy race for best record in the league. Vancouver stays 3rd in the West, as they hold on to their 5-point lead over Colorado for tops in the Northwest Division.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Flames @ Capitals, 3:00, CSN</span></div><div>Maple Leafs @ Penguins, 5:00</div><div>Oilers @ Blues, 6:00</div><div>Devils @ Flyers, 7:00</div><div>Blue Jackets @ Blackhawks, 7:00</div><div>Avalanche @ Sharks, 8:00</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-1620331294734018262010-03-26T21:01:00.000-07:002010-03-26T21:36:28.257-07:00Wings Win Again, Sens tooDetroit extends their winning streak and their playoff cushion at the same time, while Buffalo has a chance to clinch a berth with a win over Ottawa. The Northeast Division battle is Friday's Game of the Night:<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY13ATtgI2ttFjkKhmXu7FwuOM7tRaoPuTaBBuWTEsZA1gc978_ZHQuEq7vGoVBV8EjQwLQtZ7w977UHBME8nBjH8z8PtntRONtnN2GU8tL26518t5GhO-LpT0xwtclsOaPhAPG0sRK1c/s1600/senators.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY13ATtgI2ttFjkKhmXu7FwuOM7tRaoPuTaBBuWTEsZA1gc978_ZHQuEq7vGoVBV8EjQwLQtZ7w977UHBME8nBjH8z8PtntRONtnN2GU8tL26518t5GhO-LpT0xwtclsOaPhAPG0sRK1c/s200/senators.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453159956445269922" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUPbul2hyotd217yScom0VSkqseE0AOHD4IQuoTwUCWZ5kGILzbcskDH4N7jrBZDePalcTYp5pkVJhG_xo-qnksoAjGaOMMOaDKT3LnyDmrhhyphenhyphen66LQJ0qQHHvKqhl6aziiMigIMxBrII/s1600/sabres.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUPbul2hyotd217yScom0VSkqseE0AOHD4IQuoTwUCWZ5kGILzbcskDH4N7jrBZDePalcTYp5pkVJhG_xo-qnksoAjGaOMMOaDKT3LnyDmrhhyphenhyphen66LQJ0qQHHvKqhl6aziiMigIMxBrII/s200/sabres.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453159949920208642" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2</div><div><br /></div><div>The domination continues. Buffalo had a chance to become the 4th team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot tonight at home at HSBC Arena. That will have to wait another night. Buffalo trying to find a different way to beat the Senators will have to wait as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Senators are 5-0-0 against the Sabres this year, and have won the last 9 versus Buffalo going back to last season. The 6th and final meeting of the year will be April 10th in Ottawa, which is the Senators' final game of the season and the Sabres' 2nd-to-last.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chris Kelly started the scoring 6:42 into the 1st period to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead. Peter Regin made it 2-0 Senators 5:36 into the 2nd period.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tim Kennedy bounced one in past Brian Elliott to cut the lead in half for Buffalo, but Jason Spezza was quick to answer on the power-play to put the Senators up by 2 once again, 3-1. They would take that lead into the 3rd.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jason Pominville scored 1:34 into the 3rd period for Buffalo just after an astounding save from Ryan Miller to cut the lead to 1. But they couldn't solve Elliott again, and Daniel Alfredsson sealed it with an empty-net goal with 1 second remaining to give the Senators the 4-2 win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brian Elliot made 41 saves for the Senators to record his 3rd-straight win after 2 consecutive shutouts. Ryan Miller made 27 saves for Buffalo.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not only did Ottawa spoil the chance for the Sabres to clinch a playoff spot, but their win keeps their chance to overcome Buffalo for the Northeast Division title alive. The Senators now have 85 points, sitting 5th in the East, and are 5 points back from Buffalo for 1st in the Northeast. The Sabres, though, do have 2 games-in-hand, as they sit 3rd in the East with 90 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Wild 2 <b>Red</b> <b>Wings</b> 6</div><div><br /></div><div>Detroit wins their 4th-straight game and they are 8-1-1 in their last 10. They remain 8th in the West, tied with Colorado in points for 7th with 89, but they extend their lead over the 9th-place Flames to 6 points. Both the Flames and Red Wings have 8 games left, while the 7th-place Avalanche have 9 left, as well as the 6th-place Kings who have 90 points. 5th-place Nashville is within Detroit's grasp as well, as the Predators have 91 points, only 2 ahead of the Red Wings, and Detroit has a game-in-hand on. Minnesota has 78 points and they are 13th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ducks</b> 3 Oilers 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Edmonton's winning streak is halted at 3 as they're downed by the Ducks at home. After beating Detroit, San Jose, and Vancouver, they will finish their 4-game homestand 3-1-0. Anaheim breaks a 2-game losing streak of their own, as they move to 78 points and sit 11th in the West. Edmonton remains at 55 points, last in the West and last in the NHL.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday's Schedule (ET):</div><div><br /></div><div>Flames @ Bruins, 1:00</div><div>Flyers @ Penguins, 1:00</div><div>Lightning @ Sabres, 7:00</div><div>Rangers @ Maple Leafs, 7:00</div><div>Devils @ Canadiens, 7:00, NHL Network</div><div>Panthers @ Senators, 7:00</div><div>Thrashers @ Hurricanes, 7:00</div><div>Islanders @ Blue Jackets, 7:00</div><div>Red Wings @ Predators, 8:00</div><div>Avalanche @ Coyotes, 9:00</div><div>Canucks @ Sharks, 10:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Stars @ Kings, 10:30, FS West</span></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-68493785908697117752010-03-25T22:05:00.000-07:002010-03-25T22:17:36.219-07:00Two New Teams Clinch Playoff Berths<div>Playoff-clinching scenarios are starting to pop up around the NHL, and Chicago and San Jose become the latest teams to clinch a berth so far. But the races for 8th are still on as well, and the Rangers had a huge game against their Atlantic Division rivals in New Jersey. That is Thursday's Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN03uJF3V8g3QE-QgSk8CpRSJxKu9iVN9qbBtNM6BOt_KYQ8lYhHki8-dt7zsf1fA2LFdAMsjhIL7Xxud3FhRqfwZZPXDzkN83z46fy0b2x4H-bBTFNVvHWsg6ky2PS-0t_35mfwFN964/s1600/rangers.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN03uJF3V8g3QE-QgSk8CpRSJxKu9iVN9qbBtNM6BOt_KYQ8lYhHki8-dt7zsf1fA2LFdAMsjhIL7Xxud3FhRqfwZZPXDzkN83z46fy0b2x4H-bBTFNVvHWsg6ky2PS-0t_35mfwFN964/s200/rangers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452773612268914530" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RLDs0-yc1U6RQ5nrE3dC13uS86EgnfHagST2gpCgE1rkge-2Vv1oa7Supu3-u3Pb9sJ8JozvRbE3nyRxppoXAnt0WqWJpv2WuCbIAvJjH96usaOwklUAqMQHfs93yyOWbPWYIQb8mQI/s1600/devils.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RLDs0-yc1U6RQ5nrE3dC13uS86EgnfHagST2gpCgE1rkge-2Vv1oa7Supu3-u3Pb9sJ8JozvRbE3nyRxppoXAnt0WqWJpv2WuCbIAvJjH96usaOwklUAqMQHfs93yyOWbPWYIQb8mQI/s200/devils.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452773603073661298" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 (SO)<div><br /></div><div>New York needed a last-second comeback to send it to overtime, and they beat the Devils in a shootout to pick up 2 huge points that keep their playoff hopes alive.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Devils could never pull away from the Rangers in this gritty game between the Atlantic Division rivals, and Henrik Lunqvist was a big reason why. In the end, it came back to haunt them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ilya Kovalchuk scored the 1st goal of the game 5:21 into the 1st period to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead. That was the only goal of the period, and then Brandon Dubinsky would score the only goal of the 2nd period to tie the game at 1 for the Rangers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Patrik Elias made it 2-1 for the Devils, with Artem Anisimov answering for the Rangers to make it 2-2 halfway through the 3rd. Jamie Langenbrunner put the Devils up for the 3rd time with 7:23 left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>But after a no-look backhand pass from Erik Christensen, Chris Drury found the back of the net past Marty Brodeur with only 17 seconds left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game would go to a shootout, where Christensen would score the only goal, giving the Rangers a 4-3 win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both goalies made some huge saves throughout the night, but Lundqvist would get the win, making 35 saves. Brodeur ended the game with 28 saves.</div><div><br /></div><div>The win moves the 10th-place Rangers to 75 points and within 3 points of the Bruins, who lost tonight, for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. They are 1 point behind the 9th-place Thrashers. The Rangers have 8 games left, and have played 1 more game than Boston.</div><div><br /></div><div>New Jersey's point moves them back into a tie with Pittsburgh in points, with 91, for 1st in the Atlantic Division and 2nd in the East. The Devils hold those spots themselves, though, because they have played 1 more game than the Penguins. New Jersey has 9 games remaining.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecTzlR_Llts1fMNUbh7s-S1mBYZyIKf6d96LQc6EAZvIkBaXU_cLvAaGmGUNEQYOIXrTtCWozUA0UB580OhEVT7Wr52r5mWfpnXjrqnNUgrUSsVo2LqHmZMC00HYunEbfI_SqdkzHras/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecTzlR_Llts1fMNUbh7s-S1mBYZyIKf6d96LQc6EAZvIkBaXU_cLvAaGmGUNEQYOIXrTtCWozUA0UB580OhEVT7Wr52r5mWfpnXjrqnNUgrUSsVo2LqHmZMC00HYunEbfI_SqdkzHras/s200/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452773967301425314" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICRpAkco95-eRGqFRMRJCmFFEbkiXp9uuTxJAH8nWOiPhXOBKTtOXCo7GKq5TV8f0Dd3lzouSTk2JLUXEKPHLINQ05d-5zgSIYCsrlnq4QZ76kQNmQrrgh_V8xxeMNal6ABVXN5vFCDY/s1600/hurricanes.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICRpAkco95-eRGqFRMRJCmFFEbkiXp9uuTxJAH8nWOiPhXOBKTtOXCo7GKq5TV8f0Dd3lzouSTk2JLUXEKPHLINQ05d-5zgSIYCsrlnq4QZ76kQNmQrrgh_V8xxeMNal6ABVXN5vFCDY/s200/hurricanes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452773962332933010" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>This was the final meeting of the year between these two Southeast Division rivals, and all 5 have been tough battles from start to finish. This one was no different. It was the 4th time the Capitals and Hurricanes went past regulation in their 6-game season series.</div><div><br /></div><div>Carolina scored their 2 goals in regulation in the first 10 minutes of the game. Jamie McBain started it off 2:11 into the 1st period, and Bryan Rodney made it 2-0 about 9 minutes in. Semyon Varlamov didn't look very sharp at first, but it didn't help that the Capitals' defense were nowhere to be found.</div><div><br /></div><div>But for the final 50 minutes, Varlamov was on his game, keeping Washington in the game and giving them a chance to come back. The problem for the Capitals, though, was that Carolina's Manny Legace was on top of his game as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alexander Semin cut the lead in half to 2-1 almost 2 minutes into the 2nd period. It would stay this way until 2:12 into the 3rd period, when young defenseman John Carlson scored his first NHL goal to tie the game at 2 for Washington.</div><div><br /></div><div>Manny Legace would end up making 41 saves for Carolina, not including 4 of the 5 Capitals to shoot in the shootout.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nicklas Backstrom scored in the shootout on the Capitals' first shot, but Legace would then stop Ovechkin, Semin, Fleischmann, and Green, while Ray Whitney and Chad Larose beat Varlamov to give Carolina the 2-1 win in the shootout, and the 3-2 win in the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Varlamov made 29 saves for the Capitals, and each team ended the season series with 1 win in regulation, and 2 wins in either overtime or a shootout.</div><div><br /></div><div>Carolina has 71 points and are 13th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>For a team that has known the playoffs were in their future for a long time, the Capitals haven't backed off one bit. They are 8-1-3 since the Olympic break, and 25-3-5 since January 5th. Their point gives them 109 on the year, a franchise record, and they are a point away from clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 8 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCQX9R2wYAPRtmqmsjkDKDhfZcthh2o38i3FeW8v6l1-Mrc7enQ6-FLeFWUfDlSQBcZu-xlzBhIETMWvNhip9uxEXWzYeNF5_0R3p2xKeXLTHkDWD125AfzbRFIIfXQSanOGMxUsUnC8/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCQX9R2wYAPRtmqmsjkDKDhfZcthh2o38i3FeW8v6l1-Mrc7enQ6-FLeFWUfDlSQBcZu-xlzBhIETMWvNhip9uxEXWzYeNF5_0R3p2xKeXLTHkDWD125AfzbRFIIfXQSanOGMxUsUnC8/s200/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452774214506618626" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 1 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tz6tVvzXvxbmDyVkZSVrlZez9vxnaa-YTq8bM31zxLnBlsO3_ktE-EcFDdovRZYgbEJhbk6C6VUOhWYlRNsQs65Hh5UJKCZqm2FYBEvZKdj-ih3aaZ-8OHTx67mowm-P88LQ2VBNRio/s1600/blues.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tz6tVvzXvxbmDyVkZSVrlZez9vxnaa-YTq8bM31zxLnBlsO3_ktE-EcFDdovRZYgbEJhbk6C6VUOhWYlRNsQs65Hh5UJKCZqm2FYBEvZKdj-ih3aaZ-8OHTx67mowm-P88LQ2VBNRio/s200/blues.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452774210895186786" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>St Louis keeps their very slim playoff hopes alive with a 3-1 win over the Kings. </div><div><br /></div><div>B.J. Crombeen started the scoring for the Blues 3:57 into the 1st period to give them an early 1-0 lead. T.J. Oshie would make it 2-0 Blues just over a minute into the 2nd period, and St Louis would take that lead into the 3rd.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dustin Brown scored on the power-play for the Kings 4:38 into the 3rd period to cut the lead to 2-1, and L.A. totally dominated the first half of the 3rd period.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chris Mason saved the game for the Blues in the 3rd, making 15 saves in that period alone, ending the game with 30 saves.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings went 1-for-7 on the power-play against the #2 penalty-killing team in the NHL.</div><div><br /></div><div>Paul Kariya bounced one just passed Jonathan Quick with 6 minutes left in regulation to give St Louis a 3-1 lead and seal it for the Blues, who take 3 of 4 from the Kings in the season series.</div><div><br /></div><div>L.A. slips to 6th in the West, with 90 points, 1 point behind the Predators for 5th, but they have 2 games-in-hand on Nashville. They're only 3 points ahead of the 8th-place Red Wings, but 7 points up on the 9th-place Flames.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Blues have 79 points and sit 10th in the West, 8 points out of 8th with only 8 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lightning </b> 5 Bruins 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Tampa Bay keeps their very slim playoff hopes alive with a win over the 8th-place Bruins. Steven Stamkos scored 2 goals for the Lightning and he now has 45, tying him for the most in the NHL with Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. With the loss, Boston loses ground to both the 9th-place Thrashers, who got 1 point tonight, and 10th-place Rangers, who got 2. Boston has 78 points and are 2 points ahead of Atlanta and 3 ahead of New York for the 8th and final playoff spot, but they do have a game-in-hand on each team. Tampa Bay has 72 points, 8 behind the Bruins with only 8 games remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flames 2 <b>Islanders </b>3</div><div><br /></div><div>A huge loss for Calgary on Long Island considerably diminishes their playoff hopes in the West. They are sitting 9th in the West, and the loss keeps them at 83 points, 4 behind Detroit for 8th. The Flames have 8 games left, and Detroit has 9. That would usually seem very doable, but the way the Red Wings have been playing lately, it might be difficult. What made it worse tonight was that the Flames came into the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead over New York. The Islanders have 70 points and are 14th in the East. The Flames had a 20-minute closed-door meeting after the game with some harsh words given, I'm sure. It won't get any easier for Calgary, as they play in Boston on Saturday and in Washington on Sunday.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wild </b>4 Flyers 3 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Minnesota rallied with two 3rd period goals to send it to overtime and eventually got the win in Philadelphia. The point moves the Flyers to 80, as they sit 7th in the East. They're 2 points behind the 6th-place Canadiens, but are only 2 points ahead of 8th-place Boston and only 4 points up on the 9th-place Thrashers. The Wild have 78 points and sit 12th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Maple Leafs </b>2 Thrashers 1 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Thrashers did move closer to 8th win a point against Toronto, but they believe it should have been more. Both regulation goals were scored only 1:05 apart in the 1st period, and the game would stay tied all the way into overtime, when the Leafs ended it just 39 seconds in. Atlanta, though, does move up to 76 points, 2 points behind Boston for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. Toronto is up to 66 points but they remain last in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blackhawks 3 <b>Blue Jackets </b>8</div><div><br /></div><div>After shutting out Phoenix in the battle for tops in the West and showing the non-believers why Chicago's questionable goaltending could take them far into the playoffs, they have a meltdown that shows why the goaltending question has been there all year. Cristobal Huet stopped only 20 of 27 shots, and Antti Niemi stopped 4 of 5 when he came into the game for the final minutes of the 2nd period. The good news for Chicago, however, is that they became the 2nd team to have clinched a playoff spot so far because of Calgary's regulation loss on Long Island (San Jose became the 3rd team to clinch later in the night). They have 99 points and sit 2nd in the West, 1 point behind San Jose for 1st. Columbus has 72 points and are 14th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div>Panthers 1 <b>Canadiens </b>4</div><div><br /></div><div>Florida scored their only goal of the game with 3:36 left in regulation to cut the Canadiens' lead to 2-1, but Montreal made sure they didn't lose a late 2-goal lead for a 2nd night in a row. Montreal's win moves them up to 82 points and they sit 6th in the East, a point behind Ottawa for 5th and 2 points ahead of 7th-place Philadelphia. Florida has 71 points and they are 12th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coyotes 3 <b>Predators </b>4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>With a win, Phoenix could have clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2001-02 season. That will have to wait another day, but it will come very soon as their magic number stays at 1. Phoenix scored 2 goals in the final 7 minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime and eventually a shootout. Nashville's win gives them 91 points and jumps them over the Kings and Avalanche for 5th in the West. They are 1 point ahead of L.A. and 2 points ahead of Colorado, but they have played 2 more games than both of those teams. Phoenix is up to 98 points, 4th in the West, but only 2 points behind the Sharks for 1st in the Pacific Division.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stars 0 <b>Sharks </b> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Evgeni Nabokov recorded his 3rd shutout of the year to give San Jose 100 points on the season and make the Sharks the 3rd team to clinch a playoff spot at this time, and the 2nd team in the West along with Chicago. They are 1st place in the Western Conference, a point ahead of 2nd-place Chicago, and 2 points up on 2nd-place Phoenix in the Pacific Division. Dallas remains 11th in the West with 78 points, 9 points out with only 8 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Friday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Senators @ Sabres, 7:30</div><div>Wild @ Red Wings, 7:30</div><div>Ducks @ Oilers, 9:00, FS West</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-28139986984654915052010-03-24T19:42:00.000-07:002010-03-25T20:05:37.367-07:00Living up to the HypeThe Penguins and the Capitals are two of the most heated rivals in the NHL, and with games like this one, that won't end any time soon. I don't think there's much question about Wednesday's Game of the Night:<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28ktEswnB50tD1JDom7WLCba6sXBgoHW6UQra-_QDikg6X_x_kfhKMsrCohHDJquzkvF1ZrymB-FTIR4VEAEHw0BpRo2UQXgK79o_RbrG06wEa5YSWiJs_NfcFJzXLontqLyPWKxi5fc/s1600/penguins.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28ktEswnB50tD1JDom7WLCba6sXBgoHW6UQra-_QDikg6X_x_kfhKMsrCohHDJquzkvF1ZrymB-FTIR4VEAEHw0BpRo2UQXgK79o_RbrG06wEa5YSWiJs_NfcFJzXLontqLyPWKxi5fc/s200/penguins.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452402846732914546" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuiCkggx8lZ7fY-nUsCQGKdhWNraIvaofU9_bmrgEdOJpUPQYDkXRXH1qXDJ4Evis8pgZzw-_DhfZLXCBooKOIeE2l438HIMxsvSn-lMoJbylOOCSKKogI4eKXovNE_qCE313mAaOZGA/s1600/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuiCkggx8lZ7fY-nUsCQGKdhWNraIvaofU9_bmrgEdOJpUPQYDkXRXH1qXDJ4Evis8pgZzw-_DhfZLXCBooKOIeE2l438HIMxsvSn-lMoJbylOOCSKKogI4eKXovNE_qCE313mAaOZGA/s200/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452402840304885026" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>They did it again. An epic battle from start to finish, with a back-and-forth regulation, a frantic overtime, and a shootout that was an unbelievable game all in itself; and it wasn't all about Crosby and Ovechkin this time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jose Theodore stood his ground in a scoreless first period, stopping 17 Pittsburgh shots. The 1st goal of the game came from Mike Knuble 1:09 into the 2nd period to give Washington a 1-0 lead. After the goal, Marc-Andre Fleury shined for the rest of the 2nd period.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maxime Talbot and Bill Guerin scored for the Penguins in the 2nd, and Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead into the 3rd period.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the 3rd, it was the other Alex that stole the show. With the Capitals short-handed, Alexander Semin intercepted a Sidney Crosby pass in the defensive zone, and raced down the ice. He cut to the slot and unleashed a wicked wrist shot to wake up the 50th consecutive sellout crowd at Verizon Center.</div><div><br /></div><div>Almost 2 minutes later, Eric Fehr deflected a Mike Green shot and put Washington up 3-2. Jose Theodore continued to play awfully well throughout the 3rd period including a huge save that preserved the Capitals lead for the time being with about 3:30 left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>But with 3:06 remaining, Jordan Staal snapped a wrist shot that eluded the glove of the screened Theodore, tying the game at 3 for Pittsburgh.</div><div><br /></div><div>A back-and-forth overtime couldn't solve it, and then came the shootout.</div><div><br /></div><div>The home team has the opportunity to choose whether they want to shoot first or not in the shootout, and most of the time, they choose to go first. But the Capitals let the Penguins shoot first in this one, and it didn't get off to a good start.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby scored on the Penguins' first 2 shots of the shootout, but then everything that had to go right for the Capitals did go right, as they scored 3-straight goals and won the shootout 3-2. Ovechkin kept it alive in the 2nd round, Semin in the 3rd, and Mike Knuble, who was 0-for-3 in shootout attempts in his career, scored in the 4th round to win it for Washington. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jose Theodore is 17-0-2 in his last 19 games, and the Capitals are 27-4-4 at home.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Penguins were without Evgeni Malkin for the 11th game this season. They have won only 3 of those games, and Sidney Crosby hasn't scored a goal in any of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>The win gives the Capitals 108 points on the season, 17 points ahead of the 2nd-place Penguins in the East. The point for the Penguins, however, moves them into 1st-place in the Atlantic Division, a point up on the Devils, but they have played 2 more games than New Jersey.</div><div><br /></div><div>These two teams meet for the final time in the regular season in Pittsburgh on April 6th.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihM5QBauV6qZZFiBk6QpTl0W9YS6tr9Em_AJn_Aunpq7pb4R1Xdj1yM0HjdTBfoPUn-6RyvttLi2VQXNJ0jEPnJlY314ER2ubGCAfZUbhxtS1ek4jDFZTJdYv3NHti01C2bykwn-ePLCw/s1600/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihM5QBauV6qZZFiBk6QpTl0W9YS6tr9Em_AJn_Aunpq7pb4R1Xdj1yM0HjdTBfoPUn-6RyvttLi2VQXNJ0jEPnJlY314ER2ubGCAfZUbhxtS1ek4jDFZTJdYv3NHti01C2bykwn-ePLCw/s200/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452405608749370962" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlP2ASvvxSYY3kcHZvWgJZheXP9eSxX6XQdjwzVrgxDtIViGVq1ZRz7Dz5VsOqDTFJhdfGChN__MWWtYO2toIyTFaM2Y1_wXKmNXHE0pkqYncR1h2Y9-cTNLR4O36xVZv5fw5I4Fe7xY/s1600/avalanche.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlP2ASvvxSYY3kcHZvWgJZheXP9eSxX6XQdjwzVrgxDtIViGVq1ZRz7Dz5VsOqDTFJhdfGChN__MWWtYO2toIyTFaM2Y1_wXKmNXHE0pkqYncR1h2Y9-cTNLR4O36xVZv5fw5I4Fe7xY/s200/avalanche.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452405605310179298" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>On Monday in L.A., the Avalanche tied the game against the Kings late in the 3rd period to get a point, but lost it in overtime. On Wednesday in Denver, the opposite happened.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado's Matt Hendricks started the scoring 7:38 into the 1st period, and Anze Kopitar tied it for the Kings just over 2 minutes later.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny would score power-play goals for the Avalanche in the 1st period to give them a 3-1 lead and have the Kings pull Jonathan Quick. Erik Ersberg came in for the 1st time in 11 games and stopped all of the final 14 shots, keeping L.A. in the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a scoreless 2nd period, Drew Doughty scored on the power-play only 40 seconds into the 3rd to cut the lead to 3-2. And with only 1:21 left in regulation, Alexander Frolov would tuck in the game-tying goal, again on the power-play.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game would go to a shootout, where the Avalanche prevailed. Craig Anderson stopped 27 shots for Colorado.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado's win gives them 89 points on the year and moves them to 6th in the West. They are tied in points with Nashville but have a game-in-hand on the Predators. The big point for the Kings moves them up to 90 and gives them sole possession of 5th in the West. They have a game-in-hand on Colorado and 2 on Nashville. They also have 2 on the Coyotes, the team they trail by 7 points for 4th.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings play in Denver again for their last game of the regular season, April 11th.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Islanders 0 <b>Rangers </b>5</div><div><br /></div><div>In the 1st-ever live sports event telecast in 3D, the Rangers dominated their New York rivals. Henrik Lunqvist recorded 27 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season. The huge win for the Rangers gives them 73 points, 2 points behind the 9th-place Thrashers, and 5 points behind Boston for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. The Islanders have 68 points and are 14th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Canadiens 2 <b>Sabres </b>3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Montreal was 2 minutes away from a shutout. That disappeared when Tim Connolly scored for Buffalo with 1:59 left in regulation to cut the lead to 2-1. The lead disappeared with 48 seconds left in regulation, when Paul Gaustad scored for the Sabres while Ryan Miller was on the bench for an extra attacker. And the win disappeared when Buffalo capped the stunning comeback in a shootout. Buffalo now has 90 points, leading the Northeast Division by 7, and sitting 1 point behind the Penguins for 2nd in the East. Montreal's point moves them up to 80, and they take possession of 6th in the East, 1 point up on 7th-place Philadelphia and 2 points up on 8th-place Boston.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blues 2 <b>Red Wings </b>4</div><div><br /></div><div>Everybody has continued to say that the Red Wings will end up making the playoffs and be one of the toughest 8th-seeds a team could ever play. But if they keep playing like this in the final 9 games of the year, they won't be an 8th-seed. Their 3rd win in-a-row gives them 87 points, moving them to within 2 points of the Avalanche and Predators, who are tied for 6th. They are now 4 points up on the 9th-place Flames. St Louis sits 11th in the West with 77 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ducks 1 <b>Canucks </b>4</div><div><br /></div><div>Vancouver bounces back from their loss in Edmonton and all but eliminates Anaheim from the playoffs. The Canucks win gives them 94 points, as they hold a 5-point lead over Colorado for 1st in the Northwest Division. They are 3rd in the West, 4 points behind 2nd-place San Jose. Anaheim is in 13th-place with 76 points, and their 2nd-straight loss now has them 11 points back of a playoff spot.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday's Schedule (ET):</div><div><br /></div><div>Lightning @ Bruins, 7:00</div><div>Rangers @ Devils, 7:00</div><div>Flames @ Islanders, 7:00</div><div>Wild @ Flyers, 7:00</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Capitals @ Hurricanes, 7:00, CSN</span></div><div>Maple Leafs @ Thrashers, 7:00</div><div>Blackhawks @ Blue Jackets, 7:00</div><div>Panthers @ Canadiens, 7:30</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Kings @ Blues, 8:00, FS West</span></div><div>Coyotes @ Predators, 8:00</div><div>Stars @ Sharks, 10:30, NHL Network</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-12949933071472692652010-03-24T12:13:00.000-07:002010-03-24T12:35:37.986-07:00Pens-Caps Rd. 3; NYI-NYR in 3DRound 3 of 4 between the Penguins and the Capitals is set to begin tonight at 7:00 ET at Verizon Center. The game can be seen locally, as usual, on Fox Sports Pittsburgh and Comcast SportsNet Washington. It will also be broadcast on the NHL Network, which happens to be offering a free preview of the channel for everyone in the U.S. through Saturday.<div><br /></div><div>The Capitals have gone 5-0-1 against the Penguins over the past 2 seasons, including a 6-3 win in Pittsburgh in January and an epic 5-4 win in D.C. during the February blizzard.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington holds the best record in the NHL with 106 points and remains the only team to have clinched a playoff spot so far. Pittsburgh has 90 points, tied with New Jersey for 1st in the Atlantic Division and 2nd in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Evgeni Malkin will be out for Pittsburgh with a sore foot, and Brooks Laich will miss his first game because of injury in his NHL career. He had played 257 consecutive games for the Capitals. He was hit in the face with a puck at the end of practice Tuesday and is day-to-day.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>The New York Islanders-New York Rangers rivalry will make television history tonight, as it will be the first hockey game produced in 3D. MSG will provide the feed, which is the first live 3D sports event telecast in the U.S. Not too many people have their 3D TVs yet, but this game will just be the beginning of 3D sports games in America. The game is also available on the regular MSG channels for both the Rangers and Islanders feeds.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings look to sweep a home-and-home from the Avalanche tonight, a team they are fighting with for playoff positioning, and move even higher in the standings. That game will take place in Denver and begins at 6:00 Pacific Time on Fox Sports West in Southern California.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also tonight, Montreal is in Buffalo, St Louis visits Detroit, and Anaheim will be in Vancouver.</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-91172431919916720932010-03-23T21:48:00.000-07:002010-03-23T23:22:46.598-07:00No Miracle This Time for Phoenix<div>On a 10-game Tuesday night, the Phoenix Coyotes were looking to win their 10th-straight and move into 1st-place in the Western Conference. The only problem is they would have to skate through the team they were tied with for 1st, the Chicago Blackhawks. The Coyotes give us our Game of the Night for their 4th-straight game:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9ELkIQAoPig-nJ8VIRKIBP0BY3pMeg_DLzlcy7GcQ0dpH5Vzzk22P0Z8DW-ZA7nkZurRCkn2wjCLUQ3w3HqXN1RTBq1L0vMqQ8kQCSPOUtvFEo9pIfyO4ob2CqzKepfol33mdUhUmkE/s1600-h/coyotes.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9ELkIQAoPig-nJ8VIRKIBP0BY3pMeg_DLzlcy7GcQ0dpH5Vzzk22P0Z8DW-ZA7nkZurRCkn2wjCLUQ3w3HqXN1RTBq1L0vMqQ8kQCSPOUtvFEo9pIfyO4ob2CqzKepfol33mdUhUmkE/s200/coyotes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452032052149600962" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 0 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeoGX-n7rDA1D1OGTQo6IifEXTpVCqujxxXVe8PI-l9KzltG_HCk0JqRn3BkSWIxhOLkyFoacEp1_bEF3YOifbcjJJWl40Ptcha0-Dn-RMurt3DrziXKswpmSnKz45apFGdsdt6e3DKE/s1600-h/blackhawks.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeoGX-n7rDA1D1OGTQo6IifEXTpVCqujxxXVe8PI-l9KzltG_HCk0JqRn3BkSWIxhOLkyFoacEp1_bEF3YOifbcjJJWl40Ptcha0-Dn-RMurt3DrziXKswpmSnKz45apFGdsdt6e3DKE/s200/blackhawks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452032044335112978" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2<div><br /></div><div>Great defense, just enough offense, and a fantastic outing by goaltender Antti Niemi showed why the Chicago Blackhawks could be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs--not that their 2nd-best record in the league needs any more proving to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>The win puts the Blackhawks back atop the Western Conference with 99 points, 1 point ahead of the now-2nd-place San Jose Sharks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Patrick Kane scored his 28th goal of the year 1:45 into the 2nd period to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. 5-and-a-half minutes later, Marian Hossa made it 2-0 for the Blackhawks. That was all they would need.</div><div><br /></div><div>Antti Niemi made 28 saves en route to his 6th shutout of the season. Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 30 shots for Phoenix.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Coyotes did have their chances, including numerous scrums in front of the net and even hitting a couple of posts, but the bounces wouldn't fall for Phoenix tonight, ending their 9-game winning streak--tied for the 3rd-longest winning streak this season.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Phoenix loss, coupled with the San Jose win over Minnesota, moves the Coyotes back to 2nd in the Pacific Division and 4th in the Western Conference with 97 points. San Jose is up to 98 and they have a game-in-hand on the Coyotes.</div><div><br /></div><div>But it's only time until the Coyotes clinch their 1st playoff spot since the 2001-02 season, bringing the white-out back to Phoenix.<br /><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Panthers </b>4 Maple Leafs 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Florida's win moves them up to 11th in the East with 71 points and ties them with the Rangers in points for 10th. They are 7 points out of a playoff spot with only 10 games remaining. Scott Clemmensen made 42 saves for the Panthers and came within 3 minutes of his first shutout of the season. Toronto remains last in the East with 64 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blue Jackets 3 <b>Devils </b>6</div><div><br /></div><div>New Jersey explodes for 6 goals, including 1 from Ilya Kovalchuk and 2 each from Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, after scoring a total of 1 in their previous 2 games. Martin Brodeur records his league-leading 40th win for the Devils. The win puts them atop the Atlantic Division, tied with the Penguins in points, with 90, but they have 1 game-in-hand on Pittsburgh. Columbus remains 14th in the Western Conference with 70 points. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bruins </b>4 Thrashers 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming into the night, Boston held the 8th and final playoff spot in the East, with 76 points, and Atlanta was 1 point behind them. The Bruins now have a 3-point lead over the Thrashers after a 27-save shutout from Tuukka Rask. Atlanta could never get anything going as they saw their 4-game winning streak come to an end. Boston has won 2-straight, and both were over the 2 teams chasing them for 8th--the Rangers on Sunday and Atlanta tonight. Their lead over the 10th-place Rangers is now 7 points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flyers 0 <b>Senators </b> 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Ottawa wins their 2nd-straight and Philadelphia loses their 3rd-straight after a 26-save shutout from Brian Elliott, his 2nd shutout in as many nights. Before their game on Monday, the Senators had lost 5 in-a-row and were tied in points with both Montreal and Philadelphia for 5th in the East. No problems here, though, as they down both teams in consecutive nights and don't allow a goal. Ottawa now has 83 points and sits 5th in the East, while the Flyers remain with 79 points and are still tied with the Canadiens for 6th. They are only 1 point ahead of the 8th-place Bruins, but 4 points up on the 9th-place Thrashers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hurricanes 2 <b>Lightning </b> 3 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Martin St Louis scored twice for Tampa Bay, including the overtime winner only 29 seconds into the extra session to break their 5-game losing streak. They are 12th in the East with 70 points and are 8 points out of a playoff spot, while Carolina's point moves them up to 69, 9 points out.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stars </b>3 Predators 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Dallas scored 2 goals 30 seconds apart in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd period, and they keep their very slim playoff hopes alive despite being outshot 35-14. The Stars have 78 points, sit 10th in the West, and are 7 points behind 8th-place Detroit with only 9 games remaining. Nashville remains in 6th in the West with 89 points, tied with the Kings in points for 5th, but they have played 3 more games than L.A.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sharks </b>4 Wild 1</div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose moves back into 1st-place in the Pacific Division with their 1st win in 6 games, 1 point ahead of the Coyotes. They have 98 points and move back into 2nd in the West, 1 point behind Chicago for the lead. Minnesota has all but been eliminated, as they are 13th in the West with 76 points and are 9 points out with only 9 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ducks 1 <b>Flames</b> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Anaheim loses their 1st game in 5, badly hurting what were their slim playoff chances. The Ducks are 9 points back with 10 games remaining. Calgary, on the other hand, gets a huge win, moving back to within 2 points of the Red Wings for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. They have 83 points with 9 games left, while Detroit has 10 games left.</div><div><br /></div><div>Canucks 2 <b>Oilers</b> 3</div><div><br /></div><div>The Edmonton Oilers have the worst record in the league, are 9 points behind the 29th-place team, and remain the only team to have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. But the Oilers--or, SpOilers. . . . .are not playing by the numbers. Their current home-stand saw the Red Wings, Sharks, Canucks, and Ducks on the schedule. Well, they're 3-for-3 so far, beating 3 of the 8 current playoff teams in the West who happen to be 3 of the best teams in the NHL. Edmonton now has 55 points, while Vancouver remains 2nd in the West with 92 points, and tops in the Northwest Division, 5 points up on the Avalanche.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Wednesday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Islanders @ Rangers, 7:00, MSG 3D (first ever live 3D sports event in the U.S.)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Penguins @ Capitals, 7:00, CSN, NHL Network (during free preview of NHLN for U.S.)</span></div><div>Canadiens @ Sabres, 7:30</div><div>Blues @ Red Wings, 7:30</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Kings @ Avalanche, 9:00, FS West</span></div><div>Ducks @ Canucks, 10:00, Prime Ticket</div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-23375666942763960332010-03-22T22:26:00.001-07:002010-03-22T22:35:12.710-07:00Playoff Positions on the Line<div>Monday's schedule included a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals, a fight for 5th in the East between Ottawa and Montreal, and a fight for 6th in the West between Colorado and Los Angeles. The Western Conference playoff battle is our Game of the Night:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8bHFjLAxm_vPefEJkmCN8HLaF-QPkXD_IhnvcvyvtkYLEI4wMeG7BbUew5JDo2nsTWy8rMF75etEfywPfLlT-6fXlXLP5s-6VADIgvGs57fPevyfGuHK3FUurXngdE6UZrMrtFsf5_E/s1600-h/avalanche.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8bHFjLAxm_vPefEJkmCN8HLaF-QPkXD_IhnvcvyvtkYLEI4wMeG7BbUew5JDo2nsTWy8rMF75etEfywPfLlT-6fXlXLP5s-6VADIgvGs57fPevyfGuHK3FUurXngdE6UZrMrtFsf5_E/s200/avalanche.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451683280714770338" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsl8sKmE2Iwr3N-MMunC2w4SCiJz7eItkzSGjsg4cNDyH9iD8G4P7_zHjqMN44HNXFI3bjoPhW9xHwP9penNRkC1i7SDnTkVOUE46E3GfjKJhx_WeW7WELpEMBZkWQe8nxN7k-B0Yw9A/s1600-h/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsl8sKmE2Iwr3N-MMunC2w4SCiJz7eItkzSGjsg4cNDyH9iD8G4P7_zHjqMN44HNXFI3bjoPhW9xHwP9penNRkC1i7SDnTkVOUE46E3GfjKJhx_WeW7WELpEMBZkWQe8nxN7k-B0Yw9A/s200/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451683275461060002" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 (OT)<div><br /></div><div><div>The Kings have lost some ground in the Western Conference standings in the last couple of weeks, but they looked to move back into the 5th spot with a win on Monday in the first half of a home-and-home series against Colorado.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chris Stewart started the scoring for the Avalanche just over 7 minutes into the 1st period, when his pass across ice deflected off the stick of Kings' Freddy Modin. Almost 3 minutes later, Ryan Smyth capitalized for the Kings on the power-play to make it 1-1, just moments after T.J. Galiardi missed a wide-open net after a turnover from Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wayne Simmonds got the only goal of the 2nd period to give the Kings a 2-1 lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ryan Smyth scored his 2nd goal of the game in the 3rd period, giving the Kings a 3-2 lead, sandwiched in between 2 Avalanche goals. Peter Mueller tied the game at 2 for Colorado, and then T.J. Galiardi made up for his missed shot back in the 1st with a game-tying goal with only 7 seconds left in regulation.</div><div><br /></div><div>But in overtime, Drew Doughty scored the game-winning goal on a power-play 3:40 into the extra session to give the Kings a 4-3 win. Doughty, the young Norris Trophy candidate, stepped into a slap shot and absolutely ripped it through the screen of Ryan Smyth and past goaltender Craig Anderson.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings are now 28-0-0 when leading after 2 periods.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anderson ended the game with 19 saves. Jonathan Quick made 23 saves and picked up his 39th win of the season for L.A.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings move up to 89 points, tying them in points with Nashville for 5th in the West, but they hold the spot on their own because of their 2 games-in-hand on the Predators. The Avalanche do pick up a huge point as they sit 7th in the West with 87 points and are 2 points up on 8th-place Detroit, and 6 points ahead of the 9th-place Flames.</div><div><br /></div><div>These two teams face each other again on Wednesday in Denver.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Penguins 1 <b>Red Wings </b>3</div><div><br /></div><div>This was the 2nd and last meeting of the year between the two teams that faced each other in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous 2 seasons. Pittsburgh won 2-1 in a shootout at the Igloo on January 31st. But the last time the Penguins were in Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, they were hoisting the Stanley Cup. Detroit out-dueled the Penguins in this rematch, led by 2 goals from Henrik Zetterburg, to pick up 2 huge points and move even farther into a playoff spot in the West. The win gives the Red Wings 85 points on the year, and although they remain in the 8th and final playoff spot in the West, they move 4 points ahead of 9th-place Calgary. Both Calgary and Detroit have 10 games remaining. The Penguins remain at 90 points, still 2 points up on the Devils for the Atlantic Division lead, but they have played 2 more games than New Jersey.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Senators </b>2 Canadiens 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming into the night, Ottawa was on a 5-game losing streak, Montreal had gotten points in 7-straight games, and both teams were tied in points for 5th in the Eastern Conference. What a good time for the Senators to snap both streaks, especially in shutout-form when their goaltending recently has been suspect, to put it lightly. 29 saves from Brian Elliott and goals from Peter Regin and Erik Karlsson help lead the Senators to 5th-place in the East all by themselves with 81 points. The Canadiens remain tied with Philadelphia for 6th, but sit in 7th because they have played 1 more game than the Flyers. They are 3 points ahead of 8th-place Boston and 4 points up on 9th-place Atlanta.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Panthers @ Maple Leafs, 7:00</div><div>Blue Jackets @ Devils, 7:00</div><div>Bruins @ Thrashers, 7:00</div><div>Flyers @ Senators, 7:30</div><div>Hurricanes @ Lightning, 7:30</div><div>Stars @ Predators, 8:00</div><div>Sharks @ Wild, 8:00, Versus</div><div>Coyotes @ Blackhawks, 8:30</div><div>Ducks @ Flames, 9:00, FS West</div><div>Canucks @ Oilers, 9:00</div></div></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-11346300854263869462010-03-21T22:23:00.001-07:002010-03-21T22:41:39.912-07:00Take Two: Thrash, Yotes Win--AgainFor the second-straight night, the Thrashers and Coyotes extend their winning streaks--Atlanta to 4 and Phoenix to 9. The Thrashers remain 1 point out of the playoffs, and the Coyotes...well, let's just say they're pretty comfortable. Phoenix gives us our Game of the Night for their 3rd-straight game:<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9il5XJI6UfiaVBHGxQTILGnFSpIz1FYYZFF0iVp62U3QEE8JT3IVCcCCsP6EFPYttcZ5G4-KRGryMZdRAXqk7yCqStfVCnJXeoLntGFfNlZfF0yKFlYWwdDbHayckgvmNQRMCRBVaMY/s1600-h/coyotes.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9il5XJI6UfiaVBHGxQTILGnFSpIz1FYYZFF0iVp62U3QEE8JT3IVCcCCsP6EFPYttcZ5G4-KRGryMZdRAXqk7yCqStfVCnJXeoLntGFfNlZfF0yKFlYWwdDbHayckgvmNQRMCRBVaMY/s200/coyotes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451269682601594338" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLlpcSfFKqS00zkhwo4RGHgBoNFCbsYnKGK_vO7j_vE9Qu0DTGVYbGOBjAaSHPX88atTMAtd-wHnc9Anxn4N7lZFKmqEcZS8x9QzTY9w-kIxJ8O6d8zolfQTLAgoD7jw58lU2La0kH8U/s1600-h/stars.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLlpcSfFKqS00zkhwo4RGHgBoNFCbsYnKGK_vO7j_vE9Qu0DTGVYbGOBjAaSHPX88atTMAtd-wHnc9Anxn4N7lZFKmqEcZS8x9QzTY9w-kIxJ8O6d8zolfQTLAgoD7jw58lU2La0kH8U/s200/stars.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451269671149280882" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 2 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Phoenix Coyotes did it again. And so did Adrian Aucoin. Aucoin scored the winner in the shootout after Radim Vrbata scored to extend it, making him 5-for-5 on the season in shootout attempts with all of them being game-winners.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 2 Coyotes goals were scored on power-plays, and Phoenix actually had a 2-0 lead in the game. Petr Prucha started the scoring for the Coyotes with less than 1 second to go in the 1st period. Radim Vrbata put the Coyotes ahead 2-0 early in the 2nd, just to see Jamie Benn score for Dallas about a minute later to cut the lead in half.</div><div><br /></div><div>Loui Eriksson tied it at 2 for the Stars 7 minutes into the 3rd period. Phoenix outshot Dallas 6-0 in overtime, but the game would go to a shootout. Brad Richards scored for Dallas on the first shot of the shootout, and Radim Vrbata kept it alive for Phoenix in the 3rd round. Next round, Adrian Aucoin put it home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jason LaBarbera got the win for the Coyotes, making 30 saves. Marty Turco made 33 saves for the Stars.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Coyotes 9th-straight win ties a Winnipeg Jets-Phoenix Coyotes franchise record, but more importantly, their win and San Jose's loss gives them sole possession of the Pacific Division lead. </div><div><br /></div><div>They have 97 points and are tied in points with Chicago for the lead in the Western Conference, but sit in 2nd because they have played 2 more games than the Blackhawks. Dallas has 76 points and sits 13th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Coyotes will go for 10-straight on Tuesday when they face off against those Blackhawks in Chicago.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Rangers 1 <b>Bruins</b> 2</div><div><br /></div><div>NBC's Game of the Week featured a battle for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York began the day in 10th, 3 points behind Boston for 8th. At the end of the day, they now sit 5 points back of the Bruins. The Rangers have 71 points and are 4 points behind the 9th-place Thrashers. The Bruins are 3 points behind 7th-place Montreal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flames 3 <b>Wild</b> 4</div><div><br /></div><div>Calgary had a chance to tie the Red Wings for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West coming into the night, but they couldn't handle the Wild. They remain at 81 points and 2 back of Detroit. Minnesota sits 12th in the West with 76 points, 7 points back.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sabres</b> 5 Hurricanes 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo moves up to 88 points and takes a 9-point lead over Ottawa in the Northeast Division. They stay 3rd in the East. Carolina remains 12th in the East with 68 points and are now 8 points back of 8th.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lightning 2 <b>Panthers</b> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>Florida hands Tampa Bay their 5th-straight loss and jumps to 11th in the East, but are 7 points back of 8th-place Boston. The Lightning have scored 7 goals in their last 5 games and are now 14th-place in the East with 68 points and only 28 wins.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Predators</b> 3 Blues 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Nashville moves back to 5th in the Western Conference with a win over the Blues, who had a chance to move within 4 points of a playoff spot in the West. The Predators have 89 points, 2 points ahead of 6th-place L.A., but they have played 3 more games than the Kings. St Louis has 77 points and sits 10th in the West, 6 points back.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thrashers</b> 3 Flyers 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta wins their 4th-straight game to remain in 9th in the East and 1 point back of Boston for 8th. It was a sweep for the Thrashers in a home-and-home between these two teams Saturday and Sunday. Ondrej Pavelec made 44 saves for Atlanta. They are now up to 75 points, and have taken a 4-point lead over the 10th-place Rangers. Philadelphia has 79 points and is tied in points with Ottawa and Montreal for 5th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sharks 1 <b>Oilers </b>5</div><div><br /></div><div>After going 0-8-2 in his first 10 decisions of his career, Edmonton's goalie Devan Dubnyk has won 2-straight games, and lost the shutout with only 3:02 left in regulation. The Oilers, though, remain last in the league with 53 points. Most importantly, the struggling Sharks have now lost 5-straight games, and have not only lost their Western Conference lead, but their Pacific Division lead as well. They have 96 points and are 1 point behind Phoenix for 1st in the Pacific Division with a game-in-hand, and are 1 point behind both those Coyotes and the Blackhawks for the Western Conference lead. The Sharks are sitting 4th in the West for the first time in a long time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Avalanche 2 <b>Ducks </b>5</div><div><br /></div><div>Anaheim wins their 4th-straight and moves to 11th in the West with the win, upping their total to 76 points and sitting 7 points back of 8th. Teemu Selanne scored his 600th goal of his career for the Ducks on the power-play 34 seconds into the 2nd period. The assists went to Scott Neidermayer and Corey Perry. Colorado stays with 86 points, 7th in the West, 1 point back of 6th-place Los Angeles, and 5 points in front of the 9th-place Flames.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday's Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>Penguins @ Red Wings, 7:00, Versus</div><div>Senators @ Canadiens, 7:30</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Avalanche @ Kings, 10:30, FS West</span></div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074437206450926529.post-88626518432716195142010-03-20T22:17:00.000-07:002010-03-20T22:42:22.077-07:00Ovie Returns; Thrash, Yotes Win Again<div>Saturday night: Alex Ovechkin returns from his suspension, the Thrashers try and move closer to 8th, and the Kings look to rebound. But there's no question that our Game of the Night comes from sold-out Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona:</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUSgSnBC8LhOobvjOzg2fwkI15W7PB3b-63V7sBgZhdGl_B-l0zg0gU5JHukKgDhICYyuC-p-cyuzZjM50XM34ziXxzeDITxT6_vg6cGq4Sel8jMkb3l-mrgzgt4W6IZbqAj633fWnXQ/s1600-h/blackhawks.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUSgSnBC8LhOobvjOzg2fwkI15W7PB3b-63V7sBgZhdGl_B-l0zg0gU5JHukKgDhICYyuC-p-cyuzZjM50XM34ziXxzeDITxT6_vg6cGq4Sel8jMkb3l-mrgzgt4W6IZbqAj633fWnXQ/s200/blackhawks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450930510179095954" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 4 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27ODsIhCy6hJar2aZc_D73w26PvOZfWSxAZeTq2jo318i00BtiXL_Kb9AXMtsRr85AOrgnf8MDsodX5jm0AMGgZ_gkMwei408JbLnzWcaS9TSoKdpKerMbSWYskSGm26ENpJtbNbxmkI/s1600-h/coyotes.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27ODsIhCy6hJar2aZc_D73w26PvOZfWSxAZeTq2jo318i00BtiXL_Kb9AXMtsRr85AOrgnf8MDsodX5jm0AMGgZ_gkMwei408JbLnzWcaS9TSoKdpKerMbSWYskSGm26ENpJtbNbxmkI/s200/coyotes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450930503756532242" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 5 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>In a battle between two top Western Conference teams, the Phoenix Coyotes outlast the Chicago Blackhawks in another unbelievable comeback, giving Phoenix their 8th-straight win.</div><div><br /></div><div>A quiet 1st period saw Troy Brouwer score the only goal to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. Patrick Kane made it 2-0 on the power-play about 5 minutes into the 2nd period, but Wojtek Wolski cut the lead in half for the Coyotes just over 4 minutes later.</div><div><br /></div><div>4 goals were scored in the first 7 minutes of the 3rd period. Lee Stempniak tied it at 2 for Phoenix 1:11 into the period. Andrew Ladd and Patrick Sharp scored 2 goals for Chicago almost a minute-and-a-half apart to quickly give the Blackhawks another 2-goal lead at 4-2. But the resilient Coyotes didn't back off.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stempniak got his 2nd of the night just over 3 minutes later to cut the lead to 4-3. Adrian Aucoin tied the game at 4 with 5:07 remaining in regulation to send the sold-out arena into a frenzy. The game would go to overtime.</div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix had 2 glorious chances in overtime, including a missed penalty shot by Matthew Lombardi and a disallowed goal kicked in by Vernon Fiddler. But in the shootout, Radim Vrbata scored the only goal to seal the win for the Coyotes. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ilya Bryzgalov made 34 saves for Phoenix, not including all three shots in the shootout, and Antti Niemi finished with 32 saves for Chicago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Phoenix stays 3rd in the Western Conference with 95 points, but they are now 1 point behind San Jose for the Pacific Division lead and 2 points behind the Blackhawks for the Western Conference lead. They travel to Dallas to face the Pacific Division-rival Stars on Sunday</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiyHKx_-anjaJFzQW0uijuKxC5YFdGyE_ggr52LA0UC41J9sBheNvucn-Tj_HhQQa8JgWJmRgM9JDUR810PPQMZqkOWwhjuh1F2dEbmoa6pcJJO42dDOaVtcyd8KaL9NFknUeKGGMUSk/s1600-h/capitals.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiyHKx_-anjaJFzQW0uijuKxC5YFdGyE_ggr52LA0UC41J9sBheNvucn-Tj_HhQQa8JgWJmRgM9JDUR810PPQMZqkOWwhjuh1F2dEbmoa6pcJJO42dDOaVtcyd8KaL9NFknUeKGGMUSk/s200/capitals.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450924626201286818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvamaORE6U0xi__QIzP7e9QZAtSl7cWU93aSWs7RYdyI9_9yPIYHEGMVWdypW71cEoQAbRyejX4naoLAVydRnM6gMkyuieWux4ZHVtAr8MD3eudX_xZ3OuJNK0aSxbafnXyM62omTVPO0/s1600-h/lightning.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvamaORE6U0xi__QIzP7e9QZAtSl7cWU93aSWs7RYdyI9_9yPIYHEGMVWdypW71cEoQAbRyejX4naoLAVydRnM6gMkyuieWux4ZHVtAr8MD3eudX_xZ3OuJNK0aSxbafnXyM62omTVPO0/s200/lightning.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450924617412020338" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 1<br /><div><br /></div><div>Alex Ovechkin returned from his 2-game suspension on Saturday night in Tampa and scored his 45th goal of the season, his league-leading 97th point, as the Capitals move up to 106 points on the year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tomas Fleischmann started the scoring for Washington 2:40 into the game, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Just over 4 minutes later, Vincent Lecavalier tied it at 1 for the Lightning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later in the period, Nicklas Backstrom fed a perfect pass off the boards to lead Ovechkin to a breakaway goal. It was Backstrom's 59th assist and 88th point of the season. Alexander Semin added his 33rd goal of the season in the 3rd to put the dagger in the Bolts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jose Theodore made 33 saves to win his 6th-straight game and moves to 16-0-2 in his last 18. Antero Niittymaki made 25 saves for Tampa Bay.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Capitals now have a 9-point lead in the race for the President's Trophy. The Lightning were playing their 4th game of a disastrous 4-game homestand in which their playoff lives have all but ended. Their 0-4-0 homestand has them sitting 6 points back of the 8th and final playoff spot in the East, but they are in 12th place. Tampa Bay scored a total of 5 goals in those 4 games.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2yda3_4SdG8qse5_aa57FOjY1tuEkmfp92gl6GEubL8_FolgY4cJS5e5exH_u1WgICYMmv5ADOtI_Nih6fIGmlfr6CvFFtovpLu_xP8ahCEfOf3wj665b5HGkR8u9hd-WH0LGaIyWM4/s1600-h/islanders.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2yda3_4SdG8qse5_aa57FOjY1tuEkmfp92gl6GEubL8_FolgY4cJS5e5exH_u1WgICYMmv5ADOtI_Nih6fIGmlfr6CvFFtovpLu_xP8ahCEfOf3wj665b5HGkR8u9hd-WH0LGaIyWM4/s200/islanders.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450931582200499826" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 0 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHgU9rA8Eye0r5VfFlNu78BhlzmpGGD_OH2uTVFM6eD2d10DxzCaJ1A4BUiX2MsqSvqRGUYQGyR2-d-t3_i8YsEhhRez5685VzwHObPZELC5SB6jbYP0vUorCwIbpt7MywRSi4BWy-HU/s1600-h/kings.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHgU9rA8Eye0r5VfFlNu78BhlzmpGGD_OH2uTVFM6eD2d10DxzCaJ1A4BUiX2MsqSvqRGUYQGyR2-d-t3_i8YsEhhRez5685VzwHObPZELC5SB6jbYP0vUorCwIbpt7MywRSi4BWy-HU/s200/kings.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450931575243626338" style="cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 25px; " /></a> 1</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings scoring drought continues, but when your team's goalie makes every one of his saves, 1 goal will do. It wasn't pretty, but the Kings pick up 2 huge points.</div><div><br /></div><div>Los Angeles has only scored 7 goals in their last 5 games, but they have now won 2 of those 5 and recorded an overtime loss in another. The win breaks a short 2-game losing streak for the Kings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brad Richardson scored the only goal of the game 13:35 into the 1st period, his 11th of the year. Wayne Simmonds tallied his 22nd assist on the goal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jonathan Quick ended the game with 26 saves and picked up his 4th shutout of the season and his 38th win. Dwayne Roloson finished with 25 saves for New York.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings move up to 87 points in the West and are tied in points with Nashville for 5th place. They hold the 5th spot though because of their important 2 games-in-hand on the Predators. The Islanders go 0-1-1 in Southern California, and sit 13th in the East with 68 points and are 6 points out of 8th.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kings have a home-and-home coming up against Colorado, which sits 7th and is just 1 point back of the Predators and Kings in the Western Conference.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hurricanes</b> 3 Penguins 2 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Jamie McBain scored his first NHL goal with 9-tenths of a second left in overtime to give Carolina the win over Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes have 68 points and move to within 6 points of the final playoff spot in the East with 11 games remaining. Pittsburgh's point gives them 90 and a 2-point lead over the Devils for the Atlantic-Division lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Senators 4 <b>Stars</b> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>Dallas keeps their very slim playoff hopes alive and hands Ottawa their 5th-straight loss in the process despite a hat trick for Senators' Jason Spezza. The Stars are 11th in the West but are 8 points back of 8th-place Detroit with 11 games remaining. The Senators have 79 points and are tied in points with both Philadelphia and Montreal for 5th in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Canadiens 2 <b>Maple</b> <b>Leafs</b> 3 (SO)</div><div><br /></div><div>Toronto wins their 3rd-straight to give them 64 points on the year, staying in last in the East 3 points behind Florida for 14th. Montreal's point gives them 79 and they sit in 7th in the East but are tied in points for 5th place.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blues</b> 1 Devils 0</div><div><br /></div><div>Alexander Steen scored the only goal of the game for St Louis late in the 1st period, and Ty Conklin made 29 saves to record his 4th shutout of the season in only his 10th win of the season for the Blues. Devils' Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Blues' Cam Janssen had the longest fight of the season, going toe-to-toe for almost 3 minutes. The Blues move to 10th in the Western Conference and are 6 points back of Detroit for the last playoff spot. New Jersey stays 4th in the East with 88 points and are 2 points behind the Penguins for the Atlantic Division lead with a game-in-hand on Pittsburgh.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flyers 2 <b>Thrashers</b> 5</div><div><br /></div><div>Atlanta wins their 3rd-straight game after going 0-5-1 in their previous 6 to move back to 9th in the Eastern Conference with 73 points and 1 point back of Boston for 8th. 17,024 people attended the game at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The Flyers are tied for 5th in the East. These two teams play again on Sunday in Philadelphia.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sabres</b> 3 Panthers 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Florida loses their 3rd-straight game as their playoff hopes have fallen off a cliff. They have 67 points and sit 14th in the East. The Sabres remain tops in the Northeast Division with 86 points and sit 3rd in the East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blue Jackets 0 <b>Predators</b> 1 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pekka Rinne made 33 saves for Nashville to record his 2nd-straight shutout and 6th of the season. 3 of his last 4 wins have been by a shutout. Columbus' Steve Mason took a shutout into overtime, but Cody Franson beat him 1:54 into overtime to give the Predators the win. Mason finished with 30 saves. The Predators move to 6th in the Western Conference with 87 points, tied with L.A., but they have played 2 more games than the Kings. The Jackets have 70 points and are 14th in the West.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Red</b> <b>Wings</b> 4 Canucks 3 (OT)</div><div><br /></div><div>A 3-goal 2nd period, including 2 goals 5 seconds apart, and a Henrik Zetterberg overtime goal with less than 1 second remaining--the 2nd-straight night of last-second heroics for Detroit--moves the Red Wings 2 points ahead of 9th-place Calgary for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. The Red Wings have 83 points, the Flames have 81, and both teams have 11 games remaining. Detroit ended the game with 54 shots on Roberto Luongo. Vancouver has 92 points and remains the leader in the Northwest Division by 6 over Colorado.</div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday's Schedule (ET):</div><div><br /></div><div>Rangers @ Bruins, 12:30, NBC</div><div>Flames @ Wild, 3:00</div><div>Sabres @ Hurricanes, 5:00</div><div>Lightning @ Panthers, 5:00</div><div>Predators @ Blues, 6:00</div><div>Thrashers @ Flyers, 7:00</div><div>Coyotes @ Stars, 7:00</div><div>Sharks @ Oilers, 8:00</div><div>Avalanche @ Ducks, 8:00, Prime Ticket</div>PShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17542807718306679468noreply@blogger.com0