FTS - 5/1/09

TOP STORY

Sami Saves the Day

Canucks D Sami Salo scores the game winner with 1:13 remaining after the Canucks blew a three goal lead in the 3rd period

(Photo Credit - Vancouver Sun)

(3) Vancouver Canucks (1-0) over the (4) Chicago Blackhawks (0-1) 5-3

The blood was still oozing out of five stitches above Kyle Wellwood's left eye and a fat lower lip, and yet the Canucks forward couldn't stop smiling. Wellwood had two assists, drew five power plays, lost one tooth and chipped another, but his biggest play in Vancouver's 5-3 series-opening victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night didn't show up on the score sheet. Wellwood made the pass that started a 4-on-1 rush, and defenseman Sami Salo finished the play by banging in a rebound with 1:13 remaining, putting the Canucks back ahead after blowing a three-goal lead in the third period. Ryan Johnson scored into an empty net with 15.5 seconds left to secure the Game 1 win.

"It's definitely not fun to have these marks on your face, but in the playoffs it feels all right," Wellwood said. "These aren't something you worry about too much, they get you attention more than anything." After rallying with two goals by Patrick Kane and a tying marker from David Bolland with 5:29 left, the Blackhawks coughed up the puck on a late 4-on-2 rush of their own. Wellwood jumped on it and fed ahead to Mason Raymond, who sent a cross-ice pass to Steve Bernier for a one-timer that was stopped by a sliding Nikolai Khabibulin, leaving Salo alone to hammer in the rebound. Wellwood was especially happy to see the puck go in after turning the puck over for Chicago's 4-on-2. "When I got it back I just threw it to Mase and me and Sami somehow were ahead of all their guys, too, so we just started heading toward the net and Sami put it in," said Wellwood, who was hit near the eye by Andrew Ladd's stick in the first period and in the mouth by Kane's in the second. Pavol Demitra scored on a power play, and Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler added even-strength goals for Vancouver, which has gone 16-1-1 at home since February.

After Chicago rallied twice from three-goal deficits in its six-game series win over Calgary, Kane got the Blackhawks' rally started 1:01 into the third, pouncing on a loose puck in the slot and roofing a quick shot over Roberto Luongo's shoulder. Kane cut it to one on a power-play rebound of Brent Seabrook's point shot, and Bolland tied it on another rebound off a long Duncan Keith shot. "We had a great third period to start off. One mistake and it ends up in the back of your net," Kane said. "It's not going to be as easy as Calgary. They're a faster-paced team and we've got to keep up with them.

Khabibulin made 22 saves, including three great ones to keep it close early in the third period. He hasn't beaten the Canucks since Jan. 26, 1998, with Phoenix, and didn't talk after the game, leaving teammates to answer for him. "He makes a great stop [on Bernier] but when you've got four guys going to the net and one guy defending, it's tough to keep that one out," Seabrook said about the winning goal. "We've got to be focused every time we're on the ice."

The Canucks' power play, however, looked rusty early, failing to record a shot after Ladd got a 4-minute penalty for cutting Wellwood. But on the next shift, Wellwood walked around Keith to draw a hooking penalty, and Demitra opened the scoring after a nice passing play started by Wellwood. Henrik Sedin doubled the lead 5 minutes into the second, and Kesler made it 3-0 with 5 minutes left in the period, banging Wellwood's pass from behind the net. "Kyle was our best player on the ice," Canucks coach Allan Vigneault said about the baby-faced Wellwood. "At least now he looks like a hockey player."

Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series is Saturday night in Vancouver.
What we saw in Game 1 was what we should expect out of this series each and every game. Physical play from both sides, good rushes, and solid goaltending all happened last night. That being said, both teams need to take a lesson from Game 1. If you're the Canucks, it's pretty obvious: DON'T BLOW A THREE GOAL LEAD AFTER TWO PERIODS! The Blackhawks are a young, energetic team. If you give a group like that 2nd life, 9 times out of 10, they'll come back and beat you. The Canucks aren't so much better than Chicago that they can afford to do that again in this series. If you're the Blackhawks, you can't take that many penalties and put yourself in a position where you're decreasing the amount of even strength time against a goalie like Luongo. I think this will be a series where the home team wins every game.

SERIES PREVIEWS

(2) RED WINGS vs. (8) DUCKS
by Andrew Bogusch
As San Jose learned in round one, the ‘8’ next to the Ducks’ name means absolutely nothing. Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry-Bobby Ryan plus Scott Niedermayer-Chris Pronger plus Jonas Hiller makes beating Anaheim four times in seven games an extremely difficult task. Fortunately for the Red Wings, and unfortunately for the Ducks, Detroit is not the playoff-inept Sharks.

This series should closely resemble the teams’ meeting in the 2007 Western Conference finals, especially since many of the key participants remain. Two springs ago, the Ducks and Wings made two trips to overtime and saw five of six games decided by two goals or less. And let’s not forget the nastiness that peaked with Chris Pronger’s high hit on Tomas Holmstrom.

Detroit’s initial concern this time is solving Hiller, who posted two shutouts, a 1.65 GAA and a .957 save percentage against the Sharks in his first ever playoff series. Chris Osgood’s résumé boasts multiple Stanley Cups, but he had questions to answer as the postseason began as well. And he answered them, resoundingly, with 76 saves on 78 shots in Games 1-3.

Both goalies will count on their respective coaches to play the matchup game correctly. Anaheim will split Niedermayer and Pronger to better handle the waves of Detroit forwards, while the Wings want Niklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski against the Getzlaf line as often as possible. The coach that wins the proverbial chess match will most likely be the coach of the team moving onto the conference finals.

#2 Washington Capitals vs. #4 Pittsburgh Penguins
by Chris Carrano

Regular Season
10/16/08- WAS 4, @ PIT 3
01/14/09- WAS 6, @ PIT 3
02/22/09- @ WAS 5, PIT 2
03/08/09- PIT 4, @ WAS 3 (SO)

The Gary Bettman Invitational kicks off tomorrow afternoon at 1p.m. at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. Its Sid the Kid and his underdog Pittsburgh Penguins against Alexander the Great and the Southeastern Division champion Washington Capitals. The leagues past two Hart Trophy winners will square off during the post-season for the first time. The two teams met four times over the course of the regular season and in each game you could cut the tension with the knife. There was plenty of pushing, shoving and jawing and there is sure to be much more of that during this series. The Capitals won three of the four games, only losing once to the Penguins in a shootout. Washington showed off their offensive prowess as they outscored the Penguins 18-12 during the season.

Will the Penguins offense rattle Simeon Varlamov? Jose Theodore was in net for Washington during the regular season and this will be the first time rookie sensation Simeon Varlamov will face the Penguins. Unlike the dismal offense that he faced in the first round against the Rangers, Varlamov will surely be tested against the likes of Evgeni Malkin (35G, 78A) and Sidney Crosby (33G, 70A), first and third respectively in the points standings, and not to mention the other veteran players on the Penguins. Varlamov has shown that he does not wilt under pressure and he did make some spectacular saves in the first round, including several in Game 7 in the few times the Rangers tested him. Varlamov will also have to stay sharp as he will have to play on back to back nights for the first time in his NHL career if this series goes past four games.

Can Fleury be better against the Caps than he was during the season? Alexander Ovechkin had six points (4G, 2A) against the Penguins during the season, and he led the league in scoring with 56 goals. But he is not the only player that can generate offense. Alexander Semin came alive against the Rangers with eight points (5G, 3A) and the Capitals also have Mike Green who led all defense men in the NHL with 31 goals and 42 assists this season. The Pens will also have to lookout for a surging Tom Poti (2G, 4A) and Niklas Backstrom (7A) who have shown that they can move the puck around and create scoring chances.

Will history repeat? The Capitals and Penguins have met seven times in the playoffs and the Penguins have won six of those meetings. The Penguins have a 26-16 record against the Capitals during the post-season. The two teams last met during the 2000-2001 season and Penguins disposed of the Capitals in six games. Washington coach Bruce Boudreau tried to down play that fact by stating, "All winning streaks have to come to an end, and usually all grief-stricken fans have got to be excited one day. So hopefully we can turn it around."

Let’s Get Ready to Ruuuuummmble! If the regular season was any indication, this series looks as if it will have more drama than the Caps-Rangers series. Two of the most marketable stars in the NHL are facing off, and the top three point leaders will all be skating on the same sheet of ice. Its no secret that Ovechkin and Crosby have animosity towards each other, and that Ovechkin and Malkin don’t really care for each other either. Despite being roommates and teammates during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, the two Russian superstars have gone at it during the regular season. Ovechkin repeatedly sought out Malkin during their first meeting this season hitting him hard and prompting Malkin to say, “"Ovechkin is a great player, but every time he hits me -- I don't know why.” Malkin responded by hitting Ovechkin during their second meeting this season. “I didn't even see him. It was a cheap hit," Ovechkin said.

Ovechkin and Crosby have gone at it this season as well, even having to be separated at one point. Crosby, who has not taken well to Ovechkin’s showmanship stated, “Like it or lump it, that's what he does. Personally, I don't like it." Alexander Semin has also gotten into the fray. "What's so special about [Crosby]? I don't see anything special there," Semin said in an interview with Yahoo.com.

Prediction
On paper, this series shapes up to be a blockbuster showdown between two top flight teams in the Eastern Conference. It will be interesting to see how Simeon Varlamov will handle the pressure of not only Pittsburgh’s offense, but also the media hype that will surround this series. Also, if Ovechkin isn’t on top of his game providing YouTube highlight goals, the Caps have no need to worry as they have shown that other players can step up and score against great goaltending; they managed to put nine pucks past Henrik Lundquist in two games. Although Fleury has the edge in experience, Varlamov’s lack of can serve him well. He’s only 21 years old and probably didn’t know how high the stakes were for Game 7, and that’s what helped to keep him calm. So amidst all the hype, glitz and drama of this series, when the dust settles Alexander the Great and his army will have conquered the city of Pittsburgh, but not without a hard fought battle. Caps in 7.


OTHER NEWS
-Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper says he will miss Games 1 and 2 against the Anaheim Ducks. Draper said Thursday his upper-body injury will be evaluated later this week. He did not play in Detroit's first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Draper's plus-minus rating was a team-worst and career-low minus-13 this season for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Second-seeded Detroit will host the eighth-seeded Ducks on Friday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. After Game 2 is played Sunday at Joe Louis Arena, Draper hopes to be cleared to play when the series shifts to California.

-Dmitri Kalinin scored with 56 seconds left in overtime to lift Russia to a 6-5 victory over Sweden on Thursday to open the second round of the hockey world championship. It was Kalinin's second goal of the game. The 28-year-old defenseman was coming off a two-goal season in 73 NHL games for the New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes, and had not taken a shot in his first three games of the tournament. "He's got some offensive skills," Russia teammate Ilya Kovalchuk said. "He was in the right place at the right time. It was huge for us because we need to win our pool to be the No. 1 team and play not the best team in the quarterfinals." Also Thursday, Ruslan Salei scored with 25 seconds left in overtime to give Belarus a 3-2 victory over Norway. Canada routed the Czech Republic 5-1 and Latvia rode goalie Edgars Masalskis to a shootout win over Switzerland after the host forced a 1-1 tie with 1:13 left. The victory gave Latvia the edge on Switzerland in a likely chase for the fourth available quarterfinals place from Group E, which includes Russia, the U.S. and Sweden. The U.S. opens its second round program against France on Friday. The second round has split into two groups of six teams with the top four in each advancing to the quarterfinals next week. Results gained in the first round against other teams which advanced will count toward second-stage standings.

-If Jaromir Jagr came back to the NHL, he'd be Edmonton bound:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=277073

-Brent Sutter refused to talk about his future as the Devils' coach, instead calling New Jersey's last-minute loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of the playoffs the most devastating he's experienced as a player or coach. "I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anybody or anything. It's just that it's not something that I've given it much time at this point," Sutter said Thursday, after the Devils had their final meeting, took exit physicals and a team photograph. Sutter has a year left on his contract, but there have been reports that he's homesick after two seasons in New Jersey and that he might want to return to his farm in western Canada. "You guys have heard a bunch of stuff out there that are rumours, and I told you at that time and I'm saying it again: I evaluate myself at the end of the year and there's a process I go through to do that," he said. "It takes time and I'm going to use time to my advantage." Sutter said he has followed the same routine since becoming a coach in 1999. "This is not a time to discuss that whatsoever," Sutter said. "To be quite honest, I'm still thinking about what transpired to us here less than 48 hours ago. There's a process you go through with that. Like I said, it's been the most difficult thing that's ever happened to me in my hockey career as a player or a coach." Devils President & GM Lou Lamoriello balked about discussing Sutter's future. "I really don't want to get into any of that here," he said. "You had a conversation with Brent. I don't think this is the time to get into anything that's personal." Most Devils players seemed stunned when asked about Sutter coming back. "Is there a question about him coming back?" captain Jamie Langenbrunner said. "I don't know anything about that." The Devils have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the past two years. While they have won three Stanley Cups since 1995, they have not won since 2003 and have not made it past the conference semifinals since the Cup season.

-Montreal Canadiens forwards Alex Tanguay and Max Pacioretty have had surgery since their season ended and winger Sergei Kostitsyn is scheduled for a procedure this week. Tanguay, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, had arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday for a lingering shoulder problem, the team said Thursday. It was not the shoulder that caused him to miss the final two games of Montreal's first-round playoff series against Boston. Doctors told him that one would heal on its own. Pacioretty had an abdominal wall muscle repaired on Wednesday. He missed the Hamilton Bulldogs' first round AHL playoff series with the injury. Kostisyn is to undergo arthroscopic surgery on a shoulder on Friday. All three are expected to be fully healed for the start of training camp in September.

-Detroit's Chris Chelios, Nashville's Steve Sullivan and Florida's Richard Zednik are the finalists for the NHL's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is presented each season to the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." Each of the 30 chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association submitted nominations at the conclusion of the regular season. The top three vote-getters were designated as finalists. The winner will be announced June 18 during the NHL's awards ceremony in Las Vegas. Chelios is being recognized for his remarkable longevity. At 47, he is the oldest player in the NHL, and despite diminished ice time, still plays a key leadership role with the Wings. His 1,644 games played are the most among active players and rank fourth in league history. Both Sullivan and Zednik have overcome major injuries. Sullivan missed almost two full years following a back injury suffered in February 2007. Sullivan underwent two back surgeries in attempts to repair a fragmented disc and tried several different cures. But an intensive workout regimen with a strength and conditioning coach finally helped the injury heal and Sullivan returned to the Nashville lineup Jan. 10. Just over a year ago, Zednik lost five pints of blood and required life-saving emergency surgery after his neck was sliced with a skate blade. He returned to the lineup this season, scoring 17 goals and providing experience and leadership to a young Panthers team. A US$2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner.

-Richard Zednik is apparently celebrating his nomination for the Masterton Trophy by taking his game to Russia. According to a report on RDS.ca, the veteran forward has signed a two-year contract with Yaroslavl of the KHL on Thursday, potentially ending his 12 year NHL career. The contract was announced on the same day that Zednik was named as one of the finalists, for the Bill Masterton Trophy. In 745 career games, Zednik has scored 200 goals and added 179 assists.

-Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella regrets his water bottle throwing incident (as he should):
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=277027

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Gm 1 - (8) Detroit Red Wings @ (2) Detroit Red Wings - 7PM - Versus
Gm 1 - (6) Carolina Hurricanes @ (1) Boston Bruins - 7:30PM


Email From The Slot at fromtheslot@gmail.com

Information from the AP and Canadian Press was used in this posting

From The Slot's 2nd Round Playoff Predictions

Before I post the predictions for the 2nd round, I would like to welcome Chris Carrano and Brian Finkelstein to the FTS group. For the 2nd round, each person will be covering a series with previews, recaps and analysis.

-Brian Finkelstein will be covering the Bruins-Hurricanes series (this is me torturing a Devils fan with assigning him this series)

-Chris Carrano will be covering the Capitals-Penguins series (torture for a Rangers fan, that's why I passed the buck)

-Andrew Bogusch will be covering the Red Wings-Ducks series

-and I will be covering the Blackhawks-Canucks series


Here are our predictions for the 2nd round:

Adam's Picks:
~Bruins over the Hurricanes in 5 Games
~Penguins over the Capitals in 6 Games
~Red Wings over the Ducks in 6 Games
~Canucks over the Blackhawks in 7 games

Brian's Picks:
~Hurricanes over the Bruins in 6 Games
~Penguins over the Capitals in 6 Games
~Red Wings over the Ducks in 7 Games
~Canucks over the Blackhawks in 6 games

Andrew's Picks:
~Hurricanes over the Bruins in 6 Games
~Capitals over the Penguins in 7 Games
~Red Wings over the Ducks in 7 Games
~Canucks over the Blackhawks in 6 games

Chris' Picks:
~Bruins over the Hurricanes in 6 Games
~Capitals over the Penguins in 7 Games
~Red Wings over the Ducks in 6 Games
~Blackhawks over the Canucks in 6 Games

Email your thoughts to fromtheslot@gmail.com

"Dropping the Gloves" w/ Andrew Bogusch

While eight teams move on to the conference semifinals, eight other teams are shifting their focus to the offseason and the 2009-10 campaign. All in the latter group have work to do this summer to setup a deeper postseason, but some more so than others. What follows is a blueprint for success for those teams.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

The head coach (Ron Wilson) has already been fired. The general manager already bolstered the lineup with playoff-battle-tested veterans (Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich, Rob Blake, Travis Moen). Yet, the Sharks are once again on summer break way too early. So now what? Simple, a heart transplant.

Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are the leaders of this team, but have yet to lead it anywhere significant. Marleau managed just two goals and an assist in six games against the Ducks. And while Thornton was stellar in Game 5 and TKO’d Ryan Getzlaf to give his team a boost to start Game 6, his lackluster play in the first four games (two assists, -4) was a big reason for a 3-games-to-1 hole.

One, if not both, of the veteran centers cannot be on the San Jose roster on Opening Night in October. Marleau, with one year left on his contract at $6.2 million, could be a nice fit on a contending team’s second line – no major minutes, limited leadership responsibilities. Thornton’s value is a bit more convoluted. He is owed $14.2 million over the next two seasons and still puts up numbers (in the regular season) that warrant significant assets in return. But will a general manager pay a lot for a soon-to-be 30-year-old center that is making $7m annually and lacks an impressive playoff résumé?

MONTREAL CANADIENS

The disastrous centennial season is over in Montreal, but now GM Bob Gainey must get busy repairing this esteemed franchise after an embarrassing sweep by the hated Bruins. Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, and Mike Komisarek headline the Canadiens’ lengthy list of unrestricted free agents, and Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec and Guillaume Latendresse are due raises as RFAs. Re-signing Komisarek is a must, and Tanguay should be brought back at the right price. But it is certainly time to cut ties with Kovalev, whose season boils down to being sent home for uninspired play in the heat of the playoff race.

Gainey flirted with trading for Marian Gaborik this spring. The oft-injured winger should be under consideration this summer -- so should Martin Havlat, Michael Camalleri and Jay Bouwmeester. As daunting as the number of free agents may be to Gainey, it provides him ample flexibility to retool a roster that fell well short of expectations this season.

NEW YORK RANGERS

On paper, getting to a Game 7 against the Capitals is a moral victory for a team devoid of top level talent. But the Rangers would be preparing for round two today with even a 10% increase in skill. The hard work of Brandon Dubinsky, Scott Gomez, Chris Drury and Marc Staal was made moot by the lack of size and finishing touch up front. The Rangers’ puck control was phenomenal in Tuesday’s finale, but it did not translate into goals because no one was capable of making that one pass to create a true scoring chance. Nor was there a true sniper to finish off the play the times the puck found a stick in scoring position.

The Rangers right now are a team without a #1 line. Their wishlist should resemble the Canadiens’ – Gaborik, Havlat, Cammalleri. And Glen Sather (who won’t be fired, sadly) should call Don Waddell in Atlanta and see what Ilya Kovalchuk’s price tag is these days. No one on New York’s current roster is untouchable except Staal and Henrik Lundqvist. Anyone can and should be moved for reinforcements because the Blueshirts are not capable of much as presently constituted.

As always, please send any comments, questions and critiques to boguschhockey@gmail.com

FTS - 4/30/09

TOP STORY

Let The Games Begin...

The Blackhawks and Canucks had a physical regular season series this year. The players expect more in their Conference Semifinals match-up.

(Photo Credit - Getty Images)

(4) Chicago Blackhawks @ (3) Vancouver Canucks

The rest and repair Vancouver enjoyed over the last week will probably be needed as the Canucks get ready to play the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the NHL playoffs. There isn't much love lost between the two clubs. The last game the teams played (a 4-0 Vancouver win in Chicago) featured a third-period brawl. "This is another team we don't really like," defenseman Kevin Bieksa said after the Canucks practised at GM Place Tuesday. "They are a hard-working, physical team. It will be a battle. "There will be a couple of scrums in this series. It will be entertaining for everyone."

The Canucks haven't played a game since a 3-2 overtime victory last Tuesday which gave them a sweep against the St. Louis Blues in the playoff's opening round. The Blackhawks advanced by beating the Calgary Flames 4-1 Monday night to win that series in six games

Canuck goaltender Roberto Luongo said it's nice to get the waiting and wondering over. "It's nice to know we finally have an opponent," said Luongo, who leads all playoff goalies with a 1.15 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage. "It kind of gets the butterflies going a bit in your stomach."

The Canucks are also the last Canadian team remaining in the playoffs. Bieksa smiled when asked about Vancouver being Canada's team. "Hopefully we'll get some of the fans back East to start cheering for us," he said. The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

In Nikolai Khabibulin, the Hawks have a goaltender who won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Players like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker supply plenty of offensive power. Coach Alain Vigneault said the Blackhawks can come at an opponent in waves. "Chicago presents a team with so much balance," said Vigneault. "They have three lines that can score on a regular basis. They have their energy line and they have defencemen that join the rush a lot better than St. Louis did. We are going to need our four lines. We're going to need our forwards to do a really good job as far as reading the rush, picking up their defence and, when the opportunity is there, to hit their defence in a legal, physical way."

Kesler said the Canucks also can't continue to dare fate by taking penalties. Vancouver was called for 29 penalties for 81 minutes against St. Louis. The Canucks were saved by a penalty-killing unit that was 95.8 per cent effective. The Blackhawks power play is second best in the playoffs at 29.2 per cent. "We have to be very disciplined," said Kesler. "The first round wasn't good enough. We weren't nearly as disciplined as we should have been and we gave up a lot of power plays. We have to nip that in the bud, especially against a team like this."

Protecting Luongo will also be important. It was a hit on the Canuck captain that started the blood boiling the last time the two teams played. The Blackhawks were also accused of bumping into Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. Canuck defenceman Shane O'Brien didn't want to talk about the history between the clubs. "I remember a lot about that but I won't talk about that," he said with a smile. "Actions speak louder than words. I guarantee one thing. They are not going to be getting to Lui as easily as maybe they got to Kiprusoff."

Vancouver and Chicago split four games this season. The Blackhawks won the first two games 4-2 and 3-1. The Canucks won the last two meetings 7-3 and 4-0. The Blackhawks remained in Calgary on Monday night and arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday. While the Canucks are rested, veteran centre Mats Sundin said the Blackhawks have momentum on their side. "It's going to be tough," he said. "They played really well to beat Calgary in six games. We have to make sure we get ready and get the intensity and get our team ready to play like we did against St. Louis."


I'm really looking forward to this series. They play very similar styles and there's a good amount of bad blood between these two teams considering that they aren't division rivals. The series boils down to the men between the pipes. The current best goalie in the world (Roberto Luongo) vs. one of the fomer best goalies in the world (Nikolai Khabibulin). Luongo played at his usual top level down the stretch of the regular season and against the Blues while Khabibulin got hot at the right time as well. Vancouver is well rested while Chicago has momentum. The only difference in this series is that the Blackhawks shade a little more on the younger side while the Canucks have a little more experience. I'm picking Vancouver in seven games in what should be an epic 2nd round series.


OTHER NEWS

-A trio of Russians will battle for the honor of being named most valuable player in the National Hockey League. Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings were named as finalists for the Hart Trophy on Wednesday. The winner is to be announced June 18 at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas. Ovechkin can become the first repeat winner of the Hart since Dominik Hasek in 1997 and 1998 and the first forward to do it since Wayne Gretzky won the Hart Trophy eighth straight times from 1980 to 1987. "It means a lot for me to be up for this award," Ovechkin told the Capitals' website. "I always wanted to be the best, so this is a great honor. "It's special, too, with three Russians nominated. It's a great thing for our country and our sport." A year ago, Ovechkin won the Hart as well as the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring leader with 112 points and the Rocket Richard Trophy as goal-scoring leader with 65. This season, he locked up a second Richard Trophy with 56 goals but his 110 points were second to Malkin's 113 for the Art Ross. Malkin, who was runner-up to Ovechkin for MVP honors last season, had 35 goals and 78 assists for the Penguins, who had a second 100-point man in Sidney Crosby with 103. Datsyuk is considered by many the league's most complete player. He was fourth in scoring with 97 points, was plus-34 and won 56 per cent of his faceoffs.

-Flyers captain Mike Richards will have surgery this week to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and also needs surgery on his left shoulder and faces to 10 to 12 weeks of rehabilitation. Richards will have surgery tomorrow and then have the left one repaired once he regains motion on his right side. Richards said his shoulders have been bothering him since training camp. He couldn't pinpoint a game or a date when they started to hurt. Even with a pair of hurt shoulders, Richards had 30 goals and 80 points this season and helped the Flyers reach the playoffs. He used anti-inflammatory medication to keep the pain down. "There were certain days that were a lot worse than other days," Richards said Wednesday. "But it wasn't like I was in agony or throbbing pain. It was more of like achy and sore. Like if you slept on it bad, you would wake up sore. But it wasn't like it was really bad pain where I couldn't bear it or anything." His 80 points were second on the team behind Jeff Carter. Richards added a goal and four assists in the first round of the playoffs as the Flyers fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Richards signed a US$69-million, 12-year contract extension in December 2007.

-Mike Keenan expects to be back behind the bench in 2009-10 for the Flames:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=276968

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Gm 1 - (4) Chicago Blackhawks @ (3) Vancouver Canucks - 9PM - Versus


Email From The Slot at fromtheslot@gmail.com

Information from the AP and Canadian Press was used in this posting

Game 7 Drama x 2

CANES, CAPS SCORE LATE TO WIN GAME 7s

(6) CAROLINA 4 – (3) NEW JERSEY 3

Hurricanes win series, 4-3

In one of the most shocking finishes in NHL playoff history, the Carolina Hurricanes exorcised the New Jersey Devils on goals from Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal within the final 80 seconds of Tuesday night’s game. It was the Canes’ second final-seconds victory of the series and sent them onto the conference semifinals, where they will meet the top-seeded Bruins.

New Jersey led 3-2 after two periods on goals from Jamie Langenbrunner, Jay Pandolfo and Brian Rolston (power play), but could not expand on that lead in the third because of more excellent goaltending from Cam Ward. His play allowed Jokinen to net the equalizer at 18:40, one-timing a cross-ice pass from Joni Pitkanen through a sliding Brodeur. Tim Gleason played the biggest role in the goal, getting the puck to Pitkanen on the left wing from his knees at the blue line.

Forty-eight seconds later, Staal rushed the right wing and beat Brodeur far side between his arm and body. It was Staal’s fifth goal of the series and the latest Game 7 third-period game-winner ever. New Jersey is the first team in this postseason to lose after leading after two periods, while Ward becomes the sixth goalie to win the first three Game 7s of his career.

(2) WASHINGTON 2 – (7) NY RANGERS 1

Capitals win series, 4-3

Sergei Fedorov’s right wing wrist shot late in the third period completed Washington’s recovery from a 3-games-to-1 deficit Tuesday night in D.C. The Rangers, though, were the better team for most of the night, controlling the puck in the Capital zone for long stretches of time. The pseudo-four corners offense kept Alex Ovechkin and the Washington attack under wraps, but it did not produce goals or even power plays for New York. The Blueshirts themselves managed only 15 shots on goal, testing rookie Simeon Varlamov only a handful of times.

Two of those times came very early in the game when Sean Avery found room on the right wing for a sharp wrister and when Nik Antropov broke in alone off a long Michal Rozsival pass. Varlamov stopped both, but gave up a rebound goal to Antropov shortly thereafter. The Rangers kept the 1-0 lead until Alex Semin’s fluke goal at 15:34 of the first period. His shot deflected off Ryan Callahan’s stick and body, and then fluttered in to the left of Henrik Lundqvist as he slid to the right.

The Ranger goalie played well after ugly outings in the previous two games, but could not glove Fedorov’s game-winner, which came through Wade Redden’s legs with 4:59 to play. Washington did not allow New York any last-second chances to tie the game and will now play Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh in round two.

The Rangers had never blown a 3-1 series lead before in franchise history. This is the Caps’ first series win since they won the Eastern Conference in 1998.

IN OTHER NEWS…

The League has loaned the Phoenix Coyotes an undisclosed amount of money to meet payroll and rent payments. According to the Arizona Republic, the NHL can take the team over if it fails to repay the money.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have removed the interim tag from head coach Dan Bylsma’s title. After Michel Therien was fired, the Pens won 18 of 25 games, then ousted Philadelphia in the opening round. Terms of Bylsma’s multi-year contract are unknown right now.

Detroit’s Pavel Dastyuk, the Flyers’ Mike Richards and Ryan Kesler in Vancouver are this year’s finalists for the Selke Trophy, which goes to the best defensive forward. Datsyuk won last year’s award.

Richards is having surgery Friday for a torn labrum in his right shoulder. GM Paul Holmgren expects recovery time to be 10-12 weeks.

The Minnesota Wild says Marc-Andre Bergeron’s back surgery Tuesday was a success. The team said the operation corrected a “disc issue”. Rehab starts Wednesday and should take six-to-eight weeks.

The AHL Board of Governors approved three new league cities Tuesday. The Flames’ top affiliate is moving to Abbotsford, British Columbia. The Stars’ version is headed to Austin, Texas, and the Phantoms are moving from Philadelphia to Glens Falls, New York.

ROUND TWO’S GAME ONES

(6) CAROLINA @ (1) BOSTON, Friday 7:30pm ET

(4) PITTSBURGH @ (2) WASHINGTON, Saturday 1pm ET

(8) ANAHEIM @ (2) DETROIT, Friday 7pm ET

(4) CHICAGO @ (3) VANCOUVER, Thursday, 9pm ET

FTS - 4/28/09

TOP STORY

Just Another Bad Jaws Sequel

Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks Prematurely Exit The Playoffs...Again

(Photo Credits - AP)

(8) Anaheim Ducks (4-2) over the (1) San Jose Sharks (2-4) 4-1

Teemu Selanne and Francois Beauchemin put Anaheim ahead with their first playoff goals on fortunate deflections 43 seconds apart in the second period, and the Ducks coolly finished off the Presidents' Trophy winners in an upset that could resonate for years in this juicy in-state rivalry. "I think if you ask anyone, we're not an eight seed," defenseman Ryan Whitney said. "Everyone in here knows that, and I think now everyone in hockey pretty much sees it, too." Jonas Hiller made 36 saves to finish his phenomenal playoff series debut for the Ducks, who won a fight-filled clincher to complete a remarkable playoff upset two years after winning the franchise's only Stanley Cup. The Ducks were outshot in every game, but Hiller, the Swiss goalie, allowed just 10 goals and posted two shutouts.

The clubs' final meeting was a slugfest with 60 total penalty minutes and a long series of brawls between Anaheim's goals and Hiller's saves. It all started with the stunning fight between Getzlaf and Thornton, who traded shoves and harsh words two days earlier in San Jose. "Joe kind of came in and said, 'Do you want to go tonight?'" Getzlaf said. "I had every intention of asking him, so it was a situation that carried over from last game. We kind of knew what we were doing. ... [In Game 5] I didn't want to give them any spark. Tonight, I felt, was the opportunity to redeem myself."

Corey Perry also scored as Anaheim advanced to face second-seeded Detroit, which swept Columbus out of the first round. The defending Stanley Cup champions are favorites to defend their title -- but few gave the Ducks much chance against the Sharks, either. With a dynamic offensive effort that negated all the Sharks' physical bluster, Anaheim became the third team to beat the NHL's top regular-season club in the first round since 2000, and just the fifth since 1968 (the Presdient's Trophy didn't start being awarded until the mid 80s. Two of the previous three teams to eliminate the President's Trophy winner have gone on to the Stanley Cup). The Ducks are the eighth No. 8 seed to win a playoff series since 1994, largely dominating the league's first all-California postseason series in 40 years. Anaheim improved to 9-0 at home when they have a chance to close out a playoff series.

Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves and Milan Michalek scored the game's first goal for the Sharks, who completed the biggest playoff collapse in a franchise history full of them. San Jose led the NHL with franchise records for points (117) and wins (53) during the regular season, but the club has been past the second round of the postseason just once, in 2004.

"Did we get what we deserved? We could have played better, obviously, in some games," said Sharks rookie coach Todd McLellan, an assistant in Detroit last year. "It took us a while once our character was challenged, and we responded. The lesson has to be learned that we can't give games away." San Jose has won four Pacific Division titles in the past seven seasons, but has never made it beyond the 2004 Western Conference finals.

The loss might be the final game in the 20-year career of Jeremy Roenick, who postponed retirement to make two more runs at his first Stanley Cup. Rob Blake, the 39-year-old defenseman, also could be gone, as could 43-year-old Claude Lemieux, who made a comeback after a 5½-year NHL absence, but played just once against Anaheim.

The Ducks advance to the Western Conference Semifinals to play the #2 seed Detroit Red Wings.


The Ducks weren't a "true" #8 seed, but that's no excuse for the Sharks lackluster performance. These two teams were a lot closer in talent and the level they play each other than their records and seeds indicated. What's funny is that these teams had polar opposite seasons, but in the end, reverted back to their traditonal ways. San Jose DOMINATED all year long, but couldn't break thier jinx of early playoff exits. Anaheim was a very up and down team this year, but when the chips were down, they played the way a playoff team SHOULD play. Anaheim is going to be a tough out for Detroit, but I still pick the Red Wings in 6 (Red Wings won the season series 3-0-1). As for the Sharks, now we see why the Bruins dealt Joe Thornton. I wouldn't say San Jose needs a complete overhaul, but certain key cogs need to be replaced, and it starts with Thornton.

Btw, poor Travis Moen. He gets traded from the Ducks to the Sharks and watches his former team eliminate him.

OTHER PLAYOFF ACTION...

(4) Chicago Blackhawks (4-2) over the (5) Calgary Flames (2-4) 4-1

There is plenty of reason to celebrate in Chicago as the Blackhawks downed injury-riddled Calgary 4-1 in last night's win to take the series 4-2. The Blackhawks' previous playoff series win was a four-game sweep of Calgary back in 1996, 13 years ago. Calgary was eliminated in the 1st round for the fourth straight season and other than the year they went to the Stanley Cup, haven't gone past the 1st round since their cup winning season in 1989.

The Blackhawks were simply relieved after Monday's game to have earned their first road win in the series and get a breather before facing the well-rested Vancouver Canucks in the next round. "We're excited about the win, but you pay the price," captain Jonathan Toews said "You take a lot of pressure and abuse." Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist for Chicago, with Adam Burish and Brian Campbell also scoring. Dustin Byfuglien added an empty-net goal and had two assists. Rookie Kris Versteeg, a Calder Trophy nominee, also contributed two assists.

The Blackhawks had 10 players with a combined 309 playoff games compared to Calgary's 19 players with 764 postseason games. With 14 players under the age of 25, the Blackhawks are the youngest team in the NHL. Chicago was quicker out of its zone, faster on the forecheck and unafraid to engage Calgary physically.

Todd Bertuzzi scored the lone goal for the Flames, who managed just two goals in the final two games of the series. They were ousted in the first round for a fourth straight season. The Flames spent up to the salary cap to build a team for a long postseason run. Injuries hampered them in this series, but the depth wasn't there in the playoffs, either. "The organization gave us the opportunity to go deep and to win and we didn't get it done," Flames captain Jarome Iginla said. "Injuries are part of it. Even with those, we were still capable for winning this series and it's hard to take."

Nikolai Khabibulin made 43 saves for the win. He's 8-3 in the playoffs against the Flames, including beating them in the 2004 Stanley Cup final when he played for Tampa Bay. His regular season record vs. the Flames is 22-5-2. "People started saying in Game 3 and Game 4 he wasn't playing his best hockey," Toews said. "He's our best player and he proved that again tonight."
Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 12 shots in the loss. The Flames pressed for goals in the third period and pulled Kiprusoff with more than 2 minutes remaining to no avail.

With Bertuzzi in the penalty box, Kane made it 1-0 just 2:20 in. From the bottom of the circle, Versteeg tried to connect with Byfuglien in front of the net for a tip-in, but the puck deflected out front for Kane. Byfuglien lugged the puck and circled behind the net to the half-boards before passing to Burish, who beat Kiprusoff midway in the opening period. Defenseman Campbell's slap shot from the point through traffic was deflected and beat Kiprusoff to the glove side for a 3-0 edge in the second period.

Next up for the Blackhawks are the Vancouver Canucks, who they split the regular season series with.


This series went pretty much how I expected it to. I really thought Calgary could make a deep run because they could tangle with teams like Detroit and San Jose, but they ran in to a team that was a poor match-up for them. Chicago is a fast, young, physical team while. Calgary is a physical team, but is older and couldn't match Chicago's energy. Calgary made the right moves at the deadline but it didn't pan out for them. Calgary is another team that will be interesting to follow in the off-season to see what direction they head in. As for the Blackhawks, they get rewarded with the best goalie in the world in Roberto Luongo. I wouldn't say Vancouver and Chicago mirror each other's styles, but they are close and this series will come down to goaltending. I think the Canucks take it in 7 games.


OTHER NEWS

-Washington Capitals forward Donald Brashear was suspended for a total of six games by the National Hockey League for two separate incidents in Game 6 against the New York Rangers. Brashear had a hearing on Monday to discuss his exchange with New York's Colton Orr in the warm-up prior to the game and his late hit on Rangers forward Blair Betts in the first period. Brashear got one game for the incident with Orr and five additional games for his hit on Betts. The Rangers announced on Monday that Betts suffered a broken orbital bone as a result of the hit and is out indefinitely. "Brashear delivered a shoulder hit to an unsuspecting player," said Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell in a release. "It is also my opinion that the hit was delivered late and targeted the head of his opponent, causing significant injury." Brashear will start serving his suspension in Game 7 and it will extend through Washington's next five playoff games, or the 2009/10 regular season depending on how long the Capitals are in the playoffs. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 5-3 on Sunday to force Game 7 on Tuesday.

-Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild, Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins are the finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender. The winner, voted by general managers around the league, will be revealed June 18 at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas. Mason, a rookie, posted a franchise-record three straight shutouts in December and helped the Blue Jackets reach the playoffs for the first time. Thomas led the NHL with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage for the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins. "It's quite an honor," Thomas said after the Bruins practiced at Ristuccia Arena on Monday. "Just breaking into the NHL a few years ago, you're always trying to make your goals bigger but you want to make them reasonable. You know, one step at a time." Backstrom appeared in 71 games for Minnesota and ranked among the top five goaltenders in goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts. His 37 wins were a franchise record, and after playing in his first All-Star Game he received a four-year, $24 million contract extension that will begin next season. "You don't really think about those things," Backstrom said by phone from Colorado, where he's rehabilitating following hip surgery. "It's more you focus on your game and try to help your team."

-The United States broke open a close game with four goals in the third period, beating Austria 6-1 on Monday to reach the second round of the ice hockey world championship. Dustin Brown had a goal and two assists, and Patrick O'Sullivan and Jason Blake each added a goal and an assist for the Americans. Drew Stafford, Lee Stempniak and defenseman Matt Niskanen also scored goals. U.S. coach Ron Wilson challenged his team when it led 2-1 after two periods. "I think they responded somewhat to my challenge," Wilson said. "We could have put it away fairly early had we scored on some of our wide open chances. We were a little bit casual." The United States beat Latvia 4-2 on Saturday and is assured of reaching the second round, which features two groups of six teams beginning play Thursday. The U.S. finishes Group C play against Sweden on Wednesday.

-Top Canucks defensemen Sami Salo and Willie Mitchell are both expected to play when Vancouver starts the second round of the NHL playoffs. Salo was back at practice on Monday after missing Game 4 in St. Louis, and pronounced himself fit. Mitchell, who was limping after Game 4, skipped practice Monday after leaving early Saturday, but coach Alain Vigneault expects him to play. The Canucks have been waiting and resting since sweeping St. Louis a week ago Tuesday night. Vancouver will open at home against Chicago. Life will be easier for goalie Roberto Luongo, who leads the league with a 1.15 goals-against average in the playoffs and .962 save percentage. He stopped 126 of 131 shots by the Blues, including all 18 in overtime of a Game 4 victory.

-Quebec's finance minister says the provincial government is willing to provide an unsecured bond to help investors who are interested in buying the Montreal Canadiens. Raymond Bachand said Monday he has told Jacques Menard, the chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns, that Quebec is ready to provide a modest amount, "like $100 million of debentures." Habs majority owner George Gillett has retained the services of BMO to assess all alternatives regarding a potential sale of the team. Bachand stresses that any financial support would have to be available to all Quebec investors interested in acquiring the team. He also made it clear Quebec would not be a shareholder in the NHL club. It's been reported that up to 10 potential buyers have signed confidentiality agreements with BMO to get a look at the franchise's books. Bachand made his comments after a news conference where he announced the creation of Teralys Capital Fund, an $825-million technology investment fund.

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
^Gm 7 - (7) New York Rangers @ (2) Washington Capitals - 7PM (Series tied 3-3) - Versus
^Gm 7 - (6) Carolina Hurricanes @ (3) New Jersey Devils - 7:30PM - (Series tied 3-3)
^ = elimination alert

Email From The Slot at fromtheslot@gmail.com

Information from the AP was used in this posting

FTS - 4/27/09

TOP STORY

Seven and Seven

The Rangers lay an egg in a chance to clinch at home while the Hurricanes storm the Devils back to Newark for a Game 7

(Photo Credits - AP)

PLAYOFF ACTION...

(2) Washington Capitals (3-3) over the (7) New York Rangers (3-3) 5-3

John Tortorella's view from a suite was no better than the one from the bench, and the suspended coach watched helplessly as Washington dominated his Rangers for the second straight game and put them on the brink of elimination, too. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist again didn't make it to the third period, and Washington defenseman Tom Poti torched his former team in the Capitals' 5-3 victory Sunday that set up a decisive Game 7 on Tuesday.

"He can't play every game like a god," Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said of Lundqvist, who had stopped 141 of 149 shots in the first four games when the Rangers grabbed a 3-1 series lead. "He can't save the game all the time. When we play our game, we play simple. We play hard and nobody can stop us." Washington went 2-2 on the power play after going 0-13 over the previous two games.

Tortorella served a one-game suspension following a confrontation with a fan Friday during New York's 4-0 loss in Game 5 that sent the series back to Madison Square Garden. Tortorella squirted water into the crowd and threw a water bottle into the stands. Jim Schoenfeld, Tortorella's lone assistant coach, ran the club in his absence and said before the game that Tortorella had been sticking up for his players against slurs from the crowd.

Even the return of benched forward Sean Avery couldn't spark the Rangers, who have been outscored 9-3 since moving within one win of advancing. "We wouldn't put this on Torts and we won't put this on Shoney," captain Chris Drury said. "We just didn't play well enough." Tortorella will be allowed to coach Game 7 in Washington, where the Rangers claimed in a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that security was lax -- a factor they said led to the water incident.

"When you're down 3-1, there is no pressure on you," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "They expect you to lose. Now we see how [the Capitals] can handle it when they're expected to win." The Rangers' biggest concern now might be the poor play of Lundqvist. "He's our guy," Drury said. "We're not here without him. We know he's going to respond when push comes to shove. That's what he has done for us all year."

Poti, the subject of Rangers fans' wrath during his three-plus seasons with New York, had a goal and three assists as Washington built a 5-1 lead. "I could care less about any of that," Poti said. "We got a win and we've got more work to do." When Ovechkin tipped in Poti's drive for a power-play goal with 3:16 left in the second period, Lundqvist was torched for his ninth goal in 34 shots. "You start to think about what is to come on Tuesday," Lundqvist said. "The only thing I can do is get a good practice and prepare for it." The lone bright spot for New York was Scott Gomez's goal that tied it 1-1 8:15 in and snapped the Rangers' 0-for-18 power-play skid.

The Capitals took a 1-0 lead on Milan Jurcina's first NHL playoff goal 7:09 in, and fellow defensemen Mike Green and Poti staked Washington to a 3-1 edge in the first. Viktor Kozlov and Ovechkin pushed the advantage to four goals in the second. That made for another easy game for rookie Simeon Varlamov, who finished with 29 saves.

Frustration got to the Rangers in the second period when Brandon Dubinsky received 14 minutes in penalties following his hit from behind against Green. Dubinsky slammed his helmet as he walked down the tunnel to the dressing room. Schoenfeld said Dubinsky was given a tetanus shot because he was bitten on the arm by Washington's Shaone Morrisonn during the scrum following the hit. Capitals enforcer Donald Brashear laid out center Blair Betts in the first period with a late shot to the head. Brashear wasn't penalized and Washington grabbed the lead for good moments later. "It was pretty vicious," Schoenfeld said. "[Betts] is hurt significantly."

The Capitals have won one series in which they trailed 3-1, the 1988 Patrick Division semifinal against Philadelphia. For the second straight year, Washington has forced a Game 7 in the first round after trailing 3-1. The Capitals fell short at home against Philadelphia last year, but the Southeast Division champions are riding a wave that could make them the 21st team in 230 chances to come all the way back. New York has never lost such a lead. The Capitals are 1-4 all-time in Game 7 while the Rangers are 3-4. Tuesday will be the Rangers' first Game 7 since winning the 1994 Stanley Cup Final against the Canucks. Teams have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series 229 times and have come back to win the series on 20 occasions (8.7 percent).

I was fortunate (well, depending on your outlook) enough to attend this game (thanks to my friend Greer for an early birthday gift, who has become a real hockey chick the past few months) and this was just a piss-poor effort from the Rangers. The crowd brought the energy from the beginning and when the Rangers responded quickly to tie it at 1, it seemed like we were in for an epic game. Once the Rangers went down 3-1, you could see the wheels fell off for them and despite having plenty of time to put the wheels back on, they left the car dead on the road. Scratching Colton Orr was a HUGE mistake because Donald Brashear doesn't take that cheap shot on Blair Betts if he knows there's a chance of Orr's feared right hook connecting to his face. The Capitals now have the momentum heading home to what will be a redded-out Verizon Center. Everything is pointing to me picking the Capitals for Game 7, but I'm picking the Rangers because nothing has made sense in this series so far, so I'm going to roll with that trend.

(6) Carolina Hurricanes (3-3) over the (3) New Jersey Devils (3-3) 4-0

Eric Staal scored two goals less than 3 minutes apart, Cam Ward made 28 saves in his third career playoff shutout and the Hurricanes avoided elimination by routing the Devils 4-0 on Sunday night. Ray Whitney had a goal and three assists, Jussi Jokinen scored Carolina's first power-play goal since Game 2, Chad LaRose had two assists and Staal added an assist for the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes outshot New Jersey 37-28 while their reconfigured top line produced the first three goals, and that helped lead to the most lopsided final score of the best-of-seven series. It's even at three games apiece, with the winner-take-all Game 7 set for Tuesday night in New Jersey.

"The difference in tonight was, a team that played like there was no tomorrow and the other team played like there was," Devils coach Brent Sutter said. "When that happens, usually the team that plays like there is another tomorrow will end up on the wrong side."

Not even the return of captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who missed three games with a lower body injury, could save New Jersey from its worst performance of an otherwise evenly matched series. The previous four games were decided by one goal, with two going to overtime and another 0.2 of a second shy from making it three straight before Jokinen's buzzer-beating deflection ended Game 4.

Cam Ward is 2-0 in Game 7s in his career, both coming in the 2006 playoffs, while Martin Brodeur is 5-3 all-time in Game 7s. No team in this series has won consecutive games (bodes well for the Devils). Game 7 is Tuesday night in Newark @ 7:30PM.

It's fitting that this series is going to go the distance. This has been the best series in the Eastern Conference Playoffs and the finale should be an appropriate ending. This series has been the true definition of a see-saw series with each team showing flashes of dominance with it being pretty even the rest of the time. Either result wouldn't shock me, but I have to go with the Devils in Game 7. As good as Cam Ward has been and as potent as the 'Canes offense has been, how do you pick against Marty Brodeur in an early Game 7?


OTHER NEWS

-Red Wings C Pavel Datsyuk is in the running for a fourth straight Lady Byng Trophy. He is among the finalists for the NHL's most gentlemanly player award along with Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils, the league announced Friday. Winners of the Lady Byng and other trophies will be announced at the NHL awards show June 18 in Las Vegas. Datsyuk has won the Lady Byng the last three years. One more and he'll tie the record of four in a row set by Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers from 1928 to 1931. Boucher won the trophy seven times in an eight-year span ending in 1935, and was runner-up to Joe Primeau of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the year he missed out in 1932. The trophy, first awarded in 1925, goes to the player who shows "sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." Past winners include all-time scoring leader Wayne Gretzky, who won it five times between 1980 and 1999, and goal-scoring star Mike Bossy, who took it three times in the 1980s. Datsyuk led the Red Wings in assists (65) and points (97) and was plus-34, third best in the NHL, while recording just 22 penalty minutes in 81 games. Last season, the versatile Datsyuk won both the Lady Byng and the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward and will likely be in the running to take them both again. Selke finalists are to be announced on Tuesday. The 30-year-old also draws votes for the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, but is a long shot to win. St. Louis, the league MVP and scoring leader in 2004, finished this season with 80 points (30 goals, 50 assists) in 82 games and had just 14 minutes in penalties. The 33-year-old Laval, Que., native has been runner-up for the Lady Byng the last two years. "It's a trophy that some great players have their name on," said St. Louis, a former Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner. "I've been a finalist before and I'd love to win it. It's always an honour to be considered for any trophies." Parise enjoyed a breakout season, finishing second in the league with 45 goals. The 24-year-old from Minneapolis finished with 95 points, was plus-30 and had just 24 penalty minutes.

-Vancouver Canuck forward Taylor Pyatt says he appreciates the support he has received from the NHL team and its fans following the death of his fiance in a car accident. Carly Bragnalo died April 2 while on vacation in Jamaica. Pyatt and Bragnalo were to be married this summer. "I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and the entire Canucks organization for their tremendous compassion and support during this very difficult time for myself, my family and the entire Bragnalo family," Pyatt said in a release Friday. "I would also like to thank the passionate fans of the Canucks for their support and the media who have given us the respect and time to grieve in private. I loved Carly very much. My family and I will forever miss her. At this difficult time for our families it is my wish to not speak about our loss publicly." Pyatt has returned from his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont. He missed the final five games of the regular season and did not play during the Canucks four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues in the opening round of the playoffs. In an interview on Vancouver radio station TEAM 1040, Canucks' general manager Mike Gillis gave Pyatt his full support. "I had a chance to speak with Taylor yesterday and I think he's dealing with a lot of emotion and what everyone would deal with, after going through what he went through," Gillis told the TEAM. "But it's nice we have this break because we're hoping he can get back on the ice with our team and have a nice period of time to get back in the swing of things. Hopefully he'll feel better when he's occupied and around all our guys and has their support." Pyatt had 10 goals and nine assists in 69 regular season games.

-Rangers forward Blair Betts has been knocked out of Sunday's playoff game after taking a shot to the head by Washington Capitals enforcer Donald Brashear. Brashear landed a high, hard hit on Betts 9:54 into Game 6 after the Rangers forward got rid of the puck at center ice. Betts was face down on the ice for several moments and appeared dazed as he was helped to the New York dressing room. No information was released about Betts' condition, but the Rangers said he wouldn't return to the game. Brashear wasn't penalized for the hit, but was sent to the box for roughing along with Rangers defenseman Paul Mara, who came to Betts' defense.

-Canada produced the most lopsided win so far at the ice hockey world championship Sunday, defeating Hungary 9-0. Martin St. Louis had three goals and Shea Weber added two for Canada, which scored four times in the first 13 minutes. Derek Roy, James Neal, Mike Fisher and Jason Spezza also scored for the world's top-rated team, which moved into the second round. The win put Slovakia into the next round. In other World Championship action, Russia scored five goals in the first period on its way to a 7-2 victory over France. Forward Alex Radulov scored after just 1:23, and Russia added three more in a 55-second burst to decide the outcome with just over eight minutes played. The win guaranteed the defending champion's place in the second group phase of the 16-nation tournament. Russia's rapid-fire trio of goals came from Danis Zaripov, Radulov and Alexander Perezhogin before Kevin Hecquefeuille got France on the board.


I want to acknowledge how ridiuclous the NY Rangers press release was about coaches safety after the Tortorella water bottle incident. Really? C'mon guys...worry about not scratching players you shouldn't be scratching and putting the nail in the coffin when you're up 3-1 instead of keeping your coach dry and free of harmless water bottles.

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
^Gm 6 - (4) Chicago Blackhawks @ (5) Calgary Flames - 9:30PM (Chicago leads 3-2)
^Gm 6 - (1) San Jose Sharks @ (8) Anaheim Ducks - 10:30PM - Versus (Anaheim leads 3-2)
^ = elimination alert

Email From The Slot at fromtheslot@gmail.com

Information from the AP was used in this posting