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