2009 Eastern Conference Finals

Game One: Pittsburgh 3, Carolina 2
Pittsburgh leads the series 1-0

Sonuvagun, I really thought Carolina would have pulled it off once they scored with a minute and a half left. But the Penguins held on long enough to secure the victory.

Well, give Evgeni Malkin and Phillipe Boucher some credit with their play, as they notched both a goal and an assist. Miro Satan, the same guy who was in the minors a month ago, also contributed to the Penguins attack.

You can't fault Cam Ward or Carolina really for this one; Pittsburgh just wanted it more and were able to outcompete the Hurricanes. I don't believe this series is over by a long shot, so stay tuned as Game 2 will be on Thursday, 7:30 PM EST on Versus/TSN.

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Western Conference Finals

Game One: Detroit Red Wings 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Detroit leads the series 1-0

Wow, what a contest for the Red Wings. Even better, two guys who were one the team's fourth line during the 2005-06 season are the team's most dynamic during the playoffs. In 12 playoff games, Johan Franzen has 18 points with a +10 rating while Dan Cleary has 11 points with a +13 rating. Outstanding.

Chicago did alright all things considered, but the Wings had Khabibulin's number, and were able to solve him.

The scary moment happened when Adam Burish took a skate to the throat. It wasn't Clint Malarchuk or Richard Zednik bad, but still makes you wonder why throat protection isn't mandatory...

We Interrupt Your Regulalry Scheduled Program To Bring You The Following...

Well folks, it happened. Jerry Moyes filed for bankruptcy and is attempting to sell the team to Jim Balsille, who in no uncertain terms is hellbent on bringing the team to a city in southern Ontario (Hamilton has been touted numerous times.) Apparently, neither the NHL nor the city of Glendale were expecting this to happen or were pleased to see this happen. In fact, the NHL has removed Moyes from acting on behalf of the club any longer.

Stay tuned and I'll do my best to bring you as much up-to-date news as possible. I know I've been absent for these past few days, but I've been sick as a mothafoo.

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 12

Hey everyone. Family was in town and I got busy. Now I'm sick and don't feel like writing much. That said, I'm going to subsitute the typical commentary with an AP sports feed.

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Game 6: Chicago 4, Calgary 1
Calgary wins the series 4-2

The Chicago Blackhawks won their first playoff series in 13 years, eliminating Calgary by beating the Flames 4-1 in Game 6 of their first-round Western Conference matchup Monday night.

Chicago’s previous playoff series win was a four-game sweep of Calgary in 1996.

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.

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.

Nikolai Khabibulin played a stellar game in net for the Blackhawks with 43 saves. He robbed Calgary’s Olli Jokinen on scoring chances in the first and second periods.

The Blackhawks will play Vancouver in the next round.

With 14 players under the age of 25, the Blackhawks are the youngest team in the NHL. Their lack of playoff experience was thought to be a disadvantage heading into the series, but the Hawks were poised and tenacious against the more-experienced Flames.

They were quicker out of their end, faster on the forecheck and weren’t afraid to engage Calgary physically. Chicago was also the healthier team through the series, too.

The Flames pressed for goals in the third period and pulled Kiprusoff with more than 2 minutes remaining. But the injury-riddled club didn’t have the depth to push past the youthful Blackhawks and send the series back to Chicago for a Game 7.

Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf was scratched because of a hard check and helmet-to-helmet contact from Chicago’s Troy Brouwer in Game 5. Without Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr, who missed this series because of a knee injury, the Flames’ defense couldn’t contain Byfuglien, who assisted on Chicago’s two goals in the first period.

The Flames ended the regular season scoreless on their last 45 power-play chances. They were only marginally better during the postseason with two goals on 18 opportunities while a man up.

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.

Bertuzzi skated deep down the wing and beat Khabibulin with a sharp-angled shot over the Russian’s shoulder 54 seconds into the third session.

Notes: Chicago outscored Calgary 10-5 in the second periods in the series . . . With the exception of their run to the Stanley Cup final in 2004, the Flames haven’t made it out of the first round of playoffs since winning the Cup in 1989.

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Game 6: Anaheim 4, San Jose 1
Anaheim wins the series 4-2

(Okay, this one's gonna be a quick article from us.)
Ryan Getzlaf got the "Gordie Howe" hat trick in a very nasty game between San Jose and Anaheim that saw President's Trophy Champion San Jose Sharks eliminated by 8th seeded Anaheim. Anaheim will now face the Red Wings in the next round.

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 9 - Cliffs Notes Edition

Sorry folks, life happened today, so here's the cliffs notes version of what you may have missed:

Game 5: Philadelphia 3, Pittsburgh 0
Pittsburgh leads the series 3-2

Marty Biron was perfect, while Arron Asham, Claude Giroux, and Mike Knuble scored on Montreal's behalf. The series could very well go to seven games at this point.

Game 4: Detroit 6, Columbus 5
Detroit wins the series 4-0

Johan Franzen scores with less than a minute left for Detroit to sweep the series.

Game 5: New Jersey 1, Carolina 0
New Jersey leads the series 3-2

David Clarkson scores the only goal of the game while Martin Brodeur was perfect for 44 saves.

Game 4: Anaheim 4, San Jose 0
Anaheim leads the series 3-1

Bobby Ryan scored twice while Jonas Hiller was perfect for 31 saves. Now it looks like San Jose could be out in as soon as a game. Wow, and after such a promising season...

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 8

Well folks, another series ended tonight, but not without some nastiness. All that and more coming up.

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Game 4: Boston 4, Montreal 1
Boston wins the series 4-0

Like St. Louis, Montreal was eliminated in a four game sweep. Unlike St. Louis, those @$$hole Montreal fans deserved to wallow in losing at home. More on that later.

I'll get to what Boston did first, and that was play a hell of a game. Claude Julien got the most out of his squad which somehow motivated Michael Ryder to get three points (two goals and an assist) against a team that didn't want him back. David Krejci got a goal and an assist while Phil Kessel got a goal breaking out of the penalty box. Tim Thomas made 26 stops and now they get to see the first semi-finals in years

You know, Bob Gainey did this to himself. He had a sophomore team with a sophomore goaltender and continued to ride him even though Price was becoming inefficient and that there was another capable goaltender on the bench. I can understand the fans being frustrated over being eliminated in the quarterfinals, but considering that only relatively recently have you had a team that can sniff the post-season, much less make it in there, be grateful for what you have. The Bronx and mock cheers against Carey Price is utterly ridiculous. It was classless and if you don't wanna grow with your franchise goaltender, then let him go to a team where he can win a Cup and you can have another 6 seasons of missing the playoffs. Cool?

By the way, Mike Komisarek and Milan Lucic really don't like each other...

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Game 4: NY Rangers 2, Washington 1
NY Rangers lead the series 3-1

This series is gonna come down to goaltending and with that said, Hendrik Lundqvist is demonstrating nothing short of sheer dominance in leading his team to the next round the of playoffs.

Lundqvist made 38 saves in a situation where a lesser goaltender would have folded by now. Paul Mara and Chris Drury scored for the Rangers. There weren't any minus players on the squad tonight and aside from a dumb penalty Sean Avery took at the end of the game, the team was very cohesive and sound.

Now, you can't blame Varlamov for this; this is his seventh or eighth NHL game ever and the dude can't speak English. Great for Alexander Ovechkin for finally scoring in the series too. I think these guys are still a little green and while they're great players and winners, they still need to figure out how to win.

Game 5 goes back to Washington and I think they'll win that one, but then it'll go back to MSG and unless Lundqvist contracts the Ebola virus, I could easily see Washington's season end there.

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Game 4: Calgary 6, Chicago 4
Series is tied 2-2

Like the New Jersey-Carolina series, this one's been pretty evenly matched. While the Blackhawks were dominate at the United Center, they certainly couldn't manage to do the same over at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Now the series is going to at least six games and I won't be surprised if it goes to seven.

On a lineup decimated by injuries, Jerome Iginla got two goals and an assist in tonight's game while leading his team to victory. Olli Jokinen got the same production tonight and shows that he can be a really good player on a team that doesn't require him to lead. Eric Nystrom's becoming a playoff hero and picked up both a goal and an assist this evening. Miikka Kipprusoff didn't have a too impressive game with 4 goals on 32 shots, but it worked enough for them to win.

Chicago wasn't without bright spots. Rookie Kris Versteeg got a goal and two assists while Sammy Pahlsson and Cam Barker got a goal and an assist each. Patrick Kane tallied a goal as well. But Nikolai Khabibulin's five goals allowed on 26 shots? It might be time to tell Cristobal Huet to get ready.

Game 5 is back at the United Center on Saturday. I can't wait hockey fans!

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2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 7

Man alive, five games on tap including one where a team's facing elimination. Let's get 'er on!

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Game 4: Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2, In Overtime
Vancouver wins the series 4-0

Take one team off the playoff charts, folks. St. Louis is officially out of the playoffs after losing 3-2 to Vancouver in Overtime.

Roberto Luongo lead his team to victory with an astonishing 47 saves. Alexander Burrows got two goals, including the game winner in overtime, while Willie Mitchell got two assists. Mattias Ohlund and Kevin Bieska played some sound, defensive hockey and lead the team in hits with 4 and 5 respectively.

Give credit to St. Louis for getting as far as they did. They were able to push the game to overtime thanks to goals from Brad Boyes and David Perron. In the end though, it wasn't enough, and their magical run to the playoffs ends here.

Vancouver is the first team to finish a playoff series. Their future opponents are still to be determined, and it isn't fair to speculate on that yet...

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Game 3: Detroit 4, Columbus 1
Detroit leads the series 3-0

The series went back to Columbus tonight but it ultimately didn't matter, as Detroit came into their house and dominated in every possible way. Ultimately, Columbus got one goal for their efforts, but the fact that there were no minus Detroit players should tell you something.

Dan Cleary and an exceptional night, generating a goal and two assists. Brad Stuart acted as the human missile, generating 4 hits including a hipcheck on R.J. Umberger that literally left him breathless. Here's footage:

Chris Osgood had another spectacular evening, making 31 saves and achieving a .67 GAA and a .974 save percentage through the three games of the series.

Again, Columbus relied on Steve Mason and a garbage goal by R.J. Umberger to get them by and again, it was not enough to elevate their play against the Red Wings. This team will be far better next season when Derek Brassard is healthy, but until then, I'm literally just waiting for the Wings to finish the series, and at this point, I say that not as a Red Wings fan but as a fan of hockey in general. Two goals in three games doesn't cut it in the playoffs.

The Wings can finish this on Thursday barring Columbus gets some magical plays and experience together.

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Game 4: Pittsburgh 3, Philadelphia 1
Pittsburgh leads the series 3-1

No it wasn't their elimination game, but Philadelphia needed to win this game to avoid the exact position they're in now. But Marc-Andre outplayed them in their own building and now they have to go to the Mellon Arena to play what could be their elimination game. Not good.

Now unfortunately, this was the first game of the series where Evgeni Malkin was shut down. However, that only opened the door for Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy, and Max Talbot to run in and get goals, while Matt Cooke was able to grab two assists. Marc-Andre was spectacular again, making 45 saves to keep his team in action. Special kudos to Pittsburgh's penalty kill, who were able to kill off the onslaught of penalties the refs called against them.

So who scored for the Flyers? Former Coyote toughguy Dan Carcillo gets his first playoff point. However, Marty Biron's flimsy 23 saves and an ineffective power play resulted in them losing a crucial game. I will give them credit though for playing a physical game and getting twice the amount of hits that Pittsburgh did.

Game 5 goes back to Pittsburgh, and if Dan Bylsma can have his team firing on 8 cylinders, then put a fork in Philadelphia because they're done.

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Game 4: Carolina 4, New Jersey 3
Series is tied 2-2

Whoever reads this regularly knows I haven't lied to you about this series. I still say it will go to seven games, and at this point, it's at least going to six. The goal that decided the game was scored with literally .2 seconds left on the clock and sent Martin Brodeur into a tirade against the referees.

Jussi Jokinen got the goal at 19:59 in the third period that sent Brodeur into orbit. I know that Joni Pitkanen's and Dennis Seidenberg's (who, by the way, is an injury replacement) two assists each tonight didn't help, as neither did goals from Eric Staal, Ryan Bayda, and Chad LaRose. Oh, and their 40 hits is something fierce.

I understand why Brodeur lost it though, he did make 42 saves in an effort to help his team get to victory. Brian Gionta. Brendan Shanahan, and David Clarkson put up goals for New Jersey's effort to win or at least get to overtime. Just like everything else in this series, it's come down to an action at a specific time and this game was .2 seconds away from being their third consecutive game in overtime. This is true hockey folks. I encourage everyone to check this out!

Game 5 of what will be an exciting series is Thursday. Check it out!

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Game 3: San Jose 4, Anaheim 3
Anaheim leads the series 2-1

Well, Hiller demonstrate he's only human after all, but he still had a respectable effort in tonight's game. Still, the Sharks managed to take a game in the series and hope to at least get the next game to even out the series. They didn't win without a fight from Anaheim thought...

Dan Boyle had a hell of a night, getting two goals and an assist. Oh and he earned two of those goals on the power play. Evgeni Nabokov was good for 27 saves which is one of his better efforts of the series. The team overall limited their mistakes and with the help from Boyle's goals in addition to goals by Rob Blake and Patrick Marleau, the team overcame Anaheim and won their first game of the series.

Hiller made a respectable 31 saves while Bobby Ryan, James Wisniewski, and Chris Pronger managed to score goals for Anaheim. The team also did well in the hitting department with 35 (7 of those coming from Wisniewski!). In the end, San Jose was hungrier, and that was the difference.

Game 4 should be exciting. If Anaheim wins, it's going to be a long, long fight back for San Jose.

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