Isles Anomaly, Junk Mail and Gifts for DiPietro

A post that is long overdue. Actually I started it last month but never finished it, sounds like ADD to me....right Angie? Anyway, it's not often that I see hockey being represented in general, with the marketing of sports products. Baseball, football, basketball, heck even soccer, all seem to have presence in stores (although one really can't bounce a puck) but this past Christmas season at the Union Square Holiday Market not only did I find a hockey ornament but dum dum dummmm an Islanders ornament! 

What are the chances of that? Uh, slim to none. Beyond its mere existence is the 'prestigious honor' of being sandwiched between a Yankees and Giants ornament, although the Giants guy looks like he's doing some kind of yoga pose and well the Yankees guy seems to be having an attachment issue with the ball. I say 'prestigious' because compared to those two teams, one would expect to have to whisper to the sales person who would then lead you down a long hallway into a dark cobwebbed room for Isles merchandise in NYC. And yes I cropped out the Rangers ornament. 

As fate, or my strong dislike for the Flyers karma would have it, I arrived home after leaving the market only to find this postcard in the mail! 

Guess I was on the naughty list this year and received the NHL version of coal. Seems when you buy tickets to see the Isles play the Flyers in Philly, you are somehow added to the list. 

Lucky me. 

Yes I could have used the paper shredder but knowing that tearing paper is a good sublimation of anger/aggression...VOILA!! 

And now onto the Isles...what can be said that every other Isles blogger hasn't already said and at this point repeated. Not much. Lots of changes going on, injuries galore and overall I see a team trying to make the best of it while 'livin' the dream'. The Lighthouse project rumor mill continues and has recently surpassed the Iphone coming to Verizon rumor mill that was shut down a few weeks ago. My prediction still stands - that a new arena will only be built when a new Islanders owner comes along. Maybe one of these days I'll have enough time to get into details about that prediction but for now it's a ongoing game of chicken between the Town of Hempstead and Charles Wang.

One consistency we've seen this season albeit not a great one, is the peek-a-boo drama of Rick DiPietro. In response to his on again-off again love affair with playing in the NHL I'd like to offer these pseudo-blog gifts which might contribute to his ability to show up on the ice consistently...

This first is a lovely invention that might help him stay in or around or near his net.

If the standard issue isn't acceptable to Mr. DP, perhaps one that is more user friendly would do:

And last but not least a gift for overall protection...bubble wrap. Perhaps this might fit nicely under his pads and such to provide some cushioning to his boo boos and prevent new ones. 

Ahh the things I could have done to this blog post if only I knew Photoshop. 

Nobokov gives the middle finger to the Isles, Moulson signs for 3 years...tune in tomorrow for the next episode of...As The Isles Turn.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!

Yes They Are Way Ahead In The Standings But The Flyers Still Suck

As always I'm holding out hope for tonight's game against the Flyers, hope that the Isles will finally stand up to their playground bully. Bummed that I won't be able to watch the game but a fundraiser for an animal refuge, at the end of the day, is more important...although some die hard hockey fans would say 'no it isn't' or ask if there is a TV at the place before deciding to go. : )


Injury and inconsistent roster seem to be hindering the Isles but overall for me it's really not about the team as much as it is about the organization as I don't believe much will change until a change is made in Isles ownership. This excerpt below of a debate on FB with my Flyers fan friend AJ pretty much sums up what I think about this subject and about AJ's gloating over the fact that the Flyers are way ahead of the Isles in the standings and the Isles appear unable to win against them...what since 2007 is it? I now refer to this as tonight's pre-game coverage:


"Ok so let's focus on your team now because that suits you now like a typical fair-weather Flyers fan. Regardless of how well they do this season they, as they always do, will choke in the end. Your team is top heavy for yet another season, you don't have a defense or a goalie to make it to winning the Cup. All that talent over the years and they still can't pull it off, bad enough the Flyers wasted Lindros all those years. Add to that the classless fans too many Flyer fans are where my friend was afraid to walk to my car after Flyers fans screamed in our faces 'go home' and 'fu*k you and your team' at us inside which happens EVERY time after a game walking in the corridor. I sit in a club seat so that I don't have to deal with the general admission idiots who say stupid $hit the entire game, even when there are kids around. Your fan base has the worst reputation in the league and has for years. A fan base one step below Eagles obnoxious fans and everyone knows it. My team sucks because the owner sucks and at this point is holding my team hostage for a real estate deal. I can't even focus on the team at this point because the 'suck' is tricking down from the guy at the top and he's poisoning everything and everybody underneath him, including the team. The best part of the Flyers? The arena, John Stevens, Martin Biron (my favorite current NHL goalie even when he WAS on the Flyers) and the greyhound adoption table at the games with the greyhounds actually there. I've been watching the NHL for more years than you have been alive, if the overall history doesn't factor into this kind of debate, keep watching and maybe one day you'll get it. Now I must go and burn some white sage and meditate that the Isles somehow find a way to kick the crap out of your team tonight. It's a long shot but with Wang in charge, it's all we Isles fans have, loyalty to our team..WIN OR LOSE. Oh and Peter Laviolette? You and your team can enjoy our sloppy seconds."


Yeah I know I stole that last line from Sean Avery. It was so fitting though. 


LET'S GO ISLANDERS!! I'll GIVE YOU EACH 5 BUCKS IF YOU WIN TONIGHT!! Wait ya'll make beaucoup paper so instead I'll donate 5 bucks for each player on the roster tonight to the refuge. 

Hossa Mantra : Stanley Cup Final Game 5

In an NHL article après losing to the Flyers in Game 4 (5-3) Marian Hossa talked about moving beyond frustration and playing smarter...actually he mentioned that word quite a few times...HOSSA MANTRA...WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER. A tip of the Tony Robbins hat to you sir.

Full Story

The only question I would ask the Blackhawks and want to correct is: WHY DO YOU ALL LOOK SO NUMB OUT ON THE ICE? Is that about playing smarter or about something else? Something else that the Flyers seem to have.

What can Chicago salvage from game 4? Scoring goals 2 & 3...knowing they are capable of scoring like that under that kind of pressure...these two goals may have made all the difference heading home as opposed to walking out of the Wachovia Center with a 4-1 or including empty net 5-1 wound.

This is a most unwelcome team role-reversal but I keep 'seeing' my nephew TJ (who lives outside of Chicago) at the parade in Chitown, hopefully foreshadowing to this result - that the unexpected underdog wins in the end.

GO HAWKS! PLAY ALIVE! BLACKHAWKS FANS HELP THEM OUT!

ps. You better believe my nephew is an Islander fan. Hawks are his second team...distant second if he wants to be invited to the big people table at Thanksgiving.

Stanley Cup Final Game 4: Book vs. Street

It's 8:03 and I should be in front of a TV but am not, busy day. So before jumping into my car to get in front of a TV here's a thought for game 4...so it's like this...Blackhawks are like people with book smarts and the Flyers are like people with street smarts. Usually it's good to have as even a balance of both but that's not going to happen with these two teams. Who wins the Stanley Cup is going to depend on what type of 'event' they are at - street fight or intellectual debate. In game 3 Philly did what they are so good at doing - pulling the other team into a street fight, thus they won - although not enough of an impressive sequence or goal to make it seem like Philly can pull this whole thing off from 2 games to 1...and that is why my cell phone is still chirping crickets. Chicago looked tired in OT- yeah it sucks when the muscles start to feel sour. But like I said in prior blog post it's all about endurance so unless Chicago wakes up and turns the atmosphere into a debate of intellect (aka skill), the Flyers are going to win. And by now if you follow this blog, you know how hard it was for me to type that last sentence. For some reason I don't think Chicago is done - maybe something such as a loss was needed to jilt Chicago out of their trance. Whether it be a gut feeling or a wish I think/hope Chicago is going to come down heavy in this game and remind everyone why they (team) are playing for the Stanley Cup in the first place, while at the same time reminding Philly of how lucky they were to have even gotten this far. Hope all that makes some kind of sense, it's hard to type a blog post with one foot out the door, it's 8:15 now and I've got to find myself in front of a TV pronto.

GO HAWKS!

Stanley Cup Final Game 3: Philly Fan Factor

So the Blackhawks are up 2 games to zero as Game 3 is about to start in a few minutes. If the Flyers want to stay in the race, they will need to draw upon the energy of their fans around them. Anyone who has been at a do-or-die game at the Wachovia Center knows what I mean. Not sure what happened to Peter Laviolette but it has resulted in a scattered energy on the team, unable to focus under his leadership and like Chris Pronger, some are acting out.

Got a kick out of the shots of Antti Niemi in the third period Monday night...the crazed look in his eyes was like the look of a crazed ex who just doesn't get it that it's over.

Blackhawks still not impressive, like studying for a C and surprisingly getting an A. All the Flyers have to do is use the boards and shoot.

Best part of the series so far? The sound coming from Flyers fans on my phone -



GO HAWKS! Let's keep it this way.

GAME ON!!

There's Always a Scapegoat

Tonight is Game 2 of the Stanely Cup Finals. Much to do went around about Peter Laviolette sending in Brian Boucher to replace Micheal Leighton in Game 1. I was more focused on the poor performace of both teams, who looked like pee-wee teams doing the ping-ping scoring that often goes on at that wee age, which at that age is cute. The Blackhawks got off easy - there was no victory for them this game but it appeared they realized that by how they skated off the ice. As for the Flyers, the last thing they needed was internal drama which was what their coach wound up creating - it's one thing to replace your starting goalie when the score is 4-0 but this was not the case. Coach Laviolette made Leighton look like a chump early on in this final race, there were other Flyers that should have exited instead of Leighton.

Morale is important Coach Laviolette if you want your boys to win for you because when it comes down to it in my world, it's all about making 'Dad' proud and as that goes, by removing your goalie when both teams were playing loosely, you publically put your team in a submissive position which can change the entire mindset of a team who really believed they could win the Stanley Cup under your leadership. But like in any family dynamic there is always someone in the role of scapegoat. In ice hockey that role is all too often filled by the goalie. In my opinion Leighton should have finished the game. What a coach can do in a scenario like game 1 is essentially play confidence chicken with the other coach - puff up his feathers and show 'fake it to you make it' confidence in your collective team because at the end of the day it's not about one game, one win or one loss...it's about who is still standing at the end of what is one long ass season. It's about endurance.

All Leighton needed was one confidence boost moment like Antti Niemi had late in the game when he impressed even himself with a glove save off of Daniel Briere's line drive from the slot.

The View from Section Blur

Ya so Angie is having computer issues so for now ya’ll are stuck with just me. Lucky you. Thing is, I’ve been uber busy so the Islanders and hockey in general this season have been a blur.

Brendan Witt has left the building. That sucks. What sucks more is too many Isles fans yapping about how #32 didn’t fit into the system (which may not have been a bad thing mind you), was too slow of a skater blah blah blah blah. How short of a memory some Isles fans have. When Ted Nolan left as coach it was Brendan Witt who was the glue that held the team together and dare I say the fan base. Everyone, meaning everyone collectively looked to Witt when Isles fans were like WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? It’s one thing for a player to be a commodity to management, but it’s a sad day when someone as dedicated to this team and a lover of Long Island becomes a commodity to a fan base that Brendan Witt served well both on and off the ice.

Moving on –

Let’s see…Angie covered Andy Sutton being traded, Isles win over Chicago followed by loss to Atlanta…uh hold on….ring ring…yes this is she who is this…Satan is that you? I thought you were in hell?...oh you’re on the Bruins now?...same thing?...what? Comeau? Hat-trick? Hell froze over? Excellent. Quite possibly Mr. “six goals in two games” figured it was better to play like he is able than to be right as I suggested some blog posts ago…or not as the case may be.

Islanders lost to the Bruins 3-2, Satan came to town for real, Mark Streit earned his 200th career NHL point, Josh Bailey scored his 14th goal of the season (you can do better than that though…stickwork stickwork stickwork) and Matt Moulson scored his 23rd goal of the season, excuse me Mighty Matt Moulson as I understand him to be…the dark horse coming from behind and now in front as the Isles leading scorer.

The Isles then tripped to Philly. Let’s get the most important point out of the way –
(Getty Image)

THERE WILL BE NO MORE OF THAT MARTIN BIRON! I don’t care if you played for that team, you are an Islander now so knock it off.

Although not at the Wachovia Center for this game, I was able to watch it on TV until sometime late in the 2nd period, once the energy of the Islanders shifted, I turned the game off to avoid the outcome - although my friend AJ was more than happy to text me updates. FlyerDork. Despite the fact that the Isles started off strong with goals from both John Tavares and Kyle Okposo in the 1st period, the Flyers won afriggingain! 15 in a row. What a way to ruin a game that started out so well for the Isles with three penalties in the 3rd period causing two goals for the Flyers. High-sticking and boarding were the penalties – will they ever learn?

Was able to watch most of the St. Louis game. To sum it up – ping pong hockey ending with Martin Biron looking completely unaware he was a NHL goalie in a shoot out. Where he ‘went’, only Biron knows…or not as the case may be.

Rick DiPietro out for who knows how long, Doug Weight out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder boo-boo and to make this rainy day darker – the Flyers beat Chicago today.

My eyes burn when seeing Phoenix that high in league standings? How the h-e double hockey sticks did that happen?

Tonight the Isles host the Devils (7pm) and then host the Maple Leafs tomorrow (5pm).

LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!

ps. the WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? still stands.

Islanders vs. Flyers 2nd Period Intermission/Post-game Report

Let me get this out of the way - Hartnell swings like a girl.

So as Angie mentioned, this is the first game in years I have missed in Philly when the Isles play. Since the Isles seem unable to get over their inferiority complex with this team, maybe not being at the game will somehow magically spell out a win for the Isles, one that I am watching on my computer. Although I would have liked to see Martin Biron in net today, Dwayne Roloson may be the Isle we thank for shaking things up and firing up his team. Just seeing the change in the Isles physical game during the 2nd period gives me hope that this may be the game when the Isles FINALLY stand up to their playground bully. 

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

Post-game

Ok so they stood up to the Flyers but didn't win. Seems the 2nd period vibe was left somewhere in the locker room and not brought out on ice for the 3rd. It was nice to see the Isles begin to unravel the Flyers - I've been waiting to see that for many many years. So it's back to the games in Philly and come to think of it - there is no place I'd rather be WHEN the Isles finally beat the Flyers in Philly but sitting amongst Flyers fans loudly sporting Orange, White & Blue.

Josh Bailey - Thanks for stepping up this season and not getting lost between #91 and #21. Keep carving out your spot.

Blake Comeau being scratched against this team again continues as an annoying mystery.  

Flyers, Leafs, Bruins and Panthers Oh My!

Last week I listed three potential outcomes for the Islanders when they played in Philadelphia Tuesday night. The Isles chose option two -

2. Get sucked into Flyers drama, lose the game and potentially someone gets hurt. 

Islanders 2 : Flyers 6

Isles quickly got sucked into Flyers drama, they L-O-S-T and Tim Jackman left the game in the 1^st period with a boo-boo and did not return. So my thought is now that if I keep going to Isles games in Philly sooner or later they will win at the Wachovia…or not. It is amazing how regressed the Isles look when playing Philly. A win for Biron would have been nice being back at his old stomping grounds for the first time since leaving Philly but he looked out of it most of the game, culminating in the 3^rd period when he was knocked down during a gloves off pile up where Flyers defenseman Matt Carle landed on Biron. Where do you go from there? The club box bar or home I guess…beer it was since the only superstition I have about watching the Isles (since being a kid) is leaving the game before it’s over. 

The Isles did rally in the second period. John Tavares scored two power play goals and as an added bonus said goodbye to part of a tooth, wonder if the tooth fairy gives partial payment. Kyle Okposo busted quite a few moves this game, he just never let up which made other Isles look “lazy” as one Flyers fan put it. Why Blake Comeau was not in this game, against this team is beyond me. But that’s why I’m the fan and Scott Gordon is the coach.

Islanders 2 : Leafs 3

Didn’t get to see the Isles in Toronto but seemed to mirror some aspects of the Flyers game, coming back from behind with two goals from Tavares, except the gap in score was smaller in Toronto, 2-0 before Tavares’s goals compared to 4-0 in Philly. On a side note, don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed a scoring pattern like Philly had, Mike Richards with two in the 1^st period, Jeff Carter with two in the 2^nd, and Claude Giroux with two in the 3^rd. Freaky deaky. 

Bruins 2 : Islanders 3 (OT)

Then came a big win against Boston which Angie has recapped, a fine recap at that, so I’ll just add some notes. Howie Rose stated this was Blake Comeau’s best game this season and it appears many Isles fans agree. Isles fan comments also seemed to relay that this was a team win, as Angie pointed out – who didn’t play well? Although I was thrilled to see the Isles prevail against a solid opponent, something about the way goals were celebrated by some players, including the pile-on when Frans Nielsen scored in OT for the win was bittersweet. On one hand it was great to see what looked like shear infectious joy and on the other I thought to myself…dudes it’s not the playoffs, it’s one game of many, with many more to go. Reactions like these are always hard to put in writing so I’ll sum it up this way – I love this team, always will but let’s not look like the Bad News Bears of hockey and hockey fandom. And yes Howie, Billy and d’lovely Angie…the team is ‘young’ – I get it…learning curve and all. Last note - saw the post game interview with Bruin’s coach Claude Julien where he made a few references to Dwayne Roloson keeping the Isles in the game…er…what game were you watching? Come on coach, give credit where credit is due – the T-E-A-M d’Isles outplayed your team. 

And then there’s Maude…

For those who are not from in and around my generation – and then there’s the Panthers game.

Panthers 7 : Islanders 1

O to the U to the C to the H. The return of Andy Sutton didn’t seem to make a dent and as it was with the team win vs. Boston, this was a team loss, so much seemed to go wrong for individual players and the team as a unit. Beyond that, Roloson looked as exposed this game as Biron did in Philly on Tuesday. The play-by-play wasn’t pretty as you probably saw or read by now and bleh that the Isles have to head into a home ice exchange with the Rangers so soon after. Since this NY rivalry is as much a mental one as it is physical, let’s see if the Isles can do what Mark Streit suggested in an interview after the game, “…Every player needs to do some soul searching and go home and think about what happened” (1). Along with that I’d like to add ‘go home and get some rest’ which will be the topic of a blogpost follow up to this one regarding what I think is the Isle’s biggest challenge, the ability to rest and rejuvenate between games. Athletes, especially hockey players, must either know how or learn how…and that’s ‘must’ as in, if they want to.

And with that I should take my own advice at 4:30am, exhausted and one too many Swedish Fish eaten. Goodnight.

LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!

(1) quote from www.nhl.com

Who Knew Text Could Make My Night

Flyer fan Ashley: Dude! We have ur old coach now! Crazy!

Christine: Wha??? Nolan?

Flyer fan Ashley: No, Laviolette. 

Christine: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Christine: watch Stevens pull a Guerin and win a cup!

Flyer fan Ashley: : (

Christine:  : )

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=508662

Flyers Fire John Stevens

Now there's a shocker...well not really. 

"Biron was a good goalie, he just couldn't take us to the next level" touted Flyers fans...now Stevens...I'm sure the same thing will be said for him as well. Guess the imbalanced O to D and other hindering team stuff is like the ketchup bottle in the fridge that you can't seem to find, right in front of yer' face but overlooked.

I'll be at the game on Tuesday...toughening up of skin has commenced.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

Round 1: Saturday, April 25

Pittsburgh 5 : Philadelphia 3

Pittsburgh wins series 4-2
OH HAPPY DAY!! At first it was dreadful to hear the horn sound three times for the Flyers. I could not believe they could win this game so effortlessly so I spent the entire game pacing between my new found photog friends Tim and Tom and my sister who was also rooting for the Pens. After the 1st period the Flyers were up 2-0. The only thought I had about the Pens winning was that from my years of watching Flyers hockey, Philly does better when they either bully effectively or score the first goal within the first 10-12 minutes of the game which they did not do, the first goal (Mike Knuble) occurred with about 3 minutes to go in the 1st period. That was the good news going into the second, the bad news…Danny Briere scored #3 a few minutes into the 2nd. However, the second period turned out to be the game changer. The pens were able to get off 20 shots despite 13 penalty minutes whereas the Flyers has the same number of penalty minutes but only 9 shots. Two other game changing happenings in the 2nd period – after the third Philly goal Marc-Andre Fleury went into a zone and remained there and the Pens did what the Flyers did not do – diffuse the weight of winning the game among as many players as possible. In the 3rd period, Philly was too much on the defensive so 5 shots on goal was not going to bring them a come from behind win. Although considering that the Pen’s sixth goal was an empty netter by Sidney Crosby in the last minute of the period, tying the game was not out of reach for Philly. Surprisingly Flyer fans were not sore losers this time around, they seemed too disappointed to be obnoxious, or like some of the fans around us, too liquored up. It’s always hit or miss when going to the Wachovia Center but this time around I had a fabulous time – great view of the game, lots of laughs with staff and fans, edge of your seat hockey… all culminating in the Flyers going boo-bye. Here's a video of the last 10 seconds of the game:



Calgary 1 : Chicago 5
Chicago leads series 3-2

Anaheim 2 : San Jose 3 (OT)
Anaheim leads series 3-2

The Flyer/Pens game must have tired me out – after arriving back at my mom’s house I went to say hello to my cat Freddy Bear and conked out next to him. Zzzzz. So I missed the later games. In reading the recaps and watching highlights – advantage still stands for Chicago and Anaheim. Chicago is just getting started in playing their ‘better than’ hockey and with 48 shots on goal, San Jose better have won the game…yet they won by only 1 goal. The Ducks can figure out a strategy to win the series based on the last two games won by the Sharkypoos, who seem to have woken up but the question is, did they wake up in enough time.

Round 1 Continues: Thursday, April 23

Philadelphia 3 – Pittsburgh 0

Pittsburgh leads series 3-2
Great to see Martin Biron fly above radar this game which surely was a major factor in the game outcome. The Flyers distributed the weight of effort from line to line and came up with 3 even strength goals. The Penguins did not. I suppose commanding the Penguins to win wouldn’t be realistic so I’ll just have to root them on at the game and hope they bounce back like they did on Tuesday. The first 10 minutes of the game will say it all.

*Note to not all but too many Flyer fans going to the game…calling him Cindy Crosby is funny, calling him a pedophile is not.

Detroit 6 – Columbus 5

Detroit wins series 4-0
Overall this series was like Varsity scrimmaging JV. The Blue Jackets made history by their appearance in the playoffs and no one can say that they did not give their all in this round. Although it would have been wild to see the game go to OT, the end result would have been the same; Wings advancing to the 2nd round. Yes losing stinks however if you’re in it for the long haul, this is the way you want to lose – all out team effort and the standing ovation support of 18,889 fans.

Carolina 0 – New Jersey 1

New Jersey leads series 3-2
It was goalie against goalie this game and as predicted, Martin Brodeur composed himself and led his team to a shutout win…with only 1 goal…a deflection…on the power play. If Brodeur wasn’t in goal it could be a toss up but as long as he keeps his composure Carolina is going to have to come up with some serious strategy for getting the puck past him enough times to win 2 games.

San Jose 0 – Anaheim 4

Anaheim leads series 3-1
This is clearly a situation of Ducks impersonating Sharks. I suspect Anaheim is not going to give back the shark suits any time soon. San Jose seemed deflated since the beginning of this series and unable to gain any type of meaningful or lasting momentum. It must stink to work your butts off all season to rise to the top entering the playoffs only to fall down when taking the first playoff step…however the cool as cucumber attitudes I saw and heard in Shark interviews were a little baffling. Not that the players should have run around shouting ‘the sky is falling’, but some intensity in their words might have helped their internal process, which somewhere along the line broke down. Now it’s time to see if Anaheim knows how to cap off a series while in the underdog role.

Round 1 Continues: Tuesday, April 21

Pittsburgh 3 : Philadelphia 1

Pittsburgh leads series 3-1
Let’s see…Pittsburgh scored ‘3’ goals. One goal Crosby’s body escorted into the net and another was an empty netter. Yes they count for the win but in my mind the Penguins head back home after having tied the Flyers 1-1. Marc-Andre Fleury was the primary reason the Penguins did not lose this game – second to his performance was the defense stepping up to protect their turf, and killing 8 penalties. Some risky behavior by the Pens and if they start racking up as many penalties on Thursday night, I don’t think they will be as fortunate as they were in this game. But then again, if they have more confidence in their goalie now, we might see less penalty minutes from Pittsburgh. As for the Flyers - where did their game go? Where was the substance? Beyond that, 8 power play opportunities and 46 shots on net produced 1 goal? This next game is hard to call. Fleury can run hot and cold, Martin Biron has been a little too quiet back there in net so far this series but after this game he might be inspired to kick it up a notch, he has to because it was not until this game that I noticed his presence in net – that isn’t good, well at least by my standards. Playoffs are not the games where a goalie can fly under the radar. I think the Penguins will win this series, and as much as I would like to see the Flyers go buh-bye, I’m not sure if game 5 will be the one to do it. On that note, advantage goes to the Flyers. On another note, I volunteer to be wrong.

Vancouver 3 : St. Louis 2

Vancouver wins series 4-0, their first playoff series sweep. The Canuck’s skill set won out over the Blues and no doubt Vancouver is a well conditioned team, physically. Although I was hoping the Blues could pull off a win on home ice, and for a moment there when the score was tied 2-2 it seemed possible – St. Louis had advantages of more power play minutes and shots on goal (49-36) but did not have the extra UMPH! to push on through to the win. It’s UMPH! that St. Louis will need to develop in order to spiral up next season and also, Chris Mason may benefit from Yoga and/or Pilates.

Detroit 4 : Columbus 1

Detroit leads series 3-0.
Ok so I just typed ‘Detroit leads series 3-1.’. AH HA! Foreshadowing to the Blue Jackets squeaking out a win on home ice? Hey it could happen. Columbus is looking frustrated because and obviously on the surface losing sucks, even if it was going to be quite a task for Columbus to beat the defending Champs. Columbus is a feisty team, a team you can feel play this series and empathize with – I’m still with the intention that they win one at home.

New Jersey 3 : Carolina 4

Series tied 2-2
What was Martin Brodeur really pissed at? The referees not calling goalie interference? Being tied in the series? That his own defense was a detriment by getting in his way? Carolina taking 46 shots and Brodeur having to deal with that? That maybe, just maybe after Jussi Jokinen ‘bumped’ him, Brodeur hesitated thinking it would be called and didn’t play the puck, thus ultimately was pissed at himself? I don’t know the answer to the question but I don’t think being pissed at the referees is why he threw his stick. Advantage goes to New Jersey for the next game due to Carolina blowing a three goal lead and that Brodeur is going to ‘correct’ the situation through his playing, he’s going to utilize the experience which is great but not as effective if team cohesion is lacking. This might be a good time for the Devils to squeeze in some off ice team building exercises before the game. Styrofoam cups, string…communication…group hug…whatever it takes or a speedy and cohesive team like Carolina is going to show the Devils how it’s done.

San Jose 4 : Anaheim 3

Anaheim leads series 2-1
It’s Duck season, no it’s Shark season, Duck season, Shark season blah blah blah. What a ping pong match this game was. Pretty thrilling hockey to watch. Although San Jose won, it was the Duck’s comeback goals that stood out and assigns them the advantage for Thursday night. What we’ve got here is a rock-paper-scissors kind of thing going on.

Round 1 Continues: Sunday, April 19

Pittsburgh 3 : Philadelphia 6

Pittsburgh leads series 2-1
I went to this game to see Bill Guerin play as a Penguin and to see the Flyers lose. About 10 minutes into the first period I knew that Philly was going to win this game, and win it big. Wasn’t ESP, just a familiar sight. Usually I am watching the Flyers trap the Isles into their style of play but this time it was Pittsburgh. The Flyers and their fans did everything right from the get-go, the team stunned their prey with swift and sudden effort in the 1st – the Penguins were too busy trying to keep up that they made many mistakes, and overall their puck handling was awful and the Flyers were given way too much room in front of Marc-Andre Fleury who appeared to struggle (mind-set) after the 1st Flyer goal and could not regain composure. In order to win this series the Penguins are going to have to accept that they cannot match the Flyers physical play and will exhaust their talent if they are stubborn about that. Pittsburgh will also have to evenly distribute the weight of effort among every player out on the ice. That’s also what the Flyers did right, and if they continue to play like they did this game, round two here they come. Ick.

*It was buzzing around at the game that John Stevens’s job could be in jeopardy depending on how the Flyers do. Unless Stevens is responsible for creating a team that is too top heavy (offense), that would be a boneheaded move by the Flyer’s organization this early (think it’s his 3rd season) in his coaching gig. Would be better to ask him what he thinks is missing for a Stanley Cup worthy team and fill the order.

Vancouver 3 : St. Louis 2

Vancouver leads series 3-0
Ah the difference power plays can make. Vancouver’s 3 goals were all on the power play (3 for 5) and St. Louis blew through 6 power plays coming up with el zippo. Lots of ping pong hockey and both teams seemed to step it up a notch overall. Let’s see if St. Louis can pull off a win on Tuesday and avoid being shut out of the series on home ice.

*Mats Sundin out this game with a groin injury.

New Jersey 3 : Carolina 2 (OT)

New Jersey leads series 2-1
I did not see this game but listened to it on NHL.com while watching the Canucks/Blues game while typing stuff…which means the game went in one ear and out the other.

*NJ Captain Jamie Langenbrunner out another game due to lower body injury.

Anaheim 3 : San Jose 2

Anaheim leads series 2-0
Attention San Jose players…the year is 2009, you are playing in the NHL quarter finals…ah ice hockey…that’s right…you are losing the series 2-0. Any of this getting through? The Ducks are very good opportunists – taking advantage of San Jose being in la la land. Either San Jose players come back into their bodies or the Duck’s quack won’t be bigger than their bite. San Jose seems numb – this would be a good time for every Shark to flush their sinuses with a TINY bit of Cayenne, then with Slippery Elm. No joke.

Cheechoo! Gesundheit!

Witness to a Tragedy : Penguins vs. Flyers

Ugh. What to say about the Penguins vs. Flyers game today. I was there, sitting up behind the Pens bench. Tragic. Maybe that's enough said for now.

St. Louis lost 3-2, and New Jersey tied with Carolina 2-2 in the third. Really looking forward to Ducks vs. Sharks later.

and this just in:
Double wammy - Boston's Milan Lucic suspended 1 game for wacking Montreal's Maxim Lapierre in the side of the face/head with his stick. Lucic followed his hit with stick with his fist. That had to hurt. Well deserved suspension.

Here are some pictures from the game. Click on picture to enlarge. Be back for games summary later on.








and my favorite! #13

Round 1 Continues: Friday, April 17

Philadelphia 2
Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Pittsburgh leads series 2-0
Guerin scored! and then he scored AGAIN! for the OT win. The Penguins HAD to win this game – they would not have wanted to play on Flyer home turf with the series tied 1-1. Out of frustration the Flyers strayed from their game plan and lost sight of their coach’s guidance and/or influence which is dangerous for any team unless the coach is off his/her rocker thus a team must fend for itself. All the Penguins have to do is stick close to their game plan which will disarm the Flyers because well it’s like this – if the Flyers were in a maze and hit a brick wall, instead of turning around and trying another way, they’d stand there trying to figure out how to get through the brick wall or just keep walking into it. Worse case scenario, or as it is for me the best case scenario…Flyers show up on home ice, play horrible and their fair weather fans turn on them – then, let the unraveling begin. GO GUERIN GO!!!

Carolina 2 (OT)
New Jersey 1

Series tied 1-1
Looks like Carolina found their way around the Devil’s defense but can they keep up that kind of offensive pressure enough to win this series? It can only help that they get to head home with some added confidence although they may be without their Captain’s presence on ice as Jamie Langenbrunner left the game at the tail end of the 2nd period with what has been reported as a lower body injury. New Jersey definitely not at the top of their game this time around, appeared to play soft and lack communication, so the fact that Carolina did not seal the deal before OT puts the Devils at an advantage going into game 3. Whatever ‘chatter’ is drowning out effective communication while NJ is out on the ice will need to be cleared if they want to win on Sunday.

St. Louis 0
Vancouver 3

Vancouver leads series 2-0
Thought it looked this way last night but needed another game to confirm – for whatever reason the Canucks are glowing – energetic wise. Shots on goal were St. Louis 30, Vancouver 27 and Vancouver’s 3rd goal was an empty netter - so it’s another win for them but not a convincing one to believe they will win this series – but their glowing aura is a different story and with Roberto Luongo in net, well St. Louis…good luck with that. Home ice advantage, dusting off the frustration that was visible on the team and coach, and not remaining stagnant in front of Luongo might yield a different outcome for the Blues in game 3, and for what it’s worth – game 4 is echoing as significant.

NHL Teams Skating in Round 1 of Playoffs

Wednesday, April 15th

(7)Rangers 4
(2)Washington 3

The advantage goes to the Rangers because of who they are matched up with in the first round – they have nothing to lose. In order to ever advance further in their bid for the Stanley Cup, the Rangers will have to somehow reconcile with the notion that that a team has to earn its way to a Cup – step by step. Washington has done this and will most likely reap the rewards. If the Rangers can avoid player egos turning on each other at the first sign of adversity, which they can be sure will happen against the Caps, they just might have a chance to force Washington to say, “Phew that was a close call” at the end of this series.

(5)Philadelphia 1
(4)Pittsburgh 4

Although I am thrilled the Penguins beat the Flyers, it doesn’t mean much because the Flyers played sloppy and unless Philly completely falls apart, no doubt they will recover quickly from this loss and come out swinging Friday night. Don’t know if his leadership will be enough to break the Flyer’s habit of getting in their own way and choking when it comes to the post season but John Stevens is one clever coach – if the Pens drop their style of play for a second, the Flyers will seep into that space, however trading Scottie Upshall created vulnerability in the team chemistry so it’s an uphill climb for the Flyers to begin with, especially if any resentment is buzzing around the team towards management.

(6)Carolina 1
(3)New Jersey 3

New Jersey is a more seasoned team so let’s see if Carolina can regroup and utilize their speed and figure out a way around the Devil’s defense. Looking beyond the playoffs, Carolina is building nicely as a team. The outcome of this series will most likely be based on the Devils already being a nicely built team and if they were any more organized, it would be a team deficit.

(6) St. Louis 1
(3) Vancouver 2

Both teams are probably just glad to have made it over the playoff race finish line and compared to other teams, are in a playoff world of their own. This will be an interesting series to watch due to the skill set each team possesses. With both Chris Mason and Roberto Luongo in net, even more reason why this series will be interesting to watch.


Thursday, April 16

(7)Columbus 1
(2)Detroit 4

Columbus making their first appearance in the playoffs is a win all on its own. Having to play against the Red Wings is a great learning opportunity for Columbus, who will get to experience what’s ahead for them in future playoff years – what kind of effort it will take to be a Stanley Cup contender and what kind of force they will feel coming their way from an opponent should they make it that far – can’t say enough about how much can be learned from the force of resistance. Out of all the series, I am most curious to see what will happen between these two teams.

(5)Calgary 2
(4)Chicago 3 (OT)

Probably going to be to most ‘spirited’ series – as in it’s gonna get nasty out there. Anyone watching these games is in for quite a push and pull experience – which is some of the best hockey to watch.

(8)Montreal 2
(1)Boston 4

While watching Boston beat the Isles on Sunday I thought to myself – if Boston plays like this (lackluster) in the playoffs, they will get hammered. Don’t think Montreal has the endurance to chip away at Boston’s numero uno spot in the standings but they are capable of energy surges so the Bruins better make sure they recharge effectively between each game.

(8)Anaheim 2
(1)San Jose 0

San Jose has been the only team echoing in my mind in regards to the Stanley Cup. Either things are going to go really well or really bad for this team because of what and which teams they will have to endure to make it to the top of the NHL hill. This game, it appeared as though their bodies came out on the ice but their spirit did not. Probably a necessary loss for the Sharks, a bite on the butt from the Ducks as a reminder that there is no free lunch. My guess is the Sharks will bite back and chomp their way through this series.