2008 Finals or 2009?

-Alaina Scarano-Isbouts

Anyone starting to lose a bit of interest in the Conference Finals yet?  You aren’t the only one.  Fans from Chicago to Pittsburgh to Carolina to Detroit are probably thinking the same thing… “Wait a minute, this seems a bit familiar…”  And it isn’t that much fun.

Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit.  Last year it was Dallas who made it to the Western finals against Detroit.  And last year it was the Flyers who made it to the Eastern conference finals against Pittsburgh.  But all the same, things are starting to look a little too familiar to everyone else around the league.  Last year, it was both Detroit and Pittsburgh who conquered in the conference finals and moved on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

I hate to discredit the Canes and the Hawks, but it looks as if this year, it is going to be another rematch for the Cup.  And to be honest, I can’t imagine anything more boring.  One of the most amazing things about the playoffs is watching a team scratch and crawl through the playoffs to get there — not watching the same two teams as the season before trying again.  If it were just one team, that would be one thing.  Pittsburgh versus Chicago?  Fantastic.  Detroit versus Carolina?  Not bad either.  Carolina versus Chicago?  Incredible.  But I don’t much care for the road we are going down.

It’s not uncommon for a team to make it to the Finals two years in a row.  The Dallas Stars did it in 99-00 and the NJ Devils did it in 00-01, although neither team won the cup twice.  In 1985 and 1987, the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers faced each other with the same coaches and the Oilers winning both times.  Back in 77 and 78, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens faced each other in the cup finals both years, with Montreal winning both times.  It also happened with the St. Louis Blues and Canadiens in 68 and 69.

The bottom line is that while it’s looking like both Detroit and Pittsburgh will make it to the finals, that’s probably the worst thing that could happen for the NHL and its viewers right now.  People are finally starting to pay attention to hockey again, and the only thanks these new fans get is the exact same series they watched last year.  The worst bit of all?  It’s Detroit again.  At least the Penguins are fun to watch; with such young players they still manage to grow and change each year.  The only difference this year is that Marian Hossa has switched sides.

The only chance for a great cup finals series is if the Pens win it this time.  They have the chance to re-write history to an extent.

Hockeytown vs. Hawkeytown?

-Alaina Scarano-Isbouts

• 1926-49: This is apparently what was called “The Early Years.”  The Wings were founded in 1921 and didn’t waste much time — making a Stanley Cup playoff appearance in 1929.
• 1950-66: Apparently this is “The Gordie Howe Era.” Obviously named because this was when Goride Howe peaked.  He started with the NHL (and the Wings) in 1946 and carried his team to the playoffs a few times.  But the Wings didn’t return to greatness until 1950, then reaching the finals nine different times between these 16 years and winning it four times.
• 1967-82: And here we have the “Dead Wings Era.” By the way I got all of these clever names from Wikipedia.  While I, and many others like me, still refer to them as the Dead Wings, apparently this term actually refers to a distinct era where the Wings, for lack of a better term, sucked.  During this time period, there were 14 different head coaches.  It was during this era in which poor old Howe retired.
• 1983-03: These are the Wings that I’ve known, “The Yzerman Era.”  1983 is when the Wings drafted youngster Steve Yzerman 1st overall, who later became captain and will of course be inducted into the Hall of Fame now that he is retired.  Yzerman retired in 2006.
• 1994-04: This overlaps with the “Yzerman Era,” but this is loosely labeled as “The Russian Five and The Return to Glory.”  This was the era in which the Wings and Avalanche rivalry began; when Scotty Bowman became one of the most loved/hated men in the NHL; and when the Wings started to scare me.

Now, the Wings are in a new era.  With Mike Babcock heading the team and the Wings winning the Cup last season, all seems to be in place for a continuing run in the “New Era” for the Wings.  Right?

Wrong.

Here’s the problem: in case you haven’t heard, there’s a bit of a recession going on.  And, also in the news, there seems to have been some trouble in the auto industry.  Unfortunately, this affects Detroit.  A lot.  Detroit had the honor of being named “America’s Most Miserable City” by Forbes Magazine in 2008.  With the second highest unemployment rate among the top 150 metropolitan cities in the country, the highest rate of violent crimes, and having been hit even harder in the past year by the automotive bankruptcies, it’s no small miracle the Joe isn’t selling out anymore.

Now I’m not trying to write this piece to make fun of Detroit and its economic situation.  But I am trying to call attention to what I believe could be the start of a significant shift in the Detroit Red Wings era.

Perhaps the most valuable thing in the entire city of Detroit is the Red Wings.  As 2008’s #4 most valuable team in the NHL, the Wings are valued at $303 million.  This is largely due to the fact that the Wings are remarkable at winning without a large payroll; their ability to draft talent and keep it within their system is enviable across the entire league.  But with certain big-name core players coming up on retirement (Nicklas Lidstrom is nearly 40 and Chris Chelios is 108), soon the torch will be passed entirely over to the newer players.  The problem is that people are fleeing Detroit.  The population has actually decreased over the past few years, while most major cities have increased.  Things aren’t looking up.

Now there has been some tongue-in-cheek name calling of Chicago: Hawkeytown.  Chicago is slowly turning in to what Detroit used to be.  They are catching on to the philosophy of drafting talent rather than buying it and rookies are slowly taking over.  The likes of Jonathan Toews, Martin Havlat, Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg (and more!) make it hard for any veteran to skate around these players.

The Blackhawks, like the Wings, were founded in 1926 and are part of the Original Six.  They even made their first playoff appearance in 1927, only their second year in the league.  But unlike the Wings, the Hawks have only made their way to the Stanley Cup Finals 10 times; winning only three times — the last of which was 1961.  Things weren’t going so well for the Blackhawks, and thing were only going to get worse.  Then-owner Bill Wirtz upped ticket prices despite the team losing and then forbade home games from being televised locally — if you wanted to see the Blackhawks play (and lose) you had to buy a ticket.  Rock bottom came in 2004, when the Hawks were named the worst franchise in all of professional sports by ESPN.  Great little morale booster, right?

Well,  then something changed.  Bill Wirtz died.  His son, Rocky Wirtz, has taken over ownership of the team and has drastically altered his father’s policies, making the franchise more welcome to fans and actually turning a profit.  Wirtz went out and bought himself the perfect new defensive coach, Joel Quenneville; signed the youngsters Kane and Toews (the oldest player on the team is now Nikolai Khabibulin, 36); started televising Hawks games locally; and actually finished with a winning record for the first time in the past six seasons.  Fittingly, Chicago hosted the Wings in the 2009 Winter Classic.  While Detroit won, the shift in fan relations was huge.  It was the first Blackhawks event held for fans in years, and it’s been noticeable ever since.  Even Scotty Bowman realized the shift and has since signed with Chicago to be part of the coaching staff.  The people of Chicago are starting to actually pay attention to their hockey team.  Chicago is taking the most important page of Detroit’s book and using it for themselves — and it’s working brilliantly.

While Chicago isn’t yet in the top 10 of most profitable NHL teams, they are right outside at 14th. Team value is placed at $205 million — and their value went up 14% in just one year (Detroit’s only improved 3%).  Chicago as a city isn’t facing hard times like Detroit – they are faring like any other large city in a recession.  But because of new construction and IT jobs sprouting up, Chicago — like Denver — is expected to be one of the first cities out of this economic turmoil.  It’s not a bad place to be living right now.

With Detroit now facing Chicago in the Western Conference Finals, fans in Chicago are especially perking up.  The Central Division is rapidly becoming the competitor that the Northwest Division used to be, with four out of five teams making the playoffs this season alone.  Detroit won the season series 4-2.  The interesting part is that Detroit won the first four (two were shootouts) and Chicago won the last two.  The last part of the season is when Chicago really found their footing and made a great drive to finish 4th in the conference. Here’s hoping that the transformation keeps going and Chicago can take the conference title.

If things keep heading on this slippery slope for Detroit, while the Blackhawks keep on their climb to the top, we could be looking at a new recipient of the title Hockeytown.  It’s going to be an interesting shift in the NHL, as it happens every decade or so (remember where the Penguins and Capitals were just a few years ago in 2002?).  It’s the beginning of a new era for Chicago, for Detroit, and for NHL teams everywhere that compete with these two amazing teams.

Note: For those interested in the Avalanche’s worth — we are in the top 10.

The rivalry continues.

-Alaina Scarano-Isbouts

I’m sure I’ve lost plenty of credibility after my round 1 matchups, but I’m giving round 2 a shot anyway.

Here’s a recap of my round 1 picks and who advanced:

Boston v. Montreal – Boston in 6 – actual was Boston in 4

Washington v. New York – Washington in 6 – actual was Washington in 7

NJ v. Carolina – Carolina in 7 – actual was Carolina in 7

Pittsburgh v. Philadelphia – Pittsburgh in 7 – actual was Pittsburgh in 6

San Jose v. Anaheim – San Jose in 5 – actual was Anaheim in 6

Detroit v. Columbus – Detroit in 6 – actual was Detroit in 4

Vancouver v. St. Louis – St. Louis in 6 – actual was Vancouver in 4

Chicago v. Calgary – Chicago in 6 – actual was Chicago in 6

So actually I only guessed wrong in two teams… let’s see if I can do a better job here.  This time, let’s preview the western conference first since they were decided much earlier – no series in the West went to 7.

Detroit (2) v. Anaheim (8):  Well I’m not going to pretend that I saw this coming, because I posted my no-love for Anaheim on the internet.  But I do have to say that I feel much differently now.  While I didn’t think that Anaheim had the power to get past San Jose, I now have much more faith in them.  They didn’t just beat San Jose – it was a 6 game series in which Anaheim outscored 19-10.  Jonas Hiller has played fantastically, even getting a shutout against the President-Trophy-winning 1st round opponent.  In this series, Anaheim proved that they not only have the necessary goaltender — or the necessary scoring power — but they also have the physical power needed to overthrow a top seed.  This is not to say that Detroit doesn’t have those same power points; after all, they were able to sweep Columbus and score at least 4 goals in each game.  But if there is going to be an upset in the West — and there will be — this will be the series.  I mean, someone has to beat the Red Wings at some point, right?  Detroit proved, once again, what I claimed about them back on April 13th – that they aren’t even fun to watch.  Let’s hope this series proves me wrong (at least in that aspect).  Both teams will be well-rested coming in to this series, and I think Anaheim wants it more.  They have the momentum after beating the big guns at home and I think they’ll keep it going.  My drastic pick will be Anaheim in 7.

Vancouver (3) v. Chicago (4):  Can’t believe that Vancouver made it.  I really thought the big 1st round collapse of a western team would be the Canucks, not San Jose.  If Chicago’s young and powerful defensemen can shut down the ever-annoying Sedin twins, they might have a shot.  If Chicago’s young and powerful forwards can get past Roberto Luongo’s 0.962 save percentage, they might have a shot.  If Chicago’s Bulin Wall stays strong the way he did for the 03-04 Tampa Bay Lightening, they might have a shot.  There’s a great chance that Vancouver is going to come in to this series with a little too much ease, coming off of a sweep.  But they need to remember: the season series was split.  Chicago won the first two meetings and Vancouver took the last two, and this Chicago team isn’t afraid to get down and dirty and play physical with players such as Adam Burish, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg — who have all showed they aren’t afraid to drop the gloves when needed.  On top of which Chicago was able to score a total of 21 goals in the first round – and Vancouver was able to win with only 11.  There’s no doubt that this Vancouver team is older, wiser and has more experience than the Hawks, but I think youth will ultimately rule in this series.  I’ll take Chicago in 6 for two upsets in the western conference.

Boston (1) v. Carolina (6): This will be the first post-season meet-up between these teams since 1999. My husband was already telling me he could see NJ going all the way to the finals as Jussi Jokinen turned it all around for the Canes.  I don’t want to say that Carolina got lucky in this series.  After all, Carolina and New Jersey faced each other 11 different times since December 4th and they knew what to expect from one another.  But when the whole series ended up coming down to the last 1:20 of game 7, I think luck can’t be completely thrown out of the equation.  The bottom line here is that Boston finished 1st in the East and for a fantastic reason – they are an amazing team this season and have a ton of faith in their goaltender, Tim Thomas, who only let in 6 goals in the first round.  And on top of it all, Boston swept Carolina in the regular season series.  I think this is going to be a great series, of course.    I’ll go with Boston in 6 for this one.  Sorry, Carolina.

Washington (2) v. Pittsburgh (4):  This is what we call “the money series.”  If you aren’t even a hockey fan, this is still a series you’d want to watch.  Washington fans hate Sidney Crosby (and Evgeni Malkin) and Pittsburgh fans hate Alex Ovechkin. I’m going to take a lot of heat from my Rangers-fan-friends for this, but it’s almost worth NY bowing out in the 1st round to see this match-up. Ovechkin and Crosby will get to renew their mutual hatred of one another (check out the highlights of the individual series here).   While this will be the first post-season meet-up between these teams since 2001, there was plenty of meetings during the regular season; the Caps won three of the four meetings during the regular season and the last game was determined by a shootout. The bottom line here is I really don’t want to have to pick between these two teams here.  But if I had to… I think I’d say Washington has the edge.  They now have a fantastic goaltender in Simeon Varlamov, who they should have a lot of faith in.  They have the perfect balance if young talent and mature veterans.  I know Bill Guerin is in Pittsburgh but… I think I’d take Sergei Fedorov over him.  I’ll say Washington in 7.

There are no games until Friday, but as Barry Melrose said last night, “There are no days off during hockey season.”  Click here for the full upcoming round 2 schedule.  The hockey is only going to get better from here and there isn’t a game you’ll want to miss out of these match-ups.

Good: NY Rangers.  That was the best game I have seen so far and I’m pretty stoked the Rangers won.  Yes, I know I picked the Caps to take the series – and I still think they will – but I knew the Rangers were going to come out swinging and play with a lot of heart.  But if they are going to win another game they have to play better defense on A.O.  Henrik Lundqvist was the only reason that Ovechkin didn’t score (although he did notch two assists).  But besides not holding off Ovechkin to the best of their abilities (although he did get hit five times in the 1st alone), the Rangers played a fantastic game.  Sean Avery was at his absolute worst; picking meaningless fights and complaining like it was his job – oh wait, that’s right, it is his job.  Rumor has it that NY Captain Chris Drury will be back tomorrow… let’s hope so.  I think the Caps will take game two. 

Bad: Columbus Blue Jackets.  I really hate watching the Red Wings play – but the only thing I hate more is watching them win.  Especially when the opposing club is Columbus and they finally made it in to the playoffs.  But it’s a little hard to feel bad for the Blue Jackets when they played as badly as they did last night.  Chris Osgood didn’t have too many shots to take care of; he only made 20 saves.  Chris Mason made 21 saves before giving up three goals in a five-shot stretch.  Not the best record.   I definitely am going to give Columbus the benefit of the doubt by saying they were just a little caught up in the emotion of playing their first-ever playoff game and got a bit too fancy.  But I don’t think they will win a game until they get the series back to Columbus on Tuesday. 

Ugly: Philadelphia Flyers.  Did I really say that Philly would push it to seven games?  I’m not going to retract that statement just yet… but if the Flyers keep playing the way they did on Monday night then I’ll be wrong.  Not only did the Flyers play horribly but they were also kind of sore losers.  In the last seven seconds of the game, Philadelphia forward Daniel Carcillo decided to be an ass and hit Pens forward Max Talbot on the head with his stick.  Wait… I thought those jobs were left to Donald Brashear?  Now the Flyers are the proud recipients of a $10,000 fine to the league because of Carcillo’s actions.  I guess since Philly couldn’t really score goals they had to send a message some way… after leading the league in penalty minutes during the regular season, they continued the trend and took 35 penalty minutes.  The Pens played some of their best, classic hockey and took contributions from their leading players: Sidney Crosby (whom I love more and more every day) had a goal and an assist; Jordan Staal had a goal, an assist and four shots on goal; Evgeni Malkin had an unassisted goal and an assist.  Gotta love those Penguins, who I think will also take game two tonight in Pittsburgh.  I might have to re-evaluate some things…

Good: New Jersey Devils.  More specifically, Martin Brodeur.  While I was unsure of his play going in to the series, Brodeur had no problem proving me wrong, stopping 18 of the 19 shots he faced.  Cam Ward had an astonishing 39 shots fired his way – no small miracle the score was 4-1 in NJ’s favor.  The key for the Hurricanes, who I picked to win and am starting to regret, is defense.  Every single from Carolina has a negative +/- except Ray Whitney, Jussi Jokinen, Tim Conboy and Patrick Eaves.  I still love Cam Ward and refuse to admit those goals were all his fault with ratings like that.  Pretty sad.  Once again, I think the Hurricanes will lose another game in NJ before getting the series back to Carolina.

Bad: St. Louis Blues.  Bad luck that is – not bad hockey.  There were 15 minor penalties and two misconducts during game one against Vancouver – and the Blues took just one more penalty than the Canucks. Each team had one power play goal; Vancouver’s was the game winning goal by Sami Salo.  The key to the second game for the Blues will be discipline – no more sloppy penalties (although some of those calls were a bit of BS).  St. Louis’ defense will also have to keep a better eye on those Sedin twins – Daniel had two points in game one and Henrik had one.  I think Vancouver will take game two – but the series will turn around once it gets to St. Louis. 

Ugly: San Jose Sharks.  After winning the President’s Trophy, it’s a little unbelievable they could turn around and lose to the 8th seed in the West in the Tank.  Pretty embarrassing, especially considering they were shut out.  Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller played fantastic, turning aside all 35 shots on goal the Sharks fired.  Rob Niedermayer uncharacteristically took three penalties.  Evgeni Nabokov didn’t too fantastic; he faced only 17 shots but only blocked 15.  San Jose will have to do better, and I think they will, Sunday on their home ice.

Good: The Chicago-Calgary game.  In the first OT game of the playoff season, Martin Havlat with his two goals and the Blackhawks proved to be the heroes.  Once again I am questioning my pick.  Actually that’s a lie, I still think Chicago will win, but this series is looking like a 7-gamer.  And a great one at that.  The game was pretty clean with minimal penalties and was very evenly matched on shots – 25 for Calgary and 28 for Chicago.  Calgary has to be a little better on defense; most of their players also had a minus rather than a plus like Chicago’s did.  Game two is tomorrow in Chicago, and I’m counting on the Blackhawks to take that one as well… though it’s going to be much harder for them to win once the series gets back to Calgary.

Bad: Both Boston and Montreal.  While the Bruins won game one, it was more by luck than anything else.  After nearly blowing the lead in the second period, Boston was looking more and more weakened by Montreal into the third.  Carey Price started out poorly (as usual lately) but got stronger as the game went on.  There were far too many penalties and plenty of chippiness by the end of the third.  Both teams need to bring a little more to the table to have a good game worth watching tomorrow in Boston.  The good thing?  Boston is proving me right, and I’m still going with Boston in 6.  But the more I watch Price, the less I want him to lose.  Too bad about that. 

Get ready for game twos!  Interesting fact: 70% of game two winners go on to win the series.  If you only watch one game a day this weekend, here are the best bets:

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh tonight at 5pm

New York at Washington tomorrow at 11am (bring the Bloodies!)

Carolina at New Jersey Sunday at 5:30

May the best teams win!

Well all, it’s that time of year — playoffs. Round 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on Wednesday night.  Get ready to hear of every possible story line; rookies and old-timers ready to fight for the death for the chance of a life time — to win Lord Stanley’s Cup.  Here’s my take on what this year’s playoffs have to offer and who will make it out alive.

Eastern Conference

Boston v. Montreal: What a great series for old rivalries.  The two Original Six teams have faced each other many, many times since the modest beginnings of the NHL. Boston, after having missed the President’s Trophy by just one point, has the home ice advantage but the more fickle fans.  I’m going to bet this will be a rough-and-tumble series, but the ultimate battle will be between Tim Thomas and Carey Price.  I’m going to go with Boston in 6 for this series.

Washington v. NY Rangers: My Eastern wish has been granted.  I really can’t wait to see what Sean Avery is going to whine about against Alex Ovechkin.  Although Ovechkin just earned the Maurice Richard trophy for scoring the most goals this season (his third season to score over 50, ending this season with 56), occasionally Avery’s stick does hit something else besides the back of Tim Thomas’ head.  Avery had 5 points last year in two rounds of the playoffs and also had a rule named after him in the NHL rule book during the first round.  There’s nothing more Rangers fans hate than people scoring on them — ever go to the Garden to hear the chant, “Crosby needs a tampon?”  As an Avs fan, it’s going to be especially interesting to see how Jose Theodore is going to handle this post-season.  After being a hero during Colorado’s first round against Minnesota last year, Theodore got sick just before the Avs faced Detroit for the first time but played anyway – only for Colorado to endure an embarrassing sweep.  Theodore let in 14 goals in four games.  I think if anyone can take Washington down a notch it’s the Rangers — but I’ve got to give AO & Co the respect they deserve here and pick Washington in 6.

New Jersey v. Carolina: The thing I’m liking best about this match up is the difference in goaltenders.  Established veteran and future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur will face youngster but Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Cam Ward.  These two teams have played each other many times in the playoffs; the 4th time since 2001.  It is definitely not going to be the most exciting series in the East, although I’m going to take a bit of a risk here and call an upset.  Carolina in 7.

Pittsburgh v. Philadelphia: Another fantastic rivalry to watch.  This statewide playoff series will start in Pittsburgh, where the Pens have earned home ice advantage by just one win.  This is going to be a great series; both teams are very evenly matched.  Both teams finished with 99 points.  Both teams scored 264 goals this season (although contributions from Philly may have been more spread out).   The Pens let in 239 goals and the Flyers just 238.  The numbers are too good to lie, and this series will be far too good to miss.  I think these teams will have a very physical series and the Flyers will push it to 7 games — with the Pens moving on to the 2nd round.

Western Conference

San Jose v. Anaheim: Another statewide series, although with much less history than the Pennsylvania series.  Anaheim hasn’t been playing very consistently for the past month; they dropped from being a shoe-in for home ice advantage to finishing in 8th.  Not very impressive, and this is the wrong time of the season for inconsistency.  San Jose is a powerful, powerful team; every year they show the promise of a finals-driving club and then nearly every season they don’t make it past the 2nd round.  The difference this year is that Anaheim doesn’t have the power to make it past the Sharks.  My bet — and call it safe if you will — is San Jose in 5.

Detroit v. Columbus: I hate to be the one writing this.  I’d love to pick Columbus, but I’m afraid I just can’t do that.  It was spectacular to watch the Blue Jackets fight their way in to the playoffs, especially in the newly-competitive Central Conference.  But the fact of the matter is the Red Wings are proving to be what I hate most about them: fast and so good they aren’t even fun to watch.  This is the classic underdog story.  Everyone will be rooting for Rick Nash and his Jackets, but it will take a miracle for them to beat Detroit.  A miracle, I fear, that won’t be happening this year.  Detroit in 6.  I hope I’m wrong.

Vancouver v. St. Louis: I was extremely surprised by Vancouver surpassing Calgary at the last minute to take the Northwest Division Title, and I am now being aware of the chance that Vancouver could surprise me again. But against most people’s bets, St. Louis clawed their way in to the playoffs and made it up to 6th, no less.  Roberto Luongo has been fantastic, but it’s going to take more than that this season against St. Louis.  It’s going to take heart, which is something I rarely see from the Canucks.  I’m going with the underdog here – St. Louis in 6.

Chicago v. Calgary: This is going to be a fantastic series, one not to be missed in the West.  These two clubs play the same sort of hockey — they are fast, physical and love to score.  It’s all about the youngsters for the Blackhawks, who swept the Flames in the season series.  The veterans of Calgary may be big and quite frankly a bit scary, but that’s nothing compared to the young talent in Chicago.  I’m going to say Chicago in 6.

There is NOTHING I love more than playoffs hockey (except maybe opening night at the Pepsi Center).  It’s going to be a great post-season filled with quite a few teams I never thought I’d see here.  I hope everyone is as excited about this as I am.  I’m going to be doing one live blog during each round.  Vote below for which game should be blogged LIVE!

While last night was a much more calm night around the league with only two games, it certainly wasn’t boring.  A brief recap of what went down:

Buffalo 3, Toronto 1: Even though they gained two points in their win last night, Buffalo isn’t going anywhere.  If they win their next two and the Rangers lost their next two, the Blueshirts still have that ever-so-crucial tiebreaker between the clubs; Buffalo’s only shot will be if the Panthers also lose at least once.  I could see Florida dropping a game, but there’s no way the Rangers will drop their last two.  Sorry Sabres.

Columbus 4, Chicago 3 SO: Columbus made history last night by clinching the first playoff appearance in franchise history.  As long as the Blue Jackets get at least one point in their next two games (first St. Louis, then Minnesota) they will stay in 6th.  Not bad after nine years!  I love that both these teams are in the playoffs, along with St. Louis.  These are the best games to watch — the teams who really want to win.

In other non-playoff (and nearly non-hockey) news, it turns out Atlanta Thrashers fans are very sore losers.  Their place outside of 8th secured when the faced Washington on Tuesday night, the Thrash thought it might be fun to mock those who actually do win hockey games.  A recent commercial Alex Ovechkin made for D.C.’s Eastern Motors was screened, along with some silly outtakes, as a mock “public service announcement” sharing the dangers of hockey players doing bad commercials.

Now, anyone who knows me well knows I have nothing against hockey players in commercials – in fact, I have this one staring Peter Forsberg stored on my iPhone for my entertainment – but this was kind of a cheap shot on the part of Atlanta.  I think most home teams make fun of visiting teams, whether it’s a shot of two players on the bench on the Kiss Cam or having a mascot dressed up in the opposing uniform cry when they have a penalty called against them.  But this is crossing the line just a bit.  Never at the Pepsi Center (or any other arena) have I seen a team make so much fun of just one player.  Maybe fans (I mean there is a vicious Sidney-Crosby0-Haters following in every city) have strong feelings against some players, but on a whole the organization doesn’t do anything to promote it.  It’s fine for anyone to think that Ovechkin is a terrible actor, or has sold out, or dives or whatever.  But I have to agree with Caps coach Bruce Boudreau here — it’s crossing the line.  It’s not something to be mad at, after all look who’s got the last laugh here with the Caps in 3rd, but all the same I don’t think the video was appropriate.

All in good fun, I suppose.  And the video is funny.  But leave that online, leave it to fans, and as an organization don’t get in to it.

There are 11 games on tonight and tomorrow I’ll be back with another recap.  Only four playoff slots remain up for grabs… the season is coming to an end.

See you tomorrow hockey fans!

Last night, with seven playoff spots left still up for grabs, 26 different teams fought pretty damn hard to move in, move up or move closer to a chance for Tavares.  Here is a recap of what went down in the most important games last night.

NY Rangers 3, Montreal 1: Montreal could have locked up a playoff spot with a win at The Garden.  The Rangers didn’t yet clinch a playoff berth, but instead earned two extremely important points over the Canadiens. The win was crucial for the Rangers, who are now two points ahead of Florida and has the lead in wins if there were to be a tie.  Was it just me or did Carey Price play like he was extremely nervous?  The Montreal goalie (who was the topic of my first ever TAS article), after letting in a horrible 2nd goal that shouldn’t have been a goal at all, wasn’t up to his normal par.  Price wasn’t covering the puck when he should have been and seemed to not be paying attention to where the puck was going to be — only looking at where it was that moment.  Not to discredit the Rangers’ effort… after some speculation on exactly how great Chris Drury is Monday on TAS,  it looks like Drury is showing up to the Rangers games after all.  Drury had two goals and six shots on goal, truly living up to the C on his sweater.

Toronto 4, NJ 1:  This game didn’t matter much for Toronto or NJ.  The Devils had already cliched a playoff spot and the Leafs — although not giving up on a playoff run — were an extremely long shot. Martin Brodeur played another horrible game, letting in 4 goals, while the offense for NJ didn’t make much of an effort. Jamie Langenbrunner had the only goal — a power play goal in the 2nd period.  Toronto picked up two ill-timed points to bring them to 79 and keep them out of the playoff run.  The only news here is that NJ did not yet clinch the Atlantic Division title.  NJ could be overtaken for the title if Philly wins their last three and the Devils lose their last two.  It’s all going to depend on Brodeur and if he can play at the level he was playing less than a month ago.

Philadelphia 2, Florida 1: Philly clinched a playoff spot tonight with their win over the Panthers. Martin Biron played incredibly solid for the Flyers, stopping a total of 30 shots on goal.  No more worries for Philly — at least not until the first round starts.  Florida, however, couldn’t be further from the safe feeling in the Flyers’ locker room.  With 89 points and sitting 9th, they could easily still make the playoffs.  They would have to win their next two and the Rangers would have to lose their last two.   I don’t see it happening… but this is the time of the year when anything can happen.  Right Vancouver?

Pittsburgh 6, Tampa Bay 4: Ahhh, Tampa Bay.  Gotta love em, they’re going down swinging.    Sitting [un]-comfortably in 14th in the East with 66 points, the Lightening racked up over 30 penalty minutes — including two fighting majors and a misconduct to David Koci — trying to beat down the Pens.  Honestly, I’m surprised TB got as many goals as they did, mostly thanks to Paul Szczechura and Jeff Halpern. The Lightening came alive towards the end of the 3rd period, causing me to watch the last 3 minutes standing up and wondering if I would have to re-type this paragraph, which I did end up having to do.  The Pens locked up a playoff spot and are still sitting pretty in 5th, and Jordan Staal got his 23rd goal of the season — an empty-netter.

Ottawa 3, Boston 2: So not too much happened here, except that Boston fell behind in the chase for the President’s Trophy.  It will probably be going to San Jose, which is fine with me, as long as it doesn’t go to Detroit (it won’t).  Ottawa won’t be making the playoffs but earned two points anyway to stay in 11th.

Carolina 9, NY Islanders 0: Come on Isles… we all know you need Tavares, but was letting in nine goals really necessary?  Tank… Carolina is already in the playoffs and this wasn’t much of a fortune-teller game. Eric Staal got his 4th a hat trick of the season.  Big whoop.

Washington 4, Atlanta 2: Again not a huge game but here it is nonetheless.  The Caps thought they would gloat so much that they didn’t even bother starting Jose Theodore, instead Simeon Varlamov stopped 29 shots. Alex Ovechkin had an assist.  Atlanta stays out of the playoff picture — and will.

Chicago 4, Nashville 2: Chicago locked up a playoff spot a while ago, but Nashville needed this win more than any this season so far.  This loss switched the places of St. Louis and Nashville, now with St. Louis in and Nashville out (before counting the fact that St. Louis won last night).  The only thing the Preds can hope for is for the Blues to bomb their last two games and for them to win… but I am still going to stick with my St. Louis pick for the last place in 8th.

Minnesota 3, Dallas 1: Minnesota is still hoping for a playoff spot, and it’s not totally out of the question yet.  At least not mathematically.  The Wild earned a much needed two points tonight against the Stars to get up to 85 points, now only one point behind 8th spot.  But with St. Louis and Nashville fighting harder than ever for the last spot in the West, things don’t look great for Minnesota.  The Wild will have to win their next two games, Nashville would have to lose at least one and St. Louis would have to lose two.  This 8th spot in the West is going to be quite the nail biter.  Pay special attention to Marian Gaborik, who was all over the board last night with the first goal and two assists.

Los Angeles 2, Edmonton 1: The combination of Edmonton losing and St. Louis winning last night sealed the Oilers’ fate outside the playoff picture.  They could have made a run for it if all of the other teams in the running for 8th had lost — but no more.  Fernando Pisani was the only Oiler able to score on Jonathan Quick.  This is pretty typical for the end of the Oilers’ season, as shown the last few years.  Maybe they’ll have some better luck next year and will be more than mediocre.

St. Louis 4, Phoenix 1: St. Louis was already in the playoffs just by way of Nashville losing, but the win last night against the flailing Coyotes didn’t hurt art all.  The Blues are now in sole possession of 8th in the West, thanks to multiple contributions from Brandon Crombeen, Keith Tkachuk, Alexander Steen and Jay McClement. Ilya Bryzgalov was pulled after two periods and Al Montoya replaced him… and didn’t fare much better.  Sorry to Minnesota, Nashville and all the other teams still vying for that 8th spot, but St. Louis is staking claim on what is rightfully theirs.

Vancouver  4, Calgary 1:  Calgary had the opportunity to clinch the Northwest Division title with a win over Vancouver in regulation, but unfortunately for them that didn’t work out.  Vancouver stays in the playoff race in 5th and is now tied with Calgary for points.  The only way the Flames will take the division (and my money says they do) is if they win their next two and Vancouver wins only one, or if the Flames win only one and Vancouver loses both.  Only time will tell… but I’m still sticking with Vancouver to be out in the first round. Roberto Luongo, who I wish we could have in Denver, played famously, stopping 46 shots on goal.  I mean, who could actually stop Jarome Iginla’s wrist shot?

San Jose 1, Colorado 0 – SO: Well I was pleasantly surprised by the only overtime game of the night.  It was quite the battle of the goalies when the #1 team in the league shutout the 29th team in regulation. Peter Budaj truly held is own against Evgeni Nabokov with some the story of the night, making some spectacular saves.  The Sharks looked absolutely nothing like a team in the running for the President’s Trophy.  Making the same mistake Vancouver made a few nights ago, the Sharks missed some easy passes, and didn’t play with any heart. Joe Pavelski was the only player to beat Budaj, or any goalie, last night.  The trip to the Shark Tank was the last road game of the season for the Avalanche.

That wraps up the wrap-up from last night.  Only three games are on tonight, but be sure to check them out.  Columbus is still trying to move up in the standings in the West against Chicago, while the  best in the East will face Montreal, who could still potentially drop out of the playoffs completely.

See you tomorrow, hockey fans!

9:34 – #3 star – Zach Parise, #2 star – Patrick Elias, #1 star- Martin Brodeur.

9:33 – About retirement: “As long as he [Patrick Elias] keeps being fun, I’ll stick around a long time.”

9:32  - “It’s unbelievable.” Brodeur interview now.  ”This game is for you.” [To his fans].

9:32 – Cheers to Marty Brodeur.  And here’s hoping they make it to the finals this season.

9:30 – Final score, NJ 3 – Chicago 2.  Brodeur turned away 32 shots tonight.

9:30 – He’s still cutting the net.  Turns out it’s pretty strong.

9: 30 – Brodeur is CUTTING THE NET OFF THE GOAL.  Amazing.  Crowd is chanting “MARTY!”  I think I might cry.

9:28 – AND WITH A LAST MINUTE SPECTACULAR SAVE, MARTIN BRODEUR MAKES NHL HISTORY, EARNING HIS 552ND WIN!!!!!!!!!

9:27 – 12 seconds to go.  3-2 NJ.  12 seconds away from NHL history.

9:26 – ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod

9:25 – Crowd is ALL on their feet, no one is sitting, Bulin is out….

9:24 – I’m on the edge of my seat guys, literally.  Minute and a half to go, Parise nearly scored, looks like he was almost injured, his stick was hit… what’s going to happen here?  It’s LOUD in the arena and LOUD in my apartment!

9:23 – With only 2:04 to go, Marty lets one in.  Mother f*cker.  Like I said… no lead is safe in the new NHL.  Hang on to it Marty.

9:22 – Only 3 minutes to go.  How long until we won’t even be able to hear the announcers anymore  I’d say any minute now… it’s almost time guys…

9:21 – About this National broadcasting thing, you gotta hand it to the NHL.  When they screw up, they like to screw up ROYALLY.  Go big or go home, right Bettman?  PS – for those of you who know me, you will be interested to know he is only an inch taller than me (I saw him once at NHL Headquarters).

9:20 – Interesting — Martin Brodeur is a 3rd generation goalie in his family.  That’s bad ass.

9:16 – Brodeur blocks the shot and makes it look easy.  Like even I could do it.  And he could sit here on his ass and watch the game on TV.  Commercial break!

9:15 – The “Marty” chant is back.  As it should be.

9:14 – Just heard from fellow TASB blogger Drew that the game isn’t on TV… how is that possible?  I know they are showing it on the NHL Network — but why wouldn’t this be on Versus (the must B.S. network ever!)??  I’m watching the game on the Madison Square Garden Network.

9:12 – Just visited the website stats during the commercial break and 63 people are following this live blog right now.  What do you all have to say??

9:09 – You know who I really don’t like?  Mike Modano.  I know he isn’t playing right now but I just thought I’d mention that.

9:08 – No double minor for the blood?  No instigator penalty?  And right after the big GM meeting on fighting, too.

9:07 – I kind of can’t believe that they are playing music to go with the fight.  Rupp is the winner in my book, blood from the forehead and all.

9:06 – I love U2 and I love that song.  Nothing gets me more amped up than U2 at hockey games!

9:05 – WARM welcome to Steve who is commenting from Newark!

9:04 – I see the Chicago defense is doing Khabibulin’s dirty work now.

9:03 – Is the win inevitable at this point?  Of course no lead is a safe lead in the new NHL, but with Brodeur in net…

9:00 – It’s the home stretch.  13 minutes to go until Brodeur can make history, getting his 552nd win to earn the title of Most Career Wins by an NHL goaltender.

8:59 – That’s a bit of bullshit there, Khabibulin didn’t have it covered.  His bad.

8:57 – Oooh a diving penalty – don’t see those too often.  This chippiness is really all on the part of Chicago.  Jealous?  Frustrated?  It’s only 3-1… Toews can’t argue his team’s way out of this one.  Poor, poor Coach Q.  Too defensive as always.

8:56 – Can any save really compare with the “ting” you hear when the puck blasts right to the post?  That noise gives me goosebumps.

8:55 – What a most obvious slashing penalty.  NJ is 0 for 2 on the power play so far – let’s see if they can correct that.

8:54 – Brodeur is still solid — Chicago got NO shots on the power play.

8:51 – Brodeur is really EARNING this win.  Chicago now has 28 shots on goal – NJ 25.  Power play for Chicago.

8:50 – Here we go, period 3 is under way in Newark.  Good luck Marty!

8:49 – What are these announcer clowns doing?  Are they serious right now?  I hope everyone back in CO can see this…

8:48 – St. Patrick Elias Day?

8:41 – Just found out my friend Steve is AT the game in Newark, 1st row right behind Brodeur.  What’s up Steve!?!?!  Take tons of pictures for us!

8:40 – Derek, I completely agree with you about Coach Q.  He’s been a bit of a facelift in Chicago, but he was a wrong fit for us in Colorado.  Q was way too defensive, and when he inherited the Avs they were way to offensive.  And where are they now?

8:37 – I haven’t forgotten about the Avs.  No score so far against Minnesota with a minute to go in the 1st.

8:35 – NHL.com is ALL about Brodeur and it’s pretty sweet.  Since I’m a big fan of the stats, here are a few links that are kind of B.A.: Brodeur vs. Opposing Coaches http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=413759&navid=DL|NHL|Home, Brodeur vs. Opposing Goalies http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=413760&navid=DL|NHL|Home.

8:32 – Standing ovation to close out the 2nd period — no doubt these fans are standing for Brodeur, Elias and the rest of the defense team.  What an AMAZING effort.  Dinner’s here!

8:31 – One minute left in the 2nd.  What a period!!!!!!!

8:28 – Just as NJ got too excited, still celebrating the short handed goal, Marty lets one in… but damn was that close.  There were nearly 5 guys in his crease.  Power play goal for Chicago makes it a 3-1 game in NJ’s favor.

8:27 – New record for the franchise in points by Patrick Elias! ALL TIME DEVILS POINT LEADER with 702 points!  AMAZING SHORTHANDED GOAL!  Also I’m a little excited to hear that NJ has the same goal song as the Avs — I’m definitely doing a little fist-pumping right now.

8:26 – Havlat is doing great backing up Brodeur, as with the rest of the penalty killers and defensemen.

8:25 – Minor penalty for  throwing the puck instead of just batting it out of the way.  Silly mistake, but I think it won’t be much.  Let’s see if I’m right.

8:22 – Announcer just made a good point — all of Khabibulin’s glove saves are bouncing right off of his glove.  What is that thing made out of?

8:19 – 21 saves so far and I don’t know if Marty looks “relaxed”, but he’s definitely playing like normal.

8:18 – FYI, they are chanting “Marty!”

8:17 – How do you miss that 3-on-1 for NJ?  And then a RUSH to the other side so Brodeur can save the next 3-on-1?  Thanks for the bad pass, Patrick Kane!

8:14 – Chicago power play coming up and a commercial break.  I can go get my 2nd beer.  Thanks for following the live blog guys, I’m having a blast!  If it goes well tonight I’ll do this at least once a week one playoffs start.

8:13 – I wouldn’t call this a “lull” right now.  NJ is definitely not scoring right now — but they aren’t letting any in, thanks to Brodeur, and that’s what matters tonight.

8:10 – In response to my good friend Jeremy’s comment, whether or not Brodeur can surpass Roy’s playoff win record is entirely up to NJ… Certainly NJ will make the playoffs this season but they have been pretty inconsistent other than getting to the first round.  I wouldn’t bet on it – but we’ll see how Marty’s biceps hold up and how many more seasons he has in him.

8:09 – Bulin is ON FIRE!!!!  Did anyone just see him literally juggle the puck????

8:08 – Quick update for everyone.  NJ and Chicago both are at 17 shots on goal.  Also, Buffalo is up on on Ottawa towards the end of the 1st, and Atlanta and Pittsburgh are tied in the first.

8:06 – Brodeur is getting a bit crowded as they scuffle in front of the net.  I can’t believe how well NJ is defending him tonight – no one will lay a hand on Marty.

8:06 – Bulin is making some AMAZING saves, really living up to Brodeur’s example.

8:04 – I guess penalties aren’t a big thing tonight.  I just saw some MEAN slashing on the part of Chicago!

8:03 – Brodeur can really handle the puck down low, and gotta love how he can clean it outta there…

8:02 – The announcer just said that Shanahan’s dog (whose birthday is today, apparently) was featured on Detroit Red Wings calendar… of course.  Most people would have the PLAYERS or at least girlfriends on the calendar, but gotta hand it to the folks in Detroit to have pictures of dogs on their team calendar.

8:01 – Did I really just see a shout out to Shanahan’s dog?  WTF!

8:00 – Gionta + Elias = no goal?  Interesting…

7:58 – Daaaaaaamn what a save – the Bulin Wall is looking pretty good tonight too, so far. (Except those first 2 goals).  He had his eye on the puck there.

7:56 – Ok, here we go, 2nd period.  Also we decided to order Mexican food.

7:51 – Interesting.  If the Devils win tonight, it will also tie a franchise record for 10 straight home wins.  Didn’t know.

7:48 – By popular demand, I am looking for a picture to put in my Twitter account.  That’s about it.  Still haven’t ordered the pizza.

7:40 – Ok guys, I am going to order a pizza for dinner.  Mushroom or cheese?  Also I am going to get myself a nice cold Staropramen (Czech beer) in my favorite Avs mug…

7:38 – Well done.  20 minutes down, 40 minutes to go… keep it up Marty.  First period done.  NJ: 2 – Chicago: 0, with quite a great finish to the period.  NJ now has 9 shots on goal and Chicago’s up to 14 — those Midwestern boys aren’t going to make this easy for Brodeur.

7:36 – Hasn’t Chicago ever seen Parise play before?  Don’t let him get that far forward with no coverage… they just got extremely lucky.

7:36 – Power play killed, and killed well.  Chicago has 12 shots on goal to NJ’s 8.

7:33 – Chicago power play. Brodeur’s hanging the trapezoid well.  Maybe these comments are too boring?

7:31 – Toews vs. Holik – what’s with the chippiness?  I don’t think Khabibulin wants to be the losing goaltender in THIS game!

7:28 – COME ON, that net was WIDE open… Elias where were you?

7:27 – I wonder if Brodeur feels less pressure tonight now that he’s OUT of Montreal.  Thoughts?

7:23pm – Brodeur is looking good… and so do the rest of the Devils.  Brodeur is handling the puck well so far and I hope to see some great saves…

Hi all!  Sorry for the short delay – I was impossibly detained, courtesy of New York City Mass Transit… HERE WE GO! [NOTE: all times Eastern, as that is where the game is happening.]

…First off, I am LOVING the World Baseball Classic (WBC)!  This is the only time (once every 4 years) that I can root for the likes of Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, and Jonathan Broxton!  The US team beat Canada 6-5 on Saturday, and then took Venezuela to the woodshed this evening, defeating them 15-6.  Colorado Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta went 2-3 with 4 RBI’s, including a bases clearing double in the 6th inning to put the US team up 6-3.  The first round wraps up on March 11, and the field narrows down to 8 teams.  So far, three teams have advanced–US, Japan, and Korea.  Japan defeated Cuba in the first WBC in 2006, and looks like the team to beat, so far.  However, the US has looked sharp in the first two games.  This should be a GREAT start to the 2009 baseball season.

…On to college basketball.  The Buffs lost their last regular season game at Kansas State on Saturday.  On a side note, I must express my utter disgust for Kansas State University.  The town (Manhattan, Kansas) is pathetic.  The academic standards are subpar.  The fact that it is in the middle of Kansas also doesn’t help.  I’ve been to KSU, and have no desire to EVER return.  But back to the Buffs…they were unable to finish yet another Big 12 game losing to the Wildcats 76-64.  They finish the regular season 9-21 overall, 1-15 in the Big 12, and will play the Texas Longhorns in the first round of the Big 12 tournament on March 11 at 1:00pm in Oklahoma City.

…On a positive note, Buffs sophomore guard Cory Higgins was named to the 3rd Team All-Big 12.

…Depending on the outcome of the conference championships being played next week, there might be 3 teams from the Big East deserving a no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  #4 Pitt knocked off #1 UConn for the second time this season, and yet #6 Louisville gets the bragging rights as the Big East regular season champion!

…North Carolina completed the season sweep of Duke, beating the Bluedevils 79-71.  They wrapped up the ACC title, and look to be a lock for a #1 seed in the tourney.

…Other regular season conference winners include:  Kansas (Big 12), Washington (Pac-10), Michigan State (Big Ten), Memphis (Conf. USA), and LSU (SEC).

…A-Rod is going to have hip surgery, and will miss 6-9 weeks.  For more information visit ESPN at any time of day.  Every 5 minutes they will be updating you on his status.  Anymore, the way ESPN reports on these type of stories, it kind of reminds me of the “Panda Watch” segments on the movie Anchorman–they spend entirely too much time on something that is NOT newsworthy whatsoever.

…The Denver Nuggets lost yet another game to a horrible team in the Sacramento Kings.  They now have a 4-7 record since the all-star break, with four of those losses coming against teams with losing records.  With the Jazz extending their winning streak to 11 games, the Nuggets now find themselves tied for 6th place in the Western Conference.  Please, let this be George Karl’s last season in Denver.

…The Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks today 5-1.  With just 59 points, they are still the worst team in the West.  4 big questions for next season:

1. Who will be in net next season?  Raycroft and Budaj have shown that they are nothing more than mediocre career backups at best (and that is my extreme biased opinion).

2. Will Tony Granato still be head coach next year?

3. Will Joe Sakic be healthy enough this season to lace up the skates one last time in the Pepsi Center?

4. There must be several changes in store for this Avs team this offseason.  What will this team look like next year?

…The Colorado High School State Basketball playoffs are in full swing.  I watched the Fairview vs. Doherty game on Saturday.  It’s hard to find any weaknesses on the Fairview team, and they should be favorites to win the whole thing.

FINAL FOUR–3/12–Coors Events Center

5A Boys– Regis vs. Thunderidge (7:00)  &  George Washington vs. Fairview (8:30)

4A Boys–Lewis-Palmer vs. Sierra (4:00)  &  Sterling vs. Pueblo South (5:30)

FINAL FOUR–3/11–Coors Events Center

5A Girls–Regis vs. Horizon (7:00)  &  Monarch vs. Highlands Ranch (8:30)

4A Girls–Mullen vs. Montrose (4:00)  &  Fossil Ridge vs. Broomfield (5:30)