All Entries in the "Featured" Category
Bruins Hope First Round Exit Re-Ignites Championship Fire
After the celebration of the 2011 “break up day” last June, the Boston Bruins were quickly snapped back to the harsh reality of what normally constitutes a locker clean out day for most NHL squads. During which, the B’s brought to light the injuries that hampered them throughout the postseason as well as their reflections [...]
Hockey Independent Playoff Roundtable: Conference Semi-Finals Predictions
— Welcome back to the Hockey Independent roundtable where five writers from the HI staff have come together once again to provide you all with our Conference Semi Finals predictions. The contributing authors to today’s piece will be Cris Cohen (New York Rangers), Alex Muscat (Detroit Red Wings), Bill Philp (Tampa Bay Lightning) and [...]
Familiar Rituals. Familiar Foes.
My brother’s 6-year-old Henrik Lundqvist hat, that makes the Broadway Hat look like it’s fresh from the haberdashery, was in desperate need of being replaced. With his birthday this month, I took it as an opportunity to do just that. “I’m not changing it until the playoffs are over,” he told me when he called [...]
Coyotes Go to OT (Again), Outlast the Predators 4-3
The Phoenix Coyotes outlasted the Nashville Predators in a game that has become a regular occurrence for the Desert Dogs, going to overtime and defeating the visiting Predators 4-3. Phoenix was dominated in the third period and in the OT session, but managed to get a puck past Nashville goaltender for the game winner at [...]
Steven Stamkos 60 Goal Season Infographic
A visual look at the statistics and numbers behind Hart Trophy finalist Steven Stamkos’ 60-goal season. Steven Stamkos’ 60-Goal Season – An infographic by the team at TampaBayLightning.com
Predators/Coyotes Second Round Preview
The Nashville Predators are set to face the Phoenix Coyotes in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The Predators got to the second round by dispatching the Detroit Red Wings in 5 games, while the Coyotes defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games. The Coyotes, winners of the Pacific Division and the third [...]
Let’s Give Credit Where It’s Due: Washington Deserved To Win The Series
It was their 196th game in the past eighteen months. Their power-play was once again unproductive, scoring at only a 14% (3-for-23) clip. They’d lost three out of the four playoff games on home ice. The unproven opposing goaltender posted an otherworldly (for a rookie) 2.00 goals against average. Yet, through all that, the Boston [...]
Weber Named a Norris Finalist
The National Hockey League announced today the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, given to the defensive player “who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all around ability in the position.” They are: Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators; Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators; and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins. For the second [...]
Blackhawks Need Change… But How Much?
Chicago – On Wednesday at the United Center, Blackhawk players had exit interviews with the coaching staff and cleaned out their lockers. GM Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville were on hand to meet with the media as did some players. You could see the disappointment on the faces of all who spoke. It was an [...]
Joel Ward The Hero As Caps Win Game Seven, Eliminate Defending Champion Bruins
BOSTON, Ma– They had been here before. They knew how to handle this situation. They had the experience. They had the talent. They had home-ice advantage. It simply wasn’t enough. For the first time in four seasons, the Boston Bruins were unable to advance past the first round of the playoffs, becoming the second straight [...]
The NHL’s Television Problem
The recently completed NHL regular season saw expanded television coverage for U.S. viewers on Versus (now the NBC Sports Network) and NBC. That coverage brought more games into the homes of viewers in the States, and that was welcome news for hockey fans and the game of hockey, as viewership increased significantly in the just [...]
Rinne Receives Vezina Nomination
The Nashville Predators have always built their team from the net out. Solid goaltending has been a cornerstone of the Predators success throughout the years, and netminder Pekka Rinne has been one of the best in the history of the franchise. Today, Rinne received his second consecutive Vezina nomination, acknowledging the quality of his play. [...]
Predators Poile Nominated for GM of the Year
Building a winning team is as much an art as a science. Blending experienced veterans, untested rookies, and players added via trade or free agency is akin to a chemistry experiment in a science lab, Although the individual components are known, once blended together the outcome can be surprisingly good or it can blow up. [...]
GameDay: B’s And Caps Ready For Winner-Take-All Game 7 At The TD Garden
Just a quick hit to get you all ready for Game 7 tonight at the TD Garden. If you’d like my full write up on tonight’s pivotal match-up, you can read my “Five Predictions For Game 7″ piece. Series: Tied 3-3 Location: TD Garden Time: 7:30 P.M. (EST) TV/Radio Info: NBC Sports Network (Emrick, Olczyk, [...]
The Grandest Stage In All Of Sports: Five Predictions For Game 7
The two most notorious words in sports: Game Seven. The mere mention of the phrase is enough to kick-start the heart of hockey fans across the globe. It’s the most entertaining event in sports for fans with no vested interest in either team playing. But for people who have pledged their allegiance to either of [...]
Mike Smith Was Outstanding And Hawks Not Good Enough
Chicago – In front of 21,636, the Phoenix Coyotes advanced to the second round of the playoffs by shutting out the Blackhawks 4-0 at the United Center Monday night. Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith wasn’t only the finest goalie in the contest; he was also the best player in the game by a wide margin. The [...]
Blackhawks Try Hard but this isn’t the Cup-Winning Team
Chicago – The fact the Blackhawks can’t seem to play with the same effort throughout a game makes them an interesting but frustrating club to follow. From night to night or period to period, even shift to shift the Hawks can appear a scattered group. My view is the will to win of the team [...]
Seguin The Savior As B’s Force A Game Seven Back In Boston
Tyler Seguin‘s first tally of the postseason 3:17 into the first overtime period of game six in this first round series has lifted the defending champion Bruins to a 4-3 road victory and has forced a game seven back in Boston on Wednesday evening. It was a beautiful move by the B’s sensational sophomore, created [...]
GameDay: With The Season On The Line, Can The Bruins Respond?
Facing the possibility of becoming the second consecutive defending Stanley Cup champion to fall in the first round of their title defense, the Boston Bruins will take to the Verizon CEnter ice on Sunday afternoon with their season on the line. Series: Washington Leads 3-2 Location: Verizon Center, Washington, DC Time: 3:20 P.M. (EST) TV/Radio [...]
Hawks Win in 5th Straight OT Game as Series Goes Back to Chicago
Chicago – The Blackhawks showed the will of a winner in Phoenix Saturday night and defeated the Coyotes 2-1 in overtime. With the victory, the two clubs will square off for Game 6 on Monday at the United Center. The Hawks weren’t perfect but they did play their best game of the series. When everything [...]
