All Entries Tagged With: "Ilya Kovalchuk"
Season Predictions Part 2: Canucks Poised For A Repeat?
Hello again, and welcome to Part II of my 4-Part NHL season preview. In part I, I gave you all my Eastern Conference Predictions. In part 2, I will give you my predictions for the Western Conference. I will approach these predictions a bit differently than I did those for the Eastern Conference. Today, [...]
Rangers Answer The Bell, Now Wait (updated)
After spending my Friday night channel surfing between the Hurricanes-Thrashers and Flyers-Sabres games, I went to bed feeling somewhat unsettled. When the final horn sounded, Buffalo clinched a playoff spot as a result of their overtime win, and Carolina’s drubbing of Atlanta moved them into the 8th spot by virtue of holding the first tiebreaker [...]
Why Did Daddy Let My T-birds Fly Astray??
Poor me a beer so I can wash the sadness away. Not because it’s St. Patty’s Day though. No, because I’m a Thrashers fan who was foolish enough to believe in this year’s team. Going into the season, I knew better. We’re too young; new coach and new system; too many new pieces trying to [...]
So “Slim”, You’re Tellin’ Me There’s a Chance?!
Wednesday nite in Raleigh, NC the Thrashers did something they hadn’t done since January 5th of this year, when they downed the Florida Panthers 3 to 2 at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, FL, which is: WIN TWO STRAIGHT GAMES!! Alas, the 2010-11 season has not been one in which the Thrashers have been [...]
Tampa Bay Lightning Week In Review
Game 63: Lightning 1 – Devils 2 “Playing Their Game” If you didn’t know better, you would have thought the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils were playing in another era, using straight wooden sticks and skating in slow motion. The Devils held the Bolts to a meek 16 shots on goal and snapped [...]
Tampa Bay Lightning Week In Review
Game 60: Lightning 8 – Coyotes 3 “Vinny Goes Off” The Tampa Bay Lightning (35-18-7) scored five first period goals, three on the power play and never looked back as they punished the Coyotes 8-3, ending Phoenix’ eight game winning streak. Teddy Purcell recorded his first career hat trick and according to him, his first [...]
Tampa Bay Lightning Week In Review
Game 44: Lightning 3 – Capitals 0 “Solid Defense” The Tampa Bay Lightning (26-13-5) made the Washington Capitals look ordinary and downright ineffective on Wednesday night. Bolts backstop Dwayne Roloson made 23 saves and shutout the Capitals for the second time in nine days, 3-0. The Lightning’s defensive effort was, in a word, spectacular. The [...]
New Jersey Devils fire John MacLean, bring back Jacques Lemaire, duhh!
After 33 games, the axe fell and the head finally rolled, just in time to celebrate Christmas with your friends and family… well everyone, except John MacLean who was fired earlier today by GM Lou Lamoriello. With a paltry 20 points so far this season, the Devils are on pace for a dismal 50-point season, [...]
The 10 most disappointing players so far this season
With the Christmas holidays looming, let’s have a look at the 10 most disappointing players so far this season. 1. Ilya Kovalchuk – New Jersey Devils 31 games 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points and a -21 plus/minus differential. After signing a monstrous 17-year $100 million contract in the off-season, Kovalchuk has been [...]
Mister Levenson, TEAR DOWN THIS CURTAIN!!
On the morning after the Atlanta Thrashers dismissed the New Jersey Devils with a resounding statement of renouncement, and as the beleaguered Blueland Nation savors the spoils of this brief, but glorious triumph over some rather beguiling franchise demons, we must now pause to reflect on what this victorious battle means for the future of hockey in Atlanta. [...]
After 24 Games, Thrashers in Flight to Greater Heights, BUT WAIT!!
Who is that guy to the right you ask? Why it’s Maxim-um “Thrills, Chills & Spills” Afinogenov, erstwhile winger and human hi-light reel of the Atlanta Thrashers, circa November 30, 2009. But J.C., you do realize Max isn’t coming back to the Thrashers right? Of course I do! Then why must you open old wounds [...]
The longest contracts in NHL history
The new deal Ilya Kovalchuk signed earlier this summer with the New Jersey Devils is an incredible 15-year contract worth $100 million US, for a cap hit of $6.67 million, that will keep the Russian sniper in the Devils’ uniform until his 42th birthday. It’s not the first time a contract is that long in [...]
Fantasy Impact: St. Louis Blues vs New Jersey Devils
Own any St. Louis Blues or New Jersey Devils players in your fantasy league or pool? Here is some news you can use. Team Matchup New Jersey and St. Louis have split their series since the lockout. Both sides have won two of four games. The Devils are 4-7-0 on the road and St. Louis [...]
Rowing In The Same Direction
What a difference a week makes. Following the New York Rangers’ home opener on October 15th, the news was pretty grim. No Vinny Prospal, no Chris Drury, and worst of all, no Marian Gaborik for a few weeks. The Rangers responded last Monday with a lackluster effort against the Colorado Avalanche, losing 3-1 before heading [...]
7 ways to (legally) circumvent the NHL salary cap 101
In the era of the salary cap ($59,400,000 this season), some NHL teams must juggle with numbers to find a way to stay under the maximum salary payroll allowed by the league and be cap-compliant. Before we have a look at the different ways teams have found to circumvent the salary cap, let’s have a [...]
Goalie Controversy in Pittsburgh?
If you take the first two Penguins games of the season at face value it would be easy to pin the problem between the pipes. This morning on Pens HD Radio host Steve Mears heavily suggested based off of fan reaction that there was or should be a question as to who should start the [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Canucks and Canadiens interested in Stars potential UFA Brad Richards? Not Likely
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
Let Avery Be Avery (Updated)
The New York Rangers play their 2nd preseason game this evening, playing the back end of a home-and-home with the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. As I am writing this the Rangers have not yet released the list of the players who will be dressing for the game. One player that has to [...]
The Bolts Beat, 09/03/10: With Special Guests Steve Downie and Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski
In the latest episode of The Bolts Beat, JJ and co-host Mike Corcoran visit with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steve Downie to discuss last season’s individual success, off-season training with Gary Roberts, rivalries and much more. Puck Daddy editor Greg Wyshynski drops in as well and touches on Ilya Kovalchuk, the recent Mt. Blogmore series, [...]
What If ?
When trying to find a logical explanation it is always comes down to what one believes and how much the situation really matters to them. For die hard NHL fans, as well as Blackhawk faithful here are some things which should matter. As the habitual NHL apologists continue to defend the poorly written CBA…. What [...]
