All Entries Tagged With: "Patrick Kane"
Predators Win Second in a Row With a 4-3 SO Win Over Chicago
When a team endures a losing streak, one of two things can happen. They can hang their heads and limp along; or the losses can be extremely clarifying, causing a team to focus on what it takes to win games and get back to those fundamentals. For the Nashville Predators, the latter has occurred, as [...]
Weekly Fantasy: The Magical Fourth Year
Last season I looked at some players that had great season because they were entering their magical fourth year in the NHL Anze Kopitar’s Torrid Start And The Magical Fourth Season . Let’s have a look at how five of these fourth-year players fared in comparison to the previous year. Dustin Penner, Edmonton Penner finished [...]
Luongo Steps Down; Why Kesler is Right Captain for Canucks’ Cup Chase
After a summer’s worth of speculation, pushed back meetings and enough twitter debate to make your fingers ache, the “Captain in the Crease” era is over in Vancouver.
Blueline Special
Blues defenseman Erik Johnson has been at the center of the Blues’ youth movement. Drafted 1st overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, Johnson represented the start of the new revitalization plan put in place by Owner Dave Checketts and President of Hockey Operations John Davidson.
Meet the Future of the Blues: David Perron
“I’m really looking forward to taking the next step. Us young guys are getting older and getting some season under our wings. We’re really going to have to get going and take that next step. I’m one of the guys that is going to try and lead the players that way.”-Blues forward David Perron in [...]
Sabres Schedule Released
The 2010\2011 NHL season will be a milestone for the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres will be celebrating their 40th anniversary and it will begin on the road in Ottawa on October 8th. The Sabres home opener will be the following night against Chris Drury and the New York Rangers. South Buffalo native, Patrick Kane and [...]
Bittersweet: Passing the Cup to a new but worthy champion
One week has elapsed since the end of the 2009-10 NHL season. Watching last Wednesday evening’s proceedings at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, I was reminded once again that one of sport’s most magical, frozen moments is when the captain of the newly crowned champions raises the Stanley Cup over his head. As 22-year old Jonathan Toews lifted [...]
HAWKS-FLYERS CUP FINAL 2010: “IF”
Like the playoff series preceding it, this year’s Stanley Cup Final is making predictions obsolete.
At mainstream outlets like ESPN, RDS, TSN, Yahoo Sports and the NHL Network, many experts were picking the Blackhawks to win, though some hedged their bets by saying we would see a seven game series. Dissenters were favoring the Vegas underdogs from Philly.
Few expected that each game thus far, would be decided by a single goal (the empty netter in Game Four notwithstanding).
Don’t feel guilty cheering for Chicago and Hossa, Pens’ fans
This time of year is never easy for a hockey fan whose favourite team has already been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. It is doubly difficult as a supporter of the Penguins to watch the action after having a rooting interest in the past two Finals and knowing that the championship belt, already taken away, will [...]
What Went Wrong: Analyzing Luongo, Questioning Character and What Needs to Change
IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. The Vancouver Canucks 2010 season has been a tale of two teams, and unfortunately for the Canucks their regular season performance was far superior in comparison to their playoff success.
BATTLE STATIONS: BLACKHAWKS-SHARKS WCF ’10
When Troy Brouwer scored the first goal of the Blackhawks’ 5-1 series clincher, he put the game of hockey in perspective. With his father recovering from surgery to alleviate a blood clot in his brain, Brouwer showed courage, coming back from his absence while he stayed with his father, and getting his game in focus. “It feels great,” he said. “Sitting out those couple games gave me a little bit of perspective and thankfully the coaches stuck with me. I didn’t want to disappoint them or the team or my dad.” Now the perspective switches to the Hawks’ second consecutive WCF and a first playoff meeting ever with San Jose.
This Conference Final brings together the number one and number two Western powers, whose final standings were separated by a single point. Tough to imagine two clubs more evenly matched.
The history between the Hawks and Sharks, then, is limited to their regular season contests, though there are some interesting relationships.
Never Say Die – Canucks Set to Battle Blackhawks; Extend Series at GM Place
The Canucks had no choice but to step up and prove their critics wrong, after talking about all the right things throughout the playoff series against the Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks executed their game plan to perfection, jumping on the favoured Blackhawks early and often on Sunday. After Brent Seabrook’s early wrist shot surprised Roberto [...]
De Ja Vu; Canucks Look to Avoid Elimination at Hands of Blackhawks Inside the Madhouse on Madison
The Canucks’ have shot themselves in the foot so many times this series, it is simply not possible for them to collectively harm themselves again, their metaphorical feet have already been blown right the [Gretzky] off.
VANCOUVER’S DEEP DISH: Team In A Familiar Hole
It’s another year, and once again the Vancouver Canucks have petered out after a sharp first round. Last year, they walloped the St. Louis Blues, and had Vancouver folk thinking Stanley Cup parade routes as they then got slammed by the Blackhawks, leaving Roberto Luongo in tears. This year, despite a better season and more [...]
Luongo, Kesler Lead Confident Canucks into War with the Blackhawks
After Vancouver’s impressive game one performance, the Canucks and Blackhawk’s continued the series trend of dominating visiting team victories as the Blackhawks manhandled the Canucks on Wednesday night at GM Place. The Blackhawks used their playoff specific game plan to simply outwork, outhustle and outwit the Canucks in game three. Chicago’s ability to force pucks [...]
Get Your Towels Ready; Canucks and ‘Hawks Take the Series to Vancouver
There comes a time in every young man’s life when he must make a very important decision, free tickets or day to day responsibilities? As hockey fans, you will all understand that the right choice is of course, the tickets. With that in mind, I apologize for the light article today; I’m busy racing to [...]
Canucks Look to Build on “Embarrassing” Game Two for Blackhawks
With a bad taste in their mouth that has lasted with them for a whole season, The Vancouver Canucks returned to the Madhouse on Madison determined to silence the crowd after being run out of the building in last year’s crushing season ending defeat. After a tense opening ten minutes, the Canucks got to work [...]
A Fight for Revenge; Canucks and Blackhawks Set for Battle in Conference Semi-Final Rematch
After a frustrating and at times scary series against the Los Angeles Kings, the Vancouver Canucks have once again emerged out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with hopes of making the next step by advancing to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 1994. While the young and talented [...]
THE NARROW MARGIN: BLACKHAWKS-CANUCKS’ GRUDGE MATCH 2010
“Whenever you can win a playoff series, it feels good. I don’t know who said it was going to be an easy series or we were going to get upset. It was two teams that played hard going back to the regular season. It was a very tough series. I give them a lot of credit. It could have really gone either way.”
This was Patrick Sharp’s summary of the series against the Predators, but it could have been a preview of the rematch between the Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks. The ingredients for a classic combat are there. Two talented teams with a history of hate; two teams who match up in a variety of areas; two teams who have been anointed as legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup.
Playoff Ugly: Hawks-Preds Round One
When the final horn sounded at the United Center in Chicago on April 16th, one sensed the sagging hopes of Blackhawks faithful as the Nashville Predators wrested Game One from the favorites. Though the game had been decided by a single goal, the last two empty netters must have felt like a punch in the gut, not only for the crowd, but for the players as well.
It didn’t take long for the hockey pundits to sound the alarm.
