NHL 2012 Division Realignment with Winnipeg

The word out of some media outlets is that Gary Bettman has put forward a plan with the League’s Board of Governors, to return to a 4 division format, with divisional playoff play, for the 2012/2013 season.

This is something I would support, along with White Uniforms at home and a return to "Named" Divisions.

If the plan is implemented, there would be two conferences, each with 1 seven, and 1 eight team division. Each team would play home and away against every other team in the league for the first time in over a decade. The new divisions would be the Pacific, Midwest, East, and South.

Detroit and Columbus are both being promised moves East. That would mean another team besides Winnipeg would have to head West. My guess is Toronto, which will reunite with some of its old Norris Division Rivals in the "Midwest."

Here is my breakdown as to how that would shake out geographically:

East
Montreal
Ottawa
Buffalo
Boston
New York
New York
New Jersey
Philadelphia

South
Washington
Columbus
Detroit
Carolina
Tampa Bay
Florida
Pittsburgh





Midwest
St. Louis
Winnipeg
Minnesota
Chicago
Edmonton
Calgary
Toronto
Nashville

Pacific
Vancouver
Colorado
Phoenix
Los Angeles
San Jose
Anaheim
Dallas

Why the NHL Needs to Keep its Edge

As the 2010-2011 NHL season winds down with what now promises to be one of the nastiest and chippiest Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory, some folks in the general sports media, and within the Hockey World itself, are loudly proclaiming that something needs to be done to clean up this game.

While I agree that headshots and concussions are a problem the league has to deal with, I hope they can manage to achieve this much needed goal without blunting some of the edge off the game.

As the great John Buccigross has written, "Hockey is a blood sport. It is played with a searing emotion most people can't empathize with unless they have played and lived the sport. Hockey is mostly difficult and frustrating. Which is why there is such an explosion of excitement whenever someone scores. Just about every goal is well-earned in some way. In this game, nothing comes cheap."

When Bucci refers to the game of Hockey here as a "blood sport," he is certainly not taking the perspective of some neanderthal wishing to see gladiatorial style combat upon the ice. He is putting into words the raw emotion and fury that inherently part of a hard hitting, high speed game played by rugged men.

It is not about the blood spilling out onto the ice after Steven Stamkos takes a puck to the face in Game 7 against the Bruins that draws us to the sport. It is him waving off the trainer, racing into the locker room, and returning less than five minutes later with a full cage guarding his now exploded nose and continuing on in the game without a second thought.

My instant response: a moment you can only have in the NHL playoffs.

At one time concussions were viewed in many circles the same way Stamkos’ broken nose was. Get some smelling salts, clear your head and get back out there for the next shift. The sport has learned the hard way that such a policy is reckless and dangerous for the safety and long term health of its participants.

It is right and proper that the NHL address hits to the head that lead directly to these concussions as a serious and dire matter. I implore the league however to be careful not to totally take away the mentality, the unquestioned willingness to sacrifice limbs in order to lift the Stanley Cup with heart and heart alone. Planting the seeds of doubt within the players would cheapen the game, cheapen the Stanley Cup, and lessen the impact of the sacrifice guys have spoken about for ages that it takes to win the Hardest Trophy in Sports.

My suggestion: target specifically blindside and direct hits to the head with harsher and automatic suspensions of 10 games for a 1st offense and escalate a scale from there. Fine the team that employees the offender on sliding scale as well. Leave the periphery stuff go. Players will adapt quickly to launching shoulders into chests rather than elbows into craniums. Scrappy, dirty stuff, like Alex Burrows biting Patrice Bergeron? Leave that kind of decision to the referees on the ice. Keep a hands off approach and let the player’s police themselves and send their own messages. Tell me that incident did not add an element of drama and edge to these Stanley Cup Finals. Having that edge is a good thing for the sport. Hockey is a game that needs to be played on the edge.

The fans who get into the game buy into this and understand such things. And they are your target audience NHL.

One of my favorite fan stories of this post season came from the “non-traditional” hockey market of Tampa Bay (there have been more Cups there than Toronto has had since ’67, just sayin).

Steven Paul, a Bolts season ticket holder was told by his Home Owner’s Associaton that his “GO BOLTS” sign in his yard was violation of the mandate within the neighborhood that no signage was allowed with the exception of security company signs. His response was the same as Stamkos flying back onto the ice for game 7. He pressed on in the face of clear and present danger with an edge to his game and a thin shield to guard himself from further ‘harm’:

"Protected By:

GO BOLTS

Security"

My instant response: a moment you can only have in the NHL playoffs.

Bruins tie series in 4-0 victory

Boston once again dominated Vancouver with a 4-0 victory in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday at TD Garden in Boston.
The best-of-seven series is tied at 2-2 with Game 5 coming Friday night at Rogers Center in Vancouver.
Oh, how the Canucks will be glad to get out of the good ole' USA.
I don't know if it was coincidence, but I think Aaron Rome's hit on Nathan Horton lit a fire in the Bruins.
Since the hit, Boston has outscored Vancouver, 12-1, and made Roberto Luongo look very average. The Bruins chased Luongo Wednesday night.
I don't know if Claude Julien is using different versions of the win one for the Gipper speech or what, but Boston is sure drinking the Kool-Aid.
I don't see much difference in the Bruins' game. They are playing strong defense, going hard to the net and relying on Tim Thomas to be solid.
Boston has carried the play this whole series, however I'm not going to flip flop. I'm sticking with the Canucks.
Vancouver gives the hometown fans something to cheer about with a 4-2 victory in Game 5.

NHL suspends Canucks' Rome

Vanouver defenseman Aaron Rome was suspended by the NHL Tuesday for his hit on Boston forward Nathan Horton in the Bruins' 8-1 victory Monday night in the Stanley Cup finals.
Rome will be gone for the next four games, and if the finals are completed in less than seven, he will finish his sentence next season.
Rome's hit on Horton left the Bruins winger on the ice for several minutes before being loaded into an ambulance and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. It was reported during the game that Horton had feeling in his arms and legs, but he will be out for the remainder of the playoffs with a severe concussion.
I applaud the league for stepping up, but when will these acts of "goonism" end? Rome's hit will the big topic concerning the finals on all major sports networks. The NHL is No. 4 in terms of popularity and acceptance in the United States, and some would argue further down that list, and it can't afford to let this happen.
My solution would be stiffer penalties. Three strikes and your out. First offense: Half the season. Second offense: The whole season. Third offense: Find somewhere else to play hockey.
Maybe that's extreme, but something needs to be done.
Rome is no where near as important to the Canucks as Horton is to Boston. I'm not saying he was sent out to do damage, but it's something to ponder.
Vancouver's Alex Burrows started all this in Game 1 with his imfamous bite on the Bruins' Patrice Bergeron and it has escalated from there.
The third period of Monday's game resembled a bar-room brawl on ice than a hockey game. The officials did an excellent job of sending guys off, but it's hard to control that and it just takes one more hard shot before someone is severly injured. And what's not to say that Horton will play again?
Ask Sidney Crosby how tricky concussions are?

Bruins rout Canucks, 8-1

Boston exploded for four goals each in the second and third periods to rout Vancouver, 8-1, Monday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals at TD Garden in Boston.
The Bruins trail the Canucks, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday night in Boston.
Tim Thomas stopped 40 shots, but was a bit overshadowed by the scraps and goals.
Following Aaron Rome's devastating hit on Nathan Horton, I will delve into that situation in another post, the Bruins took over with four goals in the second.
Boston's Andrew Ference opened the scoring 11 seconds into the second. Mark Recchi followed that up with a power-play goal at 4:22.
With Vancouver on a power play and a chance to get back in the game, Brad Marchand scored a short-handed goal to give Bruins a 3-0 lead at 11:30 of the second.
David Krejci capped of the second with a goal at 15:47 and Boston held a 4-0 lead at going into the third.
The third saw the Bruins add another short-handed goal before the Canucks' Jannik Hansen beat Thomas at 13:53 of the third and a 5-1 Boston lead.
The Bruins scored three more goals, however, and the game turned into a bar-room brawl on ice. Punches were thrown, Alex Burrows was taunted by Milan Lucic to take a bite out of him and scoring champ Daniel Sedin was sent to the showers early with a game misconduct. Ryan Kesler also had an early shower.
I'm sure I'm missing somebody, but there were about seven players left on the bench at game's end.
After playing stellar in the first two games, Vancouver looked vunerable. They committed stupid penalties, got beat to loose pucks and didn't show the determination it takes to win a Stanley Cup. I'm still going with the Canucks to win Games 4 and 5, but it won't be easy. Roberto Luongo was sub-par at best. He gave up some easy goals.
If Boston wins Game 4, who knows, but they were definitely the better team in Game 3. For what it's worth, the Bruins hold a 10-5 lead in aggregate scoring.
Vancouver and Luongo come back strong with a 2-1 victory in Game 4.

Canucks take 2-0 series lead

Ironically, it was Vancouver's Alex Burrows that scored the game-winning goal 11 seconds to overtime for a 3-2 victory over Boston in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday night at Rogers Center in Vancouver.
Vancouver holds a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is Monday in Boston at 8 p.m. EST.
The Bruins held a 2-1 lead before the Canucks' Daniel Sedin tied it midway through the third.
I will give the edge to Boston in Game 3. I like the Bruins in a 4-3 victory.

Game 2 is pivitol for Boston

I won't say it's over if Boston loses Game 2, overcoming 0-2 deficits in the Stanley Cup playoffs aren't unheard of, however the Bruins need to beat Vancouver tonight if they want to win this series.
The Canucks are dangerous because they can win games in many different ways. For instance, they edged Boston, 1-0, in Game 1 after Raffi Torres scored with less than 20 seconds to go. Wednesday's game was the type of game the Bruins like to play and Vancouver still pulled it out.
The Canucks don't mind getting in a high scoring affair. They feature the better power play, even though they didn't score in Game 1 with the man advantage, and can play that finesse game. Boston can score, but it is more capable of scoring dirty goals.
Vancouver is not afraid to mix it up, either.
With all due respect to the Bruins, I don't think this will be a close finals. The Canucks are too good.
That said, if Tim Thomas can keep standing on his head, Boston might have a chance to make this series competitve.
Vancouver takes a 3-2 victory in Game 2 tonight.

No punishment for Canucks' Burrows

Vancouver's Alex Burrows will not be disciplined by the NHL for allegedly biting the gloved hand of Boston's Patrice Bergeron Wednesday during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.
The two were in a scuffle at the end of the first period, when, according to Burrows, Bergeron put his fingers in his mouth.
Bergeron said he isn't worried about the decision, and Burrows claims he didn't bite him, even though Bergeron had two get his fingers looked at.
I said it in a previous post and I'll say it again. Burrows should be suspended for one game. Biting, sucker punches and below the belt shots are out of line.
The NHL once again shows its inconsistency in regards to disciplining its players.
If I'm Bergeron, the best way to get back at Burrows is score a goal in Game 2 and lead his team to victory.

Vancouver wins Game 1 on Torres' late goal

It took nearly 60 minutes, but Vancouver got the only goal it needed when Raffi Torres scored with 18.5 seconds remaining in the third period for a 1-0 victory Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals at Rogers Center in Vancouver.
Jannik Hansen took a pass from Ryan Kesler, who made Bruins goalie Tim Thomas challenge a would-be shot due to a 2-on-1 situation, and fired the puck to Torres for the easy one timer. Thomas had no chance on the play.
Kesler made an exceptional play to chip the puck past the Boston defense and stay onsides in the process.
Thomas was great, stopping 33 shots and was 18.5 seconds from posting 120 minutes of shutout goaltending, but Roberto Luongo was a tad better.
Luongo made 36 saves for his third shutout this postseason and was the game's No. 1 star. Thomas was No. 2 and Torres 3.
The game was a tight, defensive battle with some chippy moments. Vancouver's Alex Burrows appeared to bite the gloved finger of Boston's Patrice Bergeron during a scuffle after the first-period buzzer.
As of this writing, nothing has been addressed to whether Burrows will be punished. I believe a one-game suspension is warranted.
Failures on the power play were another story as neither team scored with the man advantage. Both teams were 0-for-6, and the Bruins failed to score on a lengthy 5-on-3 in the early stages of the second period.
This victory is very encouraging for the Canucks. A low-scoring, tight checking game is more suited for the Bruins. They score many goals by putting the puck on net with traffic. I don't think Boston needs to change anything for Game 2, however it has to score on the power play and keep Vancouver from scoring with the man advantage. They accomplished one part of that in Game 1.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, I don't see the Canucks' PP being held down again in this series.
Game 2 is Saturday and I give the edge to Vancouver, 3-2.

Stanley Cup Finals: Game One

The NHL yesterday announced that Colin Campbell will be stepping down as the head of supplemental discipline. He will be replaced in that role to begin next season by former player Brenden Shanahan, but it is expected that some sort of committee, with Shanahan at its head, will be established to review incidents that take place during games and try to establish some consistency and order to what has been a murky and seemingly random process of fines and suspensions.

The 1st game of the Stanley Cup finals gave us another example of an event that will fall under Shanahan's jurisdiction next season, as the Vancouver Canucks Alex Burrows took a bite out of the Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron at the end of a hard hitting 1st period. The decision if Burrows will face a suspension for this act will actually fall upon the desk of Mike Murphy. Campbell has recused himself from all incidents in the Finals as his son, Gregory, plays for the Bruins. I hope no emails leak out with Campbell trying to influence his underling.

Outside of the dental related controversies, Game One was a solid defensive struggle between two teams both trying to establish physical dominance while maintaining solid defensive systems. The game remained tied at 0-0 until Raffi Torres finally got the 1st and only goal of the game with 18 seconds left to play in the final period, cancelling out what seemed to be an inevitable overtime duel. It was the latest game winner in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, when Mario Lemieux scored with 13 seconds left in the 3rd to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 series lead against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Both goalies played fabulously, Roberto Luongo will get the shutout for the record books, but I would say that Tim Thomas actually played better and had to make some tougher saves through the course of the game. This is the 3rd time this postseason Luongo and his Canucks have launched a series with a game one shutout.

“I thought we were going to play all night the way it was going,” Luongo said. “It was an exciting way to start the series. It was such a close game. It could have gone either way, a flip of the coin.”

When Torres scored it was the first goal Tim Thomas had allowed in 128 minutes of play, having shutout the Tampa Lighting in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Thomas and the Bruins got no help at all from their powerplay, going 0 for 5 with the man advantage, including a futile extended 5 on 3 in the 2nd period.

Last night was the kind of game Boston needs to win to have a chance in this series. Dropping a close game out of the gates like that hurts, and the game one winner has gone on to win the series 77% of the time in the Stanley Cup Finals. If Boston can steal one on the road Saturday night they will have a good chance going home. It will be a long cross-continent flight down in a 2-0 hole if they don't.

Cup finals begin Wednesday

Boston will make the very long trip to Vancouver for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals that begin Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The Canucks will make a statement with a 4-2 victory. The Sedin twins will continue to dominate and Ryan Kesler will have a breakout game. Hernik and Daniel set up their teammates with such precision passing.
If Vancouver gets on the power play, look out. The Bruins have a solid penalty kill, but the Canucks' PP is too strong. Their unit is the best in the NHL.
Roberto Luongo is a much better goalie than Tim Thomas, and he's hungry to finally shut up his critics who keep reminding him about his past playoff failures.
Thomas is definitely an easy guy to root for, although Boston is likely to come down off its high after such a tough series with Tampa Bay.
After struggling in its first-round series against Chicago, Vancouver has looked mighty impressive in knocking off Nashville in six games and San Jose in five.
The key for the Bruins is to stay out of the penalty box, keep getting the puck on net and creating traffic. Nathan Horton has been outstanding in these playoffs. Thomas needs to play out of his mind for Boston to succeed.
The frequent-flier miles will add up in this series as the teams and media members will travel roughly 2,000 miles each trip.
It's probably best to follow it on TV, unless you're rich. I'm not, so I'll be parked in front of the tube Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST.
Enjoy.

My gut feeling

I will delve more into this series next week, due to the fact that Game 1 won't be played until Wednesday.
I'm going with Vancouver over Boston in five games.
The Canucks' Ryan Kesler will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.
Face-off for Game 1 is scheduled for 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBC.

Boston to make first finals appearance since '90

Boston edged Tampa Bay, 1-0, Friday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in Boston.
The Bruins' will face Vancouver in the Stanley Cup finals. Game 1 is Wednesday in Vancouver at 8 p.m. on NBC for those of us in the states. CBC and RDS will also carry the game. Boston, winners of two Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972, are heading to the finals for the first time since 1990, while the Canucks are in their third finals appearance, and first since 1994.
Boston's Nathan Horton scored the game's only goal at 12:27 of the third period on a tip-in off a David Krejci pass past the Lightning's Dwayne Roloson, who made 37 saves. Andrew Ference had the secondary assist. Ference said the Bruins' had used it as a set play to break Tampa Bay's 1-3-1 trap, and it worked.
Horton was tabbed the No. 1 star, while Boston goalie Tim Thomas was the No. 2 star with 24 saves in a shutout. Roloson was the third star, as voted on by the media.
Although only one goal was scored, the game was exciting from the first face-off. Pierre, Edzo and Doc repeatedly stated that it's a shame someone had to lose, and I'm inclined to agree with them.
Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos showed plenty of character after returning from a puck to the nose. Thank God he was wearing a visor. Stamkos will have some work done.
Stamkos had only one shot, was a minus-one, but was on the ice for 18:57 and showed how bad he wanted to help his team. Stamkos' effort is what playoff hockey is all about.
Referees Dan O'Halloran and Steven Walkom let the players decide the game as no penalties were called. Usually the refs get blamed, but I think they made the right decision. I did see some penalties occur, but nothing blatant, and the guys in the stripes deserve to be congratulated.
The Bruins outshot the Lightning 38-24, and had a 15-9 advantage in the first. They put 14 shots on Roloson in the second, compared to 8 for Tampa Bay and had a 9-7 edge in the third.
Roloson had the tougher task than Thomas, in my opinion. Thomas was the second star because he won, but Roloson was very good. He stopped a breakaway and made far more tough saves than Thomas.
Take nothing away from Thomas, he put himself in good position and made the routine stops.
Boston kept putting the pressure on and had the puck in Tampa Bay's zone for lengthy periods of time using a strong cycle.
The Lightning had some good opportunities and my gut feeling was their were going to score late on a fluky goal, but the Bruins got the late goal, however, it was not fluky.
NOTES: Boston captain Zdeno Chara didn't touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, but had all his teammates and coaches gather around for a picture. For what it's worth, the Bruins seemed to be more amped up than the Canucks. Martin St. Louis and Tim Thomas, former college teammates, shared an embrace.

Tampa Bay forces Game 7

Although I didn't get to watch it, Tampa Bay beat Boston, 5-4, in Game 6 Wednesday night at the Saint Pete Times Forum to force Game 7.
The decisive game will be played Friday in Boston.
Since I wasn't able to see the game, I don't have too much to say about it, but I will make a few points regarding the Lightning.
They keep battling back, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won Game 7. Dwayne Roloson had a sup-par performance, although he picked up the victory. I had them losing in the first and second rounds, but they proved me wrong. I did say they would win this series, although I didn't think they would pull it out after falling behind 3-2.
I'm going to go back to my original pick. Tampa Bay wins 4-2 in Game 7 to make its second trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

NHL conference finals update

Tim Thomas put his stick where his mouth was and led Boston to a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday in Boston.
Thomas made the save of the playoffs with the Bruins up 2-1 when he was clearly beaten, but got back to stop Steve Downie with about 11 minutes left.
Thomas said he was a tad lucky, but I'll say it was skill.
The Bruins goalie stated to Pierre McGuire after the game that his words were taken out of context when he guarenteed Boston would win the series. I don't know about that. Just don't say things like that, and you won't have to worry about it. I can't find fault when members of the media print, tape or discuss certain things. The guarantee is getting old, though.
These guys are professionals, but so are the writers and announcers. A good journalist will use those quotes in his/her story, or hear from their editor. I'm speaking from experience. Maybe you look sleazy, but it's the nature of the business. That's just how it goes. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. Back to the game.
I won't count out the Lightning just yet. I've predicted them to lose in the first two series, and they proved me wrong. I had them beating Boston, but I don't know now. We'll see.
I don't understand starting Mike Smith in favor of Dwayne Roloson. Maybe if Tampa Bay had lost Game 4. Smith played well, and I don't think he had much to do with the loss. The Bruins' goals were well placed and I doubt it would have made much difference if Roloson was in goal. I just don't get the change in Game 5 of the conference finals.
I will give the edge to Boston in Game 6. Thomas will make just enough saves for a 3-2 Bruins' win.
As for the Western Conference finals, Vancouver has been the better team all series long, and will win Game 5 tonight, 4-2.
The Sedin twins are playing great, Ryan Kesler is the best two-way center in the game, and Roberto Luongo is playing like a Vezina finalist.
San Jose has played beyond expectations in these playoffs for the first time in its existence, but the Sharks will be hitting the links tomorrow.
Enjoy the games.

Realigned NHL Divisions with Winnipeg?

Realigned NHL Divisions with Winnipeg?
As I said here, don’t throw assume Atlanta is done yet.
But let’s just say for a moment that the deal between Atlanta Spirit and True North Entertainment does whisk away hockey back to the Manitoban Plains, how would the NHL adjust its divisions to accommodate such a move? Chances are we will either get a lame duck team in Atlanta this year, or have the absurdity of City on the same longitude of Lincoln, Nebraska being in the Southeast.
But starting in the 2012-13 season you have to imagine the NHL would alter its divisions for reduced travel cost and more natural geographic rivalries. What will such a league look like? Let’s take a stab at a few options here, just for fun.

The “Easy” Path
The most simple way to handle realignment would be to move Winnipeg into the Central Division of the Western Conference and switch Nashville into the empty spot from the Southeast. That would be geographical, logical and create the least amount of waves.

The “Traditionalist” Path
There was a time in hockey where each division sent 4 teams into the playoffs and the first two rounds were heated inter-divisional play. How could that work with 30 teams? Here is how I would see it happening with one 7 and one 8 team division in each conference. Playoff teams based on last years point totals are in bold. This setup would leave room for two more expansion teams (Quebec and Seattle anyone?)to eventually round the league off at four 8-team division, with exactly half making the playoffs. While going back to the traditional Conference titles, the league should also return to the home teams wearing white.

Wales Conference


Patrick Division
Washington Capitals
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Nashville Predators
New York Rangers
Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders



Adams Division
Boston Bruins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Montreal Canadians
Buffalo Sabres
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Florida Panthers




Campbell Conference

Norris Division
Detroit Redwings
Chicago Blackhawks
Dallas Stars
St. Louis Blues
Minnesota Wild
Columbus Blue Jackets
Winnipeg Jets


Smythe Division
Vancouver Canucks
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Phoenix Coyotes
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers


A Truly Radical Approach
This would really shake things up quite a bit. It would make no sense in terms of the history of the game and a lot of traditional rivalries and Conference affiliations would be broken up, but it would certainly be something new and exciting.

Eastern Conference

Northeast
Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadians
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders

Great Lakes
Detroit Redwings
Chicago Blackhawks
Ottawa Senators
Buffalo Sabres
Toronto Maple Leafs

Mid-Atlantic
Washington Capitals
Philadelphia Flyers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers

Western Conference

Central Division
Pittsburgh Penguins
Nashville Predators
Dallas Stars
St. Louis Blues
Columbus Blue Jackets

Northwest
Phoenix Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Minnesota Wild
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers

Pacific Division
Vancouver Canucks
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings
Colorado Avalanche

Special teams carry Vancouver past San Jose for 4-2 win in Game 4

Vancouver used three power-play goals on three 5-on-3 opportunities in Sunday's 4-2 victory over San Jose in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at the HP Pavillion in San Jose.
Henrik Sedin scored on one of the 5-on-3's while Sami Salo had the other two goals. The Canucks went up 4-0 before the Sharks added two late tallies, but couldn't complete the comeback. Daniel Sedin had four assists.
San Jose didn't fare well on the power play as it was 0-for-5 midway through the second period when Vancouver took over.
Anttii Neimi had a poor game after playing decent in Game 3. I doubt the Sharks have anything left.
Special teams proved to be pretty important.

Should Tampa Bay stick with Roloson?

After being pulled in Games 2 and 4, do you think Tampa Bay should start Dwayne Roloson in Game 5? I say yes. Stick with your starter, but keep him on a short leash. If he struggles early, go with Mike Smith.
Please give me your opinions.

Smith comes on in relief

Mike Smith came out of the bullpen Saturday and led Tampa Bay to a 5-3 victory over Boston in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals at Tampa.
The series is tied at 2-2 with Game 5 coming in Boston, not that home-ice advantage has helped in these playoffs.
Although I missed the game, trying to apply for another job can be rough, I liked how Smith was able to come on and save the day for Tampa.
The Lightning have shown so much resiliency this postseason, it is hard to go against them. I believe they will win the next two and close out the series.
In the West finals, San Jose held off Vancouver for a 4-3 victory in Game 3. The Canucks are still my favorites to win the Cup. They will win Game 4 before closing out the series at home.
The Stanley Cup finals should be interesting. I guess it will not be a popular matchup if its Tampa Bay-Vancouver, but that looks like the case.
I think it would be an intriguing series. A young up-and-coming team, with the exception of the goalie, against a talented team that is notorious for choking in the playoffs.
Should be exciting.

Canucks take 2-0 series lead

Vancouver exploded in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals with a 7-3 victory over San Jose Wednesday in Vancouver.
The Canucks hold a 2-0 series lead, and are looking very strong at this point.
The Sedin twins started to show just how good they are on a national stage. Ryan Keslar is also an impressive defensive foward, and has the ability to score big-time goals.
What impresses me the most about Vancouver is how its adjusts to any style. The Canucks can play a tight, defensive game and they can win a high-scoring game, too.
Roberto Luongo had a good, not great, game Wednesday, but you don't need to play lights out when your team scores a touchdown.
The Sharks have the ability to bounce back, and have shown resilience in these playoffs after winning Game 7 against Detroit and rallying from way down to beat Los Angeles in the first round.
Anttii Niemi has won a Cup and I believe he will play better in Game 3.
If San Jose can win Game 3, I believe this series could be competitive, but if Vancouver wins, it can sweep the series.
Enjoy Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals tonight. I like Tampa Bay, 5-3.