Boston scored five goals in the second period en route to a 6-5 victory over Tampa Bay Tuesday in the Eastern Conference finals at Boston.
The Lightning jumped out to an early 1-0 lead before the Bruins tied the game at one. Tampa Bay scored in the last minute of the first to take a 2-1 lead into intermission.
The Bruins responded by scoring three goals in the early stage of the second for a 4-2 lead with two goals by Tyler Seguin and a goal by David Krejci.
Seguin wasn't even supposed to play in the this series, but a concussion to Patrice Bergeron has inserted the 19-year-old into the lineup.
Tampa Bay cut the lead to 4-3 on a goal by Vincent Lecavalier, but two goals by the Bruins' Michael Ryder put the home team up 6-3 heading into the third.
Dwayne Roloson was pulled after the second, which was his first bad game of the playoffs, and Steven Stamkos and Dominic Moore scored to cut the deficit to one, although Boston was able to hold off the Lightning.
Although he gave up five, Tim Thomas made 36 saves for Boston, including several breakaway chances in the second.
The Bruins also won the special teams battle by going 2-for-6 on the power play and allowing only one goal against Tampa Bay's vaunted PP.
That said, I still like the Lightning to win Games 3 and 4 at home before closing out the series in Boston.
Showing posts with label Vincent Lecavalier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vincent Lecavalier. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Lightning keep on rolling
After falling behind Pittsburgh 3-1 in the first round, Tampa Bay has won eight straight games, including a 5-2 victory over Boston Saturday night in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Lightning scored three goals in 1:25 and added another power-play goal to surge past the Bruins.
Boston couldn't shut down Tampa Bay's high-powered offense, and it looks like the Lightning could have too much firepower for the Bruins to overcome.
With offensive stars like Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay can defenitely put the puck in the net. Plus, it's 1-3-1 defensive scheme is working just fine and Dwayne Roloson is looking very good.
I believe the Lightning will win this series in five games.
The Lightning scored three goals in 1:25 and added another power-play goal to surge past the Bruins.
Boston couldn't shut down Tampa Bay's high-powered offense, and it looks like the Lightning could have too much firepower for the Bruins to overcome.
With offensive stars like Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay can defenitely put the puck in the net. Plus, it's 1-3-1 defensive scheme is working just fine and Dwayne Roloson is looking very good.
I believe the Lightning will win this series in five games.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Penguins lay egg on Easter eve
The NHL doesn't use aggregate scoring in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which is very fortunate for Pittsburgh.
The Penguins got blown out in Game 5 by Tampa Bay, 8-2, and have been outscored 13-3 in two losses to the Lightning.
On the other hand, their wins have been by scores of 3-0, 3-2 and 3-2 in double OT for a 17-9 advantage for Tampa Bay.
If you asked any Penguin player or coach, they would tell you none of that matters. All they are concerned with is going to the St. Petersburg Times Forum and closing it out Monday.
I would agree with that, and Pittsburgh is still in the driver's seat with a 3-2 lead, but Saturday's loss has to be a tad concerning.
For starters, why can't the Penguins close out playoff series on their home ice? I would say it's just coincidence, but not closing out a series is troubling. Cup-winning teams put series away when their opponents are down.
Also, they have to stay out of the box, or do a better job of killing penalties. The Lightning are very dangerous with the man advantage.
Pittsburgh's power play, on the other hand, has been on life support. I won't say dead because it scored in Game 4.
The Penguins have played great five-on-five, but in tight games, low-scoring games they need to take advantage of their PP opportunities.
Pittsburgh will not beat Tampa Bay in a track meet, or any team for that matter.
Not having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin takes away a great deal of offense form the Penguins. Crosby and Malkin also play as decoys that allow players like Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal to get more opportunities.
Malkin will not be back for the season and Crosby's return is in question, so they will have to win without the superstars.
Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled after the Lightning went up 4-0 in the second period. Brent Johnson relieved Fleury.
Fleury gave up four goals in a short period of time, but when Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier are getting point-blank shots from the slot, a few are bound to go in. Stamkos came to play. He had two goals and an assist. Good timing for him. The Penguins are hoping it was a one-game incident.
The defense can't give up chances like that. I believe Fleury will come back strong in Game 6. He always does.
Pittsburgh will win Game 6, and close out another series on the road. Penguins 4, Lightning 2.
NOTES: Youtube it, go on the Ducks' website or watch ESPN. Bobby Ryan's goal in the Anaheim's OT loss to Nashville was incredible. One of the tops of the year.
The Penguins got blown out in Game 5 by Tampa Bay, 8-2, and have been outscored 13-3 in two losses to the Lightning.
On the other hand, their wins have been by scores of 3-0, 3-2 and 3-2 in double OT for a 17-9 advantage for Tampa Bay.
If you asked any Penguin player or coach, they would tell you none of that matters. All they are concerned with is going to the St. Petersburg Times Forum and closing it out Monday.
I would agree with that, and Pittsburgh is still in the driver's seat with a 3-2 lead, but Saturday's loss has to be a tad concerning.
For starters, why can't the Penguins close out playoff series on their home ice? I would say it's just coincidence, but not closing out a series is troubling. Cup-winning teams put series away when their opponents are down.
Also, they have to stay out of the box, or do a better job of killing penalties. The Lightning are very dangerous with the man advantage.
Pittsburgh's power play, on the other hand, has been on life support. I won't say dead because it scored in Game 4.
The Penguins have played great five-on-five, but in tight games, low-scoring games they need to take advantage of their PP opportunities.
Pittsburgh will not beat Tampa Bay in a track meet, or any team for that matter.
Not having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin takes away a great deal of offense form the Penguins. Crosby and Malkin also play as decoys that allow players like Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal to get more opportunities.
Malkin will not be back for the season and Crosby's return is in question, so they will have to win without the superstars.
Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled after the Lightning went up 4-0 in the second period. Brent Johnson relieved Fleury.
Fleury gave up four goals in a short period of time, but when Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier are getting point-blank shots from the slot, a few are bound to go in. Stamkos came to play. He had two goals and an assist. Good timing for him. The Penguins are hoping it was a one-game incident.
The defense can't give up chances like that. I believe Fleury will come back strong in Game 6. He always does.
Pittsburgh will win Game 6, and close out another series on the road. Penguins 4, Lightning 2.
NOTES: Youtube it, go on the Ducks' website or watch ESPN. Bobby Ryan's goal in the Anaheim's OT loss to Nashville was incredible. One of the tops of the year.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
NHL Playoff Moments 2011.V2-4.20
Another great night of NHL action last evening.
Here are video recaps of some of my favorite moments:
1) "Can you hear us?"
This one gave me goosebumps. The reason the hockey playoffs are such an epic event is because that Hockey fans are so tuned in with their teams and following so closely that it is like they are in the room with their team and along for the ride. Every win entices fans with visions of Lord Stanley’s Holy Chalice, any loss and it feels like your team will not be able to get up off the mat and never win a game again. Washington’s Coach Bruce Boudreau had taken a potshot at the Ranger fans, saying that he did not consider their home rink, Madison Square Garden, to be all that loud of a building. It was a ridiculous thing to say, but not surprising to anyone who watched Boudreau act like a total clown throughout the entire HBO 24/7 TV series. The Ranger’s fans response was just pure hockey fandom music to my ears.
2) Perry Eats Preds Souls Shorthanded:
The Anaheim Ducks tendency to play undisciplined and take untimely penalties is the key reason why the Nashville Predators were up on them two games to one. In a tie game last night the Ducks once again went down a man at a bad moment. It looked like Nashville could once again capitalize, but Corry Perry had other ideas and turned the tables on the Preds while his team was down a man. This is the kind of individual play that can really shift the momentum in a playoff round. Just awesome.
3) Marty and Vinny Hook Up:
The Tampa Bay Lightning are down 3 games to 1 in their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it is certainly not from lack of effort from the smallest and most skilled player between the two teams, Martin St. Louis. After the Bolts were shutout in game one, Marty has 4 goals in 4 games and has almost single handedly kept Tampa close in this series. Don’t overlook the nice setup from his teammate Vincent Lecavalier with a tricky bank pass off the boards. The connection these two have may not be enough to get past the Pens, but it is still something special to watch.
4) Miller stones Briere, Flyers:
Last year in the Olympics Ryan Miller was the Great American Hero as a Goalie leading the underdog Americans to the brink of the Gold Medal. This year he has resumed his more unassuming role as Superman for the city of Buffalo. He was beyond spectacular in evening things with the Philadelphia Flyers at home last night with his 2nd 1-0 shutout victory of the series. He robs Daniel Briere here for one of about 3 or 4 stops that could have been shown here from the 3rd Period of that game. This save was the most impressive to me however for the mano-a-mano aspect of it.
5) Neal Finally Puts One In:
James Neal is one of those hockey forwards going through a stretch where he is snakebit. He does everything right but just can’t seem to finish the play by finding the back of the net. He finally got one to fall last night in the 2nd overtime, and there was much rejoicing.
6) Chimera Flips it Home to Close Things Out:
Alas for Ranger fans, the magic night at MSG did not have a happy ending for them. While Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik played a game of “You got it, I’ll take it” in the crease, Jason Chimera cooley swept in and banked it home for the OT winner and put the Blueshirts on the brink of elimination heading back to Washington.
7) Shane Doan Shakes Lidstrom's Hand:
Shane Doan has only played for one franchise in his entire career. He played his rookie year as a Winnipeg Jet. The next season that team packed up and moved South of the Border to Phoenix and was re-branded the Coyotes. Now the future of the team in Phoenix is in serious doubt. The Dessert Dogs have never been the most popular of tickets in the Valley of the Sun, but I do feel for the diehards who have been drawn in over the past decade and now look to have their team pulled out from under them, just as they are starting to gain some traction as a legitimate contender. I know a lot of hockey fans are pumped up to see the possibility of another team moving to back to the Great White North. I however hate to see any team relocate. It is not the fault of the dedicated fans that their fickle ‘casual’ counterparts are not coming out to support a team. They are there every game, watching road games on TV, buying jerseys, and doing all they can to support their club. It is much harder to be a fan in a market where hockey is not the most popular thing to follow, so I’d like to take this time to salute all Coyote fans, regardless of how this turns out who have been there through thick and, far too often, thin times. You did not fail hockey, hockey has failed you.
Here are video recaps of some of my favorite moments:
1) "Can you hear us?"
This one gave me goosebumps. The reason the hockey playoffs are such an epic event is because that Hockey fans are so tuned in with their teams and following so closely that it is like they are in the room with their team and along for the ride. Every win entices fans with visions of Lord Stanley’s Holy Chalice, any loss and it feels like your team will not be able to get up off the mat and never win a game again. Washington’s Coach Bruce Boudreau had taken a potshot at the Ranger fans, saying that he did not consider their home rink, Madison Square Garden, to be all that loud of a building. It was a ridiculous thing to say, but not surprising to anyone who watched Boudreau act like a total clown throughout the entire HBO 24/7 TV series. The Ranger’s fans response was just pure hockey fandom music to my ears.
2) Perry Eats Preds Souls Shorthanded:
The Anaheim Ducks tendency to play undisciplined and take untimely penalties is the key reason why the Nashville Predators were up on them two games to one. In a tie game last night the Ducks once again went down a man at a bad moment. It looked like Nashville could once again capitalize, but Corry Perry had other ideas and turned the tables on the Preds while his team was down a man. This is the kind of individual play that can really shift the momentum in a playoff round. Just awesome.
3) Marty and Vinny Hook Up:
The Tampa Bay Lightning are down 3 games to 1 in their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it is certainly not from lack of effort from the smallest and most skilled player between the two teams, Martin St. Louis. After the Bolts were shutout in game one, Marty has 4 goals in 4 games and has almost single handedly kept Tampa close in this series. Don’t overlook the nice setup from his teammate Vincent Lecavalier with a tricky bank pass off the boards. The connection these two have may not be enough to get past the Pens, but it is still something special to watch.
4) Miller stones Briere, Flyers:
Last year in the Olympics Ryan Miller was the Great American Hero as a Goalie leading the underdog Americans to the brink of the Gold Medal. This year he has resumed his more unassuming role as Superman for the city of Buffalo. He was beyond spectacular in evening things with the Philadelphia Flyers at home last night with his 2nd 1-0 shutout victory of the series. He robs Daniel Briere here for one of about 3 or 4 stops that could have been shown here from the 3rd Period of that game. This save was the most impressive to me however for the mano-a-mano aspect of it.
5) Neal Finally Puts One In:
James Neal is one of those hockey forwards going through a stretch where he is snakebit. He does everything right but just can’t seem to finish the play by finding the back of the net. He finally got one to fall last night in the 2nd overtime, and there was much rejoicing.
6) Chimera Flips it Home to Close Things Out:
Alas for Ranger fans, the magic night at MSG did not have a happy ending for them. While Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik played a game of “You got it, I’ll take it” in the crease, Jason Chimera cooley swept in and banked it home for the OT winner and put the Blueshirts on the brink of elimination heading back to Washington.
7) Shane Doan Shakes Lidstrom's Hand:
Shane Doan has only played for one franchise in his entire career. He played his rookie year as a Winnipeg Jet. The next season that team packed up and moved South of the Border to Phoenix and was re-branded the Coyotes. Now the future of the team in Phoenix is in serious doubt. The Dessert Dogs have never been the most popular of tickets in the Valley of the Sun, but I do feel for the diehards who have been drawn in over the past decade and now look to have their team pulled out from under them, just as they are starting to gain some traction as a legitimate contender. I know a lot of hockey fans are pumped up to see the possibility of another team moving to back to the Great White North. I however hate to see any team relocate. It is not the fault of the dedicated fans that their fickle ‘casual’ counterparts are not coming out to support a team. They are there every game, watching road games on TV, buying jerseys, and doing all they can to support their club. It is much harder to be a fan in a market where hockey is not the most popular thing to follow, so I’d like to take this time to salute all Coyote fans, regardless of how this turns out who have been there through thick and, far too often, thin times. You did not fail hockey, hockey has failed you.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
NHL Playoff Moments 2011.V1-04.13
As the years go by individual playoff games, and even whole series, seem to blur together in my head as one big mix of sports euphoria. Out of the meddled junkyard of my mind however, certain moments stand out to me as Big Playoff Moments, segments of action that just embody what makes the NHL postseason the greatest in all of sports. These moments are what the playoffs are all about to me, and I can pull them up in the internal clip reel of my mind, as clear as the day they happened, years later. It is to the point where I will be watching a playoff game now and as a sequence unfolds I will check it off in my head as a Playoff Moment. In the spirit of these moments I would like to start a video journal of the 2011 NHL playoffs here on the blog of plays that encompass what I feel the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup is all about.
Here we go with the 1st night of action, I'm not planning on necessarily doing one of these entries after every host of games, but last night there were certainly enough big moments to put together a solid list of 5: (All video's courtesy and copyright of NHL.com)
1) Welcome to the NHL Playoffs Steven Stamkos
Brooks Orpik took a moment right off the bat of the 1st Round Series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning to show the Bolts standout sniper playing in his first playoff game what this voyage is all about. The bone rattling hit seems to have thrown Stamkos off his game a bit too, as he only recorded a single shot on the night, late in the 3rd period.
2) Fleury robs Lecavalier
An absolutely stunning save by Pensguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after a remarkable between the legs move by Lightning star Vincent Lecavalier. Great shot, better save. Fleury kept the Pens in the game early and eventually earned the victory in a 3-0 shutout win.
3) Weber makes the Ducks pay
Shea Weber slapshots are awesome things to behold. He is a crucial part of the Nashville power play and a big reason why the Anaheim Ducks would be wise to drop all shenanigans and stay far away from the penalty box in their 1st round series. He just unleashes a pure howitzer here from the top of the offensesive zone and the next thing you know the puck is trickling out from the back of the net.
4) Luongo stones the Hawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have been the arch-nemesis of Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks for the past two seasons, bouncing them from the playoffs both times. For one night at least Luongo and his squad exorcised those demons and slammed the door the Hawks to take a 1-0 series lead.
5) Semin wins it in Overtime
There is nothing better than sudden-death playoff overtime. With no commercial breaks it glues you to the TV for a duration where any bounce, break, or dazzling play can bring the curtain down. The Washington Capitals Alexander Semin has struggled to make his mark in the playoffs after putting up gaudy stats in the past few regular seasons. Last night he was the beneficiary of a great takeaway a setup by teammate Jason Arnott and Semin buried the one timer into the back of the net 18 minutes and 24 seconds into the bonus period. Game over.
Here we go with the 1st night of action, I'm not planning on necessarily doing one of these entries after every host of games, but last night there were certainly enough big moments to put together a solid list of 5: (All video's courtesy and copyright of NHL.com)
1) Welcome to the NHL Playoffs Steven Stamkos
Brooks Orpik took a moment right off the bat of the 1st Round Series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning to show the Bolts standout sniper playing in his first playoff game what this voyage is all about. The bone rattling hit seems to have thrown Stamkos off his game a bit too, as he only recorded a single shot on the night, late in the 3rd period.
2) Fleury robs Lecavalier
An absolutely stunning save by Pensguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after a remarkable between the legs move by Lightning star Vincent Lecavalier. Great shot, better save. Fleury kept the Pens in the game early and eventually earned the victory in a 3-0 shutout win.
3) Weber makes the Ducks pay
Shea Weber slapshots are awesome things to behold. He is a crucial part of the Nashville power play and a big reason why the Anaheim Ducks would be wise to drop all shenanigans and stay far away from the penalty box in their 1st round series. He just unleashes a pure howitzer here from the top of the offensesive zone and the next thing you know the puck is trickling out from the back of the net.
4) Luongo stones the Hawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have been the arch-nemesis of Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks for the past two seasons, bouncing them from the playoffs both times. For one night at least Luongo and his squad exorcised those demons and slammed the door the Hawks to take a 1-0 series lead.
5) Semin wins it in Overtime
There is nothing better than sudden-death playoff overtime. With no commercial breaks it glues you to the TV for a duration where any bounce, break, or dazzling play can bring the curtain down. The Washington Capitals Alexander Semin has struggled to make his mark in the playoffs after putting up gaudy stats in the past few regular seasons. Last night he was the beneficiary of a great takeaway a setup by teammate Jason Arnott and Semin buried the one timer into the back of the net 18 minutes and 24 seconds into the bonus period. Game over.
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