Fantasy Hockey Report

The Hat Trick: 2010 Stanley Cup Final Edition

Matt Sitkoff — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:29:44 +0000

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is not just a Clint Eastwood movie about an unlikely partnership, it is also a good way to breakdown the Chicago Blackhawks 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in game one of the Stanley Cup Final.

Since the NHL first went to best-of-seven in the Cup Final in 1939, teams winning both games one and two have won the Cup 41 of 45 times (91.1 percent). But not is all lost for the resilient Flyers as they can look to the Penguins last year, who were one of those four teams to come back from a 2-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.

With that in mind, in this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick I will be looking at the Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo of each team as we move forward in this Stanley Cup Final.

Good

Chicago Blackhawks:

They did not get a point from captain Jonathan Toews for the first time in 13 games, so the good in that was they got scoring from pretty much everyone else.

Troy Brouwer (with two goals), Dave Bolland (shorthanded), Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, and Tomas Kopecky all chipped in with goals.

The Blackhawks have been celebrated all season for their depth at forward and have gotten goals from 14 different players in this postseason and six players have five or more goals.

If this continues in this series then it could be another quick series for the deep Blackhawks

The Blackhawks also dominated the face-off circle winning 63 percent of draws.

Philadelphia Flyers:

So they were not as perfect as Roy Halladay was on Saturday, but they do have some positives to build on heading into the pivotal game two.

The biggest positive would be scoring five goals against Anti Niemi.

The line of Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Ville Leino combined for nine points and all seemed to find a high chink in Niemi’s armor.

The Flyers heard all about the Blackhawks scoring depth in the four days leading to the Cup Final, but they also have had 14 different scorers this postseason and have nine players who have four or more goals, and in game one showed they can score with the big boys.

The highly penalized Flyers also went without a penalty in a game for the first time since 2000.

Bad

Chicago Blackhawks:

As the Flyers had no penalties, the Blackhawks had four penalties.

The strong PK continued as the Hawks only gave up one power play goal, but the bad was the type of penalties that they took.

Chicago saw many borderline dangerous hits from their energy fourth liners, and if this trend continues, Coach Quenneville will be forced to play only his top three lines as the series goes on. This could put more strain on his top line players.

Philadelphia Flyers:

Chris Pronger played 32:21, 22:44 minutes played for Mike Richards, and 21:25 minutes played for the recently activated Jeff Carter.

These numbers should be troubling for the Philadelphia Flyers, for the same obvious reason why not playing the energy fourth line hurts the Hawks.

Even worse numbers for the Flyers’ top line of Richards, Carter, and Simon Gagne: they were a combined -7, and none of those goals came against the Blackhawks’ top line of Toews, Kane, and Byfuglien (who were a combined -9).

The Flyers feed off the emotions and energy of their top players and for them to upset the Blackhawks they will need their leaders to step up their play.

Ugly

Chicago Blackhawks:

Ugly is how to describe the type of win it was for the Blackhawks, but also the kind of play they will need to play in front of their own net to win game two.

The Flyers had most of their scoring chances in front of Niemi as the Blackhawks played a soft game in front of him.

The Blackhawks had 37 credited hits in the game, but 10 of them came from Byfuglien, with most coming in front of the Flyers net with Pronger, and only seven came from the Blackhawks backline.

In game two, the Flyers will continue to crash the nets and the Blackhawks defense, especially the top duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (only five hits and three shots blocked combined), will need to step up their physicality.

Philadelphia Flyers:

For the Flyers to win game two, they will need goalie Michael Leighton to forget his ugly game one performance.

The postseason leader in GAA and save percentage coming into the game showed signs of nervousness as he let five goals in only 20 shots and was pulled in the second period.

Peter Laviolette announced that he will be sticking with Leighton for game two and the 29-year-old will have the respond for the Flyers to have a chance in this series.

Some good news for Flyers fans is during the regular season; Leighton was 3-0-1 in games after being pulled as a Flyer.

Historically, since 2000, the goalies who allowed at least five goals in a Cup Final loss all bounced back to win the next game, except for current injured Flyer Ray Emery, who allowed five goals in the 2007 Cup clincher.

Top-10 Story Lines of 2010 Stanley Cup Finals

Matt Sitkoff — Sat, 29 May 2010 14:32:52 +0000

The road to the Stanley Cup Finals is one paved with determination, resiliency, sacrifice, pain, heartache and jubilation. The historic Philadelphia Flyers and resurgent Chicago Blackhawks know all about those attributes, as they will face off for the right to be called Stanley Cup Champions. Now let’s look at the Pucking Awesome Top 10 Storylines of the Stanley Cup Finals.

1. Cup Draught Over

The Philadelphia Flyers have not won a cup since the Broad Street Bullies days in 1975. It has been longer for the Chicago Blackhawks, as they last won with the great Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall in 1961. So the top storyline to watch for is one of these long draughts for a great hockey city will end.

2. Third Times a Charm

First Marian Hossa lost in the Stanley Cup Finals as a Pittsburgh Penguin in 2008 to the Red Wings, then he would jump ship to the enemy and go on to lose the 2009 Cup to the Penguins as a member of the Red Wings. Now Hossa goes for that elusive cup for the third straight season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Hossa will become the first player in NHL history to play in three consecutive Stanley Cup finals for three different teams. Hossa had an impressive finals appearance in ’08 with points in four of the six games (3G, 4A), but a disappointing Cup final last season with only three assist in the seven games. Will the third time be the charm for the veteran forward, or will this be known as the Curse of Hossa?

3. Welcome Back Part 1

Michael Leighton was a 6th round pick (165th overall) of the Blackhawks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. The 29-year-old goalie played a career high 34 games in 2003-04, then the lockout came and injuries and he was shipped off to Buffalo in 2005. Four waiver wire claims later, Leighton ended up in Philadelphia who was desperate to find a backup with experience as injuries ravaged their net. To put that in even more perspective, the Carolina Hurricanes chose to keep 37-year-old journeyman Manny Legace over Leighton as their backup to Cam Ward, and now Leighton is four wins away from etching his name on the Stanley Cup against the very team that drafted him. The Flyers goalie situation has been one of the best storylines in the NHL for a long time, but the Michael Leighton story has topped them all.

4. Welcome Back Part 2

Patrick Sharp was a 3rd round (95th overall pick) of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. The Vermont product went on to have a very productive AHL career for the Philadelphia Phantoms, culminated with a 2005 Calder Cup Championship with the likes of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter during the lockout. When Sharp returned from the lockout he was quickly put in the dog house of then Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock and shipped off to the Blackhawks Matt Ellison and a 3rd round selection, which will go down as one of the biggest coup. All the 28-year-old has done is score 116 goals in the four plus season in Chicago. Sharp, like Leighton, will be extra motivated to make that trade even more lopsided and hoist the Cup as his former team watches.

5. 2007 NHL Draft

The Philadelphia Flyers just finished their worst season in franchise history. The Flyers had a 25 percent chance to win the lottery and only four teams could leap frog them for that top pick and one of them was Chicago with an 8.6 percent chance. The rest is history as the Blackhawks won the lottery and the right to select right winger OHL rookie of the year Patrick Kane and the Flyers took left winger James Van Riemsdyk with the second overall pick. Now three years later, these former teammates on the U.S. development team face off for the Stanley Cup. Their journeys are much different as Kane came right to the NHL, won the Calder Trophy and has solidified himself as one of the top snipers in the NHL. While, JVR spent two seasons developing at New Hampshire and currently is in his rookie season. These two represent the first ever Americans to go first and second overall in an NHL Entry Draft and at the end of the series one of them will have bragging rights to own a Stanley Cup victory over the other.

6. Beginners Luck

Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, Cam Ward and Antti Niemi, those could be the new answer to the trivia question, name the first year goalies that have led their team to a Stanley Cup Championship. The Finnish goalie has silenced many critics that said Chicago did not have the goaltending to win the cup with his 12-4 record, 2.33 GAA, .921 save percentage and two shutouts. The 26-year-old is too old to be considered a rookie and only had one season of North American play, the AHL Rockford IceHogs, before being called upon to be the goalie that brought this talented team to the promise land. His season started with a shutout in front of his family and friends in Helsinki and now he hopes to end it by skating around with the cup.

7. We Are Going Streaking

This storyline could end the first game. It is worthy to note that Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews comes into the Stanley Cup Finals on a 13-game point streak which is good for the franchise record, he also leads the postseason in points (26) through the first three rounds. The 22-year-old is trying to keep a trend going of young captain hoisting the Cup, as Toews could be the second-youngest captain to Sidney Crosby to hoist the Cup. Toews along with teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook can also join the exclusive ranks of players who have won a gold medal and Stanley Cup in the same year; only three other players have accomplished that Ken Morrow (USA-New York Islanders in 1980), Steve Yzerman (Canada-Detroit Red Wings in 2002) and Brendan Shanahan (Canada-Detroit Red Wings in 2002).

8. Clark Reincarnated

On the other side, the Flyers are captained by the 25-year-old Mike Richards, often compared to the great Bobby Clarke, who was 24-years-old when he captured his first of back-to-back Stanley Cups. In fact the last time a Stanley Cup has feature captains so young was back in 1975 when Bobby Clarke (25) won his second Cup against the Sabres and Captain Jim Schoenfield (22-years-old). Richards is right behind Toews in points scored this postseason (21 points) and is coming off his most impressive game these playoffs with a highlight reel shorthanded goal and a will powered helper on the empty net goal that sealed the series. Toews teammate and sometimes linemate on the Canadian Olympic team also allows Richards to try to join the exclusive club of a gold medal and Cup in the same year (along with Flyers teammate Chris Pronger).

9. Killing Those Penalties

Both of these teams pride themselves on not only being great penalty killers but also being dangerous shorthanded. The Blackhawks led the league with 13 shorthanded goals and already have three this postseason. The Flyers had six this season after having 16 in 2008-09. Mike Richards has 23 career shorthanded goals and Marian Hossa has 21 career shorthanded goals. Special teams is always going to be a storyline in a playoff series, just ask the Washington Capitals, but in this series it might be the team that takes advantage of the other teams power play that will be the one lifting the cup.

10. Lappy

Ian Laperriere is playing in his first Stanley Cup Finals; all it took was 16 seasons, 1,083 regular-season and 61 playoff games. Numerous of blocked shots, broken bones and missing teeth. For the veteran to be playing in this series is a story on itself, as Laperriere was hit in the face with a slap shot in Game 5 of the first round series against the Devils. Lappy was diagnosed with a brain contusion and a fractured orbital bone; some called it a career threatening injury even the optimistic Laperriere said he would need a “small miracle” to play. 31 days after the injury he went on to play again as the Flyers finished off the Canadiens. He even had three blocked shots in those two games. Only Montreal’s Roman Hamrlik (1,322 total games) and Minnesota’s Owen Nolan (1,265) have played more games without a championship and the Flyers are hoping they can cross their emotional leader Laperriere off that list.

Around The Net - Stanley Cup Finals

George Kurtz — Thu, 27 May 2010 11:05:09 +0000

The Chicago Blackhawks swept the San Jose Sharks and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Montreal Canadiens in five games to earn the rights to meet each other in the Stanley Cup finals. If you would’ve told me that these two teams would meet each other for the cup in October, I wouldn’t have been surprised as Chicago has been my pick to represent the West all season long, and Philadelphia was my third choice in the East after Washington and Pittsburgh. What is a surprise is how Philly got there, almost imploding during the regular season and needed a shootout win on the final day of the regular season just to make the playoffs. Game 1 between these two teams will be Saturday night. One has to wonder if this is a smart move for the NHL as they will go dark for five days before the finals start, one would think the NHL would want to keep the playoff momentum going. Let’s take a look at the upcoming matchup.

Chicago versus Philadelphia

Offense: Both of these teams have talented offensive players on their roster. The Flyers boast Simon Gagne, Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards, while the Blackhawks have Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, and Marian Hossa, so putting rubber on the net shouldn’t be a problem. The difference may lie in the depth of both teams. Chicago can roll three lines pretty effectively as Kris Versteeg is also a goal scorer and Dustin Byfuglien is a monster in front of the net. The most important news for Flyers fans may be that this team is finally healthy. Jeff Carter returned from his broken foot late in the last round and scored two goals in the series clincher. Simon Gagne had returned earlier in the playoffs with the same injury. The key to the series may be how well Hossa plays for Chicago. For the second straight postseason he has been pretty close to invisible in the playoffs, and he certainly doesn’t want to lose in the Stanley Cup finals with a third team for a third straight season, now does he?

Advantage: Chicago

Defense: There were rumors coming out of Philadelphia late in the regular season that his teammates had grown tired of Chris Pronger’s attitude. It seems Pronger didn’t sugar coat what he believed the team needed to do to win and this rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way. Well wrong way or not this team would be nowhere without Pronger. You may not see what he brings to the game in the box score, but he is tasked with holding the opposing team’s top players in check, something he has done incredibly well so far this postseason. If the Flyers go on to win the cup, Pronger’s name should come up for Conn Smythe consideration. Speaking of awards, the Blackhawks Duncan Keith will be a contender for the Norris Trophy and showed to the world why he is a leader for the Hawks when he took a puck to the mouth in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, lost seven teeth, yet sill played almost thirty minutes and assisted on the first goal for Chicago, just incredible. The Blackhawks also have Brian Campbell and Brent Seabrook to help slow down the Flyers.

Advantage: Chicago

Goaltending: This may be the most interesting matchup of the finals as neither Antti Niemi of the Blackhawks nor Michael Leighton of the Flyers were expected to be manning the crease at this point in the playoffs. Niemi took over the starting job from Cristobal Huet and although he has had quite a few bumps in the road has played better and better throughout the playoffs. His confidence seems to be at an all-time high and if he doesn’t collapse under the pressure of the spotlight in the finals, Niemi may bring Chicago a championship. As for Leighton he has had a roller coaster ride himself, from being released by the Carolina Hurricanes to starting in the Stanley Cup, not to mention a few injuries in between. The biggest question I will have about Leighton and the entire Flyers team for that matter is that they had the easiest road to the finals. The played a slumping Devils team in the first round, an offensively challenged Bruins team in round two, and an out of gas team in the Canadiens in round three. The Blackhawks will put more pressure on the Leighton and the Flyers than all those teams combined in this series. How Leighton reacts will go a long way to showing if the Flyers can hang with the Hawks.

Advantage: Even

Prediction: Chicago in six

2010 Stanley Cup Finals Breakdown

Matt Sitkoff — Tue, 25 May 2010 23:35:56 +0000

So we have our 2010 Stanley Cup Finals matchup as the second seed of the Western Conference Chicago Blackhawks face off against the surprising seventh seed of the Eastern Conference Philadelphia Flyers. Regardless of the winner, a long Cup draught will end as Philadelphia has not won since the Broad Street Bullies days of 1975 and Chicago has not won since 1961 with Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall. Let’s first break down how these teams got here and take a look at the offense, defense and goaltending of the two teams that will fight for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Chicago Blackhawks

How They Got Here

The second seeded Blackhawks shook off an early scare by the seventh seeded Predators, who actually held a 2-1 series lead, to defeat Nashville in six games. The crowning moment of that series for the Hawks was in the pivotal Game 5 when Patrick Kane tied the game with 13.6 seconds left with Marian Hossa in the box for a 5:00 major. The Blackhawks would kill of the rest of the penalty in OT, and Hossa scored the overtime-game winner, killing the Predators spirit and taking over the series. Toews led the team in points (8) and Kane led the team in goals (4) in the opening series.

In the Conference Semifinals, the Blackhawks faced a familiar opponent as they matched up against the third seeded Vancouver Canucks for the second consecutive season, and this one had similar results.

Again the Blackhawks started the series slowly losing Game 1 and were down 2-0 in Game 2, but stormed back with three third period goals to win that game. The Hawks went on to win the next two games on the road, which became a theme for this team, by a combined score of 12-6. Game 5 resulted in a home loss but again they took the series in 6 games by winning their third road game of the series. Once again Toews led the team in points in the series (12) and was tied in goals in the series by Dustin Byfuglien (4).

The Western Conference Finals was not as big of a challenge as expected for the Hawks as they played the top seeded San Jose Sharks. They outscored the Sharks 13-7 in a four game sweep that saw the emergence of rookie goalie Antti Niemi, who faced 136 shots in the four games, with a .949 save percentage. Byfuglien also had a coming out party as he scored three go-ahead-goals in the series including an OT game winner in Game 3. Once again Toews led the team in points (6) and Byfuglien led in goals (4) this series.

Offense

What can you say about Jonathan Toews this postseason? The 22-year-old already has half of his name etched on the Conn Smyth trophy as he leads the league in points through three rounds with 26 in 16 games played. The Blackhawks captain has come up huge in big spots with three game winning goals and has been a special team’s wiz as he leads the league in both power play points (13) and goals (5). Top linemate Patrick Kane is second on the team with 20 points and rounding out the top unit is the budding superstar Byfuglien, who has a team high 8 goals.

The wildcard on offense is the player that has been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams. Marian Hossa was brought in this offseason as the missing piece to this talented team, secondary scoring to go with the top-notch scorers Kane and Toews. So far this postseason the 31-year-old winger has only two goals and 11 points. He had a disappointing three points in the seven game finals series last season, and will look to make that and his current playoff performance a memory. Hossa did have three goals and seven points in six games in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals with the Penguins.

Lastly, on forward you have to make mention of the play of Dave Bolland. The guy they call the “Rat” has played a great two way game as he was in charge of shutting down the Sedin’s and the big three of the Sharks. The 6’0’’ center has also chipped in offensively five goals and five assists including the great pass to set up Byfuglien GW goal in Game 3.

Defense

The top unit of 26-year-old Norris Trophy finalist Duncan Keith and 25-year-old Brent Seabrook have been nothing but spectacular for this team. They have been playing big time minutes as their 827:03 minutes combined have allowed Coach Quenneville to run mostly five defenseman most of the playoffs. Combined the duo has 19 points, +8 and have 71 shots.

Those two combined with veteran Brent Sopel and surprising Niklas Hjalmarsson have created a penalty kill juggernaut that has killed off 86.6% of the penalties, good for 2nd in the league. The 22-year-old Hjalmarsson is third on the defensive unit in time on ice per game (21:12) and is an impressive +6 this postseason. His emergence as a steady defenseman has allowed Coach Quenneville to rotate the Swedish defenseman with both Sopel and former all-star Brian Campbell.

Speaking of the 30-year-old high paid defensemen, Campbell returned from a broken collarbone after a 17 game absence in Game 4 of the Predators series, and has not made an impact on the scoreboard with only three points in those 13 games. “Soup” has played smart defense shown in his +6 rating, but that mostly has to do more with the offense than his defense. For the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup they will need their 3-time NHL All-Star to stabilize this young but talented defensive core.

Goalie

Antti Niemi did not play the majority of games in the regular season but this first year player has played admirable as the top postseason net minder. The 26-year-old, too old to be considered a rookie, has a 2.33 GAA, .921 and 2 shutouts in 16 playoff games. The Finnish goalie earned his postseason strips in the Western Conference Finals that saw him save 129 of the 136 shots faced in that series. Including two 40 save performances, he has not faced more than 38 in the regular season proving he could steal a game. The $5 million backup is Cristobal Huet who played 48 regular season games but most likely will continue his role of door holder for the finals.

Philadelphia Flyers

How They Got Here

The seventh seeded Flyers faced off against their division rivals the New Jersey Devils, a team they won five of six against in the regular season, and took an early split on the road in the series. Tough guy Daniel Carcillo gave the Flyers the series lead with an OT game-winning goal that gave the Flyers an edge they never gave back.

The Flyers outscored the Devils 7-1 in the last two games of the series as Brian Boucher had a minuscule 1.59 GAA and .940 save percentage total in the series. Mike Richards led the team in points (8) and playoff performer Cladue Giroux led the team in goals (4). The biggest news was the injuries to Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Ian Laperriere as the team closed out the series.

The next round against the fifth seeded Boston Bruins will be a series that will be talked about forever. The banged up Flyers playing without three regulars quickly went down 3-0, and their playoff lives seemed all but over considering only 1.2% of the 161 clubs have come back from a 3-0 deficit.

Game 4 would go into OT when Mark Recchi scored with 28 seconds left and Simon Gagne, in his first game back from injury, would be the OT hero extending the series back to Boston. Brian Boucher would leave in Game 5 with an injury in a 1-0 game. Michael Leighton, activated right before the game after being off for 3 months, came in to combine for a shutout. The Flyers played a perfect Game 6 at home as they would send this series to an improbable Game 7.

The Bruins at home were determined not to become the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead, and came out strong with the games first three goals. Peter Laviolette would call a timeout to fire up his team and they responded getting a James Van Riemsdyk goal before the end of the period to make it 3-1 at the end of one.

The second period, which has belonged to the Flyers all postseason, saw goals from Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere to tie the game at three. The Bruins would be called for the trendy penalty of the postseason, too many men on the ice, and the series hero Simon Gagne put home the game winning goal capping the historic comeback. Briere led the team in points in this series (10) and goals (5).

The Eastern Conference Finals was another historic matchup as it was the lowest possible matchup you could have as the seventh seeded Flyers had home ice against the eighth seeded Cinderella Montreal Canadiens. Flying high off their comeback the Flyers stormed out of the series scoring the first nine goals in two straight shutout victories by Michael Leighton. The Canadiens woke up and had a dominant Game 3 5-1 victory. The Flyers then played a perfect road game limiting the Canadiens to only one second period shot in another 3-0 shutout victory for Michael Leighton.

The Flyers clinched their berth in the Stanley Cup Finals by winning on home ice as captain Mike Richards had an amazing shorthanded goal and Jeff Carter, who returned from a broken leg in Game 4, scored the game winning goal and added an empty netter. Claude Giroux led the team in points (6) and was tied in goals with Simon Gagne (3).

Offense

The Flyers are getting healthy at the right time as the addition of both Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere give Peter Laviolette four lines he can roll with in any situation. The newly created top line of Mike Richards (team high 21 points), Simon Gagne, and regularly a center Jeff Carter on the wing, has shown some instant chemistry.

The second line of Danny Briere, team high nine goals, at his natural position of center with hard nose winger Scott Hartnell and surprising first year player Ville Leino carried the Flyers for a big stretch shown in Briere’s team high four game winning goals. The 26-year-old Finnish winger was inserted in the lineup when Carter and Gagne were injured and has not given up his roster spot as he has 12 points in 11 games, more than his 11 points in 55 regular season games with the Flyers and Red Wings.

But it has been the play of third line center Claude Giroux that has the Flyers where they are today. The 22-year-old former first round pick is second in the team in goals (8) and third in points (17) but it is his two way play that has been even more impressive as he is second in the league with a +10. The second year player has to continue his dominant playoff performances (22 career playoff points in 23 games) for the Flyers to have success in the Cup Finals.

Defense

The Flyers acquired Chris Pronger for this time of year, and he has done nothing but live up to expectations. The 35-year-old is tied for the league in points for a defenseman (14), second in goals (4) and power play goals (3), third in the league in block shots (51) and has played a league high 28:48 per game.

Right behind Pronger in minutes played is underrated defensemen Kimmo Timonen, who has averaged 26:35 per game. The 35-year-old Finnish defender has one of the most active sticks in the league with 42 blocked shots and is a +6. Having the option of having either Pronger or Timonen out there has given the Flyers an added edge this postseason against top scorers and will have to continue that way when matched up against the high scoring Blackhawks.

What has also helped the Flyers is the emergence of young defenders Matt Carle and Bryadon Coburn. The duel 25-year-old defensemen both had inconsistent regular seasons but both have had tremendous playoffs giving the Flyers arguably the best top four defenders in the playoffs. The 6’0” Carle is fifth in the league in plus minus (+8), has 10 assists and has blocked 42 shots. While the 6’5’’ Coburn has been playing a physical game with 36 hits, 27 blocked shots and is ninth in the league for defensemen with a plus minus (+7)

Goalie

The Flyers had a revolving door in net this season, we saw seven different goalies dress in the orange and black, and five different players mind the crease. All that shuffling put the Flyers 15th in the league in GAA (2.71) as it went from Ray Emery to Brian Boucher to Michael Leighton back to Emery back to Leighton and then finally back to Boucher for the end of the regular season. Boucher had a spectacular start to the postseason as mentioned before but it wouldn’t be the Flyers goalie situation unless an injury occurred but Michael Leighton has answered the call.

The waiver wire pick up from the Carolina Hurricanes is 6-1 this postseason and leads the league in GAA (1.45), save percentage (.948) and shutouts (3). Those numbers are not bad for a 29-year-old journeyman who has played for nine different teams between the NHL and AHL, and whose season high of games was back in 2003-04 for the Chicago Blackhawks (34). Yes, Leighton is a former sixth round pick of the Blackhawks, so you know he will have extra motivation in this series.

Around The Net

George Kurtz — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:38:52 +0000

We now know who are final four participants are. Philadelphia was able to complete an improbable comeback versus Boston, not only surviving a 3-0 series deficit, but a 3-0 deficit in Game 7 as well. Montreal didn’t have it any easier as they defeated what may have been the best two teams in the Eastern Conference in Washington in Pittsburgh. Chicago seems to be getting better as the playoffs go on. They were shaky against the Predators in the first round but looked much better in dispatching the Canucks in six games in round two. San Jose however may be the team to beat as they went through the Red Wings in five games, constantly putting the pressure on Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia (7) versus Montreal (8)

What were the odds that the Flyers would have home ice advantage in the conference finals? This is a team that has been decimated by injuries. Jeff Carter is still likely to miss this series after undergoing foot surgery on April 25; Simon Gagne also suffered a foot injury but was able to return to lineup during the middle of round two. As for their situation in net, it’s almost a comedy scene. Their starting goalie, Ray Emery, is out for the season with a hip injury; Brian Boucher takes over the starting job but proves to be unreliable so they sign Leighton who was released by Carolina. Leighton gets hurt late in the season and Boucher is forced to take over the job once again. He plays great in the first round of the playoffs versus New Jersey, but then suffers a knee injury versus Boston in the second round. Leighton takes the job over once again and leads the Flyers to an improbable Game 7 victory and will be between the pipes versus Montreal. The Canadiens have also led a charmed life in the playoffs. They dispatch the number one seed in the Capitals in seven games, and then do the same to the high scoring Penguins, also in seven games. How did they do this you ask? Well they seem to have a brick wall in net in Jaroslav Halak. A hot goalie can win a playoff round in the NHL. Combine that with two hot offensive players in Michael Cammallerri and Brian Gionta, and you have the recipe for victory. Question is can they keep up the high level of play they have shown so far.

Philadelphia in seven.

Western Conference

San Jose (1) versus Chicago (2)

Now the Western Conference has gone according to script. The top two teams will meet each other for the right to go to the Stanley Cup. The Sharks have started to exercise some demons of playoffs past. Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton played well in round two whereas in round one they didn’t do so much. Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov hasn’t been great, but he’s played better than in prior years and could be the difference in this series versus Chicago. There is still a ton of pressure on the Sharks as their fans still haven’t forgotten the disappointment of past early round exits, a trip to the conference finals is a good start, but they may need to make the Stanley Cup finals before their fans truly forget about to many early exits from the playoffs. The Blackhawks are loaded with talent and can throw 2-3 scoring lines at the Sharks. Their defense should be good enough to keep the talented offensive players on the Sharks outside the perimeter and keep their damage to a minimum. The Blackhawks would be in even better shape if free agent acquisition Marian Hossa could get untracked, but once again he is having an extremely subpar playoff performance. The wildcard is Antti Niemi in net. He is a rookie and has been up and down in the playoffs. If he is able to play above average hockey, than he may be able to punch the Blackhawks ticket to the Stanley Cup.

Chicago in seven.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview

Matt Sitkoff — Sat, 15 May 2010 18:58:52 +0000

The Eastern Conference comes down to two teams of destiny. The Cinderella Canadiens disposed of the President Trophy winners and defending Stanley Cup Champions.

The historic Flyers vanquished the best goalie ever and became the 3rd NHL team, and 4th team in NBA/NHL/MLB combined, to rally from a 3-0 series deficit to go on to win a series. After all that dust had settled, the NHL slogan of History Will Be Made is true as this is 1st time a 7 and 8 seed have met in the Conference Finals.

So let’s break down this improbable matchup Pucking Awesome style.

No. 7 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens

In a season of unpredictability this takes the cake, the Flyers are the lowest seed to have home-ice advantage in the Conference Finals, and the Canadiens are the first eight seed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals under the current playoff format.

The Canadiens, as Sidney Crosby will tell you, have had an interesting style of completely being outshot but still winning. They are actually 0-3 when they outshoot an opponent and 8-3 when they are outshot. Michael Cammalleri has made an early case for the Con Smyth Trophy, as he leads the league with 12 goals, tied for the league lead with 3 GW goals, and near the top with 4 power play tallies. The 5-9 speedy winger has combined with other criticized off-season pickups Brian Gionta (12 points and 4 power play goals) and Scott Gomez (11 points, 5 power play points). Pending free agent Tomas Plekanec has followed up his great regular season (25 goals and 70 points) with a good playoff showing (4 goals and 11 points)

The Flyers lost their top regular season scorer Jeff Carter in the first round and have had a number of forwards step up their performance. Captain Mike Richards has exemplified the heart of this team and leads them with 17 points. No player has upped his game more than Daniel Briere with 7 goals and 15 points. Often the whipping boy of the Philadelphia fans for his contract, Briere has filled in as the second line center for Jeff Carter, actually winning 52.2% of his face-offs. The 32-year-old has grown his reputation of coming up big in big spots scoring 3 GW goals and adding to his 72 career playoff points in 75 games. Simon Gagne has come back strong from his toe surgery to score some big goals for the Flyers (GW goal in both Game 4 and 7), and Claude Giroux is once again showing he is a playoff ready player chipping in with 11 points and playing great two-way hockey (+3).

Both of these teams pride themselves on playing great team defense. The Canadiens have shown to the world what a block shot can mean to a team as they have blocked 320 shots this postseason. The next closest team is Boston with 196. They are led by the pair of Hal Gill (54 blocked shots) and Josh Gorges (44 blocked shots) who amazingly have shut down both Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. The storyline of players playing big when called upon is exemplified by rookie PK Subban. When top line defensemen Andrei Markov went out with a knee injury in Game 1 of the Penguins series, the recently turned 21-year-old has stepped in and played big minutes (averaging 20:20 per game), has 4 points in 9 games and a +3. Not bad for a player that had only two regular season NHL games under his belt, ironically both of those against the Flyers. All signs point to Markov returning from his injury thus creating more depth along the blue line for the Canadiens.

Depth has been prominent for the Flyers defense this postseason as they have one of the best top four left in this postseason. Chris Pronger has been as advertised playing big minutes (a league high 29:39 per game) and third in the league in defensemen scoring with 11 points. The bruising defenseman has been paired with the fleet foot Matt Carle, who is a +7, has 7 assists and 29 blocked shots this postseason. The other top pairing has underrated Kimmo Timonen, who is playing 26:59 per game, and 6-5 Bryadon Coburn, who is playing that big with 28 hits. All four of these posses a calmness with the puck, great first pass out of the zone and the innate ability to come up with a huge block shot. For all the talk of the Canadiens blocking shots the Flyers are third in the league with 194 block shots of their own.

Another part of the Canadiens puzzling strategy is playing in front of a ridiculous hot goalie. No one will argue that the Canadiens would not be where they are today with the play of Jaroslav Halak. The 25-year-old was pulled in Game 3 of the Capitals series, did not start Game 4 and then went on to save 131 of the 134 shots he faced as the Canadiens came back from 3-1 to win that series. The first time playoff goalie has had to continue to stay sharp as the Canadiens are allowing 36.0 shots per game, and he has responded with a playoff leading .933 save percentage.

The Flyers goaltending situation has been nothing but interesting. Original backup turn starter Brian Boucher was spectacular in the first round matchup vs. the Devils only allowing 8 goals in the 5 games. The 33-year-old then got knocked in Game 5 and in steps waiver wire season savior Michael Leighton, who was just activated that night off the injured list. Leighton, who was 17-9-2 after he was plucked off the Hurricanes roster, had not seen any action since a high ankle sprain sidelined him on March 16^th. All the 28-year-old does is combine for a shutout in Game 5, give up only one goal in Game 6 and finish off the miracle comeback with 22 saves in Game 7. Those forces combined, have the Flyers leading the league in goals against average (2.42).

So in the Western Conference we have the probably matchup (1 vs. 2) and in the Eastern Conference we have the improbably matchup (7 vs. 8). The Canadiens have used fast starts, league high 15 goals in the first period, and good goaltending to win. The Flyers have used their relentless pressure to cause turnovers and wear down their opponents. With that in mind a longer series, as Boston realized, seems to favor the Flyers, and I have the Flyers winning this one in seven games, with that home ice for once (home teams 0-4 in Game 7 this postseason) coming in handy.

Western Conference Finals Preview

Matt Sitkoff — Sat, 15 May 2010 18:48:49 +0000

The battle for the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl is set as the top two seeds survived and the San Jose Sharks will face the Chicago Blackhawks.

The usually disappointing Sharks have made their franchise second Conference Finals and first since 2003-04. While, the Blackhawks on the other hand, have now made back-to-back Conference Finals and their third since the NHL went to its current playoff format.

So let’s break this series down Pucking Awesome style.

#1 San Jose Sharks vs #2 Chicago Blackhawks:

It is the promise vs the broken promises, so many years the Sharks have been favorites to make it to this round but have fell short, while the Blackhawks were chic pick in the pre-season to make it this far. It all comes down to the two teams that were separated by one point and clearly the head of the Western Conference Class, and it will be the year for one of these teams to make their long awaited appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Offensively both of these teams are stacked as both teams have averaged 3 goals a game this postseason (CHI – 3.33 and SJ – 3.09) and have featured a very balanced scoring attack as both teams have had 13 different goal scorers this playoffs. The re-emergence of Jonathan Toews (20 pts in 12 GP) and emergence of Joe Pavelski (15 pts in 11 GP) have paced these two offensive juggernauts. The one thing offensively to watch is can the Sharks keep up with the speed of the Blackhawks who have just skated pass their last two opponents mostly seen with their three shorthanded goals this postseason (13 shorthanded goals in the regular season). The Sharks will have to continue their hot play on the PK also, as both teams have only allowed six power play goals all playoffs.

Chicago beat San Jose three out of four games during the regular season including a 7-2 shellacking in Marian Hossa first game in a Blackhawks uniform in late November. Overall the Blackhawks used that game to outscore the Sharks 17-11 in the season series. The first goal was also significant in the season series as the team that scored first won each game and that was the case for both teams for their current runs. The Sharks are a perfect 4-0 when scoring first and the Blackhawks are 6-1 when getting the all important first goal of the game. Both teams field top lines that can dominant a series with the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley (29 combined points), Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien(41 combined points) manning those lines.

Defensively both teams have players who love to join the rush and use their booming shot on the power play. The Sharks top pairing is a perfect mix of skill and grit as Dan Boyle has bounced back from his own goal vs Colorado with two goals and 11 points and 38 shots. His partner the 6-3, Douglas Murray will be asked to contain the big bodies of Toews and Byfuglien in front of the net. On the other side Norris Trophy finalist Duncan Keith and his partner Brent Seabrook have combined for 14 points and +4 while giving the Blackhawks tough minutes (597:53 combined minutes this postseason). The real development on the Blackhawks backline has been the surprised shorthanded shutdown duo of Brent Sopel and Niklas Hjalmarsson and I haven’t even mentioned Brian Campbell, who is a part of the five man rotation since moving Byfuglien back to winger.

Goaltending is where the Sharks might have the slight edge as Evgeni Nabokov has 76 career playoff starts to Antti Niemi twelve. Niemi is trying to follow the footsteps of Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Cam Ward of rookie goalies to win the Stanley Cup. Nabokov is trying to quiet the critics that have said in big games the 34-year-old has come up small with such a talented team in front of him, he is also playing for a contract as he is a free agent at season’s end. Nabokov has shown he can steal a game that in the Sharks’ lone win against the Blackhawks this season, a 3-2 victory on Dec. 22 in which the Sharks were outshot 47-14.

Overall, the depth of both teams will be tested as both teams have three lines that are scoring. The Blackhawks have been amazing on the road this playoff with a 6-1 record while the Sharks are 5-1 at home, so something will give with that stat. With that in mind, I predict a long series when these two titans clash and now that my pre-season Stanley Cup pick is out (Canucks) I think the Blackhawks will win this series in 7 games.

Around The Net - Playoffs Round 2

George Kurtz — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:25:28 +0000

The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is in the books and while the Western Conference series went the way most pundits predicted they would, with the exception of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there were upsets all over the place in the East. With that in mind let’s take a look at the second round matchups.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh (4) versus Montreal (8)

The only obstacle that would seem to be in the way of the Penguins making a third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup finals would seem to be overconfidence. The Penguins have the most talent up and down their lineup by far out of the remaining four teams. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are playing like the superstars they are, Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin are giving the Pens the second line scoring they need to keep teams from keying to much on the aforementioned Crosby and Malkin. Just as important for Pittsburgh is that young blueliners Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski have stepped up their play in the playoffs alleviating some of the pressure from veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar. The question mark for Pittsburgh remains in net where Marc-Andre Fleury was less than inspiring with his play in the first round. Fleury had an average season and can probably get by in this series with being average as well, but sooner or later he will need to step up his play. As for the Canadiens, they are where they are for two reasons. First, goaltender Jaroslav Halak was simply outstanding, stopping everything the Capitals threw at him. This goes for his defenders to who sacrificed their bodies to block a truck load of shots. Second, the Montreal penalty killing was on fire, only allowing one power play goal in the series. The Canadiens will need Halak and their penalty killing to be just as good versus Pittsburgh if they wish to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

Pittsburgh in six.

Boston (6) versus Philadelphia (7)

No one can be more shocked than the Bruins that they will have home ice advantage in the second round of the playoffs. A sixth seed is just not supposed to have that, but that’s how the dominoes fell. The Bruins relied on goaltender Tuukka Rask, who has played outstanding since the Olympic break to get them this far and there is no reason for them to stop riding that horse now. Even better news for the Bruins is that their best offensive player, Marc Savard, may be ready to return to action after being out over a month with post-concussion syndrome. Savard could give the Bruins the offensive jump they will need to fight their way past Philadelphia. While the Bruins are getting healthier, the Flyers will limp into the second round, and I do mean limp as they will be without Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne who both suffered broken bones in their foot in the first round. What makes the injuries even more painful is that both players were hurt due to shots by their own teammate, Chris Pronger. While Gagne may be able to return if the series were to go the distance, Carter may not be able to return unless the Flyers make the cup finals. The story for the Flyers has been the play of goaltender Brian Boucher. He was terrible during the regular season, but outplayed future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur during the first round, to help the Flyers eliminate the Devils in five games. One would think the Bruins wouldn’t pose as big a challenge, but one would also think that Boucher could turn back into a pumpkin at any moment.

Philadelphia in seven.

Western Conference

San Jose (1) versus Detroit (5)

The Sharks were able to shake off the first round bug a boos in their six game victory over the Avalanche. Now comes the real test. When you think about the Sharks and their playoff problems, you worry about goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. He has often come up small in big games. He struggled in the first couple of games against Colorado, even allowing a game winning goal in overtime that was shot into his net by his own teammate, but he was able to shake it off and come back strong to lead the Sharks to a first round victory. Another question for the Sharks is the play of their top line. Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau had an incredible first season together but were close to invisible in the first round, leaving the scoring to second liners Devin Setoguchi, Joe Pavelski, and Ryan Clowe, this won’t due in the second round. As for the Red Wings they have questions in net themselves. Jimmy Howard had a great season for Detroit after being named the starter over Chris Osgood in November, but he is still a rookie, and had a few shaky moments versus the Coyotes in round one. The Sharks are a much better offensive team than the Coyotes and will make Howard pay if he is not at the top of his game. The good news for Detroit however is that three veterans, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Niklas Lidstrom, who had so-so regular seasons, have come up big so far in the postseason.

San Jose in seven.

Chicago (2) versus Vancouver (3)

Chicago has the same problem as Detroit when it comes to goaltending, a rookie goalie in net who had his ups and downs in round one. Antti Niemi was the big question for the Hawks, and after allowing a bouncing puck to beat him in Game 1 of the conference quarterfinals, he rebounded nicely to prove to the team and himself that he can handle the pressure of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The return of defensive leader Brian Campbell to the lineup was also a boost to a Chicago blueline that had missed the veteran defender ever since his injury suffered at the hands of Alexander Ovechkin a couple of months ago. Campbell got the last laugh however as Ovechkin’s Capitals were sent home on Wednesday, while he gets to play on. The Canucks will need Roberto Luongo to be the Luongo of old if they want to continue on their path to the cup. The Blackhawks are a talented offensive team and will put plenty of rubber at the net, while the Canucks are a much improved offensive team over past years; they don’t have the depth of Chicago and will need Luongo to be at his best. Something he hasn’t been all season long.

Chicago in six.

Around the Net

George Kurtz — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:27:14 +0000

With that in mind let’s take a look at the second round matchups.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Pittsburgh (4) vs Montreal (8)

Pittsburgh in six.

Boston (6) versus Philadelphia (7)

Philadelphia in seven.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose (1) versus Detroit (5)

San Jose in seven.

Chicago (2) versus Vancouver (3)

Chicago in six.

Around The Net - NHL Playoff Preview

George Kurtz — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:15:09 +0000

With the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin on Wednesday, here is a preview of what to expect.

Eastern Conference

Washington (1) versus Montreal (8)

The interesting subplot in this series is who will play goal for the Capitals? Jose Theodore outplayed Semyon Varlamov down the stretch yet Varlamov may still garner a start to two because the Capitals believe that Theodore may not be able to handle the pressure of playing in Montreal for his former team. The Montreal fans can be ruthless so the Caps are concerned how he would react in that atmosphere. Interesting indeed. The Capitals have much more talent than Montreal and should have an easy time putting the puck on net. The only chance for the Canadiens is for their goaltending to stand on its head and keep Montreal close. The Canadiens don’t have the defensemen to control Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, they will score, the question is how much?

Washington in five.

New Jersey (2) versus Philadelphia (7)

This is the series I’m most looking forward to in the first round. The Devils are a different team than we are used to. With Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise they can score goals. They no longer rely on Martin Brodeur and the trap defense to control the opposing teams. Of course the bad news is that they no longer have that great defense anymore. It’s not bad, just not smothering like it used to be. For the Flyers it all comes down to goaltending. This team was built to win this season, but with major question marks in net they will have a challenge each and every game. Brian Boucher is just not someone they can rely on to win a game all by themselves, and in the playoffs you need your goalie to do just that for a game or two.

New Jersey in six.

Buffalo (3) versus Boston (6)

Whereas the Philly-New Jersey series is the one I want to watch most in the East, this one would be the one I want to see least. Just not much excitement here. Both teams are battling through injuries, and neither team is going to light up a scoreboard. It comes down to goaltending, and we know what the Sabres have in Ryan Miller, is any as confident about Tuukka Rask?

Buffalo in seven.

Pittsburgh (4) versus Ottawa (5)

The Penguins haven’t been impressing anyone of late, and they lost out on a division win because of it, falling to fourth in the East. I’ve been saying all season long how Marc-Andre Fleury is a money goalie, and now is the time to prove it. Hard to see the Penguins having a difficult time with the Senators in this series. The Senators have had a nice season. Jason Spezza has proved himself useful once again and Daniel Alfredsson is always a threat, but Brian Elliott is going to have his hands full in this series just to keep the games close.

Pittsburgh in five.

Western Conference

San Jose (1) versus Colorado (8)

Here we go again with San Jose. We know they are a great regular season team as it seems like they always win their division and/or the conference. The question is will they perform the same way in the playoffs or choke up another season. They traded for Dany Heatley last offseason to give the offense a jolt. He did just that and the Sharks may have the best top line in the NHL, but will they come up big when it’s needed most. As for the Avs, they seem to be a tired team. Goalie Craig Anderson has had a great season but he has also played in more game than ever before and it seems to be taking its toll. The Avs are a young team, but lack playoff experience, they may keep things close, but it’s hard to see them eliminating a superior team in the Sharks.

San Jose in six.

Chicago (2) versus Nashville (7)

The Blackhawks may be the most talented team in the NHL. They can throw three scoring lines at an opponent to keep the pressure on. The questions for Chicago are on defense. When will Brian Campbell return to help out the defense, and of course the major question is in goal? Cristobal Huet lost his starting job to Antti Niemi a while back, but only in the past few weeks has it looked like Niemi could handle the full-time role. The pressure that comes during the playoffs however is a completely different ball of wax. If Niemi is up to the task then the Blackhawks may be drinking from Lord Stanley’s Cup once again.

Chicago in five.

Vancouver (3) versus Los Angeles (6)

Intriguing series here. If Roberto Luongo can prove to be the brick wall in net that he has been in the past than the Canucks could be the dark horse favorite in the West. The Canucks can score goals. Henrik Sedin proved to be more than just a goal scorer when his brother Daniel went down earlier in the season. The brothers combined with Alexander Burrows, Ryan Kesler, and Mason Raymond provides more offense than we are used to from Vancouver. As for the Kings, they are an up and coming team that is actually a year ahead of schedule. They will give any team all they can handle. If Jonathan Quick can play as well in the playoffs as he did during the regular season, the Kings will be a formidable opponent for anyone during the playoffs.

Vancouver in seven.

Phoenix (4) versus Detroit (5)

You have to feel a little bad for the Coyotes. They were left for dead in the offseason. No one knew if the team was going to be relocated. They lost Wayne Gretsky as their coach yet still manage to have a season that no one expected. Now, after all that they get to play what maybe the hottest team in the Western Conference in Detroit. Detroit finished fifth not because they were a middle of the road team, but because they were devastated by injuries early on and it took them a while to get back on track, but they are now.

Detroit in six.