It’s that time of year again, and hockey enthusiasts across the country are getting revved up for another season of stick and puck in the NHL. Here in Detroit, Red Wing fans are no exception. From early October 2011 through early April 2012, fans can look forward to an exciting round of games bound to entertain. Undefeated for their first four games thus far, the Red Wings are on track for a strong season. Some predictors see the Red Wings securing the #1 seed in the Midwest this year and even stealing the Stanley Cup, assuming their star players are able to avoid injury and illness, keeping them on the ice. Still, realistically speaking, the Blackhawks will be tough competitors, and the Red Wings may have to settle for a #2 spot behind them.
Led again this year by coaches Mike Babcock (head coach), Bill Peters, Jeff Blashill, Jim Bedard, Chris Osgood, and Keith MiKittrick, the Red Wings will be expertly trained to ace another season. Many hockey experts agree that head coach Mike Babcock might just be the best coach across the entire league, as many of his coaching decisions have moved the Red Wings to the coveted position they currently hold.
This year’s forwards include “A” list players Henrick Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Clearly at the top of the team, both Zetterberg and Datsyuk are expected to lead the team this year, each averaging one point per game. Their skill, power plays, and maneuvering on the ice make them perfect Read the rest of this entry »
What simply hasn’t been a secret around the NHL for months now, the Islanders had been eradicated from post-season contention the previous time they took the ice. The Devils seem like like they will be outside looking in as well this playoff season.
A 9 week rally provided New Jersey a surprising opportunity to make the playoffs, however now appearing sluggish the Devils have not much hope remaining to obtain a playoffs seed as they have the Islanders on Wednesday evening. New Jersey ( 34 – 36 – 5 ) were able to get within 6 points of the last playoff spot within the East March 15th having an amazing 23 – 3 – 2 streak. The Devils were 27 points trailing for the 8th spot January 8th, however the Devils’ sad performances throughout the 1st half meant they could not afford to have a significant losing streak.
They have done exactly that during the previous 6 matchups, with a record of 1 – 4 – 1 to fall to the sad reality of going home for the year. The Devils’ post-season run was assisted by 3 matchups versus the Islanders ( 29 – 35 – 12 ) since the midst of January. New Jersey picked up everyone one of them, putting in a minimum of 3 goals in each matchup. They have not been anywhere as good on the attack lately. The Devils, which previously didn’t make the playoffs in 1996, has been held scoreless in their previous 2 matchups & 3 occasions in the last 5. New Jersey have gone 172 minutes, 55
If you would have asked a dozen experts if the Dallas Stars would have made the playoffs at the beginning of the season, you would have gotten a dozen “no’s”. Yet with 15 games left in the season, the Stars find themselves as the 4th seed in the Western Conference. Of course, they are also three points out of the 9th seed in the West, which goes to show how crazy the Conference has been this season.
The last three weeks of the season will see whether the Stars will host their own Playoff series, or watch the playoffs from their own couch.
So how have the Stars done it this season? They have just gotten it done when it needed to get done. They came out hot, got to the top of the conference, and have been able to successfully rite the ship after losing 11 of 13 in January and Feburary. For all of the times that the Stars have been counted out this season, they have been able to weather the storms. Not bad for a team that is supposed to be in a “rebuilding year”. Sure, they have Brad Richards and Brendon Morrow, but when it comes down to it, you are dealing with a team without that many recognizable faces. And while Kari Lehtonen has a middle of the road GAA, he has been solid in the net throughout the season.
So will the Stars make the playoffs? With 8 teams battling for 5 spots, it’s going to come down to the last few days of the season. With that said, the Stars look like a team who is going to be able to get in, even if they don’t get
The great thing about the NHL playoffs is that anything can happen. You know that old saying that “Just get into the playoff’s because anything can happen?” While it may be lip service in any other league, in the NHL it’s the truth. In the NHL being a number one seed is about as secure as the real estate market.
That’s why if you are a fan of the Buffalo Sabres you can have a bit of hope this year. Thanks to a late season surge, the Sabres are back in the playoff hunt. Though they will have to settle for a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs, the good news is that the 7th and 8th seeds made it to the Eastern Conference Championships. In other words: just get in and anything can happen.
While Cleveland may get the most votes as the “most cursed sports town in America, Buffalo has to rank a close second. C’mon: four straight Super Bowl loses for the Bills and a “no goal” overtime goal to sink the Sabres in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals? You are talking about painful stuff. The thing about winning the cup, though, is that teams tend to break through in years where they aren’t the favorites. The Sabres are a middle of the road team this year, but that might actually work in their favor. A first round match up Read the rest of this entry »
The Florida Panthers do have some work to do if they hope to make it to the NHL Playoffs. The Florida Panthers are carry a record of 21 wins and twenty losses.
They are currently in last place in the Southeast Division. The Florida are even behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the Southeastern Division Standings who most analysts feel have not even come close to playing their best hockey yet. If you can compete well within your own division, you are going to have a hard time time making it to the NHL Playoffs. The National Hockey League happens to be one of the professional sports leagues out there that still values the fact that some people are going to be able to win their division and that means something.
The Panthers certainly do have capable and noted veterans on their team such as Bryan McCabe and Marty Reasoner. Reasoner in particular had quite a bit of success with the St. Louis Blues and many Saint Louis fans were very sad to see him go. Bryan McCabe and Marty Reasoner may not be able to keep up with some of the faster, younger players that now populate the NHL. A player like McCabe was probably Read the rest of this entry »
Perfectly logical Nathan Lawson appeared suitable in the home. That is exactly where the guy had been.
Lawson, a native, produced twenty eight spares within alleviation of wounded beginner DiPietro and also the dropping The Big Apple Islanders defeat the Flames .
Tavares experienced 2 hits as well as an aid, Moulson additionally obtained two times and also the Islanders enhanced to seven one one within their earlier 9 matches. Read the rest of this entry »
The San Jose Sharks are perennial contenders for the Stanley Cup. In last year’s playoffs, the team made it to the Western Conference finals before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks.
So far this year, the Sharks have not lived up to expectations, and are currently not in a playoff spot. They are in the tenth position, three points out of the playoffs.
Three points is not a lot, but the Sharks have not played well throughout the first half of the season. The team’s management made very few moves during the off season, due to their success in last year’s playoffs. Their long time goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov, was not resigned. Nabokov was replaced with a goaltending duo of Antti Niemi and Antero Nittymaki. The Sharks’ captain, defenseman Rob Blake, retired after a long and successful NHL career.
The Sharks top offensive line consists of stars Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, and Patrick Marleau. All three are gifted offensive players, but all three are having an off year. The Sharks’ other groups of forwards have also not scored at their normal pace. The only bright spot on offense has been rookie Logan Couture, who leads all NHL rookies in scoring and is the favorite to win rookie of the year.
Anyone who watches Suns knows that Steve Nash sets the tempo and pace of the game for the Suns. With that pace the Suns are on the edge of their longest winning streak of the year.
Nash will try to direct Phoenix to a 4th straight win & a scarce victory against Portland on Tuesday evening at the Rose Garden.
3 evenings following getting sixteen dishes against Golden State to start the winning streak, Nash got a perfect shooting effort in Sunday’s 125 – 108 victory against the Wizards . He threw up 8 of 8 from the field, which includes a three pointer, and put in all 3 of his foul shot attempts to complete the game having twenty points.
Gaining a high for the year seventeen assists, Nash made certain his teammates continued to get involved. Hakim Warrick put in a best for the year twenty-six points & Jason Richardson got his 7th consecutive game of a minimum of twenty points having twenty-one as Phoenix (11 – 9) threw in a high for Read the rest of this entry »
Guided by utilizing an excellent defense, the Hornets are the final undefeated club within the League. To increase their excellent beginning of the season, they are going to have to have a particularly remarkable output provided exactly how they have lagged offensively away from home versus their upcoming challenger.
New Orleans expect to break a 3 game losing skid on the Mavericks home court as they visit American Airlines Center on Mon evening in the primary matchup of a home court and home court set of games playing 2 of the league’s best defensive squads.
The Hornets (8-0) carried on their own exceptional beginning of the year having a 107-87 victory against the Blazers on Saturday. It had been the 3rd consecutive matchup a competitor didn’t get ninety points. For the year, New Orleans are permitting 89.8 per matchup the 2nd fewest within the League following the Bucks.
The Hornets additionally scored 100 points for the 4th occasion, complimenting its high this year. New Orleans have all 5 players in the starting lineup putting in double figures, directed through Chris Paul, who’s throwing in seventeen points to go together with 10.3 assists per game.
A pair of Atlantic Division rivals will do battle when the Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center Thursday night. The Flyers currently sit atop the Atlantic Division with 15 points, but the Rangers have 13 points in one less game. This is the first meeting between the teams since the Flyers defeated the Rangers on the final day of the regular season to eliminate the Rangers from the playoffs.
Both the Rangers and Flyers are pretty comparable so far this season. New York is averaging 3.09 goals per game while the Flyers are averaging 3.08. The Flyers only slightly outshoot the Rangers, and both teams Read the rest of this entry »
