Buffalo Sabres Stay the Course…and Meltdown Yet Again
Written by clint on March 30th, 2008 | 0 CommentsIt’s been a trying season for the Buffalo Sabres, to say the least, and it appears that it won’t be getting any easier though it may finally be coming to an end. Contracts, trades, free agency and injuries have severly damaged what was one of the best teams in hockey for the last couple of years. Despite all of that, and a 10+ game slump in the middle of the season, the Sabres have been on the verge of sliding into the 8th and final spot in the East for the last week or so. However, their performance over the last week may have finally put them to rest. Continue reading...
Western Conference Showdown - Nashville, Vancouver and Edmonton
Written by Bill on March 30th, 2008 | 0 CommentsIf you have not checked in the past 2 minutes you will see that currently (3/30 @ 2am … yes, I am up blogging at this time … SO!) there is a 3 way tie for the coveted 8th slot in the Western Conference playoffs. Both Nashville and Vancouver hold 2 games in hand to Edmonton. Nashville’s last 4 games are against Detroit, St Louis and Chicago, while Vancouver gets to play with the Flames, Avalanche and Oilers. 3 out of 4 games for Nashville are on the road while Vancouver hosts their last 4 opponents. Here is a snapshot of how the the Western Conference looks right now: Continue reading...
San Jose Sharks Relish In Their Pacific Divsion Champion Title
Written by Bill on March 29th, 2008 | 0 CommentsAnd how do they celebrate - how about ordering up some Roast Duck with Mango Salsa! San Jose has not lost in regulation since Feb 20 … taking their record to 16-0-2. Brian Boucher helped the Sharks win last night by making 23 saves, and at the same time helped snap the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks’ 10-game, home-winning streak. Brian Boucher is going to grow with the Sharks and we have been given a glimpse into how this kid owns the crease since being signed by the Sharks on Feb 26th. Since then he has played 4 games for a total of 198 minutes - he is 3-0-1 with a GAA of .90 and a .966 SV% … he has allowed 3 goals on 88 shots. It definitley will be interesting to watch him grow – as we did when Toskala was Nabby’s back up. Boucher helped San Jose add another notch when it won for the 10th time in 11 road games to improve its NHL-best mark to 27-8-4 away from home. Continue reading...
Gary Bettman, NHL Teams And Rebuttals
Written by Bill on March 27th, 2008 | 0 CommentsThis post is in rebuttal to the recent post by Chris Lucas over at Lucas On Sports regarding Gary Bettman and the NHL … while we at Ice Junkies agree with a few things in this post, there are some ideas thrown around that we need to interject our 2 cents worth. You can read the post by clicking here - What Gary Bettman Can Do To Save The NHL and you can follow Chris over at Twitter, he is @Hockeyskates The other driver of our rebuttal is the comment from “Chris in Canada” and his thoughts as to how he would make the NHL better also. So, sit back and enjoy – and thank you for taking the time. Continue reading...
Ray Emery’s Chance
Written by clint on March 24th, 2008 | 0 CommentsMartin Gerber made his 11th straight start this evening in a huge game against conference and national rivals the Montreal Canadiens. He has a 2.60 GAA over that span with a .915 save percentage. Tonight’s start, however, did not go as planned. Gerber allowed 3 goals on 14 shots and was pulled after the 1st period. The much maligned back-up, Ray Emery, has taken to the ice for the first time in nearly a month. Continue reading...
The Return of Patrice Bergeron
Written by clint on March 23rd, 2008 | 1 CommentNote: This story combines data I found on yahoo, cbssportsline and a few other sites with my own observations. Continue reading...
The San Jose Sharks Feeding Frenzy
Written by Bill on March 22nd, 2008 | 0 CommentsSan Jose has just tightened the noose around the rest of the Pacific Division teams. Tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks was not only a “must win” it was the game that would set the momentum for the rest of the season. The Sharks’ 14th win in 15 games vaulted them seven points ahead of Anaheim and 10 in front of the third-place Dallas Stars. Continue reading...
A Night of Milestones With Okposo and Ovechkin
Written by clint on March 21st, 2008 | 0 CommentsKyle Okposo scores his first NHL goal in his second game helping the New York Islanders down the New Jersey Devil 3-1. Meanwhile in Atlanta, Alexander Ovechkin scores two goals and leads the Washington Capitals to a remarkable four goal third period comeback over the Atlanta Thrashers to keep the Caps’ playoff hopes alive. He also added two assists and finished at a +4 with 9 shots on goal. The goals were his 59th and 60th of the season, making him the first player to reach the 60 goals mark since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did it nearly a decade ago. Continue reading...
The Marian Hossa Gamble
Written by clint on March 21st, 2008 | 0 CommentsIt was the blockbuster trade of the deadline and possibly one of the most shocking deal I can remember. Pittsburgh Penguins, who’d only been loosely rumored to even have an interest in Marian Hossa, swooped in at the last second and sent Sidney Crosby’s best friend right winger Colby Armstrong, sniper Erik Christensen, 1st round draft pick Angelo Esposito and a 1st round draft pick to the Atlanta Thrashers for Hossa and defensive-minded forward Pascal Dupuis. The reaction was mixed from everyone, including myself. I didn’t mind Christensen, Esposito and the 1st rounder, but giving up Armstrong stung a bit. The Penguins have struggled to play the kind of nasty, gritty game that is often necessary in the playoffs and they sent one of their few guys who could excel in that environment. Of course, the other big question was whether or not Hossa would purely be a rental or if the Penguins had found their Jari Kurri for their Wayne Gretzky. Continue reading...
Injury Revitalizes Classic Debate: No Touch Icing
Written by clint on March 20th, 2008 | 0 CommentsFor anyone who missed it, Kurtis Foster suffered a scary injury last night that was, for all intents and purposes, entirely avoidable and would surely spark some discussion around the league today. Foster was racing Torrey Mitchell of the San Jose Sharks back to touch the puck for an icing when Foster seemed to lose an edge, or get pushed by Mitchell depending on how you view the video, sending Foster into the boards at full speed. He was carried off the ice on a stretcher and it was later learned that he’d suffered a broken leg. The play reminds me of watching Mark Tinordi, a defenseman for the Dallas Stars, break his femur on an eerily similar play. Mark was never quite the same after that play and it’s exactly the kind of injury you don’t see in most other hockey leagues due to a rule called “no touch icing.” Continue reading...
