Sunday, April 29, 2012
BRIERE SCORES O.T WINNER! FLYERS LEAD SERIES 1-0
GOAL SCORERS
PHI:
D. Briere
(08:07 - 2nd)
,
J. van Riemsdyk
(08:44 - 2nd)
,
C. Giroux
(PPG, 04:19 - 3rd)
,
D. Briere
(04:36 - OT)
Earlier today in Philadelphia, it was Game 1 of the Round 2 series between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey Devils. Just 3 minutes in, Elias centred the puck right to Parise and he scored to make it 1-0 Devils lead. Then 8 minutes into the second, Briere had a breakaway and he scored t tie the game. 37 seconds later, Van Riemsdyk would score on a rebound to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead. Late in the second with the Devils on a powerplay, Parise centred the puck to Zajac and he scored to tie the game. 4 minutes into the third with Philly on a powerplay, Giroux's one-timer beat Brodeur to give the Flyers the lead.
 |
| The disallowed overtime goal |
In the win, Bryzgalov made 23 saves. In the loss, Brodeur made 32 saves.''I thought we played real well in the first,'' New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer said. ''We just couldn't keep it up.We haven't made excuses all year,'' DeBoer said. ''We're not going to now. It is what it is.''
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Saturday, April 28, 2012
ROUND 2 PREVIEW: New Jersey Devils (6th) V.S Philadelphia Flyers (5th)
 |
| Brodeur will be the story in this series. |
Flyers: 47-26-9, (103 points), 5th in Eastern Conference
Devils: 48-28-6, (102 points), 6th in Eastern Conference
SEASON SERIES: Flyers won 3-2 (Not counting shootouts)
Players to watch: Brodeur(NJD), Giroux (PHI), Parise (NJD), Briere (PHI),Zajac (NJD),Jagar (PHI), Elias (NJD), Talbot (PHI), Zubrus (NJD) & Hartnell (PHI)
Tomorrow afternoon in Philadelphia, fresh off of their double overtime win in Game 7 against the Panthers, the New Jersey Devils will battle the Flyers in Round 2 of the 2012 Stanley cup Playoffs. In Round 1, the Flyers beat the Penguins in 6 games and the Devils beat the Panthers in 7 games to lead to a 5th v.s 6th match up in round 2. The Flyers had a red hot powerplay in round 1. It was a surprising 52% average. As for the Devils, they had a tougher time with the man advantage. As they had a 20% Powerplay average. But for both teams, when it came down to the P.K, both teams struggled. The Flyers had a 69% average and the Devils had a 66% average. So this should equal a lot of Powerplay goal for both these teams. So I think in the special teams department, both teams are equal.
For Philly, goals for and against are pretty equal. The Flyers scored on average 5 goals a game and gave up on average 4.33 goals per game. As for the Devils, they scored on average 2.57 goals per game and gave up 2.43 goals per game. So you would think naturally that the Flyers will out due the Devils in goals for department. But you are wrong. The Flyers took on the Penguins in round 1. That series had the most goals in NHL history with 56 goals in total. This was a result of bad goal tending by both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. In the series between the Devils and Panthers, there was a total of 35 goals in total due to good goal tending. So I would give the edge to New Jersey in both Offense (due to bad goal tending from the Flyers), defense and Goal tending.
So I think with Brodeur in net, the Devils will win this series in 5 games.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
| series j | Time | #5  vs.  #6 |
Networks |
| Sunday, April 29, 2012 | 3:00 p.m. | New Jersey at Philadelphia | NBC, CBC, RDS |
| Tuesday, May 1, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. | New Jersey at Philadelphia | NBCSN, CBC, RDS |
| Thursday, May 3, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. | Philadelphia at New Jersey | NBCSN, CBC, RDS |
| Sunday, May 6, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. | Philadelphia at New Jersey | NBCSN, CBC, RDS |
| *Tuesday, May 8, 2012 | TBD | New Jersey at Philadelphia | NBCSN, CBC, RDS |
| *Thursday, May 10, 2012 | TBD | Philadelphia at New Jersey | TBD, CBC, RDS |
| *Saturday, May 12, 2012 | TBD | New Jersey at Philadelphia | TBD, CBC, RDS |
Thursday, April 26, 2012
PACIORETTY A FINALIST FOR THE BILL MASTERON TROPHY
 |
 King of Hearts |
Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty is among the finalists of the Masteron trophy with Alfredsson and Lupul."It’s a tremendous honor anytime you’re recognized and put in a category with players like Daniel Alfredsson and Joffrey Lupul," shared Pacioretty. "I owe a lot of my success to a lot of other people, whether it be the coaching staff, the organization, my teammates or my linemates, but at the end of the day there was a lot of hard work put into it so it’s definitely rewarding." Pacioretty played 79 games and he had 33 goals and 32 assists.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
RANGERS WIN GAME 7 BY THE SCORE OF 2-1 AND ADVANCE TO ROUND 2
GOAL SCORERS
OTT:
D. Alfredsson
(PPG, 11:34 - 2nd)
NYR:
M. Staal
(04:46 - 2nd)
,
D. Girardi
(09:04 - 2nd)
Earlier tonight in New York, it was Game 7 between the New York Rangers and the Ottawa Senators. Both Ottawa and New York were the 2 big surprises in the regular season. TSN predicted Ottawa to finish in 15th in East and instead they made the playoffs and finished in 8th. TSN also predicted that New York would finish 8th in the East but in the end they finished 1st. As for this series, the Rangers were the favorites and showed it tonight. Anderson (Ottawa) and Lundqvist (New York) were the starting goalies and they were both great in this game. After the first period the score was 0-0 and the shots were 10 to 8 in favor of Ottawa.
Then, 4:46 into the second, Stephan came in on a 2 on 1 and he played the puck over to Staal and he on-timed a shot into the net to make it 1-0 New York. 4 minutes later, Girardi got the puck in the slot and fired it into the back of the net to extend the lead. 2 minutes later with Ottawa on the powerplay, Alfredsson one-timed a shot into the back of the net to cut the lead to 1. The shots in the second were 12 to 8 in favor of New York. In the third the shots were 9 to 9. But Ottawa couldn't tie the game as the Rangers win this game 2-1 and win the series 4-3.
In the win, Lundqvist made 16 saves. In the loss, Anderson made 27 saves. With the series win, the Rangers will play the Washington Capitals in round 2.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
WARD SCORES O.T WINNER! CAPITALS KNOCK OUT THE BRUINS WITH A 2-1 WIN!
Last night in Boston, it was game 7 of the round 1 series between the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals. 11 minutes into the game, Carlsons shot was tipped in by Matt Hendricks to make it 1-0 Caps lead. The shots after 1 period were 11 to 5 in favor of Boston after 1. 15 minutes into the second, the Capitals couldn't clear the puck. Boychuk got the puck at the point and fired a shot on goal and Holtby made the save, but it trickled through in behind him and Seguin dove and knocked the puck home to tie the game. The shots in the second period were 14 to 8 in favor of Boston. No scoring in the third so this game would go to overtime.
In the Loss, Thomas made 25 saves.This was the first series in the National Hockey Leagues history where every game was decided by 1 goal. Now heres Ward on his series clinging goal in the 2-1 win. "It was the biggest goal of my career," He said. " I was in a slump in this series and I wanted to help my team offensively and I did."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Monday, April 23, 2012
LA ENDS THE CANUCKS CUP RUN WITH A 2-1 O.T WIN
GOAL SCORERS
LAK:
B. Richardson
(03:21 - 3rd)
,
J. Stoll
(04:27 - OT)
VAN:
H. Sedin
(PPG, 14:04 - 1st)
Last night in Vancouver, the Canucks were looking to stay off Elimination for the second straight game. Daniel Sedin was back to help the cause. But the question was, would one more player make a difference in what has been a surprising series where the 8th place team took a 3-0 series lead before dropping game 4 against the President Trophy champions (the Canucks).14 minutes into the first, the Canucks were on a powerplay and Daniel Sedin played the puck over to Henrick Sedin in the slot and he scored to make it 1-0 Canucks. Lets jump to the third. Just 3 minutes into the final frame, Richardson scored to tie the game.
This game would need overtime. Just 4 minutes in, Lewis tripped Hamuis at the blueline (there was no call) and Stoll came in on a 2 on 1 and ripped a shot past Schnieder and in to win the game and the series for the Kings. 2-1 is the final. In the win, Quick made 26 saves and he was the reason that LA won the series as he only allowed 8 goals in 5 games and he stopped everything from breakaways to shots in traffic and many many more. "We had expectations and hopes to go far in this playoff," Schneider said. "It seems like around the league, parity is running wild. Look at Pittsburgh, ourselves, Detroit, San Jose. New York's facing elimination, Boston held it off today. We can't take anything for granted. Anyone is capable of winning in this league."
In the loss, Schenieder was good and was the only reason why the Canucks had a chance in the last 3 games due to the lack of scoring."You've got to give credit to the Kings," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "They played a real great series, a real tough opponent, played strong hockey, made the strong plays on the ice and, at the end of the day, they deserved to win."The LA Kings advance to the second round for the first time in 11 years and they will play the St.Louis Blues in round 2. "It's special," Stoll said. "It's pride in the organization, and your team and your teammates and coaching staff. They're a great team over there, it took a lot to beat them."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
BRUINS FORCE A GAME 7 WITH A 0.T WIN
GOAL SCORERS
BOS:
R. Peverley
(05:56 - 1st)
,
D. Krejci
(PPG, 16:48 - 1st)
,
A. Ference
(11:57 - 3rd)
,
T. Seguin
(03:17 - OT)
WSH:
M. Green
(09:47 - 1st)
,
J. Chimera
(19:18 - 2nd)
,
A. Ovechkin
(15:08 - 3rd)
Yesterday afternoon in Washington, the 7th place Capitals had a chance to end the series against the 2nd place Bruins with a win on home ice. But it wouldn't go as planned. 6 minutes in, Ference's shot from the point was tipped in by Peverley to make it 1-0 Boston. 4 minutes later, Mike Green fired a shot from the top of the left circle past Thomas to tie the game. Late in the first with the Bruins on a powerplay, Lucic took a shot from the left wing and it was deflected in by Krejic to make it 2-1 Boston. Lets jump to the final minute of the second. The Capitals came in on a 2-on-1 and Backstrom played the puck over to Chimera and he scored to tie the game.
12 minutes into the third, Seguins shot was stopped but Ference was there to put home the rebound to give the Bruins the lead. Ovechkin would tie the game, so this game would need overtime. 3 minutes into overtime, Lucic played the puck over to Seguin and he had a partial breakaway and he scored to win the game for the Bruins 4-3 is the final. So the Bruins will be going back to Boston and they are taking the Capitals with them. "It's been a dogfight from start to finish," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Both teams here are heading to Game 7 with the same kind of confidence. For us, it's time to take advantage of the home ice that we've fought hard all year to get. We've got to make it count."
In the win, Thomas made 28 saves. But the big story was about Seguins overtime winner."I saw the goalie challenging, so I just tried to make a quick move and got lucky it went in," Seguin said. "This series I've had a lot of chances and opportunities and I haven't been finishing them off. It's just really nice to get that feeling of finding the back of the net."In the loss, Holtby made 35 saves."Game 7 is a grinding kind of game," coach Dale Hunter said. "We're used to playing it. Every game here has been tough game. Both sides are, I imagine, a little bit banged up. But little bruises, they'll forget about them come Game 7." Game 7 will be Wednesday night at 7:00 pm E.t on CBC and NBC SPORTS.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Saturday, April 21, 2012
CAPS TAKE A 3-2 SERIES LEAD
GOAL SCORERS
WSH:
A. Semin
(11:16 - 2nd)
,
J. Beagle
(14:27 - 2nd)
,
M. Knuble
(03:21 - 3rd)
,
T. Brouwer
(PPG, 18:33 - 3rd)
BOS:
D. Seidenberg
(17:21 - 2nd)
,
B. Marchand
(17:49 - 2nd)
,
J. Boychuk
(PPG, 08:47 - 3rd)
This past afternoon in Boston, the Bruins returned home with a 2-2 series tie with the Washington Capitals and things were looking good as they had a chance on home ice to take a 3-2 series lead. But thats not what happened. 11 minutes into the second,Widemans shot was stopped but Semin was there to knock home the rebound to make it 1-0. 3 minutes later, Beagle would make it 2-0. Late in the second, Seidenbergs shot from the right circle beat Holtby to cut the lead to 1. Shortly after that, Boychuks shot from the point was tipped in by Marchand to tie the game.
3 minutes into the third, Ward through the puck to the net and it was stopped but Knuble was there to put home the rebound to give the Capitals the lead. 6 minutes later the Bruins were on the powerplay, Seidenberg played the puck over to Boychuk and he one-timed a shot into the back of the net to tie the game again. Then with under 2 minutes left to play in the third, Brouwer skated up the right wing and fired a shot to the back of the net to give the Caps a 4-3 lead and that would be the final as the Washington Capitals take a 3-2 series lead.
In the loss, Thomas made 28 saves. In the win, Holtby made 34 saves."You don't have any time to think about what you could have done differently for four days or three days," Boychuk said. "You just have to worry about what you can do tomorrow. That's what I think our whole focus is right now." Game 6 will be tomorrow afternoon at 3:00pm E.t on NBC & CBC.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Friday, April 20, 2012
HOLTBY MAKES 44 SAVES TO LEAD TO A 2-1 CAPITALS WIN
GOAL SCORERS
BOS: R. Peverley (13:12 - 1st)
WSH: M. Johansson (01:22 - 1st) , A. Semin (PPG, 18:43 - 2nd)
Last night in Washington, Braden Holtby and the Capitals were looking to tie the series with a crucial win on home ice. Just 1:22 into the first, Laich skated in on a 2 on 1 and played the puck over to Johansson and he scored to make it 1-0 Capitals lead. Late in the first, Peverley came skating up the right wing and fired a shot past Holtby to tie the game. The shots on goal in the first were 13 to 3 in favor of the Bruins. So as you can tell Braden Holtby was keeping the Caps in this game. 2 minutes into the second, Chara had the puck at the point and fired a shot and he was robbed by Holtby as he flashes the leather and Chara looks sky high.
Late in the second with the Capitals on a powerplay, Semin brought the puck from behind the net to the top of the left circle and he ripped a shot past Thomas to give the Caps a 2-1 lead. In the second period the shots were 18 to 15 in favor of the Bruins again. In the last 10 seconds of the third, the Bruins with the net empty, they cycled the puck around behind the net to Boychuk and he centred it Bergeron and he fired a shot and was robbed by Holtby as he once more, flashes the leather as the Capitals win this game 2-1. The shots on goal in the third were 13 to 3 in favor of the Bruins. Overall the shot count was 45 to 21 in favor of Boston.
In the loss, Thomas made 19 saves. In the win, Holtby made 44 saves and he is the only reason why this series is tied at 2-2 and not a 4-0 sweep for the Bruins."That's the reason we didn't win tonight. ... A lot of loose picks around the net that they cleared and we didn't get to. The net-front presence has to be better. Not just screening, but also finding those loose pucks. And they're finding them better than we are," Julien said. "There's probably not a good enough commitment in that area right now and until we get that, we're going to be struggling to score goals.When you shoot 45 shots on net, you would expect your team to have more than one goal.so there's obviously some areas that we're not happy with."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
BRUINS TAKE GAME 3 BY THE SCORE OF 4-3
GOAL SCORERS
BOS: R. Peverley (00:35 - 2nd) , D. Paille (09:38 - 2nd) , B. Rolston (01:02 - 3rd) , Z. Chara (18:07 - 3rd)
WSH: A. Semin (PPG, 16:00 - 1st) , A. Ovechkin (00:48 - 2nd) , B. Laich (14:00 - 3rd)
Last night in Washington, it was Game 3 of the round 1 series between the Capitals and Bruins. Late in the first, Semin got the puck in the slot and he fired shot past Thomas and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 Washington. 35 seconds into the second, Peverley came up- the left wing and fired a shot past Holtby to tie the game. 13 seconds later, Laich flipped the puck out of the zone and down the ice and Ovechkin skated in and fired a shot past Thomas to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. Paille would tie the game in the latter half of the period. Early in the third, the Bruins would take the lead with a goal by Rolston.
14 minutes after that goal, Laich had a breakaway and scored to tie the game. Then with 2 minutes to go in the third, Charas one-timer beat Holtby to make it 4-3 and that would be the final. In the loss, Holtby made 25 saves. In the win, Thomas made 29 saves. In this game, Nick Backstrom used his stick to knock off Charas helmet and he cross checked Peverley in the head. This all resulted in a match penalty."The only thing that's disappointing for me personally is that this is the third time in three games our player has been cross-checked in the face. ... You hope that those things don't get out of hand," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Somebody else, not us, has to deal with that."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Saturday, April 14, 2012
HOLTBY MAKES 43 SAVES TO LEAD TO A 2-1 IN DOUBLE O.T WIN FOR THE CAPITALS
GOAL SCORERS
WSH: T. Brouwer (17:57 - 2nd) , N. Backstrom (02:56 - 2nd OT)
BOS: B. Pouliot (12:13 - 3rd)
This past afternoon in Boston, it was Game 2 of the Round 1 series between the Capitals and the Bruins. Can Holtby stand on his head once more so that the Capitals can tie the series. Sorry Capitals fans but Holtbys the only reason why they have a chance in this series and he was the reason why the Capitals would win this game. Over the course of this game, Holtby would make save after save after save. He would deny players like Chara, Bergeron, Kelly, Marchand and the rest of the Bruins team. The Capitals are a team that takes advantage of their opportunities and they did that late in the second.Ovechkin sent the puck to the net and it was stopped but Brouwer was there to knock home the rebound to make it 1-0 Capitals.
12 minutes into the third, Rolstons shot was stopped and the puck bounced to the slot. Holtby tried to poke the puck out, but he was knocked down by Pouliot and Pouliot would put it in the net to tie the game. This game would go to double overtime. 2 minutes into the second overtime, Backroms shot from the left circle beat Thomas and the Capitals tied the series with a 2-1 win. "I would say it's going to be a long series," Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said. "For us, it was very important to win this game and get the series tied, and go back home and have home advantage to play against the Bruins. ... We are pretty happy, but it was a long game and everybody is tired and needs some rest."
In the win, Holtby made 43 saves and he was the reason why the Capitals won. Holtbys win is his first career NHL Playoff victory."He is playing great right now," Ovechkin said. "We just hope he can continue. This kid can save us and keep us in the game in overtime." In the loss, Thomas made 37 saves.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Friday, April 13, 2012
KELLY SCORES O.T WINNER AS THE BRUINS TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD
Last night in Boston, it was Game 1 of the series between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins.With both Neuvirth and Vokoun being out with injuries, Holtby would get his first career Playoff start for the Capitals. 40 seconds in, Tyler Seguin came into the Caps zone on the right side and fired a slap shot and he was stopped by Holtby. With under 3 minutes to go in the first, Alex Semin came up the right wing and fired a shot and it was stopped by the blocker of Tim Thomas. So after one, the score was 0-0. 30 seconds into the second with the Bruins on the Powerplay, Chara's one-timer from the point was stopped by Holtby. 8 minutes later, Bergeron had the puck in behind the Capitals net and centred it right to Paille in the slot and he was stopped by Holtby. So there was still no score after 40 minutes of play.
4 minutes into the third with the Capitals on the Powerplay, Ovechkins one-timer from the top of the right circle was denied by Thomas. That was the Capitals best chance of the game. But this game would go to "Sudden Death" Overtime. 1:18 into the overtime, Kelly came up the left wing and fired a slap shot past Holtby for the game winning goal as the Bruins take a 1-0 series lead with a 1-0 win."I had a good feeling that it was going to go in, and I had a good feeling about the guy who had the puck," said Thomas about Kellys overtime goal. "I could tell he had something tonight. He'd been winging a few past me in practice the past few days." In the win, Thomas made 17 saves.
In the loss, Holtby made 19 saves and he really kept the Capitals in this game as for the first 2 periods the Bruins dominated before the Capitals woke up in the third."I got a little sloppy with some things, and those are the things I'll need to make improvements on for the next game," Holtby said. "But, mainly, I wasn't there for the boys in overtime and I'll definitely be better for that." Game 2 o this series will be Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm E.t on CBC,RDS & NESN.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Round 1 Preview: Washington Capitals V.S Boston Bruins
Bruins: 49-29-4, (102 points), Northeast Division Champion, 2nd in Eastern Conference
Capitals: 42-32-8, (92 points), 7th in Eastern Conference
Players to watch: Ovechkin (WSH), Semin (WSH), Backstrom (WSH), Green (WSH),Tim Thomas (BOS), Pouliot (BOS), Bergeron (BOS), Chara (BOS) & Seguin (BOS).
Tomorrow night in Boston, the defending Stanley Cup champions will be taking on the Washington Capitals in Round 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals had the better of the Bruins in the season series by having a 3-1-0 record against the Bruins. But keep in mind, the Capitals third win against the Bruins came in a shootout and we will not be seeing any shootouts in the playoffs. So in retro-spec it's like the the Capitals beat the Bruins 2 times, lost once and tied once. In the 11-12 season, the Bruins Powerplay was ranked 15th in the NHL with a goals for percentage of 17.2%. As for the Capitals, they had the 18th best Powerplay with a goals for percentage of 16.7%. So in the powerplay department, both of these teams are about equal.
Washington were ranked 21st in the league on the Penalty kill with a percentage of 81.6%. The Bruins on the other hand were ranked 11th in the league with a percentage of 83.5%. So the Bruins have the upper-hand when it comes to killing penalty's. Boston was 3rd in the league in goals for and the Capitals were 14th in the league. So once again the Bruins have the upper-hand. As for goals against, the Capitals were 21st in the league and the Bruins were 6th in the league. With both Neuvirth and Vokoun being out with injuries, the Capitals will have to turn to Holtby start this series in net. Brandon Holtby played 7 games this season and had a record of 4-2-1. As for Sabourin, As for the Bruins, Tim Thomas will get the start in net. Thomas played 59 games and had a record of 35-19-1 with 5 shutouts. So I'm going to say that the Bruins have the upper hand in goal as well.
I predict that the Boston Bruins will beat the Washington Capitals in 7 games.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
SERIES SCHEDULE:
| Thu Apr 12, 2012 | Capitals | Bruins | 7:30 PM | CBC, NBCSN, RDS2, NESN(HD) | |
| Sat Apr 14, 2012 | Capitals | Bruins | 3:00 PM | CBC, NBC, RDS | |
| Mon Apr 16, 2012 | Bruins | Capitals | 7:30 PM | CBC, NBCSN, RDS2, NESN(HD) | |
| Thu Apr 19, 2012 | Bruins | Capitals | 7:30 PM | CBC, NBCSN, RDS, NESN(HD) | |
| Sat Apr 21, 2012 | Capitals | Bruins | 3:00 PM | CBC, NBC, RDS | |
| Sun Apr 22, 2012 | Bruins | Capitals | TBD | ||
| Wed Apr 25, 2012 | Capitals | Bruins | TBD | NESN(HD) |
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
HABS END THE SEASON ON A WINNING NOTE
GOAL SCORERS
TOR: D. Phaneuf (00:25 - 3rd)
MTL: T. Plekanec (SHG, 03:20 - 1st) , M. Pacioretty (01:18 - 2nd) , E. Cole (04:07 - 3rd) , B. Staubitz (EN, 18:02 - 3rd)
Last night in Montreal, it was the last game of the season for both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. There was no better way to end this season than on a winning note for both clubs, but only one team won. That team was the Montreal Canadiens. 4 minutes in, the Leafs were on a 5-on-3 powerplay. But it was the Habs who had the advantage, as Plekanec had a shorthanded breakaway and he scored to make it 1-0 Montreal. 1 minute into the second, Gorges cleared the puck off the boards and past the Leafs bench, where Komisarek was getting ready for a line change, but he got on early and he had to leap back into the bench so it woudn't be a "too many men on the ice penalty." That lead to Pacioretty skating up the left side with speed and he scored five hole on Scrivens to make it 2-0.
"The last three games we tried to leave a good impression," Budaj said. "It's a disappointing season, but we didn't throw in the towel."We worked hard. I'm glad we were able to show the organization and the fans that we appreciate their support. We got the two points and it's so much sweeter because it's against the Leafs. Everybody (Montreal fans) don't like the Leafs, so." So it was a disappointing season for the Canadiens as they finished last in the East and 28th overall. But take into account that their captain, Brian Gionta missed the last 40 games with an injury. Over the course of the season there were injury's on the Habs, but no injury was bigger than their captains injury. This season, the Habs lost a record of 5-12 in the shootouts. They had the 29th worst record in the shootouts this season.The Habs also lost a total of 25 games, just by one goal. So overall it was a bad season. But expect the Habs to have a bounce back season next year and by that I mean to expect to see the Habs in the playoffs.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Thursday, April 5, 2012
THE DRAFT LOTTERY STANDINGS UPDATE
The Draft Order (Through April 5) | ||||
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | GR | ROW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Blue Jackets (48.2%) | 63 | 1 | 24 |
| 2 | Edmonton Oilers (18.8%) | 74 | 1 | 27 |
| 3 | Montreal Canadiens (14.2%) | 76 | 1 | 25 |
| 4 | New York Islanders (10.7%) | 79 | 1 | 27 |
| 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs (8.1%) | 80 | 1 | 31 |
| 6 | Anaheim Ducks | 80 | 1 | 31 |
| 7 | Minnesota Wild | 81 | 1 | 24 |
| 8 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 1 | 32 |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 1 | 34 |
| 10 | Winnipeg Jets | 83 | 1 | 33 |
| 11 | Buffalo Sabres | 88 | 1 | 32 |
| 12 | Colorado Avalanche | 88 | 1 | 32 |
| 14 | Calgary Flames | 88 | 1 | 33 |
| 14 | Dallas Stars | 89 | 1 | 35 |
PLAYOFF RACE UPDATE: Caps are in, The Sabres are Out
GAME 1: Sabres @ Flyers
Earlier tonight in Philadelphia, was a big game for the Sabres as they sat tied in 8th with the Capitals with 86 points. Ville Leino opened the scoring for Buffalo 17 minutes into the second. But in the third ,Marc-Andre Bourdon and Matt Read scored for the Flyers to give them a 2-1 lead. That would be the final as the Flyers gave the Capitals a chance to clinch a playoff spot as they beat the Sabres.“We played a pretty solid game. We got the turnovers we wanted. We just didn’t finish our opportunities,” said Ruff. “We didn’t finish our good chances. Some of them we didn’t get shots, a couple we missed the net. (Bryzgalov) made a good save on (Marcus) Foligno on that one play, but there were too many good chances by the wayside.”
GAME 2: Panthers @ Capitals
With the Sabres loss, the Capitals had a chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win. Beagle,Ovechkin and Laich scored the first 3 gaols to make it 3-0 Caps. But the Panthers would rally with a goal from Samuelsson and Jovanovski to cut the lead to 1. But Alex Semin would add another goal as the Capitals win 4-2 and they clinch a playoff spot.“You could see that we were intense,” says Caps coach Dale Hunter. “We wanted the game and we were going to do what it takes to win. But it was a high intensity game; they came hard too and forechecked hard. It was one of those games that we had to sacrifice our body and all the guys did. They sacrificed to win, and that’s what you need to win. We got a lot of character in the room and that’s how we won tonight – through the character of the guys.”Written By Andrew Di Pardo
HABS FALL 2-1 IN A SHOOTOUT AGAINST CAROLINA
GOAL SCORERS
MTL: B. Geoffrion (04:32 - 2nd)
CAR: C. LaRose (PPG, 10:02 - 2nd) , E. Staal (00:00 - SO)
Earlier Tonight in Carolina, it was a meaningless game between the Habs and Hurricanes, as both teams sit out of a playoff spot. The Habs are 15th in the East and the Hurricanes are 12th in the East. 5 minutes into the second, Blake Geoffrion scored on a rap-around for his 2nd goals of the season. 5 minutes later, LaRose would tie the game on a powerplay. This game would go to a shootout. Eric Staal scored the laon goal in the shootout as the Hurricanes win 2-1. In the win, Cam Ward made 30 saves. In the loss, Peter Budaj made 28 saves."Everyone's going to ask me about using (Staal) and I just thought it was fitting, the way he played in the second half, it was great to see him be the final shooter and score the final goal," said Carolina coach Kirk Muller.
The Canadiens coach had this to say about the loss: "There was a lot of desperation in our play," interim Canadiens coach Randy Cunneyworth said. "We were under the gun, under fire, and there's desperation in the box and getting in the way of some mean shots." The Habs will close out their season on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
| Shootout | ||
| Lars Eller | MTL | Save |
| Jeff Skinner | CAR | Save |
| David Desharnais | MTL | Save |
| Jussi Jokinen | CAR | Miss |
| Erik Cole | MTL | Miss |
| Eric Staal | CAR | Goal |
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
THE CANADIENS PRIDE GETS A BOOST WITH A 5-2 WIN OVER TAMPA
GOAL SCORERS
TBL: V. Lecavalier (07:26 - 1st) , B. Gervais (03:42 - 3rd)
MTL: A. Emelin (02:11 - 1st) , E. Cole (01:42 - 2nd) , E. Cole (PPG, 14:34 - 2nd) , M. Pacioretty (05:58 - 3rd) , M. Pacioretty (14:57 - 3rd)
Earlier tonight in Montreal, with both the Tampa Bay Lightning (10th in the East) and the Montreal Canadiens (15th in the East) playing for pride this was a game where all eyes were on Stamkos, as he had a chance to go from 58 goals to 60 goals. But the eyes would soon shut as Stamkos was held pointless in a 5-2 Habs win. The Habs offense started 2 minutes into the game with a rebound goal from Emelin. 5 minutes later, Lecavalier would tie the game, when Budaj sent the puck up the middle, giving Lecavalier an empty net goal. Then just 1 minute and 42 seconds into the second, Desharnais had the puck in the slot and played it over to Cole (at the top of the right circle) and he one-timed a shot past Caron to give Montreal a 2-1 lead.
Late in the second, Plekanecs one-timer from the point was tipped in by Cole to make it 3-1 Montreal. That was a powerplay goal. Then with the score 3-2, Gorges shot was blocked, but it went right to Pacioretty in front and he scored. Pacioretty would add another goal, as the Habs win 5-2. In the win, Budaj made 14 saves. In the loss, Caron made 20 saves. The Habs next game is tomorrow night in Carolina against the Hurricanes.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
LEAFS HAD A 3-0 LEAD, A 4-2 LEAD & A 5-3 LEAD, BUT THE END RESULT WAS AN 6-5 OT LOSS
GOAL SCORERS
TOR: T. Bozak (06:13 - 1st) , T. Bozak (14:49 - 1st) , M. Frattin (16:42 - 1st) , C. MacArthur (01:28 - 3rd) , J. Gardiner (10:39 - 3rd)
BUF: T. Ennis (PPG, 04:26 - 2nd) , A. Sulzer (10:44 - 2nd) , D. Roy (PPG, 02:24 - 3rd) , A. Sulzer (14:57 - 3rd) , J. Leopold (18:07 - 3rd) , D. Roy (PPG, 03:29 - OT)
GOALIES
TOR: B. Scrivens (L)
BUF: R. Miller (W)
Earlier tonight in Buffalo, the Sabres took on the Maple Leafs with a chance to grab a win which would put them into a tie with the Capitals for 8th in the East. 6 minutes in, Kessel centred the puck right to Bozak and he scored to make it 1-0 Toronto. 10 minutes later, Bozak would add another goal. Then with under 4 minutes to play in the first, Bozak drops the puck back to Frattin at the to of the right circle and he wires a shot past Miller to make it 3-0 Maple Leafs lead. 5 minutes into the second with the Sabres on a powerplay, Sulzer had the puck on the left wing and he played the puck cross ice to Ennis and he one-timed a shot past Scrivens to cut the lead to 3-1. At the 10 minute mark of the second, Sulzer had the puck at the hash-marks and he ripped a shot into the back of the net to cut the lead to 1.
1 minute into the third, McArthur scored to make it 4-2 Toronto. Then just over a minute later, Derek Roys one-timer from the point beat Scrivens to cut the lead in half. 8 minutes later, Gardiner brought the puck up the left wing and through the Sabres zone and he went all the way around the back of the net and back into the slot and then he fired a shot past Miller to give Toronto a 2 goal lead again. Then with 5 minutes remaining in the third, Vaneks shot was stopped but Sulzer was there and had to wacks at the puck and it just went over the line. They would review it, but it was as the refs put it "a good Hockey goal." Then with 2 minutes to go, Folingo brought the puck to the front of the net and fired a shot and he was stopped. But then Lombardi of the Leafs fell on the puck for about 10-20 seconds and the play was not blown down and that gave Leopold a chance to knock the puck in to tie the game.
All 5 of the Leafs players were lying on the ice along with 3 Sabres players and the ref didn't blow the play dead which resulted in a controversial goal that tied the game. Then in overtime, Phaneuf took a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass and the Sabres went on a powerplay. On the pwerplay, Roy got the puck in the slot and fired a shot into the net to win the game for Buffalo 6-5, and they are now tied with Washington for 8th with 88 points with just 2 games remaining. In the win, Miller made 20 saves. In the loss, Scrivens made 37 saves.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
RACE FOR 8TH:
3.Panthers (91 Points leading the South East Division) 2 Games Remaining
8. Capitals (88 points) 2 Games Remaining
9. Sabres (88 points) 2 Games Remaining
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