Winnipeg—Waiting is the hardest part, or so the song goes, and Winnipeg hockey fans will find that out the hard way, as they wait eight long days until the regular season gets underway on October 9^th.

Before that, the Jets had one final piece of on ice game action, and that was Friday night versus the Nashville Predators.  The Predators are an interesting opponent for the Jets, as they assemble a roster in a manner very similar to how the Jets are expected to operate—strong scouting resulting in strong draft classes, well coached and a cost-conscious team who spends in the middle of the salary cap range. Both teams also have their scoring difficulties, and that was very apparent in a first period that featured a lot of action in the neutral zone, but not a lot of action in terms of scoring chances and results on the score-sheet.

The Predators opened the scoring after an offensive zone face-off win resulted in a solid shot on net from the point and the rebound managed to evade both Jets defenders, who also failed to pick up the forward who was parked in front of the net. Cal O’Reilly zipped it past a helpless Ondrej Pavelec and it was 1-0 for the boys from Music City, USA.

The second period began with a scrap 90 seconds in as Tanner Glass tested his mettle against Nashville goon Zach Stortini. A respectable effort by both gentlemen resulted in them sitting and contemplating their actions for 5 minutes each. An ensuing Jets powerplay came up empty but did provide the team with a momentum boost as they controlled the puck well on the powerplay and demonstrated an impressive forecheck in the couple of shirts following. The hard work paid off at the 5:57 mark of the 2^nd period, as, after a neutral zone turnover, Andrew Ladd knocked a rebound past Anders Lindback knotting the score at one. Assists on the goal went to Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler. That was the end of the scoring in the 2^nd period, a period dominated by the Jets, who out-shot the Preds by a 16 to 3 margin.

The Predators broke the dead lock at the 7:28 mark of the 3^rd period with a powerplay goal by David Legwand, assist to Marrias Ekholm. Despite being down 2-1, the Jets controlled the entire play and their just rewards were achieved at the 13:07 mark on a powerplay goal by Wunderkid Mark Scheifele, assists to Patrice Cormier and Johnny Oduya. The phone booth was rocking and would do so into the first overtime game in Winnipeg in over fifteen years.

The four on four overtime created exactly what you would expect from a situation with four per side on the ice—offense and scoring chances. While it may be gimmicky, there is no denying the excitement that a 4 on 4 overtime period creates. End to end rushed by both sides failed to result in a goal being scored, meaning the game would be decided by the gimmickiest of all the gimmicks—the shootout.

The Jets sent Blake Wheeler up first to shoot, and despite a nifty move, the 6 foot 6 frame of Preds goalie Anders Lindback kept the puck from hitting the twine. First up for the Predators was Cal O’Reilly and he went glove side on Ondrej Pavelec for what turned out to be, after Lindback stopped Tim Stapleton and Bryan Little, the shootout winning and game winning goal.

Final score, Predators 3 – Jets 2.

Tonight’s 3 stars, as selected by Illegal Curve Hockey:

3^rd star: Chris Thorburn

2^nd star: Anders Lindback

1^st star: Bryan Little

Join us tomorrow from Noon – 3 PM on Sports Radio 1290 and www.illegalcurve.com for the Illegal Curve Hockey Show, where we will recap the Jets-Preds game and provide our comprehensive preview of the entire National Hockey League Season

Winnipeg—And on the 5624^th day, God said let there be NHL hockey in Winnipeg.

With the first of the Jets hitting the ice at 7:31 PM, the day that Winnipeggers have been waiting for since April 28, 1996 became a reality. No more rumors. No more innocuous chatter. The NHL has returned to the city of Winnipeg.

The game itself, the on ice action, was secondary. After all, it was an exhibition game and while the Winnipeg Jets sported a roster featuring some of their best known players, the Columbus Blue Jackets kept their best players at home in this split squad contest.

The Jets opened the scoring at 7:49 of the first period with a Power Play goal off the stick of Paul Postma, assists being recorded by Byfuglien and Ladd. If the Jets are to have significant on-ice success this season, the names of Ladd and Byfuglien will have to be on the score sheet more often than not.

The capacity crowd in the MTS Centre were brought to their feet one more time in the first period, when 2011 first round pick Mark Scheifele continued his stellar play of the Penticton Prospects Tournament, scoring his first professional goal, assists credited to Ben Maxwell and (again) Dustin Byfuglien.

No exhibition game would be complete without some meaningless fisticuffs, and both teams were eager to oblige as there were six fights in the contest. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cody Bass was the chief combatant, dropping the gloves on 3 different occasions in the first 30 minutes of the contest, resulting in a game misconduct after the third fight. The fact Cody Bass was playing for the Blue Jackets should tell you all you need to know about the roster Columbus brought to Winnipeg.

Columbus got on the scoreboard midway through the second period after some sloppy play by the Jets. Ryan Johansen got his first goal of the pre-season, with assists going to Derek MacKenzie and Alexandre Giroux. The Jets matched the Blue Jackets scoring with 3:26 remaining in the second period when, after a nifty pass from Mark Scheifele, Kevin Clark tipped the puck past Blue Jackets goalie Curtis Sanford. The second loudest ovation of the second period, aside from the Clark goal, came with five minutes remaining when the beloved Jets fan, Dancing Gabe, made his first appearance on the Jumbotron.

The start of the third period saw David Aebischer see his first game action, replacing Ondrej Pavelec who was solid in stopping seventeen of eighteen Blue Jackets shots through the first fourty minutes. The Jets got on the score sheet early in the 3^rd period after yet another nifty pass by Mark Scheifele setting up Ivan Telegin for his first goal of the game. Second assist was credited to Mark Stuart. They potted another marker six minutes later when Mark Scheifele recorded his 2^nd goal of the game, and 4^th point, with assists going to Dustin Byfuglien (his 3^rd) and Nikolai Antropov.

Jets captain Andrew Ladd wrapped up the scoring 13:33 into the 3^rd period, scoring his first of what the Jets hope are many goals this season, with assists going to Nik Antropov and Paul Postma. A six to one final in favour of the Winnipeg Jets left the capacity crowd of 15004 fans cheering, and chanting the name of Mark Scheifele.

After the completion of the sixty minutes of play, and with more in depth analysis of tonight’s contest still to come on Illegal Curve, via the brain of Richard Pollock, the long and the short of what went down at MTS Centre tonight was a more talented Jets team, dominating the lesser weights that Columbus brought as competition. The reverse of what occurred in Columbus where a youthful Jets team was dominated by the Columbus regulars. Mark Scheifele had a magical night, proving that against this level of competition, charitably an AHL Blue Jackets roster, he belongs. Against NHL caliber it’s yet to be seen, but he has certainly given the Jets management something to ponder over the next 2 weeks of pre-season action.

3 Stars

1^st star: Mark Scheifele (2 goals, 2 assists in his professional debut)

2^nd star: Alex Burmistrov (dangled the puck and was dangerous all night long. Tantalized the fans of what yet might come

3^rd star: Dustin Byfuglien (aggressive, dominant physically. You think he had a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone?)

Having only seen the Oilers on a web feed so far this pre-season, I was excited to see them live in action. They easily fulfilled the “live” part, but the “action” was pretty sparse. Despite erasing a 2-0 deficit and holding a lead for about a period, the Oilers effort last night left me a little cold.

The first period was by far the worst, with several defensive miscues and about 9 forwards who seem to think they are irreplaceable in the lineup. The first Lightning goal featured a defensive breakdown of epic proportions, as Ryan Malone was all alone in front to tuck in a rebound. The Oilers penalty kill let them down on goal #2, as Martin St. Louis wired an Alex Tanguay feed to increase the deficit to 2-0.

The Oilers clawed back with a nice power play goal by Robert Nilsson, who is making a strong case to stay on the team. Andrew Cogliano converted a partial breakaway to make it 2-2 after being sent in on a stretch pass by Denis Grebeskov. Tom Gilbert buried the third goal on a wrist shot from the high slot after a nifty feed from Gilbert Brule, who picked a covvenient time to show up.

Holding the lead until the wee moments of the game, the Oilers passed up several chances to put the Lightning away on the powerplay, and the 5 on 5 play was mediocre at best, with only Ryan Stone and Robert Nilsson putting in consistent efforts. Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who was a little shaky on the St. Louis goal, effectively barred the door for most of the 2nd and 3rd, twice stoning Steven Stamkos from close range.

While I will comment on the power-play in a separate post, the Oilers penalty kill is worthy of a quick mention. While the penalty killers (Brule, Stone, Moreau, Reddox and even Penner) were not terrible, they had no answer for the puck possession and quick puck movement of the Lightning forwards. Furthermore, the Oilers continued difficulty in the faceoff circle would haunt them, as an ill-timed Steve Staios penalty in the offensive zone with 10 seconds to play in OT gave the Lightning the win. A quick face off win by the Bolts, followed by a heads up pass to St. Louis for a slap shot that he simply blew by Deslauriers ended the Oilers night.

The lines and pairings broke down as follows:

Cogliano-Gagner-Nilsson- Easily the best trio of the night. Ethan Moreau started out with this unit, but was very lacklustre and was soon replaced with Robert Nilsson, who had all kinds of jump. They provided most of the offense and clearly like playing with each other. They could use a little more size on the PP, but they move the puck well and Cogliano looks better on the wing.

Penner-Schremp-Eberle- All of them did some things individually and Penner played well in 4 on 4 situations with Brule. Schremp is trying way too hard and is a little snake bit. Eberle is talented but needs a little seasoning, and Penner needs Horcoff and Hemsky.

Moreau-Brule-Stone- The second best unit on the night, for my money. Moreau was mostly invisible save for one shot he rang off the iron. Stone was the best of this trio, and plays a rough and tumble game with some offensive upside. He hits a lot and that is skill that is rare on this roster. Brule showed some flashes, but also disappeared for stretches at a time. He did have a real nice pass to Gilbert for the 3rd goal.

MacIntyre-Stortini-Reddox- The 4th line bunch didn’t see the ice much, but they competed every shift. Reddox skates miles covering for MacIntyre, who often put himself out of position trying to kill someone. Stortini did ok in spot duty at centre, and was a bit of an agitator. Reddox also saw duty on the PK, where he did quite well.

Visnovsky-Smid- The de facto first pairing, they played a pretty decent game, save for their miscue on the first goal. Smid is developing into a pretty good shut down guy, and opposing players don’t get much when he is out there. Visnovsky was his usual smooth self, and really needed some help on the PP. The only one with a clue out there.

Chorney-Gilbert- The two former collegians played pretty well together, and Gilbert is showing an increased offensive acumen. As a former Chorney fan, and recent Chorney detractor, I was very pleased with his game. He is staying within his comfort zone and is thriving as a result. Skates well and making nice passes, he also did well on the PP. I have no problem with him as the 7th defender.

Grebeshkov-Staios- Steady Steve played a solid game and was pretty physical for an exhibition game. I still like how Grebeshkov plays, but he was really fighting the puck last night, which cost the Oilers a lot of precious time on the power play.

Deslauriers- I really have no idea about goalies, but found his performance adequate. He was suspect on the two St. Louis goals, which were stoppable in my opinion. The 3rd lightning goal was redirected, and the first one he could have used some defensive help. That said, he made up for these possible miscues with several big time saves. Looks like he wants the backup job in the worst way.

Coach Dan Bylsma:

I’m sure you’re not going to reveal your strategy for Pavel Datsyuk before the next game. But could you talk in general terms of how the Red Wings are different when they have Datsyuk and when they don’t?
I think the one thing that was clearly evident in that game is his line got to the offensive zone more with the puck and had more offensive zone time. His ability to hold on to the puck and also use his line mates and use his defense in the offensive zone created more one time and created more pucks in and around our goalie and made us play defense a little bit more.         

He’s an elite player. That’s what he does. They’re fortunate to be getting him back here in whatever capacity he was. He’s certainly a big factor in the game. We’re going to have to almost take a more defensive stance against him when he’s out there than Zetterberg checking Crosby the way it seemed to be playing out in the first little bit of the series.

Did you talk to Marc-Andre after last night’s game and how do you think he’ll respond Tuesday night?
Other than to say I didn’t think anything was his fault, the situation we were in. It was the situation of pucks getting by him and hitting sticks and two powerplay goals. It was a situation where taking him out was a chance to give him a break and give our team a bit of a wakener. Get a new guy in there and see if that would spark us to get focused on playing the game better.            

But Marc is the guy who is going in for Game 6. We believe in him. I know he’s the type of guy who is going to be ready to go for Game 6. He’s going to be focused, and he’s going to want to go out there and play the best game of the series for Game 6.            

I know that every guy in that room wants to see him in that net for Game 6. They believe in him. They’re confident in him, and they know he’s going to respond.

Bill Guerin:

Detroit found a whole new level last night. If this was a movie, there would be two days of uplifting speeches in your dressing room by veterans and coaches and stuff. What really happens between then and Tuesday? Is it what those of us on the outside think is happening in there?
I’ll tell you Wednesday. I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen. You know, as a veteran you just try to keep guys together, make sure guys are okay and their heads are right. I know we do have a young team, but we have guys that are experienced and guys that are kind of made for this type thing.            

Jordan Staal is 20 years old, but he seems like he’s been in the league for ten years. You don’t really have to worry about guys like that. These guys seem to know how to really handle themselves, and it’s pretty amazing.            

You know, for inspirational speeches and things like that, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But we’re going to do our best as a team to be ready for Tuesday.

You guys faced elimination one other time this postseason against Washington. How was preparing for a Game 6 elimination compare to playing in a Game 7 elimination?            
That’s a good question. I don’t think much. Coming back home for Game 6, you know, we just have to focus on the one game. We can’t think about a Game 7. We can’t think about what happened in Game 5. It has to be just Game 6. Getting back to playing the game that we’re supposed to play. I think we really got away from that last night. I think we all know it.             And we’ve just got to take these couple of days and refocus and come back and play our game. Not play with the pressures of an elimination game. Just focus on playing the game, not an elimination game.

You’re 38, you’ve been through a couple of teams. Is there a voice in the back of your head saying that there’s every chance that this might be my last Cup shot?            
Yep (laughing). You never know what the future holds for opportunities and chances to win the Cup. But, yeah, I know where I’m at in my career. I know they’re going to have to kick me out of this league because I want to keep playing as long as I can. But the opportunity is now. You know, the opportunity is now for a 38 year old, and it’s now for a 22 year old, and for a 28 year old. The opportunity is now, and you have to take it when you’ve got the opportunity because, you know, it could be 14 years before you get your next one.

Pittsburgh Head Coach Dan Bylsma

Are you expecting and/or game planning for Datsyuk?
Right now they’d be lying if he wasn’t in. They say he’s going to play. At least that’s what I’ve read. So we’re planning on him being in the lineup, and possibly more additions as well.

Does that change anything for you?
Well, I don’t know in what capacity those guys coming in are going to play and how much they’re going to play. They played Zetterberg an awful lot last game. And if I’m assuming that if Datsyuk comes in, that would alleviate some of the pressure on his ice time. But still looking for those guys to be out against our skill players. So I expect the same kind of approach from their team if he’s in.

Are you seeing what you’d like to see out of Chris Kunitz, or is there something missing there?
I don’t know what the NHL stats were last game for his hits. I think they were 11. I think we had them at 13, the way we count them. That’s a lot of leaving a mark. That’s leaving your mark in a lot of different places. That’s what you count on from the guy. Leaving a mark, being a presence on the forecheck, going and driving to the net.

 Detroit Head Coach Mike Babcock:

Can we assume from the fact that Pavel’s still out there that he’s probably not playing tonight?
I wouldn’t assume anything. Pavel already told me that he’s warming up and planning on playing. Now, we’ve had lots of plans over the years. We’ll see what happens.

Well, you let us in that Draper was playing yesterday. So you have not made a decision on Pavel and it’s going to be game time, correct?
I’m not making the decision. When Pav’s ready, he’s playing. He’s making that decision or the doctors and trainers. When he feels he’s ready to go, and that foot allows him to have some pop, he’s playing.  Right now we have Draper going in, we have Abby coming out.

How are you?
Feel great, actually, you know. Really good. I’m missing my son’s graduation today. I missed my daughter’s birthday on Tuesday. So probably not running for Father of the Year, but other than that, everything’s good (laughing).

Looks like today is all about Pavel and whether or not he is returning.  Bylsma is a refreshing change from the hold everything close to your vest types.  He seems pretty candid.  What’s even more shocking is to hear Mike Babcock cracking jokes.

Pavel looked pretty good today. Is he pretty close or what do you think?
I don’t know. What we’ll do is we’ll go for the optional skate in the morning and see how he responded today and see how he felt.            

I haven’t talked to him since he got off, and I haven’t talked to Pete. He was still out there well after I got off, so we’ll see how he is.

This might sound stupid, but do you feel you need him more now because you’ve lost a game in this series?
Well, no, I thought we needed him the day we lost him against Chicago. And I think we’ve needed him every game since. But I think just what I said earlier, guys have stepped up, done a real good job and given us an opportunity. Just like last night, they gave us a good opportunity, and we weren’t able to finish.

After a loss in these Playoffs, you guys have played some pretty good hockey. How have you done that? What happens after you lose a game?
Well, you know, I don’t know the answer to that. I think what we try to do is just like anything that’s a great reminder how hard it is and how determined you have to be. And the other thing that’s a lot of fun in the Playoffs, it’s a roller coaster ride. You feel great one day, and the next day you don’t feel that good. And it’s all based on winning and losing. 

You know, the big thing for us is no different than Game 3 was. It was a huge game. Game 4 now becomes a huge game. It’s the game we’re playing. 

It’s a big test for our team. We have to respond, we understand that. 

When we look at the game here today, our first scoring ?? we got a face?off play and Leino got a chance, but our first chance in the game came  with 12:39 left on the clock in the first. So that’s basically, you’ve gone 7 minutes without generating offense. And then we had a good second period and then again in the third period, and I could be wrong on that by a minute or something. But I think it was 12 minutes again.   So we played a real good 30 minutes in between, but we didn’t start like we’d like to, and we didn’t finish like we’d like to.  

With the skill and talent you have, the goaltender you have, you still must be disappointed with your penalty killing percentage. Can you just talk about that a little bit?
Well, it’s not even the percentage, it’s when you give them up. You know, that’s huge. Last night we needed a kill. Without any question, it was a 2?2 game. We needed the kill. I went through it today without emotion. The first power?play goal they got, I didn’t like the way the goal went in. But I hated the play, went half wall across and you can’t give that up.

Just to clarify, is Draper in or out, or are you not saying? 
I can tell you if you want. He’s in. I don’t know who is out.

Zetterberg was up over 24 minutes last night. Is that ideal for him or is it a little much? What is your thought?
I would have liked him not to be at that. I thought he was in a real good situation going into the third period. But we were also down there at the end, and we have a day off. So anything for me with him is 22, 23 doesn’t ?? I don’t want him to be 24. I think he was 24:11 though, wasn’t he? Okay. Who has the time sheet? I don’t know if the extra 20 seconds killed him. 24:19. After the game he asked Pete, how many minutes did I play? And Pete told him. And he said, gee it didn’t feel like that tonight. 

The other thing we’ve got to take into account is sometimes at home your guys are right on top of those key guys because you’ve been on them over the years to make sure they’re not wrong. And sometimes on the road you’re not. When you’re getting people and on off the ice like we were last night, I didn’t think we overplayed him.

No surprise that Draper is in.  He needs some fresh legs in the lineup because even Helm looked tired during last night’s 3rd period.

Discounting the final 19 seconds of the second game, there had only been five minor penalties called in the first two games of this series. Do you think the officiating started has changed from the regular season, and does this favor one team or the other in this series?
I think the standard that’s been called in the game has been fair. I mean, is there penalties on each side?? as a coach, you can go through the game and say that was a penalty, that wasn’t a penalty.  But if you’re honest, you can usually say that about both sides.  You know, as a coach, you typically want to point out the ones that their team does against yours and you rarely want to point out the ones that your team does against theirs. So I think the standard on the ice has been pretty consistent for both teams.

There’s two ways of looking at the plight your team is in right now, next shift, next game, or you have to beat the Red Wings four out of five to win the Stanley Cup. Do you choose door number one for your guys?
That’s an easy one to pick. The great thing about a seven game series, it’s either a testament of the best team wins quickly, or if you can draw it out, it’s a battle of will, and endurance and determination and right now that’s what we need to turn it into. They have two wins, and we need to get back in this series with a win here tonight. If not, we face the prospect of being down 0 games to 3.

One of the things that your players just said was that last year they didn’t play well in the first two games. They felt they played well in the first two games in this series. Just your thoughts going into Game 3 on the specifics of what they have to do better in Game 3 in order to get that puck in the net?
Yeah, we’re talking in some cases we’re talking about burying the chances that we do have. We can talk about posts, and that’s something we can do better. Their goalie has made the save or we haven’t taken advantage of really good opportunities. I think the one thing that they’ve been better at than us in this series is in and around that net on second chances and loose pucks. They’ve gotten those goals. Whether it be off the end board or on rebounds, they’ve created them.  We’ve had situations where we’ve had it there. The pucks been in the crease on top of goalies, behind the goalie. We just haven’t gotten enough pucks in by them, and we have to be better in that area. We can also get better in maintaining possession in the offensive zone.  They’ve done a good job of playing defense. But too many times it’s 10 seconds or less, 15 seconds or less, we need to get more shifts of the 30 second variety. One of the strengths previously for us was getting shift after shift in the offensive zone makes it tough on defensemen, and we need to do more than that.

I’m sure that Justin Abdelkader was familiar with you when he was growing up. Were you familiar with him and his success when he was growing up just a few miles away? And can you just talk a little bit about how he’s played, and how he’s developed?
I never had a billboard in West Michigan, Justin did. I don’t know if he still does. So I was fully aware of this kid from Michigan growing up. Even when he was young. Then where he went from there and then on to Michigan State. And heard talk about where he was going to rank as a pro. Was fully aware of him. Never got a chance to meet him until this year in Grand Rapids where I met his family. I was fully aware. Again, I saw the billboard, and a little jealous I never got one. Not that I’m a billboard type of guy in West Michigan. But he got it.

Are you going with the same lineup tonight, Coach?
It will be game time decision. It’s playoffs. We’re dealing with the bumps and bruises, and we’ll make some decisions at game time.

It’s been talked about after the last couple of games about Fleury and maybe there being a tough one that he’d like to have back?to?back breaking goal. Fair or not, whatever. How do you think he’s handled whatever criticism has come his way, and what are your expectations of his play in this pressure situation back home?
This is not the first game that Marc-Andre’s faced criticism from outside and questioned whether he played in the big game or late in the year and carry a team or play in the playoffs. He’s answered those questions pretty dramatically with his play both the last two seasons at the end of the year. He came up with big games in the playoffs.  The losing team always has questions to answer on their play. And Marc-Andre is the goaltender, he’s going to take some of that criticism and field some of those questions. But I’m confident that he’s always come back with focus and determination on playing his best game, and I anticipate that will be the case tonight. 

He seems pretty loose and until he has a loss at home I guess that’s fine.  I liked his point about the officiating.  Expect a big game from the Pens tonight.

Has Draper been cleared to play by doctors and if so, will he play tonight?
Yeah, he was cleared before last game. Don’t know if he’ll play tonight. It will be based on Samuelsson. Samuelsson didn’t take the morning skate, so we’ll see what happens there.

Second injury, we just saw Pavel out on the ice. Just your thoughts on him and how does he look today?
Well, I guess he had his best overnight experience that he’s had. And he seemed to have a big turn around. So he was real optimistic here today. I don’t assume that affects today’s game whatsoever, but it could really affect the following game.

Do you enjoy the fact that Kirk Maltby tends to play a game within a game and gets chirpy out there and tries to get in everybody’s head?
Well, I think the big thing about Malts is since I’ve been here the best time of his year each year is at this time. He plays well and he plays hard. He’s been real good for us in each and every game. That’s just a side bar, Malts.

Traditionally Game 3 is such a swing game as far as, you know, you guys could basically put it away or they could get life. Last year what did they do to get Game 3, and what do you do differently this time?
Well, last Game 3, and I don’t remember it as well as I probably should. But the bottom line is they were able to get started on time, and we still had opportunities in that game. But they got started, they got the lead, and they played well and they used the momentum.  Our key here today is getting started on time. Executing early, making some plays. And just understanding that there’s going to be some energy from the crowd, but it’s just like in our building, it’s for two teams.

There’s a theory because your team is up 2 games to none they can relax and have more fun. Is that true or what do you think?
I don’t know. Relaxing is for the summer. You know, I guess what I’d tell you here is there’s an opportunity today for both teams. You know, Game 1 was huge. Then when we got to Game 2 it was huge, and now Game 3 is huge. Why? Because it’s the one we’re playing. So I think both teams are very much an understanding of how big this game is. We’ve both been here in this situation before. We understand it’s a big game and that we’ve got to be at our best.

You guys have played so well on the road this year, what is the mindset when you come into a building is it experience, is it just knowing what to expect? You guys really relished playing in another team’s building?
That’s a real good question. We’ve been a good road team since the lockout, for sure. Played real well on the road. And part of it is depth. But part of it is just understanding how to play. The other thing I think is on the road you don’t entertain. You execute. Sometimes entertaining your own people leads to turnovers and lack of execution. So we just need to play a real simple game here today and make sure we’re playing hard and ready to go on time.

No real surprises except that Pavel Datsyuk might be feeling better on his skates than was being forcast.  Or perhaps it is some gamesmanship on Babcock’s part.  As can be expected at this time of year no injury news will be forthcoming.  It is a wonder that reporter’s even bother to ask anymore.

The Windsor Spitfires exploded with an early barrage against the Kelowna Rockets in Sunday’s Memorial Cup final, capturing the junior hockey championship with a 4-1 victory.

Adam Henrique, Dale Mitchell and Rob Kwiet scored on Windsor’s first three shots before the game was seven minutes old, sending Kelowna goalie Mark Guggenberger to the bench.

Colin Long scored for the Rockets eight seconds into the second period in the game at Rimouski, Que., but Ryan Ellis of the Spitfires restored the three-goal cushion later in the frame.

For complete story, click here.

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	Washington	3					Boston	1
	Pittsburgh	5					Carolina	4
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads Japers Rink PensBurgh						Team Game Threads Stanley Cup of Chowder Canes Country
Game Recap						Game Recap

Washington/Pittsburgh:

• Odd Fact:  Team that scores first has lost every single game. 
• Varlamov looked very, very human.
• Still not sure about Ovechkin’s knee on knee with Gonchar.  Apparently no supplementary disclipline will be forthcoming.

Boston/Carolina:

• Odd Fact:  Every time Staal scores the Canes have won the game.
• Boston has lost all 21 series that they trailed 3 games to 1.
• Staal & Ward were beasts for Carolina tonight.
• Being a healthy scratch was very helpful for Samsanov tonight.

Ongoing Phoenix Saga Daily Tidbit:

• Daly: NHL controls Coyotes, 3 local owner options.  Highlight of the interview:

SL: Bottom line, do you think that next season there will be a franchise in Phoenix?

BD: Yes, I do.

SL: What about three years from now?

BD:  Yes, I do.

FINAL 1ST OT		T				FINAL		T
	Vancouver	1					Detroit	6
	Chicago	2					Anaheim	3
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Nucks Misconduct Second City Hockey						Team Game Threads: Winging it in Mowtown Battle of California
Game Recap						Game Recap

Looks like a Pens fan has had enough of Alex the Great. 

“I’m killing Ovechkin. I’m going to jail. I don’t care anymore,” said the message, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“We became aware of an inappropriate comment on a message board and referred it to the appropriate authorities,” said a statement released Thursday by the Capitals.

For complete story click here.  Update:  The police have traced the threat to a 17 year old boy whose name cannot be released because he is a juvenille.

Jumping the Gun:

From TSN.ca

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger confirmed that he had a meeting with a representative of Balsillie’s legal team on Thursday where discussions took place to have the city enter into an agreement involving the potential team and the downtown arena.

For complete story click here.

Seems like they are putting the cart before the horse.  Shouldn’t you own the team first?

After 40 Minutes Notes:

Moyes claims he still owns the Coyotes.  He also said that he had never heard of the Reinsdorf offer.  The intrigue continues.

Detroit/Anaheim Game Thoughts:

Looks like the Wings have figured out the secret of Jonas Hiller as they chased him 38 minutes into the contest.  Welcome to the 2nd Round Mr. Hossa, where have you been?  The potential injury to Ryan Getzlaf who only played 2 minutes 43 seconds in the 3rd could have MASSIVE implications in this series.  If the Ducks want to win he has to be healthy.

FINAL 1ST OT		T				FINAL 1ST OT		T
	Washington	2					Boston	2
	Pittsburgh	3					Carolina	3
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Game Recap						Game Recap

And to think they considered changing the overtime.  Is there anything more exciting in the playoffs then OT?  As if Pens fans weren’t clutching their hearts at the thought of a goal and going down to the Caps 3-0.  As they say on commercials for Monster Truck shows and I think the sentiment applies to OT hockey games “You pay for the whole seat, but you’ll only need the EDGE!” (please imagine that last sentence using a Monster Truck voice).

FINAL		T				Final		T
	Vancouver	3					Detroit	1
	Chicago	1					Anaheim	2
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Nucks Misconduct Second City Hockey						Team Game Threads: Winging it in Mowtown Battle of California
Game Recap						Game Recap

I was informed that the Red Wings announced the launch of their new FanBar – a browser-based toolbar that will deliver breaking team news, playoff updates, player info, the team blog, video highlights, and ticketing opportunities to fans directly from their browser no matter what site they’re visiting online.

FINAL		F
	Pittsburgh	3
	Washington	4
Game Preview
Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: The Pens Blog Japers’ Rink
Game Recap

What can you say? This series is incredible.  Crosby and Ovechkin are living up to all the hype.  Four goals in two games each? Are you kidding me.  I can’t wait until Wednesday.

FINAL		T
	Carolina	3
	Boston	0
Game Preview
Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Canes Country Stanley Cup of Chowder
Game Recap

My apologies for forgetting about Staal’s empty net goal.  I guess I was so shocked by the NHL missing Chad Larose’s goal with 3 seconds remaining in the 2nd that it slipped my mind.  My thanks to hurricanesinsider for pointing out my error.

FINAL (3RD OT)		T
	Anaheim	4
	Detroit	3
Game Preview
Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Battle of California Winging it in Mowtown
Game Recap

What an amazing hockey game.  A few thoughts;

1)  Jonas Hiller has been sick

2)  Its very weird watching OT (let alone triple OT) hockey in the afternoon.

3)  Wings have carried the play for both OT’s.

Stats Through 2 OT

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We hope you will participate and enjoy being an integral piece in this exciting, new Illegal Curve experiment

Update from Saturday’s Wings practice: Brian Rafalski did not practice and won’t play tomorrow in Game 2 against the Ducks.

“I saw him this morning, he’s in good spirits, he seems fine,” Mike Babcock said. “He’s not going to play.”

Rafalski hasn’t skated three straight days because of an undisclosed upper-body injury.

 

For complete story, click here.

What did the Wings need last night?  They needed Listrom to step up and be a hero (2 goals and did he leave the ice) and they needed one of the lesser defenceman to take it to the next level.  Ericsson really stepped up and played well in place of Rafalski.  That being said, they have to hope that if this series is going to go long, that Rafalski gets back into the lineup asap.

• Detroit/Anaheim
• Vancouver/Chicago
• Boston/Carolina
• Washington/Pittsburgh

FINAL		T
	Vancouver	5
	Chicago	3
Game Preview
Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Nucks Misconduct Second City Hockey
Game Recap

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	NY Rangers	1					Carolina	4
	Washington	2					New Jersey	3
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Blueshirt Banter Japers’ Rink						Team Game Threads: Canes Country In Lou We Trust
Game Recap						Game Recap

I apologize to all NJD fans as with the score tied 3-3 I proposed to the group of 6-8 guys watching the game that we have an OT goal scoring pool.  I was warned that this happened during game 5 between the Devils and Canes when the Canes scored with 0.2 seconds left.  And then Stall put the game away for the Canes with 32 seconds remaining.  Oops.

 Game Notes:

• IC Trivia:  Which are the only two teams to come back from a 3-0 series deficit?
• For the 1st time in the 38 year history of the Canucks they’ve swept a 7 game series.
• Paul Kariya is out for tonight’s game and Mats Sundin is a game time decision.
• Since moving to Raleigh, the Canes have thrived when falling behind 2-1 in the postseason, losing only one out of four series. 
• Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane says he’s ready for Game 4.
• The hit of the night goes to Detroit’s Brad Stuart who CRUSHED R. J. Umburger in the 2nd.

Final		T				Final		T
	Pittsburgh	3					Detroit	4
	Philadelphia	1					Columbus	1
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Pensburgh Broad Street Hockey						Team Game Threads: Winging it in Mowtown The Canon
Game Recap						Game Recap

Final		T				FINAL OT		T
	New Jersey	3					Vancouver	3
	Carolina	4					St. Louis	2
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: In Lou We Trust Canes Country						Team Game Threads: Nucks Misconduct St. Louis Game Time
Game Recap						Game Recap

FINAL		T
	San Jose	4
	Anaheim	3
Game Preview
Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Fear the Fin Battle of California
Game Recap

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets 3 Stars:

• 1st Star:  Dan Cleary:  The Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador native got the party started with a big 1st goal (turned out to be the game winner) which took the Columbus crowd out of the game.  He also added two assists and a number of bone crushing hits which helped the Wings take a strangle hold on this series.
• 2nd Star: Chris Osgood:  As I said in my playoff preview “he is a veteran goalie who knows what it takes to win a series” and he is proving me right and his worth to the team having only given up 2 goals in 180 minutes of playoff hockey.
• 3rd Star:  Detroit’s Penalty Kill:  This much maligned group finished the regular season in 25th spot but has only given up 1 power play goals in 11 Columbus opportunities.. 

And you thought Ovechkin was only good as a forward.  Check out that ability to get back.

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	Boston	4					Washington	4
	Montreal	2					NY Rangers	0
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Stanley Cup of Chowder Four Habs Fans						Team Game Threads: Japers’ Rink Blueshirt Banter
Game Recap						Game Recap

FINAL		T
	Chicago	2
	Calgary	4
Game Preview
Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Second City Hockey Matchsticks and Gasoline
Game Recap

• Lundqvist with his 3rd career shutout.  Osgood picks up his 14th career shutout.
• Good news for the Wings, Hawks, Canucks, Bruins and Rangers as teams that take a 2-0 series lead end up winning 87% of the time.

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	NY Rangers	1					Columbus	0
	Washington	0					Detroit	4
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Blueshirt Banter Japers’ Rink						Team Game Threads: The Cannon Winging it in Mowtown
Game Recap						Game Recap

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	Montreal	1					Calgary	2
	Boston	5					Chicago	3
Game Preview						Game Preview
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads: Four Habs Fans Stanley Cup of Chowder						Team Game Threads: Matchsticks and Gasoline Second City Hockey
Game Recap						Game Recap

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets 3 Stars:

• 1st Star:  Chris Osgood:  He wasn’t as stellar as he was last night but he once again showed why he has won so many playoff games.  And he also managed to shutout the Jackets.
• 2nd Star: Detroit’s Power Play:  3 of the 4 goals tonight came on the power play and they showed why you can’t get penalties against the regular season’s #1 power play.
• 3rd Star:  Pavel Datsyuk:  He doesn’t just score, he also hits and he played as physical a game as I’ve seen him play all year long. 

• Don’t mess with the Devils.  Hilarious clip.
• Bill Guerin gets his first ever Playoff OT goal in his 17 year career.
• Sundin scores his first playoff goal in 5 years giving the Canucks a 1-0 lead.
• J.D. being interviewed as 3rd period starts.  You hear that voice and you think you’re watching a Rangers game.
• Keith Tkachuk playoff goals: 28.  Remainder of St. Louis Active Roster: 23.  Shockingly he was also the voice of reason holding back Andy Murray at the end of the game when it looked like his coach was going to jump onto the Canucks bench.

FINAL OT		T				FINAL OT		T
	Philadelphia	2					Carolina	2
	Pittsburgh	3					New Jersey	1
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Game Threads:						Game Threads:
Broad Street Hockey PensBurgh						Canes Country  In Lou We Trust
Game Recap						Game Recap

FINAL		T
	St. Louis	0
	Vancouver	3
Game Scoresheet
Game Threads:
St. Louis Game Time Nucks Misconduct
Game Recap

Canucks vs. Blues 3 Stars:

• 1st Star:  Roberto Luongo.  Having seen him do it live (in Detroit last year vs. Hasek) and after watching him tonight, he is just unbelievable.  He makes amazing saves look routine.  Shutout.
• 2nd Star: Sedin Twins & Burrows.  Fantastic energy all game long.  Buzzing in all ends of the rink.  (combined 6 points tonight)
• 3rd Star:  Andy McDonald must have hit 15 posts and crossbars tonight.  Best Blue on the ice.

• Drury has been scratched from the Rangers lineup for Game 1.
• Sidney Crosby scores the 1st goal of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
• Alex Ovechkin with 6 shots and 6 hits in the 1st period.  Scores 1st goal of series in 2nd.

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	NY Rangers	4					Philadelphia	1
	Wasington	3					Pittsburgh	4
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Game Threads:						Game Threads:
Blueshirt Banter  Japers’ Rink						Broad Street Hockey  PensBurgh
Game Recap						Game Recap

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	Carolina	1					St. Louis	1
	New Jersey	4					Vancouver	2
Game Scoresheet						Game Scoresheet
Game Threads:						Game Threads:
Canes Country  In Lou We Trust						St. Louis Game Time  Nucks Misconduct
Game Recap						Game Recap

Here’s how the team’s breakdown;

No. 1 Boston University (BU) Terriers (#1) vs. No. 3 Vermont Catamounts (#5)

From Inside College Hockey: 

WHY BOSTON UNIVERSITY WINS: Because they’re the better team with too much talent and too much depth to miss out on the school’s first national championship since 1995. They haven’t played their best hockey in the last several weeks, but a week and a half to regroup and focus should pay dividends for the Terriers.

WHY VERMONT WINS: Even though it took place several months ago, the Catamounts can draw on some confidence from a weekend sweep of the Terriers. They’re the only team to have beaten BU twice this year and those wins came just two weeks after BU posted a 7-2 win at Vermont on Nov. 1.

For the full story click here.

This should be a fantastic game.  Both teams are capable of winning this game and taking the championship.  With the one and done nature of these games it will really be determined by which team has handled the long layoff better and who has used that time to better prepare for the other.  My “bold” predicition is that Boston University wins the game 4-3.

No. 4 Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (#6) vs. No. 4 Bemidji State Beavers (#44)

From Inside College Hockey: 

WHY MIAMI WINS: Balance up front, and not just because they have three really good lines that are capable of generating offense. Because of their strong two-way play, the RedHawks won’t be forced to match lines in an attempt to keep Scofield, Read, and Francis in check. Look for them to try to wear down the Beavers’ top line by throwing fresh bodies at them. Getting off to a good start will also be important; Bemidji State will come out flying and everyone in the building not rooting for Miami will become de facto Beaver fans.

WHY BEMIDJI STATE WINS: The Beavers have a blueprint for how to win this game, and it’s the same one they successfully implemented against Notre Dame and Cornell. Pressure the puck, don’t let the opponent get comfortable on offense, keep the shooters on the perimeter, and generally make life easier for Dalton in the process. And though BSU didn’t score first against Cornell, the Beavers would certainly benefit from an early goal, which would get the neutral fans into the game on their behalf.

For the full story click here.

This game is more difficult.  While Miami (Ohio) has a lot of balance and should be able to overpower Bemidji State, the Beavers are the cinderella story of the tournament riding high on emotional victories over No. 2 in the country Notre Dame and No. 10 Cornell.  The only question for these Beavers is, has that “high” lasted the 11 days in-between games.  Unfortunately the clock is about to strike midnight for these cinderella’s as I predict a final score of Miami (Ohio) 3 – Bemidji State 1.