Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down the Jets play against the Penguins.

Coach Bylsma

James Neal

Sidney Crosby

Coach Dan Bylsma

The Penguins took over the game in the 3rd period. It began as a 1-1 game to start the period but the Penguins scored 3 goals in 4 minutes and 32 seconds.

Marc Andre-Fleury

Joe Vitale

James Neal

Coach Bylsma

The Penguins had an active practice today. The arrived in Winnipeg last night and took in the Jets/Habs game.

Arron Asham

James Neal

Jordan Staal

Marc Andre-Fleury

After watching the replay, analyst Mike Johnson exclaimed:

“Matt Cooke gets away with goalie interference on that one, Pavelec within his blue paint, entitled to that position and Cooke skates right through him and knocks him off line, that’s goalie interference.”

After the game, Pavelec was very humble about the win thanking his posts for the good luck. When asked about the potential interference, the Czech goaltender said it was just part of playing hard and going to the net:

“I don’t know, it’s hard to say. I didn’t see it yet, I think I was a bit outside the crease, the referee saw it, he was there, he didn’t call it, that (type of play is) what you need. We scored the second goal like that; we went in front of the net, we screened the goalie and scored a goal. Sometimes it is what it is, they are trying (to score as well) and they scored from that, they (got in front of me) twice, and (the refs) didn’t call it. I didn’t see it yet, I’ll have to see the video.”

In order to determine if the play was goalie interference, we should look in the official NHL rule book to determine the appropriate definition.

From the Official NHL Rule Book Rule 69 – Interference on the Goalkeeper

1) A player impairs the goalie’s ability move freely within his crease or defend his goal

2) An attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with the goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease.

From the overhead view, the images show that criteria one is  satisfied; Pavelec’s ability to move freely is impaired after contact with Matt Cooke. It is up to the referee’s discretion to determine if intentional or deliberate contact occurred. Given Cooke’s track record, it would be reasonable to assume that it was intentional, and go to video review if the referees did see contact.

Two conclusions:

1) This year the NFL began to review all scoring plays to ensure accuracy in making judgment calls. Perhaps the NHL should consider implementing a similar policy for close plays like this one.

2) The Jets were able to keep their cool and not let the goal effect their mentality, however if the Jets end up losing the game, this could have been a momentum changer.

Marc-Andre Fleury

Arron Asham

Coach Dan Bylsma:

Defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.  How does that sound?  Well if you are the city of Pittsburgh it sounded pretty good this summer but the 2008-09 season is over and it is time to focus on defending your title.  Now the Pens are looking to become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.  Unlike his Detroit counterpart, Penguins GM Ray Shero managed to keep his core group largely intact.  The biggest adjustment the Pens might face is having coach Dan Bylsma in the locker room for an entire season. 

The questions that require answering by the Pens as this upcoming season is about to get underway are the following, namely;  1) Do Crosby & Malkin have enough of a supporting cast to excel? 2) With all that talent, can they re-gain their top 5 power play unit? and finally 3) Can the improvements by their Atlantic Division competition, knock them from the top, prevent them from making the Stanley Cup Finals for the third year in a row and winning it again? (what a way to say goodbye to Mellon Arena).

Forwards:

The success of those early Islander and Oiler dynasties was that the core group remained the same, just adding minor pieces along the way.  In that same mold, the Pens have ten of their eleven top scoring forwards returning this season.  The only player lost was Peter Sykora who signed with the Wild. 

But truly this team begins and ends with the best group of centers currently playing in the National Hockey League. 

Love him or hate him, you cannot diminish Crosby’s skill and ability to make players around him better.  While I’m not one to give him the Gretzky mantle just yet, he does have a similarity in that he can make average players look like 50 goal scorers. 

Here is a player not resting on his laurels.  He continues to be introspective and look at what he has done in the past and how he can improve on it in the future, although this has been tougher as a result of all the hockey the Pens have played over the past two seasons.  As he told Sportsnet.ca:

I usually try to work on things in the summer, trying to bring new elements to my game, but because of the way the past two summers have gone, I really have only been able to get back to square one,”.

Despite recently being named the number one player on Mike Brophy’s controversial top fifty list, Crosby knows that in order for him to build upon last season’s success he will need to surpass his already lofty achievements. 

He's only got one thing on his mind....

The Messier to Crosby’s Gretzky is Art Ross and Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin whose maturation as a complete player really was appreciated by the team last season.  Not only has he said all the right things, but he continues to lead by example on the ice.  This guy is a monster and should dominate the scoring charts for years to come.

Pittsburgh Penguins are going to need another Art Ross type season from Malkin of Rus(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

The third and final member of the Penguins trio of star centers is Thunder Bay, Ontario native Jordan Staal.  This kid is the real deal.  I don’t think there is a more dangerous Penguins player on the penalty kill than him.  An excellent two way player, who on any other team would have way more opportunities to get points, but he plays his role extremely well.

The Pens must be hoping that Jordan Staal's point production picks up. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)

On either side of Crosby will likely be Chris Kunitz, who came over from Anaheim and was almost a point per game player in his 20 games  (7 goals, 11 assists) with the Pens last season as well as veteran Bill Guerin, who despite his “advanced age” of 39 (oldest player on team, same age as head coach Bylsma) still has the ability to score.

Malkin and Fedotenko seemed to develop some chemistry last season so they will likely play together with Tyler Kennedy who has wheels, a touch of scoring flair and has seemed to impress his coach;

“He’s been an outstanding player in camp.  Really, really working hard. Tenacious. A lot of the days, he’s distinguished himself.”

Game 7 hero Max Talbot shoulder injury will keep him from the line-up until November.  Although not exactly an offensive dynamo he does average 10-12 goals per season.

Matt Cooke brings energy and grit while Pascal Dupuis has o.k. hands and should fill out the third line with Staal. 

Pens 3rd line is going to need Cooke's grit.

Mike Rupp is big (6-5, 230-pound winger) and has already won a Stanley Cup (with the Devils).  Craig Adams is solid but unspectacular.  Eric Godard, known for his pugalism, should fill out the 4th line for the Pens.

Paul Bissonnette, Chris Conner, Ryan Bayda are competing for the 13th/14th job of sitting in the press box and eating old popcorn.

On Wednesday, the Penguins assigned a number of players to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They were forwards Wade Brookbank, Luca Caputi, Dustin Jeffrey, Nick Johnson, Konstantin Pushkarev, Wyatt Smith, Eric Tangradi, Joe Vitale and Tim Wallace. 

The final cuts will be made September 30th and at that time we will know what the final roster will look like.

Defencemen:

The most significant departures felt by the Penguins was on defence as they lost their shut down pair of defencemen.  Rob Scuderi left for L.A. and Hal Gill departed for Montreal.  Scuderi was the team leader with a plus-23 and had a career-high 16 points in 81 regular-season games.  He also led the Pens in blocked shots with 164.  The other end of that duo was 6’7″ 250 lbs Hal Gill, who managed to use that wingspan to shut down the opposing team’s forwards.

With the exception of 35 year old Sergei Gonchar, who was limited to 25 games last season, this core isn’t overly gifted offensively.  Once again Gonchar, the free agent at the end of the season, will be called on to quarterback the team’s powerplay unit.  If he stays healthy, then I think the Pens powerplay can expect to rise from the paltry 17.2%, good for 21st overall last season.  When Gonchar played 78 games in 2007-08 the Pens power play was 4th overall at 20.4%.

Can the 35 yr old still get it done?

Behind Gonchar expect the lion’s share of offensive expectations to fall on the shoulders of Kris Letang who was 8th on the team overall in points.   With the departure of Ryan Whitney last season, Letang’s points underwent a noticeable increase (14 points in 19 games) as he took on Whitney’s ice time and power play responsibilities.

The man who blocked the most shots in 2006, Jay McKee, is looking to rebound with the Pens after a disappointing season with St. Louis last year. 

As long as his knee’s (which limited him to 35/36 game in 2006/2007) hold up, Mark Eaton is being touted as Rob Scuderi’s defensive replacement. 

Former Golden Gopher product Alex Goligoski should finally get a full NHL season this year after spending the past two season splitting time between the Pittsbugh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Alex Goligoski should get a full NHL season under his belt.

The competition seems to be for the 7th spot between Ben Lovejoy and local boy Nate “I love Philadelphia despite growing up in Pittsburgh“ Guenin.  Lovejoy appears to be more offensivelly talented whereas Guenin is seen to posess more grit.  Coach Bylsma had this to say about Guenin from their AHL days (last season);

He’s a gritty, defensive defenseman, tough to play against, and a good (penalty-kill) guy. We had to adjust our (power play) against him last year. He gave our top lines tough times on the ice. He really was one of their guys that gave us fits, so that’s what king of game he can show.

Defensemen Robert Bortuzzo, Jonathan D’Aversa and Chris Lee were sent down to the minors on Wednesday. 

It appears that despite the loss of Gill and Scuderi, the Pens haven’t really missed a beat on the back end.

Goaltending:

Amazing the difference a year can make.  At the end of the 2007-08 season many hockey fans were wondering if Marc-Andre Fleury could be a big time tender who was able to make the critical saves when called on.  When he let slip the Zetterberg goal in Game 6 of the 2007-08 Stanley Cup Finals, which put the Wings ahead for good, many questioned his ability to win the big game.  One year later, in Game 7 he showed that he was more than capable of making the big save, as his desperation jump which stopped Nicklas Lidstrom from tying the game, preserved the Penguins lead, and gave them their first championship since 1991-92.   

Fleury makes quite possibly "the save" of his career as he preserves the lead for the Penguins in the 3rd period of Game 7.

Clearly even Fleury feels that he has proven himself to his doubters but more importantly to his teammates:

I think I’ve heard people say that I proved them wrong a little bit, so I’m proud of that,” said Fleury. To me, I don’t pay too much attention to what’s said, as long as I play my best and get my teammates’ respect, I’ll be happy.

The level of confidence a Stanley Cup victory has brought the young (24 years old) tender is astronomical.  It is one thing to say you know you can win, it is another to have your name etched upon the Cup. 

Amazing the confidence a championship will bring.

His numbers from last season weren’t particularly strong; a 2.67 GAA (23rd) and a .912 save % (21st) but former goaltender turned longtime Penguins scout turned goaltending coach Gilles Meloche has spent the last four years working on Fleury’s game and said;

He works hard and he’s improving all the time. It was just a matter of getting the maturity and the experience.  Two years in a row he is in the Stanley Cup final, so he has to be doing something right.  He’s a great kid andeagerto learn.  He’s just a charm to work with.

As long as his ankle doesn’t give him problems, you can safely bet on Fleury winning 35-40 games for the Pens next season.

In case Fleury was to falter, his back-up will be Washington castaway, Brent Johnson who was seen as expendable with the emergence of Simeon Varlamov.  He is a serviceable netminder (although he didn’t make the Hockey News recent top 10 backup’s list) who will likely see 15-20 games for the Pens.  Last season he appeared in 21 games with the Capitals, going 12-6-2 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.

Finally Boston University’s John Curry who signed with the Pens as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and took the team’s AHL affiliate to the Calder Cup Finals rounds out the Pittsburgh goaltending trio.  The former Hobey Baker finalist gives the Pens a decent option should the need arise.

Class of Competition:

Which leads us to the final question for the Penguins this season; Can the improvements by their Atlantic Division competition, prevent them from rising up?

New Jersey Devils – The Devils can finish as high as second in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference if they get secondary scoring from their younger players and Marty B. stays healthy all year.

Philadelphia Flyers– This is now the team that is being discussed as a possible Stanley Cup contender this season.  Having added an all-star in Pronger to solidify the defence and a goalie with a chip on his shoulder in Emery, the Flyers are only looking up.

New York Rangers– This is a team nobody really talks about until the playoffs roll around.  The biggest question is will Henrik Lundqvist get the support that he needs?  Bit of a wild card team but with the mix of experience and youth and with such a solid tender, you have to think they will be in the mix.

New York Islanders – While the Islanders have certainly improved, they just haven’t got enough tools to finish any better than 5th in the Atlantic division.  While I realize that a ceiling is to project if everything goes right, I still don’t see these young Islanders winning more than 30 games next season. 

My Predictions:

Ceiling - This team has the tools to repeat and while I won’t predict a Stanely Cup championship, this team could easily return the Stanely Cup Finals and win.  1st in the Atlantic, 1st or 2nd in the Eastern Conference.

Floor - Too much talent on this team to fall too quickly although injuries could halt them on their march to return to the cup.  3rd in the Atlantic, 5th in the Eastern Conference.

Penguins Blogger Thoughts:

In addition to the above analysis I thought it would be a good idea to get a quick thought from Penguin bloggers.  These guys follow Pittsburgh through the ups and downs of each season, so who better to get a quick hit from them then?

Hooks from PensBurgh said:
For the Penguins, it’s really going to be more of the same from last year.  They only lost three contributors from the Stanley Cup team (Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi and Petr Sykora).  GM Ray Shero did well to re-sign guys like Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedotenko to keep the core of the team intact for one more season.

• Boris Valabik has re-signed with Atlanta for multiple years.  No word yet on the term, or dollars but the massive defenseman could become an effecive player with more seasoning.
• Phil Kessel is the only remaining RFA the Bruins need to sign.  A trade still seems most likely, however, it doesn’t appear Chiarelli has received an offer he deems sufficient.
• Alexei Kovalev wants Dany Heatley to stay in Ottawa.  Of course he does, because they are not going to get an equal return on value for Heatley.  Regardless, Kovalev is right here.  Unless the Sens receive a good offer for Heatley, they should stand their ground and keep him.
• The Devils’ full pre-season schedule can be seen here.  Exciting!
• Seth Rorabaugh tells Penguins fans why they’ll be watching each Penguins game in November.  Aside from those reasons called Crosby and Malkin, of course.

Let’s look at Crosby’s ice-time through the first six games of this series:

Game 1: 22 minutes and 35 seconds

Game 2: 19 minutes and 36 seconds

Game 3: 22 minutes and 19 seconds

Game 4: 19 minutes and 34 seconds

Game 5: 18 minutes and 33 seconds

Game 6: 17 minutes and 54 seconds

First off, I’ll be honest and say that I really don’t think Crosby has played enough so far in the Final.  I mean, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis were playing 25 minutes a game last year during the regular season, so it is not as if Crosby cannot handle the extra ice-time.  He is a supreme player, who is by all accounts in supreme physical condition. 

With everything on the line, I believe that Crosby and Malkin should be on the ice almost every other shift.  Also, putting the two of them together more often tonight would hurt Detroit’s depth advantage (Especially considering the way Jordan Staal’s line played on Tuesday).  Mike Babcock is going to want Zetterberg against Crosby, so if Crosby and Malkin are logging big minutes, both separate and apart, Detroit will be attempting to match lines and it would come at the cost of their depth players–and Detroit’s depth players are superior to Pittsburgh’s. 

Another argument for loading up Crosby and Malkin together has been the play of Brian Rafalski.  The small, smooth-skating defender has been getting beat one-on-one more than people have been talking about, so loading up two superstars on one line would give Nicklas Lidstrom fits. 

Picture courtesy of Getty Images.

I guess all I am wondering is, with only one game left in the season, would you want Sidney Crosby on your bench with something left in the tank?

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart says it is “kind of surreal” to have your season success determined by just one game.  Wings GM Ken Holland says that in this situation, you cannot let your mind wander off.  Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma really doesn’t remember Mike Babcock’s Game 7 speech from 2003.  Drew Sharp says that the Wings have all the pressure tonight.  Speaking of pressure, it does not bother Chris Osgood.  Wings defensemen Brian Rafalski is a favorite in his home state.  Not only is Rafalski the favorite son in Michigan, but he is also very experienced in Game 7s.  The distance in this game tonight is between never and forever, writes Mitch Albom.
• Evgeni Malkin has been dreaming of holding the Cup with Sidney Crosby.  With Game 7 only hours away, the talk does not matter anymore; all both teams have to do is play.  Once the puck is dropped, adrenaline should carry the players through the entire game.  All the numbers in favor of Detroit winning tonight do not mean anything to Pittsburgh.  The Stanley Cup has a special place in Dan Bylsma’s mind.  Mario Lemieux has full confidence in his Pittsburgh players.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• It appears that long-time Avalanche checker Ian Laperriere has one foot out the door.
• People in Minnesota believe that Todd Richards is still the favorite to be hired as the new coach of the Wild.
• John Gonzalez of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if Ray Emery brought his baggage with him back from Russia?
• Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle examines the Sharks’ outlook for next season.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal says Dany Heatley is exactly what the Oilers need.  In other Oilers news, the team has let go Pete Peeters as goaltending coach.
• The province of Quebec is willing to give a loan to any Quebec based groups interested in buying the Canadiens.

The Marc Crawford hiring

• “His biggest asset is the way he holds all his players accountable,” said Stars center Brendan Morrison, who played for Marc Crawford in Vancouver.
• Joe Nieuwendyk went about hiring Crawford the old school way, writes Mike Heika.
• Here is a recap of former Stars coach Dave Tippett’s tenure in Dallas.
• Most people in the game, do not believe Dave Tippett will be out of work for long.

The Coyotes situation

• “If the Buffalo Sabres’ silence means that they are working against Hamilton’s bid, then Hamilton and the surrounding area residents should join in boycotting the Buffalo Sabres along with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” said a Hamilton city councillor.
• Jim Balsillie is convinced that a June 22nd auction is good for his efforts to bring the team to Hamilton.
• Can the city of Hamilton afford an NHL team?
• Stephen Brunt of the Globe & Mail questions the NHL’s due diligence process.

AHL Calder Cup Final

• Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press sets the stage for tonight’s Game 6 of the Calder Cup.  With so many veterans on the roster, the Moose are not panicking.  Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun explains that the Moose organization didn’t set up the team’s homecoming at the airport two days ago, rather, it was the Winnipeg Airport staff.  (Writer’s note: Nice gesture by the airport staff to get behind the local team.)

Stanley Cup Final

• Penguins fans are calling this “The Shift 2,” courtesy of Brooks Orpik.  The Penguins’ entire defense corps really is underrated.
• Here are the lines from the Wings’ last practice of the season.  Datsyuk still with Zetterberg.

Everyone else

• Mike Heika has Dave Tippett’s reaction to his dismissal.  I don’t think Tippett will be out of a job for long. 
• Heika also provides us with Marc Crawford’s career coaching record.  Not being saddled with Sakic and Forsberg down the middle sure makes life more difficult doesn’t it?
• The Sabres are expected to put forward a statement regarding the Coyotes situation once a decision in court has been made.  They can’t be in favor of such a move, and who can blame them?  Obviously they will want a lot of money to allow for the move to happen.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Writing for USA Today, Jacques Demers likes the Wings in Game 7.  (Writer’s note: Kelly Hrudey also picked the Wings last night on the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show.)  (Second writer’s note: You figure if Demers is submitting a piece to USA Today, they could at least spell his name right!)  If Detroit wins on Friday, Helene St. James thinks Chris Osgood is a shoe-in for the Conn Smythe.  Meantime, Michael Rosenberg disagrees with Wings coach Mike Babcock and says Marian Hossa is indeed pressing.  Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press thinks Friday night will be a showcase of the next great hockey rivalry.  Good thing for Wings fans that home-ice has been a huge advantage in past Game 7s.  That said, in Game 7s, it is just 60 minutes of play, so predictions carry very little weight.  If people are wondering, Chris Chelios has no intention of retiring at season’s end.
• Tomorrow night is Dan Bylsma’s shot at Game 7 redemption.  Look for Petr Sykora to miss tomorrow night’s game.  Penguins fans ask Dave Molinari if the Penguins can win in Detroit?  Many of the players have already played Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in their imagination as little kids.  Sidney Crosby has gone two games without a point, but has never gone three post-season games in a row without getting on the scoreboard.  Winning in Detroit may be hard, but the Penguins are optimistic.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• This year’s rating for Game 6 of the Final were down from last season, however, last season’s game did not go up against the NBA Finals.
• Ducks goaltending coach Francois Allaire has left the organization to join the Leafs in the same position. 
• Meanwhile, Paul Hunter provides the Toronto perspective of the Francois Allaire hire.
• Brian Burke was not done with the hire of Allaire, as he made some other staff changes yesterday.  Here is more on those changes from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.
• The Molson Brothers have bid on the Canadiens.  “We think our offer has all the ingredients to be well received by the potential seller and the National Hockey League,” said the Molson family. 
• One thing is for certain, buying the Habs will not come cheap.
• Apparently Cory Clouston is not Dany Heatley’s only issue with the Senators organization.

Stars fire Tippett

• Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News points out that Tippett’s expected replacement, Marc Crawford, has not had any more recent playoff success than Tippett.
• The truth is, the Stars have not finished higher than third in their division over the past three seasons.

Flyers sign Emery

• Apparently the Flyers brass holds Ray Emery in very high esteem.
• “I don’t view it as a big gamble“, said Flyers GM Paul Holmgren about Emery.

The Coyotes situation

• Former Coyotes executive Jeff Shumway has accused the Glendale City Manager of trying to destroy a document, which would be illegal under Arizona law.
• If the Coyotes were to stay in Arizona and possibly be viable, they’d need concessions from the City of Glendale.
• The NHL may be looking to add an indemnity fee to the requirement for a relocation fee.
• Mary Ormsby of the Toronto Star takes a closer look at Judge Redfield T. Baum.
• Damien Cox wonders if maybe the Leafs should cut a deal with Balsillie now, so the organization doesn’t risk getting low indemnity payments handed down by the Court.
• David Shoalts tells us that a team in Hamilton would be worth at least $300 million, and some think a whole lot more.
• Word out of Phoenix is that if Balsillie’s bid fails, the Coyotes will be put up for auction.
• Jeff Blair of the Globe & Mail tells Balsillie to just cut the cheque and prove to everyone that you are for real.
• Toronto aside, the Buffalo Sabres are worried about the possibility of a Hamilton franchise.

AHL Calder Cup Final

• Scott Arniel does not want his Moose players to feel content about bringing this series back to Winnipeg, he wants their focus strictly on forcing a Game 7.  Paul Friesen wonders why Moose fans were so giddy yesterday, when the team hasn’t won anything yet?  Mark Fistric luckily only lost clear vision in his eye for about ten seconds, after taking a Karl Alzner shot to the face.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Drew Sharp says that Chris Osgood was really the only Wing that came to play last night in Pittsburgh.  Ted Kulfan disagrees and has some high praise for Henrik Zetterberg.  Detroit played like a team that could lose yesterday, opines Mitch Albom.  Bob Wojnowski agrees with Albom but says that the Penguins deserve credit for their performance last night.  Helene St. James reminds readers that the Wings have only lost one game at home all playoffs.  Game 7 will be the ultimate hockey game, explains Dave Dye.
• Marc-Andre Fleury made the biggest save of the series last night on Daniel Cleary.  Jordan Staal is one of the main reasons there even is a Game 7, writes Shelly Anderson.  Joe Starkey compares Game 6 to an NFL contest.  Petr Sykora checked back into the lineup yesterday for Pittsburgh.  Here are some notes about the Penguins.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• Gordie Howe was a tough character on the ice, but he is admittedly having a tough time since his wife passed away, writes Larry Lage.
• Some of the Thrashers players took batting practice yesterday with the Braves.  In other Thrashers news, the team has agreed to terms with forward Andrew Kozek.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets are close to naming a new goalie coach, a coach who has a personal relationship with Steve Mason.
• In Dallas, Mike Heika tells us that this particular Stanley Cup Final is exactly what the NHL needs.
• A deal has been reached between Ray Emery and the Flyers, reports Ed Moran.  “We think Emery’s a better goalie than Marty,” said an anonymous Flyers executive.

Brent Sutter’s resignation

• Brent Sutter endorses Paul MacLean as the next coach of the Devils.
• Steve Politi of the Newark Star-Ledger believes it is time for MacLean to lead the Devils too.
• Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner was disappointed to see Brent Sutter step-down.
• Sutter says his family is very happy about the decision he made to head back home.
• Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek was disappointed to see Sutter go.
• Sutter says he made his decision on Monday, after his first good sleep in a long time.
• With the decision made, Darry Sutter is now expected to contact Lou Lamoriello regarding Brent Sutter’s availability.
• The Flames job does really seem tailor-made for the former Devils bench boss.
• “There’s no guarantee he would get more out of the team than Keenan did. It’s still up to the players,” said an NHL insider to Alan Maki of the Globe and Mail.

Dany Heatley’s trade request

• Dany Heatley has apparently asked to be traded because he doesn’t have a good relationship with Senators coach Cory Clouston.
• Ken Warren goes over possible destinations and returns for Heatley.  Bruce Garrioch does the same.
• Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen has a very interesting piece on Heatley in this morning’s paper.

The Coyotes situation

• Paul Waldie says Gary Bettman gained the upper-hand with yesterday’s news.
• Some may think it is a victory for Bettman, but Bruce Arthur of the National Post thinks that the extra $100 million fee is definitely worth it.
• The issue of relocation fees stole the spotlight at yesterday’s hearing, writes Carrie Watters of the Arizona Republic.
• Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star runs down the possibile rulings that Judge Baum could hand down.
• Here is a video of Scott Morrison with the latest on the story.
• No wonder Judge Baum is stalling, explains Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press.

AHL Calder Cup Final

• Hershey played a strong game, but Cory Schneider shut the door, so the Moose and Bears are headed back to Winnipeg to play Game 6 on Friday.
• The Moose have one person to thank for forcing a Game 6 and that is Cory Schneider, after the young netminder stole the show in Hershey last night.
• Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun says that without Schneider, the Moose had no business being in yesterday’s contest.

**Tonight is the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show with guests James Mirtle (Globe & Mail and From The Rink) and Kelly Hrudey (former NHL netminder and current Hockey Night in Canada analyst for CBC).  The show starts at 7pm Central Time and runs until 9pm Central Time.  To read more about IllegalCurve Radio, click here.**

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• There are a few special Red Wings that have been apart of the team’s Cup victories since 1997.  Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press warns fans not to take the Wings’ success for granted.  Last year he played in zero playoff games, but this year if the Wings hoist the Cup, Jonathan Ericsson will feel more of a direct contribution to the team’s success.  In injury news, Pavel Datsyuk didn’t seem to be showing any ill-effects on Monday after playing his first game in a couple of weeks.  Former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman says he really admires this particular Red Wings team.
• Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says Game 6 will be a defining moment for Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury.  If the Penguins want to extend this series, they need a great performance from everyone on the roster, writes Dave Molinari.  Ducks coach Randy Carlyle has some advice for the Penguins if they ask for it.  Could Petr Sykora see his first finals action in Game 6?
• U.S. television ratings on Versus are up 42% over last year. 

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• The Thrashers have re-signed center Marty Reasoner to a two-year deal.
• In other signing news, the Ducks have signed winger Mike Brown to a two-year extension.
• As linked yesterday, there will be no changes to the Hurricanes coaching staff for next season.
• In Columbus, Stefan Legein is going to get a clean slate from coach Ken Hitchcock and GM Scott Howson in 2009/10.
• Brent Sutter says he talks to Lou Lamoriello on a daily basis, but has yet to make up his mind as to whether he will return to coaching next season.  However, Rich Chere is reporting that Sutter is expected to announce today that he will not return to Jersey next season.
• Former owner of the Islanders Roy Boe has sadly passed away.
• Apparently Ray Emery and the Flyers are still negotiating a contract and a deal has not yet been finalized.
• Jacques Lemaire has turned down an offer from the Lightning to be a team consultant.
• The Leafs are not going to bring back Curtis Joseph next season.
• Tim Wharnsby thinks Mike Babcock should be head coach of Canada’s 2010 team at the Olympics.

The Coyotes situation

• Could the ruling today force both sides to come to some sort of agreement?
• Here are the arguments both sides will be presenting in court today.
• Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star recaps what has happened so far in this case.
• Did you know the Leafs have made money over the Copps Coliseum before?
• Could this case take almost two years to come to a final resolution?
• The city and Jerry Moyes obviously disagree over the viability of the Coyotes franchise.

AHL Calder Cup Final

• Washington coach Bruce Boudreau thinks that playing in the AHL playoffs is a great learning experience for the organization’s young players.
• There is a lot riding on Game 5 for the Manitoba Moose franchise, writes Randy Turner.  Sensing a tired group, Scott Arniel gave his players the day off on Monday.  The Moose hope to use their experience to their advantage tonight.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Mike Babcock made few, if any, adjustments for Game 5, writes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe.  Dan Bylsma tells readers what Babcock does that makes him so successful.  If the Wings do win the Cup, Marian Hossa’s move to the Motor City will be justified.  Pavel Datysuk’s return to the Wings lineup has made this an even fight, writes Mitch Albom.  Wings GM Ken Holland was never worried about Chris Osgood.  Drew Sharp tells us that there is no such thing as momentum in this series.  The Red Wings’ discipline is something to behold.  Is Larry Murphy hoping for Detroit or Pittsburgh?
• The Penguins are motivated by the fact that they don’t want to see Detroit skate around the Mellon Arena again with Lord Stanley’s Cup.  Bill Guerin, knowing this may be his last chance at a Cup, doesn’t want the season to end on Tuesday.  If people think the Penguins have lost confidence in Marc-Andre Fleury, they are wrong.  Joe Starkey wonders if Marc-Andre Fleury can be the reason the Penguins comeback in this series?  Dan Bylsma doesn’t want this series to mirror the series he lost to New Jersey as a player in 2003.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• So far in these playoffs, television rating are up in the United States and down in Canada, writes Chris Zelkovich.
• In some great news, Brent Burns is back working out for the Wild and has been symptom-free for a month after suffering a bad concussion late in the season.
• Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Daily News says goaltending is always the story in Philadelphia.
• Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette figures Jacques Martin will lead the Habs no farther than the second round of the playoffs, then eventually be fired for not taking them to the next level.

The Coyotes situation

• Don’t be surprised if Jim Balsillie wins this case, writes Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.
• Here are some of the arguments from both sides.
• Gary Loewen of the Toronto Sun wonders if Bettman will be at Game 6 tomorrow or the court room?
• Both sides are going back and forth at each other with the case soon to be decided, writes Paul Waldie of the Globe & Mail.
• Apparently Balsillie’s camp is relying largely on the argument that this case is very similar to the one that saw the Seattle Pilots baseball team move to Milwaukee.
• Stephen Brunt tells readers to not take the alternate bids for the Coyotes, that would see the team stay in Phoenix, at face value.
• Anyone interested in purchasing the team, should realize just how much money its lost.
• Some think Judge Redfield Baum doesn’t want to decide this case, and would obviously much prefer these two sides come to an agreement on their own.

AHL Calder Cup Final

• A too many men on the ice penalty proved costly for the Manitoba Moose on Sunday, writes Tim Campbell.  Down 3-1 in the series, the next game is win or you’re out, says Mike Keane.

Stanley Cup Final

• Pavel Datsyuk will play tonight but Matthew Barnaby thinks he’s having trouble turning.  Starting him on the wing is a good move from Babcock.  Protect your star until he proves he can handle more responsibility.
• Daniel Cleary is questionable for tonight’s game.  His attributes aren’t easily replaceable, especially his net presence, so his loss could really hurt.
• Has Niklas Kronwall been better than Nicklas Lidstrom in the Final?  Kronwall has been this good for a while now, so it’s nice to see he’s finally getting some credit.
• Mike Lange’s goal calls from Game 4.  Scratch my back with a hacksaw…
• Elliotte Friedman examines something I asked yesterday: Should the Wings start shadowing Malkin?  Well-written piece.
• Kevin Allen says the Wings need to do these five things to win today.  I think Hossa is the key from that list.

Everyone else

• Karl Alzner is expected to play in Game 3 of the Calder Cup Final tonight.  That’s certainly going to be  a nice boost to Hershey’s chances, as Alzner is a very good defensemen, with excellent puck-moving skills.
• From this morning’s Bergen Record, Tom Gulitti says Brent Sutter has had enough time to decide his future. I feel like he isn’t going to return to Jersey.  (Thanks to reader 95Crash for the heads-up)

Other stories

• Jonathan Willis chimes in on the reported discord from the Oilers’ locker room this season.  It will be interesting to see how many roster changes we see from Steve Tambellini this off-season.  He has already put his stamp on the team with his coaching hires, so you’d have to expect a few roster changes as well.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Some of the Wings players believe the team has not yet played its best in the Final.  Others may be worried, but Mike Babcock is confident in his team and feels good about Game 5.  Drew Sharp wonders who much the Wings have left in their tank?  If fans think Nicklas Lidstrom’s leadership qualities have changed as captain, they are wrong.  Pavel Datsyuk’s return is going to really help the slumping Marian Hossa.  The fact that Detroit controls the matchups tonight will be vitally important.
• This Pittsburgh writer believes Marc-Andre Fleury’s performance is the key to Game 5.  Detroit will continue to have trouble, if they can’t score on the power play.  Here’s a number of Penguins tidbits from Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The Penguins made sure to get some rest on Friday, with few regulars opting to take the ice.  Meantime, Evgeni Malkin’s parents are the most popular parents in Pittsburgh.  Bob Errey saw some significance in Jordan Staal’s big short-handed goal in Game 4.

Teams that have not made the playoffs

• With Chuck Fletcher in the GM seat, the Minnesota Wild are looking to deal.  As well as sifting over other rosters, Fletcher also plans on hiring a coach before the Draft.
• Devils fans are apparently eager for Martin Brodeur day.
• Is there finally some good news coming from the Islanders’ efforts for a new arena?
• As you probably already know, the Rangers are raising season ticket prices for next season.
• Dave Perkins of the Toronto Star mocks this new Toronto group trying to secure an NHL expansion franchise.  This whole attempt is foolish, writes Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post.
• Staying in Toronto, the Leafs have let go AHL Marlies coach Greg Gilbert.
• Corey Masisak profiles Capitals prospect defenseman John Carlson.

The Coyotes situation

• Jim Balsillie told ESPN Radio that he doesn’t think another team in Southern Ontario would hurt Buffalo.
• In a court document, the other three professional sports leagues penned their concern over a bad precedent being set.
• Tuesday is decision day in this case.
• Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star calls Judge Redfield Baum the most powerful man in sports.
• According to Paul Waldie of the Globe & Mail, the Argos owners are interested in purchasing the Coyotes.

AHL Calder Cup

• It is amazing how so many hockey people can be connected in some way, writes Tim Campbell.  On the ice, Scott Arniel says his team’s goal is to win at least one game on the road to ensure a return to Manitoba for Game 6.  Many people think the Moose/Bears series is pretty much even.  Meanwhile, Chris Bourque may be Ray Bourque’s son, but he is good enough to have made it without that name on the back of his jersey.

Now, I realize that part of this dominance is due to the fact that, for the most part, he hasn’t been faced Zetterberg and Lidstrom/Rafalski, but should the Wings start looking for that matchup?  Or are the Wings okay with their current ability to limit Sidney Crosby and fear that making that switch would just allow Crosby to go off as Malkin has?

Certainly tough questions to be asking, and ones that Detroit better find an answer to.  It sure helps that two of the next possible three games are at home.  But what if the Penguins start loading up Malkin with Crosby again?  You’d have to expect that to happen and we know that no team has an answer for that. 

Let’s just say that Detroit desperately needs Pavel Datsyuk for Game 5 because sometimes the best defense, is a good offense.

Now here are some evening links:

• An “explanation” for why the Rangers raised tickets prices.
• NBC and CTV won’t fight over Pierre McGuire at Olympic time.
• Allan Muir doesn’t like what’s going on in Colorado.
• A chat with Don Cherry, from Puck Daddy.
• Chuck Fletcher is looking to deal in Minnesota.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• “We weren’t good at all defensively,” said Chris Osgood after his team’s 4-2 loss in Game 4.  For all the talk about the Wings’ penalty killing being poor, the team’s power play has been awful in this series.  The challenge of stopping Crosby and Malkin together proved to be too much.  The Wings organization is saying that Pavel Datsyuk is close to returning to the lineup.  Without Datsyuk in the lineup, the Wings are having a hard time keeping up with the Penguins’ fire power.  Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press wasn’t very impressed with the officiating.  Are the Wings wearing down?
• Sidney Crosby delivered last night, writes Eric Duhatschek.  Crosby elevated his game but so did Evgeni Malkin.  So Crosby and Malkin elevated their games, but what about Jordan Staal’s momentum changing goal?  “That definitely changed the game,” said Maxime Talbot.  The Penguins have full confidence in netminder Marc-Andre Fleury and he proved why last night.  Pittsburgh is winning because the players are playing their game.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• The NHL and NBC are said to be close to agreeing on a two-year contract extension.
• An NHL executive says the Islanders are going to select Victor Hedman with the number one overall pick.
• The Thrashers have re-signed Anssi Salmela, the defenseman they received in return for Niclas Havelid.
• David Krejci’s hip surgery was deemed a success.
• Mario Tremblay will not be back as an assistant coach for the Wild next season but did say he’d love to have the same job with the Canadiens if possible.
• Islanders center Doug Weight was impressed with John Tavares during their time together on the Island.
• Here are the details on the other group that wants to bring another hockey team to Southern Ontario.
• Jim Matheson gives Oilers fans the latest on Craig MacTavish’s next job, possible assistant coaches for Pat Quinn and Tom Renney and what Edmonton might do in net.
• In Vancouver, GM Place is going to undergo some renovations.
• Over in Montreal, here’s the latest on George Gillett’s finances.
• According to Bruce Garrioch, the Tampa Bay Lightning only plan on spending to the salary cap floor next season.

The Avalanche’s new coach

• Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post thinks Joe Sacco has been hired to absorb some losses until Patrick Roy is ready to come aboard.
• Sacco has learned coaching techniques from Ron Wilson and Jack Parker, but he wants to be himself too.
• Sacco’s players in Lake Erie of the AHL think he will do a good job in Colorado.
• Here is an article profiling new Colorado GM Greg Sherman.
• One of Sherman’s first responsibilities is to figure out what’s next for Joe Sakic.
• Don’t expect a power struggle in the front office, writes Terry Frei.

The Coyotes situation

• Jim Balsillie answers three questions for the Arizona Republic.
• NHLPA boss Paul Kelly thinks the NHL’s time in Phoenix should come to an end.
• Some experts think that no matter which way Judge Redfield Baum rules, that either side will appeal.  (Writer’s note: Balsillie has said he won’t appeal if he loses, but who knows.)

AHL Calder Cup Final

• Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press gets the sense that the fans really, really care about the outcome of the Moose games, when maybe they once did not.  Blow outs–not the Moose’s forte, but close games are.  Hershey coach Bob Woods promises that his team’s fans will be loud too.  Meanwhile, Bears defenseman Bryan Helmer cannot believe how long it’s been since he won the Calder Cup.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Since Pavel Datsyuk has been out of the lineup, Henrik Zetterberg has been counted on even more.  In fact, Mike Babcock says that Zetterberg has been overused.  By the sounds of it, Datsyuk will be back in the lineup tonight.  Although nothing is for certain as of yet. (Writer’s note: Bob Duff said on the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show last night that he expects Datsyuk to be in the lineup and that he looked great at practice on Wednesday.)  The Wings are hoping that Game 4 continues to be Marian Hossa’s lucky game tonight.  Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press says one of the reasons the Wings have struggled on the penalty kill is the injury to Andreas Lilja.  Here is a Q & A with Ken Holland.
• It may be a 2-1 series score like last season, but the Penguins feel different this year, writes Dave Molinari.  If the Penguins continue to say that things are different this season, then Joe Starkey says they have to go out and prove it.  Pittsburgh’s maturation from last season to this season has been very evident in the Final.  Evgeni Malkin is showing his comfort level with the media now, with his constant jokes and more relaxed demeanor.  Meanwhile, Penguins fans asking for more emotion from Dan Bylsma shouldn’t hold their breath.  Liyun Chin tells us the value that a hockey team provides to the businesses surrounding the team.  These days, Mario Lemieux is as engaging as ever.  Apparently Bill Guerin’s brother John doubles as Superman in his spare time, as he helped a lady get her stolen tickets back.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• Television ratings in the U.S. have been up on NBC.
• Even though he is undergoing hip surgery today, the Bruins feel very comfortable having David Krejci signed to a contract extension.  Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald says many see Krejci as a potential 100 point scorer.
• After undergoing two surgeries, Sabres netminder Patrick Lalime says he feels good now.
• More details on the prospective sale of the Florida Panthers.
• Todd Richards, Craig MacTavish and Peter Laviolette have been mentioned as being coaching candidates for the Minnesota Wild.
• If Lou Lamoriello has a contingency plan in place in case Brent Sutter heads back to Alberta, he sure isn’t telling anyone.
• The Flyers feel Ray Emery is worth taking a chance on, writes Ed Moran.  Are the Flyers set to target Jay Bouwmeester next?
• In Tampa Bay, Brian Lawton is getting to know each of the projected top three picks for this month’s Entry Draft in Montreal.
• Did the Leafs get a steal in the 4th round of last year’s Entry Draft?  Brian Burke has stated he wants to move up to draft John Tavares, but if he can’t, he is interested in Brayden Schenn.
• Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press thinks it could be a very messy summer for the NHL.

The Avalanche coaching and management moves

• Terry Frei tells us that the Avalanche never really considered going outside the organization to fill the GM seat.
• Woody Paige suggests the Avalanche hire current Manitoba Moose coach Scott Arniel to become the next Colorado head coach.
• In the midst of his exit, Tony Granato handled himself with class, the way he always does.
• Pierre Lacroix’s health issues are luckily under control, but the Avalanche President remains in the hospital.

The Coyotes situation

• The other big three professional sports leagues know the precedent that could be set in the Coyotes’ case.
• Suddenly Jim Balsillie is conducting polls now too.
• Jim Balsillie and Gary Bettman are disputing the value of his bid to purchase the Coyotes.

AHL Calder Cup Final

• The Winnipeg Free Press lists the biggest goals in Moose franchise history.  Moose defenseman Zack FitzGerald may have saved the series for his team when he blocked a puck going right for an open cage in Game 2.  Hershey and Manitoba are just so evenly matched it is difficult to pick out significant differences.

Stanley Cup Final

• Curtis Zupke of the OC Register with five thoughts on the Final so far.  I think Fleury gets more flack than is warranted.
• Ever heard of the Dave Dye jinx?  The Wings better hope Dye starts writing about something else for the rest of this series…
• Some great pictures from in and around Game 3, courtesy of Seth Rorabaugh.  Lots of good stuff there.

Everyone else

• Here are some details on the Panthers sale.  Is Tony Tavares everywhere these days? How many teams is he rumored to be running?
• Has Serge Savard pulled away from his original interest of purchasing the Habs?  More importantly, are the Habs even for sale?!?!?!?!

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Detroit played extremely well at five-on-five last night.  However, the team needs to solve its penalty killing problems, writes David Shoalts.  Mitch Albom believes last night’s game turned when Pittsburgh scored its second goal.  Bob Wojnowski thinks the Wings let a great chance slip away.  Marian Hossa wasn’t cheered on Tuesday, but it wasn’t as harsh a reception as anticipated.  You may see Darren McCarty on television being interviewed but his name won’t be on the Cup if the Wings win this time around, explains Bob Duff.
• The Penguins were due for some bounces to go their way, and they did last night, writes Joe Starkey.  Penalty killing has been a problem for Detroit, and the power play has been a strength for Pittsburgh, explains Dave Molinari.  After three assists last night, it is fair to say that Evgeni Malkin is making up for his poor performance in last year’s Final.  With Game 4 up next, now the series gets serious and it is going to be up to the superstars to decide who wins, explains Mike Prisuta.  Marian Hossa wasn’t exactly welcomed back to the Mellon Arena last night.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe has the details of David Krejci’s contract extension.  (Writer’s note: I feel like Chiarelli did very well in these negotiations.  By maybe even that second year, Krejci could prove to be a very big bargain.)
• The Stars have signed two goalies in their system to one-year, two-way deals.
• With a new owner coming to town, Greg Cote of the Miami Herald says nothing can be worse than the Alan Cohen era.  Here are more details on the proposed sale.
• Head shots? What head shots?  Read Brian Burke’s take on this situation.
• Pending unrestricted free agent John Madden says there has been no contact between him and the Devils.
• Looking for hints of which way Islanders GM Garth Snow is leaning for the number one pick?  Well, he’s not giving any.  Meanwhile, here is the latest on the Islanders’ Lighthouse project.  (Writer’s note: If you have any questions on either Islanders topic, send it into our mailbag because we are scheduled to have Greg Logan of Newsday on the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show tonight.)
• The renovations scheduled for Madison Square Garden have been pushed back to 2012.
• Former Rangers broadcaster and current Blues executive John Davidson has been selected to receive the Foster Hewwitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.  (Writer’s note: He’s done a terrific job in St. Louis but he is definitely missed in the broadcast booth.)  “It’s a tad overwhelming,” said Davidson.
• Comcast Cable has come to an agreement with the NHL Network.
• The Lightning have begun the search for a new assistant coach.
• Speaking of the Lightning, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun says Vincent Lecavalier is readily available via trade.
• In Toronto, the Leafs are expecting a visit from highly-coveted free agent netminder Jonas Gustavsson within the next two weeks.
• One of the proposed owners of the Habs, wishes Bob Gainey had waited some time before selecting his new coach.

The Coyotes situation

• Here are a club official’s reasons as to why NHL hockey does not work in Phoenix.
• June 9 is the important date coming up.
• If the Coyotes do move to Hamilton, Balsillie’s group assumes they’d be playing in the Western Conference.
• Apparently Jim Balsillie has 22 letters of reference.
• John Davidson says Balsillie should follow the rules.
• Is Balsillie’s offer not actually $212 million?
• How are the Coyotes going to rebuild the team’s name if they stay in the desert?

AHL Calder Cup Final

• A late goal from Jason Jaffray allowed the Manitoba Moose to split the first two games of the Calder Cup Final with three games in Hershey on the horizon.  “That’s the biggest goal I’ve ever scored,” said Jaffray after last night’s contest, in which he scored a hat trick.  Cory Schneider was very sharp last night, writes Randy Turner.  Alain Vigneault was at the MTS Centre last night to watch the Moose play and talked about his time in Manitoba.

**Remember that tonight is the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show from 7pm to 9pm Central Time.  Our guests are: Bob Duff (Windsor Star), Greg Logan (Newsday) and George Richards (Miami Herald).**

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Even though they are up 2-0 in the series, the Wings are confident they can still play better.  Marian Hossa knows what kind of reception he will be receiving tonight.  Dave Dye discusses the fact that Chris Osgood is probably the odds-on favorite to win the Conn Smythe after a sub-par regular season.  Kris Draper is ready to suit up if he’s called upon, but if he isn’t, the Wings may dearly miss his face-off presence on the road.  If Draper doesn’t get into the lineup this Final, what could be next for the long-time Wing?  Don’t expect Pavel Datsyuk to play tonight in Pittsburgh.  With Datsyuk absent, Henrik Zetterberg has been tremendous and one has to think he may be the next captain of the Wings when Nicklas Lidstrom retires.  Finally, Drew Sharp has an interesting column calling out the fans and media for the criticism of LeBron and Crosby.  (Writer’s note: I agree with Sharp.  These two players receive too much unneccesary criticsm.)
• The odds may not look great, but the Penguins remain confident in their chances.  Remember that Pittsburgh has both out-chanced and outshot the Wings through two games.  Some contributions from non-superstars would be welcomed as well.  The players in the Pens dressing room know they have be strong on the draws against a puck-possession team like Detroit.  The Penguins are not letting the lack of penalty calls bother them.  He doesn’t garner too much attention, but Rob Scuderi has turned into a rock on the Penguins’ back-end.  In some nice news, Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is going to be recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Montreal coaching hire

• Sean Gordon of the Globe & Mail tells us that Bob Gainey was looking for a defense-first coach who values discipline and Jacques Martin brought exactly those qualifications.
• This is the first time Montreal has hired a coach with past head coaching experience since 1992, writes Pat Hickey.
• Dave Stubbs chimes in on Martin’s boring coaching style.
• Questioning Martin’s playoff record, Red Fisher of the Gazette wonders why Bob Gainey was in such a rush to name Martin his new head coach?
• Now that Martin has been hired, many other decisions must be made.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• The US television rating were up for Game 2 over Game 1.
• In Canada, CBC’s ratings have held steady.
• J.J. Taylor likes the move to bring in Joe Nieuwendyk as some semi-fresh blood.  It is no guarantee that Dave Tippett coaches the Stars next season, explains Chuck Carlton.  Nieuwendyk plans to build this Stars team through the draft.
• George Richards discussess possible replacements for Jacques Martin in Florida.  Meanwhile, David Hyde is skeptical of the Panthers’ ability to hire a capable replacement.
• Devils prospect Petr Vrana has signed on to play in the Czech league.
• Sticking in New Jersey, Brent Sutter knows that he needs to decide whether he is returning to coach the Devils in the near future.
• The Rangers have unbelievably raised ticket prices in this economic climate.  (James Mirtle had a good piece on this yesterday)
• Injured Blues defenseman Eric Brewer expects to be ready for training camp next fall.
• Sabres prospect Marek Zagrapan has signed a two-year deal with a KHL team.
• The Oilers have signed draft pick Milan Kytnar.

The Coyotes situation

• Here is a very interseting article on the thoughts of Gabe Macaluso, someone who has attempted to bring an NHL team to Hamilton before.
• As David linked last night, Jim Balsillie has filed a relocation application.
• The city of Glendale appears ready to help a purchaser willing to keep the team in Arizona.
• Let’s just say Wayne Gretzky could lose a lot of money depending on what happens with this sale.
• Finally, an article by Jim Balsillie himself.

Calder Cup Final

• With a 2-3-2 format for the Final, the Moose can ill-afford to be down 2-0 in this series heading back to Hershey.  Just because they lost Game 1, doesn’t mean the team is suddenly losing confidence.  Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun thinks special teams is the key for tonight’s game.  In injury news, Alex Bolduc hopes to suit up for Manitoba tonight.

**Tomorrow night is the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show from 7pm CST through to 9pm CST.  Tomorrow’s guests include Greg Logan of Newsday who will breakdown the Islanders’ draft possibilities and George Richards of the Miami Herald who will breakdown the Panthers’ GM situation and discuss Jacques Martin’s exit from South Beach.**

• Deadline deals from the past two seasons have helped the two Cup finalists, writes Dan Wood.  Good points by Wood.  These deals weren’t “major” but added the necessary ingredients to already established teams.
• The Wings may be up 2-0, but the stats have not been tilted in Detroit’s favor as much as last season’s Cup finals.  The Penguins deserved to be down 2-0 last season, this year they really don’t deserve to be down 2-0.

Everyone else

• Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch takes a look at the Thrashers organization.  Let’s just say the only way to go is up…
• Mike Heika says Dave Tippett’s job should be secure in Dallas…for now.  I think Dave Tippett has done a good job in Dallas, so I like Nieuwendyk’s willingness to give him a chance. 
• Georege Richards recaps Jacques Martin’s time in Florida.  Martin probably feels more comfortable about his Ottawa resume.
• Here is the Montreal Gazette’s article on the hiring.  Expect far more to come once the press conference is complete.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• If they get a little luck, Mitch Albom wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Pittsburgh tied up this series back home.  Albom also wonders where Sidney Crosby has been?  Detroit fans know where Evgeni Malkin has been, as he went after Henrik Zetterberg at the end of last night’s game but did not get suspended.  Speaking of Zetterberg, he has been driving Sidney Crosby crazy.  Jonathan Ericsson isn’t playing like someone who had surgery just a few days ago.  There is a reason Darren Helm is the new fan favorite in Motown.  Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press tells readers about Don Cherry’s entrance to Game 2.  (Writer’s note: Some thought it was cheesy, but personally I found it pretty funny.)
• As much as things are different from last year, the fact that the Penguins are down 2-0 in the series makes things very much the same.  Marc-Andre Fleury says he has to be better next game.  He sure does because Chris Osgood has been the star of the series, opines Joe Starkey.  Meanwhile, the Penguins got lucky that Evgeni Malkin wasn’t suspended.  Apparently some think Mike Babcock was out to play headgames with Sidney Crosby.  (Writer’s note: That’s taken out of context in my opinion.  If you watched Babcock’s press conference when he said that, it was matter-of-factly and he didn’t really seem to have much of a problem with it.)  Still with Crosby, former power forward Kevin Stevens loves the way he plays.  Are the Penguins better than they were last season?

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• New Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk says he learned a lot from the likes of Cliff Fletcher, Bob Gainey and Lou Lamorieollo during his playing days.  Tim Cowlishaw thinks Tom Hicks is hoping for a Nolan Ryan-like effect from Joe Nieuwendyk on the Stars organization.  Brian Burke thinks Nieuwendyk will do a good job.
• While the team may be a bit of a mess now, there are certainly some nice pieces in the Avalanche organization, writes Adrian Dater.
• Chris Zelkovich comments on how odd it was to not hear Bob Cole’s voice calling Game 1 of the final.
• The United States television ratings on NBC were down from last year and Jason Brough of the Vancouver Province is wondering why the ratings story was the only story not working on nhl.com

The Coyotes situation

• Bruce Dowbiggen of the Globe & Mail thinks everything is personal when it comes to Gary Bettman.

Calder Cup Final

• The atmosphere in the MTS Centre for Game 1 was absolutely electric.  Moose coach Scott Arniel wants to limit the team turnovers.  Finally, here is an interview Wiebe conducted with Moose forward Mark Cullen.  On the other side, Hershey sniper Alex Giroux is happy with his trade back to the Bears.  (Writer’s note: Is Ken Wiebe superhuman? That’s four articles for one morning.)  A lack of experience cost the Moose in Game 1, explains Gary Lawless.

**Remember that the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show has changed time slots and can now be heard live from 7pm Central time through 9pm Central time.  This week’s guests include Greg Logan of Newsday who will be on the show to breakdown what the Islanders are looking to do with the number one selection in this summer’s Entry Draft.**

Bettman cited the Pittsburgh Penguins as an example of a team that was once in dire financial shape, but was eventually turned around in its own market.

“We didn’t walk out on Pittsburgh,” said Bettman. “We fought to fix their problems – and we’re fighting with everything that’s going on for Phoenix, because of our covenant with the team and the fans there.

Read Duhatschek’s recap of Saturday’s conference here.

This analogy doesn’t fit in my opinion.  You are comparing a franchise in Phoenix that has apparently yet to make a profit since moving to Phoenix in 1996.  That means, that this franchise didn’t even make money when it made the playoffs, never mind not making the playoffs. 

On the other hand, Pittsburgh is a franchise that was in trouble until Mario Lemieux came and saved the franchise.  However, since Lemieux came there, Pittsburgh became a hockey town.  The team won back-to-back Stanley Cups and the Igloo was consistently a packed and loud house.  Now, I realize people will say, “Hey, Phoenix has never won and that has been the bigggest problem.”  Sure, but the Penguins weren’t a winner in Lemieux’s first few years and it is not as if the Coyotes lack for young exciting talent.  Now, I’m not comparing Peter Mueller to Mario Lemieux but toss in a bunch of the other young Coyotes players and the team’s brand new arena and there are a lot of reasons to watch the Coyotes play.

The biggest difference for me is the fact that the Coyotes are located in the deep south, where hockey is not exactly on the minds of the public.  Take newspaper coverage as an example.  I post the papers each morning and there are a ton of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review articles about hockey each morning.  In the Arizona Republic, you don’t even have a beat writer travel with the team on the road.  Considering that aside from Five For Howling, there is a distinct lack of Coyotes hockey blogs as well, and you don’t exactly have many avenues for following hockey if you live in Phoenix or follow the Coyotes.

As for Pittsburgh, the Penguins are located in the Northeastern, US.  Hockey is a big deal on the East Coast.  I’d bet that almost everyone in Pittsburgh knows of the Penguins.  How many people in Phoenix do you think are concerned about the Coyotes’ every move?

So, while I understand where Bettman is going with this comparison (To be honest, it is his job to make the situation look viable–so I’m not so certain he believes the analogy himself), I believe the differences outweigh the similarities.

• Luck played a factor in yesterday’s result, writes Mitch Albom.  With Game 2 tonight, Albom believes the Penguins saw many signs that gave them confidence heading into Sunday night.  Last night had to be frustrating for Pittsburgh, explains Bob Wojnowski.  Dave Dye says Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t as sharp as Chris Osgood.  Jonathan Ericsson probably wouldn’t have played had this been a regular season game.
• The Penguins probably deserved to win on Saturday but a few bad bounces led to a Game 1 loss, writes Dave Molinari.  Pittsburgh needs to be a lot better in the face-off circle.  Penguins coach Dan Bylsma made sure to reinforce to his team that they should not be in awe of the high-powered Red Wings.  In a rare appearance, Mario Lemieux spoke to the media yesterday.  (Writer’s note: Mario looks like he can still play.)  The Penguins’ fans sure travel well.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• Terry Frei says that Avalanche coach Tony Granato would be fighting a losing battle if he coached the team next season.
• Damien Cox likes the fact that the game can take some of the spotlight away from the NHL’s off-ice problems.
• Gary Bettman wants to see stronger drug testing in the NHL, writes Corey Masisak of the Washington Times.

Sunday special articles

• Fluto Shinzawa subs in for Kevin Paul Dupont in this week’s edition of Hockey Notes from the Boston Globe.
• Bucky Gleason warns the Blackhawks of possible salary cap problems down the road. 
• Larry Brooks says Gary Bettman needs to drop his personal issues with Jim Balsillie and negotiate with him to take the Coyotes to Hamilton.

Coyotes situation

• Gary Bettman addressed the Coyotes situation at his league news conference yesterday.
• The city of Glendale has seen some hope in the results of the court hearings so far.
• Chris Chelios is in favor of another team in Ontario.

Calder Cup Final

• Last night, Alex Giroux demonstrated why he was the MVP of the AHL this season, writes Ken Wiebe.  Paul Friesen says last night’s game had all the action one could have hoped for.  “Our pain was self inflicted. We had a number of guys that didn’t bring their A-game,” said Moose coach Scott Arniel.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• The Red Wings are not exactly happy that television scheduling needs have given them less time off than usual this year.  Mitch Albom chimes in with his take on this odd scheduling.  With so little time between games, the Wings are just trying to get some rest right now.  He made the summer switch, so Marian Hossa is hoping his move to Motown will pay off.  Helene St. James breaks down the series from all angles.  Ken Holland says he expects Nicklas Lidstrom to play tomorrow.  Bob Wojnowski is right when he says this series will be a classic.
• Sidney Crosby is confident that this year will be different than last.  The Penguins have no problems meeting the Red Wings when they are a little injured.  Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks the early start to the final is a good thing.  David Shoalts analyzes the two opposing netminders.  What if Sidney Crosby went to college?

That are not in the playoffs

• Doctors are trying to figure out what’s wrong with Pierre Lacroix’s leg, but luckily the team is saying the problems are not life-threatening.
• The Blue Jackets organization is in a fight over beer tax.
• Flyers winger Simon Gagne has underwent successful hip surgery.
• After a poor season, Vincent Lecavalier is looking to get into the best shape of his life this summer, writes Damian Cristodero.
• It is official, Bob Cole will not be calling the Red Wings/Penguins series for CBC.
• Today is combine day for the NHL prospects.
• Bruce Arthur of the National Post thinks steroids in is inevitable.  (Writer’s note: I disagree.  Again, I don’t think the benefits are there for hockey players–aside from goons.)

Coyotes situation

• The lawyers for Jerry Moyes now want a new emergency hearing by June 3.
• Jim Balsillie is going to unveil his plan for renovating Copps Coliseum today.
• Apparently the Coyotes organization is set to lose approximately $17 million over the next few weeks.

Calder Cup Final

• The Washington Capitals organization doesn’t lack for goaltending, as Hershey Bears starter Michael Neuvirth is certainly making a good name for himself.
• The Manitoba Moose would be surprised if the team doesn’t sell out the entire MTS Centre for Game 1 of the Calder Cup.
• Randy Turner tells Moose fans to enjoy watching Cory Schneider and Cody Hodgson because they will be starring in the NHL very soon.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• Chris Osgood was tremendous last night for the Wings, writes Mitch Albom.  Darren Helm is becoming a cult hero in Detroit.  Marian Hossa is going to try to limit the distraction that is going to be his return to Pittsburgh.  In good news, the Wings expect to have Jonathan Ericsson back in the lineup on Saturday.  Here are the Penguins that Wings fans should know about beginning Saturday
• The Penguins have been generating big television numbers in the Pittsburgh area.  Those ratings should continue to soar now that the Penguins face the Red Wings in a rematch of last year’s Finals.  Coach Bylsma gave his players the day off on Wednesday.  People don’t realize how much the Penguins have learned since last year’s playoff experience.  Veteran winger Bill Guerin is just happy to have been given the opportunity to join this team mid-season.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• The Blackhawks’ season ended last night, but they enter the summer feeling good about themselves.  They have to realize they lost to the best, writes Steve Rosenbloom.  It looks like Nikolai Khabibulin has played his last game as a member of the Blackhawks.
• Ken Hitchcock thinks the Oilers hit a home run with their new coaching selections.  While people may love the Quinn/Renney hirings, it will still be the players that determine whether the Oilers turn their fortunes around or not.  Meantime, there are rumblings that the Oilers have re-signed Dennis Grebeshkov at approximately $3 million per season.
• If Don Waddell has yet to lead the Thrashers organization to a playoff victory, then why should fans believe this time is different?
• Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs says his GM has permission to spend up to the salary cap next season.  In other news, Jacobs expects the next outdoor game to be played in Boston at Fenway Park.
• Adrian Dater of the Denver Post with the details of Patrick Roy’s decision not to coach the Avalanche next season.
• New Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher wants to meet with the entire Wild staff before making any decisions on who will return and who will be let go.
• Former Islanders forward John Tonelli has been arrested for DWI.
• Former Rangers radio play-by-play man, and current Islanders television play-by-play man, Howie Rose recounts the classic “Matteau” call he made fifteen years ago.
• Phil Sheridan has a very well written piece this morning commemorating the late Peter Zezel.  “It obviously is way too early for a man to die at 44 years old. The tragedy surrounding it is just horrific for any of us who knew Peter,” said Bobby Clarke.
• The Sharks’ current routine is going to lose its charm quickly, writes Ray Rotto.
• Lightning GM Brian Lawton has been working hard studying draft prospects.
• Could there be more than one Schenn in the Leafs organization after draft day?
• Maybe the Niedermayer brothers will end up on different teams next season?
• The Canucks have re-signed Rick Rypien.

Steroids issue

• Capitals players have fully participated in the NHL’s random drug testing program, and at no point has a Capitals player tested positive,” said Capitals team President Dick Patrick about yesterday’s steroids rumors.
• Capitals players don’t seem to think any of their teammates are on steroids.  (Writer’s note: I agree with Steve Eminger’s comments in this article.  It isn’t like most of the players in hockey are bulky or ripped.  I really don’t think there is a steroids issue in hockey at all.)
• Meanwhile, Bruce Arthur of the National Post wonders if this is the NHL’s first real drug problem?
• The NHL needs to get serious about steroids, writes Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star.

Coyotes situation

• As reported yesterday, Judge Redfield Baum has moved up the relocaiton hearing in the Coyotes case. 
• Yesterday Judge Baum also ruled that Jerry Moyes will run the club day-to-day until a sale decision has been made. 
• Apparently Tony Tavares was not interested in making an offer for the Coyotes.

Calder Cup Finals

• If the Manitoba Moose want to win the Calder Cup, here are their keys to victory, courtesy of Gary Lawless.  Guillaume Desbiens wants to drink from the Cup again.

Playoff teams:

• Pittsburgh could be two-sport champions if the Penguins win the Cup.  The Steel city is enjoying some great success as of late.

Teams not in the playoffs:

• The Bruins ownership wants to get Peter Chiarellin signed to a contract extension this summer.  He has done a terrific job in Boston and with a big summer of decisions ahead of him, it’d be smart to sign him to an extension in the next few weeks.
• There was a lot to remember from the Hurricanes’ 2008/09 season.  Nice post by Alexander.
• Adrian Dater says that Pierre Lacroix gambled and lost on the Patrick Roy situation.  How does Tony Granato feel at this point?
• If Ken Hitchcock is one of the coaches Darryl Sutter is interested, it shouldn’t matter because Hitchcock is happy in Columbus.  He’d actually be a great fit for Calgary but there is no reason for Columbus to let him go.
• David Staples does a good job of clipping together newspaper articles from Pat Quinn’s final days with the Leafs.  I think Tambellini made two great hires yesterday.
• Donald Brashear comments on reports of possible steroids deals involving the Washington Capitals.  This story was broken in the Tampa papers this morning and was included in the Morning Papers.
• Reports out of Russia have the Habs letting go Saku Koivu and re-signing Alexei Kovalev.  Although they may be true, I really don’t believe these reports.  That would mean giving Kovalev a boatload of money and basically make the Habs “his team.”  I’m not sure that’s the best role for Kovalev in any city, never mind the pressure-filled Montreal.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• Pittsburgh is the first team to return to the Finals with two different coaches since the Pittsburgh teams of 1991 and 1992.  Getting close to the Cup and losing is not a pleasant experience, so the Penguins don’t want to repeat that once again.  Hurricanes winger Scott Walker says the Pens are playing at a very high level right now.  Last year they lost the Finals, so this season the Penguins had no problem holding up the Prince of Wales Trophy.  Evgeni Malkin reminds Paul Maurice of Jaromir Jagr.  Don Cherry loves the way Sidney Crosby plays these days.
• Just because they lost quickly in the third round, it should not take away from the Hurricanes’ playoff run, writes Chip Alexander.  Yesterday marked the first time that Cam Ward has ever lost a NHL playoff series.  It did not take long for Luke Decock to wonder what is up next for Carolina this off-season.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)

• The Red Wings play their own kind of tough hockey, writes Helene St. James.  Throwing Patrick Kane’s mouthguard away amused some Red Wings.  Both Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom are game-time decisions tonight.  See, if you look at the Red Wings dressing room, Swedes and Finns can get along.  Jonathan Ericsson has provided a great boost for the Red Wings in so many different ways.
• Cristobal Huet seems most likely to get the start tonight for Chicago.  “It’s going to be 60 or more minutes that’s going to decide our future,” says Huet.  The Hawks aren’t focusing on the 9% chance they’ve been given to win this series.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• Darryl Sutter says he’s the best candidate to coach the Flames right now, but has not yet named himself coach of the team.  Eric Duhatschek touches upon the likelieness of Sutter returning to coach the Flames.
• Mr. Hockey in Minnesota, Lou Nanne, will be honored by USA Hockey early next month.
• Peter Laviolette is interested in the Minnesota Wild head coaching position, writes Michael Russo.
• Are the Habs becoming a religion in Montreal?
• Staying in Montreal, the Molson family is apparently interested in buying the Canadiens.
• There are apparently some legal issues regarding seating for the New Jersey Devils.
• The Hall of Fame is not going to change Al Arbour’s plaque to account for his one new coaching win from 2007.
• The Rangers have signed defenseman Michael Del Zotto to an entry-level contract.
• The latest on the Phoenix saga, courtesy of Craig Harris of the Arizona Republic.  Safe to say that the sides are squabbling yet again.
• The Blues have re-signed Jay McClement to a three year, $4.3 million contract.
• Could there be a steroids controversy about to hit hockey?
• The Capitals are facing big-time competition from the KHL when it comes to re-signing their free agents.

Edmonton Oilers coaching hire

• Pat Quinn stayed humble during his time away from coaching in the NHL, writes Damien Cox.
• Quinn will have the chance to win the Stanley Cup, one of the only titles he has yet to win.
• Steve Tambellini really liked the experience and versatility of his new coaching hires.
• Terry Jones with all you need to know about Pat Quinn.
• Tom Renney as the strategy guy has worked well in the past.
• Kelly Buchberger is the only member of the Oilers’ coaching staff that will return from last season.
• Derek Van Diest gets the reaction of a number of Oilers players to yesterday’s hirings.  (Writer’s note: Van Diest will be on the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show tonight to discuss the hiring and what’s next for the Oilers this summer.)
• It takes two special personalities for this coaching arrangement to work, writes Robert Tychkowski.
• The Oilers look to be an attacking team next season.
• Pat Quinn was a safe choice for Steve Tambellini, writes Eric Duhatschek.

Remembering Peter Zezel

• Rich Hofmann of the Philadelphia Daily News remembers the classy Zezel from his time with the Flyers organization.
• Peter Zezel was the kind of guy that would literally give you the shirt off his back, writes Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star.
• Zezel played on a lot of teams, and all of his teammates loved him.
• Allan Maki tells readers that Zezel wasn’t just a great hockey player.

AHL Playoffs

• The Moose are a round away from reversing some of the bad playoff luck from past seasons, explains Tim Campbell.

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FINAL		T
	Pittsburgh	4
	Carolina	1
Game Preview
Game Scoresheet
Team Game Threads the PensBlog Canes Country
Game Recap

Game Notes:

• Carolina is 5-0 when facing elimination games. (Tied for 5th longest streak in NHL history).
• 1st Period
• Eric Staal opens the scoring with his 10th of the playoffs.  The Canes are 7-0 in the playoffs when he scores.
  
• Carolina carried the play for the first 5 minutes.
• Fedotenko gets his 6th of the playoffs to tie the game on a shot from Boucher at the point to tie the game.
• Eric Cole has not scored a goal in the last 31 games.  (5 assists in 31g)
• Talbot scores a weird goal.  What’s worse. Daryl ’Razor’ Reaugh saying OMG.
  
• 1st Period Stats:
  Shots: Pittsburgh 9, Carolina 5
  Hits: Pittsburgh 10, Carolina 13
  Giveaways: Pittsburgh 2, Carolina 2
  Faceoffs: Pittsburgh 10, Carolina 10
• 2nd Period: Canes start on the PP but have nothing doing.  Battle of the goalies.
• Guerin scores on a nice feed from Crosby to give the Pens a 2 goal lead.
  
• 2nd Period Stats:
  Shots: Pittsburgh 10, Carolina 16
  Hits: Pittsburgh 10, Carolina 20
  Giveaways: Pittsburgh 1, Carolina 2
  Faceoffs: Pittsburgh 11, Carolina 10
• 3rd Period:  Both goalies continue to play well.  Pens have a 5 on 3 with 7 minutes to go in period.
• Crosby unselfish as you would expect on a 2 on 1 with an empty net passes to the former Hurricane Adams to give Pittsburgh the lead and ensure that Pittsburgh advances to the Stanley Cup Finals with a sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals.
• Guerin making his 1st cup appearance since 1995 when he won as a rookie with the Devils.
• 3rd Period Stats:
  Shots: Pittsburgh 6, Carolina 10
  Hits: Pittsburgh 5, Carolina 8
  Giveaways: Pittsburgh 3, Carolina 2
  Faceoffs: Pittsburgh 9, Carolina 10
  

3 Stars:

• 1st Star: Marc-Andre Fleury.  He made some spectacular saves throughout the game.
• 2nd Star: Sidney Crosby.  2 Assists tonight and continued to show why he wear’s the C.
• 3rd Star: Eric Staal.  He did everything he could tonight without much help from his team.

Post Game Press Conference:

• Pittsburgh Head Coach Dan Bylsma. 
  
  Q.  How did it feel getting through the series in 4 games?
  A.   To be real honest, I didn’t think it felt easy at all, you know I look back at the games we were down  in game 2, 3-2 after 1 and 4-4 mid way thru the 3rd and ends up 7-4 but it certainly didn’t feel like that throughout the game and they make it a 1 goal game in Game 3 and the place gets pretty rambunctious,  and we had to battle it out to get the win and it ended up being a big number but it didn’t feel that way and tonight again they got the early lead and i thought it was the game that was the hardest for us to get into the offensive zone and play there so from that standpoint tonight was there best game in terms of limiting our time with the puck….They battled in every game, came at us in every game and they never quit.
  
  Q.  How did you feel about Sidney Crosby touching the Prince of Wales Trophy?
  A.   I’ve won a confernece final and not touched it and lost.  The team that we played touched it and won. …Past history at least in Pittsburgh is that Mario touched it the two years they won the conference finals.Q.  Where in the season do you think this team came together?
  A.   We had a 5 game road trip and won all 5 games on that road trip, won the 5th game in a shootout, but it was the 4th game in Florida, I don’t recall the total number of shots we put up but I think it was 45 or in that range and only won the game 2-1, we were persistant in our game plan to get to the offensive zone,  and we won game 1 in Chicago, we won in Dallas but it was that win in Florida that the success started to breed a bigger buy-in, as this was the way to play and getting the win in Washington against a team that had beat us pretty soundly, I think in the 3rd game that I was coaching, that was a big win after the Florida game to accent the fact that now we are having success, this is the way we need to play and its about doing that for 60 minutes every night.
• Carolina Head Coach Paul Maurice  

  Q.  What do you say to your team in the intermission?
  A.   I thought the fight was better tonight.  We talked about staying in it as long as you possibly can.  Your down 1, down 2 didn’t want it to get to 3, thought we could get back.  Keep fighting.

  Q.  How demoralizing was the fluttering goal?
  A.   At the end of the day they said all the right things on the bench, they kept trying to stay in the fight.  Pittsburgh played very, very well.  I don’t think we had a lot left in the tank.  We had gone to the well a lot of times, we spent a lot to get here and earned the right to be here…we had spent an awful lot.
  
  Q.  How inspired did Stall play tonight?
  A.   I thought he was great.  Its a really good sign for his career and for this franchise.  For me it was almost a season in a series in that early on and when we first got here, we have a player that cares so much and had taken the weight of the team on his shoulders and was trying every shift to be the difference for the hockey team and feeling that pressure and not having it work for him.  And then really settled into his game as a leader and was simplier, harder, faster, played a better quality game for the remainder of the year and all of a sudden starts scoring starts playing and this series for him almost revisited the start of the year, pushing for offence at times thats not there, having it burn ya, feeling like your efforts there but some of the things that were happening you just couldn’t explain.  I thought he settled back down tonight, played a real smart, smart game.  

Ongoing Phoenix Saga Daily Tidbit:

From Globe and Mail - Balsillie reinforces bid ultimatum:

The NHL and Jerry Moyes will trade punches today in court over the timing of Moyes’s disputed sale of the Phoenix Coyotes – but the main event remains a hearing next month, which will decide if the NHL team can be relocated.

In the meantime, though, the lawyer for Jim Balsillie, the prospective buyer of the financially crippled team, scored the sharpest jab in documents filed yesterday with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Arizona.

Richard Rodier’s declaration sought to take the air out of the NHL’s argument that the Coyotes cannot possibly be moved in time for the 2009-10 season. If successful in his bid, Balsillie plans to move the team to Hamilton.

For complete story, click here.

Playoff teams:

• The Hurricanes have been looking in the mirror the past couple days.  They can look all they want, but this series is over. 
• Chris Osgood hasn’t had a chance to watch the other series going on because the team hotel doesn’t have Versus.  Just what the NHL wants to hear…
• Disappointing that Osgood has missed it, because the Penguins have been putting on quite an offensive show.  Crosby/Malkin, Malkin/Crosby, Crosby/Malkin, Malkin/Crosby.

Non-playoff teams:

• Curtis Zupke asks Ducks fans if the team should re-sign James Wisniewski.  I think they absolutely should and will.  Wisniewski played well for the Ducks down the stretch, can move the puck well, plays bigger than his 5’11 frame and is the team’s only offensive blueliner that shoots from the right side. 
• The Oilers have called a news conference.  No word yet what it is about.
• Apparently the Sergei Fedorov to the KHL deal isn’t done yet.   Rest assured, the Capitals will not be offering him anywhere close to that amount of money–and rightfully so.  If it is about the money, then Fedorov is going to play in the KHL next season.

Update: On Oilers major news conference from Allan Maki of the Globe & Mail.  Click here for more details.

Update 2: See story above.  Props to reader Curtis from Crash the Crease for calling this story in the comments section.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar is feeling better every game he plays.  Probably not coincidentally, the Penguins’ power play has been dominant as of late.  Meanwhile, Maxime Talbot is not getting down on himself for missing a couple golden scoring chances while playing alongside Malkin.  Speaking of Malkin, he wants to and has proved his critics wrong.  Planning on stopping them is one thing, but the Penguins are just that good, says Cam Ward. 
• Carolina knows it has to be more physical with Malkin and Crosby.  They may be down 3-0, but the Hurricanes believe they can comeback.  Any chance of that happening depends on Cam Ward.  Caulton Tudor doesn’t believe the Hurricanes will comeback, but he does believe they have no reason to be embarassed about that.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)

• Experience is paying off for Detroit this round, writes Ted Kulfan.  Valtteri Filppula has been quietly terrific for the entire playoffs so far, explains Dave Dye.  The Wings are hoping to have both Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom in the lineup tomorrow night.  Looking at these two franchises make one imagine that ownership may just be the most important aspect of running a successful franchise.  Some believe that Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall have been the best pairing this playoffs.  Detroit is hoping to win tonight, even though the Wings lost twice in the same situation last season.
• “We can’t win three games at once,” said Patrick Sharp in the most classic cliche teams down 3-1 have to say.  Wednesday night will be the Blackhawks’ first elimination game of the playoffs.  It doesn’t help that the Hawks are 3-5 on the road this playoffs.  By all accounts, it appears unlikely Nikolai Khabibulin will suit up tomorrow for Chicago.

Teams that are not in the playoffs:

• Terry Frei wonders if Patrick Roy is playing the Avalanche versus the Habs?
• Islanders coach Scott Gordon thinks Kyle Okposo could crack the 2010 USA Olympic hockey team.
• Eric Duhatschek examines who may start in Canada’s net in 2010.
• Could Team Russia be the favorite?
• Blues defenseman Erik Johnson is back on the ice three times a week working with Al MacInnis.
• The latest on the Coyotes saga from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.  David Shoalts of the Globe & Mail also has more on the myriad of issues each side is dealing with.
• Lance Hornby provides us with an update on Peter Zezel’s condition which apparently isn’t very good.   (Writer’s note: Wishing Peter the best.)
• Jonas Gustavsson, the highly coveted free agent Swedish netminder, has put his NHL dreams on hold as he deals with the passing of his mother.

AHL playoffs:

• The Manitoba Moose have advanced to the AHL Calder Cup Final.
• The Moose will be up against the Hershey Bears for the Cup, as Hershey defeated Providence yesterday to take the Eastern Conference title.

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Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• “That would definitely be really interesting,” said former Penguins winger Marian Hossa about meeting the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.  It is hard to believe Dan Bylsma could have imagined things would have come to him this fast.  While most think the series is over, Pittsburgh still knows there is some work to do.  Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby’s beard is leaving much to be desired.  Speaking of Crosby, with extra time off between games two and three, coach Bylsma was able to get his two superstars some extra ice time.  They are up 3-0 in the series, but that doesn’t mean Brooks Orpik is satisfied.
• Needless to say, the Penguins aren’t anticipating that the Hurricanes have thrown in the towel quite yet.  Luke Decock thinks the Hurricanes have looked completely worn down in Round 3.  Obviously coach Paul Maurice sees a bigger issue and that has been the Hurricanes’ poor defensive coverage.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)

• The Blackhawks were embarassed on home ice yesterday afternoon, writes Dave Dye of the Detroit News.  Embarassed by a team without its captain and leading goal-scorer no less.  Keep in mind that Detroit players were very surprised to be without Nicklas Lidstrom on Sunday.  Chicago was clueless yesterday, writes Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press.  Marian Hossa had a lot to do with yesterday’s dominating performance.
• “We witnessed probably the worst call in the history of sports [Sunday] at the end of the [first] period there,” said coach Joel Quenneville about the call on Matt Walker at the end of the first period.  Rick Morrissey thinks Quenneville knows the Red Wings are just too good.  Meantime, Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune cannot get over how bad Sunday’s game was.  It is fair to say people were pining for Nikolai Khabibulin after Cristobal Huet’s performance.  “We can’t win three games at once, so we just have to worry about Wednesday’s game in Detroit,” said Patrick Kane, as he tries to put Game 4 behind him.

Teams that are not in the playoffs:

• Bruce Dowbiggen thinks Hockey Night in Canada condones head shots.  (Writer’s note:  I think Dowbiggen is getting carried away here.  That may have been interference, but it was certainly not a head shot.)
• Adrian Dater tells us that reports out of Montreal have Patrick Roy being offered the head coaching position and the open GM position of the Avalanche.
• Perhaps the Lightning will decide to keep the number two overall selection in the NHL Entry Draft instead of trading it?
• Gary Loewen of the Toronto Sun says, among many other things, that the NHL’s third round has been a dud.
• Who is ready for the Don Cherry movie?
• Heather Schroeder sure loves her Phoenix Coyotes.
• Top Capitals prospects Karl Alzner has not been able to suit up for Hershey in the AHL playoffs the past two weeks because of a concussion.

AHL Playoffs

• Even though they’ve dropped two consecutive games to Houston, the Moose are not panicking at all, writes Gary Lawless.
• The Providence Bruins blew another 2-0 lead in Game 4 and now trail their best-of-seven Conference Finals 3-1 to the Hershey Bears.

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Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• The Penguins themselves are in awe of both Crosby and Malkin.  Pittsburgh has held its own it the face-off circle this series.  Good teams have that killer instinct, and that is exactly what the Penguins demonstrated last night.  Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review thinks the Penguins are better this season than last.
• “This isn’t going to be a four-game series,” said Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason after his team fell behind 3-0 in the series.  Cam Ward has not been at his best in this series.  The combination of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby is proving to be overpowering.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)

• The Red Wings are going to do their best to get to Cristobal Huet.  Dave Dye of the Detroit News thinks it is doubtful that Pavel Datsyuk will play today.  Kris Draper is also doubtful.  The aftermath of Niklas Kronwall’s hit should make this series more heated.  Remember when Chris Chelios said he’d never play for Detroit?
• The Blackhawks are still mad about Kronwall’s hit.  Even though he was hit hard, the Hawks are hoping Havlat can play today.  If Martin Havlat cannot dress today, Colin Fraser is expected to take his place.  Here is an interesting profile of Hawks forward Patrick Sharp.  “What’s going on in Chicago is fantastic,” said NBC boss Dick Ebersol.

Teams that are not in the playoffs:

• Here is Kevin Paul Dupont’s Sunday notes article.
• Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward has been taken aback by the harsh feelings towards him in Carolina.
• In Bucky Gleason’s Inside the NHL, he discusses Scotty Bowman’s time in Chicago.
• Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch is calling for an annual best GM trophy to be presented at the NHL Awards Show.
• In his Wild Insider, Michael Russo tells us that new Panthers GM Chuck Fletcher really values draft picks.  Lou Nanne thinks the Chuck Fletcher hire is a great one.  Fletcher already has permission to interview Todd Richards for the Wild head coaching job.
• Larry Brooks says the Devils should let Brent Sutter out of his contract.
• Rich Chere talks about the falling cap levels expected the next two seasons.
• Jim Matheson wonders whether Kevin Dineen could be the next coach of the Oilers?

AHL playoffs:

• Having blown a 3-0 series lead, and now only being up 3-2, the pressure is on the Manitoba Moose, writes Tim Campbell.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• The Penguins should be ready for Cam Ward’s best tonight.  It works to the Penguins’ advantage that they continue to outshoot everyone.  Well, that and the fact Evgeni Malkin has been a dominating force lately.  Additionally, the Penguins should anticipate one of the loudest crowds they’ve ever played in front of tonight.  Even though he hasn’t played in a game for a while now, Pascal Dupuis is keeping a good attitude.  Off the ice, the Penguins have named Jason Botteril new assistant GM.
• Paul Maurice has changed some since his first tenure with Carolina.  What about coach Maurice’s contract?  Luke Decock with a funny cliche filled article.  If the Hurricanes want to win, they have to slow down Evgeni Malkin.  Slowing down Evgeni Malkin is important, but Eric Staal stepping out his game is probably most important.

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)

• Michael Rosenberg gives the Blackhawks credit for their resilience.  Nicklas Lidstrom’s stick breaking was the key that led to Patrick Sharp’s goal.  Niklas Kronwall’s hit was legal, says Detroit.  The hit was illegal, says Chicago.  Meanwhile, Mike Babcock knows Brad Stuart’s game takes a step up at playoff time.
• “We’re a pretty confident group. Our third period was one of the strongest we’ve played all playoffs,” said overtime hero Patrick Sharp.  The Blackhawks just don’t know how to win without excitement.  Cristobal Huet was perfect in the third period and overtime after coming in to replace Nikolai Khabibulin.  Apparently Khabibulin has a lower-body problem.  If the Hawks don’t have Martin Havlat for Game 4, that is a huge loss for Chicago.

Teams that are not in the playoffs:

• Here is Eric Duhatschek’s weekly notebook, easily one of the best reads of the week.
• Bruins defenseman Matt Hunwick made a lot of progress this year and was very much missed against Carolina.
• Apparently prized free agent Jonas Gustavsson is considering signing in Colorado.
• New Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher wants the WIld to play an up-tempo style next season.  Read Cliff Fletcher’s take on his son’s hiring.
• Mark Everson is reporting that Bobby Holik is going to retire.
• Steve Stamkos really proved himself at the World Championships.

Mike Keenan firing

• Former Flames GM Craig Button says Mike Keenan isn’t the only one to blame in Calgary.  Flames center Craig Conroy was surprised by the move.  People are still calling for Darryl Sutter to return behind the bench.  Robyn Regehr thinks Keenan was a coach better off in the 80′s and 90′s.  Brent Sutter feels bad about Mike Keenan’s firing.  “Our team did not meet expectations,” said Darryl Sutter.
• Brent Sutter has told the NY Post that Mike Keenan’s firing will not affect his decision to return to the Devils or not.  Sutter has also told Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger he doesn’t want to work under his brother.

The Coyotes situation:

• What if the City of Winnipeg followed the Green Bay Packers model?
• The largest creditor of the Coyotes supports Jim Balsillie’s bid.

The AHL Playoffs

• The Manitoba Moose are heading home to play a sixth game against the Houston Aeros, after last night’s overtime loss at the Toyota Center.
• The Providence Bruins blew a big lead last night and lost Game 3 to Hershey.

**The IllegalCurve.com Radio Show has permanently become two hours and can now be heard Wednesday nights from 7pm CST through until 9pm CST.  Next week’s guests include: Kelly Hrudey (Hockey Night in Canada) and Darren Eliot (Sports Illustrated)**

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• Evgeni Malkin was that dominant on Thursday, explains Dave Molinari.  The Penguins’ other supersatar tied a record last night.  Nice to see the Staal brothers bickering over face-offs.  What was Chris Kunitz’s play like before he finally scored last night?  For all the success of the Penguins’ stars, where have the Hurricanes’ best players been?  Last night’s game was more intense than Game 1.
• “We’re just finding a hard time finding that push,” said coach Paul Maurice after last night’s game.  The Canes just could not stop Evgeni Malkin.  In good news, Erik Cole said he felt good after playing last night.  Meanwhile, Ryan Bayda may get suspended for his late game actions.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)

• Jeremy Roenick is claiming that Mike Babcock doesn’t like Chris Chelios and American players in general.  Speaking of Chelios, Mitch Albom quizzes the veteran defenseman about Chicago compared to Detroit.  It appears Pavel Datsyuk could possibly miss Game 3.  If that is the case, Detroit’s depth will become that much more important.  Some are wondering if the Wings can keep playing this well without their top scorers performing at normal levels? Meantime, the Wings players know that the United Center will be as loud as ever tonight.  For whatever reason, journeymen players always look great playing for the Wings.
• Rocky Wirtz says people still don’t really know what Versus is.  On the ice, Patrick Kane knows it is time for him to improve his play dramatically.  The Blackhawks defense has to stop with the uncharacteristic turnovers immediately.  As well, Nikolai Khabibulin has to outplay Chris Osgood tonight.  Chicago was physical in the first two games of this series, but they hope the home crowd makes them even more physical in Game 3.

Teams that are not in the playoffs:

• Should we take Todd Richards’ name off the list of possible candidates to coach the Oilers next season?
• Phil Kessel is expected to be out of commission for 4-6 months after undergoing successful shoulder surgery.
• Andy Vuong of the Denver Post thinks the Avalanche are going about their next coaching hire the wrong way.  Staying in Denver, Adrian Dater reminds us that greatness on the ice is certainly not a guarantee of success behind the bench.
• Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune says the Wild made a good choice for GM.  Sid Hartman says the Wild got its first choice, a much better deal than the Timberwolves were able to pull off.  Chuck Fletcher is a tremendously qualified candidate, writes Michael Russo.  Here is his portfolio.  (Writer’s note: This really is a great hire.  I thought Fletcher probably should have been considered the favorite from the outset because of his vast experience in so many different areas.  Look for Fletcher to do a great job in the land of 10,000 lakes.)
• Niclas Havelid isn’t playing in the NHL next season.

The Coyotes situation:

• Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press wants Jim Balsillie to be a little bit more honest about his dream of a seventh franchise in Canada.
• Some NY Senators oppose the Coyotes relocation to Southern Ontario.
• What about the Coyotes’ lease?

The AHL playoffs:

• Providence netminder Tuukka Rask thinks he is ready for the NHL.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) versus Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• Evgeni Malkin has almost already surpassed his playoff point totals from last season.  Sidney Crosby affects the game in so many ways it is scary.  Just as their parents would want it, the Staal’s were 50% against each other on face-offs in Game 1.  Dave Molinari touches on the Penguins’ defense and its propensity for scoring goals this playoffs.  Rob Scuderi may not get on the scoresheet, but he does all the little things that his teammates notice.  The NHL has chosen not to suspend Matt Cooke.
• Luke Decock of the News & Observer says the Hurricanes have to be better in every facet of the game tonight.  That task could be a lot more difficult, as it appears both Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu could miss tonight’s game.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Chicago Blackhawks (4)

• Mikael Samuelsson just scores big goals, writes Helene St. James.  Samuelsson may be clutch, but Chris Osgood is a salary cap MVP, explains Drew Sharp.  Mike Babcock was sure to give his team Wednesday off.  After being a healthy scratch for the past three games, it looks like Kirk Maltby will be checking back into the lineup for Game 3.  The odds of winning this series seem pretty good for Detroit.  Are the Wings destined to repeat?
• The Blackhawks may have lost in overtime on Tuesday, but Versus won with big ratings in the Chicago area.  “It’s a goon game now“, says the great Glen Hall about today’s game.  Chicago may be down 2-0 but they feel like they were better in Game 2 and still have room to improve.  Tim Sassone says the Hawks need to stop turning the puck over so much.  Barry Rozner tries to scare Chicago fans by warning them that the Wings haven’t played their best game yet.

Teams that are not in the playoffs:

• Pierre McGuire really wants the GM spot in Minnesota.
• In Boston, Manny Fernandez may be backing off his mid-season comments about retirement being a distinct possibility.  Staying with the Bruins, Peter Chiarelli has been selected Executive of the Year.
• The more you read, the more you think Patrick Roy is on his way to the NHL, probably with the Avalanche.
• Jim Day will apparently no longer be a part of Fox Sports Ohio’s Columbus Blue Jackets coverage next season.
• Mike Richards comments on the difficulties of having two shoulders surgically repaired in the same summer.

The Coyotes situation:

• The National Post tells you everything you need to know about the Coyotes issue.
• Mediation 101 courtesy of the National Post as well.
• Looks like there could be a local buyer in Phoenix that could bid on the team if given the chance.  (Writer’s note: After looking at these numbers, I’m not so sure anyone would want to do that.)
• Phoenix versus Canada.
• This whole Coyotes situation reminds Damien Cox of the Saskatoon controversy from years back.
• Regardless of what everyone else is saying, Balsillie sure seems confident that his dream will come true. 

The AHL Playoffs:

• The Moose’s ten-game winning streak came to an end last night, as the Houston Aeros won Game 4 of the Western Conference Final by a score of 5-4.
• A rib injury will keep Byron Bitz out of the Providence Bruins lineup for the remainder of the AHL playoffs.