Winning the Presidents Trophy multiple times is nice. First round failures suck.
How do the Canucks rationalize going from competing in Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals to screwing the pooch and losing to the Kings in five games in the first round of the playoffs?
The Vancouver Canucks were never in the series with The LA Kings. Ever.
Alain Vigneault's team was so defensive, and so intent on minding its own end of the rink that his best players forget (or failed) to score. The Canucks were ohfer their home ice due largely to the fact that they only scored five goals in three home games.
Think about this: the Canucks scored only 8 goals in 5 games against Jonathon Quick and the Kings. Henrik and Edler scored two apiece, and singles from Pahlsson, Bieksa, Hansen and Burrows.
Daniel Sedin was the magic genie that was supposed to emerge from the bottle and lead his team to victory while trailing 3-0 to the Kings in the series. Thats a lot to ask of an All World player who missed the final 12 games of the regular season and the first three games of the Kings series with a concussion, courtesy of Chicago's Duncan Keith.
When Sedin went down, so too did the Canucks offense. In the final 12 games when Daniel was injured, the Canucks could only score 25 goals. There was no switch to flip once the first round of the playoffs began.
The primary and secondary scoring seemed to dry up at the same time with Henrik, Kesler, Burrows, Raymond, and Higgins.
From the time that Daniel left the lineup on 3/21 until the time he returned to start Game 4 in LA on April 18, the Canucks offense had become a shadow of its former self. Gone was the flow and highlight reel goals. It seemed as though Alain Vgneault mortgaged his run and gun offense where all five guys on the ice contributed to the offense, was replaced by the defense-first scheme of Mike Babcock, Barry Trotz, and Dave Tippett.
thanks, canucks.com
I look back at the NHL Trade Deadline and I have to imagine if Mike Gillis ever regrets trading away Cody Hodgson to Buffalo when he did.
Hodgson played 63 games, scored 16 goals and added 17 assists in 63 games in Couver in 11/12. The kid showed promise in his first NHL season in Van City. He made the most of his microscopic ice time. One wonders if given his drothers, if Vigneault would have played Hodgson in his top six forward group in an effort to kick start the Canucks offense. Looking back on the offensive futility of the Canucks in the 15 games that Daniel Sedin was injured, Hodgson certainly could have provided some play making and finish. Hodgson was a home grown prospect in Vancouver. He had served his apprenticeship in Manitoba and was making great strides in his first NHL season. Were it not for the alleged conflict between Vigneault and the former OHL scoring star, CoHo could have played under study role and done his part to add offense to the Canucks and their anemic offense while Daniel recovered.
Its all retrospective analysis now. Hodgson was plug-n-play in the Buffalo lineup. His TOI increased
dramatically in Buffalo, while he played 5 on 5, PP, and PK. Lindy Ruff didn't hesitate to play Hodgson in the late stages of close games. Ruff trusts the kid. He's going to be a star for years to come in Buffalo. Credit must be given to Darcy Regier and his staff for identifying their area of need at centre, then zeroing in on their man Hodgson. Talk about an excellent hockey deal. The Sabres lock up a young centre who has the potential to score 35-40 goals and 75-80 points per season. They also get an excellent depth D in Alex Sulzer who found immediate chemistry after the trade with fellow German D Christian Ehrhoff.
Still wondering if Buffalo got the better end of the deal? Look no further to the fact that Zack Kassian and Marc Andre Gragnani were healthy scratches for the elimination game against the Kings. Alain Vigneault didn't feel strongly enough about Kassian and Gragnani to include them in the elimination game battle. Caught me by surprise. Kassian started strong for the Nucks after the trade, however, faded into the Western sunset as the calendar flipped to the real season in April. Kassian is a work in progress and will eventually pay dividends. Gragnani is a seventh D right now. No chance he digs himself out anytime soon.
Canucks fans hated seeing Hodgson leave Van City. The kid made a strong first impression, however, his coach, from what I'm told, harbored ill will, and chose not to play him. Perhaps the Canucks were too blinded by their 113 point season and their Stanley Cup Finals run from last season that they forgot the true value that a scoring centre can add to their lineup.
Canucks GM Mike Gillis opted to move CoHo to Buffalo so that he could trade for veteran pivot Pahlsson.
No reset button. No give backs.
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Are you seriously upset that Jason Pominville was not nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy?
I was asked by one of my Twitter followers if I was surprised by the snub of Pommer.
I could care less.
The Lady Byng Trophy, is presented each year to the NHL "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability".
The voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10-7-5-3-1 points system. Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This year's finalists are: Matt Moulson (NYI), Brian Campbell (FLA), and Jordan Eberle (EDM).
Pommer's a nice guy and a solid citizen in the NHL. Some would say he's too nice on the ice. I happen to like it when the captain is a prick and is surly to wards his opponents and at times his own team mates. How many Lady Byngs do Mark Messier and Chris Pronger have on their mantle pieces?
Personally, I'd like to see Pommer play out of character and drops his gloves as an inspirational device.
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The good news is Terry Pegula's "Sabres University" culture was born last Summer and is thriving today.
The bad news is that the Amerks' first season back in Rochester is over.
The Marlies swept the Amerks 3-0 in round one.
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Whats more exciting and stressful than an NHL Game 7?
Boston-Washington will play Game 7. So will the Rangers and Senators.
Credit to Hank Lundqvist, Brad Richards and the Rangers for silencing the Sens in their barn to force a one-and-done extravaganza.
The Rangers rallied from a 1-0 deficit to earn a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. With the series now tied 3-3, a decisive Game 7 will be played Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Derek Stepan scored the Rangers first goal and recorded a three-point night, while Brad Richards had a goal and an assist, and Boston College star,Chris Kreider, scored his first NHL goal as the visitors scored three times in the second period on Sens tender Craig Anderson.
Henrik Lundqvist was brilliant in goal for the Rangers, stopping 25 of 27 shots, including an amazing east-west save to rob Ottawa capo Daniel Alfredsson of a sure goal. Alfie was back in the lineup after a three-game injury. Lundqvist was at his best in the third period, makiing 13 saves against a desperate Sens squad.
I love how Brandon Prust chucked the knucks with Chris Neil. It was clearly a response to Neil knocking Brian Boyle out of Game 5 with a concussion as a result of a wreckless head hit.
Chris Neil got a taste of his own medicine when Ranger D Michael Del Zotto crunched the Sens goon with this bone crusher
thanks to the score.com for their video
After the game, Neil said of DelZotto:
“I’m sure I’ll catch him with his head down one of these times"
Kinda like head hunting Brian Boyle, eh?
Neil isn't the sharpest tool in the box, is he? Good idea calling your shot on a retaliation to a clean hit. In the legal world that's called "intent" and "premeditation".
Lets see how long it takes Neil to act out on his anger and throw another sucker shot in Game 7.
There's no word yet whether or not Brendan Shanahan will be reviewing the DelZotto hit on Neil. Why should he, since he chose to ignore the Neil skull crusher on Brian Boyle from Game 5?
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After the Ranger Game 6 win, the Rangers, to a man, talked about staying focused and playing desperate hockey against Ottawa.
John Tortarella has zero time to talk about the bozo "good goal" call by the refs on the kicked in puck with 38 seconds remaining in regulation in Game 6.
thanks, rangers.com
Should be a crazy Game 7 in Gotham on Thursday night!
My money is on Lundqvist and his Rangers.
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Congrats to Captain Shane Doan and his Desert Dogs. By eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks, they advance to round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They will meet Paul Gaustad and the Nashville Predators in round two.
Dogs vs. Cats.
thanks, nhl network
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Losing Marian Hossa for the series after he was destroyed by Raffi Torres earlier in the series certainly didn't help.
In the end, Chicago got the boot from the Playoffs because its scorers like Kane, Sharp, Toews could not score on Mike Smith.
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