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Enroth Beats Czechs @ Worlds

May 4, 2013, 5:14 PM ET [27 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
enroth
Photo courtesy IIHF

It should come as no surprise that Jhonas Enroth back stopped the host nation Swedes to an impressive 2-1 win over the Czech Republic on Saturday. Enroth finished the season in Buffalo like a champ, posting a 4-4-1 record with a 2.60 GAA and .919 save %

Enroth was his team's most valuable player as be defeated Czech tendy Alexander Salak. Jhonas made 17 saves vs. Czech Republic.

Jakub Voracek was the only Czech attacker to beat Enroth,

The Tre Kronor played well in front of a sold out crowd that included Sweden’s hockey royalty, Nicklas Lidström and Peter Forsberg.

Sweden (1-1) now gets a day off before playing Belarus on Monday while the Czechs (1-1) play Switzerland also on Monday.

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Lindy Ruff and Team Canada defeated Denmark 3-1 at the World Hockey Championships on Saturday. Denmark led 1-0 after twenty minutes, however, Canada dominated the final forty minutes to seal the win.

Colorado Av Matt Duchene scored twice in the win. Steven Stamkos also scored for Canada, who now move on to play Switzerland.


Ruff is the head coach, while Barry Trotz, Doug Shedden and Dave Tippett are his assistants,

Here are team canada's line trios:


Ladd-Giroux-Stamkos
E. Staal-Simmonds-Read
Hall-Duchene-Eberle
J. Staal-Skinner-O'Reilly


Thanks, IIHF




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Sunday's schedule of games:


France vs. Austria (Vanek is playing)
Belarus vs. Slovakia
Germany vs. Russia (Ehrhoff is playing0
Canada vs. Switzerland
Latvia vs. USA
Norway vs. Denmark


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The reigning Stanley Cup champions are on the ropes and they are showing rare signs of vulnerability right now in their series with St. Louis. The Kings mowed down its competition en route to the 2012 Stanley Cup championship parade. Not true this season. Ken Hitchcock and his St. Louis Blues are sparing no quarter in bombing the Kings.


The LA Kings are a miserable 1-10 all time when trailing a playoff series by an 0-2 count.

The Kings lost the first two games of this rugged series in the hostile confines of the St. Louis barn. The Kings will have to challenge themselves and work their asses off tonight in LA, otherwise, they can kiss their season goodbye.

The last time the Kings trailed 0-2 in a playoff series and came back to win was way back in 2001 against the Detroit Red Wings. The Kings won in six games.

If you were to ask me whet the difference in the Blues-Kings series is, I would tell you goaltending. Brian Elliott has been near perfect for the Blues, while Jonathon Quick has been ordinary for the Kings.

Elliott is the top ranked goalie in this year's playoffs. He allowed just two goals against and has been dominant. His .090 GAA and .956 save % are the difference in this series. Elliott's forwards and D are denying time and space on all Kings forwards.

When the Kings won the Cup last spring, Quick was their best player. He was 16-4 with 3 shutouts. His 1.41 GAA and .946 save %.

He wasn't making bonehead mistakes like this:



Steen's OT SHG sealed the deal on game one in STL. Quick and the Kings have yet to snap out of their collective funk.


And this Barrett Jackman bullet with butterfly wings......




Quick has to make the save on Jackman. He's also to blame for the Steen goal. two GWGs in a row allowed by Quick.

Unacceptable.



Thanks, Kings Vision


When Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy, he was lights out. So far this post season, he seems distracted and unsure of himself. is the pressure getting to him? Quick better get his act in gear tonight, or else his Kings will be playing volleyball on Huntington Beach next week.

I'm thinking Ryan Miller is watching this series closely. If Quick fails in this series and the Kings are eliminated in round one, they may be looking for a replacement in their net. Miller in LA might happen afterall if Quick can't summon the strength to fight his team out of an 0-2 sink hole.

Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek are hanging in limbo right now. Sabres GM Darcy Regier can trade one of Miller or Vanek, or both in the next few weeks before the NHL entry draft.


The NHL salary cap will shrink from $70.3 million to $64.3 million in September.

Currently, the Kings have $50,517,727 committed to just 14 players for next season, leaving them $13, 917,273 to sign their UFAs and RFAs. Their UFAs are forwards Dustin Penner and Brad Richardson, and D Robyn Regehr and Rob Scuderi. Kings GM Dean Lombardi will have some difficult decisions to make on his RFA group which includes: Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis, Jordan Nolan, Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez, Keaton Ellerby, and Jake Muzzin.

The Kings signed Quick to a 10 year, $58 million contract extension after he won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. The extension kicks in this season, and he will be a $5.8 million cap hit for the next decade.

Miller has one year remaining on his present contract.

Keep an eye on Quick. If he performs well in games 3 and 4 in LA, and the Kings win, this will all seem moot. However, if the Kings lose games 3 and 4, you better believe Quick will be wearing the goat horns. Its a situation worth keeping an eye on, especially since Ryan Miller will become the most highly sought after goalie on the trade market in the weeks to come.




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You're kidding me, right?

Is there anything that Patrick Kane cannot do on the ice rink?

Just when you thought you'd seen his personal best goals, passes, and shootout wizardry, PK re-invents himself right before our very eyes.

Watch #88 on this beauty of a goal. Surrounded by four Wild defenders, Kane fakes shot, then finds Patrick Sharp with the spin-o-rama pass. Tape to tape. Sick mitts!




The Hawks now head to Minnesota with a commanding two games to none lead in the first round series with the Wild.


I dare you to try recreating Kane's sick goal in your driveway or at the local rink.

Kane never ceases to amaze. He makes all players around him better. Just when opponents think they deny him access to the score sheet through his sick skill and desire to light the lamp, he buries and tomahawk through their hearts with his unselfish passing abilities.

His liney, Patrick Sharp, scored twice in game two off of two assists from Kane. The Hawks are a much more lethal team to defend against when they have all of their horses running hard. When Sharp, Hossa, Frolik, Kane and Toews are all scoring at the same time, opposing teams have to say a Hail Mary or two.


Thanks, Blackhawks TV
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